The Cantuarian Autumn 1995 - Summer 1996 by OKS Association | The King's School, Canterbury

THE CANTUARIAN \

THE KING'S SCHOOL LIBRARY

AUTUMN TERM 1995

THE KING'S SCHOOL LIBRARY

THE CANTUARIAN VOL. LX No. 1

A UTUMN T ERM , 1995

CONTENTS PAGE

THIS AND THAT

VALE

CHAPLAIN'S NOTES

SERMONS

POINTS OF VIEW

FOCUS

EXPEDITIONS

IMAGINATIVE WRITING

REPORTS AND REVIEWS MUSIC

DRAMA

TALKS

BOOKS

SOCIETIES AND ACTIVITIES

SPORT

O .K.S.

THE CANT UARIAN

Editor: Venetia Taylor Editorial Committee: Charlotte Barker, Zoe Fargher, Charles Fordham, Timothy Gomersall , Robert Justice, Tak Khong, Sarah Knight, Andrew Ribbans, Charlotte Ross-Goobey, Afolabi Sonaike, Mary Stevens, Susannah Tydeman. Senior Editor: M.J. Tennick, B.A.

EDITORIAL 'Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better': thus Dr Jo~nson, quotin~t~om :ich~rd Hooker It will not have escaped your eye that change has come upon The Cantu~nan. There WI e t _os~ or whom this is a regrettable inconvenience or worse. We hope that such readers will be _fe~, ;nd that ~h1s Issue and those that follow it will seem to you to have changed from good to better. _We wnte e ore we ave se~n the final roduct so there ou have the advantage of us. If it is all that we ~ant 1t to _b~, then we ~now you ~Ill like it r~ad it a~d read m~re of it. One change is not apparent, and th~t IS the _deciSIOn_ to pub~1sh only twice '· f . th t issue should appear in September 1996 and will ~ontam matenal ~elatmg to bo_th the t~~t~~~ s~~~~r t~r::. Other changes are more obvious. By publishing t_w1ce ~ ye~r and usmg a Euro-fne~dly A4 format we ho e to save the paper that was cropped to pr~duce o_ur old I_mpenal s1ze, not to speak of c~shiOn . 1' P t ·ts ~ast ·ncreas1·ng price • and to make 1t possible to mtroduce colour for the first time . . · s h I' 1· 1 rt k T t d mg ourse ves agams 1 ,, -1 · d' b hi ' ch to present to a wider audience mter alia the c oo s 1ve y a wor . ex an t he 0 b VIOUS me !Uffi y W . ·h ·1 ·1 · th l"t All photographic illustration combined on a single page should lighten the Impact Wit o~t :;k ~n~ e ha 1 Y· . the same much will strike you as entirely familiar. Yes, House Notes and the old-stye .. . . otes a:'e go~e , but This 'and That (and much else) remains. We hope that you. will b~ tempted to rea~ widely and not JUSt fl1ck through the pictures. We can after all offer you a 'Shakespehenan ~a~ ?f rugby , a Chmese take-aw~y of p~ems, incentives for wanderlust pieces of polemic, reviews a-plenty' VIrgmia Woolf and much more. ease o not wait to be asked for your ~ontributions to succeeding issues. We want to see your artwork and photographs, and above all we want to hear your voice. M .J. T. AND VENETIA TAYLOR.

Th C t · f s h ol Vice-Captain William Tallon and Jennifer Dutton are presented to H.R .H. the Duchess of Kent the Headm'aster and Mrs Phillips) during her visit to the Precincts on Tuesday 19th September. e ap ai~dob choD, (accompame y t e ean, (M'k 111 t. ) 1 e Yl' a erman

...._/

'Jhis

'Jhal

There have been several significant anniversaries in recent months, which have involved some very senior O.K.S. and former members of staff. If Rotulus order may prevail over recent chronological sequence, may we first congratulate Mr Roy Purnell (Staff 1945-69) and his wife Madge on celebrating their Diamond Wedding in August, and Mr Kern Gross (Staff 1945-69) on reaching his 90th birthday on 27th November. A few days later the Headmaster entertained to dinner in St Augustine's Kern and Sue and a number of guests, including three O.K.S. who were members of School House when K.A.C.G. was Housemaster. One of these, Mr Michael Herbert, is of course now a Governor. What was the School House garden, now part of Galpin's, will, when weather permits, be the scene of a tree-planting ceremony to commemorate the occasion . Another Diamond Wedding was celebrated on lOth October, that of Mr Colin Fairservice (Staff 1954-86) and his wife Joan. To them also, many congratulations. They may have been the only ones in this list to have received a card from Cardinal Hume , who was Headmaster of Stonyhurst when C.F. was in charge of rugby there, and who was intent on a Âˇreunion when he came here to preach at the Commemoration Service a few years back. On 17th September the Housemistress of Walpole, Mrs Jean Watson, was host to parents of current pupils and to former members of the House to mark its 60th anniversary. Those who have run the House over the years were well represented , as were its founding members. Among the speakers after lunch in the Shirley Hall was O.K.S. President and former Head of House Mr Peter Venn (WL 1954-60), whose daughter Nicola, the first Head of House when Walpole became a girls' House in 1990-91, was also present. On 16th July the Headmaster attended ceremony at the Carlyon Bay Hotel in his native Cornwall . He unveiled a plaque which reads: 'The King's School and St Edmund's School found a wartime home in this building in the year~ 1940-1945 . To commemorate this and the 50th anniversary of the victory which enabled their return to Canterbury, the Old King's Scholars Association placed this inscription here on 16th July 1995.' Eighty-six O.K.S. and members of their families attended a reunion lunch, at which the menu (prawn cocktail and sirloin of beef) was somewhat different from the rabbit stew and rice pudding of wartime.

Times Past

The School's return from Carlyon Bay to Canterbury in 1945 was celebrated by a Service of Tha~ksgiving in the Cathedral on 20th October of that year. On Sunday 8th October 1995 there was another such serv1ce, much of which had been used in the 1945 service in the presence of Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery. The Vice Dean , Canon Roger Symon, O.K.S. , read the Address of Welcome from the original service. The L~sson was read by Major General H.E.N. Bredin, O.K.S. , and the Sermon was preached by the Dean of Westmmster, the Very Revd Michael Mayne, O.K.S. The Chapel Choir sang an anthem based on verses from Psalm 85 and composed for the occasion by Mr Stephen Matthews. The Dean of Westminster also gave the address, and officiated, at a service of thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey on 19th October to mark the complet~on of the restora~ion .of the Abbey, which has taken twenty-two years. The Queen unveiled a new herald1c wmdow in the Lady Chapel. It features the Queen's Arms as sovereign o~ the Order of the Bath, flanked b~ the. Arms of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh, and was des1gned by the Surveyor of the Fabnc w1th the assistance of Mr Hubert Chesshyre, O.K.S. , Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, ~hose. initials appear in the. centre light of the bottom row. The Dean of Westminster is also represented by a heraldic dev1ce at the top of the wmdow.

Window 95

To quote no less impeccable an authority. th~n The Times Educat!onal Supple~ent: 'Sir Robert Balchin, chairman of the Grant-Mamtamed Schools FoundatiOn, and leadmg wouldbe peer, was not among those elevated to ermine this week. Carpet millionaire Sir Philip Harris was successful however. But the most obvious speaker on educational issues is Canon Peter Pilkington.' We offer our congratu'lations to Canon Pilkington , who takes the title Baron Pilkington of Ox~nford (his Somerset home). He w ill be introduced into the House of Lords in February , suppo:ted by Lord Runc1e an? Lord Peyt~m. He intends to become 'a full-time peer' when he leaves his post as Chauman of the Broadcastmg Complamts Commission next year.

Canon Lord

As part of this summer's VJDay commemorations, The Times published an article by Philip Howard. It read, in part, 'The epitaph for the Allied dead at Kohima caught that laconic simplicity, in which classical understatement is more moving than sentimental gush . When you go home, tell them of us and say For your tomorrow these ga ve their today. The article went on to name the author of this epitaph: not Simonides, not A.E. Housman- but 'a shy classical scholar', J.M . Edmonds. 'As a master at King's School , Canterbury , Edmonds was notorious for seeing his goslings as swans, so that all boys in Mr Edmonds's class were bracketed equal first' . Who was this softie saboteur of Interim Reports? And how did The Times know about it? With indefatigable help from Mr John Stonehouse (SH 1944-50) , we were able to ascertain that, while Edmonds's Times obituary of 1958 gave the chief points of his career, including his stint as classics master at King's at the turn of the The Kohima epitaph centu ry, it was silent on the matter of goslings and swans. Once the penny dropped, that this was surely (with thanks to A.C. Cowell, Esq., M.C., for a piece of inside knowledge, a former pupil of Mr permission to use his photograph) Edmonds, one S.S. Sopwith (1901-05) entered the . frame. Mr Sopwith , in his day a legendary English master at Shrewsbury, ~et.1red to Cant~rbury and , a~ong o~her part-time hobbies, became the founding housemaster (and namer) of Galpm s. H~ cont~1buted from time to time to The Cantuarian. And, sure enough, in 1956 there had appeared a set of pen-portraitS of h1s own teachers, Edmon~s the anti-League Tabler included . Presumably , when Sopwith learnt of Edmonds's death, he sent a copy of th1s piece to The Times ; and whilst not all of it was used in the published obituary, it remained in the larder to be discovered by Philip Howard. Some mysteries remain. Why was this epitaph , which had appeared alm~st as a literary exer~ ise in 1919 â&#x20AC;˘. chos~n for Kohima? And was it quoted by someone from memory? Forth~ v.ers10ns on the memon al. and as pnnted m The Times contain (quite apart from their mutual disagre~n:ents) a dev1at1?n fr?m the true text, wh~ch was report~? Iy a source of some disappointment to its fastidious clasSICISt author to h1s dymg day. We leave 1t to our sensitiVe readers to discover.

Si Monumentum ...

We offer our belated condolences to the family of Charles Shirley , younger son of our former Headmaster, who died at the age of 56 just after the last edition of The Cantuarian had gone to press. He helped to pioneer Methuen Children's Books, and came to be regarded as a prime mover in the seventies revolution that changed children's book publishing to make it a distinct and substantial part of the industry.

Requiescat

The Headmaster has been chairing the co-education group of Headmasters' Conference schools, which commissioned a report by Professor Alan Smithers and Ms Pamela Robinson designed to throw light on the controversy over examination results achieved by singlesex and co-educational schools. The report indicated that the impressive showing of girls ' schools in examination league tables was simply the result of their being highly selective, and that there were no special advantages to single-sex schools; parents could choose mixed schools without worrying that exam results would suffer. The Headmaster defended the report against a forceful fusillade from the Girls ' Schools Association by saying that ' there have been far too many myths and not enough facts around'. The General Secretary of the Girls' Schools Association announced that they were ' very irritated' that Professor Smithers and Ms Robinson had accused them of 'stone-walling' their investigation. She said: 'We have absolutely nothing to hide', and described the Professor's allegation as 'very naughty' .

Girls and Boys

Choral Scholarship

The following pupils have been offered places as choral scholars at Cambridge. They deserve congratulations for the dedication and hard work put into preparing for these formidable auditions. Helena Ancock Jesus College, Cambridge. Jessica Stephens Clare College, Cambridge. Thomas Tallon Trinity College, Cambridge. Georgeanna Williams Trinity College, Cambridge.

A number of new members of staff joined us in September, and we hope that they will enjoy their time at King's. Mr Stefan Anderson is the new Director of Music. He was educated in his native Canada, and after taking his first two degrees at Carleton University in Ottawa, he attended the Royal College of Music in London for a year before becoming Organ Scholar at Emmanuel Co~lege, Cambridge. He is particularly interested in the late baroque period,Âˇ and in his spare time, a concept wh1ch he may have forgotten about by now, he enjoys walking, sailing and the theatre. Since becoming a member of the Physics Department, Mr Steven Bosworth has joined the ranks of the Doctors in our midst, and we offer our warmest congratulations. He was at school in Market Harborough before going up to Merton College, Oxford. He moved to Wolfson College to study for his D. Phil. , and comes to King's from there. He is a keen cyclist and oarsman, and plays the guitar in private. The need for a teacher of both Biology and Chemistry brought an addition to the Science Department in the person of Miss Judith Ker~, ~ho was doing h~r teaching qualification at Christ Church College after taking her first degree at Corpus Chnstl College, Cambndge, where she was Ladies' Boat Club Captain. She has lived in a variety of far-flung countries and her pre-graduation jobs included creating a database for the Silsoe Research Institute, working as a Y.M.C .A. Summer Camp Counsellor in Connecticut, and as an au pair in Ottawa. Mr Patrick Lee-Browne has moved from Rugby School to join the English Department. An O ld Malvernian, he went to Clare College, Cambridge, and to the College of Law in Chester before opting for teaching. He is alr~ady involved i~ the mu~icallife of the School, and although he will find hill-walking a bit difficult to arrange d~nng the term, h1s other mterests can no doubt be accommodated: Scottish dancing and pole lathe turning. His w1fe Nicky is a freelance author and editor of children's non-fiction books. That p~rt of the Art Department known as ' Design and Print' is now in the hands of Mrs Orlagh Meegan-Gallagher, who stud1ed at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and the London University Institute of Education. She then worked predominantly in the theatre and the film industry, including a year at Shepperton Studios and a year at Sydney Opera House as a textile artist. Since being back in London she has had three exhibitions of her own art work. She, too, is keen on choral singing. Despite b~ing mistakenly ticked off by a senior colleague for j umping the queue in the Dining Hall, Miss Alison Potts,. who m fact left school (in Newcastle-under-Lyme) a few years ago, has settled most cheerfully into the E~ghsh Department and into Jervis House as Resident Tutor. She comes to us from Trinity College, Oxford, With a particular interest in women writers and Gothic novels. The latter interest has already made its mark on the Marlowe Society and must be coming in handy when she is coping with Remove netball. Miss Monique Rodes, a native of Bordeaux , has been introduced to our readers before, when covering for colleagues on leave, and we are most fortunate to have secured her services again during Mrs Dominique Davis's absence in Brussels. She is now a full-time member of the French Department and a Tutor in Mitchinson 's . Contemplative Theology is the special academic interest of Miss Samantha Stayte, who joins the Religious Studies Depart~ent fro'? Exeter ~ollege, Oxford, and the Exeter University School of Education . She is helping with S~1mmmg and IS embarkmg on a daunting Thursday Afternoon Activity listed in the local jargon as 'Baking With Shells'. ' '

Welcome

We bid farewell to one South African and two New Zealanders, all of whom have made an outstanding contribution to the life of the School during their three terms here. Mr Mark Perrett returns to South Africa after a one year exchange with Mr Nick Phillis. An appreciation of him appears elsewhere in this edition. Kiwis Rachel Smith and James Plummer came to us straight from school, but lost no time in establishing themselves as members of staff with every intention of contributing as much as they could during the year. They have been immensely competent and enthusiastic contributors in the P.E. and Games Departments, and have also helped out in Walpole and Linacre respectively. We thank them and wish them every success in the future.

Valete

Following in the steps of Saskia Stirling-Aird (LX), the first King's girl to represent Great Britain at rowing (in the Ghent International Regatta in May 1995), Lucy Heise (LX) and Frances Houghton (WL) won two gold medals each for Great Britain at the Coupe de Ia Jeunesse in Bourges (July 1995). On the same occasion Tim Ridges (GR) won two silver medals. Earlier , in May, Frances became King's first single sculling medallist at the National Schools Regatta.

The Gold Standard

James Plummer and Rachel Smith (M. P.H.D.)

\1!~ Saskia Stirling-Aird

Lucy Heise

Frances Houghton (Mike Waterman)

Tim Ridges

Myles Orsler (LN 1989-94) played for Oxford Upiversity in this year's Varsity Match at Twickenham. He was one of only five Englishmen and one of two undergraduates to be selected. Although he played at No. 8 for the School XV, he played at open-side flanker for Oxford, a position he took when he played for England Colts on their summer tour to Canada a few years ago. The last O.K.S. Rugby Blue, also playing for Oxford, was J.M. Hutchinson in 1972. Andrew Brice (GL) and Qin Wiseman (GR) have played Rugby for Kent and were invited to the final London/South-East trial for Under-18 players. Five members of the School represented Kent at Under- 161evel: James Hessey (TR), Robert Adams (LN) , Olukayode Akindele (GR), Simon Lau (MO), and Chike Okoli (MO). The first four have reached the London/South-East trial.

Blue Rugby

Bishop John Bickersteth, who was born in the room in Meister Omers which is now the Shells' study area, has presented the House (on long-term loan) with a portrait of himself. This coincides with the launch of his edition of his grandmother's war diaries, The Bickersteth Diaries 1914-1918. Mrs Samuel Bickersteth was the wife of a Residentiary Canon of Canterbury Cathedral. Her family was the last to live in Meister Omers, and a distinguished portrait of the Canon already hangs in the Housemaster's drawing room. The Headmaster launched the publication before about a hundred guests in St Augustine's, including Lord Coggan, who contributed a foreword to the book, and twentyfive members of the Bickersteth family.

M.O. 's Canon

Mr Brian Turner is now the Director of Studies following the retirement of Mr Christopher Millar. Mr Martin Lawrence and Miss Sarah Mills returned for the Autumn Term as Mr and Mrs Lawrence, and we wish them well. The music at their wedding was provided by Mr Martin Miles (organ), Miss Anna Price and Mr The Headmaster, with Leo Cooper (publisher) and Jonathan White (flutes). The reception was Bishop John Bickersteth, launching 'The Bickersteth Diaries 1914-1918' somewhat delayed while Sarah was involved (M.J. T.) in a road accident and went to hospital to be patched up, but her resilience, combined with a more than adequate supply of refreshments for the waiting guests, ensured that the reception went ahead con brio, as her husband would say. Mr Raymond Butt is well known for his expertise on railway matters, and this expertise is now in the public domain following the publication of his Directory of Railway Stations. With more than 16,000 entries it is a complete listing of all names carried by railway stations , past and present, in the United Kingdom. There are photographs of items from his collection of tickets , built up over four decades. Britain - a guide to architectural styles since 1066 is the title of Mr Hubert Pragnell 's latest publication. He tells us that although the book has more than 300 pages, it fits into the pocket like the 1960s best-seller containing the thoughts of Chairman Mao. Any other similarities are, presumably, coincidental. The same publisher, Ellipsis, has recently produced a work by Mr Pragnell 's former pupil Samantha Hardingham (GR 1984-86): England a guide to recent architecture. The Royal Naval College at Greenwich has produced a print of Mr Pragnell 's watercolour of the Painted Hall , for sale to officers attending courses at the defence colleges. He is 'trying to do his bit to make this wonderful hall fully appreciated before it loses its naval connection (in 1997) after over 300 years'. Mr Tim Armstrong's first novel Walter and the Resurrection of G was republished in a paperback edition in December. Early on in the term he gave in the Schoolroom an illustrated talk, organised by Kent Arts and Libraries, entitled 'Unlocking the Middle Ages' . One section of this talk was on the subject of magic numbers, and referred to the significance of 153 (the number of fishes in the miraculous draft). His young daughter later told him that the light under which he was lecturing bore the number 153 - a matter of significance only to the Premises Department? Those mathematically inclined might like to work out the odds of such a happening. Mr Armstrong has also written an article entitled ' Discourse Analysis, Doubt and Uncertainty in Medical Computing'. It comes to the rather alarming conclusion that a computer capable of bridging the gap between scientific discourse and ordinary discourse would need to be larger than the known universe, and that the alternative scenario is a situation of 'hopeless and infinite regress ' . No, Dr Mall ion is not going to be left out of this term's research and publications section, but on this occasion h~ appears not in his capacity as auteur but as causeur. The recent biography ofW.H. Auden by Richard DavenportHmes draws on the crucial role played by Dr Mallion in cheering up Auden at Christ Church , Oxford , in 1972-73: 'It was generally considered bad form to talk shop in the Common Room, and his efforts in this direction were u~ually r~buffed: a young research lecturer called Roger Mallion , who was willing to talk science with him, gave him some rare moments of intellectual pleasure in these months.' Plus qa change ... Those who wish to share Dr Mallion's mixed feelings about the company he keeps in the index under ' m' are invited to refer to page 401 of the biography.

Common Room

(Conrad Krawczyk)

(Alex M arden)

Hoffman Prize

The seventh Calvin and Rose G. Hoffman Prize for distinguished publication on Christopher Marlowe has been awarded to Professor Jonathan Bate of Liverpool University .

The Librarian is grateful for a number ?f do~ations to the Sch?ol ~ibr~ry. Dr Timot~y Hands's recent book on Thomas Hardy IS rev1ewed elsewhere m th1s ed1t10n; Dr Martm Mansergh (LN 1960-65) has presented a~other v.olume by his father Nich?las Man~ergh entitled The Unresolved Question: the Anglo-Irish settlement and Its undomg 1912-1972. A.D. Wra1ght has kmdly given a copy of her book The Story that the Sonnets Tell. New CD-ROMs include The World Magazine Bank - which gives full-text arti~les from some magazi.nes, and abstracts and indexing for others. We also subscribe to Agen~e France Presse, wh1ch of~e~s a range ~f ~rticles from various French newspapers , updated every three months, m.the same way as our ex1stmg subscnptio~s ~o the Independent, Economist, and New Scientist. Two stand-a~one titles we have purchased are Facts about Bntam 1945-1995 - an H.M.S.O. electronic database, and Discovermg Authors - a valuable reference tool for European and Classics authors, as well as English and American ones. Walpole monopolises our notes on O.K.S. publications: The Music: Stories is by James Hamilt~n-Pater~on (WL 1955-61) ; A Private Moon is by Peter Benson (WL 19.66-71); an? Jeremy Maule (WL 1966-70) 1s co-ed1t?r with Adrian Poole of The Oxford Book of Classical Verse m Transla~wn. A former memb~r of Walpo~e has also had a hand in an exhibition at the Birmingham Art Gallery. Howard R1cketts ( 1~5~-58) prov1ded from h1s personal collection some fine examples of ' Treasures from the Courts of Mughal India . Linacre pitches in somewhat closer to home: the ~iogr~phy o.f David Gower by Rob ~teen .contains much on his schooldays, with contributions from M~ssrs Coli~ ~ame~v1ce, Alan Dyer an~ David Reid,. among other~. The author moves via some strange subconsc1ous assoc1at10n of Ideas from a letter wntten by Mr Reid to an analys1s of David Gower's handwriting. . Lords of Parliament , edited by R.W. Davies , includes the first fl1:aJOr study of Lord !hur~ow (1746-48) , the eighteenth-century Lord Chancellor. The author is Grayson D1tchfield, of the Umvers1ty of Kent at Canterbury. Contemporary British Art in Print is the title of a book and an exhibition,. c.e!ebrating the first ten years o.f the Paragon Press established by Charles Booth-Clibborn (SH 1980-81). The exhibitiOn opened at the Scott1sh Nat10nal Gallery of M~dern Art, and moved to the Yale Centre for British Art over the New Year.

Library

As usual , we are able to report that various distinguished O.K.S. have been taking charge in a variety of walks of life . Mr Richard Ralph (LN 1~6fi9-7~?) hasW ta.k~n chDarge of hthe Falkland Islands as Governor. Could this be an O.K.S. 1rst . Mr 1 1am uggan as taken charge of Batley Grammar School: as Headmaster. Not an O.K.S. 'first', though we may ha;e to go back for precedent to a certain Mr A. Latter. Anyone who ~o:-vs of an O.K.S. Headmaster at a Headmasters Conference school since that time is invited to contact the ArchiVISt. Mr Stuart Whatton (MO 1976-8 1) has become private secretary to the ~~to~ney General, Sir Nichola.s Lyell. It occurs to us that the latter's daughter Veronica was a member of Galpm s ~~ ~986-~8 . ~r Wha~to.n IS based at the Department of the Environment, and has combined his talent as ~ ~us1,c1an w1th h1s con~ 1ct10ns as an environmentalist to produce an anthem based on the words. of the Be~ediCite: 0 all ye ~reen thmgs up~n the earth, bless ye the Lord .. . ' This has been perform~d by ~Is own chOir, the Marsham Smgers, at a serv1c~ of thanksgiving in St Stephen's, Rochester Row, at wh1ch Michael Peat (MO 1989-94) played the flute and Nigel Field (GL) the cello . Mr Jonathan Powell (GL 1969-73) continues to enjoy a .reputat~on as 'an energetic fixer who combines managerial discipline with diplomacy' in his capacity as Tony Blair's Ch1ef of Staff. The Director of the Canterbury Festival, Mr Mark Deller (SH 1952-57) , has been awarded an honorary _Docto~ate of Music by the University of Kent. Degrees are co~ferred in the Cathedra~, where ~r Deller began h1s m~s1cal career as a chorister in 1946. His first appearance m the Canterbury Festival was m 1949 w~en the chonste~s performed the opera The Children of the Chapel in whic~ he played t~e part of Purcell. While he was a pupil at King's, he sang in the concert which marked the openmg of the Shirley Hall. Mr Deller's 1995 Canterbury Festival programme cover and poster were provided by a. w~tercolour painted by Toby Ward (MT 1979-83). It shows the Cathedral seen across the Green Court. The artist 1s one of the three O.K.S. sons of John Ward, R.A. One of the regular presenters of the Radio 4 Arts programme Kale~doscbpe is Paul Allen (GR 1~55.-6 1), who spends much of his working week attending performance~ to ~e reviewed on the programme. Th1s mvolves a lot of travelling, since he lives in Sheffield with countryside virtually on the doorst~p and do~s not .accept t~e view expressed by Londoners that Hampstead Heath is perfectly adequate as countryside. I~ an mtervi.ew for his local paper in Sheffield he observed that his .time at King's was un,happy at first, but that It taught h1m how to exist within institutions - 'which has been mvaluable at the BBC . Michael Morpurgo (GL 1957-62) , the author of.over forty children'~ books, ha~ won ~he Beef~ater Childre~' s Novel Award for his work The Wreck of the Zanzibar. As one of five category wmners (alongside Roy Jenkms

O.K.S.

and Salman Rushdie) he goes forward to the final draw for the Whitbread Book of the Year, one of the most valuable and prestigious in the book trade. The judges described the novel as ' deeply moving and believable' and it is considered to be highly readable for adults. A photograph of David Bond (MR 1984-89) appeared in the Peterborough column of The Daily Telegraph during the summer. He was playing the part of Prospera in The Tempest in Oxford, as a member of the professional theatre company called the Oxford Headlights. What excited the reporter was the presence in the audience of David's former colleagues from Mercury Asset Management in London. The paper quoted him as saying: 'It's very sweet of them to come and watch me. They all say they wish they had the guts to throw in their jobs. Smooth-talking people into trusting you with their money is just acting after all'. Following Oxford and Edinburgh, the company was bound for Singapore. The villagers of Boughton, Dunkirk and Hernhill may not have tackled The Tempest just yet, but their theatrical endeavours also merited media attention. The Kent Messenger Extra records that their latest offering, a musical called The Tallyman, was written by The Revd Will Mowll (GL 1956-60). Fifteen members of his family have passed through King's in the last 120 years, most recently his sons Ben (GL 1980-85) and Joshua (GL 1983-88). The first vicar of Dunkirk, sent there to civilise the natives after the notorious Courtney riots of the 1830s, also initiated a King's clan, the Horsleys. Mr Stuart Neame, father of a current King's family, was the musical director. Mr Mowll told the paper that 'selecting the cast had proved to be good fun'. The report goes on: ' Pallbearers from Hogben and Partis funeral directors , Faversham, appeared as themselves.' One of our distinguished actors of recent years, Eliot Shrimpton (GL 1989-94) kindly wrote to express his appreciation of the arrangements made by Mr Michael Harris for a choir made up of former members of the Crypt Choir to perform together in St Albans Cathedral. Under the name Cantores Cryptae they sang services there under his direction at the end of August. This was the first such venture bringing together singers from a number of previous years. Eliot described it as 'a wonderful reunion, gossip exchange and holiday ' . Mr Harris feels that it is destined to be repeated. 'Why St Albans?' we hear you ask, if you do not happen to remember a couple of significant facts: our former colleague Mr Barry Rose is Organist and Choirmaster, and our former Residentiary Canon and School Governor, the Very Revd Dr Christopher Lewis, is Dean. Readers who happened to be passing Blewetts the Bakers in Pydar Street, Truro, before Christmas would have had a chance to hear another past member of the choir, Tessa Spong (SH 1986-88). She chose this spot for strictly musical reasons: the plate glass and brick of Marks and Spencer provided an excellent acoustic for her busking. Our journalistic source tells us that she is 'now' a member of the BBC Symphony Chorus , but does not make it clear whether this is a direct consequence of her performance outside the bakery. Dr Michael Foale (SH 1970-74) is now at Star City, near Moscow , training for a flight to the Russian Mir station in 1997. We imagine that the timing of this mission is designed to coincide with our fourteen-hundredth anniversary celebrations. Siberia figures in a money-raising project involving Captain Hugh Andree (MO 1982-87) of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. He ran in the New York Marathon in November in aid of a wildlife project dedicated to saving the Siberian tiger from extinction. The regiment is known as the Tigers. Two other well-known fitness fanatics have hit the headlines by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, all 19,300 feet of it. Daniel Hullah (MR 1987-92) completed the climb with his father, our former Chaplain , now Canon Peter Hullah, who first climbed the mountain when he was a student teacher in Kenya. The temperature went from 25 degrees at the start to minus 12 at the summit. Canon Hullah , describing himself as 'a keen long-distance walker', told The Manchester Evening News: 'The mountain has become steeper over the last twenty-six years.' Which puts into a rather depressing perspective one's own anxieties about the Palace Block stairs. The staff at Junior King 's has been joined by O.K.S. Christopher Curl (MR 1975-80), who has moved back to Canterbury after a period as Head of English at Haileybury Junior School. We are reminded that the recycling process goes well beyond that of Mr Curl despatching pupils to his former teachers at King's: he was taught by Mr Woodley , whose father taught his father; and his maternal grandfather, who was an HMI, inspected J.K.S. forty years ago. Anyone planning a visit to Russia will note this cautionary tale involving journalist Thomas de Waal (MT 1976-79). Do not accept a drink from a stranger. Mr de Waal whiled away a lonely evening in Kursk with two friendly locals. A few vodkas produced a more than usually strong sense of disorientation, during which his wallet was stolen and he was left to his own devices in the snow. The drug clonidine, better known as a treatment for high ? lood pressure, is practically tasteless when slipped into a large vodka, and is an effective sedative. Unfortunately It can also cause a dangerously slow pulse rate (which is not good for anyone lying unconscious in snow) , depression a~~ possibly impotence (which is not good for anyone not lying unconscious in snow). Clinics catering for foreign VISitors to Moscow are now treating several cases of clonidine poisoning a month. You have been warned. The first female Captain of School, Miriam Lwanga (WL 1990-95), had the honour of being invited to the reception given for The Women of the Year. Probably not for the last time. Mr John Moss (GR 1937-39) has sent us a copy of his new boy 's time-table, for the Christmas Term 1937. ! here ~re only 36 periods instead of the 41 now, but they are correspondingly longer. The only subject that signals Its enlightened nature by the curtailme nt of its name to initials is P .T., once a week. There is no Science but four foreign languages - Greek, Latin, French and German. And the afternoons were a treat : double Maths, double Latin , double Greek.

We apologise to Mr A.D. Wilson (GR 1935-40) for an error in our last edition. In his obituary of Mr John Corner we had a party of 'six boys from several schools' being led to Canada. The number mysteriously moved into that part of the text from the line below, where it referred to the number of places visited between Banff and Quebec. Mr Wilson ~ssures us that eight boys in the party came from King' s, well outnumbering Manchester Grammar School, despite the fact that they sailed from and back into Liverpool docks .

Sixes and Eights

What do Rumanian Christmas cards , wheelchairs, knitted teddies and carol singing have in common? Walpole House has indulged in a spree of charitable events , including a twenty-four hour sponsored needle-click. Even the House Tutors rose to the occasion, although some teddies were unique in a dropped-stitch sort of way. Meanwhile The Grange and School House played a five-hour charity football match (GR won 33-27) to raise money for the International Spinal Research Trust. King's Knitting

For the last three days of the summer holidays and the first few days of term, e ight Remove pupils were involved in the filming of an educational video for French children: Sasha Ball (WL) , Anthony Burton (MT) , Jenny Dutton (WL), Sam London (GR) , Laurent Mather (MT) , Emily Perkin (WL), Tom Pickering (MR) and Julia Wharfe (MR). The video , called Apple Pie 5 , follows the exploits of the 'Video-kids' as they make a school documentary R.E.B. knits (Pete Baines) about Canterbury and King' s. Their exploits include interviewing dog-owners walking their pets, ghost . . .. hunting, interviewing O.K.S. singer Tom Phillips and Canterbury fire-fight.e rs, and viSitmg McDonald's .. ~he pupils enjoyed making the video and working with professionals, and they w1sh to thank S .W.W . for orgams~ng it all. Readers are advised that the end-result is for video release only , and that they should not start queumg at their local cinema.

Tarte aux Pommes?

Apple Pie Video: Anthony Burton and Laurent Mather film Jenny Dutton and Sasha Ball interviewing Tom Phillips, O.K.S. , on his singing career

Physical Effrontery

' When light enters a prism it does so at an angle of insolence.'

VALE MARK PERRETT (K.S.C. 1995) The Master of Studies and I were all too aware of with four different courses and with six new sets of the risk involved as we debated the possibility of an pupils, including girls! And he didn' t j ust cope: he exchange between N .L.P. and a southern-hemisphere taught to A-level standard topics which he had not dealt Geographer. Unlike the usual run of appointments with for years; he carried out fieldwork in local villages; where one expects to draw up a short list from a number he worked alongside colleagues and students on fieldof applicants, to interview and finally after due courses in Dorset and Cumbria; and in his 'spare' time consideration to coached rugby appoint , with and cricket as this e xchange well as being a we were faced temporary tutor with no choice, in Tradescant. no interview and A ll this was only a Headadmirable, but master 's a seven more so surance that the was the time he person in queswas willing to tion would be spend talki ng acceptable to us. over aspects of Our exchange Geography and teacher would wider educationarrive after al issues. I hope Christmas from Mark felt that he Hilton College, was able to take P ie termaritzback to Hilton as burg, and simply much of value continue from as I feel that where N .L.P. I gained from had left off. I him. He was wondered what never afraid to the 6a pupils ask for help and m ig ht think, he was always what our new willing to help colleague would us. He contrimake of A-level buted much to and G.C .S.E., d epa r tmenta l and most impormeetings and tantly whether nothing was too we would get much trouble for on . It is possible him. that we we re However I do lucky, but my feel more than a advice to any little guilt about other Head of how much we Department has demanded of to be that the Mark. I'm not ris k is we ll sure how much wo rth ta king . Lee and the boys The two indiM .A .P. (M. P.H .D .) saw of him dur~iduals directly ing term-time; mvolved did almost all the work in setting up the even though they made up for that in the holidays, which exchange , so I had little to do but wait. were used for travelling in the U. K . , North America Mark Perrett arrived early in the New Year with Lee and Europe. I hQpe Bryce enjoyed his year at StPeter's and. ~hei.r two boys, Bryce and Dylan; and after an Primary School. I'm sorry we couldn't fi nd the ex~Itl?g day spent hunting the wildebeest in Stelling wildebeest, and I hope Lee will remember the good Mmms I knew that it would work. I have seldom come weather . across someone with so much energy . Mark had to cope R .I.R.

CHAPLAIN'S NOTES servers sustain the daily Eucharist; the Christian Forum and the Monday Compline ensure that the school , both as individuals and as a group, is properly supported. It is encouraging to note the larger number of pupils who took School Prayers this term. A ll are to be congratulated: the standard was pleasingly high. Members of staff continue to be very supportive in leading both School and Crypt Prayers. This is a long term. That the music, from both Crypt Choir and Chapel C hoir, has been sustained so well is impressive. There is much for which to be thankful. The message of Christmas is a disturbing one. God is living in this world: he is born in impoverished surroundings to an unmarried teenage mother in an obscure town in a remote province of the Roman Empire at a rather undistinguished time in its history. If we wish it, the junketings of C hristmas can obscure this. If we wish it, the junketings of C hristmas can celebrate this. The Christian belief is that the birth of Jesus transforms the world : it makes it more fully what God created it to be. J.A.T.

In a term characterised by some fine preaching and excellent music, the most lasting memory for many may be of the Remembrance Sunday service. The weather was absolutely ideal - to the extent of a gentle breeze causing dying leaves to cascade during the two minutes' silence; the readings thoughtfully executed; the music first-class; the Chapel Choir breathtaking in its simplicity of tone and quality of diction. It is a service which every member of the school values and contributes to : that is evident from the quality of the congregational participation. For some a lasting memory will be of the sermons: exemplified perhaps by Father Harry Potter on Advent Sunday, whose captivating style of delivery and clear exposition of the Christian Gospel rivalled even the Bishop of Edinburgh at the Commemoration Service. The Carol Service, as always, was memorable for a variety of reasons. Again, the fact that those attending value the service and consequently participate positively is one of the most important parts: corporate worship in a boarding school is a significant part of community life. There is, to complement this, private prayer. The

SERMONS welcomed the School back home to Canterbury, using the words read this morning by Canon Roger Symon, who was then a boy at the Choir School. And listened as Monty , in beret and battle dress, read the lesson, appropriately from the Book of Kings, as if he was addressing the troops. Monty, who was not renowned for his modesty, and of whom his ADC used to say when briefing those due to meet him: ' He will ask you if you have met before. You can say ''yes'' or you can say " no". What I warn you not to say is " I don't remember".' During the service Alister Kneller, the Captain of School who was to become a High Court Judge, read a list of Founders and Benefactors which ended with the names of the ninety-two O.K.S. who had been killed in the war; and the newly-enthroned Archbishop, Geoffrey Fisher, preached. It's impossible for anyone now to imagine just what impact that Thanksgiving Service made on even the most chapel-resistant of us. We had come from those war years on the Cornish cliffs where the unpretentious hotel garage served as a chapel, hall and theatre, back to a battered Canterbury, the school buildings scarred by war, the Dining Hall flattened, the Green Court covered with trenches and marred by an underground aid-raid shelter. And we came into this Cathedral, all its stained glass removed, but still a charismatic building in the shadow of which the school, whose ethos we now had to rediscover, had stood for centuries. I am one who owes a great deal to that brilliant, maddening and unpredictable Headmaster, 'Fred' Shirley; but also to one particular member of staff, an

ADDRESS GIVEN ON SUNDAY 8TH OCTOBER AT A SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING TO MARK THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RETURN OF THE SCHOOL TO CANTERBURY IN 1945 THE VERY REVEREND MICHAEL MAYNE, O.K.S ., THE DEAN OF WESTMINSTER How is it that the nerve cells of the brain , which are soft like toothpaste with little threads of nerve fibre running down between them, can hold the memories of a lifetime so that nothing is ever lost to us and a lifetime is both linear and instant? For here, inside our heads, everything happens at once and the past flows into the present. When in fifty years ' time you who are now at King's look back on your life, you will find that you are still all the ages you have ever been, and that all the people and places (like this) which you have loved and which have mattered to you, still live under your skin . And so this morning there is a sixty-six-year-old me standing in this pulpit, and there is a s ixteen-year-old me standing here too, remembering exactly where I sat up there in the quire in 1945, and listened amazed as Dean Hewlett Johnson , with the looks of an Old Testament prophet and strangely guttural voice,

old man called S.S. Sopwith. He taught me English. He was one of those rare teachers who are content to stand beside you and simply point things out. ' What do you think of this?' he'd ask, or ' Isn't that something?' And he opened my eyes to the power and beauty of words in a way that helped shape my life. Jesus of Nazareth was that kind of teacher. He opened people's eyes by the way he spoke about God and about life, and he attracted followers and changed their lives, simply by showing them marvellous truths about themselves they had never seen before. For discovering truth is about learning to see. And I've found that people can be roughly divided into those who simply glance at things, and those who look more deeply, look with what William Blake called 'the inward eye'. Call them, for convenience, the one-eyed and the two-eyed. In the Kingdom of the one-eyed, logic and reason are king. One-eyed will only believe in what he can see and hear and touch. He might thump this pulpit and say: 'Solid matter - hit it and it hurts' . He will explain himself in terms of his neuro-chemistry. He might walk past the grave of Isaac Newton in my Abbey and salute a great physicist, believing that science will one day solve all mysteries and explain everything. Two-eyed sees more deeply. She looks at the world with a kind of wonder, valuing reason but valuing equally intuition and imagination . She recognizes that she is a human being unlike anyone who has ever existed before, unique, mysterious and irreplaceable. She is amazed that words placed just so in an ode of Keats or a sonnet of Shakespeare, or a human face shown in a certain light by Rembrandt, or notes placed in a certain sequence by Haydn or Mozart, should through some mysterious chemistry create a timeless and haunting beauty; and she wonders too how it is that in certain experiences - for example, listening to music or falling in love - we seem to transcend ourselves and go beyond what words can easily explain. And as two-eyed explores the mysterious world of quantum physics, she knows that this seemingly solid pulpit isn't solid at all but an endless dance of atoms in their electric field. When she passes Newton's grave she remembers that he once wrote: ' In the absence of any other proof, the human thumb alone will convince me of God' s existence' . One-eyed thinks that being religious means going to church, saying prayers and singing hymns. Two-eyed knows that being religious means being open to mystery and won~er, and finding it astonishing that anything at all ex1sts, let alone a world of such staggering complexity and beauty. When it comes to God, oneeyed wants proof, certainty ; a God who can be defined and pinned down and understood . But, says two-eyed, you have missed the point. For God isn't an object open to o~r i~~pection. God is the word we use to explain ?ur 1~tU1tlve sense that undergirding all that is, holding It all m being, is the hand of a divine creator; and that we find him in the depth and mystery of our lives. But that's a matter of faith, not proof; trust, not certainty. ~t's about trusting that God was indeed revealing himself m Jesus f:hrist. Trusting that this man alone of all our race faced the transcendent mystery and said that his name was Father and his nature Love . And that what he said was true.

All I have ever wanted to do as a priest is to imitate every good teacher and say: let me show you what it looks like to me; what human beings look like when seen in this light; what the Serbian and Bosnian refugee, or the child who has just died of starvation in Rwanda, look like in the light of Christ. For it changes them. Look at them two-eyed and you see that, like us , each is of unique, equal and irreplaceable worth. And , finally, I have tried to say: let me tell you what God looks like in this light. In the light of Christ healing and forgiving, and suffering and dying on a Cross, he looks like one who is loving and compassionate . He looks, in a word, Christ-like. It also looks to me as if the God revealed in Christ has an absolute claim on our lives: that the values we are to live by -as individuals, as a school, as a nation, as a world- are his unchanging values of love and truth, compassion, justice and integrity. And that all those worldly standards of money and power and competitiveness are often in conflict with Christ's unfashionable standards of unselfish love and thoughtful service. Those who crucified Jesus gave him the title of King. They hung it above him on the Cross and they laughed at him. 'He claims to be a king,' they mocked. 'So let him reign from there. ' And what I first discovered in this marvellous Cathedral , and have never seriously doubted since, is that he does.

A SERMON PREACHED ON ADVENT SUNDAY THE REVEREND HARRY POTTER Matthew 25:3 1-46 In days of old crowds larger even than this used to assemble at Tyburn to watch the condemned felon walk towards the scaffold led by an ecclesiastical dignitary. After he had mounted the steps a noose would be put round his neck, he would make his last speech to the impatient mob and then over a period of half an hour he would be slowly strangled to death. Well, I hope that this will not be my last sermon, and I can promise you that neither my death throes nor your agony will last for as long as half an hour. 'String 'em up!' 'Flogging is too good for them.' ' Lock them up and throw away the key!' You know the slogans spouted by the popular press and by unpopular politicians. They may well be sentiments you echo. In our society crime is the great fear, and punishment the panacea. Old Tories and New Labour vie with each other to be tough on crime and win the hearts, minds- and votes - of the Sun-reading public - all of us! Judges who used to be feared for the punishments they imposed and be immune from political interference are now criticised by press and politicians for being 'soft' on criminals. Prisons which were until recently condemned for their degrading conditions and for being the universities of crime are now held up as the only answer: more prisons , more prisoners, longer sentences, harslier conditions. Today is Advent Sunday when the Church awaits the coming of Jesus in Bethlehem and contemplates the second coming of Jesus in judgment. So what does

Tomb of Archbishop John Stratford, Canterbury Cathedral. (Clym Evernden) 16

Christianity teach, what does the Bible say about judgment? T he Bible is almost a textbook on crime and punishment. It begins with a crime and ends in a court. It begins with a crime: Adam is exiled from Eden and sentenced to hard labour for life, but God makes sure there are clothes on his back, food in his belly, and hope in his heart. Cain the first killer - and of his own brother - is branded for life, but the mark is for his protection as well as for his punishment. He lives to become th~ ~~st ~ityÂ builder, the founder of our urban CIVIlisatiOn. It ends in a Court, but no ordinary court, for the judge is prejud iced in favour of the defendants and even has a criminal conviction himself. The Judge is Jesus: Jesus who is also our advocate, our defence barrister, our ' brief ; Jesus who was a friend of sinners, who told the parable of the lost sheep and the prodigal son , who taught 'Judge not that ye be not judged' and 'T urn the other cheek'; Jesus who was condemned as a criminal, crucified between two other criminals, and who on the cross promised a criminal that he would be the first Christian in paradise. The Bible is Law but it is also Gospel. Divine judg ment as revealed there has three characteristics. Firstly it holds out hope: no one is too lost to be found - not even Rosemary West and Myra Hindley. We can be born again. Adam is clothed; Cain is protected ; the prodigal is reclaimed. Secondly it looks to the heart: God sees not just the crime, not j ust the criminal, but the individual too: ' Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart'. Thirdly it is merciful. It gives as many last chances as it takes and then some: Jesus is asked ' How many times should I forgive my brother? Seven times?' and replies ' Not seven times but seven times seventy'. T he Gospel this morning talks of Jesus judging not individ uals but the nations. Our society, our nation , will be judged - as all nations are - by how it measures up to God 's kingdom, by the quality of its compassion: and one criterion is how we deal with prisoners. Do we hold out hope? Do we look to the heart? Do we judge with mercy and give as many chances as it takes? Take two contrasting examples. We are fast creating a group of long-term prisoners who have nothing to live for, other than vengeance or escape; escape out of prison or into drugs or through suicide. One such is the young man who escaped from Parkhurst last January. I have known Mark since he first arrived in Aylesbury at the age of nineteen. He was a university student and in many ways a brill iant all-rounder - artistic, musical, inventive. H is background was complicated. He came from a middle class family, but one with problems. Taller than most, odder than most, he stood out as an oddball at school and was the butt of many of his peers. He developed a grudge against and derision for humanity and used his brains to get revenge. He manufactured explosives, planted incendiaries , and badly burnt Leeds University chapel. No one was hurt duri ng his whole campaign but this was more by

(M adeleine Preston)

accident than design. Finally, on holiday, he fired two crossbow bolts into a neighbour's house when an allnight party annoyed him. The police were called and found not only the crossbow but an arsenal in his bedroom, and diaries outlining his actions over the previous few years. On remand he began to changehe was only nineteen after all - became chapel orderly, began to get on with the sort of people he had never done before. Things began to sort themselves out. He expected ten years - a long time for a nineteen-yearold. He got six life sentences, a fourteen-year minimum tariff, and was made Category A, the maximum security categorisation which severely restricted his movements even within a maximum security prison. Over the years despair has dislodged hope. All he lives for is to escape. It is, after all, the greatest virtue in wartime. They threw away the keys in Mark's case, so he manufactures his own. On his arrest he was dangerous , a risk to the public, but I do not believe he was a monster, nor beyond redemption. Perhaps now he is all o.f those things, but, if he is, it is partly at least because we have made him so. If he is not, it is due to the triumph of the human spirit in adversity and the infinite love and power of God.

was prepared to take a risk for what was right, and he was right to take that risk. It was the Christian thing to do.

A very different tale is that of Jason, a drug addict and domestic burglar. He has been in and out of gaol all his li fe. He has to feed his habit and so he steals. Burglary - even by day - is considered a very serious crime, almost always meriting imprisonment. Last January he was given a last chance by the Crown Court. He would not go to prison but be placed on probation , providing he attended a residential drug rehabilitation project. Well, he did not. But this was not his fault. There was no place available. He still had a habit, he still had to fund it, he committed further burglaries. I represented him last month when he was pleading guilty to some seven offences - but how many had he committed? He should have gone to prison. No judge could justify not so sentencing him. But he did not. On the day he came up for sentencing a probation officer arrived in the court. He told the judge that that very day a place had arisen in the drug project, but it could not be kept open. His car was outside. If the judge were to risk it he would take Jason personally to the project and a month later he would return to hear his fate. With considerable reluctance the judge acceded to this request, but warned Jason that imprisonment in a month was almost inevitable. A month later he returned. His urine showed it had not touched drugs. He was making progress. The judge took a risk and give him another 'last' chance. It will almost certainly be in vain. Jason will return to his old haunts and environments, to his junky girlfriend , and get back on drugs. He will reoffend and spend much of the rest of his life going in and out of prison. That is what will probably happen, but it might not. It might not. T his is just the sort of decision that the press pillories judges for. The judge

As a society we have to judge and punish and imprison. But when we punish we must remember that we punish crime not sin ; the thief not the selfish; the sex offender not the adulterer ; the violent not the cruel. We must remember that we are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God. We must remember that we punish not ogres, not monsters, not statistics, but human beings like ourselves and that there but for the grace of God and our families and our education go we. We must remember that although crime is bad, inhumanity is worse: it is better to suffer crime than be a criminal; it is better to be murdered than to murder; it is better to take risks in doing what is right than play safe - or play politics - and perpetuate wrong. When Jesus judges the nations, and divides the sheep from the goats, he will do so not on the basis of that nation's gross domestic product, nor its per capita income, nor on the number of its nuclear bombs, but on the basis of the quality of its compassion. Let us pray that on the day that great division takes place and thank God it is not yet - that England (and Scotland) will find itself among the sheep, among the blessed, and that Jesus will say to us: ' When I was naked you clothed me; when I was hungry you fed me; when I was thirsty you gave me drink, when I was sick you visited me; when I was in prison you came unto me.' 'When, Lord , d id we do this unto thee?' ' Inasmuch as you did it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you did it unto me.'

_______ j- =z.:__

-----

- ..:::::;

