The Vigornian December 2000

cover photograph by Caroline Roslington

The Vigomian 2000

The magazine of The King's School Worcester

J L K Bridges, BSc

M W Bentley, CertEd

S R Davies, CertEd

P C Thompson, MA

P J Baseley, DipHIcraft

M J Roberts, BSc

J M Roslington, BSc, CPhys, MInstP

Mrs M A Nott, BSc, CBiol, MIBiol

B Griffiths, BTech (Careers)

E Reeves, MA

D T Naish, BEd

Mrs C F Roslington, BA

M A Stevens, MA

R A Fleming, BA

D P Iddon, BA

Mrs R C J Diamond, BA

S Le Marchand, BA

R N G Stone, MA

R P Mason, BA

M R Gill, BSc, MA, MSc

Mrs S P Griffiths, BA

Mrs N R Anstey, CertEd

S M Bain, BSc, MSc

M D Rudge, BA

J T Wheeler, BSc, CChem, MRSC

D G Willmer, MSc, PhD

P T Gwilliam, BA, MPhil

Mrs K Appleby, BA

Mrs C M Cox, MA, MSc

R J Davis, BA

Mrs L M Ghaye, BEd, MA

A I Guest, BEd

Mrs S C Allum, BSc

J L Owen, BA

C A Gallantree-Smith, BA

Mrs E R Hand, BA

T R Sharp, MA

Mrs C Painter, BA

Mrs S H Le Marchand, BA

Mrs V Jenkinson, CertEd

STAFF 1999-2000

Headmaster T.H.Keyes, M.A.

Second Master T.D.R.Hickson, B.A, C.Phys., F.1nst.P

Senior Mistress Mrs P.A.Stevens, B.A., M.A.

Director of Studies A.J.Thould, M.A.

Mrs F L Short, BA

M C Poole, BSc, PhD

MS C R Harrison-Horacek, MA

*P M Hibbert, BSc

*Mrs T D Marskell, CertEd

Mrs H M Arthur, BSc, CPhys, MInstP

*Mrs P A Edwards, BA, MSc

Mrs J P Maxwell-Stewart, BA

Revd M R Dorsett, BA, MTh, PhD, CertTheol, (Chaplain)

Miss N Featherstone, BSc

J P Whitehouse, BEd

R P Geary, BSc, CChem, MRSC

A A D Gillgrass, BA

S C Cuthbertson, BA

*C Haywood, BA

A W Longley, BA, MA

S M Atkins, BA

R Jones, BA

*Mrs G Kendrick, BEd

*Mrs M M Longley, BEd

Mrs J Vivian, CertEd

Mrs R J Terry, BA, MA

P S Baldwin, BA

I C Robinson, BSc

M Schramm, BSc

*Mrs S M Beesley, BA

*G P Downs, BA

*Mrs J L Guest, BEd

*Mrs S A Mounsey, BTech, HND, CText, AT1

Mrs S Simojoki, BA

0 Sucksmith, BA

Music:

D E Brookshaw, BMus, FRCO

H R ThurIby, LRAM

*D G Phillips, MA, FRCO, CHM, LGSM, ARCM

Mrs V J Gunter, GTCL, LTCL

and 28 Visiting Teachers

MONITORS 199912000

E.A.Smith (Cl) - Head of School

The King's Junior Schools

King's St Albans:

Head: R Bellfield, BEd

Deputy: J T Walton, CertEd, FRGS

Mrs A D Walton, CertEd

*Mrs L Jackson, MA

Mrs R Reeves, MEd

D Mews, BA, BSc, CertEd

Mrs C Woodcock, BA, CertEd

Mrs B I Wilson, BA, CertEd

*Mrs N Cain, BA, PGCE

*Mrs P Griffin, BA, BEd

F C McGonigal, BEd

Miss K J Kear-Wood, BSc, PGCE

Mrs J Pitts, BEd

W Toleman, BA

King's Hawford:

Head: R W Middleton, MSc

M I Billen, CertEd

Mrs A Douglas, AMusLCM, CertEd

Mrs J M Tune, BSc

Miss D Churchward, CertEd,DipEd(SEN), MEd, SpLD (RSA)

Mrs S Roscoe, CertEd

R W Figgitt, BA(Ed) (Hons)

Mrs L Jackson, BA

Mrs C Heath, BEd

Pre-Prep:

Mrs P M Bradley, BEd

Mrs J N Willis, CertEd

Mrs C A Griffin, BA, PGCE

Mrs H Rankin, BA, PGCE

Mrs G E Riley, BSc, PGCE

Mrs L Baxter, BSc, PGCE

Medical Officers:

Dr M Smith, MB, ChB

Dr A Georgiou, MB, ChB

Sister: Mrs C F Furber, RGN, DipN

Headmaster's Secretary: Mrs M Brodrick

B.Wade (S)

J.R.B.Watson (K)

D.M.Wilkie (K)

SCHOOLNOTES

You will read in this latest Vigornian (for which congratulations again to Peter Iddon, John Roslington and their team) of another year of splendid achievement. It ended with our best ever set of A level grades if reckoned, as seems right, by the percentage (84%)of A-C grades which represent the range of grades usually required by the top universities, and our second best ever set of GCSE grades. It is easy to be cynical and to think that, like the grain harvests in what one must now call the oldUSSR, grades get better every year, but the achievementsof ourpupils also represent the increased pressure on them and their teachers to perform even better than the year before as competition for places in the best universities increases. Their response to this pressure has been admirable.

Next summer will add further complications as the entire Lower Sixth takes public exams in four different subjects. Close on 400 pupils at King's will be taking public exams in June and July. There are practical difficulties with this as you can imagine. We are also concerned that there will be a move in many schools to reduce the commitment of those in their exam years to extra-curricular activities. That will be resisted stoutly at King's where to offer a balanced education has always been considered the proper purpose of the school. We do not expect that results will suffer. If anything, it has been our experience that commitment to activities outside the classroom has improved performance within it so long as busy lives are well organised and time at school is used effectively.Let me

whet your appetitefor some of the achievements that follow. Young Enterprise has scaled new heights. The Keys Society has celebrated 25 years of impressive music making. Our rowers and 1stXIcricketersin particularrecordedoutstanding seasons.The latest Himalayan expedition group climbed and named after the school a peak in one of the most spectacular spots in the Everest Region. The parents Development Committee galvanised staff and pupils into mounting another highly successful fete. There are numerous accomplishments to read of in sport, drama, club activities, adventurous activities and excursions in this country and abroad.

There have also been moments of considerable sadness as we have come to terms with the death of one of our best loved teachers, Margaret Greaves, of a dedicated governor, Roger Grant and of a young OV, Ben Singleton. All three in their different ways served the school with a degree of commitment that should make their farnilies proud of them.

I spoke in my notes last year of the quiet passing of boarding at King's. I suppose that as a resident of College Green I notice it more than most as the chaplain is now the only colleague who is still aneighbour.Life is certainly very quiet outside school hours, cathedral bells apart! The exciting feature of the change is that life is about to return to Choir House with a vengeance! In January it will open as a new teaching building, housing English and Classics as well as Bright House and Chappel House and so will become once again a vital building in

the life of the school. This is the first phase of a programme of development that will move next to theNew Block. By September 200 1, all being well, that building will house nine newly equipped and refurbished Maths rooms and three new PE rooms in the basement. All this will be under a new pitched roof which will not only extend the life of the building but greatly improve its appearance.

These two projects are being funded out of the school's own resources or from borrowing, as was the move of the Staff Common Room and administrative offices to Hostel House last year. Further development will dependupon an Appeal which we will launch next year. We have exciting ideas for the development of Castle House and School House that will preserve their characterbut make rather better use of their idiosyncratic spaces than has been possible since they ceased to be boarding houses. Our further plans have one central aim in mind: to make best use of all the buildings on the school site and on the playing fields by sensitive modification and, where necessary, extension. We hope that we will then be able to say without reservation to present and prospective parents that we have made the very most of our space and facilities, and to OVs that the school is evolving to meet the needs of modern education but will still be, in its external appearance, and I hope in the most important aspects of its ethos, the school that they attended whether it was in the 1930s or the 1980s.

The Choristers, Worcester Cathedral l908 (Photographfrom The School Archive)

In front of the door 1 to r: Ivor Atkins, Cathedral Organist, Canon Woodward, Mr Shuttleworth, Master of the Choristers.

Canon Woodward's statue is in the niche of the Woodward extension to Choir House.

T.H.K.

MARGARET GREAVES

Like so many in the Maths Department, Margaret Greaves was brought up in the 1950s and 60s. Britain was finding its feet again after the dark days of the War. There was not much money to go round but we had a new Queen and the Commonwealth was important. It was an age of optimism in which two professions were highly respected, the two professions that everyone would come into contact with; the doctor and the teacher. Thus it came as no surprise that Margaret became a teacher. She read for a degree in Mathematics and Music. She came to us from Queen Mary's High School, Walsall. Her letter of application was as precise as we all subsequently came to appreciate and the typing was rounded off by an even neater signature. On the letter, which was a model of how to give an accurate picture of oneself in a few paragraphs, John Moore wrote, "Looks good. ER, what do you think?'Well I thought very highly ofher as youdo when you know instinctively that someone is right. The interview quickly became a pleasant chat, as I recall.

lege, Worcester, who wanted to qualify as teachers of mathematics. I am told that she was so good at this that she was in demand by the college as a Mathematics mentor. Again, her painstaking attention to detail showed through.

She was also a musician. She played several instruments and sang in several choirs including the City of Birmingham Choir, who regularly sing at Symphony Hall, and locally in the School Choir, with Worcester Festival Choral Society and in her own church choir of St Martin's, London Road.

As a teacher of Mathematics she was precise in every detail. Look at this textbook andobserve how perfectly it is backed in brown paper and how the cover is inl scribed with laI l I were like this. I Like us all she i pupils notes but ,, hers were photol copied, cut to size I and stuck in, at I the expense of great labour, by her, afterlessons. Such was her devotion.Her teaching was just as careful. I realised early on as a head of department how essential it is to trust staff and not be too prescriptive ofwhat you expect. Staff do want to do a good job and are far better getting the results in a way that suits them than trying to fit them into a regime which does not. She was very successful and everyone loved being her pupil. As a Fourth Form Mistress she was caring and was sensible when pupils had personal problems. She taught IT with the first A-level cohort and latterly she was a PGCE mentor for graduate students from University Col-

with whatever funny incident had amused

her in the last few days. I remember vividly two of these.

Just after Symphony Hall had been built and everyone who regularly used it had yet to come to terms with its properties, she told the tale of her dropping her car keys in the choir stalls behind the orchestra. They did not just go on to the floor but continued on down before hitting the very bottom. There she sat, in full view of the audience, spending too much effort wondering how she was going to retrieve her keys lurking as they were some twenty feet or so below her.

On another occasion, while watching a show in one of the major Birmingham theatres, she found herself sitting next to Jasper Carrott. Conscious as she was of Jasper's keen observation of people she became so worried about this she sat absolutely still not daring to move a muscle in case she found herself caricatured in one of Mr Carrott's shows.

How we miss Margaret. When going home at around five o'clock I would often see her, in her room, marking books or sticking notes into the notebooks of her prot6gCs. As I go past that dark, empty room now I still sometimes see her there.

Whenever there was a school play or pantomime Margaret was called upon to take responsibility for props. Her being stopped one dark night by the police demanding to know why she had two naked men in her car - they were in fact dummies she had made for a play - is a story about her now well known. She would slave into the night creating the most fabulous props if they could not be borrowed. Who can forget the large number of pies she made so that Bertie and Gertie could destroy them on stage in the last staff pantomime?

What of her character? It was selfless. She was honest, kind, helpful and caring. Above all, she was dependable, utterly caring and nothing was too much trouble for her if anyone needed help. Indeed, she would go out of her way to help if she felt she could be of some use to others. On the other hand, she did not like dishonesty or pretentiousness in any shape or form and would caution purveyors in no uncertain terms, no matter who it might be.

Above all, Margaret was humorous. In our departmental break between lessons in late morning, once daily business was out of the way, she would sometimes regale us

Ruth and I saw Margaret a few days just before she died and it was clear what was going to happen to her. I know she would like to have thanked three people who helped her so much during her illnesses.

First, Dr Richard Lewis, who, provided so much medical support for her during her long spells in hospital. Secondly, the Reverend Leon Ryder, hospital chaplain, who helped her work out her belief, and, thirdly, her dear mother, Mary, who has suffered herself so much over the past few years. Not only did she drop everything to help look after Margaret but, during Margaret's first bout of cancer, lost her husband to a heart attack. Life has recently been very tough for the family.

They say that when a child is born a light is lit and when someone dies a light goes out. For us a very great light has been extinguished.

Last Sunday,I found myself singinghymn 154 (Hymns, Ancient & Modem - new standard). Verse two starts, "Love is kind and suffers long, Love is meek and thinks no wrong."

It wasn't ambition that drove Margaret, it was love, pure love.

E.R. GivenatherMemorialService in Worcester Cathedral

During the year the following members of staff left the school:

VIVIEN JENKINSON

Vivien taught games at King's for 17 years, and over that time has played a great part in the development of Girls' Games. Initially she taught Netball, but soon moved over to build up the standard of Hockey within the school, although she remained a qualified Netball umpire. Before King's became CO-educationaland girls entered school only in the Sixth Form, Viv was always to be found at the fields on Wednesday afternoons for Sixth Form games, in all winds and weathers, encouraging the best fromthe girls, andcoachingto a high standard. She helped to improve the skills and

ability of the girls and created some excellent team spirit, taking teams to matches and umpiring in her fair-minded manner. During the summer terms Viv was greatly involved with rounders, a game she loved, and which involved so many girls and many excellent fielding and batting skills.

As girls entered King's in lower year groups, Viv tookon more teams and worked tirelessly with them. She was a respected coach and umpire and while she developed the talents of the most able girls, she took great pains to support and encourage the weaker pupils and build up their confidence. She was noted for her kind and caring approach to everyone.

Viv has found it necessary to take early retirement and as a department we shall miss her greatly. She has been a very supportive colleague and will remain a great friend. We wish her the very best in her retirement, and thankher for everything she has done for the department and the school over the years she has served King's.

N. R.A.

IAN LAWRENCE

Ian Lawrence joined King's in 1991. Having gained a degree in Physics and Philosophy, he had been trained by the redoubtable Brenda Jennison at Cambridge

before teaching at Bedford School and Sherborne School as well as being a Head of Department in New Zealand.

He brought a fresh wave of ideas into the Physics Department, many of which used ICT. He also followed the tradition of the Department in attending and participating in national and international Physics conferences. As a consequence, we became used to visits by a number of foreign trainers of Physics teachers who came to see what was happening here. It was fun to think that Japanese Physics teachers were being trained using techniques and apparatus developed at King's, but, of course, our visitors brought us new ideas.

Many of the questions Ian devised were set in the context of either bicycles or canoes. Not only were both forms of transport of particular interest to Ian but, living near the river at Hallow, he would travel to and from school by one or the other. That he would keep his ratherbulky, and expensive, mountain bike in the small staff gents' at the bottom of the Winslow Building was a matter of inconvenience to some of the other users of the facility. At least he did not try to get his canoe in there too.

Whilst running the Department, he put a huge amount of time and effort into producing new teaching schemes, innovative experiments, and the books that were devised for the Fourth Forms. He got the Israelis to let him have educational apparatus developed from that they had devised for tracking missiles, except that instead of missiles, this kit tracked footballs and pupils.

The Schools' Physics Group, an organisation started by King's with a number of other Independent schools, grew to embrace all schools and to be &liated to the Institute of Physics. Ian became its Secretary and the energetic organiser of its very big annual conference. He has also been a moving light in the Institute's Education Group.

Working with Physicists at what is now DERA, he and HMA developed ways of teaching Condensed Matter in schools, attending a conference in Trieste to explain to an internationalbody ofPhysicists how this might be done.

He also encouragedDr.Walsh to develop his interest in Astronomy and, with HMA, toundergo term-timeexchangeswithswedish Physics teachers.

When the Institute of Physics decided to invest £1 million in a fresh post-16 Physics course, Ian was one of those recruited to run the project. He was seconded to the Institute, in London, initially part-time but

finally full-time. This new course, called Advancing Physics, is now taught at King's and widely elsewhere.

Largely as a result of his innovative work here (no other Sixth Form course is based largely on an interactive CD) Ian gained his new job in the Physics Department of the Education Department at BirminghamUniversity.

As well as missing his dynamic leadership in the Physics Department at Kng's, we also miss his contributions to canoeing at the Oldchapel and theD ofE scheme, not to mention his comments at staff meetings.

T.D.R.H.

ANNABEL MCAULEY

Annabel McAuley taught in the Chemistry Department for two years. She was a well liked and respected teacher, who had a good command of the subject and managed to put it across in a clear and interesting fashion. The pupils she taught felt that they had been well cared for and she will surely be missed by them.

She also gave generously of her time in the Games department, running the Under 16Netballteam and helping out with Rounders. NRA says she was a pleasure to have around, popular with the girls she coached, and a goodNetball umpire. Through her the schooldevelopedalinkwithCanfordSchool and took a Netball squad on tour there last year.

R.P.G.

ROB JONES

Rob joined us two years ago from Daunsteys in what he was always the first to admit was a sideways move. His appointment was confirmed on condition that he share his MGF with the incumbent Head of Department and indeed the department rapidly became a bastion of good taste and style. There is no doubt that he contributed an enormous amount to the department and indeed other areas of the school in the relatively short space of time that he was with us. In the classroom he was a wellliked and respected member of the teaching staff who was always ready to give his time freely tohelp those pupils who found in him an ally as well as a teacher. Rob has gone on to head up the Department of Economics and Business Studies at Clifton College where his rowing expertise will no doubt be in great demand. Their gain is our loss and 1 we wish him every success in what I am I sure will be arapid and sustained rise to the top of his profession.

R.P.M.

GERALD DOWNS

Hamstrung by its own success, the Department of Economics and Business Studies found itself last year at very short notice requiring an extra part-time member of the department. To our rescue and always in our debt arrived Gerald from Worcester College. He filled the post admirably, settling quickly to the task in hand and making friends with all whom he met. We wish him every success with his full-time position which he secured at the end of last year.

R.P.M.

SARAH-JANE MCKENNA

Sarah-Jane' s time at King's was short but eventful. As a newly qualified teacher she came to the school with no preconceived ideas and her lessons were imaginative and exciting. She managed to pack an awful lot into her busy schedule and if she wasn't teaching she could usually be found in her baggy tracksuit on her way to help out with hockey or rowing. She also ran the RAF section of the school's CCF in which the year's highlight was undoubtedly the visit of a Chinook helicopter to the school's playing fields. Those who took to the air, Sarah-Jane included, will not forget that day for a long time.

Sarah-Jane left King's to take up apost at Shiplake College where her boundless enthusiasm will be greatly appreciated. We shall miss her but wish her every success.

I.C.R.

SUSAN MOUNSEY

Susan came to the Design and Technology department with part of her brief to add Textiles to the range of materials pupils are able to use, to see their designs and ideas through to an end product.

Moving to Worcestershire, marrying her husband William and starting work at King's, all in the space of a month didn't trouble Susan. The prospect of an HMC Inspection in her first term was not even 1 enough to unsettle her. During her year I Susan made a huge impact on the department, and made many friends in the common room.

Working three days each week Susan would stay late into the afternoons giving her time to run extra-curricular activities and a GCSE Textiles class for pupils in the Upper Remove.

In addition to her extra work in the department Susanjoined the Easter Ski Trip, and added her support and sense of fun to the week.

Her contribution in raising the profile of the subject lead to increased numbers of

pupils opting for Design and Technology at GCSE level, and her post becoming full time. Susan's wish to move back to her main subject Art meant that the department was to lose a very highly regarded member of staff.

Susan and her husband William are looking forward to the birth of their first child at the end of the year. We send them all our best wishes for the future.

J.P.W.

CAROL SMITH

Carol firstjoined us as a part-time teacher of Spanish and French in September 1998 to cover for MDR during his prolonged illness. She rejoined part-time in September 1999 for the full academic year. We were extremely grateful to have been able to acquire the services of such an experienced and well-qualified linguist to help us at a difficult time for the department. During her short time here, she made a lasting impression with her warmth and enthusiasm. She was very conscientious and committed to her work and pupils organising a French trip to Parc Asterix, Paris for the lower school. We shall miss her and wish her well in her new job at Bishop Perowne High School.

M.D.R.

MARY BRODRICK

There can be few jobs that put you quite so much in the firing line as running an office in a school. Not only are you expected to be the fount of all wisdom (to know the name of every pupil, the date and time of every forthcoming event, the reason why the heating isn't working, where the Headmaster put that piece of paper he was waving around yesterday and must have now etc) but you are also expected to be a listening ear to parents who don't understand their children, teachers who don't understand the Headmaster and children who think that you are the only person who they can let into their secrets. It is a very demanding job because you are the first experience of the school to a large number of visitors who walk through the door or who pick up the phone. You are expected to be calm and efficient when all others are allowed to panic or lose their tempers and in the middle of this it is assumed that you will control a mass of paperwork.

Mary has done this job for the last 19 years and done it with distinction. Perhaps it helps that she is married to a Headmaster and therefore knows that you do not take these people too seriously.Certainly a sense of humour and a sense of proportion have been two of her great strengths.

Mary has worked for three Headmasters at King's in her time and been utterly loyal to all three. I remember when I first arrived just over two years ago and asked what I should do about some problem, she courteously but firmly replied "You are the Headmaster. You can do whatever you think is right." That said, if I have asked for help (and who wouldnot of someone who knows the school so well) she has been a wise counsellor who has always underestimated the value of her advice and offered it modestly. Her shrewd assessments of candidates here for interview for a teaching post or of children hoping to join the school (assessments typically offered only if requested) have always been a significant part of the process of selection. Woe betide anyone who has thought that it was not necessary to be on your best behaviour in the office of the Headmaster's Secretary!

Beneath the modesty and tact Mary has always had a tough streak that has ensured that the Headmaster has been appropriately protected and that her goodwillhas not been exploited! Her visits to the Staff Common Room have alwaysbeen welcomed by those with clear consciences but have sometimes had a dramatic effect in jogging the memories of those who have fallen behind on their paperwork!

Mary has been a very good servant of this school, not least because she has loved the place and taken a great pride in the successes of its pupils and teachers. It has always been a pleasure to see her welcoming back a former pupil or teacher and to marvel at her memory of detail. A great many pupils and their parents have reason to be grateful to her for the tenacity with which she has pursued sources of charitable funding that have allowed boys and girls to join us for whom the means to pay the fees would not otherwise have been available.It is for these reasons among others that I am so pleased that Mary will be remaining with us in a new role as secretary for the DevelopmentPrograrnmethat is inits early stages. She also has a particular brief to establish contact with former pupils of the school and to help to keep them in touch and invite them to events and reunions. As this is not a full time post I am pleased to be able to wish Mary a well-deserved retirement and with the same breath to say how delighted we are that she is still playing an important role in the school. Visitors will be able to receive as warm a welcome as ever upstairs in number 5 Castle Place. T.H.K.

In September the Common Room welcomedfive new members of stafS

Christine Battrum has arrived to teach Chemistry. Having graduated from Oxford University she spent the next 10years working in the Agricultural Supply industry specialising in Agrochemicals and Fertilisers. In June of this year Christine completed her PGCE at University College, Worcester. Her interests are mainly gardening, sailing and skiing in addition to spending time with her family, and she has maintained an interest in business and commerce as well as being involved in local community organisations.

Married with two children, the spare time that Jackie has left is taken up with walking, cooking, travel and going to the Health Club for a bit of peace and quiet, as well as to keep fit!

CCF

Although numbers in the army section have fallen, the improvement in R.A.F. section recruiting means that overall numbers have stabilised at just in excess of one hundred cadets (boys and girls) from the Lower Remove to the Upper Sixth. Joint ventures on camps, adventure training and brigade competitions have produced a vibrant, enthusiastic, cohesive and successful unit.

My thanks and congratulations to W.O. 2 Bob Hinds for producing such skilled small bore shooting teams in the National Leagues and for his remarkable achievement in coaching yet another England International shot in Cadet Sergeant Simon Sargent. I am also most grateful to Flt. Lt. Mike Wallace (a parent running the R.A.F. section) for his hard work and exemplary leadership; to Captain Nicky Featherstone for her imaginative and diverse training of the army section and to Captain Mike Rudge who, as officer commanding the army section, has shown such loyalty and commitment despite his health problems.

I am aware that no matter how good the officer corps it is at the 'coal face' where enthusiasm is nurtured and I must therefore convey our sincere thanks to Sgt. Iain Cowan (QueensRoyal Hussars) for his tenacity, friendship and professionalism during his time with 37 CTT. To W.O. 1 Bob McMul-

ARMYSECTION

It has been avery busy, but highly enjoyable and successful year in the Army section of the CCF, combiningweekly training on Friday afternoons with expeditions at weekends and the numerous inter-contingent competitions.At these we were, without exception, well represented. With a reasonably sized, but well motivated and knowledgeable intake of new recruits it appears that the section will be healthy for years to come.

Thefighting patrol advance to contact len - our administration assistant from 143 Bde. and Captain Norman Siggs (S.O. 2 for

The f~stcompetition this term was the G.3 H.Q, 143 (W.M.) Bde ) who even took district orienteering competition on Canthe time and trouble to travel from Shrews- nock Chase. We considered ourselves very bury to Cornwall to visit us on our annual central camp.

I One of the strengths of King's School ' CCF has always been the quality of the ( CadetN.C.0.s This yearhas been noexcep3 tion and C.S.M. Ed. Cumrning has led an I outstanding team of senior N.C.0.s in the army section as has Cadet Warrant Officer 1 Scott in the R.A.F. section.

I look forward to another exciting and I fruitful year.

I would also welcome hearing from any former cadets as they make their way in their servicescareers, or indeed in any other walk of life.

S.R. DAVIES.LT.COL.0.C

CSM E.Cumming, Sgt A.Colquhoun, Sgt A.Papaphilippopoulos, Sgt T.Collison, Cpl J.Gunn, Cpl T.Weddel1, Cpl E.PhillipsBroadhurst, Cpl A.Thompson, Snr Cdt R.Colquhoun, Snr Cdt T.Woolley and Cdt W.Jones.

Earlier in the year the March and Shoot and Skill-at-Arms teams competed in their respective competitions. In the March and Shoot, King's finished third and in the Full Bore Falling Plate knockout competition, we lost narrowly to Malvern College in the final.

In addition to these there were adventurous training days in South Wales, hill walking and navigation exercises in the Brecon Beacons, and kayaking lessons on the River Severn. Various night exercises were held throughout the year and these were followed by a paintballing trip and the opportunity to go flying in a Chinook helicopter, in a joint exercisewith the RAF. Then there were the highlights of the CCF calendarthe annual Easter Adventure Training and Summer camps.

Thanks for all these successes and thoroughly enjoyable events must go to Lt. Col. Davies, Capt. Featherstone, Capt. Rudge (whom we welcome back to the section after illness, his training and enthusiasmare true assets) and W02 Hinds. Thanks also must go to Sgt Cowan from 37 CTT for his untiring support and efforts.

unlucky not to have been awarded the prize for best team the year before, having recorded the fastest time around the course, and salt was further rubbed into our wounds when we were requested to return the trophy before this year's event! Unfortunately this year we were not quite up to the task, the team of CSM E.Cumming, Sgt A.Papaphilippopoulos, Sgt A.Colquhoun, Cpl J.Gunn, SN Cdt R.Colquhoun and Snr Cdt T.Woolley finishing only second, with CSM Cummingrecording the fourth fastest individual time.

A few weeks later the Military Skills team took part in the Wales and Western District Military Skills competition, over one wet and blustery weekend, competing most admirably with the other 27 teams to finish third. Congratulations to the team of

Camp

After the end of the Summer Term it is traditional for the CCF to shoot off to one extremity of the country to stay in an army camp for a week. This year was no exception as 27 cadets set off for Penhale cadet training camp, near Newquay, Cornwall. The week's programme involved military training, adventure training, a night exercise, signals training andvarious camp competitions.

After a longjourney south, the opportunity finally to get down to some training on the first day was much appreciated, and the jungle warfare stand was a particular novelty to complement our previous experience of fieldcraft. After one gallant member of our section managed to escape the 'Cornish Liberation Army's' concentration camp, the rest of us were given the opportunity to evadecaptureby wading, slippingandcrawling through a swampy brook, before running up the sand dunes to our dry uniform. Adventure Training gave us the rare opportunity to try sailing yachts, from Falmouth, before we embarked on an afternoon's canoeing. This was in stark contrast to the signals training and the timed

A sentry (Cadet Cameron Baldry) defends the harbour area challenge of setting up a communication network, in the baking midday heat. In between these highly charged events we found the odd opportunity for much more strenuous activities on the conveniently situated beach next to the camp. This included amphibious operations using a brilliantly purchased rubber dinghy!

More seriously, the 24 hour exercise was both enjoyable and useful, with a harbour area being established, reconnaissance patrols sent out (although these were a little wayward owing to a rapidly descending mist and an archaic 'map') and a platoon attack launched on the crack splinter group of 'Mad Dog Davies' and 'Hand Grenade Hinds'. Having been run back to the camp by 'Fitness Freak Featherstone' we recuperated on the beach before the forthcoming competitions.

In the orienteeringcompetitionthere were a number of notable achievements. On the sporting side several King's cadets returned maximum scores but Upper Remove Tim Woolley distinguished himself, being awarded the contingent prize for best orienteer; Peter Brown, however, managed to slash his hands and face by diving onto a pile of broken glass! On the shooting range Dan Kendrick won the prize for the most promising shot, and both teams strived admirably on the assault course. Then came the March and Shoot competition. The relatively young team of CSM Cumming, Sgt Colquhoun, Cpl Gunn, Cpl Copson, Cpl Thompson, Snr Cdt Colquhoun, Snr Cdt Brown and Cdt Baldry was the 'A' selection and their truly valiant run put them amongst the leaders. In the course of this

run, one cadet nearly broke down, another was sick by the side of the road but was dragged on, and another bit through his lip with determination. Their shoot irnrnediately afterwards was nearly perfect, receiving only two penalty points, and ensured they went to the top of the leader board. However the last team to run, arch rivals Merchant Taylor's School, stole the gold medal from under our noses with a perfect shoot. It was a fully deserved silver medal which rounded off the camp and was duly celebratedin the NAAFI, before the annual awards ceremony on the last night.

Thanks must again go to the accompanying staff, Lt. Col. Davies, Capt. Featherstone and W02 Hinds, who made it such a successful,enjoyable andmemorable camp.

C.S.M. ED.GUMMING

R.A.E SECTION - -

This year has been another successful year for the RAF Section. Along with the usual Friday evening parade we have been canoeing, climbing, paintballing and, as always flying in both of the RAF's fully aerobatic trainers,the Bulldog and the brand new RAF Firefly. In addition to this, cadets have been on camps to RAF Linton-onOuse this summer where Cpl. Mark Southam won 'best cadet', and to RAF Conisby where Sgt. Lorna Pritchard's flight swept the board to win the inter-flight trophy by a huge margin. Bomie Posselt and Helen Walker, who were both unable to make the standard camps, were flown from Luton to Inverness at no expense of their own so they could go to RAF Kinloss for their summer camp - Bonnie did well to win the 'best

cadet 'award at the camp. Other personal achievements include CWO Scott's completion of the week-long RAF Leadership course at RAF Stafford, Sgt. Pritchard's awardofthe basic glider scholarship, where unfortunately she was prevented from going solo by bad weather, and finally the section's outstanding assessment result that was achieved this year.

C.W.O. Scow

During the Autumn term two teams competed in the British Schools League. Team A consisted of Richard Allen, Alexander Gratland, Simon Sargent, Andrew Thompson and Alex Walker and Team B was Alasdair and Robert Colquhoun, James Gunn, Duncan Williams and Edward Cumming.

The A team were in division 3, where the shooting is most competitive as the other teams are mainly top boarding schools. The team finished in fourth position out of seven, with Simon Sargent the division's top shot.

The B team were in division 8 where they excelled to finish in first place. Other notable teams in this division included Malvern College B and Sedbergh B, both major shooting schools.

During the Spring term a C team was formed. The training of new shooters is particularly difficult at King's because only three people can shoot at the same time and at least thirty minutes is required to shoot a match card. Also shooting is an after school activity on only two evenings a week.

However the A team finished in second place in division 3, the highest position ever by a King's team. The B team, having been promoted to division 5, finished in third place, with Robert Colquhoun the division top shot.

The newly formed C team finished third in division 9. They were Alice Kenrick, Peter Brown, Stephen Llewellyn, Mark Southam and Tim Woolley.

Three members of the A team, Simon Sargent, Alexander Gratland and Richard Allen represented Worcestershire at Junior level during both terms.

Simon Sargent became the third marksman in recent years to shoot for England in the schools international match. He was also reserve for the England Junior squad for a European match during the summer.

R.M.H.

mind flashed back to a week in the Lake District at the beginning of the summer EDINBURGHAWARD holidays,earlier this year. Three expedition SCHEME groups of five completed their old qualiM~hebeauty andaloofness ofhigh moun- fying expedition of 50 miles over four days

charm for those who have experienced it, " ti0ns Was CU~~OUS~~ absent. It Was not this sPENcERC-M~N Mediterranean climate that made our visit to the Ogwen valley l . . .-

D of E Silver award

The O~wenvallev in North Wales is a throughtheirex~edi" conditions had rendered it nothing short of experiencetheyneedugly. As I, along with five sixth formers and edman~ SCC, sat in the minibus the high winds ing an ability to live caused vast sheets of raindrops drift along mdnavigateinaWild the vallev like enormous curtains drawing a Counwenvironment

I1 rain to abate. My mind began to wander team. The training deal of effort in order 1 and, despite my best I trips, including the one to the Ogwen val- that these expeditions should be both safe prevent it from to the question- ley,providethemwiththenecessar~~round- and rewarding. why am I here? I was not there for a day out ing to enable them to successfullycomplete TOgain one of the awards of the Duke of 1 in the mountains extending my own per- an expedition experience which many will Edinburgh's Scheme participants also have 1 sonal skills, remember for a long time. So, perhaps, it tocompletethree other sections, skills, serv-

I nnr WRS T ice and physical recreation, for different - -

! being paid by clients to l take them on an interesting tour of the area, nor was I on a training course to extendmy own skills. So why?

In attempting to answer this auestion mv

amounts oftimes (dependingupon theaward level). During the course of the year activities as diverse as aircraft recognition and fishing were followed for the skills section, whilst climbing, golf and football were just a few of the activities covered for the physical recreation section. The service section included a lifesaving bronze medallion course at Bronze level and a first aid course at Silver, along with community service and other forms of serviceat all three levels. The variety and usefulness to the community of the activities covered is self-evident. It is clear from what I have said above that the completion of the award at any of the three levels requires dedication and a fair

D of E Silver awarrl

amount of hard work, which is recognised generally and by employers in particular. As participants move from Bronze to Silver and then to Gold the commitment required is greater. It is very pleasing when awards are completed. This year 24 participants completed the Bronze Award, five the Silver and several are nearing the completion of the Gold Award. Congratulations to all of them. Maybe someday they will appreciate being dragged around the Welsh countryside, up and down mountains looking for field boundaries and odd assorted rocks in the pouring rain!

J.T.W.

language.

We have never been faced with so much history in our entire lives. Australia's recorded history is only 230 years old. In England you can feel centuries of civilizations that have evolved into modem times whereas in Australia you almost feel like a pioneer in anything you do.

AUSTRALIAN EXCHANGE PROGRAMME

MRG writes: The scheme involves our Fifth Form students going to either Trinity Grammar School for Boys or Strathcona Girls' Grammar Schoolfor a period ofjive weeks in July andAugust. Peter Gill (Choir) and Tom Lyon (Chappel)had a marvellous time over there and returned with their exchangees inAugust. Kimberley WadhumSmith (Chappel)and Emma Jones (Bright) hadan equally enjoyable time Down Under and their exchangees, Elisa Hayhoe and

When many people think of Australia they thinkof pubs andbeer. In actual fact we saw more old style pubs here than in Melbourne, but we have to admit that alcohol is heavily consumed at sporting events unlike here. We were surprised when we were told that the girls at King's School don't have the chance to participate in football.

We don't think people realise how big Australia really is. From east to west it is roughly the same distance as from London to Moscow, although you have 40 million more people than us. A large amount of central Australia is desert so the majority of the people are situated on the coasts.

This is the first year that Strathcona and King's have had a full exchange. It has been successful and we recommend the experience to next year's Lower Sixth.

Our laid-back Aussie nature has been greatly accepted by all at King's. Thanks to everyone for making us feel so welcome.'

these important calls refer to the moveable holds attached to the climbing wall and have given severalclimbersof varying abilities an individual route challenge. Pupils involved in the climbing club have demonstrated improved technique, an individual determinationto succeed, and astrong sense of teamwork with other climbers of different ages and abilities.

In addition to making good use of the SchoolWall at lunchtimes, after school and on Saturday mornings, the club has had trips to crags at Symonds Yat and made frequent visits to Gloucester' S indoor climbing facility. There, pupils have trained in the boulder room andimproved their techniques on some of the many routes available. It is hoped that we shall be able to make use of the new wall at Martley in the near future.

SUB-AQUACLUB

The sub-aqua year started in an appropriately academic manner with a 'Marine Life Identification' weekend course that we did in conjunctionwith WorcesterBSACbranch in Pembrokeshire.We learned a lot of Latin (or at least we learned that marine biologists know a lot of Latin names), explored the beach at Martins Haven, finding a remarkably large number of creatures, dived to considerable depths on the reef offshore

last 0ctober; but as this siti is open to the

east and there were easterly gales forecast, we decided to go to Anglesey instead. This was an educational experience, though not an entirely pleasant one, since the clarity of Megan Barnes, came to King's in Septem-

the seawater was so poor that we spent most ber. Elisa and Megan had this to say about For anyonepassingthebackoftheFourth of the dives trying not to lose touch with the experience: Form On a and hearing each other, rather than exploring the sites.

'The countryside, villages and basically the frequent shouts of "Grey for feet and ~~didh~~~~~~~~~~bl~&ift-divehowevthe whole environment is so unexpectedly inserts for hands" or "Anything for feet but er, ,here you can 'fly1 with the strong different to Victoria that we almost found it only salmon for hands" may think that a ,,,,t over an undulating seabed. nis is surprising that you should speak the same game of Twister was in progress. In fact, exciting - rather like driving too fast in

S.C.C.

c~zsanaynoe, nimoeney waanam-~mztn,amma Jones,

Megan Barns

fog! Frank Loveder came to join us for a dive or two on the Sunday, which was a pleasant surprise.

The next trip was our fourth trip to the Red Sea - about as different from the Irish Sea as one could imagine. Eight KSW pupils and five from Monmouth School outnumberedthe three instructors by acomfortable margin on our luxury live-aboard motor cruiser,sailing from Sharm el Sheikh

up too late at the Fort Bovisand 'Dive Inn'

This trip was quickly followed by a long weekend in Falmouth for the more experienced divers, when we had fantastically good underwater visibility to dive the undersea rock pinnacle called 'Raglan Reef. This is ariot of colourful anemones, crustaceans and fish and was one of my most memorable British dives this year. In the afternoon we motored ten miles south and

at the tip of the Egyptian Sinai peninsular. For seven days we revelled in superb conditions of sun, clear blue water, beautiful coral reefs, shoals of the most colourful fish in the world and a large selection of sunken ships which we could explore from funnel 1 to engine room. The Red Sea holiday is 1 such a buzz for the participants. It's wonderful how the divers improve during the 1 week - on this trip we qualified 3 Dive i Leaders and 5 Sports Divers - everyone in 1 our party got a new grade. During the final day's desert quad-biking nobody injured themselves - a record achievement!

A selection of photos from this and other trips, as well as up to the minute club news can be seen on our developing website at: http:l/www.aegis-ceramics.co.uk~kswsac

Apart from some poorly attended night diving in Stoney Cove quarry on Wednesday evenings, that was about it for 1999.In the New Year, however, we sprang back into action with the aforementioned salt water induction of our new trainees in Plymouth in April. All of the eight divers did really well on the Saturday, but some succumbed to the cold of the Spring seawater on Sunday, while others had upset stom- 1 achs due either to seasickness or to staying

that exams couldn't be four months earlier, so we could do some serious diving during the summer term. However, one thing that did go on was the BSAC national instructor exams.Neil Harrison,Ian Kingsley and Seb Pearce all took and passed this test to become three of the youngest, yet fully experienced Dive LeaderIClub Instructors that BSAC has ever qualified. All three have now left the school - two of them will be coming back to teach pupils in the 200011 academic year, while Ian Kingsley has got ajob in Sharmat Emperor Divers for his gap year, helping run the Dive Centre and also dive-guiding on the day-boats that take the hundreds of divers out to the reefs and wrecks every day.

After term finished, we ran a five day trip to Plymouth during which we promoted Oliver Reece to Sports Diver and also during which we dived several wrecks which had never been done before by club members. The use of the Worcester club's RIB and outboard motor were invaluableforthis

dived the wreck of the SS Carmarthen in crystal clear water. We were once again cornered by a strong easterly on May Day, but cheated the weatherby divingoffLand7s End, at Longships Reef, about a mile offshore. This was pretty exciting, since in a strong easterly there is nothing between you and the eastern seaboard of the USA if the boat breaks down! The diving was excellent and challenging for both adults and pupils alike.

It's difficult to persuade the pupils to go diving during the summer term because schoolwork seems to take over. It's a pity

and all the other coastal trips we do, as was the assistance of the adult instructors from the Worcester club who regularly attend our training sessions and open water meetings, even suffering the cold and wet when their suits fail them!

The final activity in this academic year was our third school trip to Tobermory to dive the wonderful wrecks and walls of the Sound of Mull. I think this is our best venue of the year, since the diving is more exciting than the Red Sea, while the extra incentive of cooking and eating what you can put into your goody bag turns it into a very

Peter Finlcly. Oli Reece and J~tzHlrgl7e.s

Jenny Hughes among beautitit1 soft corals

educational experience for all participants. We only take the most experienced divers on this trip, since the water is colder and the weather generally worse than down south. Dry-suits are used to keep us warm, and training in advanced diving techniques ensure we all dive safely though nearer to the limits of recreational diving depths than usual. Self-catered flats are our accornmodation and we always try to do a night dive on the famous 150 feet high underwater cliff just off Calve Island, five minutes' drive from the slipway. At night the cliff is even more spectacular than during the day, with lobsters, octopus, prawns, shrimps, squat lobster, and all the beautiful anemones and cold-water corals that the clear water of the Sound encourages.... not to mention the fish which come to the cracks

this wall will be the focus of a dive to 50m to experience what Cousteau christened the "rapture of the deep": nitrogen narcosis. Nitrogen narcosis is said to have similar effects to alcohol, so this dive will be a whole new experience for us!

The first pair arrive back at the surface after a non-narcotic 25m dive, and once they are on board it is our chance to experience the wall. We jump into the shallows among the giant kelp leaves and swim to the edge: the bottom disappears dramatically below us as we start our descent, freefalling into the gloominess below. As it starts to get darker I look at my computer and it reads 40m: deeper than I have been before. Then I spot the bottom of this massive cliff, and the sandy slope, which then continues to even greater depths.

