TH E KING' S SCHOOL , WORCESTE R
Headmaster
Second Master
K P Barnett, M.A
D Anderton,M.A
A. L. Stacey,M.A.
J R Turner, B.Sc
M J Points, M.A
T. D. R. Hickson, B.A., M.Inst.P.
J. L. K. Bridges, B.Sc.
R C Gabriel, M.A
L B Day, M.A
I Brown, Dip P.E
G N Leah, M.A., Ph.D
R. Allum. B.Sc., M.I.Biol.
M W Bentley, Cert Ed
E R Burkill, M.A
S. R. Davies, Cert. Ed. (Careers)
T E Watson, M.Inst.P
P G Diamond, B.A., M.Phil
P. C. Thompson, M.A.
M Young, M.A (Careers)
A G R Kneen, D.F.A., D.A.E
P. J. Baseley, Dip. H/craft
T. M. D. Crow, M.A.
D. E. Hope, B.Sc.
M. J. Roberts, B.Sc.
A M Milne, M.A
P G L Curie, M.A
J. M. Roslington, B.Sc., M.Inst.P.
R D Hunt, B.A
•Mrs. M. A. Nott, B.Sc., M.I.Biol.
Revd. P. Hammersley, B.D. (Chaplain)
A. L. Hirst, M.A.
R F Humphreys, M.Sc
B. Griffiths, B.Tech.
E Reeves, M.A
Miss S. E. Rouse, B.Sc., Ph.D.
*Mrs. D. E. Hammersley, B.Sc.
D T Naish, B.Ed
•J. Battle, B.Sc.
•Mrs. M. J.Brown, Cert.Ed.
N A Faux, B.A
M Homer, B.A
T. Mason, B.Sc.
•Mrs C F Roslington, B.A
M A Stevens,M.A
•Mrs. D. Wake, B.A.
•Mrs S Allum, B.Sc
P J A Eccleston, M.A
R. A. Fleming, B.A.
D. P. Iddon, B.A.
D. A. Pemberton, M.A.
MUSIC
J M R Drummond, M.A., Mus.B., F.R.C.O
H. R. Thurlby, L.R.A.M. *P.Trepte, M.A.. F.R.C.O. and 27 Visiting Teachers
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Master in Charge - H.G.Searle, D.C.P., Cert. Ed.
Mrs. S. L. Searle, Cert. Ed.
K. M. Burt, B.Ed.
Mrs. L.A. Jackson, M.A.
• = part-time
Miss S. L.Lewis, B.Ed.
Miss L. Wellings, B.Ed.
Bursar - Wing-Commander A. Hickox, F.A.A.I., M.B.I.M., M.Inst.A.M.
Medical Officer - Dr. J.M. Duncan, M.B., Ch.B.
Sister - Mrs. B. M. Hony, S.R.N., O.N.C. Caterer - Mr.N. Witherick
Headmaster's Secretary - Miss M. E. Baldwin Accountant - Miss A Turvey
SCHOOL NOTES
"Never a dull moment" would seem to be as apt a phrase as any to describe the past year at King's Certainly we have passed through twelve months of splendid diversity, months in which there has been much to remember with delight and much upon which to reflect and to debate
For those fortunate enough to be involved, the most impressive event must have been the visit of H.M The Queen on Maundy Thursday The Service in the Cathedral was a truly memorable one, as was a subsequent service commemorating the thirteenth centenary of the Diocese On this latter occasion the King's Scholars had a major role to play, bearing gifts in honour of the occasion from dignitaries representing a whole range of denominations, and in both the Choristers sang magnificiently Indeed the Choristers have had an exciting and demanding year, finishing with two highly successful tours, one to France and the other to Scandinavia
Whilst all this was going on, the School itself was also vigorously involved in its own affairs The May Day Fete was given a Victorian flavour this year and raised the phenomenal sum of £10,000, a welcome boost to the Development Trust at a time when major improvements have been made to the quality of life in the Boarding Houses and a start has been made on a £170,000 extension to the Science Laboratories in the Winslow Block Meanwhile, the over-all health of the School has been equally evident in the doings of its members Seven awards and six places at Oxford and Cambridge in December 1979 were followed in the Summer by an A-level pass rate of 84.4% of which nearly 47% were passes at grades A and B, whilst at junior level boys in St Alban's won seven of the twenty-seven highly prized "free places" offered at King's by the L.E.A On the Sports field the first XV enjoyed its most successful season for many years David Hudson was picked to play for England Schoolboys v England Colts, who in turn were captained by Daryl Jelinek, who had led the King's School XV during 1978/79 season School drama flourished, notably in a most striking production of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" and it was no surprise to see two members of the School selected for the formidably competitive courses run during the summer holidays by the National Youth Theatre Before this, however, the Easter holiday had seen a memorable School expedition to Moscow and Leningrad, an experience which brought striking creative writing from some of the boys and girls involved Creativity was likewise the key to the magnificent sermon preached on Senior King's Day by Edward Patey, Dean of Liverpool Dwelling upon the twin influences of Edward Elgar and George Bernard Shaw, Canon Patey drew a compelling picture of the sort of qualities we as a School should be seeking to draw out of those in our charge It is a daunting responsibility, this task of preparing young people for the demands and injustices of the world into which they will go, and I am constantly in mind of the standard demanded by one unusually sensitive nineteenth century headmaster when he opined that "Schools should be copies in miniature of the world as we should like it to be" - a challenging thought, but one worth thinking on At the end of the year we said farewell to a number of people to whom the School's debt is considerable Pride of place must go to Fred Logan, who retired after 33 years here - as master in charge of the 1st XV for many years, as Head of the Biology Department and Housemaster of Wulstan he will not be forgotten Not far behind him comes Arthur Aldridge, who retired after 26 years at King's A gentle and scholarly figure, Arthur too will not be forgotten Alan Young, Peter Petherbridge, Andrew Gordon and Margaret Bradfield all moved on to