The Chronicle - The Old Shirburnian Society

The Chronicle
Academ ic
Oxford and Cambridge Places
The fol lowing have gain ed places at Oxford and Cambridge on the basb of their A level resu lts.
How·e
Name
College
Universitr Course
a
Tom Boggis
Ba lliol, Oxford
History ·
rn
Ben Cole
Exeter College. Oxford
Classics
Robert Collins
Trinity College, Oxford
Classics
William
St. Catharine's College. Cambridge Natural Sciences
Drayton
m
Kazu ya Furusato
Pembroke College, Oxford
Mathematics
b
James Meeke
Trinity College. Oxford
Theology
d
James Morton
Magdalene College. Cambridge
Engineering
m
Nick Scorer
Un i versity College. Oxford
Chem istry
g
Atsu below
Toyama
Cambridge
Natural
Sciences
Those
listed
were awarded Girton
BugbirdCollege.
Prizes for
ga ining three or more
A grades
at A-level
House
Name
A Levels
d
Guy Bailey
History. Geography. Anc ient History
d
a
g
b
a
m
d
b
a
rn
a
e
c
m
b
Jonathan Bain
Sebastian Bamsey
Ben Bishop
Ben Cole
Robert Collins
Tom Dowdall
William
Drayton
Kazuya
Furusato Tom Gi
lchrist
Pichit Hongsaranagon
Chris Hopk ins
Sotas Jaroenchaiyapongs
James Meeke
Ollie Minn s
Mathematics. Physics. Chemistry
French, English. Spanish
French, German. Spanish
Latin, Greek. Ancient History
Greek. Latin. Mathematics. Chemistry
Mathematics. Phys ics,
Geography Biology.
Mathematics, Chemistry
Mathematics, Chem istry, Further Mathematic . Japanese
Ancient History. Mathematics. Economics
Mathematics. Physics. Chemistry
History. Economics. Art
Mathematics. Physics. Chemistry. Further Mathematics
English. Theology. History
Mathematics. Physics, Chemis
c
try
Mathematics. Physics, Chemistry. Further Mathematics.
d
James Morton
Electronics (AS)
Ill
Nick Scorer
Mathematics. Physics. Chemistry. Further Mathematics
b
Gleb Sklyar
Mathematics, Physics. Further Mathematics. Russian
Biology. Mathematics, Physics. Chemistry, Further Mathematics,
Atsu Toyama
Japanese
Those listed below were awarded GCSE
prizes.
Jonathan Tricker
History.
Chemistry
e
( * Tlrese hoys Biology.
also recorded
A* 011
a short GCSE course)
a
Andrew Vickery
Biology. Mathematics, Economics, Further Mathematics (AS)
Number f j'A *grades Na111e
10
P. J . F. Lc Flufy (m), A. C. Morley-Smith* (e), N. M. Pothecary* (m)
D. A. C. Gordon (b)
9
7
C. B. Albor (g). R. W. Jordan (g). N.J. Minns (1). J. C. K. Ng (g)
S. R. C. Benneu (m ). l. W-Y. Chiu (a). J. J. Collins (d). M. J . Patterson* (m).
6
N. A. D. Zarb* (f)
5
0 . B. Gosling (a), P. J. C. Shaw-Brown (c). T. H. Williams (a)
4
E. D. I. Findlay (m). E. J. Harper (c). C. P. J. Hoare (b), D. D. O'Connor (m).
C. Q. R. Pushman (c).
3
As a result of their GCSE grades. the following were awarded Exhibitions.
House
a
"m'
g
g
Name
C. R. Albor
S. R. C. Bennett
R. W. Jordan
J. C. K. Ng
School Prizewinners 1999-2000
Name
Ben Adams
Charles Napier
William Drayton
John So
Nicholas Scorer
Nicholas Scorer
Nicholas Scorer
Nichol as Scorer
Nicholas Scorer
Guy Bailey
Tom Boggis
Tom Boggis
Ben Cole
Ben Cole
Robert Colbns
Sam Jones
Chris Hopkins
lver Ahlmann
James Meeke
James Meeke
Edward Lang
Wi lliam White
Benjamin Bishop
Benjamjn Bishop
Anthony Williams
Atsu Toyama
Richard Le Gallais
Edward Ball
Andrew Kong
W ill Rjder
Daniel Sk inner
Andrew Vickery
Paul Wong
James Leakey
Charlie Cox
Marcus Goddard
Jack Helliar
Tom Dowdall
Ben Davies
Richard Reason
Charles Vaughan-Lee
Prize
Longmuir Art
Drawing
Ridout Biology
Wingfield Digby Senior CDT
Driver Chemistry
Senior Plumtre Mathematics
Turing Physics
Harley Brass Senior
Edwin Davis Services (CCF)
Palmer Ancient History
Leweston Ancient History
Alison B lenki nsop History
Wildman L atin
Smithwick Shooting
Marson Greek
Whittingda le C lassics
Economics
Electronics
English
David-Weston Missionary
Geography
Bowen H istory
Fletcher German
Aston-Binns Spanish
Ben ny French
Morcom Mathematics and Science
Harold Blair Divinity
Keyboard Senior
Clive Carey Vocal Senior
Kitson Vocal
Music Technology
Harley Woodwind Senior
Strings Senior
Guildhall School of Music Certificate
Gerald Pitman Cup
Tom Bugb ird Award for S<Jiling
Steward Community Services
Marsh Prize for Cricket
Vigilando
Waller Heads of School
Wal ler Heads of School
4
Sport
Miclwelmas:
House Competition Winners
The Digby
Jun ior Lea2ues
Lem:
Trinity:
Senior Rugby
Plate
U-16 Rugby
Plate
U-14 7-a-side Rugby
U-1-l Plate
The Digby
The Green
Lyon Hou<;e
The Digby
Harper HoU'.e
Wallace Ilouse
Junior Leagues Hockey
School Hou e
6-a-side Hockey
U-16 Hockey
Plate
U-15 Hockey
Plate
Senior Soccer
U-14 5-a-side Soccer
Senior Cross Country
Junior Cross Country
Senior Pairs Shooting
Junior Pairs Shooting
Individual Squash (Macintosh)
Senior Squash
Junior Squash
Individual Fives (Richard Green)
Senior Fives
Junior Fives
SwimmingInter-House Sports
U-I4 BasketbaU
The Green
Lyon House
Schoo l Houl.e
The Green
Abbey House
The Green
Harper House
The Digby
The Green
Lyon House
Abbey House
Abbey House
Abbey House
Abbey House
Harper House
Harper House
School House
Lyon House
ICSS
Senior Cricket
Lyon House
Cricket A Leagues
B
Leagues Athletics:
Senior
Intermediate
Junior
Overall Cup
Senior Individual Golf (Kemp)
Junior Individual Golf (Farley)
Tennis Senior Pairs
Tennis Junior Pairs
Sailing
Lyon House
Harper House
The Digby
5
Abbeylandl.
The Grecn(fhc Digby
The Digby
The Green
The Digby
The Digby
Abbey House
Lyon House
Peter
Lapping
being a country .chool - and navy-coated women
had been taken around by lhc Custos in hi!.
unperturbable manner. but i f we had been eagle
eyed and lhoughtful enough we'd have regi tered
how trange it wa<, that the!>e particular parents
also eemed lO have a \chool tour that included
Abbe) Grange.
The Governors didn't help, of course or perhaps they were juM doing lheir job
because they were making discreet cnquirie as
to what
sort of qualities should be sought in the person
appointed.
Eventually. of course, the moment of truth
carne and Bow House was packed as never before.
From the steps the announcement was made. 'The
Governors announce that Mr. Peter Lapping,
curren tly Headma tcr of Shiplake School, has
been offered the po!>t of HeadmaMer of Sherborne
School and he h a accepted.' The lir t response
was. ·Where is Shiplake?'. Someone else
appeared with The Public and Prepara10ry
School · Year Book with appropriate section!.
ltighJighted in blue. The boot... was left open at 'the
page· for !.e\'eral da)!>. An)one who knew
an) thing about ShiplaJ...e " a an in!.tant celebrity:
There \ \ 3 ! . no doubting the build-up of curiosity
and speculation prior to September 1988. The
months leading up to Peter Lapping· appointment
were months dominated by lhe \O n of gos ip and
speculation which only Sherborne can generate.
One week. one candidate w a the favourite
becau e he had been seen buying a watercolour in
Bill Anstey's shop. Days lmer it was another
candidate because he had plied a member of staff
wilh gin and tonics at a meeting somewhere while
only drinking tOnic himself. And surely a lhird
candidate had always wanted to send his son to
Sherborne and he was ready to move?
For weeks and months no break time in Bow
House w a free of spec ulation on the part of some
of the finest minds in Dorset. all of us rivalling
Mystic Meg in our aHempti. at second sight.
What we hould have done. of course. was to
a!.k Cu!.tO . A we were to find out later. for some
weeh a ·e ric
of vi!-iting parents had
all
mysteriously been called Mr. and Mrs. Cropper
(ba ed I lhink on Robin Macnaghten·s jt!!>t lhat
sornebod) would come a cropper). Barbour-coated
men - some of the Barbours were. I suspect.
bought for the occa ion on the basis of Sherborne
8
on a strong weave which >hecreated, supporting and
influencing every single aspect of school life. If
Sherborne of 2000 has a different style and a
different standar d in its ambience from the
Sherborne of Lhe 1980's. then Diana is owed a
huge debt of gratitude, almost a!>great as the debt we
owe her for making sure Peter took care of himself.
Who else but Peter Lapping would alter the
start of term in order to take in the fir st duy of the
Lords' Test Match? Amongst Peter 's passions for
cricket, and n.1gby, there is also a deep conv iction
of how the game should be played. Foul play or
cheating is always a reason for sadness not
condemnation. Peter's Corinthian values were
carried forward in his view of sports scholarships,
a v iew unpopular in some quarters no doubt. but
held with fervour. convinced of the unfairness of
depriving those who have served 1heir time in
junior teams of the chance of glory at the top. It
m i gh t be gal ling to lose to Bryanston these
days, but hardly surprising i f half their team come
from Brecon.
I f . for varied reasons, like age and infirmity.
t ime for persona l involvement in rugby or cricket
was not possible. there was no letting up on the
early morning swimming regime. This too had an
amusing consequence when Peter. fresh back from
Hong Kong. decided to go for his early moming
swim and was halfway across Abbey Road before
he realised that it was in fact 2.00 a.m. and his
body clock had led him astray.
Let us imagine how we will look back on the
Lapping years. When 1 rellcct on the state of
Harper in the 1980's and the deficiencies in
Abbey. Wallace. and The Green and now look at
the vas t improvements in facilities in the Houses.
the standard of accommodation. the appearance of
the School. the landscaping of gardens. I marvel.
T h i son of achievement needs a brilliant Bursar
and upportive Governing Body. but also a
Headmaster with personal qualities of drive and
determination, a long term vision and the
confidence to push it through, patience. a proper
caution and an ability to hold his nerve.
[n doing all this. being a historian helped
because Peter brought with him an awareness of
the past and a sense of duty to it which had to be
matched up to the need for change and
modernisation. l remember vividly the pains Peter
and Diana took to invite al l those retired people
with
Sherborne
connections
former
Housemasters fo r example - to a series of
gatherings to explain what was being planned and
why. It extended ownership of the plans and I
know it was done as much wilh a genuine and
honest desire to recogn ize the past contributors as
it was with a sense of the political value of
consultation.
even anyone who had boated down Lhe Thames
wasn't far behind.
ln the months Lhat followed we all . either
collectively or individually, had our chance to
meet Peter and Diana. Housemasters each had a
session on their own - Peter had on his light
brown country suit for the occasion. I seem to
recal l - and he asked each of us for the two things
which we would most like him to achieve. Mine. r
recall. were to ask him to create an environment
where ·shredding · was a thing of the past and to
try t o unite what schisms there might have been at
the time in Lhe Senior Common Room by creating
an atmosphere or muUial support rather than
scoring points. How arrogant l was even to
suggest such a thing and from my own experience,
for the laner at least. I know what impossible t
argets I was setting.
To his credit. Peter listened, and we had a laugh
or two before I left feeling that I wasn't too sure
about this bloke because he didn't seem to give
much away. How daft to expect him to. A t that
moment l resolved that in future l would tell him
exactly what l thought. Communication. after all.
is a two-way thing and it is no good saying that
any Headmaster doesn't communicate if you don't
go to speak to him.
Wisely. Peter kept his counsel for 1hc first year.
He didn't have much choice, having lost his
Chairman of Governors and Bursar. a
circum!>tance which gave us the first sign of his
imperturbabi lity. Some inactivity was forced, or
course. and after notlearning his lesson in staff
hockey matches. Peter decided to play cricket and
made the mistake of playing a cover drive. A cover
drive i
far too ambitious a shot even for a
Headmaster and he fell in a heap. Achilles tendon
plastered, walking around with a tick did little for
Peter's dignity for a few weeks, but I don't
suppose he worried about that any more than
playing the village idiot in a Robert Glen play later
on. 1t wasn't altogether the easiest of beginnings
and for a while Abbey Grange was more like
Emergency Ward I0.
Peter tried to get to know and encourage the
boys too. especially the new ones. 1 have a
favour ite story of this period of Peter asking a new
boy in The Courts. ' Do you know where the
Library is?' - t o which the boy replied. ·Yes. Shall
I show you?'
Diana. too. was getting involved in Sherborne
and getting to know the system. Peter would be
first to acknowledge the immense. immeasurable
support given by Diana. By far the greater part of
it has been unseen by the rest of us but words like
'bedrock' and 'anchor' spring to mind. Like
all good Headmasters' wives, D iana's overt
presence on public occasions is just the delicate
embroidery
9
It i!> a l lcadma\ter\ lot to be between a rock
and a hard place. When I was here r recaiJ the
debate about the lengthening tail of our entry and
the need to keep up \tandard\. Now I marvel
annually m the po<,ition that Sherborne occupies in
the national league table-.. The Schoors standards
have been kept and ha'e gone up even if numbers
have fallen. KnO\\ ine the dilemma and having the
confidence to take one line or the other take. -real
courage. It mu tn"t be thought that Headmasten.
don't hear all the Common Room t a l k - they do.
but can·t be '>een to rem:t a they might want to. It
i'> a very hard and lonely place to be at rime and
pcrhap), Peter will in tall for his succe:.sor. above
h i Conference Room doorway. one of those
nickering e lectronic l-ign... that you have in
Sherborne Po t Oflice. on constant play. reading
'The price of compluining i;, a v iable alternative:
Another memorial will be the Sherborne
F(>undation. It require v i.,ion. again. to look
beyond the short term financial pain. probably
general di approval when something new is
introduced, in order to safeguard the future. What
wouldn"t PeiCr have given to have had
predecessor > who hac.l done w hat he has presided
over
accumu lated current funds. promised
legacie... both helping safeguard the future of the
School and 111 do111g o developing such contact
\\ith the Old Shirburnians that the). courted and
con\ultcd. are \tarting to \end their son:. or
grandchildren to the School?
Carlo Ferrario
All of u., on the teaching '>taiT like to think that
we arc tndi,pcn able to the smooth running of the
School. The f<tct i<., that none of u i-,. However. the
impact of \Ome member'> of '>taff upon the lives of
b o y and colleagues b \uch that their absence i
keenly felt hy a large pan of the community. The
contribution of some member., of staff is such that
their '>uccc sor., in their various roles have reason
to be greatly indebted to them. Carlo Ferrario's
impact upon anc.l contribution to Sherborne were
considerable.
A
w ith many. indeed most, members of
the Geography department. Carlo nir1ed with a
career in the real world before realising that
teaching is hi true vocation. His maturity (26)
and urbanity belied the fact that Sherborne
was h is first teaching po t. and he w a 1>oon
respected and trea ured by the boys for his
ability to engender cnt hw-.ia'm and t ran'>mit
knowledge
in
both Human and Phy!.ical
Geography. Within a year he wa., a\1-.ed to move
into School House as Resident and
Senior
Tutor. He revelled in the total
Think. too. of the entertaining which Peter and
Diana have done by week. by month. by year after
year. Like it or not. the l leadma,ter i-. seen as the
nag hip for the School. And to -.u.,tain that level of
expo,ure you need to be profc.,::.ional.
Rock solid ackno\\ lcdgcment or hi!> duty.
conviction and 'i-.ton for the future. stamina to
achie\e it. great intcgrit). The\e arc great qualities
but aom·c all of them. and tht'> for me i::. the
hallmarl. of the man. in all the time I have -,pent in
Peter"• company here and 'ub..equenll)' in other
circutmtanccs \\hen h i ' guard might have dropped
and he might ha\ e been tempted to be indi'>creet. I
ha\e ne\er heard him !.ay an ill \\Ord about
anyone. Governor. colleague or parent and never
heard him 'peak Of any bO), however malignant
the rc<,t of u might have felt him to be. never
:,peak of him wi thout affection and understanding.
Not many of u could have that said of us.
Peter and Diana. you have done wonders for
this place. given it the formidable combination of
two things that cannot he mca ured, your energy
and your love.
D .P.J.
This arricle i.1 /){I.H!d upon a .\peeclt by the
Headmaster of Christ:\ College. Brenm. nt the
Rerirement Dinner lteld in l1<mour of Peter and
Diana lApping on Saturday II ,\-farc:h. 2000.
immersion in the hoarding a\pcct of the School.
emerging onI> in 199 I to become Head
of Geograph) . If he\\ a ' compamu\·cly aged when
he started teaching. hi., ri.,c wa'> meteoric and he
wa!. young for a Head of Department ut
Sherborne. Tnvol\ cmcnt in a House wa..,
axiomatic a!> far as Carlo wa... concerned. c;o
he combined his ucadcrnic role with that of
enior tut or at Harper under Phil Jones and latterly
Charlc::. Allen.
In 1995 School House needed a new
Housemastcr. Carlo had the perfect credential'> and
was duly <lppointcd. much to the boy ' delight.
From his time as tutor , Carlo realised and
appreciated the focal position of School House
within Sherborne School. Size, tradition and
location arc all aspects of this. Constantly leading
by example. Carlo in isted upon the highest
standards of drc-.-; and behaviour. He was proud
that School House had the lowest detention rate
among the House!.. despite being the most visible.
He gained and retained the re.,pcct and loyalty of
his House. and in doing so created an atmo<;phere
of tolerance. 'uppon and fnendliness. but never
lo-;t '>ight of the fun ..,ide of community life.
10
He's well-nigh had his allotted pan on the
All l lousemaster<; pay a price for their
page. and I haven't even mentioned hiinvoh ement with their House. and for Carlo it was
the lo-.... or personal freedom and pri\ acy.
.
involvement wit h -.port (rugby, soccer. tenni-..
0
matter ho\\ much pre sure a resident. -.enior tutor
attempt-, to relieve - and in Mark Pryor and Paul athletic ). the mu!>ical life of the School (Chapel
Choir) and the Senior Common Room (Chairman.
Ryan. Carlo had two whom he valued great!) - a
Treasurer) but here are a fe\\ parting napshot of
\Uccessful Housema ter ha!. to spend a vast
the Silver Wolf: in a yello" wig at the inaugural
amount of time with his boy . lis-tening. watching.
staff children's ChriMmas pany: an ability and
discussing. advising, and this not only in term.
readine!> to send himself up: increa!>ingly red
Carlo is not a man for half measure . so once he
faced as he attempt > to peel off another rugby shirt
dec ided he had t o resume a private life. no
compromise was possible and he resigned his in Junior Chapel: camera at all House events
(baseball-cap too if outside): jaw jutting forward
position. It was with dismay and disappointment
when he di agree.,: divided loyalties when Ireland
that hi!> boy!> and their parents learned of Carlo's.
first played I taly in the Six Nations: his com•cr!>ion
decil.ion. but no one tried to talk him out of it. in
to teetotalism, which has resuhed in a Diet Coke
the full knowledge lhat he'c; not a man for turning!
dependency: con-.tant comments from a m) riad of
On his O\\ n admission. it ''a'> a wrench to leave
female admirer-, to the effect that he was the mo t
Sherborne. However. the School could offer him
eligible bachelor in Sherborne: his abhorrence of
no new heights to climb. and he I'> too energetic
cbaos and disorder: a well-worn passport: h i
and impetuou to stagnate. Second ma terl.hip at
refusal to settle for les!. than the best that the lca.\t
Clifton College offers him a mulli-faceted
challenge to whic h he will rise wit h determination, is capable of.
sty le and commitment.
D.B.C.
II
M a r k Skinner
Mark Skinner joined Sherborne in 1993 straight
from the School of Orienta l and Asian Studies,
University of London. He was always a reliable
and supportive member of the department and ran
his classroom with meticulous care. l-Ie was well
organ ized. researched ex tensively for lesson
preparation. and kept
abrca t of
develop
lessonsin his
were
ll
ments
topics.weHis
disciplined yet boys
found him approachable
and engaging. Anyone
who can succeed in
the
Old
making
Testament
prophets
relevant and challeng
ing to teenager today is
remarkab le. He also
taught Ethics and made
a major contribution to
the introduction of
Buddhism and Hinduism
at GCSE to add to
.Judaism and Islam. He
provided support in
PD/PSE and brought a
complete reform of our
LV I General Theology
courses, which largely
incorporated his sug
gestions. In addition he
involved Mark Aitken
in
organising
the
seating
for
major services.
as
we l l
as acting as
spiritual tutor for a
significant number of
conlirmandi . He also
preached regularly in
both the Abbey and
Junior Chapel.
In September 1999,
Mark became Senior
Tutor in Lyon House
after six successful years. Throughout his career,
he has been a notable tutor to, and supporter of.
boys' progress.
Mark joined the CCF w ith 'Cavalry Officer'
written all over him, and the sense of style
remained throughout. even if a degree of
civilianisation did creep in over the years. H is tirst
appearance at Adventure Training Camp in the
Lakes saw him sporting Barbour. brogues. and
brown hat on the hills; by the end or his time with
us he was the CCF's official 'kit monster' with a
dazzling array of equipment, not quite all or it
green. and a very popular character at Great
Western Camping. He even overcame his early
preference for sleeping
in vehicles when on
exercise! With his
the
experience
of
Regular Army he was a
great asset to the CCE
setting and expecting
the highest standa rds
from NCOs and cadets
with a jud icious mix of
firmness and humour.
During his time he
managed the Ten Tors
teams. ran the Recruit
Company.
Army
Section. and latterly.
commanded the CCF.
His
planning
was
always very thorough:
under his leadership
you could be sure that
all
involved
in
any
activity wou ld know
ex.act ly
what
was
expected
of
them
throughout. But when
'the best-laid plans· did
'gang
a-gley·
his
unflappability
was
show n, as when. in his
year
as OC. the
Biennial Review was
beset by torrential rain
and required a drastic
change of plan at the
last moment. And of
course al l was reviewed
afterwards during the
vital debriefing s ssion
with pipe and pint. And which of us who worked
with him wi l l forget his instruction on the
economical use of paper for certain vital functions.
We shall miss such a hard-working. well
organised and lively colleague. Understandably,
after nearly seven years here, he wished to run his
own department.
D.J.D./R.M.W.
12
Rus s e l l Williams
Ru<;.,cll William-. i-. Cit doe!.n't -.cern right to :-.a)
·\,as· yet. for the end of Ru'> ell\ teaching career
i but a beginning of an exciting new life) a man
of man) pan.,: chemist. coach of cricket and
hocke). Health and Safety Regulation:-. tester.
model mrcrart and railway guru. musician.
rocketeer and tutor - I dare not put them in the
order of imponance Rus<;ell ascribed to them.
He came to u:- in 1991 from Dulwich. having
.,pent several year-, a!> Head of Chemistry at
Park<>tone. The job here wao; originally for a year
but Rus ell quickly made himself indi pensable
and he linally retired thi yea r. With his expert
knowledge of traditiona l A level Chemistry and
beyoml, Russel l saw GCSE sc ience as a
devaluation of the !.ubject and was often heard to
commelll that A Level tudcnts of today wouldn't
have been able to do the 0 Level or old. That said.
he was a huge help to boy!. of all leveb who
wanted to improve their Chemi:-.try and he would
alway-. be willing to give an hour or his time to
on out their difficultic . His lo\e of experiments
led many cla:-..,es into unimagincd voyages of
discovery: he alway!> claimed in private that
everything was utterly ...arc but would never lel the
boy know that. He dete ted Health and Safety
Regulation . regarding them a... ha' ing been
designed by o;omcone \\-ith a per...onal grudge
against him and wa., ah..a) 1> delighted to c!.cape
the con traint'> of lab. regula!ion., \\hen firing
rockets or releasing model plane-. over the pitche .
Rus!.el r .., character w a enigmatic. Tho'e " h o
knew him well rcali-.ed thai he was a remarkabl)
positive character " h o "<l'. enormou-. fun: a
conver<,ationalist who!.e intere).tl> ranged widcl)
outside his special interc!.t:-. from military hi.,tory
to septic tank . and from grand pianol. to
of
grandparenting. H is nicknames (given by
Eeyore or Doctor Doom reflected the
high standards he expected of Shirburnian
and the misery he prcten<.lcd to feel when they
failed to live up to them. hut he was the most
convivial of companions. always happy at heart
when things went well. To boys he was Uncle
Ru),i.: that avuncularity meant thm he was
alwayo; regarded with great affection by many.
particularly his tutees. He alway-. had the happy
knack of treating boys like adult!.. a policy
that often reaped particular d i ' idend\.
Russell coached the Under 14 cricket and
hockey for many year!> with con">iderable '>Ucccss.
He had been a talented 'porl\man in h i ' youth.
having played cricket for Middle ex Second' and
Southgate. With a grounding in a hard school. he
tarn
13
w a an old- tylc coach who was not afraid to
critici c. hut boy.., who had been told why they
were ullcrly usclc\s the week before often had the
habit of :-.coring run.., the next week. Ru:-.sell'
minibu' driving . - ... exciting: he wa<; never late
for a match and te,ted the full range of capabiliticl>
of \Chool bu\e . He ..,pent hour.., of his time
-.upporting -.chool sport right up until the last term.
Rw,-.cll tutored in Abbe\ lands and then in The
Green for hi<. la\t four vear\. He wa-, never a !>trict
\Cry !>Ucce:.sful
di\clplinarian but \ a
at motivating boy-.. gelling them to hare
their diflicultie'> and anxictic!> with him and
supporting them to the hilt. A<:. hi:. horne wac,, in
Wimbome. Ru!'!.CII often '>pcnt night'> in the
House and gave far more than hi:-. fair :-.hare of
time to llltoring. He organi ed the Hou-.e Conce11:
it was here th t his love of music shone through.
He was an extremely talented
pianist
who
accompanied boys and
managed to make the event great fun, although his
lack of e lf-confidence w a always <L tonishing for
someone c;o talented.
Ru, ell gave -.o much to Sherborne in hil. ten
year' here. but '>en-;ibly he did not become utterly
ob!>c-.-,cd " i t h :.chool and is now enjoying
retirement in hi.., delightful Devon house next door
to rather a good church organ. He will be delighted
to '>pend more time w11h Marian. playing hol>t to
m<my including hi<. four children and their
children. He will be plea-,ed to take off the 'chool
jacket and tic he ah\ ay.., wore "'ith '>UCh
curmudgeonly reluctance and will be keen to
attack ta'>k!:> '>UCh u building walb. reading new
books and enjoying hb mu,ic. lie Wt l$ the sort of
character every good '>chool need' in order to
make it a more interesting place.
As h l e y H o u s e
que tions about teaching F:conomics which could
have given pau!'e for thought to a jaded and
cynical
llead of Department, had such
a hypothetical
character
cxi'>ted.
He
overcame frustration<, with the chool''i computer
ystemo; to show how effective u\c could be
made of the
Internet and carried out many projects in the
department on hi'> O\\n initiative. Serious a he
was in hi-. approach to man) thing . it was never
very long before the humour of a situation
occurred to him and laughter broke out: he could
find '>ornething to lighten the dulle'>t tasks - the
Director of Studic ... ha-. never been entirely clear
why the minute.., of the Economic), Department
weekly meeting alway'> contained a lovingly
written reviC\\ of a 'Pub of the Week'. often the
most detailed entry in the document.
The boy' respected hi<; commitment to
reaching. appreciating the efforts that he made on
their behalf and the high standards that he
expected. upon
He w aearth
nor above
storing
up a modest
treasure
and wall
infonned
and
knowledgeable about the Mock market and
compunie o, ·
shares.
willingly
sharing
knowledge and commun icating hi-; ent husiasm to
his
the boys in a variety of ways: his activities in this
area found a receptive audience. appealing
nalllrally as it did to the ill-disguised avarice of the
typical Shirburnian (and the occasional member of
staff). He had to learn fa'>t when teaching Business
Studies but approached the task with the
commitment and conscicntiousne% with which he
approached all hi'> tl'>signments. drawing again on
a detailed and wide runging kno ledge of actual
business acti' ity.
G.D.R.
·so you'\e cut it off then. '>ir'. were the
mystcriou<; word with which \ome boys greeted
A\hley " hen he arri..,ed at School to teach
Economic, in the Michaelma term of 1998.
Mercifully the explanation turned out to be that an
carl) appearunce at Sherborne to allend a Crossfire
meeting the prev1ou-. year had \een him c;porting
-;houldcr length hair \\ hich had now been
\aCriliced in keeping '"ith the school dreS!> code.
CrO\'>fire wao, important to him - with or
without hair: he came to Sherborne from a year
'pent \\Orking for the Scripture Union in Oxford
and his low key approach hid a strong faith which
he brought to many area!> of the School. including
helping with teaching Theology.
Zeal may have been re!>trained in the school's
religiou life but w a uninhibited on the games
field; a competitive and successf ul sportsman
himself, he ran Squash and contributed
energetical ly to Rugby, Cricket and - rather to his
su r pr ic - Basketball. in eac h case proving to be
able to enthuse and motivate boys. He was a
valued house tutor in Abbeylands where he spent
much time and care in hi!. pastoral role.
Only a year beyond graduation from Durham
when he arrived. he had a fresh and vigorous
knowledge of Economics. which he used to oood
effect in les ons. Although he had not tak n a
teacher training course he learned the tricks of the
trade quickly and provided a constant stream of
new and inncnative idea!. in the department which
he effected energeticall) and thoroughly: his lack
of experience led him to ask fundamental
14
Ti m Bull
Amidst all this he managed to rind the time to
persuade Jay to marry him: his proposal to her was
made with his usual elan, by the lake in the
grounds of the castle. with Tim Bull hiding in the
shrubbery ready upon cue t o set off a string of
celebratory fireworks (what was the plan had Jay
declined his proposal?). Unfortunately they both
found the prospect of living in the cosmopolitan
chic of Cheltenham more attractive than
remaining in Sherborne. At least we shall see
Ashley regularly when he brings teams hopefully
losing
teams
to
Sherborne. Many aspects of school lite are
diminished by his departure; I hope Ashley
and Jay wi ll find the happiness and uccess
they de erve in their paslUrcs new.
l' ...,..·
r
Tim Bull aJTived at Sherborne having worked
as a professional theatre technician at the Duke's
Playhouse, Lancaster and at Brewery Arts
in Kendal. Thi!. enthusiasm, expertise and interest
in drama as an educational medium proved
immediately to be an enormous asset.
Tim has the enviable ability to make the most
of whatever raw material he has to hand. With sets
for House plays, where he had little budget to play
with. he invariably refused to suc-cumb to the
safety of a standard boxed set. Abbey House's The
llfusion and Harper's pro-duction of Dra cula are
two examples where his imagin-ative staging and
theatrical trickery helped bring the plays to l ife.
His work on larger productions was no less
impressive. One only has to think of the scale of
the sets for Hemy V. Billy Budd, and Code
Crackers to realise how much technical support
and know-how they demanded. Tim worked very
closely and sympathetically with the School 's
professional designer. Mark Friend, and the results
were very much a collaborative effort. He could
also design in hjs own right. Our Countt:r :V Good.
a play which requires scene shifts ranging from the
hold of a ship to the ban·en landscape of 18th
Century Australia, was skilfully presented in 1999.
Tim was respected and liked by the boys. He
gave his time and energy LO the experienced and
inexperienced. He demanded high standards but
never lost sight of the fact that drama should be
enjoyable and that this should not be lost amidst
the quest for artistic excellence.
There is an element of the nomad in Tim and
after two years here he felt that his social needs
would be better fulfilled if he were to live and
work in, or near. a large city. Oxford and Radley
have provided him with such an opportunity. We
wish him well in his new position and th<mk him for
his effor1s during his time with us.
D.H.
;
}-..,.
-_;{ ..
G.TWR.
IS
Christian N o r r i s C r e s p o
Although he was only 23 years old at the time
of his arriva l in Sherborne. Christian had already
tasted far more than Warhol's fifteen minutes of
fame. H is C.V. informed us that he had been
working in Ecuadorean television ince the age of
I I and that he had played leading roles in seven
soap operas produced in his country. We were
expecting acting ability. charisma. good look .
perfect Spanish . and perhaps just a hint of'
arrogance from someone with such an exciting
personal history. Christian lived up t o our
expectation!> in every !.ense but the last one.
Despite his impressive track record there was not
a trace of vani t y in this most personable of young
men.
Christian w a to be our first Latin American
language assistant and came to us courtesy of the
GAP organisation for a one-year placement. Not
only did he add the new dimension to the life of
the Spanish Department. which we had hoped for.
but he also made friends throughout the School
and beyond its confines with his charm and
amiabilit y. He became a friend to the many boys
who were fortunate enough t o have thei
r conversation
lessons
with
him
but
also. importantly. broadened their horizons.
Already several boys have been out to Ecuador to
visit him as pari of their gap year travels and
I am sure the seeds of cultural enrichmenL he has
sown will go
on to produce many frui ts both for t h i School and
for the individuals who have benefited from
knowing him.
Christian contributed on many fronts to the life
of the School. I particularly remember
the beautifully pre ented talk on his country which
he gave to the Ateneo. Christian injected some
Latin style into the life of our School and
that of Sherborne School for Girls with his salsa
dancin!l classes. I suspect that there will be more
than one
boy who will take away a very handy life skill for
easy sociali!>ing with members of the oppos ite ex
as a result of Chri tian·s efforts.
Christian
for personal
the considerab
personal
to
On a more
note. I amle indebted
commitment with which he agreed to direct our
Spanish film Obsesi(m. Our collaboration on this
project
showed
me
that , along with
charm. Christian also possesses the steely
determination and high professional standards
necessC:try to take him much further still in the
world of film-making and television.
Christian has been a first-class ambassador for
his country and ha:. built a bridge of friendship and
communication between our school and Ecuador
wh ich we hope wil l be maintained for many years
to come.
D.C.B.
17
Obituaries
,
...,
Stuart Ha r gr e ave s
This was the address delivered m Stuart :5f uneral on 30th August, 2000.
some boy 's recent ac tiv ity or lack of it in School.
I step out of the room, almost unnoticed, leaving
friends enjoying the genuine pleasure of
conversation.
I ' m in the corridor passing Stuart·s classroom.
perhap. a year or t wo ago now. A Fifth Form
English les!.on i in progress. Stuart is seated at his
paper-strewn desk, boys arranged in the three
side of a square facing him. I recognise some of
them as potentially lazy. by thi., school's standards
hard to motivate. not natural -.cholar . One boy sits
at a de\k direct!} in front of Stuart so
Some personal images. It's the middle of the
afternoon, probab ly a Wednesday. I' m in Bow
House. Stuart sits at the table. sl ightly crumpled in
sty le and pose. poring over something in the
paper . or a magazine. One sen es a kind of
brooding inten ity emanating from the man.
There's !>ilence in the room broken only by turning
paper. and the occm.ional. distinctive, deep half
!>tifled cough of Stuart's a thma.
Another member of the English department
enters and within moment!> there is animated.
pa'>'>ionate debate about a re\ iew. a publication or
18
he won't mil>!> any ingle word of wisdom over the
full forty minutes. The atmo:.phere is academic.
almost inten!.c. The boy!> exude a !>en!.e of being
panicipanu; in a serious pia) or. perhap . members
of an audience who know they mu!-.t concentrate
not to mi!.s the unfolding of the plot. I know that
Stuan worked wonder<; with thi di parate group.
welding them into a unit where hard work was the
accepted norm and who. in the end. picked up a
very good set of grades. I'm ure the serious. qrict
teacher I \ 3 \ \ that day miled ' 'ith deep plea ure
when he aw those result .
Again I can sec Stuan. but only from behind.
H is arms are folded a.'> he <;tand., between me and
the stage in the BSR. ab!.olutely still. watching
with intensity. I sen:,e him ab!>orbing all that is
happening on the tage, careful ly working out
what
still
needs
auention
- perhap:.
noting progress, probably irritated by lack of
it. but always striving to bring out the best in tho
e acting before him.
My fina l image is of Stuart the man whose
company women so enjoyed. I t '-; in the Powell
Theatre between acts. Stuart is conversing.
looking forward. not giving too much eye contact,
hut just turning occ< sionally to look over hi!>
shoulder with a "lightly mi chievous :-.mile and a
chuckle.
Four images among so many that have been in
our minds over these pa t. long. fev. day!>. There
were man) -.ides to this complex man who lived
such a hon but definite!\ full life.
From his binh in Dover. through a childhood in
which perhap., the happie t time., were as pan of a
gang of live boy., on a Corni'>h beach in the
summer holidays: through the traumatic years of
teenage life. when perhap!. h i<; practical
knowledge of what roguish boy!> in school today
might be up to wa., laid b)' hi!> own experiences:
and on to univcr...ity in Bristol: all thi., time a deep
love of the English language. of poetry and drama.
was leading him out along hi!. own path of
discovery. a path that was. in pan. to take him
away from hi!> root!.. for it had a kind or intensity
thut other!>. not captured by such a passion. would
find hard to understand. Perhap!> this intensity is
best illusmued in Stuart's journey to the Orkneys
in order to meet a poet who lived there and whose
work had captured his imagination.
After university, Stuart did a teacher training
cour e and then for a \hOrt. and. l
uspect.
frustrating time. he taught in a school in
Gloucec;ter. He left there and trained in the
bu ines., world - working for a while in a large
computer compan). Watching him hunched over
the keyboard in hi cla'><.room. :.ome may have
assumed he w a a n o ,ice. ot !>O. After that.
he went into bu'>inc-.-. " i t h a friend rc,toring
a
watermill to produce high quality, !>toneground,
wholemeal nour. I t wac; a ucce sful busines and
i f he had remained with it he could perhaps have
been one of the first organic millionaire ! But the
desire for more intellectual timulation drew him
back into teaching and o began hi'> career as an
outstanding English teacher. first at Cheltenham
Ladies· College and then here in Sherborne . Here.
of cour e. we were fortunate to ob erve his
creative ability transforming Drama in the
School.
The nature of that creativity is worth dwelling
on for a moment. He wasn't really an actor
himself. Tnever had the sen-,e that he wanted to be
up front. The creative gift which he had was to
bring out the best in other!>: to put together the
creative talents of actors, set-designers,
technicians, choreographer:-. wig-makers and
others, and to keep them on target. working
together (sometimes only juM) to produce in the
end something which was greater than the sum of
all the individual parts contributing to it.
Drama. a vital expression of the who le of
human life. of people's ability to be involved in
many different ways in dramatic production. the
small as much as the big production. really
mattered to Stuart: not onl) on the 'itagc but in the
clas·room; not only the high-budget production!>
like Code Cracken but small. inten'>e productions
like the unforgettable recent play about three
hostage held in Beirut: not only large-audienced
school production-.. but the annual Wallace Hou!.c
Play: not only the Introduction of A level Theatre
Srudie but also Third Form Drama. It "a!> to all
these different dramatic fields that Stuan brought
a pa!.sion. di.,cipline. an urgency, a level of
commitment that c;aid 'Thi<, matter\: thi\ i-;
imponam: this tells us things we need to know·.
And he wa!. lucky here in Sherborne - for there
were many who supported him. Yes, he could be
difficult.
Many
of u., fell
out
with
him occasionally. Boys did find him 'scary· from
time to tum:. But perhap i f he hadn't been
under so much strain. physically. u !.train
sometimes self imposed, someti mes
placed
upon him by the School. he might have risked
smiling a bit more and letting more boys know
how much he cared about them.
Stuart was a complex man. from a quite
complex background. He w a a passionate man.
passionate about his love of the Englbh language.
pa.c; ionate about drama. He was a gencrou!. man.
wanting othero;' talent<; to flourish. never hogging
centre :.tage him elf - a man more l.ympathetic
towards boy., than pcrhap-. hi-. outward manner
first l.ugge ted. Demanding. uncompromising at
Limes. he ' ' a
trong enough to per!>uade rugby
playing macho boy<; that acting was line. but
19
sen i tive enough to maintain lifelong friendships
and be very good company.
We !.hall m b him greatly. but I'm glad that.
O\'er the last few yearl> he found a sense of
commitment and easy plea-.ure in life that perhaps
he hadn't experienced since the dayl> back on the
beach in his childhood. Good friends here in
School. vi<,it\ to his lifelong friends from his teens.
a renewed relationship with his family. and his
very special relationship with Rachel all served to
make him calmer and happier than e'er before.
One day thi summt:r. aft er a meal with friends
in Cornwall. he said ' I don't want any more than
this - thi is my idea of Heaven·. Our reading
today declares that only he who comes down from
Heaven can tru ly know what it is like. Perhaps
Swan on that day in Cornwall thi!> summer
captured just a glimp c of Heaven. May God bless
him and welcome him there .
C.W M.A.
onathan Ambrose
Thefo llo ring address u·as delivered by Phil Jones. Jonwlwn Ambrose
at a memorial service in the School Chapel.
At first there was no obviow, portent in the
request from the Headmaster's Secretary for me to
meet prospect ive parents. The name was a little
unusual. perhaps - Ambrose - but we had had
pupib before from Pembroke House in Kenya.
Then I noticed. added to the note, a hand-written
memo to the effect that father was a professional
hunter - a w hite hunter. I imagined the son: tall.
slim, broad-<.houldered. keen-eyed, suntanned and
fatally attractive to the fair sex. Well I was right
about the suntan!
For most of the l i N term that Johnny was in
Harper he was in tears from horrible home
sid.ne s. Yet. at the -.arne time as those tear!> were
nooding hi'> eye'>. he was smiling resolutely. How
typical. I t rcnectcd the closeness of his family and
his great pcr-,onal courage. the laller a quality that
was to cost him dearly. He was. of course. not
slim. but his roly-poly figure became a feature of
his year group. He was deceptively fast when the
need arose and his trength was legendary.
Johnny wa!> also impeccably mannered.
display ing old wor ld standards in this respect.
Impeccable courtesy matched by kindness. loyalty
and blood-curdling determination soon meant that
he was hugely popular in t he House and beyond.
In no time at all he was no longer Johnny but
became 'Bush' or ' Bushman' . While others had
dubious portraits of Patsy Kensit or young M is
Hemingway on their study walls, Johnny had a
warthog or buffalo. On his bookshelves were
b o o h on African wildlife and l recall hiJariou
times when he tried to show me the difference in
the sound'> made by variom, African birds and I
had to gues-. which was which. He practised them
because he knew he would be tested when he got
home.
:s Hou JI!IIIastel:
Courteous Johnny might have been; tidy he was
not. 1-1is bit of the day room. even by Harper
standards, wa:-. a tip, and his study. later. no better
and, when Jane and I spent time with him in
Kenya years later. there wa' no change. He always
tried to keep Jane. Matron. or me at bay hy saying
he was busy doing so man) things that a little
squalor was acceptable. l ie was so incurably
decent and his giggle -,o infectiou'> that we were
disarmed and he got away with a lot of it.
He was. of course. bu!.y. particularly on the
spOrt!> field. At the lower end of the '>Chool Johnny
was on the fringes of the 'A' teams. but by the
Sixth Form h i s ' ' as one of the first names to go on
to the team sheets. In rugby he wa., undoubtedly a
very hard man. He tried to tell me that he should
be picked on the wing. but nature designed Johnny
for the nether regions of the front row. The darker
the deeds therein. the broader his smile. There was
the time before the Wellington match when there
were fears of their international hooker. A serum
went down: there was an almighty clash of heads;
the Wellington hooker was prostrate and left the
field to have multiple stitches. never to return.
Johnny ju st smiled. There was no suggestion of
foul play - Johnny would never do that - but he
was as physically t ough on the field a!> he was
gentle off it.
It was the ),<tmc in cricket. Off a short run up something to do with conserving energy. he told
me - Lantali!>ing and evilly whirring leg spinners
would arc down the wicket. He was a.., mentally
hard here as he w a physically tough. Imagi ne the
scene: the final or U 16 House Cricket. Harper
versus The Digby. We had got it wrong and Jon
was left to bowl the final over of the match. his leg
spin against a team wiLh four wickets in hand and
20
needing three run!> to win. He giggled throughout
- and bowled a maiden!
Later. in the Ist XI. he sold his wicket dearly.
and got them cheaply. Stories abound here too.
on hips, all hi
Johnny standing anns
body language saying. 'How dare you?' when
·omeone. probably his pals Ed Bellew or Chris
Hattam. had whacked him far beyond the nets.
One day Johnny decided to see how fast top
speed on the bowling machine really was. He
cranked it up to top speed and set it for a
bouncer. The first ball split the wooden cross
beam supponing the net just in front of the
machine: a sl ight adjustment to the machine and
the second bounced once. new out far above the
far end of the net, cleared Hor!'ecastle's Lane and
thumped against a front door of one of the
cottages. As luck would have it, it connected
squarely with the door bell. While a bewildl.!rcd
lady looked up and down an empty road. Johnny
and his pals were collapsed and crying with legless
laughter. under cover of the pavilion. Because of
his leg pin he became known a.-; Bushtaq the
Bowler during the summer term.
Johnny could be ex tremely mischievous. There
was never any malice in it but an incident springs
to mind when he and (I think) Ed Bellew- glued
together the drawers of John Mitchell's desk. They
kept a very straight face while John was trying to
open the drawers but later when. having an inkling
as to who was responsible. he came to sit by
Johnny and Ed at lunchtime and told them. ·You
will never guess what. Someone has just glued
together my desk drawers'. it was more than
Johnny could bear and a mouthful of food
exploded across the table in minh. On a few
occasions I took Johnny stalking with me in wood!>
not far from the School. We had great fun tracking
the deer and I am not sure who was leading whom.
Johnny would bend o v e r - he had far less distance
to 20 than m e - stick his fin ers in the cloven hoof
pri'nt of a deer on the w odland tloor, grab a
handful of nearby deer droppings, feel and smell
them and say somed1ing like. ·a young buck: about
three hours ago'. We would look at eac h other.
both of us deadpan and me suspec ting that he was
windjng me up. With hindsight, I don't think he
wa . He was just much better at that son of thing
than I was.
Jane and I were privileged to be invited to stay
with Johnny and his famil y in Kenya and
Tanzania. We spent three weeks wi th them, mostly
in the Land Rover driving over impossible roads.
or in a variet y of hostelries in the Aberdare
Mountains, in Naivasha. in Ulu or Aru. ha. There
are memories of Jon in all of them.
In the Aberdarc Mountains. on the Mathioya
River, we were fishing for trout. What a passionate
lishcrman Johnny was. I thought I was keen. but
21
he returned minutes before the darknes of an
African night. soaked through, grinning from ear
to ear. winding up those of us less successful. and
laden with numbers of large 1i h. He took pity on
my incompetcn<.:c. tied some of his special flies for
me so that I. too, eventually caught something. but
I wasn't in his league. At Naivasha it was night
time drives to spot the abundant game in the Land
Rover·!> headlight . Johnny delighted in being the
first to see and identify animals. shrieking with
glee from the Land Rover roof. Each night we
ended up on the grass airstrip where Johnny.
Anton and his pal Ed Gaui would spot what they
called a Jackhare - something like a miniature
kangaroo - which we would try to keep in the
headlights and he would chase on foot. nmning
like a lunatic and laughing hysterically in between.
At Ulu it was helping his father. Gerard. to
mend the Land Rover brakes: gett ing it wrong.
losing bits or brake pads and losing tools, but
never his temper. Surprisingly. or perhap not. the
brakes worked.
And, at Arusha. lhe ped'ect host, teaching me to
water-divine. We built a fence together and
laughed together and cried togethe•:- when the
neighbours· dog tripped and broke its neck and we
buried it together.
To see Jon in his own country - something
which I know several people here today have
witnes.ed - was to realise his love for animals.
wild animab. the bush and Africa. We drank too
much at a hunter!.· barbecue and Jon was an equal
among men even then. He deferred to them. the
licensed hunters. but all the time one sensed he
was li tening. learning. and soaking up
knowledge. He knew. and they knew. and l knew:
this life was the life he would lead. And so it
turned out to be after A levels at Sherborne and
Zoology at Bristol. truly a round peg in a round
hole.
For Johnny it was always buffalo - buffalo and
elephant. He loved, and became knowledgeable
about, other birds and animals - I remember a
prolonged conversation he had with a fish eagle
perched in a u·ee at Naivasha and another grunted
exchange with a wildebeest at Amboscli - but
when he was sketching (he was good. though not
as good as Anton). it was always buffalo or
elephant that he drew mostly. with the infinite care
and attention and accuracy that comes from a clear
eye, honesty. and love.
The hunter·s l icence was gained, as was
everything Jon did, with hard work. a willingness
to learn at every opportunity. a lot of laugh on the
way, and total integrity. I learned some of this
from Johnny' friends. so many of whom are here
today and from the periodic letters we exchanged.
So it was that Johnny went hunting.
It is a well known thing amongst those of us
who fish, or shoot. or stalk that the things we stalk.
hunt. and kill are some of the things we cherish the
most. and admire beyond reason. We do it in
place!> that are pan of us. For Johnny these animal!'.
and places were. in the words of hi Africa. ·more
beautiful than any other single event.· For tho e
\\ ho don't understand. it must be contradictory
that we sometime kiiJ thing we love and for
those of U!> who knew and lo\'ed Johnny it is
ironic. and tragic. that the thing that he loved
moM killed him. I am certain that Johnny knew the
risk!. he would be taking as a professional hunter.
They were in his blood and in his upbringing. I
know. becaul.e he and I talked about them. that he
wa!. imhued with the tru!>t and responsibility
invested in him as a hunter. Those of us who knew
Johnny find it easily conceivable that his sense of
honour about hi. job and his personal integrity
would have led him to give his life so that another
per..on could keep theirs. For Johnny it would
have been one of those things that you just had to
do.
We can only imagine what the lo of Johnny
has been to hi wonderful. close. and l o ' ing
family. Perhaps you. like me. ha'e had letter from
Belinda. Gerard. Rachel and Amon. letters full of
deep orrow. loss. and huge brave!). We can only
feel for them.
I uspcct that like me you feel privileged
to have known 'Bush' . I am very proud of it as
well and thank God for hi'> life.
22
Commemoration Musical
Code Crackers
A., a member of the Drama depanment I am
often a<,ked. "Why doesn't Sherborne put on more
mu.,icaJ..?" There are many reasons which can be
put forward .
Mu.,icab require a ver atilit) of performance
acung. '>inging and dancing - which many actors
may aspire to but which few can realise
effectively. Musicall. require multi-location sets.
This is not a problem for theatres with deep wing
space (the area immediately off the perfom1ing
area on either side). ny towers and revolving
stages. but at Sherborne the main performing area
(Powell Theatre) h a no wing space and the wing
space in our other faci lity (BSR) is extremely
limited. Fly tower" and revolving stuges remain
the tuff of dreams. Scene changes. consequently.
are very difficult to effect quickly- an atmosphere
which h a been con Lructed carefull) on stage over
ten minute<, can di.,sipate in momenh. Musicals
tend to be .,cored for full orchestra. Their songs
tc.,t the projection and musicality of adult
professtonat.... '>0 "hat chance doe<> a raw
adolcsccnt voice hu,e? The resonant acoustic of
the BSR and the fact that the orchestra ha!> to be at
the front of the '-ttage. between the performers and
the audience. are t\\O c'ara hurdle-. which have to
be ncg01iatcd. On top of thi.,. the co t of an
orchestra. sci. and man) CO'>IUme., makes a
musical production very expensl\'e to .,tage.
One could cilc more rea'>On'>. and I do not make
these points to criticise the production \vhich I am
reviewing. Indeed, it i<. important for people to
understand the .,pccific difliculties which the cast
and crew of Code Crackl!rs faced in order to
appreciate the cale of their achievement. If their
success was not unqualified. it w a cenainly
worthy of praise.
The plot of C{)(/1' Crackers is implausible - East
End hoodlum -t chase Sherborne schoolboys
around the town during World War Two settling
gambling debt \. Alan Turing takes a break from
top secret work at Bletchley Park on the Enigma
code to give a highly public l>peech at Sherborne
School\ Commemoration and gets kidnapped.
The plot i!.. of course. foiled and there i still Lime
for our t\\O .,choolboy heroe'> (though not before
completing their Halls. one hope\) to fall in lo\'e.
face heanbreal.. and be reunited " i t h their loved
ones with the imminent pm.,pcct of marriage by
Lhe time we reach the finale. However. an element
of all mu..,ical-. i"' their evident detachment from
realit). Would -.omconc m.c Sk) Ma-.ter.,on really
join the Sal\ ation Arm) at the end of Curs tmd
Doll.1? I f the Code Crad.en plot creaked in
place'>, it -.hould not be forgouen that we were
watching the l i t performance.., of an original
production. It wa<. therefore. de-.pite being the
culmination of at lca-.t a year·, wor k....till work in
progre"'· 1\<,k Andrew Lloyd Webber or Cameron
Mackinto'>h hov. many changel- the) ha\'c made
since the first pcrfomlance\ or CCII.\ and Les
M iserahles. You would probably be very
surprised.
The Swing Band era of the 1930'!> <tnd 40· wal>
succesl>fully captured by Garry Wilkinson's score.
Clickery-C/ick, performed by the Bletchlcy Park
Girl'>, provided an engaging and atmospheric kick
start to the evening. Andrew Westwood (Sticks)
und Adam Harris (Bones) held the male leads. I f
the former 's Jack Of \tage ex perience !'Ometimes
showed itself in line'> being less than dearly
articulated and the latt er found hi-. singing part
demanding. they '>till worked effectively on stage
and never more !.O than when they worked
together. Their duct. Tu·o c f a Kind. accompanied
by a Morecambe and Wi e dance routine. o,howed
them at their bc\t. Stick-. and Bones ha,·e a roguish
charm ' ' hich was fully rcali-.ed here.
The female lead-.. LUC) Men ik (Bonnie) and
Stephanie M yatt ( Kitty). found their part' no less
demanding. Me n ik ha., a -.inging \Oice which i-,
incredibly rich. clear and powerful for an eightee n
year old. and it i., going only t o get bcller. Her
rendition.<, of She ''ian Enigma and Game.\ \hO\\ ed
this giflto the full. However, the brJ\\} ...exualit}
of Bonnie\ character "a-. not \\ holl) dear in
place . Allention to Myal l\ first -,olo number at
the end of the pub .,cenc <If Ycm Would) wal>
di:.tracted. rather unfair!) in ome rcl>pecb. b)
Sticks· pratfalling \\ hich went on at the ">ame time.
She bad more '>COpe in her -,econd act number.
Why Can i You ?. di ;playing a <.trong voice and
confident swge pre'>ence.
The Hoodlum:., led by Jumbo (Henry Mitchell)
and Weasel (Charlie Cox) were arresting in their
primary coloured suits and their group number.
We're H ood/um1·. was exuberant ly
deliv
ered. Mitchell was able t o convey menace which
did not
detract from the fundamental comedy or his role,
whilst Cox was the perfect complemen t as his
apparently feckle!>s l ieutenant. Hi recurrent nifT
and wip ing of his nose with an oversit.ed coat
sleeve wal> an example of acutely con:-idc red
theatrical performance. and he couh.l dance too.
This leads me
of the '>trength'>
of this
production.
it'> to one
choreography.
Whether
considering individual. -.mall group or large o,cale
ensemble numbers, the qualit)
of Pip
Buckingham\ influence \\ao, alway.., rn evidence.
The Bletchley Park Girlo, and Hoodlurm routine..,
25
were definite highlight!. but The Ball at the end of
Act One !>howed off the talent of the whole cal>t.
Charlolle Stimp!>Oil and Freddie Lewi!> deserve a
'pccial mention here. a couple who displayed a
grace and rhythm which wa... captivating - an
ab!>olute delight.
Marl- Friend·., l>Ct wa-. functional in itl> man)
diflerem gui'>C'>. mnging from the porch of a girl ·
school boarding hou'>e to a U-boat berth on the
We) mouth coaJ.t. but it was more than just thil..
The promment Deco motif meant that our en c of
the appropriate time period \\3'> never muddled.
He ''a., helped by the co tume expertise of Patricia
Harris. where attention to detail wa.<. evident as
much in the minor a the central characters. The
profe:.,ional orcheMra. conducted b) Paul El li .
brought the rich mu-,ical score to life and.
general ly. was sympathetic t o the constraints of
the BSR\ acouMic and the limitations of teenage
voice,.
One could analyse personal contributions
further. but it was the effort or the group. on and
ofT stage. which gave Code Crackers its v itality.
26
The best numbers. routine-. and impact were in the
first half. The second half w a caught between an
initial pace which wac; too '>low (a verbal gag
bet\\een Stick!.. Bone!.. Jumbo and Wea eltook a
long time and \\ " " rather too clo-,el) remini cent
of a Dann) Kaye roUiine in The Court J ester) and
a concluc;ion \\ hich i
rushed and confu
in!!. 1e\erthelec;-,. it i... important to recogni'>C the,.e;y
real achie,·ement of Garry and Andre'' Wilkin on
in t.hi.,. their first fora} into the milieu of musical
theatre. The Director. Stuart Hargreaves. should
abo be prai'>ed for mar!>halling the resources of
such a large cast. and cre\\ to the impre . ive
height' which were reached.
The realisation of a full-l.cale musical in an
unforgiving performing space at the end of a very
hect.ic school year wammb applause for all those
involved wi t.h Code Crackers. Their energy and
commitment crossed the footlight'> to enthuse and
delight everyone who came w wat.ch and celebrate
this unique production.
G.T.W.R.
"Full of absolutely brilliant work. It's got to be as good as
the best in London and it's right here on our doorstep'
Trevor Boyd
Dire ctor ofArt. Sherbome School
West End quality paintings, sculpture
and ceramics at country prices
Open : Tuesday - Friday I 0 - 4.30 • Saturday I0 - 5.30
27
The School Play
O u r C o u n t r y 's G o o d
The M ichaelmas Term School Play, directed by
Pat Harris, was a production of Our Co1111try v
Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker. Premiered at
the Royal CourL in I988. the play is an adaptation
of a Thomas Keneally (Schindler Ark) novel 1i1e
Playmake r. lt tel ls the story of the first ever
performance of a play on Australian soil. In 1789.
the convict colony of Sydney Cove celebrated the
King's birthday by performing George Farquhar's
The Recmiting Officer before an audience made
up of their fellow convicts. their gaolers. and their
guards, the officers and mariners of the First Fleet.
The play presents the relationships between the
conv icts and the military authorities, themse lves
divided between liberal and repressive impulses.
and traces humorously and sympathetical ly the
effect of their exposure to theatre on the l ive!> of
the convicts themselves .
The Governor in Chief of New South Wales,
Captain A rthur Phillip (David Poraj-Wilczynski),
wishes the play to remind the convicts that there is
more to life than crime and punishment: during the
period of the production. at least, he hopes that
society w i ll no longer be divided into
the prevailing factions of despised prisoners and
hated gaolers. He orders Second Lieutenant Ralph
Clark (Tom Will iams) to direct the play.
Clark encounters difficulties
both
in the
struggle to persuade into life the raw talent
w hich he discovers in the convict community.
and from the opposition
of
his superior
officers, principally Major Robbie Ross (Sean
Pearson),
who
is
not displeased during
production to put in chains, for offences real and
exaggerated. the members of the cast. The crisis
of the convict play's f irst performance is
interwoven with the crisis of the capital charges
brought against L iz Morden (Olivia Clark).
The play is w ritten in two acts, each made up
of eleven scenes of varying lengths. Apart from
creating a certain lack of compression and
continuit y. these numerous scenes, and the
changes in between them. made it difficu lt for the
cast to convey the complex relationship within the
layers of the soc iety represt:nted in the play. This
was a script which made large demands: wit hin
three minutes of the opening, we move from the
hold of a convict ship bound for Australia to hear
the response of a lone Aboriginal Australian to the
Fleet's arrival in Botany Bay. and on to j oin a party
of officers out shooti ng the local wildlife . Perhaps
surprisingly. the dramatist (a resident writer at the
Roya l Court) did not always seem to have
conceived her material dramatically: such an
s
exposition meant that all of these scenes had to be
carefully realized i f the audience were to be at ease
in grasping character and action. Not surprisingly
under t his burden, there were times when tbe
resources of the Powell T heatre stage seemed
over-stretched, the pace of delivery too rapid. the
weight of emphasis too l ight. to make some of the
fairly shadowy nuances effective. The language of
the play was not alw ays helpful. The attitudes or
the officers. especially those of the Governor
Genera l and hi
subordinates.
were not
convincingly differentiated through the rather
threadbare medium of Wertenbaker 's modern
sounding prose. What works wel l. perhaps. for
professional actors. w ho can inform non-rhetorical
language w ith definite personality does not serve
the inexperienced actor so happily.
S ignif icantly, perhaps. Sean Pearson was able
to overcome this difficu lty more easily than most.
since the choleric Ross's words required to be
more spat than del ivered. Their more subtle roles
presented Tom William s and David Poraj
Wilczynsk i with greater challenges which. in large
pan . they met admi rably. P-W th roughou t
conveyed Phillip's rather pained dignity. Tom
Williams seemed to grow in confidence during the
evening, especially in the scenes where Clark
28
rehearses the play: his response mirrored
admirably the humour and pathos of the convicts'
actin g. He presented Clark as humane and
vulnerable, a devout man who is making the best
of the appalling circumstances of the penal colony
by clinging to h is duty (and hopes of promotion).
and dreams of his absent wi fe, even whi le
becoming susceptible to the tempting presence of
Mary Brenham (Primrose Coke). one of the
convicts in the production.
The cast of the play within the play provided
the more diverting moments of the evening. The
female convicts were particularly impressive. well
served perhaps by the better w riting which the
dramatist 's own sy mpathies had elicited, and
cet1ain ly by the sk ilful type-casting which the
director had employed. Podge Hodgkinson was
excellent as the fou l-mouthed Meg Long and as
the more cunning Dabby Bryant: she was a
confident presence in any group on stage and her
voice managed the idiom of the convict's speech
without strain or artificiality. Dabby was nicely
contrasted throughout with Mary Brenham. an
innocent whose appeal to Clark was convincingly
enacted. and with the tempestuously self
destructive Liz Horden. whose harshness and
bitterness Olivia Clark managed to combine with u
sense of v ulnerability. As D ckling Smith. Laura
Houston had to complement the sust
intensity of ained Jonathan
El len's
remarkable
performance as the traumatized Harry Brewer.
There was much pathos in her lament over his
dead body. Al l the actors from Sherborne School
for Girls are to be congratu lated on their
performance of a script whose language was more
sexua !Jy explicit than any heard before on a
Sherborne School stage. One wished at times that
it seemed less gratuitously so.
The male conv icts were almost equally
impressive in their performances. James Rollcston
as Wischammcr had some outstanding moments:
he was the convict who conveyed best the sense of
a life civi l ised by this brief contact with the
theatre: he registered both the despair of a wasted
life and a longing for something better. Peter
Tingay's energetic Robert Sideway was a more
comic version of the same tensions: he vee red a
little towards self-indulgence at times. but it was
arguably appropr iate to Sideway's character that
he should do so. Adam Harris as John Arscott, and
Freddie Lew is as the reluctant hangman Ketch
Freeman had rather underwritten parts to play, but
they were assured in their work.
Of the officers, James Mcckc was amusing as
the sy ntactical ly challenged Jemmy Campbel l. as
was Tom Edwards as the stargaz ing Dawes. Tohy
Nutley did his best not to look too embarrassed to
cope w ith such cod-humorous language as. ·1
commend your endeavour to oppose the baneful
innucnce of vice w ith the harmonising arts or
29
and enthusiasm that obviously went int o the acting
and the back-stage preparations of the play, at h alf
tim e many fell th at instead of havin g just
witnessed the first half of a play. they had been
confronted with a series of very amusing. if
somew hat unrelated. sketches. The audience
seemed t o feel a refreshing change in the second
half would be well recei ved. This is exactl y what
the audien ce got. The whole of th e
seating structure had been removed, and in its
place there was a small football pitch marked out
on the floor.
The second half was quite obviously a football
match.
Ten rootballers ca me
on;
five
for Barstonewonh U nited and five for Denl ey
Moor Academi cals. accompani ed by a member
of the Third Form dressed as a football. There
followed half an hou r of pure hysteri a,
commentatcd on by James Nicholls. A streaker
came on . immediat ely followed by a police
officer. an injury took place and throw-ins must
have been a very frightening experience for Ollie
Gargrave (the ba l l). 1 have never seen an yone lau
gh to such an uncontrollabl e exten t a.<; Mr.
Lapping at the end or the second hal f. H e was
forced. repeated ly. to remove hi s spectacles in
order to wipe hi s eyes.
Golden Gordon was difficult to produce as a
House play but was still managed brilliantly.
Despite the structura l difficulties of the first ha l f,
the enthus iasm of those invol ved in its production
meant that by the final whistle everyone we m
home happy.
Harry Stewart-Moore
34
rehcarsei> the play: h is response mirrored
admirably the humour and pathos of the con-..icts·
acti11g. He pre.,ented Clark a
humane
and
\'Uinerable. a de\'OUt man \\ ho i'> making the best
of the appalling circum<;tances of the penal colon)
by clinging to his duty (and h op e of promotion).
and dream!. of hi'> absent \ \ i f e. even \\
hile becoming 'usceptiblc
to the tempting
presence of M ary Brenham (Primrose Coke),
one of the convict!> in the production.
The ca t of the play w ithin the play provided
the more diverting moment\ of the e\ening. The
female convict), were panicularly impressive. well
!)erved perhaps by the better writing whic h the
dramatist's own sympathies had elicited. and
certainly by the skilful type-cas ting w h ich the
director had employed. Podge H odgkinson was
excel lent as the foul- mouthed M eg Long and as
the more cunning Dabhy Bryant: she was
a conlident presence in any group on stage and
her voice managed the idiom of 1hc convic t \
speech without strain or artiliciality . Dabby wa-,
nicely contrasted throughout with Mary
Brenham. an innocent whOM! appeal to Clark wa!.
convincingly enacted. and with the t
empestuously c;el f de tructi ve Lit.. Horden,
whose har hness and biuerness Olivia ClarJ...
managed to combine with a sense or vulner.tbilit)-.
As DucJ..Iing Smith, Laura Hou!>lon had to
complement the sustained inten\it}
of Jonat han Ellen·., remarkable
perfonnance a!> the traumatited Harry Brewer.
There was much pathos in her lament over his
dead body. Al l the a c t o from Sherborne School
for Girls are to be congratulated on
their performance of a \cnpt \\ ho e language was
more sexually explicit than any heard before
on a Sherborne School Mage. One wi-,hed at
time' that i t seemed less gratuitously '>O.
The male con\ ict!> were ahnoM equally
impressive in their performance . James Rol lest on
as Wisehammer had orne outstanding moment.,:
he was the convict who conveyed be t the !.en\c of
a l i fe c i vil ised by this brief contact \\ ith the
theatre: he registered both the de-.pair of a \ \ a ted
life and a longing for
omcthi ng better.
Peter Tingay·s energetic Robert Sideway was a
more comic version or the same tensions: he
veered a little towards self-indu lgence at tim es.
but it was arguably appropriate to Sideway\
character that he should do so. Adam Harris as
John Arscott, and Freddie Lewis as the reluctant
hangman Ketch Freeman had rather underwritten
parh to play, but they were assured in their work.
O f the officer . Jame-. MceJ...e was umui>ing as
the '\yntactically challenged Jemmy Campbel l. a.,
was Tom Edwards as the stargaLing Dawes. Toby
utlcy did h i be'>t not to look too embarrassed 10
cope with such cod-humorou'> language as. ·1
commend your endea\'our t o oppo'>e the baneful
influence of \ice with the harmonising art'>
of
29
working on a play for a large ca:-.t (a mixture of
tho:,e beginning and tho c ending their
appearances
in
the
Powel l
Theatre)
was considerable. It wa:-. not hard to believe the
words of one of the ca t ' ' ho as'>urcd (or warned)
me that iLc; contro,·er.,ial clemente, were going to
plea ing
make
it to a school audience. but there "as much
for the re:,t or U'> to enjo} too.
civilisation, Governor. but I l>uspect your edifice
will collapse without the mortar of fear:
The production wal> thoughtfully staged:
colourful backdrops behind and a pit of \and
beneath uggestcd Antipodean cenel). Military
uniform<., pro' ided an appropriate contrast with
convict rags. Lighting wal> effectively used in
!.e,eral .,cene.,, mo'>t arrc tingly in the short scenes
of what may be called commentary by the
Aboriginal Australian (Benjie Dudgeon). The
<,ucces\ of the production in offering experience of
R.G.P.
