SCHOOL House - The Old Shirburnian Society

THE SHIRBURNIAN
Lent 1991
'Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly
in the long run. '
Mark Twain
Editor: J. M. Nurton
Art Editor: R. W. R. Hillier
Assistant Editors: A. M. C. Crawford, D. L. J. de Belder, J. B. Gaskell,
R. Hands, A. J. D. Seddon
Photographs by:
S. Barrington, p 5
Mr. Cramp, p 12
J. Daniels, p 71
I.R.E., P 14
R. Hands,
J. Harper,
R. Hillier,
Shelleys Printers, Sherborne
pp 40.41,44,45
pp 10, 25, 26, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 67, 69
p 70
experienced in memory. Having rejected the three
immediately obvious answers (yes, no, sometimes),
I settled for the philosophical, conversationwidening, 'Well, I enjoy life'. This seems both a
satisfying and a comprehensive answer. School is
part of one's life and should be considered as such.
It is neither separate nor different. Unfortunately
too many pupils see it merely as a compulsory
vehicle to finding a job and, possibly, a period in
further education. This is not to say that they are
neglecting the opportunities offered by Sherborne.
If anything, perhaps, these opportunities are being
indulged in to the extent that 'the world outside' (as
it is referred to in the Prospectus) is being
neglected.
There are, admitted the Editor, of course, good
reasons for a degree of introspection in an educational environment: we should be protected from
the menaces of society, encouraged to develop in
ourselves before adventuring further, forced to
assess ourselves. There are also the standard means
of broadening our outlook: the classic Gap Year
expedition-cum-party, the chances to see the seedier
side of our big cities and to survive the danger of
the Great Outdoors. But these, for what they are
worth, are experienced by a minority. For the most
part, boys are not willing to leave their cosy
environment and their secure habits to attempt, at
least, to appreciate and sympathize with other areas
of the community.
It is likely that what is lacking is sufficient
ambition and opportunity to achieve this target.
The opportunity can be provided; the ambition
cannot. Aside from fatal threats of starvation or
destruction, there would seem little to provoke this
ambition. Something is needed and this can only be
provided through education, albeit ideally on a
individualist basis. And this must begin with an
admission, a realisation, of our own failings and
our own prejudices. There is a worrying degree of
contentment and satisfaction around. However,
there is no virtue in contentment: virtue lies in
improvement or destruction.
We can, the Editor asserted humbly, improve
our perceptions of the world outside. This is not
achieved necessarily by joining more societies, more
school teams and appearing in more plays. It can be
achieved by, for a start, reading those articles in
The Shirburnian which are not about one's own
ambitions on the rugby pitch or one's own critically
acclaimed part in the House Play. Hence the inclusion of such articles. Moreover, it can be achieved
by studying those things which we are only superficially exposed to in the classroom; exploiting
rather than dismissing visits outside school; making
acquaintances outside Sherborne and similar
environments; considering more fully the ideas and
opinions of others.
Editorial
This term's Shirburnian, wrote the Editor
apologetically, has a wide variety of articles in it.
Indeed, the contents of this edition's Articles
section (and, indeed, last term's) could even be
described as international: there are pieces on
Baghdad, Northern Ireland, America, Sri Lanka
and Scotland, as well as such alien places as other
schools and universities north of Watford. The
apology is because some readers might prefer the
termly tedium of reviews and reports to the
challenging and informative articles which, they
consider, would be more appropriate in a colour
supplement than a school magazine.
This is mentioned, the Editor continued informatively, not in order to justify the inclusion of
broader material (although work from within the
School was certainly not readily forthcoming), nor
to examine the structure of the magazine, but to
highlight the introspective ignorance of the School
as a whole. That was not a blatant insult by
the Editor, contrived to capture the reader's attention, but a generalisation about the faults of
Shirburnians as a breed. There are, of course,
various examples of pupils who have strong
involvements with organisations and institutions
outside the School, but a dominant characteristic of
boys in the School is an inward-looking selfindulgence: we are interested in the things we do
well, but less interested in things outside that
category.
This fault is, I am sure, not confined to
Sherborne, although it does seem particularly
evident here. Boys leave having experienced little
other than their own interests, many of which they
brought with them to Sherborne, and a superficial
insight into careers, perhaps current affairs,
possibly other cultures. Only the exception have
anything more than a rudimentary appreciation of
other races, cultures, attitudes, lifestyles; and only
the extraordinary have any deep-felt sympathy for
people alien to themselves. We have a narrow
education in a narrow society. But education
involves much more than just teaching. It is a process entirely dependent upon the individual, and it
is a broad process too easily neglected by most Shirburnians.
A common ice-breaking question to ask a pupil
is: 'Do you enjoy school?' Faced with this several
times over Christmas, I developed a strategy in
order to try and answer it. The question makes two
assumptions: firstly, that school is supposed to be
enjoyed; secondly, that enjoyment is largely
2
experiences. Admittedly these can only be experienced at second hand but even this is vital if
Shirburnians are to survive in a world in which we
must be increasingly aware of events and ideas
beyond our cosy homes: I need not mention the
happenings of 1992, the grave circumstances of the
Arabs' situation, or the global problems of mass
starvation and decay.
As I write, the Editor concluded sombrely, I
remember petty complaints about the Dining Hall,
the quantity of work set during the holiday, the cost
of books and the inadequacies of the weather. Until
Shirburnians turn their attentions beyond their
immediate environment and indulge in a more
tolerant and inquisitive assessment of other parts of
society, they are being inadequately educated.
At present, (the Editor moved into a condescending vein), scholastic attitudes are overemphatically materialistic: too often it is assumed
that education and enjoyment are connected only in
that the latter is a consequence of the former: we
study, reluctantly, then we are able to earn a living,
and consequently enjoy ourselves. But the entire
process that is education is, ultimately, enjoyable.
If we were to realise this more fully then we would
be in a better postion to further our own education
and learn more about the world outside Sherborne.
One way to cease being so inward-looking, both
as a community and as individuals, would be to be
more tolerant of and respectful to other people, for
experience is gained chiefly from people: their
characters, their humours, their stories and their
3
standard and the Chamber Orchestra travelled to
Washington DC for half-term. Many other people
were involved in the Lyon and Digby House concerts, the Swing Band, the Orchestra, the Concert
Band, etc., etc.
Exams marked the beginning and end of term.
The usual jumble of 'A' level and GCSE results
caused no surprises, whilst a reasonable number of
Oxbridge candidates received offers despite the
ever-increasing competition for places.
During the last few weeks of term, two television
programmes were filmed in and around the School.
The first was a documentary on masculinity
which gave certain members of the School the
chance of stardom and an ego-boost. The second
was a film of the novel A Murder of Quality by
John Le Carrc~: (O.S.), which used many wellknown actors including Denholm Elliot, Joss
Ackland and Glenda Jackson. Some boys from the
School were able to gain parts as extras, whilst
others were able to find out more about careers in
television. It was also possible to throw lumps of
wetted toilet paper at the cast and annoy the
production team, so everyone gained from the
situation in some way.
The School also received a talk on bullying from
a freelance reporter who wished to collect information for a programme which was to be heard on the
radio later this year. Following this, people were
asked to write down any experiences of bullying
they had ever encountered. I am sure many people
will be glad to know that the amount that took
place was found to be considerably lower than that
recorded at many schools.
The CCF continued to impress, with a team
from the Royal Marines Section nearly winning the
Pringle 1 rophy and coming second to Pangbourne.
Congratulations should go to three masters on
the arrival of offspring: a son for AKJM, and
daughters for AJS and DCB.
Finally, on a more sombre note, I am sad to
have to report the death of David Webb. He was
known to many in connection with the Music
House and will always be remembered as a
thoughtful, affectionate and helpful man.
So, as the cold weather of Christmas and even a
little bit of snow ushered the term to a close, it was
time to reflect on the 16 weeks that had passed so
quickly. In the words of a diarist from the not too
distant past: 'For more information, read on .. .'
Diary
The term started early in September with Gazza
Mania reaching the nausea-inducing stage and the
hot summer weather still not having left us.
An army of new masters took their places within
the ranks of the School. Mr. Lawrence replaced
JPR in the Physics Department and Mr. Farr
arrived to fill in for HWR, who is lecturing at Keele
University for a year. Mr. Ridgeway joined the
Biology Department, Mr. McKee joined the Maths
Department and Mr. White exploded on to the
scene to teach Theology.
Matt Austen took over as Head of School and
asserted his authority in such a way that by the end
of term, most people knew who he actually was.
Fencing, sailing, golf and, of course, rugby
matches took place regularly throughout the term.
The 1st XV, captained by Simon Watling, won 7 of
their 12 fixtures. With the help of AMD and REH,
the team were able to play exciting and fast-flowing
rugby and achieve good results, despite injuries and
a distinct lack of size. The support was enthusiastic,
as was the playing throughout the School; and the
House Matches were as competitive as ever.
A number of touring companies performed in
the Powell Hall, with several inventive productions
providing food for thought, whilst the ability that
exists within the School was demonstrated by a very
effective production of The Crucible, the Harper
House production of The Duchess of Malfi and
The Physicists, performed by Abbeylands.
Many different societies met regularly during
the term, with one Balloon Debate being particularly notable for the mysteriously large number of
people crammed into the OSR. But at least now we
know what the Beckett Room is really used for.
The Junior and Senior Film Societies also
provided entertainment, as did the Upper VI
Leadership Training Course. Undoubtedly, much
was gained from the experience by those concerned
but unfortunately it will long be remembered for all
the wrong reasons. Who could forget the weekend
before half-term when a new meaning was given
to the term Abbey Service? Well, it wasn't
boring ...
Musical activities continued to flourish. The
Concert Club welcomed performers of a very high
The Sherborne Diarist
4
I
THE
I
,
CHRONICLE
Academic
Oxford Places
The following have gained places at Oxford as a result of the examinations in November:
House
h
f
f
c
Name
W. R. Duke
T. J. Jones
P. H. Purchase
R. H. D. Townsend
College
Balliol
Jesus
Jesus
New College
University Course
Bachelor of Fine Art
Modern History
Literae Humaniores
Physics
Cambridge Places
The following have gained post A-level places at Cambridge:
House
h
e
Name
J. E. Rickett
H. H. W. Shek
College
Gonville and Caius
Trinity
University Course
Natural Sciences
Engineering
A further twelve Cambridge candidates have been given conditional offers based on their A-level
grades.
Morehead Scholarship
L. Baker (c) has been awarded a Morehead Scholarship to the University of North Carolina.
Army Scholarship
N. J. Boyd (b) has won an Army Scholarship.
Music
H. D. L. Davies (m) has won a place at the Royal College of Music.
M. J. Bawtree (b) has had his First Piano Sonata accepted for publication by Piper Publications.
The following were awarded distinctions in Associated Board Examinations:
House
a
b
e
f
Name
T. M. Barton
J. P. Kershaw
D. W. Price
G. T. Martland
Instrument
Trumpet
Piano
Singing
Violin
6
Grade
5
8
8
8
Points
132
13l
131
130
Sport
Rugby:
C. F. Ingarfield (b): South XV (Regional Schools' England Trial, 18 group)
M. A. Animashawun (a), A. R. Baines (d), J. E. G. Boucher (f), C. F. Ingarfield (b), T. D. Macpherson (b), E. J. Sangster (m), S. C. G. Watling (h): Dorset and Wiltshire County Team.
Cross-Country:
E. C. A. Raymond (m) was 2nd in the U20 division of the international event in Percy.
Fencing:
A. J. Robertson (f) was 6th in the South West Foil Championships and has thereby qualified to fence in
the National Championships in the Lent Term.
Golf:
Congratulations to S. Gillett (m), P. C. F. Brown (m) and E. H. L. Playfair (m) who, representing the
School at Brockenhurst Manor Golf Club, won the Golf Foundation Schools' Team Championship
regional qualifying round and, as a result, will go forward to the National Finals in Coventry on 16th
April. Playfair, with a 73, achieved the best score of the day.
This is the first time since 1980 that Sherborne has qualified for the National Finals.
Hockey:
A. M. Crouch (m) and A. Nurton (m): Dorset U14.
Orienteering:
T. Yasaki (m) has been selected for the Avon Schools' Orienteering Team.
Sailing:
R. Heron (c) has been selected for the Great Britain Youth Sailing Squad.
General
A team of M. J. Bawtree (b), M. R. King (d) and E. J. K. Lee (b) won the South West of England
regional final of the Geographical Association's 'Worldwise' Quiz.
Compiled from information supplied by Housemasters, the Director of Studies, the Director of Music and
the Master in Charge of Rugby.
7
A
SIC
Conceived as a biting expose of American society
during the MacCarthy 'reds-under-the-bed' witch
hunts and subsequent trials in the 1950s, Miller
cloaked this essential sub-text in the story of the
Salem witch trials of the 1690s to provide a striking
parallel. The trouble with the play is that it is never
quite sure what it is trying to be: historical chronicle, well-made play in the GBS tradition, thriller,
domestic drama set against the backdrop of history,
or political fact thinly disguised as drama. And the
problem for the director is that he may be tempted
to produce the play in the grand style (which in
some ways Miller seems to want) when it actually
works best on a small scale. This was what JS-S
appreciated clearly for Acts I and Il. He had contrived a stage of raised rostra in the centre of the
Powell Theatre which deliberately focussed the
acting in a very confined space: the bedroom in
Rev. Parris's house was small, the living room in
John Proctor's farmhouse was equally contained.
Some quite splended lighting and the minimum of
furniture created a focal point for the action and
managed what I thought was almost the impossible
- absorbing the audience in the conflicts of
characters which seemed credible and convincing.
The opening of Act II managed to combine a 'set',
lighting and direction which produced some of the
most convincing and memorable visual images I
have ever seen in Sherborne drama: all concerned
deserve high praise for this.
Doubts began to creep in, however, with Act
Ill. The scene is supposedly the ante-room outside
the courtroom where the trials are being heard.
But for some reason JS-S had departed from the
focussed rostra and expanded the stage to encompass almost the whole width of the Powell Theatre.
Strangely, instead of an ante-room we had the
courtroom itself. This was unfortunate, for such
things as the harmony of colour in costumes and set
dressings that had been so convincing in the
previous acts simply disappeared and consequently
so did the concentrated unfolding of the tensions
within the play. Only occasionally did one feel
caught up in the actions and I was left wondering
whether the director had deliberately embraced a
kind of objective alienation approach for this part
of the play. This was where JS-S and the cast were
tempted towards grand gestures - and ultimately
this was the least successful part of the production:
until, that is, the close of the act where the hysteria
engendered by Abigail Williams, as she imagines
she sees the 'great bird' in the rafters, was powerful
and histrionically handled.
The general tone of the production, its settings,
lighting and costumes, was subdued. The rather
more brash approach to the 'court' scene was not a
success and I did have a few reservations about the
costumes - at times they looked a little improvised
and I could not quite understand why people in
The Crucible
bY Arlhur Miller
In the year of Arthur Miller's 75th birthday, The
Crucible was an appropriate choice for a major
school production. Miller's most famous play has
been frequently revived all over the world since its
premiere in 1953. In the past I have often felt that it
had been over-rated: productions 1 had seen (including a famous-names BBC television presentation) left me feeling that the play was too contrived,
too obviously trying to make a point. As a structure
I found it protracted and lacking in incisiveness
(why have so many American playwrights of the
20th century had to write at such length?) - drawn
out and like a puritan sermon thrusting its point
home. It is much to the credit of JS-S, as director,
and his cast, that for the first time I began to feel
that there can perhaps be a way of making this play
work effectively on stage. Certainly, there were a
number of moments that were genuinely moving
and 1 found that I was caught up in the fates of the
characters, not merely left, as it were, viewing some
distant historical pageant.
The first part of the production was very much
more successful than the second, largely because of
the focus of the staging, which brought what can be
a rather sprawling play into something where the
raw emotions and conflicts of the characters could
be seen in stark relief. Possibly this was because the
director and cast deliberately chose to forget the
fact that there was a 'meaning' behind the play and
instead just got on with the job of trying to present
the crises that beset the lives of the members of a
perfectly normal community. What I am saying is
that the play was 'played-down', and that allowed
the audience to see the characters directly, not
through a mist of historical perspective. Most
impressive, I thought, was the opening of Act Il,
quiet, understated, intimate, nothing played in the
grand manner. How moving was the gradual and
seemingly inexorable way in which things then
developed and the relationships between the
characters fluctuated and grew in intensity. Miller
does, at his best, have a wonderful sense of
dramatic pace and the dramatic 'moment' - and
this JS-S handled most convincingly: one thinks of
the entrance of Rev. Hale in Act 11.
I have often felt that despite critical claims for
the relevance of the play to our own times (the
recent NT production elicited many such remarks
in the press) it is, in fact, a very dated play.
9
1690 were wearing wigs of 1790 curiously perched
on the fronts of their heads in a manner that produced an unintentionally comic effect. Surely even
in the New World Colonies full-bottomed wigs were
de rigueur at the end of the seventeenth century. It
was brave of JS-S to decide against make-up,
though laudable as is this approach, inevitably
young actors need to be aged and 1 cannot pretend
that the beards and furrows of old age looked at all
convincing. And perhaps it is worth mentioning at
this point the importance of quality performances
in minor roles: if there was a casting weakness in
this production of The Crucible it was that some of
the minor characters were scarcely adequate and
this merely undermined the quality of the major
characters; Act II which began so well really suffered with the entrance of the supporting cast at the
end.
In general, the acting was of a high standard with the proviso mentioned above - and it was
most encouraging to see so many young actors give
such sensitive and mature performances. The
Proctors (David Caesar and Jo Douglas) both gave
of their best in the quieter more reflective moments:
both were genuinely moving in suggesting the real
depth of love beneath the sometimes acrimonious
and uncertain surface of their relationship. Tania
Underwood was an impressive Abigail Williams,
managing the rather enigmatic quality of the
character convincingly. I particularly enjoyed the
performance of Piers Vellacott as Rev. Hale - a
febrile and insecure character, almost neurotic
in his obsession with getting to the truth of the
witchcraft business, who was ultimately shown to be
a weak even vascillating character. Andrew Jackson
was rather under-powered as Danforth playing the
character as a subtle intellectual, which isn't quite
Miller's intention - a more bravura and extrovert
approach was really required. Stuart Fance was a
stony and sardonic Judge Hawthorne and Justin
Keeble a convincingly weak and uncertain Parris,
utterly lost when his simple and rather naive puritan
faith was put to the test. The girls (from Leweston)
were a well-matched and convincing team.
As will be apparent, I had reservations about
this production - but that is judging it by the
highest standards. What made it memorable for me
was the fact that it got to grips with the play in a
serious way and that it revealed The Crucible as a
play which had more to say than I had previously
thought. The opening of Act II will long remain
with me as an example of school drama at its most
powerful and effective.
J.H.
10
and I can sympathise with his sentiments, for at
times the play seemed laboured. Yet I think that
this should not detract from the overall achievement, which to my mind was a very impressive
attempt at staging a difficult play. The director,
AKJM, had made a fair number of cuts in the
script, essentially removing the Castruchio subplot, which were judicious and did not affect the
balance of the play, whilst shortening its considerable length, and therefore making it more
accessible to the audience.
David Carter stole the show; his acting was of a
very high class and he certainly has a future in this
career. His performance of Bosola, the malcontent
who portrays a J ekyll-and-Hyde character, was
masterful, powerful and always clear. He was excellently supported by Nick Jordan, as Ferdinand,
whose rumbustious and bullying performance (a
hint of typecasting there, I think) was suitably irate
without becoming comic, a danger for this part.
Simon Thompson, the scheming Cardinal,
somehow conveyed an enigmatic, cunning sense to
the audience which I felt reflected the personality of
the character. Andrew Baines, who played the unfortunate Antonio, made a commendable attempt
at this role; his voice is not wholly suited to drama,
but his effort and determination were rewarded in a
convincing portrayal. I have left the Duchess to
last, for I feel it ought to be separated from the
other, male, parts: Katie Cardell-Oliver played her
role with considerable flair. Fickle and changeable
at the drop of a hat, her performance was most
entertaining, and in many ways it was a shame she
was lost to the performance with the last act of the
play still to run, owing to the death orthe Duchess
in Act IV.
Ben Maidment, as Delio, Ros Williams, as
Cariola, and Emily Cramp, as Julia, all played their
parts with spirit and enthusiasm, as did the supporting minor roles, who were especially prominent
in the madmen scene, which was hilarious. A particular mention at this point of the choice of music
(Andrew Strange) which was used appropriately
and delicately, of the costumes (Patricia Harris),
which were extensive and well-designed, and also of
the impressive artwork (painted by Andrew Stooke)
that provided the backdrop before the interval.
Ralph Berry, a literary commentator, wrote that
'The Duchess of Malfi reveals humanity, rather
than evil-doers, gripped by a malevolent or indifferent fate'; it is that quality of humanity that
remained with me as I came away from the Powell
Hall in November, and how convincing the play
was as a portrait of this. Perhaps, in not so many
years, we might see The White Devil performed at
Sherborne, for this genre of theatre deserves more
recognition than it receives, and on that basis alone,
we should hail Harper House's achievement as a
triumph.
The Duchess of Malfi
bY John Websler
The Harper House Play
William Hazlitt, a 19th century essayist and
critic, wrote of The Duchess of Malfi that it comes
'the nearest to Shakespeare of any thing we have
upon record; the only drawback ... is that (it is)
too like Shakespeare, and often a direct imitation
of him ... ' Webster's play is directly linked to
Shakespeare in its strong dramatic pulse and
language, assuredly; but it is, in my opinion,
something more than just that: T. S. Eliot wrote
that
'Webster was much possessed by death
And saw the skull beneath the skin ... '
The Duchess is a gruesome play, of that there is
little doubt; the recurrence of a morbid theme and
the eventual death of all five leading characters is a
strong reminder of this. However, although the
point may be lost to the audience, coming as it does
after a highly dramatic scene, the final two lines of
the play, spoken by Delio, betray the heritage of
Shakespeare by their moral tone:
'Integrity of life is fame's best friend,
Which nobly, beyond death, shall crown the end.'
Webster's talent for writing strong drama is
made effective by his use of soliloquies at tense
moments in the play, none more so than when the
Cardinal, just prior to Bosola's entry with the body
of Antonio, remarks to himself 'How tedious is a
guilty conscience.' The line that is always
remembered from the play is that of Ferdinand's,
upon seeing his dead sister, the Duchess - 'Cover
her face; mine eyes dazzle; she di'd young,' but
what often tends to be forgotten are other phrases
from the script, just as powerful and rich in
language.
The difficulty with staging a play like The
Duchess as a house play is, principally, one of
language; Shirburnians, generally, are not too
famjliar 'with 17th century writing, and this
hampers the enjoyment and understanding of the
play (for example, in one case, the word 'hearsay'
was incorrectly pronounced 'heresy', yet people
afterwards had not noticed any difference to the
plot); not that I am saying it was a poor choice
- far from it. On the contrary, one wonders
whether it would be helpful to encourage more of
this style of play, for purposes of familiarisation.
I enjoyed the performance. The director himself
expressed the opinion, after the event, that the
production had not quite achieved its full potential,
Robert Hands
11
imagination. Robert Triggs, as Mobius, had in
some ways the hardest task of the three. It is up to
Mobius to inject the sense of crisis and of tragedy
into the absurdity of the situation, and Robert's
haunted and, at times, desperate Mobius did just
that. His summary towards the end of the play:
'What was once thought can never be unthought'
was a convincing line, bringing the threads of the
play together.
Apart from these three inmates, the rest of the
cast tends to divide into groups, and each group
fulfilled its task very effectively. The Mobius
family, with ex-wife and children confronting him
with their new husband/father, saw Tilly Ware
giving a very good performance in breaking this
embarrassing news. The police were led by the
disillusioned Andrew Robertson, and showed Toby
Arnold struggling with an apparently ineffective
camera. Framing all of the action was the staff of
the mental institution, dominated, as the play
demands, by strong performances by Melanie
Harris as the Doctor, and Sara Musson as the
Matron.
It all really worked, and this is no mean achievement in a play which starts by finding comedy in
repeated murder. It is difficult to take seriously,
in Diirrenmatt, the murder of a champion lady
wrestler, strangled with a curtain cord, but the play
must move on to the serious and grim nature of this
statement: 'If we are physicists, then we must
become power politicians.' I think that the unfussy
lighting helped to focus our attention on the complexities of the section. Too often in recent months
have we seen complicated and inexplicable lighting
plots, both professional and amateur. The set, too,
looked good, and was worked well by stage staff
and actors alike. The Abbeylands expertise in all
these departments was quite clear to everyone.
So I think that Abbeylands answered the questions. It was a play full of drama, in which the
producer guided his actors and staff to a convincing
fusion of the absurd element with the grimly
serious, showing us that maybe the only refuge
from a mad world is in the madhouse itself, that the
only escape from one's responsibilities as a scientist
or other agent of 'progress', may be to escape into
another identity. All these are ideas which go far
beyond any nationality.
Friedrich Diirrenmatt, who died on the day of
the Abbeylands performance of The Physicists
would have been content, I think.
The Physicists
by frledrlch DOrrenmatl
The IbbeylandS House Play
It is difficult to know what to expect of a
Diirrenmatt play, even one so well known as The
Physicists. Is it a German play, in some kind of
German tradition of which we should pretend some
awareness? It is certainly written in German, and,
by the way, very well translated by James Kirkup.
Is it a Swiss play, with whatever that may entail?
Certainly Diirrenmatt was essentially Swiss. One
can also reasonably ask if it is a play at all: at times,
even the author wondered about the validity of the
staged drama. The text of the play is prefaced by
pages of 'stage directions', which also detail every
aspect of the set, the house, its past and its region,
and, for good measure, the background and history
of many of the characters - all more like the
introduction to a novel or a magazine story. Given
that we were to see a play on the stage, it was also
intriguing to see which side of the drama would
dominate in this Abbeylands and Robert Glen
production.