-----....

~~~---------------------

Canterbury Gaol (Madeleine Preston)

POINTS OF VIEW THANKSGIVING DAY Tod~y, all over .America, strange things are happenmg. School chtldren, normally dressed in neat clothes, are climbing aboard the ubiquitous yellow sch.ool bus with feathers in their hair and war-paint on thetr che.eks. Mothers and fathers are dressing up in b.road-bnmmed black hats and black shoes with big stlver buckles. Superm~rkets ar~ trying in vain to keep the freezer stocked wtth enough packages of frozen cranberries. The ~ost of instant stuffing has plummeted, and demand for tt has soared . The turkey population is growing increasingly restless. Yes folks ' ' Thanksgiving is upon us . Every fourth Thursday in November, America succumbs to the Pilgrim and Indian craze. Rumour has it that in 1621, a year after landing on Plymouth Rock near my lovely home town of Boston, Massachusetts, the passengers of the good ship Mayflower commemorated their deliverance with a joyful feast. T he 102 Pilgrims had endured a nine and a half week voyage at sea, on which they had been lovingly dubbed ' puke stockings' by the more affectionate members of the crew. A~~ one .year fr?m .their landing, they celebrated thetr mcredtble survtval m New England with a feast resplendent with, as we are told from the cradle to the grave, turkey and cranberry sauce. . 0~ a histor!cal note, it is indeed interesting that the Ptlgnms survtved as long as they did. As author Bill Bryson writes, many packed as though they had no real knowledge of the purpose of the trip. They found room for sundials a~d candle snuffers, a drum, a trumpet and a complete htstory of Turkey. One William Morris packed 126 pairs of shoes and 13 pairs of boots. None of them knew how to farm properly. But , after two months. of failed attempts , and a halving of their populatiOn, successful contact was made between the Pilgrims and the Indians. And finally , ten months later with a basic knowledge of how to work the land, th~ ~rst Thanksgiving was celebrated. The rest is, both ltterally and figuratively, history. So what do we Americans do some three hundred odd years after the first Thanksgiving was celebrated? Act stupid - does that surprise you? Without fail schoolteachers assign essays or poems on what exactly we are .thankful for. A brief excerpt from my attempt as an etght-year-old reads: ' I am thankful for my cat Angie. She is a nice cat. She sleeps on my bed and keep~ my feet warm at night. Last but not least'- here's the clmcher- 'she is one heck of a good cat' . At such an early age, my literary tendencies were beginning to make themselves apparent. But school children are the ones who perhaps celebrate Thanksgiving in the manner closest to that in which it was first enjoyed. In many households , the biggest event of the day is not e~en the presentation of the turkey itself, but watchmg the btg game. American football teams have capit~lis~d on the general enjoyment of watching big men m ttght trousers, or pants as we would say, slap each oth~r on the bum and throw a pigskin about. The day decl mes from there. Inevitably Mom thinks the turkey is too dry, Grandaddy gets bored and wanders

off to hunt down the whiskey, and Aunt Tilda gets at the children for speaking with their mouths full. The only mention of what we are thankful for comes when the kids praise Notre Dame's coach for drafting their all-star running back. Sure, there are fleeting references to whatever prosperity or good health we might have enjoyed during the year, how lucky we are that Uncle Rob hasn't lost his job, or how thankful we are for our families and friends, but they are not taken so very seriously. And when Grandaddy wanders in from the pantry blind drunk, most things which we are thankful for are lost in the melee. Thanksgiving's meaning has been lost in the stampede of the day off, much as Christmas and Easter have lost thei r real meaning to many of us who c~lebrate them. It's not that having a good time with fnends and family isn't worth a national holiday - I assure you that even a good football game merits that - but we often lose sight of what we are trying to reacquaint ourselves with. W~en .I w,as ten, my sch.o?l put on a little play of the Ptlgnms first Thanksgtvmg. I was thrilled: I got to play Mrs Pilgrim opposite Alex Geohagan who was Mr Pilgrim. We held hands and declared 'ourselves lucky that we were able to survive in the New World with our love and a few Indian friends to help us. That was the high point of my fifth grade Thanksgiving. But three thousand miles away from home today, I assure you that what is on my mind is not whether Boston College is going to whup the Aggies, or what Alex Geohagan is doing with himself, but my Mom in Boston by herself and my Dad in Ukraine by himself. What I wouldn't do to be with them both today, eating turkey - and even the turkey sandwiches we would have for lunch tomorrow, the turkey pot pie for dinner, the turke~ soup for the next day's lunch, and , surprise ~urpnse, the reheated turkey for that night's dinner. So tt seems that absence indeed makes the heart grow fonder, and without Thanksgiving I find myself remembering more of what I am thankful for. That is not all that Thanksgiving represents for the States: the day after is the official kick off to the Christmas shopping season. Tomorrow stores will have restocked their shelves, and swarms of shoppers will descend upon the nearest mall snatching up stocking stuffers from the stores. No sooner has one holiday P.a ss~d than another rushes in to take its place, which stgmfies the real insignificance of the day. The basic point reiterated from year to year by those fed up . ~ith the Thanksgiving pageantry is that Thanksg~v m~ shoul? not be ~ne day only, but something that we ltve tn our ltves, a datly process of giving thanks for ~hat w~ich we have and those things which we chensh . Thts holds a great deal of merit: not only would we be able to avoid the turkey and all its wonderful byproducts , but we could perhaps just settle back and watch my home town heroes, Drew Bledsoe and the New England Patriots, beat Troy Aikman and his u~stoppable Dallas Cowboys without any fuss. And that vtctory alone would be a cause for thanksgiving. SARAH COOK .

environment by oil spillages' . These oil spillages lead to the destruction of vegetation and agricultu ral land, in addition to the poisoning of water. Shell argues that 60 % of its oil spills in Ogoni land were caused by sabotage. But it is difficult to imagine, as The Times Africa Correspondent wrote, 'a couple of farmers deep in the bush trying to poison their land by shoving poles under a high-pressure oil pipeline and cracking its j oints' . Perhaps the most shocking feature of Shell's activities in Nigeria is the complete double-standard under which it works. Shell acts in a way in Nigeria which it would never even try to get away with in any deve loped country . For example, for Shell's pipeline from Stanlow in Cheshire to Mossmoran in Scotland , seventeen different environmental surveys were commissioned before a single turf was cut. The Ogoni have never seen, let alone been consulted over, an environmental impact assessment. Furthermore , open and unlined pits for storing drilling wastes are reported to litter the area and are found in the centre of villages . This practice would be illegal in most countries. Shell should not be allowed to get away with this. The company claims that: 'Shell companies throughout the world have wide-ranging programmes of communjty involvement and sponsorship' , and yet the people of the N iger Delta, who now live in a polluted environment, claim to have seen precious little in return for living with Shell , and dispute both the quantity and quality of community assistance. In a recent full-page advertisement which Shell took in the major Sunday newspapers it said that: 'Shell is spending twenty million U.S . dollars on roads, health clinics, schools, scholarships, water schemes and agricultural support projects to help the people of the region.' That is all very well , and I'm sure that it convinced most reade rs that Shell could not be so bad after all. But looking at it in another way , over twenty- five years this is just 0.000007 % of the value of oil extracted . In addition, much of the money invested does not benefit the people adversely affected by the oil exploitation. In an article in The Guardian it was written that: ' Privately officials conceded that donations for Ogoni community proj ects had never reached their intended destination .' This is largely due to the corruption rife within Nigeria. The editor of The Times wrote that: ' Overall the situation is horrific . Many people living on the Niger Delta are now forced to import food , as land which once sustained their needs is now rendered economically useless because of oil pollution. This is a direct result of Shell' s extractive industry in Nigeria . By buying She ll petrol we are condoning the way in which millions are being fo rced to pay fo r an industry from which they receive little benefit.' It was exactly such social and environmental consequences of oil extraction in the Niger Delta that Ken Saro-Wiwa and his organisation M .O .S. O .P. protested against. And it was success ful: Shell was driven out of the Ogoni land in 1993. Too successful , as it turned out , for M.O.S .O.P . was seen to provide a subversive role model fo r similar organisations looking to speak out against the ruinous effects of oil extraction in their own particular regions. One view is that 'Shell 's double-standards were the reason he campaigned fo r his people. Shell was the

KEN SARO-WIWA: IN MEMORIAM 'To deny people the right to self determination for well on a hundred years is to subject them to slavery . To take away the resources of a people and to refuse them anything is to subject them to slavery . To take away the land of a people who depend solely on the land for the ir survival, and Âˇrefuse to pay them compensation is to subject them to genocide . I accuse the ethnic majority who run Nigeria of practising genocide against the Ogoni people . I accuse the oil companies who prospect for oil in Ogoni of encouraging genocide against the Ogoni people .' These are the words of Ken Saro-Wiwa, proposed fo r the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, who was executed on November lOth in an act of judicial murder following, in the words ofJohn Major, ' A bad trial, a bad judgment and an unjust sentence.' Ken Saro-Wiwa set up M.O .S.O.P. - the movement for the survival of the Ogoni people - and led a protest against the military dictatorship on behalf of j ust one group of people within Nigeria, in addition to campaigning for his people to have a fair share of the oil wealth . Oil was discovered by Shell in the Niger Delta in 1954. However in the four decades of exploitation of the land since then by Shell Oil , Ken Saro-Wiwa argued, the Ogoni have had little to show for the billions of pounds made, except for polluted fields, gas flares, and pipelines scarring the villages. The Africa Correspondent for The Times writes that: ' The land of the Niger Delta yields yams, breadfruit and some sugar, but most fields are now covered in a thin fil m of g rease, the air smells of rotten egg, and large areas have been poisoned by oil spillages. Plumes of untreated smog spill from pumping stations where gas is burned off, and bored soldiers wander the streets of small villages scattered among drainage ditches, extorting bribes and sex from the Ogoni people . ' Since the beginning of Shell 's operations in the Niger De lta , the company has wreaked havoc on the neighbouring communities and the environment, despite their claim that 'Shell always tries to minimise the impact o f operations on the environment'. The first problem is that many of Shell 's gas flares are situated very close to villages , meaning that, according to a local report : ' Apart from physical destruction to plants around the flaring areas, thick soots are also deposited on building roofs of neighbouring villages. Whenever it rains the soots are washed off and the black-ink-like water running down the roofs is believed to contain chemicals which adversely affect the fertility of the soil. ' Shell has responded to criticism by stating : 'Flares are usually located far from human habitation and protected by earth bands. ' Which of these directly conflicting reports is more likely to be accurate? The question o ne needs to ask is who is more likely to stretch the truth - four professors who compiled the first report for a UN Conference on Environment and Development, or a large company which is very concerned about its public image? There is a further problem of oil spills. According to Sir Uhor, the communities of the Delta are 'groaning under the perennial destruction of their property and 20

reason he was framed , and ultimately Shell was the reason he died ' . This quotation comes from Andy Rowell, the head of Greenpeace International. The head of Greenpeace U.K. , Lord Melchett, was prepared to go even further: 'Shell has blood on its hands. Ken SaroWiwa was hanged for speaking out against Shell. He was trying to secure the most basic of human rights: the right to clean air, land and water.' Is this however really a justifiable view? Shell can only be implicated, either in the judicial murders or in the various other human rights abuses in the Ogoni land , if it can be proved that Shell exerts considerable influence over the corrupt regime of General Sani Abacha . Yet we only have to look to the economics of multi-national corporations to prove that this must be the case. The hundred largest multi-nationals in the world have an annual turnover of $3 .4 trillion and are responsible for one third of overall world production , 40 % of which arises from subsidiaries outside the home nation Shell 's operations in Nigeria , for example . 14 % of Shell 's global interests are actually based in Nigeria, which represents a very large proportion of the company's assets. Nigeria is dependent on oil , 80 % of government revenue coming directly from the oil industry. Thus the economic survival of the regime is dependent entirely on oil : oil is ensuring its futu re and only oil can bring it down . This influence is not something which is really open to debate. Even the UN confirmed it in a 1993 report on multi-national corporations, from which many of the above statistics came: ' The influence of those multi-nationals with the largest outputs and technology is significant' . Nelson Mandela, aware of the extent of this influence has been calling on Shell to exert it: ' There is the need for Shell to show its outrage. Shell should make use of its considerable economic power in Nigeria to put pressure on the dictators.'

and the destruction of 495 homes. From a Guardian report on September 11th: ' Although an inquiry blamed the police, the communities held Shell responsible since it was responsible for the initial g rievance and for choosing police methods rather than negotiating .' T he massacres have since continued. At an Ogoni rally in January 1993, two thousand people were killed, twentyseven villages destroyed and eighty-thousand people were made homeless . On top o f this, the Ogoniland is a militarised zone . Humiliating strip-searches are frequently carried out on women and even the youngest children, and the people are living in a cl imate of terror. No open mourning for the deaths has been permitted . A twenty-five-year-old mother, who was shot in the arm was quoted as saying to a Times reporter: ' I dar~ not see a doctor because they would find the bullet wound . I dare not see Shell for compensation for the same reason. Here it is better to risk a silent death than to let the authorities know you exist. ' Although it is the government forces who have militarised the Ogoniland, there is no doubt that the reference to autho rities also includes the oil companies. At the moment, nineteen more M.O.S.O.P. defendants are awaiting the same unj ust fate as Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight others. T he last three days of their lives in particular were spent in torturous conditions: the nineteen others are, in all probability, suffering the same treatment. Ken Saro-Wiwa 's younger brother, Dr Owen Wiwa is now.in Britain campaigning. His view is that: 'Shell are involved in Nigerian politics up to their neck. If they had threatened to withdraw from Nigeria unless Ken ,was released , he would have been alive today. There is no question of that. ' Many people throughout the world share this view . It only remains to be seen what can be done to rectify the situation on an international level, and what we as individuals can contribute . As a result of the deaths, Nigeria has been suspended from the Commonwealth . Anything less would have been a betrayal of the people o f Nigeria . However , the Nigerian junta probably do not care what the Commonwealth thinks or does. As The Times said: 'These executions are part of a country-wide repression of utter brutality, marked by arbitrary arrests, detention without trial, extrajudicial farce when trials do take place and prisons so calculatedly appalling that sickness and malnutrition are rife and on occasion fatal.' The Commonwealth has also imposed an arms embargo, but undoubtedly the most effective embargo would be o ne on oil , thus denying the junta the oil revenues, their only means of pay ing for more weaponry . ' Oil is what sustains the dictators, enabling them to survive even though they collect no taxes and misgovern in every sense of the word, ' said Ken Saro-Wiwa. Andy Rowell of Greenpeace said : ' Oil keeps the junta alive. If the flow stopped, it would fall apart. ' But an oil embargo has been ruled out even after Nelson Mandela 's plea. The argument is that if Shell left N igeria another company would seize the opportunity and would have the same or an even more negligent effect on the people. Also , without Shyll around , others - such as the junta - could extract and trade oil on the black market thus becoming even more corrupt. The most plausible option therefore is the imposition of econorruc sanctions. This would constitute a stopping

So why did Shell not choose to exert this influence? Largely because Shell and the regime have a mutual interest in maintairung each other. Shell however claims that appeals for clemency were made on the eve of the executions. One wonders why , when the economic position of Shell in Nigeria is considered , the government refused these appeals. How forceful can they really have been? A personal view, and one shared by most cynical human rights activists is that these appe~ls were little more than a public relations exercise, nothmg but hollow threats, to help fend off the impending disaster . Sources leaked to The Observer also !ndicate that Shell was only prepared to exert its mfluence on certain conditions: three secret meetings took place in May of this year in Lagos where Brian Anderson, the head of Shell Nigeria, offered to help free Ken as long as M .O .S.O .P. leaders called off their protests. That help was only available conditionally is shocking enough, that these conditions amounted to sacrificing all that Ken fought for is inexcusable. These meetings have even been confirmed by Shell though the content has been dismissed as ' quiet diplomacy'. Even be fore the executions, Shell had been involved in human rights abuses in Nigeria. M.O. S.O.P. called for only peaceful protests, but Shell 's response to these was to call in the notoriously brutal Mobile Police Force, resulting in several massacres. In 1990, a demonstration by the Eche people led to eighty deaths

You have heard about the e nvironmental consequences of Shell 's actions and the shocking collusion of Shell and the military government. If you have been persuaded by our argument, there is much you can do to help. Firstly you can write a letter to Shell or General Abacha. Second you can encourage your parents to boycott Shell. Ken Saro-Wiwa's last words were: 'Lord, take my soul: the struggle continues.' We have to continue the struggle for him.

of monetary inflows and outflows between Nigeria and the rest of the world. However, when in the past economic sanctions have been imposed on countries such as Iraq because of Saddam Hussein , the result is a less vulnerable government, as opposed to a more vulnerable dictatorship. General Abacha could go the same way as he would be able to blame foreigners, bribe his supporters and demand new sacrifices from his citizens. People quote South Africa as being proof of the positive effect of economic sanctions. However others, including Mandela, saw sanctions as prolonging the white rule; the end of apartheid was, they say, actually caused by internal collapse. Simon Jenkins wrote in The Times: 'I can not imagine a weapon that is less precise in its aim, more unfair in its choice ?f victim and more counter-productive than econom1c sanctions.' Surely, though, it is the only sensible nonmilitary way of doing something. Yes, economic sanctions probably do hurt the poor before the rich, but in this case, as we have seen, the situation is so desperate and the Nigerian people have been through so much, that they are prepared to go through more if there is the chance of a change. Sanctions of any nature will work in months whereas other options such as freezing Nigerian assets will take much longer, as proposals have to go through the United Nations and the Commonwealth. Thus economic sanctions may not be a perfect solution but it is the most effective one available, at least in the short term.

JENNIFER STUBBING$, MARY STEV ENS AND JESSICA BARNES.

SPORT: AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW One Saturday lunchtime, one of my contemporaries asked me, ' Tommy, are you coming down this afternoon?' I apologised and asked him what he meant. He said , ' Are you coming to watch the first fifteen?' Again, I asked him what he was talking about. He was getting quite bored by this stage, and so he thought he'd try a joke and said, 'Tommy, you gormless freak, the fifteen most important people in the school'. I told him there must be some mistake, as I am surely one of the fifteen most important members of the school, and I have not been told that I had to be 'down' anywhere that afternoon. He made an excuse and left. Well, I did 'go down' that afternoon. I managed to find Birley's Piece, but only just; the last time I had been there was in the Removes, to behold the C.C.F. hovercraft, which soon collapsed under the navigation of Mr Charles Foinette. The entertainments had already started when I arrived. I enquired of the man next to me what I ought to do in the way of support: I had been rehearsing cries of 'Bravo! ' and 'Oh, well done!' , but he favoured screaming and whistling . Deferring to his experience in such matters, I turned my attention to the spectacle before me. Thirty boys, of about my own age, were throwing a piece of inflated leather to each other. It was better, I deduced, to throw this ball to someone wearing the same colour shirt as yourself. Occasionally someone would run with it, though it seemed odd that he should run straight at the people who wanted to relieve him of that which he had done so much to obtain. It seemed a friendly enough game, though, as even the largest members of the teams shared close embraces at seemingly crucial moments. In the midst of all this, I suddenly had a horrible vision. I have been here before. Picture, if you will, a cold, wet afternoon. October 199 1. My illustrious Housemaster has just told me that if I do not turn up to rugby that afternoon I shall be discussing the matter with the Headmaster. Tallon, the radiator-hugging wimp of Shell B, decided to oblige. When I got there, I found I wasn't allowed to wear my scarf and gloves. The next thing I knew, horribly enthusiastic members of staff encouraged me to place my head between someone else's buttocks. (The objection, 'I don' t know him that well ' didn' t seem to wash.) All my endeavours to avoid the ball - and, for that matter , everyone else- had failed. My heart suddenly filled with pity as I realised how embarrassed and miserable those players must be, but then I realised that they seemed to be enjoying it.

(Pippa Bird)

This is odd. Let's face it, guys: mankind has not developed the radiator, the woolly jumper, hot chocolate and the armchair for nothing. But I suppose stress has got to be got rid of, calories have to be burned, and reputations have to be upheld somehow. Why not let the strongest people demonstrate their machismo to the admiring masses, however cold it is? Don't get me wrong. I've nothing against sport. The streets of Tunbridge Wells have often resounded with the noise of the Tallon trainers. It's just that I frequently have more important and more enjoyable things to do. One of the quickest ways of annoying me is to say ' Mens sana in corpore sano' -as if sport ever made anyone healthy, when all it seems to do is injure people. I have no doubt that all who play rugby to a high standard do so because they enjoy it, but they should not expect others to come and watch them as a matter of course. I wish all member of the Fifteen - indeed, all sportsmen in this School - the very best of luck . For me , however, it is a case of 'Ars longa, vita brevis'; there are always too many books to be read, symphonies to be heard , paintings to be seen , letters to be written, conversations to be had - in short too many luxuries to be enj oyed, for me to be able to play or watch sport very often.

poached fifty boys! Remembering this scene, fifty years later, as he sits in Luxmoore's modern Fairfax Room, Morris Butler chuckles at the memory. 'Everyone was extremely annoyed, as I recall,' he laughs. Dr Butler, like many other O.K.S., has returned with his wife to attend in the Cathedral the Anniversary Service of the School's return from Cornwall , and is fitting in a quick interview by a Luxmoore girl curious to know what the House and School were like shortly after the Second World War. Luxmoore began in the New Dover Road with a new Housemaster named Mr Dartington. 'We met a week before the start of term. Beds needed making, furniture had to be moved in ,' explains Dr Butler. An onerous task for a sixth-former, especially with the privations that continued after the end of the War. 'The country was so poor after the end of the War that we were very short of everything; we didn 't have enough coal, we didn' t have enough to eat. Even bread was rationed for about seven years after the War. And we had no heating.' Organisation of the daily routine has changed considerably since Luxmoore's early days, when everyone was marched down to the Precincts after breakfast for Assembly , which was held around the Green Court. There were about 220 boys in four Houses (School House, The Grange, Meister Omers and Walpole, soon joined by Luxmoore) , which would troupe in individually to the Crypt for a service, and then come out in reverse order with the Choir and the younger pupils leading and the School Monitors and the Captain of School last. War brought upheavals in the Precincts too , with the Green Court still dug up in trenches and with underground vaults for bomb shelters. The Dining Hall had been bombed and was rebuilt only just in time for the School's return. The Precincts were, in Dr Butler's words, 'a shambles'. Despite the destruction, however , he says that they were all ' very, very pleased to be back' . Amongst other things, it meant a separation from St Edmund's School, who had joined King's for the evacuation: they were collectively known as S.E.S., pronounced 'cess'! Had Cornwall not been an enjoyable experience? 'I have happy memories of the Cornwall years. One of these is Canon Shirley, whose personality was outstanding. He was outrageous at times but he was an extremely loveable person and a very kind man. ' What do you think were his special qualities? 'He recognised that in every boy - and he'd have applied it to the girls as well - there was individual ability ... and he realised that it was the School's main job to get that ability out. Shirley knew everybody by their Christian name. He was a very great Headmaster.' Certainly Dr Butler's abilities seem to have fully emerged during his time at King's; as well as being a Scholar and Captain of Rugby, in 1946 he was made Captain of School. Because it was felt that he could not manage the School from the New Dover Road , he now ceased to be a member of a particular House, and for his last two terms was given a room in School House by the Headmaster - just inside the main door, first one on the left. He had taken his Advanced Certificate exams the summer before and was staying on, under the old system, to take his 1st M.B. while still at school. Dr Butler was offered places at Oxford and Cambridge,

THOMAS TALLON.

INTERVIEW: DR MORRIS BUTLER, O.K.S. (FIRST HEAD OF LUXMOORE HOUSE) When the return of the Schoo l to Canterbury in the summer of 1945 immine nt , was Canon Shirley asked Dr Morris Butler, then aged 17 and since 1942 a School House pupil at the King's School in its Cornwa ll incarnation ' if I would like to start up a new House, to be named after one of our Governors who was the n Lord Chief Justice'. Not an invitation that comes along very often - so Butler readily agreed, and was promptly told to 'go and find fifty boys who would like to join you back in Canterb ury '; so he we nt round the Hou ses and

Dr Morris Butler, O.K .S.

INTERVIEW: LUCY HEISE

' but then the Army caught up with me. Unless you had a Scholarship or an Exhibition to a university you had to go into one of the Services automatically, and I didn't have either.' Three years later, when he came out of the Army, he decided against Oxbridge, and ten years at St Thomas's Hospital followed. As he began qualifying as a doctor he left King's far behind. Nevertheless, his memories of the school and its eccentricities are enduring and fond. 'When we were in Cornwall most of the boys had never been to Canterbury and had no knowledge of the Cathedral. My first visit to Canterbury was when I came up from Cornwall, as one of the King's Scholars, for Archbishop Lang's funeral. Only Canon Shirley could have done this. He made twelve of us (or was it eight?) wear court dress, in the middle of winter and at the height of the War! Then the next time I came to Canterbury was for the enthronement of William Temple.' So what does he think are the main differences now , in atmosphere and attitude? ' It was very important then to excel in sport, which I don't suppose is quite so marked now . And there was much stricter discipline in my time. If a School Monitor shouted ' Boy!' there was a race of the fags and the last one was automatically beaten!' Maybe we should reintroduce that one, I muse; it would solve the problem of getting people to answer the telephone. I ask Morris Butler if he thinks girls are responsible for the change in atmosphere. ' I don' t know, because I haven't heard the boys' point of view yet! No, I think it's a great step forward.' It is now time for Dr Butler to embark on his tour of Luxmoore as it is today. Before he leaves, however, he offers final advice to King's pupils of 1995 and beyond: 'Enjoy every moment of school. You ' ll regret it if you don ' tl' Âˇ ALEX HARDIE.

(CAPTAIN OF BOATS) It 's hard to believe that the re was a time in the notvery-distant past when King's as a school was 'not very serious' about girls' rowing. Lucy He ise, Head of Luxmoore and rower for Great Britain, maintains that as a Shell she found this to be the case. But by the time she and the other keen contemporaries had reached the Remove year, they had altered the state of affairs permanently. Now, as Lucy looks back from 6a at a school career of glittering achievements on the lakes, she modestly confesses to being ' rather surprised' at being perceived as pioneering what is one of the school 's great sporting success stories. This interview was squeezed into a fifteen-minute gap between an hour and a half of weight training and an Oxbridge Spanish lesson; yet Lucy claims not to mind not having any spare time: ' I certainly don't feel I'm missing out. I row because I enjoy it ; it gets me away from School.' What about passing up the J.C.R. , tuck shop or Sixth Form Common Room, I protest? 'Rowing's a sport with a big social side to it. The Boat Club's like a community of its own. â&#x20AC;˘

So, if you don't feel the lack of such diversions, what is it about rowing that mellows any resentment you might, understandably, feel at having to attend session after session? ' I look forward to those sessions, and to weekends away. I don 't fi nd them, or rowing, at all boring or monotonous; you need loads of concentration. You're not just using your body, you' re using your brain . Physically, you've got to be very organised to get to that stage of fitness. I've learnt to work, and row , and enjoy myself at the Boat Club too. '

Lucy Heise (M.J. T.)

At what point, then, did Rowing start to take a serious turn for you? 'In the Shells I didn't enjoy rowing as much as I do now - I didn't know what it could involve. In the Removes, a crew developed: myself, Saskia StirlingAird, Lucy Canney and Sarah Petrie, and we started training seriously , initially on crew boats only, then on single sculls. I suppose it was when we came first in the Under-15 age group of the 1993 Head of the River that the intensive coaching began . We beat twelve other schools, so suddenly we were eligible for better equipment!'

wrong, so that a few days beforehand you're completely focused - you don't want to know about anything else. Before the actual race, you isolate yourself, staying with your crew , to focus and psych up with lots of positive thoughts. By the time you reach the stake boats, there's one hundred per cent concentration . â&#x20AC;˘

But there must have been some moments of panic. What's the greatest strain you've been under in a boat? 'Well, in the 1993 National Schools' we had to change age groups, which meant rowing without a cox . We'd never done that before, but we still won a Bronze. The real strain was the race which decided the G.B. Trials. You never know when you're being timed; they're always watching someone in each of the four boat~, but you don't know who. You have to perform consistently well, keep going all the time. Then on the very last race, when everyone's exhausted, you have to score the fastest time you can; there's huge pressure, and we narrowly missed qualifying for the World Championsh ips. It was really, really disappointing.'

Tell me about the progression to the G .B. Team. 'There were two long-distance trials, over 8 km, at Chester. I qualified, along with the other overall fastest sculling girl , for the Spring Assessment; as did Saskia, and as did Tim Ridges as cox. At the Spring Assessment there are sixteen contenders: the top eight in the ranking order go to Munich International Regatta. It was just me by now: Saskia and Tim went to Ghent. The Final T rials are held in Nottingham; Frances Houghton was there having won a Bronze at the National Schools'. We ranked as the top boat in Great Britain.'

By now, time' s running out for this busy girl, so I ask a final question: 'What, for you, is the thing that makes all the effort worthwhile?' Lucy leans back in her chair, gazing into the middle distance as if at an extremely pleasant vision, and answers succinctly: ' Winning. Once we were over the finishing line in first place at the Co~pe de Ia Jeunesse [ 1995] ... it was the best feeling; we were totally overwhelmed. There's nothing like it ... it's ... just incredible.Âˇ

How do you prepare for a succession of big races like those, apart from eating lots and panicking? [Laughs] 'Yes, we do eat a lot - it's called ' carboloading'; lots of potatoes and pasta. We have a carbohydrate powder that you dissolve in water- no, it doesn't taste of anything! But the psychological preparation is just as important; you can't panic. You have mental rehearsals of the race, running through every possible scenario, imagining what could go

And with that, she rushes off to her lesson. VENETIA TAYLOR.

FOCUS K.S.C. OBSERVATORY

nights that we had. We were able to see the moon, with the craters on the boundary between the light and dark side producing superb shadows, and also had a look at the Orion Nebula - a huge cloud of gas I ,500 light years away, where stars are being born.

Si~ce 1985 the School's telescop.e has been gathering dust m the Observatory. We dec1ded to try to get it working again. Dr Allday agreed to give us some help and Dr Bosworth took on the challenge of helping us to repair the equipment.

Although ~t is functional, there are still several things that need domg at the Observatory. We have to repair a rack and pinion mechanism (the device which lets us focus the telescope) so that we can use the Cassegrain reflector as well as the Newtonian one: this will allow us to take photographs of the stars through the telescope (once we have a camera attachment). We also need to repair the sidereal time display and clean some of the mirrors and lenses in the small viewfinders.

First of all we had to take the telescope out of the Observatory - a fairly difficult task, since the entrance and the telescope are of a similar size. The main mirror was then removed, washed and re-aligned (with the help of Mr Butt), and the main body of the telescope was also cleaned. The tracking motors (which follow th~ stars in their rotation across the sky) were repaired - some of the connections had come loose so a neat soldering operation was required - and the~ the vari? us parts were reassembled back at the Observatory.

We should like to thank Dr Allday, Dr Bosworth, Mr Butt, Dr Bridge and Mr Dobbin for all tpeir help and co-operation in the restoration of the telescope. CHARLES MILLER-JONES, JAMES MILLER-JONES, TOM MORTON.

The telescope was fully operational two weeks before the end of term, and was used on a few of the clear

THE MYERSCOUGH TAPESTRY (M.J. T.)

O n T hursd ay 14th Decemb er the Headmaster formally accepted from its maker, Mrs Betty Myerscough, the third and, so far, most ambitious work that the School has commissioned from her. Technically a tapestry with embroidery applique, and about four metres wide, it is designed to hang on the south wall of the Schooolroom. In a beautifully composed and most harmoniously coloured work of art, Mrs Myerscough exhibits the history of the School. More than twenty-five images, symbols and inscriptions span the fourteen centuries from St Augustine to O.K.S. space-travel and co-education. Each element can be historically justified - except perhaps the counterweighting of the Serpent in Eve's fateful tree by a studious and demure King's School pair.

,.. EXPEDITIONS SINAI TRIP

the desert for the night. Desert foxes and Ed Dale Jones's Staying Alive impressions kept us awake initially, but the knowledge of the climb up Mount Sinai I have heard several people respond to the question that awaited us the next day was an incentive to recoup ' How was Sinai?', with 'It was one of the best weeks some energy and sleep. of my life.' I know, therefore, before I have even If the writer of this account had been told that the started, that I will not be able to explain fully how climb to the top of Mount Sinai was 7,500 feet she fantastic it was - but there is no harm in trying. would never have even contemplated starting it. But, Seventeen of us plus four staff met at five a.m. outside oblivious, we proceeded (the girlies trailing at the back the Mint Yard gate on Friday 13th October. Feelings where they seemed to remain for the rest of the week) at this point were rather clouded by the shock of being to achieve in four and a half hours what took Moses awake at such an hour, and perhaps there was a touch a week. A tough climb to say the least, but worth every of superstitious nervousness in the air as well! However, aching muscle. The tranquillity and the view were six hours later we were safely met at Sharm El Sheik absolutely overwhelming: as Chris commented, 'I can airport by an extraordinarily dry heat and the first of see why Moses came here'. During the creation of the many spectacular sunsets. Our four-wheel drive vehicles alternative ten commandments Lenny said, 'Thou shalt were the first real sign of the adventure to come. eat lunch next' - and so we did, in the cool oasis of We drove, sitting in the back of the jeeps where we Elijah's garden, where Father John later led a Eucharist service in which there were three readings from the were unable to do anything but grin at one another, until Bible with direct references to our surroundings. we reached the sea. The beach was to be our bed for the first night under the stars. The atmosphere around ' Memorable' is hardly sufficient. G.R.C. then managed to drop both the bucket and its rope into Elijah's well, the campfire was very special, with many of us stunned leaving what had been a drinking hole for thousands into silence. When the moon rose it lit up the beach of tourists as dry as a bone, before we trekked back like an electric lamp, the light picking out the shells of the hermit crabs, making them all the more easy for down the mountain to St Catherine's monastery and its Max and Angus to find. Eventually the soothing sound guesthouse, where we enjoyed a shower for the first of the waves lulled us to sleep. time since England (or not, in Ed Dale Jones's case). St Catherine's was a haven of cleanliness after the Sitting up in our sleeping bags at 5.45 that first desert; but we were surprised to find that, although it morning we watched the sun rise over the sea. We piled was good to sleep in a bed again, we were all desperate into our four-wheel drives after a breakfast of Bedouin to be back under the stars. tea and biscuits. It is hard to describe our destination, The following day we visited St Catherine's the Blue Hole, and people's reactions to it. It's name monastery with icons and sacred texts going back to gives some idea of the depth and colour of the water, the seventh century. There we entered the chapel of which was so clear that we could see scuba divers below Elijah and took off our shoes to approach the 'burning us as we snorkelled among the rainbow-fish and coral bush' (no longer alight). The sense of heritage was reefs that had brought us here. When we had reached Ras Abu Gallum we swam again, and then drove into almost impossible to comprehend but, before we could get too blase about the experience, we were off on the next adventure. With our luggage loaded on camels, we set off up into the granite mountains, glowing red in the afternoon light, that surround St Catherine's and always in view of Mount Sinai itself. There, as the sun went down over the holy mount, we saw our first and only cloud the shekinah perhaps? No, rather a pathetic little whispy thing that seemed to be making only an apologetic gesture. We camped for our coldest night The Sinai party at the top of the Holy Mountain (G.R .C.) high in a Bedouin (OCTOBER 1995)

(Malcolm Todd)

(Ciym Evernden)

desert that made such a lasting mark on our memories. After a further trek, we lunched in the shade of a sandstone valley, although the boys played an international football match with the Bedouin in heat of over 90 Â°. Our last night in the open was spent in one of the most picturesque settings and we all appreciated our last moments of silence. However , although we knew we were reluctantly heading for civilisation , the next morning took us via the oasis at ' Ein Khudra through some of the most beautiful wadis and sandstone plains imaginable. We rode on camels, climbed on foot and ran, tumbled and rolled down slopes of fine sand. Exhausted , we alighted for a traditional Egyptian lunch (with chips and ketchup!) prepared in advance by one of our drivers.

garden before going down through the mountains, with their panoramic views spectacular in the now bright morning light. After what was for some a tortuous final descent in the mid-day sun, we stopped for an afternoon's shopping in the St Catherine' s village. The night was spent back out in the sandstone desert (the snoring F .J. being banished to the distance) in preparation for the next day' s camel ride. After Canterbury , the silence of the desert, especially at night, was almost unbearable - there are no birds and animals are scarce - and certainly unforgettable.

Although we were not too anxious about rejoining the world we had left a week earlier, we were all looking forward to a swim and a shower. However, the hotel was a culture shock. The beach was wonderful , the facilities and food very good but the busy tourist life was horrendous a volleyball test-match was lost against some Italian body-builders. The evening' s ente rtainment, belly-dancing, was an eyeopener and far removed fro m o ur prev ious experiences of Sinai. Adam Chataway on the infamous 'Mu sh-mush ' (G.R.C.)

SARAH WINCHESTER.

DIARY OF THE SOUTH AMERICA TOUR

As dawn broke, our party could be seen warily eyeing their new companions. Who would get ' Mush-mush' , the Headmaster's camel from the year before, about whom we had all heard so much? There was a yelp of disgust from Peter Lambert which then descended into cheap comments about size and shape as Adam Chataway was picked out for this dubious honour by the Bedouin. Jokes and fears soon subsided as we enjoyed the desert in all its beauty and vastness . The easy friendliness of the Bedouin made us feel safe and welcome: we respected and liked them greatly. The regular ' bobbing' of the camel takes some getting used to and it is not always comfortable, but each beast has its own style and character. To his frustration Chris Mounsey-Thear had the slowest; Marni had the grumpiest; F.J. had the smallest; G .R.C. thought he had the quickest; and D .J. had the wildest, a fact verified by an attack on Diego (Angus's camel) which saw Angus being carried off at 'ostrich ' speed into the wilderness. Our first rest was at the site of some 5,000-year-old slate tombs, the Nawamis. It was amazing to sit there realising that they were already 2,000 years old when Moses and the Hebrews passed through. Indeed, it was the very timelessness of the

JULY-AUGUST 1995

Pre-tour Training: Green Court bleep tests before tea, and the lads went first. A four-day flurry of physical exertion , foul lsostar, school food , and false fire and burglar alarms in Jervis. A quick jog, very early on the last morning and then we all piled onto the coach. Days 1 and 2 : We have lift-off via Madrid, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires (and don't forget to applaud on touch down). Someone produced their copy of Alive as we flew over the Andes. First stop, the Grange School. Freezing and apprehensive, we joined the 'school's out' . melee and dispersed one by one . That night, jet-lagged and 'chilly' (ho-ho), we Gringos all encountered several Chilean specialities at the Jordanian ambassador' s house. Day 3: The sleep-pattern for our whole tour was set by an early start, followed by training against a snowy, Andean background with palm trees framing the Grange School. We caught a coach to the charming craft pueblito of Los Domenicos where Spanish bartering was

attempted for plates, lapis lazuli and woolly hatsÂˇ and then in stark contrast we were taken to the first of ~any shopping-mall experiences. Day 4: Thursday brought a bus tour of Santiago culminating in a 300-metre climb (by bus) to the peak of the Cerro de San Cristobal from where the huge shining-white virgin looks down over a smog-shawled Santiago . We also saw the President through a window of the Government Building before witnessing the whole of the Grange School being in and out of lunch in a mere five minutes. The afternoon brought a TV crew , one. ~il-all draw for las chicas in an aggressive and exc1tmg match on grass, and a 2 1- 13 loss for the XV ~ho, th~mselves six months out of practice, met a team m the middle of a successful season. Earlier animosities wer~ f<;> rgott: n and post-match hospitality took over, begmmng wtth a meal and a demonstration of the nationa l dance, o f course with some British participation. The chief feature of the dance is that it provides a use for your handkerchief. Day 5: Everybody finally woke up when we were in a very cold classroom, dressed in tracksuits and watching Cliffhanger - once again it was very early. It was not until a good while later that the staff appeared and the boys were forced into a session of touch rugby. It was then on to Craighouse for a school meal followed quickly by a Burger King. Day 6: Match Two came in the morning. It was also a ?ay for i~juries: Will Ba.x ended up in hospital and, with Ally Ill , Jo stepped mto her kickers. The boys scrap~d home 8-7 though things were improving, but ~he gtrls suffered a 0-7 defeat. More shopping-malls m the afternoon and then more of Santiago por la noche. . Day 7: Another horrifically early manana, but this tm~e there was a justifiable reason- to go skiing . We rehed on two very dodgy-looking vehicles to take us up to the resort at 3,300 m; some ski-gear was hired, some borro~~d , and event~ally we were on the slopes. K.E.J.M . JOmed Babs, Stmon and Annabel in the snowplough trail while the others went off to discover the higher pistes . The descent at sunset was indescribably beautiful and something to remember. .J?ay 8: Thirty-eight of us made the journey to yma del Mar and a first sighting of the Pacific with Its sun, sand and surf as well as Vifia tee-shirts . On the way, to Miss Reidy's horror we preferred the Monk~es to The Beautiful South before eventually , after a soakmg for Sally and Madeleine and many photos, the boys were dropped off first at Mackay and the girls ~aken on to St ~argaret: s. There was some discrepancy m accommodatwn: Susie had her own penthouse suite. The boys. were tra!ned hard . W~ met in the evening for some guitar music only to discover that Viiia was closed until Thursday! D~y 9: While the lads suffered a gruelling fitness session, the girls discussed tactics over pictures in the sand and for some there was a trip to the newspaper office. The afternoon saw us travel to the ancient port of Valparaiso and visit the coloured house of the poet Pablo Neruda followed by a trip to the Naval Academy of Arturo ,Prat where a posse of female members of our party decided to relate too closely to the name of the founder. It wa~ pi.z za fo~ supper, though we were split between the ubiquttous Pizza Hut and a local equivalent.

,. Day 1.0: ~atch Three was preceded by a visit to an mterestmg museum and a spectacular boat trip around the bay during which we all got close-ups of real penguins, pelicans and seals. The afternoon saw double vi~tory with a storming 3-0 hockey score and a 10-3 wm for the boys after a marauding first ten minutes though the rest of the match was less memorable. Th~ boys experienced Mackay's traditional post-match entertainment, but the girls were nowhere to be seen! Day 11.: Our l~st day in Chile already: the girls spent the mormng telhng Canterbury Tales while the boys went for a run on the beach followed by a swim and a game of American footy. As a result the boys were two hours late for the coach journey to another beach though this time more secluded and tranquil. There wa~ minor panic when our bus seemed to have disappeared but under our last Chilean sunset we eventually got back: Day 12: To reach the airport in time we had to beat even o.ur own record for early starts, and it was a close run thmg - far too close for some as Jamie had lost his passport and Ed Sterck forg~t his blazer and trousers! By evening we were in Buenos Aires and so were lots of other people judging by the rush. Looking very suay~ we all strode up the red-carpeted staircase of the Bntlsh Embassy for a reception, and though there was no Ferrero Rocher there was plenty of caviar and a tango demonstration . The evening was courtesy of Matt Wall 's uncle, and we owe him our thanks. Day 13: Early starts are becoming a habit but once again we made it somehow . From the air the spray of the Iguazu Fal.ls resembles smoke from a huge cauldron, but as we Circled down their true beauty became apparent. Some opted for a trip to the Brazilian side of the falls in the afternoon, and by all accounts it was compulsory viewing: the rodfzio lunch that was thrown in defeated even the front row. When explorers first discovered the falls they thought they had stumbled upon the gates to the Garden of Eden, and even on a grey aft~rn~on the yower i.s ~we-inspiring and the beauty maJeStic. Obvwusly still m a trance that evening some braved the arctic outdoor pool and we had a lect~re on our propensity for leaving behind things such as cameras, wallets, blazers, passports, traveller's cheques and socks.

Day 14:. We travelled along the top of the falls by

boa~, passmg walkways smashed by flooding years

earher, to reach the viewing platform from where we !ooked down the Devil' s Throat: many felt the urge to ~ump over. We then walked below the falls gazing at mnumerable rainbows and idyllic coves. It could have been paradise, and the select few who spent an hour on the little beach waiting for their boat must have wished it would never come. However when it did the experie~ce was ~ell worth. it as. we flew over rapids before disembarking for the Jeep nde through the jungle. Af~er lunch we walked the Paseo Superior just to get ~ d1ff~rent perspective and once again it was well worth It: neither words nor photographs say enough about Iguazu and when we left the falls that afternoon none left too willingly_. After dining out that evening we held our first fine session in the Hotel with the Captain of School elect in the chair. Accusations flew and relationships were made up, but all in good fun .

Tour party in Chile with the Andes in the background (K.E.J.M.)

R.C. W. , K.E.J.M., Lewis MitcheJJ, Susie Ty deman, Qin Wiseman, Helena Ancock, Matt WaJJ, Andy Brice and Ed Sterck at the Iguazr1 FaJls. (K.E.J.M.)

The Iguazr1 FaJls (K .E.J.M.)

Day 15: A glorious lie-in , then more flying to take us back to Buenos Aires; and we finally arrived at Balmoral in the evening. The local custom is to kiss upon greeting, but this proved too much for Damian, who resisted his host's lips. Day 16: Once again we were shown a shopping-mall , and even this was closed. Lunches were at our billets, and then there was a long journey to the playing-fields which must have taken it all out of us . The girls were sunk by a solitary goal thirty seconds from the whistle, and though the boys won 9-3 it was generally agreed that if we played like that again we might as well cancel all the season' s fixtures. No one was happy ; there was no desire to celebrate; and so it was an early night for all despite the party that was put on.

Chris N . remained to convalesce with Matt's uncle (thanks again!) and the flight back was slightly shorter - and some enjoyed the company of the British A rmy Ski Team. All in all it was an unforgettable three weeks and everyone returned with memories to cherish. At times it was unbelievable, but we learned to cope with that. Despite our mistakes we muddled through and for this we must give unreserved thanks to the staff: to R. C. W . for his leadership and inspired management of the team , to the now S.K.L. for holding together the girls despite all their efforts to thwart her, to K. E.J. M. ('Arnie') for his coaching and help, to N.C.W.S . for his invaluable knack of problem-solving, particularly in Spanish, and to Nurse Reidy for her medical care and her Spanish sa voir faire (oh, and of course for her coaching) but not for her music.

Day 17: We left the school after a photocall, taken in front of a sign proclaiming the Argentinian Falkland Islands. We then took a bus tour of Buenos Aires accompanied by a guide with a penchant for singing badly and saw all the sights, but by now illness was beginning to set in . Once more it was segregation , and the girls were dropped at Sworn College where the doctor was immediately called . The lads went on to St Leonard 's , where Captain Chris was diagnosed and found himself minus an appendix half an hour later. Jide was forced into giving autographs to the little kids as they marvelled at a Power Ranger coming to their school! That night some were taken to a shopping-mall by their hosts and the sense of deja-vu was getting a little monotonous. Day 18: The girls enjoyed a lie-in, and with only ten still standing were reduced to seven-a-side. It was 0-1 to Argentina, before the match was lengthened and Susie and Maddles secured a 2-1 victory. The boys went down to their second defeat Uust), and when the referee sinbinned Deano for five minutes confusion reigned! We re-joined that evening, after some had dined in real style. Day 19: While the lads waited for the bus at St Leonard 's some decided to take a nap and we deposited the cocooned Ed Sterck. There was then a quaint exchanging of gifts between Si Bird and an old man that led some to worry, before we were finally on our way to pick up the girls. Then, guess what, we went to a shopping-mall. ' Hooray! ' was the cry as we sampled this bit of South American culture as yet unseen, but we did meet up with some old friends from The Grange. Finally we were delivered to St George's. Weary travellers bienvenidos, StGeorge 's turned out to be an enclosed village for the exceedingly rich and no one was disappointed by the accommodation. In the evening some sampled the hospitality of their hosts outside while others relaxed in the lap of luxury. Day 20: Last match day. The boys finished in true style with a 43-0 victory and some superb tries, helped by the support at the end. Still playi ng seven-a-side, the hockey finished with a 2-2 draw and it was a match to be satisfied with. Many wisely took a siesta that afternoon to prepare for the final night. It began at a host's house before moving into the centre of Buenos Aires where we danced the night away with friends from St George's.: The Grange and Craighouse and the tour ended in true Hispanic style . Departure Day: Three of the lads arrived in a police van but it was only because they had broken down.

HELENA ANCOCK AND SIMON P EACHEY.

THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME: RALEIGH INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITION TO BELIZE During my 6a year I took part in a Raleigh International selection weekend to find out if I had what it takes to be a venturer. These selection weekends are designed to put you through some of the situations that could happen on an expedition, to see how you worked as part of a team, under stress Âˇand at your most tired, but unlike the expeditions (which last for three months) it is all fitted into thirty-six hours. We were divided into groups of nine and given various mental and physical tasks to do. For example my group was subdivided into three groups of three. We were then all blindfolded and the leader of each group had his left hand placed on a guide-line whilst the other two had their left hands behind their back and their right hands on the shoulder of the person in front. The leader of each group then had to describe what he felt the terrain was like as he walked forward. This was all right until the mud began to creep up to our waists; then we had to get down on all fours and go under a low bridge, which meant we had mud up to our chests. Course completed, we were then allowed to take the blindfolds off and look at what we had come through . To me it had felt like a mangrove swamp but in fact it was no more than a muddy plantation of rhododendrons . At the end of the weekend, after no sleep for thirty-six hours, I came away wondering how, if I was selected, I would ever be able to surv ive three whole months. Three weeks later I was told I had been selected, and was given a choice of locations. I chose Belize for various reasons, but mainly because it gave the opportunity for learning to scuba-dive. Now the first challenge was to raise the ÂŁ2,950 on which my place was conditional. With the help of my local Raleigh support group I took part in the Three Peaks Challenge. This consisted of climbing Snowdonia, Scarfell Pike and Ben Nevis all within thi rty-six hours. Through sponsorship for this I managed to raise half of the money. The rest I raised through various methods, including standing in stocks and having wet sponges thrown at me at the local village fete. I was also fortunate to receive two donations from travelling award

~~ ~ .......~

For full details of Army Undergraduates Sponsorship schemes see your Head of Careers to make an appointment with your School liaison Officer or post this coupon to SLO (SE) 2 Roper Road, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7EJ. The Army is an Equal Opportunity Employer under the terms of the Race Relations Act 1976.

A RM Y

NAME~----------------------------------

OFF I CER

ADDRESS,_ ___________________ _ _ _ _ ___

BE THE BEST POSTCODE SCHOOL

D.O.B. SPONS

trusts, which enabled me to complete my fundraising. I went to Raleigh Headquarters in London for my basic diving training, and there I had the opportunity to meet some of my fellow-venturers. Then, after I had finally acquired all the equipment on the long list sent out by Raleigh, it was time to pack, unpack and repack to try and find a way to get all of the gear into my rucksack. It seemed an almost impossible task especially as it had to weigh no more than 20 kg, but as I walked the short distance from the car park to the check-in at the airport I felt relieved that I had managed it, but had serious doubts as to whether I would be able to carry the rucksack for several hours whilst trekking in hot humid j ungle. There were approximately a hundred venturers flying out from Gatwick, and when I arrived rucksacks and people were everywhere in what was an organised chaos. Somehow we all managed to board the plane and settle in for our ten and a half hour flight to Houston where we would be staying overnight before fly ing on to Belize the next morning. As we flew over Belize I was amazed at all the different landscapes. To the west were the mountains along the border with Guatemala, which then gave way to thick forested plains with a few scattered villages. I could see the coast with mangrove swamps in one area, white sand in another and - what I will never forget - the intense blue of the sea. The difference in temperature as we emerged from the cabin was like hitti ng an invisible wall. We collected our baggage and were then bussed off to the Belize Defence Force (B.D.F.) barracks which were to be our home for the first two nights. Once there, we were divided into the groups we would be in for the first phase and sent off to unpack and put up the essential mosquito net after the first of many warnings to stay on the concrete paths for fear of what lurked in the grass. During our first two days at the barracks we were introduced to all the members of staff, who had flown out three weeks earlier, and were given a brief description of all the various project sites, administrative information and lectures on such things as basic first aid and radio communication skills. There were thirteen venturers in my group: seven were gap-year students like me, one was a postgraduate, two were in the B.D .F., one worked fo r Railtrack, one was in insurance and the last was on the Youth Development Scheme. We also had two members of staff, Harvey the project manager and Jon our medic. My first project was an archaeological dig on a Mayan ruin, recently discovered and until then ~ ntouched. It was located in the far west of the country tn the Maya Mountains in an area called the Chiquibul Forest Reserve. The nearest inhabited camp was called Las Cuevas, which was where the London Natural History Museum had a permanent research site for studying the local insects . However before we could be deployed we had to go through jungle training. We set off at six a.m. the following morning to allow us to do most of the walking in the cool. The j ungle was quite different from my expectation. I had imagined lots .o~ tall trees, little undergrowth and quite high humidity .in fact there was a lot of undergrowth and it was relatively dry and hot. Later we were told that most of the j ungle in Belize was not primordial because of

the frequent occurrence of hurricanes, the most recent one being Hurricane Herbert which devastated the country in 1960 - hence the lack of many large trees and the predominance of thick undergrowth. My group didn't quite get lost, due mainly to luck rather than skill. Once we had arrived at jungle camp we were given a few minutes to dump our bags, cool off in the river and refill our water bottles before we were shown various different methods of constructing a 'basher'. This in its simplest form was a hammock slung between two trees with a tarpaulin cover as a roof. We were shown how to avoid trees such as the white and black sap trees, since the sap would cause a very painful rash when it came in contact with our skin. First we set about clearing the designated area with our machetes, which in themselves required a lot of skill to avoid chopping off various parts of the body. Having cleared our area , leaving a few trees still standing as possible supports, we then set about finding more trees to chop down so we could use them for the frame. To start with my basher was to hold only three people, James, Wayne and myself; but numbers just seemed to grow, and in the end there were six of us - which ruled out the hammock method. Eventually we had what is best described as a crude oil-rig platform, the platform being our beds. The first night was unforgettable: the basher groaned under the weight of six of us, and we could here the lashings which bound our construction together slowly fraying. Every movement made was amplified ten times at least. There were insects buzzing around, creatures scurrying underneath , and we had a family of howler monkeys .arguing above us. They are aptly called howler monkeys as the sound they make is best described as something out of Jurassic Park. It is bloodcurdling, and most of us didn't get a wink of sleep that night. Early next morning screams were heard from the camp next door. They had found a large hairy black tarantula in their bowl of left-over washing-up, not the nicest of things to be greeted with first thing in the morning. The day was spent learning how to survive in the jungle. Our teacher was a local Belizian called Winston who used to hunt jaguars but now teaches jungle survival skills to such as the S.A.S. He was brilliant. He showed us how to build an oven using a few rocks and lots of mud and how to set traps to catch wild boar: we immediately had great ideas of spit roasting them over the camp fire, the only problem

Harriet on a Mayan bed

of the family died they would place them in one of the rooms of the house along with various items they would need in their afterlife, then seal up the room and build another floor on top , in which they would live. Unfortunately on the journey back to camp the Land Rover hit a rut, veered to the side then came almost to a halt before it rolled on its side. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt, but people were rather badly shaken and this delayed work for a few days. We returned with more enthusiasm as we had only a week left and had not started on the exciting part, the 'digging'. We started one test pit at the bottom of the east building with the aim of uncovering the steps leading up to the top, and another test pit at the top of the north building where we had found a hole while we were clearing away undergrowth. Over several days working on the bottom pit we found many shards of pottery and were beginning to uncover the first few steps. In the top pit Brian had hoped that we might uncover a tomb. Unfortunately this we never managed as there was a threat of a cave-in and we had to close the pit. One afternoon Brian sent a group of us into the jungle to see if we could find any more Maya mounds. Somehow the five of us took a very slightly different route and ended up getting lost for two hours with no water, compass or emergency medical kit. It was really quite frightening. We knew we had to go east, and as the sun was setting in the west we went in the opposite direction. Luckily we came across one of the first trails we had cut while we were trying to find the river, so we followed it out to safety where we found the others desperately looking for us. Harvey was just about to radio field-base to send in the B.D.F. to find us. We did discover two very large Maya mounds en route, but because we were lost we could not tell Brian where they were located. We were very sad to leave our camp as it had become our second home and no matter how many times I complained about the horrible hill we had to climb every day , it was always worth it as we knew we could just go and collapse into the river at the end of the day. We had become very good friends with the Research Station warden, Jappel, and his wife Celia - and on our last night at the research station she very kindly cooked us a typical Belizian meal of chicken, rice, beans and coleslaw. It was a sad farewell the following morning but we were off to the next phase, which for me was diving. Raleigh had two dive sites, Coco Plum, which was a picture-postcard island with a few palm trees, white sand and no inhabitants. Then there was Cary Caye, which was more like a jungle island, again uninhabited except for the tarantulas and blue land-crabs. I was on the latter. The aim of this project for us was, with the help of Owen our marine biologist, to start a long term project of research that would provide vital data on the impact of pollution on the reef. Most of the first week was spent training to sports diver level which then enabled us to dive in buddy-pairs without an instructor. The science dives took various different forms: for example, 15-metre triangles would be set up at various different depths and locations around the island and then we would quadrate the triangle, recording the amount and type of sediment, algae and coral. We also laid and brought up various sediment traps, which were then sieved and analysed.

being that we never managed to catch one. But what I found most interesting was when he showed us various different types of vegetation which were known locally for their healing properties . The highlight for the staff came in the afternoon when they had great pleasure in watching us do a river crossing. The location had already been changed that morning due to Winston seeing a rather large and hungry looking crocodile lurking in the original area, so it was a rather nervous looking group of us that gingerly ventured into the water with our rucksacks tied together as a raft for the swim 100 metres downstream to the bank and safety. But we survived, and were back in time to try and make our dinner of creamed beef palatable (which even after three months I found totally impossible) followed by the first of many star-gazing sessions around the camp fire. During our briefing on Las C uevas we were told we had two options for camp sites: either we could stay around the research building, or we could make our own camp by a river called the Monkey Tail Branch which was supposed to be relatively close. We chose the latter and the first four days were spent sending different parties into the jungle heading east in hope of finding the river. There had been an old loggers' trail down to the river but it had not been used since the 1950s and to our untrained eye was totally erased by the new vegetation. Having found it, each day we cut through the trail with our machetes and after cutting for four hours it would take only one hour to walk back - soul destroying work. Eventually, with assistance from the Research Station warden, we found the river. Early the next morning we began to move all our equipment, carrying it on our backs to our camp site. It involved several trips. The path directly down to the river from the loggers' trail was very steep and rocky and in the wet season it became a tributary to the river. I had expected the Mayan ruin to look like a squaredoff Egyptian pyramid , but I was wrong. It looked like four very large mole-hills set around a square with hardly any stones showing, just lots of soil , roots and vegetation. The aim of the project was to clear the mounds of undergrowth so that we could then survey and map the site and start the excavation. Under the guidance of Brian, the local archaeologist, we started clearing . He had expected it to take at least a week, but through a lot of determination and enthusiasm we cleared the area in three days. At one stage we began to wonder if our environmental project was actually environmentally friendly , since all we seemed to do was cut down the jungle. During the process of clearing , Brian had begun to get very excited as he thought he could see the start of a wall and we had also come across several 'steles'. These are large obelisk-type stones usually found at the bottom of the steps of the east building, often with writing on them saying what the site was called, who was their leader and any battles they had fought. Sadly none of the ones we found had any writing on them. As none of us knew exactly what we should be looking for during the excavation, Brian organised to take us to Caracol which is a very large Maya site not far from Las Cuevas. We spent the day there looking at the buildings, seeing what the pottery shards looked like and learning a little more about the ancient Maya way of life. For instance, when a member

....

Some of the most enjoyable dives were the nonscience and early morning dives. One morning I was the dive marshal for the eight a.m. dive. The others had just gone down and the water was completely still when a school of dolphins swam by. T hey were about 20 metres away and were so graceful and quiet it was extraordinary. I was also lucky enough to swim with a school of dolphins, which is something quite rare. The only sharks we saw were nurse sharks which are totally ha~ess, ~nd I e~e~ touch~ o~e. I also managed to do two mght dives. DIVlng at mght IS totally different from diving during the day. There is absolutely no light in the water so you have to dive with a torch and hence a very small field of vision, but on both dives the water was alive with activity. There were octopuses and spotted eagle-ray feeding , an unbelievable amount of plankton floating around and many large shoals of tropical fish. The deepest dive we did was to 35 metres. Our dive time was thirteen minutes, which meant that we had two minutes to get down to 35 metres and eight minutes at the bottom before we had to start our ascent. The bottom was very fine silt, but the view looking up from the bottom was an extraordinary deep blue all around and just a tunnel of light going up to the surface. Living on my ?~n desert island with an endless supply of coconuts, d1vmg every day, I was more than happy to stay for another three weeks - but it was not to be. I had to. move. on to my third and final phase, the commum~y proJect. Of t.h~ three community projects that Raleigh were orgamsmg on Belize two involved building health-posts for two different Maya Indian villages situated close to the Guatemalan border and the third was to build the long-awaited school at M~fredi for which the foundations had been built ten years ago. I was on the latter project. For me this was the most rewarding work of all, because the villagers had waited so long for ~his ~cho?l and ~o see the pleasure they got from watchmg It bemg built was heart-warming.

The previous two groups had managed to complete the shell of the building, so our group had to make the ring beam to which the trusses and rafters of the roof

Securing the trusses to the ring-beam at Mafredi

A pupil at Mafredi

Making the verandah posts at Mafredi 37

IRELAND 1995

were then bolted, and to get the roof on so that the next · expedition following ours could do all the interior work during the rainy season without getting too wet. The group was smaller than before, with only ten venturers and three members of staff. We worked in teams, and for the first five days we were all helping to manufacture the ring beam: some would be sifting the sand which when mixed with cement would make the concrete, others would be making and others assembling the shutters; but at the end of each day we would work together mixing the concrete and pouring it into the shutters which when dry would make the ring beam. After we had perfected the art of shutter-making, some people were taken off the ring beam to start on cutting and assembling wood for the rafters. With three days to go we had all the trusses, rafters and purlins in place - which left us with the roof to put on. This task looked relatively simple, but as none of us had ever put a tin roof on we were taught by Jamero, a villager who had built his family 's home. We had to start work on the roof at six a.m. because by 9.30 a.m. the glare and heat off the roofing was unbearable. After several false starts we managed to get the roof up in two days, much to the joy of the villagers. This left the last day to clear the building site and our camp site. While we had been working on the site the villagers had constantly brought us home-made cakes and biscuits along with ice-cold drinks which, as we were working in temperatures of over 100°F, were sheer luxury. They had also very kindly provided a means of transport which enabled us to see Blue Creek, the local waterfall, which was spectacular, and to visit the two other community project sites of San Lucas and Otoxha. On our last night in Mafredi the villagers held a party in the new school in our honour. We had the traditional barbecued chicken, rice, beans and coleslaw and for dessert we had home-made sweets. During the evening the village children sang a song they had learnt and their parents tried to teach us some traditional dancing with varying degrees of success. It was a lovely evening and when the next day the bus came to take us back to fieldbase, there were many tears shed by all of us , addresses swopped and promises made to come back and visit. Back at field-base it was time to clean thoroughly all the tools and to scrub all our cooking pots and pans back to the silver condition they were in when the expedition started. By the end of the expedition I was exhausted. It had been hard work but I had made some very good friends, had some amazing memories, and I had also had the best time of my life. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who either sponsored me or gave

donations.

At seven a.m. on Wimbledon semi-finals day the blue minibus left Canterbury for Fishguard Harbour via the M4 , crammed to the roof with backpacks, leftover cucumber sandwiches and cream horns from Commem . Day, Van Morrison and U2 tapes, a football and most importantly a Sainsbury's six-pack of recycled loo-roll for Mr Churcher's dog Sprew (later nicknamed Spew). The six of us who had never been to Ireland had eleven days in which to make this year's Geography/Geology expedition as enjoyable for Mr Churcher, Mr Reilly and Matthew as the previous year' s trip to Iceland. From Fishguard we took the ferry across the Irish Sea to Rosslare, the most south-easterly point on the Irish coast. From there we drove west to Mr Reilly 's family home in Clonmel, a twelve-hour journey in total from Canterbury. It was a large Georgian house, with immaculate flower beds set in cedar, oak and pine trees with a grass paddock extending down to a river in the bottom of the valley, and with a view across to the wooded hills on the other side. It was only natural in such beautiful countryside and with Mrs Reilly's delicious cooking (endless supplies of home-made soda bread and loganberry jam and a huge cooked breakfast before we set off) that we should be reluctant to leave the next morning. From the Reillys' we headed towards the tip of a peninsula on the south-west coast where we had hired a cottage for three nights. This was to be base camp while we carried out our A-level Geography projects. One of the stops on this leg of the journey was at St Patrick's Well, where the water is said to have magic healing powers as it bubbles up mysteriously through solid rock. The legend has it that St Patrick, a disciple who introduced Christianity, walked so many miles that he collapsed beneath a tree and fell asleep. When he awoke there was a stream at his feet. As Geographers we had to come up with an explanation for this resurgent stream. The well was not unique to southern Ireland; we saw two more during our stay. Our cottage was in Caherdaniel , a fishing village where Mr Reilly had spent time after his own A-levels. The village is at the foot of a glaciated valley and consists of little more than a pub, a chip shop and Freddies (a twenty-four-hour general store where emergency supplies, such as chocolate, could be

HAR;R~r~ET~L~E;s~T~E~Ri.~o~.K;.s;·i~~~iF~~~~~~~

Mr Reilly 's family home, Clonmel (Katy Bower)

-Âˇ ..

Clifden House, The Burren (Katy Bower)

obtained). Each morning we headed off in pairs to different sections of the coast, where we took it in turns to take measurements for our individual Geography investigations. The locals were very concerned that we might have in mind to build a motorway, seeing us carrying two-metre red-and-white striped surveying poles (so professional we appeared). After the first day's work everyone returned rather demoralised - James McNaught having been chased down a stream by a bull, the rainy weather having wiped out any microclimate for me to measure, and so on. Evenings were spent talent-spotting (Tom and James MeN .), or listening to Mr Reilly 's stories of his fishing days. On the last day we discovered that James Sandry had a hidden talent for opera-singing and thenceforth he was known as Pav. From our cottage we drove north up the coast to the Burren, a limestone landscape similar to the Yorkshire Dales. This rather grey and moon-like area is of interest to botanists because it is host to several rare species of orchids, and to environmentalists because the lake sediments are believed to show whether or not global warming is happening . There is also conflict because E. U. funding is available for a visitor centre which would provide much needed employment, but the plan generates concern about the environmental impact on t~e area of increased visitor numbers. During our twomght stay in yet another fabulous Georgian countryhouse with a lake and a rowing boat, we visited some limestone caves to see the sub-surface features at work, and wonderful evenings were spent by the fire playing cards and listening to Jessie's singing.

â&#x20AC;˘

fuel). Blocks of peat were being stacked and dried. However only 1.4% of the peat estimated to have existed in 1642 is left today. What struck me as being particularly sad was that so many traditional stone cottages had been allowed to fall into disrepair. The traditional cottages blend into the surroundings so well compared to the cement-rendered , Eldorado-style bungalow that has sprung up everywhere since the 1970s. Only partly recognising the problem, the government has hatched a scheme called Rent-an-IrishCottage for the construction of pseudo-traditional cottages with thatched roofs, instead of encouraging the repair of the genuine ones .

Again we headed north along the coast to Connemara, a region renowned for its green marble, stopping en route to look at the highest cliffs in western Europe and to put to the test western Europe' s best fish 'n' chip s~op (it got the thumbs up!) We stayed in a field-centre situated in a glaciated Norwegian-type fjord with lush gre~n steep sloping sides, which provided the perfect e~v 1ronment for salmon and oyster farming. On the Sides of the fjord were remnants of the famine of 184 7 which halÂĽed Ireland' s population- traditional 'lazy beds', ridged beds of seaweed on which potatoes were ~rown. Most of the local population is still employed m the peat industry (which is Ireland 's main source of

The end of the week took the form of a meeting of the Council of Ministers, with us adopting a typically British stance. Our proposal took the form of a twentyfive-year moratorium on any further integration into Europe - which we were delighted to see was also suggested by The Economist on our return . We were well led by Pete acting as Prime Minister, benefited from Jessie's brilliant debating , and enjoyed the classic line by Alex, in response to a question from Spain: 'Look , do you want me to speak in Spanish?' As can be imagined, we tended to be outvoted on these rather sensitive issues. Since we missed the last night because of our ferry crossing , Pete's Danish exchange threw a party for us at her house before we hit the town. Pete continued to sweeten relations, whilst the rest of us danced the night away . Then it was time to return . Another ferry crossing, including a picnic and the delights of Mr White's dancing. We returned to Canterbury feeling much more cosmopolitan, and realising how much we had learned from meeting so many other people and discussing with them the many complex issues of Europe. So all that is left is to say a big thank you to Mr Vye (who came out of retirement for the trip) and to Mr White for taking us, and to the Danes for putting up with us.

The first things you see on approaching Dublin are the massive Guinness vats - landmarks for miles around. Our last night was spent in the halls of Trinity College, Mr Reilly 's alma mater. Dublin is a beautiful city which does indeed have a pub on every street. The houses along the waterfront are narrow and remind you of Amsterdam , but the docks are very similar to those in Liverpool. It is split in two by more than the Liffey running through it: the southern side has predominantly wealthy, Protestant buildings - like the squares of Belgravia, the Parliamentary buildings and a large Cathedral - , whereas the north side shows signs of deprivation with slums and only a very modest Cathedral. The journey home was rather an anti-climax. None of us wanted to go home, cross a rough Irish Sea and have to acclimatise ourselves to the English heat wave. Many thanks to Messrs Reilly and Churcher for organising the trip, which I hope they enjoyed as much as we did; and to Mrs Reilly for allowing us to invade her house. (Members of the Ireland 1995 posse: Matthew Reilly , Katy Bower, Katie Forrest, Claire Gillanders, Jessie Stevens, James McNaught, James Sandry and Tom Collins.)

CHARLIE BARKER.

K ATY BOWER.

Those attending: Mr M. J. Vye, J.C.M.W. , Peter Baines, Jessica Barnes, Tara Roxburgh , Charlotte Barker, Jennie Stubbings, Simon Peachey, Timothy Palmer, Jack Sundt, Alexis Ochoa, James Harvey.

THE DENMARK TRIP: EUROPEAN CONFERENCE SEPTEMBER 1995 A number of 6a pupils were invited to attend a conference of European schools in the Danish port of Aalborg. The days involved intense discussion of a wide range of issues affecting European integration , culminating in a simulated meeting of the European Council of Ministers. We arrived in Denmark having travelled eighteen hours on a fun-filled ferry-crossing. At Aalborg Gymnasium we were placed with a Danish student with whom we would spend the week. Some of us were more fortunate than others: whilst Jack was staying with a true beauty , James got a caravan in the middle of a field with no running water, and Mr White got vertigo in an eleventh-floor flat. Monday morning's Assembly well and truly introduced us to the Danish way of life: it was a true shock for us Brits to find people chatting and eating. We then began the first of our four discussions, each one presented by one of the countries involved: Spain, Belgium, Germany and of course Denmark. We discussed topics ranging from systems of education to the economic situation in Europe , all followed by the inevitable plenary session. The afternoons were somewhat less taxing, ranging from a tour of Aalborg and its bars , to a tour round the famous naval museum and its submarine. One day was spent further north visiting an art gallery and then walking along a beautiful beach in the sun. It was an excellent day, ending with cheerful singing on the bus of Jerusalem and The Bare Necessities , led by Tara.