We land on the sand next to several "Bigin the wall to sleep. Sensational! There ~~~~l~~d, James Davis, claire Macs" - giant scallops which tend to conBradlev. Oli Recce. Mike Parks and Andv gregate at the bottom of the and look

, Walkerfind the leaks in a dry-suit.

follows an article by Seb Pearce about 'diving the wall'. The picture (top) shows the computer analysis of the dive - we have to be IT specialists as well!

Maybe we should make Sub Aqua a required subject for GCSE!

JOHNKINGSLEY

DIVINGTHE WALL

As we drive the boat slowly towards Calve Island, just outside Tobermory Harbour, the depth sounder is reading 65m: it flashes for a while and then reads 5m. What the RIB has just driven over is a vertical rock wall, nearly forty metres high andonly ten metres away from the shore. For three of the group

just like hamburgers in buns when they are open and feeding. As we swim down this slope we reach 50m and settle down on our knees. From my instructor's pocket an underwater pad is produced. On it is a table and insbxctions reading 'Circle all prime numbers, 1-80 in two minutes'. As I start this challenge I wonder whether I could do this well at the surface,let alone at 50m with thick neoprene glove and a torch unevenly illuminating the page over my shoulder. As I approach half-time I ask myself 'can I really be bothered to do this?' I continue until I hear ableep from the computer on my wrist. No more time left on the bottom, we must start our ascent of the wall; we swim back and move as quickly as the computers will let us to 20m so as not to build up too much in-water decompression stop time.

Harry Simms on the SS Carmarthen,

Lizard

As I examine a crab I look up and down the cliff face straining to see the top and the bottom but they are nowhere to be seen. We are left, weightless, suspended next to this monstrosity which bubbles withlife: thumbnail size hard cup corals and cauliflower size plumose anemones of yellow and orange sift the clear water with their filigree tentacles. Every crevice has several pairs of amber eyes looking back at us from within. Crabs scamper up and down and dogfish cuddle up as they sleep in the bigger cracks. As our air starts to get low we work our way to the top of the wall and the sunlight, eventually ending up under the dive boat.

Once out we assess our arithmetic test. I am not so confident but Neil feels sure he has overcome the effects of nitrogen narcosis to reach a score that even Mr Reeves would be proud of. We mark the sheet with right answers scoring one point and wrong answers counting one point against you. I score a moderately respectable 9, Dan 7, and Neil 3. Neil has excelled himself this time placing nine and fifteen as prime numbers and ignoring many of the correct answers. He also became fixated on a squatlobster claw that got caught on his glove and spent most of his 2 minutes repeatedly showing it to the instructor! It confirmed that, on some days, some people get more 'narked' than others do.

There's no set rule. Tomorrow it might be me offering air to a passing fish!

SEBASTIANPEARCE

CHESS

Senior Team

Hopes were high for the season when the chess club, under the new leadership of Alex Lee and his deputy Ben Pitts, took on Malvern College in the traditional opener to the season. It was a markedly close affair with King's narrowly losing 5-6 after some hotly debated adjudications. There were notable wins from Alex Lee, Ben Pitts, Tom Rosoman, Robert Melville and Tim Woolley

A month passed for quiet preparation before the biannual derby against the Royal Grammar School, Worcester. After a momentous effort by both sides the match ended in a keenly contested draw of 5 1125 112.There were good wins fromBen Pitts, Robert Melville, Tim Woolley, Stuart Vivian and Ashley Shameli, with Tom Rosoman earning the vital draw.

The last fixture of the first half of the season was against the RNIB College, Worcester. This match again ended in a draw with the score 2 112-2 112.There were very good wins from Robert Melville and

the new recruit Michael Fraser, with Ben Pitts earning the draw in a formidable battle.

After the long winter break the chess players returned rejuvenated for the second half of the season to face the Royal Grammar School. It was one of the best Grammar teams for years and so the result proved with an up and coming King's team being taught a lesson in key tactical areas. However victories were gained by Adam Doyle, Ben Pitts and Robert Melville with Alex Humpage gaining a solid draw.

The return match against Malvern College was as close as the first match with the result being exactly the same 5-6. Wins were achieved by Alex Lee, TomRosoman, Ed Cumming and the newest recruit to the chess team Steve Daly. The ever-dependable George Wilesmith and Ben Pitts obtained draws.

The last match of the season ended on a high note with a victory over the RNE? College, Worcester 3 112 - 2 112 with wins from Ben Pitts, Robert Melville and Tom Rosoman. Andy Hung, on boardone, earned the vital draw.

Overall it was a highly entertaining year culminating with the win against the RNE?. There were many highlights with new recruits Michael Fraser and Stephen Daly providing us with a more powerful backbone to the team. Ben Pitts, Robert Melville and Tom Rosoman must also be congratulated for winning practically all theirmatches. The Lee-Fraser debate on the minibus to Malvern must rank as one of the greatest ever witnessed. As one player put it 'Please shut up'. Needless to say, neither side listened and both came away claiming victory. Special mention must go to Andy Hung,

the ever-present board one player who played some fine matches, and to the other leavers whoplayed,Ashley Shameli,George Wilesmith, Stuart Vivian and Philip Cox. They all played their own part in contributing greatly to the team.

The future for the chess club looks very good indeed with many new fourth formers joining the club, especially those who have never played the game before. Next year, with many highly competent juniors progressing to senior level the outlook looks very promising.

Team from: Alex Lee (Capt.), Ben Pitts (Vice-Captain), Andy Hung, Michael Fraser, Ed Cumming, Robert Melville, Tom Rosoman, Stuart Vivian, Steve Daly, Ashley Shameli,George Wilesmith,Philip Cox, Adam Doyle, Alex Humpage, Hetty Eaton and Tim Woolley.

BENPIPS

CHESS COMPETITION

For three weeks early in the Autumn term, the physics department was a hive of intellectual activity and fun during lunchtimes, as well as the mornings and afternoons.It is a well-known fact that at the Open Golf Championship the name of the winner is often anticipated and engraved on the trophy before the final round is complete. It would have been most unwise to adopt the same procedure with the prestigious interhouse chess trophy.

The tension in the final between Wulstan and Bright was reminiscent of the final hour of the Ryder Cup. Bright were forced to play without their captain Alex Lee, and the outcome hinged on a finely balanced draw

The 2001 Himlayan group in training

between Ed Curnming and Tom Rosoman. Alex Lee returned from the Conservative Party Conference just in time for the play off, keen toapply hisnewly acquiredMachiavellian tactics to the chessboard. Wulstan were not intimidated and a further draw ensued. In the second play off, involving an extra representative fromeachhouse,Bright successfully retained the cup for the third consecutive year.

P.M.H.

to help on the C.S.P whilst working a fiveday week in Malvern during his pre-university year. Tom has provided five years of continuous service. His humour and fun were always much appreciated by the other members of the service.

COMMUNITYSERVICE

This year we have expanded the service beyond our usual gardening and decorating jobs. We now have a greater variety of jobs I and commitments throughout the city.

1 Richard Huzzey and Margaret Keight1 ley have both provided valiant servicein the , Cancercharity Shopatthecross in WorcesI ter. They have enjoyed the "job share" scheme each Saturday morning.

Emily Philips-Broadhurst and Lucy Proctor-Nicholls undertookamail-dropin April/ May in the Barbourne area on behalf of the Age Concern shop on the main road. At l present the girls, together with Rosie Palmer, are working in the Cathedral on a Saturday morning, helpingtheestablishedguides.

Emma John and Jenny Greenhow have 1 spent their time in the Sixth Form visiting I and helping a blind lady, Mrs Cale. She has 1 told me how much she appreciates these visits and the occasional help offered by Nigel Blackshaw and Chris Husband who , have worked in her garden. A word of thanks must go toTom Wall who continued

LikeTom, Haniet Eaton has been aloyal and industrious member of the group since her days in the Upper Remove. She has always been prepared to turn her hand to anyjob but her particular speciality is decorating. She has been unfailingly loyal and conscientious in all that she hasundertaken. I would like to thank James Rozier and Brynmor Rees fortheirhelp with decorating and gardening jobs. Recently Rebecca Campbell has joined the team and sheiscurrently "job-sharing" with Emma who visits Miss Swan in Barbourne. Last December St.Alban's performed some Nativity scenes and provided a

net tea-party for a group of senior citizens in Worcester. Members of the Di-

ploma groups assisted. We hope to repeat this event this December.

The Diploma groups have also been active in establishing a Reading Scheme which has been operating in Red Hill Primary and Junior School. This took place in the Spring Term and also during this Autumn Term. I am very grateful to RPG who supervisedthe visits and to SPG who helped set up the original scheme.

During October I went to a Community Service Conference hosted by Dulwich College and attended by various Independent Schools including Bromsgrove, Winchester, Millfield and Manchester Grammar School. We listened to a number of speakers from different schools and visited a number of sites which pupils of Dulwich College used as part of their community service. One of the encouraging aspects of the weekend was finding out that we at King's have quite a varied programme of service activities,compared with schoolsof a similar size.

If anyone is interested in joining our

community service group then please contact me or any other of the teachers involved - CMC, JM-S, MCP, DEB or ER.

C.A.G-S.

PEUGEOTVISITS

Last year a number of pupils from both the Fifthand Sixth forms visited the Peugeot Plant at Coventry where they took part in a number of activities organised by its Education Department. The sessions were designed to show pupils the importance of languages in the workplace, to give pupils a direct experience of the world of work and to improve pupils' own language skills and confidence. The students took part in fact finding activities around the plant and gave presentations in French about what they had learnt, sent E-mails ordering cars with particular specifications, listened to native speakers talking about their stay in England and were interviewed by them for an imaginary post. All felt that the sessions were well run and had been very worthwhile, some hoped to make use of contacts gained and the Peugeot staff went out of their way to congratulate our pupils on their level of French. We plan to organise similar visits this year.

J.M-S.

CREATIVEWRITING NORTH

This was a new venture and proved to be much more enjoyable and less daunting than many of us imagined. Fourteen students together with Mrs Diamond and Mrs Le Marchand made the journey up to Ty Neuadd, Criccieth, North Wales on a Friday night. We anived just as dusk was falling, to find a beautiful old house (it used to belong to Lloyd George) and the warmest of welcomes from the hostess, Nia, and our poet- tutors for the weekend, Matthew Sweeney and Jean Sprackland.

Food was eaten all together in a splendid candlelit dining room and our poetry sessions took place in the same room. We were soon put at our ease and encouraged to read out and share what we had written. Tasks were set and we were free to go for walks in the garden or down to the sea while we worked on ideas. I think we gained an enormous amount from the help given, especially from Matthew Sweeney. The enthusiasm of the centre's staff was infectious and I think most of the sixth formers who took part ( and the two younger girls) will want to sign up for our next visit in the Spring of 2001.

R.C.J.D.

Rachel Barclay on the scramble

ENGLISH TRIP TO

The English Department took a number of A Level students away to Canterbury to look into the background of Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales. We set out on a journey which took rather longer than we had hoped since the route lay along the M25 and anyone knows that the M25 on a Friday .... enough said!

We had an interesting and highly educational few days, staying in the halls of residence of Kent University (a foretaste of Uni life).We visited the Cathedral, where we saw the shrine of Thomas a Becket and were told about the importance of this and other features by a lecturerfrom the English Department at Kent. We also went to the visitor centre to see animated Tales, an exhibition of life at the time of Chaucer, complete with smells, and something of Chaucer's life.

Back at the University, we prepared our very novel theatrical renderings of the Canterbury Tales. Four groups had planned and costumedlivelyversionsofchaucer's Tales. Our lecturer was on hand to watch and after congratulating the group on showing more enthusiasm than his undergraduates, proceeded to give us an excellent talk about the social and historicalbackgroundto theTales. It was an excellent start to the year's work and provided a good deal of fun and good fellowship.

R.C.J.D.

SPEAKING

Macedebatingcompetition:Ashley Shameli and Alex Lee did at least get past the fust round by arguing against legalisingalldrugs (which will surprise William Hague, who had admonished Alex for arguing the opposite on the radio!),but the second round was as far as they got.

Meanwhile, in a separate competition called the Ayres-Monsell, Ed Cumming was winning the Michael SpicerCup for the best individual speaker, despite having to propose the extraordinarymotion that "paying teachers by results would raise educational standards". He received his prize in the House of Commons, and won a week's work experience in a law firm in London. Ed turned up again as Opposition leader in a new (for us) venture, the Motorola Youth Parliament competition. About 25 pupils took part in a mock-up of the House of Commons in College Hall, the fruits of which were a 20-minute videotape. First the PM (AlexLee - who else?) had to handle questions from the House, and then there was a debate on the introduction of the

coming second in the "West/South-west" region, and were criticized, incredibly, for being "over-rehearsed"!

Our best run of success came in the competitions organized by Rotary Clubs. In the Worcester South version we had two teams, the younger of which was chaired by Laura Kingshott and starred Helena Culliney with a speech on "The right to die with dignity" for which she was officiallythanked by Lorna Shaddick. All were splendid, but were upstaged by the older team, who won the evening's event. Hettie Eaton chaired, Richard Huzzey thanked, Ed Cumming spoke on "The year 2000, aka 1984". Ed won, in addition, the prize for best individual speech. He did this a third time in the Malvern Rotary competition, with the same speech, this time flanked by Hettie again who gave a speechin her own right on "why Englandis the best place to live" andGeorge Wilesmith who discussed whether to join the Euro (I think he said no!). As well as Ed Cumming's individual victory, Hettie was declared the second best speaker and the team won the overall prize. They won a free meal out of it, too, when invited to a very pleasant and entertaining Rotary Club dinner in Malvern.

The interest in speaking and debating has never been higher, and a debating club has recently been set up. It is to be hoped that the successes in inter-school competitions will galvanize that into continued and vigorous life!

DEBATING

We entered eight competitions this year, with our greatest success coming towards the end of the season. In those events with "rounds" we didn't fare so well. So I'll start with those teams which, despite excellent performances, didn't make the second round. In the English-SpeakingUnion public speaking competition for GCSE students, Keira Lapsley acted as chairman for Helena Culliney's speech on the statement "Apathy is the hallmark of youth", and Jack Smith was the questioner of another team's speaker. They were all far from apathetic! Adam Doyle and Jo Inchbald argued in the Midland Debating Competitionagainstprivatising the NHS, and Adam won a special award for his individual speech. The same pair competed in the Cambridge Union Debating Competition, where they argued for positive discrimination in the "prepared speech" section and against disestablishing the Church of England in the "off the top of your head" section. There was partial success in another of the ESU's events, the

Euro. Tom Wheaton as Speaker tried to keep order as Chancellor Adam Doyle and Trade Secretary Adam Papaphilippopou10s proposed joining the common currency while their respective shadows Hettie Eaton and Ashley Sharneli argued vigorously against. Also allowed their say were Scottish Nationalist Michael Fraser and Liberal Democrat (described with a delightful oxymoron by his history teacher as voice of the "reasonable Left"!) Richard Huzzey. All was filmed (and I have the tape!) by Adam Pincott under the supervisory eye of Mr Thurlby junior. We did astoundingly well,

UK MATHEMATICAL CHALLENGES

Gold Certificate

Congratulations are due to the following UK Senior Mathematical Challenge Ian Hawkes

UK Intermediate Mathematical Challenge

(i) Fifth Form: Duncan Williams, Russell Wakely, Aneurin Price, Mark Ogle, Howard Maile, Oliver Pooley, John Maxwell, Ross Laidlaw, MichaelPearson,Oliver Smith,Andrew Thompson,SimonLowth.

(ii) Upper Remove: Thomas Rosoman (Bestin School),JamieMonis, AzamSaied, Alexander Humpage, Oliver Mathew, Lucinda Pollock.

(iii) Lower Remove: James McCreath. Duncan Williams went on to take the International Intermediate Invitational Mathematics Challenge for Year 11 (Fifth Form) pupils.

Both Thomas Rosoman and Jamie Morris went on to take the International Intermediate Invitational Mathematics Challenge (IIIMC), which is intended for high

R.N.G.S. and Alex Lee

R.N.G.S.

willingness to take responsibility and initiative, the ability to work as a team and improved communication skills, to mention but a few.

Today, young people need to be more adaptable than ever before, prepared to change career direction in response to opportunity and to learn new skills throughout their working lives. In other words, they need to be enterprising.

The Young Enterprise programme gives those in the Lower Sixth year at King's the opportunity to prepare for working life through the experience of running their own company.

The flair, creativity and enthusiasm that is evident in Young Enterprise companies promises a bright future for the next generation of business leaders of this country.

For those who were part of Slipped Disc, and indeed all theother companies at King's there are many positive and fondmemories, as well as some we would wish to forget. Such is the reality of the world of work I am sure.

The HSBC Young Enterprise Innovation Awards 2000 was won by Incepto, a company set up and run by 25 pupils from Queen Elizabeth's School in North London. They represented the UK, and went on to win theEuropeanYoung Enterprise competition at Expo 2000 in Germany in August.

Two Young Enterprise companies from King's are now undenvay with ideas and planning for the year ahead. We wish them every success.

Our success in attracting donations continues, creatinghavoc in the tiny roomupstairs in School House, where we keep the burgeoning number of documents, photographs and artifacts, given by OVs and staff. Crisis point is reached every Monday and Friday when the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth archivists meet separately, for obvious reasons. There is a certain amount of relief felt if some one is away because the rest of us get our statutory requirement of oxygen and even a chair if we are very lucky. However, we are delighted by the increasing interest taken in the Archives, not only by OVs, but by the public in general.

More OVs than ever have visited the school with their precious mementoes and memories of their time at King's which we can use to understand something of the school our predecessors experienced and their adult lives. W.G.H Cullis (D.B. 3841) brought auniquephotographofthe staff picnic in about 1930 and team photographs showinghis wife's brother, A.E.Baldry (left 1938) who was killed trying to land his Hurricanein dense fog at Moreton-in-Marsh in December 1942. A.J.Tinke1 (D.B. 4857) brought photographs and fond memories of F.R.Kittennaster, headmaster from 1942 - 59. F.H.Yarnold (DB 23 - 30) stayed at the Diglis Hotel in January so was able to pay us an extended visit. He has the distinction of having his name three times on the Honours boards in College Hall and being Head of School. His school had 278 pupils

ELECTRONIC DESIGNER 2000

As part of her A level Design and Technology coursework Shulah Oliver designed and manufactured a Talking Meat Thermometer, for use by the visually impaired, to test when meat cooking in an oven has reached the required temeperature.

Shulah was the only girl in the country to win a place at the National Finals of YEDA, held at The Millennium Dome in July. She impressed thejudges with her product and the fact there was a genuine need for the item.

A prize of £250 and second runner-up in the Intermediate category was presented by HRH The Duke of York.

J.P.W.

with Cuthbert Creighton as headmaster and some dozen academic staff. The atmosphere was intimidating in many respects; a regimentedregime,formallessons andcompulsory OTC withaccompanying field days for parades and training and remote teaching staff. Religion was very dominant, but the pain of attending cathedral services on Sundays was offset by the presence of the A.O. girls. The personnel of the Cathedral were more in evidence with all the houses around College Green occupied by canons, except the boarding houses of Hostel and Castle and the separate Choir School. Mr Yarnold told a hair raising tale of escape from the Japanese in Burma in 1942,which included overseeing the destruction of of one and a quarter million pounds' worth of paper currencies and his car breaking down on the Burmese side of the river with the Japanese troops some five miles away. C.Havard (Ca 38 - 41) droppedinbriefly on a search of the sister of a friend to whom he wanted to dedicate his book, 'The Trenchard Touch' on the role of Bomber Command during the Second World War. We did have her address because in 1992 she gave a cup to King's in memory of her brother, Michael Harvey Good, who was killed in 1942 while involved in a minelaying operation on the Kiel Canal. He was 19.Michael's best friend and sister actually arranged a meeting this summer in British Columbia where she now lives. More recently, we have been able to provide evidence of C.Havard's cricketing prowess at school to his sceptical sons. This might be the service we should extend!

Amongst the precious photographs, documents and artifacts this year are real gems, including a photograph of the Maundy Money service of 1984, discovered under

J.P.W.

Shulah Oliver with her Talking Meat Thermometer at The Millennium Dome

F.H. Yarnold, 0. V.

the floor boards at St Albans. More extraordinary than anything is a photocopy of the notes made by AJN Richards S 29 - 34 on Virgil's Aeneid made in the book and his passport while he was interned as a civilian prisoner of war at Kuching in Sarawak, where he had been district officer. He only had time to grab those two personal items before being arrested by the Japanese.

Robin Whittaker, the County archivist, showed us all round St Helens, the branch of thecounty Records Office in Fish Street, from whom we buy our archive boxes. This is always fascinating, but also rather wonying as to our professionalism as archivists. However, Richard Huzzey later took up the offer to spend his work experience week,with the professionals. He returned to

spear head a total reorganisation of our cataloguing system. We are still recovering!

As we are now registered officially as an archive, we have had many more requests for information on OVs, sometimes of the very dim and distant past and sometime relatively recently, sometimes from relations trying to complete family histories, sometimes from professional researchers. Our ability to satisfy requests is considerably helped, with the aid of the Bursar, by the rescue of three large school registers from the vaults of Lloyds Bank. We can now trace names and dates of OVs back to 1837 and sometimes further until 1541 with help from Canon Iain McKenzie and the Cathedral Library if an OV was a Scholar and

therefore part of the Cathedral College.

A project on the School in 1900 to celebrate the millennium produced a very interesting photographic display. Display frames were acquired from St Alban's and placed in the Dining Hall lobby so we can now show photographs from the Archives to the present pupils rather more easily. However, we still need a more accessible and permanent home.

Many thanks for all the hard work, initiative, good-humoured company, with the consumption of large quantities of chocolate biscuits, from this year's archivistsRichard Huzzey, Tavey Pollock, Robert Melville, Jon Pinson, Jonathan Price, Mark Loveday, Edward Jefferson-Loveday and Shervin Shamelli.

THEDEVELOPMENT

This group of parents has the aim of organising events, most of which are intended to raise money for the development of the School's facilities. In the past, for example, they have enabled us to have new minibuses, covers for the pool, electricity, water and other major developments at the Old Chapel. They have enabled us to undertake many other projects which it would be impossible to fund from fee income.

I have been associated with this group for many years and have always been struck by its commitment to King's, to hard work, and to having fun! A good example of this attitude came near the beginning of this term when the Autumn Walk and Quiz was due to take place. The weather, unfortunately, turned out to be atrocious and the few gallant families who turned up were soon to be drenched. By l l a.m. that Sunday morning it grew so dark that the automaticlightscameonoutside School House! Nevertheless, eight members of the committee turned up to help. As they sheltered under our - open-sided - mini-marquee from the driving rain, they found the whole situation unbearably funny ...... (As the person whoorganised the walkand thequestions to go with it, I can only say that I have spare copies should anyone be interested!)

During the academic year, The Development Committee had two major events to organise. One was our annual Christmas Ball, the other was the biennial FCte. The theme of the Ball was the Titanic and this became Chris Lee's swan-song.

Chris's contribution to a great number of our events during the last few years has 1 been immense. Not only did he give of his

time - and that of his employees - with remarkable generosity, but he would work very hard, after work, during weekends, and sometimes when he should have been at his own business. His enthusiasm and imagination seemed to have no horizons. Indeed, when his wilder flights of fancy caused we ordinary mortals to foresee prac-

tical difficulties, Chris simply found this frustrating. He would design sets for balls, for fCtes and for other events, as well as Tshirts and posters. His impish sense of humour is illustrated by his going out the night before one FCte and positioning a large poster, facing The Grammar School, exhorting pupils to play hooky and go,

instead, toThe King's School FCte. Aphone call from their Senior Master informed me that Walter Jones was not amused. Chris was. The parents on thecommittee all work hard, particularly the Secretary, Angeline Durham and the Chairman, Malcolm Hart. Chris Lee's contribution was very special and we all owe him a huge debt of gratitude. The 'Titanic' Ball was the usual great success. There was a champagne reception in the Chapter House and then people entered College Hall which was an amazing sight, complete withiceberg andthe stem of the sinking Titanic, not to mention the other special effects including a shark that travelled across the hall at one point, attempting to bomb the Headmaster. After dinner there

stall at the fete

C.F.R.

Helen Picld~ickand Rebeccu Buder's.

The ducks - before was dancing. A number of senior students who had arrived to drive their parents home were, as ever, appalled and embarrassed by the quality of dancing they witnessed.

The Fete, this year, nearly did not happen. Normally, after the Easter Holiday, there are several weeks leading up to the Bank

Holiday Monday. This allows much essential preparation to take place. This year, termbegan on the Wednesday before that Monday. Could we still get enough done? Once the decision was made to try, we were committed, and, in the end, the Fete did happen. Inevitably, some things did notgetdone, but enough was, andthe heroic efforts of a number of parents was rewarded by our raising over E20k to be used to benefit the pupils, as well as to go to charities.Gladiator Wolf made a welcome second appearance as guest celebrity.

One other major event last summer was the Duck Race. The idea was that people would pay 50p for a small, yellow, plastic duck which, with its fellows, would be dropped off the Sabrina footbridge for a race down to Worcester ridge. The fxst one there would win the purchaser a cash prize. In hindsight, to hold such an event in the same term as the Fete was probably unwise, but the race turned out to be great fun. Twelve thousaild ducks were dropped, all together, by a team of about thirty parents, students and staff. Initially, the ducks formed a stunning circular raft before drifting downstream watched by a

crowdof spectators. Mostboats went round them as they proceeded towards their destination, although a four from another place went straight through the poor ducks! One of JohnBligh's enormous Severn Steamers followed majestically behind as the breeze and the currents combined to cause the yellow raft to start to break up. Soon AIG and Bob Hinds, with members of the Boat Club, were having their work cut out retrieving strays from the bushes and banks. Eventually, the winner reached Worcester Bridge and was plucked from the water to be identifiedbythe number on its bottomby our own international canoeist, AIG. Then the fun began! For the next two hours, members of the Boat Club took out of the river all the ducks they could find. A few got away, but not many, and the event, apart from providing amusement for many peoplethatmorning,raisedE5000fortheAcoms Children's Hospice. There was talk, idle talk, of making the Duck Race an annual event..

As well as all this, there was an excellent and well-attended Black Country Evening, a hugely enjoyable Barn Dance, several meetings of the Lunch Club and a number of outings. Life with The King's School Development Committee is never dull!

T.D.R.H.

In terms of group achievement this was the most successful expedition to date, with all twenty six members reaching the summits of Gokyo Ri and King's Peak, and all completing the white water rafting course, on the Trisuli River; despite some fairly horrendous conditions.

We set out from school on April l", perhaps not a good day to travel across the world if you are in any way superstitious, but the journey with Qatar Air could not have been smoother. Our arrival in Kathmandu subjected everybody to the shock of the Third World - filth, poverty, chaos and noise, but the atmosphere was electric with group excitement. The adventure had begun.

The flight from Kathmandu to Lukla produced some stunning views of the Himalayas, including our first glimpses of Everest.

Despite the altitude (2850m) it was very warm. There had been little rain for some time and the ground was very dry. However, there was quite a strong breeze, which lifted the dust and created hazy

views of the mountains much higher up the valley.

There is always a danger that when you start trekking any bugs you may have picked up in Kathmandu begin to manifest themselves. This was the case with Tom Wheaton and Jack Hamson submitting to nasty bouts of sickness on the second day. It soon became apparent that they were in no fit state to tackle the arduous climb up Namche Hill, so they stayed in a lodge down at Benkar for an extra night. Dr Anne Lewis stayed with them.

The rest of the group went on up to Namche where we were to have a two night stopover to acclimatise before heading on. It was good to see our invalids join us the next day. The rest had done them good and they were well on the road to recovery.

The wind continued to be a problem blowing a lot of sandy dust into our faces as we walked but also creating a haziness in the views. I had never seen the Gokyo

valley without snow before. The snowline was particularly high, somewhere in the region of 6500m, so the mountains, as far as I was concerned, were not perhaps quite as spectacular as I had seen them previously. When we did get some snowfall higher on the trail they immediately looked so much better.

The weather had now evolved a daily pattern. The mornings were bright and clear. As the temperatures rose the cloud bubbled up and by the afternoon there was sufficient to give us a light dusting of snow. With the cloud, the temperatures dropped dramatically and the chill was noticeable when we were stationary around camp. The snowfall did have a desirable effect. It brought the dust down out of the atmosphere so the views were now much clearer.

By the time we reached Gokyo the team was feeling fit and well. Although the walking was arduous at times it was enjoyable and everybody was feeling optimistic about the two peaks ahead. . . .

Josh Hand, the porter

Having successfully tackled Gokyo Ri, the group now prepares to climb King's Peak and this is where we rejoin the report. . .

The next day took us further up the valley to our high camp for the ascent of King's Peak. It was cold and friendless.

The morning was another early, cold start but we could tell, through the darkness, that the sky was perfectly clear. The ascent was steep and it took us four hours toreach the summit. Therewasjust enough room for us all on the summit, movement being restricted by the sheer drops on all sides! The views were spectacular, the best I have ever experienced in the Khumbu. I could have stayed there forever.

On the summit we left a piece of Lakeland slate inscribed with 'Rajako HimalKing's Peak - April 2000'. We also left a notebook, heavily wrapped in polythene and wedged between the rocks, in which we had all stuck a photograph of ourselves and written our innermost thoughts.

The sense of achievement was tremendous, only marred slightly by the fact that we were not the first to climb it. Shortly afterwards we discovered that it had a nickname. Officially it does not have a name and since our return we have been assured that if we keep referring to it as King's Peak it will be adopted as such. The piece of Lakeland slate on the summit should remind those who climb it in the future.

Tasks achieved we made a fairly rapid descent back to Lukla to await our flight to Kathmandu. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly we can achieve the walk out compared to the walk in.

Safely back in Kathmandu we visited a

can do to display our culture. We find ourselves wanting and feeling a little inept amongst such a wealth of talent. Nevertheless, the important thing is that through a little effort we have been able to give them something they desperately need-benches, window shutters, science equipment, a clean water tank, all very basic, well within our means but beyond theirs.

Again we left Kathmandu, this time to travel west to the start point for our two days rafting on the Trisuli River. This is a great way to relax after an arduous trek. It is warm and in between the frenzy of the rapids it is relaxing. Toppling off the raft into the river adds to the luxury of the occasion.

Unfortunately it did not run quite as smoothly as that. Towards the end of the

The exciting white water of the Trisuli river

number of poor schools. Before we set out on trek I had given a sum of money to ChristinePreston fromUMN (United Mission to Nepal) to allocate to schools with a specific purpose in mind. The money was spent while we were trekking, so we went to see the product of our fundraising for ourselves.

Despite our desire to spend time in close contact with the children the schools have different plans in mind. They want to provide us with a cultural programme of singing and dancing as a means of saying thank you. We are treated like guests of honour, being presented with many gifts of flowers. The programme lasts all morning and we are expected to perform something from our culture. Unless we Morris or Country Dance or sing folk songs there is not very much we

first day's rafting the skies became leaden and a thunderstorm ensued. It was spectacular with constant thunder and lightning, the heaviest rain I have ever experienced, and powerful gusts of wind. Camp was destroyed, with mangled tents all over the beach. We ended up eating noodle soup in a roadside mud hut contemplating where we were to spend the night and wondering if we would be seeing the noodle soup again! Extremely tired, we ended up in alodge, somewhere.

The following morning, the only telltale sign that there had been a storm was the steam rising out of the jungle on the opposite bank of the river.

We concluded our rafting, the noodle soup having behaved itself, and returned that evening to Kathmandu.

The whole of the last day was spent

Ed Cumming on the slopes of King's Peak, surrounded by nmgnijicent peaks and glaciers

shopping, shopping and shopping.

SHLeM and I spent some time with Meyrav Mor, looking at and talking about her new project, a kindergarten for children at risk combined with a teacher training centre. We were able to hand over some money towards the project. In total we were able to contribute £7000 towards our designated projects which also included the funding of village health worker training in the Khumbu and the sponsorship of a Kathmandu headmaster to attend a course at University College, Worcester.

It had been a great trip and had drawn to a conclusion far too quickly. For me, I only have to wait until next Easter before I return. I wonder how long some of the group will be able to stay away?

As far as King's Peak is concerned, we have been told to keep it in the public eye. To that end there will be a Parents' trip in 2003 - King's Peak Revisited. Fancy it? The views are quite something.

Robert Melville and Octavia Pollock have written a long report on the Classics trip to Greece, a full version of which appears on the school web site - www.ksw.org.uk/ vigomian/2000. Here is part of their account. We join them a few days into their trip.

A short coach trip saw us safely to Olympia ahead of time, leaving us with an entire afternoon to be caught out by canny Greek shopkeepers as - - 1 we found ways of spending 1 our money on gifts and souvenirs! Perfect weather oversaw / an idyllic evening, which for I some of us included frolics by 1 the river and buying endless T-shirts from a very nice guy who gave us free ouzo as an enticement, and lasted through the morning when a two minute trip took us to the beautiful site of classic Olympia. This site is home to the original Olympic stadium and Games and workshop of the famous Pheidias (creator of the colossal chryselephantine statues of Athene and Zeus), amongst many other temples and buildings. The archaeology and history of the site,

museum and striking scenery made for a hugely enjoyable and informative visit.

After a windy stop at Kiparissia for lunch and a gloomy crossing on a ponderous ferry, several miles of glorious coastline was all that separated us from Delphi, perched high on the slopes of the mountains with views of the sea, pale blue in the hazy evening sunshine. Next morning the group slowly pottered up the steep incline to the Sanctuary of Apollo, centre of the Ancient world, location of the Delphic Oracle and another stadium in which selected members of our party staged a race. Mr Stone did not participate as he elected to pretend to trip up and claim the moral victory. The museum contained intriguing artefacts, particularly the famous statue of the Charioteer and an exquisitely painted bowl.

The only rain of the trip accompanied the new coach (better, more stylish, all mod-cons, but, sadly, no antimacassars according to Rob Melville, our resident expert) on the journey to Athens, which was once again choked full of traffic jams caused by cars broken down or left in the middle of the carriageway - let alone the dust and the incessant noise of horns and irate voices. We found our hotel buried deep in an Athenian slum, uncannily wellfurnished given its location. The view from the 'classy' open-air restaurant at the top was one of dirty concrete, scaffolding and rusting iron, but a glimpse of the Acropolis gave us hope. Dinner in a taverna preceded a fatigued ramble around the Plaka (the more desirable area of

Athens) - an opportunity to purchase (more) souvenirs, T-shirts and other memorabilia.

The following day was glorious in the hazy sunshine; the abundant poppies glowed against the pure white stone, and as we trod in the footsteps of Pericles, the sense of days gone by was strong despite the chatter of tourists and the roar of modern Athens. Tiny school children somewhat hindered our admiration of the Hephaesteum, the best preserved temple in Greece, still beautiful in spite of the scaffolding that encased it - unfortunately the plague that must accompany restoration.

A wander round the Agora took us past the prison, the photogenic boundary stone and the mint, where you can still find ancient Greek coins. The museum, built in the style of an ancient stoa, contained some real marvels, such as a buried urn holding the tiny bones of a baby, thousands of voting tablets and the actual jar of poison which killed Socrates in the prison. We're not gullible! A delicious packed lunch preceded the epitome of all Greek classical sites - the sanctuary of Athene Parthenon/Polias/Nike, which stands proud and glorious above the immense sprawl of thecity below. The carved stone glowed against the deep blue sky, the magnificent view was undiminished by the smog, and we used several dozen films capturing marvels which included Athene's sacredolive tree, the holes where Poseidon and his trident fell to earth and the superbly designed and constructed

Greece - at the Castalian Spring in Delphi, where

entranceway. It is easy to see why this rocky, arid outcrop is hailed as the symbol of the Ancient World.

Our final day in Greece meant a visit to the National Archaeological Museum, stockedfull of ornate and amazingly wellpreserved treasures from many of the sites we had previously visited, but there was such an array of statues, beaded jewellery surprisingly modern in design, gold vessels, inscribed tablets and armour that we could only hope to take in the most famous exhibits. We had just time to see the lovely Theatre of Dionysus after a long hot march through sharply contrasting areas of Athens, unusual for the tessellated floor and exceptionally well detailed figures carved at the back of the tiny stage. Finally, we presented King Bob with a replica Greek vase on behalf of the group, partly in thanks and partly in recognition of his victory in the competition to tell the best Nestor anecdote (long, boring, repetitive.. !).

Thus our classical tour of Greece drew to a close, and all that remained was the exhausting return journey, not without a typically coach-related incident, but more than compensated for by one of the most strikingly beautiful sights many of us had ever seen, the last remnants of gold painting the tips of the snowy Alps and the pale rose tint of sunset softly illuminating the huge spread of clouds. The Greece trip will long be remembered with wide smiles for the incredible and vivid scenery, the friendly waiters (and scary museum curators!), the delicious food in comfortable hotels, the great company and of course, the fascinating sense of history and wonder that permeates every beautiful site.

'Welcome to Marks and Spencers, Cindy !' rang the alluring tactics of the Tunisian men which were to greet us on our arrival in the Arab country of Tunisia. Sand storms, crazy taxi drivers and the world of haggling were only a few of the events experienced on our trip. At Easter a group of sixteen Lower Sixth geographers and four staff ventured into the unknown to study the tourism, beaches, commerce and cultural differences of this society.

If only we had been aware of the great value in pencils and rubbers before we left England we could have traded these for many an Arab rug or porcelain bowl. In the bustling medina (the old city) in Sousse, any goods needed were haggled for with enthusiasm fromour group. Stallholders would set their prices at over twice the price expected for a sale; this contrasted with the modern CBD where prices are fixed. In some instances haggling turned full circle and we found ourselves being offered camels and Ferrari cars in exchange for us!

The Geography we learnt was invaluable (despite enormous amounts of fun such as in the freezing cold swimming pool, we did work hard!). Through our own first hand experiences we were able to study the effects of tourism on a fragile developing economy from a human geography point of view, such as the dilution of the Arab culture and commerce, now partly tailored to meet Westerners' needs. Also we looked at local physical aspects, such as the effects on a beach profile changing because of a modem port recently built down the coast at Port el Kantoui. These changes by no means signify that Tunisia has lost its magic. The haunting religious calls echoing from the mosques, and the lingering fragrance of native spices frequently reached us throughout the night, reminded us that between this spirited country and our own there is an immeasurable chasm of religion, beliefs and development.

A big thank you to LMG and her supporting cast.

In the second week of the summer holiday, 36 Upper Removes and 5 staff spent 5 nights in the beautiful Alpine village of Notre Damme de Bellecombe. The 2 nights on the coach were worth the fresh Alpine air and fantastic vistas. Although the weather was not as kind as in previous years, the rain fell at convenient times for us and our programme of study visits was unhindered.

Thus, we were able to study the local agriculture and its collapse as the locals involve themselves with the far more lucrative tourist trade. A visit to the cheese producing cooperative illustrated that tradition only survives when the locals group together. A real highlight was the trek to the snout of the Trient glacier, over the border in Switzerland. Like many others, this ice tongue is retreating rapidly, but it remains a breath takingly beautiful spot, where the dynamic forces of nature can be appreciated. Of course, the carved up glacial landscape has presented opportunities for man as our visit first to the dam and reservoir and then the HEP station at La Bathie showed. A day in the regional centre of Annecy and visits to Albertville and Chamonix rounded off the work.

Part of the success of this trip, however, is the opportunity the area provides for activities. Considerable fun was had at the bowling alley and on the luge in Megeve, but the highlight was undoubtedly the ice skating. Clearly SCC had been putting in some secret training!

Tlze Tunisian party

Upper Remove group in the French Alps

Here is some of MRG's report - the full version can be seen on the school web site at www.ksw.org.uk/vigornian/2000. The group has just left Melbourne havingwon two games there convincingly, 29-0 against Trinity GS and64-0 against Scotch College.

Sydney was our next destination. We left our urban version of a gentleman's club comfortable, quietly grand, slightly drowsy by mid-afternoon, but not quite as redolent of another age as you find say in Cheltenham. Life cannot offer many better places to stand at 8:30 am on a weekday morning than Circular Quay in Sydney. To begin with, it presents one of the world's greatest views. To the right stands the famous Opera House with its sail roofs. To the left, the stupendous and noble Harbour Bridge, a lattice work of girders, metal plates and stone towers held together by six million rivets. The biggest of its type I haveever seen. Tanned commuters are disgorged from plump, old fashioned ferries like the ones I used to go on on Lake Windermere, and head for the glass and concrete office towers that loom behind. More than this, Sydney has palatial homes, expensive schools, I golden crescent-shaped beaches and King's Cross. We ventured into King's Cross in our best attire, looking extreme- I ly out of place. For those not knowing King's Cross except as a railway station, let me just say that the Sydney version has fewer people on a straight track than I , have ever seen.

The flying time to Sydney was one hour. Simon Lowth came to the airport in his own stretch limousine, while Benjamin Cliff decided, from his own experiences, perhaps he wouldn't take the train after all! We stayed in the comfortable Bayside Hotel in Rushcutter's Bay some three minutes from where we were to play Sydney GS. We had met earlier in the year at Droitwich and were beaten by their very good touring side. In the rematch we played their 16As and after a hard, tough game we won 25-12. Nick Major, Ross Laidlaw, Neil Lonergan, George Anstey, William Walker, Oliver Pooley, Jamie Gwynne and Luke Narraway made significant impacts throughout the match. Philip Burdon left his mark too! The post-match BBQ and hospitality were excellent and, as in Melbourne, it was nice to meet old friends again.

Our Sydney city-sights tour took in Darling harbour, Bondi beach as well as the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The following day we spent the morning on Manly beach having taken the ferry from Circular Quay. Our only worry here was the risk of injury from playing soccer on the beach or being carried helplessly out to sea by irresistible rip currents. Thankfully all the swimmers returned to the shore safely.

On the way to Northholm GS, a small school of 450 pupils and our fourth fixture, we stopped at the Olympic village. Sadly we did not have enough time to go into the athletics stadium itself, but we all saw it, and what a marvellous structure it is; like a giant clam opening to receive mouthfuls of phytoplankton. On we went to the northern suburbs of Sydney. Sydney has 784 named districts and suburbs in the telephone directory and we were going to stay in one named Arcadia.

Our hosts gave us lunch and then we met our billets. What luck! Half of the party was being put up by Year 12 girls and all this was approved by their Principal. Generous hospitality, kind hosts, paddocks, swimming pools and acres of land. Arcadia had lived up to its idyllic name.

The game against their 1st XV was watched by the whole school. A breakaway try from a sloppy pass in our 22 put them in the lead just on half-time. It took a very long time to retake the lead, almost as long as our flight, or so it seemed, but we did and held on to win 18-12. Another sizzling BBQ followed the match and then we were ready to leave.