The first act started very competently, with the
police doing the necessary manoeuvres around a
corpse, introducing the situation in the lunatic
asylum: not only did they point out the ludicrous
and amusing nature of the situation, but they also
hinted at some of the oddities to come. However, I
felt that the play really got under way with the
entry of Robin Edwards as Newton: of all the three
scientists, this role of Newton was the most apt for
him. He used an expressive and strong voice to convey the florid and humorous Newton. He conveyed
a clear understanding of what he had to say, and, as
the play developed, I found him particularly adept
at moving from the seriousness to the ridiculousness of the situations. The other two scientists fully
supported the strength of this role: Theo Stephens'
manic and twitchy Einstein giving us just the impression of that scientist that we expect to see and
the schizophrenic Einstein of the Diirrenmatt
A.E.R.
13
Opposite: photographs of The Duchess of Malfi
The Physicists
Professional Theatre
PIIOCCHIO
The Medieval PlayerS
As with many tales, Pinocchio has undergone treatment from Wait Disney. This production was entirely
unsentimental, yet it contained moments of great
poignancy. One of the play's greatest assets was its set,
which the three actors creatively used to represent
everything from a school to a fair. Shadow was used
extensively to portray the construction of Pinocchio,
whose outlines could be seen behind a screen. This contributed to the idea of illusion in a tale which revolves
around lying and its consequences. Against this backdrop
which the actors used with all the relish that would be
expected from a Medieval morality play, this adaptation
balanced satire and amusement superbly. Just as
Medieval plays of this kind should have been directed
towards the world the audience knew, the text here was
highly rhythmical, full of strong language and often referred to the technology-obsessed world around us. In the
sections which act as a chorus, the writing was reminiscent of that used by Tony Harrison, particularly the
strong rhymes and incisive statements.
The range of characters and versatility of acting were
remarkable. Again, this adaptation used references in a
contemporary context. The school where Pinocchio met
Lampwick was constructed on the model of a comic, with
dishevelled school blazers and shorts and bits of paper
flicked from rulers. Pinocchio was robbed by a cat and
fox modelled on the Mafia, with excellent Chicago
accents. From this atmosphere of farce, the actors could
quickly create an atmosphere of menace, as the coachman
sang a frightening song to attract the hapless children. 'I
need the stupid, and the stupid need me', one of the lines
pointing to Pinocchio's, ancestry as a morality tale.
The most remarkable achievement of this play was its
versatility and the sheer energy the actors communicated.
The acrobatics of playing a puppet must be formidable
and the jerky movements of Pinocchio were impressive.
No less importantly, the Medieval Players took a tale in a
medieval context and managed to modernise it convincingly and authentically. In the wake of the World Cup,
Gazza made a frequent appearance in the conversations
bandied between the characters, an indication of the
vitality and awareness of the actors' performance.
Philip Purchase
14
towards their audience and towards the works of art they
are presenting. Most of the young people who sat
miserably through this production have received a major
set-back to their appreciation and love for Shakespeare,
and any students studying this text for examination
purposes would have been thoroughly confused not
enlightened. Those associated with this production were
engaged in a criminal act of vandalism and South-West
Arts and Bristol City Council should forthwith withdraw
their grants to the company: it is a waste of precious funds
to expend them on this kind of miserable affair. An evening in the theatre one would wish to forget: fortunately
that is likely to be this production's one success.
THE TEMPEST
Barebones Theatre Company
It is both a disconcerting and depressing experience,
not to say a distressing one, to sit helplessly trapped in
one's seat as a theatrical company proceeds systematically
and with a devastating effectiveness to destroy a masterpiece of poetic drama. The Barebones Theatre Company
kept very much to the promise of their name in reducing
The Tempest to something lacking coherence of theme,
clarity of characterization or aesthetic beauty. It is
difficult to credit that a company can so entirely
misconceive, misinterpret and misjudge a text which the
programme blurb tells us the company aim to render
'clear and intelligible'. Unless this production was intended as a parody-cum-travesty (and on more than one
occasion I was disposed to think it was, if only out of
charity towards the performers) then it could be called
neither clear nor intelligible. The bare bones of the plot
were occluded to such an extent that many of the audience
had not the slightest idea what all the ado was about.
Many of the cast played a number of roles (fine in the
sense that 'doubling' has an honourable ancestry in the
theatre - Shakespeare's own company frequently
employed it) but they often failed to differentiate them
properly, or unwittingly confused them. Most people, in
turn, had a go at playing Ariel - I wondered why they
didn't ask for audience volunteers - and when, towards
the end of the play no one else was available, it fell to
Miranda to assume the role in a most ludicrous and
confusing way. Occasionally, if too many actors were
hanging around, then a community spirit came into play
as all and sundry together took over the role, perched on
an aluminium step-ladder. I was half hoping that the
director would have had a 'concept', an original notion of
Prospero as some old grump whose great metaphysical
aspiration was to emulsion the ceiling of his cell (symbolic
of the great roof of the universe - get it!) while perched
on the top of his ladder. It would all be hugely symbolic
of the great task of renewal and rebirth. But no, the director had no concept. How could he, he had to concentrate
on shufning around the stage like a Pinter tramp dressed
in a dirty-old-man raincoat (he was playing Alonso).
What little sensitivity he had was reserved for the entirely
nonsensical notion of making Ferdinand an 'upper-classtwit' like something out of Wodehouse (though ineptly
acted) and turning Miranda into a recalcitrant and
naughty teenager perpetually annoyed by her father's
primness. I kept thinking that Prospero was somewhere
the seminal germ of what would, four hundred years on,
become Alf Garnett - another kindly indulgence on my
part. What else? Caliban (who was also Ferdinand and
the Boatswain and Ariel) rolled his eyes and garbled his
verse and an ethnic Stephano danced up and down like
someone at the Notting Hill Carnival, clearly entirely
incapable of understanding the wit and comedy of the
role. Trinculo did something funny and effective on one
occasion - it is the greatest pity that I have forgotten
what it was.
There was no magic in this production, and no real
sense of any thematic purpose. It is a play about the
wonder of self-discovery, about the moving recognition
of the power of forgiveness and mercy - yet did
anything of this come over? No. It is distressing to be
utterly dismissive of a production but theatre companies
should appreciate that they have a reponsibility both
l.H.
THE GOOD SOLDIER
PUbliC Parts Theatre Company
Ford Madox Ford wrote The Good Soldier (intended
title The Saddest Story) in 1915. It has been acclaimed
variously as 'the closest thing to a perfect novel in
English', 'the finest French novel ever produced in
English' and 'an overheated romantic melodrama (whose)
techniques are unoriginal'. It is a remarkable piece of
literature; as a play it would seem complex and challenging.
Its complexity was very soon evident to the audience.
The garrulous narrator, John Dowell, speaks directly
from memory: his account is impressionistic, untrustworthy, unchronological and repetitive. The audience are
left to make sense of that which Dowell cannot understand, and as the story unfolds in ever greater detail this
task becomes easier. However, on reading it, there is
always an element of doubt about the story and this is
difficult to convey in the play. Read the book and you
cannot trust the narrator; watch the play and you have to.
The story essentially concerns the inter-connected
ambivalent passions of the four main characters.
Dowell's wife, Florence (Maudie Smith), has no love for
her husband but is engaged in an affair with Edward
Ashburnham (Tim Crouch). He is the Good Soldier,
showing every virtue but continence, and it was the
strength of this actor that seized the audience's sympathy
when Edward achieves his suitably honourable end.
Edward's wife, Leonora (Karen Hayes) inevitably pairs
with Dowell but he respects her because of her normality,
and this relationship never gets off the ground.
The whole effect of a dreamy memory was very
successfully achieved: the set (restrained lavishness) was
raised above the level of narration; the period costumes
were elegantly consistent; most of all, Tom Johnson's
subtly atmospheric music, fully integrated into the
stagework, heightened the effect of semi-existence. The
play provides no answers: ultimately it is impossible to
make sense of the events. The human beings are restricted
and controlled by the civilization around them, which is
slowly collapsing. They themselves cannot influence
events; they do not even fully realise what is going on.
Public Parts offered us the good soldier himself as the
main victim, although all the characters decline during the
play. It was thanks to some fine acting and excellent team
work that their interpretation was so credible. Public
Parts' standards have been maintained.
lames Nurton
15
Red Shift's Lulu was a moving experience, largely due
to the humanity Clara Salaman brought to the part. There
were, however, many missed opportunities, leaving certain aspects of the play under-exposed.
lUlU
Philip Purchase
Red Shift Thealre Company
Any production of Lulu in the theatre will inevitably
be compared with Berg's opera. In his presentation, Berg
highlights how the fate of Lulu is an extreme example in a
world where women are used and discarded; Lulu is, in
spite of herself, heroically cutting herself free at such an
immense cost. Red Shift's production failed to establish
the claustrophobic situation Lulu finds herself in, while
scene followed scene without the intensity to layer one
strike of fate painfully upon the next. This was in no sense
connected to the presentation of Lulu herself; Clara
Salaman managed superbly to portray the mixture of
childishness, deviousness, sensitivity and, finally, abject
despair which make up her highly complex character.
Indeed, each scene was of the society encircling Lulu.
In her relations with Schwarz, her over-sensitive painter
husband, Salaman suggested alternate feelings of loathing
and pity, while farcical scenes involving lovers hiding
under cushions were equally successful in communicating
a sense of futility. Somehow, these scenes became too
disconnected in a play which needs an on-going sense of
society shutting in to engage the audience fully. Pace
was a problem, both within scenes and between them.
Equally, Countess Geschwitz was not established strongly
enough to pull the social criticism in the play fully
together. Lulu herself is clearly seen as continually exploited and the repulsive presentation of society figures in
individual scenes was highly effective. What was lacking
was a strong engagement of the audience's feeling for
Geschwitz, who is the only character able to love Lulu
unto the end. The final scene was undoubtedly moving in
this production, but it could have been doubly so if the
Countess's role as Lulu's lover had been made clearer
earlier and her drop from fortune to poverty and misery
had been more graphic. Quite rightly, other parts were
acted with a coldness and precision fitting for
manupulative characters, but Geschwitz's flamboyant
renunciation of everything only to be met with scorn
needed a more open presentation of folly through love.
Not only would this have increased the poignancy of
Lulu's final position, but it would have brought home the
concept of male domination upon which the play
depends. Lulu and the Countess are both outsiders: Lulu,
a girl from the gutter amongst the upper classes; the
Countess, a lesbian who throws everything away for a
woman who uses her and treats her with scorn. Thus, as
the Countess weeps over the dying Lulu at the end of the
play, we see two women who have been effectively
destroyed by the society we have seen beforehand and are
linked by being utterly outcast.
Music in this production was one of its strongest
qualities. The repetitive percussion score, composed by
Steve Martiand, contrasted strongly with the bourgeois
surroundings of the staging, and thus heated a tension
important from the outset. Lighting could have been used
much more effectively to highlight relations of characters
on stage, but the movement of the actors and their often
stylised poses complemented the text well.
TIES THAT BIIIO
Treslle Table Thealre Company
I am not really prepared to write a review of a professional theatre show. I think it's only fair that other people
should do this. After all, I am solely responsible for the
programming choices and it does seem rather absurd for
me to criticize what are essentially my own artistic
judgements.
The truth is that even if I were to review my own programme, I am not likely to be as complimentary as some
of the reviews in this journal. Having seen an enormous
amount of small scale theatre over the years I am quite
ready to admit that more often than not the product is
quite disappointing and not able to live up to its considerable expectations.
All the more reason, when we have a show of the
quality of Ties that Bind, and no Shirburnian reviewer in
the house, not to let it go by unnoticed.
Five years ago Trestle Theatre Company performed
one of their early pieces, Plastered, in the Powell Theatre.
Although it was a fairly lightweight comic mime, using
masks, the techniques used were so innovative and effective and the show was so popular that there was considerable demand that we should get the company back as
soon as possible.
It has taken five years to achieve this. Trestle's
popularity and success is such that their shows are in so
much demand that they moved into 'middle scale' touring, forsaking the small venues such as ourselves. After
many phone calls and letters I finally got Trestle back.
Was it worth all the effort? In my opinion it certainly
was.
Ties that Bind had been touring for over a year. It had
already changed its cast and one might expect a rather
tired production. Not at all - what we witnessed was one
of the most dynamic and powerful performances we have
seen here. Masks are too often used these days only for
comic effect. It might seem surprising to have a serious
play, albeit with comic moments, tackling the horrors of
child abuse, performed by people wearing masks. This
does not give credit to the original mask theatre with
which the Greeks were able to convey the whole gamut of
human emotions.
This was not just a mime piece; lulie, the victim,
played by Elizabeth Hall, occasionally speaks, as does her
earnest, well-meaning teacher, played by Mark Alexlones. All other parts are played in masks by Mark
Alex-lones and Gareth Pennery. As with all Trestle
shows, there were gasps from the audience on the curtain
call to discover that the whole play had been performed
by only three people. The logistics of who was where,
when, still remain impossible to fathom.
16
The Two Epitaphs by Elisabeth Maconchy, meanwhile, were particularly striking, and an exciting
foray into the twentieth century.
On a lighter note, Sherborne School Concert
Band's opening pieces helped strike an enthusiastic
note. If there are sometimes problems with balance
between the bass and the upper parts, the theme
from Lawrence of Arabia benefited from the driving brass and particularly impressive trumpets
to complement the soloistic timpani part. A
'Symphonic Portrait' of Andrew L1oyd-Webber
brought together most of the tunes we all know and
love.
The Second Orchestra broke new ground by
playing a popular arrangement, under Owen
Clarke. 'Themes from 007' was an excellent choice;
it was played with enthusiasm and again, contained
a lot of favourite tunes. The Miniature Suite for
Strings by Ernest Tomlinson was musically fairly
dull, but brought out some fine string sounds. I felt
that the choice of these two pieces was a good one,
coupling a more traditionally orchestral piece
with an opportunity to enjoy making music less
formally.
The two pieces involving the First Orchestra
were both exceptional, particularly for the leading
roles played by members of the School. Hugh
Davies, recently accepted by The Royal Northern
College of Music, was the soloist in Haydn's E Flat
Trumpet Concerto. He projected powerfully over
the orchestra whilst achieving a wide dynamic
range. The orchestra responded sensitively,
although the strings sometimes seemed a little heavy
in the Allegro movements. The concentration of
both soloist and orchestra in this piece was
impressive and, overall, gave a well-balanced and
precise performance.
Finally, Andrew Strange conducted the First
Movement of Anton Bruckner's Fourth Symphony. He showed a great ability to establish his
presence on stage, confidently directing the
orchestra and obviously having studied the music in
great depth. This is highly architectural music,
moving in grand gestures in a huge structure. In this
performance, the right tempo was taken to allow
the orchestra to anticipate fully and to give the
music space in the BSR. The brass were particularly
impressive, from the beautiful Horn opening to the
huge chords which punctuate the movement. This
brass playing contributed greatly to the whole
orchestral tone. Strings responded well to the
challenges in this highly lyrical score, as did the
woodwind, although clarity of intonation and tone
were occasionally lacking. This performance was
notable for the conductor's understanding, and the
relationship he had established with the orchestra.
The simmering menace of the school caretaker and the
downright evil and unpleasantness of Julie's father were
conveyed by extraordinary masks and use of posture.
The production was perfectly slick; the music loud,
repetitive and atmospheric. The show was visually stunning, the set able to be transformed from a domestic setting to the caretaker's storeroom and then ingeniously
into a fairground complete with rollercoaster and ·flashing
festoons.
The show had the immediate impact of a kick in the
teeth but very soon had the audience stunned at what was
genuine theatrical experience.
Andrew Swift
Joint Orchestral
and Choral Concert
The strongest point in this year's concert lay in
its variety. From L1oyd-Webber to Bruckner, the
various groups represented showed a wide range of
skills, while the programme as a whole was very
well chosen. It is very difficult to strike the right
balance in an evening involving so many performers; the interest sustained throughout the evening, then, is indeed a tribute.
As always, the singing from St. Antony'sLeweston and the Girls' School was highly impressive. The choir from St. Antony's, conducted
by lane Stein, performed a selection of songs from
Carousel. While it is impossible to capture the
vitality of such stage-songs in a concert setting,
these performances were rhythmically exciting and
exact. The Girls' School Madrigal singers, under
Augusta Miller, combined great precision with a
strong feeling for the music, particularly in the performance of The Silver Swan by Orlando Gibbons.
Philip Purchase
17
~.
ICLES
'Where Every Prospectus
Pleases . . . '
Visit the school and talk to those who live and work
there ... inspect the facilities, sample the
atmosphere, absorb the setting.
(Sherborne School Prospectus)
And so, with this advice in mind, we ventured
out to examine the remnants of that notorious
English curiosity: The Independent School System.
The expedition was one of enquiry - how do
schools differ and how are they the same? - but it
was also of self-discovery; it is by comparison that
we appreciate our own qualities more fully. The
journey was not entirely smooth: out of ten schools
we applied to, only five would accept our interviewers. But from these the results were productive.
It should perhaps be stressed that this was no structured examination nor critical assessment. The
individuality of schools is not in question. Any
figures can be gleaned from the glossy prospectuses
or the intricately factual pages of the Independent
Schools Yearbook. For our part, we have no interest in exam pass rates or entrance fees.
The first observation to make is that a school is
influenced by its surroundings. Not only does that
affect the size and nature of the accommodation
and educational facilities but it also provides a
distinctive atmosphere from which the school is inseparable. It was in this respect that Milton Abbey
was unique. Its position provides both isolation and
intimacy. Senior boys found the school detached
and consequently restrictive, while juniors enjoyed
the closeness and the good relations with older
boys, which, they considered, were the result of
their dependence on them necessitated by the
loneliness of Milton Abbey.
This illustrates another finding - that regarding relationships between pupils. In all the schools
we visited, there is undoubtedly some degree of
consciousness among junior pupils of the influence
of their seniors upon them, and a number looked
forward to being in a similar position of influence
themselves. However, the distance between the
year-groups that was often encouraged in the past
seems largely to have disappeared.
Of course, the situation of houses encourages a
friendliness that is not, at least in my experience,
found in non-boarding schools. All the schools we
visited had some sort of house system, though that
at Milton Abbey is restricted by the school's size,
and both Downside and Bryanston have a separate
house for boys in their first year.
If one of the prides of Independent Schools is
competition, then it is not being neglected. Both
Downside and Clifton have a variety of competitions between houses (all games, drama, music, and
hobbies such as singing and bridge) and other
schools have similar, albeit less comprehensive,
tournaments. Houses tend also to retain a particular character and reputation, and this is due in no
small part to the influence of the Housemaster and,
on occasion, the tutors. Inevitably standards of
accommodation differ between houses, and in
some cases this is resented, but the overall impression was not just of equality between houses, but
also equality between schools. Universally, pupils
can expect dayrooms for a year, then studies and,
eventually, study-bedrooms. Size and quality is,
generally, surprisingly comparable with Sherborne.
Clifton have a Jewish boarding house (with
separate religious practices); girls always have
separate boarding houses (at Clifton, Bryanston
and Millfield). At Millfield one boy complained
that 'the school shows favouritism towards the
girls' .
Though individual school policy is not a subject
for consideration here, the feminine factor is an
interesting one. Where they are present, girls are
clearly in the minority. At Clifton one boy
adamantly expressed the opinion that 'the academic
standards have gone downhill with girls here'. At
Millfield and Bryanston they have been firmly accepted and it would be neither unfair nor surprising
to state that the boys' attitude to the opposite sex is
very different from, say, the average Shirburnian.
'AT ALL STAGES IN THE BOY'S TIME AT
SHERBORNE, HIS DEVELOPMENT IS
MONITORED BY HIS HOUSEMASTER.'
19
These latter two schools are openly and avowedly more liberal, although Bryanston pupils denied
that this reputation implied any inferiority or
educational weakness. This is a fair comment:
discipline appears not to decrease when freedom (of
a limited sort) increases. The absence of a school
uniform and relaxed drinking rules for seniors, and
comparative leniency in other disciplinary matters
are rightly considered separate from the academic
and educational virtues of the school.
Discipline is a factor which people were keen
to talk about. No one denied the proliferation of
certain vices within all the schools, and here I make
no exceptions, but all recognised the power reserved by the Headmaster with regard to punishment.
Only at Millfield did an individual mention any
specific instances of what he thought was overleniency by the authorities, but here, as elsewhere,
respect without question was shown by all interviewees for their respective Headmasters. There
was no dissension from the statement 'the Headmaster can incomparably influence a school' and it
is perhaps surprising that, with so many rivals for
power (Governors, Staff, Bursars, etc.) Headmasters can still dictate the style of their school
to such an extent. Those sentiments were not expressed without evidence; most of the schools we
visited had recently experienced, or were soon to
'WEEKENDS ARE USED CONSTRUCTIVELY AND THERE IS MUCH fOR A BOY
TO DO':
"Whack us anover beer wilya Darlin'. "
experience, a change in Headmaster. An associated
and equally popular topic of comment was that of
prefects. All schools have them: at Bryanston they
are elected almost freely by the pupils and, perhaps
surprisingly, the choices nearly always coincide
with the feelings of the staff. At Milton Abbey
there is a hierarchical system which is a more complex variant of our School Prefect/House Prefect
practice. Unfortunately complaints were few:
methods differ, the results remain the same.
A tradition almost as notable as prefection, and
not entirely unconnected, is fagging. Where it exists
it is generally formal rather than informal; helpful
rather than harmful; accepted but tiresome. It is
not any longer viewed as unfair and it was even
regarded as character-forming in some quarters. It
is just a part of a mutually reliant system between
all boys (and, sometimes, staff) which assures a
gentle running of the school.
There were other traditions we encountered; the
ghost stories of Downside; tales of derring-do in
dormitories at Clifton; legendary tales of adventure
at Bryanston. Most schools have an individual and
respectable history - Clifton was apparently most
conscious of it (they boast two statues of heroic old
boys and have an ancient agreement regarding entry
into Bristol Zoo); in all cases the building and surroundings are indicative of the nature and past of
the school. The theological separation of Downside
is clearly recognizable by its setting.
This religious difference is significant: 99%
of Gregorians are Roman Catholic; staff are
encouraged to practise the religion; its teachings
are strictly adhered to. The school was keen to
emphasize its valuing of pastoral care (along
theological lines) alongside its respect for academic
excellence. The boys, who largely come from
religious families, do not complain. So, too, at
Milton Abbey: the daily chapel service was not
objected to. The religion of the school is integral
and the chaplain stressed its importance. Clifton,
too, have compulsory services. Millfield do not.
Inevitably there is a wide mixture of opinion on
religion, and this is no bad thing. However, the fact
that virtually all the schools we visited are based on
solid Christian principles and are apparently
upholding them would add to the evidence for
remarking upon the schools' antiquity and,
perhaps, their distance from the rest of the nation.
Religion, though, is not the only non-academic
institution which is flourishing beyond its sell-by
date. CCF is not only existent in most schools, it is
also appreciated and valued (if not always enjoyed)
and it certainly provides an alternative means of
expression for those (quite considerable numbers)
drawn towards it, despite remaining generally noncompulsory. Other activities also blossom: technology at Bryanston, science at Clifton (they have
built their own telescope and have very active and
20
well-attended societies); and, of course, there is
sport at Millfield.
There are academic differences and different
schools have strengths in different areas. Clifton
have excellent scientific and practical facilities,
Bryanston practise some of the more uncommon
sports ... perhaps Sherborne's strength is in the
arts.
The 'all-round striving for excellence' reminds
one of Waughian tales of school life and it would
seem that, perhaps as a consequence, Independent
Schools tend to produce favourable university
results. All the schools we visited confidently
asserted that 'most' pupils could expect to go to a
good university; Oxbridge is still highly valued.
With only 10% of pupils nationally attending
further education, it would seem that a disproportionate number are from Independent Schools.
Millfield, in particular, seemed to patronise USA
universities. Careers followed by ex-pupils were
more difficult to discern, but follow the expected
line of the professions and services, with the
inevitable individualist minority.
Specific complaints were of a predictable
nature: food (except at Millfield) is generally unsatisfactory; some rules and regulations are
resented - but many pupils seem to value that
which is for their benefit and have something of a
long-term, philosophical attitude.
The multicultural factor is frequently found:
Downside has a significant (25010) foreign presence
in its Sixth form. Clifton entertains Jewish pupils
and, of course, there is Greenhill. In addition there
is often a foreign influence within the main body of
the school. Are schools then more open than one
might expect? Downside estimate that 40% of
current pupils are sons of old boys. The proportion
is large because Downside (one of relatively few
Catholic schools) dominates a small market. But it
also impresses its old boys. Other schools have
smaller, though not insignificant, numbers of 2ndgeneration (at least) pupils. At Milton Abbey we
were reliably informed that 'most boys come from
either country backwaters or London SWI'. The
latter would seem to apply to all the schools we
visited; some pupil populations, however, are more
urban-dominated than others.
Clifton, situated in Bristol, draws pupils fromthe affluent area immediately around it. This fact
seems conducive to local relations, for Clifton was
the only school we visited where interviewees confidently asserted that they feel comfortable within
their community. Bryanston spoke of confrontation with local pupils; Downside encounter enemies
in their village; Millfield provide heroic tales of
Street-battles. Milton Abbey, by its position, is safe
from this evil. But the topic did raise comment. For
me, this was the most negative finding of our entire
survey.
'ALL HOUSEMASTERS LIKE REGULAR
CONTACT WITH PARENTS':
"Come on Mrs. Perriman, I've already toldyou,
it isfor the good ofyour son. "
But there were other findings too. Boy/master
relations was, admittedly, not a subject people felt
qualified to expound upon. There were no specific
complaints; there was the expected distinction
between young, trendy masters (and mistresses) and
elderly, detached ones; there was near-universal
respect. The relationship with the monks at
Downside, though not educational, was viewed as
being parallel with that with the lay staff. This
overall area was, in fact, rather unexciting simply
because of the generally amicable atmospheres that
seem to exist.
We began by mentioning surroundings. And it is
this factor, together with the individual history of
the school that most affects the atmosphere. The
great Public School Traditions, which the media
would have us believe exist, are not being lost:
competition (intra- and extra-school), selfdevelopment, tradition, identity (nearly every
school we visited seemed to have its own lingo),
responsibility, the making of firm friendships.