Charlie Barker, Tara Roxburgh, Tim Palmer, Jennie Stubbings, Jack Sundt: on the ferry to Denmark (Pete Baines)

IMAGINATIVE WRITING Chinoiserie: Three Poems in the Chinese Style Hsi-Chiin sat on his brown rocking chair In the midst of a gold expanse of sand. Beneath him wooden floorboards creaked, under his weight Under the shade of a eucalyptus tree, ' Peaceful and calm. His old auburn shoes he studied with care. His legs were bronzed by the sun. Hsi's rough camel shorts were threadbare and torn: They did little for his happily rounded stomach. Slowly he sipped at his colourless gin, Puffed contentedly at his Camel cigar. The eucalyptus he watched with careful intrigue: Who shaded it when it got hot? The summer's sun had fried each and every one of its leaves to a golden crisp, Yet they still lay patiently and loyally, Waiting ~or the next time they would be lifted, gloriously upwards, Once agam to crown the eucalyptus in gold. He slowly rocked. Then there came a rustling sound from underneath The mound of chestnut leaves. Slowly, ever so slowly, A little chameleon poked his head out from under them. He too was a multitude of colour. Craftily he had disguised himself Chestnut to match the leaves, Gold for the sand, Brown for the rocking chair; Why, he even matched Hsi's old auburn shoes. There was however no need for such a camouflage For no one was going anywhere. '

Charlotte Inglis (Ra)

Chinese Poem Jenny Dutton (Ra)

from The Rushes Ellie Wharton (Rd)

I lie in bed, comfortable, Overwhelmed by a feeling of inertia: Here is the only place I want to be. There is a day behind me, A day ahead of me, Which now I must rise to face. I reflect on the day that has passed, Leaving me only with the memory; It arrived, It lingered, a monotonous day, And !hen departed, nothing having been gained. And m such state of mind, No expectations do I have of the day to come Knowing that it will bring me here once mor~. Yet as my senses are revived, By the light that streams through the window An~ the cheerful singing of Hsi-Chiin; ' I discard these dispiriting thoughts, And prepare myself to meet this new day.

The wind whistled slowly through the dead leaves, T he water flowed rough, Her lips were pursed, But no sound could she make. She allowed the Chin Sau to swallow her. The guards lifted the upturned boat, The body within the rushes lay. A hairpin remained in place, Her body blue through the tattered robes.

........................................................ The month of November, colours vibrant But still the Chin Sau flowed on.

But what sound was that? A rustling, And the rushes began to part. From out of the water a figure stepped forth Pale, deep hollows of eyes, Lifeless. 41

Melissa Gainsford (Sha)

Party Game The little toy soldier I had when I was young, With his smiling, painted face And friendly, red coat. I envied his Glistening, gold guns That I knew, so well As toys. And I loved To play the swashbuckling game. Some days I won, others he lost. I liked the Rat-a-tat-tatting Fire That I mimicked once I could talk. But soon I was bored with my heroic assassin, And he fell with all other peelings. So when he did die It was off with his head Over and over. Still his painted smile. The red soldier fell backwards, Leap frog, But still the eyes stared.

(Caroline Bagley)

Subconscious Hermione Race (Shb) The Koi

Tim Adams (Rd)

A mythical ravine With gushing water Carving at the slate-coloured rocks. Plants cling to the vertical sides Climbing to the summit, To find Yet another endless maze of paths. A fairytale kingdom Where you can live your dreams In every detail. An emotion in every crevice and A surprise in each dancing water droplet.

The golden brown leaves fall aimlessly Onto the glassy water, Spoiling the calmness there once was. Then slowly, As a spot of blood On the retina of my eye, It appears, Gliding, Through pillars of worshipping weed. The King of the lake.

(Alex Marden)

...

Henry Coltart (Rd)

from The Grand Prix The stern faces with stressed minds behind Get covered by personalised helmets And dark visors. Each man, like a lion going in for a kill, Fires up his massive engine And guns the throttle like a bull kicking up dust. Tyres spin, A long line of powerful machines Stream from the pit lane Like a snake leaving a forest nest.

The squeal of cold tyres Spinning on dark tarmac, Drowned out by the ecstatic roar of the multinational crowd. Each machine, Piloted by the best drivers in the world, Turns off to take its position on the grid. The revs run high, And the adrenalin higher still. The lights stay red for an eternity, EachÂˇ man poised, Like a gun dog Waiting for its master's first shot of the day . The light flicks green. Twenty-four cars fly off the grid, Like a herd of wild buffalo stampeding down a narrow gorge.

Olivia Arthur (Sa)

What Makes Me Really Angry

I leant on the window sill, looking out onto the all-too-familiar sight in front of me. The colours began to blur, green trees mixed with grey buildings and red roofs, but I didn't see it, didn't want to see it; it was a reminder of the outside world where nothing had changed. I felt the stream of tears running off my cheeks and splashing quietly onto my hands. It was the first time I had cried since it had happened. My first feeling had been shock, silent shock, then deep emptiness, nothing, just a disconnection from my emotions. Only then, in the peace, the unwanted peace of our joint bedroom, did I begin to feel the pain, realise her absence, and understand the loss. The tears continued to flow. I could imagine them all in their black overcoats, saying a prayer for her, showing their love. I had known all along that I wouldn't go. This was an emotion, a pain, that couldn't be shared with others, that I had to feel on my own. I knew there would be many people there, all the people who had known her, and loved her. There seemed to be so many, wanting to say good-bye, and to say they were sorry. What was sorry? What they meant was that they were upset, that they'd miss her, that they wished it hadn't happened. I turned back to face the room, our room: it was so cheerful, too cheerful. It echoed her, it echoed us, sisters, friends, best friends. How could such a morbid occasion bring back so many happy memories? I looked up at the pin board: it was covered in photos. Her face beamed out of nearly every picture. Her happy personality, her contagious smile, with friends, with boyfriends, with me: they were all there, everyone who loved her, who would miss her. I looked down at the desk: her diary. I picked it up, the pages crackled, creased with words and emotions. It fell open, two pages filled with her illegible scrawl. I couldn't read it, didn't want to read it, it was hers, and for nobody else. I dropped the diary back on the desk; it was probably the closest I would ever be able to get to her again. I would keep it, treasure it, but never read it. I looked up once more at the face in the photos; she was so happy, so content with life, as though nothing could go wrong, except that it could. I began to realise the unfairness of what had happened. She had never done anything wrong. Nothing. There was no explanation, it was just ... unfair. It made me angry like nothing else ever has. How could I ever have faith in life, in anything, when I knew that however hard I tried something like this could always happen? To me, to anyone, to her. Why her, why? She didn't deserve to die - that's what makes me really angry. 43

Poppy Edmunds (Re)

Once Upon A Time (a ballad) A long, long time ago, my friends, When knights and dragons roamed, A castle perched upon a cliff Above the sea that foamed. A beauty in that castle dwelt, Of mind so good and sweet She was fair fancied through the land, And good enough to eat! One day when walking by the sea She spied a handsome knight. Will she go up and talk awhile? Indeed, I think she might. 'Good day, fair maiden,' said the knight, 'And what, pray, is your name?' 'My name, dear sir, is Ezmereld, But tell me, what's your game?' 0 Princess, you know very well What I have planned to do. I've heard of you from far away, And now I've come to woo.' 'But look, a dragon draws a-near! He breathes an orange flame. 0 Knight, please save me from this beast, For death is such a shame!' He took a breath, and drew his sword, Which glinted in the sun. With one huge stroke he cut a gash, From which the blood did run. The dragon roared, and slowly sank. His corpse lay on the ground; A heaving mound of scaly green, With black blood all around. 'Oh look, fair Princess, I have won! The dragon is no more. So now we can escape at last To some exotic shore.' The princess swooned and said, '0 love, For that you get a kiss. So let us now depart at once, And live in ceaseless bliss.'

(Megan Morris)

And so the Knight and Princess met, They loved and lived as one. True 'tis the fairest story told For them and everyone.

Melissa Gainsford (Sha)

Black Knight

But my anxiety. She frowns at me, Furrows forming as quilt-like crevices In a dome-shaped face. She bows down, Twinkling gold hair waving slightly in the breeze, And sedately nods her head. Donning her star-dust night-gown she resolutely lies, The victor of day. My head throbs For it is night. And I Am alone.

Black magic princess Who laughs at me, Her cloak of dark diamonds curling Like soft ash smoke. She jabs with sharp pinpoints of light And I flinch And turn And weep. Her scarf, like a strong cobweb, Entangles and swirls, Dozens of macabre maypole dancers. Sweet nightlight Does not withhold her thin, wizened arms Which grab at nothing 44

The Mayor of Plasteredbridge

Richard Legge (A6b)

'I have not touched a drop in twenty-eight minutes!' the tragic figure of Michael Drunkard uttered as he left the Three Sailors with a lurch unbecoming to one of his stature, and a brown bag that looked decidedly like paper, under his arm so that no one could learn the contents. A simple man avoided him on the street as Drunkard walked by, but he was hailed to answer a question. 'I ask you, where is my home?' Drunkard cried. 'I know where it was; for surely it was the Mayor's house in which I resided, but I was uprooted and forced out by a man whose name I cannot even allow past my lips. I ask you, where is it now?' 'Oi don't know, Sir,' the man replied, shaking his head. 'Oi cannot read or write, so oi don't know a lot, oi'm afraid. But oi know a man who does, and 'e's coming here now. Such a lovely voice, and a perfect gentleman,' and with this he left quickly to find a mud-filled ditch on the edge of town with which to identify. The gentleman, walking with a slight buoyancy and a song about his lips, approached and held up his hand to Drunkard in greeting. 'Drunkard,' he announced, 'what brings you here at this hour?' But Drunkard looked less happy. 'Farfaetched, you dog. I tolerated you for long enough. Do not think this is personal, I implore you, but now we shall fight.' It was Donald Farfaetched, the Scotchman, new Mayor and winner of 'Pub Plays Pop' song competition for three consecutive years. He was slight in build but looked very rapid with a fine pair of lungs, and because of his lack of strength Drunkard knew he must even the odds. He was honourable, if nothing else anymore, and drunk. 'I shall fight you with my ears tied behind my back, so help me!' And thus saying, he proceeded to clasp his lobes and secure them to each other behind his back. The small crowd who had gathered around when they heard the disturbance drew in breath, then let it out again. They once more drew in breath and let it out again when Drunkard swung at Farfaetched. Farfaetched had anticipated this move and had already run for four score and ten yards singing Braw bonny Scotch caber to calm himself, towards the Plasteredbridge ring. Drunkard finally caught up with the Scotchman two years later. He had been asleep in a ditch with some uneducated fellow and much had changed. He was now an ill man, and had to rely on charity to keep him alive. His daughter, Excalibur-Junior, had deserted him and his only true love Loretta had died, tragically, when a statue of herself, which she had ordered by remarkable coincidence at the same time .as a statue of Drunkard, fell off a horse onto a small yellow snake found in a cage in a bush by the main portal of her house, a sight which upset her so greatly she found reason to run straight out of the gate into the path of a hundred laughing townsfolk who stood on her as they passed the house, having heard about the secret smoke-signals passed between her and Drunkard in the days oftheirÂˇyouth. Drunkard was forced to stay with his old hay-trusser, Abel Spittle, in a small house just outside of Plasteredbridge until he died one morning, all alone, after drinking almost a score of pints of rich, strong rum. By this time his ears had been untied, but his sideburns had turned grey and were moulting rapidly, and all he seemed to talk about were inane ramblings of his memories ' back home in Ireland' and the fact that his story was so fine that it was not to be disclosed to any man. His coat had browned and he smelled very much of the barn he had had to sleep in. This was the state in which Excalibur-Junior found Michael Drunkard on the morning of his death. 'Oh,' she said, and left; to join Farfaetched in a tune from his own Scotland with the title Och, maybe he's j ust dead. A tear detached itself from Excalibur-Junior's eyes.

The Peninsula

Marco Nardini (Shf)

When you have nothing more to say, just drive For a day all round the peninsula. The sky is tall as over a runway, The land without marks so you will not arrive But pass through, though always skirting landfall. At dusk, horizons drink down sea and hill. The ploughed land swallows the white-washed Gable, and you're in the dark again. Now Recall The glazed foreshore and silhouetted log, That rock where breakers shredded into rags, The leggy birds stilted on their own legs, Islands riding themselves out into the fog. And drive back home, still nothing to say Except that now you will encode all landscapes By this: things founded clean on their own shapes, Wafer and ground in their extremity. 45

Ms Prufrock's Lament

Sophie Smith (A6b)

Let us go then, you and I, Where the shelves are stacked up into the sky Like smorgasbord on a Scandinavian table; Let us go, through certain half-emptied aisles, Among the mutterings and fixed smiles Of restless shoppers with, and off, their trolleys Stacked with lampshade-shells and striped brollies: Aisles that follow like a tedious shopping list Of things you've never missed To lead you to an overwhelming question ... Oh, do not ask, 'Is it new?' Let us go now to IKEA. In the store the people come and go Looking for tins of Bonio. For I have known them all already, known them all IKEA stores, their load bays, fronts and backs, I have measured out my life with gravad lax. And I have known the eyes already, known them all, The eyes that fix you with a formulated phrase, Calculating, cold and hard 'Will that be cash or credit card?' I grow tired ... I grow tired ... I shall push the bottom of my trolley wired To carry extra goodies to the Final Exit. .. Shall I buy another place-mat? Do I dare to buy a light? I shall wear my Spanish bottoms and drink ouzo till I'm tight. I have heard the assistants calling, 'We are closing for the night.' I do not think that they will call to me.

(Pippa Bird)

Sacrificial Lambs

Alistair Russell (Sha)

Cemented In a sea of mud, The floor of a shallow Grave, Ready for the waiting Herds, slaughter imminent, Armageddon a reality. The heaven of honour And the hell of death Intertwine to form Hades itself, The wailing of bombs Prophetic of the weeping, Funerals for the unknown, Pleas to God.

Smoke rises, From charred corpses, Offerings to the Lord Yet Sinai this is not. On a ground of pain A smoking sea of Crimson red Spread like a marred Quilt across the landscape Lit by the machine gun's light, The rattlesnakes of the front. A tear is shed, a life is lost, a nation crushed And a barrage of morals Forgotten.

Recollections of Love Katarina Weir (She) Hatred churns through my Confused mind, Savagely destroying my once Innocent thoughts. My state of consciousness Lingers, Dissolves, Abandoning me in a Submerged prophecy; Discovering the endless Functions of Torment.

(M.J.T.)

/ 48

REPORTS AND REVIEWS MUSIC

of Performance Diploma standard - but it was expertly handled by Mary Stevens on the treble recorder with great expression and dexterity . It is said that familiarity breeds contempt, but this was certainly not true of Rachel Barr's interpretation of Memory , which was extremely accomplished. Rachel has a very strong voice, perfectly matched to a show tune, and the smooth , lyrical atmosphere of the song was well brought out. Although I have heard the tune many times before, this version was definitely worth listening to. The impressively titled 'Walpole Singers C lose Harmony Group' acquitted themselves well , with two well-known American songs. They produced a rich sound , and by ensuring that the close harmony was preserved throughout, this was extremely pleasing. The good quality of their singing, and of that of the three girls who sang the spirituals, reminded me of the Girls' Barbershop Quartet - which seemed to die an untimely death. I hope that, with the skills of some of the Walpole girls, we may see its reincarnation soon. Another favourite , the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, was deftly handled by Ophelia Beer. She gave it the proper Romantic treatment, with plenty of volume in the left-hand chords, and a very expressive right hand, which is so impQrtant in this sort of playing. Although piano solos are exposed, this did not seem to worry Ophelia, and she is to be commended for her calmness. Some of the less well-known musical ta lent was in evidence { in the next piece, with the Tutors attempting to play the Blue Danube by Johann

WALPOLE HOUSE SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT SUNDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER, IN THE SHIRLEY HALL Following hot on the heels of the Walpole Sixtieth Anniversary Luncheon, thls House Concett was the first at which I had seen the audience at tables. A relaxed slightly informal atmosphere was created, putting both the audience and the musicians at ease. This was in evidence in the first piece, Tristesse Study by Chopin, played by the House Orchestra, a fairly small group under the direction of Mr Lee-Browne. They played confidently, with accurate tuning, which made a pleasing first impression - of paramount importance. The orchestra played sympathetically as an ensemble which gave a tight, controlled aspect to the music. ' The next piece, a duet for violins from Vivaldi's Concerto in A minor, was difficult with no conductor or accompanist, but Mary Stevens and Lotte Tydeman pulled it off. Mary led well and this ensured that the piece was kept together despite the lack of a conductor, and that the expressive nature of the piece could come through. Annabel Whibley is one of the best saxophonists the school has and this was in evidence in her solo, the First Concertina by Georges Guilhaud. Her skill with the instrument was demonstrated throughout the piece, especially in the stamina-demanding cadenza sections. She also managed to convey great emotion through her P!aying, which showed a good understanding of the ptece. Singing well unaccompanied is one of the most difficult musical skills, but Claire Alder, Helena Ancock, and Harriet Burgess managed it. Their singing of an English madrigal was superb, with the tuning and harmony kept well throughout. The two Negro spirituals were in fact two of the best known, but this did I not detract from the / quality. Swing Low, Sweet (

Strauss . After some last-minute tuition in the instruments, they were ready to play. Unfortunately it soon fell apart due to the lack of a conductor. Hattie Burgess, the Head of House, bravely entered the fray, and they started again, but to no avail. 'Essential work' of a rather noisy nature was taking place backstage. Fortunately, Mr Cordeaux was at hand to put a stop to Mrs Behrens' frantic hammering, and the musicians started once more. However, Mr Anderson soon threw a spanner in the works, forcing the tutors to put down the instruments. Despite this, they improvised magnificently , and justice was done, although I am not sure whether Strauss would have approved of the saucepans! On a slightly more professional note, we then heard Sam Goulden play Unchained Melody, the Righteous Brothe rs' classic tune , on the flute . This was original orchestration, but it worked well and Sam showed a

Chariot was

certainly much less raucous than the 'back-ofthe-coach ' version. The singers were very well received , and deservedly so . Spring, by Nicholas Marshall , is technically a very difficult piece -

A lyrical performance of the first movement of the Saint-Saens Clarinet Sonata came next, played by Marc Nunn accompanied by James Longstaffe. Bach's Prelude , as used in the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria, was then played beautifully by Alexandra Davies at the piano. There followed the two slow movements from Geminiani's Oboe Sonata in E minor played by Joel Marshall, who sustained the long melodic phrases very well, and was accompanied by James Longstaffe. The Banjo Rag, a short 'throw-away' piano duet by Charles Drumheller, was played with confidence and accuracy by Polly Redman and Briar Hitchen. Next we heard from Broughton's two Cambridge choral scholars. First, Jessica Stephens sang Handel's aria He Shall Feed his Flock. Jessica sustained the long phrases clearly and beautifully, and also sang some really 'scrummy ' high notes. Then Eleanor Kingsbury sang I Hate Men brilliantly , conveying all the humour of the song. The two singers rounded off this trio of songs with a performance of Rossini's Cat Duet. For me this was the highlight of the concert. The singers sang and choreographed this comic song, in which the only word is 'miaow', with humour, style and musicality. Having given a performance of the third movement of Gregson's Tuba Concerto, which he played with technical brilliance, sustaining some very long high phrases, James Longstaffe took his baton to the Broughton and Tradescant orchestra. With a wide variety of instruments they performed John Williams's Star Wars, and this provided a strong ending. Thanks of course must go to Alexander Walker and Tara Roxburgh, masters of ceremony, and especially to James Longstaffe and Elizabeth Kinross for producing an enjoyable and varied concert.

good touch with the instrument. The departure en masse of the rest of the House didn't seem to worry Rachel Hill, as she played Sammartini's Concerto in F Major on the descant recorder. The combination of a light touch and good breath control ensured that her performance was very well-tuned and pleasing to the ear. For the finale, the House returned to the hall to sing Blue Moon by Richard Rodgers. Helena Ancock's good conducting kept the singers together to produce a good unison sound - not easy with a large house such as Walpole. This was a fitting end to the programme and well-received. Zoe Blausten accompanied, and she deserves special mention, firstly for accompanying many of the pieces, and secondly for organising the concert - no mean feat. She certainly earned her bouquet! Finally, I should congratulate the whole House and Mrs Watson for an extremely enjoyable afternoon's music - all of a very high standard. As a celebration of the Sixtieth Anniversary, it was suitably upbeat, and the House should be able to look forward to another fruitful sixty years. ANDREW RIBBANS.

BROUGHTON AND TRADESCANT CONCERT ST AUGUSTINE'S DINING HALL The concert began with the combined forces of Tradescant and Broughton in the song I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Cash. Despite the large number of singers, the words were clear and good dynamic contrasts were achieved, providing a stylish opening to the evening. A more relaxed piece followed , Sleepy Shores by Pearson, played sensitively by James Firth at the piano. The next item was The Bee by Schubert, which was given an outstanding performance by Richard Bayley, accompanied by James Longstaffe. Richard played the many rapid passages of this demanding piece musically and with very good technique. Contrasting with the fury of the bee, Jessica Stephens, Katarina Weir, Rebecca Arnold and Camilla Cook gave a beautiful rendition of the two Negro spirituals Steal A way and Nobody Knows. A bluesy piano piece then followed , played with clarity by Jonathan Cox. After this , Emily Keirn (clarinet), Aleid Ford (violin), Eleanor Kingsbury (viola) and Robert van Allen (cello) gave a polished performance of Carl Stamitz's Clarinet Quartet in E. The Spanish Canarios played by Simon Peel and Joel Marshall (saxophones) were technically stylish and rhythmically exciting. Gershwin's The Man I Love, arranged for wind sextet by Phil Hughes and played by Julie Thompson-Dredge, Lucia Sydney, Jo Stephens, Zoe Fargher, Polly Redman and Lizzie Kinross, provided another enjoyable , jazzy number.

RICHARD PEAT.

THE GRANGE AND WALPOLE CONCERT SUNDAY 12TH NOVEMBER, IN THE SCHOOLROOM Members of The Grange and Walpole combined on Sunday 12th November to give an informal afternoon concert in the Schoolroom. This is an excellent venue for small-scale events, recently enhanced by Betty Myerscough's magnificent embroidery celebrating the School's history . Familiar music in a different arrangement is often a feature of house concerts and this one commenced

with Farnon 's setting for woodwind of Tchaikovsky •s Dar:ce of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Whilst one missed the dehca~y of th_e celeste of the original, this was an ~ttracti~e versiOn, confidently played with quite good mtonatwn and ensemble . ~aun!'s moving Elegie for cello - an appropriate ~hoic~ for Remembrance Sunday - was the only string Item I_n the concert. Jenny Dutton's excellent tone and phrasmg, together with her mastery of the difficult passag_e-work, enabled . her to give a musically committed a~count of this wonderful piece which was the outstandmg performance of the afternoon. A_ confident saxophone solo by Laurence Ridges and a chtrpy yocal duet - A ll My Loving by the Beatles _ from Rhiannon Newman-Brown and Poppy Savage were fol,lowed ~y the first movement of Lennox Berke~ey s attracti_ve Flute Sonatina: Frances Houghton sometimes had pitch problems but she managed the cross-rhythms well and captured the spirit of the music A Grange ~ocal quartet concluded the first part of th~ concer~ With the familiar Barbershop setting of Gathenng Up T~e Roses: some strange thorns got among the roses m the _final c_hords but the quartet's good-humoured rendenng gamed them well-earned applause. There .was further variety to entertain us in the second half which. opened with a carefully prepared and executed ptano number by ? lton John from Zoe ~lausten, followed by three clannets led by Rachel Barr m a Handel March. Another delightful contrast came from the recorders of Rachel Hill and Mary Stevens who played two movements of a sonata by the Flemish

Zoe Blausten Rachel Barr J. ' ' ames

co~pos~r, Loeillet, in which their musical phrasing and skilful mterchange of parts ensured a convincing performance. After a Brahms waltz from Segun ~aws~n, a combined Grange and Walpole grou mcludt~g several of those who had opened the conceit' played m con~lusion two blues numbers by Pol Ston~ and Peter Lame. Rachel Barr supported by Andy Saunders gav_e a strong clarinet lead to the group with a ~rm bass lme from Zoe Blausten and James Capel whil~t A~nabel Whibley, who had played oboe in the openmg Item , now made an impressive sound on her saxophone. There was a warm and happy family a~mosp~ere to the whole concert and Mr Aldridge in his closmg r~marks rightly expressed our gratitude to Annabel ':\'hibley, Tak Loon Khong and James Capel for all the~r work and to Mr Stephen Matthews for his accompamments and general advice. D.S.G.

PREP SCHOOLS' MUSIC DAY SUNDAY 8TH OCTOBER This was the fourth Prep Schools' Music Day to be held at King's. Over one hundred boys and girls attended and schools represented included Ashdown H?use, Brambletye, Copthorne, Dulwich (Cranbrook) Hilden G~ange, Holmewood House, Marlborough House, M~lner Co~~· and The Prebendal. The prep sc_ho~l puptls were JOined by their parents and by some Kmg s boys and girls who acted as guides and · supporters.

cape1, Andy Saunders, 51

Annabel Whibley (M.J. T.)

The children were divided into three groups: Choir (Stefan Anderson), Band (Phil Hughes) and Strings (Colin Metters). There were two rehearsals, one before and one after lunch, followed by a free 'activity' time. The boys and girls were able to choose from a varied list of activities including five-a-side football , badminton, 'Chinese' cricket, table tennis, squash, art, pottery , C. D. T. and even juggling and riding antique bicycles! More food and drink were consumed at tea before the concert in the Shirley Hall at six p.m. The Programme: Choir Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (excerpts) Swahili Hymn Chanson Triste (Tchaikovsky) and Band Memory (Lloyd Webber) Ponderous Prelude (Matthews); Strings Folk Song (Brahms); Songs and Dances (arr. Foxley) and Four Sixteenth Century Tunes (arr. Graham-Jones) The Headmaster concluded the concert with a short speech commenting on the high standards of pla~ing and singing as well as the enjoyment that was obvl?US on the faces of those taklng part. It was a very rewardmg day. S.W.S.A.

(M. P.H.D.)

CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERT SUNDAY 12TH NOVEMBER, IN THE OLD SYNAGOGUE To say that at King's we are fortunate enough to have not only a vast amount, but also great variety of musical talent, would be to state the obvious to all who attended this concert. For over an hour, this group of twenty pupils (and Mr Stephen Matthews , to whom we are greatly indebted for all the accompanying he does at occasions such as this) managed to dispel the trauma of unfinished preps, fleeting weekends and (in my case) the fact that I had a review to write. Ranging from Shells to 6a, from flute to tuba, in the capacity of chamber music alone there was true variety. The evening started with the Brass Quintet (an ensemble that has, over the years, established and maintained a very high standard of music) pla6ing the first movement of Victor Ewald's Quintet in D major. The performance was lively, with good co-ordination and an accurate sense of timing. The recurrence of the tune coming in over an introduction of repeated quavers, swapping from part to part each time, worked particularly well. The use of dynamics too was good, but perhaps what was most memorable was the clarity of sound and the excellent blend that the Quintet achieved. After the applause died away and the necessary stands, chairs and piano had been rearranged, we heard the first movernent of Beethoven' s Trio in G major, with Peter Lawrence (piano), Anne Davies (flute) and Alastair Laing (bassoon) . Peter played with panache and, while there were occasional slips, Anne and Alastair demonstrated considerable dexterity in the faster passages, especially on the frequent rising motifs. In the less technically demanding sections, especially towards the beginning, nervousness caused a few breathing problems, possibly resulting in a little too

(M. P.H .D.)

much vibrato from the flute (although most of the time it was not overdone at all) , and whilst I felt that the bassoon could have played up a little at times, it did not detract from the overall performance, which was sensitively interpreted. Everybody who plays the recorder, with the possible exception of those cute little five-year-olds whom we love to hate, knows that a wooden recorder is not the easiest instrument to tune, especially when four have to be tuned to one another. Although aware of the problem, the Quartet could do little until the instruments had warmed up. Consequently, the tuning problems were not completely resolved in the Entry Dance (from The Fairy Queen by Purcell) which otherwise was well co-ordinated with very good clarity of sound from all four players. By the time we reached the Rondeau, the second of the three movements from The Fairy Queen, the tuning was much improved and posed no problems. The Rondeau itself was very lively and the players displayed an excellent understanding, especially in the upper parts, for the expression and general feeling of the piece. The Fanfare followed and, again, this kept its impetus right through to the end with a musical and dignified approach pervading. It is often said that musicality is shown by slow movements in particular, and so it proved to be here with the slow movement of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet: Not only was Thomas Tallon's clarinet sounding at just the right level of smoothness and serenityÂˇ, with some beautifully soft entries low in the range, and subtlety rising to a climax, but all the accompanying strings provided exactly the right amount of support. Sarah Petrie, on lead violin , played her solos particularly well , and the general mood of the piece was very relaxed. My relaxation, however, was cut abruptly short when the other Tallon, William, stepped up to play the first movement of Prokofiev's Flute Sonata No. 2 (in my opinion, one of the highlights of the evening). From the beginning, the two obvious qualities were those of clarity of sound and an air of confidence, both of which were well justified. The distinctively modern sound of Prokofiev provided a welcome stylistic variation, and it was performed not only with great accuracy in the technically demanding sections, but also with a lot of expression, producing a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable piece of music. Next we heard Caroline Ritchie and Jennifer Dutton, both on cellos, play the A ndante and Allegro movements of Handel's Sonata in G minor. The lamenting tune of the andante movement, coupled with its strings of suspensions, provided a strong foundation on which to play the following Allegro movement. It was at this point that the music really came to life, with much spirit, character, feeling , and the interlocking solos between the two cellos working particularly well . The penultimate item was the first movement of the Trio Sonata in F major by Telemann, with Adam Brown soloing on treble recorder. The piece, in the true meaning of the word Vivace (the speed marking), was very lively and true to the general style of Telemann. The playiog was always neat, and ornaments were particularly well executed, aided by a strong sense of direction in the accompaniment. There could have been better balance between recorder and accompaniment -

the recorder often being drowned out. As a result, the piece worked best at the recorder solos, where the clear tone quality which Adam made could be more freely heard over the softer (yet always accurate and musical) accompaniment. The evening ended on a high point, not that there were anything other than high points throughout the concert, with the Brass Quintet returning to play John Iveson's arrangement of Frere Jacques. All the qualities of their first piece were applied in a more lively , upbeat context, characterised by the moment near the end when James Longstaffe played his tuba solo to the tune of Pop goes the Weasel, causing the audience to look up from their programmes in surprise. Many thanks to everyone involved for a thoroughly enjoyable concert. I look forward to the next one. The Brass Quintet: Andrew Brice, Emily Hague (trumpets), Adam Brown (horn), Nicholas Tattersa ll (trombone), James Longstaffe (tuba). The Recorder Quartet: Mary Stevens (descant), Adam Brown (treble), Rachel Hill (tenor), Nicholas Tattersall (bass) The Clarinet Quintet: Thomas Tallon (clarinet), Sarah Petrie, Tessa Coombe (violins), Eleanor Kingsbury (viola), Jessica Barnes (cello) The Baroque Ensemble: Adam Brown (treble recorder), Caroline Ritchie (viola da gamba), Emma Lewis (cello), Ivo Neame (harpsichord) SIMON PEEL.

A CHRISTMAS CONCERT SUNDAY lOTH DECEMBER, IN THE SHIRLEY HALL Three things could reasonably be expected of a concert : good presentation, good music , a good night out. Three things could reasonably be hoped to be absent from the evening of a concert : fog, ice and flu. That the latter were present in abundance without spoiling the former reflects greatly to the credit of the Music Department - particularly Stefan Anderson in his debut as Director of Music-, the performers and the School. A cold coming the audience had of it. To reach the Shirley Hall they had struggled through snow and ice. Many may have been tempted to stay at home with the warming cup of cocoa and the quiet night by the wireless. Many resisted that temptation and were rewarded with an evening of genuine achievement and quality. There were performers absent because of the flu: this did not detract from the evening. First, the presentation. This was perhaps the only part of the evening which caused awareness of the absences: a certain hesitation in the manner in which the Choral Society took the stage, for example. The promised short five-minute interval that extended itself may have been another casualty. The audience ideally would not have applauded between the movements of the Brass Quintet's piece. It would have been useful to have had a text, and perhaps also a translation, of the Crypt Choir's piece. These are minor caveats: when a reviewer is reduced to making such points it is clear

DRAMA

that the evening was a success. The pupils looked and sounded positive; even at the end of a long term and two days after the end of the internal examinations there was proper enthusiasm and full engagement. Second, the music. Selections from Horowitz's Music Hall Suite began the concert . The Brass Quintet (Andrew Brice, Charles Miller-Jones, Andrew Brown , Nicholas Tattersall, James Longstaffe) was in good voice. So many schools feel somewhat embarrassed by their Brass. At King's it is one of the jewels in a glittering crown. This evening showed why. The music is the sort of music best heard twice before venturing criticism, since it is a pastiche of an amateur pit-band not quite capable of the music in front of it. This sort of parody can go dreadfully wrong in execution, but the Quintet performed it with wit and understanding. The intonation was faultless, as was the timing (and what is humour if the timing be wrong?) Ensemble work at its best. The Crypt Choir, in J S Bach's Jesu meine Freude, conducted by Michael Harris and accompanied by Stephen Matthews and Nigel Field, was very good, although the overall effect was not their best: but then their best is better than excellent. The shape of the piece was pleasing; the understanding of it clear. The tenors were spot on in their exposed leads; the use of dynamic effective. The rejuvenated Choral Society ended the first half with three choruses from Handel' s Messiah. Stephen Matthews gave his customary faultless performance as n!petiteur; Georgeanna Williams (who a few days later was to excel in the Carol Service as soloist in a firstclass carol she had written herself) was the soloist, valiantly surmounting illness. Stefan Anderson demonstrated why the Choral Society has become so popular on Thursday nights. There was pace, ensemble and commitment. Some consonants may have been missed, but the entries were pleasingly sound . Despite the fact that the audience remained seated for Hallelujah, there was fresh life in well-known pieces. Colin Metters and the Symphony Orchestra never cease to impress. In Purcell's Chacony for Strings the standard was simply excellent. It was almost as though the players themselves were amazed at the quality of their music: it was sustained and brilliant. Mussorgsky's Night on the Bare Mountain (in the Rimsky-Korsakov arrangement) started uncharacteristically hesitantly, but ended triumphally. This is programme music with a vengeance: the Symphony Orchestra showed its mastery . In Rossini's William Tell Overture there was individual brilliance (Nigel Field on the cello , Ivo Neame on the timpani, William Tallon on the flute) and corporate cohesion. In a piece which could so easily run away with itself there was control and proper tautness of expression . Only the most confident of orchestras can undertake such a piece: only the most competent can bring it off. Third , it was a good evening out, complemented by the catering afterwards. A programme with so many well-known pieces could easily have come to grief in embarrassment and failure. It didn ' t. Stefan Anderson and all his team are to be congratulated on a most enjoyable Christmas concert of considerable quality. J.A .T.

GEORGES FEYDEAU,

A FLEA IN HER EAR ST MARY'S HALL, 21ST TO 26TH NOVEMBER Since farce is the hardest of dramatic modes to perform successfully, so must it be to review. No deep character transformations to evaluate; no dark crises of the soul; no sound of a string snapping, coming as out of the sky; no chance of the darkly romantic hero emerging as a closet gay. Instead, the cumulative effect of mistaken identities, frantic chases, popping pistols: either - depending on your point of view - a deficit of decent peripeteias and anagnorises or such a frantic choreography of them that the brain reels and the reviewer's hand grows palsied . Last term's main school production of Feydeau' s A Flea in her Ear, in StMary's Hall, opened on a simple set, its black-and-white doors the basic motif of farce, and soon an urbane Dr Finache (Tom Kenwright) was in semi-conversation with the palateless Camille (Robert Thomas), who was to sustain brilliantly the condition of a vigorous young man with only his best vowels to offer to a fair sex who prefer consonants. Equally sustained were to be the !allan diphthongs of Lucienne (Saskia Stirling-Aird), whose mini-Fylingdales of a hat wasn't always in time to warn her of the extravagant intrusions of her jealous Iberian husband. Lucienne's demure giggles generated a laughter that drew the audience in , and her longish scene with Raymonde (played by Ellie Kingsbury with a splendid ebullience throughout) set up the device of Raymonde' s husband having left his red braces in the Hotel Coq d'Or, where ... Camille is almost beside himself! Enter husband Victor Emmanuel (Peter Lambert, for whom the word 'aplomb' might have been invented) accompanied by his smooth friend Romain (Aristide Muganda), for whom women just melt ... If speed and energy (not instinct, surely, but almost as many meticulous hours of preparation as the S.A.S.) marked everything Victor Emmanuel did, so the comic explosions of Carlos Homenides de Histangua (Malcolm Todd) accelerated the action till the first scene ended as - Camille spoke! Dark the interior of the Hotel Coq d'Or, and rumpled the revolving bed . Rougher-edged is the world of a landlord (Espin Bowder) who prefers military organisation to the disorderly world of bourgeois adulteries, and who has regimental memories of the exContessa who was served up stark naked with peach melba and sponge fingers. Things should be done properly! Particular targets of his ire are his porter Poche (Peter Lambert again, suitably deplombed) and the Dickensian figure of his uncle Baptistin (Adam Withrington) , whose fate it will be to be swivelled into view by successive amorous flights and pursuits. All this is laconically observed by the landlord's wife Olympe (Sarah Winchester) and their maid Eugenie (Olivia Kirby) as Victor Emmanuel follows his wife Raymonde to the Coq d 'Or, that ACAS of sexual impotence (at any rate its arbitration and advisory

Aristide Muganda, Ellie Kingsbury, Saskia Stirling-Aird (T.I.J.)

Alex Walker, Espin Bowder (T.I.J.)

services if not its conciliation). But Victor Emmanuel - is Po~he beaten into the porter's jacket and cap , assaulted by Herr Schwarz (James Stazicker), whose Prussian pugnacity seemed (o~ m~ cou~t) to lead to more of the women disappeanng mto hts room than anywhere else ... Laughter followed on laughter, the audience hardly able to catch their breath, as the Coq d'Or's guests fled frantically through door after door ~ Spanish. pistols popping , Prussian gutturals explodmg,. the mterval interrupting a chase that had gone on wtth the speed and precision of ice-skaters. An hour-and-a-half of entertainment already! Rewind and continue. Our pertly provocative maid Antoinette (Tara Roxburgh) , having slipped the ~eash at the Coq d'Or with Camille, has bribed the concterge to reassure her gent's gent of a husband (Alex Walker) that, far from having been 'hugged by a Hun', she ~as been demurely reading a book. Enter Raymonde wtth Romain: and again sustained speed of speech a~d movement, and perfect simultaneous dehvery ~ith Lucienne as the ladies recount events at the Coq d Or when Poche arrives - or is it Victor Emmanuel? - the doctor must determine!

Malcolm Todd (T.I.J.)

Delirium tremens may lie ahead for Victor Emmanuel - but Poche's reaction is cloacal. 'Try to be sensible again ' versus ' up at five, and sweep the floor~'. Sustained (audience) laughter and ten drops of ammo~a; a long sequence of Camille; Victor Emmanuel electl~g to throw them all out for misbehaviour; enter Augustm with a palate from the Coq d 'Or , name and address clearly evident; Camille is singing the Marseillaise in the shower! A duel, there must be a duel (Ayckbourn , what are you missing, up there in Scarborough?)! U ntil. .. 'I came face to face with myself'; but that's because Poche has jumped out of the window in frustration and landed on Victor Emmanuel's head. Wonderful! We' re all laughing! There isn' t a world of long essay deadlines, dodgy Oxbri~ge prospects, and missing petty cash; nor one outside of short-term employment contracts, pensions time-bombs, and democratised aggressiveness; it's all fun! It's been one long, brilliant laugh, a rich confec~ion of .g ift~d, energetic young actors, skilled set-makmg and l~ght~ng designs (Karl Twort) , costume, makeup , and hghtmg support teams, and the dedicated conception. and implementation of movement patterns and preciselyrehearsed comic vitality by directors Mr Andrew Dobbin and Ms Fiona Phillips. The sixth-formers around me laughed all the time; so did I.

s.c.w.

Peter Lambert (T.I.J.)

DRACULA SPECTACULA MARLOWE AND MITCHINSON'S HOUSE PLAY

(Mark Williams) and Frau Gretel (Leonora DawsonBowling), who were superbly cast. Mark looked more relaxed and at home on the stage than I have ever seen him at school. Then comes our hero, Nick (Charles Foinette) , again another good piece of casting. Miss Nadia immediately fell in love with Nick and he with her. Unfortunately Miss Nadia was tricked by Count Dracula, who put a spell on her and managed to persuade her to visit him in his castle. Much to the audience's disappointment, Miss Nadia and the children trotted along to the castle and were close to death when along came our hero and they were safe. With copious amounts of garlic and religious crosses the wicked Count Dracula was overthrown and reduced to a pile of dust on the floor - well nearly! Count Dracula was aided and abetted at all times by both his mother and the faithful Genghis. This evil trio frequently burst into song, with the rest of the cast singing and dancing at the back of the stage. The story ends with Nick and Miss Nadia living happily ever after ... Others involved in the details of the story were Father O 'Stake, played by Jon Wood (a great achievement for a boy in his first term at the school); the Zombie Men ; and the Brides of Dracula - who all added even more hilarity to a superb performance. Dracula Spectacula was one of the best House Plays I have seen. It combined excellent acting with some entertaining singing and well-choreographed dancing. All those involved obviously enjoyed putting on this performance and the whole atmosphere was one of excitement. Congratulations on putting together such a clever performance! I thoroughly enjoyed my evening. A.M.J.P.

IN THE SHIRLEY HALL , NOVEMBER 1995 And what a spectacula! From start to finish this performance had me laughing and worrying. The audience was not given one minute to relax. We were either rolling around with laughter or sitting nervously in our seats waiting for the menacing Count Dracula to pick on Miss Nadia ... or on us. The part of Dracula was played superbly by Tim Davis who, with the help of a little make-up, looked terrifying. His sidekick , Genghis, played by Tom Pickering, was outstanding. Tom demonstrated the wonderful abilities of wash-in , wash-out hair dyes when he appeared in School on Monday morning with blond hair (rather than blue). The Countess Wraith, played by Rachel White, was the only person on stage who had some hold over her wicked son Dracula, and I am sure some of her powers came from her electrifying hairstyle. The story begins in an American classroom. The children are being taught about the history and geography of Transylvania and decide to visit the country itself. Off they go, by air, to Transylvania. There were some superb visual effects created by very simple and inventive choreography. The airplane scene was very well acted: the children , Miss Nadia and the pilot convinced us all that they were airborne by a series of simultaneous and clever movements. Once in Transylvania the school party was met by Herr Hans

Tim Davis, Chris Pickering (Pete Baines)

.....

Dracula Spectacula: Lindsay Sharp, Harriet Shere, Becky Potter (Pete Baines)

House Drama Competition: School House, winners Ang us Blackburn and Peter Lambert (M.J. T.)

House Drama Competition: Jervis Frankie Jennings and Fleur Howard (M.J. T.)

TALKS

SIXTH FORM TALK: SQUADRON LEADER B.A. JAMES, M.C., O.K.S. HOSTAGE OF HITLER

SIXTH FORM TALK: LORD BIRKETT, THE FILM INDUSTRY

THURSDAY 5TH OCTOBER, THE OLD SYNAGOGUE

FRIDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER, THE OLD SYNAGOGUE Lord Birkett went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was heavily involved in theatre and became interested in film. After graduating from Cambridge he then spent six years at Ealing Studios. Since then Lord Birkett has been involved with a wide range of fi lms - including The Caretaker, Dunkirk, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Ladykillers mostly as producer. He has even taken an acting role in the screen production of King Lear. Lord Birkett is now Vice-Pres ident of the British Board of Film C lassification .

The School first asked Squadron Leader James, O.K.S., to speak of his wartime experiences fifty years ago. It was therefore only after apologising for his 'small delay in responding' that he felt able to begin the talk in earnest. The opening smiles aside, he then began an absorbing and often haunting talk, documenting his five-year captivity from the relatively low security imprisonment at ' Stalag Luft 1' to his tortured existence at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He carefully explained how each escape attempt was made, from the awkward disposal of tunnel dirt to the eventual result of each effort. His explanations were accompanied by diagrams of the camps and the tunnels which were dug; being able to visualise each situation added greatly to the interest of the talk. Most haunting of all, however, were his accounts of public executions, the mass slaughter of his fellow prisoners, and many other such atrocities, including his own solitary confinement. Squadron Leader James left his audience in a sombre mood, with much to reflect upon. The talk, while informative and often entertaining, served as an essential reminder for what it is all too easy to forget - the price of freedom. T IMOTHY GOMERSALL.

Lord Birkett with Leonard Samuelson (Robert Justice)

Lord Birkett spoke on a wide range of film-related topics . He told us that the C lassification Board is constantly being attacked from two sides: on the one side, from the liberal, intellectual film makers and watchers who regard the Board as unreasonably strict censors. On the other side the Board suffers attacks from those, such as some MPs, who, bearing in mind issues such as the Jamie Bulger case, feel the Board is excessively liberal. However, Lord Birkett made it known that the content of the film in question over the Jamie Bulger case, Childsplay 3, had absolutely no connection with the disturbing and tragic murder . Lord Birkett did say however that violence in films had a corrosive effect on people especially in films where the audience is invited to enjoy scenes of violence. We also had recounted to us many amusjng anecdotes of the chaotic and very expensive film business. Lord Birkett also spoke on his most-admired film actor, Alec Guinness - especially his ability almost to become the character he is playing, and his incredible talent for improvisation. Lord Birkett felt that his career in films had been extremely rewarding and that film encompasses all the visual arts - architecture, painting , still photography - in addition to the power of music and language. Lord Birkett <concluded by saying that films offer diversity as rich as any other form of culture. I am inclined to agree. ROBERT J USTICE.

Squadron Leader James (Robert Justice)

of Irish Government for some years . A man of formidable intellect and considerable personal charm, his equanimous and engaging manner pointed up the vast disjunction between the reasonableness of the constitutional politicians on both sides of the border and FRIDAY 6TH OCTOBER, the bloody-mindedness of a tiny minority who SCHOOLROOM unrepresentative of the majority of Republican thinking The talk by Dr Coleman (Oxford University) gave - had for too long poisoned the political process. a valuable insight into one of the most serious problems Why peace? What had made the difference? First, the world faces today - the population crisis. It was the catalyst: on being pressed to isolate a key event intriguing to hear the complications and the possible which had made dialogue possible, Mansergh first cited solutions from the point of view of a man who has the Enniskillen murders of 1987, which he said had devoted a large part of his life towards the issue, rather persuaded Albert Reynolds towards a 'peace first, than that of a less knowledgeable writer. The angle from settlement later' track; it had proved to be too which he addressed the issue was a much less complicated to achieve a political settlement before straightforward one than we had previously peace was attained - hence the formula-sequence, encountered. Declaration of Principles, cease-fire, political It is a very hard task to make the subject of world settlement. A fudge, but a hitherto successful one. population seem interesting to sixty tired teenagers, yet Second, the personalities: Mansergh suggested that through the pace and wit of the presentation he attained whilst Sinn Fein's demonology of Thatcher ruled out the full attention of everyone present. Even if the contemplation of a cease-fire, the change in style extremely fast pace sometimes resulted in the loss of ushered in by John Major's arrival in Downing Street finer detail , all present were able to follow the main was critical. Therefore, whilst the former would have points. His most radical suggestion was that the talked up cease-fire into surrender and scared the IRA population explosion would lead to such expensive off, the latter deliberately underplayed the achievement living costs that having children would become to buoy up IRA nerves. Amen to that. Third, the undesirable in the future. We shall see . .. pragmatism: the realisation of both sides that neither side could win. Fourth, money: the realisation that ROBERT JUSTICE. economic and commercial logic was driving North and South together anyway, that the engine of Europe was driving Belfast and Dublin on a by-pass of London to Brussels. And for the future? The immediate obstacles are high . The decommissioning of IRA weaponry is proving to be a n intractable problem, and with a waferthin majority John Major might have to retreat to the relative safety of a kiss and cuddle with the Ulster Unionists. Whilst both sides have accepted an all-Ireland solution - and this was of course what brought Gerry Adams to the negotiating table, ul timately the settlement needed to be an R. W. T. with Dr Peter Riviere, who gave the 1995 Linacre Lecture (Robert Justice) internal one . Mansergh predicted that a Northern Ireland assembly would be riven with internecine SIXTH FORM TALK: conflict and wrangling. DR MARTIN MANSERGH, O.K.S. Whatever the short-term problems, the audience came away from Mansergh' s talk with a fundamental sense FRIDAY 3RD NOVEMBER, of optimism. The essential conviction that the mil itary THE OLD SYNAGOGUE alternative had been discredited, and that the democratic alternative was the only one which commanded support Martin Mansergh , O.K.S., has been described in the both domestically and internationally, pointed to what highest circles - not least by The Spectator - as the he predicted to be ' the long peace that followed the long most important figure in bringing about the peace in war'. He should know. Northern Ireland. He is, of course, the special adviser J .C.M.W. to Albert Reynolds and has played a key role at the apex

DR D. COLEMAN: CONTEMPORARY POPULATION AND RESOURCE ISSUES

BOOKS

such editions, there is a text summary- and of course you have the obligatory glossary of Hardy' s 'disguised' place names and the map of Wessex. I know which edition of Jude I shall be using next time I teach it.

TIMOTHY HANDS, THOMAS HARDY [Writers in their Time], Macmillan 1995

P.J .B.

TIMOTHY HANDS (ed.), JUDE THE OBSCURE

WATERCOLOURS IN ACADEME, DENNIS FLANDERS TEXT BY MALCOLM HORTON

Everyman, 1995 It is rare that a book is better than its blurb, but Tim Hands's Thomas Hardy is just that. Here we have an important contribution to Hardy studies: a lucid, witty and fascinating guide to the formation of Hardy's mind and work. The book's governing image is of a Hardy of considerable complexity, ruled by dualities and divided in life as in death (Hardy's ashes were interred in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, but his heart was excised and placed in his first wife's grave in Dorset). Hardy went to considerable efforts to stop us getting at anything resembling a real Hardy: he even wrote his own biography and tried to get it passed off as being by his second wife - though he had to subcontract the account of his death. But Tim Hands's incisive pen cuts judiciously through Hardy' s obfuscation, ambiguities and shifts of belief- and those of his critics too. What emerges is a questioning Hardy with a myriad concerns: the industrial revolution, the relationship of individuals to their environment, education, the nature and role of women, the validity of marriage, religion, scientific advance, the arts and architecture. The subtle exploration of Hardy's religious beliefs is typical of Tim Hands's approach, and the eventual definition of him as a ' not-knower' embodies the tensions and ironies which run through his life and work. How good a writer was Hardy? Tim Hands acknowledges the unevenness and says readers will decide for themselves, but he has already given them the answer for this book is full of perceptions which send you scurrying back to the richness of Hardy's poetry and novels. The chapters on 19th century society and its key ideas will inform and be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in history or ideas as well as any reader of novels. Students of Hardy, be they sixth-formers or at university, have no better starting place than this book.

CONTEMPORARY W ATERCOLOURS, GRAVESEND, 1995 When growing up in 1950s south London I was periodically sent by my parents to the local hairdressers. I went willingly, not because I wished to compete with Yul Brynner - The King and I was a current film but because the hairdresser provided The Illustrated London News as reading matter for his customers. In this wonderful journal of sepia coloured photographs and tinted drawings I found works by an artist with whom I immediately identified: Dennis Flanders. I had already discovered the wonderful drawings of London by Muirhead Bone on visits to the Imperial War Museum, and a friend had brought to school a book of ink-drawings of blitzed London by Hanslip Fletcher. So here was another master of architectural draughtsmanship to hang in my 'hall of greats'. They subsequently inspired me in my own work and helped develop a lasting love for the brick and stone of the City of London, and when I was allowed to go to Oxford on Saturdays on the South Midland Coach - only seven shillings and nine pence return from Victoria - to discover the beauty of the 'dreaming spires', and the inspiration for some of Flanders' best work. This book is limited as the title suggests to Dennis Flanders' drawings of colleges, universities and schools. Many were published in The Illustrated London News, or commissioned to raise funds for the specific institution by publication as limited edition prints. The book is published by Contemporary Watercolours of Gravesend who published several facsimile prints of Flanders' drawings of King's two years ago. The book reproduces these drawings and many others and gives an excellent quality of reproduction with each drawing reduced to about half, and with the sky or sides sometimes slightly cropped. Lovers of Flanders' work who may have a copy of his Britannia, now out of print and highly sought after, will know that he started drawing before the war and has worked in all the major cities and towns of Britain and Ireland. Indeed some of his most ambitious works such as town views do not come within the scope of this volume. His technique and style seem to have been formed by the early 19A0s, using a carbon pencil for line sometimes strengthened by brown ink and soft washes of watercolour. But the line always comes first. To my mind he is best when concentrating on pure architecture softened with trees or flower beds rather than pre-

They also now have an excellent edition of Hardy's controversial novel Jude the Obscure, with notes by Georgina Salmon (WL 1990-95). Tim Hands's eightpage introduction summarises the essentials of Thomas Hardy and makes a good quick guide to the novelist' s life, though it leaves one wanting to hear more of Hands on Jude than the series format allows. Georgina's notes tell you what you want to know about Hardy's extraordinarily rich allusiveness - not just that he' s quoting Job but that this is 'a book that Hardy was particularly interested in for its attempted reconciliation of human suffering with the concept of a loving god' . There is <tlso an excellent battery of supporting material: a chronology of Hardy's life and times (both historical and literary), an up-to-the-minute account of critical views on Jude and suggested reading. Unusually for

as in his ' Holywell Quadrangle, New College, Oxford'. Of the other universities I feel that with the exception of Durham and Wye College, Kent, he cannot give the same feeling to the setting. New brick and stone as in Exeter inspires a satisfactory rather than heart-felt response. Even the finest artist cannot disguise the overbearing nature of the 60s tower blocks at 'Essex University', although he has caught the ripples of the lake of Wivenhoe Park in the foreground with great subtlety. His view of Durham Cathedral from the castle or University College was drawn in February 1944 and exploits the snow and the pattern of footsteps converging on the gateway to College Green. It is actually one of his finest works, with the Cathedral set against a leaden sky and the snow catching the walls and battlements of the mediaeval buildings . Of the choice of schools the selection may be said to be curious or unexpected. King's is here with his 'Speech Day on the Green Court' taken from the loft window of No 25. Presumably Fred Shirley had engineered this, the finest viewpoint of the school , for him? There are two views of the City of London School for Boys and one cannot help feeling that the Victorian classical building by Blackfriars Bridge was so much more inspiring than the new school in red brick viewed across the river from Bankside. Indeed the drawing of the new school is redeemed by the noble outline of St Paul's Cathedral rising behind it. Eton is represented by a view across School Yard at first floor level. Again one senses Dennis Flanders' love of brick and stone walls with Lupton's Tower in the centre and the chapel on the right. Winchester is represented by a view across Chamber Court enlivened by red-cassocked and surpliced scholars outside chapel. In his Britannia Flanders relates that when he was making this picture he left his camp stool in an arch to go for a short stroll. When he returned it had gone. He told the porter, who called the Head Prefect to ask him to recover it. 'I'll do what I can,' he said. 'I think you will find it there . tomorrow morning'. It was. Other major schools represented include Lancing, Radley , Sherborne and Wellington. His King's School, Ely, is unfortunately slightly cropped at the top which destroys the grandeur of the Cathedral's western tower. Another Kent school included is Sutton Valence, picturesquely situated overlooking the Weald. For lovers of fine draughtsmanship and collectors of books in which artistic skills take precedence over instant photographs, this is a volume to treasure. The quality of production is magnificent and the book would make a wonderful gift for anyone educated at the institutions depicted. Some years ago I was offered an original watercolour drawing by Dennis Flanders of a distant view of Truro being then 'a far away place of which I knew little'. I declined it. Perhaps I should have bought it, but a~ least I still have the money as I hunt for that rare edition of the Illustrated London News dated 16th July 1960. And if you find one, check to see that the supplement is there as it might have been detached by a nostalgic O.K.S. Dennis Flanders, you have an assured place among the great artists of twentieth-century British topography and the book is a magnificent tribute to you. H.J.P.

dominantly landscape with buildings set in the distance. But he has a beautiful subtlety about water. The book opens with a foreword by Leslie Worth, past President of the Royal Watercolour Society, who describes Dennis Flanders as a 'charming gentleman and memorable draughtsman'. It is a pity there is not more about his early training. After Merchant Taylors he attended art classes at the Regent Street Polytechnic and StMartin's School of Art. His first job was copying photographs of houses . By Spring 1937 he had decided to set up as a freelance artist specialising in landscape and topography. In this he had the support and advice of his 'mentor' Hanslip Fletcher, who, like him, contributed drawings to the Daily Telegraph. Indeed shortly after this he took a drawing he had made of the famous Trafalgar Tavern at Greenwich up to Hugo Wortham, then editor of the Daily Telegraph who published it - and so began Flanders' lifelong connection with this newspaper. By 1940 he was a member of the St Paul 's Cathedral fire watch and so witnessed the London blitz at first hand. To my mind some of his finest and most dramatic work dates from this period. His Britannia includes a magnificent study of St Paul's in the blackout before the start of the blitz. Here his use of ink and wash is used to dramatic effect with the dome soaring into a starlit sky as if waiting for the nightmare to come. Another impressive blitz study is of the interior of St Stephen Walbrook with its baroque dome partially open to the sky. In the early 1950s he began contributing drawings to the Illustrated London News, following in the footsteps of such illustrious names as Muirhead Bone and Brian de Grineau. Many of his drawings were of schools and colleges and these appear in this new book. Of necessity it has to be selective. It contains pictures of eighteen Oxbridge colleges, seven other universities, and fourteen public schools. Some of the pictures are obviously more successful or dramatic than others. Also the viewpoint can make a picture, for instance his first floor view along 'King's Parade, Cambridge', or the 'Old Quadrangle' of Hertford College, Oxford, which introduces the Radcliffe Camera and spire of St Mary the Virgin to form a backdrop which is the very heart of Oxford. Some are what one might call picture postcard views and here the artist has to invest something of himself. Most outstanding of these I feel is his rendering of the interior of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, with the soft light diluted by the sixteenthcentury Flemish glass. A dramatically spacious example is the Great Court of Trinity College, Cambridge, viewed from the battlemented parapet of the south range of the court. As Leslie Worth says in his foreword , Muirhead Bone might have been more dramatic and with this I agree. Sometimes I feel Flanders failed to exploit the drama of the situation such as 'The Quadrangle, Worcester College, Oxford' in which we look into brilliant sunshine from the colonnade beneath the library. Bone would have exploited the drama of this viewpoint by putting the piers and arches into strong silhouette against the light beyond, giving it a Piranesian force rather than an overall softness as in Flanders' picture. Sometimes his shadows can be a little too soft creating almost the atmosphere of a Thames valley fog 62

SOCIETIES AND ACTIVITIES In ~ddition to meetin~s of the Societies which report independently below, there has been a hvely. and very vaned ' After Hours' programme this term, much of it initiated and led by pupils. Regular events have included meetings of: Amnesty International; FilrJ? Club, inclu~ing show~n~s of Manhatmn, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Lion King; Society of .Music AppreciatiOn, taking different themes each week; Opera Society; Christian Forum - junior and senior meetings; Brid~e group? with up to six tables now regularly running (see report below); Music Listenmg group; Have I got News for You, a current affairs discussion society; Chess Club; T'ai Chi. The Feast Society produced four-course meals for up to twenty-two diners; while at the same time both Swahili and Chinese were being studied elsewhere in the School. R.C. AFTER HOURS

BRIDGE

It has be~n good to see the nuf!Ibers playing Bridge in the open increase considerably this ten~, With new players learnmg both at Tuesday After Hours and Thursday Activities

sess10ns, and more established veterans polishing up their bidding and playing technique.

0~ one Tuesday evening w~ actually filled six tables, and over the term as a whole between forty and fifty people

(girls as well as boys) put m an appearance at one time or another: for far too long Bridge at King' s has been an almost entirely male preserve. One interesting hand emerged in a duplicate session at the end of term:

North •AKJ72 • A 9 • Q9 •AQ102

West • 6 • 65 • 10 6 5 4 •KJ654 3

East

"'Q 8 4 • 10 7 4 • KJ 87 ... 9 8 7 South • 10 9 5 3 •KQJ 832 +A32 • None

At one table North opene~ One Spade (perhaps a little conservative, but it is difficult to find a truthful alternative); South, much too conservatively , passed (!); and declarer had no trouble making twelve tricks, losing only the Spade Q~een. At t~e other table the contract was Four Spades, and declarer somehow managed to go one down. In fact Six Spades IS cold even after the best opening of a low diamond. Because East has three hearts declarer can thr~w his losing diamond on a he~r.t, ruf~ his losing clubs on table and simply lose a trick to the Spade Queen. (There IS, of course, no way of avoidmg this loss unless East is foolish enough to make the opening lead of a trump) ~ess easy when you cannot see all four hands, of course, but if you think you would have made this analysis m the heat of the moment , or if you would like to discover how to do so, come along and find out more. G.D.W. The beginning of a school year is always a testing time for the Choir. Some of the best a~d '??st experienced s~ngers will have left at the end of the previous year. New recruits wdl JOm and have to .adJUSt to a choir which may well be very different from the one they were used to. An anthem has to be prepared m two rehearsals for the first Mattins of term. The added ingredient to this cocktail of confusion this year was a new conductor. It ~ays •much about the qu.ality of the singers .at King' s and the training they received last year from Mr Michael Hams that the Chapel Choir. ~a~ set~led so quickly. The first anthem of term, Beati quorum via, was sung with a remarkab~e deg~e~ of sensiti~Ity given th~ short amount of rehearsal time. Subsequent anthems, many in the late romantic traditiOn, have given the Choir the opportunity to work on phrasing and blending of sound. CHAPEL CHOIR

Most school choirs are not lucky enough to have an acoustic as fine as the Cathed~al 's at their disposal. It. has been so rewarding to hear the choir fill the building with sound. And equally rewardmg to hear lovely sustamed soft singing. . The Carol Service was the highlight of the term. In spite of th~ ~ackground of flu and C?ld the chou ro~e to the occasion magnificently. The carols were a mixture of the fam!ltar ~nd the les,s so, an? mcluded one wntten by Georgeanna Williams (JR) which was a great success. Above all , th1s was no concert : there were moments of real beauty and mystery. My congratulations and thanks go to the Choir for their dedicati<?n and hard work over the past term . I am also grateful for the help of Mr Harris who accompanies both servtces and rehearsals so well. S.W.S .A. The term's repertoire has been: lOth September Mattins 24th September Mattins 8th October Fiftieth Anniversary of the School's Return from Cornwall 12th November 19th November 3rd December

Remembrance Service Mattins Mattins

13th December

Carol Service

Beati quorum via Give us the Wings of Faith

Stanford Bullock

A Song of Return God Be in my Head For the Fallen Greater Love The Truth from Above Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen Matin Responsory Adam Lay Ybounden Bethlehem Down Quem pastores laudavere Silent Night With Treble Soft the Solo Sings What Sweeter Music

Matthews Davies Guest Ireland English trad . Praetorius Palestrina Ord Warlock arr. Rutter arr. Cashmore G. Williams, K.S. Rutter

As ever, the autumn term began with a substantial pr~portion of ~ew members in .the. c~oir, and much of the work this term has involved developmg the c~o!r afresh. On a~ ~nd1v1dual note the first half of the term was marked by five of t~e cho1r s members gammg offe~s of Choral Awards to Cambridge - congratulations to all of them. L.ater on m the t~r~ a num.b er of the cho~r were also successful in joining the National Youth c.hoir, or the Natwnal Youth Tra1~mg Ch01r; the ~ormer IS fast becoming an outpost of King's influence - one m ten of the me~bers of the Natwnal Youth Cho1r course in summer 1995 were present or former members of the Crypt Ch01r. A choir is of course much more than a group of individuals, and its corporate identity changes from .year to year . There has been much hard work this term, and it is fun t,o watch the dev.elopment of the e~semble, particularly in the very professional way that they have tackled J .S. Bach s very d~mandmg motet Jesu n:eme ~reude. Another tour is also planned for 1996, travelling to Bremen and Rat~eburg m .northern Ge~ma_ny .m ~pr.il. Such events, and the concerts, are really the rewards in a group such as th1s; our mam purpose ~till hes m smgmg for the Sung Eucharists on Sunday mornings, and there have been some very fine mo~ents t~1s .terr~ . We have, as so often, had to deal with the bouts of flu and tonsillitis, but everyone has shown the1r ded1cat10n m the way that the~ have soldiered on - indeed a number of the choir really should have been confined to bed on the day of the Chnstmas Concert! M.D. H.

CRYPT CHOIR

The repertoire during the term has been as follows: 17th September William Walton 1st October Richard Dering 5th November Tomas Luis da Vittoria 26th November William Harris lOth December John Tavener Christmas Concert J. S. Bach

Set Me as a Seal Factum est silentium 0 quam gloriosum Bring us, 0 Lord God The Lamb Motet : Jesu mejne Freude

On Wednesday 4th October in Priory 14, Olivia.Kirby g.ave ~n address ~ntitled ' Is the future female?' With such a potentially controversial questwn, 1t seems a p1ty that a larg~r percentage of the audience was not male, to offer mo~e of a ch~ll enge to some very luc1d arguments. As it was , the atmosphere was ve~ supportive, allowm~ a relax~d , but very ':"'el~ presented talk. Stereotypes were question~d , and our o":n closed ex~enence <?f. Western sex_tsm ~u~ mt? perspect1v~ . both Olive 's own observations and detailed research mto oppress1ve cond1t10ns and the1r on gms m the Islam1c

DURNFORD SOCIETY

and Third Worlds threw up shocking, and enlightening, evidence. However well the current situation was evaluated it seemed a shame that the original question was not more conclusively answered. So is the future really female? Though radical feminists would like to believe so, and would probably have found much to contend with in Olive's arguments, we cannot deny that it certainly seems to be getting more so , or at least more equal ... So congratulations on a brave and successful effort! We must hope that more pupils will be inspired to follow this lead. They will certainly have a lot to live up to . MARY STEVENS.

The Jazz Club, now led by Nick Tattersall, has had one formal engagement this term, and it was quite early on; this was a lunchtime spot in St Alphege Hall, under the auspices of the Canterbury Festival, on Friday October 13th . The Traditional Band performed, and they consisted of Andy Brice (trumpet) , Nick Tattersall (leader and trombone), Annabel Whibley (saxophone), Rachel Barr (clarinet) , James Longstaffe (piano) , James Capel (bass) and Ivo Neame (drums). Nick Tattersall has reassembled the Big Band, after the departure last summer of several key members of it, and its current personnel is comprised as follows: Louise Robertson , Larry Ridges, Dan Bartlette, Rupert Jagelman, Adam Brown and Estelle Davies (alto saxophones); Simon Peel and Annabel Whibley (tenor saxophones); Jon Murch (baritone saxophone); Andy Brice, Steve Bushnell, Charles Miller-Jones, Matthew Berry and Andrew Ribbans (trumpets) ; Sam Parker, Richard Peat, Greg Williams and Simon Bodey (trombones); Andrew Saunders (guitar); James Longstaffe (piano); James Capel (bass); and Ivo Neame (drums). Members of the saxophone section participated in the 'Workshop' held by Mr Stephen Cottrell and his colleagues in the Delta Quartet, on Friday 1st December. The definitive accounts of the Charity Concert that the Club presented on March 11th this year have now been finalised and I can report that the total amount raised was ÂŁ609.63 , distributed equally between the Sumatran Rhinoceros Project of Howlett's and Port Lympne Zoo Parks, and the Terrence Higgins Trust. Preparations are in hand for the 1996 Charity Jazz and Big Band Concert, which is booked to take place in the Shirley Hall at 7 .30 p.m. on Saturday 16th March. Finally, I just mention an item from last term, that was not reported in The Cantuarian. Since this organ is a journal of record , I append here the information that, for the King' s Week presentation from the Film & VideoFilm Archives last July , I produced a film entitled King's Jazz, 1980-1995. This was a somewhat self-indulgent celebration of the fact that last year's King's Week Jazz Concert was the fifteenth with which I have had the pleasure to be associated. With immense difficulty, I chose (from over fifty hours of available material in the Jazz Club 's archives) footage of the following events for inclusion in the presentation: the Matt Brown Big Band, 11th March 1995 ; the Paul McGrath Traditional Band, lOth July 1982; the Dai Tyler Traditional Band , 9th July 1983 ; the Michael Clarke Big Band in rehearsal, July 1984, and his Traditional Band in Concert, on 14th July 1984; the Andrew Fordham Traditional Band on 13th July 1985, and in rehearsal with his Big Band in July 1986; the Jimmy Gumpert Combo Band on 7th February and 7th May 1987 and his Traditional Band on 11th July 1987; the Sholto Byrnes Big Band on 1st July 1988 and a montage from the several Sholto Byrnes small groups, 1988-1990; the Jules Woodward Jazz-Rock Combo on 29th June 1991 ; Tom Dyson's Jazz Tacticians on 18th May 1991 ; the Barney Stevenson Big Band, in rehearsal in June 1992, and in performance on 30th June 1992; the Chris Creissen/Tim Marson Big Band, and Tim Marson's Traditional Band, Jed 's All-Stars, on 2nd July 1993 ; Ed Millard in rehearsal with his Jazz-Rock Group, and in performance with his Big Band on 4th July 1994; Alex Neame's Tradsters on 11th March 1995; Nick Tattersall 's lnsouls on lOth and 11th March 1995. Over the credits, I ran as the sound track performances by the Mike Law/John Smith Traditional Band, on 15th July 1978 , and the Paul McGrath Traditional Band playing on 5th December 1981 . The entire film, with running time of75 minutes , was presented on three occasions during King's Week, on the ' big-screen' projection system with stereophonic sound. I should like to record here my thanks to Tim Jackson, O.K.S., and to Gavin Clark, now O.K.S ., for their invaluable technical help in this venture. R.B .MA.

JAZZ CLUB

On Friday 13th October, members of English 6a sets took on the roles of important figures in the Bloomsbury Group. They spoke in turn, giving us witty resumes of their lives and works. Everyone had obviously done lots of research , and the result was that every performance was in good period style. Lady Ottoline Morrell (Alex Hardie) spoke first as the linchpin of the Bloomsbury set. She gave us an incisive summary of how these people came to be friends, and of their views on art, life and (often) sexuality. Her speech effectively gave the audience the intellectual and social background to the Bloomsbury movement. Lytton Strachey (Oliver Jackling), whom she introduced, was at times witty, though too often we wished to hear more about Strachey's achievement and less about his private life. Virginia Woolf (Venetia Taylor) had the task of curbing Strachey's enthusiasm, and showed a more docile form of intellfgence. It was soon clear, however, that Woolf was the intellectual founder of Bloomsbury; her novels, manifestos and letters to newspapers showed a boldness that Venetia brought out effectively. D.H . Lawrence's contribution (by Tom Goodman) was also memorable. We were given fascinating details of Lawrence's early social and emotional experiences, and how these related to his novels and poetry. E. M. Forster (Ben Browning)

MARLOWE SOCIETY

Lytton Strachey, D . H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf (Tim Gomersall)

Nick Tattersall, James Capel (Tim Gomersall)

Ellie Kingsbury, Lizzie Kinross (Tim Gomersall)

Andy Brice (Tim Gomersall)

gave a similar speech, relating how an over-protective mother and bullying at school left their mark on this most influential of Bloomsbury men. This reviewer could not comment on his own performance as F. R. Leavis; suffice it to say that he tried to be as rude and as obdurate as possible in execrating the 'values of metropolitan literary society and the associated milieux'. Ellie Kingsbury's singing, accompanied by Lizzie Kinross, was perfect for the occasion. Dancing to the excellent performance of the Trad. Jazz band , brought the enjoyable evening to its conclusion. All are to be congratulated on the hard work they put in and the very enjoyable result they achieved . THOMAS TALLON.

On the night of October 17th in the Undercroft of St Augustine a melange of gothically-clad figures lurked in the shadows, waiting with a dark intent. Upon their arrival, to their utter dismay, the scene was bare and the time was drawing nigh. As tempers rose, Trad. Shells were soon recruited to help with the creation of the required ambience. Within minutes an archipelago of candles and cobwebs lay strewn about in a random disorder which was to match the sequence of events. The crowd soon poured in, as suspense for the imminent spectacle grew. They were stunned into silence by the devastating power of Ministry's Psalm 69 . As Ministry 's bass shook the echoing Undercroft, on came the limping hunchback and the eternal smooth-talking bastard. Their terror-inducing introductory speech humbled the crowd into a dreadful anticipation. These high expectations were soon rewarded with the awesome presence of Count Dracula (Tom Edmunds). Then moving on from the warped, twisted realm of the fictional characters to a creator of one of them, we were graced by a visit from the esteemed Mary Shelley (raised from the grave, having possessed the body of Hannah Mackenzie). Next followed a daring interpretation of Angela Carter's A Company of Wolves. The pupils of Miss Potts' s English sets presented a highly acclaimed production which challenged the archetypal views of Gothic presentation, by contrasting humour with original themes. Then came the climax of the whole evening - the interval - with much drinking of blood . Justine McConnell with her critical analysis and Sophie Colyer displaying her oratorical skills gave life to the second half. Then the Grand Finale- Andreas Vesalius the Anatomist- in which Angus Blackburn, Tommy E. and Lucy Greenwell gave credit to their dramatic skills while Katherine and Kirsty stretched their narrative ability. In all , the night restored a Gothic aura to Canterbury with much help from the ironically dressed Miss Potts. KATHERINE SHORT, MAX VON H URTER AND ED DALE JONES.

It was a great pleasure to welcome Martin Tennick as our first speaker of the term. He gave a stimulating lecture in October on ' John Twyne - a rediscovered classic'. John Twyne was the first Headmaster of the post-Reformation King's School and he had a considerable reputation as a scholar. Mr Tennick has recently produced an (as yet unpublished) English translation of Twyne' s work D e Rebus Albionicis. In this, Twyne vigorously refutes Geoffrey of Monmouth's romantic tales masquerading as early British history. Mr Tennick entertained the meeting with a variety of quotations from his translation and also brought in a splendid photograph of the plaque from St Paul's Church in Canterbury which commemorates Twyne's death in 1581. It was interesting to examine some of the Latin: the painstaking amount of work involved in Mr Tennick's translation was made clear to the audience as he explained the amount of research and detective work needed to identify places and events. This lecture certainly gave us some new insights into our surroundings and history. The Pater Society also organises theatre visits, and during the term a small group went to the Gulbenkian Theatre to hear Christopher Logue read his new work Kings. This is a version of Homer 's Iliad I and II. There was a packed auditorium and Mr Logue held the entire audience spellbound by the power of his poetry . < Mrs Marion Greenwood of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust came to address our final meeting of the term. She spoke firstly about the

