The Cantuarian 2016

THE CANTUARIAN 2016

Contents Editorial

Trips & Events

Music

Art

King’s Week

Sport

116

Leavers

185

EDITORIAL A school magazine is a confused creature. It is often called a ‘record’ of the school year, but making a record of the school year is a tricky job when there is so much going on and what deserves to be recorded, and in how much detail, is open to debate. Then there is the question of whether staple content from year to year should be leavened with lighter fare. The problem is space: the magazine is always a school’s weightiest publication but no one wants a door stop on their coffee table. Is Swimming worth as many words as Netball? Which of the twelve paintings submitted by the Art Department should be left out to make room for 1600 words about the Chess Club’s hilarious trip to Moscow? And should a ‘record’ of the school year include an interview with a cleaner who breeds weasels, or a housemaster who boasts a wicked recipe for brownies? And what about pictures of staff dogs, or even dog-eared pictures of staff when they were babies? Does such stuff really belong next to the batting and bowling stats of The Eleven? And we’ve yet to consider those prize-winning essays on Young’s Modulus, the Multiplier Effect, Bach’s plaintive Judas and the influence of Norse myth on Nazi fashion. It’s difficult to draw the line. Any Editor without the judgement of Solomon might have a riot on her hands. Things are complicated further by modern technology. These days, news doesn’t just travel fast but arrives in high-resolution technicolour. And it’s available to anyone on various devices 24 hours a day. So every event in the school year is reported often within hours of its occurrence, and one begins to wonder whether re-reporting the whole lot in print at the end of the year is really worth the weight. So joining a tension between information and entertainment is a tension between instant news and annual review. Something must be done. The Cantuarian has therefore decided to split in two. From 2017 the online part will cover the year’s regular activities, and provide an accurate and detailed record for posterity. The printed part will represent not just pupils but OKS, parents, academic staff, support staff, and interested people beyond the school – the County of Kent, fertile home of King’s for 1400 years, and the wider world. We hope in this way future readers will be informed online and entertained on paper. In the pages that follow you will see this transition has begun already, so some events that have been reported before elsewhere are represented here by picture stories. For gathering the words for this edition, despite the growing challenge, we have to thank the patient and judicious David Felton. For the pictures we thank our resident Mario Testino, Matt McArdle. And for setting up the website, which is about to earn its keep at last, we thank the intrepid Amanda Young who, during her time as a landmark Editor, performed the Herculean task of storing electronically every Cantuarian ever produced, all the way back to 1862 - an amazing achievement. And special thanks go to George Palmer OKS, who carried the magazine torch as a pupil for his full five years. So, dear reader, after 135 years in its traditional form The Cantuarian is going to change, because times have changed. But it looks forward to changing, and by doing so it merely follows a King’s tradition. After all, embracing change is how great seats of learning become ancient seats of learning. The Cantuarian

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TRIPS & EVENTS

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6B ECONOMICS TRIP Sarah Sharma On the 13th June 2016, students taking Economics A Level visited the Shepherd Neame brewery in Faversham and Dreamland, Margate. The gallant economists spent the day studying the process of specialization and the division of labour in the classroom. These concepts were brought to life in the Shepherd Neame brewery. The process in the brewery was separated into the production of both lagers and ales; we got to experience the fermentation process of a lager, which uses a different type of yeast and must be done under cold temperatures, while that of an ale is done under hot temperatures. We learnt that Shepherd Neame is focused on both the brewing of their product and this year they have increased investment spending on marketing by £0.3 million. One of their long-term strategies is to expand their business globally; they have done this through merging with companies such as Oranjeboom (a Dutch firm) and Asahi (a Japanese firm) to increase their market share and further their brand recognition. Though I believe we could have enhanced the experience by tasting the finished product, they unfortunately would not let underage teenagers taste! The visit taught me about the need to create an image of a business; it is about more than just profit or revenue, but also about the community it represents

and its values. In the afternoon, we visited Dreamland, Margate, a theme park, which takes inspiration from the typical American amusement park with colourful rides, stands and a rollerdisco. We learnt all about Margate’s recently started regeneration project which hopes to restore the town to its original popularity as a tourist destination. The guides told us about Kent’s heritage as the main holiday destination for Londoners but since flights have become cheaper and trains

now go into Europe frequently, much of the population can afford to travel further and experience something different. Unfortunately, Dreamland is also struggling with their number of visitors and as a result they have been gaining press, through the Save Dreamland campaign and celebrity art auctions. Dreamland’s biggest goal is to keep the park open and running, which would allow Margate to regenerate, through an increase in tourism, thus providing locals with job opportunities. It became obvious to us that Dreamland Margate is essential for the locals to keep their livelihoods and for the area to stay vibrant so they do not to fall into a cycle of poverty. This trip has made me realize the importance of keeping local businesses open because of the impact they have on the communities; crime rates fall when unemployment falls, making communities safer and increasing the standard of living. I have also learnt that we should explore our home country just as much as we investigate foreign ones; there is so much to see and places like Dreamland Margate are actually great seaside destinations, which should not be underestimated. Cantuarian | 2016

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n o i h s a

F 8

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Show by Gemma Burrows

Luca Pawson’s much anticipated ‘Persephone’ fashion show took place on the evening of Sunday 6th March in the atmospheric medieval setting of the Beerling Hall. After a welcoming drinks reception and art exhibition, guests made their way upstairs to find their seats, the lights were dimmed, and Marilyn Manson’s ‘Killing Strangers’ set the electrifying tone for what was to come, as the first model was summoned to the runway. Based on the myth of the Greek goddess Persephone – and her changing identity from Winter through to Spring – the show introduced us to ‘The Queen of Darkness’ in the first of three sections, in this twelve-piece women’s collection. Taking references from Japanese Samurai, Eighteenth Century costume and tailoring, the opening four garments with their harsh, jagged, obstructive silhouettes and primitive faces took the guests on a journey through the dark severity of the Winter months. As Persephone continued on her path the audience was guided into contemplation as the next four models were called to pray. The goldplated glistening faces, imperial silhouettes and religious imagery all portrayed a decadent deity, a worshipped idol, recalling the opulence of Baroque churches through the use of religious symbolism. Gradually these trappings melted away to reveal the third and final section where Persephone returns to earth, heralding Spring. Organic fabrics entwined the models’ bodies and flowers flourished from their hair, breaking down the symmetry and order of the previous garments in favour of spontaneity, as if the fabrics themselves were blossoming like a flower bud on the eve of Spring. The zest of colour, organic flowing lines and seemingly endless sprouting forms all added to Persephone’s personification of nature as the audience was brought forth into the lightness and climax of Spring. As Luca Pawson took to the runway for his bow the one question left on everyone’s lips was what will become of this exceptionally talented and modest 18-year-old who has already achieved so much.

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Luca Pawson Cantuarian | 2016

6b Geography Trip to Dorset Antonia Brown & Annie Briggs

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The 6b trip to Dorset forms the basis of the A2 core Physical Geography paper. Over the three days, we were able to learn a good deal of theory and pocket some useful case studies by studying coastlines first-hand. The focus of the fieldtrip was to examine the factors and processes that formed and shaped the Jurassic coastline into how we see it today. The Jurassic coastline is famous for its distinctive coastal landforms such as Old Harry’s Rocks and Lulworth Cove. The whole coastline is formed of the same six layers of rock that date back over 150 million years ago. This makes the area the perfect case study for the A2 syllabus. We were blessed with glorious sunshine when we arrived at Kimmeridge Bay on the first afternoon. After lunch and games on the beach, we spent a couple of hours examining and exploring how we thought the bay had been formed. Whilst there, we took up residence at the The Grand Hotel in the centre of Swanage Bay with beautiful views stretching right out to sea which could be seen from the conservatory. Each night, following a day of field work, we would draw up an A3 poster from each location explaining the formation of that particular coastal feature whilst it was fresh in our memory so we could have detailed notes for when it came to revising. The second day was spent at Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. Once again, the day kept mostly sunny for us, with only a splash of rain (which was of no competition to our waterproof notepads!). The Lulworth stretch of coastline is a highlight of the Jurassic Coast, being the only place in England to merit a place on UNESCO’s list of ‘Outstanding Universal Value’. The landscape on this coastline includes the sites of Stair Hole, Lulworth Cove, Man ‘O’

War Bay and Durdle Door. This stretch of coast is stunning and is a perfect place to study as it includes several geomorphological features caused by erosion. The varied geology supports a variety of habitats, occupied by a diverse range of plants and animals. Here, we saw first-hand the effects of the Flandrian Transgression and consequent erosion and diffraction in Lulworth Cove. We could also see the concordant coastline and where each new rock layer started as it got further back inland. At Stair Hole, the ‘Lulworth Crumple’ allowed us to observe how the beds of rock were twisted and distorted when the African and Eurasian plate collided around 65 million years ago, which kick-started the Alpine Orogeny. After spending the day here, we were exhausted and so headed back for a feast at the hotel, before writing up the day’s work. Day Three was spent at Studland Bay, where we learnt about the formation of a spit, lagoon and sand dunes, as well as touching on the human effect of beach management. Following this, we visited Poole Harbour, the largest natural harbour in the country, and examined the

formation of the spit and salt marshes that created the ‘Little Sea’, a landlocked body of water. From then, it was back to school on the coach after an exhausting but essential field trip. Being able to actually see the landscapes we are studying physically cements one’s understanding of the case studies. Yet another fantastic trip from the Geography Department!

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Shells Visit to

YPRES

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l o r a C Service 18

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The Transit of Mercury Dr Fede Elias

On Monday 9 May thousands of people gathered around the world to point telescopes at the sun and observe how Mercury crosses in front of our closest star. Our school was carried by this planetary trend and thus we mounted our telescope in Memorial Court for part of the duration of the transit. We projected the image of the sun on a white board and explained the Physics behind this ephemeris to those willing to take a look at it. Mr Orders was enthusiastically drawing passersby (students, staff and even some tourists), who mostly responded with the same enthusiasm and curiosity to the significance of the event. But there were a few disappointed faces who did not find much merit in that tiny black dot inside a circle of light. True, I must admit that all we could see was a black, circular shape the size of a couple of millimetres in diameter when projected on the whiteboard. It does not sound very exciting, so why do we observe it at all? The transit of Mercury was first observed by astronomer Pierre Gassendi in 1631. Telescopes existed before, but this time it had been predicted by Kepler after his studies of planetary motion, so he knew exactly when to look at the sun, and he was lucky enough to find a break in the clouds that covered all Europe that day, granting him the privilege to be the only person to witness the phenomenon. But Mercury crosses in front of the sun about 13 times per century, so many other astronomers could observe the transit

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in the following years. This would earn Mercury a small but significant role in the determination of the size of our solar system, which in the 17th Century looked to us like a map without a scale. Scientists knew the relative distances of the planets to the sun, but they did not have a ‘ruler’ with which to find out the absolute distance to our star. Mercury, and later Venus, would be that ruler. Edmund Halley witnessed a transit during a scientific expedition to the island of St Helena in 1677. By comparing the different durations of the same transit observed at different latitudes by Richard Towneley in Lancashire and Jean Charles Gallet in Avignon, Halley was able to estimate the parallax of the sun and thus its distance from the Earth. His calculation of 30 million kilometres falls very short of the real distance of 150 million kilometres, but it proved that it was a valid method and suggested that much better results could be deduced from the very rare but more suitable transit of Venus due to its orbit being closer to Earth. The stories of the two transits of Venus in the 18th Century, of the voyage of Captain Cook on behalf the Royal Society, and of the difficulties of observing it and of the effort and struggles of astronomers from around the world to improve our knowledge of the distances in the solar system, are too long and interesting to be narrated in this brief note, so I will just mention that even though they were an improvement over Halley’s estimation using Mercury they were

far from perfect. Today we have much better methods to measure the distance to the sun, such as radar, and hence the transit of Mercury is just a beautiful sight without much scientific relevance. Back to my initial question: then why do we observe it? One could say precisely because it is beautiful. Yes, it is just a small black dot on a screen lit by the sun, but the mind boggles if we think that this little, perfectly circular shape is a planet of about 5,000 km in diameter that at a speed of 170,000 km/h needs several hours to cross in front of a star 1.4 million km in diameter at a distance or orbital radius of 70 million km from its surface (and therefore at a distance of 80 million km from the Earth). It is also beautiful precisely because we know all these figures, because centuries of human effort and collaboration have led us to understand better our solar system and our humble place in it. And though it may not be an event from which any ground-breaking science can be done today there is beauty in how, in this diverse world of ours, it is something that gathers thousands of people with their telescopes in every corner of the planet to share this unique experience. They gather to observe a small, inconspicuous dot, but this dot shows how much we can achieve and learn when we work together. With our modest set-up in Memorial Court that Monday we were part of it at King’s.

6B POLITICS TRIP TO PARLIAMENT Hugh Rowlands A visit to the heart of British politics would naturally whet the appetite of any budding young politician, but it did come with an expensive price tag of a 6am wake-up, which for any teenage boy is wildly unappealing. We did manage it, however, and soon found ourselves speeding on HS1 towards London, blurryeyed and coffees in hand. The day promised to shine light on the inner workings of Parliament, and it was perhaps fitting that it was sunny and unseasonably warm. Security in Parliament was particularly high due to the State Opening of Parliament the following week. This also meant, however, that some areas, such as the Royal Apartments, were closed off to public viewing. Thus the tour began by the Prince’s Chamber, which was in itself a magnificent piece of Victorian architecture. The walls were lined with paintings of all the Tudor and Stuart monarchs. Overlooking the whole room is a large statue of Queen Victoria, flanked by the figures of Justice and Mercy, representing the two principles that symbolise Parliament’s role. A distinctive feature of the House of Lords is the red leather benches, which we were not allowed to sit on, but what really stood out was the gold-leaf throne, which the Queen sits on at the State Opening. This was a magnificent sight and stood as a great symbol of majesty and grandeur.

There was a clear understanding that this was a place of esteem and one which is steeped in history. Moving on from the Lords Chamber, we found ourselves in the Central Lobby, surrounded by the likes of Gladstone. The Commons corridor was covered in paintings, which acted as gentle reminders of the authority and sovereignty of Parliament, through their depiction of the rejection of Charles I’s power. To this day, Parliament retains this sovereignty.

Before entering the Commons Chamber, we stood in the Members’ Lobby. Here, four statues of British Prime Ministers stand proud, namely Clement Atlee, Winston Churchill, Lloyd George and Margaret Thatcher. As imposing figures, they represent strong leadership, albeit occasionally divisive. The Commons Chamber itself is smaller in the flesh. Once again we were reminded that we were not allowed to sit, as the workings of the Chamber were explained. There was great interest taken over which MP sat where, but we soon discovered that we were standing where the SNP sat. This was met with mixed reactions! The beautifully ornate Undercroft Chapel was our penultimate port of call and this was an incredibly serene place. We finished in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the whole estate, where many a monarch had laid in state, and where many great leaders had addressed Parliament. This was magnificent and a fitting end to an historic tour. Coincidentally, on the way back to St Pancras, we saw David Cameron going for a run in the park, which acted as a reminder that perhaps politicians do have lives outside the Houses of Parliament! Cantuarian | 2016

6th

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Form

Ball

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CARNATIONS

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SATURDAY Smarties Rachel Atkinson

This year I have been part of Saturday Smarties, one of the partnerships the school has with children from local primary schools who enjoy science and are budding scientists. Twice a term on a Saturday afternoon, for the past few years, Mr Scott and Miss Astin have organised activities which have hopefully inspired these Year 5 and 6 pupils to explore the science in greater detail and kindle an interest in the discipline. Activities have included looking into the science behind everyday experience, especially forensic science, dissecting eyes to show how they sense light, and testing the gas produced by plants to show that it is oxygen.

receiving end of the teaching process, but it was rewarding to see it from the other side, helping people improve their knowledge and learn more about science. I was also grateful for the opportunity to provide activities like this because, when I was at my primary school, I enjoyed countless extension afternoons, and I was glad that I could help in giving local children, including those from my own primary school, the same experience.

Most of the experiments were interactive, offering a rare opportunity for primary school students to do laboratory work. However, there were a few that were a little too dangerous for the 11-year-olds to do – for example, exploding balloons filled with different gases that burst into flames. The primary school children engaged with the display from a safe distance, and learnt how different chemicals create different colours when burnt. I loved the variety of demonstrations and experiments we were shown, far more imaginative than those the National Curriculum allows time for; I was particularly awed by one where a fuel was burnt and the gas produced was bubbled through limewater and indicator solution, which rapidly turned a shocking red. Such demonstrations are simple enough for eleven-year-olds to understand, but no less powerful illustrations of the effects we have on our environment, particularly poignant when combined with the scientific explanations delivered by the teachers. The Smarties each had a workbook to fill in, complete with ridiculous jokes and badly photo-shopped photos, including one of Barak Obama doing an experiment! As a helper, it was my job to prompt answers from the primary school children to fill in the blanks. Asking questions about the experiments we had watched or performed helped them to see how they could draw conclusions from what they had witnessed. I found this exciting in a very different way to the explosions and colour changes we watched. As a student you are often on the

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CLAVIERE SKI TRIP With the lack of snow across the Alps there was a danger that The King’s School Canterbury Shell and Remove Ski Trip may have had had to be renamed ‘The King’s School Canterbury Alpine Hiking Trip’. Nevertheless, after a 5am start, as we touched down in a grey Grenoble, the heavens opened and the rain began to pour. Upon arriving at our charming resort of Claviere in Italy, everyone was relieved to see the streets and chalets dusted with a fresh layer of snow. After an impressively efficient ski-fit session, we were all ready for an early night in preparation for our first day on the slopes. Our first day on the Italian slopes was excellent, and there was even enough snow to venture off-piste under the watchful eyes of our instructors. The ski groups were soon decided upon, and staff and pupils alike were itching to hone their piste-shredding skills. Throughout the week the snow kept falling, and although the runs in Claviere remained limited, the advanced groups were kept busy with multiple trips to the neighbouring resort of Montgenèvre – it’s not every day that you can say you’ve skied in two different countries in one day! Our hosts at the hotel were absolutely incredible and kept us all well fed and entertained every day. Highlights of the après-ski activities included the epic quiz night, sampling authentic Italian pizza, and a trip up the mountain on a skidoo for a cup of steaming, rich hot chocolate. Overall the trip was a resounding success, and miraculously there were no serious ski injuries at all, which is a testament to the care and diligence of all the instructors. By the end of the week, although everyone was exhausted, we were incredibly sad to leave a place that had become like a second home, and the friends we had made. Huge credit has to go to the Ski Staff team without whose dedication and commitment the trip never could have gone ahead.

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CaféThéâtre Cordelia Speed

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“Sous le ciel de Paris…” Another year, another outstanding performance of ‘Le Café Théâtre’ put on by the French Department. This year the audience was welcomed into a lively and atmospheric Parisian Bistro by an eccentric elderly man, played by Rodion Zaytsev, who was keen to express his passion and love for his establishment. An encounter with a tourist looking for places to visit around Paris, played by Cordelia Speed, led to a great friendship between the two as they commenced a fluent and humorous dialogue written by Fedwa Rajab. With wonderful wine, typically delicious French food prepared by the King’s Week Kitchen and the atmospheric music played by Barnaby May on the piano, the audience were free to sit back, relax and fully absorb the engaging performances that were to come. The dialogue by the presenters, Rodion Zaytsev and Cordelia Speed, was tied in neatly to the sequence of performances as Rodion enthusiastically shared his reasons for loving Paris with his new friend. The performances were part of an eclectic mix including songs, poems, dances and sketches, all celebrating famous French artists. Many excellent comedy sketches were performed by the students, ranging from the Removes to the 6a’s – and even the teachers! Some of the sketches which particularly stood out were ‘Do you speak English?’ by Cécile Giroud and Yann Stotz performed by Elissa Vinh and Benjamin Manasse, which filled the audience with cries of laughter, and ‘La tarte aux myrtilles’ by Alexandre Astier performed fluently and jovially

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by Rose Meddings, Clara Geldard, Hector O’Neill and Arthur Cross. The students were not shy to display their musical talents either: many famous songs were performed, including ‘Le Bistro’ by Georges Brassens sung by Angus Forbes accompanied by Samuel Dath on the guitar, and Edith Piaf’s ‘Hymne à l’amour’ sung by Tilly Storey and accompanied by Phoebe Robertson. Multiple talents were combined as Fedwa Rajab sang ‘Mon amant de St Jean’ whilst Teresa Shik and Janice Kwok accompanied on their instruments, and Annabelle Parish, Charles Brooker, Christa Lockyer and Lucas Lacamp danced perfectly in time to the music. A mesmerising dance to Zaz’s ‘La pluie’ by Daria Egorova left the audience enchanted by the engaging performance. The audience were then transported into the thoughtful minds of Baudelaire, Verlaine and Rimbaud as poems were read in an intriguing manner by Eleanor Paine, Hugo Ninham and Emma Bryant. A highlight of the afternoon was a hilarious interpretation of ‘La partie de cartes’ performed by Marc Dath, Tim Armstrong, Danny Rowlands and Ben Katz in which now former Head of Modern Languages Tim Armstrong’s passion for theatre really shone. This was followed by an emotional goodbye expressed through a performance of ‘Adieu Monsieur le Professeur’ to the beloved French teachers who are leaving King’s this year. The last performance, Charles Trénet’s ‘Douce France’, was belted out by the Remove students and to our delight the audience joined in with a heartfelt passion. Once again everyone left still humming along and with great smiles upon their faces.

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DEBATING SOCIETY Lent Term 2016 Angus Forbes The debating society has been very busy this term, with several competitions on both the domestic front and outside of school. We hosted the inaugural King’s Debating competition in January, which involved twenty teams from schools in the local area, including three from King’s, debating the motions ‘This house would (THW) remove the right to strike from NHS workers’ and ‘THW remove statues and other monuments to figures whose acts would now be considered grossly immoral’. The top four teams from these two rounds went through to the final round in the Gateway Chamber, which was won by a team from Tonbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School opposing the motion that universities should give lower grade offers to pupils from state schools. All of the teams appeared to enjoy the afternoon and we hope to continue to host a similar competition in future years. The team of Joe Shailer (6a GR) and Seb KalvinskisWhiting (6b MR) performed extremely well in the ESU Mace competition, which requires competitors to speak for seven minutes each on pre-prepared motions. They reached the prestigious regional final, opposing the motion ‘THW legalise the buying and selling of human organs’, narrowly

losing out on a place in the national semi-finals to TWGGS (our nemesis!). Along the way they had to propose that the vote be only given to those who pass a test on current affairs and to provide reparations for those countries affected by the slave trade. The other notable out-of-school performances of the term came from the younger years: two teams have progressed to the finals of the International Competition for Young Debaters, which will be held in April. The teams are Eimear Pickstone (Re JR)/Harry TrelawnyVernon (Re LN)and Sasha Tanna (Re JR)/Josie Patterson (Sh LX). Finally, the senior inter-house debating competition has occupied many a Friday night of this term. The final, the culmination of all preceding dispensation of rhetoric and argument, was closely fought by teams from Mitchinson’s, Broughton, Galpin’s and Carlyon over the motion ‘THW cast the next James Bond as gay’. The eventual winners of the competition were the team of Angus Forbes and Bess Hale from Mitchinson’s. Thanks are due to Demi Adeyemi (6a BR) for organising the competition, and to Joe Shailer and Demi for their enthusiastic leadership of the Tuesday junior debating sessions.

THE MARLOWE SOCIETY Alice Whaley This year we celebrated 100 years of the Marlowe Society, a collection of young literature enthusiasts who like to accompany reading with drinking in moderation. The Society is named after Christopher Marlowe (OKS), but we’re glad to say we haven’t inherited his tendencies towards ‘evil rhubarb’ along with his name. We started off the year with Prose, Pies and Pints where, accompanied by an abundance of pie, we heard from a variety of texts spanning from Dickens to Batman and there was surprisingly heated debate over whether or not comic books count as prose. Next the candidates looking to study English at Oxbridge gave presentations on any topic that aroused their literary passions. From Anastasia we learnt the true depth of The Doors’ music in relation to their historical context. Alice taught us that Shakespeare was before his time in questioning empiricism throughout Hamlet, and Robyn analysed how authors function when facing isolation. After almost as much hype as the lead-up to the new Star Wars, the National Theatre released the live filming of the 2013 Othello to schools. Of course, we could all hardly wait until our very own screening in the Gateway Chamber. Sadly the Othello fans didn’t dress up quite as much as the Star Wars ones, but it proved an exciting evening nonetheless (one pupil was surprised to discover the play was not, in fact, a comedy). Attendees to the next gathering – Poetry, Wine and Cheese – were given an opportunity to show off our literary and epicurean tastes while we listened to,

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and discussed, each other’s chosen poems with gradually increasing enthusiasm. Before the screening of The Shakespeare Globe’s Twelfth Night, which opened the Lent Term, we were all equipped with gummy rings with which to properly appreciate the famous ring scene. Mark Rylance and Stephen Fry, as well as the somewhat unexpected musical finale, had us all in stitches, including some younger members of the school we were glad to welcome into the next generation of the society. Beers, Bangers & the Bard featured some debut performances of pupils and teachers alike, some of whom were more willing to participate than others. And yet some of our newer actors impressed Miss O’Connor so much that they were asked to read soliloquys at the last event of the year. The evening was always bound to be an educational blast, but the teachers learnt more than they had bargained for due to the sudden appearance of an impromptu course in French-braiding that rounded off the night. The Centenary Celebration was the last gathering of the year, and just like the ends to many texts, we looked back to the beginning. Dr. Andy Kesson stepped away from our obsession with Shakespeare and gave a humorous talk about Christopher Marlowe’s life, the culture of theatre in which he was writing, and how going to The King’s School may have affected his work and that of his contemporary OKS playwrights. We look forward to opening the next century of the Marlowe Society with a banger and some Bard.

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition to Snowdonia James Gardiner The Duke of Edinburgh Award website promises ‘laughs, arguments, joy and frustration’ for anyone brave enough to attempt the expedition element of the Gold Award. As the intrepid cohort of sixth formers who experienced the Kings’ Gold Expedition to deepest, darkest Wales this Easter will tell you, three out of four isn’t bad! To give Wales the credit it is due, ‘deepest and darkest’ is probably a little harsh since we enjoyed some unseasonably good weather with only a little rain. Conditions would have been near-perfect apart from the coincidence of our trip with the Welsh upland farmers’ annual heather burn (a traditional land management technique, eh, Mr Sanderson?) that meant we were occasionally engulfed in smoke on our last day. Ironically, it was actually the day before, when visibility was good, that we had the traditional, major navigational lapse

which always occurs on these events and which nearly led to us completing our trek with fewer team members than set out. Thankfully, team spirit and camaraderie won out over the obfuscated nature of the Welsh landscape. For those who have not experienced the Gold Expedition, it comprises four days of walking eight hours a day with three nights under canvas. The participants have to carry everything with them, except water, which makes for very heavy rucksacks, even without the addition of that all-important Kendal Mint Cake. This year, we accomplished almost 70 km through the beautiful scenery of the Snowdonia National Park, walking in the shadow of Cadair Idris. All in all, the expedition was a great success. Although the experience was testing, the walking strenuous,

the loads heavy, the nights cold, the ration packs awful, the feet sore, the bogs deep and wet and the sleep uneasy, the team spirit was good and the sense of achievement at the end was well worth the effort…! It was very pleasing to note the comments of the Duke of Edinburgh assessor at the end when he remarked how impressed he was with the whole group. We hope we continued the Kings’ tradition of effort and success which seems to accompany these expeditions. Finally, the website also promised ‘a rucksack full of great memories’ after this qualifying expedition. Although we suspect our parents were expecting something rather less appealing in our rucksacks on our return, all of this year’s participants themselves felt that this promise was more than fulfilled. Many thanks go, as ever, to Major Vintner for his exceptional support and organization. Cantuarian | 2016

Design &

Technology Exhibitionn

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MUSIC Cantuarian | 2016

HOUSE

SONG

COMPETITION

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Choral

Concert

Mass in Blue

George Palmer

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The music department took on a huge challenge in the Lent Term, tackling three orchestral works as well as two large-scale choral works, one with a big band accompaniment. The first of the two choral performances, the choral concert, was a break from convention as it was a charity concert. Inspired by the initiative of Mrs Cornell, the music department decided to donate the proceeds of the ticket sales, charity auction and raffle to the charity ‘War Child’, which works to rehabilitate children who have been displaced by war. Before the main work of the evening, Will Todd’s ‘Mass in Blue’, the audience was treated to three orchestral works. The concert opened with Butterworth’s ‘A Shropshire Lad’, a subtle, reflective work of modest intention. With delicate solos from Janice Kwok (6a BY), Arran Hope (6a SH) and Oliver Hope (6a SH), this piece served as a fitting tribute to Butterworth, who was killed prematurely in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. After an interlude of musical chairs and the formation of the chamber orchestra, George Nairac (6a MO, Captain of School) performed the ‘Andante quieto’ from Finzi’s ‘Cello Concerto’. George wowed with his stunning technique and characteristic musicality, creating an extremely impressive performance. The chamber orchestra served as a fitting backdrop, providing a platform for George to soar high above, rejoicing in his glistening melodies. 6a soloists often play advanced concerti or solo works but few could rival George’s; it really was a tour de force and a stunning tribute to the music department. The final work of the first half was Arnold’s ‘Little Suite for Orchestra’.

The orchestra revelled in the truly ‘English sound’ of the suite. Although light-hearted, this miniature contains several very hummable, dainty tunes and the orchestra responded by playing them with suitable energy and delicacy. An extended interval afforded the staff plenty of time to transform the orchestral set-up into

one suitable for big band and chorus. The much-awaited ‘Mass in Blue’ formed the basis for the second half of the concert and was a very exciting and innovative project for the school to take on. Although the King’s Chorus and the Big Band formed the central basis for the performance, the pupils were joined by a cohort of professional musicians, drafted in to perform the more challenging solo parts. The school was joined by Robyn Allegra Parton (soprano), Michael Coates (saxophone), David Rees-Williams (piano), Julie Walkington (bass) and James Nall (drum kit). All of the soloists were hugely impressive and virtuosic in their own right and really enhanced the performance, providing a certain ‘wow factor’. The King’s Chorus, in a particularly swollen form, joined by numerous parents and teachers, provided the platform for Todd’s mellifluous harmonies. The dulcet tones of the big band enhanced their sound and the professional musicians

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provided the finesse, making it a highly accomplished performance. The Mass was a very enjoyable work to rehearse and perform, and it was especially exciting as the school colligated heavily with the composer, Will Todd. The evening was also enjoyable because of the charity raffle, which afforded several audience members (including my mother) moments of fame. Mrs Cornell gave an impassioned speech about the charity and announced that the evening had been extremely successful as it raised over £18,000 for an amazing cause.

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Christmas

Concert 50

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Meister Omers’ Festal Whereas most houses have a ‘house concert’, I feel this description would not be fitting for MO! The audience was treated to a feast of drama and music masterminded by the creative vision of Mr Miles. The show really was spectacular – not only musically proficient but also dramatically hilarious. The Festal Flourish started in fine form with a fast, fun-filled opening number for the whole house and orchestra from Kiss Me Kate. The song was energetic, combining infusions of personalised lyrics and convincing actions! As the theme of the evening was creation, it was very appropriate that the 21-piece orchestra then performed a home-grown creation by Mr Matthews entitled In the Beginning. This was a challenging work, but the orchestra, unperplexed, created an atmospheric accompaniment to a confident, rich narration from Raeffe Gibson. The first of the theatrical morsels came in the form of a dramatized extract from Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark. The audience was impressed by the diverse staging and imaginative costumes, enjoying the humour of the players and a cameo role from the housemaster alongside Freddie Acton, Jimi Ayindi and company. A talented vocal quintet (Theo Pedrick, Charlie McMenemy and backing group) then performed an MJM arrangement of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. The group sang in a sensitive yet sonorous style, revelling in their mellifluous harmonies. Returning fully to drama, MO’s younger years treated us to a hilarious one-act play about the act of writing a play. With a mix of cross-dressing and confident charisma, the players showcased an even plethora of comedic talent across the fifteen-strong company.

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A slightly different close-harmony group then sang I won’t give up in an arrangement by Marcus Wong before Kevin Park performed his own composition, stunning with his technique as well as his creative intuition and understanding of the capabilities of the piano. In one of the highlights of the evening, Raeffe Gibson and Asher Silver played the main roles in an uproarious Monty Python sketch: The Pope and Michaelangelo. The cheekiness of Michaelangelo was perfectly rebutted by the pomposity of the pope, creating a hilarious double act. After the audience had recovered its composure, a barbershop quartet performed a humorous number (George Jones) from the Yale Songbook. Clad in boater hats and colourful waistcoats, Messrs May, McMenemy, Nairac and Shepherd-Barron showcased their physical performance skills as well as their vocal prowess. The Sixth Form dramatic offering was taken from Molière’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, marrying drama with a reduction of the original incidental music of Jean-Baptiste Lully performed live. Raeffe Gibson was back in a guise of authoritarian bumptiousness, being led astray by a cohort of ghastly grovelling life-style gurus after his money, before the scene descended into chaos as egos clashed. The comic timing was masterfully skilled, and Raeffe and all the other actors impressed with their compelling characterisations, notably Igor Lenterman, Asher Silver, Theo Pedrick and Harry Condon. The final item was a re-run for parents of MO’s winning contribution to the House Song Competition, American Pie. A classic song, imaginatively arranged and conducted by George Nairac, with glistening melodic clarity and beautiful simmering harmonies, this rendition proved superior even to their winning performance. Mr Ninham ended the evening lamenting societal pressures that militate against such events, praising the talent of his house and proclaiming that the evening would be a memory that would be forever engraved upon the minds of those who took part in it. I think he was right to be proud. Bravo!

