The Ousel
Autumn 2018 - Summer 2019
Number 991
2018-2019
THE OUSEL
The Magazine of Bedford School and the Old Bedfordians Club Number 991 - Autumn 2018 to Summer 2019
7 THE PRIZEWINNERS
16 TRIPS
24 aRT
34 DRAMA
46 MUSIC
54 HOUSE REPORTS
82 SPORT
169 OLD BEDFORDIANS
● Editor: A.W.Grimshaw
Carole Sims (staff news), Jo Law (staff news).
● Reporters-in-chief: Jamie Williams, Edward Mathew-Jones
● The Ousel magazine regrets any mistake made; all errors are made without malice or intention and in spite of repeated checks. All views expressed are those of the individual concerned and should not be taken to represent the official position of either Bedford School or the Harpur Trust.
● Front cover: Watching a conversion being taken. (pic - AJRH) ● Inside front cover: Chapel service to mark the 40th anniversary of the Bedford School fire. (Mark Lewis) ● Inside back cover: Speech Day reception, 2019. (Mark Lewis.) ● Design: Cherry Red Designs - www.cherryreddesigns.com ● Printer: Lavenham Press - www.lavenhampress.com ● © Bedford School 2019 ● Photographs: Many thanks to Mark Lewis, Aidan Huxford (especially rugby), Dr Suthers (rowing), Shawn Peng, Clara Policella (staff news), Richard Paterson (staff news),
● Bedford School is part of the Harpur Trust. ● Bedford School, De Parys Avenue, Bedford. MK40 2TU ● Tel: 01234 362200 ● email: info@bedfordschool.org.uk ● website: www.bedfordschool.org.uk
APOLOGY: Last year’s Ousel wrongly attributed Taran’s details to another boy. I wish to apologise for any upset caused and am happy to make the correction here: Taran left in the summer of 2018 and his photo and leaving details are published correctly here. AWG.
TARAN CHAND A-Level, academic colours, tennis, model UN, Young Enterprise
WELCOME
EDITORIAL 2019 There are times when only the longest of the long grass will do. At the end of the summer term, after all the flapping and frantic computer tapping are finally over with for another school year, there is a moment to kick all the soulless paraphernalia of today’s ‘tech’ high and long into the roughest of metaphorical rough patches. There is a time to set oneself free for a summer of beehives and barges. Time to vow that nothing invented after Queen Victoria’s reign should play a part in my summer. Nine weeks without a computer keyboard or mobile phone: very heaven. Looking back at a blissful spell on the Leeds-Liverpool canal now, I remember the feeling after toiling through twelve of the big double locks in a single day to reach the eve of journey’s end. We worked hard to get to a place on the towpath we could finally hammer home the mooring spikes, ready for a short stretch back to the boatyard on the good morrow. The feeling of accomplishment was so profound, that I woke at three in the morning, my brain reeling with the events of the week. Picking my way through the darkness, gently snoring slumberers on all sides, I went and sat in the shower room, turned on the lights and wrote what I could in my notebook. I thought of everyone I’d met across that week on the water: the pushy family in the nippy narrowboat, barging ahead in more ways than one; Stewart, the diminutive Scotsman, dealing with the painful loss of his wife by selling his house, buying a boat, restoring it and cruising the entire canal system with his two beloved dogs, Finn and JJ, one a massive Alsatian, the other shy yet curious, both as benign as their owner. Within moments of meeting me, he trusted me enough to let me stroll about in his boat unaccompanied whilst he was busy on the towpath.
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I also thought of Connie and Charlie, over from Queensland, buccaneering, surging forward with the ‘Digger’ spirit of Monash himself, pulling us along in their wake through the big double locks, so that we did more each day than we had expected, more than we ever thought we’d be able to. And so much that was good seemed to depend upon others reaching out to help us, upon alliances struck in the moment that held tight through the difficulties. And at the tiller, solid as granite, was ex-Bedford School physics teacher, Nick Migallo: jutting chin and jaunty quip, the Buzz Lightyear of our Toy Story, singing the virtues of his own enthusiasms, damning yours truly with a cheery grin. All of it made my heart swell with wonder: we had fought and snapped and sulked along the way, but laughed and sung and celebrated too. It made hot tears of thankfulness roll down my cheeks as I scribbled in the small hours. I vowed never to turn away the outstretched hand: in grasping it we often find the truth of ourselves; we properly connect when alongside real people in the real world. Life at its sweetest is an intrepid reaching out to others. The power of having come through it all to reach the eve of journey’s end moved me. That moment before we make for home, when we have a lingering look at all we have accomplished, burns strong in the mind: one last sweet glance before we turn away to trudge back to another year chained to the computer. We hope that in the year to come you enjoy high points that warm your hearts in retrospect; we wish all our Ousel readers the joy of the season. AWG
WELCOME
From the Head Master’s Study ‘Plus ҫa change, plus c’est la même chose…’ Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr (and no doubt Ovid a couple of millennia earlier, whose Metamorphoses nods to the same sentiment), would have grinned knowingly at our current predicament. No matter how outstanding, how imaginative, how ground-breaking and globally renowned our independent schools become, it seems we are destined to face continual existential threat from sections of our own politicians and media. I write only a few weeks after the latest round of party conferences and, without wishing to become too political myself, one party stood out in its desire not simply to tax us out of existence, but even to ‘integrate all private schools into the state sector’ by (amongst other things) ‘redistributing their endowments, investments and properties across the country’s educational institutions’. Whatever you think of the likelihood of all this happening, it is at the very least a statement of pure hostility. It is a short-sighted position to take and a great shame, when there has never been more powerful educational collaboration between the state and independent sector: we can, and genuinely wish to, play a part in a national drive to raise prospects for all, and not just our own children. It feels entirely counterproductive to talk about getting rid of that mutual goodwill, so evident at ground level, rather than harness it and benefit from it. In Bedford alone, there are seven independent schools: my summary of the Bedford School position locally, therefore, is strengthened further by their own stories. However, here at Bedford School, we already have the most amazing partnerships with our local community, both in education and in other charitable fields. Today in assembly, for instance, I congratulated the boys on a letter from the Duke of Edinburgh award team to let us know that boys had completed 1638 hours of community service between them last year – but this really is the tip of the iceberg. The IB diploma requires community service as part of its curriculum and this year we are copying that in our A Level provision; in particular, we aim to make whatever positive difference we can to the local primary sector. Our sixth-form boys have already been involved in taking extra sports sessions in schools with little sport, in providing extra reading support for young pupils where there is a real need, in playing the piano for the choir in schools where there is no pianist, in taking guitars to schools where there is no music and in teaching weekly Latin lessons to those who wish to study the classical world, but who cannot. This is not politically motivated: it is a complete “win/win” situation. Our boys learn to take responsibility for themselves, and to feel the power of community and the joy of providing support for others; the primary schools receive much-needed help in areas long since shelved due to lack of funds. We have some wonderful partnerships in the secondary sector, too. Through our Independent State School Partnership (ISSP) with Mark Rutherford School, for instance, we have collaborated at all levels – governors, senior management, teaching staff and pupils – and I am proud to say that we have learnt as much from them as they have learned from us: it is a proper partnership, with young people at its heart, no matter what their background. We have linked with a large number of other
local schools, too, to enhance teaching, careers, leadership and the arts. Of course, we never lose sight of our primary duty to our own boys – but that is precisely the point. They learn so much about life outside the (glorious!) bubble we inhabit; they become the kind of empathetic men of integrity that all want to be. When coupled with a strong academic and extra-curricular education of their own, they are building a powerful base for their adult lives. Gratifyingly, in a recent poll shortly after the abolition of private schools was proposed (and approved) at the Labour Party Conference by a group known by its twitter tag as “#AbolishEton”, 68% of people supported the principle of parents being able to pay for private education, despite there only being 7% of the country’s children currently educated privately. The happy fact is that the majority of people sees us nationally, as well as globally, as among the best in the world; and (as a boy who recently joined our lower sixth from the state sector told me earlier today) people aspire to be educated in one of our schools. There is a moral imperative upon us, therefore, to be innovative, to be excellent, to take a courageous lead, and to be grounded enough to enjoy genuine collaborations for the benefit of all. I am most grateful to the ever-grounded Andrew Grimshaw, who sees his second stint as editor of this magazine come to an end with this edition. He has been the most marvellous custodian of an enduringly fine tradition. I hope that you continue to enjoy its pages…. JSH
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WELCOME
From the Chaplain Forty years ago this past March, my predecessor as Chaplain was driving late at night back to school from a conference. As he came nearer to Bedford, a red glow became visible on the horizon; as he made his way into the town itself he realised that the school was on fire. While he was somewhat relieved to find that neither the boarding house of which he was housemaster nor the Chapel were ablaze, the sight that met his eyes when he drew in to Burnaby Road was unimaginable: the main building, with its great hall, was surrounded by fire crews and onlookers, the Head Master was dragging filing cabinets full of important documents from the side door of his study and an inextinguishable blaze had taken hold. The first caller to the emergency switchboard at 11.58pm on Saturday 3 March had described ‘whopping great flames coming out of the roof and lots of smoke’, and by the light of day the following morning all that remained was a charred, smoking shell. The ‘Great Fire’ of 1979 has become one of the defining moments in the history of our school, and it was a real pleasure to be able to welcome back so many old boys, masters, firefighters, and local residents who had witnessed the blaze to a service of commemoration in the Chapel to mark this 40 year anniversary. We welcomed back the Revd Michael Hepworth, School Chaplain from 1972 to 1983 to preach (remarking that at the time of the Great Fire the school enjoyed the services of no fewer than four chaplains!), and we sang the same hymns that were sung at the first Chapel services and assemblies when school resumed. Perhaps of more importance, certainly for old boys and masters, was not that they had been present at the blaze itself, but that they had been witness to and part of the remarkable two years that followed. Many had assumed that following the destruction of 90% of the classroom space, the school would be forced to close, and boys would be sent home. Instead, by the Sunday evening, a notice had been posted at the school gates: ‘Normal School on Monday March 5th at 9.00am’. No lessons were missed: every possible space was used for teaching including the pavilion, boarding houses, the dining hall, and even the rifle range. That the school could, almost literally, rise from the ashes, phoenix-like, on that Monday morning is testament to the
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resilience and strength of character of the boys, masters, support staff, and particularly the Head Master at the time, Ian Jones. In his address to the school on that first Monday after the fire, the Head Master made it clear that this was not simply a matter of rigid stoicism or traditional English ‘stiff upper lip’, but rather a matter of generosity of spirit, mutual encouragement and support: ‘We want people to say of masters and boys and everyone at Bedford that they have big hearts’. We have seen much of this spirit over the course of the past year, particularly as we have laid to rest four teachers and one boy, as well as receiving news of the death of a colleague only recently moved on from Bedford, all beloved members of our school community. With big hearts, I have seen first-hand how colleagues and boys have supported each other through adversity, offered encouragement and support and lived up to the legacy of the generation of the Great Fire. While at first thought we might think of the school as existing geographically, as a campus, as buildings, as classrooms, pitches, and halls, ultimately it is not this that binds us as a community. Whether 1979 or 2019, it is people that make our school, and it is the common values that we share here, spanning the generations of Bedfordians past and present and exemplified in the school’s response to the disaster of the Great Fire, that bind us together through challenge and triumph alike. O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our rock and our salvation; grant that we may always uphold one another in faith, hope, and love, that even in the darkest of hours we may know your presence with us; we ask this through Jesus Christ our strength and our redeemer. NGM
The Rt Revd Richard Atkinson OBE, Bishop of Bedford, administers the rite of Confirmation to Bedford School boys in May 2019
WELCOME
Deputy Head of School, Felix Mallalieu
Will Barnes as Head of School
Arriving as a fresh faced new boy in year six, I was given a ‘buddy’, who would help me through the first few weeks at Bedford. He had dark hair, was of medium height and his name was Felix. Who would have thought eight years down the line, we would be sharing the most senior positions in the school? Certainly not me. I feel extremely lucky to have known Felix, or ‘Mallers’ as we more commonly refer to him, over the last few years. Memories stretch far and wide: whether it be the wet hills of the Brecon Beacons or equally wet rugby pitches in the centre of Warwick, Felix’s company is always welcome. On the sports field, I have played to the left and the right of, in front of, behind, and opposite Mallers as we have shared teams in rugby, hockey and cricket. The most memorable moment of which was making our 1st XV debut against Oundle together, playing 10 and 12 respectively , and overcoming a 18-3 score line to eventually win 27-23. Without him this year, my life would have been considerably more stressful. I must say I felt particularly fortunate when Mr Armstrong asked him, rather than me, to organise the entire staff body during the whole school photo at the start of this year. I recall someone saying, “He would have better luck herding cats.” Nonetheless his military organisation, which is of no surprise as Head of Army, ensured that the photo was taken before lunch. Funny, enthusiastic, honest, loyal and extremely driven, I feel very fortunate to have had him by my side over the course of the final year; I am sure that he will go onto big things one day. Keep an eye out for the Mallalieu renewable energy company in the next few years… Will Barnes
To summarise Will in only a few paragraphs is no easy task. It is very easy to speak about what he’s done for the school: you don’t have to look very far to see his name or face, whether it is on the sports field - in rugby, hockey and cricket - the school band or the school archives - he is everywhere. I first met Will as his buddy in year six and I would never have thought that he would be Head of School or that I would be his deputy eight years later. However, over the past few years, I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect for the job; recently he has shown exactly why he is where he is. I have never seen him back down from a chance to speak in public, or at all for that matter, eloquently finding the right words to say for every occasion. He is incredibly approachable, genuinely kind, and although busy, somehow he manages to find time for everyone. Loyal as a dog, he will stick his chin out to those he cares about in the blink of an eye. Wholeheartedly, Will is a true credit to the school and to share these years with him has been a privilege. Felix Mallalieu
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ACADEMIC LIFE From the Deputy Head (Academic) The school values of endeavour, curiosity, responsibility and integrity were exercised with vigour across the academic life of Bedford School in 2018-19. A fine set of IB and A Level examination results secured 83% of our leavers a place at one of the Russell Group or equivalent Times Top 30 universities. We were pleased to celebrate not only the academic successes of our leavers but also the diversity of their interests in their chosen areas of undergraduate study (those courses at the head the alphabet alone encompassing ancient history, anthropology, accountancy, aerospace engineering and architecture). Indeed, engineering and architecture featured prominently in the undergraduate courses of our leavers – alongside economics, international business and medicine. Four mathematicians (Bernard Chean, Harry Chen, Thomas Pelling and Henry Shaw) managed to score 12A* and 4A grades between them to secure places to read mathematics at Imperial, Cambridge, Oxford and Warwick respectively. Music success also featured strongly for the year group: Silas Sanders and Felix Asare are taking up their offers to read music at Cambridge, with others set to read music at the Royal Northern College of Music and Durham, and music technology at Coventry and Nottingham Trent. Away from the UK university system, there were further success stories, including Trent Abraham taking up a rowing scholarship at Syracuse University in New York and Marco Sarro securing a degree apprenticeship with the international aerospace firm Airbus. Further international university destinations include France, the Netherlands and Hong Kong. The GCSE cohort achieved a record-breaking 48% of examinations scoring a grade 9 or 8 (A* equivalents) – we look forward to seeing these boys continue to set their academic sights high in the sixth form. Special mention should be given to George Winder (fifth form), who achieved a clean sweep of grade 9s across all his subjects. Although we no longer take external examinations at the end of the lower sixth, we were delighted to award fifteen current upper sixth formers with academic colours for exceptional performance in their lower sixth examinations. The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) cohort achieved a clean sweep of A*-A grades for a second successive year. In the lower sixth, our A Level cohort produced a superb range and quality of Bedford School Independent Projects - the winning entry was Benedict Giles, for his literature review of the cellular ageing process in human cells. What follows is a small selection of the ways Bedford boys have made themselves known outside the school grounds in areas of academic success. In forming this digest, a large number of achievements have been omitted, but I hope this gives a flavour of the breadth and depth of academic pursuit with which our teachers and boys have engaged. The writing and debating of Bedford boys has been the source of much celebration this year. Jamie Williams (lower sixth) won The Stage Newspaper/The Place Theatre Resident Reviewers Competition for aspiring writers and is now contributing theatre reviews for publication. Enoch Mukungu and Jonathan Blake (upper sixth) represented schools in Bedford at a dinner held to celebrate the centenary 6
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of the English Speaking Union (ESU). Enoch won his debate and drew plaudits from the audience of ESU members and dignitaries. In the regional finals of the English Schools Union Churchill Public Speaking Competition, Harry Hine (remove) won the Personality of the Competition prize. The Modern Languages Department has initiated a project to recognise, celebrate and promote linguistic diversity within the school community by creating a YouTube channel called ‘Languages at Bedford School’. This site now features over 50 videos of members of the community sharing their languages and language skills. In competitions, Matthew Stewart (lower sixth) was commended for his entry to the Oxford Magical Translation Competition, a national translation competition run by the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford. In the National Linguistics Olympiad, Oscar Hudson (Lower Sixth) won a gold medal, with many other boys securing silver and bronze medals in this challenging test of linguistic data problems. In the Humanities Faculty, several boys entered the Staton Essay Competition (organised by the University of Oxford). Here, Harry Ward (upper sixth) was a prize winner, with the entries of William Barnes and Rahul Sheemar (both upper sixth) commended. Following internal selection, Lucas Inman and Moritz Stahl (both lower sixth) represented Bedford School in the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ project, organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust. Jack O’Donovan and Oliver Burridge-Dean (both lower sixth) have formed the core of the Bedford School Archives team, completing a special project to record many of these stories relating to the school fire of 1979, with Harry McPhail (Lower Sixth) seeing his blog on 20th century Bedfordshire history develop into a regular column published in the Bedford Independent. In sciences, 2018-19 was a very successful year in national competitions. Will Haggar (upper sixth) was awarded a gold medal in the Biology Olympiad; Will Ashcroft, Lucan Inman, Jay Johnson and Benjamin Spanoudakis (all lower sixth) were awarded gold medals in the Biology Intermediate Olympiad, and a further 47 boys won medals in the Biology Junior Olympiad. Thomas Pelling, Henry Shaw and James Wallace (all upper sixth) achieved a merit in the Physics Olympiad; with Henry securing a distinction in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Challenge. Bernard Chean, Trystan Coveney and Thomas Pelling (all upper sixth) achieved gold medals in the Chemistry Challenge. Special mention should be given to junior boys Will McGillivray, Kolia Sorokin and Dylan Swain (all remove) who achieved gold medals in both the Biology and Physics Junior Olympiads. This academic year saw our first cohort of GCSE computer scientists begin their qualification, but outside the computer laboratory our students have continued to impress in their digital skills. James Moffatt (remove) was one of the topperforming pupils in the UK in HM Government’s Cyber Schools Programme, and participation in the Duke of York Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award has seen dozens of boys (and a handful of teachers!) achieve medals. Such has been the success of the Duke of York programme that this will form part of our computer science curriculum for all fourth formers this year. Matthew Lewis (lower sixth), James Wallace, Alex Ward and Henry Shaw (upper sixth) caused a stir in the ‘Barclays Block Chain Hackathon’ when they scooped third prize.
ACADEMIC LIFE
Awash with technical teams from banks and high-profile tech companies, the Bedford School boys were the only school team invited and had no prior block-chain technology experience up until two days before the event. Despite this, they managed to pitch their idea, set up block chain networks, install software, develop a project and present it to international banks, technology companies and professional services firms. Their innovative solution relating to the processing of examinations data intrigued technology staff at UCAS, so the boys were subsequently invited to share their ideas at UCAS headquarters. Their solution could potentially be incorporated in future revisions of the UCAS results services. Matthew Lewis was also runner-up in the Imperial College of Science and Technology Science Challenge, for his essay entitled ‘How AI will improve people’s lives by 2035’. This was also a strong year for our mathematicians in competitions. Eighteen boys were awarded a gold medal in the Senior Maths Challenge, with a further eighteen awarded gold in the Intermediate Maths Challenge (including Shawn Shen and Sunny Ye from the fourth form). From the seniors, Henry Shaw and Thomas Pelling (both upper sixth) went on to achieve a distinction in the British Maths Olympiad, with Thomas progressing to achieve a gold medal in round two and attending the national training camp for international competitions. Our Senior Team Maths Challenge ranked
third in the Cambridge heat, with our Team Maths Challenge finishing fourth out of 32 teams in the regional finals. In the arts, Bedford boys have continued to make themselves known on the national stage. Peter Barrington (lower sixth) joined the National Youth Music Theatre for their summer productions, and Tomi Fashola (upper sixth) represented the school in the ARTiculation Competition, a national art public speaking competition. James Watson (remove) took up a prestigious Royal School of Church Music Scholarship on the organ, as well as a seat in the National Children’s Orchestra with the double bass. Tom Arnold (lower sixth) was awarded Music Director of the Year by the National Operatic and Drama Association (NODA) and Silas Sanders won a place in the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, the most inspiring organisation for young choral singers in the country. Silas was also selected to sing with the National Youth Chamber Choir, a small sub-set of the National Youth Choir. Ben Watson (lower sixth) took a place in the National Youth Training Choir, for younger singers. In the Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama our boys achieved a remarkable 85 top-three places across the festival, with Jonathan Hosking (upper sixth) winning the festival’s top accolade, the Woodfine Lousada Prize, for the most outstanding speech and drama performance. SSB
THE PRIZES • Talalay Science Prize - Matthew Lewis (L6) • Grevelink Memorial Exhibition for Science - Tom Holland (U6) • H S Aldred Memorial Prize for Science Projects Ify Emmanuel-Odiachi (U6) • Physical Science A-Level Prize - Thomas Pelling (U6) • K Revis Prize for the best Physics Investigation Niklas Sindemann (U6) • Tanner Memorial Prizes - Physics: Harilaos Karavagellis (5th) Chemistry: George Winder (5th) • Eric Robinson Memorial Prize for Chemistry Romeo Eriksen (U6) • Rollinson Scholarship for Science - Paul Whalley (U6) • Radclyffe Hall Prizes for Biology - Senior: Fung Lau (U6) Junior: George Winder (5th) • Henry Farrar Memorial Prize for Mathematics Thomas Pelling (U6) • Fuller Memorial Prize for Mathematics Harilaos Karavagellis (5th) • Malcolm Wilson Prize for Mathematics - Romeo Eriksen (U6) • W H Allen Engineering Exhibition - Sam Dalton (U6) • Arthur Jones Prize for Computer Technology Henry Shaw (U6) • Phillpotts-Sargeaunt Prizes for Spoken English Senior: Harry Ward (U6) Junior: David Adeyemi-Abere (Rem) • De-la-Noy Prize for Literary Analysis - Benjamin Sporton (L6) • F P D Hurst Memorial Prize for English - Hasnain Zaidi (5th) • Stileman English Prize - Ethan Whitlock (Rem) • Fowles Prize for English Essay - Flik Feng (L6) • Archie Wellbelove Prize - Nathaniel Otley (5th) • New College Prizes for Classics Senior: Silas Sanders (U6) Junior: Alfie Wilcocks (5th)
• J Marsh Prize for Classics - Oliver Perkins (U6) • Harvey Goldsmith Prize for History - Antonio Reale (5th) • William James Burr Memorial Prize for History William Barnes (U6) • David Stanbridge History - Johnny Cummins (4th) • Geoffrey Inskip Geography Prizes Senior: Daniel Wells (U6) Junior: Daniel Lumley-Wood (5th) • School Prize for Economics - Tom Qin (U6) • School Prize for Business Studies - Harry Gouldstone (U6) • School Prize for Politics - Enoch Mukungu (U6) • Lower Sixth Modern Languages Essay - Daniel Smith (L6) • Page Prize for French - Felix Mallalieu (U6) • Lejeune Prize for French - David Adeyemi-Abere (Rem) • Irving French Prize - Alex Christey (5th) • F J Harrison Prize for German - Rahul Sheemar (U6) • Heald Prizes for German - Senior: Edwin Chan (U6) Junior: Hugo Mathew (5th) • R Baker Prize for German - Luca Maier (U6) • Argentine OB Prizes for Spanish Senior: Joseph Fordham (U6) Junior: George Winder (5th) • John Hext Prize for Mandarin Chinese - Nikolai Sorokin (Rem) • School Prize for Enthusiasm & Commitment to Chinese Anthony Hung (L6) • English as a Second Language Prize - Felix Barth (5th) • School Prizes for Music - Senior: Silas Sanders (U6) Junior: George Balfour (Rem) • Tagore Prize for Piano playing - Alexander Watson (U6) • Crossman Prize for Brass playing - Thomas Arnold (L6) • Beatrice Langley Prize for String playing - Calum Bourne (L6) • W A L Osborn Memorial Prize for Singing - Peter Head (U6) • Godber Prize for Organ Playing - Henry Poppleton (L6)
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ACADEMIC LIFE
• Barford Prize for Woodwind playing - Nathaniel Otley (5th) • Amos Prize for Solo Playing and Commitment to School Music - Silas Sanders (U6), Alexander Watson (U6) • School Prize for Music Technology - Oliver Walker (U6) • James Ritchie Memorial Price for the Performing Arts (Music and Drama) - Jonathan Hosking (U6) • Drama Prize for Acting - Jamie Williams (U6) • Drama Prize for Services to Stage Crew George Robertson (L6) • Frank Wilson Technology Prizes - Senior: Barnaby May (U6) Junior: Freddie Stock (5th) • Milne Prize for Graphics - Matt Rea (5th) • Mike Carpenter Award for Design and Technology Oliver Setterfield (5th) • William James Burr Memorial Prizes for Art Senior: Benson Chan (U6) Junior: Boris Song (5th) • Fanshawe Divinity Prize - Rahul Sheemar (U6) • School Prize for Religious Studies - Harry Ward (U6) • Norris Prizes for Outstanding GCSE results William Ashcroft (L6), Ewan Gordon Oscar Hill (L6) Lucas Inman (L6) Daniel Smith (L6), Matthew Stewart (L6), Novo Ukiri (L6), Leon Zhu (L6) • John H Buck Price for Consistent Effort Tai Tsang-Goodwin (4th) • Jo Spir Prize - Samuel Robinson (L6) • IB Diploma Prize for CAS (Creativity, Activity & Service) Jean-Kai Eschmann (U6) • IB Diploma Prize for ToK - Tom Holland (U6) • IB Diploma Prize for Extended Essay Science: Lennart Roese (U6) Arts: Rahul Sheemar (U6) • Chalice Prize - Benjamin Watson (L6) • Tristam Yarde Prize - Maximilian Sogan (5th) • The Andrew Lucken Award for personal courage and for supporting others in need - Max Judge (U6) • Bill Sohal Prize for Aspiration - Matthew Lewis (L6) • Bowl of Benevolence (kindly donated by Old Bedfordians Lodge) - Oscar Tang (U6) • The School Prize for Services to Boarding - Toby May (U6) • MacCarthy Ray Memorial Prize for Good Work with the CCF - James Brazil (L6) • P K Bourne Award for Best CCF Recruit - Kiran Katechia (4th) • The School Prize for Services to the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme - Joseph Fordham (U6) • The CAP Tarbutt Memorial Prizes - Charlie Axford (U6), William Barnes (U6), Tom Blythman (U6), Harry Gouldstone (U6), Jonathan Hosking (U6), Toby Garrett (U6) • The Guy Fletcher Prize for Sportsmanship and Dedication - James Zhang (U6) • Barlen Leaving Exhibition - William Barnes (U6) • Elger Leaving Exhibition - Harry Chen (U6), Thomas Pelling (U6), Silas Sanders (U6), Henry Shaw (U6) • Young Prize for the Head of School - William Barnes (U6)
RECORD OF ADDITIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS Details of prizes awarded earlier this academic year, and other individual achievements
SCHOOL COLOURS • Academic Colours: William Barnes (U6), Bernard Chean (U6), Trystan Coveney (U6), Joseph Fordham (U6), Toby Garrett (U6), 8
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Tom Holland (U6), Fung Lau (U6), Igor Maiorov (U6), Sung Yat Ng (U6), Haydn O’Neill (U6), Thomas Pelling (U6), Tom Qin (U6), Henry Shaw (U6), Rahul Sheemar (U6), Harry Ward (U6) • Music Colours: Jonathan Blake (U6), Silas Sanders (U6), Oliver Walker (U6), Alex Watson (U6) • Art Colours: Benson Chan (U6), Leo Chiu (U6), Nikhil Chavda (U6), Adrian Lee (U6) • Drama Colours: Jonathan Hosking (U6) • Rugby Honours Caps: William Barnes (U6), Toby Garrett (U6), Alex King (U6), Tom Linsell (U6), Felix Mallalieu (U6) • Rugby Major Colours: Ryan Apps (L6), Finn Cassell (L6), Sam Dalton (U6), Harry Homan (U6), Gus Miller (L6), Michael Phillips (L6), Archie Swainson (U6), Kayde Sylvester (L6), Dan Wells (U6), Leon Williamson (U6) • Rugby Minor Colours: Tom Blythman (U6), Alexander Bowes (U6), Elijah Cooke (U6), Ross Denton (U6), Alfie Elston (U6), Joseph Fordham (U6), Harry Gouldstone (U6), Peter Head (U6), Charlie Hicks (U6), Tsz King Ho (U6), Matthew Johnston (U6), Ben Lucas (U6), Joshua Nethersole (U6), Timmy Pong (U6), Charlie Probyn (U6), Alex Rennie (U6), Alexander Wegener (U6) • Hockey Honours Caps: Charlie Axford (U6), William Barnes (U6), Tom Blythman (U6), Felix Mallalieu (U6) • Hockey Major Colours: Charlie Axford (U6), William Barnes (U6), Tom Blythman (U6), Michael Catt (L6), Sam Dalton (U6), Alfie Elston (U6), Charlie Hicks (U6), William Kirkup (U6), Felix Mallalieu (U6), Finley O’Sullivan (U6), Tom O’Toole (L6), Isaac Pearson (U6), Daniel Smith (L6), Bryn Williamson (L6) • Hockey Minor Colours: Sam Blakemore (L6), Edward Blythman (L6), Calum Bourne (L6), Benson Chan (U6), Ollie Crankshaw (L6), Max Deacon (U6), Ross Denton (U6), Oliver Dwight (L6), Ify Emmanuel-Odiachi (U6), Adam Foat (U6), Toby Garrett (U6), Peter Head (U6), Ben Herbert (U6), Lucas Inman (L6), Sachin Kalyan (U6), Jaikishan Katechia (U6), Ben Lucas (U6), Barnaby May (U6), Toby May (U6), Daniel Reid (L6) • Rowing Major Colours: Trent Abraham (U6), Alex English (L6), Benedict Giles (L6), John Hopcroft (U6), Alex King (U6), Joshua Lyon (L6), Austin Roberts (U6), Lennart Roese (U6), Samuel Wainwright (U6), George Whitcombe (L6), George Whitcombe (U6) • Rowing Minor Colours: Amun Bhamra (U6), Oliver Billington (U6), Rory Boylen (U6), Thomas Byrne (L6), Cheuk Yin Edwin Chan (U6), Elijah Cooke (U6), William English (L6), Jay Garbutt (L6), Ewan Gordon (L6), James Haxell (L6), Jay Johnson (L6), Matthew Johnston (U6), Matthew Lewis (L6), Arthur Marie (U6), Marc Neilson (U6), Marco Sarro (U6), Niklas Sindemann (U6), Benjamin Spanoudakis (L6), Alex Ward (U6), Alex Wilkins (L6) • Cricket Honours Cap: Harry Gouldstone (U6), Alex Rennie (U6), Rahul Sheemar (U6) • Cricket Major Colours: Tom Blythman (U6), Michael Catt (L6), Amaan Mehmood (U6), Tom O’Toole (L6), Michael Wells (L6), Sami Younis (U6) • Cricket Minor Colours: Tom Chambers (L6), Will Cochrane (L6), William Haggar (U6), Ben Herbert (U6), Sachin Kalyan (U6), Jaikishan Katechia (U6), James Kneller (U6), Ben Lucas (U6), Sareer Safi (U6), Anhad Singh (L6)
ACADEMIC LIFE
• Athletics Minor Colours: Timmy Pong (U6), Adam Foat (U6), Ian Lau (U6), Fung Lau (U6), Alexander Wegener (U6) • Badminton Minor Colours: Anthony Chan (L6), Anthony Hung (L6), Ian Lau (U6), Fung Lau (U6), Adrian Lee (U6), Desmond Sze (L6), Edric Yeung (L6) • Basketball Minor Colours: George Bennett (L6), Joseph Briggs (5th), Harry Chen (U6), Harris Pan (L6), Enoch Tze (L6), George Wegener (L6), James Zhang (U6) • Cross Country Minor Colours: William Barnes (U6), Edward Blythman (L6), Adam Foat (U6) • Football Minor Colours: Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere (L6), Daniil Dulgeru (U6), Sohaib El Ghul (L6), Harry Gouldstone (U6), James Kneller (U6), Harry McPhail (L6), Amaan Mehmood (U6), Charlie Probyn (U6), Alex Rennie (U6), Oscar Singer (U6), Anhad Singh (L6), Novo Ukiri (L6), Daniel Wells (U6), Alikhan Yeraliyev (L6) • Golf Minor Colours: Harry Brown (L6), Wilf Rush (L6) • Sailing Minor Colours: Oliver Dwight (L6) • Shooting Minor Colours: Blake Ayling (5th), Peter Barrington (L6), Daniel Lumley-Wood (5th), William Smithson (L6) • Squash Minor Colours: Matthew Fahmy (U6), Jonathan Hosking (U6), Joseph Young (L6) • Aquatics Minor Colours: Igor Maiorov (U6), Shawn Peng (L6), George Whitcombe (L6) • Tennis Minor Colours: Simon Bessel (L6), Sam Dalton (U6), Max Deacon (U6), Moritz Stahl (L6) ACADEMIC STRIPES • Post Fourth Form Exams: David Adeyemi-Abere (Rem), Alexander Aellen (Rem), George Ashcroft (Rem), Jake Bentley-Evans (Rem), Oliver Blakemore (Rem), Oscar Calvert (Rem), Maldwyn Crook (Rem), James Cutler (Rem), James Deardon (Rem), Raoul Flora (Rem), Kieran Gilmour (Rem), Thomas Herbert (Rem), Harry Hine (Rem), Maxwell Martin (Rem), Krish Nair (Rem), Ethan Ofosu (Rem), Kolia Sorokin (Rem), Dylan Swain (Rem), Oscar Terry (Rem) • Post Remove Form Exams: Benjamin Barden (5th), Alex Christey (5th), Henry Dowrick (5th), Henry Faulkner (5th), William Garner (5th), Harilaos Karavaggelis (5th), Alexander Linney (5th), Daniel Lumley-Wood (5th), Hugo Mathew (5th), James Norris (5th), Alfred Willcocks (5th), George Winder (5th) • Post GCSE Trial Exams: Benjamin Barnes (5th), George Barrett (5th), Rowan Bascetta-Pollitt (5th), Jack Davis (5th), Samuel Dicks (5th), Joshua Gervais (5th), Hugh Halsey (5th), Zane Haroon (5th), Rohan Jacob (5th), Maximilian Lusty (5th), Carlos Martinez Bonet (5th), Yaamin Mohamed (5th), Antonio Reale (5th), Stephen Simmons (5th), Vivaan Singh (5th), Maximilian Sogan (5th), Amir Solanki (5th), Rowan Spong (5th), Tobias Todd (5th), Parwaaz Upadhyay (5th), Hasnain Zaidi (5th) • Post GCSE Exams: Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere (L6), William Ashcroft (L6), Thomas Byrne (L6), Thomas Chambers (L6), Oliver Crankshaw (L6), Samuel Evans (L6), Ewan Gordon (L6), Oscar Hill (L6), Oscar Hudson (L6), Lucas Inman (L6), Alex Lam (L6), Harry McPhail (L6), Daniel Smith (L6), Benjamin Spanoudakis (L6), Benjamin Sporton (L6), Matthew Stewart (L6), Enoch Tze (L6), Novo Ukiri (L6),
William Watson (L6), Leon Zhu (L6) EXTERNAL ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS • STATON ESSAY COMPETITION, REGENT’S PARK COLLEGE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY Prize: Harry Ward (U6) Commended: William Barnes (U6) Commended: Rahul Sheemar (U6) • DETWEILER COMPETITION WINNERS Art (2D Winner): Ben Herbert (U6) Art (3D Winner): Benson Chan (U6) Art (Highly Commended): Trent Abraham (U6) Art (Highly Commended): Alfie Elston (U6) Art (Highly Commended): Henry Flatt (Rem) Art (Highly Commended): Matthew Stewart (L6) Art (Highly Commended): Austin Ward (Rem) Music (Winner): Alex Watson (U6) Music (Runner Up): Flik Feng (L6) Music (Shortlisted): Joba Thomas (Rem) English Creative Writing (Winner): Krish Nair (Rem) English Creative Writing (Runner Up): Will Roberts (4th) Drama (Winner): Ishaan Mukherji (L6) • BRITISH BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD Gold: Will Haggar (U6) Silver: Fung Lau (U6), Laurence Pleuger (U6) Bronze: Matthew Fahmy (U6), Harry Homan (U6) Highly Commended: Oliver Billington (U6), Jakishan Katechia (U6), Sareer Safi (U6) • INTERMEDIATE BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD Gold: Harry Homan (U6) Silver: Matthew Fahmy (U6), Will Haggar (U6) Bronze: Fung Lau (U6), Ian Lau (U6), Sung Yat Ng (U6), Sareer Safi (U6), Nicholas Yip (U6) Commended: Matthew Bridger (U6), Adrian Lee (U6), Sam Wainwright (U6), Paul Whalley (U6) • BIOLOGY CHALLENGE Gold: Alexander Edun (Rem), John Ellwood (Rem), Sami Haroon (Rem), Thomas Herbert (Rem), Ciaran Kilbane (Rem), Maxwell Martin (Rem), Arun Nanda (Rem), Miles Ratcliffe (Rem), Joseph Robinson (Rem), Kolia Sorokin (Rem), Dylan Swain (Rem) Silver: Alex Aellen (Rem), Ola Apesin (Rem), George Ashcroft (Rem), Ollie Blakemore (Rem), Henry Christian (Rem), Maldwyn Crook (Rem), James Cutler (Rem), Tomas Else (Rem), Raoul Flora (Rem), Sebastian Iles (Rem), Anish Katechia (Rem), Peter Moore (Rem), Ethan Ofosu (Rem), Arvin Rai (Rem), Oscar Terry (Rem), Archie Tomblin (Rem) Bronze: David Adeyemi-Abere (Rem), Ben Baker (Rem), Jake Bentley-Evans (Rem), Oscar Calvert (Rem), Sam Crowe-Lamont (Rem), James Deardon (Rem), Ben Eidmans (Rem), Huw Hargreaves (Rem), Nathanael Hylton (Rem), Alex Iankov (Rem), Robert Menhart (Rem), Ellis Morgan (Rem), Roy Park (Rem), Andy Wang (Rem), Jonah Whiteman (Rem), Ethan Whitlock (Rem), Ollie Williams (Rem) • BRITISH PHYSICS OLYMPIAD A2 CHALLENGE Merit: Thomas Pelling (U6), Henry Shaw (U6), James Wallace (U6) • AS PHYSICS CHALLENGE Silver: Steven Yan (L6) Bronze I: Flik Feng (L6), Dimitri Webb (L6) Bronze II: Sam Evans (L6), James Hooper (L6) Commended: Tom Chambers (L6), Zain Dhakam (L6), Eason Fong (L6), Shawn Peng (L6), Ben Sherrif (L6),
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George Sorokin (L6), Enoch Tze (L6), Novo Ukiri (L6), Tony Zhang (L6) • PHYSICS CHALLENGE Gold: David Adeyemi-Abere (Rem), Alex Aellen (Rem), Oscar Calvert (Rem), James Cutler (Rem), Kolia Sorokin (Rem), Dylan Swain (Rem), Orlando Williams (Rem) Silver: Ciaran Kilbane (Rem) Bronze: Oliver Blakemore (Rem), Maldwyn Crook (Rem), James Deardon (Rem), Sami Haroon (Rem), Thomas Herbert (Rem), Sebastian Iles (Rem), Ta Leepiboonsawats (Rem), Sebastian Liu (Rem), Krish Nair (Rem), Ethan Ofosu (Rem), Yonathan Sileshi (Rem), Christopher Sporton (Rem) • ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS CHALLENGE Distinction: Henry Shaw (U6) Merit: Benson Chan (U6), Trystan Coveney (U6), Flik Feng (L6), Thomas Pelling (U6), Steven Yan (L6) • CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD Silver: Bernard Chean (U6), Sam Dalton (U6), Adam Foat (U6), Jaikishan Katechia (U6), Thomas Pelling (U6) Bronze: Curtis Chu (U6), Harry Jennings (U6), Sung Yat Ng (U6), Haydn O’Neill (U6), Tom Qin (U6), James Wallace (U6), Paul Whalley (U6) • CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE Gold: Bernard Chean (U6), Trystan Coveney (U6), Thomas Pelling (U6) Silver: Romeo Erikson (U6), Charlie Hicks (U6), Jaikishan Katechia (U6), Stephen Lam (U6), Haydn O’Neill (U6), Tom Qin (U6), James Wallace (U6) Copper: Matthew Fahmy (U6), Adam Foat (U6), Harry Jennings (U6), Adrian Lee (U6), Sung Yat Ng (U6), Sareer Safi (U6), Charles Tavengwa (U6), Paul Whalley (U6), Bruce Yu (U6) • UK LINGUISTIC OLYMPIAD Gold: Oscar Hudson (L6) Silver: Oscar Hill (L6), Kolia Sorokin (Rem), Alfie Willcocks (5th) Bronze: Calum Bourne (L6), Joseph Fordham (U6) • BRITISH MATHS OLYMPIAD (ROUND 2) Distinction, Gold Medal and National Training Camp: Thomas Pelling (U6) • BRITISH MATHS OLYMPIAD (ROUND 1) Distinction: Thomas Pelling (U6), Henry Shaw (U6) • SENIOR MATHS KANGAROO Merit: Adam Foat (U6), Zejia Lu (5th) Certificate of Qualification: Sam Evans (L6), Oscar Hill (L6), James Hooper (L6), Anthony Hung (L6), Lucas Inman (L6), Harry McPhail (L6), Shawn Peng (L6), Dimitri Webb (L6) • INTERMEDIATE MATHS KANGAROO Merit: Harilaos Karavaggelis (5th), Zejia Lu (5th), Shawn Shen (4th) Certificate of Qualification: Alexander Aellen (Rem), Charlie Chen (4th), Matthew Chu (5th), Charlie Dowrick (4th), Chenxi Jiang (Rem), Makar Molchanov (4th), Varun Nathan (4th), Adrian Shum (5th), Yubo Song (5th), Ryan Tse (5th), Matthew Weimann (4th), Sunny Ye (4th) • INTERMEDIATE MATHS CHALLENGE Gold: Alexander Aellen (Rem), Jake Bentley-Evans (Rem), William Chan (5th), Charlie Chen (Rem), Mathew Chu (5th), Harry Dowrick (5th), Henry Faulkner (5th), Chenxi Jiang (Rem), Harilaos Karavaggelis (5th), Zejia Lu (5th), Peter Moore (Rem), James Norris (5th), Shawn Shen (4th), Adrian Shum (5th), 10
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Yubo Song (5th), Jiayi Tang (5th), Ryan Tse (5th), Sunny Ye (4th) Silver: George Ashcroft (Rem), Ben Barden (5th), Oliver Blakemore (Rem), David Chan (5th), Alex Christey (5th), Jonathon Coughlin (5th), James Cutler (Rem), Charlie Dowrick (4th), Florio Eriksen (5th), Cyrus Goddard (4th), Danny Hubber (5th), Rohan Jacob (5th), Ryan Jordan (4th), Sachin Kambli (4th), Ciaran Kilbane (Rem), Daniel Lumley-Wood (5th), Carlos Martinez Bonet (5th), Arin Mital (5th), Luca Moretto (4th), Makar Molchanov (4th), Varun Nathan (4th), Miles Ratcliffe (Rem), Vivaan Singh (5th), Max Sogan (5th), Amir Solanki (5th), Nikolai Sorokin (Rem), Rowan Spong (5th), Charlie Thompson (5th), Jason Tsui (5th), Matthew Weimann (4th), George Winder (5th) Bronze: David Adeyemi-Abere (Rem), Wilfred Barker (4th), Oscar Calvert (Rem), Maldwyn Crook (Rem), Jack Davis (5th), Will Edwards (4th), Ben Eidmans (Rem), Alex Fairburn (4th), William Garner (5th), Sami Haroon (Rem), Ibrahim Hassan (Rem), Thomas Herbert (Rem), Anish Katechia (Rem), George Knott (4th), Artin Lee (Rem), Pasit Leepiboonsawats (4th), Alex Linney (5th), Seb Liu (Rem), Nathanael Lord (4th), Maxwell Martin (Rem), Hugo Mathew (5th), Ethan Ofosu (Rem), Oliver Pope (4th), Arvin Rai (Rem), Subhaan Rashid (4th), Yonathan Sileshi (Rem), Stephen Simmons (5th), Dylan Swain (Rem), Oscar Terry (Rem), Tai Tsang Goodwin (4th), Parwaz Upadhyay (5th), Andy Wang (Rem), Yinuo Wang (4th), Theodore Ward (5th), Sam Welch (5th), Jonah Whiteman (Rem), Monty Williams (Rem), Orlando Williams (Rem), Hasnain Zaidi (5th) • SENIOR MATHS CHALLENGE Gold: Benson Chan (U6), Bernard Chean (U6), Harry Chen (U6), Trystan Coveney (U6), Sam Evans (L6), Adam Foat (U6), Oscar Hill (L6), James Hooper (L6), Anthony Hung (L6), Lucas Inman (L6), Alex Lam (L6), Harry McPhail (L6), Thomas Pelling (U6), Shawn Peng (L6), Tom Qin (U6), Henry Shaw (U6), Dimitri Webb (L6), Bruce Yu (U6) Silver: Arron Bian (L6), Thomas Chambers (L6), Ollie Crankshaw (L6), Romeo Eriksen (U6), Flik Feng (L6), Ewan Gordon (L6), James Haxell (L6), Tsz King Ho (U6), Fung Lau (U6), Daniel Smith (L6), Joshua Sutcliffe (L6), Novo Ukiri (L6), James Wallace (U6), Alex Ward (U6), Benjamin Watson (L6), Michael Wells (L6), George Whitcombe (L6), Steven Yan (L6), James Zhang (U6), Leon Zhu (L6) Bronze: Akhir Absar (L6), George Bennett (L6), Thomas Byrne (L6), Louis Case (L6), Elmar Cheung (L6), Enoch Lau (L6), Ruslan Chyrva (L6), Chutian Den (L6), Oliver Dwight (L6), Eason Fong (L6), Tizian Geyer (L6), Oscar Hudson (L6), Marco Ip (L6), Jack Jordan (L6), Jaikishan Katechia (U6), Matthew Lewis (L6), Tom Lukiyanov (L6), Ishaan Mukherji (L6), Adrian Nerodenkov (L6), Tom O’Toole (L6), Harris Pan (L6), Wilf Rush (L6), Fatehvir Sandhu (L6), Benjamin Sherriff (L6), Anhad Singh (L6), William Smithson (L6), Benjamin Sporton (L6), Ben Sudborough (L6), Henry Szeto (L6), Enoch Tze (L6), George Wegener (L6), Paul Whalley (U6), Alikhan Yeraliyev (L6), Edric Yeung (L6), Nicholas Yip (U6) • SENIOR TEAM MATHS CHALLENGE - Samuel Evans (L6), James Hooper (L6), Thomas Pelling (U6), Henry Shaw (U6) • TEAM MATHS CHALLENGE - Shawn Shen (4th), Sunny Ye (4th)
ACADEMIC LIFE
• DUKE OF YORK AWARD Silver: Koushik Daggu (4th) Alex Edun (Rem), Anish Katechia (Rem), James Moffat (Rem), Alex Moffat (Rem), Peter Moore (Rem), Luca Moretto (4th), Krish Nair (Rem), Varun Nathan (4th), Daniel Ogunbanjo (Rem), Yonathan Sileshi (Rem), Kolia Sorokin (Rem), Andy Wang (Rem), Benjamin Watson (L6), Harry Whitehouse (Rem) Bronze: Alex Aellen (Rem), Jacob Bailey (Rem), Kabi Burtt (Rem), James Cutler (Rem), Oscar Hill (L6), Anthony Hung (L6), Harilaos Karavaggelis (5th), Maxwell Martin (Rem), Marcus Mathew (Rem), Will McGillivray (Rem), Roy Park (Rem), Jamie Wallwork (4th) • NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE OF GREAT BRITAIN Peter Barrington (L6) • ROYAL SCHOOL OF CHURCH MUSIC ORGAN SCHOLARSHIP James Watson (Rem) • JUNIOR MUSIC PRIZES - Piano: Henry Hu (Rem) Strings: Omar Byrne (4th) Woodwind: Oscar Calvert (Rem) Brass: Daniel Hutchins (4th) Vocal: Harlan Todd (4th) Organ: James Watson (Rem) • NATIONAL YOUTH CHOIR OF GREAT BRITAIN Silas Sanders (U6) • NATIONAL YOUTH CHOIR OF GREAT BRITAIN (TRAINING CHOIR) - Ben Watson (L6) • NATIONAL CHILDREN’S ORCHESTRA James Watson (Rem) • NATIONAL OPERATIC AND DRAMA ASSOCIATION Music Director of the Year: Thomas Arnold (L6) • THE STAGE NEWSPAPER/THE PLACE THEATRE RESIDENT REVIEWERS COMPETITION Winner: Jamie Williams (L6) • ARKWRIGHT ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP Scholar: Tom Chambers (L6), Henry Poppleton (L6) Associate: William Cochrane (L6), Oliver Dwight (L6) • ARTICULATION COMPETITION - Tomi Fashola (U6) • ENGLISH SCHOOLS UNION CENTENARY DEBATE (OUSE VALLEY BRANCH) - Enoch Mukungu (U6) • ENGLISH SCHOOLS UNION CHURCHILL PUBLIC SPEAKING REGIONAL FINALISTS Speaker and Personality of the Competition: Harry Hine (Rem) Chair: Ben Barnes (5th) Questioner: Freddie Pelling (Rem)
• OXFORD MAGICAL TRANSLATION COMPETITION Commended: Matthew Stewart (L6) • IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE CHALLENGE - Runner Up: Matthew Lewis (L6) • BARCLAYS BLOCKCHAIN HACKATHON - Matthew Lewis (L6), Henry Shaw (U6), James Wallace (U6), Alex Ward (U6) • HM GOVERNMENT’S CYBER SCHOOLS PROGRAMME Elite Phase: James Moffat (Rem) • HOLOCAUST EDUCATIONAL TRUST PARTICIPANTS Lucas Inman (L6), Moritz Stahl (L6) • DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD Silver: Ryan Apps (L6), Tom Blythman (U6), Ed Blythman (L6), Oliver Burridge-Dean (L6), Tom Chambers (L6), Ollie Crankshaw (L6), Matthew Fahmy (U6), Aaron Hall (L6), Charlie Hicks (U6), Anthony Hung (L6), Marco Ip (L6), Alex Lam (L6), Joshua Lyon (L6), Felix Mallalieu (U6), Harry McPhail (L6), Shawn Peng (L6), Anhad Singh (L6), Benedict Siow (L6), Daniel Smith (L6), Luke Thompson (L6), Novo Ukiri (L6), James Wallace (U6), Bryn Williamson (L6), Joseph Young (L6), Leon Zhu (L6) Bronze: Tobi Akerele (5th), Ben Barden (5th), George Barrett (5th), Mikey Basciano (5th), Jack Beighton (5th), Michael Bennell (5th), Harvey Bolger (5th), Joseph Briggs (5th), Oliver Brown (5th), Arun Chambers (U6), Alex Christey (5th), Jonathon Coughlin (5th), Sean Davis (L6), Jack Davis (5th), Harry Dowrick (5th), Divine Edjejovwo (5th), Florio Eriksen (5th), Max Faller (5th), Henry Faulkner (5th), Alex Gates (5th), Joshua Gervais (5th), Ewan Gordon (L6), Oliver Gregory (5th), Hugh Halsey (5th), Rohan Jacob (5th), Harilaos Karavaggelis (5th), George Kendall (5th), Alex King (L6), Alex Linney (5th), Carlos Martinez Bonet (5th), Hugo Mathew (5th), Edward Mathew-Jones (5th), Will Monk (5th), Joseph Needham (5th), Varun Parmar (5th), Ben Parrish (5th), Freddie Peacock (5th), Thomas Raut (5th), Antonio Reale (5th), Kelan Riddell (5th), Ashwin Santosh Kumar (5th), Jude Sanders (5th), William Sayer (5th), Oliver Setterfield (5th), Vivaan Singh (5th), Amir Solanki (5th), Rowan Spong (5th), Frederick Stock (5th), Charles Tavengwa (U6), Tobias Todd (5th), Harvey Toms (5th), Archie Walsh (5th), Theo Ward (5th), Max Ward (5th), George Wegener (L6), Alfie Willcocks (5th), Ben Wood (5th), James Worker (5th)
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apologies. Apologies, in my book, are usually private affairs, An Edited Version of the Head Master’s Address to the between a person or institution who has got something wrong School on Speech Day, 2019 and the person or people who have become a victim of that. Ladies and Gentlemen and boys of the school, An apology is intimate, sincere, and without reservation. But In 1969 after a spell touring as a drummer in a rock and the clamour for public apology risks undermining the whole blues band, Bill Jordan came across granola in America. point of them – there is only a point to them if they are made Liking the flavour so much, he set up Jordan’s Cereals with his with integrity. brother David, also an OB, at the family mill in Biggleswade, It was hugely refreshing, therefore, earlier this year to in an attempt to bring that unique taste to the UK. 50 years see the Independent Schools Council getting firmly onto the later (as I should know, as I was born in 1969!), Jordan’s is a front foot - and indeed on to the front page of the Times. household name and a truly global business. Independent schools are increasingly under pressure; the Bill was made MBE in 2005 and now follows his passion for politics of independent schools are as difficult as they have nature and wildlife by owning and running Pensthorpe Nature been in quite a while and threats to the sector abound. Firstly it Reserve in Norfolk with his wife Deb. Thank you for joining us was the threat to charitable status, coupled with a compulsion today, Bill and Deb, and we look forward to hearing from you to give funding to bursaries, first at 5% of fees, now at later. transformational bursary level; then it was independent / state Have we become a nation of apologisers? My favourite school partnerships; now increased non-funded contributions apology of the past month was made after Cambridge to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme; tomorrow probably University, mindful of student mental health, sent out an a withdrawal of business rates relief and after that, who empathetic email to all students awarded a third class degree, knows? Public figures who make mistakes have their school acknowledging in kind terms that they might feel down about background scrutinised – and, of course, as the Sutton Trust getting a third and urging them to see this as a challenge and research shows, from the 7% educated in the independent a stepping stone for greater things. They were then forced to sector comes 71% of leading military officers, 74% of top apologise for causing some distress to the very students they judges, 61% of the top doctors and (weirdly) over half of the were trying to be kind to, and to admit publically that their email leading journalists themselves! might have been insensitive; no Should the independent sector matter the number of students perhaps apologise? who apparently contacted the Apologies, in my book, are usually Well, the Independent university with a genuine thank private affairs: an apology is intimate, Schools Council, in conjunction you for reaching out to them with Oxford Economics, came when they needed support. sincere and without reservation. out with a publication that was Then there was Jeremy designed to help politicians Hunt’s wonderful apology realise some of the financial this time last year, which was benefits to the UK of independent education, something reported in The Times like this: that will not go unnoticed to those who pay for schooling in ‘Jeremy Hunt today admitted making a “terrible mistake” the state sector through taxes, on top of school fees in the after saying his Chinese wife was Japanese during a independent sector through choice. It hit the headlines by diplomatic mission to Beijing. stating that the independent sector contributed £13.7bn to The new foreign secretary wants to use the visit to boost the UK GDP in 2017, and supported over 300,000 jobs, not trade links after Brexit. However, in a “potentially awkward slip bad for a relatively small section of the country. Educationally, up” Mr Hunt apologised after telling his Chinese counterparts of course, the arguments in favour of the sector are even that his wife was Japanese.’ stronger. Independence means just that, and allows schools Well, I know Jeremy Hunt is away from home a lot, but I’d such as ours to experiment, to think outside the box, to suggest that a public apology would have been the least of his value life outside the classroom as much as life in it, and to worries when he finally did get back home to his wife. set our own standards. Academically, the most recent PISA Then there was the public apology from Aza Raskin who international league tables placed the UK at 15th in the world felt that he had to apologise for his role in the rising rates of in Science, 21st in reading and 27th in Maths. Despite, or we social media and smartphone addiction among teenagers, think because of, our determination to value pupils’ efforts simply because he was the inventor of online scrolling. The outside the classroom, had the UK Independent sector been Yodel delivery driver who left his parcel with what looked taken alone in these international league tables, it would like a friendly dog in the garden, which then ate its owner’s have come first in science, first in reading and second to new dress before she got home. The Duke of Edinburgh Singapore in maths. By being allowed its independence, and apologising for (his words) “my part in the accident at of course its considerably greater funding, it can also support the Babingley crossroads”. Or the Irish TV channel who innovation. State and independent schools learn from each apologised after a clip depicting a giant kicking a caravan into other in marvellous ways, and we have some wonderful the sea was shown just before a news bulletin about a woman collaborations ourselves, but it was particularly heartening who died when her caravan was blown off a cliff. The Irish to me to hear recently that Ofsted, the body which inspects language channel TG4 said that the incident had been a case state-run schools, is not going to scrutinise academic tracking of “unfortunate scheduling” and not intended to cause offence. data so much any longer, but is going to spend much more Now to be fair, that last one definitely merited a public time assessing character development. This, I like to think, apology; but, more generally, the nation’s newspapers and has been one of many influences of our sector – and a very TV presenters seem to have become obsessed with public 12
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positive one. Indeed, the whole wellbeing agenda, which has become so prevalent in schools now, originated in the independent sector a few years ago. So far as social mobility and inclusion are concerned, not far off a billion pounds of bursarial support is provided in the sector and 84% of independent schools (including this school) share partnerships with state schools, despite only 74% actually having charitable status. And, perhaps counterintuitively, independent schools are more ethnically diverse than their state school cousins. It is an extraordinary gift you have given to your child to send him to an independent school and yet, as I say to the boys repeatedly, with privilege comes enormous responsibility. Please never apologise for your great start – there is no need to - and today is all about the celebration of success – but please do, boys, share your success generously and in a humble way. Use your talents and education responsibly and for the greater good. Make a positive difference, in however small a way, to those around you; and some of you, I hope, will make a difference to the whole world as you travel through life. I do wish to pay tribute to those who have gone before us. To lose any staff members in the way we have done this year would be awful, but to lose five, and such wonderful people, has been beyond sad. To Caroline Medley, Jeanette Beale, Richard Garrett, Sue van Heerden and Jo Spir: we miss you and thank you for your immense contribution to the school, a contribution which the whole staff is committed to continuing in your memory. I’d also like to remember Marcus Tsang in this vein and his lovely family in Hong Kong, whom we all miss as a community; and I hope you will all join me now in just a few moments of silence as we remember them all. The governors are an extraordinarily talented and committed group of men and women, who give up a huge amount of their own time and expertise to support and guide the school. Much of their excellent work goes unseen by most of the community, but I see a lot of it close up, and we are incredibly lucky to have them. This year, I’d like to thank two governors in particular: Kirsty Bourne, who has been an excellent parent-elected governor and stands down as her second son reaches the top of the school; and Sir Clive Loader, who has completed his first year as chairman – and is probably thinking now that there are few who take that job on who realise quite how much it entails in the first place! We are extremely lucky to have him and I do know that Bedford School owes him, and his team of governors, a great debt. Simply, on behalf of all of us, thank you. I’d also like to mention David Russell, who has been CEO of the Harpur Trust for these last 17 years and who retires this summer. David is an extraordinary man, a font of wisdom, knowledge and excellent advice. He will be sorely missed. However, you can in fact catch up with him on the big screen later this month if you go to watch the film called the Kursk, which tells the true story of a rescue mission for a Russian submarine, and in which Colin Firth will be playing the leading role of our very own David Russell! It is definitely one to watch out for. And lastly, but by no means least, to you parents. I thank you all for your support this year and the trust you have shown in us. We, for our part, are well aware that we have the most responsible of jobs, as well as the most wonderful. So I will just end up back with the boys, for they are the reason we are all here. As ever, it is hard to know where to
So far as social mobility and inclusion are concerned, not far off a billion pounds of bursarial support is provided in the independent sector.