PATER SOCIETY

Mrs Marion Greenwood with Hannah Gibbs and Kathryn Peel (M.J. T.)

work of the Trust and then explained exactly what it was that an archaeologist did. She ~ad come well-prepared with slides and artefacts and discussed a recent project in detail. There were plenty ~f p1ctur~s of skeletons and grave goods, and after the formal lecture there was an opportunity t~ handle some ~fthe pteces whtch Mrs ~reenw~od had kindly brought along and to ask questions on a one-to-one basts . It was pleasmg.to see ho~ Shel~ pupils apphed their knowledge of Roman Canterbury and their St Augustine's coursework, and 1t was qmte exc1t1ng to be able to examine artefacts excavated from within the Precincts. The Pater Society has been very well sup~orted by .a dedica~ed and extremely helpful g~oup .of students from the Classical Sixth during ' After Hours ' sess10ns. The1r enthusiasm augurs well for the Society m the future, and there is another packed term of events in prospect. J.T. There has been a variety of activities, under the umbrellas of the Harvey Society and the the 'event~' in After Hours initiative. This report attempts to give a flavour of some no particular order. Andrew Ribbans, Sam L?ndon , Robe~t Pr~cey-Smtth and Junha~g MATTERS Chew represented the School in the Royal Society .of Ch~m~stry s 'I_'op of the Bench qmz competition. They did well, but not well enough to reach the South East Fmal.t~IS time. Wtt~ Mr Raymon~ ~utt i/c, we have entered a team for the B.A. Y .S. 'Rising Stars' Astronomy competitiOn. James Mtller-Jones, Wtlharn Justice and David Burrows Âˇwill be doing battle sometime next term. Our new Physicist, Stephen Bosworth, who has just been awarded ~is. D. Phil., has orga~ised a gr.oup of sixthformers to refurbish the Observatory and I am delighted to say th~t It 1s now fully oper.a~10nal aga~n - the last full moon looked superb! Parties visited U.K.C. for the Christmas Sc1e~ce Lect~res . Mr Ph1hp Read~r Impersonated Albert Einstein in 'Albert Einstein : Relatively Speaking', and Dr Ad nan. Renme, from the Cavendish La~oratory , Cambridge, presented 'Building with Snakes: The Science of Long ~ham Molecules'. B~th demonstrations were warmly received, combining some good science with plenty of entertamrnent va.lue. The Wmter Gardens, M~rgate , was the venue for The Institute of Electrical Engineers ' Faraday Lecture. T~1s was an excellent presentatl?n by Eurotunnel entitled 'From A to B without C' - almost as good as the Elk1e Brooks concert I attended m the same hall the night before! The After Hours activities known as 'The Dodo Society' (involved with conservation issues) and 'Doctors' Notes' have continued to flourish and there have been a few 'one off' evenings on various issues . Our new 6b have shown encouraging enterprise so far and a Science event committee will be formed at the beginning of next term, to improve the continuity of the whole programme. C.J.R.J

SCIENCE

C.C.F. NOTES ROYAL NAVY SECTION Adam Wilton, Tom May, Chris Elworthy , Mark Gilchrist and Andrew Ribbans were selected to spend a week aboard the School C.C.F. Royal Naval Section's affiliated ship, HMS fllustrious. On Sunday 23rd July we all flew out to Gibraltar, arriving in very humid conditions. We were met at the airport and taken to Devil's Tower Camp where we were to spend the night. That evening the Section, minus Andy, visited a funfair on the Spanish border. Andy took the opportunity to introduce himself to female members of the group waiting to go on board: the Captain's daughter made a strong impression. Monday was spent visiting the Gibraltar beaches and

HMS Illustrio us

waiting for the arrival of HMS Illustrious. She was on her way home after a tour of duty in the Adriatic where she was providing support for the forces during the Bosnian conflict. We boarded in the afternoon , and after endless passages and ladders eventually reached our mess . Once settled in, we returned to Devil's Tower Camp to beat Sevenoaks at five-a-side football. Tuesday was spent in the galley, where Adam gained lots of experience in cutting up cucumbers (and fingers) . After the 'finger' episode it was decided that we should have been wearing aprons. In true army style it took Adam and Torn only five minutes (no exaggeration) to put on their aprons. After the galley we went down to the engine room and saw the four engines which can provide 100,000 b.h.p. and propel the ship at nearly thirty knots. They also produce enough energy to power a small town. After the hot and noisy engine room we visited the computer room which was comparatively quiet and cool. This was the heart of the ship, and with so many flashing lights and hundreds - and I mean hundreds - of switches that it was hard not to feel a little bewildered. Wednesday started with Adam feeling the motion of the ship, resulting in him spending the next few days in bed. He would probably have felt better out on deck. T~at mor.ning the rest of us enjoyed flying in the Sea Kmg. helicopters. Under the roar of their engines, weanng our helmets, we were ushered into the aircraft. With the door open, as in all good action films, we circled the ship. In the care of the expert crews , who were also trained to handle submarine warfare equipment, we felt very safe . From up there that large ship seemed so small and yet for six months it had been home to hundreds of men and women, all looking forward to being reunited with their families at the end of the week. After landing, we were taken down to the hangars where we learnt more about the helicopters. After lunch we were meant to have been firing SA80s over the stern at a towed basket. The basket, attached to a rope, was thrown overboard; but it wasn't until it was too late that we realised that the other end had not been tied to the ship ... so we fired at the open sea instead. (Difficult to miss!) After tea we went to the Sea Harrier hangar, where everyone except those who were seasick had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit. Sea Harriers cost millions to build , so only the best are allowed to fly them. This was followed by aerobics on the Quarterdeck. Unfortunately Adam our 'fighting fit marine' was unable to join us, but Torn definitely showed how to be uncoordinated. We spent Thursday morning watching the Harriers launching in preparation for their return over the Cornish coast. Their final fly-past over the ship was most spectacular. After lunch we visited the control room and saw again the amazing complexity of the ship. The day ended with a film in the P .O.s ' dining area. Friday started at four a.m. when Adam, Tom and Chris visited the Bridge under the strict supervision of Lt. Huntingdon. We looked at the charts and each had a turn at steering the ship. We all agreed that she respond~.d better than any car in the world. After breakfast we watched the helicopters prepare for their return flight to Britain. We also looked at the powerrescue boats. To our amazement we were given the

opportunity of a trip in them, dressed in dry suits and crash helmets (after all they are the waterborne version of very powerful motor bicycles) . Once we had been winched over the side of the ship, we bounced over the waves clinging on for dear life. On several occasions we took off completely, leaving our stomachs somewhere between the sea and the clouds. On returning to the ship we discovered why we had been issued with dry suits. The afternoon was spent resuscitating 'Annie'. On Saturday morning it was Andy's turn to visit the bridge and to steer the ship. It was during that morning that HMS Illustrious was in collision with a smaller vessel ... After watching the anchor being dropped off the Isle of Wight we set about clearing our mess. As the ship carne into Portsmouth Harbour the entire ship's company, including us , lined up on deck. When the docking procedure was complete we were invaded by friends and families who swarmed over the ship. We must take this opportunity to thank again Captain Band, and Lt. Huntingdon, our School's Liaison Officer, for making this exciting experience possible. Thank you, also, to the Ship's Company for making us so welcome. CHRIS ELWORTHY . Afte~ an exciting

week aboard HMS Illustrious during the hohdays, we spent the first half of term sailing and power-boating in somewhat smaller craft on Westbere Lake with three new members, Philipp Wichter, Andrew Ribbans and Olivia Lee. The weather was good and much experien~e was gained. Many a Thursday was spent chasing Andy in a Topper playing tennis-ball tag. (It is amazing how one's sailing skills improve when avoiding being hit in the back by a very wet ball) . More seriously, we also learned to sail with conscious co.nsideration of the five basic essentials (balance, trim, sa1ls, centre-board, course) . Some of us even managed to go backwards on purpose. We also gained experience in power-boat rescue skills. It is not always as easy as it looks to stop in exactly the right place. On Sunday 1st October we sailed from Ramsgate to Sandwich with a group of volunteer Shells. This proved to be wet and windy, with many of us ending up in the sea more than once. It was fun and tested us all to the limits of our skill and endurance . We were grateful for the rescue boats and support provided by Dover Water Sports Centre. We were visited by the Commanding Officer of HMS Nelson and our Parent Establishment Liaison Officer. As it turned out they were very brave! Mark took the helm of the Bosun with the Captain as crew ... and within minutes he nearly ran aground, rammed a Topper, and finally broke a shroud and ended up being towed out of the reeds by Chris in the rescue boat. Fortunately the only damage was frayed nerves. Mark's reputation remains constant, but his enthusiasm for 'all things nautical' makes up for everything. All was forgiven as a result of the care he showed when helping to teach a group of Shells who spent a hot Sunday afternoon sailingon Westbere. Our Fi.eld Day was spent yachting and power-boating on the R1ver Medway . The wind was a little light for the yacht, which provided a good platform for excursions on the two power-boats. Mark was once 69

Andy Ribbans, Philipp Wichter

the climax to the C.C.F. year, and that the Parachute Regiment really is a force to be reckoned with. We started straight in on the first day (Sunday) with ambush drills followed by section battle drills. We continued through the week with rock-climbing, abseiling, a drill competition, orienteering, the legendary night exercise, lectures from our N.C.O.s, and demonstrations by the Royal Corps of Signals and the Royal Engineers. Most days were not without their events, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous: Andy spending a few centuries up a rock face; Charlie Leigh-Pemberton paying the price f~r making so~e comme~ts about t.he Signals at a rather. mopportune ttme. The mght exerc~se also had interestmg effects on some people - Ttm Davis, for example, who never quite recovered from the brush with the Land Rover! Some people also found time for a social life: Pete Baines met up with some 'old friends', and Andy Rib bans gained temporary membership of Greenpeace in his quest to save the whale. However, there was also a serious side, and this was borne out by the fact that the group managed some good results in the competitions (fourth place out of twentysix in the Assault Course, for example; second in the Speed March competition); we were assessed as being the best unit in the field over the last three camps; and attracted a good deal of praise from the officers and soldiers running the various stands. Above all, the teamwork, and the enthusiasm displayed in everything, by everyone, boded well for future camps. The final act of the camp was to present the promotions, and congratulations must go to all those

again determined to test the boat to its limits, and nea.rly turned it over attempting to execute a tight turn at htgh speed. It was a good day out, with Chris qualifyi~~ in R.Y.A. Power-boating Level 2 and R.Y.A. Sathng Level 3. The Section spent the second half of term mastering the art of the Jack Stay , and then displaying their skill to the Shells, giving them rides between the trees at Birley's. We are very grateful to our retired Area Instructor, Ian Mitchell , assisted by Amy Shepherd O.K.S., for making this activity possible. We look forward to our Field Day next term when we will be taking part in activities at the R.N. Sea Survival School near Portsmouth. The R.N. Section came second out of six groups taking part in the night exercise. Navigation over water is good practice for navigation on land! . Our thanks go to Lt. McConnell and Major Vye for the ir untiring support in completing yet another memorable term in the R.N. Section. CHRIS ELWORTHY.

ARMY SECTION Our year, as usual, started immediately where the last one left off; with our annual summer camp. Sixteen cadets and N.C.O.s, the R.S.M. and Major Vye took the C.C.F. minibus and a Landrover up to Wathgill , Catterick, in the middle of Yorkshire for a very successful camp from 8th to 15th July . Several of the newer Shells (now Removes) realised that it really is

Army camp (M.J.F.)

promoted - especially James Morrison for being awarded the much coveted Cadet of the Year prize, Tim Davis for being promoted R.S.M. and Head of Corps, and Adam Wilton for being promoted Head of Section. Many thanks must also go to Graeme Parkin , who left last year, for coming as an Under Officer; and to the R.S.M. and to Major Vye for arranging all the transport and ensuring the smooth running of the camp. As soon as we returned from the summer break, we started our recruitment programme. We planned a Shell exercise: those who returned said they enjoyed it immensely. This was followed on the Thursday by the inter-section Field Day, which gave some of the members of the other two sections experience in some field-craft and patrolling techniques, and also allowed the N.C.O.s to lead sections for the first time. The day stretched on into the night, which concluded with a platoon assault upon the enemy . At half-term, a hand-picked elite left just half an hour after the end of school for an expedition to Mount Snowdon. We arrived in Snowdonia by eight p.m., went to town to check out the night life, and after an exciting night were ready for a good night' s sleep by 8.50 p.m. We started out the next day well before dawn ' steelyeyed and bushy-tailed ' . Visibility was poor, and high winds prevented us from doing the planned parachute jump onto the summit (oh dear!) We had to put our faith in Gary ,t our local guide, half Brummie, half Welsh , half human - but seriously, thanks Gary! - who led us over the peaks and aretes like a true expert. Also thanks to Col. Morrison for his intelligence information ,

Mike Booth for his stoicism and Mr Franks - who would feel left out if we didn' t thank him. Returning to school after half-term, we then had to plan our demonstrations for the Shells. The climax of the term was the inter-section night exercise , 'Exercise King's Ransom 2', organised by Col. Morrison. This was a combination of several skills, including interrogation, first aid, physical and mental command tasks and a route march. We started at Ashford Barracks, where we had to interrogate an informant. We then, whilst walking down a road , found a crashed car and had to administer first aid to two men. After the initial part of the route march we encountered the first of our command tasks - the aim being to cross some dangerous ground, standing only on four oil drums - and then went on to the second part of the march. Upon reaching our destination, we found a bomb to be defused by cracking some mathematical problems (thanks, Mr McF.), and finally had to capture a terrorist. The Army section entered three teams, the R.A.F. two and the Navy one. The final outcome was a five point victory for Army Section Three led by Adam 'marine boy ' Wilton. We would, again, like to express our thanks to Col. Morrison for what must have been one of the best exercises of its type we have ever done. At this point we would like to wish a speedy recovery to Mrs McConnell. Finally , a thank you to the officers, Major Vye, Capt. Franks and Lieutenant Saunders; and of course to Mr Booth , the R.S.M., for kicking us into line when it mattered most. M.J.F., JAMES FIRTH AND TOM MAY.

to do what they 're best at can - and indeed nearly did - confound the Wing Commander. Two sets of Chipmunk flights had to be cancelled (one due to fog and one due to snow), as did our gliding day (due to a high thunder risk, winch-launched gliders making particularly good lightning conductors during takeoff) . That said , we did manage to get airborne in Chipmunks and in one of our two hovercraft, and I am pleased to say that every current member of the Section has now flown an R.A .F. plane. We did at least have a very successful Field Day and night exercise, as well as a very enjoyable afternoon during our traditional termly visit to the dry-ski slope at Chatham. Flight Lieutenants always remain relatively unconfounded! There are several farewells, as well as some welcomes, following the Shell recruitment programme; and the strength of the Section now stands at a manageable twenty-eight. Promotions have also been possible: in particular, our very worthy Head of Section, Alexandra Hyatt, now holds the coveted rank of Cadet Warrant Officer. I hope, shortly, to be able to promote some of our younger cadets to the J. N.C. 0 . rank in due course. Those who have left us to hibernate for the winter are always welcome to return, and I hope that they will. Next term looks exciting; with most parades being based at R.A.F . Manston, where cadets will have the chance to fire the Cadet G.P. rifle on the range, tour the Control Tower, visit the Battle of Britain Museum, learn about jet engines and about airfield security from the R.A .F. Regiment. We also have four flying days booked, giving a total of almost forty flights - which means a lot of flying for each cadet. With an intensive programme of Part I training, we hope to be able to get as many of the new recruits to fly the Chipmunk as possible. In March the Air Experience Flight at R.A.F. Manston stands down, though it will be replaced by a detachment of Bulldogs from R.A .F . Benson. The Bulldog is a better training-plane than the Chipmunk, and rumours that our R.A.F. section will stop flying after March are unfounded. I hope that those cadets who have decided to stay with us or join us will continue to reap the considerable benefits of membership. Summer camp is yet to be confirmed , but we have been allocated a few places for Easter camp at R.A.F. Honington , which is home to the R.A.F. Regiment and 2 Para. Whilst it is no longer a flying base, it will nevertheless be a most exciting camp. My thanks extend to all our cadets who keep this most worthwhile Section going with their enthusiasm. I applaud the efforts of my N.C.O. s, in particular C.W.O . Alex Hyatt and Fit. Sgt. Charles Foinette . Cadet Henry Coltart's enthusiasm and incredible expertise with the hovercraft have sufficiently impressed me to make rapid promotion inevitable: the title 'N.C.O . i/c Eng . Fit.' may be just doubledutch to the layman , but it seems a title which is made for him! His help has been greatly appreciated by Wg. Cdr. Wenley. A.McF.

ROYAL AIR FORCE SECTION This year, the R.A.F. section found itself oversubscribed for places at summer camp and we were, therefore, fortunate to be granted two weeks so that all who wanted to attend could do so. Originally, the first cohort was to attend R.A .F . Coltishall , a Jaguar station near Norwich, and the second was to attend R.A.F. Coningsby , near Lincoln. However , due to operational reasons, plans changed at the eleventh hour, and both camps were held at R.A .F. Coningsby. R.A.F. Coningsby is home to Nos. 5 and 29(F) Squadrons - flying the Tornado F3 - as well as 56(R) Squadron (the Tornado F3 operational conversion unit) and the F3 operational evaluation unit. As such, even with the absence of No 5 Squadron due to their involvement in Operation Deny Flight over Bosnia, it is an incredibly busy station. If that is not enough, it also houses the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight - with its Lancaster, Spitfires, Hurricane and Dakota - and all of this adds up to a superb place for cadets with an interest in aviation to spend a week. There is plenty to see and the R.A .F. ensures that, more importantly, there is plenty to do . The first Tornado takes off - unbelievably noisily - at nine a.m., and the last touches down at about 11.30 p.m. Aircraft movements between these times are virtually non-stop, and take place within earshattering distance of the cadets' - and officers' accommodation. With reveille at six a.m. , however, the first flight is not an alarm clock and , after an exhausting day, you sleep through the last with ease. Each set of cadets experienced a thoroughly enjoyable and educational week: fun with purpose , which is what I believe R.A.F. camps are all about. Rafts were built, lakes were crossed and cadets capsized; air-traffic control and the fire station were toured ; breath-taking aerobatics were performed by cadets in the Bulldogs at R.A.F. Newton; the R.A.F. College at Cranwell was visited; sport was played; balls were bowled at ten pins; rifles were fired ; tactical night exercises were engaged in; the McDonald's in Lincoln was patronised; work experience (including maintaining front-line fighter aircraft) was undertaken . Less than ÂŁ25 was charged. I am glad that our cadets had such an obviously enjoyable week. Cantuarian C.C.F. reports are becoming increasingly political , which is indeed a sad thing, yet I truly believe that our cadets - who endure regular ridicule from those who choose activities centred on more sedentary activities- are the ones who have benefited most from what King' s has to offer. These were two marvellous weeks which were thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. Those who criticise the aims and activities of the C.C.F. are entitled to their opinion, but they ought to experience a summer camp before expressing it. With the onslaught of winter, the autumn term is never a terribly good one. Flying conditions canand indeed nearly did - confound the Squadron Leader ; and the stubborn refusal of the hovercraft 72

Rugby Football

l onny Murch, flanked by Will Bax and Chris North (Sarah Knight)

SPECIAL REPORT: THE XV v DULWICH COLLEGE King's 14, Dulwich 12

skills and bulk ofQin Wiseman , Adam Wi ll iams, Andy Brice, and Will Bax especially to the fo re, provid ing a good platform for the backs. A driving, rolling maul led to the fi rst score after ten minutes, with Wiseman 's hand emerging from the pile of bodies to score within inches of the corner flag. T he excellence of this play was matched by Jonny Murch' s conversion from the edge of the pitch. His kicking from the hand was a feature of the game early on, taking his team constantly forward. Will Bax dominated the line-out, and it was this combination that led to the second score five minutes later. From a two-handed catch ten metres out, the pack drove irresistibly forward for the pit-bull-like Brice to touch down. The kick sailed over and the ' home side took a f4-0 lead into the break . The second half was a contrast to the first, however , and the defensive skills of the team, especially the backs, were tested to the full. Dulwich, obviously rejuvenated by their oranges, dominated the early play, gaining phase after phase of posses-

SAT URDAY 4TH NOVEMBER, ON BIRLEY'S Whil e media attention may have been concentrated on our visitors on the Colts p itch, the 'grandstand' was nevertheless full for the kick-off of the trad itionally tough, and always close, School XV fi xtu re against Dulwich (the first after the half-term break and subsequent field trips) on a cold November afternoon. T he XV looked a little unfamil iar, and in particular the figure o f Tom Goodman, a repl acement fo r the impetiginous Sterck, made an alnusing contrast with that of his opposite number , the Under 20 world record holder for the discus throw! He was not deterred , however, nor was the King's pack, who dominated the early forward exchanges, with the complementary

sion, and launching their three-quarters at every opportu.nit~ , which they had been unable to do in the fi rst half. The Kmg s defence had to give way, it seemed, and it did , not long ~fter the restart , when their juggernaut prop surged, Lomu-fashl<;m, towards the posts to put in the Number Eight for a try, wh1ch was duly converted. Dulwich were right back in the n:atc~ , and were even mo're so five minutes later, when a combmauon of .dogged attack from their forwards, quick recycling, and speedy finishing saw the winger speed in for an excellent try. Fortunately a relatively easy conversion was missed, probably due to increasing nerves as other games finished and the crowd grew and added their noisy support. The excitement of the last ten minutes was indescribable. King 's had somehow held on while Dulwich pressed attack after attack, fortunately usually from long range. Now our determination was incredible as we reasserted ourselves and surged into their ' twenty-two'. Forward after ~orward drove through tackles, backs joined in support, and tw1ce w~ seemed to have touched down , only for an earlier error to be Signalled, and a penalty and a drop goal went begging . ~ithout th.ese fatigue-induced errors, the XV mi~ht have .been nmete~n pomts up , but the reality was that the sw1ft Dulw1ch backs m1ght also have been able to counter from their own line to score the one try , or gain the one drop goal or penalty needed t? win the gam~. Fine tackling, in particular from Simon B1rd and Ja~1e Goodman in midfield, who denied their opposite numbers crucial time and space, enabled us to keep them from developing attacks when they got the ball and threatened to do so. Everyone played their part, running and tackling until they dro~ped. As the whistle went for no-side there was a cheer of rehef all round. It had been a thrilling m;tch, as the raw throats on the sidelines would testify - and a great victory for the XV. TIM PALMER.

SCHOOL XV 1995 A Effort: Maintained cheerful application over a long time, beginning in summer term in preparation for South America tour. Worked hard on fitness, hence outstanding resilience. Only three players missed games through injury (totalling only four matches). Skill level soared in some areas, especially the security and effecti veness of the back three under the high ball , ball retention generally , and suppo~ play , .thanks to repetiti.v.e pract!ce. Prepared to work in the1r own time to develop pos1t1onal skills. Attainment: B+ Almost a top grade, but did not quite deliver consistently. Outscored opponents 2: I in points, and nearly 3: I in tri~s (tries for: 34, tries against: 12). Only one team scored more tnes.than them in any match, and no team beat them by more than a smgle score. General Comments: The whole much greater than the sum of its parts. In one sense worked to their potential , but with better luck, might have achie~ed even more. Able to put theory into practice, choosing methods appropriate to the situati~n, e.~. tries scored again.st Dulwich, Tonbridge, after spec1fic m1dweek rehearsal , m particular. Clearly a modest group of people. Ultimately fell short in some tight games because they started slowly too often, not wanting to impose themselves. Some notable exc_eptions Eastboume, Dulwich, amongst others. Great team spmt. Never gave in: fought to the end in every match, no matter what the situation. Always finished on top. Generous hosts unfortunately on the pitch as well as off. Gave their worst displays on Birley's (v Caterham, Cranleigh). Forgot their

The School XV (Mike Waterman) . . . (Back row le ft to right) Lewis Mitchell, Damian Stewart, Ed Rice, ~eter Phipson, Will Bax, Ed Ste~c~, Ben ~Ite, Stmon Btrd; (Front row, left to right) Luke Tayler, Andy Brice, Qin Wiseman, Chns North, lonny Murch, Adam Wtlliams , Chns Mounsey-Thear

manners when away from home, however, and tucked in on four occasions out of fi ve wins from seven. Then they could really turn on the pace and style, and would be the example for Rowell's New England , playing ' integrated' (Total ?) Rugby. Almost always entertaining. Many memorable tries.

Edward Rice (Lock): Athletic, and QUICK. Another in the long line of smaller , mobile second-row players at King's. Jumped well at two ... then at two twenty-fi ve ... and once more at five to three. High work rate, and his importance to the team, is not to be underestimated. William Bax (Lock): Stylishly unique in his dress. Despite this, prov ided moments of aesthetic beauty at the line-out when soaring backwards, seeming to hang in the air, to take the lobbed throw. Worked hard in the loose. If we can add some flesh to the skeleton next year , will be very useful indeed. Damian Stewart (Flanker) : Emerged as a real force in his first season. Natu rally competitive, and always to the fo re in every game, at least when he remembered to turn up for the bus. Strong in defence and attack, and becoming more orthodox in both. Showed initiative on team training runs. Adam W illiams (Flanke r) : Outstanding. Uncomplicated style of play a perfect foil to Wiseman. His nickname, 'Bungle', very appropriate to his appearance, but opponents having to try and stop him might consider it actionable. Large, strong, aggressive, always able to take us forward , ball in hand. Didn't drop it much this year. We missed him early on. Scored six tries in nine games. Qin Wiseman (Number Eight): Immense. Pack Leader . Like Dean Richards , in that pushing in the serum and jumping in

Individual Comments: Ben White (Full Back): Early promise, great last-ditch tackles . Ill ness weakened him a little. Will improve with greater confidence. More fortissime required. Lewis Mitchell (Wing): Complained of lack of ball , but got few passes, probably because his team mates thought that on evidence of early season training he would drop it. Unfair his hands got much better, and he was quick. Tackled securely. Would have scored lots, if we'd let him. Luke Tayler (Wing): Invariably, intimidatingly direct in his method. Thank goodness for his headguard - it saved his opponents! Under-utilised through the middle until late in the season. Five tries. Peter Phipson (Centre): Eric Morecombe: 'I'm not playing the wrong tune! I'm playing all the correct notes, but not necessarily in the right order.' If he gets it right, he's brilliant. I hope he will , more often, next year. Improving. Simon Bird (Ce ntre): De pe nd ab le. A great imi tator. Scorer of the individual try of the season, finishing an excellent co mbined movement in 1 determined Will Carling fa shion at Tonbr id ge. Different impressio ns at othe r times. A mazy runner on his day, support play very good . Jonny Murch (Fly-half) : Unflappable. Steered the ship. His tactical kicking the early foundation for our best e fforts. As a fierce and willing tackle r, most unlike any traditional flyhalf, he took his opponents by sur prise. H e took eve ryo ne by s urp rise (including himself) when he bro ke. Might do that more. Forty points for the season. Chris North (Serum-half and Captain): Came back we ll from his summe r operation . Underestimated its effect on him, I think, and had to endure one or two other set-backs, but his form was really coming back by the latter part of season. An intelligent player; decisio n-making excellent. Set the right standards for others to fo llow, apart from after the St Paul's game (?). Âˇ Andy Brice (Prop): Solid. Seen it all before. A rock for others to lean on, literally and figuratively . Perfect temperament the smile is probably the reason why he's kept his trumpeter's teeth - and an honest toiler for the team. Chris Mounsey-Thear (Hooker): Hyperactive and happy, sharp and competitive; more Jack Russell than Pit Bull. On his day , his throwing was subtle and devastatingly accurate. Some big hits in defence. Quick in the open too, though rather difficult to fo llow. Edward 'Sterck (Prop): Too nice by far , but a very solid scrummager. Strong in the loose, a good supporter in the lineout. After more practice, we may let him handle the ball occasionally in matches next season.

Simon Bird (Sarah Knight) the line-out seemed irrelevant. Together with Williams, an unhappy proposition for opposing defences, especially close to the line. Had strength with vision, and great hands, whether going forward or back. Top try scorer (eight) , and probably the player of the season. Other Players: Vital to our success. All showed good qualities, not least Tommy Dean, who stood in especially well on tour. R.C.W . Team: William Bax*, Simon Bird*, Andy Brice*, Lewis Mitchell *, Christopher Mounsey-Thear*, Jonathan Murch*, Christopher North (Captain)**, Peter Phipson, Edward Rice*, Edward Sterck, Damian Stewart*, Luke Tayler*, Benjamin White, Adam Williams*, Qin Wiseman** Also Played (term side only): Babajide Adesanya, T homas Dean, Jamie Goodman, James Hessey, Nicholas Lynch, Thomas O'Sulli van, Edward Radcl iffe , Ben Smith-Laing (replacement). *First Colours ** First Colours, re-awarded.

Ed Sterck, Ed Rice, Andy Brice, Will Bax, Damian Stewart, Qin Wiseman, Jam es Hessey (Sarah Knight)

(Charlie Fordham)

R ESULTS

v v v v

v v v v v v v v v

Played 13, Won 7, Drawn I , Lost 5. Points for 2 12, points against 110. 5-0. Eltham College (H). W on 3 1-7. Duke o f York's (A). Won 5-9. St Paul's (H). Lost 8- 11 . Caterham (H). Lost 38- 15. K.C .S. Wimbledon (A). Won 15-7. Eastbourne College (A). Won 12- 16. Bryanston (A). Lost 14- 12. Dulwich College (H) . W on 12- 15. Tonbridge (A). Lost 27-0 . St John 's, Leatherhead (A). Won 3-8. Cranleigh (H). Lost 32-0. Felsted (A). Won King 's, Parramatta (H). Drawn 10- 10.

SOUTH AM ERICA TOUR Lost The Grange, Santiago (27th July). Won Craighouse, Santiago (29th July). Mackay , Viiia del Mar (2nd August). Won Balmoral, Bue nos Aires (8th August). Won St Leonard's College, Buenos Aires Lost ( lOth August). v St George's North, Buenos Aires W on (12th August).

v v v v v

13-2 1. 8-7. 10-3. 9-3. 9- 17. 41 -0.

Acknowledgements: T hanks as ever to the groundstaff; our new First Aid man, Alan; the duty matrons; the kitchen staff; all our supporters; to London and Kent Referees' Societies; to our own band o f referees; to D.J .R. fo r co-ordinating all the referees; and to all the coaches of the various XV s. Thanks also to those who hosted our visitors from King's, Parramatta - a most enjoyable, if rather brief climax to the season, given its timing. Rugby Trophies, 1995: Congratulations to the following: Junior Goalkicking Trophy: John Knowles (The Grange) Senior Goalkick ing Trophy: James Capel (The Grange) Under 14 House Sevens: Under 15 House Sevens:

Winners Tradescant T he Grange

Under 16 House Sevens: Senior House Sevens:

T radescant The Grange

Runners-Up T he Grange Marlowe/ Mitchinson 's Meister Omers Linacre

(Pete Baines)

2nd XV For the second successive year the school has been able to boast of a proud record from their 2nd XV. On no occasion were we outgunned. Indeed the largest wi nnin g ma r gin over u s (Tonbridge) was a mere nine points, and these amounted to three penalties. The record might have been all the more impressive if we had maintained greater discipline. The Eastbourne and Felsted games were both lost due to our being penalised for dissent in very close proximity to our own goal posts. Apart from this it must be said that the games in which we were victorious were won in sty le. The season opened with an emphatic victory over the Duke of York 's. The score line flattered the opposition. It was in this game that the pattern of running rug by , whi c h characterised the season, was to start . The next match turned out to be a real humdinger, with the lead changing hands on a number of occasions. If we had used the overlaps more efficiently in the closing minutes, we could very well have recorded a victory. A draw was a fair reflection of the game. A substantial victory versus Caterham was chalked up at home. The two tries scored against us forced a reappraisal of our defensive strategies, which from this time onwards were to be so successful. All in all, only six tries were conceded all season. The W imbledon game was a game of missed opportunities. Again we saw that in mid-field we were reluctant to make use of the pace outside. Instead , centres charged down the middle leaving the stunning pace of Adesanya and Wharton under-utilised. For the second year in a row the 2nd XV were able to raise their game to new heights against 1st XV opposition . Quick rucking, straight running and frightening tackling ensured that Dover College 1st XV ~ere soundly beaten. From the heights of this game to the di smal depths of the Eastbourne game did we then travel. Indiscipline cost us the game. The game versus Dulwich was halted after twenty- fi ve minutes when their fly-half was seriously injured. This was unfortunate, s ince both teams looked to be playing competitive and entertaining rugby. We had gone ahead after fifteen seconds with a very smart-looking try, Adesanya outgunning his opposite number to score in the corner. An unbeaten Tonbridge 2nd XV met us in a titanic struggle on the 1st XV pitch in the next game. T heir pressure was rewarded with three penalties. Again , if we had looked to spread the ball wider we might have crossed their line on at least two occasions. The tackling from Goodman J . and Sonaike was devastating. T he sight of Tonbridge backs running s ideways by the end of the match was a tribute to the tenacity of our defence. The Ursuline Convent 1st XV offered more resistance than the score line might suggest. Our performance emulated that o f the previous week 's game. The standard of rucking was out of the very top drawer, as was the team's ability to keep the ball alive for lengthy periods. T he season unfortunately tailed off rather disappointingly. Widespread bouts of flu decimated the team as a unit. At times one third of the team consisted of regular 3rd XV players. At half-time in the match versus C ranleigh, T homas Dean (captain) was called to fill in as a replacement for the fi rst team captain. Thereafter our play resembled that o f a farmyard of headless chickens. Our hardwon lead was eventually extinguished by a Cranleigh side whom we should have beaten. T he final match at Felsted is best forgotten. As mentioned earlier, victory was forfeited in the last five minutes due to ill-discipline. T hroughout the season the boys maintained a tremendous s pirit and ambition to succeed and improve on prev ious performances. Thomas Dean ('Deano ') has been an inspirational captain. Very well done to you all! P.T.

fide Adesanya (M.J. T.) Team from: Babajide Adesanya, Angus Blackburn, Keith Bolshaw, James Capel, Thomas Dean (Captain), T homas Goodman, Philip Lobb, Nicholas Lynch, Simon Peachey, James Piper , Marcus Pyke, Edward Radcliffe, Afolabi Sonaike, Ben Smith-Laing, Tristram Standen , Matthew Wall , Paul Wharton RESULTS

v v v v v v

v v v v v

Played 10, Won 6, Lost 4. Points for 184, points against 75. Duke of York's (H) . Won 38-0 . St Paul's School (A) . Drawn 15- 15. Caterham (H). Won 41- 14. K.C.S. Wimbledon (H). Won 17-0. Dover College 1st XV (H). Won 23-5. Eastbourne (A). Lost 5-6. Dulwich (A) . Abandoned. Tonbridge (A). Lost 0-9 . Ursuline College 1st XV (H). Won 3 1-7 . Cranle igh (H). Lost 8- 10. Felsted (A). Lost 6-9.

3rd XV In the 'kill or be killed' world of 3rd XV rugby , where the strong survive, it is probably fa ir to say that our season was not a bad one. Ours was the story of a team that did not lack skill or ability but often mental (and sometimes phys ical) preparation. T his showed itself in some o f our games. Against Tonbridge and Eastbourne , we were bulldozered and put up little fight. Versus Cranleigh and Caterham, we could have won but did not show the necessary spirit. However, St Paul 's and Dulwich saw contests where we put up a fight against superior sides but were early dealt hefty blows that put us out o f contention but spurred us into the game. Henry Eccles's highish tackle in the second game is remembered with mixed emotions. The four games we won were good, hard-fought affairs that showed a high level of commitment. The win against Duke of York's was emphatic and largely led by great performances from Marcus Pyke and Matthew W all who were swiftly ' relegated' to the 2nds. StJohn 's Leatherhead , K.C.S. W imbledon and Felsted were games where we showed g reat resi lience that was ultimately rewarded with victory. The team changed much throughout the season but some faces remained constant, stalwarts to a sometimes lost cause. The front row of Chataway, Gort-Barten and Ashenden showed the bedrock qualities any serum needs, coupled with a French flair for running and handling the ball (Mr Dath 's influence?) as well as a Western Samoan style of tackling: fe rocious and uncompromis ing. T homas Coll ins , Feli x Boon, Nicholas 'Chopper' Hopkins and Henry Eccles were outstanding through-

R ESULTS

out the season. Tom was 'plucked' from the 2nds early in the season and we were the lucky recipients. Some of these will possibly be promoted to a higher game next year, since they showed all round ability this season. Stephen ' Bushy' Bushnell and Matthew Appleyard were an e xcellent half-back combination, distributing, running and kicking the ball in turn. In the centre, Espin 'Spinners' Bowder showed exceptional pace and did not miss a tackle all season; and Alex Walker's creativity opened up a few games. His flat kick v K.C.S. into the arms of our speedy wing Justin Gardner will linger on in our memories. On the other wing, James ' Jack' Patrick always looked a threat in attack , showing good all-round skills, even trying his hand at outside centre and full-back in some games. At full-back, George Still often combined the tackling, running power and thighs of Jonah Lomu with the handling of a Yorkshire league player to a high level of success: he was our leading try-scorer. I end by thanking Mr Dath and Mr Barham for all their hard work, and feel that the success we did have would not have been possible without their coaching.

v v v

v v v v v

v v

Played 10 , Won 4, Lost 6, Cancelled 2. Points for 90, points against 219. Duke of York's (H) . Won 36-0. St Paul's (A). Lost 12-34. Caterham (H). Lost 0-12. K.C.S ., Wimbledon (H). Won 15-5 . Dover College (H). Cancelled. Eastbourne (A) . Lost 0-48. Dulwich (H). Lost 0-33. Tonbridge (H). Lost 0-70. StJohn 's, Leatherhead (H). Won 10-7. Cranleigh (H). Lost 0-10. Felsted (A). Won 17-0. Sevenoaks (A). Cancelled.

4th XV The 4th XV, as ever, is a team which is more concerned with taking part than winning. Throughout the season only two games were won and one drawn but, despite this, the atmosphere and perseverance of the team were surprisingly good. The games we lost, with perhaps the exception of the one against StJohn's, Leatherhead, were against the extremely strong opposition of St Paul's, Dulwich and Tonbridge. I think that it is to the team's credit that morale was maintained throughout the season, even in the face of some overwhelming scores against us. The season was memorable for the last-minute team selection (caused by the higher teams' last-minute injuries and illnesses) late on Friday afternoons, followed by a desperate fine-tuning of our skills. Tries were scored by Alex Pearson, Paul Tsergas, George Still, Simon Peel and James Clarke during the season.

ADAM CHATAWAY.

Team from: Adam Chataway (Captain) , Matthew Appleyard , Richard Ashenden, Nicholas Bates, Felix Boon, Espin Bowder, Stephen Bushnell , Thomas Collins, Henry Eccles, Justin Gardner, Alexander Gort-Barten, Peter Hermon-Taylor, Nicholas Hopkins, Timothy Mitchell , James Patrick, Simon Peachey, George Still, Oscar Von Eynern , Alexander Walker. Also played: James Clarke, Barnaby Cowin, Edward Dale Jones, Charles Foinette, James Day, David Higgins, Robert Justice, Olusegun Lawson , Alexander Pearson, Simon Peel, Marcus Pyke, David Smith, Tristram Standen, Robert Thomas , Malcom Todd, Matthew Wall .

B ARNABY COWIN.

Stephen Bushnell supported by Felix Boon (M.J. T.)

Regular players in the team were: Barnaby Cowin (Captain), Nick Bates, Daniel Bartlett, James Clarke, Charlie Curlewis, James Firth , Simon Gomersall, Peter Hermon-Taylor, James Holloway , Rob Justice, Olusegun Lawson, Peter Mayberry, James Miller-Jones, Tom Morton, Alex Pearson, Simon Peel, James Stazicker, Malcolm Todd, Paul Tsergas, Max von Hurter, Oscar von Eynern , Adam Withrington. RESULTS v Duke of York's (H) . Won 25-5. v St Paul's School (A). 0-51. Lost v King's School, Rochester (A). Drawn 0-0. v Dover College (H ). Won 20-0. v Dulwich College (H). 0-51. Lost Lost v Tonbridge School (A). 0-57. v StJohn 's School, Leatherhead (H). 0-24. Lost

and although our 'do or die' approach was commendable it was no substitute for an organised, cohesive approach in the forwards and resolute tackling in the backs. Caterham were another strong physical side who used their strength and forward power to advantage. Colts ' A', however, gave little away in the set pieces but our inability to win ball from broken play on this occasion was woeful and we went two tries down in ten minutes. We fought hard to pressure their backs and this paid dividends. Our first score came when Aki Akindele, chasing a high ball, pressurised the Caterham right wing; the ball bounced, sat-up perfectly for his outstretched arms and five points were gratefully received. The try was converted by Gareth Williams. A well-rehearsed move between the backs again saw Aki join the line, draw his opposite number and send James Harborne in at the corner. Gareth again converted and the score of 14-20 appeared to lift the team. Henry Trew was winning the competition at number two in the line and Caterham were under pressure. Our next score by Richard Johnson at the corner, brushing off three tackles, and a further conversion by Gareth made the score 21 -20. Unfortunately Caterham exploited our loose forward play and scored two goals in the final ten minutes of the match. The weather was again kind for the King's College, Wimbledon, match. We played with determination and hunger but gave away too many penalties. However, we gradually began to assert ourselves. A simple loop move by Alistair Williams at centre opened our scoring and this led to an increased tempo of play, efficient use of the ball and greater security in the loose. This allowed more expansive backplay and resu lted in Flo Alakija adding two tries to the score sheet.

Colts 'A' XV 1995 will not be remembered as a vintage season for the Colts 'A' XV but perhaps one in which a team came of age, where the learning curve was steep and the hard work rewarding . It was ironic that the team contained so many gifted players who so often could not gel into a winning unit. Our success however can be measured in terms of team and personal development, group spirit and a collective will to succeed. In each we achieved a high level.

Our first fixture against the Duke of York's, Dover, took place in pleasant sunshine on an excellent playing surface. We soon realised that we were competing against an aggressive side and although the early exc hanges we re evenly On the afternoon of matched we played fo r half-term we proudly walked out onto the most of the fi rst half on the back foot. We took a First XV pitch against while to settle and get into Eastbourne with a highly our stride and onl y motivated attitude and a produced the occasional wish to avenge the breakout. The fi rst, after previous season's defeat. twenty minutes, produced However, our performance was blemished by our best passage of play which led to a try in the basic errors. Dropped co rner. With greater passes, poor kicking, a power , the Duke of lack of cohesion and lackYork 's forwards often lustre individual perfo rced us to defend our formances were unline. We conceded too characteristic of what was many penalties and becoming a mature team. turned around at half-time In short we were tired, 10-5 down. In the second mentally and physically. half we showed great From a ruck, Simon spirit and courage and Youngman fed Flo who endeavoured to lift our took the difficult option game in order to provide of running down the a greater supply of middle of the field for our ball for open rugby. only try. Unfortunately, However, we still came we failed to finish a off second best in the numbe r of excellent rucks and mauls and often moves and in some lost hard won ball to the respects gave the game to opposition by careless the opposition . play. The frustration fo r The same could not be the players and coach was said of our match against that the final pass went Selected for Kent Schools Under 16 R ugby XV, Autumn 1995: Dulwich. We knew that R b Ad Ch 'k Ok 1. 1 we were playing a team forward or to ground no o ert ams, 1e o 1, ames Hessey, Olukayode Akindele, b c fi 1cewer than three tl'mes, ' sÂˇ L (M 'k un eaten lOr IVe years, Wl.th the ttry-ll' ne at our 1mon au 1 e Waterman) . I Da1'Iy M a1'I th e Natwna mercy. In the dying minutes of the game we opted to run a Under 15 Champions from last season and a team who had a penalty rather than take the safer kick at goal which would have minimum winning margin of 37 points. We showed our mettle produced an acceptable draw. St Paul's proved stiff opposition by stealing the first line-out and we plugged away with cohesive

RESULTS

forward play, tight marking in defence and confidence in attack. To quote The Times: 'King 's ... came closer to matching their opponents than any other school this season'. The old enemy Tonbridge also provided stem opposition. The match was hard fought, and as a team we gave 100% in both attack and defence, James Hessey causing severe d isruption to the Tonbridge half-back combination. A draw was probably a fair result. Cranle igh were a rugged side who were continually forced to defend by our bas ic tactic to kick from fly-half into the oppos ition 22 and move the ball wide in their half. Our setpiece play was solid and Henry Trew as always was providing quality possession from the front of the lineout. We now rucked and mauled with purpose - a strong forward drive and a rolling maul resulted in a try by Chike Okoli midway through the first half. Winning posssession allowed us to choose our options for attack. Aki Akindele ever sharp and opportune took a qu ick tap penalty outside the C ranleigh 22 and ran outside the cover defence to make the score 10-5. Gareth Williams who had an excellent game at outside-half secured the victory with a penalty to make the score 13-5. Felsted were another unbeaten side. Competing against a national high jumper in the line-out had its problems, so we were unable to launch our superior backs. Our best passage o f play came from second phase possession , a mi ss-move in the centre saw Aki enter the line to feed Flo on the wing to finish off an excellent try in the corner. This was in response to an early score from Felsted and lifted the game to a hard-fought contest. We lost the game, but the scoreline does not do justice to the performance or quality of our rugby. I cannot conclude without a mention of our fi ve Kent County representatives this season . Robert Adams, who played a stopgap role in the early part of the season at flank-forward, was able to retu rn to his preferred position of centre where he made an enormous contribution. Unselfish in attack and strong in defence, he was capped for Kent and selected for a London and Southeast trial. Chike Okoli had a workmanl ike season, mak ing a huge contribution in the boiler house of the serum . Simon Lau play ing at loose-head-prop used his strength to advantage in the set serums where he was supreme. He was fi rst cho ice in this position for Kent and was invited for a Divisional trial. Aki Akindele's contribution was enormous in every game. From the full-back position he was the highest points scorer and ran with balance, style and purpose, qualities which made him first choice wing for Kent with an impressive points tally. He also took part in a final trial for London and the Southeast. James Hessey made a welcome return to the team at open-side flanker. His speed off the mark , ability to secure 50150 loose ball , support play and strength in the tackle are all qualities which mark him out as a fine player. His ability to read a situation and contribute to the team performance has been impressive. At the time of goi ng to press he is a member of the Di visional squad. Alistair and Gareth Will iams received County trials, Gareth reaching the fina l thirty players. Flo Alakija showed real pace and potential as did Ed Immink who was unflinching at tight head prop and threw the ball into the line-out with great accuracy. Simon Youngman and Alex Hayes both showed steady development which was unfortunately cut short by injury. James Squires switched from prop to hooker and worked unstintingly at all aspects of play - as did Richard Johnson, who showed steady progress on the right wing. Sam Parker captained the side from the No. 8 position. His performances showed enthusiasm, determination and a hunger to succeed and I am grateful for his leadership throughout the season. I am also grateful for the organisation of referees by Mr D .J . Reid, the support of my colleagues Mr J. C.M. White and Mr R.B. Milford, and the help and counsel of Mr R. C. White. Thanks are also due to loyal parents for their support. A. R. WATSON.

v v v v

Played 9, Won 2, Lost 6, Drawn I. Points for 126, against 158. Duke of York's (A). Lost St Paul's (H). Lost Caterham (A). Lost K.C.S., Wimbledon (A). Won Eastbourne (H). Lost Dulwich (H). Lost Tonbridge (A). Drawn Cranleigh (A). Won Felsted (A). Lost

10-13. 7-30. 21 -32. 50-3. 5-8. 6-35. 6-6. 13-5. 8-26.

Colts 'B' XV In thunder, lightning , or in rain? (Macbeth , l.i .2) Am id the metaphysical pitch-and-toss found in various triadic formul ations, the magical figure three haunts our shadowy, obscure and anomalous destinies. Colts B rugby football was no exception in a season full of congruous incongru it ies and unequ ivocal jinx. Matches were either won or lost or cancelled. There were nine games played; three were won and six were lost. Thirtythree boys represented the B XV. Three teams supplied the players (B, C and Junior Colts A). T he re were three captains (Mark Sweny, W ill iam Mackay and Matthew Gardner), and three coaches (R.B .Mi., A.R.W. , and one Lehane's) each week. Players' experiences were either good or bad or indifferent from match to match, according to the relative skill, strength , and staying-power of a s ide whose compos ition became progressively bizarre with passage of time. Early games produced enjoyable wins (Duke of York 's and Caterham) and losses (St Paul's), though the K.C.S. Wimbledon defeat was spendthrift . The team's fortunes reached a turning poi nt at half-term , and the match against Eastbourne, on Saturday 14th Octobe r, saw the team at full strength and achiev ing its best win of the season. Circumstances conspired to make what was fair seem fou l and foul seem fair. The Tonbridge and Cranleigh matches (nine letters each!) were unrealistic due to the heavy effects of a big loss against a terribly powerful Dulwich team immediately after half-te rm. Against Tonbridge, a severely-weakened team yielded to a fine opponent ; at Cranleigh, a near-scratch XV produced someth ing nearer to pantomime than passi ng and punting in a ball game. Paradoxically, the most entertaining game was played against Felsted (six letters) where over hal f the team was composed of non-regular Colts B players . In addition to three Colts C players the best of the Junior Colts A team was included to help form a team . This three-team XV played impressively in a highscoring game that made victory and defeat equal and irrelevant impostors to good sportsmanship. A progressive succession of injuries - too numerous to mention - undermined the skill, strength and spirit of the B XV as the season advanced. Those with head injuries were laid-off for weeks, and at the end of term illness and the snow killed off the St John's and Scvenoaks matches. Even excluding weekly changes to supply a regular substitute for the A XV, the Colts B never fielded the same team twice. Since thirty-three individuals represented a perpetually changing team, it is unwise, perhaps unfair, and certai nly impractical, to name all those reliable individuals who were the backbone of the teams from weekÂˇ to week in training and in matches. I hope the talents of all those named below who represented the Colts B XV are more firmly embedded in senior rugby next year. Best wi shes to you all. When shall we thirty-three meet again?

Team from: Olukayode Akindele, Alistair Williams , Gareth Will iams, Folari n Alakija, S imon Youngman, James Squires, Simon Lau, Chike Okoli , Henry Trew , Robert Adams, James Hessey, Samuel Parker (Captain) , Richard Johnson, Edward Immink, Mark Preston , James Harborne, Simon Bodey, Matthew Gardiner, Alex Hayes, Mark Sweny, Philip Stubbings.

Players: Gbogboade Ademiluyi, S imon Bodey, Thomas Byford, Tristan Byrnes, James Caney, Matteo Colombo, Oliver Fraser , Matthew Gardner, Timothy Hamlin, James Harborne, Alexander Hayes, John Hi lli er, Edward Immink, Richard

Johnson, William Justice, Olusola Lawson, William Mackay, Hugo MacPherson, Mark Preston , Fergus Reynolds Andrew Ribba!ls, Leo Siu, Christia_n Smith, David Sprak~, Phil ip Stubbmgs, Mark Sweny, W tlliam Tallon, Robert van Allan , Jonathan Warren, Mark Westlake, Mark Wharton Nicholas ' Davies, Philip C ridge and James Morrison.

RESULTS

v v v v v v

RESULTS

Played 9, Won 3, Lost 6. Points for 7 1, points against 140 .

v v v

Now, d~spite the congruities of threes, the final two figures are not In-angular numbers and are not expressible in the mathematical form: (Vz) n (n +l) v Duke of York's (A). Won 10-5 . v St Paul 's (H). Lost 7-17 . v Caterham (A). Won 17-7. v KCS Wimbledon (A). Lost 7-8. v East bourne (H). Won 10-0. v Dulwich (H). 3-20. Lost v Tonbridge (A). Lost 0-24. v Cranleigh (A). Lost 0-25. v Felsted (A). Lost 17-19. R.B.M1.

Duke of York's St Paul's Bethany 3rd XV Eastbourne Dulwich Tonbridge Cranleigh St John's, Leatherhead Duke of York's Sevenoaks

(A). (H) . (H). (H). (H). (A). (A). (H). (A). (H).

Won 39-0. Lost 7-29. Won 25-7. Won 36-0. Won 20-17. Lost 10-38. Cancelled. Cancelled. Cancelled . Cancelled.

T~e following played: John Hiller, Edward Wattis, Thomas Davtdson, Christopher Elworthy, Fergus Reynolds, George T~ylor, Joe Ran_dali-Cutler, Samuel Knight, Christopher Letts, T tmothy ~amlm, Matteo Colombo, James Caney, James Barker, Stm?n Cleobury, Matthew Brooks, David Sprake, Matthew Kntght, Hugo MacPherson, Henry Hardy, David Greengrass, William Justice, Simon Gomersall, Oliver Henderson, Thomas Byford, Tristan Byrnes .

Junior Colts 'A' XV This season was not particularly s uccessful for the Under 15 'A's. This was partly to do with the fact that there were so many injuries and illnesses throughout the term. Added to which we were very incons~stent an? found it difficult to play well ~s a team for long penods of ttme. Several individuals in the team are relatively talented, and some of them played matches for the Colts 'B' team, but on quite a few occasions there was not enough team spirit to perform as well as we could have done. We beat Duke of York's and Caterham, but lost several of the fixtures that we won the previous season - Cranleigh, for example- although this season we are without Jeff Aba-Onu and_ his tackling and try-scoring abilities . We had good spells agamst most teams, but could not usually keep going right until the final whistle.

Colts 'C' XV After the hard-earned successes against schools such as Eastbou~ne an~ - more memorably- against Dulwich, it was

a great dtsappomtment to be denied the probable fruits of victory against the smaller schools in the latter part of the season. The fates decreed that a crippl ing combination of Siberian weather the mandatory flu epidemic, bicycle accidents, funerals, dodgy ankles, and a host of lesser excuses would frustrate what had p~omi sed to be yet another hot season in the engine room of Kmg's rugby. What sticks in the mind about the season? First and foremost a s_tun~ing v ic~ory over a Dulwich side who were once again butlt lt ke Latv~a~ h~m~e~ throwers_. This result owed a huge debt to John ~tllter s ktckmg; and hts enthusiasm for the game and generalshtp at fly-half was an essential thread to bind the team together. Certainly he was the most estimable of those behind the serum . Secondly , a rather unpleasant and irritating encounter with Bethany. Though our Colts showed character to emerge victorious, their tendency to respond to provocations was an unwelcome addition to the game-plan armoury. Thirdly, our best rugby was played in the sun against Eastbourne passages of play in this game would have been the pride of any B-XV team o n the circuit.

W~ would li_ke to thank Ed Wyand and everybody else who captamed the stde, and also Mr Anderson and Mr Turner who both made considerable efforts to keep the team going: The players and coaches would also like to thank all the referees. SAM LONDON.

Coach's note: A promising start to the season was not sustained, since there were unfortunate injuries sustained by key players such as Mark Wharton, Peter Sharp and (late in the term) Edward Wyand. However, this assortment of players rarely r~se~bled a team as there were too many individuals who had ltttle tdea_ of team ~ork, and this was highlighted by the lack of an obvtous captam. Too often in matches all the good effort was undone by an absence of commitment to tackling and the te~m's ability to argue among themselves or make fundamental mtstakes. Rather than picking the best fifteen players one resorted to selecting players that actually wanted to pta/ The t~o areas we proved to be competent in were No.2 take in the ltne-out and penalty kicks. Nick Clinch and James Morrison ably_ supported by Phil Cridge, scored valuable ball in the line~ out ~~ almost every match, and in Sam London and Ed Wyand the stde was fortunate to have a pair of good kickers who at least ~ade sure that some points were scored on all but two occaswns.

Apart from Hillier, most of the mettle of the side was to be found in the forwards. Matt Knight and David Sprake have ~ormed a most successful partnership at this level. I think that m two years they have played at lock together in all but one match - an excellent record . I was impressed with Tom Byford's appetite for the physical aspects of the game and he will _be ai ming for highe r things next year at Number' 8. Will Justice, Oily Hende_rson and David Greengrass were all good val~~- I was parttcularly pleased with Chris Elworthy's post~tOnal change to flanker, where he will surely perform sterling ~eats for King's senior _teams. I suspect that he , and a few of hts fellow forwards, wtll welcome the seriousness of training in the senior sch_ool. Last ~ention goes to Hugo MacPherson, who as captam could at times be an inspiration. Once he lets go of the Vinny Jones temperament he will be ' a highly destructive blind-side flanker.

My thanks to those players who made a real effort throughout the course of the nine games; and to the staff who kindly refereed, the groundstaff, caterers and parents for their support. S.E .A . Team f~om : Tom Bell, Anthony Burton, Ewan Cameron, Ben Car~y, Wtll Carleton, Nick Clinch, Philip Cridge, Nick Davies, Robm Doble, Sam condon, Carl Margetts, James Morrison, Lucas Ochoa, Charles Rice, Peter Sharp, Edward Vainker, Mark Wharton, Edward Wyand, Sam Young.

_I h~ pe that they enjoyed the term more than they seemed to. It ts t_ncky to get the balance between commitment and fun right at thts level, _and perhaps I was asking for too much of the fo rmer; certamly, they were seeking too much of the latter. A really good season would have had both in generous measure.

Also played: Jonathan Cox, Ian Meyer Roland Phillips ' Edward Sixsmith, Olaotan Towry-Coker. '

J .C.M.W.

(Madeleine Preston)

(Venetia Taylor)

cancellation we were g iven the Under 14 ' C's whom we played with a weakened team: luckily we beat them ! T he fo llowing match was against Bethany Under 15 'B's. We scored very early on in the game and from then on the po ints rolled in and we won 27-0 . The following three matches were a disappointment: we played stronger teams and fa iled to win. Dulwich beat us by a mere thirty points. Tonbridge beat us by 42. Thank you very much to Mr Plummer and Mr Anderson .

R ESU LTS

v v v v v v v v v

v v

Played 9, Won 2, Lost 7 . Points for 47, against 3 11. Duke of York 's (A). Won 20-13. Lost St Paul 's (H). 0-52. Caterham (H). Won 10-0 . K.C. S., Wimbledon (A). Lost 3-22 . Eastbourne (A). 0-36. Lost Dulwich College (A). Lost 3-60. Tonbridge (H). Lost 3-53 . Lost 3-55 . St John's, Leatherhead (A). Lost Cranleigh (H). 5-20. Felsted (H). Cancelled. Seve noaks (H). Cancelled.

C HARLES WELLS AND H ENRY COLTART. RESULTS

Played 7, Won 3, Lost 4. Points for 79, agai nst 175. v Duke of York's

Junior Colts 'B' XV This season saw a dramatic improve ment on the previous season since we actually wo n some matches. Our coach Simon Turner , O .K.S., had a lot to do with this as he structured our Âˇ game so that we were all well-motivated , and it was this teamspirit that allowed us to play some very good rugby . As usual our team was depleted due to many injuries, and as we are the 'B' team we had players taken from us by the 'A 's. Luckily these setbacks didn't weaken the resolve too much. Throughout the season the fo rwards showed much charisma against teams a lot bigger than ours. It was a shame when halfway through the season we lost to the ' A's the main power in the pack, Anthony Burton, but he was well replaced by Andrew Foinette. T he back row of McHugh, MacAdie and Jennings worked well , with Sixsmith and Vainker at serum-half and flyhalf respectively. But the major power in the backs was created by Roland Phillips who seemed to run through all defences we came across. Above all we have Simon Turner to thank for our very successful season, and I hope we can do j ust as well next year.

R ESULTS

v v v

v v

Won Lost

22-7 . 0-46.

v K.C .S. , Wimbledon, Under 14 ' C ' v Bethany Junior Colts ' B' v Dulwich v Tonbridge v Duke of York 's

(H ). (H). (A). (H). (H).

Won Won Lost Lost Lost

17-0. 27-0. 5-4 1. 8-50. 0-31.

This was a fine rugby side full of courage, commitment and character. The statistics at the end of this report underplay just how well this team performed and, in the four matches lost (bar St Paul's, where fi ve A-side players were missing), the games could really have gone either way right up until the last few minutes. The games which were won were convincing not only in result but, more importantly, in style and level of performance. The greatest strength of the team was its attacking skill from a variety of different approaches and using d ifferent players. So it was often the case that driving play, led by the powerful and fast back row of Fadel Banda, Anthony Brooke and James Edmondson, would be taken on by the s kilful tight five of Matthew Chataway, Tom Dunn, James Hume, Rob PraceySmith and Kofsy Randle: special tribute should be paid to these lads of the "engine room" for their speed to the breakdown and their skill in running off Fadel, James and Anthony, who set a cracking pace on the drive! Then, j ust as the opposition was managing to tie up the forwards, a quick ball to the innovative Ollie Collins would allow him one of his penetrating ru ns or he would unleash the attacking skills of Tom Caney, at fl y-half, with the fast and exciting outer-backs, Richard Bailey, Gbenga Odimayo, John Wood and Peter Davidson, who would often carve holes in opposition defences - especially when joined by the attacking full-backs, Kanmi Lawson and Henry Walpole . Usually such fo rays into opposing territory ended up way down field with a considerable feeling of pleasure and sati sfaction. It was this variety of options which led to great exc ite ment as the team experimented with attack after attack in order to gain ground and put points on the board. Invariably they were successful! Many fine performances resulted. One of the best was against Dulwich, where the teams were 21-2 1 with four minutes to go when King's conceded the winning try a fter some superb play by Dulwich, concentration was lost and with it the game, 2 1-42. Nonetheless it was a s uperb d isplay . The second rousing performance was against Felsted where all the attacking skills of the team went o n d isplay as they romped home 52-0. If there is to be one criticism of this side at the moment it lies in the tendency to allow too much freedom for opposition attacks in the 22-metre to 22-metre zone of the field . T hey de fend superbly in the ir own 22-metre zone but need to close down opposition as effectively when elsewhere on the field. When all is said and done this was a season to savour. The camaraderie amongst the players was superb and the pleasure of working and playing together was tangible. In closing, may th is be said : C haps(!), I wi ll miss you all . T his has been a

T OM M ACADIE.

(A). (H).

Under 14 'A' XV

Team from : Edward Vainker (Captain), Nick Berry, Anthony Burton, Aliocha Delmotte, Jonathan Ell is, Edward Everett , Andrew Foinette, James Graham, Simon Jennings, T homas MacAdie, Thomas McHugh, Ian Meyer, James Mitchell , Roland Phillips, Edward Sixsmith, Olaotan Towry-Coke r, Dav id Wellesley-Wesley. A lso played: Thomas Bell, Toby Bond, Kenneth Brookin, Will Carleton, Jonathan Cox, Nicholas Davies, Robin Doble, Carl Margetts, Marc Nunn, Lucas Ochoa, Edward Reed, Charles Rice.

v v v v v v

v St Paul 's

Played II , Won 4 , Drawn I , Lost 6 . Po ints fo r 107, against 252. Duke of York 's (A). Won 12-0 . St Paul' s (H). Lost 0-27. Caterham (H). Won 27-7. K.C .S., Wimbledon (A) . Lost 7-37. Dover College 'A' (H). Drawn 0-0 . Eastbourne (A). Lost 0-34. Dulwich (A). Lost 0-45. Tonbridge ' C ' (H). Lost 5-39 . StJohn 's, Leatherhead (A). Won 29- 10. Cranleigh (H). Lost 0-43. Felsted (H). Won 27- 10. Sevenoaks (H). Cancelled.

Junior Colts 'C' XV T he Junior Colts ' C' team had a season of mixed fortunes. Unfortunately four out of eleven games were cancelled. We started off the season with a victory against Duke of Yo rk 's. Andrew Foinette scored the opening try. Our next game was against St Paul 's, who were a very strong team. Due to a

great season and I want to thank each of you for the pleasure of watching you play: I have enjoyed it enormously. I hope that one day I may see you playing in South Africa either in a King's 1st XV or in the famous white jersey of England! Good luck. M .A.P. The following played: Fadel Banda (Captain) Oliver Collins (Vi ce Captain), Anthony Brooke, James Edmo~dson, Matthew Chataway, Tom Dunn , James Hume, Robert Pracey-Smith, Kofsy Randle, Tom Caney, Richard Bailey, Gbenga Odimayo John Wood, Peter Davidson, Kanmi Lawson, Henry Walpole:

RESULTS

v v

v v v v

Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2. Points for 150, points against Duke of York's (H). St Paul 's (A). Caterham (A). Eastbourne (H). Tonbridge (H). Dulwich (A). St John's (A).

50. Won Won Won Won Lost Lost Won

15-0 . 17-12. 55-0. 31-0. 0-26. 0-12. 32-0.

R ESULTS

v v v v v v v v v v

Played 10, Won 6, Lost 4. Points for 208 , against 133 . Duke 'of York 's (H). Won 26- 15. St Paul 's (A). Lost 12-25. Caterham (A). Won 17-10. K .C.S. Wimbledon (H). Lost 0-3. Eastbourne (H). Won 27- 10. Dulwich (A). Lost 21-42. Tonbridge (H). Lost 3-6. StJohn 's, Leatherhead (A) . Won 19-5 . Cranleigh (A). Won 31-17. Felsted (H). Won 52-0. Sevenoaks (A). Cancelled.

Under 14 'C' XV The overall feeling of the season was one of frustration . No sooner had we got a pattern and a game-plan going than we ~ere disrupted by injury or illness - more usually to teams higher up than to ourselves, who remained keen and fit for most of the season - or by matches being cancelled (no fewer than four of these). Thus after our opening victory we had to wait three weeks before we got another chance, and after the initial shock managed to prevent K.C .S. Wimbledon from scoring more than once in the second half. The best match was against Dulwich. Had we been awake in the first half, we would probably have won: as it was we could have lost, and would surely have done so but for three try-saving tackles by Richard Woods. We played much good (defensive) rugby against Tonbridge, but could not prevent them from scoring once every ten minutes or so. Our performance again.s t Cran1eigh 's B-team was full of spirit in conditions which detenorated as the match progressed and our final outing showed how much progress had been made over the season as a whole . . Most of the fo rwards were prepared to learn and by the end ru~king and ma.uling were quite good as was t~am play. Alex Pnnce and Donan Soanes were the most improved forwards. In the backs we. never q~ite solved the problem of how to get the ball to the wmgs, until the final match when Martin Graham flew in a couple of super tries. With so many team changes flex ib!lity was. ~ital and it ~as good that so many were prepared to switch position, sometimes at a moment's notice - Rory MacEwen from back to front row of the serum and Yorick Moes from. hooker to centre to serum-half, for example. Special mention must be made of those who played little (or in the case of C~ris Quayle, not at all) but who were prepar~d to act as substitute m cases of emergency: had it not been for illness, we would have produced a good D-team. Special mention must also be made of the captain, Mark Hill, whose ideas about team sel~ction and whose calming influence prevented me from gomg even mo_re berserk than I did. Thank you, fellows, for the entertamment and thank you, fan club, for your support. G.D.W.

Under 14 'B' XV The ~trength of the Under 14 squad this term is perhaps best determmed by the very successful season of the B side. As a team it suf~ered from everything: broken bones, flu, concussion, you name It. However there was no lack of reserve talent, and many members of the Cs came through to perform as regulars fo r the B~. T~e team responded very well to coaching, from the effective hne-out work of Cartwright and Weir, to the pace onto the b~ ll of Burrows and Marshall. It was perhaps less successful m defence, although Ollie Martin was a very cool head.at t:ull-back, retri~v i~g ~any a difficult kick, and usually runmng It back (he can t kick) mto effective attacking positions. He benefited from knowing that he would be supported by that rarest of phenomena, big fo rwards who are quick to the breakdown; and indeed it was the effective rucking of the forwards that ensured the talented Will Gould at serum-half so much quality ball . There were. also some ~eal disc<?veries: Matt Fyjis-Walker, whose fitness Improved With astomshing speed to make him as effective in the loose as in the set situation; Dave Farrar, whose poor hooking and throwing at the beginning of the season If!lproved to such an extent that he did not hold his place for his loose play alone; Dan Cartwright , who would do well to maintain his goal-kicking skills. If the team had a principal fault that was shown up in its losses (and in some of its wins), it was a failure to adapt quickly enough to the conditions of a particular game, or to the strengths and weaknesses of their opposition. I hope they will remember that , as well as some great moments - such as the last try at Caterham, a wonderfu l, unselfish set-up for Jamie Martin from Joel Marshall , and 'Ollie 2' working so effectively against Eastbourne. It is undoubtedly a pity that they could not complete the seas?n because of flu and wintry conditions; otherwise I'm sure the~r record would have looked even more impressive. I should hke to thank ~ . A .~ . .for all his advice and support, as well as G .D .W . for his stOICism every time I approached him fo r Cs players. N.C.W.S. The following P!ayed as regulars this season (scores shown): 0. Harvey (Captam) 2 t., D . Burrows (also captained) It., J . Marshall 4 t ., D. Cartwright 4 t., 3 conv., M . Bennett I d.g. , 5 conv., 0. Robinson 3 t. , D . Stephens 2 t., A. Smedley 2 t. D . Farrar Ft., I. Weir It., M . Fyjis-Walker It., W . Gould: 1. Martin, S. Bolshaw , A. Hickman, A. Dawes, E. Eccles, 0 . Martin. A l so played: G. Webber I t., H . Walpole I c.

RESULTS

Played 7, Won 3, Drawn I, Lost 3. Points for 141 , against 102. v Duke of York's (H). Won 14-7. v KCS Wimbledon (H) . Lost 0-29. v Eastbourne (H). Won 54-0. v Dulwich (A). Drawn 20-20. v Tonbridge (H). Lost 0-36. v Cranleigh (A). Lost 0-10. v Duke of York's (H). Won 53-0 . Team from: Oliver Baker, Jamie Briggs Charles Bryant Fabio Diu, Edward Eccles, James Edmond~on, Tom Evans' Matthew Fyjis-Walker, Martin Graham Alex Harborne' William Heddle, Andrew Hickman, Mark dill (Captain), lame~ Hume, John Knowle_s, Peter Lawrence, Ben Lethbridge Toby Lewis, Will MacAdie, Rory MacEwen, Duncan McGregor Oliver Martin, Yorick Moes, Jan Panman, Joshua Pollen, Jo~ Pollock, Alex Prince, Philip Prince, Alex Smedley, Dorian Soanes, Graham Webber, Ian Weir, Jonathan White James Winner and Richard Woods. '

Charlotte Ross-Goobey (Sarah Knight) 86

Cool dude? (Sarah Knight)

tinually beat their defence and too~ the b~ll roun.d the back and crossed in well. She worked effectively w1th Sus1e, w~o always battled viciously for the ball and usually won. Sus1e played particularly well in the frustrating Eastbourne .match, even though the umpire did not app.rove of he r tacklmg . ~he was always in support of the left wmg and played productively as forward and defence when necessary. o.n the right, A.nnab~ l and Louise both played well. Their fitness Improved, as d1d ~~e1 r skills. Annabel's ' nifty' little moves often had the oppos1t10n wondering, and she scored an exceptional goal in the O.K.S. match. Louise toyed with her opponents as she dodged past them time and time again. The forward line consisted of Madeleine, Jo, Katy and Jenny, with them all swapping pos itions and producing many goals. Jenny mastered the banana-flick to good effect in the Brentwood match: ' Best goal I've ever seen in girls' hockey' .. Jo is .still mastering her reverse-flick and we know that she w1ll. ~u t 1t to good effect next season. Madeleine played all the pos1t10ns.on the fo rward line to a high standard and well deserved her F1rst Colours. Katy's speed down the rig~t wing proyed unbe~table for many a defence and her crosses 1mproved With expen ence. As the season progressed, they all began to run on to the ball and create even more opportunities . We were determined to score more goals this season, a!ld this has been realised by our success at penalty C?r ~ers . W1th Sally pushing out, Kate stopping, and the ha,rd h1ttmg duo of Amy and Beth , many a ball hit the opponents backboard. Our accuracy and speed of passing improved throughout t~e term and for this we have to thank Mrs Fox, who has ded1cate~ a lot of her time to the team . We are very grateful to her fo r th1s, and to Mrs Lawrence for umpiring all our games and offer-

Girls' Hockey 1st XI Having enjoyed the summer tour to South America and b ~e n challenged by the very high standard of play , we were lookmg forward to the forthcoming season. On our return we were sad to lose Mrs Lawrence as our coach, although fo rtunate to have the expertise of Mrs Fox to guide us through the season. We were lucky to have Ally as our g~a~ie and she improved dramatically through the pre-season tr~mmg and t.he tour. On the tour she was invaluable and the warmng of her d1ves reached the next schools on the circuit before we did , although she needs to work on her grunting. Due to a broken toe she missed half the season and he r place was taken by both Sophie La~ont and Alex Hyatt who adjusted to playing with the ~earn qUJckly. It was hard for Sophie that her first match was agamst T .W.I. G.S., since they were Kent champions. Our defence was kept in control by Sally, who always managed to create problems fo r their forwards and was an excellent captain and inspiration to us all. She was ably Âˇsupported by Penny and Amy who have both improved dramatically. Beth played sweeper. She was always there when the ball broke through the defence and she was able to dribble out of trouble. The defence proved themselves to be invaluable on many occasions, especially at the City of London game when we narrowly lost 2-3. In midfield Kate was the key player, distributing the ball well to the fo rwards and always backing up when needed . She con-

Madeleine Preston (M.J. T. )

ing her advice. We really appreciate their time and effort; and we wish the team the best of luck for next season. We also wish Liz Tarry a speedy recovery from her operation. She was a great asset to the team and we missed her during the season.

Also played: Helena Ancock, Sophie Lamont, Liz MacPhee, Lucy Rowe, Mary Stevens, Liz Tarry. R ESULTS

S ALLY L EWIS-J ONES AND KATE CUPPAGE.

Coach 's notes: In my fi rst season with the I st X 1, I found

v v v v

a squad of gi rls who showed great commitment and a determ ination that kept them going through a season of many illnesses and injuries. To their credit everyone gave 110%, and as the season progressed showed how adaptable they were as a squad. Everyone was a piece in a j igsaw and it was pleasing to see each section slotting into place producing at times some very good hockey . This was noticeable against Brentwood as well as on other occasions. They fin ished the season with a good win versus O.K.S., but against the Staff showed their true ability and character with a second-half performance that made me very proud of hav ing been the coach fo r a term. E.L.F. Team: Sally Lewis-Jones** (Captain), Kate Cuppage** (Vicecaptain), Ally Aitken, Katy Aldrick*, Penny Dain, Je~ny Gray*, Beth Hickl in, Alex Hyatt, Amy Joynson-Hicks*, Madeleme Preston*, Jo Pringle, Louise Squires, Susie Tydeman** , Annabel Whibley. **First Colours re-awarded *First Colours 1995

v v v v

v v v v v v v v v v

Won 10, Lost 4, Drawn 4 . Goals for 39, against 16 . St Lawrence (A) . Won Sir Roger Manwood's (H). Won Chaucer (H). Won Dover College (H). Won Cranbrook (A) . Drawn Ashford (H). Lost Methodist Ladies College, Perth (H) . Drawn Eastbourne (A). Drawn Sutton Valence (H). Lost T unbridge Wells G.G.S. (A). Lost Brentwood (H). Won St Edmund's (H). Won Epsom (H). Won C ity of London Freemen's (A). Lost Fe1sted (H). Won Kent College (H). Drawn Bryanston (A) . Won O.K .S. (H). Won

Jenny Gray (Sarah Knight)

1-0.

3-0. 4-0. 4-0. 1-1. 0-1. 0-0.

0-0.

1-2 .â&#x20AC;˘

0-3. 7-3 . 4-1. 5-0. 2-3. 2-0.

1-1 . 1-0. 3-1.

"""4

occasions. Injury was to plague the team for the remaining part of the te rm , but despite this we lost only two games.

2nd XI I was proud to be Captain of such a successful a nd dedicated team. Once we had the short corner pieces sorted out, the goals came in abundance- especially from Sarah , in spite of her nagging knee problems. Mary , Lucy , Becca, Rachel , Vicky and Sophie gave solid support, around (and increasingly within) the c ircle. As the season progressed, increasing self-confidence led to the development of much needed aggression . Congratulations to Mary on being voted the most-improved player of the season. The mid-field players proved very reliable; Raylah and Jessie were very effective at the back of the field too; and Felicity certainly enjoyed her goals. The reliability of the regular backs, He lena, Sarah and Jean, together with the never-flustered Nancy , made life easie r for our changing roll of goalkeepers, Sophie, Alex and Lucia. We were a young side , so the future for senior Hockey at King's looks bright. Many thanks , and good luck to those who are leaving this year - I hope you can keep on playing. I would like to give a big thank you on behalf of all of the team to Mrs P. , who sadly no longer has the time avai lable to coach a side. Ma ny thanks also to all the other coaches for their invaluable as!>istance. Ou NEAME. Team from : Olivia Neame (Captain), Helena Ancock, Sarah Clarke, Nancy Colchester, Sophie Colyer, Sarah Cook, Raylah Elsom, Jessie Gulland, Alexandra Hyatt, Sophie Lamont, Rebecca Mart in, Jean Richardson, Lucy Rowe, Vicky Smith, Mary Stevens, Lucia Sydney, Felicity Wacher, Rachael White.

Persistent playing by Timmy Akindele, Emily Perkin and Madeleine Tyler scored us many winning goals. Our mid-line was varied , but Kate Shaw, Kate Emary and Eliana Katsiaouni played with consistent determination and accurate passing. Our impenetrable bac k-line consisted of Danny Rowe, Jenny Dutton, Harry Shere, Emily Hague and Julia Wharfe (who acted as captain after Nikki was injured). Positions varied throughout the season . Everyone worked well together as a team , improving tremendously in their general play . We are grateful to Sarah Martin and Alex Elliott, who stepped in when illness struck. We should also like to thank Miss Smith for teaching us so much this year and for be ing such a great coach . We will miss her when she leaves. NIKKI MURCH AND JULIA WHARFE. Coach 's footnote: This is a team with lots of deter-

mination and potential, Jed by two very capable and mature captains. Even if the attitude to practices could sometimes have been more positive, I should like to thank the team for a most enjoyable season. I shall be watching their hockey careers with interest from the othe r side of the world . RACHEL SMITH . RESULTS Played 11 , Won 7, Lost 2, Drawn 2. Goals for 22, against 9. (A). Won 3-0. v StLawrence (A). Won 3-0 . v Sir Roger Manwood's 2-0. (A). Won v Dover College (A) . Drawn 0-0 . v Croydon High School (A). Drawn 3-3. v Cranbrook (H) . Won 2-0. v Queen Elizabeth's (H). Won 2- 1. v Sutton Valence (H). Won 2-0. v Sevenoaks v Tunbridge Wells Grammar 0 -3 (A). Lost School for Girls 1-2. (H) . Lost v City of London Freeme n's (A). Won 4-0. v Felsted

Thanks al so to the following, who stepped into the breach when illness took its toll: Oriana Fox, Lizzie Lamb, Fleur Moes,

Vicky Perry. RESULTS Played 14, Won 12 , Drawn 1, Lost I. Goals for 40, against 5. v St Lawrence (H) . Drawn 1- 1. v Sir Roger Manwood 's (H). Won 2-0. v Dover College (H). Won 5-0. v Ashford (H ). Won 3-0. v Cranbrook (H ). Won 2- 1. v Simon Langton G .S. (H ). Lost 0-1. v Eastbourne (A). Won 2-0. v Sutton Valence (A). Won 2- 1. v Sevenoaks (H) . Won 4-0. v Brentwood (H) . Won 1-0 . v Epsom (H ). Won 8-0 . v City of London Free me n's (A). Won 2-0. v Felsted (H) . Won 5-0 . v Kent College (H). Won 3- 1. Coach's F ootnote: What a wo nde rful team with which to close my coaching days at King's - and it really was a team that grew together throughout the season. Conseque ntly it is extremely difficult to highlight individuals, but I must thank Oli for he r captainship , Sarah Cook for her transatlantic warmth and enthusiasm, Sarah Clarke for her fifteen goals and Lucy for her seven (yes it should have been eight - I'm sorry!) Many, many thanks to all the squad for making it such an enjoyable season and to Mrs Lawrence, Mrs Fox and Miss Price for their coachi ng, support a nd organisation . J.D.P .