There were surprises too: boy/master relations, the
demise of racial and sexual prejudices, the overall enthusism of pupils. Some of the less favourable
elements also remain, and I cannot distinguish
between schools: a little arrogance, self-assurance,
less than total devotion to work, image-seeking and
some over-indulgence. One boy at Downside said to
21
us: 'if you don't fit in, you'll hate it.' Clearly some
of us do not fit in. He seemed to be urging greater
involvement and enthusiasm for the school. If there
is anything to take away from this article that is
probably it. The schools we visited remain, in the
most thorough sense, pillars to support and educate
their pupils. It is perhaps unfortunate that those
pupils must remain so distinctive.
My Gap Year
in Higher Education
Some Inlllal FindingS
James Nurton
The editor would like to extend his thanks to the
following: Nick Boyd, Dan de Belder, Ben Morris,
Rob Hands; and all those interviewees and informants at the five schools, together with their
Headmasters and the members of staff responsible
for the school magazines, without whose help this
article would never have been possible.
'ALL DEPARTMENTS MAKE USE OF
NEW TECHNOLOGY ,N THE CLASS:'
Thirty years ago I set off with some trepidation
to explore the leafy rain forests of Ecuador, and it
was with similar feelings that I ventured forth this
autumn to investigate the concrete jungles of
Higher Education. After such a purple passage
surely some statistics seem essential.
I have visited 63 separate institutions, and interviewed approximately 1,300 students. Between
January and late May I have about 70 more visits
planned. By the end of my year off I shall have seen
all the universities and polytechnics, and about 25
of the colleges of Higher Education, in England,
Wales and Scotland, and interviewed over 3,000
students.
The method I have settled into as a routine is to
arrive at about 8.30 a.m., as the first students begin
to emerge, and spend half an hour wandering
about, taking photographs, trying to grasp the
physical relationship between the institution and its
surroundings, The architecture and arrangement of
the buildings have quite an effect on how userfriendly the place is. Then I go for an interview with
the admissions tutor, or schools liaison officer (or
marketing manager!), who gives me his opinions.
Usually these are confirmed by the students I meet.
For the rest of the day I go from building to
building, and sometimes site to site, seeking out
coffee bars and refectories, looking for tables
where there is a spare seat so that I can join groups
of students, preferably three. I ask them a prepared
set of questions and record faithfully everything
they say in my reporter's notebook. Some of the
questions are open-ended, and they often add lots
of extra ideas which they think might be useful.
Whenever I get exhausted, I take a break by visiting
the library, sports complex, students' Union, and
occasionally a Hall of Residence.
From October to December I was also working
for The Higher Education Information Services
Trust, to pay for my travelling expenses and to add
another dimension. For them I did thirty interviews, recorded on tape, of groups of seven or eight
students at a time, in a room provided by the
institution. For HEIST I asked another set of
questions to try to find out what factors influence
students in their choice of higher education. The
interviews are to follow up 10,000 questionnaires
they sent out. The results will be published this
summer.
The careers department managed to contact
about 20 Old Shirburnians, and I met them, usually
22
over lunch. I stumbled across several more, and am
very grateful for their friendly help. The cry of
'Hello, sir!' still comes as a surprise, despite nearly
thirty years of teaching. Andrew Steven lent me his
room for the night, and cooked me a delicious
meal.
This potted History is not just me blowing my
trumpet yet again; it is to explain that the opinions
that I am about to pass on represent those of a large
body of people selected fairly randomly from all
over the country. Durham, Norwich, Cardiff,
Exeter, London, Southampton and all of Yorkshire
and Lancashire: that may give some idea of the
breadth of the sample. I think that some very often
repeated comments made by current students may
be of interest to sixth formers and their parents. I
have formed some opinions myself, but they can
wait ...
Please do not imagine that the following comments come from smug people: they could often be
classified as 'things I wish I had known or done',
rather than proud, self-satisfied gloatings.
much as six weeks to come. Work out your budget
before you have spent it. Many students spend their
first term's money in the first four weeks.
Accommodallon
Nearly everybody benefits from getting into a
Hall of Residence in their first year. Being a really
efficient form-filler helps; early application, then
early confirmation at every stage, followed by
phone calls at critical times can land your fish. If
you do not get into a Hall, try to find a student
shared house as near to the campus as possible; and
the more students in it the better. The mod cons
are less important. If you are accepted through
clearing, you will, need to go there at least for a
prolonged recce well before term starts, preferably
as soon as you hear you have a place.
Social
Sometimes older students give their school
friends, or younger brothers, the idea that student
life is one long party. Many students wanted me to
stress that this is not so. Life goes on, there is work
to be done, and sometimes travelling, cooking and
washing; and friends have to be earned. Sometimes
after the rather brittle jollity of the 'freshers" week
it can be quite gloomy. Do not be depressed, but be
patient, and join some societies where you will meet
people. Everyone is in the same boat of insecurity.
Academic
Research your chosen course details with care.
Many students have been very shocked to find out
what their course includes. Prospectuses are fairly
superficial, and the actual department will nearly
always be prepared to send fuller details on request.
Consider carefully the pros and cons of modules,
sandwiches, continuous assessment, single or multiple subjects. Find out if the compulsory subsidiary
subjects are also examined. Many students have to
work for longer at their subsidiaries in their first
year than at the subject they chose for their main
interest. How much teaching are you going to get or
need? This can range from 5 to 35 hours per week!
If you choose a degree which involves several
departments, make sure they are not ten miles or
more apart as this can create real difficulties of
travelling and timetabling. Do look at courses
which are not just your 'A' level subjects extended
for a few more years. There is such a wide range
available now that it is worth choosing one you
really want to study for three years rather than
drifting on with the same, out of fear of the
unknown, and being too idle to find out what you
might do.
Drama, MuSiC and SPOrl
Find out about these if they interest you. They
may be quite cliquey. You might be a grade 7
violinist wishing to go on with it, and you hear
the university has a good music department. When
you get there you may be surprised that because
you are not doing music as your course they will not
even let you use their practice rooms. Much the
same can apply to all three of these. You can only
find out for sure by asking second year students.
Prospectuses can be misleading.
To answer some of the questions I hope I may
have raised in your minds, it helps immensely to
visit several places. Find out from the careers
department if there are any O.S. there. Get in touch
with them and arrange to meet them. Use your halfterms in the Easter and Summer of the lower sixth
years to do this vital research. Even if you are very
unsure by then about what you want to do, take a
stab at it. It will help you to get the general feel of
such places, even if you don't end up applying to
any of those you visit. Half-terms are the best
times, because the students will be there, and you
won't dislocate your 'A' level courses.
Three actual quotations may reflect some of the
feelings of those experiencing H.E. The most
despondent - and heard in several places - was:
'You see, most of the students here are only here
because no one else would have them.' Rather more
Financial
Look into sponsorship carefully. Sandwich
courses often bring in some extra cash when you are
out on placement. Before you start your first term
make sure you have saved up an extra £300 by
doing a job in the summer. You will need all that
for your extra expenses in freshers' week, and for
buying books. Try to get those books second-hand
from the second year students when you know what
you need. Your grant cheque may not be there
waiting for you - some of them have taken as
23
positively, a particular Old Shirburnian medical
student talking of the lack of culture to be found in
his part of the country said, 'tell the lads back at
Sherborne that it's bad, but it's not that bad!'
There are also those who say, 'It's brilliant here. I
am having the best time of my life.' Which of these
you will be saying, in a few years time, will depend
on how carefully you choose, and a little bit of
luck.
(I shall be around in the Careers Room in the
second half of May, 1991 to provide more detailed
help.)
J.R.I
An Interview of Quality
An Interview wllh GaYln Mlllar
Director 0' 'A Murder 0' Quality'
The following interview took place on 4th
December, in Sherborne Abbey, in between takes
of A Murder of Quality. It was conducted by JeanMarc Pascal and Andrew Stooke.
JMP: When did your interest in films begin?
GM: At school. I was in charge of the Film
Society.
JMP: Did you used to run cycles, and were boys
interested in watching films by the same director?
GM: I don't think so. I don't ever remember that
kind of programming. It was simply well-known
classics of the screen. Not silent, always talkies.
JMP: Were there films you would have loved to
show, but couldn't because of the school
authorities?
GM: I don't think so.
JMP: What kind offilms did you go and see?
GM: Well, I certainly went to see American
movies at the cinema, and you were aware that
there was a gulf between what the Film Society
showed and what you went to on Saturday night
with the lads. I enjoyed both equally, but in
different ways.
I rarely thought, at that stage, when I was 15
or 16, about the directors. I didn't think much
about the photographers or designers. Nor for that
matter, too much about the actors. Directors were
presented to us as: I Married a Witch by Rene Clair
or La Bataille du Rail by Rene Clement.
JMP: Were there people you wanted to meet then,
and actually met later, as a film critic?
GM: Not at the time. It never occurred to me. I
wasn't a 'fan', in that sense. There were quite a few
people I wouldn't have minded having a quiet drink
with, in the back of the Pig and Whistle. But I did
actually get to meet Sophia Loren and Brigitte
Bardot.
JMP: That's a good start.
GM: Yes, that was a childhood dream fulfilled.
JMP: So, how did you get into your first job as a
film critic, if it was not central to your life?
GM: I used to write film criticism at Oxford,
and then subsequently I fell into doing it professionally, but I never set out to be a writer. It just
happened. You drift towards things and when you
look back, after twenty years, you find that it is a
fairly hard beaten path that you have been pursuing. And you've actually gone at it, like a bull at a
gate.
JMP: When were you at Oxford?
GM: From 1958 to 1961.
JMP: It was a marvellous period for the French
and English cinemas.
GM: Well, it was the period of Les Cahiers du
Cinema and La Nouvelle Vague, and it was very
exciting. I remember seeing Truffaut's Tirez sur le
Pianiste, in a funny cinema, in Oxford. And I must
have seen it three times, in one week. I was completely knocked sideways by it. I thought it was the
most wonderful film I'd seen in my life.
JMP: Did famous directors come to Oxford?
GM: Oh no. The only notable film-maker that 1
met in Oxford was Welles.
JMP Was he filming there?
GM: I don't know what he was doing. He was
probably evading the tax collectors. He came to
Oxford to the Film Society and that was when I first
made any sort of film. The Film Society ran a script
competition every year and they chose my script. It
was terrible but they chose it. No one could understand it, so they asked me to direct it, as well. So,
there you go ... you fall into things.
JMP: That was your first experience?
GM: Yes, and I didn't know which end of the
camera to look down at all.
AJS: And did that give you an appetite for doing
it?
GM: Oh yes. Here I am, given the opportunity of
something I'd dreamed of doing, but never thought
I would. I always thought I'd be a writer ...
maybe a screenwriter, certainly a journalist, a
critic, but actually 1 knew opportunities of making
films as a director were few and far between. They
still are, but I think that competition is even harder
now than it was, in those days.
JMP: I presume that the experience of young
directors like Truffaut or Godard was very goodforyour generation, as they found success with their
films.
GM: That's right. It was an encouragement, but
in a way, it hasn't changed things all that much.
24
JMP: So, you stopped being a media person to
become a director?
GM: No, I'd been directing for years before
Arena Cinema.
The old cinema, where you started as an assistant,
and you worked your way up, still existed then, but
very few people ever actually made the jump from
first assistant to director. And even fewer, because
they came up through different routes. They came
from screen writing, or from television production
or commercials.
JMP: When did you start making films?
GM: I first started making films in 1963, for a
programme called That Was The Week That Was:
a satirical show. That was my first proper job, and
that was Teach-Yourself film-making. I knew some
people on the programme and they said: 'Well,
we'd like you to come and make films for us and
work out some funny script ideas.' So, I did that,
and then they stopped that programme because of
the General Election of 1964. So, we were all
transferred to a programme called Tonight, because
it was a current affairs programme.
I became a director on the road on Tonight,
doing journalistic, hard-nosed, 3-5 minute stories,
with reporters. All that was very interesting for one
or two years. I got the sack off that. I kept on doing
'greenery-yallery' artistic films and not stories
about postmen falling into holes in the road. And
then, I went on to a magazine called London Life
with David Puttnam, for a few months. A completely disastrous magazine.
JMP: How did you start working for the BBC?
GM: I never got a job at the BBC. Every job I
applied for, I didn't even get an interview. I got
in by a guy I made a film with, at Oxford. He was
running a television programme and he said: 'Why
don't you come and do some stuff with me?'
JMP: Would it be possible today?
GM: I was in an unusual position because I was
the editor, producer, writer and presenter. And I
did the interviewing, so there wasn't anybody to tell
me any different. Also, I had more than able
assistants, assistant producers and directors.
JMP: What happened to your collaboration with
Arena?
GM: It was called Arena Cinema for three years.
It finished ... I stopped it, and then, we changed
it to a monthly. It was called Talking Pictures for
its last season. Then, I stopped, because I was
unable to make my own films. I went back to filmmaking.
JMP: Was it a kind of '20120' magazine?
GM: Yes, it was underfunded and underwritten,
And nobody wanted it ... quite rightly!
25
JMP: What was David Puttnam doing at the time?
Was he producing?
GM: No, he'd just come out of advertising. He
was an agent in advertising. Then, he ran this
magazine as the daily editor. It folded after six
months and we all got the sack. Then, I got back
into television, as an arts documentary maker, with
Melvyn Bragg, who'd been the actor in my Oxford
University film.
JMP: Is this film available?
GM: No, it is not available. It is under a bed, in a
shed, at the bottom of the garden. Actually, I don't
know where it is. We never finished it. I never got
the sound-track on it.
JMP: But as far as you know, there is one copy of
it, somewhere?
GM: There is only one copy, yes. And people
have often asked for it because of Melvyn subsequently becoming very famous. But it will not be
released into public domain until the year 2050!
JMP: Did you work with him in the early
seventies?
GM: Yes. We're talking about 1966. Well, people
got sacked all the time, you know. One of the nicest
first films I made with Melvyn, for his programme
New Release, was Renoir in Paris. Renoir had just
written a novel called The Notebooks of Captain
George. On the occasion of its publication, I went
to Paris and we did a little film. I spent the day with
him and we trailed around some of the sights. It
was a wonderful experience. I can't tell you because
he was a hero. He was magic! So, that was a
treasurable experience, and I later introduced a
series of Renoir films, on television.
JMP: How did you come to make your film
Dreamchild?
GM: It was a Dennis Potter original script and he
wanted me to do it. I'd worked with him, once
before, on a film called Cream in my Coffee.
JMP: What was he like?
GM: A very thorny creature, Dennis. He and I get
on quite well. He sort of left me alone. That was a
good thing. He has a reputation of being very
ferocious about his own scripts. My view about
writers is that you do not change a word without
telling them. I try to have writers on the set and
keep them involved, as much as possible, all the
time, if only for self protection. So that you can
say: 'Look, this doesn't work ... we'll change it. I
propose this or whatever.'
In the theatre, if you write a new play, you'd
nurse it through rehearsals. You sit with the director and you change it. You drop scenes that don't
work and you put things in that do work, and a film
should be the same way. But it very rarely happens.
The film companies want to get rid of the writer. As
soon as they've got the script, they think: 'That's
26
it ... get rid of him. Now it becomes a movie!'
Well, if it is a good script, it is a movie in embryo,
and why shouldn't the writer be there to see it? It is
a fear of the writer and also a matter of cutting out.
A lot of directors mistrust writers. It is the
producer's idea that we cut down the number of
variables: 'Let's have the executive producers, the
front office producers ... not the people involved
in the artistic creation.'
went with this tiny little team. The producer
doubled as designer. My assistant on the programme doubled as continuity girl, tea-maker,
runner, you know ... organizer. We had a crew of
five or so: one 'spark', two on camera, two
'sound', plus one 'make-up' and one 'costume'.
We borrowed costumes from a shop in Rome ...
the budget was ridiculous! It was literally Do-itYourself film-making.
The story was set in 1936, and we used to go
around the villages, seeing old cars, and asking
people: 'You wanna be in a film?'. It was really
good fun. We shot it with an Italian cast. I did it all
in Italian, but the story is done as a voice-over
narration. On the page, the girl tells her own story,
so I had that as an English voice-over.
AJS: You had John Le Carre working on
A Murder of Quality, didn't you?
GM: Yes, we've worked very closely on the script
and we still are. We're still writing bits of it.
JMP: Why is it that that book has never been
adapted to the screen before?
GM: It's not a spy story, first of all. And Le Carre
was known as a spy story writer. Therefore, nobody
looked at that one. And there is another problem
with it. The original book has rather a weak plot
and weak links in places which had to be sorted out
and nobody could see a way to do it. That's why Le
Carre was keen to work on the script.
JMP: What do you think of the relationship
between literature and cinema?
GM: I was always interested in that business of
trying to get a literary quality on to the screen, in
some way, without making a book out of it.
Somehow, finding an equivalent for it, and yet, in
some way, preserving the flavour of the book, is
something nobody ever really does and one
shouldn't try. I think that the only way to do it, is
to go straight forward, and do it as it is on the page,
really, but make it a complete drama. I mean, in
The Three Girls, I didn't incorporate any element
from outside the story and yet, it was a selfcontained drama. But I subsequently did adaptations of Hardy and Joyce, and each time I think
something gets lost.
JMP: Does that mean that there could be a second
version of the book?
GM: No. He won't touch the book because the
book is going to be reissued.
JMP: Let's go back to the seventies. What were
you doing then?
GM: I was doing arts documentaries. I wanted to
do a programme about Cesare Pavese (19081950), and I thought of the best way of doing it.
JMP: Why choose an Italian writer?
GM: He is a wonderful writer. And I just read
all that existed of his, in English translations. At
that time I couldn't read Italian well, but I loved the
books. So, I thought the best way of doing it was to
do a short story. And that was it. A little bit of
documentary introduction in a studio, and then I
showed my 'fillum' which was called Le Tre
Regazze (The Three Girls). It was written in 1936
and set in his own home town and in the big city.
We shot in the country, in Turin and bits in Rome
as well.
JMP: Which short story did you adapt?
GM: It was from Hardy's Wessex Tales. The one
I did was called The Imaginative Woman, adapted
by William Trevor.
JMP: Was it shot in Dorset?
GM: It was actually shot in Suffolk because you
can't find anything on the South Coast. There isn't
anything left now ... or even then, and that was in
1973. The film was okay, sort of Hardyesque. But
the nearest I got was to do a Joyce short story,
called The Two Gallants. And I just adapted the
story ... it was very visual. It has its own
dialogue.
JMP: How many people worked on the Pavese
project? Fifteen?
GM: Oh no, not that many. Eight or ten.
AJS: Would you say that when you'd done that, it
gave you a taste for doing things which were more
like drama?
GM: Yes, this was completely drama.
JMP: What is the story about?
GM: It is about a walk through Dublin by two
young men, on a summer night, in 1896. Nothing
really happens. It just exposes their characters and
their way of life. The more cunning of the two talks
about his conquests and wangles some money out
of a maid he's been romancing, and that's all it is
really. But it is a beautifully observed little piece. It
is one of the stories in Dubliners. So, we did it in
Dublin, at the original locations. I liked that. I
thought that it really worked.
AJS: But it was drama in the guise of documentary, was it not?
GM: No, no. It was a drama. I just said to the
person running the programme: 'Jim, I want to
make a film of this short story, rather than do a
programme about Pavese.' He said: 'Well, all right
if you can afford it, go ahead. Let's try it.' So, off I
27
JMP: Have you always been a regular film-goer?
GM: I did do a lot of criticism. I was film critic of
The Listener, for 14 years, at the same time, as a
spare time activity. I stopped in 1984. That was a
weekly column, so I did see a lot of movies. That
got a bit heavy as well. I was doing too many
documentaries about movie-makers as well as trying to make my own, as well as going to see too
many films, and writing about them, so I had to cut
out some of the activity.
JMP: During those 14 years, how many films a
week would you have to see?
GM: Well, for the paper I would see about four a
week. But I was also doing my programme, or
another programme at the same time, so I would be
seeing anything up to ten. I don't so much now, I
must say ... It was overkill! By 1984, I just stopped: 'cold turkey', and I didn't miss it, really, for a
long time. For two years, I hardly went to the pictures at all. Quite refreshing! But there are people
whose movies I'd never want to miss. Like, at the
time, the great Fransois Truffaut, who died in '84,
Woody Alien, Fellini, Bergman, Robert Altman,
Martin Scorsese. I couldn't miss any.
Footnote
In A History of Sherborne School (1951),
A. B. Gourlay comments thus on a previous
occasion when filming took place in the School:
The visit of Boulting Brothers and their
company in May 1948 to take scenes in the school
buildings elicited the astonishing fact that even
in perfect weather, with not a minute lost through
dull skies, it takes a fortnight to make about a
quarter of an hour's film, and may have served to
convince any stage-struck members of the community that picture-making on location is extremely
hard work quite lacking in romance. The resulting
production The Guinea Pig was later viewed
privately by the School at the local cinema with a
professional interest not untinged with cynicism.
The School Arms
on the Bow Chapel
in Sherborne Abbey
During last summer the Tudor royal arms and
four of the larger shields below them on the south
wall of the Bow Chapel were restored. Their history
is part of that of the School.
In 1559 the governors of the newly founded
Grammar School in Sherborne purchased the three
eastern chapels of the dissolved abbey from
the Master and Brethren of the Almshouse for
£18 7s 2d. They demolished the eastern bays of the
Lady and Bow chapels, and walled off the remaining western bays from the abbey church by filling in
their arches into the ambulatory. They built a new
eastern wall and the date of its completion, 1560,
can still be seen carved on the east wall of the Bow
Chapel. The truncated chapels became the house
for the headmaster and it served that purpose for
the next three hundred years until Daniel Harper
built School House in 1860.
The School continued to use the building as a
masters' commonroom and a sick room for School
House until 1921 when the parish took them over.
The arches into the church were reopened and two
bays again reconverted into the L~dy and Bow
Chapels and the third bay into a vestry. The latter
still retains its three floors and east windows. A
short chancel was added east of the central Lady
Chapel as a memorial to those who fell in the
1914-18 War.
The original conversion into the headmaster's
house was commemorated in 1560 by decorating its
south wall facing into Abbey Close with armorial
carvings. At the top, framed between elaborate
twisted columns, were carved the arms of the
School's founder, King Edward VI. In 1980 the
arms were found to be unsafe and had to be removed. The stone, weighing almost a ton, was very
friable and was further damaged during lowering.
They have now been faithfully copied and replaced
and their surrounding frame made good.
A close examination of the damaged royal arms
revealed that they were not the original Tudor arms
of 1560. In 1650, ninety years after the latter's
erection and soon after the Civil War and the
execution of Charles I, a 'Captayne Helyar, a
Captayne for the Parliament' ordered the royal
arms to be removed. England was now a republic.
Hugh Hodges, a leading citizen of Sherborne and
Warden (chairman) of the Governors at the time,
refused to obey the order and was arrested.
Ironically, Captain Helyar was probably an old boy
of the School no doubt enjoying his new found
powers!
It used to be thought that, after their removal,
the original Tudor arms, like the statue of Edward
VI in the Old School Room, were hidden, and then
replaced at the restoration of Charles II ten years
later. Two pieces of evidence show that they were
not replaced:
1. The arms do not fit into the original 1560 frame:
the crown and lion crest above the shield rises above
the top of the frame, and the width of the arms is
appreciably narrower than the frame.
2. When the damaged arms were lowered, we
found that under the legs of the lion and dragon
supporters on each side of the shield were carved a
rose of England and a thistle of Scotland. In no way
would the thistle of Scotland have been included in
the Tudor arms in 1560. At that time Mary, Queen
of Scots, who was also Queen consort of France,
28
Jewel
Horsey
Salisbury and five local gentlemen who had
contributed to the conversion of the chapels. Below
them are a line of much smaller shields bearing the
initials of the eighteen governors of the School
responsible for the conversion.
The large shields depict, from left to right, the
arms of: Bishop Jewel - under a bishop's mitre, a
chevron between three gillyflowers, a maiden's
head crowned, and in pale (Le. at the top) a hawk's
lure between two falcons; Sir John Horsey of
Clifton Maybank - three horses' heads couped
(i.e. cut off); Sir John Lewston of Lewston
- three battle axes; Combe of Handley - three
lions passant gardant; Thomas Mullens of West
Hall, Folk - a mill-rind (i.e. iron plate on a millstone) between six escallops; Robert Thornhill of
Thornhill - a chevron between three blackbirds.
The initials of the eighteen governors have all
been identified; they were leading inhabitants of the
town whose names appear in other local records.
had incorporated the arms of England into her own
arms and was claiming the throne of England from
her cousin Queen Elizabeth.
The thistle badge must have been included in a
new coat of arms carved and replaced in 1660 as a
compliment to the Stuart King Charles H. No
doubt after Hugh Hodges refused to remove the
original arms Captain Helyar ordered his men to
destroy them, and new arms including the thistle
and not fitting the frame were put up in 1660.
Certainly the royal arms above the door of the Old
School Room were inserted in 1660 as that date
appears in the Latin inscription below them. Their
predecessor was probably likewise destroyed by
Helyar.
Below the royal arms and between the windows
of the Bow Chapel are two rows of carved shields
dating from 1560. The upper row of six large
shields contained the arms of Bishop Jewel of
Combe
Lewston
Mu//ens
29
Thornhill
Pre-1914 photographs show all these shields
complete, but over the last seventy-five years most
of them have almost completely crumbled away.
One of the large shields (Mullens) has survived but
in a damaged state. Two of the governors' shields
are complete, the rest have badly eroded or have
disappeared - no doubt the result of modern
pollution.
Fortunately just enough remained of the Mullen
shield to be able to draw its complicated shape, and
research into old records, drawings and
photographs enable detailed drawing of the rest to
be made. Enough funds were contributed by the
Sherborne Society C.P.R.E., the Friends of the
Abbey, and an anonymous donor to pay for the
carving and insertion of four of the larger shields.
Of these only Bishop Jewel's remains to be
restored. The original Mullen shield remains
unrestored, but has been consolidated; so too have
the remaining governors' shields. The carving and
insertion of the new shields was done by the
Cathedral Works Organisation of Chichester. The
stone used is French from Jaumont near Metz, and
was quarried from similar Jurassic beds to that of
Ham Hill stone, but more closely grained and
harder.
It is to be hoped that further contributions will
one day be raised to complete the restoration of a
feature which is an integral part of the history of
the School, the Town and the Abbey Church.
J.H.P.G.