Cairns is a three hour flight from Sydney and was to be our home for the rest of

the tour. The Colonial Club Resort provided us with all our needs a very large dining area, pools, fitness centre, games room, internet lounge, poolside cafes, tranquil gardens, TVs in each room, gift shop and even laundry facilities. A safe haven where even Neil Lonergan could feel that every time he set his foot on the floor something wouldn'tjump out and seize his ankle. Australia has more things that will kill you than anywhere else. So far we had avoided the lot, but would we survive the white waters of the Barron river?

immense aluminium pontoon, two storeys high and big enough to accommodate 400 day trippers. This was to be our home for the next five hours. No matter how much you read about the Great Barrier Reef nothing really prepares you for the sight of it. A shimmering world of a complex and beautiful marine ecosystem. Outrageous colour schemes and a bewildering fusion of shapes and patterns dazzle the eye. Back on the pontoon metal steps led you into the water. At the top of the steps were large bins containing flippers, snorkels and masks. Everyone

The answerwas an emphatic. Yes! What a thrill this was as we were tossed, tumbled and hurled from one rapid to another, screaming and shouting in a wild panic. Our match against the Cairns University Club side was a much easier affair, especially in the second half, as our opponents were more accustomed to the rigours of Union bars than the lengths of a rugby pitch. Oliver Williamson flung himself at everything as did Ben Cliff, Simon Lowth, Paul and Richard Hallett and Matthew Dodson. On a wide pitch our three-quarters enjoyed running into the spaces made available by quick passing and incisive running. They scored quite a number of tries by the end and we had won our sixth match 44-0.

Cairns is home to the largest living thing on earth. My book tells me that it is 2000km in length, containing at least 1500 species of fish, 400 types of coral and 4000 varieties of molluscs, but noone has ever attempted a comprehensive survey because it is just too big a job. We berthed at Agincourt Reef alongside an

kitted up and floppedin. Waves catch you full in the face and some of us came back to try again. Others lolled in the sunshine on deckchairs, some descended to an underwater viewing chamber or boarded a semi-submersible ship for a tour. Simon Lowth and Michael Pearson scuba dived the reef.

What could better such a trip? Well, perhaps to remain unbeaten on tour, but this didn't happen. We had won 6 out of 6 so far, but our reputation as a good side had not gone unnoticed. The team put out against us for the last match was much too strong and we had a few players on the sidelines, withdrawn because of minor injuries. Scott Rennie, Luke Narraway and Edward Borastero had immense games in the forwards, but we couldn't hold onto the ball and their quick threequarters shrugged off some weak tackling to run in quite a number of tries. We pulled things round after half-time, encouraged by much vociferous support from our billeting parents, as well as Tina and Kerry, but by then the game had been

lost. Like the coral when the tide is slack, we looked rather lifeless. What we needed was the tide to flow in, bringing plankton- rich water from the sea beyond. All this we found back at the resort.

What had we thought of Australia? Well, the general opinion was that it is comfortable, clean and familiar. The people are immensely likeable. Cities are safe, clean and nearly always built around water. They have a society which is prosperous, well-ordered and instinctively egalitarian. The food is excellent (though the beer is too cold to bring out the flavours and your lips freeze to the bottle). A safari through the coral world is wonderful. The rugby is tough. Thankfully we only had one serious injury. Aaron Sagar dislocated his shoulder, but it didn't take long to have it put back in place. (Some heard the noise from the hospital, but mistook it for a Qantas flight taking off.) The sun nearly always shines and I've heard it said ' life doesn't get much better than this.'

'When can we go again, Sir?' was the one question on everyone's lips. Any regrets from me? Well, only one. The parents had all turned out in force for our return and I regret not capturing their smiling faces on our video camera as we got off the coach. Perhaps I can make up for this by recording the fact now. Without all the parental help and the sponsorship that was raised, this tour would not have been possible, so from the three of us who took your sons may we express our thanks for giving us your support and having the confidence that we would bring everyone back safe and sound from a truly memorable tour.

During the May half term we took a group of Lower Remove Students to our twin town of Le Vesinet, near Paris. We travelled by coach and Shuttleand arrived at the College du Cedre in the early eveningwhere their exchange partners met us. (The French students had already been to Worcester earlier in the year.) The pupils went home with their partners, tired but excited. They all returned to school the following moming. The French pupils went to their lessons while our party set off on the first of a series of sight-seeing visits which included the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur, to name but a few. They also had time to do some

shoppingat the Grande Archede la Defense. Over the weekend our pupils stayed with their families and were entertained in various ways, some being lucky enough to be taken to Disneyland Paris! We returned home a few days later after amost enjoyable visit. The pupils were most enthusiastic about their experiences and many are keen to take part in another exchange next year.

C.P.

On the first day of the Easter holidays this year, two Upper Remove girls, AlexMelville and Rachael Doxford went to Kleve for a week. They spend the time with their penfriends in a variety of ways - at school to experience a flavour of a German Gymnasium, visiting the superb city of Cologne, and on other excursions in the area with their families.

This represented the resurrection of the German exchange which had been initially set up by GNL, but which had not taken place the previous year due to the unsuitability of the holiday dates. It was decided to persevere with the exchange because of its success in the past and because we hope to continue and expand the scheme in the future. There are usually many more German pupils wishing to participate than we can accommodate but the German department hopes to encourage a larger number to take the plunge this year.

Quite a few Worcester schools now have such links with Kleve and it seems sensible to travel together and keep costs down. Once there, each school is free to organise its excursions as it wishes.

Three weeks into our term here towards the end of September six German students came to Worcester on the return leg of the exchange. They visited some of the I places of interest in the area, such as the I Cathedrals of Worcester and Coventry, Stratford upon Avon and they also managed to fit in a visit to London. It was good to see some close relationships being forged and there was genuine sadness 1 when the time came to say good-bye.

1 I would like to express my thanks to I Frau Steinert-Schmitz, the German organiser who was so good about dealing with the problems such as there were, and also the pupils who gained valuable linguistic, cultural and general experience about life, both in Germany and at home ( acting as hosts.

l i J.L.O.

In July six pupils spent their Work Experience week in Le Vesinet, Paris.

Alex Walker spent his week being helpful in a Bookshop, Aliya Saied worked in a Caf6 serving delightful cups of coffee and wonderful meals, Georgina Edwards worked in the Tourist Office assisting the guides in a very efficient manner, Claire Bradley sampled the delights of an upmarket Hotel where she assisted the Manageress and Jenny Congrave worked hard in the local library.

When I visited the party of students they were all cheerful and happy and seemed to be glad of the chance to be in France to practise their French. Clearly, the relationship between employer and employee had worked well and the presence of the students did wonders for the Anglo-French Entente- cordiale.

If you have never been to Le Vesinet allow me to tell you how delightful it is. It is approximately half an hour's train ride to the north-west of central Paris. The town is very compact with smart, clean streets. It even boasts its own Chateau whose rooms have been turned into accommodation for young people. Perhaps you might get the opportunity to visit Le Vesinet either on Work Experience or a French Exchange Scheme. I would suggest you take it! I have yet to see a more pleasant and friendly small town.

C. A. G-S.

This was the first time that the two departments had arranged a joint trip and it was enthusiastically supported by History students, French students and by those studying both subjects.

The trip started early on a cold February morning when 28 sixth formers and 4 staff left Worcester for a twelve-hour drive to Paris. The journey was uneventful and as soon as we arrived in France JM-S and I rigidly enforced the rule that French was the only language to be spoken by those studying French. The trip from Calais to Paris was unusually quiet! Traffic in Paris itself was very heavy and we had little time to settle in to our hotel rooms before we had to set off for

our evening meal. A cracking walking pace was set by AJT and CFR who seemed to know where they were going! After dinner we set out for what was to be the highlight of the evening - a view of Paris at night from the top of the Centre Pompidou. Unfortunately we arrived too late and they would not let us in. Never mind, there was always the next night. We walked down to the river Seine and even the most cynical of our students were captivated as they stood on a bridge over the river Seine, looking at Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, all illuminated against the night sky. They now know why Paris has the reputation of being the most romantic city in the world!

Sightseeing was the main aim of the next morning and we caught glimpses of the Pyramide at the Louvre, the Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde, la Tour Eiffel from theTrocadCro and Brigitte Bardot's roof garden. This last sight came to us courtesy of our coach driver -it is truly amazing how much trivia coach drivers pick up. The afternoon was dedicated to Emile Zola and his house at MCdan where we had a guided tour delivered in the most beautiful French we had ever heard. In the evening it was dinner and then off to the Pompidou Centre again. For some reason they still did not want to let us in so we went to the cinema instead. Fortunately the film was subtitled so everyone could enjoy it.

The next morning we visited Ia Cimitikre Montparnasse where some very famous people are buried. We saw the tombs of Jean-Paul Sartre, Alfred Dreyfuss, and Guy de Maupassant to name but a few. We then moved on to the museum

dedicated to MarCchal Leclerc, Jean Moulin (two second world war French heroes) and the liberation of Paris. In the afternoon we were in for a real treat - a tour of the sewers. Believe it or not they are a great tourist attraction and very important from a historical point of view. Then it was off to the MusCe d'Orsay and the chance to see all those wonderful Impressionist paintings associated in most people's mind with birthday cards. The students were free to find their ownmeal that evening and all of them found something to their taste. We met up again to have a late night drink in the CafC Deux Magots, the favourite haunt of Camus, Sartre and their contemporaries. We did not quite reach their level of profound debate but we did have the best hot chocolate I have ever tasted. We were served by a waiter with the most wonderful "Hercule Poirot" moustache, wearing a long white apron, and carrying a towel over his arm - how French! We even managed to persuade him to present a special drink to one of our group who was celebrating her birthday that night.

Visits to the MusCe Rodin and the Centre d'Europe rounded off the trip the next morning. The students had all seemed to have a wonderful time, had spoken a lot of French and had learnt a lot about the Second Empire. We never did get to the roof of the Centre Pompidou but at least it gives us all an excuse to go back again. I am sure that for some of the students, this trip was just the beginning of the process of getting to know this wonderful city.

"Life is a roller-coaster" - quite literally in the case of the forty-four Fourth Formers who volunteered for this short trip to Paris and the theme park on the outskirts of the French metropolis. CS did all the considerable organising of such a venture (the first to this particular park by King's) and she was ably assisted by KA, PSB, MCP and JLO. After a long day's travel by coach and ferry we arrived at our destination despite the best efforts of the coach driver to lose us in a Parisian suburb. The hotel was well-situated but the staff seemed somewhat surprised to see us, which was slightly off-putting but it all added to the fun. After a good night's sleep and a hearty continental breakfast with excellent hot chocolate and coffee, we set off to the Parc detemined to make the most of the experience. Luckily the weather held all day and everyone (to the best of my knowledge) enjoyed the thrills offered by the various rides, shows, theatrical entertainment and shops available to the

was amply catered for in the shape of the huge rubber boats floating down a mill-

pond of a river.

That evening after a very acceptable hotel meal we went to central Paris to see some sights and have a romantic bateaumouche trip on the river Seine. Initially this proved impossible because there was an enormous traffic-jam on the ChampsElysCes, and the pupils rapidly discovered that this was because a bomb had been found in the centre with the result that most of the main streets had been closed to traffic. The real reason was much more mundane and typical of Gallic forethought - they were painting white lines! Eventually we all made it onto the same boat but our lines of communication had become stretched to about 100 metres and I wondered how Napoleon had managed to get his army to Moscow.

The Eiffel Tower illuminations still celebrating the Millennium, the lowering skies, the gentle roar of the engines, the architecture of Note-Dame together with the plaintive cries of various pupils all

discerning English pupil away from school with his and her friends. After the corkscrew with seven loops came the most fearsome ride in the park - the roller coaster made of wooden stilts and nails which creaked and shook so much that most of the pupils turned tail as soon as they saw it. KA and MCP of course were made of sterner stuff and they unhesitatingly marched to the queue and demanded to be allowed on. CS did not quite think that this represented her cup of tea which

intermingled to make this a wonderful experience of the city of love. In fact a few Spanish girls on the boat seemed to get on quite well with some of our boys. I wonder how many of those addresses are still being written to?

The next day it was early onto the coach forthe return trip which went smoothly to plan. We returned refreshed and invigorated ready to face the rigours of the last week of the school year. I think that the pupils enjoyed it too.

J.L.O.

Lower Sixth linguists and historians in Paris

European Studies group dining out in Boulogne

King Henry's Coventry (a ) .................. Lost 0 - 24

Warwick (h) Won 27 - 7

Cheltenham (a) ....................................Lost 7-29

Solihull ( a) Lost 11 - 26

Queen Mary's Walsall ( h) .................. Won 69-3

K.E.S. Birmingham ( a) ....................... Lost 14 - 31

Christ Brecon ( h) Drew 17 - 17

St Columba's Dublin 'X\P'(a) Won 38 - 0

Dublin High School (a) ......................... Lost 7-19

K.E.S. Camphill (a) Won 15 - 10

Monmouth (h) Won 28 - 22

Bromsgrove ( a) .................................. Lost 6 - 38

Adams G.S. ( Daily Mail ) ( h) Won 21 - 14

K.E.S. Aston ( h) ................................ Won 37 - 6

K.E.S Birmingham ( Daily Mail) (h) Lost 17 - 33

Hereford Cathedral ( a) Lost 6 - 25

Bristol G.S. (h) ................................... Won 13-5

R.G.S. Worcester (a) Lost 8-16

AS so often is the case with King's teams, by the time they realised 1 that they werecapable of coml peting with the best of our riI vals the season was almost , over. A disappointingfirst half I of term hinged around our in; ability firstly to score tries and 1 secondly to hold our opponents in the set pieces. The I first problem was to a large extent solved by the emer- 1 gence of Dan Plank from the ( relative obscurity of the Third XV to being the First XV's leading try scorer. There is no substitute for pace and against a wing who could comfortably run under 11 seconds for the 100 metres almost every defence struggled. The difficulties in the scrummage were never satisfactorily resolved as Alex Higgs was the only genuine Upper Sixth prop 1 available.

( The emergence of three Under 16s as regular players for the First XV was encouraging. Ross Laidlaw showed great composure at stand off and

Luke Narrawaywas the other Under l6to make the step up to First XV ranks. In the line-outs he was outstandingand he was a good runner in broken play. He was shade unlucky not to go further than the North Midlands at representativelevel although occasionally his play was a little too loose for a number 8.

Iprovided he continues to work on improving his pace he has theabilityto goa long way in the game. Nick Major played with success in almost every position in the back line. He has a great deal of natural talent and aggression: he could go on to be a professional rugby player provided he increases his workrate on the training ground. Both Ross and Nick thoroughly deserved their selection for the England Under 16 team - a great honour for them and for the school.

The side was captained by Richard Paul who always led from the front and was a very effective performer either in the second row or back row . He controlled a side with a number of slightly awkward customers with admirable tact and diplomacy and the experience will have done him a great deal of good. David Hall at hooker improved enormously as the term progressed and did well to secure as much ball as he did from a retreatingscrum.He and lan Woodcock thoroughly deserved to share the Preston Shield awarded for the most improved player. lan, despite his lack of stature, forced his way into the team because of his bravery in the tackle and his ability to get his hands on the ball in loose play.

Once again Ed Tandy appeared in the team. He was his usual cheerfulself and although his form was a little erratic he saved his best to the last with two excellent performance against Bristol and RGS Worcester. Fraser Young was unluckyto missout on selection forthe matchagainst theGrammar School; he was a tough and whole hearted competitor but a tendency to give away unnecessary penalties somewhat hindered hiseffectiveness. Alex Shuter, although by inclination a back row player filled in nobly at loose-headprop, whilst Alex Higgs after a a slow start had a good second half of the term. He held his own well against Bromsgrove's giant front-row and performed very creditably against the powerful props of Bristol and RGS.

Injurylimitedthecontributions of Dan Griffiths and Alex Kelly but this gave Tom Colley the chance to claim a second row spot. He fitted in well as our front of the line jumper but to be a dominant force next year will needto workon his mobilityand strength. I am confident he will do this as Tom and Josh Hand were the most dedicated trainers in the squad, and although Josh did not have many First XVchances he never lost heart and captained the Second XV efficiently and with good humour.

One of the problemsfacedby this team was deciding on a style of play as neither the forwards nor the backs were sufficiently dominant to make the choice obvious. The transfer late in the term of Nick Dale-Lace from scrum-half to full back

Alex Kelly competes in the line-out

Nick Dale-Lace fields a loose ball

The forwards drive for the line

solved this problem. It allowed Steve Ott to play in the centre where his defensive qualities were better employed whilst Nick proved adept at entering the line at pace and linked very effectively with the wings Dan Plank and Richard Allen. Richard looked much more at home on the wing than at centre and his sound goal-kicking was a bonus. Tom Harris and Julian Menzieswere the reservewings and both performed more than adequately when called upon.Dan Shaw and Andrew Freemancompetedforthecentre position; the choice being betweenDan'smore subtle running and Andrew's direct approach. Both played well on occasion but nether were fit enough to play a full seventy minutes at top pace.

The best games of the season were against Warwick (here a side heavily depleted by a Biology field trip pulled off afine win), Monmouth,King Edward's Birmingham in the Daily Mail Cup and Bristol. Against the Grammar School the unavailability of Worcester Rugby Club's pitch ended our chances of using the wide open spaces I of Sixways to unleash the pace ! of Plank and Dale-Lace. At Flagge Meadow Plank took his onechancewith aplomb but the greater forward power of the Grammar School allied with the excellent all round play of their two Sixth from recruits in the 1 back-line proved too much.

P.T.G.

One of the most successful Sevens seasons of recent

years. To reach he SemiFinals at Solihull and the North of England Sevens and the Final at the Worcester Sevens was just reward for the hard work and determination shown by the squad. The leading try scorers were Dan Plank and Nick Dale-Lace,and if Dan had not been unavailable due to injury forthefirsttwo tournaments he could well have been close to the individual try-scoring record. Dan Shaw was an important member of the teamhe was much fitter than in the XVsand heclearlyenjoyedplaying in a good side. Nick Major when not required for trials showed excellent maturity for an Under 16, and was our outstanding player on the first day of the National Sevens at Rosslyn Park, where once again we won our group.

At Worcester we scored memorable victories in the knock-out stages over Monmouth, Cheltenham and Bristol before meeting an exceptionallytalented Millfieldside in the final which proved one challengetoomany.Atthe North of EnglandSevens we reached the semi-final with a sudden death extra time win over a massive ManchesterGrammar side, and then put up a spirited performance against the ever impressive Sedbergh.

The forward unit was not as strong as the backs - the injury suffered by Richard Paul whilst playingin an unimportantHouse football match did not help matters, but the advent of Tom Harris as hooker was encouraging as was the all round play of Steve Ott.

An enjoyable if hectic schedule. Unfortunately the chance of King's winning a major Sevenstournament areslim - all the top tournaments we entered were won by schools with a large intake of Sports Scholars. At Sevens the input of two such scholars a year into the Sixth Form means is devastating as they will make up over half the team.

P.T.G.

~NDXV

There were more losses than wins and more points scored against than for, but, in spite of this, there were of course bright spots and the season was far from disastrous. The main weakness, as oft before, was a lack of continuity. Over 40 players represented the side and at no time was the same team fielded twice. However, in truth the side tended to lack penetration and a consistent finisher. Our loss to RGS Worcester, in our last gameof the millennium, was a disappointment and perhaps summed up the year. There really was not much between the sides but as with other hard fought and close games the opposition narrowly prevailed.

The highlightswerethecome from behind victory at Solihull and an excellent team performance in our win against Bristol GS.

I do not intend to mention everyone in a report of this length but my thanks go to all concerned and particularly to Ed Smith for his level-headed and mature leadership. I wish the Upper Sixth leavers well and hope that they can look back on their rugby at King's with some fondness.

~RDXV

D.T.N.

This was my last season in charge of the 3rd XV and it was full of the usual contradictions which make life with the thirdssuchadelight. The highs of the season, including satisfying victories against Warwick, Solihull and KES Birmingham, where we played some outstanding stuff, were more than offset by the disappointments of the defeats away at Monmouth and at

RGS Worcester where the game finished in a brawl involving players, parents and referee! Ahhhh the memories of third team rugby.

On a serious note may I take this opportunitytothankallthose players and colleagues that I have worked and served with over the years who have made mytime with the thirdsso memorable. May I pass on my very best wishes to MRG who takes over the reins next year. As we, along with many other independent schools, find it more and more difficult to field three teams at the top of the school, I fear his tenure may be shortlived but my memories will go on.

R.P.M.

UNDER 16 XV

This year group was extremely talented as proven by an excellent record throughout the school. However it was never going to be an easy season, with three key players going straight into the 1st XV and a few players being out through injury for virtually every game. Thus half the side was gone, and more importantly the key positions were now vacant. What this did, however, was to bring into the 'A' team players who had to develop and learn far quicker than would otherwise have been the case, and therefore the year's strength in depth improved dramatically. A number of players benefited from this, particularly Jamie Gwynne who took over the fly half position and by the end of the Spring term was in the 1st VII. Also Richard Syree, who had to take on far more responsibility at scrum half. During the season there were a number of very pleasing performances, most notably against Solihull and away at Bristol, where the team had to overcome appalling weather conditions to defeat a resistant opposition. Against the Royal Grammar School, we put together an awesome display, beating them 37 - 0. Although this was the lowest score by which they had won during theirtime at King's, seven of the side had played in the 'B' team fixture the year before.

The Under 16s in Australia

Despite losing many players to the 'A' team the 'B' team had an outstanding year, winning all their games barone. Within this team there are a number of players who could still develop into 1st XV players. Both sides wereapleasureto coach,workingvery hardattheir fitnessand skills. They deserved the success they achieved.

A.A.D.G.

UNDER 15 XV

Won 8 Drawn 2 Lost 8

Points for 388

Points against 340 Perhaps the most revealing of the above statistics is the fact that the average points scored in each of the eighteen matches played was over 40. This indicates that the team was quite adept at scoring when 1 they had the ball but also quite 1 capable of leaking points at an ' alarming rate when they were ' deprived of possession. In the modern game a sound defence is essential but the quality of tackling throughout the team,with only a few exceptions, was consistently poor.

The quality of opposition at this level was extremely varied 1 this year as indicated by the difference in our greatest victory of 75 - 0 against King Henry's Coventry to our heaviest loss of 0 - 69 against Bristol G.S. To the credit of the team they managed to win more of the close games than they lost. Victories over Warwick 22 - 10,

This team enjoyed one of the most successful seasons of any Under 14 team for many years, winning all but two matches, one of which was drawn. The only defeat was at the hands of an unbeaten and very strong Bristol Grammar side in a close away fixture. Throughout the season the boys tried and usually succeeded in playing attractive, open and flowing rugby and, in many years of coaching King's teams, it is hard to recall a more skilful and committed team. Both forwards and backs contributed to a fluent, passing game and everyone in the team displayed good handling skills. The promising

Cheltenham 18 - 12, Brecon 19 - 14 and Bromsgrove 15 -12 plus a 17 - 17 draw against K.E.S. Birmingham indicates a resilience that was not always in evidence against some other opponents The team lost 277to R.G.S. in the County Cup in October but fought with great character to draw 0 - 0 away in December. This was the most satisfying result of the season but left one thinking that the overall recordshould havebeen somuch betterif similargritand spirit had been displayed in every match.

The OftenStruggled to achieve parity with their opponents mainly due to lack of size and pace.

Colquhoun was an effective hooker and was often the best forward alongwith Luke Weaver inthesecondrow. Ed Pearce and Alastair Druett were the

regular props whilst Tom Kolodotschko usually partneredWeaver inthe second row. Peter Wilby, Leo Cox and Dan Newcombe were the first choice back row but injuries often prevented them playing together. DanJonesand Oliver Brooks also made a number of appearances.

Alastair Young played tenaciously at scrum half and latterly on the flank and did more than his fair share of tackling. Oliver Mathew's season was cut short by injury and the team missed his tactical acumen andall round

natural ability at fly half and as a result the ball was not transferred as quickly to the wings. Osman Fiaz and Jamie Walker formed an effective pair of centres but the main scoring potential lay with the pace of Ben Blackshaw and Richard Joyce on the wings and the power of Tom Child at full back.

There are a number of playwith potential in this team but there is much work forthem to do to fulfill their promise particularly in their defence and in their commitment to training,

During the Spring term the squad, often bolstered by some of the Under 14s, performed quite at a number of Sevens Tournaments particularly at where got to the Final

Under 13 team of the previous year was strengthened by the arrival of Peter Winstanley, who was a real asset as a strong runningfly-half and goal kickerand Simon Willmoreand Gavin Forbes, who proved effective front row forwards. The team was ably led by Simon Potter, who often impressed with his strong running and tackling. There were no weaknesses in an impressive three quarter line and at times Stuart Chandler, Sam Cullen, Hugh Dimond, William Smith and Tom Smith all caught the eye with elusive running and sound defence. James Davis had a good season at scrum half and he struck up a very effective half back partnership with Winstanley. The strength of the pack was the back row of Guy Potter, Tom Cullen and Charlie Jefferson-Loveday and their ability to win loose

SPORT

ball and to use it to launch attacks was often a significant difference between our team and our opponents. The other forwards played an important part in both set and loose play and apart from those already mentioned Tim Mackenzie, Tom Hand, and Cameron Baldry contributed much towards thesuccessof the team.

There were many highlights in the season but the most satisfying performances were the drawn game with a physically superior KES Birminghamteam and hardfought victories against Monmouth and RGS Worcester. In addition to an impressive fifteen a-side season the 7 aside team won the Warwick Sevens and lost in the final of the Solihull Sevens.

B.G.

The under 13s had to deal with the problem that there was little strength in depth in their year group and therefore when the first choice players were unavailable, the team tended to struggle to match theiropponents. Nevertheless they played well to their strengths, namely Joshua Kelly in the backs and Andrew Tew in the forwards, and managed towin 6of their 13games.

Consideringthat Ben Maxwell was missing for the entire season and that the boys from Hawfordcould not always train, the team showed a great amount of fighting spirit and courage.

This season of mixed fortune started promisinglyenough with a good win 33-0 against King Henry's Coventry but Warwick and particularly Solihull proved too strong for us. Queen Mary's Walsall were more to our liking and in a close encounterweran out winners 24-17. K.E.S. Birmingham beat us by 24-17 in the next game and Macclesfield also beat us 22-0. The most conclusive victory of the season (65-0) against Bishop's Hereford followed when Toby Hewson scored "that try" - a superb solo effort, jinking hither and thither and the defence failed to lay a finger on him.

K.E.S. Aston with their usual array of sprinters were far too good but we made amends the

next week by defeating Hereford Cathedral School 22-10 in a hard game. Bristol Grammar School and the Royal Grammar School both beat us convincingly but one of the games of the season took place at Monmouth which we just managed to win after heroic last -ditch defence allowed us to hold on by 29-24.

Many thanks go to the boys themselves but also to MRG who has helped run the under 13s with enthusiasm, commitment and many excellent ideas which have been appreciated by those under his tutelage. He has now moved on to a new coaching role, having been entrusted with the 3rd XV, where his full potential as a coach will be realised.

J.L.O.

UNDERI2 XV

Having been involved with Under 12 teams for over eight years now, I don't think that I've come across a more noisy group of players, both on and off the pitch. If they can keep their discipline, however, I am confident that these boys will prove to be a particularly strong group over the next few years.

Playing records of won 9, drawn 2 and lost 2 for the A XV and won 5, drawn l,lost 4 for the Bs are extremely encouraging.

The B XV made a poor start but a good win against MonmouthSchool wasthe turning point in whatwas eventually a winning season, as Chantry, King Henry's Coventry, Solihull and Oldswinfordwereall beaten in style. Not many B XV members trained regularly however, and this is something that needs to improve if similarly successful seasons are to be enjoyed in future.

The A XV was always going to be a strong outfit, with several boysgaining valuable experience at Worcester Rugby Club. The side possessed many strong and speedy runners, with James Ranson, Matthew Lynas, Tom Mitchelland Charles Fellows being particularly prominent in

the try-scoring department. Defence was perhaps the team's greatest asset though and in closely fought encounters with RGS Worcester, King Edward's, Birmingham and Warwick the boys showed incredible determinationnot to let their line be crossed by bigger and stronger opponents. Toby Fellows was perhaps the outstanding tackler - he very rarely missed his man and he covered and supported tirelessly, but gave away far too many penalties. Sam Johnson was a skilful hooker, who also occasionally filled the scrum half berth with distinction, and he was supported in the front row by two strong and solid props, ~uentin Chandler and John Porter. Will Herriot supported bravely in the back row and centre and Laurence Hugheswas perhaps the forwards 'find of the season', as he improved dramatically in both attackand defence over the course of the season.

Regulars in the backs who haven'talreadybeen mentioned were scrum half Tom Amphlett and Jo Bond and Darach Duffy. Jo and Darach were skilful and exciting runnersandit was good to see all the three running confidently and throwing the ball around a bit more as the dry conditions took over towards the end of the season.

Many thanks are due to RJD for taking over responsibilityfor the B XV in the Spring term and the Moseley hooker and OV, Richard Protherough for his enthusiastic and good-humoured coaching, although his good humourwasputtothetest a few times!

D.P.I.

The English game is cur rently characterised in some quarters by the "workmanlike" approach and lack of flair. Despite the disdain with which some view this type of approach it has its merits. Without a solid base of application and hard work there would be no base upon which to build the more inventive game plan.

When we began to develop football at King's the technical ability of the majority of players was nottoo impressive, so many of our performanceswere "workmanlike" in their nature. It has been very gratifying to see the development of the technical ability and tactical awareness of our playerso thatwe can now play a more complete game and compete with our opponents increasingly effectively. This improvementhas not been easy to bring about and could not have been achieved without a lot of hard work by both players and coaches alike. It is clearthatthe futureof thegame at King's is very bright if we can continueto showthe dedication that has been so evident in the formative years of this sport.

FIRST XI

Played 9 Won 3 Drawn 2 Lost 4 v. Wycliffe College (a) Drew 0-0 v. Prince Henry's Evesham (a) Lost 1-3 (Shaw) v. Handsworth Grammar School (h)

Won 3-2 (Hill pen, Shaw, Seeley)

v. R.G.S., Worcester (a) Lost 0-2

v. Droitwich High School (h) Lost 2-5 (Hill, Hardy) v. Monmouth School (h) Won 2-0 (Hill, Whear) v. The Chase High School (h) Won 4-1 (Seeley, Hill 2, Lee) v. King Edward's Camp Hill (h) Drew 2-2 (Hill, own goal) v. Clifton College (h)

Lost 1-2 (Hill)

In the final analysis, the First XI won three games, lost four 1 and drew two during this sea- i son. If the success of a team is I measured entirely by the rel sults that they achieve then this : year's First XI was certainly the most successful to represent the school in the modern history of the game at King's. The 1 way in which these results were i obtained was very unpredict- ' able. Some games that should ' have been won easily weren't and others that the team had no i right to win sometimes were.

1 On several occasions the in1 ability of the team to capitalise on periods of possession was ( costly. The drawn games with Wycliffe College and King / Edward's Camp Hill could and 1 perhaps should have been won. The annual derby game against the Royal Grammar School produced one of the best performances of the season. King's ' certainly had the best of the I game but disappointinglyfailed to capitalise on the superiority that they had for long periods during the match. The defeat was hard to take.

The victories over the Chase High School, MonmouthSchool I and, most impressively, l Handsworth Grammar School

were all achieved with fine team performances in which something morethan the basic"workmanlike" effort was on display. It is, perhaps, significant to note that in each of these games the performance of the midfield playerswas particularlyimpressive. Phil Burdon, Andy Lee, RobJansen and Stuart Copson, along with newcomers Tom Soden and Will Hardy, showed throughoutthe season thatthey had the ability to dominate. It was when they were unable to do this that the team struggled.

If the bizarre happenings of thegameagainstDroitwich High School are ignored then twelve goals were conceded in eight games. The defence looked solidthroughouttheseason. Full backs Matthew Shenton and Rob Seeley looked particularly good when going forward. ltwill be difficult to forget the influence that Rob Seeley hadwhen the team seemed to be drifting to defeat at the hands of Handsworth Grammar School, his fine strike from the edge of the area and cross for Shaw's goalwere instrumental in agreat comebackvictory. Centre back pairing of veteran skipper Rob Fardon and youngster Richard Morris kept on improving as the season progressed.Tom Colley had a fine season in goal and, again apart from the Droitwich game, wasconsistencypersonified-the lynch pin of an impressive defensive unit.

A game of football is won by the team scoringthe most goals. It is the job of the striker to ensure that this happens by putting the ball in the opponents' net as often as possible.

Dan Shaw found it difficult to find his true form owing to his involvement in Rugby Sevens. Despitethis heworked hard and was difficult for oppositiondefencestocontain. The tireless efforts of James Hill were rewarded by seven goals in nine games. This is a scoring ratio that would be the envy of many top class strikers.

The season ended with a game against Clifton College. Their team contained a number of talented individuals who had been successfully integrated into a very effective team structure. They playedthetype of passing football that teams at King's should be aiming for. Despite all of their advantagesthey only managedto win by the odd goal in three. The King's team worked hard and gave them a good contest. This is particularly pleasing as five of the thirteen players on duty that day will be available for next season's first XI. The experience gained by these players during the 2000 season should prove to be invaluable when the team for the 2001 season is constructed. The future continues to look bright.

J.T.W.

SECONDXI

Played7 Won 2 Drawn 2 Lost 3 v. Wycliffe College Won 3-1 (Kelly, Arnold, Squire)

v. Prince Henry's Evesham (a) Drew 1-1 (Arnold)

v. Handsworth Grammar School (a) Lost 0-1

v. R.G.S., Worcester (h) Lost 0-1

v. Monmouth School (a) Drew 3-3 (Shimwell, Harris, Arnold pen.)

v. King Edward's Camp Hill (h) Won 3-1

v. Clifton College (a) Lost 0-3

UNDER15 XI

At the beginning of the football season, after just one match, the U15s lost their captain, Oliver Mathew, with a broken wrist, and promising 'new boy' Matt Middleton with damaged knee ligaments. Despite this, we still managed to play

well throughout the season and some of the performances were very encouraging.

The first match was away at Wycliffe, and a very good performance by the whole team led to a 2-0 win, Richard Joyce and Tom Child with the goals. It was a cold blustery day, which made playing neat football extremely difficult. Handsworth proved a more difficult team, and after a close match, King's narrowly lost 4-2. Jamie Morris moved into midfield and took over the role of captaincy, and the team had a new look. A bizarregoal changed the match -a volley from the half way line straightfromourgoalkickwhich, with help from the strong wind, looped over the helpless Luke Weaver. Afteraverydisappointing 4-0 away defeat by RGS Worcester, King's won 3-2 against Monmouth.Thewin was a lot more convincing than it looks, with Richard Joyce getting a hat-trick, and scoring one that was disallowed. Another away defeat by Chase (3-O), but a battling effort from King's, was followed by an away win against Clifton. We played with ten men from the start, and by half time, Morris had fractured his toe. Weaver played very well, as did Tom Squire and Artisham Fiaz, who scored the two goals but missed a penalty for his hat-trick.Thescoreended 2-0.The final match wasagainst Prince Henry's, Evesham. King's were missing severalfirst team players and Prince Henry's were a physically strong side, beating us 4-0. Richard

Joyce was the side's top scorer with five goals, Luke Weaver was outstanding in goal, and Ben Blackshaw, Morris, Fiaz and Child also played very well throughout the season.

JAMIEMORRIS

Afterashakystartthis proved to be an enjoyable and relatively successful season.

The first fixture against Wycliffe College was rather a bizarre game in blustery conditions, the opposition managing to score all the goals in atwo all draw! Both of their goals came from long balls over the top to their pacey six foot tall striker. With 10 minutes to go, however, Will Smith hadthe chance to win the game for King's but his firm drive was cleared off the line by James Lamb, his own skipper! In the last minute another puntforwardcaughtout our defence again but the "robust" (I think that these were his father's words!) Tom Cullen brought down the rampaging striker and Will Woodhouse made afantastic saving header from the resulting free kick.

In our second game we competedwell but lost4-1toaskilful and confident Handsworth Grammar side. The highlight for us was a superb strike from new signing Peter Winstanley.

Peter scored another excellent goal in our next game, a 1Ovictoryoverlocalrivals R.G.S. Worcester. King's dominated the first half, with the wind, but had to play largely on the break in the second as the opposition pressed for an equaliser. The

back four was marshalled extremely well by man-of-thematch Charlie JeffersonLoveday who had a nearly flawless game.

With the confidence gained from this victory King's went on to play some fluent football in the next two games to beat Monmouth College 5-1 and Clifton College 4-1. Having recently broken into the side Tom Smith impressed with two fine finishes and the pace to leave defenders in his wake.

This excellent run came to an end with a 2-0 defeat against a strong Chase High School side. Having said this, we certainly had chances to get something out of this game.

In the final game King's gave as good as they got in a "physical" game against Prince Henry's and thoroughly deserved a one-all draw.

Although we rarely dominated games in midfield, the backfive of Sam Cullen (goalkeeper), Andrew Hawkes, Charlie Jefferson-Loveday, Tom Cullen and Michael Wilesmith improved with every match, and Lamb and Winstanley always looked threatening up front (scoring a combined total of seven goals in six games).

M.C.P. / C.H.

The squad was a small one and one which, I think it is fair to say, had limitations. Even so, a respectable playing record was achieved by disciplined defensive performances and the outstanding goal scoring ability of Josh Kelly.

Josh, usually the lone striker, along with David Juckes, Alistair Bird and Alex Dobbins (captain) provided a strong central spine to the team. Other regulars were: Francis HineHughes, Ewan Stevenson, Guy Davies, Toby Hewson, James Rees-Phillips, Dean McBride and Andrew Tew.

D.T.N.

Rowing is in a very healthy state with over 90 pupils representing the school in open competition. With the majority of last season's girls' squad leaving we were left with a young and enthusiastic girls'top group. It was left to the boys' eight to set the standards. The boys' top crews have under gone several years of re-building and that work is now starting to come to fruition. An excellent season was had cumulating in a very strong performance at Henley. RJ has coached the top group this year and did an excellent job. He will be badly missed. We also lost the boat club captain, Seb Pearce, who helped greatly in the running of the club. He was selected to represent Great Britain at the Coupe d'Jearnes held in Switzerland, was given the top boat to cox and returned with two gold medals. A fitting end to his school rowingcareer,and hopefully astartto his roleasasenior international.

A.I.G.

SENIOR BOYS

The end of a highly successful season for the Boys' Senior Squad brought many successes: from the J16 4+ smashing the course record for their event at Wycliffe Head, to the 1" 44 beating Shrewsbury School at Shrewsbury, the winsgrew moreand more convincing and impressive as the season wore on.

Although early results were reasonable (with over 11 finishes in the top 3 during the Head Season, including2 wins at Wycliffe Head and a win at Worcester Head)they were not up to the standards reached in the Regatta Season. Mr Jones'

coaching ensured that the senior crews were ready for the early regattas, this beingproved by the First Eight winning in style against St. Edward's School at Birmingham, and the J16 'A'4- putting in a good show against the Irish Lightweight Olympic crew at Nottingham City Regatta(spiritsatthisevent being further lifted by John Maxwell stepping off the edge of the landing stage and accidentally falling into the lake).

Then, at Shrewsbury, the IS' 4+ (Phil Ryder, James Scott, Mike Finlay, Ben Hickling and Seb Pearce) won S2 4+s against Shrewsbury School in a very dominant and convincing manner. This was the first of the major clashes of the season between King's and Shrewsbury, continued at the National Schools Regatta. The J16s crushed their opposition in the first round, came second in the semi-final and finished the final in fifth place. The 1" 4 had a good regatta,reachingthesemifinal in a very tough field, narrowly missing out on a final place. While this was going on, the2ndEight was racingin Fours and Eights at Worcester Regatta, doing very well, while not quite managing to win either event.

The highlights of the season were yet to come, however: at Tewkesbury Regatta a J16 'B' 4+ coached by Mr Hinds won easily against a good field (James Gilbert, Bill Brigden, Jonathan Richards, Matthew Bird and Alasdair Colquhoun).

At Henley Royal Regatta came the finest hour of a King's School crew for a great many years. Having qualified for Henley, the First Eight raced at Marlow Regatta to prepare themselvesforthe Royal. However, after a poor performance and disgruntlement with the boat, John Maxwell decided to 'arrange' a Resolute Eight for the school to row at Henley. So, with a state of the art, £30,000 boat at their disposal, the first Eight had a very real chance to make a name for themselves at Henley. And that they did, by defeating the Oxford University Lightweight Eight twice in training, and by crushing Monkton Combe School by four lengths in the first round of the event.

First Vlll at Henley

This was the first time since 1990that the school had won a race at Henley. They went out in the next round to St. Paul's School- one of the seeds in the event, but by one length. The only regret the crew had about the Henley experience was that they had to give back the borrowed boat at the end of the regatta.

The end of the season was a mixtureof disgraceandtriumph. Disgrace for Mr Guest, who when coxingthe OV eight at the School Regatta, decided to cheat and jump the start, giving the OV crew a huge and illegal advantage. Wewonderwhether or not the chief coach should perhaps read the rulesof racing before next year, and we are still waiting for an apology. On a brighter note, at the National Championships the following weekend, the J16 'A' 4+ raced to a silver medal in the face of very stiff competition. Again this was the first time the School had won a male medal at the National Championships since 1990.The cox, Mike Davis, was instrumentalin spurring hiscrew to this great achievement.

Full Colours were awardedto the First Eight of Dan Turner, Will Rimell, James Scott, John Maxwell, Scott Rennie, Mike Finlay, Ben Hickling,Phil Ryder and Seb Pearce.

Finally, the Boy's Senior Squad would like to thank Mr Jones for coaching the First

SPORT

season consisting of shorter courses. They competed at Birmingham Shrewsbury, again without much success, with several local crews having very strong crews in this age group.

Eight during such an enjoyable and brilliantly successful season, Mr Hinds for coaching the Second Eight and the J16 'B' 4, aswell as for beingthere to look after anything that went wrong with equipmentduringthewhole season, and lastly thanks goes to an American, Mr Boyd Little, the MD of Resolute Racing Shells, who made our Henley dream come true.

JAMESSCOTT

SENIOR GIRLS

The girls' squad has had an unusual year, left with just afew membersofthe previous year's very strong squad. A relatively young and inexperiencedgroup began training in September. Several Head races were attended and at all of these the crews produced very competitive times with some very high placings. As this was such an inexperienced squad and the majority of the girls were still novices, thedecision was made to send a novice Vlll to the National Schools Head in London. The girls won gold in the national event and this boosted confidence no end.

We attended the National Ergo championships which were held in Nottingham, competing invariouscategoriesover 2000m with top performances from Lorna Bannon, Alex Phillips, Elizabeth Lewis and Jessica Oakley, who excelled this year taking several school records.

Several local regattas were visited, the highlight of which was Evesham. The Vlll won Novice Vllls on the Saturday and both Novice and Senior 4 Vllls on the Sunday.

At National Schools regatta the J16 four and the first Vlll had bad races in very poor conditions.

A four was sent to Women's Henley and althoughthey were knocked out on the first day by the eventual winners of their event, the crew of Mike Davis (cox) Anna Haigh, Elizabeth Lewis, Sophie Moule and Jessica Oakley had a fantastic time at the international regatta.

Endingon a high note theVlll won at Ironbridge, the girls' last regatta together.

This year has not always been successful but it has been fun both on and off the water. The squad has flourished, as have friendships. The girls have been the life of every regatta they have attended and have enjoyed every minute.