Under 15 'B' XI In general we had a very successful a nd enjoyable season: we lost only two out of a total of seven matches. One of these, the last game of a ll , was on grass, on a particularly wet and muddy day , and we just found ourselves unable to adjust to the play ing surface quickly e nough . The defence were strong , especially with C harlotte Tydeman as goalkeeper, who played with such vigour and conviction that she was asked by one opponent if she played for Kent. Rebecca Seath was a very sound back, with a powerful clearance. At the front of the team , the season brought out some increasingly intelligent play , and the forwards â&#x20AC;˘ ability to finish off an attack with a goal improved as the term wore on. Sarah Martin at centre half gave us all inspiration and was undoubtedly the key player . From the team's point of view it was a great pity that towards the end of the season she was promoted to the A XI, but we compensated for the loss by playing with even more enthusiasm and determination to win. Our thanks to Mr Lee-Browne, who offered us such useful and intelligent coaching, helping the team to reach the best possible standard. SASHA BALL. Team: Charlotte Tydeman, Rebecca Seath, Laura Cameron, Emily Colchester, Charlotte Inglis, Alexandra Elliot, Sarah Martin (Captain), Lindsay Sharp, Rebecca Potter, Rhiannon Newman-Brown, Lowri Fox, Sasha Ball, Athena Chenery , Eleanor Wharton .

Under 15 'A' XI Our season started with the team playing well, few mishaps and no games lost. By the second half of the term an ankle injury had deprived us of our captain , Nikki Murch , who as sweeper had saved the team from defeat o n ma ny

v v v v v v

RESULTS Played 7, Won 3, Lost 2, Drawn 2. Goals for 15, against 7. Duke of York's (H). Won Cranbrook (H). Won Ursuline School (H). Lost Tunbridge Wells Girls' G.S. (A). Drawn Sevenoaks (A). Won City of London Freemen's School (H). Drawn Chiselhurst and Sidcup G.S. (A). Lost

Under 14 'B' XI This has been a frustrating season, since illness contrived to deny us quite a few matches on the fixtu re list. In a series of close games the team did not lose by more than two goals, and they gradually managed to improve the team tactics. Thirteen p_eople made up this team. Strong attacking play from Cam1lla, Jack, Caroline and Katherine H . capita lised on the many good chances created by Katherine A ., Kathryn Peel and Frances in the mid-field. There was also very strong defence from Robi, Katarina, Philippa and Laura . Georgina only c~mceded two goals in the time she played for us. When Georgma moved to play for the A-team, Alice took her place. She conceded two goals. Overall this has been a pleasing season . We all would like to thank Miss Reidy for being a good and supportive coach . KATARINA WEIR AND CAMILLA COOK. Team from : Katherine Adams, Alice Collins, Camilla Cook (4 goal s), Robi Crouch, Laura Eldon (1 goal) , Caroline Gentles (1 goal ) , Katherine Hardy, Frances Marden, Kathryn Peel (1 goal ) , Philippa Townsend, Katarina Weir, Jacquetta Wheeler (1 goal ) and Georgina Zucchini-Watts. RESULTS Played 7, Won 3 , Lost 3, Drawn I. Goals for 8, against 4. v StLawrence (A). Won 4-0. v Ashford (A). Drawn 0-0 . v Sevenoaks (A). Won 1-0. v Wellesley House (H) . Lost 0- 1. v Croydon High (A). Won 3-0. v Cranbrook (A). Lost 0-2. v Tunbridge Wells G .G.S. (A) . Lost 0- 1.

5-0. 1-0. 1-2. 0-0. 6-0. 1- 1. 1-4.

Under 14 'A' XI We have continued the U 14A tradition of winning every game in the season, making some sort of history in the P!Ocess by. scori~g sixty-seven goals and conceding only e1ght. Desp1te havmg merely three home games, which meant a lot of travelling away to play on uneven grass pitches, we swept all before us. Spe~ial menti~n should be made of our defenders, Emily and N1cole , who m half our games prevented the goalie from touching the ball . When she did get a chance, Daisy showed us that she is an excelle nt goalkeeper, and we were sorry to lose her mid-season due to injury. However we were fo_rt~nate in having a replacement in Georgina who was both wllhng and able. The halves - Caroline (Baggers), Katherine a nd Louise - were more than a match for any opposition that we ca~e across .. The fo rwards (Toro , Luc~, Emma, Ade, Sophie and M1randa) were a potent stnke-force bring ing fear into the hearts of many an opposition defe nder: The lion's share of the goals was shared by Sophie with twenty-seven and Emma with seventeen .

Badminton

M_a~y thanks must _go to Mr Miles for his coaching and umpmng, and even h1 s empty promises of 'The next match will be ha rder!' THE T EAM. Coach 's note: I thought it only fair to add my own comment about a team who have been superb in many ways. Not only have they played some outstanding hockey , which was commented on by virtually every opposition's coach, but they have also been a great group to be with day in day out on the tra ining pitch. I hope that thei r success continues and that they do find some tougher opponents next season! A.M.M. Team from: Katherine Letts (Captain), Caroline Bagley, Adela Bottomley, Lucy Bridge, Sophie Chapman , Emma Hayes, Nicole Kwan , Daisy Lloyd-Smith, Miranda MacLaren, Toro Ogundoyin , Louise Robertson, Emily Smitham and Georgina Zucchini-Watts.

Afte r spending the summer term without a ' proper' sport, the team was eager for a good challenge this term . The new Under- 19 team members undoubtedly lacked match e~perience and suffered from flawed technique, but these disadvantages were mastered with an overwhelming enthusiasm to practise and to correct them. We had an impressive record this term, bei ng mostly unbeate n. Chris , James, Paul and Mike have taken it in turns to play as partners , but towards the end of the season, the re were indications of better partnerships between C hris and Paul Mike a nd James. Both pairs seem to be strikingly erratic i~ style and technique, sometimes creating un imaginable shots but mi shitting the shuttle ! Neverth e less notable improvements have been made and, consistency being the main area focused upon during matches, our season was generally successful. Manuel and Tak had not had much experience play ing as a pair previously and fo und it a challenge to learn quickly each other 's style of playing . Avis has improved his overall technique, and, partnered by James, had a couple of successful wins. Cat_arina _a ~d R~chel h~ve wo:ked hard at developing an effective pamng, m pract1ce sessiOns humil iating many boys who ventured on to the court against them . They won three out of their five matches, against Dover (twice) and Gravesend. We also have a new coach, Mrs Penny Kutenius, who takes over from Mr Pat Dav is - who has retired after having been a dedicated a nd much appreciated coach since 1981.

Goal scorers: Sophie Chapman (27) , Emma Hayes (17) , Toro (8) , Katherine Letts (7), Adela Bottomley (4), Lucy

O~u ndoy i n

Bndge (4).

Also pl ayed: Anne Davies, Frances Marden and Katarina

Weir.

v v v v v v v v

v v

RESULTS Played II , Won II . Goals for 64 , aga inst 8. S ir Roger Manwood 's (A). Croydon High (A). Ashford (A). C ranbrook (A) . Geoffrey Chaucer (H). Barton Court (H) . Sutton Valence (A). Tunbridge' We lls Girls' Grammar (A). Ci ty of London Freemen's (H). Felsted (A).

Won Won Won Won Won Won Won

13-0. 12- 1. 5- J. 8-3. 3-0 . 1-0 . 4-0 .

Won Won Won

4- 1. 7-0 . 7-2 .

Teams: Under- 19:

Tak Loon Khong (Captain)**, Ma nuel Cardoso*, Chris Howard*, James Martell, Mike Wharfe, Paul Bainbridge, Richard Homewood, Adam Brown. Under - 16: James Martell , Av is Ngan . Girls: Rachel Hill , Catarina Cardoso, Katie Fish, Rachel Barr. *Colours **Colours re-awarded TAK LOON KHONG AND R.J.M .

......

Dan Pullen, Charles Foinette

Saskia Stirling-Aird, Kate Dover

Lucy Heise (left) with Frances Houghton

The Boat Club

and escape ever more intense water-training sessions and the far too numerous trips to the weights room. The days became shorter and we all returned revitalised , but any excess energy was soon to be drained. A senior girls' quad braved the unpred ictable Tideway conditions to row the Fullers' Head (the University Boat Race course). Sculling in an unconventiona l combination , with Lucy at stroke backed by Frances, Kate and Saskia, they finished 7th/24 in the open quad division and 204th overall from a field of over 400 entries. They were the fastest women's junior quad and the School 's first ever women's entry to the event. That same weekend ove r at Kingston, Alex R., James, Jack, Camilla and Katherine raced in a variety of co mbinations a nd the senior boys attempted the course once more but this time w ith Kaj sa's cox ing skill s. M .C. L. and R .I.R . were al so witnessed racing in a double, but had as much success as would be expected with two coaches in one boat and one of them being Iri sh! The juniors were next seen at Hampton and the junior quad of James, Jack, Pete, Alex a nd Kajsa came fifth out of a fie ld o f twe nty e ntries a ve ry noteworthy result.

Summer was over, fitness was non-ex istent and the enthus iasm showed that everybody was keen to get 'back to boats'. For some of the seniors the rowing break had lasted only fou r weeks while the previous four were filled with intensive training at Chester followed by the Coupe de Ia Jeunesse in Bourges, but the three involved (Tim, Frances and Lucy) made up for this by wearing garish G.B. kit at every possible moment. To begin with we were pushed off in s ingles (and some double s) wh ic h seemed even more un stable th an la st year, but only Alex 'I'm so fast' Reeve and Marcel performed the capsize drill. As all this proceeded even R.I.R . 's face became familiar on the water, and all too soon it was time to race at Maid stone Sculls. King 's had several e ntries in all age groups; in the junior ca tegory Charlie finished a noteworthy second , as did R.I.R. - but in the ' Veteran C' age group. Saskia and Frances both returned with wins in the J18 and J 15 category respectively. Ed Sterck tore himself away from the rugby pitches to provide a good show: he had a go at 'scubasc u ll ing ', inv esti gating the underwater world of the River Medway but s urfaced again to complete his mission.

On the way to Pangbourne we were faced with a potentia lly 'ex hau s tin g' s ituation, but our cries of, 'Are we on fire?' were finally answered by Mr Churc her. When we arrived, th e re were great shouts of 'Where's all the mud?' The senior boys' quad managed After Maidstone , to find enough of the the singles stayed on stuff some 500 metres the racks and the after the start whe n quads and fours were they crashed into the launched in preparr iv e r-b a nk (bow's ation for Kingston name is to remain Junior Fours Head. confidential) . Despite For the boys' quads, Adam Wilton , Charles Foinette, Dan Pullen, Mike Smith thi s major handicap scull ed by Dan , Charlie, Marcel and th at di s rupt ed the Adam , the race was extremely frustrating: confusion with the entire race-plan, the crew still finished an overall second - an increasingly familiar result for the crew. A junior women's quad time-keepers at the finishing line left them in second position. of Zoe, Kate, Kirsten and Saskia raced but unfortunately had Yet it was an encouraging if disappointing result. They also rowed home in second place in the coxless four. Claire, Kirsten, no competition, so maybe those nice medals were booby prizes. Zoe and Frances continued the 116 quad tradition by winning Frances did predictably well, though the double with Lucy went for two years running - who says that scratch crews go slow? slower than expected while Lucy's single was even more lifeless. The senior girls' crew never really managed to settle into a During the last few weeks everyone concentrate.d on pair and s ustainable rhythm and were consequently beaten. doubles work; Charlie paired up with Pete Cawston, O.K.S., Then back into small boats for everyone for the last race and had a steamy race at Walton. Dan and Adam took it in turns to pair with Marcel and the two races produced pleas ing results. before half-term at Weybridge. Marcel and Pete H. went with The girls wiped the board by winning the J 18 double (Zoe and a splash whilst attempting their first stroke but did complete the race, which lacked a great deal of crew harmony - it ' ll Saskia) the Senior 2 double (Saskia and Lucy) and the Senior come with 'time .. . Zoe and Claire won their double as did 3 double (Frances and Lucy). A great disappointment came for Kate and Frances when they were rammed by a J 14 double from Frances and Lucy, the latter three all crossing the line first in their singles too. Alex H . closely followed Claire to come in another school, giving them a severe time handicap that ruined second. Everyone was glad to go home for the half-term break all the ir chances. Throughout the term several crews at King's

Sandroyd. Yet another century helped the home side to the imposing total of 223 for 5. Their progress was only checked when Alistair Hatch removed our host first ball with a patricidal bouncer. It might be generous to suggest that the Harvesters were tiring at the end of the week, for after a solid start from R .A.M. (28) and A.M.M. (26), only P.T. (31) showed the necessary resolve against Mike Morton's guileful spin. The results of this century-ridden tour were not the best ever, but there were several close finishes, many fine performances and much good cricket. More importantly, the weather was superb and the hospitality was as generous as ever. We really did say goodbye to the House of Ell iott this time - with immense gratitude to Ian and Sheila for all they have done for us over the years. We also paid our first visit to Sandroyd, where we were made royally welcome by Mike and Christine Hatch. And finally, the Tourist syndicate, master-minded by P.T. and with the magic help of tour-related numbers, won a prize on the National Lottery - but only enough for us to resolve to try again, in the hope of doing better, next year. P .G .H. RESULTS Harvesters 205-5 dec. (H.M .R . 108*, A.M .M. 41); Old Blandfordians 140-9 (J .S.H. 3-29). Drawn. Harvesters 158 (M.J.Ha 57, H .M .R. 54); Monkton Combe Cavaliers 159-5 (J.S.H. 3-54). Lost. Compton House 145-5; Harvesters 146-5 (H.M. R. 65, P.G.H. 31 *). (20 overs.) Won. Harvesters 147-9 dec. (R.A.M. 35); Sherborne Town 130-8 (J.S.H. 3-44). Drawn. Harvesters 2 16-7 (N.A.L. 103, M.J.Ha. 50); Salisbury Gentlemen of the C lose 220-3. (30 overs.) Lost. Sandpipers 223-5 dec. (A. Hatch 3-63); Harvesters 143 (P.T. 31, R.A.M. 28, A.M.M. 26). Lost. Tour Party: M.J.Ho., P.G.H ., R .P .B., M.J .Ha., G.C.A., D.J.R. , J.S.H., H .M.R. , W.R.P., M.J.C ., P.T., R .A.M. , N.A.L., A.M.M., C.G. Pickering. A lso played: A. Hatch, A.W. Brice.

have experienced similar feelings of frustration but despite these hiccups the term has proved to be enjoyable, with a good club spirit as all year groups continue to mix and help each other out. T his has been one of the strong points of the Boat Club and I hope it will continue in terms and years to come. All that is left is to thank the team of coaches (M. C. L. , T .J.P., L.J.G., J.K. , S.W.W., R.C., R.I.R. , Mr Willis and Tim) for their help and advice throughout the term. Special thanks go to Mr Willis for still being as efficient, helpful and friendly as ever, to Mr Churcher for the loan of his Land Rover (though we would prefer you not to capsize our launches in future, thank you!) Above all, Mr Lawrence as new Master in charge of Boats has brought new life to the club through his enthusiasm and dedication, and we are all enormously grateful for his work as well as for all the new boats which will in future enable all yeargroups to race with equal chances against our rival schools and clubs. LUCY HEISE. Those who scul/ed: Zoe Arthur, Claire Baldwin, Camilla Barker, Kate Dover, Charlie Foinette, Lucy Heise, Alex Higgins, Frances Houghton, Pete Hunt, Dan Kelly , Kirsten Luther, Kajsa McLaren , Dan Pullen, Alex Reeve, James Shattock, Pete Sharp, Mike Smith, Adam Wilton.

Cricket Canterbury Harvesters' Twenty-Sixth Tour: 1995 The Harvesters got off to a shaky start at Blandford, and were 2 for 2 before the effects of lunch had worn off. A rescue was effected by A.M.M . (41) on his favourite ground and H.M.R., safely returned from his peace-keeping, who bombarded longoff with impunity on his way to only the third Harvesters' century ever. A varied attack, led by a rusty but fierce J.S.H., pegged"back the Old Blandfordians and only the resistance of Dave Farley enabled them to survive for a draw. The second day at Monkton Combe began only slightly better, but at 8 for 2 H .M. R. (54) was again on hand to lead a rescue mission, this time with the a id of a head-magisterial 57 from M.J.Ha. The tail then failed to wag, and the total of 158 seemed inadequate. However, J.S.H. was in his most obdurate mood and conceded just 54 runs in his 24 overs from the viaduct end, and the Cavaliers were made to struggle before reaching their target with just an over to spare. Compton House was at its idyllic best on Tuesday evening. The home batsmen obviously enjoyed the rotating bowling order, and Peter Baker's 86* helped his team to the daunting total of 145 in their twenty overs. H.M.R. (65) and A.M.M (24) again responded to the challenge, and P .G.H. (31 *)was able to celebrate his l OOth appearance by hitting a six and leading the side to victory with an over to spare. Things moved much more slowly on the Terrace the following day. A stolid batting performance took the total to 147 for 9, but then J. S. H., kept going by the attentions of his personal physiotherapist, produced another mean spell of 18 overs for just 44 runs to keep the opposition in check. With R.A.M. in fine form behind the stumps the Town held on for a draw in an exciting finish. For Thursday' s game N.A.L. made a belated appearance. His pleas of lack of fitness rang hollow as he lambasted his way to 103 , with seventeen boundaries, and joined M.J .Ha. (50) in a record partnership of 126 for the third wicket. On such a small ground, however, anything is possible, and the return of South Africa to international competition was regretted by some as Messrs Newton (101 *)and Teeton (66) made a mockery of the total, the bowling and the local fish. The Harvesters' team will prefer to remember the more relaxing pleasures of the magnificent barbecue. The final match was a new fixture at

Fencing Summer holidays, hard though they tried, failed to prevent a vigorous start to the 1995-96 fencing season. A resounding success against King's Rochester at the beginning of the term sowed the seeds for the following months. With the customary beating of King' s Rochester out of the way , our sights were set upon qualification for the Great Britain Championships in all weapons. With nine qualifiers, some in more than one weapon, we proved that careful preparation is the key to record success. After half-term we began afresh with a hoard of new enthusiastic Shells that promise many more years of success at the fencing club. We hope that the achievements of senior teams will be surpassed in future years. Mr Jennings has yet again provided many hours of committed support. We should like to thank him for attending and chauffeuring at all major competitions and for the many hours put into all the administrative work and the daily running of the club. Professor Paul 'Happy Eater' Romang has dragged us through the low spots of term and on to the successes mentioned above. T hough he will not admit it, he may even have enjoyed himself along the way. Although we've gone from strength to strength this term, the fut ure still holds many challenges. Most notably the Public Schools competition, in which the Fencing C lub will be tested en masse, and the Great Britain Championships in which we hope for top placings. THE FIRST TEAM.

THE O.K.S. ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT'S REPORT The future li~eblood of any organisation is its new members and the O.K.S. Association is no exception. It is, therefore, very e~couragm~ to observe ~h~t. young O.K.S. a~e playing an ever greater part in the Association, not least on the Comm1ttee and 1ts related actiVIties. I welcome th1s trend, and the suggestion by the Headmaster that this summer's Gaudy.l~nche~>n should be for O.K.S. who have not long left the School will, I hope, encourage younger members to part1c1pate m our agenda. As further encouragement, the Association continues to offer subsidised tickets for those under twenty-four at the Annual Dinner. In a body as diverse as the Association, ho.wever, it is necessary to look back to the past as well as forward to the future. Forth~ O.K ..S., as for the whole nat1on , 1995 was a special year for looking backwards to 1945 and those n:toments of ~1ctory m Europe, and the ~ar East. In July we celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the ending of the f1ve-year peno~ of the School s evacuatiOn to Cornwall , with a lunch at the Carlyon Bay Hotel , where the School was located dunng the war. The lunch was organised by Mike Brown, my predecessor , and attended by some hundred folk of that vintage, from both Ki~g'_s and St Edm~nd's, ~ho shared the site with us. The Headmaster and Mrs Phillips are great supporter~ of the A~soc1at10n and o~ this occas10n the Headmaster interrupted his sojourn in Falmouth and was present to unve1l a memonal plaque. Later m the year, in October, a Fiftieth Anniversary Service of Commemoration for the sa~e return of the School to Canterbury was held in the Cathedral. The pattern of the service followed closely t~at used m 1,945;, Canon ~oger Symon? O.K.~ .• a former ,Capt~in of ~chool , read the Welcome Address originally g1ven by the Red J?ean f1fty.years earlter, MaJor General BaJa Bredm, O.K.S., re-read the lesson from Kings and the Dean of Westmmster, M1chael Mayne, O.K.S. , preached a memorable sermon (reprinted in this issue). ~s for the p~esent, the Associat~on has a busy ~genda. The Annual Review gets bigger and, we hope, better. Rugby ag~1~ ~eatures m the O.K.S. sportmg sc.ene; music, long a neglected aspect of O .K .S. life, may be about to grace our act1vtt~es ~nd , of course, we are plannmg to celebrate 1997 with a banquet at the Savoy, a ball in Canterbury and a service m the Cathedral. There is •. indeed, never any shorta~e. o~ thing~ to do and I should be delighted to hear from anyone who feels that they have t1me or talent to offer, for 1t IS m the mterests of all of us to keep alive and active in the broadest possible ' sense, an Association born of the School which nurtured and gave us much. PETER VENN, O.K.S . , PRESIDENT.

Business and

Secretarial Training Ideal in your Gap Year + + + +

Word Processing Information Technology Marketing Business Studies

+Shorthand + Typewriting + Business Administration + Languages for Business

25% vocational tax relief Residential accommodation available

LONDON:

Queen's Business and Secretarial College 24 Queensberry Place · london SW7 2DS · 0171-589 8583 CAMBRIDGE: Queen's Marlborough College Bateman Street· Cambridge CB2 1LU · 01223 67016 95

Fantasy flower (Tom Dunn)

THE CANTUARIAN

LENT AND SUMMER TERMS 1996

THE ~UNG'S SC~HlOl LluritU1Y

THE CANTUARIAN VOL. LX No.2

THE Klf~G'S SCHOOL LIBRARY

LENT AND SUMMER TERMS, 1996

CONTENTS PAGE

EDITORIAL

THIS AND THAT

101

OBITUARIES

107

CHAPLAIN'S NOTES

I ll

VALETE

112

POINTS OF VIEW

114

FOCUS

120

EXPEDITIONS

125

CORRESPONDENCE

133

IMAGINATIVE WRITING

135

REPORTS AND REVIEWS MUSIC

144

DRAMA

152

TALKS

157

BOOKS

159

SOCIETIES AND ACTIVITIES

163

SPORT

169

SPEECH DAY

200

KING'S WEEK

209

THE O.K.S. ASSOCIATION, PRESIDENT'S REPORT

224

T HE CANTUARIAN

Editor: Mary Stevens Art Editor: Alex Reynolds Edit~rial Committee: Zoe Fargher, Charles Fordham, William Justice, Samuel Knight, Charles Munday , Andrew Ribbans, Venetia Taylor Senior Editor: M .J. Tennick, B.A. 97

TH E CANTUARIAN. L ENT

SUMMER

1996

.. EDITORIAL For many the history of The King's School begins in 1935. When Canon Shirley led us in prayer for 'the pious founder of this school' we were not always sure whom he meant - and in any case few of us can remember the school before his time. The four headmasters who have guided the school since then have each had a particular role to play; in the reign of each of them the school has taken another step towards becoming the school it is today, those steps reflecting their individual personalities and not always leading in the same direction. Some future historian will distinguish their different approaches and their different achievements and the perspective of history will make its own judgements on today' s school. Of course the school will change again, and need to change: perhaps even quite soon. It cannot be immune from the interference of governments, changes in educational theory and practice, and social and political change. But it is hard for us now , in 1996, to feel other than that Anthony Phillips has brought the school to a new high place in its self-esteem and the regard in which it is held by so many outside the school. Previous headmasters have been thought of as great builders but in the last ten years the pace of change has actually increased. It is a marvel that a school without endowments, without large tracts of land which it could sell, without higher fees than similar schools, could have sustained a programme of so much acquisition, building and redevelopment. This is not the place to list it all: to mention some of it is to risk diminishing the whole. But the purchase of the freehold of the St Augustine 's site, the conversion of three boys' boarding houses into girls' houses, the building of a fourth girls' boarding house and the founding of a fifth , the building of the Recreation Centre, and the conversion of the undercroft of the Shirley Hall into a Social Centre for all pupils may be the events of the greatest significance. Undoubtedly his greatest achievement has been the introduction of full coeducation. King's became fully coeducational six years ago because he felt it was right. King' s had already had nearly twenty years' experience of girls in only the Sixth Form but that system had begun to show its weaknesses: a top-heavy Sixth Form, the difficulties which girls sometimes had in adjusting to their arrival in a new school with new teachers, often boarding for the first time and often living and working alongside boys for the first time, and our inability to meet the needs of parents who wished to send their daughters to us at 13 , as they had already done, or wished to do, with their sons. Some schools have made half-hearted conversions to coeducation, and not always for the best of reasons; it can be seen as a slick solution to the problem of failing numbers. But Anthony Phillips' (Mike Waterman) own experience, not least his time as a college chaplain at Oxford , convinced him of its rightness for most children. Only his conviction that it was right could have ensured the goodwill of parents, staff and former members of the school and enabled the process to be carried through with such resolution and such continued momentum. Coeducation is not a panacea ; it brings its own problems and difficulties, but the rewards are very great. The reputation of King's has been enormously enhanced by the success it has made of coeducation, and it is not too far-fetched to say that it has sometimes served as a role model for other schools. His chairing of the coeducation group of the H.M .C. is a further indication of a wide acceptance of this status. And a school which has created and filled additional boarding places (very much against the national trend) in the last few years indicates that coeducation at King 's (and its caring attitude - of which more later) is popular with parents and children. The school' s only advertisement has been the product itself - the boys and girls who have found at King's a place where they can live and work together in a caring environment and whose enjoyment has encouraged others to want to come too. This is a school of all-round excellence in which pupils and parents can rightly expect to find all the traditional things - the teaching, the sport, the drama and the music - done extremely well and sometimes brilliantly so; in whatever direction a pupilÂˇ is gifted his or her talents will be nurtured. But its peculiar distinction is that it is now, to a greater extent than ever before, a caring community . In his sermons Anthony Phillips has sometimes mentioned 'the theology of risk'. Behind the fa9ades which we often create, each of us has a real self. Do we

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

... risk facing that reality or do we continue with the sham? Do we want to become the person we could be - which may have unpredictable consequences for us, or do we prefer not to take the risk, and continue with something less than the best and something unfulfilling, content to keep up appearanc~s? This challenge to us as individuals is one he has accepted for himself and one which he has inspired others to accept for themselves and for the school. This is not a school where hypocrisy rules, where people pretend that everything is wonderful. There are failures, there is sadness, people do sometimes behave badly - schools are not immune to the problems which occur in the rest of the world. But here issues are not shirked: difficult questions and unpleasant tasks are squarely faced. This demands effort and energy and perseverance and time , and sometimes extraordinary amounts of them at extraordinarily inconvenient times. To ignore what is Jill Tweed working in her studio on the Headmaster's bronze. (Philip Hicks) wrong is the opposite of caring: what is difficult and painful is to care about individuals enough to impose the discipline where self-discipline fails. It is terribly easy to ignore the failing person , to not to want to know about a disciplinary problem, to hope that nothing need be done. Anthony Phillips has always gone that extra mile. Of course he has not done all this by himself- but the mark of true leadership is not just to state the principles but to inspire others to share the vision and share the work. His achievements as headmaster, builder and innovator should in themselves be considered quite extraordinary. But there must be some reference to two other facets of the person he is. He has taught theology in the Sixth Form, thus continuing at King's what he had been doing for seventeen years, first at Cambridge and then at Oxford. His intellectual eminence, and his passion for the subject, have been stimulating and inspiring to so many of his pupils. And we cannot get a proper understanding of what he has done at King's and why he has done it unless we recognise the centrality of the priesthood in his life and that ministry has been his motivation. He is a man of God. Being the headmaster of a school can be one of the loneliest jobs: in this case it has never seemed as if it was. We can only guess at the support he has received from Vicky but we know that it must have been considerable, and for that, and for her interest in the school , and the welcome of her hospitality , and for much else, the school owes her an enormous debt of gratitude. What of the man himself? A generous and warmhearted person with immense energy and stamina, rising early and going to bed late; forthright, at times impulsive, sometimes more formidable than he realises, sometimes needing support more than others realise but always a man of great stature whose person~lity and presence will be greatly missed. Our warmest good wishes go with them both to their beloved Cornwall: may they enjoy a long, happy and fulfilled retirement. Boris packing up for Cornwall 99

THE CANTUARIAN. L ENT

SUMMER

1996

Recruiting now for the Next Century j

- but all require team leadership which will be invaluable whether you decide to stay in the Army or eventually follow a civillian career. Now have a look at what the Army can do for you - if you start early.

The Army wants to attract only the best people. So every year we offer some powerful incentives to consider an Army ~. career. As an Officer you'll be trained in a wide variety of skills - some technical, some management

At 15-16 (before the sixth form)

At 17-18 (before University)

Compete for an Army Scholarship and earn £350

Apply for an Army Cadetship or Bursary to finance

per term while studying for your 'A' levels and

you through University, and guarantee yourself a

guarantee yourself a great career.

challenging career. Every year, 30 Cadets are awarded sponsorship which totals up to £25,000 each during their degree course. Bursars are awarded £1 ,500 per year.

Or Find out how exciting an Army Career can really be by joining us for your Gap Year before University with no commitment. We'll pay you while you travel and face challenges both mental and physical. You'll learn as much about yourself as you do about us.

TO BE THE BEST, START EARLY

-------------------------------------------, For full details of Army Sponsorship schemes see your Head of Careers to make an appointment with your School liaison Officer or post this coupon to SLO (SE) 17 St. Peter's Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2BQ

The Army is an Equal Opportunity Employer under the terms of the Race Relations Act 1976.

NAME~-------------------------------------OFFICER

ADDRESS,_____________________________________

BE THE BEST POSTCODE D.O.B.

SCHOOL

SPONS THE CANTUARIAN, L ENT

SUMMER

1996

100

":c en a:

= en z = "en

2 a:

..___/

-----

---Âˇ 'Jhis & 'Jhat

On the evening of June 12th, Thomas Kenwright, K.S. , a member of 6a in Mitchinson' s House, was tragically killed in a car accident near his home. His funeral took place in the Cathedral on June 21st. The officiants were The Revd Peter Thackray (Deputy Headmaster of Friars School where Thomas was a pupil) and the Headmaster. The Revd David Hancock (Vicar of Stowting), The Revd Bill Bowder (Chaplain of the University of Kent) and the Chaplain were robed and in the Sanctuary. The entire community has been shaken by this loss , and we offer our profoundest sympathy to Thomas's family. An obituary by his Housemaster appears below. Canon John Edmonds, a member of staff for nearly forty years and Head of Junior King's for twenty-one years , died in Canterbury on 27th March at the age of 80. His funeral took place in the Cathedral Crypt, and the address was given by Canon Derek Ingram-Hill. Mr Roy Purnell , who taught at King's from 1945 to 1969 , died at Cerne Abbas in May at the age of 87. Mr Alan Ridout, composer and teacher, who worked in the Precincts and taught some of our most talented musicians over a period of fifteen years, died in March, aged only 61. Obituaries of these distinguished contributors to the life of the School appear below. We extend our sympathy to their families. Requiescant

On the eve of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when Henry VIII 's commissioners were tracking down all Catholic relics, the last Abbot of Glastonbury entrusted to seven monks his most precious relic: a small wooden bowl used by Jesus at the Last Supper and brought to this country by Joseph of Arimathaea. The bowl passed into the keeping of the squires of Nanteos, a stately home near Aberystwyth. During the 19th century it was sent out to local people who were ill, and they would take bites out of it in anticipation of a cure. It was regarded as the Holy Grail. Some believed that it was a part of the true Cross. At all events, it was much chewed. As recently as 1959, the cup was believed by the then owners of Nanteos to have brought about the cure of their daughter after an apparently fatal accident. The house is now owned by O.K.S. Mr Adrian Wagner who does bed and breakfast. His great-great-grandfather composed (among other things) The Holy Spirit and The Holy Grail, and he is discussing the possibility of opening Nanteos as a 'Grail Centre'. The only problem is that he does not own the cup, which resembles half of a chewed coconut shell and is still much in demand for its miraculous properties: it is kept in a bank vault. Its legal guardian is described as a lady in her fifties doing an Open University degree. Readers with helpful suggestions as to how Mr Wagner could proceed might like to contact him directly. O.K.S. I

101

THE C ANT UARIAN, L ENT

SUMMER

1996

The Revd David Marshall (SH 1976-80) , Chaplain of Exeter College, Oxf~rd, has be~n described as t~e 'driving force' behind a successful move to include female singers in the Colle9e Chmr.. The chmrboys.from Chrtst C~~rc~ Cathedral will be used for only two more years. Protests about the destruction of th~ Enghsh choral tradttlo~ in what is perceived by traditionalists to be a 'happy-clappy' take-over have been constder~bly lo~der than pu?hc support for the Governing Body 's decision. The J.C.R. voted.for no ~hange. Perhaps the most mterestmg observation, in the midst of much criticism of Mr Marshall' s allegedly hbe~al vtews, was made bÂĽ the C?llege Organ Scho~a~, who pointed out that choirboys always turn .up , and turn up ~n tl~e, to rehearsa~s: He .ts surpnsed by th1e Chaplam s faith in believing that students can be rehed upon to do hkewtse . Such cymctsm m one so young. In the New Year's Honours List was a former Captain of School , Mr Justice Alister ~neller (WL 1941-~6) , Southern Europe Court of Appeal Judge, who becam~ a ~nigh~ Bachelor. He wa~ Captam of School at the time of the Royal Visit in 1946, when he addressed the Kmg m Latm ~efor~ the han?mg over ?f. the Royal Charte~. We are indebted to Sir Alister for drawing our attention to an article m The Time~ co!'tammg. reference to ~1s exact contemporary in Walpole, Mr Hugh Honour. Mr Honour had been consulted m hts capactty as the leadmg authority on Antonio Canova, the It.alian master who sculpted The Three Graces, by an anonymous coll~cto_r who had purchased what he described as 'a very nice marble statue'. This had stood fo; ma~y ye.ars, covered m hchen, weeds and a coating of white paint, in a West Country garden. In Mr ~o~our s estimatiOn, the sculpture was 'a pivotal work' by Canova. It has now been valued at more than ÂŁ 1 mtlhon . We apologise for making the new Governor of the Falklands, Mr Ri.chard Ralph.' ten years too young in the last edition. He was actually in Linacre from 1959 to 1964. Anyway , smce graduatmg t? an even larger c?lony of penguins, he has received news of a windfall. from Hong K?ng. After 1997 there wtll b~ no p~oble~ tf the twenty to thirty settings of the standard FCO whtte and gold chma get broken, becaus~ he wtll be mhentmg the great collection of colonial china shortly to become redundant f~om the table ?f Mr Chns Pat~en. A sp?kespe,rson in Port Stanley said : 'We have sufficient at the moment, but It would be mce to have a ptece of htstory. The Revd Robin Murch (SH 1951-55), Vicar of Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppey, was installed as a Canon of Canterbury Cathedral on 24th March. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the return of the School from Cornwall, The Grange commissioned a desk for the House Library, suitable for ho.using the H.ouse photograph albums which date back to the founding of the House m 1928. Pterre Woodward (MT 1982-87) was awarded the commission and after much consultation with the boys a design was agreed. for an oak desk to stand in the bay window. With the generous. support ~f Gran~e 0. K. S. and parents the. proJect was successfully completed. It is a superb piece of work, wtth many 1~terestmg fea~ures, commemoratmg past and present. Contributors, both O.K.S. and parents~ were able to see 1t at a recep~10n on June 30th. Included in the picture are Pierre Woodward, Mrs Ingram Htll , The Revd Canon ~ngram H~ll, Tho~as Stapl~ton, John Moss, Douglas Rennie, Paul Pollak, Barry Lock, Hywel Duck, Alan Wtlson, Chns Renme , Chnstian Duck.

The Grange Desk

(M. P.H.D .)

T HE CANTUARIAN, L ENT

SUMMER

1996

102

The Boat Club .has been ~~ll represented this year in trials for the Great Britain Rowing Team. At the time of wntmg, we understand that Lucy Heise (LX), Frances Houghton (WL), Daniel Pullen (TR), Michael Smith (MO) and Edward Sterck (GL) have all reached the Final ~rials for ~ither the Wo~ld Cham~ionshi~s or the Coupe de la Jeunesse. The Club had some outstanding successes m the NatiOnal Schools Regatta m Nottmgham. Lucy Heise won the International Cup for girls' single sculls by three feet over 1500.metres. On the following day (her eighteenth birthday), she and Frances Houghton won the Ferguson Bowl for guls' doubl~ sculls. They later joined forces with Saskia Stirling-Aird (LX) and Zoe Arthur (LX). Thes~ fo.ur ~on the Shenff .Cup for quadruple sculls, achieving a substantial winning margin of twen~-two sec~nds m stx mmutes. LU?Y Hetse became the first. girl from any club ever to win all three Championship sculhng events m the same year. Camtlla Barker (BR), Kathenne Rouse (LX), Kate Dover (JR) and Claire Baldwin (JR) won bronze medals in the girls' 'B' sculls event. Daniel Pullen and Michael Smith won through to the finals of the boys' double sculls and only just missed a bronze medal. The J-14 boys' 'B' quads and J-15 boys' VIII also qualified for the finals. James Rowe (LN) is to be congratulated on winning the men's Kent Foil Championship. He is not the first King's pupil to do so, but it is worth pointing out that he emulated the previous winner a member of 6a in that he achieved this victory at the age of fourteen and a half. ' ' James Hessey (TR) was selected for the England Under 16 Rugby XV to play against Wales on 22nd March.

. Sportmg laurels

Mr Stephen Barlow (GR 1968-72) has been appointed Artistic Director of Opera Northern Ireland. His recent visits to King's have been either in his capacity as the uncle of Adam and Dominic Fendius (LN 1990-95 and 6b respectively) or to discuss a musical event for the 1997 celebrations. Of which more, we hope, anon. Radio Four' s Today programme carried interviews on the subject of the State Visit of President Chirac with two nota?le politici.an~, both O.K.S., Mr Tristan ~arel-Jones (GR 1954-60) and Sir Charles Powell (GL 1955-60). Perhaps 1t was thetr tdea to get the presenter to mtroduce an item on the visit of President Kohl of France. At all events, they may have shared a joke about the fact that the French president having insisted on travelling by Eurostar, was obliged to arrive at Waterloo. ' The last adventur.e of ~ . E. Bates's L~rkin family has been dramatised for radio by his son Richard Bates (LN 1951-55). The music which accompames the senes was written by Mr Barrie Guard (MR 1955-59) . Messrs ~on~than and. Ben. Finn (SH 1982-86) h~ve again attracted much media attention with their computer program Stbehus ~ whtc~, m the wor~s of the Times reporter, 'has changed the musical profession for ever'. ~composer c?uld Improvise a whole ptece at.the keyboard and see it instantly notated on the screen. Their system IS a hundred times faster than any other music program. If Wagner wanted to add an extra bar to the beginning of The Rif!g, Sibelius 7 w.o~ld ta~e precisely one. te~th of a second to re-format 100 orchestral parts for four operas. Jonathan ~s currently tr~mmg ~Is computer to Imitate Copland. The machine cannot yet compose a symphony, but the Fmns are workmg on It. Dr Anthony Musson (TR 1979-84) has published a work on the local administration of Criminal Justice in the first ha~f of the fourteenth century. Public Order and Law Enforcement provides a composite picture of attitudes to pubhc order and law e~forcement through a systematic examination of the surviving legal records. We regret to say that Mr Graham's m-tray harboured the special offer order form until after the closing date so the book will now cost you ÂŁ39.50. ' As forecast in our last issue, Mr Kern Gross (Staff 1945-69) duly planted a tree in Galpin' s garden in honour of his ninetieth birthday. Our literati will appreciate the peripheral reference to Psalm 92. We were pleased to receive a portrait of Dr. Geoffrey Soden (1918-21). He read History at Lincoln College, Oxford , and was then ordained. After a spell as Chaplain to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, he became Rector of St Paul's , St Kitts, in the West Indies. On his return to E~gland , he held several country livings in Norfolk, Lmcolnshire and Suffolk. His writings include a biography of Godfrey Goodman, Bishop of Gloucester. The portrait shows him in his doctoral robes . We had a double connection with the letters page of the Times Literary Supplement of 26th January. Alexander de Waal (MR 1976-80) wrote to criticise a view of Third World ethnography, and Thomas Tallon, K.M.S., (SH) to defend the literary critic George Steiner from a hos.tile r~view. No reply to either letter was published, whtc~ f!ltght suggest that King's trains people to argue convmcmgly. (M.J. T.) O.K.S. II

103

THE CANTUARIAN, L ENT

SUMMER

1996

On June lOth, the School was host to an all-male close harmony singing group from Harvard University. 'The Din and Tonics', who took in the Walpole lawn on their world tour, consisted of fourteen students mainly in their first or second year at Harv ard . Their performance, which was attended by a large crowd of pupils and staff, managed to include such perennial transatlantic issues as the different pronunciation of words in Let's Carl The Whole Thing Arf, travels in song between Copacabana and Istanbul, and compliments to us about 'dressing up sharp and snappy, just like an English chappie'. Our thanks to Sarah Cook (WL) , who happens to be a native of Boston, Mass., for organising the event.

Harmonious Harvard

(M. P.H.D.)

Mr Toby Ward (MR 1979-83) is descr~bed in the Sunda)' Telegraph as _rep~esenting 'the younger generation of artists that the Pnnce [ofWal~s] IS keen to ~oste.r: Hts father John Ward, R.A. , is of course the doyen of the court pamters, whose JOb 1t IS to accompany the Prince when he goes off in search of new works to add t? his private collection at Highgrove, or to draw and paint in foreign parts. Toby, whose father taught t~e Pnnce on t~e R~yal Yacht how to _use cha.lks, has accompanied H.R .H. to the Gulf, where he was responsible for sketchmg ?tvouacs and bedoums. Which only goes to show once again what a variety of jobs our O .K.S. friends end up domg . On the other hand, the Queen's equerry Toby Williamson (MR) is a contemporary of Toby Ward's. To reinforce the notion of variety, we would mention a substantial article in the Daily Telegraph Magazine on the subject of Mr H.H.E. ('Teddy ') Young (GR 1937-40), which begins with a photograph of him on the tea plantation he runs in Darjeeling, and a description of him as Darjeelin.g's ~ast English tea plante;. He came to King's from a boarding school in Simla, the summer cai?ital of t~e RaJ. His father became worned ~ecause of the war in Europe and decided to bring him back to India. The JOurney was extremely hazardous. Smce then, he has returned to England only once, for a few months in 1957. Perhaps Dr Mallion should take the VCR to the highlands of the Eastern Himalayas. Mr Jonathan Powell (GL 1969-73), Tony Blair's Chi~f o.f Staff, ap~arently caused some c~~cern in La~our ranks by beginning a letter in a style more suited in their view .to public school pals than political antagomsts. Mr Powell hotly denied being at the same school as DTI mandann John Al~y (true, as ~ar as ~e know) and stated that he did not even know what school Alty went to. He could offer no reassurmg explanation to his Labour colleagues as to why 'Dear Alty ' slipped classily out. Edward Booth-Clibborn (SH 1979-83) has drawn particular attention to his publishing business this year by taking on the forthcoming autobiography of artist Darn!en Hirst of pickled animals fame. r:he Sunday Telegraph despatched its Arts Correspondent to ask Mr Booth-Clibborn whether there was any truth m the rumour t~at Mr Hirst would be suspending his parents in formaldehyde as a stunt t? launch th~ boo~. Altho~~h Mr Boo~h-Cli~born would not be drawn (sic), his editor told the paper that the autobiOgr~phy will be a beg~tlin~ c?llectiOn of Ideas and obsessions' and will indeed include tiny replicas of his dead-sheep-~n-formal~ehyde usmg liqmd-~ll.ed po~ches. The 'tanks will change colour from black to white or vice versa, dependmg on which way up the book ts . Chnstmas present problem solved . The last edition of The Cantuarian recorded the elevation to the peerage of Canon Peter Pilkington . Lord Pilkington took his seat on 7th February, and the School was represented by M~ Paul Pollak, wh<;> _writes: 'The new peer sat on the crimson leather benches of the L?rds Chamber ~supplied by Messrs Williamson of Canterbury, a family with many King' s School connectiOns, and suppliers of the same to .the School Common Room) for Questions, during which Lady Trumpington and Lord Cranborne, both sometime parents at King 's, were in excellent form. Afterwards, in the Tea Room , 'Crumpets, my Lord?' crowned a memorable afternoon. ' Although some readers may have missed the exhibitio~ ' Soane ~nd Death' at the J:?ulwi~h C~lle?e Gallery in March, few will have needed the Sunday Telegraph Review to pomt out the connectiOn wtth Kmg s . The great architect Sir John Soane left his mark on Cricket House in Somerset, home ofO.K.S. Anthony Taylor (LN 1963-67), daughter Celia (LX 1982-84) and son Jeremy (LN 1981-84) .. Former owner Lord Bridport was a close frie~d of Soane's . The architect Ptolemy Dean, who has been trackmg down lost and forgotten examples of Soane s O.K.S. III

THE CANTUARIAN. L ENT

SUMMER

1996

104

work, apparentlr .had s<;>me diffic,ulty in spot~ing the~e on the Taylor estate, as it has become the 'Crinkley Bottom TV Theme Park m which Soane s dovecoat 1s descnbed as one among a number of the ' trappings ofBlobbyland'. We con~ratulate ~afa Woodward (M~ 1984-86) who was specially commended in the under-30 age range for her entry m The Times Young Cartoomst of the Year competition.

S~bastia.n Da.wson-Bowling (MR 1987-9~) was a member of the victorious Cambridge University crew in this years Umverstty ~oat ~ac~. We of~e; him our. warmest congratulations. Nick Strange (MT 1979-84) has been selected for mclus10n m the Bnttsh Olympic team, rowing in the Lightweight Double Scull event in â&#x20AC;˘ Atlanta. Mahery, our 1996 Lent Visitor impressed us ~ith .his gentle serenity and quiet strength, remmdmg us of the hardships he has chosen to share with those who live and die in poverty and hunger. We think of him as he continues his ministry in Madagascar.

Mabery Rakotanandrianina

A ne~ I 6Mb P~ntium CD-ROM computer was mstalled m the School Library in February to help cope with such material as the new version of Encyclopaedia Britannica and the English version <;>f Encarta: Other new titles are: Art Gallery, which covers everything m the NatiOnal Gallery; the Oxfam production Ancient Lands used for Classics; and World 1995. The Librarian appreciates the recent donation of The Cambridge Ancient History from Kern Gross a previous Head of Classics . It also appreciates the tracking down 'by Mr P~t~r Henderson of a second-hand. copy of Paul Thompson's book on Wtlham Butterfield, the famous nmeteenth century architect who pioneered the High Victorian phase of the Gothic Revival and produced such a fine example with the St Augustine's Library. O~her books inclu~e a bio~raphy of William Tyndale by David Damell; the well-reviewed Llfe of Thomas Cranmer by Diarmaid Ma~Culloch; and Stephen Hawking, a life in science by Michael Whtte. Purchases of less biographical nature include another title for the Marlowe section entitled Who wrote Shakespeare by John Michell and a light novel ~ith the Cathedral Precincts background called Dark Provenance by Michael Anthony. My dear Cassandra, the illustrated letters of Jane Austen, fuelled interest in the current enthusiasm for this writer. Ex libris

A new book on multimedia supports the continuing interest in CDROM usage in the Library. New titles in this medium have been (M.P.H.D.) lnv~stigating Twenti.eth Cent~ry Art from the Tate Gallery, the Dictionary of National Biography - the cost of which was ~hared ~It~ the History Department- and the new Driving Skills produced by H.M.S.O. to support the new wntten Dnvmg Test. .The Direct?rs of L. W. Cole (Distributors) Ltd. , of Birmingham, have kindly sent us a copy of the Company History by Ntgel ~atson. T~e ~ompany's founder, Stanton Wilding Cole, O.B.E., was at King 's from 189 1 to 1897. ~fter a spell. m the fam1ly mdustry of brewing, Wilding Cole moved into engineering and invented a number ?f devtces useful m the trench warfare of World War I. He then pioneered developments in the nascent radio mdustry, with applications in World War II.

Mr: Peter Seymour, O.K.S. , has kindly donated his new book published by the Bullnose Morris Club and entitled Morns Bullnose and Flatnose Power Units. We are indebted to ~essrs Soth~bys for a copy of their annual Art at Auction, to the publishers Ellipsis for a copy of ~r. P~ag?ell s recent Gwde ~o Architectural Styles from 1066 to the Present Day, and to Dr Thomson and to Jumor Kmg s for further donatiOns to the Library. The King' s Yachting Club owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Mr Malcolm Irvine, the fa!her of two boys, Alastair and Charles, in Tradescant, and whose sudden death in March th1s year ca~e .as a great shock and the source of very great sadness. Malcolm was an extremely generous man who was w!llmg to share his love of sailing with King's pupils on board his splendid yach! Mulberry , a Moody 38. In recent. years King's crews have been taken on numerous cruises, sailing in the Enghsh Channel from Port ~o.Ient Manna a! Portsmo~th .. A superb yachtsman, Mr Irvine taught Kir:g's crews an enormous amount about sa!lmg, seamanship and navtgatton. He gave the crew the run of his boat, Jet individual .

Yachtmg tnbute

105

T HE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMMER

1996

pupils take command and could not have been more kind and patient, espec~ally in tricky situations. He also presented the Yachting Club with a splendid King 's flag which he ~ad made especially f?r the school to be flown from any yacht under King's command. One of those to take part m many of these crm~es was Thomas Everett (GR ?b). In a letter which was read at Mr Irvine's funeral , Thomas summed up the feelings of many of us by concludmg, ' Whenever I am on the sea, I shall always think of Mr Irvine.' We can only express our deepest sympathy to Mrs Patricia Irvine and to the Irvine family.

Singing for supper

At the beginning of March, members of the ~a~ional Y?uth C:hoir. including Ge~rgeanna Williams (JR) took part in a twenty-four hour Smgathon at Mill Hill School to raise funds for its tour of the Pacific in the summer.

Mayoral award

Sarah Wheeler (LX) is to be congratulated on being selected for ~n awa~d by the Lor.d Mayor, Councillor David Pentin. Sarah was one. of te.n loca~ pupils norrunated by their schools for exceptional achievement in overcommg difficulties .

The Director of Sport, Mr Roy White, was invited to coach the England 18 Group A Rugby XV . His team played Japan, winning 34- 12. Mr Woodley completed in June his term of office as Chairman of ~e Independent Schools Group of A.T.L. (The Association of Teachers and Lecturers, formerly A.M.~.A.) .This group represents as best it can the practical and educational interests of A.T.L._'s 1 6,5~0 mem~ers m the mdependent sector, about one eighth of the Association's current teaching memb~rship. Besides leadmg th~ group for ~our years, ~e has chaired most of its twice-yearly conferences , latterly with ~peakers wh? mostly ei~her w~re Sir Ron _Dearmg ~r would like to have been. His pro-selection speech at A.T .L. s Assembly m To~q.uay m Apnl.caught natiOnal media attention, including three soundbites in 1 minute 28 seconds of BBC TelevisiOn's lunchtime news. His thirst for activism not yet wholly quenched , Mr Woodley is currently being recycled as Vice-President of the Kent Branch, representing A.T.L. members in all kinds of Kent schools.

Common Room

(0. U.P.)

We congratulate Mr Armstrong on winning the ~uthor's. Clu~ B~st First No~el Award 1996 for Walter And The Resurrection of G. Meanwhile Dr Pickenng sA-level Biology textbook has appeared in Slovenian, while his Introducing Biochemist~ is bein~ published in Arab~c and Mandarin Chinese. His latest textbook (for G.C.S.E. Biology) I S about to be seen m bookshops sporting a cover featuring two penguins chummily holding flippers. They are not in pin-stripes.

Gee, it's flippin' penguins

Rupert Reid , yet to join us from J .K.S., wrot~ to The Kentish Gazette pointing out that it is politically incorrect to have a Carnival Que~n but no ~r , Canterb~ry, the Carnival King. ' I am sure there would be many candidates for this , he wntes. Further details from D .J .R.

Mardi Gras male

T HE CANTUARIAN , L ENT

SUMMER

1996

106

OBITUARIES THOMAS D. KENWRIGHT, K.S. (1977 -1996) his best in funny plays and never Thomas Kenwright was a more so than in the 6b K.Y.D. lovely, likeable, intelligent, production of an original script talented, popular boy in 6a in his It's all in the timing. In this very final term at King's. The whole funny play everything depended school was devastated by news of his sudden and untimely death on on the lead part, played by Thomas, sustaining a dialogue in 12th June in a road traffic accident just a short distance from gibberish at tremendous pace. Thomas's home in the village of Just learning the patter must have been difficult enough, but the Stowting. lines required perfect timing Thomas came to King's in (hence the title) and expression to September 1991 , having gained be really funny. Thomas was an academic scholarship from brilliant and gave the audience the Friars School, Great Chart, and funniest performance I have ever entered Mitchinson's as a day seen at King's. He was in many pupil, joining his elder brother productions and loved Theatre Christopher. How well I Studies and workshops. He also remember our first meeting when took the Mitchinson' s entry in the Thomas came to visit the House. senior House drama competition He was seated on the edge of the to the finals in two successive sofa, leaning forward , very eager years, most notably as Septimus and enthusiastic, his eyes large in Arcadia, and in his 6a year he and alive, a boy one felt who was had a major role in the main out to grab life with both hands. production of Feydeau' s A school From the outset Thomas's (Sarah Knight) Flea in Her Ear. intell ectual brilliance was inseparable from his shining personality. He was witty, Thomas was a brilliant debater. The wit of 'Kenny' combined with the Scots eloquence lively, entertaining, incredibly bold and often of Ben Browning brought a well deserved triumph in outrageously funny. ' Allow me to introduce myself,' inter-house debating in 6b, and in 6a the two speakers he would say to new pupils. ' My name is Thomas Kenwright. My friends call me Kenny .. . ' And to took King 's to the finals of the inter-schools debating everyone, Kenny he was. As a junior, his exploits both contest at the Oxford Union. Thomas had all of the great debating qualities: swiftness of mind, responsiveness, within and outside the classroom enhanced his natural the ability to construct arguments very quickly, and a popularity and reputation for daring- 'a little tornado on the loose', as his tutor once described him. It was wonderful way with words which swept away the also very evident that his talents would find focus on opposition. His ability to grasp new ideas and to extend them further , to argue a point well and yet to modify the stage and games field . his own initial judgements if good reason were shown I have a vivid recollection of ' little Kenny', a natural to do so, were qualities on which his teachers athlete, so far ahead at the first lap of the junior Cross commented as well . I think Thomas could have become Country that the course markers were taken by surprise. an excellent barrister, but then I suspect his approach 'Which way do I go, which way ... ?' Thomas called to life was always going to be too novel and too out, being new to the course. Despite the confusion he independent for wearing a wig and gown. was still well ahead at the finish . The following year as a Remove he came 1st in the Inters Cross Country . Intellectually, Thomas thrived in the Sixth F orm on Despite this success, Hockey rather than Cross Country a unique combination of Arts and Science subjects, was his favourite sport. In the Sixth Form, he played taking A-levels in Biology, Chemistry, English for the 1st XI when he wanted to play hard, for the 2nds Literature and Theatre Studies. In the Sixth Form he when playing just for fun, and was a natural choice for was clearly an exciting pupil to teach, as all his teachers the touring squad to Spain. commented, and Thomas himself regarded his teachers as his friends . Although he had the intelligence, energy, Thomas loved acting, and drama became the most important medium for the expression of his personality personality, charm, independence of mind and selfconfidence to have excelled in any course of study, he and talents. I have another enduring picture of Thomas as a 5th year, playing the front end of the horse, Alfred wanted to read English; and Thomas would have been in the House version of The Wind in the Willows. 0~ exactly the kind of pupil which the best universities are stage, just his head protruded from the horse's body looking for. He was always reading , always had some new author or playwright to enthuse about or to - those expressive eyes again - as he delivered his lines with a lugubrious Lancashire accent: ' No one asks challenge. He was perhaps not over-fond of the day to day slog, but never stopped communicating his lively me about how I feel about the open road.' He was at

107

TH E CANTUARIAN. LENT

& SUMMER 1996

appreciation of many literary genres and styles, no matter how thin his notes, to the endless entertainment of those in his company. His breadth of reading encompassed such authors as Brecht, Diirrenmatt, Steven Berkoff, Oscar Wilde, Sean O'Casey and James Joyce. He had applied to read English at Trinity College, Dublin, a place and university which surely he would have loved. For a pupil who was so lively , so amusing, independently minded and such a character, often pushing himself to the limits, I have to accept that my role could not but bring me into times of friction with Thomas. By the time of his taking A-levels, however , he had reached the threshold of adult life; some of the stresses and contradictions of teenage years had been resolved; but the perspective which comes with passing years was taken from him. This made the terrible sense of loss, the devastation, even worse; for there is nothing worse, nothing more final or more awful, than the sudden death of a young person - especially one who has come through such difficult phases when the stresses can be enormous (Thomas suffered from migraines) , and was set for a fuller life. For Thomas was a big character: we all loved his personality , his sparkle, the dazzling performances, intellectually and on stage, and his generosity. To his friends he was very, very generous. He always liked to give people things, whether coffee in his study , or in proposing a spontaneous vote of thanks on behalf of the class to his English teacher at the end of the final A-level lesson. He never let others down, although he sometimes kept us guessing until the last minute.

Moreover, he had a deep sense of responsibility on matters of real importance. For instance, he stood out in not wishing to drive a car, resisting the pressures of the late teenage years to do so, and this was part of Thomas always following his own ideas. Despite the occasional tactlessness, he was very caring, considerate and kind, and would never have meant to harm any other person. As a pupil four years his junior said , 'Thomas was nice, because he always had a smile and he made people laugh. ' In this terrible tragedy , many of us have grieved deeply for Thomas, individually , and as a community. On Commemoration Day in my farewells to each of the 6a leavers, when I reached the name 'Thomas' still the tears came and more will come. We extend our deepest sympathy to Dr and Mrs Kenwright and to Christopher, who was very close to his younger brother. In what I have tried to say about our appreciation of Thomas and the depths of our sorrow in losing someone we loved , I hope it is apparent that we will always remember Thomas Kenwright and that he will always be a source of joy and inspiration for the rest of our lives. I would like to conclude with some lines from one of Thomas's favourite pieces of music by Lenny Kravitz: Let's wander slowly through the fields Slowly slowly through the fields All trouble slowly fades away Across the land through Fields of Joy Through Fields of Joy The Fields of Joy. H.R.O .M. (in consultation with Mitchinson's 6a)

JOHN HERBERT EDMONDS (K.S .C. Staff 1947-1978) London. He always remembered with affection his time in dockland and his contact with the cockneys, whom he thought wonderful. Anyone knowing John's privileged background would have been much amused , and possibly a little shocked, by his tales of life in the docks during those difficult years. He then returned to his old school Woodbridge as Chaplain , and it was during this time that he married his first wife Lyn. John arrived at King's in 1947 as Chaplain and a teacher of Classics and Divinity. He brought with him not only a high reputation as a scholar but also as a sportsman - having played in all first teams for rugby , hockey and cricket at school . He won a Blue for hockey, played for the G reyhounds and represented the University at rugby and the University Authentics at cricket. Later he played international hockey for England and captained Sussex

Within a few weeks of celebrating his 80th birthday, at which event he was enthusiastically toasted as a 'very fine gentle man , schola r , sportsman , priest , chaplain , schoolmaster and rever ed headmaster', the Revd Canon John Edmonds died in his sleep on Wednesday 27th March 1996. John was born in India where his father was Archdeacon of Madras. After a period at a Preparatory School in Sussex he moved to Woodbridge School, where he soon made his mark as a scholar and a very keen sportsman . He then went on to Brasenose Co llege, Oxford, where he read Classics and Theology. In 1941 he was ordained in St Paul 's and became curate at St Mary 's, Northolt. During the second world war he was one of the younger priests to volunteer to take over a vulnerable dockland parish to allow the more elderly vicars to move out of

THE CANTUARIAN. L ENT

SUM MER

1996

108

School? in the United Kingdom. However, it was not just academic and sporting prowess that was fostered and encouraged; learning to grow up as members of a community with responsibilities to others as well as themselves was a priority for the boys at J.K.S. In the days prior to coeducation John's prime, and often expressed, concern was to produce 'young gentlemen'! It was fitting that towards the end of his twenty-two years at J .K.S. John was rewarded by being made a Canon of the Cathedral, an honour of which he modestly said he was unworthy. But John's work, together with Lyn's had spread widely into the diocese and had been greatly valued , he as a priest and Lyn as a member of local women's organisations. After his retirement from the Junior School John and Lyn settled in Burgate. John continued to teach a little part-time at King's, once more e njoying the companionship of some of his former colleagues, but understandably never finding again the high level of involvement which marked his earlier period at King's. Unfortunately their retirement together was short-lived, for Lyn died in 1983. It was sad that after years of dedication to others they were unable to spend more time enjoying their lives together. John and Lyn had always taken time in the summer holidays to tour some part of the world and it had been their intention to expand these opportunities when they retired, but with John's infirmities and finally Lyn's death , this was not to be. John later re-married to Miss Pamela Bratby , herself a retired headmistress, and they continued to live at 15a Burgate with their much loved golden retriever, Becket. It was typical of John that he kept alive his very many contacts with friends , former colleagues, former pupils and their parents; he was a prolific letter-writer. Indeed, when in office as headmaster, it was said that his letters to parents of pupils alone would paper the walls of his house! He continued right up to his last days to take a deep interest in the life and affairs of J.K.S. , visiting and preaching at Milner Court whenever he was invited. It would be true to say that the Junior School occupied his thoughts a great deal in his last few years and his memories were kept alive by many admiring friends, staff and parents. As a man in holy orders , John's life was fittingly one of distinguished service to others. He often quoted from the bible the saying: 'I am among you as one who serveth' - and this he succeeded in doing with supreme dedication and devotion. R.Q.E. AND G.F.C.

at rugby. With such experience and skill it was scarcely surprising that John immediately became involved with sport at King's; his all-round contribution was phenomenal. One of his colleagues admiringly spoke of his ' uncanny control of a hockey stick, his agility behind the stumps and the speed with which he was always ready to run three when everyone else could only manage two, and above all that speed and elusive running with the rugger ball (not to mention his infallible kicking) which made his appearance on the rugger field a joy to watch, and the performance of the teams he coached a source of great delight' . John took charge of hockey and coached five Blues and two Olympic caps. Rugby, however, continued to be his first love - although he felt that the changes in the laws were not always for the better, and in this he spoke with the authority of a County referee. It is difficult for those who only saw John's immobility in his later years to realise what a superb sportsman he had been in his time, not only as a player but also as a coach. In 1956, after nine happy and highly successful years at K.S.C., John and Lyn moved to the Junior School where he had been appointed Headmaster. Together they established a happy, friendly, courteous atmosphere in a community where the welfare of pupils and staff alike were central to John's philosophy ; they never spared themselves in their dedication to J.K.S. Those who know Milner Court at the present time will not realise the amount of energy and vision required to build it up from its role as a useful adjunct to the senior school to a preparatory school in its own right. The 1920s buildings with their high ceilings, large bleak dormitories and generally austere appearance were outdated and although money was scarce John set about doing what he could to bring the school up to date. The boys' common room, the laboratories, the new swimming pool , the hard playing area and numerous other small but necessary changes were made - all in an attempt to make the school more efficient and provide a more enjoyable environment for pupils and staff. It is significant that many of the subsequent changes made to the school buildings had already been planned under John's administration- although the cost involved ruled them out at the time. Under John Edmonds's influence, Âˇ academic and sporting standards at J .K.S. began to flourish, and it is much to his credit that towards the end of his office as Headmaster the school was able to compete with the best preparatory schools in the country. Indeed, in 1976 J.K.S. was listed in the top ten of Which Preparatory

R.W. PURNELL (K.S.C. Staff 1945- 1969) Many O.K.S. and former members of the Common Room will be sorry to learn that Roy Purnell died quite suddenly in May at his home in Cerne Abbas a few months after his 87th birthday. He was appointed to King's by Canon Shirley in 1945 to teach English and Classits and soon became head of the English department. King's had only just returned from its wartime exile in Cornwall and Roy was one of a stalwart group of masters who did so much to re-establish the

academic side of the School back in the Precincts. He was also in charge single-handed of the School Library, no mean task after wartime upheavals, and he ran The Cantuarian for ten years. His teaching methods were well-tried and traditional ones - thorough exposition of the texts supported by regular essays promptly and efficiently corrected - and his patient encouragement, spiced by the occasional caustic comment, produced impressive examination results year by year . As a 109

T HE CANT UARIAN. L ENT

SUMMER

1996

appreciated, and recently he had returned to Antony and Cleopatra, his favourite Shakespeare play. Visitors to Cerne Abbas were assured of a generous welcome and both he and Madge were always eager to hear news of the Precincts and of former colleagues and pupils. This interest in King's was further sharpened in recent years when their grand-daughter, Victoria Ingham, joined the Grange in 1988. Roy and Madge were devoted to each other and it was a very happy occasion for the whole family when they celebrated their diamond wedding last August. He was a kind and good man and many people will wish to join us in sending to Madge and Anthea, their daughter, and all the family our sympathy in their loss. D.S.G.

relatively new master I was always grateful for his advice, freely and modestly given, and for his understanding during the regatta season when the Boat Club so often meant extra work for him in my absence. Roy always had a close affinity with Thomas Hardy, especially his poetry, and it was no surprise when soon after his retirement he and his wife, Madge, moved to Cerne Abbas in the heart of Hardy country. Always a keen gardener in Canterbury, he soon had a fine garden at the new home with a splendid outlook on to the Cerne Abbas giant and when I last saw him, soon after he was 86, he had only the previous day planted some 300 bulbs. For his private enjoyment and satisfaction he wrote extensively about Hardy as well as about W.W. Jacobs, whose work he particularly

ALAN RIDOUT ( 1934-1996) common in the second half of this century, to write music not only appropriate for the occasion but sensitive to the skill of the performers involved. Many of his finest works are for the Anglican services. For example, the Sacred Songs have a profound simplicity (Sets 1 and 3 have recently been reissued as a CD). He found inspiration in the study of the great masters of the 13th to 16th centuries, from Perotin to Palestrina. When he heard this music ' in the context for which it was composed, I wonder that anyone bothers with anything else!' he wrote. He acquired through close analysis and a .passion for plainchant a similarly expressive style. He had also, as Allan Wicks wrote in the Guardian , 'an ear for English poetry' , for expressing the inner meaning of a text with the fewest notes, using traditional vocabulary - a considerable achievement in a time when we are too often battered by gargantuanism , excruciating dissonance or monotonou s pop cultures, or (perhaps worst of all) the meaningless background sounds hardly heard but thereby all the more insidiously pervasive in public places. Fortunately the life-enhancing voice of Alan's music is unlikely to be forgotten - through such a masterpiece, for examp le, as the Elegy for cor anglais and string trio in memory of Morris Shapiro (soon to be published). He made a telling and original contribution to children's ballet and opera, genres for which he rightly felt he had a special gift. They should be made widely available for schools. He commissioned or chose libretti with casts of children playing believable children, not children pretending to be or showing off for the delectation of adults. Not even Benjamin Britten fully understood this medium.

Those still at King's who knew Alan Ridout will agree that his devotion to and interest in a pupil's musical and personal development was wholehearted, whether with the budding genius or a not too hardworking talent. Teaching took up a lot of his time over the years (Oxford and Cambridge Universities, the Royal College of Music, the Choir School and King's), and his autobiography testifies that he gave it much thought. It supplemented the main purpose of his work: writing music. It did not seem to impede it, as his habit anyway was to rise very early and complete a long composing session before most of our days had started; and probably the interval of teaching was one way of recharging his batteries. Not that he ever seemed to have trouble taking up his Muse's pen: it never seemed to fail him. Such was his ability to focus rapidly that an interrupter was never aware that he was interrupting and always sure of undivided attention. The obituaries in the Independent and Guardian taken together give a very good idea of his wide range and committed life, not only composing, editing, arranging and broadcasting (over nine hundred mature original works and one hundred and forty juvenilia), but through copious letters and numerous friendships. He had an acute perception of what would please (and displease) his friends. His generous gifts frequently took the form of music specially written - a piano piece for an old pupil's child , a chamber work aimed at someone's particular talent, a vocal or instrumental piece for one of his colleagues in the cathedral, an orchestra or choral society . He was never without commissions until a few weeks before his death , and he had the enviable ability, not

THE CANTUARIAN. L ENT

& SUMMER 1996

110

Alan first arrived in Canterbury in 1964 and became a permanent resident in 1968, first particularly attached to the Choir School and Cathedral, and then, at the former's change of status, to the King's School. His unfortunate dispute with the School in 1992 was followed by the decision to live in France, a country for whose religion, culture and attitude to children he had profound sympathy. But when approached on the occasion of his 60th birthday concert in London on 1Oth

January 1995 by a King's School master to sign a copy of his autobiography (A Composer's Life), and asked if he had any message for King's, he wrote one word - 'PAX'. He was not one to harbour a grudge. The school was most fortunate to have had such a man and musician living on its doorstep for so many years. R.P.S.

CHAPLAIN'S NOTES The sudden death of Thomas Kenwright, the very considerable shock it caused and the consequent experience of communal and individual bereavement overshadows the memory of June. The funeral, by kind invitation from the Dean, was held, as befits a King's Scholar, in the Quire; the Chaplain's uncle (the Deputy Head of Friars School) officiated. The news of Thomas's death was broken to the school after School Prayers in the Nave; the next day there was an official school memorial in the morning and a friends' memorial in the evening. The Headmaster celebrated the School Eucharist for the last time on the last Sunday of term. An emotional occasion: the Headmaster never forgets that he is a priest; his considerable ministry as Headmaster has been centred on this. The previous School Chaplain, Canon Peter Hullah, preached at Mattins on the last Sunday before the May half-term. On the Saturday after half-term , news came through of the bomb explosion in the centre of Manchester which caused nearly a million pounds' worth of damage to Chetham's School, where he is now headmaster. Lord Runcie, the former Archbishop, has preached at Mattins; so too has the present Dean of

Norwich and the Bishop of Salisbury. Lord Pilkington, the previous Headmaster, has also preached. At the Servers' Dinner tribute was paid to the departing Precentor, Stephen Sealy, for his much valued support behind the scenes, and also to the Vesturer and his team of virgers , and to Olive Creissen. The leaving servers- Helena Ancock, James Capel, Robert Justice - were thanked, together with the Sacristan, Tim Gomersall, and the Head Server, Robert Thomas. Two dozen servers remain. In March forty-five pupils were confirmed in the Cathedral by the Bishop of Dover; the next Sunday the Bishop of Maidstone confirmed a dozen Junior School pupils in Sturry Church. The weekly Monday evening Co.mpline has continued to play an important part in the prayer cycle of the School (together with the daily Eucharist). This is but an outline: true faith cannot be encapsulated in words. 'Without a vision the people must perish': let us thank God for the vision the Headmaster has supplied over his decade in office and for the continuing willingness of so many to quest in response to the vision of faith Jesus supplies. J.A.T.

I ll

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMMER

1996

VALETE SHIRLEY BRINE

If Shirley Brine has a fault it is that she is too self-effacing. She is a far from ordinary lady . A hint was given when she was watching the recent Spain v. England soccer match. When the cameras picked up Crown Prince Felipe of Spain, Shirley exclaimed, 'Good heavens, just look how that boy's grown ... ' Some thirty-five years ago, Shirley was taken on as Nanny by King Alfonso of Spain's granddaughter to look after her two babies . It will surprise no one to learn that, once there, the affection Shirley generates meant that they asked her to remain - for twenty years. People do not like losing Shirley! That this is why Shirley has at her disposal a flat in a palace in Rome. That is why when she went to Rome or Switzerland the elderly ladies with whom she chatted expected her to explain how 'dear little Lillibet' was coping with those children of hers. Lillibet is of course our Queen and the elderly ladies were Queen Victoria's granddaughters anxious to catch up on the family gossip. Of such a fascinating time, few at King's have any idea. Shirley could write a book - but of course, being Shirley, she never would. One wonders what, thirteen years ago, she made of our King's after real kings ! But to Shirley all children need equal care and love: it makes no difference whether they are little Spanish princes (M .P.H .D .) or little King's Shells. A nd all those who know Tradescant know that, because of this, Shirley soon became and has remained the real heart of the House for those thirteen year s. She has an astonishing and seemingly boundless capacity to care . To most people I think the world splits into those we like, those we don' t mind and those we'd rather avoid. Not to Shirley. She really does, somehow, care for all - even the unlovely and awkward and unattractive . Every one of her charges is precious to her and to them her flat has always been a refuge and a haven. Whatever else might go wrong in the world, Shirley would be there. And the response of the children to this is very moving. I have never ever known a single boy say a cruel or even negative word about Shirley. In Tradescant there is one crime that is totally unforgivable - and that is being hurtful to Miss Brine. Any boy who did this would not be able to remain in the House, such is their fierce loyalty to Shirley. But of course why would any boy do anything so odd? S.J.G. Mr Peter Dix (sometime Housemaster of Tradescant) adds the following: The Christmas Party was one of the highlights of the term , and when I reached the appointed stage of my thankyou speech, I had only to say ' Miss Brine' for the entire House to erupt in a spine-tingling and eye-watering display of gratitude to and affection for a person who meant everything to them. Shirley is one of those people who cross your path and make an extraordinary difference to the quality of your life. Such was Shirley's impact on me during my time as Housemaster of Tradescant. A return to King's meant above all else a visit to Shirley . Sadly now she will be no longer there, but the memory of her gentleness, her humour, her patience and her care will stay forever with all those of us who were fortunate enough to have been in Trad. during the Miss Brine years . (Matron 1983-1996)

BRIDGET GOODGE (Matron 1992- 1996) Bridget left us at the end of the Lent Term after three and a half years as Day Houses' Matron. When she came to King's in 1992, after some years running her own business, I was one of those responsible, as the then Housemaster of Marlowe, for her appointment and I can remember very clearly thinking during the interview that I had never met anyone quite like her before. It seemed to me that her lively and extrovert personality, enhanced by the sense of colour in her dress, would be a tonic to us all and so it proved, both in Marlowe and Mitchinson's and in the wider school community . Wherever she was in the school - and her unique laugh would quickly draw attention to where that was - her presence enlivened everything and everyone, brightening otherwise dull days . For that alone, she is greatly missed. As ' Matron ' (though I think she would have preferred ' Bridget') she prpved to (M. P.H.D.) be hugely successful . Only those familiar with the workings of a Day House can properly appreciate the special qualities required to be a successful matron to the day community. Quite apart from having to get to know well all the pupils (and a fair number of parents) in two Houses, a problem fu rther doubled by not living in with them, there is the difficulty of dividing one's time fairly between the two Houses, being equally accessible to members of both and contributing fully to whatever is going on in each . In addition, of course, there is the requirement to cater for the particular needs of day pupils, both boys and girls. These qualities Bridget demonstrated superbly and as a consequence she was widely respected and liked. It is no wonder, therefore, that the first port of call for many local O .K.S. returning to the school was to see Matron and that news of her impending departure caused consternation in the two Houses . T HE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMMER

1996

112

Much of her work inevitably went on behind the

sce~es, especia.lly in h~r. office in Lattergate; not j ust canng for the SICk ~nd InJUred, but offering a shoulder

to cry on to anyone m need. Though not formally trained as a counsellor, Bridget took it upon herself to acquire formal counselling skills to make even better use of her natural gift of making pupils in difficulty feel that they had someone on whom they could rely and in whom they could trust. A great many pupils therefore benefited from the service which she offered. . Moreover, Bridget was always willing to help out m whatever way she could elsewhere in the school, if help was needed. As an example, it was she who had the courage and confidence to appear on stage in a Staff Review in front of the whole school, to act as J.R.P. 's

partner in a comedy .routine, s<?mething well beyond the call of duty but wh1ch she obviously enjoyed as much as t~ose in the audience. A keen supporter of the Choral Society and Jazz Club, she sang in both Mitchinson's a~d Marlowe 1-I_ous~ Concerts, accompanying jazz pieces and featun ng m a barbershop number dedicated to her. Bridget obviously felt that the time had come to move on, to take advantage of other opportunities and challenges. But when she left, she told us that her time ~t King 's had been the longest she had devoted to any JOb. "W_e can count ourselves lucky that she felt able to stay With us for the time she did and we wish her every success and happiness in the future. D.J.R.