,
The Pringle Trophy
On Friday, 23rd November, a select group
of Royal Marine cadets left Sherborne for
Oakhampton Camp, Dartmoor. They were to
return two days later, having won a moral victory,
despite finishing second in the Pringle Trophy,
defeated once again by the seasoned experts from
Pangbourne Naval College.
The Pringle Trophy is a competition run for the
Royal Marine Cadets of the C.C.F. from 13 schools
in the area, and is named after Commandant
General Sir Steuart Pringle, a former Shirburnian,
who was in Abbeylands. The competition takes
place annually and this year welcomed Wellington
and Charterhouse, the latter finishing third - only
one point behind Sherborne. The Royal Marines
from Lympstone, who organised the competition,
decided that Dartmoor would be a more suitable
venue, being more rugged and harsh than
Lympstone where the competition is usually held.
However, many veteran cadets were relieved to
notice the absence of an equivalent to the six mile
endurance course and, to the disappointment of
some, soon discovered that the competition was
more a test of brains than brawn.
The Sherborne Marines proved their determination in acting as a team and, although
everyone stood out at some stage for their own
individual skills and qualities, the team was of
prime concern. A major part of their success can be
attributed to the team leader, Cdt. Under Officer
Hugo Robinson, whose competence and all round
ability ensured first place in both the sections attack
and the night patrol. The team's potential will be
reduced without his leadership next year. Last place
in the drill, map-reading and judging distance did
not improve Sherborne's overall position but it was
in the most prestigious events such as the log race
that the Sherborne Marines showed their determination and stamina as one of the lightest and
smallest teams, beating much larger opposition.
The events themselves were hampered by the
usual Dartmoor weather: mist followed by rain;
followed by wind and rain and then mist again. The
first day of events demanded a walk of about a
kilometre between each 'stance' (a 'stance' is the
equivalent to a discipline in athletics competitions)
and the variation in weather affected the teams'
performance in certain events. It would be easy to
put failure in drill, judging distance and mapreading down to the weather but conditions were
the same for all the other teams in the competition.
After the rain of Saturday, the bright sunshine of
Sunday raised the hopes of all the cadets, and the
last two events ended the competition on a high.
These were held at the Commando Logistics Base at
Plymouth where there were facilities for shooting
and the log race. Everyone knew the battle between
Sherborne and Charterhouse for second place
depended on success in the log race and a clear
victory over the two teams we were drawn against,
including Charterhouse, ensured their third place
overall.
Although we did not win the trophy, we are
optimistic of our chances next year. While
Pangbourne will appear with an almost entirely new
team, Sherborne's team will be the same, the only
change being that of Hugo Robinson, who will by
then have left. With an experienced team and
having learnt from our mistakes this time, we are
hopeful of victory next year.
Jeremy Chubb
30
movement but, despite Protestant fears, the IRA
had little to do with it. Nevertheless, when fighting
broke out between the rival religious groups and
British soldiers were summoned in 1969, the IRA
seized its opportunity to initiate a terrorist
campaign which has now lasted for twenty-two
years. Their objective is simply to expel the British
and make Ireland a single thirty-two county
republic; and, in retaliation, Protestant terrorist
groups have also waged a campaign of violence.
The revival of these unfading hatreds has
plunged Ulster into two decades of torment. In
total, approximately three thousand civilians,
policemen and soldiers have been killed in the incessant fighting and bombing. As a result of the
increasing violence, the Northern Ireland Parliament was abolished as early as 1972 and since then
the province has been ruled directly from
Westminster through the Secretary of State for
Northern Ireland.
People in the rest of the United Kingdom are
bored by the daily catalogue of massacres but the
situation is steadily improving. It is somewhat
misleading that the media should only inform us of
the bad news, which is often inaccurate and sensationalized; but, however high unemployment
figures are, they do not detract from the vast
amount of building and renovating taking place
and the abundance of new industries being
established. Without doubt, both the British and
Irish governments are striving to put an end to
terrorism and find a peaceful solution for the
people of Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland's
Troubled Times
The crisis that brought the British Army into
Ireland in 1969 was not unprecedented - it was the
result of four centuries of sustained political and
religious disputes.
The problem of governing two communities
divided by religious beliefs was the underlying cause
of the conflict in Ulster. It began as early as the
Reformation of the 1500s when England, Scotland
and Wales became Protestant, while most of
Ireland remained Catholic. A little later, c. 1610,
many thousands of English and Scottish Protestants arrived in Ulster. The conflict coloured the
events of Irish history from then on. In 1920, two
separate states were established - one in the north
and one in the south - in an attempt to solve the
problem.
The consequences of splitting Ireland into two
political states were as follows: twenty-six counties
of southern Ireland, with a mainly Catholic population, became an independent country, which is now
known as the Republic of Ireland. The six counties
of Northern Ireland remained a part of the United
Kingdom because the Protestants, who represent
two-thirds of the population, wanted to keep their
British identity. The northern Catholic population
was never satisfied with this classification and, at
first, the extremists among them refused to
acknowledge it. During the early 1920s, the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) sought to overthrow the
new government with terrorist attacks. During the
fighting, many innocent people were killed.
By 1922, order was finally restored and it was
decided that Northern Ireland could have its own
local parliament in Stormont, Belfast. Throughout
the fifty years of the government's existence, the
Catholics never got into power and some began to
believe that the electoral constituencies were fixed
to secure a Unionist majority. Not only that, but
they also alleged that they were discriminated
against in employment and allocation of housing.
Thus, at the end of the 1960s a Civil Rights
Association was set up to enable these inequities to
be put righ t.
The Catholics, though a minority in Northern
Ireland, nonetheless constituted a majority in
Ireland as a whole, and consequently made the
Unionists feel uneasy and sometimes even threatened. But when the British Prime Minister, Margaret
Thatcher, signed an agreement (the Anglo-Irish
Agreement) with the Republic in 1985 to enable it
to have a greater say in the government of Northern
Ireland, the Unionists were furious.
During the late 1960s, the Catholics welcomed
considerable improvements under the Civil Rights
Daniel de Belder
Monroe Bagging
Hall·Term In the HighlandS
The idea of tramping around the Scottish
Highlands through the pouring rain carrying a huge
rucksack does not appeal to many Shirburnians.
However, this was not what Will Cook, Jordan
Daniels, 'Harry' Harutunian, Holmes Rogers and
I, under the supervision of Mr. Oak, and ably
supported by Mr. 'J oe' Fay, had let ourselves in
for. Throughout the week we were to be surprised
by glorious sunshine enhancing a wide variety of
magnificent views.
The trip began at exactly 4.50 a.m. on Saturday,
20th October. We had packed all we might need the
previous night and were on the road by 5 a.m. in
one of the school minibuses. 'What happened to
breakfast?'
31
An eight-hour journey with frequent stops took
us to Hadrian's Wall by four-thirty that afternoon.
After a six-mile walk along the wall through thick
mist we settled down to the first night of camping,
damp in body but not in spirits.
Another early start on Sunday and, by way of
Loch Lomond, Glen Coe, Fort William and Loch
Ness, we eventually reached Melvaig - our final
destination - in north-west Scotland. Everyone
was tired and, despite being kicked out of the bus to
walk the last two miles of our journey in order to
'freshen up!', little of the surroundings could be
taken in. Monday morning dawned fresh, bright
and clear, as indeed did every subsequent morning,
which showed off to perfection the outline of the
Isle of Skye, the Atlantic swell and the glaring
whitewash of the Rubha Reidh lighthouse and its
adjoining buildings. The lighthouse is still operational, being controlled by 'state of art' timing
devices in Edinburgh, but the surrounding
buildings contain the Rubha Reidh exploration
centre run by two super ladies, Chris Barrett and
Fran Cree. We were to use the centre for three of
the seven nights spent in Scotland, the others being
spent on the mountain, but the centre's normal use
is for courses for up to twenty-four people. For us it
made an ideal break with hot water, drying rooms,
good food - lots of it - and super hospitality.
All quite excellent.
The two-day expedition began later that Monday morning as, in perfect weather, we casually
strolled towards the Torridon Mountains. The real
work began a few hours later when we began to
ascend the long steep S.E. spur of Beinn Eighe. On
reaching the summit ridge the weight of sleeping
bag, food, tent and spare clothes (as well as other
numerous useless items which we soon regretted
packing) had increased tenfold and everyone felt
the strain. Democracy won the day and lunch was
taken. Two pork pies, a strawberry yoghurt and, of
course, Mrs. Cook's supplement! Although we had
hardly covered any of the distance we were to walk
that day, we had completed most of the climbing,
and walking the ridges was invigorating but not
particularly tiring. All we needed to do was absorb
the views. To our front was the Atlantic and the
island of Skye, with Lewis in the mist? - (much
discussion) - to our left and right large stretches
of both fresh water lochs and fjords shimmering in
the sunshine perhaps as far away as twenty to thirty
miles and all around us the steep craggy mountains
of granite, with their scree slopes, rock outcrops
and jagged cliffs rising to majestic summits. The
immense size and age of these mountains added to
the awesome (!) atmosphere created by the absolute
silence broken only by a gentle breeze and our foot
fall. The beauty and peace of it all. For most of the
group it was our first experience of such isolation in
mountains of this size and we all felt a deep sense of
awe and accomplishment as we reached the top of
each successive peak.
32
We continued in this way until around four
o'clock when we came down from Coinneach Mhor
(3,130 ft), where a Lancaster bomber had crashed
in 1952 and where many aircraft remains are still
left scattered across the side of the mountain
('What were Lancaster bombers doing still flying in
1952?') and by way of Ruadh Stac Mor (3,314 ft)
and a steep scree run, dropped down to the lonely
Lochan in Coire Mhic Fhearchair which was our
bed for the night. As we dangerously scampered
down this slope we saw a herd of red deer flee at the
sound of the little rock falls we created. With the
sight of these deer dawned the realisation that we
were truly in the wild - miles from civilisation and
other people, we had only encountered two other
walkers that day but they were long gone. Our first
day had been thoroughly enjoyable and we were
shattered when we finally got to bed.
Tuesday was Will Cook's birthday and, to cries
of 'last one on top is a cissy', we scampered up to
Sail Mor (3,217 ft), the peak which had eluded us
the previous day because of impassable terrain,
offered a rendering of 'Happy birthday, dear
William' to Will and the rest of the world - what a
view with clouds nestling in the valleys way, way
below us - and withdrew, more sedately, for
breakfast. Breaking camp the Royal Marine tent
was again outstanding in its efficiency, much to the
disbelief of Major Oak, who could not find fault
with its impeccable performance. Fifteen miles and
a tasty scramble or two (!) later we met Joe Fay
with the bus ready to take us back to the centre.
Wednesday was relaxed and aimed at having fun
without becoming tired: a morning for abseiling
and rock climbing followed by fishing for Will
Cook and Jordan Daniels, five trout each, (fact),
and further abseiling for Jerry Chubb and Holmes
Rogers, which was not exactly relaxing when it was
into the Atlantic but was highly enjoyable. Holmes
and Harry then left to commence their three-day
Duke of Edinburgh's silver award expedition and I
settled down to Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Patterson
please note, a million miles away from wondering if
that chock would hold as spume from the Atlantic
snapped at my feet.
For us another two-day expedition began in
almost as good weather. Collecting Holmes and
Harry en route we tackled their low-level 48 km
three-day expedition.
Jeremy Chubb
The Duke 01 Edinburgh Award
A gentle stroll to our first 'camp site' ended the
first day. Having spent a restless night on an open
slope surrounded by frisky sheep, we packed the
bare essentials we had for the expedition. For this
even the Marines had left behind their nine-inch
knives.
33
The length of the second day's walk forced upon
us a fast pace and prevented us from fully absorbing the wonderful scenery. We did, however,
appreciate the isolation and sheer size of the area
we were in. The Marines proved their field skills yet
again by catching trout with their bare hands.
Unfortunately, the thought of walking the rest of
the afternoon with decaying fish in our sacks
discouraged us, and they were returned to the loch.
The second camping area proved to be ideally
suited for each of our needs. The Marines went
fishing and Harry went to sleep! After a hearty
supper of chicken and brown sauce (for the fourth
time that week) we set about building a bonfire. We
spent the rest of the evening drying our wet boots
and falling asleep, listening to Major Oak's
numerous war stories.
We set off for the final day's walk with a hard
but exhilarating route ahead of us, and a wellearned bed to look forward to that night. Despite
the oncoming bad weather the morale was extremely high and we covered the last 15 km without
incident, to form a total of just under 52 km for
the whole trip. There is no doubting the success of
the expedition in not only reaching the Duke of
Edinburgh Silver Standard needed but giving us all
a most enjoyable time: a half-term well spent and
strongly recommended to others.
Holmes Rogers (R.M.)
An American In Scotland
Having settled in quite happily at Sherborne in
September, a decision soon arose as to how I would
spend my half-term break in October. Not used to
such long vacations except during Christmas and
Easter, I marvelled at the idea of having a week off
so soon after the beginning of school. Judging by
the steadily dropping temperature and the threat
of an early season snow fall in Northern Scotland,
I thought twice about joining the group of Monroe
baggers for a trip to the Highlands. But the words
carpe diem (seize the day) from The Dead Poets'
Society, a recent Senior Film Society feature, still
rang in my head as I approached Major Oak's
office to sign up. I figured that, since I haven't
seized many days in my 18 years, this would be a
good chance to increase my mileage.
Still ecstatic about living in a foreign country so
far from home where people speak with a strange
new accent, my state of elation grew as we travelled
through the North. Standing on Hadrian's Wall, a
structure built by Romans in the first century A.D.,
brought shivers down my spine. I had only ever
experienced the early Mexican establishments, aged
roughly 300 years, in my home state of California.
These were remains dating back more than one
thousand years. It was AWESOME, in the true
meaning of the word.
Little did I know of the incredibly mountainous
country I was soon to experience. The preconceived
idea of Britain as an island with rolling green hills
and meandering rivers quickly changed as we
travelled deeper into the heart of Scotland. The
steep mountains and precipitous rock cliffs with
narrow lochs between them created a new image in
my mind of the diverse country. [ saw sights and
heard stories about the clans of the area we visited.
The Clan Campbell, I was told, invited over for
dinner their neighbours, who soon found out that
they, the guests, were the main course. Interesting
people, I thought, and felt glad our team was not
scheduled to play their descendants at rugby.
During the latter part of the trip I had some free
time off the trail and decided to venture into
Inverness to see what I could see. I happily
discovered a whiskey distillery on the way which
offered guided tours and a free sample of their own
spirit. I took full advantage of my legal drinking
age and indulged in a small bit of their fine product.
Quite satisfied, I continued my walk around the
town, savouring yet another foreign accent.
Still wide-eyed, the two-day trip home brought
in many more sights. Our leader's jokes lost their
appeal after a while, but [ never grew tired of my
half-term travels through your beautiful country.
Jordan Daniels
34
you remain in the South and West of the island you
would never believe there could be any outbreaks to
spoil the tranquillity.
The Germans have found in Sri Lanka another
Homeland. It is to them the Costa del Sol. The difference is that whilst the British are fighting for
space on the beach, in the shadow and noise of the
urban jungle, the Germans are quietly escaping the
urban and finding the jungle. There exists a
peaceful relaxing atmosphere rather than the
'drink, sun and sex' holidays indulged in by so
many on the Costa strip. Germans are always
known for being the 'first on the beach' and they
seem to have beaten the British to a destination
which offers fantastic beaches, scenery, food and
wildlife all in a compact package.
The British suffer from xenophobia in a greater
degree than many counterparts in Europe, perhaps
because we are naturally isolated as an island. But
due to this 'disease' we have this hidden fear that
once we go far enough East we are stepping into a
world of crime, violence and mistrust, that we are
going to die of some unpronounceable illness and
the food though appealing will turn our stomachs
to quicksand. In fact what emerges when you visit
Sri Lanka is that the people are very polite and
friendly and, whilst there are the occasional tourist
rip-offs, they are generally honest. Concerning the
food, where else can you eat a Chateaubriand steak
for two for £I each?
The visitor to Sri Lanka, after landing at
Colombo airport, might choose to spend a few days
in the capital, Colombo. Whilst there is little to see,
it makes a good base before heading down to the
West Coast beaches. November through to April
are the best months to visit this part of the island as
you escape the monsoon season. On travelling a few
hours south of Colombo, the endless stretches of
white sand await you. The sands are flanked by
armies of palm trees and you almost expect a
beautifully tanned girl to step out from behind one
eating a Bounty bar! The beaches are uncrowded
and accommodation is both cheap and plentiful.
Food is varied and most meats are eaten, though it
is wise to opt for the fresh seafood, especially
lobster and the king prawns which are brought in
every day by the catamarans that come and go.
These boats were the basic design principle for the
modern racing catamaran.
Some of the beachside centres that have sprung
up have an incredible concentration of Germans,
with a plethora of German restaurants. In some
places it is not uncommon if the first question you
are asked is 'where do you come from in
Germany?', so strong is the belief that all visitors to
Sri Lanka are of German origin. There are pockets
of other nationalities scattered around, the other
main one being the Australian surfers who congregate on the surfing stretches of the beaches with
their entourage of nubile blondes and their constant
rhetoric of 'surf talk'.
Paradise Lost?
Travelling In Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka lies in the emerald waters of the
Indian Ocean, a jewel-like tear falling from the face
of India. But like many jewels it has flaws in its
makeup, these being the Tamil Tigers. Potential
visitors have been scared of visiting in the past few
years owing to the fighting between the Tamil
Tigers and the Government Forces. Though it
would be unwise to ignore all that is said, as long as
you keep to the path it is difficult to get lost on this
treasure trail.
Muslim traders talked of the island of Serendib,
from which we derive the word 'serendipity', the
faculty of making happy discoveries by accident.
Indeed when Marco Polo stumbled across Sri
Lanka on his travels, he wrote that it is 'undoubtedly the finest island of its size in all the world'.
There can hardly be many places in the
world which can boast such abundant beauty,
pronounced in its stretch of one thousand miles of
coastline and the beautiful hill country. The 'Eden'
image is further enhanced by the legend of Adam's
Peak, a mountain standing in the centre of the island
where Adam is supposed to have made his footprint
on leaving heaven. With the mixture of cultures and
traditions, Sri Lanka has an aura about it; as if you
have made a special discovery by going there.
Tourism has declined by about 30070 since the
troubles flared up five years ago. Though the Tamil
problem itself goes back over centuries, it has only
been a problem since independence in 1948. Since
1986 the north beyond Anuradhapura and most of
the east were out of bounds. Sadly this meant that
some of the more attractive areas could not be
visited, but those that could be in the South and
West could be appreciated more owing to the
reduction of visitors. An added incentive is the fact
that accommodation prices are at a standstill, so
whilst it might prove costly to fly to Sri Lanka it is
very economical once you are there.
The British public have been slow in responding
to all of this. Whilst it might be true that there
is a slight British reserve in travelling outside
the Channel waters, the foreboding of the travel
agencies and the press have not helped matters. In
Sri Lanka unless you are hunting for evidence of
the conflict you will be hard pushed to find it. The
Sri Lankan people treat it very much as a 'Sri
Lankan versus Sri Lankan' problem and it is strictly
an internal affair; many even refuse to discuss it
with you. There is, I believe, an unnecessary
pessimism about Sri Lanka. When I returned from
Sri Lanka people would ask me 'Did you see any
trouble? What about the Tamil Tigers?'. As long as
35
The names of the beaches add to their allure and
conjure up visions of Hawaii, such as Hikkaduwa
and Unawatuna. Hikkaduwa, a beach about four
miles long perched on the Southern tip of the
island, is the most popular, mainly due to its coral
reef, which is easily accessible by swimming from
the shore and offers a wealth of brightly coloured
tropical fish. If you are lucky you might see one of
the giant turtles that wallow around the coral. The
warm water with its emerald intensity entices you to
cool off after the heat of the sand.
If the heat becomes too much, you can escape to
the cooling heights of the hill country, with its lush
green vegetation and tea estates that carpet the hills.
Breaking the greenery every now and then are the
large waterfalls that are dotted around the hill
country and give the air that magical freshness that
really clears your head of images of polluted industrial areas that you have left behind. The centre
of the hill country can be found in Kandy, 72 miles
from Colombo. Kandy itself is a pleasant town
spread out around a lake· and is for many the
cultural and spiritual centre of Sri Lanka. This is
reflected in the famous Kandyan dancers and the
Temple of the Tooth where one of Buddha's teeth
is said to be kept. A quick wander around the town
will reveal a mass of antique markets, tea sellers and
gemstone dealers; though if you are thinking of
buying gems you would be wiser to go to Ratnapura
which literally means 'city of gems' , a town 50 miles
south-west of Kandy. Continuing on through the
hill country at a height of 6,200 ft you reach
Nuwara Eliya, a former hill station of the British,
and remnants can be seen in the 'Men's Bar' or
'Mixed'. If you feel like catching up on what is
happening back at home you can even read outdated copies of The Daily Telegraph. Nuwara Eliya
supposedly has one of the finest golf courses in
Asia. Whether or not that actually means anything,
one thing is sure: you can play golf at an altitude far
greater than in the UK, (even playing a round on
the top of Ben Nevis would still be a few thousand
feet lower). Whether, like athletics, it improves
your golf is another matter!
If after this you feel like delving into the history
of Sri Lanka, there is no better way than looking at
the ancient cities in the north of the country. The
two great cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa
were built by ancient Sinhalese civilisations over a
thousand years ago. For the last millenium these
cities were buried by jungle and it was the British
Army that really uncovered the vast expanse of the
ruins. Visiting them is akin to seeing them very
much in their natural state, they just appear to rise
out of the jungle and these lost civilisations seem to
be brought to life as you wander around these now
silent forms. As well as the cities, numerous caves
and buddhist statues can be found all over the
island and give an idea of the influence of
Buddhism. It can be a good opportunity to see the
buddhist monks performing their rituals, attired in
their brightly coloured saffron robes.
In this island then, there is great variety: if you
want something out of Sri Lanka you will find it.
As yet it is unlikely that an agreement will be reached between the Government and the Tamils and
soon other areas could be closed to visitors. Before
it is too late, dispel your fears, use your powers of
serendipity and discover a paradise that is both lost,
and found.
Charles Harris
The author left Westcott House in July, 1989.
He spent the year travelling in India, Sri Lanka and
Nepal before going on to university.
Golfing on the 'Browns'
An EngliShman Vlslls Baghdad, 1953
In the early part of 1953, my grandfather, then
working as export manager for Winthrop Pharmaceuticals, was travelling around the Middle East,
marketing the company's products. During a few
days'stay in the Regent Palace Hotel in Baghdad,
he wrote two letters home. They reappeared a few
weeks ago in his rather untidy office. They give a
fascinating insight into Iraq and the rest of the
Middle East, just as Britain was beginning to lose
touch with the area after World War II.
After World war H, Britain suddenly appeared
to change her policy towards the Middle East.
Clement Attlee, the Prime Minister, expressed 'no
desire to retain unwilling peoples in the British
Empire'. And yet, with the fear of Russian attack
shared with the US, the claims of Egypt for
freedom were more or less ignored. The same was
true of the Palestine difficulties. After all, the prewar treaties still had ten more years to run.
The case in Iraq was touchy. Britain owed the
country £100 million but did not have enough
money (or even armaments) in the amounts the
Iraqis wanted. Most of the younger people wanted
Britain out. Thus the Union Jack was not flown
and the RAF, still very much present in Iraqi bases,
lay low.
Relief seemed to come in the form of the Portsmouth treaty, signed on the 15th January, 1948. It
established a new relationship between Iraq and
Britain: in the event of war, the Iraqi government
would have to give permission for the British to
launch any air strikes. A 'joint defence board' was
to be created. Instead of ending difficulties,
however, the treaty caused mass revolts in
36
37
Baghdad, as the politicians of the younger generation used it as a spark to institute a change of
government. During these troubles, the Iraqi regent
came of age as King Faysal II. My grandfather
mentions seeing 'the prince returning from either
Eton or Harrow and (he) is to be crowned on his
21st birthday (May 2nd).' Most of the army/mob
clashes, martial rule and student riots had stopped
for a while by 1953. True peace only came when the
monarchy was ended in the I950s.
Despite all these difficulties, most of the antiBritish feeling was centred on the goverment:
British commerce was still encouraged. Winthrop's
products, such as Milibis against dysentry, were
very welcome. Other companies were acting as
consultants to Iraq's new public works. The
violence of earlier years, extending back as far as
1925, prevented the consummation of the agreement between the Iraqi government and the Iraq
Petroleum Company manifest in the completion of
an oil pipeline to Banias in 1952. What this meant
for Baghdad was no less than £30 million profit in
1953-1954, increasing every few years. This money
was steadily pumped into projects of the Development Board, which remained separate from any
political party, and improved irrigation and housing. The letters describe the 'fellahin' living in mud
huts and terrible roads, even in the main El Rashid
Street.
One feature my grandfather encountered in
Baghdad was the Kettaneh family, Charles and
Alfred, whom my grandfather tagged 'the Lloyd
George of Lebanon'. They seem to have treated
him very well: 'I think (I say so in all modesty) they
like me'. Work seemed to extend until just after
lunch, when he would be whisked off to see ruins
at Tcesiphon (with the widest archway of nonreinforced brick in the world) or a round of golf at
the Royal Baghdad Golf Club with, among others,
the Chief of Police. 'Despite its imposing name,
it was built inside a race course on land as flat as
a pancake ... but bunkers make it quite formidable. The fairway is grey sub-baked mud and
the greens are 'browns'.'
The tour of the area outsided Baghdad found
'ruffianly looking blokes out of the Bible.' They all
wore a coarse camel hair cloak surmounted by
'Agal' and 'Keffiya'. He did see some of the irrigation systems supplied by the Tigris, supporting
wheat, dates and citrus fruit. The people who
showed him around were looking towards the
future. 'Iraq has a population of less then 5 million,
but they say given an expansion of the irrigation
scheme, the country could support 100 million.'