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St John’s Passion

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SINFONIA CONCERT Ella Bomer Towards the end of the first half of the summer term, the young musicians of the Sinfonia met to perform their annual lunchtime concert. The idea is that the musicians of the Sinfonia develop their skills and gain experience performing as part of an orchestra, in order to potentially become a part of the Symphony Orchestra in years to come. All the members are either in Shell or Remove, and the group is unique in that it incorporates musicians of very mixed ability; according to the Head of Strings and conductor of the group, Mr Pollock, ‘the stronger players really help the younger players’. It was clear from watching the concert how closely the players worked with one another to produce such a well-coordinated and united sound. The concert opened

with William Boyce’s ‘Symphony No. 4’, which was met by warm applause from the audience. The Peter Stone Room was almost full and it was nice to see some pupils represented in the audience who had turned out to support their friends and to enjoy the music. Having been able to properly warm up with the opening piece, the Sinfonia gave a noticeably more confident performance in their second, Holst’s ‘Book Green Suite’, even though Mr Pollock afterwards acknowledged that this was as somewhat more challenging piece. Next was an arrangement of Danny Elfman’s score to ‘Alice in Wonderland’, which was, by contrast to the previous pieces, a more intense and dramatic performance. The challenge with this piece was to play quietly and subtly,

whilst still maintaining the energy of the music; the Sinfonia certainly succeeded in capturing the slightly foreboding and adventurous tone of the piece. John Rutter’s comparatively light and uplifting ‘Suite for Strings’ was then followed by the final piece of the concert, ‘Highlights from Pirates of the Caribbean’, a particular favourite of the Sinfonia. This music is famous for its climactic, energetic build-up and its bold, heroic sound, both of which were captured perfectly by the Sinfonia’s musicians. A hugely encouraging concert all round which showcased the plethora of talent that is to be found among the Shell and Remove musicians.

WIND BAND CONCERT This year’s Wind Band Concert surpassed that of previous years completely, with a bigger turnout in the Shirley Hall than ever before. The band has flourished under the conducting of Mr. Bersey and the addition of extra players from the staff and upper school gave it a further boost. The band was especially large this year, and all instruments were fully utilised in the pieces played, which were a compilation of all the pieces played in the two wind band concerts throughout the year. The concert opened with the appropriately named ‘Strike up the Band’ by Gershwin and Brubaker, which was a classic big band tune that wonderfully displayed all of the band’s skills and got the audience ready for a great concert. Another stand-out piece was

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‘The British Invasion of the 1960s’ – a compilation of blasts from the past, including the likes of the Kinks, which created a nostalgic atmosphere in the Shirley Hall, perfect for King’s Week. Two theme songs were played – the cheery theme from Wallace and Gromit, and the dramatic theme from the Incredibles movie, which ended the concert with a bang. For the first time ever, Wind Band was also joined by two more acts – the Junior Jazz Band and Acoustix, both of which added great variety to the concert. Junior Jazz was on top form under the direction of Michael Coates, and a great showcase of budding talent at King’s. The highlight was ‘Fly Me To The Moon’, which certainly took everyone in the Hall to the moon and back! Acoustix, under the direction of

Christopher Nail, was a great insight into an often under-appreciated world of percussion at King’s, and showed off the versatility of the genre. Their mash-up of Beatles songs, ‘Beatle Beats’, was incredibly impressive, especially considering the strength of the music played taking into account the small size of the group. I think all three of these groups have far to go and are often not talked about as much as they deserve. I’m sure we will see many more great things from them.

COMPOSERS’ Concert SJRM

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Nestling defiantly among the heavyweight events of King’s Week, the Composers’ Concert is always something of a hidden gem. Necessarily it has to happen on very short but intense rehearsal time and I am especially grateful to Mr Pollock and Mr Abbott for their work with the various ensembles (with some items being virtually sight-read!) The atmosphere among the performers and composers, however, is always one of genuine enjoyment and co-operation with composers enthusiastically finding out how their compositions come alive with real instruments rather than being confined to a computer! The supportive audience also discovers another side to the students as revealed in their musical creations. I was very fortunate to be able to hear the trumpet octet and clarinet sextet, both under the able guidance of Mr Abbott, perform three of my own short compositions, which proved to be as enjoyable to listen to as I hope they were to play despite the occasional difficulty with counting (as I can never resist the unexpected in my music!) All the other student compositions were extremely varied in genre and style, each with something clear to

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say. Jeremy Wan and Francis Bushell’s two accomplished one-movement Concertos displayed a virtuoso style for piano and flute respectively with highly memorable ideas. George Palmer’s Quartet on a theme of Burgmuller was witty and understood the medium well, contrasted by Jessica Cooling’s Heartbreak with its reflective intensity and harmonic expressiveness. Zoe Lambert’s

Variations on Twinkle, Twinkle for wind quintet were characteristically whimsical and Elizabeth Guild’s Minimalist piece for the same forces flowed effectively and captured the character of the instruments well. Will Harkness authoritatively performed his most effective and idiomatic Violin duet with Janice Kwok while Henry Martin chose the unusual but interesting combination of bassoon,

cello, side-drum (played at the last minute by myself with spoons in the absence of drum sticks, which were provided rather coincidentally by the chief editor!) and piano to explore some catchy and sprightly motives over a chord scheme. Jebin Yoon showed his strong jazz skills in his cool arrangement of Fly me to the Moon while the remaining six piano pieces were all highly varied in style and complexity. Tom Lane and Dan Ball both demonstrated their assured

mastery of the piano medium with neo-Romantic chromatic harmonies in the former’s Elegy in E minor and jazz-inflected modality in the latter’s Prelude for George. Sakura Belkin’s and Phoebe Mantovani’s piano miniatures showed that simplicity can be just as effective with both pieces setting up and following through a convincing mood and structure. Kristina Rhodes accompanied herself on a pre-recorded CD in her Minimalist piece for two pianos

which was a tour de force of intricate melodic and rhythmic patterns held together by strong melodic ideas and a rich harmonic language. Kevin Park had been working on his Ballade right up until the last minute. Its lyrical expressiveness and passion was most aptly conveyed through Kevin’s characteristically intense and flamboyant playing. I am sure that next King’s Week Composers’ Workshop will be equally exciting!

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GALPIN’S & HARVEY HOUSE CONCERT Hugh Rowlands The bi-annual Galpin’s & Harvey House Concert provides a platform for both houses to showcase their talent, and they did not disappoint this year, as a wide variety of acts were put on, showing the large range of abilities on offer. The programme began with a performance of ‘The Four Chords Song’ by the Harvey Choir with guitars, which gave both juniors and senior members of the house the opportunity to be involved in an ensemble, and it was evident that every single performer was enjoying the experience. This was followed by a virtuosic performance of Chopin’s ‘Fantasie Impromptu’ on the piano by Jason Lo. The concert allows the pupils to engage in inter-house ensembles and this year saw Francis Bushell and Elizabeth Guild duet in Fiala’s ‘Andante’ from ‘Duo Concertante’. This was a lucid performance, which brought out the dialogue in the music. Another duet followed and this was a repeat of the House Concert 2014, with George Palmer and Francis Bushell playing a viola duet by Ignaz Pleyel. The Galpin’s & Harvey String Group gave some of the younger players the chance to perform with more experienced players and their performance of ‘Largo’ by Handel was controlled. A second piano soloist, George Papazov, played the challenging ‘Prelude No. 4 in E Minor’ by Chopin, displaying great potential and musicality. This was followed by the first close harmony group of the evening from Harvey, singing the well-known theme ‘I’ll Be There For You’ by The Rembrandts, from the American sitcom ‘Friends’. This was a strong performance of a thoughtful clever arrangement by Jess Cooling of Harvey House. The final performance of the first half was the Galpin’s House Song, which was an arrangement by Tim Fairbairn of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘America’. This brought the whole house together and it was evident that there was a great sense of team spirit amongst all members of the house. The Harvey House Song followed the interval and

this was an arrangement of the relatively unknown ‘Baba Yetu’. This was sung in Swahili and the Harvey Girls did well to manage the language as well as the notes. The Galpin’s Close Harmony group followed, singing Billy Joel’s ‘And So It Goes’. A challenging piece to get right, the singers captured the atmosphere well, and created a smooth blend of sound. Another solo act by Olivia Yeung on the trombone followed. This was a brave performance by one of the youngest members of the school, and she gave a credible rendition of ‘Fantasy for Trombone’ by James Curnow. Next up were two of the oldest members and this saw Tim Fairbairn and Jason Lo play ‘Air on the G String’ by Bach arranged for Cello Duet. The Inter-House Wind Group, directed by Jess Cooling, then played a rousing arrangement, by Jess Cooling, of a medley of themes from ‘Mission Impossible’ and ‘Pink Panther’. This was an good effort and mention must go to all members of the group who gave a dramatic and dynamic performance. Sam Chen and Leo Eberenz gave a moving performance of Justin Bieber’s latest No. 1 hit, ‘Love Yourself’. This was met with rapturous applause from the audience and perhaps even turned the most conservative of audience members into ‘Beliebers’. JB would have been proud. The penultimate act was a solo performance of ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’ by Gershwin, sung by Jess Cooling. She was ably accompanied by Tim Fairbairn and both of them captured the jazzy nature of the music. The final piece was ‘Abendlied’ by Josef Rheinberger, sung by a Joint Close Harmony. This is a beautiful piece and all members of the group performed it lyrically, bringing out the emotional stresses in the music. This was a fitting end to an excellent concert. Special mention should go to Leo Eberenz for his clever front cover design, and also to Tim Fairbairn, Jess Cooling, Cecily Guild and Jason Lo for their tireless efforts in putting on an excellent concert.

MARLOWE HOUSE CONCERT Erica and SJRM The evening kicked off to a lively start with the House Orchestra as usual with Mr Pollock managing to coax out of the assembled instruments a rousing march from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker Suite’ and a suitably laidback arrangement of Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’. Alex James’ swansong on the piano was an intense and expressive performance of Debussy’s ‘First Arabesque’. Esther Thomas sang Mozart’s ‘Porgi Amor’ from ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ with great poise and richly sustained tone while Jebin Yoon and Linda Zhao demonstrated unity of purpose and technical fluency in the rapid passagework in a

movement from Moskowski’s ‘Suite for Two Violins’. Another duet, this time vocal, came in the shape of Alex James and Mare-Louise Boisnier giving a haunting and evocative rendition of ‘Somewhere’ from Bernstein’s ‘West Side Story’, the two contrasted timbres of voice suitably contrasting. George Titterton demonstrated his total command of his instrument right from the authoritative opening of Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto through to the more lyrical sections with his tone filling the hall. In complete contrast Paige Kennedy showed a mastery of electric rock

guitar technique in Hendrix’ ‘Voodoo Chile’. Jebin Yoon’s playing of ‘Autumn Leaves’ was sophisticated and coolly elegant, two words which might not describe the House Song that followed but which nevertheless had great vigour and enthusiasm. The House Orchestra’s enthusiastic rendition of Saint-Saens’ ‘Danse Macabre’ brought the official part of the evening to a close while downstairs in the Pupil Social Centre more informal music was provided by Anouska Sokolow, Miriam Swindley, Ethan West, Sam Temowo and George Titterton to accompany the refreshments and ending the evening in a relaxed atmosphere.

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ART 66

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KING’S WEEK

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King’s Week Review RPS

Where many schools drift toward the summer holidays with a resigned acceptance of all things coming to an end, The King’s School raises the tempo and turns the screw to finish the year with an extraordinary extravaganza of the Arts, lasting a whole week. From drama to music, sport to literature, dance to art; where pupils have an interest then their potential is nurtured and excellence seems to be achieved in all areas. The Music Department played their part as ever with major concerts such as the Serenade in the Cloisters, and the Gala Concert in the Shirley Hall, whilst the Drama Department staged productions of Romeo and Juliet, Prince of Denmark, and Oedipus Rex. Wherever you looked there was the welcome buzz of excitement that comes with busy people revelling in their talents to entertain. The Blackfriars Art Exhibition was packed throughout the week, and spare seats for any of the reserved events were few and far between. In fact, out of a total of 117 events there were more than 15,000 patrons in the audience supporting their friends, pupils, sons and daughters. Sunshine is always a key component to any festival, and King’s Week is no different. On the Saturday Birley’s had been transformed into a Horse Jumping showground, alongside cricket and a festival fête – including a classic car rally, Morris Dancers and the ubiquitous ‘guess how many sweets are in the jar’ stall. The first part of the afternoon was blue skies and sunshine, and then around 3pm the heavens opened. However, we were not to be deterred. In fact from 5pm onwards the rest of King’s Week was blessed with stunning weather. The Green Court was packed with picnics and ice creams. Jugglers competed with chess players, and vintage bicycles endlessly made laps around the marquee as if they were a second hand on a King’s Week clock watching the world of entertainment pass by. Planning for King’s Week never has an end, nor a beginning. There is always something to think about, book, or encourage. Pupils dream of being on the big stage as well as marvelling at the skills of others. Today’s young people are blessed with wonderful skills to entertain. When encouraged to improve one can understand how the practice of ‘giving’ within schools is not just from the teachers to the pupils, but also the pupils to the audience, leading to joy for both those that receive and those that give. King’s Week 2016 certainly proved this to be the case.

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ROMEO

JULIET

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KiDaCo

Smooth Criminal Sage Battle

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With a full house, King’s Week’s excitement charged the atmosphere of St. Mary’s Hall with great anticipation. The audience, both young and old, awaited the dimming of the stage lights that would begin the King’s Dance Company’s (KiDaCo) 2016 dance exhibition. This year’s performances held the themes of Contemporary, Hip-hop, Ballet, Jazz, and traditional Chinese dance. The opening routine in Act One, ‘Room’, performed by Karim Camara (GR Re) and Sage Battle (BY 6b) utilized the medium of lighting to start the show with colour and the modern feel brought by hip-hop. ‘Play That’ by Clara Gerald (WL 6b) and Helena Weatherseed (LX 6b) allowed for a positive reaction from the audience. The edge and sharpness of movement heightened the energy already within the hall. Daria Egorova (JR 6b) danced elegantly and passionately with two Ballet routines entitled ‘Carmen’ and ‘La Esmeralda’. Imitating a bird, Megan Wong (HH Re) danced ‘Bluebird’, drawing smiles from those watching. Cat Appleton (WL Re) and Rima Kayali (HH Sh) both mystified the audience in their solo pieces. Grace Obee (CY Re), Emily Williamson (MT Re), Kirstie Main (HH Sh), and Rima Kayali all danced

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with Sage Battle in an eerie contemporary piece entitled ‘Quand C’est?’ This was the first year KiDaCo has seen traditional Chinese dance, and with great flexibility and grace Eunice Chan (BY 6b), Krystal Tang (BY 6b), and Megan Wong greatly impressed with their composition called ‘Raveled’. Act Two, choreographed by Mrs. Outram, left the audience cheering with a performance of Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’. With the transformation of the set, feathers, suspenders and fedoras, the audience was instantly transported back to a 1980s American social bar. Cat Appleton as the ‘Lady in Green’ and Karim Camera as ‘Michael Jackson’ both owned the stage throughout the entire dance. The signature essence of Michael Jackson himself was not lost: moonwalking and gravity leans were very much present and were executed with aplomb! A special mention most also go to the ‘gangsters’, Posi Awosika (LN Sh), Sumi Ayere (GR Sh), Soloman Adeoti (GL Sh), and Ikedimna Ike-Nwabuoku (SH Sh). And very special thanks goes out to Mrs. Outram, Dr. Pidoux, Miss Pedraza, and to all of the staff and students who worked so hard to make the show spectacular.  82

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Atomic Cookies Lab on the Lawn Audrey Chew

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Lab on the Lawn is an exciting fusion of activities promoting the best which the Science Department can offer. For our scientists who fancied a snack, Lab on the Lawn featured an ‘Atomic Cookies’ and a Gingerbread Man station, where staff, students and guests had the pleasure of adding Skittle electrons to their cookies, or icing the digestive system onto gingerbread men. With this year’s theme of ‘Catalysts’, the ‘Exploding Marshmallows’ experiment demonstrated the effect of air pressure on molecules and ended up with a marshmallow dummy being blown to pieces! The ‘Catalytic Chemistry’ demonstration held by our staff was filled with riveting reactions, such as the ‘Traffic Lights’ demonstration, where the colour of a solution alternated from red, yellow and green continuously, lasting for a total of 20 minutes! Our brand new Hovercraft ride (built by our very own Miss Kendrick) proved to be a favourite, with the hovercraft being controlled with only a leaf blower! Ranger Stu the Animal Man was definitely a favourite amongst our younger audiences, where creatures from snakes to tenrecs wowed the participants. As always, the annual ‘Balloon Race’ is a continued tradition here at Lab on the Lawn, and we await a balloon that has traversed a greater distance than our current record-holding balloon that was posted back from Rotterdam, Holland! All in all, Lab on the Lawn was a great success and acted as a fitting conclusion to a successful year of science and we cannot wait till the next King’s Week to showcase even more experiments and demonstrations!

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Oedipus

Rex

Catalina Izaguirre Pascua

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Oedipus Rex was the Remove Play for 2016. It is an ancient Athenian play written by Sophocles and it is universally acknowledged as a classical masterpiece. And the Removes were able to do it justice thanks to the dedication and effort of the entire cast and Ms. Mountjoy. The play starts with Thebes being struck by a plague and asking for their King, Oedipus (played by Matthew Jenkins), to help them. The starting scene is narrated by the chorus, who appear continuously throughout the play, pointing out important scenes and helping to make the plot more clear. They basically act as narrators. One of the most impressive things during the play was the strength of the chorus. Every single cast member was making the most out of their roles and really standing out. Some of the most memorable members of the chorus were Amber De Ruyt, Mabel Pickering and Liza Kurilova, as they all brought a lot of energy into their performance and had the best stage presence. Continuing with the play, after the chorus has its scene Oedipus goes to the Oracle to ask how to relieve the city and she tells him that the plague is a punishment for the murder of King Laius, and that to relieve the city

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from the plague the murderer needs to punished. When Oedipus returns, he tells everyone the news and makes a statement for everyone to search for him and give him all the information they have. Oedipus seeks the help of Teiresias (played by Ned Allen), a blind ‘seer’ of Thebes, and he tells him that it would be for the best if he did not say what he knew. Oedipus, enraged, accuses him of plotting against him with Creon (played by Angus Clews), and so Teiresias reveals that Oedipus is the one that killed king Laius, and that he is the one bringing the plague to Thebes. Oedipus is, of course, troubled by the statement and seeks comfort in his wife Jocasta (played by Imi Miller), who doesn’t hesitate to tell him that she only had one child, and he was left to die as a baby, because an oracle said that the old king would be killed by his child, and that her husband was killed by robbers at a crossroads. Oedipus begins to suspect that he was the abandoned baby, as he killed a man on the road to Thebes. He sends a messenger to get information, and he confirms the tale. In the end, Jocasta kills herself and, when Oedipus finds her, he stabs his eyes out using the pins from Jocasta’s brooches. This play is famous for having a very tragic and dramatic plot, and the Removes did not fail to bring the right energy to the stage. Everyone that saw them was able to tell how much time and effort had been put into this play, from the great, mood-switching lighting, to the insynch performance of the chorus. Oedipus Rex was in general a must-see and did not fail to live up to expectations.

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ABBA

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Prince of

Denmark Max Newhouse

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A prelude to Hamlet by Shakespeare, Prince of Denmark by Michael Lesslie is a demanding play that requires preparation both able and ambitious. The Shell production did more than merely accommodate, because dedicated directing by Charlotte Cornell, as well as the subtle design of the set by Steve Bree, ensured that the young cast had a strong foundation from which to build their performance. The casting typified both the school’s philosophy and indeed one of the play’s underlying messages: ability rather than gender dictated the choice for each role, and an instrumental example of this was the comical pairing of Josie Patterson as Rosencrantz and Grace Francis as Guildenstern – a choice that offered hilarious relief from the emotional and gripping scenes superbly acted by Rory Servaes (Hamlet) and Ruth Spencer (Ophelia). Much like the events of the play itself, the young actors and actresses can be said to have sowed the seeds for the future – strong performances, particularly from Joshua Hughes as the raging Laertes and Ben Helme as the jittery Osric, put the cast as a whole in good stead to excel as they progress through the school.

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THE BIG BAND

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Virtuosi

1) Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man (The King’s Brass directed by Mr Abbott) 2) Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on ‘Greensleeves’ (Elizabeth Guild and Phoebe Mantovani on flute; Charmayne Lau on harp) 3) Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Incidental Music – Nocturne) 4) Verdi: ‘Ave Maria’ from Otello (Desdemona – Esther Thomas) 5) Walton, arr. Mathieson: Suite from Henry V (Overture – The Globe Theatre, Passacaglia: Death of Falstaff

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and Charge & Battle) 6) Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (Montagues and Capulets) 7) Walton, arr. Mathieson: Suite from Richard III (Fanfare and Music Plays) 8) Vaughan Williams: Tuba Concerto (Romanza) 9) Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (Balcony Scene) 10) Bernstein: West Side Story (Balcony Scene) (Maria – Jess Cooling; Tony – Alex James) 11) Shostakovich, arr. Atovmyan: Suite from Hamlet (Duel and Death of Hamlet)

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The Serenade

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1) Elgar: ‘How Calmly the Evening’ (Serenade Choir) 2) Handel, arr. Stephen Matthews: Overture & Allegro (from Music for the Royal Fireworks) (The Brass Ensemble) 3) Byrd: ‘O Lord, Make Thy Servant Elizabeth Our Queen’ (Madrigalia) 4) Alex James (MR, 6a): ‘How Long the Night’ (The Serenade Choir) 5) Mozart: ‘Soave Sia il Vento’ from Cosi fan tutte (Madeleine Mills (CY, 6a); Karen Ma (KD, 6a); Alexander James (MR, 6a)) 6) Joy Webb, arr. Stephen Matthews: ‘Share My Yoke’ (The Brass Ensemble) 7)

Schubert, arr. Will Bersey: ‘Du Bist die Ruh’ (Sabrina Kitson (WL, 6a); Cecily Guild (HH, 6a); Serenade Choir) 8) Ernest Moeran: ‘Sigh No More, Ladies’ from Much Ado About Nothing in ‘Songs of Springtime’ (The Serenade Choir) 9) Vaughan Williams: ‘The Cloud-Capp’d Towers’ from The Tempest in ‘Three Shakespeare Songs’ (The Serenade Choir) 10) Bernard Hughes: ‘If We Shadows Have Offended’ from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (The Serenade Choir) 11) Lakmé: ‘Flower Duet’ from Léo Delibes (Michelle Wong (JR, 6a) and Polly Chan (JR, 6a)) 12)The King’s Swingers 13) David Bowie, arr. Will Bersey: Life on Mars? (The Serenade Choir) 14) ‘Vincent’, arr. Hugh Rowlands (The King’s Men) 15) Prince, arr. Morten Kjaer: ‘Purple Rain’ (The Serenade Choir) 16) King’s A Cappella 17) Victoria Wood, arr. Stephen Matthews, lyrics by Elizabeth Pidoux: ‘The Ballad of King’s Week’ (The Serenade Choir) 18) George Butterworth: ‘Loveliest of Trees’ from A Shropshire Lad (Joseph Shailer (GR, 6a)) 19) ‘Steal Away’ from A Child of Our Time (Robyn Keith and Joe Shailer with choir) 21) ‘When I was one and twenty’ from A Shropshire Lad (Alex James) 21) ‘Nobody Knows’ from A Child of Our Time (Jess Cooling and Zach Starr with choir) 22) ‘Look Not in My Eyes’ from A Shropshire Lad (Jess Cooling) 23) ‘Go Down, Moses’ from A Child of Our Time (Ellie Paine and Tim Fairbairn with choir) 24) ‘Think No More, Lad’ from A Shropshire Lad (Tim Fairbairn) 25) ‘The Lads in their Hundreds’ from A Shropshire Lad (Rachael Barry and Sabrina Kitson) 26) ‘By and By’ from A Child of Our Time (Michelle Wong with choir) 27) ‘Is My Team Ploughing’ from A Shropshire Lad (George Nairac) 28) ‘Deep River’ from A Child of Our Time (Dena Movahedyan, Rosie Fuest, Joe Shailer and George Nairac with choir)

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RUGBY

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RUGBY 1ST XV TH

The 2015 season began with the 1st XV squad embarking on an excellent tour of South Africa. After flying into Cape Town the squad arrived in Stellenbosch to begin their training using the superb facilities in the beautiful setting of Stellenbosch University. Here we immersed ourselves in the town whilst training hard and visiting the Western Province Rugby Academy. On our second day we attended one of the largest schoolboy rugby matches in the world between Paarl Boys High and Paarl Gimnasium. This was an amazing spectacle played in front of 35,000 people. This set the rugby tone high going into our first match against Somerset College. It was an excellent starting point and the side produced a pleasing first-up performance to win 38-3. We then moved on to Cape Town and enjoyed some of the local sightseeing including a trip to Seal Island, Cape Point and Robben Island. We also visited Langa Township on the outskirts of the city

– a memorable and heart-warming experience for all. Rondebosch was where we would play our second game against Rondebosch Boys’ High School. This was a brilliant, open and attacking match played at the foot of Table Mountain. We then travelled the Garden Route through to the beautiful town of Knysna for the third game against Wittedrift High School. Again, it was another tough and physical game and the team came through to get their second win 15-7. During the stay in Knysna, we spent time at the Elephant Park. This is a wonderful park, set up to care for and raise orphaned elephants, which we well enjoyed our interactions with. It was then on to the Kariega Game Reserve. This is an area stretching across 9,000 hectares of pristine wilderness in the Eastern Cape and home to some of the richest biodiversity in Southern Africa. Each day began with a morning safari into the bush and the day finished with an evening safari and ‘sundowner’. After

three days in the Kariega we then drove through to Port Elizabeth. The side enjoyed a training session on the beach ahead of the final game against Grey High School in Port Elizabeth. Grey is a powerhouse of South African schoolboy rugby and the Boys rose to the challenge to put in an impressive showing in their final game. The tour was a great experience and the perfect lead in to the regular season. Ten days later the squad were back together as they gathered for preseason. This was an enjoyable few days, with all the boys working hard to improve, and further progress was achieved. This came together at the Reigate Festival with the side winning all three of its matches in style. The following Saturday King’s welcomed Caterham to Birley’s. It was a nervous start for both teams, being the first match of the season. We were controlling territory well, but unable to convert this into points.

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Caterham were committed in defence and continued to shut down our tryscoring opportunities. Some mistakes resulted and against the run of play they managed a late score, which saw them edge a very hard-fought and keenly contested game to start the season. Next up was Worth away on a warm September day. King’s developed some excellent attacking shape early and were threatening in all areas of play. We were rewarded with some superb tries as Geordie Bull scored in the corner to round off some excellent build-up play. Charlie Watson was having a quality game on debut and scored a fine try after a chip and chase to re-gather before dotting down. Dan Harris rounded off the excellent performance with two further tries, resulting in the 34-8 win. Flanker Tom Hunt had an outstanding game with a huge work rate at the breakdown, setting the tone in this pleasing all-round performance. Our inaugural game in the Champions Trophy saw the side drawn against Dulwich College. This was an exciting challenge and we played some attractive running rugby, scoring what was the pick of the tries by Harry Nabavi, set up after a stunning sixtymetre break from Kit Wilson. However, it was Dulwich who showed their experience at this level and power at set-piece, which saw them win in a high quality and enjoyable game of rugby. It was a quick turnaround for our following game away against Hurstpierpoint. Unfortunately we were down on some key players due to injury, but despite this the side set up to play with positive intent. The ball movement was excellent and opportunities were being created against a bigger side that were constantly being stretched. They were keen to keep it close, whilst we were playing with good width and keeping the tempo high. These contrasting styles still resulted in a very tight game that could have gone either way. As we travelled back to Canterbury, we’ll have fond memories of history being created in Brighton as we listened to Japan beat the Springboks in their World Cup opener. Our next game against Sir Roger Manwood’s was an opportunity to continue to express ourselves, but also be more adept in a few key areas. In doing so the side ran in eleven tries by Oliver Mann, Kit

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Wilson, Alan Phillips, Harry Condon, James King, Ernest Mudasiru, Harry Nabavi, Archie Kay and Sam Casement. We achieved our objectives ahead of what would be a physical encounter against Duke of York’s. So it proved to be, as Duke of York’s started strongly and with plenty of aggression. We were able to match this and come away with a 43-6 win with tries by Tom Hunt, Fred Preston, Alex Compton and Matthew Barker. They were all very good tries, but it was front rower Tom Cowderoy who was keen to show his skill as he received the ball at first receiver, sidestepped his defender and ran in from over twenty metres to dive over. It was a step up in our next game against Reed’s and in creating our own try-scoring opportunities we conceded mainly from turnover ball. This was frustrating, as we were playing a lot of the rugby in good positions on the field. In the second half we dominated both territory and possession and it was after periods of pressure that James Read went over to score two superb tries. Eastbourne

would prove a similar challenge in that they were a physical side and had pace out wide. It was an even match, but it was Eastbourne who scored a crucial try just after half-time, which helped them kick on to get the win. It was a hard defeat to take, knowing the game was decided on small margins and key moments, so this was something we were keen to make sure went our way in the next match against Haileybury. It was a wet day away at Haileybury, but this wouldn’t dampen our enthusiasm to play with the ball in hand and we were rewarded with five special tries. Ollie Tikare scored two, Kit Wilson added another and James Read also scored. However, it was James’s wide pass of his left hand that put away Archie Kay to score in the corner, which summed up this outstanding performance in winning 31 – 3. In cold conditions it was on to Tonbridge and, after making a good start, Tonbridge then made the most of their physical advantage to score some well-taken tries. We weren’t quite on top of our game, which we needed to be, but

came away with some very pleasing aspects of play after a proud showing against a quality Tonbridge outfit on the day. Our third consecutive away game saw us make the short trip to Sutton Valence. From the opening whistle we played some excellent rugby. We combined power, pace and skill to put together a near-complete performance in scoring ten tries. Archie Kay, Ollie Tikare and Kit Wilson all scored twice whilst Dan Harris, Ollie Mann, James Read and Fred Preston added the rest. It was then on to our final game of the season and it was great to play this on our home pitch at Birley’s. Sevenoaks started well, playing some solid rugby, but strong defence enabled us to assert ourselves on the game. In attack we were looking sharp and were breaching them, but just needed a bit more accuracy after coming up short on a few occasions in the first half. After the break we continued to construct some very good play and this allowed us to apply pressure, which resulted in penalties to Charlie Watson and two superb tries to Fred Preston and Matthew Barker. It was a hugely passionate and committed performance, and a fitting conclusion on the last Saturday of the season at Birley’s. The great thing about this team is that all the players have contributed in their own unique way to its success. James King and Ollie Mann were deservedly named Coaches’ Players of the season and inspirational Captain James Read, who led by example, was awarded Players’ Player of the season. Throughout the season the boys’ parents were amazing supporters, which is hugely appreciated and a special thank you goes to them. It was an extremely enjoyable season and some great memories were created. The side put in a huge amount of hard work and have been an outstanding group of young men. They played some fantastic attacking rugby and huge strides were made, both as players and people on and off the field. I have loved working with them. They’ve been an absolute pleasure to coach and I wish them all the very best with their future Rugby endeavours. Kia kaha.

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RUGBY 2nd XV JPB

This has been another successful season for the 2nd XV with a record of 5 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses. It was a great combination of youth and experience with the pack being made up predominantly of 6a with a largely 6b back line. This led to plenty of strength up front in the forwards with some real pace and ambition from the younger backs. Often this proved too much for our opposition and there were tries and wins aplenty for this team. Indeed the two hard-fought draws could have

also easily gone our way and only once were we well beaten this season, against a strong Tonbridge side on a freezing day when we really did not turn up. However, the boys finished the season with two convincing wins and a showcase performance against Sutton Valance, perhaps the most entertaining match of the season. There were some excellent players in this team and nearly all could be mentioned, but special mention should

go to Henry Long, who was chosen as the player’s player of the season, and Gus Coultald was awarded coaches’ player of the season. Nico Nugee also captained the team superbly throughout and Ed Graeme was instrumental all season as fly half. This team was a very talented side and a pleasure to coach and no doubt many of these boys will go on to greater feats in the 1st XV next season.

RUGBY 3RD XV RWN

The overall results of the 3rd XV were not a fair reflection on the ability and commitment of the team. A large part of this was because some of the weaker schools that we would have expected to beat did not put out a 3rd XV. While the rest of the school played Caterham the 3rd XV started the season with a very demanding fixture against Ashford School 1st XV. It was testament to the character of the team that we went down fighting and with more self-belief from the beginning we may have been able to have sneaked a win. The highlight of the season was the win against Reeds and the 3rds really showed what they could do with backs and forwards combining to produce some

attractive and effective rugby. The 3rds also had a pleasing win against Cranbrook 3rds, who are always very competitive. In the second half of term both Sevenoaks and Sutton Valance cancelled and unfortunately the 3rds struggled in the tougher fixtures away at Haileybury and Tonbridge, who were both very strong. The game at home against Eastbourne was finely balanced and on the whole we played well against the very strong wind in the first half, but then did not use the wind well enough in the second half and came away second best. The team spirit was always strong in training and the team was led very well by captain Jake Tyler and vice-captain Rob Campbell. It was very

difficult to single out a coaches’ player of the season as there were a number of committed players but it was awarded to Asher Silver for his consistency. Players’ player of the season was given to Louis Wilson because everyone felt sorry for him.