new posts, as did Alan Bouldstridge, our Bursar over the past eight years We wish them well, as we do Mr P J Ecclestone, Mr R A Fleming, Mr D P Iddon, Mr D A Pemberton and Mr H R Thurlby, who join the Staff of the Senior School, Miss S L Lewis and Miss L Wellings, who join the Staff of St Alban's and Wing Commander Alan Hickox, who takes up the position of Bursar Our warm and heart-felt thanks go also to Alan Stacey and Michael Points, who came to the end of their terms as Housemasters of School House and Castle House respectively Their places have been taken by Mr M J Roberts and Mr R Allum Mr Allum also succeeds Mr Logan as Head of the Biology Department, whilst Mr T E Watson takes over as Housemaster of Wulstan Our congratulations to Mr N Faux on his marriage to Miss Diane Callaway, and to Mr and Mrs B Griffiths on the birth of a son, James Alexander
And finally, our humble and heartfelt condolences to Mr and Mrs Ceci, whose son, Robert, died of cystic fibrosis in June 1980, but not before making his mark on me, a mere newcomer, in his performance in "Death of a Salesman" the previous November His death was a bitter blow
A M Milne
MR AND MRS D M
ANNETT
In July 1979 the Annetts left 14 College Green and retired to the village of Whitbourne on the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border Their final days were dizzy with parties, presentations and valedictions, all memorable but not all recorded in the 1979 Vigornian It is easier now to attempt a dispassionate micro-analysis of Mr Annett's headmastership He inherited 627 boys from Mr Kittermaster in 1959 He bequeathed 732 boys and 39 Sixth Form girls to Mr Milne in 1979 Throughout his reign entry to the School was healthily competitive Its Direct Grant status assured a high standard of academic promise The presence of the Cathedral choristers and ex-choristers assured a high standard of musical promise
Mr Annett always did his best to provide good facilities for music teaching and practice and good opportunities for instrumental and choral performance in public, beyond what the Cathedral provided His biggest single coup was the building and funding of the College Hall Gallery organ Nothing pleased him more than the series of Organ Scholarships won by his boys at Oxford and Cambridge and the subsequent musical careers of Stephen Cleobury, Nicholas Cleobury, Andrew Millington, Richard Steele, Stephen Darlington and Geoffrey Webber, six O.V.s still in their twenties
The same sort of hard thinking and persistent updating of plant lay behind the seventy Oxford and Cambridge Scholarships and Exhibitions won in History, Modern Languages, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography and Engineering in 195978 Even more impressive (because the long run is more telling than the short) were the fifty First Classes gained at British Universities and the still longer list of further degrees and doctorates Already Dr J A C H Reddick (52-60) is Professor of German at Liverpool and Dr A J Culyer (57-61) Professor of Economics at York
The first Sixth Form girls (four of them) were admitted in September 1971 The number increased to thirty when 15 College Green was leased in 1977 and, as College House, became a girls' house Mrs Annett took a particular interest in the girls' welfare
In 1977 also the School resumed the independent status that it had had until 1919 The 11+ passes who were in the School were not affected and there was no shortage of candidates for entry despite the higher fees The real agonising came in the ten years before when the continuance of the Direct Grant was opposed by the Labour Party and supported by the Conservative and each Party was now up, now down, like buckets in a well
There was once a time when the Headmaster's job was to teach Latin and Greek to the top half of a small school and do it all day That ended a hundred years ago Mr Annett had little teaching to do Instead, he had to negotiate and confer with the Governors, with the Local Education Authorities, with the Dean and Chapter, the Headmasters' Conference, the Universities, the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Education, the O.V Club, the parents (both present and prospective)
His pupils were unaware of this and its consequent pressures Everyone, though, could appreciate the constant need for money to finance new buildings and capital developments; the Direct Grant only brought income The Annetts mounted a School Fete in May every even-numbered year Each represented a mammoth effort, beforehand and at the time and in clearing up afterwards In each of their ten Fetes the Annetts were very much joint leaders To the £50,000 so raised could be added two bonus results The public saw the full extent of the school grounds on this side of the Severn The masters and boys put their backs into a corporate effort and the parents did almost as much
The less spectacular fund-raising was spearheaded by the Development Campaign which in one form or another was always at work, helped by O.V.s and parents and Governors and twice employing professional fund-raisers And all the time the Swop Shop quietly helped to create goodwill and profits
From their strenuous efforts the Annetts have now tasted release and we thank them on our own behalf and on behalf of posterity, which will surely rate this chapter high in the King's School's long history
THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, 1979-1980