As elsewhere in the Middle East, the French
influence was very visible in the upper classes of the
city. The Manager of the Kettaneh's company
spoke French as did members of the company
named Pierre and Yolande Michon with which he
had dinner in a restaurant called 'Abdulla', which
they left rather brusquely: 'we drank whisky here
and told the proprietor that his food was so bad (we
38
Notes from
The New World
Chamber Orchestra Tour - WaShington DC
October, 1990
The party of fifteen (thirteen boys, two staff) set
out from a grey Sherborne on Thursday, 18th
October; a hint of things to come, we thought, but
fortunately it was not to be. Heathrow caused few
difficulties, although the two 'cellos posed a
problem for the airport staff: how to handle the
instruments while on board. Suffice it to say that
British Airways failed notably in this respect, as AIi
and James were to discover when the instruments
came merrily sailing up the conveyor belt at
Washington; fortunately there was no damage nor was there any outward damage to JIWD, who
belied his airpass diagnosis of 'Nervous Pax' and
actually seemed to enjoy his first transatlantic
flight.
A beaming Tad Cavuoti, no stranger to us, met
us at Dulles Airport (having landed safelysomething that would not have been possible three
hours before our actual landing, as torrential
storms had hit the east coast of America that day)
and brought us, exhausted by what had been effectivelya 17-hour day, to Landon, where we were met
by our host families.
The following day we went straight into the
playing routine: taking part in Landon's annual
'MAD' (Music, Art, Drama) Day, playing the
Albinoni Adagio and accompanying the Landon
Combined Choirs in a song from the Cole Porter
musical, Anything Goes, called 'You're the Top'.
The idea, at any rate, was for us to accompany
them, but it swiftly developed into something of a
Chamber Orchestra solo item, as a breakdown in
communications between choirmaster and choir
resulted in the loss of the first verse. Composure
was recovered, and they came in buoyantly with the
chorus.
On the basis of these primary impressions, three
members of the orchestra were invited, by The
Bethesda Gazette, to state their impression of
Landon. I quote an extract from the paper, dated
25th October:
"Sherborne's Robert Hands, 16, said of rehearsing in Landon's Mondzac Performing Arts Center,
'You almost feel as if you're performing at a major
concert hall.' Andrew Strange, 17, found Landon's
choir 'very competent, actually' but Hands said
Sherborne's choir is a step up. 'The Sherborne
choir is a better standard. We have a much more
well-rounded choir back at home.' Harry Twyford,
17, agreed: 'I much prefer hearing English
voices.' "
had not tried it!) that we were going elsewhere, but
would come back later to finish the bottle of
whisky.' The French acrobats at the night club
floor show were followed by 'a largish lady, clad in
chiffon and a rather loose uplift thing, did an oriental dance. This consisted of sticking her rather fat
tummy out at the audience and then revolving it
and her bottom at the same time'. Still, back in the
business world, old traditions remained. 'They
carry beads, not as a rosary, but as an ornament
and augury of fortune. If they went to do a deal,
and the bead in the hand is an odd one, the deal will
be a bad one, so they don't make it.' Sales,
however, seemed to be declining. Generally
American companies were more trusted, but not
necessarily liked. 'I was told today by an Iraqi that
US firms should employ British export managers
and I believe he is right.'
With the newspapers of the past weeks full of
descriptions of radical generals, attacks on Kurdish
people, Saddam Hussein propaganda and anarchy
in Kuwait, it is difficult to imagine this
place - where the hotel clerk gave my grandfather
these parting words: 'Goodbye and give my love to
Mr. Churchill. I kiss him and his photograph is on
my heart.' - a place now so far away.
Jonathan Conlin
39
The PAC was advantageous in many ways: a
large auditorium, with comfortable seating and
ample space, along with extensive practice rooms
and also the school dining hall and common-room
(monopolised for the tour by the orchestra, owing
to the welcome presence of a' pool table). The one
drawback to the PAC, very similar to that of the
Powell Hall, was a very dry acoustic which does not
help the musician in any way.
We stayed in two cities outside Washington:
Philadelphia, to the north, and Williamsburg, to
the south. 'The City of Brotherly Love', as
Philadelphia is known, was probably the closest we
came to something like Britain; to my mind, the
grimy streets and the hubbub of noise in the centre
of Philadelphia was close to the atmosphere of
central London. Philadelphia boasted a whole
host of interesting and diverse little shops which
provided much entertainment, exploring the different wares that these traders had to offer.
Philadelphia was originally the capital of the USA,
and there were a number of museums devoted to
those origins, of interest to those historicallyminded personnel in the orchestra.
Williamsburg will remain in the memory of
particular members of the orchestra for rather
unwelcome reasons: having spent a perfectly comfortable night in a motel, the idea was to experience
a 'real' American breakfast in a little restaurant. At
the time, the meal seemed a reasonable one;
however, as the day wore on, some people began to
feel distinctly queasy, ruining the excursion to the
Burn Brae Dinner Theatre that Friday evening. I
am told that the performance was good, but the
musical 42nd Street will always produce a shudder
of horror in me.
Williamsburg, the town, was in marked contrast
to anything we had previously experienced in
America, being a recreation of 'olde worlde'
America, which, frankly, was a tourist attraction
created by Americans, for Americans, making for a
rather artificial set-up.
The concerts themselves were of a mixed variety:
following the opening involvement in the Landon
'MAD' Day, the first real concert was something of
a non-event. Having travelled to Philadelphia
(quite some journey in the back of a cramped minibus), the principal reason for being there was to
give a morning concert to the pupils of Springside
School, a girls' secondary school. Hopeful expectations of the audience were dashed when a troupe of
ten and eleven year-olds filed in, to pick up their
programmes, and sit down. In fact, were it not for
the fact that they had the sidetrack of programmes,
I wonder whether they would have sustained their
interest for the duration.
The concert itself was hardly memorable: the
electronic organ had an amplifier that could not
utter a sound without an accompanying 'fuzz', and
with another item on the stands, we were thanked
40
for our time and the reluctant audience filed out
again, leaving the orchestra sitting comfortably on
the platform. I wonder how often the audience has
left, en masse, before the performers: I thought the
attitude of Springside to Sherborne School was of a
lukewarm nature, in complete contrast to the kindness shown by the hosts there.
The concerts that we gave at Landon and
Holton Arms (Landon's sister school) were both
rewarding, although in both schools' cases their
auditoriums, whilst being highly impressive, were
devoid of a resonant acoustic. The latter witnessed
a debut on the Albinoni violin solo part for George,
deputising for the stricken Dom, who for some
obscure reason seemed to have caught the
'Williamsburg virus' a day later than everyone else.
The Wednesday evening 'concert' at the British
Embassy was perhaps the most enjoyable of the
tour, in a perverse way. For a start, it was not a
concert; more of a gentle background to keep the
guests happy. Billed as the 2nd Anniversary Gala,
in aid of AFTA (Arts for the Ageing) many important diplomats resident in Washington attended,
including the 'American Ambassador to Malawi'
(or, rather, Thaddeus P. Cavuoti). Such was the
confusion over the British Ambassador that many
members of the orchestra failed to identify him
and his wife, Lady Acland, for much of the
evening.
Most of the evening was spent moving from the
music-stands to the food and drink on offer, which
was in plenty, and delicious too. Despite the effort
of the Ambassador, it was impossible to get all the
guests' attention, so that we could regale them with
the Elgar piece, Suite from The Spanish Lady, but
we managed to attract a couple of diplomats' attention, I think. However, the highlight was surely
meeting the brother of LL Cool J ( a well-known
American singer), who was the house photographer, and he provided much amusement for
those who met him.
The other two concerts I have not described
were highly contrasting, at least in terms of the
buildings. The first, on the Thursday afternoon,
played in candlelight (although there was still
enough daylight by which to see), was in a small
Williamsburg church, Bruton Parish Church. It
was a workmanlike performance. The second was
in the magnificent setting of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception, in central
Washington. The centre of the High Anglican
Church in America, the National Shrine was, quite
simply, an awesome place. Monstrous in its size, it
is so massive that the hymns have to be accompanied by two pipe organs, one at either end, which
are synchronised by the organists counting to each
other through a link-up system.
We played only two items at the Shrine, the
Telemann Viola Concerto (which Andrew Strange
performed most creditably before the service
began) and the Albinoni Adagio, as well as the
Mozart Spalzenmasse. Interestingly, both the
Telemann and the Albinoni were played at every
venue at which we gave a proper concert. Personally speaking, it was a great thrill for me to play on
the organ in the Shrine, for the feeling of power
from the lofty peaks was wonderful. To play to
an audience of somewhere in the region of two
thousand was an experience that we are unlikely to
forget.
The nation's capital, Washington, was not the
most fascinating city; it seemed too clean and
lacked character, all white buildings and with
hardly a speck of litter on the streets. The roads
were dreadfully badly kept, with trenches as deep
as those on the Somme, which, added to Tad's driving, made travel through downtown Washington
bumpy, shall we say. A sixteen-floor elevator on the
outside of an office block near the Metro station at
Bethesda provided a source of amusement, until a
security guard noticed that the same people kept
coming in and out of the elevators.
There was less of the brash American in
Washington than I had been led to believe: there
was only one instance where I felt that 'this
couldn't possibly happen in London'. Certainly the
horror stories about the drug-ridden capital of the
world were not much in evidence - a group of the
orchestra who were walking around Philadelphia
were offered drugs, but (as far as I know) in
Washington, that failed to materialise. However,
mindful we were of the Headmaster's warnings
about LSD-intoxicated stickers, we were filled with
a little trepidation (or perhaps excitement, depending on your outlook) when we were offered some
41
:tickers with weird designs on them (plus a free
:opy of a book of Transcendental Meditation). In
he event, they were harmless enough.
One wonders whether we made any impression
)n the Americans at all: in The London News of 9th
'1ovember, there was an article devoted to our trip.
The Sherborne School, located in ... Dover,
3ngland' was the most notable quotation worthy of
'Jbiter Dicta; Paul Hindemith, the German com)oser, became Hindesmith (the influence of the
;uccess of Aerosmith, the rock group, no doubt);
rosh was none too pleased when the Bach Violin
::::oncerto solo was misattributed to Dom; and the
;lightly confused description of the Albinoni a mystical piece highlighted by an organ on the
:ontinuo part' - was most amusing. Nonetheless,
think it is fair to say that they were impressed:
hey gave us the credit of saying that 'their sound
Nas ... extraordinary.' Interpret that how you
;vill. However much we mayor may not have left
)ur mark on the Americans, they were extremely
~ood hosts and spared no kindness in their efforts
o see that we were well cared for; Josh was even
:oaxed along to a soccer match, which he enjoyed
:ven more when he discovered that all Americans
10 at these events is chat to each other and drink
3udweiser - the game itself is really rather
ncidental.
The tour diary provides the conclusions:
Retrospectively, the tour was a success; we were
well received wherever we went and clearly
appreciated by the audiences, whose expectations
of a school orchestra were obviously lower than
similar expectations in England. I think that
generally people enjoyed the tour, although
perhaps some of us might not hurry back to
Washington for some years. Playing standards were
maintained throughout, despite the stomach afflictions, and this made us seem more like a professional outfit, an attitude of mind which I believe
was fostered on tour, which was pleasing.'
The opinion was often expressed that the
orchestra were fine ambassadors for their school
and their country. We certainly felt that we reached
high standards which will be matched, I have little
doubt, by the Chapel Choir in their prospective visit
next year. In the meantime, we at Sherborne School
look forward to receiving the Landon Choir in the
summer, for their tour of England.
Tour Party: Ian Davies (Director), Dom Price (Leader),
George Reynolds, Josh Powel!, Guy Martland, Alex
Davey, Robert Hands, Duncan Reynolds, Tim Pearce,
Andrew Law, Andrew Strange, Harry Twyford, Ali
Strange, James Richardson-Chapple, John SutherlandSmith.
Robert Hands
44
considerably, disrupting other years' timetables.
This applies particularly to those preparing for
public examinations. And, for those absent from
school on these expeditions, the academic time lost
surely outweighs what benefit may be gleaned from
the' field trips'.
No doubt the fact that some six or seven departments can organise a considerable number of 'field
trips' per year is not only an excellent advertisement
for the department but also for the school itself.
Let us consider the 'field trips' from the Staff's
point of view. One member of the History department acknowledged that they are an organisational
nightmare and caused a dislocation of his marking
schedule. Not only were problems increased by
extra time spent travelling on the Underground (this
applies only to Sixth Form trips), but also the time
spent journeying to and from London (some five
hours) would appear to indicate that this might be
time better spent in another capacity.
Finally, we must consider the workload
encountered during, and immediately after, the
'field trip'. From past experience, Lower School
Questionnaires on these occasions often prove to be
insubstantial, irrelevant and targeted at a less
mature age group. This tends to have the knock-on
effect of making questionnaires a chore and the
exhibits/articles of interest essentially perfunctory,
which surely defeats the object, which is to educate
by means not accessible in the normal run of school
life. In the Sixth Form, follow-up work tends to
consist of short essays of the sort: 'What did you
find of interest at ... ?' or 'What was the
relevance of ... to the' A' level student?' These
essays are additional to the normal workload,
tedious and not often taken wholly seriously by
either master or pupil.
In conclusion, let it be said that our purpose has
not been to appear over-critical of what is essentially a worthwhile addition to the academic timetable,
a welcome diversion from the relative monotony of
school life, but to outline options for change. To
maximise concentration on the part of the student,
it would make sense to allow greater time for lunch,
dividing the morning and afternoon activities into
two distinct sessions, instead of a blur of rushing
around without time to take in much of what is on
offer. The object is to gain an extra insight into the
subject and it requires planning to ensure a balance
between academic interest and leisure time, which
would reflect a day better spent.
'Field Day' or 'Failed Day'?
As we sit here on the return train to Sherborne,
having spent a less than worthwhile day in the
nation's capital, it occurred to us that perhaps it
would be worth discussing the relative merits and
disadvantages of 'field trips', with particular
reference to History.
Firstly, consider the economics of these expeditions; following the History 'field trip' to London
in the Michaelmas Term, many parents were
surprised to see a surcharge of £11.60 on the
end-of-term school bill. Accepting the fact that
such a charge for a journey to London and back is
lower than could be expected for such a venture,
the average cost of a day's teaching, by our
approximate calculations, comes to over double the
surcharge mentioned above. This raises the
question of why parents should have to foot the bill
for an activity undertaken within school hours.
Concerning the issue of food - related to the
economics of the thing - an early breakfast was
served at 7.20 a. m. and a late tea served at
7.30 p.m.; both were perfectly adequate. However,
are we to survive for over twelve hours, with a
considerable amount of walking, on a mere packlunch, of variable quality? The Michaelmas Term
field trip permitted us an allowance of £4 for lunch,
which proved to be a welcome gesture: yet the Lent
Term trip was rationed to the solitary pack-lunch
- but surely there is more money available to the
school in a term when there are fewer weeks but the
same cost in fees?
What academic value is gained from these
excursions? As Medieval Historians, a visit to the
Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey was
interesting, but essentially irrelevant to the nature
of our course. The hurried half-hour spent in the
illuminated Manuscript Room of the British
Library was of far greater profit to the Medieval
mind, therefore posing the question of whether
these 'field trips' ought to be channelled more
towards something directly associated with the
'A' level course rather than a 'general' education?
In the Lower School, there is a far stronger case for
broadening perspectives within the confines of the
subject department, and this is a positive aspect of
field trips. However, 'A' level students expect
specialised subject matter with specific reference to
their particular field. The school practice of having
a large number of 'field trips' on the same day
means that often the departmental staff is cut
Robert Hands
Alistair Harris
47
Field DBYS: Foiled or Filled?
The Editor of The Shirburnian has invited me to
respond to the article by Messrs. Hands and Harris
about this term's Lower Sixth History Field Day to
London, ~nd I am grateful to him for giving me the
opportunIty to correct a few misconceptions.
Certainly their piece contained some food for
thoug~t, not least because they appeared to place
food Itself above all other considerations! It was
clear from their account that, like a Napoleonic
army, a Sherborne School party 'marches on its
stomach'. However, as the authors admit, 'perfectly adequate' arrangements were made on the boys'
behalf for an early breakfast and a late tea, and,
as the staff can vouch, for they were on the same
rations, the packed lunches were perfectly adequate
too. I can of course appreciate that the boys would
have preferred a lunch allowance but the simple
explanation is that on this occasion there was not
enough time available in the middle of the day to do
this. The schedule was tight because the guided
tours of Parliament could only be arranged for
11.39 a.m. to 12.45 p.m. and then, having originally fixed the talk for all the modernists (three
quarters of the party) at the National Portrait
Gallery for 2.00 p.m. they get back in touch to say
that it would have to be brought back to 1.30 p.m.
as one of their staff had been called to do jury
s~rvice! Admittedly, it would have been possible to
give a lunch allowance to those in the Medieval
History set but 1 felt (and 1 hope that Messrs.
Hands ~nd Harris, themselves medievalists, agree)
that thIS would have been invidious as well as
depriving them of valuable time.
Which brings me (at last) to the purpose of our
Sixth Form History Field Days. In general the idea
is to visit places and view exhibitions that complement the work done for 'A' level but which do not
necessarily have an absolutely strict relevance to the
course. The syllabus itself is still largely 'political'
in its emphasis, but it is surely desirable for students
to try to broaden their horizons by being exposed to
some of the 'culture' of the period they are studying? On this occasion the whole party pursued a
common programme in the morning before we
went our separate 'Specialist' ways in the afternoon.
Historians should be encouraged to take an
active interest in current affairs and we were fortunate that Sir James Spicer was willing to give up
half an hour of his valuable time and to talk briefly
about the Conservative Party leadership and the
Gulf War before inviting boys' questions - of
which there were plenty, especially from one wouldbe M.P. who shall remain nameless! Thence to
Parliament itself for guided tours of the Palace of
Westminster by House of Commons' messengers
with funds of perhaps rather well-worn anecdotes.
However, a visit to Parliament should undoubtedly
be of great interest to students of almost any period
of British History - and I trust that the
medievalists admired the hammer-beam roof in
Westminster Hall and the modernists the Victorian
splendours of Barry's building and Pugin's interior
designs.
~h~ af~ernoon was more specifically targeted at
speCialist mterests and so, whilst the medievalists
split off to see Edward the Confessor's tomb, and
much else besides at Westminster Abbey, and later
on went up to the British Museum to view the
Sherborne Missal and other illuminated manuscripts (I'm sorry if they were pushed for time but
I think that simply adds weight to my e~rlier
point!), the modernists made their way to the
National Portrait Gallery for an introductory slide
talk followed by a viewing of the current exhibition
on 'The Raj: India and the British, 1600 - 1947'
(some.thing for everyone here, both those presently
StudYlOg. the Stuarts and those doing the
Hanovenans, and a marvellous opportunity as well
~o examine v~rious 'images' that were being proJected) and fmally a look at portraits from the
~.P.G.'s ?ermanent collection relating to the particular penods boys are covering for' A' level. And,
by the way, I can assure Messrs. Hands and Harris
that field day work is taken in and read with interest
by the staff.
Yes, it was a full day, and I make no apology for
t~at. Indeed it would be irresponsible to arrange a
field day and take boys out of class and incur all the
expense entailed and then fail to provide an educationally worthwhile experience. I congratulate
Robert H.ands an~ Alistair Harris on their cleverly
worded title but If they do regard it as a 'failed
day' '. a.nd that would be sad, I cannot help feeling
that It IS they who have failed to make the most of
the opportunities presented to them.
P.S.F.
Field Days Fuelled
Messrs. Hands and Harris comment about the
school practice of having a large number of 'field
trips' on the same day and the disruption which this
causes. Field trips are now an integral part of some
syllabuses and a highly desirable complement to the
work in other subjects, so arrangements for field
trips have to be built in to our termly schedule. If
these field trips were spread throughout the term
48
unstructured hall time around only three subjects.
Or is it four?
The advent of the GCSE English Literature
course is quite a shock and, to many, an unwanted
burden. Just as the afternoon seems clear with
General Studies, a spectre looms in the form of
'Subsidiary English', with an essay every few weeks
to add to the main street.
It is undoubted that good books are an art form
to be enjoyed in their purest state. They should be
interpreted and regarded as the reader wants. This
does not involve assessing and re-assessing every bit
of the novel that may be relevant to and influence
the nature of the story. Taking a book to pieces to
find out what the author might imply by a certain
description or observation often detracts from the
main storyline or purpose of the book, and
therefore it can lose its touch.
I agree that it is good to keep an observant and
inquisitive mind trained, but the novels should be
enjoyed as they stand, and for what the reader
wants from them. Instead of 'studying' a novel, we
should be enjoying it. Reading texts is vital for the
grammar they use, as it has a profound effect on
our own writing and keeps our minds healthy.
Another point is the GCSE qualification which
this study leads to, now to be attained by undertaking coursework. This takes place every few
weeks, adding more work to that of the main subjects, and making the literature topic more a
burden than anything else. Interest in a novel
should be kept up, but not to the potential detriment of other work. Although a GCSE gives a goal,
it is not entirely necessary as it places unrequired
pressure on the reading of the novel.
My solution is that, in this 'X-Time' for nonspecialist English Literature, classes should take the
form of guided reading of different books, so that
boys can explore novels at their own level, without
finding it a burden. In this way the time would not
be wasted, as the master could monitor and encourage this reading, while the boys could enjoy the
novels in their own way, as books are written to
entertain and can do this and educate if only read in
the right way.
there would be considerably more disruption. For
example, the Third Former may miss a History
period when his History teacher is in London with
the Lower Sixth and then miss another History
period because of the Third Form Geography field
trip. Surely the sensible plan is to arrange for the
Third Form Geography and Lower Sixth History
field trips to take place on the same day? Hence we
have the practice of specifying several days each
term for field trips. There will be disruption for
some when field trips take place but I can assure
Messrs. Hands and Harris that we do all we can to
make sure that disruption to teaching is kept to a
minimum.
D.S.S.
ReCYCling RUbbish
The poorer countries of the world, where
not much goes to waste, can teach us a lot about
recycling. People can show remarkable ingenuity
when they don't have much money, and scraps are
lying around waiting to be used. Old rubber tyres
are turned into shoes and sandals; flour sacks make
clothes, aprons and shopping bags; and polythene
fertilizer bags become raincoats. Bottles are re-used
and old oil drums become stores, or even musical
instruments.
Unfortunately, we in developed countries live in
throw-away societies. Many things, even some
types of cameras, are designed to be used only once
and then thrown out. But the idea of putting waste
material to good use instead of dumping it makes
sense. Bottles can be collected and re-used - or the
glass can be recycled to save all the fuel needed to
make new glass. Aluminium, tin, lead, steel and
other scrap metals can be recycled, as can paper.
Recycling not only stops the Earth's resources
from running out quite so fast, it also reduces
the amount of rubbish and pollution. After all,
recycling is nature's own way of using rubbish to
enrich the earth.
Daniel de Belder
Nicholas Boyd
ANOvel ComPlaint
The graduation to the Sixth Form allows a novel
form of school life, particularly in the freedom of
choice: how to dress, which General Studies course,
what sport to play, the use of the J.C.R., and
probably the biggest difficulty: how to plan
49
• ~ TIVE
CREP,
WR• ITING
'The Ivy·clad Tower rose amidst
the GlOOmy Pine Trees'
The tower was tall, taller than I had expected. Perhaps this was because it stood
on a hill that was higher than the hill that I was standing on. I still had five miles to
get to the tower, but I had until nightfall, which was at least five hours away.
Walking through this part of the wood was comparatively easy as the pine trees
blocked out most of the sunlight to ground level and so there was very little
undergrowth. It was a very pleasant atmosphere, for it was warm, yet, not hot, as the
trees kept the sun off me. Yet after a while I was very hot and I decided that it was
time to stop, rest, and eat my lunch. The ground was uncomfortable for, as there
was no undergrowth (and it was a pine forest), the ground was covered with sharp
pine needles. However I enjoyed my lunch for the water in my water-bottle was cool,
the bread was still fresh and the goat's cheese had not gone off. While I was eating, I
took time to take in my surroundings. The trees were taller in this part of the wood
and the birds' song was very much in evidence. The place was peaceful and it left my
head clear for me to think about what lay ahead. It was only three o'clock and I had
only four miles to go. I walked on.
Presently I came to a place where I could see all the places over which I had
walked, more than fifty miles over fields, through towns and villages and finally to
this forest.
The principality in which I was travelling was very simple and more beautiful than
the life I was used to in the great northern cities. The countryside was virtually free
of the vices and corruption of the north.
I carried on. Soon I came to an area of the woods where the canopy layer was
sparser. Here there was much more undergrowth including very tall bracken and
very thick brambles. This extended for about half a mile. Why this part of the forest
was like this I do not know. Alii do know is that it took me the best part of an hour
for me to negotiate the terrain, for constantly my clothes were caught on some kind
of plant or other; but eventually I got through.
I still had three miles to reach the Monument to Naturalism, but had at least three
hours left, so there was no need for rushing.
The terrain was getting rockier and steeper. This was one of the most frustrating
parts of my journey. All I could see in front of me was the top of the tower and then
a steep rocky outcrop directly in front of me. I struggled to get to the top of the outcrop and I could still only just see the top of the monumental tower. This happened
time and time again and this sort of mental torture can really dishearten a tired
walker. I eventually got to the top of the hill only to discover that I had to climb
another steep hill after walking another half-mile.
When I had got to the top of the last hill, I turned round to see the countryside.
From here I could see all the woods I had walked through, all the towns and cities of
the region. I got my binoculars out and I convinced myself I could see the great
northern cities.
But now to complete my pilgrimage to the monument to naturalism and nonindustrialism, I went to the tower. It was locked. I went to look around. Presently
something caught my eye. I picked it up and brushed off the dirt. It read:
'BEWARE: MINESHAFT!'
Alasdair Benjafield
51
Carn Brea
A bitter wind slices the heaving sea,
Dashes spray against rock, and forces high
The tired corvids, the raven and the chough,
Flings them inland through the driving sky
To gaunt Carn Brea, the granite grey and rough,
Exposed and lonely, brooding, defiant.
Gorse tortured by wind, twisted and dead,
Crouches behind walls, finds small solace there.
No life left in the ground, long since bled
Of copper and tin, mined with the prayer,
By hard Camborne men, faces black and grim,
Digging deep underground, forcing ore
From the resisting stone. Raping the seam
Of its bounty. Now and ever more,
The galleries drip, a forgotten dream,
Of a mining county; finished now,
The streams still run red with buried spoil,
The engine houses still stand, hollow shells.
Lasting tributes to dead miners' toil,
They listen to Redruth chapel bells.
