J. M. R. Drummond, M.A., Mus.B., F.R.C.O. H. R. Thurlby, L.R.A.M.
*A. F. Partington, M.A., F.R.C.O. and 2 1 Visiting Teachers
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Master - M. Abraham, B.Ed. J. T. Walton, Cert. Ed.
Mrs. A. Winter, Cert. Ed.
Mrs. L. Maggs-Wellings, B.Ed.
* Mrs. L. Jackson, M.A.
Mrs. R. Reeves, Cert. Ed.
Mrs. L. Jessup, Cert. Ed.
I. D. Bell, L.G.S.M., Cert. Ed.
*= Part-Time
Bursar - D. J. Gilligan, F.C.A.
Medical Oficer - Dr. J. M. Duncan, M.B., Ch.B.
Sister - Mrs. G. Chandler, S.R.N.
Caterer - Mr. N. Witherick
Headmaster's Secretary - Mrs. M. Brodrick
Accountant - Miss A. Turvey
The Vigornian 1989
Editors: Peter Iddon, Anthony Clemit
Photography: John Wheeler
O.V. News: Michael Craze
SCHOOL MONITORS: 198811989
Head of School: Rupert T. Bader (OS)
Simon Cathery (0s)
Anna C. Diamond (E)
Alexander G. Jordan
Peter H. Ratcliffe
Christopher J. Goodman (K) Nigel D. Richardson
John R. G. Harris (S)
John C. Jessop (Ch)
Robert G. Johnston (Cr)
Philip A. G. Aston
Andrew S. Dobson
Joseph E. Lewis-Bowen
Guy E. O'Keefe
Linda J. Crow
Camilla Goddard
Kristopher P. Chapman
James R. Fawcett
Mark A. Bird
Stephen J. Reeve
Matthew J. Gorton
Helmy Hussain
F. Kay Seymour
Rosalind Watkins
Claire Jones (Music)
David R. Lloyd
William H. Carslake (Music)
Stuart D. Gaston-Nash.(Music)
Benjamin A. Ryder (Music)
Joseph J. Harvey
Daniel J. 0. Perrett
Jody J. Sanders
Matthew W. E. Surman
James E. Eden
Paul W. Prouse
Justin M. Ranson (Music)
Samuel T. Rees
Simon Cathery
Neil A. Robinson
Kathleen A. Stockford
SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS
KING'S SCHOLARSHIPS 16+
King's School
King's School
King's School
King's School and Nunnery Wood High School
QUEEN'S SCHOLARSHIPS 16+
King's School and Droitwich High School
King's School and Alice Ottley School
KING'S SCHOLARSHIPS 13+
The Down's School
King's School
King's School
HON. SCHOLARSHIPS
King's School
King's School and Bowbrook School
King's School, Malaysian Embassy Student
SIXTH FORM SCHOLARSHIPS
Edgbaston C.E. College for Girls
Malvern Girls' College
Evesham High School
SCHOLARSHIPS 13+
King's School
King's School
EXHIBITIONS 13+
King's School
King's School
SCHOLARSHIPS 1 1 +
King's School
St. George's R.C. Primary School
King's School
King's School
SCHOLARSHIPS 8+
St. Mary's Convent
Sunnyside School
Abberley Hall
Hawford Lodge
PLACES AT OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITIES
Christopher T. Charlton
Ian R. Darke
Anna C. Diamond
S. Richard Owen
Steven R. Pitt
David G. Tyack
Jan Heuvals
Mansfield College, Oxford
Queen's College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
St. Edmund Hall, Oxford
St. Catherine's College, Cambridge
Christ Church College, Oxford
Hertford College, Oxford
Other University Places
C.M.L. Absalom
Z. Adal
A.M. Alexander
M.S. Amir
M.L. Bell
P.C. Bell
E.J.C. Bolton
D.A.G. Brookes
M.K. Bull
J.P. Bury
B. Bryram-Wigfield
A.R. Cameron-Mitche
:l1
T.L.N. Chin
S.J. Clements
J.E. Cole
M.T. Cook
L.A. Cowley
R.S. Cummins
T.D.E. Daly
J.J. Dickens
M.A.J. Dixon
J.M. Doherty
R.P. Dow
J.A. Dykes
J.R. Essex
G.R. Evans
I.S. Fisher
N.M. Francis
P.A. Gilbert
K.A. Gordon
M. Guest
S.E. Guy
W.R. Harris
J.R.G. Harris
F. Hira
R.G. Hughes
G.R. Hyde
S.J. Johnson
I.G. Johnston
R.G. Johnston
C.L. Jones
J.P.B. Jones
B.M. Jones
D.M. Lowe
C.M. Mahon
P.A. Malmsbury
M.C. Mantle
A.L. McMurry
L.J. Morrison
R.W.J. Payne
A.F.B. Perdaus
S.C. Powell
T.P.L. Purslow
P.R. Ratcliffe
M.T.E. Reeves
K.E. Regan
J.W. Revill
N. Richards
Loughborough
London (Imperial College)
London (Imperial College) ('90)
London (London School of Economics)
Lancaster
London (London School of Economics)
Nottingham
East Anglia
London (Queen Mary College) ('90)
Sheffield
Heriot Watt
Kent
Sheffield
London ('90)
London (Royal Holloway & Bedford) ('90)
Manchester
London (Queen Mary College)
Bath ('90)
London (Queen Mary College) ('90)
Birmingham
London (University College)
London (Royal Holloway & Bedford)
London (Royal Holloway & Bedford)
Southampton
London (University College)
Lancaster
Bristol
Durham ('90)
Bristol ('90)
Nottingham
Sheffield ('90)
Birmingham
Bristol
Durham ('90)
Aston
East Anglia
London (University College)
Cardiff ('90)
Bristol
Leeds
Exeter ('90)
London (University College) ('90)
Sheffield
Liverpool
London (Goldsmith's College)
Liverpool
Loughborough
London (King's College) ('90)
Kent
Bradford
London (Imperial College)
Durham
Leicester
Lancaster
Hull ('90)
UMIST
Sheffield ('90)
Birmingham
N.D. Richardson
H. Richmond
E.M. Robinson
N.A. Robinson
S. Sharif
N.J. Sinclair
D.K. Sington
J.W.N. Smith
K.A. Stockford
H.M. Tarr
C.W. Telling
N.C. Timberlake
J.E. Turner
C.L. Van Loenen
T.R. Viner
L.N. Westwood
M. Wigfield
S.C. Williams
J.C. Winwood
A.B. Wyse
Polytechnic Places
N.A. Balch
S. Blaydes
A.W. Booton
S.M. Edwards
C.J. Goodman
J. Gorman
P.S. Herbert
A.A. Huntingdon
S.D. Lea
J.S. Linfoot
T.C. Mitchell
S.K. Smith
A. Taylor
K.J. Timbrell
S.K. Walters
M. Wigfield
Loughborough
Exeter
Liverpool
Loughborough
Birmingham
Southampton
Southampton ('90)
Durham
Southampton
Loughborough
London (Imperial College)
Sussex
Exeter
Bristol
Liverpool
Birmingham
Bradford
Liverpool
Birmingham
Sheffield ('90)
London (Thames)
Oxford
Leeds
Oxford
Portsmouth ('90)
Middlesex
Plymouth
Dorset
Sheffield
Sheffield
London (City)
Plymouth
Sunderland
Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Middlesex
School Notes
It is a pleasure to report on another very successful School year. The academic side has gone extremely well, and it is no surprise that the great majority of our Sixth Form continue to get places on the courses of their choice; we anticipate that, as last year, about 100 of this year's leavers will go bn to degree courses, though the precise number will not be known for some time. At A level, the over-all pass rate rose to over 97%, 52% of all grades awarded were As or Bs, and no fewer than 74% were in the A-C band. A total of 15 pupils got three A grades or better - a very high number; outstanding results were achieved by Christopher Charlton, Ian Darke and Philip Lord. At GCSE level, Staff and pupils have come to terms with the demands of the new examination, and the results this year were very pleasing; the pass rate rose into the 90s, and 37% of all grades were As.
Amongst individuals, Keith Shindler continues his successful involvement in the Pentathlon; he won the national Under 16 competition, and came ninth at Under 2 1 level; David Bull is the National Schools' Sailing champion, and Juliet Collins was selected for the English Schools' Judo team. Team games have gone well, too. The Hockey players and Cricketers at various levels have produced some excellent results, and the Boat Club had a fine season. Rugby continued to go very well, and it is particularly pleasing that Marc Roberts should have had such a successful First XV in the year in which he celebrated ten years as their coach. His record has been remarkable: under his care the First XV have won 127 and drawn 11 of the 202 matches played, and in a fixture list that has become steadily more demanding they have won 73 of the 93 games played in the last five years. This is a magnificent record.
You will find elsewhere in The Vigornian accounts of the many concerts and plays that have taken place this year. They, like the May Ball and other social events, were thoroughly enjoyed by many, and contribute to the balanced and enjoyable life of the community. They take a lot of effort to organise, and I am grateful to all who worked so hard; it is easy to underestimate the demands that extra-curricular activities of all types make on those who run them and take part in them - but our life is the richer for their efforts.
There have, as always, been changes. First, on the Governing Body: Canon Jeffery Fenwick has resigned on his appointment as Dean of Guernsey, and Mr Geoffrey Holroyde and Mr Philip Sturge have also retired from the Governing Body. They have all served for a long time both as Governors and on the Finance and General Purposes Committee. We are very grateful for all that they have done for us, and shall miss their caring and wise counsel. We welcome in their places Canon Iain Mackenzie, who has joined the Cathedral Chapter, and Mr David Mills (OV) and Mr Gerald Harris, both of whom have children who either have been or still are at the School. On the Staff side, Tim Watson has retired from Wulstan, and Marc Roberts has decided that he wishes to move from Boarding to Day Housemastering. Marc is taking over Wulstan, and Steve and Jan Bain are taking over in School House. Tim has done a great deal for Wulstan as well as remaining devoted to the Boat Club, and Marc and Julia did an excellent job in School; we look forward to seeing them flourish in new roles in the years to come.
There have also been changes on the Staff. You will see on other pages tributes to those who have left and notes about those who are joining us. Best wishes to all in their new positions; here, I would like to mention especially the retirement of Ian Brown. He has for some time wished to change direction, and I am delighted that he has now found a new opening as Director of Business Development for the Cromwell Group. We shall miss him enormously for all sorts of reasons. He has been an excellent Head of PE and Games, a good coach, a fearsome bowler and a distinguished referee. He was also for ten years Housemaster of Choir House, where he and Maureen did so much for many generations. He has also contributed in all sorts of ways to the Staff and pupils. It was his wide knowledge of the School and encyclopaedic connection with the Old Vigomians that made him a "natural" to run our Appeal, and he has done a splendid job there in the last two years. Warmest thanks to him for all that he has done, and all best wishes for his new career.
The School Appeal is drawing to a close, and by the time that you read this we shall have wound our operations down to a "care and maintenance" basis. I hope that we shall get close to £400,000, if not slightly more. This will enable us to do much of what we initially planned, and will contribute greatly to what we can offer pupils in the future. I am extremely grateful to all who have contributed so generously. Ian has worked enormously hard, and we owe him a great deal; he will still be keeping things ticking over for a while to tie up any loose ends.
If we have needs, so does the Cathedral. I doubt if any of you, even if you live far from Worcester, can be unaware of the serious structural problems, which must be solved in the near future, and of the urgent need to raise more than £4 million. I commend their Appeal to you; we are the Cathedral School, and all of us, current and past members of the community, must surely be united in our determination that the Cathedral shall be saved. The School has made a significant contribution, and Staff and pupils have raised £10,000 by their own efforts. In addition to that effort, they also raised money for other charities over the last twelve months. The total of over f 14,000 raised during the year took a lot of hard work, and it is good to see such a manifestation of care for others less fortunate than ourselves.
Finally, to thc most important news of the year - the decision of the Governors that girls will be admitted below the Sixth Form from 199 1. We shall add one and then two 7+ forms to the Junior School, and admit girls at 7+, 8+ and 1 l+ in 1991, and then in sequence up the School year by year as the existing girl pupils progress through to the V1 Form. The School will expand to accommodate the new entrants. The decision was taken after two years of careful thought, a good deal of informal consultation and discussion, and analysis both of practicalities and of the desirability or otherwise of the change. To admit girls throughout the School is the logical extension of the highly successful policy of admitting girls to the V1 Form, which started nearly twenty years ago, and we are convinced that it is the right way for us to go. The reaction of many parents and others has been warm and supportive, and we are all looking forward to the time when the girls will be with us. There is a great deal of planning still to do, but the course is set, and the future bright.
John M. Moore
Common Room Notes
It was a source of surprise and regret to boys and masters alike to learn in September that Mr Brown had retired from the Staff. We all suspected that his arthritis had become more painful and disabling than he would ever show, and, since some of us also knew the lengths he would go to in order to avoid the ceremonial "Mr Chips" treatment accorded to those retiring, we should not, perhaps, have been surprised by his arranging to slip away quietly during the holidays.
The salient facts of I.B.'s career hitherto are well-known; he became a schoolmaster in Kent after a period in public service, and moved here in 1968 as Head of P.E. and Games, retaining this post until his retirement. He coached the First XV for ten years, handing over this responsibility on his appointment, in 1978, to Choir House, where he was Housemaster for ten years until 1988. He was Director of the School's Appeal from 1987 to 1989.
This list is absurdly inadequate as an account of the career of a man whose work brought him into contact with more boys and Old Boys, and whose personality probably brought him wider influence and deeper affection than that enjoyed by any of his colleagues in these twenty-one years. In everything he did, he rightly saw the welfare of the boys as his main duty and pleasure, and to watch him with boys, from the First XV to a P.E. class of eight-year-olds, was to envy his natural gift of inspiring every age and type.
His organisation of his Department, and of the many events which took place under its aegis, showed what may be described as 'inspired improvisation' - just when one feared that nothing had been arranged, lo and behold, there was the programme and there were the lists, and there was I.B. to run the whole thing impeccably, and to the great enjoyment and benefit of those who took part. Nor must his talents as a sportsman be omitted: his natural athleticism (often combined with fierce tenacity) brought him success in Rugby, cricket, basketball and much else, and contributed also to his graceful performance on the dance floor. In recent years he has refereed Rugby at a high level and still occasionally donned his whites to show us once more just how fast he could bowl.
His contribution to Choir House can only be properly assessed by someone who is of that Society; to the outsider, his detailed knowledge of everything which happened under his roof was astonishing, and his deep understanding of the needs of his boys was by them deeply appreciated. In these matters, it is impossible to think of him without thinking of Mrs Brown at his side. Indeed she deserves an article to herself, so many and so wideranging have been her contributions to this School, both in Choir House and more generally.
Mr Brown's appointment as Director of the Appeal was inspired. The work involved much travelling and speaking: there was no-one with so many contacts among 0.V.s and parents, and there was no-one who could so successfully have charmed cheque-books and wallets out of their pockets.
If there are those who have seen 1.B. as an obscurantist, then there are others who have thought 'Thank goodness! We need men like that' - men who do not regard perpetual and frenzied
reform as the ideal environment for growing boys and who do their best to provide stability and to set an example of abiding standards of conduct. Wherever one meets 0.V.s of his time here, most of them ask, as their first question, 'Is Ian Brown still there? How is he?' - for many of them, their contact with him remains their most vivid and valuable memory of the place. For those of us who have worked with him, our Common Room will never be quite the same: we already miss that combative spirit, constantly doing battle with high and low on behalf of what he saw as the real interests of the boys, and that kindest of hearts, for whom nothing was too much trouble if a pupil or colleague needed help. Such a man leaves the pleasantest memories.
P.C.T.
Brian and Diana Gant
It has seemed very strange this term to wander down to the Watergate and find a quiet, empty 12A College Green. After so many comings and goings over the past four years, one still expects to be greeted by Brian or Diana or Jo or Katie or even Rusty, the cat. Instead, the house lies empty, waiting peacefully for its next occupant.
Brian Gant came to King's four years ago as chaplain to both the Senior and Junior schools. He managed to combine successfully a full commitment to the life of the school with the duties of a minor Canon at the Cathedral. He was often to be seen dashingfrom the boathouse to 12A College Green, struggling to remove his bicycle clips, only to emerge minutes later dressed in vestments heading at a brisk pace to Evensong.
The students at King's will probably best remember Brian for his beginning of term homilies in the Cathedral, perhaps best described as 'what I did on my holidays'. Brian travelled extensively with the school. Skiing in Austria clearly revealed his talents both on and off the piste. However, the tour of Jerusalem and Galilee organised by Brian stands most clearly in my memory; who else could have persuaded me to spend my honeymoon with the school chaplain and the headmaster?
In her role as Head of Department, Diana introduced Religious Studies 'A' level and successfully guided many Upper Remove boys through '0' level and GCSE. As a College House tutor she gained the respect and admiration of the girls and played a willing part in many of the House activities. However, Diana will perhaps best be remembered for her exuberant portrayal of '~um~ingJoan' in the school pantomime. On the first night during the interval a member of the audience was heard to say to a slightly balding cleric, 'I say, the Sixth Form girls look younger every year'. To which the cleric replied, 'That's no girl, that's my wife!'
As a team, Brian and Diana encouraged the Christian Union to flourish, organising the weekly Eucharist and meetings in a caring and sensitive &ay. The annual camp was always oversubscribed and thoroughly enjoyed by the many students who took part. During their four years at King's they helped many students to prepare for confirmation; the annual retreat to Cropthome being a key part in these preparations.
As they both settle into their vicarage at Tunbridge Wells it seems fitting to end with a quotation from an apocryphal section of Brian's favourite, though little known, book of Maccabees; 'a double portion is a great blessing, but the loss of it is twice as hard to bear'.
I.G.P.
Lesley Fallas Jim
Lesley Fallas was the third Artist in Residence at King's. From the beginning she proved a valuable and popular member of the Art School. Her vivacity and energy endeared her to the many people with whom she came into contact - inside and outside the School.
Nothing was too much trouble for Lesley, whether it was climbing scaffolding, erecting scenery, interpreting her Yorkshire dialect for the uninitiated or throwing herself into the role of Resident Artist. Lesley's work was rich and varied. She used images from other cultures in her work and shaped them to her own style. Lesley was predominantly a painter/printmaker who experimented in many different forms of media. Towards the end of her residency she extended her techniques into papier mlchC vessels - with much success.
It was evident at the end of her first year that Lesley had made an excellent contribution to the teaching of art within the School - some successful arm-bending "encouraged" her to stay a further year.
The students who experienced her teaching will remember her with affection. They were cajoled, bullied and pushed to their limits, but they were also respected as people who had a contribution to make. The atmosphere in the studios after School was excellent. Many 5th formers would work, talk, play music and generally broaden their horizons.
I will miss Lesley, particularly, not only as an amiable colleague who had considerable zest, real motivation and an enquiring mind, but as a true friend.
Lesley remains in Worcester lecturing part-time at the Technical College, Arts' Workshops and is also helping to promote the Malverns' Workshop. Wherever she walks I am confident she will leave her humorous, indelible mark.
J.E.
Nott
Jim Nott joined the Chemistry Department in September 1988, straight from a career in industry, selling Medical Electronic equipment. He very quickly settled into the routine of school life, and brought a refreshing interest and enthusiasm to his teaching.
In his short time with us, he found many ways of contributing within the school. He quickly took over the Sixth Form Cinema Club, and helped develop an interest in making films, as well as showing them; indeed, the training for the new committee has included a film-making trip to the Old Chapel.
Within the department, he has helped considerably towards the continuing development of our GCSE course, and brought his considerable DIY skills to bear on a number of construction projects that we have undertaken.
He leaves us to take up a post at the Notre Dame Convent School in Surrey, where he will be teaching chemistry. He is also responsible for the introduction of technology into the curriculum, a job that will give him an outlet for his many interests in this area. We wish him and his family well in their new life.
F.J.L.
Duncan Sanders
Duncan was with us for one academic year in which he taught Geography and took Games, particularly hockey. He contributed to a wide variety of School activities including the Christian Union and the Lower Remove Camps at the Old Chapel. After a considerable amount of thought he decided to return to his old interest and has gone on to read a Master's Degree in Hydrological Engineering at Birmingham University. I gather that he has settled down well in his second 'incarnation' as a student and I am sure the rest of us wish him well with his studies and his new career.
E.R.B.
IN MEMORIAM
ADAM MICHAEL CLOUGHER 1977 - 1988
Adam Clougher had been a member of the School for only a single term when he and his mother died in a tragic motor accident on Christmas Eve, 1988. The members of Lower IVA, however, and those who taught that Form, had found that term ample time to come to like and respect Adam and to be shocked and saddened by his death. They will not forget him.
This year the School welcomes the following new members of staff.
Sarah Allum returns to King's to teach Biology and General Studies. After Hull High School she read Zoology at Leeds followed by a year's research. She has taught in a variety of schools - most recently she was Head of Department at St. James's and the Abbey in Malvern. She enjoys singing and playing the piano. Mrs Allum is a country lover and enjoys walking; she also keeps chickens. more for their interesting behaviour than their productivity.
David Rrookshaw is the School's new Director of Music. He is a native of Croydon where he studied the organ with Roy Massey before going on to read Music at Birmingham University. He has taught previously at S. Martin's College. Lancaster, Whitgift School, Croydon. (during which time he was Organist and Master of Choristers at Croydon Parish Church) and Glenalmond College. He is married with two daughters and a son. His interests include walking, D.I.Y., the visual arts, and wine.
Martyn Gower has joined the Geography Department. After a period in H.M. Customs at Dover and some time spent with a seismic data storage company in Kent he qualified as a teacher at Nottingham University in 1984. His career in teaching began at Elizabeth College, Guernsey where, among other things, he ran the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. He enjoys sport, especially hockey, where he likes to
keep goal. His interests include walking, drawing and collecting newspapers from notable occasions.
Christine Holzapfel is spending
Julia Hughes is the new Head of Religious Studies. Educated at the Girls' Grammar School in Birkenhead, she read Psychology at Sheffield University. Since graduating she has taught in Grammar and Comprehensive Schools mainly in Worcestershire and Birmingham. In 1977 Mrs Hughes returned to University to read Theology at Birmingham, thus fulfilling a lifelong ambition. Her two children, ~arahand Peter, were both pupils at this school.
Muntsa Cuchi i Martinez is the latest recruit to the Modem Languages Department. She studied at the Universities of Barcelona, Salford and Dusseldorf and has since taught in Barcelona and at Salford University. Her interests include classical music, which has led her to conduct the Bach Choir as well as singing 'Carol Carmina' and 'Barroe Cor'. She also has an interest in equestrian sports and has helped with the forthcoming Olympic Games.
Graham Smith joins the Chemistry department on a parttime basis after taking early retirement from the deputy headship of a Birmingham Comprehensive. He read Chemistry at Birmingham University and has thirty years' teaching experience in a variety of Birmingham schools. His interests include golf, walking. philately and gardening.
Jessica Spanyol is this year's a term teaching Religious Studies at Artist-in-Residence. After a foundathe School. She was born and tion course at Bath Academy she brought up in Hampshire and stud- studied Fine Art at Brighton ied Theology at Exeter University. Polytechnic. Since graduating two She married a social worker who years ago, she has continued to work later became an Anglican as an artist and has done many partClergyman. Much of her life has time jobs in order to support herself been spent moving around the coun- financially. Soon after leaving coltry with her husband. Mrs Holzapfel lege, she set up a studio with some has always been actively involved in other Brighton artists and produced the life and work of the Churches to work for Brighton Festival. After which they have belonged, taking a this she spent some time working in special interest in education and pas- Italy. Italian Art, especially Church toral work. Other interests include frescoes, has considerable influence camping, walking and handicrafts. on her own work. Miss Spanyol is a printmaker and painter.
Congratulations to Colin and Kim Callaghan and Steve and Jan Bain on the births of Lucy and Charlotte respectively.
Activities
CCF
The 240 strong contingent is alive and kicking! Over the last year cadets have distinguished themselves on camps from Gibraltar to Leek and on a wide variety of Army, Navy and R.A.F. courses and acquaints: parachuting, arduous training, leadership, sailing, P.T.I., engineering, gunnery and air observer. Army scholarships, flying scholarships, P.P.L.'s and University Cadetships and Bursaries have also been secured by contingent members. Too many to mention by name but our congratulations to them all.
We have been privileged to receive visits from the R.A. and R.A.F. presentation teams and from the R.E.M.E. mobile satellite tracking station. We have enjoyed visits to 21 Postal and Courier Squadron R.E., to Symonds Yat for adventurous training and to various orienteering courses/competitions.
Our thanks to the three services' Liaison Officers, to 38 CTT and our A.A. for all their help and encouragement. Also to B.G., E.R., S.M.B., R.J.D., M.D.R., J.T.W., and J.A.B., for all their hard work. A special thank you to P.C.T. for the many hours he has spent providing the administrative support without which the activities could not have been successful. We look forward next year to our visit to lRWF in Berlin and to the continued effective and efficient training provided by C.S.M. Tom Renwick and his N.C.0.s. S.R.D.
R.A.F. Section
The year continued the development of the Section with 198889 being a year of consolidation. Because the Section is now so successful, there was a large number of sixth-form NCOs who, amongst them, virtually ran the training of younger cadets on their own, with very little help from the officers.
Training followed the usual lines with Upper Removes doing their Basic Training, Fifth Formers doing their Part 2 Proficiency, with another 100% pass rate, and Lower Sixth doing the examinations required for the Senior Cadet badge. One Cadet worthy of mention, in this respect, is Tim Cook who, on coming to King's for the Upper Sixth year only and having no experience of cadets, took the tests for Part 2 in the Autumn Term and followed that with the Senior Cadet examination in the Spring Term in which he scored the highest mark that our Royal Air Force Flight Sergeant, Tom Buttery, had heard of.
There was the usual Air Experience Flying in which all cadets have the opportunity to take control of a Chipmunk aircraft once it is in the air. For those who want to take flying further there is the Flying Scholarship Scheme in which cadets go most of the way to getting their Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) completely free of charge and with no obligation to join the Royal Air Force
later. This year four of our members did this: Corporals Nic Fewkes, James Ramsdale, Richard Saunders and Spencer Tavares. James and Richard were also awarded Sixth Form Scholarships, which do mean that they intend to make the Service a career. We wish them every success. It has to be pointed out that each Scholarship is a distinction in its own right; such an award indicates that the holder is fit enough and has the aptitude to become an aircrew officer.
Gliding is also an option and, although we were not allocated any Air Experience Gliding, Cadets Richard Mutter and Simon Phillips spent ten days on Continuous Gliding Courses at RAF Sealand, near Chester.
The annual camp was held at RAF Henlow, which is near Bedford. There was some magnificent flying from Cambridge and fascinating visits to RAE Bedford, Duxford, the Shuttleworth Collection and a local USAF station's open day. The cadets also experienced the foibles of the new cadet Ensign rifle, which has a tendency to jam. It was a good camp and it was interesting to swap notes with cadets from Hardye's School, Dorchester. On every occasion King's cadets were impressive not only in what they knew but also by the way they did what was asked of them.
After the camp. Corporal Fewkes attended a Leadership Course at Frimley Park, the Army's centre for cadet training.
This year, no one cadet was appointed in overall charge and I thank Sergeants Rupert Bader, Louise Cowley, Ian Darke, Robert Johnston and Kate Stockford for their enthusiasm, cheerfulness and hard work in steering the Section through what was a more difficult year than the past one. I know they gave and gained much in showing leadership. Louise left to join the Service before the Summer Term finished; how's that for keenness! We wish her every success and happiness.
As I write this, Flying Officer Steve Bain has announced his resignation on account of his taking over School House. In his three years with the Section he organised some of the more physical activities as well as being responsible for Fifth Form training. We thank him for his service.
Visit to 21 Postal and Courier Squadron R.E.
9.6.89
A kind invitation by Maj. Lyons O.C. 21 P.C. Squadron R.E. was received and accepted by the Cadre Section. The day was spent at Bulford Camp in Wiltshire.
At 06.30 we boarded the minibus for the two and a half hour drive to Bulford and on arrival were hurried into a tent to change for a B.F.T. - a three mile run with a target time of 11 minutes and a half for the last one and a half miles! Sergeant Longmire led the field in with an impressive time of 8 mins. 45 secs., and all but one of our number completed the course within the target time. A quick change, then into the swimming pool for the Military Swimming test - a jump from a 10 metre board, twice round the pool and two minutes treading water. Now on to a lecture by Major Lyons on the role of the Ace Mobile Force before instruction and shooting SA 80 combat rifle and 9mm. Browning pistol. During the latter period, trips in the Haagland arctic vehicle, a tracked vehicle used extensively in Norway, proved popular - if somewhat hair raising! After the hectic, exciting and enjoyable morning the large lunch with which we were provided was most welcome!
The afternoon saw us kitted out in N.B.C. gear and respirators for some exercises in the C.S. gas chamber. After this terrifying experience it was on to the assault course where - after some instruction from Major Lyons - S/Sgt. Lyons and C.pl. Kwan proved supreme. The final activity was driving a Land Rover on the skidpan. Most drivers stayed on the skidpan, though the banked sides did take a buffeting!
It was now 1800 hrs. and time to depart. Major Lyons was presented with a 'Woofers' tankard and the cadets received badges of Ace Mobile Force as mementos of their visit. We arrived back at school at 2000 hrs. all feeling exhausted but elated. Our sincere thanks to Major Lyons and his N.C.0.s for providing us with this unique opportunity.
Jason
Lyons (S.Sgt)
The Christian Union
The Christian Union has had another successful year with a varied and exciting array of activities taking place in our Wednesday lunchtime meetings. They have included discussions, Bible studies, drama, videos, and talks from visiting speakers. All of these have been both stimulating and thoroughly enjoyable.
The traditional C.U. Easter break was spent once again at the 'Barn' in Malvern. We planned and had a good time, with a few sincere moments among the frivolities. One evening was spent chez Ian and Lynne Power, who kindly fed and watered us (I.G.P. makes a very good chilli!) An informal eucharist concluded three wonderful days.
There has been a number of farewells this year. We were all sorry to say goodbye to Diana and Brian Gant who, over the last three years, have kept us on the straight and narrow. Their help and support have been thoroughly appreciated. A large number of regular members, mainly Upper Sixth, have left for higher things. We wish them all good luck in the future.
Finally, there are many negative stereotypes that accompany the image of Christian Union, which keep people away. None of these exists in our group. So, please come along if you are at all interested, and find out what we're about. You will be welcomed with open arms.
William Baker & Joseph Lewis-Bowen
Community Service
The Fifth Form Community Service group embarked on a new venture this year. Through a personal contact of one of our members, we established a very successful link with the local Multiple Sclerosis Society who were able to link us with a number of sufferers in Worcester. Multiple Sclerosis, which is a nervous disease causing paralysis and a number of other disabilities, such as poor sight and loss of memory, was new to virtually every member of the group. Each person on our list was visited weekly by members of our group, who undertook a number of tasks such as shopping, cleaning, or even chatting to the lady or gentleman concerned and keeping them company. In most cases the contact lasted throughout the year and has continued this year. Occasionally the link lapsed, and the group member concerned undertook other tasks, such as gardening. We were pleased to have a number of Lower Sixth girls in the group and we welcome their participation. With such a programme of personal visiting on a regular basis, the unit felt that it was fulfilling a useful function and that the year of Community Service was a very worthwhile experience.
G.N.L.
brand new layout in the basement of no. 6 Castle Place. The School Maintenance Department did a fine job in preparing the cellar for its new use, and in constructing a very firm wooden base for the layout. These new quarters have adequate storage facilities for stock etc.
Early in the new year, all the necessary track and switches plus controllers were purchased new for the selected layout plan, and in a fairly short space of time all the requisite 'permanent way' works were completed.