This year the boys in our four Forms were divided for teaching purposes into six groups of about twenty-two boys each, a much more satisfactory number than before The four Form Masters were assisted by Mr A J Gordon and Mr M Homer as Form Tutors This arrangement was devised as a half-way house to six separate Forms, which have actually come into being in 1980, with Mr Homer and Mr R F Humphreys as the new Form Masters
Accommodation for the new forms has been found in the old Fives Courts, but this can only be a temporary measure and we look forward to the day when the Fives Courts are restored to their proper use and classrooms can be found elsewhere for us
Outside the classroom Chess, Debating, Five-a-side Football, Drama and Music continue to thrive and we have many boys learning musical instruments The Art and Handicraft Departments are also helping boys to fulfil their potential in the evenings
On the academic front, Anderton and Owen are to be congratulated on winning King's Scholarships, Booth and Parker on their Exhibitions and Harvey on his Music Exhibition
In the Summer Term we held the Athletic Sports on Junior King's Day This was successfull and the feeling is that we should alternate year by year between Sports and an Open Day with displays and demonstrations
The Music Competition was won by Lower IV Beta, who impressed the adjudicator, Mr Geoffrey Webber, O.V
At the end of term, the Middle School Supper was replaced by an Entertainments Evening which was much enjoyed The colourful Hiawatha's Wedding Feast was a lively and exciting performance, the gymnastics simple but very professional, and Let's Parlay Franglay was one of the funniest sketches the Middle School has ever produced
My thanks to all the Form Masters for their hard work and to the parents for their constant support
M.W.B
Played 20 Won 14 Drawn 1 Lost 5
Points for - 450 Points against - 211
This was the most successful season the XV has enjoyed for 10 years It was based on competent play in all departments plus an excellent spirit amongst a most diverse set of characters
Victory over Dean Close was comfortable in the first match but Christ's Brecon overwhelmed us 50-11 with a remarkable performance This drubbing hung over the team when they drew the next match with Bishop Vesey's by letting things slip in the last five minutes The turning point of the season occurred against Solihull when the players started to believe in their ability to win and a sequence of eight victories followed with notable victories at 20-0 over Warwick and the first ever defeat of Wreken 33-0 The wins over K.E.C Stourbridge (4-3) and W.R.G.S (10-9) were more nailbiting affairs Although dominating the Grammar School for much of the game, they had the opportunitry to snatch victory with three kickable penalties
Three games were lost towards the end of term The absence of Scott and Jones from the pack was crucial in the defeat at the hands of K.E.S Spirited performances against Bromsgrove and Ellesmere could not make up for playing with a man short for the majority of each game
The highlight of the Spring Term was the defeat of Belmont Abbey whose reputation is nationwide A touring Argentinian team from Mendoza were entertained and proved to be extremely strong; their 14-7 victory possibly flattering us a little
Selection of the 1st XV was quite an easy affair this year as essentially there were sixteen players in the squad Nevertheless there was not one occasion when all sixteen were available Craig Preston led the team from open-side flanker with an enthusiasm and dedication which was admirable The contrasting styles of Preston and the two other back row players Toby Scott and David Bernie proved to be a most effective combination Peter Jones and Stuart Preece teamed up in the second row Jones' driving aggressive play and Preece's line-out jumping were features of the team's performances Ian James and Andy Searle propped Ralph Pite, the best hooker the School has had for a number of years This combination was so solid that there were just two occasions, against Brecon and Bromsgrove, that they were in any difficulty
It was unfortunate that Alistair Windsor, the vice captain, was dogged by injury for much of the season as his generalship and sniping runs were most effective at the base of the scrum Nick Hales played in both scrum-half and fly-half positions effectively showing an astute tactical awareness and determination which augurs well for his leadership next season Richard Westley returned to action after half term and showed glimpses of flair which have always typified his play The most successful positional change of the season was that of Mark Ryan to full back from flyhalf He adapted to the position naturally and his well timed entries into the line helped Gary Davies collect 19 tries throughout the season Davies' play on one wing was typified by strong direct running and hard tackling whilst on the other Ian Blackburn showed much promise for next season Romano Subiotto played with renewed confidence in the centre, his combination with David Hudson being successful due once again to contrasting styles
It was unfortunate that we were unable to play Hudson on the wing but he is to be congratulated on representing England Schools against England Colts in that position Daryl Jelinek, last year's 1st XV captain, led England Colts in that match and for the rest of their campaign These are the first full representative honours that the School has ever achieved and we look forward to more in the near future Craig Preston represented Worcestershire Schools and would probably have gone further if injury had not interceded