JESSICAOAKLEY

J 15 SQUAD

The J15 squad matured in strength and rowing skills during the season but never quite managed to win any finals. Their first competition was the Worcester Head (a three mile long course). They then went on to London Head with another satisfactory result. Then came the regatta

The next event was the National Schools' Championship andthis time thecrewwas looking its best, but the weather was against them and the racing had to be cancelled. The last race of the season was at Tewkesbury. The squad entered an Vlll and a coxed IV. The Vlll won their first heat convincingly. The second heat was extremely close and the team was narrowly beaten by WRGS. The IV looked very strong, They won theirfirst heat, and 160kedlikelywinnersof the event, but had problems in the semi- final when the steering broke.

PETERFINLAY

UNDER 15 GIRLS

The one thing that has to be said about this season is that it has probably been a harder season for the girls' coach, Paul Stercx, than it has been for the girls themselves! The Girls J15 Squad didn't seem to understand the importance of the wintertraining schedule but as time went on they slowly began to comprehend and eventually they did manage to conform to the skeleton of the training plan!

The squad consisted of two coxed quads, Paul had made the decision early on in the year to keep the girls sculling for the season as he had (and hopefully still does) high hopes that this group of girls shall equal if not exceed the talents of the Upper Sixth of two years ago.

They did have a few magic moments this season, one of which was Birmingham regatta. The two quads that raced were the Aquad, containingJuliaGilbert, Ava Goodman, Rachel Dawson, Lee Rennie and Hannah Stewart as cox. This quad hadafine set of heats and brkezed through their final. The other quad had a fine crew consisting of Amiee Shaw, Caroline Hart, Martha Papaphilippopoulos, Bonnie Posselt and Becky Keen ascox. This crew also did extremely

Mary Anne Keyes dedicates one of the school's new Fours to Ben Singleton, 0.V. well and lost in the final. The other achievement worth mentioning is the National Championships in which the A quad finally gelled asacrewandcame a very close second in their heat, taking them straight into their final. They did not win the final but they had proved to themselves that they had potential and asound base to build on. Well done to the girls and perhaps next season they will actually do some training!

LEERENNIE

J 14 Boys

This year was a very promising one for the new Lower Removes. Training at first started miserably due to the weather, but nevertheless the boys stuck to it and improved in leaps and bounds within a matter of months.

With regattasat Birmingham, Shrewsbury, Tewkesbury, Worcester and Ironbridge, all the boys won tankards from their winning spree, which was very impressive for their first year sculling. The 'A' quad's crew won 3 out of their 5 regatta entries, and the 'B' quad's crew won 1 of their 5 regatta entries. The octuple's crew did very well to win 1 of their 3 regatta entries.

At the very end of the season the 'A' quad crew were entered into the National Rowing

Championships of Great Britain. The only way to select the quad was to go through weeks of seat racing to find the best crew, which was harder than AIG suspected. Tim Mackenzie narrowly lost out for a place in the crew, as did Tom DenleghMaxwell.After all Tom had done for the 'A' quad's crew through the season, being chosen to cox the crew rewarded him. A crew was then selected, Zac Purchase, Guy Potter, Simon Potter and Stuart Chandler. Despite being one of the least experienced crews at the competition, they still managed to make the final comfortably and finish fourth in a very tough and challenging race. They lost out to a third place medal by 0.6 seconds, and finished 3 seconds behind the winners.

The rowers in this age group have been very dedicated throughout the whole season, all achieving regatta wins. Tom Kenrick, Guy Brunt, Tom Johnson, Tim Mackenzie, Simon Potter, Zac Purchase, Simon Willmore,Guy Potterand Stuart Chandler, Tom DenleghMaxwell, Ben Maxwell and the promising coxes, Cameron Baldry and Chris Fulton can work well together next season to produce many wins. Many thanks go to AIG for coaching, even if he did shout at us a lot.

STUARTCHANDLER

CRICKET

You're about to umpire an Under 14 game and it's drizzling. Because of the fourterm academic year you are now playing some fixtures in September and you are anxious to play today because last term you couldn't get any of your boys to play as they were all too busy working for the new pre-GCSE examinations. The opposition seem keen to get on with it, so although the groundsman has made it quite clear (in no uncertain terms) that he feels the pitch is unfit, the game gets started. The bruise on your chin is still tender from when the master in charge of rugby lost his temper in an argument over the availability of boys for rugby and cricket, but despite this you feel pleased that you've made the effort to play and your boys will surely appreciate this opportunity to get some competitive cricket. The first innings has almost been completed and surprisingly you have only had to award the batting side a total of 15 runs for 'sledging' and time wasting by the fielders and bowlers.

The fast bowler runs in to start another over but on following through cries out in agony. He has let the ball go however

andthedelivery isfast andshort, forcing the batsman toduck into the delivery and to be struck a sickening blow on the side of the.. . . .. . . . . helmet?Where's his helmet? As nightmarestend to go, what you're sure was there originally has now disappeared and the bare-headed batsman is now prostrate on the turf and is very still. The bowler meanwhile has collapsed in front of you, moaning about the dreadful pain in his back.

It's at this point that the scorer shouts out from the boundary that this particular bowler has already bowled two more overs than he should have done in this spell (accordingto the ECB directiveonschoolboy fast bowlers). Parents start running onto the field, questioning yourcompetence - howcould this boy be allowed to bat against a quick bowler without a helmet and whywas this boy over-bowled? Legal papers are being waved in your face as you gratefully emerge from your troubled sleep, perspiring heavily and yelling for the staff handbook and the Bursar . . . .. .. . Agloomy picture! But despite the best efforts of the English Cricket Board, a society obsessed with health and safety and an exam-mad academic environment to interrupt the smooth running of school cricket, the game is in good shape at King's.

I am indebted to the members of staff here who coach, organise, enthuse and cajole and who give up hours of their time in the summer to help the sport flourish. We have a fight on our hands over the next few years to persuade pupils (particularly those who are perhaps less expert) that an afternoon or two of cricket a week will not damage their exam prospects. Schools such as ours will be much the poorer if we allow the time devoted to this wonderful game to be eroded.

D.P.I. I" XI

This was yet another outstanding season for the 1st XI. They did not lose to another school side, except for a very strong South African touring side. Although itwasanticipated

IBatting

S. Ott

R. Hallett

J. Robinson

N. Major

P. Burdon

N. Dale-Lace

R.Fardon

J. Gwynne

Bowling

J. Hill

R. Seeley

R. Fardon

N. Dale-Lace

P. Hallett

Record: Played 17, Won 9, Drawn 6, Lost 2

that our batting would be the strength of the side, the bowling proved to be both incisive and miserly, and thus the only team to score over 135 against them on a Saturday were the Royal Grammar School, who managed 195. The side's fielding was again superb, reflecting both the amount of time spent practisingit and the fact that the team was very athletic.

Our decision to field whenever we won the toss meant that our batsmen rarely had the chance to make big scores.

However it was slightly disappointing that the top order failed to make regular60 not outsand therefore win games by 9 wickets rather than by 6. This was due to a lack of concentration when chasing small totals, and one or two of them not valuing their wicket highly enough. Although it could be argued that the top three of Phil Burdon, Joe Robinson and Nick Major were still young as Fifth Formers, they had over eighty 1st XI games under their belts and thusexperienceshouldnot have been a problem. They are all very talented players, Burdon playing the best innings of the year in scoring 77 against RGS Worcester, Robinson makingan excellent 40 against a Worcestershire CCC Development XI,

are currently playing first class

cricket, and Major, whose season started slowly but who scored heavily in July.

Steven Ott scored the only l whichcontainedsixplayerswho century of the season, a superb innings of 111 against Wolverhampton Grammar School. No longer seemingly plagued by nerves, his batting flourished in his final season, many of his innings beingcharacterized by huge sixes into the County Ground. The middleorder rarely had the chance

to make big scores, but Rob Fardon made an excellent 62 against the MCC, Richard Hallett scored his maiden Ist XI fifty against the OVs, and skipper Nick Dale-Lace scored a crucial 67 against Solihull in the first match of the season. This was a tremendously exciting game, which really set the tone for the rest of the year. We batted poorly on a slow, wet track and were skittled out for 116. We then proceeded to bowl and field

superbly, rolling Solihull over for 107. This gave the team tremendous self-belief which pulled us through a number of tight spots during the season. Our bowling was lead by Robert Seeley and James Hill, both left arm seam bowlers. Seeley had put on a good yard of pace since the previous season and was generally fast for schoolboy cricket. He finished the season with 27 wickets, and was still probably our unluckiest bowler. He regularly bowled in excess of 16 overs, his second spell often being quicker than his first. Hill really came into his own this year, full of confidence in his own ability. He took 21 wickets, including a tremendous spell against Bromsgrove in which he reduced the opposition from 45 for 1 to 46for 6. Spinning duties were primarily undertaken by Dale-Lace,and although he did not have as productive a season as the previous year he still took 34 wickets and regularly caused mayhem for the opposition's batsmen. Rob Fardon bowled his off spin with much greater control and variation than last year, and ended up with very impressive figures. Paul Hallett,Osman Fiaz,Steve Daley and Ben Pitts also took wickets for the side, but all lacked consistency. It is crucial that these players, along with Burdon and Robinson, work hard on their actions over the winter, so as to ensure we do

not have to chase too much leather next summer.

I would like to thank the boys for the commitment they showed last season. With exams seeming to start earlier, to go on for longer and to be more in number, the pressure on the boy's time is great. Even the Lower Sixth year is no longeran easy option with the advent of AIS levels. I would also like to thank DPI for his expert organisation and coaching, and Phil for the excellent tracks that we played on throughout the term. Next season will be very long, culminating with ourtourto Barbados, buttime always passes quickly when you are winning and having fun!

A.A.D.G.

A great start, a lousy middle two-thirds, a glorious finish. After the 98-run rout of Solihull in early May we might have expected a vintage season. The bowlingof Paul Hallett (3-7)and Adam Papaphilippopoulos (48) destroyed the opposition after a decent batting performance by the King'sside,inwhich Hallettscored36andJon Squire 38 towards a total of 150. Of course, the first consequence was that we lost Hallett to the First XI for the rest of the season! In the second match, with ascratchWednesday afternoon team, we still managed a

respectable total of 162-9: FraserYoung, nowastalwartofthe side, made the first of his two 50s in the season and George Wilesmith, promoted to open the innings, compensated somewhat for running out Stephen Protherough by scoring 22; newcomer Duncan Griffiths made 29, and then took224 in Wrekin College's reply. Wilesmith also had a good allround performance by dismissing 3 batsmen,but Wrekinoverhauled us and won by 3 wickets. The batting performance against Wolverhampton

Grammar School, a new fixture, was disappointing. After the bowlers (Wilesmith 3-18, Papaphilippopoulos3-29, Protherough and the ever-reliable Simon Sargent one wicket each) had dismissed the opposition for 135, only Squire (35) progressed beyond the teens, though a last-wicket stand between Griffiths and James Byrne delayed the inevitable.

We might have arrested the decline had not rain intervened at Hereford after our batsmen had made 170-5. Young made

another 50, Richard Morris chipped in with one of several useful scores (36) and there was an undefeated sixth-wicket stand between Papaphilippopoulos (23*) and Tom Soden (29*). But everything went pear-shapedagainst a chirpy Bromsgrove. Despite Ben Pitts's amazing figures of 8 for 42, Bromsgrove managed to score 188-9 in the 40 overs available - helped in part by the fact that we had only 10 men. Squire and Philip Chaundy, the captain, each scored 20, but it wasonly duetoaninth (i.e. last) wicket resistance by Pitts (l*) and Jordan Shimwell (O*), playing his only match, that we escaped with a draw at 108-8.

Then came three defeats in a row - two of them, admittedly, in limited-overs rather than real matches. Against Christ College Brecon the batting was reasonable, with Morris scoring 41, Chaundy 36, and another unbroken stand between Papaphilippopoulosand Soden (22 each), but the bowlersStephen Daly's 2-26 apartmade little impression and Brecon scored 169-3 to win a limited-oversgame by seven wickets. It was a proper game against KES Birmingham, but not proper batting: the highest score in our 98 was Papaphilippopoulos's 19, and Protherough'sspell of 2-28 was not enough to stop KES winning by 7 wickets. We did a bit better against Bristol Grammar

School, but still lost a limitedovers match - again with only 10 men. Pitts, Daly and Byrne all took 2 wickets - Byrne at last being given a decent spell -and atonestageourbatsmen looked on target for victory. Despite Morris's being run out for nought, 30 from Soden and 33 from newly arrived Andrew Lee seemed promising; but two more run-outs and the absence of an eleventh man left us 4 short of their total.

All these failures wereforgotten, however, on the last Saturday of term, when Chaundy's men rose to the big occasion, the match against the Royal Grammar School. This time we had eleven men and they had ten, an advantage our bowlers pressed home by restricting RGS to 142. Several contributed, with Daly and Pitts getting 3 wickets each and the spinners, Protheroughand Byrne, 2 each. The batting, far from falling apart, was really quite clinical. Morris laid the foundation with 33, Lee made victory certain with 54, and Young stayed with him and on to the end with 32*. There was a time when the mostwe hopedforagainstRGS was a glorious draw; our recent record is two wins and a draw in the last three seasons.

Still on a highthe team played an extra fixture against the Old VigorniansonKing's Daywhich they won comfortably. Yet another good innings from Morris (32) and another not out (50, this time) from Soden, whose season average was 47, combined with Pitts's first substantial contribution with the bat, 24*, to produce a total of 170-6. The bowlers once again put together a consistent performance: Wilesmith and Protherough took 3 wickets each, and PittsandDaly shared the other 4. The OVs were dismissed for 140 and the season ended as it had begun.

Overall the bowlers were pretty consistentthroughoutthe season; Protherough would have been more successful if the fielders had hung on to a few catches! The batsmen usually looked promising, but seldom did more than one or two come off in the same innings and there was a tendency to reach about 20 and then get out. The spirit, however, was

excellent and several of the team will be back next year to turn their potential into more actual results. Let's hope they can cope without the reassuring presence of the recent leavers, in particular Chaundy, a 100% reliable captain, Squire (who kept wicket equally reliably for two seasons), Young, who batted with the tortured concentration of Wittgenstein, and Wilesmith, whose bowling action, running between wickets, and post-wicket celebrations will never be replaced!

R.N.G.S.

UNDER 15 XI

The season began with adraw against Solihull. There was a win against Wolverhampton Grammar School after King's made 130 and bowled Wolverhampton out for 33, Osman Fiaz taking six wickets for 11 runs. The Hereford Cathedral fixture was abandoned because of rain but the side had a confidence boost in a victory over Bromsgrove after we scored 158 (Fiaz 41 and Harry Travers 26) and then bowled the opposition out for 118with Fiaz taking three more wickets and Luke Weaver bowling a superbly aggressive but controlled spell in which he dismissed four of their top order. The first defeat of the season was against Christ College Brecon when Brecon scored 161 for 3 and we were bowled out for 136. The Brecon batsmen were very good indeed, but we were rather intimidated by their total and never felt confidentabout overhauling it. In the end, however, we got pretty close and a number of our top order were then to realize that if they hadn't got themselves out cheaply, and if we had been more positive, we could indeed have won the match. A twenty over match against Chase High School ended in a victory by two runs, Robert Colquhoun making a typically aggressive and powerful contribution. There was another win against Bristol Grammar School with King'sscoring 157 and then bowling Bristol out for90. Oliver Mathew hit some good form with the bat on this occasion. The real disappointment was against the RGS Worcester when we could

manage only 61 runs, the top order mustering very few between them. Even then, however, WRGS had a couple of wobbles in their chase, and again we were left feeling 'if only...'. Other players who contributed very effectively throughout the season were Robert Donovan with his slow left arm stuff, Alastair Young behind the stumps, Tom Rosoman who batted sensibly and calmly in a number of tight situations, James Greenfield who was particularly quick in the field, Andrew Wright, and Dan Jones whose run-up terrified one or two number 11s. It was rather a mixed season in terms of results, but this was a very pleasant team to work with and it was an enjoyable summer.

M.A.S./S.LE

M. UNDER14 XI

Excellent bowling and sharp fielding but inconsistent batting (which was not helped by the absence of both Sam Cullen and Hugh Dimond through injury) led to an exciting and reasonably successful season (record - played 12, won 7, tied 1, lost 4). As well as being the leading bowler, with the superb figures of 66.5 - 12158 - 31, Will Smith also proved to be a thoughtful and confident captain. On the bowling front he was well supported by Peter Winstanley who took 20 wickets at an average of 8.1, and also contributed several hard-hitting innings. Although Tom Cullen had a good run in the first half of the season and Hugh Dimond played several fluent innings

on his return from injury, the batting which looked strong on paper never really came together on a consistent basis.

Although our first fixture against Solihull ended in a two wicket defeat, an aggressive 48fromTom Cullen (who hit at least one six in each of his first five innings) and a dogged 23 from Will Woodhouse had led us to a decent score of 151 for 6.

A similar score the following week (Tom Lea 29, Tom Cullen 28) proved to be far too much for a Wolverhampton Grammar School with Smith, Winstanley andWilliamWoodhouseall picking up three cheap wickets.

Having found their line and length, ourbowlersthenskittled Hereford Cathedral for 12 (Winstanley 5-3-3-5)inalO wicket victory.

Our next game was a 79 run victory over Bishop's Hereford, Winstanley (34) and Sam Cullen (24) making their first major contributions with the bat and Smith again bowling an excellent line and length (8 -2- 10-4).

Having won the toss at Bromsgrove we were soon in dire straits at 14 for 5. Then followed the most responsible innings of the season fromTom Cullen (34) who was well supported in a crucial standard of 52 by Tom Weston. Although some bold hitting from Michael Wilesmith took us to 92, the opposition appearedto becruising at 63 for 2 with plenty of overs to spare. All our bowlers stuck at their task, however,

andtheoppositionneededthree runs off the final over with three wickets in hand. Winstanley gave King's the chance of an unlikely victory by clean bowling two of their batsmen but their last man in got a leg bye to tie the match at 92 for 9!

In our next match we met Old Swinford in the first round of the Lord's Taverners' Cup. Batting first a King's side lacking three key players collapsed to 25 for 6 before Smith and Simon Potter led a recovery to 86 for 9. Good bowling from Smith and Rammy Arafa reduced the opposition to 75 for 9 but their last man played some well-timed strokes to earn his side a thrilling one wicket victory.

In what must have been one of the hottest days of the summer King's bowled and fielded well to dismiss Christ College, Brecon for 121, 'golden arm' Tom Weston picking up two important wickets. King's knocked off the runs quickly (Dimond 33, Wilesmith 26) and got back to Worcester just in time for an important football game!

The final game of the season ended in the narrowest of defeats by local rivals R.G.S. Worcester. On what looked to be an above average batting tracksmith bowledsuperbly(l 0 - 2- 22 - 6) to leave the opposition on 110for9 off their allotted overs. King's appearedto have the match won when Tom Lea and Wilesmith opened with 63 but this was followed by some very poor shot selection and an eventual collapse to 108 all out, which was a hugely disappointing way to finish the season.

The B XI ended up winning three of the four games they played. In the first against Solihull King's helped the opposition reach 118 off 18 overs by dropping eight catches (mostly off Tom Pickrell!). In our reply Weston, Wilesmith, Mark Nichols and captain James Davis all batted positively but we still ended up 8 runs short. This was followed by much better fielding and convincing victories against Bromsgrove (40 runs), K.E.S. Birmingham (150 runs) and R.G.S. Worcester (6 wickets). Batting highlights included fifties from Rory Ewers, Davis, William Woodhouseand

Dimond whilst Nick Tsang and Tom Smith were consistent wicket takers. Simon Potter helped to banish memories of our poor fielding against Solihull by taking a breathtaking catch in the final game. Davis and Nichols both impressed when captaining the side.

M.C.P. / A.W.L.

The season proved to be an inconsistent one. The team at times showed tremendous form, as in the matches against Christ College Brecon, Hereford Cathedral School, KES Birmingham and Ridgeway, but in many of our othergames we either batted too poorly or bowled inadequately.

Injuries to Joshua Kelly and David Jukes reduced our bowling and batting strength enormously. Guy Davies was the pick of the bowlers, but I was also pleased with the progress made by Duncan Colquhoun as he learned to vary his pace. Our other sound medium pace bowlers were Dean McBride, Stuart Doolittle and Rory Biddulph. Of the spinners, Jonathan Feldman was the most effective and his 'wrong un' was a pleasure to watch.

Toby Hewsonfielded well and began to bat more effectively as did Rory Biddulph, Duncan Colquhoun, Mohan Gondhalekar, Matthew Bird, Joshua Smith and Alexander Dobbins; the latter also has an

excellent throwing arm. Francis Hine-Hughes was neat behind the stumps and he also has quick hands. The bowling and batting honours for the season were gained by the captain of the side Guy Davies, Joshua Kelly and Dean McBride. Guy took 15 wickets with his best being 3-14 against Hereford Cathedral School, Joshua 14 (5-19 against Brecon) and Dean 11 with his best being the 6 for 14 against Wolverhampton. Guy scored an average of 20 runs with his best performance being in the KES Birmingham match and against whom he batted undefeatedfor 33 overs. Josh averaged 19 runs and Dean 11. All our other batsman failed to reach double figures, which illustrates our problem during the season. This is a malaisewhich is not only aproblem for this team, but it also manifests itself in the national side. Unless there is some disciplined battingwith the accompanying sound technique the bowlers are going to have a lot to do!

M.R.G.

UNDERI2 XI

I well remember the first indoor net session we had with the under 12s last year. We thought that we had a reasonably talented crop of players. After the first two games we needed to reappraisethe situation having drawn with Solihull and lost to Oldswinford respectively and scoring only

115 runs in both games combined. Our batting proved the weakest part of our game and we underlined this against Hereford Cathedral School when losing 6 wickets chasing a very modest total of 42. Bishop's Hereford provided the next opposition and we at last began to show some form by overhauling their score of 88 all out for the loss of 6 wicketsMatthew Lynas and John Porter scoring 23 and 24 not out respectively.Against the Chase we fielded a mixed 'A' and 'B' team but were soundly beaten by 9 wickets, although Charles Fellows, Simon lnsley and Charles Cliff all batted quite well.. K.E.S. Birmingham provided the next opposition and despite starting the game badly we struggled to 90 - 8 with Charlie Fellowsagaingiving the innings some impetus and Simon lnsley remaining undefeated on 26. We bowled well and dismissed KES for 71, Simon lnsley taking 3 wickets. Bristol were dismissed for 55 but our early season batting problems returned to haunt us and we surpassed this meagre total for 8 wickets, with no batsman masteringthe bowling. We were indebted to a total of 28 extras! Our final game against the RGS Worcester is best forgotten. Apartfrom Simon lnsley with a defiant 37, no one else managed double figures and 82 was never likely to be an adequate total. We lost by 8

wickets. In the cup competition we beat EdgecliffeSchool convincingly and then Dyson Perrins with a bit of a struggle before succumbing to a Bromsgrove outfit by 85 runs. The 'B' team's best performance came in their second

match against the Grammar School. We chased 62 to win

and achieved this score for the lossof 6wickets.James Priddey top-scored with 37 and Hywel Rees batted well at the end, guiding the team to a well-deserved victory.

Ourfirst impressions,despite being somewhat optimistic, were probably not too wide of the mark. The strength of the side was clearly the bowling and the batters will need to reapply themselves next year and learn thevirtuesof patienceand shot-selection during this winter! The fielding was comical at times, and I believethat there is a Jonty Rhodes fielding video on sale in the school shop. Despite these shortcomings the overallperformanceswerefairly pleasingandall theplayerstried hard in practicestodevelop their talent.

J.L.O.1R.J.D.

SENIORSCHOOLATHLETICS

Athletics continues to be 1 something of a Cinderella 1 sport at King's in spite of be1 ing, on paper at least, the biggest coeducationalsport at the I School. We have two trump cards which other sports do not possess. Firstly, the nature of our sport and the organisation of the English Schools' Athletics Association enables us to have quantifiable performances and a clear progression towards representative honours. Secondly, sports days give us the privileged position of mass participation and a natural showcase.

Ideally it would be good to have more block fixtures, Senior, Under 17, Under 15, girls 1 and boys, but practically it is very difficult. Even for our one across the board fixture at Bromsgrove (with seven other competingschools) pupils have

Results at a glance:

to be beggedand borrowedfrom Rowing and Cricket in order to fieldacompetitiveteam.Intruth, there are not enough strong athletes to cover all of the summer Sports. Even so, for all athletesthereisatleastone match, aDistrict Championshipandthe Senior athletic sports and the County championship and the Mason Trophy forselected athletes.

There were many notable performances during the season but perhaps the highlight was the victorious Senior 4 X 100m relay team of Harris, Shaw, Blackshaw and Plank at Bromsgrove. It was satisfying to win the last event of that particular afternoon against strong opposition. Individually, the most determined performance was perhaps that of

Anneka ~uttbnin qualifying for the county championship in the junior 1500m. In terms of excellence, Jess Higgs's (JG) double gold in the County Javelin and Shot, Ben Blackshaw's 12.68TripleJumpasafirstyear intermediate, Dan Plank's (SB) 10.8 in the1OOm and 2.05 in the HighJumpandTomHarris'(SB) 52 second cruise in the 400m were probably the pick. However, pride of place this year goes to Amy Jones who qualified for the English Schools'

Championship in the JG 200m. Unfortunately our other representative, Dan Plank, had an injury-hitseason andwas forced to withdraw.

A thank you to all members of staff who gave up their time to coach and officiate and in particular to FLS and PTG. There were occasions on the Monday night training sessions at the City Track that we felt like a proper club. PTG's excellent sprint sessions attracted an interesting cross section of the School. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage athletes to join aclub. Nigel Blackshaw, Tom Colley and Luke Amphlett joined Worcester AC, trained regularly on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and took advantage of the open meetings on offer.

In all well over one hundred pupils competedforthe School, thirty five were selected to represent the City of Worcester, twelve were City champions and nine went on to win medals at the County Championships. The County medallists were: Senior Boys: Bronze Nigel BlackshaW Javelin

lntermediate Boys:

Gold Ben Blackshaw

Triple Jump

lntermediate Girls:

Gold Samantha Doughty Shot

Silver Stephanie Crowe

100m

Bronze Natalie Higgs Shot

.........

Junior Boys:

Bronze Stuart Chandler

Junior Girls:

U4 Victor Ludorum

U4 Victrix Ludorum Lara

L4 Victor Ludorum

L4 Victrix Ludorum Harriet Davis

800m

Gold Jessica Higgs

Shot and Javelin

Gold Amy Jones 200m

There were creditable performances from a number of other athletes who finished just outside the medals. Annie Sutton and James Davis ran well in their respective 1500m races and William Walker, Adrian Uren, Francis Gwilliam and Tim MacKenzie reached the last six in their field events. Unfortunately, there were also a lot of absentees: Dan Plank, SBI OOmIHJ, Tom Harris SB400m, Nick Major IB loom, Richard Joyce IB 800m and Charles Jefferson-Loveday JB 800m were all potential medallists. In all twelve of the thirty five selected were unable to attend.

Three pupils went on to be selected for Hereford and Worcestershire and won their County vests in the prestigious MasonTrophy, an inter-County match against Greater Manchester, Merseyside,Cheshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, West Midlandsand Avon. Finally,two athletes qualified for the English Schools' championship.

THEMASON TROPHY

The following pupils were selected: lntermediate Girls:

Samantha Doughty Shot Junior Girls: Jessica Higgs Shot & Javelin

.................. AmyJones 200m

At the Mason trophy Amy achieved an English Schools' qualifying time of 26.4 and as previously stated she went on to represent the School and County at the national event.

Full Colours:Nigel Blackshaw

Half Colours:

Samantha Doughty

William Walker

Stephanie Crowe

Natalie Higgs

Ben Blackshaw (re-awarded) Amy Jones

This evening meetingwas held on Wednesday 7th July at the City track, Nunnery Wood between 6 and 9pm. The format for the competition was once again along the lines of the Europa Cup with all results counting towards one overall trophy.

SPORTS DAY

Wulstan retained their title for the fourth consecutive year. Seven new School records were set: Stephanie Crowe (IG) 1OOm and 200m 12.9 and 28.6 respectively, Amy Jones

Intermediate Victor Ludorum: Oliver Mathew (W)

Junior Victor Ludorum

Stuart Chandler (0) Tom Cullen (W) (JG) 200m 26.9,- ~nnekaSut(JG) I5Oom 5.329 Emil~ Freeman (IG) Javelin 26.93, Becky Gwilliam (JG) TJ 8.79 and Francis Gwilliam (IG) Discus 22.48. Senior Victor Ludorum

Daniel Plank (W)

Victrix Ludorum: Anna Brooks (K)

FOURTHFORMATHLETICS

At the District Minors championship six of our pupils were selected to represent the city of Worcester by finishing orsecond in theirevents.Joshua Kelly won the Long Jump with an excellent leap of 5m,

Lara Fisher and Jenny Tamblyn were runners up in the Triple Jump, 1OOm and 1500m

Andrew Tew won the Javelin and Shot, Lauren Wood ran bravely from the front to serespectively. There were also some encouraging performances by L4 pupils. Thomas Mitchell, who would seem to be a good prospect as a sprinterljumper, finished fourth in his events and Charles Fellows was unfortunate to finish only third after throwing an impressive 30m 27cm in the Javelin.

I cure her 800m title, Ed Hardy,

Overall, there were fewer qualifiers than in recent years. The stronger U4 athletes also competedontwo occasionswith the year above and, in their own

James Scott finishes in the School Cross Country

match, against four other schools, the boys narrowlywon whilst the girls finished a rather disappointing fourth.

THECOUNTYMINORSCHAMPIONSHIP

At the County Championship the six selected athletes could only compete in one event. The following three won medals:

Joshua Kelly .............. Gold Long Jump (4.96)

Andrew Tew Silver Javelin (33.40) 600g

Lauren Wood Bronze 800m (2.34)

FOURTH FORM SPORTS

For the first time the event was held at the City Track. I hope those present will agree that the move to this purpose built stadium isone that should be repeated. Five records were broken: Lara Fisher (200m) 28.5, Lauren Wood (800m) 2.31, Jenny Tamblyn (1500m 5.44, Andrew Tew

WSPORT

managed to keep this winning form and beat Alcester Grammar 2 -0 with some superb goals from Emily Freeman.

(Javelin) 34.27 and Charles Fellows (Javelin) 27.28. Others performances worthy of a District Standard were Joshua Kelly's sprint double and long jump, Andrew Tew's 11m shot putt, Lara Fisher's 1OOm, Darach Duffy's 800m, and Tom Mitchell's 400m. School Standards were gained by Duncan Brown, Ed Hardy, Josh Smith, Ally Bird, Danielle Shingler and Beth Ghalamkari. I am unable to mention all of the individual winners in a report like this but clearly there are a number of pupils with potential. Of course, athletics, particularly on sports day, is not just about the more able pupils and I congratulate nearly all who took part on their performances. However I do challenge both year groups, particularlythe L4 girls,to practise hard and raise the standard of their athletics. There is much to be done if we are to compete successfully.

D.T.N.

e had a tough start to the season with our first game against MGC. The team played well after a disastrous first half but lost 3-0. This was a pattern that we failed to get out of for quite some time. The next match was a very heavy defeat against Prince Henry's. The team was still finding its feet.

Wethen attendedthe County Tournament, where we were drawn a tough section. We should have won our first two matchesbut didn't and wecould not cope with the stiff opposition providedbyWorcester Sixth Form College and Bromsgrove. Bothteams fielded several Englandplayers and a large number of county players. We need an astro turf to compete at this level.

We continued to lose, going down 7 -0 to a school that we normally beat. This was a turning point and a dramatic reorganization of the team took place, bringing in several younger players.

Injuries hampered our progress and we lost 8 - 0 to Wrekin College. A heavy loss but partsof the game were good for us. We had improved technically but we still had a long way togo.The nextfew matches were no better, we lost 6 - 0 to MalvernCollege,5-0to Pate's, 7 - 0 to Hereford Cathedral School and 4 - 0 to Hereford Sixth Form College. This last game was better for us.

It took until the 30thNovemberbeforeweenjoyedthesweet feeling of success with our first win against Cheltenham College. We played very well with some superb performances by some of the younger players. We put great pressure on their defence and won 2 - l.

We lost once more to Prince Henry'sbut it was a much better result at 3 - 0 but we were missing some of the Upper Removes. In the New Year, we travelledto Brecon and won 10 and then we went on to beat MGC 1 - 0 on astro turf. We

Our run of success ended and we endured a frustrating defeat against KES. We let in a scrappy goal in the first five minutesand then failed to score after having all the possession. On a more positive note, this was muchbetter comparedwith our heavy defeat against this side at the start of the season.

Finally we had our revenge over Prince Henry's and beat them 3 -2 on astro turf. Very satisfying!

We then attended the Sixth Form County Tournament and drew against Evesham but lost all our other matches. We playedwith great spirit but some of our key players were injured and we could not really replace them fully. Sadly our last two games of the season were cancelled. We ended in a much more successful fashion than we had started. Many thanks to Olivia Borasterowho cheerfully captained the side through the good and bad times.

F.L.S.

A committed group of players performed well this season. Many of their games were played as senior fixtures but they had seven Under 15 matches. Their results for these matches were rather mixed and they had a poor start to the season losing to Malvern Girls' College and Price Henry's. However the second half of the season was more positive with good results against Wrekin, Malvern College and Alcester Grammar School.

J.D.C.

UNDER 14 XI

Our first match was against Wellington School, a well drilled touring side. The play was fast and furious and the game ended in a 1 - 1 draw. Goalsfrom Lucy Smith and Jo Dalton helped us to win 2 - 1 over MGC in our next match on the same morning. We were tired and Malvern were fresh but it did not make a difference. This was a very good start to the season.

We continued in this winning way to beat Prince Henry's in incredibly long grass! Lucy Smith scored both goals. Our next match was a wonderful victory over Malvern College, winning 7 - 0 (Lara Parsons 3, Jessica Higgs2, HarrietPriddey 1 and Naomi Roberts 1 .)

Wrekin College were adifferent proposition. We went one nil down very quickly. King's had all the possession for the majority of the game and with ten minutesto go, we equalised with another goal from Lucy Smith and she scored a second to secure the match. We also had to work very hard against Pate's and the score was twoall at half time. Eventually we won 5 - 3 after a great struggle.

Our first loss was to Hereford Cathedral School, 2 - 1. We had all the possession and playedwell but did not makethe most of our chances in the circle. This was the team's first defeat for two vears.

The next match was also a defeat but we were playing girls who were a year Older. They 'layed but lost - O'The opposition were much bigger and stronger and physically dominated the game.

We bounced back, winning 7

-0 over Alcester Grammar, one foggy night on the astro turf. (Pridde~ '9 Parsons 39 l) The next event was the County Tournament and on our arrival we were given a new draw as had We were in with Bromsgrove, which was not good as we lost to them in the

final last year. We drew 0 - 0 with Stourport and beat Arrow

Vale 2 -0 but we could not beat Bromsgrove. We were the only schoolto have an excitinggame with them but sadly lost 1 -0. We came second in our section but failed to qualify for the next round as only section winners went through.

We played Prince Henry's again and dominated the game, winning 2 - 0 with goals from Priddey and Higgs.

All fifteen players fought for places in the team, which kept up the standard of play and increased motivation. They showed great spirit and only had onedefeatall season. Goalkeeper Abigail Williams was nominated 'Player of the Season' and the top goal scorer was Lara Parsons with 8.

F.L.S.

UNDER13 XI

Played 5 Won 5 Goals scored 42 Goals conceded 0

A strong squad of nineteen

players trained this season. Their Astro-turf skills developed tremendously well and their positional awareness allowed them to play as a squad rather than a team. They played five matches this season, all of which they won convincinolv.

Two tournaments were entered in which they did particularly well, but unfortunately Moatfield School stopped them from becoming finalists in both tournaments.Top scorerswere Joanne Halien with 16 goals, Alice Barnett-Roberts 10 and Juliet Meere 7.

The under 12 XI had a difficult start to the season, having to play its first ever senior matches on astro turf at Dean Close and Cheltenham Ladies' College, probably the two hardest fixtures atthe beginning of the season, having never played on this type of playing surface before. The team lost both of these matches 2-0and 5-0.

This did give us a firm base from which to workon and once they started trainingon the astro turf at Worcester Universitytheir skills improved a great deal and they started to gel as a team. During the rest of the season they played another seven matches, losing only one against MoatfieldMiddleSchool who put out their Under 13 seven-a-side teams. The 'A' Squad lost5-2,butthe 'B'squad won 7-1.They then went on to win 4-0against Alcester Grammar School, a convincing win showing the good team-workof all the plavers. It seemed that the girls were much happier on astro and went on to win two matches against Chase High School, 2 - 0 and 1-0,two very tight but well played matches, with a compliment coming from the Chase member of staff who said that she had not seen such good team work in a young team for quite a while.

We had a squad of sixteen girls attending practicethroughout the season, with some who had not played hockey before coming to King's and going on to play for the team. All girls playedwell throughout the season and made great improvements, both in skill as individuals and as members of a team.

T.D.M.

This team had a very en joyable season under the captaincy of Jodie Guest, who proved to be a valued leader. The team was made up from the following squad: Jodie Guest, Ruth Robinson, Rosie Tustin, Sarah Cullen, Philippa Mack, Eleanor Joyce, Helen Pickrell and Celia Bryant who formed a talented group of players, many of whom had played as a team throughout their years at King's. They proved to be determined and forceful in matches, with veryfast attacking play from Rosie, Jodie and Eleanor and steady shooting from Ruth. In defence, Helen, Celia and Philippa became strong and powerful and Sarah Cullen was tireless in the centre of the court, linking the attacks and defence well. Over the season they played 16 matches, winning 6,drawing 2 and losing 8. The two tournaments at the start of the season, County Under 18 Trials Tournament and the Under 18 County Tournament proved very tough for the squad and served to show how hard the players needed to work if they were to improve their results. They showedsolid commitment to their training and worked on set moves up the court. Ball handling and timing improved and the team began to show what it was capable of. There were some excellent wins over Cheltenham College, Alice Ottley, CadburyCollege, Prince Henry's Evesham, Bishop of

Bluecoat School, Hereford and St. Mary's. The game against The Alice Ottley was tense and the team was delighted with its 10-9 win. Wealways havefine matchesagainstKing Edward's Sixth FormCollege, Stourbridge and none more so than the wonderful game in September, which resulted in a 30 - 30 draw. Towards the end of the season another very close match took place between King's and Malvern College, with the game see-sawing to a final result of 24 - 24.In March, a weekend tour was taken to Canford School, which was highly successful and greatly enjoyed by all who took part.

The season was rounded off with a sixth form Netball and Hockey Supper, which was a real pleasure. Votes of thanks were made and fond farewells given to the leavers, who I hope will continue to enjoy their Netball in the future, and perhaps return to King's to play for the OVs. In final assembly Full Colours were awarded to Jodie Guest, Rosie Tustin and Sarah Cullen and Half ColourstoCelia Bryant.

It has been apleasureto work with these girls, and I thank them for their time and commitment, but most of all for their sense of fun!

N.R.A. ~NDVII

The 2" VII had a mixed season with its results as well as

its line up. As the squad was a constant support for the IS' VII, we were always having to find new players and adapt to different playing positions.

Our successes were against Bromsgrove, St. Mary's, Pate's Grammar and Cheltenham Collegewhen wecould field our full team. However we were defeated comprehensively by Hereford and King Edward's Stourbridge.

The spirit of the team was highthroughouttheseason and when NRA and MML took the squad on the sixth form Tour to Canford in February the enthusiasm neverwaned. Apart from their obvious enjoyment, the girls gained a great deal of experience from the tour.

Lizzie Crow was eff icient and enthusiastic in her captaincy and was awarded Half Colours.

M.M.L.

The Under 16 netball squad had a difficult season due to inconsistent training and unavailability of players. This year group always struggled to keep ateam going, having only five girls who were willing to train on a regular basis and be available and reliable for matches. lsla Robertson and Olivia Brown were the key players who kept the team togetherthroughout theseason, making sure a full team would be available on match days. Three other members of the team who stayed enthusiastic throughout were Rachel Barclay, Keira Lapsley and Samantha Doughty. There are quite a few girls who did play the occasional game and we even once put out an 'A' and 'B' team, and these girls surprised themselves at what they could achieve.

T.D.M.

This squad had a tremendous season, playing eleven matches and only losing one. They also played in the Under 16 District Tournament at the beginning of the season and although they were all a year young they came second, losing only to the eventual winners of the tournament itself. This was obviously a great boost to

them so early on in the year, showing the high standards of the players. The girls trained together throughout the season and performedwell in every match they played, as the results clearly show:

v Dean Close won 21-1 4

v Cheltenham won 26-6

v Pate's Grammar won 25-9

Ruth Robinson

v Alice Ottley .. won 26-14

v Bromsgrove won 22-13

v Prince Henry's,Evesham won 27-8

v Bishop's Herefordwon 33-11

The team owed its success to the fact that every member of the squad was strong and competitive, and they were all versatile in the positions they played. Dueto injury and illness players had to play out of position, doing so with confidence. All players should be congratulated on an excellent season:

Lyndsay Miller, Sally Palmer, Rachael Miller, Stephanie Crowe, Frances Gwilliam, Cassie Brennan,Anna Brookes and Natalie Higgs.

Frances Gwilliam was also selected for the Under 16 County squad, agreat achievement as she was still under 15.

T.D.M.

abandoned at half time amidst a thunderstorm, but as King's were 12-7 ahead we claimed this as a victory. We were then expecting a tough game against Bromsgrove School but from the very first whistle King's took off with their fast attacking play and it soon became clearthat there was only one team on court and the game finished in a 36-11 win.

Then came disappointment when we represented the District in the Countv Championships. We lost to St. ~ary's Convent in the semi-finals in a goal for goal game, and a team we had beaten in the earlier rounds went through to the Regionals in our stead. The team learnt a lot about losingon that occasion.

So it was with even more determination that this team continued to dominate through the second half of the season, each time doubling the score of their opposition. With convincingwinsagainst The Alice Ottley and Pate's Grammar, the season ended with some close competition against Malvern College and Wrekin College. P W L GOALS

U14A 9 9 0 212 U14B 5 5 0 70

The Under 13 Netball squad showed massive potential from its success at Under 12 level and it certainly fulfilled our hopes. There were sufficient numbers of girls keen to play netball that we had three squads representing the school in matches. The A, B and C teams trained every week, and while their skills advanced they had a lot of fun and excitement!

UNDER 14

Both A and B squads had unbeaten records. The opening game against Cheltenham Ladies College was

The A team was unbeaten throughout the entire season from September to March, defeating Cheltenham Ladies' College, Bishop's Hereford, Hillstone, Alice Ottley, Pate's Cheltenham and winning the City League Year 8 Tournament and the District Under 13 Tournament. The team trained very hard to maintain their high standard of play before they took part in the County Tournament as Worcester's

Rosie Tustin

Under 13 County netball champions 1 representatives,with thefollowing results:

v Moatfield won 14-3

the game was abandoned at half time due to torrential rain. They trained very hard to im-

v Bromsarove won 9-3 prove their skills and began to I U work together and then went

v Blackminster... won 15-3 on to beat Bishop,s Hereford

V Chase ............ Won 12-2 1 24-7, Hillstone 6-4, Alice Ot-

v Bredon Hill won 12-0 1 tley 17-1, Pate's Cheltenham I

v St.Mary's won 10-7

This meant that King's won the tournament and became County Champions, receiving badges for their netball skirts and a trophy which was presented to them by the Mayor of Worcester. The squad consisted of Alice Barnett-Roberts, Emma Hayfield, Katie Humpage, Hollie Meredith, Joanne Hallett, Lauren Wood, and Juliet Meere.