start as I recall what they have been up to this year, but my pick of the highlights, in all their variety, and with sincere public apologies to those left out, is as follows. The boys of the CCF, who paraded for the Duke of Gloucester as he inspected our CCF exactly 100 years after his grandfather King George V did the same thing here. This was Bedford School boys at their best, as not only were the CCF on display, but the entire school watching did so with solemnity and pride. The almost 700 boys who represented the school at rugby on the same October day, when we managed 35 fixtures on a single Saturday – has this ever been done at any school before, I wonder? Jamie Williams, who won an award for reviewing drama, to Peter Barrington and Jonny Hosking, who won national recognition for performing drama, and to Ishaan Mukerji, who wrote his first full length play and had it performed by his peers in the Quarry Theatre. Lucas Inman and Moritz Stahl, who wrote moving applications to take part in the Holocaust Education Trust’s “Lessons from Auschwitz”, before giving an amazing assembly to the whole school in this hall. Indeed boys have given wonderful full school assemblies this year, not least two boys who spoke about the fascinating similarities between the values of their home countries, Hong Kong and Japan, and the values of Bedford School. The hockey players who took us back to the Bedford School hockey glory years of the eighties and early nineties by making it to the semi-final of the indoor nationals and the final of the outdoor nationals. They were wonderful. I am now delighted to say that the beach volleyball players went one better. Having said for years at open days that the closest our beach volleyball team has come to winning the nationals was losing in the final to Brighton College (wholly unfair in my point of view as Brighton have their own beach!), we actually won it this year. Not bad for one of the most land-locked schools in the country! We have had an amazing year on the technology front, with particular highlights being our Hackathon team who came third in a big corporate hackathon, not far behind Santander Bank, and James Moffatt, who reached the elite stage of the Government’s Cyber Discovery programme from thousands of entrants nationwide. The school cycled around the world in 80 days for the Movember charities, an extraordinarily ambitious initiative and the brain child of a Remove Form boy, Harry Hine. And, as Will mentioned, over 150 runners, from Bedford School community, boys, staff and parents, ran the Bedford 10K in memory of our old friend and colleague, Richard Garrett, raising over £10,000 in doing so for his favourite charities. JSH
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UNIVERSITY PLACES 2018 PLACES GAINED AT Oxbridge 2018
Chris Lamb, Education, Cambridge, Homerton Ed Lamb, Classics, Oxford, St Anne Jaynil Patel, History, Oxford, Christchurch
PLACES GAINED AT Other uk universities
Dylan Adkins, Music Technology and Business, The University of Liverpool Arjun Ananth, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London Kamran Ahmed, Economics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne Sam Barden, Ancient History and Philosophy, University of Leeds Matthew Barker, Business Management, University of East Anglia (UEA) Thomas Batten, Philosophy, University of Bristol Harry Beard, Real Estate, Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester Alexander Bird, Medicine (5 years), University of Birmingham Dominic Blore, Graphic and Communication Design, University of Leeds Ollie Blundell, Journalism, The University of Kent Lennard Bornemann, Computer Science with Year in Industry, The University of Nottingham James Brakenbury, American and Canadian Studies, University of Birmingham Jamie Brock, Politics, The University of Warwick Harrison Burgoine, Construction Management and Surveying, University of Reading Evan Case, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Warwick Sachin Chambers, Medicine (5 years), University of Birmingham John Chan, Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Exeter Winki Chan, Architecture, University College London Ethan Chappell-Mason, Drama and Theatre Studies, Royal Holloway, University of London Michael Choi, Biological Sciences, University of Birmingham George Christian, Medicine (5 years), University of Birmingham Alexander Churchill, History and Politics, Loughborough University Sam Clayton, Business, Nottingham Trent University Connor Clingen, Business Management and Marketing, Nottingham Trent University Lewis Cooke, Management, The University of Kent Dylan Cox, Computer Science, The University of Nottingham 14
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Lewis Cramp, Classics, University of Birmingham Alexander Davies, Engineering with an Integrated Foundation Year, The University of Manchester Michael Davis, Psychology, Durham University Freddie Deane, Politics, York College Alexander Dennis, Politics and International Relations (with Study Abroad), University of Exeter Harry Donougher, Physics with Astrophysics, University of Leeds Kieran Duxbury, Sociology, University of Worcester Alfie Elston, Product Design, University of Leeds Freddie Elston, Business Management, Leeds Beckett University Josh Emerson, Biochemistry MSc, University of East Anglia
Tiger Feng, Games Art and Design, Norwich University Of The Arts Kirill Fomin, Management with Marketing, Royal Holloway, University of London Matthew Fordham, Philosophy and Sociology with Study Abroad, University of Exeter Tom Frost, Law, University of Exeter Michael Ge, Physics, University College London Charlie Gee, Classics, Durham University Jason George, Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), The University of Warwick Ivan Golosov, Digital Media Arts, University of Surrey Kraig Green, BioVeterinary Science (Revised), The University of Liverpool Ali Hassan, Mathematics and Finance, City, University of London Frank Hearnshaw, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, King’s College London (University of London) Max Higgs, Architecture, Oxford Brookes University Felix Hill, Psychology with Criminology (Revised), Nottingham Trent University Conor Hilliard, History and International Relations, King’s College London (University of London) Tommy Hine, Chemical Engineering, The University of Nottingham Adrian Ho, Foundation Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham Robert Holden, Politics and American Studies, The University of Nottingham David Holland, Applied Medical Sciences with a Foundation year, Swansea University Matthew Hosking, Retailing, Marketing and Management, Loughborough University Takeshi Ikura, Pharmacy, Robert Gordon University
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Felix Iles, English, King’s College London (University of London) Ignatius Ip, Medicine, Queen Mary University of London William Jewers, Rural Land Management, Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester John Kendall, Liberal Arts, University of Exeter Daniyil Kravets, Chemistry (4 years), The University of Nottingham Eduard Ksenofontov, Business Management, University of Westminster, London Marcus Lake, Law, Durham University Ryan Lam, Actuarial Mathematics, University of Leeds Chris Lamb, Education, University of Cambridge Edward Lamb, Classics, University of Oxford Harry Lawson, Art Foundation, Loughborough University Ardwin Li, Management, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London) Arthur Li, Civil Engineering with placement, University of Bath Jago Lin, Accounting with Economics, The University of Essex Max Lister, English, King’s College London (University of London) Daniel Liu, Natural Sciences, University College London Frank Liu, Physics, King’s College London (University of London) Justin Lo, Finance,Accounting and Management, The University of Nottingham James Lovell, Geography and Planning, University of Newcastle upon Tyne Tinashe Mahwendepi, Economics and Philosophy, The University of Nottingham Vishal Manorattanawong, Aerospace Engineering with a Year in Industry, The University of Sheffield Joel McNally, Business Management and Marketing, Nottingham Trent University Oakley McNulty, Industrial Design and Technology, Loughborough University Andrew Medley, International Management, The University of Nottingham James Moffatt, Law with Hispanic Law, University of Leeds Jack Murphy, Business and Marketing Management, Oxford Brookes University Henry Ngai, Medical Sciences, University of Exeter Akin Ogunyiluka, Law, King’s College London (University of London) Barnaby Ollerhead, Business, Nottingham Trent University Reni Omotomilola, Modern and Contemporary History, Queen Mary University of London Alfie Orchard, Management, The University of Nottingham Thomas Parry, Art and Design, University of Leeds Jaynil Patel, History, University of Oxford Samir Patel, Philosophy and Theology, The University of Nottingham
Sam Perkins, Modern Languages (4 years), University of Birmingham Sasha Plyushchenko, Economics, Royal Holloway, University of London Artur Prets, Computer Science, University of Surrey Thomas Rainbow, English Literature and Philosophy, Durham University Robert Salvesen, Sport and Exercise Science, Loughborough University Jeevan Sandhu, Biochemistry, Imperial College London George Seward, Chemistry with Management, University of Bath Connor Sheridan, Business and Marketing Management, Oxford Brookes University Joshua Spanoudakis, Business and Management, University of Reading Conrad Staroscik, General Engineering, Durham University Momin Tassadaq, Medical Sciences, University of Exeter Alisher Tatayev, PPE, Royal Holloway, University of London Parampreet Thiara, Economics, University of Birmingham
Oscar Tipper, Geography (Revised), University of Birmingham Philipp Tobias, Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School Rohan Toor, Economics, The University of Warwick Hoffer Tsang, Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London Leo Tse, Architecture, University College London Stephan Vargas-Pritchard, Geography, University of Leeds Leo von Huelst, Law and Politics, Queen Mary University of London Chester Wang, Physics, University College London Felix Whelan, Law, Cardiff University, William Willcocks, Business and Management, Durham University Benjamin Wilshaw-Quinn, Fine Art, Loughborough University Oliver Winder, Geography, Loughborough University Archie Young-Lee, Trombone, Royal Northern College of Music
places gained at Overseas Universities:
Moritz Berlemann, Medicine, Budapest University, Hungary William Dalsgaard, Product Development and Innovation, University of Southern Denmark Benedict Eggeling, Business Administration/Law, University of Mannheim, Germany Oliver Graham, Film Scoring, Berklee College of Music, USA
places gained on art Foundation or Sports Academy Schemes Christian Noble, Art Foundation, Ravensbourne University London
Ethan Vernon, Great Britain Cycling
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RUGBY TOUR AUSTRALIA 2019 Looking back upon the time we spent in Australia, it might be nearly impossible to name a favourite experience shared by all - we all had different highlights. We can all agree, though, that as a group we had a phenomenal time. To kick off our tour in Cairns, we had the opportunity to go snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef. It was here we were able to see the famous reefs and truly take in what makes it so famous. A handful of us were even fortunate enough to spot and swim with a sea turtle. Our first fixture against the Australians led us to Townsville where both the U18s and 16s played a joint side made from Cathedral School and Ignatius Park. The 16’s picked up their first win of the tour, in a gruelling hard-fought game, winning 28-12. The 18’s narrowly lost with a 21-14 point difference. These games helped the boys get a first taste of the Aussie culture. Through the billeting of Australian parents, the boys and I were able to see first-hand the kindness and generosity of the Australian people, with families taking boys off to dinner, some into the city’s hotspots to see the life of Townsville. Some of us however were lucky enough to go to an animal sanctuary where we saw saltwater crocs, koalas, wombats, a variety of deadly snakes and a collection of predatory birds. As a first few days in Australia we couldn’t have done better. We sadly had to move on from Townsville: we travelled further south to Noosa where, to the delight of the staff and boys, we were able to have a sunny day of surfing, however this was no easy feat. We already had a few boys out from injuries so when those huge waves soared over our heads it left a few of us feeling a little feeble. Nonetheless, everyone gave it their all, even the coaches giving their best efforts on the waves. Surfing finished and now it was time for our second fixture of the tour against Mathew Flinders’ Anglian College. Both Bedford sides narrowly missed the win. Yet this spoke nothing of the sheer passion shown on the field. Showered, changed and injuries taped up, we separated off once more in pairings to our host families for the night. Fraser Island was next on the itinerary: 16
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it is the epitome a tropical island: the vibrant forest fringed by a white-sand shore. The ferry over was an experience in itself, as we spotted around 30 dolphins swimming in the waves off the island. Once we had landed and set up in our cabins, we were free for the evening to explore; some played volleyball, others a cool drink. Some of the senior boys took it upon ourselves to walk along the coast for a while. We stayed on that beach as the sun set behind us, with laughter ringing and music playing; it was an unforgettable night. Our second day on the island was one of adventure, as it was the day in which we would be exploring the depths of the islands forest and the famous Lake Makenzie. We took to the creeks, which flowed through the island and met the sea, taking
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a break for a well-needed cuppa and biscuits before reaching Lake Makenzie. On our travels we were able to see jelly fish, dingoes and even a whale pod off the shore spouting huge gushes of water. We also happened to find the island’s very own shipwreck: a battleship washed up on the shore in the Second World War and then used for target practice by the navy. It was an oddly beautiful scene, seeing giant waves crashing down upon this rusted hulk. Once we finally arrived at the lake we found the sand had a exfoliative aspect to it due to its fineness. The rest of the day was spent playing beach rugby and sunbathing in the sun. Afterwards, we were able to enjoy a night around the campfire under the vast constellations; we enjoyed stories of the dreaded drop bears, who hide in the trees and fall upon unsuspecting Bedford tourists. Leaving Fraser Island was a poignant moment. Too soon, we were back on the road to our next destination: Twin Waters Resort where we stayed for one night before jetting off to Sydney. Upon our arrival in Sydney we had booked tickets to see a rugby league game, watching the Sea Eagles against the Knights. It was a day of shared laughter and a well-needed break after the short changeovers and training after leaving Fraser Island. That evening we made it to the heart of Sydney where we were situated in a youth hostel with a balcony view of the city’s grand skyscrapers. The view from the balcony, which looked out over Sydney Harbour, the opera house, the bridge and the skyscrapers gave us a scene like no other. Following our night’s adventures finding places to eat and drink, the next morning was our chance to explore the city and to see what made it so special. We had the experience of being able to get a jet-boat tour of the harbour. With the sounds of a booming speaker playing in our ears, the jet boating was a funfilled experience. Not to mention a wet one: the majority of us
may as well have just dived into the water itself. Before our third fixture against St. Augustine’s we set off to Bondi Beach where we channelled our Baywatch dreams. We spent the afternoon crashing and splashing amongst the waves. Yet despite the worry of the coaches we all survived and, once more, no sharks were seen. On leaving the beach we also spotted Hugh Jackman, much to our delight. Despite the evening’s fixture results, both sides gave a strong account of themselves: no member of the team left anything on the field. We arrived in Bathurst later the following day to the cold and homely temperatures of three degrees, before a brief training session at Stanislaus College. In the morning, we played our fourth and final fixture and had the experience of trying our luck at gold panning in a nearby mining town. We each managed to collect small flecks of gold that we took as souvenirs. The evening after our final fixture showed the growth that our teams had made over the short time spent together. The hospitality of the schools and families over the two-and-a-half weeks left boys and coaches with immense gratitude for opportunity and the kindness shown. The memories of the tour will go down as highlights of the time I’ve spent at Bedford. Australia 2019 was a truly great experience. Finn Cassell, Tour captain
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Lessons From Auschwitz Project The Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) runs the Lessons From Auschwitz Project each year for sixth form students across the country. The programme involves two seminars in London, either side of a day trip to Poland to visit the Auschwitz concentration camps and the town of Oświęcim. Lucas Inman and Moritz Stahl successfully applied to participate in the project, with Mr Bolton accompanying them to the seminars and to Poland. The aim of the orientation seminar was to assess their existing knowledge of the Holocaust and to identify any misconceptions, but the main focus was hearing a survivor testimony from Susan Pollack, MBE. She had grown up in Hungary before the war and was transported to Auschwitz-IIBirkenau in 1944 as part of Eichmann’s mass deportations. In early 1945, as the Soviets advanced from the east, she ended up on one of the death marches to Bergen-Belsen. In April 1945, she was liberated by the British, who sent her to Sweden to recover from tuberculosis, typhoid and severe malnutrition. The boys left her testimony with a greater appreciation of the history, of the experiences of the Jewish families caught up in rising antisemitism and of the importance of ‘rehumanising’ the victims of the Holocaust. Lessons From Auschwitz is physically, mentally and emotionally tough and much of the subject matter is hard to adequately put into words. When confronted with evidence of almost unspeakable horrors, the right words are hard to find. Normal language can seem trite and Primo Levi wrote of the inadequacies of language when speaking and writing about the horrors of Auschwitz. Lucas and Moritz delivered a powerful assembly to the whole school following their experiences on the project. They have adapted their assembly for this article: ‘The one-day trip to Auschwitz will live long in our memories. Having first visited the nearby town of Oświęcim, we went to Auschwitz-I. This was originally an army barracks; however, it was utilised during the Holocaust as a concentration camp for Polish PoWs and political prisoners, as well as for Jews and other undesirables
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and enemies of the Reich. ‘One of the more notable features of the architecture of Auschwitz was deliberate deception. As soon as you enter the complex, you cannot help but notice the large metal sign: Arbeit Macht Frei. It roughly translates as “Work sets you free”. There is a horrible irony about this. When taken literally this sign is clearly misleading, as the SS had no intention of setting prisoners free, no matter how hard they worked. However, many prisoners were worked so hard that they would simply die of exhaustion and malnutrition. Some Jews forced to travel to Auschwitz were made to buy a ticket for travelling on the trains. This pretence was undertaken as the SS believed that by purchasing a ticket for the journey it would seem to the prisoners as though they were being resettled as opposed to being transported to concentration and extermination camps. In addition, they were told to bring no more than one bag of luggage, which they would therefore fill with their most precious items. It was because of this that people would travel to Auschwitz with hope, only for this hope to be dashed as soon as they arrived at the camps. ‘Upon arrival, all prisoners would be stripped of their clothes, belongings and dignity. These prisoners were tattooed with a number to replace their name and finally they would have their entire heads shaven. Indeed, following the war, attics of the barracks were found to be full of scalps of hair, often plaited or with ribbons in them. An especially poignant experience for us was that of walking through one of the blocks in which there was an entire room filled with hair from those who had come to the camp. There were also numerous rooms filled with pots and pans, and shoes and items of clothing of people who had been deceived by the Nazi promises of resettlement. All of this was done by the SS in an effort to ‘dehumanise’ the prisoners, stripping away their identities and treating them like cattle. ‘Later in the day, we travelled to Auschwitz-II-Birkenau. Around ten times bigger than Auschwitz-I, it was specifically designed for efficient mass killings. The desire for efficiency
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with mass executions was evident through various features of the camp. For example, before 1944, the train track would stop a few miles away from the camp and the prisoners would be unloaded and forced to walk the remainder of the way to the gas chambers and crematoria. The track was extended all the way into Birkenau, ending just outside the chambers. This was done not for the benefit of the prisoners, who no longer had to walk, but purely to allow the process of selecting and killing prisoners to become faster. ‘One of the main themes of the programme was the ‘rehumanisation’ of the victims of the Holocaust. Much of the coverage of the Holocaust images the inhumane crimes against the Jewish people and depicts their suffering. The statistics – six million murdered – rightly shock us due to their scale but the numbers on their own do not tell the whole story. By ‘rehumanising’ the events and people involved through reading and hearing testimonies, visiting the sites of pre-war Jewish life and of the Holocaust, one gets a far better picture of the horrors that faced the Jews, political opponents, Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, the disabled and others. Yad Vashem is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. One room in this complex is the Hall of Names: an enormous round room with shelves on the wall. These shelves are full of ‘Pages of Testimony’ - documents of survivors that tell their story. These might be photographs, diary entries, letters, or simply just their names. The Hall of Names is however not finished yet. One third of it is just empty shelves. These empty spaces represent those two million murdered Jews whose names are unknown to this day – the records of their existence wiped out by the Nazis. As a place of remembrance for those who have died during the Shoah, Yad Vashem is still adding new pieces of testimony to this collection, so that their individual stories and the humans behind these stories will never be forgotten. ‘A perhaps more difficult task is to remember that the Nazis and their collaborators were humans. Calling these people ‘monsters’ almost gives them an excuse: “They are monsters, so they had no other choice. They did the things that monsters
do.” The project’s educators remind us that they were humans, and every time they worked in the camps or contributed to the cause they made the conscious decision to do so. They themselves chose to carry out this inhumane task of mass genocide and they carry responsibility for their actions. One particular haunting example of this is Rudolf Höss. At Auschwitz-I, you reach a T-junction at the edge of the camp. If you look left, you see his villa where he lived with his wife and young children when he ran the entire operation. To your left, the one gas chamber and crematorium of the camp. They can only be one-hundred metres apart. That short distance is frightening.’ The trip ended in the dark of the early evening, with a short ceremony at the end of the tracks in Auschwitz-II-Birkenau. The beautiful Hebrew prayer El Molei Rachamim was the highlight, and the words echoed against the silhouettes of the burnt-out crematoria and barracks. Following the visit and the seminars, both Lucas and Moritz completed a ‘Next Steps’ programme. This involved the writing of this article and delivering a whole-school assembly about their experiences. They also got the chance to meet another survivor, Steven Frank, BEM, who came to speak to our year eight boys in the prep school in June. His testimony was incredible, and we were able to have an educator from HET delivering sessions for all of year eight on the differences between perpetrators and bystanders. Both Lucas and Moritz successfully completed the Lessons from Auschwitz Project and are now ambassadors for the trust. The experiences will stay with them for the rest of their lives and in a world where incidents of antisemitism and racism are sadly increasing, our responsibilities as ambassadors have taken on a greater importance. Lucas Inman, Moritz Stahl and MWB
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Joint Art/RE Trip to Berlin Day One:
This year the art and RE departments went to Berlin at the end of the summer holidays, which provided the students with the chance to experience the amazing sights and sounds of this capital city. After an exceptionally early morning departure, we arrived in Berlin and got straight into the action by first visiting the Käthe Kollwitz museum, which is dedicated to her thought-provoking work. Kollwitz produced drawings, prints and sculptures and her most famous art cycles including ‘The Weavers’ and ‘The Peasant War’ depict the effects of poverty, hunger and war on the working class of her time. It was certainly not a comfortable experience but the work was undeniably powerful and was a reminder that art can be political and not just picturesque. The accompanying special exhibition of 40 works and drawings by Hans Pels-Leusden, provided quite a contrast as most of his work was quite abstract. Although the museum was quite small, there was plenty for the artists to draw and the work made a huge impact, helping to develop and generate lots of ideas and potentially new paths for the boys to explore. Later that day we walked to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The original Church, bombed by the Allies in 1943, stands next to a
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modern building where we experienced a very calming and still atmosphere, in part due to the overwhelming and dramatic bluetinted windows. After the intensity of the Kollwitz museum, this was a welcome contrast.
Day Two:
Mr Bolton had the opportunity to demonstrate his expedition leadership skills but, unfortunately, he managed to take us in the wrong direction a few times. (It should be noted that Mr Bolton does not recognise this as having happened - MWB.) We headed to the Gemäldegalerie, which boasts one of the world’s most important collections of European painting from the 13th to the 18th century. The RE and art students split up into two groups for separate guided tours of the highlights in the collection. The excellent tour guide for the art group explained the works we looked at which provided the opportunity to talk about and discuss the works which we would not have done had we been looking around on our own. After an hour we were then left to explore the collection on our own which provided another opportunity to draw from our favourite paintings. During this time, the RE students were shown around the key pieces of religious art, with a striking Rembrandt, ‘Moses Breaking the Tablets of the Law’ being a particular favourite. After lunch, Mr Bolton took us on a walking tour of the memorials surrounding the Tiergarten. We began with the memorial to the victims of the National Socialist euthanasia killings by the site where the T4 programme began. The Nazis began their systematic killing on the disabled, initially by injection and then by gas. The next stops were the Lessing Monument, the memorial to homosexuals persecuted during Nazism, the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe (designed by Peter Eisenman), the outline of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, the Sinti and Roma War Memorial, the site of Reagan’s ‘Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall’ speech, the Soviet war memorial, the memorial to the murdered members of the Reichstag and then the Reichstag itself. The tour took us through the key events and tragedies of the twentieth century, and joined together the topics we have all studied in history and religious studies. At the end of the tour, we looked up at the Reichstag and its Norman-
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Foster-designed glass dome, to remember the importance of transparent democracy. We concluded the day by visiting the Sammlung Boros Museum which is located in an old Nazi bunker and displays a private collection of contemporary art by international artists from 1990 to today. Before becoming a gallery, the bunker had been used as a bomb shelter, an industrial fridge unit and then a nightclub in the nineties. Despite the current owners removing floors and walls to increase space for specific pieces of work, it still felt very claustrophobic. One highlight of our guided tour was the opportunity to actually add something to one of the interactive pieces which all the boys were keen to do. The fact that the gallery changes the exhibited works every four years ensures that the displays stay fresh and will be different for the next time we visit Berlin.
Day Three:
The artists headed to the Alte Nationalgalerie on Museum Island in the morning. Although we had a very limited time to create a study, everyone managed to find a piece they wanted to work from and created quality drawings considering the time constraint. Meanwhile, the RE students headed to the former-SS headquarters, known as the ‘Topography of Terror’. The museum chronicles the Nazis’ rise to power, their actions during the war, and their role in antisemitism, the Holocaust and all other forms of persecution. This was difficult subject matter, and the boys dealt with it maturely, asking excellent questions. A trip to Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall Museum followed, with boys posing for photographs by the American security booth in the middle of the road. The two groups reunited in the afternoon at the Jewish Museum. The main exhibits were unfortunately under restoration, but we were given an insightful tour around the temporary exhibit which focused on the history of Judaism, the city of Jerusalem and the Arab/Israeli conflict. Following the tour, we were able to visit the lower levels of the museum. The leading contemporary architect Daniel Libeskind designed the building and one thing that was distinctive and eye-catching about the design was his use of empty spaces in the building which are referred to as the Voids. One of these spaces, called ‘the Memory Void’ included the Menashe Kadishman installation ‘Shalekhet’ meaning ‘Fallen Leaves’. Consisting of ten thousand faces with open mouths cut from heavy round iron plates covering the floor, you are encouraged to walk across. The loud clashes and reverberations serve as a stark contrast to the feeling of overpowering silence in the Void, leaving the visitor uncomfortable but overwhelmingly aware of the absence of so many of the Jews of Europe. The day
ended with a trip up the TV Tower Berliner Fernsehturm where we had an amazing view over the entire city at night, another memorable experience.
Day 4:
Early in the morning, we visited the Altes Museum, which is entirely dedicated to classical antiquity and includes the famous sculptures ‘Berlin Goddess’ and ‘Praying Boy’. Many of the museum sculptures have been repaired to what historians think they would have originally looked like. A very excitable but knowledgeable tour guide, who engaged the entire group by asking questions, gave us a tour of the museum. Fortunately, we had just enough time to do some drawing as well. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by two more memorials. The first was Neue Wache, a building that serves as the central memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the victims of war and dictatorship. A Kollwitz sculpture (Mother with her Dead Son) sits in the middle of a dark room, underneath an oculus. This haunting figure, resembling a pietà, is an effective way to remember the suffering during the Nazi regime. The final memorial, the memorial to the burning of books, situated outside the Humboldt University and consisting of empty bookshelves, highlighted the destruction of memory. The trip was a great experience for all the students. It introduced different cultures, artists and artistic styles that will certainly be of great use in inspiring art coursework pieces, and for the historians, philosophers and theologians, there was much to discuss about the Second World War, the Holocaust, the Cold War and the future of democracy. A visit to Berlin traces the history of the twentieth century and its peoples, and is well worth it. Many thanks to Mr Croker, Mr Bolton, Mrs Whiteman and Rev Atkins for organising and running the trip, and the staff would like to thank the boys for their good humour, their desire to either sit down and draw or to ask great questions to our tour guides, and, in some cases, for pointing out navigation mistakes, even though none actually occurred. Trent Abraham and MWB
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Ickwell Reserve It is a very fulfilling task to be running, with support, the school reserve at Ickwell. I am pleased to report another successful year when we have made positive progress in a number of areas. We continue to find new users for the reserve amongst the school community and look to outside education group use whenever possible. The reserve has lain idle for far fewer days this year. I am feeling very calm now the geese and ducks seem to have flown! In the spring I counted as many as 200 geese and up to 30 ducks around or on the lake. The geese especially are very noisy and always seem to be squabbling. I also believe they affect the ecology of the lake in influencing its alkalinity and preventing plant growth. Presently the water lilly has started to grow again. I expect they will be back! The reserve acts as a template in ecological and environmental education where we are able to replicate many investigations carried out on larger nature reserves and in that way contribute to the boys’ education via developing this best practice. One scheme is to plant hedges, not only around the site, but as wildlife corridors within the site so as we are 22
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nearly complete in our programme of site hedge enclosure: we are now looking to build in wildlife corridor hedges elsewhere with a linked development in further habitat creation. The IB CAS groups have been planting hedges from much more of our own home grown material but next term will be involved in some planned new habitat creation elsewhere on site. We have been experimenting again with various ways of new growth: boys have collected and planted seed, tried grafting and have planted out growingstock of hazel and small-leaved elm in the tree nursery. The ecology of our grassland areas both in the conservation meadow and in wood borders is an opportunity to look at small mammal ecology. We have been using our Longworth Traps to live capture and release voles, mice and water shrews. All these investigations are important and I have been showing the boys how to identify and handle these animals. Further to this I have been investigating water voles. These lovely creatures have suffered catastrophic decline in recent years partly by river canalisation and also by predation from mink. I have been searching for them but to no avail and so have followed it up by attending a day course to handle and learn more about them and
ICKWELL
possible reintroduction from the acknowledged expert on the subject Derek Gow. Next term as part of the CAS programme we will do more work in the area. The geography department is making increased use of the reserve and so we are developing activities and resources for the boys to use on site. Two set of visits have been made during the winter and summer. Pond dipping has proved very popular and is a very good scientific discipline to study river and lake ecology and the boys were able to identify a number of key species important to the ecology of our lake and to discuss its future. I especially enjoyed the sight of boys catching butterflies and damselflies on the lake margin with a big capture net. The recording of our wildlife I hope to extend next term. There is much talk currently about the importance of the natural ecosystem and how its cycles radically influence us and how we are destroying it at an unprecedented rate. I am pleased to say that through the cooperation of the school library we have been advancing our information systems and the learning opportunities it can bring to boys at the school. The Ickwell collection of books is slowly growing and features titles in three areas. There are books on the
politics of nature conservation and how it is a subject that often has lip service from government but no real action; boys can read around the issues concerning farmland and woodland management as two options. We have ID guides to plants and animals as well as habitats very useful to geographers and biologists. There are also sets of easy ID guides to be taken out and used by casual visitors interested in the wildlife on site. Use has steadily been increasing this year and so as well as the geography department we are also hosting two prep school Forest School projects during the summer. Bedford Girls School and Bedford Modern School have also used our site. Greys Academy from Kempston have been another occasional user and we should be hosting a Teach-Meet for the Association for Science Education in the autumn. Armed with the new revised Ickwell guide I have been making more contacts locally including the Samuel Whitbread School and St John’s School in Kempston. None of this would be possible without thanks to all, especially Tony the warden, Claire our gardener and to the maintenance, bursary and cleaning teams from school. CHJ
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Detweiler Art prize At last year’s prize giving, the announcement of this year’s theme of ‘Inside/ Outside’ elicited a gasp of bewilderment from the boys gathered together; it was therefore immensely gratifying that, despite the initial consternation, the title generated exciting responses in all subject areas this year. The inclusion of the music and drama performances and English readings to the prize giving proceedings makes for a really memorable evening and ensures that the Detweiler competition is truly representative of creativity across the whole school. The range of media and quality throughout the art exhibition was impressive and as a department we were delighted that the boys had done so well across all year groups. As ever, the responsibility of an external judge in casting a fresh eye over the work and drawing up a shortlist of winners is something we as staff are more than happy to relinquish. We were delighted this year to welcome back Andrew Gillespie who taught our
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art history class until last year. An artist himself, with both art history and fine art degrees (from Cambridge and Oxford universities respectively), we knew we were in safe hands. We were delighted too, that Peter Moore, artist and friend of the late Alan Detweiler, after whom this prize is named, was able to join us, having missed out last year due to ill health. Andrew and Peter were quick to agree a shortlist. After a number of years where the printmakers have missed out on prizes it was very gratifying to see prints doing so well overall The 2D first prize was awarded to Ben Herbert (U6th) for an atmospheric intaglio print of a derelict interior of a building. The 3D first prize went to Benson Chan (U6th) for a small, but intricate and detailed room interior made from card. Austin Ward (Remove) for his delightful small sculpture, Henry Flatt (Remove) for his intaglio print, Matthew Stewart (L6th) for his digitally produced diptych, Alfie Elston (U6th) for his huge and imposing series of linocuts and Trent Abraham (U6th) for his card cut self-portrait print were all highly commended. MCC
ART
Gilbert Lloyd lectures
Miles Young
For the first lecture of the term in September we were delighted to welcome back OB Miles Young. From Bedford School Miles went on to study History at New College, Oxford – with which the school has been linked since 1552. He recently returned to be Warden of New College after 40 years in the world of advertising where he ascended to be CEO/Chairman of the international network, Ogilvy & Mather having worked in their UK and Hong Kong offices before moving to the US. In his lecture, Mr Young looked at the role of advertising as an art form, at the tension between art and science in the business, the contribution of advertising to popular culture and the impact of the digital revolution on the industry’s artistic output. In his fascinating lecture Mr Young explained the importance of responding astutely and successfully to the myriad possibilities the digital world has to offer using examples of campaigns to illustrate his points. It was certainly a very thought provoking and memorable lecture. For the next lecture we were delighted to welcome Dr Diana Rodriguez Perez, Junior Research Fellow in Classical Art and Material Culture (Wolfson College, Oxford) to talk about ‘Style, images and politics in Greek Art’. Alex Lam (L6th) noted: ‘In the lecture, Dr Perez stated that art is inevitably intertwined with politics and religion in Ancient Greece, and she Dr Diana Rodriguez Perez took us on an adventure
Martin Kemp
exploring the relationship between them in an exciting and enthralling way. Dr Perez presented her ideas with effortless scholarship and it was a delight for all of us who were lucky enough to attend. As an art student, I was fascinated to learn about and understand how Greek architecture and sculpture is a product of political interchanges. It was an intriguing idea that Greek pottery is an accurate reflection of the lives of the general public as much as they are private pieces. Dr Perez also used the events recorded on the pottery such as the depictions of weddings to explain how they show early forms of feminism. The emphasis on the historical context of many pieces of work, was incontestably crucial for us sixth form students who are building their A level and IB portfolios. Art history is a rarefied field of study, but Dr Perez has definitely inspired some of us who were present to consider pursuing a career like hers.’ With 2019 being the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death we were particularly delighted to welcome in February one of the leading world authorities on Leonardo’s work, Martin Kemp, Emeritus Professor of the History of Art at Oxford University. For his lecture Martin chose as his theme ‘Mona Lisa: Poetic Geology’, which specifically focused on the relationship between his art and science. The L6th in particular were really focused as they knew that this lecture was the launch of their next art essay but it says much about Leonardo’s renown that this lecture was one of the biggest audiences we have had at a Gilbert Lloyd lecture for some time. It was exciting also to have the opportunity after his lecture to purchase some of Martin’s books including his just recently published ‘Living with Leonardo’ with the bonus that Martin was very happy to sign copies of any books bought. Trent Abraham
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Timmy Pong
Leo Chiu
Matthew Stewart Dan Zhang
Benson Chan Tomi Fashola
Alex Linley-Hill
Adrian Lee Harvey Toms
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Hasnain Zaidi
ART Oscar Tang
Louis Simon
Matt Rae
Ross Denton
Matthew Stewart
SCULPTURE Tom Bryne
Akhir Absar
Henry Sheasby
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Nikhil Chavda
Alfie Elston
Will Barford
PRINTMAKING
David Sin
Trent Abraham
Matthew Chu
Mikey Basciano
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Ben Herbert
ART
ART SOCIETY Hosted on Friday lunchtimes and aimed at extending what is offered in everyday lessons, this is a chance for the most enthusiastic artists to be stretched and to do presentations about subjects that are of particular interest to them. This year we have had a number of L6th boys keen to introduce other societies so the Art Society now alternates with talks and sessions with the Art and Fashion and Classical Art Societies which ensures that Friday lunchtimes are consistently full and busy. ARTiculation is a competition the school has supported for a number of years: it is a national competition for talking and speaking about art and all U6th art boys do a ten-minute presentation on an artist of their choice and five boys are shortlisted to then do their talks to an invited judge, this year, Mr Finch. Based on his impressive A2 coursework artist essay, Tomi Fashola’s talk on the sculptor Nicola Hicks was the stand out: he was chosen to then go on to the regional heat at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich in January where he was unfortunate not to be shortlisted for the competition final in Cambridge. That this was Tomi’s first go at public speaking made his presentation even more of an achievement. To coincide with his exhibition in the Foyer Gallery in the autumn term we were delighted that the Graham Jones artist Graham Jones could come to talk about his work in the exhibition space. Graham brought with him a selection of his sketchbooks which provided boys with a useful insight into the process and development of an artist’s ideas from sketchbook to final work. We were thrilled that polymathic Dr Wallace could find time to come and talk about film, one of his great passions and, arguably, the most significant art form of the twentieth century. Dr Wallace decided to focus on Monochrome Nightmares: German Expressionist Film as Art Form, exploring some of the great horror movies of the early 20th century. Dr Wallace looked specifically at Murnau’s Faust, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu, showing clips from each to explain what makes them significant and memorable in what was an enthralling lecture. With so many boys in the fifth form and L6th in particular wanting to know what their options are if they choose a career in art we were thrilled that Rhian John, from the Norwich University of the Arts, was prepared to make the long journey down to Bedford to talk about the range of courses they offer
Rhian John
as a degree. In the space of her 40-minute talk, Rhian was able to cover a huge range while still finding time to explain just what the university want to see in applicants’ portfolios of work. It served as a reminder that art can offer a huge range of exciting options. Happy to make a quick return visit, Dr Wallace chose to talk about the artist Andy Warhol who he sees very much as a product of the late twentieth century. Regarded by many as a fraud, Warhol was an artist, graphic designer, philosopher, factory manager, human machine, celebrity, shape-shifter, record producer, film director and photographer. In his lecture Dr Wallace examined these aspects of Warhol’s life and art and reminded us that Warhol once famously said that in the future ‘’Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes’’ and that 30 years after his death, we are still talking about Warhol. To coincide with his exhibition in the Foyer Gallery at the start of the summer term, Mr Sanchez talked about his
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photography and his inspiration and ideas which provided a fascinating insight into the advantages of using traditional film as opposed to digital. Just before her departure from Bedford School and her move to Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys School we were delighted that Mrs Nicholson Mr Sanchez was happy to talk about her own work and her inspirations as an artist. As someone who studied painting for her degree and then sculpture for her postgraduate degree, it was a timely reminder to all the art boys to be prepared to experiment and explore ideas in a range of different media. Eason Fong (L6th) gave an enthusiastic talk on the street artist Banksy explaining why he is such a phenomenon and, to conclude the talks for this academic year, Finn Cassell (L6th) gave a well-researched lecture on the artist Rembrandt.
Art and Fashion Society
Harry Brown and Jack Jordan hosted the first meeting of this new society in January when they set up a series of high-end fashion items for the boys to draw. Amongst the items were a pair of Valentino trainers and Gucci boxes. Among the 15 boys attending some had not drawn since fourth form but, following Jack and Harry’s guidance, good studies were produced. Harry and Jack followed this with an excellent lecture on the designer Virgil Abloh focusing on his work for the fashion labels Off White and Louis Vuitton. In the summer term, Jack also talked about how the design label Supreme has used other artists’ images for their clothes- the work of Roy Licthenstein, Salvador Dali, Damien Hirst and MC Escher all featured.
Classical Art Society
For the inaugural lecture of this society in the autumn term, Alex Lam and Tom Byrne presented a talk looking at the changes in art between the classical and Hellenistic periods in Ancient Greece. This included a selection of architecture, sculpture and other art works which Alex and Tom talked about in detail focusing on the historical context in which they were produced. In November, Mr Allen gave a talk on the archaic and classical period of Greek art. This was Mr Allen’s first and last talk for the society before his departure at Christmas: it provided a fascinating insight into the period. The art students found the images useful for their coursework, and the classicists enjoyed the Greek history. In the summer term, Alex Lam gave an insightful and authoritative account of the Laocoon which has been one of the most famous ancient sculptures ever since it was excavated in Rome in 1506 and placed on public display in the Vatican, where it remains to this day.
Architecture Society
Set up in response to the growing number of aspiring architects in the sixth form, the focus for this society is primarily on drawing. For example, all applicants to UCL for their architecture course have to complete a drawing task and 30
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the quality of what they do for this determines if they are called to interview, so drawing is a fundamental and crucial skill for the architects in particular. However, such is the significance of drawing to all the art boys that the weekly life drawing session after school on a Wednesday in the autumn and spring terms is also there to hone their observational drawing skills. The practical sessions for the Architecture Society are interspersed with talks and early in the autumn term we were delighted to welcome Mr Richard Miller to talk about John Soane, one of the most influential British architects of all time. Mr Miller has given regular tours of Moggerhangar Park just outside Bedford, which is designed by Soane so, not surprisingly, it was an enlightening and very informative lecture. Matthew Lusty was the Development Manager for the new headquarters of N M Rothschild & Sons in the City of London designed by Pritzker Award winning Architect, Rem Koolhaas which was shortlisted for the prestigious Stirling prize. In addition to that he has just completed Bloomberg’s new European Headquarters in the City of London, designed by Foster and Partners which recently won the 2018 Stirling prize as well as being the most sustainable office building in the world. During his talk, Matthew explained all about the challenges of developing buildings at the cutting edge of architecture. In the spring term, Benson Chan and Timmy Pong (U6th) talked about their experiences of applying to architectural degree courses this year, while L6th boy Benedict Siow talked about environmentally friendly buildings and how green issues have impacted on contemporary architecture, referring specifically to the Apple and Bloomberg buildings both by Norman Foster. In the summer term Eason Fong (L6th) talked about the Southbank Skate Park, the world’s longest continually skated street spot, and the campaign to save it.
Art History
After two years of running our Monday afternoon and evening Art History classes we were very sorry to lose Andrew Gillespie to a full-time lecturing post in his home town of Birmingham. However, we were delighted to welcome Caroline Bacon as his replacement. Caroline has a degree in Art and Design History and has previously worked as a costume cataloguer at the BBC, a curator in the Indian department at the Victoria and Albert Museum and was, until 2007, Head of Collections and Exhibitions at the Cecil Higgins Gallery here in Bedford where she wrote the gallery catalogues on Edward Bawden, the print and the watercolour and drawings collections. Since then she has been regularly teaching Art History courses at the Rothsay Education Centre in Bedford and elsewhere including the Cambridge University Continuing Education Institute at Madingley. This year the course has focused on twentieth century art and architecture in particular with visits to Tate Modern in the autumn term and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge in the spring term. We have been delighted to welcome students from Sharnbrook Upper School to the afterschool session which has been very well attended by our U6th boys in particular who are applying to architecture degrees this year. This class is proving to be an excellent addition to what is offered in the department, providing an in-depth understanding of art history that timetabled courses cannot match. MCC
ART
A print of Bedford School by Paul Catherall
Paul Catherall is one of this country’s leading printmakers, best known for his striking and iconic images of London, which have already been used twentytwo times for London Transport posters. Paul is also an artist that our boys regularly look at and study for both GCSE and A-level: the crisp, bold imagery and eye-catching compositions are memorable and exciting. A speculative email was sent to his website asking if he would be willing to exhibit here at Bedford School, which was something of a long shot taking into account just how busy Paul is; we were thrilled and delighted that he subsequently agreed to show. It was not altogether a surprise that his exhibition in 2017 was one of the most commercially successful we have recently hosted. Another chance enquiry, made more in hope than expectation, as to the possibility of Paul producing a print
of Bedford School was also agreed to, much to my delight and astonishment. With a limited-edition linocut in mind before commissioning a full edition of prints, we were keen to see what Paul would come up with. Paul visited the school on two separate occasions, armed with his camera and sketchbook, stalking potential viewpoints and vistas for the right composition. On one of his visits, Paul noticed the Norman Wilkinson railway poster of Bedford School now hanging in the Dining Halls. Produced in the 1930s, Paul is a huge admirer of artists from this period including Wilkinson. An image of Paul’s proof print was sent out with an email to determine potential interest and demand; within four hours we had reached the necessary fifty expressions of interest to progress to the next stage of producing a limited edition. As an original linocut, each print is individually printed from each layer cut from the lino, a slow and laborious process. I am delighted to be the owner of one of these prints and feel certain that as Paul’s name and reputation continue to grow that it will be as desirable and as collectable in the future as the Norman Wilkinson print is now. MCC
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THE SURVIVORS
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Left to Right: Front Row (Sitting): Alexander Linley-Hill, Felix Mallalieu. Middle Row: Samuel Wainwright, Henry Shaw, Paul Whalley, Thomas Pelling, Max Judge, Tom Holland, Ms Oakley, Mr Whitbread, Mrs Carrington, James Sorensen, Matthew Fahmy, Harry Ward. Back Row: Thomas Blythman, Alfie Elston, Charles Tavengwa, Ollie Peacock, Arun Chambers, Kamran Awan, Benjy Fishwick, James Kneller, Marco Sarro, Alexander Bowes, Joseph Fordham, Joshua Nethersole, Freddie Humphreys. On the roof: Olly Walker.
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nto EPS i t sigh 39 ST n I An THE T OR AY in P E R NN D A R HA RD H C I R A THE g RICH in Play Bedford, November, 2018. I’d been back in Bedford School for three months now and was wondering why: the weather made me liverish, no exercise to speak of, and the talk of A-level options made me sick. I’d had enough of hockey options and French vocab tests. But there was one saving grace: a diamond in the rough with a posh upper-class English accent, and a whole production to boot. Rewind to June 2018. Mrs Keylock had announced that the school production for the autumn term would be Patrick Barlow’s reworking of the John Buchan book and subsequent Alfred Hitchcock screen adaptation: The 39 Steps. I was instantly intrigued and auditioned for the role of the pseudosleuth, upper-class gentleman, Richard Hannay. I was most surprised to get the part, but somehow managed to learn all of his 60 million lines in my summer holidays. Fast forward to September 2018. Even though the original show demands a cast of just 4 actors (Hannay, his three love interests, and two ‘clowns,’ who play over 100 characters between them), a motley crew of ten embarked on the arduous journey of blocking the whole show in two rehearsals for seven weeks. The cast were in high spirits, even when it came to the 34
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hardest scenes. Let me tell you, I wasn’t envious of the many heavy props my fellow cast members were constantly carrying around and the numerous character transitions they had to overcome. We started with simply blocking and polishing one or two scenes per rehearsal; we had the freedom to experiment whilst listening to Mrs Keylock and Mrs Millington’s directions, so it was satisfying watching our own ideas take flight before our very eyes. Half term came. The second act was still to be blocked. There was a level of suspense and tension in the air that Hitchcock himself would have been proud of, but we managed to push on. The hard thing was that The 39 Steps is a highly physical show that involves a great deal of farcical comedy and slapstick acting. We were usually out of breath at the end of every rehearsal, and I came out of one with several purple bruises down my leg. Moreover, the show moves to multiple locations seemingly at random: during the course of the
play, different scenes are set in: a London flat, Scottish town hall, train, moorland cottage, London Palladium and on the Forth Bridge. It was hard to keep track at points! Finally, the biggest challenge for my fellow cast members was character changes. Only Hannay’s three love interests and Hannay himself stayed as one character, as Mrs Keyock wanted to keep true to the frantic nature of the original show. Therefore, people had to change role, accent, costume and demeanour in less than 10 seconds. Some of the more hilarious combinations were: Ishaan Mukherji going from a cleaning lady to a pilot, then the villain’s wife, a Scottish matriarch, a music hall act and finally…a window. Miles Ratcliffe shifted from grizzled old crofter to a sheep. George Robertson went through various incarnations: a sheriff, a milkman, a blind and a pillow. And George Wegener played doddery orator, underwear salesman, thug, hotel proprietor, police inspector and music hall compére.
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I found the role of Hannay a journey: my physical acting skills were my weakest area, so I thought this a good opportunity for me to blood myself rigorously in physical acting. It worked: I lost several pounds in weight because at any given point in the show you might find Hannay being chased by someone (during one rehearsal I ran for twenty minutes non-stop). Added to this was the hot lights and having to wear a heavy suit: I was sweating in every rehearsal. Hannay is very much a larger-than-life character to play on stage; he is a stereotype of the posh-publicschool-man-who-will-probably-be-an-investment-banker person. Therefore, a plummy, RP accent, was essential to perfect. He holds himself up with a swagger and an air of slight superiority. He starts out bored and ‘tired of the world,’ but, by the end, when he has been thrust unceremoniously into adventure, he is a ‘changed man… full of fire and heart.’ Hannay,quite simply put, is the hero (however unlikely he may be). And here we were, back to November: the sport, the French, the A-Levels. The tension had been ratcheted up, with the promise of full houses nearly every night. Strangely, I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I had been at, say, the dress rehearsal. Although it’s always good to have nerves, as they show your dedication to your subsequent performance, I felt at ease in the role. When the brash, brassy fanfare started, the herald of two hours of frenetic, frantic and sweaty work, we were ready. Two hours later, the cast assembled, 36
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breathless, tired, and jovial after the first performance of what was to be a very successful three nights of laughter, wit and the occasional surprise. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working on The 39 Steps; I can’t wait to sink my teeth into another role in the future. Jamie Williams
DRAMA
The Frenetic Journey of the
Frantic Five
A level drama: spring term. The devising section of our exam loomed, counting for a crucial 20% of our marks. The task was simple: devise and perform a piece based around the teachings and stylings of a theatre practitioner or company. While three members of the class went for the exaggerated vocals and the socio-political subject matter of the German playwright Bertolt Brecht, five of us - Tom Arnold, George Robertson, Ishaan Mukherji, Peter Barrington and myself - decided on a more physical approach. The theatre company Frantic Assembly formed in 1994 and have been working on shows ever since. They aim to tell stories using a blend of naturalism and highly physical theatre, in shows such as The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night Time, Things I Know To Be True, and The Unreturning. Their methodology is more of a way of devising theatre than a mental thought process: every rehearsal starts with a physical warm-up to blood the actors for the work ahead. Next, they focus on an idea or an emotion and develop it bit by bit over a day or two. That would be about one or two minutes of theatre. They combine these ideas with powerful naturalistic acting, often on themes of conflict or struggle; often their work depicts friendship groups being dissolved. THE MAGAZINE OF BEDFORD SCHOOL AND THE OLD BEDFORDIANS CLUB
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The newly formed ‘Frantic Five,’ did not have the luxury of time. We originally decided that we would depict the break-up of a friendship at a party, where true natures would surface. We were proud of the trailer that we created along these lines, as we were excited at the prospect of something that was true to the Frantic style. However, we quickly realised that there wouldn’t be as much emotional depth with characters drunk and intoxicated, as there would when sober. Moreover, there wasn’t much plot available with a party: get drunk, moan, the end. So, a long way into the project (too late, some would argue), we changed our focus entirely to concentrate on the all too real issue of growing up. We came up with a group of friends who had been together since the beginning, and whose friendship would be broken by the exam results they got. George played Ben, a stuck up, pompous medicine student who gets into Imperial College, London. He’s distraught when his reputation as the intelligent one of the group is wrecked by Luke. As a child, he dreamed of being a superhero, but resorted to medicine, as he could still save people. Tom played Darren, the heir to Sharp’s Paper and Plastic Company. Not very bright, he had a job guarantee (he would take over his father’s business) and had been friends with Aman ever since they were little. Secretly philosophical, his final monologue at the end of the play emphasised how hard it was to simply grow up. Peter played Harry, a laid-back guy who didn’t take his future seriously enough for the strict Ben’s liking. He had aspirations to be an actor, that were fulfilled to Ben’s utter disbelief. He was, along with Luke, the calming voice of the group, and almost the only truly happy one out of the five characters. Ishaan played Aman, who aimed to be a pilot. He was all set to get into pilot school, but, against all the odds, he failed. A kind but bitter individual, his dream of being an astronaut was shattered, along with his leg, when he jumped off the stairs to simulate flight.
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And, finally, I played Luke, the son of an army veteran, who pushed Luke to join the army, even though he didn’t want to. After overcoming this setback, I confronted him and got into York to read English. Ben was distraught that I obtained better grades than him; even so, Luke was the diplomat of the group, the voice of reason. Over the three months spent on this project, we built up our strength and lifting technique immensely, and I personally felt like my physical capabilities had been refined and pushed to their limits. If you were to walk into the Quarry Theatre at any given moment, you would probably see one of us five airborne, being lifted. It was an intense process, crafting naturalistic scenes and intricate monologues almost simultaneously. It boggled the mind as well as the body, but the harmony of naturalistic physicality and physical naturalism was eventually realised. May came and with it the performance reared its ugly head. We had doubts, but we were ready for anything. The night before the exam, we received valuable feedback from peers, classmates, friends and parents that shaped our decision making for the next day. Having made these crucial changes, that improved our performances and our piece immensely, we performed one last time for the dress rehearsal. All we had to do was wait, much like our characters waiting for their exam results. The tension was still the same, as this was our exam. One last time. One shot. One chance to be the best we could. We were finished. The deed was done. Although there were disagreements over the rehearsal period, the final result, a poignant, emotionallycharged piece, true to the Frantic Assembly style, was something we could all be proud of. Jamie Williams
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In the dark, see past our eyes, Pursuit of truth, no matter where it lies... Metallica, Through the Never, 1991
Let’s face it. Everyone has demons. But how far are we willing to go in order to confront them? And who should we trust during this fight? Should we keep our friends close, and our enemies closer, even if the blurred line between truth and lies finally swims into focus? A good play spawns such questions, and more, and This Is Our Death Sentence certainly fulfils that criteria. Startlingly enough, the play was written and directed by lower-sixth former Ishaan Mukherji, who, despite his age, tackled complex themes with panache and flair. Having already seen some of Ishaan’s thoughtful scriptwriting during the creation of the devised piece (more on that in another article), I was intrigued to see more. The Afghan desert. The present day. A bunker. Dom (Tom Arnold) and Matt (Max Pearson), fight for the truth, when all they know is that they’re here. But where is ‘here’? What is the ‘truth’? The play revolves around questions and deception and the audience starts in the same mental state as the protagonists: they both know nothing. Even then, all are haunted by the oppressive figure of Colonel Sanders (no, not the KFC guy…), played with suitable chilling aggression by George Robertson, helped by his stature. Calm authority oozed from his every word, establishing himself as someone to be feared. He played God and was not afraid to do so snarling with vicious rage. The story took many twists and turns, dips and troughs, as the audience realised, along with the protagonists themselves, that they live a lie. They seemingly didn’t remember anything about their past: Matt only remembered stealing a laptop and his broken family life, while Dom could only imagine someone called Julia who had mysteriously disappeared. Through games of chess the two bonded, before realising they themselves were the pawns. Both were criminals sentenced to death, but only Dom had the heart of a killer. Matt killed his step-sister in a fit of rage, lashing out against his cruel stepfather, but Dom - aka ‘The Eyeless Butcher’ - was a fully blown serial killer, gouging out the eyes of nine innocents, including Julia - his girlfriend. Through two mysterious flash drives, they learned they were part of an international game, where the rich bet on when convicts die. Dom, who wished to rig the system, was shot by Max, who swore to Sanders he didn’t know him. I was impressed with how the information was gradually uncovered for the audience and I truly felt the characterisation meant that Max and Tom could be capable of their acts. The two protagonists were poles apart, but they nevertheless formed an unlikely friendship: the eager, 40
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Review
One of the most exciting student productions that I have seen in many years - a cross between David Lean and Harold Pinter in style - it was a chilling piece of theatre that will remain with me for a long time
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naive Max contrasted with the cunning, sadistic Dom: an innocent mind juxtaposed with a deranged psyche. Max Pearson threw everything into the role of Matt: his happiness and willingness to serve his country were conveyed in his wide eyes and quick vocal pace. He was nonetheless haunted by a shadowy figure (also played by Robertson), whom he could not bring himself to shoot. Even more disturbing was when the shadow carried a baby, who starts wailing, which drove Matt to hysteria. An arsenal of dramatic weapons at his disposal, Max negotiated the role with ease (although he could benefit from slowing down). His vigorous performance was entrancing and ultimately tragic. Dom, on the other hand, suited his killer role perfectly. A jovial person by nature, he shed that persona and let cold brutality seep through. His blunt tone, lines dripping a dark undercurrent of malice, made it clear he knew his pessimism was justified. He wanted to kill the king, but his status as a pawn left him powerless to stop his fate. His utterly unhinged persona mocked and bullied Matt at first, but later respected his pseudo-protégé, holding him in high regard even when he wanted to be shot. His unceasing torment of Matt was perfectly portrayed, with just the right amount of level-headed mental dexterity, combined with a blunt, guttural tone which enhanced the atmosphere of entrapment: here was a man hardened by murder and uncertainty. A man addicted to chaos, I was in awe of how Tom slipped from sadistic to sympathetic. This couldn’t have been achieved without some superb scriptwriting. The chess motif, a microcosm of the game the rich (the kings) played with Dom and Matt
as the unsuspecting pawns, was powerful. The rich language, and the witty verbal exchanges between the characters throughout transformed the play and the audience’s perceptions. Strong visual imagery, coupled with a constant, questioning desire that gnawed at the audience’s hearts, ensured that the harmony between the acting and scriptwriting was perfect. However, the wondrous effects of the script and the acting would not be realised to their full effect if it weren’t for Ollie Walker and Tyler Galtos’ lighting and Alex Steele’s music. Galtos and Walker operated the complex rig with ease, illuminating the chess games, highlighting the blood-red fury of the two protagonists, and the cold-blue, icy calculation of Colonel Sanders. Steele’s music had been crafted with minimal stimulus, by Ishaan’s admission, but the resulting effect was haunting, powerful, and, above all, steely (true to his name) rock. Ishaan’s original stimulus of the whole piece was the Metallica song One (a good choice, as I personally love Metallica and heavy metal) and I could hear the strains of the opening, chilling riff in the soundtrack. Even though the show enjoyed only ‘intimate houses’, it was good enough to run for three days rather than two. The dedication and execution of the roles, the technological manipulation and, above all, the original idea and scriptwriting were astounding, especially for a student-led production. A show about searching for the truth demands a truthful response, and I hope I’ve conveyed the spectacle of This Is Our Death Sentence accurately. Congratulations to all involved. Jamie Williams
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Actor Insight from Max Pearson A great highlight of my first year in the upper school was having the opportunity to star in the original play This is Our Death Sentence (written and directed by drama scholar and talent Ishaan Mukherji). Although trying to juggle doing this play with my exams was a struggle, I still enjoyed every minute of the experience. Contrary to its name our rehearsals for This is Our Death Sentence were extremely light hearted and enjoyable. One of the main reasons for this was the relationship of the cast members. Perhaps the benefit of having such a small cast, of just three people, was that everyone was so close. I was so fortunate to have such great sixth formers to work with, serving as not only great mentors (this being through their tremendous acting expertise and years of experience) but great friends. George Robertson and Tom Arnold really made me welcome into this small cast. Furthermore, I have no end of admiration for Ishaan for casting a year 9 in such a sophisticated and mature play. This was a great experience to get to know the older drama students of the school; I suppose that is the beauty of drama at Bedford School: you get to mix and act alongside other students of all ages, all with a love and passion for the theatre. I was cast as Matt, a fidgety, scrawny, yet upbeat, and even, at times, rather naïve, 18 year old. I really enjoyed playing this character: the more you dig away at the story, the more you get to know the complexity of his character and that all might not be as it seems on the outside. This is highlighted through his troubled background. It was a privilege and honour to watch George Robertson and Tom Arnold really get into their characters. George Robertson’s was slightly sarcastic. With Tom Arnold’s brilliant portrayal of my character Matt’s psychopathic roommate, Dom. This play watches the journey of roommates Dom and Matt through their time in the army overseen, by the stern colonel. The rehearsal process was tough, stressful and vigorous, yet hugely enjoyable. The process of our rehearsals had a very strict pattern to it, going scene by
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scene. Then we had to go home and learn those lines ready for the next time we would need to perform the scenes. It was so beneficial that Ishaan was very much a perfectionist because it helped us actors really develop our characters with the perfect delivery of lines (thanks to Ishaan’s policy of repetition until we hit perfection.) At times this may have been annoying (at some stages repeating the lines on multiple occasions, until they were right), nevertheless, it was effective and paid off. One of the hardest bits from my perspective was slowing down in the more heated, angry and frankly loud scenes. Also, having to cough up a USB stick for an awkwardly long time was an experience, to say the least! I learnt so many new things over the course of the rehearsal process! I also had to walk exactly in synchronisation with George Robertson as he played my shadow; he could not see me because he was behind a lit up screen, which created the effect of a shadow walking with me. This was a challenge that stretched me; I cannot imagine how much it stretched George, who did an exceptional job. In doing this production I picked up and brushed up many theatrical techniques as I’m sure did my fellow cast members. These included various fight scenes, giving and receiving punches. Moreover, we learnt how to handle stage guns similar to the way the people in the army would. I can say this is a huge achievement as in the tech run I must confess my character went to sleep and I forgot to take the gun out of my pocket, which I was later told was very unrealistic and an army soldier would never do that. We could never break the fourth wall or look at the audience. This was a big adaptation from the play I had done just before this (Brainstorm) where it was essential to break the fourth wall and interact with the audience because the audience played a big part in the story. I cannot go much further without mentioning the fantastic tech team of Olly Walker, Alex Steele, Mr Tearle and Tyler Blue. The production would have been nothing without them. With the mood-fitting sound track from Alex Steele and all the work in the tech box from Alex Steele and Olly Walker, the production would not have been nearly as great as it was without them. I’m sure everyone who came and watched would agree. Overall, this experience was one I will probably never forget. From being in constant danger as Matt to having our cast dinner in Burger King it has all been truly unforgettable! Thank you to everyone who came and supported, all the staff who gave a helping hand, the tech team, the Quarry theatre staff (who made it possible for us to perform at such a brilliant venue), my fellow cast members and, most importantly, Ishaan for putting the play together and giving me the chance to perform.
