Mrs. A.D. Winter, Cert.Ed. D. Mews, B.A., Cert Ed. "Mrs. L. Jackson, M.A. Mrs. C. Woodcock. B.A., Cert.Ed. Mrs. R. Reeves. M.Ed. Mrs. C. Gardner, Cert.Ed. Mrs. G. Spilsbury. Cert.Ed. D.R. Jacks, B.A. Miss G.S. Crawford, M.A. Mrs. B.I. Wilson, B.A., Cert.Ed. " = part-time
R//rsur. - D.J. Gilligan, F.C.A.
Metlic,~/IOfic.er S- Dr. M. Smith, M.B.. ChB., Dr. A. Georgiou, M.B., Ch.B.
Sister. - Mrs. C.F. Furber, R.G.N.Dip.N. Cater-rr. - Mr. N. Witherick, H.C.I.M.A. Heuclnlnlo.stc~r'.sSrr.r.etcrl:v - Mrs. M. Brodrick
A(~c~o~r~rrctrrt - Miss A. Turvey
MONITORS - 199311994
Head of School Robert F. Sandford (0s)
Adela N.N. Askandnr (CS/ CO) James D. Bolton (W)
Robert M. Honan (CS) Johnny Hung (Ch)
Charles R.C. Lowe (S) Holly M. Porneroy (Br)
Mark S. Roberts (Cl)
Tobias M.W. Gilbert (0s)
Claire L. Jones (CS)
Miranda B. Rennie (Br)
The Vigovnian
The annual magazine of The King's School, Worcester
School Notes
As I look back at another school year in the relative peace of late August, the dominant memory 1 have is of the immense lange of what 11~1staken place here over the last year. The new Sati~rdaymornings have got off to a good start, and it was pleasing to see some well-established and some new clubs and societies solidly supported. We now have amixture of a more l-elaxed approach to the week-end and a wide range of activities which enrich what we offer to our pupils. The new approach has been welco~nedby pupils and parents alike. What is done on Saturday mornings and at week-ends now complements the academic cul~ric~11u11iand the extra-curricular activities which continue during the week. Amongst many other activities, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award is now in place at all three levels and we have a number of other new ventitres. It has also enabled LIS to widen the range of field-work and trips which can be undertaken without disr~~ptingacademic teaching: a lot of departments have taken full advantage of this new freedom.
The new academic timetable has worked out well too. and the five-day pattern of teaching has settled in effectively. The A level results were very pleasing, with a record 98% pass rate, 5 1% of all grades at A or B level, and the A-C percentage not far short of the national pass rate. The GCSEs went well too. ~undin many areas extremely well: it was particularly gratifying that we got nearly 100 of the new A* gKides, with almost 40% of all grades being A'Qor A, and 72% at B grade or above. This set of results was a great credit to pupils and Staff alike; it is good to see hard work properly rewarded. I
should add that the procedures of the Examining Boards and Groups, backed up by the new Codes of Practice, make it extt-elnely unlikely that there is anything in the scare stories in the Press about alleged lowering of standards.
I shall as usual leave the individual reoorts which follow to speak in detail about the achievements of the year and be selective in what I write here. One long-term plan which came to fruition was the two expeditions to the Himalayas. John Walton and Frank Loveder, aided by n group of parents, had done a great deal of planning over the last three years, and the result was very successful, withgro~~psgoing to Everest Base Camp at Christmas and the Annapuma range at Easter. As was inevitable. there was the odd problem, but essentially things went to plan, and it was clear from what those involved said that it was a memol-able experience. We received henrtwarming letters of thanks froithe hospital to which they took supplies and from Sir Edmund Hillary himself. These are plans afoot for another similar trip in the not-too-distant future.
The F&te was another outatandine s~lcces4.Before the event there was a mass of planning coordinated by the Development Committee, and a devoted group of parents created some new stalls which were badly needed. On the day itself -masterminded by Peter Blackham. Maureen Cobb and David Hall-the wholecom~nunityof pi~pils,parents and Staff pillled together magnificently and the result was a resounding success. It was a beautiful day, and killed off once and for all the myth that you could not have a good School F?te if the weather was really fine. We entertained a huge number of visitors - pi-obably over 15,000-and cleared f:1'9.000 profit. Some of this total has been given to local ch:~rities; the majority will fund a new minibus for the School which is vital and will he very valuable.
At tlie heart 01' riot only the F6tc organisation hut many other things is tlie Development C'omniittee. They work tirelessly to involve parents in tlie life of the Scliool, nntl I am vcry grateful to them all. In piuticular. a word ol'very wwln thank.; to Peter Bl:~ckli:uii. an OV itritl ~~ritil1;lst s~r~ii~iier ;I current parerit, who has receritly retired ;IS Chi~irtii;\nol'the Developmerit Comriiittcc: lie has clone masws for 11.; over the years. He 11~1sbeen succcctlcd by John Wooticock. and we look forward to working witli him: I ;un surc th~tlie ~lill maintain the high standartls set hy liis prctleccssors in tlie post.
Apart f'rom the FCte, there were other funcl-ri~isin, 0 everits which raised overf5.000 for vario~~sc1i:rrities. Amongst these efl'orts M/:IS another C'rcigliton Ho~rseT:thlc-Tennis m:uatIiori which raised itlmost E1.300 I'or St Ricli;~r.d'\ Hospice. ~mtl bro~rghtto f 13.000 tlie tot;~lr;~isetlby tlii~tone House 1)r that cli~uity. Congri~t~~lations to them and to ~111tlic other groups who raised money in n variety of ingenio~~sways. We sli:~llbe looking at another m;\jor Fund Raisin: Day next May to continue tlie pattern which we liave e\trtblislied in recent years of i~lternating :I Fete, dcxigncti 1wim;trily to welconie visitors :und to raise money for tlic Scliool. antl a funri-raising day from which the money goes to charities both n;~tioni~l:uid local.
The artistic siclc of school life 11~1sflo~rrislieti.Tlie Art department 11~1shi~dapu-ticularly active yew. and p~rtor1 some really high cli~ssexhibitions in tlie Scliool, in Worcester ancl at the Tate of tlie West at St Ives in Cornw:~ll.Tlie reaction.; of visitors to these shows were particularly gratifying. Drama has flo~rrisIiecI.with prod~rctionsranging from Tllc, 1~o1~il.c to il.vtc~.i.\.iii~il111cAii~ri:on.v and a gro~rpof gootl HOLISCPlays. The Music department p~~t on sotile splcndicl concerts culmin~~ting in :I spirited and very impressive performance of C(ii-~i~i~riiH~o~iii~ci: they regularly set themselves high sr;und;~rds, ~uitlsucceed with works which wo~lldbe beyond the range of miuny schools.
On the gariies front. I shall in tlic main leave tlie intlividu:~l reports to speak for themselves. but there iue three areas I wish to pick o~~t.The cricketers had another good summer, and o much morc successful season than they lii~vchad in tlie recent past at First XI level. They got to tlie finill of tlie Chesterton Cup f'or the first time, and hacl things gone just o to~rclimore our way we co~rldwell have won: in the course of that competition. they Iiad :I fine win by X wickets with 7 overs to spare over tlie Royal Grammar School. In their main run of'
fixt~rres.they recortletl eight victories iricl~rclirigone over the CILII~i~riclGro~rri~lsitlc. We have .;orlie w>ry ti~l'r~~edpli~yer\. CILI~~C ;I kw ofwliorii still II;IVC sorile titiic to go; 1 look l'orw;~rtI to next year with interest iuitl hope. Secontlly. il is gootl to see how well tlie girls garlic\ are going. As \VC ;~lq~~'o;~cli l'u11 coeducation. tiicy arc making their mark niorc ancl morc: I was purticularly plc:~scd hy tlic successc\ of (lie younger girls' Rowing Four. Finally. ;I I;~ndrii:u-kwhich is tlie end ol'an era. Muc Roherts lii~~given ~rptlic First XV :~f'tcrfifteen vcry successful years: (luring tliat perioti he has coachetl one ~rnheatcnFirst XV, ~uidover all liis First XVs liave won IXX a~iddrawn 17 oftlie 789 g:\rne\ playetl. There can Ile I'ew with :I rccortl like that: warm congr:ttuI:~tioris ant1 tlianh\ to hirn. I now look I'or.ward lo liis inilx~ct:IS a ",j~~nior"coach! Tlie school comm~~nitystrf'l'er-ed two sad losses (luring lie year. Warrant Officer Futlger died ol' a lie;~rtattiich in tlie \lrriimcr. :uiti this was followed a week loter- I>y tlie death of Trcvor 13i1ilcy.Mr Futlger W:\.; :I towerol'strcrigth to tlie CCF. and we sli;~llmiss hini greatly. TI-cvor p;11.1ol'tlic Ii~bricof tlic pl:~cchoth :IS ;I laboratory technician iuid as so m~rclirnore f'or30 years ancl we .;li;~Il not be tlic same again. We liave ;~lso lost sotile memhers of' Stat'f'wliosc places will he hard to fill: others have written :1pprol3riately later- in this Vigornian; suf'f'icc it I'or me to say that in partic~rl~~r. I shall miss John Exton's skill. involvement in the Scliool ancl passion l'or Col.nwa11. :uid Gill Ros~kowska'swild entli~~siasrn.teaching anti rowing coaching. contribution\ in all \itlcs of Scliool lifc - untl sense of Iiuniour. They have hotli pl;tyetl an importarit part in wh:~t the School has ;~cliie\~cclwhile they have been here.
We coritiriue to rely heavily on tlie Bursar for his considerable expertise and on the Governors for their wise guitfunce in what are still difficult tirnes. My gratit~ldeto them. to all the Staff ancl to the PLI~~~S for wlii~tW;\ ;I good year. We arc in fine shape. ~uid I have every expectation that tlie year to come will go just ;IS well us the past twelve riiontlis.
John arrived at King's in September 1983 from Clarendon College. Nottingham. where lie had been Head ofa Foundation Coulae. During hiseleven years at King's John built up tlie Art Department l'rorn modest beginnings to the thriving, busy and popular place it is today. John initiated a highly successful Artist in Residence sclie~neand later appointed specialist staff. Gri~dually.he was able to add printmuking, textiles, pliotogrnpliy and sculpture to tlie more traditional skills of painting and drawing. Many pilpilsovertl~cyear have gone on to Art Colleges ant1 University Departments of Fine Art and Architecture. Many of these are now artists and designers in their own right, their cwly talents being recognisecl and developecl through John's outstanding teitcliing.
Jolin wiII.of course, be remembered for his humour ancl for what \ome ~erceivedas an alternative outlook on life. John was a wonderful listener and many pupils and staff have reason to he gratel'~11for his kintl, rhouglitful ways. He saw good In everyone and provided 4~1pp0rtancl help for Inmy a struggling or i~nfavo~~redp~~pil.
In recent years John estahlislicd field trips to St Ives. Cornw~~ll,for GCSE atid A level Art pupils. Through his network of friends :uicl contacts lie was able to em~lovartists of internation~ilrepute to give lectures and workshops. The field trips became the envy ofmany :m illustrious Independent School Art Department! Jolin I'elt tlie highlight of his career. and ol'colleagues fortunate enough to work witli him. to be the mounting of nn exhibition of King's work at The Tatc of tlic West last spring. The work looked wonderful and the venture was an unforgctt:tble experience fbr atoff and pupils.
He will be truly misyed by mnny. Jolin spoke to :uid took a genuine interest in everyone. We wish him and his f':~mily well for their new challenge at Monmo~~tt~Scl~ool.
E.R.H.
We were grateful to Ingrid who filled a vacancy in the Art lngrid will long be remembered as the lady who brought Department at very short notice. her bats to School - and she had a novel way to keep them
During her year at King's she introduced her classes to :I warm. Ingrid must be the only member of staff in living widerangeofskillsandinspiredthe~n byniountingexhibitions memory to keep a bat in her bra! of her own work in the Theatre and Studios. She took a wide Ingrid has gone on to teach Art History to older students interest in the School and sang in the Choir. and to complete :m M.A. We wish her well.
E.R.H.
Gill joined King's in September 1988 from Bangor University where she had not only read Physics but also captained the University Boat Club; her mother was Welsh and her father Polish. However, that bald information did not warn us of what we were in for. What a character!
In lier early years here there were times when she would hesitate to tackle n task because slie felt unqualified and then, ;~monientInter, wo~~ldhaveagoat it withenonno~lsenthusiasm. As it was for mnny of the rest of us. what she learnt at university was of little help in her teaching. However, she had that vital quality f'or a good teacher - the intelligence, the honesty and the courage to tell lier pupils when slie did not
know tlie answer to a question. Then they trusted her and together they would learn whatever was needed. Her lessons were always meticulously prepared but they were always fun. Her pupils would go away having learnt something and having enjoyed themselves. "Ten cluestions right and you can tell a joke" was bait she was known to use. Since the Fourth Forms were thus her main source ofjokes, these were us~~ally dreadt'ul. Few staff have forgotten the speed with which the Common Room cleared when. in her early clays witli us, she :tdvanced on the Headmaster to tell him an appalling joke about n seal. She had no diplomacy whatsoever - only a riotous honesty.
I recall two remarks in praise of Gill as a teacher, not only in the classroom but also on the river. One very young pupil -- b. . said, "Miss Roszkowska has not yet grown up". which meant that, unlike the rest of us (!), she was always lively and always cheerful. Another remarked that she "makes what you do seem fun and interesting to her".
She was at first u Tutor in College House with the Sixth Form girls. They found not only a kindrecl spirit, not too far from their own age, but also someone who wo~~ldnot hesitate to remonstrate with them if that was needed. When the Sixth Fonii girls began to join what had ~~ntilthen been the boys' Day Houses, Gill moved to Creighton. There she ~~cquiredthe reputation that "she wo~~ldalways make time to listen". Conseqi~ently,p~tpilswere particularly ready to confide in her.
She made many other valuable contributions to the life of the School. For example, she went with the ski trips to Austria, she helped with the Lower Remove Catnps at tlie Old Chapel and she brilliantly played the part of Tickle Me in the Staff Pantomime.
Now she has set out to see what it is like to teach abroad: she has gone to teach Physics at a girls school in Kuwait. Intelligence sources suggest that S~~ddamHussein's recent withdrawal of troop\ from the Iraqi border had nothing whatever to do with the con5equent NATO build-up of forces; he had si~nplylearnt that Gill was in Kuwait ... One consequence of the Iraqi threat was that her school became a little depleted, and included in the departures was the Art teacher: this post too has been accepted by Gill although. as she freely admitted, she cannot draw for toffee!
She is sorely missed, not only by her pupils but also by her colleagues. Life with Gill around the place was never dull and even when we felt a bit worn, something Gill did or said was quite likely to reduce us all to helpless giggles. Her letters to us from Kuwait al-e a guinea a minute ...
T.D.R.H.
Postscript.
We have recently learnt that Gill has been in prison. It seems that the bus that she and a number of other teachers were riding in was being dl-iven erratically so. naturally, all tlie passengers were immediately sent to gaol As the morning wore on,
Gill and another fetnale teacher felt increasingly aggrieved so they began writing down the numbers on the guards' shoulders. This made the guards nervous, apparently. so they called the chief guard. An enormous, heavily armed man with particularly dark glasses approached menacingly, at which it seems Gill exclaimed to her companion, "Cot-, dig those shades!". Consequently they were imprisoned For an extra few hours. All of us who know Gill well can visualise the scene in some detail.
1995 is going to ben very exciting and demanding year for me and my family, as we participate in a twelve month teacher exchange with Scotch College in Melboul-ne. Scotch College is the outcome of tlie old Scottish ideal of education. in which C~LII-chand School, as here at King's, were inextt-icably connected. Since its foundation in I X5 I it has become one of Australia's leading private schools with a senior enrolment of 1120 boys, including 200 boarders.
This will be u great opportunity to experience u full school year in anew environment. to take past in the academic teaching of Geography ant1 to experience their range of extra-curricular activities. Our utiion style of rugby looks strong in the School and the Wallabies tl-ainedon the school pt-oundstwo days before their victot-y over Italy. I intend to be;nvolved with; cricket team and it looks as tho~~ghthere is going to be much falling off Peter and Vanessa (both in the Junior School) ar-e excited Iiorses and surf boards when Ijoin the Fourth Forni island camp. about the forthcoming adventure and have promised to send My teaching of Geogl-apliy is LIPto Sixth Form level and I an1 cards to3M and I W. My wife, Ursula, is hoping to make good planning trips to the interior and to New Zealand to gather more use of her linguistic skills, but I have heard this before and life case study material on aridenvironments and plate tectonics for over there will probably mean much of the same hedonism. our own course when I return. M.R.G.
Trevor Bailey came to King's in 1964 a only OLII- second Physics Lab)l;~to~yTeclinicii~n.'Technician' rather than 'Assist:uit'because major part ol' his joh was to make ;lppalatLls. Wlien lie Iwgnn a single side of cluat-to paper provided more than enough space on which to write tlic apparatils recluirements of the whole Depiu-tment for a colnplete week. It was riot to be long Ixfore each mcmlxr of' stnff'wo~~ld lw sing two sides of paper ti)r a week's recluests.
Trevor's backgro~lnci.lie hat1 run liis own cycle-repair shop as well as working~~tMalvern's Royal SignalsandR~ldarEstablisli~nent. meant he brought with him ~~selillexperience and skills. However. it was liis great ingenuity coilpled with a refitsal to lx Ixatcn by any pr~~cticalprobleri~that made him s~lch21 ilsefill colleague. 111clays when tlie School's finances were vety tight indeed. it was tl~roi~gli liis efforts that we were able to embu-k on the appari~t~ls-intensive Nufiieli 0 level and A level courses. Even at the beginning of'the '70s he saved 11stliousand of pountls.
On tliat theme. much of the early work done at the Old Cli:~pel was clone by TI-evor.He c:uiie to love tliat place and lie and J~ldy spent as ni~lc11time there as they could with their fiuiiily of ~OLI~ growingboys. Oneacli visit lie built or improved so~netliingandliis boys soon leiumt that tliey too sliouldcontribute to leaving the place better than tliey found it.
Gardening was another passion. As well as his own, sm:~ll, intensively-cultivated giu-den he had two allotments. Not only ditl he keep his liunily self-sufficient in vegetables tliro~~gho~~t the year but mamy of~15Iwnetited kom his generosity and Srecluently can-ictl home :I bag bursting with fresh li)od.
He eli.joyed telling jokes wliicli for the connoisseur were such that the listener needed to be patient. Trevor was another who could empty roolns.
He suff'ered two liea~tattacks duling his time at King's and eventually the ascent to the top floor of the Winslow Building lwcame loom~~cli. So lie stayedon the ground tloorand liellx~.tlJMR het LIPa111~11.~111 0111. Coliip~~titigRoom. He also 'lookcd aftcl.' oulphott~opicrs;this meant that Iiecontlucted:~reignof'tcn-or in wliicli st;~l'fwere always nervous to conltss tliey li:~tlallowed a piece of 17;1l'er to Ixcome~j:umned in tlie m:rchine and visiting ~>liotocopicr ~iiccli;~nicsere :~Iw;~ystlio~)t~gliIyinterrogated befi)re they were :~llowecito Icave.
Inreality,T~-evorw:~s:tverykindmanantlwoul(l alwuysgive YOLI liis hell> if he could. He was vely Iinpj>y liere in tlie m;uiy years he slxnt with 11s;111din return lie clid a hi~gc:lmolllit lijr tlic School. When a chemist asked his Lowcl. Remove gro~lp ;I set of gene~tl knowledgeqnestions (not milch else todo. pool-dc~u-.;)onecl~~eatiol~ WAS, 'W1i:it is the n:ume ol' the Head ol' Physics?' It seems tlic majol-ity reply was 'Mr Ha~iley '. 'l'.I).I<.H.
Tom and his wife Mabel joined the School on 1 September 1977, Tom as School Sergeant and Mabel as Manageress of the Tuck Shop.
Tom was born on 25 October 1925 and served in the Royal Navy for eight and a half years between 1943 and 195 1. He joined the Police force in 195 1 and retired as Police Sergeant in 1977 after 26 years with the West Mercia Constabulary.
Tom was a highly respected, resourceful and well-liked man who cared greatly about the School, its pupils and staff. Always on duty with a range of keys to open any door, he could be found patrolling the buildings making sure the School was alwaysclean and tidy. Hiscontrol of the Stationery Store and issue of stationery to staff was a credit to him and would make any Bursar happy. Living at No.2 Edgar Street, the Tuck Shop was always open house and both Mabel and he will always be remembered for their hospitality and kindness to all pupils.
Despite losing his leg he continued to work LIP to his retirement in July 1990 with his usual keenness and as ever ably supported by Mabel.
His sudden and untimely death in July of this year was :I great shock to us all and he will be greatly missed by his many friends at the School.
School hus welc*omedsi.1- neM, men~hc~~.sc!f'Sta~to the Common Room.
Di Saville joined the History Department on a part-time basis in the S~~~nnierterni. She graduated in History at Liverpool University and then \tudicd for n further three years researching for a PhD. She taught at Malvern Girls' College for five years and later lect~~rcd in Law, Geography and History at Evesham College of F.E. She was recently invol\~etlin the launch ol'the Urban Regeneration of East Rinninghum, organising some of the P.R. Di lists her interests ;IS music i~ndchoral singing, gardening, hkiing. old builclings and walking.
Lorraine Atkins has arrived as a part-time teacher of Geography. She graduated at UCW Aberystwyth and then completed a PGCE at University College, Cardiff. At Lawnside School in Malvern she became teacher in charge of Geography and later took over the r6le of Industrial Liaison Officer and Co-ordinator of Vocational Education. Lorraine is married with two young children and enjoys listening tocontemporary music andgoing toconcerts. She particularly likes U2!
Tlie
C'l;rir-e Ilarrison IIJ\ joinctl tlic Art I)cpa~.tn~cnt.She s~~~tlietl at the lil~\hinSchool ol D~-aw~ngiund F~ncArt. Oxl'orrl Univcr\ity. ant1 completecl hel- P<iCE :it Ciolcl\mitl~'\ College in London. She ha\ spent the last three yc2u.s in P~;I~LI~,\t~~clyillg~;~i~lti~lg;~t the Ac;itIe111y of Fine Art for one year ;lntl then teaching and painting for the next two. Claire plays the cello ancl she \ornctin~c\'sings in thing\'. She ha\ jujt houglit a liousc witli n 1;lrgc gi~rtlcnand i\ ;~i~ning to heco~nc a proclucer ol 01-g~uiic1'1- it ;111c1 VC:!
The I'hysic Dcp;lrtment has wclcomctl I'eter Hil~bert.Having completed hi\ dcgrec. at War\vich University ancl his PGCE at Nott inghnm. I'ctcr tal~ghtat Watl'ortl (;ralnrniu- School. IJcdford School iund Hiiileyhul-y and Imllcrial Service College. His interests inclutle golf. fly-fishing :und cla\sical ml~sicimd lie has p1:iyed the cornet in two ch~umpionshipbrass bancl\.
1,inda Johnson is the second member of' stafl' to join the Art Department. She 'lel't the hangi~roo\, ho;~las :uid Australia' in Deccnibcr ancl spent some timc in Hong Kong :uid America before joining King's a4 n part-time teacher. She tr;~ineclin Australia. completing a Bachelor of Art\ (visual) at Canberra In\tit~~tc of the Art\. and tlie~~ :I one year Gratluate Dip. Etl. in Art at the [lniversity of Ciinherra. In liel- work she \ays thitt within hcl- own images she is interested in utilising clifferent layer\ of glas\ to combine v:u-io~~\ vis~~alelemcntj. Lincla'\ intcrmts incluclc 'exploring rain li)re\ts and ~lntlcrwaterthings'.
Trutlic Marskell is the latest :~cldition to the ]'.E. Department in which she i\ to te:~chpiut-time. TI-uclicis mal-ricd witli two children ant1 taught I'or 12 years at Chipping Campden School before coming hcl-c. She has always been interested in sport. playing liochey at both Junior ant1 Senior Co~~ntyIcvcl. Her training was completctl nl Anstey School ol' I'hysical Etlucation, specialising in Motlern Etlucation Dance in hcr I'i~~alyear. ;unrl her hope is to introduce this ~icti\,ityat King'\. In her'\ll;lrc time' TI-udieplayshochcy and sclua\Ii ill tl~eW~IIICI-iind te~lnisin 111c\LIIIIIIIC~.a\ well as running Pcr\hore .lunior Girl\' Cluh. She ~ilsoenjoy\ w~ndsurl'ing.
Llusing tl~c!c;~rtllcrC .j~r\tone iitlclition to the I'amilies ol'mcmhcr\ ol'thc Co111111on1<oo111.C~I~~I-;IIIII;II~~I~S to -10 ancl Richartl Da\is on tl~chirll~ol'Jo\hu;i.
Cong~-;~t~~l;itions arc also clue to Stewart D;ivics on 11i\ ~,ron~otion to the rank ol'ldicutcn:int Colonel in rllc ('('l;. iu~tlto Nick Withcrick. the School C;i~crer.\\l10 11:1\ Ilccn electcc1 a Mcmbel- 01' the Hotel ant1 (';itering ant1 In\titl~tionalM;ul;igcrncnt A\sociatio~~.The C;itering Uep:w~~iicnthi^\ al\o been awi~rtlctlhot11 tllc Clean Food Aw:trtl uncl the National Heart Ikat A\+;~rd - the l ir\t scllool Catering Llcl)artmenl in Worcester to earn tlic\c ;lwartl\.
Activities
Combined Cadet Force
The contingent now parades from 16.10 hrs to 17.30 hrs on a Friday evening, and with in excess of one hundred and fifty cadets on strength. remains healthy.
The Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award section, RAF section, Army section and small bore shooting team have all en.joyed a successful year with enthusiastic and willing participation by the cadets in a wide variety of military and adventure training activities. At Easter it was good to see the commitment shown by the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award expedition members in the Black Mountains and to witness the high morale amongst the twenty-four cadets who canoed, caved, climbed, abseiled and backpacked for a week at the Old Chapel.
Teams have competed in the District Skill at Arms, March and Shoot and Military Skills competitions; though they have failed, as yet, to 'bring home the silver' every competitor has been acredit to the unit, the School and to the~nselves.Perhaps the forthcoming District Orienteering Championships will see us amongst the medals.
It is encouraging to see several female members of the contingent under the watchful eye of recently commissioned Second Lieutenant Claire Furber. Congratulations to Cadet Natasha McGinity who is the first female cadet to represent the contingent at the District Skill at Arms Meeting.
Many thanks to all the contingent officers (Flt. Lt. Reeves; Capt. Griffiths; Lt. Rudge; 2 Lt. Furber) for all their hard work; to Sgt. Bob Hinds -our new S.S.I., and to the civilian instructors from within the School - DGW, MAS, SMB and JTW.
For all our success and enjoyment one event has cast a very dark shadow over the year. It is with great sadness that I have to report the sudden and untimely death of W.O.l 'Mick' Fudger, R.A. Mr Fudger was educated at Worcester Royal Grammar School before joining the Royal Artillery. After distinguished regular service he was appointed Administrative Assistant (CCF) at the H.Q. Western District. I well remember
the help, advice and support he gave me as he saw through my
commissioning in 1974. During his year at District and latterly as the King's School CCF S.S.I. he became a firm friend, a solid ally and a valued colleague of officers and cadetsalike. We all misshis inevitablegood humour, patience, understanding and incredible knowledge. He was agentleman in every sense of the word.
Re~resentativeteams 1993194 (Wales and Western District Competitions)
Skill at Arms
Cdt. J. Griffiths
Cdt. P. Lnu
Cclt. C. Dale
Cdt. J. Corr
Cdt. D. Woodcoch
Cdt. 0. Doherty
Cdt. Natasha McGinity
March and Shoot Military Skills
C.S.M. T. Bradshaw Cpl. A. Sturt
Snr. Cdt. D. Doherty Snr. Cdt. D. Doherty
Cdt. 0. Doherty Snr. Cdt. T. Roberts
Cdt. T. Hannah Snr. Cdt. J.Clubley
Cdt. J. Corr Snr. Cdt. G. Murfin
Cdt. C. Cattanacli-Chcll Snr. Cdt. P. Could
Cdt. J. Griffiths Cdt. J. Hartwrlght
Cdt. J. Brazier
Cdt. N. Mallab:md
Cdt. A. McFec
Cdt. P. Lau
Lt. Col. S.R. Ilavies, O.C.
CCF Central Camp (Army) - Sennybridge
This year's camp was enjoyable, successful and hot! Of twenty-eight schools attending the camp over a three week period. King's A team recorded the fastest time over the assault course and the B team the best score in the shoot. Unfortunately the three mile speed march, which was to precede the event, was cancelled due to the extreme heat.
The twenty-four hour exercise planned and directed by Capt. Griffiths was tackled enthusiastically and competently by the two teams that were commanded by Sgt. Ross Harrison with Senior Cadet Dolninic Doherty and by C.S.M. Ross
Haines with Sgt. Jalnes Mackender. The exercise started with a tactical move to a harbour area. During the move we received intelligence that enemy paratroopers were to be dropped in our zone. Our disbelief was confounded when the drone of three Hercules aircraft was heard half an hour into the exercise and the sky was filled by a company from the Parachute Regiment. They were no match for K.S.W. CCF and all were picked off before they hit the D-zone! Harbour areas were set up, sentries were posted anddaylight rehearsals for night recce. patrolscommenced. A delicious meal fromthe
Skill at Arrns team
tuc~it)-I'OLII- Iiour r~itionpi~ckancl tllc~iOLI~ to seal-c111.01-the enemy gro~~ndforces (Mad Dog Davies. Blootl Axe Kudgc ancl Hand Grenade blinds). Enemy Royal Marines were on our area but the patrols ghosted past them and the Ii:~rhou~-iu-cas remained secure tli:~~lksto Cadet Jonuthnn Turner wlio challenged, then shot. a Marine patrol tli;~t stumhlcd upon one of the 1iarbour:u-eas. C.S.M. Haines' pa~rolentered tlie enemy campsite undetected. collected information then collapsetl a
R.A.F. Section
It is now the Aut~~lnn of 1994 and we have spent tlie previo~~s year, uncl this term, meeting after school on :I Friday evening. Wliat a relief that has been! The iu-rangemcnts of meeting during the previoi~stwo years left us in aperilo~~sposition witli tlie res~~ltthat we had only tliree caclcts in tlie Sixtli Form and few more in the Fifth Form. That kind of problem will take three years to rectitj, and 1 am glad to report that last year's intake of Upper Removes was refreshing ancl many ol'them look set to form n good crop of NCOs in I996 and beyond. Long overdue was tlie solution to the problem tlii~tnicmhers of the CCF were barrecl. and vice versa. for activities iii wliicli they were interesteel hut which took place on the satme afternoon. In ~xuticulartheDukeofEdinburgh Award Scheme which sho~11cifor111part of cadet training and wliicli cadets can now take part in if they wish.
There have often been Sixth Form girl members within the Section. With the School now nearly conipletely CO-educational I am glad to report that we have several girl cadets in this year's Upper Remove. This is gratifying for the Section's ~~ctiviticsare as valuable to girls as they :u-c to boys and. witli a mixed Section. we are able to go to mixed camps and activities wliicli turn out to be mucli more fun.
During the paat year, the Section was ably let[ by Flight Sergeant Rob Honan (Cr) and Sergeant James Fawcctt (S) and
tent on the sleeping Hloorl Axe! With concr-etc. intclligc~icerlie fighting p;~trolsmoved o~~t at clnwn and destroyed the clieliiy with consumm:lte ease. Signals training. i~dvcnturctraining and military skills packages filled o~11-1imetor the rest ol'tlie week along witli somc lively evenings in the NAFFI.
Our thanks to Lt. Col. Davies. Capt. Grift'iths, Lt. Rudge ;uicl Sgt. Hinds for :I superb week.
C.S.M. Ross Haines
to tlic~iiwe owe our t1ii11iks.We did the usual kinds of things; instn~ction.flying ancl camps. In addition. Nick Checkelts (W) was chosen to represent LIS at the newly-established Easter c:ulip at Royal Air Force Akritiri. Cypr~rs.It was an experience he will treasure for many years to come. The end of tlie year. in the liolitluys, saw not only one camp h~~tthree. Our main one was at Lynehani and was led by my new assistan1 and ex-member of the Section, Lo~~iseCowley. I ~~ccomp~uiied the overtlow to Benson where a great time was Ii~idby ~III.Then several of the Upper Removes went on a Royal Navy 'air accluaint' course at Yeovilton.
I shoultl mentiori that Lo~~iserecently married a serving officer from Lyncli;~mwhere they are to make tlicir home. We ot'fer them our warmest congratulations.
Training on a week-to-week basis is always hampered by lack of suitable I-esources. Training by scnior cadets and by officers is 1111 very well but denies cadets that necessary i~n~nediacyand reality. What this Section needs is more skilled instruction by serving niembers ofthe Royal Air Force and tliutmeiuis ~~sgoitig to them. Flying is brillinntly organised and co-ordinated at Colerne, near Bath, hy Squadron Lendcr Alan Bridges ;111ciI am grateful to our liaison Fliglit Sergeant, Derek Routlcdgc, for what he does.
E.R.
Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme: Gold Award
Twenty nine pupils were I-egistered fhl-tlie sclie~neand there was something of a ~n~~sicaltheme in tlie skills tliey selected to learn: we could probably have p~~ttogether our own orcliestra!
Tliro~~glithe efforts ofthe Chaplain many hours were spent contributing to helping with sport for the clisi~bled,helping tlie elderly. working in tlie Cathedral ~mdtlic Maggs Day Centre. and helping in ;I number of tlie city's c1i:lrity sliol>s. We arc very gr;~tel'~~Ifortlie Chi~pli~in'swork in org~~nisingcommunity service witliiii rlie School. The great contribution of Zoi; Murcliant in this area ol' tlie awiu-cl slioultl itlso be noted.
The 17hysical ~rcreutionsection revealeel rlie usi1i11crop 01' swimiiiers. rowers. nethallers ant1 scuba tlivers as well as a n~~mher of new sports such as karate.
Forthe I'irsttili~ctwost~~tlcnts~~~u.licil~atccl in avcnt~~rcwitli the local a~~tlioritywho were entertaining stl~dcntsI'rom Mauriti~~s.somc ol'wliom spoke gootl English. ancl wlio were licl~>etltlirougli tlicir expetlitions by Nigel W:u-cl ~uitl.lulian
Wood. These two headed for the Lake District shortly ~~fterwardsto join Tom Birtwliistle. Jon Bracey, Lucy Brooksli;~w.Tom Gr~~ndy.Samantlia Heal, Cliris Lewis, Zoe M;~rcIiunt. Cliris O'Donncll. Jamcs Roslington. Kate Wilkinson, Helen Kcron and Kirsty Lunn for tlie fifty mile hike over I'o~~rteenday\, witli three nights under canvas. From tlie /")in[ ofvicw of:~supcrvixorthisw;~scertainlytlie ~iiostemotion;~llydraining expedition I have ~~cco~npanictl. imtl yet it was also the most rewi~rding.On each of the three nights :I gro~117came in ai'tcr c1;u.k. ancl l'or vurio~~sreasons some of tlie l>articipimts I'ou~itlthe expedition one of the biggest challenges they have facecl. Thus, tlie feelings ofrelicl' and ;~cIiievemcntwere s;~vo~~rccl hy staff and st~~denrsalike at tlie finish in Pooley Briclgc. Tli:~rihsare clue to Mr ~uidMrs Brool\sli:~w I'or their kincl Iiell).
Successf~~lcompletion ol' tlie expetlition en:thleel Kirsty Lunn to I'inisli her awarel: well done to her.
M.J.(;.
A section of a report on an expedition to The Lake District, written by Helen Keron, Kirsty Lunn, Zoe Marchant, Lucy Brookshaw, Kate Wilkinson and Sam Heal.
DAY 2 - Thursday l st September
After a bad night listening to the heavy rain and howling gales, and also praying that Zoe's tent would not blow down, we got up at 6.00am in finer spirits than those we went tobed in. Despite the demoralising effects of the day before, the practicalities of getting up, cooking breakfast and breaking camp, all without disturbing our fellow campers. soon took control, leaving no time for depression or anxiety.
We left at about 8.00 am in good spirits, knowing we had a long day ahead but determined to keep up the pace and get 'home'. A brief look at the map told us that the majority of the day was over reasonably flat ground and we only had one major climb. Unfortunately this was going to be the start of our day.
The first minor drawback came when the expected footpath off the road failed to materialise. Instead we had to take a 'permitted path' nearby, which was not shown on the map, and hope that it joined up. Fortunately it did. Although paths in general were well marked, this was not to be the last time that the map and the ground failed to coincide.
Our first crisis of the day overcome. we continued to climb Robinson. The path was incredibly steep and slippy, from the previous night's rain, and balance was difficult to find and progress was therefore very slow. We didn't realise just how slow until a man we could see below us at the bottom as we reached the halfway stage passed us just 15 minutes later. This didn't help morale but he cheered us up by passing a few words ofencouragement andconfirming that we were on the right path. With frequent stops and after many scrambles up our narrow path we eventually reached the top and co~~ldfinally stop lying to Sam about the end being in sight.
It was incredibly windy at the top, but the view was amazing and morale was at a peak again. Our descent, however, proved to be more hazardous than the ascent. It consisted of a series of almostvertical crags, which got larger and larger as wecontinued. A variety of techniques were used, some to better effect than others. It began as a joke, but as the size of the crags increased concentration levels were increasingly hard to maintain. However, with a little encouragement and a helping hand everyone coped and even managed a laugh at the end. Looking back and being able to see what you have just done always has amagical effect and boosts spirits once again. Then wediscovered that we were about 150m from the stream we were supposed to be following and at least 100m above it. We therefore made the descent down a track that hardly existed. It was grassy so it was not as daunting as previous descents. Helen was the first to slip and decided to continue for the majority of the remaining descent on her backside. We had lunch and filled ur, our water bottles atthe bottomof the slope andmetMrandMrsBrookshaw who were about to start climbing Robinson. Kirsty discovered a blister on the ball of her foot and after dealing with this we continued on our way. About 1 km further down the track we needed to resist the temptation of 'borrowing' a Range Rover, in which the owner had kindly left the keys.
We made our message drop in a handy car park at the bottom of Cat Bells, informing the instructors of our decision to skirt around Cat Bells instead of going over it and boosting morale by leaving a graphic ill~lstrationof Kirsty's foot, causing a ripple of laughter to spread through thegroup. Although ourroutechange made the distanceof ourexpedition longer,none of uscould face another uphill struggle and we came to the conclusion that it would probably be quicker to go around. We set off and
encountered many 'townies', including one lady who was about to climb to the peak in a linen skirt and gold sandals. From here matters began to worsen, blisters were growing rapidly on the majority of feet and although we managed to put up with them stops were inevitable and time consuming. But by the time we got off Cat Bells, everyone had had enough and just wanted to get home. We set off around the end of Derwent Water. It was flat and we moved at a fair pace, at the expense of conversation, but it was a determined silence.