17-3, Bromsgrove 17-13, and Hillstone24-21. The initial loss obviously helped to concentrate the mind! They took part in the Year7 City LeagueTournament, and were disappointed to c0me4'~overall but fared much better later in the season in the District Under 12 Tournament, which they won.

The A squad consisted of Emma Ash, Ella James, Harriet Davis, Sophie Hart, Emma Phillios. Jemima Williams

The B and C teams also had vicky' G;~, Alice Kirrage and Very SUCC~SS~U~Seasons, their Freya Marskell. best scores beating Bishop's Hereford 10-7 and 6-2, and Wrekin 13-4. They had a very close game against Cheltenham Ladies' College losing2-6, and when playingBishop's Hereford had to play their A and B teams, just losingintight games. A number of these squads played up in A team matches at times, and everyone enjoyed their match experiences.

The B team unfortunately lost their matchagainst Dean Close A team, but did well to keep the score to 4-6, but they did beat Bromsgrove 7-3 and Bishop's Hereford7-3, and drew against the Alice Ottley 6-6 and against Pate's 3-3.They took part in the District Tournament for Under 12 B teams, where they won 2, drew 4 and lost 1, and when the uointswereaddedup, they were MYthat-~ksto VJ for her help tournament runners up and rein training the teams and umpir- ceived certificates. ing their matches.

The C team also lovedto play I thoroughly enjoyed working matches and formed part of the with these girlsand I shallwatch A and B squads, althoughthere their progress with great inter- were some matches just for est. them They beat Bromsgrove 9N.R.A. 6 but lost to Pate's Cheltenham UNDERI2 1-9.

The A team began the season

VJ and SMBfOr with a defeat to Cheltenham their help in the coaching Ladies'College 2-3 although these

N.R.A.

UNDER15

I was delightedto see so many Upper Remove girls keen to stay after school to enjoy the game of Rounders and wishing to play in inter-school matches. Tennis and Athletics matches take priority over Rounders when girls find themselves in more than one team but it does mean that more girls get the opportunity to experience match play.

The highest scorer of theseason was Frances Gwilliam with 10 Rounders (and she did not play in all the matches!), Cassie Brennan bowled consistently well and was supported by some hard and fast fielding between Lizzie Rushtonat Backstop,and Frances Gwilliam at 1" Post, causing the demise of numerous opponents. The whole squad remained a highly competitive group throughout the term and thegirls deservecredit for their loyal commitment and hard work.

N.R.A.

UNDER14

Twenty two girlsfrom the Lower Remove trained regularly after school. They were an enthusiastic bunch and worked very hard in drill practices and matches. Their enthusiasm was infectious and a good rapport developed right from the start of the season. They didn't play many matches but had a great win over Malvern College. This was largely due to excellent batting, Felicity Hill 4 - and Lara Parsons 4. Accurate deep fielding and tactical post play were also major factors in this game.

Against theA.0. they couldn't quite score enough rounders, despitevaliant efforts from everyone, but particularly Jessica Higgs. Elizabeth Lewis was the most effective fielder, putting out a total of five players.

Intheirothermatch, Hereford tookanearly leadandthey could not quite catch up despite excellent batting, particularly from Hill who was again the top scorer.

F.L.S.

Rounders is an after school recreational activity which the girls really enjoy. Large numbers attend with as many girls as possible experiencing match play. The girls had athleticism, alertness, strong fielding skills and excellent batting, so it is not surprising that they beat their opponents so convincingly.The highest scorer of the season was Joanne Hallettwith 16 Rounders and the team supported her well, with some intelligent play from Lauren Wood at Backstop. Sara Neville and Jenny Tamblyn also showed 1 considerable talent.

It should be noted that the girls were also given the opportunity to try fortennis and athletics teams as well as auditionfor

'Bugsy Malone', so it is a credit to the girls that so many managed to maintain their interest and commitment to this sport.

This year group was very sorry to lose two of its number who have been loyal and hardworking team members and good friends. The staff and girls wish Juliet Meere and Lara Fisher the very best of luck in their new schools.

N.R.A.

UNDER18

Matches were arranged for mixed and girls' teams and resulted in exciting games. At the start of the season the players were out of practice

on the whole and took a while to regain their former speed and skill on court. Gradually it was clear that there was considerable potential in the sixth form, particularly among the boys, and a great many boys were competing for very few team places.The following pupils were selected for matches: Jodie Guest, Lizzie Crow, Elley Newey, Sara Lewis, David Foulds, Andrew Freeman, Stephen Protherough, Phil Cox and Adam Knowles.

A new competition was introduced this year - The Senior Mixed Doubles Shield -which was won by Lizzie Crow and David Foulds. The season

Emma Hayfield

ended with a trip to Wimbledon on the same day as the Parade of Past Champions took place. This year there was no rain and high quality, uninterrupted matches were seen on Centre and Number One Courts.

N.R.A.

UNDER 16

This age group only had time to play in the Under 16 County Tournament before going on study leave. The four players, Olivia Brown, lsla Robertson, Rachel Barclay and Melanie Thorn came second in thetournament losing to the winners, Alice Ottley.

T.D.M.

were unable to win any of their matches.They playedafriendly against Dean Close which they won 6 - 3.

'B' IV

The Under 15 squad played three matches in the Midland Bank League. The standard of the league was extremely high, and although the playersMelanieThorn,Emily Freeman, Frances Gwilliam and Anna Brookes - played well, they

J.D.C.

The squad consisted of Lyndsey Miller, Stephanie Crowe, Rachael Miller, Daisy Barnett and Cassie Brennan. They should have played four matches in the H.S.B.C. Friendly League, but the two matchesagainstDroihvichand Stourport were cancelled,by these schools and were unable to be rescheduled. The two remaining matches against South Bromsgrove 'A' and 'B' teams were played and won, 6 sets to 2 and 6 sets to 0. This made it a short season for these girls who were quite capable of playing a good standard of tennis.

T.D.M.

UNDER 14

This team played a high standard of tennis throughout the season. The first pairing of Rebecca Gwilliam and Harriet Priddey dropped only one set in their matches and with the consistent support of Anneka Sutton, Naomi Roberts, Nadine Preedy and Kate Herriot found success over Alcester Grammar, Malvern College and Hereford Cathedral School. It is remarkable to see how much the players improve over the short summer term; it is such a long wait before we see them in whites again.

Congratulations go to Rebecca Gwilliam and Joanne Hallett who played in the Worcestershire SchoolsCounty Tournament and came away with the trophy and the title 'County Doubles Champions' M.M.L.

UNDER 13 A

Joanne Hallett

Jenny Tamblyn

Juliet Meere

Katie Humpage

Res - Emma Hayfield

The squad played three matches in their Midland Bank League. They won two and lost one. The match against Droitwichwas won convincingly giving very few games away. The match against Ridgeway

was won 5 - l which sounds a very convincing win, but some excellenttennishadto be played to win this match.

UNDER 13 B

Emma Hayfield

Alice Barnett-Roberts

Laura Brown

Sara Neville

Res - Lizzie Pearson

The B team h played two of their MidlandBankfixtures,winning both of them easily, beating Hillstone 6-0 (36-8 games) and Droitwich6-0 (36-1 games).

The Under 13s also had two friendly matches. They beat St.Maryls 36- 14 in games and lost to Dean Close 33-42 in games.

About twenty Lower Fourth girls turned up to practice every Friday evening and it was wonderful to see so many enthusiastic young players wanting to improve their skills. We used this time not only to coach the girls but also to give them match practice against each other. There were only three fixtures against other schools, all being played in a competitive and friendly manner. The first fixture was against St. Mary's Convent when the first pair, FreyjaPurchaseand Beth Ghalamkari won 4-1,3-2, 3-2, second pair won, 4-1,2-0,l-4 and the third couple, Freya Marskell and Anna Byrne, lost 2-3,2-3, an overall victory of 5 sets to 3.

The second game against Dean Close with only the first two couples playing ended in a drawand thefinal match against Hillstone,with fourcouplesplaying, (the fourth couple were Helen Smith and Emma Ash), was an excitingly close match, King's winning by 36 games to 28 (6 sets to 2).

Towards the end of the summer term we held an Under 12 SinglesTournamentwhich nineteen girls entered. They were split into two groups each playing seven games each. Semifinalists were Beth Ghalamkari and Emma Phillips,Sophie Hart and Freyja Purchase, and Sophie Hart was the eventual Under 12 champion.

T.D.M. / S.M.B.

TENNISTOURNAMENTS

Senior Mixed Doubles: Lizzie Crow, David Foulds Senior Girls' Doubles: Naomi Roberts, Annie Sutton

U4 Doubles Tennis Team: U4A

Joanne Hallett, Juliet Meere Katie Humpage, Emma Hayfield

U4 Singles Champion: Kate lddon

Runner-up: Sophie James L4 Singles Champion: Sophie Hart

Runner-UD: Emma Philli~s

The Swimming Club this year has seen its best results since it was formed 4 years ago. We have won 7 out of l0 fixtures and have also included the nine-year olds which has increased our age range, together with the schools we swim against. One highlight on the fixtures front was the Gala between King's and Bromsgrove. A very loud and well-supported Gala ensued with the closest possible result, all resting on the last race. Bromsgrove were the winners with 327 points, King's 323. We now regularly have 35 members training at any one time. A considerable number have swum one mile in 40 minutes (64 lengths) and two have achieved two miles. We usually do three quarters to one mile in training anyway. The other notable achievements have been at National level where both girls and boys reached the finals of the

Upper Fourth tennis finalists: Kate lddon and Sophie James

Independent Schools' Championships. These events are supported by over 100 schools nationwide with well over 850 pupils taking part. The standard is also excellent.

The girls' final held at Wolverhampton saw Emma Hayfield come sixth in the final of the butterfly, 0.6 seconds separating the first six places. Jo Hallett also reached sixth place in the backstroke. Alice Barnett-Roberts reached eleventh. The Individual Medley Relay team also came sixth. Laura Brown made up the quartet.

The boys travelled to Millfield for their final where Tom Gallop came fifth in a personal best time in the final, with the freestyle relay team finishing seventh overall. Harry Roberts and Andrew Tew just missed the final, each finishing in ninth place. The remaining members of the team were Andrew Hughes, Andrew Finley, Edward Bales, Craig McBride and James ReesPhillips.

In the English Schools Bazuka event, a relay-only competition which is open to all primary schools throughout the Country, Division 6 covers the West Midlands, Shropshire and Worcestershireareas.Three eventscovering 80 schools took place with

the final for the fastest 12 schools taking place at Bromsgrove. We reached that final only to be pipped at the post intothird place, the firsttwo teams only going on to represent the Divisionat the All England Final to be held at the International Pool in Sheffield. Representative teams consist of ten and eleven year olds and our team consisted of three ten yearolds who will still be eligible next year! We have high hopes for 2001. This team consisted of Andrew Hughes, Tom Gallop, Harry Roberts and Emma Dawson.

This year has seen a tremendous amount of hard work by some and the opportunity to achieve at a high level. The number of schools taking swimming seriously is now increasing rapidly and our success depends upon more pupils taking up the sport to reach the required depth to form a truly competitiveteam. In my experience, few schools have a facility to match ours and it would be wonderful to see it used to its full potential. I look forward to meeting new members next year and many congratulations to all this year's team for their hard work.

V. W-HEWITT

The sport of Basketball has continued to grow this last year, with all the year groups in the Senior school being catered for, both at the practice sessions, and with the chance to represent the school in competitive matches. Teams from the Lower Remove, Upper Remove and Fifth Year played in the Worcester Schools knock-out competition. Much was learnt in the matches played, and there was some success too, particularly from a promising Lower Remove side.

One of the main areas of development has been at Lower Fourth level, with a number of one day tournaments played, organised by the Worcester Basketball League. The side was particularlysuccessful, winning one competition outright, and finishing joint first in another. The side contained Georgie Sutherland, who did particularly well as the only girl in the team. She went on to represent Worcester in the Millennium Youth Games finals in Southamptonoverthesummer. Other key players in this age group were James Ranson,

Tom Amphlett, Paul Martin, Wil Herriot and Sam Johnson.

The match against the Staff or King's Day proved to be a vep tight battle - the school, led b! Julian Menzies, led for most of thc match, with Sam Malins leadin! the scoring. Good support cam€ from Paul Volo, James Byrne Neil Lonergan and Azam Saied With just 30 seconds to span James Goodman had achance t( win the match with two free throws, but unfortunately hc missed them both to give the staf a narrow 65-63 victory.

All involved in basketball arc grateful to Muff Murfin for his helr with the coaching throughout thc year.

R.P.G

The club performed well in ; number of competitions and fix tures, particularly agains Shrewsbury, and we were pleased with victories over Kin( Edward's, Stratford, Hereforc Cathedral School and RGI Worcestertogether with succes: against Malvern and King Henrl VIII, Coventry in the recent Wes Midlands Schools' Champion ships. The national Public Schoo Championships went well wit1 Luke Amphlett in the final 14 o the nationals at Under 18 level his first year at this level anc good performances from lar Hawkes, Mark Farmer anc Christopher Fulton.

School colours for fencing were awarded to Mark Farmer, lar Hawkes and re-awardedto Luke Amphlett. Christopher Fulton ha: been excellent as captain of the Under 14s and a number of nev Lower Fourth fencers (Alex Gib. bons, Tom Rutter, James Carey Alex Heath, Harry Denlegh. Maxwell and Tom Amphlett) have performed well. There has beer growingsixth form representation especially amongst the girl: (MargaretKeightley,Alice KenricE and Alex Clarke) and some pleas. ing contributionsfromboys at tha level too (especially Rober Melville, Jon Price, Nathar Preedy, Chris Thorne and Noe Webb). Jonathan Price has pro. vided great support as armourel and, as ever, we are indebted tc Mrs. Hilary Hammond for her ex. pert coaching.

A.J.T

established the various scenes and military uniforms merging with more locations of the play. The concept for contemporary garb. The CostUmes of the stage set proved to be a very the comic characters were particularly The enduring popularity of this particular effective collaboration between the bright and colourful, emphasising the is in part directors and David Thurlby, realised in zaniness of their personalities and of strated the fact that this was the second production by Bill Brigden and Hetty these sections of the play. school production of it in just a few years. Eaton taking charge of lighting and The acting in this production was of a It is difficult not to appreciate scene painting respectively. Maintain- high standard throughout with no its romantic charm and very ing the idea of timeless- particularly weak performance even funny characters, however, amongst the more minor roles. That is even if you have seen the costumes surely not something that can be said play many times before, (by RCJD) about many school productions. Marieand it is, of course, a Louise Rosser did well in the crucial particularly apt choice for central role of Viola, having been Christmas. anachronis- suffering from a throat infection in the

Perhaps the most days leading up to the production. striking thing about this production, intelligently directed by SleM and RJD, was the striking nature of its design. A large sundial painted on the centre of the stage floor picked up the theme of time, already cleverly introduced into our consciousness by Stuart Vivian's clever poster design in which a series of ghostly, overlapping clock faces emerge from a foaming sea. Around the sundial were a number of overlapping white "legs" or vertical stage cloths creating a number of entrances from each wing, but also

serving as screens on which projected images

Adam Swinburn portrayed the lovesick Orsino very effectively, and delivered the text with great sensitivity and understanding, as did Ellie Joyce who gave an intelligent and highly believable portrayal of Olivia. The more overtly comic roles were all superbly played: Kate Ganderton (now something of a specialist when it comes to the cheeky servant) as Maria, Tom Wheaton as Sir Toby (a worryingly convincing drunk) and Jeremy Davey as Sir Andrew (who can forget the yellow jacket and flowing blonde locks?) all complemented each other extremely well and were collectively very funny. Stuart Vivian was well cast as an authoritative Malvolio, capturing the pomposity of the character beautifully and resplendent in yellow stockings and cross-gartered. His eventual

Ellie Joyce and Adanz Knowles

'Twelfih Night' - Ellie Joyce and Stuart Vivian

humiliation was highly enjoyable, yet touching. This was a detailed, wellobserved portrayal and an excellent performance. Adam Knowles was a particularly melancholy Feste, reminiscent in many ways of other Shakespearean clowns and fools of similar ilk. The other performances are all worthy of note: Alex Lee (Valentine), Adam Doyle (CurioISecond Officer), Conrad Cunningham (First Officer), Adam Papaphilippopoulos (Sebastian), Joe Watson (CaptainFabian), Ed Cumming (Antonio) and Philip Haxby-Thompson (Priest). All played their part in making this an enjoyable and memorable production.

S.M.A.

Confusions and The After-DinnerJoke

At the end of March GCSE Drama students in the Upper Remove presented a comedy double bill. In the first half of the evening Set 1 presented three short plays from Confusions, a collection of five inter-linked short plays by Alan Ayckbourn. After the interval Set 2 presented a very different sort of comedy, The AfterDinner Joke by Caryl Churchill.

The first half of an entertaining comedy double-bill consisted of three of the five pieces which make up Alan Ayckbourn's 'Confusions'.

In 'Mother Figure', Martha Papaphillipopoulos played Lucy, the lonely mother who insists on treating everyone as a child - including her grown-up neighbours, Rosemary and Terry, played by Cassie Brennan and Azam Saied. These were three good performances: Martha was convincing in creating her character's preoccupation, and in this respect her costumedressing gown and fluffy slippers - was helpful. She could have made even more of the mother-talking-to children voice, but she grew in confidence as the play progressed. Cassie and Azam were well matched and played off each other effectively. The friction between the two characters became increasingly obvious: both performers handled well the changes of pace, volume and tone, and their movement was particularly eloquent. The twist in this play comes when the two people who have been treated as children - being offered choccy biscuits and cups of orange and milk - turn out to be exactly this childish. This business was well handled by all three performers, and the play's success generally was very apparent in the enthusiasm and generosity of the applause at the end.

'Gosforth's Fete' is a nice piece in which poor old Gosforth's fete and life become a complete shambles, thanks to the British weather, a stuffy Conservative Mayoress, a very, very silly if wellmeaning vicar, a puerile, drunken scout master and the accidental broadcasting over the PA system to the gathered multitude that he has made the tea lady (played by Beckie Keen) wife of the scout master pregnant. There were some very funny performances here from Richard Joyce as the scoutmaster, Ollie Reece as the vicar, Pam Caulfield as the Mayoress and Leo Cox as Gosforth. The farcical bits of business were slickly handled and the climactic moment, when the Mayoress, covered in mud, is electrified as the amplifier explodes and the scouts are climbing up scaffolding while their leader is offering an utterly drunken rendition of 'Kumbaya' and 'Ging, gang, gooly, gooly, gooly, gotcha', just as the vicar

Jeremy Davey, Adam Knowles and Tom Wheaton

Jeremy Davey, Joe Watson, Kate Ganderton and Tom Wheaton in a scene from 'Twe@h Night'

l

is spilling tea everywhere really did bring the house down.

The third of the plays, 'A Talk in the Park' was a lovely contrast, the quiet reflective style a pleasing antidote to the chaos preceding it. Five characters are in the park and take it in turn to burden the person next to them with their problems. Tim Barnby's sad old man in a raincoat who 'collected people' was genuinely touching. Lucy Walter's boyfriend-bashed Beryl was convincingly mixed up and lost, and Alex Cross's broken businessman who has also lost his family was a genuinely sympathetic character. Rachael Miller's middle aged Doreen, a woman with a dog, and not much else, who feeds the birds was vividly drawn, as

nai've Selby tells her boss Price she wants to help people, he transfers her to the charity division of the company. Successful at extracting cash from greedy sheikhs and selfish rock stars, she gets promoted. Ultimately, however, she learns that nothing, charity included, is non-political.

There was an attempt to update the production to the present, but this was not totally successful as it was very difficult to find contemporary equivalents for all the many references in the play. It is also very much a piece of its time, written on the eve, as it were, of Thatcherism when perhaps an attack on corporate self-interest was even more relevant than it is now. It was an appropriate piece to do

the highlight of the evening in many ways. These were shown during a section of the play when Selby found herself running an advertising campaign for the charity. Whilst all were very funny (especially Robert Donovan as a camp cowboy, confronted by a gun-toting Mitchell Jeavons), they were also a thought-provoking mix of clichC and message. The final one, which took the form of a silent, black and white movie, complete with captions and accompanying piano music, was especially effective in this regard.

This was very much an ensemble production, but a few performances are worthy of particular note nonetheless. Lee-Anna Rennie was excellent in the central role of Selby. This was a was Ollie Reece's Ernest who had with this relaxed, authoritative performance. escaped to the park to get some peace Helena Culliney was equally convincaway from the family. At the end of ing as Dent, the hypocritical and this piece, all of the characters are reactionary senior manager, determined talking at once and no-one is being to keep politics out whilst at the same listened to. This situation, and time, of course, being very political. indeed the message of the whole play, Oliver Mathew as Price and Carla was best summed up in the final line: Small as the Mayor also gave assured 'Might as well talk to yourself'. and effective performances. These four

This group of Upper Remove drama characters are the only ones in the students worked extremely hard to serious central core of the play. Almost present a performance in which there everyone else played a number of were no weak links. They handled the smaller comic cameos that created the complicated and sophisticated material surreal comic counterpoint to the with sensitivity and skill. They sur- main action, the juxtaposition caused prised themselves and me with their by this working in something of a drive, passion, and, perhaps most Brechtian way to make the audisignificantly, the way they really did ence confront the issues raised. pull together as a team. They can be

Many of these short comic scenes proud of their efforts. I certainly was.

were like gags from a television sketch show, and Churchill was apparS. LEM. large group, ently influenced by Monty Python's however, as it offered humour at the time of writing. The

THEAFTER-DINNERJOKE numerous roles in order to keep every- meaning or message inherent in some

1 The After-Dinner Joke is an unusual l and somewhat surreal comedy by the acclaimed playwright Caryl Churchill. I It was originally written for television 1 in 1977 and first shown in 1978 as a BBC 'Play for Today', one of a series on public issues. Churchill, renowned as a political writer as well as one who likes to experiment with dramatic and theatrical form, wanted to write something about charities. The play suggests that it's impossible to "do good", as charitable aims are thwarted by the forces of capitalism, big business interests always getting in the way. This acerbic piece satirises the way big business twists philanthropy into a i moneymaking machine. When the

one busy.

The challenge of transferring a television piece, full of numerous short scenes, to the stage is no easy one, but this was achieved quite effectively with the use of minimal furniture, lighting that snapped with precision (most of the time) from one area of the stage to another, and "electronic" scenery: in other words a screen on which was projected Powerpoint images of captions, still pictures and specially recorded video film, much of it original. These films, shot (by David Newsholme) around the school grounds and the local streets, featured members of the cast on screen. They were edited at school and dubbed with appropriate soundtrack music. Indeed, these were

of the more off-the-wall moments was often too obscure for the King's School audience to register, and there was a distinct impression that the howls of laughter and hoots of delight from the audience were often more a response to seeing their mates look ridiculous than a genuine one to the humour in the play. Nevertheless there were some excellent performances and some wonderful comic characterisations. James Annis was very funny as the cheeky thief complete with stripy suit, mask and bag of "swag", and Oliver Brooks was outstanding as the sleazy, drugged-up rock star. Robert Donovan demonstrated great versatility in roles as diverse as a baby and an old granny with a ferocious bite! There were many

good performances, however, and everyone made an important contribution in making this such an interesting and entertaining production. There was a lot of talent on show, and it was good to see this particular group of drama students rise so enthusiastically to the challenge of doing something different.

S.M.A.

The play "Bugsy Malone" actually started out as a film script , written for children aged about twelve. Alan Parker explained to a somewhat bemused set of possible film directors that it was "Well, .. a gangster film.. er,

The cast of 'Bugsy Malone' a musical a sort of a pastiche on all the old Warner Bros. movies..It's a audience whenever she was on stage. world of would-be gangsters , show- Oliver Wheaton gave a good performgirls and dreamers , except ..(clear ance as Bugsy; a younger actor with a throat, look at shoes, shuffle papers) good deal of promise, he had to speak there's no adults in the cast." directly to the audience, a daunting task He did eventually which he carried off with considerable

Mike Rugen (Dandy and it has been a Dan) conveyed the firm favourite required meanness ever since. well, and Alex Gibbons (Leroy) was well cast as the big guy.Philip Arnold (Fat Sam) was perhaps the strongest of the male supporting cast. Every word of his was clear and he had a good stage presence.

Amongst the girls, most of whom gave very good performances, Kelly Brentnall's singing deserves note. As Fizzy, and that is she gave an excellent rendering precisely the spirit of the Blues number "Tomorrow". that SMA's and SES's produc- Lara Fisher also gave a splendid tion projected. A carefully designed set performance as Tallulah, singing in which various locations were and dancing with confidence and somehow found space within the panache and playing her audience like a whole, a colourful array of costumes, professional. Other good support roles some splendid and daring dance sequences and good singing coupled with some remarkably mature character acting ensured that our evening was a thoroughly entertaining one and our attention was fully held, right up to the showdown with the splurge guns!

In the main roles, HolIie Meredith gave a sympathetic and well controlled performance as Blousey Brown. Her singing was fine and she engaged the

were played with spirit by a number of fourth formers in the chorus. Joanna Taylor, Jemima Williams, James Pole and Guy Corbett deserve special mention for their contribution.

The dancing was bright and energetic and performed with zest, the music lively and strong and the whole production had an air of enthusiasm and excitement. Such a production can never be achieved as easily as the final performance might suggest and I know that a great many thanks are due to the directors, to DEB and the musical team, and to TDM and the dance team, not to mention David Thurlby and a team of devoted costume ladies headed by Mrs Wheaton. To all of them, our thanks for a most enjoyable performance.

R.C.J.D.

'Bugsy Malone'

'Bugsy Malone' - Front) Philip Arnold

with a series of false accusations.

DAISY OFF

Samantha gave a splendid performance as (to use modem psychological jargon) The preponderance of girls in the Lower someone who felt insecure about Drama 'lub might have been a herself and wanted to take it out on a problem, but as a result we had the victim; Jo was equally impressive as a absolute treat of watching "Daisy Pulls It who was desperate to keep in Off'. Set in a girls' school, the show is a with Sybil. On the good side were most parody of the kind of school story you of the rest, in particular the Head Girl, can't write any more but which Angela C a Beaumont (Lorna Brazil wrote plenty of around the time of Shaddick), who was the First World War. At also daughter of the least, the pro- owner. Lorna's gramme note says it's a parody, but this production was, happily, indistin- transparent sort guishable from a hypothetical produc- into submission tion that might have been staged 80 years ago with no parodic intention in mind. In other words the cast played it straight, and it was left to the audience to take it with a knowing, world-weary pinch of salt or, in my case, to wonder why the assumptions inherent in the genre are universally ridiculed as naive sorts. Laura Kingshott's or hypocritical and why it is headmistress was a delicately judged taken for granted that anyone express- performance: she had an air of calm ing them must be taking the mickey. upper-class authority, but still appeared Daisy, played by Naomi Roberts, is a reasonable, prepared to give the "scholarship girl" at Grangewood scholarship girl a chance at least until School. That means that, whereas the the evidence against her seemed rest of the girls have rich parents who probably went to public schools themselves, Daisy comes from a poor family and, as the first in an experiment, is starting at the school because 1 she has won a scholarship. Most of the 1 other girls are jolly decent types who are very happy to accept Daisy for what she is - and luckily she is exceptionally talented in all academic, musical and sporting areas, even to the extent of becoming the star of the hockey team after never playing the game. She immediately forms a firm friendship with Trixie (Lucy Smith), whose , performance struck just the right note

made this character, too, seem basically reasonable (if not overpoweringly observant!).

In addition to the Daisy-versus-Sybil theme there is a parallel plot, which is set in motion when Clare tells Daisy and Trixie that somewhere in the grounds is a hidden treasure which, if found, would enable the school to continue in her family's ownership rather have to be sold to the governors, a perfectly dreadful fate. The two girls decide to search for this treasure, but they soon find that the mysterious Russian music teacher, Mr Scoblowski, is in the same game. The obvious inference is that he wants the money for his Bolshevik friends. Ben Humphrey played the Russian, and he did a fine job of looking partly mysterious, partly decent, thus leaving us to guess whether he'd turn out to be a good guy or a communist. Another strange man wandering around was Mr Thompson, who for reasons not immediately apparent kept appearing on stage whistling "All Through The Night"; it was Tom Hand, looking not especially menacing but rather cheerful - which made his presence all the more strange. It is the search for the treasure which leads to the one great moral dilemma for Daisy and Trixie. At one point they borrow (without permission) a book from the library, which may help them find the treasure. When its loss is discovered, the headmistress says that the whole school will lose its games afternoon until the culprit owns up. In normal circumstances, of course, Daisy would own up on the spot; but she and Trixie believe that, if she does, the Russian will know that the book has the clue to the treasure and Lenin will be in Moscow before the day is out. So they keep quiet, choosing what they believe to be the lesser of two evils, and certainly never stooping so low as to consider their I of wide-eyed, unquestioning loyalty.

interests. The two girls even form a secret society, with a Latin motto (naturally). Not everyone, however, likes the idea of the working class sticking its nose in. Two girls in Daisy's class, Sybil (Samantha Jones) and Monica (Jo Dalton), are determined to see her off

overwhelming. The class teacher seemed appropriately less authoritative than the headmistress and was said to have doubts about the wisdom of the scholarship policy; but Abi Williams

The book is found, Daisy is accused on various trumped up charges, and her time at the school is about to be terminated ignominiously. There follows a delightfully orchestrated cameo, where Daisy - confined to the sanatorium by her disgrace - is

Harriet Priddey and Lorna Shaddick in own

'Daisy Pulls it Off

Meanwhile Daisy and Trixie have discovered the treasure - by using their brains rather than trudging through fields - and it turns out that Mr Thompson is Daisy's long-lost father, a member of the family that owns the school, and Mr Scoblowski is the Russian who once saved his life. So Daisy is revealed as Clare's cousin, not a 'Daisy Pulls it Of - Tom Hand, Naomi Roberts working-class type at all and Lucy Smith Gust in case anyone was thinking the story was allowed to replace one of several celebrating the irrelevance of social injured players in the hockey team, who class!). The final twist, though, is a form up on stage with hockey sticks moral one. When Sybil and Monica are and, partly miming, talk the match about to be expelled, Daisy pleads that through. Naturally Grangewood they should be given a second chancetriumph, with the winning goals from which they are. As far as I could see, Daisy, and sympathy for Daisy soars. absolutely everyone ended up happy, The story reaches a gripping climax and to the roll-call of moral virtues was when various strands come together. added that of forgiveness.

As I said

First Daisy's form have a night-time winks to the audience. We really could Party outside, and the S~biland believe that Naomi Roberts's character Monica (who else?) manage to get was supreme in most fields of life and stuck down a cliff. The others send for yet entirely modest, honest, unselfish help for san-confined Daisy, who is and forgiving. (She earned even more also the best at the skills needed for respect as an actress on the odd occarescuing people from the sides of cliffs. ,ion when others omitted to enter when After a lot of talk and tension, in which required and she had to carry the play Daisy first pulls Sybil UP on a rope and on her own!) We really could believe then climbs down herself to help the that Sybil and Monica, as played by (naturally for a liar) panic-stricken Samantha Jones and Jo Dalton, were Monica, the problem is solved. What is about to change from cunning bullies to more, Sybil and Monica, grateful for decent human beings who had seen the having their lives saved, are decent error of their ways. It was not just the enough to admit all the false accusa- main characters who were believable; tions they have made against Daisy. from the school matron (Laura Ranson)

to Clare's sidekick (Harriet Priddey), the French mistress (Becky Whear), Daisy's other supportive classmate (Ellen Brigden), the bringer of cliffhanging news (Rosie Palmer), and not least Daisy's mother (Jess Atkinson), the atmosphere of genuine and transparent earnestness was maintained. And we really could believe that all the characters saw it as important to do well at games and work, used words like "ripping", bandied Latin mottoes around, refused to sneak on others, upheld the good name of the school, never told lies, delighted in their fellows' success, worried about the possibility of a Bolshevik revolutionall without a trace of weariness or cynicism. We all laughed throughout the play, partly at the outmoded language (they'll have a field day with our slang in 2080!), partly at the alltoo-convenient dknouement of the plot, partly maybe at the innocence of a different age; but partly - I suspect - at our own realisation that, whatever the claims of such as Eastenders to be an "honest" view of "real" life, it is still possible to embrace the Grangewood School ethos without necessarily being stupid or hypocritical. Anyway, whatever my psychoanalyst may come up with, I laughed and laughed and had a jolly good time. Bravo!

The new academic year began well and most unexpectedly with news that two of the previous year's Upper Sixth, Allan Clayton and Tom Dupernex, encouraged by their A level successes, had tried for, and been successful in gaining choral scholarships to two of Cambridge's finest collegiate choirs. Allan, a former head chorister in the cathedral choir will join St. John's College Choir as a tenor and read music, while Tom, also a former cathedral chorister, will become a bass in Trinity College Choir and read geography. At the time of writing this article, a year later, they will both have been in Cambridge for almost a term. Should you be visiting Cambridge, it would be well worth your while hearing them sing college services in either of these world famous choirs.

It was good to see King's pupils taking the lion's share of the performing in a series of lunchtime recitals

A scene from 'Daisy Pulls it Off give knowing

R.N.G.S.

The 1999 House Music Competition was held on Monday, 171h October and adjudicated by Christopher Swain, Director of Music at Wycliffe College. Both Junior and Senior Solo Compe-

Musical entertainment at the Fete titions were most hotly arranged by the Festival Fringe during contested by the school's most capable the 1999 Worcester Three Choirs singers and instrumentalists. Winner of Festival. Three concerts were held in the Junior Competition was Adrian St. Swithin's Church and were given by Uren, playing the first movement of R. Sam Bayliss (organ), Shulah Oliver, Strauss's Horn Concerto in E flat Tom Dupernex and Heather Clarke, major, closely followed by Alan Uren David Newsholme, Adrian and Alan (violin) and Jamie Walker (violin). Sam Uren. Bayliss gave a fine performance of

a chance to enjoy what the school had enjoyed earlier in the week.

Shortly after half-term the HMC Inspection, so long prepared for and awaited, was upon us. During the week some of the school's younger musicians distinguished themselves in the first of the new year's Young Performers' Concerts, while the writer of this article had the dubious privilege of beginning the first inspection day with a congregational hymn practice! On Armistice Day the School Choir sang Purcell's funeral anthem, Thou Knowest, Lord and John Ireland's Greater Love.

For the second year running our three National Youth Orchestra players, Shulah Oliver (viola), Adrian Uren (horn) and Alan Uren (violin), were successful in not only keeping their places at audition, but rising within their sections. Their year has included a performance of Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts with Sir Roger Norrington in Birmingham's Symphony Hall and two Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. These two concerts are due to be shown on digital television in the first weekend of December 2000 at the launch of Jeremy Isaacs' new Artsworld channel.

On Wednesday, 61hOctober school Cesar Franck's Chorale in A minor for musicians once again opened the new organ to win the Senior Competition. season of Huntingdon Hall M.E.B. Second and third places were awarded sponsored ~~~~h~i~~ concerts.solo to Shulah Oliver (violin) and Elizabeth performances were given by Chris Lewis (violin). Winners of the House Husband (tenor), Freyja Purchase Song Competition, performed, as ever, (flute), Sam Bayliss (organ), Anna by almost every member of every Byrne (clarinet), Heather Clarke (flute) were Creighton, who gave a and Alan Uren (violin) accompanied by polished performance of W. his brother, Adrian. Shulah Oliver and Hawkins' Going up a Yonder. In Elizabeth Lewis were accompanied by second place was Choir House, singin& the Chamber Orchestra in a perform- Oh What a Night, and in third place ance of the first movement of J.S. was Chappel House, singing I'd do Bach's Double Violin Concerto. The Anything for Love. The Winners' concert ended with a Chamber Choir Concert, held in College Hall on performance of arrangements of such Wednesday lgthOctober, gave Parents popular classics as Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven and Lloyd Webber's Love 1 Changes Everything. It is a testimony I to all the performers' ability that, so soon after the beginning of term, they j could rise to the occasion and produce such a polished concert.

On Wednesday 1 31hOctober, Mike Hurst, indefatigable commentator on twentieth century popular music, gave , an entertaining and informative talk to the Fourth Forms and Lower Removes. With the aid of his guitar and consider1 able first hand playing experience with, among others, the Springfields, he traced a line from American rag-time, jazz and gospel music, through Elvis to the British groups of the sixties and seventies.

The Autumn School Concert, held on Thursday, I gthNovember, began with Second Orchestra playing The Sultan's Polka by that doyen of past Worcester youth music making, A. Benoy. Shulah Oliver and Elizabeth Lewis gave a most musical performance of Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, with sensitive accompaniment from the Chamber Orchestra, who stayed with Bach in D minor for a rumbustious arrangement of his famous organ Toccata and Fugue. First Orchestra returned the concert to twentieth century Britain with Phyllis Tate's

Shulah Oliver with The National Youth Orchestra

Hampstead Heath and Walton's Coronation March, Crown Imperial. The School Choir finished the concert with five arrangements of popular songs, including Schijnberg's I Dreamed a Dream, Rodgers' You'll Never Walk Alone and Luboff's Yellow Bird.

The School Carol Service, held in the cathedral on Thursday, 161hDecember, brought together, as usual the School Choir, the Keys' Choir and the Cathedral Choristers to lead the singing in an almost packed cathedral. Choral items were Willcocks' arrangements of The Lord at First did Adam Make, Angelus ad Virginem and Masters in This Hall, Rutter's I Saw Three Ships, Reger's Maria Wiegenlied and W. Llewellyn's Hush You, My Baby. DGP's exciting performance of Naji Hakim's Homage a Igor Stravinsky as the closing organ voluntary won a deserved round of applause!

On Wednesday, 17thFebruary music scholars gave one of the Worcester Library Association's season of concerts at Eckington Church. Their fine performances were all the more remarkable considering how cold a night it was both in and out of the church!

On Wednesday, 1" March the second Young Performers' Concert of the year was held in the theatre. These concerts are a fine innovation by HRT, who has organised them to offer younger players and singers the same sort of performing opportunities that older pupils gain from the Keys' Society. Long may they continue to thrive!

On Thursday, 9" March a string quartet (Shulah Oliver, Elizabeth Lewis, Julia Guy and Lorna Pritchard) and soloists, David Newsholme, Adrian and Alan Uren entertained the Association of Local Authority Medical Advisors with music by Borodin, Mozart and Rossini at their Annual Conference Dinner in Malvern's Abbey Hotel.

On Sunday, 121hMarch, College Hall was filled with the sound of massed flutes in chorus, when the British Flute Society held a recital and playing afternoon. The recital featured the gifted young flautist, Kathryn Bryan, a former pupil of Chetham's School of Music and semi-finalist in last year's BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition. Players of all standards, including flute pupils from King's,

were then organised into a giant flute choir to rehearse and perform Brian Boru's March and Scott Joplin's The Entertainer.

The Spring Concert was held on Thursday, 231dMarch. HRT led Second Orchestra in a rousing performance of the Grand March from Verdi's Aida, before conducting a poised Chamber Orchestra in Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The School Choir then gave assured performances of two renaissance Lenten masterpieces, Timor et Tremor by Lassus and Allegri's famous Miserere in which Shulah Oliver was the soprano soloist. The concert ended with First Orchestra accompanying Helen Wilson in a superb performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto, no. 20 in D minor.

The Summer Concert was a magnificent occasion, featuring three works, Andrew Carter's Te Deum, Mozart's A major Violin Concerto and John

HRT.

In recent years we have found that, aside from the King's Day service, the only viable late Summer Term musicmaking has been that produced by the Fourth Forms, a situation only likely to be exacerbated next year when the new AS Level exams begin for the Lower Sixths. It was therefore with some trepidation that we undertook to provide the June 7th concert in the M.E.B.'s second Lunchtime Concert series of the season. Shulah Oliver and the Chamber Orchestra began the concert with an excellent repeat performance of Mozart's A major Violin Concerto. With the departure of numerous performers to their various afternoon exams, a series of solos and duos followed, including Alan Uren playing Debussy's La Cathkdrale Engloutie, Anna Byrne (clarinet) playing Albeniz's Tango, Heather Clarke giving a performance of her own A Level piano composition, Rhapsody on a Rainy

Rutter's taxing and exhilarating Gloria. The choral works were sung by the full School Choir with great verve, power and rhythmic precision. The Te Deum offered quite a few of our non-singing orchestral players the opportunity to join the accompanying orchestra, while a virtuoso squad of professional brass players, organised by our trumpet teacher, Peter Fisher, percussionists Kevin Waterman and Darren Oliver, OV, and organist DGP supplied the immensely exciting and challenging accompaniment to the Gloria. It was good to see Shulah Oliver, like her A Level Music colleague, Helen Wilson, before her, rising to the challenge of a Mozart concerto, this time for violin and accompanied by an expanded Chamber Orchestra, conducted by

Easter and Julia Guy with Lorna Pritchard singing the duet, The Lord is my Strength, from Handel's Israel in Egypt. The concert ended with a stunning performance of Saint-Saens Morceau de Concert for horn, played by Adrian Uren, accompanied by his brother, Alan.

The Fourth Form Music Competition, having been successfully reinstated the year before, proceeded smoothly under DGP 'S careful organisation. The adjudicator was Tim Horton, Organist of the Guards' Chapel, St. James' Palace. Winners of the solo section were Freyja Purchase (L4A) and David Hardwick (U4C). Winners of the ensemble section were L4B and U4C. Winners of the Form Song were L4C and U4D. Overall winners of the competition were U4C. The ensuing Fourth Form Concert, held the next evening, was greatly enjoyed by a packed house of pupils and appreciative parents.

To celebrate the Millennium the

Independent Schools Committee had invited schools from across the country each to nominate four musicians to form a choir and orchestra to take part in a Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication in St. Paul's Cathedral on 29thJune. Sam Bayliss (tenor), Shulah Oliver (viola leader), Alan Uren (violin) and Adrian Uren (horn) were chosen to take part in an event that was quite reminiscent of the seven King's Schools' 450thAnniversary Concert of 1991.

Fourth formers also provided a strong singing and dancing cast for the July -production of Bugsy Malone in the theatre. This stage production is reviewed elsewhere in this section.

Freed from the torments of their A Level exams, Shulah Oliver, Joanne Inchbald, Lorna Donovan and Alex Clarke abandoned their orchestral instruments on 4thJuly to give a most entertaining concert of solo and ensemble vocal music, including such popular classics as Gershwin's Summertime, Gilbert and Sullivan's Three Little Maids,from School and Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu. Their strong contribution and unfailing commitment to the school's music making over many years will be much missed. Three of them will, however, be able to keep in close touch from either end of London's Prince Consort Road, with Shulah now studying at The Royal College of Music and Joanne and Lorna starting their first year at Imperial College.