Sixth F o r m Play
world. Jimmy pace up and down the tage
venting his permanent venom at hi two only
allies. h is :.ubmi,sive middle-clas wife Alison and
his indefatigable friend Cliff. that 'slobbery
irritating ba\tard'. The play would have limited
interest \\ ithout the dark. inner complexities of a
character trapped in a worl.ing cia :. exi!ttence but
de. perate for social change and the vague prospect
of a better future.
Nick Cramp":-. production de erves high praise
for keeping alive Jimmy Porter·.., spirit and
channelling the potentially destructive energy of
the text. The quality of the case ensured that the
play did not turn into farcical parody of a modern
classic but grew, instead, into moving portrayal of
a loving but i ll-assorted couple. at odds with their
own inner demon!>. James Kier:-.tead was Jimmy,
as he conveyed al l the character·. pent-up
emotions in a mo't powerful naturalistic style. H is
part was wonderfully supported by both Elisabeth
Reed and John Pca e. the former showing a
remarkable feel for her character as she took every
new verbal battering with aintly stoici m up to
her final tragic confe '>ion. Pea e, on the other
hand. brought a welcome touch of irony and
common l>en<.,c to the stining Porter household. As
the lost conscience of hi'> friend. Cliff firmly
L o o k B a c k i n An g e r
The famou., theatrical critic. Kenneth Tynan.
remarked in hi., re' ie'' of Look Ba ck in Ange1 ' I
doubt i f I could love anyone ' ' ho did not wish to
see the play.· Such a cri de coeur invited readers to
the kind of unconditional surrender associated
with a l>eemingly uncontroversial piece of theatre.
Paradoxically. it was John Q<.,borne·s last intention
to please or placate his 1956 British audience. H is
play is a scathing attack on the complacent apathy
of his contemporaries. caught between a nostalgic
Imperia l past and the threat of yet another wor ld
connie!. First performed only a few months before
the Sue; Crisis, Look Back in A118er did not offer
any technical innovation but contributed to the
new theatrical language devoted to the absurdity
of the human condition and the frul>tration s of a
young generation in search of elusive new ideals.
Jimmy Porter ha\ none of the redeeming traits of
Jim in Rehel Without a Cause. released le than a
year before. The di'>grumled owner of a orthern
sweet'>hop. Osborne\ hero is at war with everyone
but mo'>t of all \\ ith himself. Full of elf-loathing
and resentment againl>t the ways of the
30
from unbearable reality into their own private
bear-and-squirrel fantasy world: he w ill probably
continue to rail against the wor ld and his wife
wh ile Alison wil l do her best to conform to his
ideal of a 'corrupt and futi le' companion. For all
its genu ine preoccupations with the class-divide
and the war between the sexes. one cannot but be
reminded that an African diplomat invited to see
the play. back in 1956. could not but exclaim:
'W hat are they angry at? They've got running
water. electricity and a room to tl1emselves 1'
stands for the no-nonsense soc ial world which
Jimmy refuses to acknowledge as his own. It is no
surprise that their friendship does not surv ive the
couple'. ultimate reconciliation. Mi l lie Alle n also
gave an excellent performance a!- Helena, the
fr iend of Alison who falls for the big bad wolf but
fails to tame it into conformity before her dramatic
retw·n. Come what may, Jimmy and A lison seem
destined to live with each other, a point fu lly
understood by A lison· sympathetic father. played
by the debonair Henry Densham. Osborne's play
closes on Alison's tout! surrender to Jimmy's
impossible demands . He has won his domestic
revolution at a price. as the couple retr eat back
J-M.P.
31
Eden Cinema
government. However. in her ignorance of the
customs of the country. she has failed to bribe the
appropriate official and bas therefore been sold
land on the bank of the Mekong river. The land is
subject to noods which. year after year. destroy
the dams t hat the mother builds. Already,
therefore. when the play begins. a number of
tensions are in place - mother/children. human
endeavour/nature. land/water, occupying power/
native population. wea lth/poverty, hope/despair.
Added to the gloom of these bleak tensions is the
disorientating effect of a narrative viewpoint
which changes. The play opens with the children
summarizing the mother's life. rererring to the
futility or her struggle against the duplicitousness
of man and the irresistibility of natmal forces. Yet
Ia mere turns out to be alive and so the action
continues on two levels. one in which we sec the
action of the play being worked out and the other
in which the survivors after the mother's death are
able to look back and comment on her existence.
The predicament in which the mother finds herself
is high !ighted by Mr. Jo (Jonathan Ellen).
Although a member of the subject race, he
nevertheless possesses a level of material wealth
It is a rare event for Sherborne School to be
treated to a play in French. Jean-Marc Pascal, with
his cast of Sixth Form pupi ls, took up the
chal lenge of redressing the balance in the
Michaelmas Term of 1999 with a production of
Eden Cinema by Marguerite Duras. This was both
a chal lenge to themse lves, therefore. and one that
was coupled with no less of a challenge to the
audience who were invited to share a glimpse of a
world far removed from Dorset, a world in which
both the language and the sett ing were distinctly
foreign.
The playis set in the 1930s in South East Asia.
parts of which were. at that time. French colonies.
The central character, played by Claire Marshall,
who is never referred to as anything but Ia mere.
has worked as a teacher in Cambod ia and. later. as
a pianist in the Eden Cinema until t he end of the
silent film era. The play opens to find her widowed
and with two adolescent children, Suzanne and
Joseph, played by Caroline Ash and James
Rol leston. We also learn that before the act ion
begins she has purchased a plot of land from the
I!
I
I'
32
J
••
It -
and privilege which arc beyond the aspirmion of
the mother and her children. The tensions thus
created arc worked out in the rlay and reach
a partial resolution only with the death or the
mother who. while realiting ho"' -.he h a been
cheated by the o f f i c i a l who -.old her the land.
c l a i m that this w a 1/e 1110//lellflle p/11\ glorieu.\ de
IIIOIII!Xisti!IIC.:t'. One need -.ome moti\e for
e\i'>tcnce and. in the absence of an} th111g ehe.
hope. C\ en where logicall} there i-. no hope.
\he -.ugge t'>. will
..uffice.
The cla-,h of elemental force-. wa-, elegantly yet
simply '>ugge.,ted by the -.rartan nature of the
mother·., hou'>c ncar the river. complete with
backcloth i n a re truincd and appropriately
oriental style. courtell)' or Su!> lll Pascal. showing
paddy l i e l d and water buffalo. This stark setting.
reinforced by appropriately atmospheric lighting.
remained faithful to Duras· requirement of a decor
simple, large with a lll(lhilier banal . . . tres use.
The acting was polished, with both James and
Caroline suggesting something of the plight in
which they found themselves. Seeking their own
paths in life yet bound hy tie<; of economic
necessity and filial loyalty to their mother. they
were both able to c.:onve). in a language of which
they have a growing ma-.tery. their increasingly
-.uffocating predicament. Jonath<tn Ellen. a
the
IWLII ' t ' m l ridw nati\ c. dre.,-.ed in blad, shirt. white
tie and loud '>Uit. rlayed Mr. Jo with a '>Uave.
reptilian air. The play. incvllabl . centre on Ia
mere. 8} tUrn\ l>hC i'> demanding. \\heed ling. self
pitying and '>elf-.,acrilicing - Plei11e cl'w110111;
merl' dt• to11.1. mhc• cle tollf . .. . terrible. im·il'llble.
as Suzanne tclb U'> - -.o that our feeling toward
her
were
con!.tantl)
being
rca.,-,e ed
and refreshed. She wa'> able to retain the
attention of the audience and brought a great
deal of self assurance to what i:- a complex
and demanding part.
This play wa., unique in the e>.perience of
Sherborne School. all the more ),0 becau e the two
nights for which the play ran consti tuted the fir st
performances of Ede11 Cill(fnw in the original
language at any time in Great Britain. It is evident
that it does not fall into the comforting mould of a
house play which. both by virtue of it-; large cast
as well a!> for reasoni> of arti tic merit. will play to
full house<;. The regrettably '>mall audience was
therefore able to enjoy an evening in which they
were intrigued. tca cd. my'>tificd and ultimately
left to H).'>e-. for them.,chc their response to the
predicament of the human -.ptrit in the face of a
de!>olate and uncomprehending uni' er-.e. A.R.O.
The
Play
Green
House
Golden Gordon
Only The Green could ha\e brought
Golcl£'11 Gordo11 off with any degree of '>UCCe'>'> a'>
a Hou c play. Originally v.ritten b} Tcrr}
Jonel> and Michael Palin a)> a pht} for tcJe, i'>ion. it
w a a ' e r ) brave piece for director Martin
Boulton
and David Hedi)>on to choo'>c. It "a),
brought ofT with
a surpri ing degree of 'ucc.:e-..,.
A House play hould g i ' c many in the I lou'>e an
opportunity to taJ..c part. either in acting or back
<>tagc. and the play c.:l10:-.en \hould he enjoyable and
not too demanding for either it), audience or
its
performers. A play whic.:h can be enjoyed by all
age groups. even i f on different level-.. and which
appeals to parents and the Third Form aliJ..e i).
ideal. l.n these respec ts this play w a ideal. The
fact that the boys were so suprortive of t.he play
meant that it was acted and tlirectcd with real
enthusiasm.
The play i!. :.et in 1935 in a .,mull Yorkshire
wool town cal led Barstoncwonh. and is centred
around the local football dub. Bar toneworth F.C.
On
entering
the theatre. the audience
wa
confronted - b y
a
very
:.mall crowd
of Barstoneworth upportcr., looJ..ing very fed up
and generally
deOated. The actor'> ..eemcd
never to repeat them!.elve., while the} made
The
Otter
haw for famil).
'>pontaneou
remark!>
around ten long-'>uffering
minute'> on the
Barstoneworth
upporter:-.. appear in the f i N -.cene
progre-.
of
of
play. and
Theywere
maJ..ctotall)
it clearunfa;cd
that the (p
club
ha\
thethe
match
o \\ibly
had
a successfu l rasl. but that it i'> now going
a
through
a very to
bleak
Pete
Langly-Srnith
ign of watching
manypatch.
football
matc.:he'>)
by the
deserves taking
specialtheir
recognition
here for his good
audience
'-Cat-..
impersonation of a woman in the North of England
in the 1930's in h i role as Mrs. Ottershaw. The
football club's !>tadium i close to being !>Old to a
local mil l ionaire scrap-dealer. Mr. Foggi . very
well played by Linley Lewb. who managed
to
keep a very renlistic northern accent going. in one
of the most demanding pans of the whole
play.
The plot seemed 10 disappear light ly at the
expense of the one-liners (many of which
were very funny). As original and amu,ing as the
jokes were. it seems fair to ay that they detructcd
from any sense of development that the til'\! half
of the play might have had. Bccau:.e the
play
w a originally written for a tclcvi...ion
audience. there
were a number of very brief -.cene:-. home \eemed
to l;c,t only a matter of 'ccond'>) followed b) \'Cry
long scene changes home o f \ \ hic.:h la,ted a couple
33 of minutes). Despite the c.xcellent all-round acting
and enthusiasm thai obviously went into the acting
and the back-stage preparat ions of the play. at half
tim e many felt that instead of having ju st
witnessed the first half of a play, they had been
confronted wi th a series of very amusing, i f
somew hat unrelated. sketches. The audience
seemed to feel a refreshing change in the second
half would be well received. This is exact ly what
the audience got. The w hole of the seating
structure had been removed, and in its place there
was a small football pitch marked out on the l loor.
The second half was quite obviously a football
match. Ten footballers came on; five for
Barsronewmth United and five for Denley Moor
Academ icals. accompan ied by a member of the
Third Form dressed as a football. There followed
half an hour of pure hysteria. commentated on by
James Nicholls. A streaker came on, immediately
follow ed by a police officer. an injury took place
and throw-ins must have been a very frightening
experience for Ollie Gargrave (the ball). I have
never seen anyone laugh to such an uncontrollable
extem as Mr. Lapping at the end of the second
half. He was forced, repeatedly. to remove his
spectacles in order to w ipe his eyes.
Golden Gordon was difficult to produce as a
House play but was still managed brilliantly.
Despite the structural difficu lties of the first half.
the enthusiasm of those involved in its production
meant that by the final whistle everyone wenl
home happy.
Harry Stewan-Moore
34
Ly o n H o u s e P l a y
The Love of Four
C o l o n eThe
l s plot prov ides
F our Colollels, and
Reading The L01·e of
watching this production by Lyon House, it has
been easy to imagine the pleasure which must
have accompanied the w riting of it. Peter Ustinov
took the role of the Wicked Fairy in its fi rst
production in 195 1, but almost any of the pm1s certainly those of the epony mous colonels - might
equal ly wel l have been designed expressly for the
author himself. A s actor and raconteur, Ustinov
del ights in the idiosyncrasies of national character
expressed through accent. gesture and turn of
phrase or mind, and it is near impossible to
encounter his Engl ish. French. American and
Russian co
lo nels w ithott l the familiar voice or
Ustinov the mimic being recalled strongly by the
hearer. Some might f nd the play as self-indulgent
as its stereoty pes are overblow n. but Ustinov is
aiming at symbolism rather than real ism and his
obvious joy in his task creates a robust v itality
infectious to both audience and actors. The play
was we l l chosen by M rs. Jennie Ward, iH director.
and evoked a strong response in an obviously
enthusiastic cast.
a fitt ingly other-worldly
envi ronment fo r its sy mbol ic characters.
The colonels meet - prosaic< l ly enough to discuss the div ision of ten itory in the early
stages of the Cold War. but the territory in
question contains a !'airy-tale castle rendered
mystical ly inaccess ible by impenetrable weeds.
Unab le ro make physical
or diplomatic
progres!:., the colonels descend into morose
introspection and mutual recrimination until they
f ind themselves beset by the further complication
of the arrival of two supernatural beings, the W
icked Fairy (John Pease)
and
the Good
(Henriett a Cumming). Pro v ing
themselves
imperv ious to Russian bullets. the Fairies set
aside their own differences long enough to
transport the colonels inside the castle itsel f .
T here. in a ser ies of pastiche play let s. each
colonel is cal led upon to indulge his fantasy
by
wooi ng
the Sleeping Beauty (Olivia
Jacobsen) in a manner ty pical of his nation.
Final ly, he is offered the opportunity to remain
w ith the Beauty or to return to his equally sy
mbol ic w ife.
35
the highlight of the ph•>· Without actually
caricaturing the author. Pca-.c -.uggc-.ted him in
almo-.t C\ery innection. con,eying the -.ame air
of di-.tant. " i t t } . \\Orld-\\carine
\\hich
must ha' e been prc:-.cnt in the production of
1951.
195 I was aho the year in \\ hich u...tinO\ tarred
as , ero an the tilm Quo \'mli\ and there i-; much
of , cro in the character of the Wicked Fairy.
ero \Ubordinmc c-.crything to hi!> an: the
Wicked .Fa1ry
'ubordinate
ever) thing to
hie;
artfulncl>
Pease
wal> c>.qui,itely
artful
and dc crvc' ..,incere congratula tion., for his
effort<;.
Other
ca t-memher
abo
deserve
congratulation. A'\ the Beauty. Olivia Jacobsen
was called upon t o he wooed in four different
genre:. runging from Shakespeare to Chekov and
played her part wi th confidence in each. Rupert
Dickin-.on. as the Mayor of Hel7ogenburg. wa!>
com incing in h i ' Teutonic decrepitude. Finally.
Victoria Lync-Pirt...i.... Camilla Bridges. Sophie
Barford and Alice Muthama. as the American.
French. English and Rm.-.ian ,,i,es. provided
caricature to complement tho-.e of their hu-.bands.
ably conveying. re'>pecti\el). cold intellectuali\m.
\vorldly ...adne,.,. frigid propriety. and blank
uncommunicati,cne.,-..
The entirely '>ilent
character of Mr... Olga lt...oncnt...o - one \\ho
Memorable and delightful performances were
forthcoming from all four coloneJ.... Da' id Poraj
Wilc.:tyn-.t...i. a-. Col. De-.mond de Rinder-Sparrow.
the t) pe of the ab\ent-minded Englishman.
neither merl) cle,er n o r '' innocent as he 'eemed.
C h m Ta,cndcr. in contra'>!. a.., Col. Weslev
Breiten..,picgel. wa.., more genuinely na'ive and
touching!) 'ulncrable. borne a' he wac; between
extreme of
orth American emotionalism. A
Col. Aime Frappot. Ben Berraondo was
superla t ively Gallic. if ometime., to the point of
incomprehen,ihi lity on tho c occasion), when h i
cynicism disappeared entirely in h is accent.
Finally. bearing a happy re emblancc 10 Joseph
Stalin himself. Chris Peck made a very conv incing
show of the part of the Soviet ideologue, Col.
Alexander lkonenko. stOlidly immobile beneath
h i ' thick moustache. The colonel worked well as
an ensemble. Certain nuances of the rather
'>Ophi'>ticuted dialogue were lost or underplayed.
but in general the audience was afforded a great
deal or plea,.ure by thb partner!>hip.
The mm.t a'>-.ur..:d performance. came from the
t\\0 Fairie'>. Henrietw Cumming was haughtil)
prim. controlling the coloneh with benevolent
conde;.cen-.ion. \\hibt John Pea<;e wa\ remart...able.
not onI) for hi., con\ ictron but al-.o for hi-. being !.O
thoroughly U-.llnO\ ian. Thi-. "as. in man) wa) '>.
'"a"
36
appnremly expressed herself solely through the
medium of childbirth- evoked particular rninh.
The set was !)imple and effective, with a cunain
dividing off the Sleeping Beauty" chamber in the
cast le and forming a stage within a stage for the
pnsliche wooing-scenes . An especia lly impressive
element, which has become happily familiar in
recent productions. was Andrew Stooke's set
paint i n g - in thi case. a simple view of the castk
from the window of the Office of the Al lied
Admin istration and the surprisingly effective
trompe-l'oeil marble and crystal of the Beauty\
bed.
Much oftheappeal ofthis production lay in the
pleasurable
recognition both or national
!.tcrcmypes in the colonels and their wives and or
the author ''s dbtinctive voice throughout but
primarily in John Pease's performance as the
Wicked Fairy. As is to be expected with an
inexperienced cast . and indeed to be encouraged in
the light -hearted contex t of a house play. the more
darkly cynical element of Ustinov\ comedy were
not brought strongly to the fore. For all its
frivolity. t h i i!. at heart a comedy of ideas, the
o;erious playfulness of an author delighting in the
breadth of his own culture. In part. abo. the
frivolity is a form of self-effacement by which the
author eschews the potentially presumptuous role
of a moral authority - it no accident that U tinov
took the part of the Wicked rather than the Good
Fairy! The play ends in a disquieting moral
confusion. The romantic idealism of thl! French
and American colonels results in their abandoning
their wive : the fidelity of the Engli hman and
Russian eems due as much to their lack of
imagination as to any higher motive. From the
author one sense, a 1-.nowing !.mirk rather than a
divine ·11 is good'. Gratifyingly. neither cast nor
audience seemed to have been made cynical by
this Lyon House production. Playfulness
predominated. All are to be commended.
D.G.N.B.
Digby H o u s e Play
Elton John's Gl asses
Elton John: Classes. by David Farr. is a fairly
new play. originally performed a
recently
a:-. 1 997. but The Digby's Trinity Term
performance. under the direction of Mr. Robinson.
resulted in a highly
entertaining
evening.
enjoyed by both audience and cast alike.
It w a an excellent choice for a house play. with
a serious background of depression. failure.
isolation and lies supporting the flow of comedy.
This was most obviously presem in the dialogue.
which was the highlight of the evening and
superbly put across by the performers.
The bleak simplicity of Jason Hull and Nick
Scorer's set was highly effective in reflecting the
bleakness of the life of the central character, and
the smooth eff'iciency of the whole backstage
team. including the sound-effects. succes!.fully
en:-.ured that the audience wou ld be oblivious of
their existence.
The plot unfolded within a single Saturday in
the o.;parsely-furni<>hed front room or central
character and recluse Bill. Bill (Sam Ma on) is a
disillusioned Watford F.C. fan who spends his
days watching. a video. so worn that only the
players' l e g arc visible through the fua. or the
goal that conlirmed Watford· defeat in the 1984
F.A. Cup Final. when Watford\ goalkeeper w a
supposed ly blinded by a nash of light across the
pitch from Elton John':-. glasse!'o.
His brother Dan (Jamie Thomas). whom he
believes t o be the highly successfu l manager of a
rock band. ami whom he has not seen for six years.
suddenly turns up to stay. along with fellow band
members Shaun (Jame Fowle) and Tim (Tom
Cracknell). Dan i shocked by Bill's situation.
Shaun feels that Bill is totally insane and
antagonise him from the start. and Bill.
maddened by the sight of Tim. who resembles a
young Elton John and even ha rhe audacity to
wear THE glasses. insist!. on his removing h i
glasses, leaving him practically blind.
In the course of the clay. Bill steps outside for
the f'irst time in two years, urged on by Dan and
the arrival of sixteen-ycnr-old Amy (Mir:lllda
Champ) and the offer of a game of lootball. and
we discover that Dan's band is in fact a total
fai lure. having lost its lead-singer and even it!.
in!>truments. We also learn that Bill is involved in
a relationship with a woman called Julie (Millie
Ferrier), whom he sees once a week for two hour!.
every Saturday afternoon during the football. Amy
is <;til l in B i l l \ house when Julie arrives earl), and
when they inevitably meet Jul ie turns out to be
Amy·s mother.
37
Stricken by guilt. Julie i'> di\Lraught at the
reaJii.ation that she h a told so many lies to her
daughter. but after Bill. injured but im igorated by
hi'> game of football. ha' hobbled out to the shops
for more wine. Dan arrives buck. having stolen a
rock band's entire equipment , and dumps it in the
bathroom. While doing thi);. he and Ju lie have the
terrible realisation that they had shared a one-night
stand two years before. but cannot avoid a k iss.
Bil l retums and Dan tries to e!-cape without being
...een. but when Shaun arrive<, hack with a video
player belonging to Julie. <,tolen from her hou e to
gi'c to Bill as a pre<,ent. the re'elations \ tart to
nov•. Bi l l realil>e'> Dan ha.., no monc) and that he
ha.-. onI) come to 'i-.it becau...e it is the only place
in the world he can stay for free. Shaun hm; an
emotional breakdown. convinced his life i, a
di aster. and then the prnctically blind Tim. glasses
broken from the foot ball. arriv e back with a bass
drum to let slip Julie and Dun's secret. This
destroy-. the final remnants of Bill's faith in others.
as wel l as his hope of marriage. and he b left
alone again with the \'ideo. The possibility of
accompanying Am) to football next scao;on does
pro' ide h i m " ith at lea-.t one thing to look forward
to in the future.
The pia) could ha\c done here and there with a
rehear-.al or t>Ao more for a truly polished
performance. but M r. Robin<,on and his team
hould certainly be wcll-.,ati licd ' ' ith the result of
their efforts. It was an excellent performance for a
rclati\ ely inexperienced cast. and Sam Ma\on. in
h i role re!.embling a reclusive Ba'>il Fa.... lty. put in
a particularly convincing and memorable
performance. He was well c a t to bring out Bilrs
i.arcaMic nature, as well all di-.playing hi!> uptight
inlcn!-.ity. Also commendable was the interplay
between Jamie Thomas and Sam Mason. which
!lowed entertainingly. All the actors produced
entertaining performance<, and linked well
together in character.
Thankfully there wa no need t o like football to
be able to enjoy this play. dc!>pite the numerous
linkl. to it. and '>0. despite the vcr) bleaJ... nature of
the live" and relationships in the play. I found it
very funn), ' ' ith orne lines e\lremely '>0. One
critici!>m of the play itself. howc,er, would be the
way in which the ending was dra'Wn out. with the
play seem ingly running out of team quite a way
short of home. On the other hand, during the
ending, despite its seeming to be out of keeping
with the rest of the play, the audience experienced
Bill\
w hole mixture of emotion'>, from
the overwhelming emptinel.s to hi., highly
aroused footballing pa,sion.
Thh " 'a' a great group effon b) The D igby to
create an extreme!) enjoyable performance for an
apprcciari\e audience. What made it all the more
plea...urablc was the obvioui. enjo) ment the actor-,
thcmsclve\ took in their roles.
38
Nichola Foster
Not about Heroes
Not the National Theatre
In
ovcmbcr. Not the
ational Theatre came
to pre:.enl Stephen
Macdonald·.,
play Not
about H emes.
Not about 1/emes portrays the relationship of
arguably .the wo greatest twentieth -century war
poet s. S1egfncd Sassoon and Wi Ifred Owen.
Sm,-,oon had been sem to Craiglockhart Ho p ital
for Nervous Oi ;orders. He had publici) called the
war unjust and the general'> callou-. and
complacent Wilfred Owen wru. sent there bccau!>e
he ' ' a ' '>Uffering from sheU-shod.. I I wa., at the
ho'>pitalthatthe) !>truck up a \ C f ) clo-.c friend!>hip.
With the help of Sassoon. who was alrcad) an
establi,hed writer. Owen became an excellent
poet. Owen. who was hon·ified at having been
cal led a coward, wished t o return to the front
Sassoon, too. returned to bunlc. but was shot in the
siuc o.f th head trying tO help a friend and wa:, put
out ol acllon for the rest of the war. Owen v il>itcd
him on leave but wa. killed a wee(.. before
the Armi ...tice \ \ U \
signed. sa......oon wa\
left de\:t'>tated. He died in 1967. The phl).
howe\cr. deal'> on!) with the earlier part of h i '
life.
The -;et U\Cd for the play ' ' a ' de'>igned '>0 that
two room'> or other locations could be pre.,emed
on stage. Thil> worked well becau\c it a\'ed set
changes apart from during the interval. At the back
of the two rooml> were two screens on which were
represented the barbed wire of no- man·sland,
showing the stark reality of warfare.
The gap between the two sc reen., wa-, abo u ed
a-. a <opace in which to represent the death of 0 \ \ en
at the end of the plav. For thi'>. howe,cr. the
director had red Oa<,hing lights behind each \Crcen.
Sho" ing the death of Owen between the 1\\o et!.
'>imphcity.
wa.,
h ghl)
appropria te
a
the e bare
I
thought
Rupert
W ick ham.
"'ho
...tage
-.ymboll'..csa
d the bleal..ness
of war
il'>
playeu
oon, gave
an throuoh
outstanding
peli·ormance. being only slightly more c nv incing
than Ru e l l Briglu as Owen. Perhaps th1s was to
be ex pected from a man
who
ha!> had
considerable ex perience in the We">t End. Ru... ell
Bright. on the o ther hand, wa-; making
hi-.
profes ional debut. The way Bright acted t h
death of Owen wa'> hod.ingly reali'>tic
: b he .\' rHhcd and shook whil\t being riddled " i t h
machme-gun bul leb. The Mandard of actin!! and
the '>heer organi-.ation of the production wa.,
out!.tanding. The poetry of Sw,.,oon and Owen \\US
read in a wa) that allowed il'> poignam;y to come
through.
h e play l.tarted with Owen leav ing
Cnuglockhart and then led us through what had
happened beforehand. The dramatic etTect wa-.
heightened b) the fact that the audience l..ne\\
\\hat was going t o happen. lt also l>U\tained the
emotion throughout the performance and not JU'>t
at the end. On the who le. I feel it wa...
a wonderfully
moving
performance of a
well
written play.
Christopher Filbcy
Pigtales
In a m o r a t a
·nm.w ul'
aim are housed within my hreast'
Inamorata a'> a theatre company hal> existed for
less than a year. Pigtale.1 being their fir t
production. The Company il> made up of the core
members of The M ouscpeop le whose production
of The Wild fJorty was performed in the Powel l
T h e a t r e last year. Having been in the audience
for that production I wa'> anticipating a piece
of theatre of equal fluidity and innovation
in Pigtales . We were not <Ji:,appointed.
Pigtales \\3'> wriHen in 1996 by a youn•• French
no,elist. Marie Darrieussecq. and original!) titled
Trui.\mes. Having been incredibly succe, ful a.., a
novel. it ha!> now been adapted by Julia Smith for
the stage w ith her theatre company. Inamorata. and
ooze!.. with the l i fe and energy for which Smith has
ained a superb reputation. As a piece o f theatre it
IS only able to work due to the incredibly sl ick
choreographing o f every
move
throughout
the performance.
PiRillles fo l lows the ..,101') of a young "'oman.
Bella. who gradually turn<, into a pig - a curiou...
transformation upon fir-.t hearing but one w h k h
on '>Lage become., clever and at time<, mo' ino.
Ha"ing left her job in a slaughterhouse. Selia
lands a job at her local beauty salon and beginl> lO
j oy her new life working along side her mas,eur
tnend - played by ix-foot-three. !>ixtcen stone
actor Paul Magson. L i fe for Bel la i s good until one
d a she. t a r t turnin g into a pig. The
cn!..uing acllon follows B e l l a \ degeneration.
with it s accompanying \ O O r t \ and g runts.
<,me l b <md odours. Naturall} her friends. and in
particular her lover. lind thc\e ne\\ traitJ.
unplea....ant. to -,ay the lea t. and Bella end' up
friendless and homclc""·
Friendles . that i.,. until !..he fall!> in love with a
werewolf - a man who ha., undemonc a chanoe
...imilar to Bella·.,. but into a wolf ra 1er than a pig.
It il. through her new IO\ cr that Bella learn'> hO\\ to
control the inner bea...t - the animal that
live!>
in idc ever) one of U!... He teaches Bel la how w
suppres!> the anima l urge!> which cause the
39
tran formation anti to t.:hunnel them into brief
moment.., of be tial beha' iour. This was the play''>
untlerl) ing theme. and explained the lenering on
the rear of the !.Iage which read·T " o oub. ala .
are hou..,ed within 111) hreast". A"' a werewolf.
,..hen the moon i ' full. Bella·!- lover rclca,es the
wolfi..,h ue<,ire ' caged in-,ide hi!. bod) and goc"' on
a \earch for li\ ing
h. Similarly. Bella learns 10
...uppre.,., the cnl\ ing'> to gorge on turnip!. and
\Cgetahle'> and then to relea<>e her...elf from time to
time and reaII) ·pig out". It i-. by acting in this
manner and controlling their ·inner animal· that
the two avoid tho'>e U \ \ kward mome111s of
tran-.forming into an animal in public. The couple.
for a fe" month-.. lind relati' e \lability in their
l ives. regularly gelling p iu a delivered to their
apartment - whereupon Bella would conl.ume the
p i ua anti her lover the delivery-hoy. However, the
trail of mi:.sing piZt.a-boyl> C \ entual ly leads back
to t he t:ouple, anti Bella lind., hcr cl f alone once
more when her lover il> shot dead by police and
placed in a museum. The play fini!.hes with Bella
finding ...anctuary in a new life as a wild pig.
completely relca ing her inner beast and becoming
a full-time \ O W .
One mu't wonder hm' (e'>pecially for a touring
the:ure compan}) it could he po.,.,ible to stage wch
a complicated plot " i t h -,o man) location'>. As the
play progrcs ed the ...e l changed from being a
bedroom 10 hcing a \wimming pool. a train.
a prison. a heauty aton. C\ en a mu-.eum. Yet at no
point wa!. there a break in the action of the
performance - every -.ct-changc wa!. a1> !'.lickl)
choreographed a ' every \Cripted movement. Thi-.
made for nn a -.1-ilfully mannged piece of theatre
with no breal-\ in the '>IOf) and no actor falling out
of character. On a '-lUIIe and high!) adaptable
Mage. the \et did require the audience to imagine a
great deal. and tho'>e \\ ho were not wiIIing to
participate in -.uch an imaginative fea'l of
atmo-.phere left the theatre'' ith negati\e anitude'>.
With minimal CO'>lumc changes and \ery fe"
prop'>. the p i a ) \ intelligent adaptation of the novel
wa\ huge!) \UCccv,ful. Particularly impre...-.ive
were the '>Cene!. when evef) member of the four
\t rong caM became imoln:d in creating part of
Bella " ' a pig
reminbcent or \0111C
adaptation!.
of Gregor Smma· tranl.formation into
<,!age
a beet le in Kafka\ MeiLIIIIOI'lJhOii.l .
Those who were fortunate enough to have
ticket s for Pigloh's saw a very original.
imaginative and clever production. for which Julia
Smith i!. alread} receiving great prabc. l look
forward to Inamorata \ next production lmer thil>
year of Under Mill. Wood. and the pol>\ibility of
the Company'., return to Abhe) Road.
ne..
Tom W illiam
Sherborne Schools '
Orchestral and Choral Concert
Sunday 5th Decemb er 1 9 9 9 BSR
The end o l the Michaelma' term i" frequent !)
the l i N opponunit} to perfonn for many school
Cn!.emble' after the inevitable <mnua l change of
per onnel that occur' each September. Long
Mantling ml.!mber' will have been replaced by new
younger blood and one b anxiou to sec and hear
what diiTerenccs one may di cern.
First up w a t he Sherborne School Concert
Band. condut.:tcd by Owen Clarke and consist ing
of nme fort y woodwind and hras!\ players. ahly
supported by three pcrcu!.'lionists. They launched
inl<.l Leroy Ander-.on \ The Rak es of M allo11' with
liulc ru.,.., and navigated i t ' many 1-.cy change"' w ith
an impre-..,ive confidence that Owen Clarke
alway., manage to in-,pire. lt was nice to hear
\Oillething by Andcr">on other than Sleigh Ride.
' ' hich \O easily could have been cho cn for the
occa.,ion. Tho'>e of u., who had read through the
programme were prohably most keen to hear the
band·.., ...econd offering. the Symphonic Marches
b) John Williarn... We were not disappointed and
were treated to a medley of well-1-now n movie
theme\. full of '>trident tunc" and noby percu!>sion.
The Concert Band cl.!nainl) got the concert off to
a rousing !>tar t !
By stanling contnl\t. we moved 10 the St.
Anthony's-Lewe l<ln Schola Cantorum . a group of
thirty singcrl> under t he direct ion of Jane Stein.
Their fir st piece. A 1/ymn w llw Virgin. op.20 by
Rohert Spearing. daring ly juxtaposed a solo
trumpet
wi t h
female
voice .,. Dc pitc
any l>Ceptici m I had about the combinat ion. J
was immediately drawn by the preci.,ion of the
inging despite what :.eemetlto be extremely high
writing for the opranol>. Loui!.e Breyer\ trumpetplaying matched the 'cn,itivity of the 'inging
wonderfully. There ''a., a brief moment of
.,iJence
after
the piece a... the audience
contemplated their reaction.
I found m ) \clf impre. \eu b) the performance. if
not totall) \\On o'er b) the piece. B) now the
..o
Abbey bell-; were in full peal and it was against
this audible bacJ...drop that WI! "'ere pre-,ented "ith
Zoltan Kodaly'' £rening S o n . "hich was a
'hame a it mal>ked \Orne of the quieter pa.,!>age . .
Claude Dcbu., y·., Voi!l de\ Enfams \ \ a also
beautifully executed and at all time' the ingers
were clearly in touch \\ith their conductor. this
communication being aided b) thetr '>tnging
' ' ithout the encumbrance of 'core.,.
The Sherborne School · Sinfonia treated u to
ome fine pia) ing of arrangement' of two work'>.
The Dance of the Tumh/er.\ by Rim-,1-.y Kor:-.ako\
.,tarted with imprc sivc ensemble and thi jolly
ptece wa:, much enjoyed by both player and
audience alike. although the timpanbt :.eemed to
enjoy it n little more than most! To perform a piece
a well known as Joplin\ J:'.merwiner is brave. but
this arrangement was qui te brilliant ly chosen . The
pace set hy David Price w a perfect - rag arc o
often ru hcd - and the familiar melody wove it'
way from the strings to the woodwind, on to the
brass and then even the pcrcu-..,ion got a look in.
These young mu!>icians richly deserved the
warmth of the applau!-e.
Ne\t we \\Crc treated to four '>ong'> performed
b) the Madrigal Society of Sherborne School for
Girl . under the direction of John Jenkins. The first
.,ong. God'f 8/achmuh by Zohan Kodaly. was
brilliant!) performed at a po iti,el) tongue
twi,ting tempo. It \\a<, followed by a beautiful
41
arrangement of Scarborough fmr by Roben
Latham. marred only by the irritating bad.ground
noise provided by the burglar alarm of the School
Library. "'hich had inad' cnently been -.et off.
There followed a brief hiatu-. a'> the Headmaster
ought to '>ilence the alarm. for which he recci,ed
grateful applau!>e on hi-. return from a vel) patient
and tolerant audience. The gtrl\ then continued
with William Hot borne\ Gush forth. my rear\ and
concluded with a lively .,piritual Walt. in
Jerusalemjus'like Jo/111. again arranged by Robert
Latham. Being only twenty-'>trong. the group
pcrhap:- lacked the l>trength of number-. to give the
spiritual a feeling of real conviction. but the
singing was most impre:-.:,ivc overall.
To conc lude the concert, the Sherborne
Schools' Symphony Orchestra took to the stage.
under the baton of Paul Ellis. In recent years the
orchestra has successfu lly tack led some great
works of the symphon ic repertoire and this
occasion was to be no different. The Kabalevsky
Violin Concerro datel. from 1948. and il. very
!>trongly Russian in navour. The Allegro c·on brio
was taken at a very lively pace, but this proved to
hold no danger for the '>Oloi'>t. Charloue Newman.
who played ' ' ith stunning technical accuracy and.
more imponantly. with great nair and chaw.ma .
Her stage presence wa., confident and !>he created
the impression of ab...olute control over thi'
difficult and exciting '"orJ.... The orcheMm too wa
up to the task of accompanying this virtuoso work ,
never drowning the soloist. yet playing an active
role in the proceedings.
The final work was the opening movement of
Schubert"s Unfinished Symphony. The existing
movements date from I 822, and the reason for its
abandonment is unknown. The work is masterful.
and has been described as the first truly romantic
symphony. The opening was perhaps a tiule
tentative, owing to the exposed nature of the ·cello
and double bass lines. but confidence was soon
gained. The choice of tempo was excellent and
throughout the work there was exceptional playing
from everyone. with many beautiful orchestral
colours emerging. A good dynamic range and the
handling
of
the
darkly
brooding
ending contributed much to what was a very
atmospheric
rendition. Overall. the orchestra was on very line
form and gave thoroughly enjoyable performances
of two difficult works. providing an excellent
close to an exciting and varied concert.
A retiring collection was taken in aid of lbe
Dorset branch of the Voices Foundation. a charity
set up in 1993 with the aim of reinvigorating
music education at primary school level
throughout the country using the methods of
Zolu1n Kodaly, whose music was femured in the
concert. The fact that the audience was moved to
give over £350 to this charity is testimony to the
high standard of the performances given by all of
the musicians who took pan.
J.G.W. and D. N. Bcdnall
S he r borne Schools'
S ym p h o n y O r c h e s t r a
Concert
S t . G e o r g e ' s , B r a n d o n Hill,
Bristol S unda y 2 6 t h M a r c h 2 0 0 0
Those of us who took the trouble to journey to
Bristol for this Sunday evening concert were
treated to some very fine orchestral playing under
the joint direction of Paul Ellis and John Jenkins.
The programme began with the Allegro moderato
from Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony . One w a
immediately !>truck by the strength of the strings.
whose playing demonstrated excellent ensemble
and tuning. with only minor lapses in the more
exposed sections for the lower strings. The
performance as a whole was full of great dynamic
contrast and it was nice to hear the orchesu·a
playing music from this period so well.
After a very sl ick set change to bring on the
grand piano we were treated to a performance of
the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, played by
Carolyn Yeung. Thb shy young performer played
with startling passion and strength for one of so
slight a frame. Miss Yeung clearly had the
attention of everyone in the audience. The
orchestra ably accompanied her. though their
playing lacked some of the polish shown in the
Schubert, with a number of impetuous bows
occasionally distracting the listener. There was.
however. some excellent solo playing, from the
principal 'cello- and hom-players in particular.
42
and thi combined with some superb piano·
playing made thi a memorable rendition of a
well-loved piece of music - not at all
the
·unfortunate and ungrateful piece· described by
one of iLc; earliest critics.
The final work in the concert was the
Symphony No. 8 in G major by Dvorak and it
lived up to the description in the programme notes.
being performed with great exuberance. The work
provided much enjoyable music for all of the
players. Even the much-neglected violas and horns
had great parts to play. and there was some
dazzling playing from the woodwind section. The
blistering pace at which the faster sections were
played. espec ial ly the tlute solo dancing about at
breakneck speed. added to the excitement of the
performance. No concessions were made to the
youth and relative inexperience of the players and
they rose t o the challenge with admirable results.
It was a shame that the audience was not larger.
but for those
of us lucky
there the
concert
demonstrated
thatenough
orchestro
ralbeplaying
in
a very high standard indeed and
Sherborne is
deserves our full support.
or
J.G.W.
Sherborne School
Musical Society Concer t
The Creation
2000 being both the year celebrated a
millennia! by all mu\icians for "hom ·nought" is
the lirst beat of the bar and al o the 450th
anni' er-.aJ) of the granting of the School'" chaner
by Edward VI. -.omething unu'>ual and celebratory
might rea<;onabl) have been expected from the
Mu!>ical Socict). It would have taken a inuousl)
inventive mind. however. to foresee the '"ay in
which
the
former
epithet
wa
to
become appropriate, or to project the cour!>e of
evems that made r h i a year of even more firMs
and tireworks than had been intended.
Steering tactfully
between the equally
reprchen:,ible extreme of i>cnsationalism and
:;ilence, the reviewer might do well to limit his
accounL of the c ircumstance), that made this both
the first concert for which the Society has
commissioned a work and the tirst occasion on
which the Society has abandoned a work in mid
throat. So. ·reefing it in a bit and turning it for the
nonce into a two reeler.' a!. P. G. Wodehouse has it.
I must record the regret and <.li appointment with
which the Society bowed to a judgement that
ru.pects of the libretto of Garry Wilkin!;on's fine
ne\\ work The Starry Menenger made
it un:.uitablc
for
performance
in a
con:.ecratcd building.
Supprel>'>ing a mild desire to explore the curiom.
fact that it tooJ... half a term for thi\ un uitability to
emerge. one merel) note'> that the choru<, laboured
for <.ix day!> (all of them Sunda) :.. of cour!.e): and
on the \eventh they were told it was not good.
Rather than resting. however. the) tran.sferred
their aucmion (if not - at l i N - their enthu!>iru.m)
to omething unarguably and (in the strictest
·ense) impeccably unobjectionable. Not Carmina
performed recently in (or ut
Burana. u
least immediately outside) Sali!>bury Cathedml. but
The Creation.
The chance to taJ...c part in t h i wonderful work
is scarce ly to be sniffed at, of cour e. And it may
be that !.Uch ungracefu lly forwitoul. circumstances
as those that arose are the only one in which it
would now be po:.,ible for Mus!.oc to give The
Creation mall. if it i'> to be given. as it !.hOul<.l be.
complete. I notice that the last time the Society
performed the v.orJ... (in 19781. the programme al!.o
included Bemus \fir h) Monteverdi. Rejoice in the
Lmnb by Britten and SchUll'!> Christma.\ Story. !.O.
unle:,, it wu-. a creation u,·agel) DIY-cut to
si7e.the audience pre<>umabl} brought 'leeping
bagl> rather than mercl} cu hion'>.
43
As it il>. after so many years of Elli-;-imposed
discipline. the Mu '>OC choru'> i-. .,impl) too good
to be occupied throughout the prolonged period of
rehear<;al b) the comparative!} few number<; with
which Haydn provide., it in hi-; mo<.t famou' choral
work. And neither. ince the w o r laMs g.enerou!.l}
over two hour<,. can one decent!} extend the
concen with a -.upplementary item merely to keep
chorus boredom at bay a-. autumn fade'> into
winter, even i f it docs mean a decline in freshness
as the ·gJoriou work' is 'achieved' again and
again and again . . . A it turned out. therefore. the
unexpectedl y abbreviated time available in the
second half of the M ichael mas Term and the first
half of the Lent exactly met the case: in the end the
performe· felt both the familiar misgiving1> with
which they are :tccustomcd to regard the last
rehearsal or two, and the familiar exhilaration that
attends ultimately triumphant negotiation of the
bits everyone has been worrying about.
Inspired by the large-scale performances of
Handel's oratorio in Westminster Abbey during
the 1791 season. and a libretto perhaps fir:.t
as!.embled for Handel himself (and without doubt
subsequemly translated and abridged by Baron
van Swieten, the Emperor's libr.trian). Ha)dn
worked on The Creation for nearl) two year-.. ·1
was never '>O religiou'> a<, during the composition
of The Cremion.' he told his biographer: 'dail} I
feU on my knee... and a\ked God for trcngth. · On
being asked \\ hy he had taken o long with the
work. he answered: 'because I intend it to lal>! for
a long Lime.· Completed in 1798. it recei,ed it<,
first public performance in the March of 1799: and
the anticipatory public enthu iasm was so great
that eighteen mounted guard and a dozen
policemen were needed to keep order out!>ide the
Burgtheater in Vienna. The following year it was
performed with acclamation in France. London.
Berlin anti Prague: and thereafter, until his
strengt h failed. Haydn conducted a year ly
Viennese performam:e, U)>Ually in aid of a charity.
Jndeed. hi!. last public appearance, in 1808. wm, at
a performance. directed by Sal ieri. from which.
overcome. he had to be carried out after the fir t
pan. lifting his hand to the orche tra, a i f
in benediction. before he dbappeared from \ight.
Traditional in form. The Cremion U \ C ' the u!.ual
diYi ion of choru-.e <in only one of which the
soloi:.b do not aJ:..o <lppea r), arias and rccllathc .
These last arc either accomp<mied b) the whole
orchel>!ra or w e c o ( \\ ith continuo only). providing
a large paleue of '>Ound colour for Haydn ·s
exten!>ivc and inventive word-painting, most
obviou!>ly of the climate (in general the more
hostile aspects of it) and the animal kingdom.
Such device!) inevitably call attention to lhe text,
which. though Haydn'!> recognition of the English
verltion a!> equally valid gives it undoubted
authority. certainly offer!) one or two odd
expressions - that pualingly 'flexible tiger·. for
example - among the Miltonic and scriprural
fclicitic!.. At lea'>t there is nothing as risible as the
moment in one translated opera libreuo of the
period when. as the hero expires. his friends sing.
'Bring on the bier!'
Haydn·!.
brilliance
and resource
in
orchestration is a continual joy throughout; and
h b preliminary Representation of Chaos
- atmospheric
and
disconcerting
in its
modern harmonics and descending chromatic
lines - is a most powerful opening. The orchestra.
led as usual by Bridget Hirst. was immediately
persuasive, evok ing the sw irling formlessness
of the void. Then came James Ottaway's hushed.
rapt opening recitative ( 'In the beginning . . . '),
modulating into the choral approach to dazzling
exaltation a lhe music emcrgel> from the minor
key into a blazing C major at 'and there w a
light'. There follows the fir;t tenor air. in which
Uric! (Jame!t Oxley. weet toned and in fine voice)
describes the vanquishing of chao!> by order and
the appearance of ·the first of days·. By nO\\
Paul Ellis had convincingly - and to no-one\
urprise - established the lines of a reading that
repeatedly
impressed with
its attractive
frc'>hness. and achieved both fine claril)' of detail
and a genial vigour.
The \Oioists - Jane Sherriff the oprano- were
a well-matched trio. In a work so heavily weighted
towards the soloi'>t . the overall uccess of the
evening depended much more on them than
Mussoc audiences have been accustomed to
expect in recent years: and we were not
disappointed, though James Ottaway. still
convalescing from a throat infection, seemed.
the
early
stages toand
onlyhis voice
sounded
in
understandably
enough,
be nursing
characteristically rich once he had assumed the
role of Adam in Part I l l . Some performances make
use of five solobts, casting Gabriel and Eve, and
Raphael and Adam separately; but (fortunately. so
far as slender financial resource are concerned)
there i no artil>tic need for thi:.. The music clearly
and idiomatically establishes what, for want of a
better word. may be called the relative !>OCialclass
of the angels (elevated and pastorally courtly) and
the human figures (folk-like); and Miss Sherriff
and Mr. Ottaway characterized appropriately: they
were particularly affecting in the duet for Adam
and E'e ·By thee with bliss. 0 bounteous Lord'.
There were perhaps some climactic moments at
which the distinctness of the solo lines was
occluded by the general -;well of sound. For
example. we IO!>t some of the soprano's
semiquaver figumtion above the ta\e when she
was competing against the choru'> (which sounded
for once rather foursquare) in 'the Lord is great":
but her top C pierced the texture without difficulty
in 'The marv'llous work' . James Oxley was
exemplary in Uricl's ·tn native worth·.
There was, a' we have come to expect. orne
fine. crisp. characterful playing from the orchestra.
Ensemble was generally very good: the few hours·
rehearsal possible on the day alway!. reveals one or
two points of initial dbagreement among those
brought together for the first time and these had
been settled with impressive efficiency (and
occasionally a certain amount of firmness).
Among many arresting moment'> - fiery, majestic
and lyrical - there was particular beauty of tone
from the accompanying lower strings in Raphael 's
rec itative ·And God created great wha les', and
from the clarinet in the angelic trio ·on thee each
living soul awaits'.
And the chorus? In the end. and having warmed
quite quickly to a task wholly unexpected in
September. it had mastered its part with
detem1ination and without fuss: it!. members sang
with verve and accuracy. Tone and balance were
best sustained when they were not at full 'olume:
but the choral sound at moments of exultation
('The Lord is great·. 'Achieved is the glorious
work', ·we praise thee now and evennore' and.
spectacularly. the final. fugal. affirmation of
'Jehovah's prai'e for ever shall endure. Amen')
was often rich and exciting. Occasional awkward
lead'>. tent atively offered. were mru.ked by the
greater volume and more confident attack of the
accompaniment (as. for example. at one point in
'The Heavens arc telling'). and there was a
moment or so of haste in 'Awake the harp': but in
general discipline held and their assurance and
enjoy ment were obvious. Moreover (and as is by
no means always the case with amateur choruses)
they sounded as though they were thinking about
and attaching sense to the words, rather than
treating them as a series or more or less convenient
sounds on which to hang instrumental phrases.
The fact that the Abbey acoustic tends to sabotage
such good intentions wa . for the most part, not at
all their fault.
Undoubtedly a success, then, i f not the one that
had been anticipated '>ix months before: and a
good performance of so inspired and magnificent
a work can never be a cau.e for regret, though the
shade of Haydn might think it a dubious
compliment to have hi'> depiction of the supreme
act of creation reduced to the status of a fallback
position. However, the quality of this anniversary
concert rose above both adversity and
controversy; and the loyal audience ju
stly responded with familiar warmth and
enthusiasm.
Perhaps. though. one question might be allowed to
hang in the Abbey'. resonance: where have al l the
school-age sopranos and altos gone'l
S .P.H.H.
C h a m b e r C o n c e r t i n S h e r b o r n e Ab b e y
F r i d a y 3 0 t h .June
sonorities echoing round the Abbey vaulting. They
concluded their part of the programme by playing a
work by an OS: Michae l Bawtree, formerly of
Abbey House, after leaving Cambridge as organ
scholar at Chri. t's College. spent a short time at St.
Peter's School, York, before moving most recently
to St. Edmundsbury Cathedral, where he is Assi stant
Organi st. It wa while teaching in York that he wrote
a short piece for brass. timpani and organ based on
the plain song melody Tu es Petrus. The Abbey
organ, whi le lacking the sheer power and excitement
of the renowned York Minster trumpet stop,
n evertheless contributed
its p a r t in thi s
kaleidoscopic mu sic. The tune was skilfull y
transformed, embellished and treated in dialogue
between the brass and organ, the timpan i, with its
syncopation s so effectively managed by Chris
Vemey. bringing the piece to an exciting conclusion.
While the focus for musician s and actors this
year was clearly centred on the production of Code
Crackers (see review elsewhere), it was
the chamber concert in the wonde1iul ambience of
the Abbey, resounding to the sounds from some
of Sherborne's
finest , which
announced
the beginning of Commemoration 2000.
This. together with the Garden Concert at the
other end, seems to me to be one of the esse!llial
ingredient s in making Commemoration mu sic
such a feast.
As an lwrs d'ceuvre the brass ensemble whetted
the audience's appetite with mu sic by Gordon
Jacob. His Festival Music. lntrada and Round for
Seven
Parts received
suitab ly
spirited
and uplifting performances . There was much to
admire here, the boys responding well to
Garry Wilkin so n's
direction
with
the
various
45
What followed is surely what chamber music is
all about. The sheer enjoyment of the music
making during the playing of the Tclemann quartet
was plain to all. Sherborne i:, able to attract some
lir<;t-rate musicianl>. many of whom will pia)
concerto-. during their time here. but the sort of
rapport neces ar} for a reall)
ucce sful
perforn1ance in t h i particular genre is not easily
achic\ed. Under the careful guidance of their
coach Maggie ightingalc. the..e four musician
wove the mu<,ic·., textures with skiU and control.
The outer movement were lively and exuberant.
while the <;)O\\ middle movement had lyricism and
a wonderful feeling for the hape of the music.
Member'> of the Chapel Choir with their
conductor John Padley gave performances of two
very different worJ...:... Deus ruorum militum i a
simple yet beautifully crafted piece by Monteverdi
and scored for three-part choir with an
instrumenta l accompaniment of two v iolins and
continuo. By contra!-.t De tm!fimdis , a setting or
verses from Psalm 1 30, explores the tintinnabuli
sty le used so atmospherical ly in much of Arvo
Piirt 's recent mu ic. He explores a wide range of
sonority beginning with organ and basses
plumbing the depths on bollom Es. In contrast. the
orga11 supplies the bell-like effecL' high oo the
keyboard, the whole working inexorably to the
central climax. before di appearing once again
into the murky waten..
The chamber orchestr.f programme. while
'aried. rightly concentrated on two of Vivaldi 's
concerto), and provided a linal opportunit) for two
of our top violini ts to di!.play their talenLc, before
the large and appreciative audience. The A minor
is undoubted!) one of Vivaldi'' be t known in the
concerto genre. Even Bach '"em on to arrange this
one. together with several othen. in ven.ion for
organ. Paul Wong and William Rider were well
matched oloi't' a they sparred together in the
intricate pa<,sagcworJ..., uch a featllre of t h i
wonderful music. Earlier. Thoma!oo Baynton played
the concerto
in A
minor
for
'cello
and dem()nSlratcd his sense of line with
impressive intonation to mat<.:h. The l nterme
o
from Mascagni's
opera
Cal'a/lerio
l?ustiucww played by the whole orchestra
w ith passion and wonde rful intensity sent us
uway feel ing content and fortif ied for the next
twenty-four hours.
P.C.E.
GREYSTOKE ANTIQUES
OF SHERBORNE
.. Deaiel" in Fine Sih c r - Georcian. Victonan and kncr
SILVER
Wide r.tnge of anlique and 01hcr \i h cr
from £5 to £5.000
AJ,o a good >election of ne" ,jl\er photogrnph Irome,.
pepper m1lb and coa,tcr>
Selling or buying. cOn\uh the \pcciali't'
Swan Yard, Sherborne
Tel: (01935) 812833
Cadj:1 n1 10 Old :\htrkt't Car Park in t o n crn1 )
Open 10 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. daily except Wcdnc,dny>
S h e r b o r n e S c h o o l C h a p e l C h o i r Tour t o Italy
August 2 0 0 0
Following on from our <;ucce sful conquest of
La Rochelle la l July, the Choir tooJ... to a coach
once again t h i summer. in !.earch of Italian
audience . The obligatory barbecue over. we
roused oun.elve!oo at the ungodly hour of 5.00 a.m..
the morning after A-Je,el re ult!.. to et off for
Dover. We made it to Kent. but :.topping
<;Omewhere shy of Maid-.tonc in need of diesel and
a competent driver. i t . eemed we had a very long
journey ahead of U!-. • • • Happily, the two drivers
for the main part of the tour arrived with fuel in
their car and lire in their e)'e . o we made it to the
Cros<, Channel ferry. And ' o through France. It is
a big countr). e pecially when you are
46
Our next commitment wa!> Mw..., the following
morning at the church of II Redentore. Again, the
priest eemed delighted to hme us and led the
liturgical applau-.e at the end or Mass.
Afterwards, we held an informal concert. more
infonnal than we had pre' iously hoped. '>ince
some of the musician'> had got stranded on the
other !'.ide of the canal. and just couldn't get
across. They are hot on the Green CrO'>'> Code
over there! The afternoon that followed was free
for U!> to roam around Venice or lie on the Lido.
After dinner. the in trumcntalists were off again.
playing outside a reMaurant '>0 ucce.,!>fully that
they were invited to bu!-.k outside a ver) clas!>y
bar near St. Mark' . playing Vivaldi - a local
speciaJty - superbly.
The following morning we left Venice and set
off on our way to San Gimignano; arriving in our
tw in town in the early alkrnoon. we ang Ma% at
5.00 p.m. in the church of San Agostino. Again.
we gave an informal concert after Mass. during
which we especia l ly remembered Stuart
Hargreaves. Our uniform on thi!- occasion was a
little unconventional. compri'>ing a'> it did !>hom
and T-shirts for the mo t part: the youth ho'>tcl kept
to the r ule that nobody wa!-. to go in and get
changed before 5.00 p.m. - very un-Italian. We
pent the evening familiari'>ing. our.,clvcs with the
sights of San Gim.. particular!) the piazza
containing the main icc-cream 'hop. patroni.,ed b}
such worthier.. as the Prime Minister (in who e
in a small coach. Swit1.crland followed in the
middle or the night, '>0 we can be forgiven for
looking at the Fa t Sho-w video!. and not the
mountain'>. Sleeping arrangement' on the coach
were more reminiscent of D1: Zhil'{lgo than The
Sound c f Music: any !>pare :.quare inch on the noor
was covered by '>prawling choriMers or empty
coke can\. Such arc the joys of a 26-hour coach
joume).
Scheduled to arrive in Venice at 12 noon. we
were a little surpri'>cd (and not a little delighted) to
hear the driver'> announce at 6.30 a.m. that we
were just an hour away. Our interpreter was less
impres!>ed: Dr. Ferrario. fresh from his retirement
from Sherborne School. wa!-. on hand to be our
courier for the week, though he was rather hoping
for a more leisurely stan t o the day. That said. he
met us at the coach park, in the blazing heat and
led us to our ho!-.tel . . . The news that we would be
staying in dormit ories of sixteen was met without
much enthusiasm. but the view acros!> the canal
made up for them. We were tay ing directly
opposite San Marco! Two q o p on the 82 bus and
we arri,ed on the hea' ing pial.la. It was
wonderful. i f rather -.corchio! A fler spending
much of the afternoon finding our bearings. we
were read) to rehearse in the Cathedral it'>elf.
What a privilege to -.ing Ma!>s in St. Mark's! The
congregation. among whom we saw at least eight
familiar faces. seemed to appreciate u . and the
clergy couldn't get enough!
-+7
honour the manager has invented a entirely ne\\
tla' our) and Ulnt...a Jonsson.
ext day. we went off to S1ena. Or 'ome of us
did. A lew. put otT by the fact that the driver\
apparent ly dropped us off somewhere clo!>e to Pisa
did not make it all the way 1nto the centre. and
sati!>fied themselve), -.itting in the ..,hadow of a petrol
station in the \Uburb!>. No. really! Our day trip left U \
with about an hour in the city it-,clf. \o we were all
faced with the choice of !>ightseeing in the Duomo or
the Piaua di Campo. or finding omewhere good to
eat So McDonald.., it wm. (for a few).
From Siena to Radicondoli, a beautiful little hill
town where we were to give our next concert. the
lirst ·rear one of the tour. Folio" ing our rehear at.
we were all treated to dinner. a gift from the
people of Radicondoli : that night. " e were mO\tl}
eating pi11a-.. After dinner. we were all set to
perform: poster'>. o;pread all over the town. clearl}
indicated that the concert wa-, to !>tart at 11.00.
Fooli h ly. perhap . we took that to mean 9 o'clock
and not ·nine for nine thirty'. So at that hour. whi le
the townsfolk pre-,umably. feasted. we -,tcpped up
onto the 'ianctuary of the church. in front of an
audience of about ten (half of \\hom we
had brought ' ' ith u anywa} ) Ju\t a ' we drew
breath before \tarting our first number. the
parish priest clambered through our ranks and
began to ring the church bells. Within minutes. the
church began to fill and we had a good audience!
The concert went quite well too. Which was nice
...
After thi... our next day w a free. and most of us
took a tnp to Viareggio. ''here the day was '>pent
on a fifteen foot stretch of notonml'.l) busy beach
- nice! Mcam\ hile. -,ome stayed m San Gimignano
to -;ample 'ome of I I ' other delight-.. mcluding a
·museum of torture·. Fascinating luff. though the
Children Act -.pecifically b a n mo t of the method:-.
nowaday'>. I he day ended\\ ith an mformal concert
from our chamber orchestra Out">ide the Duomo. a
ta•acr for the final n1ght\ great concert.
-\nd ">0 next morning our final day wa\ suddenI }
upon U\. We '>pent the morning being treated to a
tour uround the town·s art gallery and up one of the
many towers which make the skyline l-.0 famou!>.
Then. following an afternoon spent either laLing by
a pool or indulgiug i n a big lunch. the day
culminated in our final concert. The v>vhole town
wm. pla,tered wuh posterc; auvcrtl'>mg U'>. and <.o
we had a big audience. anti the) e\·en arri,ed on
time' The concert. however. u1d not \tan promptly
since our conductor had unfortunately mi'>laid his
concert clothe-, and. however good he might be
thought to look in '>horts. it just wouldn't have been
right . . . Help wm. at hand. however. in the unlikely
form (.\w) of Da\ id Bednall. ' ' ho gallantly offered
his trou'>erc; to Mr. Padley. Need'> must . . .
Somehov. (actually. by the judiciow. u\e of clOthe'>
48
peg'>) it worked: the) tilled. and the concert was
another great '>UCCe'>s.
And so. but for another 26-hour journey (much
of 11 non-stop, to the chagrin of anyone who did
not think to buy lunch at 8.30 a.m.). the Lour w a
over. Once more. nil concerned had a lot to be
grateful for: Ben Gunner and Mu ica Europa had
planned our tour e\tremely well; the drivers got us
there and back (though only j u s t - we broke down
aQam on the A303. after about 2500 m1le"> of
e cnt-frcc cruising): finally. as ever. John Padley"c;
relaxed manner. yet a ">ured leadership. en'>ured
that we all performed to the bei>t of our abilitie<,
<tnd enjoyed doing '>0. Once again. it ..eem.,
obligatory to !>ay that 11 was another resounuingly
">uccessful expedition for the choir and not ju'>t a
joc
und
time
"as
had
h
all.
P.M.R.
S w i n g B a n d Tour
of G r e n ad a
It was a bleary-eyed collection of mu<>icians
tll<lt met in The Court<; at the cract... of da\\n on 5th
July but there " ' a ' nc"erthele<><; an air of exclled
anticipation m the mmibus as it made it'> way to
Gat"'ict... a1rpon. With Mr. Willett'> at the wheel
and Mr. Spiller in charge of wrong tum<.
and missed motorway junction,. we naturally
arrived in plenty of time for our night.
Gradually other band member appeared from
various pam of the countr} and we were <.oon
checking in our forty
<,J>. pieces of excess baggage. Our nine-hour
outbound tlight toot... U'> to Grenada via Antigua
and was relatively uneventful. Despite the
cramped conditions on the plane. moM of us were
thankfully able to sleep through that part of rhein
flight entertainment consist ing of a howing of
Grease.
Our di:-.embarkntion at Grenada was a little less
smooth - mainly because the band's luggage
seemed entirely tO Jill the airport terminal- but we
were made to reel very welcome (local TV
cameras were spotted filming our arrival from the
airport roo!). Our hotel was a very short trip from
the airport and the rest of the day wal> :.pent
unwinding. unpacking. dining. and <;)eeping.
Most people surprised them elvel\ the next day
by getting up for an early morning o;wim. followed
by breakfast. The hotel"!> re:-.taurant was open to
the element and the local bird-life clearly enjoyed
helping themselves to the buffet: we too ate
heartily. There followed a day on the hotel's
beaches. where we swam. sun-bathed, sailed,
wind-surfed. snorkelle d and kayaked before
making complete fools of ourselve on the
volleyball court. although it was here that
friendships were forged with other guests and
hotel staff. During the next two weeks a fair
amount of time was spent on the beach and much
volleybal l wus played: what we lacked in sporting
prowess wus made up for by our enthusiasm.
Our sailors demonstrated a similar talent-to
enthusiasm ratio: Will Drayton offered to take Nick
Scorer out for his tirst ever sail in a ·sun Fish· only
to be rescued by powerboat after breaking both
mast and rudder. To he fair it wasn't really hi!. fault
- well that's what he kept telling everyone. Mr.
Willetts and Mr. Spiller made their maiden voyage:-.
crewing in the apparently safer hands of Oliver
Bradford. who made a most welcome return to the
saxophone section after leaving us to read
Medicine at Bristol a couple of years ago.
The f i n time the Band played was in our own
hotel for a gruelling two-hour rehearsal thankfu lly the only one required - though this was
really more of a chance to experience playing in
the heat and humidity, which we did only with the
aid of frequent glasses of water and fruit juice
from the bar. It was also a chance to rind out what
we had left behind: a vital lead for the piano was
missing. After a good deal of blame had been
passed around. one was borrowed from the hotel
and further discord wa averted.
Our first performance was a gentle
introduction. playing as background music for the
American Ambassador and hi!> guests at hil> 4th
July celebration . which he had delayed by a few
days so that we could perform. We were
positioned just outside his residence. looking over
the harbour into the Caribbean Sea beyond. and
we played as the sun set. The heat was not a
problem on this cool Caribbean evening but the
wind howled around the Ambassador·:. house and
garden and keeping our music on the stands was
quite a challenge. A few of the Americans tried to
impress us with their knowledge of the mu!>ic by
taking a crafty look at the music over the shoulder
of a trumpeter and then com ing round the front
saying. 'This is great. r love Sweet Home Chicago·
to the !'.axophones section.
The first real test of our endurance was at our
neighbouring hotel. ·Le Source'. It wal> extremely
hot when we arrived, which made for stressful
setting-up. and it got hotter. A continuous stream of
water from the bar W<L pas ed along and prevented
U!. from expiring halfway through our set. De pile
this. it wa!- very enjoyable. The guc ·ts slowly
filtering in from other room'> had obviously been
drinking something a little stronger than water.
There was plenty of cheering. shouting and some
"dancing· by a couple of newlyweds. egged on by
what seemed to be a large group or friends (not
everyone's idea of a romantic honeymoon) . We
ended up by playing for half an hour longer than
we had intended and gave a number of encores.
Our next concert was at the oflicial residence of
the Governor, a beautiful building that had a
balcony a lithe way around over elegant arches . .so
that one could enjoy views of the rain fore. t on
one side and on the other look over the capital, St.
George·l>. and beyond to the harbour and sea. The
audience here was a stark contrast to that at our
previous concert. consisting as it did of around
fifty people sitting in straight-backed wooden
chairs arranged in militarily straight lines. There
were awkwardly embarrassing !)i)ences between
numbers, after appreciative but restrained
clapping. but we had the impression that we were
not the only ones who would have preferred
thing to have been a little less formal - there was
quite a lot of discreet movement and tapping of
feet. The drinks reception that followed the !>hort
concert was far less stilted and was our first
opportunity to meet and mingle with local people.
Typically for Swing Band tOms. we met people
claiming connections to Sherborne!
Thanks to the generosity of some parents. Mr.
Clarke was able to charter a yacht - actually a
catamaran - for a day's sai ling off the island. Thi:.
was a treat enjoyed by the whole band and many
of us enjoyed snorkelling whilst we were anchored
offshore for an hour or so in the middle of the day.
despite an attack by a swarm of jellyfish.