As a result, the Society now enjoys a permanent home for the first time, and there has been opportunity for members to operate the system after School.
It is also part of the Society's remit to arrange occasional visits to places of railway interest. In the past year, official visits have been made to British Rail Depots at Tyseley, and Bescot, the latter on the occasion of an Open Day, at which could be seen a large variety of motive power past and present.
P.J.A.E.
Chess Club
The Chess Club continues to flourish, meeting every Tuesday after school in the Physics Department. The senior chess team had a very successful season, remaining unbeaten in their 6 matches. King's were particularly well represented on the top three boards and Dominic Goodwin, Justin Dickens and Matthew Wetherall are to be congratulated on their consistently strong performances. Dominic Goodwin continues to go from strength to strength and is now one of the best junior players in the County.
In the first round of the Sunday Times National Competition, the team was paired against a strong side from the Chase High School. After several hours of concentrated play the match was tied 3 games all. However, the Chase proceeded to the next round by virtue of being the younger side, a similar fate having befallen King's in last year's competition.
The Inter-House Chess Competition produced some excellent matches. After the preliminary rounds the semi-finals saw Oswald, the firm favourites, playing Choir, and Chappel playing School. Choir almost pulled off the unthinkable, holding Oswald to a draw but eventually losing on board count. School, having beaten last year's winners, Creighton, in the previous round, were unable to produce the same dynamic play and lost 3 games to 1 to Chappel. In the final, Chappel were unable to halt the ever more confident Oswald side, Oswald turning out victors 3 games to 1.
Officers for the 1989-90 Season:
Dominic Goodwin Captain
Matthew Wetherall Secretary
Chemistry Club
I.G.P.
How does one start a Chemistry club report? Well, I've no idea, because I've never had to do one before. So, I'll just take the plunge and start by telling you about the first of our trips.
I can easily remember the trip to Bristol's chemical highlights because it took place on my birthday, the 12th March. We drove down to Bristol in pouring rain, and such a terrible bus that it was a wonder that it had managed to pass its MOT. (For example you could rub the paint off if it got really wet). We drove around Bristol for twenty minutes looking for a parking space, and finally found one about a quarter of a mile away from our first port of call, the Bristol "Hands on" science centre, the Exploratory.
Model Railway Society
The Exploratory was amazing, and full of practical experiments that you could actually do. There were four basic areas, of which The main event of the past year has been the setting-up of a my favourite was the~ark.However, none of us could agree on
an experiment that we all liked hcst. We tticn spent about ten minutes in the shop before driving off to go to see the S.S. Great Britain. the first steel hulled, propeller driven steam ship to cross the Atlantic.
Once we reached the dock in which the ship was kept, the first thing to see was a museum explaining the history of the docks at Bristol, and the various ships that had been built there. Then it was on to the ship itself, which was absolutely amazing. firstly, we walked around the hull and then on board the ship. which was really interesting. The ship was slowly being restored and we could see what a lot of work was still left to be done. Lunch followed and, suitably refreshed, our final visit of the day was to the Bristol Museum of Science and Industry. We saw many vehicles, including a life size model of Concorde's cockpit. After an hour there it was time to head home via the Clifton suspension Bridge. This was the most expensive part of the trip! It cost 2p per person to go across the bridge. In the middle of the bridge we wondered whether a paper plane would hit the mud at the bottom of the gorge, but it seemed impossible. After this we made our way home. It had been a very good day.
The second trip was of a completely different nature. This time we were going to visit Clearwell Caves (Iron Mines) in the Forest of Dean, some more ancient iron workings and a maze at Symonds Yat. The bus for this trip was of much better quality, as was the weather. Apart from one case of travel sickness and somebody managing to knock himself out (well almost), it was a great trip.
We first made our way to the caves at Clearwell, expecting a tour of the show caves (some of us had been before). However, we were all presented with hard hats complete with miners' lamps. We were all then shown into a hole in the middle of a field half a mile away. We all dropped inside, having been told by our guide that there was a drop of about 6 feet. Hey presto!! We were in a different world, an unlit tunnel of the type only usually explored by professional cavers and miners. The following two and a half hours were taken up by wandering around an extensive system of underground tunnels, sometimes standing up and others crawling on our stomachs through 2 feet diameter tunnels. We had been told beforehand to bring old clothes, but none of us had expected this! My cagoule is still dirty to this day! The best part was when one boy (no names mentioned) was encouraged to crawl through a tunnel with his light off. Unfortunately, this involved crawling through a puddle of water two inches deep in the middle of the tunnel! I don't think that any of us envied the free miners of the Forest of Dean after this experience.
Our next stop was the puzzlewood, ancient iron workings, which turned out to be a maze of paths in a wood leading all around the iron workings. A lot of time was spent lost in the mini gorges and on top of the two pillars of rock. It was a really intriguing place, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Soon we were back on the bus and on our way to Symonds Yat to visit the Jubilee Maze. This is just one part of a development including a butterfly house and a garden centre. The maze was built in 1977, and so is well established. We were first given a
talk by a man at the entrance who said that it would cost a pound unless we were shorter than his trousers. This meant we all had to pay, and so we did. We then promptly rushed off into the maze and got lost again. Eventually rnost of us managed to get out, and tried to help those still left in. It was great fun.
Meanwhile, back in the laboratory, the year was split into two parts. The Autumn term was occupied by investigations of Forensic Science (Watch out Sherlock - here we come!) This included fingerprinting, which involved getting ink all over the place and getting our tingers filthy. We all learnt a lot about Forensic science and had a great time doing it.
The focus during the Spring and Summer terms was a CREST awards (Creativity in Science and Technology), These involved some incredible prqjects such as "Investigate which cleans clothes better. bidlogical or non-biological washing powder". Those boys finding this a little difficult reverted to a study of the chemistry of photography. Eventually this group managed to take some photographs and develop them quite successfully. So, events in the lab have also been quite exciting over the course of the year.
Our thanks to to Mr. Wheeler for organizing the club and the trips and to Mr Haigh for 'chaperoning' on each of the trips.
James Fawcett
Chemistry quiz
After the 1988 dkbricle, where we fell in the second round by one point, there was to be no let up. The Chemistry quiz was serious business, and the whole Chemistry department's reputation depended upon our success. A ruthless practice schedule was drawn up by Mr Wheeler. Chemists of the calibre of Simon Judd, Richard Austen and Jonathon Jansen were asked to take part, and then ordered to. I was asked to make up the numbers and to act as captain for this year's campaign. Mr Wheeler provided us with a "few" sheets to learn - now we know what happened to the Brazilian rain forests. For the following month there was no time for homework, mocks, sleep or anything else of such a trivial nature.
At last, the competition began. We were informed by Mr. Wheeler at one of our practices that "the first round was yesterday but I think we had a bye". Luckily this proved to be the case and in the second round we travelled to King Edward V1 school in Stratford. When we arrived we were treated to tea and biscuits, which we gratefully accepted. despite my fears that the food might have been drugged, not that it would have made much difference to some of us. We went on to beat their team soundly with a very good performance. It's amazing what you can do when your life depends upon it! The only flaw in our performance being Jonathon's answer for the number of neutrons in a normal hydrogen atom, which went something like "l? no, errr, 2? or 3? or 4?" We were grateful to their teacher for the fact that none of their team knew anything about silver mirror tests. He left muttering "I must do the test for nitrate ions next lesson". We progressed to the finals' stage at Birmingham University, which was held on one evening at the end of the Easter term. We were to leave promptly at 5.45pm from the playground, so Simon and I shoved down a McDonald's hamburger and chips in two minutes flat so that we arrived on time. Half an hour later Mr. Wheeler turned up after a Lower Fourth rugby match of a rather violent nature.
fighting against chronic indigestion, we re-revised (if such a word exists) our stack of Chemistry sheets, except for the famous chemists sheet which had found its way to the bottom of the pile and was thought to be irrelevant anyway, by everyone except Mr. Wheeler, since no questions were ever asked on famous chemists.
Once we had found our way into the University, by using a search party, we warmed up by winning soundly our quarter final
I match against Oldswinford Hospital School. Then came our semi-final against a Girls' school, whose army of supporters made our fan club (Mr. Wheeler) look rather small. We soon 1 I built up a large lead, only to see it reduced to one point in a ! buzzer round. Mr. Wheeler turned rather pale while several hundred girls cheered enthusiastically. Unfortunately we had had no 1 practice on buzzers as Mr. Stone had locked the school ones away before fleeing to Athens, so we were not too sure how they worked (apparently you have to press a button). Luckily after this near disaster we answered all remaining questions correctly to win by one point.
After a refreshment break the final began, KSW v Handsworth Girls Grammar School. Things were evenly poised. Then we heard the subject of the next ro~~nd - Famous Chemists. The KSW team groaned and Mr. Wheeler sat in agony as we blun- 1 dered through the round. no one more than the captain, who failed to identify John Dalton when everyone else in the i University knew the correct answer. The girls had obviously read their famous chemists sheets more studiously than us and gained a large lead. We slipped even further behind in the "Chembusters" round (Chemistry's own version of Blockbusters) and unfortunately never caught up, despite a great effort by Jonathon especially, in the final buzzer round. We lost 66-68. If only the famous chemists had been learnt!
However, we received runners-up trophies and a visit to W. Canning electroplating company. All of the team perfor~iiedwell and we all enjoyed taking part very much. Thanks go to Mr. Wheeler for his encouragement. support, collection of fascinating sheets (available as souvenirs at 5p per thousand) and for getting us back to school in time for school the following morning. Hopefully, next year's team will go one better.
Christopher Lewis.
Sailing
A most succcssi'ul season was the result of a group of dedicated sailors who sailed regularly and formed the basis of tlie School team. They were: Christopher Charlton, Patrick Bell, David Bull (helms) and Ian Darke, Alastair Alexander and Nicholas Sykes (crews). The team sailed two matches against Marlborough College (home) and Monmouth School (away). Not only did they win both matches, but also were unbeaten in any race! Against a particularly aggressive Marlborough team, all three races were won with relative ease. The match against Monmouth was sailed at Llandegfedd Reservoir in Laser Twos in virtually no wind at all. A tense race was eventually won with lst, 3rd and 4th places (six boats in all).
In the National Schools' Regatta, David Bull won the 420 class and was selected to sail for England in the Nations' Cup. David Bull and Nick Sykes are also County Schools' Champions in the GP14 Class. All in all, a very successful season, for which much of the credit is due to Mr Roslington for keeping the School fleet
of boats in good order and for his help and support throughout the year.
David Bull
One Man's Lower Remove Camp
Near tlie end of June, Mr Stevens and Mr Diamond took us, a party of twelve, to the Old Chapel for three nights of adventure. Apart from cooking, washing up and fetching buckets of water for the latest model toilet, we went rock climbing, pony-trekking and walking past some waterfalls on the originally-named 'Waterfalls Walk'.
We arrived at the Old Chapel eventually, Mr Stevens having asked us kindly to stop singing twenty miles back down the road, and fell out of the mini-bus, just ready for an afternoon nap .... and went off to collect firewood. Having returned, some were preparing dinner while others were either getting wet in the stream or playing cricket. (The football had mysteriously disappeared.)
For the evening's entertainment, a wide game was devised where two teams wo~~ldrun into trees in the dark, each trying to seize the other team's mountaineering hat!
The next morning, armed with raincoats that we might as well have left in England, bottles of coke, and Kendal Mint Cake, we set off for a nice. 'short' stroll around a few hills. A fifteen mile stroll around a lot of hills!
At about half past seven the next morning, the middle of the night to most of us, reveille sounded in the form of Mr Stevens poking his head into the tent and kindly informing us that it was time to 'arise'. As some made a mad dash for the Frosties, others tried to catch another few minutes kip. Sometime afterwards we went rock climbing and abseiling being met by Mr. Wheeler, equipped as always with his cricket bat. We walked to the rock face, a tiring walk when you are carrying climbing equipment. I soon had to return to the mini-bus to fetch Mr Diamond's trousers for him.
Later that evening we went pony-trekking. I think we controlled our horses better than the leaders, except for James Hugman who thought it would be fun to go off for a quick gallop on his own. And then it was off to the pub for a glass of coke. That evening a few variations were introduced into the wide game, to make it all the more dangerous.
As morning dawned the next day, it was the waterfalls walk. It was a very hot day to be wearing climbing boots and carrying backpacks, so some stupid people thought it would be fun to go swimming in icy rock pools.
After a crazy game of charades that night by the camp-fire, we trooped off to bed, very sad because we were going home the next morning.
Miles Parkin
Upper Fourth Activity Week
DUI-irigthe Easter vacation some members c?f'the Upper Four.ths spent a ~vekin Derbyshire enjoying a number c!f'diflewnt outdoor ac,tivities includirzg ~ulking,cuving, climbing and canoeing. They stayed at The Station House, Buston; while there, they ~vrccnc.omraged to ket~pa cliary of what they did. Below IS how one hoy .saw the events ofthat week.
April 10th
Today, the first of the camp, it was our turn to go on an expedition. The idea was that we would walk up onto the peaks from our starting point, and come down to a camp-site for the night. It turned out very differently. We were raring to go to start with, although it was pretty cold, and we set off at quite a fast pace, but once on the tops we ran into bad weather. This turned the walk into a battle against the elements. By the time we had got down off the tops we were tired and quite wet, but we still had some walking to do. The mud was awful and we had to cross many
stiles. The onset of snow raised our suirits for a while. but it did find the names of as many churches as possible, using a map and not last very long. As we approached the minibus, we were greeted with another downpour and when we finally got back we were wet and exhausted. The conditions were too bad for camping; so that was the end of a weather-beaten day and we returned to the shelter of the Station House.
April 11th
we got up, destined to go rock climbing and abseiling. The one consolation as we crawled out of bed was that the weather could not be as bad as yesterday. I was nervous at first as we approached the rock face in fine drizzle, but it didn't turn out to be that high. The greatest problem was the cold. As I departed from the base of the rock, with Mr. Wheeler holding the rope at the top, it didn't seem as easy as I thought it would be and, although it was not very far down I was reluctant to trust the rope and climb higher. The rope was stronger than it looked and I eventually reached the top with some encouragement from the other boys and members of staff.
The second climb was much higher and looked much harder, but it did not turn out to be so. With increased confidence and the nervousness gone I made it much more quickly and with a lot more ease.
On several occasions throughout the day we met an old man carrying an axe. At first we thought he was mad but he turned out to be very knowledgeable when it came to climbing. One thing, though. we did not trust that axe!!
After lunch we set off to do some abseiling on some higher rocks. I have never noticed any fear of heights before but just before abseiling I got it. It took me ages to muster the confidence to let go of the rope but I did eventually and made it down safely. After the initial fear the rest was much easier. I was very relieved to reach the bottom. Day two was much more fun than day one, but the weather still left a lot be be desired.
April 12th
We were all looking forward to this, and yes, the weather improvcd. We set off at about I0 a.m. There was not very far to go. We picked up our instructor en route and drove eight miles away to come back by canoe. After a very thorough review of all of the equipment needed for emergencies, carried by our instructor, we got onto the water. Andrew Horsfall actually got in it, and we canoed until lunch time. The sun was still out at this time, something of a record! After lunch 1 swapped boats. which was not wise, and promptly capsized and got a pleasant surprise: the water was warm. I soon dried out in the sun and we went on to play several games of tag and British bulldog. During these games several other boys fell victim to the water and capsized. By now we were all getting tired and we moved slowly to the end of our route. One last accident: Edward Schwalbe fell in while trying to get out of his canoe. After a few adjustments to the trailer, we returned to the Station House to dry out and get warm. Overall, it was another good day.
April 13th
we had been looking forward to today all week. We were to go caving. It had rained throughout the night and was still raining by the time we arrived at Giant's Hole (the cave which we were to explore). The trip was brilliant. Our two and a half hours in the caves seemed like twenty minutes. Our guide brought his dog and essential equipment and was very informative about cave structure. Some of us had a go at crawling through a banana shaped passage that was only about a foot high, as it would have been when the caves were discovered. We came out to find that the dog, who had been left outside, had covered the instructor's car with muddy footprints. After lunch we set off on a walk. It
rained to start with but just remained cloudy for most of the journey. The walk consisted of a 5 mile tour around Castleton. Quite a pleasant stroll, and a chance to visit the shops. April 14th
Today's activity was quite short, only lasting one hour. We had to
compass in groups. After a great deal of running around and climbing steep hills, my group managed to visit three churches and arrive back at the Station House only five minutes late. We didn't win but we had completed the course and only managed to lose two members of the team, who were later rescued by Mr. Wheeler.
After this we travelled back to Worcester. It had been good fun, interesting, taxing and informative. A good chance to try something new. We arrived back home tired but in high spirits.
Matthew Fleming
Lower Fourth Camp
After the annual ritual of loading masses of food on to the minibuses and some lengthy discussions on the legality of not having a red filter on the trailer brake light, and the associated visits to the Art Department to obtain the necessary materials for repair, four members of staff and twenty-one boys set off. On arrival at the Old Chapel most of the boys decided that it was not a good idea to pitch their tents in the middle of the stream, too near to the toilets or in the middle of the stinging nettles, and managed to get their sleeping accommodation sorted out by midnight. Unusually, only one boy had had a close encounter with the river by this time.
The next three days were occupied by several different activities. Rock climbing provided a challenge for all the boys. Most managed to overcome their fears, and many demonstrated a lot of courage. On one occasion two sheep decided to position themselves halfway up the rock face and it was suggested that we should perform a rescue. Eventually it was decided that the sheep could rescue themselves. Anyway, we might need to be rescued
if we tried.
Various walking trips were undertaken, which involved walking under waterfalls and to the top of what were reported by the boys as being very high hills The waterfall visited was featured on 'Blue Peter' as being used by martial arts' experts to prove their commitment. All of the boys decided that standing underneath the freezing cold shower was not their idea of fun, and so did the accompanying staff. Some did take advantage of the rock pools for swimming but even on a 90°F day the water was still reported to be "frrrrrrrreeeeeezing".
Pony trekking also proved to be a popular activity. Everyone managed to stay in the saddle for the entire journey and no one was lost on the back of a renegade horse.
Back at the Chapel the cricket wicket was a little undulating and, although the TCCB inspectors pronounced it fit for play, it was not really a batting wicket. It gave plenty of help to the bowlers, often too much, with the ball missing the stumps completely. However, some vintage matches were played and only 6 balls were lost in the rather overgrown outfield. Curiously, the most common ways to be out were leg before bin, caught off the roof, caught not doing the washing up and hit ball in the streamlnettles.
Perhaps the greatest crisis of the camp arose totally ~lnexpectedly one morning. As ~~sual,the climbing group had finished breakfast and set out for the crags. In the middle of nowhere the minibus inexplicably stopped. It just refused to go anywhere. After some cletective work we decided that it had run out of petrol. Luckily, with a great deal of improvisation and a lift from ;I local farmer. the boys and staff present managed to get enough petrol Into the tank to get to Crtckhowcll, where the tank could be tilled up. The 1:1\t per\on to Ll\e the bus (Mr. R.N.G. Stone) wa4 not very popular wlth that particular group for the re\[ of the
The last day of the camp was spent clearing up and orienteering. The boys had to visit various places of interest to tind out important pieces of information such as when the Red Lion in Llanbedr was built, and then, using a map and compass, return to the Old Chapel as quickly as possible. Event~lallyall groups returned, most having been lost or almost run down by some stray cyclists from the sponsored bike ride.
All in all the camp was u great success. The boys took on all activities with enthusiasm and obviously e11.joyed most of' what they did.
J.T.W.
assault on the Malvern Hills one Sunday, by nearly 20 members of the club.
The committee has met regularly, under the leadership of Peter Buston, and started to organise a number of activities. Alex Reeves ran an excellent (though sparsely attended) afternoon exercise on map reading at the Old Hills area (outside Callow End), and helped with an evening meeting on camping skills. Unfortunately, our trip to Snowdonia was cancelled because of the weather, and a planned backpacking trip during the Summer half term was also cancelled, as everyone seemed busy revising! However, we did get as far as the Brecon Beacons one Sunday, on a beautiful day with an ideal mixture of sun and breeze. The summer expedition, although somewhat reduced from the originally planned numbers, was a great success. We spent a week camping in Borrowdale, in the Lake District, and had a most enjoyable time exploring the surrounding hills. The journey up was somewhat dreary, as we had to toil through Bank Holiday Saturday traffic in the rain, and setting up camp proved most interesting in a typical Lakeland drizzle. However, the Sunday dawned fine, and we made a determined assault on the Grassmoor range of hills, starting from Braithwaite. The views from all the peaks were clear, and enabled us to see right into Scotland and-out to the Isle of Man, but nothing had us for the panorama which was revealed when we scrambled, gasping for breath, to the top of Crag Hill. Before us, revealed in the afternoon sun, lay the vivid panorama of almost all the Lakeland Hills, sending us to our maps and compasses to identify all we saw. Only The Old Man of Coniston and High Street were missing from the view, which must be one of the most impressive in Lakeland.
On Monday, also, the weather was kind to us, and we ascended Blencathra, and down by Sharp Edge, a descent which is more of a scramble than a walk. Certainly, Alistair Willis had never had to do anything like it before Tuesday was a bit of a washout, with continuous drizzle; so, we dived into Keswick for an idle day. which ended up with a most interesting trip to Sellatield. where we met the TV woman who "really works there"! We said, on our return, that we must walk on Wednesday "come what may". This virtually guaranteed Wednesday's weather - quite the worst conditions I have walked in for years. with the rain coming down in stair rods. Great Gable had never been less appreciated (but the trip to the swimming baths was), and while we were away. the river through the campsite rose over three feet.
Our ti nal day was redeemed by excellent weather again so, we traipsed round to Langdale. and climbed the Crinkle Crags. an exhilarating walk. At the top of The Band. Guy O'Kcefe seemed reluctant to leave without visiting Bow Fell; so. we raced to the top. reaching the summit (750ft of height gain and '2 mile away) in less than 15 minutes! The rest of the party went down The Bantl. but we all reachcd the car at the sane time. All in all, it was n most enjoyable expedition.
p,cl~t~c~~lar ' thanks must go to ER. who has provided support and encouragement for all our endeavours. even if he has not been able to attend every event personally.
F.J.L.
Hillwalking Club
The Hillwalking club was founded in the Spring Term for the Lower Sixth only. The intention is to provide opportunities for those interested in the hills to explore many beautiful areas of the country, and to learn about navigation, camping, and other skills associated with Hill walking.
Our first meeting was a talk at lunchtime by FJL, on choosing outdoor equipment. This was.very quickly followed by a mass
THE CATHEDRAL APPEAL
For centuries there has been a school in the shadow of Worcester Cathedral: for most of that time we were known as the Cathedral King's School. We inhabit many of the buildings of the close: we have the refectory of the monastery as our College Hall: we often use the cathedral for functions, ranging from state occasions like King's Day to a weekly comnlunion in the Lady Chapel. Until recently the Dean and Chapter formed the bulk of the governing body, and members of the school and staff have
been members of the Cathedral College since the time of Henry VIII. As a natural consequence, there is a close relationship between Church and School, and when the dire state of the fabric of the Cathedral necessitated a massive and urgent appeal, it was imperative that we made as big a contribution as we could.
The Junior School were quicker to start than the Senior School, and they soon raised a very large sum of money - £1800 from a school of 120 pupils pays tribute to their enthusiasm and that of their parents. The main part of the effort was a sponsored swim organised by Angela Winter and Ruth Reeves in which the boys swam the English Channel - but in the school pool! Boys were also to be found washing cars in Evesham, going on sponsored cycle rides, and selling books.
The Senior School had decided to give up a Saturday morning to fund raising, and a weekend just after the start of the Summer Term was allocated. It soon became clear that this could not provide time for all the events that people wanted to organise, and the period from March through to the end of the Summer Term was used for what at the last count I made at least twenty-five different fund raising activities. It is not possible to give details of all of them but, to show the range involved, the following were noteworthy for different reasons.
Russell Mason organised a "fight the flab" sponsored slim among the staff, raising several hundred pounds in spite of the fact that some of the most obvious entrants did not take partperhaps the penalty of paying singlehanded the sponsorship money for weight gain put them off.
Mike Stevens oversaw a Rock Concert organised by sixth formers Paul Thomson, Jeremy Hartley, Simon Swift and Matt Wheeler. Such was the interest that all tickets were sold and it raised more money than any other single event.
In the summer half term Brian Griffiths organised a group of mostly fifth formers to cycle to the Old Chapel and back; Nicholas Clark could not take part - so he did a solo run in Wales and singlehandedly raised E200.
To give the parents a chance to involve themselves, Brian Griftiths organised a Barn Dance: this was thoroughly enjoyable even among square non dancers, and the band made a spontaneous gesture by collecting E25 among themselves. On my way after the Barn Dance to look in on the Shakespeare reading, I met a group of mo~tlyLower Removes, who were relieving the tedium of a table football marathon by having a kickabout with a somewhat bigger ball. At the same time, close by. a pool-playlng marathon was taking place.
The Shakespeare read-in, in which ten of hic plays were read in a thirty hour stretch, enabled many Walter Mittys to act out their dreams, and was notable for some inspired casting - Mike Stevens as Don John for instance. This was the longest-running event in the weekend given over to fund raising, but the centre piece was the Fun Run on the Saturday morning in which most of the school took part.
This was highly organised by Derek Naish, whose hard work and attention to detail for weeks preceding the event was remarkable. There were categories for everyone from the juvenile to the geriatric - the 40-50 male group was won by David Shrimpton, an OV from California - and a barbeque and ice cream were on sale. At the end, a Fourth Former picked up a bucket, went round - and collected £26! While this was going on, the musicians were playing and singing in the Lychgate precinct, and their quality performance attracted a static and appreciative audience of Saturday shoppers. In the afternoon, the cricketers were sponsored for wickets taken and runs scored, and the number of pounds raised far outstripped the runs scored.
It would be possible to go on and on listing the activities that took place: people paddled canoes, they rollerskated, skateboardkd, rowkd,'fenced, played football, basketball, walked the Cotswolds, climbed the cathedral tower, humoured the staff, who were reliving their youth, by acting as disc jockeys by attending a 'Sixties' disco.
At the end of the day, the Headmaster had the pleasure of giving the Dean a cheque for over £7,000, tribute to the concerted efforts of virtually the whole school, though special mention must be made of Brian Griffiths and Derek Naish, who provided much of the drive of the organising committee. It would have been nice to top the £10,000 mark for the whole school but, as The Junior School have reopened their efforts, who knows?
J.R.T.
The Sponsored Cycle Ride
The sponsored cycle ride to the Old Chapel, in aid of the Cathedral appeal, took place during the last two days of the Summer half-term. Mr. B. Griffiths, who planned the whole event, decided that only sixth formers and members of staff would be fit enough to tackle such a gruelling ride, and in this assumption he was proved to be quite wrong.
The team of thirty or so intrepid riders set off from school with Nick "King Of The Mountains" Fewkes leading the way on his lightweight racer. Some people's choice of bike gave rise to some surprise, and even concern. Mr. R.H. Birkett, for example, turned up on what appeared to be an original bone shaker. In fact, as it turned out, it had been repaired and renovated so many times that none of its original parts remained. There were those who thought 120 miles on such a contraption was asking the impossible, but Mr. Birkett astonished everyone by completing the trip without so much as a puncture! Then there was Richard Dredge whose machine of cast iron construction was so heavy that he need a push start to get moving. Richard had transformed his normally docile bike into a blaring monster by fixing to it an air horn, which produced a sound not unlike that of an atomic
explosion. One blast was si~fficientto send cars careering out of the way. leaving even the most hardened road hog trembling with fright.
The ride to the Old Chapel was very pleasant. The weather was fair. tlie roads were mainly clear of traffic and, so long as you were a member of the "Get Off And Walk" brigade. the hills weren't too bad. There was a slight problem in keeping the team together, with the fitter members, such as Nick Fewkes, Gareth Brock, Mark Wood and Mr. M.D. Rudge, leaving the slower members, such as Mr. A.J. Haigh. behind. The only real incident on the outward journey was when Chris Young discovered that it pays to look where you're going when riding fast downhill. Somehow lie managed to apply his brakes just before he ploughed into the back of Gav Longmire but, as he came to a tyre squealing, bone juddering stop, the rear wheel of his bike gave LIPthe fight and buckled spectacularly. Amazingly, Chris managed to soldier on to the Old Chapel, where he was able to make some repairs.
The highlight of the evening was the barbecue, which was surprisingly good. The breakfast next morning was also edible. Generally breakcasts at the Old Chapel consist of a mug of cold tea, a cold, greasy fried egg. and an undercooked rasher of bacon. Not so this time. Chefs Sykes. Fewkes, and Johnson produced a breakfast fit for a teacher. The egg was warm, the tea was tepid, and there was a definite crispness about the bacon.
1 was convinced that thc return journey would to me be power of no good, but in the end it didn't prove to be as difficult as many of us had feared. Luckily, the weather was kind again andeveryone made it back without any serious mishaps.
Thanks must go to all the members of staff who organised and took part in the event, particularly to Mr. Griffiths and his wife and to Mr. M.A. Stevens, who generously sacrificed his own place in the team, in order to drive the minibus. The event was a great success, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and we managed to raise about 2900 for the Cathedral Appeal.
Richard Saunders
Easter Sailing Trip to Greece
The two weeks that the six of us (Alastair Alexander, Patrick Bell, Cliristopher Charlton, Ian Darke. John and Caroline Roslington) spent sailing on board the 35ft Beneteau yacht 'Love 10' proved a great success. Invaluable sailing knowledge was gained by the crew during a cruise of two hundred nautical miles in the area of the Dodecanese, from learning to take bearings and use tlie Breton Plotter and depth sounder, to taking charge of the 'man overboard' drill in a heavy swell.
Travelling in a clockwise direction from Mandraki harbour, Rhodes, we had some brisk sailing at tirst, but ended up motoring in light airs to Lindos. This small village, with narrow winding streets between the tiny white-washed houses, gets very busy, but this did not spoil our visit to the Acropolis perched on the rock summit above the bay where we had anchored. The following day, sailing around Cape lstros (Southern tip of Rhodes) we approached Khalki, noticing that the homes were 'totally different from the white of Lindos: browner, ~lniform,with red tiled roofs and a few trees scattered artfully.' We agreed with The Sunday Times article that this island is still the 'real', urispoilt Greece - in the taverna we were joined by the crew of the only other yacht visiting the island, and a handful of locals.
On the fifth day, we made a short lunchtime stop at Tilos (which was deserted and windswept, but had lots of character and postcards!), arriving in the afterlioon ;it Niseros. This island is renowned for its extinct volcanic crater, and rich soil on the slopes, terraced and cultivated with olives and citrus trees. Although we didn't have time to scale the heights, we did spot the crater from the plane on our return flight. Having suffered a
very bumpy night and our only casuality of the trip (Alastair, though positively heroic, did need hospital treatment after miscalculating his mighty leap from shore to ship) at this rather exposed port, we had a superb sail to Kos the following morning, in a good stiff breeze and bright sunshine. Chris had the distinction of suggesting we put in a second reef and as a result, got soaked by a couple of large waves that broke over the boat as he wrestled with the mainsail. On arrival at Kos, we hired bikes, and rode to the Aesc~~lapion,set up by Hippocrates, discovering that we had only ten minutes to look around before closing. Later we explored the entire port and the Castle of the Knights. Having sailed across the short strait between Greece and Turkey at this point, we berthed at the very smart marina in Bodrum. Turkey is a very different place: we spent three days sampling the very cheap taxi rides, Turkish meals, Turkish delight. Bodrum Castle, the underwater archaeological museum, and an isolated village where carpets were hand-made. We found ourselves the honoured guests of a family and were invited to help ourselves to Turkish tea, raki. wine. bread (resembling shortcake), chicken, salad, olive oil and much more, whilst
Alustuit. at the Hclnr
admiring the hundreds of carpets for private sale.