The King's Day Service allowed one final opportunity to hear Shulah Oliver's splendid soprano voice in Parry's stirring anthem, Hear My Words, Ye People. She was joined by David Newsholme, who, as a member of the Upper Remove, showed himself to be on the threshold of a fine future as a bass soloist. The cathedral's two organs were given a thorough workout by DGP and the cathedral organ scholar, Daniel Cooke, accompanying the choir in Pierre Villette's noble Tu Es Petrus.

With the departure of one fine set of singers it is good to record that the next generation is more than ready to step into their shoes. Congratulations to David Newsholme who has very recently won the Under 16 and Open Baritone sections of the Elgar Choral Festival, held during the recent October half-term. In the face of stiff adult

competition, David was named Soloist of the Festival, as the result of a further competition between the afternoon's sectional winners, that was adjudicated by celebrities from the vocal world, including Dame Janet Baker and Dr. George Guest. David continues a fine tradition of excellent solo singing at King's, Worcester, which I hope will continue for years to come.

Congratulations also to our last year's GCSE Music sets, one Fifth Form and one Upper Remove, who gained thirteen A*s and four A grades

between them. It was especially noteworthy that four of the A*s went to the Upper Remove set, David Newsholme, Lucy Pollock, Adrian and Alan Uren, who studied in their spare time over one year! Adrian and Alan both gained Advanced Certificates from the Associated Board in horn and violin along with Shulah Oliver (flute). Jenny Pearce (flute), Lorna Pritchard (piano) and Paul Prouse (singing) were each awarded Performer's Certificates from Trinity College, London.

D.E.B.

This has been an exceptionally good year for the Society. There have been the usual five concerts organised by members of the School, which have had many outstanding moments. An interesting innovation much appreciated by the audience has been the music of John Cage performed by Joe Watson either as a solo or with a small group. It has been encouraging that we have had not only

sixth formers but also members lower down the school, including, for the first time, a member of St Alban's performing in a concert, when Gareth Ceredig was the Timpanist in the final concert of the year. We have enjoyed many outstanding performances by members of the Upper Remove, which is a particularly talented year, and which augurs well for the future of the Society.

It is very difficult to pick out any individual items as they were all so good, but one I remember particularly for both the technical quality of the playing and the interpretation was Elizabeth Lewis' performance of the Elgar Violin Sonata. Again we have had a pupil, Heather Clarke, playing her own composition, a most impressive piece well performed.

Since this was the 251hyear of the Keys Society, we celebrated by having a 251hanniversary concert in July. There were some marvellous performances: the first half of the concert ended with Teleman's Viola Concerto in G major, in which the School Chamber Orchestra, showing great unanimity, accompanied the excellent soloist, Shulah Oliver, to produce a most satisfying performance. The second half of the concert ended with a performance of Mozart's "Vespere Solemnes de Confessore" in which the Keys Society Choir were joined by eight past members who left the School in the last two years and a small chamber orchestra. The result was a fine performance, the forces being small enough to pick up all the detail in the score but large enough to use the College Hall acoustic to fill the building with a rich sound. It was fitting that the last music in the concert movement was the well-known " Laudate Dominum", with a beautiful performance by the soprano soloist, Shulah Oliver. This was her last concert and I must thank her for the work, effort and many first class performances she has given over many years. She also conducted and rehearsed the choir this year and to great effect.

We also say goodbye to several other long-serving members - Patrick Carslake, Alex Clarke, Heather Clarke, Lorna Donovan, Adam Doyle, Jo Inchbald and Joe Watson. We thank them for their help and contributions and wish them well in the future and our large audiences for their loyal support. Here's to the next 25 years!

The Art Department has gained something of a reputation in recent years and we are often asked how we consistently produce such excellent examination results. The answer is complex, but undoubtedly the contact that our pupils have with professional artists is a major contributory factor. This is achieved through our visits to St Ives and by the inspiring exhibitions mounted by professional artists in the Theatre Gallery. An accompanying programme of artists' talks and practical workshops extend the impact of these exhibitions.

The year got off to an excellent start with a one week residency by sculptor and painter Derek Nice. Derek is inspired by the sea, in particular boats, but has also worked on many films and television programmes, including Doctor Who! Derek has an engaging personality and quickly gained the hearts of the pupils that he came in contact with. Until the artist is actually in place, one does not know if the chemistry will be right. In Derek's case it was perfect, and he proved a patient teacher and an inspiring motivator. All the Lower Fourth pupils visited his makeshift studio in Choir House and made their own, very charming boat sculptures. In the evenings, Derek worked with a group of dedicated Lower Sixth sculptors. Derek packed a vast amount into the week, not only teaching, but also making a boat sculpture, which is now placed in the courtyard behind Hostel House.

During September and October, the Theatre Gallery hosted an exhibition of Derek's work. The Exhibition had previously been on tour at major venues across England, and it was our privilege and pleasure to welcome it to the King's School.

After the Autumn half-term, an exhibition entitled 'Atlantic Configurations' was mounted in the Theatre Gallery. This contained the work of eight notable, and in some cases internationally-known artists, all from the St Ives area. We were indebted to Anthony Frost, Naomi Freers, Noel Betowski, Kurt Jackson, Ray Atkins, Bob Devreux, Roy Walker and Robert Jones for the loan of their work. Students from the King's School have

worked with all these artists in St Ives, mounted an exhibition of Upper Sixth and it was wonderful to further our A Level Art, selected from the Summer relationship with them in this way. As Examination presentation. The exhibithe Art Department theme for the year tion included diverse work in painting, was The Sea, this was a particularly drawing, textiles, print-making and helpful exhibition. critical studies. It included the work of

The third professional exhibition of Kenji Lim, who is now studying Fine the year was mounted in March by Art at The Ruskin School of drawing Geoffrey Bradford. Entitled 'Discreet and fine art, The University of Oxford. Metaphors', the artist provided wonder- We cument1y have three pupils studying fully ~all-~~~ntedconstructions, Fine Art at Oxford, and several others made from recycled materials, collected at good art schools and University Fine from various beaches. The work Art and Architectural Departments transcended the usual imagery associat- the ed with drift-wood, and offered evoca- The GCSE Exhibition was also tive glimpses of abstract memories of mounted in the Cathedral during June visits to the seaside and coastline. and was enjoyed by large numbers of Geoffrey gave an eloquent talk about visitors, many of whom were staggered his work in the Theatre. by the standard reached by the pupils.

Pupils from the Fourth Forms and the The GCSE Exhibitions are lively and good fun. Much of the work is individual and the product of an enthusiastic approach. The personal statements written by pupils and presented in the exhibition can be very revealing! The A Level Assessment Exhibition was once again mounted in the Porcelain Studios during July. This was one of our

Lower Sixth artists in St.Ives very best exhibitions, the 35

Lower Remove mounted their own pupils attracting 31 As, 3 Bs and 1 exhibitions in the Theatre Gallery. An grade C. exhibition of large, wooden reliefs During the year the Lower Sixth A produced by groups of Lower Remove Level pupils piloted Module One of the pupils was inspired by the work of new EdExcel AS Level Examination. Derek Nice. They made a powerful This proved a beneficial exercise, and impact and were particularly the work has been recorded for use by by visitors to the Theatre. The Dining the chief Examiners when setting Room provided a good venue for standards and training Moderators.changing displays of Upper Sixth art

The Lower Sixth A Level artists work throughout the year. The big visited St Ives for a long weekend early paintings and fabric prints that we in the Autumn Term. This proved an produce are well suited to this large excellent bonding activity and gave a space. valuable kick st& to the-pupils' gallery

We are grateful to the Dean and visiting. books. Much information was U Chapter of Worcester Cathedral for collected which was used to develop allowing us to use the Dean's Chapel projects on the theme of the sea and in and the Crypt for exhibitions of our a variety of media, through the pupils' work. In October and Novem- remainder of the year. ber, nicely in time for inspection, we

I

Two GCSE groups also visited St Ives during the October half-term. They visited the Tate of the West, smaller galleries, artists' studios and scenic sites. They received artists' talks and participated in practical workshops. The groups produced particularly pleasing charcoal drawings with artist Joe Jones in Barbara Hepworth's Gardens. Several Upper Sixth students joined the trip in order to interview artists in connection with the production of their A Level critical studies thesis.

Twenty eight Lower Sixth pupils travelled to Nice during the February half-term. This was a new venue for the Art Department and it proved a great success. The sun shone, the Nice Carnival delighted and the galleries were stunning. We visited the Chagall, Matisse, Piccaso, Leger and Contemporary Art Museums. During the year, the Sixth Form pupils also visit exhibitions in Bristol, Worcester and London. An annual trip to the Contemporary Arts Fair, London, always proves an excellent place to view new artists and gather fresh ideas.

Parents were able to join in the fun by participating in the Life Drawing Classes and in a family workshop in March. Lower Remove pupils were joined by an assortment of mothers in a workshop led by abstract painter Anthony Frost, and poet Phi1 Bowen. Inhibitions were shed and a good and productive day was had by all. This lively duo had, the previous afternoon, delivered a slide talk to the Lower 1 Remove. This was repeated for adults and other pupils in the evening. The event entitled 'The Fast and Bulbous Show', contained some fast moving and alternative humour and was enthusiastically enjoyed by a large audience.

The Upper Fourth Creative and Performing Arts Day was held in February. Using a theme of the Sea, pupils gathered in the Theatre to be entertained by a story-teller and a Caribbean steel pan player. The rest of the day was spent in small workshop groups offering jewellery, dance, cooking, banner making, sculpture, IT, steel pan playing, story-telling and creative writing. The Art Department is grateful for the help and support of the Music, Dance, Drama, IT and DT Departments, who were all involved in the organisation of this splendid day.

E.R.H.

This was another successful year. We ran a boys' dance club for the first time and after an initial workshop introducing 'Break-dancing' the Lower Fourth boys were keen to practise their new skills. They also attended the county 'Boys' Day of Dance' participating in workshops and performing their new skills, and they also performed at the county Dance Festival at Pershore High School enjoying the experience of an appreciative audience.

For the first time, three fifth year girls, Gemma Martyn-Smith, Carys Williams and Isobel Owen worked on a dance piece for their final assessment in G.C.S.E Drama. All three girls worked hard to be ready for the moderation,

pieces of work to take to the County Dance Festival, where both groups received very high acclaim for both standard and presentation.

The Lower Fourths were also invited to take part in a Performing Arts Celebration of Dance within the city of Worcester called 'The Big Picture'. The girls were filmed performing by the side of the river with the Cathedral as their backdrop. Their work is now on video and was shown at a Festival of Arts weekend at the Arts Centre in Worcester.

We finished the year with a culmination of pieces being performed on King's Day by groups representing each year group within the senior school - seven pieces in total, a great achievement. However not all dances were rehearsed well in advance. The

giving up time after school for rehearsals. Their hard work paid off as they all received excellent marks for this long and varied piece. I was particularly pleased for them as all three have been involved in dance at King's since the Lower Fourth.

During the year we went to see professional companies perform at both Malvern and Worcester Theatres. We also had Sam Grogen (a professional dancer) in school for a whole day to take workshops for the boys in St Alban's, introducing them to 'Physical Theatre' and also to give workshops in Contemporary Dance to the girls in the senior school. They all had a great time and took many ideas away with them.

The Lower Fourths and Lower Removes put together two very different

four sixth form girls, Pippa Druett, Jenni Elderkin, Helen Barnett-Roberts and Claire Welsh decided they wanted to perform on King's Day at the beginning of that week! After a few rushed practices they performed with a great sense of fun, making sure the Sixth Form were well represented.

St Alban's were also on the dance scene this year when we got together in the junior school playground and every pupil in the junior school (and some staff) danced for fifteen minutes in a Millennium Day of Dance.

It would seem that in both boys and girls we have a lot of talent and enthusiasm for dance within the school. I hope we can develop this even further next year.

1magine the scene. It is the first day of a new academic year and the Junior School has joinedthe Senior School to

ttend the service in thecathedral. The choristers process, followed by the King's and Queen's scholars and finally the Headmaster and the senior members of staff. As the service proceeds, RI3 the newly appointed head of St Alban's, receives a dig in the ribs from the young child sitting next to him. As he turned towards the child she whispered,"We didn't have assemblies like this in my old school." There is alot for the new children to take in, to get used to, but experience has taught us to appreciate the warmth of the welcome from those 'old hands' who themselves may have been slightly over-awed by the splendour of a start-of-year service only twelve months previously.

As well as sixty new youngsters entering the school on that September morn there were a number of older ones as well. I have already referred to the appointment of RB as head. Lesser men would have been daunted by such an appointment with anHMC/IAPS inspection eight weeks into the term. Julie Pitts arrived to take Poppy Sharp's place as an Upper lst teacher, while Bill Toleman filled the place in the 2nd Year made vacant by RB's appointment. The office also saw some changes with AT relinquishing her position of secretary to become the Junior School Technician. Anita Holpin joined the team as School Secretary.

Returning to the inspection, it has to be said, in retrospect, that it was one of the highlights of the year. Much of the credit for this must rest with RB for his calm and

King's

efficient approach to the occasion. The staff were able to face the close scrutiny of the inspectors with confidence, knowing that they give the very best of themselves to the children both in and out of the classroom. The outcome of that inspection was glowing. It was not without fault, but an inspection that could find no fault would be doing us all a disservice. Twelve months on and some of their recommendations have already been implemented, with others soon to follow.

The strength of King's St Alban's is that it gives all children the opportunity to achieve success. Yes, we can quite rightly boast of being an academic institution but we are not an academic hot house. There are many opportunities to achieve in this school; we fully appreciate that intellectual ability alone does not necessarily turn the child into a well-rounded adult. To achieve that status they have to have been offered a great many fulfilling experiences. We are justly proud of our academic successes, so richly deserved. 1l+ Scholarships were awarded to James Bartholomew, SarahCowburn andchi-istopher Lack. For each of them there were half a dozen others who were close behind, ensuring that they will be kept on their academic toes throughout the Fourth Forms.

One of the pleasures of working at King's is that we can keep in touch with all those whom we taught in St Alban's and watch their progress through the school. We can take pride in their development and in their successes in the crucial years ahead and appreciate that we had some part to play.

When I look back at the musical achievements of the year I am amazed at how many there were and how diverse. More than a hundred of our pupils play one or more musical instruments from beginners to the very accomplished. Steffi Bubb and Peter Holder are both members of the National Children's Orchestra. Despite having achieved so much so early in their lives they also manage to be extremely modest. Each Wednesday the school was delighted by the fine piano playing of Rufus Froud, the organ scholar. His playing was inspirational and we would often find ourselves, children and staff alike, reluctant to leave the chapel at the end of assembly so that we could listen to all of his recessional playing. Not only is he a fine musician but also an excellent role model for our dedicated musicians to emulate. Two informal concerts, each term, allow all volunteers to play before an invited audience of very supportive parents, staff and fellow pupils. For many this is an early taste of performance and helps build up the confidence for more taxing occasions i.e. one of the two annual concerts in College Hall. These contain a varied programme ranging from Joseph Roberts singing solo to Amanda Furniss delighting us with her cello playing and Gareth Ceredig ably

playing a whole range of percussion instruments. The choir sang a particularly grizzly version of 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Rooster Rag', while the orchestra entertained with the 'Toy Symphony' despite assistance from the staff on a wide range of whistles, rattles and horns, including the oocuck bird! Add to that excellent performances by the wind band under the direction of BW, the recorder groups under RR and the string group and orchestra under HRT you will begin to appreciate the quality and breadth of music in the school. An orchestral workshop during the autumn brought together instrumentalists from St Alban's, the Fourth Forms and King's Hawford. Rehearsals took place all day followed by an outstanding concert in the evening, the highlights

The transition from the Junior School to the Senior School can be daunting for some. To ease the passage and maybe answer a few questions niggling away at the backs of some minds a new venture was initiated with Sixth Formers from the Theatre Studies Course under the direction of SHLeM. Abigail Johnson, Daniel Leach, Nick Baxter and Rebecca Jeavons-Fellows were involved from the start and performed, with the Sixth Formers, 'Jack's First Day'. A powerful piece of drama, which was not only enjoyable, but also served a purpose. I am sure this is an idea to be repeated.

special mention. Also deserving credit is Gareth Ceredig who not only played the percussion instruments in the accompaniment but also wrotethe percussion score. A new departurethis yearwas toinclude,with the annual production, an opportunity for the younger children to perform in their own right. A curtain raiser of 'Melon City' not only warmed the audience up but gave many of our younger children theatrical experience so that they may later approach FMG's more onerous productions with some degree of confidence. Sam Williams and Cara Evans shone in this production while Jack Longley showed natural comic talent. Ourparticipationin theBiltonGrange Drama Festival is largely for fun. A noncompetitive event, it is a celebration of acting talent; an occasion to appreciate and be appreciated.

deserve a chance to prove themselves to be responsible, so this year we elected to have seven prefect teams. Each team consists of three, including a prefect leader. As the year progressed they proved themselves to be more and more able to handle themselves in leadership and organisational roles, and this was made plain for all to see in their involvement in the 'new look' Junior King's Day. In addition to prefects each house had boy and girl captains as well as vice captains. As a result of this increased involvement and responsibility well over half our Third Year had an opportunity to organise, influence and lead by example. At times when certain sectors of the year were absent, either at the Old Chapel or on French trips others came to the fore and very ably filled the gaps.

For some years we have had a prefectoral system whereby a few privileged children have a role to play in the day to day running of the school. Many more being Matron on the big bass drum andGareth Ceredig playing an increasingly speedy tune on the glockenspiel despite interference from the curtains! Many would have been put off but not Gareth. One cannot mention music without mentioning the choristers, that dedicated group of boys who give up so much for choral perfection. This they demonstrated so well with their rendition of Ave Maria at our annual Carol Service. One of those choristers, Peter Holder, still only nine years old, mastered the intricacies of the organ in College Hall on Junior King's Day. So far I have only mentioned the musicians amongst us but there is an annual occasion when all children participate in a musical event. I refer, of course, to the Inter-HouseSinging Competition. Enthusiasm and pride abounds as all enter into the spirit of the competition. Standards are high and Rufus Froud could not have found it easy pronouncing Wilson as the winners. Musical awards into the Fourth Forms were granted to Gareth Ceredig, Portia Davies, Rebecca Hardwick, 1 Helen Jones and Philippa Kent-Davis. / Drama goes from strength to strength. FMG has brought an element of bravery to his choice of productions. He never shies away from large casts and potentially difficult plays. This year was no exception with his production of 'Pirates of Penzance', not only requiring actors who could act but also actors who could sing! His belief in the children's ability to cope with the task and to rise to the occasion never faltered and we were treated to a 1 superb performance on all three evenings in early May. Out of the cast Christopher Lack, Christopher Hughes, Sophie Le Marchand, Elizabeth Owen, Nicholas I Baxter and George Clarke deserve a

Joseph Roberts in 'Pirates of Penzance '

The Old Chapel features prominently in our lives. It provides an exciting environment for the children and a refreshing opportunity for staff to become involved, not only with the outdoors but also with children they perhaps do not come across very often in the classroom. A number of

children enter the school at 9+ and it seems an ideal time to take that particular year group off to the Old Chapel over two weekends early in the autumn term. They are mature enough to cope with two nights away from home and also to get the most out of the experience. The ice is broken (metaphorically speaking) and the new children develop lasting friendships in such an environment. Similarly, we have a great many new parents who also need an opportunity to get to know others. Again, what better place than the Old Chapel. The Family Picnic in early October saw almost 130 parents, children and assorted dogs descend on the chapel, making car parking an interesting puzzle. A leisurely stroll, with apicnic, an opportunity to play in the stream and the woods, tea and cakes, all make for a memorable day. Many parents go home wishing they could relive their childhood but appreciating just what a special facility the Old Chapel is. The Third Year week-long visits in the summer term are a treasure, remembered for many years by all. On numerous occasions members of the Himalayan Club have regaled the mess tent with stories from their Junior School visits to the Old Chapel. The weeks include walks, investigative activities in

the stream and surrounding fields, shelter building, fire making and nettle soup drinking, camp fires and ghost stories. So much is crammed into the week that no time is spare and by Friday the children are returned very stimulated and very tired. The Old Chapel really is a bonus for us and the improvements being carriedout, as I write, will make it even more so.

The Third Years went to France during the latter half of the summer term. In the past we have had more children wanting to go than we could cater for and I have felt sorry for those left behind. This year we decided to take two groups, the first to Brittany and the second to Normandy.

The Brittany trip, accompanied by LAJ, SE, ADW and JTWa crossed the Channel from Plymouth to Roscoff. Nobody suffered from 'mal de mer!' Our first day was spent locally, around the nearby Lac de Guerledan. We made our way around an assault course in the woods in the morning, followed by a picnic lunch at the Abbaye de Bon Repos. After lunch we went to Beau Rivage, a small manmade beach by the lake, where the children were able to swim and relax. On our return to our gites we had a pool party for Jonathan Inglis, who was lucky to be celebrating his birthday in France. The next few days took us to Carnac, the prehistoric capital of the world, and to Josselin to visit the most beautiful Chateau. We managed another trip to the beach and had a tour around adeer farm. We walked into the village one evening and had our meal at the local restaurant. The children were able to watch their crepes being made before devouring them. Our last

evening in Brittany was rather special, as we had been invited to participate in the village Fete de la Musique. Les Enfants Anglais sang beautifully, with an exceptional solo by James Jefferson-Loveday and his backing group from 3W. We heard some traditional Breton instruments and were taught how to do a traditional dance by a very patient villager. It was great fun, and the children met and chatted to some of the village children.

The Normandy trip consisted of twenty two children, LAJ, SE, DM and JTWa. We were staying at the Centre de Nautisme in Granville, and were delighted to be situated right on the beach, with lovely views over the harbour. On clear days we could see Jersey. We had a very full programme, including a visit to Bayeux and the famous Tapestry. This was wonderful and certainly one of the highlights of the trip. We also visited Mont St. Michel, which has been described as one of the 'Wonders of the Western World' and was truly amazing. We went to the Archeoscope Museum for a multi-media presentation of the history and legends of Mont St. Michel. Other trips included a visit to the Aquarium in Granville, the market at Coutances and, because the weather was so hot and because we were so near, many beach visits! On the Friday we visited Arromanches, famous for the Mulberry Harbour used for the 1944 invasion. We went to the 360' Cinema, which showed archive footage of the landings and compared it to films of today. The film was called 'The Price of Freedom' and really made us all stop and think. We also visited the Landings

Wet and h~zppy!James Yelland and Tom Bryant

Portia Davies uf the 0161 Chupel

Museum and learned in more detail how Mulberry Harbour was built and transported to Normandy. Quite a feat of cng~neering! On our way home, we $topped at the British Cemetery at Bayeux - a very humbling experience. We rinished our week with a shopping trip! Thc children were able to spend the rest ol their francs on small gifts for families, friends and themselves. We had everything from quacking ducks to jars of confiture and bonbons!

Both trips were very successful and the children were, as ever, delightful company. The staff weren't bad either!

Charity fundraising is never very far from the forefront of our minds. The children only have to hear in assembly of

children's initiatives allowed us to contribute £50 to The Indian Cyclone Appeal. Contributions were also made to the Blue Peter Appeal and our continuing support of a child through Action Aid. In March a visiting speaker told us of her work with the street children of Mexico City. Following this we had a collection of Beanie Babies for them!

At the bi-annual School Fete we took over the gardens in front of School House for the May Day Bank Holiday. A huge variety of stalls turned it into a colourful carnival of activity with some stalls run by our very supportive parents and a myriad of smaller, game oriented stalls, run by the children. A great

Raising money for charity with a cake stall deal of fun is had by all sections of the school com-

a tragedy occurring somewhere in the munity and at the end of the day we could world and we are inundated with ideas for feel satisfied in the knowledge that the fundrajsing. whether it be a conker sale, Junior School had contributed around a cake stall, araffle or a 'guess the number E5000 to the effort. of sweets in the jar' it is their way of There is a great deal of sport on offer to contributing to the dire needs of those less the children. Largely these are team fortunate than ourselves. This year we games but we realise that not every child have contributed to The European Chil- is destined to be a team player. Some dren's Trust through our Harvest Appeal. perform better as individuals so the proWe were able to send £216 plus 335 kg of vision of swimming, tennis, athletics and rice, flour and sugar to the Balkans. In orienteering satisfies their needs. Others 1 November the media relayed harrowing find it difficult to break into the school I stories from the Indian Cyclone and many team at the highest level so 'B' Team

fixtures are arranged, and of course there is an extremely wide range of inter house sports which involve all children.

The U1 1 rugby team developed well during the course of the season. They gained confidence early by beating weaker opposition but it gave them the experience and improved skill to be able to face the more arduous opposition of teams like RGS Worcester and Warwick. It would be fair to say that there were few outstanding individuals in the team, Thomas Longley and Benjamin Kite probably being the exceptions, but they played extremely well as a team and proved very effective. The U10 rugby team did have a number of outstanding players, Dominic Wood, Thomas Bryant, Andrew Hughes with Matthew Marskell and JackEverton adding skill despite being only U9. The combination of some very skilful players with determined support from the rest of the team enabled the UlOs to secure victories over Abberley Hall, Warwick, Hereford and RGS Worcester. The future looks bright for them as they progress through the school.

Netball continues to be a strength of the school. The squad worked hard throughout the two terms that they play Netball and it soon became clear where the individual strengths lay. Helen Bellfield and Sophie Le Marchand showed an impressive work rate, competitiveness and spatial awareness in attack, while Zoe Rowe became the lynch pin in the centre and Lucy Miller became the calm, reliable shooter. The girls gained some memorable victories over Hereford, Dean Close, Bromsgrove and Alice Ottley but lost nail-biting contests against Croftdown and

Jack Maymon

us by forcing a draw and the last year's in terms of excitement and match at Bluecoat produced results. end-tO-end with St U1 l Hockey fixtures were more diffiA1ban's mnning eventu- cult to secure this season and the girls a1 winners -4. A late goal were restricted to five matches. After a in the match against Here- defeat in the opening match against The ford turned a draw Downs the girls did not look back. They Our first defeat and a worked well as a team with some outde- standing performances. Charlotte Flothcider RGS rnann showed promise as a goalkeeper. us Our On the Sophie Le Marchand proved to be the last match the season. The hard hitting leading goal scorer and Helen players were Bellfield, who has excellent stick control Mathieu Smith, Thornas but no senseof self-preservation, covered LOngle~,A1ex and miles supporting both attack and defence. JOseph in attack, Zoe Rowe and Georgina Grant proved in Midleburgh in midfield, useful wingers, Daisy Robinson showed Jackson and Ben- cool determination in the centre half pojamin Kite in defence and sition while Philippa Kent-Davis and JOnathan Inglis in goal. Sarah Cowburn controlled the defence. There are whOml Alice Walter proved to be the most improved player, developing a formidable wereunable toplay very sense of timing, hitting the ball hard and often because of commit- accurately.

ments elsewhere in the

One of the pleasures of cricket is that school. They are Helen Bell- although it is a team game it is much more field and Sophie Le March- reliant on the performance of the individSports Duy and who those uals in the team. When batting nobody skills, already mentioned as can help you; it is you against the bowler netball players, on the foot- steaming in towards you from the oppo-

TheElms. In the Worcester City Tourna- ball pitch. In mentioning the boys and site end. As a teacher and an umpire it is ment they won four out of their six group girls who played football I cannot forget very rewarding watching those individu- games scoring 42 goals and only conced- the mums and dads who supported their a1 performances. You share the disap- ing 13. They finished thirdin their group. every game. They were the most posi- pointment when the bowler beats the bats- King's again hosted the regional round of tive, encouraging and supportive group man's defence or the catch is dropped. theIAPSNetballTournament. Thetwelve of parents you could want and soon be- But you also share the excitement, the schools who entered made it a most com- came known as Walton's Barmy Army! satisfaction and the pleasure when the petitive and sporting event. The girls In the few fixtures the UlOs had they individual succeeds. Benjamin Kite pro- won all their group matches and the semi showed much promise and flair and the duced early joy by scoring a hard-hitting final, 7 - 4 against Prestfelde. They lost coming season looks as if it could match half century early in the season. This in the final 7 - 10 to a very strong Hawford team. However, as runners up they were invited to take part in the National Finals at Wolverhampton University. Here they found the standard very high, but they learned a great deal from the experience. The B Team unfortunately had fewer fixtures and were not able to develop their game to the same extent. Early successes were slightly overshadowed by later defeats by Hawford and Bromsgrove. Nevertheless their enthusiasm was never dampened and they too learnt much from the experiences offered.

The U1 1 Soccer Team was exceptional. There was a huge amount of individual talent but they were all prepared to play for each other. Often the games were one-sided with emphatic score lines in our favour. But when the opposition did Drove to be obstinate we set to the task admirably. Solihull brought the best from

St Briavul youth hostel weekend

acted as a tremendous boost to his confidence, both as a batsman and a bowler; he developed a real confidence. Thomas Longley, despite having the best technique of any in the team, took rather longer to score a big innings, waiting until the final match of the season. However, his talent was spotted early on by the County U1 l selectors and he represented the county well as a batsman. Mathieu Smith also showed early promise, a natural with the bat but unfortunately a plastered leg prevented him from playing for almost half the season. Two players who were able to contribute more were Helen Bellfield and Sophie Le Marchand. They were good all-rounders and contributed much to the success of the team. One of 1 ourrare defeats was against RGS Worces- 1 ter but Sophie had the pleasure of adding I the names of Illingworth and Newport to her list of victims! Sophie and Helen 1 went on to represent the county at U13, / U15 and U17 Women's levels, a phenomenal achievement, helping the U 13s to win the National County Championship.

' Those interested in X-Country train / throughout the winter forjust two competitions. Most of the training takes them to the Old Hills where stamina on rough terrain is the focus of attention. The first tournament is the IAPS Cross Country ( Relays held at Abberley in early Febru1 ary. Teams of four compete over a 1.2 km course. This year there were thirty three teams with our 'A' Team finishing 16th and our 'B' Team 23rd. The second event was at a very wet and hilly St Richard's later in the month. We found the condi1 tions very difficult but there were some

events!

Swimming is going from strength to strength under the determined leadership and coaching of Mrs V. Williams-Hewett and Mrs J. Fulton. We are now beginning to win more galas. In the English Schools Bazuka Championships we finished in the final twelve from an initial eighty that entered from the West Midlands, just missing out on the National Finals. The relay team succeeded in getting through to the National Finals of IAPS held at Millfield. They finished seventh with Andrew Hughes representing King's St. Alban's.

impressive individual performances. Dominic Wood came home loth in the Boys' Race while Sophie Le Marchand was 61hin the Girls' with her sister Emma, still only eight years old, coming in 16th. This was probably one of the few occasions when the sisters will run together. Orienteering is taken very seriously by St. Alban's and DM always manages to get the best from of our pupils. No sooner are they having a 'first try' early in September than they are taking part in a national championship. In the National Score Championships the Girls' Team came second, withHelenBellfield achieving an individual bronze, and the Boys' team was placed fourth The National Orienteering Championships saw the Boys' Team come third, with Luke Armitage gaining an individual silver, and the Girls' Team achieved fourth place. In the West Midlands Championships we were second.

Rounders matches were approached with determination. The catching was particularly good in the field but I suspect the offer of Mars Bars by CW was incentive enough. It cost her a fortune!

It must be said that tennis is a minor sport at this level - there are not enough hours in the day! Having said that the Junior Team won the HSBC West Midlands Short Tennis Tournament through the sterling efforts of Matthew Marskell, Emma Le Marchand, Jolyon Hale and Jack Jeavons-Fellows. Jack Everton has a national tennis

Finally, on the sporting front, Sports Day and athletics. Andrew Hughes won all his senior events, loom, 200m and 800m, while Jolyon Hale emulated him in the juniors with victories in the 75m, 200m and 800m. Armstrong turned out to be the eventual winners in an exciting morning's sport. But Sports Day is not necessarily about winners but about participators. Everybody has a go at something and the fact that 140 children took part in the Sack Race displays a determination amongst our youngsters to enjoy their school and get the most out of it! There is a great deal on offer and I feel proud and privileged to be a part of it. Talk to them and I think you'll find they feel the same.

Hannah Edrnonds and Ernrna Southall at Sports Day

J.T.WA

Charlie Edwarcls - Nutional Dance Day

pre-prep Christmas production was an alien extravaganza with a wealth of talent on show and splendid costumes. Later in the year the May Fete provided an opportunity for traditional country and May Pole dancing.

Music too forms an integral part of life at Hawford. AngelaDouglas and her team of peripatetic teachers work with over 100 children. Many children from preprep upwards make their musical debut during assembly with Harvest Festival, the Carol Service and concerts during the year providing further opportunities for soloists, Junior and Senior choirs, the orchestra and ensembles to perform.

The International Week, organised by Sue Roscoe and Nick Jeynes was tremendous fun- the focus being Oceania. The Cobb was transformed into a Pacific Island complete with shark infested bay! With an interactive approach the children were to learn about a different culture and participate in a variety of creative activities.

tishardtobeginareportwithafarewell, we may all seek academic success and This year be remembered as but Autumn term 1999 was to be John this year we were especially proud of our the One in which Our girls became the IA llcott's last as Head of King's success in the 7+ examinations. Congrat- IAPS Champions. A Hawford. Although his time with us was ulations to George Burt, Harriet Cor- fantastic achievement and has as much brief we all appreciate the efforts he made nock, Bethany Jeavons, Williarn Lucas, do with team spirit and determination as andespeciallywelcomedtheopportunityto Edan Miles, Lucy Robinson and Chris- their Many thanks get to know him a little better during his last tian Sitch. Also to Harry Roberts who has indeed to Heath and Viv Jenkinterm with us. We are pleased to hear the won a swimming scholarship to Millfield for their hard work with the girls. Allcott family have settled well at Farleigh School. Rounders has also been successful this School and wish them continued success. D~~~~ has always played an impor- year with a succession of victories typi-

Every year at Hawford is special but tant part in our school. This year has been fied by enthusiasm and 1999 was also historic. We pay particular no exception There have been several In football school broke even with 8 tribute to our Year 8 leavers. It was at excellent productions including Bill's wins and 8 losses and drawing 3 games. times easy to forget these children were New Frock and The Curse of the Egyp- The boys adapted well to a different aponly 13 years old, they set such high tian Mummy. Never to be outdone the proach and finished the season with a standards and were exemplary models for sense of achievement. the younger children and source of sup-

Rugby is always achallenge for a small port for the staff. They are also of course school and whilst the first group who will be educated with- this was a major in the King's Foundation from 3 to 18. factor influencing

January saw the start of a new millenni- what was a mixed um and the arrival of a new Headmaster. season we expect We were delighted to welcome Bob Mid- to turn the tables dleton, his wife Pat and their children as the school Matthew and Jonathan into our community. Bob soon established himself as a child-centred thinker and caring Headmaster.

Hawford has long been valued as an inclusive school where pupils all abilities and interests can find success. In our review of the past year we highlight many of the opportunities and activities available to our children. Of course

THK and parents learning to May Pole dance

Toby Hickmn and Paul Mallaband

Cricket coaching has been enhanced by the nets kindly provided by the Parents Association and our batting has improved during the course of the season.

Perhaps the boys' greatest achievement this year has been in swimming, where Harry Roberts and Tom Gallop qualified to swim in the National IAPS finals at Millfield School.

Action Club saw children climbing, crawling, rolling and squidging through every conceivable substance in an attempt to achieve some intangible objective under the watchful eye of Nick Jeynes. The parents have further supported the development of a challenge course to be erected in the Shrubbery, which will see further development of the work started by Nick and will tie in closely with our increased use of the Old Chapel.

How easily those words roll off the pen yet how far removed the experience is from the daily routines that our children enjoy at school! Our visits to the Old Chapel now form an integral part of the curriculum. In Year2 our overnight stay is about looking after each other and demonstrates our growing independence whist in Year 6 and 8 the week long visit allows for confidence building, team building, ecological investigations, map reading and of course hill walking. All the visits are memorable and we

thank especially the Smith family for their involvement and support.

It is always sad to see staff leave especially in a school with such a sense of community as Hawford. This year we say goodbye to Jennifer Doherty who so ably held the fort in History and Geography following Nick's departure.

Sarah Fernihough worked in Kindergarten for two years and we wish her every success in her new post at a children's holiday company.

Anne Billen has decided to concentrate on her private music teaching. We

are indebted to her in Pre-Prep; she has done wonders for our younger pupils.

We were thrilled to hear of the safe arrival of Helen Rankin's baby daughter Hannah and it is with much regret that the family have relocated to Suffolk and Helen is unable to rejoin the staff in September. During her time at Hawford Helen established a reputation as apatient, and talented Reception teacher.

Nick Jeynes moved to Heath Mount School at Easter to take up a post as a boarding House Master. An integral part of the school for 11 years, teacher of History and Geography, architect of Action Club, Nick's energy was boundless, his enthusiasm endless and his sense of humour an anecdote to the stresses and strains of modern life. His commitment was total and this was never more evident than in the way he organised the Lent term charity appeal, raising over £2000 for the Fire-fighters Benevolent Fund.

Finally to Howard Tuckett who takes up the Headship of St. Joseph's College Junior school in Suffolk. He has made a significant contribution to the formation of the Senior Management Team and in school development generally. As a colleague he could always be relied upon and was known for his integrity, balance and friendship. As a teacher his patience and gentleness have been a huge asset and perhaps the greatest accolade that can be paid to him is that he has taken the fear out of maths for many.

Under I1 Regional lAPS Netball Champions

L.B.

KINDERGARTEN

Chilly February weather was forgotten when all pupils and staff "visited" Oceania for three days for an "International experience". The Cobb was transformed into a Pacific Island complete with beach and boat! The children all had the opportunity to sample life on the island by means of role play situations, such as fishing and cooking.

The whole school from Kindergarten upwards participated in the workshops around the school, which involved them in science, geography, history, literature, cooking art, DT and dance projects. These stimulated interest in many facets of the customs and culture of the people of Oceania. We were also fortunate that Malcolm Gill was able to share with us his enthusiasm for Australia, when he kindly agreed to give a talk accompanied by his amazing slides. These left a lasting impression of the vastness of Australia on our minds, enabling us also to compare and contrast life on our own small island of Britain with life on a huge continent on the other side of the world.

On Monday 19IhJune Years 3,4 and 5 went on a joint trip to Hailes Abbey and the Corinium Museum. It was a very long trip to Hailes Abbey. When we got there we had a drink and a biscuit for break. We split into groups and walked around the ruin of a monastery. It was a boiling hot day. We had a question sheet to answer all about monks and the history of the Abbey. After looking around the little museum and shop we had a tasty lunch under the trees.

Our next stop was the Corinium Museum in Cirencester. My group started by doing Roman activities. We wrote on wax tablets, dressed up, identified and drew pottery and made mosaics. Later in the museum we had another quiz sheet about Roman and Celtic items on display. I bought Dad Roman soldiers from the shop. I was very tired on the way home. I had a great day. The best bit was dressing up in Roman clothes.

'All is safely gathered in.. .'

Counting heads and making sure we have as many at the end as we had at the beginning is all part of the Kindergarten day. As we learnt the links between farmer, land and food and swung effortlessly (!) into the Harvest festival service with our old friend, the 'Dingle Dangle Scarecrow', the children and parents became accustomed to school life.

Being aKindergartenparent is no 'stand on the sidelines' job. Once the half term was over and Christmas loomed, the dreaded 'we would like you to make a costume' letter went out, and the huge (but previously hidden) talents of the parents became apparent.

They say,

'Don't put your daughter on the stage Mrs. Worthington.. . '

Why not? Because once you suggest to four year olds that they can put on a Christmas play in the Barn Theatre (King's Hawford) they are totally stage struck!

Tom Wood, Philip Morton and Jessica Beck in The Cobb

were put firmly into place, we prepared for the Spring concert, 'Helping in the Home and Garden' (sort of 'Ground Force' meets 'Changing Rooms'). The children disappeared into a little house, reappearing with 'props' as clues to the next song. Visits from a doctor, ambulance and fire engine all contributed to a memorable topic, 'People who help us'.

Hatching chicks and ducklings in the class incubator, early in the summer term, provided the 'awe and wonder' so pleasurable to witness in our youngest children. A trip to Twycross Zoo followed

our 'Animals' project and a lot of schoolbased work resulted from the experience. For many, a ride on a coach was a 'First' and anxious Mums waited for us on our return. It's hard to put your four-year-old on a bus and not be there to make sure that the sharWgorilla doesn't choose himlher for lunch!

As work continued and children prepared for the demands of full-time school, an 'Ugly-Bug Ball' was planned as an

end of term party and a suitable culmination to a Minibeast project. A brave parent volunteered her child-friendly garden and cars full of butterflies, ladybirds, caterpillars and assorted creepy crawlies, eager andexcited, were seen driving away from school and, much later, creeping back, tired and tatty. As staff removed their feelers and wings and sipped their nettle-juice, they reflected on a busy but successful Millennium year.

Pat Gcile and her Creepy Crawly friends

members Dresent who agreed thev were

Old Vigornians

President ....................................... DR Leonard (47-52)

Chairman RT Padden (46-52)

n u

0 Headmaster ......................................Timothy H Keyes

CV Vice-Presidents PC Thompson (Hon OV)

........................................WF Jones (44-50)

........................ Angela Lloyd-James (77-79)

0 Hon Sec ..............................................MJ Page (60-65)

CV Hon Treasurer .............................. MEJ Stokes (43-53)

a, Hon Soc Sec RF Underwood (68-79)

a> Hon Auditor .................................. J1 Wagstaff (52-61)

t t Member Emeritus mackie (47-56)

F OVCC Representative ..........AW Underwood (77-88)

L

E Ordinary Members Nicole Featherstone (84-86)

............................................ Caroline Horrigan (85-87) n V ........................... f \ Julia Annable [nCe Simcock] (85-87) DA Ogle (76-86)

MG Blakeway ( RJ Wilkes (76- ......................................................

FRDAY- OV GOLF

The Golf Day was held at Worcester Golf Club. Unfortunately the weather was not ideal and the petrol shortage also provided some worries. Heavy rain throughout the previous day meant the course was closed in the morning thuspreventing any morningcompetition. However we were able to get in a full 18 holes in the afternoon without any further rain. Thlrty Old Boys eventually turned out where the scoring was remarkably good considering the conditions. Our President Tony Jemarn was with us at the evening meal and presented prizes as follows:

Winner on 37 points with the best back nine George Blakeway

Runner up also on 37 points Keith Derrett

Third also on 37 points Tom Shervington

Best front nine with 21 points Nigel Jones

Best back nine with 20 points Peter Osbome Best total score on the par 3s Norman Hackwood (our oldest competitor having left school in 1937)

Next year the venue is Droitwich Golf Club and it is quite possible the numbers will have to be restricted to 36 so it could be on a first come first served basis. There is now a mailing list of over 60 and it will be physically impossible to cater for that number if everyone wished to play. Further information can be obtained from Michael O'Neill. Telephone No.0 190535 15180r by E mail at michael.dot @virgin.net

MJ O'Neill

SATURDAY - THEAGM

Tony Jerram proposed Donald Leonard as his successor to which the members agreed unanimously, and he was invited to chair the meeting fromthat point. Before doing so Donald presented to the Club a pair of gavels as a boxed set for the use of the President and Vice-President at the Reunion Dinner, explaining that a second gavel would prove very useful to the Vice-President for bringing the Reunion to order. To the thanks of all present for a very practical and generous gift, Donald Leonard took the Chair; he offered thanks to outgoing President Tony Jerram who left the Meeting to start receiving guests over in College Hall.