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On Thursday 16th and Friday 17th May, 2019, Boycott Theatre Company performed Brainstorm. Boycott Theatre Company is our in-house theatre company that provides opportunities for our Fourth Form and Remove boys to explore and perform new and exciting plays written for young people. This year we explored the play Brainstorm. This production gave the boys the opportunity to devise their own piece of theatre based on the inner workings of the teenage brain. Max Alexander and Harry Hine wrote and directed a production each, which was a fantastic achievement. I am hugely proud of all the boys involved. Both pieces were dynamic, fun and poignant. An excellent experience for both the directors and their casts. This was a unique theatrical investigation into how teenagers’ brains work, and why they’re designed by evolution to be the way they are. Created with cognitive neuroscientist Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and drawing upon the life experiences of the cast, Brainstorm was a thrilling exploration of the most frustrating, chaotic and exhilarating changes that will ever happen to us. CSM
sOME wORDS FROM THE DIRECTORS Having been in Boycott Theatre Company’s performance of The Edelweiss Pirates last year, I was excited to direct this year’s production. Brainstorm gave us a unique opportunity to work with a script but also to devise and adapt, drawing on the personal experiences of the people in the cast. The experience has taught me a variety of lessons and skills. I have learnt to see things that an actor perhaps wouldn’t. As an observer, there is always something better that you could do with the play. Furthermore, I have learnt to look back on my work and criticise it. The experience has been brilliant. Harry Hine Brainstorm was a great opportunity for the Fourth Form and Remove students to get involved, as they were not only performers, but they also played a large part in the creation of the play. Throughout the process I have enjoyed directing and helping the boys with their roles and seeing how well the play came together. It was a challenge, but very rewarding! Max Alexander
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STUDENT REVIEW: BRAINSTORM Despite its relative youth, the Boycott Theatre has quickly established itself as the place to take creative risks in school theatre. Last year’s performance was The Edelweiss Pirates. Now with Brainstorm, Boycott Theatre has performed a new feat: two performances with different directors back-to-back, working largely from the same script, that managed not to feel like a simple retread. I said in my review of Boycott’s The Edelweiss Pirates, Boycott consistently proves the value of school theatre and justifies Bedford School investment in having a bold, experimental and youth-focused theatre tradition. Brainstorm is the product of first time directors, both of whom were in Year 10, surely the youngest directors the school has seen or, at very least, that the Quarry Theatre has seen. And their youthful lack of preconceived notions lends Brainstorm a vigour it might lack had an older cast and crew tackled this material. Both directors bring different perspectives and energies to the work that give Brainstorm an authenticity a more senior director would not, could not, replicate. Under the keen eye of Max Alexander, his rendition of Brainstorm possesses a gentle naturalism that Stanislavski would be proud of. His actors, all playing themselves, bring a wonderful vulnerability to their performances, through their subtle physicality and their understated work. Much praise must be given to Huw Hargreaves, who is the narrator of the piece, who brings gravitas to the role while still portraying the uncertainties, granting him an authority that seems beyond his years but feels utterly grounded in his perspective as a teenager. The rest of the cast proves just as admirable; the nature of Brainstorm, a play of jarring transitions and actors playing multiple characters, would seem to push the cast towards a more comedic, exaggerated performance, but the cast, with a discipline that many in the years above them, including myself, would struggle with, stay true to the naturalistic vision of the director. That is not to say the performance was without laughs: Murray Silk and Josh Cooke were particularly funny, with Murray Silk’s impression of his father being the highlight of both evenings. But the laughs do not distract from the real drama of the piece: the relationships between parents and their teenage children.
Harry Hine’s interpretation of the play could not be more different. Hine’s production leans into the boisterous energy the script calls for, and, like much great Brechtian art, finds deeper truth about the human condition via exaggerated depictions of humanity. The teens of Harry’s performance are far more confident, with more aggressive movements and a more energized manner of speaking; they aim to make the performative nature of the piece clear, to echo the performances many teenagers (and adults) put on to get through. As a result, Harry’s cast have more of a conversation with the audience: perhaps helped by going second, the interactive elements of the play were far better incorporated. It felt natural for Harry’s more self-aware Brainstorm to demand the audience’s attention. The artifice lets the more performative aspects of the work, like the comedy, shine through; the actors were able to let the jokes sink in, rather than speeding past them. But Harry must be commended for not letting the humour and craft of the piece block the raw emotions underneath. If anything, the ending hits harder when produced by the confident cast of Harry’s performance. Brainstorm manages to incorporate the go-forbroke energy that animates the best of educational entertainment or Edutainment aimed at young adults, but it feels more keenly aimed at the parents in the audience. In its best moments, Brainstorm pleads for patience on behalf of a group the play happily admits can be deeply obnoxious at the best of times and deliberately alienating at the worst. Enoch Mukungu
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St Cecilia’s Concert
Hot on the heels of the house singing competition, the St Cecilia’s concert showcased the depth and breadth of the upper school’s musical talent, as the audience were taken on a journey from the provincial palace of early eighteenth-century Brandenburg to the cafés and boulevards of early twentiethcentury Paris, from the townships of South Africa to the frozen forests of Finland. The Senior Brass Ensemble, who continue to entertain the school with a new item prior to each and every Friday assembly of the year, demonstrated their versatility in matching J.S. Bach’s motet O Jesu Christ Mein’s Lebens Licht with an arrangement of Bon Jovi’s classic 80s rock anthem Livin’ on a Prayer, complete with tongue-in-check modulations, contrasting with the solid harmonies of the Bach, with its rich countermelodies brought out of the texture by horn and trombone. Given my vocation, I can’t help but draw parallels between the two, different as they are in era, style, and almost everything else: Bach originally wrote the motet for choir and brass to be played, unusually, al fresco at a graveside funeral, while Bon Jovi’s classic is increasingly becoming a popular choice at contemporary funerals. Bach’s compositional genius was presented with competition by the ‘mash-up’ of superhero themes performed by the Junior Brass Ensemble and arranged by our own resident maestro Andrew Groom. As the themes came to the fore, so they were woven together expertly before climaxing in a raucous and exciting finale. 46
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The audience was transported from a cold and dark late November evening in Bedford to a balmier climate as the Senior Guitar Ensemble performed Ian Gammie’s Contradanza, which evoked an altogether slower pace of life in this rhythmic and evocative dance, and which displayed skilful and nimble finger-work. Awoken from reveries of an Iberian summer by the Second Orchestra, the audience were once more captivated by Mr Groom’s compositional talent and passion for flowing capes and neon tights. This newlywritten suite based on the music of The Incredibles was fastpaced and filled with dramatic tension, as well as providing opportunities for solos from the principal players throughout. The suite showcased newcomer Tom Arnold on the piano, as did the Jazz Orchestra’s rendition of Cute by Neal Hefti. Although Hefti is better known as the composer of the theme to the campy 60s Adam West incarnation of the Batman (‘Bam! Pow! Wham! Kapow!’ – there seems to be a linking thread running through this first half…!), he was a prolific composer and arranger of big band music, including for Count Basie’s famous orchestra, for whom this work was written. Wideranging and impressive solo work from members of the band displayed sensitivity and exciting improvisational talent. The driving beat of Freddie Hubbard’s Red Clay followed, moving us into the world of soul/funk/hard bop, featuring a driving beat, virtuosic solos from Nat Otley on alto sax, Thomas Pelling on trombone, and Ben Watson and Henry Poppleton on trumpet and a cool yet palpable excitement. The School Band presented Anne McGinty’s rousing
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Triumphal Overture, followed by George Gershwin’s famous An American in Paris, in which he stated his intention ‘to portray the impressions of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city, listens to the various street noises, and absorbs the French atmosphere.’ One could almost smell the Gauloises and hear the rattle of the Citroëns as the band took us on a journey to interwar France in this jaunty performance, with Henry Poppleton bringing to life exposed solo trumpet passages with clarity and confidence. Another Freddie Hubbard standard, Gibraltar, and the South African saxophonist Dudu Pukwana’s Hug Pine (Bambelela) provided rich and intimate settings for the Jazz Ensemble to demonstrate their improvisatory skills to great effect. In the latter, call and response improvisations from Caleb Sanders and Mr Groom on trombone, and Ben Parrish and Oscar Calvert on clarinet set the tone for this laid-back and relaxed number, as Nicki Iles led the ensemble with her usual cool and flair. The Chamber Orchestra presented a light and sophisticated rendering of the Allegro from J.S. Bach’s third Brandenburg Concerto, written in an unsuccessful attempt to win the favour and patronage of Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg. Undiscovered until 1849, the six concerti are now a cornerstone of baroque orchestral repertoire, and were here performed with due elegance and panache. The well-known aphorism tells us that ‘history repeats itself’: the background to the music of Sibelius is of a political and cultural struggle to free Finland from Russian control and influence; hearing the sweeping melodic lines and dark and foreboding textures evoking the empty plains and harsh climate of this border nation, one cannot help but think upon the anxiety and disquiet of present-day Finland as it once again contemplates military build-up and political interference emanating from its eastern neighbour. The final two movements of his Symphony in D Major, his second, which carry echoes of his celebrated tone-poem Finlandia, present a beautiful and haunting melody, initially on the oboe, building inexorably to an expansive and stirring beginning to the Finale, in which each section of the orchestra is used to particular effect: brass underpinning the texture with long-held chords, woodwind filling the middle of the texture with bell-like peals of repeated notes and strings providing the great soaring melody
that brings the symphony to its triumphant conclusion. The audience emerged from the St Cecilia’s Concert having been on a journey not only across the world and through time, but to places thrilling and moving to which only great music can bring us. The school’s musical ensembles, and the boys and staff of which they are comprised, worked magic in bringing excitement and emotion, creative skill and profound musicality that gladdened the heart on an otherwise cold and dark November evening. NGM
Choral Society Concert
Commissioned for the 1965 Southern Cathedrals Festival held that year at Chichester, by the Cathedral’s Dean, Walter Hussey, Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms marked a somewhat radical departure from the Anglican Choral Tradition as exemplified by the three choirs that take part annually in the Festival – the Cathedral Choirs of Chichester, Winchester, and Salisbury. The work juxtaposes the traditional homophony and imitation of Christian sacred music with the singing of psalmody in the Jewish liturgical tradition. Bernstein was emphatic that the work should be sung in Hebrew, and no translation is to be found in the score. Indeed, it would be impossible to perform the work in another language: the
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melodic and rhythmic contours of the original Hebrew of the psalms dictates mood and melodic character throughout. In intimately and inextricably uniting the Hebrew liturgical and Anglican choral tradition, it might be seen that Bernstein was making a comment on our relationship with, or perhaps even issuing a plea for peace in the, then as now, turbulent land in which these ancient songs of prayer and worship, this record of human emotional response to the Divine, were first written and, more importantly, sung. The combined forces of singers from Bedford School, Bedford Girls’ School, and the Eagle Choir together with the instrumentalists of the Phoenix Ensemble succeeded in bringing to life to the words of the musical introduction to the work from Psalm 8: ‘Awake, lute and heart : I will rouse the dawn!’ The joyous strains of the opening movement set the entirety of Psalm 100, a celebratory text given further energy by the driving 7/4 meter, the opening reminiscent of Copland, the main body of Bernstein’s own overture to Candide. The rhythmic punch and bold melody were delivered with confidence by the massed voices, the movement dying away
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into pizzicato strings and delicate percussion in charming and almost whimsical manner, before an expansive statement of the final and fundamental line of the psalm, ‘The Lord is good : his mercy and truth everlasting’, by a solo quartet, and an emphatic restatement by the chorus. In the second movement, Fraser Morgan carried off the bluesy treble solo setting of psalm 23, whose melodic line bears more than a passing resemblance to material from Bernstein’s West Side Story, to great effect, balancing expertly with the harp accompaniment and imbuing the musical interpretation with the innocence and vulnerability that the text suggests. The innocence of the boy-king David is interrupted by the angry counterpoint setting of psalm 2, and here the tenors and basses portrayed the barely-contained rage expertly, managing a fast and difficult text with ease. The final movement’s angst-ridden orchestral introduction gives way to a song of comfort and tenderness in a setting of psalm 131, ending with an unaccompanied chorale setting of the imperative for unity in psalm 133, a coda that sets the work within its context, and perhaps shows more than anything else its purpose as persuasive art. John Sanders’ (father of our own Director of Music) Urbs Beata was commissioned in similar circumstances, for the 2001 Three Choirs Festival at Gloucester, involving the Choirs of Gloucester, Worcester, and Hereford Cathedrals. It echoes Bernstein’s work in seeking to be a paean to interreligious and cross-cultural peace and mutual understanding. We are taken on a journey through the Creation and Fall of man through religious history and Redemption, and ultimately to the Beatific Vision of the Heavenly City to which the work’s title makes reference. Masterfully narrated by visiting countertenor soloist Owen Willetts, and with commanding performances from soloists Eloise Toone and Peter Head as Adam and Eve, and Tamara Oakley Holden, Silas Sanders, and Jack O’Donovan as the voice of God in Trinity, the narrative sweep was enlivened by brass ensemble, solo ‘cello, and percussion. Moving from chaos and darkness to Resurrection and light, the assembled musical forces brought to life this thrilling work, leaving the closing line ringing in the audience’s mind and ears: ‘Hosanna in excelsis Deo’. NGM
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Summer Choral and Orchestral Concert
As the summer term neared its end and thoughts turned to travels and holidays, the Cricket World Cup and the Ashes, our wonderful Chapel Choir opened the summer Choral and Orchestral Concert with Rutter’s The Lord bless you and keep you. Under Mr Rouse’s expert direction in his final concert at Bedford School, we were treated to more beautiful choral works by Stanford, Mathias and Mozart, with accompaniment by James Watson (Remove Form) on the organ. Fellow Remove former, George Balfour, gave a powerful solo performance of Sark’s Toccata Primi Poni Op. 11 for the organ, and the Brass Ensemble treated us to Grieg’s Funeral March. The first-half ended with Howells’ O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem, based on the words of Psalm 122: ‘O pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls and plenteousness within thy palaces’. It was a privilege to hear this music being performed so well by our Chapel Choir, organists and brass musicians, and we were lucky to hear it in the wonderful setting of our Chapel. We moved to the Great Hall for the second half of the evening. The Chamber Orchestra began with Mozart’s Oboe Concerto in C Major. Jonathan Blake (Upper Sixth) was the impressive soloist. The oboe has such a distinctive sound and he made this difficult piece look effortless. The standing ovations he received were thoroughly deserved. Jumping from Austria in the 1770s to the present day, the Chamber Orchestra next performed an arrangement of Coldplay’s Viva la Vida, with the addition of a bass guitar. There were not many of those in Mozart’s day. The School Orchestra concluded the evening with a Star Wars Epic. With Mr Bantock introducing the medley with the immortal line ‘A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away’, we were taken through the highlights of the different soundtracks, mixing action sequences (Duel of the Fates), love themes (Across the Stars), motifs for heroes and villains alike (Leia’s
Theme and the Imperial March respectively), before finishing with the main theme to the franchise. You cannot help but develop a nostalgia for the series when listening to Williams’ score, leaving this reviewer excited for the release of The Rise of Skywalker in December. Thank you to all the musicians and staff for putting on such a fantastic concert. It was a great way to end the year. MWB
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50 years ago in 1959, Bert Stern’s film of the Newport Jazz festival was premiered. Film-maker Stern captured all the action of the 1958 event which starred many of the great jazz artists of the time. It remains a landmark even if it did the great Thelonious Monk a disservice by putting footage of the nearby yacht races over his live music! Why has it taken so long for our school to put on such a boy-inspired jazz concert for all comers to enjoy, starring the current artists of the school? The archives reveal that public jazz concerts were held before, involving big name artists such as The Chris Barber Band or concerts with staff musicians but this event on July 6th was a much-needed first. Our event is also on film and as still pictures and we share some of these with you, this time no yacht races were substituted but importantly the music was just as innovative. We are grateful for the leadership of jazz teacher Nicki Isles and the arrangements of Andrew Groom in making all this possible but with great modesty they always give the boys the leadership as well as opportunities for solos and solid ensemble playing: jazz always is about spontaneity and improvisation. So at 7pm on July 2nd, 2019, an expectant audience gathered in The Quarry Theatre to see the Bedford School
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Jazz Orchestra led onto the stage by their conductor Nikki Iles for the opening three pieces. The BSJO comprises 22 players with horns to the fore but with a strong Basieinfluenced rhythm section of James, Jonathon and Josh on, respectively, bass, guitar and drums. We appropriately got into the ‘Kansas City’ Count-Basie groove with the great blues standard, “Fancy Pants” written for his band. There were outstanding solos. After three strong numbers, the band was replaced by the cool studio line up of the Bedford Jazz Group led by Nikki on piano. ‘Brazilian Beat’ is a number written by guitarist Barney Kessel and arranged for tenor sax, so it showcased Nat Otley on sax and Jack O’Donovan on French horn. This was followed by ‘Angel Namali’ by exiled South African musician, Dudu Pukwana, whom I once saw playing with Afro rock band, Assegai in the 1990’s. The group made a powerful contribution with this strong rock piece and featured the robust soloing of Caleb Saunders on slide trombone. After the BJG we had the BSJO back on stage to bring the first half to a crashing conclusion with some great singing from Imogen Churchill on Cy Coleman’s ‘The Best is Yet
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to Come’ and a sparkling performance of the great Freddy Hubbard tune ‘Red Clay’. Hubbard himself always gave 100% and often blew his apostles away, just as the band did. Finally, in the first half our own three Bedford Girls’ School singers Emily, Eloise and Tamara took on the role of The Andrews Sisters who first sang the original of “Bugle Boy of Company B” in 1941; Henry Poppleton also featured with a powerful bugle solo at the opening. The second half opened with the Prep School Jazz Group: how we applauded these junior players and how they interpreted two great jazz standards. There were great solos by Hugo and Kieran and brilliant support from all the band. Playing jazz at this age is difficult but they all showed great maturity in their approach. The Bedford Jazz Group then came back onto the stage to perform another great standard by the late Freddy Hubbard and gave it full measure. ‘Gibraltar’ is a hip samba sound and was delivered at a cracking pace. The BSJO stepped back onto the stage for some classic renditions of great standards. ‘American Patrol’ was no doubt preformed by Glen Miller during his
wartime stay in Bedford. The band then played ‘Watermelon Man’, which is probably the most well-known composition by Herbie Hancock who continues to innovate as he approaches his eightieth year and so did the band with some great solos. An outstanding evening continued with a starlight contribution with stylish Sinatraesque singing by pianist Peter Barrington on ‘Can’t Take That Away from Me’. Finally, it was all summed up by ‘Birdland’ by Joe Zawinul, a swinging tribute to all things jazz. Birdland was a club on 52nd Street in New York: the whole street was a nest of jazz clubs in the 30’s and 40’s and became known as Swing Street. The audience enjoyed a jazz club setting, with great food and drink all provided. Thanks, hep cats all, for a great evening. I look forward to the next one which will feature legendary session trumpeter, Mike Lovatt, who will share the stage with the boys next July for another ‘Jazz on a Summer’s Day’. Be there or square. CHJ
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t h g i N Rock
This event gets bigger and bigger in scale each year. To set the scene, 2019 saw the Quarry Theatre bursting at the seams, with possibly the biggest crowd this venue has ever seen. A highlycharged and organised group of boys transformed the theatre by implementing the most ambitious technical plan imaginable, programming moving lights, lasers, haze machines and an incredibly powerful sound system. With the bands and DJs wellrehearsed and sound checks complete, this event promised to be a captivating night to remember. The programme boasted a diverse musical palette: there was something for everyone. The bands began with some great energic rock covers, thanks to a classy performance from Jonathan Hosking, accompanied by our former head of physics, Mr Monaghan, on the banjo: some classic Mumford and Sons’ covers got the crowd singing along. It was pleasing to see some of the more junior bands from the Fourth Form performing, as well as a bold rocky performance of the Fifth Form band, featuring an exhilarating electric guitar solo from Jonathon Coughlin who had the stage presence to match his technique. Each year, we welcome friends from across the Harpur Trust and it is excellent to see bands performing together with a mixture of pupils from Bedford, BGS and BMS. The bands featured some notably strong performances from sixthformers, Peter Barrington and Ify Emmanuel-Oddiachi. Ify joined a talented group of BMS musicians on stage; the crowd started dancing and this gave a real sense of atmosphere, thanks to Hugo St Ledger’s outrageous dress-code and a double-neck Gibson Les Paul to complement his stylish performance. ‘The Kinkys’, a band from BGS, featured Komal Srivistrava performing some of her original songs, as well 52
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as some polished covers and ‘Sun Seed’ also performed a contemporary set of originals. A hip-hop set from James Oliver, Sean Davis, Tomiwa Fashola and Chris Kitson followed. The final piece of the programme was a concept show titled ‘Genesis’ from the talented and experienced upper-sixth DJ and producer Olly Walker. He had a huge hand in the running of the whole evening and, together with the talented lighting designer, Elliot Baines, the live visuals projected by Rob Brown (OB): a strong technical team carefully choreographed each beat of the set to push the technical possibilities of the Quarry Theatre to the max. This show was an incredibly vibrant celebration of the diverse musical opportunities available at Bedford; for those who were fortunate enough to get a ticket, it was an evening never to be forgotten. TPR
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House Singing Competition It’s always incredible what boys can do when they really put their minds to something: this year’s house singing competition was no exception. With countless hours spent in rehearsals, practising, learning and perfecting part songs and unison medleys throughout the first half term, huge praise must be given to the dedication and hard work of all involved. The high standard of all performances that night reflected this. Of course, only a few can leave the competition with a trophy: it was the task of our adjudicator for the night, the Director of Music at Dulwich College, Mr Richard Mayo, to decide who would. He gave constructive feedback and encouragement to all the houses and emphasised the best in everyone’s performances. In the unison competition he gave first place to Crescent for their emotive medley of It Must Be Love (Labi Siffre) and Hey There, Delilah (Plain White T’s), directed by Peter Barrington and accompanied by Alex Watson. In the part song St Peter’s gained the winning spot for the second year running, with their impressive performance of Wonderwall (Oasis), directed by Silas Sanders. As a result of their very respectable second in the unison competition, directed by Tizian Oscar-Geyer, St Peter’s also won the overall competition, making them the winner of Bedford School House Singing 2018. A mention must also be given to the staff part song - an entertaining rendition of Wonderful World (Sam Cooke) - that brought the longanticipated and thoroughly enjoyed evening to a close. S.J.C. Sanders
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SCHOOL LEAVERS
BROMHAM Burnaby House Report 2018-19
Those chaps in Burnaby are from all corners of the Empire and beyond - and don’t they have it far too easy these days? Conrad Ng and Jean-Kai Eschmann were the fellows in charge this year and led from the front, just as I did. Of course, they weren’t allowed to keep a goat, or fly a balloon, or have their shoes polished by a fag. Poor show, really. ‘House shout’, we used to call it. What a racket! Now they call it the ‘house singing competition’ and reckon it’s melodious. I tell you now: it was malodourous in my day. I think the fire helped sort that. Anyway, we came last. Chap judging couldn’t tell his Brahms from his Liszt. ‘Paintballing’ is what we used to call ‘war’ and you didn’t just get a splat of yellow paint on your combats. You got a spear in your fundament. Anyway, everyone survived the paintballing day and ‘bonded’, as they say now. Williamson’s my sort of chap. Won the arm wrestling at the house barbeque. Bet he couldn’t carry a horse under each arm or put each hand on a different end of a pool cue, though. Mind, it wasn’t for the want of trying in the latter case. A chap called Vann spoke at the house dinner. A Liberal, don’t you know? Never trust ‘em. Raised some smiles, but seemed to know what he was talking about, at least. We used to race a bunch of old nags across the fields next to the barracks. Now they go ‘Karting’, or is it ‘Go-Karting’? Anyway, makes a frightful noise and looks far too safe for my liking. Can’t remember who won, think it was Lau, a chap from Hong Kong. One thing I wouldn’t fancy is all those exams. I never did a stroke of work but still got to Sandhurst. Mind, there’s one or two in Burnaby that didn’t do much either. Most of them did, though: probably get cut off from their inheritance if they didn’t. House barbeques ended the year. In my day, it was all gristle pie and spotted dick. Butcher delivered the meat and housemaster cooked it. Don’t know they’re born. We only saw the housemaster once a term, and that was when he beat us. All in all, they were a fine bunch of fellows this year and their housemaster said he liked them all, although one or two did let him down a couple of times. I told him he should have thrashed them. Anyway, ‘onwards and upwards’, as I say when I launch my balloon. Here’s to 2019-20. Colonel Frederick Burnaby (AKA REH)
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Bromham
Housemaster: P. Whatling Head of house: Elijah Cooke The sky-blue tie that Bromham day boys wear to school represents the family that we belong to. No other group of people in the school wearing the same coloured tie have the special bond that two Bromham day boys share. We’ve always been the underdogs in house events, generally because of lack of numbers, but winning isn’t a Bromham boy’s priority. Instead, we take pride in strengthening our house spirit. This is why, if you attend house singing, you’ll find the Bromham house chant the loudest every year - regardless of the position we finish. And this year was no-exception. It was a fresh and thrusting start to the season with our new housemaster, Mr Whatling: house spirit in events was galvanised. The fresh new laminate floor in the games room replaced the carpet that had complemented the games room soft furnishings; this indicated a smart new start for Bromham following the retirement of our cult hero Mr Huxford. This new beginning was exemplified by the impressive start at sports day, the first main house event of the year in which Bromham were close runners up to St Peters. The house singing adjudication was typically questionable to any impartial onlooker, leaving Bromham in joint fifth place overall, despite the near-perfect performances of the part-song quintet led by Johnathan Hosking. Big victories followed in fives, basketball and an impressive dominating display at indoor rowing, which saw us break the VIII school record by 11 seconds. Runners up in debating, badminton, water polo, football and futsal gave hope for future competitions. Bromham finished well in the summer term, being runners up in volleyball and Fifa and winning tennis. Overall there were some outstandingly strong performances from the
SCHOOL LEAVERS MATTHEW BRIDGER A level; house colours (Bromham, Phillpotts); football (4th XI), tennis; guitar ensemble (grade 3), life drawing, film club, biology field trip (Leeson House), Bedford Music Festival.
ELIJAH COOKE A level; monitor, head of house; consistent effort prize, history prize; rugby (1st/2nd XV), rowing; tours team, Christian Union, economics society, theology society, school meals committee, school council, school games committee.
ENYICHI CHUKWU A level; deputy head of house, house mentor; rugby (3rd XV), basketball (first team, minor colours), weights; English society, debating society, archery club, gym.
ARUN CHAMBERS A level; deputy head of house; weights, football (1st XI); investment society, geography society.
JAMES OLIVER A level; deputy head of house; rugby (3rd XV), football (1st/2nd XI); tour team, Rock Nigh
SAM DALTON A level; monitor, house colours; rugby (1st XV, major colours), hockey (1st XI, major colours), tennis (first team); tours team, D of E gold.
JULIUS LUSIS A level; house colours; football (3rd XI); law society, English society.
CALLUM FORTUNE A level; Bromham deputy head, head of house mentors, house colours; football (2nd XI); tours team, camera club.
JONATHAN HOSKING A level; monitor, house colours, head of drama society, arts colours, junior English speaking prize, performing arts prize; squash (first team, vice-captain); drama society, English society, tours team, school plays (Inherit the Wind, Henry V, Coram Boy, Punk Rock, Macbeth, Lord of the Flies, Romeo and Juliet), Open Mic Night, Rock Night.
RORY BOYLEN A level; deputy head of house, house colours; rowing (2nd VIII, minor colours, Sarnen 2018/2019); CCF, debating society. TSZ KING HO A level; house prefect, house colours; rugby (3rd XV), badminton (2nd team), gym; rifle club, Mitre Club, current affairs society, Chinese society.
ALFIE ELSTON A level; Bromham deputy head, head of sport; rugby (2nd XV, minor colours), hockey (1st XI, major colours, national finalist), volleyball (first team).
HAOYUAN CHEN A level; house colours, house prefect; swimming, basketball, tennis.
CONRAD NG IB; head of house, house colours; chapel choir, Pythagoreans, Chinese society, Young Enterprise, maths challenge silver, Mitre Club.
IAN LAU HIU YEUNG A level; deputy head of house, house colours; badminton (2nd team, minor colours), athletics (minor colours), cross country; Chinese society, biology society, rifle club, string orchestra, Harpur Science Forum, charities committee.
boys showing typical Bromham tenacity in all the competitions. Given the results of the main competitions, the boys will be slightly confused by the respectable fourth place finish overall, but it is the competitive spirit that matters and the support that was shown in the competitions won hands down. House dinner saw the return of the long-serving day housemaster, Mr Huxford. He gave an interesting talk on how he has furthered his experiences with photography by venturing into sports photography for a local team after being the main school
NIKHIL CHAVDA A level; Bromham arts team, deputy head of house; arts colours; badminton; art society. SACHIN KALYAN A level; house colours; rugby (3rd XV, minor colours), hockey (4th XI), cricket (minor colours). SAM WAINWRIGHT A level; house colours; rowing (1st VIII/2nd VIII, major/minor colours); English society.
ALEXANDER LINLEY-HILL IB; house colours; academic stripe; rugby (5th XV), fives, tai chi apprentice; Pythagoreans, life drawing, geography society.
JEAN-KAI ESCHMANN IB; head of house, house colours; swimming, basketball, tennis (first team); German society, biology society.
LEON WILLIAMSON A level; house prefect, Burnaby head of sport; sports scholar; rugby (1st XV, minor colours), fives (1st team, minor colours), golf (minor colours), sevens (1st VII); economics society, theology society, Mitre Club.
BRUCE YU A level; water polo; aviation club, grade 8 piano.
SIYUAN ZHANG (JAMES) A level; house prefect; basketball (first team), weights.
photographer. We saw the return of some fairly iconic jokes, including his famous joke about exchange rate fluctuation. An opportune job offer in Argentina presented itself to Mr. Whatling and so it was a short, but powerful, reign for our housemaster. A parting gift in the form of an Argentinian football shirt reading “Bromham 19” on the back will be sure to remind him of the ethos that Bromham house was founded upon: “Bromham ‘till I die”. Written by James Haxell and Sean Davis
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CRESCENT pemberley
2018 has been spectacular year for Pemberley boarding house. There have been numerous achievements, which always makes Pemberley the best for many. We were joined in the house by seven new boys starting in the fourth form. Our new boys were of different nationalities and from different backgrounds, but nonetheless have all settled in exceptionally well, making friendships for life. The year started steadily with all boys in the house having to learn a song for the house singing competition. The many hours spent practising after school can make the boys exhausted, but in spite of that, this is always the highlight of the year, which everyone appreciates. All the hard work was worth it when we bought the unison cup back to Pemberley. We look forward to a repeat performance in October! Coming up next was ‘Movember’: Pemberley boys take massive amounts of pride in this event, and the house plays an extensive role in this campaign due to its level of importance to us. Events take place in the house, so it’s convenient for the boys to take part. For instance, Mr Taylor making pancakes bright and early, every morning, for the boys, to raise money; this year he raised £508 just through his pancakes and a total of £2,800 by the end of the event. Alongside this, Mr Taylor organised a fantastic trip to London to watch ‘School of Rock’ at The Gillian Lynne theatre in the spring term. Mr Taylor organises many house trips, which the boys love. Go-carting is usually the fashion for the house which is an excellent fun, but recently we went paintballing: every single person in the house got involved, including Miss Bassa and Mr Watson. In December, we had the Christmas dinner which is kept very traditional in Pemberley – it’s held in the house common room so feels like a family affair. This is a huge time for the house because this is where the boys come together for one last time before they go off on their holiday. Mr Grimshaw joined us and gave a sensational speech, which will be remembered by many. His wise words were about the right ingredients needed to make a good boarding house: I think it was spot on. Finally, we sadly say goodbye to Mr Ruta, who is leaving to become assistant housemaster at Phillpotts and, also, Mr Sanchez, who is leaving to go to the day side. These two Pemberley men have been a massive part of boarding life and will be greatly missed. We also say an emotional goodbye to 56
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Freddie Humphreys, who gave an unbelievable speech at the Christmas dinner, also to Timmy Pong, who is an incredible person and will be immeasurably missed. Tom Linsell and Archie Swainson who are both members of the first fifteen will be widely missed. Terry Hui and Nick Yip, who are amazing characters in the house, along with Harris Pan, who is an excellent character. Lastly, Fung Lau, who is yet another great asset to the boarding house and will be missed. It will be very different without these people, but they will not be forgotten. In spite of that, Mr Taylor and Miss Bassa are fantastic people and are the foundations for the house. They will continue to make sure people in the house feel welcome, happy and comforted, something we all need. Elliot Sabel
Crescent
It is safe to say that this year was not a tremendous success, coming last in the house cup by a considerable margin, however, there were intermittent successes that are definitely worth celebrating. In the autumn term, the major house event is house singing where both boarding and day boys collaborate and perform on the stage. Crescent placed very well, bringing home first place in the unison song and then second place in the part song, putting us in second overall. As always, it was a spectacular event and a highlight of the year. Other highlights included senior fives (first), junior futsal (first) and U15 house rugby (first). This was a good start to the
SCHOOL LEAVERS KAMRAN AWAN IB; house peer mentor, house colours; fives (1st team, minor colours), cricket (3rd XI); chapel choir, grade 8 singing, grade 7 musical theatre, 2015 Festival of Remembrance in Albert Hall; bronze and silver D of E, medics society. LAURENCE PLEUGER A level; house mentor; Head Master’s Scarf, Andrew Lucken award; fives (second team); first orchestra (first violin), debating society, biology society.
TOMI FASHOLA A level; house colours, house mentor; futsal, rugby (3rd XV), football (3rd XI), tennis, volleyball (Brighton tournament); deputy head of art, life drawing.
TOM BLYTHMAN A level; head of house, house colours; monitor; rugby (2nd XV, minor colours), indoor hockey (1st VI), hockey (1st XI, major colours, honours cap), cricket (1st XI, minor colours); tours team, silver D of E.
SEBASTIAN SOGAN A level; deputy-head of house, house mentor; swimming, water polo (squad); CCF (senior NCO, best CCF recruit prize), EPQ A grade, tours team, debating society, Pythagoreans, physics society, chemistry society; completed entire RYA course.
CHARLIE AXFORD A level; monitor; hockey (1st XI, honours), cricket (2nd XI); tours team.
JAMIE SORENSEN IB; house colours, house mentor; junior and senior German prize winner; fives (1st team, minor colours, winner Dawes cup); Young Enterprise, German society.
MATTHEW FAHMY A level; house sports captain; squash (1st team, minor colours), football (3rd XI), weights; 1st orchestra/band (clarinet/bass clarinet), biology enrichment for years 7/8, grade 8 speech and drama.
ALEX WARD A level; house colours, deputy head of house; rowing (minor colours); Head Master’s Scarf; Hack-ion team.
ALEXANDER WATSON A level; house colours; head chapel choir, Tagore piano prize, Amos performance prize, music colours, piano (grade 8), composition, violin, conducting sound and music summer school place 2017/2018, finalist national composition competition, member Britten Sinfonia composers hub 2018/2019, pieces performed by Voces 8 and Britten Sinfonia, Consort choir, first orchestra (second violin), Sir James MacMillan masterclass, Deirdre Gribin masterclass.
ARCHIE SWAINSON A level; deputy head of house; rugby (1st XV, full colours, first team VIIs), football (2nd XI), tennis; classics society, history society.
NICHOLAS YIP A level; house prefect, house colours; 1st orchestra, school band, rifle club, chemistry society, biology society.
SIU FUNG LAU A level; deputy head of house, house colours; academic colours, senior biology prize; badminton (captain 1st team), athletics; Chinese society, biology society, Pythagoreans, architecture society, Harpur Science Forum committee, tours team, charities committee, CCF navy, Human Whipworm Genome Project. TERRY HUI A level; rugby, football; brass ensemble, trombone (grade 8).
BENJAMIN FISHWICK A level.
year by Crescent’s high standards. The spring term was less successful for our sports teams. Notable events were junior squash (second) and junior football (first). There is certainly some strength in the younger years, which will, we hope, lead to more success in future years for Crescent. However, on the drama side, the highlight of the term was certainly the second place in house drama under Jamie Williams’ superb leadership. His take on ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, was clever, comedic and showcased his strength and expertise in drama. Our annual house dinner took place in March. This year it was American themed with copious amounts of fried meat and chips! Accompanying the food were performances on the piano by Alex Watson and a memorable speech by Mr Bolton, which was a highlight of the night. As always, the event proved
THOMAS LINSELL IB; monitor; rugby (1st XV, full colours); biology society (chairman).
TIMMY PONG HO CHING A levels; house sports captain; rugby (colours, VIIs), fives; art history, architecture society, art. FREDERICK HUMPHREYS A level; head of house, house colours; rugby (4th XV), football (4th XI captain), tennis (2nd team); geography society, guitar. OSCAR SINGER IB.
to be a great success in uniting the house and a lot of fun. The short-and-busy summer term meant there were few house events, but there were some notable successes. Our domination in the rowing competition saw us take a clean sweep of results throughout, coming first in the junior and senior singles, as well as in the octo. On the tennis court, there was success in the junior tennis (first), on the cricket pitch points came from third place in both junior and senior competitions. We would like to thank all the tutors for their continued efforts of guiding all the boys through the school, and would like to thank Ms Law for her sustained efforts in running the house after stepping in for Mrs Swallow for the majority of the year. Joseph Young and Joshua Lyon
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ST CUTHBERT’S pHILLPOTTS
Having heard ‘Cuthbert’s, thanks for coming’ for 3 years or so now, we can finally say with pride after our hard work throughout this year that we are not just making up the numbers. In fact Phillpotts in union with St Cuthbert’s has had a massive year and we are at the top of the leader board for the first time in living memory! It is always good to see the boys from the boarding side get stuck in with the day side and give their best shot at all aspects of school life, whether sports, academics or other creative art events; we have been rewarded for our effort throughout this year. Right off the bat, our performance in the house singing competition in the first half term of the year showed our sense of unity as a house. Although the process was by no means without its hardships, we came through as a house and got second place in the unison, the best we have done since 2014. We enjoyed it so much we can often still hear boys singing to ‘Wake Me Up’ or ‘One More Light’ in the house. Our pianist, Flik Feng, also achieved some amazing personal feats this year, including being selected as the head of choir for next year and leading countless concerts throughout the year. Our drama department in the house also worked hard on a few performances this year including the Christmas house play and the house drama competition, coincidentally both based on fairy tales, ‘Three Little Pigs’ and ‘Red Riding Hood’, respectively: this goes to show how creative our house can be when we put our mind to it. Having a few talented athletes in the lower sixth, fifth form and remove form, Phillpotts performed particularly well in this year’s sporting events. A few highlights being our domination in senior futsal and football (special shout out to Anhad and Novo who carried the game for the second year in a row), our successful defence of the house tug-of-war cup, house badminton, house squash, etc. This is to my mind the first year that our house has won more sporting events than I can keep track of and I am very grateful that the boys put in so much effort. However, just because we did well in sports as a house, don’t think for a second that we are slacking on the academic side. In fact, we might have had one of the best sets of GCSE results in years and all of our former upper sixth boys have gone on to university with excellent results. This year we once again lead the merit chart as a house (at the time of writing). In the house, we have started a new support system for the lower years by the lower sixth boys to help them with their studying. All of this goes to show how driven our boys are on the academic front. In the house, there had been a few changes throughout the years that we have mixed feelings on. We were all excited to come back from the summer break to see the new kitchen: it is amazing and has become one of the most important places for the boys in the house. Very unfortunately, this is the last year we have Mr Adams as our assistant housemaster after five years of being in the house. He is 58
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replaced by Mr Ruta and we wish him all the best and we will all miss him very much. On a happier note, we fitted in a few house trips throughout the year, for example, Box End water park after the last two years’ success, ‘A Play About A Bank Robbery’ in Milton Keynes, go-karting, laser tag, Alton Towers, and finally, a paint-balling trip after the exam period to help the boys fire away some of their exam stress (and beating the boys of Talbot’s in the process). Overall this year had been a massive success for the house and we wish all the very best to our leavers. Benson Chan
St Cuthbert’s
As this academic year ends, I believe it is good to look back and review what the house has achieved since we began in September. St Cuthbert’s has achieved points in some significant competitions this year and the highlights include winning house competitions such as futsal, debating, badminton, squash, music, football as well as the all-new house FIFA competition. Furthermore, we enjoyed house dinner where the sixth-form boys decided on an Italian theme this year; the food was all well put on by the school’s catering team. During this year’s house trip, many of the new boys and current members of the house visited Box End in order to build up friendships and socialise with other members of the house; this event was well enjoyed by all the boys who attended it. St Cuthbert’s has always been known as the day house with a very warm and welcoming environment for all the boys who are part of the house, either existing or new boys. During break times, the boys of the house enjoy playing games (mostly table tennis) in the common room which is always a big part of our house. The sixth-form boys also have a space available where boys can work and relax relying on the supply of bread, jam and chocolate spread from our outstanding matrons: Lisa and Jane. Mr Holt, the housemaster of St Cuthbert’s, deserves recognition for his exceptional contributions to the house and looking after the pupils’ wellbeing year-in, year-out. Although he will only be gone for the
SCHOOL LEAVERS JONATHAN BLAKE A level; head of house mentoring, house colours; Head Master’s Scarf; fives, sailing; music colours, Barford wind prize, first orchestra, school band, wind quintet, Adrian Boult society (president), music society (vice-president), leader house singing, oboe (grade 8), organ playing, Consort choir, choral society; Christian Union (president), debating society (vice-president), BSIP presentation prize winner. MARC NEILSON IB; head of house, house mentor; Head Master’s commendation; rugby (4th XV), rowing (minor colours); school committee member, tours team. TRYSTAN COVENEY A level; house colours; squash (2nd team), tennis (2nd team); chemistry challenge gold, maths challenge gold. CHRISTIAN KITSON A level; deputy head of house; badminton; debating society. MARTIN SHODIYA IB; house colours.
THOMAS PELLING A level; house fives captain; academic colours, physical science prize, Henry Farrar memorial prize for maths, Elger leaving exhibition (Trinity College, Cambs, maths); senior brass ensemble, head of Pythagoreans, head of jazz orchestra.
ALEX BOWES A level; house sports captain, house colours; rugby (1st/2nd XV, minor colours, first team VIIs), gym.
THOMAS HOLLAND IB; house colours; academic colours; drama (grade 8).
HARRY GOULDSTONE A level; house games captain; business prize, Tarbutt memorial prize; rugby (3rd XV), football (1st XI, minor colours), cricket (captain 1st XI, full colours).
ROMEO ERIKSEN A level; rugby, table tennis, cricket; Pythagoreans, chemistry society.
HARRISON HOMAN A level; monitor; rugby (1st XV, full colours), rowing 1st/2nd VIII, minor colours); Northampton Saints academy U13-U17. SAREER SAFI A level; rugby (3rd XV), weights, cricket (2nd XI); archery club, medics society, Harpur Science Forum, Pythagoreans, Eastbourne tour, biology field trips.
MATTHEW JOHNSTON A level; head of house; rugby (1st XV, minor colours), rowing (2nd VIII, minor colours), athletics, gym, tennis. PAUL WHALLEY A level; house fives captain, house colours; Rollinson science prize; fives, cricket (4th XI); chemistry society, Pythagoreans, whipworm project.
RAHUL SHEEMAR IB; monitor/senior four, academic colours, three academic stripes, Heald prize for German, L6th modern languages essay prize, Harrison prize for German, Fanshawe divinity prize, IB extended essay prize; squash (1st team, minor colours), cricket (1st XI, full colours, L6th 1st XI captain); linguistics club, philosophy and theology society, Aquila challenge winner, commendation Staton essay prize, special feedback Corpus Christi, Cambridge language and linguistic essay competition.
BENSON CHAN IB; head of house; art colours, Detweiler competition (2017 highly commended, 2019 3D 1st prize), maths challenge, kangaroo challenge; hockey (minor colours), rugby (captain 5th XV). PITTAYANON NON MANKONGCHAROEN A level; senior house prefect, house colours; futsal, football (3rd XI), tennis; rifle club, biology society, chemistry society.
BERNARD CHEAN A level; head of house, house colours; academic colours; football (2nd XI); Pythaogreans.
TOM QIN A level; monitor; academic colours, 2017/18 UKMT gold; Cambridge Chemistry Challenge silver, chemistry Olympiad bronze; swimming; tours team; BSIP presentation and essay highly commended, whole school assembly on financial markets.
first term of the next academic year he will certainly be missed by the boys and tutors of St Cuthbert’s. Sadly, in the house we have to say goodbye to three of our brilliant tutors who are all taking another step in their careers and lives. They are Mr Thompson, my tutor and head of piano, Mr Monaghan, head of physics, and Mrs Hill-Jones who was deputy head of the maths department. I can wholeheartedly say that all the boys and other tutors will miss these three key members of the house as they have been fantastic and helpful throughout their time in St Cuthbert’s. Over the year we’ve had many exciting house events, but
PUI HONG, LEO, CHIU A level; house colours; art colours; table tennis (team captain); art society, architecture society, investment club, life drawing, astronomical society. HAOXUAN ZHANG A level; house prefect, house colours.
my highlight of the year is house singing. In case you haven’t experienced this annual event, I highly recommend going next year. The dayboys in the crowd cheered with a passion for their house and the boarders and part-song boys sang well as we achieved third place. Now looking ahead to next year, I am excited to see what the house can achieve once again. I hope that Aran Rai and I can continue to create the same enthusiasm for the house that the leaving upper sixth heads of house, Marc Nielson and Matthew Johnston, have done. Sam Whiteman
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PAULO PONTINE Redburn
The changing of the guard. Following a distinguished nine years at the helm of Redburn, Mr Bury bid farewell to 12 Rothsay Place and into some very big shoes stepped Mr Marriott. They say no one likes change and there was understandable apprehension and uncertainty at the beginning of the autumn term but such is the sense of purpose, community and endeavour in Redburn, this didn’t last long. It has been a year of new arrivals and good byes. In September Mr Vann, an Old Bedfordian, history and politics teacher and councillor for the De Parys ward, joined us. Mr Vann has been an excellent addition to the tutor team and his love of music, politics and Norwich City Football Club (not necessarily in that order) has been greatly valued by the boys. In July we said farewell to Mr Midwinter after three years in Redburn, two of which were as assistant housemaster. Mr Midwinter is taking a teacher of maths position at the Institut auf dem Rosenberg in Switzerland; we wish him the best of luck. We are delighted to welcome (back) Mr Nicholl and hope he enjoys his time in Redburn. The house was a little out of balance this year with thirteen boys in the upper sixth, but what a year group they have been! Full of character, life, energy and genuine pride in our corner of Bedford. This was demonstrated in abundance during our preparations for house singing. Our early rehearsals were a little shaky, but with perseverance and some uncompromising words from Mukungu, O’Sullivan and Probyn we arrived at the great hall with quiet confidence. When we sat down from our
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unison performance there were collective nods and sideways looks: we had nailed it! Unfortunately, this view wasn’t shared by Dulwich College’s director of music. A huge thanks must go to the army of parent supporters: we certainly had the most vocal and passionate backing. Having won the top house last year, there was inevitable pressure and sometimes we rose to this, but at others we crumbled. A special mention must go to the upper sixth boys who completed a clean sweep of wins in the house relay – this is an event they have won every year since the fourth form and still hold the record for the fastest time. There have been some memorable and infamous moments this year, often occurring in close proximity to one another! House trips to Top-Jump before Christmas and paintball in the summer, the house rave, an eventful secret Santa, year group meals, Mrs Marriott’s baking and travelling to the Olympic park to support the 1st XI hockey team will last long in the memory. Above all, I hope the boys look back on this year with happiness and a sense of fulfilment. JEM
Paulo Pontine
Housemaster: F.M. Whiteman Head of House: Max Deacon and Nishanth Ponnaganti Every individual boy has done their bit for the house no matter how big or small. We have had lots of success in various sports events throughout the year, the highlight has to be the upper sixth house relays team: they won their individual year group relay every year since they joined the school. The house relays are always followed by the school charity run. This year the charity was close to home for all the boys in the house as the school ran for Cancer Research UK in memory of Mrs Beale, who passed away in October. She was a Paulo tutor for many years, loved and respected not only by her tutor group but by all in Paulo. This was an incredibly sad beginning to the year for all the boys in the house: Mrs Beale will always be remembered as a brilliant maths teacher, tutor and member of our house community. Other sporting highlights include wins in fives, swimming and senior house rugby. Away from the sports field, we also won the book reading challenge. The main non-sporting event of the year is of course House Singing. This year our part-song was led by Peter Head - who has taken part in house singing for five years. The house dinner was once again an excellent event: many thanks must go to the catering department for their wonderful meal. We also raised £367 in memory of Richard Garrett, for the Primrose Unit from our ‘open house’ in January. This year is particularly memorable for upper-sixth former Max Deacon, having had an excellent final year leading us as head of house. We thank all the staff who made the year so outstanding: the tutors and Mrs Horne for all her hard work. Special thanks go to Mrs Whiteman who has been a fine housemaster and, as ever, has led the house well throughout the year. Thomas Byrne (Head of Paulo 2019-2020)
SCHOOL LEAVERS WILLIAM BARNES A level; head of school, house colours; academic colours; rugby (1st XV, honours cap, full colours, captain 1st XV), hockey (1st XI, hnours cap, full colours, indoor hockey), cricket (cricket club captain, 2nd XI captain, minor colours); head of school band, 1st orchestra, junior brass ensemble, grade 6 trumpet, grade 6 tuba, D of E gold, Mitre Club, head of school archive. MAX DEACON A level; head of house, house colours; Head Master’s scarf; rugby (5th XV, captain), hockey (3rd XI, minor colours), tennis (1st squad); tours team, aviation society, Young Enterprise.
HARRY BARRETT IB; house colours; rugby (4th XV); first orchestra.
JOE FORDHAM IB; monitor; academic colours, three academic stripes; rugby (2nd XV, minor colours), squash, hockey, volleyball, cricket; tours team, Spanish play, house colours.
PETER HEAD A level; deputy head of house, house head of music, head of choral society; rugby (1st/2nd XV, minor colours), hockey (1st/2nd XI, minor colours), cricket (minor colours); 1st orchestra, chamber orchestra, Consort choir, chapel choir, choral society, singing prize, house singing winner, tours team, house colours. CHARLIE HICKS A level; monitor; rugby (2nd XV, minor colours), hockey (1st XI, full colours, indoor hockey), cricket (minor colours); senior brass ensemble, D of E gold, grade 8 trumpet, house colours. HARRY JENNINGS A level; house colours; rugby (3rd XV), fives, golf, volleyball (Brighton tournament); investment society, Spanish play, conductor house singing.
JOE DESTRO IB; senior house monitor; house colours. ALEX KING A level; monitor; house colours; rugby (major colours/honours), rowing (major colours).
CHARLES PROBYN A level; house sports captain, house colours; rugby (1st XV/captain 2nd XV, minor colours), football (1st XI, minor colours); Movember team, tours team, volleyball team.
DAN WELLS A level; house sports captain; geography prize; rugby (1st XV), football (1st XI), volleyball, house colours.
DANIIL DULGERU A level; minor sports colours; house colours; gym, football (1st XI), tennis (first team), D of E.
WILL HAGGAR A level; futsal, football (3rd XI), cricket (2nd XI); debating society, current affairs society, biology society, human genome project; piano, singing. ADRIAN LEE TSZ HEI A level; house prefect, house colours; art colours, Head Master’s commendation; badminton (minor colours, 1st team); archery, life drawing, D of E Gold, canoeing, charity committee, art society, architecture society, biology Olympiad
TOBY MAY A level; senior house monitor; prize for services to boarding; gym, hockey (3rd XI, minor colours), golf; tours team, Movember team.
EDDIE TIAN A level; Tai Chi.
OLIVER PEACOCK A level. house colours.
SAMI YOUNIS A level; house colours; fives (first team), football (2nd XI captain), cricket (1st XI, minor colours).
JAMES WALLACE A level; rowing, fives, cricket; STEM society, Pythagoreans, extracurricular physics, debating society, Hack-ion team, piano.
BARNEY MAY A level; deputy head of house, house colours; Frank Wilson senior technology prize; basketball (2nd team), hockey (3rd XI, minor colours), golf; Christian Union, tours team, Movember team.
TOBY GARRETT A level; monitor, academic colours; rugby (1st XV, vice captain, honours cap, sevens), volleyball (1st team), house colours.
NISHANTH PONNAGANTI A level; Head of House.
CHARLES TAVENGWA A level; deputy head of house; weights, football (2nd XI); investment society; house colours.
WILL KIRKUP A level; monitor; rugby (3rd XV), hockey (major colours, 1st XI); president English society.
AMUN BHAMRA IB; house colours; rowing (minor colours); tours team, guitar ensemble, guitar quartet (lead guitar).
GEORGY USHAKOV A level; gym, swimming, tennis (1st team); guitar grade 5, guitar ensemble.
FINLEY O’SULLIVAN A level; deputy head of house; rugby (3rd XV), hockey (1st XI, major colours); tours team.
ENOCH MUKUNGU A level; head of house; vice president current affairs society, president of debating society, president of English society, ESU public speaking coach, member of school council, Head Master’s scarf, Stileman English prize, politics prize, ESU commendation; member creative writing society, drama (Romeo and Juliet), MDVII, The Ousel.
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ST PETER’S TALBOT’S
This was a year of extreme highs and lows in Talbot’s. A strong and vibrant (just ask the boys in the rooms underneath them) fourth form brought much life to our community and, as the only new boys in the house, they entered a very stable ship. We also welcomed two new tutors in the shape of Mr Waite from DT and Miss Thompson who joined the school in the academic support department. Both have brought fantastic support to the boys in their tutor periods and we were very lucky to have them join us. Unfortunately, GJW was unable to continue to balance this with family life and we wish him well as he returns to the day side: our loss is their gain. As the house competitions started, they said it couldn’t be done… Surely six wins in a row at sports day was just not possible... But it was! We teamed up with our St Peter’s brothers and the ‘Shed Army’ stole victory at the death. This was followed by Tizian’s second stab at conducting which, with the inspiration of a 60-year-old, one of a kind, St Peter’s jacket, took us to a first place overall in the house singing, including a second consecutive win in the part song. Half term one complete and we were riding high. The house continued to thrive and we finished the Christmas term in a new way with a tutor group skit competition and creative arts night. Seeing the talent of all our boys on show and having lots of participation in the skits was both hilarious and inspirational. Unfortunately, the huge low of the year came at Christmas as we lost our friend and house brother Marcus. He will always be remembered and, though it was a huge tragedy, the response of all the boys to get alongside one another and choose resilience and moving on was truly inspirational. Success in life can look like many different things. The second term included our best-ever Super Bowl party and a terrific house quiz night as we quickly motored towards exams for the fifths and upper sixth. Alongside this
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in the summer though, the house’s buzz returned, especially as we could return to late-evening football and volleyball in the garden and had some great trips to Alton Towers and paintballing. This was a year of many different kinds of memories, but my own overriding one will be the growth in the depth of community felt in the house and the genuine fun and friendships occurring across year groups. MRG
St. Peter’s House Report 2018-2019
This year has certainly been a year of great success for St. Peter’s house. The way in which members of St Peters have committed themselves to the house this year has encapsulated our house values. Our connection to Talbots is as strong as ever, with the introduction of a joint tuck shop as well as a combined effort to win the Overall House Singing Competition. Our part song stormed to first place with ‘Wonderwall’, expertly directed by Silas Sanders. As usual we started the year with an outstanding first place finish in Sports Day, proving our unparalleled sporting prowess for the sixth consecutive year. Our sporting success powered through, with us winning both House Table Tennis and House Rugby. Boys from all years dug deep and put in the necessary effort, whilst also making sure that everyone who could play, did. This year did see us lose our normal dominance in House Fives as we lost many notable players of the sport. Despite this, we persevered with many newcomers to the sport stepping up and under Hugh Halsey’s expert guidance we managed many respectable
SCHOOL LEAVERS ROSS DENTON A level; head of house, house colours; rugby (1st XV), hockey (3rd XI captain), cricket (1st XI), tours team. ROHAN MALHI A level; deputy head of house, house colours; football (3rd XI captain), tours team. HAYDN O’NEILL A level; academic colours; gym; physics Olympiad, Maths Challenge.
BEN HERBERT IB; house option; hockey (2nd XI, minor colours); architecture society, deputy head of art, tours team. AMAAN MEHMOOD A level; futsal, football (1st XI, minor colours), cricket (1st XI, minor colours). OLLIE PERKINS A level; St Peter’s senior team, house colours; rowing (3rd VIII), swimming; classics prize.
SILAS SANDERS A level; house colours; senior monitor, president of music society, house music captain, head of choral society, head of tours team, leader of first orchestra; music colours, Osborne singing prize, Amos prize of advanced performance, Elger leaving exhibition, classics prize, brass prize, academic music prize; chapel choir, brass ensemble, school band, jazz orchestra, first orchestra, Adrian Boult society, Consort choir, Christian Union, house singing part song leader; grade eight singing, grade eight tuba.
EDWIN CHAN A level; monitor, house option, house colours; rowing (3rd VIII, minor colours); German prize; debating society, current affairs society (president), tours team. EVGENII LARKIN IB, house option, house colours; Rowing (3rd VIII), LENNART ROESE IB; house sports captain; extended essay prize; rowing (1st VIII, 1st quad, major colours); German society.
BEN LUCAS A level; house sports captain; rugby (2nd XV, minor colours), hockey (2nd XI, minor colours), cricket (3rd XI). JOSHUA NETHERSOLE A level.