Our time in Turkey would not have been complete without a trip to the ruins at Ephesus (there are those who said the purpose of the whole adventure was so that Mrs Roslington could go to Ephesus). Starting before dawn for the four hour bus ride to the North, we spent an entire day in the baking sun, uncovering the complicated history of the Roman imperial past, and exploring the excavations, theatres, temples, baths, and a dry harbour. We were very lucky to have been able to do this when there were so few other people there.
On the return journey towards Rhodes, we stopped at Cnidus to visit the ancient hillside city which, being at the end of a long rugged peninsula, is easier to visit by sea than by land. There are now only three modern buildings - an army hut, a restaurant and a taverna, both closed. The view of the ancient trireme harbour from the hillside is magnificent, and it is difficult to walk across the area without treading on the scattered remains of amphorae and building stone. Many of the treasures from both Cnidus and Ephesus are now in the British Museum. On the twelfth day, at the small island of Simi, the younger members of the party climbed a mountain (640m) and admired the view of the Turkish Peninsula and the Dodecanese, while the skipper discovered the bureaucratic nightmare of inadvertently spilling a spoonful of diesel oil into the harbour. With the help of the charter company, a very large fine was reduced, though we noticed the bucketfuls of oil left by the ferry were ignored. On our return, we shorttacked the 35-footer into Mandraki harbour, watched by a small crowd. and let go the anchor for the last time. Sitting in the sun we recollected the sumptuous feasts we ourselves had cooked (all duties were done on a rota basis) such as 'Boeuf Kos'; the bottles of ouzo, wine and packets of pistachio nuts, the lunchtime Greek salads and feta cheese, not forgetting the olives. All this sustained our enthusiasm to return to explore as much of the Dodecanese as possible.
Patrick Bell
Wonderful sailirig, an e-I-cellentancl c.heerful cl-ew andfasc.inating ,glimpses of ancient history in beautiful surroundings made this one of our most enjoyable oclver~tures.
C.F.R.
French Exchange Report
During the Easter Holidays, twenty-eight members of the School took part in the 1989 Bristol - Bordeaux Exchange. As usual, the party flew direct from Bristol Airport, meeting their French partners at MCrignac Airport, in the suburbs of Bordeaux. That evening began the great adventure, especially for those going to France for the first time: getting to know their exchange partners, their host families, acclimatizing to the new environment, making the customary adjustments to French cuisine, and, of course, listening to and speaking the language. By all accounts, they all seem to have held their own, despite the unheralded intervention of the flu, colds, occasional moments of 'mal de pays', and the traditional and characteristic unpredictability of life in France! Some were indeed fortunate enough to go skiing in the not-too-distant PyrenCes, or to visit Paris with their hosts. The South-West of France does have much to offer the visitor, and it was good to find that by the time of the return journey, two and a half weeks later, some felt they could have stayed in France for longer!
P.J.A.E.
Mr Burkill, determinecl to start the trip on a good note, declared that we would be travelling at a maximum height of 18 inches and a speed of 12 knots. He introduced our drivers, Barry and Steve, and, accompanied by music and occasional reports on the Wimbledon tennis finals, we made our merry way across England to Dover. After a calm crossing, night fell as the coach travelled through France. Paris flashed by at about midnight and, after a sleepless night for many, we neared the Swiss border.
It is one thing to see mountain scenes in pictures but a totally different one in the flesh (or should that be rock?). As first impressions go, Switzerland makes a good one: clean facilities and sharp, crisp air. As morning wore on, we made our way up the Rh8ne Valley to the town of Leytron. Now only a thirty minute journey, and twenty-three hairpin bends, stood between us and our hotel and so, with expectation high, we began our final ascent.
Those who have never been through this sort of experience would not appreciate it, but sitting in a high coach and alternately having a rock wall and an almost sheer drop on either side set a few hearts a-flutter. Even the coach couldn't take the strain and stopped for a rest half-way up.
Thankfully, we reached Ovronnaz and our hotel, the "Grand Muveran". Personally, I think Barry enjoyed alarming us. Mr "Efficiency is the key" Burkill was in his element and in a matter of minutes rooms had been allotted and we were eating a hearty meal in the dining room.
Straight after our meal we were set to work amidst protests of "I thought this was supposed to be a holiday!" from various quarters. For the rest of the afternoon we wandered around the town looking at car number plates and houses and duly recording them on various charts and tables. In the evening we discussed our findings, after a meal containing the same soup from lunchtime (not my favourite food.)
Geography Field Trip to Switzerland
Unlike last year's outing to Switzerland, this trip was principally to educate a group of some 40 Upper Remove in the art of fieldwork. But first we had to get there!
Day two was dubbed "Local settlement studies" or a chance to see around the local villages for ourselves. We visited five settlements, Montagnon, a village where half the buildings slope to one side owing to the downhill movement of the sub-soil, Leytron, the local district or commune capital, and Saillon, a charming 14th century fortified town, the best conserved example in Switzerland. While conducting our survey, Colin Somers, James Lott, Mark Peters and myself were waylaid by a Swiss pensioner who, after a bit of persuasion, gave us the answers to our task (in French), allowing us time to do a little souvenir shopping while others toiled up and down the crag on which Saillon is built, clip-boards in hands. Other ports of call were the sizeable town of Riddes and, via a less than safe looking cable car, to the town of Iserables. At a height of 1116 metres Iserables was, until the erection of the cable car, virtually cut off and so totally independent.
The evening meal was tasty and included a bowl of soup (surprise, surprise!) I have since concluded that soup is the staple
diet of the Swiss and much loved by Mr. Gill.
The next day took us to perhaps the most spectacular location of our "holiday", the Glacier du Trient. We climbed 1527m in the coach up more hairpin bends. Our "sane" coach driver, Barry, managed to hang the rear seats of the coach over the edge of the road, while trying to reverse round one such bend.
When we disembarked, we found ourselves in the middle of a cloud! After a short walk we came in sight of our quarry. We actually managed to stand by the glacier's snout. Our evening meal included. yes, that's right, soup again.
Day four took in the phenomena of the "Pyramides D'Euseigne" and the Grand Dixence dam. The "Pyramides D'Euseigne" are mysterious pillars of earth on a valley side. Each has a boulder on top, which has prevented the clay from eroding with the rest of the slope. After a short stop we moved on to a pumping station for a quick tour of the turbines and then on to the Dixence dam itself. This is an impressive site. being the height of the Eiffel Tower, 285m high, and crossing the whole valley. The easiest way to reach the top is via cable car. The view from the top is quite spectacular, both across the lake and back down the valley.
I won't bother to tell you what was included on the menu that night. I'm sure you can guess!
In the final few days of the trip we had an interesting visit to the salt mines at Bex where we were given a talk (in English). Then, after an underground train journey, we were given a tour of the old workings and caverns by a guide who spoke no English. We also got to try out our command of the French language, or lack of it, during a survey in the town of Sion.
Suddenly, then, it was all over. After a small river study and a buffet type meal - no soup! - we left Ovronnaz for home.
The journey home was much the same as our journey out. However, this time Steve revealed his own particular idea of fun by trying to drive through the centre of Paris on the night after the Bastille Day celebrations. It was a different experience. Police were everywhere, water was thrown at the coach and one man clrove past the coach trying to open the luggage bay doorsfortunately they were locked.
So, it was a tired but happy group of Vigornians who returned that Sunday.
Many thanks go to the Burkill family, the Gill family. Mr. Saunders. and to our drivers, Barry and Steve, for a really great time.
Cliristopher Preston
ITALY
There used to be a time when we could assume that those who came with us to Italy - there have been three such visits - would not know their Botticelli from their Albinoni before they set out. The year of 1989 were different; many of them had endured a General Studies' course in Renaissance Ideas which, in the end, proved to have been invaluable for that experience of aesthetic indigestion that is the art world of florence. After the journey to Italy, usually accompanied by a near-perfect recollection of the complete sound track of 'Me and My Girl' (Caroline Absalom) or by a near-complete Keys Choir in itellis from the repertoire, we launched into eight days of near-solid culture. Conducted tours in the morning and, usually, the afternoon as well. gave way to conversation and home-cooked meals, Italian style, in the late sunlight of golden evenings. Not only was the cuisine original, it was also entirely palatable and the groups responsible for preparing and serving haute cuisine took competitive pride in the dollops of rice, pasta and vegetables, which always looked and tasted different from day to day. Venice, our second port of call, is always more relaxed. We camp more or less on the beach there and make more or less daily forays by boat into the city. The
Accademia, St.Mark's and the Scuola di San Rocco are less urgently beckoning and there is a quality of leisure and space that is significantly lacking in the noise and dust of the Tuscan city with its scaffolding, graffiti and aggressive pride. Here the sandwiches are moister, the wine smoother and the conversation more relaxed - and the rain wetter. MAS shelters disconsolately under a gondolier's awning, which proved waterproof for all of two deluged minutes before he, too, takes to sodden thunderstruck alleys for a walk to San Salute - at this point, you-knowwho strikes up a strident and irrepressible version of 'Singing' in the Rain'. That evening all the pan lids disappear and only the following morning do we discover that the whole group, less senior members who are, as is appropriate, planning the next day's activities ('staff conference') in the beach bar, has devised a game thay involves recreating tableaux of great Renaissance paintings. The Deposition, with Bill Baker as an emaciated Christ figure, The Crucifixion, featuring Catherine Powell, a
Magdalen in a pink sleeping bag, the Annunciation and The Last Supper, all require halos - Swan brand. Over three weeks in such close company could have been hard work - one of the party remarked that you certainly discover a lot about people when you have to share a tent with them - and it is greatly to the credit of all involved that the whole experience was a sheer pleasureeven 'Me and My Girl'. They'll remind me that all good essays require evidence. Well, unsolicited witness one is an Englishman in a camp site in the Italian Alps near Aosta. 'I'm amazed that this is a school party', he says to me confidentially, 'they're so civilized, polite, well-mannered and yet so obviously enjoying themselves.' Witness two is also unsolicited, a motorist who feels slightly put out that our vehicle has gone for the hole that he thinks might, even should, have been occupied by his, at a motorway service station. An exchange of views follows. 'You're the sort of person who gets the English abroad a bad name', is his parting shot. MAS's reply is not recorded.
P.G.D.
DROUGHT
The talons of the sun
Tore my back
To shreds of agony
I saw the land
Simmering slowly
And its silent cries
Of help,
Dissolved in the sun, With my hopes
For rain.
The ground cracks before me -
An infinite medley
Of mouths In pain
The blazing destruction of The future
Burns my mind
As I watch a tear
Evaporate.
Ewan Jeffrey
Blizzard
It was an ancient Januarv. It was of a year before the time of mankind. It was a January so ancient that its life consisted of small insects skating on frozen lakes. Winter witnessed by algae and occasional plant life heroically braving the world above the huge white blanket already providing cover for the summer green. The hill looked dead.
They all looked dead. All the hills in old England looked, and were almost, dead. But this hill was suddenly engulfed in a torrent of life. A cold, desperate torrent of life. Bringing death. It raged. It raged with a meaning, a must. It raged with determination, and power. That was the essence. Power. A great powerhouse like a swarm of bees, building a honey comb of snow, but never quite reaching a hive of whiteness. The snow fell irregularly but built up to form a steady pattern. A smooth covering over a rough and ready earth, like a coarse stone left in the sea for a long time. the irregularity of the surface became a smooth, rounded, continuous shape, almost beautiful in its own simplicity.
But the blizzard was neither beautiful or simple. It was a complex, random, harsh occurrence, like a string of unconnected numbers. with no logic, but an unknown reason. It killed, it froze, it smothered anything. It was an object of hate, a prehistoric bomb with no detonator, simply because it was alive. Uncontrollable. Like a train without tracks. it ran on regardless of obstacles, merely covering them with a soft, white, desolate coat of snow. A livjng pintbrush.
It was to pass on for months over those old hills. For the whole of winter it would rave in anguish and torment submerging everything, like a demon without content it screamed and howied across the countryside, degrading it to a mere shade of white. It would argue to a distant, deaf ear, shouting to itself for months, the whole season.
And it did, but warmth prevailed.
Sunlight had won after months of hard work. It had won.
Again.
Matthew Wall
The Sporting Year
First XV
Played l X Won 12 Drawn l Lost 5 Points for 348 Against 226 Tries for 58 Against 34
Once again a successful season for a team led with tremendous enthusiasm by Nigel Richardson. His play throughout the year was outstanding and it is still a mystery to Iiie that he wasn't selected to play for England.
Early defeats were suffered at the hands of good sides from Brecon and Cheltenham and subsequent good results were only spoilt by a poor end to the term with three successive defeats prior to the O.V. game. We did have some good fortune and the three wins against Warwick, Wrekin and Bishop Vesey's were mainly due to successful kicks at goal under pressure by Richard Tomlinson. The best rugby of the term was played in the match against Portsmouth GS on tour, where forwards and backs combined to score seven tries in a thrilling game of open rugby.
The team was not very experienced, with just four regular players from the previous year. After a brief spell in the back row, Chris Telling returned to prop and formed a sound front row with the quick striking 1,awson Higgins at hooker and the silent reliable Phil Malsbury at loose head. Rob Dow's jumping in the middle of the line-out secured a considerable amount of possession. David Merlin partnered him in the second row and his general all round play won him the "Preston Shield" as the season's most improved player. Simon Cathery's pace to the breakdown and good tackling combined with Stuart Conyers's aggressive, driving play completed the pack. who invariably won more than 50% possession.
Neil Robinson's I;icl~c;~l nual-enc\h ant1 Toml~nson'sall round ability generally made good use of the ball. whilst Simon Dobbins's timing ofa pass created space fol- the dangerous Duncan Hughes and the speedy wings, Rill Harris and Nick (;ay. .lames Ramsdale plnyetl with increasing confidence at full back whilst Aidan Thompson made a number of effective appearances at centre.
Representative honours were achieved by Nigel Richardson (England Trial) and Richard Tomlinson (Midlands Trial) whilst a large number of others represented Worcestershire. Seven regular players return next year under the captaincy of Kichard Tomlinson and there should be considerable competition for the remaining places.
My thanks go once again to Alec Mackie and the largest (literally in some cases) band of parents I can recall, who supported the team consistently throughout the year.
First XV Results 1988
vs Q.M. Walsall
vs Christ Brecon
vs King Henry's Coventry
vs Warwick S.
vs Wrekin College
vs Cheltenha~iiCollege
vs Solihull S.
vs Chichester H S
vs Portsmouth G S
vs K E S Birmingham
v.; Oldswinford H S
vs Bishop Vesey's G S
vs Hereford Cathedral
vs Bablake School
vs Brornsgrove School
vs R G S Worcester
vs Bristol G S
vs Old Vigornians
First Seven
Thi\ w;~\another successful Sevens' season. It is difficult sometimes to measute success in sevens in absolute ternis. as the standard of tournaments varies consider:~hly. However, it is safe to say that this season along with the previous year must be the two hest years that the school has ever had.
Two toulnaments were won and two semi-tinals were reached but undoubtedly the greatest achievement was reaching the final of the National Schools' Tourna~nental Rosslyn Park. On the first day of this tournament a victory 28-6 over Stonyhurst, reversing a 10-12 defeat earlier in the season, was particularly satisfying. Stonyhurst had previously won three high class tournaments and were strongly fancied to do well again. A thrilling victory against Milltield along with wins over Sevenoaks and Llandovery look us into the final against Ampleforth on the second day. They performed magnificently and eventually overwhelmed us but there was a considerable sense of satisfaction at getting to the final anyway. This was a fitting end to a seawn in which a large number of boys trained in a dedicated fashion for a considerable length of time.
This preparation was evident in our tirst two tourliitriient victories, when the team caught a number of opponents cold. During a series of seven tourn;tnients there are bo~~nd to be a few dismal moments and these were encountered against Belmont Abbey at the Marches and Nottingham at Solihull. Nevertheless, the team bounced back to reacli tlie semi-final at T:~unton to be beaten by a good home side :mtl to reacli the same stage at Worcester to lose rather unluckily to Cheltenham.
A I-ecol-dtotal ol' 125 tries were worecl wilh the high propel-tion of85 being converted by Richard Tomlinson. Nigcl Riclial-d\on scored 34 tries. three of which. in his towering perl'ormance against Millfield at Kosulyn. took LIS into tlie final. Duncan Hughes scored 30 ;untl hi\ tirst tl;ty performiince at Ro\.;lyn was pnrticulnl-ly impressive. The teal11 as a whole was creative nntl strong. The hrward of Chris Telling and Dnvitl Merl~n along with Ricliardson were very skilf\~lfor such big men. Neil Robinson played with ~i~~tlacioustenacity and originality at \crum half and with Riclinrtl Tomlinson ;it fly Ii;ilf seeming to catch everything itnd make the corlect decision, opportunities for tlie tale~~tetl Hughes and tlie wings of Bill Hlirris 01- Nick Gay were not in short \upply. Too little was seen of the subtle skills of Simon Dobhins who broke his collar hone in the second tournament. The tinill squad wn\ tnade up by Davitl Bull. (;reg Thomas end Phil Kwan who, along with many other 'B' learn pl:tyers. were led in their toumalnents with ;idmirable :iplornb by Rob Dow.
Many of these players return next yeill- and if they train as well as this year. I an1 contident that we can he succcssfi~lonce again.
M.J.R.
First XV Tour to Portsmouth
It was all optim~st~c~~LILI~that nlel in tlie playground hoping to continue the Is1 XV'{ s~~ccessful ~rccordof I-ccent tours. Rob Dow. wishing to give a goocl impre\sio~iof the school, chose selectively from hi.; wardrobe and turned LIP in n pair of niotlet Bermutln hhorts.
Alter an uneventful lour hour trip. we arrived nt the Clarendon hotel, So~ttlisea. Everyone settled q~~icklyinto their rooms except Phil Malsbury, who seemetl lo prefer the toilel. wliete he spent the mqjol-ity of hi tour. After a quiet and sedate evening meal, the team left the hotel to tind the nearest amusement arcade. Luckily lor Bill Harris and Nick Gay. it was close. as they were competing to see who coultl lose 311 of their money in a fruit machine most quickly.
Back in the hotel. evel-yone soon went to bed anticipating ;I hard close game with Chichester H.S.. who were unbcaten. John Lumsdon played in place of the toilet-bound Phi1 and the team was urgecl on hy the calming voice of Mr Cathery and the other parents who had made the trip to the So~~th co:tsl. King's tinally won 16-0 on a very smnll pitch.
The following day was free ~uid,after fr~~itless attempts by Mr Roberts and Mr Mason to persuatle people to go ;tnd see the Mary Rose, the squad went
their separate ways. Nick and Bill went off to find a "fruitie". Phil went to the toilet and several others went to the local swimming baths, where David Merlin thought he saw somebody drowning and jumped in fully clothed. Convinced we were brave sailors of Her Majesty's Fleet we were given the privilege of a special exit from the baths.
The following morning saw the squad training on a hit of grass in a park. Everything having gone well. we returnetl to the hotel to pack. before setting off fol- Po~tsrnoutliCS. The pack that nliernoon was the biggest of the season. with Dan Cowton playing second row ancl Dave Merlin movctl to No. 6. Stu Conyers didn't like the idea of resting, and so tried to replace Duncan Hughes by shutting Ins tingers in the door of the mini-bus.
The ga111ewas one ofthe be1 of the season, with the whole team playing well at the same time. in particuln~-Neil Kobi~ison,who had to contend with :I six foot opponent. almost twice his height. The g:me was won 36-6. after which we left [he sunny so~~thfor- ho~iie.
Our t1i;tnks to Mr Koberts ;~ndMr Mason for making it 1111 possible ~uidalso to tlie many supportcrs, without whom the matches would not have been the s;unc.
Chris Telling
game at Brecon.
The half backs were perhaps the most influential part of the side. Philip Kwan was particularly elusive at scrum half and Sean Witheford kicked the side to victory on niany occasions. His controlled. but powerful right boot kept the forwards going forward. Chris Tuckwell also played competently at Hy half during the early part of the season. The wingers, usually Sam Lock and .lohn Malins, were pncy. John was the leading try scorer. by far, with fourteen touchdowns. Gideon Hyde played ;it full kick and his sure tackling played its part in the tea~ii's success. The sitle was ably captained by Mark Dixon, at hooker. Many thanks to Mark for engendering the right 2nd XV spirit B la Andl-ew Underwood.
Low points during the season were few. but perhaps the heavy defeat at Cheltenham was the most worthy of forgetting. Even in defeat we could have pride in our attit~~deand perfor~iiance.It was no di\grace to lose; we were just out-played on occasions. The WRGS tnatch was slightly disappointing. hut in our usual 'nail biter' they just had the edge. Iwas heartened by the spirit and discipline shown on this potentially explosive day. Th;uikfully the game, :it least at 2nd XV, has been treated just as a 'game of rugby'.
Thil-ty-two players played for the 2nd XV tluring the season. In fact. on no occasion did the same fifteen player\ represenl tlie team in consccutive rnatclie\. This lack of continuity is nornial in 2nd and 3rd XV's ;uitl is of course. unavoidable. Quite rightly the senior \ide takes priority and it is rewarcling to see players gain n 1st XV opportunity. In spite oftlie number of players usetl. there was u numher of regulars. The forwards invariably gained the 'lion's share' of possession. Ecl Hudson and Mark Richards provided a rock-steady platfomi untl Tom Renwick anti Dan Cowton were dominant in the second row. The most regular back row combination was David Bull. Martin Campbell :uid Andrew Duncan. Unfortunately, Matthew Westley was injured in tlie early season
Highliglit\ were ltrore frecluent. Perliap\, our best rugby was played against Solihull. Other notable victories were achieved against W'trwick ancl K.E.S. Bil-minglinm. It is always satisfying to prevail against schools that are considered to be among the strongest on the tixture list.
This was a season of incredible highs and pathetic lows. Our eventual record of X wins. 8 losses and I draw could 1i;rve been substantially improved had the team managed to play consistently to those standards unfortunately achieved in only sporadic flourishes.
Dihappointing defeats were experienced at the hands of Solihull, Bromsgrove and wtlsall, causing RPM to scream such comments as, "They think it's
D.T.N.
Christmas!" and "Half of you are still in the changing room!". all of which served to enliven otherwise dismal days.
Enough of the lows. however. and on to the highlights of the season. These really came in three matches against teams that traditionally beat us convincingly. These games showed the team's greatest asset: an ability to rise to the occasio~i. Firstly came the visit to Brecon, in which we achieved a 12-6 victory. Particular praise here must go to tlie under I h's in the side and of these a special mention to Richard Chong whose superb try really must rank as one of the best of the season.
Secondly, the match against Bishop Vesey G.S. who had crushed us by no less than 40-0 some twelve months before. This game gave the thirds the rare chance to display their talents on the first team pitch and for once they did not disappoint. giving their all to achieve a 10-6 victory. William Mann was the hero hel-e with two tine. individual tries, with the pack also playing well to contain Vesey's in the second half.
Finally tlie match against the Royal Grammar School. After a disappointing first half in which nerves contributed greatly to Rob O'Neill's five(!) missed penalty goals, the team came back with a scrambled try by Justin Whorton to seal a tremendous 6-3 victory.
The regulars in the team were for the most part the forwards: Tim Cook, Adam Wyse, Matthew Reeves. Peter Ratcliffe, James Wilson, Paul McGowan, and Mark Wigfield, all of whom played well throughout the season. Roh O'Neill and William Mann event~~allybecame the regular half-hacks, whilst the other back positions tended to vary. Individuals stood out, particularly Ben Jones in the centre, Rrandon Chin on the wing and Ed Bolton at filll-back.
Despite the setbacks and disappointments of defeat, a good time was had by all, and thanks from all the team must go to RPM for some enjoyable practices and some tre~nendousentertainment during the half-time team talks.
Peter Ratcliffe.
It's a great pity that a successful team can't be built upon occasional glimmers of talent, together with a large quantity of sheer guts and determination. Thc results achieved were not outstanding, but I feel sure that all winning opponents would say that they had to fight hard for victory, and when on top we were difficult to control.
The forwards had a passion for the game that couldn't ulti~natelymake up for lack of technique in the scrums. It became almost painful to watch Jamie Whiteford, Matthew Fitzjohn and Richard Chong lumbering around the field. but their commitment was always evident. Simon Bailey, Simon Patterson, Simon Judd, Andrew James, and Mathew Martin always battled to make the ball theirs, but could never quite keep up with the play!
Jamie Rogers seemed to inspire the backs, always attempting to control the game, and thinking about what he was doing. Harvey Fain, Dan Jordan, Andrew Jenks, Nick Vaughan and Andy
Hindle were hard runners, but not so impressive when it came to tackling. Phil O'Neill was fairly typical. I remember vividly only one crunching tackle that he made - unfortunately. it was on me during a games' lesson.
Mention must also be made of Tom Martin and Alex Gibbs. They were just two members of the team who suffered injury, and the loss of these. and others, created artificial results.
The final of the County Cup against R.G.S. really typified the season. Despite often being down. the team stuck at the task. to be narrowly defeated by 22-20. A litting end to a hard season. where in.juries and the fact that most of the team were too nice played too importiint a part!
Thanks also to Rohert Gold and Matthew Speirs, and to the parents for their support.
R.J.D.
Sevens
The team entered two seven a side tournaments. at Taunton and Oxford. A large and enthusiastic squad had trained for some time before the Taunton tournament and in a strong group competed well, winning three and losing one narrowly to come second in their qualifying group.
At Oxford the squad again lost the one match, to the eventual winners of the whole tournament, and won their other two group matches convincingly. Outstanding throughout all the games were Tom Martin, Jamie Rogers and Alex Gibbs, who all covered and tackled tirelessly. Others in the squad who played in the majority of the games were Richard Chong, Andrew James, Howard Stanton, Nick Vaughan, Harvey Fain and Mathew Martin.
D.P.I.
This was a season of missed opportunities. A playing record of Won 7, Lost 6, Drawn I for the 'A' team, and Won 3. Lost 6 for the 'B's', is not that bad to look at, but witli the talent available to the squad, results should have been better.
A rather immature and lacklustre approach to practising and training didn't help. Heavy early season defeats at the hands of Warwick and Cheltenham were offset by easy victories over Queen Mary's Walsall. Wrekin, and Bishop Vesey's. A reluctance to tackle hy the ~iiajorityof the three quarters was iniproved by the moving of Rupert Thomas from number 8 to full back, and not Inany sides could cope with the front row of William Kerton, Stephen Laney, and John Marchant; so at least in the tight the team was always secure. Richard (;ill, Tony Thomas and, particularly, Oliver Lerna were the most consistent forwards. enabling the ball usually to be laid back "on a plate" for scrum halves William Jenks or Murray Lythgo.
Finding a successful combination behind the scrum proved difficult, although Leighton Nicholas and Rruce McDonald when given the ball in space proved to be strong and elusive runners.
Good wins against Bromsgrove and K.E.S. Birmingham came just in time for the team's
County Cup semi-final appearance against Oldswinford. With only seconds remaining and King's ahead by three points, we were awarded a penalty kick on the half-way line, tive yards in from touch. All Tom Booton had to do was boot the ball into touch and, so the referee later told a pair of frustrated coaches, the game would have been over. Unbelievably. Booton missed touch. their full back ran the ball, they counter-attacked, and scored the winning try.
Worse was to follow. Soon afterwards we met WRGS at home in a game full of endeavour and no little skill. King's, after going two tries down, came back so splendidly that Ian Savage's conversion kick in front of the posts could win the game. To report that he missed the kick would be unkind. In fact he never even took it. With the rest of the team busy in self-congratulation and ignoring Savage's pleas for someone to hold the ball upright (it was a blustery day), the ball fell over twice, and the referee (who shall !remain nameless, but whose judgement is such that it allows him to be bowled lirst ball by a woman in a staff cricket match - see Staff Cricket report in 1987. 1988 and 1989 Vigornians), got so fed up with Savage's burnblings that, in a moment of high drama, denied him the right to take the kick, blowing his whistle for full time ahnost immediately. WRGS therefore winning by one point.
With Bain and Iddon by now looking forward to the end of term, nothing in the tinal ~iiatchescould possibly compete witli what had gone before, but the season did end on a high note with a close win over Bristol G.S.
D.P.1JS.M.B.
The team's record of Played 15, Won 6. Lost 9, though not impl-essive. was a satisfactol-y outcome after a disappointing start to a season when we were defeated in our first four matches. It was already evident that while the forwards could be relied upon to secure an ample share of possession from both set pieces and loose play, we would struggle to translate this into points. Although the backs frequently showed good handling skills, they lacked pcnctration and most of thc trics camc as a result of forward pressure and support. WC suffered heavy defeats by Warwick and Cheltenham College. but in these matches, as in all games during the season, the team played with commendable spirit and com~iiitrnentuntil the final whistle. The forwards, with the back row of Neil Bowler, James Bailey and Matthew Smith frequently outstanding, laid the foundation for victories over Wrekin, Rossall, Bablake, and Nunnery Wood. Especially pleasing were wins over Bromsgrove and Worcester R.G.S., the latter accomplished by a late try after unremitting pressure by the forwards. Both of these games were typically hard, uncompromising affairs but there was no unpleasantness or excessive aggression shown. The team was captained by Chris Way, who played impressively throughout his first rugby season at the school. Other players who deserve special mention are Stephen Perera, Adam Nicholls and Ben Grinnall from the forwards and Richard Checketts, Toby Lee, and
Roland Jenkins who werc the pick of the threequarters.
Although the 'B' team lost more games than they won. they showed spirit and determination to perfonn well throughout the season with good victories against Wrekin. Bablake. and Bromsgrove and it commendable draw against Bristol Grammar School. All players gave of their best. but it is worth mentioning Nathan Mann (the captain), Michael (;upwell, ,lames Doughty and Simon Cobb, who turned in consistently did performances every game.
B.G.1M.D.K.
PW L F A
16 13 3 375 140
The gencr:il tone of the U 13 rugby reports is that there were some good individual players, plenty of commitment. hut ~~ltimatelynot sufticient strength in depth to compete with many of the schools we play. This year was a notable exception. in that we were ablc to till every po\ition in the 'A' team with strong ancl skilful players. The results were accordingly excellent and the teams even managed wins ~ig;iinsttlie traditionally strong rugby schools, such as Solihull. and wel-e unlucky to lose narrowly to Warwick. The two highlights fl-orn my point of view were the winning of the Solihull Sevens. during which tournament we had to play a strong Solihull side twice-and the tinal game of tlie \enson ;~gninstKing's Mucclesticld. who were previously unbeaten. The match produced the best rugby of tlie wason and the result was in the balance until tlie last few minutes. when KSW scored the winning try.
There were many excellent individual performances. hut in onlitling to mention particular boys 1 am perhaps reinforcing a point that A.I.G. ancl 1 tried. often unsuccessfully. to instil into :ill the player\: tli:it no individu:~l is more impor~nntthan the teiilii ;is a whole.
Part of the success of the 'A' team is due to the commilnient of the 'B' team. who trained regularly, evcn though they only had n kw matches, and were able therefore to till successfully gaps in the 'A' learn ;\I-isinghorn injury or illness. It is pleasing to see some of last year's 'B' team gaining regular pl;lces in the current U 14 side.
Thanks go to A.I.G. f'ol- his commitment and expertise and colnmiserations to M.R.G. who, after years of coping manfully with weaker sides. was denied through illness, the opportunity of being involved with an excellent team.
C.T.C.