Angela Lloyd-James was elected as a VicePresident. MG (George) Blakeway and RJ (Richard) Wilkes were elected to a first term on the Committee. Michael Stokes,who had served for sometime as co-optedTreasurerwas formally elected to the post of.Hon Treasurer. A proposal to alter the wording of Rule 4 (Subscriptions) was approved. This would give the Committee tighter control, as well as more scope, in setting subscription levels. Under Any Other Business the merits of gaining charitable status for the John Pimley Bursary Fund were discussed at some length; the Committee have this in hand and Michael Stokes is examining possibilities with the Bursary and Charity Commissioners. The Meeting closed at 7.16 and members retired to the Common Room, where partners had been entertained as guests during the AGM. All thenmovedoverto College Hall.

THEREUNIONDINNER

Numbers were down this year, due at least in part to the 'fuel crisis'. Presiding over the Dinner at the end of his year of office President Tony Jerram (Cr 50-55) welcomed all. The Guests were: Tim Keyes (Headmaster) andMrs Mary Anne Keyes; James Jerram (Guest Speaker)andMrs Ruth Jerram; MichaelClemson (President of the Old Elizabethans' Association);Revd CanonNoelVincent(GuestPreacher) andMrs AngelaVincent; Donald Howell (Chairmanof the Governors) and Mrs Pat Howell; Mrs Mary Brodrick (recently retired Headmaster's Secretary) and Mr Alan Brodrick; Mr John Roslington (staff) and Mrs Caroline Roslington (staff). Representing the School were Head of School Josh Hand and Senior Girl Celia Bryant. Pupils from the early 50s were well represented, and a number of old friendships were re-established; this included Mike Clemson (Pres OEs) who was also of that era.

The AGM took place in the Chappel Memorial Reading Room where 15 members gathered to consider the matters on the Agenda, with Tony Jerram in the Chair at the start of the Meeting. 18 names of OVs known to have died were read out and all stood in silent respect. 12 apologies for absence were recorded. The minutes of the 1999 AGM were circulated to the 'd rate record of that Meeting; there were no matters arising. Ray Franklin presented his final set of accounts to the AGM, having retired from the post of Treasurer. The overall position was healthy, but expenditure was increasing faster than income and the situation, though not of great concern, did need to be watched. The Accounts were adopted. Ray was thanked for all his work over some 12 years, as was John Wagstaff, who continues to audit the Accounts even though he has retired.

Noel Vincent said Grace and all sat to enjoy the meal. We continue with the problem of not having kitchen facilities within the Hall, but the caterers seem to cope extremely well, working from a mobile facility stationed just outside. The Toast of the School was proposed by Paul Thompson (Hon OV) and the Headmaster replied. In a departure from tradition, Tim Keyes chose to look forward and gave his views on the way current and planned developments would improve King's. Space released by the end of boarding would allow some Departments to be housed in one building, far preferable to their current fragmented nature. The Old Chapel

would soon have all the basic facilities to improve still further what is already a major asset to the School. Returning to tradition Tim Keyes then reported on the year past: academic, sporting and extra-curricular achievements continued to ride high, and stoodcomparison well with other, similar schools. Butthere was no room for complacency and every reason to strive for yet higher standards. The Headmaster also paid tribute to Mary Brodrick, who had retired after 1 many years of loyal service as HM's Secretary. l Mary had not finished entirely: she was retuming part-time to help with the administation of the appeal for development funds.

James Jerram replied to the Toast of the Guests: with his elder brother Tony on his right and younger brother Tim in the audience James spoke in a light hearted way of his time at King's; he stopped short of telling scurrilous l

tales about the President, but hinted there were some he could tell. He also spoke of his work, and Government Ministers he had met as a result: some were more able than others, but they had all brought commitment to the task, something forwhich they didnot always receive credit.

Tony Jerram rounded off the evening by thanking all those who had attended at a very difficult time for travel. He also proposed a verywarm voteofthanks toRichardUnderwood for organising another very successful Reunion Dinner.

Many OVs, partners and friends were at the Sunday morning CathedralEucharist. Thereadings were given by Donald Leonard, and the preacher was Canon Noel Vincent. Noel took themes from the readings to fashion a sermon with all the quiet power that those familiar with his radio broadcasts have come to expect.

The Headmaster's 'At Home' followed,

attended by amongst others, Noel Vincent,Jarnes Jerram, Peter Marshall (Dean of Worcester) and David Annett (Headmaster 59-79). Our hosts, Tim and Mary Anne, entertained us well, with son Sam assisting as cocktail waiter; we thank them for their kindness. The planned rugby game did not take place this year, and following the 'At Home' members and guests returned to the problem of finding enough fuel for the journey home.

OV CMCKETCLUB

An extremely successful season for the Old Vigornians culminated in the Worcestershire Clubs League Fourth Division Championshipwhich was won on the final Saturday of the season. The application for promotion is in, but it is dependent on theavailability of ahomepitch every Saturday next year, and our ability to field two sides, so if any OVs out there are keen to return to the Club, or want to join having recently left School then please get in touch!

The Cricket Club has also paid for and built a new balcony at New Road, which has cost more than £4,000 and will provide an excellent spot to watch the cricket, eat the teas and enjoy apost match drink. Thanks must go to Club Chairman Jim Panter, whose idea it was, and to two OVs, Andrew Judd and James Underwood who built it.

There were some excellent individual performances this season. Phil O'Neill and J.J Richardson who both left King's in 1992 scored maiden centuries; Phil followed this up with a second hundred only weeks later! Phil was rewarded for his efforts with the Bailey Cup for player of the season. And after years of slogging away providing support to the main bowlers, I managed to take my first ever five wicket haul in a crucial 2 run win over Fladbury, in the game that took the OVs to the top of the table. The Mackie Cup for the best performance of the year went to Sunday captain Simon Cobb after he hit

J.M.R. and P.C.T. L,/ tl~r0.V. Dinncr

OVCC 2000 Season Figures (includes all cricket)

Ray F~unklyriand Mike Page ~~sitlzthe

OV stall at the 2000 fete

three fours off the last three balls of a tour match in Blandford Forum to reach his maiden half century and win the game. The Panter Shield for the young player of the season was awarded to two players who left Ing's in 1998: Charlie Evans who topped both batting and bowling averages, and Adam Phillips whose skill, stamina, spirit and strength made him the best bowler of the season, and a man without whom there would almost certainly have been no league title. Richard Wilkes, who left King's in 1986 and is now one of the veterans of the side took 23 dismissals behind the stumpsto take the fielding award. The Sunday side continued as successfully as ever thanks to the skipper and the mainstays like Nick Sproson,Andrew Judd and Ian Bell.

The Club, as ever, is in debt to groundsman Phil Tyre11and his staff for preparing one of the best pitches in the County and to the school for allowing us to continue playing there! Finally we must give our best wishes to a number of OV cricketers who are off around the world in 2001 and who will be sorely missed next season: Eddie George, Tim Race, Toby Heyes, Dave Mendham and Simon Cobb.

Phil Mackie

MEETINGAGAIN

At the end of the academic year 1964 Hugh Neill left the Maths Dept at King's to take up an appointment as Headof Maths in Catford, South London. He also married Jean Roy, secretary to Headmaster David Annett; Jean was the friendly face of School admin, at that time to be found in the Biology building, and always known to us pupils as 'HM's Sec'. At SixthFormlevel Hugh was a particularly effective teacher and his enthusiasm infectious. In July 1965 (after sitting A Levels) a group from his 1964 Lower Sixth made the journey down to Catford by car to visit Hugh and Jean: GP Jackrnan, MJ Page, RG

Payne, MJ Robinson and AP White. We all then went our separate ways, and for the most part lost contact. As Hon Sec I had very ready access to the Club's contact information and set about renewing old friendships. I have kept contact with Rob Payne from the group above since those early days (he lives now in New Zealand), and have managed to re-connect with all the others (bar one - Mike Robinson who remains 'lost'), includingGrahamJackmaninMelboume, Australia. Contact with Hugh and Jean was reestablished through John Turner (Hon OV), recently retired Maths teacher at King's, an old colleague and friend of Hugh. The news that Graham Jackman was returning briefly to the UK and stopping with friends in Hemel Hempstead, only a few miles from Hugh and Jean, prompted Tony White, Graham, Hugh and I to set up a reunion.

Using e-mail we arranged to meet (along with our wives) at Hugh and Jean's house in Great Missenden on 10 September: none of us had actually met Hugh or Jean since that day in Catford in 1965 and Tony and I had not seen Graham since 1968 or thereabouts; we then moved on for a leisurely pub lunch before returning to the house for an even more leisurely afternoon in the garden in perfect weather.

David Barlow (Cl 58-64) who has been a governor of King's for 15 years

The day got off to a flying start when Hugh produced a bottle of champagne to toast the reunion, and the talk ranged far and wide. Graham and his wife Nora had flown in from Australia that morning (landing at Heathrow at 05.15am) and by early evening were fighting hard to combat the jet-lag; we reluctantly departed, either to get some sleep, or for the long journey home. We thank Hugh and Jean for their kind hospitality and a very memorable afternoon.

Mike Page

Rachel Baseley (K 92-94): Obtained a Distinction in the College of Law's Legal Practice course. She is now practising as a solicitor. RJ Griftiths (S 87-97): Graduated with a First in History from Durham in June 2000. Richard is now at the College of Law, Chester studying for a Post Grad Diploma.

TM Grundy (B 93-95): Thomas received the GKN Mechanical Engineering Student of the Year Award at the Millennium Awards in London's Guild Hall on 14 September 2000. The award arose from his First Class MEng (Aeronautical Engineering) at Bristol; his Masters Thesis was judged to have ground breaking research content.

JO Hannah (C1 89-96): Graduated in 2000 with a First Class Masters Degree in Marine Technology. Jake was also nominated for the RINA Student of the Year award. He is now teaching in Benin, West Africa.

JM Wheal(0 91-98): A Distinction (ie a First) in Germanin the Preliminary Examination at the end of yearone at Wadham College, Oxford. As a result, Jon has been made a Scholar of the College.

KM Wong (S 90-92): After National Service in Singapore Keet attended Yale University, USA where he majored in History and graduated BA (with Distinction) in 2000.

Sarah Andrews (CO84-85)toDr Sarah Wooley and Jonathan Wooley a daughter, Laura Anne Louise on 14 May 2000 at Birmingham Women's Hospital; a sister for Robert and Alexander. The birth was by Caesarean section, performed by Morven Leggott (CO84-86).

Kate Bolton (E 88-90) to Kate and Andy White a daughter Abigail Louise, born 18 November 98 and a son, Benjamin Morgan, born 6 June 2000. Kate.White@tesco.net

SH Cawdell (S 78-83) to Simon and Sarah a daughter Philippa Helen Louise, born 9 June 2000. A sister for James (4) and Elizabeth (2). Gabrielle Parikh (CO81-83) - Mrs Downingis her Godmother.

KFielding (C174-84) on27 March, at Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia, USA to Kester and Jane a son, John George (weighing 51b 602). Kester has now re-located to London and is pleased to think his son will not grow up with an American accent!

IP Gent (Ch 72-82) to Ian a daughter, Sarah Deborah, on 13 December 1999 at Dundee. Lianne Greaves (CO 83-85) to Lianne and Geoff Noble a daughter, Megan, born 23 February 2000. A sister for Gernrna, now 4 years old.

SHR Hemming (S 72-79) to Stephen and Jonquil on 26 August 1999 at Shrewsbury - a son Ross George; he weighed in at 71b 5oz despite being a month early.

PS Hughes (0 76-85) to Dr Peter Hughes and wife Margaret a son, Jonathan Edward, born 3 March 2000 at Whipps Cross Hospital in London, a brother to Samuel.

Sarah Hughes (CO 81-83) to Sarah and Paul

The wedding c?f Tim Boswell

Scott on 20May 2000; they met whilst atuniversity in Cambridge. They live in Fulham and he is UK Manager in Strategic Sourcing for Seagram, the drinks and entertainment company. ~~

EJC Bolton (K 79-89) on 12 August 2000

Edward married Michelle Armson at St

Mark on 14 June 2000 a son, Christopher: Peter's Church inDroitwich.The weddingbreakbrother to Thomas, nephew for Peter Hughes fast was held at the Chateau Impney Hotel in (W 76-85) and a fourth grandson for Julia Droitwich. They are now living in Chessington, Kinnish (Hon OV 89-99). Surrey and Edward works in London as a ReCatherine Jones (E 87-89) to Catherine and gional Directorfor OCS Support Services.BrothRichard Brereton a daughter, Daisy Elizabeth, ers, James (W 84-94) and William (C1 85-95) on 25 July 2000 at Redditch Hospital. They are were ushers; completing the OV family connecliving in Alcester. tion were father M John Bolton (Cl 48-55) and Sarah Proctor (CO89-9 1) to Sarah and Danyl sister Kate (E 88-90) - Mrs White. Also at the Bingham a son, Noah Royce Patrick, born 26 wedding were: Mathew Guest (B 82-89), April 2000 at Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Adam Wyse (B 82-89), Mathew Bourne (W 83-90), Chris Wright (K 80-89) - Chris sang

MARRIAGES

Ave Maria during the signing of the register, Ben Jones (W 84-89) and Dorcas Jones [nee PhillAdams(H 83-90) to Annaon 15 May 1999 George](K 87-89), James Davis (K 80-89), at Milford-on-Sea, Dorset; Phill met Anna at will Mann (K 82-89) and John Revill (K 80. university. BestMan wasNickClark (H 88-90) 89). and otherattendeesincluded brotherNei1Adams TNM Boswell (W 85-92) sarah Darby (H 83-92), Kate Fox (E 88-90) and Phi1 Swarm (whom he met whilstworking at BBC Hereford (W 85-90). They live in Hertford. and Worcester) on 5 June 1999 at Ipplepen, BJBorchardt (C1 83-93) Bart marriedcaroline

Devon. Paul Aldridge (W 85-92) was an usher. Tim and Sarah live in Droitwich.

Julia Bull (CO90-92) married Jeremy Birch on 8 July 2000 at Lansdowne Methodist Church, Malvern. Among the guests were Caroline Barski (CO90-92) and Rebecca Johnson (CO 90-92) - Mrs Underwood. Julia and Jeremy are living in Salisbury where she is a physiotherapist and he is a plastic surgeon (the ideal combination for a wrinkle-free future! !. .)

SJ Davis (K 80-90) to Carol Ward on 8 July 2000 at St Mary's Church, Hitcham, Berkshire. Brother James A Davis (K 80-90) was Best Man; Simon Swift (W 84-90) was an usher; Capt Nigel Roughton (Cr 84-90) was a guest.

GlynEvans (0 82-89) marriedDr Si2n Williarns at the Langland Court Hotel in Swansea on 10 August 2000. They honeymooned in Venice and Florence. Both teach English at St Bartholomew's School, Newbury. Glyn would like to hear from old friends at 147 Greenham Rd, Newbury, RG14 7SY.

Rob Janes (Cr 90-95) to Ann-Marie Butters at Crewe Hall on 4 March 2000. Jon Parker (0 89-94) was Best Man and current pupils Chns and Matthew Janes were ushers. OV guests were: Gavin Lovesey (S 90-95), AIex Jeffrey (Cr 90-95), Ross Hurman (0 90-95), Will Bolton (C1 90-95), Nick Bourne (W 90-95), Pete Beaudro (W 90-95), Si Mico (0 90-96) and James Edwards (0 90-95).

Sarah Johnson (E 86-88) Dr Sarah Johnson married Michael Hughes on 7 August 1999 at Evesham. Simon Bailey (Cr 82-91) was Best Man and Dr Caroline Oliver (E 86-88) was a bridesmaid; Jonathan Price (current pupil) was an usher. OV guests were: James Goodall (K 79-88), Keith Carnegie (K 86-88), Hooman Ghalamkari (K 86-88) and Andy Clee (Cl 7888)

TC Mitchell(0 79-89) to Lara Caroline Cash on 30 September 2000 at St Kenelm's Church, U~tonSnodsburv. The couple honeymooned in Mauritius. Lara is the grand-daughter of the late JM Cash (Master 46-73)

Rebecca Price (E 90-92) married Richard Couzens at St Nicholas Church, Peopleton on 3 July 1999. Camille Savage (E90-92) and Kate Nancarrow (E 90-92) were bridesmaids. Among the guests were: Catherine Jones (E 87-89) - Mrs Brereton, Sue Cutbill (E 86-88)Mrs Crossland, Claira Gill (E 91-93), Richard Gill (C1 87-92), Claire Ould (E 90-92) - Mrs Hastings, AnnabelHingston(B 95-97), Natalie Johnstone (E 90-92), Sarah Wright (E 90-92) - Mrs Thomson, Jon Wall (Ch 87-92) and James Wynne(B 90-92). They liveinchiswick; Richard works for PricewaterhouseCoopersand Rebecca (best remembered by her nickname of Pinky) is a trainee solicitor with Clyde and Co. JWNSrnith (B 82-89) Jonathan married Kirsten Johnstone at Wyck Hill House, Stow-on-theWoldon on 24 June 2000. They live in Moseley. Jonathan is a Senior Contaminant Hydrogeologist with the Environment Agency, doing research, and giving guidance on protecting and remediating groundwater. jwns@ btinternet.com 7'he wedding of 6.J.C. (E~iw~ut-d)Rolfon. TIic ~)itfuw~1150 iude[('.s/ut/lcr und ~M'O brothers - all OVs.

The following deaths have been reported to the Club in the last year:

JL Adlington (DB 26-33)

AC Anslow (H 63-73)

PK Birbeck (C1 46-54)

Margaret C Greaves (Hon OV 86-99)

J Hall (Cr 69-78)

HW Hinds (DB -39)

AJ Hughes (Cr 55-64)

MB Knapp-Fisher (S 36-38)

MG Lissimore (W 67-74)

CP Longland (S 23-27)

WG Marks (S 4 1-44)

GH Nicholls (DB 25-33)

AWB Sayce (DB 36-41)

HG Searle (Hon OV 61-64 & 74-8 1)

BP Singleton (W 86-96)

D Stevens (Cr 42-46)

CGL Thompson (H 28-32)

C Wood (DB 45-49)

GC Wyatt

The 1999 Vigomian reported the death of J Britton (H 65-72). That report was incorrect; we know now that Jonathan Britton is alive and well. My apologies for that error, and any distress which it may have caused. MJP -Hon Sec

JL ADLINGTON

After King's John Lawrence Adlington qualified in medicine. He moved to Africa in 1947 and lived at various times in Rhodesia, South Africa, and finally Zimbabwe, where he remained until his death in September 1999. "He was alwavs so vroud of the School and his upbringing in Worcester, and followed the OV -News with great interest despite having lived in Africa since 1947." MrsACAdlington (widow).

AC ANSLOW

Andrew died very suddenly at home on 6 April 2000 He leaves a widow and three children. In recent years Andrew had developed his interest in and love of music by becoming the Assistant Musical Director of Romsey Male Voice Choir. He also played the organ at Locks Heath church near Southampton. He worked for Sun Life of Canadaas a Systems Analyst - ajob whichgave him great satisfaction. Andrew enjoyed a full and contented family life and remained a keen OV. [On 15 July 1995 he returned to King's to join one of the VIIIs in the exhibition rowing match to help celebrate the refurbishment of the Creighton School Gardens]. He isgreatly missed by all who hew him. Joanna Anslow (widow).

childhood in Worcestershire, and frequently J HALL returned to visit the Cathedral and other old Jonathan Hall died on l June 2000 after a long fight against ill health. The middle of three brothers, all at King's, Jon developed diabetes at 13and then MS in his late 20s, suffering a great deal in the ten years before he died. He was very artistic, and in spite of his own problems John remained a kind and caring man. Gwynneth Hall (mother).

HW HINDS

Harvey William Hinds won a scholarship to King's and followed with an Exhibition at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He read PPE and then moved into the Church. Contact with inner city conditions moved his political thinking to the left and convinced him that political action was the way forward; hejoined the Labour Party. He was elected to Southwark Council in 1960 and the GLC in 1967. Increasing conflict between his political and clerical life finally caused him to resign from the Churc and he engaged in politics full time. He beca e Chief Whip of the F Labour Group in the GLC in 1967andcontinued in that post till 1986, when the GLC was abolished by the Thatcher Government. Harvey Hinds, with political views tending to the far left was a natural ally of Ken Livingstone and gave Livingstone solid support dunng his time as GLC Leader, 8 1-86. His main political strength was said to lie behind the scenes, where he was a very effective operator, ruthless if circumstances required. After the abolition of the GLC he retired from active politics and moved to the country. He died 1September 2000. He married twice, and is survived by his second wife and two children from his first marriage. Walter Cullis.(OV, 38-41)

MB KNAPP-FTSHER

Michael Knapp-Fisher was a Cathedral chorister who completed his education at King's. Living in Kent he had fond memories of his

haunts around the School andcity. Betty KnappFisher (Widow)

MG LISSIMORE

Mark was killed in a ballooning accident in Kenya's Masai Mara Game Reserve on 12 July 2000. A Memorial Service was held at St Mary's Church, Ross-on-Wye on 16 August. Mark startedballooning during the early 80s and went on to gain his commercial pilots licence in the USA. He flew in Australia, Thailand, USA, and Japan, competing at World Championship level on several occasions. He was, without doubt, one of the world's most experienced balloon pilots, and his love of flying led him to gain his fixed wing pilots licence as well. But perhaps his greatestpassion was for wildlife and he was able to indulge his two great passions together by flying over the spectacular setting of the Masai Mara Game Reserve; he was rarely seen without his binoculars. He met his wife Annabelle in Kenya and they visited Ross-onWyeregularly, often en-route to far off places or returning with wonderful stories to tell. lan Aslxpole (British Balloon & Airship Club).

WG MARKS

Guy Marks (S 40-44) died suddenly on 17thJuly having spent the evening out with his daughter and two of his three grandsons, to whom he was known as "Boat Grandpa". His eldest grandson has inherited his sporting prowess and was amazed to hear that Guy had been Captain of Cricket and Captain of Rugby, even finishing a key match despite having a broken collar bone. After King's and Naval service he studied Dentistry at Birmingham where his sporting prowess continued as Captain of the University's squash team. There he met and married Teddy. They soon moved to Devon, and he became Captain of the village cricket team. He had a home on an estuary for much of his adult life

which allowed him to indulge his passion for water sports. He enjoyed sailing his yacht from the River Dart and being involved with the R.N.V.R. Yacht Club. In his village he was also church-warden and chairman of the twinning committee - as actively involved as ever! Appropriately his home happened to be the village's old "School House". He was apartner in a very successt~~ldental practice and developed an interest in post-graduate education. His commitment to high standards received intemational recognition when he was given the rare honour of being elected a Fellow of the Intemational College of Dentists. He also had a term as President of the British Society for Restorative Dentistry and filled a variety of other posts. After Teddy died he was fortunate to remany and enjoyed 12 years with Liz. A fit and athletic man he had dreaded declining health in old age, so he died in the way he would have wished. He was very proud of his time at King's and photos of him as Captain of Rugby and Captain of Cricket had pride of place in his bedroom. His funeral tookplace on27 July with the Battle Flag of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Yacht Club draped over his coffin. Clive Marks (son, OV 69-74)

HG SEARLE

Henry Searle died suddenly from heart problems in Moscow on June 26th, 2000. Over the years Henry and his wife Stephanie had made massive contributionsto the King's School over two periods. When Henry came as a young teacher in 1961, he taught maths and ran the School Cricket Team as well as being involved with other team games. He left in 1964 to go to Suffolk and Kenya and returned to Worcester in 1971 to take a higher degree in Education and Psychology andtolecture at WorcesterTraining College. In 1974, he decided to return to teaching and rejoined the King's School to teach A Level maths before becoming Head master of the junior school at St Alban's in 1975. He left Worcester in 1981 to become head of the preparatory school at Rydal in North Wales, leaving there to go back to Kenya in 1991. After a short time in Kenya he moved early in 1994 to become Head of the British International School in Moscow, where he spent six years, expanding the enterprise to seven schools, and turning himself from a head master to a kind of chief executive. His achievements at setting up successful new schools in acountry where bureaucracy is difficult and the language a considerable banier were quiteoutstanding. At the time of his death he was one week from retirement, and he andstephanie had planned todo so many things. Our condolences go to Stephanie and their four children. Hugh Neill (Hon OV)

BP SINGLETON

Ben was killed on l l January 2000, in a motor accident on the M40. He left King's in 1996 and went on to read Textile Management at Leeds. Ben's life was full of promise. He was academi- / cally able and a talented sportsman: he was also

popular, seeking and enjoying the company of friends, many of them OVs. The funeral at Droitwich Methodist Church was attended by many OVs, there to pay their respects to a young man they allcalled 'friend'. Ben's brother, Peter and sister, Beckie, are both OVs, and we extend our condolences to them and their parents. MJP

D STEVENS

David, my great friend both inside and outside the School, died last year. From King's he went on to RADA and was with the BBC Midlands TV for a long time, and it was they who announced his death (from cancer). Many contemporaries will remember his performance as Puck in a school production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' staged in the Old Refectory ruins. That performance may well have decided him on his acting career. Paul Hughes (OV4246)

CM WOOD

Chris died suddenly on 17 November, 1999 after a triple by-pass operation. He had been looking forward to a new way of life after a long wait for the operation. A loyal OV Chris enjoyed the 1999 Reunion, as it turned out one of the last events he attended. (Mrs C Wood, widow)

THE VERY REVEREND TOM BAKER

- some personal memories

Tom Baker, who died recently at the age of 79, was Dean of Worcester when I came to King's in 1983. U Justified tributes have been paid in a number of long obituaries in the national and local press to his manifold services to the Church, not least during his eleven years as Dean of Worcester. I want to concentrate here on the Tom I knew and had the privilege of working with for a number of years.

From day one, Tom was a warm and welcoming neighbour; Jill and I got to know him fast, and to value his friendship and shy but incisive sense of humour. Time spent with Tom was always stimulating, never dull and often illuminated but shafts of deep insight coloured with humanity and understanding.

He was Vice Chairman of the Governors, and we worked closely together; it was one of the great pleasures of those years that relations between Cathedral and School became increasingly easy. Tom had his reservations about independent education, and he was not happy when the school was forced to move from Direct Grant status to full independence. However, once it became clear that there was no other option if the school was to survive, he gave us his full support - and the benefit of his wisdom and wide experience. It is vital that relations between two large organisations which live and work so closely 'in each other's pockets' should be harmonious, and that we achieved - certainly to the benefit of the School, and I dare to hope to the benefit of the Cathedral as well. Matters of business, finance, 'works and bricks' and all that goes with them were not Tom's first love, and I sometimes wondered (probably wrongly) why someone with such intellectual and spiritual gifts had taken on such an onerous administrative role. However, with the school as with the Cathedral, he more than fulfilled that part of his role, and helped greatly when major decisions were to be taken - and that help was not merely on the Governing Body but also in Chapter.

Tom was a considerable scholar, much as (with his habitual modesty) he would have denied it, and a gifted communicator. On a number of occasions he talked to the Sixth Form as a whole or to smaller groups; these occasions were memorable. He was always gentle but incisive and made his points clearly and with humour. He enjoyed complex academic debate and discussion with those whose interests were less intellectual. He held his position firmly but never 'put people down', and his manifest faith informed all that he did and said without any risk of alienating those who were less sure of their own beliefs. He was equally at home with small groups, and was often to be seen having lunch in the Dining Hall chatting easily with any group of pupils he happened to find himself with; many valued him as friend and not a few came to a~~reciate his sham .' mind and clarity of thought.

He was deeply interested in music, and it is no surprise that both the Cathedral music and the Three Choirs Festival went from strength to strength during his period as Dean. Equally he loved listening to anything from opera to Gershwin and playing the piano himself. In those days the Precentor, also a pianist, lived in the other half of 10 College Green. The complex structure of the building was then such that the Precentor's Drawing Room and the Dean's were one above the other; there were occasions when they were both playing, and the lack of sound-proofing meant that they had to give up the unequal struggle and play duets.. ...

I shall remember Tom for his sermons - always thought provoking, beautifully crafted and superbly delivered despite his voice problemsfor many great public occasions - well structured, meticulously planned (even if things did not always quite go to plan on the day !) - but above all as a warm and stimulating friend. It was a great pleasure to bump into Tom around the Green, decide that it was time for a little refreshment, and sit down and set the world to rights. Such conversations were never trivial, always humaneand above all fun. It was a privilege to count him as a friend, and he will be deeply missed. As Dennis Nineham said in his appreciation, he was a dear man. I would add that there was something saintly about Tom - never paraded, but informing his whole life.

CANON CE BESWICK

Colin Edward Beswick came to Worcester Cathedral as Precentor in 1963 and stayed for ten years. He will be remembered by all OVs who were choristers at that time. Subsequently he served in various Worcestershire parishes and then became a residentiary canon at Norwich Cathedral in 1984 until retirement nine years later at the age of 65, when he moved to Rye in Sussex. During his last years he suffered from progressive physical disabilities and memory loss and was looked after most faithfully by his wife, Diana, until his death in 1999. In addition to his Cathedral duties Colin Beswick also taught Divinity at Kings; though firmly

committed to his own Christianity he was tolerant of the beliefs of others and many in the Sixth Form found him an inspiring, open minded teacher. Revd Brian Dickson (Hon OV, School Chaplain, 6067)

[I think modesty prevents Brian Dickson from mentioning that both he and Colin received high praise following a school inspection in the midsixties: ". the boys enjoy the guidance of two able exponents of Christian doctrine who combine scholarship with a sensitivity to their interests, prejudices and needs." MJP]

HG PITT

Mr Hany Pitt, who died at Oxford on 18 May, 2000 at the age of 77, was the Oxford University representative on the Governing Body of The King's School from 1959 to 1982. He reluctantly assumed the Chairmanship in 1974, but resigned it in 1976 on the grounds that "in view of the distance from Oxford to Worcester, and with all the important changes which are afoot [the ending of Direct Grant], the school should have a Chairman who is nearer at hand." This was typical of the conscientious view he took of his duties as a Governor: in spite of his heavy work-load at Oxford - he was successively Dean and Vice-Provost of Worcester College and a Tutor in Modem History - he seldom missed a Governors' meeting. His experience and knowledge of the university scene were invaluable, and he took a keen and informed interest in all aspects of the school. As a Fellow of Worcester College for41 years, he welcomed the opportunity to continue the long-standing linkbetween his College and The King's School. He resigned from the Governing Body in 1982, after 23 years of service to the school, and was succeeded as the Oxford University representative by Richard Malpas of Hertford Collegeanother college with which The King's School has a historical association.

D.M. Annett

July 2000

THE JOHN PIMLEY BURSARY FUND

In the Summer Circular we announced that we were working towards charitable statusfor the Fund. That will have considerable financial benefls as most donations will be enhanced by tax reclaimedfrom the Inland Revenue. We hope this will also encourage contributions: you will not only be making a very welcome donationyourself, but requiring the taxman to do likewise! At the time of the Vigorniangoing topress we are notyet there, butplease keep an eye on the Winter Circular (whichgoes topress much later than the magazine)for anyfurther news. Most of the bam'ers have been surmounted and we expect to have charitable status soon. If you are not a UK taxpayer all the above is of academic interest only, soplease thinkabout helping the Fund now. Payments, of any amount, should be made to The Old Vigornian Club (JohnPimleyBursaryFund). Thankyou.

0.V. NOTES

is 90, enjoys good health, and lives in a nursing home with his wife, Garth, who is also 90. As

ovsusinge-mail might like to ,,heck one of our older members, if not the oldest, he says the OV News does not go back far enough! the OV list on the web at: He has donated to the John Pimley Bursary Fund http:llwww.ksw.org.uldov.html

PS Adams (H 8 1-90) Graduated from Bournemouth with a degree in Product Design in 1995 and works as a Studio Manager for a furniture company in Kentish Town. Phill was married to Anna (whom he met at Bournemouth) and they live in Hertford [See Marriages]. "Would love to get in touch with any OVs. Near or far, for lasting friendship! 01922 537033, Phill.a@eko.co.uk & 28 Millmead Way, Hertford, SG14 3YH."

BG Airlie (S 53-58) Bemard has been out of touch for some time, but is a member of the Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Trust UK, and through that organisation came to know of the existence of the KSW Himalayan Club, having read an article by John Walton (Hon OV) in one of the Trust's Newsletters. Bemard and his wife are experienced trekkers in the Himalayan region and very impressed by the School's Himalayan activities: "In my days our biggest adventure seemed to be the Malvern Hills and Bromyard Downs!" He extends his best wishes to all involved with the Himalayan Club and the very worthwhile work they are doing to raise money for the Trust. He lives in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Sarah Andrews (CO84-85) Now Mrs Wooley, Sarah is a third year Specialist Registrar in Accident and Emergency Medicine in the West Midlands Region. Her e-mail address is woolev s@hotmail.com [See Births]

AD Arbuckle (DB 18-27) Following last year's Vigomian Don wrote to say he remembered the Powell brothers well, and could beat Stephen Powell in the search to find the oldest OV. He

and wishes it all success.

RM Bacon (B 70-80) Has been selected as Consewative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for South Norfolk. He would enjoy hearing from any OV in the area: Richard Bacon, Mergate Coach House, Bracon Ash, NR14 8ER, 01508 571355.

Caroline Barski (CO90-92): Graduated from Nottingham and now lives in Bristol. In a move away from her formal qualifications she has

taken up an interest in modelling, and hopes to break into television. Remembers her rowing

days well, but greyhound racing is now the preferred pastime. Continues toremain in touch with Julia Bull (CO 90-92).

RN Baylis (Ca 63-7 1) In a recent house move Robert discovered some still intact copies of the KSW student broadsheet magazine The Kingsman, which he has donated to the Archive. They give an insight into student thoughts and attitudes of that era (late 60s - 70) which the official record does not; they are an important and special addition to Caroline Roslington's growing collection.

JSP Bell (Ca 77-82) Jonathan has moved from Kiddenninster to Surrey. He is now living at 11 Riverbank, East Molesey, KT8 9BH and can be e-mailed at JBellBone@aol.com

CR Bennett (Cr 77-84) Chris has moved with his family from Tumey in Bedforshire to St Saviour, Jersey, Channel Islands: he has taken up an appointment in property finance with Royal Bank of Scotland Internationalin St Helier. candz@jerseymail.co.uk

DAG Bishop (Ca 77-83) David is in Australia and in the Northern Territory Police. Frequent moves resulted in him losing contact with the Club, but a return to the UK for the first time in JulyIAug 2000 put him back in contact, and he played in the OVCC v President's XI match on Aug 27. He is expecting a posting in early 2001to the station at Ayers Rock for two years. Contact is best made through his old home address: c10 Mrs J Bishop, 18 Dunley Rd, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcs DY 13 OAX Alison J Blackburn (CO82-84) Ali, assisted by Jane Kinnersley (now Hamer) organised the very successful reunion of the Class of 84 in July 99 [see last year's Vigomian]. She has moved house recently and any contemporaries are advised to reach her at ajb@emvrise.co.uk or on 0402 555546 or via her parents: Cefn Coed, Pentir Road, Llandegai, Gwynedd, LL57 4BG.

The wedding of Steve J. Duvis

The wedding of Julia Bull

With her friend Baz she has launched a Web site PUHA and it can be found at www.puha.co.uk

AD Bolland (S 32-37) David continues to take an interest in the School, but regrets that as the years pass there are ever fewer of his contemporaries left. He offers best wishes to all, particularly those who may still remember him. 01278 760465 and dapeg@oneteI,net.uk

A Borchardt (C179-88) Has returned to the UK after 6 years abroad and lives in Lincolnshire with wife Caren and young son Edward (whose birth, in South Africa, was announced in last year's magazine). Alex works mainly in London with the Risk Management Consultancy Division of PricewaterhouseCooper. alex@borchardt.com

TNM Boswell (W 85-92) After a time with BBC Hereford and Worcester Tim is now with FM 102 The Bear, the independent radio station for Warks, Worcs and the Cotswolds [ www.thebear.co.uk 1, where he is News Editor and presenter. [See Marriages].

TP Booton (K 87-92) Tom writes in September: "Working for IMS Health in Frankfurt am Main in Germany where I have been living since February 2000. Still maintain reluctant contact with many OVs and it appears even Germany isn't far enough to be safe! tbooton@de.imshealth.com My sister Rachel Booton (Cr 9 1-96) has just spent a year living in Beijing in China as part of her degree course (Chineseand Spanish)at LeedsUniversity where she is now completing her course. rachelbooton@hotmail.com My brother Andrew Booton (K 80-89) is still an officer in the Royal Logistics Corps. He has recently completed Junior Staff College (where he met up with other OVs from his time) and is expecting to be posted to Bosnia."

BL Borchardt (C1 83-93) Bart graduated from Anglia Polytechnic with a BA in European Social Policy and Languages in 1999. He lives in Fulham and works as a financial analyst for Seagram (drinks and entertainment). In May 2000 he married Caroline Scott whom he met at university. Bart Borchardt@seagram.com N Boyle (Cr 54-63) The second volume of Dr Nicholas Boyle's biography of Goethe (Goethe, The Poet and TheAge) was published in Germany in June 99 and the UK in Jan 2000, to great acclaim; it has established him as the world's foremost authority on Goethe. 1999 was the 250thanniversary of his birth and Nick was kept very busy with celebrations and media presentations across the World. The high point of that was a trip to Weimar where he was presented with the Goethe Medal (a very high honour). He is retiring as Head of German at Cambridge at the end of the academic year; both he and the family (Rosemary and four children) are looking forward to that with some relief. He is still in touch with GH Harper and was delighted when the publication of his book brought a letter of congratulations from David Annett.

JS Brichieri-Colombi (S 24-27) John is 90 and admits to being only one of the runners-up in last year's search to find theoldest OV. He is not too happy with medical treatment he has received

recently and thinks he might live a lot longer if he can avoid doctors! He lives with his wife in Sidmouth; they are well.

GS Briggs (B 79-86) Geoff continues in academia: he read for a PhD in Biochemistry at Kent and is presently a protein crystallographer at the University of Leicester, where he is Webmaster for his group: http://www.le.ac.uk/b~/ He can be e-mailed at gsb7@le.ac.uk

MJ Brookes (B 85-95) Now a Lt in the RAMC after graduating from Nottingham. Mike's involvement in rowing continues: he was a member of the university First V111 and a former holder of the World Record for l00km indoor rowing. brookesmj @hotmail.com

KB Carnegie (H 86-88) Is now Legal Director of Bovis Homes in Bishops Cleeve, near Cheltenham where he lives at 35 Suffolk Parade, Montpellier, GL50 2AD. E-mail keithbc@copeman.co.uk. As well as sending in news of himself Keith also reported (in March 2000): "Andy Clee is a lieutenant with a bomb disposal squad in Kosovo. His sister Jennifer (now Mrs O'Brien) has a baby boy - Charlie. Paul Mitchell is in South Africa, married to Sandra who is expecting their first child in May; his brother Toby is marrying later this year(See Marriages). Tim Randle is working as a vet in Bristol (See entry below). James Goodall lives in Kent and flies for British World Airlines; he is engaged to be married."

DM Carter (B 68-75) David now lives in Malvern with his wife Claire and is employed by Speech Machines as Senior Scientist looking into the linguistic aspects of automatic speech

recognition. He can be reached at d.m.carter@bigfoot.com

Revd SH Cawdell (S 78-83) Simon has completed a MA in Patristics from King's College, London. He continues as vicar of Claverley and Tuckhill in Shropshire. [See Births].

NM Chambers ( -62) Nicholas has been appointed a Circuit Court Judge and is now His Honour Judge Nicholas Chambers, QC. He lives in Oxfordshire.

DJ Clark (DB 50-56) David could not make the 2000 Reunion and regretted that as he knew many who did attend. In a letter to the Hon Sec he says he would like to see a Rowing fixture added to the OV's activities, and wonders if that might happen. [See DBJ Hickling's entry below - mjp]

MAE Clarke (DB 48-54): Mike had been saying to his wife Carys for some time that he should take an interest in the Club again, so she quietly renewed his membership as a surprise birthday present and they bothattendedthe 2000 Reunion where he was able to renew some old friendships. They live at Snail's Bank, Ridgeway Cross, Cradley, Worcester WR13 5JL. Professor GL Claxton, FBPsS (S 56-65) Left King's to read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, and followed a First by moving into Psychology. Guy Claxton is now Visiting Professor in Learning Science at the Graduate School of Education, Bristol University; he is an intemationally known writer, consultant, lecturer and academic specialising in creativity, education and the mind. His wide ranging contributions to the discipline of Psychology, acknowledged as

Swann, Anna Adams (nee Key) and Phill Adams

of the highest quality by his peers , has resulted in him being awarded aFellowship of the BPsS. The Fellowship citation reads: ". ..He is awardLYIhis Fellowship in recognition of his innovac role in advancing psychological theory and ,I\ outstanding contributions to the practical ~l~plicationsofpsychologicalideas."Helives in I kvon and lists his interests as: renovating a 17'h ( 'entury stone cottage and saving education; he cmains a cricket fan.

ST Claydon (W 69-77) Simon has movedfrom Carlisle to Truro, leaving his position as Agricultural Business Manager with Bank of Scotland to take up the post of sales and Commercial ManagerwithCornwallFarmers. 01 872273 196 and 07879 607965.

WA Comyn (S 57-61) Bill has now retired after a career in accountancy with Deloitte and Touche which saw him working in many parts of the world. A variety of interests leave him wondering how he found time to go to work! He has moved south to live in Surrey. Brother James (S 59-66) is Chief Executive for Michelin in South Africa, living in Pretoria; brother Richard (S 59-66) has quit the law and now grows kiwi fruit on the north island of New Zealand.

TJ Cook (Ch 83-90) Is a captain in the Royal Glos, Berks and Wilts Regt and has served in Bosnia, Cyprus, Kuwait, Canada and N Ireland. More recently he was in Estonia running a training team before going on an excellent Battalion rugby tour of South Africa ("If the KSW Rugby Team want somewhere to go on tour, then Cape Town is the place!"). At Junior Division Staff College last year Timothy met up with Andrew Booton (K 80-89) and Crispin Ellisdon (Cr 83-89). E-mail contact welcome tjcookie80@hotmail.com

SR Coulter (S 57-66) Retired in January 2000 after 30 years as a Chartered Town Planner, lastly as Chief Planning Officer with Wyre Forest District Council. Stephen is now in partnership with his brother Roger (S 60-66), developing and managing residential and commercial properties in central Nottingham. DJ Cowton (082-89) After graduating with an

honours degree in Computing and History Dan workedincornmercial property research in London for some 7 years. He then made the break, spent several months cycling across Europe and started a PGCE in IT and PE at Leeds, where he is now. His interest in rowing (and the fortunes of the KSW on the river) continues. He would like to re-establish contact with old friends: dan.cowton@btintemet.com or 18 Dodgson Ave, Leeds, LS7 4BL.