M J Roberts
2ND XV RUGBY
Played 20 Won 14 Lost 6
Points for-382 Points against - 82
After a poor start to the season, losing our first four matches against largely mediocre sides, the team was able to completely revitalise its rugby and win 14 of the remaining 16 matches, conceding only 4 tries in the process
Much of the praise for this amazing turn of form must go to our coach, S Davies, who reminded us that to win anything in rugby one must master the basic skills of scrummaging, rucking and defensive organisation, and who instilled in the side a tremendous team spirit and determination to win
From this sound basis, individual skills were able to flourish, and from bearing the brunt of the criticism for the poor early-season performances, the three-quarters became an equally capable part of the side
However, it would be wrong to highlight individual players, because each member of the side played a vital part in the team's success, each match producing a good collective performance rather than a match-winning individual one, and making the season so successful and enjoyable
3RD XV RUGBY
Played 10 Won 4 Lost 4 Drawn 2
The 3rd's continued in their progress during this season by producing a side which never gave up and which could produce very attractive rugby on occasions The game against Queen Mary's Walsall was such a game when they came back from 16 points down to draw 20-20 narrowly missing a win by allowing them to score in the last minute K.E.S Birmingham should also have been won with the score at 4-4 and a missed conversion right in front of the posts The old rivals W.R.G.S were beaten after a tense and close game played in an excellent spirit by both sides Thanks go to Adam Clemens for his captaincy and to all who played and played very well considering the constant unsettling caused by moves up to the 1st's and 2nd's when injuries hit us
D.E.H
U16RUGBY
Played 10 Won 7 Lost 3 Drawn 0
The season began in tremendous fashion with three resounding victories over Christ College Brecon, Bishop's Hereford and Woodrush High School With success coming early everyone thought that this was to be a record-breaking year However the side was rather brought down to earth at Warwick School losing badly by 28-6 and at Wrekin College where defeat was by 30-15 In both matches we were defeated because we made silly mistakes at crucial times in the games For long periods of both games we dominated play only to give away scores through lapses of concentration Success returned in the County Cup competition with a win over Pershore High School Following this came the highlight of the season when the Grammar School were defeated by 6-4 in a thoroughly enthralling game Another win against Earls High School took us to the final of the U16 County Cup Competition Before this we lost our third match of the season to Bromsgroveagain an unnecessary defeat Errors in defence lost us several points and we only really began to play the way we could when too far behind The Cup final was played at Worcester Rugby Club against King Edward's College, Stourbridge Although not a game for the purist, the match was played with wholehearted commitment by everyone and a stirring contest ended in defeat by 6-4, the winning score being a penalty in the dying seconds Having just about deserved to win it was such a disappointing way to end the season
The success of the season was largely founded on the supremacy which our pack was able to establish in nearly every game Outstanding in the forwards were Kevin Morgan, who led the side well, John Bracey and Alan Revill However it is really unfair to single out players from a pack who played so well together The threequarters were not as effective as a unit but at times produced some inspired pieces of play
Matthew Pendle controlled play well at fly-half and with Stuart Preston provided a steady half-back partnership Tim Hooker and Stuart Dobb were workmanlike centres whilst Malcolm Butt and Johnny Kwan produced some sparkling running on the wings
Simon Norfolk had an excellent season at fullback; consistent in defence and always ready to join the threequarter line in attack he scored and helped to score some memorable tries, not least his score in the cup final Having mentioned nearly everyone else it seems unfair not to note the 'workhorses' of the team 'Taff' Nicholas, Niall McNevin, Adrian Searle, Scott Fleming, Simon Harris and 'Fred' Rostand all played their part in the success of the season and deserve praise for their unstinting efforts in the cause of the team
P.L.P
U13RUGBY
Played 11 Won 4 Lost 7
Despite gaps in some key positions, the team made good progess and during the season there were several fine personal and team performances, notably against Christ College Brecon Mackie, Marshall and Bayliss represented the county, and the team as a whole can look forward to many enjoyable seasons representing the school
M.H
Played 14 Won 2 Lost 3 Drawn 9
Captain: P Wood Secretary: S Preece
Batting Cup: P Wood Bowling Cup: S Fleming