In the Aut~~mnterm the main task was to mould together a team from a mixture of boys who had played rugby before and those who had not. A great deal of effort was put in by all of the boys during this period, particularly those who were new to the game, and ii team gradually began to emerge. Luckily a\ tlie first match approached there did not seem to be any injury problems. The members of the squad suffering from hypothermia. trench foot. and various other ailments had recovered completely. Our first match was against Bromsgrove. All of the team played well and were certainly not disgl-nced. losing 16-0. There were many important points to be learnt from tli;it performance. For some members of the team it was how to tackle a movins object. whilst fol- others it was how to avoid free/ing to death on tlie wing (or possibly inside centre!). However. with some of these lessons lear~it (hopefully!), we were in good heart when we set ofl' for the Grammar school on the following Saturday. The walk through town was pleasant enough and the team was 11ot too disgruntled at having to change in the sinlie room as the Under 14 XV, so, spirits were still high when the team took tlie tield for the nintcli. When the opposing tea111 arrived. several mernhers of our team thouglil that. h;iving changed with the U14XV, they were now on the Under 14 pitch. an unfo~-tunate error? Unfortunately not! The R.G.S. team consisted of at least 5 or 6 Goliatlis to our 15 Dovitls. Despite this rather large tlisparity in team sizcs 2nd weights our forward unit performed exceptionally well and held theil- own and someti~iiesevcn pushed the RGS pack. The backs, howevel-. liatl ;I riitlier torrid time and never really had a chance to run with the hill. even though they stuck to their task extremely well in tlie circunistances. We werc eventually beaten 20-0. Still. not a bad performance and there wit Christmas to !rest weary muscles and bruised bones and to replace the stuffing that may have been knocked out of pl:ice.
After the Christmas break we lost our lirst game to some very aggressive play by Warwick School (24-0). It wa beginning to look as if we were never going to score. but fortunately tlie next game against Oldswinford produced the first points and the first victory. The Oldswinford boys looked amazed as the whole King's team cheered home our tirst try of the season. Both teams scored two tries in that match, both of ours being converted by Matthew Dobbins, playing at full back and wearing his lucky kicking boots, to give us a 12-10 victory. The next few weeks saw some very good performances. The forwards, Jonathan Gurney, James Kimberley, James Roslington, Adrian Freeman, .lames Mackender, Michael Rrookes, Oliver Stubbs, Jonathan Smart, and Yugo Matsumoto worked very well together, often beating packs of much greater weight and stature. The ball was being won by solid forward play and good hooking by James Kimberley. The back line was well marshalled by Edward Humphries at scrum half and the rest of the line: Adam Burman, Matthew Jones, William Bolton, Edward Moseley, James Thorpe, and Artisham Fiaz improved as the season progressed. During this period of consolidation and improvement, victories were achieved over Blackminster 50-0, Prestfelde 16- 12. Bredon Hill 16-8. Hagley 24-4. and Witton 32-8.
Unfortunately, we came up against two very good sides at the end of the season. KES were well organised and certainly made use of their larger pack to wear down the KSW forwards. We also lost to a good Kinz's School, Macclesfield, team on tour. I am not sure what they gave the KSW boys to cot on the evening before the match but I have a feeling that it slowed our latls down, at least a little bit.
The B team did not have too much success this year but all members of the team gave near to 100% at a11 times and pl:iyed to the best of their abilities. They did manage one good win against Oldswinford (22- 12).
All in all. it was a good season in which many of the team made ;I lot of progress. I look forward to seeing them make further progress in future.
J.T. W.
As usual, the condition of the pitches prevented any real pattcrli being established in training. which
made it difficult to do useful skills' practice and caused the cancellation of one third of the arranged fixtures. The 1st XI found it difficult to score more than one goal per game and in matches which were always keenly contested they tended to draw or be on the wrong side of a close scoreline. The junior teams, however, showed great potential, scoring goals with ease and regularity and winning many of their games quite impressively. In fact the U15 and U 14 teams between them won or drew all but 3 of their matches.
We look forward to the installation of the new synthetic grass pitch so that these young players will be able to develop their potential to the full.
County Honours
Chris Coodman continued his already long career as a County player in the Worcestershire U 18 team. Robert Essex played for the County Ulh team and Leighton Nicholas was captain of Worcestershire at U 15 level.
Colours
Full Colours Half Colours
Chris Goodman Rob Dow (re-awarded) (re-awarded)
Mansur Amir Rruce Haines (re-awarded)
Robin Clarke Alex Jordan
Paul Herbert John Jessop Rohert Hughes Phillip Adams
Tim Johnson Simon Hurke
Martin Dallimer
Nic Fewkes
James Ramsdale
As 1st XI captain Chris Goodman certainly set an excellent example in his stopping, close control and hitting of the ball. He played very well in central defence and midfield, halting many opposition attacks and clearing safely, although sometimes expecting a little too much of the intended receivers of his firmly hit passes. In defence Paul Herbert and Robert Hughes, along with Phil Adams and goalkeeper Nic Fewkes, played with plenty of common sense and commitment and were usually very dependable. Mansur worked hard in midfield. showing skill on the ball, passing sensibly and effectively and combining well with Martin Dallimer, Rruce Haines and Simon Burke. Tim Johnson ran rings round many a defender and showed some very good stick skill but was not able to link up with the other strikers, Robin Clarke and James Ramsdale, to produce as many goals as we would have liked. The top goal-scorer, Robin Clarke, provided somewhat of a contrast when in possession. His "style" certainly bemused many a defence but what he lacked in dribbling and passing skills he made up for in speed and determination. He gave away countless hits for dangerous play but regularly dispossessed defenders and scored several times from breakaways or just by relentlessly making for the goal whenever he, or others near him for that matter, had the ball.
Alex Jordan was a genial, good humoured 2nd XI captain and did a very good job. The team's results were quite an improvement on the previous year and showed that we now had a bit more strength in depth and could give estabIished hockey schools good matches at this level as well as 1st XI level.
A.J.H.
1st XI
The season opened with a two hour trip to Brecon to play on their all-weather pitch. Two points emerged from the game: firstly the irnportance of warming up properly before a match and secondly the good potential of the team. The lack of a long warm up beforehand meant we were sloppy in the first ten minutes and they managed to score twice due to confusions in our defence. After that we dominated the game with good work in the iniddle by Johnson. Mansur and Haines, but we were unable to make the pressure count in the 'D' and goals eluded us.
After beating Prince Henry's, thanks to a Clarke breakaway goal, we went on to play Stourport to decide who would go forward to represent the County in the divisional round of the Nationwide Anglia Cup. They fielded most of the County U18 team, several of whom also played for the Midlands and so were the strongest team we played all season. However, on what was a slow all-weather pitch we were able to hit the ball upfield and p~~tpressure on their sweeper. This was quite an effective tactic as both our forwards. Ramsdale and Clarke kept up a high work rate and chased the ball. often resulting in errors by their defence. Our first goal came from a nicely worked opening and good composure at the top of the 'D' by Johnson who flicked past a
ized them at the back, but they got two goals against the run of play from well struck short corners. The final score was 3-1 to them, a scoreline that did not justify how well we played as this was one time everything came together and the team looked good against strong opposition.
After two weeks, the next game was against Bishop Vesey's on an Astroturf pitch. We did not really play the passing game that we had been working on and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. The next two matches were both good all-round performances, against Prince Henry's and K.E.S. Birmingham. In both games every part of the team played well and we showed that we were capable of stringing together passes. The scores were 1-2 and 1-1 respectively. We managed a victory against Wycliffe College: we completely outclassed them in most departments but failed to make the most of our dominance and ended LIP winning by just 2-0. The match against Hanley Castle was another hard fought game that we were a bit unlucky to lose 2-1.
We tinished the season with a game against a combined O.V. and staff XI whom we beat convincingly 9-3 with h goals from Clarke.
Finally. I would like to thank both Mr. Haigh and Mr Bentley for the extra time they \pent coaching us.
stranded goalkeepcr. The second was put In by Ramsdale. However. their slightly superior skill level and a bit of bad luck meant that the final score was 5-2 to them. It was a hard fought game and we got a lot closer than the score suggests.
Rendcomb was one of our poorer games, with a bad start that never really picked up. One well taken goal by Dallimer was about the only good point, with our showing again that we were unable to hit the ball hard and towards the goal despite endless practice. We did little better against Wrekin with our being under pressure at the back and finding it difficult to sustain attacks. However, we managed to hold out in defence and Clarke scored one of his breakaway goals again to give us a 1-1 draw we did not really deserve. Against Bromsgrove on the other hand, the story was almost the reverse. We started well and took the game to them and pressur-
The season started with a victory over Christ College, Brecon - some sceptics claiming it to be the first in recorded history. Duncan Hughes knocked in two, ably supported up front by Robert O'Neill, Richard Allum (a versatile player) and Justin Whorton, whose speed and unswerving determination to secure the ball were a persistent characteristic of the whole season. Andrew Hindle, on loan from the U Ih's, conceded only one goal. A hard fought match against K.E. Five Ways saw some solid defending from Iain Johnston, Nick Pomeroy and John Jessop and resulted in a draw. Captain Alex Jordan continued his habit of shouting a lot (encouragement of course) and was normally in or near the action. The middle of the season was plagued by shortages - University interviews and rugby sevens being the primary culprits -
Chris Goodman
had compound the embarrassment, goal played tion Burton in ued came stroke though, (Alex very be Bromsgrove 11s. acquitted himself Pomeroy Martin us O'Neill and last almost ball to the and the brought looks nice way Haigh, encouragement. Jordan thls season more so all team members regardless doing in to K.E.S. Birmingham. down but always impressive Ben us hope. However a series luck in the match ending our second Saturday match a combination poor condition. However, to get up in the Club. first of poor defending to nil. detennination with Nick Phil O'Neill all their abilities but In our have returned and we faced up very well. Playing in his less nght back, defenders, Jon Bailey did
standing job. to have stroke near a wom out side, many Astroat in College a fortn~ghtlater. Scott Oldnall in at right back after mlsslng the first three nkle, Injury whlch finally got better of him after th~smatch, causing h~mto mrss the rest of the season. It WCIS a bltter blow for s~debut Ba~leyproved a more than adequate replacement In the Wrekln game our bad luck seemed to be present yet agaln and although ~t 15 easy to make excu\e\, when the ball hits the post and the bar In the same game you know luck IS agalnst you! M~dwaythrough the tirst O'Ne~ll m~sseda penalty stroke and at the break found ourselves two goals down, but we refused to glve Dav~esscored a coolly taken goal be~ng through by Hale, but we could not finish the job off. When we arrlved at Rromsgrove School the following Saturday, our goalkeeper, Richard Small, believe h~seyes when former England and goalkeeper and Olymp~cgold medallis~ walked down onto the p~tch and called the captains up. In fact the rest of the s~de were pretty surprised as well. We lost the match 4but may ~oundl~kea ntghtmare for Small, he was actually man of the match w~tha serles of fine save\ and when Brom\grove were awarded a penalty stroke Ian Taylor even found time to glve him \ome tips about how to go about savlng themf! On this occasion, however, not even an ~ntemational'sadvice could stop the ball trom the back of the net. We all gave our best and Ba~leyworked hard under pre\sure second Wycliffe very well on the all-weather pltch desp~tethe torrent~alram and returned home 2-0 victors. Thl\ was a five star performances by everyone, even Andy Hindle, who replaced Small In goal and only touched the b'lll a few times, an indication of how well the halve\ dnd backs were keeplng the play m the opposltlon half. Andrew Jenks and Nick Vaughan d~denough to tire out the home team's defence In the first half after Dav~eshad given us an early lead Vaughan, especially, tore holes in their defence w~thh~sbrilliant teamwork w~thO'Neill, wh~leEssex's work in the half line went partly unnot~cedbut he was actually the startmg polnt of almo\t every attack. John Richardson worked hard to link up with Essex to set up Bashford in the second half and eventually Davies got clear to fire our second goal.
For varcous redwns, mainly bad weather and poor p~tches,our next tour games were called off, but when we played Prince Henry's again In a rearranged game later galned revenge for the defeat in the County Cup, by the s'ime scoreline 20. It was definitely our pertonnance of the season and where better to celebrate ~t than our own the season! Small came goal had very little to do and it entertalnlng performance by our side. showed plenty of determination inner before going off injured and the substi-
tute, Simon Brooks, transformed the left hand s~de when he came on. Davle5 opened the scoring early minutes when he converted Inch cross, before Bashford went fierce from just ~nqidethe 'D'. At Mr. gave one of hls famous team that always enjoyed l~stenlngto throughout and that always sent us Into mlned to win It worked wonders on to score a second atter backs and halves. We ended were del~ghtedto have galned revenge.
We all enjoyed our hockey this thank5 must go to Mr Bentley whose unenviable task of producing an enthus~ast~cwinning s~dewas matered qulte \uperbly. Also to Mr. Stevens and Mr. Hd~gh who took US to matches when Mr. Bentley was unava~lable
Jon Hale
The team enjoyed a very successful season In whlch they played cons~stentlywell agaln\t some good opposltlon. In all. 11 games were played, 7 won, 2 drawn and 2 lost. Although we thought we were one of the mo\t \ucce\sful teams In the school, we still should not really have lost any of our games. In tho\e we d~dlose there was perhaps a lack of colnpetltlve \plrlt and In \ome cases we were rather unfortunate. After defeat In our first match, due malnly to lack of practice, we really began to play some great hockey It must be sa~d that the team d~dnot po\\ess great sk~lland class but it did have aggresvon and determinat~onto wln. The captaln was Ian Savage who, for most of the \eason, was up front scoring the goal\, helped by Russell McGettigan, a useful nght wlnger On the left flank William .lenk~and Oliver Lerna comblned well to plerce hole\ In the opposltlon detence. For part of the season we were graced w~ththe sk~ll\of Antony Clubley, but he qulte often played tor the 1st XI. Always aggressive, he was partnered In m~d-fieldby Leighton Nicholas, a gutsy battler who never gave up until he won the ball. The right side of mid-field was filled by Neit Adams, a courageous ball winner who played well, mostly prov~dlnggood passes to McGett~ganon the right wing. The back four were calmly led by Matthew Lee at sweeper, who was always sensible and made few errors. .lames Lott and Edward Sutcliffe played some good hockey to keep most attackers from scorlng The central defender's place was filled by William Kerton, an aggressive and violent marker who was often responsible for setting up goals from 16 yard hits because he h~tthem so hard! Our last lme of defence was Stephen Laney, who must be ha~ledas one of the \~hool'sbest. Although he d~dnot have h~sbest season, hxs lightnlng reacttons and courageous qualities were always present. Flnally our thanks must go to our coach, Mr. Sanders, who must take a lot of the credit for our success.
U14 XI
Ian Savage
Despite being inexperienced and a bit disorganized, we played very promisingly in our opening
game against Rendcomb. Good work by the half backs built up good chances but the opposition defence closed the forwards down, giving them little chance to shoot. Good defending and goalkeeping denied them some opportunities at our end but we were unable to cope on one occasion when good approach work on their pan led to a goal despite vain attempts by Tim Race, Chris Way and Paul Phillips to keep it out. When King's attacked, it was with plenty of determination although Paul Judge and Robert Jones did not really receive enough service. In the end a draw would have been a fair result but the score remained in their favour and made it a disappointing start to the season. However, when a new formation was played at Wrekin the team showed more confidence and skill. They scored first after a defensive error (defenders getting in each other's way) prevented Race from saving a follow up shot after a first shot had been blocked. Then, with about 10 minutes to go before half time. excellent skills from Way allowed him to dodge and weave past about three players and send a good pass up the wing to James Carmalt who crossed the ball in and, after a skirmish by the post, Durham Hirons put it in to draw King's level. In the second half our defence was sometimes caught cold but good work by Judge and Phillips and good goalkeeping by Race kept them out. We put them under pressure for long periods. the substitutes, Matthew Smith for Carmalt and Julian Heasman for Jones playing well, but poor finishing let down our great approach work and the end result was a draw. The next match, against Bromsgrove. promised to be tough and at first it was totally dominated by them, but they only had one goal to show for this. Our team's dogged determination showed through, however, and a good goal by Hirons secured a draw. We played Prince Henry's at home, the pitch only allowing hit and run tactics, and the game ended in a no score draw. In the return match against Wrekin the whole team turned out an excellent performance and produced an emphatic 7-0 victory. This form was continued into the remaining two matches during which we beat King's Gloucester 3-0 and Nunnery Wood 2-0. Throughout the season the defence developed into a good combination with Judge and Phillips in front of Race, who became a fine goalkeeper. The midfield developed as the season progressed, in particular with Way, Adam Nicholls and Toby Lee developing into excellent players. The forward line of Smith, Hirons, Michael Gupwell and Heasman improved as the season progressed and by the end of the season we were playing some good hockey. Carmalt, Miles Parkin, James Hugman and Simon Cobb also played and gave valuable contributions.
Many thanks to Mr. Rudge for the time he spent coaching us and umpiring our matches.
Captain: R. T. Bader
Secretary: E. Westcott
Coaches: T. E. Watson i/c
S. M. Bain
K. A. McCulloch
A. I. Guest
Miss G. A. Roszkowska
B. L. Gant
We had a good year. At the beginning KAM and GAR appeared. KAM, with bags of energy and enthusiasm, quickly cut and pasted the UR and Fifth Form squads into two strongly competitive fours, which he led to a most successful season. CAR set an athletic example to the girls, which shamed many of the Upper Sixth into retirement but stimulated the most talented group of Lower Sixth girls we have ever had into taking things seriously and, with guidance from KAM and assistance from Peter Ruston (as both cox and coach), led them to win three trophies.
Another coach arrived at the same time disguised as a part-time PE teacher and successfully active international canoeist, whose rowing expertise was not disclosed to the Boat Club until the daffodils were dying. AIG collected the sundry bits known as the First Eight Squad, shook them up kindly but firmly, and brought them to an amazingly good standard to win the S3 Sprint at Evesham. It was only (?!) the half-hearted winter training of some of them that left the crew short of stamina for the longer races to follow. But they worked hard in the five week period up to ALevels, and raced with good spirit. Of the Sundry Bits just referred to, Rupert Bader was one whose winter training was exemplary, as befits the Captain. Julian Blackham was another whose land-training impressed us; so, it was especially disappointing to him not to be in the final crew. But Julian raced well as a sculler, almost winning Novices at Birmingham and at Ironbridge, and has been particularly helpful as a coach. One other new star deserves mention: Spencer Tavares, who hegan the year as a complete beginner but became the First Eight Bowman before the season's end.
The senior squad's winter training suffered more interruptions than usual from interviews and from
the Spring Term they formed a Four and Pair. The Four (Essex, Smith, Cook and Bader; cox Westcott) raced at Henley Head. Dan Cowton and Hanno Elsner, equally huge and far larger than the rest, formed a promising pair but had to disband when Hanno succumbed to previous injury. At the start of the summer term Chris Telling rejoined us after two terms of rugby. Chris's ability to slot in at once was due both to his athleticism and to the strength and good technique grooved in through plenty of mileage in previous years.
Especially praiseworthy were the efforts of the 515 and 516 crews, whose commitment to Land Training was consistently impressive and whose mature approach to work in the boat came as no surprise after their very fine season last year. It was good to see crews so well disciplined, especially in the matter of boat-handling: getting in and out together, holding ALL the riggers and so on. Their highlight, and ours, was their victory in the J15 Fours' event at the National Schools' Regatta. Third in their heat and third again in their semifinal, they were not the expected winners. But calm and wise counsel from SMB, who took them to Nottingham, led to a controlled, even-paced performance which left them in complete command at the end of the race. A magnificent result, for which KAM their coach deserves tremendous credit.
Some of the races that will live in my memory are ones we just failed to win. In particular, the girls on the Saturday at Evesham, after a tremendous fight, catching up fast but failing to win the Final by just one foot. Then there was the thrilling semi-final at Hereford Schools' Regatta in which our 516 Four beat a much fancied King's Chester crew by half a length, lcaving our boys lcglcss for the Final soon afterwards against a fresh Hereford crew whom we later beat at Worcester. Soon after that, at Birmingham, Blackham would have won Novice Sculls had not the umpire slavishly adhered to Rule 19 instead of applying Rule I (which has primacy). (But to be fair to that particular umpire, most umpires do seem to be similarly slavish.) Ah well, it's only a sporting diversion which steels the mind and tempers the spirit.
A new form of friendly competition took place this year between ourselves and WRGS: a set of Team Matches in each of the three age-groups; each team, numbering between nine and twelve, manned
Monday and Thursday House Drama rehearsals. In all our boat categories, doubling-up only from the
Eight. We hope the competition will become a fixture. for it provides useful competition for everyone in each squad. And we hope we shall win more than this year's four out of fifteen races.
Our special guest at the Club Dinner this year was Peter Beaumont, OV and Olympic oarsman, who spoke to us about his experiences and answered the many questions put to him by a fascinated and appreciative audience. Thank you. Peter.
BLG leaves us this year, and we shall miss his cheerful assistance. We thank him for the time and care he has given to the younger oarsmen especially. Although I'm not leaving just yet. I shall be playing a less active part in the Club, helping out mainly at weekends and in the holidays. It is with gratitude and relief that I welcome Keith McCulloch to the post of Master i/c Rowing, and look forward to helping him in any small way I can.
Finally, a reminder to all that the extra two inches in the length of the racing vests was put there so that after shrinkage they would still cover the kidneys. Those two inches were not put there to chatup your seat ... so TUCK THEM IN! The 515 Four almost failed to reach their Nottingham semi-final through the entanglement of vest and wheel. The thought of it chills me rigid still. T.E.W.
P.S.
Two pairs competed in the National Championships at Strathclyde, near Glasgow, shortly after term ended. They were Joseph Newitt and Jason Best, cox Pawsey: and Tony Thomas and Richard Gill, cox Dykes, both competing in the 516 event. Thomas and Gill got the Bronze medal ahead of Newitt and Best. Thus read the mere statistics. Sometime we will tell you of the disaster that ripped the stem from Newitt's and Best's pair, leaving them to race in a very strange boat. Above all, we shall remember the thrill and satisfaction of competing at this level, the Tiggerattacks upon the tents at dawn, and the fun of it all.
Despite only an average playing record, the 1st XI'S season was for me, nevertheless, a pleasing one. The side showed that it had the spirit anddetermination to bounce back after some convincing defeats and the summer ended promisingly with a successful tour to Jersey.
The strength of the side should have been in its batting - Tomlinson, Hughes and Thompson all capable run-getters with a mixture of experience and promising younger players to support them.
Our first match against Wrekin, when we were bowled out for under 50, demonstrated how short we were of batting practice on grass, but also how full we were of 'good wicket' players and that, given a less than true wicket, many of our players lacked the necessary patience and technique to graft for runs.
Insufficient totals were reached in the draws against Hereford Cathedral, Brecon and King Edward's, Stourbridge, and our batting faltered badly in the losses against Dean Close, Warwick, King Edward's, Birmingham and WRGS. The match against Solihull was a turning point though; chasing a target of 225 we were bowled out for 215 in the last over. Batsmen were now striking through the ball with more contidence and were prepared to wait for the bad ball.
With the emergence of Richardson as a penetrating, and at times genuinely quick opening bowler, the side's fortunes took a turn for the better and the victories against Bromsgrove and Kelvinside were achieved in the old-fashioned way - batting lirht, achieving a good total and then bowling the opposition out (in a particularly thrilling fashion against Kelvinside).
My thanks must go to the whole team who, despite a gloomy sequence of results mid-season, practised hard and cheerfully and were always keen to take on the howling machine.
D.P.I.
CHARACTERS OF THE XI COLOURS
Neil Robinson: He was a quietly efficient captain who demanded high standards both of himself and his team. He kept wicket tidily and played several useful innings with the bat.
Richard Tomlinson: He worked hard at his game and, although still not scoring the amount of runs of which he was capable, several of his innings were of the highest order. (Selected for W.S.C.A. Under 19 X1 and W.C.A. Under 19x1)
Aidan Thompson: After a slow start he blossomed into an attacking opening batsman who played many forceful innings. When well set, some of his back foot shots were a delight to watch.
Duncan Hughes: Another who didn't score as consistently as I would have liked. A highly talented cricketer, his all-round ability was invaluable. (Selected for WSCA Under 19x1 and Worcestershire Club and Ground XI)
Rob Dow: A reliable and solid opening batsman, whose enthusiasm for the game (and everything else) was infectious. It was hard to believe that his first 50 for the School came in our last
match in Jersey.
NON-COLOURS
J.J. Richardson: A good all-rounder who promises much for the future. He bowled straight and with fire, and his batting and fielding were also great assets to the side.
Jamie Rogers: A useful middle-order batsman who played several important innings after coming to the wicket at crucial times.
John Malins: He lost confidence in his bowling and, although occasionally "getting it together", he was too inconsistent and tended to pitch too short.
Matthew Rourne: He started off the season impressively and showed that he could move the ball in the air at will. He, too, lost a little confidence, though, and on good wickets lacked that extra yard of pace to wony good batsmen.
Ben Jones: Another who started off well, bowling quickly and accurately. Over the exam period he lost form and struggled to regain his rhythm.
Phillip O'Neill: A young batsman who wasn't afraid to get onto the front foot and with more confidence and experience he will feel able to go for his shots more readily.
John Jessop: He came into the side half-way through the season and his ability to move the ball away from the bat was an immediate asset.
Richard Allum: A useful opening/cliange bowler. He bowled far too wide of the stumps to move the ball away from the bat regularly, but he could bowl the occasional unplayable delivery.
Chris Goodman: Usually a reliable opening batsman who was the "Robin Bishop" of 1989. He was unfortunate in that it was always he who seemed to receive the unplayable ball. His confidence ebbed away!
Playing Record
Played 23: Won 6; Lost 7; Drawn 10. Averages: (Qualification 100 runs or I0 wickets)
Batting: In. N Runs H.S. AV.
A. Thomson 16 1 542 93" 36.13
R. Tolnli~ison 21 1 524 91 26.2
D. Hughes 18 2 364 56 22.75
N. Robinson 18 4 254 47 18.1
J. Richardson 18 1 117 53* 17.6
R. Dow 22 0 360 55 16.36
S. Rogers 17 0 220 38 12.94
Bowling Overs Maid Runs Wkts AV. D. Hughes 79.1 12 219 21 10.4 J. Richardson 232 43 607 38 15.97
Playcd I l:Won 2:Dlxwn 3:Lost 6. Not. on the face of it. a very distinguished record. But, in fact, it was a season of two unequal halvcs. Thc most proliiising squad we have fielded fol- some years began by losing six of their first seven matches: but, after the tinal humiliation against the Royal Gr:ummar School had led to members of the august institution mur~ii~~ring"What u wastc of an afternoon!", our ploycrr suddenly
found faith in themselves and looked like winners for the rest of the summer.
It didn't help our confidence that we lost the first match by 186 runs, being bowled out for 26 in reply to Wrekin's 212-4 declared, scored rather easily despite some steady bowling from Richard Chong. The second match might, we thought, have been the turning-point, as we were only just beaten by Hereford. Our 97 was made possible by a robust 36 from Paul Herbert, who played himself in carefully before launching into his strokes, and a tinal flurry of 16 from Tim Daly, who was playing his only match of the season. Despite captain John Jessop's excellent spell of 3-10 off 8 overs, Adam Waits's 3-33, and - you won't believe this!Francis Striven's 2-8, Hereford scraped home by one wicket. For the record, Mark Richards made a golden duck in his only innings for the Second XIfor the second season running!
Dean Close beat us comfortably, as batsman after batsman was beaten by their left-arm seamer's slower ball: but Nick Pomeroy's 21 was a sign of things to come later in the term. Jessop's 3-17 was a mixed blessing, as it hastened the captain's elevation to the First XI. Then came the one match in the first half of term in which we outplayed the opposition. This was chiefly due to David Merlin, who made his dCbut in the least elegant footwear ever seen on a cricket field but made amends with 5 1 not o~~t: he was helped by an improbable 23 from Scriven. after Richard Perkins had scored a solid 20 as opening batsman. These two latter players seldom shone -except here -but, unlike one or two of the more spectacular players, they are always keen to play and 100% reliable. When Lawson Higgins in.jured his hand. Merlin took over as wicket-keeper: here, too. his tirst performance was excellent, but he never again showed quite the same concentration, either behind the stumps or at the crease. Higgins. despite looking competent, usually managed to waft a catch to the wicket-kceper at the start of an innings, and so had to settle for a disappointing yeason.
We lost again to Warwick, though Chris Goodman marked his return to the Second XI with a score of 26 and all 4 Warwick wickets: his presence in the side had a lot to do with its later revival. The Solihull match was another disaster: thev
scored 201-2, courtesy of our catching (a pity, as the fielding in general was the best for some years), and we replied with 85, in which the top score was bowler Richard Allum's 21. As for RGS, I give you the bare scoreline: King's 46, RGS 48-0.
It was at this point, unbelievably, that the team took off. When Bablake scored 96 against us, having twice been let off the hook by our fielding, defeat seemed a formality. Ben Jones (3-22) and John Malins (4-17) had both returned from the First XI and proved their value, but what about the batting? Well, Pomeroy casually knocked off most of the runs in his unique style: he appals the purist but, when he connects, the ball travels, and he scored 64 not out as we won with consummate ease by 2 wickets.
The last three matches all showed off our batting skill. Although Wycliffe scored 166-7, we came very near to overtaking them; Alex Gibbs fulfilled his promise with 82 stylish runs, but got out just before the final rush was needed. Goodman made 32, but was bogged down by leg-stump howling at the crucial moment, and we finished 8 short - a "winning" draw. At Brotnsgrove we had some difficulty locating the correct pitch to play on, the absent groundsman's instructions being vague. But there was no vagueness about the result: we scored 186-3 declared, and Bromsgrove were bowled out for 61: they had no answer to the quick bowling of Jones. who took 5-12. and Waits (3-34). When we came off for tea. it seemed that Matthew Wheeler, who was at last batting as we knew he could, was on 99 not out. But when it was forcefully pointed out to our captain that the game's situation required an immediate declaration, regardless of any personal considerations, a recount of thc scorc rcvealed that Wheeler had, in fact, made 100! He thus became the first Second XI batsman to score a century in at least six seasons.
And so to KES Birmingham. As at Wycliffe, we might have won, thanks to a declaration by KES at 164-8. William Coomber, who, I thought, bowled better than anyone in most matches, was hit around rather like Jessop's leg-spin last year: it was not the quality of the leg-spin that was at fault but the catching - and sometimes the placing - of the fielders. Anyhow, we had a viable target, and were reaching it with some ease when the batsmen began
to panic, as though they were miscounting the overs; Philip O'Neill, back after several weeks of injury, scored 53, and several batsmen contributed spirited innings before throwing their wickets away. In the end we had to hold on for a draw at 143-8.
Finally, my access to all the statistical information above is due to the efficiency of our scorers. We had no fewer than three this year. Lisa Edwards, brimming with experience from last season. started things off by teaching the job to two newcomers, Charlotte Edwards and Manny Way. It is worth saying that, on those Saturdays when only eight players turned up at the coach and we had to raid the boarding houses for replacements, there was never any need to worry about a scorer. In a sea of fluctuating fortunes the scorers were an island of efficiency and reliability!
R.N.G.S.
good victory over Wycliffe, thanks largely to Ian Savage's 86, but otherwise struggled to reach a draw at best and struggled to reach 50 at worst. lan Savage was the most consistent of the batsmen, occasionally supported by Matthew Lee, or Tom Booton, or Neil Adams, but, more often than not, all the top-order players were gone with fewer than 30 runs on the board. Dan Wheeler held the middle-order together on a number of occasions and looks a good prospect for the future. Of course, you don't have to score 200 runs every innings to win matches: a strong bowling side can play with only 70-80 runs. But we weren't a strong bowling side either. Richard Jones, Neil Adams and Rruce McDonald all collected4 wickets in an innings, but they, as well as the other bowlers, added regularly to the opposition total with wides and byes. A strong fielding side then:) Well, no. Stephen Davies held some good catches, but otherwise
After a rather shaky start to the season. winning the first match and losing the scconcl on the last ball. the side sti~rtedto play a\ a team, ending the season runners-up to Worcester City in the SWCA Under I h League.