CHARLES RICHES A level.
AUSTIN ROBERTS A level; rowing (1st VIII, 1st quad, major colours).
ALEX WEGENER IB.
JAMES ZHANG A level; monitor, captain of boats, head of Christian Union, Guy Fletcher Prize for sportsmanship and dedication; rugby (3rd XV), rowing (captain of boats, 2nd VIII, 1st VIII); tours team.
CHEUK HANG CURTIS CHU A level; house option, house colours; basketball; Chinese society, chemistry society, singing (grade 3). LUCA MAIER IB, house colours, house option, German Society
IGOR MAIOROV IB; head of house; academic colours; cross country (captain), water polo (1st team, minor colours, captain).
NIKLAS SINDEMANN IB; house option; physics extended essay prize; rowing (minor colours), basketball (minor colours), gym; German society, tours team.
performances. The spring term saw us proving our depth of skills with victories in numerous minor sports: House Water Polo (3rd
STEPHEN LAM A level; house colours; table tennis, cross country, football (3rd XI); first orchestra (leader), chamber orchestra (leader); tours team, badminton, robotics club. ARTHUR MARIE IB, house option, house colours; rowing (1st and 2nd VIII, minor colours) YI LAM OSCAR TANG A level; deputy head of house; art society, Chinese society, architecture society, fencing club, life drawing.
Consecutive Year), Senior Badminton and Senior Squash. As ever we blew the competition out of the water with our ability to field vast numbers of eager boys. The House Dinner concluded the term and it was a resounding success. Highlights included: the Chaplain’s after-dinner speech, Josh Nethersole’s rousing loyal toast, Huw Turner’s quiz, Joshua Jeganathan’s expert drum solo and the St Peter’s brass ensemble. Of course, we have to pay tribute to Mr Cassell, our Churchillian housemaster. Mr Cassell has provided us with the foundation to build our innumerable success this year. Looking ahead in this summer term, we are very confident in our capabilities to ‘bring home the goods’ of the Overall House Cup. Jack O’Donovan
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ASHBURNHAM Sanderson’s House Report
Sanderson’s may be the smallest boarding house: though there are times that the other houses had overcome us in some events, we tended to not give up, and continued doing our best, along with the Ashburnham boys. In each and every event, we made sure that there were enough people to attend. And even when we needed more people right before events began, there would always be boys showing up as support who found themselves competing. I’m also glad that we’ve focused on giving our best in the events instead of just winning them. “As long you enjoyed it,” as they say. We were also not backing down in house relay, with the remove form and lower sixth winning the relay, and the upper sixth getting second place. Many of us might not be the quickest in school, but we kept running without stopping. It was only when we passed on the baton to the next people that we lay down on the grass and watched the silhouette of our teammates carrying on. I would also like to take a chance to congratulate John Hopcroft and Edric Yeung on getting sport colours. John got a colour on rowing, while Edric got colours on both basketball and badminton! A spectacular achievement! House singing is always the annual event dedicated mainly to the boarders. A great thanks to the conductor Henry Poppleton, and the pianist Harry Chen, for leading us. We were told that we needed to dedicate even more since we were a small group of people. I must say we did a good job on it: a small number of people still have the same levels of ability as a large number of people. Henry and Harry are both part of the school choir. Furthermore, Henry, along with other members of the house (too many to list), also participates in multiple school concerts. I never get tire of their music. Harry sometimes played the organ for boarders’ singing and even chapel services. It is not a role that anyone can easily take on. Besides music, some members of the house, especially the juniors, also devoted themselves to drama. In house drama, the boys took on the theme of bedtime stories, starting off with Will Cochrane as a parent and Artin Lee as the child. They showcased Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the Three Bears each with a sprinkle of the Sanderson’s culture. Academically, I would say our house is doing well, especially in Sung Yat Ng, who got his academic colours and Harry Chen,
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who received an offer from Oxford. The former upper sixth boys were all happy about where they ended up, whether it was a university, or a trip around the world during gap year. The current lower sixth boys also worked really hard in their GCSE exams to get good results. Whether it is a small step, or a big improvement, everyone is getting better academically: I believe they will do better still in the future. Although we are sad that Miss Law had to leave the boarding house, equally we welcome Mr. Midgley with the same passion. He has been treating us really well. There was not a big change in the house in terms of structure, but Mr. Midgley has been making improvements here and there, like adding an automatic light system in the shower room and curtains that shield the sunlight better. The most important change is that the dart board is open to all years (it used to be sixth formers only). Mr. Midgley had also arranged a lot of house trips, with many suggestions from the boys, including going to Box End, Bounce (an indoor trampoline park), Alton Towers and watching ‘War Horse’ at Milton Keynes Theatre. Sanderson’s is a lovely house: I believe everyone in the house feels the same way; I am sure it will continue to be the second home of every boy living there. Andes Lee: Head of House
Ashburnham
As ever, the Ashburnham boys this year showed the commitment and passion that we have come to expect. Amongst our leavers are the senior team of A.Abbas (HoH), A.Foat (HoH), J.Katechia (DHoH), M.Sarro (DHoH) and A.Rennie (Sports Captain), who have done a fantastic job in leading the house this year. Also leaving is Mrs Nicholson, who has been a wonderfully supportive tutor for the past three years, helping to sculpt her tutor group into the fine young men they are today. All those moving on go with our best wishes for the future. They leave behind a legacy for those who have just started their years in Ashburnham. However, the younger years have already set about creating their own, having been integral to some deserved successes this year, whether in house drama, hockey or the more recent heroics in senior and junior house cricket. In fact, it must be said that, were it not for our fourths and removes,
SCHOOL LEAVERS AMIR ABBAS A level; head of house, house colours; gym, basketball, tennis; law society (head), debating society, photography club, coding club, D of E bronze/silver/gold.
TRENT ABRAHAM A level; house colours; rowing (1st VIII, 1st quad, oarsman of the year 2018); tours team, head of art, art society.
ADAM FOAT A level; head of house, house colours; rugby (4th XV, minor colours), hockey (2nd XI, minor colours, tour), athletics (minor colours, captain), cross country (minor colours, nationals 2018/2019); school council, Pythagoreans. JAMES KNELLER A level; house colours; football (1st XI, minor colours), cricket (2nd XI). FELIX MALLALIEU IB; monitor, deputy head of school; house colours; rugby (1st XV, honours cap), hockey (1st XI, honours cap); head of army CCF OLLY WALKER A level; house colours; academic colours, Head Master’s scarf; president of new music society and head of media; Quarry theatre team.
OLIVER BILLINGTON A level; rowing (minor colours); CCF (sergeant and master-of-stores).
IFY EMMANUEL-ODIACHI IB; monitor; house colours; rugby (3rd XV, minor colours), hockey (3rd XI, minor colours), tennis; chairman, Harpur Science Forum, charities committee, biology society, rock night, open mic night.
ISAAC PEARSON A level; house colours; squash, hockey (1st XI, honours cap), tennis (1st team). CHRIS LODGE A level; house colours; rowing (full colours, Henley 2018, Sarnen training camps).
JAIKISHAN KATECHIA A level; deputy head of house, house colours, peer mentor; hockey (2nd XI, minor colours, European hockey team), cricket (4th XI, captain); Harpur Science Forum, St Cecilia’s day concert. MAX JUDGE A level; house colours.
ALEX RENNIE A level; house sports captain, house colours; rugby (2nd XV, minor colours), football (1st XI, captain, minor colours), cricket (1st XI, full colours).
MARCO SARRO A level; deputy head of house, house colours, peer mentor; rugby (minor colours), rowing (minor colours); investment society, Young Enterprise.
HARRY WARD IB; house colours, monitor, peer mentor; academic colours; football (2nd XI), cricket (3rd XI, minor colours); Mitre club, tours team, Spanish play.
HARRY CHEN A level; basketball Minor Colours; chapel choir.
HENRY SHAW A level; academic colours; Pythagoreans (publicity posters and presentation).
JOHN HOPCROFT A level; deputy head of house; rowing (1st VIII); secretary school astronomical society.
ABID ZAMAN A level; house colours; badminton (2nd team), cricket (4th XI); debating society, D of E bronze.
ANDES LEE IB; head of house.
SUNG YAT NG A level; monitor, academic colours; house colours; rugby (4th XV), badminton (2nd team), canoeing; head of Chinese society, committee member Harpur Science Forum, tours team, geography society, charities committee.
senior cricket would have been a lost cause! There have been some other notable triumphs, with Ashburnham victories in senior debating, U14 and senior hockey and chemistry. Overall, we gave a strong showing in this year’s house cup. More important than house successes has been the ethos the boys have created. The aim within Ashburnham is for everyone to feel included and involved in the house community, accepted for who they are and involved in their own unique way. One expression of this has been the house newsletter, ‘Ashburnham Articles’, which has brought extra colour to the year. Now in its eleventh issue and its fourth editorial team, contributors include staff and boys from each year group. It continues to relay news to
boys and parents each half-term from a variety of perspectives. Our community spirit has been strengthened by the whole house coming together on a couple of occasions this year. The American-themed house dinner in the spring term was followed in the summer by the house barbeque, on a warm(ish), dry(ish) summer(ish) evening where, between courses, boys engaged in a highly competitive bubble-football tournament, won by five of the remove formers from across day and boarding. Despite the various bumps along the way, our leavers depart with the house in fine fettle. It will be exciting to see what the boys will create for next year’s Ousel portrait of Ashburnham. SPE
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OBITUARIES Richard Garrett 3th May, 1967 to 22nd December, 2018 The Head Master’s Eulogy at Richard Garrett’s Memorial Service I first met Richard, typically as I now look back, almost as soon as I was appointed. A year before I even arrived at Bedford, Richard took it upon himself to make his way over to Oxford, the only person to do so in fact, in order to introduce himself and to explain what his role was. Typically, again as I later found out, he booked a great restaurant, ordered a bottle, engaged in some small talk, made some personal links, and then got out a piece of paper, whereupon he explained to me in a line drawing what he had done in his first few years at Bedford. “So we got the OB Club, liaised with the Council and the Executive, drew in the Foundation, spoke with the Trustees, gathered the parents guilds (prep and upper), considered the BST, the 1552 Club, the Governors, and the CMT and developed this thing called the BSA.” Wow! By the second bottle of wine, and a few funny stories later, I was beginning to realise this was a very serious networker! Richard achieved something in his time at Bedford which many schools had tried and failed, but which thanks to him worked a treat, which was the drawing together of all the school’s wider communities under one highly supportive umbrella. This was no mean feat, given that there were many competing interests, and only one common denominator – the school. Richard achieved this in such a way that, by the time he died, most people thought he actually was an Old Bedfordian, rather than the proud Old Eastbournian he occasionally admitted to be. One part of his role was to try to raise money for the school, to be used largely for capital projects and to widen our bursary provision. Using a unique and inimitable approach, he proved to be one of the most successful fundraisers of any school in the country. To my knowledge, he never actually asked for any money from anybody – he simply made friends; indeed, he never used the word fundraising at all, but stuck entirely to ‘friendraising’. One such story tells of Richard’s interactions with a lovely old gentleman who occasionally came to events and watched cricket. This gentleman was always grateful to be back at his old school and he made no fuss, but appreciated the way in which Richard welcomed him. Richard kept in touch with him and visited him in hospital when he was ill. He was a humble man who lived in a very small house in Spalding. Richard 66
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went to the funeral to pay respects when he died, as he did for so many, and a family friend spoke to him saying that the executor of the will wanted a word. Richard felt that it was slightly inappropriate on the day but he arranged a call later instead. He went to see my predecessor after the call a little non-plussed. ‘I think he may have been wealthy’, he said, and sure enough later that week we learned that Brian Saville had left the school £7 million in his will. This story is bit naughty in one way – because it tells of a large sum of money – but the main message is that Richard didn’t know or ask - it did not matter one jot to Richard whether people had money or not. He was lovely to everybody. He had the gift of knowing who you were, and of making you feel the most important person in the world. He had time for everybody, yet one wonders how he fitted everybody in. He listened intently, yet also told the most wonderful stories. He laughed endlessly, yet had the empathy to deal with people when things weren’t so good, as well. As a member of the Core Management Team, he referred to himself on several occasions as the “sweeper” – not only in the sense that he was always the last to leave a party so he could make sure the catering staff were all ok (though he was indeed fantastic at being last to leave a party!), but also in a strategic sense, where, like a great sweeper behind a good back four, he read the game brilliantly and was always in the right spot to pre-empt any false decision making. In school, he was loved by all, and not least by his own team, both for his endless support and for his constant humour. John Moule, the Head Master who so perspicaciously appointed Richard, tells of a visit to an Old Bedfordian where the OB’s dog slobbered all over John’s suit at lunchtime. Richard could barely control his own laughter, as John was politely paying compliments to the dog – and at the end of the year, alongside his Christmas card, Richard sent John a basset-hound calendar. I finish with a short story to illustrate his humour and his care of others. I last saw Richard when he came to watch Toby play his last 1st XV game for the school. He was so proud of all of his family. He had not wanted any fuss and I popped secretly into the back of a car by the science block with him to watch the game from the back seat. It was the end of term and I was about to leave for a holiday in Israel, so Richard, in his usual manner, started to brief me on the problems of the Middle East, of Sunnis and Shias and what to watch out for. He was ill, but he was laughing. By the time I got to Israel, he was in the hospice and I sent him a photo, saying the following: I wanted to let you know, Richard, that I am overlooking sunrise at the Sea of Galilee. We have never really spoken about spiritual things, and I am not sure where you stand on all this, but I did want you to know that I am as certain as I have ever been that you will be looked after well. He emailed back with a copy of the words of “Dear Lord and Father of mankind” which we have just sung, saying this: Great photo, James! I can almost touch the atmosphere with the stillness and the early morning light. Inshallah! He really was a one-off: even in his final few days, and at 2000 miles distant, he could make people laugh out loud. For me, and I know for all of us here, he was simply the most wonderful human being and I really miss him. JSH
STAFF NEWS
Sue Van Heerden (14th March 1976 to 12th March 2019) ● On the occasion of Sue Van Heerden’s Service of Thanksgiving Peterhouse Chapel Wednesday, March 20th, 2019 also read at Sue’s memorial service at Bedford School, March 30th, 2019 A warm welcome to you all, but a particular welcome, of course, to Sue’s parents, Ian and Carol, to her brother, Rory, and to her partner, Andrew. They have had difficult times of late and there will be more sadness and grief to come – I hope that they will find comfort from each other, from family and friends, and from the outpouring of love for Sue so apparent today. Would that we were not here; would that this were just a normal Wednesday morning at Peterhouse and we were going about our routine daily business; would that I had not had cause to interact with Rory and Andrew over the past few weeks under these sad circumstances; would that I had told Sue sooner than I did to take time off from school and get herself to a doctor; would that she had not continued to work for so long last term, with her customary unstinting commitment to her pupils and colleagues, when she should have thought, for once, about herself. But such thoughts are capricious – we have no choice but to face Sue’s loss and we must try to find it within ourselves to celebrate her time here and rejoice in the knowledge that her life touched ours, and we are much the richer for that. Early 2017 and I was sitting at my desk wondering how I could replace the inimitable Connie Zaayman, the doyen of our English Department, my sparring partner in HoDs’ meetings…….and then a miracle happened – in my email inbox appeared a letter of application for Connie’s job from Sue Van Heerden. Her letter of application was beautifully crafted. My years away from home have widened my horizons on a personal and professional level, she wrote, but they have also deepened my appreciation of the high standards in independent schools in Zimbabwe and I would very much like to be part of that again. Her CV was impeccable – from a pupil at Arundel School to a student at Rhodes University and thence on to Bedford School, a top-class UK independent boarding and day school, via Peterhouse in the late 1990s, Aldenham School, Hertfordshire and St John’s, Harare (we can forgive her that and at least it wasn’t Falcon). In addition, she had a Certificate in International Boarding and all sorts of other interests from printmaking to swimming. “This is a
school mistress of almost faultless pedigree,” I thought to myself, as I inked her in to take on the school magazine as soon as she landed at Peterhouse. My impressions were quickly underlined when references on Sue began to arrive: She is sympathetic to her pupils while upholding the rigorous standards required to help them succeed; she possesses both the academic and pastoral attributes needed in a school like Peterhouse; she combines professional seriousness with good humour and kindness; her professional integrity is unimpeachable; she is very well-liked; she will thrive given the challenge; our loss will be your great gain. And so it was that after a brief chat via Skype I took a punt on Sue – applicants for jobs are normally put through their paces here at Peterhouse before appointment – and she arrived in January 2018. It took me, and indeed everyone else, little, if any, time to work out that my instinct had been spot on – not always the case as my wife, Susie, would delight in telling you – and that Sue was set to be a huge asset to Peterhouse for all sorts of reasons; above all because she brought energy and vitality to her principal role here as Head of English. She was a dedicated and passionate teacher and she was a wonderful colleague. And, incidentally, she did indeed take on the role of editor of the school magazine when she got here – our 2017 and 2018 editions will be part of her enduring legacy. Sue’s time with us was, of course, far too brief – just a year, when she was set fair to be with us for so much longer – and her loss has been keenly felt. Her untimely death is a terrible blow to her family, friends, colleagues and the Peterhouse community as a whole and since announcing news of her passing I have received so many warm messages about her, this being typical: Sue was a talented and compassionate teacher who had a huge impact on our daughter’s love of learning in general and love of literature in particular. She will always be remembered as one of her special and formative teachers. I have also been in communication with James Hodgson, my opposite number at Bedford School – recently he wrote: Dear Howard, Thank you so much for sending me the news concerning Sue; we have been keeping up with things from afar. Sue was so popular here and we have really missed her. She was a dedicated, kind and highly professional member of the English Department and a wonderful resident Assistant Boarding Housemaster – loyal, fun, full of integrity, and she loved the boys in her care, as they did she. We will be grieving her loss. Indeed this service will be followed by a memorial service, led by School Chaplain Neil McCleery and Headmaster James Hodgson, which will be held at Bedford School in ten days’ time on March 30th – what a wonderful tribute to Sue. And now, as we continue today’s service, I know that, though you may have a heavy heart and you may well have a tear in your eye, you will be remembering Sue with enormous fondness and affection. She was a great delight; her grace was unrelenting and her smile, the twinkle in her eye and her shock of blond hair will forever remain with us. Amen. Howard Blackett, Rector, Peterhouse School, Zimbabwe
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● As a holder of both a Zimbabwean and Irish passport, Sue had a passion for language and culture and following her degree in Fine Arts with Honours in English at Rhodes University in South Africa, she decided that a career inspiring youngsters in creative writing and literature was her calling. She started her teaching career at Peterhouse Boys’ School in Zimbabwe, and loved every minute of it, but times were hard in Zimbabwe and she wanted to spread her wings so headed to the UK and started her career at Aldenham School in Hertfordshire. She took on a pastoral role in a boarding house, as well as teaching English. Sue had an innate understanding of boarding; her own education was spent as a boarder at Arundel School in Harare as her parents worked for the National Parks in Zimbabwe, living in remote locations from Matetsi in Victoria Falls to the tea estates in the eastern highlands, surrounded by wild animals and stunning vistas. She understood what it was like to be away from home, and in a different country and brought kindness and empathy to those in her care. From Aldenham, she moved back to Zim and, as well as teaching at St John’s in Harare, she started creating the most beautiful tiles for installations in some of the best houses in Harare. Life wasn’t easy though; politics in the country were unstable and basics such as food, fuel and currency were hard to come by. But Sue was canny and street-wise, more than us Brits ever gave her credit for, having never had to deal with the same problems on a daily basis. She was generous too: she would help anyone who needed it and would always make people welcome, no matter how little was in the cupboard. When it was costing her more in fuel to get to work than she was actually earning, she realised she had to move again. From Zim she moved to Cyprus where she lived on a mountainside surrounded by olive groves, teaching English in a local language school. She enjoyed life in Cyprus – the climate especially as it was more to her taste than the soggy, cold British winter, or even summer. But it was an ex-pat community of retirees and she wasn’t prepared to put her feet up quite yet! 68
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In January 2010 she secured a job at Bedford School, once again in boarding and teaching English. She spent many happy years at Bedford, spending her holidays travelling the world and her term times working passionately in not only the department and Burnaby house where she was assistant housemaster, but also supporting the art, drama and sports departments, amongst others. Her talents were quite literally endless, as was her enthusiasm. In 2017 things started to change in Zimbabwe, the future looking somewhat brighter, so once again she headed for home – you can take the girl out of Zimbabwe but you can’t take Zimbabwe out of the girl! She was delighted to secure a job back at Peterhouse, this time not as an English teacher but as Head of English, a position that was well overdue. Unfortunately, her time was cut short: she was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the December of 2018 and despite treatment in South Africa she died on the 12th March, 2019. Her final resting place is at Peterhouse, where she spent some of the happiest times of her life. A funeral was held at Peterhouse with a memorial service at Bedford School. She leaves behind her parents, brother and partner, as well as many friends from around the world who miss her greatly. JCL ● Those of us fortunate enough to know Sue van Heerden during her time at Bedford School feel the loss of a wonderful colleague and valued friend. She was an enlivening, caring and nurturing presence within our English department. Her sharp mind and determination to support each boy according to their individual talents and needs stood out, as did her love of language and literature. An expert on the International Baccalaureate specifications in particular, Sue brought wisdom of a high order to departmental meetings. I knew, when she came to my office to let me know that she was – reluctantly but rightly – returning to Zimbabwe to take up a well-deserved head of department post, that our team was losing not just a brilliant teacher but also a first-class educational strategist. All of the English teaching team who worked with Sue will acknowledge, I am sure, that they picked up something useful from her: whether it was a neat tip for a learning activity, a fabulous, polished resource or a murmur of encouragement, her generosity knew no bounds. As for the boys, they were lucky indeed to learn from one of the best in the business. Pan In Memoriam SVH A fountain pen springs to mind: Elegant, projecting soft-edged lidos of sunshine From its steely nib across this first draft’s veld. Curlicues and question marks Prune and plant, Nurture ground and growth, Leaving just enough wildness, Just enough koppie, To laugh wisdom onto blankness. NLH
STAFF NEWS
Doug Simms (3rd April 1942 to 12th August 2019) Can you remember what you were doing in 1959? I do, of course, realise that for many readers of this magazine you were not even born, but Doug was already a porter at Bedford School in 1959, a job held by his father before him. This longevity gave Doug a perspective and continuity which is very unusual these days, when movement seems to be such a feature of life for schoolteachers and only a very few can imagine a career as long as Bob Eadie for example. Doug’s job description did change quite a lot over the years, which made him such an adaptable and forward-looking man, but with the loyalty and foresight to make new challenges work. In 1962 the then Head Master, Bill Brown, invited Doug and Carole to move into the Lodge in Pemberley Lane as the first resident caretakers in the school’s history. Their combined talents and reliability made them truly irreplaceable: if they are remembered for anything it is for their willingness and desire to give friendship and help which made them such popular ambassadors for the school. Doug began with painting the cricket sightscreens, gardening and doing odd jobs, but expanded to preparing the Memorial Hall for governors’ meetings, being warden of the Great Hall and ensuring that furniture was in place for the many concerts and lectures which took place there. Doug was also in charge of the cleaning staff in the school, a job performed with efficiency and friendship. Of course, most members of staff always referred to the Simms as Doug and Carole. Inseparable after their marriage in August 1962, they worked together through long hours with grace and much happiness. The last year of Doug’s life was sadly not at all easy and was marked by ill health. I admired Carole’s stoical bravery as she coped with this and for never missing the opportunity to visit Doug in hospital, even though at one time she had to drive to Stevenage on a daily basis, latterly with Doug too ill to respond. Unfortunately, there were some sad times. Shortly after I joined the staff, Mark, their son, became ill with leukaemia; we all dreaded the day of his funeral. As things worked out, the service was most reassuring: Michael Crawford, the famous actor, who had befriended Mark whilst visiting his mother in the same hospital ward, took it. His words were comforting and even amusing and a huge comfort to everyone in chapel. Doug and Carole also had a daughter Jenny, who became, like both of them, a loving and worthy parent, as well as a great support to them as they grew older, living next door to them in Shortstown. I cannot fail to mention Doug’s pride in his garden, which I am delighted to say was extended to
tending mine also. His knowledge and skill was immense and my plot blossomed under his care to rival any in the street. Doug loved to stop and chat to my neighbours with his infectious sense of optimism and humour. My garden, like his, was much admired and I shall always be very grateful for this. He was always very willing, generous and kind, looking out for me and his many friends and colleagues all around Bedfordshire. I can honestly say Doug and Carole were loved by all in the school and we all knew that if asked a favour they would always say yes. Doug did more for me than almost anyone I have known in thirty years. He had great, rare, qualities in abundance; we could all benefit from copying them. He loved his family deeply and his marriage was truly blessed. For Carole, the next stage without Doug will be very demanding but she can fall back on all the days of happiness since 1959 and remember how lucky we all were to have known such a fine man. John Fleming
Jo Spir (11th April 1964 to 30th April 2019) ● The Head Master’s Eulogy at Jo Spir’s Memorial Service It was an enormous stroke of fortune for Bedford School when Jo took a post here in September 2011. She had worked initially for 17 years in the retail banking sector and then on a variety of projects with local young people in Bedford, one of which resulted in her team winning a Mayor’s Shine Award for Enterprise in 2010, when she led a group of young people with learning difficulties and disabilities in a business
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enterprise project to develop products and set up market stalls in Bedford town centre. Within three years of getting here, and unsurprisingly to all who knew her, she was Head of Academic Support and she then spent the next four-and-a-half years totally devoted to raising the life chances of every single child in her care. She was completely driven in this goal, right at the forefront of initiatives, and determined to see even the hardest of ideas through to fruition and then to track their successes mercilessly via her carefully devised selfappraisal spreadsheets! She raised the level of all staff training; she was a pioneer for getting into classrooms and helping individual teachers with their knowledge of special educational needs; she called in at boarding houses in the evening to help out her boys; she kept her own knowledge up-to-date in her spare time by mentoring at Northampton University. Jo Spir. Spare time! Now there’s an oxymoron! During the last 3 years, we had been working on, and then implementing, a significant departmental reshuffle, which saw – amongst other things - a large number of part-time roles reduced to half-a-dozen, full-time roles. This sort of thing is not at all easy for any head of department to deal with, and it was no different for Jo, who cared so deeply about everybody as individuals, and who was friendly with, as well as a colleague to, all of her staff. But she was resolute, convinced that this was the right thing to do for both the school and the boys, and she saw through a very difficult period with strength of character, integrity and kindness. We met regularly during this period, and I have to say that whenever I saw Jo’s name in the diary, it lifted the spirits. Whilst I knew at the time that the issues were complex and tricky on many levels, and that emotions were high (indeed there were tears from time-to-time), I also knew that every meeting I ever had with Jo had laughter in it, as well as hard work. She always arrived with files full of notes and statistics, was immensely well prepared, hugely analytical, very clear in her thinking, always energetic (remarkably so, given her lifestyle!); but, most memorably of all, she had a twinkle in the eye! She took her work seriously, but did not take herself too seriously and, indeed, she could see the funny side of almost everything. I do not recall a single meeting with her that did not end in laughter and cheerfulness, no matter how hard the issues discussed. During the restructure, the subject of her own job title came up for discussion. You would not believe how emotive this gets with some people. Jo and I gave this some real consideration, and in the end, she said that she had discussed it with the Academic Deputy, Alastair Tighe, and that he had said that, as long as everyone was clear what it entailed, the role could be called Nellie the Elephant; so that, said Jo, could be another option. We agreed: Nellie the Elephant it was! This balance, this love of life, this sense of fun as well as sense of purpose, was, to my eyes, her defining characteristic. It was given to her by her family and the love and security of her husband and children and a genuine love of the boys in her care and a real sense of duty for what she was doing to help them. But don’t just take it from me. When Jo was ill, I received in my inbox a plea from a parent at school to send a message to Jo at home in bed. I duly did. I have taken names out, but this is what it said… “My son tells me that Jo Spir is gravely ill. I am absolutely 70
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devastated to hear this and would like to send my thoughts and love to Jo and her family, her friends and to the school community. Jo is a wonderful person and an amazing teacher and I would love her to know how significant her work has been for us. She greatly helped my son. Together with his tutor, Jo supported him brilliantly when he moved into the upper school and her work with him through the GCSE years was key to him achieving good results. She provided a calm, safe place for him to go to, hours of additional tutoring in year 11 and a strategy to enable him to achieve his best. He would not have flourished without this support. I know her significant impact will have been repeated time and time again at Bedford School. I hope she knows just how impactful and meaningful her work has been. If you are sending messages through to Jo and her family I would love you to send on my love and my thanks to her.” This afternoon’s service is a service of thanksgiving. I, too, am personally devastated, as I know we all are, that Jo is no longer with us in person. But I am also genuinely thankful that we had the time we did together; I know that her influence will be felt by all of us who came into contact with her for the rest of our own lives. She was such a special lady. JSH ● I had the privilege of working with Jo in the academic support department between September 2018 and January 2019. Five months does not seem like a long time, however it is an indicator of how lovely a person she was that it seems I knew Jo a lot longer. I saw her carrying out her role of SENDCo in her own unique way: full of fun and with genuine care for the students. Special Educational Needs Coordinator is a challenging job because it requires diplomacy, insight, intelligence and a sense of humour. Jo had all these attributes in bucket loads. She often worked very late, seeing students or finishing correspondence to parents. She was meticulous with detail when completing reports and records for the boys because she knew how important it was. The parents who knew her and received support from her would agree that she was so kind and understanding with a natural affinity for the students with additional needs. The boys she helped and supported responded to her generous and thoughtful teaching. Jo had the skill of giving help to students while allowing them to build their confidence and independence. Working alongside Jo, we became friends very quickly and I learnt from her. In a busy school like Bedford, things do not always go to plan and the unexpected can appear. That is when laughing together was such a tonic. We had both had family weddings in the summer and Jo loved to share the events in her family and the love she had for her children. She was so looking forward to a holiday in Borneo to see the orangutans at Easter. This was not to be. In January we saw her grow unwell and even when she was clearly feeling very sick she stayed in school to see boys and finish pieces of work. Jo really was a beautiful person. She was so kind and caring to the boys and her colleagues. She was intelligent, intuitive and quite unique. It was a joy to work with her. TXT
STAFF NEWS
FAREWELL
Nick Allen
Nick Allen left Bedford School in December 2018, having arrived back in September 2014 as a joint appointment between the classics and history departments. Nick had previously worked for a short period in property in London, but he’d graduated not long before that from Nottingham University with a degree in ancient history. The chance to teach his subject at Bedford was a major attraction of the job here. But it also mattered to Nick that teaching at Bedford offers a rich variety of opportunities to make a difference, to have a positive impact on the all-round development and progress of the boys. There were few areas of school life in which Nick did not play a significant part. In the classroom, he taught not just history and classical civilisation, but politics and ancient history too. He was a favourite of the boys and an inspirational teacher. I witnessed first-hand several of his GCSE classical civilisation classes. These were hives of activity and engagement: boys might be busily filling in worksheets, asking or answering questions, listening, reading or just pondering, while all the time growing into a deeper awareness (in the lessons in question) of the world of Homer’s Odyssey. No boy, I think, will have left those classes without a clear sense of how mind-opening and exciting the study of the ancient world can be. Maybe Odysseus – an inspirational leader with tact and intelligence, certainly, but also a man with many strings to his bow – offers a useful parallel with the experience of Nick himself during his Bedford sojourn, as he followed his own - at times unpredictable - journey through a range of disparate areas of school life. On the sports field, Nick was a rugby coach for the Under 14 second game, as well as a coach for the rowing club throughout his time at the school. In these roles, Nick was again an inspiration – encouraging, supervising, travelling – and not just for the boys. Even after a day spent out battling the elements, you might still find yourself invited to Nick’s flat near the rugby club for a drink or two and a cheerful chat. Nick was also a Duke of Edinburgh award mainstay, going out on many expeditions and playing a key role in supervising these occasions. He organised and led the successful 2017 classics trip to Rome and Pompeii, a fantastic few days, which created many happy memories for staff and pupils alike. Nick took on other roles too. He was a boarding house tutor for several years in Phillpotts, before later becoming academic year head of the remove form. His pastoral approach with the boys was always warm, thoughtful and upbeat: for a boy, a
meeting with Nick as your academic year head could leave you feeling two feet taller as a result of some carefully chosen and energetically delivered words of encouragement. Nick was social secretary of the staff common room, the organiser of a succession of excellent Christmas dinners and parties, the proud creator of a number of posters, and the provider of many enjoyable sandwiches and nibbles. Most of all, he has been a friend and highly valued colleague, the kind of colleague who could always be relied upon for a positive word or an uplifting story on a dark, wet January morning. We miss him, but we have been happy to hear that his start to life at his new school, Lady Eleanor Holles in London, has been a good and enjoyable one. GTM
Khadeja Begum
Khadeja joined us in the chemistry department in January 2018. She embarked upon her NQT year, successfully completing the almost continuous round of lesson plans, observations and reflections. Khadeja endured this, as she did most trials, with a warm-sunshine smile that brightened our life amongst the test tubes. Totally committed to the boys she taught, almost overwhelming them with revision resources, she even laid on a revision session during the Christmas break that was attended by some hardy and/or panicky boys and was on hand on results day to congratulate them. Happy to join in with ‘Chemistry Cake Fridays’, she did draw the line at sitting watching us eat cake during Ramadan, until pregnancy forced her to break her fast, she once more tucked into cake and brought in Eid food for us all to share. Khadeja’s life experiences in the Brick Lane Bangladeshi community made for an interesting A level geography presentation along with Miss Betterton’s experiences of the same area whilst a student. We will all miss your warmth around here and wish you well for the future. SCK
Kayleigh Betterton
When she came to interview during the early summer of 2016, Kayleigh Betterton made the job of appointing her an easy one. Having talked engagingly about literature, the lesson she taught demonstrated all the hallmarks that would shine through her time at Bedford School: pedagogical pizzazz, high expectations and exciting learning activities. Kayleigh’s beloved Oscar Wilde wrote that “Technique is really
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personality” and, to a certain extent, she bore this out by encouraging, enthusing and energising boys into learning through finessed flair. Kayleigh lives life at a phenomenal pace and, somehow, she has managed to teach high-quality lessons and offer a range of enriching activities for the boys whilst thesis writing, bibliophile wrangling, baking, theatregoing and feeding her beloved cat, Lyra. Saying no to Kayleigh is never an easy thing, but I did draw the line when she asked whether Lyra could become the Rice Building mascot and attend classes. I also refused to give in when – during the first departmental meeting each September – she would request that the Christmas party that year be a fancy dress affair. Yes, Kayleigh possesses vivacity and a sense of fun but she is also serious-minded, immensely caring and a top-quality professional. Introducing the ‘Shut up and Write’ sessions, whereby boys could join her in getting on with whatever work they needed to accomplish, was a super initiative. The one-to-one meetings she held with students to help them overcome academic difficulties were undertaken patiently and led to progress. Her work supporting colleagues’ research and sharing of good ideas at the Teaching and Learning Group showed her generosity and expertise. It is no wonder that Kayleigh became the School’s first Research Lead and a mainstay of inter-school groups exploring how academic studies and practitioner-led projects can be used most powerfully. Kayleigh was always among the first to volunteer if there was a society talk to give, a trip to supervise or an extra marking burden to shoulder. Whether supporting Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions, giving assemblies on networking or organising staff book club meetings, Kayleigh’s up-beat contributions were many, varied and impressive. To misquote Wilde this time, she became – to her colleagues and the boys – a woman of great importance. As she leaves us to immerse herself more deeply in the role of ladies in Victorian bookshops and reading circles, we wish her every success with her doctoral thesis. NLH
Victoria Fletcher
Victoria Fletcher joined us in May 2018, as acting Head of French to cover Jessica Wahid’s maternity leave. It is no easy task to take up a teaching role temporarily and it is even more of a challenge if that role involves running a department but Victoria fitted in seamlessly and carried on Jessica’s fine work with, seemingly, great ease. Always cheerful and positive, she provided excellent leadership and support to the rest of the French department throughout her year with us. Not only did she take on the departmental role but, having said at interview that she enjoyed watching rugby, she found herself helping out with the U14D and E teams. Although not a coach as such, she was seen regularly escorting boys to the medical centre to receive 72
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treatment for their injured limbs. I don’t think she ever imagined that she would be fulfilling this sporting role but she did it with a smile on her face and with her usual good humour. If that was not enough, she also took on boarding house duties as a visiting tutor in Burnaby and involved herself with the very busy Citizenship schedule. She really did throw herself into as much as she could in such a short space of time. Along the way, Victoria made many friends in the Common Room and we would have liked very much for her to stay on in the department but it was not possible. Her abilities as a head of department were clear for all to see and Walton High School in Milton Keynes duly recognised them by appointing her as Head of Modern Foreign Languages from September 2019 where we know she will do a fine job. We thank her, wish her well and look forward to staying in touch. AJB
Irene Hills-Jones
Irene joined Bedford School in January 2015 from Stratton Upper School. In her interview lesson, both JJ Beale and Rebecca Jackson knew within seconds of watching her teach that she would be a real asset to the mathematics department. This proved to be the case immediately and boys were quick to praise her lessons. As a teacher and a tutor, Irene was always completely focused on her students and their development. Her lessons were invariably excellent (and this grateful RE teacher learnt a lot observing her lessons during his NQT year) and it was not surprising to see so many positive comments about her teaching and tutoring from boys in last year’s uppersixth yearbook. They were fourth formers when she joined and she had taught many on their journey to A-Level or IB mathematics. Within the maths department, Irene organised the UKMT Intermediate and Senior Maths Challenges, with many boys achieving excellent results. From the get-go, Irene got involved in all aspects of school life. She joined Talbot’s as a visiting tutor, before heading over to the day-side with St Cuthbert’s a few years later. The boys in her tutor groups received the very best pastoral care as well as the added benefit of extra maths help and Irene would regularly support her tutees who were performing in concerts, plays or fixtures. On the extracurricular front, Irene took over the table tennis games option and volunteered to help me with the running of the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. I do not think Irene knew what she was getting into when she said yes to the persuasive Jean Mainstone, but she quickly became a regular at the bronze route-planning sessions and on the practice and assessed expeditions to Ickwell and the Chilterns respectively. Her help was invaluable. More recently, Irene took over the running of the canoeing games option. This had a popular following amongst the boys and they were able to explore those parts of the Great Ouse that are inaccessible to the
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rowing boats. Irene is an outstanding teacher and a valued colleague. She leaves us to join her husband Peter in Australia. We wish them all the very best as they settle into their new life with their wonderful boys, Joshua and Auryn (now OBs and Bronze DofE expedition veterans). We will miss them all. Bedford’s loss is Australia’s gain. MWB
Sarah Lafford
Here is Sarah, sweeping across Studland Bay, Dorset, cantering along on Ginny, her beloved horse, where the sea sizzles on the hard sand. This is her choice of beach for riding and as we watch the light on the waves and the spray of the sand flicked up by Ginny’s hooves, we wish Sarah well as she rides away and is lost to our sight. Sarah came to cover Alice Swallow’s maternity leave, joining Bedford School in January and seeing through two terms teaching in the biology department. Before arriving in Bedford, she spent ten years as housemistress at the all-girl Wycombe Abbey School. Sarah wanted to see boarding life at other schools, enjoying the time she spent with us, particularly her once-a-week visits to Pemberley. Seeing boys in a context beyond the classroom has been rewarding. By the time this piece appears, Sarah will be back at Wycombe Abbey running the Junior House, comprised of seventy-seven 11-year-old girls. She returns whence she came, revivified, we hope, by her experience. Her stay with us was brief, but we enjoyed it while it lasted. AWG
Allen Midwinter
Allen joined the maths department in September 2014, following the completion of his PGCE at Bristol University. His tutor at Bristol was actually an OB, so I guess a little bit of fate may have been involved in Allen joining us. Allen decided to move the width of the country to work with us and he quickly settled into a busy department taking it all in his stride. During his time at Bedford, Allen developed into an extremely good teacher with plenty to offer in all aspects of school life. He had a good rapport with the students and was capable of teaching
a range of topics at all levels. He was a highly-valued member of the department and took on a range of responsibilities over the years. He was responsible for the organisation of the UK Maths Team Junior Challenges and set up regular training sessions in order to prepare the boys for the competitions. Alongside his commitment to excellent maths teaching, Allen also inspired many boys with his tennis coaching. He put on extra pre-season training sessions after school every Monday during the autumn term and invested a huge amount of time in creating an excellent team spirit in the junior and senior team tennis competitions. Allen leaves the school and the country in order to take up an exciting position as a maths teacher at an international school in Switzerland - the Insitut auf dem Rosenberg. Their motto is “To learn to live is the goal of all education”; I am sure he will do very well there and we wish him every success for the future. Even now when I walk down the corridor just past A13, if I listen carefully I can still hear the cries of ‘MIDWINTER!’ RKJ
Gerry Monaghan
“Good afternoon: hoozitgaun?” declares a tall, smiling Glaswegian. My glasses at home, I note the swagger as he walks towards me and fleetingly wonder whether the great Scottish comedian, Kevin Bridges, has honoured us with a visit. Instead, it is that great Scottish comedian and head of physics, Gerry Monaghan striding across the estate. A man who lives life to the full, Gerry always wants to find the positive in any situation and the goodness in others and is also prone to finding humour in almost any situation, often laughing to the point of crying and not always when he should. He has brought this energy, ready wit and enthusiasm to all he does, whether it is running the physics department or taking boys away for days on national golf tournaments. The boys love being taught by the Mr Monaghan, but they do not mistake his jovial nature for weakness, for this is a man who grew up in one of the less refined areas of Glasgae. He has the steel of someone who has experienced a great deal of the tougher world which (apparently) exists outside the green and peaceful estates of public schools. Unless of course, Mr Herring was correct in telling Gerry that his Glaswegian manner was just a canny front to allow his real identity – the Duke of Argyle – to pass unnoticed. Indeed, it may go some way to explaining why he has been welcomed so warmly onto the Woburn golf course, owned by his pal, the Duke of Bedford. Few will know that Gerry put himself through an Open University engineering degree, whilst a young father and
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working as a welder all over the British Isles. Perhaps unsurprisingly, if anyone mentions here that they’ve have a tough day at work, Gerry might have to suppress a wry smile, as he recalls working seven days-a-week down in an underground cavern in Jersey, amongst gangs of miners who weren’t always polite about Gerry’s engineering. Perhaps it is this contrast with Gerry’s earlier experiences which meant he enjoyed his time here so much. He was blown away by the quality of the lunches, making a point of being on firstname terms with most of the caterers, all of whom adore him; he greatly admires the beauty of the estate and the warm welcome of both staff and boys. Gerry leaves us to become head of physics at Brampton College. Those of us who have had the privilege of knowing Gerry will rue his departure: he has been a great friend and colleague and we wish him the very best for the future. MAB
Marie-Gabrielle Monpierre
The day I met MarieGabrielle, she seemed a bit sceptical, coming back to her flat with two new people living in her old friend’s rooms. This feeling, however, was quickly resolved over the first of many tortellini salads we would cook together while dancing around in the kitchen. The year went by way too quickly and I am thankful for all the unique memories we made together trying to fulfil most of our to-do lists, including finally climbing up the school tower. Thanks to her, I survived the first weeks of England without getting lost in school or on the tube in London. I even participated in house singing, because I couldn’t say no to her enthusiasm! I will miss so many things: the endless talks sitting on the stairs, singing (or should I say screaming) ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, or improving our English together by using madeup words like ‘chuck-chuk’ or ‘clack-clack’ (that was ‘stapler’, we later discovered) when we did not know the actual name of a thing. Marie-Gab has been an amazing French assistant for two years in the school. She has worked very hard to help students who, I am sure, have found her assistance inestimable. She is a dedicated and warm-hearted person with many talents. Marie-Gab is a fantastic linguist, who made the IB2 Spanish students envious as she got a better result than they did when she tried taking a block test just for fun. She will return to France even more graceful after having started dancing ballet in the evenings, a bit more dangerous after she took part in the staff shooting and a lot more agile, as she is now able to catch a ball with one hand after intense training in C17. Emilie Pasztor-Plotzky 74
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Katie Nicholson
Katie Nicholson joined Bedford School in 2015, after teaching woodwork, textiles and graphics at St. George’s and Marlborough School. Katie’s gentle and kind personality is an unwavering certainty in the Art Department: she tackles the challenges of teaching ambitious future artists with excitement and positivity. This has resulted in the sculpture studio housing oversized ceramic heads, bodies emerging from television screens, gargantuan fabric cutlery and an entangled yarn web installation. Her expansive technical knowledge has allowed students to explore sculpture with variety and gusto: it has been a pleasure to support Katie’s teaching. Katie’s own artwork may seem to contrast with her sunny demeanor. She favours toweringly dark, heavy, angular wood sculptures, inspired by urban landscapes. However, her work is rooted in a deep passion for drawing and art theory, underpinning her approach to both making and teaching art. This attention to detail is no surprise given her MA in Fine Art Sculpture from The Slade School of Art and BA in Painting from Brighton University. Her keen eye for construction and material also filters through to the home she shares with husband, Matt, and their daughter, Fearne. Whilst pregnant, Katie was even known to reconstruct second-hand baby toys with fresh textiles, in preparation for her new arrival - how delightful is that? As Katie leaves Bedford to teach art at The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School this September, on behalf of the Art Department I would like to wish her every happiness with her family and their new home in St Albans. Katie Churchill
Emilie Pàsztor-Plotsky
When I came back from the summer holidays, I have to admit, I was a bit worried about this new year and about the new language assistants. We live together, we work together, we practically do everything together. We become each other’s family. It didn’t take me long to realise that I was very lucky. It is clear for anyone who meets Emile that she is a very joyful, kind and genuine person; she cares a lot about people and the environment, (she truly deserves her nickname “eco warrior”). She loves nature, the great outdoors, and watching the stars. I really enjoyed living with her and working close to her in the languages department. I learnt a lot from her (not a lot of German, unfortunately), like looking on the bright side of things, and I could always count on her for advice.