Om next concert was back in a hotel again. this
time the Grand Beach Resort. It was a fairly
relaxed atmosphere and by now setting- up was
becoming a routine. I t was here that we first
bumped into Mr. Cleaver, who had tlown 4300
miles with his family to get away from Sherborne.
49
Sadly for him. he cho, e thi., particular island to
come to at the arne time as the Swing Band. Some
'>U'-pected it wa... probably just to check that we were
all behaving! By now the band wac; playing vel)
well and we had even managed to persuade orne
gue<,ts from our o ' ' n hotel to come along. Thic; wm.
a great public relation' move on our part as it helped
en!>ure that we had a good audience for the concen
we were to give at our own hotellmcr in the tour.
After the coneen at the American Ambassador·..,
house M r. Clarke " a ' approached by an
officer from the U.S. Marine<. 11.ho asked i f we
could play at hi!. ba e. He wm. leading Task Force
M ida . who were spending six month\ on the
i...tand building a school. a community centre. and
a police barrack:-. for the Grenadian govemment.
So. one evening the band was collected by a pickup truck and minibus and dtiven to the ba!'le.
which resembled a scene from the televi ion series
M.A.S.l-1. We played in an open tent with a
concrete tloor for a stage and lighting provided
by one large lluorescent tube. Our audience
sat at picnic benches drinking Budweiser or
Pepsi f rom a seemingly endless. and thankfully
chi l led. '>upply. It was a light-heaned occasion,
aided by the fact that we were playing chce.,y
American mu,ic to what were. to be honest. chee<.y
American-.. During our playing of Mission lmpo.
.,ible. a fe11 of the M arine!> were to be een
crawling around the trees commando-Slyle: one of
them. !'luspended by the scruff of hi shin b)
a mate. ,,a., -.een to tloat around in mid-air before
he promptly \Caled the nagpole. Well at least
they were enjoying themselve!> - it was their fir. t
night off after weeks of working around the clock.
We enjoyed a cooler and some'' hat damp day
touring the i-.land " i t h a fantastic guide. Mandoo.
"hose knowledge of the island's past and present
w a meticulou!> i n i t detail - we were amused that
he knew his fact!> and ligures more precisely than
hi
frequent
u!.e
of
the
word
·approxjmately' ccmed to imply. It wa!.
fal.cinating to learn of the
50
island's long and at time-. bloody hi'>tory from
l>Omeone who wa' clear!) -.o l..een to '>hare his love
for the place with U!.. Our tour took u
to
the i land's olde t and now \adly rather rundow n spice plantation. where we learned much
island''>
about themain -.ource of income. controlling as it
does some
of the w o r l d \ nutmeg market. As
well as nutmeg. we were -.hown cinnamon. do"es.
turmeric. and cocoa. all in their natural Mate.
which wa:-. quite a fca-.t for our olfactol) M:n el>.
It wa<o no11 time to play at our own hotel. We
had a large audience - word had spread through
the hotel. and local new paper articlel>
had attracted gueMs from across the i-.land. We
played
for two and a half hour-.: it too" a while for
the
audience to warm up but by the end they
had begun to dance. a<; had the waitre'>ses. After
·just one more· <1 number of timel> from M r.
Clarke. we finished to '>ett le down for a wellearned drink.
Our fina l concert was at the Medical
Uni versity. If one wanted to study Medicine this
would be the place to do it. with new
buildings look ing over sandy beuche!> to azure
seas. With what was very typical Grenadian
timing. we played three quarters of an
hour later than arranged. between lecture-. at a
son of Medical convention. The audience were
very appreciative and there wa-. a lot of cheering
and some dancing in aisle!> no bigger than
tho\e in the Powell Theatre. It wa' a very
enjoyable concen " i t b which to end the tour.
Although we played only .,c,cn concens in two
week . which to '>Orne may not eem to be too
many. " ith the heat and humidity it wa a surficiem
number and the Band member!'. were able to relax
and enjoy a holiday "' well. Sincere thanks are due
to Mr. Clarke for arranging yet another
very successful tour and to icl..
the Scorer
-.taff and
parent
and J.G.W.
who joined U!. in Grenada for their loyal support.
soq
Lent Project
Chaplains often have to do with a world full of
bad news. Somet ime by the end of the day one
can feel that the world is an awful place - fu ll of
frustration, sadness, disappo intment, and pain. A
succession of people will share their worries and
heartache s with you and you begin to feel that
everyone is in troub le. It is. of course, a great
privilege that people trust you with the sadness in
their lives. Thankfully the bad news is sometimes
balanced by really rather good news.
This b a good news story, the report on the very
successful Lent Project. At the start of the Lent
Term the whole School voted. from a short list of
six very different charities, to support the work of
the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Since then
staff, boys, parents, and friends have been
beavering away raising money. Their efforts have
produced the most remarkable sum o f £ 16.397.84.
This is quite fantast ic. and over twice as much as
we raised two years ago when we last embarked
upon the Lent Project.
J have been great ly impressed by the
commitment of
variou!> boys in
their
determinat ion to make sure something happened
in their House or that their pm1icular idea for fund
raising came to fruition. Many boys will have
learnt a great deal about the complex ities and
frustrations of trying to arrange events in a school
setting. They will probably have more respect for
those who do provide the multitude of events that
are on offer in school! They will have discovered
the need for great persistence and planning if a
good idea is to become a practical reality - a good
lesson for the fu ture.
I do not intend to produce an exhaustive list of
all the fund-raising. but will attempt to create the
tlavour of the variety of events that have
happened. Some boys swam the equ ivalent
distance of the English Channel in the school pool
finding boredom more of a problem than physical
fitness. Some boys were encouraged into silence
for a day while others fasted for twenty-four
hours. Some played guitars in concerts and in the
streets. Others took their jugg ling skills on to the
streets of Sherborne and, with their charm and
skills, persuaded a good number of people to make
a donation or pay for a lesson.
Four boys took to the road in a sponsored
escape from school. leaving on a Friday and
promising to be back in school for lessons on the
fol lowing Monday morning. They managed to
travel much further than any sponsors dreamed or
- t o Hong Kong and back!! Adjustments had to be
made for boys who had sponsored a penny a mile
to avoid any risk of bankruptcy! Still they did
manage to raise over £4000 . It really was a
52
tremendous effort and was the top money-raising
activity- and so congratulations to Will Goodhew,
Roland Sage. Tim Ackroyd and Chris Filbey (and
they were back by first period on the Monday
morning!). We should also acknowledge the
generosity of Cathay Pacific and British Airway s.
Other
individuals
made
considerable
contributions: Nick Scorer, Jonny Morgan and Ed
Ball completed a mini-triathlon. Richard Brook
and James Sykes raised nearly fifteen hundred
pounds with a sponsored walk . Mrs. Lapping
organised a LOY sale with the help of Wallace
House, and Mr. Briere-Edney had his head shaved!
Mr. Pryor and Tom W il liams played a gol f
marathon over four courses in one day, during
which the rain poured down inccssalllly.
Other corporate events included a sponsored
sleep-out: the creation of a cardboard city around
The Courts provided members of the Sixth Form
with a small insight into living on the streets in the
middle of winter. Harper House and The Digby
played twelve hours of sponsored five-a-side
footbal l. The Green 's Third Form took over the
running of the House for twenty-four hours and
sent the Upper Sixth off to bed early in the
dormitory. Mrs. Aitken arranged a supper party for
wives of members of staff; the Bursary staff made
cakes. There wa!> a very :-.uccessful rame. drawn at
the Leaven;' Ball at Commem. which helped the
total exceed the £ 15.000 mark. Miss Millar won a
cricket bat signed by one of the very few West
Indian teams to be beaten by England in the last
couple of decades.
One rinal highlight was the rendition of the
who le of The Rime of the AncienT Mariner by Mr.
Peter Wellby, from memory. lctis FouJth Form
English set were the instigators of this unusual
sponsored event. The who le School was gripped
by hi:-. performance early one Wednesday morning
in the BSR.
It is these kinds of valuab le spin-offs from the
purely fund-raising activities of U1e Lent Project
that make it such a worthwhile event. It is. of
course. wonderfu l to raise su<:h sums for charity.
However. it can also be a rich learning experience
for many boys and can provide a real focus for our
communi ty life. I am very grateful to all those
people who made it possible.
C.W.M.A.
The G r e a t Aw a y D a y
The Great Away Day was one of the most
sun·enl experiences of our live . To fly to Hong
Kong and back in just twenty-four hours was an
extraordinary thing to be doing in U1e middle of
the Lent term. Although it was incredibly tiring. I
think we all agreed that we thoroughly enjoyed
ourselves.
We had decided in Abbey lands that it was time
to do something special and somewhat different
for the Lent Term Project and so Chris Filbey, Tim
Ackroyd. Roland Sage and I thought of The Great
Away Day. This involved travelling as far away as
possible from Sherborne within twenty-four hours.
u!>ing any transport that was available to us.
Thinking of the posl>ibilities of where we could go.
the idea began to seem more and more outrageous
and exciting. To think that we would ever obtain
permission from the Headmaster seemed
ridiculous. but to our surprise he loved the idea
and could not have been more supportive.
With the backing of the authorities we set about
the seemingly impossible ta<>k of finding some
free tickets to get as far as luck would take us. We
tried every way possible. starting with Old
Shirburnians. Tim and Roland were lucky in
getting hold of two tickets to Hong Kong from
Cathay Pacific in this way. Chri!'. and I. however.
were not so lucky and had had no replies from the
letters that we sent out. Having na'ively relied
solely on this, we were in difficulties as we had
only a week until our deadline. I never thought it
possible to ring so many airlines in such a begging
tone and to be so cruelly denied almost every time.
We had almost given up hope when a contact in
British Airways said that they would fly us to
Hong Kong for no charge at all. which. with only
forty-eight hours to go, was a great relief.
On the Friday afternoon our great journey
began with news of a train crash. The delays were
huge and so we braced ourselves for a jo urney up
the motorway being driven by Mr. Weston! As
Tim and Roland set otT on their journey tO Hong
Kong. Chris and 1 went off on a fund-raising
mission at the Old Shirburnian dinner at Boodle's.
On doing variou s forfeits of 'different·
descriptions we raised over£ I000 from that well
oiled society and we arc grateful to them for that.
We then proceeded to walk across London telling
the tramps and beggars U1at we really did not have
any spare change whilst carry ing a hidden
fortune!
In the early hours of Saturday morning we left
from Heathrow Cor our thirteen-hour flight.
somewhat surprising the check-in lady when we
told her we did not have any baggage. On the
night. Chri:-. insisted on sporting the delightful
53
dayglow Cancer Research sweatshirt so that we
could col lect yet more money on the aeroplane. At
this point I would like to make an apology to
Unic.:ef as most of the passengers gave us money
that would otherwise have gone their way! None
of the four of us managed to get any sleep on the
way out. On arriving in Hong Kong. we all met up
and Roland. who has lived there. gave us a guided
tour of Stanley MarkeL inspecting various bargain
sales. We went back to his flat where we had a
little time to relax before selling off on the journey
home. By this time we were exhausted and
col lapsed on the plane. We bad a small incident
involving a rather annoyed airport policeman and
sprayed shaving foam.
We arrived back on home soil slightly dazed
and were driven back to Salisbury where we
caught a train to Sherborne. We then proceeded to
srrollup Cheap Street just in Lime for breakfast and
then first lesson. Although absolutely exhausted
we went to al l our lessons, though perhaps
seeming a little vacant!
Without a doubt it w a a fantastic weekend
which will always be stuck fast in our memories .
After much negotiating we raised over £4000.
which was due to so many people's generosity. We
would like to thank Adrian Ballard and Richard
Gould in the Development Office for their
invaluable help and Mr. Weston
ror his
continuous support.
In the following weeks we were delighted to
see the press coverage but perhaps ·Hong Kong
Heroes·, as one billboard said, was a bit excessive'
Will Goodhew
Fashion S h o w
The fashion show 2000 was an event organised
by Young Enterprise. a group of four pupils.
namely George Bramble. Alexander Beattie.
Millie Cumming and Kate Feoran.
The main aim of the evening was to raise
money to donate to a charity. It was vital that the
event was run smoothly and was successful in the
eyes of all those present. Companie like Dead
Board, New Look in Sherborne and Jean
Exchange sponsored the enterprise with clothes
for the show. The themes were: James Bond.
Hippie. Matrix, Lady in Red, Surf and Hawaiian
and a Teachers' Scene , in which thirty good
looking guys and girls from SS and SSG would
strut their stuff. The evening had great promise.
There was a buzz of excitement with al l who
were gett ing ready backstage, a 400 strong crowd
waitjng in anticipation. Music blasting throughout
the Boys· School BSR meant that it was time to
open the curtains and let the show begin.
54
IL was
a spectacle
of
di co
l ig h t
everywhere and !!rcat <,oundtrad.!. from Jame!>
Bond, Mmrix. Dirty Dancing and much much
more to lead Lhe modeb on their way up the
catwalk. T here was a commental) from Torn
Wal'>h and Alex Beanie 10 add to the great
atmo\phcre of the occasion. The model!> we re
nen ou'> at f i N . then really enjoyed it and had a
great evening. The Teacher · Scene wa!> great and
the audience lo\e d e"ery minute of it. so thank!>
muM go
to
Gu)
Briere-Edney. Carlo
Ferrario and Clare Douch who all ga'e the show
!.omething differen1. M any thank!. must also go to
the l ighting and l.tage crew. Tim Bull, Ben Lewis
and Josh Howe. It w a a set the profe sionals
would have been happy with.
Al l the clothe!> were magical and
filled
perfectly. with !>Uch variety and colour.
Each couple were synchroni1.ed and had many
original steps and move to keep the audience
happy. Some spectator!. took phoiOgraph!>; a
few gave the model!. a rating and most cheered
or whistled. The crowd provided great '>Upporl.
Numerous staff member<; from both o;chooh.
were pre ent and commented on a well-run
and very entertaining n ight for a good cam.c.
A \ the o;ong. The Final Coumdown. played and
each pair took their last walk down the ramp there
wa., a great cheer all around the BSR and a
standing ovation from cvcrybod) present.
It
brought a '>mile to all involved and e!.pecially
tho'>e "' ho had worl\ed \O hard to make it 55
a
success. Special t hanh mu'>l go to Sue Melvin
who wa!:. in charge from start to fini!>h and made it
possible to organi se Fashion ShO\\ 2000.
A great sum of £750 w a raised 1 0 -.end awa).
This was one evening I. a!. a GAP \tudent. ' ' i l l
take back to South Africa as a great memory and I
hope that events like this will carry on for the
year::. to come.
Sean Bra'> el
HENRY WILLIS
Antique Silver
38 Ch eap Street
Sherborn e
Dorset DT9 3PX
Tel 01935 816 828
Fax 01935 816 829
M i l le nnium L e c t u r e s
During the past year the School h a been very
privileged to enjoy the first p3rt of the Millennium
Lecturcl! programme . The c were organi ed b)
Mr. Wcllby. now departed to Jerul.alem. The
pe<ll-ers, all old Shirhurnianll. came from many
different field!> and were ot a con),i,tently high
standard.
The series began with Lawrence Sail's poetry
reading. He is not a poet whom I have come aerO!>!>
but orne of his poetr) wa\ excellent and he also
read hi-. poem impre\\ivcly. At \Orne poetr)
reading!> . I have found that. although the poem
might be good. the poet is '>urprisingl) poor at
gl\ ing a rendition of it. Thi\ wa' not the case here.
It wal.> a very good \\ ay of \tarting off the !>erie....
The Earl of Burford wa!. fresh in mo t people\
minds. as he had only recently had much publicity
for protesting against th e abolition of hereditary
peers by <.tanding on the woolsack in the House of
Lords. As a result he had been ejected from the
House. I . among!. other-.. w·a., expecting a raving
con,ervati,e. Howe,er. thi' wa<., not what he wa<;
like. Although underlining hi\ differences with the
current go,ernment. he stated that he did not like
any of the main political partre!. (e!>pccially not the
Con!>crvatives under I Iague) and he encouraged us
all to stand as Independents at the next election. a!.
indeed he is going to do! He defended his protest.
as well as talking about 'the importance of
56
Shake-.pcare for the twenty-fiN century'. ;,ince he
belie"c' fervently that hi<. ance-.tor. The Earl of
Oxford. wrote all of Shake'>pcare·, work<. and juM
had them publbhed under hi!-. name. Such a wide
range of topic and intriguing viewpoinl"> made for
u fascinating talk. and h i idea' were hacked with
well-re;,ea rched examples, even if many or them
did come acro s as tongue -in-check. I w a
informed by Mr. Wellb) that hi<. quoting
knowledge of Shakespeare w a highly impre sive
and hi" delivery was !>Uitabl y good. Everyone
came away enthu..,ing about at lea<.t one a'>pect of
what he had !>aid.
Lance Percival. the actor and cntertaincr. was
ne'..t to "i">it. Although mo,t pre,ent were too
young to ha\e wit nessed him during hi' heyday.
he gave a 'cry funny lecture filled with anecdote\
of hi!. time at Sherborne, and of hi!> pa\1. The main
rca!-.Oil so many or his j oke eemcd funny was that
h i timing was brill iant. I tried repeatin g some of
them afterwards to some of those who had not
auended the lecture and they did not work at all.
He really portrayed a sense of enjoyment of his
time at Sherborne. but he al'o moving!) recalled.
almo-.t in tear . one dreadful moment when he was
playrng in a cricket match and the bahman hit the
ball onto a close fielder'<> head . The fielder died
in tantly. So powerful wm. the memor) that Lance
Percival had to pause for a moment hut he then
went back to speaking in the manner that he had
done before. It w a an extraordinary moment in an
otherwise light-hearted lecture.
Stanley Johnson. the eminent environmentalist.
abo visited. He was due to speak on ·Europe and
The Environment'. but h i talk w a more based on
hil> time at Sherborne. I t would have been more
interesting perhaps i f he had poken about h i own
field. especially as quite a few of the school's
scientiSt!. had made the effort to attend.
Charles Collingwood regularly visit:- the
School and it wi ll come as no surprise to read that
he was excellent yet again. He has such a wealth
of experience from which to speak owing to his
time spent acting a:- Brian in the very popular
Radio 4 soap. The Arclters. and to a lesser extent
on television. He is a very well respected and
MICcessful public speaker in his own right with a
wide range of amusing tales to tell.
I particularly enjoyed Tom Bradby's lecture. He
is the lTV Asia CotTespondent. With the help of
footage from the news. he related to us. with great
vividness. his experience of being hit and
wounded by a llare in Indonesia. He conveyed an
idea of how frightening and at the same time
exciting it is to be a foreign correspondent in
dangerous area . He also hawed u a repon he
had done on a 'illage in India when famine was
threatening devastation. The village had lost all of
i t live:-.tock and was literally d) ing. The men had
left. in an attempt to make some money. and the
women were left to support both childn::n and
grandparents with nothing. He spoke of the
dilemma or interviewing one woman who had lost
everything. while parked out ide was his jeep with
several thousand pound in it. He recalled his
thoughts: one cannot help everybody: should this
woman receive aid above the others. and. if o.
how much? He conveyed a cnse of how horrific
and wrong it was that some people had nothing
while we have too much.
Colin Luca . the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford
University arrived right in the middle of the Laura
Spence affair and understandably he looked tired
and drained. As well as speaking on 'The
Importance or Education in Lhe Global Village' he
gave an intcre'>ting and convincing defence of why
Laura Spence did not gain a place and of the
Oxford admissions o;ystem in general. It was good
to hear the other side of the case. as most
newspapers were then full merely of t he
allegations. He argued that the fact that she came
from a comprehensive sc hool had noth ing to do
with her fai lure to win a place. She had come
acros.., badly at interview where other or a similar
backl.!.round had done beller and '>he could not
convince Oxford that 'he wanted to become a
doctor. Oxford's decision had been vindicated. he
felt. by the fact that she i:, now reading
Biochemistry, and not Medicine. at Harvard. Colin
Luca!> came acros as highly intelligent and
articulate.
Lastly Sir John Weston spoke we ll about his
experience of working in hoth Nato and the U.N.
He was especial ly interesting when tested by
que tion
on
matters
such
a
N.A.T.O's involvement in Kosovo. He defended
his position strongly and convincingly.
Finally Sir Richard Eyre. the t'ormer director of
The National Theat re. came t o -;peak on ·Why
Theatre'? He provided a spirited and t:legant
defence of the importance of theatre and i t public
funding. He exuded a passion for the arts as a
who le. including a compari!>on of Bob Dylon and
Paul Simon. His lecture was sharp and intelligent
and the audience was cmhrulled. An extract from
'Why Theatre' is publishetl elsewhere in t he
magazine.
We have had a very enjoyable series of lectures.
Mr. Wellby i to be thanked for his efforts in
arranging them. It is to be hoped that attendance at
nexttenn 's lectures rellect their high calibre.
Christopher Filbe)
Shelleys The Printe rs
3 Priestland s Lane. Sherborne. Dorset DT9 4HL
Tel. 01935 8 15364
Fax· 0 1935 812868
57
Interview w ith L a n c e Percival
u m c e Perci\"{/1 Rlll'<' a Lecture in the -/50th Annil'('nary Sai£•1 tm 3rd Mar 2000. B(!{orelumd. Nick
Cramp inu•n•iell'ed !tim.
NC: What
dtd you
left Sherborne?
do
after
you
had
L P: Under a cloud (laughter) - . o. I just left in
Chri\tl11<h 1951. I t \ '>O long back. age-. ago.
C: What ''ere your amhitiom.'?
LP: That ,,a., -.omething I was going to talk about
tonioht becau'>e I didn't kno\\ what I wanted
to d at all and I am \Ure that a lot of boy-.
don't - it i-. very well that they g i ' e you all
thc c career l i t but how can you know at 15
exac tly what you wam to do unle s you have
a particu lar dc.,irc to be _a lawyer or
acco untant or docto r? Somet1mcs you get
people who wa nt t o he doctor s and J can
understand that. hut most people don 'r really
know and I was one of them. I went straight
into the A rmy bccau!>e in those days you had
tn do two year'>
in the Army
a
National Sen icc
and that wa-. no U'>C at all
as far a proore.,., wa-. concerned but
quite
u eful " h ; n )Ou have been in a
public school like Sherborne. or any other
public school. You live a protected life a)> the
boy'> all come from a <.imilar background. The
Army teaches you that there i., another world
altogether and you meet C \ C f} l.ind of gu).
\\hich actually wa-. quite good becau-.e you
leanu how to worl.. out which \\Crc u'>eful
people and "'hich were
pain'> in the neck. and "'hich were _crimi als
you learn ho'" to '>pOt tht.:m qutte qlllckl}.
They don't teach you anything about women
unfortunately. but a lot about men. So I had
two year-. in the Arn1y.
NC: I low do you thinl.. Sherborne prepared you
for t h i
diu you enjoy your!>clf in the
Army?
tb.oo
LP: I f you think of · c ramp. lamp, vump·. you can
think of words that rhyme r ight away.
LP: Yc:-. I did. but I don't believe that !>chool day.,
an.: the happic t duy!. of your life. For me
there we re many happier times. which
doesn't mean t o '>ay that I didn't enjoy
Sherborne. ju' t that it i!'> one of those false
beliefs that affect you at c hool . general ly
\pread by ma-;tcr:. who p e n all the!
time
around school. Bc'>t day!. ol your hie are
when you have made a bit of mone) and_ ar_e
having a good time - don't worr) about1t.
11
\ \ i l l come .
NC: I hopt.: ...o.
LP: I then clobhcrcd around tf}ing to find
out what I \\anted to do and I actuall) \\
ent to
l i ' e in Canuda for a ''h1h! and wa' !>elling
encvclopacdia.., and all ' or t \ of u-,de-.!> thing!>.
B ut· I learnt h m ' to pht) the guitar
at Sherborne. I taught my-.df. nothing to
do with \t:hool. and I '>till t:an"t pia) it
properly. I ju'>t t\\ iddle ' ' 11h it hut t hat \
OK - and people think. oh he i doing well.
but actuall} he i'> ju'>t pht) 1ng on I ) four
chord'>. and no one know<, except the real
mu-.icians. Then I u:.ed t o have t1 group. a
calyp!.O group. I wa!.
very keen on t:al yp os ami thi-. group wa-. an
amateur group and then eventually we . got
we
o calub
lounge
act we
wh st
ich
meant
we
intoreadoi
ninht
- w hen
arted
off we
started at
p.m. and went on for half an
hour. Then a piani t would come on and play
for half nn hour - it w a :-.ort of a lounge act
half an hour on, half an hour off - there·!. a lot
of that in America though we don't do that
here. We think of night clubs in terms of
either di'>C(>!'> or caharet in terms
of
\omcbody doing a tar :-.pot. The) ha' e i
America a lot of lounge act'>" here people '>II
around ha\ ing drink'>. and " e entert
ined them. We hoped to J..eep them there
tor a while '-O that they would <.pend a lot of
mone)
- that·, the ideu. An)\\U) we got -.tarted then
and then the calyp.,o ''a-. <.uddcnl) a craLc we went off to Miam1. Florida. and went all
round the State-. - L a'> Vega-.. Lo-, Angele!>.
e'' Yurl... We were prohabl) the wor-.t group
on tour but we had one gimmicl.. ' ' hi c h w s
that I could mal..t.: up '>tmg'> about people 111
NC: Can
you do it now?
the audience
and I can \till do 1t an) time.
58
NC: Arc you going to do that tonight?
LP: No, I probably wo n' t unlcs o m body
asks me. I f you un: wearing a drama t1c.
calypso inocr<. make up some -.ongs about
the fact thaf you arc \\Caring a dram• tic.
wher a., the rc t of the aullience have no 1dea
what t 1c you art.: wearing. So I dt.:cided that a
nt.:w idea \ \ a S to gt.:t people to hout out .
thing-. - job or anything and then everyone
111 the room knew what I had to '>tan " i t h - 'O \Omcone would '>U) ·farmer· and thi<. gu)
over here would :-.a)
·,e.>. maniac· and then I \\ ould mal..c a cal) p...o
like that thut • ho\\ I t worl..!>. So \ \ C went
in for so many years, is that there are
obviously ups and downs because you are
completely self employed. So there will be
times when you are not employed. quite like
an ac t or who often has long period:-. of being
unemployed. In faetthey always say that 90%
of actors arc not in work all the time. Jeremy
Irons is a super:-.tar but there aren't many of
those and therefore i f you feel like doing
someth ing like thi:., by all means give it a go.
You don't have to rush it because you w ill
have to do as I did and go through all sorts of
other j obs to keep yourself going while you
have a look at it and try as an amateur, and
then try us a professional and see i f you enjoy
it. M y niece is an <tctress and she has given it
up for a wh ile but she wil l come back to it. I f
you are on the side that I am. which is writing
as well as pe1forming, when you are not
doing one you are doing the other. The way in
is radio, in the sense that radio doe n·t pay
much money but we are the only country in
the world that I know of which still h a a lot
of humour on radio. So i f you want to become
a performer or a writer. you can get
something i n the radio. The other
clay somebody sent me a funny script. o 1
gave them the name:- of everal producers of
BBC radio to send it to. Now thai could be a
way in for somebody because once you
get noticed on radio i t leads t o television.
around America doing that and then we came
back to England and I started telling jokes. 1
was pretty useless at it , but you have to learn
how to tell jokes like everything else. I think
I am better al it now and then I got into a
review with Kenneth Williams and-from that
went on into Carrr On fi lms and did about
five of those film : Then I went into satire
which was political satire at that time. David
Frost was with us at the start of the show Ned Sherrin directed it. and Roy Kinnear and
Willy Rushton. who have since died,
but Millicent Martin. the girl in it.
lives in America now. We w e r e storm at
the time, a real storm.
NC: Did you see the programme the BBC did on
the Can:r On films'?
LP: 1didn't see it. but the damn things turn up all
the time. I just did two or three of them. two
or three show:-. and about live films for Peter
Rogers. only one of which was ac tually a
Carn· On. I was much more into
adult
humour. whereas the Carrr On was end-of
the pier sort of seaside hun1our. which is fine
- it :.till w o r h .
NC: Yes. they still put them on again and again.
LP:
That's the thing about satire - - you
can't repeat it. as it is genera l ly a tOpical
subject I could make great joke:-. about
Tony Blair now but show them in twenty
years' time and they would wonder what the
hell it was about. They wouldn't know who
he wm. - - w ai t i ng to rind out who is to be
the Mayor of London tomorrow.
NC: Have there been any hard times in your
career?
LP: There have heen deprc sing moments like the
car crash. hut not work-w ise. Like anything
else you have failures and successes . but I
huve never really been Mrung out of work - 1
think the answer is to do a bit or severa l
things. I was recording a
commercial yesterday about St. l vel trifle and
that makes a lot or money. In other words.
there are all sor t of ways o f doing this
busines . You have to be determined. When
I started off we were fiddling about just
making peanuts. but I was
very lucky becau:.e. living in Canada as I
mentioned. you are so far away from home no
one can actually put you off - there are no
parents Lo breathe down your neck. They al l
think you have gone mad. but i f you come
back quite succes<.,ful and making a bit or
money. they accept it. M y father actually said
to me. before he died quite a few years ago
'A ren't you going to give it up now?·. 1 said
'No. until I stop making about six t i m e as
much as you do I think r t l keep going . . . ·
NC: When you were at Sherborne were you intent
on becoming an actor?
LP: No. I had no ambitions about that at al l . I used
to c<my the spear in the School Play - I was
more interested in girls. much more interested
in girls. I was in th Choir. but I realised there
wasn't a great future in singing. You didn't
last very long unless you were very good as
the crooner or pop singer. but I wasn't very
good at that. and I was singing calypsos. I did
get one in the hit parade- called Shame and
Scandal in 1he Fa111ily - just shows what
rubbish they put in those days.
NC: What piece of advice would you give to
a Shirburnian in the year 2000?
LP:
Don't
worry
if
you
have
an
inclination towards the humour business.
The difficulty with the humour bu iness.
which I have been
59
E x t r a c t s f r o m t h e M i l le n ni um L e c t u r e
g i v e n b y R i c h a r d E yr e
in J u n e 2 0 0 0
Why Theatre?
one and paid a '>Ub,cription. 1 owaday<> there\ a
liule more to it: you haYc to crve a mandatory
twenty week<,' apprenticc.,hip. The catch. of
cour-.e. is that to get the work you need the card.
and to get the card ) ou need the work . . . I know
an actres' \\-hO was the !>tooge in a J..nife-thro\\ing
act to get her card. Well. an actor alway:, need-. to
be equipped to 1<1J.e per onal critici:.m. I had no
uch training. and I emharked on my life a'> an
actor armed only with my availability.
my optimi!>m. and my defiant de'>cription of
my!>clf as a profe:,...ional.
I had wanted for a long lime to he an act or. Like
a stammerer. I wanted the gift of fluency. and. like
an orphan. I wanted the gift oflovc. The ectrch for
appmval, for requited love. is the sustaining force
behind all actors: it's what U!>tain thl! bad ones
and often spoib the good one . Insecurity i:-. their
fuel and I wa n't lacking in that department. What
I lacked wa!-. the actor's Philosopher\ Stone: the
talent that i more than a facility to observe your
elders and imitate them. more than a readiness to
be the comic turn m partie'>. more than a knack for
da al i n g the t:Ja,-. when reading aJoud. and more
than a di71)ing \tmulation of "elf-confidence. I f
) ou don't have it. no amount of cffon or education
\ \ i l l com pensate for the inju'>tice of ha\'ing been
ca-.t out of Paradi\e. Actor' are born. not m<tde. but
it tool.. man) year-. for me 10 accept that this truism
might also be true.
For me the attractiOn of theatre now l i e in its
'theatreness · - those unique properties that make it
distinct from any other medium - i h use of !)pace.
of light. of o.,peech. of m u ic. of story-telling.
Theatre always prosper under the logic of
plot. and it always thrives on metaphor - a
room becomes a world. a grour or characters
becomes a whole m:iety. That ·s why plays tend
to be about how we live and why we live.
Theatre alway!> relics on the scale of the human
figure. the sound of the human \ oice. aml our
di position w tell each other stories. Everything
about the theatre dcpcnth on the relationship of a
performer t o a group of spectatot'!-. in the present
tense: it's live and i t \ irreproducible. There's
a senc;e of occasion. and of participation in
a communal act - you go into a theatre as
an indi\'idual
and
you
emerge
a\
an
audience. Believing in the power of the theatre i '
a bit like belie\ ing in religion - you haYe to
experience its effect in order II) under...tand the
auraction of it.
I wi...h I could pretend thm I feel an unmixed
-.en-,e of jo) at being here at my old chool
near!)
-lO )Car' after I left it. M) ..,chool career ended
premature!} and ingloriou ly. I \\a:-. expelled from a mixture of exa\peration on the part Of the
staff. boredom and sheer blood)-mindedness on
mine. I didn't feel purged by righteous indignation
v. hen I left: it w a
an episode which
showered glory on none of the panicipants. Nor
did i t stain them wi th 'ihamc. The School and I
parted with a sense of mutual diffidence. which
- and forgive me i f this sounds churl ish - ha!-.n't
diminbhed w ith the years. What l remember
with fondness are a few friends. and a few
teachers. w ho gave me much much more than
I realised or conceded atLhe time. From one or
them in particular Lionel Bruce - I learned
late in my chool career a Jove of literawre. And,
in growing up in the 'hadow of Sherborne Abbey.
I came. almost by o mosis. to appreciate the
beauty of one or the world' ... greate!-.1 building,.
The other thing that 111) '><:hool ga\·e m e - and
it''> not in..,igniticam gi\c n that i t \ how I 've spent
the rest of m) life ;md earned m) li\ ing - b a taste
for the theatre.
I was encouraged to act at c hool. and I acted in
two Shakc..,pcarc production'> a
Benedict..
in Much Ado Ah(lll/ N01!Jing and Anton) in
Ju/iu .1 Caesar. I !>Intel.. no spark!, off my (male)
Beatrice. but my Anton.> \\a'> alleged b) a
critic in the chool muga;ine to pre!>age a career
as an orator. Pcrhap, if I ' d played Macbeth my
career pro pccts would have given more pause
for thought. I was
sufficiently l.wollcn-headed by 111) notice for my
l lou,emas ter, mindfu l or Antony's fate and my
new ly inllmed ego. to tell me that actors were
often taken over by the characters they played. But
I have to say that in the case of profes-:ionals. '.Vith
the exception of the inmates of long-running
i t c om . and the odtl actor who. playing a
character
gifted
with
great
sexual
success. a!>sume that fiction can become reality.
I 've never seen thi'> happen.
After univer-.ity. I became a profes!'ional actor.
much a ' I might have become a :-.oJdier in the
nineteenth century: I didn't eem to be filled for
an) thing el-.e. Anyone can become an actOr. all
you have to do i-. to find \omeone to conspire
in your dclu.,ion by offering } O U w o r k - and
obrain an Equit) card. In t n ) da) you 'imply
60
applied for
To like the theatre you ha\e to lil..e it!>
transience and it'> immediac). l hmever good. it"-.
an ephemeral an. melting away after the e 'ent to
li'c on onl) in the memor). Some time in the
<.i\tcenth centur) it ...nowed in Horencc. and Piero
de Medici. who wa" Miche langelo·., patron.
commi<.-.ioned him to mal..e a -.culplllrc in <;now. It
''a<.
probabl)
called
·M ichclangclo \
Snowman· and wa!l \aid to have been hi-. greate!.t
"or!... but of cour...e )OU had to he there to have
een it. h was a frail. a... mutable. and a!.
'ulncr.1blc " ' a theatre performance .
Howe' er we define art. it' c.xi.,tencc b e e the
child'-; que-.tion : ''hat·-. it ror'? I '>uppo,-e the
...imple\t m\\ver i... from the two tramp<; in \Vaiting
for Codot: 'That pas-.ed the time." ' a ) ' Vladimir.
'IL wou ld have pav..ed in an) ca-.c: -,ay-. E tragon.
·v e : says Vladimir. 'but not ' o rapidly.'
A rt doc.,n' t improve our bcha,iour: it doesn't
civil ise us. We have onl y to rem em be r the stories
of the command ants in the camp!. listen ing to
Schubert wh ile smol..e rose from the gas ovens w
feel sh y of that argument. But t hat contradiction i s
pu rl or whut art i-. about - a\ the ph ilo:-.ophcr
George Santa) ana said: 'M usic i" u-.e lc!ls. a!> life
vision and will-power arc the currcncie!. or t he a m
wor ld and t hey regulate its fortune\ ruthle-....ly. I t"'
tempting . therefore. to thin!.. that funding the art:..
. hould operate on the ...amc principle . And in
literature and painting
"hich ha' c lo" labour
and produc tion co !'.. - it doc:-..
But the performing art., are depen dent on
subsidy - private or publit.·. The performance of a
romantic '-) mphony require' up" ards of 80
people. an opera ...ometime.., twice that number.
and. while it ma) be co\1-eiTcctt\C to leave nut the
double ba:-.'e' in •l performance of a M ahler
symphony. it "ill be mu-.ic onI) to the
accountant'-; cars. ror better or wor-.e orchc,tr:t'>.
opera. and theat re compunic'> have always relied
on royal. ">tate, ci ' ie. corporate and private
patron!.. They have abo relied on the patronage of
the pu blic: tho:-.c who l ive to please h ave 10 please
to live.
I f we want pe rforming art th at t ahoe arti stic
risk s. su sta in the b c t of t rudition . develop new
talent , feed the commercial -.ecwr. and do all 1hi s
at seat prices which don't exclude all bu t t he very
rich. then there i<. no altemative but 10 ...eek ta te
support - or corporate and private patronage .
Politician' are "ary of art hecau ...e i t \ wayward
and ambiguou . and bccau.,e it deal' wi th feeling:-.
rather than fact\. Lenin confe..,,ed that he v. as
afraid to Ji.;t en to Beethmen becau ...e when he did
he felt like care ing people·., head., "hen it wa'
nece!..,ary t o beat them. 1\lo-.t polllician ... in t h i
cou mr) arc more intere,t ed 111 having their O \\ n
head carc.,.,ed and the) re..,pond in "ounded
bew ildem1cnt "hen the) di..,cmer that the ani-.h
that they" ve allowed to nouri\h through their
patronage" i-,h to retain the right to critici\C and to
mock them.
It mu-,t be irritating t o haYe w endure the often
nois) di<;sent of an apparently arrogant and -.el f
interested claque. but then i t \ a h \ a )' been hard
for ru ler' to licence the je\ter a ' we ll a-. the judge.
and to recogn i<.e poet:.. - in Shelley's word" - a...
the 'unacknowledged lcgi:..l ator or t he world '.
One of tho c unackn owledged legislator'>. the poet
Wi lliam Blake. said th is: ' Let it no more be said
th at stat es encourage A 11.... for it is th e Art !> that
encourage <.,tat cs·. Th at was probab ly a:.. i ll
received in the earl) nineteen t h ccn t ur) a-, i t wou ld
be b) today"-. polit ician-..
But then a n i ' all the thing' that politic' i,n ·t:
·Politic... i ' the great gencrali-.er. and l itera t ure t he
great paniculari ...cr.' wrote Philip Roth in hi\ la<.t
no,el. ·and not only are they in an inver:..e
relationship to each other - the) arc in
an antagoni'> t ic relation'>hip . To politic.... literature
i-. decadent ....oft.
irrcle' ant.
boring.
"ronghcadcd. dull. '\Omcthi ng that ma l..e-. no
<.,en.,e and reall)
i-..·
I t"., prcci-.cl) our av. arcnc-.-. of the ·u,eles-.ne!>s'
or life that make U<., want tO 'truggle IO give it
purpo-.e. and to gin! that purpo...e meaning. And art
provide-. not onl) meaning but con!.olation : in
R u.,sia and Ea,tem Europe. for in-.tance. it made
the unbearable bearable for many people during
the year-. of Communism . When the corro.,h·e
effect of I ) rann) leal..ed into C\er)- area of public
and private life. t he theatre became the 'ole
medium of e-;prev.,ion where thought'> could be
!>poken. idea.., a-...,crted. and pa-. ion-. voiced
through <dlcgory and metaphor: and poetry
became the ub,er-..ive intra,enou-. drip which
J...ept hope ali,e. the antidote to political C\ il.
Some people tall.. of art a-. a religion . Our
century il. the fiN age in hi,tory tha t a!'..sert t hat
we're capable of k nowing everything and doing
anyth ing. and the more we wa nt to control th e
world the m ore despairin g we reel when we lind
we arc unable to con t rol an y t h in g outsid e our
home.... let alone w ithin them. I n th is context. art
can become our mean<., of redemption. and even
our :..ubMitu te for religion.
Bu t more com mon than t h ink ing of art as a
religion is to thin!.. of it - and treat it - as a
commodit). a-.. a ·product· to he -.ubjected to the
rhetoric of the marl..etplacc and the iron ''him-. of
the fa-.hion indU'>If) .
The world of the An-. i ' an alluring paradigm
for the belie,er in the thcocrac) of the market: it's
a Darwinian '"orld. \\hO!-..e creature\ are !!O\erned
by the law of '>Un i' al of the fittc\1- tal nt. -.kill.
61
oughtn't to be . Why'! Bec:au!>e the partic:ularising
innucnce i-. htaaturc. !low can you be an artist
ami renounce the nuance? HO\\ can you be a
politician anti allo\\ the nuance'! A':> an anist. the
nuance I'> )Our la'>J.... Your ta\J... is nullo \implif) . . .
AIIO\\ for the chao.... let 11 m. You must let it in."
Art is about the ·r in life not about the ·we·. ]1",
about pri\ate tile rather than public life.
c'enhelc'"· a public life that doesn't
ackno'' lctlge the private 1' a life not \\Orth having.
The Arl\ aut! to the sum of human under-.tanding
<lnU happine'>'>. But -,hould gm·ernmenl be in the
buc;ine,., of '>Ub\IUi,ing weapon\ of happines ?
Onl). 'a)'> thi\ government. if i t \
·EXCELU:.NT" and "ACCESSIBLE'. But.
although we have 10 di...criminate bet\\een good
und bad art. ' ' e mu'l abo have the courage to
ullm\ bad art to exist - anti even to pay for it.
Failure j., an C'>\Cntiul part of creation. The making
of a "ork of an i., ihelf a political act. bccau e a
long a!> people make a r t - c\cn if i t ' not alway'>
·excellent'. and c ' en if 11 onI} appcal<o to u handful
of people - it remind' gmcrnmenh of something
the) need to be reminded of: that '"e are all
indh idualo,. not an anon) mou-. ma-.-,.
No one in the arh worltl would di-.sent from
thut aim. hut in the entl. the power to engender real
acce<;s can't he achicYed by the efforts of the arts
organi-.ation-. <alone. There·, a .,en'>e of apartheid
that exi,t'> between thm.e \\hu benefit from
\ub<oid) to the art., and tho'>e ' ' ho feel excluded
from them. If that aparthcitl C\i.,t\ it can onl) be
eliminatetl by one route: education. education.
education. Doc-. thi'> \Ound familiar'?
Addr ess by t h e Right R e v e r e n d L o r d
Sheppard to Sherborne School
S unda y, 1 4 t h M a y, 2 0 0 0 in S h e r b o r n e Ab b e y
To celebrate the .J50th Annil·ersary c>{ the Rc f(nnulinl{ of tlw "ichool
ancltlw Granting of its Rora/ Charter by l:.ciii'CIHI \'/
One of the plea\ures of retirement for me is to
'ing in u ch01r. ( t \ , the l i N time that J ha,·e done
that ...ince I wa' at 'chool here. Singing and music
were a major feature m I l l } life"' a bo). When l l 1)
'oicc broJ...e at the remarkabl) late age of 16 exam-. ami other intru...ion.... like cricket. were
crowtling into I l l ) life. and I told the Director of
IU\Ic. lr. Picton. that I was going 10 give up the
pwno. He raged at me. and \aid. ·You won ·t ha,·e
) our cricket \\hen ) ou ·re old." Well. in some wa} s
he w:" right. but here I am cnjo) ing '>inging in a
cho1r aeain.
In a choir) ou rca II) neetl to li tcn to the other
pun-.. If we bas...c., mi'' un entry. it ma) mean thut
the tenor.. tlon 't hear the note that gives them their
next phra c. If we go roaring on and don't listen to
the altos and ooprano >. the who le piece fall aparl.
Like omc choir in which the different pans all go
their own way. 'thin g.., fall apart' too often in tht:
w1Nantl} changing. multi-cultural. multi-faith
world in ''hich \\C li\e.
Totla) we look back with thank'>gi\'ing . Perhap'>
C \ en more important i., the call to look forward.
Hm\ \\ill you eqUip youN:If to liH in this multi
cultural world that ' ' '>0 con,tantl changing'?
What nl<t} Gn(r., calling he for )OU'?
BacJ... to the choir. If thmg'> arc not to fall apart
there. each of U'> member., must learn to allend to
the other part.... And a., change., come in the music
- the light anti \hade - louder or '>Ofter the moment' of \lowing tlown or '>pccding u p juc;t learning the right note' won't keep me in '>tep.
We need to auend to the condut·tor - 10 keep our
C ) e-. on him. For the Chri,tian. Je...u-. Chri'>l is
like the conductor. I believe that a II\ ing faith in
Him tloes eqUip ll'- to face '>Uch a changing" ori(J.
In the reading from St. John ju-.1 no''· Je u-. -.aid
to Hi-. foliO\\ cr.... ' h o m no'" on I do not call ) ou
,(ave!>. A ...la\c doc' not kmm \\hat hi' ma,tcr i
doing. I ha\'e called )'OU lnend-.. · Chri,tian
d!.,ciplc,hip i-. not \Imply like learning all the right
note in the hoir. J...ccping the Ia\\ s of God rigidly
like a '>lave. It"'> more nexihle. l c mechanical.
It helps u ... rc...pond to chang111g 1>ituation . It i
ahout a persona l relation hip with our li\'ing Lord.
In thi)t constantl y changing world. we face
many situations that were not prel>ent in the wor ltl
nf other generation . whether of the Bible. of St.
Aldhc lm ''hen he built the Abbey. or of King
Edward VI when he founded the School. or. of our
parent\. C'on<.tant change<,. different cultures. and
divi<,ion... - that tear the \HJrltl apart. all require the
,en,iti\ it\ that the loYe of the living Chri\t bring<,
1f we arc-to touch the tleepc.,tnccd.
Both 705 and 1550 \\Crc age' of faith. Jc'u'
Chri't " a ' pre ...cnt in tho.,c generations and their
culture. nhpiring courageou' belie' ing. The) built
a -.olid ha-.e for the culture \ \ C ha\C inherited. und
62
it was abo true that. when Mary :-.uccccded
Edward VI. there were '>till martyr'>. brutall)
executed. onI) thi' time the) "e re Prote-.tant\ . • o
one in that age "hen our School wa-. founded
allowed the po:-..,ihilit) that other... 1mght ' ' ith
integrit) hold the faith in a different \\a). The)
would ha\e found it lmpo-.l.Jblc to apprO\C a
multi-cultural. multi-faith \Ocicty -.uch a!> our.,
today.
There were few choice... for young people Lo
make then. They fitted in with the dominant
ulture of their nation and their generation. In m)
generation here. l had indeed to choo'e between
the piano and cricket and exam:-.. But I'm
con::.cious of how many cll()icc., arc laid out in
front of yo u - in what subject:-. you choo:-.e to study
n ow and in H igher Educat ion - or what c;port' to
take up. Now the whole of life must ccm like a
!>Upcrmarkct of different choice to make.
whenever you wanLLO. I don"tthinJ...that maJ...c-. life
easier. Rather. l think it mu-.t maJ...e it harder for
you '"hen it come'> to choo-.ing the main direction'
of your life.
A you face thi' e'er-changing "orld \\ ith
...o mru1y choices. the good new., i'> that the
living Lord wants you to kno\\ !lim a-. }OUr
friend: I belie' e He ha.-, a calling for you .
That might indeed be t o 'ervc Him a ' an
ordained per,on in H i Church. Who ""no\\..,'!
One of ) ou rna) be
for which we give thanb tO<Ia). Yet. I believe.
the) tooJ... God· name in 'a in by their claim of
absolute certain!) that the) \\ere right and b) their
intolerance in that 'ixtecnth century - Catholics of
Prote'>tanh and Prote tant'> of Catholics.
Until quite recent )Car... Li\crpool \\<I'> a cit)
that kne\\ biller dh i'>ion and rivalry between
Prote..,t:Jnt and Catholic . I had the rich experience
of maJ...ing clo-.c friend., and allie., with my Roman
Catholic oppo'>ite numher - Derek Worlock - and
with many other Roman Cathol1c clergy and la)
people. We learned to rc.,pect each other. We faced
the truth that we di-.agrccd about 'ome important
matter'>. But we 'harcd the great central truths of
the Chrbtian faith . We prayed together. We made
public stands together over is!>ue!> Lhut were
hurtin g Liverpool people unemploymen
t. poveny. racial prejudice. Together wi th the
Free Church Leader!>. v.c led joint
Youth
Pilgrimage., from our different Churchc .
One of those Youth Pilgrimage:-. wa-, lO As-;bi
and Rome. We \\ent to tl1e E.;'gli!>h College in
Rome. e\tablishcd at about the arne time as t h i
School. Roman Catholic prie'>t!> were trained in the
Englbh College. to go bacJ... to Prote-.tant England.
risking their li,·e ,, On the main \taircase i<. a Board
on \\ hich are li,tcd ''hat the\ call. ·The Fir't
Ele\l:n· - the f i N clc,en member'> of the College
to be mun red for their faith in England. Of cour:.e
63
preaching at a service like this to celebrate the
school's 500 years' It might equally be His calling
to serve the need of the people in what are often
called ·secular' jobs. In fact God cares j ust a:.
much that they are done with hone ty. caring and
commitment.
One New Year's Eve. Archbishop Worloch. saw
the New Year in with my wife and me. Grace
asked him what wish he had for the New Year. He
said he wished that young people would be willing
to make long-term commitments. I've often
thought of that since Derek died. l believe there
are ta!>ks that can only be achieved by long-term
commi tments.
That's true in port. I recal l Micky Walford.
Master in charge of cricket. taking me on about my
bauin!!.l was wast in!! runs on the leg side. because
I was putting my root fiu·aight up J1e w icket and
hilling across the ball. rather than opening my reet
out. :,o that head. eyes and hands we re in line with
the ball. That w inter, I went into what Lyon House
cal led the Sweat House. and in front of a mirror I
moved my feet to the right place - about ten
thousand time:-.. I :-.ometimes missed the ball still ,
but my feet never went to the wrong pl<tce again.
Skilll-. for a career take much longer to learn
than for batting. And a lasting faith io carry you
through life take!> personal discipline. It mean!>
relating to groupl-o those who believe. though not
always in identical fashion to your way of
believing. When it comes to personal
relationships. learning ro relaie to a partner does
not rest on immediate feelings. When you grow
old. you are thankful for having worked at a
marriage, so that as life-lo ng partners you go on
learning
together in w a y
that
shonterm relationships never touch.
I am thankful that Sherborne gave me the
ecurity of a firm base from which I could venture
across some of the dividing line:. of the world. As
many have discovered for themselvel> in different
ways. coming up against what people cal l ·a
counter-culture' questions al l our asl>umptions.
brings new lessons to learn. Some find that
through travelling to parts of the world that have
quite different cultures.
For me. going t o live and work in the East End
of London was a huge piece of further education.
It challenged the assumptions with which I'd
grown up, sometimes in painful wuys. l had a
col league. who joined us as our Youth Leader.
George Burton had grown up in the Inner City in
Glasgow during the Depression. He said to me.
' I ' ve been fighting you educated people al l my
or
64
life·. He had been told he was an ignorant slum
kid. and for years that had crushed his self
confidence. In fact I have never worked alongside
anyone with a quicker brain. George was brilliant.
and I learned huge lessons from him that I would
never have learned any other way. But it meant
staying with some angry and painful moments. No
doubt he found my well-be haved Sherborne
manner irritating at times!
1 learned much too from try ing to light some
bat llcs for justice in partnership with groups that
we now describe as ·social ly excluded·. A
j ournali t interviewed me at the time we were
facing some serious connicts alongside the Black
community in Toxteth. She said. ·won't you lose
your spirituality. if you get so involved in social
and political matters?' I said T m having to face
questions that my training taught me noth ing
about that takes me out of my depth. But the more
I'm taken out of my depth. the more I am thrown
back on my spiritual resources.·
Facing constant changes also throws me back
on the Lord. who cal ls us not l>lavel-. but friend:..
He said ·a slave did not know w hat his master was
about: but He disclosed to His friends everyt hing
that He heard from His Father.· Reading through
St. John's Gospel. you sec moments all through
His ministry when Je.'>u:. went away by H im!.elf to
listen to His father. He w a ·tuning in· so that He
walked in step with his Father. We need to do that,
i f we arc to have that re:,ourcc of the friendship
wit h the living Lord in facing the changing wor ld.
Tuning in can take a lot of time. I'm inclined to put
up w ith poor reception on the radio or telev ision.
My w ife won't put up with it. She has a musical
trained ear. She read), the instruc tion books <llld
patiently tunes in until there is clear reception. We
need to make time to ·tune in· .o that we walk in
step with our Lord through this changing wo rld.
In thi celebration we look back with
thankfulne% to the faith of those who went before
us. We look forward to the adventure of facing an
enormously demanding
world multiculiural. and ever-changing. A livi ng faith w ill
equip u:-. to risk meeting other cultures - perhaps
people from other backgrounds within the
School, and then perhaps Roman Catholics.
perhaps Mu!'lims or Jews. perhaps people w
hose experience is bitter social exclusion. I f we
take that risk. we shal l meet Christ again and again
in those different cultures.
May God bless you in that adventure. with all
the choices that lie in front of you. May you
experience - a!> I have - the friendship of Christ
standing by you through thick and thin.
From Past Numbers
O.S. Dinn er
We have ju\t received from Mr. Mortimer Gray the text of the le11er'> ' ' hich pa.,.,ed between him and
Sir Arthur Bigge on the occa.,ion of the recent O.S. Dinner. We regret that the le11er!> were not published
in full in our la'>t number. but ha ten to repair the omis ion.
Hotel Cecil. London.
April 23rd. 1900
To Lieut-Col. Sir Arthur Bigge.
K.C.B.. C.M.G.. R.A.
SHERBORNE SCHOOL
Founded 705 A.D.
Dear Sir,
On behalf of the Commemoration Committee of the 'Old Shirburnian Society·, who meet on the 26th
April, 1900 to celebrate the 350lh Anniversary of the grant of the Royal Charter by King Edward VI, I
have to-day ubpatcht:d to you a 'Souvenir ' uf the occasion.
I am d e ired to ask you whether you w i l l be good enough to lay it before I k r Majesty the Queen.
The 'O ld Shirburnian Society' tender to Her Majesty their heartfelt loyalty and devotion. and hope
that .,he may be graciously plea!>ed to accept this memorial or the Fir'>t Royal Charter granted to any
Public School by King Edward VI.
Sherborne School. though not one of the largest. is the olue t ..chool in the United Kingdom. and
claim'> to have educated King Alfred the Great at the time th<ll Sherborne wa.., the Royal Capital of
We <,cx.
Yours very faithfully.
MORTIMER GRAY.
Hon. Sec.
Vice Regal Lodge.
Dublin.
April 24th. 1900.
Mortimer Gray. Esq.,
Hon. Secretary.
Commemoration Comm inee.
Dear Sir.
The Queen d ::sirc!> me to convey to the members of the Old Shirburnian Soc iety her best thnnks for
their expre!> ion of loyalty and devotion. as also for the memorial of the F i N Royal Charter granted by
King Edward VI. which they have kindly offered to Her Majesty t l \ a Souvenir of the 350th Anniversary
of that occ:1!.ion.
The Queen further direct!-. me 10 offer her good wi-.he!> for the continued pro,pcrity of Sherborne
School.
I am. dear Sir.
Your; very faithfully.
ARTHUR BIGGE.
66
The Shirburni an
No. Ll.
Ma rch , 1875
Vol I l l
Editorial
Ex nihilo nihilum. Here is the answer to all who
l'ind i
inquire why The Shirbumian i!>_so late.
impossible to make up even a Slu_rburnwn out of
nothing, though our detractors claun that we have
sometimes done so. Out or about -WO subscnbers
(to speak in round numbers). there a r at r:nost only
about ten who send us any contnbullons. We
<;hould be sorry to believe Uull this som_ewhat_
small number was an adequate representauon of
the literary power of Shirburnians _past . <
nd present. A common excuse IS that there IS
nothmg to write about: but surely t he personal
adventures of
Shirburnians
during
the
holidays , be they canoeing tours in Ireland. or
a week in the ?cilly Island . an ascc111 of
Snowdon, or a descent mto a Cornish
mine.
al'ford
unlimited
the pmvisam rem
Verhaque
imaoination
of the scope
writer. for
1/011e inl'ita sequel/Ill/' .
Several members or
the Debating Club would fain teach us that
poetry doe::, not die Out With the advance Of c ivil
ization: let these prove their assertion by w:i t ing
verses or such a calibre to the school magazme as
hall put
their
opponents ro a perpetual hame._
.
Money is the root of al l evil: but
The
Shirbumian,
like most other things, cannot get on
without it and we must therefore appeal once
more to
l d Shirburnians to be a little
more puncwal with their SL bscriptions. A
notice wru,
sent round to all subscnbers about s1x months ago.
but out of about I 00 name!>. only about 30 have
paid their subscriptions: with reg<Lrd to the_ re t. we
can only at present feed upon hope, wh1ch does
not generally prove a very ubs am ial meal_. .
With literary and pecun1ary contnbuuon
coming in th ick and fast. the poetry. t he trave ls. the
philosophy or Shirburnian s, ol
and new. Cal r
ot fail in becoming the wonder of the age, and
yvc
Imperial Yeomanry and Vol unteers, of whom a list
will be found elsewhere. We should be glad to hear
of any other O.S.S. who have volunteered for
Sout h Al'r ica.
We regret to see among the lists of k illed. the
names of three O.S.S.. Major Vernon Lewis.
Captain Harold W. de Rougemont, and Captain R.
W. Waldy.
.
M r. Hichens
at the
of la::.t term
appointment
here.
andend
enlisted
in thevacated
C.I.Y. h1s
ywish
vc
him all success, and a safe return. Mr. Pelle.
too, left LIS last term to take up the office or Yice
Piincipal of the Theological College. Salisbury. In
their places we have to welcome C. F. S. Padel.
Esq.. B.A .. and H. C. Surber. E s ., B.A. .
The Hou$0 Matches have exc1tcd great mtcre:.t
as usual. In the Juniors. the Schoolhouse gained an
easy victory
over
the Two
Cock
Ho
se!>. (Hodgson's and Blanch's). by 21 potnts to
nil. At the time of wr iting. the Three Cock h a
not been played, bUL a tough game is anticipated.
T h Thr e Cock
Houses
t his year
arc
Hodgson's. Wilsons, and Wildman\ . Thanks to
the prevai ling m ilitary
enthusiasm the Corps has gained a large number r
recruits this term. The total number at present IS
I 06. which we believe is a record. [t is expected
that the majority of these will attend the Public
Schools Field-day on the 2 1st March.
We congratulate J. C. Johnston (a) on obtaining
the Lod!!e Exhib ition of £80, at University Coli.,
Oxford; abo W. A. Wordsworth (a). and R. G.
McDonald (d) on gain ing Exhibitions at Pem roke
Coli.. Cambridge. and Queen's Coli .. Cambnclge.
respec tively.
We have heard a rurnour that the Debating
Society is to be revived on improved lines. lt i!>
true that U1e debates for some years past have been
rather a farce. and i f nothing bcuer could be done.
perhaps i t was as wel l to give th m up. u t _the
Debating Society has been in ex1stcnce lor JUst
forty years, (its first meeting. was held on Feb.
22nd. 1860). and it seems a pity that so old an
institution should cease.
lite
Shirhumian itself will doubtless never be fare any
more.
No. CCII.
The Shirburnian
Ma rch , 1900
No. CCCLD.
Vol X I X
TFheebru
Sh.irburnian
a ry, 1925
Vol )L'(Xlll
Editorial
Editorial
The insistent regularity of Public Schools' time
tables has often been censured. Undoubted ly
school-life tends to be rather pedestrian. and the
generality cannot but become somewhat stale
during the Iauer pcu·t
the term. _And_ thus <_tny
event:. that pull u out of the rut of ordii <H'Y life.
like the delightful evening wh1ch the Rose Quartet
afforded us. or the performance of Iolanthe.
which.
through
the
thoughtfulness
of
the_Headmaster and the brilliant organization
ol
At Sherborne, t his term as everywhere else, the
prevailing topic ha:. been the_ war. The news _of_the
<;urrender of General CronJe. and the rel1el of
Ladysmi th were received with rejoi<.: 1g._ whi h
was in no way les ened by the 'hall g1ven
111 honour of the event. We understand that the
Bugle Band in the evening executed a triumphal
march round t he town , causing great excitement.
Several
O.S.S. have lately sailed for the front in the
or
67
but examination . and nmhing around u-. but long
face.'>. We wield the pen again and not. '"' in that
brief. gay interval. the forJ... We <,mcar our lips
with ink from the well- ,ucJ..ed p..:n. in)o.tead of
washing our 'tomachs with ale. We arc our O\\n
forlorn elves, and not the cJe, ated. painted and
much clothed character<. of hi,ton. l n'>tead of the
tender eye of a mmher. we ar..: 'watched hy the
beetling brow-. of di cipline. Al l is depre'>sion.
But. and i n thi'> lies our con<.,olation.
that depre...-.ion is the m..:a,ure of the '>ucce.;,., of
our
celebration'>. For th..:n the \Un -.hone ju't a ' much
as we could ha\'e \\ 1\hed it 10. There were
no
hitches and no mi-.takes. Evcr)one, from Their
Majesties down to the smaJJe,t 'i'>ter <.!ragged
unwillingly here, appeared lO enjoy them...elves.
Even that cynical crowd the recent O.S.S. '>eemed
to have lillie of critici'm 10 \ay. We were all very
happ).
These celebration:. arc very frc..,h in our mind:.
so fresh that the accounts ol them
printed
elsewhere in t hi '
magat.in..:
..:e m almo
t unneces!>ary. By their very
uccc )o, they
have brought abo 10 the for..:mo l reaches of
our thoughts other memorie., and oth .:r ideas.
The
commemoration wa' of our p a " and \\ ' " founded
upon our tradition-.. and we cannot forget the
<.equence or our pa'>t or the !>lrand of that
tradition. Enough ha-, been ...aid upon thi.., ubject
b) other lively tongue.... and ..:nough ha-. been
wriuen upon it by other. bcucr p..:n.... Commem.
itself an<.! e\Cr)thing that happened during it \H \S a
part of that tradition - the Chrbt ian tradition of
Aldhelm continued in hi'> Abbey. the military
tmdition of Alfred continue<.! in the -.wclterin!!.
Court . the Royal tradition of Edward continued in
the full-,oiced Carmen anti made 'i-.ible in the
Charter. the <,chola.,tic tradition of th..:m
all continued in ever) classroom. and all
thc\e tradition combined anti brought to l ife
in The Sherbome Ston-.
The pa t b enough t o fill many hook!> - indeed.
We heanily congra tu lat e Rawlins on
it is enough to fill twelve hundrc<.l y..:ar:-.. But t om•.
h is Clas ica l Scholarship :11 Queen\. and Morcom
in all its glory, it is no more than the fertile ground
on h i ' Mathematical Exhibition at Trinity.
that hold)> the :-.eed of the future. Some of u arc
leavi ng. and 10 them the fuwrc is v..:ry ncar: the
Th e Shirburni an
School will remain. but for it abo the future is
1950
qrange. for with a new 1-leadma:-.ter there muM be
Editorial
change. Both Shirburniam. and Sherborne mu t
lind 'otrength in the paM - but above ull th..:y mu...t
Commemoration i ' over. Th..: Ja-.1 camera has
clicJ..ed. The )a.,l C<lr ha returned 10 i h home build a mighty future. They mu!.l face thi-. future
road\. The )a..,l hca') brain '"beginning 10 emerge they cannot :.ee. backed by thm pa t th..:y J..now so
well. There arc trouble-. enough coming the very
from th..: clogging miasma of the aftermath of
sy'>tem
of \\ hich Sherborn..: i.., l>O excellent an
rejoicing. It i-. raimng. There is nmhing before us
example i in imminent danger. and 111an) force<.,
o;ecm 10 be combining 10 dc,trn) it. Public ...chool"
69such a:. Sherborn..:. h0\\1.!\er. ha\t.:. through the
centuries. sun i ' ed 111an) on laught'>. and they can
Mr. R o . we were enabled to 'ee. and
!>ee comfortably. mu't have great recreative value.
But -.uch plea,urc come rarely. and we feel
ure that the howing of cinema-lilm once a
fonnight. or perhap' once a wecJ.... would add
a zest 10 our ordinal) acti' itic-.. and would
meet
with popular apprO\·aJ. The initial co<.,t should not
be large. and we helic\e the running expen-;e<.,
could be mt:t. provided the majority of the School
ga'e the mauer their -.upport. b) .,mall terminal
-;ub cription ....
The que-.tion at once ari...c-.. what I ) pe of film
hould be 'ohO\\ n ? We have read \Omewhere that
of late the regular cinema-public ha., been tiring of
the lock-productions - the ;.,ame nld p l o t in
a slightly new form. round which arc hung
the
'thrill-,· of colliding t r ai n and uch liJ..c - and that
the topical film - i., 1ncrca,ing in popularity.
Pic t u r e of important current event!> throughout
the world. scenes from tropical Au traliu. the
record of thc jo urney of an Arctic explorer, or the
worJ.. of an anthropologi-.t in Africa, bring home 10
U)>realitie!> and imerest u . while the stereotyped
extravaganza of commercial producers leave us
jaded and unmoved.
Novel-.. too. form good material. and their
production often lead'> to a closer and more
enduring acquaintance with the original worJ.. on
the part of the audience. And tinall) lwrre.\co
referem! - let th..:re occa.,ionally be o,hm\ n the
radiam '>mile of Harold L l o ) d and the dowdy
figure of Charlie Chaplin. for have not
Lhe sciemiw, told u ' that unrestrained mirth ha:-.
it!> remedial effect' upon the mind. and in the
pure droller)
or their actions lie., ample
We "oul<.l
call au..:nuon
10 thc laughter'!
interc ting
material
for enjoyment
and refre-.hing.
account of Shirburnian-. now in India. and of
the life of an officer thcr..: which we publi h.
and which were "ri uen in re-.pon-;e 10 our appeal
for more contributiOn\. We thank Capwin
Paine sincere)). and hope thai h i ' example will
not pa s unh .:cd ;:ll.
certain!) adapt thcm.,clvc!. and produce men with
the qualitie to lead the nation. Those qualitic!.
also are pal1 of th .: long tradition., of the Sc h ool
there i the qualit) of a '>teadfa t equilibrium.
inherit .:d from the Chri!>tian tradition: there is the
qualit) of courage. inherited from the military
tradition: there i-. the qualit) of loyalty. inherited
from the Royal tradttion: <tnd. above all. there i
the quality o l wi..,dom. 111herited from the
-.chola-.tic tmditiun. We 1-.nov. that our forefather.
had all thc<,e qualitie!.. We know that ' ' e are as
good men :t'> the). Since we have been happy in
the pa.,t. therefore. let u.., rejoice in the pro!>pect of
moul<.ling or beating or chi clling the future into
the '>hape of our <.lc:-.ign.,.
And. a-. the cmpha'>i' for doing thing!> beyond
the boundc; of the School. in the !!reat world outside.
increu'>C'-, so the inclination to do an) thing within
begin., 10 di sipate. For the School it'>clf. a\ pan of
one·, l ife. IO\C'- i h .,ignilicance. People complain
inCC!>\antl) and tedioll'.l)' uhout the rc!'lt of the
School being apathetic. lx1ring and liiCJe.,., on the
ground' that there arc im ariabl} more performer<, at
;m informal concert than pcnple in the audience. or
that onl) one per.on contribute'> to the ev.. boanl
all tenn. Yet v.hat tho-.e that complain do not reali\e
i.; that th1' apath) I'> not -.o much a re.,ult of people'<.
innate bovine tcmpcnuncnt. 3'> to their ob e.:. ion
with
l ev el and '>Omething bcyon<.l the School.
Becau!>c they are never al lowed to forget the fact
that career-. and the future are ' o impo11ant. the)
T he Shi r b u r n ian
auach little value to '>Chool life at all. It is not worth
di!>tingui-.hing one...c tf in the School. they think.
1975
because being a fine grown up i!> the only thing that
Ed itoria l
maner!>.