In my fifth and final season in charge of the School 1st XII would be less than honest if I did not say that I would have preferred a more successful season to finish on True, there were moments when people did display some of the talents both they and I knew they possessed but these were rarely on show These included Peter Wood's 95 against Wrekin College, Scott Fleming's five wickets against Malvern College and Martin Foard's 103 N.O against The Gentlemen of Worcester Everyone in the team would probably agree that this was not as good a season as it ought to have been Most players showed at some stage of the season what they were capable of but no-one produced consistently good batting or bowling performances This, of course, could all be explained by the terrible weather of last summer term which meant a very disjointed season when no-one was really able to settle into any sort of 'form' This was part of the trouble, but in a game which relies to such a great extent on application and self-confidence both aspects were sadly missing from many performances The pick of the batsmen was Jeff Spicer but he made nowhere near the number of runs he should have done On occasions he was ably supported by Peter Wood, Mark Thompson and David Hudson All the bowlers tried hard, none more so than Craig Preston and Dave Allen, but more often than not our bowling was pitched too short to be really effective As I have also mentioned before now, a large number of the drawn matches were due to our inability to chase targets set Some of these were well within our reach but for some reason we nearly always got into a 'tangle' early on in our innings and ended the game tamely playing out a draw
Once again King's fielding has been second to none largely due to the example set by Peter Wood ably backed by the wicketkeeping of Nick Hales
Finally, I would like to say thank you to all those people too numerous to mention who over my five year stay at King's have played their part in the smooth running of school and wish them good luck in the future
P.L.P
Wrekin College:
King's 171-6 dec (P Wood 95, M Thompson 33, J Spicer 23)
Wrekin 122 - 2 (S Fleming 2-47)
Match drawn
Malvern College XI:
Malvern 138 all out (S Fleming 5-12, D Hudson 4-24)
King's 106- 5 (J Spicer 23) Match drawn
Dean Close School:
Dean Close 162-6 dec (C Preston 2-22, D Hudson 2-36, S Fleming 2-41)
King's 118 - 8 (C Preston 30, D Hudson 20) Match drawn
Christ's College Brecon:
Christ's College 140 all out (D Hudson 5-28, D Allan 4-31)
King's 142 - 6 (A Revill 31, M Thompson 22)
King's won by 4 wickets
K.E.C Stourbridge:
K.E.C 175-5 dec (S Fleming 2-15)
King's 122 - 5 (P Wood 39, D Hudson 24, M Thompson 22 N.O.)
Match drawn
Bablake School:
King's 136 all out (D Hudson 35, J Spicer 24, M Foord 20)
Bablake 137-5
Bablake won by 5 wickets
Old Vigornians:
O.V.'s 225 - 3 dec (C Preston 2-46)
King's 225 - 8 (C Preston 53, A Revill 48 N.O., M Thompson 39, J Spicer 36)
Match drawn
K.E.S Birmingham:
K.E.S 158-4dec.iC Preston 2-59)
King's 112 - 6 (P Wood 41 N.O., J Spicer 33, D Hudson 22) Match drawn
Bromsgrove School:
Bromsgrove 114-9 dec (M Foord 3-13, S Fleming 3-18)
King's 48- 5
Match drawn
Worcestershire Club & Ground XI
Club & Ground 250 - 4 dec
King's 125 - 6 (M Thompson 63, S Preece 22 N.O.)
Match drawn
XL Club:
King's 135 all out (A Searle 38, S Preece 23)
XL Club 114 - 8 (C Preston 2-5)
Match drawn
Gentlemen of Worcester: Gentlemen of Worcester 164-6 (S Fleming 2-17)
King's 165-3 (M Foard 103 N.O., N Hales 35)
Won by 7 wickets
PL Petherbridge'sXI:
King's 110 all out (M Foard 27, D Hudson 23)
P.L.P.'s XI 111 - 6 (S Fleming 3-22)
Lost by 4 wickets
O.V.C.C.:
O.V.C.C 197 - 4 (C Preston 2-32)
King's 131 all out (M Thompson 50)
Lost by 66 runs
U16 CRICKET
Played 9 Won 7 Lost 1 Rained Off 1
Under the name of Old Vigornian's U16 team a successful season was enjoyed by all twenty who took part We were joint champions of the South Worcestershire Youth League with Worcester Nomads
Some of the games against village teams tended to be one-sided but there were some very exciting games as well
Most of the runs were made by Shiner, Thompson and Rogers, but good innings were also played by Fleming, Vivian, Darwell and Fenn
Fleming, who bowled fast, and Revill, at medium pace, were the most successful bowlers De Blaby and Fisher also bowled well
The thanks of everyone go to Mr Roberts, who ran the team, and to Campbell-Cooke, the scorer
M C Thompson
U15 CRICKET
The team was undefeated during the 1980 season with four wins and four draws Whether batting first and making a good declaration, or chasing runs quickly, or bowling the opposition out there were the players to carry the team through Duncan Rogers was not only an excellent captain, but with an average of 55 for the season he was the mainstay of the batting with the temperament and the skill both to attack the bowling and to defend stubbornly He was ably supported by Richard Jones who is developing into a very good opening batsman, and Darrel de Blaby The bowling depended on de Blaby, Fisher and Andrews More than one opposing side was clearly discomforted by the pace of de Blaby, and if Nick Fisher was also bowling well, they formed a formidable opening attack However, de Blaby especially could be wildly erratic, and at such times Kevin Andrews proved a most useful bowler His eighteen wickets for an average of ten runs per wicket are excellent figures for a slow left arm spinner
The players named above, together with the wicketkeeper, Michael Morgan, undoubtedly made for the success of the team, and the future of King's School Cricket should be secure in their hands Because of their strength other players had fewer opportunities, but at times Henry Ticehurst and Phil Mackie made useful contributions If there was any weakness in the team, it was the standard of the ground fielding, where too many displayed a slowness and lethargy more becoming players four times their age