JONATHAN WHITE (K.S.C. 1993-1996) Interviewing .candidates for teaching posts is an exciting occupation, particularly whe~ the field IS a s~rong one. In Jonny' s case there was no doubt that here was the n ght man f?r the JOb and t~e comment ?f one of his referees that 'in thirty years of reco.m mendmg former. pupils for teachmg posts, he is one of the three or four best .sUI~ed to the p~ofessi<?n has. proved a shrewd observation. In his three years at. Kmg ~ he has ~h10wn himself mto all that he has done, gaining the respect and fnendship of puptls and colleagues alike. He has bro~ght life to the His~ory and Politi~s departments, teaching in a rigorous y~t sympathetic m~nner, expectmg the same high standards of his pupils that he sets hims~If and extendmg the acad~~ic side beyond the classroom with Durnford Society meetmgs, debates and study-viSits abroad. On the sporting front -he has been a fine hockey coach of go~d players a~d has fought hard to bring the best out of less able (M. P.H. D .) ~gby tl~ers. and cncketer~, taking their rel~tive succes~es and failures philosophically . His sailing activities have ~oug t Im mto contact With yet anot~er circle of pupils, as have his participation in the staff Brid e team and his appearan?~ for. th~ Haymakers. It IS hardly .surprising that he has found so little time to play hfs flute . His assessment o ose m his c~arge, wheth~r ac~derruc or pastoral, is always accurate, and he knows when to encoura e and hwhhen. to chall~nge. His easy relatiOnship both with pupils and with members of School House shows ho~ muc e IS appreciated. Now ~e is off t<? Westminste~, w~ere he.hopes to find time to pursue his own academic work on irates. How

app~opr!ate that ~Is fi nal contn~utwn to hfe at King 's should have been as a policeman in his H~usemaster's pro uctwn, workmg together with colleagues and pupils. His time here has gone all too quickly. G.D.W.

LINDSAY GAB ITASS (K.S.C. 1994-1996) Lindsay arrived at King 's in September 1994, bringing new blood to the English Department from Magdalene College, Cambridge. The daughter of a headmaster she alre~dy knew the demands and rewards of boarding-schoollife, and fitted in her~ very guickly. ~he prove~ herself a lively and effective teacher at all levels, and was soon mvolved m prod~cmg House plays for Tradescant and Broughton , where she w~s a_popular tutor. L.mdsay tur~ed her hand cheerfully to virtually anything- even , Wiel?mg hammer, natls and p~mtbrush as we ?uilt the front half of a sailing-ship outs~de Luxmoore f~r the stagmg o_f The Ancient Mariner in King 's Week 1995 . Du~mg the .darker.' wmter ~o~ths, Lmdsay took over as co-ordinator of the Marlowe Society ,. with allits.entertaim.ng theme-evenings and guest-speakers. She involved (M .P.H. D .) ?er.self I~ cake-b~kmg. a~d stlk-screen printing activities, and contributed to the h . . . onen~atw~ for umversity day for 6A. Mainly , though, she will be remembered for tier help hwith rowm~, coachm~ ~emor gi~ls and more recently the J14 crews. In boating terminology, Lindsay's u me '";_It us ;-as a short spr~nt but a hvely one,. and she will be remembered with affection . Lindsa leaves us/o~ Alleyn s School, Dulwic~ â&#x20AC;˘. b~fore her mar~1age in July 1997 - to another English teacher , sh/assures wsit~t Is good todsee yohung}alentJommg the professiOn, even if their stay is relatively short. Lindsay leaves King's warm goo WIS es 10r her future, and our thanks for all she has contributed. F.E.T . 113

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMMER

1996

POINTS OF VIEW INTERVIEW: THE REVD CANON A.C.J. PHILLIPS

always suit even our brightest pupils. For example they are attracted by some of the vocational courses at the other universities.

Looking back, what do you see as your legacy to King's?

Also do you believe that the Oxbridge ~nti-publ!c school feeling that has been trumpeted IS a media exaggeration, or is it something that we should be worried about?

It must undoubtedly be turning the ~chool coeducational. When I came here we were takmg up to sixty girls a year into the sixth form and the school had become very unbalanced. It was like a ~ushroom with a very large sixth fo~m an~ a ra~her thmner stalk below just of boys. In my mtervtew ~tth the Governors I was asked my views on coeducatiOn. Of course, as you know, I was a don for s~venteen years and both at Cambridge and at Oxford I hved through all the male colleges going co-ed and many of the female on~s too; I had seen it work and I had also seen that tt was surprisingly non-disruptive. Peo~le_ alw,ays said,_ 'Oh, it's impossible because of the ~utldmgs or that tt ~as impossible beca~s.e of somet_hmg or other, ~ut wtth careful planning tt ts much easter to ~o ~hese thmg~ than one might think. And I hope that thts ts what I wtll go down in memory for - as the man who after fifteen months proposed to the Governing Body that we should go coeducational. I hope too tha_t I ~hall be remembered for the purchase of St Augustme s for the school.

1 think it is a media exaggeration. I think it is .a convenient prop for schools like this to fall back on tf they don ' t do terribly well. There are undoubtedly individuals at both Oxford and Cambridge who have very strong views against public schools ~ut they a~e a minority. For seventeen years I was mvolved m admitting candidates, and what you are concerned about is to have with you for three years som~one who re~lly wants to learn, to study. So the most tmportant thmg is: is this the person you want to work with for three years? You don't really care where they come from. But when it is finely balanced - for exampl~ bet~een two girls, one from. one of the. ~!lost dtstmgms~ed families in the land wtth every pnvtlege one can thmk of, and the other from a local comprehensive sch?ol -well, I would always then side for the comprehenstve schoolgirl because she has not had the advantag~s. But I think that overall you simply take the best candtdates, and the proof is there in the admission figures. After all the independent schools only educate seven per cent of this country's young people yet still predominate at Oxford and Cambridge.

And you think coeducation has been a success? Yes well I think it is. But you're the products , you must d~cide! I suppose you don't know any ?th~r, but I think it has been a huge success, and I thmk tf you talk to any older member of staff they would say that the school has changed, and changed for the bette~. I think - we always use the word 'civilised' - I_thmk the values are better as a result of going coeducatto~al. But of course the most important thing is preparat~on for life. I do not see how you can bring up boys or gtrls separated from the other sex probably at the most important stage of their sexual development and then exp~ct them to understand each other when they meet agam.

But don't you think that is because they are better at training and organising, better geared towards getting their pupils in? Yes. You don't get Oxbridge classes in many state schools. And also - a thing you've never seen- the references from schools like this are so much better than the references we very often received from maintained schools where there just wasn't the same amount of information.

I gather that you are something of a supporter of Tony Blair? I married him! (Laughs.) I knew him as an

Another question I'd like to ask is this. We list Oxbridge entrance separately, for example in the Speech Day programme, but apparently !t .is more difficult to get into Edinburgh to read med1cme .than it is to read something like metallurgy at Cambndge, for example. Should we not therefore treat all the universities equally? Is it time for the school to stop placing so much emphasis on Oxbridge entry?

undergraduate. Seeing you two makes me wonder what you will do in future life. If you'd said to me at. the time Tony Blair was an undergraduate that he ~mght be Prime Minister, I would have thought y~u shg?~ly mad. Because, of course, he played no part m pohttcs at all at university. He was, though, a very devout man. He was confirmed at StJohn's College, Oxfo_rd , an_d became a practising Anglic_an ~ which ~e remams: Hts wife is a practising Cathohc; It was a mtxed marnage, and it was for many reasons better to be married in the Chapel. This was of course long after he'd left, and he came back and asked me to do it. Yes - if ~ou mean am I going to vote Labour at t~e next electt?n, well I live in a most interesting constituency, or wtll do Falmouth and Camborne which is one of the very ~ew genuinely three way fights. But yes , I do support htm. I think much of what he says (my view) is almost the eighth-century Hebrew prophet's view, that he is not

I thought every~ody was now listed. I thought everyone was now m.

There are two lists. Oxbridge is highlighted. Picked out? Yes , I think that's snobbery , I'm afraid. I think you are probably right: ~e mig~t even ~ook at that for this year. But we have m~reasmgly t~ted not to overemphasize Oxbridge. I thmk at one ttme we actually put in only Oxbridge. But you are absolutel_y right. Of course schools. like to swank about th_etr Oxbridge entry. But puptls these days are choosmg courses rather than universities, and Oxford and Cambridge with their very traditional courses do not

THE CANTUARIAN , LENT

SUMMER

1996

114

against wealth per se but against the _wealthy being able to ignore those who have not got It.

What about the tax implications of a Labour government? On a school like this?

Yes, well you've got higher taxes, VAT on school fees, removal of charitable status. Surely that would hit the hard core of parents here? I would be very surprised indeed were the Labour government really to hit independent schools. You know, when I was a solicitor - and I practised between 1958 and 1960 - I was given the job of drafting a scheme to protect an independent school , a distinguished independent school, from these sorts of things that it was then thought a Labour government would bring in. Historically, in fact, independent schools have done well under Labour governments. They have actually increased their numbers, and I see no sign of this possible Labour government really setting out to attack these schools. I do think that Assisted Places will go; and it is arguable whether government money is better spent taking bright children out of state schools to put them into schools like this, or spending it on improving state education. You take your choice. This school has not supported Assisted Places. We believe that, particularly in a town where there are very good Grammar Schools, government money ought to go into the maintained schools. We should be properly independent. There are schools that have ... I mean , I can think of one school that has crowds of Assisted Places. Can you really call that an independent school? That is relying on the government. Now I think that that kind of school will probably be penalised. The charitable status thing is too difficult. The E. E. C. would come in here; there'd be an appeal to Europe. VAT on school fees? I doubt that very much indeed.

So you think King's will survive a Labour government? I'm an optimist! I think we've survived more than a Labour government. If we survived the Reformation I think we can survive most things.

Do you think it has therefore been exaggerated slightly what Labour will do? Yes, I think it 's very difficult to know what Labour will do. And I can see why. The Labour party , having said the last time what it would do and lost the election, is this time not saying what it will do - in order to win the election.

So you see private education still in place in say fifty years' time? Yes, I think it is inevitable. I think people should have a choice as to how they spend their money. Why attack private education? Why not attack people who buy a certain size of motor car? Arguably people spend a lot of money on big motor cars and they don't need them . We could have a sort of 1984 scenario of that kind of legislation. I honestly think that private education will survive.

Well, I didn't know that I had been credited with_this very strong disciplinarian stance! It's rather flattenng . I did say to the sculptress when she did my bronze, 'Do try and make me look a little kinder!' Oh dear. Will I be remembered as a hard man? Discipline does matter. There are 730 plus pupils of whom over 600 are boarding. And unless there is pretty strict discipline there would be chaos. And were there chaos the thing would simply fall apart. It depends what you mean by discipline, of course. Yes , I am strongly anti-smoking because no smoking saves lives. I think on alcohol that we have to educate people in its proper use. We have just opened a very splendid JCR bar. Drugs? I am strongly against illegal drugs for all sorts of reasons.

Do you think that schools that are not so strong in their moral stance are actually letting down their pupils? Yes, I think I do. And I think I can be cynical here because, as I think you know, we can afford to be strongly disciplinarian (as you put it) because I can fill the places. For some schools, where they are short of numbers, expelling people makes a serious dent in the school finances. But I think there should be a proper standard of behaviour, of politeness - after all we are training you for life, and if you get into sloppy habits now , what is going to happen when you get into employment and so forth? And so much of di scipline is just enabling you to use your time properly.

What are you looking forward to most in retirement? I have hardly had time to think about it. And at the moment I think it is all the negative things I am thinking about. I am going to miss the school enormously, most of all the pupils. I don't know what you think of me, but actually I don't see myself as remote. I have greatly enjoyed my time here, particularly teaching but also just getting to know a lot of intelligent, young, interesting and amusing people. And you endlessly entertain me. Yes, you may infuriate me occasionally but I spend very little of my time doing discipline please write that down! People will imagine that I do discipline all day long. It's a fraction , a tiny fraction, of my time and I spend far more time being entertained by you in all sorts of different ways and I shall miss that a lot. What am I looking forward to? I suppose like everybody else the end of aggro. There is quite a bit of aggro in the job and to be free of that will be nice. And I suppose too being able to be a little bit irresponsible. I shall be able to wear what I like. You know, I'm also subject to disciplinary rules here - and I shall wear what I like and I shall do what I like and if I ever got too eccentric . . . but I think I am quite looking forward to freedom myself.

So you have enjoyed your time here? Oh, I mean I should never have been appointed. It was a most extraordinary thing ... a bit like Tony Blair. If you had said to me even fifteen years ago, 'You are going to be headmaster of a distinguished independent school' , I would have said , ' You don' t know what you are talking about! ' I was telephoned out of the blue. I was asked to apply and I said ' no' at first. My children were at maintained schools, I wasn ' t particularly in favour of independent schools, and I thought the whole

You'are known to take a very strong disciplinarian stance, so therefore you presumably think that other schools which take a perhaps more liberal attitude are wrong? Why do you think that?

11 5

THE CANTUARIAN . L ENT

SUMMER

1996

thing was quite lunatic. But I was bored. I had done my job for some time, and I was bored. My wife had worked for a very distinguished headmaster and she said , 'You can do it'. One of our troubles was that in our marriage whenever we had a row and I behaved badly she would say to me, 'You're behaving just like the headmaster'! And of course now I behave constantly like the headmaster, no doubt constantly behaving badly. But, yes, it was a risk . They risked - the Governors - because I had no school experience. And I risked. By coming here I risked by giving up my Oxford fellowship, which I could have held until I was sixty-seven. But it's paid off for me: I hope the Governors think so too! VENETIA TAYLOR AND ANDREW RIBBANS.

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

116

A.C.J.P. (Headmaster 1986-1996)

117

THE CANTUARI AN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

SPORTSMANSHIP

sportsmanship with gamesmanship which, as Stephen Potter famously put it, is the art of winning without actually cheating. It is the art of keeping, often only just, within the rules, within their letter though not within their spirit. Modern sport is rife with gamesmanship and if I take my examples only from male-dominated sports, this is because these are the only ones of which I have direct knowledge and experience. I have no idea whether women are any different from men in this respect. All I can say on this is that my brother-in-law, who until his recent retirement from the sport, was the world's leading squash referee, once told me that in his experience the conduct of top women players was often no different from that of men in the volatile atmosphere of the squash court. Take cricket, from which the phrase 'it's not cricket' was coined to denote bad sportsmanship. What do we see today? All too often it's 'sledging', a hideous term for a hideous practice, that is verbal abuse of batsmen to put them off. Or else it's the fielding side trying to pressurise the umpire by appealing en masse at every opportunity, even when they know that the batsman is not out. Or take rugby, when the serum half pretends to throw out the ball in order to draw an opponent offside, a practice which has now been made illegal at serums, though not curiously at rucks and mauls. As an aside, I can say that as a referee I have always penalised this anyway, under Law 26, which relates to 'misconduct which is prejudicial to the spirit of good sportsmanship ' - and I wish that others would do the same. Only in sports like golf do we seem to see almost none of this kind of thing. Beyond gamesmanship, as Potter implied, is cheating. This is the 'win at all costs, never mind the rules if I can get away with it' syndrome. The bowler (or perhaps the captain) who picks at the seam of the ball in cricket; the footballer who commits the so-called 'professional foul' and, if sent off, usually leaves the field to an ovation from his team's supporters; the thugs in rugby who rake and trample on opponents on the blind side of the referee. Even worse, of course, are the drug cheats. Such conduct as I have described is a world away from true sportsmanship and is contemptible. I wonder which category you fall into. Are you a sportsman or sportswoman, a gamesman or gameswoman, or are you a cheat? I sincerely hope not the last, or the King' s education has entirely passed you by . I hope you are the first, but if you are the second I hope too that you think carefully about what I have said. Now please don't misunderstand me. I wouldn 't necessarily go all the way with the suggestion of the Olympic oath that taking part is more important than winning. Of course winning is important. Of course you must be committed to winning and should always do your best for your team or crew or whatever and also for yourself. Sport is not just a recreation or a means of getting fit, though it is both those things. I read recently in The Times a piece about Hilton College, Natal, where Mr Phillis spent a year on exchange with Mr Perrett. The article tried to assess why that school has such an outstanding record of success in South African sport. Its conclusion was that the boys (it is a boys school) are taught or encouraged to be 'professional amateurs', committed to winning and to playing hard , but to doing so within both the

There can be few who do not recognise at least the theme music from the film Chariots of Fire, which tells the story of the rivalry between two famous British sprinters - Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell coming to its extraordinary climax at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, when both men won gold medals, in the 100 metres and 400 metres respectively. Chariots of Fire is a film which, like The Sound of Music for some people, I could and do watch again and again: not just because of its compelling opening images of athletes running along the beach; not just because I am passionate about sport in general and athletics in particular; not just because it is a thrilling story in its own right; not just because in old age - his old age, not mine - I was privileged to meet the real Harold Abrahams; but also because it depicts superbly the quality and value of sportsmanship. Let me take some examples from the film. Eric Liddell, a famous Scottish rugby international as well as a favourite (with Abrahams) for the Olympic 100 metre title - and a devout Christian who would later become a missionary in China and die there under the Japanese occupation- discovers, as the team crosses the Channel en route to the Games, that the heats are to be held on a Sunday. He therefore declines to compete, a decision to which he sticks, despite considerable pressure to change his mind - a decision which helps Abrahams to win the 100 metres. At the last minute, another team member offers to give up his place in the 400 metres, so that Liddell may have a chance to win that. Liddell accepts , reluctantly , feeling that he must respond to this great act of sportsmanship. As he goes to the start of the final he shakes all his rivals by the hand , to their surprise, wishing them good luck. As he goes to his mark, a slip of paper is thrust into his hand . On it, a biblical quotation , wishing him success and signed by Jackson Pollock , an American rival. Inspired , Liddell wins easily. No doubt the ftlm exaggerates and romanticises much of what actually happened, but that does not detract from the essential sportsmanship of what occurred and which exemplifies what I believe to be a most important value in life. Let me take another example, again from the world of athletics. We move forward eight years, to the Los Angeles Olympics of 1932. The British 400 metre hurdler, Lord Burghley , was one of two co-favourites for the event, with the American Morgan Taylor. Burghley discovered that Taylor had been chosen to carry the American flag at the opening ceremony, an arduous and exhausting task in the Californian heat. So that his rival should not therefore have to compete at an unfair disadvantage, Burghley arranged to carry the British flag at the same time. As a consequence, perhaps, neither won the race. Some may think that such Olympian ideals were all very well in the old days, when sport was still mainly amateur. In these more professional days, when winning is so much more important, they have little or no relevance. I hope to persuade you otherwise and to show that good sportsmanship still does have a vital place in life. After all, what is the alternative? Don't confuse

THE CANTUARIAN , LENT

SUMMER

1996

118

Jetter and the spirit of the laws. That will do for me and it ought to do for you. In the last issue of The Cantuarian (p. 22, Sport: an alternative view) Thomas Tallon explained in a clever and witty way why sport is not only not the most important thing in life, which it obviously isn't, but that it isn't really important at all. There I profoundly disagree: it is very important to a great many people. And even if it isn't important to you personally, its true values are or should be. Sportsmanship, I suggest, is one of the true values of life. After all, if you can get it right in sport, you can carry that over to your life in general, to make you a better person and society a better one too. D.J.R.

it is safe to say that America would be different. But Lincoln took a risk, or fourteen or fifteen, and ran again. We are all so transient in the scheme of human events that there is no sense for us not to take risks. 'Why take a risk?' you might ask. Why not, I respond, cleverly anticipating your argument. Friends will laugh? Well, as Mom and Pops always say, a true friend will stick by through thick and thin. And one of the reasons why cliches like those become cliches is because they're true. Can't be bothered? It's because you've never taken a risk and had it - through luck or skill, it's debatable which- pay off big. A British Special Air Service badge of the second world war reads 'Who Dares, Wins.' Once you've taken a first step, the successive ones get easier. And hey , if you 've fallen off that horse, get right back on and ride it. How's that for American wisdom? Of course, the biggest fear - as applies to me, anyway- is embarrassment. It's not so much the fear that if I take a risk I will jeopardise my life, but more that everyone will have a right laugh at me if I fail or even ifl succeed. But from an informal poll a few days ago, that's everyone's fear as well. And if it is as universal as countless parents have told all of us, then we should shrug it off and remember that the means of risk-taking- the risk itself - is as important as the end, if not more so. Why not risk? There is absolutely no viable reason, as far as I see it, not to risk for something that you believe in. Stand up for yourself or your beliefs where you normally wouldn't. Say something that you normally wouldn't. Oftentimes you will garner as mu~h respect for taking a risk as you think you might Jose for doing the same. The most fundamental point about risks is that there is no reason not to risk. How many times have you said to yourself, 'Oh I wish that I had ... ' So do. But take care that in risking you don't waste your time hurting or being foolish - like refusing to tuck your shirt in, or telling Mr McFall 'I can't, shan't and won't do your prep' - but risk something real . And this 'risk' is not the same for everyone. Last Spring I was inches away from not taking this year off, once I had visited Princeton where I am going this Fall. I kept feeling, when I said I would come, as though I were jumping into a big swimming pool and waiting to see whether I could swim or not. And while it hasn't been all chocolate boxes and roses, it's been worth it. If I hadn't come, I might be finishing up my freshman year at Princeton not knowing that colour was spelled with a 'u', or giggling nervously when someone said 'serum'. And we all know what a travesty that would have been. In his Gettysburg address, after a particularly brutal Civil War battle, Lincoln spoke of the Union dead: 'The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.' Well, Lincoln was wrong: we remember and note what he said, but we more so remember what they did there. Actions speak louder than words. Just do it!

LINCOLN RULES A lot earlier this year - last term, to be exact an important American holiday passed without a sliver of recognition this side of the pond. On February 19th, whilst we were on Lent half-term break, and I was tramping through Cornwall with my mother trying to decide whether it was pasty or pastie, George Washington 's birthday and the U.S. national holiday of President's Day was being celebrated. Many at home were not only elated to recall the glory of our past presidents but also to indulge the semi-official pastime of buying big American cars, which were touted all week long: 'George would flip his wig if he saw these prices! We cannot tell alie-no down payment! The heartbeat of America - that's today's Chevrolet.' A week before this momentous occasion, on February 12th, our 16th president, Abe Lincoln was born. And here the plot thickens. Lincoln has, to his credit, perhaps as many soundbites - despite all of Ronald Reagan's best efforts - as any other American president. 'Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation ... ' 'Government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the earth. ' ~With malice towards none; with charity for all. ' Interesting l y enough , though, Lincoln had struggled repeatedly to have himself heard. The twenty-odd number of times he ran for Congress before being elecone ted , no listened. But he kept pounding away until he got into Washington. And since then Honest Abe hasn't been forgotten. Had Lincoln decided not to run again for office after losing once (or the tenth time)

SARAH COOK.

119

THE CANTUARIAN , LENT

SUMMER

1996

FASHION MATTERS

have their individual style, regardless of the changes in fashion. When you go shopping you know the style of clothes you like, and we all make fun of the offensive clothes that we wouldn't even dare pick off the shelf - although there are people who wear these vile garments. This is all very much influenced by our community, particularly our school community where appearances and image seem to matter greatly. I am sure there are lots of us whose individuality is cramped by the views of others. We have all felt sometimes, whether it be clothes, hats, sunglasses, or shoes: 'I'd love to wear this but I don't dare.' We need the selfconfidence to break out from the stereotype and be individual. Have you ever thought what makes the stereotypical person? Well it's us, all of us, each with our different opinions, attitudes, and our various insecurities and levels of confidence. People are desperate for an image so that they can hide behind it, disguising their insecurities. It is bizarre to have an entire school of more than seven hund red people - each with an individual personality - mostly, in some way or another, trying to convey someone else's personality, or even someone else's idea of who they should be. This stereotypical person is conjured up not just in our attitudes, but also by our actions. There are people who just go along with the ideas of uniformity , and what is socially accepted , and there are others who intentionally strike out trying to make a statement. And what about leav ing school? University interviewers want to know who we are and what we are like, not the conformist image from school. Are we going to show who we are or what we think they want us to be; our outer image or our real self? We should have the confidence to be ourselves; to learn to respect others and appreciate others' independence, whether with regard to fashion or to anything else. Why should we all feel we have to conform? Respecting and appreciating other people 's styles is really important in a society: imagine if we were all exactly the same. ZOE ARTHUR & NAOMI CHAMBERLIN .

Some say that those who wear purple are sexually frustrated. Is it true? Likewise black signifies independence and aggression, while wearing yellow portrays someone who is positive and friendly. Have you ever thought what the colours or type of clothes you wear reflect about your mood and about your personality? We all know that we choose what we wear according to our mood. When we' re feeling generally down or depressed , we feel less confident and so more inclined to wear inconspicuous colours. Most of the time this isn' t a conscious decision, but we Jet the subconscious take over, and automatically pick suitable clothes. The more vibrant the colours, like this summer's lime-green and orange, the more confident the person and the more such a person tends to get noticed. And it is, of course, fashion that also dictates what we wear.

(Katherine Short)

There are many different groups that people fall into regarding fashion: those to whom it matters to be up to date with the latest fashion; those who try their hardest to oppose it; those who wear what they feel comfortable in , but are still aware of fashion ; and lastly those who

FOCUS My exchange programme began on 16th April. I was very warmly welcomed by my Housemaster, Mr Brodie. James MacAdie , my roommate, showed me around the Precincts, and for the first few days acted as a dictionary of what was where. It did not take a great deal of time to get accustomed to the British accent, having spent some time in Australia during a cricket tour. I was quite surprised on being shown the classrooms, equipped with video facilities and other technology. I later observed that there was a great deal of difference between teaching methods here and in India. Here the teaching is more practical, easier to grasp, and problems are made even easier by the use of calculators. (Using calculators for Maths is considered illegal in India.) In my country there are more late nights and more hard

INDIAN SUMMER I was selected as one of the five 'ambassadors' from India to represent Mayo College, Ajmer, at public schools in the U.K. during our summer vacations under the International Students Exchange Programme. There was an air of immense excitement between the five of us as all by ourselves we were going to Jearn about a new culture , make new friends and experience the ups and downs which were to follow. This was my second trip to England, as I had represented India in U 19 cricket last summer. But as that trip had been limited to cricket, I decided to do everything well and avail myself of every possible opportunity to be remembered as a good exchange student by this renowned institution which has stood for centuries .

T HE CANTUARIAN. L ENT

SUMMER

1996

120

··~

121

THE CANTUARIAN . LENT

SUMMER

1996

was gratefully received by them. Thank you very much to the whole school for their immense generosity this year.

work. Here the use of slides and field trips made Geography quite an interesting subject and I learnt a lot, although it is not my subject in India. Mat~s was very interesting in Mr McFall's set, and I gamed a tremendous amount from my Economics lessons under Mr Reid. I was introduced to Mr Dyer and took to the cricket field rather seriously. There were a few anxious moments , but we did well as a team and I appreciate all the help I got from my team-mates, especially Qin, Umar, Billy and Marcus. There were some incidents I won't easily forget like the fire alarm (Kath enne Âˇ Short) that failed to wake me up, . my tnp up Bell Harry when I almost fell on the way down , and Green Court football to name just a few. This short stint at the oldest school in the world has been an eye-opener and has improved my selfconfidence considerably. I owe all to the Headmaster for giving me this opportunity . I pass on my thanks.and best wishes to Mrs Pickering, Mr Brodie, Mr Retlly, Mr Reid Mr McFall, Mr Turner, Mr Dyer, Quin Wiseman: Sunil Abraham and Will Bax for all their help and support. I would finally like to thank James MacAdie, Ed Sterck, Leo Fransella, James Rock, James Sandry and everyone in Galpin's for having made my term successful and memorable.

SUSIE TYDEMAN.

DEBATABLE I went to my first debate of the House Debating Competition because I did not want to do my History coursework essay. In retrospect I think that I thought that going to such an obviously intellectual activity would diminish the self-guilt that I felt at not doing my essay, which incidentally was due in at 9 a.m. the following morning. Having walked over to the Gateway Chamber at St Augustine's, a place that I had only previously visited in the Shells, I sat down and waited for the spectacle to begin. The motion was something like: 'This House believes that feminism is an outdated concept.' Luxmoore was proposing, and the Grange was opposing. During the next hour I was pleasantly surprised. The competitors knew that one of the keys to winning over an audience is through humour, and as such their speeches. were entertaining and lucid. After the speeches had fimshed, the debate passed to the floor, with remarks on the relative merits of female airline pilots ('If I was in a plane at 30,000 feet and the pilot came over the interc<?m and said, "Hello, this is Wendy, your captam, speaking" , I just wouldn't feel safe'), the number of female cardio-thoracic surgeons, and why women are scared of becoming MPs . The debate was interesting and lively , and set the pace for the rest of the Competition. After that I returned every week to the Gateway Chamber on Wednesday nights, and handed my coursework in late every other week - I blame Mr White for organising the debates on a bad day for my work. Throughout the competition the motions were interesting and controversial with topics such as euthanasia, the good and bad points of the United States, and whether we should heed our priests. These led to mixed loyalties , such as whether Sarah Cook should thank God for the Atlantic, Persistent Vegetative States

ADDI SINGH.

BLOOMIN' AMAZING It was yet another successful money-raising year for the Valentine Carnation Scheme. The school dug deep into their pockets and bought thousands of ~arnati.ons for their nearest and dearest. Walpole 6a scnbbled mto the night transcribing 2,850 messages for the rest of the House to tie on to carnations and to deliver. The struggle to find the perfect message was clearly a test of wits, but here are some of the more memorable: 'I was an atheist, until I saw you!' 'Age doesn't matter unless you're a cheese .' 'Life without you is like a broken pencil - pointless! ' 'Some people write love letters ... I write essays!' [To a member of staff. ] The total money raised , ÂŁ1,900, was donated to The Jonathan Autistic Appeal Fund. This charity has been set up by local King's parents who have an autistic child. They send their son Jonathan to a special school for autistic children in Boston, U.S.A. Britain has not, as yet, such facilities available. The purpose of their appeal fund is to provide , for other children in Britain who cannot possibly afford to finance the journey to U.S.A. in addition to the school fees, the chance to benefit as much as Jonathan has. They therefore plan to set up a similar autistic school in Kent with the money they raise, and the money we raised through the carnations

TH E CANTUARIAN . LENT

SUMMER

1996

Tim Palmer at debate. (Sarah Knight)

122

West pinnacle of Bell Harry, photographed from inside. (T.I.J.)

123

THE C<\NTUARIAN, L ENT

SUMMER

1996

(mercifully shortened to P.V. S.) and discussions about the abstract - ' Just what is national identity, man?' I was most impressed with Sarah Cook for speak!ng brilliantly despite the accent, A. -C. Farstad for bemg so relaxed, Leo Fransella for relying on his overintelligence and not his notes (or was the paper bl~nk?), and Ed Rice for stretching one point to last five mmutes, while simultaneously not answering any questions whatsoever. After many rounds, and the complexities of t.he semifinals, the stage was set for the final. The.motwn ~as: 'This house is proud to be British' - a topic that stirred up a lot of emotion, and led to sweeping generalisations on the theme of lager and football hooliganism from the opposition, whilst the proposers said much the same thing. The final was hotly contested between Walpole and Tradescant (proposing), and Luxmoore and M ..o . (opposing), but in the end the title went to a deservmg Walpole team consisting of Sarah Cook and Mary

Stevens. Congratulations, and I'll be back next yearÂˇ

THOMAS PERKIN.

THE SOCIAL CENTRE A magnificent new Social Centre beneath the Shi~ley Hall in spaces recently vacated by the Prem1ses Dep~rtment and shorn of Music Practice Rooms, was given its official opening on 23rd June 1996 by. Mrs Virginia Bottomley, the Secretary of State for National Heritage. The Social Centre contains an expanded and improved Tuck Shop and a Junior Common Room Club bar and seating area , all constructed and decorated to the highest standards by the Premises Departll?-ent, and equipped with the necessary range of entertamments. Mr Norman Pilcher and his wife Mrs Shirley Pilcher act as stewards, and have already made themselves very much part of the place. M.J .T.

Tom Edmunds shows how. (M.J. T.)

The presentation by Claire Alder. (M.J. T.)

T HE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMMER

1996

124

EXPEDITIONS CERN, GENEVA

PARIS TRIP

6B PHYSICS TRIP LENT 1996

MAY-JUNE 1996

So what is CERN and why spend money to go there? CERN, standing for Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche N ucleaire and nothing to do with nuclear research, is the world's biggest research laboratory, stretching fourteen miles and across two countries. So what do they do there? Well, they use magnets to accelerate little clouds of positive and negative subatomic particles into each other, and use detectors the size of houses to see what happens when such enormous amounts of energy are concentrated in one place. And every once in a while, they see a new particle, and modify their theories or crack open the champagne accordingly. They do other fun-stuff too, like create real Star Trek-style antimatter, and invent the Internet. They have a laugh. But what do you see when you are there? Well , in some ways, not a lot, apart from J .A. 's favourite videos, and masses of metal the size of Galpin's with cute names like ALEPH . What there is, though, is a feeling of unabashed delight from thousands of scientists at the peaks of their careers, thrilled to be doing what they're doing, where they're doing it. The work carried out at CERN is like no other almost anywhere else in the world: it is the study of the most basic stuff we are made of, and mankind still cannot figure it all out. CERN is certainly impressive for what it is - actual concrete European co-operation on a massive scale, a town built by and for physicists - but even more for what it represents; and there is a flavour to the air unlike any other we on the trip had ever known. So it snowed on us inside the station in Paris, and the trains couldn't cross the Channel for the wrong kind of English weather, but that didn' t in the end matter a bit. CERN was more than worth the time and effort, and impressed all of us who went. LEO FRANSELLA.

At a ridiculously early hour on Friday 31st May, a culturally-starved contingent of 6b French students assembled at the Eurostar terminal to embark on a trip lasting two and a half days to the romantic capital of Europe. Four hours later we had arrived, and already Xandie Nutting had started taking photos of the Gare du Nord. Our intensive itinerary began, after meeting Mme Rodes in our hotel (and consequently being banned from speaking any English for the remainder of the trip), with a tour of the Musee Cluny , which included the breathtaking tapestry La Belle Dame et Licorne. We were then left to our own devices, so that whilst the ultrakeen visited Notre Dame, the layabouts sat in cafes absorbing the ambience of the city, discussing Sartre and trying not to look like tourists while Xandie snapped away. After dinner we headed off to the Theatre Lucernaine to fill our heads with the rhyming couplets of Moliere's Le Misanthrope, a comic drama of true love unrequited. Another early start the following day and we found ourselves lying on the floor looking at the ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. Feeling not quite culturally satisfied, we found wonder predinner in the Louvre, with that mysterious smile. The theatre that evening was slightly more comprehensible: Les Fausses Confidences by Marivaux. And this time we made it to a bateau mouche for a view of Paris by moonlight from the Seine. Xandie took some photographs. But still we craved for more. Sunday brought us Ia Conciergierie, Ia Tour Eiffel (see Xandie for photos), steak and chips, le Musee Rodin, and Napoleon 's tomb at les Invalides. Then we came home. The Paris trip '96 was a great success. A good time was had by all; our knowledge of the metro was intimate, and we all felt much culturally improved. All those who went would like to thank Mr Armstrong, Mme Rodes and Catherine. RICHARD LEGGE AND JACK PATRICK.

Laura Perrin, Mary Stevens and Tom Everett at Versailles. (Kirsten Luther)

125

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

(Alex Marden)

(Caroline Bagley)

(Malcolm Todd)

THE CANTUARIAN, L ENT

SUMMER

1996

126

Pupils taking part were: Paul Bainbridge Francesca Ibbott Hannah Beatson Richard Legge Adam Brown Kirsten Luther Thomas Broxup James Martell Marni Craze Alexandra Nutting Tom Everett James Patrick Leo Fransella Camilla Pay Sam Goulden Laura Perrin Jamie Green Charlotte Prince Naomi Gurney Jessica Shaw Bianca Hoffmann Mary Stevens P.S. Don't miss next year's trip - open to all Sixth Form pupils of French! T.J.A.

ranging from the early Mycenaean period to the late Hellenistic. Thanks toMs Phillips, by the end of two hours we felt expert enough to recognise the different styles of sculpture within the period. After a picnic lunch on the steps of the Museum, we set off in the direction of the Agora. We saw the Temple of Hephaestus and went into the Stoa of Attalos, reconstructed by the American School of Archaeology, before exploring the modem-day market area of the Plaka. A full day 's sightseeing was rounded off with a dip in the hotel swimming pool and our first experience of a Greek disco. The Temple of Aphaea was our next port of call, on the beautiful island of Aegina, which we reached after a very enjoyable ferry journey during which the straits where decisive battles in the Persian Wars were fought were pointed out. We tried to concentrate on this political background to the Periclean Building Programme but eventually we succumbed to the temptation to concentrate upon our suntans instead, which by the end of the day were definitely ... getting there! The temple of Aphaea was a magnificent sight and the Fifth formers were able to test out their knowledge of Greek architecture here. We were lucky to have had this excursion organised for us as 25th March is a national holiday in Greece. Some less fortunate school groups were spending a hot day on their coaches, whereas we experienced authentic Greek ceremonial - as well as some delicious cakes. Nothing could have prepared us for the splendour of the Parthenon the next day: to have what previously had been only a picture in a text-book right before our eyes was quite an experience. All three of the Classics teachers gave mini guided tours of the site and it was good to wander around, soaking up the atmosphere. While we were making our way back to the coach, Mr Holland was able to run up to the place where the Assembly was held and take some rare slides of the Areopagus and the speaker's platform. A few hours later, we had been transported from industrial Athens to picture-postcard Delphi. The views from our hotel balconies were astounding, as were the sites of the Temple of Apollo and the ancient theatre. Despite Miss Taylor's clear directions and the maps she had thoughtfully provided, the location of the hippodrome baffled us! Still, a quick stade from Will Tallon and Mr Holland through the gloom (some sun god, Apollo!) rounded off the proceedings. By the time we reached Olympia, our resident Eros was still searching for his Aphrodite ... In the stadium we witnessed a rehearsal of the lighting of the Olympic flame which was to be performed in front of Hillary Clinton later on in the week. It was very dramatic and involved much ceremony and prayers - but we saw it all first! Ancient earthquakes have resulted in the destruction of many of the buildings, but the ruins are romantic and interesting to explore. Some of the Fifths went off to find the ancient bowling alley (not another wild goose chase, honestly!) and the rest went off to look at the proportions and the orders of architecture. It was then-on to our final destination, Tolo, which had all the charm of a typically Greek harbour town: a fitting place to spend the last two nights of our whirlwind tour. On the next day, we travelled the short distance to Epidaurus, and not wanting to be outdone

GROUP EXCHANGE WITH REGENSBURG APRIL 1996 Easter this year saw the inaugural German exchange with Regensburg. Our exchange school is the Albert Magnus Gymnasium, one of the oldest schools in Bavaria, though now housed in luxurious modern accommodation. The school specialises in Classics, and Modern Languages are very strong. Our pupils were delighted by the hospitality of the German families, and the exchange was great fun for all concerned. Regensburg itself is a most beautiful city, scarcely bombed during the war - still with its ancient cobbled streets, the town hall where the Parliament of the Holy Roman Empire sat, the ancient medieval towers, merchants' houses, and the lovely squares, reminiscent of Italy. Excursions were made up the Donau to Walhalla, and many a sausage was consumed in the ' historische Wurstbude', the 'historic sausage kitchen' , reputedly in business uninterruptedly since the thirteenth century. We could not have been more fortunate with our German colleagues, Regensburg as a city, and our host families. Those taking part this year were Athena Chenery, Edward Vainker, Tom Holliday , Jessica White and William Gold. We hope that many more people will avail themselves of this splendid opportunity next year! T.J.A.

CLASSICS DEPARTMENT VISIT TO GREECE MARCH 1996 With the words 'This is an educational visit, not a holiday' firmly impressed on our minds, we finally set off from Gatwick airport just before midnight on Saturday 23rd Marcq and began the ultimate Greek experience. We arrived at the Hotel London in Athens at 5 a.m. and immediately retired to bed. After a refreshing two hours' sleep, Miss Taylor uttered the magic words 'Jump into jolly old action! ' and off we went to the National Archaeological Museum. We were soon enthralled by the wonders of the ancient world,

127

THE CANTUARIAN , LENT

SUMMER

1996

The party at the Parthenon. (J. T.)

THE CANTUARIAN , LENT

SUMMER

1996

128

by a rival school singing 'Jerusalem' or a coach-load of enthusiastic Californian tourists, Hattie and Mrs Holland were the first to take centre stage. They tested out the world-famous acoustics of the theatre with a duet and this was followed by a solo from Ms Phillips. However, these were far surpassed by Miss Taylor and a selected choir with their version of 'I vow to thee , my country'. By this time, Hattie, Minnie, Alex and Zoe were just a little cultured-out and so the visit to the sixteenth century fortress of the Palamidi passed them by somewhat, but Greek salad, calamari and octopus back in Nauplion soon revived them. Meanwhile we had completely lost the majority of the Fifths to the delights of the town. What a surprise! That evening held in store the delights of the Gorilla Club, and this review would be incomplete without mentioning it. Having been warned by Miss Taylor ' to beware of Greeks, especially if they were bearing gifts' - a sly reference to Virgil - we set off en masse. More than a little weary the next morning, we were once again caught on candid camera by Mr Holland at the impressive site of ancient Corinth. Particularly interesting was the Peirene spring with its underground wall-paintings, and of course the ancient public loos. We then moved on to the site at Mycenae where our ever-ready torches were put to use as we set off intrepidly into the water-cistern, fearing all sorts of beasts but finding only a lot of mud and some French people. There was just time for last-minute shopping in Tolo and a final visit to the beach, and then we were on our way back to the airport. The inevitable delay tested our endurance but we eventually arrived back at Gatwick, . safe and sound, and feeling immensely proud to have been recorded in Greece on slides which will doubtless be shown to generations of Classicists to come! Thanks to Mr Holland for all those memorable moments, Ms Phillips for her seemingly endless knowledge and for keeping everyone's spirits up and lastly to Miss Taylor for organising so efficiently a great itinerary and generally for such a wonderful trip.

The rooms were pleasant in a distinctive Russian way that we all came to know so well , although would have perhaps been more welcoming if we'd had bath plugs, windows that we could have seen out of, or beds that hadn't been built in the time of the Tsars. Not put out we hurried into the dining-room for our first taste of Russian cuisine, an exquisite four-course meal of sculpted potato, grey meat, an orange segment and some 'different' tea, all washed down with some raspberry Mona. Why can't we buy this in the west? DAY 2: Red Square; Novodevichy Convent; Views from the Lenin Hills; Market; Circus Waking up on floor twenty-three, looking out at the vast expanse of Moscow laid out before us was incredible. In firm tourist mode, prepared to get conned at every step, we set out: first destination Red Square. Lenin's mausoleum was possibly the most memorable stop of our whole week: we felt total reverence and awe looking at one of history's most influential figures, embalmed and lit up , whilst reclining comfortably on an ornate bier. We snapped St Basil's Cathedral, perhaps Russia's most well known building, from every angle (the record number of photos being fourteen) . The building is so different from anything ever seen before, so beautiful that Ivan the Terrible had the architects' eyes poked out so that they would never build another like it. After the Novodevichy convent, next to the Swan Lake, we tucked into a traditional Russian meal which, as the tactful Abdullah pointed out to our Russian hosts, was 'not as rough as it looks' . Forgetting their roubles at the flea market, Tom and Betti traded in Lizzie's kisses for hats, but Lizzie's frigidity forced them to pay dollars in the end. After another delightful supper followed by 'rye bread challenge' we headed off to the most politically incorrect circus; a ballet with monkeys , tightly r einedin horses, eleven underfed tigers and a thief who stole Mrs Reid's wallet. None the less, the experience was extraordinary and shall not be forgotten easily. A quick visit to Red Square to see St Basil's lit up at nig ht and then back to our hotel where we practised our Russian presidential impressions before going to bed. DAY 3: Kremlin Grounds; School Visit; Ballet We walked through the Kremlin grounds, which contain , amongst other things, the biggest bell in the world. We became acquainted with the strange case of the statue that ' vanished' overnight, and whose whereabouts are still unknown. Surprising aspects of the fortified city centre were the hundreds of cannons, including the biggest one in the world (again) and the more than abundant Red Army troops. We took lunch at a different hotel, where if you wanted butter with your rye bread, 'Yo hav tu pay rroubells' . We declined to part with our rroubells , instead parting with Lizzie, Betti and Mr White who all got lost. We then had a nasty surprise; a visit to Moscow School Number Six. The experience was humbling, as we entered the inner-city school , which had opened during its holidays especially for us, and their smartly dressed multi-lingual students put us to shame. It was slightly unnerving as their presentation began to sound like a propaganda broadcast: ' school is my second home' and 'we love our teachers'. After tea and detente we were invited to an overwhelmingly awkward disco

HATTIE BURGESS AND MINNIE CLARKE.

Pupils on the trip were: Ally Aitken Harriet Milward Hattie Burgess Oli Price Melissa Clarke Jean Richardson Zoe Fargher Larry Ridges Oliver Fraser James Squires Alex Hardie Louise Squires John Hillier William Tallon Cally Hinchey George Taylor Lizzie Lamb Madeleine Tyler Tom Lloyd-Smith

HISTORY TRIP TO MOSCOW AND ST PETERSBURG MARCH 1996 DAY 1: Moscow City Tour Having arrived at 'dingeville' airport, Olga our guide talked us through Moscow; then on to our luxury apartments at the hotel Ismalovov ... or so we thought.

129

THE CANTUARIAN . L ENT

SUMMER

1996

Pushkin Palace; Folklore Presentation where Mr White strutted his stuff and Betti defected upstairs followed by a crowd of Russian girls. Their A sombre visit to the memorial cemetery preceded hospitality really was quite extraordinary. We then the revolution trail, visiting the battleship Aurora and rushed to the ballet and saw an amazing production of buying a ridiculous amount of communist paraphernalia. Swan Lake, followed by a photo call at the foot of Karl After lunch we drove out of St Petersburg to Catherine Marx and a tour of Stalin's greatest triumph - the the Great's Summer Palace, situated in a beautiful area, metro, complete with trains every minute, chandeliers renowned for equestrian pursuits. The palace was vast, and statues. it was blue, white and gold - incredibly tasteless, in DAY 4: Revolution Museum; Shopping in GUM; true Russian style - and Lizzie loved it, especially Overnight Sleeper Train to St Petersburg polishing the floors with the slippers we were all asked to wear. An interesting start to the morning as wartwoman What a night followed, a ('She was so ugly') took us folklore presentation by fiftyround the Re volution of the allfive members \ Museum, and Qin helped us singing, all-dancing Red all to stand up with his pillar Army to an audience of fortyimpersonation. The museum one British. It was hysterical , seemed to lac k certain the Red Army's terrifying elements of Russia's history image shattered as they (such as Trotsky and Stalin) leaped across the floor and but was interesting none the danced with plastic dolls. less. We then entered the DAY 7: Hermitage; Peter famous GUM store, of which and Paul Fortress; St Isaac's the Russians are amazingly Cathedral proud. It is the nearest thing to western shops and we all Now this was templesoaked up the luxury of the bashers' heaven, the Winter Coca-Cola and Mars bars Palace and the Hermitage before venturing outside Museum. Once again it was again. typically Russian - vast, covered in gold, green this Bidding good-bye to time and ridiculously ornate: keywoman of floor twentyLizzie loved it. One morning three and the lift-hogging was simply not long enough Germans of floor twentyto see every room Âˇ and five, we got caught up in an painting within the Winter international dispute over Qin Palace, but it still made a and Jim's missing towels, lasting impression. delaying us for a further forty minutes before finally The Peter and Paul fortress catching our train to St and the Cathedral followed Petersburg . The party lunch. St Isaac's Cathedral, followed immediately. Alexis resting on one hundred and Ochoa provided all the gags twelve pillars mortared with as Perki, Qin, Helen and the blood of Russian serfs is James Capel, Tom Goodman, Quin Wiseman, Laura kept the party going a total contrast to our own Radi Abdullah, Sophie Lamont, Oliver Jackson , into the small hours. Cathedrals, once again Alex Perkins, Lizzie Kinross, Alexis Ochoa, DAY 5: St Petersburg City overtly ornate. The Peter and Helen Bray, Katie Fish and Laura Perrin. Tour; Peter the Great's Log Paul fortress for political (J.C.M.W.) Cabin; Russian Museum prisoners looked uncomfortably familiar for all the After a tearful good-bye, boarders in the party . A brisk stroll on the river Neva led by Mr White, Olga left us; but we soon forgot our (it was frozen) completed our bashing extravaganza, troubles as Natasha, our new guide, introduced herself. we never did find out how Catherine the Great although This time our hotel was luxury - card keys, hot water died. and Pepsi, although tragically coleslaw and rye bread featured on the menu twice a day . After an exhausting Our final night in Russia, not an occasion to pass by morning we prepared ourselves for some serious templewithout celebration. We gave a live music display led bashing. Bashers of the world unite! There is so much by Lizzie and Tom, then put Mr White's dancing to see in St Petersburg. An appalling bash contest (led skills to shame as we took the basement bar by storm. by Radi and Sophie) left us all exhausted and prone to Thank you to Mr White and Mrs Reid for an drift off, although thankfully Katie and Mrs Reid incredible trip , with something for everyone. This is managed to stay awake and keep up the home front. only a fraction of what we saw and what we did, but The party went on an abortive bar search , although they we hope that it will give you some idea of the time spent. did manage to bump into Brezhnev and Lenin, on a stroll In short ... you are missing out. Go there. through St Petersburg. OLIVER JACKLING AND SOPHIE LAMONT. DAY 6: Piskarevskoye Memorial ; Battleship Aurora;

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

130

SPANISH TRIP

town specialised in ... wait for it .. . donkey taxis. Still it was very beautiful. We were able to get in our last moments of sunshine before returning to England which, we heard , lay under six-foot drifts of snow . Our thanks go to Miss Reidy and to Mr and Mrs Newbury. It was brilliant.

FEBRUARY 1996 Spain. Jonah thought we should start with an explosive sentence about our feelings: exotic, sun, excitement, and all that, but hey .. . We arrived at Malaga airport and it was raining. What's more it had been raining for two months - non-stop. The hotel was decorated in yellow. Everything was yellow, the floor, the seats, the lift, mirrors, were all yellow. We loved it. It was Spanish. The first evening we went out but the action had either not started or we were in the wrong place. Not a problem: we had an early night. Seville had obviously anticipated that we were very tired. Friday was hot which was lovely. We climbed the Giralda tower which is next to the Cathedral. The view was great; and expansive. In the afternoon we toured around the city in horse-drawn carriages, getting the culture of the Plaza de Espana, Plaza de Toros, Plaza de America and other attractions. On Friday night we hit the town, starting in a massive square where Sarah and Mills encountered some local boys who seemed to misinterpret the phrase 'Can I borrow your bicycle?' C6rdoba, which we visited on Saturday , was once a town of great religious significance and this is reflected in the Church, which has in its time been both mosque and cathedral. Lunch time involved Flamenqufn for the more cultural and a long search for McDonalds for the rest. 01) the way back we stopped at a typical Spanish town, Ecija. On Sunday we all went to ' mattins' (in the third biggest cathedral in the world). We were missing school too much and now appreciate how lucky we are with F.J . 's singing! The afternoon was spent on the river pleasure-boating. In the evening we went out for tapas and then to the midnight cinema. Monday found us in Jerez, tasting sherry at the Domecq House of Sherry. On Tuesday we walked around Seville and visited the bull ring. Bull-fighting in Spain is still a very popular sport and the way it was described by our guide illustrated to us another side of Spanish culture. That afternoon was spent attempting to row on a vaguely semi-circular stretch of water approximately 100 metres by 3 metres near the Plaza de Espana. On Wednesday we first visited a pilgrimage town, El Rocfo, which is visited every year by pilgrims from Seville. We obviously got the wrong time of year as the town was deserted. The Donana National Park which we visited in the afternoon was more nature than animal orientated, which was a shock to those of us who thought a safari park would contain more dangerous species. Jimmy seemed quite content, though his only worry now were the snakes ... The tour was conducted from 30-foot long, 15-foot high tanks which, unfortunately , lacked suspension . We had stops at cottages and the massive sand dunes where those who had no fear of snakes clambered out for a walk . That led to the last night at Big Ben. Henry, Flabby and Angus were able to compare Majorcan culture with Louise who seemed to prefer the Spanish way of life. The next morning we visited another very typical Spanish village called Mijas. This delightful hillside

KATE CARROLL AND JONAH WYN PUGH.

Pupils who went to Spain: Tom Byford Afolabi Sonaike Sarah Hubbard-Ford Camilla Jackson Jonah Wyn Pugh Jamie Green Jane Ho Kim Farrar Matt Knight Anna Hollywood Kate Carroll James Longstaffe Louise Squires Peter Phipson James Squires Jane Gann Sam Knight Stephanie Smith Kajsa McLaren Angus Blackburn Charlotte Hunt T im Strange Ed Wattis James Sandry Tim Hamlin Henry Eccles Megan Morris Richard Ashenden Claudia Nannini Tom O'Sullivan

OUR MAN IN TANZANIA I left for seven months in Tanzania without expectations: I knew very little about the country I was to live in, the work I was to do, and the way it would affect me, so I thought: ' If I go into this with an open mind, I should not be disappointed. ' I was not disappointed. A group of seventeen Schools' Partnership Worldwide volunteer teachers met properly for the first time at Heathrow on 7th December, to be joined by another 38 after New Year. During our two week induction course in Marangu , situated half-way up the eastern slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro, we were officially turned into teachers and fluent Kiswahili speakers; in reality we were forming friendships that would provide lifelines for our collective sanity once we separated into pairs, and started work at our schools, most of which were at least one hour from any other S. P. W. member school. We completed our training just before Christmas, and then were given three weeks' leave, which we made the most of by heading for the Indian Ocean and Zanzibar. I doubt that I will get the chance to celebrate both Christmas and New Year on Tanzanian beaches again for a few years to come. Then the holiday ended , and teaching had to commence. My partner, an O.E. whom I had first met at the airport, and I had chosen a school located on Kilimanjaro' s south western slopes, in a quiet and relatively well-off village called Nronga (and in seven months I never learnt how to pronounce Nronga properly!) , about one and a half hours' walk and busride from the nearest town, Moshi. We soon settled into the life of a teacher, each of us getting used to sixteen teaching hours per week. The Tanzanian national syllabi would be reasonable if the students and teache rs all spoke good English: unfortunately they do not, with the result that it is quite ambitious to expect them to fulfil the educational

131

TH E CANT UARIA N. L ENT

& SUMMER 1996

Nronga Village School, S. W. slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. (Mike Haswell)

OUR OTHER MAN IN TANZANIA

expectations. Matthew and I found teaching along the lines of the syllabus highly depressing, and Âˇ so began our own programme of trying to teach English. We also found ourselves spending much of our time outside the classroom working on the teachers' standard of English, and their knowledge of world affairs, which they were very keen to improve.

Here are my first impressions and a progress report from deepest and darkest Tanzania. I am writing this by oil lamp, as it gets dark in the evening by 7 p.m. In our lodgings there is no electricity or running water. We all arrived safely in Nairobi after a good flight from Heathrow. I nearly missed the plane since we were not told that it was to leave an hour earlier than scheduled. We then took a seven-hour bus journey through the Serengeti around Mt Meru and then onto Moshi in the North of Tanzania. Âˇ For the first two weeks we stayed in a teacher-training college to learn Swahili. It was a wonderful setting with breathtaking views of Mount Kilimanjaro. The Tanzanian teaching method is very different from ours and progress was slow! While not in class we had the first opportunity to soak up some Tanzanian sun. We also found some waterfalls below which - 30 feet down - was a plunge pool. Great fun was had by all jumping off the top. We had a one day visit to the Arusha National Park to be introduced to African game. In the middle week-end we each stayed with a local family. We were completely astounded at the poverty in which they have to live. A family of four will literally live in one room which is no bigger than your garden shed. Everybody made us very welcome and really put themselves out for us. For example, they insisted on sleeping on the floor so that we could sleep in a bed, and also slaughtered their only two ducks so that we could have a meal. It was a very humbling experience.

We were able to settle into the village easily , as our accommodation was comfortable, clean, and far enough from the school for it to be peaceful. We had electricity and water most of the time, except when it rained and then the power line would break, and the waterpipe would become blocked by mud. We cooked for ourselves, and our chips were known to be the best chips between the Cape and Cairo. What also made life bearable was the fact that we could visit over the weekends any of the fifteen S.P.W. schools within a 100 kilometre radius, to see how the others were surviving. The first term stretched from January until April , the second from mid-April until June. At Easter we had , another fortnight 's holiday, time enough for a little travelling around East Africa, before getting down to the last two months of teaching. During the second term , we were able to join the local expatriate rugby team, which provided a little relief from the simplicity of our lives: in our one match, Will Finch, O.K.S., and myself were joined by two nonO.K.S. S.P.W. teachers to make up over a quarter of the team. However, despite our efforts, we still lost. Shame! So I came to the end of my time in Tanzania. I have learnt a lot from the simplicity of life in Tanzania. I hope that I have been able to teach my students at least a little more English. I have also had a great deal of fun, and have made many friends, both British and Tanzanian. I am sad to leave East Africa, which is a beautiful area, filled with wonderful, warm people, but seven months is enough for the moment: it is always good to get home.

We left Marangu a week ago and have spent a few days in Moshi before being seconded to our schools for the real thing. As a group of 30-odd we all get on really well , and intend to meet up once a month or so to exchange experiences. John [Vernede, O.K.S., LN 1990-95] and I have chosen Rwangi Secondary School. This is a very remote and rural school only two years old . It is supposedly seven hours hassle-free bus journey from Moshi, but regrettably our journey was not hassle free. It is set high in the Usambara Mountains- 1850 metres above sea

MIKE 'REG' HASWELL (MR 1990-95).

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

132

level. The weather is therefore different to that of Moshi and more like a good hot English summer's day- very pleasant and easier to work in than down on the plain. The school is in the bottom of the valley, but if we walk up hill for half an hour we can get the most amazing views. Our accommodation is a half-hour walk from the school, so we will not be lacking in exercise. We are staying at the moment in a guest house which is very adequate. There is no running water and electricity is unheard of - my second best friend is turning out to be our kerosene lamp. At the moment our meals are cooked for us but we fully intend to start cooking for ourselves in the next couple of weeks. The school has about 130 pupils mainly in Forms 1 and 2 as it is a new school. It consists of three buildings in total. There are four classrooms in two of these, and the headmaster's house with an office in the third. It is very different from any school I have seen or read about before. Term started last Monday , but because not all the teachers or students had arrived, the first week has been manual labour for all- cleaning, weeding the flower beds and tending to the school farm. This grows mainly potatoes and tomatoes which are sold as cash crops to make some more money for the school. The children arrive from up to twenty kilometres away each day on foot, which makes our little walk look a breeze. The school day starts at 7.30 a.m. (yes I can get up). The locals however say it starts at 1. 30 because their day starts at 6 a.m. and that is when they start their clocks! This has had me well and truly confused a couple of times already, but I think I am now learning. The school day finishes at 1.10 p.m. (proper time): at the moment the school is unable to provide lunch because there is no kitchen. The headmaster says there will be one by the beginning of February - pigs might fly! There are supposedly going to be eight teachers here including us - three of which are voluntary. So with our help there are only three salaried staff. They speak very little English. Their first language is a tribal dialect, their second is Kiswahili, and English the third. Basically, if we are to make any progress here John and I have to learn Swahili very fast. If is a bit different from the classroom in Marangu. All the staff are

extremely friendly. Today we had lunch with one of them. He is convinced we are a gift from God and that God has answered his prayers. He wants us to teach him English so that he can visit England. He is very intelligent and has very high aspirations. He is coming back in a minute to bring us some home-grown tomatoes. They are all so kind. It is not absolutely clear the subjects they want me to teach . There are apparently six English teachers but I am not sure who. So I guess I will be teaching a few English lessons a week, but mainly Physics and Biology. Apparently I have been made 'Deputy Head of the Physics and Biology Dept.' John is going to teach English, History and Geography. The teaching starts for real on Monday morning. I asked the headmaster today when he could give us a timetable of what we were to teach and when. The reply he gave was, 'Oh, don't worry. I will let you know sometime on Monday.' I guess that is the African way of life. Watch this space. With regard to potential projects on which John and I can invest the sponsorship we have been given, I don't know at the moment really where to start. We have between us just undt'r .::3000 to inYest, which will go a long , long way in Tanzania. But there is a long, long way to go. The school basically has no resources . It does not even have enough desks for the children. Textbooks are unheard of. Science apparatus does not exist. There are no laboratories and no library everything you and I think essential for a school teaching up to A-level. As I have said, the school is only two years old. Next year when there will be three forms there won't even be enough classrooms. My first ideas are to put money into bricks and mortar -classrooms, a kitchen which will enable them to stay at school and have a full day's teaching rather than leaving at 1 p.m., some more basic textbooks and science equipment. Despite being a Government school, no funds at all have been provided; so at the moment the pupils have to pay. We both have a very interesting challenge ahead. It is not until you come out here that you can really appreciate the poverty that exists and the problems they face. WILLIAM FINCH, O.K.S. , (LN 1993-95).

CORRESPONDENCE

To the Editor, Grindal, The Cantuarian, School House. Luxmoore House. 26th April 1996. Dear Madam, The pleasure of re~ding ~he ne.w an~ reformed c;antuarian, produced under your auspices , was marred for me only by the number .o~ errors m the mt~rv1e~ with Dr Morns Butler, the first head of Luxmoore House, conducted by Alex Hardie. As an ArchiVISt and A-level H1stonan, I am conscious of the fact that the Cantuarian will be read as a historical source in years to come, and therefore I hope you will permit me to correct Dr Butler's memory. D~ Butler tells of coming up from Corn":al! during the war 'for Archbishop Lang's funeral'. Lang only retired in 1942; he died on 5 December 1945, after the Armistice and t~e School's return to Can.terbury. If Dr Butler is right about attending a funeral followed by an e?throne.men~, the ~rst ":art1me funeral of an Archbishop would have been Temple's, who died on 26 Octo.ber 1944. What IS descnbed m the mterv1ew as 'the enthronement of William Temple' was therefore that of Fisher on 19 Apnl 1945,. almos~ th.ree years .after Temple's took place. I am sure Dr Butler correctly remembers the ceremonies he attended even If he d1dn t study h1s order of service carefully enough. I hope, Madam, that you will not think me a pedant; I merely write to set the record straight and to represent all those for whom historical truth is of concern. Yours faithfully, THOMAS TALLON, K.M.S.

133

THE CA NT UARIAN , L ENT

& SUMM ER 1996

(Venetia Taylor)

(Alex Marden)

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

134

IMAGINATIVE WRITING Three short stories

by Tim Jackling (Sh a)

The Deadly Trick The men slept peacefully. Harry wondered if they were dreaming of home, of women left behind, maybe. He did not care, though. Let them dream of home; they should be there. The place they should not be was here, in his country. These men were unwelcome guests to a strange land. It was just like the pompous English idiots, he sneered, to believe they could rule a country from thousands of miles away. Well, tonight he would teach them a lesson that they would not forget in a hurry. These sleeping fools would be subject to the effects of a political trial. The year was 1776; it had been nine months since the Americans had declared their independence and begun to fight for their true rights. At first the war was waged fiercely, but it had soon deteriorated into a stalemate. The English had naturally expected to crush this rebellion swiftly with a few powerful blows. However, the generals were swiftly surprised how strongly the seeds of rebellion were rooted in the populace. Like evil weeds those seeds had sprung up, and men flocked to fight against the English. They had suffered injustice after injustice from the so-called 'mother country'. Most of the colonists were simple men who had come to the new land in an attempt to escape from England. Yet it was as if the shadowy hand of tyranny had followed them across the great sea. As the colonials had settled into a new life, so the English had tried to twist it to their gain. Since then, Harry mused, it had only been a matter of time until the settlers had had enough. They were not trained like the English, but they fought with the power of devotion to their cause and a fanatical hatred for the English oppressors. They could blend into the countryside, using knowledge of the area to outwit the ea:temy time and time again. Now, at last, they would strike. He held up his hand, and the twenty men under his command came to a silent halt. He looked over them, the warmth of pride burning in his heart. They had been especially selected from the Kocher Legion. Almost to a man they came from military backgrounds, one thing which many of the men in the legion did not have. His eyes finished their roving sweep, picking out every detail. The men's faces and bayonets were blackened, their muskets were slung, unloaded, across their backs. With any luck, this would be a night for blades alone. 'The guards?' he hissed in a barely audible whisper to John Neale, his friend and comrade. Neale replied by running his finger across his neck in a swift slashing motion. Harry grinned. Then, taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the safety of the wood and into the firelight. He paused. The men still lay sleeping. He slowly drew his bayonet and gestured to his men to follow him. Working silently, they each crept over to a man like cats, their oiled bayonets sliding smoothly out of their cases like cream. Neale paused by a victim and kneeled down slowly by his head. He allowed himself a grin as he reached out to slit the man's throat. But then a shot rang out. As Harry gazed on in horror, Neale's smile faded as a thin trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. He tried to speak, but slowly sank to the ground with a sigh. A brief second slipped past as the realisation of what had happened sunk in to the rebels. Then the supposedly sleeping English sprang up, muskets swung up from concealed places, and the shots rang out. Harry flung himself to the ground as one of his men was thrown down by a musket ball. All of a sudden a well organised night attack had turned into a frenzy of horror and death. Loading his musket with shaking fingers, he forced himself to think rationally. It was clear that his force had been betrayed. If he could only fight his way clear of this mess he could avenge his losses. Pulling himself up to a crouch, he flicked his eyes across the small clearing. With the initial surprise of doublecross over, the English had pulled back to the trees. But they had left half of Harry's force lying still on the ground. Taking aim, he fired at a British officer and was satisfied to see the man spin around and clutch his shoulder. The rest of his men, seeing him unharmed, ran over to him, forming a group. 'All right, men. In pairs, fighting retreat.' They nodded, faces grim, then they swiftly executed his orders. Over on the other side of the clearing, the British had formed a line and were slowly advancing towards the battered rebel force. Harry ran for the woods, keeping in a crouch, and snatched a loaded rifle from a dead body in his path. Reaching the edge of the clearing, he moved over to Ethan Ridley, an ex-farmer whose terror was like an open book. Then his eyes widened. 'Sir,' he cried. Harry spun around as Ethan pushed him aside. The line had drawn closer and a flurry of bullets whipped at the leaves. Ethan took the shot, intended for Harry, between the eyes, blowing out his brains in a spray of gore. Harry knew the time for caution was over. 'Run, damn you! Run!' His men obeyed, fleeing into the woods as the English hurled insults and fired musket balls after them. Despite the taunts, Harry knew better than to waste his men in a lost cause. He would live to avenge this night of death. The trick would be paid for in British blood.

135

THE CA NT UARIAN , L ENT

& SUMMER 1996

'Only the monstrous anger of the guns Another shell exploded nearby, announcing its presence with a dull boom that shook Jean-Luc's eardrums. They had been falling steadily for hours, and all the experienced men knew that the intensity of the British shelling meant that the attack would be soon. As Jean-Luc looked around him he saw identical faces, grim and expectant for the horror that would follow the barrage. As he glanced around, here and there he saw a young face with a half-hearted attempt at a bushy moustache sprouting from its upper lip. The cadets were more obviously nervous. Jean-Luc ~aw hands clenching and unclenching muskets and occasionally a man would be mumbling a prayer, eyes either closed or cast to the heavens. Well, they could pray if they wanted, but the last thing on Jean-Luc's mind was repentance. He knew there would be time enough for that after the coming battle. He hoped that the French army could be relied on. A retreating army was never in best spirits, and Marshal Ney's northern army had been retreating steadily for months. Wellington's British army had surged forward into Spain to avenge its previous defeats. After being pressed back to the very coasts of Portugal the British were now slowly gaining the upper hand in the peninsula. Having seized the forts of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz the British had then launched themselves into the heart of Spain and beaten the French army into a bloody pulp at the battle of Salamanca. These defeats, coupled with the latest news of Napoleon's defeat in the disastrous Russia campaign, served to demoralise the army even further. And now, they were retreating again away from Salamanca and towards Burgos, Vitoria, and, ultimately, France. An explosion nearby jerked Jean-Luc out of his thought. His company formed part of the rearguard of the army and now they would face the British in a desperate battle to try and buy more time for the main bulk of the army to retreat. The British had drawn up lines of artillery which now pounded shot after shot into the depleted ranks of the French. Then, all at once, the shots stopped. Jean-Luc leapt up and trained his telescope on the British lines. He swore when his fears were confirmed. Lines of red-clad figures danced in and out of view as his hand began to tremble, but he only allowed himself a moment of fear before old habit slipped in. He breathed in deeply, 'Company! Form line!' He eyed the men as they wearily pulled themselves up from their various perches. The company gradually formed, like a snake uncoiling itself after a sleep. Jean-Luc noticed the odd slumpe~ shoulders and haunted eyes, but the majority of the men faced death with courage and determination. He turned back, loosening his sword in its scabbard; he had seen many an officer fall because their sword jammed in their heavy scabbards. However, he had spent the morning oiling and sharpening his blade, and it slid through his scabbard smoothly. As he once again raised his telescope, he saw that the English were close now. He turned to look at his own side. His company was on the left flank of the rearguard, and slightly ahead of the other French companies. It appeared that the British were advancing with their strength against his flank. Jean-Luc had seen the tactic before: by taking their might to one flank the English could hope to overpower his force and from there spear into the centre in an unstoppable surge. Jean-Luc was filled with a surge of anger. Swamp his men, would they? Well, by God he would show them a thing or two. He turned to his men. He had seen that most of the British advancing were cavalry, and although they had not made the obvious mistake of advancing without infantry support, they were leaving the infantry behind in their eagerness to fight. Well, Jean-Luc thought, he could hold the cavalry until the infantry arrived. He called over an aide. ' Take this message to the commander in the centre, and tell them to leave at once.' He paused: 'Tell them that I can only hold the scum for so long. ' As the aide galloped away Jean-Luc turned to his men. 'Form square. It's all right. We'll take the bastards with us.' He grinned, and some faces grinned back. His veterans, no emotion visible on their scarred, craggy faces, nodded knowingly and slowly loaded their muskets. The British were close now; the cavalry were obviously complacent enough to believe that the morale of the French could not hold against a charge, for they cried out and raked back their spurs. Jean-Luc's men waited silently as the British came ever closer. They were indeed a marvellous sight; the sun glinted off swords and polished helmets and their gaudy uniforms and plumes displayed an absence of dirt or grime. Jean-Luc called out advice, 'It'll be all right, go for the horses, aim low and stay calm. Don't fire until I give the word.' He waited on, time seemed to slow, and he clearly saw the expressions on the leading faces. As he raised his sword, he allowed himself a moment's pity for the wanton destruction he was about to cause. Then his sword flashed down. About twenty-five muskets roared out simultaneously, spitting out bullets and smoke at the glorious cavalry. Before the smoke had even had time to clear, Jean-Luc was calling out, 'Reload, quickly! Cheer, let them know they're beaten! Cheer!' His men began to scream out their defiance at the enemy. Jean-Luc found himself joining in as the men clawed at their muskets, loading and firing, loading and firing, and all the time seized by a wild rage. TH E C AN TUARI AN, L ENT

SUMMER

1996

136

Shots rang out, not together any more, but in twos and threes as the helpless cavalry milled around the square. Riders were flung from their horses in sprays of blood, and the ground was littered with once glorious men and horses, who were now trampled on by their comrades. Still the men fought on, screaming li~e. banshees as they poured fire into the hopeless cavalry. Then, as suddenly as they had charged? the remammg horses turned and galloped away, pounding the turf with their hooves. It took only one glance from Jean-Luc to see why. The infantry were here, for the French had fought on for too long, and now it was their turn to die. British muskets rang out, tearing ragged and bloody gaps in the square. Men collapsed, vomiting blood or calling for mothers or loved ones with their dying breaths. Yet still the hate and anger blazed in thei; eyes, and they fought on. 'Close up, close up!' screamed a sergeant, and then his head disappeared in a soggy explosion. All around J ean-Luc his men were dying, and yet the rage would not let them flee. Jean-Luc realised that it was too late to scare them, so they would go out with a spurt of glory. 'Affix bayonets!' he cried. 'Charge! One last charge for France!' His men charged. Their fear had long been replaced by the anger, and now they surged forward with bayonets flashing. The English were so taken aback by this th~t for .precious seconds they did nothing, but then the muskets crackled again. Men were thrown back as If a giant hand had plucked them from the ground. Yet still the survivors charged on. Jean-Luc was screaming as he ran, his fear and anger mingled in the cry to produce a long drawn out sound which made the British uneasy. Yet the red-coated infantry knew they had won, and shot after shot pounded into the French. Then Jean-Luc was up on the enemy. He smashed aside a bayonet with the hilt of his sword and rammed the blade into the man's stomach. He was aware of nothing but his immediate surrounding as he cut and slashed his way through the British. A bayonet sank into his leg, but he barely felt the pain as he disembowelled another man, spitting insults into his face as he died. Another shot thudded into his belly, forcing him to the ground and as the British surrounded him he howled at the sky not in pain, but in anguish that he would kill no more Englishmen. Then a third and final bullet ripped up t'hrough his jaw and into his brain. And the English marched on.