Everyone
would ,
I
am
Th n our chooldays arc the best years of our confidem. disting uish them elvc-. if' they were
the chance. As it is the School i:-.
life. I am confide nt i:-, a my th bandied about over given
brandy an<.l cigar., in mid<.lle age. And I am ephemeral as far as most arc conccmcd. a nece..,
confident too that i f tho:-.e who profe!.!>Cd t hb view ary tran-.itional -.tage before we .,tan on our income
were a J...ed whether !'>hould like to reli,·e tho.,e tax fom1:-..
Thi:-, feeling can hardly he expedient lor the
balm) d a ) ' of their youth. they would almost
School. The lack of 'i gni ficancc auached to .,chool
certainly am.v.er ·no·. Yet at the \arne time. even i f
we can reject thl'> 'icv.. we '>hould never neglect life nm onl) di.,.,uude'> people from taking a
the fact that our '>choolda)., are a pan of our life po'>itive part in it. hut also mu-.t force even more
people 10 re...cnt it and react again!>t it. breuk the
und thu.., ..,ignil'icant. Today however we are
rule,. I t i!> very ' i gni lieant that no longer do people
-.carccl\ allowed to <.lo \O.
:.hin
up the Ahhe) tower at the dead of night 10
\\e "emerge from our prep '>chool-. in blissful
replace the Bi-.hop\ flag " i t h a \e \t or tie
innocence ha' mg pottered about doing nothing in
lead weight\ to the minute hand to -.top it going
particular for fhc pamdisical c a r . - nicling an ink
around. For thoo,e were heroic e \pl oi h v.hich
pellet from time to time or torturing one or two
though e'>,entiall)
rehelliou<,. v.ere
rcaJI}
beetle., v. ith magn1f) ing ghl.,..,e.... and thut i!> all. It perpetrated out of a longing for acclaim 111 the
ha-. been <1 plca-.urable e:.oi\tence. a lei urely plod School. The people v\hO committed the<,c e\OIIC
from term (() term. rhe 0111) anxiet) ha-. been the crime\ in<.licated that they attached -.ignific mce
verruca on our left foot. But immediately upon to 'chool life. even
entf) into the legendttr) public !>Ch<Xll. v.e are v. hen they -.ccme<.l to react again'l it. Toda)
thrown into a lxllhng ea of -.triving to be grown up.
however the rule breaJ..cr'> are e.....entially '>ly.
We '>tart" ith an lQ te-.t and a ex tall-. move on
forced imo e ' i I by a thir't for a<.lulthood - a '>late
to interrninahle e\tuninatinn-. which \\e 1re never
of mind mto " h i c h the) ha' e been 111doctrinmed
allowed 10 forget until finally. after months of
rather than a health) de...irc to be acclaimed b) the
career<, lealleh being flapped in our face!>. we arc whole School in their partisan exploit.,,
loaded breathless onw the train away from
I n !>hnrt C\cryt hing today i
focu ed
Sherborne dc!>tincd for the outside world. We arc
on adulthood. No longer arc we pennitteu to
hu tled
through
our
public
school
be children and devote uncluuercd mind:- to
l i fe. indoctrinated into an obses!>ion wllh the winning the School Poetry Pritc or becoming
futur..:
captain of the
\\ hi<:h Ctl'•h a-.idc an) thought M school life of the
First XV. We mu!'t pres'> on n:lcntle....,ly and cea e
prc'>ent. It I'> a ccrtaint) that i f ..,omeone were to
to con-.ider the School a part or one·, life at all.
decide to -.tay on at 'chool until hir. t w e n t )O b ' iouSI) career-. cannot be abandoned
fiN
altogether howe\ er - though it v.ould be u life of
birthday bccau..,c ht: lil-.ed it here. he would be perfection. \\Otlting about The Court' blithe!.>
quicl-.ly expelled for something even if it was not carefree compming meaningful
onnch for
for -.impl being old. There j , no room toda)
The Sflirhumian. Oh' iow.ly we may nOL be
for
ejected into 1he out ...ide "orl<.l completely
the bo\ v. ho ' ' 1-.he' to d:l\\ die. to <;a\ our hi'>
naked and
...choolda) ' · The po,,ibilll) of tune at c;chool being det'cncele'"· On the other han<.l there i-. no reason
70why we \houl<.l not regulate our ob\e,-.ion with
the bc-.t time of lifl· .-. eH!n remoter than e\·er.
career... Indeed it i ' e\'>ential that v.c uo.
·o·
Snow donia for Charity
James Sykes and Ricluml Brook seT off To conquer Snolt 'drmia for chariTy. This is Their c/Ccowlf of The
expediTion.
mountain, Pen yr Ole Wen. started steeply. h e
p<uty found that there were many pat h of wh1ch
some Jed to cliff faces which requ1red some
crawling on hands and knees a.nd some a1 1ount of
rock climbing! Eventual ly. alter nav1gaung rock
faces and fa) paths. everybody managed to reach
the summit in one piece.
Carrnedd Llewelyn was the highest or the day·s
climbs (at 1064 meters above sea level) and
the hardest. as large patche:-. of snow were
scauered alono the route leading to the summit.
The other mountain undertaken; (Cam1cdd
Dafydd, Yr Elen. Foel Grach, Garrnedd Uchaf and
Foel Frets) were easier to climb but still had many
patches of !>now.
From the last mountain Foel Fras the party
decided on a route down to the car park which w a
three miles down a valley pat h wh ich disappeared
at times. When the party reached the bottom Peter
suggested that we should all go to a fish and chip
shop to have supper as it was already 7.30 p.m.
and there would not be enough time to set up
stove and cook supper.
Sunday 9th April
We assembled <tt Mr. Peter Baker's house at
2.00 p.m. to make final preparations. The
party departed for Lake Ogwen at 3.00 p.m.
and was joined by Mr . Roger L loyd-Jones on
the way. Everybody was i n high spirits and
eager to start the expedition. A f ter stopping at
Betws y C >ed and Capel Curig for some lastminute shopptng. the party reached Lake Ogwen
at about 6.00 p.m. to set up camp for the next two
nights.
By the t ime tent& had been erected P ter
decided that it was too late to commence wa lkmg
that evening and that energies should be reserved
for the long wa lk the next day. With fu ll StOmach
f rom individually cooked meals. it was decided to
retire early to bed.
e
Monday lOth Apl'il
Woke up early at 6.00 a.m .! The p< rty h d
breakfa&t and made final minor preparat 1ons l·or
the hike ahead. after which Peter's car was driven
round to where the walk wou ld fi nish. The first
71
Thesday 11th April
Woke up about 8.00 a.m. to the sound of
drivino rain and a wet feeling as all the tents had
leaked at some point during the n ight.
The mountains had been coated with several
inches of snow above 2000ft and the peaks
were hidden behind heavy c louds. By 8.30 a.m.
ul l had agreed, with great reluctance and -;adness,
that i t wou ld not be safe to attempt any of the
peaks as the snow. which
wa
now
freezing.
was
becoming increasingly
dangerous. as were the rocks below 2000ft
which were very lippery.
As the party was departing a com:hload or
soldiers arrived in the car park and subsequently
they too decided that it would be too dangerous to
altempt their training exercise.
We do hope that everybody wi ll find our report
interesting. We have received very generou
sponsorsh ip for this venture, which has enabled. us
to raise more than £ l ,300 so ft r. und we would lrke
to thank everybody for their kindness and s u p p rt .
I f anybody feels that we have not earned the lull
amount, owing to the unavoidable cunat!ment of
the walk, we are sure that they will let us know.
72
S chool H o u s e trip t o
t h e M i l l e nni um
Dome
Where to start? How does one begin to discuss
such an enormous space? So enormous. in fact, that
18.000 double-decker buses could fit inside it. So
strong, that a jumbo jet could happily sit on top of
its one-millim etre-thick shell. In fact. I could amply
fill this space with statistics that would probab.ly be
far more interesting: 'only I 0,000 people v rsll the
Dome each day: the management. or rather the
crovernment. require 30.000 people'. The general
public is baffled by the constant . alvos of statistics..
Amidst this political fairground the real essence ol
the Dome is lost. People have forgotten what the
Dome is there to do - its purpose.
The
Dome is not there to keep the
Labour oovernment in power as a result of its
allendance figures. it is there to represent Britain
in tl e y e a 2000. I t is intended to be an
expresst on ol everything that is British. In my
view, i t fulfils thii> monumental task with great
aplomb.
I t is the ·Portrait Zone· that remains heavy in
my mind. One of the least complicate , least
technologically advanced.zones. the Portratt Zone
seems to have (however lavour·ably) encapsula ted
Britain as it enters the twenty-first century. No
queues. none at all . 1 walked straight into a narrow
circular walkway, surrounded by phoLOgraphs. IL
soon became apparent, when l had craned my neck
completely t o the top of the display and down
again. that each photo reprcscnte Britain in some
way: the figureheads of our soc r ety wallpapered
the expanse. As with everything in the Dome, thr s
was
big,
very big.
images
ranged from. .an
the 'ph
ilanthropic
' SirThe
Richard
Branson.
Alan
Shearer
ion.there
l o a were
half empty
p1nt
Inside
the goal
wa l l celebrat
of photos.
a vanety
of beer. from William Shakespeare. to a portrait of
of sc ulptures and other creations, designed to
portray our country. A larger-tha -li fe .sculpture ?r
'the workino man' bearing the gtgantrc mass ol a
·city fat c ·. squas hed by a sleazy
politiciar.l. finally presided over by a compl tcent
Jl!dge. h• s sculptu re represented the vanous
l rerachrcal h.:vels of society. and the problems
wrth each. I particularly mention this. as it
.was the only creation that any of us could really
tnterpret at all'
I n fact. only managed to vis it about half of the
various zones. such was the enormity of the
attraction. The futuristic sky-scrapers that were the
various zones were so large that 1 was completely
unaware that there was another half of the Dome
beyond the central stage. Th.e central ·s age' w a i.n
fact large enough to hide a few rugby pllch s. Thrs
was the si te for a show or acrobats dunng the
afternoon.
ask ing the a sembled group (about I00 people) to
raise our hands if we owned a mobile phone. The
purpose
of
this
quest ioning wa. to
illustrate how easy it is
a pulse or drumming. .-;......- - - - - - , : - - - - ro talk to one another
more appeared running ;_
from
the guts of
today. and how many of
the stadia. This pace
us are able to talk on the
move. The poor girl had
continued
for
the
just happened to choose
next forty-five minutes,
the one group of I00
always chang:ing. the
people in London w ho
images evolvi ng. sus
hadn't really heard of
pending disbelief. The
mobile phones . . .
central stage would split
about five hands were
and a sixty or seventy
gingerly raised. In spite
foot tower would rise
of this. the message of
up and fifty acrobats
BT, the sponsors. was
climb
up
it,
very clear: as a nation
some jumping
onto
we need to talk more.
trapeze.
more
The disappointment
springing
from
the
of the day for me was
ceiling . . . the dynamics
the much-hyped ·Body
were spectac ular.
Zone·. We were even
The ·Talk Zone' was
issued with tickets to
also memorable: i l was
arrive
at
a
pre
v isitors.
The tozone
a
moral lesson
its
determined time to try
suggested through a
to combat the queues.
voice-over and about
[n spite of our tickets, I
one hundred television
fe lt as though I was
scree ns. that conflict of
already pan of a blood
any sort is caused by
clot w hilst trying to
the
breakdow n
of
w ind
through
the
communication. The
endle s miles of crowd
mes-sage of the zone
div iding fence. The
was for us to talk more
heart. that rea l ly did
as a nation. thus
beat above our heads.
avoiding connict. We
was very clever. With frightening regularity. the
were first addressed by a strapping young female
heart wou ld respond to a shock by suddenly
with an ultra-futuristic delivery. She began by
The show was actual ly feu· more than a few
acrobats running around. it was an ex travaganza.
Acrobats poured from
the roof of the Dome to . , . , . . - - -
73
reaching a eemingly un!lu tainabl e rate. before
reltlrning to it!. regular pauern of thud -thudding.
But. on balance. the zone w a really an anti
climax: the pink walh. which appeared to be what
most of the money had been spent on. did not
really
juc;tify
it'>
media
attenti on.
In -.pite of reall) not 'eeing a great deal of the
Dome. a \ a House we "a" a'> much a!. couJd
concei' abl) be '>een in only one day. The credit for
the organi ation hal> to go to Mr. Ryan. He. a-,
usual. setnel>!.l} gave up h i preciou!> time for the
Hou<,c. We all thank him mo t incerely. Finally.
Mr. and M n.. Watt'> and all of their as.istant staff
al o 1-.indly gave up th eir Sunday for us boys. A big
'thank you' to th em abo.
Aml what of '>tati tics? I only remember the
ten ion I felt whi lst under the spell of the show·s
power.
Rory MacFarlane
Te n To r s 2 0 0 0
·t really enjoyed that !' were the words of an
unnamed competitor upon completing the forty
five-mile Ten Tor-. event. Thi' comme nt
particularly sto<xl out from thm.e made b) the
'enior C.C.F. team becau\e it wa., probabl y the
onl) one that didn't imolvc an expletive or some
\cno;e of agon) and e.xhau\tion.
The fort:r -fi,c-mile C.C.F. team had undertaken
two or three fair!) relaxed practice wall-.s in
preparation for the real thing. The team wao; a good
mix or C.C.F. and Communit\ Sen ice. of
ne\\ c o m e and veteran . Sam Ma on "a!. captain
and Rtch Fo\ the chief map-reader. whilst the rest
of the team con)>i,tcd of Jame., Board. Rupert
Lane. Matt I lope. and Rupert Dicl-.inson.
We arri,cd <11 Okehampton Camp on Friday
evening. having left carl)' wi th Mr-.. Clayton who.
not 'urprisingly. wa'> beaten there by Ru ssell 'Fl '
William s. We then spent several hours going
through briefing and a 1-.it inspection with an
inspect or who was sulTerin g from a severe case of
hum our fai lure - h i own. Afrcr that we strolled
uround the cam p waiting to un load th e renowned
Shirburnian charm on unsu pcc.:ting ladies. only to
rinu that mo:-.t of the ·girl<,' cou ld lay claim to more
body hair than all 'ix of u., put together. We then.
of cour-.e. went '>traight to bed for an earl y night
bdore the next da) · , ardumt'> experience!>. ( I" ,.e
no idea who it wa., that Mr. Skinner sa\\ at the
bar!)
We .t\ml-.e carl) the ne\t morning to the 't ra i n
of We are the Champion\ and Chariot.\ of Fire.
"hie h. " e decided. lacl-.cd something at 5.00 a.m.
However. we were greeted by one or ·Beefy'
Thomp on·l> upcrb breal-.fa:-.t' and. fonifi ed, we
set off to the start quite unaware of the plain
madne..,., of what we had ju:.t begun. At the start
the ' e terans among us renewed friendships with
other<. who had been mad enough to return to this
hallowed Marting point where three thousand
youth.., gathered around two anillery pieces in an
orderly \emi-circlc waiting for the thunderou
bang to announce the ..tart.
At the <,tart. the Ten Tors "<til-. resembles an
overladen \pon,ored charit y wal k down the
remnant.\ of the laM paved path that we would see
for forty-eight hour:-.. As had been the case two
year-., before. the forecast torrential rain never
materiali ed and we were subjected to the beating
sun for th e next two days. As we climbed toward s
our first Tor. we could see. looking back. that we
were above cloud -level, ba:-.king in the cool
morning sun light. The day wen t wel l and we
reac.:hed our first few Tors in good time and
st orpcd shortl y before Princet own t o enjoy lunch .
Lunch wa' rather a mi nom er. us we tended to
snack throughout the day. lunch ju st be ing slightly
larger. and consisting of Mr. Skinner· delightful.
dbimegrating. Corni h pa)>tie-...
After lunch. thing'> became more imcre ting as
we took what was apparently an ea\icr route \\-hich
turned out to be double the di'>tance. Thi-. put a
tres-. on relation.,'' ithin the group. w ith the resu lt
that we covered both the longe t and \Outhernmost
leg in what mu.,t have been record 11111e. and " a s
certain I) enjO)ed b) tho;,c \\ ho had the plea'>Ure of
hearing our moralc-rai-.ing '>inging. After reaching
TrowiC\\\Orth) Tor. we began the \\ind) route
bact-. to Okehampton. We managed only one more
Tor that night and camped halfway to our \eventh
Tor. next to a panicularly \Cenic waterfall. With
warm food in,ide u \ at last. " e \lept "ith the
plea,ure\ of trench foot and bli ter.... having set up
camp in the dark.
We awoke next morning til :-.nme ungodly hour.
and arrived with the un hard y over the horizon at
our'eventh Tor. The re:-.1 of the day seemed to pa -os
very s lowly a
we all tradem arked ou r ow n
method s of wa lking. whether it be waddling with
·,.vo lf's bite· or limping w ith blisters. We faced the
lon ger- legged To r thi:-. uay in even more
in:-.uffcrablc heat. alleviated b) occa:-.ional cool
llowine river'> w hich we came aero" to refill our
"' ater boule.,. The route it,clf wa., good and we
arri\-ed at our penultimate Tor in good time . at
noon. We tool-. a long. '"ell-e<trncd break. attended
to by the militar) mtr...e'>. before embarking on our
tina!. and mo-.t bacl-.-breal-.ing. leg. Thi'> in,olved.
in the <,hort di'>tance or three 1-.ilomctre-. (a\ the
cro\\ fltc.,!). one 500m 'irtuall) vertical a\cem up
Yc:, Tor. loiiO\\Cd. after the de\cent. by a further
For all those who ha' e not done the Ten Tor . it
i!> an unforgeuable. if somewhat painful.
experience! We would also lit-.e to thant-. Mr.
Thompson for hi), support and. more importantly.
food. and Vick) Clayton for coping with our sly.
schoolboy humour. Mo'\t importantly. we would
like to dedicmc our achievement w ·Morning.
gents!· Skinner who probably got through forty
five miles worth of cherry and vanilla tobacco
whilst we wa lt-.ed it!
lOOm steep ar,cent to reach the final Tor. This took
a long time and the endles<, faf<..e ummit of Yes
Tor encd only to dcpre s U \ . hut it \ \a
abo probably the rno!-.t satisfying leg to complete.
All that wm. left was to wa lk the last mile in
style and so. when we reached the linal ril>e before
Okchampton Camp. we changed into our hirts
and bow ties and compubory wnglasscs. The
reception (not w mention the wolf-whistles!) we
received on entering the crowd wa!-. something
wh ich can never be repeated and I am sure the
satisfac tion that we lled up in ide us showed. We
piled into the recovery .one with our new-found
water supp lies und dropped where we stood until
we were called forward for our award/photo
session. We then returned to the bu!-.es w here we
were met cnthusiaMiea lly by parent:- and staff and
the two thirty-five-mile team), and set about
drowning our eh cs in champagne.
The 45 mile 1eam 111ere: Sam "Marine" Ma on.
Rich "Foxy" Fox, James "Damn. I look good!"
Board. Ru "Rent-a-Bison·· Lane. Roo ·'Platypus"
D ickinson and la\ l
but not least Matt
··ouckwaddler" Hope.
Rupert Lane
75
Ke nya
Anglican Church of the region. who briefed us on
how we would be spending our time <H Happy
Home. He took us to a Christ ian hostel where we
spent the night. Although it was very basic, for
about £3 we each got our ow n room with showers.
Not much sleep was had that first night as the rain
hammered against our windows and the lightning
lit up our rooms. The next morning Mrs. Ochola
met us, and after re-packing all our items. we
final ly made the trip to Happy Home. wh ich is
situated close to Muhoroni. a small town about an
hour 's drive from K isumu. The ride was extremely
uncomfortable. lnlhe car were lhe driver, Lhe three
of us. and tl1ree members of the Ochola family.
After months and months of vaccinations and
meticulous preparation at the beginning of the
Easter holidays, we final ly got on the plane that
wou ld take us to Happy Home Orphanage in
Kenya. After a twelve-hour overnight flight. we
were relieved to arrive in a sweltetingly hot
Nairobi. the capital of Kenya. Jomo Kenyaua
Airport is famous around the wor ld for pick
pocketing and taxi touts. and so it was with great
relief that we immediately met our contact. an
Englishman who has lived in Nairobi for many
years. On the way to his house in the suburbs. it
\
I
I
was evidem rhat the driving was complete ly awful
in Kenya - you can get away withou t passing any
kind of driving test and all the vehicles e re at least
twenty years old. We spent the rest of the morning
resting and then we returned to the airport to catch
a night that took us to K isumu. Kenya's third
lcu·gest town, which lies on the eastem shores of
Lake Victoria.
The short one-hour flight presented us with
magnificem views over the wide, stretching plains
of Kenya. A t the airport M r . Ochola, the wife of
the director of the orphanage. met us. She then
took us to her home. which is in the middle of the
church compound. and introduced us over tea to
her eight children. We then met the B ishop of the
Added to this. the vehicle was packed to the brim
w ith provisions for the Orphanage. it wa!>
stif lingly hot. and the driver had to keep swerving
to avoid the numerous potholes that covered the
road.
On our arr ival at Happy Home, all the children
welcomed us and sbook our hands. and then we
were shown into the dining room where we met
Festus. the
manager of Happy Home.
He introduced us to the 'mamas' - the
resident matrons who look after the we ll-being
of lhe children. After a cup of tea. Eric. who was
be t al speaking
English,
showed
us
around the orphanage. The home is a large
single-storey building. made with corrugated
iron and wood.
76
and divided up into lot<, of different \liO\eCtions.
We !>lcpt in a tin) room. well awa) from all the
children. Our bathroom con'>i-.ted of a loo. which
did not llu h properly. and a bucl-et with holes in
it which. when we wanted to have a hower. we
fi lied "'it h water and hun!! abO\ e our head' - all
the \\<Her came from the .,iream that ran next to the
main building. There \\0'> no electricit). and at
night ga-. lamp-. were u-.ed to light up
the orphanage.
A t)pical da) for U'> began at ,e,en o'clocl-.
After breal-ra'>l. we C<lrried out 'ariou<, task i n the
home. The e included crubbing the
floors. washing clothe-.. and keeping the
compound clean by picking up leave-.. Our
mo<,t •.trenuou'\ task. however. wa'> helping to
pre' ent erosion of the river ban!- ' ' hich ran
' Cl ) clme to the building. We had to go kneedeep into the river. pick up boulders. and throw
them into a trench (which had been dug a year
before by two other Shirburnians.) 1\ flc r lunch, the
younger children rt!turncd from schoo l, and we .pent al l afternoon playing footbal l with them.
Even though their footba l l was made out of
old pla tic b a g and '>Iring. they are
extremely skilfu l and there wa., many an occasion
when they beat u., on the ball! Apart from football,
we generally ju!>t played ' "i t h the c hi l dr en- they
loved to copy all our manncri'>ms. e\'en to the
extent of clicl-ing their finger like Al i G!
When t he school term ended in the middle of
our l>tay. we !>tarted teaching them e•cry evening.
Les<,on' tool- place 111 our dining room - we ate
awa) from the re t of the children - and
were alwa)'• l i , el ) occa'>ion'>. We taught them
Engli'>h grammar.
hut abo gu'e
help in
!athematic'> and Geography.
E ' cr) e ' ening after ;,upper. the whole
orphanage congregated in the children's dining
room. "here we had prayers for about an hour.
The prayer\ con.,i-.ted of a reading. a talk from
Festus. and a lot of '>inging - the singing could be
described only a'> beautiful. and it ensun.:d that we
always went to bed in high '>pirits. worn out from
the day·l- work.
On Sunday mornings we walked with the
children to C hurch. T he :-.crvicc wm. carried out in
Luo. the regional diulcct. and lasted for about two
hour'>. Al l the locub were very interested in us. so
" e had to get up in front of the 200 :.trong congregation and introduce ourselvc,.
After church ended we \locked up on Coke.
which cost 25p for half a litre. and then made our
wa) 1>lowly back to the home. where we !>pent the
rc'>t of the day playing football and !>Unbathing.
During our two-week <,ta) we managed to lit in
day trip' to Kisumu. and to a nearb) :-.ugar factory.
On the wa) to Ki,umu. \ \ C experienced our fir1>t
ride on a ·matutu· " h i c h i'> the Kenyan word for a
minibus. In England, a minihus of that -.ite holcb
at most fifteen people. but 1n Kenya the driver
would . queete in at lea...t forty people. Rupert had
to hang off the ,ide whibt we !>Upported his legs
from the inside. Although Rupert actually enjoyed
the ride. one could see that -.afet) did nm come
foremo'>t on the d r i \ e r \ li'>l of prioritie!>.
I n Kisumu. we 'i<.itcd the !>hore... of the famou'
Lake Victoria. which i;, the \ite of Ireland. and
went to the local LOO. "her e we saw everything
from a crocodile to a b l a d mamba.
At the end of our tWO· \\cek '>ta). the children
hosted a farewell part). and it wa'> ' ' ith the grcate'ot
regret that we had to -.ay goodbye and leave them.
However. we left in high spirit'>. a ' we all knew
that we would sec each other again. After a one
night <>top over in Ki,umu. we returned 10
airobi. and spent a very enjoyable night at our
contacts· house. The next day we travelled
north. through the Rift Va l ley. to Lake Nakuru
Nat ional Par!- - famous for its nam ingoc:-. and
rhinO!>. We :.pent an excel lent day bei ng driven
through
the the
park.Jake
and were simply
the views we
had ol'
awesome. The day wa' topped
for U!> when lot:-.
of giraffes suddenly appeared. Al l in all. this wa., a
wonderful way to end our trip.
orr
77
I would st rongly advise anyone thinking
of going to Kenya to jump at the opportunity.
You must be prepared to put up with a huge
culture c l a s h - thei r way of life is much slower
than ours and the delays can. at times, be
unbearable. They will also expect you to make a
large contribution to their day-to-day l iving costs.
When all is said and done. we did not spend
nearly as long as we would have liked there. and
we all want to return soon. A trip such <L'> this
puts one's life into perspective. as it shows
how happy and kind peop le can be in the face
of such poverty. Many thanks must go t o the
School
for giving us such a wonderful
opportunity.
Sam Lockhart Smith. Rupert Lane
and Roland Sage
N e w Yor k City
We arrived. somewhat ex haust ed, at John F
Kennedy International Airport. just as the sun was
setting over Manhattan on an April evening soon
after the end of the Lent Tenn. The airport l ies
fifteen m i les from Manhallan. so once we had
cleared Immigration we were left w ith the tricky
deci!-.ion of which or the many means of public
transport to use to reach our hostel in East Village.
The Chelsea International
Youth Centre.
Somewhat fearfu l of vemuring into the mal'.e of
tunnels and lllrn tiles that makes up the subway
system (something New Yorkers take great pride
in) we decided to use the 'safe· option of a taxi. lL
was daft of us to assume that such a decision
would be safe: weaving in and out of traffic as we
crossed Brooklyn Bridge in a cab without seatbelts
we realised that we would probnbly have been
safer taking a midnight stro ll in Harlem. Against
all odds we a1Tived safely at our hostel in East
Village, a curious little building on 12th Street
without any windows. and not quite as grand as its
name had suggested. Not wishing to stay too long
in the airless hostel we left our bags and took the
11rst of our many evening strolls up 1st Avenue to
Union Square. It became a nightly ritual to go out
after supper to taste the New York nightlife and, in
true American sty le, visit our local Starbuck's
coffee bar.
Staying o centrally in Manhattan meant that
the accommodation rates were fairly expensive.
However. i t was wo1th every dollar. The hostel lay
on 12th Street. roughly hall' way between t he
M>LLthern tip o r the Manhattan peninsular and the
lower end of Central Park. This meant that we
were within walking distance of the Empire State
78
Build ing. Greenwich Village. and many of the
museums . Using this to our advantage we were
able to explore the whole city in ten days.
Our
first
morning
wa:, spent
in
Lower Manhallan. After Tom 's work experience
on Wall St reet wa!> tinished for the day, we caught
the ferry across to Staten Island in the middle
of the harbour. Whilst the island is a fairly
uninteresting place. the ride ill worth doing simply
for the view you get of the cit y from across the
water. In the city i t is difficult to apprecia
te any of the magnificem buildings since
there i:. always another skyscraper blocking
your view. From the ferry this problem i
eliminated. and you can see Manhattan in all its
glory. We spent an afternoon in Greenwich
Village. a fantastic area of the city that has
remained unappreciated both by tourists and
their guidebooks alike. Free from skyscrapers and
crowds. and bust ling with junk shops and
cafes. it is the cultural centre of the city.
We managed to have a drink in the tavern where
Dylan Thomas drank
himsel f to death, an
Trish pub somew hat out or place in the
red brick surroundings.
For the fir t four days of the trip the weather
was fantastically hot. allowing us to wear shortc;
and T-shirts. It was therefore quire a sho .:k to wake
up on Sunday morning. planning to go to Central
Par!.., to be greeted by a blizzard. The city was
transformed into the New York created by
Hollywood. even down to the steam rising from
the roads and icicle:-. hanging precariously from
fire escape . We wa lked up 5th Avenue and pent
the morning in the Metropolitan Museum of Art an incredible gal lery. boasting many wo nderful
piece!.. Upon le: ving the mu eum John panicked.
realising we were w ithin ten blocks of Harlem. We
stepped up our pace. left the quiet neighbourhood
behind us. and strolled into Central Park. Our walk
through the very snowy park took us to Strawberry
Field and the Dakota Building where John
Lennon was <;h<>L. where we witnessed one man
throwing himself onto the l>O:tking wet pavement
to kiss lhe memorial.
Any trip to New York il> incomplete without
ecing a show on Broadway. On our final night we
were lucky enough to get fantastic seats for a
performance of Phanrom of the Opera. It gave u
a chance to <;ee the centre or the cit y late at night
as we left the theau·e just before midnight. Timcs
Square after dark is an almo t futurbtic place with
hundreds of !lashing neon signs. advertising
hoarding:, and the largest television in the world.
(Ice hockey. when viewed on a six-<;torey high
T.V. makes for incredible viewing).
Another ·must cc· of anybody's trip ro ·The
Big Apple' is the sight from the top of the Empire
Stare Building. even i f the queue i:-. huge. We
visited on a day with fantastically clear '>kics. and
wben we reached the top there was no doubt that
the wait was worth it. The v iew i spectacular, ami
it is only there that one can appreciate the city in
terms of size and archilecwral magnificence.
Chinatown is bewilderingly out of place in
southern Manha!lan: a district of rickety squat
building:-. emblazoned with Chinese lettering and
adornments. flanked by Soho and the skyscrapers
or the fimmcial di trict. l t is so smal l. in fact. that
we were in the adjacent district of Lillie haly
having only vemured a few blocks. Nevertheless.
it remain an a toni!.hing oriental oa:-;is. borden.:d
by the concrete culture of Western modernisation.
New York truly i a melting pot of culture and
a cit) of extreme . We left. not only having ·uone·
the city in the tourist sense. but a
lso haYing ccn a
side of the city that unfortunate!} many people
miss. Hearing coffee shop poetry recitab, visiting
bars which were the old haunt of :-.ome of the
79
c i t y\ literary great'> or eeing the city from a balf
con.,tructed ky,crapcr in Time!> Square are
general!) mi-..,ed b)' the a\ erage visitor. Not many
can claim to have had their photograph taken for a
fa:.hion magatinc for their ·awe omc d r e
en c
·! We had a fantastic ten day-; in the city. and
thank
the Tra\el Grant Commiuee for making it
po''>ihle.
Tom William!>. HU\\ Poraj-Wilczyn!.l-.i
and John Pea.c
Hong Kong
Why had I come here? Was this what it was
real ly like half- finished construction
not allowing any l ight onto the dirty street.
small gaggles of Hong Kong Chine!>c. heads
bent. ru'>hing by? My first venture from my
lodgLng m midnight in earth of nourishment
was nothmg h.:!> than terrifying. In ...earch or
anything roughly familiar and we!>tern. I did the
obvioLL<; thing. and headed for McDonallr ....
I could not bring myself to ...ample ''hat at that
moment appeared to be
·what they cat out here· - a perfect dog·s head.
hanging from a local rc\taurant door <;umptuously
dripping with \Omething yellow.
I awoke at ·l.OO p.m. local time the next day.
infuriated that I had let the be t part of my l i m da)
\lip away. I w a., later to lind out that the best pan
of the da) in Hong Kong come!> a little bit later! It
wa' a Sunday. and my meeting with the financial
world (the real purpo!.e of my trip) would ha\e to
wait one more day.
The lir'>t morning in Hong Kong was spent
mul-.ing appointmerm: I had to arrange I l l )
itinerary. Luckily. a young banker could meet me
that afternoon. A my taxi '>wept up and down the
my riad diffcrentle,e l that are the contours of the
island, conveying me to my first meeting. I
rcali1.ed that Hong Kong was n' t ju st about dogs'
head-; and darkened streets: the city real ly was
about money. People didn't cross the roads: they
ran. The ound of drills was deafening. Street
markeh filled gaps between the vast buildings.
E ' erything <tbout Ilong Kong breathe!> industry.
The city epitomitc\ the proud materialism of the
Chine e that ha\ driven Hong Kong to it!. trutegic
importance in the world cconom) toda).
·Mr. MacFarlane. Mr. Churchhouse will be
' ' ith you m a moment. What can I get you in the
wa) of refre hment'!'
O \\ t h i wac; why I had
come to I long Kong . . .
My first meeting" a-. typical of those to follow:
I entered a v a t J,.y-,craper. ·Citybunl-. Plata'. and
got into live ' ' rong escalator.. before I found the
correct one. linall) arrh ing on the correct noor.
There wa.., a ...uitably o'>lentatiou-; marble front
desl-.. " i t h two auractive ccretarie.., manning it.
and deliciou'>l) comfortable leather upholstery
(while reading the r f . Of COUr'ie) .
'JP' . a friend of a friend. was the twenty -for
year-old a-.si-.tant manager of Asia Debt
1anagcment. He had agreed to talk to me about
Asian-bu'>ines'> . I was received in the Conference
Room. He wa'>n·t that much older than I. Perhaps
I wouldn·t come home. We chatted for a while
about what hi., lirm did. and its function in the
wider picture: I '><>On guided him onto how I could
get out here. We retired bel<)\\ to the gentlemen·.,
bar below. a bar where the upwardly mobile relax
and discus ab olute ly nothing that wa.;n'tmoney
related . . . thi1-oi what it\ all about. I thought.
I had been told that it w a JP's father to w hom
I real ly needed to try and get an introduc tion. He
i!>Peter Churchhouse. Managing Director of one
the biggest inve\ttnent banks in the wor ld. and
con!>equen tly. one of the mo...t important men in
A!>ian busine'>s. JP promi ed t o introduce us and to
'>how me a lillie of Hong Kong by night. Our
meeting concluded with an exchange of. phone
numbers: mine '>Cribb led on the back of a ctgarette
packet. his on an appropriate!) gold-edged
bu,ine.,.., card . . . I felt that I had been returned
firmly to 111) place.
Having had a couple of bad experience in
gra..,sroots re taurant'>. I wa'> to have a further taste
of London in Ilong Kong. I w a meeting Lianne
Taylor. in The Red Devil' - Lan Kwai Fong.
· ow. you are to call Lianne ac; c;oon as you get
there. She·111ool-. after) ou·. I had been told. I w a
staying in a -.chool. one of a group of <;chooJ,
owned by a friend in England. Lianne ran all ix
schoob. managing the forty or so young girb. ' ho
taught in them. Whenever I had a spare evenrng. I
gav e L ianne a cal l and she would kindly organize
for some of these teacher to how me Hong Kong
by night. Look arter me he certainly did.
1 was to find Lianne and fr iends. al l !.tanding on
a table at the back of a surprisingly western
looking pub. all pa ionately cheering England on
in a ' Five Nation:.· match. Had I really left home?
A':. I looked around. I could not ':.ee one Hong
Kong Chine!.c face. and C\Cf)'Onc cheered in vef)'
Engli!.h acccms.
On another ocea'>ion I "a!> taken out to dinner
by an English banl-.er. I '>ugge-.ted Chine'e as a
!>Uitable :.t) le of cubine con\idcring our location:
after tr) ing humorou\l) to di,.,uade me. he took
me to an American Chinese restaurant. A ' my <;tay
in Hong Kong went on. I wa' to find hi!. :.cenario
or
80
or
sadl) typical
WC!>tern attitude in A ia. There
are so many_ wc terner!>. or ·gualo•; a-. they call
themselves. 111 I long Kong, that they mo tl} keep
to them<,clvc-.. The we tern hu-.ine-..,man work<.
largely v. ith other'' e'>temcr.,. and thcn they all go
on to the \\e'>tem pub . which arc simply an
extension of the office.
l questioned man} of the bu-.ine 'rnen I met on
what I sav. a-. thi'> rather sad behaviour. and the}
all candidly \aid that it wa., '>imply the \\ay things
worked out there. One banker \aid that it
originated fr?m the weo,tern propcn'>it) to get
drunk. a de 1re completcl) ab...ent from Chinc'e
culture. Howe,er. the cultural d i ' i'ion between
we<,tem and the bleaknes'> and povert) of the Ea!.t.
onl} a fe'' '>treeh away. I found to be alarmino.
Surveying Hong Kong from abO\ e. '>tandin!!
o u t ide at the very top of I ISBC headquarters. was
a truly r markable experience. The building i!!>elf
was a thmg of bcauty: reminiscent of a glor ified
Mcccano building. a far larger ver:,ion or the
L l yd_'s Buildin in London. L ike t he Lloyd's
Build1ng. the 1nnurd (everyt hing from air
conditioning to luvatoric ) arc suspended on the
OUL\ide of the building.
. A part of an individual guided tour of perhap.
!>1111 the world's 1110\t expcn'i'e buildiM. I wa..,
admitted to the moms of the Chairman of the Bank
where gold ami \ecurity guard'> were distributed in
equall) lavi'>h mea'>ures. The Conference Room
w s perf ctl} regal: the 1\\ent)-foot high, 12-inch
th1ck solid -.teeI dlX)i" opened into the 'ast room.
amply lilled b) an oval-!.haped table that could sit
perhaps lift) . su pended around the table. wa a
llla'>S of nat. gold edged tele\ i'>iOn 'crecns. u ed
for intemationul tele-conferencing. Sitting in the
im
Ill)
Chairman\
chair.
addrc ...sinoe
1oinary aJ. embly. .gave me a minute glimpse of
' hat it mtght be like at the 'cry top of this profe
-.ion.
Finally.I,.i ited thc vault. at the very bottom of
the . one-hundred-and-twenty-storey building.
Hav1ng had my peNm extensively ...earched by
three ashen-faced individuals. I was led throuf!h
the_one-hundred-thou and-pound (weight) d o o r - .
unf ortunately. no gold! I did not know quite what
to expct:t. What I was show n was a Bodleian
Library of deposit boxes.
HSBC taught me the function!. of the banking
!>)stem. and the workings of its various conMituent
parts.
The itinerary which I followed gave me a taste
of the !>Ort of life that I would like to lead in the
future. whether tn I long Kong. or cl-.ewhere. My
travel grant ha., also enabled me t o make contact:,
o
year
with placing.
indi-.iduab \\hO have helped me with a oap
Rory MacFarlane
Be r l i n, K r a k o w , a n d
Prague
Looking back on the time v. hen wc ''ere
applying for our tra\el grant. 11 i-; hard to believe
how na'i\e we had been. Equipped with a couple of
tourist guidebooks. a bit of money and enormou
cksacks, we embarked upon a journey having no
1dea what to expect. Would we meet confusion.
ceptici m. dbillusionment. and bittemc.,-,? We
had not the fainte t idea. The extent of our
prepar.uion had consi!>ted of mad da\hC'> around
London. trying to find the Youth Hm.tel
Association. travel in'>urancc linn-.. tourist oflicc!.
and mO!->t important!) our inter-rail pa-.se and
train booking .
I t ha), to be uid that our attitude., towards our
fellow traveller at the ))tart of the journey were
somewhat different from those at the end of a two
and-a-ha lf-wee k treJ. t hrough Europe. T he
apparent Engl i/ih charm had di:-.appea red after
tumbling onto the platform of Berlin Bahnhoff in
the early h?ur!> of onday morning. hav ing
endured an etght-hour JOUrney from Brus!.els and
given our eat to 1 \\0 young German ladie:, for
reasons best known to ourselve\. Having '>pent the
whole morning trying to lind a youth ho'>tel for
les:, than £I 0 a night. the clo e!>l we came ''as
about £14. Exhau'>ted from havin!! to luo our
inc edibly heav) backpack., arouncl the cit). we
dec1dcd we would Ia) there a nioht and look for
altem li' es in the mornmg. It to;k a '>urpri-.ingly
long ume to find what little remain!-> of the Wall. :1'>
all it now consists of arc '>ome stripe; of a fe"
metre... We vi ited \Ome of the more famou.,
landmark!. .,uch a<, the notorious Checkpoint
Charlie. where crowd<, '>eethcd bacJ.. and forward"
unhinder d - u imaginable a fe\\ decade ago. A
few hea' ily fonilied watchtower' -.till '>IOod in the
wasteland. in mernof) of all tho-.e that had failed
in their de\perate bids to cro'> the nrcat divide to
reunite with one another.
:>
The diiTerenccs between East and We t Berlin
are much more numerous and not iceable than we
ad initial ly expected. The West was buu i ng nnd
lively and still 111 the proce of rehuildino itself
into the fine city it u-;ed to be. The Ea:;t , on the
other hand. is much gloomier. The hou.,ing is poor
and dilapidated. There is h!'> variety with regard
to shops although it attracts many more tourists
than western Berlin to i h bars and club-. during its
peak o;eason.
Having finall) !>ecured '>Ome ticket-. to Krakow.
the two of us. two Wel'>hmen. and a '>tudent from
Birmingham '"hom we met in Berlin and were
now tra,·e lling " i t h . left Berlin in the hope that we
would awake to ee our dc-.tination. We were not
81
able to sleep despite having paid extra ror a
couchene. The police checked our cabin three
times throughout the night to be sure that we were
English and Lhat our pa sports were genuine. The
ticket collector paid u a few visit!. as well, which
mea111 Lhat the door to our cabin was opening and
clo!.ing all night. We were not surprised when we
awoke. having hau no more than a couple of
hours· sleep. to find that Birmingham. our friend.
as he was known. had had one hundred pounds
stolen from his money belL We spent the whole
morning filling in Polish statements in the police
station along with around five other innocent
Lravellers who had also been robbed.
Having had one of the worst nights po!>sible . we
left the police station with parched throats and
empty st omachs in hunt of some good. cheap,
Polish breakfast. The weather wa!> fantastic and
we are breakfast in the magnificelll market quare
where Schindler had done the majority of his work
and where t he film was fi lmed. The architecture
real ly
was
striking
lavish
and
elaborately decorateu.
There was something quite magical about
>itting at du k in a quiet cafe. to the side of this
elegalll town square. in the original capital
Poland. hundreds of m i b from England. gently
sipping at a delicious Polii>h local brew whilst
wa t ching the sLreet enterwiner<> perform in front of
u . Every hour the blissful silence w a broken by
a piper from the top Of one of tWO great towers in
the corner of the square. He blew a haunting
melody ending on a plaintive high note. as if
abruptly cut off. Thi<> we were told was a tribute to
one of the trumpeter' forebear!.. who. on
attempting to warn his fellow citizens of a Tartar
attack. was suddenly silenced by an arTow in his
throat . . .
Krakow really was incredible. The locals were
unbelievably friendly. and accommodation at
increuible prices. such a!> £3 a night in a youth
hostel. enticed us 10 tay. It has been completely
spared by the war and remains in perfect Baroque
order. It has lines of its k i n g entombed in the
vaults of t he Wawel, a va t brick fortress that ri e:-.
over the spires and gable of t he city. The most
impressive characteristic of Krakow turned out t o
be the L inen Hall. which was t he beaut iful market.
situated in the centre of the square selling produce
from the local villa!!es.
One morning we journeyed down towards the
concentration camps at Auschwitz. not kno A ing
really what to expect. It turned out to be not ju st a
war
memorial but also a profit-making
organisation which. in our view. eriously lacked
rc pect for all tho e who died as a result of Lhc
biggest lie in hi tory: freedom is work. The
urrounding area contained variou tourist
or
attrac t ions and cafes which. quite frankly.
disgusted us.
Still with our three friend!. from Berlin. we
awoke on a uirty Czech pavement at our last
destination having arrived wo late the previou
night to find accommodation. Czechoslovakia •.vas
completely different from Poland. Prague
combined beauty akin to Krakow with an ecstatic
at mosphere. TI1e architecture is a mixture of
impo!>ing Gothic carhedrab and castles and small.
twisting cobbled streets and square.o.,. Again prices
for accommodation . food and entertainment were
all extraordinarily low. We rt!gularly ate out a a
group. an experience which had previously been
too cxpen:.ive. and it was great going at last to a
country where the majority of Lhe public had a
good knowledge of English. Travelling in Eastern
Europe certainly taught us the value of knowing
foreig n languages! We spent most of our time in
the very lively but unfort unately overcrowded Old
Town Square. renowned for its fascinating mult i
dial led medieval ast ronomical clock . From Prague
we headed home exhausted. diny. but hardened
travel lers. having spent. possibly. two of the most
incredible eye-opening weeks away that a couple
of young men could ever possibly spend rogether.
Tom Procter and Charlie Cox
JP's
BARBERSHOP
Prof essional, traditional
and modem hair cutting.
By appointment
or walk-in.
Long Street, Sherborne
(01935) 815501
82
In H o r a c e ' s Footsteps
The rough plan of m} Tran l Grant joume) ''a"'
to ny IIllO Rome. travel down to Brindic;i. croc;s
o'er to Greece and then to ny home from A then
a fortntght after arriving in Italy. The itinerary wa!l
largely that or the poet Horace (whom Third Form
Latinist'> know affcction<ttcly a 'Quintu ·), ' ho
joined the emperor AuguMus on a diplomatic
mi., ion and recorded the journey in an irreverent
poem.
·
Looking back. I now lind that my journey hal. a
certain form "hich I felt but could not articulate
while tra\clling. mther in the wuy that the rom1 of
u piece of 'music remuins ob...cure during
performance. There i:. a loo...e ' ) mmetry : cupped
hy vi'>ih to two loud. crumbling citie\ and by time
in mountain re!!ion.... the heart of the trip was a
long enchantment with the ocean. There b abo a
...erie... of eontra!>ling pairs: Italy, Greece: Rome,
At hens: city. country ide: mountain!>. !>Ca.
I wa' thru\1 into Rome on a mugg) April day,
and felt immediately opprcs!.cd by tl. I ha\'e
'i\itt:d hi.,toric citit:s before. but ne,er one "ho..,e
pa'lt .,cemed -.uch <tn encumbmnce. where the
pre\ent\ energ} was made to \CCill almost a
collap-.c in contrast " i t h the ob.,cene glory of
b)gone da) s. I remember a ma'" ol An cricam.
emerging from their tour bu:.e'> to ' \ ' arn1 mto the
Fontm a... i f the} were maggot!> invading a corpse.
I '>pent the re t of the day in Vatican City. <;ensing
it" eerie lai.v.wziaire :.o emnity a mon(..., and nun!.
went about their bu!>iness in the <,treel.
The only rea on I visited hi:.torical ...iglw. i ' to
remind my elf of the living pa t. to catch a whiff
of what Tre,elyan called 'the poctr) of hi,tot) ' :
but in Rome I wa' ubmittcd to con,Hlnt harf) ing.
Finall). I began to pretend I " a \ French, after
"hich I " a \ left alone. But I went bacl-. out on to
the '>trcch at night. and at high over the Forum as
breete'> o,craped awa) the day''> muggine....... and I
began patient!} to dig for that hi,toric :.ense.
Skinny cat'> nitted back llild forth between the
barrier .
In A thc n I remembered the lesson. I had been
met at the Mation by a S wb ' with wide. tcrrilied
t:ye-. and hair by Electric Shock . He. had '>Cem d
\urpri,ing and dubious enough....o I followed htm
to \eedy accommodation. That night. I trudged up
to
a\
clo e
to
the
Acropoli.,
a\
po,,ible. Abandoned ..tn:eb. punctuated b) lo\ cr.. fed into
glo\\ ing all-ntght '>quare . until the lo\cr'> become
more frequent and the lit ...quare., dropped off
behind U'> and there was the city. glittering . . . The
next day I lool-.cd in at a shop advertising 'The
Poet/Shoemaker of Athcn...·. and wm, :.miled at
from behind a pile of leather and books. Having
regi'>tered thi'> level of intere\t. I wa'> handed a
shot-gla -. or Greek coffee-mud "'hich '>Omehm\
reel-.ed of leather. He talked about Homer and
Ca' af). hi., C ) C'- trained to the sandal'> on h i ' lap.
Thc\e "ere the t\\ o loud. weal) citie.... But I
d o n · , think of them when 1 recall thi!> trip. I
thin(.. of the mountain., I visited. and the scu.
One afternoon I woke up in a grimy white room
with a drip stuck into m) right arm. I wasn't at all
.,hocl-.ed. dc pite the fact that I couldn't understand
what it ww; they were pumping into my blood.
Memories of the pa't day lowly re-!>urfaccd . I had
been ufft:ring from mu..,cle-aches. 'hi,cr., and
diarrhoea for around three da)!. ('/-lie ego propta
aquam ·. Horace \ay .... ·,·emri indico bel/mn. '). I
had followed the hand-painted sign., of a word I
thouuht meant 'doctor·. and had found two
unsh ' en men blowing smoke ring!> and sipping
(Or rather. \liCking) at g l a \\e or the Cll!>lOillar)
coffee-mud. I had asked. in barely-exiMent Greek,
i f they knew where I might find a doctor: one or
them had answered in !lawless Engli'>h that I wa'
lookinu at two of them. After a look-o,er I had
been t xied to ho.,pital in the nearest large town.
v. here I had eollap...ed. (When I pa '>cd b<tcl-.
through that tO\\ n I bought tho e 'doctor · a pack
of M;rlboro-. and left on their desk ,.,ith a note:
T hank you -good health and long life.· The pack
under..cored b) u huge go,emment health
warning incomprehen ible to me and undoubted()
ignored by them.)
The upshot of all thi::. w a that l was forced to
abandon my plan to vbit Tiryn!>. Mycenae and
Epid;wru!. and 'pend rour or five day!. recovering
from 'nu (and not. a I had first suppo cd. from
the dreaded Mother Or All Hangover,.,). From the
coast. I \\:t'> dragged up into the heart of Arcadia
on a racl-.-and-pinion raih\a) built b)' Italian
engineer... in the 1890,. I tayed in one of the mo\t
rtJaJ d llage... I ha\ e C\ cr come acros\. The peace
wa.-, ruthlc!-'> and ill\ igorating. One evening when
L was feeling •.trongcr I made my way up to a
mona!>tery by way of a rough donkey-trail. The
mona'>tery con i.,ted only of a plaster wall bolted
over a series of caves. But the one room they did
manaoe wa!-. gorgeous wi th gold and icons
screa ing or the Ea l. with crucifixes heavy with
gemstone!>. Blad..-bearded Ra:-.putins leered at my
curiosit) for the whole of I l l ) \ i!oit.
I left Zuhloriou h) wall-.ing down the railway
track. which took me ju't under four hour... I felt
'ibrant " i t h health and vef) Indiana Jone...-lil-.c
(ye.... e\en more than u'>ual). particular!) \\hen I
had to jump down onto a cliff-ledge and hang on
to a tree while the train trundled p<L'>t. The tecp
blunt mountain'> amid t which I had \et off
rounded into hill!-, which then melted and were
absorbed into the natlands. until the rail w a u
"a"
83
ribbon of white cradled by lemon trees and
buzzing with energy. And then to the sea.
What remain at the sea-bottom of all thel.e
recollections is the afternoon I spent wandering
along the pocked rocky shoreline outside a tiny
Apulian fishing village not far from Quimu:.'
hometown. while the sea erupted inro spouts
around me. then collapsed to :-laver off the riddled
surface. I threw rocks at the ocean. or sorred brief,
future less rhythms rung to the sea's sound:
To watch the water writhing in the rocb.
The rowboat!. rubbing in the bay.
The fishers scrubbing by the docks.
And sailboats by the brisk wind-, lashed
Which spur the ocean into spray:
Then break the orbit of the bay
To ce the ocean on the shoreline smashed.
I gained from that journey what I will always
get from going alone: the anonymity, the freedom
from an established personality to preserve or fall
back on: but most of all a rich solitude, a solitude
utterly withou t lonelines . Of course. aI l l saw was
a landscape: but it was a landscape refracted
through solitude. and seen. for that reason.
somehow more clearly.
Jame!> Kierstead
The S e a r c h for t he Cid
Burgos: The Home Of El Cid
Burgos is a city which is very proud of its hero
'Don Rodrigo Diaz'. otherwise known a!-1 ·EI Cid'.
"hich means 111i jf 'lior. The city has many
monuments to show it pride. However. without
doubt the most impressive monument. as is indeed
believed throughout Spain. is the cathedral. Mo!->t
towns had a church and statues. Small cities like
Burgos had huge cathedrals. The tomb or the Cid
i housed within the cathedral. His remains have
been moved on variou:-. occasions. They St<U1Cd orr
in the Monasterio de Cardefia but in a buge
procession. to coincide with its seventh centenary
celebration. on the 20th July. 1921. they were
moved to the cathedral. After visiting the
cathedral. we found a description of the tomb in a
leaflet: 'Many touriMs find themselvc . urprised.
They expect something else: they do not catch on
to the fact that the mau oleum i:. the entire
cathedral.· Another particular link to ·EJ Cid' in
the :athedra l is the Carla de Arras. Written by El
Cid himself. in Latin. it is a letter of marriage as
traditionally sent by the bridegroom to the bride.
The most prominent feature of Burgos in
relation to the Cid is probably a :-.tatute by Juan
Crist6bal. Situated just outside the Plaza Major of
Burgos. it is a huge monument siwatcd on a
roundabout and not ca y to mis:-.! Not only is it a
great work of an. but it perhaps demonstrates the
fact that the city will never forget their greatest
hero of all time.
The Solar del Cid was a monument erected in
the time or CarlO!. Ill. It <.ignifie Lhc place in
which El Cid rested before selling out on hi-; route
into exile. This monument. with its three pillars.
commemorates two other things: firstly, the
Jewish jewel traders who were the people who
bought El Cid's treasures (nothing more than
chests rilled with sand- but bought on account of
his valour): secondly. it is a reminder of the Moors
whom El Cid drove out of Spain.
The Puerta Santa Matia is a very prominent
monument in Burgo!->. It i!> very impressive. It is by
no means the gate into lhe city today. for the cit y
ha!> sprawled across the other ide of the river and
along the banks, leaving the gate more of a central
point in the city. The main figure in the monument
il> the Virgin who is the guard ian angel of the city.
Alongside this gate is a bridge on which there is
something ca lled the 'Hito Cidiano' which
commemorates the place in which El Cid camped
84
en route to hi-, exile. Thi., i-. peculiar. ince that i<.
precisely what the Solar del Cid claims to be.
The!,e contradiction-, ha' e pre..umably ri,en out of
myths \Un'<)Unding El Cid. H i existence i not in
doubt. but <..ome of the fact!> '>Ccm to ha'e been
altered for effect on ocea-,ion-,.
In the Cathedral one can find the ·cofre del
Cid' ' ' hich i " the che"t ' ' hich he u-.cd for
the '>tone" and and ' ' hich he ' ol d on to the Jew,.
T h i i-; one of the mo'>t re pcctcd relic'>. for 11
ha'> a strange aura.
Santo Domin go De Silos
Thi!. i-. a mona'>tl.!n " h i c h i'> famou-. for many
rea.">On<... not \Olcly on account of i t tcnuou Link
with the Cid. l i e did indcl.!d v b tt thil>
tine mona tery and wa., good friendl> with the
Abad Domingo. l ie went in .,earch of aid and ,helter and he found it here. The mona tcry il>
famous for
its Ro man c loiMers and for its
Gregorian chtlnt.
The cloister is a magnificent work of art. Each
of the !.ixty pillars ha., i t own hand-crafted image
'culpted into it. and the corner pillar<.,
have incredibly well-crafted Bible scene . To
visit it really "a<.. a wonderful experience. The
"hol e place had a very
trong -.en-.c of
harmony and tranquillit). which you can not lind
in many other place!>. The Gregorian chant i., now
world-famouc; and ha'> performed con,i!>tcntl)
well in the cla \ical mu.,ic chart., 111 the la-.t
fe\\ years. We were VCI') fortunate to hear it in
a \crvice which we ' ' o n ' t forget.
Soria: Th e Second Leg
A
i-. vi!.ible from the map. the Cid tra\elled
only aerO'>'> a small area or Soria. The ncare t place
of intere\t to the route i'> a tO\\ n called El Burgo de
o m a . Thi'> i-. c:la......ified a 10\\11 of lOUri!.tic
intere\t. a it ha\ been <;ince 1962. the \tart of the
boom of touri!.m which hit Spain in lht.: la!.t d .:cade
n f Franco·., dictator\hip. T hb to'' n ha' a lot
to
otTer it<. vi..,itor'>. It i., cxtre111ely pretty and gave a
very good !.Cll!.C of a traditional Spani!.h town. The
town has little to do with the Cid. but there are
<.ome sites which rcature trongly in the poem.
San Esteban de Gormtll is the !.llppo ed place
\\here the daughter., of' thl.! Cid took '>helter af'ter
they had been re\c.:ued from being beaten and left
for dead b) their husband\. the ln fantes
de Carri6n. T h i ' rape I'> 110\\ thought to bt.:
fictional. hut it doc' make up almo'>t half of the
poem.
lantpalo'> ' ' al\o ncar to Burgo de 0!-.ma. T h i '
il> ''here. a!> dt.:scribl.!d in the po .:m. El Cit! ht d a
'i.,ion of
the Archangel Gabriel t dl i n g
him.
·Knight. oh good champion Cid. no man h a' C\er
ridden \\ ith \UC.:h uestin) . . T h i ' rne\!>:tge. that he
\ \ a ' to hme a \pcctal de'>tin). made El Cid get up
85
and ride o f f ' ' ith \Uch force that no ann). howe\ cr
big. could possibly haYe <;topped him. Thi!> wa\ the
force that drove the Cid to h i ' 'ictorie., for
he ahnty.., belie\ed that he \ \ l l \ cho<..en hy
Got! to remove the Moor\ from Spain. and that
he wa., lighting a holy cru,ade in the name of
God.
Calatayud: Th e La n d Of Th e 1\ ool3
Thi'> to\\ n i ' kno\\., for i t\
l oort!>h tO\\ cr-.
and architecture becau.,e the Moor., inYaded it
and inhabited it between 716 AD and the
ele\enth cenwry. The official history of the tO\\ 11
\a}., that it was re-conquered by Alfonso. hut i t
may have been acwally recaptured b) El Cid
con idering it was on the route he took into e \ile
and he would have left no s.uch place intact.
Perhaps it w a a few year-. later when Alfonso El
Batalladur came along and took over the tower
completely.
The 10\\n i ' full of Mudcjar architecture, a
Gmhic -.lyle lt:xlurc ornamented with !he
dccoralivc '>I) le of )<,Iamie archilecture. Together.
thc"e !.lyles arc imcrcsting and attraclive. ear to
Calmayud ; , the Mona.,lerio de Piedra. a very
bcau1iful natural park and mona\tCI)' renowned in
touri't circle<.,. Thi'> ha'> no o b ' iow.. link to the Cid
;Jnd -.o "<I'> not on the li't of place., we intended to
\ 1\iL HO\\C\er. ''e \\ere glad to have had the
opponunit) to \ee it.
The rhcr J1loca i-. a beautiful rher between
Calata) ud and Daroca. and one ' ' hich El Cid
foiiO\\Cd on h1s wa) into cxile.
Da roca: Th e End
Daroca i'> a beautiful tov.n in the ea t of Spain.
It i ' a walled town dating from the Middle Age .
Thc walb of 1hc city were obviou!.ly built
originally a<., a mean of defence. but after the
frontier ball les t ypical of the Midd le Ages ended,
1hc wa lls became a ...ymbol of power and of
prestige for the city they -;urround. I n Daroca !here
is a fine route round all the wealth of ancicnt
monument!.: churches. convelll . ca\tlcs. and even
a palace. Danx:a reall) doc'> havc a history to be
proud of. Thc Caslillo Major i ' a fine example of
a Moori'h cu\tle in what u\ed to be Muslim
occupied Spain. A ' in mo"l of rural Spain. the
people ' ' ho live in thi., 1 0 \ \ n are ver) proud of it
and "h:u it st< nd., for. One memon that we could
not fail to take awa) "ith u' from our time in
Spain was that thc people arc friend!).
To -.ay \\e cnjo}ed oursehes in Spain \\OUid be
<111 understatement. Thc countf} exceeded all our
expectation!> and a'>piration'> . The trip with Dr.
Such for Chi., Champion and Adam Wood wa!. a
brilliunt ..tart. and v.hen \ \ C continued on our
travel-., " e found that we could enjn) our...che!>
equally on our own. We would like to thank the
Travel Grant Commiuec for our award. We had a
more pcr..tmal experience of Spain and an in ight
into wh at Spain i really liJ..e.
Una estancia en
Madrid
86
Adam Wood. Chris Champion
and Derek Rol.cwel l
Estoy escribiendo este ar1fculo para contar algo
de mi visita a Madrid. La visita. organizada r or mi
profesor. rue estupenda: lo pasamos bomba.
Despues de levantarnos a las tres y media de Ia
manana. J legamos al aeropu rto de Barajas en
Madrid a las doce y media. Eramos unos veinte
chicos y tres profeso res. M e aloje con una familia
espanola. que tenfan dos chicas. de nueve y cuatro
aiios. Hable mucho en espaiiol con los
padres. cspecialmente
dunuue
Ia
cena.
Eran
muy impaticos, amables y generosos. Nos
alojarnos en un barrio de Madrid que se llama
Alcobenda s. Tod a las noches dormf muy bien.
porque estaba muy cansado.
D urante los dfas hicimos vis itas y excursione!> y
saque unas fotos estupendas. El Parque de
Atraccione!-. rue uno de los sitios que mas me
gustaron. Fuimos a ver clo pinacotecas famosas
en Madrid. En cl Museo del Prado. que e taba
cerca del Parque del Buen Retiro. v i muchos
cuadros espec taculares. pcro a mi modo de vcr cl
musco era demasiado grande para ver en una hora
y trcinta minutos. Es una lastima que no hayamos
tenido suficiente tiempo. El M useo de Ia Reina
Soffa era supervanguardista. Aunque no me
encanta el artc. cl museo me imprcsion6 mucho.
L a s obras de Dalf y PicaS!-.O son extraiias
pero tiencn un gran impacto.
Para el almuerzo comimos en restaurantes
tfpicos cerca de los lugares que visitamos.
Tomumos muchas com idas tradic iomlle!> tales
como los callos (que eran asquerosos). Ia tortilla
espanola, las patata<; bravas. churros con chocolate
por cl desayuno, Ia morcilla. y mucho mas. Por las
noches salf con m is amigo:-. al centro comercial.
H k e varias excursiones en tren: a Segovia. donde
comimos cochinil lo: a Toledo y a Cordoba. adonde
viaje en el AVE; al Escorial y al Valle de
l os
Cafdos. donde csta cnterrado Franco - Ia cruz y Ia
iglesia son exquisitas.
Madrid y las otras ciudades que visit amos eran
inolvidables. Las calles eran pintore cas y los
edi ficios esp lendidos. E
una lastima que
no hayamos podido ver una corricla de toros o
una fiesta. L o que menO!) me gusto fueron los
viajes.
Pero. aunque algunas persona!> diccn que el
transporte publico no era eficaz. no estoy de
acuerdo. El tiempo fue un poco decepcionante.
porque habfa mucha lluv ia y no hacfa sol: y
me habrfa gustado mas ulojar mc cerca del cemro
de Ia ciudad.
L a proxima ve7. que v isite Espana. tengo gana
de quedarme mas tiempo en el p<tfs. porque no
tuvimos suf icientc tiempo para hacerlo todo. Si
nos hubieramos decidido quedarnos en un hotel.
habrfa
cstropeado
Ia
estancia.
porque
no habrfamos hablado espaiiol. En ge neral
me encant6 mi vis ita. El proximo verano.
voy a explorar mas ciududes. y espero que va
a hacer buen t iempo.
Jacob Britten
X7
Leon 2 0 0 0
Nucstra segunda visita a Ia hermosfsima ciudad
de Le6n rcsult6. igual que Ia primera. un exito
arrollador. Cuatro horas de clases cada
manana (gramarica. conversaci6n y cultura).
visital. cultw·ales. excursiones a las montaiias y a Ia
playa. sin olvidar alguna v isita al Barrio Humed
o para cmpaparse en e l ambicnte leones. Los alu
mnos de Sherborne no tardaron en adaptarse al
horario espaflol: pero - claro esta - lo diffcil es
volver a adaptarse despues a las costumbres
inglesas. Y las entrevistas . . . nunca se olvidanl el
encuentro de
Chris Filbey. Chris Champion, Adam Wood y
James Kierstead con el venerable Pri or-Abad don
Antonio Viiiayo y Ia rcacci6n de este ante las
preguntas 'agresiva · de Adam. Y este aiio. gracias
a un par de sinvergi.ienzas. por poco perd emol> al
autocar para regresar a Madrid. Bueno. en realidad
a nadi e lc habrfa importad o demasiado quedarse
quince dias mas en Leon.
P.T.S.
- -
- ·..
'
The Old Vicarage
Sherborne Road, Milborne Port, D orset DT9 SAT
Th e O ld Vicarage
siruated at the edge of the village of Milborne P o n ,
two miles from Sherborne,
offers accommodation with breakfast during the week
and dinner, bed and breakfast at weekends
Both accommodation and food are of the highest standard
and are recommended by
The Good Hotel Guide and The Good Food Guide, among others.
For more information pl ease look at our web site www.milborneport.freeserve.co.uk
or ask for a brochure on telephone (01963) 251117 or facsimi le (01963) 251515
88
B o w e n Prize 2 0 0 0
Henn· F w T i .l ll'll.l mrwued the Bowen Histor\'
Pri:.e (open to Ullrer Si.\th hi.Horiam) 2000forth ·
e.uay puhli1hed l1e!ow:
'When and why did government!. cease to care
about the religion of their wbjects?'
For the la.,t t\\ o thousand ) car., the imponance
of religion. particularly Chri-.tianity. ha., had a
constantly changing role in \OCiety. and therefore
also in government. In the day., of St. Thoma
Aquinas. religion \\a'> the cemre of all decisions
regarding the conduct of a population. and indeed
governmenh them'>elve.., would ha\ e been largely
based around and upon the rcligiou leaders and
their beliefs. What wa.., !.aid by the gO\ ernmemal
leade r was merely accepted by the largely
uneducated people. not nece!> arily because they
wanted and actively chose to follow the Church.
but bet.:ause there wa:-. little or no alternative and it
il> likely t hat t hey would not be enlightened
enough actually 10 be able to choose to separate
from the Church.
The lir-;t imponant tep in the gradual proces
of the dbestablil>hment or Engli!>h government
from religion. wa' l lenr) V I I I\ , mO\ement away
from the Roman Catholic Church and the
establishment of the Church of England. Thi wa::.
one of the first time-. that go\·ernment had been
made distinct from religion. and -.o had put itself
above one form of religion. and e5.tabli hed
another in it'> place.
However. religion wa!> ' t i l l undoubtedly very
important in the attitude' of the government
towards it'> ...ubject-.. It take., onl) an examination
of the action of Ed\\ard V I and Mal) Tudor and
the thousand-. of mmtyf" (both Prote:-.tant and
Roman Catholic) to -.ce hO\\ important religion
still wa.<,. Another landmark. then, would have to
be the coming of democntcy. capitalism and
indeed education. Thi!> po '>ibly tarts in the
eighteenth century wi th the Enlightenmcm writers.
such as Voltaire. who ought to educate the largely
subserv ient masse of society. These ideas were
first put into practice in 1789 in the French
Revolution, during which time the King and the
Roman Catholic Church were both removed a!> the
conlrolling factor in French society. What
became far more important for the ntler!> of the
time were the political views of tho!.e
enfranchi'>ed. and the degree of political
representation the) wanted . Periodically through
the nineteenth century rdigion would narc up
again in imponance. a' a ruler 'uch as Charles X
would I I ) to rein'>t<lle the government and Church
al-. being :.ynonymou!>. However. \uch primitive
views no longer had a place in \\l!'itcrn cuhurc.
and the mall suppon that he did have for uch a
rule dwindled away into in ignilicance.