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I am very thankful for having had the chance of meeting a true friend and grateful for sharing this great experience abroad with her; I am definitely going to miss her a lot. I wish her all the best for next year in Germany, and I am convinced that she will be a great Geography and English teacher! Marie-Gabrielle Monpierre
Jeremy Rouse
Jeremy joined us in 2007 from Repton School, where he had been Assistant Director of Music. In his 12 years at Bedford School his contribution to music has been overwhelming. As one of the more vertically challenged members of staff, it is perhaps not surprising that he chose the biggest instrument to play. But what an organist he is! During his time here he has played for over 1,800 assemblies and services and he always delights us with a quirky improvisation as the Head Master enters, often taking a theme from a piece performed by the brass ensemble and developing it in some witty and inspired way. Jeremy recently confessed that until he came to Bedford School he hadn’t ever improvised, so decided to go on a course to learn how. This is just one example of how Jeremy is constantly striving to learn and improve, which is a great inspiration to us all. In addition he has found the time to take conducting and singing lessons and probably many other things that he hasn’t yet let on. He is also a fantastic pianist and harpsichordist and has been a great support to me helping out with all the accompanying. I should also pay tribute to one of his more recent projects, Gaude, Bedford’s professional choir. They have given some truly fantastic concerts over the past couple of years. The boys in particular look up to him (not literally of course) and are very aware of how lucky they are to have such a talented teacher and musician in their midst. His lessons are definitely memorable. A couple that stand out for the boys are his brilliant reenactment of the shower scene from Psycho to help create the atmosphere for their set work. Apparently he burst into the room with a fake knife, imitating Norman Bates! Another is his brilliant fugal improvisation on ‘Baby Shark’, which elevated his level of respect even higher. Other musical commitments during his time here have included conductor of the second orchestra, consort choir and choral society but of course most notably the chapel choir, which he took over in 2014. The choir has gone from strength to strength and one immensely proud moment was their performance in the Royal Albert Hall a couple of years back. He has been on 12 tours with them (some rather fun ones by the sound of it) and they have given countless other appearances at events. It truly is a seven-day-a-week job, but I never heard Jeremy complain once. He has been involved in several other areas of the school beyond music and has been an excellent tutor for Talbot’s and subsequently Paulo Pontine. In the annual house singing
competition, it is perhaps not surprising that his house always tended to do rather well! I think he may have gone beyond the ‘occasional’ help we are supposed to give. On the surface, one might think that Jeremy is a very straight-laced and academic organist. On the contrary, Jeremy has one of the driest (and often the most inappropriate) senses of humour I have ever known. In staff meetings, in the middle of a heated debate, Jeremy will often come out with a little quip that has the room in stitches and diffuses the atmosphere immediately. Other lasting memories of Jeremy will definitely include seeing him every Monday, Wednesday and Friday whizzing past me at lightning speed with his gown in hand as he is late for yet another assembly. In fact, he whizzes pretty much everywhere. He is surprisingly fast! We now wish Jeremy all the best as he moves to Tanzania with Naomi and his children where his life will be quite different. Always looking for a new challenge, I think this will be a fantastic experience for Jeremy but oh! he will be greatly missed. Long live the ‘Pocket Rocket’! RJT
Robert Thompson
Rob Thompson started as Pianist-in-Residence nine years ago, having completed his studies at Yale. Despite being mistaken for a sixth-former on more than one occasion, he quickly established himself in the role and became Head of Piano after a year. There is a huge amount of piano accompanying required in a busy department and Rob has taken the lion’s share of it. Beginners and more experienced boys alike benefitted from his professional approach and unflappability. The latter quality was much in demand in a job in which there is very little time to prepare and boys often have no appreciation of the level of difficulty of their piano accompaniment, sometimes rocking up minutes before a performance, bringing a copy with missing pages or packing up their music and walking off stage while Rob is finishing their piece! He is a phenomenal technician and all-round musician and I will very much miss hearing him play. He always has total control of the instrument and is an instinctive accompanist, sticking to the boy’s solo line like glue, come what may. Rob has taught hundreds of piano pupils here at school and managed the team of piano visiting music teachers. He has had a major impact on chamber music during his time, establishing the Spring Chamber Music Concert, organising many small ensembles and starting a chamber music day which has benefitted many young people from local schools. Somehow, amongst all this work, he has managed to earn his private pilot’s licence, engage in a lot of juvenile humour with Bjorn Bantock on the second floor of the Music School and spend time debating the correct way to brew filter coffee (if you ever find yourself offering him a drink, do not under any
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circumstances pour boiling water onto coffee granules). As well as playing in over three hundred school concerts, Rob has successfully kept his wider performing career going outside school: he was supported by the Young Classical Artist’s Trust (YCAT) when he arrived, has recorded CDs, played numerous times at the Wigmore Hall and travelled to South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, France and Italy for playing engagements. He was very active with the Rhodes Piano Trio, who won second prize in the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. We wish him very well as he moves with Rebecca to be Assistant Director of Music at Christ’s Hospital in Horsham. JAR
Phil Whatling
Phil joined us in September 2015 when he started teaching in the fish bowl that is L3. He had big boots to fill: taking over from Mike Gunn in biology and then Mr Huxford as Bromham housemaster. Right from the beginning we knew he was going to be a huge asset to the department and the house. Despite his unassuming manner and misplaced self-deprecation, he has been widely respected as an excellent teacher during his time here, by both staff and boys. His teaching is imaginative and often quirky. The whole biology department is grateful for Phil introducing us to the ‘PCR’ song and the DNA version of ‘YMCA’, which are both ultimate earworms. Phil likes to take a very kinaesthetic approach to his teaching. Imagine Karen and Louise’s response when Phil asked for a variety of different coloured wool, balloons of a range of shapes and sizes, including round, long, pink and blue, plastic funnels, rubber tubing and sticky tape in order to teach his remove form class about secondary sexual characteristics… Another defining feature of Phil is his ability to withstand chronic sleep deprivation. The combination of three small children, a love of sophisticated late-night dining, beer and Mexican football (but mostly the kids), meant that Phil would often turn up to work on very little sleep. It would have left most of us whinging and negative, but not Phil: he’s the kind of guy who just gets on with it. Phil’s work as Bromham housemaster says a lot about him as a person. He instilled a level of self-worth, identity and confidence in the Bromham boys that we’d not seen before. Also, his supportive, tactful and respectful management of a potentially cantankerous tutor team showed him to be an excellent manager in the making. Phil is leaving us to be head of science at St George’s College, Quilmes. Plain old Bedford could never compete with the vibrancy of South America: it’s no surprise that he’s tangoing his way off south. He will be sincerely missed. CMP 76
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Dr Dave Wild
During 2018-2019 there were, rather confusingly (or symmetrically), two Dr Ws in the Computer Science department at Bedford School: one of them a gifted and accomplished mathematician and programmer, the other writing this tribute to him. For many years, Dave Wild has been imparting mathematical wisdom to his pupils whilst carrying out a oneperson crusade in the Upper School to ensure computational thinking is part of the curriculum and learning experience. Dave is a ferociously brilliant computer scientist, producing complex and elegant algorithms to both astound and delight colleagues and pupils alike. It has been an enormous privilege to work in his department: his professional expertise and generosity of spirit will be greatly missed. I always eagerly awaited the late-night e-mails that would help me in my teaching. “Look at this algorithm for Huffmam encoding, isn’t it great?” he would eagerly exclaim, and indeed it was. Not fitting into the unfair stereotype of computer programmers, he did not display an unhealthy interest in Warhammer, Star Trek nor Death Metal. He was, however, Master in Charge of Badminton and a great coach as well as being a proficient badminter (badmintonian?) himself. Amongst his other considerable skills and achievement, Dave is also an elegant and stylish calligrapher, producing beautifully crafted notes at Heads of Department meetings (although not always on the matter at hand). He kindly personalised a large number of certificates for my Cyber Discovery pupils. Generous with his time and expertise, passionate about his subject, and expert in his field, Sherborne School is fortunate indeed to be acquiring such a talented teacher and top bloke. However, I will issue a note of caution to him. However, I issue a note of caution: my Secret Santa present last year was a copy of John Le Carre’s A Murder of Quality. It is set in a fictitious Dorset public school and features a hideous cast of staff members. A cursory glance at Wikipedia reveals that Le Carre attended Sherborne School as a pupil. The book is a work of fiction and I am sure that the connection is purely coincidental. Just to be on the safe side, however, I advise Dave not to accept a glass of Madeira or sherry from the Senior Housemaster. We wish Dave, Sandra, and Scarlett every good fortune for their adventures in Dorset and send them on their way with our kind thoughts and deep affection. AEW
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Elen Willard
Elen has enjoyed the time she has spent with us, teaching AJRH’s Spanish classes in the aftermath of his retirement, coming in at the start of the Easter term 2019 and teaching a little longer into September, to cover Mr Sanchez’s paternity leave; she will have left by the time this Ousel hits the newsagent’s shelves in December, 2019. She is no stranger to Bedford, having taught at Bedford High School, as was, and then at Bedford Girls’ School after the merger. Will she miss us when she’s gone? She’ll miss the politeness of the boys holding doors open and she’ll miss the bustle of the place. She looks back with fondness at her time with us, particularly now she is close to the end of things. After her degree, Elen lived out in Spain for a time, in Seville and down in the south of the country, studying, teaching and translating, before returning to the UK to marry and have children. She likes to keep fit, lifting weights and cycling. Originally from South West Wales, Elen’s perfect day would be spent on a beach in Newquay - Cardiganshire - perhaps towards the end of a summer’s day, her family the final people on the beach, watching the boats on the glittering sea, her children building sandcastles beside her. We wish her well as she leaves and thank her for all she did in the all-too-brief time she was with us. AWG
WELCOME Hanja Bantock
Mrs Bantock is a new addition to the outstanding music department. Her career in music has meant that she has been a performer, teacher and examiner. Her connection to Bedford School is through her husband Mr Bantock, who is head of strings. This led to Mrs Bantock working as a visiting piano teacher at the school. This involvement only intensified when one year later they agreed to be house parents for the Bedford School Study Centre. This then led to Mrs Bantock becoming Head of Piano. ‘To me the most attractive part of my position as Head of Piano is rehearsing and performing with the boys in the weekly lunchtime concerts; I am looking forward to playing in the band for the upcoming production of Little Shop of Horrors,’ she tells me with a wide smile of anticipation. Mrs Bantock is also an examiner for Trinity and hopes to undertake extensive travels to India as part of her examining. Mrs Bantock, we all wish you well in your time at Bedford School. Edward Mathew-Jones
Alan Bates
I have to admit that I put Alan, taking over head of physics from Gerry Monaghan, down as a Spaniard before I spoke to him face-to-face: something in his gestures and intonation bespeaks the Continent when viewed from the other side of the room. I had him down as a modern languages teacher; I was shocked to find that he is a Dubliner by birth, completing a doctorate at Trinity College, Dublin. Only on discussing his life and experience do I see why I took him for a native of continental Europe: he has lived in Rome for 16 years, teaching at the Marymount International School. Alan’s wife is Italian, he is fluent in Italian and his bilingual children were born there; Alan might have one foot in Dublin, but he has the other planted firmly in the Eternal City. He is an internationalist: cosmopolitan and cultured, waxing lyrical about the simple glories of Italian cuisine or the joys of walking in the Campagna di Roma. He is at his happiest when exploring the new, he brings such exploration to the classroom, being fond of the ‘Wonderlab’ style of teaching, where pupils are given the effect and then asked to explain how it is arrived at: Observe to Explain is emblazoned on Alan’s heart. Alan has had a number of articles published in The Physics Teacher Journal and likes to look back at past experiments and ideas in physics and spin them anew with a contemporary twist. He has found the boys of Bedford School a polite group, especially the boy who toured him about the school when he came on interview. In truth, boys are merely giving back to Mr Bates the courtesy he gives to all around: talking to him was an enormously enjoyable interlude in my week. Alan lives in Hertford and thinks the drive into Bedford is none too taxing. He plans to promote physics in the school, support the department and make the boys as alive to wonder as he is. He loves to travel, reading sci-fi as he waits for his flight, thinking about electronics and riding his bike. ‘My favourite day,’ he says, ‘would be spent seeking out the new after a breakfast of hazelnut-and-chocolate cornetti and a cup of mocha: the whole Bates tribe would then walk where our fancy took us, connecting with and exploring the natural world. And then, somewhere, a picnic: Italian food made with the very best ingredients, perhaps an oven-baked lasagne, of the freshest pasta, which my wife had made from scratch, with succulent fruit to follow…’ Stop, Mr Bates, stop! Our mouths are watering; we are there with you and tasting every al fresco morsel, alive to the beauty of the wonder of it all. AWG
Christopher Brammeld
Having worked for seven years as an Assistant Head of Music at the Royal Masonic School for Girls in Hertfordshire, Mr Christopher Brammeld comes to our school as Assistant Director of Music and Head of Academic Music. He read music at the University of Nottingham and is, at present, working on his PhD from Cambridge University, which he is due to complete at the end
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of this academic year. Struck by the addition of Saturday lessons, he is nevertheless impressed by the school’s musical talent, the proportion of students going to Oxbridge, and boys at the school who have choral scholarships. He admires the ‘stunning’ surroundings and the wellresourced facilities of the Music School, in which he’ll undoubtedly spend most of his time. A music composer as well as a teacher, he’s always looking for opportunities to see his music performed, yet he finds the house singing competition baffling - we know you’ll enjoy it, sir! Ironically still, despite the fact that he is well-versed in music, he doesn’t have a favourite band (you should speak to Mr Dodgson…); he believes as a composer, one has a very different relationship with music than if not. An artist in his spare time, we hope to paint a pretty picture of things at Bedford School as we welcome him in. Jamie Williams
Mark Bridle
A new addition to the esteemed chemistry department, is Mr Mark Bridle. His path to becoming a Chemistry teacher stated back at Bedford School, where he was a pupil. ‘It was the impact of having (the legendary) Mr Colin Baker teaching me chemistry for five years which really switched me onto the subject,’ he suggests. After finishing school, Mr Bridle went on to study chemistry at the University of Nottingham, graduating with a BSc honours. On completing his PGCE, Mr Bridle started working at Sharnbrook Academy, followed by Sharnbrook Upper School. This then led to his becoming a head of house. As an OB Mr Bridle was attracted back to the school: ‘I know the school: with my pastoral experience and desire to develop the whole person, I felt that the school’s approach reflected my own.’ We wish him all the best in his time here. Edward Mathew-Jones
Mr David Dodgson
Our new ESL coordinator has been working for the past 20 years in places such as Spain, Turkey (where he met his wife), Gabon, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, and Bahrain, armed with a Masters in TESOL. He admires the welcoming nature of the boys and staff and the integration of sports into our school life. Football being one of his hobbies, he nevertheless holds a ‘dubious’ record of having scored own goals on four different continents: ‘Only South America and Oceania to go!’ he crows - and Antarctica! A man after my own heart, he has supported Manchester United since the 1980’s, and loves hard rock and heavy metal, especially the Foo Fighters and Alter Bridge. His time abroad has led him to cook a wide variety of dishes (Turkish dolma, West African spiced grilled fish, khachapuri, and good old blackberry crumble and custard constitutes one single meal). He relaxes by playing video games such as Football Manager and Red Dead Redemption. He was attracted to 78
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Bedford School due to the ethos and culture of development and learning. His sons of 13 and six are learning to adapt to another new country; we wish them every success in doing so and wholeheartedly welcome Mr Dodgson into our school community. Jamie Williams
Anna Heimhardt
Always a big fan of British culture, Anna, the new German language assistant, after studying English at a university in Bavaria and spending a gap year in New Zealand, decided to plunge into British life by coming to work at Bedford School. She has found the school intriguing and really rates the breakfasts, which, she says, would do Harry Potter proud. During her time here, Anna hopes to perfect her teaching and also hopes that students benefit from the insights into German life that she can provide. Anna is a baking fiend, happily describing herself as, ‘a foodie, through and through’. She also enjoys reading, watching films and dancing. She has a secret ambition to try playing cricket: her ideal day would see her bowling a few overs at Lord’s, then brunching with friends before they all played a board game (perhaps Subbuteo Cricket) and then she would be off to walk her dog on the beach. The evening would end with a concert and a McFlurry - the two go together perfectly. We hope her time with us is full and rewarding. AWG
Ben Jones
Ben Jones, who has just started in the maths department, came into teaching via a non-traditional route, living in Canada after his degree so he could hoon it down the mountains on his snowboard to his heart’s content. He met his wife there and eventually they settled back in the UK and now have a little girl who turns three in October. Ben loves the rewards of parenting and also feels lucky that teaching allows him to work with the young in a way which sees no two days the same, which he enjoys immensely. Ben loved his previous place of work - Lincroft Academy - so leaving was a wrench. He feels in the long term it will be worthwhile and relishes the challenges ahead. Everything is new at present: Ben has never worked in a single-sex boarding school before, but he has found it exciting to see how things are done here. He has found the school welcoming (especially the Pemberley lads); it’s a busy place and things are always moving but he likes the day’s variety, especially being a boarding tutor. Ben is fanatical about sport, particularly the mighty Luton Town FC, and snowboarding. He also intends to hone his skills on the fives court whilst he is here. He is a big fan of music and loves food. He is infectiously enthusiastic about his family: they are the most important thing to him; his perfect day would be spent with them at a beach party with all his friends, the music drifting across the sands until deep into the night. We wish him all luck in the years ahead: his enthusiasm has already fired us up. BTJ/AWG
STAFF NEWS
Daniel Major
Daniel Major is the latest young lion to come roaring into the maths department: he joins us after completing his PGCE at Homerton, Cambridge and spending his teaching practice in some of the lovely schools where the edge of Cambridge dissolves into the sleeping countryside beyond. Daniel hails from Buckingham, having attended the Royal Latin Grammar School, which he enjoyed immensely. He then passed his university years amidst the splendour of Bath, loving the green areas of the city, but never actually, he tells me a little sheepishly, taking the famous waters of the place. He does, he says, intend to rectify this one day. Daniel comes from a family of mathematicians, the type of family who would have won Robert Robinson’s Ask the Family at a canter: dad took a PhD in maths at Cambridge, mum is a maths teacher and his older sister - a doctor - and younger brother are also mathematically inclined. For our next staff quiz I am considering bussing them all in and changing my name by deed poll that I might share in the glory as they trounce all comers. Daniel has thus far found the Bedford School boys polite and hard working. Earlier in this summer term of 2019, he made it through one of the coldest cricket games in the history of Bedford School when taking the third XI to an away fixture alongside Dr Wallace. He feared he might have the symptoms of frost nip at the time and is glad that the cricket season has been a little less Arctic ever since. His ideal day would be spent hiking in New Zealand in the company of friends; he would enjoy a picnic hamper packed with a good deal of vanilla ice cream for dessert - and would ensure that there wasn’t a trace of rum and raisin - my favourite flavour - anywhere in sight. We wish him all luck in the years he spends with us. AWG
Hugh Maltby
The DNA of Bedford School is in the blood of Hugh Maltby, our new Director of the Bedford School Association, who takes the role in the aftermath of Richard Garrett’s untimely death. Hugh is an OB (one of the four generations of Maltbys to attend the school, Hugh’s grandfather leaving before the Great War), former governor, current and past parent, former chair of the Bedford School Association and his wife, Rachel, of course, has been teaching rowing here for 25 years. When he left Bedford School, 36 years ago, the Great Fire still a vivid recent memory, the rebuilding only just completed, he would have been staggered to learn that one day he would return to the place as a salaried employee. Yet, his life has orbited the place, to some degree, so it seems almost inevitable that he returns to take a hand in the future of Bedford School. Hugh was an Ashburnhamite when Tim Machin was housemaster; leaving in 1983 saw him spend time rowing,
before surrendering to the inevitability of a career and finding himself working at Lloyd’s in the London insurance market. Hugh enjoyed his insurance life immensely; he conveys that enjoyment wonderfully well during our conversation: people, he says, were at the heart of it all; his Bedford School education gave him the wherewithal to excel as the insurance market burgeoned. His company took part in insuring a vast range of ventures and businesses, paying out on hurricane damage or rock and pop concert cancellation. The insurance market has had to constantly change in the light of world events, be they the Piper Alpha disaster or the 9/11 attack: the business has had to shift to cope with constant change. Part of the reason Hugh has taken on the role of Director of the Association is to help boys and OBs cope with a workplace in flux: Hugh knows his experience will help guide future generations. Hugh wants to build on Richard’s legacy: he’d like to ensure that all aspects of the vibrant Bedford School community support each other and that the network of boys, OBs and parents guide the present into the future. Has the school changed since he was a pupil here? Pastoral provision is, Hugh says, light years ahead of what it once was, with facilities improved upon by every generation. It is difficult to compare the school as was with the school as it is now. Hugh’s ideal day would be a hundred-mile-or-so bike ride alongside Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, perhaps a mountain stage of the Tour de France would find him happiest. In our mind’s eye we see him pedalling off up a fearsomely steep mountain. His time with us may present challenges, but I can see him rising from his saddle and pouring on the pressure: we are sure he is the King of the Mountains, conquering one Hill Difficulty after another. We offer him all luck in the time ahead. AWG
Rebecca Nemorin
Rebecca, the new French language assistant, has long had a weakness for British culture; after taking her English degree at a French university, she took a job at Bedford School because it was, she says, ‘A place where tradition and modernity might meet.’ With a turn of phrase like that, we wonder whether she might make a career as a professional mission statement writer for independent schools. Bedford has certainly been a shock to her system, principally with a curt nod having to suffice for the delights of ‘la bise’: everyday greetings just don’t have the same frisson. School uniforms and assemblies, games and extra-curricular societies have all been pleasingly baffling to Rebecca: even if staff are friendly and pupils obliging 98.7% of the time, adjusting to this weird life has been a challenge. In her free time, Rebecca is constantly writing, both poetry and short stories. She recently had the pleasure of seeing her work in print, after winning a competition. Her favourite day would combine the company of good people, the taste of good coffee, the burn of a good workout and the stimulation and final relaxation of a film late in the evening. It sounds a beguiling prospect. We wish her all luck in her time at the school. AWG
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James Nicholl
There: with the baldest of billiard ball heads. Do you see him? There! With the bushiest of beards. It is him, isn’t it? You know: James Nicholl. He’s back again! Hey, Mr Nicholl: where the devil have you been for the last year? ‘I have been living in a palace - or at least an apartment connected to a palace: I have been teaching art at Stowe, don’t you know? I have spent a year there, really enjoying the boarding school life, making friends and getting to know how that sumptuous school works.’ Wow! That sounds wonderful, Mr N. What, pray, has drawn you back here? ‘I couldn’t resist returning to Bedford when the sculpture job came up: this is a chance to make the sculpture studio my own. In some ways it felt like I had never been away when I started back again.’ Has anything else struck you about the place on your return? ‘Well, it has been frantic: settling into Redburn as the AHM, getting to grips with the U15D rugby team and being the best man at a friend’s wedding in Italy did all get a little overwhelming on the first weekend of term…’ We are glad that you managed to find a way through. Do you have a message about what lies in store for all your many fans over the course of this year? ‘Monumental sculpture, frantic guitaring and a beard that bristles more than Desperate Dan’s.’ Bravo, Mr N: we shall bristle up our courage in anticipation of all this forthcoming bushiness. AWG
Mr Matthew Nicholson
Mr Nicholson is our new head of Spanish, taking over from the long-serving Mr Huxford. Mr Nicholson was raised and went to school in Newcastle. After finishing school, he went to university, graduating with a first-class honours degree in modern languages from the University of Durham. Mr Nicholson has taught in independent schools in the UK as well as across the world since leaving university: he has lived in both France and Spain, as well as the Netherlands and Dubai, teaching English to Spanish business executives and teaching at a school recently voted the best school in the UAE. In Dubai, he taught both Spanish and French. He also led his school to a glorious victory in the regional championships of the World Scholars’ Cup in March, competing against over 100 schools. When I asked what in particular about Bedford School attracted Mr Nicholson, he replied, ‘The reputation of the school, an established and successful culture that attracts potential staff and potential students alike, a sensibly-balanced ethos, the friendly staff and motivated students.’ High praise indeed! Mr Nicholson seems to be enjoying life at Bedford very much and said that his favourite aspect of his job is the ‘multi-faceted aspect of teaching’, but also when a student gets that ‘lightbulb moment’ when studying linguistics. We wish you all the best for the future at Bedford. Edward Mathew-Jones 80
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Rebecca Quirighetti
Rebecca comes our way to replace Kayleigh Betterton in the English department, taking over the reins at the start of the summer term, 2019. Rebecca has found herself drawn back to Bedford: she lived here before in a former life, which goes to show there is something strangely magnetic about a life by the banks of the Great Ouse. Although born in York, on the wrong side of the Pennines, she didn’t let it hold her back, moving to this pulsating place as a child when her father - Tom Eadon - became headmaster of the Inky. Even though she moved away when aged twelve, something here got its hooks in her. The years she spent living in and around the school have never really left her: coming back brings a mixture of the new and the deeply familiar. But what a lot she has crammed in during time away: after university in Leeds, she took a variety of jobs, travelling in Australia and Asia before finally fetching up at Penguin books. There she worked on the prestigious Penguin Classics before moving to the Foreign Office and working in various guises, and finding, along the way, that she really enjoyed training staff. This began to scratch the itch to teach that saw Rebecca go on to complete her PGCE at Homerton, Cambridge, before teaching in Hitchin, Harpenden and Sherrardswood, the latter as head of English. Rebecca loves life in her Clophill stronghold, with her two daughters and husband. Her ideal day would see them yomp across country, snatching moments to read a wonderful book perhaps The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse, or even a little Wuthering Heights - before pencilling in a few answers in the quick crossword and settling down for a happy picnic. It sounds like a lovely day. We wish her only good things in her time at Bedford School. AWG
Paul Scullion
Paul Scullion takes on the mantle of head of computer science from Dave Wild. He has quite a pedigree: for eight years, he was co-owner of a company which developed bespoke software for live shows. His company did a good deal of work for music festivals - he was a regular at the V Festival and also worked with artists as stellar as George Michael and on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals. The constant living in a suitcase eventually palled: Paul went into teaching to gain stability and raise a family with his wife. He has now been teaching for over a decade, working at Stratton Upper and the Samuel Whitbread Academy; he calls Hail Weston home. Paul’s father was in the RAF, which meant Paul not only moved about the country, he lived abroad for a while. This has left him cosmopolitan and open to the new: he couldn’t be anything other given the way he saw so much throughout his childhood. Teaching computing is great fun because it enables Paul to have many moments when his efforts make the penny drop for a pupil. It works best when people work together to solve problems; having them suddenly see the answer happens every day in Paul’s lessons, generating a great deal of job satisfaction for him. Paul’s ideal day would be climbing on his bike and pedalling off, wind in his hair, fresh air in his lungs. He enjoys the
STAFF NEWS
Cambridgeshire countryside particularly; a day spent in the saddle would be the perfect thing. He has found the school a supportive place and has sensed a strong family atmosphere: everyone, he says, wants the best for each other; the spirit of mutual cooperation is strong between staff and students. We wish him all luck in his time ahead and many happy hours at the keyboard. AWG
Michael Thain
Mr Michael Thain joins us from teaching on and off around ten schools, since his early retirement from our old rivals Harrow School, with whom he served a staggering thirty-four years, eleven as Head of Biology. At Harrow, he was in charge of a nine-acre nature reserve for twenty years, and often took the boys on bird-watching expeditions across the country. Two of his most memorable trips (to Lapland and Iran), involved crashes, and the near-death of one participant. His Oxford University education encouraged him to pursue two further degrees whilst teaching at Harrow, and he has written two dictionaries on biology for Penguin Books. He has a passion for music, including classical composers such as Vaughn Williams, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Debussy and Ravel, as well as the Rolling Stones. If serious musicians will forgive him, he says, he adores bird calls, which are ‘the best natural music.’ He loves to holiday in Kenya, Spain and the far north of Scotland. At the moment, he is continuing his biological research, and is researching a book on humans (which, he says, demands great patience from his wife). We wish him all happiness during his time at Bedford School. Jamie Williams
Keith Thomson
Mr Thomson is another new addition to the well-established maths department. He attended Wisbech Grammar School with his family home in west Norfolk. After finishing school, he studied at the University of East Anglia, where he received a BSc in Mathematics with Statistics. Mr Thomson then started teaching, learning his craft at Springwood High School, in King’s Lynn, where he worked for three years. Subsequent to this, he left the UK to work in Melbourne for a year-and-a-half, where he worked at Trinity Grammar School in Kew. After returning to the UK, he applied to work at Bedford School. When asked about what he anticipated would be different to his old school he said, ‘I’m adjusting to teaching lessons on a Saturday; soon I am sure I’ll get as excited as the rest of the school community at the prospect of an exeat weekend; at the moment it feels still, essentially, just a ‘regular’ weekend.’ Not only is Mr Thomson a maths supremo, he is also MiC of Golf: ‘It allows me to go to Woburn three times a week to share the privilege that our golf scholars are afforded.’ We wish him all the best. Edward Mathew-Jones
Gemma Tooth
Gemma, Nick Allen’s replacement in the history department, comes to us from Framlingham College in Suffolk, having spent seven-and-a-half years in the town that is stomping ground of the rock star presences of Ed Sheeran and our own David Ashton (erstwhile head of the English department, now academic deputy at FC). Gemma spent six years at Framlingham as a boarding house tutor, enjoying just about everything about the experience. Hailing originally from Coventry, famed birthplace of Philip Larkin, The Specials and Jaguar cars, Gemma wanted to move to Bedford to be back at the centre of things and within striking distance of her Coventry kin. She was also tempted our way by the prospect of so much history and politics teaching: at Framlingham, Gemma also taught geography; whilst that subject might have ample compensations, nothing compares to a timetable of history and politics for our new recruit. At school, Gemma found a passion for archaeology: she was never happier than when grubbing around in the dust of the past, her pulse quickening, in particular, at the uncovering of human remains. Gemma studied history at Sheffield University, completing her PGCE at Warwick. She taught at a Nuneaton school initially, loving the fierce loyalty of her charges, before her spell in Suffolk. Her perfect day would involve the mystical five Cs: cake, in a castle by the coast with a cup of tea and her cockerpoo, Arthur, named after Arthur’s Seat. Gemma and partner were casting about for dog names whilst on a trip to Edinburgh. Gemma’s favourite part of teaching is having a hand in a student achieving their full potential. We hope that she has many of these special moments in her time with us and wish her all happiness in the years to come. AWG
Mr Richard Watson
Another addition to the fast-growing Watson presence at the school (Jerome, Alex, Ben and James thus far), Mr Richard Watson has spent the past four years completing a fouryear MSci at the University of Nottingham. As an OB, he feels that the school ‘still has that sense of purpose’ it had when he was a pupil; he says that the familiarity is reassuring, this being his first teaching job. He especially enjoys being on the other side of the school system and being able to relate to pupil experiences he himself went through. One of his passions is wildlife photography; he recalls when he and his father were chased a few dozen yards down a mountain by a ‘less-than-pleased’ mother elephant in sub-Saharan Africa (he says, fortunately for him, that he runs faster than his father). His brotherly rivalry extends to supporting any team his brother, a Physics teacher, does not, but I’m not sure his brother can double bend his thumbs backwards. Once again, we welcome another rock/heavy metal fan to the school (I’m cheering as I’m writing this), his favourite band being a recent addition to the metal canon, Dead Posey. I am sure that he’ll settle in nicely, and we wish him every success in the school where he once used to study. Jamie Williams
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the langham grid 2018/19
RUGBY
CRICKET WINS
DRAWS
LOSSES
1st XI
11
3
3
6
2nd XI
6
0
3
2
3rd XI
4
0
0
0
6
4th XI
2
0
1
3
0
6
U17
2
0
1
6
0
5
U16 A
2
0
0
U16 B
6
0
5
U16 B
1
0
0
U16 C
8
0
6
U16 C
1
0
0
13
0
3
WINS
DRAWS
LOSSES
1st XV
2
1
9
2nd XV
5
0
3rd XV
5
1
4th XV
3
5th XV U16 A
U15 A
11
0
11
U15 A
U15 B
7
0
5
U15 B
8
0
0
U15 C
8
0
1
U15 C
7
0
1
U15 D
5
0
5
U15 D
1
0
2
U14 A
1
0
11
U15 E
0
0
3
U14 B
1
0
9
U14 A
10
0
3
U14 C
6
0
4
U14 B
6
0
2
U14 D
8
0
3
U14 C
8
0
0
U14 E
2
1
3
U14 D
2
0
1
0
1
0
U14 E
2
0
U14 F
TOTALS
87
4
97
TOTALS
FOOTBALL
3
3
26
HOCKEY
WINS
DRAWS
LOSSES
1st XI
5
1
7
2nd XI
3
2
4
2nd XI
6
1
2
3rd XI
3
3
1
3rd XI
3
1
4
4th XI
1
0
4
4th XI
0
0
5
U16 A
4
2
3
U16 A
7
1
4
U16 B
0
0
3
U16 B
4
1
3
U15 A
5
0
3
U15 A
1
1
6
U15 B
2
0
1
U15 B
4
1
3
2
0
U14 A
TOTALS
25
8
0
26
1st XI
THE OUSEL 2018-2019
WINS
DRAWS
LOSSES
13
0
1
U15 C
7
0
0
U14 A
8
2
4
U14 B
4
0
5
U14 C
2
1
5
U14 D
5
3
1
TOTALS 82
86
64
12
43
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RUGBY This year, the 2nd game teams set the standard with impressive win ratios. The U15 C team led the way with a close to unbeaten record, a clear demonstration of the positive culture and commitment throughout the Rugby Club. The U14s could boast an F team this season and the E team had played in 6 competitive fixtures by the end of the term. They were highly competitive against the big boarding schools who can boast more than 5 teams. In particular, they were delighted with their
victory against an Oakham U14 D team. The 1st XV had a tough campaign but still managed to produce some scintillating rugby at times. Highlights were the performances against Haileybury, where fast flowing and expansive rugby put the XV out of sight in the 1st half and Abingdon in the final game of the season, where all their hard work came together to treat those watching with high quality attacking Rugby and a committed defensive effort. Throughout the season, the
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XV continued to play a highly entertaining brand of Rugby as recognised by many OBs who returned to show their support of the School. A true testament to the culture of the Rugby Club is evidenced by the 1st Game squad leading a very well attended position specific session for all ages of the Rugby Club every Thursday before games. Also, Captain Will Barnes and Vice-Captain Toby Garrett coached the U15A team in their 4th Round Plate match against Wellingborough School in the final game of the season. This game was also supported by the fine voice of the remainder of the Rugby Club from behind the ropes. The Senior 2nd and 3rd XV teams demonstrated a 20% and 12.5% improved win ratio respectively from the previous season - genuine development in a tough campaign. The U16 D team players who joined the 5th XV this year would have enjoyed playing in a more successful outfit this season. Not only was the team more successful, they also had a great team spirit that kept motivation levels high in training and matches. It is fair to say that the boys had fun. All U16 teams had a positive Win ratio at every level and the U16 C team should be particularly please with the season they had. The U16 A team finished very strongly, demonstrating a huge amount of resilience and confidence to win their final two games against Harrow and Abingdon in the closing moments of the game. JPH
Major Sports Colours for Rugby were awarded to: Ryan Apps Finn Cassell Archie Swainson Gus Miller Michael Phillips Kayde Sylvester Dan Wells Harry Homan Leon Williamson
Rugby Honours Caps were awarded to: Will Barnes (Captain) Toby Garrett (Vice-Captain) Felix Mallalieu Tom Linsell Alex King
Minor Colours were awarded to: George Bennett George Thomas Matthew Johnston Elijah Cooke Michael Catt Ben Sherriff Charlie Probyn Ross Denton Timmy Pong Sam Dalton Matthew Lewis Timmy Pong
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1st XV
Perspective is one of the most significant things in my opinion: in a term that was about a great deal more than what necessarily went on inside the ropes of the 1st XV pitch, it was important not to lose sight of what really matters. Whilst the results of the 1st XV were anything but those of a vintage 1st XV Bedford School side, this season has changed my perspective on sport entirely. I do not for a minute dispute that everybody enjoys winning, however at times it is important to take a step back from the rugby and consider what it is all about. To me, time spent playing this wonderful sport should be time enjoyed; this is really something I have attempted to keep in mind, even when on the end of a heavy defeat to a strong Sedbergh side. Which brings me on to the rugby itself. The first half of the season was one that brought new block fixtures against Rugby School, Sedbergh, Felsted, and Haileybury. It is always exciting to play new opposition and this prospect was certainly something the team was relishing coming into the new season. The first fixture against Rugby was a competitive one, in particular the first half. Rugby’s ill-discipline allowed us to turn the screw and mount some pressure territorially. This resulted in two cracking scores before the half, both from Daniel Wells: we were playing some encouraging rugby. As the game progressed Rugby improved their discipline and some abrasive ball carrying, in particular from their back row, resulted in too many missed tackles. The outcome had us scratching our heads at a score line that, in my opinion, did not reflect the match (43-17). Momentum is a vital thing in sport at any level, and this is not only during the matches. To a large extent this was the case with the outcome of the Rugby match. The wind had been taken out of our sails, and this is precisely what is not
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required when sailing towards the storm that is Sedbergh: a school with a phenomenal rugby pedigree; it was a real privilege to play against such opponents. It was a masterclass from the strongest school-boy side I have played against. They moved the ball effortlessly and carried ferociously, a combination to cause issues for any defence. In the face of adversity, I thought our defence was admirable, going until the end despite being out-classed across the pitch. The next two fixtures can only be described as disappointing. During my time at Bedford School, I have always found midweek games a bit of a phenomenon. No matter how much you stress the importance of preparing for a Thursday fixture as though it were a Saturday one, this never quite seems to work. In my opinion, this was what happened in the Felsted fixture. Playing low on confidence resulted in one of the most irritating performances in our time together. Conceding 14 of the 21 points from driving line outs was extremely disappointing and we can only blame ourselves for our ill-discipline. Similar frustrations accompanied us in a one-point loss to NSB in the next fixture. The conditions did not particularly favour the way we like to play. Yet I am always reluctant to use this as an excuse having heard Jim Telfer’s words to the Lions in 1997 exclaiming ‘a good player doesn’t blame the weather!’ Nonetheless, as the rain continued to pour in central Northampton, and the NSB pack continued to charge, each and every player continuously stepped up to the mark physically and laid their all out for the school. Playing away to NSB has never been a happy hunting ground for the upper
sixth members of this side and I think this may have been what put the bit between our teeth defensively. Despite the loss, this was certainly the first time in the season where we put together what I felt was a defensive performance that we could be proud of. This certainly gave us a bit of self-belief going into our first fixture of the Champions Trophy against Hurst Pierpoint. Having been previous winners and runners up of this tournament, we all felt the weight of expectation of those who walk the halls of this school going into the fixture. Sport can be both absolute ecstasy and completely crushing sometimes at the same time. Seeing the low sun beating onto the famous red brick as you run onto the first team pitch, with a tunnel of your friends surrounding you all cheering you on, is an experience that will live a long time in my memory. Unfortunately, errors at key moments gave the game away and for a second year in a row we failed to progress past the second round. Playing away to Dulwich is one of my favourite events in the school calendar, and everyone is aware of the history in the fixture. As always Dulwich were well drilled with a strong pack and we perhaps lacked any real attack to give our defensive performance some justice. Matches against Dulwich are always played in good spirit and this was the case once again, as the match was played with a great intensity. It took a half term to achieve our first victory, however: it came eventually against our new rivals - Haileybury. The performance was much more like the calibre of rugby that we were aiming for throughout the season. The ball was moved
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freely and it finally began to look as though we could score at will. The only downside was picking up a broken nose ahead of the house singing competition in the evening, however it was all the more worthwhile when on the good side of a scoreline of 40-12. Momentum is a significant thing, as I mentioned earlier, and half term perhaps came at the wrong time in consideration of this. Returning to term we faced our old rivals: Warwick. I am no meteorologist, however I am almost certain that the weekend the school plays Warwick is the wettest weekend of the year. This year did not disappoint and a torrential downpour before kick-off ensured ideal conditions for Warwick. Warwick were abrasive, their size accompanied by some tight rugby from the Daily Mail Cup runners up. The match ended 29-0. The (Football) Champions League Final of 2005 best sums up the match against Oakham (Liverpool). Bedford (Milan) were imperious in the first half and sumptuous team tries finished by Sylvester, Swainson and Garrett meant we sailed to a 21 (three try) lead. However a resurgent Oakham in the second half managed to level the scores to 21-21. I struggled to see how we did not win that match, often in sport you do not get what you deserve and this was perhaps the case here. A midweek match against Radley followed: they kept the ball tight and ensured that it stayed away from their relatively weak backs division. Sadly we were not able to exploit such a weakness and a stunning Apps’ try going the length with five minutes to go was not enough to salvage the result. The upper sixth’s last away game was back to where it all began, Harrow. Our first away match was to the London school and I have memories of walking past a number of ‘Vunipola’ shirts. The shirts were still there, this time accompanied by one from ‘Maro from Harrow’. It appeared that the Harrow
recruitment programme has only gone from strength to strength and despite not playing the best style of rugby, a number of able individuals were able to stretch the lead to 41-10. A score-line that was not a fair reflection of the match and a deflating way to end our ventures across the country; however it is always a privilege to play such a prestigious school and the vista across the city from ‘the hill’ was pleasant viewing over tea. The final chapter of the season came against Abingdon. Determined to end the season, and school rugby for some, with a bang we finished with our best performance. There was a desire to be on the ball and some of the attacking rugby we played was superb. Having a large number of supporters to watch as the final minutes ticked away was a reminder of how the rugby club will go on long after we are gone. 26-7 was the score-line and, with a number of photos and a good singsong after the match, this was a memorable way to end our time playing school rugby. Plato once wrote “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation”: it’s fair to say that I learnt a great deal about the people I shared a team with over the course of the season. Results are important but it must be said that given the context of the first term what is really important is the time shared with friends playing a special sport. Before the Rugby match we met with a number of OBs in the Memorial Hall. They said that they lost almost every match, but that seemed almost irrelevant; the stories they told and the bonds they had made stood out to me. I am sure that in years to come, we will share similar stories and laugh about the memorable times we have had representing this prestigious rugby school. Times that have been both a privilege and an honour; I am extremely thankful to all the support we have received from staff across the years. Will Barnes HONOURS CAPS: W. Barnes(C) / T.Garrett (VC) / A.King / T.Linsell / F.Mallalieu MAJOR COLOURS: R.Apps / F.Cassell / H.Homan / G.Miller / M.Phillips / A.Swainson / K.Sylvester / D.Wells / L.Williamson MINOR COLOURS: George Bennett / M.Catt / E.Cooke / R.Denton / M.Johnston / C.Probyn / T.Pong / B.Sherriff / George Thomas
2nd XV
Having spent two seasons in the 2nd XV now, it is clear what calibre of player is required for such a team. Whilst not necessarily with the skills and brute force of a 1st XV player, it takes an unprecedented level of spirit and camaraderie to call yourself a true second team man. Even after seemingly infinite poundings on our own five-metre line, it is the second team boys who’ll migrate home as a squad, with heads held high and tunes on full blast. As ever, it has been a season of ups and downs for the 2nd XV. Our ambition to come out strong in reaction to last year’s season was short lived as an excellent Rugby side meticulously unpicked the newly formed bonds of our new team. Another tough week followed against the habitual gym addicts at Sedbergh. A mention must be given here to one who epitomizes ‘putting your body on the line for the eagle’, 86
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as Harry Gouldstone suffered an unfortunate experience somewhat resembling an origami masterclass which sadly, albeit swiftly, put his Bedford School rugby season to an end. However, in true 2nd XV style, the motivational words of the then skipper, Charlie Probyn, inspired a comfortable win over Felsted School. The consequent added determination and teamwork were a welcome boost for the team at this stage, as Mr Braithwaite nursed the team spirit into thrashing a keento-win Samuel Whitbread side. As expected, this was “one of the best second team performances he’d ever seen”, thereby demonstrating the relentless and unsurprising exponential improvement of Bedford School second teams. At this stage in the season, we really were a consummate ‘team’, as the routine tenderness of playing with boys in the year below had worn off. If there is one thing I have learnt about being in a team such as this, it is that the age difference between upper and lower sixth boys is one not to be underestimated. Mutual respect is rewarded with unexpected friendships and a camaraderie that is sustained throughout the rest of the year. Moving into the second half of the season, desperate chopping and changing to accommodate the needs of the 1st XV meant Charlie bid us a heartfelt farewell. Despite this, amongst many other changes, the team retained its hard-fought rigour, allowing George Bennett to be the first of many to receive his colours after an impressive performance against Oakham, epitomising the ambition and determination all lower sixth boys should aspire to. There were many points during the season when all players were stunned by Bennett’s relentless efforts at making the hardest hits on the hardest blokes. Creativity seemed to be our speciality as a second team side, with Tom Blythman’s artistry in creating new moves
frequently slicing defensive lines in two. An attempt was made to replicate this in the lineouts, however the forward stereotype prevailed, and a distinct lack of memory and revision meant our ambitious lifting routines were often foiled. That said, I can speak on behalf of all in the team when I say that no matter what, through good times and bad, sheer enjoyment always prevailed. It is this quality that I hope every Bedford School 2nd XV will embrace as a necessary part of the team itself, and I know for sure it’s the thing I’ll miss the most. AJB TEAM LIST: Fordham J (Capt.), Bennett G, Blakemore S, Blythman T, Bowes A, Cassell F, Catt M, Chambers T, Cooke E, Crankshaw O, Elston A, English A, English W, Head P, Hicks C, Johnston M, Lewis M, Lucas B, O’Toole T, Pong T, Probyn C, Thomas G, Wegener A, Williams L, Williamson B, Williamson L.
3RD XV
The 2018 rugby season was nothing but extraordinary for Bedford School’s third XV: having had six wins, one draw, and two losses, we were by far the most successful senior team this season. This was probably due to the level of commitment many of the boys had to rugby sessions even before the term had started. Normally, first and second team players dominate attendance at pre-season sessions, however this year we saw a number of boys from the third team show up. Special mentions go to Finley O’Sullivan, Ben Sudborough, Marco Sarro, James Zhang, Ollie Crankshaw, and Ben Giles who were regular attendees.
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Now, watching two premiership teams battle it out amongst each other is always interesting. However, having played two seasons in the 3rd XV, I have realized how interesting third team games can be. No pass is perfect, every kick has a chance of going wrong, and every line out could go either way: it is very common to see the tables turn in the blink of an eye, the level of uncertainty in third team games make them far more interesting than anyone might think. In just one season, we saw things that were thought were impossible. We started the season off like a battering ram, penetrating through our oppositions’ defences. The combination of big carriers like Oscar Singer and Jay Garbutt was too much for the opposition to handle. The backs did their part as well, cutting shapes and breaking ankles on a regular basis. This gave us high hopes going into the Dulwich game, despite not having played a game for almost a month. We started the game off strongly, tearing through Dulwich’s defence and put points on the scoreboard early on in the game. Unfortunately, Ewan Gordon, on his 3rd XV debut was injured after the first play of the game. With a big character like Ewan missing, the team slowly began to crumble. Dulwich eventually put points on us and with one minute of the game left, they scored one more try, making it even between the teams. We thought this was it. An easy kick right between the goal posts would mean that they would be two points up and it would be near impossible to win. But to the amazement of the players and the kicker himself, he missed, a sudden shot of adrenaline came rushing back into the boys in red and white and we were determined to hang on for a draw. But those next thirty seconds changed our lives forever. James Oliver, our kicker 88
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(and arguably one of the best kickers in the school), struck the ball incorrectly, resulting in the ball going right into the hands of one of Dulwich’s players who scored on the final play of the game. Even the referee said he had never seen anything like this before. This game taught us some valuable lessons. Five days after what was possibly the biggest upset of our rugby careers, we played against Haileybury. In just fifteen minutes Will Kirkup managed to score a hat trick and at least half of the team managed to score a try. One person who didn’t score, despite trying his absolute hardest, was James Zhang. He made many yards and fended off many people just to fall short of the try line every time, setting up an easy try for his team mates. The victory against Haileybury reminded the team of the potential and talent we had and was a very good way to end the first half of the season. The next most memorable game of the year would have been the game against Radley. We were the first team to put points on the scoreboard from a perfectly executed lineout on their five-metre line. The Radley boys were not organized enough to stop our amazing maul. However, being a strong side they were constantly taking away our narrow lead. We finally won the game after what was possibly one of the most stressful games in our sporting careers. The last two games finished the season off perfectly. Against Harrow, Barney Davies executed one of the best side steps the team had ever seen, giving him an easy try between the goal posts and a 7-0 lead which the boys had to guard for the rest of the second half most of which was on our try line. And finally, the last game against Abingdon was nothing but extraordinary. The team was mainly made up of upper sixth
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boys since it was the last game of the season and possibly the last game of our lives. Many people forget the time and hours the coaches put into the team. Much of this season’s success was due to the enthusiasm Mr Huddlestone had towards the team and the hours he spent coaching us outside of games sessions. Thank you, Mr Huddlestone, for making this season so great. James Zhang TEAM LIST: O. Crankshaw, E. Chukwu, B. Davis, L. Inman, J. Garbutt, H. Gouldstone, T. Ho, H. Jennings, J. O’Donovan, J. Oliver,F. O’ Sullivan, T. O’Toole, S. Kalyan, W. Kirkup, A. Lam, S. Safi, M. Sarro, B. Sudborough, O. Singer, J. Zhang COACHES: T.Brett, M.Huddlestone, P.Whatling
5th Team
This season has seen a mixture of results ranging from stomping victories to complete demolitions that have almost become second nature for the 5ths. With the two previous seasons racking up a total of 738 points conceded, the only way was up. Our first game was against Oundle, where the standard of rugby after one training session was shown, handing us the first loss of the season. Whilst it was a loss, there were some points of improvement from the previous season, much to the delight of our coaches. The second game was away at Stowe and, with grit and determination shown from the likes of Benson Chan, James Brazil and Alex King, we emerged with a solid 39-12 victory, something of a rarity for the season. Our second game was a rematch with Oundle, this time away. There seemed to be some unfinished business left over from the previous game, as was demonstrated directly after kicking off where numerous big tackles were put in, something that was only a dream for previous fifth team squads. Halftime saw us with a 10-point lead, but we now faced the problem of a rather hurricane-esque wind. Oundle, with a strong boot and a quick winger, put two past us within five minutes of the start of the second half. A very stern team talk later, we regained control of the game, with Romeo Erikson running the entire length of the pitch. This final stand gave us the second win of the season, 20-10.
The Oundle match was followed by strong Oakham opposition: a few miscalculations led to a 21-32 loss. This was overshadowed, however, by one of the biggest collisions in history in the centres, with Ben Sporton being on the end of it. A Harrow game followed Oakham, with a team largely made up of 4th XV players; unfortunately, we lost 10-22. The next game against Dulwich was also a close defeat, with again some small errors enabling their forwards to dominate. Simple passes were wayward and lacklustre, such that it took time for the ball to reach the likes of Alex Wilkins at outside centre, as he discovered when being tackled immediately upon receiving the pass. Traveling to Merchant Taylors’ for the next fixture was going to give the fifths a taste of déjà vu. With the weather foreshadowing the result, we stepped onto the flooded, cold field with the rain lashing down upon us. We left the field wet and cold, however with the additional inconvenience of just being thumped by their 3rd XV, 55-5. This was taken as an educational learning curve; suffice to say we moved on swiftly. Arguably, the biggest opponent and best game for the 5th XV squad this year was the final fixture of the Oundle tri-series. With a great team performance from everyone, the score was 19-19 with ten minutes of play remaining; unfortunately, the match was decided by a blind-side attack from their scrum starting at the half way line. Unfortunately, our missing tackles meant we conceded a try. This led to a heartfelt loss of 1924. Radley was our final home opponent; they arrived with interesting attire for a pre-match warm up: we felt like it was more suitable for the Boxing Day hunt than a rugby match. Regardless, we took home the victory, winning 25-10. Trying to come up with something for the final game of the season against Harrow I found particularly challenging, as only having seven players made the game an interesting experience, subsequently leading to a 0-51 defeat. A big thank you must go to our coaches, Mr Steer and Mr Prior, for their training ideas and motivation throughout the season. Highlight of the season goes to the final two minutes of the final Oundle game, where the drive and determination from everyone on the pitch to score the try and level the score was admirable. *A word from the coaches: As a squad we wish those departing for further education or other opportunities away from the school all the best and hope that they maintain their interest in rugby. A big thank you to the continued efforts of Benson Chan, Romeo Erikson, Evgenii Larkin, Alex Linley-Hill, Martin Shodiya, Nicholas Yip, Terry Hui, Igor Mayorov, Adam Foat (who played a mixture of 4th and 5th team matches) and Max Deacon, the likes of whom the XL club may never see again in terms of his dedication to the squad. They have certainly left big shoes to fill, however we hope that this season’s enthusiasm is built upon and we come roaring back in the new academic year: ‘Come on the 5ths!’ Max Deacon 5th XV Captain COACHES: Mr Prior/Mr Steer – Team Coaches
U16 A
The U16 A-team were facing adversity before the season had even started, with many injuries occurring in pre-season. The boys went into the first game against Oundle with multiple THE MAGAZINE OF BEDFORD SCHOOL AND THE OLD BEDFORDIANS CLUB
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players missing from the team, but, with a surprisingly good performance, managed to secure a strong win. The season soon picked up speed as big games were right around the corner, with the Rugby and Sedbergh fixtures being back-to-back and both away. The boys struggled to pick up momentum, losing both fixtures. With injured players returning, training became more productive, reflected in a 17-0 win over Felsted. In one of the fiercest and tensest games of the season, the team lost 38-12 to a strong NSB side. But the score-line hardly reflected the game, as three individual mistakes led to three NSB tries. As the school’s oldest block fixture, Dulwich, was looming, there was a sense of anticipation and drive in training: everyone was determined to perform well. In the closest game of the season, the lead changed hands many times. With two minutes left, being 21-19 down, the boys dug deep to score the final points, winning 26-21. A well-drilled Warwick side, who scored with five driving mauls to win 50-5, finally stopped the boys’ momentum. With a disappointing loss to Radley College the following week, the team were determined to finish the term in a strong manner. In horrendous conditions a 38-31 win over Harrow was well deserved and a massive boost heading into the final fixture. This close-fought match against Abingdon, left the team feeling like they could have performed better; it took a 90m team try to secure the win, with an eventual score-line of 26-24. Reflecting on the season, the team was happy with the progress made, individually and collectively. The squad’s strong belief in their ability to perform well in the big competitions would serve them well in the sevens.Tom Allen TEAM LIST: Allen, T (Captain), Ambepitiya S, Barnes B, Butterly L, Byrne E, Christey A, Constantine H, Dicks S, Johal G, Melly C, Monk W, Munatsi T, Pelling F, Ramply W (Vice Captain), Rea M, Simmons S, Tyrer H, Ward T, Warren H.
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16 B
The 16 Bs had a good and enjoyable season this year, ending the season on a positive win-loss ratio. The season started off well with a close match that ended with a 24-17 victory against Oundle. The next match was a fairly-close game against Rugby which ended 20-14. Next was probably the best win of the season against an ominous Sedbergh. The match started well with Bedford scoring first; tries were then traded between the teams for the first fifteen minutes of the first half before Bedford managed to open up a 19-12 lead going into the half time. The second half was a slightly more dominant display from Bedford finishing the match 36-19. Coming off the back of the Sedbergh victory, confidence was high going into the Felstead match and after a dominant display the match ended 58-0. A week later the same dominance was yet again displayed against Pitsford in a 52-12 victory. After winning the first four matches, the season was looking very positive but things were about to take a turn going into the Dulwich match only a few days after playing Pitsford. The conditions going into the Dulwich match were not great, including high wind and the match did not go as hoped and ended any chances of an unbeaten season: we managed to score twice in the last fifteen minutes of the game, ending the match 10-30. The final match before half term was against Haileybury. The match did not start well and at half time Bedford were down twelve points and had yet to score. The second half started very well with Bedford coming back to bring the score to 10-12 with just five minutes remaining. Haileybury scored to extend their lead to 10-17, but in the last minute Bedford scored again, but could not convert their try and the match ended in a heart-breaking 15-17 loss. The first match back after half term was away against Warwick, which is always a tough game. Bedford played well in the first half but were still down 5-13. The second half did not go anywhere near as well as the first half and the match ended 5-34. After a successful first four matches, Bedford had lost three games in a row and desperately needed a win.
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That’s exactly what they got when they played Oakham the next week. It was a good match and ended 26-19. The next game was Radley. This did not start well and the first half ended 0-15. The second half was much better and it was soon 12-15, but, just as the match seemed winnable, Radley scored again and, although Bedford would score again, it would not be enough and the match ended 17-20. The penultimate game of the season was against Harrow. Yet again this match did not start well and Bedford went into half time losing. The second half was much the same as the first but Bedford managed one try late on in the second half, ending the match 7-26. The final match of the season was Abingdon away, a game that Bedford had to win in order to secure a positive win ratio due to having won five and lost five games. The first half was extremely tight with control constantly switching but nothing came of either side’s attempts and the first half ended 0-0. The second half started the same way that the first ended and not much happened until the last fifteen minutes of the game when a lovely kick resulted in a try in the corner and from there Bedford took control of the game and ended it 12-0. The win at Abingdon ended what had been a great season and an excellent few years for the squad. We would like to thank our coach, Mr Satchwill, who has been a great support this season. Will Garner (Captain) TEAM LIST: Garner W (Captain), Van der Walt W, Akerele T, Norris J, Noor H, Barrett G, Walsh A, Ayling B, Gregory O, Simon L, Edjejovwo D, Byrne E, Keane S, Sanders J, Dowrick H, Garrett S, Riddell K, Toms H, Lusty M, Gates A, Lumley-Wood D, Tyrer H, Beighton J, Barford W, Ward T, Peacock F, Barden B.
u16 C
The Colts C team had overall a successful season winning eight out of 13 games. Whatever the score was, the team showed great determination even in the worst of situations against especially tough teams such as Dulwich and Harrow.
We started the season on the first weekend of school travelling to Oundle but seeming to be slightly unprepared and off to a 14-45 loss to Oundle. Two weeks later we played in a triangular match with Perse and Stowe, beating Stowe comfortably 17-0 and only narrowly losing to the Perse B team, 5-0, with the match seeming to get away from us and just not failing to score in the end after relentless attacking play. In the next game we once again travelled away, this time to Oakham, with good effort from the team even though we ended on a 0-37 loss. Just four days later we had our first home game of the season taking on the Perse again after already playing them earlier in the season. We knew that the game earlier in the season had escaped us and knew that we must change this: an excellent end-to-end match produced a well-deserved 26-17 win. The penultimate game before the half-term break saw us take on a very tough Dulwich side seeming to be able to outplay us in all departments of the pitch leading to a 48-0 loss. Despite this, we managed to be fuelled by the defeat and just five days later managed to turn around the negative into a massive positive with a hard-fought battle against Haileybury: being 10-0 down at half time we showed that nothing is impossible and turned it around to win 26-10. This brought us to half term took. The second half of term seemed to start a good winning streak when we beat Warwick 24-12. A week later was probably the highlight of the season: we had a spectacular triangular match against Oundle and Oakham, both of whom we had lost to earlier in the season. We managed to turn over both these teams on the same day, beating Oundle 10-5 and Oakham 22-17. Both were hard-fought matches and this seemed to give us a sense of great team spirit that was like no other match. Our next match against Radley was a real battle: after we were 28-0 up after the first half, Radley then got back in the match and in the last ten minutes we defended for our lives on our line, leading to us being rewarded with a late try and a tremendous 40-24 victory. We ended the season with a mixed bag of results losing to Harrow 50-5. However, the boys showed great strength and determination not to give up whatever the score was. Following the heavy defeat to Harrow, we once again did what we had done earlier in the season and on our final game of the season we showed some excellent character to beat Abingdon 31-5. Apart from the losses to Dulwich and Harrow, we seemed to have an excellent season beating every team that we had lost to earlier, beating them later on in the season in the reverse fixture. Most crucially, I am sure that most boys can say that they enjoyed representing the school throughout the season. Players in the U16C team were able to develop, with many players going onto to represent the B team throughout the season. With much thanks on behalf of the team to Mr Waite, Mr Holt, Mr Cassell and Dan from Bedford Blues for all their help to develop us as players Ben Parrish TEAM LIST: Akerele. T / Ayling. B / Barden. B / Barford. W / Barrett. G / Beighton. J / Bolger. H / Briggs. J / Garrett. S / Gates. A / Hughes. P / Kendall. G / Linney. A / Lumley-Wood. D / Mathew. H / Markov. N / Mital. A / Otley. N / Parmar. V / Parrish. B / Peacock. F / Pilcher. H / Potter. E / Romeo. N / Singh. V / Solanki. A / Stukalo. L / Stricker. F / Upadhyay. P / Walker. A / Warnock. A
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U15 A
We started our season off in Southampton with a 15-a-side tournament with schools from around the UK. We cruised easily through the group stages, winning each game rather handsomely, not conceding a single try. We then moved through the round of 16 and the quarter final quite easily. The semi final was a harder game: we had to step up and perform the basics well. This did, however, bring us to conceding our first try of the season and, trust me, it would be one of many to come. We went into the final, shattered and bruised: we came out of the blocks quickly and were able to pick up some early tries. We kept the pressure up with some big hits on their big men; Joe Barrett played every single second of the tournament and was still throwing himself around right to the end. We saw the win out and picked up our first triumph of the season. My favourite memory from the tournament was being sat beneath the posts on the bench and seeing our prop, Laurie Stedwick, pick up the ball on the halfway line and seeing him turn on the jets, running around their winger and holding off their second row to dump his way over the line into the corner. Our next game was our first block fixture of the season against Rugby at home. They were a strong side and had depth in their
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team and in their squad. They were ‘hard-hitting’ on the gain line and had a very well-drilled centre that gave us the run around. We lost 17-41, which was not an ideal start to the proper season. We then had a friendly game with Samuel Whitbread Academy. This was another physical game but with absences we were unable to convert with our tries and lost 15-14. It was disappointing to say the least. We then travelled up to Keele for a big fixture against Sedbergh. This was a different kind of beast. Even though Sedbergh were an excellent team, we battled and battled through to the end and came out of the game wanting more than we got. The final score was a 17-5 loss, which was a good result in the circumstances, but disappointing nonetheless. Next was our first game in the National Cup competition against The Perse. This was our most important game of the season and we knew we had to pull this one out of the bag. We played poorly throughout, however, due to our poor basic skills and missed tackles. We came out with a 0-24 loss. However, there is always a silver lining: this one was the fact that by losing in the first round, we were allowed into the National Plate competition. Next was a trip to Felsted, which was a must win. We started well and were able to keep up this momentum throughout the game, breezing through some well-worked tries. We played well and were able to easily take a 54-14 victory, our best win so far. Going into the next game, our confidence was high. However,
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we met a much stronger team, and were shocked by their physicality up front. We were outplayed and the end result of 1037 to Northampton School for Boys was entirely fair. We travelled up to Dulwich for our next game and were able to dominate the game and win easily, picking up a 57-12 win, with an especially excellent performance from George Ashcroft on his return. Next was our first game in the National Plate competition against BMS (Bedford Modern School), which was a feisty game to say the least. After a grinding game and a HUGE hit from our winger Alex Edun, we came out with a 38-12 win on BMS soil. This was a massive achievement. One of our favourite games as a team is the crunch match against Warwick School. For some reason, this is the game where we all turn up. On an absolutely disgusting day, with the driving rain delaying kick off, the Bedford boys came to play. It was the perfect team performance. We came out on top with an excellent 24-12 win over a very strong and talented Warwick team. We lost the next two games (against Oakham and Radley) to last-minute plays and found the following fixture at Harrow a very one-sided affair, with Harrow winning 7-46. We travelled to Norwich for our next round in the Plate, with our spirits high and our game heads on. We started out with an excellent team try, and that was just the start of the day. My highlight of the game was when Joe Barrett, my man of the match, slotted a perfect cross field kick to Nick Challacombe who calmly landed in the corner to put the cherry on top. It finished 7-37 to Bedford. We had our final block fixture of the year next against Abingdon: we showed our class out wide and came out of the game with a 34-0 victory. Next we played Wellingborough on the first XV pitch in front of a rowdy crowd. With an early set back, we were able to convert in the corner with our second row, Tom Else, and from there we fought hard and were able to come out victorious with a score line of 22-5. With all block fixtures having been completed, we swiftly moved on to the quarter final of the Plate. We were on AstroTurf and up against Bridgewater High School, a rugby league team. Our plan was to outmuscle them in the forwards and put our stamp on the game; however, we quickly discovered where the space was and were able to spin the ball out wide. It was the most physical challenge we had come up against and after some excellent defence on our line, we came out on top with a 20-19 score line. For our final game of the season, we travelled to Hymers College in Hull. The game was tough, with odd refereeing decisions. In the end, we did not perform to the best of our ability. Overall, it was a season of highs and lows. With injuries affecting us throughout, it was hard to get the momentum that we desired. It was a total honour to captain the team from start to finish and I look forward to future seasons. Ted Walker (Captain)
U15 B
The U15 Bteam had a very successful term of rugby, winning seven of the 12 games they played against some tough opposition. We got off to a very good start of the season with a comfortable 49-12 win over Oundle, demonstrating that we were playing for each other right from the start. A highlight for the season was definitely the 53-5 win over Sedbergh. Although we went 5-0 down very early in the game, we showed great determination to get back into the game and win with ease. Mentions go to Ben Guest and Joey Robinson in this game for using their quick feet and trickery on the ball, causing Sedbergh’s back line all kinds of problems. Our best game of the season by far was our 54-0 victory away to Oakham. This game demonstrated the way in which rugby should be played: passing and running with the ball at such pace that the opposition could not handle it. The forwards were such a key part to our success, winning and turning over the ball at the breakdown, that they made it look easy. The highlight of the season has to be Aidan Leung’s famous Chris-Ashtonesque ‘swan dive’, which had the whole team in laughter and even the opposition. Thanks to Mr Boule for being such a great coach this season and making the training sessions very enjoyable for everyone who played in the team this year. TEAM LIST: O.Whitcombe, D.Bello, J.Wildon, J.Cutler, N.Lam, C.Kilbane, H.Goodman, B.Ingram-Moore, G.Mansell, E.Hendry(capt), J.Robinson, A.Aellen, R.Flora, M.Martin, C.Mumford, J.Cumming, A.Leung, F.Okusanya, M.Williams, S.Iles, D.Swain, B.Guest, A.Ward, D.Sukys, W.Osborne, P.Moore, D.Citriniti, J.Dawes,
U15 C
The C team has never surprised us. While this may seem a rather negative statement, nothing could be farther from the truth. As we set out for the Gordon Field, one brisk Thursday afternoon, some seemed to doubt whether we could match the undeniable supremacy of last year’s C team. Even though cries of ‘Undefeated!’ echoed across Bedford Park, some eyes were still closed to the majesty of the mighty Cs. A 48-0 victory against Oundle soon put that to rights. This is why we say the C team has never surprised us: we never
TEAM LIST: A. Aellen; D. Adeyemi-Abere; G. Ashcroft; J. Barrett; D. Bello; O. Blakemore; N. Challacombe; H. Cudjoe; A. Edun; T. Else; K. Gilmour; B. Guest; B. Ingram-Moore; N. Lam; G. Mansell; F. Okunsanya; H. Oldham; J. Pattison; T. Pickersgill; L. Stredwick; T. Walker;
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expected anything other than the consistently high standard of rugby delivered, a standard which earned us a 224 points difference over the course of the season. The bond we have as a team is what wins us matches, not the talent of individual players. We all share a great work ethic and a passionate drive to win, so we play for each other. We might not all be friends off the pitch, but when we step over that white line, we are a unit. That is why we have the best record in the school. We couldn’t be more proud of our team. What we have achieved is something bigger than we are and for that we fully respect everyone who has contributed. J Bentley-Evans & D Swain (Captains) TEAM LIST: A.Ward, J.Bentley-Evans, O.Stringer, D.Sukys, D.Swain, P.Moore, H.Flatt, J.Bailey, A.Katechia, J.Huggins, G.Davis, A.Nanda, E.Morgan, A.Tunnicliffe, T.Herbert, W.Maltby, H.Christian, A.Sellers, W.Osborne, A.Leung, H.Whitehouse, R.Flora, M.Chien, S.CroweLamont, C.Barber, S.Iles, B.Beckmann, M.McCormack, B.Guest, C.Costello, C.Sporton. COACHES: Dr McCormick and Mr Vann
U15 D
The U15D’s had a somewhat successful season, winning five out of ten games. Most of the success came at the start of the season with two convincing wins over Oundle (58-0) and Rugby (44-7). The U15D team then came up against the Stowe U15C team; Bedford conceded twice early on to go 12-0 down but with the help of a couple of C team players Bedford managed to bring it back to 10-12 with a conversion attempt to come. However, we could not convert the try and consequently lost our first game as a D team in a year and a half. Due to the success of the previous year, Bedford next came up against a strong Oakham C team. Bedford again
conceded early tries but did eventually run in a few tries to get back into the game, however the damage was already done. We then trekked across London to Dulwich College. We fought hard but weren’t really a match for the opposition and suffered a 33-5 defeat. After back-to-back defeats, we came up against Haileybury U15C. However, unlike the other games versus C teams, Bedford convincingly won 59-5. After a huge win against Haileybury, we then hosted Warwick. Both teams played hard but Bedford came out on top with a tight 14-0 victory. Oundle’s C team were up next and after we had beaten their D team so convincingly, Oundle were up for a battle. It was a high-scoring game, but Oundle came out victorious winning 24-34. The final home game of the season was played against Radley. However, Radley weren’t much of an outfit and Bedford cruised to a 69-19 victory. For the final game of the season, Bedford travelled to North London to play Harrow. Bedford conceded early yet again and went 12-0 down at half time. However, with the second half underway, Bedford brought it back to 12-7 with Charlie McCutcheon running the length of the pitch to score right under the posts. A few tight decisions went against Bedford, and eventually Harrow came out with the win beating Bedford 12-7. On the whole it was a very good season. It did not quite reach the heights of the year before (as the U14D team this group won every game and only conceded two tries), but when judged in the context of competing against some very strong C teams, and coming out on top against a few, it was still a success. Well done to all involved. Ben Bayley TEAM LIST: B. Bayley (Capt), A. Iankov, A. Sellers, A. Tomblin, B. Baker, B. Beckmann, C. Costello, C. Barber, C. McCutcheon, C. Sporton, E. Morgan, E. Galbraith, E. Ofosu, E. Whitlock, G. Davis, H. Hine, H. Whitehouse, H. Christian, H. Flatt, J. Deardon, J. Whiteman, J. Huggins, L. Mughal, M. Chien, M. McCormack, N. Hylton, O. Williams, O. Terry, R. Park, S. Crowe-Lamont, S. Liu, T. Herbert, W. MacGillivray, W. Maltby, W. Osborne
U14 A
We weren’t physically dominant this season, so needed to put together some good passages of entertaining rugby and make it enjoyable to watch. Unfortunately our best always came too late in the match, when we were coming from behind. Our first match against Rugby was away. In the first five minutes both teams looked rusty, however a good counterattack meant that by scoring the first try soon into the game we had a big chance. However, Rugby had most of the possession and our playing from deep meant Rugby scored two tries before half-time. From then, Rugby crossed the try line twice and the game slipped away from us, with a lot of defending in the second half. Our last try showed that we can put together promising phases and we had something to build on: the final score was 10-29. After losing to Sedbergh at Keele University, we then played Felsted. The first half put them in front yet in the second half we changed our attitude and scored some great tries on the wing, getting a 27-11 win. Next, we played Northampton School for Boys. Their focus was in the forwards; in the first half, after a lack of supporting play, we were counter rucked, often leading us to have to defend for 94
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long stretches. However, we held out and, with only a try in it, the game was even at half time. In the second half, we scored two; they replied with another from a line-out drive whilst we were a player down. With not too long left, we had possession and, by putting together some phases, a half break led to a chance to score. Each player must have touched the ball as it passed from one wing to another; as we were going to score some last minute defending from them led it to a no try, scrum to NSB. A clearing kick gave us a chance to counterattack yet the unlucky bounce of the ball gave their winger an easy run in. From then they scored another try and the game ended 12-22. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get another win for the season. Throughout our training sessions we tried to have a focus so we could build on one area at a time. Each week we would focus on something that we thought needed improving. Our final match
against Abingdon gave us the opportunity to go out on a high and show what we had focused on throughout the season, yet with one of their big players scoring from anywhere he got the ball and our not doing what we had practised, we lost. All in all, this was a disappointing season, yet we showed good skills: we just need to put a few more phases together and have the right mind set in defence, then we could be challenging some of the best sides. All the team would like to thank Mr Gracie.Tom Godber TEAM LIST: Godber T. (captain, Allen M., Allman-Ward M., Beveridge H., Carey C., Craven E., Faleel Z., Hart J., Melly H., Nisbett-Hadaway L., Parrish R., Sanders C., Singh K., Sherriff N., Smirnov D., Tongue H., Walter J., Weimann M., Wells S., Wootton Evans H.