The last section of the route was through a forest for perhaps 7 km. We turned off the road at about 6 pm and had a cheerful conversation with some mad climbers which lifted morale slightly, but we soon realised that navigation was going to be harder than before. As ever the number of paths of apparent paths on the ground bore little resemblance to what was on the map. One slight miscalculation ended up with a 50m tramp through chest-high fern toget back onto thecorrect path. Morale was not good at this point, but everyone forgot theirtempers and we carried on. Navigation got progressively easier but different walking styles were becoming harder to reconcile. As the dusk drew in, enhanced by the trees, some became very focused and would have completed the final stretch in one go but others needed frequent stops. With the encouragement and understanding of other people's problems, something that really characterised our group, a compromise was reached. However, despite this, at 8.50 pm we were still in the forest and everyone was becoming a little scared. Finer feelings were ignoredand we marched to theend, regardless, sticking together but allowingno stops.
We finally reached the campsite at 9.05 pm, very, very tired and even more relieved to be back safe. Over the last few hours, Helen had been feeling worried for us all, and she attempted to keep morale high be keeping cheerful and busy, encouraging us to pitch tents and to eat supper. This was not hard. Everyone was very determined and encouragement throughout the whole of the group kept things in motion. By the time MJG and JTW arrived the final touches were being made to the tents and dinner was almost ready. The relief of arriving safely brought tears to a few eyes, but reassurance and some 'expert' light provision from our elders enabled emotions to be kept at bay.
However, during the long day - 13 hour of walking and a further 1 to 2 hours until we reached the 'comfort' of our sleeping bags - not one temper frayed nor did anyone think for a minute that they were significantly worse off than anyone else. That night proved to us that we could survive most things and although we went to sleep thoroughly shattered we all felt that the group had really proved itself.
Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme: Silver Award
This past year saw the introduction of Sat~~rdaymorning activities, and with it a re-structuring of tlie way in which DOE Silver operates. The restriction of having only one hour slots. which had been the norm in earlier years, gave way to a more tlexible and useful pattern of both Tuesday afternoon and Saturday morning sessions, tlie latter being used for areas of training which required more extensive coverage.
Eighteen pupils took part in the award, consistin_goftwelve boys and six girls. For the first part of the Autumn term they underwent the usual mix of initial expedition training. under the guidance of MAS and JPBM. in preparation for their first practice expedition over the Malvel-ns. This expedition took place just after half-term. at the beginning of November. The weather is ~~suallyrather ~~npredictnble,and often unpleasant, at that time of year. and so it was to prove again. with the mist shrouding the higherground and tlie rain being incessant from start to finish. Though the route for this practice is fiiirly short and undemanding the first section of two miles or so h;~s. traditionally, proved to be tlifficult, and over the years few groups have managed to navigate it successfully without making at least one mistake. This time the combination of the weather and the terrain proved too tlifficult for one of the groups who, despite walking many miles, did so mainly in the wrong direction and never got to complete the first stage. The other two groups were more s~~ccessful,and managed the route with only one or two minor detours along the way. arriving at the end completely saturated but in good spirits.
In the second half of the term the County Road Safety Department were on hand to serve up their programme of road safety activities in fulfilment of the service part of the award. It must be said that this section did not always run as smoothly as it niiglit, with one speaker in particular managing to completely forget his appointment with us on two occasions. Nevertheless. we ~nanagedto get through without too much mishap, and in the end the activity had once again shown itself to be well worthwhile and enjoyable.
Further expedition training followed in the Spring term, culniinating in the Easter expedition to the Black Mountains. For this we were joined by one further pupil, Suzanna Malik, who had been unable to complete her expeditions from the previous year. Unfort~~nately.JPBM was otherwise engaged. and his place was taken by BC. another member of staff with considerable experience (and no small amount of enthusiasm
and energy). Our experience from tlie first practice expedition had caused 11sto m~tkea fairly radical reorganisation of tlie groups. That there were still tlifficulties became only tooclear as the expedition progressed. Though a number of mistakes were made over the three days, some of which should never have happened if due care and thouglit had been exercised, the groupslearned a lot, mostly tlie hard way; in many ways this was an excellent preparation for the summer.
The qualifying venture took place at the end of the Summer term. We had reasoned that though there had been problems at Easter they had largely been ironed out, and that it would be easier this time. Despite the most severe heat I've ever encountered in the Black Mountains, and in particular despite Ryan Powell, things did indeed run very smoothly. I won't dwell further on details here, but will leave the two reports below to supply a graphic account of the expedition. The groups have only recently submitted their final reports to the assessors. so at the time of writing we are still waiting to hear if they have all passed; their determination, cheerfulness and sheer effort in the face of very difficult conditions last summer sh~~~ld ensure that they are successful.
In otherareasoftheawal-d.na~nelythe physical achievement and skills sections. most of the pupils seem to have been fairly well organised, and many must by now be close to completing all their requirements. With regard to the previous year's pupils. a list of successes is given at the end; congratulations to them all.
In closing. I would like to express my personal gratitude to all members of staff who have given their time and support this year; to MAS ancl JPBM for their ~~nstintingefforts with the expedition training. to BC for hix very welcome help with both the Easter and Summer expeditions, and to LMG for her organisation of the service section. 1 wo~~ld ;IISO like to thank the p~~pilsthemselves for making the past year so enjoyable.
D.G.W.
Two Accounts of the Summer Duke of Edinburgh's Silver Expedition
Ourqualifyingexpedition into the Black Mountains began on a warm Sat~~rdaymorning. After the tents, Epigas canisters, mess tins, first aid kits and ot11erp;waphernaliahad been given OLII, and MAS had checked that we had everything on our kit list (including woolly hats and gloves, even though it was blindingly ohvio~~sthat we wereatthe beginning of asweltering weekend) we left for the Old Chapel. where we were to spend o~~rfirstnight. The evening was occupied with cooking, eating and arguing ;~houtwashing up. The expedition assessor paid 11sn visit. checking tIi;tt we Iiad o~~rwoolly hats and weren't going to kill ourselves tliro~~gllfood poisoning, and then left. We were woken up very early next morning by Ryan Powell. not to the amusement of the gro~~p,iuitl definitely not to the amusement of MAS. BC iuntl DGW. who werc slceping inside the Old Chapel. Breakf'i~st ol' p:lrtly cooked bacon followed. and we werc ready to leave. The minihus dropped
the groups at their respective start points, and from there on we were left to our own devices. The fact that our group wasted half an hour walking round a very small village trying to find the correct route did not help, but soon after we were on our way. The main problem was the weather; it was very hot. The early morning start had enabled us to cover a fair part of the day's walk before the sun really got up, but as we started to climb the hills the temperature rose. We began to be obsessed with the thought of water, and when we would next be able to sit down and have a drink.
The day continued without any major mishaps. We were a bit slower than the othergroups, but at least this time we didn't get lost, as we had during the second day of the Easter expedition. We stopped in achurchyardforalunch of lukewarm cup-a-soup, bread and cheese, then continued on our way. The route took us along ridges, down into valley bottoms and back up again, the good visibility affording excellent views of the mountains for much of the time. We were the last group to arrive at our campsite at Llanthony Priory feeling sweaty and very tired. We shared the site with a number of other people, who looked on in mild amusement at Ryan Powell's and Abbas Kazerooni's attempts to play charades and entertain the groups throughout the evening. We slept well. despite pitching the tent on a slope, and woke early again the next day.
The second day began much as the first, with us getting lost near the start. This had much to do with local farmers altering footpaths and rights of way. Water was once more a real problem. We were running out of it by mid-morning, and so had to stop at a farm to replenish our supplies. A large lady, obviously used to the sight of bedraggled D of E walkers putting the~nselvesthrough hell and calling it 'fun'. offered us an outside tap which produced copious amount of cold and very welco~neliquid.
We continued, following the ridge, and again we were provided with amazing views. The climb up Lord Hereford's Knob was not easy, especially as we had not yet eaten and the sun was now very high. We progressed slowly, reaching the top an hour and a half behind schedule. Our last stage was all downhill and we arrived at Dan-y-Capel with huge blisters, to a campsite which was actually a field inhabited by large numbers of sheep and cats.
After a very hot day we decided that the earlier we began the final day the better. This we did, again being woken by Ryan at 5.00 am. Jim Needham did his best to pretend that he was dead until Bob Havard pulled the tent down around him.
It was JPBM who came to our rescue on this final day with water, and who also prevented us from getting completely lost and conling off the wrong side of the ridge. We arrived at our finish point in the late afternoon very hot, very smelly, very tired and with very sore feet. The thought of hot baths and comfortable beds occupied our minds as we made our way to the bus to take us back to Worcester.
Clare Ilsley
to bed early, in order to get as much sleep as possible, but were woken at about 5.00 am the following morning by a rather noisy and enthusiastic Ryan Powell. After putting off the inevitable for as long as possible we rose from our tents and prepared for the off at 8.30 am.
The first couple of days went well, despite the intense heat on the second day and the lack of water. Although tired, we were in high spirits at the campsites, especially Ryan Powell, who performed his repertoire of East 17 and Vanilla Ice songs (accompanied from time to time by Abbas Kazerooni and Colin Thompson) and Gareth Willmer, who did an excellent impression of a Brazilian football commentator. Others took part in a game of rugby with Ben Etty-Leal's mini rugby ball.
Soon the final day of the expedition came. Here follows an extract from our group's report of that day:
'On the third day we woke at 7.00 am, keen to get the last leg underway. Only eleven miles stood between us and the finishing point. We were all looking forward togoing home to a long, relaxing hot bath and a comfortable bed, but before that we would have to tackle some of the steepest climbs of the whole expedition.
We set off at 8.00 am. This may seem early, but we wanted to avoid the heat as much as possible. We had been going only ten minutes when we saw our first major obstacle, Hay Bluff. It took a further five minutes to get to the base of this hill, where we rested for a short while before \tarting the ascent. It seemed to take forever, but we made it and, on reaching the top, took a well-earned rest. From there we climbed up to the ridge, from which were breathtaking views of the scenery. This ridge took from Lord Hereford's Knob (a name which caused some amusement) all the way to Waun Fach, where we stopped for lunch. after our meal the weather became hotter, and we were beginning to run out of water. We found ourselves wanting to rest more often. Suzanna Malik had seemingly boundless energy and tried to encourage us to continue, often without success. As we approached the finishing point we met another D of E expedition group who were doing the Gold award. After a brief chat we discovered that this was only their second day, so we were rather surprised to learn from them that they were resting more than us. We quickly left them behind and were soon within a kilometre of the finish. In no time at all we arrived at a small crossroads which signalled the end of our three days hard labour. We were all extremely relieved to take off our heavy rucksacks for the final time. Soon we were heading back to Worcester, very tired but satisfied with our efforts.'
Chris Nelson & Stephen Roberts
"This was it! There was no escaping now!" These were the thoughts of the members of our group as we prepared to set off on our qualifying expedition, the memory of the weight of a full 65 litre rucksack flooding back from our earlier Easter practice expedition.
We had arrived at the Old Chapel the day before, in high spirits, but it soon dawned on us that we had to walk thirty miles in the next three days. In the evening our assessor visited LIS,checking that we all had the required equipment. We went
Himalayan Expeditions
Christmas: 1 1.12.93 - 12.1.94
aid to our hosts. Nepal is the fourth poorest country in the john wulton,~~;~~~k~~~~(i~~ (joint leaders), colinslater world and it does not have ready access to basic cornnioditics doctor), philip Beard, Peter ~~~~d~~), ~i~h~)l~~ in both ofthese vital areas. We had been in close contact with Bourne, Jonathan Bracey, ~~~s Haines, ~o~~ Hurman, simon tlle Sir Edrnund Hillary Hirnalayan Trust which for many Ilott, MntthewJones, Thomas Lambert,Yugo MatsLlmoto, yearshasinvolved itself solely with the Khumbu region. Alexander Nicol, Nigel Ward and Jonathan Slater. George Lowe. a member of the successful I953 Everest expedition is the U.K. Chairman and he was able to ;~tlvise11s
Easter: 27.3.94 - 19.4.94
John Walton, Frank Loveder, Gill Crawford, Angeln Winter (joint leaders), Dr. Richard Lewis (expedition doctc~r),Adrian Freeman,Ross Harrison, Christopher Lewis. Simon Mico, Paul Overton, William Powell, Oliver Stubbs. J;uncs Tliol-pe. Michael Tibbetts.
We weregreeted with warmth onour arrival in Kathrnandu and, throughout the next month, wherever we went. we received the same w;u-m welcome. This. perhaps. compensated in part for the shock we were to cxpcricnce as we drove from the airport to our hotel in the centre of Kathmandu. A sign on an island in the middle ofthe road saying, 'Welcome to clean. green, healthy Kathmandu,' became something of a joke as we feasted our eyes on more filth, poverty and deprivation than we had ever seen before. It was very hard on the emotions to see pitiful begg;~rsof all ages; the youngest being no more than two years of age. Some were more genuine than others but we gave to none. knowing that once we started we would never be able to stop. It was, therefore, with some relief, that after two days we escaped to the mountains by flying to Luklu for the start of oi~rthree week trek that woultl take us to al~nost 18,500ft. and within such close proxirility to Everest.
The journey LIP the Khumbu was fascinating. At each village &c were the centre of attention for the many children who came running to meet us and the Nepalese greeting of 'Namaste' was widely used by the older generations of Sherpas. The trail was extremely busy, not with western trekkers like ourselves but with porters carrying huge loads of food, timber, fire wood, potatoes, glass and mi~ch.much more. Beyond Lukla there is no form of transport other than man and yak and as the Khumbu has Inany villages. the trail up to Everest is a very busy artery. We wcre constantly amazed by the sizes of the loads being carried.
It w:~soi~r;~irntogivemuch needed medical ;mded~cational
di~'ectly.We were able to buy vital pieces ofequipment thr the hospital at Khunde as well as many donated items. Likewise, we wereable to provide the school at Khunljung with important and necessary educational material. In total we provided &l 7.000 worth of aid to the Khumbu region.
As we progressed up the trail the skies became n deeper shade of blue and the mountains higher and more spectac~~la~-. And there. ahead of us, was our goal. peeping out from behind the Nuptse Ridge. Everest. Until now, this was atnountain we had only ever seen in pictures. We could see it and we were going to see it from much closer range than this.
Christmas Day w;tsspent c~unpingatDingbocheat 14,lOOft. We were using it as :I rest :uici acclimatisntion day, although we diti go for n walk up to 16,650ft. in the morning. That evening we m~uiagedto pick up the Queen's Speech on short wave radio and when the National Anthem was played we all, including our Shel-pas stood to attention. It was a lovely Christmas Day, amillion miles from thecommercial Christmas of home.
Boxing Day saw us on the upward trail, again. Our Sirdnr, Ang Pnsang. was beginning to show a little concern about the weather: it was beginning to close in. As far as we wcre concerned the skies were still a deep shade of blue and the mountains were as clear and as spectacular as ever.
We should have paid more attention to Pasang. for on the 28th December, theday we were going to rcachour high point, the day we were to be only five kilometres from the summit of Everest, the cloud hung coldly about the summits. The temperature had plu~nrnetetlto -25 degrees Celsius! Gone was the clear blue sky; gonc were the clear views and when we got to the top ofK;~lnPattiu-, gone was Everest. hidden by a shro~~dof~nist.Four years of planning for this moment, this view. Three years of training for this nioment, this view. For some reason the Gotis of the Khun~buwere not on our side.
We may not have seen the ultimate view but what we saw was indeed spectacular. from our vantage point we could look down on ~aseCamp and the Khumbu lcefall which provides a very daunting challenge to any Everest climber. The co~nbinationof this view. the bitter cold and the fact that we had all found breathing arduous gave us a tremendous sense of s~ecialachievement.
It was strange that having succeeded in our aims we now had an urge to return to Kathmandu. We were getting withdrawal symptoms for automation, crowds, filth, poverty and perhaps a shower and a proper bed.
The two days in Kathmandu were spent rushing around bargaining and purchasing as much as our budgets would allow. By the end of those two days the desire for automation, crowds, filth and poverty had been more than fulfilled. Tents and sleeping bags whilst rafting seemed a welcoming prospect.
The drive to the Trisuli River is only 60km but it took us almost fourhours. The water was icy cold but despite this most of us finished up in it, mainly through acts of aggression or piracy between the two rafts on the placid parts of the river rather than turbulent rapids. The rapids themselves. with names like Teapot, Upset and Double Decker, were exciting and we were rather thankful that the water level was relatively low and not too violent.
Another road journey took us to the very south of the country, to the Terai, where we spent three days relaxing and enjoying the sights and sounds of the Royal Chitwan National Park with its elephant safaris and dugout canoe rides on the
River Rapti. The high spot has to be the close athand sighting
of the one-horned white rhino.
Two more days in Kathmandu spending the last of our money on the endless bargains and we were on our way home. For various reasons many of us were ready to come home but there was sadness and a determination that one day we shall return.
ForFrank and me that day came less than three months later when we returned with the second group. What contrasts we were to experience, not only with our previous expedition but within the expedition itself. Nature had been asleep at Christmas; there were so many plants to be seen. trees were in full bloom and birds in abundance. Naturally thc temperatures were much more comfortable and it was positively hot during the day. Unlike Christmas, when it had been so dry, we were regularly doused with short, sharp showers of rain, hailstones the size of golf balls on one occasion and snow at altitude.
clothing, baby wear, toys and educational equipment. Our charming friend Chantra Lall Mulmi gratefully received our gifts.
After two days in Kathmandu we flew to Pokhara for the start of our trek. Our first night's camp was by the lake and what an idyllic place this was with mountains reflected in the mirror-smooth water; the image only broken by a lone fisherman in his dugout canoe. We were the subject of some considerable interest among a group of Tibetan women who wanted to sell us a wide range of trinkets which they had made in their refugee camp. They were extremely persistent, many of the boys succumbing to their charms.
The next day, leaving the wheel behind, we set off on the trek proper passing through many a busy village. It was warm and stops at tea houses became a common event during the day. As the day progressed the cloud started to bubble up and by the time we arrived at our camp at Birithanti we were forced to take shelter from the most vicious of hailstornls with stones the size of and consistency of golf balls. It was later that evening that we witnessed amost moving event. A deputation of villagers came to see us to ask if they could sing and dance for us in return for some payment towards the village fund. Here was a village prepared and willing to work for itsmoney rather than simply beg for it. Naturally, we agreed, and after supper the whole village turned out. Festooned with freshly made garlands we were entertained for two hours by the light of hurricane lamps. At the finish they gratefully received our offering and departed happy. During the next hour we were moved to see lanterns flickering high up on the slopes as they weaved their way home up steep, twisting mountain paths and we realised the trouble they had gone to for our enjoyment.
Days passed, and although we were gaining height the temperatures did not abate. We were beginning to see tantalising glimpses of high, snow-capped pcaks and this really reached a climax on Easter Sunday morning. We were camping at Ghorapani and woke at 4.30 am to make the short 1200ft. ascent of Poon Hill (10500ft.) to watch the sun rise. Even in the last moments of darkness it was apparent that we were going to be treated to a view that would be hard to equal as outlines of majestic mountains appeared in the first faint glimmer of dawn. And what aview: there, before us. first sun-kissed and then bathed in glorious early morning sunshine were the Dhaulagiris, the Annapurnas and the most majestic of all Machhapuchhare (The Fishtail). What enhanced the view was the sea of red over which the peaks soared; the red blooms of rhododendrons stretching as far as the eye could
During our time in Kathmandu we made contact with SWOG, the Social Workers Group, and presented them with our various packages of aid: medical equipment, blankets, OIU wefconling barlrzer ur the uir1~or.t(Christniuc 1993).
White water rafting on the Trisrlli River (Easter 1994).
A phrase which beca~necommon to 11sthroughout this trip was 'sensory overlo:~d'and this particular day had more t11~1n its fair share of sensory stimulation. Not only were there the obvious visual pleasures but the air was perfumed with the tlowers, particularly from the Hyacinth trees which we c;uiie across at regular intervals. Our ears were treated to an amazing variety of bird song.
We proceeded towards the higher peaks and soon fo~~nd ourselves in the deepest got-ge in the world. The Modi Khola cuts a cleft into the earth, between Machhapuchhnre on the one side and Hunchili on the other, 16000 feet deep (that is an unbelievable three and a half miles deep). It is also extremely narrow and you really have to strain your neck to look up at the peaks on either side. It was whilst walking up the gorge that we experienced bamboo forests, monkeys and leeches.
It was not long after rising above the tree line that we hit our first snow at about 1 1500 fty~hiswas at the narrowest part of the gorge and where we were most cu~ceptibleto avalanche. Evidence of such events were commonplace and we had to take care not to precipitate or become part of another.
A few more breathless steps took us into the Annapurna Sanctuary and our campsite. on a foot of snow, at Machhapuchhare Base Camp (11.000 ft). The snow line was much lower at Easter as there is I-utlier more precipitation at this time of year.
We woke the next morning to find ourselves cocooned in snow. several inches having fallen during the night. Above the snow covered tents the sky was clear and extremely blue in the mol-ning sunshine. As we emerged froni our tents the views of Mac1ihap~lclihal-eand Annap~lrnaSo~~tliwere stunning.
The day was spent exploring the Sanctuary. rising to 14,500ft. above Annapurna Base Camp. We had atremendous feeling of being somew liere very special.
Out- rel;~tionsliipswith the Shcrpas and porters was further enliancetl hy tlie fun and games we had at ciurnp with snowball fights and bisbee throwing. Everybody was only too willing to join in and enjoy themselves. On numerous occasions we introtluced the Sherpas to new :~ctivities.Tlic most popular was juggling!
It was with some sorrow tliat. after ~unothel-night. we .;t;u-ted OLI~descent. One always tends to think of this as an anti-climax but it is not long before something spectacular shakes you out of yourself ancl you become el~~tedagain. Tlie sight of six Himalay~unGriffon Vultul-es,each with a nine foot wing span. so~~ri~igj~~st above our heads will remain atreasured memory. The porter carrying 11 length of wood 16ft X gins X 9ins across his hei~cl.up a very steep 20001'1 slope earned my ~~drniration.Unt'ortunately it only cnrnetl him abo~lt25p!
Nati~rally.it was with some sadness tliat we parted coniIxuiy with our Slierpas at the end of tlic trck hut we were lnoving stl-aight on to the rafting. The difference this time comp~ired with the ral'ting at Christmas was tliat the water seemed considerably warmer; it was not Llncolnmon for all of LIS to tumble o~~toftlie rafts. and we hacl three, in order to drift clown with the flow. It was a most relaxing way to unwind after our trek.
As at Christmas we ended LIPin tlie Chitwan National Park for a safari. Again, this provided acontrast with the Christmas trip. There was much more activity amongst the animals and there were Inany mol-e to see, probably because the young shootsofthe Elephant GI-assprovides aplentiful and nutritious supply of food. Tlie contrast in temperature was also most striking. Here we were experiencing 40C+ when n week ago we were sleeping at -1 OC!
So, how didthe boys fairandbenefit fi-0111tlieirexperiences'? Despite the cult~~l-echock they all grew up through their experiences and learnt a great deal abo~~ttheir state of mind in various situations, purtic~~larlythose who wereon the C~I-istmas expedition who had to put up with so lnuch ill-health but still cat-ry on. Everyone had to continue. not only for their own benefit but also for the benefit of the rest of the team.
Through the training or tlie expeditions themselves. the boys have accluired a great many skills and qualities that will be with them for life. Many itre all-eady using them and organisingmini expcditionsfortliemsclves. Many haveoffered to help with any future training for expeditions and some are intending to return to Nepal for all or part of a Gap year.
Finally, we went to Nepal because of the mountains but we have all come back remembering the people. We, in our civilized, comlnercial, mate~.ialisticsociety have a lot to learn from these people and it is because of the people tliat we shall return.
Upper Fourth Activity Week
General Introduction by Charlotte
Moore
The Activity Week was agreat chance todooutdoor activities that I would hardly ever get a chance to do otherwise. The weather for the week was wonderful. We were based in a farmhouse just South of Buxton in the Derbyshire Peak District. All of the activities were organised excellently and were great fun to take part in. It would take me forever to write about all of theactivities, because the whole week was one that I'II never forget, so I'II leave that to other people. Thanks to Mr. Wheeler, the othersktffnnd Derwent Outdoor Pursuits for a fabulous week.
Gorge Scrambling by Jo Brown
The day that we were meant to go gorge scrambling was quite cold. but we all still wanted to go. It took about half an hour to get to the start of the scramble. When we arrived we had lunch and got "tacked up". We got into the water firrtherdown the stream - it was freezing! To begin with we were all messing around and having a good laugh but then we got to the first waterfall: we had to climb it. The water was freezing cold but climbing LIPthroi~ghthe waterfall was very good fun. We carried on upstream climbing several other waterfalls before gettingback where we had lunch. It wascold but the temperat~~re ciid not really matter, because it was brilliant fun.
Rock Climbing by Ken,ji Lirn
During the rock climbing day we did several different climbs of varioi~sdegrees of difficulty. We started by putting on our equipment. We needed a helmet that fitted well and a harness. The first climb was quite easy to get to the top of. At the top the next.job was to get backdown. A person at the bottom paid out the rope while we leant back. Sometimes it took longer to get down tli~uiit took to get LIP.After this we climbed a few more times on that crag and then went for lunch. amongst some boulders. There were some solo climbers on the cliffs further up runcl WC watched them for a while before going on to our final climb of the day.
This time we were climbing up a 40ft cliff, walking along the top, and abseiling back down. It certainly was not as easy as it sounds! At the top I felt great and the view was fantastic! It was well worth the climb.
Orienteering and Caving by Jenny Pearce
When we set of for the orienteering course the next day we were ready to attempt to break the records set the previous day. After a bit of practice we attempted the course in pairs, but Mr. Wheeler had a go on his own! Dominique Lai~renceand I arrived back first having smashed the record. We then waited
AI'ter lunch we prcp:ueci o~~rselve\tor going caving. Since we still had not recovered from the orienteering, the long steep climh LIPto the cave entrance seemed r~ttherdiu~nting.Al):~rt from that. everyone tlioro~~ghlyenjoyed themselves scluee~ing thro~1g11g:11>s. climbing over houldel-S :md turning tlie lights oi~t.Following the person in front in the dark proved to be quite :I challenge! Our 1:1st obstacle was 'The Letterbox'. It was a very. very small crack in the rocks. Most managed to squeeze their way throi~gh(others took the more leisurely option) :und there was great hilarity when Mr. Wheeler had a go! He tlid get throi~gli!Anyway we all got oi~tsut'ely having had a great time and arrived back at the I'arm absolutely exhausted.
Free-fall abseiling by Karina Tipton
On Fritlay, 0111- last day of activities. the instri~ctorsand teachers Iiuntled 11swith a big surprise. We were going to go free-fall abseiling off a 751.1. bridge. So we got our day sacks ready and set off. When we got there we hacl a short walk to get to the bridgewhere we looked down and saw a large drop with ariverat the bottom. It was at this point that a few tlecided that they weren't going to do it! We then got 0111. kit on and started. I fountl the free fall abseiling to he the best. It involved climhing over the railings, lowering yoursell'down, Jumping backwards and hanging in mid-air. It was. of course. important to smile Ihr the camera at the top despite the height. I thoi~ghtthis was the best activity of tlie week.
Canoeing by Dominique Laurence
We had a full day canoeing in open canoes. Before we got into the canoes we played a giune called paddle ball on the bank. We had to bounce a big hall al-ound with o~~rpaddles. It was supposed to help us to learn how to use the paddles 171-operly. In the water we did many activities in the canoes including races and balancing acts. At first it was q~~itehard not to fall in, but by the end of the day we were all quite good. The whole day was great fun. However. we did all get very wet ancl by the end of the day we were all swimming in the lake with the help of our buoyancy aicls.
dit 'Department dctiuities
This has been a busy and highly successful year for the Art Department. The Summer 1993 A level work wasexhibited at the Worcester Arts Workshop in September and looked marvellous in the clean, white exhibition space. Pupils of all ages worked throughout the year on a theme of The Sea. A huge still life; which included a boat, was erected in the main studio. The theme excited work in painting, drawing, printmaking, textiles, photography and sculpture.
Kevin Hopson, a professional sculptor, ran several extremely popular weekend workshops. Working in driftwood, pupils produced mobiles, sculptures and furniture.
Field trips to Cornwall are now an established part of our GCSE and A level courses. Four trips were run last year and many pupils returned enlivened and inspired by contact with professional artists. Many of the Summer 1994 A level students based their examination thesis on the work of living Cornish Artists. Several had the opportunity to interview and work with well-known artists of international standing.
Undoubtedly the highlight of the year was the mounting of an exhibition of King's work at the Tate of the West during March. The original two-week exhibition was extended at the request of the ~Gectorofthe~ate. e he work lookedmagnificent and the venture was a moving experience for both pupils and staff.
This year's A level work was exhibited in the Chapter House of Worcester Cathedral and more recently the Art Department contributed to exhibitions mounted during the Cathedral Open Day.
We were delighted that Robert Gibson was awarded one of only three certificates for 'Outstanding Performance' at A level Art. Robert has gone 011 to a Foundation Course in Art and Design.
The Depal-trnent is adjusting to the loss of John Exton's larger than life presence but has appointed a new. lively and we1 I qualified team. The theme this year is House and Gardens and our first exhibition in response to this theme will be mounted in the School Theatre before Christmas. New Saturday workshops for younger pupils have proved popular and the studios remain oDen late each evening for extra work. L E.R.H.
Drrrwirzg in f~rrrbrrrrrHepworth'\ ,carden\. Art Departrl~erztField Trip.
The Sub Aqua Club
The Sub Aqu;~Club has gone from strength to strength tliis year. A substantial number of novices joined in September and all completed their pool training to take the111 to Novice I standard. The ~najoritydived at least once in open water at Stoney Cove. Leicestershire. while more experienced divers took part in night dives at Stoney, a day trip for a shore dive at Brixham and weekends away to West Wales and Plymouth. Apart from the regular exc~~rsions to Stoney Cove. we have added another freshwater site to our trip list. Hollybush Quar-ry. near Malvern, is ideal for using navigation skills and practising various rescue scenarios.
On the Brixham trip, several boys successfully completed an open water rescue, wliich involves swimming underwater for some distance whilst sharing air and also lifting an "unconscious" buddy to the surface in a controlled manner before giving artificial ventilation on the surfuce. Resuscitation techniques are a vital part of our training and are practised regularly in the pool and in open water. The club has recently bought eight octopi~srigs, wliicli enable divers to share air without having to pass the same demand valve from one to mother. but the latter technique is still used during training.
One's first successful sea dive is an unt.orgettable experience. The diversity of life. even in our coltl, British waters. is incredible and the wrecks wliich provide artificial reefs for sea creatures can be impressive in their own right. The sight of the 14 metre high sicles of the .ltr/~rrsEgtrt~Ltrsilr towering above one. encri~stedwith soft corals and huge. flower-like anemones, grazed by shoals of remarkably colourful fish is quite magnificent. Having swum underneath the wreck into the hold. I recently came face to face with my first conger eel. lurking in a dark crevice. It was marvellous; both exciting and slightly scary! As for some of the other attractions of diving. no-one from the Club has managed to recover an old ship's bell yet. but numerous metallic objects have,joined personal collections from our Ply~nouthexploits.
Ben Panter writes:-
"The Plyrnoi~thbreakwater has ;ilways been a hazard as well as a help to shipping. The area has many wrecks whicli litter the port area. most of wliicli arc broken LIPagainst the rocks. Prohi~blythe best example of what a wreck is usually
like is the Pontiac. All that remains is the boiler, surrountletl by hits of scrap rnetal no fancy figureheads or masts! Probably the best and therefore the busiest wreck in the are:) is the.ltrtnc~sE~UIILuyirr. It sits on the bottom at 20 metres and extends up to 6 metres. It was n liberty ship in the first World War, carrying a variety of cargoes. The wreck is a huge labyrinth of holds. inside whicli are numerous small articles, whose function it is intriguing to guess. The weather during the weekend was perfect; so hot that I got sunburned! Our c~unpsite was first class and we found Frank's cooking surprisingly good."
Most of the boys who Ii~lvetaken part in weekend dives have triecl their hand ;~td~-ivingthe boat and they have. without fail, proved to be addicted to speeding across the waves, reg;~rdlessof the bucking of the boat or the finer feelings of novices trying to find tlieir sea legs! Acoi~rseonboat handling is planned forthe future, in the hopes that theirenthusiasm can be tempered by experience and knowledge.
Perhaps the most pleasing ~nomentfor the Club tliis year was when three of us gained our Sports Diver qualification. Ben Pantcrand J~urnieDaniel1 sliowed considerableenth~~siasrn 2nd tletermination to achieve the award. I was the tliircl person to achieve Sports Diver status. while FJL. who shares responsibility for the Club with me. is well on the way to gaining his Dive Leader award. having completed the Sports Diver clualification last year.
G.S.C.
Skiing
The first week of the Easter holiday saw another very enjoyable skiing holiday for the Lower Fourth - Upper Remove. A group of forty children travelled to Switzerland, accompanied by AlG, TRS and MRG and Mrs Gill, to the Jungfrau region. near the town of Interlaken.
Although fresh snow was lacking, this was ~iiadeup for in some respects by a week of very good weather and by the variety of ski areas available to us. There seemed an almost endless s~~pply of pistes forour skiers to test out their developing skills. We also had the benefit of some excellent instruction from the four Astons Ski School Coaches; it was marvellous to see the improvement everyone had made by the end of the week. The beginners, coached by Mr Guest (Snr.) made fantastic progress, and even by the end of the first afternoon, many were beginning to master the snow-plough turn arid enjoying the thrill of the sport.
Although we picked up a few injuries, none was very serious and everyone was still skiing at the end of the week. Tom Guest even managed to get a helicopter ride for a bruised elbow -some people will go to any lengths to beat the rush for the showers at the hotel.
It is super to see somany of those who went to Switzerland signing up for Easter 1995, when we will return to Austriaand the Stubai glacier King's School skiing seems set for another good year.
Rifle Shooting
In January anew club was fonned toconcentrate on competitive rifle shooting with .22 civilian rifles, and the challenging task of acquiring the mental and physical skills to hit abullseye the size of a pin-head at a distance of 20 yards. Second-hand match rifles, leatherjackets and spotting scopes were purchased with the generous support of the CCF, and the first coaching course began with a group of fourteen, some of whom had previous experience with service rifles.
Initial progress was rapid, with sessions twice weekly, and
twelve pupils in the upper Remove and above had reached basic proficiency by theendof the Spring term. In the Summer term, five shooters (Thomas Ha, Luke Kan, Matthew Jones, James Daniell, Alistair Hill) achieved Class A Junior standard in the National Proficiency Scheme, while others continued to shoot to meet the requirements of the skills section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.
At the beginning of the Autumn term, the School was then in a position to field a team in the British Schools' League, based on the averages already achieved. The 'A' team of five plus reserve (Thomas Ha, Luke Kan, James Daniell, Alistair Hill, Mark Buckland, Andrew Sturt) was placed in Division 5 (about half way up the field on our first attempt!) and so far looks like maintaining this position. The School team of eight, with the addition of Matthew Jones and Michael Hearnshaw, fared less well and were eliminated in the first round of a knockout competition. Several members of the 'A' team are also shooting in open competition in the Worcestershire League.
This year's beginner's course will take place bcfore ~hristmas,when we hope to attract another batch of boys and girls who will discover in rifle-shooting a precision sport in which they essentially compete against themselves to achieve scores which are objective standards of progress. The first shoulder-to-shoulder match will also take place before the end of the Autumn term.
S.G.H.G.
The Climbing Club has tlo~~risliedthis year. It is a club with 13 members wlio are cleclicated to tlie sport. Over the year, Toby Gilhet-t cleveloped into LI very fine climber. not only in leading ro~~tes(to Hiu-cl Very Severe) but in seconding somc very 11;lrd routes (Extremely Severe, E3). He was ~llso a great inspiration to tlie yo~~ngermembwsoftlieclub.Jamie Colenian provetl to be an enthusiastic and competent clilnbcr and thoroughly eqoys the sport.
The year started witli a one day trip during the Christmas Half-term to Stanage in tlie Peak District. For a change the weather held and tlie club set out to climb as many ro~~tes us possible. Toby developecl to lend Severe and nn~~~nberof Very Sevcre routes were seconded. Symonds Y:I~hec:uiie tlie local climbing haunt with day trips tliro~~glio~~t the year. Tliis is where the club started to climb sotile very hard routes (on a rope!), and saw the first Extremely Severe graded routes clinibed by members of tlie School.
This was all in preparation fora trip to the Yorkshire Dales in the Christmas holitlays. A day at Ilkley saw Toby lead his first Hard Severe route and with Nick Robertson and Jamie Coleman complete a number of good Very Severe routes.
Then it snowed. An epic tli~yon Pen-y-Glic~itsaw a very long nio~~ntaineer-ingieeriigroute in deep snow antl difl'ic~~ltconrlitio~isto complete ;I gootl trip.
Tlie Easter term inclueled continued training on the wall with the younger members ol'tlie club progressing well. The Half-term trip wits to Malais in So~~tliWales. It rained again but nevertlieless tlie club began to pack tlie gl-atles ~~pw:u-ds towiu-(is Very Severe and beyond.
In the Summer the destination was tlie Peak District. At Curhiu- Toby completed his first Harcl Very Severe 1ci1d. Aval;~nclieWall. ably seconded by Jon B~lceyantl Nick Robertson. This was followed by acl~issic,tlie Penpod. wliicli lived LIPto its name. as everyone except Tohy fell ol't'!
Tlie younger members of the club are now showing great proniise. In particular Jonatlian Bracey. Matthew Jones, Alcx Wootlward ancl Poppy Gilhert we now regularly climbing Very Severe routes.
Jon;itlian Bracey leads tlie club this year :uid he is now learning to lead routes and seconds Extremely Severe. Tlie talent and promise of this year's gr~~~p bodes well for the future.
Selj'Defence for the Female
Alone. particul~~rly at night. many women feel vu1ner:tble. There are too many stories in the press, too many scenes enacted on television, too many real trageclies to he totally im~xrviousto tlie ;IWI'LII 1x)ssihiIities. We used to be tii~~glit to submit to male attackers. perh;ll>s to save OLII. lives. but uttit~~deshave changed. Now. we are t:~~lghtto use low cunning. aggreysion and subtle force to esc~ipc.
L21st September. twenty girls I'rom tlie Lower Remove, Upper Remove and Lower Sixth met on S:lturdoy mornings to take part in a six-week practical course to lenl-11tlie art of self clefence. Petcl- Mead, a retired police inspector. first spelt o~~t tlie M.;I~Sto nvoici trouhle (being grahhed) antl then taught practical and effective methods of escape (how to get 0111ol it if you ;we grabbed). As an expert in the martial arts ;uid exinstr~~ctor to police cadets. lie knows what he is talking itbout. He feels strongly tlii~tgirls need to be tit~lghtto I'ecl aggression against tlicir attitckel-s and to use simple techniques tlii~twill ~~llowtlicm to esc:Ipe.
Inan wlio forces liimsell'on :I woman does not expect to meet witli m~~cliresistance from :I mere li.malc, adtl to that the Ihct that he is invariably a cowartl ancl then utld :I selection of some of Peter's clioicer teclinicl~~esand you have one mightily surprisecl. li~~miliatedand liopef~~lly.sore yobbo. who will think twice before lie tries it again.