Finally thanks must go to Cawdell who was a most loyal and competent scorer
The following played for the team: D Rogers, D de Blaby, K Andrews, R Woodward, R Jones, P Mackie, D Ball, M Morgan, M Shaw, A Bell, H Ticehurst, N Fisher
M.A.S
U12 CRICKET
The side had an enjoyable term's cricket under the authoritative leadership of Blakeway Some good cricket was played, but they were unlucky to meet several strong sides In a team of all-rounders, the batting of D Cotton and Evans stood out Evans showed a sound technique, forming a useful opening partnership with P Cotton T Brown also showed a good technique and was reliable; amongst the others Binding hit the ball hard and scored useful runs while Norfolk showed promise T Brown and D Cotton emerged as the most accurate of the faster bowlers, the latter producing a fine performance against Warwick; they were well supported by Binding who made a hat trick against Malvern Chase P Cotton, R Brown and Fawbert were promising slower bowlers who should take wickets given plenty of opportunity In the field, the side improved considerably during the term, with Jevons outstanding close to the bat
The following played: Blakeway, D Evans, D Cotton, P Cotton, T Brown, R Brown, Binding, Fawbert, Jevons,Jenkinson, Kalwaites, Norfolk, Perks, Statham, Badsey, Wilkes, Blackmore, Wright, Atkinson
Scorers: Williamson, Anslow
U14 CRICKET
Played 12 Won 8 Lost 2 Drawn 2
This was a successful and happy team There were only two defeats during the term, both against Malvern College On the first occasion the margin was 9 wickets but revenge was nearly sweet in the second match in the Lord's Taverners' Colts Trophy semi-final A little more experience in taking quick singles by the later order batsmen could well have seen the team go through to the final
The team was lead by Stuart Evans, undoubtedly the best player in the team He regularly made runs including several 50's and with his accurate medium pace bowling always picked up a few wickets As a captain he still has a little to learn on field placing and tactics but he certainly improved in these areas as the season progressed, The batting was usually given a sound start by Laurence Field and Marcus Jones Field in particular improved during the season and by the end was scoring runs regularly and with style Jim Hodgson usually scored a few runs with strong hitting but the rest of the batting lacked any consistency The need here is to apply skills learnt in the nets and to build an innings
Jim Hodgson proved an excellent opening bowler generating both pace and movement On his day he was devastating Unfortunately, he lost his rhythm in the middle of the term but seems to be returning to form by the end He is a good prospect for the future The team had two good spinners, Simon Lewis and Adrian Suckling, both of whom picked up several inexpensive wickets during the season In general the bowlers were well supported in the field and behind the stumps where Tim Owen developed into a useful wicketkeeper
Finally, the team is indebted to Jeremy Galbraith for his accurate scoring and keeping the umpires in check when they miscounted the overs!
The following played: S Evans (Capt.), N A Bryan, J Field, L Field, C Guest, J Hodgson, M Jones, N Kaltsoyannis, S Lewis, J Mackie, A McKelvie, A Morell, M Morgan, T Owen, A Rankin, H Searle, A Suckling
Matches won: Wrekin; Chase H S.; Dean Close; Bishop Perowne, Stourport H S.; Nunnery Wood; K.E.S Birmingham; Bromsgrove Matches drawn: Christ College, Brecon; Bablake Matches lost: Malvern College (twice)
T Mason/M J Points
U13 CRICKET
Played 9 Won 7 Lost 1 Drawn 1
A particularly fine season was had with some tremendous all round performances being the main strength with one or two individuals doing well in certain matches Games that stick in the memory are those against W.R.G.S - won by 2 runs; the replay against W.R.G.S was lost (we'll kindly forget the circumstances); and for my money the best game was the last, that against Warwick who had a strong side with three county players We batted first with not a lot of sense but Sanders held the innings together with a dogged 28 At 69 all out and with Warwick at 31 for 0 the result seemed to be Warwick's, but all the bowlers turned in their tidiest performance of the season and Warwick were all out for 62 Sanders took 7 for 14 and Woodward 3 for 27, while Searle, Butterworth and Burnham kept them pinned down Add a particularly fine fielding effort and we ended the season with the best game and a marvellous win
Outstanding batting performances were given by Sanders121 n.o against Brecon, Mackie-7 8 n.o against Bablake, and 56 against Brecon, and Butterworth 44 and 42 against Nunnery Wood and K.E.S Birmingham Bowling figures of note were Sanders 7-14 against Warwick Searle 7-27 against Brecon, and Butterworth 4-23 against K.E.S Birmingham Woodward and Burnham bowled steadily and effectively throughout the season
We also represented the O.V.'s in a Taverners 8-a-side competition, won all 5 matches to take our division, beat Studley in the semi-final at New Road and lost to Old Hill in the final through atrocious running between wickets We also reached the final of a Worcester Schools 6-a-side knockout competition where W.R.G.S beat us by one run off the penultimate ball