Britain in the nineteenth centul') also tried hard
to eparate religion from government. and witJl
some degree of ucce-,-,. For in!.tance. the power
and innuence of the Church(es) \\a., con tamly
being reduced through different stage of liberal
reforn1s. The!>e reforms. which echoed the mood
of a progre '>ive century. tried to O\cnhrow the
long-establi hed ari<,tocratic/ecclesia\tical rule of
Britain. and to replace it with a pro!.perous
democracy. Thi-. arguably came about hecau e of
the rising of the middle cla!>'e'. whose new-found
money became an ob:-.e sion and for whom the
potential to earn more of it became far more
evidently important than any spiritual values.
Rel igion was still impcmant . not because many of
the polit icians. save perhaps Gladstone . actually
cared about religion in itself. but because it
became a tool that could he used to win votes. I f a
government could be shown to be liberal and
progressive enough to allow and indeed encourage
cvcral different religion (und wa<,n't obviou.;ly
too protective of the Church of England) then it
would work to the pan)·, ad\·amage in the same
way as i f they were eager to help the poor.
Religion has therefore obviou.,ly had a change
of role. both in ociety and in the government's
agenda- it ha<, 'become .,ubordinatc to the '>tate·.
However. at no time o far in hi-.tor) have
governments. in Britain at an} rate. ceased
completely to care about the religion of their
subjects. But is-;ues ...uch a., money and power
have become far more important. T h i
is principal!) becau<;e money and power arc
material thing . the importance of which can
ca..il}
be felt and proved within a -.ocicty.
Religion. however. is something spiritual. to be
believed through faith. and indeed is not accepted
or recognbed by each and every
ubject u
the concern of the government. as money i!-.
Money is therefore a far more useful political
tool
to nttract voters than religion. In
there i.
a choice of
democracy. a
governments. each need to sound appealing. from
a material point of view, to stand any chance of
obtaining power. In the pa.,l. however. there was
simply a king and no alternative. so the ruler
would not have needcd to !>eem attractive to
potential upportef".
It is therefore not that government<; cea<;ed to
care about religious belief.,. but simp!) that a!> the
church became .,eparated from go-.cmment,
religion became le ., and lc-.-. imponant and indeed
became subordinate to money and power.
89
A short quiz for t h e e n d l es s vacation
Foreword
Over the summer holidays. I came across an imeresting qui-;.from a past Shirburnian maga::.ine of 40
years 'vintage. It seemed so in touch with life here toda_): I reproduce i t ,for your amusement. with only
the most minor of modificmions - little seems t o hm•e changed. in some respects. during the last
generation!
G.B-E.
Gentlemen of King·:, School. Sherborne.
whether you know it or not. you are being
subjected to enormous pressures. From the very
moment that you enter this ancient foundation
you are being measured up for the mould that all
Shirburnians !)ince King Alfred have been
squeezed into. From the moment that you first
put on your Freeman's herringbone suit you are
on the way to perfection. For the doubtles:.
bargain price of £15,750 a year (excluding
di!>count i f you arc clever enough), you are being
turned into a jolly good chap. You are becoming
a PUBLIC SCHOOLBOY - for better or for
WOr!>e.
But lately thi!> system seems to have been
faltering. The high image of the public schoo l type
i:-. fading fa.\t. Soon there may only be an image
left i f the public schools are to be abolished. What
is to be done?
Gentlemen. we must examine ourselves!! Do
we come up to the high standard expected of a
public schoolboy'? Or is that Mandard itself bogus?
Are we true Shirbumians and what is a true
Shirburnian? Moreover (and this is a question
which concerns everyone) which of us is most
likely to be given places of responsibility here.
What chance have you got in the rat-race? Fellow
rodents. let us try the following test.
I. Which do you enjoy most?
a. Afternoon !>chool.
b. Watching the l st XV
c. Morning chapel
d. School disco
4. (For V /tit formers) /11 Sixth Form Lectures
do you
a. Listen attentively?
b. Just groan at the poorer joke!>?
c. Fall a leep?
5. What would you rather be?
a. A Happy !larry
b. An Olympic sport man
c. The Prime Minister
d. Headmaster
e. Yoursel f
6. How big are your trouurs round the bottom?
a.18-17ins.
b.161h-16inl..
c. 151h-15ins.
d. 14'h-14in
.
e. Below 14ins.
7. Do you think forming a fish queue after a
match is
a. Ajolly good '>how?
b. A wa te of time?
c. An interesting instance of mass
psychology?
8. When in COI/I'ersmion with your
Housemastet: do you
a. Agree with everything he says?
b . D isagree with everything he says?
c. Provide balanced conversation?
d. Talk only about the weather and/or
cricket?
2. What do vou talk about most ?
9. Would
a. Politics and economics
a. A
b. A
c. A
d. A
b. The Public School system
c. Cars
d. Girls
e. Nothing in particular
f. Food
\'OU
rather ha••e
membership of the Upper Sixth?
place on the 1M XV?
chool prefectage?
place on the Editorial Board of The
Shirbumian?
e. A free indulgence to smoke and drink?
3. Do you think that the prefectorial system is
a. Excellent?
b. Good in theory - poor in practice?
c. Diabolical?
10. Do you enjoy congregational Practice?
a. Ye
b. No
90
II. Which do you prefer reading?
a. The Carpetbaggers
b. Thomas Hardy
c. Marx
d. Jilly Cooper
Your Rating:
A - I00 or above:
Your career at this School lies bright before
you! You are a man apart- you can afford to look
down with contempt at the pleb' scurrying below
you. Short of catastrophe or enlightenment you are
bound to become Head of School. You are that rare
animal - the arch-rat in the race. By a variety of
subtle means you are sure to reach your objec tive.
But when you leave you will have pa sed your
zenith. You " ' i l l join the ranks of that great
phenomenon in Briti h life. the ruddy-faced.
jovial. moul.tachiocd old-boy c i a that is tirmly
anchored to the best clubs and bar<; in the country.
For you your schoolday!. may indeed be the
happiest days of your life. Your life will be spent
in matters Shirbumian: the meetings of schoo l
friends and continual journey!> to your Mecca - the
School. You wi ll, moreover. perform a great
service in buying and reading The Sltirhumian
every term.
You have fitted perfectly into the mould
prepared for you. You arc in your element here,
enjoy it. Yet you are not the True Shirhurnian: you
are far too successful for that! You an: indeed
unique and perhaps rather unfortunate.
e. The Nell' Scientiw
12. Do you belie1•e in c111ything besides the public
school .n-rtem!
a. Yes ·
b.No
13. Do you complain about thefood ?
a. Never
b. From time to time
c. Continuously
t.
When you leave, will you regard your
schooldays a!'>
a. ·The happiest days of your life'?
b. Profitable?
c. A waste of time?
d. Pure Hell?
Marking:
I . a-5. b-10. c-3, d-5.
2. a-10. b-3 (how boring). c-0. d-3 (Adonis).
e-5. f-2 (!!).
B - 75 to 100:
12. a-15. b-10.
You are by no means unique. You arc. as a rule.
like the majority of the School. well-balanced.
sensible. and moderately di ccming. From your
high echelons the school hierarchy will be taken:
from the lower will come the House hierarchy.
Your schooldays will prove profitable but not
providential. You will never da7lle all and sundry
by your eminence and majc!>ty but it will be your
efficiently (or not so efficiently) getting on with
Lhe lesser job that will keep the school machinery
running. Having left school. you will observe your
schooldays retire into the past like any other
episode in your life. You will be loyal enough to
come back for the occasiona l house !.upper or for
the occasiona l match. Perhaps in your will you
wi ll put aside a small sum to wha t. by then. will
surely be the SOOth Annivcrs<Jry Fund - but you
will never allow your past schoold<Jys to dominate
your life. You are the True - i f Ordinary
- Shirbumian. h is on your shoulders that
Sherborne ha been built.
13. a-5 (stoic), b-5. c-0 (tactle,s).
C - 5 0 to 75:
14. a-10 (bad luck), b-2. c-0. d-5.
You will never reach any great heights at this
School; perhaps you arc too scrupulou-. to do so.
Unles you are what is politely known a. a ·Jate
developer·. the highest office you can hope for is
junior hallkeepcr. Your potential ic; small: i f you
3. a-10. b-0. c-5 (if you are a prefect and
answer a. take 5).
4. a-10 (noble). b-0, c-10 (lucky fellow).
5. a-5 ( how!'> independence). b-3 (hero). c-0
(hackneyed). d-5 (no comment!). e- 10 (why
did you come here then?).
6. a-10. b-3. c-0. d-10. e-20 (oh lumme!).
7. a-5. b-0. c-5.
8. a-10 (oily). b-5 (in ubordination?), c-0. d-5.
9. a-3 (no room for intellectuals), b-10 (hero).
c-5 (oily), d-2 (loyal but foolish), c-5.
I0. a-5. b-0.
I I . a-10, b-5, c-3. d-0 (inferiority complex), e-10.
Maximum marks . . . 140
Minimum mark' . . . 15
91
reach the corridors of school power you wi l l have
been lucky indeed. Yet you arc a valuable member
of oc iety. for though you arc probably not exactly
a member of the ' intelligensia' you may wel l have
that vast reserve of good plain common sense
without which any society would go mad. Without
you the School also could not function since every
leader needs someone to lead: what is the point or
a leader otherw ise? You are unlikely ever to be
honoured by the School and your Valetc will be
pitifully short, yer you will have ' done your bit'.
You will never be moulded into the Sbjrburnian
Type; as far as that goes you are a misfit. Yet do
not think that because of that you should not have
come here - exceptions to cvcy rule are needed if
the rule-maker are to be kept sane. Do not.
moreover. think that there is no future for you.
Winston Churchill was once of your number when
he was at Harrow!!
92
D - Under 50:
to
May I suggest that you make a concerted effort
get out or 3z before you are thrown out!!!
Au t o b i o g r a p h i e s
Foreword
Having been given the unenviable task of marking ninety-live. Fourth-Fonn. G.C.S.E.. non-liction,
cour ework el>!->ayl>, I was relieved to discover that an autobiographical fragment was acceptable.
Marking these. I felt that a number deserved a wider readership. being remarkably well-written:
sensitive. humorou!->. mature. moving. or perceptive.
Written by boys. mo<;t of whom are fifteen. the essays give a remarl.able in!>ight into their Jives and
memorie .
They abo prove that occasionally something worthwhile can emerge even from the G.C.S.E.
examination.
P.M.H.W.
Chapter 1
From Sherborne to Aghadowey and back
in Fifteen Years
Although I am reluctant to admit it. I was born
in Yeovil. My first three years were passed in the
beautiful Dorset village of Stourton Caundle.
From the time spent there J can glean only one
memory - and that is of rapidly tumbling down a
ladder from my pride and joy the tree house.
My next three years in Northern Ireland
produced many more lingering memories. It was
there that our family increased dramatically in
number to include seven cat . three rabbits. one
mad dog and twenty-seven chickens. twenty-six of
which I chriMened Tom. in infantile self
importance.
The only other memoriel> l can recollect are of
violent accident!> (which may tell you something
about my per onality), like being hurled off my
friend's motorbike at top l>peed. and having my
tooth knocl.ed out by a horse-shoe thrown by that
same friend. l always seemed very prone to
accidents like these. and evidence of this fact has
stayed with me until this day - a false tooth and a
number of scar:..
Although I am 1-upposedly the well-behaved
one of my parents' two children, I seem to have
claimed the brunt of the injurie!> with it (personally
I believe it is due to me trying harder in most
things. not my 'incompetence'). My real passion
in life, though. is sport. 1 discovered this fully
when my mother and father decided that if I
should go to an English public school I should
start with an English Prep School. We came across
to England to live in a small Dorset village called
Stourton Caundle. and I was sent to Sherborne
Prep. Being one year young for my class I was
forced to repeat a year. which. at the time. l was
quite annoyed about. as all my friends were to be
a year above me. It did not take me long, however.
to realise that it was the best decision and I soon
adjul>led to my new class.
But it w a here in Stourton Caundle that in
years to come I think I will claim my childhood
years to be, where my brother Nick and I spent
days in the holidays together, making our own
films. every single one of which seemed to follow
the same story -line. and had a ca!)t of two similar
looking people sometimes acting as many as
fourteen different pans. Only one actor could
appear at any given time though. because the other
one was operating the camcorder. Mum always
convinced us however that they were 'excellent'.
so we were pleased. Nevertheless. one time the
tree how..e caught fire while a scene was being
shot: Nick wa!> in!>idc. We were using two 1-moke
bombs and attaching fuse to them to buy us time.
but the wood caught fire and ick had to dive out
into a nearby tree. n111 and get the hose from Dad
who was conveniently w..ing it. and put the fire
out. In the meantime. I had been diligently
recording it. I took the initiative and realised it
would be our only take of thi!> particular drama.
although I wouldn't have minded re-taking it. as I
found
Nick\
indisputable
incompetence
immensely amusing at the time. Ltwas those hot.
mid-\ummer days in the peace of a lonely, benign,
countryside village that I enjoyed most during my
time as an ignorant child without any worries.
whose sole thought was to enjoy everything at
anyone else's cost.
However, these days preceded my less
enjoyab le early teenage years living in Sherborne
which I never really liked. These days were far
from disastrous. but alongside the contrasts of life
in a town and life in the countryside was also the
contrast between existing as an unperturbable,
confident child and a rather less ignoranl,
observant young man without the same freedoms
as before. I do abo carry with me some fond
memories of that hou)oe. such a), tennis in the back
garden - doubles - my mother and I would play
my brother and father. and it was normally
assumed that we would lose so the heat of
competition never poiled a recreational and
94
friendly atmosphere. even on the few occasions
when there wa!. a close gume.
I did enjoy my school year.; at thi-; time very
much though. De pite having to work hard For the
schol arship exam. I pa.,.,ed a wonderful time after
receiving the new" that l was into Sherborne with
an exhibition. M y fricnd hip panicularly
developed with the gap year <;tudcnt working there
for the year. He wa!> a South A f l'ican com ic and
had exactly the arne i nteresL<; a!- L We became
great friends. and the relation!>hip between pupils
and gap year Maff meant that we enjoyed our final
Prep. School day' marvellously. Our innocence
helped thi!> along. but there wal. one event that. due
to the eccentric behaviour of our Headmaster. wa.-.
inevitable. We were to leave Sherborne Prep. wirh
the know ledge thaLthc succcs of our year was the
note on which the sun would set on the Lindsay
leadership, and r ise on the era nf a more sec ure
system by which the school wou ld be run. To me.
however, that school is the Linclsays· sc hool.I had
a most amusi ng time there. for most of which
Robin Lindsay is responsi b le. He was an
inspiration though: hi emotions. reactions
and many times ju t hi appearance would give
us the drive to do what he wanted without hi:.
asking which. I believe. b the best way (through
respect and trust) to run a school '>uch a!)
Sherborne Prep. As l also did not enjoy my fir t
term at public school. I felt that I belonged back
there until I had fully ettled in.
I see what I have described thus far as the first
major step of my l i fe. and I al<>o feel I am one and
a half years into the second now, so there is far to
go, and I anticipate my future with excitement.
· oo on. tell me more. What did Toby ...ay?'
Teacher soothed.
·He swore·. Ralph whic;pered . ·He did the
finger one·. Ralph gave an unconfident one-finger
gesture towards Teacher. The cia.,, gave a long
gasp. B y now Toby had burl.l into a fit of tear!.
which
were
soon
exacerbated
by
Teacher'!. shouting. I felt pity for Toby, but
pcrhap'> in a sel f ish yet completely human way. I
felt proud that I had not been involved in \uch a
crime.
M y primary school. although I did not reali'>e i t
at the time. wao, staid and overly strict. Perhaps my
criticism i'> !.lightly unju'>tified. but at l.uch a
young age it is absurd 10 have to wai t until the end
of a lesson to go to the l:l\ atory. You·d
be surpr ised bow taxing I lind it now.
I
was
born
in December
1984.
in
ct:ntral London. According to my mother I was
more co operative at birth than my sister and my
brother, although I am not convinced this
continued for very long afterwards. As a child. I
was rowdy and extremely ambi tio us. I have
always been accident prone. M y forehead bears
testimony
to countless accidents:
from
col lisions with banisters to confrontation!. w
ith playground
wings.
I even swallowed
c;ome weed-ki l ler which I innocently mistook for
lemonade. It didn't even hit me that omething
wall wrong until I felt my throat buming.
M y parents recall my hatred of tomatoes and
they claim that when I became Prime M inister,
after a unanimous vote in the General Election, I
would abolish them. They abo said. when faced
with the question of how I would prevent their
imponation. I became confused and deadpan.
They jokingly concluded I believed that it would
be unwise to discharge any information about
government policies at that preci'>e point i n time. I
w il l probably never know i f they were telling the
truth, but to uppon their story. I haven't touched
a tomato for years.
l spent the early yean. of my life in central
London. M y intereSL'> ul.ed to revolve mainly
around sport and seeing my friends. I can admit
now that it was only relatively recently that I
discovered how na'ive I was about how fortunate
my family was in comparison to some. When
I was about to go to prep sc hool, you could !lay
1 saw everything through rose-tinted spectacles.
ft was on ly when I listened 10 a young matron
during my first year at prep school that I finally
began to sober up to the reality of l ife. l remember
that she was up et bccau c she had been given a
parking fine. Her father wa!> in hospital and her
family was having difficulty affording the
co-.h of the treatment. Furthermore, her
onl y chance of entering the university '>he
wanted after her gap year was i f she got a
scholarc;hip. The antithesi!>
Tom Cracknell
The First Ch apter of my Autobiogra phy
I remember silting i n that mu!>ty cla!>sroom. The
cold had en ured thm my hopes of engaging
thought with !>Omething from the outside wor ld
were shattered. I felt infuriat ed that the m ist had
dec ided deliberate ly to condense onto the
windowpane, obscuring my v iew. Once more it
appeared to have the pattern of a smile. I assumed
that it was mocking my frustration. The irony wa .
I probably knew too well that it had only been
drawn by some bored live-year-old's finger with
innocent intent. Unfonunately the next stage of
my maths le son brought funhcr confusion. Ralph.
a smal l boy w ho had the type of
distinct M editerranean face whic h doe<;n't
fade from memOI). wa-. called to The Desk by
Teacher when She noticed his state of unea ine .
' He', Ralph took l.everal long gasps. ·He did
something bad·.
95
between her life and tho!>e that the p up il led (who.
I must add. attended one of the most expensive
prep. schoob in England). hit me like a
thundcrl.tOml.
I could never ay that my parents were never
there for me. As I w a fortunate to have a non
working mother I saw her often and often confided
in her. Unlike many, my parents both had
dominant character-. which often presented
diflicultiel>. [ never bowed very much interest in
my father·!. line of work. but then again at such a
young age you don't tend to ho" enthusiasm or
any l.igns of objectivity towards anything that
involve!> a different way of thinking.
My family life wa<, cenainly varied. We all had
quite strong charac te r which had been influenced
by our cxpol.ure to the contrasting cenarios we
faced every day w hether they were in school or
wo rl-.
The first chapter of my life seems to have just
disappe<tred. Looking back. it appears to be a
confused dream or arguments, success. the
acceptance of failure. and learning to learn in
London. It was these experiences that shaped my
character.
Anon
The First Chapter of my A utobiography
I wall born on the 15th of February 1985 at St.
M a r y \ ho pital in London. This event doesn't
eem imponant to me a' J cannot remember any
detail!. at all. although my mother had an awful
time. so he telb me. as. rather than come out
head-ti t. I decided to try and come out leg-first
which wa'> very unsuccessful. Eventually, my
mother under local anaesthetic. 1 wa born by
Caesarian l.ection. My mother since then has said
to me it was the worst experience of her life!
In early life I feel I just drifted along with the
now of life. not real ly being inspired by anything
but moving wherever the army rook my father.
whether it wal> Cyprus or Germany. I felt life
hadn't real ly fully touched me.
Then when I was six years old we moved to
York shire, which I thought, from what I had heard.
was just full of lots of farms and a few sleepy
v illage . How wrong I was. Yorkshire for some
reason really opened my eyes to the world; this
time was one of the best parts of my life.
I fir t began to appreciate the beauty of the
country ide. which I stil l love now. We used to go
on long walk . walking on the moon.. for hours on
end, with me picking up the different coloured
u ·ed -,hot-gun cmtridge . of which I still have a
huge collection at home: abo in the wood!. around
where we lived. in Cauerick. there were
brilliant
bike rides and lot:. of !>ecret ·dens· my father. my
little brother and l made on long weekends playing
in the woods. Indeed. although my brother Edward
could be annoying at time . most of the time we
got on really well together. Twice on special
occa ion my father took me to the tank ranges to
watch the tank'> firing. which I alway. found very
exciting. Once I even got a ride on one of these
tanks which was very excit ing but at the time it
also terrified me! One thing I"ll alway' remember
from my time in Yorhhire w a that I was. and :.till
am. immen cly proud of what I l l ) father did. After
all. it could get me tank rides!
The schoo l l went to in the nearby town of
Richmond was a Catholic school. St. Mary·-;. I
remember having a great time there and 1 found
making friends wal. easy. However. there is one
day that w ill always stick in my mind. Because the
school w a Catholic they used to have a mass in
the school occa..,ionally. and although I was not a
Cathol ic I had to uo. which I didn't mind at all.
However, it turned'ou t to be quit e an embarrassing
experience. I was told that when I went up with the
other to take communion I must cross my arms
over my che t to how that I wasn't confirmed,
and the priest would give me a blessing. Of course,
when I went up to the priest I forgot. and i l was
only when he was jus t about to give me the bread
that I remembered. A i f I was warding off some
demon I !.Uddenly cro sed my arm . The priest.
being quite an old man. w a so !.hocked that he
dropped the re t of the bread on the noor! On
renection it <.,eems an amusing incident. bur at the
time I w a very upset and had to be carried away.
crying. by one of th : teacher<; who tried
unsucces!.fully tO calm me down. 1was then. and l
suppo!.e now too. very '>Cn!.itive and quite ea y to
annoy or upset.
Whill>t on the subject of being senl.itive. I was
very attached to my parents. and in York!>hire the
thought of not seeing them for more than a day
terrified me. Indeed. on one occas ion I had been
invited over to my best friend's house. and it took
almost a week of persuasion from my parent to
make me go. but ·only as long as I can take my
Lego ship along with me'.
I think that it was also in Yorksh ire that Tstarted
appreciating history, which was mainly inspired
by the local Yorkshire legends and the spectacular
castles, such a.., Richmond, that you can rmd
around Yorkshire. Indeed, on a school trip we went
to Richmond ca tlc and then walked the route of a
legendary ecrct pas1.ageway that was meant to run
underground from Richmond castle to Fountains
Abbey. This was based on the legend of 'The
Drummer Boy'. which was a tale that really
captivated my imagination. So at six year:. old my
time in York hire wa!> for the most pan happy and
96
was where many of my interests sprang up and
w here my life seemed to have awakened.
l would call t he time 1 spent in Yorkshire
'carefree days· where nothing very important or
significant mauered to me. This al l changed w hen,
at seven years old. I we nt to prep school.
When my father got his new posling. it was to
Ge1many. and I was told that 1 was old enough to
go to prep. sc hool in
Sussex, ju st
outside Chichester near w here Pop and
Peg (my grandparents) l ived. A lthough they
explained the
situation to me quite carefully. I don't think I
really took it all on board.
T he full magniwde of the situation only struck
me when I finished unpacking all my things and
my mother said that she had to go now. I asked her
where and she said. ·To Germany'. If someone had
shot me I don't think that it would have hun as
much as that one comment did. I broke down
completely and my mother had to carry me into
the matron's room. There. w ith my duvet in my
arms. my mother aid to me through tears of her
own. T ve got to go now. I love you so much. I' ll
see you at the end of term·. And she w as gone.
That scene wi l l always remain in my memory. For
me. who had only been away from my parents for
two days ever. t hi was the most agonising and
upsetting point of my life.
To start with I made no friends a I became a
very upset. confused and solitary person. I thought
life couldn' t be worse. Luckily two things helped
me to come to t erms with my new situation. One
was the only friend I seemed to have. Barnaby
Large. H is support he lped me become more
confident. and he often persuaded me to play with
the rest of the year group. Then I got
the opportunity to start an instrument. the flute.
and music proved to be inspirat ional. It helped
me restore confidence in myself as we l l as help
me think over my situation.
So, after a fairly unhappy and depressing start
to prep school. things looked up. made friend!>.
started playing squash more seriously and music
was fast becoming very important. I felt. after six
weeks of misery. 1 was final ly starting to enjoy
what 1 realised was an opportunity, and that I was
more lively and happy. After the fir st term. on the
plane back to Germany. I real ised that I
had genuinely enjoyed Westbourne House.
Looking back. I feel that York!ihire and the
change to prep school and prep school itself
were some of the most important parts of my life.
They enriched and developed me as a person and
built my character. A t the time I may not have
appreciated their significance. Then I wa:, more
concerned wit h what the holidays and the next
term had in store for me.
James L eakey
97
The Rime of the Chief Examin er
It is a Chief Examiner,
And he faileth one i n three.
By thy bristling beard and criss-cross tie,
ow why wouldst thou fail me?
The essays vile I covered them all .
I scribbled nothing bad.
'Aha!' said he. 'As that may be
You planned them like a cad ' .
He held me with h is blood-red eyes.
Those slits that hold my doom,
H is pen in hand, he crossed the land,
And silenced every room.
'Stutlents. student s everywhere
Each and every one I could blasl! '
0 man of death, examiner of doom,
Make my death be fast.
By your criss-cross tie and bristling beard.
Hast thou never a heart?
·r had'. quoth he 'but not in July.
Before my scripts depart·.
Through his frames he surveyed the room.
Many a face did drop,
At the thought of commas done astray.
Or the chance misplaced full stop.
·Farewell, farewell. but tbis I tell.
Remember well your test.
To prove, that you above the resL
Love your examiner well.·
The examiner whose tie is bright.
Whose beard did survey my page.
Ha gone from here, and I poor wight
Am left in a maddening rage.
Stuart Kennon
99
What is a Dad'?
What is a Dad?
Is Dad the one who just earns the wages?
Keeps his kids locked up in cages'?
Is he the man with a fag in his mouth,
Who begs you not t o smoke?
About the family. is he the boss?
Is he the one who always gets cross?
Yet is Dad a man who ceases to scare,
When you are sixteen and growing your hair?
Could he be a fun-loving, crazy. mad, wild child?
Or is his temperament rather too mild?
Or what most Dads arc, of course.
An absolutely essential pocket money resource!
Does he haunt the local pub?
A hooligan cnthraJied with a footbal l club?
ls he the man who's not a loner
Or a guy with the patience of a Job and the gloom of Jonah?
Often a slouch, a couch potato.
A Sunday morning bed-bug w ho ne'er moves a toe.
Dads are often great lovers of beer.
And they love games of rugby. Oh so dear!
Maybe a chocolate fiend, maybe a huge eater'?
Could be a shooter. could be a beater.
Dad is the one who sets al l the rules.
But sad ly never wins a penny on the pools.
A person who lives in the eveni ng and slaves in the day?
On Sunday morning. never has time LO pray.
An orator, a dustman, a lawyer or MP.
To t11e houses of his children's lives, he h a the key.
What is a Dad"
Henry May
100
Recited bv M1: Louis N. Parka at rhe Sherbome Dinner
·
April 28th 1900.
Sherborne
Fo ns Limpidus
0 shrine of the crystal water-spring, name renowned
When Saxon and Dane strove mightily which should win ,
Once Queen of the West, once by a King rc-crowned.
Almost with the birth of England did"st thou begin
And hard on a thousand summers had o'er thee rolled.
Ere Cromwell asunder shattered thy Norman hold:
0 Sherborne won from the wilderness - who knows when'!
For the days that are past we bless thee. mother of men.
What though tl1y cloisters have echoed to Saints and Kings.
And Aldhelm loved thee, and Alfred about thee played.
From heroes perished a seed as of heroes springs:
Thy crown is a crown of youth. and it doth not fade:
And musing on many thy later-born. through thee
From fetters of self, or of craven fear set free.
Made holy of heart. and famous with sword or pen For the days that are now we bless thee, mother of men.
We shrink from the future, sigh for tl1e past. but tl1ou No passion can shake thee. or mar thy dauntless mien :
Thy present and past alike an eternal now:
As blossom to bud. what shal l be to what hath been.
A sheaf of summe rs to us and the tale is told;
A tl1ousand to thee - thou reapest a tl1ousandfold:
Immortal amidst our threescore years and ten.
For the ages to be we bless thee, mother of men.
James Rhoades
101
Damn ed Vision
It had all staned o well. but now it looked as i f
a single mi'>take wa... going to prove fatal.
I cur ed.
It had all been going so well ever !.ince I had set
foot on thil> continent. but they just had to be too
nice. I never thought I" d say that. I recalled the
past l>eries of events, like nicking through the
page of a too familiar book. I skimmed through
my mind. It had al l begun when I disembarked.
A':> I had edged off the cramped plane the
muggy heat -;truck. It was overwhelming. It was
Malawi.
I was in Africa!
At first I thought that the terrific heat, which
seemed to be seeping in to every orifice of my
body. was from the aeroplane's engine. I was
wrong. In this engulfing lagoon I met my friend
and ho t for the next two weeks, Ned. He was
hopping around like a spring-hare (an African
animal which I wa-. oon to meet) and just
excited a... I. So. despite the heat. which he was
accustOmed to, and m) je t- lag and
overal l tirednel>l>. we planned my firl.t trip to the
'bush·.
I took in every blade of grass as we sped on our
Quad., round this drought-•> ricken land cape. My
jaw pem1anently hung at about an inch from the
floor for the emire joume) and dropped. if that b
humanly pos!.ible. to about twice that at the sight
of my tim leopard. ed was extremely keen
to show and teach me everything. I loved it. He
loved it. It was Africa.
On the return from our venture, Ned left me in
Gab. a mall, !>treet-'ital l-infested city and rather
than " a ste my life in some fast-food joint I
decided to brow!>c around. He returned. picked me
up and we were off again. We raced al l over the
bush and after a little while, about half an hour. J
became a trifle bored with my apparent ignorance
and with Ned's showing off. A s his ' I bet you
can'ts' . . . or ' hasn't anyone told yous' . . . or
'didn 't you knows' . . . grew intolerable. I stopped
my Quad.
l hopped ofT and swaggered up to him 'I bet
you that I can find the Okabengi River.' I
whispered casually. ·say . . . i t · about ix miles
from here i!>n·t it'?'
H i ' right cyebrO\\ flinched up a millimetre.
·How much?' he queried in an attempt to ound
nonchalant.
·Well . . . what about a hundred pulaT (Pula
being the local currency).
Hio; eyes widened. He nodded vigorously. He
rubbed his o;weaty palms on his dusty shons and
we shooJ...
I set off.
I chose a random direction and, with many
pau es for thinking. we began travelling. I let his
grin widen. Having lived in Africa all his life he
knew the track and he knew we were not rolling
along the right route.:. His grin broadened to a wide
smile showing each of hi!. yellow-tinged teeth. He
was on the point of gleeful laughter when l
stopped dead.
I turned. giving him now the nonchalant gaze.
and after numerou., right and lefts I righted the
track. H is jaw made h b feet l-ore a we pulled up
to the banJ...s on the colossal river.
' I guess that'll be one hundred pula,' I managed
to !>queeze through my beaming face. He w too
stunned to speak.
I told him that the d r i n k were on me as he
drove in a.tounded amatement back to Gab with
me. He hadn't stopped haldng his head -.ince my
succe!>!> and he continued to do ju!.t that and exhale
temperamentally even as we !.taggered through the
mud-dried street!.. dusty and tired.
Unnoticed I winked, a'> I strolled. at a panicular
street-vendor. Then 'Sir! Excu<;e me. Sir! Sir!' Ned
and I Lilted our heads at the ranting street-vendor.
'You left your glasse!> case here on my !>tal l, sir.'
ow it was time for my eyes to widen.
' Remember, sir. when you most kindly purchased
U1at map, sir.'
A s I said, I cursed. But what I did not say was
that Ned tLLrned. eyes flaming. lip quivering.
Reuben Aitken
102
'W hat 's next?'
"Tick-tock. tick-tock. tiel-· goes my cheap
Seiko digital watch a' I sit in Spanish . . . or am I
in French? Or more to the point who care ? I
certainly don't. Anywa} it's all Greek to me.
It o c c u to me that .,..atches are one of the
greateM thing!> in the world apart from 'Cultural
Activities· on a Monday. 'How do the numbers of
the time appear on the liule piece of glass. or
probably plal>tic in my case. due to the inadequacy
and lack of fashion cred of my time piece'?'
'Time's up'
Dazed and confused. I am shake n from my
deliberations. I rub my eyes and well . . . get up
and haul my over-sized books and over-s ized
pencil case into my over-sited bag. They are of
such dimension!>, I guess, to make up for my
inadequate Watch. I finally slope orr. mouthing
pleasantries m my teacher for such an enthralling
lesson (I like to think that every time I leave a
classroom. I am just that little bit more fulfilled
and enriched as a p..:r. on).
'What the H e l l \ next?' I yell to my mate who
is hot-footing it away from the classroom like a car
thief from the '>Cene of the crime.
·chemistry!'
Afler the '>hort wall, I find myself. along with
my colleague-.. outside the door of our Chemistry
Lab. There i ' now a time of limbo bet.,..een one
lesson and the next. A:. well a. the <;timulating
conver-.ation about the Chancel lor's new tax
reforms. announced this morning in The 7ime!>.
there may be a few high jinks: revelry and
merrymaking may take place in this stolen
momem away from the teacher\ eyes. ·Boys will
be boys·.
The door suddenly opens and we are met by a
sea of Upper Sixth chemists in dark, full-length
overcoats. Silence falls and we retreat to the walls
keeping our heads down. We are soon clear to go.
We enter the classroom in high spirits, 'This is
chemistry. Anything can happen'.
·Good morning. sir.· a chorus of voices riJlg
out. A certain Max the dog (teacher's pet) is also
greeted with friendly pats on the head. and kind
word such ac;. ·r \ \ U V you Ma\ieceee!' and ·You
are the be t dog. yel.. yel.. you are' . The teacher. by
this time bored and up<,et at thi!> unfair
manifestation of favouritic;m toward hi., canine
companion. asl-s niccl) for us all to take our l.eat'>.
After one or two attempts at asking nicely. he IO$es
it and yell!>. Oh what a shame.
A hush ripple!. around the cla room and all that
can be heard now i!t the shufne of tiny little feet.
Seats are taken. books arc produced. and the
silence remains. uncertain whether the teacher has
recovered from h i little outburst. It ill soon seen
that he has made a full recovery und the lesson
continues.
After the teacher has relaxed, joke!. begin to
now between pu pi l and teacher. These jokes.
usually being found to have sexual overtone:.. will
not be said in public. or in front of
one'l> grandparents. Sex und Chemil>try really mix
well and our chemistry lesson oon turns out more
like a B iology lesson. I guel.s you could see it
a<;
·sexual chemistry·.
The end of the le son soon arrive-. and a final
goodbye is said to Max. The sprint for the door i.,
under way. A you can imagine. twenty-one bodies
all hurled at one door at the same time i., not going
to lead to much i f the door opens tO\\ards the
oncoming mob. Injuries may al-,o be -.u.,tained.
mo t of which will be suffered by the front
runners.
The heaving mass rebound and the lead runner
grabs for the door-handle and pull'> it open with
the force of the rebounding crowd. I f he is unlucky
and misses the door-handle. the crowd will
stampede again. We spill out into the corridor.
'What's next'!' a voice cal ls out
The remaining twenty of us yell, 'LUNCH!'
with a roar of happiness that fades away into the
bright sunlight of the early afternoo n.
Piers Boshicr
103
'You do not have to say anything, but any thing you do say . . . '
I walked along the '>Lreet wilh houses on either side which -;eemed to be rcplic:h of each other. It was
mid-afternoon and the sky was clear apan from a few fluff) ' ' hite cloud'> which doued the sky.
obody
<;eemed to be around becau e they were all at work or had gone '>hopping for the arternoon. I looked
around at the houl>e which were all bright white in the hot '>Ummer <>un. Then I '>aw one which looked
just right for the job. It must ha,·e been the only one in the weet without brand ne\\ double-glazed
'"indows. It had a dark green door covered by a wooden porch and all the ' ' 1ndows had old \vooden
frame!>. I cal>ually walked up to it as i f it were my own hou e. A quid. looJ... up and down the street
confirmed there wa<, nobody around ·o I peered through the windo'''· Inside it ''as much .,marter than
it looked on the outl>ide. There was a thick, blue carpet covering the \\hole ground floor and going
upstair:.. The walls were painted creamy white and there was expcn!iive-looking pine furniture in most
or the rooms. I had another glance up and down the road and then reached into my pocket.
The tip!> of my finger touched the cold handle of my l>Crewdriver and then I gra ped it fim1ly in my
hand. The feel of it-; grip was almost evil a-; i f in anticipation of what it was about to do. Slowly I pulled
the long blade out of my pocket and concealed it on the inside of my arm. I f I was !'een now that would
be it. Back to the police stat ion for questioning. So once again I nervously checked the !.treet for any
<;igns of movement. Then. after establishing that I was alone, I carefully placed the <;crewdriver blade
between the window and the window frame and pushed.
The wi ndow made a satisfying crack and slow ly swung open. I placed t he <;crewdriver back into my
deep pocket and nudged the window even further open.
Suddenly! I heard the gemle groan of a car·s engine as it wmed into the street. I dived for cover
behind a bushy green shrub. T he car changed down a gear and low ly crawled up the road. I silent ly
prayed to myself tbat it did not stop. I watched carefully as it \\ent past. It was blue and had
mud splattered along i t c,idc!>.. What must have been a mauer of -.econd seemed to take hour!- but
eventually the coughing engine turned away at the end of the street and <>lowly I ">tood up and very
nervously climbed in through the window and landed on the thick carpet.
Jn-.idc it ,,a., quite dark in contrast to the bright sun out'>ide. I ga'e my eyes time to adjust and then
'>lowly I crept down the small corridor to the right of the stairs. About half way down the corridor there
wa., one door on either -.ide. I a umed one wal> the too and ignored the other one. I headed for the door
that wa<, at the end of the corridor and carefull) looked in ide. I kne'' there wa., nobody in the house but
I wa'> still overwhelmed \\ith panic ' ' heneYer I sa\\ a curtain twitch or a door ITIO\ e. The room wal>
obviou-.ly the dining room. I t had a long dark. mahogany table with matching chair . There were two
l<lrgc French windowl> looking out on to the garden and on either :;ide hung heavy. red curtains. I took
one -.tep into the room and wddenl). as i f 1 had been shot. a loud high pitched !>queal wem off behind
me.
ln...tinctively I dived for the floor but after a few econd'> I reali'>ed thi!. was not going to help me
becau-.e it wa.'> a burglar alarm. r ntn back up the small corridor and \ U \ \ the control box. I could not
believe I had not -.ccn it before when I first pas-.ed it. The box itself wa-. '>mall and pla">tic with a number
pad on it. Desperately I punched in four number!> in an atLempt to stop the squeal but it did no good. I
then tril.!d to rip it off the wall but it was plastered on too we l l . Panicking. I ran to the window but I was
too late. Already a police car was pulling up outside the hou e. I did not wait to M!e any more. ln!.tead I
sprinted up the '>tair'> and into a room on the left. Ttwas a well-decorated bedroom in which the main
feature wa ... a large double bed. But I did not stop t o admire it either. I loo" .:d out of t he window. It was
a long way down. But t he crack of a breaking door and the shouting of men oon .,topped my fears rrom
hindering my action!. and I pulled up the window. Under an) l e " \trcnuou\ circum tance!. I would have
pau)>ed for a m<>mcnt, but with four policemen running up the '>lair behind me I just launched my!.elf
out of the windo"' without thinking.
The gra.,... came toward'> me surprisingly quickly and <1'> it did it '>pun \cry quicJ...I). The last thing I
remcmhcr \ \ a having. a policeman \hout out from -,omewherc abo\c me. ' H e \ jumped·. and then
a
.,harpjarring pain in my neck. The next thing I kne\\ w a that I wa'> I) 1ng in thi-. ho-,pital bed with a nur'>e
looJ,..ing at me and ...baking me. explaining that I wa... needed for a pohcc inten i e' ' ·
Jame Duuon
108
Yesterday and Today
Looking through the eyes into the '>OUI.
othing but an empty shallow hole.
I knew him once before. the) 'ia).
But that was on a different day.
Nothing gained.
All i'> lost.
Thing'> have changed.
At '>0 great a co t.
Li!>ten hard and listen long.
I may save you before all i gone.
Stay at my side.
We ·11 fight the sorrow.
1"11 be the guide.
We ·11 make tomo rrow.
Douglas With ington
109
Cameroon
What Some Think Is A Stroll Through
The Park
Cameroon. ot the mo t famous of places. but
I lived there for fi,e gloriou\ years. My father was
given a senior po.,ting at the Dutch Ernbas!>y in
Yaonde. There Wa\ alWa) !> a trong now of
cocktails and dinner paniel> out on the big
verandas and cool dining-room .... There \ \ a S
alway<; a circle of people or a group of other
people. going to bridge clubs and play-groupl>.
Looking bad. at my life there I get the feeling I
was living the life of El peth Huxle) in Flame
Trees ofThika. There was alwayl> a hot and humid
feel everywhere. During the dry ea\on the air wa
dusty and hot. full of smells of bush-fire and
paraffin cooker . And in the rainy season the
country would become a huge swelling rain-forest
with mi!.ts and damp thorny grass.
I alway\ have an extremely good memory of
the pool-parties we used to have. which were
always ended by a barbecue. There is alway!\ a
lovely c;mell of Boorcvoorst and sudza slowly
cooJ...ing. and the smell of moke. food and
chlorine always used to get my mouth filling with
saliva. Afterward!> my friend!> llld I would run off
to the gardener or the guard and play bow and
arrow, or simply wander down to the shanty town
which was about t\\enty minutes· walk from my
hom.e.
The shanty town wa-. a town made of mud huts.
\al\aged bit'> and bobs. corrugated iron. and
deserted concrete buildtngs left liJ...e ...J...eletOn in
the gro\\ ing bush.ju'>t left to nature and the local .
These place.. pro' ided excellent hide and
bases \\ hich \\ oufd COn!>i\t Of about fort) kids mainf) blacJ... - from the tO\\ n and me. having
pretend battles.
I remember once when one of the boy:. who
was on my team climbed the tree and his mother
yelled after him. The little boy jumped down in
front of hi-. mother. H i!>mother then took a belt
and <.tarted to bem the boy. I wa.-. ' 0 angry at this
that I ran over to her and pu hed her over. God
knows what made me do that. but soon 1 found
mysel f yelling at her in the litt le amount of
Cameroonian French which I knew. She stood up
and disappeared into her hut mumbling and
quivering with rage. I w a quite shaken by what I
had done. The little boy just blinked at me and ran
off. I '>till lind it amating that I actually did that.
The battle perl'oi-.ted afterward . to an
embarra'\'>ing defeat.
The hant} tO\\ n al\\ ay... had a me II of burning
paraffin and bread a' well " ' mealimeal
being cooked; sometime.., there wa<, chicJ...cn. canerat or even fruit-bat.
o meat wa., ...pared.
E'ef)thing meaty was called beef.
Joo..t Weterings
Ill
J had always thought of the adventure c;ince I
had been a young boy: ju-.t to be there ' ' ith the
birds. dropping nearer and nearer to the closest
solid structure of the Earth. But the main problem
w a the very beginning of the ta..J...: leaping out of
the door of a speciali1cd aircmft at about twelve
thousand feet above the ground. After t h i stage I
imagined that it \vould 'ecm to me like being IO!.t
in a complete!) different world. When approaching
the cloud:. until hitting them. it would feel like a
grand white duvet about to take my weight and
suspend my fall. But. in "Pile of all the exc.:iting and
delightful thoughts. I was sitting there mi:-.erably
tense. my stomach knotted into a ball fear. !tried
imagining the rest. until I break through the douds.
and being smothered in a mist of white: \uddenly
the impact of a sea of green wou ld be racing
towards me. As I descended, the figures below
would turn into more recogni:rable hapes. and
then the moment would finall) arrive when the
ground would be there ju!.t below my feet.
Even a:-. I :-.at there ready to jump. I wa.\ already
bracing myself for the impact of landing.
The voice at my shoulder barked the numbers
four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . . g o - I felt a
firm. irresistible force in my back. Before r had
time to
refuse thi . I was propelled through the gaping
opening . . . into the \Oid. M) head dropped
quickly and then my feet followed . I lost control at
first. I wa" '>pinning head over heel . and it felt a
if m) brain was about to .,quee;e i t ' way out of m)
ear. E\ef)thing around me \\ent black. but I dro\e
my elf to artempt to ...ta) con...ciou\. When I had
round out hO\\ to balance myself. the experience
was absolutely amating. I had my a r m and l e g
<.pread out and dreamt that I ' ' h 11)ing: I wa., in a
world of my own.
Before I broke through the cloud'>. I had u
l>ession of twi ting. lllrning and rolling around in the
open air. But a" I de cendcd at a fa:-.ter rate. my ears
blocked up, becau!>e of the high pre urc. and when
I drew nearer to the cloud I had a bur t of thought;
what would it real!) be like going though them?
What I Lhought it would be like at lin. . Everything
went white and within a few :-.ccond 1 could !>ee
from horizon to hori7.on of land. But now wa!> the
time to relea!>e the parachute and spoil the fun.
From the great 'icw I had. I chose a nice
comfortable landing ite and. with a bit of
difticulty. I guided m) \\a) to the 'ite. I tartcd to
tense up ready for the impact. bent m) J..nee . took
a deep breath. and ...lo\\ ly made it to the ground.
ending an experience of a lifetime.
or
Edward Ward
The Sh.irburni an
November, 1900
Extract from the Lttd ens Vita
Troy July 5th, 1114, B.C. /Per Messen er t o
Mycenae. July 9!11, 1104. B.C.}
A cessation of hostilities being announced for
ro-day (Saturday). owing to the numerous funerals
to be got through by the combatants.
an impromptu match was got up by our troops. and
an interesting display was witnessed by a large
and fash ionable
anendance.
who occupied
scats erected on the men-of-war for the
occasion. The sides were captained by Mr.
Odysseus and Mr. T. Ajax. General Agamemnon
and the Right Hon. Mr. Nestor, M .P. kindly
officiating as umpires. the latter veteran having
refused all invitations to take pa11 in the game on
the score of advancing age. At the last moment a
report wa. spread that Mr. Achil les, the
famous fast bowler, had struck for more spoil.
This, however, happi l y proved unfounded.
as. when Mr. T. Ajax - his pebble having
unhappily refused to take the initiative- in
quitting the helmet - led his team into the field
about the time of the filling of market-places, the
renowned trund ler was a conspicuous figure in its
ranks.
In
a few
minutes
Messrs.
Diomed
and Menelaus
appeared
to
face
th e
bowling of Patroclus (a most
promising
colt) and
Mr. Achilles. the laner opening the
ball with a maiden from the Scamander end. Off
the youngster 's third ba ll a magnificent square-leg
hit was made into the sea, and as Achilles refused
tO use another b a l l - a most
unprecedented
proceeding some delay occurred. until the
services of Madame Thetis. rhe celebrated lady
swimmer. cou ld be obtained to rescue the truant
leather from its ·wine-dark' lair. On
a
resumption being made, Menelaus was missed
at th e wicket by Automedon, who. we
understand, is in private life the coachman of Mr.
Achilles: a short conversation ensued between the
trundler and the custodian, which resuJted in a new
candidate for the gauntlets being appointed in the
shape of Mr. 0 . Ajax. On the next delivery of the
fast bowler a confident appeal for lbw was
answered in the negative by the general, at which
the bowler seemed somewh at dissatisfied, but it
soon appeared that Mr. Mene laus would be unable
to continu e his innings, as the protection of the
greave had not been sufficient to prevent a severe
compound fracture of the leg. Mr. Teucer filled the
vacancy. but men and wickets continued to fall
fast. The new-comer soon received the leather
where the midriff joins the liver, and retired,
ldomeneus shortly afterwards following him.
minus several prominent portions of his
masticatory organs. In sho11. no less than eight
batsmen were entered. on the scoring tablets as
' retired hurt'. Mr. Odysseus, with that
circumspection
for
which
he
is
renowned. appeared last. but fai led to stem
the tide of disaster. since. in
attempting
to avoid
the murderous discharges of the
Myrmidon
crack. he came into contact with
Eurypylus at short-leg. and was given out for
obstructing the field. The venture closed for
75. out of which byes contributed the useful
item of 69. Diomed, who had been successfu l in
the
policy of
keeping
at Patroclus· end
throughout the innings. carrying out his bat for a
carefully played 0.
The luncheon interval was now taken. and tbe
teams were sumptuously en tertai n ed by the
members of the Athene Club, the enjoyment being
en hanced by a display by the well-known
performing thoroughbreds, Xanthus and Balius,
kindly lent by Mr. Achilles. It was consequently
approaching the hour of loosing oxen when Mr.
Odysseus took the field, and Mr. 0. Ajax and
Eurypylus started the venture for the opposition.
No stand at all, however, cou ld be made against
the extreme wiliness of the lth acan Wanderers'
skipper's lobs. while Mr. Teucer at the Simois end
displayed in his deliveries that unerring accuracy
for which be is famed in the competitions of the
Apollo Toxophilite C lu b. Unfortu nately, the game
had 10 be left in an unfinished cond ition owing 10
a sudden attack by the enemy's Mounted Infantry
under the notorious Colonel Paris, who
thus displayed even more than his usual
slimness in violating the truce.
113
Sta rting At Sherb orn e
''ru.
The one incident I remember
when we all
went to meet Mr. AitJ,en. I remember this quite
clearl) becau\e. in a wa). I wa., comfoned about
thh. ncv. experience I wa-. about to embark on.
We had ju t fini.,hed our tour of the School and
<.aid goodbye to our parent\, " h i c h at the time I
was '>till feeling the effects of. We got to the
Chaplain·-. hou<,e and we went up the cold stone
steps to the door. There w a a steel bannister
which. once touched. would leave your hand
smelling and fee ling dirty and like metal. tasting
fou l i f you bite your nails as I do. A prefect rang
the doorbell. to the reply of a friendly dog barking.
Once the door opened the black labrador ran out to
l ick and smel l the newcome rs to his home. This
cheered me up a lot as we have a black labrador at
home and this reminded me of him.
We went into the hou e hearing the calm voice
of Mr!.. Aitken. A'\ l"m '>Ure e ery boy did.
I looked around to admire the photos and
pictures on the wall. We were early so v.e were
invited to ha\C a Coke and '>Omc biscuits
downstairs in the l..itchen. A., I '"all..ed dov. n the
Mairs I !>aw how
nice it ''"''" to be m a hoU',e that "as -;o normal for
a famil). It was nice to get away from the School
for a while. Then another group of boys arrived at
the door and the dog wa<, barl..ing ' ' ildly again. We
all then went into the ' i ui ng room "her e every one
of U'> wa., dead!) '>ilent. This in a way was quite
nice a-. I breathed in the \me[[ that you would
e., pect to find in a house. Then the phone rang
(twcl\e time'> ) a'> we all \huffled upstairs to the
Chaplain\ study. I Iere we met forma B) for the
he
always
he there
Here,
at how
this
firstwould
time and
he began
to giveforusus.
a talk
about
point. r felt a bit homesick and had to wipe a few
tears awuy as I had never boarded hefore.
When this talk had finished. I felt assuredIhad
a person t o talk t o as well as others, and I felt much
better about settlin g in as u who le. l thought Mr.
Aitken was very k ind and t h i made me
feel
brighter as a person.
Rupert Osborne
11-t
Crace
Grace met me in the wildcrne..,.,.
Where three tall palm-tree., 'itood.
Salt was my mouth: in I l l ) di<,tre'>s
He offered me hi\ blood.
I lifted up un iron naiL
A hammer was my fist.
Meek Grace laid down hb body frail.
M y hand he t()Ok and kissed.
I struck and struck - my eyes we re blind
H is open arms I could not find:
I nailed him to the tree.
I cupped my hand,. for from his eyes
And '>ide \wcct water poured.
I drank and drank, b)' Gmcc amaLed Though I had l..illed m) Lord.
Peter Wcllby
Rugby
1st XV
Even though the team had many injurie:.
throughout, thi), cannot be put forward as the main
reason for such a dil>appointing season. There
were t oo many lapse:. in defence and last-ditch
tackling is no substilllte for up-front tackling
which . tops the opposition cro'>'>ing the gain line.
Oppo'>ing team!> were allowed to gather
momentum in auack and re-cycle the ball time and
time again. until they e'entually !.cored. The
School ..bowed that they had the backs to attack
"ith
ome fluent mo\ emerm v. hen given the
chance. but we were never able to find the right
combination in the bacJ... row to uppon. Chris
llopkin'> played in only one full game before he
was cruelly injured again in the very next game
yet another season of injury for him and he wa!>
:.orely missed. He wou ld have led the middle five
of the team with maturity and control. Ben Davies
was. a:. expected. an out\tanding captain. but had
many injuries. and in fact could not play in four of
the matches. Tom Dowdall de erves special
mention for his pov.erful and \\ell-balanced
running and his !>Oiid defence. Moving Tom to
om...ide centre gave him the room to expre :.
himself and by the end of the seal.on he looked an
exciting and confident player. Jon Manning and
Jomy Saunders should abo be recognised for their
work in defence and their wholehearted play
throughout the season.
After an exciting one point win over lvybridge.
the game played a<; a curtain-raiser at Exeter
before Exeter Chief'> played their first league
match. the team tra,cllcd to Canford with
confidence. Jake Briuen. a Fifth Former. had been
brought in a fly-half and he showed compo!.ure
throughout the .'>cason. It w a a !.teep learning
curve for him, but he adapted well. The team
eventually overcame Canford de!>pite conceding
over twenty penalties. The School then travelled to
Blundell's on a Tuesday afternoon and playing up
the !>lope in the tina half made unforced error
which gave Blunde l l ' three trie!. and a 17 points
lead. In the second half. the School could not
finish off their handling movement and were
re\tricted to one try. Bishop Word!>worth's never
recO\ ered from an early b l i l l of scoring by the
School when 17 points were put on the board very
quickly, but tbere were disturbing cracks in the
defence even though the School eventually scored
nine tries. Charlie Harris had been tried as a full
back after not making the team in his favoured fly
half position. and he enjoyed the extra space to
auacJ.... The defence was tightened up for the vbit
of K i n g \ Taunton and the School
tremendou di!-cipline in the ...econd half again t a
'>howcd
trong wind defending their 14 point lead and
relltricting the opposition to one try scored in the
last two minutes.
Lo ing Ben Davies and Chrb Hopkins for the
vi it of Wellington proved too much. Wellingwn
were not brilliant anackers. but their ba<.:J.. row
made '>ure that the} re-cycled the ball until
Sherborne ran out of pla}er'> to defend. It was
'>hecr phyl!tcal attrition and the Sherborne pack
could not cope. Millfield was probabl} the moM
di...appointing game of the '>ea'>on . The School
looJ...ed sharp and well-rehear!.ed scoring their 25
point!>. but the defence w a woeful and Millfield
were presented with some soft trie . T h i w a a
game that the School should have won. This
season was the first time that King\ Bruton had
ever beaten u . The School mbscd opportunitie in
the l i N half playing with the !-lope and made bad
dccil>ion. Pedro Van Dunem had been moved
from centre to the wing. and early ball to him
would have fully tested the King·, Bruton defence,
but it was not to be. Constant pre..,.,urc b) King'!>
Bntton, with good use of a beuer back row on the
day. eventual!} saw them take the lead and gain a
dc crved win.
Nick Hodgkinl>On had been brought into the
back row to replat:e the injured Guy Bailey. who in
turn had been picked to replace Chris Hopk ins.
Now Nick Hodgkinson wa!> injured for the Radley
game. Jame_., Kierstead and Will Hayter had
reco,·ered from injury ·o went straight into the 1st
XV. Marl-. Tory. who had been ·Mr. Con.,istent'
throughout the '>cason, wa.'> at..o injured. The
bigge 1 blov. was that Ben Davies wa.-. again
injured and would not ph.ty in the next three
game . The School cored a good try from 'et play
in the f i N three minutes. but then lost James
Kier!>tead with a neck injury. This meant that
lineout option were severe ly restri<.:ted and a the
pack were a lso totally out-scrummagcd. our
ambitious backs did not have enough ball to show
their l!kills.
Although the School put in a '>pirited
performance against BryanMon. early tries gave
the oppo ition confidence. and the} auacJ...ed in a
variety of wa}S. taking advantage of a :.pcedy back
row and half-bacb who controlled the game. For
the econd year running. the School allo\\ed '>oft
trie_., in the Ia t twenty minute!>. giving Bryan:.ton
a gcnerou" margin of victory. Nick Cook had an
impressive debut and kept his place at No. 8 for
the rest of the season.
116
In the Clifton game there seemed to be a change
in the team's auitude. seeming to realize that they
were a talented side w ho had completely
underperformed. They played some of their best
aitacking rugby but a few lapses. including one in
the last seconds of the game, led to a single point
defeat. The Cheltenham match was close but
defensive lapses at crucial times brought about
anot her defeat. The Downside match was a great
game in the traditional manner. unfortunately
marred by the behaviour of the Downside old boy
supporter . The School should have been one
point ahead with two minutes to play but a
conversion in front of the posts was missed. If they
had been ahead at this stage they would probably
have won the game.
There was certainly an urgency about the last
three games, as it dawned on this team that their
results could be amongst the worst that Sherborne
School had had. Some of the team did not feel that
they had a duty to uphold the tradition of n1gby in
this School once they were selected for Sherborne
School I 1 XV. and this lack of dedication and
effort in the preparation for matches put pressure
on their team-mates who did have pride in the
School and themselves. To be one of the chosen
fifteen who have their name on the Honours Board
in The Upper Pavilion should mean a lot. It has in
the past.
The coaching of Dr. Boulton and Mr. Price has
been imaginative. detailed and sincere. The
players have been fottunate to have their presence.
The termly rugby programme has been full and
extremely busy on all fronts. We are as well off as
we have ever been on coaching expertise
throughout all the senior and junior teams. We are
also adequate ly covered with refereeing. As usual,
the co-operation from the catering staff and the
grounds staff has been marvelloul> and so much
appreciated.
Finally. our thanks again to Mr. Nurton for
giving us so much back-up in his role as master in
charge of the 2nd XV. With twenty-six boys
hav ing played for the I st XV. Mr. Nurton\advice
and patience was constantly needed.
Appearances:
12 T. R. Dowdall, J. C. Brillen.
II
lO
9
8
6
117
5
4
3
2
J. C. W. Manning, P .G. H. Walters,
G. D. A. Richards, N. J . E. Cramp,
P .G. dS. Van Dunem
J. B. Saunders. C. J . F. Napier
M. C. Tory, C. A. J. HatTis
M. T. Vere-Hodge
B. J. Davies
H. T. Mitchell. D. W. M. Bridger
W. A. Y. Hayler
N. K. Cook
H. C. Grundy-Whee ler. J. C. K ierstead
C. J. P. Hopkins. C. J. W. Hill,
N. R. Hodgkinson
G. C. S. Bailey, W. J. White, J. A. Carroll.
S. J. F. Jones
Results: Played 12. Won 3. Lost 9.
Canford
Blundell's
Bishop Wordsworth' s
King's Taunton
Wellington
Millfield
King's Bruton
Radley
Bryanston
Clifton
Cheltenham
Downside
W
L
W
W
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
276
7 - 17
51 - 12
147
0 - 38
25-40
3 - 23
1 0 - 23
0-45
2 6 - 27
8 - 19
Scorers: Britten (46), Van Dunem (45). Dowdall
18- 26
(30), Saunders (20). Manning ( 15). Harris ( 13).
Richards, Kierstead. Hodgkinson (5 each).
The Dicken Memorial Cup was awarded to T. R.
Dowdall (Abbey House).
Win11ers of House Competitions
Seniors
U 16s
Plate
U l4s (7-a-side)
Plate
The Digby
Lyon House
The Digby
Harper House
Wallace House
A.M.D.
2nd XV
I f results were based on commitmem and
goodwilL then the 2nd XV would have had an
unbeaten season. However, in reality our results
were fairly evenly divided between wins and
defears. plus a draw for good measure. But the
season was characterised by hard-fought games,
some truly memorable performances and
dedication. teamwork, and enjoyment of the game
that are so often traits of 2nd XV players.
To start with, the whole team's effort in the
games themselves, before mentioning individual
contributions: everyone in this team managed to
balance enjoyment with focus and passion. and
some performances deserve noting. The season
got off to a t1ying start. with a victory against
Canford 55-5. It was a game in which the forwards
played an aggressive and mobile pack game, offset
by graceful and fast-working back-play. These
qualities were to remain throughout the season.
We continued to improve for much of the first
half of term. reaching our first peak surprisingly in
a loss. The Wellington game was one of our
greate. t team efforts. Through focus. support. and
sheer bloody-mindedness we managed to keep a
superior team tied down to only a 22-5 victory
over us. a score which many watching agreed W<l
not representative of the effort put in by the 2nd
XV. Two weeks later we went on to beat Corle
Hills Ists, breaking their u11beaten run of a year or
so. It w a a hard-fought mid-week game.
adly
overshadowed by an unpleasant game the
following Saturday against King's Bruton. where
the laws of the game were interpreted somewhat
strangely by the referee. causing us a defeat we did
not deserve.
Unfortunately. due to injury. and the inevitable
1st XV call-ups, the second half of term did not
have many sparkling results. but all our exports to
the Ist XV excelled themselves. while each new
3rds import brought his own flair to the team and
showed total dedication. despite a spate of losses.
There are two games that stand out of the last six
games. Firstly the 0-0 draw against Clifton, a
tough, n a jl-biter of a game that drew our largest
crowd on The Upper, as almost all of the passing
viewers became gripped. The second game was
our final match. when we beat Downside. after
which. i f the seaso n had continued. I don 't know
what improvements could have been made. Every
player played his heart out. each performing his
given task with perseverance within the team
framework. It was a fitting performance to end the
season, characterised by beautiful rugby. guts and
brilliant teamwork.
Owing to the expanded squad there are many
indi, idual performances to mention. The first
compliment should go to the official captain.
Charlie Vaughan-Lee. He led from the front. and
would have been invaluable had his season not
been cut short by a serious knee injury in the
second match, by which l received the captaincy
by default.
In the forwards. the front row was cemented by
Henry Grundy Wheeler. who was both mobile and
solid: Matt Balfour. a hooker imported straight
from the 4ths who more than earned his place; and
the consistent Jimmy Carroll. The locks and the
back three were constantly changing due to the
high injury incidence in these positions at all
levels. Ru Lane, Nick Hodgkinson and lonny
Morgan were all three extremely adaptable.
playing with power and skill. Nick definitely
deserved the games he played in the Ists. Nick
Cook also very much deserved his promotion first
from the 3rds into the 2nds. where he titted i n
perfectly, and secondly on to the Is t s - which was
a successful move. Our two flankers, Sam Jones
and Jimmy McKillop. both performed their jobs
impeccably. Finally, James Kierstead and Will
Hayter's contributions were appreciated.
I 18
In the back.... although not my domain. the o,tars
were ea y to pick out. The two hah·e.,. Jason Huu
and Charlie Gammell. were loyal. hardworking
and not afraid to make deci!.ion!.. I n the centre Rob
W } nn-Jone remained con tant. feeding to Dave
Bridger or Henry Mitchell. in both ca!.es fom1ing
fa t-rnoving powerful duo-.. The back three euled
down to Will Kipling and Henry Farri\ on
the wings. and Ru Harland at full back. Will
was willing to put everything on the line i n
matche . while Ru wa'> a l w ay unnervingly calm
before the matche .
On
the
pitch
hh
performance was brilliantly fini hed. Henry
remains one of the fastest wings on the circuit.
<Jnd his outside breaks are something with which
to be reckoned. Two others should be mentioned:
our own rent-a-back, Chris H i ll , who was alw a y
adaptab le, and John Hood. who e injury in the
Wellington match cut short what should have
been a good !>eason for him.
T h b ju!.t leaves one person to mention: M r.
Nurton. The hard-working 2nds coach eems to
have enlarged h i job-de!>cription from just
coaching 10 al o keeping the focu-. on
the enjoyment of the game and acting
negotiator during the annual complaint\ that the
2nd XV are ju'>t the 1st X V cannon fodder. He
manages thi\ extended job de cription 1mpre.,
ively. and has the thanb and re-.pect of all who
played t h i year.
The 2nd XV wa.!> good fun and hard work at the
same time. I believe all who were involved would
agree it wa.., an enjoyable '>ea on. It wa., a plea ure
again playing at thi-. level. The rugby i., hard
enough to be challenging. but the pres-,ure is le-.s
than the 1st . giving people the opportunit} to pia}
flowing inventive rugby. That wa-. \ 0 clear
thi!. ea!>on. It juM leave'> it for me to say thank
you to both coach and player:. alike for a mo t
enjoyable last Sherborne !>Cason.
Results: Played 13. Won 5. LO'>l 7. Drawn I .
Canford
Blundell's
B ishops Wordsworth\
Gi ll ingham 1st X V
Wellington
Millfield
Corfe H i l ls 1st X V
King's Bruton
Radley
Bryanston
Clifton
Cheltenha
m
Downside
119
w
L
w
w
L
L
w
L
L
L
L
w
D
55 - 5
7 - 10
19 - 0
36 - 0
5-22
7-36
2 0 - 14
7 - 14
12 14
5 - 16
00
0 - II
William White
200
Inevitably. Will White·l> modeMy forbids him
from reponing hi!> own enormous contribution to
tht: sea on. Both on and off the field he earned the
re!>pcct of friend and foe alike. I w a aware of the
many po!>itive attributes that Will would bring to
the job ar. captain. However. l underrated his
pa.,sion for the game and h i organisational skills.
He left nothing to chance and even organised
di...crcet line-out practices when official training
...es iom. had ended.
I ha'e been as!>ociated with Will !Iince his days
as a Senior Colt. He, I believe. typifie what
Sherborne rugb) offers to boys. That is, a chance
to develop physically and mentally and to accept
re.,pon ibility. In return you receive loyalty. effort.
friend<.hip and a lot of fun. I have been most
grateful to Will for nil of these qualities.
M.D.N.
3 r d XV
The 3rds of ·99 could. in many ways. be
compared to the current England team: king!> of
the local circuit (our version of the Six Nations).
we could ne,er quite make the step up to
overcome team from funher afield.
The l'!ea.,on '>taned well ' ' ith a very convincing
42-5 victory over Canford. This was to prove the
best performance by the backs all i>Cason. with
trie!l being run in from all pam of the pitch. There
followed an ea...y "'in against Blundell\. which we
achieved without having to play well. and a defeat
again" Milton Abbe) 1!-.h . On The Upper in the
pouring rain we \\ent do\\n 10-7. Despite pla}ing
poorly. we de...crved more from the game. We got
our:.elve<, back on track with a terrific result
againM King'' Taunton. in which a relatively small
pack produced an awesome performance. Nick
Cook grabbed a -.uperb hat-trick and thoroughly
deserved hi' subsequent promotion to the 2nds
and eventually to the Ist XV.
In our toughest game of the seal'!on we lo t43-6
to a more physical and beuer organised Wellington
side. However. it wa::. an even first half and we
cominued lighting to the end - a spirit which was
exemplified by James Habershon who. having
given away a penalty, picked himself up and
pulled off the biggest head-on tackle I have ever
had the plea'>ure of viewing from clo e quarters.
Our tackling let U'> down against Millfield. but
we bounced back to beat Bruton 37-0. on a pitch
which was oddly placed on the -.ide of a hill . A
difficult final minute meant that we didn't get a
re ult against Claye more hlo; after Ed Sinks had
drawn the cores le,el with a latt-Daw on- tyle
!->ntping run from the base of the l.Crum.
We re crved our fine t team performance for
the matche again'it Radley, Cheltenham and
Downside. With a -;cverely depleted team and
having conceded two carl) lrie . we '>howed great
character to make a game of it against Radley
(who went on to beat Wellington). The game was
a lot clo!.er than the \coreline -.howed (8-24):
Linley 'Jerry· Le,,is !.cored a brilliant
opportunbt'!> tr) from the ten metre line. The
Cheltenham match was a fanta::.tic game between
two very even and committed -,ides - a draw was
a fair result. Our la-;t game again'>! Down!>ide. on
The Upper, proved to be a bit of an exhibition
match a everybody 'eemcd to get on the !,COre
o;heet.