With confidence now flowing through the team it meant that each individual worked hard in training to develop personal and team skills, but also fitness. The key to being a good team is winning the ruck and getting around the pitch, something the boys have come to realise and respect. Each player worked hard to improve these skills on those cold Tuesday evenings down at Birley’s (just remember boys: GAIN LINE!!!!).

with a 10-0 victory. The next two matches against Haileybury and Tonbridge were to be the real tests of the season and much apprehension was felt over these matches.

Team: W Bryant, G J Thompson, E Hudson, A Silver, C McMenemy, A Kim, L Wilson, R Patel, J Todd, J Tyler, H Dakin, J Gardiner, R Campbell, S Grover, F Acton, A Tawil, D Taylor-Young, A Cross, A Smith, N BrightEmeruwa, G A Thompson, M De Jong, J Austin.

RUGBY U15 A MCET After a successful season last year as U15s much focus and hope was pinned on this year group. The end of the summer only meant one thing – preseason. After completing a hefty training programme over the holidays the boys returned fit and raring to go. With a preseason tournament to play there was no time to waste and contact began on the first morning. Before the term had even begun the Colts already had two victories under their belts after a successful tournament at the Reigate Festival. The first match of the season against Caterham was a chance for all the boys (both those who attended preseason and those who could not make it) to show off their new style of phase play. Led by the season’s captain, Ethan Hunt, King’s dominated the game from the start. George Howard-Smith supported the ball carriers well and was rewarded with a fullpitch sprint to score a try. Tom Whitmore was outstanding in defence as he made an unbelievable tackle to stop the Caterham player crossing the King’s line: a truly fantastic tackle that will be remembered by all. The game ended 29-0 to King’s. A promising start to the season.

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The first half of term continued along the same path as the first game. Worth, Hurstpierpoint, Duke of Yorks and Reeds all went to King’s with the Colts really proving their drive and determination. The second half of term started with an away fixture against Eastbourne. In monsoon conditions, King’s fronted up and really showed aggression to drive the Eastbourne team back. Francesco Serraino and Petr Sergeev were instrumental in creating holes whilst Gus Cox and Jason Cho held their ground to secure the ball. Jack Mills and Halden Cook were forces to be reckoned with in the tackle, stopping any attack made by the feisty Eastbourne forwards. After 60 long and wet minutes King’s finished victorious

With four players out and again monsoon conditions, a weakened Colts team took to the 1st XV pitch at home to take on a big and powerful Haileybury team. If someone were to tell me that this match was to be the best of the season I wouldn’t have taken the bet and how wrong I would have been. Basile Chermette and Jamie Crocker hunted down the ball whilst the ever-present Alex Strickland dominated the ruck area. Ethan Hunt and Richard Heywood were instrumental in guiding and leading the team through a tough and aggressive match. Tom Whitmore and Mark Backer were the two centres instructed to tackle anything that moved and to get the ball out to the speedy Kay Minkiewicz and Jebin Yoon. They were given more than one opportunity to do both and it really was a spectacular performance from the backs. Jebin Yoon scored a runaway try after outpacing both the opposition winger and fullback whilst Kay Minkiewicz used his strength and tenacity to gain yards and retain the ball.

The Colts’ faithful and reliable fullback Ed Birrell patrolled the King’s defensive line and saved a try more than once. The moment of the match came from Richard Heywood where he had the audacity to chip from his own 5m line. Chasing the ball down he caught it and shipped it wide to Ed Birrell, who then chipped the ball back inside where Heywood caught it, popped it back to Mark Backer, who dived over for the try. A fantastic try that will not be forgotten. This was a fine performance and the pinnacle of the whole season.

The Tonbridge game was always going to be hard but the Colts played well and lost out to injuries from previous matches. With the first defeat in the back of their minds it meant that the boys were even more determined to finish the season unbeaten. They did just that and finished the season with just one loss.

the bitter end. They have been led well throughout the season by their captain Ethan Hunt, who has demonstrated commitment and selflessness. I wish every boy the best of luck in their future rugby careers at King’s and beyond. It has been a fantastic season; well done. Won 9 Lost 1 Drew 0 

It has been a pleasure to coach some of these boys in Shell and then to have them back again as Colts. They are a special group who are determined and competitive to

RUGBY U15 B HJP

The team started the season optimistically with a large squad, and hence a lot of competition for places going into the first match against Caterham. Despite terrible playing conditions and even worse handling, King’s recorded a 24-14 win. The boys then had a weekend with no fixture, which allowed for some muchneeded practice drills. The boys then put this practice into action against Hurst, which was an extremely physical fixture. Matt Jenkins led the pack with some ferocious running, and indeed inspired the team to out-muscle the opposition. A much-deserved away win. A surprisingly sunny day at Duke of York’s was a game for the quick backs. George Longin scored an impressive try following a meandering run through the Duke of York’s back line. The superior skills set and ability meant King’s came away with the win. The following home match against Reed’s was a close encounter until fly half

Gabriel Esselen realised there was some weaknesses in the opposition midfield defence. Accordingly there was some direct distribution to the big centre, Olumide Afolabi, who bulldozed through the defence with pace and power to score two tries and set up two more.

their lives with outstanding performances from the whole team. Henry Rutman scored perhaps the try of the season, when he got the ball from within his own half on the wing and beat five players to get over the try line. The match ended 225; a famous home victory for the team.

The next fixture, away at Eastbourne, was arguably the most important of the season. The teams were evenly matched, and both performing well. The match needed a standout moment; cue Andrey Kovalenko, who used some outstanding footwork to score a dramatic try in the corner in the closing five minutes of the game. Composure and sheer determination allowed King’s to close out the game. A much easier win against Haileybury followed, which meant confidence was high going into the big grudge match against Tonbridge. Some huge early hits from Karim Camara, amongst others, helped the team realise they were in with a chance. The boys then played the game of

Two comfortable 50+ plus wins against Sutton Valence and Sevenoaks finished off the season, where the boys played some fluid running rugby. Players’ player of the season was deservedly awarded to Ben Menasse for, amongst many other things, his relentless tackling. Rory Boyd was awarded coach’s player for consistently producing great performances and scoring from a kick off! Special mention must also go to the captain and try-scoring machine, Jamie Dix, as well as vice-captain Jack Lisser, who marshalled forwards and backs from scrum half. An unbeaten season does not come about that often, so the boys should be extremely proud of themselves. P9 W9

RUGBY U14 A RCW

This may not appear from the bald statistics to have been a particularly successful season. However, as every Under 14 team before, it had to go through the process of finding the best combinations, learning the game, and evolving a style of play to suit its strengths. In these respects a great deal of progress was made over the course of the term and there was a steady, but marked, development in the quality of our play. By the end of term we were almost unrecognisable from the side that stumbled blindly into its first match after a couple of days of trials and one training session! Our wins may have been hard to come by but they were well deserved, whereas some of the defeats were more than a little harsh and did not entirely reflect the game or do justice to our efforts. What certainly did shine through in every game was the character of the side, which always gave everything and played to the final whistle.

There were many examples of this but two stand out. At Haileybury, in the foulest of conditions, having unluckily seen the game slip from us with a late home score, we rallied to register a high-quality consolation try in the last play of the game. Then, also away, at Sutton Valence, having led and dominated for most of the game, we came under pressure, saw our lead taken away and fell behind with two minutes to go. In the last play, we stormed uphill and powered over for a deserved victory. There is no doubt that this side has the potential to improve still further over the next few years. The forwards really developed as a unit and despite being smaller, man for man, than most of its opponents, generally outplayed them in both the set piece and the loose, thanks to their work rate, organisation and technique. In Harry Pace, Ike Nabouku and, latterly, Soloman Adeoti (when he moved from the centre), it had strong

powerful runners, capable of getting over the gain line. It is a pity that Harry, the team captain, had such an unfortunate season with injury, for his energy and drive made a real difference when he was there. Ike was a tower of strength, both with ball in hand and in defence, scoring five tries in his eight games. Soloman was a powerful runner and top try scorer with seven out of the team’s twenty tries. He was also an imposing presence in defence, where he made many crunching tackles. His raw physicality, energy and effectiveness was rightly recognised by his team-mates, who voted him Player of the Season. They were far from the only contributors, however. Josh Hughes and Mark Burns also provided good “go forward”. Mark showed total commitment, good technique, sound judgement (on and off the field), captained on a number of occasions and set a great example to those around him, for which he received the Coach’s award. The “unsung heroes”, Alex Belsten, Ed James and Cantuarian | 2016

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into his own in the second half of the term, expanding his game as his confidence grew. Matt Stonier showed great skill and judgement and led the line well, assisted latterly by Zach Barker and Gabriel May, who showed some nice touches. Hugh Collins was a vital presence in the middle of the field, rugged in defence and with ball in hand. On the wing, Posi Awosika and Freddie Stringer showed pace, ran aggressively, finished well and gradually learned to get themselves into the game more. Although more naturally a wing, Dan Hoffman showed good hands under the high ball at full back, tackled superbly and surprised many an opponent with his turn of speed in counter attack.

Rob Edgar worked tirelessly on the less glamorous but vital close-quarter aspects of the game up front; Rob in particular has not only a surprisingly high work-rate but the instincts of a quality flanker. Rory Servaes came into the side and showed potential as an open-side flanker and Kit Williams was a reliable back-up in a number of positions.

By the end of the season, we had found a balanced back line, whose effectiveness was limited only by a lack of size, which hopefully will become less of a factor over time and lead to a little more penetration in midfield. They did register some excellent tries, nonetheless, as in the two games mentioned above, where fluent handling led to the wingers running in from distance. At scrum half, Will Sturges came

Seeing such a big improvement in our play has been very rewarding and the cheerful, positive attitude of the boys has made it a really enjoyable term for the coaches. My thanks and good wishes for the future go to all – I look forward to seeing them get better and better as they move up the school. My thanks also go to Charles Bodle for his enthusiastic and willing assistance with coaching and other more menial duties over the majority of the term, and to Rob Stephen OKS, whose part-time help after half term augmented our coaching team. We are especially grateful to Simon Anderson for the excellence of his refereeing at our home matches. P9 W3 D1 L6

RUGBY U14 B

RPC

The team enjoyed a solid season and, once the best combination had eventually been settled on, they played some good rugby. Highlights included a hard-fought victory over Eastbourne and a big win over a confident Sutton Valence team. A strong pack was the source of a lot of good ball, particularly from the set pieces. The front row combination provided by Jamie Dixon, Wonhyeok Jang, Fred Potter, Hjalmar Johansson and, occasionally, George Titterton, were amongst the most feared on the circuit. There was plenty of power, and set piece possession was reliably secured. All three props did a lot of ball carrying, with Hjalmar ending as join top try scorer. In the second row, Will Goslett and Milo Kleniewski provided good lineout ball and contributed well in the loose. A back row combination from captain Teddie Wilmoth, Max Olszowski, David Low and, when fit, Monty Coulson, provided energy and solid defence around the field. At scrum-half, Felix Chennery sniped well around the base of rucks and scrums, scoring a crucial match-saving try against Haileybury. In his absence, Max Moreland and Misha Verozub deputised competently. Laurie Reeves grew into the fly-half role, putting his boot to effective use and linking well with the strong-running Hamish Leung and elusive Sam Bickersteth in the centres.

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Ethan West and Benji Jackson provided the pace and strong defensive work on the wings, ably assisted by Max Bailey from full-back. Next year, the team should be looking to improve on at least three of their results from this season, and they have the potential to grow into a strong team, with power and ball-handling skills up front, complemented by pace in the backs. Team: Max Bailey, Sam Bickersteth, Jamie Dixon, Will Goslett, Benji Jackson, Hjalmar Johansson, Milo Kleniewski, Hamish Leung, David Low, Max Moreland, Max Olszowski, Fred Potter, Laurie Reeves, George Titterton, Teddie Wilmoth (capt), Ethan West. P10 W5 D1 L4 

RUGBY U14 D TJW

Results: Caterham (a)

Won 38-5

Hurstpierpoint (h)

Lost 21-27

Kent College A (h)

Won 27-10

Duke of York’s (h)

Won 60-10

Reed’s (a)

Lost 0-56

Eastbourne (h)

Won 12-5

Haileybury (a)

Drew 5-5

Tonbridge C (h)

Lost 0-45

Sutton Valence (a)

Won 40-10

Sevenoaks (h)

Lost 5-19

The U14 boys all learnt a lot over the term and were playing some good rugby, only losing out against bigger and stronger opposition. They were more evenly matched against Reed’s, and if that match had been a few minutes longer our boys would have triumphed, there being only one point in it. They were typically stronger in the second half of a match, putting in some robust tackling and good tries; special recognition to Finn Dwyer and Theo Fenning for taking the lead as Captains, and to Alex Lapsley as top try scorer. P3 L3 W0

RUGBY TOUR Will Heywood

A party of 29 players and staff left for the rugby-proud nation of South Africa for a two-week tour at the end of July. Ahead of us were four tough games against physical and well-organised opponents. Our first experience of the South African rugby culture was watching the worldfamous school-boy derby between Paarl Gymnasium and Paarl Boys’ High, a game which divided the town of Paarl. An incredible attendance of over 25,000 partisan supporters produced an atmosphere comparable to an England international at Twickenham. The next day we had our first training session at the magnificent facilities of Stellenbosch University in preparation for our first match, against Somerset College, and the tour got off to a good start with a convincing win, in a game played in swirling winds and unexpected bitter cold. Drama followed the next morning: Mr Hill’s hotel room caught fire (caused by an electrical fault), fortunately while we were all at breakfast, but the good news was it was soon put out and we were immediately transferred to a nearby 5-star replacement. The boys weren’t too displeased. A trip to Cape Point and The Cape of Good Hope was a memorable and spectacular first day of sight-seeing.

Our second match, against Rondebosch, wasn’t just a rugby experience but also involved a stay with host families for all boys, which provided us with lasting memories of the friendly and hospitable nature of the South African people. Leaving Rondebosch meant we would take the boat to Robben Island to visit the prison and poignantly Nelson Mandela’s cell. We were given a first-hand account of conditions by an ex-inmate, who also explained to us what life was like in an apartheid regime. It was fascinating and thought-provoking and left us all in a somewhat sombre mood. There followed an afternoon visit to the Langa township, where we could walk around the streets and meet and talk to children, and watch their games of football and hockey, some, surprisingly, sporting somewhat-worn England shirts. Our third match involved a bus journey away from Cape Town, east to Knysna, where we played Wittedrift School, comprising not your typical big bulky South African but smaller speedy runners, who showed a different approach to the muscular forward game we had previously experienced. While we couldn’t match them for speed, our more controlled game led to another good win for King’s.

We then transferred to Kariega Game Reserve where the early wake-ups to go on safaris were rewarded with sights of elephant, rhino, giraffe and lion only fingertips away. Our final game against Grey College, which also involved a two-night stay with a host family, was a hard-fought match against one of the best schools in the country. It was no disgrace to lose by a small margin. Thanks should be said to all the staff, but especially Mr Hill, for a truly wonderful tour. It was a trip of a lifetime that will leave us all with fond memories. Also, a big thank you to Mr Turner, whose eagle eye and prompt warning, while we were training on a Port Elizabeth beach, prevented what could have been a very painful encounter with a Portuguese Man o’War during a game of touch rugby. The South African players were all very sporting opponents: fierce competitors on the pitch, they were gracious in both defeat and in victory. It should be mentioned that due to the very favourable exchange rate we were able to dine out every night and eat like kings. If only the best sirloin steaks were the same price in this country.

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ROWING JW

The Senior boys and girls raced at Cambridge (Rob Roy Boat Club) Small Boats Head with very good weather. There were some very good performances especially at this time of the year. The J18 double of Allinson and Trelawny-Vernon pipped Nichols and Forbes by .4 sec to win. Nichols also very pleasingly won IM3 and Junior single. Allinson and TrelawnyVernon also were the fastest IM3 pair, with Cosans and de Jong close behind as the fastest novice pair. John and Dath won the novice double with Jen Hofmann winning both her novice single and J17 single. After racing with her Girls captain counterpart from King’s Ely, coming 2nd, Rosie Fuest with Alex Abadjieva was the fastest women’s pair. The pupils also got a good sense of what Cambridge is really like, boating from Downing College and seeing Cambridge from the river. The next

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day Maidstone Small Boats Head, again blessed with good weather, saw the crews continue to show what progress has been made over the last year and in the first month of term.

There were also a couple of staff wins from Hosking and JW. A large number of wins promoted King’s and King’s rowing at both Cambridge and more locally Maidstone.

The Four of Allinson, TrelawnyVernon, Forbes, Nichols and Fuest were the quickest Four of the day in impressive style, and then won their quad with Tanna coxing. Nichols again went on to win IM3 singles, with Cosans winning Novice singles and Jen Hofmann winning J17 for the second time over the weekend. John and Dath triumphed in their double for the second day running. A really pleasing result was a win for the girls novice quad, consisting of Sophie Parish in her very first race, Rosie Fuest, Alex Abadjieva, Emily Williamson and cox Sacha Tanna. Good rows from other new rowers such as Kwan, Aldridge, Chang and Hwang and the younger years, especially Ben Manasse and Harry Trelawny-Vernon, were notable.

Over half term Harry Nichols raced at the British Senior Rowing Championships at Nottingham in a double with an Imperial College student rower who had raced at the European University Rowing Championships for Great Britain in September. This is also a required event for participation in Senior GB rowing trials. After a solid time trial Harry and his partner raced really well to steal third place in the semi to make the E final. All doubles raced together despite the differing events. The final was a race too much, given limited preparation, and the crew came sixth in the E final. This actually meant they were 6th in the lightweight under 23 event, a very credible result.

A few days later Angus Forbes attended the GB Junior potential camp in Nottingham (again!) for four days in a pair with a Canford School rower. The four days involved education on breathing, anti-doping, dental health, some strength and conditioning workshops and sessions, with also coached water sessions in the pair. This was a very useful four days to help Angus improve and help his chances in a very tough year-long GB selection process. In the second week of half term, with help from the day pupil parents who accommodated the boarders, there was a half term training camp at the lake, with some water work with land sessions and then some racing at Kingston Small Boats Head on 31st October. The Quad of Allinson, Trelawny-Vernon, Forbes and Dath won Novice Quads. A quad with newcomers Aldridge, Hwang and Chang, with Edgar guiding them, had a very encouraging race over the 20-minute-plus course. A girls composite quad of Hofmann, Fuest and two Maidstone girls raced really well given they jumped in on the day. The double of John and Cosans produced a strong row, winning their event. A productive and educational half term!

Sacha Tanna coxed an Italian crew at the Veterans Fours Head, whilst a staff crew won their age group. With the GB trials being affected by weather, Angus Forbes taking the option not to attend, the first race of the second half of term, Hampton, was also cancelled. At Burway Small Boats Head, in pretty challenging conditions, there were some very good results. With some crews racing for the first time, gaining valuable racing experience; a JKS crew, a Removes and a Shells crew of Satoor, Wingfield, Omnet, Wingfield and cox Holden. The girls raced in two quads and doubles but Jen Hofmann came back with the performance of

the day by winning WJ17 singles and being very competitive in the senior women’s singles. The senior boys showed their training is producing good form; the Four of Allinson, John, Cosans and Dath won; the two doubles of Dath and John, Cosans and Edgar were very close to each other (the latter gaining the edge by two secs over the 3k course) but missed out to a Pangbourne double. Freddie Allinson had a very good singles result although not winning with Angus Forbes and finding some potential as he tested out his GB trials combination with a Canford rower.

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THE BOAT CLUB JW Winter Term This season for The Boat Club and the students within it promised excitement, improvements and success and it did not disappoint. It kicked off with The Boat Club Dinner with the annual awards followed by Annastasia Chitty talking about her rowing at junior level and at OUWBC as president in the first year of racing over the championship course as the men do. Suitably motivated the first race of the season was a weekend at Cambridge followed by Maidstone. Straightaway the pupils in their small boats got stuck in and came away with some promising performances, notably Harry Nichols and Jen Hofmann in their singles and Charlie John and Sam Dath in the double. At Maidstone again King’s dominated with the fastest junior boat, a coxed four, winning the boys’ and girls’ quads and the singles this time joined by Kay Cosans winning a double again. A good weekend to start the season off. Over the half Harry Nichols raced at the British Senior Rowing Championships at Nottingham in a double with an Imperial College student rower who had raced at the European University Rowing Championships for Great Britain in September. This is also a required event for participation in Senior GB rowing trials. After a solid time trial Harry and his partner raced really well to steal third place in the semi to make the E final. All doubles raced together despite the differing events....such as heavyweight, lightweight and under 23. The final was a race too much given limited preparation and the crew came in sixth in the E final. This actually meant they were sixth in the lightweight under 23 event...a very credible result. A few days later Angus Forbes attended the GB Junior potential camp in Nottingham (again!) for four days in a pair with a Canford School rower. The four days involved education on breathing, anti-doping, dental health, some strength and conditioning workshops and sessions with coached water sessions in the pair. A very useful four days to help Angus improve and help his chances in the GB selection process. In the second week of half term with help from the 128

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day pupil parents who accommodated the boarders there was a half term training camp at the lake. Some water work with land sessions...and a cinema visit and then there was some racing at Kingston Small Boats Head on 31st October. The Quad of Allinson, Trelawny-Vernon, Forbes and Dath came fourth but were only five seconds off the winners. A quad with newcomers Aldridge, Hwang, Chang with Edgar guiding them had a very encouraging race over the twentyminute-plus course. A girls composite quad of Hofmann, Fuest and two Maidstone girls raced really well given they jumped in on the day. The double of John and Cosans produced a strong row winning their event with the boys quad winning as well, finishing off a productive and educational half term! The next race was Burway Head where in pretty challenging conditions there were some very good results from the racing especially the first-time racers gaining valuable racing experience. These were a JKS crew and a Removes and Shells crew of Satoor, Wingfield, Omnet, Wingfield and cox Holden. The girls raced in two quads and doubles but Jen Hofmann came back with the performance of the day, winning WJ17 singles and being very competitive in the senior women’s singles. The senior boys showed their training is producing good form.....the Four of Allinson, John, Cosans and Dath won, the two doubles of Dath and John, Cosans and Edgar were very close to each other (the latter gaining the edge by two seconds over the 3k course) but missed out to a Pangbourne double. Freddie Allinson had a very good singles result although not winning with Angus Forbes finding some potential as he tested out his GB trials combination with a Canford rower. The last race, the Vesta Scullers Head, was unfortunately cancelled so the term finished first with the heats for the Kent Schools indoor Rowing heats which took place at Spires Academy and then the Christmas Eights. We had a number of pupils at the Indoor Heats. The Shells were very impressive dominating their year group with top performers being Alex Lapsley, David Low, Jeffrey de Jong, Edward Connor, Ian Wingfield and Joe Satoor. The Shells girls also performed

well with Francesca Maini topping her age group. The Removes boys showed the potential by matching the Shells’ dominance in both the individual as well as the team events. Jen Hofmann was the fastest girl and Freddie Allinson the fastest boy. Virtually all the pupils qualified for the finals, which are at the beginning of February. The term finished in typically brutal fashion with Christmas Eights...everyone racing each other. Results are still under scrutiny.....

Lent Term The Lent Term started with the Kent School Games Indoor Rowing Finals. King’s had a very successful day. The Shells girls team of Maini, Patterson, Tarkhanova and Zhao did well in the individual with Francesca Maini grabbing a bronze, then they moved themselves up in the aggregate result in the team relay ending up with a team silver for themselves. The Shells boys likewise followed suit in the team and David Low winning a bronze. At the Trent Head of the River in Nottingham, amongst a very good field, with the Cambridge Blue boat winning overall, the King’s 1st Eight came in 15th winning the IM3 pennant. The crew were sixteen seconds behind King’s Chester. A very good gauge of the potential of our Eight. The Eight beat numerous university crews. A very good result. In an effort to gain some crew time those crews that have the important Schools Head and Sculling Head trained at Maidstone doing some dress rehearsal pieces helping their on-water as well as off-water skills and knowledge. We also had seven pupils selected to represent the South East region at the Junior Inter Regional Regatta on 23rd April against the other 11 regions. J15 4+: B Manasse, P Ellwood, T DavisJones, B May, Cox S Tanna; WJ15 2x: E Williamson, M Kearley. On Thursday 17th the 1st Eight and a Removes Eight raced at the Schools Head of the River, the premier junior Head race on the Championship course from Chiswick to Putney. The Removes Eight gained valuable experience but their lack of time and consistency showed in their result coming 17th in their age group. The 1st Eight had a good row

overtaking a number of crews, which with hindsight might have actually slightly hindered their time, as they came 10th out of 28 but very close to the 3 or 4 crews in front of them. On Friday 18th there were 3 crews racing at the Junior Sculling Head at Dorney lake. All crews did well finishing in the middle of their respective packs. The encouraging aspect was having a Shell boys Octuple....racing in their age group one of 60 crews! The Shells ( C Zhao, J Patterson, F Maini, G Bird and B Peng) and Removes (E Williamson, M Kearley, K Rhodes, C IzzaguierrePascua, S Tanna) quads raced very well indeed over the 3800-metre course. On Saturday 19th the 1st Eight returned to the tideway racing again the Championship course in the Eights Head of the River with Eights from all over the UK and Europe both university and club crews. The Eight had a better row than the one two days previously and stormed into the top 100 coming 65th, a very good result indeed that comparatively put them about 4th in the Schools Head instead of 10th. In the first week of the holidays the club ran a junior rowing camp at Westbere with 12 Shells boys and girls as well as JKS pupils. They spent 3 days (21st-23rd) developing their rowing technique and skills in a variety of boats. The feedback was very positive and another camp will be put on at the start of the summer holiday. In the last week and a half of the holiday after loading, preparations and travel the annual Boat Club Easter camp at Lake Orta in Italy got underway. After the pupils (10 senior boys and 8 Removes-to-6a girls) arrived on the Friday 8th and got a couple of sessions under their belts we travelled to a nearby lake where Monate Rowing Club were hosting a regional regatta. A shock to the system after 3 weeks’ holiday! All pupils raced the 2k course twice in a variety of boats. The girls crews found the going tough against a very high standard of junior girls sculling. Sage Battle and Sophie Parish came away with a silver in the “new to rowing” double category. The coxed Four of Wills, Edgar, Kay Cosans, Kevin de Jong, Sam Dath and cox Sacha Tanna won a silver medal then joined by the coxless Four of Harry Nichols, Charlie John, Angus Forbes and Freddie Allinson who came 5th, making up the Eight where with Rosie Fuest coxing they got a bronze. The rest of the camp where Canford

School joined us was very productive with all pupils making great progress and the 1st Eight showing some exciting speed and real willingness to progress. A very positive camp.

Summer Term On Saturday the junior inter regional regatta took place at the National Watersports centre in Nottingham. The 12 regions of England racing across the 3 age groups – J14, J15 and J16, in different boat categories. We had 2 crews representing the South East. A Removes (J15) coxed Four of Manasse, Ellwood, Camara, May and Tanna at cox, and Williamson and Kearley in the WJ15 double. The boys found the going tough.... especially after 4 weeks’ holiday with no training as other crews obviously prepared more! They came in 6th in the B final after not making the A final. The double found their first race again tough but got significantly more competitive in their B final coming into the line in a blanket finish, but 6th. As a team, the South East, managed by Sarah Cunnold, maintained its 8th position, which is a great achievement given the small pool of clubs the crews are selected from relative to the other regions. Punching well above our weight and led by King’s rowing. Whilst everyone else continued training at the lake in great weather on Saturday afternoon the 1st Eight raced at Chiswick Regatta, a more lighthearted event to enjoy their racing before settling into the tough races to ensure Henley qualification. In the morning the Eight (with Dom Aldridge filling in for an absent Kevin de Jong) raced through to the IM3 final but then had an equipment issue (!!) after 100 metres and raced the rest of the final with 7 men, just failing to win by a matter of feet! In the higher event in the afternoon, after dispatching an Eton crew, their 3rd Eight, the Eight went on to win the final from a local Parrs Priory crew. A week later back at Chiswick again to race at the Borne at Chiswick Regatta. There were some good races from 2 Shells quads, getting their first regatta experience. Emily Williamson and Minya Kearly raced a year above themselves and lost in the final by 2 feet, then joined with Sage Battle and Chloe Chan to again just miss out in the final of Novice women’s quads. Dominic Aldridge and Jacob Hwang raced their

singles, losing in the first round, then in a double together where having won two heats to make the final they lost to an Ardingley crew. They also lost out to an Emmanuel School pair in the final of junior pairs. The win of the day came from the J15 coxed Four of Ben Manasse, Karim Camara, Harry Trelawny-Vernon, Lio Hu and cox Sacha Tanna as they beat Canford School in their final. On the other side of the Channel the 1st Eight and Jen Hofmann tested their mettle at Ghent International Regatta. On the Saturday Jen Hofmann posted a very encouraging race to finish 6th in junior women’s singles out of 34 scullers from Ireland, Germany, Holland, Belgium and the UK. The 1st Eight raced the Junior Eights event and showed some good determination to win the event from Sport Ghent, another Ghent club, two Irish eights, a German crew and Norwich School..... who had beaten them at the Schools Head in March. They then also raced the U23 Eights...coming back with a gold medal in that! On the Sunday Jen Hofmann first raced the women’s U23 lightweight single getting further racing experience and beating a couple of scullers after having to race the Swiss 23 sculler. In her Junior event she stepped on from Saturday in tougher competition coming in 7th. A really credible set of results for her. The Eight also stepped on putting more distance on the same opposition but a new entry, the Belgium National Junior Eight, pipped them on the line by 3 feet! A good silver medal. They then literally paddled straight back to the start to race the U23 Eight again.... this time the Polish National Eight turned up, with the German National Eight and its fellow German challenger as the Germans were using the regatta as a selection race. The Eight came in 4th but had an enjoyable “pop” at those extremely quick crews. With Thames Ditton Regatta being cancelled we took the girls squad to Weybridge Ladies Regatta to gain racing experience some for the first time. A Removes girls quad of Poddi, Main, Kearley, Williamson and Tanna raced first with Main and Poddi racing for the first time after starting rowing this term. They lost to a strong Molesey crew but learnt a lot. A Shells girls of Zhao, Tarkhanova, Patterson and Li with Tanna coxing again had their first race and it was a close one losing to Kingston Grammar School by Cantuarian | 2016

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under a length. Tarkhanova and Zhao also raced a double again for the first time losing to a Henley crew. Josie Patterson raced a WJ14 single well but lost to a more experienced sculler. The novice crew of Main, Battle, Kearley, Hofmann and Tanna won their event, with Battle and Parish also trying a double, again...experience! Jen Hofmann lost by a few feet in the IM3 event but then last race won her Novice single final. A good day of learning for a growing girls group. This year the National Schools Regatta was at Dorney lake. On Friday 27th a Shells quad of Lapsley, Wingfield, Low, Wingfield and cox Peng raced through the time trial making the semi finals just. In the A/B semi they came last, meaning they moved into the B final where they upped their game and rated higher to come third, meaning 9th overall from a ranking perspective. A very positive result. The next day the 1st Eight raced their time trial but perhaps went over slightly complacent of being in the top 24 ....and then suffered in the lane draw as they went through to the semis with the lanes more affected by the crosswind making it increasingly difficult to move up the rankings. In the new format where Championship and 1st Eights were amalgamated the Eight just missed out on the B final on their time and thus raced the C final coming 4th or 9th in the 1st Eights. Some good racing but not where we were looking to be. On the Sunday the Eight split into 2 fours...a coxed four in the 1st Fours event (which we won last year) and a coxless in the Championship coxless Fours event. The coxed four of Dath, de Jong, John, Edgar and cox Fuest qualified for the D final via their time trial. In the D final they raced very well coming through the field in the second half to win. In the Championship coxless four the crew of Forbes, Nichols, Allinson and Cosans made the A final via their time trial, a great result. In the final a few steering issues halted their momentum in the first half and they had to chase the field coming 7th. Still a great result in the top fours event. On Monday the Wingfields raced their double at the Junior Sculling Regatta again at Dorney but missed out making the final. Jen Hofmann made her A final but in an unfamiliar borrowed boat lost some of her composure and came in 6th....