The Crown He clenched and unclenched his hands, cursing the sweat on his palms as another sign of his weakness. The stately robes that had formerly excited him with their greatness now hung heavily about his shoulders. . Again he wondered if he was indeed too young. It was a time of war, and many sceptics wondered that If such a young man took the throne the country would fall even deeper into the oblivion of war. Frederick's father was dead, murdered by an unseen assassin in the night. His blood was still fresh on Frederick's mind, and even as the coronation took place investigations were being made into the insider involved. All this only served to enhance Frederick's nervousness. Finally, fed up with pacing around, he seized a candle and strode through the nearest door. He walked down a long corridor flanked on either side with h!lge portraits. At ~rst Frederick wa.s too lost in his own thoughts to look up. Then, however, he raised his head, and saw with a shock the gnm faces of a dozen past monarchs staring down on him. He suddenly felt alone and unworthy under the gaze of those lifeless eyes, and turned to leave the corridor. As he reached the door, though, he was suddenly filled with anger at his own feelings. He was worthy! Of course he was worthy! What kind of thoughts were these to be having on the day of his own coronation? He willed defiance at the silent, impassive paintings, and then turned and strode out of the room . After passing through the hall and finding that they were still not ready for him, he entered another room and sat down, careful not to crease the gown that draped him like a royal curtain. He glanced around the room. The candle he held was starting to gutter, and the light it produced did not so much drive away the darkness as simply make him more aware of it. He found himself thinking about his father. He had been a general feare~ ~~d respected throughout the country and surrounding areas. However, like many generals who turned politicians and entered the twisted and deadly world of politics, he was too trusting of his enemy. He had always assumed that there were rules in politics as well as on the field. But he had paid for his mistake with his life. Frederick had been one of his great generals, and he liked to think that he had proved his worth on the field. Howeve~, he was also acutely aware of. how much he did not know, and, as his candle began to fade, he wondered If there was already an assassm marked out for him as well. His candle went out with a last flicker, and, preoccupied with his previous morbid thoughts, he jumped up and headed for the door. As he emerged once again into the hall, he saw a clearly nervous attendant waiting outside. 'Sire, thank goodness, we are ready for you now. It can begin.' Almost at once there was a small swarm of attendants fussing around Frederick, making sure not one speck of dust defiled his purple gown. Then, at last, he was ready. He stood facing the huge double doors that marked the entrance to the great hall. The doors slowly opened with various small creaks in protest, and Frederick walked slowly through the gaping entrance as the band struck up. 137

TH E CANT UARI AN. L ENT

SUMM ER

1996

Frederick had to work hard to keep his face impassive as he processed up the centre of the huge room. The first thing that hit him was the heat. The huge crowds had been waiting for up to an hour, and the heat of the room hit him like a smack in the face. While his mind reeled he also had to cope with the sheer size of the crowds. Row after row of expectant faces stared up at him, and the sea of colour seemed to stretch on to the very walls. As he walked, he focused his attention on the way ahead of him. A red carpet stretched out to the step where the priest was waiting for him. He stared at a fixed point on the carpet and kept his face neutral as he walked the last few steps. Already he was forming in his mind an ultimate declaration of power that, if it was successful, would shock the people but at the same time display his ultimate power. Now that his mind was made up, he had to stop himself trembling with excitement as he scaled the carpeted step and knelt in front of the priest. His ears were humming as the priest began his prayer, but be forced himself to be calm. The priest's words ended, and he raised the crown. Steeling himself, Frederick rose. A shocked hush descended over the room. The priest's mouth was still forming the final syllable of his prayer, and on his face was a look of total amazement. Slowly, Frederick took the crown out of the priest's hands. Then he turned, and, with the kind of dignity that he hoped would have made his father proud, he placed the crown on his own head. There was a silence. He stared out at a hundred faces blank with astonishment. But then, slowly at first, but building to a crescendo, there was a huge cheer. Frederick gloried in the sound, and he knew that power was his.

The Voice

Alex Lister (Sh e)

The voice calls The plague once again What must it be this time There are none left The wing beats The air vibrates Faster, faster, faster Then the wind comes He runs to escape The voice calls Louder, louder, louder There is nowhere to hide; The voice calls The people are dead The houses wrecked Trees uplifted Cars overturned Floods sweep through broken banks The voice speaks calmly Sweeteningly, softening Pleading, sticky sweet No, no, I won't hear it But the voice calls What is left Nothing People are dead Their lives Ruined The voice shouts Pain upon pain Light upon brightness The voice is angry It is scaring him What caused it all Was it worth it You can stop it Well . . . not completely But the voice will know You tried THE CA NTUARI AN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

138

Standing on a high lonely place The people far below Swimming in a sea of grey That is where to go Down, down, down To where his enemy lies He sweeps round People die in a vivid staccato Of gunfire Unfamiliar faces, contorted in agony Writhing in their own blood. What have you done, says the voice High, high up In the cool moist air His last refuge But what have you done What have you done He leans over the edge Fear ties a knot in his stomach For a moment he thinks Of his father he had never known His mother who abandoned him His foster father And the abuse A small tear wells up in his eye. He jumps He flies Like a butterfly The voice echoes Butterfly Butterfly Revenge says the voice Today there ~as .been a terrible ma.ssacre in north Lond?n. !hi~ty children lie dead with their parents after a. psychot~c killer opened fire with an AK47 automatic nfle m a children's play-group. The Queen has p31d her tnbutes to the dead and has sent commiseration to the families. Sir Alfred Tucker head of the Department of Social Security, criticises the government's asylum policy, saying: ' 'The young man was deranged. He was in command of a weapon and out of the asylum .. . What did the government expect?' The young man ha~ not ye! been identified, but a body matching the description has been found washed up near Bexleyheath m the River Thames. This has been described as an appalling incident the worst since the Dunblane tragedy in 1996. '

Teacher's Pet

Melissa Gainsford (Sh a)

Sedately sitting, creating a lustre of perfection surrounding its throne opposite the front desk. A halo of sincerity which glows so earnestly But makes me shiver. Oblivious to its enemies; the pet inwardly grins like a Cheshire cat. It is in control. I tremble once more in anxiety: I know this answer. Yes? The friendly demanding voice echoes around the room.

No no no filters through my mind as I swallow hard and think, think while it glares at me. I cannot remember. The fateful hand is lifted. A murderous smile and a sweet, pathetic: Âˇ'I know, Miss.' I cower under my text book not listening not thinking. Hoping. Hoping the pet will answer wrongly. But Like a Venus Fly Trap it destroys all. 139

THE CANTUARI AN . L ENT

SUMM ER

1996

(Malcolm Todd)

THE CANTUARIAN , L ENT

SUMMER

1996

140

(Anne Davies)

Geographic Anomaly An angry mountain With uncontrollable Bursts of temper. We cannot understand it As operations fail In its belly of fire. It is like a spot On the face of the globe, Waiting to pop Under pressure. Blood runs From the open wound

James Rowe {Sha)

Like a hot red wax seal, Corrosive, And deadly. It spreads Where the ground leads it, Clearing its path As it flows. Dirty destructive ketchup, Spewing From a peak of fire. The Volcano. 141

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMMER

1996

Suffering James Rowe (Sh a) based on a scene in John Hersey Hiroshima (1946) The atmosphere did nothing To calm our moods Scavengers For the dead and dying, And those we could do little for, But probably ruining The rest of our lives through memories. Shuddering Wishing we had been caught in the blast Thus missing the aftermath. With these feelings We stumbled across the scene, Awful to the eyes, Awesome to the mind. Twenty men lay dead As if forced up through the ground, And Hell itself. They were burnt from head to toe With hollow eye sockets, And the fluid from the melted eyes Ran down their cheeks like tears. We turned away, The most terrifying picture in our lives, And we could do nothing to help, But remember them, And remember them we did.

Murder in the Magic Circle: a Trick

Melissa Gainsford (Sh a)

Two poems about two completely different conjurers. One, Flash (may he rest in peace), who enjoyed tricks involving sleight of hand; and the other, Mr Alfonzo (R.I.P.), who went for something slightly more daring ... A trick within a trick?

Whodunnit? Intently watching, mesmerised by old gnarled fingers. Contorting; plucking imaginary pennies from thin air behind my ear; under his nose. Like a conductor in penguin whites and blacks he expertly slices, severs the blonde in half. A wretched mewl; then quite rashly The End.

Like babies' bootlaces he coiled the asps around his neck; the lady with heaving chest and rose fingernails, still standing an age away. Mouth open. He was eating the poor reptiles now, at least, . that's what the audience thought. But I could see a flickering tongue emerging from the man's sleeve. Like a piece of wool. He.was onto the rabbit trick now. Large silk hat depressed white bunny. And one, two, ~hree out by the ears. There was a gun ruse too which made everyone jump except Mr Alfonzo who was Gone. The rabbit was lying on the floor. So was he.

White Rabbit He wore a lycra all-in-one with very few sequins. He was stocky, had glasses and flammable moustache, and the saddest opaque eyes I've ever seen. THE CANTU ARIAN , L ENT

SUMMER

1996

142

The Ancients Andrew Ribbans (Sb)

Anger

Haunting melodies floated around, the Old tunes stirring Ancient, Long-forgotten, Memories of Life in a different Time - before Man's Rape of Nature, when Fields were Green, and no factories Belched out Black smog, a Time of liberty, a Life free from Persecution, when the People followed the Old ways, and Stonehenge meant far more than Tourists' Cash- but, No one heard - for She wasn't on a Stage in a Crowded Concert-hall, but in a Shop-window on a High Street, her Fleeting audience far too Obsessed with their own Problems, Fears, and Selfish Thoughts - too Busy to Spare a moment for Her-

Pressure builds, the mounting tension, the belligerence of thought, encased in the calcium-clad cranium of the mind. Overworked and overstressed, the shambles of an intellect boils, wrath spewed as a cataract of vermilion drapes over the squinting eye. Soundless screams echo in the void-like chasm of the mind, a dull throb, now a sharp pain. A crescendo of rage develops to hate, and all blends to an unbearable noise, the parallel to life. Yet a cool wave bathes my battered brain and I am again a zombie to routine.

Red

Alistair Russell (Sh a)

Melissa Gainsford (Sh a)

Bloated eyes with a dash of crimson swirling madly ' like a connoisseur tasting his wine. With mouse grey hair expertly slicked Back. Back to the time when he was 21 young and free. His face was shaking now quivering with the fury, withheld for a decade, a life-time, an eternity; or so it seemed. -He could remember their faces Their eyes Their fear Their breath. Anxiety attacked him making him writhe painfully, oddly like one breathing last sad breath. His eyes stared, glared longingly forward, inspecting peeling paint on a battleship grey door. Again a blaze arose in his cheeks arms eyes tempting him to erupt, boil like sticky toffee over the top. He could remember the colour (the drink) The type The plate Their car But most of all he wanted to show them That he couldn't walk. Walk.

Lonely figure dressed in Dirty, threadbare Clothes. Those who actually Noticed moved Away. Yet, to me She was beautiful, her Beauty matching the Music, and the two Followed me along the High Street, Both Stirring in me the Ancient.

143

THE C ANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMM ER

1996

REPORTS AND REVIEWS that of the Basilica choir in the 17th century. An excellent performance of this psalm (which is beginning to be well known and popular in England today) was preceded by the moving strains of the motet Crucifixus by Antonio Lotti, a noble piece inevitably overshadowed by the psalm that followed. Perhaps as a result of the great celebrations of 1991 when musicians around the world commemorated the bicentenary of Mozart's death, the Requiem has become much better known and more frequently performed. It is certainly an ideal choral work for a large body of fresh young voices, and the many fine chorus numbers with their fugal passages was sung by the choir with great effect and evident enjoyment: plenty of support being provided by the large orchestra led, as always, by Clarence Myerscough (may he live forever!). Mr Metters had secured the services of four excellent soloists. Susan Gritton's clear soprano voice led the quartet in the opening chorus, with the intonation of the plainchant Te decet hymnus repeating the same musical phrase towards the close of the work to the words Lux aeterna. Mr Stephen Varcoe, O.K.S. (GR 1963-67) is always a welcome bass soloist on these occasions . He sang the dramatic solo entry Tuba mirum with great solemnity, accompanied by the solo trombone, while Emma Selway (contralto) and Stephen Rooke (tenor) made up the ensemble of solo voices which is so characteristic a feature of all Mozart's masses. The blending of these four voices in the Recordare and Benedictus was one of the enduring memories of a wonderfully satisfying evening. Having been present at a great many such evenings at King's in the last 40 years, I have no hesitation in saying that I would count this year's concert as amongst the most memorable and enjoyable I can recall. A warm

MUSIC CHORAL AND ORCHESTRAL CONCERT 11TH MAY 1996, IN THE CATHEDRAL Once again the Cathedral Nave was the magnificent setting for the great concert which now traditionally inaugurates the summer music-making at King's which comes to its climax with the events of King's Week. As usual , the School Choral Society was augmented by the Choirs of Barton Court, Benenden and the Simon Langton Schools. With this large body of mixed voices and four competent soloists, not to mention the K.S.C. Symphony Orchestra, it was possible to present again this year a choral work which was both famous and also most rewarding, namely the Mozart Requiem . The evening began with the Mozart Overture to the opera The Magic Flute which gave the orchestra, under the direction of Mr Colin Metters, an excellent opportunity to 'warm up' for the 'solemn mass' which lay ahead. It was a happy inspiration to give the Chapel Choir a chance to sing some of the music which it has recently sung at the Sunday services under the direction of Mr Stefan Anderson, who has joined the music staff in the last academic year. The principal work was a setting of a Latin psalm ( 11 2 A.V.) by Claudio Monteverdi. One of the great discoveries of the 20th century for many devotees of choral music has been the compositions (sacred and secular) of this greatest of all musicians associated with the famous Basilica San Marco at Venice, and one could enjoy the feeling that the Chapel Choir is probably about the same size as

(M.J. T.)

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

144

tribute must be paid to the chorus-masters of the school choirs concerned for their hard work which ' paid off' admirably at the concert itself. And a final tribute to Mr Colin Metters for his master-

ly direction of the large and varied forces of voices and instruments which he controlled with such effect. D.I.H.

CHAMBER CONCERT

altos), while Weelkes's Gloria in excelsis had a slightly anxious feel to it. Nevertheless the articulation and phrasing were secure and consistent, and the group as a whole worked well in opening the concert. T he first of two instrumental ensembles followed. The Telemann F major Trio was played with considerable skill by Adam Brown (recorder) and Caroline Ritchie (gamba) with continuo from Emma Lewis and Ivo Neame. There was some fine ensemble playing, though the continuo overpowered the soloists at times in the outer movements, particularly when Adam Brown was playing down at the bottom end of the tessitura. There was some lovely sinuous expression in the slow movement , and the ornamentation was beautifully clean. This was music-making of a very high quality . The other instrumental work was a pair of pieces for four cellos by Julius Klengel. These required major skm s in intonation and ensemble which the four cellists (Caroline Ritchie, Jenny Dutton , Emma Lewis and Nancy Colchester) possessed to a high degree, though the demands of the music did sometimes get the better of them. Of the two movements I preferred the Humoreske, for its driving forward movement, the attractive blend of plangent sound and the overall sense of committed musicianship which it brought out of the players. Bach 's Jesu meine Freude was the centrepiece of the concert. It really tests the stamina and technique of a

16th FEBRUARY 1996, IN THE CATHEDRAL CRYPT It may have been the particular reverberant qualities of the voluminous pew in which I was sitting, but the Eastern Crypt seemed to me to be an ideal room for this chamber concert, both in terms of its intimate size (if you are used to Norman pillars sprouting everywhere) and its acoustics. The programme opened with a group of four Latin motets which together show off many of the characteristic virtues of Renaissance polyphony. Dering's Factum est silentium is a dramatic description of cosmic struggle, using a variety of vocal textures and colours to paint the scene. By contrast, Tallis's Loquebantur takes the form of a seamless ebb and flow of sound punctuated by the plainsong respond , sung by Thomas Tallon. Both pieces were cleanly sung, and here as throughout the concert the ensemble of the choir was excellent. The sopranos' sound was dark and fruity, but their vowels, which can often make a young choir sound flat and off-colour, were bright and expressive. Here and elsewhere, though, we could have done with a more pronounced bass line. The 'other two motets in this part of the programme didn ' t come off quite as well: the Parsons Ave Maria was a little too brisk and foursquare for my taste (and it was a shock to hear the opening phrase sung by the

145

THE CANTUARIAN . L ENT

& SUMMER 1996

chosen pieces which are favourites in the world of traditional jazz. Mississippi Mud by Harry Barris excites any clarinettist worthy of salt, and Rachel Barr was no exception. She and her clarinet came through in good old traditional style and inspired Andy Brice to produce just the right amount of sound projection with good rhythmic articulation. Overall tone was good from the ensemble and for me the balance was most pleasing. Pol Stone and Peter Laine's Moustache was rendered in similar excellent style which created a fine blend of sound between trumpet, clarinet, and tenor saxophone. Again Annabel delighted us with a tenor sax solo in this piece, and it is so refreshing to hear a solo break that means something and is in keeping with the character of the music. The trombone sound was very good and contributed with telling effect, and the depth and intonation of the string bass sounded secure, adding much to what I considered to be a very entertaining rendition of Moustache. Who's Sony Now? - no one' The audience were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Ted Snyder's traditional tract. number was well delivered with consistently good solo work from tenor sax, clarinet and trumpet. The rhythm was persuasive and once again Nick gave firm backing from his trombone. We were to hear more of The Tradsters later during the evening. In keeping with pastjazz concerts, each item in the programme seems to have fewer players. And so it was with the Jabbering J azztet consisting of six members of the Jazz Club, namely Steve Bushnell (trumpet), Annabel Whibley (alto and tenor saxophone), Adam Brown (alto saxophone), Nick Tattersall (piano), James Capel (string bass) and Ivo Neame (drums). Their first number was the famous saxophonist Charlie Parker's Now's The Time. It sounded well with just the right blend of jazz; no one over-powering or over-blowing, but essentially jazzy. Annabel sounded equally at home on alto sax, playing an excellent solo break, and the piano and drums were very pronounced in producing a percussive chord progression. Dizzy Gillespie's Con Alma I will remember for the introduction by the piano and drums leading into the alto sax duet. But this was the drummer's piece. Ivo Neame worked well and brought it vibrantly alive. The first half was closed by the Jazz Orchestra's rendition of two real big band favourites. The first was Tuxedo Junction, and Nick Tattersall was out in front again inspiring his players to give of their best. And they did. There was a nice 'bite' from the trombones at the introduction which spring-boarded the orchestra into a bouncy beat resulting in a memorable interpretation of this well-loved evergreen. The jazzy rhythmic dialogue between saxes and brass came over very well. The percussion was effective throughout, blending well with bass and piano. The second big band favourite was In The Mood. There is something about Glenn Miller that affects audiences. There was a deeper silence within the hall as, suddenly, the familiar opening phrase became aurally alive. Joe Loss could not have done it better. Correct nuance of sound, right rhythm, good balance, flowing tempo, and above all, an exciting build up. Solos came over well. In The Mood was in the mood and deservedly well received.

choir and it is pa1ticularly rewarding to sing and to listen to when the relationship between the tempi of the movements has been carefully thought through, as Michael Harris had obviously done here. There were odd moments when the ensemble rocked (notably the beginning of the central fugue), and voices began to sound tired towards the end, but this was a superb performance taken as a whole. The balance and projection of sound and diction were very good, and the tenors in particular should be commended for their efforts in some very exposed writing. Finally we were given Tippett's Five Negro Spirituals. This was unquestionably the best part of the evening judging by the choir's performance and the reaction of the audience. The choir clearly knew the score well, and the music is real singer's music: it calls for a wide range of feeling, dynamics and vocal colour, all of which we got. The soloists - Jessica Stephens, Helena Ancock, the trumpet-like Richard Collins and William Tallon - all excelled themselves, though in a sense every performer in this music has to sing like a soloist. There was a great deal on which to congratulate Michael Harris: this is a choir which sings intelligently and communicates an understanding of the music and the sentiments it embraces. P.A.L.-B.

A CHARITY JAZZ AND BIG-BAND CONCERT 16TH MARCH 1996, IN THE SHIRLEY HALL From my vantage point in the gallery (an excellent point from which to do a write-up) the scene was set - the stage was arranged with stands, piano, drumkit, and string bass in readiness for what was to be an excellent concert. I was pleased to see music-stands draped effectively with stand banners promoting the King's Jazz Orchestra, thus adding a touch of big band tradition. And, as if that was not enough, the aroma of freshly baked pizzas drifted across from the other side of the gallery. Andy Brice commenced the proceedings by introducing the Jazz Orchestra and their musical director Nick Tattersall. The first number, Ain't Misbehavin', although starting a little too well-behaved, soon settled and misbehaved in the rhythmic manner one likes to hear from this piece. The chattering dialogue between saxes and brass and the progressive bounce whetted the appetite for other big band sounds that were to be heard during the evening. The brass brought Duke Ellington's Satin Doll to life and Annabel Whibley's very effective tenor sax solo kept the pulse going. I felt this piece could have had more verve, which would have promoted a more exciting rhythmic background. Andrew Saunders (guitar) and James Longstaffe (piano) contributed in fine style. The Tradsters consist of Andy Brice (horn), Rachel Barr (licorice stick), Annabel Whibley (tenor sax), Nick Tattersall (slush pump), James Longstaffe Uohanna), James Capel (stringed bass) and Ivo Neame (skins) seven talented musicians, who were to give a good account of themselves in solo breaks in three carefully

THE

CANTUARJAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

146

The second half of the concert commenced in 1raditional style by welcoming back the Orchestra one by one, by name, by instrument. It is a pleasant custom, encouraging audience participation and enhancing the ,-elaxed atmosphere. They played Splanky. This brought back happy memories and it was a delight for me to hear it. The Orchestra was in full swing and were playing to their fullest potential. Excellent brass figures, very effective drums, good contrasting phrases between brass and saxes, a very well performed tenor sax solo, all the ingredients necessary for a good performance - and it was! The Tradsters took over once again. Their first item, When My Sugar Walks Down The Street, was pleasantly in tune. One good thing I feel I must emphasise is the intonation I heard this evening, It is not easy to play jazz in tune. Individual aural perception must be good. It is a credit to all the young musicians who took pmt in this evening's concert that they played :1s a team and listened to each other. It Don't Mean a Thing, another Duke Ellington number, could have started with more bounce and excitement. However Nick brought it to life on his trombone and it ended with verve and confidence. The Tradsters performed with the sound one expects to hear from tract. They projected well as individuals, so important, as well as blending together. The solo work from all was impressive. Richard Collins, Tommy Tallon (tenors), Nick Tattersall (baritone),and Will Tallon (bass) formed the Barbershop Quartet. They produced an entertaining performance. It was difficult to make out some of the litles of the items, although four of the seven songs they sang were, to me, instantly recognisable. All were well received by the audience and, I am sure, by members of the fairer sex to whom most seemed to be dedicated -- not least to the mother of one of the quartet on the occasion of Mother's Day, and to departing matron Bridget Goodge with a rendition of Toot, Toot, Tootsie .. . Goodbye. The presentation was confident and in good old gesticulating barbershop style.

performance, both the singing and the presentation. Accompanying singers with a big band is difficult and Nick Tattersall worked hard to bring it off. Balance is the key. There were muddy moments, but to be fair I felt that the occasional imbalance seemed to come from distortion in the amplification system. It was a very commendable performance, pleasing to hear and see a good song in the programme, and this should be encouraged. The final item on the programme was Neal Hefti's Flight of the Foo Birds. The performers let their hair down. Excellent saxophone solo, excellent percussion; and the piano and bass were in 'happy street'! This was Nick and his big band in full flight, and it was infectious. A bouncy rhythmic saxophone section with a very effective baritone saxophone contrasted beautifully with brassy figures. The overall delivery was energetically charged with good old fashioned punch. The audience responded with enthusiastic applause. There had to be an encore, and to everyone's delight there was. Eventually the Orchestra was allowed to leave the stage but yet another encore was demanded by the enthusiastic audience. They returned to the stage with Glenn Miller's In The Mood. The performance was inspirational. The saxes excelled and Jonathan Murch, in particular, delivered the full power of his baritone saxophone with telling effect as the main theme of the work developed into the big band sound with a tremendous crescendo, The magnificent sound of brass mingling with the now noble sound of the saxes was an achievement, the piano, bass and drums contributing just the right amount of energy. The audience were delighted with it all and inspired Nick and his Jazz Orchestra to a triumphant conclusion. This was an evening to remember. Credit must go to Roger Mallion who works tirelessly in the background, encouraging the Jazz Club to reach these heights, and indeed to their teachers and the Music Department. But most of all credit must go to Nick Tattersall and his players for what they created this evening through talent, effort, and dedication . WILLIAM MCCONNELL.

The Jabbering Jazztet then projected Ivo Neame and his drum kit in Bye-ya by Thelonious Monk. Iva led the Jazztet into themes of imitative rhythm. It was a fascinating number. An excellent drum break, skilfully delivered with rhythmic energy and obvious enjoyment brought Bye-ya to its final cadence and well deserved applause. Goodbye Po1k-pie Hat by Charles Mingus featured yet another Annabel solo on tenor saxophone, creating this time an expressive mellow sound. This was never overpowered by the ensemble of players, thus allowing a most effective and expressive interpretation. A credit to all. Duke Ellington's Take The A Train left the platform on the right track. The well known melody and attractive, provocative rhythm took hold, and the musical interpretation was reflected by the audience's warm response. I am sure the Jabbering Jazztet will be heard again. I look forward to hearing an extended repertoire as their musicianship develops. The evening was rounded off by the return of the Jazz Orchestra. First we were to hear Witchcraft by Cy Coleman. Here we had a song with big band accompaniment. The singers Will Tallon and Ellie Kingsbury were on good form. A professional

CONCERT GIVEN BY THE MATHIESON MUSIC SCHOOL, CALCUTTA 4TH MAY 1996, IN THE SHIRLEY HALL The pupils and teachers of the Mathieson Music School of Calcutta gave the first concert of their UK fund-raising tour at King's. The School was founded in 1994 and is the only specialist music school in India. Boys and girls are taken in regardless of their background and special help is given to the many pupils who are orphans or come from very poor families. The children are trained in Indian and Western music as their programme demonstrated. The first half of the concert was Western classical music including a Vivaldi cello sonata played by the Director of the School and internationally known cellist, Anup Kumar Biswas. The School's Junior Orchestra, consisting of boys between the ages of6 and 9, played several short pieces. There was also a quite stunning performance by a former pupil of the school, Nirupam

147

THE

CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

Halder, who is now studying at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. The second half of the concert was devoted to Indian music and dance, including Bengali folksongs and traditional dances from the Punjab and Bengal. The concert was well attended by King's pupils and over ÂŁ1,200 was raised for this very deserving project. S.W.S.A.

HOUSE SINGING COMPETITION II TH MARCH 1996, IN THE SHIRLEY HALL The adjudicator was Andrew Phillips. The following songs were sung: Son of a Preacher Man Broughton Lady Madonna Tradescant 01' Man River School House Wonderwall Linacre The Galaxy Song The Grange Here comes the sun Lux moore Drake goes west Meister Omers Don't look back in anger Marlowe Blue Moon Walpole Let the river run Jervis Hard Day's Night Mitchinson Comedy Tonight Galpin's The winners were: Walpole First Meister Omers Second Luxmoore Third

Joel played in a lively and interesting way although the tone quality could have been fuller. Next came the writer's favourite piece of the evening. Richard Bayley on the violin played Malaguena by Sarasate. He managed all the harmonics, double stopping and simultaneous area and pizzicato notes superbly, giving this performance a real sense of energy and excitement, while still managing to provide a suitable tone for the more lyrical passages. This performance was followed by Anne Davies playing two pieces for recorder by Gordon Jacob Prelude ;md Burlesca alhr rumba. These pieces were well-executed, with discreet use of vibrato in the right places. She also managed to make the second piece sound very rhythmic and exciting. The final piece was played by Peter Lawrence on the piano - Chopin's Scherzo inC sharp minor, Op. 39. It was technically almost perfect and provoked tremendous applause from the audience. The whole evening was a worthwhile one. Thanks must go to Mr Matthews for providing the accompaniments and to the performers for such an enjoyable concert. JAMES LONGSTAFFE.

THE KING'S SCHOOL RECITAL PRIZE 19TH MAY 1996, IN THE OLD SYNAGOGUE 'New Directions' was the title given to a recent concert in London featuring new works by young British composers. The reason for the title is obvious and it is always exciting to see innovation and new ideas taking shape in one form or another. So it was with the inauguration of the King's School Recital Prize in May 1996. Although pupils take part in regular House Concerts, informal concerts (not to mention the 'House Shout') and a multitude of artistic events in drama and music throughout the year, this is the first time a competitive prize has been offered, at this level, to a solo performer at King's. The competition itself was adjudicated by Keith Pusey, Director of Music at Winchester College and an experienced hand at such occasions. The Old Synagogue was full to bursting with a sense of anticipation in the audience, everyone aware of the genuine nerves the contestants were feeling in what was a new experience for them. Each of the young musicians performed a short programme of three contrasting pieces accompanied by Stephen Matthews and all were given a warm reception with supportive and appreciative applause for their playing. Camilla Pay (harp) played impressively, performing her whole programme from memory; confident in control of dynamics, tone colour and the many and various atmospheric effects that are the sole prerogative of harpists. Nigel Field (cello) played some wellcontrolled Bach and gave us a good idea of the dark forbidding textures of the Shostakovitch D minor Sonata. Next was Rachel Barr (clarinet) with a wonderfully contrasted programme of Mozart, Poulenc and Arnold showing that she has both versatility and

SHELL MUSIC SCHOLARS' CONCERT 29TH APRIL 1996, IN THE OLD SYNAGOGUE It is always interesting to see what sort of talents there will be at the school over the next five years, and at this concert those talents were very much on display. The evening began with Oliver Harvey (piano) playing two Chopin waltzes- the D flat major, Op. 64 No. I and the C minor, Op. 64 No.2. He played these well, although sometimes there was a bit too much use of the pedal which resulted in some clouding of the texture. Apart from an unmarked accelerando at the beginning of the first waltz, the tempi were well-judged, and Oliver gave enjoyable performances of both pieces. The next item on the programme was the second movement of Mozart's Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K. 191, played by Alastair Laing. Despite the odd slip and lapse of intonation this was very well done, and showed us that side of the bassoon's character which is not often displayed, namely its melodic, singing quality. The first of two violin pieces on the programme was next performed. Helen Prentice played the second movement of Gibbs's Sonata in D minor. She seemed a little insecure and slightly nervous but, in spite of this, gave a competent performance. Joel Marshall then performed the first movement of Cimarosa's Oboe Concerto. After some initial problems with the tuning,

THE

CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

148

MARLOWE HOUSE CONCERT

a beautiful melodic line. Sarah Petrie (violin) performed Bach, Beethoven and Elgar with sensitivity and musicality, playing with a beautiful singing tone. James Longstaffe (tuba) offered movements from the famous IL!ba concertos of Vaughan Williams and Edward Gregson. There is something in the nature of the tuba, in the wrong hands, that makes it difficult to take seriously as a solo instrument in its own right. The extra volume of applause for James was because his performance convinced everyone that from now on it most certainly should be! The programme ended with Jessica Barnes (cello) performing a wide range of styles with Vivaldi, Bloch and the famous cello showpiece Tlrrantella by Squire, which she played with great panache and bravura bringing the musical part of the afternoon to a splendid conclusion. It was then time for the adjudicator's comments, summing up and the result. Keith Pusey gave each candidate a brief but to the point breakdown of each of their pieces in turn, giving them general guidelines and his own personal comments: ' ... more contrast here .. '; ' ... this should have had more character ... '; ' ... not nearly enough dynamic range ... '; '... good sustained tone ... '; '... well executed ... ', and so

lOTH FEBRUARY 1996, IN THE SHIRLEY HALL The evening's entertainment began with the House Orchestra, and an arrangement of La Rejouissance, from the Music for the Royal Fireworks, and a Floral Dance, dedicated to the Headmaster. There was some marvellous playing from the string section, who, it appeared, would steal the credit for the whole set, until the brass section entered with some equally impressive melodies. This was followed by the Brass Quintet, and a piece especially for their housemaster, Swing Low Sweet Chariot. The performers were oozing with confidence, and this was reflected in their smooth, dynamic playing. A break from the confines of classical music next, with some jazz from Jon Murch and Danny Bartlette, both on sax. Danny performed some improvised jazz later in the concert, and both performances were excellent, Jon and Danny coping well with the tricky jazz rhythms. Next, a very good Telemann recorder duet from Adam Brown and Emily Hague. Both had mastered their parts well, and the result brought numerous well deserved murmurs of appreciation from the audience. One of the evening's highlights followed, in the form of the Marlowe House Demi-Quartet plus piano. Nancy Colchester (cello) and lana Coltart (violin) played their instruments with sensitivity, producing an outstanding performance. Emily Hague followed this up with her fourth appearance of the evening, with the Hummel Trumpet Concerto. The opening lacked a little in confidence, but by the middle of the piece, her confidence had obviously grown, and the audience was treated at times to some tmly exquisite trumpet playing. To play with such strength so soon after having her brace removed was impressive, and I have no doubts that Emily will become an exceptional trumpet player in the years to come. The first of the evening's solo voices followed, in the shape of Leonora Dawson-Bowling. Both she, and Iona a little later, sang with confidence, and handled their pieces well, bewitching the entire hall into complete stillness throughout their performances, to receive rapturous applause at the end, which they both thoroughly deserved. The House choir also performed well; making full use of their dynamic and phrasing abilities, they gave a performance most school choirs would be proud of. The next item saw the return of Danny, Jon and lana, along with Madeleine Morgan, playing a Telemann Concerto for four violins. The musicians were amusingly arranged such that the tune, when passed between parts, passed down the line and then back again. The four came over as having a great deal of enthusiasm for the piece, which became apparent especially towards the end, as their control of the group dynamics gelled them together, producing a delightful ensemble. After the choir came a very competent performance of Air Varie by Charles Dankler. This for me was the highlight of the concert. Danny had obviously put a lot of effort into this piece, as he played out the trickiest of bars with ease. His contrast in tone had a well-

on.

At the end of the day it was Camilla Pay with her memorised programme and technical assurance who was awarded the first King's School Recital Prize. There were some afterwards who felt the adjudication itself had perhaps been a little harsh. From my own adjudicating experience I know how hard it is to strike the right balance between criticism and praise and you certainly cannot please everyone. Overall I think Mr Pusey got it right- for two reasons. Firstly, performing musicians of any age or experience are permanently under scrutiny from their friends and colleagues (you only have to watch the faces in Symphony Orchestra rehearsals to know that!) and therefore have to be very self critical to maintain their own standards. 'You are only as good as your last performance' is simple but true. (This can cause serious loss of sleep if thought about too often!) Secondly, although there was a strong critical element in the comments, that was why we were there - to learn. It may have seemed a little tough but I suspect that was partly because the experience was new and many were not used to public adjudication. I believe more regular doses of truly 'constructive criticism' would be no bad thing and give added stimulation and motivation to all. What was so encouraging was the very high standard of performance from all the King's musicians, their commitment and the seriousness with which they approached this occasion. Full congratulations to all fhe participants for their contribution in making this event such a success. I'm sure the inauguration of this Recital Prize is an indication of things to come and is the first of many changes and innovations we shall see at King's over the next few years under the leadership of the Director of Music, Stefan Anderson. There is a fresh and exciting awareness of 'New Directions' in the future of King's music. C.R.M.

149

THE CANTUARJAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

controlled, sensitive edge to it, and the whoops of glee from the audience were fully deserved, as he played to an exceptional standard. Before the finale from the orchestra, the string players were allowed their own chance to show off, and they did not disappoint. The answering phrases between the I stand 2nd violins flowed smoothly, and the piece was of a very high standard. The following orchestra pieces continued this standard, which had been present throughout the concert, building to a very moving crescendo at the end. All of the performers deserve great applause for their work in the concert, but one particularly deserves more. I have noticed over the years that the tradition in Marlowe is that the Director performs in almost everything. This year Daniel Bartlette directed, and in keeping with tradition, appeared in well over half the items, at one point putting down one instrument to get another to play straightaway, and then again after that. He is a very talented young man, whose musicianship brought a great deal of pleasure to all ears present. Other individuals who require being singled out are Mr Stephen Matthews, without whom many of the pieces would only have been half complete; and Mr Bill McConnell, who took it upon himself to arrange pieces and then put together a string group and orchestra (and rehearse them) - all during his own spare time. Year after year the Marlowe House concert has been the one to which all others have been compared. This year sees no change in its status, and I have no doubt that this evening's concert will be one of the best on the circuit. ANDY BRICE.

had the desired effect on Clare. The 'Jazz Musicians' played an arrangement of Gershwin's Summertime, with guest star Bridget Goodge on vocals. There was some good sax playing from Alex Higgins - and Bridget's 'scatting' had to be heard to be believed. This performance was a sad one as, of course, Bridget is leaving us this term. There were some good performances from individuals as well as from ensembles. Richard Collins sang Roger Quilter's Fair House ofJoy quite forcefully, but with a very pleasing head-tone on the higher notes. Robiera Crouch and Sarah Metters are both talented and promising Shell flute players. Anna Lewis (piano) played Mozart's Fantasia in C minor very musically, with a real sense of the importance of every note. Joined by Nick Tattersall, she played two dance movements for piano duet by Weber and Grieg - their techniques are suited to this kind of rhythmic playing, and this was one of the most memorable items. This occasion was in fact more wide-ranging than the word 'concert' implies, including poetty readings and a ballet-dancer. Thomas Kenwright seemed to be enjoying his reading of Byron, but he was unfortunately too quiet to be heard by anyone not sitting in the firSt three rows. Hermione Race's pirouettes, pas-de-deux, etc., seemed graceful, but I'm hardly qualified to judge. All in all, then, this was an excellent and varied concert. My only complaint was that it was too long - some of the smaller items could easily have been dropped, good as they all were, with no real loss to the whole. Everyone involved is to be congratulated on a really superb evening. THOMAS TALLON, K.M.S.

MITCHINSON'S HOUSE CONCERT

GALPIN'S HOUSE CONCERT

2ND MARCH 1996, IN THE SHIRLEY HALL

17TH MARCH 1996, IN THE SHIRLEY HALL

Mitchinson's presented a truly excellent concert on 2nd March with a range of talent spanning pupils of all ages. Clearly, a lot of hard work went into rehearsing it, which is especially commendable given the heavy mvolvement of many of the performers in other areas. The House orchestra opened with Mozart's A Musical Joke and Two Simple Pieces by Charles Woodhouse. I wouldn't have thought many of the audience had heard of this composer (nor of the improbably named Hans Poser, whose work we were later to hear) and so perhaps a little announcement would have helped us appreciate the music better. They played very well under Nick Tattersall, especially the strings, who seemed very precise in their bowing. Anna Lewis, Caroline Bagley (violins) and Emma Lewis (cello) were also an impressive ensemble, playing a movement from a Handel trio sonata. This was in really good baroque style, especially the violins' articulation. Mr S.J.R. Matthews's Lullaby for Clare appeared to be scored for piano quintet rather than string quartet, because the composer himself was playing the piano. He had recycled music from his incidental music to Derek Walcott's Odyssey, the last King's Week main playnot that there's anything wrong with that (and I was probably the only one to notice, because I conducted that time). It was played sensitively - and I hope it

This was a well-chosen, well-played and extremely well presented concert - the only word for the programme is luxurious, and I don't think I've ever had smoked salmon, devils on horseback and Tiramisu as post-concert nibbles before. There was a lot of variety, and not only in the music; there was a scene from Shakespeare and a poetry recital as well. They used the Shirley Hall cap-a-pie, performing just in front of the front door, which was stylish and effective. We started with a fanfare, Bugler's Holiday, by (presumably not S.W.S) Anderson, which was played, crisply, by three trumpeters from the gallery; an ideal opening piece. Oliver Harvey, playing a Chopin prelude on the piano, kept the rhythm nicely and his use of the sustaining pedal seemed well judged. Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations for cello and piano were then played by Nigel Field with Mr Matthews at the piano; Nigel has a beautiful touch high up on the fingerboard, and ensemble with the piano was excellent. The more popular styles were represented by Do you hear the people sing? from the musical based on Hugo's novel, Les Miserables. The four voices were accompanied by the Miller-Jones brothers, major on clarinet, minor on trumpet. The (deliberately) rough singing and the instruments' brassy tone only needed

THE CANTUARJAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

!50

Mendelssohn, where Jessica Barnes's sensitive cello playing, Ivo Neame's smooth accompaniment on the piano and some beautiful violin playing by Sarah Petrie all combined to make it relaxing, musical and well coordinated, at a tempo which was just right. The next item, breaking the mould somewhat, was a jazz duet played by Estelle Davies and Liz MacPhee, both on alto saxophones. This was an upbeat piece, and while I did begin to wonder if either of them was going to take a breath, which caused the odd problem, they sustained the swinging momentum right up to the end. After this, George Still and Bianca Hoffmann sang The Ph;mtom, by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which worked best when they sang together. The high notes posed no problems for Bianca, and although subtlety was not George's strong point, he certainly had the power. Changing style again, we heard Czardas by Monti played by Ivo Neame on the xylophone. The ornaments in the opening slow section were well executed, but what the audience, including myself, was waiting for was the inevitable fast section following, in which Iva demonstrated considerable technical dexterity in a piece that definitely left the audience wanting more, and I think that it would have been better placed nearer the end of the evening. Soon afterwards, S.W.S.A. and J.C.M.W. sang a number of barbershop songs with Thomas and Will Tallon, and Ivo Neame. They all caught the entertaining spirit of barbershop singing well, got through the chromatic bits smoothly, and J.C.M.W. 's solo certainly demonstrated that he has a very capable voice. After much rearranging of drum kits, etc., we heard Badgers, written and played on the electric guitar by Richard Legge, with Conrad Krawczyk on the drums. It cleverly combined the traditional feel of an Irish folk song with rock music, and I especially liked the percussion entries linking up with the lyrical tune. After that, a group spearheaded by Peter Lambert who called themselves 'The Norm' performed a rock number. To say that they put heart and soul into it would be a serious understatement- there were outrageous ties, sunglasses, electric guitars, drums and much more: they won't be forgotten in a hurry. On a slightly different note, but retaining the volume, the three Mukhi brothers played a piece of Brazilian tribal music, each on percussion (mainly drums). Aristide told us that it was about people cutting down the tribe's forest, and the anger was evident in the way they played. There were some interesting answering phrases and interlocking rhythms to add to the interest. The penultimate item was Can't help lovin' that man o' mine, sung by the Jervis choir with a little help from Mrs Browning, who certainly got into the swing of things. The piece had a swinging feel to it, and a very catchy tune. What was perhaps best about it was that the articulation was very clear, and the notes were very secure as well. The final item was The Medley from Showboat by Kern, and arranged by Thomas Tallon for 'The Palm Com1 Orchestra', as they called themselves. This again combined a good sound, with good timing, and it was an upbeat (and offbeat) end to the programme. My thanks to all those involved, especially Georgeanna Williams and Thomas Tallon, for a concert that I thoroughly enjoyed, even though I was constrained by having to review it. SIMON PEEL.

a small drum, like a tabor, to complete the peasant feel. 1 liked the tricolour sashes. Peter Lawrence played a Prokoviev Toccata for piano, with what seemed a breathtaking technique for " Shell. There can be no doubt that the future is bright for him. An ensemble played Be-Bop Jazz, an apparently anonymous work, with style, helped by the presence of Ivo Neame on drums. The Galpin's tutors, singing George Shearing's Lullaby of Birdland, were accompanied by P.J.B. on the slide whistle. Mrs Gennett, playing the double bass, must be the school's only musical Matron. Mr Armstrong seemed to be the most truly amorous tutor, with the Senior Mistress a close second. Henry Williams played My Tuba and I, an amusing little thing, and I'm sure it had a composer even if the programme didn't let on who it was. Yeats's poem, The Lake Isle oflnnisfree was an apt choice forSt Patrick's day, although the reader, Giles Patrick, seemed rushed and his delivery was at times unclear. A troupe of Shells gave what to many afterwards seemed the highlight of the evening - a performance of the Pyramus and Thisbe scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Peter Lawrence (Moon), Oliver Harvey (Thisbe), Mark Hill (Pyramus) and William Gold (Theseus) all deserve special mention, as do the directors, Tim Gomersall and George Taylor. However, there being no stage-platform or dais of any kind, much of the action could be seen only by the front two rows, which was sad as the dialogue was very well conveyed. The concert ended rousingly with the massed ranks of Galpin's singing Comedy Tonight, their House Song competition entry. This was a really satisfying evening - well performed, slickly presented and with a kind of ease in everything that went on. Congratulations are owing lo Messrs Matthews and Brodie, to Nigel Field and to everyone who performed. THOMAS TALLON, K.M.S.

THE SCHOOL HOUSE AND JERVIS MUSICAL EVENING 9TH MARCH 1996, IN ST ALPHEGE'S HALL What sttuck me first about this musical evening, even before a note had been played or sung, was the relaxed yet not entirely informal atmosphere which pervaded. Perhaps it was the venue, St Alphege's, or the suave compere, Aristide Muganda, or the performers, or a combination of all of them. The evening started with Lay a Garland by Pearsall, a piece for eight voices a capella, and it was impressive that eight good voices could be raised (even if there were one or two members of staff helping out). It was good to hear a variety of dynamics, and I enjoyed the flowing suspensions, but the venue did not do this piece justice: I felt that better acoustics would have led to a much fuller sound. The second piece was the Vergebliches Stand chen by Brahms, which was sung by Thomas Tallon and Georgeanna Williams, characteristic of which were pure voices, and a theatrical interpretation of the serenade on which this piece was based. Following this was Song Without Words by

!51

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

flamboyant end t? an impressive piece. Andy Saunders brought proceed10gs to a more stately close with the hauntingly beautiful slow movement of Mozart's clarinet conce.rto. He perhaps suffered from not having warmed up with the first movement, but the occasional difficulty of notes not sounding was amply compensated for by his f~ity rising arpeggios from the lower register. The tempo IS by no means easy to maintain through the mov~ment' s seve~al ' mood swings', but Andy commumcated someth10g of the charm of this great piece of music. Both Andy Saunders and Peter Capel deserve congratulation for sterling work as impresarios of such a w~ll-balanced and pleasing programme. It was an apt rem10der of the support and dedication of the instrumental teachers that Mr Hughes and Mrs Jones wer~ present.as ac.companists,. and Mrs Cowling in the audience. I Imagme that their pupils ' performances gratified them as much as they impressed the audience! C.T.H.

THE GRANGE INFORMAL CONCERT 12TH MAY 1996, IN THE OLD SYNAGOGUE Th~ Grange informal concert in the Old Synagogue was 10tended to give instrumentalists a chance to perform to a 'sympathetic audience' in an informal setting, and worked admirably. I arrived in my most sympathetic guise, expecting a wide variety of standards, but soon found that the performers needed little. o~ my sympathy, and rather more of my a~nuration. Larry Ridges began by wooing his audience with a dreamy rendition of Poulenc's Salut d'Amour. ~e neg?tiated the extended lyrical passages with Impressive smoothness and warmth of tone. A more menacing ~tmosphere was conjured up by Segun Lawson's piano solo , Clementi's F sharp minor sonata. ! here was real charm in the more wistful passages, even ~f som~ of the linking sections lacked fluency. An 10terest10g contrast was then supplied by Glen Miller's Moonlight Serenade, played by Aliocha Delmotte on elec~ronic ke~board. He marshalled his pre-recorded clannets, stnngs, muted trumpets and drums with aplomb (and a little help from Yamaha), and effortlessly transported us to a smoke-filled bar in Alabama. Tom Everett next aired a show-piece for solo clarinet by Warren - a brave choice with its difficult intervals and sca~e passag~s- yet he carried off the ' woody' lower register sectiOns and more strident high passages with some authority. Olaotan Towry-Coker closed the first half with t~e ~~t-known of Satie's 'Gymnopedies' piano solos. Mai~ta10mg a fluent momentum proved difficult, yet t~e lyncal treble line was nicely phrased over the rockmg bass chords, and the distinctive melancholy mood of the piece was certainly captured. Refreshed by tea and biscuits in the sunny oasis of the Synagogue garden , we returned for a perky per.formance of a saxophone piece by Lyons, aptly entitled Wonder Warthog, given by Enzo Labrosciano. It established a light-hearted note to proceedings fortunately the warthog was going for a canter rather than a wallow in the water hole - and Enzo negotiated a good quantity of quavers with some nonchalance. A:dekanmi Lawson followed with the Haydn C major pi~no sonat~ , 3rd movement, setting a sprightly pace With the cnsp staccato theme, and producing some pleasant effects in the development section. He persevered manfully with the demanding transitions of tempo, and kept admirably calm when things did not always go his way! Next, the warm, mellow tones of Peter Capel's French horn were just what Glazunov's Reverie demanded. Peter, accompanied impeccably by James ~ongstaffe, p~oduced some lovely legato phrases well-smted to the nch surges of the music - almost overpowering at times within the confines of the Synagogue . The ethereal echo at the close, achieved by expert ' hand-stopping', was one of the highlights of the concert. Tak Loon Khong next snapped us from our ?reams with a polished performance of Chopin's E mi~or W~ltz ~or P.iano. There was some scintillating techmque m his mmble turns, some very musical management of pace, and a memorable lilting devel?pment section played charmingly and punctuated by stndently contrasting fulminations in the bass. Tak's final acceleration and crescendo made a fittingly

THE CANTUA RIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

DRAMA DYLAN THOMAS, UNDER MILK WOOD JERVIS AND SCHOOL HOUSE PLAY IN STMARY'S HALL, 3RD AND 4TH FEBRUARY 1996

Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas is subtitled 'a play for voices' . Its original working title however was The Town was Mad. In some ways both these are more illuminating than the eventual title. It was indeed brave of Victoria Browning to choose this as the Jervis and School House play, as it is essentially a vocal piece and one which is always swinging from one extreme to another. On the one hand there is an intense melancholy and poetic lyricism about the play and on the other an extrovert and sometimes broad comedy. The end result is a work of haunting surrealism , and it is this quality that was captured so impressively in the production. The play. was :ehearsed over a three week period , and thi.s 10tens~ve approach certainly paid off. Perfornung on a Simple set of rusty scaffolding the cast with the aid of a few j udicious props and sou~d effect~ superbly evoked the ramshackle Welsh village 'smelling of seaweed and breakfast'. The costumes and the (e~ce.llent) Welsh accents immediately set the play in this distant and resonant place and time. Although Under M_ilk Wood. is half-way between a play and a poem, this productiOn was never static, thanks to a cast which attacked the piece with vitality and relaxed good humour. . It. is ~lr_nost against the spirit of a House play to single out mdividual performances, especially in a production which worked so well as a whole. However some of the play 's characters stick very firmly in the mind. Ed Dale Jones made a very authoritative Captain Cat, commanding the play's most difficult switches from dream to. reality and from. the dead to the living with ease. His encounters with Rosie Probert (Lizzie

152

Stephenson) w~re superbly poignant. Emily Smitham was charged with a bored and delinquent eroticism as Mae Rose Cottage .. Josie Sundt, although in a small part as the love-l?rn Lily Smalls, and as a village gossip, was ':l~gnet1c on stage. Thomas Tallon proved his versatility, as the clea~er-~ielding Butcher Beynon and as Mr Wald? , drown10g h1s sorrows with a song. Mrs Ogmore Pntchard (Kate Hamilton), sitting in bed between he~ two Ghostly Husbands (Yorick Moes and ~en Let~br~dge) an~ commanding .'Tel.l me your tasks, 10 order , IS a particularly endunng Image. Aristide Muganda w~s bot~ hilarious and touching as the Reverend Eh Jenk10s. Katherine Short seethed with barely contained repression as Gossamer Beynon - her ex~sperated cry of 'I'll never be refined ifl twitch' was bnlhant. The tension between Conrad Krawczyck and Kate, Carr?ll as Mr and Mrs Pugh was exquisite: the one !laggi~g the salt cellar' and the other secretly orde~10g Lives of the Great Poisoners. The village gossips were very well orchestrated, and Charlotte Weste~ra ";as con~incing as the object of their contempt - filling the nOise of the hush ' with her soft slow walk. The play's quick movements from the m~ndane to the elevated were very well handled by Richard Legge as Mog Edwards, writing his letters to Myfanwy Price (also played by Kate Carroll) full of pins and poetry . Havi~g sa~d ~ll of this, the strength of the production lay not JUSt 10 Its strong characterisations but also in the seamless movements from one scene to another helped here by an e~cellent back-stage crew: Sarah Hubbard-Ford, Camilla Jackson and Eli Katsiaouni. Everyone worked together to achieve this effect. The

Charlie Westenra (M.P.H.D.)

Conrad Krawczyk and Kate Carroll. (M.P.H.D.)

153

T HE CANTUARIAN. L ENT

& SUMMER 1996

merely 'used' by men and society in general, throughout the ~ges. As each character enters the restaurant, we are mtroduced to these famous women individually by the sounding of a gong - and each time a different character entered, a giggle went up from the audience in anticipation of the convincing and very believable performances that would follow. Olivia Kirby was an effective Isabelle Bird, as was Zoe Nathan's Lady Nijo who struck me as one of the hidden talents of Walpole House. Zoe, thanks to the superb costume and makeup, not only looked the part, but also made the portrayal of the character more credible by maintaining the eastern accent throughout. Sarah Cook provided the audience with several laughs throughout her performance as the rather ' vehement' Dull Gret! These women, along with Pope Juan and Patient Griselda had a common bond: they had all suffered so much, mostly at the hands of men, but had come out the other end as true survivors! In Acts II and III, the audience was treated to excellent performances by Rachel Barr as the careerorientated Marlene and Sam Goulden, the very bored , frustrated and convincingly stroppy housewife - the juxtaposition of the two being very effective. Throughout these Acts, we were given an insight into the individual lives led by these two very different, yet strong women - on the one hand, in Marlene's 'Top Girls' Employment Agency (where we were highly entertained by what I would class as the 'French and Saunders' of the production , alias Delia Williams and Charlie Hunt who worked very well together as the executive bitches) and on the other, Joyce's rather dull and eventless life where her main preoccupation seemed to be how to keep her 'daughter' Angie in line. Sasha Ball delighted the audience with a first-rate performance as Angie - as a trapped, yet hopeful and painfully naive adolescent. Yet another hidden talent of the Walpole team! This play packs a punch and it certainly left the audience reeling. A very intelligently written play, the

night turned to morning and the morning to lunch, and lunch to afternoon and then to evening again quite effortlessly. At times the small town was one community, linked by the too-charming postman (Billy Read) or a meal time, and at times the individuals were isolated and distinct. The ranges of ages and of experience in the town were extremely well communicated by everyone involved. All of this, under the astute direction of Victoria Browning and Alison Potts gave Under Milk Wood vitality and pathos. Congratulations all round! F.G.P.

CARYL CHURCHILL, TOP GIRLS THE WALPOLE HOUSE PLAY IN STMARY'S HALL lOTH AND 11TH FEBRUARY 1996 When asked to review the Walpole House play earlier this term, I was immediately filled with a sense of 'Oh, help, what will I find to say about it? ' and rather wondered what would I, an Irish Spanish teacher, know about Top Girls, a three-act play by Caryl Churchill. On seeing the Walpole girls' interpretation of this play on 11th February all became clear. I hadn' t been asked to review the play because of my nationality or linguistic ability, since Top Girls wasn't Irish or Spanish in theme or nature, but a very thought-provoking drama about the repression of women in society throughout the ages. Maureen Behrens and the Walpole girls must be congratulated on a superb production of what was, in my opinion, a very brave choice of play. The first act sets the scene by giving the audience a 'fly-on the-wall' view of a dinner, at which Isabelle Bird, Lady Nijo (a Japanese Emperor's courtesan) , Dull Gret, Pope Juan and Patient Griselda and the modern career woman !"farlene are in attendance. By the end of the first act, 1t becomes very clear that these women have been

Sarah Cook, Zoe Nathan, Rachel Barr, Jessica White, Emma Hayes. (Fleur Howard)

THE CANTUARIAN , LENT

SUM MER

1996

154

events of which , on closer examination, happen in reverse order. The stage crew must be congratulated on their top class handling of props on a very simple, yet extremely effective set, where space was used to its full potential. Dorothy Hutchinson must be congratulated on a wonderful wardrobe: the costumes, although bold and simple, looked great!

sarcastic humour that made for a refreshingly astringent evening 's entertainment. The author, Barrie Keefe. actually wrote the play after he walked into his East London flat to discover a borstal boy turning the place over. The two began to talk and this chance encounter provided inspiration for some very taut writing. The author's angry indignation at social injustices is felt strongly throughout. However, thanks to a highly talented cast, the play did not feel like one long sermon. It was a brave choice for a House production, but the mature performances of all involved ensured that it never once felt patronising or insincere. The play. op~ne~ o~to a darkened empty stage, complete wtth, mtngumgly, a dead pheasant. Right a~ay, we meet the central character, Buddy , played wtth great assurance by Malcolm Todd. In less than ten minutes, Buddy has accidentally killed o~e of th~ borstal screws, played by James Holloway, ~1th a. sptked plank,. This event sets Buddy's odyssey m mot10n. The play ts almost picaresque with a not quite innocent at its centre, struggling to escape from his own sense of guilt and dragging the audience along with him. A series of tableau-like scenes introduced the audience to each character, some of whom, like Rebecca Arnold's Paw spoke directly to the audience of their hopes and fears. Both Rebecca and James Stazicker as small-time ' Mr Big ' Ronnie were excellent. Ronnie's aggressive bluster was particularly enjoyable, and there was something wistfully despairing about Pam as she dreamed of spending next Christmas in Tenerife, while Ronnie languishes ' in the Scrubs again' . After Ronnie has planned his next burglary, Pam is left alone on stage to admit both the foolishness of her dreams a nd the hopelessness of her life.

Sarah Ball and Rachel Barr. (Fleur Howard)

En resumen, Maureen Behrens and the Walpole team (Shell to 6a), should be extremely proud of a superb production of Churchill's play and I, for one, can say how pleased I am that Maureen took P.J.B. 's advice on the choice of a Walpole House play to follow the 1994 production of Bazaar and Rummage. It was indeed a splendid evening's entertainment. 'iFelicidades!' K.M.R.

BARRIE KEEFE, FROZEN ASSETS BROUGHTON AND TRADESCANT HOUSE PLAY 2ND AND 3RD MARCH IN STMARY'S HALL As all hip young Cantuarian readers can hardly ha~e failed to notice, the trendy Trainspotting is the film of the moment. Proving that as always their fingers are firmly on the pulse, that indomitable duo Gabitass and Reidy chose a darkly comic story of an escaped borstal boy that, fashionably , was not afraid to be sordid or frank in its examination of the seamier side of life, as the 1996 Broughton and Tradescant House Play. Frozen Assets was a Molotov cocktail of gritty realism and

Malcolm Todd and Alex Walker

Lizzie Calder was quite hilarious as the upper-class Joan, held up at carrot-point by Buddy in her luxurious kitchen . Lizzie gave a bravura performance as the

155

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMM ER

1996

. In the end, House.plays should definitely be about people just enjoying putting on a show. The cast's evident enjoyment gave this production an admirable energy. The lighting and sound , courtesy of Owen Buckingham, Paul Tsergas and Alex Bland, was excellent. The use of light was simple but imaginative and very effective . The new Theatre Technician, Steve Bree, is clearly worth his weight in gold, as he obviously achieved feats of Herculean proportions in a very short space of time. This play even boasted a convincing deepfreeze! It also had the swiftest and smoothest scene changes imaginable, so all credit to Alexandra Hyatt, the Stage Manager and her team of stage hands. Finally, the fact that Frozen Assets was so successful has everything to do with the hard work and talent of its two directors. They managed to follow last year's joint production with yet another thoroughbred from the Lindsay Gabitass and Karen Reidy stable.

confident Joan, first seen chatting on the phone to a friend and confiding that she loves reading magazine articles about social accomplishments. Thanks to this amazing character, the audience learned what to do if your knicker elastic should break in the midst of a buffet party; one of the more useful tips I've come across recently. Joan mistakes Buddy for a garage mechanic, and promptly tries to haggle over the price of a new Jag. In the following tense and Tarantino-esque scene, Buddy accidentally foil s Ronnie's heist; Simon Youngman and James Stazicker were very funny here.

GILES SMART.

GILBERT & SULLIVAN, THE MIKADO MEISTER OMERS AND LUXMOORE HOUSE PLAY 9TH AND 1OTH MARCH IN THE SHIRLEY HALL There is a common misconception that because the music of the Savoy Operas is so well known it must be easy to sing: this is far from being the case as many hundreds of Amateur Operatic Societies have found to their cost over the last century or so. It was thus with some trepidation that I attended the Meister Omers and Luxmoore production of The Mikado: I need not have worried. Judicious cutting of some of the more vocally demanding numbers and thorough familiarity with what remained led to a most satisfying performance. We got off to a splendid start with Tom Broxup's rendering of A wand'ring minstrel, I in which he showed us the full versatility of his voice, and overcame the challenge posed by the writers in asking Nanki-Poo to perform without any sort of warm-up. From the beginning the nobles of the chorus were convincing in lending excellent support. Charles Rice sang PishTush's song superbly - a fine mature voice and excellent diction. What a pity Gilbert gave him so little to do. The arrival of Ko-Ko (Jonah Wyn Pugh) brought the usual hilarity and anticipation, for one never quite knows how the personnel of the little list will be doctored and we were not to be disappointed. Jonah' s enunciation made the innovations very clear. The arrival of the train of little ladies , nicely in step, brought refinement; and the three little maids , a well balanced trio of Franki Langridge, Cressida Trew and Fleur Moes, brought the usual response. The culmination came in the Finale to Act I, here, as so often, the best bit of a Gilbert an'd Sullivan operetta. It was great to see the traditional totally pointless movements and gestures of the chorus, and the climactic entry of the both evil and pathetic Katisha (Naomi Chamberlin) did not disappoint. She terrified us. After the interval, refreshed by champagne (a much appreciated gesture), Yum-Yum got us off to a very good start to Act II. Cutting meant that the long-

James Stazicker

Sarah Wellesley-Wesley was touching as down-andout Mona , reminiscing about her glory days as Miss Brighton 1959. James Longstaffe and Poppy Edmunds gave brilliantly grotesque performances as Henry and Edna, the Minister and his wife, who end up entertaining Buddy for Christmas. After all, as Edna says, 'lots of our friends take in orphans at Christmas'. Her husband ('I've been a professional Socialist for twenty years') briefly worries about the effects of being subjected to 'a bellyful of liberal , middle-class dogooding' but then meekly concurs. Edna was a tour de force of snobbery , and Henry was great , fussing over his pickled garlic and fading ideals. Their old friend Lord Plaistow, fresh from his annual stint as Father Christmas at Great Ormond Street, introduces them to Buddy. Alex Walker was very good indeed in this role, although his Santa Claus wig was nearly a character in its own right. Malcolm Todd successfully conveyed Buddy's growing sense of angry bewilderment at the lifestyles of the rich and fatuous. In the end, their Christmas is more than somewhat spoiled by Buddy 's confession to murder, and even Lord Plaistow's sense of charity rapidly evaporates at the thought of the tabloids getting hold of the story. Zoe Fargher appeared as Penny the dentist at this point, giving a very cool and confident performance. Although she wished Buddy no ill , she calmly tells him that she must inform the police of his whereabouts. Frozen Assets ended as it began, with Buddy on the run, offering him no solutions, no consolation. Malcolm Todd really gave the central performance of the show, and seemed undaunted by the huge numbers of lines he had.

THE CANTUARIAN , LENT

SUMMER

1996

156

anticipated arrival of the Mikado himself was rather shorter than usual , and when Edward Rice appeared he dominated the stage as one would expect of one of his position. His menacing song had us all quivering. The pantomime aspect of the show built up with KoKo and Katisha in the touching Tit willow and the roistering There is beauty in the bellow of the blast followed by the dialogue with Pooh-Bah (Andrew Ribbans), with hat, which helped to put everything right as usual , and the finale, the main point of which is to remind us that there are some rather good tunes in the piece.

Jonah Wyn Pugh. (Hugo Philpott)

TALKS SIXTH FORM TALK: SIR PETER SINGER, PROPPING UP THE BAR 9TH FEBRUARY, IN THE OLD SYNAGOGUE On Friday 9th February Sir Peter Singer, former parent, gave an interesting and informative talk on the business of being a barrister , humorously entitled 'Propping up the Bar'. Sir Peter was called to the Bar in 1967, and became a High Court Judge in 1993. Having been introduced by a fellow lawyer , the Headmaster himself, Sir Peter Singer first of all put the audience at their ease by describing the last talk he gave, to a group o f just twelv e Cambridge law undergraduates. The other 588, it seems, were attending a talk by Helena Kennedy, Q. C. Sir Peter went on to describe the diminishing distinction between solicitors and barristers. A barrister is an expert in his field (for example Sir Peter's own, of family law) and acts as an advocate in court and a consultant outside. He or she is self employed and therefore entirely dependent on his or her own ability, whereas a solicitor can be approached 'off the street', can change clients from day to day and is part of a 'ring'. In this instance Sir Peter drew the comparison - a favourable one of course between solicitors and chartered accountants. Sir Peter described in detail the process of becoming a barrister, advising against taking a law degree at university , as he considered another degree valuable in developing maturity. He also advised any potential lawyers on the actual stages of legal education - from graduate to a legal foundation school , then to Bar school , followed by a year of 'shadowing' and learning by example in

Naomi Chamberlin. (Hugo Philpott)

A polished performance: it is good to see a cast of some forty or so initiated into the rites of G. & S. and to have so obviously enjoyed the experience. Not to mention the twenty-five strong production team, so ably led by Fiona Tennick, Olive Creissen and Martin Miles. And, of course, the dozen piece orchestra which gave colour {and shade to the singers, under Martin's imaginative baton. Thank you, one and all, for a delightful evening. G. D .W.

157

THE CANTUARIAN , L ENT

SUMM ER

1996

'pupillage'. This would be followed by a tenancy and then, hopefully, by entrance into a practice. Sir Peter illustrated the difficulties of being a barrister such as the need to avoid emotional involvement, especially in an area such as his (family law), where cases can include taking children away from parents, or in cases on religious beliefs and euthanasia; and difficulties arising from the cost factor, which often makes an out-of-court settlement necessary when legal expenses can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. However, he also described the interest and satisfaction he gained from his career, and detailed some of the stranger cases he has had to deal with, one of which was a woman who developed a reputation for attacking judges, including Sir Peter himself. Anecdotes such as these helped lighten the tone of the talk and achieve an admirable balance between seriousness and humour. As a budding lawyer, I found Sir Peter's talk fascinating, and very helpful on the realities of becoming a barrister. He made it clear how difficult it is to become a success in the legal world, and presented no illusions about how insecure and demanding such a career is. However, he also made it obvious how much he enjoyed his career and how rewarding he found it. I very much enjoyed the talk, and appreciated the valuable advice he gave, which I'm sure is true of all the other 'budding lawyers' in the audience.

Kate Adie (Robert Justice)

from cruising around the world in first class and staying in luxury hotels, correspondents such as herself more typically travel in Hercules cargo planes with only the cratered ruins of the Sarajevo Holiday Inn to look forward to. We were then provided with an insight into the new wave of technology infiltrating the journalist world, together with the problems that result from these new devices. The panic which follows being asked, on a satellite phone live to the world, to provide a report on a war-struck town which you had only just arrived in was not a problem encountered ten years ago, she assured us. Ms Adie held us captive from start to finish with the fluid, conversational style you might expect from a person of such rank in such a difficult job. Her energetic gestures and entirely improvised delivery impressed everyone present, and conveyed the atmosphere of a true Sixth Form Talk, rather than a Sixth Form Lecture. Her informative and amusing responses during the question session were the highlight for me, and as an aspiring journalist I can only hope that one day I might approach her level of eloquence and wit.

ZOE FARGHER.

SIXTH FORM TALK: MR ALAN ROGERS, RURAL CHANGE IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD 15TH FEBRUARY, IN THE SCHOOLROOM Alan Rogers is a lecturer in Social Geography at Wye College. On 15th February he gave a lecture on the subject of 'Rural Change in the Developed World'. The aim of Mr Rogers's talk was to review recent and future changes in the social geography of rural areas in Britain in the light of some key geographical concepts, and he accomplished this with particular reference to demographic, social and economic factors. The geography of rural areas comprises a significant prop011ion of the A-level syllabus, so the talk was most relevant to our teaching~ reinforcing and developing issues that had arisen in the classroom. Mr Rogers's expertise as a lecturer was obvious; he spoke fluently and with clarity, with the result that the talk was undoubtedly considered w011hwhile by all who attended.

TIMOTHY GOMERSALL.

SIXTH FORM TALK: JULIAN BRAZIER, M.P., CONTEMPORARY POLITICS

ANNABEL WHIBLEY.

MAY !996, IN THE OLD SYNAGOGUE

SIXTH FORM TALK: MS KATE ADIE BROADCASTING THE NEWS

Julian Brazier is the Conservative MP for Canterbury, though whether he will still be so after the next election ~ facing, as he is, a strong challenge from our own Major Vye ~ must be in doubt' As a speaker he was confident, articulate and forceful: ten out often for his GCSE assessed oral component, but then again he did have the most engrossing of subjects to talk about: contemporary politics touch every issue in our lives. Mr Brazier gave 'his' views on Europe, defence, law

12TH MARCH, IN ST MARY'S HALL In keeping with the concept of most of the Sixth Form Talks of the Lent term, Kate Adie's presentation focused on the breaking down of stereotypes and portrayal of the reality of journalism. We were informed that far

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

158

and order, and the economy, and lastly touched on what he called 'other social issues'; there was certainly little evidence of the Tory party handbook he used to answer every question posed to him during the open forum in Canterbury, back in April 1992. As regards what Mr Brazier actually said, you might get a different answer from every person you ask. He was the first real-live politician for most of the audience, and so perhaps the first experience of a dedicated orator and practitioner of rhetoric, ready to answer any question by saying almost nothing at all. To be fair, as a committed Euro-sceptic and supporter of John Redwood, Mr Brazier was never afraid to set his views down, even if this was done in a deliberately obfuscatory way. The result of his rendition of the 'natural' solutions to many of today' s problems was predictable in that those in the audience who see themselves as Tory (and ran the show for the Tories in last term's King's Parliament) came out exalting the clear thinking and undoubted benevolence of the speaker, while those others who, should they be old enough, might vote for Tony Blair next time round, were visibly disgusted by the idea that every child in Britain should be taught only Christianity (unless the child 'opts out', of course). Read into this last sentiment what you will, for Mr Brazier is no fascist. A remarkable amount of what he said was in fact apolitical common sense. Mr Brazier treats the threat posed by a destabilized Russia to present peace as seriously as he treats the threat posed by European Roman Law to our fishermen and cattle farmers. Most will agree that the situation in Russia is indeed serious, though whether we should expect another Napoleon or Hitler, as Mr Brazier more than implied, one cannot be so sure. While his views on the economy were Thatcherite, and he digressed to tell us about the personal shame he felt when Jim Callaghan had to plead with the IMF to bail Britain out, his unequivocal support for Michael Howard was preVictorian and unenlightened ~ yet he insisted that he shares his vision of Britain with Disraeli, who in turn extolled the virtues of feudalism. Very strange. All the same, he was lively, fluid, thought-provoking, and persuasive; he provided an excellent hour of entertainment, the best talk I have been to this year.