I hope to organise another course in tlie Spring Term. Any girl from tlie Lower Remove upwards who thinks she might be interested slioi~ldcontact tile ;IS soon as possible.
C.F.R.
His ~~tlviccand practical expertise come from m;uiy years tlealing witli real lit? situi~tionsuntl,in between tlemo~ist~~tio~is ol' the tecliniq~~es 01' sell' defencc. he rel;lted relevant, antl so~iietimesbizarre. incitlcnts lie had conic :tcross.
Beca~~sePolice Inspector Peter Mead holds :I Black Belt. lie was always more than ;i match 1)r:rny tli~~gwho ll~~icietlhis cli~unces.ancl. ~~nderhisgl~id~rnce131~1ssome strenuous pr~~ctice. tlie girls heciune pretty adept at inc~~piicitatingtlicir would-be attackers. then Ii~~rlingtlicln to the gro~lncl;uicl stamping on iinytliing \x.itliin reach. All rushecl way from the sessions to test tIiei~.liewI'o~~ndskillson fathers. brothers :uid boyl'rie~ids. Theirefl'orts met witli varying succcs\: men tend to he bigger :mtl heftier than somc of 11s.However, ;is Peter ~~lwayssaid. tlie clement wliicli kllways gLl:u.:intccs success i.; s~~rprisc. A
Tunisian Travels - Student Perception
On the fifteenth of December, a part of eighteen Sixth Form - the French part of the city. We carried out a shop survey students and three staff (ERB, MJG and LMG) set out from along the Avenue de Paris. This was a tiring activity but was Bristol airport for one week's Geography fieldwork, based in a useful comparative study between the Villeneuve and the Hammamet, Tunisia. The fieldwork covered a wide variety of Medina." A1e.v Jeflkey subjects, closely related to A level studies. What follows is a "In the BardoMuseum in Tunis, thedisplay of art was quite selection of quotations from the diaries that all students kept amazing-hugemosaics and incrediblelife-like statues." Tim during the fieldwork period. Jotles
Day l - Exploring Hammamet
Day 4 - Project Day
"Who'd have thought that we'd be wearing shorts and T-shirts "Chloe and I decided to do some work on what was sold in the in December? We made our way to breakfast full of anxiety. local Medina and who the main market was aimed at. We After all, what do 'they' eat for breakfast? Our fears were discovered that the main item to be sold was Chloe- this time allayed as we began tucking into corntlakes (served in funny 3,000 camels. Jeff and Ed again rescued her. The other things little metal egg cups!) dates and bread rolls" Mikc Bi.ook~,~ we discovered were that most goods were aimed at tourists"Overslept, missed breakfast and managed to sleepwalk for very few for the local market." Clur-e llsl~y thefirsthburof theday. Wemade ourway dl town centre along the beach. Following fif of investigating beach-front hotels, and son dogs. We made our way into the Medina city). We successfully a' ' ' ' - ' - - -l trekked through the maze
old building with colourful tiles from ~abeui.o one of the images on the tiles were representations of the human form, as the first hburof the day. our way down to Hammamet fieldwork consisting
Day 5 - Kairouan, The Holy City
"Today's morning excursion was to visit some sights in some rather dodgy hot Kairouan, which consist mainly of mosques andmoremosques. dogs. We way Medina (old Arab walled Yes, Kairouan is the fourth holiest city in the Islamic world, city). successfully avoided the local tradesmen as we following snappily on the heels of Mecca, Jerusalem and maze." Willion1 Boltorl Damascus. We visitedfirst of all the Mosque Ogba, a splendid Nabeul. None on the Islamic faith does not allow this, only animals and plants." Rob 0' Keqffe.
Day 6 - Sousse, The Tourist Relt
"Another early start (this is getting ridiculous. Three early starts in one week!) We travelled (by train) to Sousse. a large city south of Hammamet. We were taken to the Ribat (an old fortress with a tower) from where we could clearly see the difference between the Medina and the French city. We investigated services in certain areas (of the Medina) to see if the pattern agreed with land use models by Lowy and Lynch" .Ion Dehenl~unl
"At night we hit the disco and partied until late. I feel our awards ceremony deserves a special mention. Hosted amicably and ably by ERB, awards were given for such things as: Tunisian Taxi-Drivers (Peter, Si and Will), Disco King (Jaff), Minding the Girls (me) and the Nabeul Peace Prize (Peter and Tim)" ./oil G~lr.iie~
Epilogue - Mikc Brookc.7
"Well, what can I say? The trip was enjoyable and there was never a moment of boredom - we were afforded an invaluable Day 2 - Nabeul Market insight into the fascinating world of Tunisia, its peoplc and
"We were very lucky to get to Nabeul as our taxi-driver could c,stoms,= not decide which side ofthe road todrive on-we shut oureyes
and prayed!" C1ar.c Ilslc~
"wewent to Nabeul to find out more about the Medina and craft industries. We were divided into groups and went to mix with the locals and ask a few questions (printed in Arabic!). We don't know the results yet as they answered in Arabic. It W;IS very interesting and the people were very friendly and excited. I had a number of men asking me to marry them which was very amusing to 0111.group." Cl7lot;'Mo(vt7ect.1-
"The market was definitely the place to be. For some it was our fist real experience at bartering and not all of us came out for the best - Si bought an identical druni to Simon Russellbut paid four times as much." Rob O'Keefp
Day 3 - The Capital, Tunis
"Tunis had a very French feel to it, with large open streets with houses three to five storeys high. We were in the Villeneuve
L.M.G.
Mathematical Competitions
For the first time ever, in tlic academic year 199.1-04. there was :I mathematical competition for every pupil from tlie age of eleven years ~~pwards.There werc. in fact. three competitions and pirpils were entered r17 hloc without any special preparation.
Tlic UK School's .Junior Mathematical Challenge, for pupils in years 7 & X (Fo~~rtliForms): of the 09 me~iibersof tlie Upper Fourth who entered. 20 were aw~~rclcdbronre. I9 silver and 4 gold certificates. The top scorer was Ned Fox (U4Dj who went on to try tlie UK Junior Mathematical Olympiad.
Tlie UK Schools' Intertiiediate Mathematical Challenge, for p~~pils in Year- 9. 10 & 1 I (Removes & F'il'th Form): we enterecl everyone in these three years. Of tlie 309 pupils present, 76 were awi~rdedbronze. 30 silver and 23 gold certificates. Top scorer was Andrew Cox (0s) who went on to the fiendish Canadian Invitational Cli:~llenge.
Both these challenges were organised by some keen types at Bi~.mingliamUniversity's School of Mat1iern:itics. We owe them a vote of thanks Ibr the enormous amount of organising they had to do witli the assessment of iuo~~ndtwo hundred thousand entries, nationwide.
The National Mathematics Contest, for Sixth Forniers and organiicd by tlie Mathematical Association: this was taken by all menibcrs of sets U6MM, U6M I. 1AMM iuid L6M 1 and of tlie 36 contestants, tlicre werc I0 bronze. 10 silver and X gold certificates. Alex Bacon (Rr), Alex Nicol (Cr) ancl Gary Hemming (W) were invited to enter Ro~~nd l of tlie British Matlicmatic:~lOlympiad while Alcx Nicol madc it through to Ro~~ncl 2.
I holx that ;III who took part in tlice diversions enjoyed them ancl learned so~iietliingin the process.
Visit to Rothe'neuf, France.
At the cncl 01' the Spring Tern1 1993 1. together \I. it11 MDR. KA. CP :uici MJG. tooh 21 gr(~113of Fo~~rtliFor111nncl 1,owcr Remove pupils to Nosmandy/Brittany.
The early start (3.00 am) from Worcc\ter m:~rleus all very tired by the ti~iicwe :u-rived at our destinr~tiori.L'hOtel du Centre et cl11 C:uiatla in RotliCne~~I'.After :I welcome hot ~iieal we LIII liad ;in early night.
Tlie visits we made wcrc blessed witli I'inc, clry weatlicr so tlicre were no iiioans about bein: wet or colcl. Wc went to St. Male (twicc) for ;I look at the shops ancl ;I wolh :uouncl tlic walls of tlie town. The cliilclren visited tlic Mont St. Miclicl :uitl were fl~scinatcclby the views I'roni the top. Wli:~t\vue\>cn better was the fact tlii~twe clidn't Iiavc to p:~yto get in becauw thc \'iait W;IS o~~tsidetlie \cliool Iioliclay~.On tlie way to St Lunaire we atoppecl ro see the Riuice Tidal Power Station. The pi~piliwere ;~hleto viait the inside of tlie da~iiand they viewed an exhihition of tlie workings ol'tlic turbines. In St Lunnire we liad lunch on the bc:~clifollowed by ;I walk aro~~nrlthe tow11 iuid :inother w:~lk at St C;~st Point for :I supcrh view of the Emeri~ltlCoast.
Tlic village of RothGncuf ia am:~ll witli \liclterctl bays (ideal I'or ct~rly~iiorningfootb:~ll.m~~cli to the iuinoy:mce of MDK). In the cvcninfs we visiteel a bowling alley orelac dicl :I CILI~Z;I~OLIII~the villiyc (courtesy of KA imcl CP).
We rcturncrl home extremely carly (4.00 iun j in the ~norning.Tlie co;~clitlrivel. dirl ;I superh,iob gctting 11sthere ancl back without :I hitch. tliougli lie startecl the early I~ILII-n jo~~rneyhy going I0 miles in the oppo\ite direction. C./l.(;-s
E.R.
EXPEDITION TO MENU BETIN NATIONAL PARK, EAST JAVA, INDONESIA
October 4th - November 15th 1993
I spent ten months raising the £2300 needed to get on an expedition carrying out necessary conservation work within the threatened rainforests of Indonesia. On top of this I had to pay for specialised equipment, needed to enable me to survive and live in the jungle for six weeks.
So, with everything raised and prepared, I set off for the capital city, Jakarta, on October 4th. As part of a 26 strong expedition group (including 4 doctors and 2 nurses), I had to go straight into jungle training in the first week. Both the heat and the humidity were unbelievable and took a lot of getting used to. After tough jungle-training (walking, bivvy-building, survival, etc.), the second week was spent partly travelling to Menu Betin in the East side of Java to the pro.ject sites. We travelled by train, bus and open truck. From the village of Bandaebt weembarked on our first major conservation project -the measuring and marking out of a jungle trail, using posts every I OOm. The posts had to be dug 1 .S ft. into the ground and painted with the relevant number. The 2 1 .S km (2 15 posts) trail was covered in 5 days. We slept in the jungle in bivvies and carried all our own food. It was completely exhausting and we were soaked with sweat all the time. We arrived totally filthy at Sukamade on Sunday 17th October, dying for a decent wash and bed!
On Monday, 18th October, we established a base camp about 1 km from ??? ('turtle') beach. We then started the 'main' conservation work and the complete renovation of the baby turtle aquarium. The next three and a half weeks were spent rebuilding the roof (using coconut hair and bamboo, and local roofing methods), painting the walls and window frames of the laboratory,cleaningout the lab and turtle tanks, cleaning the area around the aquarium of weeds and rubbish ready for the planting of a garden, and replacing the tank water every day.
We also carried out regular night and morning turtle patrols, The night patrols were spent checking that the turtles laid theireggs. undisturbed, whereas the mornings were spent carefully digging up and counting the eggs before burying them in the protected hatching area.
The turtles are incredible creatures and the jungle itself is an experience never to be forgotten - so dense and so full of life. I saw monkeys, snakes, scorpions, spiders .. all in the wild, and I was always covered in insect bites!
As well as the turtle-related projects we ;painted an observation tower and carried out a bamboo count during another jungle trek to a different part of Menu Betin (size500 km). This was done in smaller groups so as not to leave base camp unattended.
Just before we left Sukamade we had an official opening of the aquarium by top officials of the Indonesian Forestry department, the PHPA. They were very impressed with our work and by continuing to work closely with the (supplying not just labo~~r but also the money for the materials necessary, e.g. paint), we are ensuring that future expeditions can be carried out in Indonesia and thus helping to safeguard the rainforests. The rest of the last week was spent climbing a volcano (Mt. Broma) and hopping across to Bali for some much needed 'R & R', where we had an end of expedition party.
By the end of it all, we had achieved so much and according to the expedition leader should be justifiably proud of all our work. Without us none of the above projects would have happened. We have and will make a difference. That is what Trekforce expeditions are all about. There is no point complaining about the destruction of the forests if words cannot be turned into actions.
I have learned so much about myself and the environment in which I had to live. It was not all work.
Football and volleyball matches were organised against the locals and were good fun (90 minutes of soccer in 340C).
I made many good friends out in the jungle and believe that the experience was well worth the money, time and effort. Conservation of the rainforests need to happen right now! Thank you to all those at King's who have helped make this trip possible.
Charles E. Palmer Queensland, Australia
Italian Trip - February 1994
Last February. twelve students and four teachers set out on a joulney to see Florence and Venice. We were a mixed group, a conglomeration of Art and Italian students and those who just wanted to soak up the Italian scenes. It has to be said that 4.00 am is not the best time to begin a holiday, but as we soon found out, it was not going to be a time to relax.
We saw the works of art of Florence and Venice in a whirlwind from Michael Angelo's Davidand the Uffizi Gallery to St Mark's Cathedral :und Tintoretto's schuola. I don't think that I could pinpoint one particular piece of artwork as my favourite, but the paintings on the interior walls of the churches and cathedrals were magnificent. It is so different from just seeing art in a gallery. It was not all culture t110~1gh:for 1i:tlf of the day we were left to wander around and explore the cities thelnselves. The market in Florence was 21 hive of activity and much time was spent wandering around the stalls. Nut~~rally,we went to the square where the murder took place in the film A Roowr With A I'ic~.,which was acted out on the first night to the enlbarrassment of a couple of reluctant cast members!
Venice wo~~ldcapture ~~nyone'silnagin~~tion;yo~~enter a different world as yoi~step o~~t of the train station. At first. it seemed that we wo~lldbe constantly lost in the midst of the hundreds of alleyways. but afteraclay we all knew them like the back of our hands. It was just as well as it meant that we coulci find o~~r way back to the cheapest ice cream shop in Venice. The range of tlavours was ~lnbelievableand Jess was in ecstasy over her five scoops. Unfort~~nately,the price of a gondola trip was extortionate so we had to be content with a thirty second ferry gondola across the Grand Canal.
For lunch we ~~suallysepa~xtcdoff to sample Italian clelicncies such as thin slices of bread packed fill1 with very wet fillings. or slices of pizza. It was i'ur Inore atmospheric ill the evenings, as most nights we sat at long tables all together for a et mean. My favourite was a small restaurant in Venice. We all eli.ioyed it as we chose to go back to it for the last evening.
After ten packed days we arrived back at School. W; had learned to view Art in a different way and our Italian vocabulary. at least as far as menu reading was concerned. had been extended. Florence and Venice arc fi~scinatingplaces to visit and I recommend the 1995 trip to everybotfy.
Zoe Marchant
The 1994 Fete was probably the best ever. The weather was kind. the school was packed with a very large number of visitors, there was a lot for people to enjoy and we raised a substantial sum of money. As usual, some of the money went to pay for things tliat we could not afford out of fee income: the Old Chapel now has mains electricity which will make it an even Inore effectivecentre for outdoor activities. Some of the money went to local charities.
This was Peter Blackham's last year as Chairman of the Development Committee and the School owes him a great debt of gratitude -as it does to Maureen Cobb and the rest of the Committee. (Not only does this group of parents organise the biennial School Fete but also the Christmas Ball and most of the other events for parents - sonie of which are fundraising but some whose purpose is simply to get parents involved with others in enjoyable activities.) In the months, weeks and days leading up to the Fete, members of the Committee had put in a lot of time and effort toensure that the event was a success. David Hall had organised the layout of the site, an operation similar to doing a large jigsaw puzzle where the pieces keep changing shape; Chris Lee designed and ~iiadehuge wooden figures of Romans which appeared around Worcester on the Saturdays beforehand to remind the p~lblic of the coming event; John Woodcock conducted 21 publicity campaign on a scale that would not have disgraced the launch of the National Lottery. The Bursar and his teams, as usual. ensured that a great deal was done to niake the day run smoothly.
The theme that had been chosen was he Romans' so therc were a nuniber of figures in togas to be seen as well as a gl-oup of Roman Legionaries displaying theirmilitary -and domestic - PI-owesson the lawns by the Dining Hall. With tongue in
cheek the theme was extended to include Tllc Glurliato~~s, of TV fame, and we were very fortunate that Muff Murfin managed to secure the presence of Jet. For the benefit of those readers for whom The G1~1rliaro~:r is not requiretl viewing. Jet is a very attractive young lady whose chnnns were such tliat the whole of the 1 st XV felt they had to stay close to her at all times and the Bursar, for the first time in living memory, emerged from his counting house to be photographed with her.
Apart from that particular piece of fun, there were all the traditional stalls and sideshows. Large numbers of parents had given up their time to spend a long day at King's often working alongside their children: not only does the School benefit from this but. I believe, so also do the children from the example set by their parents. However, many boys and girls volunteered to help not only on the day but also on the Saturdays beforehand. Their help was invaluable.
As ever, it is always impressive to see the School Gardens overllowing with stalls operated by children and their parents from the Junior School. (There must be a reason why parents from that end of the School are more prepared to dress up than when their children get older; perhaps it is the reverse e~nbarrass~nentfactor.) The Playground. the Monitors' Lawn, cl~~ssroo~ns,CoIlegeGreen and many other places were ~LIIIof people: the Bottle Stall seemed bigger and better that evercertainly the queues were longer: there were two sets of stocks into which members of staff were sent so as to get sonkect and thus to identify the Inore sadistic pupils.
As always, it was a most en.ioyable day which achieved a great deal.
T.D.R.H.
The Young Enterprise Scheme
For those who are unfamiliar with this scheme, it provides students with an opportunity to work as a team setting up their own companies in exactly the way that it has to be done in the world of work.
The teams have to elect a Managing Director, a Finance Director, a Company Secretary, a Marketing Manager, a Production Manager, a Sales Manager and so on. They have to decide what it is that they will produce, do some market research, acquire shareholders, open a bank account, get their product ready for sale and then sell it: they have to try tomake a profit and not go broke!
During the last year, over fifty students took part; there were three Lower Sixth companies and- unusually - a group of keen Fifth Formers. A variety of products were produced including sports caps, gift boxes, French vocabulary books and a mini basket ball net to fit over a waste paper bin. Stalls were set up at the annual Trade Fair at the Guildhall and, later in the year, at the School Fete. The students had fun, endured occasional bouts of frantic work and discovered a great deal about setting up and running a business - including many of the pitfalls. There was even an examination in the Spring Term in which they could earn credit for what they had learnt.
ERB, RJD and RPM were Link Teachers for the groups and we owe a particular debt of gratitude to the eight local business people who gave up their free time to come into the School each week to act as Business Advisers. Three other people deserve a special mention. One is Mr. Tim Westbrook, the Managing Director of Royal Worcester and in his spare time the Chairman of the Regional Young Enterprise Board, who took an overall interest in the progress of the King's School companies. Another is Mr. Roger Spilsbury who, in spite of continual illness, organises the scheme in this region and makes it the most successful in the Country: he was very helpful to us. Finally, Margaret Radnidge not only shouldered the day to day administration of the project within the School but also attended meetings on our behalf, organised training courses and acted as a vital point of contact for the business people and students alike.
The whole scheme provided a unique and invaluable experience for our students and a lot of work went into making that possible.
LIMITED NUMBERS OF THE NEW SCHOOL HISTORY STILL AVAILABLE
1300 copies of Tllc Ki/i,q'.rSc,l~oolWol-c,cster--andu History qf its Sitc, published earlier this year, have been distributed and sold. Half of the proceeds, a total of over &2000, will be donated to St Richard's Hospice, the Worcester charity for the terminally ill, in the very near future.
In March the four remaining members of the production team, Julian Wood, Alex Nicol, Essi Sadeghi-Dehkurdi and James Roslington, with the editor and publisher, CFR and JMR, went to the printing works of Seve~nsidePrinters to see the first sheets coming off the presses and then later to witness the first of the finished copies being bound. These were visits which had been very hard to imagine only a few weeks earlier when the rush was on to gain pennission to publish photographs, finish sections and proof rend.
Many helped with the final processes, particularly our thanks go to PCT who became proof reader supremo and to Michael Craze OV who pointedout oursilliermistakes. Margaret Radnidge added The Book to her other work load and looked after the production of the hardback version and the retail sales in Malvern, Pershore and Worcester during the summer ternl. She also ran a stall at the Fete and began the sales to OVs in July. We are very grateful for her invaluable help.
In case there is anyone left in the no~lhernhenlisphere who still doesn't know, The Book was written and edited by pupils of the School, drawing on several ycars of research and extensive interviews with OVs and members of staff. Intended as a historical survey of the School and itsenvironment. it is 161 pages long, with 230 illustrations.
The history of the site is described from prehistoric times onwards, during which time it served variously as acnstle. aprison, and a hanging place. The School's predecessors from the seventh century and The King's School proper from the l54 1 refoundation are viewed in the context of events such as the Battle of Worcester and the First World War. while space is also given to recount
curious incidents such as the outbreak of appalling vandalism of November 1837 in College Hall, the unthinkable move to amalgan~ateKing's with the Royal Gram~narand schoolboy feuds fought out in Edgar Street. Also included are biographies of fi~mousOVs such as the comedian and actor Rik Mayall, theTudor magician Edward Kelly and the founder of Royal Worcester Porcelain, Dr. John Wall. The twentiethcentury is welldocumented with lively first-hand accounts of the School from the 1920s ~~ntil the present day.
Its reception has been almost universally kind and many seem to have actually read it too. OVs from the 1930s and 1940s have been particularly interested and madevery useful comments which we hope to include in a re-print one day. Several people have commented on its easy-to-read format. ideal reading ~naterialin the smallest room in the house or for the insomniac!
Only 200 copies remain of the softback edition. priced at 55, so early ordering isessential. Ofthe hardbackeditions, only one is still available at the time of going to press, but more can be ordered. Inquiries should be sent to Mrs Roslington.
James Roslington
Odyssey
The following is an extract from Odyssey; an account of the Roslington's sabbatical.
"Another beautiful day!" greeted 0111- neighbour, a Finn in a custom-built gleamingly-new yacht. So we went fo~tlinien.ily into the shining new day. A few hours later we were running before gale force winds, gusting up to Force 9. We know this because o~~rwindindicatorsriid as m~~ch.With big. but short seas piling up behind us, it was hard work at the helm. Rather too late xs always. we took seasick pills and then passed the bucket in friendly fashion. The bout behaved benutifi~lly.though the engine did decitlc not to start when we tul-ned inshore towards our destination. We arrived exhausted, but triumphant, only to find complete indifference on the part of our fellow yachtsmen - nothing had ruflled tlie aperitifs. We did seem to be the only mad foolsactually suiling.Themarine~-owho tookour lines. was quite impressctl so we puton ashow of bravado for him ~uidthen collapsed shakily into tlie G & Ts.
It was another lovely sunny morning. wann with a gentle breeze and so the remark, "That's odd. 771ePilot (yachtsman's g~~iclebook) mentions that cloi~daround the mountain tops is an indicator ofa gale coming", seemecl both irrelevant and faintly amusing. A couple of hours later we were again watching mountainous seas piling up astern as the wind indicator again moved inexorably towards 46 knots (Force 9). We got better at gales with practice. I learnt not to scl-eech when the wheel was yankcdoutof my grip and. vital forthe nerves, not to look astern. We both learnt not to need the bucket.
The plan was to use Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca as mere stepping stones for tlie big plunge to Corsic:~and Sardinia where we liad never sailed before, so of course, we took weeks. On passage to Ibiza Town we fhund o~~rselvesheading into a sq~~all and somewhat liystel-ically donning oilies and boots. This was June in the Med! The rain slewed into our faces, reducing visibility to nothing. On arrival, there was faint rancour over which berths to take LIP.there being three options, but since the first marina turned us away for not being millionaires and the second for not being able to pay like niillionaires, the situation resolved itself naturally.
The longest passage this time was to be the 230 miles (two days) to Corsica and we were worrietl ~tbo~~tarl-iving on tlie treacherous west coast short-handed, hut phone calls to a weatherman in Ajaccio predicted a few clays of calm so we went for it and had a near perfect trip. And in Corsica we recoveretl. The weather was beautil'ul and remained so for the next two months. We avoided marinas; they hamper the pocket and the senses, so we did without electricity and most mod-cons from then on. As the sailing season was now upon us we began to meet other adventurers - all with stories to tell, bottles to share and information and books toexchange, although nobody seemed to want half a ton of history books.
Corsica, Sardinia and Elba are f'r~scinatingin their very different ways. We travelled miles on a rcal bone-shaker of a single-track train, nicknamed the T~-~,t~rhlcrby the locals. across the maquis and mountains of Corsica; we :unchored in ti~rq~toise seas :umongst tlie islantls off northern Siu-dinia and harl a rat loin us on hoard one night: we mingled with the crowds in Elba. celebrating Italy's football success against tlie Spanish in the World Cup. We had begun to collect islantls in earnest. We liad read all the wrong books about Italy. Inslead of suffering the most expensive marinas in Europe. we paid only once for our berth in Italian waters which was when we lcft tlie boat LIPthe River Tibcr while we rct~~rnctl to Gucrnsey for a
week at theendofJuly. Wedid see rats in Naples, but abusdriver escorted LIS to the correct bus stop ~uidsomeone gave us :I lift to the bank. We spent a whole week rent-free near Rome because a Signor Fixit we had first met in the tiny hiubour of the island of Giglio kindly told the police to leave 11s alone. So much is metnorable; tlie charming people we met. the cities of Pisu. Florence and Rome; Etr~~scatitombs and enough :uncient Roman towns to be able to spot an atrium at fifty paces and. of cout-se, many more islands, but especii~lly I remember Venrotenc with its Roman harbour where the galleys herthed to off-load cargoes and visitors for the great villa. (Am I the only person in the worltl to have 20 photographs of Rom~inbollartls ~nacleof tufn? They join my collection of empty waves where dolphins slio~~ldbe.) We recollect ~uichoringbeneath a cliff off the island of Panaria and watcliingtlievolcanoofStromboli puffing ballsof fireevery t'ew minutes and then. a little later, tearing through the Straits of Messina with a perfect breeze and dodging at least a dozen ferries. Finally Sicily and yet another people and a different culture. We enjoyed Cataniu with its market like an Arab souk. but suddenly became aware of being tlie only foreigners in real Mafia country. We hadn't seen many foreign yachts for a long while and all the tourists in Syracilse seetnetl to be It, 'I I'lan. The trip could have gone on Ibr ever, but at last we had to come back and so left L)o/r Qlii.votr at Kalkara in Malta. England's cold and damp was a shock: we had enjoyed the heat. Our knowledge, geographical, historical and linguistic, has increased dramatically; we now know for certain we don't want to take a boat across the Atlantic; we have learnt again that there is a great deal in modern living we can be vet-y happy witlio~~t. even Tlrc Al.c~l~cr.s,and we know we don't want a flashy new yacht when we have such a trusty old friend. We must thank the gods who smiled on 11s.but more particularly o~~rchildren. my parents. the Headmaster. tlie governors. ~uidthe Physics and History Departments for letting 11sgo.
C.F.R.
Played 17 Won 12 Lost 5
Points For 289 Points Against l46
Tries For 40 Tries Against 13
The overall record for this season did not seem very promising when tlie team took the field against Rossall at a windswept Fleetwood on November 1st. lust four wins out of nine games did not tr~11yreflect the potential of the side and served only to c~nplinsise tlie lack of defensiveclualitics that had been displayed witli poor performances against Cheltenham ant1 KES Birniing1i;uii plus one ofshocking ineptit~lcieagainst Solihull. In a display of real character a close win was recorded and the te;uii did not look back. winning a f~~rtlierseven games, conceding just four tries in tlie process. Tlie most remarkable of these was against Brolnsgrove where 19 points were conceded in tlie fir\( 15 minutes iuid a real drubbing looked likely. Lesser teams LVOLII~ have t'oltletl but an extl-aortlin;~ry figlitbach saw victory achievecl by final rni~rginof 5 points.
Rugby at [hi<level tlcpends on sound performances by tlie key players tlirougli
Results
vs Christ College Brecon
the spine of the team. The half backs are crucial and the right combination is tlie key to success. Matthew Haywnrd was inconsistent at scrum half but when lie played well particularly against Rossnll and RGS Worcester the rest ofthe team found it easier to function effectively. Fly half was a PI-oblem until Cliris Jamcs moved from the wing halfway tlirougli the terni. He was starting to exercise real control over games when he tragically broke his leg against Aston. Lia~nCliivers, P;ILI~Rudd and Artisliam Fiaz werereg~11;1r members of the buck division but did not have as Inany running opportunities as I would liave liked. Mike Brown returnet1 to play after four years oi~tof the game and showed what a natural ball player he is i~ltho~~gli he 13rob;lbly wo~lldhave preferred not to play on tlie wing. Jonathan Parker played on tlie other wing until lie tlecidetl to retire and altliougli this coincided will1 better results I am not sure if there is any connection. Tlie ~~northodoxGabricl Moores took his place and performed creditably. Rob Honan played witli calm ttssurancc at f~111back ant1 was also the goalkicker. He did liave off-days ~uid should liave won the game against RGS Lancastcr for LI~.FO~~LIII;IIC~~ lie was on form when we played another RGS and his three penalties taken ~~ndergreat ~I-CSSUI-~ens~~red a fo~~rthconsecutive viclory asainst the old enemy.
Lost 1 1-20
v.; King Henry's Coventry Won 36-6
Warwick Scliool
Wrekin College
C1ieltcnli:uii College
Soliliull Scliool
KES Biniiingliam
Queen M;u.y's Walsall
RGS Lancaster
Rossall Scliool
Bishop Vesey's GS
KES Camp Hill
Hereford Catlietlral
Bromsgrove Scliool
KES Aston
Bristol GS
RGS Worcester
Won 8-0
Won 10-0
Lost 6-18
Lost 9-24
Lost 5-9
Won 56-6
Lost 0-6
Won 18-15
Won 32-3
Won 9-5
Won 22-3
Won 24-19
Won 27-0
Wcn 7-3
Won 9-6
Tlie pack was a sound unit and could be relied upon to achieve more than the fair share of ball from all phases of play. Richard Robcrts realised his fill1 potential at tight head prop and his namesake Mark was tlie first choice at loose head. Josliun Church and Richnrd Mettrick were called upon to prop on u number of occasions and were quite reliable. It was a grent benefit to liave two good hall players in Tom Bawden and Yugo Matsu~notoat lock and their contribution around the field as well as in the tight was a bonus. Tim Bradsliaw relincluished the blind side tlanker's job to Rob Santlford and the latterhav~ngconvertedtrom hookerp~~t in 5ome excellent performances in the later stages of the season. The pick of the forwartls were Alex Tliomas, Tom Dnvies and Ricliard Protherough. Tom and Alex invariably dominated tlie opposition in search of the loose hall ;adRichard witli his lightning fast liooking and pin-point accuracy in lineout throwing gave the forwiwtls a clear advantage in set piece play.
Roh Honan and Josli~~uCli~~rcli tfeservedly won the Preston Shield for the moat i~nprovedplttyer\whilst Ton1 Davies orid Riclial-d Protherough represented the Midlands at Under 1 X level. Ricliard ha tlie opportunity to progless even further next year and adtl to the cap lie ohtuned at Under 16 level.
Tom return\ to captain the team once again next year and altlio~~glithere will not be ;I grent de:~lof experience in total lie along witli Ricliard ancl Yugo are s~~ch good forwards that another successful season is very likely.
M..I.R.
First Seven
Seven\ i\ a ganic fol- player\ ulio arc \,cry fit ~111clli:~ve\veil-tu~ie(l 1x111skill\. 11 i.; not cn\y I'or player\ 1.1-omKing'\ \vho play very little Seven\ lower down tlic Scliool to ;tl-rivc at \cri~orlevel and liitve 10 Ical-n what i\ clearly :I totally tlif'fcrcnt ga~iie.Thi\ call onl! be (lone hy a very tletlic;lted approach as tlie competitions that we cnlcr have the hest team\ in the counlry coml?cting. Satlly tliis yeal:~ltliougli the rni~jority were hcen ant1 detli~.atedtlicrc wcre somc who preferred other Inore esolcric activitie\ \LICII:I\ cil-inking coffee in town.
I was deligliled tlii~tcvcnt~l:llly the team ~~uI'(~r~iiccI u ell :I( the Floocllit to~~r~ia~iicnlgettlny to the wmi-final ancl 11iore i~iil?orta~itlvI-encliinr tlic lasl I h at Ro\slyn P~~rkbenting St Etlw~~rcl'\0x1'01-cl. Brotiisgrovc Pal-t\liioutIi. Gre\liam'\ ant1 I1~1r\tpierpointhel'ore losilig to King's Canterhu1.y.
111 ~?sc\,io~tsto~~~~~i;~~iie~it\ llicrc \~CI-C \owe goocl pul'ol-mitnces hut in general lack ol' real pace anti too many mi\\ecl t;lckles re\~~ltcd in c~~slydep;lrt~lre\. Tom Da~ie\emergeclwitligrcatcrecli~ fro111tlie \ea\on by c~lplainingthaw wlio were prcpal.cd to work hard at tlic gamc i111cIlie p~~t ill :I\~tperIi~~~ii:t~icffo~-t0111ii:111y oci,a\ions. A Icx Tliom:~s;tnd Tom B:~wden were the otlics reg~tlarl'orward\ alllio~~gli Yugo Mat\~~liio~o.Ricli:u-cl Pro~Iicro~~gIi uncl Jo\Iiua Church matlc a numbcl- of :rpl?car;tnce\. 'l'lic most el'l'ective I~achand top try \corer \\:I\ certninl) Li;uii Cliive~-S :incl lie \\:I\ \\ell \LIPI~I~IC(I by P:url Rutld. A~-ti\Ii:tmFiaz prohably milcle tlie grcate\t iniprovcment (luring tlie \ea\on 31id Mihe Brown sparkled occ;~sionallyon tlie wing although hi\ fitness left something to be tlcsil-eel. My thanks go to them all ancl tlie ot1ie1-swlio regul;lrly turnecl up to enjoy hcing piu-1ol'tlie scl~tild.
~1su;11in,iu~-ic\.two regular lil-st tea111 1?1;1!,er\ OIICC (Iroppcd ~;IVC II~):II~~1ooh 110 I'~~rtlicrpart. This 01' cour\c not only wci~kcnctltlic weoncl\. I>ut also the third\. In the latter ~;II.I ol'the wason the tciuii dicl become more .;cttlecl. Twenty plnyc~-\formetl tlic nuclcu\ of tllc \icle. The I'orwartl\. hccamc mol-e iuid Iiiore dominant as the term went oli. Their r~~ckingw:tpnrtic~~larlyirnpl-e\sivc.Tliey won mole than tlicir f:li~- \hare ol' good cl~tdityhi~llnntl in my opinion werc never clominatecl. The original captain wa\ won lost to Llie I \I XV ancl tlic regular cal~ti~in. when lie wa\n't com~iiandceredliimsclf. became Cli~u-lie1,owc. The st:lndiu-d ol.lii\ play at n~~mhcr X :~ricl hi\ Ie:~cle~-\hip\vcre I'irht cla\\. Tlie otlicr ~-egula~-torw;trtl.; uere Smith. Ciotf. Mackcndcr. Mettrich.
\omclli~ng we tlo I'or c11,ioynient ;lntl cxerci\c.Ol'cour\c. tlierc i\ ~io~lii~ig \\ 1.0112 ill \\i~i~ii~i~. To pl:~y :I\ Ii;i~.cl;I\ po\\il)le \vitliin the I;~ws;111el spirit ol'thc g;t~iic i\ the liiglic\l coml,li~iient tli:~tcm he p:~icl10 all oppo\ition. To he clis:~ppointecl when you lose i\ al\o nalural. hut learning lo lithe vic1ol.y or tlelcat u,itli CCILI;LI gootl grace is LII-CI~ tlie Ic\\on tliat is WOI-111 learning. Kel'ereeing ingiuiies lessons iuitl prircticcs is less I'r;t~lglit ;11icI eve11 en,ioy~thle. :~ltliougli refcrcei~ig somc pl;iyer\ is 1101;l1 wily\ea.;y. Iw:t\ ol'cou~-sc. ol'l~rctlplenty of'atlvicc hy cer-(ail1players. Finally. I kel I lia\.e to mention thecontribution ~iiadehy MJK. During liis tenure as 1 st XV coach the I'ir\t XV hacl an exlrc~iielyimpl-cssive rccorcl. matlc e\ en mol-c. I-emarhahle hy ;I tlcl'inite
M..I.lZ.
Thirty six cliffercnt players reprc\cntcrl tlic side (luring tlic \c:tson. A\ ale.;~~Itoftlii.;,trying tocat;~hlislicontin~~ity uas cliffic~~lt.OI'COUI-cc.tliis is (lie ~iature of 2nd XV r~~gby.Tlie 1st XV. cl~~ite rightly. take\ priol-ity. Mo\t player\ eventually move up to the top iclc at \ome time or otherantl then rc~lpthe rcwartls ol' tlie sy\tcm. Incvitahly there is n 'C;tnnon fodtler' aspect to somc of the senior practices.
This seu\on selection wa\ rn:lcle more tlil'l'ic~~ltby tlie I'act th;tt many players ~iiovedup to tlie \enio~-side. hut no1 as many came bncl, clown. A~;II-t 1.1-om the
Russcll. Bcal-d. Froggatt. Cliapm:ln. Brookcs. ancl H~I-I-isancl tlie rcg~~liu.bnchs Hurmiui. Humplir~cs,Huines. Ilobhin. Hurmnn. Bolton. Denhin ~wtlB~lcklancl. High point\ 01' tlic sca\on werc wins :tg;lin\l Clicltenli;~ni.:uid Bristol CS. Tlie tiefear by WRGS uaa a disaplmintmelit. but certainly not a cliap~-i~e.The team tried li:u-d. lintl one good chance early on and wcre in the end beaten by a \lightly strongcl- team. Mo\t impel-1:uitly. I u3a\ impresseel by tlicir commitment, as inclivitlu:~ls antl collectively. but more particularly hy their :tttitucle\ :uid beh:~viour on ancl 01.1' 11ic I'iclti. They beli:lvctl impccc;~hlyancl were ;I credit to tlietiisclvcs ancl School.
One of tlie more onerou\ dutie\ ol' tlic 2nd XV co:~cli is rcl'crecing home gmes. It i\ p;lrtic~~larlydil'l'ic~~tl~tol-el'crce yo~~rowll\ide wlie~iIIie gil~iici\ tiglit. This can lead to friction on and 01.1' the ficltl. The match :igiiinst Rromsgrove i\ a goocl cx;~~iiple.111 tlie heat ol-the momclit il i\ ea\y to forget that it is only a gamc.
\[l-c~igtlicningol'tlicfixt~~rclist. His ability us a coach. motivator ancl ti~ctic~an:U-c well ;~ppr~iatecl hy those wlio have played untler lii~iiand those wlio lii~vesuf'cred tlcfeat hecause ol' Iii~ii.Tlie testimony to liis \LICCC\\ is perIi;~ps be\t illustratetl hy the wing of liono~~nucliicvctl hy his f'orrner pli~ycrsand hy the nuliihcr ol'hoys wli~li;~\~enow gr:~tlu;~tctlto first cla.;\ rugby.