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again still a great result. After a weekend of the 1st Eight training at Henley in the half term the run-in to the end of term continued with Barnes and Mortlake Regatta where we had a total of 17 crews and 30 pupils, racing the 1000m course on the Thames. Jen Hofmann got the day’s racing off to a good start with a win in the first round of the W.IM3 1x, beating both Westminster and St Paul’s Girls’ taking her to the final, in which she won by 4 lengths over another St Paul’s Girls’ sculler. The Remove boys crew, B. Manasse, K. Camara, H. TrelawnyVernon, L. Hu, A. Bolton, had a straight final in their J15 4+ event. Up against LVS Ascot and Whitgift, the boys had a good row and finished in 3rd position. Following this race the IM3 4X+, consisting of D. Aldridge, OKS G. Brady, coach R. Hosking and Doggetts sculler Jacob Berry, also had a straight final racing against St. Paul’s School and Latymer Upper School, but missed out on a win to two very strong quads. Jen also raced W.IM3 4X along with OKS sculler S. Perkins and coaches G. Edwards and S. Cunnold. The girls won their first heat by 3 lengths over Putney High School and Team Keane. The quad then faced St Paul’s Girls’ in the final and won by half a length, giving Jen her second win of the day. The Shell boys made up two quads and a double to race in the J14 category. Racing in the first quad was A. Laplsey, D. Low, I. Wingfield, T. Wingfield, and P. Holden; they faced Tidway Scullers School and Whifgift and came in second to Tideway Scullers, providing some great racing but unfortunately missing out on the final. The second quad of E. Connor, J. Hughes, J. Satoor, G. Omnet and B. Peng faced Team Keane in their heat and unfortunately lost by 2.5 lengths, again missing out on the final but providing some great racing. J. Kahol de Jong and J. Dixon in the double for their first race together lost out to Tideway Scullers School. In the Shells girls squad J. Patterson racing in a single in the W. J14 event had a great race against a sculler from Kingston but missed out on making it to the final. S. Tarkhanova and C. Zhao also faced a Kingston boat in their doubles race and missed out on making the next round but rowed a good race. The girls then came together, along with M. Li and B. Peng, to race in the W. J14 4X+; they again met Kingston in

the first round this time and had a great row, winning the race by 3 lengths and making it through to the final. Unfortunately, they didn’t get off to a good start in the final against Team Keane but learnt a lot from it and now have some good racing experience behind them. The Remove boys raced again but this time in doubles. B. Manasse and K. Camara paired up and H. Trelawny-Vernon and L. Hu in the other crew. Both crews had two good solid races but missed out on making the final. D. Aldridge paired up with sculler Jacob Berry in the Nov 2x category and had a great first round winning by 3 lengths over Eastbourne College, taking them through to the semi-final. The semifinal was an exciting race, with the boys beating LVS Ascot to the line by 2 feet! In the final they faced Westminster and provided the spectators with another brilliant race, winning by 1.5 lengths. The Senior girls also took to the water in the afternoon to race in a number of boats. E. Williamson and M. Kearley had a brilliant row in their double in the first round of the W. J15 2x against Kingston, again giving the spectators a great race to watch and winning by 2 feet. In their final they faced Putney High School and had a good row but missed out on the win. S. Battle and S. Parish then raced in the W. Nov 2x category against Putney High School; after a great start Putney took the lead and the win. All four girls then jumped straight out of the doubles and joined J. Hofmann, S. Tanna, S. Perkins, S. Cunnold and a University of Kent athlete in the W. Nov 8+. The 8+ faced Barnes Bridge Ladies in the first round, taking them off the start line and winning by 4 lengths. Between the first round of the 8+ and the final, which was only an hour, E. Williamson and M. Kearley went straight into racing in a Remove girl’s quad with S. Main and A. Poddi, who have only learnt to row this term. They faced Tideway Scullers School and had a good solid race for their second race together, but unfortunately they were beaten to the line. It was then time for the W. Nov 8+ final where the girls faced Latymer Upper School; after a good start Latymer pulled away and went on to win but the girls fought hard right up to the line. Again whilst the club were at one regatta another section was somewhere else…the 1st

Eight racing in School/Junior Eights unfortunately had a row over in their first race due to opposition scratching but facing The Oratory in the final put down the fastest time of the day to win. A number of the younger crews with some of the newer six B rowers raced at Egham Regatta today. There was also a JKS crew..some Year 7 girls racing a year above and a Year 8 boy racing a single. Some really good experience and valuable time spent with the older crews despite not making it through their first round. The J14 boys (Shells) of Ian and Tom Wingfield, Jeffrey de Jong, Joe Satoor and Bruce Peng raced very well through to make the final but very frustratingly an inflexible umpire disqualified them for a crew composition reason. (Last-minute crew changes due to pupil availability causing the infringement.) Dominic Hoare and Ben Manasse both competed in their respective single sculling events but despite good rows were competing against bigger and more experienced opposition. Dominic Aldridge and Jacob Hwang likewise lost their double to a much more experienced Walton crew, with Jacob then racing his single but giving away some sculling years. Emily Williamson and Minya Kearley raced through a quarter and semi final really well but came a cropper in their final. Likewise Sophie Parrish and Jen Hofmann raced very well in their first two races to make the final but didn’t quite hold their form to win the final. But Jen

Hofmann prevailed yet again in her single to win, this being her 5th win of the summer term. After pre-qualifying for Henley Royal Regatta, in very good company, King’s drew for their race on Wednesday agasint the London Oratory, a state school that won the 1st Eights at the Schools Head and the same event at National Schools. The crew has been racing together for the last 3 years. After arriving relatively late this year due to exams the crew managed to get a couple of paddles on the course before their race. The race itself was tough but went to form despite holding on well being beaten by 3 lengths in the end. There was very good support from parents who then provided food and refreshment in the King’s marquee after. The crew then experienced the Stewards enclosure on the Thursday. The OKS lunch on

Saturday was well attended by younger as well as older pilgrims. The rowing did not finish there. After the end of term a number of pupils continued to train, in a Four and a Pair, for the British Junior Rowing Championships. The Four consisted of Angus Forbes, Harry Nichols, Freddie Allinson and an athlete from King’s College Wimbledon. They raced their time trial, winning it and taking their place in the semi which again they duly won. The final also seemed to be going to plan until the very last 100 metres where a Claires Court crew (actually the winning crew from the Fawley Cup at Henley) just snuck through them denying the boys of the gold. A good silver though. Freddie and Harry also raced in the pair, again winning the time trial and their semi most impressively. In the final they took an early lead and cruised in showing significant class. As well as winning the Gold they earned the England selection as the Junior Pair at the Home Countries International Regatta a week later at Cardiff Bay. At the event with further preparation under their belt…and a day supporting the King’s Doggetts Coat and Badge Sculler, Jacob Berry, they stormed out to an early lead and despite pretty tricky conditions won most emphatically again. A great way for them to end their year. As a postscript to the King’s rowing season it is only appropriate to mention the OKS racing at the Rio Olympics in the summer. Congratulations to Tom Ransley (MR) on winning the Gold medal in the mens Eight in fantastic fashion and Frances Houghton winning an historic Silver in the women’s Eight. A good year of rowing for King’s.

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GIRLS’ HOCKEY

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GIRLS’ HOCKEY 1st XI NJT/JCW

The King’s School 1st XI Hockey team enjoyed a highly competitive and successful season. The side was well balanced with an existing core of experienced players helping transition some of the younger girls to a senior level of hockey. The progress and development of the squad is evident from the fixtures, which saw the girls dig deep and harness their potential to win against Brighton College and Cranbrook towards the end of term. The majority of the girls’ success was achieved in tournaments. The 1st XI team had an exceptional run through the County and Regional rounds. They were crowned Kent County Champions after an inspiring day of hockey where the team showed sheer grit and determination to battle out results against some tough opposition. They progressed through to the regional rounds where the level of hockey is certainly another step up. This didn’t faze the team at all and the girls who had an undefeated day took on this challenge. This meant they qualified for the top four at the regional finals in November. The top four teams at regional finals are always extremely tough opposition and the girls’ class, determination and team spirit helped them step up another gear to compete against Culford, Framlingham and Kent College. The match of the season for us was the girl’s performance against Kent College. This 5-1 performance was some of the best hockey I have seen a 1st team play, with delightful passing and clinical finishing. This win claimed the 3rd spot finish, which ranks the girls in the top 20 in the country. Overall, the season was extremely enjoyable and the girls made substantial improvements to their game whilst achieving some fantastic results along the way.

P8 W2 D1 L5 Weekly Fixtures P39 W21 D7 L11 Tournament Fixtures

Regional U18s (a)

1st

Gresham’s

Won 2-0

Birleys Tournament (h) 3rd

Queenswood

Won 2-1

Queenswood

Won 2-0

Kimbolton

Draw 0-0

Oundle

Lost 2-4

Perse (playoff)

Won 1-0

Framlingham

Lost 0-1

(SF) Oundle

Lost 0-1

(3/4) Queenswood

Won 1-0

Plumtree U18s (a) 3rd

Regional Finals U18 (a) 3rd Culford

Lost 0-5

Framlingham

Lost 1-2

Kent College

Won 5-1

TWGGS

Won 1-0

John Taylor Indoor U18 (a)

Sevenoaks 2

Lost 0-2

Sutton Valence

Draw 0-0

Kent College

Draw 0-0

K C Pembury

Draw 1-1

King’s 2

Won 1-0

Cranbrook

Won 2-0

St Edmund’s

Won 2-0

Ardingly

Won 4-1

Sevenoaks 1

Draw 1-1

(SF) Kent College

Lost 0-2

JAGS

Won 1-0

3rd

Kent U18 Indoor (a) 3rd Kent U18s (a) 1st

K C Pembury

Won 3-1

Sutton Valence

Won 2-0

St Edmund’s

Won 7-0

St Lawrence

Draw 0-0

St Lawrence

Lost 0-1

Cranbrook

Draw 0-0

(SF) Kent College

Lost 0-1

Duke of Yorks

Won 3-0

Simon Langton

Won 1-0

Polo Farm Opening Indoor (a) 3rd

(QF) Sevenoaks

Won (on strokes)

Simon Langton

Won 6-0

(SF) Cranbrook

Won (on strokes)

Kent College

Lost 1-4

(F) Kent College

Won 1-0

St Lawrence

Lost 2-3

Results: Haileybury (a)

Lost 2-4

Cranleigh (h)

Lost 2-6

Kent College (a)

Lost 0-7

Eastbourne (a)

Lost 0-5

Sevenoaks (a)

Draw 0-0

Ardingly (h)

Lost 2-6

Brighton College (a)

Won 2-1

Cranbrook (h)

Won 3-1

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GIRLS’ HOCKEY 2nd XI

AJH

It has been a very enjoyable season; the girls have been talented, enthusiastic and great fun to coach. We have had tough games, especially before the half-term break, with opening matches against 1st XI sides. We are never dispirited, however, far from it, and the win against Haileybury was well deserved. The structure and pattern of the squad began to stabilise and the team list became more familiar from week to week. We seemed to play away a lot but the girls were always cheerful and got on with playing the best hockey we could. With quality coaching from Sarah Kerly, our basic skills become dependable even under intense pressure, our ability to play as a cohesive team was obvious to all on the side lines, and the style and standard of our play was considerably better than the fixture card results might suggest. Rosie Dath had a fantastic final season in goal – a brilliant keeper whose loyal service to the hockey club is hugely appreciated. Rachel Barry captained the side exceptionally well and all the girls can be proud of the competitive but sporting way they conducted

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themselves. Some girls, new to the school in 6b, Genevieve Hull and Helena Weatherseed, were soon very much part of the tight dynamic and Millie Lee and Bede Tyler joined after a few weeks and made an immediate impression. India Bromley added skill to the right wing, playing harmoniously with Maddie Reeves and the mighty Rose Meddings on the right flank. Ruby Bansal was tenacious as centre forward and Hannah Burns and Clara Taylor were the rocks upon which our defence was built. Imogen Hurley sadly missed our later games but had added valuable fire power up front earlier in the season, and similarly Sohana Root’s athleticism and ‘big engine’ added strength and depth to the squad. Iona Bogle stepped up from her regular 3rd XI squad – often at short notice and for away games – but always played utterly faultlessly. The success of team, in my judgement, is whether its performance as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This has been a successful team with great spirit and a big heart and it has been a pleasure to be pitch-side with such a rewarding group.

Team from: Imogen Hurley, Helena Weatherseed, Millie Lee, Hannah Burns, India Bromley, Ruby Bansal, Sohana Roots, Rose Dath, Rachel Barry, Genevieve Hull, Clara Taylor, Bede Tyler, Rose Meddings, Maddie Reeves. P12 L6 W4 D2 Results: St Lawrence (h)

Lost 0-4

Ashford (h)

Lost 0-2

Haileybury (a)

Won 2-1

Cranleigh (h)

Lost 0-1

Eastbourne (a)

Lost 1-2

Sevenoaks (a)

Lost 0-3

Roger Manwood’s (a)

Drew 2-2

Simon Langton (a)

Won 7-0

Ardingly (a)

Won 2-1

Brighton College (a)

Lost 0-1

Hurstpierpoint College (h) Won 1-0 Cranbrook (a)

Drew 1-1

GIRLS’ HOCKEY 3rd XI JMS

The 3rd XI have had a mixed bag of results this term, but throughout the team have given 100%. In training and in matches they have remained in high spirits and have created a strong team bond, thus helping to secure the results we did. They started the season off well, winning 2-0 against St Lawrence and then a 0-0 draw against Haileybury, where the girls were unlucky not to score. These two games highlighted two key areas, attacking and shooting, that we needed to focus on at training. The following two games resulted in heavy defeats from Cranleigh (0-13) and Eastbourne (0-7). Both of these oppositions were extremely strong and the team did well to keep their heads up and remain motivated throughout. Entering into the second half of the season we came up against Sevenoaks, unfortunately losing 1-2. The team, however, played incredibly well, worked exceptionally hard and were very unlucky. A special mention to the defensive line for their strong tackles and working the ball out of trouble. Our next opponent was Ardingly, where we won 2-1. Both Mr Link (coach) and myself were amazed

by the team’s performance. The ball pace was high, tackles were hard and they played with some aggression. The focus at training was to get some aggression out of the girls so they became stronger on the ball, and it paid off. A special mention to Elizabeth Guild who had been brought up from the 4th XI and scored on her debut, a great performance securing her place in the team. Our second to last game was against Brighton College and we won 3-0. The team continued the aggression and strength from the previous week and looked extremely strong, working well together as a team. A special mention to Lulu Hinshelwood whose work rate was fantastic. Our final match, against Hurstpierpoint College, was a tough battle, which sadly didn’t sway in our favour and we lost 1-3. The ball went from end to end and could have been anyone’s game – another great performance from the team, with a couple of shots going wide, but the fact that the attacking play had increased was a great improvement from previous weeks. The team improved so much over the season and should

be proud of what they have achieved, through hard work at training and a determined mentality in matches. It is fair to say that some of the results don’t give a fair representation of the team’s performance and what they have achieved this season. Team: Rose Yanni, Robyn Keith, Cecily Guild, Lara Whitmore, Elizabeth Guild, Iona Bogle, Elizabeth Hale, Olivia de Gaudemar, Laura Kendall, Isobel Adamson, Natalya Schröder, Lulu Hinshelwood, Tia Curtis, Eleanor Paine, Sabrina Kitson, Kelly Sin. P8 L4 D1 W3 Results: St Lawrence (h)

Won 2-0

Haileybury (a)

Drew 0-0

Cranleigh (a)

Lost 0-13

Eastbourne (h)

Lost 0-7

Sevenoaks (a)

Lost 1-2

Ardingly (a)

Won 2-1

Brighton College (h)

Won 3-0

Hurstpeirpoint College (h)

Lost 1-3

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GIRLS’ HOCKEY 4th XI

ERL

This has been an enjoyable season watching the 4th XI improve during each training session and Saturday match. Although the team were unable to clench a win, they certainly did not let themselves or their coach down. As a relatively young senior side who were drawn to play older and more experienced teams throughout the season, they stepped up to match the talent and speed of most teams. They cannot be faulted on their camaraderie and exceptional singing during training and on the bus to matches, never leaving a dull moment since the beginning of the season. As the season progressed, the girls noticed that they had to match the high level of skill and fitness of the opposition they were to face; hence we focused on learning a new skill each training session, strong and accurate passing of the ball, shooting, using the width of the pitch to transfer the ball quickly down the line and keeping structure and position throughout a match. The girls always managed to keep the majority of the possession in all matches but were put under extreme pressure from the opposition’s defence and so did not manage to get as many goals as they deserved throughout the season. Maddie Holmes, new to goalkeeping, took on the difficult job at the start of the season and made some very impressive saves indeed! In

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defence, Mary Forsyth (vice-captain) played as sweeper, rarely letting any balls past her and applying pressure to those who dared enter the D. She encouraged everyone from behind and always gave quality advice from her experience from last year. She was ably assisted by Annabel Edwards, Victoria Honychurch and Annabel Wingfield, a solid back line clearing most balls that they were presented with. With their accurately placed formidable sweeps out of the D and rarely letting players past them, they were every forward’s nightmare in a hockey game. Lina Kuttig, team captain and ‘Player’s Player of the Season’, encouraged from centre midfield, and never stopped moving from the minute the whistle was blown. Her determination and commitment to the team ensured that she fed balls from our defence accurately to our forwards along with the help of her midfield companions, Electra Ogilvy Watson, Sakura Belkin and Velvet Grainger. Emilia Forster came onto the scene late in the season as a midfield player and wowed everyone with her impressive quality of play – she made every tackle and fed the balls to the forwards that resulted in goals. In attack, we had Lucy Heptinstall, Amy Hinshelwood and Saffie Turl (replacing Elizabeth Guild, who left us at half term), with Lucy and Amy as our chief goal scorers. They always seemed to

be in the right place at the right time but unfortunately never managed to get the goals that they deserved. In conclusion, the 4th team improved remarkably as the season progressed. This was down to skill, determination, desire to improve and commitment to fitness during training sessions and listening carefully to my shouting from the sidelines! Thanks to Chris Link for his support in coaching the team and umpiring. Team: Lucy Heptinstall, Frances Young, Madeleine Holmes, Annabel Edwards, Olivia de Vitry d’Avaucourt, Elizabeth Guild, Moyosore Reis, Nikol Kaplan, Poppy Mitchell, Amy Hinshelwood, Rachel Atkinson, Velvet Grainger, Saffron Turl, Annabel Wingfield, Victoria Honychurch, Lauren RobinsBurnard, Emilia Forster, Lina Kuttig, Sakura Belkin, Mary Forsyth, Electra Ogilvy Watson, Eleanor Alexander, Precious Temowo. P7 L6 D1 Results: Haileybury (a)

Drew 0-0

Cranleigh (a)

Lost 0-9

Eastbourne (h)

Lost 1-2

Sevenoaks (h)

Lost 0-8

Ardingly (a)

Lost 1-3

Brighton College (h)

Drew 0-0

Hurstpeirpoint College (h) Lost 0-4 Hurstpeirpoint College (h) Lost 1-3

GIRLS’ HOCKEY U15 A MJWS Whilst the match record seems to suggest a season where we struggled, it has been a successful and enjoyable term in many ways. It took a time to gel and for the correct focus on excellence and improvement to come to the team, but it felt like we were getting there. It was a season where some players were beset by injury, which held us back a little. The players were certainly enthusiastic, enjoying their hockey and benefiting from the coaching expertise of Grace Balsdon, Sarah Kerly and Ross Gilham-Jones. Passing became slicker; goal scoring became more frequent from the left post; marking and tackling became more effective. The opposition we faced this term were strong across the board. Lucy Bryant, Emma Coe, Emily Woods, Polly Killingbeck and Honor Glynn-Williams defended heroically, man-marking and tracking their opposite numbers, making some significant interceptions. The match against Sevenoaks was memorable in this respect. We hung on in there against tough opposition. In midfield, Annie Shepherd-Barron, Tess Reeves, Mabel Pickering and Nicole Parker

controlled the attack. They worked back effectively when beaten and learnt over the season how to link effectively with players in front and behind. Mabel was voted players’ player of the season for her excellent skill and positive approach. The forwards this season were Beatrice Ninham, Nabila Williams, Ella Ross Russell and Lara Engel. They learnt to make leads, learnt how to take on a defender and work the ball around the D. Lara had much success at the left post in the Hurstpierpoint match and Nabila made some excellent runs into the D using her fantastic pace. Players responded well to feedback and were eminently teachable. Our final match of the season, though a loss, showed what the team were capable of with excellent strength going forward and slick passing. Two players deserve a special mention. Imogen Miller played in goal as a dependable and remarkably vocal keeper. She didn’t take any nonsense and directed the defence effectively. It was great to have her in the team. Emma Coe was a brilliant captain. She led by example, always keen in practices,

always wanting to learn new skills. She really kept the team together, which was vital through some of our more difficult times. She was rightly awarded most improved player. Team: Mabel Pickering, Lucy Bryant, Nabila Williams, Honor GlynnWilliams, Emily Woods, Beatrice Ninham, Lara Engel, Annie ShepherdBarron, Tess Reeves, Emma Coe, Polly Killingbeck, Ella Ross Russell, Imogen Miller, Nicole C. F. Parker. P10 L8 W1 D1

Results: St Lawrence (h)

Lost 1-4

Haileybury (h)

Won 1-0

Cranleigh (a)

Lost 0-6

Eastbourne (h)

Lost 1-6

Ashford (h)

Drew 2-2

Sevenoaks (a)

Lost 0-4

Ardingly (h)

Lost 1-7

Sir Roger Manwood’s (h)

Lost 2-3

Hurstpierpoint College (h)

Lost 2-4

Cranbrook (a)

Lost 2-5

GIRLS’ HOCKEY U15 B KAS

The U15B team trained well throughout the hockey season each week in preparation for their Saturday fixtures. During the season the girls learnt and developed new skills. This was also due to expert specialist hockey coaches that helped the team develop new ideas and therefore the girls were then able to transfer what they had learnt from training into their matches. The team faced some tough matches during the season, which saw two wins against Haileybury and Ardingly, and five losses against Cranleigh, Eastbourne, Sevenoaks, Roger Manwood’s and Hurstpierpoint. Nevertheless the girls remained to have a positive outlook and were full of energy at every match. Thanks must

go to Margaret Onuh for captaining the side with her outstanding positive attitude and energy towards the team. Thanks must also go to Sophie Main for her hard work and determination throughout the season and she deservedly won the players’ Player of the Season award. Top scorers across the team were Margaret Onuh and Sophie Main. Anna Poddi must be mentioned for her outstanding defence, Kristina Rhodes for all the goals that she has saved during the season, as well as Imogen Hinds for her energy and commitment to the team. All the girls played outstanding hockey and all had great improvements during the season. I wish them all the best for their senior hockey next year.

Team: Anna Poddi, Sophie Main, Tobechukwu Chima, Elizabeth Bowen, Imogen Hinds, Elizaveta Kurilova, Annabella Garnham, Uzoma Iroche, Zita Bizouard de Montille, Elizabeth Spain-Warner, Margaret Onuh, MarieLouise Bird, Grace Obee, Kristina Rhodes, Antoinette Wong, Christa Lockyer. P7 L5 W2 Results: Haileybury (a)

Won2-1

Cranleigh (a)

Lost 0-7

Eastbourne (h)

Lost 0-1

Sevenoakes (a)

Lost 0-7

Roger Manwood’s (h)

Lost 6-2

Ardingly (h)

Won 3-0

Hurstpierpoint College (a)

Lost 0-3

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GIRLS’ HOCKEY U15 C SJS With a large majority of the team taking up hockey sticks for the first time, the term’s season was always going to be an eventful one. The dedication during training to learning new skills and improving fitness was impressive. Keen to learn game play and tactics, the team emerged with players naturally falling into their attack or defensive roles. The scoreboard does not do justice to the vast improvement made throughout the term. With an emphasis on fun and effort, the team bonded together and held firm against their opponents for large portions of the match. This was a testament to all girls but especially to Catherine Appleton, who led the team admirably as captain. A very memorable match was played in horizontal rain, with

strong winds whipping across the Polo Farm pitch. The girls lost 0-7 to Brighton College, but it was a fantastic effort from all and in particular Susie Reed. The fact that they kept attacking to the last minute and put together some lovely short corner routines was excellent and they should be very proud that they played with such spirit against what was clearly a much stronger team. There were many commendable efforts from the whole team. The commitment was never in doubt, with Chelsea Woodruff even continuing to play with dislocated fingers after a tackle before coming off. A very promising year of hockey at King’s and the girls undoubtedly have future successes ahead of them.

Team: Marie-Louise Boisnier, Valerie Wan, Alexandra Mikhalenko, Katie Zuo, Miraya McCoy Palmer, Elaine Yu, Olivia Tang, Amber De Ruyt, Olivia Zhang, Tamila Duisenova, Ella Sainsbury, Catherine Appleton (Captain), Susie Reed, Chelsea Woodruff, Magdalen Hoo, Risa Thongpradup, Varya Yurova. P3 L3 W0

Results: Haileybury (h)

Lost 1-2

Sevenoaks (h)

Lost 0-2

Brighton College (h)

Lost 0-7

GIRLS’ HOCKEY U14 A KVB/SER

This year’s U14A team has played some outstanding hockey and demonstrated the great potential they have. Despite playing some tough fixtures, they managed some emphatic wins to finish with an unbeaten season. This in itself is a phenomenal achievement! The season started with a fantastic 8-1 win over St Lawrence College and finished with a 6-1 victory against Brighton College. In the Kent County Cup the team performed excellently in the group stages to continue their unbeaten run of the season and top the group. They then beat TWGGS convincingly in the quarter final 3-0 to earn them a place in the semi-final against Kent College. This was always going to be a very competitive game after their meeting earlier in the term, which had resulted in a draw. Both sides started well and lots of goalscoring opportunities were created but both goalkeepers were not letting anything pass. Unfortunately 30 seconds before the end Kent College managed to score off a short corner and it was too late for King’s to respond. It was a bitterly disappointing way to end the tournament and deny the team a place at the regional tournament which they so desperately deserved. Overall, however, it has

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been one of the most successful seasons of an U14A team and a very inspiring start to their hockey career at King’s. The most exciting thing is how much potential this group of players still have. The success of our team was largely down to the strength of our defence and in particular just how athletic and determined they were. Nou Nou Newhouse and Sophia Smith used their speed and determination to form the basis of the rock-solid back line. They were well supported by Florence Roberts, Emily Coleman and Marissa Onwuka, who all made exceptional progress throughout the season. These five players, along with Tori Glaister in goal, only let in five goals all season and are a serious force to be reckoned with! The midfield was led by captain Grace Francis, along with Sophie Stonier and Josie Patterson, who were all regularly on the score sheet as well as setting up the strikers. Up front, Annabel Biloune and Francesca Maini were tenacious in attack, often stealing the ball from the opposition, and scored the majority of our goals. Special mention must also go to Arabella Fox-Pitt, Lily Whitmore, Georgie Bird and Kirstie Main, who improved dramatically throughout the season.

Team from: Marissa Onwuka, Lily Whitmore, Sophie Stonier, Arabella Fox-Pitt, Florence Roberts, Emily Coleman, Francesca Maini, Victoria Glaister, Kirstie Main, Sophia Smith, Annabel Biloune, Grace Francis, Anouska Newhouse, Josephine Patterson, Georgina Bird. P8 L0 W7 D1 Weekly Matches. P6 L1 W4 D1 Tournament Matches

Results: St Lawrence (a)

Won 8-1

Haileybury (h)

Won 2-0

Cranleigh (h)

Won 4-0

Kent College (h)

Drew 0-0

Eastbourne (a)

Won 2-1

Sevenoaks (h)

Won 3-1

Ardingly (h)

Won 3-0

Brighton (h)

Won 6-1

Kent U14 Sevenoaks

Drew 0-0

Duke of York

Won 2-0

Sir Roger Manwood’s

Won 3-0

Benenden

Won 3-0

(QF) TWGGS

Won 3-0

(SF) Kent College

Lost 0-1

GIRLS’ HOCKEY U14 B RPS

Like the perfect ‘Hockey Sandwich’, this term had it all – a win at the start of the season, and a win at the end of the season, with some incredible hockey memories in-between. From running training sessions with Abba music playing alongside the pitch, to celebrating with doughnuts and watching motivational movie clips before our matches, the girls had enormous fun and put a smile on each and everyone’s face every day. Domino Tyler scored the first goal of the season, against Ashford, dribbling like a gazelle into the ‘D’, looking up and slotting the ball cleanly past the goalkeeper. Rachael Adeoti then soon went on to score the second with her inimitable determination, power and ‘never-give-up’ attitude. It was a midweek fixture away at Ashford, and despite our few training sessions we were able to link some good passes together and spend most of the time in the opposition’s half of the pitch. It was an excellent start to our season, and one that we could build upon. Imogen Taylor was incredible as goalkeeper for us throughout the whole season. At times she was put under a lot of pressure, and yet she remained strong and positive, always happy to take the opposition on for the rest of the team. She was particularly awesome against Hurstpierpoint. The remainder of the defence was equally wonderful: Serena Adutt, if dribbled past by the opposition, would race back like Usain Bolt, and would tackle and tackle again until the ball was hers; Similoluwa Ayeni was always brilliantly dependable and strong with her passing and free-hits; and Gabriella Crick Lewis was permanently calm under pressure and marvellous as an interceptor. Rosy Waters was one of the most improved players on the team as she developed her strength of passing and was probably the most formidable tackler, whilst Polina Papazova often played the integral role of sweeper as her wisdom under pressure and solid defence could always be relied upon to protect the

team. One of our greatest matches was against Eastbourne. In our prematch talk we had learnt about the asteroid Chicxulub that had smashed into the Gulf of Mexico 66 million years ago and had a significant impact on the course of the world and its tectonic plate movements. And so, we too had agreed to start the match like this Chicxulub asteroid, and make an impact in the very first throes of the match. And that is exactly what we did; the mid-field zig-zagged the ball up the pitch and after only 3 minutes Saphia Hussain had scored a goal and we were winning the match 1-0. The joy of that moment stayed with us for the rest of the season, and before each match we would often shout ‘Chicxulub’ like a war-cry before going in to battle. Isabelle Wanstall was rightly voted players’ player of the term as she often showed her class, dribbling circles around the opposition and feeding our forwards with wonderful passes. Sofia Harden was nearly always on the end of a Wanstall pass as she found herself in the right position, supporting Isabelle and having the strength and skill to dribble into the ‘D’ and have a shot on goal. However, I must mention our DNAweave tactic that was primarily used by the tremendous mid-field, consisting of Ruth Spencer, Millie Crook, Varvara Kartamysheva and Eilidh Simpson, all of whom showed fabulous skills and fitness to weave and run up and down the pitch with never a hint of tiredness or dismay. Ruth had the awareness of a tiger, Millie the speed of a cheetah, Varvara the coolness of a leopard, and Eilidh the determination of a lion. In fact, their team chant of ‘Wildcats’, which became a tradition at the start of every match, was very well suited to them. And so, after a whole term of training sessions and matches, playing silly games with rugby balls for a warm-up, and naming a particular hockey ball ‘Alan’, we came to our final match against Cranbrook. We were determined to show our passion and desire to win, but also our solidarity

as a team, and this is exactly what we did. After the first nerve-racking half, where Cranbrook went ahead, we were desperate that the haribo sweets at half time would provide us the bit of luck that we needed to win the match. In fact we totally dominated the match, and so it was no real surprise when suddenly in the second half we pulled it all together, with the DNA weave, the Chicxulub shouts from the sideline, the team Wildcats huddle, the support of Alan and the knowledge of Abba’s song ‘The Winner Takes It All’! Domino scored the first goal, swiftly followed by Isabelle and then Rachael. We won 3 - 1. A perfect end to the season. The hockey sandwich was complete. We started with a win and we finished with a win. Much credit must go to Saphia Hussain, who was a wonderful captain, not only showing off her speed, skills and determination on the pitch to win, but also in leading the team every day to create such a wonderfully happy and fun group of girls. Like Chicxulub, this team has definitely made an impact, has scored many goals, and will go on to be very fine hockey players in the future. The tectonic plates have only just begun to move – where will they end up? Team: Serena Adutt, Similoluwa Ayeni, Varvara Kartamysheva, Sofia Harden, Ruth Spencer, Gabriella Crick Lewis, Rosy Waters, Millie Crook, Rachael Adeoti, Isabelle Wanstall, Polina Papazova, Saphia Hussain (Captain), Eilidh Simpson, Domino Tyler, Imogen Taylor. P8 L6 W2

Results: Ashford (a)

Won 2-0

Haileybury (h)

Lost 1-2

Cranleigh (h)

Lost 0-9

Eastbourne (a)

Lost 1-3

Sevenoaks (h)

Lost 0-3

Ardingly (a)

Lost 0-3

Hurstpierpoint (a)

Lost 0-9

Cranbrook (h)

Won 3-1

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GIRLS’ HOCKEY U14 C XI

HKHH

At the beginning of the season a lot of our players had never played hockey before, which goes to show what brilliant progress they have made as individual players and as a team. From the very first week of games sessions, the girls were extremely keen to work on match play, which was something they stayed fond of throughout the season particularly when we played against the U15C. When it came to playing a match against another school, the team found it extremely intimidating to begin with but as their skills on the pitch began to excel, so did their confidence, which was evident during every single match we played. Although the end scores weren’t what the girls wanted, their drive and enthusiasm as a team were

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what made them winners in my eyes. Polina Lysenko, who captained the team this year, was a brilliant driving force behind the spirit of the team and helped to restore confidence, usually at half time, which was when the girls needed to pick their heads up and keep fighting. A big thank you must go to the external coaches that helped us along our journey whose knowledge and passion for hockey was inspirational to not only the players but to me as well. Harry, Ross, Helen and Maddie have all played a huge part in the growth of our team and without their support and expertise we would not have been able to create such a hardworking team who all really want to carry on with hockey next year and improve their skills.