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U14 B
The U14 B team didn’t have the best win ratio, only winning one of the ten games played. Although this doesn’t mean we didn’t play some good rugby. In the first couple of games we were getting used to the team’s dynamics and in my opinion we were quite scrappy. By our third game, which was against Felsted, we played quite well, winning the game. After this we had a few tough games against Dulwich and Haileybury, losing both. In the Haileybury match we scored three good tries against them, of which two were scored in the second half; we still lost 38-15. This is what I loved about the B team: we never gave up even if it was 50-0. At this point in the term we were losing mainly because of missed tackles, however the B team stepped up for the game against Warwick. Here we played some incredible rugby and scored two tries. I must give the second try in this half the ‘Try of the Season’. We were on their five-metre line; Warwick were bunched around the ruck and Charlie Blythman kicked an incredible crossfield kick onto the try line for Tom Hayward to dive on. Unfortunately, we lost the game by one conversion - 14-12 although we should have won as their tries were from missed tackles. Our next game was against Oakham: we lost 34-0; it was an underperformance when compared to the Warwick game as Oakham were no better than Warwick. This still didn’t see the team’s hope fall and even after the next game losing 68-7 to Radley College, who were a very good team, we still had hope. Probably our hardest game of the season was against Harrow. They played some incredible rugby and so did we. They scored four tries in the first half, continuously pushing at us. In the second half we did come back. We ended losing 40-19 to Harrow; at the start of the season we lost to 96
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Sedbergh 57-0, so this was a big improvement. I didn’t play for the B team in the last game, as the A team needed me as a replacement. Abingdon were very physical. Although the B team lost most of their games, most of them were lost due to silly errors and missed tackles. If we made no mistakes, we would have won most of our games as we were a good team in parts. I would like to thank Mr Heale for being such an incredible coach this season and for sticking with us through our losses. Also I would like to thank my teammates for never giving up, even when we lost 57-0. Robert Parrish TEAM LIST: Jovan Kooner, Robert Parrish, Charlie Kemble, James Marchant, James Hine, Bryn O’Dell, Jeremy Okpere, Freddie Sowerby, Hayden Melly, Joshua Stewart, Ryan Lasaki, Eero Martin, Oskar Martin, Kabir Singh, Thomas Hayward, Cole Balachandran
U14 C
The Under 14 C team had a strong first half of the season only losing to a strong Dulwich squad. A stand-out performance was against an Oakham B side: during this game, a try of the season contender stood out as the big moment - a cross-field kick from Will Roberts picked up with ease by Korede Alagbe, this really impressed all there to watch. Going into the second half of the season we were very confident in what was to come, this confidence however definitely took a massive blow in late November as we travelled up to Radley for arguably our biggest game yet. The opposing side seemed to have a strong game plan and Bedford could just not get out of the blocks, taking our biggest
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loss of the season losing 64-10. Sadly, injuries got the better of us as the season went on but we still came out with a 60% win rate. A massive thank you must go to Mr Marriott, Miss Fletcher and, in particular, Mr Ruta, for their consistent help and teaching on and off the rugby field. The team really learnt what it meant to be part of Bedford School Rugby Club. Will Roberts (Captain) TEAM LIST: K. Alagbe, C. Balachandran, H. Beveridge, C. Blythman, J. Burgess, W. Collier, O. Comery, T. Deardon, F. Gill, T. Goodwin-Tsang, T. Kerr (Vice Captain), N. Lord, F. McPhail, L. Moretto, H. Norris, B. O’Dell, J. Ogungiluka, J. Okpere, M. Omelchenko, G. O’Neill, W. Roberts (Captain), I. Savelyev, M. Toms, J. Wooton-Evans. PLAYED 10: Won 6, Lost 4. PF 168, PA 187
14 D
The U14D team played plenty of games this season and overall had lots of success, winning eight out of 11 games. It also felt very pleasing to have one of the best records in the school, especially when you consider how many rugby teams there are. Our first game of the season was against Rugby: we won 32-0. It was exciting, because I thought that we would have
no chance against the school which created rugby and after whom the game is named. As well as this, for all of us, it was either our first sports fixture representing Bedford School, or our first sports fixture for the upper school. It was also great because we kept a clean sheet, which would turn out to be our only one of the season. Our largest win was in our game against Haileybury, where the game had to be stopped early as we were 69-7 up. Another standout game was against Oakham. The opposition showed up to the game with only 13 players, so we gave them two of ours. From the start, we were scoring lots of tries so we decided to give them one of our bigger players, John Ogunyiluka. By the end of the game they had scored two tries, both of which were by John. However, in my opinion, the most beneficial games to the team were the ones towards the end of the season. This is because we no longer had John as he had gone to the C team. Previously we would have given the ball to John to run through the opposition, but his absence forced us to use other skills in attack. This worked best in our last game: we were smaller than the opposition and inferior to them at the break down. Therefore, we were forced to keep the ball alive and use the width of the pitch to better effect. It worked. We were able to use our pace to our advantage. What was also impressive was that we scored multiple tries in the last five minutes, which we can put down to all of the pyramid runs we had been doing in practice. Overall, our standout player would have to be John Ogunyiluka with his prolific try scoring record as well as Harry
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Norris at the start of the season. Something to work on for the next season would be how we receive the kick-off, as there were two tries we conceded by not securing the ball safely. This was made more annoying, when you think that these two tries prevented us keeping a clean sheet against Haileybury and winning the game against Dulwich. Will Edwards TEAM LIST: Theo Artus, Avaneesh Awekar, James Barney(Vice-Capt), Kieran Birkett, Rafael Carbonell Macias, Sebastian Clifton, Charlie Dowrick, Ben Edwards, Will Edwards(Capt), Josh Goslett, Abid Husein, Ryan Jordan, Kush Katechia, Sho Kudo, James Lumley-Wood, Freddie McPhail, Luca Moretto, Calum Nanda, Varun Nathan, Harry Norris, John Ogunyiluka, Vivek Rav, Joshua Romeo, Ivan Savelyev, Mohammed Shadid, Khush Shah, Aryan Sisodia, Kevin Subeegaran, Tai Tsang-Goodwin, Merlin Toms, Jamie Wallwork, Enoch Wang, Sunny Ye
U14 E & F
The F Team enjoyed a touch game against Rugby School right at the start of the season. They showed excellent promise during a 10-10 draw away from home. Their only other fixture was a comprehensive victory at a rainy Harrow. The latter performance included plenty of direct running and slick handling in difficult conditions. The U14 E XV played six matches, winning two, losing three and drawing one. The season began with a cagey 15-15 draw against Merchant Taylor’s School. At Oakham, however, the team dominated and achieved a 46-10 victory. Almost all the Bedford tries were scored by the wingers, testifying to good passing and ambitious movement of the ball. George Knott, Riaz Bakr and Ben Edwards were among the scorers, while Charlie Dowrick and Bertie Denton performed especially 98
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well in the backs. The whole game was played in just the right spirit and we had some excellent support from parents on the touch line. The squad faced a tough home game versus Dulwich College. They lost 7-15 to a decent visiting side but the boys competed earnestly and effectively against bigger physical specimens. The Bedford handling was, for large periods of the game, superior and the defence held out well for the most part. Several boys who had played very little rugby showed strong progress, for example Sunny Ye, who made three brilliant trysaving tackles. It was disappointing to lose 10-19 against Harrow in our first clash against them this season and we were taught a lesson in forward play when coming second to Radley by 37 unanswered points. The final fixture of the year saw the boys demonstrate great team work, skilfulness and spirit as they beat Harrow U14F 19-5. Tries from Magomed Palankoev and Cyrus Goddard were well worked. Alex Fairburn, who kicked well all season, slotted two of the conversions. The most pleasing aspects of the season were the progress made by relatively inexperienced players and the responsibility boys took for winning back possession when pressurised by oppositions. To see such commitment, courage and development from boys in the third game was extremely satisfying for the coaching team.NLH TEAM LIST: A. Abbas, A. Awekar, R. Bakr, W. Barker, H. Basciano, S. Blewitt, S. Clifton, J. Cooke, J. Cummins , K. Daggu, J. Deng, B. Denton, P. Diamond, W. Dong, C. Dowrick, B. Edwards, L. Elder, A. Fairburn, C. Goddard, J. Goslett, I. Ho, J. Holliday, T. Howe, J. Jeganathan, K. Katechia, A. Kirtane, G. Knott, S. Kudo, J. LumleyWood, H. Manji, M. Molchanov, J. Mullaney, C. Nanda, B. Naylor, M. Polankoev, M. Shadid, K. Shah, S. Shen, M. Silk, A. Sisodia, T. Spice, K. Subeegaran, C. Tyrrell, C. Ward, E. Wang, S. Ye
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HOCKEY
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1st XI
The 1st XI had a full-on, non-stop season from the get-go. Within the first couple of weeks of being back at school in September, the indoor programme was well underway. There were three sessions a week, often involving a match against Bedford Hockey Club, to whom we are extremely grateful for giving us some competitive match practice. Before long, we were ready for our European tour, which took place over the October half-term. Proudly wearing our new Adidas kit, we headed off to Germany, where they were mid-way through their indoor season. The Germans play a lot more indoor hockey than us, so we were expecting some tough fixtures. Following some expert coaching from Casper van Quadt, we played our first indoor match in Hannover, the ‘green city’, as we were repeatedly told by our very enthusiastic and entertaining
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tour guide. DTV Hannover, as expected, fielded a strong side, yet Bedford led for periods of the game. Whilst Hannover eventually won the game by one goal, the signs were extremely promising for us. A game against DSV Hannover saw Bedford win by a margin of a few goals, following an organised and confident display. Travelling to Hamburg, we played another indoor match, against Club an der Alster HC. We were informed that the club we were to play against had produced many strong junior teams over the years, with the side we were up against being crowned national champions in the previous year. They certainly showed their class early on, however Bedford acclimatised to the speed of the game well. Before long, we had closed what had seemed a large lead – in indoor hockey, multiple goals can be scored in just a couple of minutes. The commitment of the team
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was epitomised when Tom O’Toole saved a drag flick off the line, using his face mask - thankfully Tom was ok and was able to play again just a couple of days later. Bedford then went on to win the game, which was an impressive achievement, giving us the self-belief that we could be successful on our return to the indoor season in England. The tour continued to Holland, where we played two outdoor matches in Amsterdam. Bedford won both games, against HC Abcoude and HC Zandvoort, with some of the parents making the journey to Holland to watch. A training session with two professional Dutch players, at HC Athena, was beneficial. The boys also got to watch a second division hockey match, which was extremely impressive and played at an incredible tempo. We enjoyed a canal cruise and some free time to explore Amsterdam before we headed off to Brussels, Belgium. In Belgium, our final match of the tour saw us play Royal Victory Brussels. A slow first half, perhaps due to heavy legs from travelling and lots of games, meant we found ourselves a few goals down. However, finding our form in the second half, we came back to win the game. So we returned home having won every outdoor game of the tour and raring to kick-off our indoor campaign. The European tour lay the foundations for what was to be an incredible season, not only matching but building on last season’s successes. A strong indoor season set the base for us to build on. Finishing as East Region Champions, we felt confident heading into the National Finals, hosted by Whitgift School. Despite losing our first group match, a draw against Repton and a win against Altrincham Grammar saw us through to the semi-finals. Here, we faced Whitgift, who put out a strong side with plenty of depth. A close, fast-paced match ended up in a 5-3 win for the hosts with Whitgift going on to win the national title, beating Altrincham Grammar on flicks in the final. This success was a good sign as the outdoor season approached - just missing out on a place in the final gave us an extra boost of determination to bring home some silverware outdoors! The outdoor season was jam-packed with fixtures, with many Tuesday and Thursday fixtures being played, as well as our Saturday block fixtures. The opening fixture against Oundle was very open, with some extremely promising signs, especially in attack. Spurred on by the
home support, we won 8-2, under the floodlights. The following Tuesday we played at The Perse, who you can always count on to pose tough opposition, in our first England Hockey cup game. A 3-2 win was good enough to progress, but didn’t really reflect our dominance, despite not being at our very best. In the second week of the term, we travelled to Repton to play our first match in the Independent Schools’ Trophy. Repton, one of the best hockey schools in the country, made a quick start to the match and capitalised on the rare errors in our game, so we found ourselves a couple of goals down by half time. Sleet and snow made for tough playing conditions for both sides and an entertaining game. Much improved in the second half, we gave Repton a good game and showed excellent sportsmanship throughout. However, the match ended 6-2 to Repton. Whilst this ended our Independent Schools cup run, this allowed us time to focus on our own game and the England Hockey Championships. Continuing our spree of away fixtures, we played a block fixture against Felsted, a team we knew well after playing them in many competitions over the years. Still improving, game on game, we were on top for most of the match, which we won 4-2. Next, a new addition to the fixture list for the season meant we went to Eton. Continuing our good run of form, we beat a skilful Eton side 8-2, with Charlie Axford and Felix Mallalieu bagging themselves a few more goals each and Tom Blythman putting in a strong display in midfield. In what was only our second home game of the term, we faced another old rival in Bishop’s Stortford, for the next round of the England Hockey cup. Before the match, we spoke about making a fast start, which is exactly what we did. A goal within the first two minutes by Felix Mallalieu set the tone for the rest of the game, as we played some of our best hockey. Despite Stortford having several strong players, the game ended 10-2 to Bedford, with Pete Head scoring on his debut for the 1st XI. Finley O’Sullivan also featured in the team for the first time following his recovery from an injury sustained in the rugby season. In our next game, away to Stowe, we struggled to find the net. In a frustrating match, we had plenty of possession
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and gave Stowe very few chances, but it looked like we might have to settle for a goal-less draw. However, with only a few minutes of the match remaining, the unlikely goal scorer of Sam Dalton snuck in at the back post, from his position at left back, to volley home the goal that kept our winning streak going. The final score was 1-0. For our home game against Uppingham, we installed a GoPro to capture some footage for a video analysis session. However, the first goal captured on video was scored by Uppingham, as they took the lead following a clinical counterattack from a Bedford short corner. Despite this set-back, we ‘stayed blue’, eventually scoring three goals, meaning we ended the game 3-1 to the good. During the final three block fixtures, we scored a total of 33 goals, conceding 6. An 8-3 win away at Rugby, who had also had a very strong season, saw us test out a new press, which Rugby struggled to deal with. The penultimate block fixture was at home, against the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School. The opposition were well-drilled and played some good hockey, however our high press caused a lot of issues. In a game that we ended up winning 15-2, the usual culprits of Blythman, Axford and Mallalieu got on the score sheet. However, there were also goals for Hicks and Dalton, whilst Dan Smith scored his first of the season. Finally, we welcomed the Perse for our last block fixture of the season. A strong defensive platform thanks to Williamson, O’Toole, Kirkup, Pearson, Catt and Barnes, allowed us to attack with numbers. Unlike earlier in the season, we were
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able to convert our dominance into goals. We finished the regular season with a 10-1 win, meaning we won every block fixture in the season. This achievement gave us great selfbelief, as we headed for the business end of the England Hockey National Cup. At the beginning of the season, we decided, as a team, that we wanted to get at least as far as the semi-finals in the England Hockey Tier 2 National Cup, although Alfie Elston voiced everyone’s thoughts when he said he wanted to go all the way. We achieved our aim of reaching the semi-finals, earning ourselves a trip to the Olympic Park in Lee Valley, whilst also making hockey a hot topic of conversation around the school. The journey to Lee Valley wasn’t straight forward, to say the least. This is how the final few rounds played out: Having beaten Felsted 4-2 earlier in the season in a block fixture, we decided to make this one a bit more exciting, giving Felsted a 2-0 head start in the round of 16. However, a gutsy performance from the team, including a crucial goal from super-sub Tom Chambers, saw the game finish 3-3. Penalty flicks followed, with some heroics from goalkeeper Bryn Williamson guiding us to a 3-1 win. After this hard-fought win, we travelled up to Manchester for the quarter final. A large group of the Bedford parents, more commonly known as ‘Betty’s Barmy Army’, made the lengthy journey to watch our match against Manchester Grammar School. Not wanting our parents to have travelled all that way to see a boring, routine win, we once again decided to let the opposition score first. However, drag flicks from captain Tom
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Blythman and Charlie Axford put us 2-1 up. A strong finish to the first half and an intense start to the second by Manchester Grammar meant they were suddenly leading 3-2. Despite our second half dominance and relentless pressure, we struggled to finish our chances, meaning with only ten minutes to play we still trailed. Our coach, Sam Mee, being a master tactician, decided to introduce Tom Chambers, who once again made his name as a super-sub, scoring to level the game with just eight minutes to go. The final few minutes were full of excitement. Manchester thought they had won the game when they scored with just under three minutes to play (whilst we were a player down through injury), only for Charlie Axford to fire home from a tight angle with ten seconds remaining, causing the game to finish 4-4. Once again, penalty flicks ensued, with Bryn Williamson pulling out some fine saves to help us win 4-2. I think all the boys will agree that Philippa’s brownies tasted even better on the long journey home after such a performance. Lucas Inman was brought into the squad for the trip to Lee Valley, to replace the injured Will Kirkup. The semi-final against St. George’s College had fewer heart-in-mouth moments than the previous rounds. Charlie Axford, who revelled in the stadium atmosphere at Lee Valley, scored a hat trick to help us to a 4-0 win with parents and a strong contingent of upper school boys raising the roof of the international venue. This result meant we were to face Charterhouse School in the final. After a tour of the London Stadium and plenty of pasta, we were ready for the big game. In a cagey final, Charterhouse scored first after a slow initial fifteen minutes. However, spurred on by the large support from the Prep School and ‘Betty’s Barmy Army’, we ensured the ball barely left Charterhouse’s half for the rest of the game. Despite our prolonged spell of dominance, we only managed to score one goal, meaning the game was tied at 1-1 with minutes to go. We won multiple short corners and a penalty flick with just two minutes to go, but we were still unable to convert our dominance into goals, meaning the final was to be decided by penalty flicks. It wasn’t to be our year, as a combination of
clinical finishes and incredible goalkeeping saw Charterhouse edge the title. Regardless of the obvious disappointment at the time, we now look back on our achievement with immense pride. Overall, the season was hugely successful with so many highs to look back on. Many thanks must, of course, go to Sam Mee, even though he tries to stay out of the spotlight. The pre-season tour of Europe and the multitude of extra sessions he put on were critical to the success of the team. Thanks to everyone who supported us throughout the season both on and off the pitch – parents, grandparents and friends who travelled miles around the country to keep our spirits high and cheer us on whatever the weather (as well as turning kit around time and again) and everyone who came to Lee Valley to share National Finals with us. After creating such a buzz around hockey throughout the school, we hope that younger boys will be inspired to work hard and, hopefully, earn the chance to play at Lee Valley too, in the future. Dan Smith TEAM LIST: Bryn Williamson, William Barnes, Tom O’Toole, Isaac Pearson, Tom Blythman, Charlie Axford, Felix Mallalieu, Alfie Elston, Daniel Smith, Charlie Hicks, Tom Chambers, Finley O’Sullivan, Sam Dalton, Michael Catt, Lucas Inman
2nd XI
The season was a highly successful one for the 2s. After the first week of training and the vast talent on display, it was bound to be a successful one. Our first trip away was down to Oxford to play Magdalen College School: Bedford pressurised the MCS defence. The shot statistics were through the roof and it was a miracle MCS kept Bedford at bay. Then, completely against the run of play, MCS scored two well-taken goals. However, Bedford pressure prevailed and just before half-time Bedford pulled a goal back. After the interval, Bedford
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pushed even harder to try and find a much-deserved equaliser. Overwhelming pressure on the home goal eventually resulted in Bedford scoring two more goals and taking the 3-2 victory. This fantastic comeback suggested that the season was to be a good one. The next game, against a handy Oundle side, oozed class from the 2nds. On the newly fitted 2nd team pitch, Bedford dominated and thumped four past the Oundle defence. Although Oundle did manage to get on the score sheet, the score remained a resounding 4-1 and confidence was clearly high. Oakham away had a similar result, with Bedford dominating the game. Although many chances were missed, Bedford did still manage to score three and for the first time in the season keep a clean sheet, 3-0 being the final result. Then the 2nds played Felsted. Sport between the two schools has always been feisty yet highly competitive and this game was no different. With Felsted dominating the first 15 minutes of the first half, Bedford looked like they were going to struggle against a very talented home side. However, Bedford held their own and managed to pinch a goal making the score 1-0 to Bedford. Eventually, Felsted pressure prevailed and they brought the score back to 1-1 just before half time. As the second half went on, both sides created opportunities for themselves but no team could capitalise. The second half 104
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remained goalless and the game ended in deadlock. Just before half term, Eton College were the visitors and with little knowledge about how they would play, Bedford came into the game with confidence. The game was highly competitive and Bedford did dominate much of it. However, an inability to take our chances and the ruthless nature of the Eton attack meant the score line went in Eton’s favour. Bedford did score one but this was not enough as Eton smashed four past the Bedford defence. The 4-1 result showed how important it is to take your chances and this unfortunately resulted in 2nd team’s first loss of the season. Coming back from the half-term break, Bedford proceeded to play Stowe. Holiday “rust” was clearly present in both of the teams in what turned out to be a very scrappy and poor game of hockey. Bedford did pinch the all-important goal to steal a 1-0 result, however, it could be argued no side particularly deserved to win. However, Bedford took the victory and continued on. Rugby were the next opponents and Bedford looked as if they were going to ‘wipe the floor’ with the home side, who in the first half appeared to have switched off. Bedford dominated but only managed to score the one goal before half time, leaving the team highly frustrated. However, straight after half time, Bedford scored a well-worked goal almost instantly and it looked like things were going to be
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comfortable in sealing the win. Rugby had other plans and stunned a complacent Bedford side by scoring three second half goals. The final result was 3-2 to Rugby, which was hugely frustrating. However, Bedford learned from this lack of concentration: the Rugby loss was the last of the season for the 2nds. Haberdashers’ were the next side and, unfortunately for them, Bedford showed how classy they could be. Bedford completely dominated and the score line ended up at 6-1. The final game was against the Perse who were a strong side. However, once again, Bedford showed their skills and, unfortunately for the Perse, scored four unanswered goals. This was not a game Bedford necessarily dominated, however, it was a game in which ruthlessness in front of goal led to a highly successful end to the season. Peter Head SEASON SUMMARY: 6W; 1D; 2L TEAM LIST: Head P (Captain), Apps R, Blakemore S (GK), Blythman E, Bourne C, Cochrane W, Crankshaw O, Dwight O, Adam Foat (Vice-Captain), Herbert B (ViceCaptain), Inman L, Katechia J, Lucas B, Williams L.
3rd XI
The previous 3rd XI hockey season was quickly eclipsed as we turned up on the first weekend to win a frenetic game at MCS 4-3. We already had more wins than the entire previous season and so I was worried the lads may decide the job was
done and give up. I needn’t have worried: the players asked for extra fitness and committed themselves to improving through the term. This was one of the best groups I have worked with in the school in terms of doing sport right. We had great fun and developed a real sense of teamwork and never for a moment was the commitment to the eagle in doubt. Unfortunately we never got into the game against Oundle, going down 3-0, and then couldn’t snatch a win following on from the 4th XI’s slugfest against Felsted, drawing 2-2. The only thing that can be said about the Eton game is that the 6-1 loss on school sports is a fine piece of creative marketing in our favour. A frustrating period followed as a month passed before our next fixture. The pent-up aggression was released with furious focus and a 7-0 win against Stowe saw some ludicrous scores including a bullet to the top corner from Ross Denton that will be hard to forget. Unfortunately, Uppingham were just too strong and Rugby’s big lads just snuck it despite some heroic collisions and a late comeback. At the end of the day, all of this was a warm up for the final match of the season, against our bitter rivals, the Perse. There was much to avenge from the previous two years and there was never a hungrier group of men to right past wrongs. We warmed up with a 4-3 win against a mixed Habs team but that was not the focus of that week’s training in truth. The cancellation of the Perse fixture a few days later due to bad weather left a sour taste that was nearly, but not quite, obliterated by a great end-of-season curry and a new award of Denton’s stick for the 3rd XI player of the year. This was a fine group of lads who gave their all for the school and were
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a great example. A final special mention must also go to the Mays’ supporters’ bus that made its way to the most far-flung and freezing astros so regularly through the year. Ross Denton TEAM LIST: Denton R. (captain), Burridge-Dean O., Cochrane W., Deacon M., Emannuel-Odiachi I., Garrett T., May B., May T., Phillips M., Robinson S., Smith P., Stokes H., Thompson L., Watson W., Williams L.
4th XI Hockey
“The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.” Unfortunately we didn’t have any victories this season so therefore never got to experience the feeling of winning. We may not have been the most naturally gifted squad, however we did make up for this with our extreme dedication and passion. The season commenced with a home fixture against Felsted. This match was very early on in the season so as a team I don’t believe we were performing at our peak level of skill and ability. It was a hard-fought game, with Felsted scraping victory by scoring two goals to our one. A loss this early on in the season was tough to take as a team, however we learnt from our mistakes and it drove us to work even harder in our training sessions. The following fixture was against Oundle and was again on our home turf. Our performance was much improved on the previous week however it just wasn’t meant to be. We ended up losing 4-2. Up next, we were to face Felsted again, this time away from home. We travelled down on the coach as a team and prepared for another tough game. The game was extremely close however they managed to score two more goals
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than us. I am very proud of our team: although we lost 4-2 we conducted ourselves extremely well considering the circumstances and I believe that we should have been given the win. To juxtapose this, our next fixture was up against Eton College, who were a pleasure to play against and a great bunch of lads. The game was fairly one-sided, resulting in an 11-0 loss for us. The score line, however, did not reflect the amount of endeavour and effort that we put in as a team. Our final game of the season was against Haberdashers’ Aske’s and was again at home. It was our last opportunity to get a win for the season, however on the day they were the better team. We lost the game 4-0. Although we may not have been the most successful team in the school when you look at the score sheets, I believe that in terms of our enjoyment of playing and the development of our skills we were one of the most successful. On behalf of the team, I would like to thank our coaches for their time and effort in ensuring that we had an enjoyable season. William Smithson TEAM LIST: Squad: W. Smithson (captain), A. Absar, A. Aftab, B. Chan, M. Cole, Z. Dhakam, A. Hall, J. Jordan, S. Kalyan, P. Smith, L. Thompson, J. Williams
U16 B XI
The U16 B team had a fitting start to the season winning the first two games against Magdalen College School (1-0) and Oundle School (4-1). After these two games, team spirits were high and the rest of the season looked positive. The season was then, unfortunately, affected by bad weather conditions.
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We had two matches cancelled against Oakham and Felsted. However coming back we were determined to perform against Eton, who have always put out a strong side. However we lost (5-1.) On the day they were the better side, we had to take it on the chin and move on to the next match. But for the rest of the season we had mixed results with a draw to Stamford who came back against us in the second half. Two wins against Stowe, where we fought hard and came out with a superb performance to win the game (3-0). Following this game we played Rugby which was another hard game which we won with integrity and determination (20.) However the two losses which followed showed the team there was a lot more work to put in, however the teams put out by the opposition were strong and we put in good effort but on the day they were the better sides. Throughout the season our defence was outstanding and reliable key performances throughout the season came from Philip Hughes, Joe Needham, Will Ramply and Felix Lange. In the attack the hockey standard through the season improved drastically. RJM TEAM LIST: C.Wallis (captain), O.Gregory (vice-captain), S.Ambepitiya, R.Bascetta-Pollitt, W.Barford, A.Christey, S.Corner, H. Dowrick, D.Edjejovwo, H.Faulkner, M.Faller S.Garrett, P.Hughes, S.Keane, P.Karunakaran, F.Lange, H.Matthew, J.Needham, F.Peacock, W.Ramply, C.Thompson,W.Van Der Walt. H.Zaidi
U15A
The 15A hockey team had a challenging term but were proud of the genuine progress made over the season. It was also encouraging to see the promoting of several B team players throughout the season and healthy competition for places. The team had a tough run of results throughout the term. The opening fixture was a largely forgettable one against a
skilful and well-drilled Magdalen College School: Bedford chased shadows for large parts of the game and were comprehensively beaten, 7-0. The following fixture against Oundle was a different story: Bedford were the better team, twice denied by the post, and unlucky to lose 0-1. Our opening and only cup fixture of the season was a real low point. We approached the game with the wrong mind-set and found ourselves chasing the game and then caught on the counterattack twice, resulting in a disappointing loss. The cold at the end of January and start of February led to two cancelled fixtures and the break from match practice did us no favours against a very strong Eton College side: the less said the better. Following the half term break, the team showed glimpses of top quality hockey and Mr. Marriott got the team working a lot harder, faster and smarter, yet to everyone’s frustration certain matches slipped away. The Stowe game was particularly frustrating and sportsmanship was certainly the only real winner. In our penultimate game of the season, we registered our first win in a comprehensive and ruthless performance against Haberdashers, running out 1-5 winners. The most pleasing aspect of the result was our resolute defending despite being several goals ahead. Confidence and spirits
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were high as we took to the Gordon Field to face the Perse in our last fixture of the season. We played some of best hockey of the year but came up against a very well organised team (it certainly helped that they were coached by a double hockey Olympian, who has over 200 international appearances). Despite our best efforts, we lost 5 – 1. Special mentions go to the following: Jasper Cummings, although the goals conceded columns doesn’t make for pretty reading, he was one of our standout players and captained the side following Benji Ingram-Moore’s hand injury. Ben Bayley was frequently the best player on the pitch and if the posts were fractionally narrower, he would have doubled, if not tripled, his goal tally for the season. JEM, Benji Ingram-Moore and Jasper Cummings
U14D Hockey
This season was always going to be interesting as we moved from seven-a-side to 11-a-side games. We came across some strong teams and came out with some respectable results. We played 14 games, won eight, drew two and lost four. Some highlights were the team reaching the regional finals playing in east championships and some convincing wins against Stowe (5-1) and Haberdashers (6-0). This was a positive and promising start to upper school hockey. TB
P-9; W-5; D-3; L-1 To get nine completed matches in for an U14D team is quite an achievement. Even better, is to have a strong set of results against good hockey schools. It was clear from the first session that the year group had a fair bit of depth to it and we were able to put together a squad with real potential. Magdalen College School was a new fixture and the match was tight until we settled into some better patterns of play in the second half. Kimbolton U14C were a good side and a 3-1 win perhaps flattered us. It was good to get 19 players on and off the pitch (a frequent challenge at this level). Oundle were a similar standard to us but we let in a couple of soft goals through inexperienced defending and suffered the only loss of the season. The grass match at Felsted was slightly farcical but highly entertaining; we really should have beaten Eton but enjoyed the day out, anyway; Stowe were weak and the goal-scoring machine functioned well that day; Rugby were good but we managed to sneak a late goal to win it; the return match against Oundle proved were on a par with us. Finally, the Perse, possibly the best side we played all season, were held to a 1-1 draw and it was a match of impressive quality considering these were two D teams. It’s impossible to give all the 20 or so boys who played an individual mention but stand out contributors included everpositive captain Will Edwards, the dominant physical presence of Daniil Smirnov, the cross provider Josh Goslett, the expert finisher Luca Moretto, and the dogged defender, Charlie Dowrick. Josh Romeo also deserves credit for keeping goal so well, with no previous experience. The boys benefitted from the expert coaching of Mr Machin again, and I know that both he and I thoroughly enjoyed the season in the company of a good-humoured and polite group of boys. REH
TEAM LIST: Charlie Carey, Max Allen, Charlie Blythman, Eldon Craven, Tom Godber, Freddie McPhail, Gabriel O’Neill, Caleb Sanders, Joshua Stewart, Tai Tsang-Goodwin, Nick Sherriff, Max Pearson, Thomas Hayward, Hayden Melly
TEAM LIST: Edwards W, Gill F, Goslett J, Hayward A, Howe T, Ivanov A, Katechia Ki, Katechia Ku, Knott G, Martin O, Moretto L, Rashid S, Rav V, Roberts W, Romeo J, Sankersingh G, Shadid M, Shah K, Shen S, Smirnov D, Wang E
TEAM LIST: George Ashcroft, Joe Barrett, Ben Bayley, Nicholas Challacombe, Jasper Cumming (C/GK), Ellison Hendry, Thomas Herbert, Benjamin Ingram-Moore (C), Ciaran Kilbane, William Maltby, George Mansell, Maxwell Martin, Rohan Mehmi, Charlie Mumford, Joey Robinson Tom Stephens, Monty Williams
Under 14 A
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ROWING
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1st VIII
This year’s season started with two weeks of summer training at the end of the holidays. This was a good opportunity for many of us to get back in a boat and start to improve technique in the smaller boats, as well as trying to start regaining any inevitably lost fitness from over the summer. With many boys on rugby during the winter term, the squad made the most of the extra training sessions in the mornings and after school. This not only improved our fitness but also our ability to move the small boats with technique not just pure power. There were a few races including racing small boats at St Neot’s Small Boats’ Head and Bedford Small Boats’ Head before the October half-term training camp. This camp was a bit of a shock to the system of the rugby boys in particular and the four-day camp included a surprise 30 minute ergo test from Mr Mulkerrins. After four days of hard training, a coxed four and a quad travelled to London for the Fours Head of the River, where the
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quad did particularly well and won its category. Later that halfterm, two matched VIIIs were entered into Wallingford Head and recorded some encouraging results. With some sessions in the Christmas holiday, it was straight back to full-time training and with everyone now on rowing, matched VIIIs were put into action. The matched VIIIs raced at a variety of events including BASHER, Head of the Nene and Bedford Head, many of which we won, with all members of the squad trying to earn a seat in the 1st VIII for Schools Head. With selection nearly complete, Trent Head was the last chance to gain the seat in the 1st VIII. While it was nearly cancelled due to foggy conditions, the sun eventually shone and we were able to race. It was said by one of the crew members to have felt like the ‘longest race ever’ mainly due to the fact that the build to the finish was called with about two kilometres left to row, as a university crew behind was on our tail. With selection complete, the 1st VIII had just three weeks to come together as a crew and put in some serious training. With the crew training hard, ergo sessions being replaced by chilly early morning water sessions, the crew was coming together and our first challenge was Hammersmith Head. This event, which was two thirds of the course of the Schools’ Head, was a good test to see where we were in the playing field and get used to the challenging water of the Thames, which is a totally different experience to our flat 2km stretch of the Great Ouse. After an encouraging result that we knew we could improve on, we trained hard for the next two weeks before finally going to the Schools’ Head, the main event of the term. With high wind speeds, the water was rough and some categories were cancelled, but, luckily for us, not the whole event. The 1st VIII, for the first time in many years, had been entered into the Championship VIIIs having won the 1st VIIIs the previous year; this meant some very tough opposition. After a good row down the course, with everyone in the crew pushing themselves to their limit, we came 11th in Championship VIIIs, a result only bettered once in the last decade. Next, we went onto our Easter training camp, on the beautiful Lake Sarnen. This is where the news was broken to us that an VIII and a top quad would be run next term.
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After losing four members of last term’s 1st VIII to the quad, it opened the way for more members of the senior squad to make the 1st VIII. The weather, good for two days, was not so good for the rest, with even some snow to keep us company on the lake on the final day. The coaches joked that Christmas had come again. The wind speeds, while not high enough to cause the great sinking from the previous year, were enough most days to keep us refreshed, with cold waves occasionally hitting the boat. The camp being used for both selection and training purposes, was tough but enjoyable with even a volleyball tournament being run one evening. Soon after coming back for the summer term (regatta season), selection for the 1st VIII was made after BASHER and the crew started training hard for the upcoming National Schools’ Regatta. Our first real test as a crew was Bedford Regatta, always a favourite at the Boat House due to racing on home water and having a large amount of support. The crew performed well, putting down some good power and went on to win Open VIIIs Band 2, beating a Norwich crew and two Abingdon crews in the process. We went hard off the line (something that would come back later), to take early leads and control the race to the finish. This gave the crew confidence going into the coming events. National Schools Regatta was soon upon us. First thing to do that day: the time trial. After a fast first half of the time trial, we couldn’t quite keep the first half’s speed and while we put down a fast time - 17th with the top 16 going into the A/B semi finals - we missed out by just over a second. While being disappointed, the crew rested, waiting for the C final later that day. So there we were, sitting at the start of the C final. We came flying out of the blocks, being ahead of everyone at a kilometre but didn’t have that extra gear that the other crews had and we ended up coming fifth. While our result was very disappointing, it motivated us to train harder, so we could have a chance at Henley.
After half term and two weeks of hard training, we headed to Marlow to try and do enough to prequalify for Henley. Our time trial was more successful than National Schools due to less of a fade in the second half and it placed us in the B final and gave us the best chance of prequalifying. We went off hard as usual and were up on the field at 1000m. Reading Blue Coats then started to fight back and gradually started to draw level. At 250m to go, they were level and it was a fight to the line. They just pipped us and we came second in the B final. While we lost, it was an encouraging result due to the improvement we had made from National Schools. The next day we found out that we had prequalified for Henley, as had the quad. This was the first time for 15 years that the School had qualified 13 boys to race at Henley. While we had achieved prequalification, we carried on training hard to give ourselves the best possible chance when we raced at Henley. The next event was Reading Town Regatta, which was an 800m dash. We competed well getting through to the final where we raced Norwich and Kent School, USA. The race started but 300m in we had big clash with Kent School and the race had to be re-rowed. Unfortunately, Norwich won the rerow but we had a good battle to the line with Kent School. Next, we faced some tough opposition in Green Lake Crew, USA, and King’s College, B.C, with Green Lake winning but again we had a good fight to the line with King’s College B.C. Finally, the major event of the season arrived: Henley Royal Regatta. We travelled down to Henley on Sunday, training two times a day and racing on the Wednesday. We had drawn Scotch College, Melbourne, Australia. We knew they were going to be very tough opposition. After the training on the course, race day came. We got up at 6am and started to prepare for the race. Preparation and the warmup went well and at 10:09 we were sitting on the start line of Henley, Scotch next to us, everyone in the zone and mentally preparing themselves for what was to come.
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At 10:10, the umpire started the race and we were off. We had a powerful start and held Scotch for a small distance but they started to pull away. We carried on fighting and tried to hold them for as long as we could. While Scotch did pull away completely, we stuck together and no-one gave up or slacked off. While we lost, the crew agreed that it was probably the best row we had done. Scotch won the race by 2 and a third lengths and we were knocked out of Henley. Overall, the 1st VIII and senior squad generally had a successful season and while sometimes we didn’t get the result we wanted, we always worked hard and improved our rowing. As a final note, I’d like to thank our coaches for all that they have done for us this season as well as our parents and the Friends of the Boat Club for giving us all the support we needed through the season. Bennedict Giles CREWS: SHORR- T.Abraham, B.Giles, J.Hopcroft, A.King, J.Lyon, A.Roberts, L.Roese, S.Wainwright (cox), G.Whitcombe NSR- T.Byrne, A.English, B.Giles, H.Homan, A.King, M.Lewis, S.Wainwright (cox), G.Whitcombe, J.Zhang (captain of boats) Henley- T.Byrne, A.English, B.Giles, H.Homan, A.King, L.Schael, S.Wainwright (cox), G.Whitcombe, J.Zhang (captain of boats)
2nd VIII
For most of the crew, the rowing season began during the October half term at the Pangbourne training camp. During the four days in Pangbourne there were seven sessions for the rowers. The mornings were to focus on technique, whilst the afternoons were used mostly for power water work in fours, quads and eights. These were long endurance sessions as our focus for the winter term was the Schools Head of the River. In preparation for the Schools Head, the 2nd VIII spent most weekends racing at different head races ranging from Bedford
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Winter Head to BASHER Head where we were the fastest crew on the day, however most schools did not put out their 1st or 2nd VIIs for the invitational event. Our first taste of racing for the season at the Tideway was Hammersmith Head and after the late cancellation of the event in 2018 it was the first time for many of our crew racing the shortened Tideway course finishing at Hammersmith bridge. Out of the eleven crews in our open VIIIs category, we placed seventh, beating Imperial College London, Furnivall, Putney and Vesta. 15th March was the day of the Schools Head of the River; due to poor conditions, many categories had been cancelled. The 2nd VIIIs were still able to race the full distance, so we made the journey to Putney and of the 15 crews in our category we placed ninth, beating schools including Latimer, Monkton Combe and Canford. Our focus quickly moved onto the National Schools Regatta. The head season was complete and now it was time for regatta season where we race side-by-side over shorter distances. Although the races are considerably shorter than the Schools Head it is still too long to be a sprint, which meant we needed to be powerful and efficient over the 2km to keep maximum, split throughout. With two months to go until National Schools Regatta, the entire squad flew out to Switzerland for the annual training camp in Sarnen. Sarnen is the home of Swiss rowing and is easily one of the most beautiful locations. Long sessions were followed by the normal diet of pasta, meat and gravy. During the week away, the 2nd VIII rowing coach tried to make the squad say as many of the banned words as possible, words which if said would result in ten press ups. These words included “Sir” and “Mine”, which caught everyone out too many times. The cold early mornings turned into warm days for rowing and productive sessions with Mr Birch coaching us alongside in a speedboat. In our National Schools Regatta time trial we placed ninth. This meant that we had qualified for the B final in the 2nd VIII category. Our aim was to close the 17 second gap to eighth place and to hold our position in ninth place or better. This race from the view of the coxing seat has got to be my favourite of
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the year. We started the race strong, with our standing start for the first minute, but we struggled with the stride and from then on first and second pulled away. For the whole race we were overlapping with Pangbourne College who edged out to over a second ahead with 500m to go. This was maintained for another 100 metres at which point the crew put in a new shift and implemented a new rolling start, pushing the rate upwards of 40 and with each stroke we pulled our way back. It was going to come down to who managed to take the last stroke. The results showed that we had beat Pangbourne by just 0.4 seconds in what was a very close race. Our thanks go to all the coaches who have helped us throughout the season, especially Mr Birch who pushed us each week to achieve our best speed and technique. James Haxell CREW: Oliver Billington, Rory Boylen, Ben Spanoudakis, Chris Lodge, William English, John Hopcroft, Ewan Gordon, Alex Wilkins and James Haxell (Cox)
1st Quad
2018/19 began for the senior squad just like any other season. In small boats. Through spending most of our time in singles we were hoping to improve our technical ability and confidence in small boats. This was evidently needed, as some supposedly confident scullers, such as Arthur Marie and Lennart Roese, capsized numerous times within the first week of being back. However, eventually nearly everyone started to produce some respectable results in singles. Most notably, Josh Lyon and Trent Abraham were able to beat Dr Suthers in the single at Bedford Small Boats Head in October, something that only two people have ever managed before. Also, at Bedford Head we made our first appearance in quads. The combination only came together a few days before through a series of injuries and illnesses of other athletes and with very limited time together we were eager to see how fast we could make the boat go in racing conditions. We put together a solid row and came away with the fastest time of the day, being 21 seconds clear of the nearest competitor. Following this result, we started our preparations for Fours’ Head of the River. This was the first tideway head of the season and meant that we were faced with a whole new set of challenges: the choppy water, constantly changing wind
directions, and Austin Roberts having to steer the course. However, after a very productive week of preparation at our annual Pangbourne training camp we felt ready and exited to see how we would fare against the fastest boats in the country including the current GB national squad. On the day, we were able to put together an outstanding row and from the outset powered our way down the course, rating 36 all the way. What was even more impressive than the row itself was Austin Roberts steering a near perfect line the entire way down the course. This enabled us to not only win the Junior Challenge Quads category but also finish as third fastest junior boat overall, fastest school crew in the country, and thirty-second overall against several national squad boats. After this exceptional performance, we went back to sweeping for the next five months, before getting back in the quad for the Scullery. With only one short training session during a busy weekend of rowing with Schools’ Head and the OB race, we were far from ready to go out and repeat the result from the Fours’ Head. But against all expectations, we managed to pull a good row out of the bag and finish a very good fifth out of nearly 40 boats. Following this, the decision was made to run a quad as a priority boat instead of an eight and with our annual Sarnen training camp coming up, we were presented with the ideal opportunity to push our sculling forward. Not long after, the first regattas of the season came around. BASHER, a race that never fails to provide some intense racing, was a good opportunity to see what side-by-side racing would be like in a boat as dynamic and technical as a quad. Although the event, like many others throughout the season, is more accurately described as a learning experience, we were eager to keep improving and see how we stacked up against more direct competitors. Our first opportunity to do so was the Bedford Regatta. This is a race that has been a love-hate relationship for the BSBC class of ’19 with losses in either the semi or the final in every year since the fourth form. With a good win against the Grange School, we were once again through to the final, this time racing Star Club. After what is most accurately described as an aggressive but scrappy row we managed to win after all, although this might have been aided by the Star Club steering. The next two weeks were the final build up to the National Schools’ Regatta and with the boat starting to go better and better, our confidence grew. Coming into Nat Schools’ our hopes were high and after
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a 9th place finish in the time trial, the A-final still seemed to be within reach. In the semi we managed to put together the best row we were able to produce at that point in the season and with a time of 6:17 we were only 5 seconds outside of the course record coming into the regatta. However, we came last and found ourselves on an outside lane in the B-final. Once again, we attacked the race but, after a good first 1000m, we started to run out of steam. In the end we finished ninth overall which was, although far from what we were hoping for, once again a good learning experience and set us up nicely to achieve pre-qualification for Henley. After half-term our build up towards Henley started and with that Dr Suthers took over the coaching from Mr Mulkerrins. The first big race for us was Marlow regatta, where we once again found ourselves in the B-final, far from the position we were hoping to be in. Despite this, we put together our best row of the season and won the B-final. Next on the calendar was Reading Town Regatta where we were drawn to race Scotch College, Melbourne. In our semifinal we had a decent row which saw us through to the final against St Peter’s College from New Zealand. Our final was once again a race where we arguably underperformed and got beaten by a crew we would have expected to be a very similar speed to us. We then moved on to Henley Royal Regatta where we were drawn to race Tideway Scullers’ School C. Having spent all week training down on the course, we went into the race confident in our ability. However, like so many times this year, our confidence was fairly short lived, as we found ourselves down for the entire race and losing on the first day of racing.
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Despite the obvious disappointment, we put together a decent race and although it might not have been our best one we did what we could against a crew that ended up outperforming its A and B crew and only losing to the eventual winners on Friday. This year has been one with some outstanding performances and some very valuable lessons learned for all of us. Everyone in the crew was fully committed and worked hard to make the most of what was always going to be a tough season following one that is likely to remain unmatched for a number years. A special thank you must go to Mr Mulkerrins and Dr Suthers who have worked just as hard as the crew in making this adventure in the quad as successful as possible. Lennart Roese SQUAD: Austin Roberts, Trent Abraham, Josh Lyon, Lennart Roese (Vice captain of boats)
Colts A
The Colts A crew started the year well, with the whole crew making considerable effort in the autumn term pre-season training. The first training camp of the year, Pangbourne, was tough but well worth it. Lots of progress was made through work in the singles, as well as some training in larger crews, despite coming out one morning to find the boats frosted over and the shoes uncomfortably cold. We started off the year with a few races in the autumn term, with the most notable being
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Wallingford Head, in which we set the tone for the year by beating BMS. At the start of the spring term the training hours really started to ramp up, as did the length of the races with the proper start of the head season. We started well at Peterborough 5K, coming in only behind the 1st VIII by 20 seconds. The next head was Cambridge Head, in which the IV of Ayling, Toms, Butterly and Lusty were the fastest coxed IV of the day, and the VIII won their category. As the term picked up, so did the training, with 5k ergos becoming painfully frequent. However, this training massively contributed to our performance at what is effectively the culmination of the head term: the Schools’ Head of the River Race. Despite not having very high hopes, we went into the race with some set goals, such as to keep in front of Hampton and Radley. However, due to some excellent steering by our cox, a surprise strategy (building into the final sprint with over two kilometres to go), and the encouragement of overtaking St Pauls’ 3rd VIII, we managed to win the 1st VIII category of the event, the first Bedford J16 crew to do so. Between the spring and summer terms was the second training camp of the year: Sarnen. Sarnen was an incredibly tough yet immensely rewarding experience. Much of the difficulty arose from the freezing weather, though this did allow for some beautiful shots of us doing starts in the snow. The hours were long and the press-ups far too frequent, yet all of us felt we massively improved on the camp. As an added bonus, the supervised study sessions helped us to get a head start on GCSE revision. The start of the summer term was slightly less positive, with the cancellation of the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta; however, any disappointment about this was soon forgotten, with the excellent idea to have a triathlon on land due to the high wind speeds that caused the initial cancellation of JIRR. The Colts A crew would like to thank Mr Mulkerrins for his endeavour to make us the best rowers we possibly could be. Later in the term was the long awaited National Schools Regatta. In the time trial, we just scraped the top 12, allowing us to continue to the next stages. The overall outcome was in
fact exactly as predicted by Dr Suthers, with the crew coming in 11th overall. The only disappointment about this result was that Dulwich were ahead of us, but beyond that, the crew was happy to have finished in that position. Following National Schools, the crew split up, with half going to row in the Temple VIII, with the rest remaining in the crew for TVP. TVP, as the shortest event of the year at only 500m, is always fun, but the performance of the crew there really made the event stand out from the others throughout the year. Despite drawing and having the re row, the, almost, scratch crew was able to beat St. George’s Colts A VIII, marking the event as the highlight of the year for the majority of those in the boat. The crew would like to thank Dr Suthers and Mr Ruta for their dedication towards our training and progression as rowers throughout the year, offering both their expertise and advice, as well as the gentle encouragement they gave us to train throughout the year and be fully committed in our efforts as rowers. Jamie Norris COLTS A NSR CREW: Ben Parrish, Harvey Toms, Lewis Schael, Mattie Lousada-Blaazer, Jamie Norris, Max Lusty, Will Garner, Blake Ayling, Fabien Stricker
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J16 B
This season has been tough for the crew due to weather and illnesses. The season started with Basher Head; the aim to get us used to longer races in preparation for Schools’ Head, with better weather than usual for January. The next race of the season was the Cambridge Head to Head. As this was an exeat, only an A IV and an AB VIII were entered. This twopart 4km race gave a positive start to the season with the VIII winning the J16 category and even managing to over-take the Downing college boat in front of us just before the finish. One of the more memorable moments as a crew was when we were unable to compete at Peterborough Head as our bowman, Henry Tyrer, was ejected quite spectacularly from his seat into the freezing cold water as our cox at the time didn’t spot a bridge while completing a burst at race pace. However, everyone responded quickly and calmly, as a team to the situation, helping Henry get warm again. We raced well at Bedford Head in a variety of combinations but missed out on a trophy for the VIIIs. After half term, Hammersmith Head happened. Due to the absence of a tideway-training day during half term, we had a very long warm up followed by what can only be described as a catalogue of errors; having to boat again quickly resulted in a flat cox box, no radio and some of the riggers coming loose. This can partially explain why we came 19th/23 in the J16 category. High winds unfortunately meant the crew could not race at the Schools’ Head. However, some members of the B’s were able to compete in the Junior Sculling Head as a quad in much nicer conditions. As a scratch crew in tough competition, we didn’t fare too well (coming sixth from last), but it was good to be able to get racing. On to the summer season and again illness seemed to be the principal enemy for the B crew this year. At the first regatta of the season, the BASHER regatta, many of the B crew were unable to race and we had to fill the remaining seats with some J15s C crew. Despite this, the formatting of the regatta still allowed good side-by-side racing with us winning our final. At Bedford Regatta, we were knocked out in the first round as we were racing Magdalene College Cambridge’s top VIII. Despite this, it was a really close race with plenty of support 116
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losing only by half a length. At the National Schools’ Regatta as we had a straight final, we decided to take the time trail slowly. However, after seven hours of waiting and the A final having commenced, we were up in the first 500m, still where we wanted to be at the 1km mark, but then disaster struck: one of the crew’s blades popped out of the rigger and, by the time we had recovered as a crew, the race had gone. However, we used this disappointment to allow a lesson to be learnt for future. The crew from the bow at this race was: Harilaos Karavaggelis (bow), Jack Beighton (2), Sebastian Liu (3), Lewis Butterly (4), Theo Ward (5), Alex Gates (6), Henry Tyrer (7), Daniel Lumley-Wood (stroke) and James Deardon as the cox. Most of us went on to compete in a series of races at TVP. The VIII in the heat, required a re-row due to a draw against St. Georges (both epic races). However, the efforts from these two races took their toll in the final where we came third. However, the whole day was a great memory to end to the 2019 season with. I would like to thank Mr Ruta for all his help coaching through the season. Harilaos Karavaggelis
J15 A
With a strong year’s worth of experience behind us, we kicked off the year with the annual Pangbourne training camp. We were met with harsh and gruelling temperatures, synonymous with the British winter. We made strong progress over the four days ahead of our first major race, Hammersmith head. With no prior experience, rowing on the Thames was truly a ‘bumpy’ ride. However, despite this, we managed to secure a firm sixth place, leaving us in a good position for the National Schools head, otherwise known as SHORR. With our crew working on and off the water ahead of the 7 km course, the day itself met us with gale-force winds, which quite literally ripped up the Thames course. Despite this, and the constant reminders that we were going to sink, we managed to complete the course and secure ninth place in the J15 Champ VIII’s category: a strong end to the head season. With this success we entered two fours into the JIRR trials. Our first race was closely fought out with Norwich School, with
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the result too close to call; we re-rowed the race but this time we managed to overwhelm Norwich with a two-length win. This led us to become the first J15 crew ever to get into JIRR and stood us in good stead for the forthcoming regatta season. We managed to put out a good performance at BASHER, leading us to Bedford regatta, arguably one of the most enjoyable races, second only to NSR. We managed to get past the first round against a heated BMS crew, only to get knocked out by the Grange School next round. And this is what sparked our desire to succeed. We worked tirelessly over the next couple of weeks, to try and achieve our top 12 National Schools goal. The day came and we were ready. We went into the time trial smashing our expectations with a seventh place. However, we had a poor semi-final which placed us in the B-final, where we managed to beat King’s, Chester, into a fifth-place finish, putting us eleventh overall. Thames Valley Park regatta followed shortly, with the favourable 500m racing format. We lost a closely fought race in the eight, which was followed by another close race in the four in which we beat Norwich School. This brought us to the final against another Norwich boat, the same one we raced at JIRR. However, they managed to best us within the last 100m to gain a half-length victory. With another strong year’s worth of rowing for the A’s, we owe much to all the coaches and, in particular, Mr. Satchwill, who, on behalf of the J15 A’s, I thank for all his hard work and patience.
J15B
In the October half term the season began strongly, with our annual Pangbourne training camp: we were all put through our paces and made great progress over the three-day period. Anticipation rose for our first race of the season on home turf: Bedford head. Here we sent out three matched eights, all three producing promising times for the upcoming regatta season. Then came the challenge of Hammmersmith head. It is fair to say that we were nervous, it being our first experience of the infamous Tideway, however our land and water training proved vital as we overcame the challenging conditions to put down a solid time, rivalling many of the three-term rowing schools. This result put us in good stead for the up-coming regatta season, as we continued to train hard both on and off the water. Our first race of the summer term was Bedford regatta. With a tough draw, we were due to race Eton in the first round. Despite our doubts, we came through as a boat in order to beat them by over two lengths. This had given us determination, as we knew that they would come back stronger at the National Schools regatta.
CREW: Cox: Harry Taylor Stroke: Sebastian Iles 7: Oscar Whitcombe 6: Austin Ward 5: Diego Citriniti 4: Orlando Williams 3: Gabriel Mann 2: Charlie McCutcheon Bow: Gabriel Davies Spring term: Arun Nanda
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On the 25th of May, the day of National Schools Regatta had arrived: we performed strongly in our time trial and landed ourselves a solid seventh as we went into the head-to-head racing. Our final was definitely our best performance, as we left the blocks shakily, finding ourselves in fourth place, two lengths short of the leaders, Abingdon. All our training came into play following the 1000 metre mark, and with multiple ‘bend the blade’ calls from our cox, Tom, we proceeded to row through Abingdon and finished the race in a strong second place, less that one second off Windsor Boys, putting us eighth overall, despite some fierce competition. From there we continued to make progress and were introduced to both the coxless quad and four, placing us in a strong position as we head into the Colts year with some high aspirations. Many thanks should be given to Miss Owens and Mr Satchwill for their undying commitment to the squad throughout the season. Arun Nanda and Ben Beckmann CREW: (Cox) Tom Jenkin, (8) Archie Sellers, (7) Ben Beckmann, (6) Alex Tunnicliffe, (5) Henry Christian, (4) Olly Blakemore, (3) Arun Nanda, (2) Jacob Bailey, (1) Will Maltby.
J15 C
Another year and another season: how time flies when you are having fun. This year for all the J15 Cs has been one of growth, resilience, mistakes and success. Although we have juggled rowing with GCSE preparations, all my crewmates have handled it strongly and have approached the situation with balance and maturity. Overall, the racing has been determined and well fought, with Bedford regatta as a highlight. The Thursday prior to the event saw that our first race on the day was against St Paul’s and then we would be straight into a semi-final. Although we were slightly apprehensive about our encounter with the fabled St Paul’s, we began with a solid start and wrestled, seat-by-seat, into a close lead.
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However, at the town bridge we pulled away and we pressed so hard that we positively flew out of the arches, the “clunk” of our riggers echoing down the river. We soared down the riverbank, each person straining and pulling with every sinew to propel our boat down the last stretch. Fuelled by the shouts of encouragement from the Bedford School enclosure, we screamed down the last 100m to beat St Paul’s comfortably by clear water. The victory was sweet and well deserved and sparked a great wave of confidence (along with sparking some particularly amusing chants concerning our friends at St Paul’s) among the crew. We saw that next up we had Eton and we paddled to the top thinking only of the gold medal. Our boat was secured to the pontoons and we were off: Eton challenged us with an especially punchy start that set them three seats ahead and we held them off until just before the town bridge where they really turned on the heat and sailed through to win by two lengths. Despite this, we finished a respectable second place overall in our category, which was extremely heartening for the whole crew. Training sessions this year have also been a very positive and beneficial experience for the entire crew. Expertly crafted by the one-and-only Mr Satchwill, they really prepared us for our races and as a result both our technique, power and race results improved. On behalf of the crew I would like to thank our coaches: Miss Huckle, Miss Owens, Miss Feltham and Mr Satchwill. I would also like to thank my crew for always sparing a laugh and for always having optimism in the face of adversity. Let’s see what Colts has in store for us boys!