D.T.N.
It i\ kist becoming \ometliing 01' a clicli6 to report on n successful \eit\on I'olthe 31.~1XV, ye1 here we go ;lg;iin! Tlie te:111iLY:I\. :I\ i\ l~eco~iii~igi~icre;~\i~igly rlie nor111 ;II (hi\ level, pop~~lateclI'ol-rhc moat pal-t I3y ;thle. workmwilihe. p1;1yer\ wlio h:lcl been B-~c.;l~iiplayel-s lo\ver clown the School. ~)crlial?\tlriftecl in ancl OLII ol' the g;tliic somewli:lt :uitl the11rclur~ictl10 tlie l'Ol(1 l'or v~ll-1~lll\re:1.;011\. 1101 le;l\t tI1e
impending need for something to write on their all important UCAS form.
Once again it would be unfair to appl:~utlindividuals, sincc, as the players themselves wo~~ltl be tlie first toappreciate, the game is all about the contribution of individuals to the team perfoniiance and at the end of the day the team rather than any individual, receives the plaudits.
However, some games do stick in the ~iiind,particularly the victories over Brecon and Solihull when backs and forwards really did perform as a team and all the hard work done in practice came good. The game at Cheltenham, a notoriously difficult place to go and win. will stick in my mind not only for the quality of application by our boys but also because it is the first time that I have ever seen a team (theirs) score two tries with two balls at the same time! The referee quite rightly declined to award any points doubtless, in days gone by, IB would have found a way to award us 10 points!
The team was, more often than not, skippered by Johnny Hung. maintaining the recent tlxdition of a Boarder ably managing and organising adisparate group of individuals. I fear that with the number of Boarders in decline, this particular tradition may not last. but be assured, the future of senior rugby at third team level is safe.
R.P.M.
Under 16 XV
This year's team will not be remembered for achieving great results. which is a pity as it deserved to have far more recognition than it received Too often it was a side that battled well only to corne away with nothing. and there were occasions when the opposition was completely o~~tplayedand still tlie result was a defeat. No game typified this more than the one a,~ainstSolihull where re;~sonnbleopposition ht~rdlysaw the ball. with King's having easily the majority of tlie possession. Thi\ was due to an outstanding perfoniiancc by the forwards wlio dornin:~tcd their opponents. Unlbrtunatel),. here a in other games, neitherforwartls nor backscoultlcapitalisc on this, ~undtlie team went down to the only score of tlie match. This wxs particularly frustrating for the Ibrwards wlio often won fine ball through powerful rucking and mauling, but the backs, although tleCensively strong. lacked the ability to score triez easily. Thc conch at KES Birmingham. a side which had won the prestigious Uui!r.Mnil pennant. com~ncntedon the strength of the forwards ancl lie was right. there was considerable power and determination here. Marc Barne\ was alwoyscommitted.
as were Andy Trornclns and Paul Gould. Julian Wright won some useful ball, and was likewise determined, with John Clubley being part of a strong collection ofboarders in the team. AI1 ofthe forwi~rds might have added a little more brainpower to their brawn on n number of occasions! It was in training that the backs often showed perhaps their greatest strength: collectively they mustbe oneofthe biggest bunch of jokers around. There was rarely adull moment with the likes of Jon Webb, ChrisGiIIibrandand Matthew Pearce. Dan Ott and Ben Singleton also added to the considerable level of skill and they all trained andplayedwell, but they will need to bc a more attacking group to really succeed.
For me there were two highlights in the season. The first of these was the final of the County Cup competition against Oldswinford, a fitting game to finish off the season, in which we played manfully. having the opportunity to win the game but being defeated by an unfortunate lapse (by the neutral referee) which allowed the opposition to win. The other game is a strange choice, because it was one of the most ill-tempered matches I have ever seen. Against a local school we came up against some dubious refereeing and a lot offoul play, but we kepto~~rheads, refused to he intimidated and came out of the game with rep~~tationsintact. This was largely due to the mat~~rityand levelheadedness of the captain for the season, Jake Hannah. On that day it was a particular pleasure to be associated with rugby at King'sSchool.
R.J.D.
Under 15 XV
Unfortunately no report wn\ received for this team.
Under 14 XV
On the face of it. this was not a particularly successful season, but with a little more luck in some close encounters with three or four schools in a strong fixture list, the picture would have been much brighter. It is difficult to recall n group of boys who trained harder. were as responsive to direction and coaching, and who seemed toenjoy their rugby so much. Even after heavy defeats at the hands of Cheltenham, Warwick and Oldswinford early in the season, the enthusiasm of the squad was undiminished and there was keen competition for places throughout the season.
Thc Under 13 team of the previous year was strengthened by the arrival of Jonathan Corrand Daniel Kendrick, and it was quickly evident that there were strength and talent in both forwards and backs which would allow us to play open rugby. The forwards played with determination and cohesion frequently o~~tplayingtheir opponents. Edward Brazier, Max Wright and David Woodcock were a strong, mobile front row, and Jon Corr.Alex Brittain, Nick JonesundGareth Young all played impressively at times. The forwards handled the ball well and their ability to win quick ruck ball improved during the season.
The team was captained by Jonathan Turner at scrum half, and his strong defensive and attacking play proved inspirational on many occasions. In the three-quarters Mark Forrester andRichard Lewis formed a good centre partnership. and Nicky Rouholamin and Steven Freeman ran and tackledliardon the wing. It is sad that we have losl David ancl Ian Sandford who played regularly for the team. Their enthusiasm, elusive r~~nning and skill will be sorely missed in the
tliey co~rlcl tlo ancl won their gro~~p tlefcatirig Hroni\grove R. Atl;lnis A. ;lntl 13rigliton before being hnochctl OLII in tlie CILlarter l'inals. 11 was pleasing to sec some success l'or n teiuii which li:~cl so lirrle during the rest ol'tlic year. ./.L.(). l ./.'l' CV.
Under 12 XV
Considering so few boys li:~cl pl:tycd ~uiy\art ol' competitive rugby wlien tlie Lowcl-Fo~rrtlisarrived fol-their first games lesson of tlie yea!-, the stl~~admade somc remarkable progress over tlie scLIson.
Although the team won only one of its fixture\, there was really only one game (:~gninst KES Birmingha~ii)when it wa\ made to look rlistinctly second he\(. Tlie learn's grci~tstrength was in it\ t:~chling. I'~~ture.They contrih~~tcdgreatly to tlie team significantly.
Time and timc again ream\ ol' greater excellent spirit of this te:un. physical strcngtli and prowess wel-c We were Ihrtunate to have the \ervice\
Highlights of tlie season included a ofRicliartl M~iol-andD:micICuIIcn.Thcy knocketl backwiu.d\ hy somc 2321-cs\ivc de\e~-vet1draw witli KES Rirmingliium are two talented h;lcks \vho co~~ldtul-n a ;~ntlwholehearted t:lckling. lan Wooclcock :Incl a very stl-ong p~l.fol.mallc~111 game with inlelligent ancl strong running (often tlie smallest player on tlie pitch) RI-oriisgro\'e that cnabletl LI\ to tlcli.nt its well as shilful 1i:uidling. Tlie other wi~so~~ts~;lnding in tlii\ ~-e\pectancl Ben Hicklingal\omatIt: an~~rnherol'i~ii~~re\sive convincingly their pl-cviously unbe:lten hack\ s~lclia\ Antlrew Lonbay. Lloytl .,-:* side.
1111\
Under 13 XV
0.c;.
The linrlel- l.? r~lghy1ei11ii\ 11:1cI ;I tlifficult timc last year. 130th A :uid R team\ tenclcc1 to he \~iialler tlian their oppo\ition. altlio~~glithi\ is no excu\c. Most ol' the pla)'crs trietl Ilartl in game\ and pr:~tice\.witli liltlc tangible rewartl ~~ntil tlie encl ol'tlie waxon. ulien rculls impro\'~l.Wc \\ere not Iielpccl by the Ioz ol' tlircc hey pl:~yer\ at the \tart 01' the c:uiip:~ign-Jarnc\T~~\tin.J;~riie\Ilocl iuid Edwartl Turner wcrc :ill sitlelinctl witli long-term i~i.jurie\. u~liicliue:~k~ne~I the
Hockey
Tliis season proved to he the wor\t in recent ye:u-s for c:uicellation\ ;IS every home ganie and two away games were callccl off I>~c:ILI\~ of bat1 weather.
The widening gull' between 11s iuitl othel- school I'irst cleven\ was eviclent in defe:tts against Bris~olGrammi~rSchool. Christ College. BI-econ. Wrekin College. Worce\ter Royal Grammar School. Warwick School ancl King Edward'\ School. Bir~iiingli:~rn.All oltliesc schools rcguliu-ly practise on ;Idifli.rcnt surl';~ceto tlie King's School grit\\.
To its eretlit tlie team mnn:~gcd to clraw with Solili~~IISchool and I'rince
Cox ancl Ricliartl Welsh all tried Ii:l~-dand lll;l<le progre\\.
OUI- basic problcnis stcmmctl from our 1.01-w:~rcls. Too often we str~lggletl ;~g:lin\t otliel- ~p;lcks. especii~llyin loo\c play. :uitl tliey needtocleveloptheirl'itness ancl u,o~-hon tlieir sp~cclto the hreal<tlown ill order~o\ecllrcInorcpo\se\\ion. liohert I<~-ooke\nas :ui el'l'eclive I'l:~nker. Alcx Ciarwootl-Cowcl-S Iiad some LI~~LII ni;ltchc\ and Charlc\ Daniel1 wa\ a conimittcd f'orward.
At tlie entl ol' tlie wason the Ie;m protlucetl il\ hesi I-~~gby.;lnd 111;11i;igccIto bext Wal\:ill. Cli:mtry i~ntlHel-et'ol-d CatlietIr;~l. In tlie Rromsgrove Sevens tournament {lie hc\~pl;lycr\ showed what
Henry's School. Eve\li:lm. ancl to \\ill agaln\t King I:tlw;lrtl VI College. Sto~~rhridge,but tlie rlil'ficultie~01' pl-acti\ing and playing (luring games 2nd itttcr school on very wet pitches ~iiadeit tlifficult to prepare l'or m:itcIic\.
A number of players tlitl make real ~xo~I-~s\:Toby Gilbert and Llavid Wchstel. were \LI~I~I-~ organi\ers; Amin As1iaa1-i con\i\tently improved on the lel't wing ancl John Braccy. tlespite gaining a reputation for being accitlcnt prone. \liowetl the LI~CI'LIIqualities of being a midficltl player who gets I'orw:~rtl to support the attack and scores goal\. Koss Haines is ;1skill'~11~,laycrwhocontin~~c\lo inipres\ tlie Counly selectors. ;I\ cloe\John Cl~~hlcywho pl:iyccl his first ganics I'orrhc 1st XI.
Rohcr~ Honan. J:lrnc\ Pliillips and Matthew Soncs clitl \o~iictel-ling wol-h in
Sonic lalenlctl thl-cecluarlers cnierged gratlually - Cliri\ M:r\\ey. .I:uiies Syree. Tohy Walker ancl J;uiie\ Hill will he asset\ to h:~kline\ in tlie fut~~re - but tliey were 5ta1-vcdofgoodposscssionas the l'orwartls wel-c often overwhelmed hy larger opponent. altlio~~gliAlex Sli~~terant1 Daniel Gril'l'itlis in IIie back row got thro~~gli an enorrnou\ amount of work.
Wli~~twas niost pleasing was the cnthl~sii~smI'or tlie game \lio\bn hy the hole SL~LI;K~- praclices wcrc alw:~y\well :~ttentlccl - and 11ic B team i\ ~o be congratulntetl on u numherofspiri~cdand incl-e:~singlyshilf~~lperformance\. /).P,/. 1F.P.W.
~lcl'encc:ig:linst \trong opposition while .l01111Wilhinson.Gabricl Moore\. Mn~thew G;~s\er,Joc Km. Ricliarcl Powell. Milttliew 1,oe ancl Gal-y Hemming all m:rde contributions, It is encouraging to see tlik~tthe te:uii can he reasonably competitive. even when little practice can be had.
M..I.G.
Under 15 XI
This Icam wa\ moliv:ltctl. hal-il worhingan(lvery well ledby Lcigli Hinton. He IXOVNIto be not only a goocl captain hut ;I skilful pl:~yerwho scol-ecigo:~ls.The I'orwill-tls wo~.ked well together. Del-eh f4:uinali. alo~igwitli his capt;iin. \liowed :I I~;IILI~:I~ hili lily 10~corego;~ls.~l'li~wingers. Al:in Trainer and matt lie^^ .I:t(luc\ ~~\etl 111~pitch i111tl cro\setl \cll'lcssly yet
supported well andulsoscoredso~iiegood Willia~n Leas, were very steady in great skill and coni~nitment and goals. Justin Heyes complemented an defence and seldom allowed the unfortunately lost their unbeaten season excellent attack. opposition room to manoeuvre. In goal, in the last five minutes oftheir last game
Jonathan Pereraat centre halfprovided Louis La11de~iionstratedgreat skill and to a penalty flick. I was very impressed good ball tothe forwardsand workedvery with quick reactions he pulled off some with their all round ability and I thank hard both in defence ancl attack. very good saves. them for their efforts.
The full backs. David Hyett and This was a tea111that de~nonstrated J.P.B.M.
Cricket Playing Record
3 8 8 6 l
Three senior players dominated the season which, given their experience, was exactly as it should have been. Tom Bawden, the captain in his fourth season in the first eleven, took 44 wickets at an average of 17.47 (taking his total for the School to 130). and made useful contributions with tlie bat. Artisham Fia7 provecl to be tlie prolific batsman the team had lacked in the previous two seasons. in making 834 runs at an avenge in excess of 40. AndChristopherGough at last showed what a good all-rounder he could be, with 555 runs. including against Reigate Gr:unmar School the season's top score of 135. and 22 wickets with his leg-spin.
To recognise these excellent performances is not, however, to underestimate the efforts of the rest of the squad. Indeed the fact that we had genuine depth of talent (reflected in the second eleven's fine record) was anotablefeature
of the season. The large group of players from which the three senior elevens were selected, practised hard, played keenly and in most respects applied itself effectively. It was, too. a happy bunch: another significant factor in a relatively successfi~lyear.
Reaching the final of the Chesterton Cup was a satisfying achievement, particularly as both the 1993 finalists (Monmouth and RGS Worcester) were beaten on the way. On a ploo~nySunday afternoon in May the final, played at the County Ground against Cheltenham College, was lost by just 7 runs. Another highlight was a first victory over Worcestershire Club and Ground. by 6 wickets in the gallie's final over.
Liam Chivers. tlievice-captain,~nissed much of the season through illness but the wicket-keeping duties were assumed to such good effect by Matthew Pearce that
he retained the job even after the former returned to action as a batsman. Pearce's development was an unexpected bonus for tlie team and bodes well for tlie next two seasons. Chivers, when available. still managed. in typical workman-like fashion. to average 36 with the bat. Fifth-formers Stuart Thomas andTim Morris both scored maiden first eleven fifties and will be key batsmen next year, though perhaps the biggest 'find' of the season on tlie batting front was Edward Oliver. Olives's prowess as a prolific run-getter for junior elevens was well-known but it was still something of a gamble to play him at first eleven level as a fourteen year old. However, from the moment he walked to the wicket on ndifficultdebut against RGS Worcester he looked. as a batsman at least, an outstanding prospect. His running and fielding must improve but he shouldscore a lot of runs over the next few seasons.
Tl~cl'iclcliiig ge~ic~;~ll~ %:is \OLIIILI ekcept in the most i~nportanttlcpiu.tmcnt. A\ in 199.3 poor catclling cost us at least two. :rntl possibly more. I'urther victories. Somc m;u.vellou catches werc held, hut too many routine offerings wel-c spurned despitccopio~~spractice. Perhaps the main sufferer Mrtxwell Rowan wlio bowled almo\t 175 overs of mcclium pace :uicl clescrved more than his 20 wickets. His ability to swing tlic hall both ways was n delight towatcli ancl lie bowled particularly well early in the season, hefore fatigue and n recurrent knee complaint afkctetl hisperfor~iianceslater on. Kowan'seft'orts were all the niore important because Stephen Buckland failed to recapture his outstanding form oftlic previouscanipaign rlespitc persevering manfully at all times. It was pleasing that at the very end of the year lie seemetl. at last. to he 'getting it I-ight'again. Paul Rudd again bowled witli pace, but only occasionally allied it with accuracy. and tlie re\t of tlie bowlers. notably Stuart Tliomas and John Berry. 'filledin'effectively wliennecessary. With Bawcien. Gougli. Buchliuid and Rudd all leavingtlicre will be oppol-tunities aplenty for emerging bowlers in 1995.
It was pleasing that we had fewer d~lll ancl unexciting games this year than Inst and thnnkfi~llyonly eight out of twentytwo co~npletedfixtures were drawn. Part of tlie I-esponsibility for this must he attributed to tlie captain wlio led the side extremely well and always helievetl. occa\ionally over-optimistically. in the ability of his team. Tom Bawden's superb performance\ in the last two matelies 01' the season, when hetookfull advantageof Jersey'squick pitches toclaim 13 wickcts for I I I runs. provetl a fitting end to a very inipre\sive School cricket career. Art isliam Fix, tlie next captain, has a hard act to follow but witli several very good young players pressing for selection he should have at his disposal the resources to build on tlie progress made by hi\ predecessor's team.
F.P. W.
2nd XI
Thi\ wa\ tlie hest tc;uii and the hest season for many years. Apart from one giuiie which we lo\t ahs~~rcllyafter almost u/r:il?ping it LIP. tlic depth of batting iuicl howling w:i\ eno~~glito prevent tlie opposition tl-om dominating u\ :uid on l'o~~rocc;1si(11iswon the g;inie. We st;trtctl iniu~spicio~~\lyagainst Old Swinford Hospitiil. Tlio~~glithe howler\ kept tliem to 143-0. uith John B~I-I-)/t~ihing5-38 in hi\ fi~-\tm:rtcli. ancl oltl li~uitlsJahhar Ri;i/ ancl M:itthew I>ohl711i\cacli taking 1 in ~iiaratlionspells. tlie halting collup\etl and it ncctletl a Ion?. p:itient rc\cuc effort 1'1-om
,1011 (iul-~rcy(10 1101 out) IO save us. But then came twocomfortahlc victoric\. Dean Closc were tl~smi\sctl1.01- 97 :il'tcr two splcnclicl spells of bowling; Jnke Hannah. wlio howletl with great cnt1iusi;ism ancl penetration all season, took 3-9 in 7 ovcrs at tlie start. and then new hoy Ricliard Protliero~~gh1i:d the cxtraortlinary i'ig~~res I'or a Icg-spinner of 4.3 oven. 2 maidens. 7 runs, 6 wickets. James Bnder (22) and James Thorpe (42) set the batting off on the right track ancl Ros\ Haines finished it off witli 27 not out. Tlie victory against K.E.C. Stourbl-idge was even more crushing, and again a leg-spinner howled tlie decisive spell: this time it was Guy MUI-phy(4 for 5) who tlestroyed the tail after Nick Bourne (3- It)). Dobhins ( 1-5) ancl Miclinel BI-own(2-20) hatl tlestroyed the batsmen. The total 01'55 was pi1ssetl by captain Clinrlie Lowe and Jon Gurncy without any trouble.
We hacl tlie better oftlie ~nntcliagainst Warwick, tli~~~ghdidn'thave time to bowl them OLI~. Several hatsrncn contributed to our 162-5 (Bnder27, Rob Hon~ln24, Lowe 45) though tlie highlight was tlie final unbroken partnership of 47 in no time at all between BoumeanclH;uinah. Warwick werc reduced to 113-7, with Protlicrough again in the action with 3 wickets, but s~irvivetl.We also dominatecl tlie match against Wrekin, or so it seemed when we were 130-1 chasing 179. with 12 overs left; Baderhad been out for48 but Gurney ancl Lowe werc still there on 44 and 31 respectively. Then mayhem broke out. and we loht our last 9 wickets I'or 36! Tlie batsmen. several of whom werc tll-aftcd in for their only g:uiie of the seozon. were unable to cope with some very slow bowling. A pity. since our howlers liad worked hart1 earlier. particularly Dohbins who took 4-5 1.
We very neitrly lost tlic next match, too, where n spirited run chase liad to be abandoned as wichets fell. Hannali. wlio liad earlier taken 3- 1 X in Soliliull's 183-7, lastecl almost to tlie end hel'orc he was out padding up to an ~~nexpectcclchinaman. and it was Jonnth~oHarris who saw out the Inst few overs for the driiw. Tlie least interesting match ol' tlie sc:t\on I'ollowerl against K.E.S. Camp Hill. Our hatsnien \cored well (Bader ?X. Ber1-y 24. Honnn 37. Bo~rrne20 in a totit1 of 175-5). hut the opposition co~~ltlninnnge only 141-5 in the 40 over we lel't them. Much ~iiorc nerve-wr;ickinfig was the I'ixlurc tlint really counts. the big one ~igiiinst R.G.S. We howled well nntl fieltletl \plentlitlly ;is they scored 201-8: I remembe~a hri1li;uit \lip c;rtcIi hy Rourne. ancl other excellent ones from Tliorpc. H;inniili. Ilonan and Hurnl>liric\. Mu~.pliy took :inotlicr 3 \vickcts \\,it11 his Ice-spin. Rut our batting collal>sullob(>-7;intl it looked Iikcanotlicr
cr~~\li~ngvictory tor K.(i.S. H1111ie1-cour dcptli ol.all-ro~intlcr\c.;uiie to the re\cuc: 1i:inn:iIi (33);uitl HumpIi~-re\ ( 17),hoth ol' tliem rcs~~larhowlel-s and I'inc ficlrler\. wcrc still togethcr :it the close over an IIOLI~ later. A glorious tlr~iw!
Then :it Inst iinotlier win. Front 3 1-4 ag;iinst BI-oms:rrovc. Row Hoines took tlic score to 190-5 with tlie only century of tlie season: not only ditl lie score 102 not out. but he tlitl it in 25 ovcrs witli I9 follrs! Bromsgrovc coultl make only 137: again Murphy took 3 wickets. with 2 cnch from Berry. Bourneand HurnpIiric\.Tlie K.E.S. Birmingham match wa, in the encl. a rerun of the R.G.S. draw. At 69-7. clia\ing 154. we wercdown iuidout: hut Humphrics (again), this tirne witli Berry in \upport. refused to he moved until eventually the close ciuiie :it 112-7. Both liatl earlier howletl: Berry took 4-41. showing what >I promi\i~igall-I-ountlerlie is. And ofco~~rse Murpliy claimed yet :inother 3 wickets. Tlie final match was ;ilmostcmbarr:~ssi~ig. Christ College Brecon were all out for 39 -in 30 overs! Bournc took 4 ofthem for 6, Rin~3- 16. Humphrics 2-2. Hnnnah 1 - 12. Somehow we miinagctl to lose 3 wickets while scoring tlie 40 requirecl. Finn1 tally: played l l. won 4. lost l. cll'awn 6. Final reflection: this was a ~iiost rewarding team to be with as u~npire.Tlie spirit. whether under the captaincy or C1i;irlie Lowe or Rob Honan. co~~ld be seen in the superb fielding and catching: Lowe. Honnn, Humphries.Thorpe. Bo~~lne were all outstanding,othera wereexcellent. and tlie wickct-hccping - whether by Matthew Pe:ircc or Gurney or Honanwas always sharp ancl rcliiible. Many of tlie players are all-rol~nders.whicli clleans that we often batted clown to number 9 or 10 :uicl wcrc only once howled out; the otlier consequence is that there are always plenty of bowlers clueuing up to bowl. both quickies - like Hannali. Dobbins. Bourne. Berry ancl Rix-and leg-spinners Protherough and Murphy, not to mention tlie reliable mccliurn pace of Humpliries: poor Tliorpe 1i:trclly got n howl with his ol'f-spin! Many of tlie\e made decisive contributions tovarious matches with both hilt iuid hall. Altlio~~gliloyal old lituids, such a Lowe. Hon;in iund Bader. have now left. ~iiostol'the squad will he here next \uninicr. I look lorward to their carrying on where they left off!
K.N.(;.S.
Under 15 XI
The \e:i\on began promi\ingI)~cno~~gli wit11 :I \\'in ;~g;~in\tOldswinli)rdwho fo~11it1 the xic cc ol' Tohy kleyes (5 f'or 19) too ~nlrcli161-Ilic111.For the nc\t I'cw g:uiic\ 110wcvc1..tlic* 110w1cr\ scclllctl to rc\er\fe 11ici1-I>e\t hall\ I.oI- SlcM ill ~llcnets while
serving up a series of full-tosses and longhops to the opposition on Saturdays. There was, for example, the ritual slaughter from the bats of WRGS (225 for 2 by tea), and Bromsgrove. needingonly 96runs to win. scored99 for3 off 13 overs. A few bowling figures during this mid-season period were very respectable (for example. Jeremy Robertson 10 overs, 12 runs, 3 wickets against Dean Close: Toby Heyes 13 overs. 30 runs. 2 wickets against WRGS while bowlers at the other cnd were being murdered), but this was a team in which more than one or two players rarely performed well at the same time. The most consistent of the batsmen was Ben Winter, but generally the team struggled to push the total over 100 during the first part of the season. The most surprising innings came from Jonathan Foulds who smashed 4 1 n.o. against WRGS and gave thetotal some semblanceof respectability. The most disappointing game was against
because at times morale had seemed to be fairly low.
Team: Toby Heyes (Capt.), Leigh Hinton, Ben Winter, Dan Sparrey, Jeremy Robertson, Ed Swan, Rob Stringer, Will Lear, Jonathan FOLI~~S, Ed Cox, Tom Hannah, Tom Guest. Ed Ward, James Chattoe. James Daniell.
We would like to thank Mr Heyes for his expert services as scorer.
M.A.S.
Under 14 XI
The 1994 season was one of great contrasts. It contained some of the best schoolboy cricket that I have ever been privileged to witness and some of the worst. The first few weeks of the season wcre very encouraging. There was amuch more positive approach to practice than there had been in so~ncprevious years. Most of the players wcrc keen to learn and
Warwick when therunchase wasdefinitely on but was abandoned in Favour of an utterly boring draw.
Given the fairly modest success so far. it was particularly pleasing to see the team finish the season with three wins. Against Chantry the openers, Ben Winter and Leigh Hinton, both scored 50 after Chantry were dismissed for 1 13. But the most exciting win wasoverChrist College, Brecon who, like several teams before them. found our bowling very much to their liking and amassed 191 for 2. However, another 50 from Ben Winter and also a 50 from James Daniell, making a guest appearance in the team, prepared the way for agreat win offthe penultimate ball of the match. The last game of the season was an easy win over Bishops Hereford (Jeremy Robertson 5 for 27, and Ben Winter 37 n.0.). The strong finish to the season was especially important
to improve their personal mastery of the skills of the game. This keenness was there for the whole season through thick and thin.
The greatest influcnce on the season was, perhaps, the selection of Edward Oliver to play in the first eleven. A great achievement, upon which he should be congratulated. It did, however, have a peculiar effect on the Under 14 season. In the County Cup, with Edward, we played as well as any Under 14 team I have been associated with. In normal school matches, without Edward, the team struggled to find form. It is as well then that these two parts of the season are considered separate1y.
Redhill, last year's under 13 runnersup, provided the opposition in the first round of the County Cup. A good all round performance enabled a fairly easy progression to the second round. In the
next round Bishop Perowne were brushed aside on a very hot afternoon as Edward Oliver scored a century. James Keegan scored74 and the Bishop Perowne batsmen didn't score very many. This was one of many fine bowling performances from Tom Pitts, Adam Phillips, Alex Brittain, Daniel Kendrick, etc. The semi-final brought Oldswinford to play nt King's. They batted first and progressed to a score of 224 from their40 overs. The task for the King's batsmen was, at the very least, formidable. After a sticky start, Daniel Cullen and Edward Oliver shared one of the best and most mature stands that I have ever seen at under 14 level. They wiped out the deficit with ease and with several overs to spare. Cullen completed his century with ease - not bad for a boy playing for the under 14 XI a year early. After the heroics of the semi-final, the final was rather an anti-climax. The old enemy. R.G.S. batted first and were treated to some loose bowling, a short boundaryand some dropped catches. They scored too many and we never were really in the hunt. A sad way to end a fine campaign.
Inter school matches were more difficult. Many players played well and improved throughout the season. but we really found it q~~itehard to put togethcr any solid battins performances. Results were achieved generally by hanging on fora draw. This lack of achievement with the bat was not eritirely due to the absence ofOlivcrbut rathertoother factors SLIC~as the absence of boys on camps and the consequent need to play them immediately on their return from camp when almost exhausted and, sometimes, lack of application when facing quicker bowling.
There is promisc For the future in this team. Tom Pittsand Adam Phillipsopened the bowling with accuracy and pace and were backed up by the improving spin of Danicl Kendrick and the other medium pacers. James Keegan contributed positively with the bat and kept wicket. Others contributed positively at times hut found consistency an impossible dream. I look forward to this team forming the nucleus of the first XI in a few years time when they have gained more experience. They have the potential to do very well at this level.
J.T.W.1M.C.P.
Under 13 XI
The team was very slow to get going and the players, despite much pre-season practising, seemed to splutter and cough, like an ageing Midlandclass 5 MT, for far too long. Wides and no balls, slovenly outcricket and batting inconsistencies in
~LICII p~-~l'lig~~c)~c1.c bcco~l~ing i~~cxcusable.'The first three games were lo\t i~ndthen~~~~ites~~dderilytliete~uiiburst into lifeand began playing withenterprise ancl purpo\e in tlie giuiic again\[ Warwick. Wiuwick took the iniiiaiive early in tlic ~nittclidismissing Jiuiics Tu\tin. Cliristoplier Dotlson and Riclii~rdMqjor liw7 run\, hui then there was;\ finc recovery led by Daniel Cullen (56) and itbly s~~pportecl by Alex~oderGarwood-Gowers ( 12). They brought the score into tlie eighties. which turnetl the game into o~~r favour. The inning\ continue(1 to move along nicely when LloydCox and Andrew Lonbay batted together ancl we were able to declare at 1 5 1 for 7.
Warwick mntle no effort to beat our score and were 44 Ibr 4 at tlic end. Etlward Brigtlen breezed in witli some quick deliveries, but it was witli leg spin tliat he took 2 wickets for7 runs. The other wicket also fell to leg spin bowling and tlie credit goes to Christoplier Horn.
1)layccl wit11er~il~~rsra\~n~IILIcxpcrtisc ancl it must he beci~usetliey c;ln concentrate Ibr 20 overs anrl not lor 40. I See signs of this in tlie English side too! Victories against Cliristoplier Wliitcl~cntl(Kic1i:trd Major 72 N.O.) ancl fli~wfortl Lodge (Davit1 GOLI~~I22 N.O.) u~rememorable matches. The happiest res~~ltstho~lgllwere in tlie WorcesterScliool\CupCompctition ant1 with victories againt Bromsgrove and Heathfield we reaclietl thesemi-Finals. It was in this giumc tliat TIioma\ Stockley, Ricli:~rdM;!ior and Lloyd Cox lii~dtheir greitlest moments. A tlisa\trous \litrt was ably repai~rdby Maior (30 runs) and ~nagnificcntlytransformed by Stocklcy (S 1 N.O.) and Cox (30 N.O.).
The total of 132 proved too much for Old Swinhrd Hospital and so too ditl tllc bowlingofCox witli 3 for77. Hecertainly proved to be one of the best howlers and he bowled to a lively rhythm tlirougho~~t the remainder of the sea\on. GarwoodCowers was again rather too tlifficult t'or their batsrilen to handle.
Tlie consistency in the team'\ performance was to continue in tlic game against Solih~ill.Requiring 153 to win off 37 overs. Tustin set about tlic task in his typically robust manner, but tleparted c~~rly,which wascustomary for him in tlie early inatclic\ and sometimes not hi5 fault. Girl-wood-Gowers. Cullen and Brigclen held the innings tofether and tlie match was drawn. R.G.S. was the next game ~~nd 31 22 for 7 we looketl to be cn\y winner.. hut this \va a game ol'crickct and us we all know it tloesn't alwitys turn out tlie way one expects. "Tlie Grammiir" recoverecl to 107 all OLI~ and in reply King's were howled out for 82 exit from New Ro;~d with tail\ between o~rrlegs. Tlie 'B' team also lost hut there was a finc innings 01'26 hy Riclii~rtlAllcn and an eclunlly gootl per-forn~iinceby Thornas Stocklcy taking 4 wicket.; for 40 runs.
Tlie gallie i~gainstK.E.S. Birmingham uas ~~notlicr tlrawn match. We declarctl at 170 lbr h M it11 C'ullen scoring I00 N.O.. but we were ~rni~lile to remove their 1~1sitwo batsmen. Tlic last of tlie rn;qo~S~IILISL~~I).i~l'ie~-~~oo~i l'i \t ure\ lurnetl oui to he again\t Hrcc,on iuid it 'rustin's tul-n to scorc I00 N.O. (tlie 1111ir1ig\i~iclutletl l0 fo~~r-5). Ootl\on scorctl his highest inning\ too ol' I0 sun\. Tlic victory W;I\ tlifl'ic~~ltto achieve hecause HI-econ h~rtteclwell reaclii~ig128 1'013.
The stugnatlon ol Inan!, 01' the Salurtlay galnc\ unrccogni/i~l>lcin [hc mid-wech matelie\. Tca~n\
Tlie Final was playecl at Ornbcrh\ey C.C. anti we 21-rivedin gr;und style by luxury coacli on this special occasion. Our batting also matched tlie weather. Glorio~~sstrokes on o lovely summcrnfternoo~iagainst "The Grammar" saw us reach 167 for 2 off 30 overs with opencrTustin (78 N.O.)andcaptain Cullen (57 N.O.). R.G.S. kept up well with the run rate and they held on until tlie very last delivery of their 30 over\. off which tliey recluircd 4 runs. They rni~nagedonly two to finish 160 all out, wliich gave King's the trophy fix the fir\( time.
Tlic tciuii tlocs not Inch talent 01spirit. Cullen 2nd Tustin went on to play Inany ga~iic\fill-tlieCo~~ntyside:~ndCuIlen now hold\ the recortl Ihs tlie he\t batting average ;it this age level. Major wnh
clcvclopi~~gInore trichs will1 ilic hall ;111tl Brigclen matle an cffcrvcccnt vicccal7rain. A number ol'pli~yers~;IIII~along well. notably Cox. Gough iintl Stocklcy. Allcn ant1 Dodon ;Ire resolute batsme11 ancl Lonbay I'ieltletl vcry well nltlio~~gli lic was n little disappointed will1 liis bi~tting. f lorn found ittiifficulttocntcli tliecal>tain's eye as a howler but Igather he clid well folliis club side. Cliiu-les Daniell alway\ playctl well when cliosen as did Oliver Martin iuid Oliver Hantly. Hopefully. Andrew Whitehouse. Matthew Thompson. Ric1i:u.d Welsh and Daniel Whitc will have more opporcnnities next season and our thanks must go to Eclward Fox and Edwnrd Turner for acting as reliable scorers.
Finally, we are vcry gratcf~~l to all those parents wlio made the teas so welcoming AI-ountl 4 o'clock and to thaw wlio came to tlie Cup games. some of which were ri~thercluicklyrearrangcd,may we take this opportunity to tli~unkyou For yo~~rencourngernent of tlie plnyel-S.
M.R.G. I K.A.P. W.
Under 12 XI
After an encouraging start witli two early wins the team lost a little confitlence and sul'l'ered three s~~ccessivedefeat\. However. they recovered to hat out for an honouri~hle dl-aw against K.E.S. f3irrningliam ancl ;~fterapoorpcrfor~nancc ilgainst Christ's College. Brecon, managed toemerge victorio~~shorn tlic t~rssleagainst Bishop's Hercl'ortl.
Andl-cw Lee playetl sou~lcllywitli hat and h;ilI and Iii\captaincy improvecl tluri~ig the \cason. With Inore cxl~crie~~ccand liartl work lie will mahc an excellent crichetcr. He wa\ahly supportedhy several
otlierplayers. including Jonathan Brittain. whodevelopedas a fine attacking bats~iian. and destroyed the morale of one or two sides we facetl. Robert Cliaundy showed promise as an opening batsman who thre;~tenedto play a long innings witho~~t it really transpiring. His tendency to run himselfout probably had something to tlo witli tliis! Perhaps next scason ...
Other batsmen who played important innings were Jonathon Diruontl who invariably produced some entertaililllent with his combative style and Robbie Fardon who usually tried toernulate Gary Sobers: six sixes, but without the same success. He needs to be more selective in his shot-making. Robert Jansen thought that he was not a batsman until he scored a sparkling 34 against the Grammar Scl1ool.
The team has a fair degree of talent in tlie howling department. Jansen and Lee op~cnedtlie attack. and bowletl reasonably well during the season. Chaundy was naggingly accurate (usually) and Dimond produced some awkward deliveries. Fada Fnsliid bowled his slow left-armers to good effect and took several wickets and Fnrtlon is a ~lsefulbowler. James Hill provided some variety with his left-arm seamers and Jonathan Squire worked diligently at his wicket-keeping and batting.
Overall. there was an excellent spirit in the team and they practised keenly. It was good to see new players come into contention for places and play for the B team. I feel sure that they will he successful in future years iftlicy continue to display such a healthy attitude and desire to le~u-n.
.I.L.O.I,I.T.W
Staff Cricket
This is tlie story of two men.
For ten years, despite the efforts of thiscolumn todisguise tliefact, staffcricket had been in decline. In 1984. under the legendary captaincy of T. Mason, we beat all seven of our opponents, though losing to the School in our second match against them. In 1994. under the new legend Wheeler, we surpassetl that achievement by winning every single one of our er fourmatches. He. then. is the first ofthe two Inen. Tlie early signs were not encouraging: ;IS RGS crawled to 99-6. Wheeler insisted on keeping a fine third man (third woman, to be precise, in the shape of Miss Jacques) on tlie boundary, even when the spinners were bowling. Yet Rawlings' opening spell (2 for l4 in 5 oversf and a decisive two overs from new boy Poole (1 for 6) were enough to give the batsmen a relatively easy task. After the predictably swilshbuckling start from
Stone ( 10) and Wheeler( 12),LeMarchand demolished what was left of the RGS bowling with liis 5 1 not out.