RR Cox (DB 36-42) The 1998 Vigomian recorded that Ray had moved from California to Malvern. In October2000, after some two years there. he moved back to California and lives at

1903 Coyote Circle, Santa Barbara, California 93108. E-mail address and tel no were not available at the time of going to press.

MJ Cunliffe (0 87-92) Matthew was awarded a MA in European Political and Economic Integration at Durham in 1997 and is now running a successful IT consultancy firm handling top clients. Mcunliffe@EuroPointCom.co.uk

CWH Davies (Cr 83-85) Chris has been appointed a Consultant Physician in Thoracic Medicine at Reading. After graduating from Birmingham in 1990 he trained in various hospitals (inc Worcester Royal Infirmary) before moving to the Oxford Health Region. Whilst attached to the Churchill Hospital in Oxford he was seconded to manage a national research project in pneumonia, which culminated in his appointment as a Consultant. He is married to Ernrna with two young children and they live in Woodcote, near Reading.cwhdavies@doctors.org.uk

TR Davies (B 90-97) Tom graduated from Oxford in 2000 with a BA in PPE. He continues at Oxford reading for a M Phi1 in International Relations at Magdalen. thomas.davies2@ma~dalen.oxford.ac.uk

JM Dickinson (S 61-65) As a Professor of Sociology at hder University, NJ, USA, James has taught, written and published on a wide variety of topics: social theory, economic development, German and British social welfare policy, architecture, urban ruins, and contemporay landscape art. He spent 1986-87 as a visiting professor at the Polytechnic of Central London (now Westminster University). Over the years he has been promoted from assistant professor to associate professor to full professor; now only the rank of emeritus beckons. Most recently he has organised three exhibitions for the Rider University Art Gallery, an unusual achievement for a sociologist. Hobbies include photographing the ruins of industrial Philadelphia. James regularly visits Britain, where he finds approximately two weeks in the English countryside each year a powerful antidote to any creeping psychic Americanisation. [See separate article].

JBC Elt (Cr 67-76) Crispin is married to Julie with two sons Matthew(l0) and Dominic(7); they live in Warfield, Berks. He writes: "On 1 Jan 2000 we met for lunch with Hugh Smith (Ch 70-77); we also met with Martin Duckworth (Cr 70-77) and Neil Prior (B 70-77). This was a special reunion as Hugh now lives in San Jose, California where he met his wife Lisa; it was also the first time we had met their son, Ethan. It was good to catch up on all the news and enjoy being together."

cris~in@eltz.freeserve.co.uk

The Barn, Choir

K Fielding (C1 74-84) After working for the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia for a short time Kester has been re-located by the Company back to the UK ("It's good to be back in England!") and is Media Director for Europe and Eurasia. He returns to Worcester frequently to visit family and remains close friends with Nick Kaltsoyannis (W 75-84) and Andy Rankin (W 74-84). Kester sends a special message of thanks to Wilf Thomas (Hon OV) who was a big influence on him as an 8 year old in St Albans. "Quite scary, but very obviously a good man." He also approves of the changes that have occurred at King's since his time, in particular full CO-educationwhich has to be a major civilising influence on boys and girls alike (but perhaps more on boys!). [See Births]. D1 Fildes (W 67-74) David lives in NSW, Australia and In early summer 2000 he visited Worcester for a family reunion, held at WCCC. He was impressed by the many improvements made to the School in recent years. sedlif @tpg.com.au

EM Forsyth (S 86-91) Family bereavement has made life rather difficult for Ed in recent times and he has moved back to Kenilworth. On

(www.sourceuk.net).NationalMissileDefence, UN problems and European Defence have kept me busy at conferences and on the media. I have this year become President of the Combined Cadet Force Association - a long way from my start in Kings CCFsome45 years ago. However, the best news is the birth of our first grandchild, Henry, who arrived while I was in Beijing in March." Tim was saddened to hear of the death of John Pirnley last year: "He was a great friend to me and to the School."

IP Gent (Ch 72-82) Ian has taken up a lectureship in Computer Science at St Andrews University and lives at 4 Edenbank Rd, Cupar, fife, KY15 4HE. [See Births].

Lianne Greaves (CO 83-85) Now Mrs Noble Lianne is mother to Gernrna, born 3/7/96 and Megan, born 23/2/00. She is Financial Controller for a UK division of an American outsourcing company. lnoble@msxi-euro.com

RS Harman (Cr 72-77) Richard has moved from Eastbourne College to take over as Headmaster of Aldenham School from September 2000.

Revd PM Harris (Ch 65-70) Peter writes: "Shortly I will celebrate 25 years of maniage to Miranda and

a more cheerful note he reports that his career is advancing well: after only a little over a year with Millward Market Research at Leamington he has been promoted to Supervisor; he also does translation for the company and hopes to expand that side of his work ed forsvth@lineone.net

AP Fox (K 80-87) Ashley has been selected as Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bath. Offers of help at the next General Election are most welcome! E-mail Ashley.Fox@directline.com

Sir Timothy Garden, KCB (Cr 52-62) Tim writes: "Busier than ever with academic, government, mediaandjournalistic work in defence and foreign policy. I have been travelling widely with work for the DTI in Japan, the MOD in China and DFID in the West Bank. I now have an office at the Centre for Defence Studies, Kings College, London and also work as the Defence editor for an internet journal

we have four student offspring. We left parish work in the UK in 1983, and workedin Portugal for twelve years establishing the first project for A Rocha, a Christian charity concerned for nature conservation. We are now based in France from where we

work as co-ordinators of A Rocha's eight national movements in Portugal, Lebanon, Kenya, France, Czech Republic, UK, Canada and US. OV's interested can look at the web site www.arocha.org "

DG Hepworth (C1 58-65) In a surprise posting Dave was moved to Uganda (a country he had never visited) from Botswana, where he had been for some time. He is now based at KSS, PO Box 24163, Kampala, and would be pleased to hear of any OVs in Uganda.

Helen Hewlett (E 91-93) Has qualified as a solicitor and is now working for a Northampton firm.

DBJ Hickling (0 89-97) ). On 4 September 2000 Dan sent this message: "I was a member of the first V111 rowing crew from 1996 to 1997 and I am now entering my 4th year at the University of Nottingham. Each year there is a school regatta and dinner in the evening. The regatta always ends with the current boy's first

V111 vs. an OV eight. The day is agreatevent and during the evening there is an OV table. However, at present we are not the most organised group of OVs about. We would like to be able to make other OV rowers aware of this event and involve them in the Club again. Eventually, I would like the OV rowers to provide an OV Cup for an event at the regatta and possibly even a boat, much further down the line!" [Ifyou are interested in supporting Dun's initiative and want to be involved in rowing again (women as well as men) please contact him at evyrdbjh@nottingham.ac.uk I

NH Holden (S 50-58) Lives in Masterton, New Zealand and toured Tasmania in November 1999 returning to Melbourne at the end to meet up withDavid Gregory (S50-SS), over from the UK, and an 'unofficial OV Dinner'. Norman was in the UK in OctINov 2000; he brought items for the Archive.

MER Hook (C1 51-61) Worked in the paint industry for some ten years before reading for a degree in Civil Engineering at Sheffield, where he was Captain of Rowing. He entered the Water Industry, including time in Baghdad and Libya, before finishing his career with Severn Trent in Warwick. Since retiring he has married Clare Hedgecock of Challock, Kent and moved there to live. Dene Cottage, Church Lane, Challock, Ashford, Kent TN25 4BS.

DW Jelinek (Ch 69-79) Following graduation from Loughborough in 83 and a successful 'amateur' rugby career with Blackheath and London Scottish Daryl has moved back to the Midlands, to Leamington Spa. He is married, with a young son and is Regional Director with Coca-Cola Enterprises. dajelink@ge.cokecce.com

EW Jelinek (Ch 78-80) GraduatedfromUWIST in Transport Management and his career has been in that field: 12 years with BA and now living in Sydney where he is Marketing Manager for Quantas. Eric is married with two children. He can be contacted through his brother [above].

Marie Kanzow (Co96) Marie was an exchange student at King's for just one term, but looks back on that short time with great affection. She would enjoy re-establishing contact with anyone who remembers her, and would like to hear from any other German exchange student. She sends best wishes to Mrs Le Marchand, Dr Gordon Leah, Security-man Keith and his wife. "With Martha and Maja I had a pretty good time at King's!" mkanzow@grnx.de

JEA King (DB 22-31) Known to friends as Peter and lives in Fareham, Hants. He is registered blind, but continues to take the Vigomian, which his wife Jean reads to him. At 87 he is still fully alert and retains his sense of humour. He continues to play bridge.

Professor BNT Leeman (Ca 59-64) Finished his yearinVietnamby teachingpublic Speaking to the staff at the National Economics University in Hanoi and followed that with a short lecture tour of Australia and the USA: Bernard has a controversial theory of the setting of muchof the Old Testament, with evidence to suggest the location was Southern Arabia and not Palestine;

many leading Biblical Scholars have offered his ideas qualified support. He is also writing a book on the Queen of Sheba. Since September Bemard has been lecturing at university level in Taiwan but maintains a home in Queensland, Australia. b leeman@hotmail.com or leeman@asia.com

PAF Letcher (S 73-78) Now lives at 40 ave du Jura, 012 10, Femey Voltaire, France. Piers has his own Web site at http://pro.wanadoo.fr/ media.works/sp.htm and would enjoy hearing from any of the Classof 78atpiers.letcher@itu.int He works for the ITU (a specialised agency of the UN) in Geneva as a speech writer and his wife Sarah Parkes writes for various journals and lives in France. Piers two children (ages 6 and 5) are already skiing on red runs and able to outpace their father. He is a keen cyclist and took part in the 5 Alpine col Megkve Mt Blanc cyclo-sportif in 1999 ( though he could only manage third from last in a field of 1,400!). He travels widely in Western Europe.

Revd TJ Lewis (Cr 69-73) Tim (aka John) writes in September: "I am now Chaplain of Britannia RoyalNaval College,Dartmouth. I've had to learn to sail on a strong tidal river, but nothing detracts me from my passion of fishing! My wife Sandi continues to put up with me and Kate started primary school this autumn. Dartmouth is a wonderful place to live! I remain in touch with many contemporaries and any OVs are welcome to call or visit, kerrlew @btintemet.com "

DS Lloyd (H 68-73) Steve has lived in the Netherlands for 20 years, the last 7 catering in Holland Casinos. He has been manied for 13 years to Marjolein, with two daughters Megan and Gwen; they live at Valkenboskade 193, 2563 Den Haag. E-mail stevelloyd5 1 @ hotmail.com

SE Logan (Cr 89-94) Now in his third year reading Fine Art at Chelsea. Simon recently had his first exhibition at a small gallery in London. NG Major (B 84-91) Has been working for Royal and Sun Alliance in their City office ever since graduating in 94. He is now an Account Manager in the Global Risks Division following a three month secondment to New Zealand. Nick lives in Islington and will be Best Man to his old friend Daniel Davies (Cr 84-9 1)in 2001. nick.major@uk.rovalsun.com

CG Marks (S 69-74) Clive did a concert tour of Tuscany with the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus in autumn 99 which was fabulous but exhausting. "Whiledozingon thecoach one day between venues I overheard the names Kittermaster and Annett being used in the same sentence. That could only mean one thing and I soon discovered the seats next to me were occupied by Peter Leete (Ca 59-66) and Revd Michael Weaver (Db 49-56). With my father (WG Marks)being 41 -44 and me being 69-74 we covered a large part of the School's recent history and had much to discuss." [Clive's ,father Guy has since died - see Obituaries]. Clive.Marks @ tesco.net

JL Marsh (C1 8 1-91)Julian works for the UK's largest Internet Agency, Oyster Partners, and lives in Highbury, North London. Living in the

same house is another OV, Sarah Wheatstone (c0 89-91). ~ulian.marsh@oyster.co.uk Brother Howard continues as a doctor based in Oxford.

NJH Matty (B 61-68) John got married to Madalyn Hartley in December1999 and they have moved to Cheltenham (4 1 Noverton Lane, Prestbury, GL52 5DD), close to his place of work, GCHQ.

TWJ Moody (K 80 -91): Continues as a freelance commentatorfor MotorcycleGPand World Rallying, and as a racinglrallying journalist. Hugely involved in the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb too. www.shelsley-walsh.co.uk

MJ Morgan (Ch 77-84) Mike is now Group Operations Manager for the Peak Fitness chain of health and fitness clubs. He lives at Yew Tree Cottages, 5a Southlea Rd, Datchet, SL3 9BY. SC Moseley (W 84-92) Is Heavyline Sales Manager for excavator manufacturer JCB and living in Derbyshire. Sam welcomes contact at sam.moselev@jcb.com

Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy (Cr 52-60) Sir Geoff continues to head the giant Kingfisher retailing group (which includes such names as Woolworths, Superdrug, B andQ andcomet) through some very turbulent trading times. A radical shake up of the group's structure is currently keeping him very busy.

D Murray (S 54-61) David is a FRCP and a Consultant Dermatologist with a practice in London as well as his home of Huntingdon, Cambs. He is married with two mamed daughters. The end of Boarding at King's brought back strong memories of his first and last days: He was introduced to School House with a conducted tour by Jonathan Raban, now an author living in the USA; seven years later he departed with a trip to Shrub Hill Station in Housemaster Dan McTurk's brand new Hillman Minx.

GM Nicholas (Ca 76-81) Lives in South Wales with his wife Kath and children Jenna and Jarred. For the past 14 years he has worked for Creative Upholstery, currently in the Customer complaints Dept. Geraint's hobby is powerlifting, and he has had considerable success representing his country as far afield as Canada. pnicholas@talk21 .com

JC Nicholls (B 62-69) Cliff has been awarded a Doctoratebased on published works by the University of Ulster. He is Princi-

MT Pellew (S 62-66) Martyn now lives near Newport Pagnell: Orchard Barn, Bunsty Pastures, Gayhurst, Newport Pagnell, Bucks, MK16 8LY.

G Powell (Ca46-52) Having moved to Northants, and that much closer to Worcester, Gwrge decided to attend the 2000 Reunion with his wife Angela and was very pleased to re-establish contact with some old friends from over 40 years back.

PS Raderecht (S 44-50) Peter was unable to make the 2000 Reunion which clashed with a Squadron reunion in York where he met up with RAF friends from the 50s. He plans to be at the 2001 Reunion to meet several of his OV contemporaries. 01454 776743.

TJL Randle (Cr 78-88) Qualified as a vet from Bristol and then spent 5 years in equine practice in Broadway. Now back at Bristol establishing an equine (teaching) practice on behalf of the University. Still an active rider and competitor at horse trials. Tim plans to marry at the end of 2000.

Joyce Renney (CO82-84) Is married to Paldo de la Guerra and has been promoted to Senior Director (Marketing) at Kan1Terr-y International, where she has workedforthe last5 years. Her brother Paul (Cr 78-80) produces all the children in the Renney family with a fourth daughter recently bom! UnfortunatelyJoyce's workcommitments kept her away from the Class of 84 reunion, but she is pleased to see the School thriving. 020 8772 1870.

JC Rose (S 43-48) Continues with the RSC playing Worcester in part 1 and the Lord Chief Justice in part 2 of Michael Attenborough's production of Henry IV at the Swan, Stratford and the Barbican. Clifford also played John of Gaunt in Richard I1 at the Other Place for the RSC.

RJ Rubery (Ca 48-53) After 15 years as a district judge became a circuit Judge in the Stafford group of courts (Crown, Civil and Family). He is Justice of Appeal in St Helena, the Falklands, British Antarticaand BritishIndian Ocean Territories; also Chairman of Immigration Appeals Tribunals. When not working John enjoys golf. He lives in Shropshire and is married; neither his son nor daughter have followed him into Law. Fifty years on he remains friendly with Noel Andrews (Ca 47-55).

pal Research Engineer at theTransport Research Laboratory in Berkshire and I dne of the UK's foremost experts on asphalt surfacing.

87) Mike is now Conservation Scientist for Historic Scotland in Edinburgh. , >

JCJ Scriven (Ch 83-87) Lives in Tunbridge Wells with his wife and his career in Marketing

Presidentof the Chartered Accountant's Benev- Tomlinson. [7'hisisa veryhighhonourandweoffer the Club's congratulations to Stephen. MJP]

JFD Villis (W 78-88) Jonathan continues with his career as a teacher of English as a Foreign olent Association which currently aids some 600 accountants or their families who have continues with his appointment to the Board of Directors of WFL, a national Customer Service House based in the SE. He remains close friends with JS Beck. Julian's brother Francis has returned to Bristol to study Orthodontics while continuing to practise as a dentist. [See separate article].

JGS Shaw (C1 91-98) James is in his final year

at Exeter, reading Economics

fallen on hard times. I am also involved in other charities, counselling and consultancy in Eastem Europe." He is a keen yachtsman and keeps in touch with Robert Rowley (S 47-56) who shares that passion; he also sees James Rowley (S 43-53) and Revd Theo Thomas (S 46-55) occasionally. His near neighbour is David Rose (Ca 29-32) a retired District Valuer, and still

AJ Sheffer (Ca 52-57) Tony writes: "I retired as a solicitor last year. I keep myself busy with very active for his years.

commercial property investments,antiques, golf and the garden." He has moved to 11 High St, Gretton, Corby, Northants NN17 3DE.

AJ Simpson (W 61-68) "Continues to work in the field of medical diagnostics but since the Company was taken over (again!) in 1998 by

Abbott Laboratories is much more involved on aglobal scale. Continuesto be active as Purchas-

DF Thomas (S 56-66) "I am now living, with my wife, Annie, in south Wales -next doorto the Old Chapel. We are in the process of restructuring the house - a major project; before moving here we spent 3 years in Paris. I work as a

Language. He has left St Petersburg and is now in Rome, working for the British Council; he is also a part-time translator for the Italian Police. He is soon to marry Francesca, a graduate of Naples University.

TP Walker (Ca 31-35) Is now a resident of Hillersdon Court Residential Home in Seaford (which he finds very comfortable) following two strokes in 1999. He still has mobility and is able to get out from the home to walk and keep

fit., but is unable to travel far. In a letter to the Hon Sec he writes: "Gosh, how things have changed. The end of Boarding is a tremendous telecommunications consultant, which means travelling to London each week. However, restep; Boarding was the mainstay of the School in my day and Education more or less the only thing that mattered, except perhaps for the OTC.

turning here each weekend recharges the batteries. Any OVs wanting to take a walk on the Black Mountains are welcome to call

The number of sports and other activities takes ing Manager for the Company but is now in- one's breath away. Amazing - such things were unimaginable in the 30s."

Tom has been a lifelong cricket fan and is a Life Member of WCCC; he remembers watching volved in a number of projects on behalf of all the European affiliates and is embarking on a

staff mentoring project with his US based colleagues.

When not doing the day job, I am still heavily involved with the Air Training Corps and have just been promoted to Wing Commander in the RAFVR(T) and appointed as Officer Cornrnanding Kent Wing of the Corps. In this connection I was pleased to meet again with Sir Timothy Garden (OV) and Lady Garden; both Tim and

Sue are very supportiveof the Corps in the South East."

davidfthomas@msn.com which is also the contact address for Wilf Thomas, (Hon OV, 46-79) retired Head of St Albans, who continues to live in Worcester not far from the School.

Ruth E Tibble (K 92-94) Has qualified as a

many a game with JohnPimley. Though he and John were not at King's together they met frequently at the WCCC Ground; he describes solicitor and specialises in ~ommercialProperty. She continues to live in Taunton, but has moved to 85 Trinity Rd, TA 1 3JJ and would love John as a 'great chap'.

DM Warburton (Cr 85-90) Continues at Hull, but has changed to reading Law. He can be e- to hear from anyone who remembers her: rtibble@cw-c.co.uk

Sir Ricbard Tilt, Kt (Ch 53- 62): Richard mailed at damianmark.warburton@lineone.net

HD Watson (C1 48-58) David has finally retired (his last post - Head of History at the Dragon School, Oxford) and is now living at 2 Brecon Rd, Brooke, Norwich, NR15 IHS.

EJB Simpson (S 75-84) Ed renewed his Vigornian subscription in 2000 with this note: "It is a sad day when father time serves a wake-up call became Director General of the Prison Service at a time when political and social events did not make the post an easy ride; he was rewarded for his leadership after retirement with a Knighthood. Donald Leonard (President, 00 - 01) has wattvatbrooke@freeserve.co.uk

Revd MH Weaver (C1 49-56) Michael is now vicar of Lymington in Hampshire and as a with a renewal reminder. However, I look forward to receiving the Vigomian for the first time as a 'veteran'. Ialways enjoy the magazine,

secured Richard as the Guest Speaker at the 2001 Reunion Dinner, and we look forward to that.

SM Tomlinson(H63-70). StephenMilesTomlinson, QC was appointeda Justice of the High Court, assigned to the Queen's Bench Division in 2000

secondary role he is Chaplain to the Royal Lymington Yacht Club.

reading it from cover to cover - it not only serves as a conduit to keep in touch with old comrades Forest with his wife and two sons. He graduated from Oxford Polytechnic (where he was Captain of Rowing) and worked for some time on but is an excellent shop window for the King's School. I continue to be impressed by the continual improvement in format and content."

TJ Skevington (Ch 76-80) Continues to work for Alstom and is Regional Manager (Asia). He is now basedin Paris, but can be reached through his old London address, 74G Greencroft Gardens, NW3 3JQ or by e-mail at

timskevington@hotmail.com

SR White (Ch 71-82) Simon lives in the New

and a Knighthood conferred upon him. He is now The Honourable Sir Stephen the Stock Exchange before switching to corporate finance. He is the Southampton corporate finance partner of BD0 Stoy Hayward.

Revd Canon AJ Willis (C1 48-56) In Nov 99 John was made an Honorary Canon of Worcester Cathedral. He is Agricultural Chaplain for Worcestershire andin June 2000 he was awarded an MBE for services to the agriculturalcom-

AM Smith (B 72-79) Moved in March 99 to the large firm of national accountants Deloitte and munity in the County.

KM Wong (S 90-92) After leaving King's Keet spent 2 and 112 years doing National Service Touche and is based in their London offices. He is a Senior Manager in their Regulatory Consulting Practice, offering advice to major clients on with the Singapore Army as a Company Quartermaster. He then went to Yale in the USA and graduated with a BA in May 2000. [See Academic Distinctions].

the integration of compliance and risk management into their firms. Mark is married to Anne, who works at the Foreign Office, and they have a son, Tom, who is into all the things that fascinate rising three year olds (particularly motorbikes!); they live in Twickenharn. Remains in touch with MDP Willcox, MR Ricketts, and N Turner from his year.

Venture Capital Company and am now

AlisonV Wright (CO85-87) Continuesto work in the School of Humanities, Birmingham University and is studying part time for a MPhil. Alison continues to sing and is a regular participant in the Three Choirs Festival. Brother Chris Wright (K 80-89) is a solicitor in London

RFJ Spier (S 45-55) Robert submitted his first news in a long time last June: "I have recently retired as the Finance Director of a Real Estate1 specialising in Company Law; he has bought a house in Surrey Quays, which he is renovating in what little free time his career will allow. Cousin Sarah Wright (E 90-92) - now Mrs

Thomson - lives in Abijan (Ivory Coast) where her husband Alastair is on a three year placement with Reuters. Alison's other cousin Ian Wright (Cr 81-91) has completed his articles with Rowe and Maw and remains with them, specialising in Pensions; he commutes to London each day from his Bedfordshire home. Alison's father David Wright (Cr 54-61)is very busy as Senior Partner of Parkinson Wright (Solicitors) in Worcester. He is also Chairman of Worcester Swan Theatre, Chairman of the Elgar Chorale, andGovernorof the Elgar School of Music. He has a very busy life, but still finds time to help Alison with work on her house in Byefield Rise! Completing the family news, uncle John Wright (Cr 57-65) continues as Rector of Backwell in Somerset.

JMA Wright (H 87-96) Julian went up to Durham in 1997 to read Combined Arts, but has graduated with a BA in Classical Studies. He was a member of St Cuthbert's Society at the University.

J Yuen (S 84-87) Jason left King's early, when his parents emigrated in Nov 87, and he completed his education in Australia. After university in Australia, returned to Europe (Germany) working as a project engineer for an Australian company liaising between sister companies in the two continents. He has visited King's and was much impressed at the changes since his time. He was pleased to find one or two familiar faces still around; and also managed to reestablish contact with some of his old School House friends. He is returning to Australia in late 2000 jason.yuen@autoliv.com

LETTER FROM BRIAN J SMITH (Ch 5260): Brian wrote in August with an obvious enthusiasm for life -past, present and future.

MJP

Good to be in touch on the "Internet-waves" How easy it has all become! Thank you for getting the OV Club on-line. Will this include access to the full members list? I have seen the "News of OVs" columns; it is really excellent news. Sony not to have been at many OV , reunions but often travel has prevented this. This year it is a wedding of a close friend on 16th September. Apologies, but I am there in spirit. Here is a synopsis (no attachments!) of my I recent (andless recent) news which may interest contemporaries from Choir House. PS: I seem to have rambled on somewhat but nostalgia fuels the imagination

In April this Millennium year I celebrated 30 years as a free-lance food technologist and a partner of my firm Booth Smith Read and I am still very actively designing food factories and sorting out food poisoning claims in UK and often abroad. Recent technical missions to Kamchatka, Russia (Bottled Mineral Water) and Armenia (Tomato Paste) illustrate the wonderful travel experiencesthat my life-long career as an itinerant food specialist has provided. It was Bill (Basher)Bailey,then Housemaster at Choir, and career mentor too, who pointed me at studying food technology at the National College of Food Technology (NCIT - now at Reading University) - I thrived on it. Early on, after graduation, I spent much time in

USA and then in UK spinning soya protein fibres (the knitted steak!) but met my guru Dr Gordon Booth in 1969. Gordon had fortified the Britishdiet, 1940-45and analysed 3000 year old wheat from Egyptian tombs. He had begun consulting in the 1960s. We met over a soya fibre lunch and the firm Booth Smith was born.. ..and the rest is history. I still live in and work from Ingleby, Derbyshire and am in touch with one or two OVs; David Gregory (S 52-60) is one. He followed a parallel food technology career also from NCFTand heis now consulting too. I am married to Kandy, an ex-India and Malawi tea-planter's daughter, who has shared many of my travels and food adventures. My parents had the Green Door Tea Rooms in Pershore, a favourite with my Choir friends for cakes on illicit (for boarders) Sunday cycle rides from Worcester. Richard White (Ch 53-60) will remember. I suppose my food interest started there. My son, Gareth, has returned to these roots with his "OrangeTree"cafe/bars in Leicester and Loughborough. My daughter Kristy is a renowned automata maker in the late 20th century idiom using recycled materials.

I look forward to renewing contact with some other OV friends via the wonderful medium of e-mail. Barry Sexstone (Ch 55-60) now in Oz, isone I have spottedfrom theOV list who shared my initials and a dormitory in Choir (how Dan McTurk [Staff 46-65] would have enjoyed that zeugma and how he hated displaced participles - "floating kidneys" I recall). I hope others will contact me electronically or in person in Derbyshire. Please look at my web site for contact details www.boothsmithread.com.

Brian J Smith, Booth Smith Read, Ingleby, DERBY DE73 1 HW. Tel: 01332 862894, Fax:01332 864616

LETTER FROM JAMES DICKINSON

A request by the Hon Secfor some news resulted in a very long letter (delivered in the form of a computer diskette). A prkcis version is given below which I hope retains the essentialfeeling of whimsy that runs throughout the original. (MJP) - see also OV News entry

THE MYTH.. .James Dickinson left King's in1965,having performed sufficiently well at 'A' level to win the History Scholarship reserved at a minor Oxford College (by some ancient precedent) for an Old Vigornian who had, among other accomplishments, successfully passed Latin '0' level. James continues to be evermindful that his good fortune in life flows without cease from the foundationof Latin he learned so long ago and so well at King's School, Worcester..

THE REALITY.. ... However, it was not to be: James Dickinson was unable to take up that History scholarship at Oxford because of his inability (despite repeated attempts) to pass Latin '0' level. He left King's in the summer of 1965 with no clear idea of where his many talents lay, nor indeed, of the soil in which they might take root and flourish. Uneven performance at 'A' level led him first to Kingston Polytechnic where he began his lifelong commitment to the discipline of sociology. After a year in Surbiton, James transferred to the very new University of Kent at Canterbury where he had secured a place to continue his study of sociology. His years at Kent (66-69) were unremarkable: regular attendance at lectures was punctuated by occasional trips to pop concerts (or was it the other way round?). In a memorable interaction James once borrowed a book from David McClellan, a young Politics professor soon to publish his acclaimed study of the young Karl Marx. Highlight of his undergraduate

years was a trip to the United States in the summer of 1968, where James travelled widely. This experience inured him against any desire to travel by bus to India or Afghanistan- the other, perhaps preferred, destination of student travellers in those days.

An indifferent student, Jarnes Dickinson graduated fromuKC withonly amediocre degree. He moved to London to seek his fortune with the Department of Health and Social Security (Fulham branch). Salvation came quite unexpectedly one evening in the form of a telephone call from the American University in Washington DC: there was a place for him in the graduate sociology programme - fees waived and a stipend attached. Evidently it was in republican soil that the talents of James Dickinson were destined to take root and flourish. During four years in Washington (1971-75), he witnessed the end of the Vietnam War and the demise of Richard Nixon, found out just how far an English accent could take you, and diligently tilled the soil where his talents were now becoming manifest. After completing a MA at American University, he pursued a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Toronto (1975-82). He then returned to the US, taking up a post at Rider University, New Jersey. Subsequent years have been filled with ambition, achievement and excitement: marriage and divorce; life in Trenton, New Jersey, later Philadelphia; the delights of departmental politics (said to be the more bitter and divisive because so little is at stake).

RACE THE ATLANTIC

On 7 October, 2001 Jonathan (Jo) Lumsdon (King's Worcester [0 80-901) will set out from Los Gigantes, Tenerife, with his friend Tim Humfrey (King's, Rochester) on the greatest adventure of their lives. Along with other twoman teams they will attempt to cross the Atlantic in a small, wooden rowing boat - The Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge. The following report is condensed from their Web site, which interested members might like to visit for the full story www.race-theatlantic.co.uk

Team Patrons: The Rt Hon Earl Jellicoe KBE DSO MC PC FRS, Sir RanulphFiennes Bt OBE

It is true to say that more people have climbed to the top of Mt Everest then haverowed across the ~tlanticOcean. It is avast expanse of water that holds the reality of many amariner' s dreams and fantasies. It also happens to be the arena for the 2001 Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challengea race designed to push the hardiest of adventurers to their physical and mental limits and beyond.

This is a race to end all races, the toughest rowing race in the world - the ultimate test of human ability and endurance. The Atlantic was first rowed in 1896 by two Norwegian imrnigrants living in the USA, George Harbo and Frank Samuelson. They took just 60 days to cover an awesome 3250 miles. The next recorded crossing was 70 years later by Sir Chay Blyth and John Ridgeway in English Rose In, and the

At various times he has bumped into Old Vigornians (often on the streets of London) including Guy Claxton, David Brown (both actually visited James in Trenton many years ago), Paul Remes and Jeremy Thompson (whose career he continues to follow via news programmes broadcast on hotel TV screens throughout Europe. Chris Hodson once phoned him by accident when he was trying to reach a client in the Far East.

When not teaching and writing on urban blight, industrial architecture and contemporary art, or attending conferences in Finland, Denmark, Norway and England, James Dickinson happily recalls life as a boarder in School House. Dimming memories include History and English classes in the Edgar Tower, plump girls of the Alice Ottley, School House gardens, pubs along Friar Street, and the secret smoking den concealed among the rafters of the Upper(?) Remove. He laments the passing of cold showers, fagging, corporal punishment, arbitrary discipline, required attendance at religious services, compulsory cross-counhy runs, rifle inspection, and the agony of Combined Cadet Force field days. In particular, he regrets his failure to master Latin: 'Ornnia Gallia est divida in tres partes' or is that supposed to be 'Ornnia Gallia in tres partes divida est' ?

On such trifles the youth of today should be firmly instructed that oh-so very much depends. James Dickinson, Rider University, 2083, Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 USA

LETTER FROM JULIAN SCRIVEN

The urge to send in some updated newsprompted Julian to send in a light-hearted account of his recent activities. The Hon Sec was invited to edit, but it is printed here in more or less 'as received' form. See also OV News - MJP "Well, it has been some time since I sent in an update to the Vigomian, and the renewal of my subscription has prompted me to be a bit more forthcoming.

I am, at the point of writing this, preparing for a weekof learningtohang-glide along with former member of Choir House, Steve Beck. Our mutual ambition to 'base jump' from Angel Falls before we turned 30 has been moderated somewhat: the wisdom of age (not to mention that of our partners), has tempered our enthusiasm! My love of such silly sports comes from a shared enthusiasm for climbing and scuba diving that we first tried at King's; younger readers might be interested to know that we were two of the founding members of the KSW Sub-Aquaclub. The Club seems to have come on in leaps and bounds since we left (or perhaps because we left?). Trips to distant shores?. The best we could manage was Spring dives in old quarries. The pursuit of adrenalin-rush sport is balanced by a sensible career in Marketing andadomestic life with a wife and two cats (the cats are significantly cheaper!). I am grateful to King's for providing me with the opportunity to developthose two sides to my character: the adventurous and the sensible".

Julian Scriven

foundation of the Atlantic Rowing Challenge amazing 41 days 2 hours and 55 minutes. was laid. The first ever rowing race across the One of Tim and Jo's main reasons fortaking part Atlantic took place in 1997 and involved 30 in the Ward Evans Rowing Challenge 2001 is to crews racing it out from Tenerife to Barbados. raise as much money as they can for a worthThe winners of the race, Rob Hamill and Phi1 while cause. in putting Stubbs from New Zealand, created a new world something back into the community or environrecord by covering the 3000 nautical miles in an ment. They have set themselves a target of £50,000 -in addition to the monev thev need to raise to make the , project a reality! The charity they have decided upon is the NSPCC, which has enthusiastically embraced their support.

If you would like to make a donation to Race the Atlantic 2001 or feel that you can help in some way, please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing timandjo@race-the-atlantic.co.uk or phoning 07881 500128 (Tim), 07968 420160 (Jo), or 24 Danesfield Close, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, KT12 3BP. They will be grateful for any help, however small. Tim and Jo are incredibly grateful to all their sponsors and hope that they gain as much benefit and fun out of Race The Atlantic 2001 as they will. Without them the project could not survive - Jo and Tim would like to thank them wholeheartedly for their involvement, enthusiasm and belief in the success of the campaign.

Places in Higher Education Awarded in 2000

Richard Allen University College of Worcester Sports Studies

Alexander Annis ..................University of Liverpool Applied Molecular Biology .......................................................................

Victoria Armstrong Sheffield Hallam University Tourism Management

Lorna Bannon University of Sheffield Biochemistry

Robert Barclay University of Sheffield Electronic Engineering

Lisa Bishop ..........................University of Nottingham Management Studies with German

Matthew Bond Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London Geology .............................................................

Olivia Borastero University of Wales, Swansea Law and Business Studies

Hannah Brown .....................University of Sheffield .....................................................Hispanic Studies and Business Studies

Joanna Brown ...................... University of Plymouth Sports Management .........................................................................................

Philip Chaundy University of St. Andrews ManagementJSpanish

Emma Burman University College, London Economics ...........................................................................

Lindsey Cheeseman .............University of Plymouth Psychology with Criminal Justice Studies

Alexandra Clarke .................University of Hull .........................................................................................Biomedical Sciences

Heather Clarke University of Durham English Literature ......................................................................................................

Allan Clayton University of Cambridge Music

Jonathan Cookson ................University of Wales, Cardiff Business Administration ..................................................................

Christopher Dodson University of Plymouth Marketing

Erica Davies University of Wales, Cardiff Business Administration ..................................................................................................

Lorna Donovan Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London Biology

Adam Doyle .........................King's College, London Law with German Law

Thomas Dupernex ................Trinity College, Cambridge .........................................................................................Geography

Christopher Eames Regent's Park, Oxford History

Holly Edwards .....................King's College, London Biochemistry

David Evans .........................University of Sussex .....................................................................American Studies (Literature)

Robert Fardon University of Notttingham Management Studies ...........................

Daniel Farmiloe University College, London Electronic Engineering with Management Studies

Jennan Faust University of Leeds LawIChinese

Michael Finlay ..................... University of Southampton .....................................................................Mechanical Engineering ................................................................................

Alexander Garwood-Gowers University of Birmingham Civil Engineering

Alexander Gratland University of Reading International Management and Business Admin.

Abigail Green University of Exeter History, Economy and Culture

Peter Green ..........................King Alfred's Winchester ....................................................Archaeology and Business Studies

Daniel Griffiths Royal Veterinary College, University of London Veterinary Medicine ..........................................................................................

Jodie Guest University of Wales, Cardiff Education

David Hall University of Wales, Cardiff Business Administration

Laura Hampson ....................University of Leeds .......................................................................................International Studies

Robert Harris University of Wales, Swansea Business Studies

Neil Harrison University of Wales, Cardiff Business Administration

Ian Hawkes ...........................Robinson College, University of Cambridge Engineering

Benjamin Hickling University of Wales, Cardiff Mechanical Engineering

Places in Higher Education Awarded in 2000 (continued)

Alexandar Higgs .................. University of Wales, Swansea .....................................................................Management Science

James Hill University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) Management

Daniel Hinchliffe University of Plymouth Business Information Management Systems ........................................................................................

Christopher Horn University of Wales, Cardiff Physiology

Nicole Hudyba University of Wales, Swansea Business Studies

Katherine Hughes ................University College, London) ..............................................................Environmental Geoscience

John Huskinson ....................De Montfort University .................................................................... Business and Marketing

Joanne Inchbald ...................Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine,London Biology with a year in Europe

Christopher Janes University of the West of England, Bristol Business Administration

Robert Jansen University of the West of England, Bristol Real Estate and Leisure Management

Amir Jehangir University of Manchester Medicine

Anna Jones University of St. Andrews English

Alexander Kelly ................... Nottingham Trent University .............................................................................................History

Ian Kingsley .........................University of Plymouth ...................................................................Ocean Science with Geology

Richard Kirk University of Nottingham Mechanical Design, Materials and Manufacture

Nazia Kosar

School of Oriental and African Studies , University of London History

Dominique Laurence University of Newcastle Architectural Studies

Alexander Lee Trinity College, Cambridge History

Andrew Lee ..........................University of Wales, Cardiff ................................................................................Communication

Ruth Lloyd ........................... University of Wales, Swansea ................................................................................................Law

Alexandra Lomas University of Glasgow Physiology with Sports Science

Tess Lowson University of Southampton History

John Lucas Exeter College, Oxford Fine Art

Philippa Mack University of the West of England, Bristol Science, Society and the Media

Samual Malins .....................University of Wales Institute, Cardiff ........................................................................Psychology

Oliver Martin .......................University of Greenwich Sports Science with Professional Tennis Coaching

Laura Mathew ......................University of Birmingham ..............................................................................EnglishIPhilosophy

Julian Menzies

Staffordshire University Sport and Leisure Management

Charlotte Moore University of Manchester Geography

Russell Munn

James Neal

University of Birmingham Computer ScienceISoftware Engineering

University of Wales, Swansea Civil Engineering

Ellouise Newey .................... University of Wales, Swansea ................................................................................Geography

Lisa Ordidge ........................University of Bristol Law

Steven Ott University of Wales, Swansea Sports Science

Jessica Page University of Wales, Aberystwyth Film and Television StudiesDrama

Kirsty Painter University of Warwick Education .................................................................

Benjamin Parker .................. University of Exeter Ancient History and Archaeology

Nicola Parkes .......................University of Reading ..................................................................................................Geography

Richard Paul .........................University of the West of England, Bristol ........... Geography and Environmental Management

Old K'ornian Club

C/O Room

The Committee meeting following publication of the Vigornian always has an agenda item Vigornian, and coininents are invited froin members. In particular I ask for reaction to the OV pages; much to my relief there was not a loud chorus of "rubbish!" in answer to that question.

quality of the magazine, both content write offering thanks to Peter scenes.

Many thanks from me, and look forward the one working constructive.. .) the formats submitted, please know.

PS: Very impressed with the 'new ' Choir House, and all it~~facilities.Not too sure about the gkass wall: a hit like living in a goldfish howl?

Sebastian Pearce Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London ..... Mechanical Engineering

..................

Erica Peel University of Reading Law

.............................

Nicholas Perkins University of Sheffield Mechanic Engineering

Alexandra Phillips University of Wales, Swansea American Studies and Geography

Helen Pickrell University of Reading Management

Daniel Plank .........................Brunel University Industrial Design and Technology ...................................................................

Charles Railton University of Birmingham Mechanical Engineering

Fada Rashid University of Wales, Swansea

Brynmor Rees ......................University of Wales, Cardiff FrencWSpanish

Anthony Relle University of Southampton Software Engineering

Ruth Robinson University of the West of England, Bristol Geography ......................

Simon Sargent University of Sheffield Mechanical Engineering

Thomas Schwalbe ................University of Birmingham Biological Sciences

Robert Seeley Harper Adams University College Agri-Food Marketing with Business Studies

Ashley Shameli University College, London) Law

Daniel Shaw University College of Wales, Cardiff Communication

Mathew Shenton University of the West of England, Bristol Business Studies

Alex Shuter University of Bristol Archaeology

Rebecca Singleton University of Wales, Cardiff Law and Sociology

Jonathan Squire Loughborough University Commuication and Media Studies

Anna Stokes University of Southampton Physiotherapy

James Syree University of Wales, Cardiff Business Administration

Anna Teuma ......................... University of Warwick ..................................................................... German Studies and Italian ...................................................................

Christopher Thorn University of Birmingham Mechanical Engineering

Eleanor Timson University of Exeter French and Spanish

Ben Wade Emmanuel College, Cambridge Natural Sciences

Toby Walker ......................... University of Sussex ........................................................................................................ Politics ...................................................................................................

Thomas Wall Balliol College, Oxford Physics

Malcolm Webb University of Leeds Economics/Mathematics .....................................................................

Noel Webb ............................ University of East Anglia Environmental Sciences

Richard Welsh University of Wales, Swansea American Business Studies ..................................................................................

Sophie Westwood University of Sussex Social Anthropology

Andrew Whitehouse College of Ripon and York St. John Design and Technology/Education

Dorothy Wilkie .................... University of Wales, Cardiff ..........................................................................English Literature

Ben Williams University of Durham Archaeology

Amy Williams-Allden Sheffield Hallam University Business Studies

Helen Wilson University of Sussex .......................................................................................................... Music

Belinda Wood University of Nottingham Psychology ......................

Ian Woodcock University of Leeds Geography

The Vigornian 2000

Editors: Peter Iddon assisted by Richard Davis

Typesetting and Design: John Roslington O.V. News: Mike Page

Photography: Many thanks to Caroline Roslington, Jon Whitehouse, Simon Cuthbertson, Ruth Reeves and Richard Bellfield (St. Alban's), David Thurlby (Drama), Terence Dale-Lace (Rugby & Cricket), Tom Bader (New Staff) and Angela Lloyd-James (back cover - fete montage)

Printed by Hughes & Company, Kempsey, Worcester