There wa!> much mon: to this team than just
rel.ults: the spirit wa' incredible and everybody
truly wamed to play for each other. However. for
every great team there has to be ome great
individua l play. and I would like to mention a few
more player!> . .lo 'Matt Perry' Simson was a
constant threat with his running from deep. Mike
·Neil' Taylor and Alex ·Lawrence· Waters were the
most improved players of the sea!>on. with their
tremendou!> tackling and powerfu l running. they
formed a deadly trio of a back row with Freddie
Corlet t. The •Jimster' and James Board (along
with the !>kipper) were the only players to play
every minute of the 'ea on. and their commilment
wa!> in,aluable. Gilel> ·Ja!->on Leonard· H ill
provided the team with much needed experience
and his play tn the loo e '"a' fanta.,tic all season.
Finally. many thanks to Re,d. Aitken for
making this my mo t enjoyable sea!>on of rugby.
Ac., for me. it's been a pleasure working with all
you gu)., and you can call me Wilkinson. Jonny
Wil""in on!!
Results: Played 13. Won 6. Lost 6. Dra\\ n l.
Point.; for 296. again-;t 209.
Alexander Perowne
4 t h XV
The 1999 ide embodied all that is best about
rugby football: they were loyal to each other:
looked forward to their game on a Saturday: and
enjoyed winning. but accepted defeat gracefully.
They had a better sense of proportion than I had. I
find the win-at-ali-CO'>lS altitude dispiriting.
wherea!l the member:. of this team just found it
mystifying. What a rcfre!>hing contrast to much
else we ce 111 .,pon. C\en in school rugby, where
foul language. 'iolent conduct. and cheating are
'Nidel> accepted.
120
The team laded a con i tent goal-1-.icker. but
not mm:h ebe. The bacl-.' had plent) of pace and
guile. and were dcfcm.ivcly 'olid. while the
forward-, 'cnunmaged con-,i-,tentl) ''ell and \\On a
high proportion ol line-out ball. The endless
changing of pcr,onncl ran:I) cau ...cd them to break
'>tridc. but it 'ometimc' made it difficult to
encourage a greater variet) of \et move . mon!
imagination around the 01.1\e of the \Crum. and
more innm·ati'e U\e of 'ceond- and third-phase
po:- cs ion. None of it maucrcd. though : the ne\\
pla)er.. enjoyed it all. and lool-.cd at home .
Man) or the\C p l a ye will go on to e\ccl at a
more exalted le\el of the game: the) ''ill de enc
to -,uccet:d. and I hope the) continue to enjoy
therm.elvc .... too. My than!..' to all who played. ran
the line. and g:l\C or their OC'>l on the training
pitch.
Team: Ben Bi,hop, Oliver Dorrell. Jonathan
Badcoc. Nick Scorer. Chri' R i vett. Huvv Poraj
W i iC!yn:.ki. George Bramhle: Scan Pearson.
Adam Low. Jamc... Mceke: Jonathan Bain. Andrew
Vickery: Rowle) Merick<-.. Mauhe'' Hope.
Freddie Corlett.
Alw plttn •d: Tom Fern-.. Andre\\ We-,twood.
Tri'>tan Da). :'vht\ Italic). Andrew Russell. Will
Goodhe\\. Chrr-, Ta,cnder. Sam la,on. Richard
Rea!>on and Hen!) Den,ham
Remlrs: Played 8. Won 5. Lo'>t 3
\V
Can ford
The Gr)phon
Wellington
Millfield
Radlt:)
Bryanston
Clifton
Cheltenham
L
460
2017
0 - 19
'W
30 - 7
w
L
w
L
w
0 - 7
35 - 5
1 0 - 20
W.A.M.B.
480
Colts A XV
The fir\t week or t h i e'\t:iting term
devoted
wa... to rugby trial!> and. regardle-.., of the team
that they repre...cntcd the previou' year. cvcrybod}
had the 'amc chance to impn!'>'> the !>elector .
However. in pmctice the final team selection
looked rather familiar with the exception that there
w a an opponunity for M>mcone reall) to impres!>
at fly half. lnitiall) Will Fegen manfull> c;tepped
into the fra) and after much !.pcciali cd po.-,itional
coaching managed to adapt 10 pia) ing 11) half
quite well although hi!> place 1-.icl-.ing wa!>
sometime'> erratic. We beat Canford convincingly
b) 41-0. and comfonahl) di-.po cd of Blundell\.
50-3. before O\erwhelming. Bi.,hop Word ...wonh·s
by 46-5. The King·, Taunton match wa\ a little
more e\cnl) matched and. although we managed
lO \\ill )8- 10. Our fl\ half \ \ <I \ COnCU'>\Cd after a
last minute bod) chccl-. and wu'> not to play again
until later in the ea!>on.
So once again there ' ' a \ a window
or opportunil) t o play a major role in the Colts
team. Charlie Dupont. a \tah' art fly half for the
·A'
·s·team. 5-howed hi-. hand and again\t Wellington.
although mi ......ing one or two pcnaltic' early on. he
managed to con' ert to win the game I 0-8. Thi"
team performance was ea,ily the be't of the 'ca on
and it cemed a!> though the ph.t)er., had finally
gelled and were all playing the !>arne game. It
appeared that Charlie could keep hi'> nerve under
real prc:- ure but thi!> w a to be cruelly te ted to the l i
mi t in the next game against Mi ll lield. After
missing an easy conver ion in the rir\t ha l f. we
cored a determined try at the dcuth and poor
Charlie Dupont had to comert from just out\ide
the right post to tic the match. lie strucl-. the ball
well but it hit the ncar po'>t and bounced the wrong
ide - Milllield had a 'Cr} lucl-.y escape.
We had to lr) to lift the team after that but after
onI) a fe" d a ), we were 10 face King\ Bruton on
The
Upper. The
hoy'
from
Bruton
fought courageou!>l} . It " a " thcrr cup linal and \ \ C
didn't 'eem ,·er) imere,ted in rai-.ing our game
and a:- a result we could only manage to dn" '
7-7. e.\ l w
a di appointing game again'>!
Radle). which we Jo-.t 19-20. Although there wa.,
little between oursehecc;. Wellington. and Milllield.
I thought that we \\ere \ignificantly better than
thi,
poor!) disciplined Radley team but. after
being ahead for most of thc game. ' ' e k>'-l
concentration toward-. the end and capitulated.
Bryan-.ton were our next opponents and they
were prohably one of the weakest team... that we
faced. We made no mbtake here and soundly
thrashed them 40-0.
The only rea l problem we had all -.ea on was
t11at we cou ld not kick our goab and a., a result we
lost vital game!>. Clifton wa1- to he nn l!xccpt ion
and. after being Lhe more impressive team, we lost
again " a result of mi:. ed chances. the linal re,ult
b ing 17-15. Finally. at Cheltenham we fini:.hed
the season in 'tylc winning 15- 12. but it wa'> a
some\\ hat hollo'" 'ictor} a ' it hould have been
the game that ecured an unbeaten \Ca\l>ll for thi-.
quite outstanding team. If onl)!
And} Bridger captained the team well and led
by example. but the team have much potential and
are \ef) talented rugb) player (man) or whom
pla) ed representative level rugb) during the
121
season). They had the best support from parents I
have ever experienced and they were as much a
part of the team as anyone - my sincere thanks to
them. Finally I would lik e to thank MFW and
AGH for their help and most of all DAS for his
invaluable suppon <111d expenise.
Tea111: Brock. Bridger. Chamberlain. Luard. May,
Hood, Bishop. Edlmann. Bulger. Scott. Fegen,
Heddcrwick. Hunt. Rawal. O"Connor. Angell.
Dupont. Dodge. Mieville. Hart. Russell.
Results: Played I I . Won 7. L o s t - Drawn I .
Canford
Blundell':.
Bishop Wordsworth's
King's Taunton
Wellington
Milll'ield
King's Bruton
Radley
Bryanston
Cl ift on
Cheltenham
w
41 -
w
0
w
5231 8 - 10
4160--
w
w
L
L
D
w
L
w
581 9 - 17
7- 7
2 0 - 19
35 - 0
14- 12
15 - 12
S.J.C.
Colts B XV
The 1999 !>cason for the Colts B team was
another successful one. The record speak!. for
itself: played twelve. won nine and lost three: the
-;ide was one of the most :,uccel> ful in the School.
Ably led by Paddy Shaw-Brown, the team began
well by easing pal>t Canford. where W ill Russell
made his mark on the match with the lirst two of
his many tries of the season. From C:mford. we
moved on to wins again:.t WarminMer A. Milton
Abbey A. The Gryphon A. and King's Taunton.
thu
beginning the sca on with a run of
live str<Jight victories. During one of these,
against Warminster. we saw two of the best
moments of the term. The first, a superb
pas!'>age of :,econd pha!->e play on the r ight- hand
touchl ine, ended with close-contact continu ity
between Russell . Rory Bulger untl Hugo Dodge
before the last :-lipped the ball deft ly to Ed
Wcstropp in support. who crossed the line for the
try. The second wa!> a Scott-Gibb!> likc solo effort
from
Dominic
O'Connor,
who slipped
effortlessly through and around the flailing arm!>
of the vainly diving Warminster defence to go
over under the posts. By the end of the season
O'Connor and Ed Harder were joint top corers.
both having c;corcd seven tries.
Having vanquished these early opponent!>
however. we fat·cd the altogether superior
Wellington College, who thrashed us by eight tries
to none. Chris Hurt wal> sent off. Undeterred. the
team regrouped to recover from a half-time deficit
against Millfield to run out eventual winners,
thanks to match-winning perfonnancec, from Nick
Beattie. Tim Wynn-Jones and. again, Russell. The
sea!>on continued with defeat" by Thomas Hardyc
(in the dying seconds of the game) and Radley. und
victories
over
Clayesmore
A,
Clifton
College, Cheltenham College and Down!>ide.
The victory over Clifton was one of the best
thatIhave seen at lhis level. Having given away an
easy try early on in the game, Sherborne then
dominated for the rest of the half. I n a clo!->ely
conte<;tcd and
phy<;ical strugg le,
Horder
eventua l ly -;cored a good winger·!> try in the
corner. which was converted
!'rom the touchline in a swirling wind by Charlie
Pushman. to take the scores to seven all. More
pressure in the second half culminated in another
Bickf'ord-Smith.
twelve-seven
winger's
try in the At
corner,
this time for ahead,
Micky
Sherborne were then on their ow n try-line for the
last twenty minutes of the game, demonstrating
extraordinary re!->olve and tackling to deny Clifton
a score.
Generally. the team spirit. which had been poor
in the fir st few weeks, wal> !>trong by the end of the
<.eal>on. typified by that game against Clifton and
another nail-biting finale lO the season agains t
Downside. The team should be congratulated on
their (mostly) good attitude to matches and each
other, and I thank them for a successfu l '>cason un
the pitch. With a little more application during
truining. l>ome or them could make good players in
the future.
Team Jimn: Charl ie Robens. Matt Paw on-EIIis.
Will Ru!->\cll. C h r i Hart. Will Yate . Ollie
East. Pau·iek Shaw-Brown. Tom Chamberlain.
Ollie Clark. Charl ie Dupont. Micky BickfurdSmith. Charl ie Pu!->hman. Ed Westropp. Jame!-1
Micville. Tim Wynn-Jones,
Henry Rushton.
Rory Bulger. Hugo Dodge. Dominic O'Connor.
C h r i Langton. Ed Horder. Christo Albor.
Luke Vassey. Nick Beattie. Rob Jordan .
Results: Played 13. Won I 0, Lost 2.
C a n
Warminster
Milton Abbey
The Gryphon
Kim!'s Taunton
Wellington College
Millfield
Thomas 1-lardye
Clayesmorc
Radley
122
w
W
W
W
W
L
W
L
W
L
290
30 - ()
29 - ()
205
10 0
0-44
3 7 - 17
37
235
0 - 11
Bryan ton
Clifton
Cheltenham College
Dowrhide
w
w
w
Cancelled
12- 7
335
17-
A.G.H.
0
Colts C XV
Ha' ing lo t only to Wellington in 1998. the
team looked to make amt.:nd thi' year and
complete an unbeaten '>ca!.on. The first two
matche' resulted in ea y victorie over B team::.
from Blundell\ and Bi,hop Word'>worth''>. These
acted as the build-up to what w a ai\\HY'> expected
to be the harde t mutch: and after a lunning
performance by the whole \ide. we pulled off
well-de:-.erved and enlt.:rlaini ng vic t ory over a very
large and <.trong Wellington ide. Thi!> waii
undoubtedly the highlight o f the seaso n.
characterised by Robert Jordan·:-. brilliant hooking.
and Charlie Pushman\ running and kicking.
which in,pired e\ t.:ryone to play together as a
team.
The next match wa-. another important game at
Milllield. and ag rin the team performed \\ell. v. ith
a
excellent ball-winning from the lomard' and
incisive running from the hacb. The re,ult ' a), a
sati!>fying 29-0 victur). which finally 'ilenced a
rather partisan crowd. A t thi' 'tage of term we
were the only unbeaten :-.ide in the School.
Unfortunate!) thi.., glory wa:-. l>hort-lived - v.e fell
to a 'trong and well-drilled Radley '>ide on a three
year unbeaten run.After \'.e conceded three trie-. in
the fir<. fifteen minute'> before w e " oke up. all the
effort the team put in for the re\t of the match wa'
in vain. Recover) from thi., di'>appointment wa:-.
swift. and the la'>t t\\ o matehe:-. .,howed off the
team·, '>kill and determination in the be't pos.,ible
manner v. ith commanding and ...ati'>fying victoric:-.
again ! Clifton and D o " n...idc. A \Ca\on·., try
count or 35 for and I I again•>l '>hOW\ the team·..,
overall uperiority.
The forward!> alway' gave their heM. with
powerful driving run' from Charlie Robert .
Robert Jordan. Nick Beattie and Wibon Okwonga.
wi lling support from Ed Findlay. Charlie l-lurlhalt.
John Brooke and Tom Mackay-Jame ' (\\hO!>e
physica l feats were only exceeded hy hi:-. verbal
presence). A special mention goe' to Tom
Williams who, although a rdati\c nc\\comer to
rugby. howcd determination and commitment
throughout the -.ea!>on.
113
Credit also £oes to the back line. with Luke
Vassay·s fearless
tackling. the omet ime
devastating and sometimes com ical back-line
moves of George Bunkall, Charlie Pushman and
George Dalton, and the elusive running of the
wingers Richard B rook and Nick Pothecary.
Team: N. A. P. Beattie. R. J. M .
Brook.
J. P. Brooke. G. .J. W. Bunkall. G. M . Dalton.
E. D. I. Findlay. C. H. Hurlbau. R . W. Jordan.
T.
(Captain),
W.G. P.P.M ackay-James.
Okwonga. T. W.
N. Mallbews
M.
Pothecary.
C. Q. R. Pushman. C. J .
C. Roberts,
A.
L . W. Vassay. T. H . Williams.
Also Plared: C. B. A l bor. A. G. A.
Bartlett,
M . R. ·D. Bickford-Smith. I. W- Y.
Chiu.
0 . L. R. East. E. J. Horder. C. J.
Langton.
. J. Minns. D. P. Owen. M . H . Paulson-Ellis.
Results:
7, Won
Lo.Sykes,
t I . Points
220.
Rushton.
J. R.6.W.
D. J. for
Torrens
H. R. L.Played
Points
61.Yates.
Spence.against
W. P. D.
Blundell's B X V
Bishop Wordsworth:, B X V
Wellington C X V
Millfie ld C X V
Radley C X V
Clifton C XV
Downside B XV
w
w
w
w
L
w
w
620
205
2810
29 - 0
5 - 22
Tom M atthews
26 - 12
5 0 - 12
.Junior C o l t s A X V
Signals· wnhiguity should be CII'Oided. A 1\'0J<I sign
beginning with the lelfer 'P · ras the signal for the
.fon\'(/rd.\ to go right. When predictably Gareth
£dll'ard.1 called ·psychology', lw(f'the f01wards
l l 'e n t lefi.
The results cl early indicate the trough of
despair that the team had to pull out of in mid
:-ea!>on. The matches against Wellington and
M i llfield we re the low points of our coach
ing career : not only did we lose to teams that
weren't actual ly better than us but there wa!> a
complete absence of dstJ ril de COI]JS and passion
about both performances. Boys blamed each
other for poor play and huge rif'ts in the team
appeared such that we feared that our season was
about to fal l apart before half term. So it w a
necessary to dispense w ith rugby training one
Thursday afternoon and to have a sport p
ychology ess ion sitting on the ground with
everyone being completely frank about what
had gone wrong and w hat had to be put
right after hal r term. It wm-, at thi:-. stage that David
Poraj- W ikzynski.
as
captain.
merited
his
appo intme nt by cajol ing and di ciplining
the fifteen individuals into a team who went on to
play some outstanding rugby in the last month of
term. Despite this. there are !>till some players
in the squad who play selfish ly and I hope that
they can appreciate who they are and alter
their attiLUde before the new season.
The season got off lO a tlying start beating
Canford away in some style. reversing
the prev ious year's defeat. with four good tries one or whic h involved a passage of interpassing the length of the pitch. This earl y
promise w a sustained in the matches agains t
Blundell's
and Bishop
Word worth's,
two
excellent games. Our back row and half-backs
controlled the game against Blundell's who
also d id enough to beat Word. worth's, but we
lost to a better-drilled ide. This was the l'ir<;t
Lime for some years that this fixture had been
played
areTaunton
looking
rd to
The matchand
againstwe
King·s
wa. forwa
very c lose:
travel
ling t oof Sal
isbury next
e a r - · their
rugby
two yhalve
dictated
by
the epitome
a ·game
seems
to he
goingw through
purpleparallel
patch. to the
the very
strong
ind thata blew
touchline!> and the kicking game tactics that were
adopted by both fly-ha lv e s With the wind in the
first period Sherborne were 13-0 up at half time.
Much to the referee ·s dread the second hal r played
exactly a
the first had done such that the
scores
were levelled with a couple of minutes
left. Sherborne k icked off. Taunto n obstructed
the forward chase. a penalty wa!> awarded which
left
Tom Cracknel l with a penalty w conver t ten
metres in on the ten metre line into a gale. Without
a moment's hesitation Tom stroked the ball that
g l ided effortlessly through the uprights for
a Sherborne victory.
The followi ng Saturday saw the long tri p to
Crowthorne to play a compa ratively ordinary
Wellington Col lege side. The size of our defeat
was increased by a number of key players picking
or
Carwyn James
Coached by an I r ish forward and a Welsh
serum-half. conru ion of the highest order was to
be expected from the Junior Colts this season.
There were some confusing moments such a
trying to explain tO the pack that 'Tom·. 'Dick' and
·Harry· were actual ly channels on the field rather
than real people and I am not sure that the Col!!>·
coaching team w il l be utilising our very useful and
highly ente11aining Amer ican Football practice .
The group of boys that assembled early
in September
contained
some
very
talented sportsmen but had had a relatively
disappointin g season as Mini-Colts: they couldn't
play a a team.
124
up injurie carl) in the game, \Ome undoubted!)
genuine but 'ome \l.!eming to be exacerhated by
the fact that \\C were lo ing to <1 \Cr) phy!>ical side.
Frunl-.1). our performance wa-. emharra!>!-lllg and
we needed to pia) well again'>! Millfield the
following week to lift the team again . On 'Biaclo.
Saturda) ·. we ' ' itnes,cd the ' ' or...t performance
from a Sherborne "ide that either of u ' ha.' een. It
wa<, di..,appointing and fru,trating to \Ce C\actl)
the same mi<.talo.e bemg made agam and again: the
team failed to taclo.lc. to compete in the line-out
and 'ecmed completel) umnterc'>ted 111 regaining
pos'>e..,,ion at rue!.. and maul. Some harsh thing'
had to be 'aid m training in the following wee!..
and yet at the 'ame time \\C needed to try and in!-til
\Otnc pride and confidence baclo. into the !>ide. The
half term break cou ld not ha\c come at a bcuer
time.
With the exception of a rather lack-lu tre
performance at Radley. where two tired-lookin g
team!> played o l l l a dull. very horit.onta l game. the
\econd ha If of term '>aw \ome exccllelll
performance!>. The 'ictorie' nt Bruton and Clifton
were again t 'piritcd but wcaJ..er team .... hut tho.,e
at Br) an-.ton and Cheltenham '>bowed the true
cia !> of the boy ... and the f;.sct that they could play
a a team. When not biclo.ering. the forward and
back' could llnlo. 11uidly and with player like
Siphiwe Laruelle. Michael Clapp and Matthe''
HuN changing the angle and pace of a11ack this
team could be 'er) difficult to beat. There 'a!>
much more cmnn111ment from C\ Cf) player in
thc c two fi\turc and it ga'c u good feeling to
sen\e the boy' had ...hared ...omething in thc'e
'ictone.... Our onlv remauun!! criticio;m of the -.ide
·that a trong· defence annot ju ...t rei) on
indi\iduaJ, to malo.c taclo.le . there rnu't be a
paucrn to thc\e taclo.le\ if gap' arc not to uppea.r.
Hopefull) the Colt.,· coaching team will be able to
redres' thi'> problem.
After a \Ca on that cau...ed Ul> a whole range of
emotion!> we would like to than!.. the following
boys for their effort and commitment:
Andy \Vindle (/111.11in Nealey J
a good. pacy
\Upport player - - he need<., 10 be more committed
in the tackle and phy,ically 'tronger.
Tom Maher ( Mil..t• Ttnde/1J - unfortunatelY mi\\cd
half of the '>ea on \\ ith a broJ..cn wri\t an·d laclo.ed
confidence on his return.
Mauhew H u n r (Jerel//\' GII\CI/11) - a \Cr) good
centre with an eye for the gap and the pace to get
through it. abo ...olid in defence.
Tom Cracknell (Rmum 0 ·cara J
a 'c r \
player
good with all the necc.....ar) talent' or a 11)-·half: a
IO\·ely kicker both from hand and the ground. vcf)
quick and a good pia) malo.er - he mu t hecome
more dominant over hi'> O \\ n baclo. line in defl.!nce.
T l w m p.1011 (Andy Nic ·ho/1J good
defensively but to fullil his potential he hall to
improve his pa )... his dcci)..ion -malo.ing and
acceleration. He must try to l->tamp hi' authority on
the course of the game.
Sltolto
Dm·id Po raj- Wilc::ym/..i ( Lrtu •rence Dallaglio) an in)..pirational captain and out!>tunding footballcr
who can think on hi-. feet: he ha'> great hand.., and
i-. \'cry strong. u great lin!.. ' ' ith the backs .
Michael Clapp (Neil flac ) - more often than
not our be!>t fomard: \Cf) quiclo. '"ith an immen
...e work-rate - he play'> the game \cry clo'>e to
the offside line and i<. U!>uall) f i N to the hall on
the ground.
Ke1·in Ha::.e/1 (M i c Gulwa_1) - a \Cry good paclo.
player. 'ef) committed - he de,clopcd into
an effecti\e llanlo.er ' ' ho malo.c' hi., taclo.Je.,
and occupie the defence by 'ncalo.tng up the
blind.,idc.
la m e.\ Rol>inson (Si11wn Slu111) - a gentle giant
who mu!>t become more invohcd in tight play for
the full 60 minute:-. - he ha'> the height and ball
handling slo.ilb to be a 'l.!r) potent lincout jumper
if he i ' prepared to get off the ground.
L\·ne (Garetlt Archer) - made
more progre l> than an) other player: phy ically
vcr) trong and traight -runnin g - h e mu l
peciali e next year.
Piers flo., hwr (Emil NTmnack)
ha!> electrifying
pace. u we ll -balanced runner who lacks
commitment in the tackle and who need' to worlo.
on his ball-handling slo.ill'>.
Malcolm
Gold (Kenny Logan)
brave. rerociOU!>
tackler with u good. 'uli: pair of hand - he
''ill need to grow if he i ' to continue playing at a
high
Malcolm Sco11 (Graeme Rou·mree) - a good ball
carrier. phy ...ically ver) .;trong. an intelligent
player- he il> olid dcfen hel) but mu'>t learn to
channel hi;, di appointmcnt and aggre....,ion imo
the game.
Ale.\
IC\CI.
SiJJhill£ ' Larue/It• ( Jonah l.tl/1111) - utilit) player.
range) and !>trong runner \\ ho had a tendency to
take the hall on too far. a huge l..iclo. and pa-.c., - he
became more dt,ciplined and a better \Upport a '
the ea-,on progre"cd.
Tom Edward,· (Ttnn Snutfl J - great \llli lc and a
great \Oice! - he i'> a great team-pla)er: a compact
prop " h o i difficult to -.cnunmage again'>t.
Kenne1rleigfl Scort ( Phil Gret•ning) - a good lin!..
pla)er v.ho mtt!>t \\Or!.. on hi' throv.tng-in and hi'
125
upper body strength - he abo needs to adopt a
lower bOd) po-.ition in the tight.
In the back-rov... George Strauon wa., present
throughout the \Ca...on. He pro' ic.led u.,eful height
Charlie \Villialll.\ rGarm Je11/..inl) - surpri ingl:r at the back of the ltne-out and was tenaciou., in the
mobile tight forward who i-, developing into a very loose. Charlie Pill Ford and Edward Posneu
good pia) er: he d o e need more pace but he ha-. played a numher of game-. at flanker. The) both
good upper bod) \trength. He either needs to think played well but were not big enough and were
replaced toward' the end of the 'cason by Tinne
a lot le-,., or a lot more about the game.
and Jame., Pearson .
The back' ,.,.ere talented and fa,t. and could
Result\ : Played II. Won 7. Lo\t 4. Point for 2-l9.
'core
again'>l any team if the) got enough ball
Point' again\t 163.
which unfortunate!) the) rarcl) did. Will Dawson
w
Can ford
2-l - 5
at \Crum-half" a ' the mo't tmproved player in the
w
Blundell\
3 2 - 20 'ea.,on. He ha' a good pa'"· i ' tactically '>Ound and
Bi,hop Word wonh\
L
di.,pl tyed a ferocious uetermination. which
7King\ Taunton
w
inspired the rest of the tc.:am. Henry Gold\chmidt
10
Wellington
L
16 - 13 kicked and pa, ed beautifully but h i reluctance to
Milllield
L
tackle wa' frustrating. At centre Tri.,tram
3-43
King's Bruton
w
20 8- -60 0 Marchingwn is a :.ilky and elu!>ive runner with a
Rad ley
() - 8 classical p a and he -,cored a number of
L
Bryan..,ton
w
2 6 - 0 impressi\'e trie'>. Frc.:ddie Mead. Sebastian Fox and
w
Clifton
6 0 - 5 Gavin Thom shared the ot her centre position. All
Che ltenham
w
45 - 7
three were natural ·B· team players and it was
difficult 10 choose between them. On the wings
W.J. M.0 'C.IP.J.W.
Will More wal> a penetrating runner but always
gave the imprc sion of wbhing he were anywhere
but on the rugby pitch . Alex Gold w a a strong and
J uni or C o l t s B X V
reliable tackler and always managed to keep the
ball alive if he could \ee that hi\ path to the try line
Thill wa-. a moderately succco;sful seao;on: there wa.-. blocked.
were ...ome excellent \\in., again ! teams such a
Charlie Quick captamed the tean1 from full
C l i f t o n . Cheltenham and Bryan.,ton but back. He \cored a number of trie' "ith hi!>
heavy defeats to Millfield. Wcllineton and bli'>tering pace and deceptive ide- tep. If he can
Radlev. The
imprO\e hi'> dcfen"i'e kill'>. he hould pia) in the
team did imprme con'>idcrably a.-. the eason
·A·, nc\t 'ca on.
progn! .,cd and the O \ erall record i ' poorer than it
might haH: been a. the team played and lost to Team from: C. Quick. W. More. T Marchington.
three ver) strong and effective ·A' teams: Corfe A. Gold. S. Fox. G. Thorn. H. Gold chmidt.
lliiJ.... Thoma' Hardye and 00\\nside. A number of H. Lamb. W. Daw<.,on. F. Lewis. C. Hung. F. Mead.
player<, in the te tm were talented rugby players but G. Strallon. E. Posneu. C. Pitt Ford. E. Scott
the lack of ite in the forwards was a problem Clarke. H . Tinnc. J. Pear,on. M.
throughout the sea,on.
Clapp,
In the front row Roben Boughey and Gile' J. Richards. B. Ma<>'>Cy. S. Daniel. R. Boughey.
Smallwood played in every match. Boughey is M. Scott. G. Smallwood. A. John'>ton. S. Peel
technical ly sound and 'ery brave: Smallwood. Yate .
though rather 'mall for a prop. tackled well J?e.wlrs: Played 14. Won 8. Lo t 6.
in the la l the
few'cason
games.
wa:-; strong
andwho
powerful
throughout
. Malcolm
Scou.
played
R.W.B.
and took a lot or stopping when he made his
'urging run\. In the ...econd row, Henry Tinnc
improved throughout the -;ea on and was very
Junior C o l t s C X V
dTecti\ e by the end. He again is an extremely
The \Ctl\on can be regarded a a very '>UCces >ful
\trong runner (when he run!. traight) and cored a
number of trie . l-Ie was -.upponed by Edward one in term\ of the (e,el of commitment \hown by
Scou-Ciarke who wa always quick to the break the hoys and abo the re\ult!> achie,ed. Not only
dl)\\ n for a \econd-ro" forward. In the c;econd half did the boy' " i n 'ix out of ten game but man) of
of the \ea,on Ben la.,,ey replaced Tinne in the
tho e w i n wc.:n: by \Cry large margins.
\Ccond rov... Tinm mo' ing to 'o. 8. Ma,.,e
The team played a \cry expan i'c game and
brought ...orne well-needed aggre\sion (nor all of
enjoyed nmning the ball from " h erever they
\\hich wa'> legitimate) and bulk to the -.crum.
could. The for" ard' did a -;uperb job
in
126
maintaining po)\)o.e\sion through '>e\eral pha e of
play and thi'> enabled the b a d " to '>hO\\ their pace
and their skill . whil:h the) did very eiTectivcly at
time!.. Although the compO'>Hmn of the team
changed ' ' ith C \ cr> game played. the boy'
commendably maintained a good -,pirit throughout
the sea.,on .
The tight li'e \\a'> made up of Simon Peel
Yates. Simon Arden. Jame' Church. Jad. Richard'>
and Jeremy Rcif-Ddguidrci . Simon Peel-Yatc-.
prO\ed himself to he a -,trong scrummager.
especial!) \\hen in p<w;e,smn of the ball. His
penctratiYe dri' ing often prm cd a nightmare for
opposition player'> . Simon Arden '>howed hirmelf
to be one of the stronger player;, on the field at all
times. Hi)\ uppon play and general rucl.ing and
mauling '"-ill'> were of a <,tandard more ...uitcd to
·s· team rugby. Making up the front row was
James Church. l ie has a very '>Oiid game in all
departments and although he never Lood out a<>
one of the star!. of the side hb contribution in all
area<. of the game was inva luable to the side.
Jeremy Reif-Delguidici did his bit for the side
in all area-.. e-.pecially the lineouts. Hi'> height
allowed him ea-,ily to gain po-,-.ession of the ball
and either dri\e for\\ard or di-,tributc the ball to
\Upporting player.... He was actively involved in
almo t C\ery pha\e or play. Jad. Richard ... \\as
another player " h o shone in C\er) pha'>e of pia)
and both hi-, long. pcnetratrng nrn'> and his abilit}
to Lime his pa..,s made him a very difficult pla)er 10
contain cffecti\CI) . Ills defence was '>trong and
often leu to turnover' at critical time .
The loo-,e fof'' artl tno changed throughout the
ea ...o n. but alway.., functioned a-. a unit. Mall
Hopl.in-,. Jamie Crutcher. Ed Po,nett. Freddie
Le\\ ' '· and Jamre Pear...on all played for the -.ide
and did ' o wrth credit. Mall <,howed great llair
when in po..,;.e-.....on of the ball anti. although he
'>Omctime'> carried the ball for a fraction too long.
he w a ;.till one of the playmal.er' in the side.
Jamie Cnllcher ha-. the ability 10 become <r very
good player. I lis -.l.ill were exceptionally good in
confined l.pace'>. A long with the re:,t of the loose
forwards. he al w a y ran into pace which in turn
created space for the bac h. line.
Ed Pol>ncu tackled a:- though hb l ife depended
on it. and more often than not he was the one
getting up l<t'>t from the tackle -.ituation. Without
doubt. he \aved the 'ide on many occa),iOn'> with
la't ga-.p tacl.le:-.. I-Ii" auacl.ing play \ \ a abo of a
high quality. He should develop into an effectjn!
I<>Ol>e forward.
Freddie Lew i'> probabl) had the mo t ra" talent
among't the forward" and he definitd} u-.cd it to
good effect lie often made pa ...-.e-. where most
pla)er.. \\Ottld hold on to the hall whi ch made him
ver) unpredictable and eflecti\C
Jamie Pearson tt),ually appeared from out of the
blue to make a tackle or receive a pa.,., and leave
the opposition wondering if in fact there were
more than fifteen Sherborne player' on the field.
His ball -,l.ill-. were slicl. and. more importantly.
consi.,tent.
Ben Wood and AI Waring <.hared the .,cnrm hall
dutie-, thmu!!hout the 'ea on and both did \O
effective!) . B oth ...howed good litnc"" and -,peed to
the point of breah.dO\\ n which u-,uall} allo"ed the
back'> the '>pace and time the) needed .
Pla)ing ll) half. Hcnr) Lamb both captained
the :.ide and tool. on the role of deci'>ion-mal.er. He
i a ver) unpredictable player which mal.e' him a
,·cry dangcrou-. player to play again,t . One of the
best a pect!> of hi:- g<une i.., that he carrie the ball
very clo-;e to the oppo'>ition which draw-. them rnto
the tackle and give:. hb centre the pace they
require. J a me Bailey and Gavin Thow werc both
very good centre-. and both howcd good ball
sk i lls. good pace and change in direction. The
w i n gs have them to t hunk for the -,pace they hat! to
run with the ba ll.
Freddie Mead. Geoffre) Touenham. and Tom
Fox-Davi.., scored a large percentage of the tries
and t h i can be put down to Lhc pace which all
three or them -,howed. Tom i\ a \Cry -.trong and
ph) ical player and could definitely be a contender
to play at higher level., in the I uture .
La-.t. but definite!\ not least. is Richard
Do"'dall at full bucl.. lle ' " " t h e ·-.cn'>ible' pla}er
in the side. He made the nght tlcci,ion "henc\ er
he got the ball und often put other pla er.. into
pace with hi-. pa'>...ing and angled running.
The <>ide ...hould be \ery plea...etl with their
:.eason and hopefully the) "ill all carry on \\ llh
rugb) in the future and pia) the gwnc \\ ith the
passion. and in the 'pirit. which they 'hm ..ed here.
The example they set in term., of di-.ciplinc and
commitment will be a diflieult one t o folio" for
future team:..
Congratulation., on a very good ),Ca-.on.
Team from: S. Peel -Yatc\. J . Church. S. Arden.
J . Rich<trd . J. Rcif-Dclguidici. M. Hopl.in .
J . Cru tcher. E. Po neu. F. Lcwi:., J. Pear:,on .
B . Wood. A. Waring. I I. Lamb, J. Bai ley. G. Thow,
F. Mead. G. Toltenham. T. Fo\- Duvies.
R. Dowdall.
Results: Played I0. Won 6. Lo\t 4.
Can ford
Bi hop Wordsworth·,
Gr)phon A
Wellington
1illfield
Radle)
127
w
L
55 .
5
L
24 - 14
w
w
L
0 - 92
() - 68
4210
10 - 35
Bryanston
C1ifl0n
Chel!enham
Down!.ide
Corfe Hills
Thoma'> Hardyc
w
w
w
so-
14
990
61-
0
15 - 17
L No score:. available
L o score-;
David Steven!.
available
M i n i- C o l t s A X V
felt that an A team match woulu provide a more
even contel>tthi1> year. Thing!> did not go according
to plan. Wc went behind at the '>tart of the game
and had to work hard to overcomc a detcrmined
Clayesmore team. Thc will to win. however. was
thi.., time trong enough and we managed to hang
on to a 19-5 ' i c t or \ .
With confidence lifted. we all hoped that we
would fare beuer in our
next run of
fixtures
However. the next four game-. were all \ 'C I )
..,imilar and we 1oM them all. Radley. Bryan ton.
Clifton. and Cheltenham '"ere all team., that we
could have beaten but we were never strong
enough to O\Crcome their challenge and each
game wa!> lost comprehen!>ively. Whil<,t we did
have good pa.,..age., of play. the team were alway!>
having to play ca11.:h-up and we could never do
enough to overco me the physical di!>parity.
Our la!>t game of the season. at Dow nside.
enabled u to finish our season on a high. With
confidence at rock bottom. we hoped that we
could improve upon our one w in of the year and
everybody was g lad when the final whist le was
blown and we had won the game. 29- 14.
It is dirticu lt t o commem on players individually
when '>0 many player rerre!>ented the team but al l
boy., deserve pmi-.e for their effom throughout the
term. Hopefully. the rest of the team will soon
catch up with Hugh Yatc . our onl) "large' player
and we wi l l be more of a phy.,ical match for
opponelll'>. OnI)' then " i l l the team start to show
the promi e that i'> clear!) there and ' ' i l l inevitably
de' elop 0 \ er their coming years at the School.
Team jimn: R. A. K . Aitken. I . D. Barber.
R. J . R. Blake. T. C. Blanthorne. J. E.
P.
B. Fo..,ter. H. T. A. Gabbcy. D. S. E. Holborow.
Butler.
J . T. Holdoway. P. J. T. Houghton. S. J . A. Kennon.
J. M . Mi l l o. C. G. Minter. S. D. O"Dwycr- Ru!>sell.
A.
B.
D.
Ostroumoff.
M.
T.
B.
Pope.
E.
B. Reid.
A. C. F.
M . M.E. Radcliffe.
Snuddcn.A . N.
Thanapoomikul.
F. A. 1-1. Thompson. A. Walford. R. H. D. Yates.
Simon.
With !.uch a 'mall intake of c;mall boy!>. it was
evident from the first day of term that this was
going to be a dirticult <.,cason for the Mini-Colt!>.
Not only w a thi!> the lowe!>t intake at the School
for 'orne year:,. but. a!> we we re to oon real i:-.e, we
were also going to be a very mall ide. T he fir<it
half of term w a
complet ed before we
could muster our f i N w in ngainl-.1 Claye!> more.
Prior to this victory, we had been soundly beaten
by a good Canford team in our opening fi x ture.
where we failed to score. We t hen travelled to
Salisbury to face Bishop Wordworth 's. never an
easy fixture. ln terrible condi tions. where the
weather was a major fac tor. we lo t I 0-7. Whi 1-;t
we managed to score. we could not do enough to
core again and were beaten by a larger, more
phy!>ical side. A midweek trip to Milton Abbey
followed and again we were to lose without e,·er
really looking good enough to
' ' i n . The mo-.t dbappointing aspect of the match
wa<, that the team played with a di!>tinct lack of
-.pirit. Thi.., i'> unu-,ual for Sherborne team<; and
'"ould ...erve to be a major <;tumbling block on our
path to a ltr-.t '"in. K i n g \ Taunt on came
and conquered. but we put up a beuer
performance though \ t il l lad,ing the phy!>ical
pre cnce
10 threaten. let alone come clo!te to
winning.
Next came the two fixtures which are-easily the
two toughe!>t on our circuit We lo t heavily to
Wellington College but played well, not giving up:
the core could have been greater !>till i f we had.
M i l l f ield then came tn Sherborne and were simply Canford
Bi >hop W ord worth\
fa!> t er. l>tronger and bigger than we were. The
Milton Abbey
score-line reflected the gul f bct weetlth e two team .
Hav ing lost our l i rst six games. scoring only 39 King \ Taunton
Wellington
point!. in reply to our opponen h' 247. we hoped
M i l ll"ield
that we could manage a wi n at Bruton to finish hal f
terrn ou a po!>itive note. Howeve r. whils t we scored King \ Bruton
more points than in any other previous fixture. we Clayesmore A X V
Radley
did not -.core enough and could not dig any deeper
Bryan ton
to pul l back a final defic it of five points.
Clifton
So. ofT we went on hal r term without a win and
Cheltenham
wondering what we could do to lift spirits.
Downside
Well. the onl) way 10 rai c morale i'> b) actually
"'inning and we managed to do thi!> in the first
week back after half term. The match against
Cla)e.,more i-, normally a B team fixlllre but we all
128
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
w
L
L
L
L
w
0-39
7- 1
0
10 - 19
12 - 3 6
0-83
10 - 6 0
14 - 19
19 5
0-20
5-34
0 - -t8
5-37
2 9 - 14
M.A.P.
Hockey
1st XI
h i ' a well- I..no'' n fact that the be..,t ' ' i n c need
the longe\t lime to mature. I f t h i is al'-O true of
hockey teams. we are in for some fine r c ult at
-;omc 'itage. The resulls below do not make
plca-,ant reading and are a true rel1ection of the
team·l> performance'>.
With only three of Last year\ team in the 'ide.
much would depend on lhe contribution-. from the
Lo\\er Sixth. They needed to bridge the gap
between Colt'> hockey and l'>t team hockey
inl!tantly. With the fir!>t fixture on the fir t
Saturda) of term. thil> would be a race against time
10 put a ide together for the match again\t a !.trong
King \ Bruton ide. The majority of the game wa...
an even contest. the score midway t hrough the
second half being 1 -1. However. goa l:. were
leaked in the last quarter resulting in an
unflattering final score line of 1 -·L The
Occidental-. \ide contained a number of playerl!
with
ational League expelience and one with
Wehh cap'>. Thi\ fixture i -,uppol!ed to be one
\\here the empha,is is on gaining e>.pcrience
rather than <I re:.ult but the margin of defeat limited
the con.,tructh ene-.l> of lhe fixture. The nature of
the lo..,,e., againM Dean Clo\e and Exeter ma)
have been a direct rc-.ult of this hea\ y defeat.
Some player.... howe\cr. were making an impact.
Pedro Van Dunem w a l>howing great pace and
balance. particular!) againM Dean Clo-.e. Will
Kipling w a di.,covering ways of punching hulc!
in defence s both by passing nnd with the ball on
his !>tid... T h i w a '>OOn to result in thc"e t wo
player-. being awarded their colours.
The Wellington gnmc was more competitiH!
lhan Dean Clo!>c and Exeter. but the oppo.,ition
alway' had the edge and oft goat-. re<>ulled in
another lo'>'>. At th1' earl) stage of the sea-.on. the
team where alrcad} 'truggling to belie\C in
lhcmsclve<,. The dcci-,ion was made to change the
formation by removing the sweeper and playing
four in midfield. Moving your best defender out of
defence when the main problem is conceding
goals may not see111 the obv ious move. However.
if one can reduce the number of times the ball
enter> the circle. a reduction in goal!> conceded
must result. Thi'-t tran'-tfonned the defence. Nic
Hodgkin,on hecoming a rock of stability al centre
back and Phil Walter-.. producing '>Ome intricate
kill in the centre of midfield. Except for the
farcical re-..ult again t Millfield. mo t of the re-.t of
lhe \Ca,on wa., encouraging. Again\t Taunton the
team came bad. from 0-1 down and 1-2 down to
129
Team: P. Walters* (Captai n). P. Van Dunem'\
draw the game. Tom Bishop exploited the space on
T. Walsh. N. Hodg kinson.
W. K i p ling * .
the right hand side of the pitch providing a number
of scoring opportunities and a v ictory could have G . Bramble. J. Morgan. T. Bishop. H . Mitchell.
been gained. The matches against Bryanston and J. Simson. W. Hay ler, R. MacFarlane.
Canford whe re always going to be tough. as both
Also played: J. Carroll. J. Saunders. T. Dowdall .
schoo ls pride themsel ves on their hockey-playing
R. Lane, R. Harland. C. Gammell. P. Langly
abiUty. The Eleven refused to l ie down against
Smith.
W. Fegen. R. Angell. J.
Bryanston. soaking up huge amounts of pressure.
George Bramble. Nic Hodgk i nson and Jonny Britten.
L. Edl mann.
Morgan pulling in some excel lent tackles at the
Resulrs: Played 15, Won 3. Lost 9. Drawn 3.
back. although the most they cou ld have hoped for
was a 0-0 draw. Rory Macfarlane having moved
King's Bruton
L
I - 4
from Canford to Sherborne. th is fixture was
0Occident als
L
always going to be a needle match. Some excellent
Wellington Col lege
II
L
passing hockey was played, the e leven having
02 -- 9
Dean Close
L
much of the possession. Henry Mitchell and Phil
()
Exeter
L
5- 5
Walters linking up particularly well in the centre Taunton
2D
of midfield. However. Canford played for
()
Bryanston
I
2
L
the breakaway goal and were lucky to convert t K ing's Taunton
0 - ()
D
wo.
Cantord
L
I - 2
As a coach. al l you can ask of your team is to
3- 2
Yeovi l and Sherbo rne
try their hardest. the Bryanston match being a
0M i l l field
L
perfect examp le of this. However. they did not
2
14 - 2
D
Wells Cathedral
perform to the best of their abilitie against King's
w
Grey H igh School. S.A.
I - ()
Taunton. Wells Cathedral or King Edward's. a lack
King Edward's
I - -l
L
or desire and professionalism being the root of the
w
Pi lgrims
3- 2
problem. Two of these games should have been
relatively easy victories. whic h wo uld have put a
*=Colours
distinctly differelll slant on the season as a whole.
J.J.B.W.
Against Wells the team coasted into a 2-0 lead
with little effoti . but did not swrt to play until the
oppos ition had fought back to 2-2. by whic h time
it was too late. When they were prepared to scrap.
2 n d XI
results were gai ned, as against Ycovil
and Sherborne, and Grey High School. They had a
The season started off poorly. with a string of
fu l l forty minute training session before the Grey
defeats alleviated only by an uninspired victory
H igh School match and started ofT lik e train .
over a weak Bishop Wordsworth's team. The t eam
The oppos ition did not know what had hit them
was un-;ettled. and lacked the drive needed for
and we shou ld have been two up in ten minutes.
victory in clo e games. Howeve r. after deserved
For the rest of the game Grey were com fortably
promotion to the I st X I for Tom Walsh. Jonny
contained. Tom Walsh was elected ·Man of the
M organ and Joss Simson. the regular 2nd X I
Match' by the oppos ition lor another tidy
started to work together.
performance. Final ly. and most frustratingly for
Having discovered the sweet taste of victory
the coach. everything seemed to d rop into
against Taunton. the ream continued their good
place for the fina l game agains t the Old
Boys. Some excellent passing hockey was made play for severa l more games. unliI tJ1ey came up
against a skilful Canford team. The omens were
with few of the erro r that had undermined the
not good. with Jonty Saunder pr es -ganged into
team for much of the season. A
playing for the I st X I, but this opened the door t o
.fine victory was gained. courtesy o f a brilliant hat
Tim Ackroyd
to
prove
himsel!' as
a
trick by W ill Kipling.
Members of the Lower Sixth, such as George striker. Unfortunately, he was unable to do thi . as
he w a rather violent ly taken out inside the D five
Bramble and Henry Mitchel l . have
minutes into the game and curr ied off w ith
improved
considerably this term. Tom Bishop. from the Fifth a torn hamstring. With no more reserves
Form has been out tanding al l season. Will Fegen. and no recognised striker. the team actually
Ross Angell and Jake Britten, al-;o from the Fifth played the best hockey o f the season, going in
Form. have played a significant number of games. at hal f-tim e just one goal down. However. when
Andy Short was side-lined with a twisted ankle.
These players. plus a good crop of Colts. mean
heads dropped and a poor defeat ensued.
that 200 1 should be a good v intage. The first
eleven may have had a couple or quiet seasons. but
be in no doubt that hockey is alive and well
130
at
Sherborne School.
-
w
Thi!-. defeat wa-. immenseI) frU'.trating after the
good work of the previOU).. weel-..'>, but the team
could not relax. a-. Millfield'' gamh green pitchc.,
loomed clo-.e. Thi-. pro,ed to he the pinnacle of the
o,eason - de pite a ...hal-..) \tart that left u!-. two goal<,
down early on, the team never buckled. and some
good play reduced the deficit to one at half-time.
In the \econd haiL Jonty Saunders. who has been
known to dabble up front. managed to find the top
right-hand corner of the net with a beautiful
rever'e hit (a fcm he unfortunatel) tried to repeat
throughout the rc\1 of the ea..on \\ithout success.
proving that it W (l\ indeed a nul-..e). He then
enticed the Millfield goall-..eepcr into -.cything him
down in the D to cam u' a penah) nid... which
Pete Langi) -Srnith calmly played in off the
keeper\ glo\C. The ..core remained at 3-2 until the
end. than!-..:-, to some superb play from our '>Iand-in
keeper Lawrence Edlmann. and it wao; the sweetest
victory of the :-,ca on and my life.
Several more game). followed. including a
couple of very sat i),fying vic10rie),. particularly a
convincing 6-0 defeat of Well-. Cathedral. soured
only by a <;ea),on-ending injury to Andy
We'\twood. Will Ha\ Jer wa'> a noticeable late
addition to the team· and made the competition
between the winger\ even tougher. even if he
ne\er managed 10 lind the goal de<.pite numerou!.
allempts. We abo 'a\\ a famou., goal from Charlie
Gammell. who. having practised mi.,-hiuing the
ball all -;ea'>on. linall) U'>ed thi'> .,kill to give the
ball a vicious top. whtch ju'>l helped it era\\ I O\er
the line - now that tal-..cs real ability!
The final match of the \ca-.on wa' against the
Pilgrim).. With more than half the team awa) on a
field day. the Colt'> player' dr.tfted in did credit.
but the liP..t h a l f \ \ " ' played in some of the most
atrocious weather I ha\c e\ cr pia)cd spor1 in.
Although the \\Cather did improve. along with our
hockey. it W<h too late. Howc\er. the game wa!>
thorough!) enjoyable and Tim Ackroyd. ''ho
returned from h i injur) to play a ·gentle' ten
minute!> late in the game, managed to score his
linn goal of the :-,ea on with his second touch or
the match.
Jimmy Carroll wa)) a great keeper. in no small
pan because h i rclentle!.s shouting kept us awake
throughout the game ami annoyed the oppo:-,ition
on short corner.... Rupcr1 Lane and Nick Cramp
were ),olid and relaable in defence. Alex Beattie and
il-..o Hagenburg manfully put up with playing in
the wrong po•dtion - indeed the onl) place iko
failed to play wa" probably goall-..eepcr. While hard
e\ idence i-. una,ailable. it i.., gcncmll} believed
that Rupert Harland did pia). forming a trong
midfield \\ ith Charlie Gammell. Jont) Saunders
should be congratulated on -.coring -.ixteen goal!..
including two hat-tricb. but i f only . . .
Thanks mu<,t abo go to Dr. Wade. for hi'>
coaching of. and behind-the-scenes work for. the
team.
Team: T. C. Acl-..ro)d , A. E. Beattie. J. A. Carroll.
• J. E. Cramp. C. P. W. Gammdl. N.
Hagenberg.
R. T. S. Harland. W. A. V. Hayter. R. G. S. Lane.
P. F. C. Lang!) -Smith. J. D. Morgan. . R. Phillip!.
(Captain). J. B. Sauntlcr'-. A. J. T.
Short.
J. L. L. Sim!.on. T. W. P. Wal,h. A. L. Wc,twood.
G. A.
Bramble.
G. J. W. Bunl-..all.
Alw
Played:
H. G. Angell.
P. Balfour.
L. R.
R. R.Edlmann.
J. M.T.A. Holdowa).
H. . L. B. Hum. 0 . W. Luard. C. Q. R. Pu<thman,
H. W. Steel. A. M. Water:-,. T. I I . Wynn-Jones
j
Results: Played 1-l. Won 7, Lost 5, Drawn 2. GoaJ..,
for 30. Goal!. against 2 1.
King·'> Bruwn
Wellington
Bishop Wordsworth 's 1st X I
Exeter
Taunron
Bryan:-,ton
King·.., Taunton
Milton Abhey I-.t XI
Canford
Millfield
Clayesmore I St XI
Well-. Cathedral
King Edward\ Somhampton
Sherborne Pilgrim
L
L
w
L
w
w
D
w
L
I - 2
03
-1 - 0
2- 3
I - 0
I - 0
I -
0I - 5
3-- 2
4
w
D
w
w
0I 6I 4
0. I
2- 3
L
Nicl-.. Phillip),
3 r d XI
A settled and cohe...ivc !-quad with a firm
commiLment to training achicvetl omc notable
. ucces c-... even i r the !-.hortagc of number opting
for hockey reduced it'> 'trcngth in depth. Some
result!> tand out in t hl! memory - a J-4 defeat
away again:-.t Well ington lef'l u feeling a little
unlucky after an excellent performance, while an
emphatic return to form aw u:. defeating
Clayesmorc 2nd!. 7-0 after we had mitially been
mesmerised by their profe...-.ionally choreographed
warm-up rouLine .
Personalitie-. loomed htrge. A redoubtable
defence compri-.ed 0 . Smali\\Ood in goal.
M. Hope and M. Vcre-Hudge " ' full bacl-..s and
: \ . Grundy-Wheeler a<>:-.weeper. Rugb)' pedigree
added crispne'' to their taci-..Jc-.. A'> centre-half.
J. McKillop unluckil) !O)>I h i ' bet that he \\ ould
score at lea!.t one goal 0 \ er the '>Ca\On but his
131
VIS IOn and lactical awareness were always in
evidence. M. Balfour wa!> alway!> a disciplined
right half while the calm authority of N. Cook
added distinction to our left nanks. H is travelling
supporter)> from St. Catherine ·s. Bramley saw
some fine performance .
A free-scoring trike-force completed the
picture. The partner,hip of A. Waters
and
0 . Dorrell i
apparently well-documcmed
and
contributed numerou goals. notably Alex's
magnificent late trike which gave us victory over
Canford. I am particularly grateful to him for his
'upcrb captaincy over the season. Tri<,tan Day
consistently belied h i ' nickname with some crisp
and wcll-focu sed work on the left. while Chris
Filbey's pa<.:e and control on the right wing were
crucial clemenb in our success. A cameo role from
Henry Rushton rc!>ulted in a final victory over a
very strong Welb Cathedral side. the newcomer
slotting in both goal
a fter a typically self
disciplined oiT-pi!.te team warm-up. My thanks to
all who playeu.
M.J.B.
4 t h XI
It wa'> not a ::.ucce'>sful '>Cason but. for both
team member' and coaches. one can hope that it
wa., enjoyable. The sea on began with a
disappointing lo<,<, to Bruton at }-2 . as their players
showed their familiar tendency to maim tho e who
were not wearing the same shirts. The team was
centred on a core of veterans from the previous
season. who provided the olid base for the L6th to
build upon. Pichit as ever kept goal well beyond
the expected bound!. of duty. valiantly going onto
the field without a box for the sake of the team: a
more commiued member was hard to find. Jon
Bain. the leading goal- ;corer from la!>t -;ea!>on.
turned his masterful golf-..,wing to defensive
purpo!>e::.. and wa.., the man at the bacJ.. who kept
control. pre\ enting many a dire 'ituation. Will
Ridgeon constantly put him!.elf do" n throughout
the <>ea on. but hi., determination and fearlessness
w a omething to be admired throughout the team
as he tackled giant twice h i siLe with a reckless
abandon. his link play with our striker wa<; always
cruc ial for our hard fought goab. Max Halley,
lead ing goal '\Corer, was a constant source of
encouragement for the team as he showed each
member how to score goals against ::.ccmingly
insurmountab le odd!.. C'huck Not ley, another
stalwart old man or the team. showed that size
does not count for everything. a his mighty
crosses from the left wing proved, show ing that he
under'itood the value of our playing as a team.
The L6th (and 5th former) were no doubt
inspired to the greatne!>!> they achieved by t11e
example ct and constant ly raised by the U6th.
Peter Tingay. despite his frail appearance. eemed
to fol low the '>tandard established by W ill
Ridgeon. a!>he too wa<, one of our moM formidable
tacklers and another man who W<L'> sctnesc; in hi-;
pass play. The comedian of the team. Alex Drew.
despite ha' ing played as goalkeeper previou ly.
132
was 'ita I in forming the backbone of thl! team in
defence. and h i c tting quip!> at the opposition
kept team morale high. Joining Alex and Jon at the
back wa)> Rowley Merrick!.. nick-named 'Tiger'.
A con<,tant menace to the oppol>ition. almost
verging upon the uicidal in h i commitment. he
saved countless goal\ and picked out Max " i t h
pinpoint prcci!oion by the end of the '>eal>on. Up
front " i t h him wa-. Ed Worthington. who wal> a
player " i t h remarkable forel>ight i n being able to
judge where to be at the right time. Final!) we
come to the star of the line-up and aho our
youngest player: Jame.., Micville who played right
half. His prc..,cncc on the pitch wa!. nothing short
of inspirational: how the -hh.., were e'er able to
keep hold of him for the sem.on i-. ju..,t amaLing.
A team is only a ' good as it coaches make it.
The fun and relative '>UCCC\)> we enjoyed could not
have been done withou t the tircle!>!l attention of Dr.
Gardner. and M r. Brooke·., enthusiasm upon the
astro. Spec ial thanb. should also be g iven to the
3rds who regular ly used us as cannon fodder. but
in a nice way. for it certai nly improved our
defence! A.., !>tatcd. the rc)>ult<, v.ere di!>appointing.
but I believe it wa'> enjoyable. and that is what
ultimately counts.
Team: S. Jones (Captain). J. Bain. A. Drew.
M . Halley. P. Hongsaranagon. A. Macdonald.
R. Merrick!.. J. M icville. C. Notley. W. Ridgeon.
S. Sant;n anond. P. T i ngay. J. Thoma-..
E. Worthington .
Results: Played 6. Won 2. Lo-.t 3. Ora'' n I.
K i n g \ Bruton
Wellington College
Taunton
Canford
Clayesmore
Welb Cathedml
L
2- 3
L
L
I - 10
0I
I - 0
I - I
w
D
w
5 - 3
Sam Jones
M.J.B. ·rites:
Mi evil le. the tlair of Peter Tinga}. the tenacity of
"Tiger" M erricks. the calm. -.trolling a<,\Urance of
S. T. Y. Thomas and the \teely commitmen t of
Sam Jone.... All captain. Sam led by more than jul>t
example but hi
tackling in particular will
be missed. Goals arc alway'> hard to come by
but experience combined with 'ubtle -.tick
brought result-. for Max Halle}. Chuck
.,kill.
otley.
W ill Ridgeon and Ed Wonhington. C\en i f no-one
was quite -.ure \\hethcr E d \ fall' in the D
were genuine penalty appeal' or jU\1 cxhau
tion. M y thank!. to RCFG and IRE for 'baring the
umpiring. and to all of those ' ' ho played.
C o l t s B XI
Thil- was a very \Ucce<,\ful 'ca-.on for the C o l t
B, and on our cho-.en surface (A!.tro) w .: were
unbeaten. The <;Cason <;tarted with a good away
win at Bruton with the only ticking-point being
the minibu.,. Two hammering!> of Bryanston and
Milton Abbey A <;andwiched the gourmet filling of
a 4-2 victory over Wellington (4-0 ;.II one stage).
We were the only Sherborne team to win fm a
second :.ucce i'e year. With a curiou!> win over
Sexey\ I M X I on gra''· the f i N half of the -.ea.,on
was negotiated <;ucce<,sfully. Pride come\ before a
fall and we duly came a cropper again!>t a
passionate (journalil-t-spcak) King·-. Taunton X I
who roundly thra!.hed U \ . The final two game!. of
the -;cason \\ere i mpr e, i'e dra\"> again ! an
unbearen Canford team ' ' ho managed to equali-.e
with a nick in the la!.t minute and a Millfield
compo ite XI. containing a number of Colts A
players. probabl) our out-.tanding performance of
the cason.
The best thing about this team wa\
its teamwork: the pl ayer all eemed to like
each other and were prepared to work for each
other. The sight of
Mike
Grant-Pctcrkin
running the length of the field to tackle back at
M i l l l icld wa.'> not a ight I would have predicted
at the '>tart of the season . but one that typified
the commitment of the side. Alexander Budge
wa
our human clockwork mouse with a
Duraccll battery. tircle:-.s and capab le of :-.coring
great goill \ . Chri:. Hart
-;howed good k i l l and was top <.corer. but Nick
Pothecary and Charlie Dupont on the wings both
deserve credit for their effort'> in attack. In an}
other y .:ar Alec Bartleu would have played in a
first team <llld hii> role at left half wall viwl hoth in
auack and defence. We had. slightly bit.<lm:ly.
more defenders than auacker'>: ick Lee ...wrted on
the left-wing and then ended at left back ''here he
tackled well. Ollie Clark preferred running around
like a quirrel. picking up the ball like a precious
''inter nut. John Patter...on and Tom M a u h c ' ' '
At the start of thl.! seaso n, numbers once again
looked rather thin hut the quality available wa!>
never
in quc tion.
Two
fixture-.
in
particular revealed the di tincti\'e d1 .:mi!>try of
the 4th XI on -;ong. A notably confident
Canford ide went down 1-0 in a game
which featured Pichit Hong aranagon \ quite
remarkable pcnalt) ave.
\\hilc the final match of the cason wa a riotous
5-0 victory over Well\ Cathedral.
The pcr.,onnel changed lillie 0 \cr the !.Ca!>on. In
defence. Alex Ore'' and Jon Bain impo<,cd a
firm di...c iplinc on their opponent\. A creati\e
midfield featured the -.kill of emerg111g .tarlet J ame
133
were more cerebral in their efforts, but both played
an important part too. The rock at the back was the
captain. Matt Paulson-EIIi!.. whose striking of the
ball and tackling were both exemplary. as was his
captaincy. Ollie Luard kept us in the game on
several occasions and did not provide much space in
the goal for the opposition to exploit. Tom
Chamberlain,Tim Wynn-Jones and Gordon Scott all
stm1ed with us but ended up in the As after their
skills had been honed. Tom ·s goal against
Wellington was probably the highlight of the season.
My thanks are due to David Scott. who as a
coach has the rare ability to make complicated
ideas appear simple and who made the boys realise
what was possible. Thanks t oo to Jeremy Wadham
who helped transform an initially meagre-looking
fixture list int o something more substantial .
Finally. it was great to see so many parents over
the course of the season enjoy ing the sight of their
sons performing with ability and confidence.
Mention should also be made of the Colts C
team whose player were plucked from Junior
Leagues to face the might of Wellington. They
were the only team in the School to remain
unbeaten throughout the season with a gutsy 2-2
draw. They shall be nameless. but they wi l l know
who they are and I am sure a few wil l end up
playing fur Mr. Brooke's 3rd XI in due course a.
reward for their endeavours.
Team: 0 . Luard. M. Paulson-Ellis (Captain).
J. Patterson. 0. Clark. T. Matthew!>. H. Rushton.
N. Lee. A. Bartlett. A. Budge. M . Grant-Peterkin.
C. Dupont. C. Hart. G. Scott. N. Pothccary.
Results: Played 8, Won 5 Lost I . Drawn 2. Goals
for 27. Goals against 12.
Bruton
Bryanston
Wellington
Milton Abbey
Scxcy\.
King's Tau nton
Canford
Millfield
w
w
w
w
w
L
D
D
3-
74 2
7- 0
I - 0
I - 4
2- 2
2- 2
G.D.R.
J uni or C o l t s A XI
A record of played I0. won 5. drawn 3 and lo:-.t
2 raib to do justice to the attitude and approach of
this team. Not only did the boys play every game
to win. but they ne,er gave up and proved t o
themselves that playing together a a team often
overcomes a team of outstanding individuals.
The season started wel l with a comprehens ive
victory away to King's Bruton. The coach's only
words of wisdom in the short week before the lirst
match mentioned mo,·ing the ball right. We did
this and scored three!
With a squad of fourteen. there was always
going to be a certain rotation of players and t h i
was needed for the long trip t o Wellington. One
player who failed to make the A team for the first
game. Mike Clapp. proved his worth in midfield
and soon made the position of right h tlf his own.
Even after conceding an early goal. there wa!> lillie
between the two sides and if we had convened one
of our many chances the scoreline of 0-4 could
easily have been different.
Having lost to Wellington. the team were
determined to prove their quality during the visit
to Exeter. This was easily the game of the season
and will remain in the memory of those present for
many years to come. The final scorel ine wa:, five
all and any result was possible before the tlnal
whistle. We !)COred some great goa ls. Mik e
Clapp·._ being the most memorable. but missed the
chttracter of David Poraj-W i lczynski in midfield.
To match this game ror entertainment would be
difficult but we managed to secure another draw in
our next fixture againc;t Taunton. Thi wa > a very
competitive game and one of many where we were
looking to reverse a defeat from the previous year.
Admiuedly. we should have won but were happy
not to lose.
The next two games. against Brynnston and
King's Taunton. gave us the opportunity to show
the improvements that the team had made in a
relatively short space of time. We overwhelmed
Bryanston with a stunning second half display and
overcame a physica l King's Taumon by playing
some exciting hockey and. most importantly.
keeping quality pos<.ession of the bal l and
preventing the oppo ition from breaking our
defences more thun once.
Our match against Canford was . arguably. our
best performance of the year. Playing on their new
Astroturf. we took a liulc time to adjust to the
surface but over the game played the better hockey
and deserved to win. This was a committed team
performance and the boys de erved a win but.
despite all their efforts. were denietl by some
outstanding Canford defence. We followed this up
wi th a comprehensive win over Clayc more and
this built us up for our next game again::.t the
mighty M i l lfield.
Unfortunately.
due to
commitments at a higher level. Mill!ield were
unable to rai-;e a full A side and withdrew from the
fixture at very late notice. This dil.appointed the
boys since they believed, rightly :-.o. that they had
their bc<.t ever chance of beating thi s most
prestigious of sporting schoob. Jt gave our boys
134
'>Omc ..,ati,faction to see l illficld. with their B
team bol\tered by some A teamer'>. lo e to our B
team.
With the demise of the Millfield lh.ture.
the boy"> had the feeling that their seu">on hud
reached a climax. Their whole !.em.on had dep
.:nded on the
result of this one game and this wa<> a contributing
factor in our defeat by Wells Cathedml Schoof.
Whilst the opposition played well we could not
replicate the dat.zling team effort:- or earlier in the
'>Ca\On and lost to a breakaway goal early in the
!>eCOild half.
However. despite this shock. our '>pirit!- lifted
onc.:e more and the team en...ured th<ll their \ea<.on
fini..,hcd on a high note " i t h a 'ictol) over King
Edward·..,. Southampton. Tht'>. again. >Hl"> a
re,·er.,al of a defeat the previouo, }Car.
There were many boyo; who de...c rvc a mention
for their c.:ontribution to this succ.:c ful ">Ca'>otl. As
captain. David Poraj-W i l c t ) n:-.ki proved an
admimble lender. He control led the midl'ield ably
with Mic.:hacl C lapp and Tom Crud.nell. Our
'rotating· 'trike force of Alex Gold. M a l lhew
Hur'>t. and James Hamillon upponcd by Henry
Lamh and Andi Windle on t h e " ings ga' e u.., many
'>coring opportunities. In dcfenc.:c \ \ C had the
'>trength of Siphiwe Laruclle and
Sholto Thomp.,on. combined with the tenac.:it) of
Ga,in The)\\ and Hen!) Goldschmidt. Finall).
Charlie W illiam\ in goal \ \ a a great 'hot \lopper who ne,er waned in his l>uppon. both
ph)'>icall) and verbally. for those playing in
front of him. However. to name these
pl ayer individually. along with the others who
played. would be an inju tice to thi > team for
whom
factor in to
a suc.:cc
....,ful
lay
quad . the
It wmajor
:J!'. a plea:.ure
be part
of -,cal>on
thi-. team
during the
sea.,on. in the spirit within the
:woo
Tl'am: D. R. Poraj-WilcL) n'>J,.t, M. J . Clapp.
L.
.-. Gold.
A.
T.
P.
CracknelL
H . M. G. Gold'>chmidt. J. F.
M . J. H. H u N . H. P. Lamb. S.
Hamilton.
l.aruelle.
E. R. Po'>nctt. H. S. P. Thompson. G. A. Thow.
C. F. P. William . A. C. G. Windle.
Re.
Played I0. Won 5. Lo:..t 2.WDrawn 3.3 Ki1
nults:
g \ . Bruton
L
Wellington
0
D
5
Exeter
0 - 54
Taunton
Br) an,wn
King·, Taunton
Canford
Clayc.,rnore
Well.., Cathedral
King Edward·
D
W
\\
I -
I
4 - I
2- I
0
I -
W
L
W
3- I
I
0 - I
4 - 2
M.A.P.