Greg Thomas. Richard Chong, Ben Crabbe, Alex Gibbs and Tom Rooton all halted ancl bowled well as the all-rounders in the teain. I was also pleased with the good batting performnnces from Phil O'Neill :uitl .lamie Rogers ancl thc wicketkeeping from Chris Way and Martin Davies.
The team spirit throughout tlie season was
exceptionally high and 1 feel evel-yone c~?.joyed playing. A big thank you must go to MK Itldon e\pecially. and also Mr. Davies, Mr. Guest and MI-. Stone who gave up tlicir evenings to nit1 tlie team.
The following otlicr people played a v;~luable p;lrl:
William Cooml~er. Mark Everard. lan Savage. Simon Hollon;ly. I%ruceMcDonald ancl I;I\I hut hy no means least. ;IS Ms. Dnvics will agrec, li~mMartin.
S.J. Richiirclso~i
All this seems very negative. and the outlook folKing's cricket pessimistic, but so long as cricket reports are bawd on what one finds in the scorehook. it is difficult to reach any other conclusion. But let me end by thank~ngthose two or three playcrs who regularly bar 0, 10. 11, who never get a bowl. who usually end up doing the kit and the scol-ing, hut without whorn we can not field a team at all. M.A.S.
U14 XI
The U14s did not have the strength in depth to be a particularly strong team but everyone practised hard and cheerfully and by the end of the season most of the regulars had put together at least onc good innings or taken some wickets, and the team looked as though it could win some matches against strong opposition - which it did.
The batting looked thin if Paul Judge didn't score runs. Chris Way, who captained the side, looked an attacking player with some good strokes but he tended to get himself out by losing concentration and poor selection of shot. He had one or two decent knocks, though, and looks a good prospect. Paul Phillips, if he didn't miss a perfectly ordinary straight one early on, made some useful runs, and he was someone who wasn't afraid to hit the bad ball hard. Simon Cobb looked a neat player and played some lovely shots: when he has more power he might score a lot of runs. Richard Cook, George Kendall, Neville Clifford, Edward George, Matthew Richardson, Richard Abbot and Tim Whitehouse scored some useful runs but too often lost concentration or lacked the real determination and technique necessary to occupy the crease long enough to compile a good score. Judge played some really good innings. He drove with trcrnendous power and had tlie confidence to hit bowlel-s back over their head and over mid-off and extra cover. He developetl some good leg side shots later in the season when he learned to wait for the b:rll and not to fall over to the off-side.
Judge had some good bowling performances. too; he took X wickets against Bromsgrove and then scorcd an i~ndefented74 in steering the team to victol-y. Ben Kussell was the 111ost consistent bowler. He was usually very econo~nicaland took plenty of w~ckets.His e~iornio~~sin-swingers troilbled u lot of batsmen but good batsmen fairly quickly learned to cope. If he can develop the ball which holds its own or moves away he'll be really dangerous. Adam Nicholls and Abbott also opened the howling on occasions. Both could bowl a good delivery but then were both rather untidy at times and gave away too many runs. Julian Heasman bowled tidily for most of the season and he chipped in with some wickets with hi off cutlers. Tim Whitehouse bowled off breaks and took some wickets. He has a nice action but needs to vary his pace and use the "-W".-1 I
crease more. Clifford and Cobb also bowled useful medium pacers. Way started out keeping wicket, and did so well when standing back, but he was too useful an opening bowler and handed the gloves over to Kendall, who kept tidily, for the second half of the season.
The fielding was not terribly good. One or two players were reluctant to get too close to anything really middled and too often a boundary was conceded because the fielder failed to do the basics. But the fielding, like every other aspect of the team's game, did improve.
The climax of the season was the winning of the six-a-side tournament at Hereford Cathedral School. Way, Judge, George, Russell, Whitehouse and Cobb were the six players who came home with the shield and a winner's medal apiece.
Durham Hirons, Nick Firth, Michael Gupwell, Gareth Morgan, and Richard Poulton also played at least once and turned up regularly to nets.
This was a very pleasant team to look after and it was also very nice to receive such enthusiastic and loyal support from so many parents.
P.T.G/S.le.M
Although this looked one of the stronger U1 3 teams, things began badly with a defeat at the hands of Bishop's Hereford and this really set the scene for much of the season: potentially very good but just failing to deliver the goods when it mattered. Towards the end of the season, though, things began to pick up and the team lost narrowly to W.R.G.S. and finished up the season with a very commendable win against KES Birmingham. It was here that Sam Moseley reached 3 1 N.O. out of a total of 110 and Tom Bawden had bowling figures of 8 for 16. The latter took a total of 53 wickets in the season and also played for the county team. During the course of the season, Chris Gough, Charles Lowe and Adam Blake all made half centuries. Liam Chivers often performed heroics behind the stumps and there were some good bowling performances, most notably from Jonathan Parker who developed into a good and enthusiastic fast bowler and a first class fielder. On the whole this was an enjoyable season in which many players began to perform, but only in its latter stages.
Playing record: Won 6: Lost 6: Drawn 4. Michael Brown (Captain)
Cricket is probably one of the most frustrating sports and yet, at the same time, it can also be one of the most rewarding. Indeed the unique character of the sport relies upon the fineness of the dividing line between heroism and abject failure: line that is crossed many times in one season by the average team and indeed the average player. The fate of the U12XI in the first two week of this season illustrated the fickleness of this much revered sport. On the first scheduled match day of the season it rained heavily in Worcester, causing almost all home games to be called off, and so. quite under-
standably, we assumed that Brecoli would be in a submarine state by that stage. Surprisingly, we arrived to find the Brecon 'postage stamp' of a pitch was in fine condition. Amongst the local rulings was the award of 6 runs for breaking the chapel window or was it 6 runs for hitting the tree in the middle of the pitch? Brecon batted first, after proclaiming that they would rather be playing us at rugby, and struggled to 22 all out in 33 overs. not the most exciting of batting performances. I was left wondering if their rugby score might have been higher. Artisham Fiaz took 5 wickets at an average of 0.6 runs per wicket. This was to be the first of five such performances during this season. After tea the, King's captain ordered a cautious reply to this total. It was eventually beaten after 5 overs with 8 wickets still standing. After the bowling display of Fiaz in the declaration game, we could not have hoped for more drama from our bowlers, but James Thorpe provided just that by managing to take a hat trick in the limited overs' game that followedapparently his second! Most bowlers would be happy with one in their entire career.
The following week, a confident team travelled to Edgbaston in search of another heroic victory, this time against KES. KES batted first and scored 116 for 4 before declaring some time after tea. Having decided that a victory was impossible in the time available our batsmen capitulated and we were finally all out for 24 at 6.30pm in the gathering gloom, with only three balls left before the close of play. What a coincidence: to score 24 runs in the opening two games of the season and to experience two such different results.
After the ups and downs of the first two weeks of the season, things settled down and we played some very good cricket. Unfortunately, we lost by 3 wickets to Warwick, being the victims of what can only be called a slogger, who led a charmed life; he was almost caught several times (Was it g?). Another close match followed against Solihull. It ended in a draw but could easily have gone either way. By the end of the match the pendulum had just swung back in the King's direction with Solihull on 77 for 8 chasing our 91 for 9 declared. In the circumstances a draw seemed a fair result, but one can't help wondering what might have happened if we had continued in search of a result. A twenty overs' victory over Chase HS followed and then the
"aulcl lirm" game with IICS.
KSW batted first and scored 80 all out. RGS looked very shaky on 10 for 3. We were almost beginning to think that a win was on the cards, but that was not to be and RGS ended up winners by 6 wickets. Incidentally Artisham Fiaz completed a hat trick, started with two wickets from his last two balls against Chase, by sending the RGS opener back to the pavilion (Well, back to the pile of bags next to the score board, actually) with the first ball of their innings. A hat trick that, by my calculation, had taken 2 14 hours 36 minutes to complete!
After this defeat followed several very good victories. Bablake were beaten by 3 wickets (Fiaz 29 and 5 for 34, Bishops Hereford by 21 runs (James Thorpe 16, Matthew Dobbins 6 for 24), Bromsgrove by 77 runs (Yugo Matsumoto 45, Fiaz 5 for 19) and Bishop Perowne by 48 runs (Edward Moseley 29, Edward Humphries 6 for 4). All of these were very good team performances. The best performance being against Bromsgrove in which Matsumoto scored 45 runs before tea (the highest score of the season) and was promptly out, bowled behind his legs, the first ball after tea. Perhaps too many cakes at tea time.
The last game of the season was to bring back memories of that grey day earlier in the season when our batting had collapsed on a scale even unknown to the England team in the embarrassing defeats inflicted by Australia later in this very season. In the event, the game turned out to be a superb contest with a nerve tingling finish. KES batted first and scored 121 all out (Yet another 5 wicket haul for Fiaz, 5 for 19, Dobbins supported well with 4 for 29) mainly due to one batsman who scored 85. The King's reply was looking a little shaky on 58 for 7 (Thorpe 23) after a couple of silly run outs. Matthew Jones then scored 20 taking the score to 88 for 7. Despite valiant efforts by Jarnie Roberts and Dobbins, we lost by 3 runs with 3 balls left. Ironically, Dobbins had been the last man out in our last encounter against KES, earlier in the season, and remarkably there had been only three balls left until the end of the game on that day!
Congratulations to Lower Four B on winning the inter form competition. All of the matches were very closely fought. The final match between Lower Four B and Lower Four A going to the last ball when Lower Four A needed a six to tie. The
batsman was bowled! 194 runs were scored in 30 overs, an attractive scoring rate.
Thanks to Michael Brookes for acting as scorer and keeping a very neat and accurate scorebook. I will forgive him entries such as; How out L.B.W. (Biased Umpire), Pitch condition - good to firm, and opposition umpire - Mr. Ratbag. Someone else probably added these later.
Edward Humphries and Yugo Matsumoto improved as captains as the season progressed. My thanks to them, and indeed, to all team members, for their considerable efforts on the field, and for their great humour and spirit off the tield. J.T.W.
I imagine that other writers for this magazine, as they search for inspiration on the Sunday afternoon before the deadline while their neighbours hammer away at their new extensions, children skateboard noisily past the window, and the Spanish Grand Prix beckons on TV, must occasionally wonder what great purpose is served by the article into which they are pouring such sweat and tears. Are we all engaged in providing a record for posterity? It is hard to imagine that anyone posterior to about 1991 will be the slightest bit interested in the doings of the King's School Masters' XI, except perhaps some future Second Master who was born this summer and will one day scan the pages of the Vigornian for 1989 to see how the School was bearing up at the time of his birth; he might just feel a twinge of pride at the discovery that, while the cricketers in statu pupillari were crushed into oblivion by an institution (by then, of course, itself in oblivion) called the Royal Grarn~iiarSchool, his pedagogic predecessors beat them comfortably by 4 wickets. He may suppose that the "Iddon" who destroyed the RGS batting with a spell of 4-8 is u misprint for some more sensible name, and, in his zeal to check this hypothesis against previous issues of the magazine, he may notice tliat the Stevens who won the game with an undefeated 70 out of the 122 required is the very same Stevens who was recorded in 1986 - the matter recallcd in I987 and I988 too - as having been bowled first ball by a woman. If he is a Second Master of the philosophical type and the Headmaster happens to he away that day. he may even use his discovery in College Hall Assembly as a parable of triumph over adversity or even. if lie has spiritual leanings, as an allegory of life after death - even though to us now "life" may seem homething of an exaggeration. But if interested posterity is contined to one Second Master tifty yc;irs hence (and those of you who are baftletl by my drift ought to start turning up to Assemhly!). the sweat and tears seem hardly justitied. Another possiblc excuse Ibr such an article is that the players who contributed to the season may wish to see their perlbrmnnccs rccortlcd in print and have the hatisfiiction ol'knowing (hat they did not go unappreciated, This, of course, cuts both ways. Whereas it is entirely possihle that Stone inay feel proud to be ~.e~iiinded of his gallant I2 not out against Bredon, going in at number 3 and watching tlie other nine wicket turnblc at the other end, tive of them ducks, it is unlikely that (;willinn1 wo~~ltlthank me for telling tlie world about the
Lamb & Flag match. Let me test the latter hypothesis by giving you merely the facts, unadorned by any "judgmental" element of the kind despised by the Archbishop of Canterbury. We needed 92 to win in 20 overs; Gwilliam opened the batting, was still there at the end with 37 not out, three of his partners were run out, and we finished I run short. How would Callaghan react to public exposure of his r6le in the game against the staff of KES Birmingham? He was captain that day - which was a little unfair, perhaps, as he also had the job of parking the minibus in the KES carpark, which proved unexpectedly difficult, and the worry of whether Wheeler, who had - quite wisely, in the event - spurned the minibus and was driving himself to Birmingham, would ever turn up. Our reply to the opposition's 125-6, which perhaps was a rather bigger score than it need have been owing to the dropping of both their star batsmen by er one of our fielders, was proceedng comfortably, thanks to some lusty hitting by new boy Sanders, when Callaghan, also batting competently, began to approach his 50. Up to that point we had all believed, in view of last year's regrettable incident at Bromsgrove, that for Callaghan the only consideration was to win, regardless of any human cost; we should have suspected that, as now emerged, there was a priority even more overwhelming. Yes, you've guessed it: we finished 5 runs short, with Callaghan on 50 not out.
It should have become clear from the last paragraph that to use this magazine to give players the satisfaction of seeing their deeds commemorated in print is likely to misfire. and could even lead to difficult personal relations within the Common Room. But what of a third possibility'! May not the purpose be to entertain readers with lively accounts of exciting cricket? Well, this sounds lovely in theory, but of course it requires cricket of a rather more exciting nature than that which we are wont to play. Not that I couldn't give you a highly entertaining account of an indifferent match if I put my mind to it. hut tliat would entail distorting the facts and sullying this column's reputation for the fearless pursuit of truth. The fact is that we play almost exclusively "limited overs" cricket which, whatever the philistines say, is, as connoisseurs know. an intrinsically inferior species of the game. It is no coincidence that the match which will stay longest in the memory was the one "proper" that we played all aeason - the final sliowtlown with the School's First XI. This was tnadc even more interesting by a thunderstorm, which soaked the grass pitch immediately after the School decl;iretl its innings at 207-8. The two captains decided. :is rhe only alternative to abandoning the game. to play tlie St:iff innings on the artificial wicket (a decision which was strongly condemned by one playcr as being utterly against the Laws of the game - q~~itewl-ongly.as lie tliscovered later when he actually looked up the Law concerned: a most strange aberration for one whose knowledge of the Laws is little short of legentlnry!)
The last haul- of the match was a treat. First Callng1i;in was given out LBW by stand-in umpire Philip O'Neill. Then Le Marchand began to dominate an attach. which was having trouble planting its feet on the wet ~iiatting,and, after scoring 6 an over Ihr nezirly ;In lio~~r,tlie Stuff needed 2 to win
off the final over - a formality. Unfortunately, Le Marchand's trusty partner, Stone, who had supported him nobly for half an hour in scoring 3 and running between the wickets with his customary leporine speed, had just got out; his replacement, Guest, was still bleary-eyed after his 5 wickets in the School's innings. We scrambled one bye off the over, and Guest was run out off the final ball. The scores were level at 207, Le Marchand had made what he claims - with exaggerated modesty, surely -to be his highest ever score, 72, and the match was a draw.
Well, that was exciting, wasn't it - and true, too! But I'd need more than one match like that to fill an article. Entertaining the readers cannot be the primary purpose of a report on what is mainly "instant" cricket. But a fourth possible raison d'&tre heaves into view. The report on staff cricket may be a self-justifying ritual; is its relationship with the cricket it reports, like that of Test Match Special, symbiotic rather than parasitic? For those with no Greek - and no biology - that would mean that the cricket and the report depend on each other for their existence. On the one hand it would be difficult (though by no means impossible) to write this report if there were no staff cricket, but then again staff cricket would be pointless without the prospect of a Vigomian report in which the members of the team compete for a mention. Does it fulfil the function of all rituals in giving form to a formless world, which would otherwise seem to consist of just one damn thing after another?
You may be wondering, dear reader, why I am spending what must seem an inordinate amount of time on questioning the r$le of this report rather than getting down to writing it. The answer is simple: the score-book was so seldom completed that I have precious few facts and figures to dispense! Why was it not more often completed? Partly, it is true, because the book is full and no one has thought to buy a new one. But partly also because nowadays not only is it difficult to find a twelfth man (or for that matter woman) who will score for us, but we were rarely able even to put out a team of eleven staff; were it not for the cricketing appetite of certain of our pupils, we should normally have to cancel the fixture. An all-time low was reached in the match against the O.V.s, where the King's School Masters' XI consisted ol 5 masters and 6 boys. Even then we lost! But who cares? As I sugpested in the last paragraph, the cricket doesn't matter as much as the Vigornian report. Yes, I think I could write the report perfectly well if there were no cricket whatsoever. To revert to my biological analogy, it is staffcricket that is the parasite and this report the host.
I challenge the new-born Second Master to make an Assembly out of that paradox in tifty years' time!
R.N.G.S.
The School Inet WRGS at all three levels again this season. with somewhat mixed results! Especially pleasing was the Senior performance. With Hereford Cnrliedral participating, we caliie second to WRGS our of three, n good result. Individual athletes worthy ol'comment were Gavin
Longmire, who won the 800m. Robert Yate, who won both the 1500m and the High Jump, and Bill Harris who took both the Long Jump and Triple Jump. In the U16 Intermediate match, two performances stand out, notably John Rew's, who won the shot, and Keith Shindler's who won the 1500m.
Also, the School competed against King Edward's School, Birmingham. There were a number of sound performances here. (Regrettably full details of this match are not available.)
Two members of the School were selected to represent the City of Worcester at the County Championships, and both distinguished themselves: Bill Harris came 3rd in the Senior Triple Jump, and Robert Yate came 3rd in the Senior High Jump.
It is good to note that there are still enough athletes prepared to train and to try hard in competition, constantly striving to improve their results.
Finally, here are the full details of the Upper School House Athletics' Sports:
House Winners : Senior : School
Inter : School
Junior : Kittermaster
Overall House Champions : Kittermaster Girls' Winners : College
Victor Ludorum : Senior : William Hanis (S)
Inter : Mark Handy (K)
Junior : Duncan Young (K) Victrix Ludorum : Sarah Haynes (CO)
Charlotte Renecle (E)
Stanton for the U17s who came 21st. All of these runners have competed with commendable enthusiasm and commitment.
In mid-January, we met Cheltenham College on the familiar Old Hills' Course. The Seniors came second, but this must be considered to be a good performance, since they were now short of strong members of the team through an uncanny series of long-term injuries. It is due to the commitment of those who willingly stepped into the breach that the remaining results were as good as they were. On a happier note, the Juniors and Inters all but drew against Cheltenham - one point separated the teams!
Competition proved to be tough in the Temple and Berrow's Trophy races, in which we came 6th and 5th respectively (out of six). However, Keith Shindler performed very well by coming 3rd in the Temple, whereas Jason Lyons managed to come 1 Ith in the Berrow's.
Shortly afterwards we competed against Bredon School on the School Field Course, and the Seniors beat them convincingly. Our Juniors were but one point behind yet again!
eventually lost by the slender margin of 5-4. History almost repeated itself in the following match against Royal Grammar School, where once again we saw a promising early lead evaporate, but this time we managed to hold on for a draw. It was perhaps a reflection of the season that in our final match against the Sixth Form College we suffered our heaviest defeat, a 9-0 whitewash, though we were deprived of many of the first team regulars, and were essentially fielding a number of players with little or no previous team experience.
The team was captained throughout by Alex Jordan who, together with his brother Dan, formed the first pair. They played a crucial role and won many of their games, but too often the eventual outcome of a match hinged upon their performance. Our lack of strength in depth was all too evident, for our second and third pairings were rarely the same from week to week. Thus, the understanding, which in doubles play only develops when two people play together over a period of time, was absent. The most regular second pair were Matthew Keating and Philip Adams. Adams played very consistently and with some determination, whilst Keating showed the occasional touches of brilliance but was rather too erratic with his serves and the use of the topspin forehand. There was no regular third pair, but mention must be made of Chris Young, Steven Reeve and Russell McGettigan who played at various times in this capacity. They performed valiantly and with much tenacity, and were unfortunate to lose a number of sets by the odd game.
C'RI3,$S*<,'dlUAVY'RY
P.J.A.E.
Bill Harris set two new School records: 6.56m in the Senior Long Jump, and 12.78m in the Senior Triple Jump, concluding a highly successful School athletics career.
This brings me to the final competitive races of the season, the Worcester Relays. The Junior U16 team finished l lth out of 13, and again Keith Shindler turned in a good lap time of 7.09 minutes. In the Senior race we fared rather better, coming 9th out of 16 - this is our best result to date in this competition. It is pleasing to note that out of 96 runners, Robert Yate and Gavin Longmire had the 16th and 17th fastest lap times, 6.37 and 6.38 minutes.
Here are the results of the House Competition, held on 9th March :
Individual Winners :
Senior : Nigel Richardson
Girls : Charlotte Renecle
On a more optimistic note it is encouraging that almost all the above mentioned players will be with us next year. This will hopefully lead to to a more settled and experienced squad, and to better results.
D.G.W.
The School continued to compete at all levels throughout the season. It was a particularly noteworthy season since the Girls' Team competed regularly in the West Mercia League for the first time, and acquitted themselves well, coming second overall to Hereford Cathedral out of three. This was a good effort by all concerned.
Also, it is pleasing to record that the Senior Boys' Team fared much better in the West Mercia League, having their best run of success for several seasons by coming second. Again, this was a tine achievement.
At Junior level, we entered U 14 and U l5 teams in the Local League. The youngsters gained some useful experience of competitive running, whereas the U15 team performed particularly well.
After Christmas, the annual straight fixture took place against the 'old enemy', WRGS, our Seniors narrowly coming second by only seven points. This match is used as the basis for City Senior Team selection, and consequently Rohert Yate, Jason Lyons, and Gavin Longrnire were duly called up. In the County Championships, all three distinguished themselves, coming 13th, 10th and 14th, respectively. Futhermore, other members of the School also participated in the County event representing Worcester, viz. Charlotte Renecle and Sarah Haynes who came 6th and loth, Roland Jenkins and Tom Newitt for the UISs, and Howard
House Winners:
Junior : Keith Shindler
Senior : 'A' School
'B' Creighton
Girls : 'A' & 'B' College
Junior : 'A' Creighton
'B' Chappel
During this season, colours have been awarded as follows:-
Full Colours : R. Yate, G. Longmire, Roby Moody. Half Colours : Andrea Morgan, Charlotte Renecle. Peter Buston, Jason Lyons, Chris Young.
Thanks are due to Robert Yate who did a fine job as Captain, and to Gavin Longmire who assisted him as Vice-Captain.
P.J.A.E.
At best the season could be described as disappointing. The portents were good at the start when, in our first match, we played convincingly to run out 6-3 winners against Christ College, Brecon. However, in the next four outings we were brought back to earth by several very strong teams, and we recorded consecutive heavy defeats against Warwick School, Malvern College, King Edward's School and Wrekin College. Fortunately, the fixture against Dean Close School proved a much closer affair, and although we were at one time ahead we
B,4DiPf Y7<li\/
The early part of the year was devoted to the inter house competitions. Both age group competitions were keenly fought out, with most of the Houses fielding strong teams. In the Under 16 competition, Choir House were worthy winners for the fourth successive year, beating Creighton in the final. Unfortunately, the Under 18 final. between Choir and School, could not be fitted into theirjampacked calendars, so they shared the title.
In competition with other schools, our lack of facilities for practice has led to some rather indifferent results. Against old rivals, RGS ('The county squad') the U18 team lost 12-3, the U16 team lost 12-6; however, the U14 team managed a creditable 10.10 draw, hopefully a good sign for the future. Later in the season the U18 team drew with Worcester Sixth Form College, 9-9, and all teams lost to very good teams from Chipping Campden school.
Age group tournaments have again attracted a lot of interest this year. At under 18 a singles' tournament was held, at under 16 and and under 14 levels doubles' tournaments were completed and at under 12 level both doubles and singles' tournaments were possible.
U l8 singles Winner Helmy Hussain (Ch) R-Up Amer Zakaria (S) U16 Doubles Winners Murray Lythgo (H) and
l I
Bruce McDonald (Ch)
R-Up Scott Oldnall (K) and Stuart Hadley (K)
U 14 Doubles Winners Simon Russell and Alex Thomas (U4C)
R-Up Nicolas Loxley and James Greenwood (U4B)
U12 Doubles Winners Matthew Jones and Edward Moseley (LAB)
R-Up Edward Humphries and James Mackender (L4B)
U12 Singles Winner Edward Humphries (L4B)
R-Up Edward Moseley (L4B)
All of these tournaments were keenly contested and well supported. The standard of the badminton played was always quite good and the effort put in by the boys was never found to be lacking in any way. In all over 100 boys took part in these individual tournaments throughout the school.
Regular coaching has continued in the Fourth Forms and Lower Remove. It has been very gratifying to see the improvement in the standard of play throughout this age group as a result. Throughout the year, boys have achieved 22 first. 22 primary and 5 Bronze Carlton awards for personal performance. Congratulations to James Fawcett, Edward Humphries, Matthew Jones, Edward Moseley and James Mackender on completing the Bronze award, the first to be completed at the school, which indicates that they now have the basic skills to be competent badminton players. I hope to see some silver awards and many more bronze awards next year.
son the second team was formidably strong and the several of their players, including Katy Mackenzie, Sherrian Haynes and Sara Haynes frequently played in the 1st VI1, while the original members were injured. Their season consisted of 3 wins and 4 losses.
King's 1st V11 entered the County Netball Championships, but unfortunately were unsuccessful in qualifying, coming second in their section. There was more success at County level, as Alison Wallis was selected to play for the U18 County Team.
The season of 1988-89 awarded Colours to:
Sarah Walters
Jo Cole
Nicola Sinclair
Helena Tarr
Katherine Timbrell
Half Colours were awarded to:
Vanessa Caldwell
Alison Wallis
Kate Fox
College took the inter-house Netball Shield from Eliot 9-6.
All the Netball players would like to thank Mrs. Anstey for her understanding and helpful support throughout the season.
Alison Wallis
morning high-speed drive from London, I found myself loading number one daughter, friend, and a large number of vicious looking wooden implements into a car at the Edgar Tower.
Unaware of how the events of the morning were to shatter my illusions of the fairer sex, I arrived at Bromsgrove to find King's were to play four 14 minute matches, the top two of the five teams then playing a knockout competition with two teams from the other group of five. Expecting to hear peals of girlish glee from the assembled players, I casually asked about the occasional figure, swathed in what appeared to be leftover plating from a Chieftain tank. Surely no-one could be that bashful? On being told these were goalkeepers, forebodings of the worst sort made themselves felt.
King's took the field against a team of apparent Amazons, and at a bellow from a distraught rhinoceros (later found to be a compressed air horn) the game, or should I say combat, commenced. The Amazons descended upon King's, who stood their ground bravely. She Who Arranges kicked me, since I had fallen into a quivering mass, instinctively curled into the foetal position behind the goal, the wooden base of which provided the only minimal cover available. Realising that nothing anyone else found abnormal had occurred, I stood up and commenced taking photographs.
The improvement in standard of play in the lower end of the school was denionstrntcd by the very high standard of play and competitiveness that was prevalent in the inter-fonn competitions. Both the Upper Fourth and Lower Fourth competitions were ;I joy to watch. Each point was as keenly contested as it could have been had they been representing their country and not their forms. This desire to win, and a very good spirit of sportsmanship. gave the competition a unique atmosphere. Lower Four B and Upper Four C were worthy winners of the Lower Fourth and Upper Fourth competitions respectively. Lower Four B won the handicap competition.
The season was most enjoyable, if not always successful. To begin with, the victories just didn't come but, towards the end of the scason, the team 'got its act together' with somc convincing wins beating Wrekin 5-1. Out of ten matches five were lost, two won and three drawn.
Jane Turner was once again selected for the County 1st XI, Samantha Hall and Helena Tarr were also selected for other County teams.
The following girls received full hockey Colours: Samantha Hall, Kate Stockford, Helena Tarr and Jane Turner, while Half Colours were awarded to Juliet Collins, Hannah Falcon and Sarah Lumsdon.
J.T.W.
The girls' 1st V11 began the season convincingly with a 30-0 victory over King Charles I School. Kidderminster. Success continued with a secure win of 25-5 over Nunnery Wood. The team was spurred on by the enthusiastic captaincy of Jo Cole and Helena Tarr, while Kate Fox and Nicola Sinclair proved to be a formidable co~nbination around the net. Katherine Timbrell, Sarah Walters and Helena Tarr held the centre court, while Jo Cole and Alison Wallis defended admirably. Unfortunately, the form shown at the start of the season soon began to dwindle and resulted in a 4 win 7 loss record for the 1st VII.
The 2nd V11 had an excellent team spirit encouraged by their captain, Vanessa Caldwell. This sea-
Those who played regularly were G.K. Clare MathewsILy n Westood, R.B Sara Lumsdon, L.B. Sue Guy, R.H. Hannah Falcon, C.H. Samantha Hall. L..H. Vanessa Cauldwell/Charlotte Edwards, R.W. Jane Turner (Captain), R.I. Juliet Collins, C.F. Helena Tarr, L.W. Kate Stockford, L.1. Alison Wallis/Nicola Perry.
Many th;uiks to Mrs. Jenkinson for her coaching and inspiring confidence in us.
Charlotte Edwardsl Hannah Falcon
On a drizzly October Saturday number one daughter found herself in the team playing in the round robin VIth Form girls' hockey tournament at Bromsgrove. In short order, this bemused, middleaged O.V. found that he had been elected team photographer by She Who Arranges THINGS, a latent hockey aficionado. Thus it was that after an early
After some minutes I became inured to the sickening whack of wood against ball, but not to the speed at which the ball (and the girls) moved, or the ferocity of the stickwork. Suddenly the truth of Kipling's statement that "The female of the species is more deadly than the male" was proved - the fiercest American footballer would quail, and the Kray brothers seem as violent as Christopher Robin set against a determined girl with a hockey stick. King's lost the first game I - 0, and, after a short break (why did they all get Wispa Bars, and I didn't?) played again. I pondered long upon the King's goalkeeper. There she stood, with a pair of diving boots, and second-hand cricket pads, and NO OTHER VISIBLE PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. Maintaining an air of perfect sang-froid, like Howtio on the bridge, or Roland at the pass of Roncevalles she stood, prepared to withstand the world. Since personal force fields are the province of science fiction, I remain convinced she is a master of Zen!
The second game was also lost, this time by a margin of 2 - 0, against even more daunting opposition, but, miraculously, no injuries were received. In the third game, after an accidental clash that had me sprinting for an ambulance, and to alert the intensive care unit, I was amazed to hear the umpire shout "Get her off the pitch and play on".
In the interval, number one daughter, who has been known to haunt Casualty Departments at the onset of a headache, and to demand morphine for a torn fingernail, casually displayed vast bruises received in the previous week's match.