J14 A
The J14 A VIII had a great start to the year with Max Allman Ward, Nathaniel Lord, Harry Norris, James Lumlay-Wood, Cyrus Godard, Harry Tounge, James Hine and Calum Nanada in the boat accompanied by Joshua Cooke as cox. Our first race was Bedford Head and we came second overall, followed by the biggest race of the spring term, the Junior Sculling Head held on the Olympic course at Eton Dorney. Here we put in all our effort, and reaped the rewards
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of all the strength training we had done, to be the third fastest VIII in the country. After a few more races with Ryan Jordan swapping out for Lumley-Wood, we went to Radley with the A, B, C and D boats, where we had a good time training hard but also taking time to relax, playing football and ten-pin bowling against the coaches. Next up for us was the BASHER, which traditionally marks the start of the side-by-side racing season; here we came a respectable fifth. National Schools Regatta was soon upon us and it was time to see where we stacked up in the country. It started with the time trial in which we came a creditable seventh, only five seconds off the A final. We produced a great row in the B final and came away with eleventh overall. Our last race was the Peterborough J14 Championships where Nanda, Lord and Hine raced in the singles but all narrowly missed the final. Allman-Ward and Tounge raced in a double but also missed out, but our VIII managed to get to the final where we arguably had our best race of the season. We were in third and Shiplake were second but St. Paul’s were in first by a little way. Coming to the last 250m we raised the rate and stormed past Shiplake to take second place by a few feet. Overall, we had a great rowing season with everyone improving drastically and looking forward to year ten. We would like to thank the coaches for all their hard work over the course of the year with us and wish Miss Taylor good luck in her new job. James Hine
J14 B
I have really enjoyed this year in the B crew. We have developed, grown and bonded as a boat together. Through the course of the regatta season, we have proved ourselves many times. At National Schools Regatta, we had a great race and fought to the very end. We have all attended extra sessions trying to improve our technique and fitness. A highlight of the year was the Radley training camp: it was fantastic, and I will have memories from there for a long time. I would like to thank Mr. Palmer and Miss Taylor for coaching and organising events this year. I cannot wait for next year to see what we do next! Harrison Beveridge B OCTO SQUAD: Merlin Toms, Harrison Beveridge, Jasper Walter, Christian Tyrell, James Lumley Wood, Oliver Pope, Eero Martin, Tom Deardon, James Barney, Ben Edwards, Josh Cooke, Harry Norris, Lucas Nisbett- Hadaway
J14 C
The C Octo had an impressive and fun season, which included taking part in eight different events and having over twenty people appear for our boat. Our first race ever was the Bedford head, which was enjoyable despite the weather. Our most noticeable achievement came from our J14 Octo match, where we were placed third and proudly took home our first
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ever medals. We also took part in two BASHERS, the Bedford Regatta and the Peterborough Junior Championships. We have also had many other great moments like competing in National Schools competitions and rowing in amazing places like Radley. I personally loved National Schools rowing because of the great atmosphere and size of the event. It feels amazing to hear so many people cheer you on as you row your last few hundred metres of a two kilometres course. I also loved rowing in so many races even though most of us were new to rowing. Almost the whole boat had never rowed before and it was amazing to take part in so many races and even gain a medal from one. CREW: Callum Ward, Sam Blewitt, James Barney, Lucas Nisbett-Hadaway, Mattvei Omelchenko, Aslan Bekov, Wilbur Collier, James Holliday, Ben Edwards, Bryn O’Dell, Wilbur Collier, Saihaj Lahal, Korede Alagbe, Joe Hart
J14D
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Schools’ regatta. We were extremely lucky to be given the opportunity to go to Radley College for four days. The D crew was able to use their new rowing machine which increased our confidence and coordination as a team and as individuals. The rest of the time we were on the Thames practising for our upcoming season. National Schools’ regatta was one of the toughest events of the year, but we rose to the occasion and put in a strong performance. The spring term gave us the Bedford regatta where we came third and boosted the morale of the team. We also beat our personal best for the course. Finally, we finished our season with Peterborough Junior Championships which was a great event on the hottest day of the year! Overall, I have really enjoyed my first year of rowing in the senior school and I am looking forward to what is to come! Connor Hawthorne D OCTO SQUAD: Aslan Bekov, Tom Spice, Murray Silk, Daniel Hutchins, Sarmukh Hundal, Connor Hawthorne, Jonny Cummins, Korede Alagbe, Leo De Luca, Sebastian Clifton, Charlie Carey, Wilfred Barker, Sho Kudo, Tom Godber, Max Allen, Kieran Birkett, Makar Molchanov, Jovan Kooner, Alexis Ivanov, Alex Hayward, Harlan Todd
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1st XI
18 Games : 11 won, 3 drawn, 3 lost , 1 abandoned 2019 was again another very successful season for the 1st XI which was well led by Harry Gouldstone; they were lucky to have Tom Brett as their coach who gave of his time and knowledge so willingly; the amount of time he spent on the role made it seem like a full-time job. Gouldstone oozed class with bat and gloves but for a modern wicket-keeper he a little quiet; not that I am complaining: the constant clap trap that seems to go with the role does get rather tedious. One lesson that was learnt early was that unless you put in some time in pre-season preparation then it is hard work, hence the first two games were lost. Very few of the senior players took advantage of the programme available to them during the Easter term. The exception was Michael Wells who attended nearly every session: the weight of runs (eight scores in excess of 50 from 16 innings), and the quality and power of his stroke play were just reward for his dedication and ability. A real highlight of the season was the bowling of Alex Rennie who took 43 wickets with some quality slow left-arm bowling. Records are hard to find but to the best of my knowledge and restricted by my collection of Wisdens that only go back to 1945, he is now the school’s leading wicket taker; he is most certainly the best since the Second World War. He overtook the tally of 97 wickets by David Eldridge from 1955-57, an offspinner, who bowled more than 100 overs more than Rennie and ended up with 109 1st X1 wickets. Of course, the game has changed: matches are now 50 overs with bowlers restricted to 10 overs; in Eldridge’s era he would have been thrown the ball early and would have been able to bowl all day as there were no ECB Bowling Directives either. It was fitting that David Eldridge was able to attend lunch during the OB match and make a presentation of a silver salver to Alex to mark his special achievement. The season began with a trip to Oakham on the foulest day for cricket. A howling gale and icy drizzle persisted all
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day as the home side won comfortably. 174-9 in 50 overs was well below par and whilst the pre-match chat surrounded their England Under 19 fast bowler, it was with the bat that he inflicted damage, steering his side to a five wicket win with over 17 overs to spare. A closer loss, three days later against the MCC, was again as a result of frail batting. Wells got 64 in a total of 197 but despite Cameron Melly’s bowling, MCC stumbled over the line in the last over with nine wickets down. Melly’s 4-29 was his major contribution all season; as a gifted cricketer he would be better concentrating on cricket rather than his image.A mid-week 25 over game at Oundle brought about a comfortable win by seven wickets with Wells scoring 56. Stowe were then thumped by 109 runs. Wells again led the way with 68 not out, in a total of 223-3 and then Rennie with 5-9 in eight overs proved far too good for the Stowe batsmen. The next match was away at Uppingham, which was won but in a most bizarre game. Rennie destroyed a very weak side with 6-8 and they could only muster 71. A quick win was surely a formality but no: four LBW decisions and two caught behinds were all questioned with amusement by the batsmen (not on the field) as the umpires got involved. Trevor Ward, the Uppingham Director of Cricket, commented that the Third Umpire and DRS would have been busy, as the accuracy of their decisions made the Ashes Umpires later in the summer look competent. A win was achieved but by two wickets, which hardly reflected the difference in class between the sides. The half-term fixture with Tonbridge was a rather tame draw. In truth, Tonbridge batted too long in their first innings for 336-7 in 78 overs, which meant the XI had to make sure they stayed in the game and they reached 290-6 before declaring after 65 overs. Gouldstone hit a-run-a-ball 61 and Michael Catt and Tom O’Toole shared a 115-run fifth wicket stand. Rennie bowled well to restrict Tonbridge who then set Bedford 220 to win at over a run a ball, but when the powerful Wells was out for 66, the run chase was called off. Declaration cricket is now rare and trying to manage a decent run chase in the fourth innings of a
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two-day game is a tricky equation: both sides have to risk losing and bowl their overs at a good rate to allow enough time for a meaningful fourth innings and, sadly, that was not the case this time around. With the Perse match after half term being cancelled, Rugby was the next fixture with the XI still smarting from the defeat at Rugby in the T20 fixture three weeks previously. Batting first, 273-6 was a formidable total brought about by a fine fifth wicket stand between Rahul Sheemar (87) and O’Toole (62 not out) who showed some disciplined batting early in their partnership. Rugby were bowled out for 90, to lose by 183 runs and left-arm bowling did the damage. The 1st XI square is a fast bowlers’ graveyard but Henry Warren took 4-31 in his ten overs at a brisk fast medium which was just reward for his hard work all season. Rennie, with 4-25, completed the job. A mid-week game against London Schools Cricket Association, saw the visitors reach 231-6 in their 40 overs and at 111-3 (Wells 54) the game was finely balanced before the rains came and washed out any chance of a result. A first ever visit to Berkhamsted, saw a pitch on which it was difficult to score and some hard work by Sheemar (35) and Catt (51) helped post 203-9 in 50 overs. The off-spin of Sheemar and O’Toole took three wickets apiece for a reasonably comfortable win by 41 runs. Magdalen College denied the school a 100% record in block fixtures last year, but this time around they were comfortably beaten. Chasing 207, Gouldstone’s 59 and then Wells 76 not out, saw the side to a seven-wicket victory. O’Toole’s off-spin took 5-33 and he was well-supported by Huw Turner with 4-44. Turner started the season in the 3rd XI and, with a good winter’s work and regular nets during the summer, he has made himself
into a big-spinning off-break bowler. The XI then went to Nottingham for a three day festival in the last week of term but were far too strong for hosts Nottingham High School, King’s School, Chester and Newcastle-underLyme School; Bedford won all four games with some ease. And so, to the end of term which saw a draw against the OB’s in a game dominated by the bat. Gouldstone scored his maiden 1st XI hundred and could have helped himself to another in the second innings but gave his wicket away when on 80 in order to make the final assembly in the Great Hall. Wells got 99 and 74 and Rennie helped himself to another five-wicket haul but the OB’s were unable to chase down a stiff target in the fourth innings. The season finally ended with a light-hearted game against the Headmaster’s XI as many OB’s, parents and boys enjoyed the last day of term in the sunshine. T20 For the first time in ten years the school failed to take their T20 season into the second half of term. In their first game, Stowe were beaten by eight wickets but a trip to Rugby saw the end of the side’s involvement in the 2019 competition. Chasing a modest 154-6, the XI were cruising with Gouldstone batting extremely well, but he then got starved of the strike. He inevitably got out and his 74 in 56 balls was wasted as his side fell short by just six runs. Under 17 The under-17 side had a good season under the captaincy of Michael Catt before they lost the quarter-final to Stamford. Rennie’s 43 wickets at 15.23 topped the bowling averages with O’Toole, with a late run in the second half of term taking 21
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to finish second. Gouldstone was the leading run scorer with 719 closely followed by Wells with 675 but O’Toole’s average of 59.57 saw him top the averages thanks to seven not outs in his 14 innings for 417 runs. Tom Blythman won the fielding trophy for an outstanding season with some great catches and athletic outfielding. 2020 looks to be an exciting year with the majority of the squad still available. P.G.M.August SQUAD: Harry Gouldstone (Capt), Tom Blythman, Michael Wells, Rahul Sheemar, Michael Catt, Tom O’Toole, Cameron Melly, Rowan Bascetta-Pollitt, Henry Warren, Alex Rennie, Peter Barrington, Amaan Mehmood, Ross Denton, Sami Younis, Rohan Mehmi, Huw Turner
2nd XI
Played 9, Won 6, Lost 3 A very enjoyable season was had with more wins than losses and many memorable cricketing moments to reflect on. Will Barnes led the squad in an exemplary, competitive but goodhumoured fashion. He was supported in this by a strong group of upper sixth including Denton, Axford, Mehmood, Kalyan, Haggar, Safi, Kneller and Younis, all of whom could easily have
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been first team regulars. Most teams we played against drew the bulk of their team from their U16 and lower-sixth year groups and so many upper-sixth boys still playing reflects well on the commitment to cricket that Bedford boys show right until the end of their time at school. In addition, the OB XI, which last year’s skipper Harry Beard put together, showed how keen recent leavers are to come back and revive some memories of 2nd XI cricket. Reassuringly, younger years also provided some real talent and boys that are on their way to the 1st XI. Worker, Byrne, and Chandrapu stood out in this respect. We also hope that the likes of Reid, Cochrane, Turner, Chambers, Sabel, Singh, Williamson and Inman will give us that quality U6th core next season. Most boys had at least one moment of glory but special mentions must go to Denton for scoring a hatful of runs and to Kalyan for not missing a game in the last two seasons. In terms of results, Barnes will be the first to tell you how badly we played against a combative Uppingham and a youthful, enthusiastic MCS. On form, we should have beaten both comfortably but, as they say in post-match interviews, ‘credit to our opponents’ for out-playing us on the day. Moreover, if Kalyan had managed to connect with his huge air shot off the last ball of the Harrow game, we would have been that bit nearer the elusive unbeaten season, last achieved in 2013. Otherwise, we prevailed with relative ease and victories against old foes Rugby, Stowe, Oakham and Oundle gave special pleasure.
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Much gratitude is owed by all to Mr Braithwaite who set exactly the balance between being flexible but also requiring commitments to be honoured. Stressful searches for last-minute players were rare. Likewise, the work put in by Mr Steer, Mr Brett and the group of outstanding pro coaches was hugely appreciated by the 2nd XI boys. REH SQUAD: Axford C, Barnes W (Capt), Bascetta-Pollitt R, Byrne E, Chambers T, Chandrapu A, Cochrane W, Denton R, Haggar W, Inman L, Kalyan S, Kneller J, Mehmood A, Reid D, Sabel E, Safi S, Singh A, Stokes H, Turner H, Williamson B, Worker J, Younis S.
3rd XI Cricket Report
Although only playing four fixtures last season due to poor weather and the reluctance of some other schools to field opposition teams, under Lucas’s leadership the 3rd XI were undefeated. An early victory by 15 runs against Oakham saw a great partnership between Cochrane (52) and Chambers (54) in freezing conditions before their rapid promotion to the 2nd XI. This fixture was closely followed by a seven-wicket win against Bedford Modern’s B team, which included a solid 50 by Turner. The Harrow Match was sadly abandoned due to rain, although after five overs we had gained the ascendency, mainly due to some ferocious bowling by Kneller. Singh impressed through the season, scoring an excellent 154 for the 4th XI before his elevation to the third team. His commitment, determination and hard work throughout the
season earned him the Redman Cup at the end of the school year. We concluded the season with a win against Oundle by 25 runs and a five-wicket win against Stowe. This last match was finished off by an outrageous Stokes (no relation) storming down the pitch to smash a six that sent the ball into a neighbouring county. Stokes and Turner amused during the season with their on-field commentaries. The team worked together brilliantly throughout the summer under Lucas’s excellent captaincy. Turner put in a consistent all-round performance with ball and bat before being elevated to the second and then first teams. Bowling from Blythman, Williamson, Sabel and Sporton was invariably spot-on and reliable batting performances from Inman, Williams and Head ensured that we had an impressive (if shortened) season. Fielding was generally solid, with some flashes of brilliant catching from Sabel and Lucas. Thanks are due to Haggar, King and Hicks for their early contributions to the team. Thanks also to Mr Major for his considerable contribution to coaching (especially in the nets). We look forward to another great season in 2020. AEW SQUAD: Ben Lucas (Capt), Will Cochrane, Tom Chambers, William Haggar, Luke William, Alex Kin, Huw Turner, Harry Ward, Benjamin Sporton, Hector Stokes, Piratheesh Karunakaran, Anhad Singh, Peter Head, James Kneller, Anhad Singh, Lucas Inman, Jaikishan Katechia, Elliot Sabel, Bryn Williamson, Edward Blythman, Veer Sandhu, Ben Aellen.
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4th XI Cricket Report
Perhaps the strongest 4th XI in living memory, took the field to represent the school against Oakham in a fixture that produced an emphatic 264-run victory. Anhad Singh scored an unbeaten 150 in a cultured yet brutal knock. Charlie Hicks supported with a measured 50 and Lucas Inman scored an effortless half century. 326 for 2 in 25 overs must be some kind of a record and Oakham were all out for 64 in 14 overs in reply. Almost everyone had a bowl so Joe Fordham was delighted with his three wickets and Bryn Williamson was justifiably chuffed with two spectacular catches. The depth and strength of the side began to ebb away as exam leave took its toll on availability and players moved on to higher teams. The match against Harrow was abandoned due to the weather and, after a heavy defeat by Oundle, a very tight victory over Stowe by one wicket was secured after an easy win had looked a certainty. A highlight of the season was the final match against a Families XI of dads and one grandad! A huge thank you to the parents who volunteered to play, some of whom turned up when their sons were absent on university open days. There were entertaining inter-generational battles, most notably for the 126
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Todds and the Jordans; to say more would be to risk rubbing the salt in some very sore wounds. The social side of cricket was very much the winner; it is hoped that the fixture that will be repeated in future years. ADF SQUAD: Jaikishan Katechia, (Capt) Ali Aftab (Capt), Ben Aellen, Edward Blythman, Zain Dhakam, Joseph Fordham, Peter Head, Charlie Hicks, Jack Jordan(W), Lucas Inman, James Kneller, Harry McPhail, Jason Natsa, Jack O’Donovan, Shawn Peng, Elliot Sabel, Anhad Singh, James Todd, Samuel Whiteman, Bryn Williamson, Abid Zaman
U15A
PWDL Boys-U15A P:16; W:13; D:0; L:3 First and foremost, I would like to say what an excellent group of boys I had the pleasure to coach this summer. They worked hard during the games lessons and played every game
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hard but fair. Despite not going quite as far in the national U15 cup they were capable of, all in all, one would have to say that the team had a very good season winning 13 out of 16 matches. Pre-season matches were played down at Eastbourne College against King’s School Worcester, Abingdon School, Eastbourne College and an Eastbourne District side. After a long season practising indoors, it was a perfect way to prepare for the season: all batters and bowlers had a chance out in the middle. However, it was very good for team confidence that they won all four matches. The first match (proper) of the season was potentially the toughest one of the season against Oakham School at home. Bedford won the toss and elected to bat and following a superb score of 83 by captain, Rohan Mehmi, Bedford scored a respectable 179-9 off 30 overs. Ideally, it needed one more batsman to score a 30 or a 40 and Bedford would have scored over 200, which was what was needed as Oakham batted exceptionally well, with their opener scoring 120 not out to win the game by eight wickets. Whilst losing the first game was not the ideal start to the season, the boys were up for the next match as it was the first round of the U15 National Cup against Kings Grantham. Mehmi again showed his class with an important half century to help the team reach 188-7 off 30 overs. Again, this was a respectable score but I would imagine King’s, Grantham would have felt that it was a score they could chase down. As with the Oakham match, it needed another batsman to chip in to get above the magical 200 mark. Mehmi, with his accurate medium pacers, also led from the front with the ball (4-31), however, tight bowling by the whole team ensured that King’s Grantham fell short of the total by just nine runs, which meant Bedford went through to the next round. The next match was a midweek fixture against Oundle and the performance was exactly what the team needed to gain some confidence for future games. Bedford batted first and Nick Challacombe got himself into form with gritty knock of 83. At times, Challacombe played shots all round the ground and looked set for a 100 but, unfortunately, he didn’t quite get there. This brought George Mansell to the crease and, within a few balls, he was hitting boundaries for fun and scored 39 in no time at all to get the team to a very challenging 220-4 off 25 overs. Oundle were never really in with a chance of scoring the runs unless they got off to a flying start, but they were soon in trouble as wickets fell regularly. Oundle managed to get up to 107-9 off their 25 overs, which meant a comfortable win for Bedford by 113 runs. The weekend fixture was against Stowe. Stowe batted first and were all out for just 118 with the pick of the bowlers being Anish Katechia (3-14). This should have been a straightforward win for Bedford but due to the fall of wickets at the start of the innings, the total soon became a challenging one. This time, none of the batters managed to hit a winning score, so it needed a team effort to reach the total, which the team managed to do with seven overs remaining but with only three wickets in hand. The next fixture was the second round of the National U15 Cup and we were drawn away to Denstone College in Staffordshire. After winning the toss and electing to bat, Mehmi, 31, and Charlie Mumford, 29, were the main contributors towards a par score of 165-8 off 30 overs. Again, we fell short of the challenging 200 but it was a respectable score. We were aware that Denstone had one county batsman at the top of the
order who, on his day, could be very dangerous. However, we managed to dismiss him very quickly and from that point on, the result was secure. All the bowlers bowled well and eventually bowled Denstone out for just 74 to progress to round three of the cup. The weekend block fixture was away to Uppingham and it was pleasing to see the first 100 of the season for the team scored by Charlie Mumford. Bedford batted first and the innings was dominated by a superb innings of 101 not out by Mumford and the final score was 177-7 off 30 overs. Considering one player scored a century, it was a little bit disappointing not to score 200 but again, 177 was defendable. Uppingham, never got going and with bowlers keeping it very tight, we deservedly bowled them out for just 87 to win by 91 runs. Harrow was the next game and this is always a tough fixture and a real benchmark for Bedford to measure themselves against. Bedford batted first and Mehmi played a captains innings of 75 but this time, he received excellent support from Mumford, who batted equally as well to score 67. This was the first big partnership of the season and it meant the team posted a very good score of 181-3 off 25 overs. There should also be a quick mention here for Dilan Sheemar, who came in at the end and hit one or two very big sixes to help finish the innings with a flourish. Harrow knew they had to bat well to reach this total and their innings started at an incredible rate. The Bedford bowlers bowled well but Harrow decided to chance their arm and go really hard every ball and initially the plan was working for them. However, once a few wickets fell, Harrow found it difficult to keep up the run rate and they fell 19 runs short of the total. It’s always nice to beat a strong team like Harrow and this was a win that the team should be proud of. Following the excellent win against Harrow, we had the next round of the National Cup and it was our chance to get our revenge against a strong Oakham side. Unfortunately, on this occasion, we never really got into a position to win the game despite another superb score by Mehmi (71). Mehmi was the only player to get a score and the total of 152 all out was going to be very hard to defend as not only were Oakham a good side, they also had 40 overs to get the runs. Bedford tried all of their bowlers and really gave it a good go but Oakham took their time and ground out the runs to win the game comfortably by five wickets. On to the next fixture, which was Rugby School away. All morning and early afternoon, we had heavy rain, so it didn’t look like a ball would be bowled, however due to excellent covering and an incredible effort by the ground staff, we managed to get a T20 match played. With our long batting line up and several clean strikers of the ball, I thought this would be in our favour, however we batted first and despite a fighting innings of 38 by Mehmi, the innings never really got going and a total of 95 – 8 was always going to be very hard to defend. The Bedford bowling attack and the fielders made life difficult for the toporder Rugby batters and although they just kept up with the run rate, we were very much still in the game, especially when wickets started to fall. At seven wickets down, we managed to get on top and it looked like we might just sneak an unlikely win, however the 19th over of the innings saw one of their lower order batters hit three or four boundaries to take them into touching distance in the final over. With just a few runs required off the last over, all momentum had swung back to Rugby and we unfortunately lost a very close game with just a few balls to
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go by two wickets. A new midweek fixture against London Schools was next and finally all of the batters clicked to set a huge total of 255-2 off 30 overs. Charlie Mumford led the way with a magnificent 106, with the consistent Mehmi hitting another half century. London Schools needed to bat extremely well to get anywhere near this total, however an excellent spell of leg spin bowling from George Mansell (five wickets) supported by tight bowling from the rest of the attack, saw London Schools all out for 117 and a win for Bedford by 138 runs. Berkhamsted away was the next match and what a beautiful ground to play cricket at ! Again, Bedford batted first and it was good to see Nick Challacombe back in form with a steady 40 at the top of the innings. Mehmi continued his rich vein of form with a superb 86, it was amazing he didn’t hit a 100 in the season considering how well he batted. Also, well done to Raoul Flora, who was given a chance to bat a little higher in the innings: he hit a very entertaining 45 not out in no time at all to help the team reach 189-3. Berkhamsted never really looked like getting the runs due to consistent line and length from the bowling attack. The surprise pick of the bowlers was Jonty Dawes (3-12) who had been brought up to the A team from the B team mainly for his batting but his accurate medium pacers proved too much for the Berkhamsted batters as they were restricted to 143-9 off their 30 overs. The final game of the season was at home against Magdalen College School and it will come as no surprise, we batted first again. Mumford finished the season in super style with another fine innings which was very much worthy of another 100, however he fell agonisingly short by just four runs to score 96. Challacombe chipped in again with 35 runs and Mansell hit 28 in his usual dashing style. Magdalen threatened to knock off the runs at one stage, but what the Bedford bowlers did well was to take wickets at crucial times. Ted Walker and George Mansell were the pick of the bowlers with two wickets each which kept Magdalen to 169-9 off their 25 overs, ensuring the U15 squad ended the season with a deserved victory by 12 runs.
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The season was a success mainly due to a team effort, however I would like to mention a few boys who consistently performed throughout the season. Rohan Mehmi not only had a superb season with the bat, he also captained the side with great maturity. He made every effort to not only try and win the game but also get as many boys involved in the match as possible. Congratulations to Rohan who not only went on to gain a place in the Midlands U15 squad, he also secured an academy place at Northamptonshire CCC. Charlie Mumford showed his class with the bat with two hundreds and a 96. He was also very tidy behind the stumps when he kept wicket. Charlie was also selected to play regional cricket for London and East and was also added to Hampshire’s Academy. Dilan Sheemar opened the bowling pretty much all season and every time he bowled, he was a real threat either because of his pace, change of pace or his line and length. George Mansell played several cameo innings for the team and always chipped in with the ball. Ben Bayley regularly opened the bowling with Sheemar and bowled with good pace and excellent line and length. Jonathan Huggins was an inspiration from behind the stumps. Not only was his keeping immaculate, he continually encouraged the team when the going got tough. Finally, well done to Nick Challacombe and Raoul Flora. Both boys chipped in with the bat throughout the season and Raoul also showed he has some real ability as an off spinner as well. Every boy in this squad played their part at some stage during the season either with the ball, bat, in the field or from behind the stumps. Well done, boys: good luck next season. GSS SQUAD: Rohan Mehmi (capt) Nicholas Challacombe, Jonathan Huggins, Charlie Mumford, Dilan Sheemar, Benjamin Ingram-Moore, George Mansell, Raoul Flora, Anish Katechia, Ben Bayley, Sami Haroon, Zaid Faleel, Vedant Somal, Jonty Dawes, Alex Aellan, Jacques Wildon, Ethan Galbraith, Joe Barrett, Ted Walker
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U15B Cricket Report
Following on from a near-unbeaten record last year, the team enjoyed a tremendous season in which they achieved eight wins in eight matches. This was against no easy competition with the likes of Berkhamsted School, Magdalen College, Harrow School and more. Throughout the season, individual batting and bowling performances were superb with a total of eight fifties being made as well as two fivewicket hauls. The strong batting line-up showed in the pick of the matches away at Harrow School, in which we chased 145 in 20 overs where Harry Oldham played a superb innings scoring 50 while Sami Haroon played the anchor role in the chase. It was a tight chase throughout and we were soon five wickets down, with Ibrahim Hassan and Alex Aellen at the crease. They ultimately needed two runs off the last ball to draw and three runs to win, with Alex on strike. He played a cover drive, timed to perfection, for four, winning the match. Throughout the whole season, Monty Williams was great behind the stumps and along with Ethan Galbraith and Alex Aellen provided some extra crucial runs. Towards the top of the order, Thomas Herbert and Jonty Dawes didn’t disappoint, with Jonty scoring a 50 against Rugby School in a huge partnership with Thomas Herbert, chasing 110 for 1. Jonty also contributed
with some great fielding and a great catch against Harrow School. In the middle order Harry Oldham, Kieran Gilmour, James Cutler, Tomas Else and Sami Haroon proved prolific run scorers combining for seven fifties with Harry scoring three of them, Kieran two and James two. However, the bowling attack was no let-up: it consisted of two great opening seamers, Alex Aellen and Ethan Galbraith, followed by two more seamers: Sami Haroon and Ciaran Kilbane, who made batsman struggle with their pace. It was concluded with the two spinners being Ibrahim Hassan and Thomas Herbert. They both held up the scoring and contributed with wickets, Thomas Herbert getting two fivewicket hauls. Throughout the season, Hassan proved a cool captain. Finally, I would like to thank Mr Mee for a great season and helping us in all aspects of our cricket. Ibrahim Hassan (U15B) SQUAD: Alex Aellen, Joe Barrett, Ethan Galbraith, Ibrahim Hassan, Thomas Herbert, Ellison Hendry, Jacques Wildon, Monty Williams, James Cutler, Harry Oldham, Jonty Dawes, Ciaran Kilbane, Kieran Gilmour, Sami Haroon, Anish Katechia, Arvin Rai, Tomas Else, Harry Hine.
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U15C
2019’s U15C team entered the season with high expectations, fully warranted given that they had seen themselves through an unbeaten year whilst U14’s, guided by the expert tutelage of Mr. Melvill, no pressure then. We welcomed Oakham for the first fixture of the season, put them into bat and promptly dismissed all batsmen for 30 runs; suffice to say the strength of the boys’ bowling attack hadn’t weakened over the rugby and hockey seasons. In what would become a permanent fixture of the season, the opening batsmen struggled; fortunately they were able to rely upon the strong, if not entirely aesthetically pleasing, middle order to ‘wallop’ enough balls over the boundary to see the victory home. The great epidemic of 2019 unfortunately hit the U15c squad just before the away trip to Oundle; a depleted squad was stretched further still through a number of call ups to the U15B team; unsurprisingly, this proved a challenge too far and a first defeat soon followed. Messieurs Dawes and Kilbane ignored all instruction and performed so well for the U15B team that they were lost to us for the rest of the season! The internet is awash with many a motivational quote from sporting icons: a quick Google search of ‘reacting to a first loss’ and a strongly-rehearsed delivery during a games session, was politely ignored as the boys got back to business in the nets. Six dominant wins followed, excluding one abandoned game which was set to follow suit before the heavens opened. Over the course of the season there were a number of fantastic performances; Rai, Balfour, Barber, Terry and Basciano (an U14 who stepped up admirably in the final few games, taking 3/2/2 against Berkhamsted) with the ball; Hine, Morgan, Stephens and Else with the bat, supported by an able and willing cast of Sellars, Guest, Baker, Sporton and Okusanya. In what was a dominant season, one highlight warrants mention as much, if not more, than any ‘five-fors’ and near centuries. When playing against a weak and inexperienced team, who could easily have been blown away by Bedford, a number of U15C boys took it upon themselves to assist the opposition batsmen in where to stand, how to set themselves 130
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and which balls to play. It is this quality that ensured the season was not only successful, but hugely enjoyable. To win is one thing, but to win in the manner and spirit that this squad have throughout is to be admired. CJP
U15D
Our U15 D’s cricket team had, overall, a very good year. They started-off the season with an impressive win, away, against Oundle School. There were promising catches and many wickets taken. The most impressive play in this match were the two consecutive wickets taken by Tawanda Munatsi. There were a few areas to be improved, but altogether they were a better side and had trained hard in practice. Their next opponent was Harrow School. They played better and more passionately than before; however, Harrow proved to be a very respectable competitor and were just able to take the victory. In their next and last game against Kimbolton School’s U15 B’s, Bedford played to their best ability and built on their previous performance but, unfortunately, were unable to overcome their opposition. Although losing a couple of games during the season, the team was still, rightly, proud of its showing, as was their coach, Mr Everitt. SPE SQUAD: Ola Apesin, Dell Kang, Zakhar Molchanov, Daniel Ogunbanjo(W), Miles Ratcliffe, Oliver Williams, Nathanael Hylton, Daniel Walker, Tawanda Munatsi, Oluwajoba Thomas, Tyler Choga, Henry Cudjoe, Ben Baker, Christopher Sporton.
U15E
The U15 E team has shown real development throughout the year. The first match of the season was against Eton, It was a tough match with Eton convincingly winning. The next match
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was against Harrow, where we lost but showed team strength with Daniel Walker high-scoring for the season with 19 runs. The final match of the season was against Eton again. In this match we showed great development from the first fixture of the season. Although we lost, we showed improvements in our bowling by reducing the number of runs given by wides and no balls. Although we lost all three of our games this season, our game started to show real promise for the future. SDB SQUAD: Miles Ratcliffe (Captain), Oliver Williams, Ola Apesin, Kabi Burtt, Tawanda Munatsi, Tyler Choga, Daniel Ogunbanjo, Oluwajoba Thomas, Nathanael Hylton, Ben Baker, Dell Kang, Mazhar Za’ir, Zakhar Molchanov, and Daniel Walker.
U14A
The U14As had an impressive season, winning ten of their thirteen matches. They won games against Northamptonshire, Oakham, Oundle, Rugby, Uppingham, Berkhamsted, Stowe and Magdalen College School. They also emerged victorious in a thrilling t20 Bedfordshire County Cup, narrowly beating Bedford Modern School in the blazing sunshine of the final week of term. Throughout the course of the season, we saw telling contributions from everyone within the side. The batting unit set impressive scores throughout, faltering only against a strong Harrow side who won all fourteen of their fixtures; only Tom Hayward (47*) provided any real resistance on that occasion. Five players hit fifties during the season, with others adding quick runs at important times. Vedant Somal reached a century in the final over of our t20 against BMS. Samuel Wells and Hayden Melly scored half centuries on more than one occasion, and Josh Stewart and Eldon Craven both reached fifties against Oundle in an impressive 111 run win. Hayden’s knock against Stowe (86) and Samuel’s innings against Rugby (69*) were two examples of dominant batting performances that heavily influenced games. The partnership of the season came against Northamptonshire where Zaid Faleel and Vedant Somal initially rebuilt our innings before accelerating to set an imposing target in a game which we won by just 11 runs. As was the case in many of our games, the Northamptonshire reply that day was checked by Aryan Sisodia. His seven overs yielded three wickets and went for just ten runs. Aryan consistently took early wickets and gave away very few runs, emerging as a real leader of our bowling attack during this season. Freddie Sowerby, Charlie Blythman and Sam Wells all created challenge for batting units when Hayden Melly was up to the stumps, whilst Vedant Somal’s four wickets against Rugby quickly ended a game that we were in danger of throwing away from a strong position. Thomas Hayward became our go-to bowler when things began to get tight, and whilst his four-wicket haul against Oundle stands out as a highlight, his consistent bowling in the middle overs so often helped to swing games in our favour, even when he wasn’t taking wickets. We were blessed to have a varied seam attack that contained genuine pace and the ability to move the ball towards and away from the batsman.
Zaid Faleel, Harry Wootton Evans and Eldon Craven all picked up important wickets and bowled telling spells. After an impressive period with the B team, Adam Trussell joined us towards the back end of the season and proved to be an excellent addition to the side, picking up three wickets against Berkhamsted. Managing a team containing so many players who are capable with bat and ball is never an easy job; Charlie Blythman did well to ensure that opportunity was shared around during the course of the season. The season was undoubtedly a success, particularly in terms of results, yet this side can grow during the coming year. There is more work that can be done surrounding team culture, and our fielding will need to develop if we want that facet of our game to become an element that swings tight games in our favour. The group should rightly be ambitious for the forthcoming season and I look forward to watching their development over the coming years. WRM and JEM SQUAD: Charlie Blythman (c), Eldon Craven, Zaid Faleel, Thomas Hayward, Hayden Melly (w), Aryan Sisodia, Freddie Sowerby, Vedant Somal (vc), Joshua Stewart, Adam Trussell, Samuel Wells, Harry Wootton Evans
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U14B
Played 8, Won 6, Lost 2 After narrow losses to Oakham and Haileybury, when bowlers and fielders lost their heads during torrential downpours, this team never looked back. Harry Midgley’s 48 against Oakham, Jamie Wallwork’s skittling of the Berkhamsted top order and Will Edwards’ 6/10 during a tense fixture versus Rugby were individual performances of note. This squad of players, however, won fixtures largely because of a wonderful team spirit, hard work in the field to contain the opposition and a maturity when the odds were most strongly against them. Despite collapsing with the bat against Rugby and Berkhamsted, they defended small totals with quite superb efficiency. Against a decent Harrow side, they stuck at a tricky run chase and came away with a hard-earned victory on one of the few hot days in the summer term. Captain Nick Sherriff made many excellent decisions and the team certainly gained from the sizeable group of supportive parents who cheered the boys on, home and away. Shot selection, patience in the early part of an innings and front-foot play are areas for development next year but, if they can put a few more runs on the board consistently, this team should have a bright future. We have enjoyed both their company and cricket immensely, never more so than during the final match of the season against Magdalen College School. The boys accrued 276 runs from their 25 overs, with Matthew Weimann hitting an imperious 65 from 30 balls and Cole Balachandran making 53 in delightful fashion. Our opponents were then dismissed for 56, meaning a victory margin of 220 runs! NLH and ADW SQUAD: Cole Balachandran, Will Edwards, Alex Fairburn, Flynn Gill, Charlie Kemble, Arav Kirtane, Harry Midgley, Joseph Mullaney, Varun Nathan, Gabriel O’Neill, Joshua Romeo, Khush Shah, Nick Sherriff (Captain), Adam Trussell, Jamie Wallwork, Matthew Weimann
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U14C
The Under 14C Team had an excellent season, winning all of their eight fixtures. The team worked really well, supporting and encouraging each other to perform at their best. There are far too many excellent games to mention so I will just tell you about the best: Oundle were beaten by eight wickets, Stowe were beaten by 171 runs, Harrow were beaten by eight wickets and Rugby by nine. However, none of this would have been possible without the excellent coaching, support and umpiring of Mr Melvill. So I would like to thank the team, Mr Melvill and all the other people who were behind the scenes for such a wonderful cricket season. By James Wootton Evans
U14D
This year our U14 D team has played really well as we had a few boys who had limited experience of the beautiful game. We were originally prepared to play a total of six matches. This was unfortunately reduced to three for various reasons. Our first match of the season was going to be against Oakham School. This would have been tough, as some of our players had not played in a long time, evident in training sessions. This match was cancelled due to bad weather. This gave us more time to train and get back at the top of our game! The first match that we played was against Oundle’s U14 D team. This was a challenging game as they were a good strong team. After winning the toss, we chose to field first. We started off well, with our bowling in the hands of Abid Husein and Karan Srivastava. We did some good fielding but there was the odd wide ball to the wicket keeper, Theo Artus. Oundle lasted all their overs. By this time, it had started to rain - hard! Our batting was strong. The majority of the team were getting a good number of runs and there were a few long stands by Louis Elder and Ryan Lasaki. We won by three overs! Our second match was against Stowe School. We, yet again, expected a challenging match as we were still in early days. This time we won the toss and chose to field first. We were playing on Bedford School’s Head Master’s pitch. The
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boundaries were close. The team however only let Stowe get a total of 63 runs over 20 overs. There was some great bowling from Harry Basciano. The batting was very good as only the first five people got to bat. There was good batting from Tom Kerr. We won by 12 overs. On the 23rd May we went to Harrow. They had strong batting and our fielding wasn’t quite cutting it on this occasion. They lasted all 25 overs. There were some good wickets from Subhaan Rashid. This match was much closer than the others and we lost by 29 runs. A big thank you to Mr Machin and Mr Peters for coaching us and well done to everyone that played in a match for the team. Tom Kerr (U14D) SQUAD: Tom Kerr (Capt), Charlie Kemble, Hasan Manji, Theo Artus, Oskar Martin, Avaneesh Awekar, Kiran Katechia, Abid Husein, Josh Goslett, Harry Basciano, Luca Moretto, James Marchant, Louis Elder, Ryan Lasaki, Karan Srivastava, Kevin Subeegaran, Subhaan Rashid, Charlie Dowrick, Karan Srivastava, Patrick Diamond, Daniil Smirnov, Shazil Sohail
Under 14E Cricket Report
The season started slowly for the U14E team with a loss of 92 runs to a strong U14D Haileybury team. This said, the boys showed promise in the development of their batting and bowling, Jerry Deng, Bertie Denton and Luca Moretto all responded to defeat with hard work in nets. The first fixture against Eton saw this progress put into practice and, although defeated, the team showed good signs of a developing dynamic. The first win of the season landed against Harrow U14 F and the team showed new energy in their play. Koushik Daggu, Charlie Dowrick and Aaryan Malkani all played a significant part in gaining their first win of the season. Encouraged by the first win, another quickly followed against Stowe, with Vivek Rav and Riaz Bakr leading by example. Unfortunately, this momentum could not carry into the second fixture against Eton and, despite the loss by 80 runs, the team remained buoyant and upbeat on the improvement that their game had seen. A big well done to all the boys on their excellent progress and superb attitude throughout the season. BJR SQUAD: Bertie Denton (Capt), Jeremy Okpere, Vivek Rav, Tae Leepiboonsawats, Jerry Deng, Sunny Ye, Gabriel Sankersingh, Tom Howe, Aslan Bekov, Omar Byrne, Koushik Daggu, Riaz Bakr, Charlie Dowrick, Luca Moretto, Aaryan Malkani, Enoch Wang, Tom Howe, Mohammed Shadid, James Marchant, Rafael Carbonell Macias, Avaneesh Awekar
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football
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1st XI
Following a good six-week pre-season programme, the football 1st XI were raring to go. Led out by the captain, Alex Rennie and coaches Mr Prior and Mr Waterhouse, the team looked strong and held much promise for the season ahead. The side’s first three games were all hard ones. First, at home to a very tidy Oakham side; going 4-0 down in the first half was not an ideal start to the season. However, thanks to a vastly improved second half (and perhaps some questionable refereeing from Mr Waterhouse, a recurring theme throughout the season), Alex Rennie scored a great goal off the crossbar to get us our first goal. A draw against St Edward’s followed where, despite our dominance, and 2-1 lead, a late, scrappy goal from a corner let the opposition back into the game. The start to the season concluded with an unlucky 4-2 loss away at Haileybury, where Charlie Probyn impressed with two goals. All three games had seen the team play a strong first-half, followed by a sloppy second half. After a slow start, a turn in fortunes was needed and it came the day before half-term. The crowd was full, the ground was muddy; it was a true cup game. Spalding Grammar School were the opposition and when they arrived in Bedford, the Bedford boys knew what they were up against. Spalding had a very good record in this regional cup and were a side full of talent. The dressing room was bouncing, special words spoken by the team’s leaders followed by an inspirational Mr Prior team talk. The key things for the team were to communicate, stay calm and take shots (something you have to do to score)! Declaring ourselves a cup team, we ran out onto the pitch ready for action. As the game moved on, it became clear that neither team was going to dominate the game. The breakthrough came towards the end of the match when we were awarded a penalty. It was a big call from the referee given the circumstances and the game but VAR cleared it and the penalty was awarded. Alex Rennie stepped up and finished it well, giving Bedford a 1-0 lead. The game remained tense but we held on and progressed to the next round of the cup ending the half-term on a high. Two defeats against Wellingborough and Rugby followed which, while disappointing, did show improvements and gave a lot of optimism for our massive cup semi-final against King’s Ely. On the bus, headphones were on, the boys were focused. With everyone in a cramped Bedford School minibus, it was a proper English away game. After our pre-match interviews, we changed into our red Nike football kit, white shorts and red-and-white hooped socks. When we got to the pitch, which was by far the best surface we played on, the warm-ups were underway.
We started as the much better side; playing the ball from left to right we were really taking the game to them. After 20 minutes of play, the momentum was with us. Rennie, who had been in fine form, picked up the ball on the right-hand side of the midfield, came in on his left foot like Arjen Robben and hit an absolute thunderbolt from outside the box to give us the lead. We were up 1-0 at half-time. Knowing our second-half record we had to stay calm and avoid complacency. Novo Ukiri, after a disappointing start to the season, was in fine form in what would be a turning point for his season. Wearing the prestigious number ten, he was gliding past players and drawing fouls in all corners of the pitch. However, with many missed chances for both sides, and seconds left to play, King’s Ely got a cheap free-kick on the edge of the box. The ball was whipped in and their tall centre-back headed home to loud cheers from those behind the rail; the boys all sank in unison, devastated after being so close to victory. We never recovered from the shock and conceded again in extra-time, losing 2-1. Despite the disappointments, we only had two days to pick our heads up and go again on a cold, wet, windy day in Uppingham. The 2-1 result flattered the opposition and we came away with our second win of the season after two long range goals from Novo Ukiri and Alex Rennie. The following week, with the gaffer missing, Mr Taylor and Mr Waterhouse took charge of the trip to Stowe. With a brief team talk and a chance to try some new things out, we came out all guns blazing, coming from behind to win 4-1. A particular highlight being perhaps the goal of the season by Harry McPhail who, after tapping the ball in from a yard out, proceeded to run away with his arm in the air akin to prime Alan Shearer. The final few fixtures came in thick and fast, with a trip to Loughborough that weekend making it five games within two weeks. We took the lead early on but ended up losing 3-2 in a tight game. As the season neared its end, the race for top goal scorer was getting intense. In the lead was our most prolific scorer this season, Alex Rennie with five goals, closely followed by fan favourite penalties (which happened to all be taken by Alex Rennie) with four goals. Charlie Probyn was on three goals, tied with Novo Ukiri, and James Kneller, with a perfect red-card-to-goal ratio this year, got one goal as did Harry McPhail. As the final weekend of football approached, a Thursday victory over Oundle, with goals from Alex Rennie
1st XI warm up at Stowe.
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and Charlie Probyn, left the team in high hopes for the final game of the season at home to King’s Ely, a regional cup semi-final rematch. Leading into the game the main story was whether two of our forwards, Anhad Singh and Sohaib El Ghul, would remarkably go the whole season without scoring a single goal. Both had big chances throughout the course of the game, with Sohaib hitting the top of the crossbar from range. However, luck was on Anhad’s side as his late effort hit the inside of the post before going in, saving him the embarrassment. For poor Sohaib, the nickname “Sohaib No Ghul” was created in the post-match discussions. The game ended as a 3-1 defeat. A big season of football was rounded off with the annual 1st XI vs OB match. A 3-3 thriller took place and goals were being scored left, right and centre, even Dan Wells got one. The penalty shootout came and the 1st XI ended a fantastic season, full of ups and downs, on a great high. All the lads were brilliant in terms of attitude and commitment, and with an early start to pre-season, optimism is high to improve on the respectable five wins achieved. We would like to thank all the coaches for their time and effort throughout the season and wish the upper sixth leavers the best of luck in the future. CJP SQUAD: Adeyemi-Abere, EmmanuelDulgeru, DaniilEl Ghul, Sohaib Gouldstone, Harry Kneller, James McPhail, Harry Mehmood, Amaan Probyn, Charlie Rennie, Alex Singer, Oscar Singh, Anhad Ukiri, Novo Wells, Daniel Yeraliyev, Alikhan
2nd XI
The overall performance by the 2nd XI this season was one of the best in recent years at Bedford School, winning four, losing four and drawing two. Plus, George Thomas scoring six goals and Ben Sudborough scoring five, despite both of them joining mid-way through the season, were undoubtedly the best reinforcements we had this season. Both Sami Younis and Harry Ward worked all the way through the season as our captain and vice-captain and their contributions to the number of chances created were unbelievable. Also, their dominance
U15A relax after a victory.
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in the midfield area with Ronan McKay was a big element in our success in many fixtures as they worked extremely hard until the last whistle. We will also have to mention the defenders in the 2nd XI as well. Throughout the season the second team conceded 22 goals in 10 games which was exceptional compared to recent years. This is because our centre-backs were really solid and kept the defence line well-disciplined. Although, there were few changes in terms of formations during the season, our defence was able to adapt well and fit into positions pretty well. As a whole team, we have developed rapidly both in football skills and team chemistry and these improvements could not have been made without our coaches, Mr Bury and Mr Taylor; both of them were experienced and gave us endless advice to both individual players and team. With their strategic idea to change the formation to 3-5-2 from 4-3-3, we were able to stay solid in the midfield areas with the help from both wing backs and, therefore, were able to create more chances. Also, their kind and generous personalities always created a nice atmosphere within the squad both on and off the pitch and all the players were able to enjoy themselves throughout the whole term both in training and during fixtures. Overall, the 2nd XI was a team who were passionate about football; it was very clear that many of us wanted to win every single game we played. Although many players in the squad will move up to the 1st XI next year, the experience we’ve had in the 2nd XI will be very valuable moving forward Kazusa Arai SQUAD: Aellen Ben, Arai Kazusa, Ashcroft Will, Chambers Arun, Chean Bernard, King Alex, McKay Ronan, Natsa Jason, Robertson Harry, Shodiya Martin, Sudborough Ben, Thomas George, Ward Harry, Wells Michael, Younis Sami
3RD XI
Expectations were mixed ahead of the 2019 season, the previous year having seen the team collect only one victory, a surprisingly emphatic 6-1 win at St Edward’s. Matthew Fahmy, scorer of a fine hat-trick that day, joined Julius Lusis, Non Mankongcharoen, Tomi Fashola, Alex Wegener and captain
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and playmaker Rohan Mahli for another crack at the east of England circuit and these boys led the squad to a radically more successful set of results, losing only once in seven games and finishing undefeated at Fortress Bedford School. The commitment of the Bedford boys was clear from the outset. With no prompting from the coaching staff, who would have been happy with a couple of laps and a chat about the FA Cup draw, they marked out a warm-up area and were working through their various lunges, jumps and dynamic stretches as we approached the pitch. They stopped short of bringing a magnetic tactics board with them and I do respect them for that; it was also good to see long-distance shots fired high over the bar as the second phase of match preparations took on a more familiar hue. Oakham provided the opposition for the season opener and in their black strips they resembled young Kiwi internationals just back from an indulgent mid-winter break; the pre-match discussion focused on how red was the colour of victory, thus avoiding the subject of how big they looked. Inevitably, it was a tough, competitive game. An eccentric selection decision saw Cameron Brown, who would finish the year with the Golden Boot Award, start at right-back, with Alex Steele on the left side of defence and new recruit, Will Haggar, joining Tomi Fashola in the centre, a kind of footballing Berlin Wall (without the corruption and malevolence of Ehrlichman and Haldeman). Signing Will turned out to be the best bit of business since Brian Clough persuaded Stuart Pearce he could still be an electrician if it didn’t work out at Forest. He marshalled his teammates superbly and denied Oakham’s attack space, Bernard ever vigilant on the edge of his box in case anyone broke through. Rohan provided skill and tenacity in the midfield, always in the right place to cover whenever a teammate moved forward; he really is a terrific player. Matt Fahmy, supported by Non on the overlap, worked the right side and provided a goal threat, shooting from distance and then
almost getting on the end of a cross following a Bale-like run from Alex King on the left. Alex added some nice touches and disciplined defensive work to his attacking wide display and would emerge as the key breakthrough player from the lower sixth; a bright future awaits in the first game, providing he can avoid the usual distractions of Galactico life, and the endless golf. The tough-tackling, effervescent Julius Lusis led the line alongside Ben Sudborough in the No. 10 role and the resolve of our visitors finally cracked when, Matt and Julius having won the ball back after a late sprint back into defence, Ben drove down the right channel and crossed the ball powerfully into the six-yard area, an unlucky defender able only to deflect the ball into his own net. It would have been a shame for this to have decided such a spirited encounter but Ben was not finished yet: picking the ball up in midfield, after yet more defensive harrying, he carried on into the box, turned his marker inside out, partially lost then regained possession, shifted the ball what seemed like a yard too far to the right and then drilled an angled shot low past the diving goalkeeper into the opposite corner. This brilliant individual goal was celebrated enthusiastically by all, the veterans in the team finally realising this really would be a win, only our second in three seasons. Ben soon switched to the 2nd XI, a mercenary move that almost resulted in his omission from the squad list here. King Edward’s were next to pull into Burnaby Road. Some teams have intimidating names: the Red Devils, the Gunners, the Tigers – the list goes on. ‘Teddies’, however, sound quite nice really and, given last year’s result, we were put on the back foot when they started brightly and took the lead. Still, not all bears eat marmalade sandwiches, talk to donkeys and content themselves with very hard stares; some run at 34mph and will scale a tree or cross a river to hunt you down and eat you for breakfast. The scores were level at half-time, Cameron having come off the bench to score after only a few seconds
Group photo after combined hockey/football friendly game.
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when put through against the goalkeeper. The boy puts Davide Gualtieri to shame. It should be emphasised that he began the game as a substitute purely for ‘squad rotation’ reasons; we operated an egalitarian system of sharing match minutes and although our top scorer would have had reason to knock down the manager’s door at times, he instead took these measures in good humour – top man. He’ll do a job in goal next year. The boys rallied after the break and Bernard, playing outfield this time, hit an unstoppable shot low into the net after the ball had been played out from a corner. It was a great, instinctive strike and, in fact, Bernard played marvellously all game, dominating in the air and tackling with accuracy and intensity. Cameron’s second goal and Bedford’s third was even better, being later declared the Goal of the Season. Alex Steele played the ball into Julius Lusis who, turning into the opposition half and only a yard or two in from the touchline, floated a wonderful, Beckham-like diagonal pass over the entire St Edward’s defence; it landed just inside the opposite corner of the eighteen-yard box and Cameron, the beginnings of whose distant run forward had been spotted only by Julius and a passing sparrowhawk, caught it just after the bounce, slamming it across the ‘keeper and into the roof of the net. It would scarcely have been a more impressive strike had Paolo Di Canio popped up with a scissors volley and neither John Wark nor Mr Prior, both of whom played for Ipswich in the nineties, could have hit it harder. This was just the encouragement we needed to face the trip to Haileybury, a giant of the circuit and much-feared as a ‘football school’. Well, they have a nice pitch and they play a tidy game, and we needed all of Ben Aellen’s experience and shot-stopping ability to stay in the game. However, with Julius working tirelessly and holding the ball up well in a lone attacking role and with the midfield battling hard, it looked as though we would go into the interval with the scoreline 0-0. Sadly, an incisive through-ball caught out our back line, which had ventured too far up the pitch, and Haileybury then hit us with two quickfire goals after half-time, one of which was a very fortuitous penalty. For once the rotation system misfired, the manager’s decision to play Mike Grachev at full back denying
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us an ‘out’ ball on the left, and with several players having moved up to the seconds it was a step too far. It was also terrible tactical mistake not to have selected Alex Wegener in central midfield for this game; he would have done something about the fleet-footed ball players in Haileybury colours. Alex did feature in the following game, a 3-1 victory over a much-fancied Wellingborough outfit, and was ever-present throughout the remainder of the season, a box-to-box dynamo who rarely came off second best in a challenge. Tomi Fashola was magisterial in this game, as was Ben Aellen, and the team coped well with the absence of talisman Rohan Mahli, absent due to an injury problem that would persist over several weeks. Eason Fong also put in his second appearance for the thirds, covering midfield and defensive positions, and began to show his passing range as the game developed. Cameron was on the scoresheet again, and George Thomas may also have contributed goals in this game in his brief 3rd XI appearance before completing his N’Golo Kante-like fantasy football journey from Fourths to Seconds, but much of the encounter has been lost to the record. Kante encourages us to live our lives as though each act will become a universal law; it has now entered the statute book that when Cameron Brown shoots, he scores. Rugby School were next up; having shown a ‘fine disregard’ for the beautiful game since 1823, they seem to have bucked their ideas up in recent years but still, this was one that got away for a Bedford side pegged back late in the game and forced to accept the first drawn match of the season, Cameron again on the scoresheet in a 1-1 stalemate. Equally, Rugby could have scored first; interpretations differ in the historical record. I do recall the opposition staff becoming concerned at the physical nature of the contest but revisionists suggest Alex Wegener simply imposed himself on the game. The fixture also saw the debut of Oliver Medley, an intriguing, mercurial player who puts me in mind of a Newcastle-era Chrissy Waddle; he has a lovely passing range and a tricky dribbling ability that could see him become one of our most influential and creative players in 2020. The penultimate match, at Oundle, also ended level, but in much more heroic circumstances. It has been years since the Bedford 3rd XI last tasted victory at the Northamptonshire
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school, Oundle twice having ruined ‘Invincible’ runs with victories in the final fixture, and hopes were not high on this occasion. With no goalkeeper available, Will Haggar stepped up and confirmed his status as Legend of the Season with a selfless display between the sticks, tipping over two goalbound efforts and maintaining his composure even when a crowd of red kites threatened to block out the sun. This was also a day for Matt Fahmy and Tizian Oscar-Geyer, both skilful, subtle and tenacious players, to rise to the occasion and Fahmy opened the scoring with a lovely lofted first-time finish, showing great control to get his side foot on a low goalkeeper clearance, sending the ball flying over the hapless custodian and into the net. Mr Waterhouse called it a deflection but I saw the quick adjustment of his feet as the ball approached – he definitely meant it. Matt could have had a second later in the game, seeing a strong shot saved, but Oundle came back strongly and their pressure finally told as they equalised then took the lead. A second defeat for Bedford seemed certain but Haggar kept us in it, Non, Tomi, Eason and Alex Steele defended valiantly, Mike Grachev kept the opposing defenders on their toes and then, with the clock ticking down, Tizian came up with a bit of magic to draw the game. Picking the ball up halfway inside the Oundle half (anyone familiar with the expansive grounds and generous pitches up there will know just how far from goal that is; pre-austerity, a bus ran three times a day, twice on Saturdays), he drove at the defenders then cut across the back line, a balletic figure evading the desperate lunges of first the right back and then the central defender. Still at an angle, he swept an elegant finish beyond the ‘keeper and into the far side of the goal, a classy individual effort that yielded ecstatic celebrations and, a few minutes later, yet more delight at the final whistle. Bedford again raised their performance levels to match strong opposition in the season finale at home to King’s Ely. This time Non, usually a buccaneering full back who blocks
two or three certain goals per game by flinging his head and body in the way of rasping shots and flying boots, took over in goal and Will Haggar reverted to his defensive role, ending up in a more advanced position as the match hurtled toward a tense, seesawing denouement. With Rohan back in the centre, Alex King on the overlap, Alex Wegener driving forward at will and Mike and Julius buzzing around the back four, Bedford looked dangerous on the break but the visitors did also have a lot of possession. Cameron Brown scored his fifth and final goal to equalise after an Ely opener against the run of play; the game continued in dramatic fashion into the later stages, when Bedford took the lead. Julius Lusis, who had run himself into the ground as usual, made a bit of space by shifting quickly onto his right foot as he jinked into the box. Noticing the tiny gap that had opened up, he drilled his shot through an otherwise crowded box, the ball evading an outstretched ‘keeper and nestling in the far corner. This was a typical Shearer technique, making half a yard then shooting powerfully at an angle, and the team’s joy at this most deserving of players being rewarded for his efforts was there for all to see. Julius and I go back a while. Football has occasionally brought a tear to my eye - Ged Dalton’s injury-time winner vs Bournemouth in 2009, Jarrett Rivers vs Hartlepool and Robbie Dale vs Birmingham in the 2014-15 FA Cup run (Dale at Ilkeston in 2016 wasn’t bad either) all spring to mind, as do the sad moments: Italia ’90; Des Walker in 1991; Euro ’96; Laura Bassett’s cruel OG in 2015; the price of a pie at Kenilworth Road, and the colour of the burgers at the Abbey Stadium - but, for emotional value, this one was right up there and my celebrations rather exceeded the usual staff reaction to a goal. The Ely coach took it in good heart and did his own little parody celebration when his boys equalised late on; 2-2 was a fair result, the ebb and flow of the game and the tremendous spirit shown by both teams bringing a most enjoyable season to a fitting conclusion.
3rd XI scoreboard before Mr Graham’s emotional celebrations.
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As noted above, Will Haggar took the Player of the Season Award; Tomi Fashola and Rohan Mahli finished joint second and Alex King third in the voting. Cameron Brown scored five in seven, including eight goals off the bench, helping the team to a +2 goal difference, great value added. As ever, the boys were brilliant to work with and this time the results matched their efforts. Who will replace Mahli and Wegener in midfield? Can we replicate the defensive partnership of Fashola and Haggar? Will there be more moments to match Julius’s late goal, Cameron’s laser-guided finish, Will’s fingertip saves and Tizian’s personal tribute to Ricky Villa? We await the 2020 season with keen anticipation, knowing that this is such stuff as dreams are made on. MWG SQUAD: Aellen, B., Brown, C., Chean, B., Fahmy, M., Fashola, T., Fong, E., Geyer, T-O., Grachev, M., Haggar, W., King, A., Lusis, J., Mahli, R., Mankongcharoen, N., Medley, O., Steele, A., Sudborough, B., Thomas, G., Todd, A., Wegener, A.