Team: Emia Demir, Qin Huang, Molly Satoor, Millie Felton, Sonya Tarkhanova, Alexia Botros, Francesca Harkness, Sophie Haselhuber Dalallah, Aryana Melwani, Charmayne Lau, Shanaya Kalaydjian Serraino, Rima Shahab Kayali, India Boyd, Jenny Zhang, Polina Lysenko, Marilyn Tan, Tiffany Zhang, Monet Kaneko, Molly Gu, Alice Comyn, Charlotte Cameron. P12 L5 W7 Results: Haileybury

(h)

Won 4-0

Cranleigh

(h)

Lost 0-6

Eastbourne

(a)

Lost 0-1

Sevenoaks

(a)

Lost 0-7

Brighton

(h)

Lost 0-6

Hurtspierpoint

(h)

Lost 0-4

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BOYS’ HOCKEY

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BOYS’ HOCKEY 1st XI JCW/ RALS

The 1st XI worked extremely hard to ensure they reached their full potential this season. The team was well led by co-captains Will Heywood and James Oates. To be undefeated in Saturday fixtures and make it through to the Finals of the Frank Mason Tournament is a testament to the quality of hockey this team has played. The key moment for this team was in the first week of term when they were knocked out of the National Cup in the first round by a strong Tonbridge side. The attitude and response to this defeat showed the character of this team as they were able to use it as a catalyst for much improved team performances for the remainder of the season. This was evident not only in their undefeated season of Saturday fixtures, but also in the Frank Mason Tournament, when the boys performed superbly in the group rounds and then knocked Tonbridge out in the semi-final. Although the team went on to lose to Simon Langton in the final, they were given the opportunity to avenge this loss in a rematch scheduled for the final week of term. Despite Langton already having reached the quarter-finals of the National Cup by this stage, King’s was determined not to be beaten for

a second time. This determination saw them unite as a team to defeat Simon Langton 8-2 in a game that will stand out in our memories for a very long time to come. The quality of hockey, which was well balanced between individual flair and outstanding team play, was some of the best schoolboy hockey we as coaching staff have ever seen and a very fitting way to end the season. The 1st XI has recorded one of the most successful seasons in boy’s hockey history and have certainly set the standard for teams to aspire to in years to come. Special awards went to: Will Heywood on earning ‘Top Goalscorer of the Season’ with 25 goals and 3 hatricks; Robert Campbell being chosen as ‘Players’ Player of the Season’; Jamie Crocker selected by the coaches as ‘Most Improved Player’ for his impressive turnaround in attitude and work ethic on the field. Special mention must go to James Oates who was selected to Captain the England U18 team over the Easter holidays - a huge honour for any young player and testament to all the hard work he has put in over the years. A big thank you to Richard Singfield and Ross GilhamJones for all of their coaching support throughout the term.

Weekly Fixtures: P9 W8 D1 L0 Tournament Fixtures: P9 W5 D1 L3 U18 Indoor Kent St Lawrence (h)

Won 3-1

Cranbrook (h)

Won 10-1

Kent College (h)

Won 3-2

Alleyns (a)

Won 2-0

Reigate (a)

Won 3-2

Sutton Valence (h)

Drew 2-2

Eltham College (h)

Won 3-0

Simon Langton (h)

Won 8-2

Haileybury (a)

Won 4-0

Frank Mason Tournament: Duke of York’s

Won 3-0

Norton Knatchbull

Won 5-0

Harvey Grammar

Won 8-0

Sutton Valence

Drew 1-1

St Lawrence

Won 1-0

Quarter Final Tonbridge

Won 1-1

Semi Final won on strokes Final Simon Langton

Lost 1-2

England Hockey National Cup Tonbridge (a)

Lost 1-4

England Hockey National Plate Round 1

Bye

Round 2

St Lawrence Lost 1-3

BOYS’ HOCKEY 2nd XI JPB This was another solid season for the King’s 2nd XI and a most enjoyable one to coach. Starting off with a loss was not ideal but nor was it hardly unexpected as the boys were only getting to know each other’s names, let alone play hockey together. Indeed this team had many Fifths playing senior hockey for the first time and it took a while to adjust to the pace of this level. However, what soon emerged was a team who could hold their own against any opposition, the only heavy defeat being suffered at the hands of the St. Edmund’s 1st XI. Goals often came through the efforts of

Gussie Courtald, Ed Streeter and Will Tudor and they were backed up by the hard running of Harvey Coulson and George Howard-Smith in the midfield. Henry Martin was solid at the back and ably supported by Chris Ruston. When the opposition did threaten there was always Jack Vavasour in goal and as the season progressed Timur Radzhapov also proved his worth as a shot-stopper. Highlights of the season included the 6-0 win against St. Edmund’s 2nd XI, the entertaining defeat to Eltham College, and finally the away win against a competitive Haileybury side, which was a fitting

way to end the season. My thanks to Oliver Briggs for captaining the team this season and to Mr Sanderson and Mr Link for their help in coaching this side. P9 L4 W4 D1 St Lawrence (a)

Lost 1-5

Cranbrook (h)

Won 2-1

Alleyns (h)

Lost 1-2

St Edmunds 1sts (a)

Lost 6-1

St Edmunds 2nds (a)

Won 0-6

Reigate (a)

Won 2-1

Sutton Valance (h)

Draw 0-0

Eltham College (h)

Lost 2-4

Haileybury (a)

Won 0-2

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BOYS’ HOCKEY U15 A

St Lawrence (a)

Lost 1-6

NJT

Cranbrook (h)

Lost 1-3

The King’s School U15A team enjoyed a highly competitive season. They produced some excellent results against tough opposition and showed good progression, both as individuals and as a team over the term. Dhiren Gidoomal and Jake van der Gaag led the team well but their lives were made easier by the support of several other key players. The progression of the squad was highlighted most by their performance at the Peter Firminger tournament, where the boys reached the semi-final. Despite losing this 2-1 to Kent College, the highlight of the tournament was most definitely beating Simon Langton in the quarter-final after having lost to them just days earlier in a midweek

Kent College (a)

Lost 3-5

Alleyns (h)

Lost 1-5

St Edmund’s (h)

Won 4-3

Reigate (h)

Lost 4-5

Sutton Valence (a)

Draw 2-2

Eltham College (h)

Won 5-1

Simon Langton (a)

Lost 1-5

Haileybury (a)

Won 6-0

fixture. The side also achieved some success in their weekend fixtures. Standout performances were the wins against Eltham College, Haileybury and St Edmund’s where the boys played some of their best hockey. Overall, the season was thoroughly enjoyable and the team was a pleasure to work with. I am sure that several of them can look forward to more success as they play in the senior sides for the school next year. P16: W6, D2, L8

Peter Firminger Tournament Chatham & Clarendon GS

Draw 1-1

Dover College

Won 3-0

Ashford

Won 2-0

Tonbridge

Lost 1-5

(QF) Simon Langton

Won 1-1 (3-0 Strokes)

(SF) Kent College

Lost 1-2

BOYS’ HOCKEY U14 A MJWS/SER

Although the match tally might suggest a season where little progress was made, quite the opposite was true. From the start, this group of pupils worked hard to develop their hockey. The initial skill level was highly mixed, with some beginning the game for the very first time, yet match by match real improvement was seen. Unsurprisingly, it took time for the group to gel and for the best positions for each player to become apparent. Initially we played a string of sides who had been training together for two years. This meant that we struggled to defend against their well drilled attack, our loss against St Lawrence illustrating the point. However, once we had learnt some key lessons in tracking opposition players, tighter marking, not diving in or committing too early, we were much steadier at the back. Our narrow loss against Cranbrook showed how much improvement could be made in just a week. Rob Edgar was particularly solid at sweeper, being patient and reading the game well. Teddy Wilmoth was also an excellent member of the defensive line-up, whose attitude was ‘Never give up!’ Hamish Leung and Ethan West also made good use of their pace to track the opposition.

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We had strength in the midfield from the off, with Freddie Stringer and Matt Stonier being instrumental in creating our goal-scoring opportunities. Both brought an excellent skill level to the pitch. Will Sturges played with enthusiasm and commitment at left midfield. Our forwards were led by Zach Barker, who had an excellent touch on the ball as well as the pace to eliminate most defenders. He had an uncanny ability to find the back of the net given the faintest of chances and as a result scored the majority of our goals this season. Zach was ably assisted by Max Moreland, Max Olszowski and Alex Belsten. These three players came on leaps and bounds over the season, responding well in training. Alex, who started as a goalkeeper and finished the season as a starting line-up forward, made some outstanding improvements over the season due to his fantastic attitude and work ethic. Two other players deserve a special mention. Wade Omisore was voted Player’s Player of the Season. As our goalkeeper, he was keen and dependable, making some very significant saves over the season. The coaches’ ‘Most Improved Player’ award went to Mark Burns. As captain, Mark led by example. He was one

hundred per cent committed, gave everything on the pitch and made phenomenal progress over the term, proving to be one of our most versatile players. His attitude, determination, leadership and work ethic are second to none. Although we didn’t manage to card a win, the close losses and the two draws showed that with a little more time this team will secure their first win. To move forward, the boys need to become more comfortable carrying the ball whilst still retaining good vision in order to be able to make the best decisions given the situation. This will come with practice and experience¬. It was great to have Mr Hutching’s help this season. P11 L9 W0 D2  St Lawrence (h)

Lost 0-6

Cranbrook (a)

Lost 2-3

Kent College (a)

Lost 1-5

Langley Park (h)

Lost 0-5

Alleyn’s (h)

Lost 1-2

St Edmund’s (a)

Lost 0-1

Reigate Grammar (a)

Drew 1-1

Sutton Valence (h)

Lost 1-7

Eltham College (a)

Lost 0-3

Simon Langton (h)

Drew 2-2

Haileybury (h)

Lost 1-4

BOYS’ HOCKEY U15/14 B CWB

While the statistics above may, to some, show the team to have had an unfortunate season, I would argue they are in fact reflective of our season only in part. Like any mixed age group team, the boys had to learn how to operate as a team and, for some, as hockey players altogether. Consequently the season was slow to get started. With the usual shuffles in team selection that occur with any B team, the boys’ first couple of games were disjointed. To most of them, as they would admit themselves, Games sessions were simply time to let off steam, which in itself is exactly what any sporting venture should be. However, as the results continued to go against us and the losses got heavier, collectively the team started to take pride in representing their school, and were not prepared to keep being ‘thrashed’. In our third game against Reigate the boys, having conceded five goals in the first half, played much better and at times outplayed the visiting team. This pattern returned against Sutton Valence with all the goals being conceded in the first half before defending superbly in the second. These two games proved to be the turning point. In recognising their slow starts and how costly these were becoming, the boys worked immensely hard in training on fitness and skills, in order to be able to ‘up the tempo’ and to ‘start from the off’ in matches. The Saturday trip to Eltham College was one which truly showed the character that had developed among the boys in the second half of term. A number of last-minute injuries and a batch of illness led to a reduced team. However, with help from additional Under 14s (thanks must go to the generosity of their coaches) a team was fielded. The team truly pulled off a great victory that displayed all that is wonderful about our King’s ethos. The boys arguably worked collectively as a team for the first time all season. From Monday training, through to arriving back at school, they were as one. Consequently they played some outstanding hockey against a well-oiled Eltham team. Eventually winning 2-1, they had more than 12 shots on target, which were only kept out by an excellent Eltham

keeper. They were a pleasure to take and the return bus atmosphere said everything that need be known about this group of boys. The away trip to Eltham further resulted in the team winning the ‘Team of the Week’ award, which was entirely reflective of their hard work. The trip to Haileybury the following week was nothing short of epic. With a determination, forged as far back as the Reigate loss, the boys were determined to continue their momentum, thus finishing on a high, and eventually they would win one of the most compelling school sporting matches many would have seen. A scrappy match, with both sides showing brilliance, and at times a lack of execution, King’s always had the upper hand and should have been one goal up at, or just after, half time. Nonetheless they went into the last minute at 0-0. With a growing crowd of parents and pupils, the boys finished in style. Having blown two chances in the final moments, with 15 seconds left on the clock, a Haileybury miss-hit led the ball to Kit Williams who, after drawing defenders out of the D, smashed a perfectly placed cross to Alex CordaStanley, who reverse-hit the ball into the bottom right of the goal. It was the perfect end to the season and 14s and 15s alike celebrated, rightly, like champions. I hope that going into next season the current Under 14 Bs will become the core of next year’s team, thus continuing its winning ways. Finn Mullen, Edward Roberts, Kit Williams, Milo Kleniewski, Adam Dalton and Misha Verozub all showed moments of brilliance as Shells, which is all the more impressive seeing as they were

playing up an age group. Furthermore I hope the current Under 15Bs will play in the senior teams throughout the remainder of their school careers. Ed Summers, Gabriel Huc-Hepher and Harry Barker all progressed hugely over the course of the season and were a solid defensive unit. Our goalkeepers also deserve a mention with Freddie Miller and Tobe Ogbue remaining positive often in tough situations. A special mention must go to Alex Corda-Stanley, Edward TrehernePollock and Charles Welton, who were consistently reliable in midfield. Both age groups are a great bunch of boys who must continue to play hockey, for if they continue to progress at the rate they have this season they will be solid members of whatever team they play in. The coaches’ thanks go to Harry Roberts for his much-appreciated contributions at training sessions, his vast knowledge of the game, and talent, which rubbed off on the boys immensely. Finally thanks to Josh Stowell and George Broxham. George in defence and Josh in the midfield led the team admirably, particularly in the back end of the season. Our CoCaptains were the glue that allowed us to pull off what no doubt will be two of the most outrageous wins in this school hockey season and of their schooling days. P6 L4 W2 Cranbrook

0-5

Alleyn’s

0-6

Reigate

0-6

Sutton Valence

0-6

Eltham College

2-1

Haileybury

1-0

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INDOOR HOCKEY With indoor hockey developing rapidly for the boys and girls it was exciting to see so many pupils enthusiastic about this format of the game, a very fast, tactical and technical format which is electrifying to be a part of. The U18 boys won the friendly tournament, which celebrated the official opening of the Canterbury Hockey Club indoor facilities, and the U18 girls finished 3rd. Boys Senior Team: James Oates, Jack Vavasour, Oliver Norman, William Heywood, Charlie Griffiths, Richard Heywood, Edward Graham, Will Oates Girls Senior Team: Morgause Lomas, Rosie Dath, Amelia Brown, Alice Brett, Kate McLeod Scott, Rowena Mockridge, Samantha Ruston. U16 Boys’ Indoor Hockey JCW/SER The U16 boys’ team competed very well in their first indoor tournament, finishing first in the County round and progressing to the Regionals where they were then placed second. The following players made great contributions and made it all the way

Polo Farm Opening

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through to Regional finals at Whitgift School: Timur Radzhapov, Richard Heywood (Captain), James Crocker, William Oates, Charles Griffiths, Henry Martin, Dhiren Gidoomal, Jake Van der Gaag. The Regional Finals was a tough day out for the team competing against schools who play indoor hockey throughout the first term and these teams could boast a wealth of England players. Our boys battled well and took valuable experience out of this tournament.P10 W6 D1 L3 

Regional Finals U16 Boys Indoor Abingdon (a)

Drew 5-5

Whitgift (a)

Loss 0-12

Cranleigh (a)

Loss 2-5

Eltham College (a)

Loss 1-5

Finished 1st Place

U18 Boys’ Indoor Hockey JCW/SER The U18 boys managed to put in a team to compete in the U18 County Tournament although it was the rugby term and so limited players were available. Some ‘new’ indoor players were given the opportunity to compete against some of the best players in the county and learn a lot about the game. Team was: James Oates, Jack Vavasour, Oliver Norman, William Heywood, Edward Graham, Kit Wilson, Lucas Lacamp.P4 W0 D0 L3

Regional U16 Boys Indoor

Kent U18 boys Indoor:

Sir William Borlase (a)

Loss 1-5

Kent College (a)

Loss 0-2

Reed’s (a)

Win 2-0

St Lawrence (a)

Loss 2-3

Eltham College (a)

Win 2-1

Ashford (a)

Drew 2-2

RGS Guildford (a)

Win 2-0

Eltham College (a)

Loss 1-5

Kent U16 Boys Indoor: St Lawrence (a)

Win 2-0

Simon Langton (a)

Win 3-1

Kent College (a)

Win 3-0

NETBALL

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NETBALL 1st VII LW The team has played some fantastic netball this season competing in some highly skilful and competitive games. We have been very fortunate to have three training matches against Christchurch University first team, and we have used these games to work on positional play. Eliza Batten, Jenny Mbu, Tillie Kolade and Lara Whitmore, the defenders of the team, have been able to perfect their defending skill, which has helped the girls immensely when faced with playing very strong attackers. Their fantastic defending skills have helped the team secure their wins and also to limit our oppositions’ scoring chances. The rest of the team also used these training games to their advantage, experiencing what it’s like to play club players. We have played in two tournaments this term. The first one was the Birley’s tournament where we finished third. The winners were Benenden who we had beaten earlier in the day. Millie Lee and Eliza MacLachlan were instrumental in their success; both had very high shooting statistics. The second was the John Kelsall Tournament, a high-quality tournament with strong opposition. The whole team was amazing, each

player remaining fully focused on the job in hand. Dominique Alexander and Georgina Barton playing in the centre court made countless interceptions. We finished runners up, only losing by two goals in extra time. The standard of the netball from the 1st team has been outstanding; we have carried a squad of eleven players who have all been very versatile and able to play at least three different positions. In one particular game this season Amelia Brown played a different position in each quarter, transferring from defence to attack with great ease; similarly Simi Ayinde has also played in defence and attack. Simi has also become one of the most vocal players on and off the court, offering great advice and encouragement. Special mention goes to Mollie Coleman, a new member to the team. Mollie has had the most amazing season, winning star player, players’ player and most improved player. She has amazing vision into the shooting circle and can deliver safe accurate balls; her speed and agility have enabled her to always be in the right position around the circle edge. Mollie has been a real asset to the team. Congratulations

to the team. They have been fully committed to their netball and team captain Eliza Batten has guided them to enjoy some high-quality netball. P8 L5 W3

Manwoods the girls were determined to prove themselves. A slow start meant that it was closely contested for the first quarter. However the girls soon got into their stride and often demonstrated driving toward the ball, this allowed them to steam ahead winning 33-9.

to ensure there was only a 9 goal difference in the final result.

Awards: Most Improved Players Player Star Player

Mollie Coleman Mollie Coleman Mollie Coleman

Pilgrims Club (h)

Lost 28-21

Sutton Valence (a)

Won 41-22

Haileybury College (a)

Lost 26-21

Walthamstow School (a)

Won 18-17

Christ Hospital (a)

Lost 22-21

Sevenoaks School (a)

Lost 21-15

Hurstpierpoint College (a)

Lost 64-34

Cranbrook School (a)

Won 29-17

Birleys Tournament

3rd

John Kelshall Tournament

Runners-up

NETBALL 2nd VII KVB The 2nd VII had a strong start to the season playing Pilgrims Club. The team, only having trained together a couple of times did very well to control the game from the first whistle. Their passing was accurate and they were able to penetrate the circle scoring many of their chances. The final score 20-4 gave the team a boost of confidence to start the season. The 2nd team started the season with 13 players all of whom had great potential to secure their place in the team. They trained hard and there was a definite focus on driving towards the ball. Although the girls were constantly offering to receive their drives were lateral and often did not cut out the defender. Going into the second game of the season against Sir Roger

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As the season developed there was a clear need for versatility and the team stepped up to the challenge. Often Aggie Wiener played not only Centre and Wing Attack but also Goal Attack and many other positions. Aggie has proven to be a diamond shooter when needed. Zoe Lambert has also discovered a new talent for Goal Keeper, her fantastic interceptions against Kent College permitted the team to catch up from behind

A highlight for the team this season was playing Christchurch University. Although slow to start, the players drove towards the ball and started to time their runs to ensure they were not offering too early. A fantastic achievement to draw against such a strong side. The team have played at their best when they have enjoyed netball. We have focused on driving towards the ball, timing, and communication on court. Their passes have been clinical and leave little room for era. Rowena Mockridge has led from the front, she has had fantastic energy on court and was constantly battling for

the possession of ball. Rowena has made some beautiful interceptions throughout matches and has been awarded Star Player of the season. The season hasn’t been without its challenges for the 2nd team. Injured players and illness meant that often they played out of position and coped extremely well. Walthamstow School were feisty and raring to go. The 2nd team had to battle to keep up and often threw away simple passes in the cold weather. The girls came together and managed to keep on Walthamstow’s tail throughout the game.

The final match of the season for the 2nd team was against Hurstpierpoint College. A long journey and our toughest opposition made for a competitive game. They team played exceptionally well ensuring that their basics were perfect and shooting was on form. King’s managed to stay close by until the final quarter when Hurstpierpoint pulled away winning 52-40. In spite of the overall results the team have worked well together and have missed out narrowly on a few occasions. A young team that have a lot of potential for the future. It has been a pleasure to the coach such nice girls.P11 L6 W3 D2

Pilgrims Club (h)

Won 20-4

Sir Roger Manwoods (h)

Won 33-9

Cranbrook School (h)

Lost 25-22

Christchurch University (a)

Draw 18-18

Sutton Valence (a)

Won 33-17

Kent College (a) Lost 25 – 16

Won 11-6

Haileybury College (h)

Draw 14-14

Walthamstow School (a)

Lost 18-17

Sevenoaks School (a)

Lost 19-12

Christ Hospital (a)

Lost 16-13

Hurtspierpoint College (a)

Lost 52-40

NETBALL 3rd VII ARD

The 3rd VII had a fantastic season, managing time and again to topple tough competition and return from their many away fixtures victorious. There were a significant number of new players with the 3rds this year and, indeed, new coaches. As the term progressed the girls improved not only their individual skills but also their teamwork and communication. The King’s 3rd VII who challenged an incredibly strong Hurstpierpoint team until the final minute of their final match, were a very different team to that lost against St Lawrence’s 1st VII on the very first weekend of term. This season’s 3rds were a team that played best when really challenged by their opposition, readily stepping up to the intensity of the game. This was most notable in the Christs Hospital match when, though Christs went ahead in the first quarter, the 3rd VII showed the combined maturity to be able to turn the score around and dominate

the game, playing their netball to bring home the win. Every girl who played for the 3rd VII this season has been invaluable, Camilla Roberts’ strong attacking play and high degree of shooting accuracy saw her crowned as the most recognised star player from individual matches. Fallon Mondlane deserves recognition as the most improved player of the season; as the only willing GK on the squad she was forced to step up quickly despite her initial nervousness. Luckily she is a fast learner and really made the GK bib her own, winning star player in the Sevenoaks match. Thanks must go to Amanda Milton as captain, incredibly committed, unfailingly positive and encouraging, the girls often looked to her as a calming presence on court. She led by example time and again throughout the season, chasing every stray ball,

interception and generally doing her utmost to interrupt the opposition’s attack. She has been such an asset that she was also awarded star player of the season. This season’s leavers will be much missed, though with the strong talent gained, the future remains bright for the 3rd VII.P10 L2 W8 St Lawrence School (a) Lost 32-19 Sir Roger Manwoods (h)

Won 55-1

Cranbrook School (h)

Won 27-12

Sutton Valence (a)

Won 23-7

Haileybury College (a)

Won 43-1

St Edmund’s School (a) Won 11-6 Sir Roger Manwoods (h)

Won 25-4

Sevenoaks School (a)

Won 22-10

Christ Hospital (a)

Won 25-12

Hurtspierpoint College (a)

Lost 37-34

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NETBALL 4th VII CATH / JK

This term the 4th VII Netball team were lucky enough to have a rather large training squad, which meant that match day teams were rather fluid and plenty of girls had the opportunity to play competitively. A number of this squad were completely new to Netball, so our season started with training sessions which focused on the basics of footwork, timing and passing. Shaila Mohinani was so keen to master these that she fractured two fingers in her first-ever training session and wasn’t seen again until after half-term! Despite this, our training strategy was obviously a success as the girls won their first fixture (away to St. Lawrence) comfortably. Debbie Idowu was our Star Player there, scoring many of the team’s 34 goals. The team then had a four-week hiatus until their next match which was to be away at Sutton Valence. The girls arrived there sleepy and unused to match play, so it took them the first quarter to warm-up and to really put their mark on the game. The defensive duo of Velvet Grainger and Poppy Mitchell fought valiantly to fend Sutton Valence’s attack off but, despite their best efforts and those of

India Bromley in WD (who tried and tried her trademark “starfish” jump whilst marking their WA in the centre third to no avail), the opposition were just too strong and we suffered a loss. Two weeks later, a vertically-gifted Haileybury team turned up at Birley’s and, even though Miranda Dobson at GD gave as good as she got, our GA and GS had no hope of getting past the outstretched arms of the opposition’s defence. The close loss of 9-6 was particularly tough to take and the girls felt that one keenly, which is why when they travelled to St. Edmund’s just three days later they were eager to claw something back: a close 5-5 draw was theirs. This only spurred them on to their second and, arguably, best win of the season, which came in the form of a nail-biting match again Sir Roger Manwood’s 2nd team. The girls had forgotten that they were playing this one and so just turned up to Birley’s for training as usual. The team that we fielded were therefore a little rag-tag, but they were plucky and game for a fight. The score yo-yo’ed through all four quarters, but Isabel Hamblin and Lucy Heptinstall were phenomenal

as GS and C, and Louise Gerth really saved us at the other end of the court, alternating between GK and GD, so we scraped a well-deserved win of 26-22 in the final five minutes of the match. Overall, rather a mixed season, but the spirit and enthusiasm of the 4th VII never wavered and coaching them has been a great experience. They have much to be proud of and, as many of these players are only in Fifth Form, much to build on next year. Star Player of the season was awarded to two of our unsung heroes, Audrey Chew, who was consistent at GA all seasons with her energy and shooting and Lucy Heptinstall who played C and demonstrated fantastic determination and skill. P6 L3 W2 D1

netball all year round. Indeed, the final score doesn’t always reflect the heroic efforts of the losing team. Competition has naturally grown tougher as the season progressed; however the girls proved themselves to be not only a capable team but a team that is able to find another level when under pressure. I would like to thank Lara Batten for being a good Team Captain this season, demonstrating leadership and team encouragement skills. I would also like to congratulate Emma Coe for being awarded Player of the season - her versatility in playing both GD and GS has been invaluable with the injuries sustained by team members throughout the season. By doing such a sterling job in both positions, she proved her commitment to her team

and to the netball season as a whole. All the girls exhibited complementary strengths and talents, which will grow stronger, and I wish them the best of luck for next Season. The team also entered the Benenden Tournament, coming 6th overall. P9 L2 W7

St. Lawrence (a)

Won 34-12

Sutton Valence (a)

Lost 33-18

Haileybury College (h)

Lost 9-6

St. Edmund’s School (a)

Drew 5-5

Sir Roger Manwood’s (h)

Won 26-22

Hurstpierpoint College (a)

Lost 38-15

NETBALL U15 A DDM Firstly, I would like to say what a pleasure it is to coach the U15A’s. This is a team brimming with potential and good work ethic. The season started with a very close and competitive game with St Lawrence which saw King’s lose by only one goal, scored in the very last minute of match play. The team however has since proved themselves to be a formidable unit, going from strength to strength. They had had 5 successive and convincing wins before half term. This is hugely thanks to their commitment to training and their efforts to work as a team. The team continued to learn and improve, going onto record 7 successive wins before losing to Hurstpierpoint – a school that plays

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St Lawrence (h)

Lost 31-30

Cranbrook (h)

Won 27-24

Benenden (a)

Won 18-10

Sutton Valence (h)

Won 30-18

Kent College (a)

Won 9-2

Haileybury (h)

Won 15-4

Sevenoaks (a)

Won 13-10

Christ Hospital (a)

Won 13-10

Hurstpierpoint (h)

Lost 42-9

NETBALL U15 C/D

LMK

The U15C team trained well throughout the winter term each week in preparation for their Saturday and Tuesday fixtures. Some girls had never played netball before, so it was impressive to see how far they came, and others took every opportunity to develop their skills and improve their gameplay. They were able to transfer what they had learnt from training into their matches. By the end of the season, the team was one of experienced players who looked comfortable on the court and worked very well together to achieve some impressive wins. The defensive ability of the team was very strong and key players in the attack were standouts throughout the season. The team faced some tough matches during the season, which saw three wins against Haileybury, St Edmonds and Benendon (2nd fixture) and four losses against Benendon (1st fixture), Sevenoakes, Christ Hospital and Hurstpierpoint. Thanks to Amber De Ruyt for captaining the team with her outstanding positive attitude and constant encouragement of the team, both from the court and the side line. Congratulations to Overall Star Players Sophie Brown, who never missed a match and was the main goal scorer

for the team. Commendations go to Marie-Louise Bird (Centre), Gracie Obee (Wing Attack) and Anna Poddi (Goal Keeper), who often played a whole game on excellent form without being substituted. All the girls came a long way and showed amazing potential. I wish them all the best for their senior netball next year. U15C Team: Amber De Ruyt, MarieLouise Bird, Sophie Brown, Lucy Bryant, Uzoma Iroche, Maria de la Madrid e Pietro, Alex Mikhalenko, Gracie Obee, Anna Poddi, Susie Reed, Valerie Wan and Tilly Woods. The U 15 C team trained well together, managing to develop some excellent skills throughout the winter term and have fun whilst doing so. Many of the girls had never played netball before, and their progress was admirable, many of them becoming netball players with skills to be proud of by the end of the term. The girls who had played before brought experience to the team and were always happy to help girls who were new to the game. The defensive ability of the team was very strong; even players in attack positions were able to play defensively, and so keep up pressure on opposing teams. Due to the popularity of

netball this term, this fourth team was an unexpected addition, and only had one fixture this season. The team travelled to Benendon and, in a tough match against an experienced opposition, they put up a good fight, but ultimately lost 6-9. Thanks to Lisa Kurilova who stepped up to captain the team, and managed to become an experienced Centre. She earned Overall Star Player for her efforts. Commendations go to Ella Sainsbury, who was the main goal scorer for the team, Tamila Duisenova, who happily played every match and contributed happily and willingly every week, and Marie-Louise Boisnier and Miraya McCoy Palmer, for their consistency. All the girls came a long way and showed amazing potential. I wish them all the best for their senior netball next year. U15D Team: Lisa Kurilova, Catherine Appleton, Marie-Louise Boisnier, Tamila Duisenova, Annabella Garnham, Maya Juszczakiewicz-Lewis, Miraya McCoy Palmer, Ella Sainsbury, Olivia Tang, Georgia Winter, Antoinette Wong, Chelsea Woodruff, Elaine Yu and Varya Yurova.

NETBALL U14 A HKHH

This netball season has been very enjoyable and also extremely challenging for the girls who had some tough competition throughout the term. Our Captain for the season, Lily Whitmore, did a brilliant job of motivating the team when they needed it the most and always encouraged a friendly but determined attitude for matches and games sessions. We hosted most of our matches at home at Birley’s where we had fantastic support from parents, families and also any extra players who were not playing. This always created a lovely atmosphere to play in and kept the girls in high spirits even if we were trailing behind. Our star player of the season was awarded to Emily Coleman

who has shown fantastic commitment to the team and always played to the best of her ability. A special mention must also go to Florence Roberts who brings a brilliant sense of calmness to the team both on and off the court. Games sessions were used to work on skills, match play and fitness, which was the girls least favourite of the three for some strange reason. Overall, although the results weren’t always in our favour, the girls remained motivated and hardworking no matter which they should certainly be commended for. It was a pleasure to coach them as a team and with their great potential as players, I am very excited for their netball future here at Kings.

Team: Grace M Francis, Kirstie L A Main, Sophie A Stonier, Arabella C L Fox-pitt, Phoebe Z Brockington, Anouska Newhouse, Emily K H Coleman, Florence Roberts, Lily J Whitmore (Captain), Saphia M Hussain and Tori B Glaister, Marissa O Onwuka. P12 L5 W7 St.Lawrence (h)

Won 17-4

Cranbrook (h)

Lost 16-22

Benenden (a)

Won 17-10

Sutton V (h)

Lost 16-18

Kent College (a)

Lost 6-8

Haileybury (a)

Won 23-19

Sevenoaks (a)

Lost 11-31

Christ Hospital (a)

Won 9-7

Hurstpierpoint (h)

Lost 12-44

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NETBALL U14 B JMS

The team have had a tough season, with two great wins against St Lawrence and Sutton Valence, a few rough losses from Sevenoaks, Haileybury and Hurstpierpoint and close matches that could have gone either way from Cranbrook, Beneden, St Edmund’s and Christ Hopsital. During the week the girls worked particularly hard in training sessions, where strong focus was put on passing and receiving the ball in front of the player, as well as back line passes and the timing of runs. The attacking tri of Ruth Spencer, Domino Tyler and Issy Wanstall dominated our D and formed some lovely attacking movements throughout the term. The centre court was formed of Millie Crook (who was awarded players player of

the season), Racheal Adeoti and India Boyd. Without their consistent effort and concentration we would have found ourselves with a very different set of results. A huge well done to the defensive players; Simi Ayeni, Varia Kartamysheva and Tiffany Zhang who all worked tirelessly every match, your work rate was outstanding. A special mention to Imogen Taylor who was only with us for the first few weeks of term but proved to be a vital player. My thanks go to Domino Tyler for captaining the U14B team. She should be commended for her positive attitude, determined effort throughout the season and for keeping the team morale up when results weren’t going in their favour.