The third match was particularly hard fought, against opposition that looked like eventual tournament winners. In fact King's scored the only goal, beating the diminutive but extremely athletic and totally fearless goalkeeper with a high shot into the net. King's were unable to sustain this, however, and the fourth match was lost 3 - 0. So, King's were
sound play again51 gootl opposition in all the matches. I wnlketl back to my car, wondering how this piece of wood could transform the female psyche. After all, a golf club is approximately the same shape. but betokens in the male nothing more than ;in excuse for a gentle stroll. to work up n thirst Ibr gin ancl tonic. Congreve was wrong: it was not n woman scorn'd that Hell has no fury like. hut a woman with a hockey stick. I drove away. my dearest illusions in shreds. hut this was not the end. Following the team bus. I realised there wasconsiderable writhing amongst the occupants. Perhaps the pain from ill-juriesreceived, unnoticed in the heat of battle. was now being felt. Apparently not. since number one d;~ughterinformed me that the bus does servicc as a mobile changing rooln. Under the basilisk slat-c of She Who Arranges. I slowed. and followed at a discreet distance. and was overtaken by a youth on n motorcycle. As he ;~pproachedthe bus, his violent braking and loss of steering was evidence that he had discovered the truth of number one daughter's words. The last I saw of this youth was his ashen k~ce;IS he sat on the kerb beside his machine. asking, like Keats. "was it a vision. or a waking dream'?" For both of us that Saturday tnornin?. the King's girls' hockey team ensured that life would never he quite the same again. Charles Etlwards (O.V.)
THE APPEAL - Personal View -
. . The School Appeal was finally closed at the end of September and it was at this time that the situation really came home to me that for the first time for twenty-six years, twenty-one of them at King's, I was not going to be involved at the beginning of a School Year. For two years I have had the excitement of meeting new people and meeting old friends as I have gone around the Country. Unfortunately, during this time my arthritis has gradually got worse: during the course of the last few months it was so bad that the only sensible course of action was to seek to retire through hill health. Unfortunately, all the best plans are apt to fall foul of Government Departments and consequently it was not until exactly one week after term had finished that my retirement was finally confirmed by the Department of Education and Science.
High points and low points of the Appeal continued right until the end. After twenty-three months of courting a very major Company, it was only in the last month of the Appeal that the Principals finally came to visit the School to discuss giving a large donation. All the signs were good. We had a letter from the Chief PR man saying that he had put together a package that he was about to put to his Chairman and he seemed highly confident that things would be all right. That was the high point. Unfortunately we were to hear two weeks later that they had decided nothing could be done at all for King's so the hope of finishing the Appeal on a very high note was squashed flat. However. we have through the generosity of parents, old boys and, unfortunately, only a few industrialists and business people, reached the total of f350,000 +.
Probably for the first time staff and present parents can feel proud of the previous generations of old boys who have given so generously during the Appeal. This group have far outstripped anything from previous generations. Not only have they shown the willingness to help but they have shown the interest to find out how things are going and what other things are going to go on. Many have visited the School for the first time since they lel't, many, too, still wish to be associated with the School and this is one of the great benefits of the Appeal. Many old boys have become friends during the course of the two years: I have lived on stories recounted to many of you. who are now reading this report, of cameos of some of our famous old boys and girls.
We have not raised enough to do all the things that we wanted to do; I suppose it was asking a little too much to be able to do that. We have provided a sub<tantial amount for the equipping of the Theatre; we have put aside money for the Peter Curle Memorial and I hope that by the time you read this we will have received planning permission to go ahead with this. We have a substantial amount for Bursaries and Scholarshios and so we can in future provide a great deal more help than we could have done before the Appeal started. The tinal disappointment was that the money was not forthcoming for the Design and Technology area: we really must find an industrialist who is willing to provide us with the equipment that is necessary to help King's maintain its position at the forefront of those Schools sending pupils to University to read Engineering. To give students some practical help in the Design and Technology area, the re-equipping of this area is vital - we are now competing with other schools with far better facilities and we must not fall behind. The final item that we wanted to help to provide through the Appeal. covering the swi~nmingpool, really was almost a non-starter from the beginning. It is an ainbitious project, but one that will use, very effectively, an area of ground that is so limited in size. It would be marvellous if, at some stage, we were able to build a roof over the swimming pool that is substantial and that could take another floor of classrooms or create extra facilities for the Junior School.
There are so many people to thank as we have now finished the Appeal: The Steering Committee who started the Appeal and are now tidying up the loose ends; the Full Committee who have been great supporters and have acted as sounding boards for many of my more scatter-brain ideas; the Parents, old boys and others who have so generously given money to make our Appeal fairly successful; those old boys who so willingly gave up their time, their premises and in many cases, their money, for our parties; to John Moore, for his strong support and his editorial talents! To David Annett who still frightened me to death whenever he rang me: I must be one of the few people who still stands to answer the phone when he rings. To the Bursar and his staff and to Ann Turvey, who has acted as nurse made for me on many occasions.
Most thanks, though, must go to my wife and family, who have given me the support at times when I have been away for long hours, particularly when we were running Choir. They also acted as 'stamp stickers on' and postmen when the pressure was on. My daughter also spent many hours typing for me during the School and College holidays. Finally, to the staff who, during the first few months, bore with me while I was trying to teach as well, though for the last two years they have not really believed that I have been doing any work anyway!
It has been extremely sad, for within the space of two years I have left Choir House and now School. I found it very difficult to speak at the party that welcomed new staff when I was presented with a very kind cheque from the Common Room. I have now commissioned David Birtwhistle to add to our gallery at Storridge with a painting of the School fields looking towards the Cathedral, a view that I have looked at and admired for years. It will remind me of where I spent most of my time at King's, shouting encouragement mostly at little boys, but occasionally, I am told, at referees.
The Headmaster has asked me if I would keep ticking over with the Appeal by keeping in contact with people and keeping them in touch with what is going on, and I agreed to help; after all no one else can fathom out my computer system and find out when some of your covenants finish! 1 hope that giving to the School will now become a habit and that in five years' time when the next Appeal comes you will remember what has been achieved this time.
King's is a great place, keep it great and. for those people who have any doubts, I will still be around in five years' time and perhaps I may be badgering you to become a Patron, a Vice President or something! Thank you all.
Ian Brown
Music and Drama
MUSIC REPORT
The year started off in traditional style, on 18th October, with our annual House Music Competition, the adjudicator being Peter Allwood. As usual the solo competition started the day, with a high standard being produced by all the performers. The eventual winner was Paul Thompson, who gave a sensitive and atmospheric rendering of 'La CathCdrale Engloutie' by Debussy. Other performances of note were the Organ Concerto No.2 in A minor by Bach played by John Harris and the 1st and 2nd Movements of the Veracini Violin Sonata in A minor by Helena Tarr.
The afternoon proved to be a rare treat with a wide variety of styles and such 'musical gems' as the 'Theme from Rawhide', 'Consider Yourself' and 'I'll Make a Man out of You' producing the final winner, Chappel House, with their version of 'The Vagabond' by Vaughn Williams, sung with great fervour and gusto.
The ensembles were wide ranging, interesting and entertaining. 'Tutti Frutti' comes to mind with Ben Byram-Wigfield supplying the vocals - what a performer! Eliot and College Houses always perform well in this part of the competition and this year was no exception, College deserving to win with their arrangement of 'Summertime' by Gershwin. The vocal line was sung by Marianne Bell and Jenny Clee and along with the rest of the group they created the right atmosphere for this very fine song.
In conclusion, all those involved, singers and instrumentalists, are to be congratulated for their hard work in producing such a high standard of performance, culminating in the Final Winners' Concert on 1st November, which was well received by all those who attended.
Our other internal Music Competition for the Fourth Forms was held toward the end of the Summer Term. As always, standards were high. The winners this year were L4C singing 'I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside', an ensemble playing a Sarabande by Handel, and a fine solo effort by Essi Sadeghi-Dehkudi on 'cello, playing the Scherzo in B by Schubert. The adiudicator for the day, ~LilipTitcombe, had some helpful points tdmake to the boys.
During the year, Music Competitions and Festivals produced some prize winning playing from our students. In the Worcestershire Orchestral Society Music Festival, Helena Tarr won the C.T. Holme Challenge Cup Sonata CIass to 20 years and John Elleson-Hartley came first in both the Heenan-Froude Cup for piano solo to 16 years and the Knightwick Cup in the Open Recorder Class - an excellent achievement. In Cheltenham, Helena, accompanied by John Harris on the piano, came a very creditable second in a highly competitive class for the Edward Lamp Cup, playing 'Danse Espagnole' by de Falla an: Kreisler. We can be justly proud of all those pupils who took part in the various competitions; they were all a credit to the school.
In December it is always heartening to see the entire school and their parents gathered in the Cathedral for the annual Carol Service. This year there were many fine moments that readily come to mind, one in particular being the singing by the choir of a setting by Julian Smith of 'Christians Awake, salute the Happy Morn' a fitting end to a busy term and prelude to Christmas.
The school concerts produced much appreciated full houses and enthusiastic audiences. The concert in November consisted of Music for Dances Old and New, and a performance of Handel's 'Messiah' parts I and 11, the soloists being Luise Horrocks, John Willman and PauI Thompson. In March the highlights included Helena Tarr's fine playing of the 2nd and 3rd movements of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G, and a stirring rendition of the 2nd movement of Schubert's Symphony
No.9 'The Great', rounding off in fine style with Chabrier's 'Espana'.
The final concert was the culmination of a gl;eat deal of hard work both by the School Choir and the instr~me~ntalists. A break in tradition and the challenge of a concert performance of 'Cavelleria Rusticana' by Mascagni. We had some very fine soloists, but one of the highspots of the evening was the singing of that perennial favourite 'The Easter Chorus', matched only by the sensitive playing of the orchestra of the famous 'Intermezzo'. A rousing end to the year and everyone concerned must be congratulated for their time and effort.
The Keys Society provided us as always with an interesting and varied season of concerts. John Harris and Helena Tarr contributed some very fine solo performances but mention must also be made of Catherine Powell, Ben Byram-Wigfield, Paul Thomson, Chris Wright, Miles Banbury, and the general standard of the singing by the choir.
We decided this year to try some 'busking' in the Lychgate in aid of the Cathedral Appeal. The orchestras and Wind Band were involved and we managed to make £260 on the day.
Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their efforts over the year and to wish success to those who have left us to further their career and who have contributed so much to the music making in the department over many years. R.T.
THE KEYS SOCIETY
Every year the Keys Society is fortunate to have some excellent musicians in the Upper Sixth, and is sorry to say goodbye to them. This year is no exception. Helena Tarr's sensitive violin playing will be greatly missed, as will the contributions to the Concerts on the clarinet of Catherine Powell and Neil Robinson. John Harris, apart from his much enjoyed solo performances on the organ and piano, took on most of the burden of accompaniment - usually at the last minute, and always in a most accom-
I plished manner. Chris Wright and Ben Byram-Wigfield were always willing performers, and gave great pleasure with their contributions. In the final May Concert, there was a notable performance of Mozart's Spatzen Mass by the Keys Society Choir, with soloists William Carslake, Marianne Bell, Catherine Powell, Ben Byram-Wigfield and Chri~Wright.
These concerts are arranged and performed by students, and entrance is free - we are always glad to see members of the school, parents and friends in the audience.
J.L.K.B.
MACBETH
There have been many interpretations of Macbeth, both by those who undertake to direct it for the stage and by critics who regard it as a text to be studied and dissected. Such treatment is a testimony to the play's particular strength as a work of art and to the genius of the man who wrote it - more so when we consider that this play is only one among many. In times when violent crime is so common that we cease to be appalled by it, the manic ambition of Macbeth speaks to us in a number of ways as the private drama of one too much influenced by his wife's ambitions, as the political fable of a kind of power craziness, as the history of a country in the grip of a reign of terror. It is almost a theatrical commonplace to costume the play in jack boots and leather and provide the two murderers with hoods to give us images that we recognise from our recent history. However, despite these attempts to underline the enduring significance of the play, there is a sense in which it refuses to be fixed by any one interpretation; its strength is in its multiplicity. There's always a danger that interpretation becomes dogmatic, yet, paradoxically, without some sense of the play's significance a production becomes flaccid.
No such criticism can be levelled at Macbeth performed at the end of the Christmas term. It was a production that had a strong awareness of the play's theatricality and ensured that the audience watched a performance that was continually entertaining and inventive. Yet this was never carried on at the expense of the text - there was considerable respect for Shakespeare's verse, both in the way it was delivered and in the suggestiveness of the meanings implied. Coleridge once praised the play for the 'crowded and breathless rapidity' of its action; this production moved at a tremendous pace - one event followed another and forced the audience to share Macbeth's feelings of being overwhelmed by the speed of events. None of these lost their impact on us: it was the speed that leaves its tracks. One left the auditorium sharing that sense of stunned shock that both Macduff and Malcolm experience as they hear of Scotland's wounds. Our sense of horror was different though, compounded of all the injustices and instances of mental anguish that we had witnessed throughout the action.
William Baker's Macbeth remains in my mind as one of the ~iiostconvincing interpretations of the role I have ever seen. The particular strength of his performance revealed itself at the moments where attention is not focussed directly on him; how he reacted to events was most telling. He appeared agitated and disturbed right from the beginning of the play: the witches' prophecy gave force to an idea that was already germinating in his mind; no wonder his face was so horror-struck on hearing of Malcolm's promised succession. Before the murder of Duncan he stalked the castle like someone with a knife stuck in his own back as he attempted to argue himself out of committing the deed he knew he was compelled to carry out. Afterwards his whole
metabolism was wracked with anxiety - he knew only too well that he had scorched the snake not killed it, and this gnawed at his vitals throughout the whole play. At every moment of crisis his eyes enlarged and stared with ambition yet also betrayed their fear at the inescapable sequence of events that he had set in motion. William Baker presented him as a man tortured by his own conscience - towards the end, movingly, consciousness itself became a burden to him. Sadly we shared this insight, and although we did not approve, we sympathised.
This was a challenging interpretation of the leading role. It was also one that at times created problems for Lady Macbeth (Anna Diamond). Far from being central to Macbeth's predicament, she seemed to be excluded. We had a strong sense of her ambition at the opening of the play, yet this seemed overwhelmed by Macbeth's paranoia. Try as she might to direct her husband's thoughts, Lady Macbeth was herself brushed aside. The marriage between them seemed to have led to a certain separateness; although both had similar aspirations, somehow they did not manage to relate to each other. The potency of their relationship, the sexual passion that sometimes appears between them, was not strongly evident here. Macbeth's ambition had taken over and nothing could challenge this.
We had a strong sense of Macbeth's total isolation and we also shared his wife's feeling of separateness, something which becomes more and more evident as the play continues until her lonely death at the end. Even in the banquet Lady Macbeth vainly tried to excuse her husband's behaviour, but he realised nothing of the effect he was having - so much was he absorbed in his own feelings.
I suppose that it is inevitable that one's attention goes to the eponymous hero of the play. But he was well supported by a very strong cast. Peter Ratcliffe was convincing as Banquo. a loyal, reliable friend who won't be gulled. James Williams coped well with the Porter and managed to provide genuine relief at the moment of greatest tension. Matthew Wheeler was superb as Macduff: he received the news of the loss of his wife and family like a physical blow on the face - the sheer unbelievable horror of this action is something he couldn't readily accept and his performance made us share this experience clearly. The genuine innocence and honesty of Tom Nicholls' Malcolm provided a strong impression of thc rightness of the alternatives to Macbeth's reign.
The witches (Emma Robinson. Marianne Bell and Caroline Absalom) were not withered old hags as they are often portrayed, but intriguingly attractive younger representations of womanhood. Their temptation of Macbeth became shrouded in mystery; as well as appealing to his vaulting ambition there was the suggestion that their intentions were elusive and subtly ambiguous.
One's overall impression at the end of the performance was of the uniform standard of individual performances, which created a production of very high quality indeed. Setting was reduced to a minimum to allow the words to speak for themselves. There
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was an ingenious staircase at stage right which in turn formed the blasted heath, the entry to Macbeth's castle, the stairway to Duncan's room and the battlements of Macbeth's castle. The banquet made full use of the broad stage with two tables placed at a slight angle to each other across the stage area. Action took place both behind and in front of them thus giving the audience a very clear view of what was taking place. Costumes hired from the Royal Shakespeare Company contrasted with the spare setting and animated a clear yet functional design.
Writing in the programme, Glyn Evans remarked that 'a visit to the theatre, in some circles, has always involved more than the experience of the play itself In some cases the play almost becomes secondary, a backdrop to a pleasant evening out, comfortably unobtrusive'. There was nothing unobstrusive about this production. Its directors, Stephan Le Marchand and Rosemary Diamond, know too well that ' the play's the thing'; by concentrating their energies on the central object they also made Shakespeare accessible and enjoyable to many - both actors and spectators alike.
A.E.C.
JOURNEY'S END
Why have so many plays performed recently in our theatre been about war? Does the CCF exert an insidious influence on our cultural life? Or are members of the English Department secretly resentful that their generation has not been called upon to fight? Journey's End, by R.C. Sherriff, is about the First World War, and is written by someone who was there. Thankfully (to my taste) it does not consist of the usual First World War themes - soldiers examining their consciences, arguing about philosophical questions, which would be better expounded in philosophy books, or knocking the British class system. Like many good plays, it deals with the different reactions to difficult circumstances (which happen to be war in the trenches) of a group of men (who happen to be soldiers).
The difficulty Sherriff sets himself is that the entire play takes place in one room and that nothing happens on stage throughout. This could make for tedium. But, with the necessary help of the
actors, he conquers the problem in a number of ways; so successful was he - and they - that I didn't look at my watch once during the performance.
The first trick is food. Throughout the play the characters are either consuming it, waiting for it, or complaining about it. This enables the actors to be doing something as well as talking: they were constantly eating, drinking or even just walking over to the table to sit down, keeping our eyes as well as our ears occupied. It also gave the opportunity for most of the humour that leavened the serious theme of the play; in particular Stephen Laney, as the cook, had several funny lines, which he delivered in just the right tone as the slightly cheeky, incompetent but supremely confident servant. (Incidentally why are pineapple chunks always funny? They were a source of jokes here, they dominated a whole episode of Porridge, and they even appeared the other day in a trailer for The Paradise Club.)
The second essential is that the main characters, despite all being officers, should be significantly different from each other. This was achieved quite superbly by the cast of Upper Removes. Dylan Summers, as the 40-year-old Osbome (called "Uncle" by the younger officers), stood out from the rest as the quiet, sympathetic, reliable elder statesman, whose reaction to danger was unflinching (he had played rugger for England, after all) but not ostentatious; it was difficult not to believe that Summers was in fact older than the rest of the cast as he spoke in measured, avuncular tones even to his senior officer. Then there was Stanhope, the whisky-drinking commander. We hear quite a lot about him before he appears, so that his entrance is as dramatic as the first appearance of Rick in Casablanca. Is he the drunkard that Hardy suggests in the opening rcene, or the first-class commander described by Osbome? Keith Shindler rightly played both. He does drink, and his feelings and behaviour are somewhat unpredictable, as though both the war and his alcoholic defence against it have taken their toll. But, when there are decisions to be taken, he is the authoritative commanding officer, fully in charge and basing his decisions on reason. It was clear from Shindler's performance that Stanhope was the boss, but also a decent man with whom, like Osborne, we could sympathize.
The youngest officer, who was arriving at the front for the first time, was Raleigh. He had hero-worshipped Stanhope at school, and now found himself in Stanhope's company. Before his hero arrives in the trench, Raleigh explains to Osborne how much he admires "Dennis" (he has a lot to learn about army life) and how he expects to be able to report his hero's exploits to his sister (Stanhope's sort of girlfriend); Osborne tries to prepare Raleigh for the coming disillusionment. To make this scene work, Raleigh has to seem the wide-eyed 1 X-year-old in contrast to the experienced Osborne; Jeremy Roberts gave precisely this impression. He looked naive, respectful, idealistic, unafraid of what he didn't know (he was excited by the prospect of a raid on the German lines. the order for which Osborne described as "murder"). To complete the main quartet was Trotter, played by Richard Pitt. There appeared to be not much going on deep in his soul, by contrast with the other characters; his main interest was in the contents of the next meal, and Stanhope once described him as lacking "imagination". This was again precisely what the part required: the character was "always the same", a bluff, friendly chap around the place giving a reassuring air of normality in a hidkously abnormal situation. The tensions and arguments seemed to go over Trotter's head, as though - to switch metaphors - he were the eye of the hurricane.
Here I should mention William Jenks, who played the odd man out. Hibbert was the only officer whom it was impossible to warm to. He was obviously scared of the war, and was trying to get invalided out by feigning "neuralgia". Stanhope, who admits to being scared himself, gets him to relent with a mixture of bullying and soft-talking. Later, when the survivors are eating and drinking a few hours after Osborne's death, the other officers
i react to their grief in different ways, but Hibbert appears completely insensitive. I noted down at the time "Let's face it,
II Hibbert'q just a wimp!" It has to be said that Jenks played a very convincing wimp!
J The minor characters also contributed to the overall variety. Jason Best's colonel, Daniel Hickey's sergeant-major and Tom Howell's private were all played in a manner appropriate to their station. Adam Whitehouse, later to star as a classics student in The Browning Version, here showed off his knowledge of German as a frightened prisoner. The opening scene ol'the play included William Kerton as Hardy, who disc~~ssedthe character
The Way Of The Cross
It was with certain reservations that I went into the Cathedral to see the production of Henri Gheon's The Way of the Cross.
The prospect was a bit daunting - a play based on the stations of the Cross leading up to the crucifixion of Christ to be performed by a group of students using a combination of dance, tableaux and dialogue. Nothing in this description, however, really prepared me for the freshness and intensity of this moving drama. The words were sometimes difficult to catch, the acoustics of the cathedral and the direction of the speaker often conspiring to of Stanhope with Osbome; rather like Trotter. he was portrayed as a typical, no-nonsense officer in contrast with the "thinking" soldier.
Finally, the actors have to sustain our interest not only by blur the focus of the voices, but the lines had a dignity and simple force that made them effective. Bit by bit the story unfolded and the feelings of the mother and friends of Christ were revealed and developed. being different, but by engaging our hearts and minds. To a large extent this is the author's job, and the actors merely recite the lines in the right order; but it helps if the actors themselves sound
The girls and boys moved fluently, forming tableaux that expressed anguish yearning or aggression in tum. Their faces reflected the changing emotions and these were reflected also in interested in what they are saying! In fact the play contains a series of high points - Stanhope's meeting with Raleigh, the raid, the big show - which are talked about in advance In order to create suspense in the audience's minds, and hope and fear in their
shapes that their bodies made singly and as members of a whole picture. Richly coloured robes fell in drapery and effectively caught the glancing light. The effect was extraordinary and was a tribute to the discipline and sincerity of the students' perforhearts.
For example, by the time Stanhope entered (17 pages into the play), we were all agog to discover how this war-weary alcoholic would react to the boy who still worshipped the memory of the public school rugger captain, and vice versa. Later, before Osborne and Raleigh lead an almost suicidal raid on the German lines, they fill in the time with irrelevant talk about England,
mance. It would be silly to single out any particular performances for comment since they seemed so completely and successfully a team. They had managed to give feeling and force to something that cannot have been particularly close to their own thinking and experience, and in a medium that must have seemed very unfamiliar to them at the outset.
A good deal of credit, of course, must go to the shared creativsimultaneously reminding us of the peaceful times they have left I behind and delaying the moment of truth. Even when the raid is over, we have to watch the interrogation of the Gelman prisoner
ity of Joan Russell and Peter Diamond, whose ideas and interpretations and sheer hard work had come to fruition in these final performances. They had collaborated on a number of dramatic before we are told who has been killed. In all these cases the sit- and dance productions before and it was intensely sad that Joan was taken ill the morning after the first performance of The Way of the Cross. She had been delighted with the way things had gone and had been deeply moved by the performance. She recovuation was so clearly defined and the characters so sympathetically portrayed that we really did want to know what was going to happen, and cared - an essential ingredient of any play.
I The most powerful scene is the dinner (the food motif again) 1 immediately after the death of Osborne: how will the other 1) officers react? At first they all seem to be enjoying themselves. But it soon emerges that, whereas the insensitive Hibbert simply
ered sufficiently to receive the warm appreciation, love and good wishes of the cast the following day and then tragically died on the evening of the last performance. She will be remembered by all those involved in the play and by all of us who knew her with is, Stanhope - as usual - is using alcohol to erase his real feelings I of grief and remorse. Raleigh isn't there at first, much to the puz- I zlement and speculation of the others. When he returns he says,
great affection and respect for her inspiration and example.
R.C.J.D. in his naive, uncomprehending way, that he is shocked by the
merry-making; Stanhope explodes at him, explaining the therapeutic rcile of champagne. There are a lot of subtleties in this scene: emotions are under the surface, things are not what they seem. It says a great deal for the cast that the psychology was made entirely clear, and the audience's minds and hearts were engaged throughout. By the final scene, when the long-expected "big show" had started and Raleigh at once got a shell in the
HOUSE DRAMA
'House Drama' seems to have established itself as a genre in its own right alongside that other important feature of the school's dramatic calendar - the 'school ~lav'.I'm not sure I'd . < want to distinguish so emphatically between the two, but popular parlance suggests that there are distinguishable features of each. The House Drama Festival held in the Spring Term provides the back, we were still wondering how the unpredictable Stanhope would react, yet we somehow knew that lie would take the opportunity to repay the hero-worship; as he tried to comfort the still optimistic Raleigh, knowing that the boy was doomed. we couldn't help feeling an overwhelming sympathy for both men. When a cast can do that, who can ask for anything more?
A footnote. I hardly noticed the lighting, the sound, the CO\-
opportunity for boys and girls to initiate their own production with the promise of a full scale performance in the Theatre as the end result. Much of the practical work. rehearsing, building scenery, choosing and collecting costumes. searching out props, is undertaken by the pupils themselves with Housemasters holding a watching brief. It's very much a team effort that extends across the age groups with a senior pupil as director of a tumes. the stage managing; and that is as it should be. The whole technical apparatus sliould be so natural, so in tune with the ac~ionsand words of the characters, that it draws attention not to
Company represented by members of each year in the House. It might sound a recipe for chaos. but at the end there's a pleasing sense of coherence with everyone appreciated for their unique I itself but to those words and actions. The technical hits we do contribution and respected for their own particular strengths. The present format of the House Drama Festival allows each House to perform every other year. This year Wulstan, Bright, Choir, College and Creighton completed the first round of the
notice are i~suallythose which clash. in other words the mistakes. So once again, as is nor~nalin our theatre. congratulations are deserved by the "unseen" cast - and not least by the director himself, Anthony Clemit, who was ultimately responsible for a slick. two year cycle. Collectively their choice of play and style of production was as individual as the Houses themselves. Amongst them they provided four evenings of drama and well-paced production.
R.N.G.S.
produced six different plays in total.
Wulstan began with a double bill consisting of David Campton's Them and Us and Tudor Gates' Who Saw Him Die?. William Baker directed the former, a short allegorical play about two groups of people who find themselves in dispute over an area of land. Although not identified by name, they could be East and West, Black and White, or any other distinct group of opposites. The play shows how suspicions arise between them and divisions, embodied in the form of a wall become stronger. The cast consisted of eight actors representing the two parties and linked together by the Recorder (Tim Johnson). It was a very polished production. The cast worked well together, their lines were perfectly timed and clearly spoken and in all respects they were totally convincing. It would be invidious to single out individuals: thk play demanded performance by a unified team and this was the strength of William Baker's production.
The mood of the evening changed with Who Saw Him Die?. We moved rapidly from the abstract setting of the previous play, 'Nowhere In Particular', to the realistic seedv environment of a doctor's surgery, which contained a body on a table. This was a four hander crime thriller that chronicled the attempts of John Rawlings (Andrew Dobson) to have his revenge on Superintendent Pratt (Alex Balch) aided by Dr Adcock (Jon Lamberton). Nichola Perry played Christine, the inevitable girl in the story. The production was well staged; essential furniture s~ggested~alternatel~Adcock's surgery, a Flat in Willesden and the Cellar of Pratt's house. Links between the scenes were effectively managed through apposite music that contributed to the sleasy atmosphere. The cast worked hard to suggest the individuality of the characters, but at times their reticent delivery of the lines meant that the audience missed the details of the plot. However, the actors were sufficiently convincing to suggest that the motives governing the action in this intrigue were largely sordid attempts at revenge for personal gain. At the end I found myself disliking the play though not the performance - David Shrubsole's direction was assured enough to create a pervasive tone of corruption The web of intrigue the characters wove around themselves gradually eroded our sympathies; it was hard to like any of them.
Bright House acquired an evening to itself and presented Good Morning and Welcome to the Last Day of the Final Test At The Berlin Oval by Adrian Kramskoy. I won't make the obvious comment about the cricketing reference being a major incentive in the Housemaster's choice of this plav. David Bull directed a &. cast of considerable diversity working with people of very different ages and talents; if the production had a theme, it was incongruity. Tim Summers appeared as the Commander, Head of Secret Service, his brother Dylan as a power-crazed German Emperor, Paul Hardwick as a German General and Matthew Lancey, Tim Cook and Ian King as Babies. W.G. Grace appeared as ~icholasMaior. Simon ~illmottwas the television announcer. The production was efficient and well organised, but the choice of this play presented a difficult challenge to the House. The characters were sufficiently well drawn as to require considerable skill in their realisation. One solution was to present them as caricatures; unfortunately caricature is itself a particular style and not easy to achieve.
Choir House fared rather better with the challenges of Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound, a send up of whodunnits, which he uses as a means of examining the relationship between actors and audience in some depth. This was an ambitious choice and there was much to admire in Tom Renwick's production. Sensibly, he presented an interpretation that focussed on the comedy of the piece without worrying over Stoppard's tortuous philosophical interests. Much of the humour came from Magnus, played by Francis Scriven, who piloted his wheelchair around the drawing room of Muldoon manor with considerable dexterity. William Norbury and Bruce Macdonald
gave sustained performances as the two critics, Moon and Birdboot. Robert King was a convincing Simon Gasgoine. Ben Byram-Wigfield gave us a disciplined Mrs Drudge, complete with headsquare and feather duster, who delivered hisher interjections with perfect timing. As Felicity and Cynthia respectively, Jane Gillespie and Kate Bolton created convincing performances as twenties' flappers. Mark Richards had a memorable cameo as the announcer locked inside a television cabinet, and Tim Cook was suitably inert as the body.
The evening continued with College House's production of Frederico Garcia Lorca's The House of Bernada Alba. All of the r6les in this play are female - but it is far more than a play for girls. Through the story of the tyrannical hold that Bernarda Alba has on her daughters, the play examines the role of women and their aspirations with some subtlety. We sensed very strongly in this production the anguish of their confinement yet at the same time we were made aware of the beauty of their aspirations for fulfilment. There were some highly sensitive performances, notably from Katy Peters as Adela, who commits suicide when she mistakenly thinks Bernarda has killed her lover. Liz Alexander was superbly commanding as Bernarda, Vicy Young i presented a mature convincing Magdalena, Juliet Collins was a lively Martirio. They were strongly supported by the rest of the cast and here again one was impressed by a strong sense of team effort. The production achieved a unity of design too: the room in Bernada's House was represented by white walls with heavy wooden furniture standing well against these. The black dresses worn by the daughters formed many memorable monochrome images. Most impressive was the way the production discovered and rediscovered the play as a fine piece of drama in the European tradition.
French Without Tears was a very ambitious choice for a House play, but Creighton, under the direction of Chris Charlton, pulled it off triumphantly. This three act comedy, set in the living room of a villa in a small seaside town in the south of France, has ten characters, demands a full and rather fussy period set, requires period costume and fancy dress and has a monstrously long list of props. These would be tough enough requirements for a full school production. That Creighton's show went ahead in front of a full house. looked excellent and was well acted bv a thoroughly rehearsed cast is a marvellous achievement. There were some smashing performances: Tom Nicholls was smooth, gallant and vulnerable as The Hon Alan Howard - just right; Nigel Roughton was very amusing as Lieut.-Commander Rogers; Steve Reeve was a natural as the gentle and kind Kit - a fine achievement for someone who had little previous acting experience. Katherine Ball played the seductive, teasing Diana with whom everyone falls in love, very convincingly. There were good performances from others too; Miles Badger's Monsieur Maingot was very entertaining - Inspector Clousseau only came to mind twice; Craig Jeffrey was thoroughly likeable and effective as Brian. Sue Terry as Jaqueline and Rory Griffin as Kenneth were both charming and convincing. It was a very enjoyable production, which made the audience smile and laugh naturally and easily.