'-'unior C o l t s B XI
The hod:ey 'ea!>on of 2000 wm. one that I
thoroughly enjoyed. It wa., evident that the A team
wa' very talented and strong whilst the B team
w a l'ull of player' ' ' i l l i n g to learn and enjoy
the
game. This wa!> the key to our success during the
:-cason. The boy"' cnthu iasm was Olll!>tanding nnd
they never gave up until the linal whistle. Another
bonu" wa:-. that the team wa" very much a unit for
the "hol e ...ca-.on and \O team 'pirit \\tt)
'cry
strong. The bo).., mu-.t be commended for thetr
great attitude toward\ the game.
Pr.tctice'> were a plea-.ure but rnatche., \\ere
vel) c.:ompetiti\ c und \lre :-.ful. and I am proud to
sa) that the team ' h o " ed great character to tr)
rheir be...t to win or come bac.:k from behind.
The parent \Upport was great and wd I
appreciated. At '>Ome awa) venues and at home on
mo t occasion)>, nearly all rhe player:-' 1Xtrent:o.
were prc!:>cnt at a matc.:h. Having been a schoo lboy
recently, I know that it i1> great to c;ec the intcre'>l
of tho e who reall) count. o n e \ famil).
It i'> fair to lo:t) that at times the team did lind
themsehe:- \\:tilting and on the bac.:k foot. but on
numerou'> occ.:a\tOn"> the acrobatic '>kill, of our
goalkeeper icJ,. Southwell were what c;a, ed u'>.
and he wa' a human wallthru the ide trul) valued.
The c.:aptain Ric.:hard Dowdall \\U!- a strong force in
the defence and led the temn with di,tinction by
a l w a y urging hi'> team-mate to try their hc't.
Fired at hy our '>ltort corner hiuing machine.
Malcolm Scou, many goalkeepers were found
wanting <ll> the ball w a launc.:hed into the back or
the net. Our <;coring 'cnsations, Jamie Hamilton
and Henry Tinnc. were a plca:-.ure to ce when they
were on top form. The midfield nc' cr cca\ed to
amaze me. Wi II D a " .,on wa' e ' ery'" here and
any\\ here the hall wa_, but had the record for the
most card... due to h i ' unorthodox method' or
tackling. There wa' no bo} who did not tl)
his be:-.1. I hope that thi'> continuel> in the ) ear-.
lo c.:orne.
Every match wa' 'pecial but the one that I will
always remember wa:-. the Millfield matc.:h. It
showed hrm the hoy!> have improved over the
) ear. La:..t year agairN the \a me team they lost by
two goal . Thi:-. time round we played A
team
\tandard hoeJ,.c) from \tan to fini. h with a three
goal ru\h 111 the f i N ten minute. . Who could a...k
for a beucr \tan'?
M o ' t and
team...
" ould
they arc
c.:onfidence
a-, a team.
belief
in thin!,.
themselvc,.
horne
andout
d l ) .being
but tothe
their
credit Thi:-.
the) \tucJ,. the
to their
they ran
victor:-..
la\t
guns
although
game and,
of our
l>ea on.the}
For conceded
me a the goal<..
coach in
thethetr
win
w a a bonu'> but the n.:ward was to <.,ec all the
parent:> and b o y watching a team Sherborne c.:ould
"a-.
135
be proud of. We had been ucce:.sfu l. but more
importantly we enjoyed the spon. ·Top effon.
guy'>.'
Team: R. Dowdall (Captain). N. Southw\!11.
E. Scou-CI<trke. W. Daw:.on. F. Lewis. M. Scou.
H. Tinnc. S. Daniel. C. Grazebrook.
A. John<;ton.
R. Gratebrook. J.
Hamilton.
G. Smallwood. G. Stratlon
Sean B ra el
M i n i - C o l t s A XI
At the \tart of the l.eal:>on there w a little reason
to aswme that thi-; would be anything but a dismal
year. Small in number. diminutive in stature and
lacking conlidencc rollowing a poor rugby eason.
the team received a funher blow when. two days
before the opening fixture. we discovered there
was not a '>ingle goalkeeper in the year! That said.
Jamie Holdoway was known to have potential a), a
We t of England player <md othe r showed orne
promi'e in the initial practices.
Our f i N match again\t Bruton was away from
home. on a poor <,hale 'urface and only one week
into term. We defended re),olutely. cored rwo
brcakawa) goal' either side of half time. and
victory wa!. O U r \ .
The \econd weeJ.. of tenn we welcomed the
C\'Cr-powerful Wellington to the Girls' School
a),t ro. They were bigger. •.tronger and beuer
orgam,ed wnh '>i>. bo):. of exceptional talent \\ ho
had played together for the last five years. But we
.,tuned brightly and went 1-0 up. Jamie Holdoway
'>coring with a fine run through the middle. But. for
the onl)' ume in the :.ea-.on. we g;l\e up the chase
and had conceded eight goab by halftime. A rocket
from the manager meant we fought really well in
the ),econd half. eventually going down 12-3.
Again't Exeter we mi 'ed chance after chance
in the first half before conceding a sofl goal
l>hOrtly before the break. They scon.:d again from a
wcll -worJ..ed short corner live minutes after half
time and we were in trouble. However. a sweet
four pa), move between Ostroumoff. Walford and
finally Holdoway led to our best goal of the
season. A scrambled cqualiser set up an exciting
linale with Holdowny scaling bis hat trick with a
uperbly taJ..cn '>Oio effort a minute from time.
Tauntun proved the old adage that to win you
m u t ...core. We didn't (de pite complete control of
the game). the) did. and then defended re!>olutely
to record our onl) disappointing result.
In the County Cup we played in appalling
condition-. beating Cia) e),more but losing to
Bryanston who were beaten in the final by a very
),trong Canford outfit. Immediately after half term.
we went back to Bryanston and rai ed our game.
fruMrating them in defence and looking :.harp on
the break.. In a clo'>e-fought conte\t. we went down
3-1 but gave proof positi,·e that we were
narrowing the gap on our main oppo ition.
Once again. however. again'>l Canford. we
disCO\'ered that pcrc;cverance can only take you o
far and ' ' ith four count) pia)er.., ru1d three or four
otherc, of out'>tanding ability a piece of exhibition
hockey aw u-. totally overwhelmed.
K ing\ Taunton. having completely n1ined our
match preparation b) cancelling the fixture three
day), before we were due to play. returned from
cricket tour and agreed to reMagc the c ·ent.
Clearly they had not been prepared to play u....
mi!.\ing a couple of key player ; they narrowly
beat u ' 2-0 despite long ),pel b of excellent
defence. punicularly with Huu playing so well
now in goal. Matt stood in after Sam O' Dwyer
Russel l had di.,loc 1tcd hi' -.houlder, which kept
him out for the re!.t of the '>Cason.
Again!.! Millfield B:-. we were di!.appointed
with a 1-1 draw a\ too many chunce), went
begging. However. other commitment meant we
played t h i game with a heavily modified team.
Claye,morc entertained u ' again. and thi-. time
we !\howcd them a clean -.et of heel\ with Walford
picking up two line goal!> in a 5-1 drubbing.
Welb Cathcdral School ''ere no match for uc; at
thi'> stage in the 'lea...on and, dcl>pite a brief wobble
at 3-2. we ran out cornfonable 5-2 winner), b) the
end. v. ith a great goal for Tom Gabbey.
Our linal match of the \ea'>on \\a\ again!.! the
little known King Edward\. Southampton. In the
fin.t half they played 'ome exceptional hocke) and
were good for their 2-0 lead. de pite spirited
defending from Snudden. Houghton. and Russell.
Then in the '>Ccond half it all clicked into place.
With the un out. cri!.p one-touch pa:;:-,ing, the
quare hall, diagona l running, and sen!.ible calling.
excellent link play between O troumoff. Yates and
Radc liffe :-,aw U)o in comma nd. Walford drove into
the edge of the box and buried his shot into the
corner - 2- 1. With the dock ticking. we passed
and ran(!), drove deep into their territory and were
close three time!. a their goalkeeper performed
hcroics. A), the umpire!'. checked watc he the ball
mO\ed out t o the right. and 0'>troumolT nudged the
ball out v. ide to Walford. He drove to the by-line.
and powered the ball back to the penal!) i.pot for
Holdoway to cnl'>h the hall into the back of the net.
It felt like winning the Cup! The boy' had played
their -.ock' off and at la!>t I J..new thcv aw the
pleasure in pia) ing good qual it) c mpetitive
hockey. Roll on. nc\t year.
136
Team: J. T. Hoklowuy (Captain). S. D. O'D\\ yer
Ru-,<,cll. M . S . Hutt. E. R. A. Selfe. M . T. B. Pope.
E. M. Radcliffe. R. H. D . Yates. A. Walford.
A. J. Ru-.sell. A. B. D. 0-.troumoff. J. M . Milln.
M . E. Snudden. R . Eglington.
Alvo P/(lyed: H. T. A. Gabbey. C. W. Haber,hon.
0 . J. Jenning!.. G. C. Stebbing!->. E. J. Ward.
P. J. T. Houghton. F. A. H . Thompson
Result\: Played 13. Won 5. Lo'>t 6. Ora'' n 2.
G.B-E.
Mi n i -Co l ts B XI
Thi:> past ea on h a been a hard. yet very
rewarding. ex perience for all the pluyers and
coa<:hes alil-.e. I feel that the move from
preparatory <:hool hockey to high chool hockey
was one that the boys adapted well to. Each and
every player ha-. made signilica111 impro,ement
in hi'> game and hopefully. with the com:hing this
year. laid the foundation' for the future. At this
level \I.e WOri-. Oil the ba iC'> Of the game. including
pa-...,ing and ball control on the -.tick: thi'> i-. needed
i f the player is to progre'>'> in hi-. hocke) career.
T he boys re ponded well to the training ...e.....,ions
that wen: varied and included fun activities to keep
intcre,t-levcl<, and team spint high. It made a
definite difference wit h the cnli,ted help of
ick Wl1igham. a profe'>sional coach. ' ' ho a sisted
Gu} Briere-Edne) and my.,clf in the I\\ iceweekly practice'> . Thanl-.-. to ht , help, I think
we all benefited from hi-. cxpcrti'>e.
The -.ea-.on ha!. gone ' er ) ' ' e l l " i t h the team
playing ten matche<,. v. inning '>i>. and drawing one.
I was glad to sec that the boy.., performed very
much to their <tbilit) hy drawing with a very strong
Canford -,ide 1- 1 . The r i v a l were often firing the
b<tll down the right-hand side to drive around our
tlefcnce but steadfast tac.:klin g by Oliver Gargrave
at left bac.:k. and Fergus Thompson at sweeper.
meant we managed to hold off any goal-scoring
c.:hance!>. Wellington was u. -.trong <ts alw<tys this
year and got the better or us at the beginning
stages of the :o.ea.,on. I feel it wa., a shame that the
boy" had to pl<t) again!.! thi., 'chool in only their
\ec.:ond week of hockey. Had the matc.:h been
played later on in the !>Ca'>on. I think the result
would have been con-.iderabl) closer. The team
played
extreme!)
well
to
c.:omfortably
beat Sherborne\ <trch-ri,ah King·., Bruton
7-l. Although a \'er) young \ide. we u\ed the
matc.:h to
our advantage to play some olid con,tructive
hockey. In thi'> game it all '>eemed to fall in pl<tcc
and we '>et the ball to good u'e by givmg accurate
pas-,es to our 0 \ \ n player\. The final re,ult was
testament to thi....
A.;, a group. I thinl-. the boy'> have the neces ar)
talent and abilit) to do n: r ) well in the
future.
:vlatthew Snuddcn "a-, a good player <thhough
onl) \\ ith u for ..,orne time before moving up to
the A .... He did well in ...,illlatiom. when he came
under pressure and wao, able to keep his
compo..,ure. Another ' e f ) corhi..,tent player who
moved up to the A team wa., Thoma'> Gabb). He
had some \'ery -.ound perfonnancc... out on the
right wing and was able to cover ground quicl-.1)
whibt comrolling the ball. Hi'> determination and
willingness di d not go unnotic.:cd. Fergus
Thompson w a a '\Oiid player in the
!>weeping po. ition. H is ability to read the
auackcrs and to
shut them down saved the team from o number of
scor ing opportunities from the oppo:-.ition. O liver
Gargrave. like Fergus. had <>ome great games at
left
bacl-. hy
tack ling the
opposition
and distributing the ball up to thl! forward line.
Charlie Habershon wa' ai'>O a very cothi tl!nt
player throughout the ...ea!>on. l ie .,et up man)
chance-. and !>COred the majorit) of the goal" for
the team. Charlie wa., a dedicated player who
1-.cpt team spirit and moral high. J<tcl-. Milne. Gu)
Stebbing!> and Charlie Minter all played well in
the h a l v e and provided good !>upport to the
forward line. Jack was particular!) adept with
hi'> tick skill!. and wasn't afraid to dribble pa!>t
players in orderto m<tke a pass. Rupert Aitken led
the team w d l and wa!. a multi-purpo....e player.
like Oli\er Jenning'>. able to adapt to \\hcrcvcr
he " a " placet! on the
field. Edward Ward on the left \\ ing provided good
pace up and down the line with the ball. He linked
well v. ith Charlie 1-laher.,hon and kept the \trucwre
needed to push forward in the auael-.. Finally.
Rupert o..borne ::.howed great ...I-.i l l and prowe!.s a
the la t line of defl!ncc. l i e gave away very
Edney for his
complete
support
and
few
through out help the sea\Oil. Nick W higham
soft goab and was quick on hi::. feet.
deserve:- a <tlso specia l
mention
his
I wish to express my grmill!de
to GuyforBriere
tireless
enthusiasm and
g uidance to a!.. ist and develop the
team over the nine weel-.s. My thanl-.... mu-.t abo go
to the player., thern...el\ e.., ' ' ho made the \cason a
great one. I ' ' i'>h you all the be<.,t in your hockey
c a r e e and lor the remainder or your time
at Sherborne.
137
Mauhcv. Littlejohn
Cross Country
fn some respects this was an outstandingly
successful season and one which au!!ured well for
the coming Lent term. The CoiL<; team entered for
and won seven matches. All seven meetings
auracted large and competitive entries, oflen with
fields of well over one hundred runners.
repre enting schoo ls from all over the west of
England. The standard of competition wa-; very
high: this year a King"s Bruton Senior won the All
England National Cross Country Championship.
Two of our boys made it into the Dorset team
for the National Schools· Cross Country
Championship.
Among the trophies won by the Colts were The
North Dorset Championship Trophy, The King's
Bruton Marden Cup. The Bryanston Relays Cup.
The Sherborne Trophy, The Canford Relays Cup.
ami The Downside Trophy.
Most of the Sherborne Colts squad were in the
Fourth Form. and were. therefore, competing
against runners older and physically bigger and
stronger than they were. They did so in a spirit one
can only describe as gallant. Early succe:.s
nurtured the competitive spirit, and by the mid
term it wa:, a matter of honour to win a match.
Seldom can a team have trained so hard and with
such complete dedication to the spo1t. Next season
many of our successful Colts team will still be
eligible to run in that age group and shou ld do
great things. The standard of their running in the
L ent 2000 season can be gauged from their
performance in the prestigious and well supported
Canf'ord Relays. where they came third ro
Marlborough and Poole Grammar in the Senior
race. having completely outst ripped the team in
their own age-group. They linished the season
with a win at the Downside Trophy where the
points scorers came Ist. 2nd. 3rd, 5th. 6th and
IOth, to record the extraordinarily low score of 27.
Can ford came econd with a score of I0 I ! We
have not competed m Downside for many years.
The course and competition were excellent. l l was
good to return there to do battle.
Particularly gratifying was the Colt · handsome
win in the Sherborne Trophy on their home course.
ov r . which they had put in so much gruelling
trammg during the term.
At the Senior level. we were markedly less
successful - an inevitable consequence or
the relatively lean years of '97 and '98. It was
not always possible for us to field a full t
eam. especia l ly after we had been badly hit by
injuries. not least the serious knee problems of our
captain. Richard Rea<;on. lt looks as though we wil
l have a strong but perilously small Senior team
next term. We must hope that there is some
mnning talent
138
Soccer
1st XI
among those ne\\ b o y who have entered the
School in the Lower Sixth. We will need all the
bodie!> we can get 10 be sure of being able to field
a Senior team.
In view of their outstanding achievement. it
w<L' decided to award full Cross Country colours
to the following boys:
Richard Rea,on (captai n)
Piers Bosh ier (Colts captain)
Jamel> Bailey
Alex Cru1cher
James Duuon
James Pear on
Richard Ward
Charle'> Piu Ford
icho!;,., P01hecar)
Alexander Urban
AI the beginning of a new 'ea,on. bO)S are
excited and ful I of expectation,. An) coach "ishes
for a talented team that will enjoy their \l!a-.on and
deliver the potential they pO'>Se!.l>. Under the
influential captainC) of C. l larri'> and with a core
of experienced players. the Soccer I st X I of 1999
were probably one of the heucr footballing teams
that this School has produced. Their result!..
winning four matches. lo-.ing four matches and
dmwing one. did not give a true rencc1ion of their
sea-.on.
The term qaned with an unfortunate defeat
against Downside followed by a viclory over
Bristol Cathedral School. With defeat again:-.t an
extremely wong Clirton team and an efficient
Blundeirs. we needed commitmcm and 1cam spirit
to pull the season round. Fortunell changed w ith a
terrific game against King's Taunton that ended in
a 2-2 draw. Succeo;sful outing:- against The
Gryphon and 1he -.wiT followed. A below-par
perform< nce led to a dhappoiming defem against
Warminster. The team rallied again to produce
their best performance in the final mmch of the
Sea!>on against the Pilgrim'>.
B. Adams had a very 'ucce..sful 'ea-.on as
goalkeeper. M. Tory and J. Hood at central
defence and G. Baile) at left bad, held their
positions for the duration of the -.ea-.on and
prO\ ided a Mrong backbone to the team. H. tcr
Haar and T. Trave<, compe1ed for the right back
position. The midfield o f T . Sugihara. I I . Poraj
WiiC?ynski. A. Barnard and P. H<1rri' were a
match for any team. When Barnard ' " " lo t 10
injury. A. William-; wa-. the model replacement.
C. Harris and J. Manning were an excellent
combination up front. with the Iauer prm iding the
highest number of goal....
Thank!' go to Dr. Car lo Ferrario, who e
coaching a si tance w a invaluable. and to Mr.
Richard Bool, who ran a very uccc!>!>fu l second
XI. We arc grateful to Mr. S. Back ley, w hose
consistent refereeing helped the game!> to llow.
Finally. a big thank you to Mike Nurton, our MlC.
who managed to maintain enthusiasm for the
game at all Ievell> pla)cd. int'luding the lower
leagues. with hi., continuou-. '"it and barrage of
jokes .
Football is becoming a vcr) popular 'pon m
Sherborne and it i., hoped that. in due cour...e. it
will become a major -.port.
B.J.H.
A.W.
139
MDN ll'rires:
Two thinos \tand out during both the matches
and practice: on the socceryi!ch _this term:FirM.
"a), the mpid improvement 111 mdl\ tdual skJI_b_ of
those ' ' ho choose to pia). perhaps not surpnsmg
''hen mm.t b o ) ha\e not played the game
since their prep. \Chool day . The Hou c barge
ya d-.
.,cern not to produce the quality of player whtch
Second
h . the
"hat
C \ ident
i<;Paolo!
a genu me
emerge.,
from
bad.i-.'>!reets
of Sao
.
enjO) ment ·or all thO'>C ' ' ho play....o e ' ' hat .at
lxld., with the image often ponrayed m Prem1er
League game., which one hope), will not infiltrate
the game at ).Choolbo) le,el.lf_.,omc b O ) had had
their reque\t granted to contmue playmg on a
Tue'>dav or Thur).day afternoon they would have
been on the licld until darkness. If play had
continued until John Badcoe cored the next goal
they wou ld huve been there all night! Matche
played on a fairly regular ba-.i<., again'>! Sherborne
International College have proved both -;uceessfu l
and enjoyable.
Charlie Harri... ha... literally led the ht XI from
the front. being th e mo!)t con-.i.,t :nt !)tril..er and top
goal ,cor :r. Charlie hac, not only been a great
ambu ......ador for '>Occer in the School but also
pla)ed a prominent role in the . .,ucce'' of _the
Ruob\ Sc\en'> team. In c,pitc ol the<.,e phy-.•cal
det a;ld' he remained totally dcdtcated and always
cheerfuL
Ed Sink'> captained the 2nd XI to a ...ucccs,ful
\cason and John Badcoe pro\ ed an inspiring 3rd
XI captain.
All thil- ha' been achieved by both the
comm i t mem and enthw..ia m of Mr. Willo"" · Mr.
Bool. Dr. Ferrario. Mr. Murphy-O "Connor and Mr.
Robinson.
1-+0
I.
).
2 n d XI
The 2nd X I experienced a mi xed season. With
new coaching staff and an ever-changing team. it
was always going to be different. The first game of
the season. against Downside. was a very easy
tart 10 the season. unlike some very tough
opposition we were to face later. Although we won
convincingly. 7-0. the m i ed penalty at the stan of
the game could be seen to forc!>hatlow the season
of mis ed opportunitie . The Lower Sixth player')
brought a new dimension lO the team. proving to
be excellent goal - corer!>. and scorer!> of great
goals. Linley Lewis and Charlie Cox were top
scorer!:>. but there was depth throughout the whole
team, as almost everyone got on the o;coresheet.
Dave Bridger was instrumental in attack with
excellent passing. Pcrowne and Rolleston worked
wonder!> up and down the right !lank and a much
improved A li Bunkall held the defence together.
Phil Goodeve-Docker. who came up to play in
only one practice because we lacked a goalkeeper.
held his own t he ent ire cason and played in every
game. Every player deserves to be mentioned but
a!> so many played for the 2nds i t is difficult to do
so. In practices we proved excellent opposition for
the I st X I and many of the players at some time
played mat che!> ror the I st team. We came across
some very well prepared teams in Blundell"s and
Clifton. but we gave as good as we got. thrashing
other
t eam
uch
as Cl ayesmore and
Downside.
Many thanks are due to the many staff involved in
every aspect of the football season. especially Mr.
Bool. Mr. Willows and Mr. Cameron. who, win or
lose. always en!>ured that the :-.eason w a a fun one.
I would also like to thank Doc. Ferrario and. as he
moves on to teach at Clifton. wou ld like to thank
him for those cndle!)!) practicel. where no one wore
the eon·ect dress and everyone continually argued
with his decisions.
Team jimn: E. Sinks, A. Per0wne. P. Goodeve
Docker. A. Bunkal l. J. Manning. J .
Rolleston.
C . H i ll . T. Traves, H. ter Haar. T.
Steenken,
D. Bridger. L. Lewi),. C. Cox . S. AI
Nehyan.
0 . Murray.
Ed Binks
Rl!.\tdts: Played 9, Won 4. Lost 4. Drawn I .
141
R u g b y S e ve n s
T. T. Dowdall. C. P. W. Gammel l. H. C. Grundy
Wheeler. C. A . J. Harris. C. J . W.
Boys at Sherborne School have alway' enjoyed
playing sevens, but in the past there has never
been a regular time to practi'>e. Howe,er, this year
the boys have been willing to rush down to the
fieldc, after lunch and \quecte out 5 minute!> of
preparation on Tuesday., and Thur-,day.., before
their recognised Lent term games. The rel-ponse to
thes: :.e sionc, ,,.a., \'ery good. with all age group..,
commg uown to learn techniques and teamwork
for a busy programme of tOurnament\.
Seniors
The .,cnior \tarted '"ell at the B lundell'\
tournament reaching the semi-final but losing to
Glantaf at this \tage. The) followed thi<, in the
Chri\t College competition by securing second
place in the pool \tage ( pool!. of 5 teams). Thi.,
meant that they had to meet Harro\\ in the next
round whom they beat. in a 1110!.t abrasive but fair
contc'>t. The quaner final opponents were
Mi llfield who scored too many points in the fir<,t
half for the School to catch up in the econd half.
although the School came away from that match
with pride.
The highlight of the year'' a<, winning the West
of England tournament , an achievement that the
School had ne'er managed heforc. They beat
Queen Elitabeth Ho!.pital School (Bri.,tol) in the
final.
A long mini-bu journey to Richmond for the
Surrey sevens probably accounted for lo!.ing the
lir<;t group match. So progres., to the next tage
then depended on who could \COre the most tries
again\! the other opponents. Our replacements
worked hard retrieving the ball after come iom,
and printing back to the centre with the ball to
'>ave precious <;econds and allow the School to
attack again. Their hard work was rewarded and
the School reached the la t I6. only to be beaten
by Ea-.tbournc.
The final tournament wa.., the NatiOrlal Ros!>lyn
Park Seven<,. The School won their group and then
had an irnpre!. ive win over St. John\ Leatherhead
who. until then. had not had a point scored a<>ain'>t
them. This meant going back the next day , ; play
at the Ro slyn Park ground having made the last
I6. Unfortunate!}. just reaching the l:t\1 16 had
been the peak of their ambition for a few of the
team. and they made a di.,appointing c \it lo'>ing to
Blundell\.
However. the boys could lool- back on a
.,atisfying \ea.,on ha\ ing made their mark in fi, e
prestigious tournaments.
Senior
Squad: J. B.
N. K. Cook,
Saunder (Captain).
. J. E. Cramp. B. J. Davie!-..
Hill.
1. C. W. Manning. H. T. M itchell. P. G. dS. Van
Dunem.
Re.\u/1.1: Blund e W Tournament
beat Blundell's B
beat Exeter
lost to King's Taunton
beat Shebbcar
beat Bryanston (Quarter-tina))
lo tto Glantaf (Semi-Final)
Christ College Brecon Tournament
lost to Chri t College Brecon
beat Bristol Gramn ar School
drew w ith King\ Worcester
heat St. George\ Weybridge
beat Harrow
lost to Millfield (Quarter-final)
West of England Toumam ent
beat West Buckland
beat King \ Taunton
beat Monmouth
beat Blundell's (Semi-finals)
beat Queen Elizabeth Ho piwl. Bristol
(Final)
Surrey Tournament
lost to St. Benedict\
beat Christ \ Hospital
beat Wallington County
lost 10 Eastboumc
National Schools Sevens (Rossly n Park)
drew '"ith Ep!>om
beat Gresham·s
beat Bedford Modern
beat King:-.wood
beat St. John'<; Leathcrhcad
lost to Blundell'!>
.Junior s
The U 16s won many matche!> through their
ability to -.crap and came out on top in mo t of the
tight matche!-1. !>howing tremendou character. This
enabled them t o reach the final in the Blundell's
Tournament. lo'>ing I2 - 1 to 1illficld. and the
l>emi-fin<t l in the Wcl>t of England Tournament.
They did \O well to beat a most lalented Llanhari
team at Rosslyn Park. a converl>ion from the
touchline w ilh the la t kick of the oame secured
thi<, w in. In the next round. ho\\e\ r. they were
bemcn wilh a try in the last 15 seconds by Queen
Elitabeth. Barnet.
The U 15s showed that they are talented by
reaching the final of the Blundell'), Tournament.
and the UI ' gamed rc,pectabilit} hy winnino
e
and losing two in their own tournament.
t\\O
142
U 16 Squad: A. J . Bridger (Captain ).
T. H. B. Bi hop. J .C. Britten, L. R. R. Edlmann.
P. J. Franklin. P. A. G. R. l ledderwid.. J. R. Hood.
H. . L. B . Hu n1. 0 . W. Luard. J.
. Mieville.
D. R. Poraj-Wilc;yn..,J...i. G. J . D. Scot!.
U 16 Rewl11: Blundell : Tournament
beat Blundell\ B
lo t to Ktng\ Taunton
beat We t BucJ...Iand
beat Glantaf (Quaner-linal)
beat Barnstaplc R.F.C. <Semi-final)
IO\ttO Millfield (Fin al)
West of Engla nd Tournament
beat King'" Taunton
beat Plymouth College
beat Wellington School
beat West Bu ck land (Quarter-fi nal)
lmt to Dwy-y-Fclin (Semi-final)
National Sch ools Sevens
(Rossly n Park)
beat Llanhari
beat Rtllli\h
beat Ba -.ingbourn
lo:.t to Queen Elit.abeth. Barnet
U 15 Result.\ : Blundell's Tournament
beat Glantal
beat Tn1ro
beat Blundell"., B
beat Kin!!·.., Worce,ter
lo t to Millfield (Final)
U I-I Rewlt1: Sherborne Touruament
beat Gillingham
beat Blundell\
lo'>t to R.G.S. High Wycombe
lo-.t 1 0 Monmouth
A.M.D.
Fives
In many way\ it ha' been a very difficult and
fru)ttrating term because two of the cou rts have
been ou t of action wi th dangerou<; roofs. It is a
great pity for the School because the game at Third
Form level b particularly popular, with evera l
very talented player'> <,howing real promise. Some
mone) ha., been ver) J...indly donated to Fi\'C)t in
the Devitt Court Appeal from parent' and Old
B o y and thb mu t be u'ed to repair/re-condition
the two unu,ablc coun,.
The \Ca<.,on ha' been one or great endeavour.
"ith the bt IV .,ho'' ing great commitment and an
increasing amount of 'kill. Wherever they have
played they have been excellent amba,..,adors for
the School. Fixture-. again\t Blundell',. Clifton.
Th e R ugby Fi,e'> A\<,Ociation. The Old
Tonbridgian., and The Pilgrim were clo'>el)
contested. but the School came out on the Jo..,ing
side and a 'ictor) again • K i n g \ Bnllon w a
the
!..Ole succes . Michael Taylor ha ' been an
excellent captain. who ha., led b) example and
encouraged tho e pia) ing at all Je,·e k He i nO\\
a good player with great attacking nair. WhiCh
sometime cau e., him to he out of po),ition.
ThanJ... you. Michael. for all your effort), over the
years. icJ... Scorer ha' gained in confidence and
h a shown himself to be highly competitive in
both <.,inglcs and doubles. Sam Mason has a
·large· left hand. but must worJ... hard on hi.., right
so that it can become a potent weapon. Ed Horder.
sti ll in the Fifth Form. ha' wJ...en great !.tridell
forward and. with increa-.ed stren gth and ra t
movement. wi ll be a good player for th e n ext two
year . Ben Wood h as really been the success-'> tory
o f the term . Still in the Fourth Form. he has
shown that he can compete wi th those wi th two or
three years· C\tra <.,trength. He has the natural
abil it y of being nearly ambidcxtrou),. a well
a.' getting hi!. feet in the right plm:c without
anyone telling him to do '>0. ext year will be a
reall) exciting one for him.
The 2nd I V and Colt'> I V al'to had several
matche),. but they did ..urrcr from fi\ture
cancellation because of the lacJ... of coun...
a\'ailable. Mention mu'>t be made of a \ucce, ful
venture for the lir.,t-year te •m who pia) ed
Blu ndell\ on a Wednc-.da) afternoon during
activity time and had a re.,ounding 'ictOf). If Ma\
Barber keep.., practi,ing. he will \OOn be pressing
for higher honour\.
Sh rbome again participated in the National
Schools· Champi on'>hip., at St. Paul's during the
first few d a y of the holidays. Everyone who went
won at least one match. wi th the Senior Doubles
pairing g of
l Taylor
and
N ickand
Scorer
reachin
the Mi
lastch!>ae
ixteen
and Ed
Hordcr
Ben
Wood lhe last eigh t or the Colt s doubles. where
they were very n arrow ly dcfcmed by the !>ceded
pair from Chri st \
Hol)pital. It i!. alwt ys
an educational experience for all of our
competitor!.. to ce how well ome or the !-.Choob
not on our circui t perform.
Finall). my thanJ...., go to the large:-.t Five
coaching taff in any '>Chool! Richard BooI. RicJ...
Brewer and Paul Carling - great to ha\e you bacJ...
for a season. Paul - haYe all given generou<.,ly of
their time with playerl> of all tandard,. helping
them to improve their J...ill'>. tactic and all-round
performance.
143
The game i thriving: it need., all the couns in
operation to take Sherborne back to the highly
succe ;-.ful year-. at the end of the 199Cb.
/.1t IV Squad: M . J. S. Taylor.
S. A.
. C.
1a<;on. E. J. Horder. B. J. Wood.
Scorer.
. C. Scorer. S. A.
Mason.
J. A. T. Fowle. J. C. Tricker. 1. R. W. Sykes.
W. J . More.
Colt\ / \ ' Squad: E. J. Horder. B. J.
Wood.
1. R. W. Sy"-c'>. W. J. More.
2nd /\1 Squad:
Mini-Colt.\ IV Squad: M . D. Barber. A. J. B r o o b .
A. B. D. O trournotT. W. A. Horder.
Harper House
Hou.w Sl'llion:
/l ouse Juniors:
School House
Richard Green Tmplly: M . J. S. T a y l o r - Harper
it was hardly worthwhile). to Millfield·., Jonah
Barrington Squash Academy and a clo ely fought
:!-3 loss to Bryan<.ton.
The Colt.,/2nd team went on to beat both
Bryanswn and K i n g \ Bruton easily. which was
good preparation for tho.,e who will be playing
again in :!001.
Special mention 'lhould go to Jonnie Shearer.
who pla)Cd at number one thi-.. year. remaining
unbeaten
agai n\1
other
.,chool!> apart
from Milllicld. and " h o wa<., aJ<.o a keen and
able captain of the club. He wa!> awarded hi'>
colours. There i'> great hope for the future too,
in Justin Gul<iton. James Leakey. and Charlie
Hoare. all of whom -..ecurcd regular <.,lots in the
I st V despite. still being in the Lower School.
Man}
t han b
10
those
parents
who
supponed the team in so many way<.. and I " i s h
Sherborne '>quash the best of luck for the future.
1st V tea111jro111: Jonnie Shearer (Captain). Doug
Withington, Justin Gulston. James Leakcy. Char lie
Hoare. Freddie Corlett. Will Huyler.
M. J. C.
2nd/Colt.\ teal// .{m111: W ill Mackrell. Freddie
Squash
Squa<,h at Sherborne thi., year hru. een much
more enthu.,ia<;m than in the recent pa t for f>everal
rea<.,Oni>. among them the fact that the teams have
been rclathcl)
trong.
the ad,ent
of
team trac"-.,uih (!>.and mo<.,t of all the pre.,ence of
a ne\\ coach. Tom Pollard. Tom is the British
Open Squa-..h Champion at O\er -lOs le\'el. and
he ha'i been coming into the School on a
Thur'>day afternoon for the pa'>t ' ' ' o terms. His
coaching and cxpcni<.,e ha'c m<.,pircd those who
ha\'C played. and we arc very plea...cd that he i., to
continue h i ' a......ociution ' ' ith the club next year.
A<:. for the -..ca-.on. there were two teams in the
Lent Term - a I st V and a Colt'>l2nd V. On
occasion!> we had to udju.,t the numbers in the
team!> to accommodate other M:hools. but this did
allow for \OI11C boy!> who might not orherwi'>e
have playeu for the Schoo l this year to do f>O. The
first team had nine matches scheduled for the term
(although Canford were unable to put out a team in
the end). and the Colts/2nds had four matches. We
began by heating Clifton College easi ly. even
having put out a weakened ide. This led on to a
win for the I " ' team '" · Blundelrs. again with all
the games won. The <.,trcngth of the I st team was
beginning to become apparent. C\pecially ofJonny
Shearer at no. I . although the 2ndl> did lose on that
day. There were more ' i c t ori e' for the I sts to
come. again'>t K i n g \ Taunton and King·!> Bruton.
but defeat'> to the '>enior .,ide of the J e ter and
Pilgrim'> (although \O f e" Pilgrim., turned up that
Corlett. Dougal Gordon. Jamc-.. Harding. Adam
Low. Chri\ Verney.
l.1t V Rewlts : Played 7. Won 3. Lo.,t
4.
Canford
Blundelri>
Brvan-..ton
Je ta<.,
King·-. Taunton
King·, Bruton
MiiOield
Pilgrim.,
Cancelled
W
5- 0
L
2 - 3
I
0 5
W
W
L
-t -
I
05 -- 50
I- 5
I.
2nci!Colt\ Remits: Pla}ed 4. Won 3. Lost I .
Cl i fton
Blundelrs
Bryan\ton
K i n g \ Bruton
Q
L
W
W
60
I 4
2 A.G.I-1
.
I
30
Basketball
Ba.,ketball at Sherborne i ' ' t i l l a thriving and
growing '>pon. played competitive!} by about a
hundrcd boys. The U 19 . whibt not the tallest or
perhaps the mO'>t talented I have coached. have
<.hO\\ n a tenacity that fe\\ team., could match.
They ha\C been behind in moM game-. but have
refu.,ed
to
be
beaten.
" i n n i n g against
good
1-t-t
opposition such as Blundell's, Marlborough.
Dauntsey's and Clarendon's (alias the Wiltshire
County team). As a team. they have worked harder
than any team I have ever worked with and have
made me very proud by the way that they have
represented the School. Suphosit Santavanond has
been an inspirational captain and Yothin
Panjawauanakul has averaged over 30 points a
game and has been the most valuable player.
For the U I6s, this was a very frustrating season
for a number of reasons. Opposition teams
cancelled several fixture at the last moment and
this, coupled with the difficulty of arranging
regular training sessions. meant that the team
actually played less basketball than they had as
UI5s. With half of the starting bench being
hockey players. t:Ontinuity and development
throughout the cason was always going to be a
problem and I would like to thank the team for
their cont inued enthusiasm and commitment.
They did improve as the term progressed and with
a more dependable shooter could have been
undefeated. In t erms of defence and support play
we were at least the equal of every team we
encountered, but without a regular who could
score more than ten points we were always going
to struggle to win matches. Towards the end of the
season Chris Hart. Tom Chamberlain, and Seb
Goufried (ICSS) approached this standard and
they should figure prominemly in SJC's first team
next year.
The first two fixtures. against Stanbridge Earl
and Frome College. were both lost by a single
basket. The next match. against King' Bruton,
was lost by two ba kets and the team 's frustration
was obvious. However, after a month without
fixtures. the season fini shed well with good,
conclusive victories over Marlborough College
and Blundell's Henry Tinne scoring
a remarkable 31 points in the mat ch
against Marlborough.
I would like to thank the regular members of
the team for their patience, determination and
resilience. They were ably led by Chris Han, who
deserves credir for his ability to motivate and
encourage others . Those who represented the
School were Chris Hart. Tom Chamberlain,
Christian Rasoar. Seb Gottfried (both LCSS),
James Sykes, James Mieville,Ivan Chiu. Jacky
Ng. Peter Franklin. Harry SteeL Rob Baker and
Chi Hang Hung.
The U ISs really are an excellent team in all
respects and once again managed an unbeaten
season with Henry Tinne being their top scorer.
The Ul4s staned the term with a very large
number of enthusiastic players. By the second
week the initial rush had come to an abrupt end
and Lhad my regular few.
For some. hilling the backboard hy the end of
the first practice was a major improvement! The
later addition of the t wo lntemational College
students. Li and Li. provided the confidence
required to play good team basketball.
Ahhough we only won one game in the five we
played. the ability to pas!> the ball and be in a good
position to receive the pass had started to become
second nature. We held Shaftesbury. a school with
a well known basketball pedigree. to within a few
points for most of the game. More than once were
Simon and Thanapoomikul praised by the
opposition's coaches for their skill
and
determination. No one fouled out! Daulet
Konysbayev deserves a mention for playing in our
final game when half the squad had other
commitments .
Despite the coach's enthusiastic time-out talks
and the disappointment of the results. they kept
going until the bitter end. They are better players
for their determination and their willingness to
continue auend ing practices.
U19 l?esults: Played 9, Won 7. Lost 2.
Gryphon
All Stars
Warminster
King's Bruton
Frome College
Marlborough
Blundell's
Clarendon
Dauntscy's
VV
W
W
L
L
W
W
W
W
4 1-33
58-40
60-4 1
3 9 - 30
94-49
59-46
8 4 - 79
72-68
66-45
U/6 l?esulrs: Played 6. Won2. Lost 4.
Stanbridge
Frome College
King's B r u t o
Marlborough
Blundell's
Huish Episcopi
L
L
L
W
W
L
33 - 31
55 -54
3 0 - 25
50-39
54-28
47 -34
U 15 l?esulls: Played 6, Won 5, Lost I .
Gryphon
Warmin ster
Frome Col lege
King Arthur's
Huish Episcopi
Clarendon
W
W
W
W
W
L
U14 l?esults: Played 4. Won I . L ost 3.
Warmin ster
Huish
Shaftesbury
Stanbridge
145
L
W
L
L
5 5 - 15
4 3 - 23
65-22
40-
18
7 0 - 18
23II
2012
47-30
57 - 5 1
52 -48
S.J.C./P.J.W./J.S.
Fencing
Venimus. vidimus. Vidnws. Thi$ sums up the under the arm. But after such a good day's fencing.
year for the Fencing Club. Once again it has been Robert Collins w a the only one to qualify for the
a year wilhout defeat in school matches for the Ist Nationals where he reached the l:u.t 32, a pleasing
team (consisting of godlike Robert Collins. swift effort in his fourth National Champion),hip and the
footed Ben Cole and evil-handed Rob Willington). fourth time a left-handed opponent h a knocked
This year nobody came clo e to defeating us. The him out.
2nd team of Jona1han Collins, Toby Nutley and
This year wall also the first year that Sherborne
Jame Jenkins al o had a highly successful season entered the Public School Charnpion!.hip . a vel)
against opposition who were no ma1ch for their prestigious event with a long history: Winston
speed and kill with the
Churchill once won the
foil.
Senior Boy Cup for
Eton. Robert Collin s.
However. I !.hal l pass
Rob W illington, Toby
over the details of this
Nutley and Ben Cole
highly successfu l season
entered the Senior Boys·
for the teams. I shall not
Competition and James
menlion the case with
Jenkins entered the
which the Ist team came
Junior
Compet ition.
to v ictory again t the
There arc three pools
opposition, both the
and then a direct
individual members and
elimination. with people
the team as a whole. I
being knocked out after
shall not boast that !his is
eac h pool to reduce the
another unbeaten year
number to 64 before the
for the Ist team, a
direct knockout. Toby
tradition that h a been
Nutley and Ben Cole.
preserved and handed on
from captain to caplain
unfortunately.
were
and one thai I hand on to
knocked out in the third
Rob Willington. the
round. Howe,er, Robert
capt.ain next year.
Collins
and
Rob
Rather. I wbh
;
Willington progres!.ed to
10 make specific
the last 16 where both
of
the
individual
mention
were knocked out in
performances in com
good matche!>. Robert
petitions. The
first
Col lins being overcome
competition we auended
15-9 and Rob Willington
was the South West FoiI
losing 15-13 to a very
National
Qualifiers.
loud opponent. How
an
ever, James Jenkins, a third former from Abbey
excel lent competition for beginners to practise
House, reached the last eight which is a
again:-t different opponents and a mean of access
tremendous ac hievement and one worthy of the
to the National Championships: the top four (those
highest praise. James is certainly a gleaming star
who reach the semi-finals) in each age group go
for the future.
through to the Nationals. In the U 18 section, three
We are very grateful to Mr. Price for h is
boys from Sherborne reached the quarter finals.
wi llingness to accompany uio to the Public School
Robert Collins beat his opponent wi thout too
Championships at Crystal Palace, especially as
much difficulty to make it 10 the semi finals. Then
this required gelling up very, very early. But above
came Toby Nutley's and Rob Willin gton 's fight for
all thanks mm.t go to Fraulein Dedek. not only for
a chance to go to the Nationals. ln both fights hit
driving us to all the matche., but also for ensuring
was exchanged for hit up to 14-14
that the journeys never passed without incident. I
but unfortunately neither could manage the
think that r wi ll miss mo t tho e infamou minibus
hardest point to core and both lost in two of
jou rneys when I leave Sherborne. They have
the most exciting lights I have seen. In the U 16
surely scarred me for life. but without Fraulein
age group Jonathan Collins ended up 5th. one
Dedek the Fencing Club w()uld not be the same.
place away from qualification. However. on the
Rob CoUins
way he scored two mo t glorious hits:
consecutive prime nicks
146
Cricket
1 s t XI
Reflecting on a season that came to a miserable
conclul>ion at Haileybury, as rain prevented
any play on the last day when the Xl were
due to play Cheltenham at the festival. there were
two important achievements. These were
achievement)) from a team pef))pective. There
were, a ever. numerous individual performance:,
\\Orthy of note.
Firstly. there was a team spirit. Inevitably boys
arc desperate!} anxiou), to do well both for
individual pride and perhaps for fear of lo-.ing
their place in the side. But this team genuinely
wanted to do wel l for each other. Roger Bannister
once remarked 'There is a need to feel our bodies
have a !.kill and energy of their own. apart from the
man-made machines they drive. There is the dc!.ire
to find in sport a companionship with kindred
people. I have found all these·.
Tom Dowdall, the captain, was largely
respon-.ible for this situation. Re<,pected a., a
player Cit was his fourth year in the '>ide) and also
highly regarded as a leader. he a:-.J..ed for ath ice: he
l i...tened to -.uggestions: he accepted praio;e and
critici.,m without taking it per!>onally: and above
all he wa:) pol>itive in his decision-maJ..ing. He led
from the from and his team followed. He had
cxcelh.:nt :.upport from the !.enior players. The
younger players will have gained much from the
experiences of this year and they wi ll be of
enormous benefit when they are expected to
as..,ume a higher profile next year.
Ben Adam
and Chris Hopkin!> both
contributed a ' much off the field a\ they did on it.
Adam), cored more run this year than anyone has
done for quite ome time. Hi:, bo" ling w a not
alway:, a... accurate as one might have expected but
he w a alwayll likely to take wickets. Hill fielding
was quite outstanding. Hopkins disappointed with
the bat but, despite the const:Jnt battle to keep fit.
he wall a reliable opening bowler. Rarely did he
fail to claim an early wicket wit h the new ball.
Harry Thomas suffered a loss of form early in
the season but never lost hi<; enthusia m. He
demonstrated the value of constant practice in
order to restore confidence. Ed Lang ro\e to the
occasion when the situation demanded. He took
his limited opponunities well and enjoyed the
UCCC\S Of other .
The second important factor in the uccess of
the team was the ability of the batsmen to play a
controlled innings and of the bowlerl> to maintain
a consi< tent line and length. These may seem basic
vi rtues for any boy representing the First Eleven.
However, c.:on ider that a cricketer progre!> ing
through the junior i d e to play on The Upper wi II
probably never have played a full day's play. He
will almost certainly not have batted for more than
an hour at mo:-.t and i unlikely to have bowled
more than half a dozen overs. All his matches will
have been played on a much smaller pitch than
The Upper, the bowling wiJI have been more
erratic. and the fielding les!> proficient.
'There i
<>omething so tempting to
an inexperienced player in seeing a ball chucked
up in the air slowly and imply, it looks :.o very
ea y
to hit. so peculiarly guileless. that a wild slog is
frequently the re\ult. too often followed by
disa...trou:, con!.equcnce!). ·
Peter Langly-Smith demonstrated the value of
concentration when he carried his bat for 72 not
out against K ing·:. Bruton. He is Mill a ner\OU!.
staner but appreciated the need to accumulate runs
by good judgemen t of a single. Dowdall and
Adams also learned not to give their wicket away
by playing loose shots. Wi ll Fegen was promoted
147
from the Colts and proved he was capable of
playing at a higher Je,el. Injury prevented him
bowling at the end of the cason but he has the
potential to be a dangerous bowler next year.
Linlc) Lewi<; improved his wicket-keeping
skill!. as the ...eason progressed. and kept his nerve
as a bahman in cveral tight situation . He will be
a genuine wicJ..ct-kceper/batsman next year.
Charlie Gammelr!. opportunities were limited and
he is Mill too concerned about getting out He ha
a sound dcfcn ive technique a'> a batsman and
turns h i off-break'> on the flattest of wickets. I f he
plays club cricket thi'i <,ummer he should increase
hi., confidence : nd gain valuable experience.
Jon Manning worked hard to improve hi
technique.\\ hich paid rich di\ idends in his valu: ble
and vital inning:. again t Marlborough. which could
l>O easily have won the game for hi!. team.
Jimmy McKillop. Tom Cracknell. Leo Thorn.
and Tim Margetson allta'\ted the demand!. of l i N -
148
team cricket Sad!). Anthon) William'> cho e not
to fulfil hi), obligatioru. and b i ob' iou'> potential
a ' a cr icketer. John Hood was fru'>tratcd b) hi. lack of ),UCcess and the demancb of the
examiner:.. Hopefully both will return to the game
in time.
·No player is a cricketer at heart i f he doesn't
look forward 10 running about on a beautiful turf
on any kind of day ' (G A . Faulkner. Cricket:
Con It Be Tau :lu. 1926). As always the fun
and the en joyme nt provided by the player!. could
not occur without the as istance of those who
comribute off the field: we enjoyed the upport
of parents. the calm and efficiem umpiring of
Tom Singleton. the catering '>erved by Sharon
and her daughter<>. the
corer-. (Mec; r<, Hoey. K ennon. and M orley
Smith), Alan Willows· enthu,ia\m and expeni e.
Mark Pry o r \ administration. and Jeg Francis'
much improved playing surface).. To all of them I
am indeed grateful .
'The whole edi f ice ofChri Lian v irtues could be
Results:on Played
Won
5, Lost 6, Drawn
raised
a basis of16,
good
cr icket·
2.
Abandoned
3.
Sherborne I 02
LO!>l by 8 wic ket!.
(L . Lewi'> 30)
Sherborne CC I 03 for 2
St J ohn's College 227 for 6 (45 over),)
Sherborne 119 (+4 overs)
Lo!>t by I08 runs
( B. Adam'> 50)
Can ford 139
(W. Fegen 3 for 28)
Won by 9 wickets
Sherb()mc 140 for I
(T. Dowdall 76 n.o.. B. Adams 42 n.o.)
Blundell''> 142 for 9 (55 overs)
(T Dowdal l 5 for 15)
Sherborne 143 for 9
(54.2 0\er!>) (W. Fegen 42)
Won by I wicket
M .C.C. 220
(T. Dowdall 3 for 16. C. Gammell 3 for 53)
L o t by 7 r u n
Sherborne 2 13
Match Draw n
Sherborne 205 for 3 declared
(T. Dowdal l 73.
P. L ungly-Smith 38, B. A d a m 62)
K loof H.S. 158 for 9
(C. Hopkin'> 4 for 42. T. Dowdal l 3 for 13)
Pil!!rims 130 for 7 (50 O\Cr!>)
Sherborne 223 for 8 (50 over\)
L o t b) 7 r u n '
(T. Dowdall 97. P. Langl)-Smith 37.
B. Adam!> 45)
Sherborne 152 for 9
(B. Adams 51)
Hai leybury
Match Abandoned Ruin
Sherborne 143
(J. M anning 44 n.o.. W. Fcgen 31)
Marlborough 80 for 9
(T Dowdal l 6 for IOl
Sherborne
Cheltenham
Match Drawn
M atch Abandoned Rain
o Play
M .D.N.
4 t h XI
The 4th X I have been magnificent and. not
surprisingly. undefeated. In both rnatchc the
opposition were pu hed, almo t cruel ly. to one
ide a!> we expo<,ed their inadequacies with our
Won by 78 runs
Sherborne 137 (37 overs)
superior tactic'> and pia).
( P. Langly-Smith 72 n.o.)
Again t Warminster I st XI. the oppo ition
King's Bruton 59 (30 overs)
refused to call the game limited overs
(B. Adams -t for I I . T. Dowdall 4 for 9)
and therefore denied us v ictory on a technicality.
King's Taunt on 20 1 for 9 (55 overs)
Afler we had ama ed 143 all out including a
(T . Dowdall 3 for 29)
fine 35 from Foster and a bludgeoned 41
Sherborne 180 for 6 (55 overs)
Lost by 2 1 runs
from Verc Hodge, the opposit ion were never in it
(B. Adams 52. W. Fegen 36 n.o.) X
and ended
up on 130 after thei r allotted overs after
Sherborne 17 1 for 6 (55 overs)
Won by 74 rum.
tight
( T Dowdall 63. B. Adams 43)
bowling from Dudley.
Cl i ftOn College 97
Again t Claye-.more 2nd XI. the result mu'>t
( B. Adam' 4 for 1 )
have been one of the most emphatic win:-. C\er
L o\t by 7 wicket'>
Sherborne 88 (47 overs)
recorded by a Sherborne l>ide. On winning the toss.
M i l l f ield 89 for 3 (26 overs)
our able captain M i tchell elected to bat. scor ing 33
hi m elf and Bailey 29 in an opening l>tand worth
Won by 36 runs
Sherborne 202 for 7 (55 overs)
60 run!>. At w h ich point Poraj-Wilczyn sk i •.trodc
(B. Adams I00 n.o.)
manfully to the crea e . Less than an hour after, he
Taunton Schoo l 166 (53 overs)
had added I 05 nOt out and taken u 10 a huge 24 1
(8 . Adam:. 3 for 19)
for 7 off a mere 25 overs. Not content with this. we
promptly bowled t hem out for a derisory
14944
Free Foresters 203 for 7 declaircd
Sherborne 103 for 7
M atch Abandoned Rain
(Poraj-Wilctyn ki taking 5 wickeL'> for 2 runs!) off
six over<,. Water' chipping in with three wickets
and the field doing their bit with crisp throwing
and !>harp catches.
Rare in a choolma tcr\ career can one witnc !>
'>Uch an event and so. I believe, the beers are on
me!
Team from: H. Mitchell (Captain). R. Merricks.
G. Bailey. A. Water),. N. Foster. M. Vere-Hodge.
G. Turner. H. Poraj-Wilcz) nski. S. Bennell.
J. Pea),C. E. Dudley. M. Tory. J. Helliar. R. Palmer.
A. Lewington.
Re111lts: Played 2. Won I . Drawn I .
G.B-E.
C o l t s XI
The Colt this year were an enthusiastic.
determi ned t eam, which contained a number of
promising cricketers. The bowling was in general
very good and offered an interesting combination
of pace. cam and pin. The batting was competent
but there wa-. no one who could be relied on to get
a hig core and thi'> proved the side's downfall in
the two matche which it lmt against Canford.
Thi'> failure to '>core enough runs waJ> due both to
inabilit) to concentrate for long enough and to
ba,ic 'hortcomings in technique. Far too many of
the bat\men hit acros-. the line and \\Ould either
mts a traight one or -.ky a catch to cover. Thi-.
wa:, frustrating. a-. mo t of the bat man arc
talented and bles<,ed with a good eye and timing.
Leo Thom and Chri'> Hart both had successful
-.ea<,on' although they wi l l both conl.ider that they
should have scored a few more runs. Hart showed
against Clifton. where he scored 7 1. how powerful
and effective he can be once his eye is in. He i
unorthodox and has an excel lent eye but moves h i
front foot o little that he i often in danger of
being out lbw. Thorn ha., a very solid technique
and can keep hi concentration well. He was
unfortunately often out just as he looked to be
seuling in to play a long innings.
The middle order never looked a solid as the
openers. Jake Briut:n had a di-;appointing season.
mainly because he could not prevent himself
playing aero the line. He is. however. a talented
batsman and -.hould improve next season. Will
Ru...-.cll alway., looked the mo:,t talented batsman
in the .,ide but never looked like getting a decent
score. A gloriou!. off-drive was oflen followed up
b) an uppi'>h and fatal drive. If he can improve
both h i ' <>hot -.election and concentration . he could
become a very good batsmnn. a well as the very
good wicke t keeper \\ hich he already is.
Alexander Budge who baued at No 5 failed. like
Brinen and Russell. to do him!.elf jus tice. He is
talented but needs to believe that he can and
should score runs.
The only other player who made a telling
contribution wa-, Tom Chamberlain. For moM of
the season he baued at o 9 and neither in the
matche nor in the n e t gave the impres!>ion that he
should have balled any higher. He did. however.
rescue the side when he came in at 50 for 7 against
Millfield and scored an excellent 37 not out. He
looked a \Cry competent batsman and
demonMrated that he ha!. the ability to be much
more than slogging tailender.
Chamberlain also showed a lot of promise as a
bowler. At times he was genuinely quick and
would have had a lot more wicket i f some of the
pitches had been more helpful. He was also very
wild at times and wil l have to tighten up next year.
Varun Singh was the leading wicket-taker of the
sea.,on. H is bowling ne,er looked threatening and
was frequently inaccurate but he swung the ball
into right-handed bat'>mnn and tended to get them
out i f they left a gap between bat and pad. Dougal
Gordon wa... the most accurate of the bowlers but
injured hio; .,houldcr halfway through the season.
He retained hi'> place a a bahman but the team
missed the control that he was able to bring.
Thomas Mackay-Jamc., wa<, the fourth seamer. He
improved con-.iderably in the ...econd half of the
<,cason once he had sorted out ome technical
problem!>, and bo\\ led a match-winning :.pell
again'>t MiIIfield.
Alexander Budge and Luke Va!>say were the
'>pinncrs. Budge\ brisk off-breaks were highly
effecti\e again<.,t both Ki n g \ Bruton (3 for 5) and
K i n g \ Taunton (5 for 19) but he struggled to
maintain h i accuracy on other occasion . H is
bowling suffer' because he doe<> not seem able to
decide w hether he il-. a spinner or a seomer. He
need to make a dccbion nextl.ummcr and stick to
it. Vassay bowled beautifully on occasions and it
wal. a pleasure to cc a leg spinner bowling with
such control. He could become very successful if
he can add more variety to his bowling.
Team: J. Briucn (Captain), L. Thorn. C. Hart.
W. Rus. ell. A. Budge. D. Gordon. T. MacKay
James. C. Pu!.hman. R. Jordan. T. Chamberlain.
V. Singh. L. Vassay. C. DuPont. M. Paulson-Ellis.
Rentlts: Played 6. Won 4, Lost 2.
Canford I·H for 5
(Singh 3 for 24)
Sherborne 95 all out
150
Lost by 52 runs
King's Bruton 39 all out
(Singh 4 for 9. Gordon 3 for 6.
Budge 3 for 5)
Won b:r 8 wickets
Sherborne 43 for 2
(Thorn 15 not out)
King's Taunton 99 all out
(Budge 5 for 19)
Sherborne 100 for 9
Won by I wicket
Sherborne 140 for 4
(Hart 71 not out)
Clifton College 127 for 8
(Singh 3 for 12)
Won by 13 runl>
Sherborne I05 all out
(Chamberlain 37 not out)
Millfield 71 all out
(MacKa) -Jame" 3 for I I }
Won by 34 runs
Canford 238 for 8
Sherborne J 79 all out
(Thorn 49. Hart 41)
Lost by 59 runs
R.W.B .
'-'unio r C o l t s A XI
It i right. in a <,ea on where only one game w a
lost. for the boy'> to be proud of their re uhs. More
important!). though. i-. the manner in ' ' hich the
games were played. Without e\ception. this ill a
talented team but. a\ all good team!. '>how. the
quest for perfection i-. nc,cr-ending. There was
always a full complement
boy' at practice and
the quality of their training wa!. '>econd to none.
However. in addition to a keen de'>ire to succeed,
the concept of -.port :l'> a plea<,ur..tble activity was
never forgotten. In all. thi., wac, one of the most
enjoyable sporting \ea!.On., I have e\er had with a
team from Sherborne School and I feel honoured
to be associated with them.
The season !>tarted in spectacular sty le with a tie
again t Canford. We could, and should. have won
the game but at one stage it appeared that we
might lose the game by a considerable margin. We
bowled and fielded exceptionally but . on an ear ly
season pitch, failed to command the crease and it
was left to Will Dawson and Tom Maher to save
both our blushes and the match.
Henry Lamb then beat King \ Bruton by taking
six wicket and \Coring an unbeaten fifty. Whilst it
appeared one-sided. we were able to pull our team
together and started to develop our enthusiastic
team spirit.
A home game on the 450th Anni,ersary had a
l>tar billing and we lived up to our reputation
againc;t King \ Taunton . Whil'>t the opposition are
gaining a reputation a a Mrong cricket '-Chool.
or
Sherbome kept going in it:. own inimitable style
and we managed to prove the quality of our team
with a re ounding victory . A half centur) by Tom
Cracknell and more wicket\ for Henr} Lamb.
amongst others. made thi!l a comfortable win.
Another school with a "trong cricket tradition.
Clifton. became our next 'ictim . With '>Orne clean
hitting by David Poraj-Wiktyn.,ki. Freddy Mead.
and Harry Clifton. we ama'i'>Cd a good total but
needed to bowl well in order to win the game.
Some tight fielding and accurate h<m ling made
this win possible and we remained unbeaten going
into our bigge!>t game - Millfield. De'>pitc a
reasonably low score of 128. we were always in
the game and our pirit. deh.:rmination and sheer
de ire to win gave us a well-earned victory. A win
i always pleasing but against strong opposition it
is even sweeter. especia lly when you feel that you
could have played beuer.
We then started to stretc h our legs and
demolished the opposition in the next two games .
Taunton were dismissed for 77 and never looked
like bowling us out. or containing our batsmen.
With England playing Germany in Euro 2000 that
evening. it may have appeared to :.pectat or!'. that
we were in a hurry. However. the '>imple rea'>on we
won so easily wall that everything we tried <;eemed
to work. Then. against Blundell\. we -.cored an
unreachable 209 for the lo.,... of only three wickets.
Tom Cracknell should ha\C '>Cored a century hut
tried to hit one ix too man} and Harry Clifton
seized a rare batting opportunity, '>coring a well
deserved fifty. To be fair to Blundell'<, the} did not
bowl badly and it wa., a 'mall ground. l lowe\er.
we were in a rich \ein of form and. again.
everything we touched \eemcd to work .
Whilst the block lixture' were being played on
Saturdays, we also had to complete our rounds in
the Dorset Cup. We reached the final by beating
Clayesmore. St. Peter's and Thoma Hardye and
were drawn to meet Canford in the final at Dean
Park, Bournemou th. Having already tied earl ier in
the season it was always going to be a clo e game
but nobody could believe that it would rest on the
final ball. We got off to a good start with the two
Henrys - Lamb and Goldschmidt - giving us a
good start. However, we got bogged down and lost
wickets at crucial time::. leaving us with a core of
123-7. We all thought that thb wal- about 30 !.hort
and Canford's batsmen started their innings
looking as if we might have been about 80 ;;hort.
Despite a racing start. our bowler' never gave up
and we got crucial wicket'> at crucial time-.. Going
into the last over. Canford wanted four to win -wilh
three wickets in hand. Freddy Mead w a the
bowler unfortunate enough to be "'ked to bowl
thil> final over but he not onI) managed to contain
the bat men but abo got a crucial wicket. With the
151
scores level with one ball to go. any one of three
results was possible. Intense pressure on all
players sl ight ly favoured the batsmen and Canford
managed to scamper a single, thus winni ng
the Dorset Cup and preventing us from
comp leting an unbeaten season.
As with the hockey for this age group. success
was brought by a combinat ion of indiv
idual talent
and outstanding
team
spirit.
Everybody played their part and 1 hope to see
many of this team develop into good 1st X1
cricketers over the next
three
years . The
batsmen, Henry
Lamb. Henry Goldschmidt.
and Tom Cracknell, proved to be as good a front
three as we could wish. The all-rounders
(as
well as Lamb and Cracknell) were David
Poraj-Wilczynski and Freddy Mead and they
both proved t o be match-winners with the ball
or bat. or in the field. Tom Maber and W ill
Dawson were our other bowlers and both
bowled well but were often unrewarded for their
efforts. Harry Clifton. Charl ie Williams , Andi
Windle, .James Hamilton. and Ben Massey were
the other players who contribu ted and
each demonstrated a good talent for the game but
was unfortunate not to get better chances. Finally,
our man behind the stumps. R ichard Dowdall ,
learnt a lot and showed great improvement
over the season.
Well done. boys, on an outstanding season.
Team: T. P. Cracknell (Captain). H. D. L Clifton,
W. R. B.
Dawson.
R . A.
Dowdall,
H. M . G. Goldschmidt, J. F.
Hamilton.
J. A . L. Harding. H. P. Lamb, T. J. Maber,
B. J. Massey, F. J. Mead. D. R. Poraj-Wilczynski,
C. F. P. William s, A. C. G. Windle.
St. Peter's 69
Sherborne 72 for I
Won by 9 wickets
Sherborne I 3 I for 3
Thomas Hardye 20
Won by I I I runs
Sherborne 209 for 3
Blundell 's 85
Won by 124 runs
Sherborne 123 for 7
Canford 124 for 8
Lost by 2 wickets
M.A.P
Results: Played I 2. Won I 0. Lost I . Drawn I .
Canford 5656
Sherborne
King's Bruton 80
Sherborne 81 for 0
Drawn
Won by 10 wicke ts
Sherborne 1 15 for 6
King's Taunton 90 for 9
Won by 25 runs
Sherborne 84 for I
Clayesmore 58 for 4
Won by 26 runs
Sherborne 115 for 7
Shaftesbury 39
Won by 76 runs
Sherborne 154 for 5
Cl i fton 120
Won by 34 runs
Sherborne 128 for 8
Millfield 119
Won by 9 runs
Taunton 77
Sherborne 81 for 2
Won by 8 wickets
J uni or C o l t s B XI
We do not possess details of scores before
198 1, but we are able to say with certainty that" the
present season ha seen the first hundred per cent
record achieved by a Junior Colts B team in at
least the past twenty years. This was a shorter
season than those of the 1980's. of course, and the
limited-over formal rules out the possibility or a
draw. Nevertheless. the team of 2000 could bear
compa ison with any that we have seen over the
152
two decade'> and it developed during the hort
summer term into a very fine '>ide which heavil)
outplayed -.orne !>trong oppositi?n.
. .
Andre\\ Windle and Charlie W1lharm each
took their turn as captain. according tO
the exigencies of the A team. and both did th ir
job well. It wa'> the Iauer who set the tone lor
the
l.ea!>on. in a remarkably mature second-wicket
partner hip or 90 with Nick Southw?ll a ainst
Canford. Our side proved to be one whach chd not
panic or give wickets away when under pressure.
The lea t convincing performance or the ca on .
however. w a again'>t King·s. Taunton. \\hen \ e
failed to take due toll of a weak attack. It was 111
thi-. match that - for the only time in the whole
<;ea.,on - we found ourselves in danger of defeat.
and it "a!> to the credit u f the team that they
learned important lcs on-;. Thu!>. in the final \tages
of the cason, it was very plca!>ing to !>ee how we
were now able. by intelligent running. to put
fielders and bowlers under pressure: this proved
cri t ical in the excellent win against a strong Poole
G.S. '\ide. when we recovered from a slow and
he itunt \tart to build an una '>ailable total.
With the bat. Ben Mas'>ey was quite
oul'.tanding. di playing excellent t c h_n i q u a ld a
fine temperament; his match-w mmng mmng-.
again't Milltield and his calculated a -.aul on the
were_ part1cularl_y
Poole opening bowlers
impre ivc. With the ball. the _qutnt t of Jam1e
Hamilton. Ben Ma sey. Charlie Qu1cl-, Sholto
Thompson and Duncan Angus .never allowed t:he
oppo ition to dominate. and R1chard Ward. w th
intel l igent changes
pace. ulso took cruc aal
wickets. II would have been good to c..: more usc
made of Lhe spin of Al i Johnston. but h i turn will
come. The liclding was impre ivc: both
the ground-fielding. a'> good a<, we have e v e .cen at thi'> level. and - on the whole - the
catchmg: and icl- Southwell pro\'ed to be a
very comp:tent
wid.ct-1-eeper who \ery rarely let a chance hp.
Whate\ cr doubu.. may have been exprc-....ed
about the tate of cricket nationally, the author-. of
t h i article can afftrm with confidence that, in our
experience, at Sherborne it gro w . tro gcr and
st ronger. The enthusiasm and th c ncke 111g sense
of these young m e n augur wel l for the luturc
and. we can predict with confidence that a
m u n er ol them will go on to play a gootl
standard .ol club cricket. Yet again we can end
our aruc le by affirming that a season has given
u:, great plea ure and entertainment.
Teamfmm: A. C. G. Windle (Captain). D. W. Angu!-..
J. F. Hamilton. A. J. E. John ton. N. J. Massey.
C. W. Pill Ford. C. W. H. Quick.
M . J. 0. Robinson, N . W. V.
H . S. P. Thomp:-.on. G. A. Thow. R. W. Ward.
Southwell.
C. F. P. Williams.
or
Resuftl: Played 7. Won 7.