Team: Racheal Adeoti, Simi Ayeni, India Boyd, Millie Crook, Varia Kartamysheva, Ruth Spencer, Imogen Taylor, Domino Tyler (captain), Issy Wanstall and Tiffany Zhang. P9 L7 W2 St Lawrence (h)

Won 7-2

Cranbrook (h)

Lost 13-17

Benenden (h)

Lost 7-13

Sutton Valence (h)

Won 13-7

Haileybury (a)

Lost 8-21

St Edmund’s (a)

Lost 9-13

Sevenoaks (a)

Lost 3-31

Christ Hospital (a)

Lost 7-8

Hurstpierpoint (h)

Lost 10-44

NETBALL U14 C SJS

The team had a motto of fun and effort and this shone through the Lent Term, keeping spirits high despite the defeats during matches. This attitude to enjoying the game was impressive and helped the girls learn more from the game, learning skills and developing their techniques. Throughout the season certain players adopted natural positions. Molly Satoor was unequivocally voted in as captain. Approachable, with dedicated attendance, Molly helped develop and solidify the team and keep nerves at bay with excellent warm-up sessions before matches. During training we focused on set plays, reading the opponent’s tactics and helping to develop game play. Passing and quick movement around the court improved when players found their favourite positions. The team also learnt skills from each other. Qin Huang had a defence move named after her, which

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was employed in all subsequent games to great effect. Marilyn Tan was quick on her feet and gave an element of surprise in matches, often taking up a Goal Attack or Wing Attack position. Alexia impressed with her ability of off-balance receiving and extended reach, a key linking player. Emia Demir took up the challenge of Goal Shooter and scored impressive goals under pressure. The team also showed the essence of teamwork when Qin was injured and Emia’s suggestion of taking on the Centre position was whole-heartedly approved of by the rest of the team, a very memorable moment. In defence Millie Felton was a formidable Goal Keeper, instrumental in overturning play. Backed by Molly Satoor in Goal Defence, passes were swiftly swept up the court by Polina Lysenko, Francesca Harkness and Shanaya Kalaydjian Serraino. Tactical insight and great communication from

Molly Gu, along with huge amounts of energy from Aryana Melwani in the key Centre position, kept the energy and drive going to the end of every match. The team never let the score dishearten them or change how they played and this was an honour to watch and know that future successes await them. Team: Molly Satoor, Millie Felton, Emia Demir, Francesca Harkness, Polina Lysenko, Marilyn Tan, Alexia Botros, Shanaya Kalaydjian Serraino, Aryana Melwani, Qin Huang, Molly Gu. P5 L5 W0 Cranbrook School (a)

Lost 12-0

Beneden School (h)

Lost 6-17

Sutton Valance School (a)

Lost 24-9

Haileybury College (a)

Lost 11-3

St Edmund’s School (h) Lost 11-3

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SWIMMING: National English Schools Relays Stratford Olympic Pool Saturday 21st November 2015 Over 700 of England’s best swimmers descended on the Olympic pool on Saturday to contest the National Finals of the English Schools Relay Championships. The King’s intermediate girls team of Rosie Broujeni (MT), Stephanie Andrews (BR), Louisa Long (BR) and Phoebe Brockington (HH) had qualified for the championships for the first time in the school’s history by winning the South East Regional Qualifying event at Guildford in September. The girls responded brilliantly in the freestyle relay, dropping 3 seconds off their qualifying time and improving their overall ranking from 23rd to 16th in the country overall. In the medley relay the girls went one step better, dropping 5 seconds on their entry time and qualifying for the final. This gave them the opportunity to swim against the top swimming schools, such as Plymouth College, Millfield School, Ellesmere College and Mount Kelly and the girls rose to the task, finishing ninth overall in England. School records continued to tumble with Stephanie claiming the U15/16 records for the 50 Freestyle lead-off leg and Phoebe taking U14/15/16 records for the Backstroke lead-off on the medley relay. Our swimmers have now amassed an astonishing 77 new school records since the summer.

Stratford Aquatic Centre - Sat 21st November Intermediate girls 4x50 Freestyle Team PB SC

Time Swum LC

Times Conv to SC

Stephanie Andrews

29.43

29.97

29.27

Louisa Long

30.92

30.30

29.6

Rosie Broujeni

30.29

30.31

29.61

Phoebe Brockington

29.61

29.24

28.54

2.00.25

1.59.82

1.56.92

SR U15/16

16th/30

Intermediate girls 4x50 Medley Team PB SC

Time Swum

Final LC

Times SR Conv to SC U14/15/16

Phoebe Brockington (BK)

33.56

34.50

34.00

33.40

Stephanie Andrews (BR)

34.45

34.91

35.65

34.01

Louisa Long (FL)

32.60

32.25

32.97

31.65

Rosie Broujeni (FR)

30.29

30.03

30.31

29.33

2.10.90

2.11.63

2.12.93

2.08.63

9th/30

Swimming - Summer Term v Harrow v Eton v Blackrock Dublin Saturday 23rd April The swimming team travelled to Harrow on Saturday to compete against the hosts, Eton and Blackrock College Dublin. King’s was competing against three boys’ schools and our team included four girls. Our swimmers, however, rose to the occasion and finished a creditable 3rd, beating Eton and losing out to a strong Dublin team whilst Harrow

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were worthy winners. Stephanie Andrews won her 100 Breaststroke race despite swimming a year out of age against boys and there were 2nd places for Phoebe Brockington (100 Back), Christian de Vitry D’Avaucourt (100 Breast), Ken Gan (100IM) and Joe Shailer (100 Back). There were new personal best times set by Chris Sit and Daniel Koo in the 100IM, Christian de Vitry D’Avaucourt and Dylan Turner in the 100 Breast and George Papazov in the 100 Free. Ken Gan was the standout swimmer of

the gala, knocking two seconds off his 100IM before taking five seconds off his 100 freestyle previous best time. The Squad was completed by: Louisa Long, Matthew Jenkins, Ed Chan, Rosie Broujeni, Derek Lee. Finals Points Harrow 109 Blackrock 73 King’s 55 Eton 50

House Swimming Challenge (4th Round) Tuesday 10th May 2015 The 4th and final round of the house swimming challenge took place this term with numbers predictably lowered by Exam and Study Leave commitments. The house points competition has been dominated all season by Broughton and Galpin’s and they have both confirmed their positions as winners of this year’s overall house trophies. Final Points (Positions): Boys Results Total Pts

Boys Results Total Pts

Galpin’s 229

Broughton 332

Linacre 192

Harvey House 135

The Grange 146

Luxmoore 129

Carlyon 103

Jervis 112

Meister Omer 75

Mitchinsons 83

School House 25

Carlyon 27

Mitchinsons 21

Kingsdown 10

Tradescant 12

Walpole 9

South East Regional Championships 30 April to 2 May 2016 Over the first May Bank Holiday weekend, Stephanie Andrews (Remove BR) and Louisa Long (Shell BR) travelled to Portsmouth to compete in the South East of England Regional Swimming Championships. Both girls competed in three events, with Louisa swimming in her first individual event at this high level, in the 50m butterfly. Despite being one the youngest competitors she swam a very creditable time of 32:16, which ranked her 18th within her age group. She also competed as part of a girls 14/16 years relay team for her club, Beacon, taking the fly leg of the 4x100m relay in 1:12:19 and the first leg of the 4x100m freestyle relay in a long course personal best time of 1:06:06. Stephanie struggled to recapture her previous form in the 100m breaststroke, posting a time which ranked her 12th in her age group. However, the following day she fought back with a strong performance in the 50m freestyle, ranking her 10th, and on the final day qualified for the 50m breaststroke final, in which she came a respectable 6th. Stephanie

has subsequently qualified for the National Championships to be held in Sheffield in August.

Most Improved Swimmers of the Term

Pupils Competing this term: Girls: Vickey Leigh (Captain), Chantelle Jeffers Bobo, Penny Mekdhanasarn, Freya Kennedy Harper, Rosie Broujeni, Stephanie Andrews, Izzy Davis, Louisa Long, Phoebe Brockington, Yasmin Howe, Polly Papazova

King’s Week Gala Challenge – School v OKS/Staff

Boys: Joseph Shailer (Captain), Ken Gan, Henry Long, Jonathan Lam, Edward Chan, Phil Chennery, Chris Sit, Georgy Papazov, Harry Nabavi, Matthew Jenkins, Michael Hebel, Christian de Vitry D’Avaucourt School Records A further eight school records were broken this term with Louisa Long (BR) and Phoebe Brockington (HH) claiming three records each and Stephanie Andrews (BR) claiming two. In total our swimmers have recorded 125 new records during this school year.

Swimming Captain for 2016/17 The new Captain of Swimming for next year will be Edward Chan.

The most improved swimmers for this term are Ben Shepherd Barron (MO) and Libby Bowen (WL).

On the last Sunday of the term old friends were reunited in the pool for the annual gala between the school swim team and combined Staff/OKS team. A full gallery of OKS swimmers, parents and the school’s current swim team enjoyed a thrilling swim match with swimmers at county, regional and national level competing. Closely contested all the way, the result was dependent on the final squadron relay and a Staff/OKS victory meant that the gala ended in an honourable draw at 201 points apiece. The ‘cchallenge’ handicapped-timed 100m Freestyle swim was won by OKS Amanda Thomas and the Family Relay was won convincingly by the Longs (William, Henry and Louisa). A charity raffle raised over £1000 for the Great Ormond Street Heart Unit. The School Squad at The Staff/OKS Gala

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BOYS’ SQUASH 1st V TJM

Last season both the boys and girls teams over-achieved, won many matches they shouldn’t have and got to places we didn’t expect. This season, on the face of it, didn’t seem such a success, but in their own way this boys’ team has much to be proud of. The boys’ team came fourth at the Surrey Sports Park School Invitational Tournament and came 5th at the prestigious Roehampton Schools Invitational Tournament, in division 1! This on its own is a fantastic achievement, as the team were competing against the cream of the crop. Harrow, Eton, St Pauls and Charterhouse were some of the big schools present and King’s managed a couple of vital wins against Tonbridge and Charterhouse, to maintain their division 1 status for next season. All the squad worked hard throughout the season, led by captain Alex James, who was the only one with much 1st V match experience back in September. Marcus Wong and Lucas Lacamp had a little experience from last season, but Siridej Chaixanien (Pep), Jack Dearlove, Will Kirk, Ollie Norman and Gus Curley were fresh faces to the team. The season began very well, with a 4-1 win against Sevenoaks. Pep lost a close one at 2 on his debut, 2-3, but the rest of the team – Alex, Marcus, Lucas and Jack got the wins. Next up was a triangular with Tonbridge and Westminster. King’s narrowly lost to Tonbridge 3-2 but won 5-0 against Westminster. Will Kirk won both his matches on his team debut at 5. The team next welcomed a very strong Lancing side and a beatable Judd to King’s in a National Schools triangular. Marcus got our solitary game at 3 against Lancing, but we went down 5-0 overall. Against Judd the result really could have gone either way. Marcus and Will both won 3-0 at 3 and 5 respectively; Alex lost 3-0 at 1 and both Pep and Jack lost 3-1 at 2 and 4, but on another day both could have won. A great match for the boys! The Surrey Sports Park Invitational Tournament was a fantastic but long day out for the team in December. King’s went as the defending champions but lost to a strong Winchester team in the semis

and then lost the 3rd/4th place playoff to the Surrey Sports Park team. There were wins against Marlborough and Lord Wandsworth during the day but Will’s winning streak did finally come to an end. Five good matches were played and the boys worked hard all day, but we will have to go back next year and see if we can win back the title. To start the Lent Term the team travelled to Sevenoaks and the 4-1 loss was a complete turnaround from the first term’s win. Home court advantage definitely played a role! A 4-1 win against Tonbridge certainly cheered the team up a week later. Next up was a very enjoyable social match with the Jesters. There were lots of Jesters present and King’s were well represented by both the boys and girls teams. Lots of singles and doubles matches were played over the course of two hours, until everyone was exhausted and hungry! Afterwards both teams enjoyed a fantastic meal upstairs in the restaurant – a very fun and social fixture that is always enjoyed by everyone involved. The Roehampton Invitational Schools Tournament was later in the year (March) than last year (January) because King’s had won division 2 last season, so the team played in division 1 this year. King’s performed admirably to finish 5th out of 8 schools. It was a massive step up from the B tournament but the team dealt with it well. As the day progressed all the team played better and beating Charterhouse and Tonbridge are two very good results. Radley and St Paul’s were strong throughout their order but if King’s had started the day as they finished they could have possibly got a result against Radley. Finishing 5th meant King’s avoided relegation and the ‘reward’ is another shot in the big leagues next season! On 8th March the boys and girls teams went up to Canary Wharf to watch a professional tournament, with some of the world’s top 20 male players competing, as an end-of-season treat. This was a fantastic evening for the pupils, organised by Mr Moelwyn-Hughes. They all seemed to really enjoy the squash and the food! Alex James had a solid season as captain and number one on the team. He continued his

progress from last season and played some quality squash (on occasions!). His game has and is improving and I’m sure with continued patience, hard work and some hated drills/ conditioned games, he will become a good player. As captain he performed the role well, helped organise the team and helped coach club members at training sessions. He was also voted Most Valuable Player for the season! I wish him luck for his future studies/ music/squash. Pep played number two and it was his first season in the 1st V. Pep came to the sport last year and trained ever so hard, every games session. Slowly but surely he got better and better and by the end of last season he was team-ready. He was voted Most Improved Player for this season, which he more than deserves. To go from no team squash experience to playing number two was a big ask and he held his own. He always came up against more experienced players but never stopped trying and was a vital member of the team. Marcus spent most of the season at number three and had the same fighting spirit as last season. Juggling his music and squash is always going to be a challenge, but, as next seasons captain, I’m sure he’ll make it work. Jack, like Pep, didn’t have any 1st V experience before this season, but he trained hard and turned up to every match and played hard. This was summed up in the match against Judd. Jack’s match was really long and it could have gone either way. He gave it everything and, even though he lost 3-1, you couldn’t have asked for more. Will Kirk usually played at five and made great strides to becoming a good player. Will’s natural drop shot means he’s half way there and he just needs to remember the back half of the court! Gus Curley, Ollie Norman and Lucas Lacamp all played a part too and, with the exception of Ollie, who’s leaving, I look forward to seeing how they all progress in future years. All the players improved their games over the course of the year and it has been a pleasure to work with them all. Alex, Pep, Jack and Ollie are leaving this year, which means there will be opportunities for some new faces in

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the 1st V next season. I wish all the leavers every success for the future. Team: Siridej Chaixanien*, Gus Curley, Jack Dearlove*, Alex James* (captain), Will Kirk, Lucas Lacamp, Ollie Norman and Marcus Wong*. Most Valuable Player - Alex James Most Improved Player Siridej Chaixanien New champions this year! Grange had a very strong team, with all three players of 1st V standard. They beat Trad 2-1. Gus snuck a very good win at 2 but Will was too strong for Dan at 3. As with the girls it came down to the 1’s and maybe if Jack hadn’t had an epic semi he would have had more left in the tank against Pep. Match of the

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day was the semi between MO and TR. Marcus Wong beat Jack Dearlove 2120 to make it 1-1, only for Dan Hotz to beat Asher Silver 21-18 in the deciding match, to send TR through! P17 W7 L10  Sevenoaks (H)

4-1

Tonbridge (A)

2-3

Westminster (A)

5-0

Lancing (H) National Schools

0-5

Judd (H) National Schools

2-3

St Bedes (A) National Schools

2-3

Sevenoaks (A)

1-4

Tonbridge (H)

4-1

SSP Schools Invitational Tournament Marlborough

3-2

Surrey Sports Park

2-3

Lord Wandsworth

4-1

Winchester

1-4

Surrey Sports Park

1-4

Roehampton Schools Invitational Tournament Radley

1-4

St Paul’s

0-5

Charterhouse

5-0

Tonbridge

5-0

Boys Inter House Competition Winners:

The Grange

Runners-up:

Tradescant

Siridej Chaixanien 21-11 Jack Dearlove Oli Tikari 20-21 Gus Curley Will Kirk 21-11 Dan Hotz

GIRLS’ SQUASH 1st V TM

There were seven girls matches this year, with the team winning five of them. The highlight of the season was reaching the National Schools last 16! There were three returning players from last year: Laura Patterson (captain), Jenny Mbu and Sammie Ruston, which meant two new players would have their chance in the team. That chance came along straight away with the first match of the season against Sevenoaks. Eliza Wallis and Nika Webster both won 3-0 at 3 and 5 respectively, which along with Sammie’s 3-0 win at 4 meant King’s had an unassailable 3-0 lead. Laura and Jenny went down 3-1, so the match ended up as a 3-2 win for King’s. A solid start for the team! The National Schools matches against Benenden A and B went as expected. Their A team was too strong but the match with the B team was a very close affair. Laura (3-2), Jenny (3-1) and Nika (3-1) got the wins and King’s sneaked it 3-2. Nika ran so much in her match she could barely stand afterwards. Great effort! With a 5-0 win against Brentwood it meant that King’s finished second in their group and so went through to the last 16 in the country! A trip to High Wycombe was the reward and sadly it was the end of the line – some competitive matches, with Eliza getting a game at 3, but overall they were just too strong. The last two matches were another 3-2 win against Sevenoaks (a debut 3-1 win for Genieve Hull too), with Laura winning the deciding match 3-0 at 1, and a 4-1 win against Wellesley. I am very proud of the girls’ efforts for the season and improvements were there for all to see. Eliza had some great shots and when she chose to run she put in some good performances. Nika, on the other hand, ran her heart out and hustled some wins from opponents. She was also voted the Most Improved Player, as she picked up the game quickly and developed her game as the season went on. Genieve also showed a natural ability, as she only played in the Lent term, but improved very quickly.

played some great squash. I hope they both carry on playing in the future because they both could be very good squash players. Laura was voted Most Valuable Player, played number one and performed well as captain. She really does lead by example with the effort she puts in on court. She comes to the courts for extra sessions during the week and works hard on improving her game. I look forward to seeing how her game develops with another year to go. The squad loses Jenny, Sammie and Eliza for next season, which will give others the opportunity to play for the 1st V. I wish all the leavers every success for the future. Team: Genieve Hull, Laura Patterson* (captain), Jenny Mbu*, Sammie Ruston*, Eliza Wallis* and Nika Webster*. Most Valuable Player – Laura Patterson. Most Improved Player – Nika Webster. Results P7 W5 L2 Sevenoaks (H) 3-2, Benenden A (H), National Schools 0-5, Benenden B (H), National Schools 3-2, Brentwood (A), National Schools 5-0, Seveonaks (A) 3-2, High Wycombe (A), 0-5, National Schools last 16, Wellesley (H) 4-1

Girls Inter-House Competition Winners: Jervis Runners-up: Broughton Laura Patterson 21-15 Jenny Mbu Emma Coe 7-21 Nika Webster Yasmin Howe 21-7 Bea Kulak Jervis made it back to the final for the third year running and it was another close affair. Three of the 1st V were involved in the match and the school number one had the final say. The 2’s and 3’s went on first, with Nika showing how much she’s come on this year by beating Emma comfortably. Yasmin beat Bea by the same score line to level the match at 1-1. In the deciding match Jenny pushed Laura all the way, but Laura just edged it. It was an exciting final and all the girls played some good squash; congratulations to Jervis. Match of the day was in the semifinals between Yasmin Howe and Emma Bryant (WL). It was the deciding match, with the winners’ team going through to the final and they are two tennis players, but what a show they put on! 21-18 to Yasmin.

Sammie and Jenny took up from where they left off last season and when they were able to consistently practice they

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FOOTBALL U16 A STH

The team enjoyed a very successful season overall and were led superbly by their captain, Edward Birrell. The season started with a tight away win at Sevenoaks on a bitterly cold January day. The following week saw the arrival of Colfe’s to Birley’s for the first home game of the season and the boys put on a commanding performance to secure a comfortable win. The boys were met with a gale-force wind upon their arrival at Royal Russell School for the next fixture, but the boys adjusted their game and put six goals past the opposition. The away visit to Tonbridge the following week was one of the highlights of the season, where the boys fought for the entirety of the game to secure a famous 4-1 away win. Understandably the boys were sailing on a high throughout training the following week, ready for the crucial home game against fellow league contenders, Brighton College. The game was tight from the first whistle to the very last one, with

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King’s unfortunately coming unstuck to a set piece move from Brighton, which secured them a 1-0 victory. Next up was two-term football school Westminster and a very tight game finishing 0-0, with neither side able to secure a clear-cut chance to put the ball in the back of the net. The penultimate game of the season was at home to Christ’s Hospital, where the boys played all the football and in the closing stages of the game scored from a set piece to secure a 1-0 victory. By this stage of the season, King’s was still in the running for the league title; all they needed to do was secure victory against Epsom College at home. An open game followed, but the boys went 1-0 down early on and, though they chased the game, they unfortunately soon found themselves 2-o down after a counter-attacking goal from the away side. A set piece goal from the captain with 10 minutes to go ensured a frantic final portion of the game, but unfortunately King’s

could not find the equaliser and ended up going down to the visitors 3-1 with a goal in the final minute of the game from an Epsom lone striker. P8W5D1L2 Team: Kalaydjian Serraino, Francesco, Watson, Charles, Sergeev, Petr, Jin, Chenyang, Bäcker, Mark, Birrell, Edward (C), Kirk, William, Pogrebnyak, Andrey, Okorocha, Brian, Whitmore, Thomas, Walker, Nathaniel, George, Sotonye, Bouriez, Emile, Yoon. Sevenoaks (a)

Won 1-0

Colfe’s School (h)

Won 2-0

Royal Russell (a)

Won 6-0

Tonbridge (a)

Won 4-1

Brighton College (h)

Lost 1-0

Westminster (h)

Drew 0-0

Christ’s Hospital (h)

Won 1-0

Epsom College (h)

Lost 3-1

FOOTBALL U14 A HJP The U14A XI had an enjoyable but tough first season as part of the King’s School Football Club. The fixture lists always proves to be a difficult one with many teams having played together for a longer period of time, and also having played football throughout the first term. That said, King’s did produce some fantastic performances, both individually and as a team. In the first fixture against Sevenoaks the boys were guilty of some slack defending, which ultimately cost us the game. Had this game been played at the end of the season, though, I am confident this would have been a victory. The next match saw the team travel away midweek to Colfe’s. Unfortunately some further poor defending meant the team never got a foothold in the game, and despite some promise going forward it was all too easy for Colfe’s to get in behind the back four. The drafting in of Rory Servaes to centre back transformed the defence, and indeed changed the shape of the whole team. It allowed the attacking midfield threats of Sumi Ayere and Posi Awosika to push further forward, with Alex Kovalenko slipping in behind as a holding midfielder. The next match, away at Royal Russell, saw the team’s best performance of the season. Some outstanding defending and counterattacking from wing-backs Julian Cheung and Theo Fenning meant we

had a great platform to push forward. A last-minute scrappy goal from Royal Russell gave them the victory, and left the boys understandably disappointed. Two further away losses followed against very good opponents, Brighton College and Westminster. The beacon of hope was keeper Jason Kam, who produced one of the best goalkeeping performances I have ever seen for this age group, against Westminster. Max Bailey also scored a brilliant diving header, which will forever stay on his highlights reel. Injury to Serveas and an unavailable Fenning meant a reshuffling of the team for the final away match of the season: Harry Pace slipped well into centre back to link up with the ever-dependable and frighteningly quick Solomon Adeoti. Laurence Reeves moved to left back which, though not his primary position, proved how versatile a footballer he is. Some questionable and at times illegal defending from Christ’s Hospital meant we struggled to get into the last third consistently. But perseverance and a lot of possession meant King’s dominated most of the game. Unfortunately a scrappy soft goal in the first half and a stunner in the second meant Christ’s led the game 2-0 going into the last ten minutes. King’s managed to get one back, leading to a tense last two minutes, but unfortunately Christ’s

managed to hold on for the win. The final game of the season saw Titus Gurtler score on debut, by linking up well with Sumi Ayere, who had his best game of the season, beating countless defenders. Epsom were unfortunately too strong, though, and the match ended 5-1. Although the boys came away without a win this season, I know this team going forward have the ability to beat all of the teams we played. Special mention must go to captain Samuel Bickersteth, who showed fantastic determination and commitment throughout the season. Players’ player was awarded to Posi Awosika and coaches’ player to Alex Kovalenko. Special thanks to Dominic Castle, who co-coached the team. Team: Julian Cheung, Sumi Ayere, Solomon Adeoti, Laurence Reeves, Harry Pace, Theo Fenning, Max Bailey, Jason Kam, Posi Awosika, Samuel Bickersteth, Alex Kovalenko, Ikedimna Ike-Nwabuoku. P7 L7 Sevenoaks (h)

Lost 3-6

Colfe’s School (a)

Lost 1-5

Royal Russell (a)

Lost 2-3

Brighton College (a)

Lost 1-6

Westminster (a)

Lost 2-8

Christ’s Hospital (a)

Lost 1-2

Epsom College (h)

Lost 1-5

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CROSS COUNTRY MRM

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The Lent Term has seen the King’s School Cross Country team not only participate in local Kent and South East England events but also further afield. The highlight of the term was the chance for students to run the National Cross Country Championships in Donington Park. This exciting course straddles the boundary between Leicester and Derbyshire and was the first time that the King’s School had entered students for this event. This event is attended by many of the major competitive club level and national level runners as well as potential Rio 2016 athletes. Matt Stonier (CY) came through in 146th position and missed out on a top-100 finish by only 25 seconds, a fantastic achievement for his first time at this event. Henry Rutman (LN) followed closely behind, finishing inside the top 330 participants. Both boys now have a national ranking to their names. Saturday 6th February saw the Cross Country team venture across the wilds of the M25 motorway to the county of Berkshire. On 6th February we arrived at Wellington College, nestled near Sandhurst, to take part in the Wellington Relays. The senior boys’ and girls’ team (made up of five students apiece) warmed up in very difficult conditions with the wind and rain buffeting them from all sides. In the girls’ race, Clara Geldard put in the fastest performance of the afternoon for the team, coming in 17th position overall and leading home strong runs from Madeline Mills (VC 6a) in 21st position and the school captain Olivia Wilson in 24th position. The senior boys’ team produced some outstanding performances of their own. Rodion Zaytsev was the leading boy home in a time of 7:52:85 (fastest runner on the day was 7:02:80), whilst Charlie McMenemy (the new boys’ team captain) followed shortly behind in 7:57:20. The boys’ team finished in 17th place overall against very tough competition and only two minutes shy of gaining a top-10 place at this prestigious event. The well respected Dover course, with its unforgiving climb, allowed on 5th March for some fantastic displays from the King’s team. Madeline Mills (6a - CY) put in the girls’ stand-out performance of the day as she cruised in with the quickest 3km time of 16:24, with Clara Geldard (6b WL) following shortly behind with a 17:07 3k time. Rodion

Zaytsev (6b GR) ran an impressive 3km in 12:50 followed by fellow King’s student and Captain of the XC team Charlie McMenemy (6b MO) with an impressive 13:33. Both the boys’ and girls’ team came out on top in both events. A sunny 12th March saw the end to the current XC fixture of the academic year. The Duke of York cross country team are always a strong team and this year proved to be no exception. The sweeping course was, as expected, full of twists and turns as well as proving to be quite muddy. Madeleine Mills (6a CY) put in yet another stellar performance and was first girl home, running the 4.2km course in a pacey 20:16. The boys captain, Charlie McMenemy (6B MO), had a sprint finish and finished the 6km course in a speedy 23:55, finishing first with a three-second difference – exciting

stuff. My thanks go to Catherine Cox and Fleur Mountjoy for their presence at the Cross Country fixtures. Additional thanks must be given to Ana Pedraza, Emma Laughlin, Chloe Mitchell, Lynda Horn, Laura Bernardo, Jo Cook and Julia Gorman for their continued support and attendance during the training sessions. I am sure that this growing group of athletes will continue to produce some memorable performances in the year to follow. Girls’ team: Olivia Wilson (Captain), Madeline Mills (Vice-Captain), Aysha Farooq-Garcés, Lina Kuttig, Clara Geldard, Helena Weatherseed, Isabella Snow, Alexandra Dial. Boys’ team: Charles McMenemy (Captain), Wiliam Hunter, Hugh Rowlands, Rodion Zaytsev, Matthew Stonier, Henry Rutman, Kay Minkiewicz, Marcus Wong, George Palmer, Musavvir Khan Noorpuri

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EQUESTRIANISM CFA

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This term’s Equestrian Sports has been an enormous success for King’s. King’s Week, though rather wet and showing us all the true elements of a British Summer, saw Rose Meddings take the Advanced Equestrian award with Grace Frearson closely behind her. The Equestrian award was given to India Boyd on her win in the first class. Unfortunately the last class was cancelled due to weather conditions. Out of school Rosie Woods has been competing in U18 classes, seeking to confirm her place at the Eventing National’s placing in many top competitions. Maxim Nicholson has had a fantastic season so far qualifying on his horse, Monarch’s Friend, for the U25 Dressage Championships. With an unbeaten record this year the championships are set to be competitive. In the summer the King’s Team will compete at Hickstead International and with the latest sponsorship for the school from Cork Farm Equestrian the team looks strong. We wish them all the best. Cantuarian | 2016

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SENIOR GIRLS’ TENNIS MJWS/KMMS/SAR

This was a super season of tennis where the results speak of much success: of a total of 148 sets played we won 97, and out of 1171 games played we won 690. One of the best things about this year was the good number of 1st team standard players vying for a place in the team. It often meant that we put out more than three pairs. Those not selected boosted the 2nd team considerably, resulting in real strength in depth. We weren’t as successful as we had hoped in the Cup competitions, which fell early in the season before we had finalised the pairings. After comfortably beating Benenden B, we were unlucky to lose away at Kent College, playing our only game of the season on Astro. Our inexperience on this surface showed. We also found Sevenoaks to be too strong for us both home and away. Memorable moments included the excellent match against Polo Farm – each set played with great spirit, where we were able to outwit them despite their considerable doubles experience. The season finished with a close-fought game against Sutton Valence, where our younger players stepped up to the fore. The highlight for me was the staff/pupils mixed doubles competition and bbq just before half term, organised by our captain, Eliza Wallis. On a chilly summer’s evening, some very competitive tennis was played (some staff took it all rather seriously!). After the finals, we all

played ‘round the world’ in the dark. Overall I was impressed by the way the players were keen to compete week by week despite the pressures of exams. They played with enthusiasm and skill, often winning rallies against better pairs by pure determination. Eliza did a great job as captain, ably supported by the other 6a’s who have given so much to the tennis club – Verity, Emma, Sammie and Kate. There are some strong players coming through to replace them – Navitha and Kelly, Maddie and Tia and of course Yasmin, who played in the 1st team as a Shell, often as 1st pair. We look forward to seeing her and the other players progress through the school. The 2nds and 3rds were often playing teams above them, yet were unbeaten. Although there was no regular team due to public exams, players were flexible about who they were partnered with. I was particularly impressed by those willing to step in and help at the last minute. Thanks to Nicola Mileham for coaching the girls this term. 1st VI Team: Verity Allen, Emma Bryant, Tia Curtis, Navitha Gidoomal, Yasmin Howe, Katharine McLeod Scott, Madeleine Reeves, Samantha Ruston, Kelly Sin, Eliza Wallis (captain). Also played: Alice Brett, Clara Taylor. 2nd/3rd team: Isobel Adamson, Alice Brett, Annabel Briggs, Molly

Buchanan, Emma Chaplin, Rose Dath, Grace Francis, Genevieve Hull, Amber Kendall, Olivia Lark, Phoebe Mantovani, Rose Meddings, Rowena Mockridge, Zofia Olszowska, Laura Patterson, Camilla Roberts, Amelia Shee, Anouska Sokolow, Agatha Wiener, Rosie Woods. 1st VI: P9 L5 W4, 2nd and 3rd VI: P8 L0 W7 D1

Benenden B (Abadare Cup) (h)

Won 8-0

Epsom (h)

Lost 4-5

Kent College (Kent Cup) (a)

Lost 2-4

Sevenoaks (Abadare Cup) (h)

Lost 0-8

Felsted (h)

Won 8-1

Benenden (h)

Lost 4-8

Polo Farm (h)

Won 8-4

Sevenoaks (a)

Lost 1-8

Sutton Valence (h)

Won 5-4

Results: 2nd/3rd VI Epsom (h)

Won 9-0

Kent College (a)

Won 7-1

Felsted (h)

Won 8-0

Haileybury 2nd VI (h)

Won 7-2

Haileybury 3rd VI (h)

Won 9-0

St Edmund’s (a)

Won 6-3

Sevenoaks (a)

Drew 2-2

Sutton Valence (h)

Won 9-0

BOYS’ TENNIS U16 1ST XI & U16 2ND XI JK

The team enjoyed great success against a wide range of opponents. All matches were played with class and solidarity. Minkiewicz and Sergeev’s strong pairing set a precedent to the others. In what turned out to be the final match of the season, the U16s held out to complete a commanding straight sets victory against Felsted. This was a pattern for the term and it transpired that no teams were worthy of the King’s tennis U16s in 2016. My

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thanks go to Harkness, Minkiewicz, Sergeev and Buyvidovich who were the few who were committed to the final fixture away at Tonbridge the last Saturday before a major GCSE the following week. Unfortunately the match was cancelled, but they showed superb character to be ready on the day. With a strong cohort moving up next year, the future looks very bright for the Senior VI teams next year.