With French Without Tears the House Drama Festival ended on a high note, although it would be wrong to suggest that many notes in the lower register had been sounded. Many peopleactors, stage managers, audience - derived much pleasure from what they saw over these four evenings. Before closing, it is important to mention David Bull, Jeremy Hartley and Simon Swift, who worked tirelessly on the technical side of all of these productions. Their patience with the demands for re-rigged lights and hastily discovered sound effects was boundless. That each production benefited from faultless lights and sound cues, so natural that they were hardly noticed, is largely owing to their professional expertise.
A.E.C./S.LeM.
Hiawatha
Many will remember Henry Longfellow's Hiawatha from their schooldays as a long poem about the life and death of the Indian whose name gives the poem its title. Some of the details of the story may have been eroded, not by time, but by the tortuous rhythm in which the verses are written - a system of rhythm that virtually ensures that the details of the action are obscured, particularly if read by the unskilful voices that frequently clamour to read round the class. In the Summer Term a dramatic version of this poem was performed by members of the Fourth Forms. The production succeeded in reinstating the work as an interesting, epic treatment of the decline of Indian civilisation and its eventual erosion by the white man's foot. That such a young cast should succeed in conveying this important truth is a tribute to both the imaginative conception of the production and their successful realisation of this.
In the history of performances in the Theatre, Hiawatha is important as the first attempt to mount a promenade production in the space that is revealed once half of the seats are retracted. The flat surface became the Indian reservation with two rostra indicating peaks and troughs in the landscape. The open side of the seating and the steps reaching up to the back of the Theatre were the Rocky Mountains traversed by Hiawatha on his journey to confront his father, Mudjekeewis, who many years ago had deserted his mother, Nokomis. Various other points throughout the auditorium served as locations for action. Minnehaha was wooed on the top of a rostrum, Pau-Puk Keewis had his encampment in another corner. Wigwams were suggested by dowel poles held at an angle by the cast. Later on, the same poles became waves in a rushing stream and at one point they served as the rib bones of Nahma, the sturgeon that swallows Hiawatha and his canoe whole. A few logs judiciously placed became the focus for a scene in front of a wigwam with a river - blue blankets - running past. The cast themselves shaped forests and rocks, out of their own bodies. The majority of the audience opted for the promenade and they followed the action as it moved around the auditorium, sometimes finding themselves right in the midst of events.
The most difficult part to stage was. I suspect, the canoe. Not only does Hiawatha need to build it, he also needs to paddle down the river in it. In the context of this production, it was entirely convincing to have Hiawatha improvise the shaping of the log and then to bring on a suitably painted canoe from the wings. He floated on the shoulders of several of the cast while the whole area was covered in blue light, which quickly darkened as he was swallowed up by Nahma. He escaped from the belly of the fish by hacking through dowel ribs and the lights gradually brightened as he re-emerged into day. Without smooth timing and totally accurate cues it would not have worked, yet this was one of the most compelling sequences in the production. Improvisation was the order of the day for many of the best
effects; the cast were called upon to sing, to dance, to mime, to speak, as well as to switch character and tell a complicated story to an audience that was often only a few centimetres away. Most of this they accomplished as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It is hard not to imagine that most would be feeling very self-conscious: they wore Indian loincloths, two decorated pieces of material sewn on to an elastic belt, dark body paint and a few feathers - yet no one betrayed nerves or lacked concentration. To do so when the audience were so close would have destroyed the illusion completely.
The inventiveness of the staging complemented the most fundamental part of the production - the story of Hiawatha himself. The narrative was carefully spoken - each actor pronounced his words carefully and ensured that their sense was readily apparent. Almost all of the cast told some of the story - there were no hitches in the timing of the delivery of this; one speaker followed another without awkward pauses. It was also possible to distinguish the characters, too: Simon Russell was an intelligent Mudjekeewis, assured of his power and safety. Robert Sandford was convincing as boastful Iagoo. Jim Fawcett was an attractive Minnehaha. David Aydon was compelling as old Nkomis, Hiawatha's mother. Ewan Jeffrey was appropriately commanding as Gitche Manito the Mighty. Richard Mettrick was impressive as Pau-Puk-Keewis. Philip Turner was the older Hiawatha and Jonathan Gurney was a particularly disciplined young Hiawatha. Matthew Fleming took on the double role of Chibiabos and Music Director: he was largely responsible for ensuring the accurate rhythm of the musical chants, which he beat out on something resembling a tom-tom. Simon Blyth played the wrestler, Kwasind, with some maturity. Indians, Seagulls, Fish, Famine and Fever were the responsibility of Matthew Keegan, Vincent Curry, David Knight, Tom Bawden, Alexander Jeffrev, Michael Brookes. Ian Guard. Edward Hyde, Simon Mico, ~imonIlott. Christopher Lewis and Angus Clirke.
One left the auditorium with some memorable images, which stayed in the mind for some time afterwards. Chiefly one remembers the energy and discipline of the young cast. Anthony Clemit and Richard Davis were the directors.
S.G.
The Browning Version
A regular feature of the School's dramatic programme is the July production mounted by members of the Upper Sixth who can't stay away from the School even when 'A' levels are over. This year there was a production of Terence Rattigan's The Browning Version.
The play focusses on a middle-aged Classics master, Andrew Crocker-Harris, in a public school in the south of England and the fact that he's a failure as a teacher and as a husband. We see various conflicts: between Crocker-Harris and his selfish, adulterous wife, Millie; between Crocker-Harris and her lover, Frank Hunter, between Crocker-Harris and his Headmaster, Dr Frobisher. There are conflicts within individual characters, honesty versus expediency, loyalty to different values and moral dilemmas too.
The production was gripping: performances were convincing and the set looked good. Consequently the audience was able to devote its attention to the issues raised in the play, and I went away at the end to spend a very interesting hour in animated discussion with M.A.S. and R.C.J.D.
Rupert Bader deserves great credit. He initiated the project, played the leading role with sensitivity and dignity, built most of the set and was responsible for a fair amount of direction. Peter Ratcliffe as Frank Hunter and Kate Stockford as Millie CrockerHarris were also very effective. Millie really is despicable in her cruelty to her husband: that Kate was totally believable in her vindictiveness really must be a tribute to her acting! Francis Scriven played the Headmaster, who is prepared to trample on
Crocker-Harris' pride and dignity because the alternative might prove awkward for him; and he was played in such a way that I felt contemptuous of him - just right. There were nice cameos, too, from Justin Dickens and Caroline Absolom a the young. energetic and bright-eyed replacements of the Crocker-Harrises. Mention must also be made of Adam Whitehouse's performance of John Taplow, the young boy who has special lessons with Crocker-Harris. He was charming and entirely convincing. It was appropriate, too, that this production should have Chris Charlton in the control room in charge of the lighting; to him the School owes an immense debt of gratitude for his work on the technology of the lighting system in the Theatre. When the building was first opened, he set a high standard of technical and artistic expertise, an example that others are now following.
Over the past four years there have been productions of three Terence Rattigan plays at King's: The Browning Version, French Without Tears and In Praise of Love. All these are excellent pieces of theatre and, in their different ways, challenging and provocative plays. Terence Rattigan is a marvellous writer: does he get the recognition he deserves?
S.LeM.
Vatican Roulette?
Jonathan Villis (O.V.), who left the School in 1988, describes the interesting and unusual occupation he undertook during his year off.
In the summer of 1988, Mr. Gant was aware that I was intending to take a year out before entering university in October 1989. So when he read in 'The Church Times' of a vacancy for a dogsbody at the Anglican Centre in Rome, he very thoughtfully informed me that the job was going. I wrote to the S.P.C.K. (who finance the position) with a C.V. and attended an interview with the Revd. Canon Howard Root (Archbishop of Canterbury's Counsellor on Vatican Affairs: Director of the Anglican Centre) and Mr. Patrick Gilbert (Chairman of the S.P.C.K.) in Canterbury during the Lambeth Conference. I was offered the position in September (the other ten or so candidates, I was to learn, being either "too old" or "mad") and was flown out to Rome on 17th October. Accommodation had been arranged with a delightful
apartment roughly thirty minutes walking distance from the centre.
The Anglican Centre itself is situated on the top floor of the Doria Pamphily Palace, which is just off the Piazza Venezia, Rome's "town square". It houses a very comprehensive collection of Anglican literature from all over the world as well as most of the important Catholic and Anglican periodicals. As such it proves of most use to Italian theology students preparing theses and Anglican priests away from home wishing to keep in touch with Anglican affairs. The Centre is also a useful Anglican "presence" in Rome, there being only two Anglican churches in the city amongst perhaps two hundred Catholic churches. Canon Root's duty is to liaise as best as he can with the Vatican and the Catholic community and to relay important news back home to the Archbishop of Canterbury. His role is obviously an important one if Catholic - Anglican unity in the future is to be feasible.
My duties were as follows: first and foremost, to look after the collection of theological literature at the Centre. Every other day, I was asked to travel the short distance to the Vatican to collect the Pope's latest press bulletins and post letters (Vatican post being far quicker than Italian post). Once a week there were letters to be delivered per manu to the British Ambassador, to the Holy See and to the Secretariat for Christian Unity.
I worked from Monday to Friday, 9.30 a.m. to l .00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. My week's wages were the equivalent of £20.00, and this was quite sufficient, as the family I lived with fed me and washed my clothes. Money in fact was generally spent on nights out in the clubs and cinemas that I got to know in and around the centre or on travel outside Rome. (I managed to visit Venice, Bologne, Florence, Assisi, Todi, Naples and Pompeii, all of which were fascinating).
This was a most enjoyable six months. I returned to England on the 17th March 1989, and I am bound to return to Rome in the near future (even though the Trevi fountain was being restored, so I couldn't throw any coins in it) to visit the many, many friends I met there, English and Italian. The holiday (for who could call working in Rome "work?") gave me a very revealing insight into both Catholicism and Anglicanism and how they interact. It also enabled me to pick up a fair amount of Italian. since two months' worth of lessons were paid for me. Whoever does my job this year will have have a fantastic time!
Jonathan Villis
1989 O.V. Reunion 16/17 September
The Annual General Meeting
Since the O.V. Club was founded in 1895, the Annual Meeting has always preceded the Annual Dinner and the Club has always been charged with the duty of organising the Dinner and the Reunion.
This year's A.G.M. began punctually at 6.40 p.m. in the Passey Hall in School House with the President, Rev. A.J. Wright, in the Chair and 26 other members present. All stood while the Chairman read the twelve names of 0.V.s who had died and the Silent Memory was then observed. There were 13 apologies for absence. The Minutes were passed and signed. The Chairman thanked Michael Craze for his hard work as Hon. Secretary. Alec Mackie, who had acted as Chairman of the Commitiee since John Reynolds retired in November 1988, was elected to that office and both he and John were thanked. Ray Franklin presented the Club Accounts for the year ending December 3 l st, 1988. Income was £6,114 and Expenditure £4,589 plus £5000 donated to the School Appeal by last year's A.G.M. After the Accounts had been passed and the Hon Treasurer and John Wagstaff, the Hon Auditor, thanked, the Meeting decided to donate a further £2,500 to the School Appeal. The Headmaster thanked the Club warmly.
Under the Club Rules the new President is elected at the A.G.M. and begins his year of office next day. John Wright proposed Peter Underwood as his successor and this was unanimously agreed. Peter then took the Chair and thanked John and the Meeting. The election of Tony Jerram as Vice-President and Dickson Bailey. Sally Ogden and Peter Burnham as Committee Members 1989-92 followed and the Meeting ended at 7.10 p.m.
The Annual Dinner
In the College Hall, beautifully decorated and lit, 167 ladies and gentlemen sat down to Dinner after the President, Rev. A.J.
Wright, had said Grace (composed by himselt?: "Lord, may we who have received so much in life be generous in proportion. May we who have company tonight remember those who are alone. And may we who have food to eat today remember and help those who have none. Amen."
The company ranged in age from O.T. Storrs (S.21-23), Past President, to David Bull, Head of School, and Katrina Brodrick, a senior girl. It was good to have Mr and Mrs Annett as guests, together with the Chairman of the Governors and Mrs Howell, the Headmaster and Mrs Moore, the President of the Old Elizabethans' Association, David Rodway, and the Guest Speaker, Stephen Tomlinson, Q.C., (H.63-70). Both he and Donald Howell (S.53-61) had been David Annett's Head Boys.
R.H. Blakeway (H.48-55), Vice-President, proposed the Health and Prosperity of the School and Dr Moore in his reply gave an admirable account of the year's chief events, with much that was amusing thrown in. The President proposed the Health of the Guests in an equally serious and humorous vein and in reply Stephen Tomlinson, the youngest Q.C. in the land, regaled the company with a skilfully marshalled, wide-ranging mixture of main points and fun.
In a final few words from the Chair, John Wright paid a loudly applauded tribute to Roy and Kathleen Padden, organisers of the Dinner, a tribute reinforced by a large sheaf of flowers that he took down to Kathleen.
Sunday Morning
At the Sung Eucharist in the Cathedral at 11 a.m. the O.V. Preacher invited by the Dean was the Rev. Michael Weaver (4956), Vicar of Arundel and Rural Dean of Arundel and Bognor Regis. The Epistle was read by the new President, P.C. Underwood (42-47). The Cathedral Choir, spurred on perhaps by their forthcoming American and Canadian Tour, sang extraordinarily well. Dr Donald Hunt is a magnificent trainer and 0.V.s with long memories could not remember a better Cathedral Choir.
Where M~Stllis;' Who M~CI.(> ~IICSC:'
The Headmaster and Mrs Moore were at home at College Green after the service and we are deeply thankful to them. Many who come to the Dinner go straight home and are not able to come back on Sunday. The oldest O.V. at the Reunion, however, F.L. Hamson (15-21), felt too old for the Dinner, but enjoyed two Cathedral services and the headmaster,'^ Reception.
The Cathedral Appeal
With this 1989 Vigornian and 1990 New Year Circular come a letter from the Dean of Worcester and separate Covenant and Donation Forms in the hope that every O.V. not yet a donor will make a contribution to the pressing Cathedral Appeal for £4,000,000. It was launched in October 1988 in the knowledge that in the next 15 years £10,000,000 would have to be spent on he fabric, including a new roof throughout.
The Rules of the O.V. Club allowed the Annual General Meetings to vote £5,000 in 1988 and £2,500 in 1989 to the King's School Appeal, but they do not allow a Club grant to the Cathedral Appeal. The Committee very much hopes that individual 0.V.s will respond with the utmost generosity. We are the Cathedral King's School. Those of us who were once King's Scholars or Choristers were members of the Cathedral College founded by Henry the Eighth. We all worshipped in the Cathedral and the music and liturgy and sermons there set us standards that lifted our lives. Let us in gratitude, whatever our present age, leap to find the last million of the £4,000,000 Appeal. Let us show that the young are not ungrateful or the older forgetful. Please say you are an O.V. when you subscribe. Please send contributions to the Appeal Office, or to the Hon. Secretary if you prefer. All will be acknowledged.
WORCESTER CATHEDRAL
Worcester's tower, erect and high, Changes only with the sky: Dark when rainy, light in sun, Greying when the day is done.
Severn waters, glassy, slow, Nave and tower reflected show. Earlier waters here conveyed Every stone the builders laid.
Travellers from the east descend Well nigh to their journey 'S end Ere rewarded with a sight Of the tower's imposing height.
Travellers coming from the west See the great Cathedral best, Raised aloft on terrace sheer, Miles of open meadow near.
Thousands on the County Ground Eye the tower and heed the sound When the hours or quarters chime, Portioners of cricket time.
Many tens of thousands more Entering the Cathedral door Scan the space and sense the power From end to end, from crypt to tower.
MICHAEL CRAZE
0.K COMMITTEE 1989-90
President Vice-Presidents
Chairman Headmaster
Hon. Secretary
Hon. Treasurer
Hon. Auditor
Hon. Social Secretary
Cricket Club Development Campaign
Member Emeritus
Elected (1987-90)
Elected (1988-91)
P. C. Underwood (42-47)
J. L. Potter (55-62)
R.H. Blakeway (48-55)
A.L.O. Jerram (50-55)
T.E.A. Mackie (52-61)
J.M. Moore (Hon. O.V.)
M.R. Craze (19-25)
R.A. Franklin (43-49)
J. I. Wagstaff (52-61)
R.T. Padden (46-52)
T.E.A. Mackie (52-61)
P.J. Blackham (54-59)
J.P. Pimley (37-39)
M.J. Hickling (65-72)
N.J. Sproson (7 1-76)
Angela Nicholls (nte Lloyd-James 78-80)
R.H. Phillips (76-83)
T.W. Halford (52-61)
P.C. Thompson (Hon. O.V.)
Elected (1989-92)
Sally Ogden (84-86)
G.D. Bailey (43-54)
P.H. Burnham (72-77)
Inquiries Answered
From time to time the School receives inquiries about past members. The most recent has concerned the Rev. William Ernest Taylor (1856-1927), who made such a name for himself as an overseas missionary that he is being included in a new volume of the Dictionary of National Biography designed to repair past omissions. He was known to have been a boy at Worcester Cathedral King's School and an undergraduate at Hertford College, Oxford. "What did the school know?" Full School lists only started when the Rev. Allen Wheeler became Headmaster in 1820. Those early registers are in the vaults of Lloyds Bank and only the Bursar has access to them. What he found was that William Ernest Taylor entered the School in September 1868 (Form 2), having been born in January 1856. He was a King's Scholar 1870-74, and left in December 1874 with an Exhibition to Hertford College, Oxford. The D.N.B. article writer, Mr P.J.L. Frankl, was duly grateful.
An earlier inquiry came in 1987 from Mrs Dorothy Stafford, a widow in New South Wales who was in old age compiling a dossier on her late husband's family. An ancestor was known to have been a priest in Worcester with supposedly King's School connections. This time I could help. In preparing my 1972 School History I had collected from the Teasurer's books in the Cathedral Library all the extant lists of King's Scholars 15451820. With extra information from other sources I established that Rev. William Stafford lived 1779-l820 and was the Second Master at the King's School from 1803 to 1809 and then Vicar of Overbury. He married Miss Thomson, whose father had tutored Prince George and Prince William. So when the Staffords had a son born and christened William in 1809 the Godparents included Lord Fitzwilliam and Lady Gresley. The boy was a King's Scholar 1819-1821. The death of the father in 1820 ended all that. Clergy widows had to fend for themselves. The boy became a Chemist and set up shop in Gloucester in 1833. He lived there till 1898 and was Mayor of Gloucester in 1889. His son went to Australia in the 1850s in Government employ and the direct Stafford line continued there. Mrs Stafford was delighted. Michael Craze
UNIVERSITY DISTINCTIONS
Six Old Vigomians gained Firsts in June 1989. Two were in second degrees. At Christ Church, Oxford E.J.F. Simpson (C1.74-84) gained a First in the Bachelor of Civil Law examination and at Imperial College, London, M.D. Dickinson (C1.7683) gained a First in the Master of Engineering degree course. At St Catherine's College, Oxford, N.Kaltsoyannis (W.75-84) graduated with a First in Chemistry. L.M. Buckley (W.80-85) gained a First in American Studies at Essex University. Clare Hurle (Co.83-85) gained a First in Management Studies at Newnham College, Cambridge. At the end of his first year at St.John's College, Cambridge, I.E. Nichols (B.81-88) gained a First in the Natural Sciences Tripos IA, specifically in Mathematics, geology, crystalline materials and physics. The College then made him a Scholar. Earlier in the year, Somerville College, Oxford, awarded Darina Yusuf (Co.85-87) a Scholarship in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in her second year. We congratulate these seven and the score who obtained Upper Seconds.
Births
M.J.W. Alsop (S.71-76): to Marian and Michael on 12 August 1989 at Leamington Spa a son, Jacob James, a brother for Lucy and Joe.
A.J. Barton (0.70-75): to Meg and Adrian in the U.S.A. on 10 March 1989 a son, Anthony Roderick.
D.A.G. Bishop (Ca.77-83): to Sally and David on 5 June 1988 at Darwin, Northem Territory, Australia a daughter, Goldie Kate.
P.H. Burnham (W.72-77): to Juliet and Peter at Worcester on 13 May 1989 a daughter, Roseanna, a sister for Philip.
A.I. Denison (S.69-74): to Sylvia and Ian on 6 October 1988 a son Nicholas Miles.
C.St.J. Heinrich (Cr.71-76): to Belinda and Christian at Oxford in October 1988 a daughter, Alice Jane.
D.A. Hershman (C1.68-77): to Abigail and David at Wordley Hospital, Stourbridge on 31 July 1989 a daughter, Alice Henrietta Lucy.
Dr M.J. Hershman (C1.67-74): to Rosalind and Michael at Homerton Hospital, London on 3 May 1989 a daughter Rachael Hannah.
R.J.W. James (W.67-76): to Sarah and Rick on 19 July 1988 at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, Guernsey, a son, Samuel Mark, a brother for Jack.
W.A.H. James ((3.69-74): to Jody and Andrew on 20 April 1989 a son, Thomas Campbell.
C.D. Kitching (S.64-69): to Jennifer and Charles on 20 January 1988 a son, Alistair Alexander.
A.J. Leang (H.64-73): to Kirsten and Adrian on 6 October 1988 at Heidenheim, West Germany, a son, Julian, a brother for Vanessa.
M.J. Leang (Ca.62-67): to Virginia Madeleine (nCe James) and Martin at Farnborough Hospital, Kent on 18 March 1988 a daughter, Sophie Christine.
Dr B.B. Letham (C1.64-74): to Sandra and Bruce at Newbury on 10 May 1987, a son, David Michael, a brother for Louise.
A.T. Padden (B.76-79): to Lisa (nte Ridley) and Andrew at Worcester on 2 1 September 1989, a son, Thomas Edward.
M.J. Roberts (master): to Julia (nCe Champion) and Mark on 21 November 1988, a son, Joseph Peter, a brother for Naomi.
Dr M.G. Robinson (Ch.68-76): to Fiona (nCe McRae) and Martyn on 10 March 1989, a son, David Henry, a brother for Jemima and Rebecca.
N.K. Robinson (Ch.70-72): to Elaine and Nicholas at Plymouth
on 17 October 1988, a son, Oliver, a brother for Hannah.
P.J. Rogers (B.58-66): to Judith and Philip at Worksop on 4 December 1988, a son, Jacob Samuel, a brother for Eleanor and Katherine.
Rev. M.A. Slater (S.70-75): to Sarah and Mark at Cambridge in November 1988, a son, Joel Alexander, a brother for Hannah.
Dr M.J.R. White (H.74-78): to Jenny and Martin at Newcastleon-Tyne on 25 September 1988, a daughter Miriam Rose.
D.J. Williams ((3.63-70): to Zena and David on 9 July 1987 at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, Hammersmith, a daughter, Ruth Elizabeth.
Engagements
R.S. Harman ((3.72-77) to Miss Karin Lee Voth of Winston Salem, North Carolina, U.S.A.
P.J. Irving (B.75-77) to Miss Sidonie Bond.
A.G. Mackelvie (B.77-84) to Miss Diane Cox of Malvern. Lieut E.T. Oates, RN (Cr.75-78) to Miss Yvonne Haynes of Leatherhead, Surrey.
P.M. Renney ((3.78-80) to Miss Penelope Faith Brandler of Cambridgeshire and Lagos, Nigeria.
Clare Veal (Co.79-81) of Pershore to Mr. Paul Shiels of Glenvine, Dyserth, Wales.
Marriages
J.I. Bond (B.69-76) to Miss Judith Anslow in St Matthias Church, Malvern on 24 June 1989, sister of Andrew Anslow (H.63-73).
Flight Lieut J.L. Buchanan (S.68-75) to Miss Clare Mary O'Connor on 30 July 1988 at the Sacred Heart Church, Mill Hill, London. Dr. Martyn Robinson (Ch.68-76) was John's best man. Sophie Douglas-Pennant (Co.8 1-83) to Mr Michael Trotter by the Bishop of Worcester in the Cathedral on 1 April 1989.
Dr. P.J. Jenkins (Ch.72-82) to Dr. Sylvia Freeman on 8 July 1989 at St.Paul's Church, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells.
J.P.H. Larkin (S.78-83) to Miss Lucy Thompson on 8 July 1989 at St. Matthew's Parish Church, Torquay.
Angela Lloyd-James (Co.78-80) to Mr. Sidney James Nicholls at St. Peter's Parish Church, Martley, Worcester on 20 August 1989.
K.T.H. Magowan (C1.66-73) to Miss Christine Sloane-Stanley in Malvern Priory on 4 September 1987 by the Rev. Alastair Magowan (C1.66-73), his brother.
C.T. O'Donnell (C1.70-77) to Miss Carolyn Davenport at St.Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow on 29 July 1989, Malcolm Robson ((21.70-77) was Clive's best man.
B. Papps (3.40-44) to Jean Winter of Colletts Green, Worcester in Powick Church on 26 March 1987.
R.J. Parsons (B.71-82) to Miss Marie Claire Simpson of Swynnerton on 6 May 1989. N.C. McNevin (B.71-82) was best man.
Capt. M.J. Pendle (C1.78-82) to Miss Priscilla Mary Rathbone at Dore Abbey, Abbeydore.
A.F. Powell (0.79-82) to Miss J.D. Trevarthen on 7 May 1988 at St Michael's Parish Church, Eggington, Bedfordshire.
J.R. Slater (S.70-76) to Miss Veronica Ogden at Courtfields, Ross-on-Wye on 17 December 1988. Julian's best man was Simon Lusty (Ch.66-76).
M.V. Thompson (H.74-79) to Dr. Jane Croom at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Witney. Oxfordshire on 30 September 1989. Clare Veal (Co.79-81) to Mr Paul Shiels in Pershore Abbey in June 1989.
Dr. M.J.R. White (H.74-78) to Dr. Jenny Friend on 18 December 1987 at Beverley, North Humberside. G.E. Matthews (W.7 1-78) was Martin's best man.
P.N. Winter ((3.69-79) to Miss Lorraine Beverley Warrier at St.Peter's Parish Church, Droitwich on 1 October 1988.
Deaths
Dr. B.A.J. Arthure (S. 17-22) was a Surgeon in the R.A.F.V.R. in the second world war and twice mentioned in despatches. Before and after that, he was a general practitioner in Kent, retiring in 1967 to Abergavenny and in 198 1 to Gower. where he died on 16 February 1989, a year after Dilys, his wife. A Rushy Fives player and a founder member of the Jesters Club when young and the Arthure Family genealogist later. A generous and loyal Old Vigornian.
A.J. Bendall (Ca.35-39) 011 12 January 1989 at Bristol. John's health was undermined when a German prisoner of war, but he ran the grocery business that had been his father's, retiring only in 1989. Our sympathy goes to his family and to D.C. Bendall ((3.36-40). his brother.
T.S. Broadhurst (DB.26-31) at Liverpool on 17 December 1988. As a Meeke Scholar of Hertford College, Oxford, he graduated in History. He was an R.A.F. officer in the war and subsequently Liverpool University's Chief Librarian.
G.E. Churchill (N. 19-26) gained a first in Honour Moderations and a second in Classical Greats from Hertford College, Oxford and was Director of Education for Northamptonshire. He died on 23 May 1985, having earlier suffered a stroke, which did not stop him from singing in the Collingtree church choir or playing bridge. Our sympathy goes to Mary, his widow, and their two daughters.
O.H. Davies (28-31) in June 1988. Owen farmed at Dorstone, Herefordshire all his working life. He played cricket for the county and was a superb horseman.
B.L. Ford (S.26-29) in January 1989 at Harrow after a long illness. A chorister when the Choir School was a separate school, he came late into School House and there formed lifelong friendships. A most loyal member of the Old Choristers' Association and the Old Vigornian Club, whose Annual Dinners he seldom missed.
F.M. Goddard (S.16-23) on 5 October 1988. He made it to the School House Centenary Dinner where he was the second oldest and thoroughly enjoyed himself. A Pershore boy, he wrote well on his early life there and he loved School House.
J.F.V. Harveg (Ca. 19-22) on 18 November 1988 at Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.
F.J. Haysman (H.24-26) in 1988. He was a parish worker at Godalming and at White Waltham before retiring to Tunbridge Wells.
A.S. Phelips (S.20-25) on 18 June 1989, aged 82. He was the elder brother of J.H.C. Phelips (S.20-29) and the uncle of Ellen Pearce (nCe Phelips S.74-76).
E.W. Sankey (S.33-36) at Cardiff in 1988. He served as an officer in the Royal Marines in the war.
W.J.L. Severn (DB.22-28) in September 1988. He was one of Edgar Day's outstanding solo trebles at school. He served in the R.A.M.C. in the war and lived thereafter in Worcester.
Pre-1950 Leavers
J.W. Ager-Harris (Co.42-48) and R.E. Ager-Harris (S.42-49) took early retirement last year and formed the partnership of Bow Antiques at 94 Long Street, Easingwold. North Yorkshire.
D.C. Bendall (Co.36-40) still runs his own School of Lawn Tennis in Westbury. Bristol.
J.D. Gerard (H.22-25), for six years a Vice-President of the O.V. Club, still lives at 11 Kirby Road. Ravenshead, Notts, the one home he and Mae have had since marrying over fifty years ago.
Piers Gilson, the son of the late Captain E.L.R. Gilson (Ca.2934), came over from Canada in December 1988 and was able to see his father's name in the 1939-45 Roll of Honour in College Hall. He was a Captain in the Worcestershire Regiment when killed in action.
G.B. Greenfield (N.20-26) has moved from Esher to Abbeyfield House, Pound Road, West Wittering, Chichester. The survivors of 77 Squadron, R.A.F. still keep in touch with him. So do two fellow-prisoners of War. George was shot down over Magdeburg on 21 January 1944.
T.F. Higginson (H.26-33) has written a splendid Centenary History of the Ludlow Golf Club.
H.W. Hinds (DB.31-39), who left school with an Entrance Scholarship in Modem Languages at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, has recently regained contact. His address is 8 Hertford Road, Tewin, Welwyn, Hants.
J.F. Lavender (S.30-37) has moved back from Dawlish to Oxford. Address: 339 Iffley Road.
G.W. Lindner (S.43-46) rowed in the World Veteran Rowing Championships at Vichy on 15-17 September 1989 and so missed the O.V. Dinner. His coxed IV were all over sixty: 1800 oarsmen were there. Why not join in next year? They are in Italy.
N. Mont (C1.41-45) is a solicitor in Lewes and his wife is Chairman of the East Sussex County Council. Their daughter wrote a thesis on The Three Choirs Festival and its History for her degree and spent some time in Worcester.
Canon P.R. Oades (S.38-40) has retired from his Middle Woodford Vicarage, Salisbury, of which Cathedral he is now Canon Emeritus. He and his wife live now at 28 Mulberry Gardens, Fordingbridge, Hants.
G.G. Paterson (Ca.44-46) visited College Green last July for the first time since 1948, and with two of his sons was shown round Castle House. He heads his own firm of architects at 737 Bishop Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. Before 1944 he was an evacuee in Canada.
W.P. Paterson (Ca.35-39) fought in the Royal Canadian Air
d I Force and won the D.F.C. From 1964 to 1985 he was an Urban
4 Design Planner with the United Nations. He now lives in retire1
ment at 647 M~chiganAvenue, Apartment 610, Victoria. British Columbia, Canada.
3 Very Rev. D.L. Thawley (S.38-42) retlred in July 1989 after 16 years a\ Dean of Wangaratta, Victoria, Au\tralia. Hi5 w~feand he now I~venear three of their four chlldren (and many more grandchildren) at 2 Bond Street, North Caulfield, Victoria, Australia 3 16 1. He wa\ impre\\ed by the 1988 Vigornian and the vigour with which the King'\ School progres\e\.