Then came a run of extl-aordin:~rily high scores. Tlie Chase, wliose team was. as ~lsunl.liberally sprinkled witli women, is always a challenge for Stevens, who cannot put out of hir mind (nor can \VC) that first-ball dis~nissalby a wonian in 1986; he made an understandably cautious start but. once past the threat of repeated e~nbarrassment,charged to 57 in no time. setting the scene for nn astonishing 176 for 6 in the 20 overs. Poole. in his academically stylish way (he is a PhD). scored 39 in his first innings for the staff. Le M:irchand made 1.5 very fast and very violently (and was very embarrassingly bowled by a woman). and Owen helped witli 29 not out. Tlie Chase really had no answcr to any of our eight bowlers. except to invent names Ihrthe~nin tlie scorebook: so it was that 'Beard' (Rnwlins) took 1 for 6: 'Glasses' (Stevens) bowled two overs for I9 runs. predictably. but less predictably took 2 wickets; 'Blo~id Bo~iibsliell'(Davis) took I for 12: 'Portly Balding Gent' (Gill) had n devastating spell of2 for 6. 011,and 'Praying Mantis' (Stone) bowled 3 ovcrs for 21 runs. We won by 72 runs.
The match against K.E.S. Bi~minghiuii is notable for the fact that 333 runs were scored in tlie40overs. Butofmore pressing interest at the time was the question: c~ui new woncler captain Wheeler bring off tlie first victory in year.; against n team containing old wonder captain T. Mason? Our batsmen did pretty well: Wheeler made 23 I-atlierfrtst Ihr him, Owen got 32. Poole was not out 15: but the star. once again, was Le Marcliand, wliose 70 included X fours, 4 sixes, and several broken tiles on the County pavilion roof. Our 168-5 seemedout of reach in PI-inciple. but K.E.S. proceeded to score at ;l steady X runs an over: when Mason came in. with the t~u-gelwell in sight. it seemed all over. But not to Wheeler. Using all the cunning and dour persistence which an upbringing inthe Black Country makes indispensable, hejuggled hisbowlers.juggled hiscatches, and led -yes, that's not too strong a word, led - his team to a famous victory by 3 runs. The ghost of T. Mason was finally laid to rest.
I said that there were two men to celebrate. The second did not play in the first three matches but descended on the fourth - that against the School - like a tlclrs ca nltrc~liiriu.For once the School captain asked the staff to bat first, presumably to give his batsmen time to recover from the lunchtime drinks party. His gamble seemed to pay off, when both openers were out with the score at 2; Owen chose to leave a straight ball from
Bawden, while Stone, who'd hit liis straight ball from Bawden through the wicket-keeper's gloves, was surprised to find adelivery from Rowan startingdown tlie leg side and then hitting tlie stumps: is this really cricket'? But then the plan went wrong. Stevens continued that Indian summer which began a couple of years ago, at an age when rnost cricketers are hanging up their commentators' microphones, and made his second 50 of the season - his second in two innings. Meanwhile, at the other end, the tkclrs was emerging e.1- his n~uchir~o.Tlie rlclrs was almost exposed us a mere ~iiortalwhen, like Stone before him, he was dropped before he had scored; unlike Stone. he gave no further chance until he was 98, where n dropped catch ant1 wild throw gave him the 5 runs to go past a century andenable Wheeler( 17not out) todeclare. A cenrury! It was a hushed dressingroom that greeted the retul-ning hero. Little did we know that Watson'\ day was only half done. Normally Le Marcliand wo~~ld have bowled more than a mere 8 overs at tlie start of ~111innings, but he had to go off to some X-rated extravaganza in the Cathedral and Wheeler had no choice but to call on Watson - said (by l~i~iiself. at least) to be :I wicket-keeper - to bo\v1 10 overs. When the enforced change came about. the School were in nstrongposition, with Fiaz looking set and Gough off the mark first ball with afour. In his first over Watson struck. Gougli. seeing that midwicket was Stone. who had cunningly dropped Fiaz there a few overs before in anticipation of precisely tliis eventuality, played the ball uppishly off his legs for oneofliisFavourite scoring strokes: 'Jonty' Stone (as he is known) pounced. Gough wasgone. and the slow decline set in. Two batsmen might hove rescued the innings; almost predictably Watson got than both. Fiaz with acatchon the boundary, Bawden with a straight ball. The start' won by 13 runs, the play was over, the t1~rr.sclimbed back into liis mnc,hi/ltr.
We all agreed afterwards that it had been aprivilege to serve uncles Wheeler. a privilege to play in the salne team as Watson. a privilege to be in some way part of the legend that these two men have become in their respective lifetimes. All that is left for us inlater life is to remember what it was like, to reminisce to anyone who will listen, and to live with the awful knowledge that nothing in our lives will everrival that momentofcontact with two legends, that there is nowhere to look but back, that from here it is downhill all the way. Like all sucli, that r1ert.v cl- nlcrc,liinu was merely reaffirming the tragedy at the core of human existence.
R.N.G.S.
Rowing
Tlie King's School Boat Club hit hacl its most successful year ever, notching up ;L record twenty wins and many other notable pcrl'ormances. This sea\on \aw the return of the first eight to tlie forcl'l-orlt of rowing at King's after an absence ol' three years. The performance of the fir't crew has been emulated throughout the school. ancl win were recorded I'or.junior 15 crews, including the juniol- 15 girls. Thi\ is tlie first time that the School hiis fielded njuniorgirls' crew since tlieScliool turned co-educational.
Tlie beginninpofthc school ycnrm;irks the {tart of n new t~iiningcycle for all rower.;, the empha\i\ being put on ha\e fitnes\ and stl-ength training. Sat~~~.clay mornings have kidded an extra dimension to [he winter 11-niningschedule, allowing pupils time on the water in sm:ill boat\.
Amsterdam. Tlic crew put in good pcrformances to comc seconcl in theJunioreights category to n very good German crew.
A pre-term training camp was set up hefore the Summer term and was a great success. The go;lls during this term were good perforiiiances at the National Schools Regatta and Henley. In preparation the Boat Cluh went on Vikingcsque plunders of local regattas. Tlic first cight won both tlie junior eights and the senior 3 tight\ at Evesham Rcgatta.The crew was also split into two I'o~11.s~otlhoth were \~lcce\\l'~rl. The four of Tim Bratlsliaw. Yugo Mi~t~umoto.Kuizcn Matsumoto. Simon Russell and Richart1 Brown won the senior 3- J'o~lr.;,beating the Army in a close I'in;ll. The junior I 5 rluacl :ltided to the \poiIs by beating a crew from a wcll-known Worcc\ter ~chool, locatetl further ~~pstreiurn, ill tlic final.
Tlie E;~stcr.termsoon wa\ upon II\ and a 1i.w clays were needetl to recover the fitness lost to Christmas over-indulgence. hut sights were soon et on the Ibrming ol' crew :uid in particular an eight. Training was limited by tlooding with mostse\sion\ being in the new I'itness centre. The fir\( test of the season for the first eight was Worcester Head, hut this has ~lnfo~t~~nately c;~ncclleddue to a rapidly rising \(I-earn. Tlle women's {enior 3 four. concl~cdhy GAR. wa\ able to race at Evesham Head and scored our first win of the year.
The Sir\[ eight of John Curry. Sirno11 Russell, Tim Bradshaw. Kai7cn Matsumoto. Ales Deahin. Yugo Mntsumoto. Michael Brooke\. Philip Reard and Richard BI-own,with AIG ancl Mr Hines to keep an eye on them, went on tour to Hollantl whcl-c they rowctl in the Heineken Roei-Vicrkamp held in
Not content with what the Evening News callctl. 'an exccllcnt start to the season', the club ~LII-necl to the Bc~vtlleyBirmin~liamRegatta wcckend. Tlie first eight won :\gain in the ju~iioreight\ a1 Bewdley :illcl nal-rowly lost in the find ol' the open eights. On the Suntlay. at Birminglinm. thcg woll the men's senior 3 and.i~~nioreights.heating rivals Monniouth School in both !-aces. At Bewdley these wins wereaddetl to by the women's senior 3 1'0~11-S ;111d the junior. I6 I'our of John Curry. Nick Hall. KicIiardCharnhcr.. Nick
Checketts and Ben Pitts. coaclietl by Mr Grcgg.Thcjunior 15Rquad an~it\lcjunir,r 16cl~r:ldwon at f3irmingliam.Anexccllent weekend was finislictl with the School being aw:~rtletlthe Victor I.LI~OI-UI~~ fort he club with the most win\.
The younger rowel.\ excelled at Worcester Regitttn where the j~lnior 15 quad, under the supervisio~~ of Mr Hines, won again ant1 the wo~iien'snuvice tburs also won. At Tewhcsbury Regatta there were fur~licrwinsforboth boys' andgil-Is' junior l5 quacl\.
Despite being plagued hy illncxs, f~~ulty0;u.s (or was it just sheer brute li~rce oftlie rower that c:ulsed the oar.; to snap?) and a boat which was so \mall for its 10 \tone crcw that it loohcd more like a x~lhm:~rine,the first eight rc;iclled the semifinal a1 Nationit1 Schools Regatta. 1x11was ~rnlucky to comc up again\( the tlirec eventual mcclal winners.
Tliecrew q~lalifiecllbr Henley regatta. but two days hefore the race they ~~nexpectccllylost two important members ofthecrewtlirougli iIIncs\. The last minute substitutiniis gelled well, Richarrl Chambcn f'illing the number 5 scat and Nick Hull rhc vital Bow seat. The race was :it 0. 10 am on the fiht clay and Henley Felt almost dci~d. The crcw lo\t to Ountlle School in a good race by two lengths.
Tliank\ must go to all tlie IIICITI~CI-S01' staff wllo give ~l~~thcirtirnelocoach. and special thanks must go to AIC, who was ,just able to put up with a difficult buncll ol' lads. a.; well as coping with his other co~nmitrncnts. ancl the parents who colne to regattas to s~rllport the School must also be thiuiked. I'liilip Reard & Michael Ilrookes
Athletics
I am pleased to report that tlierc was more athletics this year th:ui last and certainly a broader progsam~netli:~n for many years. More pupila wcre involvedat liouse, school, district and county level. Atliletics is an excellent co-educalional sport and this seclson SIIM/ the first co-ed matches. There \+!erealso for tlie first time matches for the Lower Fo~~rtlis.
1alii very grateful to a number of staff who gavc up their time on a regular basis on practice nights and for competitions. 1 WOLI~~particularly like to thank MJG. KAM. SRD. and BG fortheir support and others too many tomention on heat nights. niatch nights and sports days.
For next year Joseph Kan has been appoilitetl captain of athletics and has been awartlecl full COIOLISS. Half' c010~1rs have been awarded to Ross Hurman, Nick Robertso~i nncl Anclres Benvie. Tlie crthleticsClub, altho~~ghstill building, can look forward cvitli confitlence to lhe coming season.
Fourth Form Athletics
As previously mentioned, this was the first time that the Lower Fourths have hatl fixtures. Another first was the introduction of the Discus and Javelin at this age group for girls and boys. We now have the correct weights for all of the throws.
The girls competed against Christopher Whitehead H.S. and the Alice Ottley and St Mary's Convent in n triangular match. Both of these fixtures
were at home on our grass track. It took some time to fincl the hest tecun. but there were solnc excellent perfor~nances.The team narrowly beat CWHS but cxme third in the triangular malch, the A0 proving too strong at present. Individual winners inthesematcheswere: SarahCullen (200m ). Sarah Lonbay (8001n), Zoe Ryder (1500m ), Rosie Tustin (HJ). Sarah Henshnw (Shot) in both and Laura Facey ( Discus).
The Lower Fourth boys won their one fixture against CWHS.
The team shows promise and dominated on the track. Shuter. Shenton. Massey, Hickling and Hathaway were victorious in the lOOm right up to the 1500m. Davies (Javelin) and Hall (Discus) gained victories in the field.
The Upper Fourth girls were also a strong team. They won a quadrangular match against Hanley Castle. Malvern Girls College and St James, beat their opponents from CWHS andonly narrowly lost against A0 in a triang~~larfixtilrewith St Mary's. In fact. they rnight well have won this match too, but unfortunately the unbeaten Elizabeth Havard ( I OOm+200m) b,. '1s ,I jent on the day. They ;~lsowere runners LIP to the A0 in the district championships. Regular 111embers of tlie team were: Karina Tipton (800111). JO Brown, AnnaGrcgorowski. capt. ( I5001n), Stephanie Bagllall. Jennifer Pearce. Alex Lomns, Cassy Bray, Georgina Dalton. Emma Spencer. Lauru Fernell and Kristen Leith.
Tlie Upper Fourth boys went one step better and remained unbeaten. They beat RGS and K.E.S. Birmingham, in a triangular fixture. CWHS and won the District Championship. The main contributol-s were: Major. Cox. Elmes. BI-ookes (Captain), Dale, Grinnell, Lonbay. Bray, Welsh. Bornford. Cullen. Tusti~i. Eden and Gough. It was a
disappointment that Tipping ancl Garwood-Gowers wcre slightly too old for the team.
The District Minors C hampionships
(Upper Fourth Age)
From these championships nine of our pupils were selected to represent the City of Worcester at tlie County championships. Elizabeth Havard, Anna Gregorowski, Richard Major, Richard Welsh and Daniel Cullen were City champions. Other clualifiers were Julian Dale.Cassy Bray,DaviciGough ;~ndDavid Grinnell. Theeventtookplace at Hereford. Our athletes performed well but only Ricliard Major won a metlal. a bronze in the hurdles. He wasalso part ofthc winning I-elay team. The Worcester District boys team did in fact win tlie whole event.
Senior School
Athletics
Under 15
The Lower Remove girls hail three fixtures, a cluadrangular fixture against Hanley Castle. MalvernGirlsnnd StJames. a match against CWHS and a triangulalfixture with the A0 and St Marys. They finished in second place in the quandrilngular. but were beaten by CWHS and the AO. Even so. there werc so111c good perfoniiances. Individual wins werc recorded by: Jo Bellfield (100111+200m). Zoe Witowski (200m + LJ) and Lauren Pratt (Discus + Javelin). Other regulars
U~~I'ort~~~iateIy, tlie U 1 S I)i\tricl Cliaml~ionliip was r;~il~etloff. llut Jo ( OOnl 13.5) ancl Ln~~rcn ( Javelin 24.40) werc selected or1 the basis ol' thcilpuformanccs for the City team. La~lrcli nl\o rcpl-escntecl tlie County in an 11ilc1-Co~lrlt~event licl(l at the Alcx;tntlclStadium.
Tlie Lower Relnove boys competecl ag;~in\tRCiSaritlCWIiS.Tliey were beaten hy tlie I'ormer but n~trrowly prev;~iled against the latter. Indi\ id~lnlwinner. wcrc: Forrester (400111 + TJ), Brown ( 150Om). Turner Dihcus). Corr (Shot) :uid Foulhe\ (J;~veli~l).Otliel. tcam ~iicmhcr\ wcre: Wlical. Foulhe\. Gr~l't'itli\.the S~undl'ord.;. Joncs. Wray. Dolicrty. Lewis. I)i~le.
k~~if'\ l i~li\licdill \C~OII(\ l)I;~cc.I3e1ivic ( 100111 l l .S). GI-~IIIC(SO01112. 14. ) ;111(l K;ln (.l;~vclin 30.77) hccalnc ('ily Cl~;unl~io~i\antlOtt(7001n).Wchb(4OOm). McDon;ll(l (XOOln). Trolnan\ (Shot) ancl Lyon\ (TJ ) al\o clualil~cdI'ol. the City team. Other ~ncmhcssol' the [cam \vcrc: Cio~lltl,Bi~rl~cs.Col-I-.Strovel.. Singleton. Wsiglit. Lau. ancl Ligl~t.At the County Cl~;~mpionsliiptliere w;~sa \cl-ic\ ol personal hc\ts hy oul- ;~tlilete.hut Joe Km's 34.40 in the Javelin. in \pile ol'only placing him I'o~irth.w>t\ a pal-ticulal-ly out\t;lntling ct'l'ol-I.
Senior
Tlie Seliior tc;1111co~11cI1101 ~ii;~tcli[lie n;lrrow \,ictory ol la\t scn\on. Tlie Gwmmal- Scl~oolprovetl to he too strong
Whitmore and Braricr. With tlic District U15 Cli~unpionshipbeing rainecl of1 selection was once again basedon previous timesancl distances. Forrester(4001n5'9.7).
D. Sandford (LJ 4.82). Corr (Shot 1 1.17). Turner (Disc~ls26.30)anti Rrazier(Jave1in 34.40) were selected.
Under 17
Tlic Upper Removes competed against RGS and were beaten. Grime (XOOm).
P1;rnk (LJ). Lyons (TJ) and Wnrtl (HJ) were individual winners. Alien, Holt, Harri\. Stringer. Morris, Strover. Galloway, Pliillips. Jaclues. Mats~umoto, and Heyes were tlie other members of tlic team.
The Fifth year hi~sa strong tezum. Unfortunritely tlie fixture against RGS clashed with GCSEpreparation. As aresult the I'ixturc did not take place, but several
of the stronyer athletes competecl for tlie Senior te;uii in the corresponding match. In the U 17 Di\trict Champion\hip
ant1 cxpcrlcnccd. Jonatliali 1'ashc.l- led tlie team ant1 w;15 not s~l~-psi\ingly\II~CC~\I'LII in his event\. He was r~l1111er1111 ill tlic 400m Hurtllcs at last ycar's English Scl~ools.However. he was our only incliviclual winner. Other mcmhel-s ol'tlie tc;lm were: Robcrtson. Bclivic. Kutld, Dcahin, I3ratlsliaw. Mcllonaltl. Lcwi\. Mo\elcy. Hahe\, Hurm;~n.Dnvic5. Hi1r.l-is. Kan, Goultl al~tl13o~1sne.Parher (300m H ). Rohertson ( I OOm). Rutld (300111). Brndsliaw (400117). H~~rrnan(TJ ) ancl Davie\ (Shot)werc \~~hsecluentlyselcctetl for the City team. At tl~cCounty Cliaml7ion~hips there wcre sotne unavoitlablc ant1 some ~incxplainetl :thsencch, bul Ro\a Hurrnnn \+(inn hronle med;ll.
.IIJNIOR SOCCER SCHOOL (Xi KITTERMASTER (0) Capt;lin- Hinton. Rol>crt\on. l l;~ycs.Snan. Cuc\t
Netball
Under 18
Altlno~~gln(lie 1993-94 season hrouglnt some ~~nforlunatelo\ses, there were also several very deserved wins. reflecting tlne skill and commitment sliown hy all the memhel- ol'rhe squad.
Aftergetting to know each other at tlie beginning of Septembel-. the 1 sl V11 came together well, and pl:~yetl with much entli~~siasmant1 spirit. improving steadily tlnrougho~~tthe season. This was sllown by the last twomatcliesagninst Hanley Castle ant1 St. Mary's Convent, wliicli were won in very convincing style.
A 2nd V11 team M,~I\only formed on fo~~rocc;~sionswitIn11elpI'romsome willing rowers. Altlio~~ghno victories were recortlecl. tlne efl'orl ancl eagerne\\ shown hy those who playctl. more than made up for it.
At tlie cnd ol'tlic seajon. Colo~~rswere :lua~-declat the very e11.joyable Hochcy and Netball Supper. Full Colo~~rswere aw~u-cledto Ruth Tibble. Sian Wil1i:tms. Tanvir Rarvi, Snhine Koe1nler.lulieClw-he and Cln~~rlottcDatiiell. Half Coloul-s were aw:~rdetl to Ffiona Kyte wntl C;u.ys Williiums.
f'inally. our thanks mu\( go to Mrs.An\rey for all of her support and dedication tlnrougho~~tthe season during mntclics and in training. Tliatnk~also to Ruth Tibble, OLI~Captain. who always hecrned to find somilny, often loild. words of encouragement.
Clrcl~.lorrcD~tli(~ll
Under 14
The A team enjoyed a successful season only losing to Malvern College and by a very narrow margin to Bromsgrove School. They played with determination throughout the winter with excellent sliooting from Zoe Witowski and Jo Bellfield. The defensive play was always tight in the circle with close marking by Rose Panter and Lauren Lawson-Pratt. The centre court players really held thegamestogetherwith tenacity and support play between tlie attack and defence.
Three A team players were selected to represent the County - Jo Bellfield, Zoe Witowski and Rose Panter.
The B team enjoyed a successful season through solid effort and a good all round performance by tlne entire team.
F.L.J.
Under 13
The Under 13 tea~mshave hada terrific season, with greatly i~icreasedconfidence. skill anddetemination. ~uidaverypleasing set of rnatch results to show for all their h~wdwork. Tlie squad has begun to work well together, showing a keen interest in tactical play. Both A and B teams took part in the District Tournament, when the A team won four and lost one, becoming runners-up and going through to the County Round, representingthe Worcester Area. In the County Tournament, against very tough opposition. they won two and lost two, just failing to get into the semifinals on goal average.
Tlie B team also worked hard in the District Tournament, where they wonone, lost two and drew two, finishing fourth in their section, but gaining valuable match experience.
There has been excellent play from both teams, with every player a credit to the School.
N.R.A.
Under 12
The Under 12 A teal11 played I I ~narches,and the Under 12 B played 8, over the Autu~nnand Spring ternns. In addition, they attended regular training sessions, which give an indication of the high level of commit~nentandenthusiasm shown by the squad. All the players have trained hard. changed positions reg~~larly to give everyone the experience of match play, and have shown vast improveliient over the season. In the District Tournament, the A team won two, lost two and drew one, ending third ovelall. In a separate section, the B team won three, lost one and were delighted to become eventual runners-up. It has been a good season, with plenty of challenges and I look forward to seeing this pleasing potential developed next year.
N.R.A.
Girls' Hockey
Under 18
After ;t \low start to tlie season. the tcam finally came together ancl we playetl eiplit mtttclic\. Ry the cntl ot' the season. \vc \\ere ~I;I\inp s~~ccc\\l'ullylogcflier ;IS ;I tc;11i1;IIICI11;1(1 :I lot 01' c~itIi~~si;~\~ii fro111 both the Ilppc~-antlLov.erSixtli girls. Wc played one iricloo~-match. which ~p~-ovcd :m intcre\ti~igepcriencc. especially tlic spcctl at which the gamc \\.a\ pla),ctl.
Full colours \\ere a~\artlcdto Kil-\ty Lunn. our intli\l~ensahlc and f:tnta\tic captain. and H:111' coIo~~r\ to So MLISOII. Miuiy tliitnh\ to Mr\ Scnkinzon I'or encoul-nsing LI~;11itl l'or a11 the \~~pportit1ic1 help over the ';cilhon. Let's hope that thi\ year we contin~re \\it11 the \ilmc cntli~~\iasm.
,/(I M(I.\OI/
Under 14
Throuplio~~tthe winter the lintier 14 tcam. capt;~ined by Rchecca Birtwhistle. 1%-i~lizedrcp~~lal-lyant1 e~i.joyedplaying fii'fcen m;~tclic\.They \vere ;llw;~y\ keen, determined ancl playctl well togctlicr. ancl when entered in tlie Ilislrict to~~rnitrnent. they heat Ulc\\ecl Ecl\\,:u-cl School. St. Jamc\ aritl Tlic Abbey. ancl tlr-ew against Chri\toplier Whitehead School. but sadly lost to M:tlvern Girl\' Collcpe ancl Prince Henry'\. Evea1i;tm.
Lytlia Rohinon and Lauren LawsonPratt went tliro~~gli to the second rountl of tlic County trial\. \vhich w:ta a vitluahlc exlxricllcc for tlic~n.
A co~ii~iicnil;~hletlcpl-ee of' cornmitriie~~twas \liown by the Iollowinp six girls - Lydiit Rohin\on. Lalll.cn Law\on-Pratt. Sal-all Rill. Ellcn Hi~yncs, Kehecc:~Rirtwhistle ancl Clare Hol/apfcl. wlio made tlicmselve\ av:til:tblc ['or every match. l '.l.
Under 13
The IJnder 13 Hockey tciuii provetl to be a very dedic:~tetl, com~nittcdand coheaivc groLIp of' intlivitlual\.
Tlicy el~joyetla successf~~lclay at tlie Regional divisional tournalncnt ol' tlie Nation;tl Mini-Hockey Competition. Tlicy only lost one of their five mittclies. 1-0 v. Tlie Cllaw which w:~s sufficient for their eliminntion.
In tlie I I-a-hide District toL1rn;mient tliey iriip~-ovetltheir [cam psrforrnaricc :t~icl re:~clictl tlie seliii 1'in:tIs :11'te1.winl?ilig omc very tlil'l'ic~~ltmittches. Al'ter :I 0-0 re\~lltagainst MalvcrnC;irl\' Collcgctlicy
Tlie \LILI:I~ niatle a pro~iii\in~start 10 its hockey carecr. Al'ter I~:II-ninphitsic skills and hall control it went on to pli~y:I f1111team g:ume and bent Bleh\ecl Edwi~rd School seven goals to nil. The learn was overwhelmed in an uneven match against The Downs School but kept it\ fighting hpirit to tlie encl.
\'.l
Rounders
Under 18
II~iJ'ort~~~i;~!cly. [)lily three m;llclies were pl;tyctl by the fir\t team this sea\on, as many players had exam and theatre colli~iiitriients, h111 ;ill 1Ii1.c~were worth playing. The cntli~~\ia\mancl enioynient \how11hy all who pl:tyed %a\ immcn\e. \o the fact tli:tt we lo\t diclnol sec111to 111;111cr!
Tlic pt.uctice\ this yei~r\ccmctltohe in great tlcmanrl by everyone on ;IWeclnezclay itl'ternoon, c\pcci;~lly hy tlie Clpper Sixth boys, wlio. once they cvcnt~lallyconnectetl hill will1 I>;III.\vc~.ccluirc good.
And I'in;~lly. a hig thank you to Mr., .Ienhinzoli I'or all ol'licr p~~ticnce:uid liarcl M'OI-~during our practice., and mutclie\. ~//O/'/O/~l'/)(///;i8//
There were only two Sixth Form girls willing and able to play tennis to match standard this year - Victoria Holloway and Jo Mason. They gallantly upheld the name of King's on the tennis circuit, and fully deserve theis Half Colours. N.R.A
Under 14
The squad consisted of Jo Bellfield, Sarah Smart, Ruth Appleby. Clare Holrapfel, Natasha McGinity and Amy Donovan.
They all enjoyed their matches and played very hard but with less success than we would have hoped for!
They playedmatcliesagainst the Alice Ottley, Hanley Castle, Malvern College andalso played in the District Tournament.
I was very pleased with their dedication and commitment to the team as they persevereddespiteco~iiingup against very stiff opposition.
the season's results. They won one match against St James and The Abbey but lost the other four.
Ellen Haynes, as captain, did a marvellous job of keeping the team's spirits high throughout the season.
Under 13
Over half the Upper Fourth girls' year group (24) attended training on a regular basis and i~ijectedmuch effort and enthusiasm into their matches.
After a tentative
start the team pulled themselves together, perfecting good strong hitting actions, which resulted in a storming finish to the season. Georgina Dnlton made some exceptional catches and the following deserve a mention as top scorers: Karina Tipton. Kristen Leith, Alex Lomas, Charlotte Ghaye, Cassandra Bray, Jo Brown, Jenny Pearce and Bethan Pickrell.
F.L../.
Under 12
During the summer tenn the majority of girls in the Lower Fourth attended the weekly Rounders practice which enabled King's to produce an A and a B team. Everyone who was interested was given the opportunity to play in at least one game. Progress was made throughout the season highlighted by aconvincingvictory of five rounders to twoagainst Brornsgrove Lower School by the A team.
During a pleasant and warm gamcs afternoon the girls took part in the interform Rounders Shield which was eventually won by L4A.
With extra coaching from Poynder tennis I am sure we will do well next season.
F.L.J.
Under l3
There were two types of matches this year: those which were part of the National Midland Bank League, and friendly matches.
We entered two teams in the Midland Bank League and had a fairly successful season with the A tcamonly just failing to qualify for the next round in a close match against Alice Ottley which ended in a draw. Unfortunately, as A.O. won two more games than us, they were awarded the points for winning. The B team, although they did not win a match, gained valuableexperience andcertainly enjoyed the games.
In the friendly matches, we played four, won three, and drew against a strong Bromsgrove team.
This squad has much potential for future years. Its commitment to matches and practices has been first-class andeven
those girls who have not been selected for teams, have turned up regularly for Tuesday evening practices. The team members have gained valuable match experience, although there are still some players who find it difficult to buckle down to the job, and consequently do not win games in which they nreobviously the better players. Special ~iientionmust go to Jenny Pearce (U4D),who only lost one set all season.
K.A.
Under 12
We were fortunate to have a great many girls in the Lower Fourths anxious to play tennis, and with considerable ability. We played six matches, lost three, drew one and won two. Rosie Tustin and Sarah Lonbay led the team very well, playing as first couple throughout the season, supported by a changing team to give as many girls as possible the opportunity to play in matches.
N.R.A.
One of tlie niglitm:~resof running a school Music clel3artlnent is witnessing tlie departure ol'a p:utic~~l:~rlygifted ;incl n~~rnerou\gro~~p of rtctive rn~~siciiuns :IS tliey come to tlic cntl of their scliool c:~rccr.A yew ago \ve said goodbye to one SLICII gro~~p,LII~CIthis year we saw an equally gifted groi~pgo after contributing outstandingly to musical life not just in their final year. hut for every year that I have known them. Some of them will he mentioncc1 by name. hut. nametl or not. tliey hove ear~ictlmy repeated gri~titudesover the year lh their cheerful and loyal service.
A remarkable acco~npanimcntteam including pianist Matthew Wall. percussionists Jiuiiie Cole~n~ui.Richard Powell, Darl-en Olivcr, Robert Stringer and Surin Razah and Raymond Jolinston :nd Cliff Pick fro~intlie Music stafl' enablecl tlie smooth :mcl exciting running of Car1 Orff's popular C'ri1.1lrir7riRrrl.ir~rtrin the Sulnmer Temi Concert. They were joined by the School Choir :at1 Catliedri~lchoristers on excellent f'orni with a splendid teiuii of soloists. Louise Horrocks, David Barry and Torn Hunt. Sheer inability to have the Lent Teriin concert ready in time witli tlie slno~~ness of tlie term ;ada lengthy mock exam period meant a11early start for this concert, which amalgamated much ol' the pro.jected eilrlier concert with the Summer Concert. Matthew Wall was an :~ccomplisliedpiano soloist in the first moveliient of Scli~~mann'sPiano Concerto, and Tom Blunt the sensitive organist in Albinoni's fi~rno~~sAtlc~iofor Organ ant1 Stri~igs.Geri~intMorpm and Raclicl Baseley gave a spirited performance of tlie first movement of Bach's Double Violin Concerto witli the Cllamher Orcliest~~.hefore First Orcliestr;~entlctl tlie first linlf' with Berilamin's .Icir~rtiii~~i~r I<ri~rrl~ci;~ndCopland's Orrtrlooi. O\,cr.trr~.c,.A welconie addition to tlie School's ensemble was to be heal-cl in n polislieci brass sextet directed by trombone teacher. Atlrin~i Tay lor.
Earlier in the school year, the Christmas Concert had given :I 1i)retaste 01' tlie percussion tlcliglits of C(II.IU;I~~I Hrr~.cirrii witli a perfor11n;tnce of three sectio~isof Howard Blake's SIIOM'III~III. First Orchestr;~witli Durrcn Olivel- ant1 Jamie Coleman as percussionists were joined by Paul Pro~~se singing tlne fruiious W(11rCilrgill tlrc Ail.. wit11 great ~~ss~~rancc. Also performed were the I'irst movement of Mo~art's.I~i/~if(,l. .SJ~II~IJ~IOI!\,P;~chelbel'sC~IIIOII and Elgar's Strliil rl'Ailrorrr. I'rom the Cha~iiherOrclicstra, songs liy Lloytl-Wehher. Hoagy Ct~rmicliaeland Ger4iwin from tlic Fou~tliForm Clioir. Bo.s.sci .Nol,cc Holitki~.and Mi.\.\ioir I~lr~~o.s.sihl(~ from the Concert Bxnd :uncl Malcolm Arnold's Lit/lr~Sriitc from First Orchestra. Kcitli Bridges was an imposing bass soloist in V;~~~gli;rnWilliams' I;rlrrfc~.sici011 C1rr.i.stirrtr.s Col-01,s. sung by the School Clioir witli Raymond Joliriston at tlie organ.
The School's Clioir and the C;~tliedl;~lchoristers were on exccllcnt form for tlie Carol Service at tlic close of the Autumn Term. Peter Warlock's Atltrl~rLi9 f'Rori1rrlr11sung by the choristers. David Willcock's arrangement of Tomorrow Shall he ~nyDancing Day ant1 Joln~iRutter's ~~r~~ngunie~it of 111I)r~li.i.Ir~l~ilosling by the School Clioir. Miclii~clHead's lovely 7'110I<oiirl to B~~tlrl~~lrr~~rr f'ro~ntlie Keys Clioir ancl John Tavernor's 7i)t/t!\. tlrc~I'i1;~irrI'~.omtlie Cli:~mberClioir adorned :I memor;tble and atmospheric service.
Earlier in tlie Autumn Term the House Music Competition returned to its riglitf~~l~I;ICC just hc1i)l-e Hull-terni. alier
taking ;I temporary hrcak tlne year earlier. I think it was ;I pleasure to see its rctur~i- :I great tlcitl of liartl work hy l-lo~~seStal'l' ;md House ~ii~~sicianscajoling singers ancl inslrumcnt:~listsinto actio~nwas rew:irclccl by :I most e~i,joyablctli~y'smusic-making. ~uidcrowned by li~~moro~~s ancl perceptive :~cijutlic:~tionl'rom Adrian Partington, OV, himself making liis first ol'l'ici~~lreturn to King's. sillcc liis move to Abhotts Bromley ill 190 1. Winning tlie House Song was Creighton with lolli it^ F-~II.I~Iably contiucted anti arranged by Matthew WLIII.Tom Blunt's powerful and emotionally grippi~igperfonii;~~iceof Bloc.I,'.v P~.tr?cr-li,r alto won tlne Senior Solo section, iuid Robert Wehb won tlne Junior Solo section. pli~yingtlne second movc~iientol' H:~ytl~n'sG major Violin Concerto.
At tlie Chaplain's suggestion. tuid witli his consider;~hle encour:yemelit. the Chamber Choir has begun to sing wecktlay Catlied~~lEvensong once or twice a tern1 when the Catlietlral Clioir is not singing. Simple begiri~iings,witli Gibbons Short Service, soon led to sterner st~~l'l..Tallis's Latin Magnificat and Nunc Dimmittis ;mtl Howell's evening canticles for St John's College Ca~iibridgeand Westminster Abbey. Once again tlic Choir had its annual weekend in tlie Brecon Beacons in the Lent temi. Initial disappointmc~itat the i~nav;~iluliil ity of the nonnal outwru-cl-bound ~ictivitieswas cl~~icklyforgotten when they were replaced by dry-slope skiing, and ten-pin bowling in Swansea. both quite nornial activities for tlie pupils. hut brand new experiences their conductor!
A year ago we said f;u-ewe11 to Malcolm Drummond from tlic Music stal'l'. This year we say :I very warn1 welcome to V:~ncssaGi~ntcr,who has already made :I strong impression in the School's musical life ;IS woodwind te:~clie~-,able cl:~ss teacher. flautist. singer nncl gootl colle;~gue.We wish her many happy years teaching at King's.
1I.E.B.
KS WAND THE BACH CHOIR
The Bach Choir is a large Lolldon based choral society with slightly more thin 150 members. which perfonns at LI
Perhaps the most spectacular venue at which the Bach Choir has pe~li)miedrecently is the Sydney Opera House. In number of venues in London as well as several outside it and February and March of this year the choir visited both Australia ancl New Zealand for a period of just under three weeks. performing once in Sydney and then a number of times at the Wellington Festival. Singing in the Opera House
even abroad occasionally. The conductor of the choir is Sir David Willcocks. once organist of Worcester Cathedral, and apart fi-om this Worcester connection the choir membership c~uicurrently boast the presence of ~OLISother OVs in its midst: Charlotte Bridges (Co. 1985-87). Allison Wright (Co. 1985-87), Annabel Murday (Co. 1982-84) and David Boulton (W. 1977-84).
The fact that we have all ended up in the same choir is, 1 think, entirely due to coincidence, and the fact that at least some of LIS recognised the others a good number of years
was a tremendous experience, if a little unreal, it being a building one feels to know well without having been anywhere near it previously. A tour round the Opera House complex PI-ovedto be of great interest and revealed that not
only is there an opera house there but also a concert hall (in which the Bach Choir perfonned) and two theatres. Sydney itself has a quite cosmopolitan feel to it, there being a number after we last saw each other is really quite mil-uculous. of distinct ethnic quarters within the city. The only Perhaps we carry some identifying sign invisible to other-s which marks us for life as former inmates of a pal-ticular educational institution in Worcester.
The ~iiusicaltradition of The King's School has always been strong and its association with the Cathedral has obvio~~slyplayed an important I-6lein this tradition. With
disappointing aspect about our visit was that we had to leave SO soon.
The Wellington Festival happens once ever two years and the whole city hums with activity during the two weeks or so in which it takes place. Drama, dance, music, visual arts and any other art form you can think of can all be watched. cathedral choristers attending the School it seems inevitable listened to or even joined in with over this period. The choir that singing sho~~ldplay a significant past in its musical life. The School Choir. the Keys Society, musicals, light opera. all make use of the singing talent within the School. Indeed
was performing three concerts over a period of five days so our itinerary, with rehearsals too, was quite busy. There was, however, still time for a little sightseeing iuid a chance to when a School concert loomed I remember it sometimes experience the famous winds of Wellington. Put an i~mbrella up at the wrong time and you are liable to end up air bo~ne such is the wind's strength. As for sheet music, drop it and
seemed there was no place to hide at lunchtime when the appropriate IIILIS~Cmaster was searching out reluctant pi~ticipants.Though one may not feel so at the time, this is a you'd need to be ~infol-2Christie to catch it up. great chance to get to know some of 'the world's most beautiful music', as a well-known national radio station likes to say, and is well worth the effort.
The choir's reception here, as in Australia, was very warm, something for which we were grateful ancl also quite pleased as choral standards in New Zealand are high. Had we
For those with musical ambition perhaps the best given ;I poor performance there were plenty of New Zealand opportunities lie with the Keys Society because the concerts al-e entirely planned and perfonned by School pupils. Members of staff never interfere. Well, hardly ever. When a
choirs on hand to show us up.
Such trips abroad happen only evely couple of years or so and this year the Bach Choir is not setting its sights quite so concert date looms close and still no one has volunteered to conduct the Keys Society Choir the cavalry, in the fonn of Keith Bridges, can always be relied upon to come charging over the hilltop to save the day.
For many of us now. taking part in School concerts is :I rapidly receding memory though of cource there remain plenty of oppol-tunities to get involved in music, especially singing, for those of 115 to whom it appeals. Balancing extl-a
cul-ricula activities against otliel-commitriients can be awkward and tlie fact that the Bach Choir rehearses only once a week for two 1~our.sis :I definite advantage (some other choirs do considerablv more). The choir perfo~ins about fifteen concerts a year and this means that music has to be learned at quite a rapid rate. For newer members not so familiar with tlie repertoire this in turn leads to a number of solo oppo~t~~nitiesthough others somewhat unkindly refer to this simply as 'coming in at the wrong time'.
far afield, planning to visit North Wales next summer and also Malvern next May (20th May to be precise). The piece to bc performed in Malvern is Bach's B Minor Mass and it would be an extra pleasure if in addition to the four OVs
singing with the choir, there were one or two in the audience as well. Any takers?