Team: Mark Bäcker, Emile Bouriez, Iakov Buyvidovich, Nicholas Curley, William Harkness, Vladimir Ignatyev, Francesco Kalaydjian Serraino, William Kirk, Sam Litvack, Jack Mills, Kay inkiewicz, Petr Sergeev and Jeremy Wan. P3 L0 W3

GOLF CPN

On the first full day of term we travelled to the Kent County Singles Championship at Mid Kent Golf Club, Gravesend. With ideal weather conditions and the course looking in superb order, Ed Barrois shot 78 gross off 5 to finish 8th/34. Zach Barker scored 85 gross off 13 to secure a top ten finish, while skipper Euan Brown registered a very creditable 86 on his return from shoulder surgery. We then began a series of four matches in eight days to squeeze some games in before the onslaught of examinations. The ISGA Senior Schools’ Matchplay Plate v Sevenoaks at Canterbury Golf Club was a tight affair, with Zach winning his match in the top game, but both Will Oates and Ollie Moore suffered narrow defeats. The many testing holes provided an excellent challenge for the boys, with fairways sometimes difficult to hit and subtle greens. Chart Hills was looking beautiful for the match against Sutton Valence. Euan and James MacLeod went down 5 & 3, with Will Oates and Fred Miller losing 5 & 4. Meanwhile, Zach and Fred Potter had a convincing 6 & 4 victory against two very talented young ladies. The OKS match at Royal St George’s Golf Club was a splendid occasion and we were blessed with clement weather which added to the wonderful experience. After a hearty lunch we just about made our tee times and a thoroughly enjoyable round ensued. Zach managed to cause an upset with a one-hole win against Nick Phillis – nice to see him back. Jake van der Gaag impressed Chris Jackson with a similar scoreline. Ed Barrois went down by one hole to Nick Bragg while Euan lost by 3 & 2 to Ed Lines. Guy Berry beat Will Oates 4 & 3 so the result was in the balance as CPN and Ollie Moore came to the last all square. The match came down to the final putt, clinched by CPN for a 4-2 win for the OKS. With our fourth match in eight days we had one or two boys crying off at the last minute, so headed for Charts Hills again for the encounter with Reigate Grammar with an under-strength team. Playing foursomes, Zach and Jake won their match 4 & 3 against the opposition’s top pair. Fred Potter and Fred Miller had to play every shot against the oppostion, who played foursomes, and so earned very creditable wins by 4 & 3 and 6 & 5 respectively. Tonbridge provided the next challenge at Wildernesse Golf Club, near Sevenoaks, and we enjoyed this excellent course on a very fine day against strong opposition. Zach finished all square and Ollie Moore won his game 2 & 1. Fred Miller lost by one hole, while Jake and Fred Potter both suffered 4 & 3 defeats. Will Oates succumbed 6 & 5. Dulwich College cancelled the day before the match at Royal Cinque Ports due to exam pressure so we went ahead anyway and staged an in-house competition. Zach Barker prevailed against Will Oates 8 & 7, while the two School House men, Jake and Fred Potter, enjoyed a tight match with Jake just edging it. Meanwhile, CPN managed a 4 & 2 win against Fred Miller. We finished the year with our two best performances. At the gorgeous Burhill course the ISGA HG Trophy was held on a beautifully sunny day and this was very much the highlight of the term, with the three-man team of Ed, Zach and Jake clinching a spot on the podium with a third place finish (out of 20 schools) for their Nett scores behind Kingston Grammar and Whitgift. With handicaps Jake was two under, Ed one over and Zach two over – a brilliant performance all round

by the boys. Our last fixture of the academic year was at leafy Lamberhurst Golf Club where the boys earned a bronze medal for finishing third again for the second time in a week, this time in the Kent Schools’ Team Championship; they were just two points away from the winners. In the individual section Zach Barker was second out of 36 golfers, with 37 points. Ed Barrois scored 32 and Jake van der Gaag 28. This was a great effort and a fitting end to a good term. The team has been superbly led this term by 5-handicapper Captain-elect Ed Barrois, with huge support from Zach Barker, who remains unbeaten this term in match-play.

Golf Matches Autumn 2015 Tuesday 8th September. Smarden Bell V Brighton, Eastbourne, Reigate, Cranleigh, Epsom, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Dulwich at Chart Hills. We came 7th in this event, with scratch scores as follows: Euan Brown 27, Ed Barrois 25, Keegan Brazier 14, Tom Whitmore 19, James MacLeod 6. Very good performance by our top two. Thursday 17th September. Royal St George’s. ISGA Round 1 v Sutton Valence. In a tight encounter: Ed Barrois lost 4 and 3, Euan Brown lost 3 and 2, Tom Whitmore lost by 1. Wednesday 23rd September. Royal Cinque Ports. HMC foursomes Round 1 v Sutton Valence. Struggling to finish the match in fading light. James MacLeod and Keegan Brazier won by 2, Ed Barrois and Tom Whitmore lost by 1, Zach Barker and Alex Royle lost 2 and 1. Thursday 1st October. Royal St George’s. Sevenoaks withdrew at

the last minute, so in an in-house friendly, with no shots given: Ed Barrois beat CPN 6 and 4, Tom Whitmore beat Ollie Moore 7 and 5, Fred Potter beat Fred Miller by 1. Tuesday 6th October. The Berkshire.HMC Singles Championships. Single figures only. Ed Barrois performed brilliantly. On a very wet day he shot a gross 76 (4 over par) to finish in the top ten. With his handicap of 6, the nett score was 70 (2 under par). Thursday 8th October. Royal Cinque Ports. V Tonbridge. On a beautiful afternoon by the seaside. Euan Brown and Tom Whitmore won by 1, James MacLeod and Keegan Brazier lost by 2 and 1, Fred Miller and Ollie Moore lost by 7 and 6. Monday 12th October. Magnolia Park, Bucks. ISGA Schools’ Cup. After a terribly long drive in the morning traffic, we arrived two minutes before the shotgun start and ran to our tee. We struggled thereafter. Tom Whitmore NR, Fred Potter nett 83. When he has played, Captain Euan Brown has performed to a very high standard, but since Euan has represented the school in the 1st XV, the responsibilty of leading the team has fallen to Ed Barrois, who has done a wonderful job. The quality of his golf has at all times been extremely high. He was ably assisted by Tom Whitmore, who has played all the team matches. I have also been impressed by the quality of Fred Potter’s swing and the commitment shown by Ollie Moore, who has not missed a session and practised four days a week thoughout the term.

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CRICKET

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BOY’S CRICKET 1ST XI

RALS

Following the very successful tour to Antigua during the Easter holidays, we were all looking forward to see what this team was capable of. On paper it looked like a strong team with a lot of good cricketers. There was a good mix of 6th Form, 5th Form and a Remove, and the team dynamic was strong. The first half of term did not disappoint with the team winning all bar one of their fixtures, and a rain-affected draw against Eastbourne. Will Heywood started the season off very nicely with three assured half centuries, with the 87* against Eastbourne. Oliver Mann was the pick of the bowlers. He found his rhythm and was bowling a very consistent line and length that troubled batsman from any school. His highlight was taking 5 wickets against Eastbourne earning him a place on the honours board. The team dominated sides on the field, bowling exceptionally well as a unit, restricting the run rate of teams; meaning that many of them found it difficult to post a score. After a tough game away to Reed’s last year, it was very pleasing to restrict their score and bowl them out for 136 at Birley’s. It was a similar story against Trinity. Once the hard work in the field had been done, the top order batsman did their job and victory was secured. After half term, we lost the first game to rain, then the same pattern followed with a good win against Sutton Valence and an exceptional day out for Will Heywood. Batting first on a damp day, Will scored 106* and then picked up 5 wickets for 21, with Oliver Mann taking 3-33 at the other end to secure the victory, will more than earning his right to be on the honours board. It was the turn of Matt Barker the following weekend, who picked up 6 wickets for 10 runs to bowl out Sevenoaks for 77 runs. The first loss of the second half of term came against the MCC, at the start of Cricket Week. Set a fairly modest 217, we made a good start with Matt Barker 71, and Will Heywood 40 setting a good foundation. However, with poor batting against some good spin bowling the King’s middle order struggled to chase the remaining runs. Two further wins followed against The Band of Brothers and Brentwood School, with Oliver Tikare scoring 84 and Will Heywood 70 to set Brentwood 293 to win. Oliver Mann then picked

up his second 5-wicket haul of the season to help steer the team to victory. We hosted the first of what we hope to be an annual T20 festival, with Judd, Sutton Valence, Sevenoaks and ourselves. We play Judd in the first round and won by 35 runs, with another strong performance in the field and with Ed Solly scoring his first 50 of the season. In the final, against Sutton Valence, we misfired slightly with the bat chasing 133 and came up 15 short. Ed Solly backed up his 54* in the first game with 62 in the second. This was a fantastic group of boys to coach. They learnt a lot over their time in the 1st XI and we want to give particular thanks to the departing 6as who have dedicated so much time and effort to the club over their time at King’s. Oliver Tikare captained the side well, developing his tactics and strategies over the term to suit each situation. Will Heywood was, by far, the pick of the batsman, scoring over 870 runs at an average of 72. It will take some time before anyone emulates that success. Oliver Mann was, for the second season in a row, the top

wicket taker, with over 40 wickets at an average of 13. A superb competitor and one we will sorely miss next season. Ed Solly’s keeping has been the backbone of the side for the last three seasons. His eye for the ball was strong, taking some excellent catches and changing matches with lightning reactions to stump unassuming batsman. Robert Campbell (player of the Easter tour) and Josh Todd also both contributed so much to the team. We wish them all good luck for their future cricketing endeavours and offer good luck to next year’s captain, Matt Barker, for the season ahead. Special thanks, as always, go to Evan Stirzaker, our umpire, and the groundsman for preparing Birley’s so well and to our Cricket Professional Mark Ealham for all their hard work and dedication. Team: O. Tikare (captain), M. Barker, R. Campbell, R. Heywood, W. Heywood, O. Mann, G, Meddings, W. Oates, S. Ravishankar, E. Solly, J. Todd, T. Whitmore, Also Played: D. Gidoomal. Played 17 Won 11 Drew 3 and Lost 3

BATTING

Innings

Not Out

Runs

Highest Score

Average

W. J. Heywood

874

106

72.83

O. B. S. Tikare

729

40.50

M. D. Barker

517

28.72

E. C. S. Solly

319

26.58

R. J. Campbell

222

14.80

R. P. Heywood

181

25.85

D. Gidoomal

13.00

O. J. D. Mann

7.16

T. J. Whitmore

13.00

G. W. R. Meddings

2.12

W. Oates

5.50

S. Ravishankar

2.00

BOWLING

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wickets

Average

O. J. D. Mann

144.5

560

13.02

W. J. Heywood

97.11

374

16.26

O. B. S. Tikare

66.4

342

20.11

R. P. Heywood

80.3

325

23.21

M. D. Barker

99.7

349

26.84

G. W. R. Meddings

53.0

270

20.76

S. Ravishankar

38.0

172

19.11

J. J. Todd

44.4

199

28.42

T. A. J. Whitmore

28.5

164

27.33

W. Oates

5.8

15.33

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Kent College T20 H

Won by 63 runs

King’s 130 for 5 (W Heywood 67); Kent College 67 (Tikare 4 for 19)

Trinity (50 Overs) H

Won by 7 wickets

Trinity 155 (Meddings 3 for 22); King’s 156 for 3 (W Heywood 75 not out, Barker 47)

Eastbourne (50 overs) H

Draw (rain affected)

Eastbourne 198 (Mann 5 for 37); King’s 194 for 4 (W Heywood 87 not out, Tikare 51)

St. Lawrence (30 overs) H

Won by 47 runs

King’s 167 for 5 (W Heywood 52 not out, Campbell 50); St. Lawrence 120 (Mann 3 for 11)

St. Edmund’s T20 H

Won by 57 runs

King’s 145 for 3; St. Edmund’s 88 (Mann 3 for 15)

Reed’s School (Timed) H

Won by 8 wickets

Reed’s 136; King’s 139 for 2 (Tikare 66 not out, W Heywood 42 not out)

Felsted (timed) A

Lost by 12 runs

King’s 270 for 7 dec (R Heywood 88, Tikare 75); Felsted 282 for 4 (Mann 4-78)

Ardingly (50 overs) H

Won by 8 wickets

Ardingly 127 (Mann 3 for 25, R Heywood 3 for 21); King’s 128 for 2 (Barker 71*, Tikare 45)

Eltham (50 overs) A

Abandoned due to rain

Sutton Valence (50 overs)A

Won by 37 runs

King’s 209 for 7 (W Heywood 106 not out, Tikare 49); Sutton Valence 172 (W Heywood 5 for 21, Mann 3 for 33)

Sevenoaks (50 overs) H

Won by 7 wickets

Sevenoaks 77 (Barker 6 for 10); King’s 78 for 3

MCC (Timed) H

Lost by 35 runs

MCC 217 (W Heywood 4 for 31); King’s 182 (Barker 71, Heywood 40)

Band of Brothers (Timed) H

Won by 6 wickets

Band of Brothers 165 (Tikare 3 for 31); King’s 166 for 4 (Solly 46, W Heywood 43)

Brentwood (50 Overs) H

Won by 84 runs

King’s 293 for 6 (Tikare 84, W Heywood 70); Brentwood 209 (Mann 5 for 51)

Judd (T20) H

Won by 35 runs

King’s 151 (Solly 54 not out, W Heywood 44); Judd 116 for 6

Sutton Valence (T20) H

Lost by 15 runs

SVS 137 for 5; King’s 122 (Solly 62)

Whitgift (50 overs) H

Lost by 243 runs

Whitgift 351 for 5(Tikare 3 for 54); King’s 108 (Gidoomal 39)

BOYS’ CRICKET 2ND XI DMT

This was a truncated season of just eight games, the results evenly split between win/lose. Good early wins were followed by three heavy losses. In only three games did either team pass 150 runs – and I think that this illustrates the nature of the season: after a cold spring with many early sessions conducted in very cold winds, on a wet surface, the wickets failed to quicken up, even when we reached July. The game is quite a different art on a slow pitch, where the ball hardly leaves the square with any ease, and good batsmen guide a modest delivery down mid-off’s or mid-wicket’s throat with sickening facility off a leading edge. Batsmen’s tallies are thus only moderate, and bowlers, if they bowl with accuracy, can expect a fairly easy return. Totals are low due to the brevity of today’s games (some just 30 overs apiece), with no option of a draw. A fast pitch affords a larger array of run-scoring shots, deflections earning a boundary rather than a single, and the batting technique becomes quite different, with the upper hand dominating, the ball coming on – this is the form of 174

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the game for which cricket has been designed. I have seen quite good and fast wickets in April (occasionally) – had the elements been more in favour of the normal form of the game, then perhaps we would have amassed far greater totals, and more fifties would have been accumulated. Thus a low-scoring, too brief, season. Jack Dearlove captained the side for the earlier games, until the exam schedule took its accustomed heavy toll. Of note has been the bowling of Jack Vavasour, who I noticed having a few yards more pace than last year – still some work to do at the wicket, but promising for next year. Gus Clode developed into a potent leg-spinner, giving the ball a fair rip, turning it far too much for 2nd XI batsmen to touch – he might aspire to play cricket at a better level if he can press on and make sure of the consistency of his bowling. Good bowling contributions were produced by Sam Poole and Kit Lillingston-Paterson. Will Oates has been willing to work with Mr. Ealham through the winter, and, though his delivery stride needs to be smoother, he does bowl a heavy ball – a good

prospect both with bat and ball as he moves into the Sixth Form. I said to Dan Harris that, had he bothered with cricket since the shells, he could by now be playing at a high level. His batting, with natural poise (as yet unperfected), could be devastating, and, even with limited practice and a rugby-player’s action at the wicket, he has been able to produce a faster delivery than anyone else in the squad – I hope that he develops his cricket through college. We have lacked runs through the season. Rob Campbell played most of his games for the 1st XI – I said to him last year that he looks as if he has played good cricket before. He is another I hope will take his cricket to college and develop his ability through winter nets at college. George Richardson contributed well, opening the innings, and, had he not broken a finger in May, he may have succeeded more conspicuously later in the season, both as a batsman and keeper – I hope that he will play some men’s cricket through the summer and use the winter nets. Later in the season, Sam Poole began to get his weight over his front pad, driving the

ball with some elegance. Especially since half-term, the 2nd XI has been helped by some Remove players, out of whom Dhiren Gidoomal played with some promise. Overall, a mixed season. We lament the poor weather and slow pitches, but there have been some good games and performances. We have to acknowledge the excellent

coaching of Dominic Castle and Charles Bodle (sadly to leave the school), and, as ever, the expert and invaluable contributions of Mr. Ealham, whose coaching remains available (astonishingly) to the more aware and ambitious boys right through the winter terms.

Players: J. Dearlove, A. Clode, D. Harris, R. Campbell, G. Richardson, S. Poole, V. Patel, W. Oates, D. Gidoomal, G. Howard-Smith, J. Thind, E. Birrell, J. Vavasour, K. Lillingston-Paterson, C. Watson, L. Lacamp, J. Akpana, G. Esselen, T. Edgar, G. Thompson, O. Aiyedatiwa, C. Ruston, H. Coulson. Results: Won 4, Lost 4, Match void 3

King’s Rochester

won by 24 runs

Kings 112 (Richardson 32), KSR 88-9 (Vavasour 3-5, Compton 3-32)

Trinity

won by 7 wkts

Trinity 61 (Vavasour 3-10, Coulson 4-7), Kings 61-3 (Richardson 30)

Eastbourne

lost by 96 runs

Eastbourne 183-3, Kings 87 (Lillingston-Patterson 30)

Duke of York’s

lost by 100 runs

DoY 192-5, Kings 92 (Poole 32)

Reed’s

lost by 137 runs

Reed’s 252-6 (Acton 3-39), Kings 115 (Oates 47)

Felsted

lost by 4 wkts

Kings 99-7, Felsted 100-6

Ardingley

called off

Eltham

called off

Sutton Valence

won by 39 runs

Sevenoaks

called off

OKS

won by 60 runs

Kings 115 (Poole 42 not out), SV 76 (Vavasour 5-12) Kings 125-9 (Campbell 34), OKS 65 (Vavasour 5-7)

BOY’S CRICKET U15 A

CMS

The season has been very much a nearly season. We have played strong teams and competed in every game; unfortunately most of the results went against us but most were very close losses. Whilst we have lost more games than we have won, there have been some really narrow loses against very strong opposition; these games include close defeats to quality Eastbourne and Felsted sides. The highlight of the season so far, however, has been a fantastic win over a talented Reeds side. Notable performances from the bat have been 70s from Lucas Lacamp and Dhiren Gidoomal, and a four-wicket haul made by Harry Wall. A frustrating term

culminated in losing to Sevenoaks off the last ball of the match; they needed 17 to win off the last over and we should have done better. It rounded off a tough, but hard-fought season. However, the boys should take some satisfaction with the improvement shown throughout the end of the season, and we as coaches have no doubt they will go on to form a strong core group of players to play 1stXI cricket.

Brooker, Bertie Cammegh. P11 W4 L7

Team: Dhiren Gidoomal, Lucas Lacamp, Harry Wall, Gabriel Esselen, Oreoluwa Aiyedatiwa, Fredrick Miller, Jamie Dix, Thomas Edgar, Ned Allen, Harry Baker, Alfie Gurtler, Barnaby May, Charlie

Trinity (h)

Lost 7 wkts

Kent College (h)

Won 103 runs

Eastbourne (a)

Lost 5 wkts

Simon Langton (h)

Lost 7 wkts

Reeds (h)

Won 4 wkts

Felsted (a)

Lost 7 wkts

Ardingly (h)

Lost 80 runs

St. Edmund’s (h)

Won 3 wkts

Harvey Grammar (h)

Won 44 runs

Sutton Valence (h)

Lost 42 runs

Sevenoaks (h)

Lost 6 wkts

BOYS CRICKET U14 B MWB

This rain-affected season began in inauspicious fashion, with a 6-wicket loss to Trinity, but the following fixture resulted in an emphatic victory over Eastbourne. This set a pattern for the rest of the season: another loss to Reeds was followed by an excellent win over Felsted, whom we expected to provide stiffer opposition; then came another loss and another victory, this time against Sutton Valence. Our player of the match on that occasion was guest bowler Kirstie Main, who delivered a lesson in economical seam bowling. But many other players shone throughout the

season: both Wesley Roots and Hugh Collins (the captain at the start of the season), were promoted to the A’s; Finn Dwyer took incredibly well to the sport, despite being a novice, and his bowling all season was accurate and effective; Kit Williams excelled with both bat and ball, and Felix Chennery also put in some fine bowling performances, including four wickets in the final match. Every other player contributed in a positive manner and played the game in a great spirit. All in all, this was a successful season for the Bs, and thoroughly enjoyable throughout.

Team: Sumi Ayere, Alex Belsten, Subo Cashell, Felix Chennery, Hugh Collins, Finn Dwyer, Theo Fenning, Francesco Leung, Ryan Leung, Kirstie Main, Alex Robert, Wesley Roots, Gus Statman, Misha Verozub, George Whitney, Kit Williams. P6 L3 W73 Trinity (a)

Lost by 6 wickets

Eastbourne (h)

Won by 8 runs

Reeds (h)

Lost by 9 wickets

Felsted (h)

Won by 27 runs

Ardingly (h)

Lost by 8 wickets

SVS (a)

Won by 6 wickets

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ANTIGUA CRICKET TOUR 2016 RALS

showing some work needed on facing spin bowling. King’s was eventually all out for 114. A rest day was what we all needed to recharge the batteries following two hard days. The boys had a work session in the morning and time on the beach with some snorkelling on the reef followed by beach volleyball in the afternoon.

On the first day of the Easter holidays 16 excited pupils travelled to Antigua to enjoy a ten-night cricket tour. When we arrived at the newly built V. C. Bird International Airport we eventually met up with our agent, ‘Shipwreck’, who took us to our hotel on the North East peninsular of the island. We were warmly welcomed at the Grand Pineapple Hotel and settled into our rooms to watch England beat France to take the Grand Slam of the six nations! Staying at an all-inclusive family resort is a brave undertaking for a school party, but the boys acquitted themselves very well and all the guests soon warmed to them. The first full day soon arrived and we were lucky enough to have our first net session at the Sir Vivian Richards ground. Mr Ealham put the boys through their paces, which was hard work in the 28-degree sun! The boys finished the session tired but excited about their first game. The following day we had a 45-minute journey across the island to the Jolly Beach Hotel. On arrival the boys were a bit surprised by the state of the outfield, but were reminded by the coaching team that it was always going to be different to Birley’s! The boys were playing against a mixed adult and boy team who won the toss and elected to bat first. They scored 149 with Richard Heywood starting with the ball and taking his maiden 5-wicket haul for the 1st XI. In response, King’s made a strong start with Matt Barker looking in good touch with two early fours. Matt soon fell and Rob Campbell went on to make an attractive 33. The rest of the order found it tough going and struggled to cope with some of the 176

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controlled and accurate spin bowling, eventually leading to King’s being bowled out for 110. The second game was at the Piggott’s Ground, a lovely village setting near the airport with a fantastic atmosphere from all the shops, schools and bars around the well-kept ground. The boys were surprised to see a few of the same players from the day before and were concerned when they realised one of them was the spinner who demolished the middle order the day before! It was a hot day and losing the toss again to field for 30 overs undoubtedly took its toll on the boys. State College made 234-4, with George Howard Smith taking two wickets. In response King’s made a poor start, losing Matt Barker and Rob Campbell early, but Oliver Tikare and Will Heywood did a good job to rebuild the innings, making 33 and 36 respectively before getting out. The rest of the innings followed a similar pattern to the day before,

The third game was due to be played at New Winthorpe’s against Antigua Grammar School. When we arrived at the desolate ground the outfield resembled a quarry with rocks, glass and other debris all over the field. It was a real shame as the pitch looked really good, but we felt we could not allow the boys to play there through risk of injury in the field. True to form, Shipwreck found us another ground to play on and also persuaded a road roller (that was just working around the corner) to come in and roll the pitch for us! Only in the Caribbean! Sadly they couldn’t do too much about the outfield, which had plenty of long grass on it (a feature of most of the pitches on the island). King’s finally won a toss and chose to bat first. Oliver Tikare and Will Heywood proceeded to reach 55 and 64 respectively, setting 152 in the process. Some excellent tight bowling from Josh Todd and George Howard Smith at the start of the innings restricted the runs for the opposition. Sid Ravishankar then found some rhythm and took three wickets for fourteen runs from his four overs, with a superb catch from Oliver Tikare diving to his left and then, two balls later, an equally superb high catch from George Howard Smith, which handed us a well-deserved 78run victory.

The fourth game was back at Jolly Beach, but we only managed two overs before the umpires deemed the field unfit due to overnight rain affecting the bounce of the wicket. More rain followed so the game was abandoned and we took the long journey back to the hotel. The following day we organised another net session to make up for the lost cricket where Mr Ealham gave a ‘playing of spin’ masterclass. The boys practised well, especially the bowlers, who toiled away for two hours. That afternoon we took a trip to Nelson’s Dockyard where the boys were given a tour about the history of the area. We also went up to Shirley Heights to take in the breath-taking views as well as a bit of star-spotting looking across the bay to Eric Clapton’s mansion on the island. The match we were all looking forward to was the stadium game at the Sir Vivian Richards ground against Clare Hall School. The boys rose to the occasion. Fielding first, Oliver Mann found some rhythm and breezed through his six overs taking one wicket

for ten runs. George Meddings (2 for 30) and Sid Ravishankar (1 for 9) helped to stall the innings, but it was Will Heywood who came on from the Curtly Ambrose end and rifled through the opposition’s tail end taking 4 for 3 to bowl them out for 99. In reply Matt Barker, who was desperate to make a good start following two ducks, was given out LBW from the second ball of the innings, which turned out to be the best ball of the day! Oliver Tikare (56) continued his form from the previous game and notched up his second 50 of the tour ably supported by Will Heywood (37), handing us an 8-wicket victory. We were very pleased when we heard from Shipwreck, telling us that he had arranged another game for us to make up for the one that was rained off. The team who had missed out were very keen so we made our way up to the John Hughes ground for our final T20 match on the tour. Ollie Mann, captain for the day, won the toss and chose to bat. Robert Campbell had shown a lot of promise on the tour and duly hit an excellent 71 whilst others around him struggled to support him. The team

amassed only 114, which we felt was a bit below par. In the field, Ollie Mann struck early and the left arm swing of George Howard Smith caused the West Indian batsman some trouble and picked up two wickets in the process. King’s felt they were in the game with regular wickets falling through Will Oates (2) and Jack Vavasour (1), but two batsman came together and formed a good partnership which took them over the line in the last over despite some good bowling and fielding from the boys. We were pleased with how the boys developed over the tour. It was an excellent experience for them, taking in the West Indian culture, facing different types of bowling and playing on different surfaces. Everyone we came across was very friendly and welcomed us with open arms. The boys were exceptionally well behaved and enjoyed the contrast of a beachfront hotel coupled with the challenges of playing cricket in the Caribbean conditions. I hope the recent T20 World Cup win for the West Indies will re-ignite the passion in the local community of Antigua.

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GIRLS’ CRICKET

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GIRLS’ CRICKET U15 A & U15 B SER

Cricket was played by girls at King’s for almost a decade in the 90s before it faded away. This year, girls’ cricket returned to King’s with the arrival of Miss Susie Rowe, former England International Cricketer and current Head of Hockey and Girls’ Cricket. An U15A and U15B team was entered into the Lady Taverners national indoor cricket tournament over the winter, which proved valuable experience for the girls prior to the summer term. Kent is a very strong county when it comes to girls’ cricket and although the U15A team didn’t get out of the district round, they were able to match and compete with other more experienced schools. The summer term got off to a busy start with many competitive matches. These matches consisted of 8 players in a team, were played with a softer ball called an Incrediball, and were usually 10 or 12 overs in length to create fast, exciting and inclusive matches. Most of the girls were learning the sport from scratch alongside a couple of Shells who had some previous experience. The highlight for the U15A team was their win over Sir Roger Manwood’s School. Kirstie Main, Grace Francis and Lily Whitmore batted with superb intelligence and power to help post a score of 97 from the allocated 12 overs. King’s then demonstrated a very disciplined and controlled bowling and fielding display to win comfortably by 16 runs. The win was helped by some exceptional catches by both Issy Wanstall and Ruth Spencer off their own bowling. Although only recording

one win out of their five matches, the U15A team should be incredibly proud of the way they have improved as a team. The U15Bs played exceptionally in their first match, managing to chase down Colfe’s score of 91 in the penultimate over. Emily Coleman, Millie Crook and Imogen Taylor batted outstandingly well. Unfortunately this would prove to be their only match as the remaining three matches were either rained off or cancelled by the opposition. This leaves the girls with a 100% winning record which I hope they can continue next year! The Shells and Removes that constitute the U15 team have made tremendous improvement throughout the summer. Many had never played the sport before and now they are able to compete with schools who have several years more cricket experience. Towards the end of the season they had developed their batting and bowling techniques so much that they began to play hardball cricket during games sessions. We look forward to next season, which will involve a more extensive fixture calendar for Shells,

Removes and Seniors and look forward to seeing the sport grow here at King’s. Congratulations to Ruth Spencer for winning the most improved player award; to Kirstie Main for winning the player of the season award and for also earning the player of the match award in her first match for the boys’ U14B team. Congratulations must also go to Harvey House for winning the inaugural Junior Inter-House Girls’ Cricket Tournament. U15A: P5 W1 L4 U15B: P1 W1 L0 Team: Miss S. E. Rowe, Miss J. M. Siemak, Stephanie Fang, Lily J. Whitmore, Isabelle V. Wanstall, Susie V. Reed, Christa I. G. Lockyer, Tess B. Reeves, Miss J. C. Wilson Team: Rima Shahab Kayali, Millie J. G. Crook, Grace M. Francis, Kirstie L. A. Main, Ruth C. Spencer, Domino C. Tyler, Lara K. I. Batten, Emily K. H. Coleman, Saphia M. Hussain, Lisa Kurilova, Marissa O. Onwuka, Imogen O. Taylor

U15A Results: Ashford (h)

King’s 83-6, Ashford 84-3

Lost by 5 wickets

Colfe’s (h)

Colfe’s 82-2, King’s 71

Lost by 11 runs

Sir Roger Manwood’s (h)

King’s 97-1, SRM 81-3

Won by 16 runs

Sutton Valence (a)

King’s 262-6, Sutton Valence 268-4

Lost by 4 runs (“Pairs Cricket”)

TWGGS (a)

King’s 67-2, TWGGS 68-2

Lost by 6 wickets

Colfe’s 91-4, King’s 92-4

Won by 4 wickets

U15B Results: Colfe’s (h)

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ROUNDERS SENIOR IX KVB & SJS

The Senior Rounders teams enjoyed a competitive season demonstrating their enjoyment for the sport. The girls were highly motivated all season and attended sessions throughout the term helping with junior training and getting involved whenever they could. It was clear from the first session they were well drilled – fantastic throwing from Georgina Barton and Millie Lee, showing the cricketers how to throw a ball! The girls played their first match against Epsom College and King’s College Wimbledon: a very competitive first fixture for both teams, winning against King’s College. The 1st IX had a tough match against Epsom College with precise fielding; both teams had to sneak ½ rounders where possible, the final score ending in a 5-5 draw. The 2nd IX won against King’s Wimbledon 10½-9 with consistent batting from Mary Forsyth. The season continued with training focusing on placing their hitting, moving their body position to change the angle and creating power in their hits. Jessica Quinlan demonstrated her batting skills

scoring many rounders and half rounders. The 1st IX faced experienced teams such as Sevenoaks and Sutton Valence. The key was to prevent the opposition reaching 2nd post and no score would be conceded. The girls did well to keep the score down, losing to Sevenoaks 61/2-4. The 1st team quickly learnt from their mistakes, beating Worth 7-2½, ensuring that they were able to score even the half rounders and taking risks on the final balls. The 6b’s have done well to continue to train. They have been essential role models to the Shell and Remove players, competing with the girls and giving advice where necessary. Well done to all senior players for their contribution this term.

Miriam Swindley, Izzy Hamblin. P10 L 4 D2 W4

Team: Eleanor Paine (Captain), Amelia Paine, Mollie Coleman, Georgina Barton, Millie Lee, India Bromley, Ruby Bansal, Iona Bogle, Bede Tyler, Jessica Quinlan, Eliza Batten, Simi Ayinde, Mary Forsyth, Louise Gerth, Carol Li, Sakura Belkin, Millie Butler-Gallie, Victoria Honeychurch, Poppy Mitchell, Velvet Grainger, Lena Brady, Helena Weatherseed, Charlotte Morcom,

Epsom College (a)

Draw 2-2

King’s College Wimbledon (a)

Won 10.5-9

Sevenoaks School 2nd (a)

Won 4-2.5

Sutton Valence School (a)

Lost 2.5-1

1st IX Results: Epsom College (a)

Draw 5-5

King’s College Wimbledon (a)

Won 10-5

Sevenoaks School 1st (a)

Lost 6.5-4

Sutton Valence School (a)

Lost 2.5-1

Lancing College (a)

Lost 3.5-5.5

Worth School (a)

Won 7-2.5

2nd IX Results:

ROUNDERS U15 A Mrs L Widdows

The U15A rounders team have been very successful this term. They have displayed a very high skill level during matches. Fantastic running around the pitch has allowed us to secure many rounders. During the training sessions they have shown great commitment, team spirit and the desire to learn and improve. Meggie Onuh has proved to be a very enthusiastic and encouraging team captain. Star batter for the season was Marie-Louise Bird; being a left-hander she was always able to hit the ball into an open space. Star fielder

was awarded to Meggie Onuh; being a versatile player, she was comfortable to play any position on the field. Most improved player Sophie Brown has her own style of throwing the ball, but it always gets to the target. Sophie’s hitting has improved dramatically and on most hits Sophie scores a rounder. The team has been a real delight to coach; they have a real passion for rounders and they have enjoyed fun but competitive sessions.