My thanks go to all who played during this season and who haven't been mentioned - without them we could not have achieved our success - and particularly to our captain James Mackie
D.E.H
DEATH OF A SALESMAN
The main dramatic production of the year was Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman', which was performed in the Old Library at the end of the Autumn term The choice of play, auditions and casting were completed in the first two weeks of term, and for those involved, in what proved to be an immensely ambitious and thoroughly successful project, the non-stop routine of rehearsals and learning lines had begun
The play is centred around four main characters, Willy Loman (the salesman), Linda (his wife) and Biff and Happy, their two sons Myself, Cathy Taylor, Mark Ryan and Alistair Panton were given the task of learning the lines, movements and the way 'in' to these four characters, and despite the great sacrifices of free time etc., the four of us found the experience very worthwhile and, surprisingly enough, enjoyable This previously unheard of 'enjoyment' associated with hard work was made possible by the relaxed, humerous and very dedicated approach of the two directors/ producers, Mr Crow and Mr Diamond Their seemingly endless supply of energy combined with a great deal of humour and patience rubbed off on all the cast with the result that the production improved noticably each week as we grew into our parts and lost our inhibitions
As the weeks went by a few minor set backs occurred which were greatly magnified when the first night was only a few days away We still had no costumes, the set hadn't been built, words were still being learnt and the whole cast still collapsed into fits of giggles (on cue) when Neil Morris made a certain dramatic entrance in a baggy pair of shorts By the night of the dress rehearsal, however, all these problems were resolved, or at least we thought they were until in came Neil in his shorts and Bang! the whole room exploded with actors, producers and technicians rolling around on the floor like capsizedDaleks
The first night went as well as first nights go, but the remaining three performances were exceptional in that they ran smoothly and confidently with the result that the all round acting improved greatly, as the receptions we got from the three packed 'libraries' appreciated But oh for a real theatre!
Of the individual performances, I'm told I was very good, but unfortunately I didn't get the chance to see myself in action Cathy Taylor excellently portrayed the abused but loving wife of Willy, and managed to draw the love and sympathy of the audience as she sobbed her way through the final speech of the play, after Willy's death Mark Ryan fitted the role (or thought he did!) of the hunky sex symbol schoolboy, which he played with great energy and also managed to get a lot of depth into the same character as a middle-aged man, who has met with a string of failures and on his return home still finds he has to cope with a father who lives on dreams Alistair Panton as 'Happy' put a lot of zest into his part and brought off the character with enthusiasm and superb 'stage' voice
One of the most successful aspects of the production was the strength of the acting Bernard, the bullied schoolboy, who at the end of the play turned out to be the only success, was brilliantly played by Robert Ceci Uncle Ben, the rich man from the East, was portrayed 'Bowie style' by Harry Scott who brought the mystery and ruthlessness out in the character, as did Paul Renney as Howard Wagner, Willy's employer who eventually fires him Charley, the successful, generous, next door neighbour who Willy loved as much as he envied, was humorously and effectively played by Neil Morris
Clare Veal as 'The Woman', Willy Lowman's mistress, was very convincing and introduced an element of sensual reality as she seduced the salesman, for a pair of stockings
Melanie Griffin and Kate Annable were also very convincing as the New York 'broads' Philip Lynch and Jane MacFadzean also acted with conviction and confidence as did 'The Waiter' who came to every rehearsal (despite his walk on part) and freely offered advice to all, but somehow managed to overdo the makeup and pick up the wrong table every night He shall remain nameless as shall the numerous musicians, technicians, stage managers and co., all of whom deserve our thanks for making the production possible
P Campling
LOAD, AIM, FIRE
There stands a man naked of all honour. No blindfold or last cigarette for him. No marked grave or flowers in a pot. Load!
All rebellious feelings have long since been in chains. Just a face in front of nothingness is all that now remains. Waiting for his fate his sweat makes him hot. Aim!
His eyes slowly close like a shop shutting for night. Blood drips from his palms as his fist becomes tight. Life has ebbed away long before the final shot. Fire!
WILLIAMSHAKESPEARE
Night flight: short haul from Rome, Antium and Corioli to Worcester, via Shottery and Flyford Flavel.
Black and steel and gold, the charabanc bangs us back from Coriolanus, all black and steel and gold.
Wolds cleave to our bright sword. Night slams shut behind like Volscian ports. Minds primed by your words
we storm upstage, then - 'What's the matter?' 'What's the matter?
On the road, out front: a stag, spotlit in our rushing lamps, radiantly crowned, Volumnia's proud boy banishing the hooting crowd, a crowd about to smash as Martius smote Corioli - like a planet. 'What shall he have that killed the deer?'