The coneel-ts themselves are highly enjoyable. The choir is able to al'ford to pay for extremely good orcliestr~~sand soloists and the concel-t standar-d is high. Two hundred and fifty people can produce quite a soi~ndat full volume and when the performance goes well there is really no feeling quite like it (or not that is suitable for discussion here anyway). Highlights of recent years have included a perfo~nianceof Mahler's VIIIth Symphony in both Ely Cathedl.nl and the Albel-t Hall, Bach's B minor Mass in York Minster and also Bach's St. Matthew Passion in the Symphony Hall, Binningham. Torn Blunt
David Roulton (Wulstan '77-84)
KEYS SOCIETY
*I'lie most mcmorahlc event ol'the year was the speciitl concert a~-r;tngcdon December 2 1 st. Al'tcr winning the cup t)r the most proniising choir at the 1qc)2 Elgar Choral Festiv~~l.The Society commissioned its foitndc~..Roger Hcmingway. to compose a song for the choir. Roger askctl Peter Diamoncl to write tlie worcls and in the end we h:td three songs rather tli;ui one, basecl on two sculpt~~resand :I painting, entitled Airi~r~irc.itrtio~r,Srllonlc, iuitl Piclrr. These songs were. by I;tr. the ~nostdifl'ic~~ltpieces the choir has tackled. but wit11 much work, particularly over tlie weekend hefore tlic concert, the enlarged choir (inclutling 20 OVs ;ill of whom took part in The Elgar Festival) coped masterfully with complex writing. These are fine pieces and wcrc given :I first cli~ssperlot-mance. The rest of thc concert wits clevoted to Christnlas music which was en.ioyed hy :I full College H;tII - ~~oi~ld that we could have such an attendance at tlic normal concerts.
The other concerts were of tlie usual high st:uidurd iuid
again we ctl.joycd many outst;uiding perlornl:tnces. l<;tc~hcl H~tseley(Violin). M:~ttIiew Wall (I'i~mo).Richard Powell ancl J:umic Coleman (Percussion). Dasren Olives (0rg:tn). Pennie Goi~Itiand Sti~:u-tGaston-Nits11 (Voice) are leavcrs who together with Ionitthan I':~~.hcr.Sian Willi:tms :incl M;~rthewWood have been sr:u~nchmc,~nbersol'the Choir. some of them since tlie Lower Remove. I woi11tI like to thank them lbr their willingness to give up so much time l'or the Society. Also Jiuiiie Colem:un's help with the administri~tiotlli;~sbee11IIILICII ;~pp~-eci:tted.
Tlie final concert was crownetl by n I'ine perI~orrn;uiceol' Mo~iu-t'sSl~c~t:rirn~c.~.\c, in which Pennie Gould (soprano), Tom Blunt (alto). Ricli;~rtlPowcll (tenor) and St~~al-t Gaston-Nasli (bass) wcrc the soloists.
I havc concentrated on thc Icavcrs hilt there were also m;uiy items by yoilnges ~nembers.The I'LI~LI~C look5 in sound h:md. .].I,.K.11.
The Canferburv Tales
This year's Lowcr Sixth CiCSE Drama groi~pstaged ;I Peter Di~umondd~unatisationol' li)i~rof 7'/r(~C'~r/r/ci~hrri:\~'/'i~Ii'.\-
The Wili. of Bath. Tlie Miller. The Reeve and Tlie Franklin. Tlic t'i~ctthat the two perlhl-m;unccs were to happen the week L7cii)re Astc,i.i.v ctrrcl 'I'lrt)Anitr~oii.~. a rn~~jorshow. lielpetl to deterniinc the style of the production -the set was simple, tlie props kept to :I minitiium and costllme was not a priority. The success of the piece was largely tlcpendent on tlie actors' imi~ginativcuse of the script ~undtheis readiness to aclapt very quickly to one style from another.
S:um Heid was The Wifc of Bath ancl. ~~ltlioi~gh she hat1 been too moclest in rehearsal to make the mo5t ol'the Wil'c's inn~~cndo.she had no si~chdifficulty in the performances: she knew what the audience w:untctl. lan C;u:ud was lier fifth 1ii1sh:uid ancl certainly her match in terms of si/e of cliar;~cter. He tackled tlie part with energy ;ad.like Siuii. rclishetl the occasion of the perfomiances. Cliris Lewis was the perfect gentleman as the Knight and Ffiona Kytc pl~iyedthe wise olti woman who tested his principles ~tcI~iiir:thlyhefox turning into the fresh young bride. The Wife of Bath's Tale is tliffic~~ltbecause the long Prologue, where all the I:ti~ghsat the expense of husbands come. is fbllowcri hy a rather serious story with n moral. Tlie group m;unnged the change ol'mood very well, combining mime. farce and some choral speaking in the perti,rm:uicc.
Wc then moved to Tlie Miller which was cli~itea romp in ~.eliears;~l.;but which reached a climax in the I'irst performance ("Yes! Yes!"). Jonathon Gurney'4 carpenter was
cuckoltled by liis heat~til'~~lwil'e Aliso~~n(Zoc Gl;~rlwin)~untl:I ramp;~ntNicliolas (Willi~unPowcll) to the :~ccomp:unimelit of' Henny Hill-sty lc music. Tlic carpenter (in the shape of The Reeve) got liis own hack in the next r:~le when the miller of tlie story (Gary Hemming) is bonkcd on the head anti liis wili. (Kristy L~~i~rence) and tl:~~~ghter(Kittie Walihoi~rne)are entert;~incclin hccl hy two students (James Phillips ancl Janies Rosling~on)out to get tlieir own hack on tlie thieving miller. This was ~n~~aical hcds time. synchronisetl snoring. giggles and grunt?: all gootl cleiun 1'l;mtic I'i~n.Classic I':i~.cc.
Antl then a cli~uigeof tnooti ancl idiom :tnd the stylised elegance ol' The Franklin's Tale: joi~sting.~iictlicvultli~nce and coi~rtlylove. Oclelle Towner was a most gracef~11and dignifietl Dorigen. She rn:tn:tgcd to convey both lier woncler at the illusions of the m:~gic;ui (Chris Lxwis) :untl the anxiety ol'hcr feelings very cotlvi~lcingly.Essi S~~deghi-Delikurtii pl;~ycdthe love-sick Aureli~~si~ndcontrastctl well with I:ui Gu;trd's knight, Arvcragi~s.
Tlie autlience was ;tskecl some interesting cl~~estions hy the protl~rction,piu-ticuli~rlyabout tn;u.riage. hut the piece's main purpose was to entel-tain. ancl this it certainly ditl!
For the record. this W;IS the (C;III~:Tom Bowles. Zoe Gl;tdwin. lan Guard. Jonathon (;urney, Snmantli:~Heal. Gary Hemming, Ffiona Kyle, Kristy 12:ti~rence,Chri.; Lewis, Jamcs McGowiun, Olivel- P;trkcr. James I'hillips, Jiumcs Roslington. Essi Sadeghi-Dclikurrli. Odelle 'l'owner, Kutie Washhourtie and Kate Wilkinson. S. I,e M.
Asterix And The Amazons
As you will know. tlie final line of tlie scorecilrd of England's first ever test innings (Melbo~~me1877) I-eads, "Extras .. . 1 ". Until December 1993 all I knew about A.srrr.i\was that tlie word is an nnagl-am of that scoreline. So I read the programme avidly before the lights went down to gain ful-ther insights. This is what I gleaned. Asterix is a GLILI~ ill 50 BC, whose village is holding o~~tagainst Roman rule (so far so logical); Julius Caesar. who is in Rome at the time (diffic~~ltthat), deputes the 'governor of the province' (even trickier. as he was that himself) to sort things out; tliis governor, also referred to as 'ambassador to Rome'. is an Amazon (quite dotty. as everyone knows that Amazons were
senses. This device is not funny in itself; at the very least it requires that the actors appear (a) to ~~nderstandthe pun and (b) to recognise tliat it is awfill. That may be beyond actors of this age, ;uid it W;IS left to SRD (Julius Caesx) to show how it can be done.
Such negative points apart, however, there were many hugely en-joyable aspects of the show. There were several songs, by individuals, or duets, all of them expertly but unobtr~~sivelyaccompanied by a small gro~~p of staff and pupils. The singing varied, as one might expect. and proved that. in this kind of show, it is the acting and pe~li)miingof the songs rather than ;uiy musical qualities which score with the r~udience. I particularly enjoyed the duet between the Amazons (Rosie Panter and Debra Parker) and Anna Jones's solo as a British child about to be kidnapped - a real perfosmance! The bard Cacofonix (Robert Poole) gave a mythical women who wore single-breasted suits iuid lived in South America). These anachronisms, together with a cast list consisting of such chal-acters as the potionbrewer Getafix. the fishmonger Unhygienix, and tlie village elder Geriatrix. made Ine suspect that the story might after all be a comedy. How funny would it be. 1 asked myself. Let Ine share my conclusions with you.
I have to say it started badly. It is vital that, at the beginning of such a show, the actors seem to be having fun and inviting the audience to join them. Here the first scene consisted of villagers entering in small groups, singing. but the effect was rather wooden and uncertain. The dialogue which followed highlighted a probleni which ran through the show: too much of it relied for its humour on rather weak, sometimes anachronistic puns. For example. when someone mentioned the work 'horse' or 'menhir', a succession of others would utter sentences including the sound of the word in various different pretty good rendition of, 'I got Plenty o' Nuttin' '. even though its relation to the plot escaped me!
There were some effective visual scenes, too. The set, costumes and props were excellent, and as usual I didn't notice thc lighting or sound effects - whicli is as it should be! Particularly enjoyable were the torture scene, the confusion over magic potions and the hide-and-seek episocle. These needed good performances: they got all of these in fill1 measure.
However, altho~lghAsterix is intended for ephemeral pleasure rather than to enhance one's understanding of tlie human condition, it is essential that the storyline is strong and easy to follow. This production achieved that admirably, partly by clear enunciation of the words but also by clear differentiation between the characters. Apart from the visual differences - Romans in ~~nifosm,Englishmen in tweed suitAsterix himself (Henry Willmott) came across as such a decent chap that we all wanted him to win, and the Amazon govemor (Rose Panter) exuded bossy unpleasantness as she aimed her handbag at opponents while calling them 'pratts'. Indeed, her entry with Debra Parker took the audience by stonn after that nervous first scene. We also enjoyed the torturer who relished his job, the thick, slow-speaking centurion, the coy Amazon spy-cum-soldier (Jo Brown), who all contributed to a varied array of characters. Julius Caesar wasn't quite like anyone else either! But the classiest performance came from the two 'children'. I've already mentioned Anna Jones's song and her 'brother' (Alex Lee) provided the highlight of the evening: while being stalked by the Romans who were trying to kidnap him, he exploited the traditions of pantomime to the full, controlling the audience
1.csp011scits il'llc'cl 1>ec11cloi~igit l,~-olLsionalljall Ilis lilk. I Ic will go far!
The shou. uas the riglit way rol~nd.in that it l>icked up Illomenturn :IS it went along and cnclctl more strongly than it 1~1dhegun. Thcrc wcrc scvcral promising pel-fi)~.nlancesfro~n i~ctors I hope to see again in 1'~1tul-eprotluctions. In all I think the iuldiencc fbuntl a lot to e~!joy. ~untlwill now hitve a rn~lch cle:u-er picture of the socio-economic 17rohlems inhe~.entin cross-CLII~LIKIIi~l~~~erii~lisn~ ancl. 11io5t inll~ort:~ntlyin tl~istli~j/ imd age, of tlie value of Fnmco-BI-itish co-operation.
K.N.G.S.
HOUSE DXAMA FESTlVAL 1994
No fewer than thil-ty-five plays have been perfo~~ned in The King's School Theatre ~lnderthe title of 'Ho~~seDnun;~'since its birth in 1988. It was estahlislied to provide an opportunity for as many people as possible to get involved in the production of a play iund was also seen as impel-tiuit in develoling House 'identity'. Tlie festival is still doing these things. hut it is also producing a number of very high quality shows. events which will he remembered by those wlio took part ancl those who saw tlie finislietl efforts alike. Three ol'the five Houses who took part on the first occa\ion seven years ago were :~lsopiu-ticipiunt\ this year: Ch;~ppel,Oswnltl and l-lostel. The other HOLISC in 1994 was Kittermaster.
Chappel's ~urnbitio~~.;plan to protluce S1iakespc:u-c's A Mitl.s~rr~lrr~c~/.Ni,ylrt's D/.rcl/lr was met with scepticism by a number ot'p~~l~ils and members of stafl'. including myself: Shakcspc:~re11;1tl never bel'ore been attelnpted as :I Ho~~se play. We were. of course, overlooking two impo~tatitfl~ctors: the acting talent and enth~~si;~smwithin the House. ~uidtlie inclinations of'the Hoilse Tutor!
A MirI,srrirr~rrc~r~Niglrt'.~I)l.c~tr/~r is one of Sl1ukespca1.e'~ most popi~larand I'unny pl:~ys. It is ahout the tilnclcss m;~clncssof lovc ant1 Clii~ppelclecitletl to set it in the IOt)Os. We cnco~lnteredthe ~OLI~lovers ;IS Yuppics. the Mecliimicnls as varying rn:in~1;11workers ant1 the fairies :IS gypsies :~nd new-age travellers. This was ;I superb production which ~lsetl :I l~u-gcnumber ol'p~~lilsfro111;111 ye;lrs 011 the stage tund :I very el'l'icient production team. Kristy Laul-ence. Jew H~~tniltonand Danicl Crow directed and 11:1tl the a~~tliencc 1;1~1gIling111ost 01'the wily tllro~1g11.The lovers' banter was hilariol~swith most ol'tlie young audience recognising their
own hitchiness. teasing ancl sull\-ing in the tlialogue between Lucy Brooksl~~~w.Artisham Fiaz. Carolinc Thompson ancl Daniel Crow. The workers' gro~~p~IISO provoked ITILICI~ giggling as Ian (;~~i~rtl, as Quince. tried to organise his tealii into rehearsing P?'I.~IIIIII.Sc111c1'/'lri.~I~c~withol~tm~lclisuccess. culminating in his temper rising to such :I dcgl-ce that his voice cli;~ngedpitch and he stxtecl banging his head on the pub tithle. Colin Thompson was a bouncy iuntl enthusiastic Bottom dressed in ;I decorator's orange over;~ll~uidMarcus Roe's Lion witli its sat1 iod shy roiu-ing deserves a mention. Other members of this group. Stefltn Agopsowicz as Starveling. Adam Smith as Snoi~t(and a really thick wall!) :uid Ryan Powell as Flute (and a ri~lic~~loi~~lyclu~nh-blonde Thisbe!) contributed enormously to the success of these scenes. The I'niry scenes were original in conception and beautifully tleveloped. Full of energy. colour, diunce and music they were n plensul.e to watch. Holly Gilbert as Titania ant1 Cliristopher Lewis :IS Obcron 11i1tldignity and authority hut the focus ol'attention was on Tom Birtwliistle's mischievo~~s:und lively P~lck.The other I';~iries:Alistair Brookshaw. Kate Burkill. Gcmma Llewcllyn, David Woodcock. S;u-i~hSmart. Tom Muwlly. liebecca Birtwhistle and Jon Smart hro~lghtliti.. mo\icment iund real magic to the st;igc witli tlici~.multi-colourctl gypsy cost~~niesant1 ~xlintcd Il~ces.Tlie sets were simple and effective with the elegant cl~twingroom ol' Tllcscus (Sinlon Ilott) contr;~sting~iththe sp:~cio~~swootlli~ntlscenes wlierc 111elighting cre~~tedthe recluirccl effects. The other n~~tllorityfigures wcrc gracef~~lly port~~yal by Alix Will~ncr(Hil>l~olyta)ant1 Koss Haincs (E~cLIs).Mention 1x1sto be made ol'the niusic which
managed to incorporate a few in-jokes (who else but SleM nice little calneo for Zoi; Marchant and Chris Jalnes as wo~~lddare to use 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother', the journalist and her photographer, but the most praise has to Chappel House song in the recent music conipetition!) as be reserved for Philip Turner as the frighteningly astute well as creating atmosphere and reflecting thenie and barrister, Sir Robe1-t Morton. He was an authoritative situation (lots of SOII~Sabout the moon!). It was a thoroughly presence on the stage dominating the action with his good evening's entertainment which deserved a lot more than convincing portrayal. The evening was slick and professional, a one-night stand. with beautiful detailed sets and period costumes: a real triumph in all areas of production.
To round off the 1994 festival, Kittermaster and Hostel Houses presented a double-bill of comedy. Mii~~lrr. at Mlrc~lilri~Man01 by local writer, John Townsend. is a farcical 'whodunit' comprising of a number of very funny. if stereotypical, characters admirably played by a cast drawn from all years in the House and directed extremely successfully by Ruth Tibble. Sir Erie Tweedhope, MP for Muckleby-under-Mudflop (Oliver Parker) is murdered at a New Year's Eve party and every guest has a motive. The play has an amusing and surprising twist at the end, but not before we have met the party-goers and learned something about their relationships. The cast worked extremely well together to bring the required pace to the piece and, with a good effective set, appropriate sound effects and interesting use of lighting it proved to be an excellent hour of fun. Williarn Powell's doddery Lord Muckleby was superbly played (and he even got the joke
T)rc>crrn right on the nightr) and he managed to keep the audience
laughing even when he speaking by falling asleep rather noisily. Rachel Baseley played his patient wife, This was followed two days later by another full-length well used to having to repeat everything for his benefit. Katie and extremely challenging play. Oswald House presented Forrest looked the part of the 'femme fatale' and carried off TIIOMiiilsIo~'BOJ'by Terence Rattigan. The play was written the thinly disg~lisedbitclliness very well. Chris Parker's Giles in 1946 but it is based on a celebrated pre-First World War was outrageous: he used every trick in the book to present the legal case which proved to be impol-tant in establishing the trivial young cad: a weak 'r', a monocle, a silly grin etc. But rights of the sul7jject against the crown. The plot covers two it worked in this play and he obvio~lslyelljoyed it. Ellen years beginning in 1908 with a cadet at the Royal Naval Haynes portrayed his dumb-blonde girlfriend, Bubbles, College at Osbome being sent home accused of having stolen convincingly getting tipsy and giggly. There were other and cached a postal order for five shillings belonging to amusing characters: Nick Hall as Reverend Dithers, planning another cadet. The play follows the efforts of his family to to elope with the cook (Hannah Watts); the dour butler assell his innocence by bringing the case to court. It is a (Daniel Fisher); the maid who fainted every time murcler was serious play with a number of strong and realistic characters. mentioned (Carys Williams) and the two incolnpetent Oswald House's PI-eduction, directed by Laura Desmond and policemen (OIiver and Dominic Doherty), who all Rob Sandford was efficient. sensitively interpreted and a contributed enornlously to the s~lccessof the production. The pleasure to watch. The r61e of Catherine Winslow, an play may not have anything profound to say. but the audience intelligent and principled young woman detemmined to certainly went for their coffee feeling good. establish herself as a serious participator in the fight, was The second half of the evening's entertainment was played with real conviction by Kate Wilkinson and was a provided by Hostel House who chose a much more ancient good contrast to her tlippant and carefree brother, Dickie comedy: The Wa.sps by Aristophanes, set in Athens during (Keith Holland), who seemed more interested in the latest the war with Spal-ta. This was a heavily-cut version. 'bunny-hop' than his younger brother's predicament. Ross translated afresh from the Greek by Keith McCulloch. They Paterson played Ronnie, the cadet in question, very well and were handicapped froln the start of rehearsals by a cast who the scene in which he is rather brutally questioned by Sir were heavily committed to other activities: it is extremely Robert Morton, Q.C. worked very effectively with perfect difficult to conduct a dress rehearsal when your leading actor timing. Ronnie's parents, Grace and Arthur, were admirably is rowing in Amsterdam! But it is to the credit of the whole played by Claire Johnston, with an appropriately protective team that at the last moment they put in a real effort to and motherly approach, and Richard Cussen. Richard had produce an amusing piece of theatre that the audience some enor~nouslylong speeches which would have enjoyed. I am not convinced that they chose the right play: it challenged the talents of any professional, but he tackled the is getting increasingly difficult for the boarding houses to find part with dete~minationand some success, bringing out the good single sex plays. However, they made an admirable wit of Arthur's words well, despite the problem he had with attempt to convey some of the amusing characteristics of the the powder he used to whiten his hair, which caused a puff of Greek legal system. Tom Church's Lovecleon was a dust to rise from his head at a couple of most inappropriate revelation and he conveyed the ridiculous old man very moments! Alex Cunliffe as Catherine's long-suffering fianci effectively. Yugo Matsumoto as Hatecleon revealed quite a and Anthony Cross as the solicitor who has long been in love natural stage presence and a strong voice, but even acting with her, were both well attempted but the actors lacked the could not conceal that particular Matsumoto laid-backness! maturity to be completely successful. There were also two Other performances worth mentioning came from Mare Bames as Hatecleon's slave and John Clubley as an
A Mid.sl~n?rr~rrNight's
Rynn Powell: Thisbe; Arlnr~iSmith: Wall; Colin Thompson: Pyrnntz~s.
Sanics Mackencler ~iiarlean ;~dlnirableatte~nptto leacl a rather Ictli:~rgicclior~~s.tlio~~gli lie obviously ti)llncl it difficult to remewher both tlie lines and the nioves at tlie same tinic!
Tom Flower-Ellis macle an excellent set which req~~irccl :I Il~cilityfor an actor to clilnh LIPa chilnney! He nianagccl to ;~cli~l>tsome ready made tlats very well ;ncl the overall look of tlie production. witli well-draped sheet.; and wasp-like I-shirts I'or the chol.i~s.was very cl.li.ctive.
As LISLI;~~the 17erforniers owe much to the technical teams \v110 workecl ~~nobtr~~sively to light the plays iuid produce tlic music and sound effects. Thanks go to Jarnes Philips. Gary Hemming, Alex Nicol. James Roslington and Jon Gurney who ditl a tremenclo~~sjob.
The li.stivn1 was a success, and clespite the LISLI~I anxieties and traumas experienced. mostly by those brave pupils who unde~-tnketo direct the productions before they I-ealise how much work and heart-ache it involves, the plays were all well worth watching.
S.H.I,e M.
The Devils
Anyone fnlnili:~ronly witli Ken Russell's grandly selfindulgent version of John Whiting's '/'/I(, Ucvils might well have cluestioned tlie suitability of SLICII ;I play for school or cathedral perf'ormance. 'Never had there been exorcis~ns like these'. rlic video marketing screams: and it makes gootl its promise in the strings of gratuitous images of flailing ~~lligators.steaming forceps and grossly elaboratetl stoniacli pumps. It's :I ciu'ic;~t~~recl1nC1ange ol' late medieval medicine :uitl conteml,or:~ry grco~tlgrri,yt~ol.Whiting came to his si1171cctvia Huxley's rather long-winded story of ;I gro~117 01' CJr4~1linenLlns in seventeenth century London w.ho were helicved to he possessetl hy devils. Tlic Iiistorical facts arc rcl;~tivclysimple. 'The local priest. Urbain Grandier. is held to be responihle Ihr tlicsc diitbolical miuiifestations and. thro~~glitlie plotting of his enemies, is humilii~ted atid martyred. He is not hlamelcs\: as lie faces his final rlegwdation lie confes.;es to having ' been a man. I have lovecl wonien. I li:~vebeen I>I.OLICI. I li~~ve longecl for power.' Not only is Grandier treated as :I man. isolatecl iuitl ~~niclue.hut :~lsoas a rcpresentativc of a \vholc society at'fcctctl hy the ~exual.social. po1itic:ll. cco~iomicancl religio~~s pressL~~-eswWhicIidefine its action ant1 heli:~viour. Ant1 tliese i4sues are focusccl in Ninon's telling ~ll~cstioii:'But lio\x can you be a ni:m of God witlio~~tbeing :I man'!' Ol'co~~rsc lie can't and tlie Iiiiln taints the God in him. It's tlie recognition of this cluality that constitutes his heroism and dignity ;\I the encl. S~rippcdof hi.; fine vestments. shorn 01' his flowing hair. lie follows Father Ambrosc's injunction to offer to Gocl 'pain. convulsion ancl disg~~st Let Him t:~kcme as I an1 I am :I sinful man ancl I c~uihe acccptccl. It is not nothing going to nothing. It is sin going to foryivcnc\s. It is a li~~rnirn creature going to love.' Tlint I'ini~lpowerl'ul concentration of Griilidicr's coiiil>lcte vulncr~tbility
(Lear on his own private heath'!) more or less
is s~~pposecl to have bewitched. emboclies the same predicament with a different and perhaps less hopeful outcome. She cannot be :I nun witliout being a woman: seeing him for the first time. broken and h~lrnili~~ted as he is, she finds him beautiful: it's a moment of complex insight. brilliantly distilled in a dramatic image. The lxxsibilities. even tlic realities. both of salvation and damnation are perfectly poised. Ancl. of course. she and Grandier play o~~t their private lives in a wider world derinerl in a whole panoply of priests. politicians, sisters of
the convent, sewermen, surgeons and chemists. It's a theatrical challenge which is seductive and demanding. Russell should have resisted it. I am very glad the King's School did not.
The Church has always played a significant rcile in the development of English drama. We are very fort~~natethat Worcester Cathedral continues to do so. The Lady Chapel was a wonderful venue for this play of late ~iiedieval manners and belief. Its high. austere stone, its tombs, memorials and arches led us, even before the action, direct to an appropriate tone, reflective and mysterious. Its spaces were inventively used with a series of playing areas to give height and depth, all delicately lit; with the passing of the evening light, the shadows intensified. It was an ideal setting.
And this large and committed cast made full use of it. Despite the acoustic challenge and. after all, in the building's more conventional guise, speakers' voices are us~~allyamplified, they prqjected well; where it was sometimes difficult to hear the detail, a confident posture and upright stance compensated. The whole thing moved with tremendous pace: Whiting chooses to write in comparatively short episodes which almost fall over each other in wanting to get on. In less expert hands it could have lost its rhythm; here, the potential problem became a strength. Coherence was the watchword. Each member of the team was clearly aware that there was a story here to tell and they got on with it. Never once did the mask slip or the pulse slacken. And it was the strength of the team
which painted the rich variety of this complex society, motivated by greed for money and power and appetite for sensual gratification. Of the l~oipolloi, I enjoyed Gary Hemming (Mannoury) and James Phillips (Adam) as much as they did and Tom Birtwhistle's model of studied cynicism. Between them, they defined the extremes of pace within the piece with the first pair moving the dialogue along at a cracking speed and the wisely laconic sewerman holding it up almost, but not quite, to :I filult. Subtle stuff. These were the rhythmical parameters from which much else took its keynote. Father BarrC (Peter Beaudro) steamed and stamped his way through the climactic exorcism while Richelieu (Jon Gurney) and Louis XI11 (James Roslington) belonged to kinds of wax tableaux, scheming or effetehow disturbing is nastiness when it's served up quietly! The sisters who played their scenes quite properly as a group, each with individual characteristics, were by turtls, frenetic, gossipy, beniused; stillness and agitation again, often subtly co-mingled. Of these, Jo Mason as Sister Claire was outstanding. It's often instructive if not easy to look closely at actors who are 'off the ball' as it were. She never stopped working. her face communicating not only her own varied responses but directing us in ours. That's the secret of good ensemble playing. Her contribution to the team work (sic,) was substantial.
So, the context in which Grandier and Jeanne were to function was well drawn. What did they make of it? I have to admit to an anxiety about young people taking the parts of much older men and women. There is enough to tax an audience's sumension of disbelief in the theatre
witho~ltthat additional burden. As Grandier, Alex Jeffrey had 110 such qualms and, with his confidence, my own were very soon resolved. From the very first, his stage language prqjected a complete commitment to what he was up to. 'Look at me; listen to me; I believe in this.' Completely absorbed and unselfconscious, he moved through seduction, trial, confession with absolute conviction. Even at the end, when the direction, I fancy. encouraged him to look slightly ridiculous with a bleeding, bald and illfitting scalp that single-mindedness remained and, as a result, we took it. I wonder if the writing lets hi111down a bit at the conclusion where the big speech - Arthur Miller would have done it - at least twice - might have shaped his career more explicitly. That's Whiting's choice and I can understand why he wanted to avoid it.
For an actor and even an audience, however, there is, perhaps, a sense of bathos which may work intellectually but not in the theatre. It was a pe~-formanceof considerable strength, a huge project convincingly undertaken.
To some extent Jeanne has the harder part; she has less stage time to develop and runs the risk of achieving her identity through Grandier rather than in her own right. One critic faults the play for that reason, claiming that they are, in effect, the same character. I don't think Whiting intended that. No more did Lucy Brookshaw; her performance was riveting throughout. Here was a tortured soul, trapped as much by the social conventions of her day as by natural appetites which have nowhere to go but to perdition. Lucy's picture of frustration, passion and
'TIie Ilc~vils' Lucy Brookshnw rts Sister Jeanne.
hirrcl.ness wah sylnpatheticully balancecl hy a keen awareness of their causes. As she angrily caressed her dethr~nityor savagely projected her Itncy into GI-andier's coupling with Phillipe we were unco~nfortablyconscious of that lnysterio~~sblend of chaos and symmetry which constitutes human experience. It was an intelligent and rnoving inte~pretation.
Rosemary Diamond and Stephan Le Marchand were responsible for a coherent production in which all the elements had been conceived and executed with considerable attention to detail. Music, costume, lighting
ancl sound coll~plementccleach other hiu.monio~~sly:the lines were spoken intelligently, the blocking arrangcd eloquently iund often elegantly. Yes. it was a great teiu11 effort; as its leaders, they deserve the credit for their courage in taking on the challenge and for ensuring that it worked so very well. It is a great pity that so few members of the School seemed to want to see it. It's one of the ironies of the King's School cultural life, that. often enough, audiences are disappointingly lirnited where the quality ol'the experience on offer is of the highest quality.
Peter Diamond
'The Devils' The Ursnline Nuns.
The junior School
A review of a year in a school such as this co~~ldbecome far too long, there is so much on which to report. How to condense into a few sentences all that is done by whom, when and how, seems at first sight to be impossible. I shall leave others, therefore, also to write about their own involvement and make their own contributions.
The past few years have been a time of exciting change in the history of the school. Any school is evolutionary, each year reflecting the ones before but also shaping the ones ahead. However, these past three years in the Junior School since becoming co-educational, have been perhaps more significant than many others particularly as this last year culminated with our first girls moving on to the Senior School. Philippa Druett, Eleanor Joyce, Sara Lewis, Katie Jones, Chliie Walshe and Antonia Randall not only carried the burden of steering the course for all the girls in the Junior School to follow but also of exploring uncharted water. They did an excellentjob and we are indebted to them for their patience, energy, good humour and readiness to face the challenge head on.
Another milestone this year: sixteen boys who made up our first 7+ Form in 1990 also transferred to the Senior School. They too pioneered what has now become the most popular form for entry into the Junior School and can take agreat deal of credit for the success of that initiative.
Of the seven I l+ academc Scholarships awarded to Junior School pupils this year - n splendid achievement by any
standards - two were awarded to boys from that original 7+ Fonn, Edward Cumming and James Gilbert. The others were: Andrew Haynes, Richard Huzzey, Elizabeth Lewis. Adam Papaphilippopoulos and Adam Stamper. Thomas Colley was awarded a Music Exhibition.
ThedemiseofSaturday morningteachingfi-om the beginning of this year opened up many new oppol-tunities to explore. Inevitably there were activities on offer which did not have the appeal weenvisaged and some weremassively over-subscribed. Our aim was to provide a balanced and interesting programme which offered the children new experiences and new skills. We did not intend simply to extend our daily curriculum nor did we wish to compete with the very important hobbies and clubs the children enjoy in their home towns and villages. For that reason. we did not organise some of the popular sporting activities because we know that these are provided in the community at a very high standard.
A weekend camp at the Old Chapel, visits to Bath and Chester where special studies were made of the architecture, history and culture - even the opportunity to feature in a television programme which is due to be screened later this year -numerous walks, swimming, painting, pottery, rug-making, a river-watch, soccercoaching and Judo are some of the weekend activities which were enjoyed. In addition, we ran a Cycling Proficiency course for 25 children, all of whom passed the test.
As always, the children and their parents were active fundraising during the past year. In the Autumn Tenn we held our Readathon raising the outstanding total off 1400forthe Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children and The Roald Dahl Foundation. Our Harvest Festival collection for the Indian Earthquake Appeal realised E165. Richard Huzzey made his annual appeal for chocolate bars for the Dodford Children's Holiday Farm at Bromsgrove. For the three years Richard was with LIS,lie took the initiative each year to make this collection for the children who benefit from a break from the hardships of inner city life in the rural surroundings of the Holiday Farm.
Music in the school was particularly rich this year. We welco~nedVanessa Gunter as a member of staff last September and her involvement in the Junior School music and her enthusiasm, together with that of DEB and HRT and all visiting music staff. has ensured that this vital area of the curriculum has continued to thrive. VJG has inspired many new woodwind instrumentalists and has given a great deal of her time to organising concerts, choir practices, orchestra rehearsals and other special ~iiusicalevents.
Richard W~~dhamSmith and Elizabeth Lewis were awarded full colours for their outstanding contribution to the Orchestra and JamesGilbert was also awardedfull colours forhisdedication to the Wind Band. Streams of children have been awarded their Grade Cetificates in a wide range of instruments.
We much enjoyed what has become our annual exchange with the children of St. Hilaire la Palud. A party from the Junior School under the leadership of GRS and LJ, spent ten days with the families of St. Hilaire attending the local primary school, making special visits of tlieil-own and generally soaking up the language and culture of that lovely area of France. At the beginning of the Summer Term, thanks to the generous help from our parents, we were able to return the hospitality and welcome here our friends from France. Plans for our third exchange in June 1995 are well underway.
Our business experience initiated by some 18 boys met on
;I weekly hasis. W~thtlie invalunhlc help ol Mr Spllshusy. the leacler-ol'Young Enterprise in l-lcreford ancl Worcester. tli1-cctors were appointed :uid work beg:ui. There were two main pro.iects: the selling of Easter eggs ancl the school tea towel bearing a drawing ofevery memberol'tl~cschool. Uncles tlie very capable cliaimianship of Edwal-d Cu~nming,M~~Itico-the name under wliicli the boys traded - made not only n little money Ihr each clirector but :~lso~nadc:I substanti~~ldonation to (lie Acorn Children's Hospice.
Mr Michael Mavor CVO, Head Master of Kugl~ySchool, cocrcl~es J~~riiorSchool pupils in the,fitie art r?/Stuakeboar~li~~g: Jltrzior King's [)ay 1993.
We e~i.ioyccla number of cultural i~ctivitiestliro~~glio~~t tlie yeas. A visit to BirmingI1:un to watch the Royal Ballet pc~"ionii and a short while later to sec Tlic .YI~OM.III~III at the Birmingham Rep. Our in-llouse Christmas plays were great lin with each Form pl.otl~lcinga short play or musical sketch. CW led her form in a ~nostmoving assembly on the 50th Anniversary of D-Day. A11 members of 3CW took part rci~dingpoems. prayers ~uid recounting the memories of those who were involved in the DDay lanclings fifty years before.
One ol'thc highlights of the year is alway\ o~~rJunior King's Dny. This year was no exception witli 0111.g~~cstspeaker being Mr. Michael Mavor. CVO. Hex1 Master ol' Rugby School. He captivated his audience witli not only an enjoyable and apposite addl-ess hut also with his skill in snnkeboi~rding! To the great excitement of children and adults alike. he snakebo:udetl witli style ronnd the dais of College Hall.
011s dl.;llil;~tic 111;1g1111111O~LISW;(\ .l(,~l~liil,y.\~tl~(~l~~l~li~l,q hy Alltllony Ruchcritlge. a.joint protluctio~iwill1 ~licFoul.tli Form\. Witli extensive prepar;ttioll having heell done hy ~hccast of pnpils and nclulrs and tlirected hy PCT and NWG. the i~i~tlior's wil'e. Eilecn Buckeritlgc, 517e11t 11 very busy filial f'ortniglit p~~tting11sall through our paces giving tlie directors ;I cli;~nccto be directeti! A splentlitl how resultctl with almost I'LIII ~OLISC'S each night. We were also honoured to li:~veh~lclthe author ill the alldiencc for each perli)rmance.
And so to tlieencl ofanother year. As I said when I started this review. it is impossible to inclucle everything. Howevel-, I liope that I have been ~thleto tlo propel.Justice to all tliat has hcen achieved this year ;lntl I liope tliat due credit has been given. or at least, implied, to LIII those who have worked so hard to make this such a fruitfill ;uid exciting yc~u-. NW(;
Table Tennis
Our Tahlc Tennis pliiycrs have li:~cl the opportunity to ploy in some top matches. Tlie lour top scetls in the Junior School competed in the IAPS Tnhle Tennis Championships at Newark and I'inisliccl 4th o~lt01' X teams. Tlie following clay. Andrcw Jones, Philip Burclon and Christoplier Grant - scecls 1, 2 and 3 -co~npeted in the County Under 1 1 Championsliips. All three boys were in difl'crcnt groups and all three won in their own gro~~p.This prod~~ced;l11a11 King's Junior School final. Our No I scctl, Andrcw Joncs won. making him tlie Ilntler 11 Co~lnty Clinnipion. COIOLIISwere awarded to Philip Hurclon, Cliristopher C-yclit~gl'r(?f'icieticy Tr(iituitu,g. Grant, Nicholas M:!ior and ofco~~rsc.Andrcw Jones.
Netball
Under 10
This team was made up from a squad of girls who trained regularly and made tremendous progress over the season. The improvement in their standard of play was marked and the results proved the point, the girls winning their final two matches having lost the first three! It should also be remembered that some of the girls were asked to play for the Under 1 1 team on occasions and performed with considerable skill and maturity.
Under
11
The Under 11 team entered the IAPS Tournament in London, where they faced the stiffest of opposition. However, they worked extremely hard in every match, learned a great deal and ended 50th out of 61 teams.
This team trained hard and formed a close-knit group, particularly because there were so few girls in the year group. Each one played with determination and enthusiasm often against schools with many more children to choose from. I feel the girls in this team deserved great credit. Colours were awarded to Katie Jones and Eleanor Joyce in recognition of their excellent standard of play.
N.R.A.
Rounders
Under 10
The Under 10 team (2nd year girls) thoroughly enjoyed playing rounders during games, often in mixed groups and quickly learnt the basic elements of the game. By the end of the summer term, such was the enthusiasm of the girls, that it seemed possible to have afriendly match against Bromsgrove Lower School, which proved to be an exciting andclose game. Sadly. King's lost 7-9112 but the players showed considerable potential for the future.