POST-1949 LEAVERS
I I Dr. D..]. Alderwn (Cr. 74-84) graduated M.B. and B.S. from Guy's Hospital in June 1989 and is a House Officer there and a surgeon. In February 1990 he is to work in Scotland. At Guy's he 1 captained the Rifle Club and was secretary of the Mountaineering Club.
S.A. Austin (0.78-85) is now with the British Comlnission in Ottawa. Address, C/O F.C.O. (Ottawa). King Charles Street, London SWIA 2AH.
R.M. Bacon (B.70-80) since his First in Politics in 1986 at the l London School of Economics has worked with Barclay, De Zoete Wedd. Now he is back at the L.S.E. taking a second degree.
Lt. Col. G.D. Bailey (DB.43-54) has retired from the Army and Royal Engineers and is Estates' Manager of the Wolverhampton Polytechnic. He lives with his family at Little Green, Kingsland, near Leominster.
A.R. Barton (Cr.70-75) is living at 25 East Grant Street, Woodstown, New Jersey 08098. U.S.A. and working for British Airways.
P.R.K. Beaumant (W.81-83) works in Reading as an Engineering Geologist, never far frotn tlie river on which he rows with SLICII distinction.
M. Bell (W.77-84) is working for Owen Owen in North Fincliley. and ice-skating for Richrnontl. His ambition is to script imd produce his own niusicnl. based on the Teddy Boy ern of the 1950s.
Rev. S.B. Hell (C1.59-67) was 01-dained Deacon in Hereford Catlicdral in July I989 after two years at Salisbury and Wells Theological College and is n curate at Ewyas Harold in a Team Ministry there.
C.K. 13entall (Cr.50-59) is now Manager of tlie National Westminster Bank at Hortield. Bristol.
D.A.G. Bishop (Ca.77-83) was in Adelaide, South Australia, till he joined the Northern Territory Police Force in 1987. With nine others he polices an area the size of Britain. Currently stationed at Nhulunby in Eastern Arnhemland (P.O. Box 696 will find him). Any O.V. heading for Northern Territory should contact
David. Entry permits are required.
J.D.S. Blockley (H.58-66) teaches English and Drama at the Royal Ballet School and directs theatre. He is also involved in video production and animated film script writing.
M.A.B. Boddington (S.55-58) is a Director of three companies in the Travers Morgan group and of a B.P. Subsidiary, D'Arcy Developments.
T.C. Boddington (S.58-60) has sold his four Benneton shops and is now concentrating on retail and merchandising consultancy work. He lives in Ayot St Lawrence.
ISusan Bomford (Co.73-75) is married to Julian Cooke. They live in London and she works as a physiotherapist in Windsor.
J.I. Bond (B.69-76). having enjoyed a varied career in publishing, is now a journalist with the Daily Mirror in London.
B.K.W. Booth (S.68-75) after 3 112 years as Computing Officer with English Heritage has moved to the Science Museum as Systems, Manager, responsible for all I.T. in the Museum and its institutions.
A.R. Boroughs (Ca.49-56) is the senior architect on the Reading University staff and is responsible for all the design and construction of new buildings there. He qualified in 1965 at Birmingham and was in private practice with his own firm. He and his wife Elizabeth and daughter Fiona live at 18 Belle Avcnue, Reading. -
D.I. Boulton (W.77-84), since graduating with an Upper Second in Engineering at Magdalen College, Oxford in 1988, has worked for the B.B.C. in the Designs' Group in Chiswick.
Harry Rramma (Master 63-76) is now well-established as Director of The Royal School of Church Music at Addington Palace, Croydon CR9 SAD.
M.L. Brockway (H.69-79) is working as a Business Analyst with I.C.I. Chemical and Polymers Division at Runcorn, Cheshire, and living at 53 Talbot Street. Chester. He is coxing and coaching with the Royal Chester Rowing Club.
P.C. Brooks (C1.52-61) had fourteen years with Birmid Qualcast, in the last three of which he was group financial controller. In June 1988 he moved to Tarmac as Group Taxation Accountant, but lives still in Bamt Green near Bromsgrove.
N.J. Brown (C1.62-67) is Head of P.E. at Cradley Heath School and lives now at 29 Oakfield Road, Kidderminster.
Flight Lieut J.L. Buchanan (S.68-75) is in the Supply Branch of the R.A.F. and operates computers for the Ministry of Defence at Harrogate.
P.H. Rurnham (W.72-77) is a Highways' Inspector in the Maintenance Section of the Engineering and Planning Department at County Hall, Wol-cester. and lives in Shrubbery Avenue.
Dr D.W.T. Ching (H.71-76) and Avril. his wife. have moved from Aberdeen to New Zealand. Both are doctors. They live now at 10'2 Kew Road, Invercargill.
A.V. Cook (C1.57-66) is Managing Director of Edwin Lowe Ltd., a Metal Presswork Company, near Birniingham. He lives in Worcester with his wife and son (5) and daughter (3).
Dr J.H. Coomhs Ph.D (H.74-79) has left I.B.M. at Zurich and is working now with Philips at Eindhoven in Holland.
J.A. Cooper (S.77-87) has co~npletedtwo years at Exeter University and is spending the third in France as a language "assistant" in a School at Thonon Les Bains.
Dr G.J. Cox (B.68-76) is a Registrar in Ear, Nose and Throat at Southampton, having qualified both as Dentist and Physician.
P.J. Cummin (Ch.65-69) emigrated to the U.S.A. and lives at 7 Maynard Place, Cambridge. Massachusetts, where he has a Landscape Architectural practice. He is in touch with several
0.V.s in the United States.
K.H. Darby (Ch.56-62) lives at Warnell Hall, Sebergham, Cumbria, and has business interests, which include dealing in property.
A.I. Denison (S.69-74) is the Chief Customs Officer at Terminal 4 in London Heathrow Airport. In his spare time he is Training Major, North-West London A.C.F.
M.D. Dickinson ((21.76-83) after his First in the Mechanical Engineering degree course at Imperial College, London, is back at Rugby with G.E.C. Altham (formerly Turbine Generators).
M.H.L. Drew (C1.50-59) learnt his Mathematics from Richard Knight and is Head of Mathematics at Bristol Grammar School where he has taught since 1963. He produces their plays, another sign of the Knight influence. He recently spent a sabbatical year in Japan studying the mathematical teaching there.
A.R. Dudley (H.79-84) graduated B.Sc. (Honours) at the Central London Polytechnic and is working for the A.R.I.C.S. with Chartered Surveyors in London. He is in the Honourable Artillery Company (T.A.) after three years with the Parachute Regiment.
D.L. Evans (Cr. 78-86) gained an Upper Second at Swansea University in Geography last June and has embarked on a Marketing career with Smith and Nephew Consumer Products Ltd.
R.D. Everton (W.78-83) is the new Captain of the Worcester R.F.C. first fifteen, an office held formerly by his father, who played for the North Midlands.
I.N. Fearnside (Cr.57-64) is an artist with a growing reputation. His landscape called Elgar Country has been extensively reproduced.
Dr. P.G.M. Foster (Ch.46-54) is Head of English at the West Sussex Institute of Higher Education. A book of his entitled "Gilbert White and his Records" (Christopher Helm, £19.95) has just been published. It marks the bicentenary of the great clerical naturalist's 1789 book. Dr. Foster's address is 41 Beech Avenue, Chichester.
C.H. Fyson (S.59-62) has a Real Estate Business and other interests in Australia and is Chairman of the Real Estate Professionals' Network of Australia State Network. He and his wife, Debbie, have four children: Nikki (IO), Jonathan (g), Jemma (6) and Dominique (2). Australian 0.V.s are welcome to visit at P.O. Box 329, Kalgoorli.
Air Commodore T. Garden (Ca.52-56) has had a new book published, 'The Technology Trap' (Brasseys Defence Publishers). He is Director of Air Force Staff Duties at the Ministry of Defence and had to be in Oslo on the day of the O.V. Dinner.
Mara Goldstein (Co.81-83) graduated at King's College, London in 1988 and is a Lecturer in English Law at the University of Passau in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Rosalind Goodrich (Co.82-84) graduated in Law at Girton College, Cambridge in 1988 and is working in London on the staff of the law publishers Sweet and Maxwell.
Rev. M.N. Gretason (Cr.66-76) in November 1988 was ordained Deacon in the United Reformed Episcopal Church of England (or Free Church) and has his own congregation in London.
R. Grinnall (Cr.71-82) graduated in Veterinary Science at Liverpool in 1988 and practises in Banbury.
M.P. Gwilt (Cr.68-75) since April 1989 has been the Sales and Marketing Director of Cowie Interleasing, the national Contract Hire, Leasing and Fleet Management Company.
P.G. Goldie (Ch.55-59) lives with his wife, Alice, and their two
children near Melbourne at 34 Lartert Avenue, North Balwyn, Victoria 3104, Australia and would like to hear from other Australian 0.V.s. Since 1984 he has been the Group General Manager of Myer Retails with 40 Department Stores all over Australia. His son, Rupert, has just graduated in Computer Science at Melbourne University, and daughter Nicholette is about to go to University.
M.W. Harper (C1.53-64) is now Manager of Lloyds Bank, Newcastle-under-Lyme, but still lives at 36 Park Avenue, Stafford. His wife teaches Modem Languages and their son, Edward, is at Wolverhampton Grammar School.
R.W. Harries (Ch.49-55) has just celebrated his Silver Wedding. He did his national service, then went into the Rhodesian Police. Now a member of Lloyds London Insurance Market and owner of a property company and building firm. He lives at Manor Farm, East Hagbourne, Didcot OX1 1 9ND.
S.C. Harvey (H.69-79) is with Grau Girling at Redditch as a Senior Electronics Development Engineer. Before this he spent five years with Froude Consine in Worcester.
L.W.N. Hawkes (S.67-75) lives in Brussels and is a barrister there with Stanbrook and Hooper.
N.J.G. Hawkes (W.74-79) is a Chartered Surveyor with a Birmingham firm and lives in Solihull.
Dr. M.J. Hershman (C1.67-74), F.R.C.S., is a Senior Registrar in Surgery at St Mary's Hospital, London. To his medical qualifications he added an American M.Sc. in two years at Louisville University, Kentucky and has since graduated M.Sc. at London.
D.C. Hewitt (Cr.57-66) is Secretary of the East Sussex Water Company and lives at 1 The Chase, Farnborough, Hants, with his wife and young daughter and son.
J.E. Hewitt (Ch.66-71) was a civil engineer in Africa for six years, then came home and graduated M.Sc. at the London Business School. He is now working for the Department of Trade and Industry on Inner City Development Schemes.
P.F. Hewitt (Ch.64-69) after eleven happy years in charge of Music at the Haberdashers' Aske School for Girls at Elstree is moving in January 1990 and becoming Director of the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music in London.
W.M. Hewitt (Ch.69-73) continues to thrive as a potter in Pittsboro', North Carolina, U.S.A., and his second daughter, Meg, is now one year old.
B.J. Holbeche (S.63-68) continues to work for the National Farmers Union in Knightsbridge, London.
D.D. Horobin (W.61-69) emigrated to the U.S.A. in 1978 and lives near San Francisco. From an architectural practice he has gone on to spreading a brand new method of construction throughout the States.
P.S. Hughes (0.76-85) gained full rowing colours at University College London and an Upper Second in Physics and Astronomy. He is now researching into the greenhouse effect of gas emission in U.K. transport with the Energy and Environment Unit of the Open University at Milton Keynes.
Clare Hurle (Co.83-85), armed with her First in Management Studies at Cambridge, has launched out on a two year course at Philadelphia, U.S.A. for their M.B.A. degree.
Dr. I.M. Hutchinson (W.60-68) is a Professor in Nuclear Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He and his wife and family live just outside Boston.
W.A.H. James (Ca.69-74) studied Yacht and Boatyard Management at Southampton and, after some time in the West Indies and U.S.A., settled in the West of England with his wife. They have moved again now to the South of France near Nice,
where Andrew continues in the marine leisure ~nduutry.
D.A. Jones (Ch.59-67) is Chief Executive of Next. He trained as a Secretary and Accountant and from Kay's and Great Universal Stores moved to Grattans and then Next.
N.G. Knapp (W.77-87) is in the second year of his three year degree course in Estate Management at the Birmingham Polytechnic. He spent part of his first year in Amsterdam comparing the two great cities.
A.C.D. Kwan (Ca.75-82) has completed his professional examinations in A.C.C.A. and is working in London.
M.C.D. Kwan (Ca.76-85) graduated B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at Swansea University in 1988 and is with-the Directorate of Works for the United States Air Force in their Property Services' Agency.
S.A. Lanham (Ch.77-78) is a large corporation's stockbroker in New York. U.S.A.
J.P.A. Larkin (S.78-83) graduated B.A. and M.Sc. in Geology at St.Edmund Hall, Oxford, and is now working as a Hydrogeologist with Dames and Moore International in London.
A. Lawson (B.77-84) gained three Upper Seconds in French and German at Girton College, Cambridge and taught at Bedford School for a year. He is now working for International Accountancy qualifications. At Girton he was the Organ Scholar and trained the choir.
G.H. Lees (Ch.65-73) is married and living in Bromsgrove with his wife and three children, Samuel (g), James (S), and Robert (I). He works as a carpenter for British Industrial Exhibitions, based at Droitwich, and is happy doing it.
Nina Lees (Co.82-84) is in her final year of Medicine at the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, and will spend her elective year at Harare General Hospital, Zimbabwe.
Tanya Lees (Co.80-82) graduated at University College London in 1986. After working at the National Theatre and Old Vic, she is now studying at Leeds for an M.A. in Directing.
M.G. Lissimore (W.67-74) has been spending the last six years flying balloons in Kenya where he is Operations' Manager of Mara Safari Balloons. Earlier he had flown in the U.S.A. and Australia.
N.B.H. Logan (Cr.57-67) lives in Barnt Green. His son entered the School in September 1989, thus adding a third generation to F.R. (47-80) and N.B.H. (57-67).
T. Lovegrove (C1.66-74) graduated in Philosophy in 1977 at University College London and in 1984-5 did a video production course at Goldsmiths College, London. He is now a computer trainee at Lewisham. He records his own guitar music.
J.M. Lyon (S.54-59) moved in January 1989 from Morgan Grenfell to County NatWest where he is a director.
M.A..J. Macdonald (B.70-76) works in the Computer Department of the Windsor Health Authority.
Rev. A.J. Magowan ((3.66-73), after curacies in Sheffield and Durham, is now Vicar of St. John Baptist, Egham, in the Diocese of Guildford. Louise and he have two children, Rachel (8) and Andrew (6).
C.G. Marks (S.69-74) has his own dental surgery in Southampton and plans to take a Master's degree in Restorative Dentistry. Having sung in the London Symphony Chorus for three years (along with Nigel Partington) he has now joined the Southampton Philharmonic.
I.D. McCarthy (S.72-79) graduated in 1984 at Brunel University with an Upper Second in Production Engineering and is a Salesman for Case Communications based at London Docklands' City Office. He captains the Old Haberdashers' R.F.C. first fifteen.
J.F.R. McDevitt (H.67-74) has gone into partnership in the solicitors' firm White and McDevitt, 40 Doughty Street, London.
D.R. Mills (H.44-53), the 1987-88 President of the O.V.Club, has joined the Governing Body of the School.
Dr. M.C.W. Minchin (Cr.59-66), Ph.D.. has been appointed Associate Director of the Biomedical Research Department of Wyeith Research (U.K.) where he continues work on the development of new drugs for the treatment of mental illness. He is also a College Lecturer in Pharmacology at Queen's College, Oxford.
R.D. Minshull (W.77-83) since graduating in 1986 has completed two years as Chartered Insurance Broker with Willis Wrightson South Ltd. in Cheltenham.
A.B. Mitchell (Ca.77-84)) graduated in Management Studies at Huddersfield Polytechnic in June 1988 and is working for Chartered Accountancy qualifications in the West Bromwich office of Clement Keys. His home address is Foxdenton House, Sytchampton, Stourport-on-Severn.
J.W. Morgan (C1.66-75) is now an Accountant in CardifT with Deloitte, Haskins and Sells.
N.A. Moss (Cr.66-76) has moved back to Worcestershire and is working in Tewkesbury where he is a Director of an aluminium company.
G.J. Mulcahy ((21.52-60) as well as being Group Chief Executive of Kingfisher (formerly Woolworths) is now a nonexecutive director of British Telecom.
M.C. Neal ((3.46-53) was missing for some time, but is in contact again. He lives at Cherryland, Begelly, Kilgetty, Dyfed. He served in the Northern Rhodesia Police, then went into Life Assurance and is now an Osteopath. He and his wife have four children.
Elizabeth North (Co.82-84) gained an Upper Second in 1988 at Surrey University in Hotel Management and Catering, a course that included a year in a French Hotel at Fontainebleau. She has since been on the staff at Gleneagles.
Josephine North (Co.85-87) is reading English and Education at York University.
C.T. O'Donnell (C1.70-77) is Head of English at Brocksford Hall School, Derbyshire. He moved there this year from Lichfield Cathedral School.
Sally Ogden (Co.84-86) organised a highly successful O.V. Ball in College Hall last April, which raised £2000 for the Worcester Scanner Appeal. She is in her final year at Lancaster University now.
S.R. Owen ((3.78-88) is a freshman at St.Edmund Hall, Oxford, after spending a "year out". He taught at Winchester House, Brackley, for six months and then spent six months in an office at Hannover, West Germany. He is reading Law at Oxford.
R.J. Parsons (B.7 1-82) qualified in dentistry at Birmingham in
1987 and is practising in Wolverhampton.
B.A. Perks (Cr.83-85) graduated in Mechanical Engineering and Economics at Dundee University in 1988. He captained the University Rugby. He is now working for Raynard Racing Cars at Bicester.
Dr C.E. Perks (Cr.80-82) qualified in Medicine at Cambridge where he also captained his college at Rugby and was President of the Medical Students' Club. He has since been a House Officer in Cheltenham and Norwich Hospitals and hopes to be a Radiologist.
Dr N.M. Pettit ((3.62-69) Ph.D., moved in January 1989 from Head of Biology at a Broadstairs School to Deputy Head at the Royal Latin School, Buckingham. He and his wife have a son, David, (5) and a daughter Ruth (3).
Capt. J.C. Preston (Ch.75-80) and Lieut R.A. Preston (S.8085) played for the 1st Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment in the Final of the Army Rugby Cup on 5 April 89. Anna Pryer (H.71-76) is based on London and working for a design company.
Dr A.A. Pryer (H.71-76) and his wife, Janet, have returned after a year in Australia and the Far East. He read Medicine at Cambridge and she Veterinary Science. Both are now practising in Bath and Wells.
Jonathan Raban (S.53-58) continues broadcasting in literary programmes and wrote the first of the Chatto pamphlet series, "God, man and Mrs Thatcher" in 1989.
A.W. Rankin (W.74-84) has returned from Australia and has started his own farm contracting and management business in the Worcester area.
Dr M.G. Robinson (Ch.68-76) is in general practice at St Austell in Cornwall.
N.K. Robinson (Ch.70-72) owns the Yorkshireman Hotel in Plymouth, not all that far from St Austell.
P.J. Rogers (B.58-66) is Head of Biology at King Edward School, Retford, now a Comprehensive. He has three children under six years old.
N.H. Schermuly (C1.78-83) works in Birmingham in advertising photography, having studied photography for two years at Cheltenham.
D.F. Scrimshaw (W.63-68) was married in July 1989 to Susan Saunders. He is a Captain with British Airways and flies Boeing 737s, mainly on holiday routes.
M.J. Senter (0.46-54), O.B.E., is in I.C.I. (Export) and has moved from their Managership in Prague to Cairo where he now manages Egypt.
J.P. Shepherd (Ch.79-84) passed his Solicitors' Finals in July 1989. He had graduated in Geography with an Upper Second at Southampton in 1987.
D.J. Shrimpton (B.55-63) lives with his wife, Cathy, and two sons, Andrew and Matthew, at Alameda, San Francisco. He is Business Development Manager for Kaiser Engineers in Oakland. He was in Worcester for a day or two last May.
E.J.B. Simpson (S.75-84) graduated in Mechanical Engineering at King's College, London and is now doing the graduate course at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
E.J.F. Simpson (C1.74-84) with an Upper Second in Jurisprudence in 1988 and a First in his B.C.L. in 1989 is now heading for the Bar and doing some teaching of law at Christ Church, Oxford.
P.S.R. Skevington (Ch.76-81) is with the Standard Bank in Hong Kong.
T.J.C. Skevington (Ch.76-80) is an Inspector in the Royal Hong Kong Police.
P.M.I. Slade (W.82-84) graduated at Bath University in 1988 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and in 1989 added the Master of Engineering degree (M.Eng.). He is now working at GPT Data Systems at Dunstable.
Rev. M.A. Slater (S.70-78) was ordained Deacon in Peterborough Cathedral on 2 July 1989 and is a curate at St Giles, Northampton. He and his wife, Sarah, have two children, Hannah (4) and Joel(1).
J.R. Slater (S.70-76) is a partner in a Newbury firm of Veterinary Surgeons and his wife, Veronica, is administrator of the Newbury Spring Festival, a major music festival.
A.M. Smith (B.71-79) left Stafford in February 1988 and is Assistant Principal Trading Standards' Officer at the South Yorkshire Unit in Chapeltown, Sheffield. It was at Sheffield that he graduated.
W.N.T. Spencer (S.59-67) is General Manager of the Newbury Arms Hotel in Darlington, County Durham.
G.W. Stallard (B.77-84) is now in Accountancy with Peat Marwick. He graduated in Economics and Politics two years ago at Southampton University.
A.F. Suckling (C1.49-59) rowed at Vichy in September 1989 in the World Veteran Rowing Championships.
F.S. Sutcliffe (Master 53-68) had just retired from teaching Biology at Scarborough and was staying with his brother-in-law in Welwyn Garden City when he was hailed by David Champ (C1.61-68). who lives more or less next door.
R. Thorn (Ca.48-56) founded his own merchant bank in 1988, Thorn Lefkvre Investments Ltd., registered in the City of London and operating from Paris. He had been with merchant bankers in Paris since 1980 and before that had 21 years in industry with Esso in London and Dalgety in London, Brussels, and Zimbabwe. He lives in Normandy and Harry Ferrar visits him there.
R. Tallis (Ca.78-85) has passed out of Sandhurst and is commissioned in the Royal Military Police, attached to the First Battalion, The Queen's Regiment. Before Sandhurst he was in the Warwickshire Constabulary.
C.S. Thomas (Ca.58-68) became a Q.C. in April 1989.
M.V. Thompson (H.74-79) is working as a Personnel Officer with the Volkswagen Audi Group, based in Chipping Norton.
C.J.L. Thorne (Ca.69-74) is in his second year with Hoggett Bowers as an executive recruitment consultant. Mary and he now live next to the Tattersall sale ring at Newmarket (90 Crockford Road). Their three boys are aged 7,4 and 2.
Jane Tombs (Ca.74-76) has emigrated to Australia and is working in Tourism at Melbourne and hoping that the Olympic Games will be staged there.
J.D.T. Wall (S.65-70) is in his second year as headmaster of St Edward's School, Reading and recommends it to any 0.V.s in that area wanting a prep school.
Dr M.J.R. White (H.74-78) is a Registrar in Community Medicine at Newcastle on Tyne and working for an M.Sc. degree at the University there.
Dr M.D.P. Willcox (Cr.74-78) graduated in Applied Biology at Bristol Polytechnic in 1983 and gained a Ph.D. in Oral Microbiology at Manchester University in 1987. He is now researching in Sydney, Australia, at the Institute of Dental Research.
C.G. Williams (0.66-73) is teaching Mathematics at South Thames College, Putney.
D.J. Williams (0.63-70) is Production Planning Manager with Field Airmotive Ltd. Croydon.
Z. Win (H.78-80) has joined the Bank of New England in
Boston, Massachusetts, to assist in the management of the petroleum assets' portion of the Bank's trade portfolio. He enjoyed Ian Brown's recent visit and would welcome other 0.V.s.
J.W.W. Wood (Cr.75-80) is working with British Petroleum in a business equipment unit in Antwerp, Belgium.
Rev. A.J. Wright ((3.59-65) was ordained priest in Worcester Cathedral in July 1989 and has had a most successful year as President of the O.V. Club.
R.G. Wrigley (S.48-52) lives in the Isle of Wight and runs his own business. It involves much travel in Europe, North America and the West Indies. His daughter Kirsten (Co. 87-89) got her A Levels and is an O.V. now, too.
N.A. Young (C1.66-71) has moved from Newcastle on Tyne to Walsall and lives at 20 Park Close, Burton under Needwood, Burton on Trent.
Susan Young (Co.85-87) entered the Oxford Polytechnic in 1988 and has six other 0.V.s there:
Richard Baker, Judith Philips, Charlotte Bridges, Richard Roe, Richard Virr, and Alison Weeks.
Old Vigornians Cricket Club
The 1989 playing season saw the club still very much alive and kicking, with two elevens being fielded every Sunday and the occasional Saturday and midweek fixtures.]
At long last the glorious summer helped make this a memorable season both on and off the field.
There were no fewer than a record nine centuries scored for the club. Two batsman in particular distinguished themselves, as both started the season having never reached the magical three figures before.
Jim Panter had a prolific run and went on to score three hundreds, while Mike Stevens amassed two centuries, one of which set a new club record with his 143 not out against Ombersley. Other centuries came from John Wadley, Andrew Judd, and finally David Wilson, (David's was also a maiden century at Belbroughton 11's).
Another club record was set in 1989 by Mike Stevens and Philip O'Neill (still at School) who shared an opening stand of 2 1 1 against Worcester Nomads 2nd XI.
On the bowling front, John Haywood was as consistent as ever and proved that maturity has not given way to inaccuracy, while Nick Sproson at last began to pitch his leg breaks on dusty wickets and claimed several useful hauls of wickets mainly against right-hand batsman.
Other good performances came from the other spinners Adrian Suckling and James Underwood and also Steve le Marchand and Peter Iddon when they were available.
The high spot came in the month of July against Bourton Vale and Belbroughton, both very successful teams in a high standard of league cricket. Both were put to the sword by our accurate, containing bowling, and then positive batting all the way through the order while chasing the necessary runs.
It was, however, the introduction of younger players into an ageing team that was the most pleasing highlight of the season. Andrew Underwood, a former captain of School, joined us with a great deal of enthusiasm for every aspect of the game, and Rod Poulton also showed great promise for the future with both bat and ball.
James Underwood delighted us by showing that a spinner is more effective with the generous use of flight, Robin Bishop is a class left-hander in the making and Neil Robinson was as tidy a wicket-kee~eras we had seen from School. In the second half of the season we also benefited from the presence of Tom Preston, who is a free-scoring right hander and an excellent cover fielder.
All these young players fitted into the side like seasoned campaigners and more optimism for the future was apparent when we saw the talents of Richard Tomlinson, Jamie Rogers and Aidan Thompson, who all managed a few games in the School holidays.
There was also encouragement in the second eleven from Matthew and Daniel Wheeler who both performed well with the bat on several occasions.
A mini Cotswold tour, with a club dinner on the Saturday night at Shipston, was so successful that a repeat is inevitable.
Finally, a big thank-you to Bernie Kerrod, whose fair umpiring and bar work make cricket at New Road more pleasurable for the players, and Dan Northall and his team who continue to provide good wickets for us.
~ekplayers are always needed, and any O.V. is more than welcome to join us for one of our "not to be missed" cricket teas on a Sunday afternoon!
Playing Record
1st XI Played 25 Won 11 Drawn 11 Lost 3 2 XI Played 15 Won 2 Drawn 6 Lost 7
J.R. Wadley, Chairman
I'm the busiest in our house
I'm the busiest in our house. Some say I'm not, but I am.
The time I spend sitting on every comfortable chair in our house to see if they work.
The hours of lying on my bed checking the ceiling to see if the paint is dry.
The care I take in leaving my things about to give mum something to keep her occupied.
My mum always says, "You're lazy, stop lying around" and "You're making a mess."
But I'm not.
I'm always keeping people happy.
My brother gets a kick out of seeing me.
My sister spends happy hours trying to make me play with her.
And my father (who's worst of all) says I should WORK.
But I do.
I always work.
John Thorneycroft.
Separated
A cloud of smoke spilled onto the platform as the steam engine chug-chugged out of the station, hauling behind it a number of brown and yellow pullman coaches. For a moment the boy had tensed up.
'Our train will be next,' said his father; 'just be patient.'
The man, who had been sitting on a platform seat, stood up and walked to the edge, looking down the line to see if their train was in sight. The boy followed him cautiously as if afraid that he might step over and fall on to the rails. His mother remained on the seat, framed by the sign saying 'Bristol Temple Meads'. She was holding the hand of a little girl who had cradled her head in her mother's arm and was sleeping lightly.
The boy looked towards the end of the platform and caught sight of the Newsagent's Kiosk, a small prefabricated structure covered with brightly coloured advertisements, which he was as yet unable to read.
'Daddy, daddy, please can I have some sweets?'
The father caught the mother's eye and she gently nodded as if to say that the walk to the kiosk would be a way of occupying her excitable son.
The boy and the man walked slowly down the platform and reached the door of the kiosk - it was the sort that one could walk in. Inside, it was like a small sweetshop that could be found in the back streets of any large town. The boy looked at the tubes and bars set out on the counter and eventually chose Opal Fruits for himself and a small packet of wine gums for his sister.
His father was looking at the newspapers strung up beneath the counter so the boy said, 'I'll go back to Mum.' His father seemed to want him to wait, but the boy's expression insisted.
'Well, be careful, and don't go near the edge of the platform,' said the father.
The boy walked away from the counter towards a large door, which seemed to loom up at him from the back of the shop. Once outside, he noticed another train passing slowly down the platform, pulled this time by a diesel engine. The red carriages were almost a blur as they trundled past him. The boy walked up the platform, noticing the green pillars that supported the station roof. He caught sight of the seat on which he expected his mother to be sitting - he looked again and discovered it was empty. Immediately as switching on a light he started to bawl loudly.
'Dad! Dad! Dad!'
His cries echoed around the station, but no one seemed to take any notice. Slowly in his mind he began to realise what had happened: the red carriages which had blurred past him was the train that he should have caught, and seeing that he wasn't there his mum and dad had got on the train, which couldn't wait, of course, and they needed to be home; so they had had to leave him in this strange, frightening station. As these thoughts formed in his head, he cried louder with the anguish of realising that something had happened that he couldn't do anything about. He would never see his home again, never sleep in the room with windmill wallpaper on it. The soft, comforting face of his mother was gone forever. At this thought tears rolled down the reddened cheeks of his face.
Then, suddenly, his cries stopped. In a glass case above his head he saw a steam engine - black, with shiny gold metal parts gleaming and glinting through his tears. It was only amomentary distraction; his mouth opened and the frightened cries continued.
'Dad! Dad! Dad!
He zig-zagged along the platform and veered towards a set of pillars. He looked up and saw his father stepping towards him with a bemused smile on his face.
'What's all the noise about?'
The boy clung to his hand.
'I thought you'd left me.'
'Mum's up here; you went out of the wrong door.'
Unknown to the boy at the time, the kiosk had two entrances each leading to different platforms.
'Wait - there's a steam engine here I want to show you.' All the boy's thoughts of being left alone had vanished as soon as they came when he saw his father and realised that his mother was still sitting on the seat where he had left her.
The boy led his father to the glass case and pointed out the Great Western Region engine. Then they walked slowly back to where his mother was sitting.
That night and for many nights to come, the boy's last words to his mother were, 'Nobody leave me anywhere?'