The question was unabided. He sheered
clear, hurdled a pleached beech, lit out for Arden's dark, unnumbered parks, jacklit a moment, then free of our headlights' penumbra.
0 allusive, elusive, illumined illusion: 1 declare him your emblem.
Roger Hunt
'CLOUDS' BY ARISTOPHANES
The production of Clouds in the Easter Term was a direct result of the Classical Studies A level syllabus of which Ancient Greek Comedy was one of the topics The purpose of the production was therefore partly educational - both for the seven members of the A level set who all played a part in it, and for the audience who were given a taste of the coarsenessand robustness of Aristophanic comedy
Peter Campling, who alone had any real acting experience, admirably performed the role of Strepsiades, a vulgar old countryman who had got himself into debt through the 'modern', 'fashionable' and expensive pursuits of his son Richard Westley, an unpredictable actor, took the part of the son, Pheidippides, an over-confident, vain fop Raymond Duggins, after a lot of effort, played himself well into the part of the highly intellectual, almost divine Socrates, to whom Strepsiades turned in his attempt to avoid paying his debts Aristophanes very unfairly chose Socrates to bear the brunt of his satiric attack upon the 'new' education Tim Weaver and Chris Wood gave excellent support in lesser roles Stuart Preece and David Allen, a visiting Australian student, brought their Choir House study quarrels on stage, and with some realism argued out the parts of 'Just' and 'Unjust' arguments
David Allen was 'Unjust', a glib, smooth-tongued modernist; Stuart Preece was 'Just', a conservative, old-fashioned bigot with a fondness for young boys
The Chorus of Clouds, the divine representatives of the 'new' education, were invoked from College House, ably led by Clare Veal who with some feeling harangued the audience on contemporary Athenian politics
The play was produced by Mike Stevens with help from Peter Diamond and Tim Crow; Ben Vivian was Stage Manager assisted by Richard Floate; James Larkin and John Bracey managed the lights, and Jonathan Nott accompanied the Clouds on the flute
M.A.S., R Duggins, S Preece
A STREET IN AUTUMN
Leaves toasted golden brown
Tossed about by the wind. Houses face the lane Slumbering silently.
The bare tracery of the trees
Faintly stretched on the grey sky. The wind pauses a moment And the leaves are left to rest.
The golf course beyond A green carpet unfolded Birds swoop
Savouring the sombre stillness.
The air is still.
Nothing moves.
The unswept road is quiet, paying homage to the cold.
Jurrien Heynen U4B
AUTUMN PASTORAL
A royal occasion of high esteem: one treads through the carpet of leaves, red flaunting a hellish hue, emitting the crackles of the fire of death. As one walks down the avenued path we look back, down, through the year, its development from childhood to puberty: we now stand in its middle-aged existence. Dipping, confused, capillerated branches, no veins, arteries, support from any side. Could it be like us? Yes, some of us, now we have reached the raging autumn. Autumn in the country has, like us, changed from intrusions of man's ingenuity, his powers to destroy, create and maintain. It is like us, yes, certainly like us.
Sounds, autumn sounds, intrude, circulate our receptive sense, a sense of life, from green pastures and wiry woods, from tufts and mounds, elevated earth, from disturbed nests, indecisive liquid on a course, perhaps, similar to ours. Rustles, ripples and cries of sufferance, howls, laughs, from augmented wind-speed. All kinds of sound, imagined sound. Image, autumn image, intrudes, circulates, the photographic sense. A sense of what? Construction, adverts, metallic extensions, surgical instruments operating on earth by 'Doctor Man': 'qualifications not required', to remove the chastity of the earth.
Autumn is a strange, mysterious stage that creates beauty from annual destruction, but I remain unchanged, unperturbed, unremoved, as I tread enclosed fields, enclosed not I.
Squelching sludgy soil: only tracks remain of my autumn ramble, a path of ignorance, for I know not where my destination lies.
Just like us, yes, like most of us..
A whimsical, painful, screeching resonance. I discover a natural conqueror of flight, Expressing agony through unemotional eyes. A moment's study, the destruction of a wing. An autumn deed? Who knows? But I gaze, in sympathy, at this form in feathers.
I stare, I shudder, I touch and cry.
Hours pass. I wipe away tears, so sad, and through a misty lens, I discover the climax of the light, natural autumn lights that impress upon me, that same hellish hue, but highlighting the beauty of an autumn landscape, maintaining consistency, affecting not individuals. But some will live, some die, knowing autumn's arrived, in a way, like us. O yes, like us.
Ian McAndrew M6
A STREET IN AUTUMN
The leaves which lie in random patterns Scattered on the floor, Look different from each angle: A house, a cloud, a claw.
The driveways ramble back From the dimlit road And as the path curves up the street It becomes a familiar track.
The hedgerows hurry along the path To the house where they belong; In the gales aftermath They stand there, staunch and strong.
And as the days get shorter So the leaves they die, A happy, peaceful way to pass, Falling slowly from the sky.
N G Fay