Under l1
The Under 11 team. ably assisted by Under 10 players, has made an excellent start to its Rounders career! The girls have begun to understand essential tactics within the game. along with firm hitting and vastly improved catching and holding skills. The team played 4matchesand afterjust losing the first to Bromsgrove Lower School - 4112 - 5, then went on to win the rest:
4112 - 2112 against St Mary's Convent A 10 - 1 against St Mary's Convent B 15 112 - 12 against The Alice Ottley School These are very pleasing results and give an indication of the determination and close team spirit within the team. I anticipate great things in the future!
N.R.A.
Cricket
Under 11
We opened the season against The Downs, and predictably nerves intervened and The Downs won by 2 l runs. Andrew Freeman was our most successful player.
The story was similar at Bromsgrove, although here the losing margin was 7wks. There was strong resistance against some very hostile bowling by Nicholas Major (31n.o.) and Adam Papaphilippopoulos (16n.o.).
In contrast, our third match against Solihull was a superb game. It could have gone either way but eventually Solihull ran out winners by 22 runs. Again, Nicholas Major (37) and Adam Papaphilippopoulos (4 for 35) were our most notable performances. Our commitment to local tournaments naturally causes some clashes over fixtures, so whilst six boys set about the taskof securing aplace in the Worcester Schools' 6-a-Side Tournament, a team comprised almost entirely of 2nd Form boys, ran out comfortable winners against Hawford Lodge by 47 runs. On this occasion it was Matthew Roe (36) and (3 for 3), Richard Hallett (24) and Philip Burdon (3 for 6) who destroyed any chances of a Hawford victory.
The visit to Oakley Hall saw a return of nerves. Hardly surprising when they so comprehensively beat us the previous year by 170 runs when they were still an U l0 team. They won again this year by 10 1 runs. The saddest feature of the day was the knowledge that the school was to close at the end of the term. No more shall Oakley Hall feature on our fixture list.
That match against Oakley Hall was the last match we were to lose for the rest of the season. Hereford were our next opponents and they always give us agoodfixture. They set us a target of 109, Matthew Roe being our most effective bowler (3 for 23). Our batting, despite the occasional relapse, was becoming more consistent and reliable with each game, although it was again Adam Papaphilippopoulos (38) and Nicholas Major (37 n.0.) who steered us to victory by 6 wks.
Our first opponents in The Knowles Cup were Northwick Manor. Batting first we scored 98 for 3 off our allotted 16 overs, Richard Hallett (451, Matthew Roe (28) and Chris Candlish (1 1). Northwick could not cope with our bowling and were 3 1 for 7 off their 16 overs. On this occasion it was William Ward who impressed with figures of 3 for 4.
The Fathers' Match had its fair share of fun but interspersed between the capers there was some good cricket from both sides. It is always hoped that the boys will win and more often than not they actually win on merit rather than by connivance. Of course the fathers are sub.ject to fines by the Umpire for a number of heinous crimes, the proceeds of which go to charity. This year it was the turn of Action Aid to benefit to the tune of f25.
Back toseriouscricket, ourfixt~lreagainstWarwickshowed how much the team had developed and learnt during the season. More and more could be relied upon to turn in good performances. It was a slow, low scoringmatch with Warwick declaring on 74 for 8. On this occasion our established bowlers found it difficult to break through the Warwick defences but James Byrne (3 for 16) and Stephen Daly (3 for 3) impressed. Again hostile bowling ripped through ourmore recognised batting so that defeat looked certain with only two wickets left and fifty minutes to the close of play. Undaunted. Matthew Dodson (12 n.o.1 and Paul Hallett (13 n.o.1 solidly defended and held out for a draw only 7 runs short of victory.
A glut of fixtures on the 29th June forced us to cancel our match against RGS so that we could play in the 6-a-Side Finals on the County Groilnd. (The Grammar School were there anyway!). Whilst we were beaten there in the semi-finals a second group were participating in the Bronisgrove 8-a-Side Tournament. Although we came fourth out of four we valued the experience.
Dines Green were our Knowles Cup semi-final opponents. Batting first, we set them a target of 104 off 16 overs, Richard Hallett (35) and Nicholas Major (26 n.0.) being our stalwarts with the bat. It seemed a mammoth total but Dines Green set about it with determination and when they scored 50 without loss off the first five overs we were staring defeat in the face. Thanks to timely intervention by Duncan Griffiths (3 for 8)
iind Adarn Piipiipliilippopoulos (3 tor 9) they collapsecl to 82 for 8 at the close.
And so to the final against Pitmaston who had quite clinically disposed of RGS en route to the final. Pitmaston, batting first, were confined by the tidiest bowling of the season to a score of 74 for 5. The score was well within our grasp if we kept our heads. When Richard Hallett was bowled by the first ball of the innings the outlook was gloomy. But it did bring Nicholas Major to the wicket to join Adam Papaphilippopoulos, probably our most successful pairing of
Soccer
Once again the weather had a m:~jorpart to play in the early weeks of the term as no fewer than four games had to be rearranged or cancelled. When we finally managed to kick a ball in a competitive match, therefore, the boys were more than eager. On a muddy pitch in Bir~ningliam I witnessed an impressive display of attacking football featuring comfortable passing, effectivedefendingandclinical scoring by St Alban's as we cri~isedto a 4-0 victory. These admirable qualities, I am pleased to report, were in evidence throughout the next five games as the squad chalked up an unbeaten sequence of twelve matches stretching back to January 1993.
The most encouraging aspect ofthis season was the fortitude shown by members of the second Form. The Hallett twins, for instance, with their combination of speed and skill, scored nine goals between them and created many others. Nicholas Major's strength and determination enabled him to develop into a formidable centre half as lie controlled the defence with unfailing 1e:tdersliip. Philip Burdon was a dependable
the witson. Allcl s0 it was again. Vel-y ae~isiblc.ill;rt~r~.cI,at~i~lg brought 11svictory by 9 wks. with two overs to spitre. M:\jor contributing 43 n.o. and Papaphilippopoulos 21 n.o.
An excellent end to a most successfi~lseason with the prospect of an even better one next year!
midfielder with a deep understanding of the game. Of the Third Formers who represented the School, Chris Candlish was magnificent, scoringeight goals in only fo~~rappearances; Alex Walker proved to be an agile goalkeeper and Andrew Freeman played with assurance in defence.
Probably the most entertaining match was the 7-3 victory at Hereford Cathedral School. Chris Husband, playing on the right wing, rnade a huge contribution and was rewarded suitably with a goal which brought him enormous pleas~u-e. An away victory of such magnitude is rare but such was the team spirit and love of playing demonstrated by the boys that I began to feel nothing could daunt tliern. Until the final match. Whether the team had run out of ideas of stamina 1 do not know, but they were finally defeitted by an Oakley Hall goal ten minutes from theendoft1ieg:ume. This was adisappointing end to a si~ccessfitland entertaining season. My thanks must go to those parents who helped with transport. catering and enthusiastic support on the touchline.
D.R.,J.
The Jlrrzior School Trrble Terlrlis Squad.
Junior School French Exchange
The Junior School's second trip to St. Hilaire la Pali~d,near La Rochelle, began in the early hours of Sunday, 13th March 1994, and everything went very well indeed until we were some way outof Portsmouth and the sea began to lookominously grey. We left the comfort of our seats on the Nnrmmidir and tried to take the air on deck. It was very difficult to remain standing, not only because the vessel was rocking excitingly to the rhythm of the angry waves, but also because rain and spray had turned the deck into a skidpan. This really rough experience gradually reduced our party of hitherto upright and rose-cheeked individuals to a sorry-looking heap of eighteen prostrate and wan invalids. leaving only six sailors to munch and guzzle their way to Ouistreham. Our party was not alone in its indisposition, and I must say that I have never experienced a worse channel crossing, with 'Vonii-vacs' (asopposed to Aclua-vacs) working overtime, and so many adults loudly bewailing their mortal state!
To enliven the sad state of affairs, we had a 'Sick-bag Decorating Competition'. suggested by one of our party, which, if nothing else, took the focus away from the real purpose of the bags, and also ensured that most children learned how to spell and pronounce 'mal de mer'!
In acouple of hours the sea began to calm down and gradually most of the invalids recovered sufficiently to tackle chicken, chips, litres of coke. pizzas, spaghetti bolognese, etc., etc.
I have mentioned this unhappy experience at length because of what ensued. When feeling ill, children often become selfcentred and bad-tempered, at the very least. Our group did not behave in such a way, which strange phenomenon did not go unnoticed. Our party of 10- and 1 I - year olds was congratulated by several fellow passengers, and, in particular, by the leaders of a seconcinry school party aboard. All were, apparently, particularly impressed by the way in which our pupils spontaneously helped and cared for each other when they were all so poorly, and we were assured that it had been areal pleasure to observe, and share the crossing with. such n well-behaved group of schoolchildren.
At last we arrived at the port of Ouistreham (Caen) and were soon passing through ravishing French countryside, largely unnoticed by most children. despite my pointing out, among other interesting and unforgettable information. the finer points of the Nonnandy cow (deep red blotches on the body and 'spectacles' of clark coloration around the eyes). Boiled sweets were passed I-oundat regular intervals, and we were soon in Le Liori cl'A11~e1:r where friends of my family had provided a delicious buffet for us all. The children let off steam through games of football, table-tennis and Babyfoot and within an hour and a half we were sufficiently refreshed to continue our journey.
At the risk of labouring the point, I must reiterate that, had it not beenforthe example of good behaviour provided by our very first exchange group. we might never have been invited back to enjoy such generous hospitality, for it is no mean task to offer food, drink andentertainment to twenty-fourchildren, and three or fo~~radults. twice within a period of ten days!
Dusk had fallen when weset off again, and we finally reached St Hilaire la Palud at 1 1.30 pm. (It should have been 10.30,but the driver didn't have a large scale road atlas and mapreading has never been my strong point particularly in the pitch-blackof the Marais with its attendant swirlingmists . .)
However, the reception, when we finally anived, was wann and all-embracing, and our children were 'Gros bisou'ed' and whisked away in the darkness to 'their' French homes. Rather unfortunately some of the whisking took place while LWJ and I were still on the coach waking the heavy sleepers, and a mix-up occurred whereby two Roberts went to the 'wrong' families. By the time the mistake
was realised, i.e. next morning, both boys had already got to like 'their' families and so they stayed put.
On our first morning we gathered at I'Ecole Primaire, in the library, to discuss new experiences. Not surprisingly, many children had eaten hardly anything for breakfast. However, one boy made up for the rest by admitting to wolfing down five croissants, four pieces of toast and a bowl of milk. Not bad, considering he was one of those 'severely indisposed' aboard the Noi.rnanrli~only the day before!
The ensuing days were well spent in exploring the area, visitinginterestingmuseumsandchurches,paintinganddrawing the charming riverside houses and other architectural features of the Marais, the Green Venice of South West France. Vigorous games of beach boules were played in the biting wind of La Rochelle in March. Sandcastle competitions of vast proportions were possible for, of course, we had the beach to ourselves. (No self-respecting French person would even consider 'la plage' until the summer.) Flotsam and jetsam came into their own here, being incorporated into incredible schemes of futuristic civil engineering, or even being used as the spines of a gigantic sand hedgehog.
Wondel-ful kindness was shown to us all by so many people of this tiny town, the capital of the Marais sauvage. The proprietor of the Maison de la Presse welco~nedthe entire group into his rather cramped establishment and smiled through 24 separate lispings of 'Je voudrais une carte postale, et ' with the Gallic equivalent of the stiff upper lip, even smilingly sending out for more small change after each of 20 children had proffered a 20 franc note for items valued at about 3 francs. All these transactions took a long time, and I was surprised that the choosing of a postcard for home, out of achoice of no more than five different views. was so long-winded. On investigation, I discovered that there were other cards on the carousel of a morethan-dubious nature, so I held thedisplay still. with the 'suitable' cards facing into the shop. Too late, I realised that the children who had chosen quickly, and were now waiting outside, had their noses finnly pressed onto the shop window and were enjoying the postcards on the back of the carrousel. Oh la la!
We visited the wonderfully itnpressive marine aquari~~ln in La Rochelle, where the sight of sharks swimming in an overhead tank is an unforgettable experience. We took a trip to Poitiers. to the Futuroscope; visited the glove-making museum in Niort; drank Orangina in a wonderful fin-de-sikcle caf6 in La Rochelle; saw two electric cars (one plugged into the mains for a re-charge); walked through the old arcaded streets featured in the School French textbook; toured the interesting old village of St Georgede Rex, and had innumerable succulent and inspired picnics.
En famille, of course, all the children had a wide variety of experiences which I hope they will treasure for a long time. Many firm friendships were founded and these were reinforced when the children from St, Hilaire paid their return visit to Worcester at the end of April. They enjoyed excellent weather, for which we were extremely grateful as it enabled them to see our beautiful region at its best. They visited many places in their own coach, and we accompanied them on a visit to the Black Country Museum where we were offered the services of a French guide as the party needed to be divided into two small groups. Pride for this forward-thinking approach, on behalf of the museum, soon turned sour- the unsuspecting young French student guide had only arrived that day and was expected to translate a broad Dudley dialect! It took me all my time to understand it, and I hail from the Black Country myself! Just imagine her predicament when trying to translate 'enny rowad
tlior~~i~i' !
Both lega ol'tlnc cxclla~lgeculminatetl, aa LISLI;II, will1 huffet suppe1.s. In St Hilaire we it11 gatlier.eci in the chnm~ingschool canteen and ate tlelicious finger food provided by the host k~milies:here in Worcester, thanks to tliegonerous hospitality ol' the Walker fitmily. we e~lioyecla Barn Dance in one oftheir hop kilns, to the sympathetic ~iiusicof Dampicr's Ro~lng.This was acco~np;unieclby a supper~tlongthe s;uiie lines as the French one, and equally tlelicious.
The whole exch:unge was wonclerfully successful. but it co~~ld not happen without the tremendous support of o~~rparcnts and their ol'lkpring. Long. long mity the scheme continue ~mcl 'vive la difference'.
G.R.S.
2J 1 I R Weekend in Chester
Following IR's successf~~lweekend at Bath Youth Hostel earlier in tlic Spring Term it was tlecitled that another voyage be planned: this time to the beautiful and histor-ic city of Chester. Fomi 25 had expresseci a strong desire to accompany the First Years and dicl so with enthusiasm. It was agreed that Chester wo~~ldprovide LI most s~litableenvironment for leiu-ning about the Romans and the Tudors. the First and Second Years' topics respectively. Indeed. hec:u~sethecity 112s been so well preserved from tlie ravages of progress whicln hnve bliglitcci Worcestclsince the sixties, tliecl~iltlrcnwereove~.whclmedby the mngnit~~de of hlitck ancl white huiltlings, Rornan nrchitcctnrc and Georgian facade\ which grace this pnlt of the north west.
Going ;\long for the ride (on a train called Tlrc Kirr~st~rtrrr!) with the gro~rpof ove~.tliil-ty honor;~ryCestrians were RR. ol' COLI~SC.who Ilad org;tnisetI every aspcct of the trip meticirlo~~aly. ER and SE. When we iu.rivccl in Chester we aet off on a walh arouncl the medieval walls which encircle the old city :uicl provide st~~nningviews of the bustling shopping centre on one aide iuncl Moel FLurntnal~and the Vale of Clwyd on the other. Chester is a city of contl-asts which I believe tlie chilclren :~cknowledged.It has a cluaintness which to~lristsappreciate while at the same time providing u cornmerci:tl focal point for North Wale and so~~tliernMerseysicle. Few of ~hcTudor huilclings, for instance, are milseums. I took 35 r~roundthe Rows in order to show them that they contain shops and offices rather th~ncenturies olci buildings which no one is allowccl to enter. Chester Youth Hostel. in the Ho~~ghGreen area of the city. was fotinerly tlie home ofa wealthy huilcier and many features ol'his fine residence have survived. The children were cel-tainly well housed ind fed (illring their stay. Their loocl s~~pplywas supplcmentetl hy the almost comp~~lsorymidnight I'e:~sts!
A highlight oftlie weekcntl wits a guided t~~~r;rro~~nd the city hy o m;un in I'LIII Romitn costume. Flc showed the children the sights which might otherwisehavegone unnoticccl and provided :I UOI~LI~~'LIIclistr;lctio~ili)r tlie gro~~pitnd passers-by alike. In the Grosvenor Museum \cveral people were allowccl to try on it Rom:un helmet iuld sworcl while others studiccl and tll-ew some of the many displays. A walk throi~ghtlie park wits lollowed by a stl-oll along the Dce (luring \vhicIi the chilcl~.en:~dmireclthe paintings of local :u.tists. 25 sat opposite 7'11~llc,trr crlrrl l3illc,rr (;I
sixteenth century pub) uncl tried their h~ntlat their own artwork while 1 R went on an excursion to see the Rows for themselves.
To say that the werkencl was a total success wo~~ld be an ~~nderstatcment. It was tlloroughly c~i-joyedby p~~pilsand staff alike and was rewarding and stimulating for all.
D.R.,J.
O.V. Notes
The 1994 Reunion
17 and 18 September
SATURDAY
Every Reunion is different. Michael Child (44-48) was the President this year and Mrs Child was with him. We were very glad also to see P.H. Yarnold (23-30) from Tenerife and M.R. Claxton (48-56) from Tasmania with his wife. From Suffolk D.J.H. Gregory (50-58) brought his Rector, Revd. T.S. Wright (42-46),this year's OV Preacher.
As usual, the AGM preceded the Dinner and the Common Room again kindly allowed us to use 15 College Green to entertain guests of OVs attending the AGM. That is a great help. Unusually, however, the old Chappel Memorial Reading Room was available for the AGM where it was last held in 1969. There were 28 present and 17 Apologies had been received. The Silent Memory began with the President reading the names of 14 men who had died during the year. The Accounts for the Calendar Year 1993 were circulated by Ray Franklin, Hon. Treasurer, and gone through in detail and passed, with thanks to him and John Wagstaff, Hon. Auditor. Michael Child proposed Alec Mackie as President in succession to him and Alec took the chair.
He thanked Michael Child for attending all three Committee Meetings in the past year, coming up from Devon each time, and he urged OVs to make a special effort to attend the Club Centenary Dinner on 7 October 1995. There was good news of the School Garden Appeal. Enough of the f 10,000target had been given to pay for a rebuilding of Creighton's Summer House and planning permission had been given. All together 266 donations had yielded £9,500.
College Hall looked as good as ever, with 118 Dinner places. This was the 17th Dinner that Roy Padden as Hon. Social Secretary had arranged, with his wife Kathleen's help. At the Top Table the Childs and the Mackies had as Gueststhe Headmasterand Mrs Moore, Peter Luff, MP and Mrs Luff, the President of the Old Elizabethans' Association and Mrs Packman and the Chairman of the School Governors and Mrs Howell. The othertwo Club Guests werethe Headof School, Michael Brookes, and Clare Ilsley, an Upper Sixth girl.
This yearthe kitchen in College Hall had been removed and the Caterers were based on a small marquee on College Green, but there was no hitch of any sort and the President maintained a perfect momentum. The six Past Presidents who were there knew what a difficult task this Final Act in theirterm of office had proved. The Headmaster, though, is now expert in replies to the Toast of the School. This year he particularly thanked Donald Howell, OV, for his leadership as Chairman of the Governors and Peter Blackham, OV, for his six years as Chairman of the Development Campaign; this year's Fete had made a profitof f 19,000.And Nigel Richardson, OV, had won a Cambridge Rugger Blue and was this year's Captain.
Dr Moore's account of the School's year was much
to the liking of his audience. In turn, Peter Luff was at pains to remind us that the Assisted Places Scheme was a Conservative measure and the other parties intended to abolish it if they got the chance.
Sunday
At the 11 .OO am Eucharist in the Cathedral, the King's Scholars and Queen's Scholars and the Choristers were in the Procession and a number of OVs in the reserved pews. The new President, Alec Mackie, read the Epistle and the Revd. Tom Wright preached the Sermon. The theme of the Service was The Proof of Faith. The A.S.B. liturgy was sung to Dr Donald Hunt's 1982 setting in his Missa Nova. Atthe end of the Service the Dean dedicated the new stained-glass window in the south cloister which the Cathedral and the School had jointly commissionedfrom Mr Alfred Fisher in commemoration of the 450th Anniversary of its re-foundation. It is a tasteful and colourful picture.
Before and after the Service Mrs Winifred Young's Grand Ouiz was on sale for f l - a sixty question competition (with a prize of £50) in support of the Cathedral Appeal and Amnesty International. Copies can be obtained on the spot from a Verger or ordered from Mrs Young, 328 Bath Road, Worcester.
A very happy gathering at 9 College Green as guests of the Headmaster and Mrs Moore concluded the Reunion and now we must wait over a vear forthe next.
The 1995 Centenary Reunion
7 and 8 October
The OV Club was established at a meeting in School House on Monday evening, 7 October 1895 at the end of Speech Day. The Headmasterwho inspired it was the Revd. W.E. Bolland and his grandson David Bolland hopes to be at the Centenary Reunion. The Committee saw that 7 October in 1995 would be a Saturday and long ago booked it for the Dinner and cleared 8 October with the Cathedral.
David Annett, Headmaster 1959-79,will be the Guest Speaker. Mrs Annett and perhaps Mrs Kittermaster will be guests. The Very Revd. D.L. Thawley (38-42),Dean Emeritus of Wangaratta, Victoria, is coming from Australia with Mrs Thawley and will be the OV Preacher, all being well. There is room for everybody in the Cathedral and the hope is that a great many OVs will be there and as many as College Hall will accommodate at the Dinner.
Michael Craze
The O.V. COMMITTEE 1994-95
President
Chairman
T.E.A. Mackie (47-56)
T.E.A. Mackie (47-56)
Headmaster J.M. Moore (Hon. OV)
Vice-Presidents
Hon. Secretary
Ass~stedby
Hon. Treasurer
A.L.O. Jerram (50-55)
B.E. Wilkes (43-49)
M.J. O'Neill (44-49)
M.R. Craze (19-25)
M.J. O'Neill (44-49)
R.A. Franklin (43-49)
Hon. Aud~tor J.I. Wagstaff (52-61)
Hon. Social Secretary
Member Emeritus
R.T. Padden (46-52)
J.P. Pimley (37-39)
Development Campaign J. Woodcock
Elected 1992-95
Elected 1993-96
G.D. Ba~ley(43-54)
Sally Themans (84-86)
P.H. Burnham (72-77)
D.A. Hershman (68-77)
Heather Windsor (83-85)
R.F. Underwood (68-79)
Elected 1994-97 Charlotte Bridges (85-87)
Patrica Sanger (Hon. OV)
A W. Underwood (77-88)
Capt. P.J. Bassett (Ch 76-86), Royal Eng~neersto MISS Sophy Maycroft of Worcester.
Lucy Boulton (Co. 84-86) to David Nuttall.
T.R. Brock (Cr. 77-84) of Worcester to Karen Margaret Stevens of Westbury, Bucks.
Nicola Cook (Co. 84-86) to George Beech
P.J. Copson (B. 79-86) to Carolme Perston.
CatherineGuest (E. 85-87)to NicholasS~msof Sunbury on Thames. They plan to marry in April.
J.R.G. Harris (S. 87-89) to Miss Zerynthia Shaw of Edinburgh.
Lt. Dominic Jaques, RN, (Ch. 73-83) to Alexandra Lawson of Harpenden.
M.C. Mantle (K. 87-89) of Evesham to Miss Diane Johnson of Horncastle, Lincolnshire.
N.T.W. Pomeroy (Ch. 85-90) to Bryony Edwards (E. 89-91), both of Malvern.
P.D.C. Vyvyan-Robinson (S. 74-76) of Horsham, Martley, Worcestershire to El~zabeth Guy of Breakwell, Bristol.
MARRIAGES
Revd. A.J.D. Absalom (B 83-87) to MISS Hannah McCl~ntockat Sheff~eldon 9 July 1994
Fiona Armitage (E 86-88) to Douglas Tull~son 14 May 1994 at St Paul's Church, Cookh~ll,Alcester
C.E. Baker (W 77 85) to MISS Sally Darley at St John BaptrstChurch,T~deswell,Derbyshlreon24September 1994
Though the Daily Telegraph cont~nuesto grade the Independent Schools by each August's A level results, the universities show an invincible taciturnity over thelr graduation lists. We do know, however, of ten OV Firsts in July 1994 and we congratulate these.
A.S. Dobson (W.83-90) went upto Robinson College, Cambridge In 1991 and graduated w~th a F~rstin Law. M. Dallimer (W. 83-90) at Jesus College, also in 1991-94, gained his Flrst in Natural Sciences. At Oxford J.R.G. Harris (S. 87-89) of Trinity College gained a First In Metallurgy and Science of Materials and has a Kennedy Memorial Scholarship for Research at the Massachusetts lnst~tuteof Technology, but is postponing ~t.Jenn~fer 1 Cee (Co. 88-90) at Nottingham gained a First ~nBiology and J.P. Burn (0.84-89)a First In Pathology at Sheffield University. At London Univers~tyA.S. Bailey (Cr. 82-91) '1 of Royal Holoway Colegeganeda F~rstin Env~ronmental Biology and D.P.M. Goodwin (0. 87-91) of Imperial / I College a First in Pure Mathematics. B.P.D. Alexander (H. 86-91) gained a F~rstin Chemical Engineer~ngat 1 Birmingham Unversty CJD Young (Cr. 86-90) gained a First in Geography and Politics at Leeds University and Clare Matthews (Co. 88-90) a First In Law at Newcastle University.
Congratulations also to W.J. Baker (W. 85-90) who followed h~sOxford degree in Botany by gaining an MSc with D~stinctionin Pure and Appl~edPlant and Fungal Taxonomy at Reading University.
Rachel Bell (CO 86-88) to Steven Grant at St Luke's Church, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear on 28 May 1994 April Mackison (CO 86-88)and Richard Owen (Cl 7888) attended
R.T. Bridges (B 72-82) to Jul~eBrooker at Colwall on 14 June 1993 Tim Bridges (W 69-79) was h~sbrother's best man
C.A. Burnham (B 72-83) to MISSSarah Jane Mason at the Malvern Reg~sterOff~ceon 23 Apr~l1994
S.H. Cawdell (C 78-83)to MISSSarah Batesat St Helen's Church, Burton Joyce, Nott~nghamshlreon 26 June 1993 Jonathan Larkin (S 78-88) was Slmon's best man
S.R. Copson (W 76-83) to Deborah Neath at Westonsuper Mare on 26 September 1992
C.E. Dennington (0 82-88) to Mlchelle Ovenden of Gosford, New South Walesatthe Bury Reglster Off~ce, Lancashire on 28 May 1994, supported by R. Woolfenden (0 83-88)
K. Fielding (Cl 74-84) to Jane El~zabethHodgson at the Westm~nsterReg~sterOff~ce,London on September 1994 Nick Kaltsoyannis (W 75-84) was Kester's best man
Dr A.R. Green (W 78-85) to MISSSusan Carollne Burton at Lansdowne Method~st Church, Malvern on 17 September 1994 Andrew s slster Rebecca (CO 8688) was a br~desmald
Pl~olograplr:An~eiaLlnyd-Jan~rr(Co.
J.W. Greenow (W. 76-83) to Carol Tufft in St Stephen's Parish Church, Worcester in August 1993.
Dr D.R. Guest (B. 76-83) to Miss Faith Aldridge at All Saints, Highweek, Newton Abbot, Devon, on Saturday 20th August 1994. Catherine Guest (E. 85-87) was a bridesmaid.
M.J.K. Hardyman (Cl. 68-75) to Anita Romer at Morpeth Register Office on 12 February 1994.
P.G. Mackie (Cl. 73-84) to Catherine Teresa Barber at St George's Roman Catholic Church, Worcesteron 9April 1994. J.E. Mackie (0.75-85) was his brother's best man. Ushers included 4 OVs.
Susie Mike (Co. 77-79) to Timothy Orme in Cheshire on 22 May 1993.
R.H. Normington (W. 68-71) to Miss Sheila Green in St Margaret's Church, Corse, Gloucestershire on 21 July 1993.
E.A. Reeves (K. 80-90) to Katherine Ann Glanville at St Edward's Church, Southwold on 6 August 1994. J.B. Reeves (Cr.83-93) was his brother's best man and G.R. Brock (B. 80-90) and M.J. Wood (B. 83-90) were Ushers.
Joyce Renney (Co. 82-84) to Pablo de la Guera in 1993 in the Trinity College, Cambridge Chapel.
R.C.Wardner (Cl.74-82)toMissJane Millerat St Alkmund's Church, Whitchurch, Shropshire on 4 June 1994. In attendance were I.R.D. Morris (Ch. 72-82) and A.R. Smith (Ch. 72-82).
J.B.C.Elt (Cr.67-76):to Julieand Crispin on 27 September 1993 a son Dominic, a brother for Matthew.
D.I. Fildes (W. 67-74): to Margaret and David on 1 September 1993 at Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, Australia, a daughter Sarah Ann, a sister for Rebecca Lucy.
M.J.H. Fisher (H.71-76):to Ann and Martin at Paddington, Sydney, Australia on 3 March 1993 a daughter Sally.
Alison Gunton (Co. 79-81 ), Mrs Edwards: to Alison and Bryan in Leeds General Infirmary in January 1993 a son Seamus Oliver.
D.J. Harrison (Ch. 75-82): to Beverley and David in London on 21 April 1994 a daughter Amy Rebecca.
W.A.H. James (Ch. 69-74):to Jody and Andrew in France at Cagnes-sur-Mer on 21 September 1992 a son Oliver James, a brother for Tony and Laura.
H.D.Jenkins(C1.73-80):tosusanand Huwat Wokingham on 8 June 1993 a son Harry Peter.
J.M. Law (B. 79-84) to Sue and John at the Princess Margaret Hospital on 5 February 1994 a daughter Emma Louise.
Dr S.R. Morris (B. 68-75): to Janet and Stephen at the John Radcliffe, Oxford on 6 September 1994 a son William Harry, a brother for Robert John.
KateOgden (Co.81-83), Mrs Mythen: to Kateand Michael Mythen at University College London Hospital on 29 December 1993 a son Patrick John.
P. Osborne (S. 81-83): to Jane and Paul on 30 May 1994 a son Oliver Peter, a brother for Polly Charlotte.
R.J. Parsons (B. 71-82): to Marie-Claire and Rupert in Birmingham on 3 July 1994 quadruplets, Samuel, George, Alice and Rose.
J.P.C. Sitch (Ch.79-811: toJenniferand John at Ronkswood Hospital, Worcesteron 23 September 1994a sonToby, a brother for Christian.
J.R. Slater (S. 70-76): to Veronica and Julian at Newbury on 27 April 1994 a son Hugh, a brother for Arabella.
R.F. Subiotto (Ca. 74-79): to Carmen and Romano in Spain on 3 January 1994 a son Alfonso John Secondino Subiotto Marques.
DEATHS
D.M. Burgoyne (DB. 43-53), very suddenly in March 1994. He was Director of a Building Company.
Prebendary W.R. Chignell (DB. 23-25) on New Year's Day 1994, aged 85. Article below.
D.A.G. Bishop (Ca. 77-83): to Sally and David on 28 October 1992 at Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, a son Harrison James, a brother for Goldie and Madeleine, sisters for him.
C.N. Brentnall (Ca. 72-77): to Sarah and Chr~stopherat Bridgnorth on 19April1993a daughter Annabel, a sister for Jonathon.
S.R. Copson (W. 76-83): to Deborah and Stephen on 27 April 1994 a son Samuel Jack.
NatalieDuckworth (Co.77-79), Mrs Miller: to Natalie and Richard at Kettering on 8 July 1993 a daughter Rosalind Isabelle.
Revd. W.F. Cox (DB. 23-31) on 17 June 1984, aged 81. Article below.
Dr G.H. Evans (S. 14-22), on 6 October 1993, aged 89. At Cambridge he just missed a Cross-country Blue. For the rest of his lifea resident in Pontypridd anda General Practitioner there. Our sympathy goes to his widow and their son, a London solicitor.
D.M. Forrest (S. 19-22) peacefuly in his sleep on 18 March 1994, aged 88. Grandson of the Dean and for over sixty years husband of Molly Molony. Full tribute below.
7'he nlarr-irrge of Robert Y'alhot Cooper (C h. 77-82) nnd Jzrlin Hnrrison.
78-80)
J.S.R. Hall (DB. 17-22)on 17 February 1994 rn New South Wales, aged 86,the last of four OV brothers, he served In the Australian Army In the Middle East and marrled Margaret In August 1953.They came to the 1986 Reunion.
M.E.Kitton (S. 20-23)of Halstead, Essex in 1994.At School In the years of change from Soccerto Rugger he was an outstanding wing three-quarter, havlng played the game before.
Sir Jack Longland (S. 19-23) in hospital on 29 November 1993,aged 88.Husband of the late Peggy, father of Jo, Vicky, Nickand the late John, brotherof Paul (S. 23-27). Full account below.
M.J.K. Northcote (S. 64-67)on 6 September 1993,aged 43,husband of Penelope and son of Judge Northcote.
E.W. Parsons (Cr. 24-29)at Sheffield on 16 April 1994, aged 84.See longer notice below.
M.Sigurd (Ch. 72-73)on l0 November 1994 following a road accident. Marc's younger brothers, Freddie and Paul are also OVs.
J.G.Stretton (Ca.27-34) In South Australia on 3September 1994,aged 78.He served in the Army in the War and was taken prisoner. After the war he emigrated to South Australia and served In the Public Services there till retlrlng in 1977.He was the younger brother of G.W.P. Stretton (Ca. 26-31)to whom our sympathy goes.
Freda Stuart on 2 October 1994 in Worcester; muchloved School House Matron in the Thirties. As a Red Cross Auxiliary Nurse she was called up in 1939and so did not go to Crlccieth. She kept up with School House OVs and John Reynolds brought her to an OV Dinner a few years ago. He represented the School at her funeral.
G.N.B. Sully (S. 17-25)on 8 October 1993,aged 86.He and Norah married in 1937 and Greville served in the RASC throughout the war. Afterwards he worked in the Clty for Hill Samuel. He leavesa widow, a daughterand three grandchildren to whom we send our sympathy.
P.H.B. Woodhouse (S. 18-26)on 14 February 1994. Before the War he was a Master at Peter Symonds School, Winchester. After years in the Army, mostly as a Staff Major, he found other work there and became Mayor of Winchester. He was a generous OV and remembered the School in his will.
N.E. DlLKS
Ned Dilks calne to King's 111 1943 frorrl Bablake School: he had also been a lay clerk in Coventry Cathedral and was in Coventry when ~t and much of the city, was devastated by bombs. He came to the School to run the English Department and he was a grammarran: to hlm the precise use of words, spelllng and punctuation mattered and he drd not accept slipshod or second-rate work. Within a year of arrlval he took over Chappel House and ran it for seven years. For a long tlme, also, he was a Fourth Form master In the days when this was not only a pastoral responsibility but necessitated teachlng the form General subjects - an amalgam of Engl~sh,Hlstory, Geography and R.E.
When Ned joined the Staff of the School he also became a lay clerk In the Cathedral choir and muslc was h~sgreatest, almost all-consuming interest, until shortly before he died. Apart from the Cathedral he seized all opportunities to make music, and in retirement he was involved wlth muslc and muslc societies in the wider community outside the School.
As a colleague, Ned was klnd to younger members of staff; he possessed a senseof humour and got enjoyment from life and from h~swork: he was imperturbable and unflappable, consistent and open In all hrs deallngs with boys and staff. King's was much smaller In numbers when he jolned and consequently each indlvldual teacher made a greater impact on the corporate body that is a school. Ned was here throughout the critical post-war years that saw King's change from a small, mostly boarding establishmentto one which, though ~tretarned and increased the boarding side, was much larger wlth hlgh academic, sporting and cultural standards and Ned played his part in these changes, until he retrred in 1968. Those who were here in his time will remember him and miss him and we extend our sympathy to his wife and sons.
J.R.T.
TWO WORLD WAR ARMY CHAPLAINS
In death they shall not be divided. W.R. Chignell (DB. 2325) and W.F. Cox (DB. 26-31) were both trained for ordination at Salisbury and as Wartime Army chaplains, both were mentioned in despatches; Wallace Cox in the Burma Campaign with the 25th Dragoons, Royal Armoured Corps, and Rowland Chignell at Arnhem, where he landed with the Glider Pllot Regiment which was then cut off for days and had to fight its own battle.
Afterwards both were parish priests, Chignell in the Hereford diocese, Cox in the Worcester. Chignell was made a Prebendaryof Hereford Cathedral in 1963 when he was Rural Dean of Kington. From 1964 to 1977 he was rector of Whitbourne and Chaplain of St James's School, West Malvern. Cox had livings in Dudley, Bridgnorth and Kidderminsterwhere he was Rural Dean, but in the Seventies he served in the Bristol area. He had graduated at Bristol in 1935.
Chignell was a cricket lover all his days and after the war he researched the history of the Worcestershire Club and David Littlebury (DB. 22-25) published in 1956 his 450-page book at the Commandery Press in Worcester. Every match and season is described in detail there in the best Wisden tradition. A second volume later continued the story. Chignell's long-service reward was the Presidency of the Club in 1978-80.
Michael Craze
BOBBIE CASH
I was very moved by Joe Rippier's elegant Obituary on Bobbie Cash in last year's Wgornian. Most of our contemporaries would have recognised immediately Joe's description of the special rapport between master and pupils in the class-room. My own memories came flooding back and I have been tempted to put on record two cameos of Bobbie Cash In action outside the class-room, in the CCF and as Master i/c Athletics and Cross-Country.
It is well known that an adult cannot conceal his real character from children: a single word, gesture or action will suffice to reveal all. It was Bobbie Cash's small gestures which told us everything that was good about him. But let us start with his name. We boys did not know him as Bobbie; for us his affectionate nickname was Jasper, quintessentrally English and coined, I believe, during a play-reading in which he took the part of a certain knight of that name.
Scene I is a barrack-room at the CCF Camp at Pirbright Camp in July 1951. Young cadets sit lazily around after supper. Most of us are aged 13, exhausted after a tiring day in the field and separated from all familiar objects and comforts. Morale, if not low, is far from high. Conversation is desultory. Atall, broad shadow falls acrossthe doorway. Captain Cash, M.C, enters in civilian clothes, but bareheaded. A word here, a smile there: in the most natural way he stops to talk to each cadet, like a favourite uncle. Off-duty he has taken time out to visit us, because instinctively he knows that young cadets in the first week of camp need reassurance, and we love him for that. We knew of his M.C. won only eight years earlier, and we would have followed him anywhere. Those of us who wore the Queen's uniform later as Regulars or National Service men would come to recognise his gesture as a fine example of man management.
Scene ll is 8.30 am on a warm Summer morning in early July, 1956, in the School field on the New Road. Most people are still abed, but Jasper as the Master i/c Athletics is already busy laying out the eight-lane running track on the boundaryofthe 1stXI Cricket pitch. Thisscenetellsall. On a Sunday morning his leadership and enthusiasm have attracted a band of about a dozen volunteers toassist with the very complex task of measuring and pegging the lanes, with their staggered start lines, for marking later by Fred Lane, the groundsman. We scamper around under his orders like young gun-dogs.
'He was a verray parfit, gentil knight'.