Jon Dunn
ARoom
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
the
the
the
the
ceiling
floors
windows
doors
Treading of floors
having walked through the doors
Sitting on chairs
having walked up the stairs.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
the
the
the
the
tables
chairs
corridor
stairs
I remember the room
Without all the faces
Picturesque, tranquil
A place of all places
The roomiest room
I'll go there again
A room, not a tomb
A room, without them
Into the building
Came all of the people
Admiring the ceiling
The church and the steeple
Andrew Robertson
52
ALabour of Love
Where the sea eagle wheels, and the porridge congeals,
And the stag runs free most of the year,
Midst the thistles so dense by the gillie's back fence,
The courting haggis is now drawing near.
With grunts, whistles and squeaks he has searched for long weeks,
For a female, alas now so rare.
Long hounded and eaten, they are all but beaten;
A male haggis must court with great care.
Consumed scarce in the wild, the Fates have not smiled
On the haggis of myth and of menu,
But with serious breeding, and high protein feeding,
Numbers swell at an undisclosed venue.
Jon Dunn
Wailing for the Dawn
Standing in a field
Rank and File
No-one moves
As they wait to die
A silent call
From a forgotten child
They didn't explain
Slowly turning wheel
With rotted spokes
A strand of hair
Hangs silent
Like gossamer down
That nobody saw
She cries a little
Afraid to look
On the million shattered hopes
And forgotten dreams
Drowned in a glorious past
Of faded glories
Runs alone
Down myriad lines
The faceless souls, outside time
Only she hears the cries
As they stand silent
Lost as they wait to die
A strand of hair
Hangs silent
Like the gossamer down
Nobody saw.
Peter Thomas
53
Obiter Dicta
P.M.H.W. (explaining why he had deserted the
touchline of his losing Senior Leagues
team): 'There was nothing to support. I
mean, you can't support blancmange.'
M.E.H.: 'You don't have to be kinky. You just say
Mrs Thatcher likes people in uniform.'
Boy (to S.P.H.H., in frustration): 'Don't you ever
give a straight answer?'
S.P.H.H.: 'It depends what you mean by a straight
answer.'
Prefect on Dining Hall duty: 'As I've arrived two
minutes early, can I go two minutes late?'
R.G.P.: ' "Was" obviously means "was." ,
Boy:
'Well, you never know, do you?'
R.G.P.: 'Well, evidently you don't.'
D.B.C.: 'It's not that I'm disorganized. People just
keep chucking more work at me.'
A.M.D.: 'There are no Wednesday Afternoon
Activities for the Third Form on
Thursday. '
A.M.D.: 'I did a radio interview because it was
more likely to flatter my profile.'
R.G.P.: 'You'll notice that when I say something is
interesting what I mean is that it's wrong.'
J.J.B. (to a boy): 'Don't reduce the argument to
personalities: you won't win.'
J.H.: 'At my last school 1 was the only female
teacher. '
Boy:
'I think you confused me, sir.'
R.G.P.: 'Yes. That's what I'm famous for.'
Boy (on being asked to describe a sex scene in a
Spanish film): 'I haven't had a vocab.
sheet on this, sir.'
N.E.F.: 'Cnut ... was the Gazza of the Mediaeval
world.'
J.J.B.: 'Augustus of Saxony had 200-400 children.
What a man!'
54
consistent excellence after I had mentally written
him off in the summer; and the fluent, attacking
rugby that graced the play of the XV all term.
So to the players themselves: Jeremy Boucher,
surely the most improved player of the season, took
the full back role that had looked like being the
problem position before pre-season, and did not
miss a game. His sure handling and generally excellent fielding of the ball, allied to a secure boot,
solid tackling ability and good positional sense,
meant that his lack of fleetness of: foot was not
often exposed.
The wings were a contrasting pair: Nick Barber
on the right, quick and elusive, almost as good as he
thought he was, with balanced running ability and
strong determination - his handling also improved greatly throughout the term. James Lloyd played
on the left, a powerful player, with a strong handoff and plenty of muscle: he will be a potent strike
force next year.
The midfield changed during the season,
although the personnel remained the same: firstly
the captain, Simon Watling, who exuded a calm
authority amongst the three-quarters, marshalling
play very effectively, a fact often missed by the
ignorant eye; his physical presence and superb
handling often created chances for those outside
him. To him as captain must go much of the credit
for the success of the season. Toby Macpherson
ended up as the outside centre, moving out from
fly-half, and was always supremely confident in his
own ability; always one for the opening and going
himself, (more often than not he succeeded), he has
the speed and the hands to be able to do that at this
level, although more orthodox methods would be
needed if he is to progress from here.
Nick Greenstock finally took the pivot position
of fly-half and excelled: here is a player of quality,
with a monstrous punt, speed off the mark, and
good vision. Often early in the season, with him
playing at centre, combining with Lloyd, the two
provided breathtaking rugby, owing to the rapport
they have built up over six years of playing
together. Greenstock played probably the best
game I have ever seen him play against Radley,
including one memorable back-handed pass to
Watling to set up a try in the corner.
The scrum-half was Andrew Baines: at the start
of the season, I had thought that someone else
might get in ahead of him, but I was to be proved
drastically wrong. One of the most improved and
hard-working players in the side and a deserved
winner of the Tim Dicken Memorial Trophy for
such improvement, Baines showed that he possesses
tenacious defensive qualities (both in tackling and
in using his left foot to clear to touch) as well as a
fine service to his backs.
The forwards were more unsettled than the
backs, owing to injuries, but at full strength, the
back row would have read like this: Sangster,
Thompson, Ricketts. Ewan Sangster, as number
eight, worked hard during the season. His jumping
Rugby
lSI
xv
The most memorable game I have ever witnessed
on the Upper was undoubtedly the highlight of the
1990 season; an unbeaten Radley side came to Sherborne having conceded only one try; within sixteen
minutes Macpherson and Ingarfield had scored one
each, Boucher chipping in with seven points, and
the home side were 15 - 0 ahead. However, Radley,
displaying that stamp which distinguishes quality
sides, gradually came back to win in injury-time
with a well-executed drop goal. Sherborne deserved
a draw, but could take comfort in playing a large
part in what was an excellent advertisement for
schools rugby and the respective schools.
I had envisaged several problems before the
season started; there was no obvious choice of full
back, the front row lacked weight and there were
queries at half-back. The first problem solved itself
at pre-season training, the third was eventually
resolved satisfactorily by half-term, but the second
proved the stumbling block throughout. That
sounds disparaging if taken at face value, but the
truth was that tight forwards with some weight and
ability were just not available - in the circumstances, I thought that the front row coped extremely well, a tribute to the excellent technical
coaching of AMD.
To finish with seven wins out of twelve was a
solid achievement; when one considers that four of
the remaining five were all a difference of three
points or less, it becomes obvious that not only was
this a talented XV, but also an unlucky one
(although some might argue that the victory over
Wellington was slightly fortunate); the only poor
performance was at Millfield, where a lacklustre
display was reflected by the scoreline - I may be
wrong, but there often seems to be a psychological
block about playing Millfield; they are certainly
beatable, as King's were to prove later in the term.
Injuries hit hard; Ricketts and Animashawun
were the main casualties in this respect, but on all
occasions of absenteeism through injury, the XV
did not appear to be disadvantaged, reflecting
creditably on the harmony and union created
within the side; particularly one recalls the gutsy
performance of Adam Wills, playing out of
position at prop as a replacement against Radley,
and the calm, authoritative play of Max Honer at
Cheltenham, standing in for Greenstock.
Memories of various incidents stand out: the
refereeing at Bryanston; the all-too-late revitalisation against Downside, highlighted by the brilliant
try scored by Barber in the corner in the beautiful
autumnal sun; the disappointment of the lastminute defeats against King's and Radley; Baines's
57
them well; to the Lower Sixth, a tour beckons and
the prospect of what could be one of the best Sherborne sides for some years is also in the reckoning,
in what will be 'World Cup' term, Michaelmas
1991, and that should surely mean that they will
continue to delight the faithful on the Upper.
Thanks are due firstly to the coaches, AMD and
REH (who seems to have enjoyed immensely his
first season on the Upper), to MMW for his
wisdom in an advisory capacity, to MDN and the
2nd XV (for tolerance), to the countless supporters
(especially the parents who regularly attended),
some of whom must have read the programmes, to
Justin Ricketts, whose running of the House
Leagues was highly efficient, and finally to DAS,
for doing all the administrative work. Oh, and by
the way, there's a book coming out in June ...
ability at the front of the line-out improved tremendously, and his work in the tight was good - one
of these players whose work often goes unnoticed.
Simon Thompson is my player of the season:
always a liability to the opposition fly-half, he
roamed the pitch at will, tackling anything not
in a blue shirt that moved, supporting countless
Sherborne attacks, handling when necessary as
both a back and a forward, scavenging all the time
for the loose ball, and often instrumental in ensuring that the 50/50 ball was Sherborne's. Justin
Ricketts was struck down by his old knee problem
just when he was beginning to flourish as a player.
His mauling, handling and loose play were improving greatly, and his ability to 'sense' where the ball
was going, d la Dean Richards, was remarkable. A
mention should also be made of Stuart Wilson,
who represented the XV as a flanker whenever
injury demanded, and fitted in extremely well on all
occasions, despite my lack of faith in playing two
open-side flankers.
Locks with extra upper body weight were hard
to find: Fred Ingarfield, with arms and legs like
flippers, still looks about two stone underweight,
but this did not impede him at all (although at firstclass level, he will need the extra weight), especially
in the line-out, where his jumping was unbeatable
- the amount of possession he secured in the
middle of the line was phenomenal. His contribution in the loose and tight were also appreciated. Yomi Animashawun was his partner; he
was really playing out of position in the second row
(he should be a blind-side flanker) but played well
enough, particularly in the tight, where his strength
was always needed. He has the potential to go
further as a blockbusting 'number six' flanker,
assuming he can remain free of injury.
Andrew Rutherford, the pack leader and an excellent motivator, remained the loose-head prop
and made his speciality the peel-off from the lineout, terrorising the opposing midfield. His loose
play was always committed, and he never gave less
than his best. Hamish MacLellan took the tighthead spot, and coped with a fair degree of success,
although he requires extra strength and technical
work to become a really good prop. The conversion
from flanker to prop is not at all easy, and he is to
be commended for making a good fist of the job.
David Carter was the hooker, converted from prop
mid-way through the season, and made great strides
during the term, as a thrower-in at the line-out and
in loose play, including one memorable pacey sprint
down the touchline to set up a try for Baines against
Clifton. He, along with the other two members of
the Harper House trio, will lead the forward effort
for 1991.
I shall remember the 1990 season for one thing
more than any other: the tremendous team spirit
that existed within the XV. Simon Watling can be
proud of the job he has done, especially with such
limited experience of the demands of captaincy. To
the leaving Upper Sixth members I would wish
Appearances:
12
12
12
12
12
12
11
11
11
11
11
11
8
J. E. G. Boucher
T. D. Macpherson
D. J. Carter
J. W. N. Lloyd
C. F. Ingarfield
E. J. Sangster
S. C. G. Wading
(Captain)
N. J. J. Greenstock
N. D. Barber
A. R. Baines
A. J. Rutherford
S. C. G. Thompson
J. D. Ricketts
8
8
5
4
2
2
2
1
I
I
I
I
1
M. A. Animashawun
H. D. MacLellan
S. J. Wilson
R. J. A. Durie
A. E. C. Woodward
T. K. W. Maidment
G. R. Treverton
J. R. A1derson
P. C. G. Spink
M. P. Honer
M. J. E. Jackaman
A. J. Wills
E. C. C. Madgwick
Results: Played 12, Won 7, Lost 4, Drawn I. Points for
168. Points against 121.
Bishop Wordsworth 's
Canford
Millfield
Blundell's
Bryanston
King's Taunton
Wellington College
Taunton
Downside
Radley
Cheltenham
Clifton
W
W
L
D
W
L
W
W
L
L
W
W
12 - 6
10 - 3
0-19
6- 6
30 - 7
13 - 15
11 - 10
24 - 6
12 - 13
15 - 18
14 - 6
21 - 12
Points Scorers:
T
J. E. G. Boucher
N. D. Barber
J. W. N. Lloyd
N. J. 1. Greenstock
T. D. Macpherson
E. J. Sangster
A. R. Baines
S. C. G. Watling
M. A. Animashawun
H. D. MacLellan
C. F. Ingarfield
G. R. Treverton
6
5
4
I
2
2
I
I
I
I
I
C PG DG Pts
10 14
62
24
20
16
2
10
8
8
4
4
4
4
4
Robert Hands
58
the team immensely well all season and complemented Jamie Hart's intelligent play at No. 8.
The half-backs had a lot to learn, but over the
season they matured into useful players: Al
Cossins, when he had mastered which side of the
scrum the ball went in, used his pace to the full. His
extremely fast pass ensured his partner, Jeremy
Costeloe, had a great deal of time to think. Jeremy
kicked well all season and also had the confidence
to go himself. He is a very promising player.
Matthew Pearce and Rupert Emson filled the
midfield positions. Matthew is a very skilful player,
when awake, and he complemented his partner
well. Rupert, in a new position, started warily but
in due course he appreciated his duties and
perfected the 'Maori' sidestep!
The left wing, Guy Sutton, was the top try
scorer with twelve tries to his credit. He and Farokh
Pakzad knew when to look inside or go alone. This
enabled the team to make lots of ground and still
keep the ball available.
Chris Smart at full-back was safe in defence and
powerful in attack. His kicking was tremendous: he
regularly turned a try into six points and the
position of the kick rarely bothered him. It was unfortunate that he was unavailable for the match
against Bryanston.
The second half of the season was unbeaten. Impressive victories were recorded over Radley and
Taunton. The season ended with an eight-try
flourish against Clifton.
By the end of the season the team had matured,
strengths were consolidated and many new dimensions added. Everyone was fully committed to the
success of the team.
Many thanks to the B team players, their coach,
GDR, and also to JPW for his patience and
assistance.
COltS A
1990 was a very successful season for the Colts
XV. The side was full of confidence, sometimes too
much, and after disappointments of previous years
were prepared to learn and improve their skills. At
first scrummaging and defensive alignment required a lot of attention, but fortunately the team
was ready to learn from Mr. Whiteley's experience.
The beginning of the season included victories
over Canford and Millfield which reversed defeats
of last season. Just before half-term the team faced
tough opposition in the form of Bryanston and
Wellington. The former match was lost by a single
point, despite a try count of three to one, in our
favour. The side was valiant in defeat against a
well-organized and ruthless Wellington side.
Anthony Calvani and Anthony Wailer were extremely powerful in the loose but had to learn
quickly the skills required in the set pieces. Jago
Ridout performed his duties to a high standard. His
hooking deserves special mention. The front row's
aggressiveness as a unit was crucial in very physical
games against Blundell's, Downside and
Cheltenham.
Alex Mills and Torban Rankine were rarely bettered in the lineout. Their speed and handling skills
were excellent. So often, the upper hand was gained
through their continuous support play.
The flankers were Jamie Rixton and John
Claydon. These two were strong, mobile and
devastating tacklers. They often relieved pressure
from the backs yet were still prepared to work hard
in the rucks and mauls. This combination served
Team: J. F. C. Hart (Captain), A. J. Calvani,
J. S. Ridout, A. E. Waller, A. J. Mills, T. G. Rankine,
J. A. Rixton, J. A. B. Claydon, A. S. Cossins,
F. M. J. Costeloe, G. M. Sutton, M. J. Pearce,
R. H. B. Emson, F. Pakzad, C. J. Smart.
Also played: N. J. Hamilton, M. C. Bone,
J. D. Bradford, C. J. S. Firebrace, D. K. D. Malone,
P. D. Reid.
Results: Played 12, Won 10, Lost 2. Points for 233,
Points against 78.
Bishop Wordsworth's
Canford
Millfield
B1undell's
Bryanston
King's Taunton
Wellington College
Taunton
Downside
Radley
Cheltenham
Clifton
W
W
W
W
L
W
L
W
W
W
W
W
28 - 0
14 - 10
24 - 0
11 - 0
14 - 15
8- 6
4
36
10
27
948 -
25
3
0
7
6
6
Jamie Hart
59
2nd XV
For this rugby report I thought it would be extremely
impressive to start with a quotation. Spenser's Faerie
Queene seemed particularly appropriate because of its
epic qualities and chivalric allegory:
'And all for love, and nothing for reward.'
Yet, the distinguishing factor about this fantastic
rugby team was that they were led by a fantastic coach.
Never before has such heady optimism been the driving
force behind a team, and such a flow of easy. lighthearted humour, too. Here another quotation springs to
mind, this time from Huckleberry Finn:
'There was things which he stretched,
but mainly he told the truth.'
The truth is that not one practice passed without all
2nd XV members being encouraged by MDN's exhortive
tones into aiming higher; 'looking for that 1st XV place
that we deserved', and stepping into the "Big Boys'
Boots".
All this was indeed within our sights but I think that,
for the majority, loyalty to the stylish 2nd XV was a
higher consideration than a trouncing along with the 1st
XV brutes. A few overreaching types lost their sanity for
a while: Stu Wilson, Rob Durie, Max Honer, Al Woodward and Tom Maidment, whilst Garrod Treverton lost
his permanently as he passed out the end of the season
with the first team.
Unfortunately, the team never stayed the same for any
great length of time, with regular players falling into
injury or absentia per optionem, find seemingly willing
chaps having to be called from the Lower. SJ C was
perhaps not so willing, but our fearless leader soon sorted
that out.
Chris Hart, Stu Gillett, Colin Keatinge and Mark
Jackaman were all sterling members of the team when
they played; it was unfortunate that they couldn't play for
the whole season, but I'm sure the first three will all be
challenging for first team places next year.
Those people who played throughout the season, (I
suppose I should exclude myself from that category,
wishing to escape further criticism), played with great
zeal, hearty enthusiasm and considerable determination.
However, they always maintained 'enjoyment' as head of
the priority list, as, of course, it should be. Consequently
and inevitably, therefore, we lost a few games but they
were merely a sacrifice to uphold our l()()% enjoyment
record.
I'll only mention a few particular matches in review:
those that I suppose were highlights of the season and
stick in the memory.
Against Millfield we had a wonderful game, played
with great confidence, which meant that they didn't really
have a chance. Paul Clarke and Tom Sutton both had a
good run around and scored a try each if I remember
correctly.
Against King's, Taunton, we gave a very gutsy performance but, unfortunately, narrowly lost on a late penalty
goal. Our end of season loss to Clifton was similar, with a
brave fightback towards the end, but just falling short.
60
The most memorable and yet the saddest game of the
season was against Cheltenham. Robin Durie et al turned
up slightly worse for the weather, having got their feet
tangled, and then, just as we were beginning to get right
on top, Pete Spink broke his ankle and had to go off. We
won in the end but Pete suffered a very serious injury
and, in fact, I believe he can still be seen hobbling around
today!
Tom Maidment, lucky not to get into the Firsts,
played well all season (and still plays quite well, I'm told).
Tom Sutton, Garrod Treverton, Jamie Seaton ... in fact
everyone played very well just about the whole time; even
Conor. Particular mention must go to Chris Pittard, who
never played rugby at all before the beginning of this
term, and who showed himself, by the end, to be one of
the most eager, enthusiastic, determined and light-hearted
members of the team.
I would like to thank MDN for his own support,
coaching, enthusiasm, medium-height stories and 'All
Black' anecdotes (particularly the first three), and for his
generosity in The Stick at the end of term. I think
everyone would agree that we had a most enjoyable
season. I hope MDN did too, and has many more in the
future.
Results: Played 12, Won 6, Lost 6. Points for 175, Points against
96.
Bishop Wordsworth's
Canford
Millfield
Milton Abbey 1st XV
B1undell's
Bryanston
King's Taunton
Taunton
Downside
Radley
Cheltenham
Clifton
W
38 - 4
L
3- 8
W
L
W
W
L
W
13 - 8
L
L
W
L
3 - 24
11 - 10
41 - 0
13 - 14
12 4018 7-
0
6
12
7
15
3rd XV
Competition for 3rd XV places this year was fierce,
and trials for the Lower teams involved, once again, in
excess of sixty-five boys. The final selection was to be a
subtle blend of solid, experienced old hands (no, Robert
didn't quite make the side), combined with enthusiastic
youngsters eager to impress and who will challenge for 1st
XV places next year.
Our first game against Shaftesbury gave us much hope
for the season, with tries from Jackaman (2), Biswell,
Harris and the speedy Kiereini, with conversions from
Firebrace and Keeble.
The forwards looked comfortable and compact,
technically well versed, although a little short on weight,
but much work was needed in handling skills and threequarter play. Final score: 26 - 3.
The next game, usually much harder, was against Canford, but an efficient performance saw us through 12 - 8
with tries from Coleman, S. Evans and Paul. Jackaman
was thumped by his opposite number, and then cuffed by
the referee as he got up, but such was his character that he
did not seem shaken (or even to notice for that matter).
Millfield was to be next, the traditional foe. The game
was played with vigour but riddled with errors on both
sides owing to poor conditions. We eventually lost 6 - 4,
despite taking an early lead through a try by Gaskell.
Blundell's was to be a better game, although once
again it was to be played in the wind and rain. Both
teams, however, played to their strengths and made few
errors, Sherborne winning 16 - 12 with tries (again) from
Jackaman, the pocket dynamo, P. Evans, Colby and
Galsworthy.
When a team plays to their full capacity and gives
110070 effort, one must feel for them if they lose. This was
the case particularly against King's, Taunton, but also
against Clayesmore 1st XV. We lost to bigger, more
powerful packs who gave better ball to quicker, more
able, backs. But we never gave up the chase (0 - 8,0 - 15),
a heartening sign for the coach.
It was to be at Downside that we were to regain our
confidence. We felt that we could hold Downside in the
corner of our Srn area until the referee allowed us out. We
went ahead early with a Simon Evans try, then soaked up
the pressure to score a breakaway try. Final score: 10 - O.
Cheltenham was a good, fast, open game, but an inspired, looping Imfeld try tipped the balance, Sherborne
winning 8 - 7.
Our final game against Clifton was to be a dull anticlimax to an otherwise entertaining season.
Luke Baker
It remains only for me to pay tribute to the contribution,
both on and off the field, of Luke Baker, who captained
the 2nd XV. Luke has a wealth of talent in many different
activities. He sometimes failed to distinguish between his
roles - one particular knock against Millfield provided
real theatre and rivalled his outstanding performance last
summer in Amadeus. Luke played rugby to keep fit rather
than keeping fit to play rugby, which possibly was the
root cause of some of the injuries he received during the
season. His contribution to games was always evident,
whether it was from a safe catch and kick to touch or the
Edwardian shorts, cut just above the knee.
Luke was an ideal captain in that he controlled my enthusiasm to treat the game too seriously and constantly
stressed the need for everyone to enjoy their intense
physical endeavours. With so many more important tasks
during the term, like winning the Morehead Scholarship
and providing an escort for the ladies of Sherborne, both
young and old, Luke was still able to play a significant
part in the success of the side. His contribution to school
rugby throughout his time as Sherborne has been considerable, of which he can be justly proud.
M.D.N.
Team (from): J. R. Alderson, L. Baker (Captain), B. Biswell,
P. A. Clarke, R. J. A. Durie, M. H. D. Greenwood, A. J. Harris,
T. K. W. Maidment, C. M. C. O'Callaghan, C. A. J. Pitlard,
M. P. Honer, W. S. Paul, J. C. R. Seaton, P. C. G. Spink,
T. W. Sulton, A. E. C. Woodward, S. J. Wilson.
Also played: N. J. P. Jordan, C. G. O. Keatinge, A. C. M. Hart,
S. Gillett, M. J. E. Jackaman, H. 1. C. Twyford.
61
In conclusion, I would like to thank, as always, MJC,
and the retiring CV JF for their help and support; Ben
Biswell for captaining the side so well; and the old guard
of Jackaman, Simon Evans and Paddy Evans who have
given so much to the side over the last two years.
I am looking forward to next season.
Team (from): B. Biswell (Captain), S. C. A. Evans,
M. 1. E. Jackaman, J. L. Pexlon, M. T. Kiereini, G. Imfeld,
A. A. Galsworthy, C. J. Colby, A. J. Wills, J. D. N. Shaw,
T. J. Pearce, S. J. Coleman, C. Croft, W. H. A. Chappell,
C. G. O. Keatinge, A. C. M. Hart, S. Gillett, P. A. Evans,
B. P. Keeble, A. J. Harris, S. Lawn.
Results: Played 9, Won 5, Lost 3, Drawn I. Points for 76, Points
against 59.
Shaftesbury Ist XV
Can ford
Millfield
Blundell's
King's Taunton
C1ayesmore Ist XV
Downside
Cheltenham
Clifton
W
W
L
W
L
L
W
W
D
26 12 416 -
3
8
6
12
0- 8
0- 15
10 - 0
8- 7
0- 0
S.l.C.
4th XV
In some ways a 4th XV season follows a predictable
pattern. At the outset the heady enthusiasm of the Lower
Sixth, as they enjoyed 'senior' rugby for the first time,
resulted in exciting rugby, although often their inexperience was more than evident. With time the controlling
experience of the Upper Sixth had a sobering influence
and a more mature playing style emerged.
With the exception of the Downside game this was an
enjoyable term's rugby. The 4th XV may have lost more
games than last year, but the encounters against ooth
Taunton schools, either side of half term, were close,
hard fought affairs. The defeat against Cheltenham was
much better than expected: the combination of exeat and
Confirmation resulted in a scratch side of twelve forwards
who held their own until the dying minutes of the game.
Victories were never comfortable affairs, particularly
those against Canford and Clifton, where there was a
tendency at times to underestimate the quality of the
opposition. However, it was encouraging to witness the
dual triumph over Foster's, the 4th XV playing their 1st
XV, on both occasions.
In both success and defeat the team was disciplined
and generous. In large measure this can be attributed to
the leadership of the team. In this respect my thanks go to
J. Persse, J. Plumstead and A. Rimington for captaining
the team. It is a great pity that teams such as Downside
could not demonstrate similar qualities of leadership. It
was the absence of such discipline that led to the abandonment of this match.