4th XI
It looked promising at the start of the season: there was quality throughout the squads and some difficult choices for the coach to make in the team selection. The 4th XI started the fixtures with a home fixture against rivals Oakham who are a strong footballing side. Bedford’s first-and-only-choice goalkeeper, Ben Watson, unfortunately injured his hand during the warmup which kept him out from the goal posts for not only this match but the rest of the season. Despite scoring twice with some dangerous attacking play, the defence was leaky and Bedford got the season off to a 4-2 defeat. After some tough sessions on the windy training facilities at Wixams, the 4th XI were able to regroup and put in their performance of the season against St Edward’s, coming away with 5-0 home victory. This was a led by a dominating captain’s performance from Alex Wegener and an impressive hat-trick from George Thomas who got promoted to the 2nd XI after this performance. Our trip to Haileybury was a humbling experience and, without a goalkeeper, it was another leaky 7-0 defeat. Following the loss of several key players, defeats at the hands of King’s, Ely, and Oundle were both hard to take. Despite only one victory, this was an excellent team who bonded well and displayed an outstanding attitude on the
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training ground and also on the pitch. TPR SQUAD: Bridger Matthew, Evans Samuel, Hui Terry, Humphreys Freddie (capt), Lau Freddie, Medley Oliver, Rai Aran, Rizvi Huzaif, Todd James, Watson Benjamin, Webb Dimitri, Whiteman Samuel, Zhang Dan
Colts A football 2019
Big wins against Rugby and Oundle were the highlights of the seasons with a spectacular hat trick from Louis Simon and four goals in one game from the deadly Alfie Warnock being the headline performances. Ben Barden missed most of the season but returned from injury to add vision and precision to the midfield. Captain fantastic Vivaan Singh ran tirelessly for the team, tackling and spreading the play. Felix Barth was fearless and athletic in goal. The irrepressible Mikey Basciano battled, supported and encouraged to drive the team forward from the left. Harry Constantine provided strength and a delicate touch in the centre of defence, ably supported by Seong Wan Pai. Woodeeeeey (Ben Wood) was watchful, combative and consistent as right back. Carlos Martinez Bonet with elegant effortless class linked well with the vigour and commitment of Ted Allingham in midfield. Rinat Sayfutdinov was tenacious and incisive on the left of midfield and was always a goal scoring threat. Nathan Romeo was probably the most improved player of the season as his tactical awareness grew to match his skill and athleticism. Ironically, some of the best football was in the final match, a 3-1 defeat by King’s Ely. Some wonderful ticka-tacka possession even had the opposition coach cooing but we scuffed our chances and conceded late. The boys were remarkably philosophical and just acknowledged ‘that’s football’ with a maturity that marked the wonderful progress they made as players and young men over the season. ADF SQUAD: Felix Barth, Ben Wood, Mikey Basciano, Harry Constantine, Louis Simon, Seong Wan Pai, Ted Allingham, Carlos Martinez Bonet, Alfie Warnock, Vivaan Singh (Capt), Rinat Sayfutdinov, Ben Barden, Nathan Romeo
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Colts B
The 29th January, the day we played Haileybury, put me in mind of that scene in one of the Dirty Harry movies. What was it Harry said as he pointed his .44 Magnum at the quaking baddie? “I know what you’re thinking: “Did he fire six shots or only five?” Well to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself.” We had to ask ourselves one question that Haileybury day: “Did we feel lucky?” “No, we did not,” was the resounding answer. By the end, I had us conceding seven goals - I have all the timings, from 3.08pm through to 3.49pm - but in all the excitement perhaps I, like Harry, lost track myself. Everybody else insisted we’d shipped eight, so the victory was recorded as eight to them, nil to us. To be honest, it might have been thirty to Haileybury and nil to us: we couldn’t have performed much worse. Every ball that could be lost we lost; every advantage we had we gave away and even though we went into the second half only two goals down, by the end of the game it wasn’t just the wheels that had fallen off, the Colts B had fallen off the planet. I blame the coach. In our next game against Loughborough Grammar and five minutes in, from a Loughborough shot, our ‘keeper - Pira Karunakaran - touched the ball and it ballooned upwards in slow motion, like a baby’s touch on a beach ball, to float over his head and into the net behind. Suddenly all became the furious full speed of celebration for them, dejection for us. We prepared ourselves for more of what happened in the Haileybury game. Would we be buried up to our necks again in drifts of opposition goals? No, oddly: the deluge never came. We never were overwhelmed. We even began to get the ball in the midfield and hold it at times, stringing passes together. We took shots and Jack Davis began to torment the opposition defence. One shot smashed against the underside of the bar before bouncing out. That was the closest we came to scoring all season. I have said before - every season? - that sometimes defeats can mean more than victories. I am not saying that a victory wouldn’t have been welcome, but even if we were not to taste it, we still have a fighting defeat to coddle in our memories, a game in
which we found ourselves as a team in the teeth of superior opposition. Conditions, in the form of a howling crosswind, might have been king, technique might have been left in the dressing room bin, but we came away with pride in what we had achieved. I found myself choked with emotion at the end, unable to finish the team talk, only capable of shaking hands and departing hastily before I piped my eyes. Jack and Leo were a dangerous pair up front, Jude made an elegant captain, George Kendall marauded down the right flank, Pira came out to clear his lines to wonderful effect and Max reminded me of a skilful giraffe. It made me proud to be theirs and they mine. Could we build on this in our final foray? No, not a hope. The final game saw injury and Saturday-itus ravage the team that had done so well against Loughborough. We also felt that we had been done up like the proverbial kippers; Mr Waterhouse told us we were playing the U15Bs: we were looking forward to a smug first victory against younger boys. It was only when we got there that King’s Ely staff told us we were playing the 4th XI, many of whom were in the U6th. Our depleted ranks had been filled with 4th formers and Removers. Some of our tiddlers were up against boys who were years above them: it was sticklebacks against pikes. The end saw us sincerely grateful at only conceding four: did they feel sorry for us in the end and ease off? I thank all the Fourths and Removes who played, showing the sort of remarkable willingness to turn up and play that I thought had disappeared forever. Our strange season came to an underwhelming end, then. Even if we strove for results and goals to no avail, we perhaps grew to know ourselves better as a result of all that ‘sound and fury’. We also salute Mr Whatling, who leaves the green pastures of the Gordon Field for the last time to go romping in the vastness of the Pampas. We trust he takes luck with him and his calm dead eye for correctly calling a foul even when his fellow coach is exploding with emotion on the side lines and calling the ref all manner of things. Now where did I put my trusty Clint Eastwood box set? AWG SQUAD: Pira Karunakaran, Max Ward, George Kendall, Jude Sanders (cap), Harvey Bolger, Ziv Chan, Tim Jee, Carl Gissinger, Jack Davis, Leo Policella, Agastya Mishra, Jack Davis, Sunny Ye, Marcus Chen, Ola Apesin.
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Junior Colts A
In the first training session of the spring term, you can never predict which boys will turn up to the junior colts. Who has managed to escape hockey and rowing? Who has chosen football? Will there be enough to field a team? We were inundated and perhaps had too many boys to choose from, but an ‘A’ team quickly fell into place. Many of the boys had already been involved in the futsal games option in the autumn term, but even if they could perform on the Gordon Field astro in September, could they replicate this form on a cold away trip to Oakham in January? Well, our first fixture was that cold away trip to Oakham in January. Freddie Sellers started in goal, with a defence of Maldwyn Crook, Ta Leepiboonsawats, Ellis Morgan and James Moffatt, midfielders Raoul Flora (captaining the side), William Turner, Max Alexander and an attacking line of Louis Elder, Feyi Okusanya and Jake Pattison. The team quickly dominated possession and soon led, after Pattison fired Flora’s through-ball in. Flora was the most creative player on the pitch, running rings around their midfielders and setting up a multitude of chances. By half-time, he had scored twice and had set up Pattison’s second. From the goal, Sellers narrated the match, gave valuable encouragement and advice to his defence, and on either wing, Elder and Okusanya proved a consistent danger. The second half saw Okusanya score twice and the game finished 6-0 to Bedford. The next game was a home fixture against Quinton House. An early goal for Pattison was cancelled out quickly by the opposition, but more creative play from Flora, Pattison and Okusanya saw the latter score an impressive first half hattrick. Quinton House scored again in the second half and repelled all of our attacking movements and then threatening 142
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to score more. Excellent defensive work from Morgan and Leepiboonsawats and impressive goalkeeping and encouragement from Sellers, meant that the game finished 4-2. Haileybury followed and they proved to be strong opposition. A close first-half saw them lead after they converted a free-kick, but a quick equaliser from Okusanya tipped the momentum temporarily. They were, however, too strong and despite dogged defending, they scored three in the last ten minutes, winning the game 1-4. Haileybury’s excellent midfield saw to it that Flora, Turner and Balfour had to spend more time defending rather than creating chances for Pattison or Okusanya on the wings. The final fixture before half-term was another home game against Quinton House. The boys will be the first to admit that they performed poorly. There was a listlessness about the game, and Quinton House fully deserved their 1-3 win. They were creative, determined and made life difficult for our defence and midfield. Sellers again performed admirably in goal and Okusanya added another goal to his growing tally, but the stand-out performance was from Harry Whitehouse, playing for the first time in the Junior Colts A team. He ended the game as man-of-the-match and was the only outfield player who showed real fight. Whitehouse’s arrival sparked a revival in fortunes, but it took time for it to take effect. Upon our return from the halfterm break, we travelled to Wellingborough. The weather was unseasonably glorious, with sunglasses and sun cream all round we started well. Pattison and Okusanya caused problems up front and most of the action took place in the opposition half. Just before half-time, a rare through-ball pierced our defence and they scored a well-placed finish past Sellers. The second-half began and confidence looked lost,
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with Wellingborough creating more chances and improving their defending. The boys struggled to find their form, so Whitehouse moved into centre midfield and we brought on Daniel Bello (recently transferred from hockey) and played with only three central defenders. With just over five minutes to go, Morgan – straying out of defence – scored a well-placed finish from outside the penalty area. It was a fantastic goal and the momentum immediately shifted. Within a minute, the ball reached Turner who scored the goal of the season, an almostimmediate half-volley at fast pace. The last few minutes were tense, with a lot of pressure put on the reduced defence as Bedford held out to achieve a 2-1 victory. Sports, psychology and morale are funny things: the Wellingborough game had a noticeable effect on our spirits and efforts in training. In the final week of term, we ended up playing three games in eight days. The first was an away fixture against Loughborough with the rain lashing down and winds blowing the ball into dense foliage and the gardens of Loughborough’s neighbours at regular intervals. Flora and Moffat were absent; Whitehouse played in a defensive midfield and dictated play. Bello started at left back and Ted Walker (another recent transfer) started in attack alongside Okusanya and Pattison – a rugby triumvirate. The team rekindled its form from the previous game and goals from Okusanya and Pattison gave Bedford a comfortable 2-0 lead at half-time. Okusanya added a third early on in the second-half before Loughborough won, and then scored, a penalty. A well-taken goal from Pattison, followed by a last-minute Loughborough goal, saw us achieve a 4-2 victory. Five days later, Flora and Moffat were back, and the squad was at full-strength to face Oundle at home. Pattison scored early and, despite producing plenty of chances, we were unable to score a second. Oundle defended very well and made several dangerous attacking moves in the second half, but Morgan, Whitehouse, Flora and Balfour produced strong performances to maintain the lead. Sellers made some important saves, and the score ended with a 1-0 victory. The final match, just two days later, was an away fixture
against King’s Ely. The team was at its strongest, creating opportunities aplenty and physically dominating the game in a way that was fair and never rough. Morgan scored before the end of the first-half, and Okusanya and Balfour added two more later on to produce a 3-0 win, an excellent performance and one that bodes well for their Colts matches next academic year. The boys have behaved impeccably throughout the term and they all improved. I cannot fault their work ethic and their determination. Whitehouse and Sellers were the coach’s players of the year – they were outstanding. Flora was an inspiring captain, Sellers a motivational tour-de-force with impressive vocal chords; Pattison knew how to get the best of his teammates, Turner and Balfour grew in confidence to form a formidable understanding in central midfield; Okusanya finished as top scorer, Crook, Leepiboonsawats, Morgan, Moffat and Bello were all involved in some heroic defending; Basciano, Elder, Lasaki and Singh all did well playing matches against boys in higher year groups and will form the backbone of next year’s junior colts side. It has been a pleasure to coach alongside Mr Everitt, Mr Melvill and Dan Walker (OB). Their help with coaching, their company on coaches bound for Kempston and away fixtures and their support for the boys have been invaluable. I am grateful to Mr Waterhouse and to Mr Bury for refereeing our home games and to the loyal parents and grandparents who came to watch each and every game regardless of the weather conditions! Thank you all for a successful term’s sport. MWB SQUAD: R. Flora (captain), M. Alexander, G. Balfour, H. Basciano, D. Bello, M. Chien, M. Crook, L. Elder, N. Lam, R. Lasaki, T. Leepiboonsawats, J. Moffat, E. Morgan, F. Okusanya, J. Pattison, F. Sellers, K. Singh, W. Turner, T. Walker and H. Whitehouse.
U15B
The U15 B team played three fixtures this season against Haileybury, Loughborough and Oundle, resulting in two wins and one defeat. First, against strong Haileybury opposition, the team lost 2-4. After conceding two set-piece goals against the early run of play, the boys reacted really well in the second half to get the game to 1-2 before missing a pen, conceding again, and scoring in an exciting last ten minutes. This match offered plenty of encouraging signs for our next game against Loughborough Grammar School, which resulted in a triumphant 5-1 win in very windy conditions. The season finished with an excellent 8-1 win against Oundle - a fitting end to a strong season in which the boys developed their skills and teamwork markedly. The future looks bright for 2019-20 with many fourth form boys playing their first matches for the school. ADM SQUAD: L. Stredwick (capt), A. Aellen, D. Ogunbanjo, M. Chien, N. Lam, H. Manji, M. Alexander, T. Walker, M. Molchanov, K. Singh, A. Rai, J. Sharpe, I. Hassan, C. Barber, O. Apesin.
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National Independent Schools’ Beach Volleyball Tournament Having entered two teams into the boys’ U18 foura-side round robin competition, ten sixth form boys headed down to the Yellowave sand courts on Brighton beach on Wednesday 26th June, to test their skills against teams from: Brighton College, Hampton, Reeds, Epsom, Sevenoaks and LAE. The boys played seven timed matches. Both Bedford A team (Anhad Singh, Charlie Hicks (captain), Kayde Sylvester, Ryan Apps, Paul Smith) and Bedford B team (Michael Phillips, Lucas Inman (captain), Chris Broens, Tom Chambers, Bryn Williamson) played some outstanding volleyball before the playoffs/semi-final matches. For the A team, the opening stage saw a tense game against Reeds ending with the win (19-17). Some close games followed, but the team’s cohesion and competitive edge resulted in wins against Hampton (2320) and Epsom (22-19). The B team demonstrated their quality and won four of their seven games, including winning their game against Brighton College, 22-20, and narrowly losing to Bedford A (21-25) in a warm-spirited yet hard-fought game. Both Bedford teams qualified for the semi-finals, which saw Bedford B team placed fourth, Epsom third and Bedford A through to play Sevenoaks in the final. It was clear, having encountered Sevenoaks
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earlier in the competition that this was going to be a tough match. The Bedford A team, who had been praised by the Brighton Coach earlier in the competition for their creativity, responded to the challenge by demonstrating their grit and dynamic athleticism. Upper sixth form monitor Charlie Hicks set the tone for the day and led the team to victory: the Bedford boys had no intention of leaving Brighton without that cup. Having been presented with their medals and the winners’ cup, the Bedford squad returned home U18 National Beach Volleyball Champions! Mandy Allison
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Swimming and Water Polo Overall, this was a good year with many boys representing the school. Numbers regularly training were slightly down on last year, though the performances, especially in the national competitions, were much improved: defence was more robust and we attacked better as a team. Friendlies are the ideal opportunity to expose potential players to the delights of the game and hopefully recruit them to both train and play in the main competition. 31 boys, from the fourth form upwards, played for the U18 team with mixed results but always with great enthusiasm and endeavour. The U18 water polo team narrowly missed out on reaching the National Plate Final, losing 1-2 to Charterhouse. We dominated for much of the game without being able to find the net; Igor Mayorov led the team from the front. The U15 team made the final, again by default, and put up some sterling performances without managing to win a game. Scoring goals against more experienced defences proved nigh on impossible, though we made much progress in defence, conceding fewer goals plus not giving up possession quite as easily as in the past. The house water polo champions for 2018/19 are St Peter’s, who beat Bromham 5-2 in the final.
At the public schools’ relays, the team of Rowan Spong, Alfie Warnock, Matthew Weimann and Kieran Birkett were placed 47th out of 80 schools in the freestyle relay, with both Rowan and Alfie breaking a minute for their swim and coming 46th in the medley relay. Both swims were faster than last year. In the house swimming championships, Paulo Pontine were the winners. NTW
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Fives
The annual curtain raiser to the season at BMS in September, is an opportunity to gauge potential and determine aspirations for the year ahead. Will this be the year that the glory days of Bedford School fives from years gone by are rekindled? Will fives re-emerge from being the perceived minor, minor sport to become something more significant and highly regarded by the boys? Such are the dreams and hopes of a master-in-charge as he and the Senior IV venture forth into another year. Cheered by the knowledge that Kamran Awan and Jamie Sorensen are seasoned players confidence and hopes were high and, with Sami Younis and Tom Holland making up the full side, a comprehensive victory was secured by 79 points. A promising start! A match against the Jesters, a club consisting of adult players, is always a tougher proposition even if one of the players was yours truly. OB Chris Davey has this year been an inspiring and enthusiastic coach and turned out for this fixture as one of the Jester players so, not surprisingly, he quickly stamped his authority on the game despite some competitive and enjoyable matches. The Jesters won by the comfortable margin of 36 points; any illusions of a vintage season were beginning to wobble. The trip to Oundle in November would be a better indication of our current standing. The 1st IV, this time consisting of Awan, Sorensen, Will Cliffe and Laurence Pleuger, battled hard to ensure victory in a very closely contested game, securing a narrow victory by only three points. A junior side including Menhart, Mital and Nair did well in their first fixture of the season but the more experienced Oundle side won comfortably by 23 points. Derby Moor are always a polished side and under the guidance of the President of the Rugby Fives Association provide a real barometer as to just how well we are doing. The 1st IV including Awan, Sorensen and Halsey found things tough going and although they held their own in the singles, they struggled in the doubles, winning only one of the eight games played. The dreams of glory and high hopes of early September seemed a dim and distant memory. As something of a consolation, the Junior side (Menhart, Mital, Nair, Kambli) dominated their game, winning comfortably by 85 points. Glimmers of future success perhaps? The spring term got underway in January with a close match against the RFA which, considering the opposition again consisted of adult players, was quite a significant achievement. The 1st IV (Awan, Sorensen, Menhart, Halsey) did well to keep the RFA victory to only a seven-point margin. In a match postponed from last term, the rematch at home against BMS is one that we always want to win so it was particularly gratifying to come away with a 61-point victory, with a first notable appearance in the senior IV of enthusiastic newcomer Darcy McBride. The East Midlands tournament in February this year included an expanded number of entrants to make it even tougher than normal. Teams from Bedford, BMS, Rugby, Oundle, Derby Moor, Sedburgh and Stamford all participated so it was particularly pleasing that Jamie Sorensen progressed all the way to the semifinals of the senior singles competition. He was disappointed to miss out in the plate competition but it was a significant achievement nonetheless. It was also good to see the pairing of Timmy Pong and Leon Williamson make it to the final of the plate in the doubles competition and to only just narrowly miss out on silverware. On their tour of the area, Malvern College fielded a 146
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team of varying ages so we had an opportunity to play some younger players in a mixed team. After some exciting and close matches, particularly amongst the senior boys, Malvern College sneaked a tight victory by only three points. In the annual closing game of the season, two teams pitted their skills against the always challenging OBs. The 1st IV of Awan, Sorensen, Wallace and Halsey did well to limit the loss to only 48 points but a mixed aged 2nd team of Davis, Pleuger, McBride and Choga endured a tough afternoon to lose by 94 points. As in previous years, the house competitions encouraged some new faces onto the courts, which is always great to see. The senior competition in the autumn term was dominated by Crescent, who, with regular school players Awan and Sorensen and ably assisted by Pleuger and Fung, were too strong for all opposition. Paolo enjoyed similar dominance in the junior competition in the spring term with the indefatigable Darcy McBride leading them to a convincing victory. In the senior singles competition (Dawes Cup), first team regular Jamie Sorensen was a deserved winner and in the junior singles competition (Mellor Cup), new fives enthusiast Darcy McBride stormed his way to victory. Hopes are high for his fives future. My thanks go to Chris Davey for offering excellent guidance and on-court expertise during regular games afternoons as coach this year. We are sorry to see him go, but wish him well as a coach at Berkhamsted. We were delighted to welcome back OB Peter Mellor in January, who offers a motivational Saturday afternoon coaching session for the 1st IV. We always look forward to his visits. Thanks also to Mrs Mainstone for supporting the regular games afternoon duties and to Mr Vann for joining the team and agreeing to take over as master-incharge from September 2019. I am confident that he, as an OB and former fives player, will bring new energy and vision and, with luck, a resurgence in fives that, sadly, eluded my time as master-in-charge. I will, however, retain some connection with fives, assisting with games afternoon duties and look forward to watching developments in a supporting role. MCC SENIOR SQUAD: Sorensen, Awan, Holland, Younis, Cliffe, Pleuger, Halsey, Pong, Williamson, Wallace, McBride, Davis. JUNIORS: Menhart, Mital, Nair, Kambli, Choga.
Golf
Played - 19; won - 15; lost - 4 The boys recovered from an early set back in being knocked out of the HMC competition, winning the regional final of the ISGA, and at the national finals coming ninth overall with Pannawit coming seventh overall in the competition after shooting two under on Royal St George’s. Alex Robins was undefeated in all competitions all year, whilst Harry Brown won the U18 County Championship. Bedford School took a clean sweep in all county competitions and represented Bedfordshire Schools at the England Schools’ Championship at Woodhall Spa in July. TEAM: Harry Brown, Wilf Rush, Finlay Cummings, M Leelalumlert, Alex Robins, Lawrence Jefferies, Louis Densham.
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ATHLETICS
The athletes had a successful season with a number of fixtures against the top schools on the circuit. The class of Stephen Simmons once again shone through as he continued to achieve personal best scores in many of his disciplines. He recorded 13.4 sec in the 100m hurdles to break the school record by an impressive 0.4 sec - the record set by him the previous year! He also beat the discus record by reaching 38.87m, which stood since 1988. He came first overall in the Anglian regional final of the English Schools Combined Event Championships (octathlon), beating second place by an impressive 300 points. He is yet to compete in the English Schools Championships for sprint hurdles and the ESAA Combined Event Championships on 21/22 September. Caleb Sanders was the only fourth form athlete this year to take it as a games option, but what a gem we had. He joined Stephen at the Anglian Regional Final for the combined events in the junior boys’ age category where he finished in a commendable ninth place. Six boys represented their district in the county finals and gave a great account of themselves, with Alex Edun winning the 400m with an impressive time of 53.5s. More importantly, boys have experienced a number of events in training and competition and I cannot fault any of
them for their effort and commitment. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable season with the highlight being the senior boys Dreilauf champions 2019, the team was composed of Ryan Apps, Adam Foat and Ed Blythman. Minor Sports Colours for Athletics were awarded to: Adam Foat, Ian Lau, Fung Lau, Timmy Pong, Alex Wegener. JPH
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SPORT
SPORTS DAY FOURTH Ash Bro Cre Pau StC StP
MARKS 81.5 77 99 76 101.5 90
RANK 4 5 2 6 1 3
REMOVE Ash Bro Cre Pau StC StP
MARKS 102 83 103 68 78 82
RANK 2 3 1 6 5 4
5TH Ash Bro Cre Pau StC StP
MARKS 88 85 62 98 100 111
RANK 4 5 6 3 2 1
6TH Ash Bro Cre Pau StC StP
MARKS 76.5 99.5 77 114 65 92
RANK 5 2 4 1 6 3
OVERALL RESULTS:
Who has won Sports Day? TOTAL MARKS Ash 348 Bro 344.5 Cres 341 Pau 356 StC 344.5 StP 375
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RANK 3 4 6 2 4 1
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HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY POSITION 1 2 3 4 5 6
YEAR 9 St P Pau St C Ash Cres Brom
YEAR 10 Ash Cres St P Cuth Pau Brom
YEAR 11 St C Cres Ash Pau Brom St P
YEAR 12 Ash Brom St C St P Cres Pau
YEAR 13 Pau St P Ash Brom St C Cres
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CCF
A Royal Inspection for our Combined Cadet Force Upper School pupils and staff joined invited guests for a special royal visit on Wednesday 15 May. His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, the first cousin of Her Majesty the Queen, visited school to inspect the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) contingents from Bedford School, Bedford Girls’ School, Bedford Modern School, St Andrew’s School, Rushmoor School and Bedford Free School. The Duke of Gloucester’s royal inspection was of particular significance as it marked the centenary of the last royal inspection of both Bedford School and Bedford Modern School contingents in 1918 (also held at Bedford School) by the Duke’s grandfather, King George V. Falling just after the end of the First World War, the inspection in 1918 poignantly commemorated the 470 Old Bedfordians who lost their lives in the conflict. Those on parade at the time proudly represented boys and teachers they knew and respected who had lost their lives soon after leaving the school. Fittingly, The Duke of Gloucester’s father, Prince Henry, opened the school’s Memorial Hall in 1926, which also commemorates Old Bedfordians lost in the war, making The Duke of Gloucester’s visit all the more moving.
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On arrival, The Duke was met by the Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis, and introduced to the heads of the six schools that form the two combined CCF contingents and their contingent commanders. The parade was then brought up to a general salute, followed by the inspection itself which finished with a march by the entire parade. The weather could not have been more perfect, and it was quite a splendid sight to see the contingents lined up in neat rows underneath a cerulean blue sky. The Duke then visited Bedford School’s Memorial Hall to unveil a plaque to mark the occasion, which sits alongside his father’s plaque from 1926. HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire said, “It was wonderful
CCF
CCF Annual General Inspection 2019 Our Combined Cadet Force put their best feet forward for their latest Annual General Inspection. This year we were delighted to welcome Inspecting Officer Captain N Wheeler (Royal Navy) and Colonel P McLean (Territorial Decoration). Following the inspection Captain Wheeler and Colonel McLean toured the school to observe some of the CCF training activities. These included the Royal Navy Section scuba diving in the school swimming pool, the RAF Section on the school’s flight simulator and platoons of the Army Section undertaking command tasks and an assault course. The inspection then finished with a final parade with an address from Captain Wheeler and prize giving. The CCF, which is made up of pupils from both Bedford School and Bedford Girls’ School, provides a disciplined organisation in school helping pupils to develop leadership skills and to promote the qualities of responsibility, self-reliance, resourcefulness, endurance and perseverance. The cadets thoroughly enjoyed the day, which was rounded off with the Annual Corps Dinner for members of the Corps and guests, hosted at Bedford Girls’ School. Mandy Alison PRIZES WERE AWARDED AS FOLLOWS:
to welcome HRH The Duke of Gloucester to Bedford School during his three-part visit to the county of Bedfordshire. The Inspection of the Cadets was very impressive and it was particularly pleasing that HRH was able to unveil a plaque in the Memorial Hall where his late Father, HRH Prince Henry KG, stood in 1926. It was clear that the staff and students at all the schools involved were proud to demonstrate the high standards they achieve.” Major Peter Lumley-Wood, Contingent Commander at Bedford School, added, “We were honoured to be inspected by His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester. Our CCF forces, and those of the schools of Bedford in attendance today, have a proud tradition of service. The visit from The Duke of Gloucester some one hundred years after that of his grandfather is testimony to the heritage of the schools and their ongoing commitment to the CCF.” Mandy Alison
Best Recruit Royal Navy (male) Royal Navy (female) Army (male) Army (female) RAF (male) RAF (female)
Max Allen Mimi Hollywell-Rolfe Harrison Beveridge Sophie Forbes -Laird Kiran Ketechia Ginna Githua
Best Senior Cadet Royal Navy Army RAF
Tamara Oakley-Holton Christabel Colman Oscar Terry
Top Cadet in Cadre
Harilaos Kareveggelis
Most Effective JNCO (Matthew’s Trophy) Army James Brazil RAF Harilaos Karaveggelis
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Duke of Edinburgh This again has been a busy year for the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, with just over 150 boys taking part in Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. There continues to be a wide variety of activities that are being done as part of the boys’ volunteering, physical and skills sections. This year we have also had a change of personnel as Mr Dawson took over from Mr Bolton as bronze expedition leader and Mr Peters took over at Christmas from Mr Allen. Miss Swallow was on maternity leave for the second half of the year so I covered the gold expeditions. I would like to thank all staff who helped on the expeditions as without them the expeditions could not happen. I would also like to thank Mr Knight went on almost all the expeditions this year. It is the expeditions that most boys remember and I hope you enjoy the boys’ reports. Mrs Jean Mainstone
the home stretch through a forest. Relief was the main feeling when we reached the end point of our expedition and were told that we had all passed comfortably. Our thanks go to Mrs Mainstone, Mr Dawson and all the other assessors who were there on the day, for organising us and guiding us through the programme throughout the year. It has given us a good platform to progress onto the silver award next year. James Cutler
Bronze Assessed Expedition June 2019
Our bronze DofE expedition to the Chilterns was a great adventure. When we left school, early on Sunday morning, spirits were high and everyone seemed to be optimistic about the coming days, despite the rather gloomy forecast. Once checked over by our assessors, we headed off into the unknown. The bad weather held off for the first day and most groups found their way all right and made it to the campsite in plenty of time. An evening of card games, cricket and bulldog was up next before we were ushered back into our tents to rest for the following day. After a less-than-perfect night’s sleep, we faced the task of packing away our campsite quickly in a bid to be the first group to leave. For some this task was seemingly quite hard. When we finally got going, we faced a challenging day two, which involved navigating some tough hills. With the weather still staying dry, we pushed on and, once over the hills, negotiated farmland and country lanes before reaching
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Silver Practice Expedition October 2018
We departed on Friday the 19th of October and returned on Tuesday the 23rd of October after five extraordinary days of unforgettable experiences. The trip was a huge success with every vivid moment still flickering before our eyes. We walked for more than 25 hours during four days. Some of us were on the brink of giving up, while some of us drove forward persistently. There was a mix of emotions all round, but the most ridiculous experience was sleeping at night. The powerful wind combined with cold temperatures was inevitable and powerful enough to collapse a tent. Yes, that happened. Now for the more positive comments. The views were distinct and distinguishing, too beautiful to escape a photograph. The silver D of E expedition was worth our while. It not only gave us
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responsibilities as students to navigate our way through the Peak District but it also gave us experience domestically where we had to live in single rooms with four to six others within the first two days of the expedition. This tested our communication skills, our resolving skills and our ability to work as a team. This trip would not have happened without the staff who gave their free time to voluntarily supervise teenage boys around the Peak District, however their passion for hiking was instantly apparent during the expedition. It was a real pleasure to take part in this adventure and I am sure the boys have expressed how grateful they are for the organisation of this trip. Divine Edjejovwo
Silver Assessed Expedition June 2019
Having arrived at Pindale the night before, and spent the night in our tents, we set out early on the morning of the first day. We first headed through Hope, before beginning our ascent up along the top of the Hope Valley. As we climbed, the view revealed ever more of the beautiful Peak District, that is, of course, until we entered a mist that surrounded us for most of our journey along the top. It was a lot later on that day when we re-emerged from the mist on our descent back down into Hope Valley, where we set up for the night at Cooper’s campsite. The next day was much warmer and sunnier than the day before. Once again, we set off early and began heading along the side of the valley, where we found the going easy. Not too long after setting out, we found ourselves beginning the short but tiring ascent of what is practically a 400-metre tall staircase called Jacob’s Ladder. However, this seemed to do little to our motivation, and we continued on along the top of the valley with the Peak District in full view of us on each side
for the majority of our journey. Eventually we stopped to have our lunch by a distinctive castle-shaped building in the middle of the grassland. We finished our day when we descended into the light side of the valley to Rowter Farm, where we once again made camp for the night. The next morning, we once again left early for the final and shortest stint of our journey. It was much colder than the day before, with clouds above, and a strong wind which we experienced head-on when we crested the top of Mam Tor. We continued along the bridleway, during which it began to brighten up, before heading down into the valley. After walking through a few fields and farms, we finally arrived at our destination, Castleton, at just after midday. Despite being tired, we loved the trip and the experience we had. Joshua Gervais
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Gold Assessed Expedition July 2019
On Sunday 7th July, 30 boys embarked on a five-day, gold D of E expedition to the Lake District. Ollie and I were in the safe hands of Mr Huddlestone and Mr Bolton who throughout the four-hour journey entertained us with “singing” and “witty” puns. Upon arrival at the campsite, we were faced with our first two challenges: setting up the tent and, more importantly, making the impossible choice between pizza or a cheeseburger. These challenges tested us, and we went our separate ways, one opting for the pizza, and the other, the cheeseburger. After our banquet, we faced the third challenge: kit check! Owen gathered the mighty group one; as we emptied our essentials onto the ground, we passed the third challenge. Harry McPhail then proceeded to tackle the elephant in the room by asking “How do we compare to other schools?” This was a question that could only be answered over the following four days.
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After a good night’s sleep and a tough time packing up the tent, we set off on what would be the toughest walk of our lives. Day one was to go down in history as the hardest trek of D of E history for group one. All members had a strong walking background: Ryan Apps, 1st XV rugby co-captain, Harry McPhail, 4th XV rugby inside centre, Leon Zhu, national badminton champion, and Ben Sherriff, 1st XV rugby player and Australian. Despite this range of “abilities”, the first day posed a challenge nevertheless. Twenty-four kilometres, seven hours, and twenty Spam wraps later, we arrived at the second camp for the night. It proceeded to rain
D OF E
on our tired bodies, lowering our spirits. The next morning, we woke up to dew on the grass, a cup of instant coffee, and some porridge. The second day posed less of a threat: we were to summit just one ridge and take a relaxing “short” break at the lake. The groups and Mr Brough enjoyed dreaming of setting up a fire and taking a dip in the lake, which unfortunately was unfeasible as we had a campsite to get to. However, the break allowed us to capture some mouth-watering footage to help create a D of E parody music video of the song, We are Young. After spending an enjoyable night with the other two groups in our campsite, day three was on the horizon. There was talk that it would be harder than day one: we were to face over three thousand feet in altitude, over fifteen kilometres of walking, and another twenty Spam wraps. After achieving the improbable feat of summiting Hellvelyn, we rested beside a beautiful lake, where three of our group members were infected by ticks. Harry, Ollie and I wrote our final wishes and said goodbye to our loved ones. However, a saviour came in the form of none other than Bryn
Williamson and his Vasoline, which suffocates the parasites. This allowed the three members of the group to press onto their final day with high spirits. With an early wake up, the groups set out on their final eighteen kilometres of walking, with only six hours to complete it. Emotions were high, backs were aching, and tears were running, as it was the end of a journey which had started for many boys in year ten. As a year group we would like to thank the D of E staff who gave up their time to enable this and all previous expeditions, as memories have been made which will last a lifetime. To round off probably the worst D of E summary you have ever read, we would like to answer the question posed at the beginning: “How do we compare to other schools?“ by saying: “It’s not about being the best. It’s about being better than you were yesterday.” By Oliver Crankshaw and Oliver Burridge-Dean
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BSIP
Bedford School Independent Project 2019 changed the face of Bedford during WW1 (Galley, 2014) and The BSIP programme requires each lower sixth A level left a legacy which will never be forgotten. 17,000 soldiers, student to produce an extended essay and deliver a later rising to approximately 22,000, came down from the presentation on a subject of their choice. The aim is to offer Scottish Highlands to Bedford to undertake training before boys an opportunity to extend their learning beyond the heading to the front line. The kilted ‘laddies’ were not going syllabus and explore their wider academic interests while to leave without changing the landscape of Bedford. The developing research and critical thinking skills. town welcomed the soldiers with open arms in 1914 with As ever, some excellent and original essays were the soldiers billeted across the community. Friends were produced this year. Aside from Benedict Giles and Harry made, bonds secured and the men from Scotland made McPhail, named winner and runner-up respectively, the a great impression on Bedfordians whether it be in the following boys produced outstanding work and were judged accommodations where they were staying or in their training highly commended: Shangran Peng (homochirality and the in the town, these men would make a long-lasting impression origins of life); Jamie Williams, (gender politics in Angloon many families. With an estimated 20,000 coming into a American musical theatre); Benjamin Watson (the growing town of around 39,000, most households would be influenced allergies epidemic); Naday Ali Aftab (comparing the UK and by these men.’ US healthcare systems); Novo Ukiri (knowledge of ocean Harry quotes Alex Rule, of the 1/4th Gordon Highlanders life); Matthew Lewis (AI and future living standards); Ewan and a student at Aberdeen University, who documents the Gordon (the 2008/09 economic crash and systemic flaws in early impressions formed of the town and the surrounding the financial sector); Lucas Inman (violent and non-violent area by these young men: protest in the US Civil Rights Movement); George Robertson ”During August, 1914, the all-kilted Highland Division (the ethics of Batman); Henry Poppleton (London’s sewers streamed into Bedford in trainload after trainload, and the skirl and the Thames Tidal Tunnel); Alex Lam (malaria protection); of bagpipes was heard throughout the land. From the wild Ishaan Mukherji (AI and consciousness); Oliver Burridgestraths and glens we irrupted overnight into a Cowperesque Dean (blockchain technology and the future of a distributed landscape where the sluggish Ouse lazed through flat economy). The sheer range and ambition of this work is meadows bounded by thick impressive and many of these hedgerows. Age-old churches, boys will go on to complete with square Saxon towers or the EPQ programme in 2020. During August 1914, the all-kilted graceful spires, dotted the The 2018-19 EPQ cohort Highland Division streamed into Bedford, countryside, and around them gained 100% A*-A grades for nestled thatched cottages their work; congratulations go trainload after trainload. with white-washed walls. We to Rory Boylen, Edwin Chan, came, we saw, and we took Sebastian Sogan, James possession. We found it good.” Wallace and Paul Whalley, From history to biology, a hugely impressive research who submitted projects in November 2018 on topics including effort underpinned Benedict Giles’s winning essay: Why do the Eastern Front in WW2, Mars exploration and quantum human cells age? A literature review of the cellular ageing computing, and to the May 2019 group comprising Nikhil process in human cells. Accessing books, articles and Chavda, Trystan Coveney, Sam Dalton, Charlie Hicks, Max reports from sources such as the Indian Journal of Clinical Judge and Barnaby May. Sam Dalton’s work, on hydrogen as Biochemistry, the European Bioinformatics Institute, the US an alternative fuel source for cars, received full marks. National Library of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research and BSIP runner-up Harry McPhail, is a stylish writer and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Benedict’s a great young historian with a real eye for detail and an essay covered the link between telomeres, DNA, protein enthusiasm for local archival research that has already seen damage and lipid damage on cellular ageing, assessing a him reach a wider audience within the community, maintaining range of theories in forming conclusions on the decreasing a blog and writing for the Bedford Independent on such topics functionality of cells.’ as Harold Macmillan’s ‘You’ve never had it so good’ speech In Chapter Two, Benedict assesses the ways in which DNA and the wartime relationship between Bedford School and damage is linked to cellular ageing: Jersey College. In his essay entitled: ‘To what extent did ‘Damage to DNA has been linked to cellular ageing in the Bedford Highlanders make an impact on the Bedford humans. A cell’s DNA is under constant threat from chemical community?’ Harry explored the social, economic and longermodification by a large number of different factors, ranging term cultural impact of the Highland Division’s time in Bedford from ionising radiation, to free radical oxidants, to glycation during the First World War, also incorporating material from (binding of sugars). Thousands of chemical modifications an interview with a local expert on the town’s wartime history. occur every day, but the vast majority are repaired by the HIs essay begins: cellular repair mechanisms such as nucleotide excision ‘Bedford is a town where history is everywhere, from repair. (Le May, Egly & Coin, 2010) There are also silent the John Bunyan Statue at the top of the High Street to the mutations meaning the cell is less likely to have harmful Higgins Museum where one can find a fascinating insight genetic mutation due to chemical modification. An amino into Bedford’s past. However, what is less well known and acid is coded for by three organic bases of DNA called documented is the story of the Bedford Highlanders who 156
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nerve cells, it does not help as they do not divide enough to a triplet creating four to the power of three (64) different pass enough of the protein build-up on. Therefore, above combinations. (Toole & Toole, 2015) Even though there are normal build-up of damaged or redundant proteins occurs in 64 combinations, there are only about 20 naturally occurring these cells, making them more likely to age. Build-up does amino acids, thus many of the amino acids are coded for by still happen in normal cells but does so over a longer time more than one combination allowing silent mutations to occur. period as dividing occurs more often.’ The cell tries to limit the damage by using a double helix so In reaching his conclusions, Benedict makes a radical the vital organic bases are in the middle, surrounded by the case for the potentially revolutionary outcomes of ongoing sugar-phosphate backbone. This protects the DNA organic research in this area, namely the possible extension of bases. They also tightly wrap DNA into chromosomes, around human life: proteins called histones, further protecting the DNA during ‘I believe that the cellular ageing process in human cells is meiosis and mitosis. due to a multitude of factors, but comes down mainly to the All this is used to try and limit DNA chemical modification, accumulation of damage in many different parts of the cell, but is not fully effective, meaning DNA is chemically modified from DNA to proteins, over a and this is linked to cellular period of time, leading to a ageing. For example, according decrease in the functionality to the free radical theory, free I believe that the cellular ageing process of the cell. This decrease in radicals are one of the main functionality is what I believe in human cells comes down mainly to the causes of DNA damage and ageing is. Telomeres also do human activities, such as diet, accumulation of damage. seem to be linked but it is can lead to more free radicals unknown how exactly. Further being made than the body’s research needs to be done to cellular antioxidant defences fully understand why cells age, as at the current moment of can deal with. (Fusco, Colloca, Lo Monaco & Cesari, 2007) many of these factors and links to the ageing process are just Processes such as synthesis of ATP also can produce free theories, which lack full evidence. This means certain factors radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive atoms or molecules probably have been missed and there are more factors that that react readily with other molecules such as DNA or cause ageing that no-one has discovered yet. Though there proteins which damage and chemically change whatever it are many factors, protein damage and DNA damage are has reacted with. When oxygen only takes up two electrons the most significant and highly researched, as proteins are instead of the normal four, it becomes a reactive oxygen considered the central dogma of biology and, without them, species which then is able to damage DNA. (Saltsman, 2005) cells struggle to function properly. Synthesis of ATP, by mitochondria, creates these reactive The cellular ageing process also links to disease on a oxygen species, thus not only damaging the rest of the cell much larger scale, as it makes tissues and the human body and DNA, but damaging the mitochondria itself as well. This generally more susceptible to disease. This is possibly why damage can lead to less ATP synthesis by the damaged the elderly are more vulnerable, especially to disease. I think, mitochondria and therefore less energy production occurs. though, that the theories are only theories at the moment; This is another characteristic of ageing. (Wolpert, 150)’ further research will have to be done, as if the cellular ageing This second extract is taken from Chapter Three, on process is stopped or controlled, the human race may be protein damage and its impact: able to dramatically increase lifespans and possibly humans ‘There are many reasons why damaged proteins could live forever. It has been shown that cancerous cells, accumulate in cells. One reason is that protein aggregates that reactivate the gene that controls telomerase to regrow are insoluble and very hard for the systems to degrade (Reeg the telomeres, avoid apoptosis. By this reasoning, why cannot & Grune, 2015). This means that as more and more proteins non-cancerous cells be able to express this and reduce the come together, less of it is broken down and therefore it ageing process in human cells? If we are able to dramatically builds up even more, further reducing the functionality of the reduce or potentially even stop the cellular ageing process, cell. The proteasomal system also starts to become impaired why could humans not dramatically extend their lifespans or due to clumping and lysosomal pH regulation becomes possibly live forever? We would need to consider what the less effective and therefore lysosomal stability decreases. consequences of this would be. This causes a decrease in their effectiveness. Both of these Scientists will carry on researching the cellular ageing systems start to reduce functionality, meaning the protein process in humans, not only because little is known on the turnover system is easier to overcome and accumulation of topic, but also, as the elderly population grows, research damaged proteins can occur. Overall, the protein turnover needs to be done to look into treatments and solutions for system is overloaded and thus accumulation occurs and this growing part of our culture. Therefore, the cellular ageing cell functionality decreases. Clumps of proteins can also process in humans is thought to be a combination of different have modifications joined to them, such as the addition of factors but all link to gradual reduction in functionality of the carbohydrates or lipids to form lipofuscin, highly cross-linked cell over time.’ oxidised material which is non-degradable and therefore Congratulation to Benedict, and to Harry and the other highly builds up in cells (ibid.). While there is always build-up of commended boys, on their BSIP work; we look forward to damaged proteins in cells, it is often reduced again during observing their continued progress, and to welcoming a new cohort division as some of the built-up proteins end up in the new of lower sixth students onto the programme in September 2019. cell. This helps limit the amount of build-up in cells, but in MWG slow dividing cells or cells that don’t divide at all, such as THE MAGAZINE OF BEDFORD SCHOOL AND THE OLD BEDFORDIANS CLUB
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CLUBS AND SOCIETIES
Atentu! Bonvolu leGi ĉi tiun artikolon pri Esperanto The perfect international auxiliary language should be easy to learn, completely regular, and politically neutral. There is, in fact, a language with no irregularities or exceptions, a language where each letter has only one sound, a language whose name actually means “the one who hopes”. This language is Esperanto. Esperanto was created by L. L. Zamenhof, a Polish doctor who lived in an area where Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, German and Belorussian communities had to share the land. He worked for years analyzing languages for inspiration. Finally, in 1887, he published the first book about his international language under the pseudonym of “Doktoro Esperanto” which means “the hopeful doctor”. Today, the estimated number of people who speak Esperanto is more than two million worldwide (and growing). Why is Esperanto such a good candidate to become the international lingua franca? First, Esperanto is neutral as it does not favour the speakers or the economy of specific nations. In terms of practical learning, studies have revealed that Esperanto is a lot quicker to learn than other languages. One study stated that, while for the average English speaker it takes nearly 2000 hours of study to reach a good level of German or French, it only takes 150 hours to achieve the same level of Esperanto. An experimental project in the UK concluded that “A child can learn as much Esperanto in about 6 months as he would French in 3 or 4 years... if all children studied Esperanto during the first 6–12 months of learning languages, they would gain much and lose nothing.”
WHY IS IT SO EASY? A FEW EXAMPLES 1. Completely regular verbs: in Esperanto, all infinitives end in -i. In the present tense, verbs always end in -as, in the past in -is, and in the future in -os. There are no irregular verbs! 2. Pronunciation: Oh, English pronunciation! In Esperanto, you spell exactly as you speak and pronounce exactly as it’s written. All letters have only one sound and all sounds have only one letter: once you know the 28 sounds you can write anything you hear and you immediately know how to pronounce any word you read. 3. Creating new words. This is one of my favourite features of Esperanto. It is very easy to express yourself by creating a new word using prefixes and suffixes. For example, the prefix “mal” changes the meaning of any word to its opposite. The verb “ami” means “to love” and therefore, “malami” means to hate. “Beautiful” is “bela” and “malbela” means “ugly”. An example of suffix is “ejo” which refers to a place. “lerni” means “to learn” and “lernejo” is the place where people learn: a school. If you don’t know or remember the word for “toilet”, you could just say that you need to go to the “maltrinkejo”, meaning “the place where you do the opposite of drinking”. This system means that every time you learn a suffix or prefix your vocabulary immediately doubles.
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Thanks to the internet, Esperanto is growing faster than ever. The Esperanto Duolingo course for English speakers recently reached 1 million students, and you have to add two hundred thousand more from the course for Spanish speakers. One can also register on a new app called Amikumu, to find Esperanto speakers near you and practise the language. At least one international convention has been held every year since 1905 and there are clubs and societies all over the world that meet to practise Esperanto locally. The Esperanto community may be small and widely dispersed but it has enthusiasts: if you speak a little bit, wherever you go there are Esperantists who are excited that you exist. Esperanto also has its own culture, one that has a lot to do with embracing diversity and finding what we all have in common. As I have recently read: ‘to speak Esperanto is to become an automatic citizen in the most welcoming non-nation on Earth’. Speakers of Esperanto tend to be open-minded people who like learning new things, traveling and meeting people from all over the world. Over the years, Esperanto has developed its own slang, idioms and, of course, rude words! There are films in Esperanto, bands that sing in the international language, even radio stations and thousands of books in Esperanto, both translated and original works. In fact, we have a few of them in the school library. Versions in Esperanto of Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit, The Time-Machine, The Hound of the Baskervilles and Around the World in 80 Days are waiting for anyone interested. This is not the first contact that Bedford School has with the internacia lingvo. In the 1987 Ousel you can find information about the first recorded mention of Esperanto in our school:
Boys with an appetite for Esperanto were given the chance to sate it by Mr Beaven’s instigation on Tuesday afternoons (…) This was so heavily subscribed that it looked as though Esperanto might, overnight, achieve its inventor’s ambition of becoming the universal Lingua Franca
After so many years, Esperanto recently returned to school. Students can meet to talk about what makes Esperanto the easiest language to learn and how it can help you learn other languages as well. The Esperanto club meets on Mondays at 1:15pm in C12 with Mr. Sánchez to learn more about the language that Hitler prohibited, the language that Stalin called “the language of spies”, the language that hopes to help the people of every country on earth understand each other and work, once more, together. Remember God’s words: ‘As one people speaking the same language nothing we plan to do will be impossible for us.’ Víctor Sánchez
CLUBS AND SOCIETIES
MAKING PIZZA WITH THE ITALIAN SOCIETY This year’s Italian Society has grown since last year and now boasts a solid cohort of ten boys, who are mad about all things Italian. From a language-learning perspective, the boys have improved steadily over the course of the academic year and intend to sit their A1 & A2 PLIDA exams in November. PLIDA or Progetto Lingua Dante Alighieri are language exams offered by the Dante Alighieri Society with academic oversight from La Sapienza University of Rome. They are a fantastic alternative to the GCSE for students wishing to
engage with extra-curricular language studies! The highlight of the year, however, was the Society’s Pizza Evening, in which boys learnt how to cook pizza in a frying pan (it may surprise some to hear that pan-fried pizza is a traditional Italian method of cooking that originated in the post-war period). All boys were pleased with their efforts, particularly Felix Barth (Fifth Form), who managed to construct a cheese stuffed-crust without any help from the kitchen staff! MLD
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Barclay’s Bank ‘Hackathon’ On Tuesday and Wednesday of the 5th and 6th February 2019, Alex Ward, Matthew Lewis, Henry Shaw and James Wallace along with Dr Wild (Head of Computer Science) participated in a Barclay’s Bank ‘hackathon’ which took place at Barclay’s Rise in London. The hackathon was all about some of the newest technologies in the banking and corporate space: that of block chain and something called the Ion Interoperability framework. Several technical teams from banks and high-profile tech companies, various Chief Technology Officers and press organisations were there. The judges were well-known enterprise leaders in the banking and tech industries. Santander Bank won and second prize went to a company called Web3j who have been working on
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the technology for several years. Our boys were tasked, with no prior knowledge of the technologies, to come up with an idea of how they could utilise a new language (called Solidity) and a brand new block chain interoperability framework called ION. The boys identified a novel use-case for the technology: data exchange that enabled UCAS, exam-boards, awarding bodies, schools and students to seamlessly transfer and digitally sign contracts on a currency that is very valuable to them – their exam results. The idea was pitched to the judges in a similar way to Dragon’s Den. It wasn’t long before the judges started to talk among themselves, saying things like, ‘Do you realise that this could be applied to…’ and then all sorts of technical framework buzzwords were used. Eventually they were saying things such as, ‘My god, this is brilliant!’ Afterwards, Bedford set about the task of coding, from
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scratch, a working prototype of the solution. They managed to create contracts that were digitally signed and passed through the block-chain ION framework, being filled out by awarding bodies and schools. They were actually passing around examination result-tokens like bitcoins in a financial market. And it worked! On the second day, Bedford continued to do development and the programming team, led by Matthew Lewis in the L6, managed to find two very important bugs in the technology that they were using. These bugs struck chords with the technical team at Clearmatics, the company who invented the Ion framework. They couldn’t believe that school boys could find such defects and blogged in a post, saying: ‘Some bright and
motivated A level students from Bedford School were one of the teams and they raised issues in our GitHub repository, and even wrote a pull request.’ The bugs are now affectionately known as ‘Bed-Bugs’! At the end of the second day Bedford won third prize. Dr Braine, a Barclay’s director, explained that Bedford solution, ‘was the only one that was truly generalized and re-usable: it opened our eyes to new use-cases that nobody has thought of before. Bedford’s pitch was professional, clear and concise.’ The Chief Technology Officer of Barclays Bank personally congratulated the Bedford School team, which is quite some achievement. DGW
United Kingdom Linguistics Olympiad A Tale of Two Oscars With a medal haul of one gold, three silvers and two bronze, I give my congratulations to Oscar Hudson, Oscar Hill, Alfie Willcocks, Nikolai Sorokin, Calum Bourne and Joseph Fordham. This year’s UKLO challenge was fiendishly hard and required the boys to tackle a host of understudied and exotic languages, ranging from Mongolian to Ndebele. Oscar Hill, one of our three silver medallists, would later receive a commendation for his explanation of Gumatj’s quinary number system. Gumatj (or Duhwal, as it is also known) is an Aboriginal Australian language with just five-thousand speakers. How he managed to do this in the space of three hours is a mystery to me!
Oscar Hudson, head of the Linguistics Society, has now been awarded gold for two years in a row. Will he bring home gold for a third time next year? It’s also worth mentioning that out of 1,497 entries from some of the top schools across the world, Oscar came 70th - a huge achievement by anyone’s standards. I am extremely proud of all the boys who competed in this year’s Advanced Paper, a full list of whom can be found below: Oscar Hudson, Oscar Hill, Nikolai Sorokin, Alfie Willcocks, Calum Bourne, Joseph Fordham, Dylan Swain, David Adeyemi-Abere, George Winder, Harry Mason, Henry Faulkner, Rahul Sheemar, Jamie Williams, Moritz Stahl, Harry Robertson, Jack O’Donovan, Harry McPhail, Oliver Crankshaw, Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. MLD
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A sky-dive for a good cause On Sunday the 26th of May, Ms Thomson jumped out of an airplane for a cause much greater than satisfying her desire for extreme thrill. She did it for Marcus, one of her tutees, who sadly passed away due to an undiagnosed heart condition. 162
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Interviewer: What made you decide to raise money for charity? Ms Thompson: Well, Marcus Tsang was in my tutor group and unfortunately he died over the Christmas holiday and initially I didn’t know what to do to help. Then I had the idea of doing a sky-dive for CRY, a charity which supports the scanning of cardiac problems in the young.
Once we were in the air I really enjoyed the freefall which lasted 35 seconds.
I: Was the sky-dive on your bucket list? Ms T: No: while I have thought about it occasionally, it was never something I was determined to do. When the opportunity came, I thought if I am going to go through with this, I should do it for a good cause. I: Did it take a lot of mental courage to overcome the fear and make the sky-dive official? Ms T: Yes: the first person I spoke to was Mr. Gracie, as he was Marcus’ housemaster; then I talked to Mr. Hodgson and he assured me that the school would support the charity. Afterwards, I sent a blanket email to all staff, saying that I am going to do a sky-dive. I: On the day of the dive, what were your first thoughts after waking up in the morning? Ms T: To be honest, I was excited and looking forward to it, while at the same time I was a little bit nervous. I: How did you feel when you saw the equipment on the plane? Ms T: I thought the plane was very small, however the parachute itself, and the presence of a backup parachute made me feel safe.
speed of 120 mph, all you feel is the air and, absurdly, a sense of security. I: Was the view as good as you imagined? Ms T: The view was stunning, especially above the clouds. After the initial jump out of the plane we fell through the clouds and when they cleared the view was breath-taking. I: How was the landing? Ms T: Well, I have to admit that I did not land well. I was supposed to lift my feet up, but as we approached I found that all my adrenaline had gone. But luckily the guide was really experienced and prevented a crash-landing. I: How would you describe being on solid ground again? Ms T: Fantastic, I was relieved. I: Would you do it a second time? Ms T: No! I definitely wouldn’t do it again, however I’m glad that I’ve done a sky-dive once.
I: Did you receive any training prior to the jump?
I: If I’m allowed to ask this question, how much money have you raised up to now?
Ms T: Yes: on the day they showed us how to use the parachutes and told us how to act during the jump. Moreover, I was shown how to lift my feet up ready for the landing.
Ms. T: So far, I’ve raised over £1020. After ‘Just Giving’ contacted me, I was amazed to find out that I was in the top 5% of their fundraisers this year.
I: Was there any moment when you thought of cancelling the jump?
I: Was the sky-dive worth doing?
Ms T: At the moment when they opened the door of the plane and I looked outside, I felt nauseous. I was terrified: the excitement had disappeared and all I felt was fear. I: Was it any different taking off in a plane, knowing you would not land in it? Ms T: No, not really, I knew we had to go up in a plane in order to jump out. I was already attached to the tandem so we were all cramped in. I: How did you feel during the jump? Ms T: Once we were in the air I really enjoyed the freefall which lasted 35 seconds. Even though you are dropping at a
Ms. T: It definitely was in order to raise money for a good cause. This, to be absolutely honest, was the first time I’ve ever raised money for charity, which made the idea as a whole even more special. I: Would you recommend others to do it? Ms. T: I most certainly would. As fearful as I was, I never felt unsafe or got the impression that my life was in danger. I: Now that you have done a tandem skydive, would you ever want to do one on your own? Ms. T: No, I’m never going to do that again. Hang gliding, however, is a sport that has recently roused my interest…. Simon Bessel
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Charities 2018-2019 This has, once again, been a very successful year from the point of view of charitable fund-raising. The total raised this year is £22,915, with proceeds going to a wide variety of international, national and locally-based charities.
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The autumn term saw a school-wide effort to run/cycle/ swim/row ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ to raise money for the Movember Foundation and for local mental health charity The Mind Map. Brainchild of Harry Hine, boys and staff participated in weekly group runs as well as considerable individual efforts to travel the circumference of the globe between the start of term and the 30th of November. 24,901 miles were duly covered – an amazing achievement by all involved. The Movember campaign again included a vast array of pupil-led activities and fund-raising events. New this year was a very successful curry night where boys invited their male relatives for an evening of delicious food and drinks, magicians and an after-dinner talk from Joe Wallace, OB, and part of Saints rugby team. Another new event was the Aussie rules football competition, ably run by Australians Dr Wallace and Mr Palmer – great fun, although the November weather
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didn’t feel very Antipodean. A parody of ‘September’ by Earth, Wind and Fire became the must-see video of November; the upper sixth donned their best 1970s outfits There were many charitable musical events too – a concert to raise money for Autism Bedfordshire was organised by Silas Sanders and the annual Rock Night was a spectacular event where the Quarry Theatre was transformed by an amazing light show complete with DJ sets and performances from local pupils. More recently, the summer term brought a wonderful charity concert in memory of staff and pupils lost this year. ‘Nettles and Nightingales’ brought an eclectic mix of staff performances ranging from opera to folk to R and B and was a beautiful, life-affirming and fitting tribute to our colleagues. Running has figured prominently in charitable activities this year. In April, the whole school took part in a charity run to raise money for Cancer Research UK and CRY. Also in April, Miss Bell and Mr Palmer ran the London Marathon in aid of Hospice UK and the Movember run in Milton Keynes saw a group of staff and pupils participate in the 10k event. Cakes have also been a big feature in our fund raising and many thanks to all those who have donated cakes to the various sales that we have had. One more memorable cake sale took place on ‘Football Shirt Friday’, an initiative run by the Bobby Moore Foundation which raises money for bowel cancer research. Boys and teachers wore their football shirts to school and also took part in the ‘beat the goalie’ competition. Paulo Pontine house held a very successful cake sale in February, raising money for the Primrose Unit at Bedford Hospital. Even the staff cars benefitted from charities this year, with a staff car wash organised by Max Deacon to raise money for the Brain Tumour Charity. Pupil volunteers proved that they
had some hidden car washing talents and worked together to polish up an impressive number of vehicles. I’d like to thank everyone who has donated to charity this year; your generosity is astounding. I’d like to particularly thank the boys in the Charities Committee and the Movember team for giving up so much time willingly and enthusiastically. Most of the charity events are rooted in ideas that come from the boys themselves and often for reasons that are very close to home for them; please do continue to come forward with your fantastic ideas. Last but not at all least, Mrs Medley’s legacy of charitable work is evident at all times in our charity work at school and it is an honour to continue her good work. Susie Spyropoulos MiC Charities and Movember
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The Ousel
Autumn 2018 - Summer 2019
Number 991
2018-2019