Roger
Thorn (1948-56)
D.M. FORREST
When Denys was born in 1905, his grandfather was Dean of Worcester. When the boy entered School House in 1919, he was the first holder of the Dean Forrest Exhibition. Four years later he left and embarked on a career of Journalism on the Oxford Times. There he met C.J.C. Molony of Queen's (S. 22-25) and through him Molly Molony, whom he married in January 1930. They had 64years together and in 1990 on their Diamond Wedding they received a message from the Queen. They had one daughter, Juliet, and Molly is now a great grandmother. A major operation in 1936 was followed by a long convalescence and the pair lived in Paris, both writing free-lance and living cheaply.
Denys spent the war years in the Ministry of Food at Reading. He was Deputy Divisional Food Officer for the Southern Region. After the war their home was in London and he was in the Empire Tea Bureau as editor of publications and later Commissioner for the U.K. He wrote six books on Tea and the Trade before retiring in 1965. Since then he has written books on St James's Square and The Oriental Club and the East India Club and a Biography of Tipoo Sahib. But that was not all. He was also Chairman of the Civic Society in Hove. You will find a piece by him in the recent King's School History too. He had the light touch of a professional.
Michael Craze
EDGAR PARSONS
One of A.D. Franklin's best Classicists, Edgar went up to Brasenose College, Oxford with an Open Scholarship in 1929 and spent his life teaching; the really well-taught often want to do that.
At Bolton, he met and married his headmaster's daughter, Marcia Clarke. They moved to Dean Close, Cheltenham and from there to the City Grammar School at Sheffield, as Head of Classics. There he stayed and was perfectlyfulfilled. He had three children. There was high-class music and scope for the hospitality which was natural to Marcia and him. One Saturday, years ago, a tramp called and was fed. He came most Saturdays after that. They only knew him as Ernie, but when eventually Ernie died, Edgar found that the tramp had named him as his next of kin.
Michael Craze
SIR JACK LONGLAND
J.L. Longland (S 19-23) was kn~ghtedin 1970, 'for services to Education and Broadcasting'. He had been Director of Education in Dorset 1942-49and in Derbyshire since 1949 and was about to retire.
As a broadcaster, he had been nationally famous in Freddle Grlsewood's Any Questions?, along wlth A.G. Street, Mary Stocks, Ralph Wightman and C.A. Joyce, and as his own question-master in My Wordsince 1956, a job he continued to enjoy till 1976.
Born on 26 June 1905, he was C.B. Shuttleworth's pupil in the Cholr School when he won the top King's Scholarship In November 191 8 and he entered School House in January 191 9, the Revd. C Creighton's first term as Housemaster and Headmaster. He left in July 1923 with an Exhibition in Classics at Jesus College, Cambridge and his brother Paul took his place in School House and later became a master. Their father was Vicar of St Peter's Droitwich and thelr two sisters were stars at the Alice Ottley School. Jack's nickname at The King's School was Loquax, the Latin for 'talkat~ve'.So the glft that made him a broadcaster was there from the start.
Nobodvat School, however, antici~atedthe brilliance of his car;?bridge career, nor was it 'in Classics that he flowered. At the end of his first two years, he got a Second in Part One of that Tripos in June 1925, but he then switched to Hlstory and in June 1926 in Part Two of the History Tripos he was placed in the First Division of the First Class. He then spent a post graduate fourth year on English and In June 1927 galned a Flrst and a Special Distinction in Part Two of the English Tripos and a Full Blue in Athletics by winning the Pole Vault. In that same year he was President of the Cambridge University Mountaineering Club.
Physically short and Ilght arid aglle, his yea15at tile Pole Vault made h~malso muscular and explosive and rock-cllmblng came easlly to h~mIn 1927-32 he became the best In the country and In mountalneerlng In the Alps he drd wonders wlthout guldes So he was an obvlous cholce for Hugh Rutledge's 1933 Everest Expedltlon Bad weather spo~ltthls, but Jack dlstlngulshed hlmself by lead~ngelght sherpas safely down from Camp SIXat 27,400 feet In a storm and whlte-out to Base Camp The Lecture he gave wlth slldes In a crowded College Hall In March 1934 was a memorable experience for all lucky enough to be present In 1935 he went on to lead the f~rstascent of Gumbjorns Feld (12,139 ft), the hlghest mountaln In the Arctlc
He was then In h~sflfth year as a Lecturer In Engllsh at Durham Un~vers~tyand had marrled Margaret Harrlson there But he had become so concerned by the pl~ghtof the Durham unemployed and the~rm~serablefamlly condltlons that In 1936 he abandoned an academlc future and by way of the dlrectorshrp of the Durham Community Serv~ce Councll passed on Into State Educational Admlnlstrat~on,always wlth the object of help~ngthe unprlvlleged youngsters He was thus no frlend of publ~cschools or Independent schools as a whole, though maklng an exception of The K~ng'sSchool
At the Thanksglvlng Servlce for Jack's llfe whlch was held on March Ilth In St Bartholomew's, Sm~thf~eld, J H R Trape, Past President, represented the 0 V Club and the School All Jack's Interests were to the fore, not least the Old Chorister's love of music
Michael Craze
DO YOU REMEMBER EDGAR DAY?
Those who do will appreciate David Cook's (S. 42-46) passing tribute to him in a long autobiographical account of his King's schooldays, resulting from a recent visit. David lives in Toronto where he founded Toronto T.V. and wasan international media consultantwith UNESCO.
"Just before driving under the Edgar Tower into College Green, I had passed the house in which Edgar Day once bore the burden of my weekly visits for piano lessons. My recollection is of a gentle, uncomplicated man outwardly unsuited to dealing with hedonistic teenagers. He knew, however, that example was often the best encouragement.
One day, being understandably dissatisfied with the quality of my practice between lessons, rather than express his disapproval bluntly he sat me in his chair, took my place at the piano and played Chopin's Ballade in G Minor. It was a performance that has remained, perhaps in memory's romance, one of the finest I have witnessed. As he knew it would be, my interest was regenerated; at least temporarily, my diligence in attempting to follow his example was restored."
Michael Craze
LEAVERS
Revd. A.J.D. Absalom (B. 83-87) was ordained deacon by the Bishop of Chelmsford on 3 July 1994 and is a curate at St Luke's, Cranham.
B. Adlington (S. 11-19) was born in 1901 and is in Bournmouth where he has been seen driving a car.
Dr J.L. Adlington (DB. 26-33) still lives in Harare, Zimbabwe, which was called Southern Rhodesia when he first practised medicine there.
M.E. Adlington (Cl. 43-45) was a chorister from 1941, but was transferred to The King's School when the merger took place. He graduated at Oxford and is the Adlington family genealogist.
G.M. Aldridge (Cl. 59-69) is now in Syria teaching Science and Mathematics at the International School, Aleppo.
Vanessa Allsop (Co. 88-90) graduated M.Theol. in June 1994 at the University of St Andrew's and won a scholarship at Princeton, USA, where she is studying for a higher degree in Semitic Languages.
J.M.H. Andrews (Ch. 61-65) is married to Linda with a son James (12) and daughter Tessa (10) and is Managing Directorof an industrial companyat Burtonon-Trent.
Dr Sarah Andrews (Co. 84-85) is based still at Birmingham, but has had a long stint as Registrar in General Medicine at Swansea.
Fiona Armitage (E. 86-88), Mrs Tullis, is an internal auditor at the Foreign Office and lives with her husband at Egham Hythe, Surrey.
R.T. Badel (0. 82-89) graduated BSc. in Economics at Pennsylvania University, USA, in May 1994 and in July started work in NewYork in the strategic planning section of Chase Manhattan Bank.
C.E. Baker (W. 77-85) graduated in Agriculture at Newcastleand then qualified asa Chartered Surveyor with a firm in Buxton. He lives nearby with his wife Sally.
Philippa Baker (Co. 81-83) graduated in Modern Languages at Manchester University in 1987 and a year later married a Frenchman, Claude Picq. They live in Paris and she works there for Marks and Spencer.
W.J. Baker (W. 85-90) is working at Reading University for a Doctorate in Botany in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
C.D. Barr (K. 79-86) was called to the Bar at Grays Inn on 25 November 1993 and has joined the chambers of Hugh Carlisle, O.C., in The Temple.
Capt. P.J. Bassett, R.E., (Ch. 76-86) commanded an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit in Central Bosnia and last spring came under fire. He has since been awarded the Military Cross for his bravery during this action.
G.R. Beckett (Cr. 78-84) has moved from Windlesham House Preparatory School to Durston House, Ealing, and is Head of English there.
D.R. Bell (S. 56-58) in June 1994 made his 24th appearance in the Le Mans 24-hour race. He was driving an open-top sports car derived from Porsche 962.
Canon C.E. Beswick (Master 63-73) has retired from his Norwich Cathedral Canonry and is living in East Sussex at Rye.
D.A.G. Bishop (Ca. 77-83) has moved back to Darwin after three years pol~cingArnhem Land and is living at 48 Mulla Mulla, Karana, Darwin.
P.J. Blackham (Cl. 54-59) has ended six years as Chairman of the Development Campaign, six strenuous and successful years, and the new Chairman is John Woodcock. He took over in June 1994.
Dr J.P. Blaydes (W. 82-86) followed his Upper Second at Bath University in 1990 by gaining a PhD. in Cancer research at the Cardiff University Hospital. He now has a post-doctoral grant there. He is a champion windsurfer too.
Sarah Blaydes (Co. 87-89) lives in Oxford and works for Fields marketing research Group. Her parents are in Madrid and she taught English there for a time after getting an Upper Second at the Brookes University (the old Oxford Polytechnic).
Sue Bomford (Ca. 73-75) has moved back to Pershore and set up her own private physiotherapy practice. She is also starting up a Ladies Barbershop Chorus. She belonged to a Gold Medal one in London.
M.J. Booth (W.73-80) lives near Milton Keynes with his wife whom he married in 1989. They have two small sons, Jonathan (3)and Nicholas (1). Michael is Executive Manager of Rolls Royce motor cars.
M.K. Borgars (S. 75-80) has lived in Woking, Surrey since his marriage to Rachel Harrison in Evesham on 4 October 1986. He works on computer systems development with an insurance company, but in October 1993 set up his own company and works in it full time as consultant and director.
Charlotte Bridges (R. 85-87) has been an air hostess since May 1994 with British Midland Airways. Based in London.
T.J. Bridges (W. 69-79) continues to be Keeper of Archaeology in the Worcester City Museum and in
September 1993 ga~nedthe Museum Assoc~at~on D~plomaat L~verpool
Marie-Claire Brookshaw (0 91 -93) IS read~ngMus~cat Trln~tyCollege, Cambr~dgeand slngs In the College Cholr w~thSuzanna Cleobury, daughter of Stephen Cleobury (Ch 58-67) of Klng's College
M.K. Bull (K 79-89) graduated w~tha Lower Second In Span~shat Queen Mary and Westf~eldCollege London, ~nJuly 1994
S.J. Burke (K 80-90) after an actlve year In Alrport Strategy at Heathrow has jolned the sh~pplngdlv~slon In London of the Dan~shMaersk Company's fleet Next yearthey will send hlm abroad He Isa Geography graduate
Samantha Butler (CO 90-92) IS now read~ngGenetlcs at Swansea Un~vers~ty
M.J. Butt (Ca 77-81) marrled Helen In June 1991 and they llve In Brlstol and he teaches Trust and Estate Law He deslgned an Investment and Trust portfolio computer whlch a clear~ngbank 1s using
B. Byram-Wigfield (Ch 84-89) ~salay clerk In Gloucester Cathedral
Alice Cameron-Mitchell (E 86-88) slnce graduating at Kent Unlvers~tywlth an Upper Second In Engllsh has devoted herself toy W C M In 1994 she led mlsslons In Spaln and Alban~a,l~vlngby fa~th
D.Cameron-Mitchell (Cr 80-85) Isa qual~fledOsteopath and slnce August 1993 has had h~sown practice In Kennllworth
Elizabeth Carrington (S 74-76), Mrs Slplerl, IS In the C~ty,work~ngforKn~ghtR~ddelas European Marketing Manager and llv~ngIn Cranley Gardens
R.J. Cartwright (Cr 71-77) llves at Malvern w~thh~s w~feand the~rtwo daughters, Naoml and Beth HIS buslness 1s multl-medla He has stud~osIn Malvern and Perth In Australra He competes too In Mounta~n Blke Champ~onshlps
Revd. S.H. Cawdell (S. 78-83) was orda~neddeacon by the B~shopof Southwark on 3 July 1994 and IS a curate at Cheam Common. He met hs w~fewhen they were both in Cambr~dgeat Rldley Hall.
Dr M.R.J. Claxton (DB. 48-56) is a consulatant anaesthetist in Tasmania and In 29 years there has never met an O.V. He and h~swife Ann were at thls year's O.V. D~nnerand thoroughly enjoyed the~rweekend.
S.J. Cleobury (Ch. 58-67) in h~sthirteenth year as Director of MUSICand Fellow of King's College, Cambr~dge.Stephen has been made a Fellow of the Royal School of Music.
A.J. Collins (Master 60-62) lives in Stoke Poges and runs Resource Calculations Inc., a specialist software firm based In Denver Colorado. He has European branches as well.
Dr J.H. Coombs (H. 74-79) is a Physicist worklng in the Netherlands.
P.J. Copson (B. 79-86) graduated in Accountancy at Portsmouth in 1990 and works wlth Merrill Lynch in the Clty.
S.R. Copson (W. 76-83) from a Civil engineering degree at Southampton In 1986, switched to Accountancy. He qualified in 1991. He works in Bristol and llves in Weston-super-Mare.
J.D. Cronin (W. 71-79) IS with Advance, a Flre and Security business in Worcester and lives in Battenhall Close.
J.P. Darlington (H.64-74) has been a leading musician in Paris since 1990. His wife and he have two sons aged 6 and 2.
S.M. Darlington (Cl. 60-70) took h~sChrist Church, Oxford, choir to Australia in August 1994. They sang in the Sydney Opera House and elsewhere.
D.W. Davies (Cl. 67-74) graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1977 and is now a Design Manager at British Nuclear Fuels, Risley, Warrington. He and his wife Pauline have two sons, Robert (7) and John (4).
A.I. Denison (S. 69-74) continues to work at Heathrow as Chief Customs Officer and has a son Nicholas (6) at Denmead School, Hampton whose headmaster is OV Richard Jeynes (Cl. 69-79),
Dr J.J.R. Dichens (0.82-89) qualified in Medicine at Birm~nghamUniversity in 1994 and is working in Birmingham and Worcester.
M.D. Dickinson (Cl. 76-83) moved from G.E.C.Alsthom last Februaryand is now Sales Manager with Parsons Power Generating System at Newcastle. In May he passed the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants final exam.
E.S. Douglas-Pennant (St.A. 74-79) is the popular BBC Hereford and Worcester presenter under the name of Ed Douglas.
Emma Douglas (Co. 83-85), a trained nurse, has gained the Diploma in Marketing and is now Controller and Marketing Manager of Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte's Hospital.
C.N. Duckworth (Cl. 67-74) has added Cost and Maintenance Accountancy to his qualifications.
M.J.. Duckworth (Cr. 69-76) has gained his MBA at the Manchester Business School.
C.H.J. Dyer (Cl. 82-84) was a Music Master and Organist at Hereford Cathedral School and is now Head of Music at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Girls.
Bryony Edwards (E. 89-91) graduated in July 1994 at Nott~nghamUniversitywlth an Upper Second in Mathematics and is engaged to Nicholas Pomeroy (Cl. 8590).
Katherine Fenton (Co. 86-88), Mrs Isles, is studylng Midwifery at Gloucester and Cheltenham.
J.G. Field (Ch. 75-82) of Astley, Stourport-on-Severn, married Alison in April 1991 and qualified as a solicitor in 1993. He is with Luke Grant of Kidderminster.
J.M. Flaux (Cl. 63-72), of the Inner Temple, was appointed a Queen's Counsel in March 1994. At Oxford in the seventies he gained a First in Jurisprudence, followed by a First in BCL.
A.L. Flay (DB. 22-30) has moved south from Beverley and wlth his wife Kathleen is living at Bourton-on-theWater.
R.F. Gade (S. 32-35), in the USA, is a longer story. See below these Notes.
A.P. Gale (W.56-66) is a partner in the Lower Church Farm at Flyford Flavell and lives at Bramble Lodge, Flyford Flavell.
M.R. Gangian (H. 75-78) is in business at Toronto and lives there with his wife. He married her at Caracas, Venezuela and they have one child.
Air Marshal Sir Timothy Garden (Cr. 52-62) became Commandant of The Royal College of Defence Studies in March 1994 and received his knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June.
J.S.W. Gibson (Cr. 55-62) won a History Scholarship at Hertford College, Oxford, but read Law there. He then became a writer and director for BBC Drama and other theatrical companies. Later, he worked in the mental health fields.
D.P.M. Goodwin (0.87-91)is nearing the completion of the Mungo-climbing in Scotland that he started nine
years ago, the mountains over 3,000 ft high. He has had his first taste of the Alps this last August.
Beverley Gough (Co. 89-91) was one of the Nottingham University Four who won the College Coxed Fours in the 'Women's' Henley Regatta. She graduated in Biology in 1994.
Rebecca Green (Co. 86-88) in her third year of Veterinary Scienceat Liverpool University was in the British Women's Equestrian Team In Europe. At Liverpool she wasawardeda Royal Blue bythe Athletics Union.
R.J. Griffiths (S. 80-90) in 1993 got a Lower Second in Politics and Government at Kent University and is now working for BBC Radio Five Live as a reporter on business affairs.
T.A. Grundy (W. 61-68) has taught for fifteen years in Berlin in Service Children's Schools and remains with the same organisation as an Inspector Adviser.
M. Guest (B. 82-89) graduated in Politics at Sheffield University and is teaching now in a London comprehensive School.
Alison Gunton (Co. 79-81 ), Mrs Edwards, is working in Leeds as Human Resources Oficer for a Computer Software House.
M.J. Gwilt (Cr. 68-75) is Managaing Director of Cowie Interleasing North, one of the two Cowies contract hire and vehicle management companies. He has been wlth Cowie since 1984.
A.O. Hall (Ca. 29-32) on the Fiftieth Anniversary of D Day marched in the Comrades contingent of the Royal Hampshire Regiment through Arromanches at the head of the parade. He found it a memorable experience.
P.T. Halliley (S. 34-38) was a Naval Officer in the War, but was then lost until he visited the school in June 1994. He had been a rubber planter in Malaya 194774 and at age 55 with a wife and five children has moved to Western Australia where he lives at 864A Canning Highway, Applecross 61 53. He andvivienne greatly enjoyed their visit and hope to come again.
M.K.J. Hardyman (Cl. 68-75) is teaching at Heaton Manor School, Newcastle. His wife is a Consultant Medieval Herbalogist.
E.T.C. Harris (Ca. 30-33) is in his twelfth year of retirement, a golfer and birdwatcher and industrial archaeologist.
J.R.G. Harris (S. 87-89) is trying a year in Edinburgh as Cathedral Organ Scholar and Assistant Organist of Fettes College, with his fiancee near by and a continued partnership with her in dramatic productions.
N.C. Harris (Ca. 65-69) works at the London Weather Centre as a forecaster. His voice is often heard on BBC Radio in the South.
S.C. Harris (Ca. 62-67) is responsible for all the Trustee Savings Bank Computer Centres' hardware and software procurement and is based on Wythenshawe.
D.J. Harrison (Ch. 75-82) lives at Twickenham and works in the City as a Corporate Accounts Manager for Lloyds Bank.
C.A. Hartill (N. 26-32) is a widower with a son and a daughter. He was a Barclay's Bank Manager. He lives in Shifnal, Shropshire and has been President of the
Royal British Legioii and Golf Club and has beer1 Chairman of the Deanery Synod.
R.S. Hawes (Ch. 60-68) is a Solicitor special~singin business law in the Manchester firm Cobbett Lear Almond. His four children range from age 17 to age 4.
Dr N.P. Hiley (Cr. 69-76) is Head of Information at the British Universities' Film andvideo Council and Chairman of the Film Archives Forum.
R.S. Hill (B. 86-91) graduated in Geography at Lancaster in June 1994 and is working for a group in the motor industry.
N.H. Holden (S. 50-58) l~vesnow in Masterton, New Zealand, 60 miles from Wellington. We were glad to see him at the 1993 Reunion.
P. Homer (Cr. 65-75) is Head of Agricultural Mechanisation at Shuttleworth College, Bedfordshire, but wrote to us from near Moscow where he was as a consultant on a European Aid project.
P.S. Hughes (B. 67-75) has completed his first year as Chief Executive of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with 89 players and 20 administrators, based on Glasgow. Before that, he was artistic manager with the International Management Group.
R.S. Hume (S. 53-54) is a Los Angeles lawyer, but never forgets his years at King's. He was back in Worcester this year and he was visited by Hugh Scurfield (DB. 43-54). Another great friend is Frank Shouler (H. 4953).
P.D. Hutchinson (DB. 46-51) has retired from teaching after many years at the Bishop Perowne High School in Worcester. He continues Malvern, but at 51 Wyche Road.
S.H.W. Isles (S. 83-87) was in the film crew that went with the Everest Marathon runners to Katmandu in Novermber 1993 and spent a month there.
W.A.H. James (Ch. 69-74) l~vesIn the south of France with his w~feJoand three young children. his own Yacht Management and Service Company Nice.
H.D. Jenkins (Cl. 73-80) graduating at Southampton has worked for various companies designing lowlevel systems of software. At present he is working at High Wycombe.
D.C. Jessop (Ch. 78-87)writesfrom United Air Charters, P.O. Box Ap. 50, Harare Airport, Zimbabwe, where he has been flying for the last four years and logged over 3,000 hours of flying time. Any OV passing through will be welcome.
J.D. Jones (Cr. 47-52) is back on the mailing list with an address in Gwent.
NerysRachel Jones (Co.84-86), Mrs Bayley, graduated in Law at Kingston with an Upper Second in 1989. On 1 May 1993 she married Nicholas Bayley and a photograph year's Vigornian. Since then she has been articled to a firm of Solicitors in Exeter.
Dr Rachael Jones (Co. 86-88) was wrongly called Mrs Bayley in that same 1993 Vigornianand we apologise for that error.
M.C. Joyner (DB. 44-52) remains keenly interested in Rugby Football and particularly with the Harlequins.
M.M. Judd (Ch. 63-73) is married and living with two children in Bath, but as an architect in the recession he has to work for a local authority in Haverfordwest and commute from Bath.
S.J.F. Judd (Ch. 60-70) is a partner in afirm of Solicitors in Tunbridge Wells.
J.P.A. Larkin (S. 78-83) is a Chartered Geologist and working in Bristol for an environmental consulting company.
J.M. Law (B.79-84) has returned from a secondment in the United States with Courtaulds and is back in Swindon.
A.J. Leang (H. 64-73)moved from Marlborough in January 1994 and is now Head of Music at Sutton Valence school. He and Kirsten and theirthree children are living in Sutton Valence itself.
Dr B.N.T. Leeman (Ca. 59-64)has been in Australia since 1988lecturing on Africa and African languages. He has Mike Coley (Ch. 59-64)living opposite him. On a recent visit to East Africa, he video-filmed the 125 year old African who was guide in 1875 to the Europeans who made the first ascent of Kilimanjaro. He alsovisited the grave there of Richard Hutchinson (Ch. 59-64)who was killed in 1967.
Clare le Fort (Co. 86-88)of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, graduated in Music with an Upper Second in 1993and spent the year after on a PGCE at Leeds.
T.J. Leggett (B.80-87)read Philosophyat King's College, London and then had three years of sponsorship as an acrobatic skier. He is now working on a cruising ship.
D.R. Leonard (Ca. 47-52) is Deputy Head of the BethMarie Special School in Sevenoaks.
P.A.F. Letcher (S. 73-78)cycled up Euope'sfour highest passes this summer and wrote about them in the UK press. He lives in France.
M.S. Lewis (Cr. 78-88)graduated in Law at St Edmund Hall, Oxford in 1991 and worked in Bolivia and USA. currently he is in the New York offrces of Slaughter and May, Solicitors.
N.A. Lewis (B. 74-81)lives in Berkshire and works as Product Marketing Manager with BMW (GB).
M.A. Lovatt (Cl. 56-61)lives with his wife and undergraduate son In Droitwich and heads the Consultancy Business that he founded in 1989 after long experience of Management Services and Sales Management with Lonrho and Heron Distribution.
A.D.W. Lowe (K. 79-87)graduated at Brunel University in 1994with Distinction in Business and Finance. He is a qualified NCA Cricket Coach.
D.M. Lowe (H. 84-89)qualified as a Solicitor in 1993and spent six months in India and Nepal, but is now with Wragge and Co. in Birmingham.
A.G. Mackelvie (B. 77-84)played Rugby for Malvern RFC at Twickenham in May 1994 in the final of the Pilkington Shield. Malvern won.
April Mackison (Co. 86-88)returned to Birmingham University in October 1944to add a PhD. to her BA in German Studies.
N.G. Major (B. 84-91)graduated in Geography at King's College, London in 1994 and passed his AKC. He is now worklng in the City as a composite insurance trainee.
J. Malpass (DB. 43-49)since 1980 has been a social worker for the County Council at Redditch and working for a degree at Coventry University.
S.J. Martin (B. 81-88)got a First at Cambridge in 1992 and is now at Edinburgh in the second of his three years for a PhD. in Neuro-Physiology.
W.D. Mason (S. 68-78)married Wendy in May 1992. They live in Birmingham and David works at BBC Pebble Mill.
Rt. Rev. J.A.A. Maund (DB. 20-28)was one of three
clergy who have lived to celebrate the sixtieth year of their ordination as priests on 30 September 1934 by the Bishop of Worcester. All three took part in a special Eucharist in the Cathedral.
N.C. McNevin (B. 71-82)is a Chartered Surveyor and CharteredTown Plannerwith the Kent County Council.
N.P.C.P. Meadows (DB. 45-54), a Sedbergh master for over thirty years, is now retired and Secretary of the Old Sedberghians. His younest son Alastair, an OS, played for Cambridge at Twickenham in the 1993 Varsity Match and so did the OV Nigel Richardson, both of them forwards.
Susie Mike (Co. 77-79),Mrs Orme, works in the City for Micrognosison European Marketing. She found Lizzie Carrington there, likewise married.
A.T.S. Millington (Cr. 68-70),Cathedral Organist at Guildford, has had the organ enlarged and improved and gave a service of six recitals in May and June to demonstrate the new scope.
Dr. M.C.W. Minchin (Cr. 59-66) is Director of Molecular Pharmacology at Wyeth Research (UK). His team seeks new drugs to arrest mental illness and neural degeneration. He still lives in Oxford and teaches part-time at The Queen's College.
T.W.J. Moody (K. 80-91) is a freelance sports manager and commentator based on Bredicot.
G.J. Morgan (S. 83-93)left in June 1994onan Operation Raleigh year in Siberia, financed partly by jobs done in the months before starting.
Dr. S.R. Morris (B. 68-75)gained a BSc at Swansea in Biochemistry and a PhD at Hull in Plant Blology and Genetics. He is Sales Manager of Alcan Chemicals. In 1991 he and Elizabeth Dewar married and they live at Henley-on-Thames.
Lucy Morrison (E. 87-89)has completed a Master's degree in English at Illinois State University, USA, with Grade A the whole way through.
P.R. Moss (S. 55-60)has been in Hong Kong for the last 17 years and is now Secretary-General of the Law Society there. His years of government service reached the Directorship of Legal Aid.
Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy (Cl. 52-60),Executive Chairman of Kingfisher, has become also a non-executive direcetorof Eurotunnel, the ChannelTunnel operators.
R.H. Normington (W. 68-71) is Sales and Marketing Direcetor for Sencon (UK) based on Worcester. He and his wife live at Redmarley.
A.R. Oates (Cr. 68-75), a good linguist, is with Mondial Assistance (UK) in Croydon.
C. Ogle (K.81-91)is in the final year of his honours degree in Economics at the University of Wales, Swansea where he is senior ski instructor with the University Ski Club, who are, once again, reigning National Champions.
M.J. Page (Cr. 60-65)lives at Peopleton and is enjoying his new angles on the School. His daughter Jessica joined the Lower Remove in September 1994.
R.G. Payne (Cl. 61-65)has been teaching in New Zealand at Rathkeale College, Masterton, North Island ever since leaving St Paul's, Hamilton.
Dr C.E. Perks (Cr. 80-82) is now a General Practitioner
in Fersliore His wife and he are I~vir~g at Bii l~nghar~i with their sons Ham~shand Rory
J.D.C. Perks (B 79-84) is the Resident Land Agent to the Longleat Estate (Marquess of Bath) To his BSc in Agriculture he added the Drploma In Rural Estate Management and In 1992 he qualif~edas Chartered Surveyor (Rural Pract~ces)
J.M. Pettifer (Ca 60-67) published In 1993 a Blue Gu~de to Albania and a work on The Greeks landandpeople s~ncethe war
N.T.W. Pomeroy (Ch 83-90) graduated at Bath University In Physics in 1994and soon after announced h~sengagement to Bryony Edwards (E 89 91)
R.A. Preston (S 80-85) left the Army in March 1994 and now works in the City
M.D. Price (S 73 75) is In Finance and his work is based on Southampton, but he IS living at Newbury
S.N. Price (S 73-74) IS D~vis~onalDireector of a leasing operation based on Hemel Hempstead His wife Allson and he live in West Ilsley, Newbury He has met Mark Gretason (Cr 66-76) and Peter Fawcett (S 72-76) and would like to meet other OVs
T.J.L. Randle (Cr 78-86)qualified asaveter~narysurgeon in 1994and is working in equine practlce at Broadway, Worcestershrre and living In Buckland near by
E.A. Reeves (K 80-90) ga~nedan Upper Second in Mechanrcal Eng~neeringat Newcastle in June 1994 and IS now doing post-graduate work at Leeds Univers~ty
D.J. Renney (Cr 76 78), a tra~nedvet, IS working for a Japanese group as Market~ngManager of an~malhealth products He marrled In July 1993 and on the~r honeymoon the parr stated at Rapallo, Italy with R.J. Larkham (W 73-78)
P.J. Rex (6 G3 70) is Cl'lai~r~id~i of St~d~egi~C~r~~i~ltir~g at 56-58 Cornh~ll,London and 1s working in Europe where hrs Oxford Languages degree helps his C~ty experience
Sian Richard (CO 84-86) works in International Tax at Arthur Anderson's At the tlme of wrlting she was on an assignment in New York
N.D. Richardson (Cl 84-89) made the f~rstOV appearance in the Oxford - Cambridge university match at Twickenham In December 1993 and was made Cambridge's captain In 1994
C.J. Robbins (Ch 57 67) has moved w~thhis job to China
F.P.J. Scriven (Ch 84-90) isat Bristol University studying Dentistry and starting his fourth year
J.C.J. Scriven (Ch 83 87) IS a Marketrng Manager with an ~nternationalf~rmin London's Cromwell Road
P.C. Sheppy (Ca 43-52), MBE, has ret~redafter 28 years as Ch~efExecut~veto the National Proflc~ency Tests Council for Agriculture and Horticulture He remains Honorary L~brarranof the Royal Agricultural Soc~ety He lrves in Lower Bodd~ngton,Northants
E.S. Sherwood (Ca 19-25) lives In Span and his autobrography It's Bee11 A Pleasure has been published this year by Minerva Press, 2 Old Brompton Road, SW7 (Cost £8 24 by post) Sandy Sherwood started an overseas polrce career In N~geriain 1929 and continued ~tIn the West lndies He writes with a great sense of fun
A.M. Smith (B 71 -79) has moved from general Insurance business In Sheffield and is now at the London end of Investment analys~sfor a Shropshire company and living at Twrckenham
J.A. Smith (W. 70-77) graduated at Imperial College, London In Electrical Engineering and then worked as a computer programmer with CEGB. He then went to Newcastle University and studied Computer Distributal Systems.
R.A. Spittle (Ch. 86-91) graduated in Information Technology at Loughborough in 1994 and is an IT trainee with the Woolwich Building Society at Bexleyheath, Kent.
R.F. Subiotto (Ca. 74-79) finds Brussels ideal for International Law. He is representing British Airways and European Airlines in the problems caused by the French Government and Air France.
M.B. Sykes (H. 42-52) has in 1993-94 been Master of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers. His home is in Sawbridgeworth.
Helena Tarr (Co. 87-89) graduated BSc at Loughborough in 1993 in Physical Education, Sports Science and Recreation Management. She then took a year off and was Nanny to three children at Greenwich. After further qualifying at Loughborough, she is now teaching PE and English at a school In Farnborough, Hants.
Dr Katherine Tarr (Co. 85-87) is a Senior House Officer in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit at Basingstoke Hospital. It is the fifth that she has worked in since she qualified at St Bartholomew's In 1991.
C.I. Thomson (B. 85-87) graduated in Landscape Architecture at the Heriot Watt University In Edinburgh in June 1994 and is working for an ~nternationalfirm of landscape artists.
R Thorn (Cr. 48-56) came from Paris to the London Dinner on 6 May 1994 at which 750 milers and Blues celebrated the Fortieth Anniversary of Roger Bannister's breaking the four-minute mlle barrier. Roger Thorn won the Oxford Mile in 1960 and 1961.
Major J.A.R. Trape (S. 64-70) is at Kingston, Ontario on the staff of the Flrst Canadian Division.
J.F.J. Villis (W. 81-88) after a post-graduate year at the Harper-Adams Agricultural College, is now an agronomist with Banks Doltons of Newbury, Berkshire.
Canon N.T. Vincent (H. 45-55) is Chief Assistant to the Head of Religious Broadcasting and Editor of Religious Programming both on Radio and on Television. He is living at Liverpool and his work centres on the North-West.
P.D.C. Vyvyan-Robinson (S. 74-76) has been with ICL at home and abroad since 1982 and in April 1994 became their D~rectorof Financial Services. He is a Major in the Territorial Army and commands a Squadron in the Honourable Artillery Company.
J.D.T. Wall (S. 65-70) is moving from the headmastership of the prep school St Edward's, Reading to Tower House School in London in September 1995.
D.M. Warburton (Cr. 85-90) has been a Lifeguard at a swimming-pool on the Scottish border and a sales rep for bicycle parts in Suffolk and the rest of East Anglia.
R.C. Wardner (Ch. 74-82) is a business analyst with Bowaters and lives in Manchester with Jane whom he married last May.
H.D. Watson (DB.48-58) has returned to teaching full
time as Head of History at the Dragon School in Oxford. His son IS a Lay Clerk in Christ Church Cathedral which Stephen Darlington (Cl. 60-70) directs.
Alison Weeks (Co.84-86) qualified in 1993 as a Chartered Surveyor (General Practice) and she is working in that capacity at Kennington, London.
F. Weil (Ca. 39-40) had five terms in the School, the last three of them at Criccieth in Castle House. He is a London solicitorspec~alisingin international business, and isa member of three other nations' Law Societies.
D.P.G.Westgate (DB. 47-56) is a Lecturer in Education in Newcastle University and lives in Hexham, Northumberland.
D.M. Wetherall (Cl. 80-87) was presented to Her Majesty The Queen at a reception to launch the Royal Archaeological Institute's 150th Anniversary's Collection of Papers, for which he had written an article on the founding of the Institute.
M.R. Wetherall (Cl. 84-91) is now on his final year at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, reading Geology. In the summer of 1994 he led a successful university expedition to the Bolivian Altiplano.
Capt. S.S. Wetherall (Cl. 78-85) is in the UK and is Acting CO of h~sUnit.
B. Willmott (B. 80-88) is a section editor for the New Musical Express newspaper in London.
S.N. Willmott (B. 80-90) gained an Upper Second in Law at Exeter University and has since been doing the Legal Practices course at Chester.
Z. Win (H. 78-80) is in New York's Banque Paribas in the Commodity Finance Group. He has completed his MBA and is an Assistant Vlce President. He would welcome OVs.
Dr A.C.C. Wong (S. 75-82) is at Middlesborough with ICI working at Acrylics research and development. He gained his PhD at Imperial College, London.
P.C.C. Wong (S. 75-78) is in Canada working for their Nuclear Energy as Senior Reactor Shift Manager, which entails full charge of its 130 KW research reactor at the Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario. To his London BSc he has added a Birmingham MSc in Technology and Physics of Nuclear Engineering Reactors.
A.P.A.H. Woolley (S. 64-69) is Senior Toxicologist with City Pharmaceuticals at Wilmslow in Cheshire. He and h~swife have three children and liveat Congleton.
Jeanette Yates (Co. 86-88) after her Edinburgh Degree in Ecological Science gained an MSc at Sheffield in Environmental Archaeology. Her dissertation involved a long stay in Iceland studying soil erosion and farm abandonment.
A LONGER NOTE
Richard Gade (S. 32-35) left sixty years ago and has been in California for the last 35. In September 1993 M.J. Robertsand P.C.Thompson found him in College Green and we now know what he has done since 1935.
He was always heading for the film industry and so took the course at the Regent Street Polytechnic. He
was also comniiss~oned~nthe Terrrtorlal Ar17iy Duly 117 1946 Ile becdllle a calliera-l?~d~i 011 Pdllie Pictocalled up ~nSeptember 1939, he served t~llJanuary r~aland marrled and moved to Br~tlshColumbia and 1946 But nearly all that time he was in the Army Fllm thence to San Francisco in 1959, mostly working In and Photo Un~tand from 1942 commanded the 2nd Public Relat~onsHISaddress 1s 222 Flor~belAvenue, BFPU ~nNorth Afrlca and Italy San Anselmo, Ca 94960
An extr-act8-orn a letter- to the Headmaster-~5-omDavid Watson
Reading these old Vigorn~ansagain has been almost as much an exercise in nostalgia as reading the sad news in the ob~tuarypages of the passing of three of the giants of my childhood. There was a very special quality in those returning warriors who came to the School at the end of the war. Perhaps as a conscious attempt to put the war behind them, there was a delightful, almost childlike enthusiasm and a naivety about so much that they dld. I shall always remember the CCF parades, where dear old Lt. Col. Sheppard tried so hard to bring a sense of gravity and occasion to the military machine, and 'Capt' Bailey, Cash and McTurk - all of whom had had a pretty serious war- were so often skitt~shat best or downright subversive at worst! And CSM Barrettknown affectionately as The Animal to us all - was a wonderful character. There was never a PE lesson that couldn't be sidetracked by, 'What did yo~ do in the war, Sarge?' 'Well, there was this land mine, as big as a telephone kiosk ' and we were away.
My ten years at King's were blissfully happy, and beyond doubt were the maln reason for turning to teaching after a brief flirtation with Town and Country Planning once Oxford was out of the way. But what a strange education it was. In ten years at King's I never had a single Science lesson. Music in the School was virtually non-exlstent untll Richard Knight and Frank Sutcl~ffebegan their pianoduet recitals-though Meriel's drawing room, to be fair, did see a good deal of salon music. Alex Natan's Hlstory teaching was eccentric to the point of absurdity. Yet I owe my place at Magdalen to him. I wonder what the teachers of the 50s would have made of league tables and the National Curriculum? I really couldn't say that I was actually tauaht a lot at Kings while I was there, but my word, I learned an incredible amount.
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