Mention must be made of J. Firebrace who scored 75
points, many with the boot. Unfortunately, though they
tried hard, not all of the Upper Sixth scored this year. But
62
Let the records say that the three games that the Fifths
were allowed to play were won, all by phenomenal
margins. Were it not for the sporting spirit in which these
matches are played, the Taunton side would not have
many thanks to all those who contributed to an enjoyable
term's rugby. There are hopeful signs for next year.
My thanks go to MJC and SJC for their support and
assistance.
Team (from): J. A. J. Persse, J. E. de V. Plumstead,
A. K. Rimington, R. D. J. Swanton, D. H. Caesar, A. H. J. Binnie,
R. W. Parsons, B. P. Oliver, W. H. A. Chappell, C. J. Colby,
W. H. Wingfield Digby, P. C. Wreford-Brown, J. B. Gaskell,
J. P. A. Firebrace, C. K. D. Brown, J. F. Daniels, A. Davidge,
D. I. J. Gibb, W. S. Wallace, J. C. Hopkins, W. F. F. Hughes,
M. T. Kiereini, A. O. Lufadeju, M. P. Moncreiff, J. N. Morton,
D. M. Old, M. J. Quiatkowski, H. C. M. Rogers.
Results: Played 12, Won 8, Lost 3, Drawn 1. Points for 205,
Points against 60.
Foster's 1st XV
Canford
Milton Abbey 2nd XV
Blundell's
Bryanston 3rd XV
King's Taunton
Ciayes more 2nd XV
Taunton 3rd XV
Downside
Foster's 1st XV
Cheltenham
Clifton
W
W
W
D
W
L
W
L
W
W
L
W
31 - 4
13 - 4
22 - 6
8- 8
34 - 4
0- 6
28 - 0
9 - 14
20 - 4
23 - 0
0-14
15 - 0
been allowed to cross our line, as they so cunningly did.
Forward passes were never mentioned, nor were offsides
(no-one ever questions the referee on Lower II), so it's no
good complaining about referees, touch judges, or the
oranges containing some energy-sapping mineral.
There were so many individuals who featured on
Lower II at various times in the season that for the
honourable coach and part-time soccer manager,
MPO'C, it was more often than not a case of putting up
an arbitrary list and seeing just who deigned to turn up.
Continuity is not the Lower II's most apt word, but at
least there was a hard core of one or two players who
regularly braved the driving gales and snow-storms, the
bitter frost and icy fields, (that's quite enough, thank
you - Ed.J, to compete for the glory of pulling on that
blue shirt (usually someone else's, or was that just the
captain), and thinking about the potential of the postmatch revels.
Outstanding personalities were not limited: the
modesty that so many of these men command does not
permit me to mention names; just cast your eye down the
list below to see the prime of youth that represented this
most gregarious of teams.
C.V.J.F.
5th XV
The winters may come and go, generations of
schoolboys passing out in the summer from the gentle
arches of Sherborne, but the 5th XV and Lower II just
keep on smiling. Cliches may be rich and abundant in this
particular report, but 1 hope you might excuse your
faithful correspondent some luxury as he attempts to put
into words that immortal feeling of playing for the
Gentlemen of the School.
To paraphrase Andy Ripley, erstwhile comedian and
former England No. 8, scoring a try for the Fifths and
being asked to comment on it gives one a feeling of '1 just
sort of hit it and it went into the back of the net, Brian.'
Gazza, although present, was not able to weep on these
occasions.
No, the Fifths did not lose. No, they did not field an
unchanged side throughout the season (name me a 5th XV
that has). Yes, some opponents had to crawl away to play
House teams (yes, House teams!) because they feared the
might of 'Lofty' Loftus's all-conquering army. On a
serious note, it was disappointing for the Fifths to have
two games transferred to School House and Wallace
House respectively - those against Milton Abbey 3rd
XV and Downside; when the fixtures are made, there is a
commitment that should be honoured, and it was not. It
was especially galling since the season only originally
comprised five matches in any case. However, it's a funny
old game ...
Team (from): A. J. T. Loftus (Captain), N. S. Ridout,
J. R. W. Hosp, D. I. J. Gibb, A. O. Lufadeju, M. J. Quiatkowski,
P. D. Hammond-Giles, A. R. W. McClure, O. F. Richardson,
H. E. W. Robinson, J. C. Hopkins, J. F. Danieis, S. C. Vellacott,
S. D. Clark, J. A. R. Powis, R. Hands, W. R. Sargent,
B. W. Morris, J. P. Reid, E. R. H. Clarkson, A. W. Fullerton,
R. W. Parsons, B. T. Patten, H. C. M. Rogers.
Results: Played 3, Won 3. Points for 168, Points against 4.
Can ford
Taunton 4th XV
Clifton
W
W
W
58 - 0
56 - 4
54 - 0
Sherb & Greavsie
63
do this from the coach, and the backs scored the tries,
often from second phase, which was especially pleasing.
Dom Malone captained the team from the front (I think
that's possible from flank er) with great determination,
and he deserves much credit.
There were many lighter moments in the season. In
our first game a ball from the Colts 'A' match landed in
one of our rucks. Matthew Amell shouted 'pass the ball',
only to hear the reply 'which one?' DPKC managed to
send the captain off in one game without meaning to, and
watching Matthew Bone with the ball was always more
fun for us than the opposition. One statistic to end,
though - we scored, on average, six tries a game and did
not attempt a single penalty kick at goal. That was our
style.
Thanks are due to many people for a most enjoyable
season. To lPW for his help, to the Colts 'N who acted
as punchbags in our practices, to DAS, to PT, to all the
parents who came to give support, and to all the players
for their en th usiasm.
Coils B
To all but the most partisan of (Scottish) rugby supporters, style is a vital element of play. When a team plays
with style it enjoys the game, and understands the need to
do things well. Our style was simple; touch rugby sessions
in which props lames Milne, Matthew Bone and Alex
Neill, who handled the ball so well, were a joy to watch.
Obviously we didn't let them do it on the Saturday,
because we were too busy shipping it wide.
While American golfing pro's seem to attribute their
success to the Almighty, some of the more secular
stalwarts of our team blamed our only defeat on
Him - we lost 14 - 17 to Cheltenham on Confirmation
weekend with six men absent. Conversions were normally
the least important part of our game, but there were
plenty of tries.
Cramer Rice was deservedly the leading try-scorer,
and even put a tackle in towards the end of the season,
while Farokh Pakzad and John Bradford looked lethal on
the other wing when not playing for the 'A's. The creative
hub of the team was the mid field trio: Tim Lerwill and
Matt Pearman both ran superbly and their handling improved hugely throughout the season, while Ben Maidment was composed and committed, although how a man
of his pace was awarded a penalty try against Millfield
from thirty yards nobody knew. lames RichardsonChapple at full back knew no fear, and even though
Charlie Firebrace had that characteristic in his repertoire
he was unlucky not to play for the' A's towards the end of
the season.
The front row met with few problems during the
season, and Fergus Llewellyn hooked excellently. lames
Moriarty, when fired up, was fearsome and always won
plenty of lineout ball, while Tim Porter and Alex Hannah
made the most of limited opportunities. We were very
grateful to have Peter Reid for a while too. The back row
of Hamilton, Malone and P. Firebrace were everywhere,
both in attack and defence. The pack produced a cornucopia of good ball in the face of little advice on how to
Team: J. S. Richardson-Chapple, C. W. Rice, T. N. Lerwill,
M. G. A. Pearman, F. Pakzad, B. R. Maidment, C. J. S. Firebrace,
A. R. Neill, F. J. L1ewellyn, J. N. L. Milne, M. C. Hone,
J. R. Moriarty, P. D. Reid, N. J. Hamilton, D. K. D. Ma1one,
P. D. R. Firebrace.
Also played: J. D. Bradford, M. J. Green, M. C. N. Ameli,
W. J. Shaw, S. R. Everard, L. P. Withers, A. J. SI. J. Hannah,
T. I. B. Porter, E. D. W. Robertson, C. H. S. Wood.
Results: Played 8, Won 7, Lost I. Points for 228, Points against 46
Canford
Millfield
Milton Abbey 'A'
King's Taunton
Downside
Radley
Cheltenham
Clifton
W
W
W
W
W
W
L
W
38 - 6
28 - 10
22 - 0
14 - 13
24 -. 0
32 - 0
14 - 17
56 - 0
G.D.R.
64
CoilS 0
COilS C
From the start of the season it took time for the team
to form. However, the match against Canford showed
that even with a weakened team we could play to our
strengths to produce a win. The next two matches, both
against bigger 'B' teams, strengthened the team's resolution and commitment. The lessons learnt were shown
to full effect in two ruthless victories in which the team
played effectively as a unit to produce well-earned results.
In both matches the team showed skill in attack and
strength in defence, two qualities that had been lacking in
previous matches.
The pack took time to settle and play together.
However, as techniques and general fitness improved, so
better possession was produced from both tight and loose
play. The front row of Ed Robertson, Toby Collis and
Rupert Springfield worked hard up front and their consistency was the basis of a lot of possession. The second
row of Nick Gavin-Brown and Tom Clarkson linked effectively, and Nick used his height to full advantage in
winning line-out ball. The back row performed well, providing a stable base to the scrum and height in the line-out
as well as scavenging in the loose. The trio of Charlie
Wood, Hadleigh Graves and Nick Dawson used their size
and strength well to create many valuable opportunities.
The backs started as shakily as the forwards but quickly developed to form a potent spearhead. Matt Arnell
showed his experience at scrum-half, exploiting
weaknesses and providing good ball. Simon Everard at
fly-half kicked and passed effectively to give the threequarters space to run. The centre partnership of Jerry
Field and Algy Sim took time to develop and gain confidence. Their decisive running helped considerably to
create space and release the wings in the later matches.
Both John Shaw and Charlie Knott showed great pace
and skill when given room and both tackled fearlessly
throughout the season. Matt Treadwell was impressive at
full-back, running on to the ball at pace to great effect.
His consistent and, at times, inspired pace-kicking was a
valuable asset.
Many thanks to PT and BAMH for their coaching
and encouragement, to Henry Mowbray for bringing on
the oranges and to the team whose good humour helped
make the season enjoyable.
The Colts D team had a varied season, winning one
and losing the other against the 'same' Millfield team. A
variety of boys played and it would be impractical to
name them all. However, everyone played to the best of
their ability (including Henry Mowbray) and as long as
the sense of enjoyment remained the results seemed unimportant. In addition many thanks go to the team for
willingly providing opposition for the 'c' team
throughout the season.
Results: Played 2, Won I, Lost I. Points for 30, Points against 40.
Millfield 'C'
Millfield 'C'
Junior Coils A
An insatiable appetite for try scoring and, at times, an
almost reckless attacking instinct were two of the
predominant characteristics of this side. They produced,
on occasions, a brand of fast, exciting and entertaining
rugby which left opponents playing little more than the
spectators' role. They will learn the discipline required to
beat the sides that defeated them this season, but this
should not choke the flair which has been displayed over
those last few months.
The following games were particularly memorable: the
display of handling against Canford was outstanding
- we only dropped the ball five times; at Millfield we
produced our most spirited performance of the season,
going down by a single point; against a strong Bryanston
side we scarcely relaxed and were rewarded with a fine
win; and against King's Taunton and Clifton we stuck to
the task and even at our most frustrated never got angry
with each other.
Davis, Hunt and Steele-Perkins met with few front
rows that were their equals. They were also fast and fit
enough to make a full contribution to the rest of the
game. Hunt worked unstintingly on the technical aspects
of his role and found time to lead the pack with fiery enthusiasm. Gower developed into a formidable loose-head
and deputised for a couple of games. Greenwood and
Monro never stopped grafting all afternoon, and neither
was afraid to pick up the ball and have a go himself. In
the back row, Temple always seemed to be within arm's
length of the ball and on countless occasions provided the
vital link. Eaglesham must have been, at times, an
awesome opponent, for his tackling could be utterly
ruthless. As front jumper he found few opponents whom
he could not beat. Hargrove, whose season was interrupted by injury, proved, when he was available, that he
was a very able No. 8. His deputy, Willis, controlled the
base competently. Worrall also played in the pack, both
as hooker and flanker, and often showed up the others
with the technical quality of his game.
Hammond-Giles grew in stature and confidence with
each game. There is still much to be done but he has the
determination to succeed. Thomas developed into a fine
D. W. Robertson, T. S. Collis, R. N. O. Springfield,
I. Gavin-Brown, T. P. H. Clarkson, N. E. Dawson,
I. W. Graves, C. H. S. Wood.
Also played: T. I. B. Porter, D. D. P. Perrin, E. J. K. Lee,
D. J. Osman,
H. B. Mowbray.
C.
A.
de
Lisser,
G.
S.
Husaunndee,
Results: Played 5, Won 3, Lost 2. Points for 128, Points against
56.
Can ford
Blundell's 'B'
Bryanston 'B'
King's Taunton
Taunton 'B'
W
L
L
W
W
30 - 18
0-22
P.T.
Team: S. R. Everard (Captain), M. T. Treadwell, C. W. Knoll,
J. Shaw, A. C. G. Sim, J. M. Field, M. C. N. Ameli,
W.
E.
N.
H.
W
L
22 - 10
12 - 28
0-18
52 - 0
42 - 0
Simon Everard
65
stand-off. He showed a good awareness of the whole
game and led the side intelligently. As he goes on he will
need to learn how to cope calmly when things are not
running according to plan. At inside centre Craig
discovered not only that his opposite numbers were
stronger tacklers than before but also that they could still
be beaten by giving the ball outside and then supporting
at pace. MacIver's ability to time a pass or accelerate
through a gap created countless attacking opportunities,
resulting in many exciting tries. On the wings Bakari and
Bell were strong in attack, with the former being, at
times, impossible to bring down. With Butler at full back
they formed a fairly reliable defence which delighted
those in front of them. Butler also relished every opportunity to take on the opposition in attack. Clark and
Smith came in successfully to cover injured players in the
backs.
With the season now ended one can look to the future.
This is a side with exciting talent and great potential;
however, more importantly, they enjoy playing together
and, even at their most despondent, were to be heard encouraging each other. Long may this team spirit last! My
thanks to DBC for his support throughout the term, to
DAS and AMD for their contributions, to IRE and MJC
for their refereeing, and especially to all those who came
to watch and support. Thanks and congratulations must
also go to the whole squad for making my first term of
rugby coaching at Sherborne so much fun.
the schools concerned elected to play our 'C' team; a
game between our 'B's and 'C's suggested that the difference between them has never been narrower; a study of
the School's results for all teams reveals that we won over
70070 of all matches played. Are we becoming stronger
overall or are our adversaries becoming weaker? A combination, I suspect, but whatever the case, we may well
find that ultimately our reserve team at each age group
will have fewer matches than the reserve reserves. Already
I found myself, on occasions, hoping that my team would
do well, but not so well that the fixture might thereby be
jeopardised. Shouts of 'Ease up! Ease up!' rather than
'More points! More points!' could soon echo from the
touchline.
This year's Junior Colts 'B' XV was probably the best
side of that level with which I have worked. The forwards
were at times outstanding and never less than fully in control in all our matches, the backs worked hard at making
good their shortcomings and played some inspired rugby.
A very fixed front five of J. W. G. Gower, A. J. Black,
T. J. Percival, T. Footner and J. B. Fraser ensured that a
constant supply of quality ball was available in the tight,
irrespective of who had the put-in. The back row was
somewhat more variable in its composition, but I felt
that M. C. Willis, J. D. V. Wheatley, W. R. Worrall,
C. T. Malpas and S. A. Ramsay, its most regular contributors, would all hold down a place in most other
schools' 'A' teams. At half-back, N. P. C. Hyde's
effervescence combined well with G. W. Lawes' calculation. H. B. L. Harries at centre was unlucky to be
plagued by injury - we badly missed his incisive runs.
S. P. L. Fance deputized and made up with determination
what he lacked in speed. The other centre, R. H. Smith,
improved steadily as his confidence grew. When covering
for injuries in the 'A' team, E. L. Clark proved that you
raise your game to the standard of those around you. For
us he was very competent in both attack and defence.
J. R. Cleverly was perhaps not the speediest of wings, but
he was one of the most tenacious I have selected. The fullback duties were shared between P. A. J. Holmes and
S. R. Johnson, who were so good and versatile that one
had to be included elsewhere if both were fit.
Our season's low point was the reversal at
Clayesmore. A spirited late revival could not make up for
our early mistakes. High points were far more numerous.
Mine was probably the dispassionate dispatching of
Clifton in the final game. It's a sweet victory when the
opposition are completely shut out on their own territory.
The boys' highlight was undoubtedly the Cheltenham
match. The much-maligned backs tackled like terriers, the
forwards dominated throughout and an unbeaten side
was trounced. Unfortunately, I had to miss that match ...
I am greatly indebted to P J McK for organizing and
varying the activities on games-days, and for enthusing
and inspiring my players and his. DAS provided some
very welcome coaching and DPKC let me have some of
his best players. This was a most enjoyable season.
Team: J. N. Butler, B. A. Bakari, N. G. Madver, D. J. Craig,
B. A. Bell, D. M. A. Thomas (Captain), M. A. Hammond-Giles,
B. Q. Davis, S. Hunt, J. A. Steele-Perkins, G. R. Greenwood,
C. R. Momo, R. A. J. Eaglesham, W. P. Hargrove, S. Temple.
Also Played: W. R. Worrall, M. C. Willis, J. W. G. Gower,
S. A. Ramsay, E. L. Clark, R. H. Smith.
Results: Played 12, Won 9, Lost 3. Points for 347, Points against
82.
Bishop Wordsworth's
Canford
Millfield
Blundell's
Bryanston
King's Taunton
Taunton
Downside
Radley
Wiltshire U15's
Cheltenham
Clifton
W
W
L
W
W
L
W
W
W
W
W
L
32
50
16
26
36
10
46
35
32
34
22
8
-
8
4
17
0
6
19
0
0
6
10
0
12
P.J.McK.
Results: Played 9, Won 7, Lost 2. Points for 268, Points against
72.
Shaftesbury 'A'
Canford
Millfield
Milton Abbey 'A'
King's Taunton
C1ayesmore 'A'
Downside
Cheltenham
CliflOn
Junior Coils B
Strength in depth is a quality associated with Sherborne rugby by other schools on our circuit. Never have I
been so aware of this phenomenon as this season. The
Junior Colts 'B' XV fixture list was two matches short, as
W
W
W
W
L
L
W
W
W
44
46
20
22
-
6
3
0
7
14 - 18
16
30
42
34
-
30
0
8
0
D.B.C.
66
Tebbit and the lineouts were used for demonstration purposes by Westlands. They were the Hammer, the Chisel
was provided by a line of backs who, if there h!id been
time could have auditioned for the BolshOl. They
surgically struck and unzipped the opposition more times
than I care to mention, leaving more gaps than the contraflow on the M6. By this time in other teams reports people
are usually asking, 'Here, when's he going to mention
me?' Not so with the lCC. If you're still with me guys, I'll
see you again in a couple of years on the Lower or the
Upper and we'll have a laugh over that day early in the
season when I made the worst mistake of the season and
had forgotten to tell the full back that the tradition of the
team demanded that our line was never crossed. I needn't
have worried. I am going to mention one nameMl AS, my adjutant. Quite rightly he was scouted by
Felsted and will be taking over as their 1st XV coach next
season. There, we've gone over the limit and I wonder
what that little pipsqueak editor is going to do about it. I
bet he didn't play for the lCCs.
Junior Coils C
Regular readers of this column will be astonished and
horrified to hear that this year the editorial board of this
rag, for that is what it has degenerated into, have set a
word limit on the report. A word limit! Can you imagine
a publisher approaching Shakespeare with the request,
'Hello Will, do you think you could knock us fourteen
lines to pad out the new quarto; you know, something
summery, something a bit romantic?' And to add insult
to injury, something was mumbled about the possibility
of a team list. Do you thank that Alfred Lord would have
been mused to pen:
'Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the Valley of Death
Rode Cavalrypersons Billingham, Ridley,
Evans, Morris and Clemens ... '
Team: N. C. Edouard (Captain), B. L. Russell, P. M. Fowler,
J. A. Taylor, A. V. Lowe, B. K. S. Roseveare, C. Malpas,
S. A. Ramsay, P. D. Sclater, E. A. D. Nicholson, P. J. Richards,
T. C. Mitford-Slade, T. E. S. Wright, J. Deehan, A. M. Pinkham.
If you want a book of remembrance go to the Chapel.
These men are to be numbered with those heroes whose
individual valour transcends the particular and is placed
in the pantheon which houses the Thin Red Line, the Old
Contemptibles and the Few. For me they will always be
the Hammer and the Chisel. In that small, sweaty coterie
of the set piece, the eight held even the surge of the 'B'
teams that were sent against us in despair by schools
whose score boards had tottered and fallen under the
weight of the numerals for the Visitors score last season.
They packed like Louis Vutton, they mauled like Norman
Results: Played 7, Won 7. Points for 241, Points against 22.
Bishop Wordsworth's
Canford
Blundell's 'B' XV
Bryanston 'B' XV
King's Taunton
Taunton 'B' XV
Foster's
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
42· 0
70 - 0
20
24
20
30
35
-
4
4
4
0
10
D.P.K.C.
67
Under 14 I
'The talent's a bit thin this year, isn't it?' So the sage
Housemaster greeted the first round of trials at the start
of the term. Little did he know how wrong his words were
to prove, for this side was the most successful Sherborne
Under 14 XV for several years, losing only the one game,
against MilIfield. Even that game should perhaps have
been won, for the side allowed several good scoring opportunities to come to nothing.
One of the most important features of the season was
the fact that there were comparatively few injuries to the
first choice team, which in turn meant that we could play
a settled team. Gary Shaw tried the wing for a while until
he was moved to full back. He revelled in the challenges
offered by the new position, and he proved very safe in
both defence and attack. Jason Cox forced his way on to
the right wing, and scored some memorable tries. The
centre pairing of Nick White and Charles Reeves was
dynamic in defence - no side possessed such aggressive
tacklers, with the exception perhaps of Millfield; Nick increased in confidence with every game, and Charles certainly improved his attacking game. Alex Graham-Brown
was moved from the centre to left wing, and here he was
able to score 15 tries with his blistering pace and strength.
Ed Bellew provided solidity at fly half, though he did
sometimes allow games to drift along rather than take
them by the scruff and dominate. Anthony Oowdeswell
overcame a couple of injuries to make the scrum
half berth his, and his passing and tactical awareness
improved greatly over the season.
We started the season with a front row that amply
filled the 'we'll start with this lot - we'll find summat
better later on' scenario. We never did! John Ambrose
and Robert Fidgen held their places through sheer hard
work and determination. Both scrummaged excellently on
several occasions, and rarely, if at all, were they put under
serious pressure. Ben Shirley was a terrier around the
field, secure on his own put-in, but will need to work hard
on his throwing. Philip Harvey and Gavin Halliday were
superb in the loose, and provided secure line-out ball as
well as ensuring that we had a very strong scrum. Gavin
was voted 'man of the match' more times than anyone
else by his colleagues - the highest praise, perhaps. Ben
Paterson and Andrew Oibben were outstanding
f1ankers - strong tacklers, fiendish pressure-appliers,
good ball-handlers. What more could be required? Last
of all, the captain and No. 8, Chris Hattam. He was
outstanding throughout the season in many ways - he
scored 25 tries, took on defences, tackled ferociously, led
by example, both on and off the field. His team followed
him wherever he led.
Well, I think the sage Housemaster reviewed his
opinion later in the season. The improvement was great,
the commitment to an open and exciting brand of rugby
football total, the enjoyment of the game perhaps the
largest factor for them all. They would be the first to
thank the 'B' XV for all their help - it's not always
much fun to be treated as cannon-fodder every Tuesday!
They certainly helped to ensure that there was enjoyment
on Pitch 3. Thanks also to AGFF, for sharing his good
humour, wisdom and expertise. A great deal of the team's
success can be attributed to the coaching of 0 P J
and OAS, without whom I am sure we would all have
struggled. My greatest thanks, however, must go to the
boys themselves, for they were the ones to put in the hard
work, they took the coach's harshest criticism, and they
ensured that the reputation which the School enjoys for
good, hard, open and skilful rugby football was enhanced
again and again throughout the term.
Team: G. R. Shaw, M. J. Cox, N. J. White, C. B. Reeves,
A. W. Graham-Brown, E. A. Bellew, A. J. Dowdeswell,
J. D. Ambrose, B. J. D. Shirley, R. A. C. Fidgen,
P. C. H. Harvey, G. S. Halliday, B. A. C. Paterson, A. C. Dibben,
C. J. Hattam (Captain).
Also played in more than one match: O. J. Sutton, R. Fleming,
W. P. W. BrislOw, N. J. Henderson, T. R. Maclver.
Results: Played 12, Won 11. Lost I. Points for 316, Points against
56.
W
W
L
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
Bishop Wordsworth's
Canford
Millfield
Blundell's
Bryanston
King's Taunton
Taunton
Downside
Radley
Wiltshire UI4's
Cheltenham
Clifton
38 - 7
12 - 0
6 - 20
46 - 0
24· 6
16·10
32 - 0
20· 0
48 - 0
24 - 4
30 - 4
20 - 4
G.C.A.
Under 14 8
The Under 14 'B's were a good team: their record
speaks for itself. The one loss came against Mill field ,
where they played very much better than their opponents,
but the inexperience of our forwards showed, in that they
tried to do too much and would not release the ball to the
backs. I hope that next year they will be able to redeem
themselves in the corresponding fixture. What has also set
them apart has been their desire to play open, running
rugby that was pleasing and their eagerness to learn about
the game. I was delighted with the way the standard of
their rugby improved as the season progressed. They were
always willing to listen, to think about what they were
coached and to try their hardest to put it into practice.
There is no more rewarding team to coach.
I would like to thank Andrew Nurton for captaining
the side and Magnus Buchanan for being a good pack
leader. I would also like to thank the whole team for
being a cheerful, pleasant group of boys who enjoyed
playing good rugby and were a real pleasure to coach.
Lastly, I would like to thank Mervyn Brown for the excellence of the grounds, OP J and OAS for their expertise
and GCA for his company.
Team: A. Nurton (Captain), A. M. Crouch, O. J. Sutton,
J.
S.
T,
N.
T.