Sherborne 129 for 6
(Williams 63)
Canford 73 for X
King's Bruton 59
Sherborne 60 for I
Sherborne 132 for X
King's. Taunton 127 for 7
Clifton 78
(Ward 4 for 15)
Sherborne 79 for I
Won by 56 r u n
Won by 9 wicket:,
Won by 5 runs
Won by 9 wici-eh
Milton Abbe) 31
.
(Massey 4 for I 0. Quick 4 for 12)
Sherborne 32 for I
Won by 9 wJc!-et
Millfield 112 for 5
Sherborne 113 fo r 4
(Massey 57* )
Sherborne 144 f m 6
(Hamilton 41. Quicl- 48* )
Poole G.S. I 04
Won by 6 wicket ...
Won by 40 runs
R .C.F.G./P.T.S.
Mi n i -Co l ts A XI
This was an exciting eason in which the Mini
Colts a l w a y managed to '\Core few enough r:u1s t O
make the match exci ting. but bowled and l1cldcd
with uch cn1husia m that they won all the c lo'-C
rnatchc and ended up with a record of won 7. lo t
4. The target for next <;eao;on is to get clo'>er 10 the
three temm who comprehen:-.ively beat us.
After
heavy defeats b)
Canford and
King·'> Taunton to '>tart the c;cason. we began
our roll toward., rc pectabilit) with a couple of
cup win'>.
Patricl-. Houohton taking 5 for 20 against Milton
Abbey and Piers Foster and James Jenkin.., putting
on 55 against Clayesm?re when w_e w?re
wobbling at 27 for 4. Clifton came Wllh hagh
hopes, re tricted u 10 89 and then c llapsed
completely in the face of a superb bowlmg and
tielding performance. including three run ou_ts.
Millfield. on the other hand. were far too good for
us. We were then faced with another humiliation.
e>.it from the Cup. a' Winton scored 121 for 6
againl>t us off only 25 overs. requiring u'> o corc
more than we had done in any game t h u far. Guy
Stebbing and Alec R u ell put on 102 for the rir!>t
wicket and we got home with an over to ..pare.
Alec's 64* wns the only half-century of
the season.
153
Taunton\ I09 on a slow pitch looked a good
!.Core and would have been more i f Edward Ward
hadn't slowed t hi ng with four important wi c k et
and Simon Radcliffe hadn't conceded just nine
from hill even characteristically tight overs.
Jame'> Jenkms, however. played. not for the first
tir!le. a valuable and well-judged innings in the
mrddle order to o,ee U!. home. The only total
mismatch in our favour was again!.! Al l Saints in
the emi-final of the cup, when we bowled them
out in 12 over!.. includin!! five from Piers Foster
bowling very fast. Blundell's was another game in
\vhich we made it hard for our:-elves afrer Tom
Gabbey'c; 4 for I 0 had given us a small tar!!et to
chase. Charlie Haber!>hon ·s 3 1* wm, cruciaLThe Cup final w a a bit of an anti-climax as the
batting again failed. but we looked far more of a
cricket side than in the first game with Canford at
the start of the season. Balling was al ways the
problem tluring the season, but wi th more strength
and improving technique there are players who
wi ll make runs in years to come. Alec Russell was
the only player to average over 20 (22. 1) and the
only one t o score more than 150 ( 177); he also
captained po!.itively. engendering terrific team
pirit. Our live scam bow ler\ were all successful
(Foster 15 wicket at J 2. Radcliffe 12 at 11.5.
Houghton 12at 17.5, Ward 1 2 at l 9 an dG a bb ey 9
at 14) and although Cri o,pin Vollers did not bowl
much. he will take wickets a a leg-!>pinner up the
'>Chool when hi!> control improves. The fielding
' " " terrific with Andrew Oc;troumoff making up
lor lack of uccc-.., with the bat by saving countless
runs in the coYer..,.
It would be rcmi!-.!1 of me to end this report
without thanl-.ing all who helped make this season:
parent:. (one popprng over from Bol'>wana for a
match). Jcg Fram;i-, our excellent groundsman.
Marl-. Pryor for organisation of a high standard and
the boy!> for their boundless enthusiasm and
willingne!-t\ to learn. M y final word or thanks goes,
of cour e. to Rus!-tell Williams who has helped me
on the Mi ni Colt for what !>eerm like ages. Hi
love of the game, minibus-driving ski ll and good
humour have made the Mi ni Colts cricket arena a
very happy one for both me and the boy),.
Clifton 35
Sherborne 89 for 8 (35 over),)
Won by 5-t runs
Millfield 202 for 3 (35 overs)
Sherborne 71
Lo),t by 131 runs
Winton (Cup) 121 for 6 (25 overs)
Won by 8 wickets
Sherborne 124 for 2
Taunton I 09 for 7 (35 oven,)
Sherborne 113 for 5
Won by 5 wickets
A l l Saims (Cup) 35
Sherborne 36 for 2
Won by 8 wickets
Blundell'!> 86 for 6 (30 over!>)
Sherborne 87 for 6
Won by 4 wicket:-.
Canford (Cup) 96 ror 2
Sherborne 93 for 7 (30 over!-)
Lost by 8 wickets
G.D.R.
M i n i - C o l t s B XI
Summer was here and, being South African, I
was looking forward to the cricket term and the
sun. but little did I know that I wa<, to have a really
challenging season of coaching. With an age
group consisting of 74 boys the selection choice
was not vast. hut I was still able to )>elect a team of
boys wanting to play cricket. That was a start.
Although the sca on was very erratic, the team
learned a lot and improved al> the summer
progrec;scd.
We started the cason with a four wicket win
againM Clayesmore, ' ' hich we nil enjoyed. but we
met our match \\hen we travelled to King·.,
Taunton and played a team full of Jonty Rhodes
and Allnn Donalds in
the field, and
Lance Klu;;ner'> with the bat. They had just
come back from a very ucces ful tour of South
Africa and were very contident. llowever. we did
give them a good English light. with George
Dudley tiring on all cyli nders with the bat and
ball. scoring 42 not out and getting three
wickets. There was also support from Matt
Snudclen and Jack Milln's batting and Jenning
· bowling. In the end we managed to get w
ithin th irty r u n o f the target set by an excellent
junior cricket team.
Results: Played I I Won 7 Lost 4
As the season progressed the team improved
Canford 137 for S (35 overs)
immensely with their basic ski ll and became a
Sherborne 53
Lost by 84 runs
much sharper and positive cricket team. Their
batting was more exciting. which led to their
K i n g \ Taunton 180 for 6 (35 overs)
Lost by 127 runs scoring larger totab. but it was the fielding where
Sherborne 53
they really excelled themselve,.
Milton Abbey (Cup) 65
Tom Blanthorne. Richard PcrO\' ne and Joost
Won by ..t5 runs
Sherborne 110 for 7 (25 overs)
Weterings
were
great
support
bowlers
and improved a'> the '-Cason progn:"-.cd. James
Clayc o,more (Cup) 81 for 7 {35 over!>)
Emmett was our Shane Warne taking on
Sherborne 82 for 4
Won by 6 wickets
average three wicket<; a match. Sam O' Dw)er
Ru...,ell and Adam
154
Reid were our two wicket keepers/pinch
hitters. very useful and were always keen to
improve and impress as was everyone.
We ended the season in style with a few wins
against Milton Abbey and King·s Bruton. After a
slow start at the beginn ing of the term
we eventually showed what we really could do. By
the end of the season the team were always asking
for a Friday practice and nets whenever possible.
They had great enthusiasm and did Sherborne
proud.
Although we were not the most successful. the
boys stil l tried their best and had a great team
spir it. A special thanks must go ro Oli Gargrave.
the captain of the side, who. at times under
immense pressure in matches. led the team well
and was very eager to Jearn and take advice where
needed. A true all-rounder who led the team we ll.
The man of the season was surely George
I 20 runs and 22 wickets.
Dudley with
an achievement that all the boys appreciated. This
is a team who have improved immensely and
will achieve more next season. Good luck to
them al l.
Sean Brassel
M i n i - C o l t s C XI
For
most
of
the
Lent
term.
the
cricket professiona l cast me piteous looks.
brightening only to tell me that my team wou ld not
win a match this year. 1-low I wish I had bet him a
bottle of claret. or even. on second thoughts. a case
of single malt. that he would be proved wrong at
the last gasp.
T h i n g didn' t begin too b a d l y - w e won the t oss
in the first match. Only Chris Goldman made
anything approach ing a score but we took four
Warminster wickets cheaply before our rising
hopes were dashed by a stand of 42.
On to King·s Taunton on a beautiful afternoon.
Jimmy Cull this time scored runs, we again took
the first four (or was i t five) wickets cheaply with
A l istair
Brooks
and
W ill
Horder
bow l ing economically. but the lim it of seven
overs p e bowler forced us to take the pressure
off and our opponems ran away again.
To Wel ls Cathedral. then. a first visit for me.
This time we fielded. Wickets fell steadily with
Brooks and 1-lorder taking seven of the fi rst eight
to fall. Border delivered the best ball I have ever
seen at this level of cricket. [t moved away late in
the air, pitched on a length a foot outside the line
of the wickets and came back off the seam to
knock back the off stump. aston ish ing me even
more than the hapless batsman. He later LOok an
astounding return catch (I had already ducked
behind the wicket for safety!). The seven over rule
appl ied again and a ninth-wicket stand wok the
total beyond the reach of our modest balling. By
now I was feeling that someone at the ECB ought
to be taken out and shot. Charlie Minter toiled
manful ly wit h the bat but got no support.
The less said about the next match the better.
When only one batsman reaches double figures.
you know that the game is up. We did take a
wicket in the first over. but that was obviou ly a
Millfield aberration.
Back at home we felt more opt i m istic. Our
innings lasted only 20 overs, but produced a
defensible
total,
or
so
we
thought.
Taunton adopted the slow and steady approach
that I have tried and so far fai led to get my
teams to adopt, and bored their way to victory.
So then. to the last match. feel ing relieved that l
had not offered A lan Willows the bet. By now the
team were asking incessantly i f they were the worst
team 1 had ever had. but they sti l l exuded optimism
and smiles . The virtuous were at la!)t to be rewarded.
Blundell's were shot out in eleven overs by Brooks
and Minter (Brooks taking a hat trick and Lhe
dreaded seven over rule being neatly circumvented).
and we scrambled home. Willows was gutted.
As usual, factors outside our control mean that
a l arge cast appeared in the team. Apart from those
already mentioned they were: James Titley. James
Fitzgerald, George Daubeny, Robert Symondson.
Fergus Thompson, Henry Siebcrt-Saunders.
Chr istopher Gosling. Alex Simon. Max Barber.
Rupert Osborne, Adam Gallimore. Ha.Ty Lucas.
Oliver Hankinson-Parr and Matthew Hutt. Thanks
to them all.
Results: Played 6. Won I . Lost 5.
Lost by 5 wickets
Sherborne 64
(Goldman 20)
Warminster 65 for 6
(Fitzgeraled 3- for 20
Sherborne 54
(Cull 20*)
King's Taunton 58 for 5
(Brooks 3 for 13
Wells Cathedra l 83
(Horder 5 for 22)
Sherborne 55
(M inter 30)
Lost by 5 wickets
Lost by 28 runs
9 wickets
Sherborne 43
(Brooks 10)
M i l lfield 44 for I
Lost by
Sherborne 79
Brooks 17
Taunton 83 for 4
Lost by 6 wickets
Blundell's 21
(Minter 6 for I I . Brooks 4- for 8}
Sherborne 22-2
Won by 8 wickets
J.A.T.
155
Sailing
CGBH ha" taken O\er running the club after
AJY·., retirement. SMS continue\ to run tJ1e
racing. a. '>i,tcd by David Thomp.,on from Sutton
Bingham Sailing Club.
Bob Macdonald organi,ed another excellent
weekend on the Solcnt \\ llh moderate winds on the
Saturda) and '>trong to gale force wind!> on lhe
Sunda). Dinner ,,a., m Gin·, Farm.
Shirburnian' \cern to ha'e become l e s
cnthu.,ia\tic about camping in the primitive
condition\ of Arne . The drop in numbers was
largely cau ed by the IOl>\ of the old green 1935
Ecc.:le!> caravan which w a
condemned al>
unroadworthy and unhygienic. A new caravan was
purcha!>ed after half-term and its first weekend at
Arne coincided with the annual visit of Giles
Bradford and his Cambridge friend\. The caravan
i now ept at Arm: Farm between weekend to
c cape the vanda ls.
The club·., llobiccat 16 was written off in a
coll ision with a s i boat in June. Fortunately. no
one was J>eriou\ly hurt and the insurance compuny
ha!, given enough money for a replacement boat. It
is worrying that the water:-. of' Arne huve become
o bu'>y on ...ummer Sunday' and we may have to
...ail on the more open water toward Brownsea
(.,land.
The :woo camp " i l l be remembered for
appalling weather. u'uall)' wet but ' ' ith no wind.
The camp \ H I ' <,honened to one \\eek and the onl)
good ...ailing da)., ''ere the Sunday. Monda). and
Frida). At lea.,t the Frida). our la'>t da). wa.' really
excellent for our -l7(h and '>0 the event ended on a
high note.
The O.S. Dingh) weekend unfortunately
attracted only two cx-pupib. Richard Lowndes and
Take hi Kancl...o. HoweYer. we had an enjoyable
weekend in light winds and it was good to
welcome Tak\ brother Tom to Ame. except when
he told U \ how much he enjoyed being at Oundle!
A
for out future plan!., in addition to the
new llobic 16. we arc hoping tO replace the 470s
with new 470io from Rondar Boats and to buy a
Rib as a new safety boat.
In September 1999 only one member of the
prcvio u
year·
racing team
remained.
Daniel SJ...inner. who became captain. He proved
in
to be < very able captain. particularly
coaching the
team and encouraging the younger boys.
A\ we had pre' iou ly been developing
a 'econtUjunior team. the ne'' member.; were
not ab,olute beginner,, hut. in their fil"it match.
the
O.S. prm ided them with a marvellous
demon,tration of hm\ to '>ail a dinghy. As the
'chool team de\ eloped during the ) ear. they were
able to put up \Ome oppo-.tuon at their later
meeting.
The team 'ailed C\er) Thur,day and on many
Saturday'. either in training or racing. during all
three !.chool tenm. The} raced in c;ixtcen matches.
competing
again'>!
Bryan\ton.
Canford.
Claye rnore. Millfield. Milton Abbe). and in the
BSDRA .
The only team who eemed impol.sible to beat
was Canford. but the School achie,cd a very close
result in the third race. which provoked much
discu!>sion.
At the BSDRA. we were unable to field our full
team. but narrowly missed going through to the
finals againl>t Canford and Sevenoaks. One point
decided on the result of' the crew's race - a good
effortnoncthele .
In May we revived the Sailing I louse matches.
Through e.•<t:ellcnt organ i <llion and the
commendable performance of the boy'>. the event
w a completed in one afternoon. All but one
Hou e were able to pro' ide four boy,. the
competition ,,.a, vcr) clo'e and Lyon wl!rc the
C\Cntual \\inner... The HcadllHI'>tcr J...indl) attended
tO prc.'>Cnt the cup. Tht' <.,(lOuld nO\\ become an
annual event. at \\ htch all O.S. "'ill be most
welcome.
156
Next year's lirst t .:am. with new captain Roben
Go!>ling. having had a year·, experience. cern to
ha,·e the potential to acquit them,elve\ extremely
well during the corning three tenm and we have
high hope-. for an e\cellent result in next year's
BSDRA area linalll.
A.J.Y./S.M.S.
Te nni s
1st VI
As any person tramp a e r o the bleak expan e
of turf that play... home t u our l\t X I cricket team.
they arc able t o breathe a !'.igh of relief as. ahead of
them. they can make out that hallowed green of
SWI9 (er . . . that i the !lOUth west corner of The
Upper. nineteen yards from t he road) whe re. year
after yc 1r. Shirburnians attempt to inllict the kinds
or defeat upon oppo!>ition team!> that Tim Henma n
can only dream of innicting upon Samprall at
Wimbledon.
Unfortunate ly, things did not quiLt: work out as
we would have liked. The balance of the team was
never quite l'.ettled :.1nd \VC experienced difficulty
in determining the !•.trongc'>t pairings. The initial
pairing at f i N pair \vas Ben Cole (our captain) and
the Head of School. Charlie Vaughan-Lee. The
mo't common f i N patr wa., that of Ben and Adam
Harris. but the pairing that ''a ... probably the
\tron!!l!\t was that of Ben and Tom Matthews.
AL second pair there was again a mix of
pairing!.. but the mo\t frequently u ed wa.c; that
rather strange pairing uf our \trong. and adamant.
ba eliner. Ollie Murray. with perhap!> the most
!.lyli\h and hard hilling a!> \\ell as the mol>t erratic
player in our team. Charlie Vaughan -Lee. The
most astonishing thing about thill pair was their
record of being undefeated again!.t every fir l pair
whom they played again!>t. as well as never
managing to overcome a third pair!
Who wo uld make up the third pair wa!>
certainly an issue that demanded much thought at
the beginning of the <>cason. Would it be rhe
reliable and teady(i\h) Henry Grundy-Wheeler or
the savage Nick Cool- who might come close to
decapitating the opposition's player at the net with
a scintillating forehand and then end hil> next !>hOt
O\'er the fence 10 di!>appear in the direction of
Skipper·-.. In the end. the initial third pair was that
of Ollie lurra) and Henr) Grundy-Wheeler who
were the most !.Uccc<,sful pair again"t Millfield.
FoliO\\ ing Ollie'!. promotion to the "econd pair.
1ick '""brought in to panncr Henr). For the next
three matche'> the ne\\ I) promoted Mike Ta) lor
played with Tom Matthew!. and then with Charlie
Vaughan-Lee following the complete rcj1gging of
the team for the final match of the \eaJ>on.
Although the re u l h of the ),ea on were
OmC\\ hat di appointing. we have ever)
confidence that next 'eal>on will reap more
reward' as id. Cool-. llenr) Grund) Wheeler.
Adam Harri<;. Tom Matthew and Ollie Murray all
remain.
Finall). <,orne ''ord-. of thanks. Tho-.c \\ho
cared for our hallowed lawn muM be thanJ,cd for
they really did do a briIIiant job . Perhap'> ir we had
been able to play more tJ1an one match on the e
courts we might have fared a liule better. I
c e r t a i n l y fell that the '>tandard of doubles
played did improve a lot during the sca on. and the
thanks for that must go to our coach. Jeremy
Priddle. and finally to Mr. Ridgway who put in a
lot of work throughout the season on our behalf
and who helped to make it a very cnjoynbh:
sca!>on in !oopite of the results.
Team: Ben Cole (Captain). Nick Cook . Henry
Grundy-Wheeler. Adam Harris. Tom Matthew .
Ollie Murray. Mike Taylor and Charlie Vaughan
Lee.
Results: Played 7. L0\1 7.
Down">ide
Millfield
Bryanston
Can ford
Milton Abbey
(2nd team ' Milton Abbe) ( . , h )
Clifton
K. Taunton
Pilgrim!C.
Cancelled
L
L
L
7 -2
5 -4
5 1h - 3 1h
L
8
L
L
L
7 -2
5 -4
5 1h - 3 1h
-I
Adam Harris
2 n d VI
Following a good turn-out t<l trials. a large
squad of t we lve w a chosen lo rcprc!>CIIl the 2nd
VI. The empha\iS w a certainly on youth. with
only three of the squad member-; coming from the
Upper Sixth. Jon Bain wa-. the ob\ iou), candidate
for captain. having been a central member or last
year 's succes ful side.
A week of inclement weather following trial\
resulted in a lack of practice and cancellation of
the match again'>t Do'' n\idc. Dc..,pite thi . the
team put up a good display against Milllield. a
match that would haYe been drawn had \\e \\on
our tie-brcaJ, . Adam Lm ' and Mil,c Taylor \\ere
especially unlucky to lo'>e 6-7. 6-7 in a titanic
157
'truggle wi1h their opposite pair. The windy
condition!> of our home astro proved more than the
team could cope with against Bryanston.
Concemration w a lacking. frustration set in. and
1he match a
lo.,1 wi1hout our gaining a single
poim. A new 3rd pair of Charlie Cox and HalT}
Stewart-Moore wa., inMalled for the match against
Canford. They proved to be the c:naJyst for a
rou..,ing 8-1 victory. which w a . o nearly
a w h t t c a h to cancel out the one we had
!.uffered the previc>ll', week. Charlie and Harry
played immaculate match tenni-. to defeat the
opposition Ist pair 6-2 in the opening round.
In the past a ht/2nd VI has competed against
our next opponents. Milton Abbey. However. we
decided 10 risk playing our normal 2nd VI with
C o ' and Stewari-Moore promoted to Ist pair.
Unfortunate, the gamb le did not pay off. The Ist
pair wm, unable to capture their form of the
prcviou-, week and others proved inconsistent on
1he somcwhm uneven surface. However. a trip to
M ilton Abbey is never wasted ow ing to the
breathtaking views as you approach the school.
The journey to Cliflon provided rather too many
views, a!. we cris:.-crossed Bristol in search of our
destination. Our late arrival re!.uhed in a curtailed
fix1ure. which was a ble:-.sed relief as we soon
n.:Hiic;ed thai we had cncoumered a team ''-'ilh far
more ability !han we. Our final fixture against
King·s Taunton 1ook place on our newly laid hard
courts. which played very well. Although we were
alwa_>s behind. thi!. wa<, a clol>e encounter. but the
los<; of the third round re.,ultcd in a 3-6 defeat.
rn summary. a learn that promised much was
unable fully 10 deliver. dc pite fine pcrfommnces
again\! Millfield and Canford. They :.howed good
abilit) in practice on the gras:-. court-... but lacked
the mental '>trcngth and con..,istcnc) to win
matche'>. Thc-,c arc certainly areas we will
continue to wofl... on and. ' ' ith o many <.,quad
member!. from the Lower Sixth. we can look
fon\ ard to nexl year with eagerness.
Team: J . Bain, C. Cox, N. Cramp. H. Slewart
Moore. A. Low.
. Cook. R. MacFarlane.
M. Taylor. H. Grundy -Wheeler. T. Steenken.
R. Lane.
Rl'sults: Played 6. Won I. L o s t
5.
L
W
Millfield
L
Bryanston
L
Milton Abbey
L
Clifton
King's Taunton
....
158
3
-6
8
- I
2 1h -6 1h
0
3
-9
-6
J.J.B.W.
h
e
1
n
'l
v
c
c
e
Colts
The Colts tennis season as a whole can be best
ummed up as a roller-coaster ride. highs one
week followed by lows the next. h started well
enough although the number of students turning
up for the trials was down on recent years. The
fir:.t match wal. away at Downside. Traditionally
they have provided strong opposi t ion and thus a
comprehensive 6-3 win indicated thm the coming
season w a going to be a good one.
However. things did not go quite so well the
following week at home to Millfield. The . everi t y
of the scoreline did not reflect the closeness or
some of the sets and w ith a liule more composure
Sherborne could have picked up two or three more
poinu-.. The only point in tJ1e match was won by H.
Steel and M. Gram-Petcrkin.
The chance quickly to get back to winning
ways was thwarted by the weather when the
match against Bryanston was cance l led. The
final game before half-term was away 10
Canford and this proved to be one of the be t
performances of the year. P. Shaw-.Brown and T.
Wynn-Jones won all thei r matches as second pair
and laid the foundation for a 6-3 w in.
R. Newman also made his debut in t h i
match. playing with C. Hoare.
After the breal, thing!> began to get even better
with an 8-1 victory over Milton Abbey and this
raised expectation!> for the last two matches of the
season. Alas. these were not fulfilled. W ith the
pressure of GCSE exam . and the poor weather.
time for practice was limited. The next fixture wus
away to Clifton College where uccess has proved
hard to achieve in recent seasons and the teum lost
convincingly 2-7. N. Lee joined the team for this
fixture and he put up a good performance. paired
with P. Shaw-Brown. winning one of' the
Sherborne point . C. Hurlbatt and H.
Steel winning the other. Some or the sets in this
match were very close and could easily have
gone ro Sherborne.
The fimtl match of the season wal> away to
King's Taunton. N. Lee and C. RoberL joined rhe
teum and both put in a lot of effort. N. Lee and R.
Newman as l!ccond pair had a very close match
against their opposite pair and should really have
won. C. Hoare and P. Shaw-Brown abo made life
difficult for themselve . losing a tic-break in one
match and then scrambl ing to a 7-5 win in another
to gain the only point of the match. Hopefully the
boys will continue ro play next summer. They
should devdop into good 2nd and Ist team
player!>. I would like to thank all the boys for their
efforts this year. especial ly those who helped out
toward the end of the sea!-.On.
Co/1.1 Tennis Squad: M. H. Grant-Peterkin.
H. W. Steel. P. J . C. Shaw-Brown. T. H. Wynn
Jones. C. P. J. Hoare, C. H. Hurlbatt.
R. T. L. Newman.
159
Results: Played 6. Won 3. Lost 3.
Downside
Millfield
Bryanston
Canford
Milton Abbey
C lifton Col lege
King's Taunton
w
L
The
individuals
in the
team showed
much promise. They should be a strong Colts
team next year, when a tendency to wilt under
pressure or from lack of concentration w i l l be
resisted more firmly.
63
I - 8
wCancelled
6W
L
L
Team from: R. F .C. Boughey. M. J. C lapp. S. J
Fox, G. lnomat a. H. F. Kwong,
T. M.
23 78 -
B. March ington. E. R . Po:>nett. H. P. Tinnc .
II - 8
K.J.M.
l?esults: Pl ayed 6. Won 2, Lost 4.
.Junior C o l t s
In an unusually dement early May, prospects
were bright. O f last ycar'l> Junior Colts, Clapp and
Posnell remained. They were likely to prove a
strong First pair. Tinnc and Marchington looked
promising. whi le Boughcy and Fox had potent ial.
Together w ith the new arrivals, Kwong and
lnomata. our squad had reason to go into the first
match. against Downside. with confidence. We
won with ut losing a set. to the particular pleasure
of Posnett perc.
It was
to
prove
a
misleading
beginning. Millfield beat us resoundingly in the
next match. and. though we m ight claim to
have been weakened by Ten Tor absences. it was
the first and not the last occasion when the
opposition won. and we lost. most of the ets
wh ich
reached 4-4. Bryanston,
in the
following match. on a very windy clay on The
Upper. were the better team. but not by such a
wide margin as we permitted them. By that time.
too. we had lost Mike Clapp t o a shoulder
i n j u r y - rumours that he incurred it w hile transport
ing his col lection of three-volume novels t o his
new study
in The
Green
were
surely
unfounded - and sadly he was not to hit another
woolly ball in anger for the rest of t he season. It
was most unlucky and we badly missed his
determination. And so to Canford, on Cup Final
Day: the match lllrned on the encounter (rather
c loser than the one at Wcmbley) between the fu·st
pairs. If we had won that. as we might quite easily
have done . . . Aga in. the match wa!> much more
even than the score suggested. The journey to
Clifton began early from Sherborne. Proceeding to
Marston Magna v ia Yeovil, our driver completed
several
laps of lhe Bristol
Ring Road
before deciding that play could commence
some
time after
three o'c lock. We
had.
understa.ndably. lost some of the keenness
of our appetite
for competition and were
heavily defeated . A t least the season ended, as it
had begun. on a satisfactory note.
with
a
comprehensive defeat of King's Taunton.
w
Downside
Millfield
Bryanston
Canford
Clifton
K ing's Taunton
L
L
L
L
w
9
-0
1h
- 8 1h
1
h-8 h
2 1h -6 112
2 -7
7 1h - 11h
R.G.P.
Mini-Colts
Few sc hools with in our reach field Third Form
tennis teams. so our boys had only t wo fix t ure!>
a ll
season. They
did , however. enjoy
the opport unity to develop their game in
practices. under t he eye of a professional
coach (not this reporter), and. though they
l ost both their marches. they gave Millfiel d a
contest in one. and were. lik e the other school
teams, the vic tims of an amusing practical
joke on the p a n of our coach company en
route to the other. None of
them is a particularly strong player: Bain and
Findlay have some good strokes: Hul l and May
are t enacious : Aitken and Eglington eschew the
more orthodox ways of winning ral lies; Kennon
and Dawson may have their chance further up the
School .
Teamfrom: R. A. K. A itken. R. E. S. Bain. S. J. R.
Dawson, R. Eglington. G. D. T. Findlay. M. S.
Hull. S. J. A. Kennon. H. J. 0 . May.
Results: Played 2. Lost 2.
Millfield
Clifton
160
L
3- 6
L
I -
8
R.G.P.
Golf
Golf ha' again been flouri!>hing in the School.
umber-; in the Society fluctuate throughout the
year with over fifty boy'> joining in the
Michaelma' term and forty in Trinity. The v.eather
on Tuesday'>. Wedne!>days and Thur<;day'>. when
tran port
i..,
a\ ai Iable to talo..e
boy...
to
the
c o u e. l.eemed to
be very good and
not man) da).,·
golf
were
cancelled.
Sherborne
GoIf Club do
look
after
the
School
extremely
well
and it i:-. vital
that
all
member
of
abide
bySchool
the
the
Club·, require
Socict}
men '. regarding
dres\. behaviour.
golfing
and
etiquette.
For
most of the time
relation-. between
the Club and the
School golfer:-.
<Lre Cl\cellent. but
occa<;ionall) I do
recei' e
one
or two ad,·er-,e
com
mentl>.
I mul.t
!>trel> to all who
tant
it impor
is to
play how
maintain a good
relationship w ith
the Club.
Matche!. were played in the Mi chaelma term
again t Milton Abbey. Canford, Millfield. and
Bri,tol Grammar School. all of v. hich re. ulted in
narrow defeat .... It was found to be impossible to
arrange u dull: for the lir'>t round of the HMC
Foursome!. again'>! Chri'-l·:-. Brecon o it wa.
de cid ed on the tO!.'> of a coin o ,·er the phone.
I tO\\cd - the School lost '>Orry! A semi-final place
in the We't of England School' at Burnham
again<;t Radley wa<, mO\t pleac;ing.
All the li\tures in the Trinity Term have to be
squceted into the lir t three week!. of term and
another round of lixturc-. against Canford. Milton
Abbey
and
Bri!.tOI brought
the :-.ume result-..
The}
do
have their own
cour\e in their
ground.,!
Succe"
cume
for the b o y
ain mo:-.t enjoyable
match against the
starr. The match
at Commcm against
the p<U'Cnl proved
again 10 be a
wonderful day in
b e a u t i f u l
condittOn\. but
the n L - . pro\ed
to be too wily for
their -.on\! There
b
alway\
next
year!
M}
thanl0.
go to Tom Ferrh
and Nick Phillip'>
their
for all
loyall} over the
year . for their
rriend
and
!.hip.
ror
-.howing me how
far they can hit a
golf ball! May I
al-.o thank Sher
borne Golf Club
and all or those
colleague
who
have helped with matchc-., driven minibu !>cs and
allowed boys to m i s their lcs,On\.
Team fmm: T. J . Ferri!> (Captain}. N. R. Phillip .
T. C. B. William . L. W. Va.,say. P. A. L. Thorn .
Lang.
. H. A. Lee. A. J . Sargent. E. S. H . M.J.C.
M. T. R. Goddard. H. L.A. Dcnl>ham.
161
Swimming
As the swimmj ng season approached. the usual
crisis seemed to be looming. We had a very small
team of committed swimmers. but they would all
be requjred to swim in several key events plus the
relays in order to make up a fu l l squad. It looked
as if our five senior boys would be very tired at the
end or the season.
The !'eason started in an unusually casual
manner. In the past few years. we have notched up
considerable victories against Clifton College and
perhap. this year we were resting on our laurels a
l i l lie LOO much. Our strong enior team were
defeated and returned to School a Utlle
downhearted. What did they need to do to win. they
asked? ·swim faster' was the obvious answer!
The following week. a more determined squad
lined up for the four-way match against
Kingswood. Canford, and Blundell 's. Both our
senior and junior teams swam brilliantly to win
against all three sc hools. We were narrowly beaten
by a strong Taunton team the next week in a
fiercely contested competition.
The team eagerly awaited the arrival of the
match against King's Bruton. After the debacle of
the 1999 match when Bruton included in their
team a gap student and a member of staff, we were
determined to win. A resounding vic tory by both
the senior and junior squads put Bruton firmly in
their place.
The season ended with another fou r-way
fixwre. hosted by Kjng·s Taunton. We swam
extremely wel l and notched up our first senior
squad victory against our arch-rivals, King's
Taunton. Our junjor team were beaten only by the
King's Taunton side but beat Blundell's and
Plymout h College convincingly. This match
proved to be quite an emotional experience for our
senior team who were swimming together for the
last time in live years. Their outstanding victory
was testimony to five years' hard work and
dedication.
My thanks to all team-me mbers for such an
excel lent sea on's swimming and t o Jonathan Ellen
for his captaincy of the team for the 2000 season.
Senior Team: J. Ellen (Captain). F. Richards.
R. Wynn-Jone . W. Goodhew. J. Morgan.
Junior Team: P. Hedderwick, 0 . Luard. G. Dalton.
J. H ood. M. Heangtrakul. S. Hayden. J. Robinson,
M. Tslam.
Results: Fixtures 9. Won 7. Lost 2.
Clifto n College
Kingswood
Blundell's
Canford
Taunton School
King's Bruton
King · Taunton
Blundell's
Plymouth College
L
w
w
w
L
w
w
w
w
7 9 - 95
181 - 75
181 - 25
181 -133
81 - 92
9 9 - 73
107- 96
107 - 64
4 5 - 38
K.L.M.
At h l e t i c s
In the Trinity Term about one hundred and fifty
boys opt for athletics at Sherbome. T h e i r
reason vary from keeping or regaining
fitness
to competing nationally. regionally, or
against other schoo ls, but. whatever
their
reason. most are prepared to work hard to
achieve their goal.
Whi lst we were quite limited in terms of real
quality in the Senior age group. the School's
Intermediate team were of such excellence that we
were able to secure some excel lent results. At
Canford we were able to field 1wo complete U 17
teams (more than forty boy!.). the ·A team
winning against strong opposition by over one
hundred points. The Lutra Shield Competition is
always a test of our talent!.: this year we finished a
very creditable second out of ten quality teams,
Mi ll field winning the competition by quite a
margin for the tenth year in succession. We
finished second at the Bryanston meeting but
ended the season really well by beating six schools
at Millfield in a closely conte!>ted match.
I have never known such u upportive group of
parents as lho e who approached this season with
such enthusia m. All the athletes appreciate this and
as a result are able to achieve at least one extra place.
Twemy-eight boys repre!>en t ed North Dorset in
the County Championships. nine boys represented
Dorset ar the South West Championships. and Pix
Hedderwick was selected to represent Dorset at
the National Championships.
It ha!. been a very exciting and satisfying cason
with much to look forward to next year. My thanks
as always must go to the staff - PT. BJH. AJH.
RG. A H and Matt Burden for their
o;plendid efforts throughout the term. ensuring
that our athletes reached their ful l potential
given the facil ities that we have at our disposal.
Thanh abo to the Captain of Athletic . Chris
Verney (to the
162
best of my knowledge the first Lower Sixth
Captain of Athletics). who grew into the role wel l
at Yeovil:
and should be an excellent leader next season.
Sherborne
Blundell's
Wellington
BryanstOn
King's College
KSB
Taunton
Clifton
Canford
Bryanston
at Brvanston:
Sherborne
King·
Bruton
Blundell's
Cliflon
Milton Abbey
Clayesmore
The follou·ing boys represemed North Dorset at
the Coumy Championships: H. Bloll. A. Reid.
E. Sclfe. D. Holborrow, A. Walford. H. Yates.
P. Hcdderwick. J. Rawal, J. Mieville. L. Edlmann,
J. Pearson. J . Bailey. N. Pothecary. W. Yates.
0. Luard, W. Moore, D. O'Connor. M. Bickford
Smith. T. Fox-Davie . B. Rivett. H . Farris.
H. Farris. R. Sage. T. Ackroyd, R. Fox, E. Horder.
C.
R. Angell.
Boshier.
TheVerney.
following
boys P.were
selected to represent
Dors et at the South West Championships:
C. Verney, H. Farris, R. Ange l, L . E d l
rnann,
E. Horder. M. Bickford-Smith, P. Hedderwick.
H. Yates. D. Holborrow.
PLt Hedderwick was selected to represent Dorscr
at the National Championships.
Re.wlrs at Canford:
Canford
Bryanston
Marlborough
Clayesmore
Sherborne A
Sherborne B
802
Millfield
at Millfield:
Sherborne
Millfie ld
Bryanston
Taunton
King's College
Queen 's Taunton
306
353
I24
I58
465
160
731
715
705
674
672
642
636
459
377
52 I
433
425
350
155
144
I07
2 13
207
I66
174
84
61
S.J.C.
163
Shooting a t Sisley
In Jul). Peter Thomp-,on took a team of nine 10
the Bi-.le) School,· Competition. The competition
wa:-. ..,ome\\hat -.honer thi!> year owing to the
pres'>Url! of other M i l lennium competition:,. The
team began 'hooting 'cry '>honly after they
arrived. Though the accommodation was
comfortable. the weather proved to be les-.
hol>pitable - one '>hoot had to be abandoned as the
target:-. dbappeared in a hca' y shower. The
unpredictable weather. and Army food. made the
barbecue kindly provided by Mr. and Mrl>. Pope at
their home a ll the more welcome and all
concerned were mo:-.t appreciative of their
generous hospitality.
Ably assisted by Jock Fra-;er. the team worked
hard to become familiar with the new Parker Hale
cadet target rine. though effort$ were at time!.
hampered by teething problems a' ociated with
the rear 'ight.
At 300m. the team hot \\ell. '>t:oring :!20 and
keeping pace \\ith the leader'>. The 500m \core of
205 "a' lcs' encouraging. 8 ) thi' '>tage one of the
troublc,omc -.ight'> had broken. Charlie Maltb)
pro,ed the be't marl.,man on the day scoring 33.2
at 300m and 32.2 at 500m and it '>hould be noted
that both he and Alex Pope were in the top
hundred h o t - Charlie 47th and Alex 69th.
Both vet eran:-. and newcomer:-. alike enjoyed the
competition and the team can look forward to
uccc s in the future as it become:-. more
cxpericncec.J.
The tewn: Ben Cole (Captain). Philip Goodevc
Docker. Ridu1rd Pcar on. A lex Pope. M ichael
Pope, Freddie Lcwi:-.. Charl ie Maltby. Christopher
Gr vebrool.. Robert Gra7ehrook.
16-J
J.R.R.
H e a d s of School's Review
Commem 2000
The tradition m thi'> juncture il' that Head Boys gently ...ay
Fare\\ ell to the leavers and review the School in play.
So we ' I I .,tan o f f " ath the lea,ers. and to make the maHer wor..,c
E ' cry ingle tribute will be done in awful verse.
Goodbye Ru..,-,ell Rocket Williams who suffered from ero!>ion
'Co-, the bla.,tcd Health and Safety won't allow explosion.
Hi1- decbion:- a'> an umpire were beyond fair definition
But his heart b not in cricket. it's in non-stop demolition.
Major Skinner taught Theology. which after Cm·a lr) mak e ...en\e.
In immaculate pre scd tweeds he would stan with a ·Morning gem-.·
And he ran the CCF. a moM engaging blo"e
Last seen with Tom Gilchrist sharing their last smoke.
I r your \to mach ever su ffered fro m an over-ripe smoked haddock
Or your little finge r hroke you were saved by Sister Craddock.
She has \Uffercd \'Omiting and feet tha t really smel l
So from all U!. hypochondriacs: Si ter. fare thee we l l.
Dr Carlo Ferrario decided that he oughta
Gi"c up drink for School House and he switched to mineral water.
So his Geography wa.., sober. and tamed in U!> the tallion.
l ie'<. a typical half-Irish and the other half Italian.
Peter Wellb) taught u Engli!.h. an easy man to l i " e
But impoo.,..,ible to talk to. he was always on hi bike.
Abbe) Hou.,cmastcrs descr'e <,ome'' here 1-pecial to heal
And we thin" that Jerusalem is going to be ideal.
A'>hle) Hou,e·!> Economics? Well he's saved h b C<L'>h o;o far
To buy a neat convertible Vauxhall Astra car.
But on radio at Durham. rivals he had none
For hi1- programme called Hash Ashley:\· Funky Lu11chtime l·u11.
Chrbtian orrb Crc po i going back to Ecuador.
He loves Spani h. saba dancing and Pippa even more.
She did the dancing for Code Crackers. but we wonder i f he knew
That all the boys at Sherborne think that she's a cracker too.
Tim Bull. our Theatre Techni k is leavi ng without fus$
On his moped looking scruffy. he could be one of U!..
But Tim de!>erve une honour. of which he can't be deprived:
He w<>rked with Mr. HargreaYes. and somehow he '>Un ivcd.
ow 'port: and tin.t i t ' Rugby into which we delve
The School pla)ed lifteen matches and we managed to lose twel\c.
At lca!.t our prop. Ben Davies. was picked for Engl and A
but only winning three - well there's not much else to -,ay.
Were thi!- team our Cinderellas? r m afraid not o a t all
I f you remember Cinderella- she got to the ball.
165
Hockey- not much beuer but Phil Walters i'> no whinger
He played with ferocity typical of a ginger.
Tennis - we lost every match though Charlie gave hi'> lot .
Chnrlie loves hi!> tennis. but Pete Sampras he i., no1.
The cricket team did better. Tom Dowdall made it fun
And miracle of miracles. Ben Adams 'cored a ton.
Lord David Sheppard preached to u-.. h e \ ver) good at that
But I wish he'd coached our cricket team. ·cos he knew how to bat.
Peter Lapping. our Headmaster, we have not forgotten ) ou
A twelve-) ear spell at Sherborne and alwa:rs ...miling through.
ot bad for a South African and certainly not mean Refurbishing three houses; Abbey. Harper. Green.
He buill our new Science Block. but here· the telling crunch
He invited fifteen hundred boys to join him having lunch.
Mrs. Lapping ha!. a spirit but you never should arou!>e ·ers
'Cos behind every Headmaster. there·s a wife who wears the trou!.er:-..
They now retire to Gloucester, hitting golf balls with a c lout
And if we know Peter Lapping . . . Tiger Woods watch ou t!
Farewell from us to Sherborne. we promi e to keep track,
Aflcr this appalling verse, they may not a:-.k us back.
Vivat Rex Eduardus Sextus and may that be
Goodbye from Richard Reason and Charlie Vaughan-Lee.
166
HOUSE
REPORTS
SchoolHouse
The arrival of Mr. WatLc; to the Hou:-.e brought a
lot of humour. fun. a wife and baby boy, two of
v.hich the How,e ha.., been lacking for -.ome year!..
We are plea!>ed to '>a} that the W att family have
setllcd in very well and ...cem to be enjoying
them:.elvc!. in the Ilouse.
Spon is now a major feature of the House.
Mark Tor). Nick Cramp and Nick Cook all played
regularly for the Ist XV. and Henry Grundy
Wheeler abo played for part of the season. Will
White captained the 2nd XV and led the team very
well. On the ! Iockey field. Wil l Kipling and Rory
MacFarlane represented the House in the l!>t XI.
both playing up front. During the hot summer
School Ho u e· John Hood. Anthony Willia m and
Ed Lang played for the I st Xl . enjoying a
\ucce...-.ful seru.on.
Mu:-.ic hac, alway'> been :.trong in the House and
it thrivedthi'> year. Many boys appeared in Friday
Lunchtime concem. Chamber concem and
recital!>. Howe\er it wa" on the 4th of May. in the
School Hou!>c Conccn. that we produced our very
best performances. led by Tom Gilchrist. Andrew
Vickery. Tom and Will Boggis. and Will Drayton.
It was an excellent concen and thel>e boys· talents
\\ill be mi., ed next year.
Drama was abo a feature of the Hou!>e. even
though there v.a... no Hou!.e pht). 1 i d . Cramp
directed Look Back in An, er. a ''ell a.'> acting in
Confusion,, at St. Anton} '<,-Lev.e...ton. He went on
to appear in Code' Cracken where we also sa'' the
powerful dhpla) by AI Beattie. Rory MacFarlane.
and Henry Grundy-Wheeler a!. the 'hoodlums·.
busting a groove on the l-lage. School House's
very own Josh Howe w a \ tage manager of this
production. a huge joh which he carried through
brilliantly.
Boys from the Houl-e have e>.ce lled <Ill around
the School obt aining the Duke of Edinburgh
Awards. of which Bryn Price and Hugo Dodge
v.ere awarded Bron1e and NicJ... Cramp and AI
Beauie were a\\ arded the Silver. There wa.-, al<,o a
ma!>"ivc contribution from the Hou'>e to the Lent
Term Project. Ollie Ea\t and Jame., Hood. for
example. rai-,ed 0 1 cr £I 00 " ' imming the
equivalent of the ' ' 1dth of the EngJi,h Channel.
The Houl>e had an excellent year. and v.a<; more
than ably led by Mark Tory and Will White (who
won the Simon Duffett Cup) a!> our ! lead'> of
Hou<;e. T he Upper Si\th a.., a year did an
out!>tanding job a leader'>. Let u hope that next
year i!>ju:.t a!> good. i r not better.
Abbey House
Walking around Abbey House one !>lowly
becomes aware that we have earned more than our
share or injuries recently. I take thil> to be a visible
indication of the enthuc;ia'>m that ha... characterised
the spirit within the hou!>e over the past year. E'en
Mr. Murphy-O'Connor h a not been immune.
having suffered a particular!) painful injury while
engaging in o me heavy-duty tiling. Abbey ha'>
continued to contribute to the wider variety of
activ ities within the School.
While our performance in the inter-l louse
matche for major '>pon-, ha'> frequently been
djsuppointing. till!> ha" not been a surpric,e . What
has been notable. however. i-, the enjo) mcnt that
the boys derive from ...uch matche'> even \1 ith the
odds heavily stacked < gain t u . We have had
significant succes in House League. Abbe) h a
continued its fierce dominance of the 'qu:"h coun.
winning both the Senior and Junior competition.
We abo won the Junior Tenni:-. and were runners
up in the Senior-.. under the able leadership of
Harry Stewart-Moore. The sc hool 's highly
successful Fencing Club has also benefited from
an intlux of Abbey b o y who now seem to
dominate the '>port in the School.
Abbey h a al'>o continued it!> contribution to
Drama \\ ithin the School. E 'tabli,hcd actors have
stood -.ide b) <;ide '"ith frc<.,h t tlent in a number of
production'> recent!). Perhap... the be'>t example" of
thi!> were Sean Pear...on and Jume Met:I-.e·..,
performance'> in Our Coumn \ Good. Abbe) abo
contributed to lhe CU!ot or Code Cmd.en .
167
Our Upper Sixth acqui l led itself extremely well
in A-level'\. I wa!. e-.pccially impressed by the wa)
in which they re isted the urge to cram revi!.ion at
the la!.t minute. ln fact. they eem to ha'e rc istcd
the urge to revise fairly comprehensivel). Nick
Phillip., leading the wa) with hi!> skill in the an of
di!.placcmcnt activily. l ie could be encountered
riding hi., mini-'icooter round the House right up
till the moment he had to leave for his exams. We
wish them all well.
At the oppoi>ite end of the House our ne"
intake ha' linally settled do"' n and they will
contribute .,trongl> to the Hou-,c.
Abbey House has continued its tmdition of
tolerance and wide-ranging intere ts within the
School. Within Abbey there i:, the important
ability to laugh at one. elf and accept that other
people arc diffen.mt.
Toby Nulley
The
Green
Thi., year was the lir\t in the new House and
er) one ha been able to '>ettle in relatively well.
With The Green garden. or Gash. and the Cage in
full force. there has been no hortage of things to
do.
The Hou\e Play. Golden Gordon. was a huge
ucce!.!.. The acting wa!> of the highest quality and
the audience enjoyed two very <>pecial evenings
for everybody invoh ed. Star performances were
from Tom Fox-Da' ies and Oliver Gargra\e.
The Lent Project involved many people in the
Houl>e. Pier!. Boshier and Ed Po-;nett raised the
most money with a sponsored run and swim. The
House al o took pan in the 'Who wants to be a
tennerairc?', run by Ed Sinks and Charlie Cox.
People in the House battled it out to win the main
prit.e of CI O by answering questions. Thi::. was a
prime example of everyone in the House being
involved and doing their bit for charity.
Sport has been trong. with many people
repre:.enting school te<um. The House teams were
full of talent and spirit. In rugby. we went out in
the opening round to Lyon. but went on to claim
the Plate. Hockey and cricket were sound. We won
the Senior House l locke). but were beaten in a
clo'>cly t:ontested '>emi-linal in the Cricket Cup by
Abbey.
C\
We mu-.t thank the Upper SixtJ1. led superbly by
Rob Wynn-Jan e and Ed Sink.... They all set a
super example to the rest of the House and made
the change very implc for everyone involved.
They set a <,Ound note on which we hope The
(New) Green can continue for many year to
come.
Harper House
Under its new Hou!-tema.,ter, Harper has
continued to thrive thi!> year. We yet again
provided one of the Heads of School, and I know
the general feeling around the School was that
Charlie Vaughan-Lee ha been an excellent
choice.
The sporting side of tht! Hou::.e continue!'. to
Oouri'>h, with Guy Bailey. Jonty Saunders. Henry
Mitchell. and Max Vere-Hodge representing the
I t XV. Five member of the House. Jonty
Saunders. Henry Mitchell. Charlie Gammell. Jos.,
Simson. and Tony Walsh. represented the lst XI
hockey. while Gammell abo played for Ist XI
cricket. Ho\\ever. it i. not ju'>t at fir t team level
where Harpoons can be seen di'>playing their
talent, and many boy'> have represented the School
in a number of .,pom. ranging from five . where
Mike Taylor capt ained the ide. to \ailing. which
many enjoy a-. a recreation. Spet:ial mention
should be made of Oily Luard and Edward
Radcliffe who both reached County level at rugby
and cricket re.,pectivcly .
On occasion:- thi-. year. Harper ha,·e been
extremely unlucky : the Ilou.,e '>inging competition
is a prime example. Anyone who ' ' itnes&ed our
rendition of YMCA (complete with dancers). and
then saw The Digby being judged lhe winners. I
am sure. would agree. This was among a number
of ncar-misses on the silverware front. which we
will be trying to rectify next year.
Many or the House arc involved in Drama. We
have a number of talented actors, while Dave
Hoey and Charlie Robert., arc among l11e top
·techies· in the School. and play a crucial role in
productions. The Millennium musical. Code
Cmcken, wa... Sherborne's large::.t production
ever. and Harpoon., dominated the lead roles. with
Henry Mitchell. Adam Harri.., and Max Vere
Hodge sLUrring. which bodec, " e l l for next year's
House Play.
The 450th Anniver ary \:elebnuions were a
memorable lime for the School and House. with
victory in the tug o' war. and an exlrcmcly
uccessful '>loch se:-...,ion. in which Housemaster
and Head of House were -;ubjected 10 the
vengeance of members of the Hou:-.c.
Harper also conu·ibuted strongly toward' the
Lem Term Projec1. with the 5-a-<>ide foOLball
match being the main focu!>. The opposition were
The Digby, and lhe match lasted for twelve hours.
with each year occupying two one-hour slot . The
match w a played from 10.00 p.m. to 10.00 a.m..
so anyone who had the nightmare shifts (between
2.00 and 6.00 a.m.) wa.') e.')pt!cially plea!-.ed with
Harper'!> eventual victory. Ed Wonhington should
be congratu latt:d on being top scorer. and his
dal.l.ling skill!> were admired by many. even at
3.00 a.m.
The CCF continues to inspire many. and the
House now halo many senior cadets. Rich Fox and
Malt Hope should be congratulated on completing
1he g11.1ellinu senior Ten Tors event.
S o. Dr. Tremewan ·!> first year as Harper
Housemaster has proved to be a f11.1itful one. and.
with Joss Simson al 1he helm. next year promises
to be even more so.
Wa l l a c e H o u s e
The mood in House i len\e as T write this
despatch in my secret bunker/study. Our Sixlh
Form con1act wi ll lomuggle it oul under tht: cover
of dark, hidden from the guards patrolling the
fence and the watchLOwer.
After five years, UCAS decided la!>t year\
Upper Sixth had paid its debt 10 ).Ociety and
rclea. ed lhem to their universities. including UCL
(Jo Tricker and Pichit 1-fong:-.aranagon) and
Birmingham (Sirnon Price. aka Pies).
They left us wilh promi e:. !haL !hey \vould
campaign for us on 1he ou1side. and thai supply
dump
with
neccs ary
items would
arrive
regularly. But with the joys of unbridled freedom
the lonely inmate of Block E lwve been long
forgotten.
We will now have to look to people like Jimm,:.
Crichton. Giles Turner, and James Board to
become leaders or the rebel forces. Andrew
Morley-Smith h a bet.:ome head of intelligence
after an astounding 10 A ' gradel> at GCSE. and
aide Jmnes Morfee now heads up the gadget team.
Although the lyrant refuses 10 budge. several
attempt!> a1 military coups have led to Wallace
gett ing through a swggering live matron!> thi'> year.
After they refused to swear their al legi mce to the
des!ruction or Monsieur Haigh's cruel regime they
were driven out by bombardments of game-. 'iocks
by the allies.
As Wallace\ elite train 1hemselve for the final
atlack we seem lo have become better and quicker
on the games field. This year the senior team got
into the football final and the Third Form got into
the semilinals. Phil Harri . the rebels' imported
chemical expert from We tcon, played I
X I f o o t b a l l and came second in the House
Cross Country:
he
nearly
escaped
but
Vicki'
·Beetle·akned the authorities.
Ru Harland has played for rhe 2nd XV Rugby.
and AJ Perowne and James Board for the 3rd XV.
while Pier Foster. Nick Thanapoomikul and
Sruan Kennon all represented the Mini C o l t A
team. AI captained the 2nd cricket XJ, and both
Luke Va say and Va11.1n Singh played for the Colts
A team. Nick Foster played for the 3rd XI, while
his brother Piers played for the Mini-Colts A team
along with Edward Ward. Off the field. Chuck
Notley led a team of crack rebel snipers to second
place in lhe illlcrhouse sho01ing compel ilion.
The rebels· morale-lifling communily l-inger
came second in the Hou:,e Singing Competition
with their version of Cmwv Jsla11d B a b ,·. and
Alistair Hardie and Gile:, Male both achieved
Grade 8 Violin and are members or the Dorse1
Youth Orchestra. The inmates' Hou!>e Concert ran
superbly and even Monsieur Haigh graced U!> with
a perfom1ancc.
The How..e has been logged in wilh two new
complller . which have enabled us to liaise with
orher convicts around the world. Jamc Board has
been caught in online contact with an American
assassin <Uld Nick T has been teaching us Orienlal
inja moves he has learnt from a pri!.>oncr in
Communi t China.
Pichit's departure marks the end of an era: he
h a loyally supplied lhe House wilh suitcase:-. full
of imponed noodlel> for year<;. and an entire
Ea 1em food chain i:, :-.et to become bankrupt.
(NOTE: A new dealer will urgently be required to
sustain the livelihood of both them nnd us.
Appl icants apply wilhin. if' you can find U'-.)
169
Otherwi e. Block E runs a well as it can under
the drcurmtance'>: the black market'., inllation
rate<. ure table. and the protection racket run by
Sergi V}rodo' and Till Steenken prombe!> (l"m
told) to bring in a heft) profit this year. On the
whole. while intemal unre!>t inevitably remain .
the oflicral file., record a fanta<.tic year on the
academic. mu<.ical and. of cour'ic. sporting fronts
which 2000/01 will lind extremcl)' hard to match.
Stuart Kennon
Ab b e y l a n d s
In true Abheyland!> '-tylc. the members of the
Hmr\e ha\e commiltcd thernselve to all area'> of
\c hool l i fe over the last academic year. Recounting
everything that occurred in The Land would
necessitate a liult.: more than our allol lcd space in
thi!- year· Sltirhumian (we arc after all a very
talented bunch). Therefore I relay to you a mere
ta-.tc of the comings and going'> of the House over
the la\t twelve month....
We returned to lind the lir:.t stage of the
reno\ atiun proce'>'> had been completed with the
refurhr,hrnent of the Third Form da\ room. We
al'>o arrived to di,covcr that Abbc)"tanders had
been \Cry succe..,-,ful in public exam . ' ' i t h
impre,,r,e GCSE and A level reo;ults. However.
we drd not \imply ' i t hack and reM on our laurels
. . . well most of us didn't. ln<.tead. the Hou:.e had
a ..,ucce.....,ful year in many area., of '>Chool life.
The year commenced with the arrival of a
barrage of new tutor,. a\ we welcomed the team of
Mr Hou".:. Dr Ferrario. Mbs Millar. and Mr Prvor
to the Hou,e. As well " ' the '>even ne'' recruit to
the Third Form. we welcomed t\\O ex
we..,tcouian-, t o the hou,e. The Lower Sixth were
JOined by Tilrnun Richa-.. for the Michaelma
term. and \Valid Kamal.
Over the year. Carey·!> witncs cd !>orne
excellent <.port ing performances from members of
the l lou:.e. The inter-house ath letics team.
captained by Tim Ackroyd, claimed third place in
the competition, reflecting the effort and skill of
many b o y in the I louse. Our efforts in the cross
country were notable. though our o"erl} keen
neighbour<; in Abbey tole the limelight a lillie.
The <.enior cricket team. led by Chris Filbey. took
the ' wr-<,tudded Digby side to a nail-biting final
fe" balh in the !'>ix-a-.,ide competition. The re ult.
unfortunatcl}. went their Wa} but we \\ere. of
cour\e. graciou., in defeat (something a t which we
are 'er) e\perienced! ).
Many boy' were occupred trekking across
'arious parh of the countr) with the CCF.
Malcolm Lync und Kevin l la;cll took part in the
arduou Ten Tor-, competition. "'hilst Alex Ore\\
w
kept bu\y
v.-ith hi\ Gold Duke of
Edinburgh Award. Another group ol boy' decided
they had had enough of We\t Countr) life and
popped off to Hong Kong for the weekend.
Their 'A\\ayda} · rai ed a large part of the hou\c
total of o ,·er £6000 for the Lent Term Project. h)
far t he moM rabed by any hou:.e. Other 'ponsorcd
acti' itie-.. included bu king. a golf marathon. and a
ramc.
Once again the adjudicator of the chool
singing competition didn't appreciate the house·.,
unique inging talenh - placing u last for
a
-..econd \Ucces-,ivc ycur. Our rendition of Da Doo
Ron Ron wa\ entertaining, to say the least.
Abbey lander' made more succe sful usc of '>tage
space in the four plays in which boy., from the
House took part. Mo t notable was James
Kierstead's performance as Jimmy Porter in John
Osbome·., Lool. Rack i11 Anger. The BSR 'itage
al\O saw Will I logg and Will More perform some
catchy lillie number\ (Marilyn Man-,on. Metallica.
KoRn etc.) with their band at the RocSoc concerts
over the year. Our hou'c mu.,ician'> provided us
with a fanta tic concert in April. in which many of
the boys took part. I lenry Ru,hton and Con,tantin
Wi..,sman were abo member-, of the School Choir
for the year.
The end of term did not. rn all cases, mean a
complete halt for all conMructive activities. In
many cases boy' were busier in their month.., a\\3)
from a certain quaint liulc Dor-.ct town. Se\cn
b o y in the Lower Srxth \\Cre awarded Tra,el
Grant and occuprcd their \ '<!Cation period-; in
foreign part,. 0 \e r Ea-,ter. Sam Lockhart-Smith
and Roland Sage ' i \ i t c d the Happy Homes
Orphanage in Kenya. " h i b t Tom William'> visited
New York City on "orl--.hadowing placement on
Wall Street. Over the 'ummcr Chri-; Champion,
Adam Wood. and Derek Ro ewell toured Spain in
the footsteps of El Cid. whilst Jamc:. Kierstead
wandered off w Italy and Greece.
The end of the "ehool year is tradi t ional ly a
time for f:trewcll!.. Along w ith the Upper Sixth's
departure w a that on two of our tutor!>. fleeing
after just a year in the Hou..,e. We wi h the ·Silver
Wolf' and 'A._,h· happinc':. and '>Ucce:.!> at Clifton
and Cheltenham re pectively.
T h u another year of Ahbeyland!. i ' con,igned
to the hi tor) bool..'>. "hich no\\ <.pan three
centuries. All that remain.., 10 he aid i-, a huge
thank you to the Wc,ton famil) and Matron for all
their hard \\ ork 0 \ er the pa'>t } car.
Ly o n H o u s e
Lyon with its now unique position as a westerly
outhouse, and under the leadership of Mr. Francis
and George Richards. has once again gone from
strength tO strength thb year.
Lyon has always been a bastion of West End
c ivilisation and the House's proud acting tradition
has been maintained this year with an excellent
performance of Till' Love < [ Four Colonels,
starring John Pease as the Wicked Fairy, and
German Mayor. alongside
Rupert Dickinson as
David
Poraj-Wilczynski.
Chris
Peck.
Ben Berraondo. and Chris Tavender as the
eponymous 'four colonels·. In a nicely balanced
production, there were also p a n for six girl!>
from Sherborne School for Girls.
Those on stage were reliably supported by the
backstage crew of Alex Jones. Harry Clifton,
Angus Macdonald. and George Bramble.
John Pease also appeared in Look Back in
Anger, and David Poraj-Wilczynski starred in Our
Countrr : Good . Both were also in the Commem.
musica·l. Codecrackers.
Elsewhere. Lyon excelled musically too. An
excellent House concert in Novembe r included
performances from Lyon's leading musicians.
including Chris Peck and Alex Urban. who have
both been on a tour tO Grenada where the Swing
Band
impressed
all who
heard
them.
Robert Beardwell, w ho has abo been playing
with
the Hertfordsh ire Schools
Orchestra.
Thomas Huang. and W ilson Cheng, w ho. as well
as singing in the
choir, has recently been awarded an inte nal Music
Exhibition.
Rhys Palmer. John Pease. Ed Westropp. and
Will Fegen have also al l been playing in ·Roc Soc·
concerts as leading members of school
rock groups.
Lyon has also performed adm irably on the
sports fie ld. with Pedro Van Dunem and George
Richar d
in
the 1st X V
rugby team.
George Bramble and Pedro Van Dunem in the
I st XJ hockey, W ill Fegen in the 1st XI cricket
and Huw Poraj-Wilczynski in the 1st X I soccera wel l as Akim Okcshola and Suphasit
Santavanond in the 1st V basketball team. and
rver Ahlmann and Jamie Seymour sailing for the
l !>t team.
But there was also strength in depth. Lyon boys
were captains of the Colts A XV (Andy Bridger).
Junior Colts X V (David Poraj-Wilczynski). and
Mini-Co lts XV (Adam Reid).
Andy Bridger also went on to play for the
Dorset
and
Wiltshire
rugby
team.
Others
representing their county for sport included Tim
Margetson in the Dorset cr icket team and Adam
Reid throwing the javelin
for the North
Dorset team.
Lyon's dominance was manifested in victory in
the inter-house
sai lin g, senior shootin g.
swimm ing. anJ cricket cor;)pet i t ions. The under
team won the i nter-house rugby. hockey. and
cricket competit ions in successive terms!
Jamie Seymour, James Bai ley. Alasdair Boyd.
Henry Tinne. and Alex Urban formed Lyon's
traditionally succe sful Ten Tors team. complet ing
35
mile
route,
and
Rupert
the
Dickinson completed the 45 mile route w ith the
school C.C. F. team.
The Head of House. George Richards.. led from
the front with h is magnificent effort in running the
London Marathon.
Lyon's academ ic excellence continued with
dazz ling results i n both A - levels - 3 As achieved
by John Bain. an amazing 6 As by A tsu Toyama
and GCSE"s: both Christo Albor and Robert
Jordan ach ieving 7 A *s and 2 As . and Jacky Ng
ach ieving 7 A * . and 3 A's.
Alasdair Boyd. A lex Jones. and David Poraj
Wilczynski represented the House in the Public
Speaking Competition and both Matthew Balfour
and Akim Okeshola have been awarded their
Student Librarian Certificates.
Other
high-flying
member!of
Lyon
have included
Chris
Langton.
recent ly
completing a tatic-line sky diving course. and
Huw Poraj Wilczynski and Chris Tavender.
our
resident entrepreneurs. who have run the
House tuck-shop. 'T.P"s'.
Boys from Lyon have also been inspirationa l in
raising money for the School's Lent Term Project
charity. Imperial Cancer Research.
A fashion show organised by, amongst others,
George Bramble. and starring models Harry
C li fton and David Poraj-Wilczynsk i. raised huge
sums for the charity. George Richard's marathon
completion also raised a great deal of money.
Lyon's
money-raising
stal l
at
the
450th anniversary celebrations was run by
Angus
Macdonald
and
Ben
Berraondo's
sel f less per formance in eating four who le.
unpccled lemons in under two minutes in the
name of the cause cannot QO unmentioned!
I n surnmar . th is school year hal> been another
of al l-ro und success
t"rom members of
Lyon House. contr ibuting to the l i fe or the
School in all possib le ways. L ong may
that success cont inue.
171
r6
T h e Digby
A another bu y but happy year in The Digby
draw-; to a clo!>c the mantelpiece i!> laden with
trophic . to the delight of a Welshman who claims
not to have an obse l:>ion with silverware. The
Senior\ \\On the Crm.!> Country Cup with Rich
Rea on wming fir-.t for the "econd year in a ro\\,
whiht the Colt.., tcum were runncr..,-up. James
Pear\On. Alex Crutcher. and Charlie Pitt Ford
(who came 3rd. 4th and 5th rcspccti,el) in the
hou'>C competition) were awarded their colour
for their contribution to the School Cross Country
team. whil .: ti ll in th .: Fourth Form. And three
other Fourth-Former in the hou!>c. Tom
Cradnell. Tom Maber. and James Harding.
played for the undefeated Jun ior Colts A clicket
!-.ide.
The Digby won t he A thleticl. Senior Cup on
Sport Day. w ith Charlie Harris winning the high
jump for a record five yea r<; running. Besides this.
Chariie wa'> awarded his I M XV colours. Jake
B r itten in t he Fifth Form played for the First XV
and Ben Davies was captain of rugby and selected
for England U 19 A. It w a un impre
:,ive achievement to beat Lyon in the final of the
Senior Rugby Cup.
We abo managed to retain the Hou e Singing
Competition anti put on an enjoyable house
concert. which wa-. produced by Eddie Ball. An
Italian C\ening. in which Mr'>. Robin<.on and Andy
we twood \ang. wa\ ho-.ted in The Digb) garden
(lo -;uppon the Choir\ tour to Venice). Andy
.,hould abo be congratulated for hi!> performance
in the School Commem. play. Code Crackers. a:,
should be Alex Crutcher. Sam 0 ' Dwyer-Ru sell.
and Robin Fegen.
The highlight of the year for The Digby wall the
house play. £!1011 John :v Gla.n es. directed by Mr.
Robinson. That none of the ca!>t had had part in
school play<; maJ..e-. it" uccc-.l> more imprel:>l:>ive.
Jamie Thoma!>. Jame-. Fo'' le. Sam Mason. and
Tom Cracknell were awarded their how..e colours.
The weekend before the play \ \ < I S \taged Sam had
walked 5 mile., on Danmoor. capt<tining the Ten
Tor., team. and he. Ja\On Hutt. and Nick Pothecary
took part in the Pringle Troph) for the Marines
section of the CCF.
Jake Britten l.W<tlll 247 length as pan of a
group that in total l.wam the distance across the
English Channel. Jonny Morgan. ick Scorer and
Eddie Ball completed a triathlon. The Digby
played 12 hours of foothall against Harper to raise
£1.000 for the Lent Term Project. However.
Harper·, v ict nry in the footba ll wa" soon avenged
as Mr. Morgan, though he dol.!s not consider
himself t o be a competi tive man. chose in the
summer to import un internationu l croquet player
to coach the hou e team heforc a friendly against
Harper.
Nick Pothecary and Pat Le Flufy both gained
I0 A*<> in their GCSE..... Scb Bennett was awarded
an internal exhibition. and Ben Cole. Nick Scorer
and Kat Furo!-.atO were offered place' at Oxford.
Ben also organited a hou!-.c dinner to mark the
retirement of Mr. and Mr \. Lapping. And it i with
the late t newl. that an old ho) of The Digby. Chris
Martin. hall recently rclea cd h i lin.t album (with
the band C'oldPla)) that \ \ C 'a) goodbye to our
Upper Sixth and U\\ait the arrival of the new Third
Form into the House.