Onuh, Bella Whitney, Valarie Wan, MarieLouise Bird, Ella Sainsbury, Sophie Brown, Stephanie Fang, Emmanuella Itopa, Sonya Trukhina. P 5, W 4, D 1

Team from: Honor Glynn-Williams, Meggie

Epsom College (a)

Won 9-7

Epsom College 2nd (a)

Won 4.5-4

Sevenoaks School (a)

Won 8.5-8

Cranbrook School (a)

Draw 6-6

Sutton Valence School (a)

Won 10-3

Tournament

P4 W2 L2

of the batting technique. Alongside her, winning star fielder for the team was Grace Obee whose throwing skills were a huge asset to the team and prevented the opposition from scoring on many different occasions. These two girls are to be highly commended for their efforts throughout the rounder’s term and a special mention to the entire team who have made my final coaching term at King’s the best it could have been. Thank you girls.

Sevenoaks School B (a)

Lost 0-8

Sevenoaks School C (a)

Lost 3½-6 ½

Cranbrook School (a)

Lost 2½-13

St Lawrence School (a)

Draw 5-5

Eastbourne College (a)

Lost 6½-8

Sevenoaks School B (a)

Lost ½-6 ½

Brighton College B (h)

Lost 4½-6

Kent College (a)

Lost 18-19

Team from: Amber De Ruyt, MarieLouise Boisnier, Lucy Bryant (Captain), Eva Garrard, Uzoma Iroche, Gracie Obee, Valerie So, Olivia Tang, Chelsea Woodruff, Elaine Yu and Olivia Zhang. P12 L2 D1 W7

Sevenoaks School (h)

Lost 1-13 ½

St Lawrence School (h)

Lost 1½-13

Cranbrook School (h)

Lost 2½-11

ROUNDERS U15 B HKHH

During our term of rounders, we all had lots of fun playing matches and developing our skills to prepare ourselves for matches and tournaments. Every games session was fun, productive and enjoyable, which was reflected by the girls’ attitude and their drive for improving. Our captain for the term, Lucy Bryant, led the team extremely well by always ensuring that the fielding side knew which part of the pitch they should be covering and made it clear if there were any changes. Lucy was also brilliant at communicating with the opposition before a match, making sure that the umpires were aware of which team were batting or fielding first. The star batter of the team was Chelsea Woodruff, who improved tremendously throughout the term and showed real understanding 180

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ROUNDERS U14 A ARD

The U14A team have enjoyed much success on the rounders pitch this term; luckily the team found itself in possession of a huge variety of skills, which were fully utilised on every occasion. Our deep fielders and trusty backstop, Emily Coleman, had throws of a length and accuracy that would make any junior male cricket players envious. As the most consistent of bowlers Ruth Spencer minimised the no-balls given and unfailingly limited the opposition’s capacity to score. The U14A’s talents were not limited to fielding, however: Saphia Hussain’s placement rarely failed to catch the opposition fielders off guard and the girls positively lit up when the call of ‘Risk it!’ came from the batting queue towards the end of an innings. Throughout the term many of the girls got the chance to captain the team, and despite some poor luck on the initial toss that seemed to defy all the odds, all the girls who undertook the role did a brilliant job. Star Batter of the season was Marissa Onwuka, who multiple times put her body on the line

for the team, and time and again made a huge contribution to the King’s score. Star Fielder for the season was Millie Crook. After an initial experiment with her on 2nd base it became very clear that was exactly where she belonged: her sharp catches and quick stumping meant that opposition half-rounders were limited and many unsuspecting players ended up stumped out of the game. The girls have shown fantastic team spirit and positivity throughout the season, so the future is bright for next year’s U15As. Team: Georgina Bird, Phoebe Brockington, Emily Coleman, Millie Crook, Saphia Hussain, Kirstie Main, Marissa Onwuka, Ruth Spencer, Imogen Taylor, Domino Tyler. P10 L2 D1 W7

Epsom College (a)

Won 12.5-5.5

Benenden School (h)

Won 10.5-9.5

Cranbrook School (h)

Won 9.5-8.5

Benenden School B (a)

Lost 9.5-4.5

Benenden School C (a)

Won 4.5-3

Sevenoaks School B (a)

Drew 3.5-3.5

Sevenoaks School C (a)

Won 6.5-3

St Lawrence School (a)

Won 6.5-5.5

Sutton Valence School (a)

Won 15.5-8.5

Sevenoaks School (a)

Lost 9.5-1.5

Benenden School D (a)

Lost 5-6

Cranbrook School B (a)

Lost 2-11

Benenden School C (a)

Lost 0.5-4.5

Brighton College B (a)

Lost 2-3.5

Sevenoaks School B (a)

Lost 3-6

Eastbourne College A (a)

Lost 1.5-3.5

Kent College (a)

Won 11-3

ROUNDERS U14 B NLH

The 14B rounders team have had a challenging season, facing many very competitive teams. There were many new players to rounders in the team, yet the team showed fantastic team spirit and resilience from the outset when taking on tough competition. As the term progressed the girls improved significantly in terms of both their technical and tactical skills. This progress culminated in the team’s 11-3 victory over Kent College. The team performed superbly in all aspects of the field and approached batting with an assertive and competitive attitude. This victory was very well deserved and demonstrated the girls’ hard work in training. Every player in the 14B team has contributed and been invaluable to the team. Isabelle Wanstall must be mentioned for the consistency and strength in her bowling and captaincy. Isabelle has been a strong controller of the game from the box and has provided an

encouraging and knowledgeable outlook to captaincy. Rima Shahab Kayali must be given recognition as the most improved player of the season. Rima has provided a refreshing and competitive attitude to the team and her technical and tactical skills have improved dramatically throughout the season. Rima has been invaluable in the second deep position, stopping many players from scoring half rounders. Molly Satoor has been an all-round performer in the team, being very consistent with the bat and in the field. Molly has always given total commitment to the team throughout the season and has brought a very calm and collected attitude to the side. An enjoyable season, with real potential for the future! Team from: Isabelle Wanstall (C), Alice Comyn, Millie Felton, Qin Huang, Varvara Kartamysheva, Molly Satoor, Rima Shahab Kayali, Charlotte Cameron. P7 L6 W1

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STAFF LEAVERS (WORDS) & PUPIL LEAVERS (PICTURES) Alex Nunn, Biology Stephen Winrow-Campbell writes: ‘Alex immediately made an impact on the pupils with his diverse knowledge and incredible array of appropriate worksheets and hand-outs. He has worked hard, clearly cares deeply for the pupils and regularly would go the extra mile to help. He has a good sense of humour, is organised and nothing is too much trouble. He has done and achieved a lot in the time he has been with us and all in the department will miss him.’ Alex cannot be here today: he has training and induction at his new school. However, he wanted to say this: I have been at The King’s School for just two terms. It has, however, been a huge privilege to work at one of the country’s great schools and I am sad to be leaving. I would like to thank everyone for their help and support over the past two terms. Charlie Bodle, History & Sports David Perkins writes: ‘Charlie stepped in with great enthusiasm to teach a History set this year at short notice. He has gained valuable experience in preparation for his PGCE at Cambridge.’ In Linacre, James Outram reports, ‘Charlie has been rather a nocturnal member of the Linacre team – his mole-like appearances in the house at his two lock-ups each week has meant that it is the older boys who have benefited from his good company as he did the rounds to ensure peace and quiet at the end of the day. Charlie has paid very good interest to the life of the house this year, offering sound advice to individuals, lots of encouragement and has struck up an excellent rapport with the boys. I am very grateful to Charlie for his help and support over the year and I am sure that you will all want to join me in wishing Charlie much happiness and success now that he moves on to Cambridge.’ On the sports front, Charlie coached Rugby, Hockey and Cricket, Richard describes him as ‘energetic and always smiling’!

Hollie Harris, Sports Jon Hutchins writes of Hollie’s contribution in Galpins: ‘Hollie has been a wonderful, fun-loving and energetic sport grad. in Galpin’s this year. With her Thanet roots and comedy in the blood, she has effortlessly connected with the boys in the house. We have all really enjoyed getting to know her and have greatly appreciated the positive enthusiasm and excitement she brings to the party. Holly is genuinely happy at heart, always involved and adds to any conversation. She is also willing to try new things, such as the Berlin trip, where she joined the supporting cast to the two Tims – Armstrong and Jennings. A truly natural and gifted performer, Hollie has dazzled us all, including a memorable Bon Jovi rendition at the staff Christmas party, and more recently in ‘Legally Blonde’ as her alter ego Brooke Wyndham, the exercise video star! Hollie can often be found keeping toned in the gym and leading a healthy lifestyle, being

teetotal until she discovered sangria whilst on holiday in Gran Canaria! She also has a mischievous side and likes nothing more than the latest ‘Love Island’ gossip. Hollie is gorgeously talented, as the Kidaco cast can testify, and we all know that a great talent draws a person to a great career. Music and dance have always been her passion and she now wishes to align that passion with what she does next: she has a natural affinity for performing. I am convinced she will go on to inspire people in the same way she has done at King’s. We are enormously grateful for everything she has done, and wish her all the very best for the future as she follows her dreams.’ On the sporting front, Richard reports, ‘Hollie coached Hockey, Netball and Rounders in her year with us. She always worked hard and was most dedicated to all the teams she took. She is now pursuing a love of theatre and we wish her all the best on the West End!’

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academic year 2015-2016. He has established a good relationship with pupils and has contributed around the school. We wish him well with his new ventures.’ In Tradescant, Adam states, ‘Nick is a very popular member of the tutor team and is much liked throughout Tradescant. He has built up great rapport with the pupils and many of them look forward to his duty night (for the right reasons!). Nick always adopts a calm and relaxed approach in house, which instantly makes the boys feel at ease with him. Nick is certainly not work-shy; at the start of the year he willingly offered to take over a difficult tutor group containing three of the more ‘spirited’ Tradescant Removes: needless to say, they certainly kept him busy this year. Nick will be a great loss to the Tradescant community. With 1st Girls Hockey, U15A Boys Hockey and U15 Boys Tennis, he quietly went about his work, but got a lot out of the pupils.

Charlie Stuckey, Politics & Sports Owen says, ‘In the 19th Century Charlie would have been regarded as a good man to have along on a tiger hunt, appropriately too since he is a Cheltonian – a school renowned for having the most old boys eaten by tigers. With such provenance it was only natural that he was snapped up by the Politics Department as their Minion. Minions have been on this planet far longer than we have, and they go by many names Kevin, Stuart and now Charlie, and they even all share the same goal to find the biggest baddest villain to serve and, in OTMH, Charlie had found the most despicable master around. Charlie has been a real success, not least in the classroom, where he quickly established constructive, respectful and good-humoured relations with his sets and brought fresh ideas to the classroom, such as a mock Cabinet meeting. He has helped with the King’s Parliament and the recent ‘Methods and Madness’ trip to the Defence Academy, writing for Indaba on Corbin’s love of socks and sandals, and chairing the recent ‘In/Out’ Debate on the EU Referendum in St. A’s, which

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was covered by BBC Kent with serious aplomb. The idea was to fully integrate Charlie into all aspects of department life, so much so that he found a week’s work experience in Boris Johnson’s office tame by comparison. Charlie, you will be seriously missed and we really wish you well for what comes next. BLUE, YOU MY BOY!’ In Trad, Adam Stennet reports that Charlie has been a positive influence. The boys instantly warmed to him and were continually asking when he was back on duty: apparently he has the banter! Charlie has been a huge help throughout the year and has often stepped in at the last minute to help. He will certainly be missed. In his year with us, Charlie looked after the U15A Rugby, U15B Hockey, U15A Cricket teams. He is a dedicated and passionate coach, and the boys quickly warmed to him and worked very hard for him. Nick Townsend, History In History, David Perkins reports, ‘Nick joined the school as a sports grad. in 2014. He has been on hand to help the History Department out for the

Emilie Coin, Classics Janet Taylor writes: ‘Emilie fitted in perfectly, so we are very sorry to see her go but wish her every success in the future and hope that she finds happiness in her new ventures abroad – will it be Mexico or Singapore?! Emilie loves to travel and has been to Pompeii and Norway in the last couple of months, combining Classical and outward-bound interests. She’s been an excellent teacher to her sets, always calm and clear in her delivery, but with a few jazzy tricks up her sleeve – for her observed lesson at interview, I tasked her with teaching the water supply at Pompeii – just to see how she would tackle this. With her cunning contraption, a Pythagoras cup, she demonstrated this perfectly and could well develop a second career as an engineer, in my opinion! Emilie has taken on new courses with skill and enthusiasm – Augustus and Greek drama being just two I could mention. During a trip to Medea, we met Dr Who in the foyer and I hope this will be a good omen for her as new worlds and experiences open up. We wish her very well and will miss her! Time and space know no bounds in the Classical world.’ In Walpole, Amanda reports: ‘Emilie has only been in Walpole for a short time but has certainly made her mark in all sorts of

ways. From hanging off a car, miming along to Uptown Funk for the Walpole Christmas video, or proving what an astonishing artist she is by helping to design the Walpole flag, Emilie has fully committed to the House. Kind, friendly and warm, I will miss her a great deal and hope she stays in touch!’ Finally, on the sporting front, Emilie helped out with Swimming. Jonathan Kingsley, Physics Louise comments: ‘Naively thinking that we couldn’t possibly get a physics teacher taller than Charlie BT, Jonathan arrived in the department as our new physics giant, stooping below the door frame to get in and making the rest of us feel even smaller! He has been a valued member of the department this year, quickly adapting to his role and taking the ‘quirkiness’ of King’s in his stride. His pupils speak very highly of him and have very much enjoyed his lessons, describing him as the ‘physics hipster’. Jonathan has been excellent with some of the weaker pupils and has given up a lot of his time helping individuals, both in the department and in house, and the pupils know that he is someone to go to if they need a confidence boost. His lessons

are fun, hands-on and sometimes bordering on new age with his relaxing meditation techniques and ‘womb music’ and the pupils emerge from his room fired up about the subject, and in a state of Zen! Jonathan has offered revision classes, weekly clinics and got involved with the Isaac physics project to stretch and challenge the more able. He is incredibly enthusiastic about his subject, and his enthusiasm rubs off on others. He is now going off for a fantastic adventure in Auckland and we wish him well.’ In Broughton, Cath reports, ‘Jonathan has been a welcome addition to Broughton this year and something of a novelty for the girls who have not had a male tutor in the House since Rory Reilly. As a result, the office is very busy on a Tuesday night when Jonathan is on duty and he has brought an interesting new dimension to the House. He established excellent relationships with his tutees and the other members of the House and will be missed next year, but we wish him the best of luck with his travels and exciting new post in NZ.’ On the sports front, Jonathan looked after the U14C Rugby, 4th Netball and gave a hand in Tennis.

Chloe Mitchell, Maths & Politics Marc Dath says, ‘Chloe taught in two departments this year, a great tribute to her sharp intellect. In the Maths Department, Chloe brought a beaming smile and we all enjoyed her repartee in our weekly departmental meetings, which she survived despite Andy McFall’s relentless teasing. It was clear from day one, when she asked the speaker at the Cathedral Conference Centre a question which, as one of my ex-Grange German lads once told Peter Henderson, had a length greater than my attention span, that we were in for a treat on the intellectual front... And she kept that promise! I was also amazed that my teaching her all those years back had not completely put her off the profession... Or perhaps it did... Stuart O’Cock writes: Chloe was one of our star students of the last decade and, after leaving King’s with a bagful of top A levels, a double first at Worcester, Oxford led to a banking career, until Chloe’s wider views prompted her to look for something else… so, back to school! While here she has sort of picked up where she left off, having quickly got involved with a huge number of activities, as well as teaching Mathematics and Further Mathematics from Shell upwards, cross-country, climbing, Mandarin lessons and even adding some glamour to the Politics department (a boring subject where nothing ever happens!), not least being a regular fixture at the many trips and talks. Within the mathematics department she has been a constant source of good cheer, and the laughter has been as ever-present as her large tea mug. We are very sorry that she is leaving so soon and I know many of her pupils who were to have had her for at least two years are sad too. Along with Godfrey Powell, Chloe is the only non-retirement leaver from the Maths Department in 25 years.’ In Politics, Owen says, ‘Chloe, having been a shameless groupie of the Politics Dept in the Autumn Term and having come to pretty much all its talks, even the King’s Parliament, got her chance to run around with the most villainous department when in the Lent Term she helped cover Debbie Ardley’s sick leave. Some claimed that she had been ‘poached’, although the department remain adamant that she was ‘headhunted’ and immediately dubbed her ‘Scarlet Overkill’. Not quite sure what they meant, I asked the rest of the Cantuarian | 2016

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department and they just said ‘Mmm, Mmm.’. I understand that Chloe was quick to grasp the political concept of a ‘Mandate’ and her adventurous and restless enthusiasm saw her jump on board the Methods and Madness trip, be a real help with the talks, writing a fantastic article on her travels in Rwanda for Indaba, and even stretched to including conquering the South Pole. Chloe take note of Kipling’s poem, ‘The Explorer’, which includes the lines: “Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges— Something lost behind the

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Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go! Oh..and try not to get Jihaded!!”’ In Kingsdown, Charlotte remarks, ‘Chloe brought her own brand of energy and humour to Kingsdown and, as a tutor, has inspired the girls to push their boundaries and stretch their potential by demonstrating her own enthusiasm for things beyond the world of Maths. Chloe has exposed the girls to her love of running, the great outdoors and learning Mandarin and has taught them that they should never stop trying to learn new things. Her small band of loyal tutees has been grateful

for her guidance and have benefited from her experience as well as her setting of high academic standards. Never spotted without a giant mug of something hot and caffeinated in hand, Chloe cheerfully manned the ever-unpopular Friday night slot in Kingsdown and brightened up the place with her infectious laughter and tales of her upcoming travels. We wish her all the best for the adventures ahead. On the sporting front, Cross Country has been Chloe’s battlefield.

Henry Phillips, Economics From the Economics Department, Charlie Chester would like to remind us, ‘Two years ago Henry was leaving Bristol University with a First Class Honours degree in Economics and Management. Shortly after, Wellington College asked Lynda Horn for a job reference and she delayed her reply, whilst Henry was asked down to Canterbury for a chat. On that same day he was offered a job. We all celebrated getting such a fine young Economics teacher into the team. Henry has been an absolute star for the two years he has been with us. His Economics lessons are fun and engaging – the students love his classes; he is a very popular deputy housemaster in The Grange; he has been an active sports coach in all three terms (rugby, football and cricket); one of the highlights of his Rugby coaching happened when his U15B team reached the end of the season unbeaten, the icing on the cake a famous win over Tonbridge! Henry commands the loyalty and respect of all those around him…nobody has a bad word to say about him. He is the Peter Pan of the Economics department – young in years but full of wisdom. Let us remember a famous Peter Pan saying: “Never say goodbye because saying goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” Enjoy KCS Wimbledon and the freedom that a day school gives you to hit the London nightclubs!! Keep in touch and good luck in everything you do in the future.’ In The Grange, Mark Orders writes, ‘Despite only being with us for one year, Henry Phillips has made a lasting impression on the boys of The Grange as their Deputy Housemaster. He has been a dedicated and considerate tutor, showing constant enthusiasm and high expectations of all the boys in the house, whether through his academic mentoring in the tutor study (there would often be a long line of Economics students on his duty evening, such is Henry’s generosity and willingness to help), or his encouragement as a coach for all the house sporting events. He knows all the boys incredibly well and will always do everything he can to assist

them. I felt completely at ease about leaving the house under his care, and would like to thank him for the numerous times he has helped me to remain sane during this long year, either with some well-chosen words of advice, or a well-received pint of ale. Henry’s legacy will, of course, be the dart board hanging up in the Common Room of The Grange. He and I spent many hours after lockup perfecting our throw and challenging all-comers from all year groups in the house. Unfortunately, after reaching an exceptional standard after many hours and many months of dedicated practice, we were distressed to find that the chalk line drawn on the carpet was placed at least one foot too close to the wall, rendering this investment worthless. Despite this setback, Henry was delighted to win the Harvey darts competition with Ollie Tikare, and he graciously decided to place the silverware in the (rather depleted) Grange trophy cabinet, where I hope it will remain next year despite losing both of our star players. I am not only saying goodbye to a colleague with whom I have shared and experienced a great deal, but also a friend. I wish him well for his new adventures at KCS Wimbledon and I hope that he comes back to visit us soon.’ Gifts: some good bottles with the Economics Department.

Kate O’Connor, English In the English Department, Anthony Lyons writes: ‘We were thrilled when Kate was able to join us from the States, especially with her passionate experience of theatre, and of writing essays for adult education on the Oxford University website. A fiercely intelligent, meticulously organised perfectionist with enough energy to supply several European cities, Kate has inspired pupils at every level, from Shells to Oxbridge, with her lucid, rapid-fire analysis of text, and supported English Department teachers with a wide variety of essential resources, such as a compendious critical anthology on King Lear, and comprehensive study guides to Ford and Milton, as well as revision resources for IGCSE. And hundreds of pupils will thank her for running The Marlowe Society, and taking so many theatre trips, with such fun and panache. Kate has dazzled us all with her verbal vigour and eccentric genius, and earned our respect for her hard work, frankness and sensitivity to the needs of pupils of whatever talent. She will be much missed. Kate Newsholme, a close friend of Kate, says: ‘Kate brought an almost overwhelming amount of energy with her, as well as an indefatigable love of literature – of Drama especially – and an unshakable belief in the power of fiction to enrich humanity. This

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passion was evident in her enthusiasm in running theatre trips and in the energy she put into the Marlowe Society. Aside from the crazy-literarygenius side of her nature, she also has a formidable ability to organise and rationalise; this became apparent when she was able to make tweaks to the sixth form timetable so that pairs of teachers could have more double lessons within their week, and also in her setting up of IGCSE exams and the processing of results. Her ability to visualise patterns and to create order is perhaps a necessary ballast to her creative energy! Above all, Kate came to King’s to enthuse the students with her love of literature and allow them to make it their own; she is truly passionate about this. I think it’s fair to say that some of the pupils have found her terrifying, and that, for some of our less motivated students, there must have been times when they have felt she was speaking another language (and perhaps one full of exclamation marks!!). Kate goes on next year to further pursue her great love – drama – but she leaves behind her many students and colleagues who will miss her hugely.’ Charlotte Cornell describes Kate as a bibliophile and an anglophile. ‘Her love of all things theatre is also never far hidden: from organising staff murder mystery parties, to encouraging her classes to act out scenes at all opportunities. It is no surprise that she is going on to read for a Masters at King’s in London that will help develop her career in the theatre and we would not be at all surprised if she goes on to land that dream job at the Education Department at the Globe. Kate had a devilish sense of humour and boundless energy. Whilst her interests and talents are so highbrow, it might be nice for everyone to know that Kate also collects things. Her prize collection is a large array of free pens, the cheap sort that people pick up from conferences, universities, charities... So next time you have another annoying low-quality free pen that runs out of ink too quickly, you know where to post it.’ In Harvey House, Jo Cook remembers, ‘Kate arrived as a Harvey tutor full of exuberance and a keen willingness to engage with the girls in the house. She has made a real impact while on duty and has been a superb tutor, showing a genuine interest in the wellbeing of her tutees. Despite her petite

stature, her booming voice is enough to galvanise even the most reluctant of students into getting on with their prep. Indeed, she has made Matron and I both jump out of our seats in house meetings by asserting, in a voice to rival Brian Blessed’s, ‘Now Listen here…’. Never one to suffer fools gladly, she strikes the perfect balance between being firm but fair. She was an absolute stalwart when it came to putting on the Harvey/Galpin’s play and her effervescent enthusiasm for all things dramatic has been evident at every turn. We shall miss seeing her at the Harvey ‘Chalkface’ and wish her all the very best for her future ventures…’ Gift: Shakespeare’s Binding Language by John Kerrigan. Kitty Synge, Classics In the Classics Department, Janet says: ‘If I could invent a really good new toy, I think it would be a ‘Kitty-in-a-box’! Kitty first ‘popped up’ in my class as a bright young Shell and was a star student. I still have in the depths of my computer her presentation on Oedipus which she gave to the Pater Society when she was in the Sixth Form, and she has been a stalwart supporter of our extra-curricular endeavours. But, to keep things in chronological order – after a glittering school career, Kitty went off to Edinburgh University where she continued with her Classical and musical/sporting interests. Then back she came to King’s, first as a sports graduate and then, after some lessons observations, Classics teaching worked its mysterious way and Kitty decided to train as a teacher. She achieved great things in her onthe-job PGCE – she’s been generous in sharing innovative teaching methods with the department and her enthusiasm with her classes has been inspiring. She’s done film work with the Removes, re-enacting the preparations for the Great Dionysia on the Green Court, and her CC topic ‘marriage bureau’, punningly named ‘Dating for SYNGLES’ really showed her sense of humour and struck a memorable note with her students. We will be really sorry to see Kitty go but wish her well at Fettes, back in Edinburgh, where she will continue to enthuse the new ‘Miss Synge’s stars of the week’. There really is nothing that Kitty is not willing to turn her hand to and so I am sure she will forge a successful future! Good luck, Kitty, and don’t forget us!’ As for Walpole,

Amanda says, ‘Kitty had big boots to fill after the departure of Emma Park and I am delighted that, in her own unique way, Kitty very much took on the role with the same enthusiasm as her predecessor. Kitty has been a dynamic addition to Walpole and has had some great, fresh ideas for the House. Only yesterday she ran a house assembly based on all sorts of team-building games and a haka of some sorts which the girls really enjoyed. Genuinely interested in the welfare of the House, Kitty has given up a great deal of her time to support and cheer up the girls and was always willing to pop in for a chat when she felt she was needed. I knew we wouldn’t have her in Walpole for long, as someone with that much ability should keep challenging herself with new experiences and, sad as I was to lose her after only one year, I understand how exciting this next move to Edinburgh will be. I remember teaching Kitty and her brother in the past and it was most odd working with someone who, many years ago, was a pupil in Jervis, the House of which I was the Deputy Housemistress for nine years. She will be greatly missed by me and all the girls of Walpole and I hope she stays in touch!’ Richard Ninham also wanted to emphasise how much Kitty was appreciated in helping staff in the Round the Island Sailing Race for three years and how the pupils really enjoyed her company. ‘Finally, on a personal note, it is Kitty who has been locking up Walpole when I have been on duty and she always arrived on time, smiling and ready to listen to the rants from this old man: I am most grateful to her.’ Danny Rowlands, Modern Languages Tim Armstrong recalls, ‘Danny joined the school as a raw police officer. At his interview, there was something disturbing about his key-rattling lope, but at least one supposed he would have no discipline problems. Of course, it rapidly became apparent that there is more to Danny than this! He is an extremely good linguist, not just in terms of oral work and runof-the-mill essay writing, but in the high levels of academic endeavour too. In this respect, he is a real 18th Century man – as well as a 21st Century one – and it was through him that the department acquired a ‘pet don’ in the form of John Leigh, Danny’s old Cambridge tutor, with Cantuarian | 2016

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whom he shared his 18th Century enthusiasms. Danny is a natural teacher, one of those whom a Head of Department can trust to just get on with it. His academic prowess was demonstrated by the large number of A*s his 6a set achieved last year, though they were not an early entry set. His psychological pedagogical virtues are demonstrated by the fact that he is equally successful with the most ‘special’ shells. Having been guided through his PGCE by Rosanna, he was the obvious candidate to guide Justine along the same route, and he did so extraordinarily well, with great dedication and independence of spirit. In the department, Danny has taken part in trips and outings; he is a stalwart of the “Cercle Français”. He made excellent suggestions about the running of the department. In short, Danny is a scholar and action-man awe-inspiringly combined. He has left behind an extremely impressive record and will no doubt go on to forge a most impressive future.’ In Mitchinson’s, Emma explains, ‘Danny has been an outstanding Deputy in so many ways. He has been completely reliable, supremely organised, helpful and pro-active. He keeps me on my

toes and is always one step ahead and ready to offer help before being asked. Danny has been willing to get stuck in when setting up for House events and he will juggle his other commitments to ensure he is available. He never needs reminding to do something that we may have agreed months earlier and I know he is a safe pair of hands when I’m off duty. The pupils have the utmost respect for Danny; he is firm yet fair and, although he will not suffer fools gladly, he shows compassion and empathy in equal measure. Danny has given some outstanding and memorable house assemblies; he is a confident speaker and his personal experiences and insights have resonated with boys and girls alike. His tutor and Deputy reports are equally articulate and meaningful – helping to guide some of his more tricky tutees onto a better path. Danny is quick to recognise his tutees’ achievements and reward them accordingly. One of them writes, ‘Mr Rowlands finds the fine line between appropriate discontent and deserved praise. He is always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty for his tutees, ensuring they’re as well looked after as they make themselves able to be. His

relaxed demeanour and genuine care for all those under his responsibility make him a very approachable and well-loved member of Mitchinson’s.’ I am always impressed by how much Danny fits into his days. He seems to have unlimited energy supplies and has managed Oxbridge, climbing, rowing, French teaching and deputising in MT without breaking a sweat.’ Neil Warnick, Danny’s mentor in a recent PPD, volunteered some comments. He quoted Major Vintner’s remarks: ‘Danny walks on water in my eyes: he is motivational, inspirational and enthusiastic. He will be a real loss and is certainly the best Housemaster that King’s has never had.’ Neil writes, ‘Danny is a can-do guy....part of the Boat Club coaching team, he has no issues who he coaches and you can always depend on him to give 100%: a great team member. Danny always has the interests of the kids as the priority....even if they turf him into the lake, in January, and he has to wait the longest before he gets picked up by the safety launch...kids first.... although there might have been a few **** s under his breath! A colleague who will be difficult to replace in the coaching team next year.’ Gift: a pair of binoculars. Jonny Bass, History In the History Department, David Perkins reports, ‘Jonny joined the school in September six years ago. In his time at the school he has become the consummate schoolmaster. He has taught History with an exemplary degree of dedication and care for pupils. Rather than re-treading the same History notes year after year, he has always been willing to take on new periods. This involves a lot of work but it is one of the joys as well as one of the drawbacks of history teaching. Jonny has made a significant contribution to the wider life of the school on the games pitch and within the boarding house as an assistant housemaster. He has been a stalwart of the History department’s Ypres trip. We wish him well as he moves to Cheltenham College prep with Orla. He is a natural teacher and is just the sort of rounded individual that schools such as this rely on and to some extent arguably take for granted. I am sure that he will make a big impact at Cheltenham. In Meister Omer’s, Richard comments, ‘Jonny has been a

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wonderful tutor in MO for 6 years and deputy housemaster for the last 3 ½ years. Jonny has a very easy manner with the boys and they are very fond of him but he is also firm when he needs to be and he has a good sense of what are the important issues and what things can be let go. Jonny has contributed very fully to the life of the school and in particular the sport and the boys pick up on this and really value the fact that he is prepared to put himself out for the pupils. One thing you may not know about Jonny is that he probably games more than the boys! Jonny often asks the boys for advice on the finer points of clash of clans. He is a good friend of MO and we will all miss him.’ On the Rugby front, Matt Lister reports that Jonny has been a solid rock for the rugby club since joining us 6 years ago... He is one of those coaches that just command respect from his players or he’ll just follow in his housemaster’s steps and bash them with the tackle shield to gain it (Mr Ninham!!). Being promoted to the 2nd team from great success with the 15As, he has been Tom Hill’s “go-to” man for new talented players... those that stepped into this year’s first team are a credit to the hard work he and his players

put into training. Although losing to Tonbridge on a few, apart from when he dusted off his own boots for an outstanding staff victory, Jonny has come extremely close on a number of occasions to an unbeaten season and we hope that one day he may be tempted into returning to finish one of them off!!! We wish you all the best in your next job and only hope the Irish don’t improve too much from your coaching!’ Jonny also looked after the 2nd XI Hockey, and coached Tennis. Richard Singfield said, ‘Dependable.’ Gift: a beard trimmer.

Paul Barton-Hodges, Music In the Music Department, Will Bersey reports, ‘Paul is a rarity – he is a fine musician, graduating from the Royal College of Music as both a viola player and singer; an excellent teacher across the age range, with enormous innovation in the classroom; and finally an outstanding technician. It is the latter which will be the focus of his next step and he will undoubtedly excel. Academically he has taken Music Technology forward and enjoyed fabulous results. He has contributed

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to the consultation on new exam specs and has become an authority on the subject. He is far more than a classical musician who is able to teach music technology... In our extra-curricular pursuits, Paul has been an integral part of more or less every concert we have done, although rarely visible. The filming and streaming that has now become routine at King’s is second to none and we are delighted that this will continue. We will miss Paul on a day-to-day basis, although we look forward to seeing him regularly. Colleagues in the Music Department will have to adapt to ringing IT like anyone else….’ Nick Phillis writes, ‘A tutor’s job is to help his tutees be the very best they can be. To do that

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one needs rapport, commitment, a willingness to go the extra mile and an innate understanding of people. Paul ticks every one of those boxes and as a result has been a very accomplished tutor. His tutees and their parents talk very highly about him. In addition to his work with the boys he has been unstinting in the help he has given to house concerts, through rehearsing and setting up all the technical stuff. I have greatly enjoyed our conversations, his insight and sense of humour. The work he did with James Trigg to organise the 24hour house bike ride had an impact in Malawi and in the spirit amongst the boys. The success of that event was due to his enthusiasm, organisation

and skill at pulling people together. Paul has already set up his sound and music technology firm and is intending to devote all his attention to this venture, amongst others, in the future. We have all seen the wonders he can perform during King’s Week, streaming events, producing some top-quality videos and recordings, and I am sure that we shall see more of him coming back to King’s at crucial times, but as an entrepreneur, over the coming years. It is a scary business to cut the umbilical cord and let go to see where it leads but I am confident that Paul has all the business acumen and the technological flair to make it more than a success.’

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