Taylor, W. P. W. Bristow, R. Fleming, R. J. J. Ashford,
J. S. Roseveare, B. H. R. Preston, S. H. Coad,
E. G. Jacobus, S. R. J. Cook, T. R. Maclver,
J. Henderson, C. A. J. Martin, M. A. M. Buchanan,
J. Ambrose.
Results: Played 9, Won 8, Lost I. Points for 222, Points against
25.
Canford
Millfield
Milton Abbey 'A' XV
Blundell's
King's Taunton
Clayesmore 'A' XV
Downside
Cheltenham
Clifton
W
L
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
16 - 0
0- 18
42 - 0
40- 0
16 12 24 6014 -
0
4
3
0
0
A.G.F.F.
68
Under 14 C
Golf
Team (from): A. F. D. Siggers (Captain), J. R. Timmis,
J. W. J. Warren, P. J. Luard, E. W. G. M. Wingate,
D. W. Montagu, T. F. B. Warner, B. J. Harrild,
E. C. N. Dowding, T. D. Przedrzymirski, P. T. R. Mosse,
J. M. D. Ellerbeck,
M. T. Porter-Davison.
T.
J.
Brown,
N.
A.
Maltby,
The School golfers enjoyed a highly successful
term winning all their matches, but it was disappointing that two schools cried off at short notice.
Term began with a convincing 3 - 0 win at home
over Milton Abbey in the now customary fourball
better-ball format for this fixture. The following
Tuesday there was a match on 'neutral' ground
at Yeovil Golf Club against Bristol Grammar
School when a 4 - 2 victory in singles' contests was
achieved. This was particularly creditable, not only
because our top two players went down before the
rest of the team brought home the vital points, but
also because Bristol Grammar School had won this
match last year and then whitewashed us on their
home course in the Trinity Term. Revenge was also
obtained against Canford in the annual visit to
Parkstone Golf Club when a 3 Y2 - 2 Y2 winning
margin was secured on this championship course.
The last school match was at home against
Downside on the Sunday before half-term when a
mixture of three old hands and three new bloods
demolished the opposition 6 - O.
A fortnight earlier the O.S.G.S. had come down
for the autumn meeting on what turned out to be a
very wet and windy weekend. On the Saturday
afternoon the boys carried the foursomes by four
matches to one in not particularly pleasant playing
conditions but on the Sunday the weather
deteriorated to the extent that the course was closed
whilst the match was in progress as it was becoming
so water-logged! However, on the strength of the
boys' success on the first day, the O.S.G.S.
generously conceded the match and so, after four
remarkable halved matches in successive years, the
Cordingly Cleek at last returned to the School.
However, the highlight of the term came on 1st
November, when a team of three boys (Philip
Brown, Edward Playfair and Stuart Gillett) won
the Golf Foundation Schools' Team Championship
regional qualifying round at Brockenhurst Manor
Golf Club in the New Forest by achieving the lowest
aggregate medal score (225) of all the schools involved. Each of our players scored in the 70's and
the best was Ed Playfair whose 73 won the trophy
for the best individual score of the tournament, and
he was playing as our No. 3! And so, for the first
time since 1980, a Sherborne team will be playing in
the National Finals of this competition, which will
take place in Coventry at the end of the Easter
Holidays. Watch this space!
Results: Played 7, Won 5, Lost I, Drawn I. Points for 162, Points
against 48.
Bishop Wordsworth's 'B' XV
Canford
Bryanston 'B' XV
King's Taunton
Taunton 'B' XV
Downside
Wessex Prep. Schools
W
W
L
W
W
D
W
28
24
8
42
36
6
18
-
10
4
20
0
0
6
8
Under 14 D
Results: Played 6, Won I, Lost 5. Points for 46, Points against
143.
Millfield 'C' XV
Forres
Sandroyd
Millfield 'C' XV
Old Malthouse
Port Regis
L
W
L
L
L
L
0-28
34 - 0
0-44
4 - 10
4 - 33
4 - 28
Junior Coils D
Results: Played 2, Lost 2. Points for 10. Points against 56.
Millfield 'C' XV
Millfield 'C' XV
L
L
0-22
10 - 34
The following played in three or more matches:
P. C. F. Brown (Captain), S. Gillett, E. H. L. Playfair,
M. M. Couzens (Secretary), M. R. Chantrey,
P. B. Kassulke, A. E. de Mestre, D. R. Lamont,
J. N. Chantrey.
P.S.F.
69
The Sherborne Pilgrims
Every year there is quite considerable activity in
various sports; Terry Gordon has tried very hard to
organise more Pilgrim Hockey, but of course the
centrepiece for the season are the matches against
the School; in 1990 two tremendous matches were
played with the 1st teams drawing 2 - 2 and the
Pilgrim's 2nds winning 2 - I. What was perhaps the
most pleasing aspect of these games was the
appearance of so many new members for their first
games - it was particularly pleasing to see recent
leavers such as Alistair Hatch, William Jodrell,
James Alexander, Rob Kitchin, Mike Colby, John
de la Hey and Mark Williams playing.
The cricket season was as good as any in recent
years; of the 17 matches played, 10 were won and
just 3 lost - to the Town (with 6 county players),
to the Dorset Rangers and, in the second round of
the Cricketer cup, to Malvern who went on to win
the Cup. It has again been encouraging to see recent
leavers coming to the fore with Phil Hodges, John
de la Hey and Matthew Evans either in or nearly in
the Cricketer Cup side; Rupert Bagnall produced
two or three spectacular batting exhibitions! Not
least it was great to welcome new leavers Scatt
Stevens and Colin Levy to the Tour, but the most
dramatic appearance was that of Sam Hayward
who scored 80 for the Rangers against the Pilgrims
and then continued to score well for the Pilgrims in
later matches - needless to say he was quickly
elected to membership!
It has been far more difficult to generate enough
interest in rugby because a good many members are
involved in Club leagues and time has become a
premium; however Rupert Garratt and Rupert Rice
have tried hard to stimulate an interest for next
season. Squash has had no such problems in the
1990 - 91 season with two good wins so far in the
Londonderry Cup over SI. Paul's and Bradfield,
with Richard Bramble forcing his way into the
team. Angus Prentice wants to build on these
successes and is always looking for players.
In 1991, we look forward to further success in
the Squash and to improving on the comparative
successes in Cricket with the first round of the
Cricketer Cup on 2nd June at Wellington College.
All our match managers for hockey, cricket,
rugby and squash as well as tennis and fives
welcome enquiries from all O.S. who would like to
play regardless of standard achieved at school, so
when you leave, do make contact; this can best be
done through G. P. Gent, Lower Woodbridge
House, Kings Stag, Sturminster Newton, Dorset
DTlO 2BD (Tel: 0963 23363). You don't have to
wait to be elected a Pilgrim.
70
'"
'.
SCHOOL
House
- under new manaaement 'Good evening, gentlemen, I have here just a couple of points to make . .. '
I. With tears in our eyes and with many a fond memory we said farewell to George
and Judy Facer and welcomed in their place Stephen Meek and his family, who were
to take on the challenge of running School House. Out went the high-lighted notices
and the Isuzu Trooper and in came the house assemblies and the battered Chevette.
Hall became sacrosanct and the secret of the pool table was finally discovered. As
was to be expected, several changes were made but by and large everything was the
same and the House functioned as smoothly as before.
2. (a) As we were told at the beginning of term, the Michaelmas term is the one
where the bulk of the year's learning is done and the House applied a very positive
attitude to working. Quiet periods were observed with fervour and hall became a
sacrosanct time of studying. After a close start, followed enthusiastically by the
House, the commendations beat the total of blues at the end of term count by a
wide margin. The Upper Sixth applied themselves diligently to their work and
special mention must go to Dickon Edwards and Nicholas Hole for their offers
from Cambridge.
(b) The House General Knowledge team made it through the first round for the
first time in four years and even made it to the final, where they were eventually
beaten by the favourites, Abbeylands. Here I feel that special thanks should go to
Dr. Ferrario for his invaluable support during the whole contest, being the sole
School House supporter for one match.
3. (a) On the sports front many members of the House played in school teams.
Yomi once again represented theIst XV; and Peter Spink, Christian Pittard and
Jamie Seaton played regularly for the 2nd XV, with guest appearances from Chris
Hart, Ben Biswell and Mark Jackaman.
(b) One sporting highlight of the term was the match against Milton Abbey.
The Milton Abbey 3rd XV, chickening out of a match against our 5ths, challenged the School House senior league team. Little did they know what they were
in for. The much feared House leagues team proceeded to beat Milton Abbey by
over 40 - O.
(c) Many boys also participated in minor sports, in particular the Rogers
brothers. Ed Rogers captained the School shooting team and was awarded his
colours, and Dan won the School Individual Shooting competition for the second
year running.
4. During the second half of term the filming industry came to School House. Much
of ITV's production of A Murder of Quality was filmed in the House and many of
the boys starred in it as extras. What they were not told when auditioning was the
fact that they would have to get up at eight o'clock on a Sunday morning to play a
jolly game of rugby. ITV took over and redecorated half of the House and in
everyone's but Mr. Meek's view made a vast improvement.
'And for my next point . .. '
ABBEY
House
Welcome to the Lent edition of the Abbey House bumper annual, packed with
information, jokes and tips on how to survive five years here, without causing
serious damage to self or surroundings. As always, your favourite characters will be
found within these covers, especially the mad and elusive night cyclist who continues
his adventures after a brief pause in activities to get married and have his first son.
We have all been pulling together and doing our bit. The military atmosphere in
the House is powerful. The censors have allowed me to disclose the names of our two
most senior military men, Nick Boyd and Will Cook, who have both received army
scholarships. Under their guidance the House has been conducting its war effort.
Two planes were brought down over Cambridge with AAB and AAAB anti-aircraft
fire - two men, Robert Crawford and Alex Davey, safely landed in Trinity and
Girton respectively. We wish them well on their final assault. Two other pilots,
Rupert Dymock-Maunsell and Ed Holme, bailed out slightly late and landed in a
pool, from which, unfortunately, no one fished them out. Special units are at
present behind enemy lines trying to locate them.
On the ground, our forces have proved just as effective. Encountering a slight
hitch on the enemy's Russian-style layered defences, our commander, Toby
Macpherson, rallied the troops and we ploughed through on the second assault to
win the Senior Rugby 'Plate' Cup. Several were decorated for their valour, notably
our commander, Freddie Ingarfield and Nick Barber with their 1st XV colours.
Smaller forces secured strategic positions in the form of the Junior Squash Cup and
a valiant individual effort by Alex Davey secured 1st position in the UK C.C.F.
Regatta.
As we all know, war has many different aspects to it and Abbey responded
accordingly. The diplomatic Corps, consisting of Alex Davey, Agent X, Joshua
Powell and Robert Hands, were mobilised and sent to the USA with the Chamber
Orchestra.
It appears to have been a success and contacts were secured. These men will be
vital in the closing stages of the conflict. Espionage was rife within the House, with
Robert Crawford and Rupert Dymock-Maunsell pretending to be 18th century
courtiers in Amadeus. The latter has been promoted to become a director of his own
unit, producing the play The Act this term. Abbey House has made its effort putting
on The Guinea-Pig. We hope to drop all those involved behind enemy lines in the
near future.
On the final drive, Upper Sixth front line troops experienced strong resistance.
One casualty so far; Freddie Ingarfield's tank received a direct hit and exploded
immediately - farewell thou true and faithful soldier; you will be remembered.
Mocks this term produced a number of injuries, but ones that should be healed by
the summer.
Remember to stick this on your windscreen and maybe a comrade will invite you
in for tea.
Goodbye and Good luck!
Nero and his fiddle.
The
GREEN
Fresh faced young men appear at their first House Assembly, uncertain of what
to expect, not only then, but later. A day, full of activity, has passed by and are they
any the wiser? They know where The Green is, where food is; but what of Lists,
'A' level Prize Winners, the Staff, the Headmaster ... ? The new youthful intake
are welcomed, a lively lot; the Lower Sixth have new faces too - Boris, Greg and
Hakim, from three different continents. Their marks were all quickly made. But we
must progress - ah yes! Mr. White joined the 'House Team', too - welcome!
The long term stretched out ahead of us - 15 WEEKS - 105 DAYS, definitely
too long! No matter; news of 'A' level successes and GCSE triumphs drove us on to
working, in some cases for Oxford and Cambridge, in others for GCSE re-takes Maths, Physics and Chemistry taking their toll. While all this was filling our days,
Luke Baker kept disappearing to London - alone - for interviews, dinners and
more interviews. North Carolina University will benefit from his 'multi-talents' since
he was successful in winning a Morehead Scholarship. Half-term came and went,
reports were written (how grim!), not only Oxford exams were completed but also
Cambridge interviews. The outcome for the House: success for 'Pete' Townsend at
Oxford, an offer for Will Paul and the Pool for Max Honer. Congratulations to
them all and to Luke. On a different level, in the Dayroom, the beavers were at work
gaining commendations, with Nick White just pipping Tom Warner and Miles
Porter-Davison for the prize.
Our sport went well again, five members of the House playing for the 1st XV at
various stages of the season, with Nick Greenstock being awarded his colours. Space
does not permit the names of all who played in other teams to be mentioned, but in
all eighteen sides put out by the School there were Green representatives. House
matches came and went again, with the Senior Final being an epic, forwards v backs;
extra time after a point-less game - Harper's bulk proved too much in the end, but
what a contest! (Thanks to DP J for the beer!) The Under 16 Final was another fine
match and the strong favourites were quaking when down at half-time. Two secondhalf tries brought Harper victory again. The Under 15 team was robbed, by the
referee, in the semi-finals: sudden death in extra time was not on!
HARPER
House
The start of term brought a continuation of the summer holidays' warmth and
sunshine well into the new academic year. With it, just as sunny, came the new
Dayroom and we had our first taste of 'Copperisms', Simon Spring's guitar playing
(thankfully not his singing), Charley Barke's dawn fishing exploits, Chris Hattam's
Captaincy of the Ul4 XV and Ellerbeck's effervescence, while Johnny Ambrose's
Kenyan suntan was the envy of all. If Charley 'I've lost my ... ' Venne was the
smallest, no doubting the largest: E.S.U. Scholar from California, 'Big Red' Jordan
Daniels made an immediate impression with his maturity, kindness and good
manners. A new Matron came as well and we welcomed Mrs. Holness and the Daily
Telegraph crossword into our midst.
All was not change, of course. The tutorial team remained intact; ACM with
plans for the tenth House never far from his arm; BAMH sporting a gingery David
Bellamy beard, now in charge of Holway Wood; PR, excited that this week's seafishing trip might at last yield a fish; KLM driving towards and quelling panics over
those Geography projects; HHDP and MJB ever more stately, bowed under the
weight of new departmental responsibilities; AKJM and MA W - more of them
later. James Persse, aldermanic in movement and conscientious in style, marshalled
his Prefects to good effect. No change either in House achievements; records came
and went - Steve Temple's nine haircuts in as many weeks and still needing
another; Justin and Simon vying for numbers of weekend 'crashes'; Matthew King's
wonderfully endless academic prizes; Strange music at the N.Y.O. - and so on
and so on.
Perhaps three events do stand out. Firstly, the presence of mind and observation
of the Dayroom in alerting the School about its midnight intruder and subsequently,
sharp-eyed, attending to his capture and arrest. Secondly, The Duchess of Malji. All
those hours and weekends of rehearsals bore magnificent fruit in the House Play.
Under AKJM's persistent and meticulous and sleepless direction, helped by SH and
Pat Harris, Nick Jordan, Dave Carter et aI, produced a spitting malevolence and
passion in this powerful Jacobean tragedy. Was anyone untouched by the strangulation scene? Throughout the term and the Play moved MA W, making sure that
everything happened as it should, front and back stage, un flappable. Then, thirdly,
those six members of the 1st XV infused such steely determination and concentration
into the House XV, which showed immense resolve to win a memorable Seniors
Final. The Seniors Cup returned to Harper to accompany that won by the U16 team,
most of whom will be there next year.
It all made for a tired and happy House at Christmas supper and skits. Yes, a
good term.
WALLACE
House
Michaelmas 1990 was, by Wallace standards, a fairly ordinary one - full of
incident and enjoyment but, regrettably, not much tangible achievement. Matthew
Austen was made Head of School, Ben Keeble was made Head of House, Jeremy
Adams and Richard Parsons were put in charge of Old Studies and the rest is
unimportant:
As well as the new batch of third formers, including the top academic scholar, we
welcomed several other newcomers to the house: Mr. McKee to join the tutorial
staff, Toshi from Greenhill, Zainudin from Malaysia and, of course, the unforgettable Oliver Tonkin, for whom life at school was a trifle uncomplaisant and who,
owing to a touch of 'absent frienditis', sadly had to leave us after a few short weeks.
On the academic state of affairs, Matthew Austen received a conditional offer to
study Modern Languages at Cambridge and both Ben Keeble and Richard Parsons
made valiant but unfortunately vain attempts in their respective Oxbridge exams.
Music, and Dominic Price got a Distinction in Grade VIII Singing to add to his
Grade VIII Violin Distinction; and James Richardson-Chapple organized the
customary Informal Junior House Concert, which proved yet again to be an excellent opportunity for the lesser musicians to stand up, without embarrassment, and
'have a go'.
Wallace has never been renowned for its sporting illustriousness and this term,
I'm afraid, was no different. However, although we could boast not a single person
on The Upper, Anthony Calvani played for the Colts A's, and Edward Bellew the
UI4 A's. The Senior Leagues team started well, notching up an impressive victory
against Downside V's, but degenerated slightly towards the end of term. The Junior
Leagues, on the other hand, deserve the greatest accolade, having achieved a flush of
eight defeats out of eight.
On 5th November, we had our very own Guy Fawkes evening on the patch,
including a dazzling firework display, courtesy of Or. Hamon, and soup and toffee
apples, for which thanks are owed to Mrs. Fisher. And this was not all: the Wallace
House entertainment also embodied a trip to the cinema to watch the inevitable
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
So, all in all, it was an eventful term with much to look back on but with little in
the way of silverware to show for it.
Daniel de Belder
ABBEYLANDS
Abbeyland's mantelpiece no longer relies on the 1890 Tug of War Cup and the
equally ancient Barge Cup for decoration. After a two-year absence the Inter-House
General Knowledge trophy returned to its central place in 1990, and it was joined by
two newcomers: the Under 15 Rugby Trophy and the House Leagues Cup. Individual achievements in sport were just as impressive: Jeremy Boucher played for
the Dorset and Wiltshire Under 19 team, Jack Lloyd for the 1st XV. Ali Robertson's
sixth place in the Under 18 South West Foil Championship gained him a place in the
National Fencing Final at Newcastle.
Demonstrating much encouraged business initiative, we raised £573 from the
summer's edition of Landmark, which we were able to hand over to Sherborne
House in London. They are planning to spend this on a promotional video.
Our cultural event of the term was the House Play, The Physicists by Friedrich
Diirrenmatt. Special thanks should go to Mr. Glen, who gave much of his time to the
play, especially as he has so many responsibilities in Yetminster. The author's death
on the day of the production was entirely unconnected.
It is not only in the fields of sport, work and theatre that Abbeylands excel Nigel Wraxall's creative and conciliatory directorship of the JCR and Andrew
Robertson's saxophone echoing through the Chapel at several Eucharists are two
examples of the Upper Sixth's leadership skills.
LYON
House
After the long recess of the summer holidays, the prospect of a 15-week term was
unpleasant, to say the least. As it turned out, the Michaelmas Term was a productive
time for Lyon House, with the arrival of the 14 (or was it 15?) members of the new
Third Form.
I would, however, like to open with one event from the summer which was
mysteriously omitted from the last term's report, the GCSE results: 'Billy' de Mestre
earned pride of place with 10 'A' grades, while Marcus Chantrey, Steve Clark and
lames East, who gained a Sixth Form Exhibition for his efforts, managed 8
'A' grades.
Returning to last term: on the sporting front Andy Rutherford distinguished
himself on the rugby pitch, being re-awarded his 1st XV colours, and lago Ridout
and Chris Smart both represented the Colts A with distinction. Mention must also go
to the 5th XV to which Lyon contributed no less than seven members at various
times during the season. In the more serene world of the golf course, Marcus
Chantrey was part of an undefeated team and was awarded his colours.
Contrary to popular belief, members of Lyon House know the meaning of the
word 'culture'. lerry Hosp appeared in the Girls' School play, Antigone, while
Matthew Warren and the duo of Steve Clark and 'Billy' de Mestre were awarded
Travel Grants to Europe for next summer to study Van Gogh and the delights of
Rome respectively. The House Concert, expertly organised by 10ff Powis and the
Revd Robert Prance, will also be long remembered, in spite of the relative lack of
musical talent available: started by NO EXIT! of Sycoss fame, brought to a climax
by Mungo Lowe's bagpipes and rounded off by the jazz band with guest performers,
Mr. Lapping and the Tutors.
Finally, thanks must go to Mr. and Mrs. Hatch, Mrs. Bayliss and the
indefatigable Hugo for holding the House together during such a long and arduous
term.
Andrew de Mestre
WESTCOTT
House
It was an Adrian Molecular sort of term when the things that grownups regard as
spectacularly 'significant' passed by with the flutter of a corner flag in the game of
life and those transient incidentals in life, concerning love, music, poetry and rugby,
took on the intense importance of a final penalty kick to decide the outcome of the
Three Cock. The Three What? Forgive me, gentle reader, but the entire School
went back to the future with the filming of a book by an Old Westcottian, John
Le Carre. And what could be more fitting than that the film be directed by another
Westcottian - Piers Vellacott, who then upped to Zimbabwe with his Panavision in
pursuit of Meryl Streep and AAAfrica. The results - 'Images of Africa' has its
Royal Premiere at a Lower Sixth Tutorial next term.
But those people who know the House intimately, and I hope the Girls' School
receive their courtesy copy of this magazine, will know that Westcott is a renaissance
house, fully meriting the subsidies of the present government with their Russian
roulette approach to the Arts. With the impending Gulf crisis we took a leaf out of
Dame Myra Hess' book and started lunch time concerts to revive the morale of the
nation. In the first of the series Hadleigh Graves played Shostakovich and Richard
Dyson rendered Debussy. He also won third prize in the Poetry, was recommended
for his contribution to the Inner City Project and took the Leadership Course to the
powder keg; but he wasn't Captain of the XV, that job was taken by Simon Watling
whose exploits are recorded elsewhere in these illustrious pages. The House rugby
nerve centre commmand ensured that we played in more Plate finals than a
Wedgewood factory - but unfortunately only the U15s managed to collect a trophy
(but since there is no trophy, the shelf remains rather an arduous task to dust).
In the wake of the GCSE results Ali Harris was awarded an internal Scholarship.
Findlay Hughes topped a successful tour of Australia by being asked to captain the
Hockey XI. Dr. Wilkinson marked the beginning of his reign as resident Tutor by
winning the hearts and stomachs of the incumbents by endless Saturday dinners for
the various years but his piece de resistance was the organisation of a Master Chef
competition for all the years, which was cooked out on three cookers, one hour and
£15 each team. KLM judged and cooked but not in the same heat and everyone
excelled except the tutors' team, cruelly handicapped by a lacklustre chicken
casserole for the instigator of the competition! There were the first contractions in
the labour that is to bring forth the celestial twins of a House play, directed by
MPO'C and a House concert, the impresario of which is to take some time off in the
Antipodes to research the Songlines of the Wacca.
I've noticed that other Houses with fewer achievements to record often anticipate
next term's events. This is a habit that I thoroughly disapprove of and therefore I
will leave Will Duke's offer of a place in Fine Arts to Balliol until next term.
The
DIGBY
In a term of many successes, many achievements, many tribulations, much excitement and a good deal of tedium, this, appropriately the last page of the present
Shirburnian, seems an appropriate place to anounce the First Annual Ostrich
Awards for outstanding performances in The Digby. All the winners will, of course,
receive a golden ostrich egg and the jealous congratulations of all the House.
First, goodbyes: The Margaret Thatcher Award for Swift Departure goes to Guy
Burnett; we wish him well in the future. The James Baker Free Holiday Award is
won by Phil Brown for gaining a place on the Public Schools' Golf Tour to the USA,
while Hamish MacLellan and Ewan Sangster share the How-Much-Did-You-PayThe-Housemaster? Award for their 1st XV Colours. The Foregone Conclusion
Award goes to all the House Rugby Teams, for not winnning anything else, apart
from the U16 plate. Meanwhile, the Ed Raymond Award for Running goes, for the
fourteenth term running, to Ed Raymond, who came 2nd in an international match
in France, the first Briton home. The Nigel Mansell Award for Reinstituted
Tradition goes to the victorious Third Form Basketball team, and the Gallant
Victory Award is won by the Junior Fives team.
The Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles Award for Acting goes to Nick Shearer for his
role in The Crucible. Tom Williams was runner-up. The Pretty Woman Award for
Kissing goes to Dave Caesar for the same production. However, dominating the
Cultural Awards is the House Concert. The Gazza Award for Tear Inducement goes
to Chris Martin for his composition 'Change Your Ways'. Alastair Woodward wins
the United Nations Award for Organisation. Hugh Davies wins the special Golden
Ostrich Wind and Percussion Award for gaining entry to the Royal College of
Music. The concert also provides an opportunity to award the You Shake My
Nerves ... Award for Duality to the Housemaster who can rock, roll and coach the
Harlequins simultaneously.
The Awards for Receiving Awards go to Toshi Yasaki, coming second in the
whole school in the UK Mathematics Challenge, Jeremy Walker for gaining honours
in the Daily Mail Shooting Competition and the five boys in the House who won
Travel Grants. The Best Novel Idea Award goes to Hugh Pugsley for actually giving
out some House Colours; Ed Playfair becomes a House Prefect and therefore wins
the Good Behaviour Award; the Channel Tunnel Award for Prolonged Anti-Climax
goes to A Murder of Quality, which transformed the House into a Hotel and a Police
Station for a while. This also receives the Who Cares If There's A Recession? Award
for Excessive Expenditure. Mencap have sponsored a Special Award for Charles
Atherton who earned £288 for them by parachuting bravely and he has our congratulations. However, as in all just awards ceremonies, and in true Digby Tradition,
there are, of course, no real losers.
AN
ELEGANT
RESTAURANT
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Luncheons: Tuesdays to Sundays
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24 Greenhill, Sherborne, Dorset