The 'Bickersteth Diary' proper is a remarkable document. It is not just a diary, but a collection of letters and newspaper cuttings, with additional comments from Ella Bickersteth. It was begun by her in August 19!4, at Burgan's suggestion, in order 'to share with Julian, stuck out in Australia, these momentous happenings which are affecting all of us'. The result was nine volumes of material on the First World War, from which this selection has been made. The experience of the two brothers was very different. Burgan joined the Yorkshire Hussars as a volunteer trooper, was then commissioned in the 5th Cavalry Reserve Regiment, but spent several months in England training (and recovering from being kicked by his horse). Even when he got to France, there was little to do: 'I don't think I have ever been so thoroughly bored and depressed', he wrote a year after the War started. The main excitement came from games of polo and football ~ and from a sneaked night-time visit to the Front. As doubts grew about the role of cavalry, he was trained to use machine guns ~ on the beach at Le Touquet. ('There is tennis and golf and a perfect polo ground at our disposal, and two boats on the shore.') His regiment was not involved at the Somme, but he was able to fly over the battlefield in a monoplane ~ 'the most marvellous experience of my life.' Although he participated in the fighting at Thiepval ('how preferable all this is to billets'), he remained frustrated at the inactivity: 'in my book .on the bloodiness of the war ... boredom will be the head of one big chapter.' It was only in the latter stages that he became more heavily involved, as Intelligence Officer to the Brigade, experimenting with aerial photography and participating in the final offensive and the capture of the Hindenburg Line. Julian, by contrast, was teaching in Australia when the War broke out and did not leave his school until December 1915. He then went straight to the Front as a chaplain, and found the experience exhilarating. 'I can't tell you how much I am enjoying it all. It seems to me the fulfilment of all my dreams for so many months past, and I am as happy as the day is long.' His disillusionment was thus all the greater. The 'brutalising effect' of war was soon apparent: 'I have been surrounded for three days with nothing but blood, blood, blood', he wrote of the Somme. The horrors proved to be literally indescribable. There was 'so much I should like to tell you which would never be passed by the censor and it would not be right for me to write.' By 1917 his criticism of the War and of the way it was reported sometimes boiled to the surface. 'When will this senseless murder end? .. . The country is h<;od winked. Facts are distorted or totally misrepresented by the press.' What he did describe was harrowing enough: the burial of a young suicide, or sitting up all night singing hymns with a man who was to be executed for desertion. Yet he continued to perform his duties as chaplain conscientiously, caringly and with a sense of devout purpose. And somehow he never despaired: 'rising out of this sea of misery and pain, human nature, the spirit of man, has won the day. His is an immortal soul.' The interweaving of these two accounts is thus surprisingly effective. Although the experience of the War was hardly that of 'an average English family',

LEO FRANSELLA.

BOOKS THE BICKERSTETH DIARIES, 1914-1918 ED. JOHN BICKERSTETH (LEO COOPER 1995) In 193!, to mark their golden wedding, Samuel and Ella Bickersteth published a memoir of their son Morris who had been killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The volume was dedicated 'to our grandchildren'. Over sixty years later, one of those grandchildren, John Bickersteth, has edited The Bickersteth Diaries, which recount, largely through their letters, the wartime experiences of two of Morris's brothers, Julian and Burgan.

159

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

160

THE

CAN'I'UARIAN, L ENT

SUMMER

1996

SONG OF ROLAND, TRANSLATED WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JANET SHIRLEY,

as Burgon put it, their descriptions and comments are of considerable interest to the historian. The account is literate, without being literary , which makes their observations on Empire, patriotism class and religion all the more striking. ' The Germans' gradually become ' the Hun' or ' the Boche', for instance, but become 'the Germans' again towards the end. (And Julian, who had written in 1915: ' As to the Germans! May God help them! We shall win this war because God cannot allow such scum to exist', reflected in 1918 that ' men don' t and won't hate the Germans they only hate the war '. ) As the bluntly matter-of-fact accounts mingle with the religious and philosophical speculations, and the immediate reactions with the more considered reflections, so the reality of war emerges all the more clearly.

LLANERCH PUBLISHERS , FELINFACH, 1996 The Song of Roland is one of those classics of medieval literature everyone has heard of, but which few have read. The modern reader fears the language might be obscure , that the cultural references might be hard to grasp, that there will be too much mindless violence. All of these problems are, however, skilfully resolved for us in the new translation of the Song of Roland by Janet Shirley - her connection with the school is that she is the daughter of Canon Shirley, and the first girl to attend the King' s School (1945-46). Her work really brings the Song of Roland to life. Shirley uses impeccable iambic pentameters throughout. This made me a little nervous when I began reading since, as a verse form for translations, it is fraught with traps. One great danger is that of making the verse too rhythmic, too clumpy. Another is that of p seudoShakespearisms. Shirley avoids these with great dexterity ; the language is light and clear throughout, and she uses enjambements well. In fact , one soon forgets the pentameters, because the translation is vivid, yet unobtrusive. Only two or three times did I catch the translator 'using prepositions to end sentences with' to get out of a tight metrical corner - but I had to look with a degree of meanness, to find these tiny flaws. Most of the time, this translation reads with the ease of a modern novel. To get a glimpse of a past age, to put oneself in the shoes of other people, who live or Jived differently from us, is always very hard , yet it is one of the most important aspects of education. This translation will certainly contribute to the education of anyone who comes across it (available in the School Library!) but I would recommend it for more than that. This translation is fun to read. It recaptures something of what must once have made this the best known and most loved poem in Europe. The scenes of battle and betrayal roll in front of the eye like a feature film , as Shirley's language conveys the essence of the story with the same simplicity as the original French. I hope very muc h that the publishers realise what hot property they have got on their hands, and are pushing it as hard as they can. This translation deserves to be a classic. T.J.A.

Above all, perhaps, the Diaries convey a strong sense of family. For at the heart of the book is the death of Morris - just two days after the three serving brothers had met together for the first time for five years. They had tea and went for a ride - Julian on his bicycle , Burgon and Morris on their horses. ('Our meeting yesterday of the three brothers was really historical, and although we had only an hour or two together it was splendid, and put us all three into excellent humour. ') Morris was to be remembered in The Times every 1st July until 1976, when the three surviving brothers (aged 93 , 88 and 82) decided to end this particular memorial . And what has all this to do with the King's School and Canterbury? In 1916, Samuel Bickersteth was appointed a Canon of Canterbury , being assured by the Archbishop that 'Canterbury was a quiet resting place where he could do as little or as much work as he liked. ' Meister Omers therefore was to be the family home for the next twenty years. (Canterbury , as it turned out, was not all quiet. The Diary was soon recording a Zeppelin raid on the city in March 1917 - and amusement at the Precincts' nightwatchman 's habitual cry : 'Past eleven o 'clock. Fine night. All 's well!!') John Bickersteth, the editor, was to be born in Meister Omers in 1921 , while both Julian, also eventually a Canon of Canterbury, and Burgon were to spend their last years in the Precincts. Anyone who remembers Bickersteths in Canterbury , or who wonders about the name on a study door in Meister Omers, would therefore find this book of great interest. More importantly , this is a significant addition to the literature on the First World War. ' If only I could give to our grandchildren and great -grandchildren' , wrote Burgon, 'some picture - a true picture - of what this war is like - its wonderful sacrifice, but its equally wonderful brutality - its grandeur and nobility, but its equally great selfishness and self-seeking; its intense excitement, but its long boredom and monotony; the extraordinary efficiency and the marvellous inefficiency of the Army ; the contrasts of this kind could be numbered by the score.' In this illuminating, informative and moving book, this is precisely what Burgon and Julian Bickersteth have done. P. G.H.

BRITAIN: A GUIDE TO ARCHITECTURAL STYLES FROM 1066 TO THE PRESENT DAY, HUBERT PRAGNELL (ELLIPSIS 1995) Architecture, as an art-form , is treated with some callousness in this country. We extol the picturesque, but ignore or desecrate the sublime unless it is within the repertoire of buildings universally accepted as worthy of ou r veneration . Surrounded by fascinating buildings, we take much for granted , often failing to

161

TH E CANTUARI AN. L ENT

& SUMM ER 1996

see how rewarding a detailed analysis of the visual history around us can be. It is precisely this detailed analysis which Hubert Pragnell's guide to architectural styles places before us - a scholarly work, terse but very readable, analytical but never intellectually overbearing nor jargon-ridden. Within its tiny format it crams over three hundred pages with an entire detailed history of British architecture from the White Tower to the Waterloo Terminal. Hundreds of buildings are lovingly described, not just the major tours-de-force beloved of the tourists (although these are certainly discussed at length) but also the everyday and the unknown. We have all visited the major British cathedrals but how many of us have abandoned the beaten track of the popularly acknowledged masterpiece to investigate the delights of the Belgrave Road or Bexhill 's De La Warr Pavilion? These and hundreds more are encompassed by the marvellous set of illustrations which fill the book and put flesh and bones on the history with their fine draughtsmanship. My favourite is that of St Stephen Walbrook (reproduced below), a church so spatially and aesthetically complex as almost to defy verbal analysis. Pragnell's drawing makes it lucid and comprehensible. It is not a book which makes valuejudgements. It does not presume to dictate to us an abstract idea of taste. Even the Metroland semi is given space, put clearly into a context of urban development and given its ancestry in Norman Shaw. All this helps us examine our own visual world in the light of historical event and continuity. A glance through the index at the back is enough to convince us of Pragnell 's encyclopaedic know,''' ledge of British buildings, and the travel that must have gone into its acquisition. How many of us could remember so much detail about so many places we have seen? What the book teaches us is to open our eyes to detail - the gargoyle, the pinnacle, the capital - details we are apt to ignore as we rejoice in general visual impressions. Pragnell St shows us how build-

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER 1996

ings have been produced with deliberation, with thought, with meaning, and that our cities, villages and houses are all of interest. He follows chapter by chapter the generally accepted stages of architectural development in this country, but devotes individual chapters to Jones and Wren, as befits not only the quality of their works but also the significance of their subsequent influence: the Palladian basis of much of our townscape and the brief but spectacular development of the English Baroque in urban churches and country houses. To go out and visit the places described, we will not only find ourselves on well-worn trails through landscaped gardens but also in the midst of Deptford and the Mile End Road, Archer and Hawksmoor country, places of historical significance the equal of that of many a tourist attraction for those who have the eyes to see it. A book as comprehensive, lucid and pocketable as this is indispensable to anybody who genuinely looks at their world. An exploring mind requires an exploring eye, and Hubert Pragnell is an acute observer. T.I.J.

Stephen Walbrook. (Hubert Pragnell)

162

SOCIETIES AND ACTIVITIES

Within the school, this seems to be an organisation that fluctuates from gratifying success to anonymity within a few weeks. We have had a number of regular supporters, and to them I am very grateful, and I hope they will encourage others. However the greatest thanks for the work of Amnesty International to which the school has contributed, would come from those, all in desperate conditions, in many far-flung corners of the world, whose situations may have dramatically improved. The difficulty of maintaining a high profile for Amnesty within the school is understandable; most of the time it is unspectacular, and produces few quick results. It is easy to become disheartened when, although letters are being written weekly, the requests for future campaigns seem to pour in. Has anything been learnt about human rights? A frequently asked question is whether an individual letter is really going to make any difference. Yes, is always the answer. Amnesty here in the school has over the last year demanded that the government increase its commitment to speedy war crimes trials for those involved in the war in former Yugoslavia and that the Chinese government, who carry out more executions than the rest of the world put together, call an end to torture, particularly by the electric baton. Violence against women in Tibet has also featured, as has the worrying abuse of democracy in Burma. There have been countless examples of violations of the right to freedom of expression; democracy activists in Korea and civil rights protesters in Turkey. The list could go on. Amnesty is an organisation which aims to fight against these injustices, and impartially to protect basic human rights world-wide. This is an enormous task, and one which demands sacrifices of both time and money. Everyone's support, however small is appreciated. MARY STEVENS. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

The Lent term was a busy one for Bridge players. Linacre, Meister Omers, Mitchinson's, Tradescant and Walpole each entered a team in the House Bridge Competition, and Galpin's entered two. Four of the entrants took the opportunity the rules provide of allowing a parent or tutor to make up a four. I hope in the future more Houses will avail themselves of this facility: it would be good to have a 'full house' entry -and judging from those who have turned up to Activities or After Hours over the year, it would be perfectly possible. The experience and imagination of the Galpin's First Four deservedly won them the trophy. We entered three teams in the Kent Schools Competition and although there were only six teams altogether the lst IV (Terry Ling, Ian Mackay, James MacAdie and James Miller-Jones) did well to win, playing steadily throughout and generally averting disaster. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the 2nd IV, though to be fair the partnership of Sarah Cook and Simon Peel had been hastily put together. Tim Mitchell and Stephen Bushnell had one of their wilder starts from which even their fertile imagination could not rescue them. The 3rd IV (Tom Lloyd-Smith, Edward Vainker, Charles Miller-Jones and Mark Hill) played very efficiently to come third, behind Ashford High School for Girls. Thus we qualified for the regional semi-finals for the first time within living memory (or even ever). At the last minute Ashford had to drop out so the 3rd IV also qualified. I hope they all had as much fun as I did at the Young Chelsea Bridge Club. The lst IV just failed to finish in the top half of the field, while the 3rds (with James Barnes replacing Edward Vainker, unavailable through illness) propped up the bottom. Minus !59 IMPs is a score that can only be improved upon. But it must be emphasised that they were playing against opponents with considerably more experience. Many play regularly at this or other London Clubs and thus encounter current and former international stars. The term ended with a friendly match against Ashford. As this was on a Thursday afternoon the two teams consisted almost entirely of those who were doing the Bridge Activity, so several of the regular team stood down. A pleasant afternoon resulted in a narrow victory for both teams and an excellent tea. Despite exam pressures, attendance at After Hours Bridge in the summer term has remained high and as one colleague feels he can't get away with as much as he could a year ago, the standard is even improving. The bidding is becoming more confident, the right contract is being reached more often and the dummy play is getting sounder. It is defence that most players need to concentrate on. Over the year as a whole Terry Ling has been a conscientious Captain and I have been grateful for the support of other senior players, notable Ian Mackay and Sarah Cook: I hope she will be able to readjust to the American system. On the hand shown on the next page North opens one spade (no, I know there aren't enough high card points but with distribution like this you can't pass) and rebids hearts after South's jump to three clubs. Where do you go from there? ; South will probably insist on clubs and will probably get to six. There is, however, one (and I think only one) opening lead from West which will get this off. Is six hearts any better, and if so, how do you bid it? Ful[ analysis in the first After Hours session after this is published. BRIDGE

163

THE CANTUARJAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

" A,9,8,7,4,3,2 • K,Q,9,7,5

• Q

... " " • ...

K,l0,6,5 A,8,3 K,5,2 10,8,4

.. ., • ...

Q,J J ,2 J,l0,9,8,7,6,3 J,2

.. 10,6,4 + A,4 "' A,K,Q,9,7,6,5,3 G.D.W.

September seems a very long time ago. The school year has passed as quickly as ever. The Chapel Choir (1995/6 Edition) will soon sing its last service. Of course there is continuity as well as change. But next Michaelmas term will see the challenge, and fun, of building another choir. Some trusty voices will have gone- some new ones will arrive. This year's Chapel Choir has achieved much. Anthems are sung at every Mattins and there have been some very fine performances of repertoire which has included the familiar and the less so. A new departure this year was the choir's appearance in the annual Choral Concert held in the Cathedral. Its moving performance of Lotti's Crucifixus a 8 prompted one parent to write that she 'had to be scraped off the floor' at the end! The choir also gave a stylish performance of Monteverdi's Beatus vir. May I express my thanks to the choir for their dedication and support. We have worked hard this year and had a lot of fun as well. Lastly, for the 6as- your kindness and encouragement has been a huge help. Thank you. S.W.S.A. The Lent and Summer terms' repertoire has been: H.C. Stewart 14th January On this day earth shall ring Mendelssohn 28th January Say, where is he born? Handel lith February Let their celestial concerts all unite Darke lOth March (Confirmation) Communion Service in E (Coll:Reg:) Elgar Ave verum corpus Lotti 17th March Crucifixus a 8 S.S. Wesley Blessed be the God and Father 21st April Berger The eyes of all wait upon thee 5th May Finzi 19th May God is gone up Ridout 16th June Let us with a gladsome mind Hadley 23rd June My beloved spake Bainton 4th July (Commemoration) And I saw a new heaven

THE CHAPEL CHOIR

Once again Crypt Choir has covered an enormous variety of repertoire over the past two terms. The second half of the year was very much centred around the tour to Germany, which this year took place in the Easter Holidays. The intention was that this would mean that the weather was rather kinder to us than at the normal February time; however, we reckoned without this year's winter, and it was snowing as we arrived in Ratzeburg. This year we had some of the most impressive venues so far, with concerts in Unser Lieben Frauen (the church in the main market square in Bremen) and in the Cathedral in Ratzeburg. The contrast between the two places could not have been greater. Bremen's vast urban sprawl meant many experiencing a steep learning curve in the use of the tram system, while Ratzeburg is a delightful small town set on an island in the middle of a lake not too much opportunity to get lost there, though one or two still managed! We also found time to visit Liibeck and be tourists for an afternoon, and later to commandeer a cafe in Ratzeburg that turned out to be owned by somebody from Wolverhampton. Musically this was also one of our most successful tours, and I think the high points for many included Bach's motetlesu meine Freude in Ratzeburg Cathedral, with its wonderful acoustic, and the performances of Tippett's Five Negro Spirituals from A Child of Our Time. Apart from the hard work of the choir there was also much invaluable behind the scenes assistance from Mr Anderson, Mr Miles, Mrs Elwood and Mrs Harris, without whom the whole enterprise would not have been nearly so successful. Much of Lent Term's effm1s went into preparing for this tour, and for the concert held in the Cathedral Eastern Crypt just before half term in preparation for the tour. This was a good opportunity to have a dress rehearsal of items such as Jesu meine Frcudc, which is a very taxing work for any choir, let alone one so young. There

CRYPT CHOIR

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

164

cannot be many school-age choirs who would be able to perform such a work, but the choir rose to the challenge with their usual enthusiasm. The Summer Term is always more fragmented because of examinations, but, as I write this, King's Week is almost upon us, and we will be switching to a secular mode for the Chamber Concert, which will include the Trois Chansons of Claude Debussy . M.D.H . The repertoire for the Lent and Summer Terms has been as follows: Thomas Weelkes 21st January Epiphany 3 Gloria in excclsis Robert Parsons 4th February Septuagesima Ave Maria Henry Purcell 3rd March Lent 2 Hear my prayer William Harris 17th March Lent 4 Bring us, 0 Lord God Peter Hurford 28th April Easter 3 Magdalen, cease from sobs and sighs Edward Bairstow 12th May Rogation Sunday Jesu, the ve1y thought of thee Maurice Durufle 9th June Trinity I Ubi Caritas William Harris 30th June Trinity 4 Faire is the heaven

16th February 1996 Eastern Factum est silentium Loquebantur Ave Maria Gloria in excelsis Motet Jesu meine Freude Five Negro Spirituals from A Child of Our Time

Crypt Concert Richard Dering (c. 1580-1630) Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585) Robert Parsons (c. 1530-1570) Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623) Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Michael Tippett (b. 1905)

Germau Tour Programme 10th-14th April, 1996 Factum est silentium Richard Dering (c. 1580-1630) Ave Maria Robert Parsons (c. 1530-1570) Hear my prayer Henry Purcell (1659-1695) Gloria in excelsis Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623) Motet Jesu meine Freude Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) William Harris (1883-1973) Bring us 0 Lord Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) Hymn to the Virgin John Tavener (b. 1944) The Lamb Michael Tippett (b. 1905) Five Negro Spirituals from A Child of Our Time The first event for the Pater Society in the Lent term was the Greek Banquet. After filling the Walpole kitchen with the aroma of vinegar and garlic, the food was ready. The menu had been carefully researched from Apicius and other writers on ancient food to reflect the kinds of dishes eaten in antiquity and the meal consisted of bread and cheese salad with vinegar dressing (not very nice), pork and apricot stew with sultanas and red wine sauce (much nicer) and, for dessert, pears with cream and cinnamon (very nice). Wine was served. The guests were the 6b Greek set, Mr Holland and Miss Taylor; all appropriately dressed in ingeniously devised togas. Staz and Mr Holland surpassed everyone with their sheep-skin and stripy cloaks respectively. The triclinium was lit with Mr Tennick's Roman oil lamp which proved to be a minor fire hazard at one point, as The Grange found out! The after-dinner entertainments were a modern-day version of kottabos - we used jelly but the Greeks used to aim the dregs of their wine into a small metal bowl to make it clang a certain way - and iactus, a dicethrowing game. Lots of fun all round! On Tuesday 23rd January, Mr George Robertson, the former Headmaster at J.K.S., came to give a talk. He spoke on a subject which he has long had a great interest in - the lost civilisation of Atlantis. He presented a range of theories about the lost city and illustrated his lecture with some slides of Minoan Crete. The ideas were attractive and interesting to hear, though impossible to prove. The logical and precise minds of the Classics department ensured that some penetrating questions were asked when the floor was thrown open for discussion and the audience engaged the speaker in a lively debate. There were two theatre trips this term, one up in London to see performances of Sophocles's Ajax and Euripides's Bacchae which were being studied by 6a pupils for A-level examinations, the other locally at The Gulbenkian, the National Theatre's version of Aristophanes's Frogs. The atmosphere in the minibus en route to the University was pessimistically cynical. Would the show live up to the reviews? However, this mood lifted simultaneously with the curtain as the first scene hit the audience with a humour which successfully crossed two thousand five hundred years. Throughout the performance, the audience delighted in the wide range of modern musical concepts from hard-core raving to mellow vibes. Aristophanes's original plot- a critique of 'culture', its values and value

PATER SOCIETY

165

THE CANTUARJAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

Adam Brown, Justine McConnell, James Stazicker, Justin Gardner. (J. T.)

- had been well-adapted to suit the modern-day audience and provided a thrilling evening which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The final visit in February involved the 6b Classical Civilisation set in a study day at the Commonwealth Institute in London. Distinguished academics had gathered together to present a series of papers on 'Art and Architecture in the Ancient World', a topic highly relevant to the AS-level course. This was useful revision and provided pupils with the opportunity to see modern scholars in action. KATHERINE SHORT, JAMES STAZICKER AND JUSTIN GARDNER.

Many informal meetings have taken place, although, despite the efforts of James MacAdie and Ben White, it has been hard to keep some of 6b away from revision for the wretched modules and encourage them to widen their horizons. What follows is a sample of some MATTERS of the activities. Doctors' Notes with W.R.P. has continued to flourish and J.A. and S.B. have organised a 6b group to work in co-operation with the University of Kent on a project involving the science of smoke rings. The School Observatory is fully operational and the night sky has been enjoyed by many. H.E.J.A. has held a Great Egg Race for the last thirteen years - the aim in the last one was to produce a vehicle, powered only by a standard elastic band, to carry a golf ball the greatest possible distance. J.A. gave a lecture on 'Space Travel for Amateurs' and we were delighted to welcome Chris Furley, Veterinary Director of How letts and Port Lympne Animal Parks, to talk about conservation issues and the work of a vet in looking after wild animals in captivity. A party of Sixth Formers attended a Royal Society of Chemistry lecture-demonstration at U.K. C., entitled 'Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours' and given by Dr Paul Darcy, University of Aberystwyth. Ben and James have been making plans for the coming year and, during my absence on sabbatical, I am sure that Stephen Bosworth will give them all the support that they need. C.J.R.J. Footnote: The Harvey Society The first meeting of the Harvey Society was held on Tuesday 24th January 1893. G.D. Tripp, a King's School master, read a paper on 'Animal Intelligence'. The second meeting was held two weeks later when a pupil, S.S. Cook, later FRS, read a paper on 'Telescopes'.

SCIENCE

THE

CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

166

C.C.F. NOTES ROYAL NAVY SECTION The spring term started off with an overnight stay in Portsmouth on the old destroyer HMS Bristol. The main part of the Field Day was spent learning about safety aspects- what to do if your ship is sunk and you are floating in the middle of the sea. The instruction involved jumping into a cold lake in a dry suit, swimming to a life raft and then manning it as if you were really trying to survive. Later that term we had a visit from Lieutenant Edward Lees, who is our liaison officer from HMS Illustrious, our affiliated ship. We learnt yet more about what it is like to be at sea, and the many roles that the Royal Navy now plays. The summer term was once more an eventful one, with virtually every Wednesday being spent on the water somewhere. For our Field Day we went again to Portsmouth and to HMS Bristol. This time we spent the day in Fleet Motor Launches, and navigated our way through the So lent to the Isle of Wight. Once we arrived at Cowes, we tied up and went ashore to look around. A good day was had by all, with many new skills being learnt. On Westbere Lakes this year much has taken place. All the members of the Section have performed a capsize drill and gained much experience. With help from Mr David James, the Secretary of the Westbere Sailing Club, everybody's sailing improved dramatically. Mr Allan McNeil, an instructor from Dover Water Sports, assessed everybody for their Royal Yachting Association sailing qualifications. Hugh Kingston and Claire Gilchrist gained Level One coastal; Edward Pritchard, James Hume and Anne Davies gained Level One inland; David WellesleyWesley, Jamie Martin and Joel Marshall gained Level Two inland; and Christopher Elworthy obtained Level Five coastal. A special mention should go to James Hume, Claire Gilchrist and Edward Pritchard, who started this year having never sailed, and ended it being quite respectable sailors. Later on in the summer term we had a visit from Sub-Lieutenant R. Anderson. The Section showed him what it was like to be in the Cadets, and even spent some time teaching him to sail one of the dinghies. Christopher Elworthy, Jamie Martin, Hugh Kingston and Joel Marshall all went to the South-east Sailing Regatta at Upnor on the Medway. We didn't win, but all had much fun and gained experience for next year. Christopher Elworthy, Hugh Kingston and Joel Marshall will be competing in the National Regatta next term. Many members of the section were promoted at the end of term, since they have worked so hard during the last couple of terms at restoring the section to what it used to be. However, the main reason for this achievement is the hard work and dedication of Chief Petty Officer Roberts, our area instructor, and of LieutenantS. McConnell, the Officer of the Section. For this the Section would like to thank them very much. CHRISTOPHER ELWORTHY.

ARMY SECTION After a successful recruiting scheme we came back to school to the good news that we had 58 new Shells in the corps. We had a packed schedule with all the basic training to be done so we got underway as soon as possible. These basics were learnt very quickly by the Shells who seemed to be very keen and receptive; and it was not long before we were able to have combat training sessions on Scotland Hills culminating in a Field Day, at the end of which was a short darkness exercise, which gave the Shells the first real example of the best side of the C.C.F. Also on the Field Day we managed to have a blitz on weapon drill and camp craft followed by an intersection stretcher race; the N.C.O.s competition was won by 2 Platoon and the cadet competition won by I Section I Platoon. Towards the end of the Easter term there was an overnight exercise which was unbelievably cold. Despite the extreme temperatures the Shells coped superbly, but in the end even the N.C.O.s broke discipline to light camp fires. The exercise itself consisted of a reconnaissance patrol, escape and evasion and a dawn raid. The summer term was supposed to bring hot weather (in contrast to the exercise mentioned above): it did not. To make life even harder, in the summer term activities move to Wednesday to compensate the cricketers, and therefore our weekly session was reduced considerably. The highest point of this term was an action-packed field day at Shornecliffe camp, Folkestone. Here the Shells fired both the .22 calibre rifles and full bore 5.56 mm Cadet GP, abseiled from the water tower and ran the assault course. Even those who had by now decided that the C.C.F. was not quite their cup of orange powder mix, had said it was an enjoyable day. On Sunday June 23rd an elite band of marksmen was sent to the annual tri-schools shoot. Sutton Valence School won the event and we, unfortunately, came a close third (it was a popular weekend for exeats and most of our resident snipers had gone home). At the end of term we do try to round off on a high note so we had an exercise. Exercise Ulster Sabre was well prepared and well executed - many thanks to the enemy for throwing in their own scenes which even the director was not expecting. Authenticity was brought to one rifleman who started to worry when the 'fake' detonator he thought he was carrying began to tick!

167

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

Finally, on 2nd July, the King's Week guard was a huge success and was commended by the Headmaster. At the end of the inspection the Headmaster told us how very important he felt the C.C.F. is in the school: we are looking forward to next term and sincerely hope the new Headmaster will have the same warm feelings. R.S.M. Booth was awarded his twelve-year C.C.F. service medal. The N.C.O.s this year have learnt an important lesson: the Summer term requires far more advance preparation than the Easter term due to shorter time, exams and King's Week practices. During the Summer holidays the Army section will be attending camp at Penhale in Cornwall, except for L/Cpls Delmotte and Morrison who will be aqualunging. Also Cpl Leigh-Pemberton will be attending Frimly Park Leadership Training Course. We would like to thank all the S.N.C.O.s, especially Tim Davis who has been one of the best R.S.M.s any pupil can remember. Also to the officers and to Alan Booth who thoroughly deserves the service medal he received from the Headmaster. JAMES FIRTH AND CHARLIE LEIGH-PEMBERTON.

C.C.F. EASTER CAMP At the start of the Easter holidays we heard the familiar cries of 'packs on, straps up, let's do the business', as we headed off to our Easter camp at Loch Ewe in the North West of Scotland. After a few problems with seats on the train at Edinburgh we hoped there would be no more travel problems (although nothing could rival the truck over-turning on our last visit three years ago), and thanks to the masterful driving of Colonel Morrison there were not. The atmosphere of the holiday was very much more relaxed than our Summer camp due to the non-military nature- in fact, there were two people present who were not members of the C.C.F. The programme consisted mainly of walking and improving navigation skills. Also there was rock climbing, abseiling, camping and lectures from the local mountain rescue unit. In all we had three nights 'under canvas', one of which was a practice night, in a carefully selected field. The other two were on the expedition. The first night was unbelievably cold (as on the previous exercise) but this time with the added attraction of a blizzard. The night proved eventful for one campa' who discovered that even in cold weather it is possible to suffer from dehydration. The next morning we all set off feeling much better (including Campa' Matt and his bag of Yak) to reach the new camp site at Shaneval Bothy (a small house for public use surrounded by deer in the middle of nowhere). Here we were joined by the Shells who had remained at the base for the first night. The next morning we all awoke and had breakfast, packed up and started to set off when suddenly someone shouted: 'Where's Phil and Jeff?' Sure enough they had successfully managed to pitch their tent as far away from the rest of the group as possible and were rudely awoken by Mike Booth demanding in no uncertain terms why they had not yet risen. We set off after swiftly packing Phil and Jeff's kit while they ate their brekky. A swiftness rivalled only by that of the few people who- taking a different route from the rest of the party - managed to cover 19 km in 3 hours 40 minutes over crags and other rough terrain carrying packs of about 40 lb. This, it seems, was not enough to satisfy Andy Ribbans's ego, so he performed his famous 'tap dancing on broken glass' routine on the last night and was rushed to the local GP (at least, it was the locum, since after our last visit the local GP vowed he would go on holiday next time K.S.C. C.C.F. were in the vicinity - wise man!). Finally, with the truck accident still in the back of our minds, we threw a mess night for all those involved in the rescue. This gave a chance for the two pupils (Phil and Jeff again - perhaps it's a jinx) to give their thanks - unfortunately the GP was unable to attend as he was in Hawaii. Many thanks to the staff and of course our cooks for all their hard work. JAMES FIRTH AND CHARLIE LEIGH-PEMBERTON.

THE

CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMEH 1996

168

with a draw against Trinity Croydon, when chasing quite a tough target we threw away too many wickets unnecessarily and in the end had to battle out for the draw. The next match was probably the highlight of the season with Afolabi again taking 5 wickets to bowl out the previously unbeaten K.C.S. Wimbledon side for 128. However at 20 for 2 victory was by no means certain, but Qin and Tim batted very well to reduce the threat of their excellent pair of bowlers -~··· one very quick and the other an off-spinner~ and ultimately victory came by 7 wickets. Convincing victories against St Lawrence College and the O.K.S. were followed by a rain-effected draw with the M.C.C. and finally in the last match we were successful against the Stragglers of Asia. A look at the batting averages will show how this aspect of the game was dominated by the top five, and those batting at number six and below had virtually no chance to play an innings of any substance: for the first time for some years the XI were not bowled out in the season. Chris North fulfilled his considerable potential scoring over 500 runs in only II innings; Marcus with a combination of elegant timing and powerful straight driving had an excellent year; Qin would have wished for a higher aggregate, but with great concentration played a vital winning role against K.C.S. Wimbledon; Bill often did the hard work at the beginning of an innings, but then got out before capitalizing on it, but over 300 runs is a good contribution and Tim who invariably had to go in and try and score quickly from the stan, played several successful innings. Addi and those batting below him certainly had the ability to score many runs if they had been given the chance. Afolabi and Chris MounseyThear were an excellent opening bowling partnership --- the former with good control of length and line and with movement off the pitch and the latter with considerable pace and bounce - and between them they were responsible for bowling out several sides. They were admirably supported by the seam

SPORT Cricket 1st XI This year's side was a fine all-round team who, with seven wins, recorded the most victories since 1985. They reached their peak during 'Cricket Week' when with the pressures of external exams over, they could concentrate fully on their crickeL However, the season started in a different vein with the only defeat of the year. On a warm and sunny April day after only two or in some cases just one day's practice the XI scored 212/8 dec. only to lose with three balls left and with the opposition eight wickets down, but what an excellent game with which to start the season. The following Saturday was again warm and sunny and having bowled out Highgate for 151, Chris North made sure of an early finish making 92 not out in the eight wicket victory. Drawn games followed against firstly Dulwich, when --- with Chris North unable to bat through illness and the loss of crucial wickets at the 20 over mark -- the target proved too much, and secondly against Eastbourne when the target seemed too great from the outset, especially after we had bowled 70 overs. Unfortunately rain denied us the fixture with Cranleigh and the first half of term ended with a convincing victory against Dover College. In the first match after the break Qin and Marcus, with 82 and 65 not out respectively, set up an early declaration at 257/5, but we could only capture six Sutton Valence wickets. However the following week Afolabi with 5 wickets and Gareth with 4 bowled out The Band of Brothers for 195, and then a brilliant 119 not out by Chris North ensured a convincing victory by 9 wickets. The end of term games began

Cricket 1st XI 1996. (Paul Dixon)

!69

THE CANTUARJAN. LI:NT & StJt-.HvlER 1996

bowling of Alistair, who made bat~men fight for e~ery run, and Gareth who tended to make tlungs happen with the ball; and the spin bowling of Chris North, who again exhibited great control of his leg-spinners, and Utmu: who had the knack of getting wickets as soon as he came mt~ the attack. The fielding and throwing were mostly of a very htgh. st~ndard and Tim did an excellent job behind the stumps clanmng 21 victims. I would like to thank Chris North who made all the right bowling changes, set excellent fields and_in every way ~as an inspirational and highly successful Captam. Sam and !tm and their colleagues deserve the thanks of all who play cncket for achieving ever better playing surfaces and on behalf of many of the XI who have both enjoyed enormously and benefited v~ry considerably from his coaching over several years I would like to thank Alan Ealham. Lastly congratulations to Grang~ _and Tradescant on winning the Senior and Junior House competi~tons and to Chris North and Afolabi on winning the Barnes Cncket prizes. A.W.D. Team: Christopher North* (Capt.), William Bax*, Christopher Mounsey-Thear*, Timothy Palmer*, Marcus Pyke*, Umar Shariff*, A(~di_ Singh: Af?labi S_ona!ke*, Alistair Williams, Gareth Williams, Qm Wtseman*, Stmon Youngman. Also played: Adam Chataway, Alexander Reynolds. * First Colours awarded or re-awarded

2nd XI With the backbone of a successful 1995 team still remaining and a talented set of 6bs, it was apparent that a good season was on the cards, but our success surprised even ourselves. I can boast with great pride that we had the best record in the school, and the best 2nd XI record for ten years. We ~an probably put this success down to a strong, balanced bo.wlmg attack and batting that usually went down to n~mber ~me or ten. It must also be mentioned that we had a consistent stde that was rarely disrupted by absence or injury. At the top of the order, Mike Ziegler had a brilliant season, scoring 225 runs, and his wicket-keeping, which came to the fore after the early season injury to Tommy Dean, .was a valuable asset which improved with time. His 71 agamst St Lawrence was impressive, but his 40 against Dulwich was invaluable. The captain's batting was inconsistent and occasionally borin~ (5 n~t out in ~early two. hours a_gai_nst Eastbourne springs nmnedtately to mmd), but hts non-spmnmg off-spin was a pleasant surprise to friend and foe. Prateek Shah had a very good season with the bat and finished only fourteen runs short of Mike. His quickfire 67 against Highgate was a matchwinner, and his 38 in the last game against Trinity saw us well on the way to victory. He would have had another fifty but for his captain's decision to declare against St Edmund's. He bowls good legspin, and was probably un?erused,. but performed well w~en called upon. Dave_ Smtth. provided solidarity in the mtddle o!·der and had ~n tmpresstve _knock against Sutton Valence. His gro~nd fieldmg was ~thlettc, but his ability to drop catches of all kinds was an amusmg (as none proved to be crucial) feature of the season. On the other hand, James Sandry was our very own Jonty Rhodes, catchin.g everything and anything, and ending up with eight catches. Hts eccentric batting reaped some reward also. He scored a good 47 against Sutton Valence and a vital23 against Highgate. Our Malaysian international Sunny Abral~am field~d w~ll and showed all his Youth World Cup expenence agamst H1ghga~e to guide us to victory. Ed Butler showed through with a raptd 61 versus Sutton Valence and match-wmnmg 38 versus Tnmty, these two knocks taking him to the top of the season's averages. Chris O'Neil-Dunne was our big hitting all-rounder who plundered the Highgate attack in taking us _to victory and batte_d belligerently at the death in the draw agamst Eastbourne. Hts swing bowling was a vital aspect of our at!ack. James Capel has been the mainstay of the 2nd XI openmg attack for two years, and he had a great season. He_ always ~ave the batsmen problems, and was dependably consistent; hts s~venteen over spell against Hi~hgate w~s the best I have seen. Simon P~achey has also been m the stde for two years, and when 111 the groove was an awkward prospect for the opposition, his best this season being his long spell against Eastbourne. T.he star of the bowling attack, though, was Alex Reynolds. Hts pacy inswing, bowled on an accurate line, caused all batsmen problems. He took twenty-four. wickets in five matches at an average of 8.25, which was qutte phenomenal. T_he,se play~rs made up the core of the squa~, though_ Umar ~har~ff s naggmg left arm spin, Leo Fransella s leg spm bowling m the match against Epsom, James Staz~c~er's. sh?rtlegging ag~inst S~tt~m Valence and Johnny Norns s wmnmg runs agamst Tmuty deserve a mention. The team never looked like losing a game. We tried to chase a big score against Epsom, .but eventually had to con~olid~te and settle for a draw. Dulwtch was a well fought affair, wtth honours even. Eastbourne punished us for our own inefficiency with the ball; although we eventually bowled them o~t, it took us a long time, and 45 overs to do so; a poor start m the 30 overs available to us to chase their total meant that we had to bat out for a very disappointing draw. There were some easy victories, notably in the Sutton Valence match, where we amassed 231 in a mere 31 overs. Highgate and Trinity were victories gained by well-judged run chases, with six and seven balls to spare respectively. It was a pity that _three ga_mes w~re missed. It is only left to me to thank Mr Whtte for hts sterlmg work in coaching and moulding us into the well oiled machine

RESULTS

Played 13, Won 7, Drawn 5, Lost I, Abandoned I. K.S.C., 212/8 dec. (North 73); Epsom, 213/8. Lost Highgate, 151; K.S.C., 153/2 (North 92). Won. Dulwich, 221/8 dec.; K.S.C., 144/7. Drawn. Eastbourne, 205/4 dec.; K.S.C., 143/4 (Nmth 53). Drawn. Dover College, 96; K.S.C., 97/1 (Pyke 50*). Won. K.S.C., 257/3 dec. (Wiseman 82, Pyke 65*); Sutton Valence, 173/6. Drawn. Band of Brothers, 195/9 dec. (Sonaike 21-6-60-5, G Williams 9-3-24-4); K.S.C., 196/l (North 119*). Won. Trinity Croydon, 209/8 dec. (Shariff 10.3-1-40-4); K.S.C., 133/8. Drawn. K.C.S. Wimbledon, 128 (Sonaike 13-6-29-5); K.S.C., 129/3 (Wiseman 53*). Won. StLawrence College, 108 (Mounsey-Thear 16-6-31-6); K.S.C., 111/2. Won. O.K.S., 117 (Mounsey-Thear 12.4·2·35-4) and 165 (Sonaike 13.4-4-26-4); K.S.C., 20017 dec. (Pyke 65) and 86/0 (North 52*). Won. M.C.C., 199/4 dec.; K.S.C., 141/5. Drawn. Stragglers of Asia, 156/9 (Mounsey-Thear 11-4-23-4); K.S.C., 160/4 (Bax 60). Won. BATTING AVERAGES AND BOWLING AVERAGES

Innings

Not Out

Runs

Highest A veragc score

North 11 4 506 119* 72.3 Pyke 12 5 436 65* 62.3 Palmer 10 3 224 40* 32 12 1 314 82 28.5 Wiseman Williams G. 7 4 80 27* 26.7 Bax 14 2 313 60 26.1 Also batted: Mounsey-Thear 2-1-5-5-5; Shariff 2-1-16-16*-16; Singh 3-1-39-17*-19.5; Sonaike 2-1-16-12-16; Williams A. 3-2-12-7*-12; Youngman 3-1-12-12-6.

Overs Maidens Runs Wickets A vcrage 54.4 13 183 13 14.1 149.4 36 27 15.8 427 117.3 320 18 17.8 27 179.1 511 26 19.7 36 37 114 268 10 26.8 109 18 10 35.4 354 Also bowled: Chataway 4-0-18-1-18; Reynolds 29-8-106-3-35.3; Singh 5-2-16-0--. Williams G. Sonaike Shariff Mounsey-Thear Williams A. North

THE

CANTUARJAN. LENT

& SUMMER 1996

we were.

170

ADAM CHATAWAY.

Adam graciously thanks me, but I wou_ld like to record my thanks to Adam and the team for a most enJoyable season. They were a talented group of people who enjoye? the 9ame, but w~re purposeful about it, and this was exemplified m the captam, upon whom I knew I could rely totally; he was a first rate lea?er and organiser in every wa~. The t~am, the nucleus of wht~h was settled, maintained thetr comn11tment througho~t, desptte the pressures of exams; played some excellent cncket; and thoroughly deserved their success. . R.C.W. Team from: Sunil Abraham. Edward Butler, James Capel, Adam Chataway (Capt.), Tom Dean, Leo Fransella, Jonathan Norris, Christopher O'Neil-Dunne, Snnon Peac~e~, Al~x Reynolds, James Sandry, Prateek Shah, Umar Shanft, Davtd Smith, Michael Ztegler.

aggressive start at Tonbridge, but the lower order collapsed. A hostile spell from James Caney was not enough toyrevent the home side easing to an eventually comfortable vtctory. 'A' Team: Simon Cleobury (Capt.), Alexander Forrest, Oliver Fraser, Timothy Hamlin, James Harborne, Henry Hardy, Alexander Hayes, John Hillier, Samuel Parker. Also played: Matthew Brooks, David Greengrass, Matthe": Knight, Charles Miller-Jones, Philip Stubbmgs, Fergus Reynolds, Pardip Sidhu, Edward Wyand. RESULTS

K.S.C., 178-7 dec. (Sidhu 50*, Cleobury 44, Parker 35); Epsom, 127-8 (Reynolds 3-23). Drawn. . Dulwich, 179-7 dec. (Hardy 4-45); K.S.C., 153-7 (Parker 66*). Drawn. Eastbourne, 174-8 dec.; K.S.C., 80-7. Drawn. K.S.C., 97 (Hayes 39); Tonbridge, 99-2. Lost. K.S.C., 126-7 (Youngman 50, Cleobury 30); Kent Schools, 127-9 (Hardy 3-17, Fraser 3-40). Lost. 'B' Team: Mark Westlake (Capt.), Matthew Brooks, Thomas Byford, James Caney, Alexander Forrest, Simon qomersall, David Greengrass, Richard Johnson, Matthew K~tght, J?hn Knowles, Christopher Letts, Thomas Lloyd-Smtth, Ohver Norris, Laurence Ridges, Timothy Ramb1rd, Leo Stu, Ph1hp Stubbings, Graham Webber.

RESULTS

Played 8, Won 5, Drawn 3, Lost 0. Epsom*, 192 for 5 (Capel 3-37); ~.S.C., 97 for 6. Drawn. Highgate, 153 all out (Capel4-42, 0 Netl-Dunne 3-30); K.S.C., 155 for 6 (Shah 67). Won. K.S.C., 164 for 6 dec.(Ziegler 71); St Lawrence*, 130 (Reynolds 7-47). Won. Dulwich, 184 for 2 dec.; K.S.C., 121 for 5 (Ziegler 40). D;awn. K S C 201 for 5 dee. (Chataway 56, Shah 48 not out, Ztegler Âˇ37);.St Edmund's*, 79 (Reynolds 5-23, Capel 3-34). Won. Eastbourne*, 177 all out (Peachey 4-52, Reynolds 3-64); K.S.C., 61 for 5. Drawn. . K.S.C., 231 for 5 dec. (Butler 61, Sandry 46, Smtth 39); Sutton Valence*, 60 (Reynolds 5-10). Won. . Trinity*, 143 for 6 dee.(Reynolds 4-54); K.S.C., 144 for 8 (Shah 39, Butler 38). Won. *Home Team

RESULTS

K.S.C., 145 (Byford 47*); Dulwich, 106 (Westlake 3-26). Won. K.S.C., 61 (Westlake 27*); Eastbournc, 62-3. Lost. K.S.C., 85 (Knowles 25); Tonbridge, 86-3. Lost. P.G.H., H.E.J.A., W.R.P.

Junior Colts 'A' XI Colts XI

It is always going to be a disappointing season when_, _no matter what the result of the match the year before, the condtt~on of the pitch and the form of the batsmen, not enough attent~on is paid to the importance of the toss. Due to our poor bat_tmg form we should always have bowled first; on the occasions when' we did, we often got ourselves into winning~ or, rather, potential winning - positions. The bowling was always more consistent than the batting. Captain Ben Carey and Carl Margetts both bowled with aggression, although the latter was rather way~ard and d1d g1ve too many runs away at times. Ben was consistently our best bowler- he bowled straight- but he was well-supported by the ever-improving James Mitchell and, later iJ! the se~son, .by the returned prodigal (having experimented wtth tei_uus) Ntck Berry. It was a pity that Ben and James never ?ow led m tand~m, both demanding the downhill role, but _Ntck was certamly prepared to toil away when needed. J?amel Hol~stock was a very effective change-seamer, som_ettmes lackmg pace but developing into an important wtcket-~aker and a keen competitor. The spin department was provtded by Marc Nunn, although, due to the lack of runs by our batsmen, he sadly had only limited opportunities to develop a consistent !me and length. As indicated, the batting was largely about unfulfilled potential- we all looked good in the nets (well nearly all) but: in the middle tended to throw our Wickets away w1th 1eckless abandon. Ni~k Davies and Andrew Foinette looked .good occasionally but Nick found a variety ofways_to get out (qutc~ly) and Andrew, after a couple of plucky twenties early on, f~Iied to find any form thereafter. Ed Va!nker was brought m to strengthen the upper order and occast_onally stuc~ around_but, again failed to gain any degree of consistency. Dame! Holdstock and J;hn Knowles were the stroke makers and both scored some important runs, the latter hitting the ball espec~ally hard and finding more ways to get out than seems posstbl~. ~nthony Burton threatened a score but it didn't really matenaltse ~hen needed. However, we were fortunate that Ben Carey provt~ed a captain's innings on more than one ?c.casion. B~t, havmg criticised the batting, there was one shmmg exceptiOn; often with too much on his shoulders, Ben Wyand was. the one batsman with real ability and it showed on a number of important

This was one of the ablest (and largest) Colts cricket groups for so;ne years, and their results did not really do them justice. Three very different draws in well-contested matches were followed by a defeat against Tonbridge .in a hard-fought encounter, and the season ended With an excttt~g fimsh agamst Kent Schools, who only reached their target m the final over with the last pair at the wicket. The quicker bowling was impressive: Jm_nes Harborne was fast and aggressive, Henry Hardy was hosttle and thoughtful, and Oliver Fraser was very steady. In combmatton they were most effective. Tim Hamlin, John Hillier and Matthew Kmght provided medium pace back-up; It was a pity that pitc,h con'ditions for most of the season dtd not sutt Matthew Brooks s leg spin. The fielding supported the bowlers well, and Alex Hayes and John Hillier were particularly sharp. Stmon Cleobury provided the experience and solidity at _the top of the order, and was the most con~istent performer with the bat. Sam Parker started the season well but then faded. Alex Hayes was the _most improved batsman: his determination t? correct his tec~mque, especially against the sp!nn~rs, he~ped htm to play a ~ne mnmgs against Tonbridge. Pardtp St~h~ htt a. fierce. fifty agam~t Epsom, and Tim Hamlin and John Htllter chipped m on occasion. Alex Forrest and Philip Stubbings defended stubbornly to earn a draw at Eastbourne. It was a pity that Simon Youngman could not play more regularly: his fift~ against Kent Schools was a reminder of what had been missed. A combination of illness, injury, and other absences_ (both avoidable and unavoidable) meant that the team was neve_r at full strength. There were three different opening partn~rships and three different wicket-keepers. So all the more credit goes to the regular players, whose loyalty to the team was much appreciated. The 'B's started the season with a good win over Dulwich. A belligerent knock from Tommy Byford, well supported by Richard Johnson and Chris Letts, was followed by a fine spell from skipper Mark Westlake. A weakened side then succumbed to Eastbourne, only Westlake and Johnson putting up much resistance. John Knowles and Chris Letts got the side off to an

171

THE

CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

occasions. It was a surprise and a pity that he only scored one fifty: perhaps that was due to the Jack of support from the other end. He also kept wicket with reliability and flair. Although this was not a successful season, there were a number of highlights and we look forward to next year. _Team (played more tlum one game): Benjamin Carey (Cc1pt.), Nicholas Berry, Anthony Burton, William Carleton, Nicholas Davies, Andrew Foinette, Daniel Holdstock, John Knowles, C:arl Marge.tts, James Mitchell, Marc Nunn, Richard Steele, Edward Vamkcr, Edward Wyand.

the season. Different batsmen would play well in each game and a declaration would come with us around the 140 mark. The main problem would then present itself- the inability to bowl the opposition out! There were some excellent individual moments in the season. Four (~f the top five scored 50s, the other player failing to do so by JUSt four runs. Farrar had a century within his grasp but was bowled for 87. So near yet so far. It was generally in the second half of the game (fielding and bowling) where things fell apart. Dropped catches and missed run-outs had the effect of letting the bowlers down, and they needed all the luck they could get. However, the team played with great enthusiasm and lessons have been learnt that will stand them in good stead for the future. As this year-group moves through the school their results will improve considerably I feel. Despite the lack of favourable results, the fun and enjoyment remained an integral part of the time spent practising and playing. A special mention must be given to Matthew Chataway, without whose enthusiasm, reliability and dedication my position would have been impossible. He took care of all the day to day matters as well as controlling and captaining the team. Many thanks for a job well done. P.W.F. The tccun was selected from: Matthew Chataway (Capt.), David Farrar, Edward Eccles, Gbenga Odimayo, Alexander Harborne, Richard Woods, Oliver Robinson, James Winner, Alistair Russell, Henry Walpole, Richard Bayley, Joshua Pollen, William Gould.

RESUI:rs

Played 10, Won 2, Drawn I, Lost 7. v Epsom. Lost by 94 runs. (Holdstock 42) v Dover College. Lost by 5 wickets. (Wyand 40, Margetts 4- I9) v Highgate. Won by 6 wickets. (Wyand 39*, Holdstock 42) v Dulwich. Lost by 50 runs. v Eastbourne. Lost by 70 runs. v St Edmund's. Won by 3 wickets. (Knowles 59) v St Lawrence. Abandoned drawn. v Kent Schools Ul4. Lost by 6 wickets. (Wyand 54*) v Trinity Croydon. Lost by 6 wickets. v KCS Wimbledon. Lost by 43 runs. (Knowles 50) ED. V AtNKER.

Junior Colts 'B' XI \V_ith_ twenty-five different players representing the side, contmUlty was always a problem, particularly as many started the term with very little knowledge of basic cricketing principles. The most disappointing aspect was the lack of interest and total Jack of effort by most to improve. The bowling was not very accurate. There were 28 wides b?wled in the match against Highgate and 20 bowled against S1mon Langton G.S. The best bowling analysis was achieved by Tim Adams against Highgate: 6 overs, 6 runs, 4 wickets. The best bowling average was achieved by Andrew Foinette ( 17.7 runs per wicket), followed by Carl Margetts (20 runs per wrcket).

RESULTS

Played 14, Won I, Lost 8, Drawn 5.

Under Fourteen 'B' XI To lose eight out of eight matches may appear to indicate a disastrous season, but this was a spirited bunch of players with much latent talent who improved considerably as the season progressed. At the start we were incapable of scoring enough runs or taking wickets (though we did win the ten-over a side game against Epsom with Richard Bayley hitting splendidly: needless to say, that was the last we saw of him) but by the end we were playing some pretty good cricket. W~ were very unlucky to lose against Sutton Valence whose 'A' team we played. Chasing !57 they were 53 for five on a turning wicket but then the ram came, the pitch became a pudding and the ball a bar of soap: they scored sixty in about half an hour and we just could not pull it back when the rain stopped. And finally in a nicely balanced match against K.C.S. Wimbledon we were actually able to declare, and it was only two expensive overs at a key time that allo_wed them to win with three overs to spare. Another month of cncket and we would have been carrying all before us!

The batting was very fragile and sadly lacking in technique. Attack was employed at all times, even to a good length ball on the stumps. The best batting performance was by George Gossage: 51 against Highgate. The best average was 15 by Jonathan Nrcholson, closely followed by Paul Broxup with 14.7. Captains: Andrew Foinette, Edward Vainker, David Wellesley-Wesley. Others who played more than one game, with number of matches played in brackets: Timothy Adams (6), Nicholas Berry (2), Toby Bond (4), Paul Broxup (8), William Carleton (2), George Gossage (8), John Knowles (2), Thomas MacAdie (4), Carl Margetts (3), Charles Miller-Jones (6), Asian Mirza (7), Jonathan Nicholson (8), Giles Patrick (2), Nicholas Pope (5), Richard Steele (5), Charles Wells (3).

Of the batsmen, Will MacAdie occupied the opening spot with much credit with far more minutes than runs; Jamie Winner h~d ~of!le good h~rd-hitting goes and eventually played in a more d!SC!plmed fashiOn, though for fewer runs; Matthew FyjisWalker always looked the part but never quite got there; and Tom Dunn frequently held up his sinking ship. The most cffect1ve, however, was Tom Caney, the only player to pass fifty. He had an excellent temperament and nudged and nurdled away, occasionally letting loose a well-timed cover drive or a brutal pull. He also captained well in Tom Dunn's absence. Mark Hill came into his own in the final match, starting his innings left-handed and switching to right which caused some raised eyebrows, and Ollie Norris, a late-comer to the side played one gritty innings at number one. All the batsme~ developed good running between the wickets and learned to talk to each other, often saying the right thing. The bowlers, though they could produce some good balls, bowled too many bad ones. The leading wicket taker, Rohan Wijesurendra, bowled effective off-spin though he tended to pitch t?O short and too .straight (particularly when the ball was turnmg). Yorick Moes's legbreaks had the1r moments and Rory MacEwen bowled some pretty pacy stuff until injury caused his premature retirement: I hope it is only temporary.

RESULTS

Played 8, Won I, Lost 7. K.S.C., 79; Epsom, 80-2. Lost. Highgate, 160 (Adams 4-6); K.S.C., 163-7 (Gossage 51). Won. K.S.C., 44; Dulwich, 45-1. Lost. K.S.C., 101 (Broxup 41); Eastbourne, 102-1. Lost. Ursuline College, 182-3. Rain stopped play. Tonbridge, 148-6; K.S.C., 93. Lost. Simon Langton G.S., 183-5; K.S.C., 122 (Knowles 48). Lost. K.S.C., 90; Ursuline College, 92-4. Lost. K.S.C., 52; K.C.S. Wimbledon, 53-1. Lost. D.J.B.

Under Fourteen 'A' XI What the results confirm, is the fact that the team did not play well as a unit. What the results do not indicate, is the considerable progress made by many of the team as individuals. Unfortunately, the story line remained consistent throughout

THE

CANTUARIAN. LENT & SUMMER

1996

172

The catching was dreadful to begin with: indeed it was the ilfth match before one was held (by Richard Woods). Thereafter it became the norm to hold them, with Dave Burrows -- a much improved wicket-keeper- taking three diving stunners behind the stumps. The ground t1elding was nearly always very good, which made the odd blemish more obvious, and the throwing was excellent from the moment of Yorick's run-out against Epsom, through Tom Dunn's direct hit at Eastbourne right up to the end of the season. Tom Dunn led increasingly well in the field, gradually getting the knack of field-placing, a difficult task when one has little idea of where the bowler is going to pitch the ball or where the batsman is going to hit it. Yes, disappointing in terms of results, but there's enough ability here for the players to build on should they decide to do so. And in terms of the company they provided, I have rarely, if ever, had a more pleasant season. As one opposition umpire remarked: 'Your team is a splendid advertisement for King's.' With comments like that, who needs victories? Those who played: Tom Dunn (Capt.), Richard Bayley, David Burrows, Tom Caney, Matthew Fyjis-Walker, Will Gould, James Gulland, Mark Hill, James Hume, Ben Lethbridge, Alex King, Will MacAdie, Jamie Martin, Rory MacEwen, Yorick Moes, Ollie Norris, James Rowe, Alistair Russell, Graham Webber, Rohan Wijesurendra, Jamie Winner and Richard Woods.

pleasant atmosphere in which the game of cricket was played. Although always competitive, one got the distinct feeling that all concerned, on and off the field of play, enjoyed the game -- win or lose. One name stands out from the crowd when paging through the scorebook. That is Martin Field- Dodgson, our New Zealander. Martin is assisting in the P.E. department in this his Gap Year. One got the distinct impression that at times his bowling was a little too good to take wickets. Martin is a superb all-rounder and we wish him all the best in his future cricket endeavours. The Haymakers were only disgraced in the Alkham game where the opposition have obviously come to terms with the peculiarities of their ground and particularly their wicket. Nicholas Sellers must be congratulated on his catch which he held after running down the substantial hill which forms part of the boundary of this extraordinary ground. Guest players are always struck by the wonderful atmosphere and camaraderie which exists between masters and boys. Players of old might be interested to know that Bob Bee is still turning his arms over with success. Jonny White leaves King's for Westminster School. We have just about forgiven him for his once-yearly act of treachery when he has slipped into the Old Boars colours. We look forward to hosting his friends and him next year and wish him all the best in his new employment. All in all this has once again been a very enjoyable season. P.T.

RESULTS

K.S.C., 67; Epsom, 68-1. Lost. K.S.C., 63; Highgate, 64-5 (Wijesurendra 3-20). Lost. Dulwich, 211-5 declared; K.S.C., 26. Lost. Eastbourne, 200-3 declared; K.S.C., 126 (Russell 28, Dunn 24). Lost. K.S.C., !56 (Caney 55, Winner 26); Sutton Valence, 157-7 (Wijesurendra 3-43). Lost. Simon Langton, 170-3 declared; K.S.C., 82 (Winner 21). Lost. K.S.C., 88 (Caney 33); Trinity Croydon, 89-2. Lost. K.S.C., 133-4 declared (Hill28 not out); K.C.S. Wimbledon, 134-6 (Fyjis-Walker 3-8). Lost. G.D.W.

Played 7, Won 2, Lost I, Drawn 4. Haymakers, 150 (Field-Dodgson 55, Ziegler 22); Old Boars, 144-7 (Field-Dodgson 2-42, Smith 2-11 ). Drawn. Haymakers, 121-8 (Field- Dodgson 38, W.R.P. 35); Wandering Minstrels, 103 (Field-Dodgson 5-29). Won. Haymakers, 138-7 (Smith 71); Hick Forstal, 77 (Field-Dodgson 3-12). Won. Haymakers, 106-6 (Youngman 31, Abraham 41). Rain: abandoned game. Haymakers, 155-8 (Miles 45, Teeton 22); Old Devils, 149-6 (O'Neil-Dunne 4-20). Drawn. Haymakers, 166-7 (Williams 51, Bax 36); Prince of Wales Regiment, 137-9 (Chataway 5-35). Drawn. Alkham, 167 (Wyand 4-11); Haymakers, 71 (C. Pickering 21). Lost.

Under Fourteen 'C' XI Judging by the results, not one of our better seasons. Indeed, to have to report that we lost all our matches does not sound impressive. It is unfortunate that a combination of poor weather (it was consistently cold and uninspiring before half-term) and opponents' inability to raise a team deprived us of some of our more fun fixtures. The good news is that in every match we improved upon our previous score and restricted our opponents to a lower score. There are some pleasing moments to recall: Alex Dawes striking the ball very, very hard; Alex King being unfailingly cheerful and positive; Duncan McGregor as an enthusiastic, unorthodox and successful wicket-keeper; James Hume being an extraordinarily positive, thoughtful and reliable captain. Thanks go to Martin Ballands for his considerable assistance with the practices. Those who played in all the matches: James Hume, Alex Dawes, Alex King. There also played: Oliver Collins, Henry Cockburn, Jason Sandeman-Allen, Martin Graham, Thomas O'Doherty, Franklyn Gaye, Alex Hazell, Edward Pritchard, Gregory Williams, Oliver Norris, Jamie Briggs, Philip Brookes, James Gulland, Ben Lethbridge, Graham Webber, Duncan McGregor, J.A.T.

CANTERBURY HARVESTERS' TWENTY-SEVENTH TOUR One of the largest ever tour pat1ies enjoyed one of the most pleasurable and successful Dorset weeks for many years. The weather cleared in time for a sunny start at Sandroyd, and the sun continued to shine - both literally and metaphorically for the next five days. A remarkable spell from A.M.M. (5-36), well suppot1ed by J.S.H. (4-23), set us on our way by dismissing the Sandpipers for just 137. A.M.M. (37) was also in fine form with the bat, ttnd with useful contributions from T. D. L., H.M.R. and P.T., the target was reached with time to spare. With a rejuvenated side, we were able to challenge the Monkton Combe Cavaliers effectively for the first time, despite dropping several catches early on. Seven wickets fell for thirty runs in an extraordinary middle order collapse, with J.S.H. (5-52) and M.H. (2-15) doing the damage. G.C.A. (21) gave us a good start, reaching his 1,(XX) tour runs in the process, while M.J .Ha. (20) and T.D.L. (37) kept things going. A final burst from J.S.H. (26*) took us to the brink of victory, but with four required off the last ball, we could only manage two. Compton House were as hospitable as ever. M.H. (58) gave a solid backbone to the innings, with dashing support from M.R.F.-D. (32). D.M.H. (4-25) was soon among the wickets, and although Kerry Mathias hit fiercely and the fielders failed to catch anything offMJ .Ho. 's bowling, a comfortable victory was eventually recorded. Progress was slower on the Terrace. M.R.F.-D. (41) played the only substantial innings, with P.G.H. (30) supplying the pre-declaration hitting. The target of !51 was always gettable, and G.C.A., captaining in his 50th match, made sure that the home side kept going despite the regular fall of wickets to J.S.H. (4-42) and D.M.H. (4-49). M.J.Ho. then

THE HAYMAKERS C.C. Although the Haymakers managed to win only two games this yea.r, the numerous draws should not detra<;t from the fact that theSe were not dull encounters at all. The matches versus the Old Devils and the Prince of Wales Regiment went down right to the wire with few forecasting the outcome until very late in the day. A memorable feature of the season was the

173

THE

CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

air for our game against Chatham House. Tactically we achieved what we wanted and the team did well adjusting to the different positions necessitated by injury ~ until the second half. A combination of poor distribution from the back, a midfield that lost cohesion and poor fitness allowed Chatham House in as we failed to take our chances. There was to be little opportunity to gain momentum, for we met Simon Langton next who, with ten South of England players and one international, produced one of the finest displays of school hockey I've seen to dispatch us rather summarily. Over the next two weeks snow prevented practice, and illness and injury decimated the side. There was a feeling of some depression as with four key players missing we approached the game against a strong Eastbourne side (which went on to win the H.A. Divisional Youth Cup). Within the first five minutes we were 2~0 down following two very slick short corners. But we did not give up. The team showed real 'jees', defending well (particularly Lewis Mitchell) and orchestrating some very fine attacks. We drCw level. The cat was amongst the pigeons and anything could have happened. Sadly, a crucial umpiring decision which could have gone either way went against us and Eastbourne were one up. But what a splendid performance. We returned after half-term with fire in our bellies. Training went well. We played some outstanding hockey and won several matches convincingly. At last the cream was coming to the top. The one-touch passing, the holding of the ball and supportrunning enabled us to score 17 goals; the defence, increasingly solid, let in only two. But the highlight of the term was the Frank Mason Tournament. There was so much that was so good apart from the weather: snow in March! Despite the conditions the squad was determined, played very attractive hockey and dominated the morning matches, though found it hard to score. In the afternoon we were looking a little tired and against a much improved Chatham House side were fortunate to go through to the final on penalty strokes. Tonbridge were a strong, fit side with a high quality defence which we had difficulty penetrating. We found ourselves rueing an early missed chance. Pushing up in the later stages to give ourselves a chance of winning we conceded a goal and Tonbridge finished worthy winners. The whole Frank Mason squad can be proud of this performance, the best by a King's side in over two decades. The final match against Cranleigh was disappointing. Although dramatic to watch - it was end-to-end hockey and could just as easily been 8-8, 6Âˇ6 or 6-4 - the drama should not have been. We made too many defensive errors and the links between defence and midfield, midfield and forwards did not exist all the time. Next year seven players who have had first team experience will remain. Mini Gardiner in goal played well to dislodge Qin Wiseman, the first team goalkeeper for three seasons (and one of King's best); Chris O'Neil-Dunne grew in stature as a defender and scored nine goals from short corners - he can hit a ball; Leo Fransella is a canny dribbler, who often broke through in attack, and a fine thinking defender; Rob Sixsmith was calm on the right - his experience was missed in the later matches; Jamie Green settled into the side well, eventually in the key role at centre half, was voted Player of the Season and is a tremendous prospect for next year; Dave Smith played some outstanding hockey, scored four goals and had a tremendously positive influence on the side; Simon Youngman took time to score his first goal, some of his earlier shots forcing tremendous saves, but his instincts are right and he soon began to score more freely; Charlie Munday had to fight his way back afier a long lay-off through injury. Once he had regained his confidence and skill he was slicing his way through opposition defences again and finished as top-scorer; Mike Wharfe and Johnny Norris were in and out of the side. This experience of top level hockey will have served them well for next year. Tim Palmer, Captain, and his deputy, Chris North, both leave school this year having played a major role in King's Hockey. Chris is a fine player. Gritty and determined he is strong in the tackle and very effective going forward. His vision was rarely equalled. Injury throughout his time at King's prevented him from earning any representative colours which would have been thoroughly deserved.

provided a grandstand finish by taking his 1OOth tour wicket in the final over - appropriately with a catch in the deep by D.M.H. -leaving their last man to survive two balls to earn a draw. In the final match, at Salisbury, A.M.M. dominated the batting, racing to his maiden century with eighteen fours and two sixes. When he was out for 108, the total was just 141. A cameo from H.M.R. (33) then took the score to 210-7. M.R.F.-D., who had bowled with exemplary accuracy throughout the tour without taking a wicket, then proceeded to remove the first five Gentlemen of the Close, before returning to dismiss Bill Teeton in the final over to take us to our third victory. The tour ended with a fine barbecue as the floodlights came up on Salisbury Cathedral. Despite several injuries, this was one of our happiest tours. The balance of youth and experience was exactly right. The hospitality of Mike and Christine Hatch, Mike and Tina Weston, Bill and Carol Teeton and many others, was generous and much appreciated. And with several important targets in sight, the twenty-eighth tour is eagerly awaited. P.G.H. RESULTS Sandpipers, 137 (A. Hatch 43, A.M.M. 5-36, J.S.H. 4-23); Harvesters, 139-5 (A.M.M. 37). Won. Monkton Combe Cavaliers, 145-7 dec. (J .S.H. 5-52); Harvesters, 144-8 (T.D.L. 37). Drawn. Harvesters, !31-5 (M.H. 58, M.R.F.-D. 32); Compton House, !01-7 (D.M.H. 4-25). (20 overs.) Won. Harvesters, !50-8 dec. (M .R.F.-D. 41, P.G .H. 30); Sherborne Town, 140-9 (J.S.H. 4-42, D.M.H. 4-49). Drawn. Harvesters, 210-7 (A.M.M. !08, H.M.R. 33); Salisbury Gentlemen of the Close, 109 (M.R.F.-D. 6-26). Won. Tour Party: M.J.Ho., P.G.H., R.P.B., M.J.Ha., H.E.J.A., G.C.A., J.S.H., H.M.R., D.M.H., P.T., R.A.M., A.M.M., T.G.M.E. Aldridge, M.R. Field-Dodgson, M. Harris, T.D. Lee. Also played: A. Barker.

Boys' Hockey First XI As I went from the veld of South Africa to the new 'felt' of our second artificial pitch on Blores (with a brief sojourn in Barcelona to get to know the players again and prepare for the season), I was looking forward to coaching another King's First Eleven. The season proved to be mixed, starting unnecessarily poorly but finishing very strongly indeed, with the Eleven's best performance in the Frank Mason Tournament for over two decades. I knew the tour to Barcelona would be tough. In a country where school sport is minimal, club sides flourish and few as much as those in the capital of Cataluria. We gained so much from the tour, principally in our defensive play. Few King's sides have defended with as much cohesion as in the match against Atletico Terrassa. The performance was even more remarkable given the quality of the Spanish Youth Champions and the number of injuries we had to key players. I was very proud of all those that played in that match. Ed Radcliffe tackled and marked like a demon, his form very impressive. Much time in Spain was spent working on the team's attitude which I wanted to change this season. King's sides recently have all too often lacked the ability to be positive, to be a determined team on the pitch keen to work hard to get a result. Not in January in 1996 in Barcelona. But yes in January in 1996 in Canterbury. Against a weak Chaucer side we scrambled a 2-0 victory. There were the usual excuses about it being a midweek game, played under lights and late in the afternoon - but such excuses should have no part in sport at this level. There seemed to be a change in the

THE CANTUARJAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

174

Hockey 1st XI 1996 Tim Palmer was one of the best sweepers in the South of England during his years at King's. Hi_s ability 1? read a game, knowing when to go up in attack provided us with many goalscoring chances and his defensiv~ awar~ness prevented goals. His passion for the team and desire f01_Âˇ It to. succ.eed w~luld be worthy qualities for his successor to Inherit. His. advJce was always pertil1ent, mostly polite and much apprecmted. Gentlemen, remember- 'jees'! My thanks to all who have made this season possible: the groundsman, the catering staff and the parents who have supported so loyally. N.L.P. Temn from: Leo Fransella, Matthew Gardiner, Jamie Green, Charlie Munday*, Johnny Norris, Chris North* (Vice~Captain), Chris O'Neil-Dunne, Tim Palmer* (Captain), Ed Radcliffe, Rob Sixsmith, Dave Smith, Mike Wharfe, Qin Wiseman, Simon Youngman. Also played: Barnaby Cowin, Tom Kenwright, Lewis Mitchell '~First Colours RESUUS Played 10, Won 5, Drawn 0, Lost 5. Goals for 32, goals against 32. v Chaucer Technical College. Won 2-0. v Chatham House. Lost l-2. F Simon Langton. Lost 0-10. v King's School, Rochester. Won 3-0. v Eastbourne. Lost 2-4. v Cranbrook. Lost 3-8. v St Lawrence College. Won 4-0. v Kent College. Won 6-1. v Sir Roger Manwood's. Won 7-l. v Cranleigh. Lost 4-6. Goal Scorers: Charlie Munday (II), Chris O'Neil-Dunne (9), Simon Youngman (5), David Smith (4), Chris North (2), Tim Palmer (2), Ed Radcliffe (!). Fnmk Mtlson Tournament: Played 6, Won 4, Lost I, Drawn I. Lost 0-2 to Tonbridge in Final.

(N.L.P.)

175

THE CANTUARJAN. LENT & SUMMER 1996

2nd XI Hockey

3rd XI Hockey

Unable to compete with the glamour and sheer marketability of the Premier League, and as droves of boys in the Fifth form

Played five (out of nine arranged): won two, lost two, drawn one, and an unbeaten home record as well. A fairly decent record for the 3rd XI - and deservedly so, since we played a lot of good hockey. We were lucky that this year there was no Colts team (due to the number of defectors to football), meaning that we had a number of skilful fifth-formers at our disposal.

and 6B opted to play soccer this season, hockey is taking on all the characteristics of a hush-hush sub-culture. The scale of the exodus meant the annihilation of the Colts XI to the benefit of the 2nds. But even with the acquisition of a handful of extra fifth-formers, we had every reason to believe that we would

be thumped out of sight by other schools. That we emerged circuit - and we were never outclassed - is testament to the tremendous team spirit and enthusiasm of an excellent collection of individuals. I could not have come across a more unlikely and disparate host of players at the beginning of the season. Before his elevation to the 1st team, Mini Gardiner was our equivalent of the Great Wall of China- if a bit more mobile~ and he made some outstanding saves against Chatham House in particular. Tim Gomersall filled in after Gardiner's departure, and though he claimed he was enjoying himself, his expression as he said it was reminiscent of a man condemned to be hanged. Richard Letts was outstanding in his timing of the tackle at sweeper: he was virtually silent at the back, which was just as well, as it would have interrupted Kenny's flow of one~ liners in the midfield. Chris Handrup gave us much-needed muscle at the back. The fifth-formers of the side -- Tom Byford and Chris Letts -grew in stature as the season progressed, and these two names will fill out these columns in seasons to come. If the latter learns to concentrate and to listen to advice, he may develop into an excellent first team player. He was sufficiently skilful to offer us an attacking option in the inside left position, and a brilliant (late) individual goal against Kent College saved us the match. Tom Kenwright and James Hollaway provided many moments of comedy between them on the left- a so11 of latter-day Elvis and Costello. If Hollars ever decides to grow, his obvious skill will be devastating at this level. Dom Fendius occupied the centre forward position. He often got frustrated with himself in that isolated area. Yet, he came good towards the end of the season, and he scored a fine goal against Sir Roger Manwood's. In the centre of the pitch, Richard Homewood pulled all the strings. He never got fit, but he was influential- and he smiled a lot, which made him impossible to criticize. My warmest comments and thanks are reserved to the four 6As of the side: Simon Garnett was delighted to be in the side, and his enthusiasm and willingness to learn meant that he grew in authority at left back~ Torn Kenwright, the team wag and sometime play~maker; Lewis Mitchell, who is not only a marvellous athlete but became an excellently loyal team man; and finally to Barnaby Cowin. Barney was peerless in his play on the right wing. But most importantly, he was relentlessly cheerful and loyal, and he bound this motley crew together into the happiest and friendliest team I have come across at King's. I shall keep memories of an often successful and always funny season --and of Barney's quiet and amtblc leadership ... _ for a very long time. RESULTS Played 8, Won 3, Drawn 3, Lost 2. Goals for 19, Goals against 10. v Chatham House. Won 2-1. v King's, Rochester. Won 3-0. v Eastbourne. Lost 1-4. v Cranbrook. Drew 1-l. v St Lawrence. Drew 1-1. ~~ Kent College. Drew 1-1. v Sir Roger Manwood's. Won 5-0. v Cranleigh. Lost 0-2.

Motivated by ,the lack of navigational problems, we dominated our next game and beat King's Rochester 3-l as a result. The way in which this game was played was typical of the 3rd XI at their best: moments of individual skill, but ultimately playing_ (and getting a result) as a team. We suffered a narrow loss at the hands of St Lawrence, but against Kent College Simon Bodey grabbed a winner towards the end in a game we always looked capable of winning. The match against Sir Roger Manwood's was a tense one since we were anxious to preserve our unbeaten home record, and thanks to a good equaliser from David Greengrass, we did. Much of our success was down to teamwork: everybody contributed, but Stephen Bushnell (eventually lost to the 2nd XI) was a tower of strength in defence, and Simon Bodey always looked dangerous in attack. Many thanks to H.E.J.A. and to Martin (our New Zealander helper) for all their coaching and hard work. SIMON PEEL.

Team from: Simon Peel (Capt.), Simon Bodey, Stephen Bushnell, Tom Everett, Charlie Fordham, Alex Forrest, Tim Gomersall, David Greengrass, Chris Guth, Clemens Guth, Sam Knight, James Miller-Jones, Tom M011on, Simon Peachey, Tom Perkin, James Sandry. RESULTS Played 5, Won 2, Drawn I, Lost 2. v Chatham House. Lost 5-l. v King's Rochester. Won 3-1. v St Lawrence College. Lo"' 2-0. v Kent College. Won 1-0. v Sir Roger Manwood's. Drawn 1-1.

Junior C,:Qits 'A', 'B' and 'C'

SUMMER

1996

XI~_

The 'A' squad started without much of a reputation as a hockey~playing side, but improved remarkably over the season. An excellent performance at the County Under 15 Tournament confirmed that they were a force to be reckoned with. This was a tribute to Peter Firminger's expertise and endless energy, and to the players' own determination. It was pa11icularly impressive to bounce back after early defeats. Several good wins were recorded: the Kent College match saw a good fight-back after going 0-3 down, and only against Eastbourne were they outplayed. Ben Carey was a very talented goalkeeper, Will Carleton adjusted well to the r6le of sweeper, while Ed Sixsmith was increasingly skilful in defence. Sam London dominated the midfield, and showed the vision and positional sense of a player of real class. Lars van den Hout was a constructive link between defence and attack, Ed Wyand used his speed to sometimes devastating effect, often linking well with Tom Bell on the wing, while Simon Jennings scored several fine goals. James Brown, Andy Foinctte, Anthony Burton and Nick Davies all contributed effectively in a flexible and varying formation. The 'B's had mixed fortunes. At their best they played fluent passing hockey and their final record did not truly reflect their

The Team: Timothy Gomersall, Richard Letts, Thomas Byford, Christoph Handrup, Simon Garnett, Thomas Kenwright, Richard Homewood, Christopher Letts, Lewis Mitchell, James Hoi!away, Dominic Fcndius, Barnaby Cowin (01pt.) Also phiycd: Stephen Bushnell, Qin Wiseman, Matthew Gardiner, Jonathan Norris, Edward Radcliffe, Thomas Perkin J.C.M.W.

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

We started off the season wondering if we were going to be able to find where we were supposed to be playing our first match, because the driver of our team bus knew the way to the school but not the way to the playing fields. Consequently, Mr Aldridge had to ask several passers-by, and even some British Gas engineers for directions. As a result of all the stress, we lost 5-l to a very good Chatham House team, although it was only 3-J a few minutes from the end.

having been defeated only twice on this highly competitive

176

winter afternoon at the Canterbury Hockey Club we held on to a slender one-goal lead. By the time we came up against St Lawrence they too had experienced a drought of victories. '~he killer instinct had deserted both teams. Countless goal-sconng opportunities were squandered. In a mid-week game Sir Roger Manwood's handed us a severe hiding. Their star-studded team gave us a lesson in how teamwork is central to a team's success. Our participation in the St Lawre.nce Hoc~ey. Fe~tival was .a worthwhile experience. We only missed quahfymg for the semifinal stage on a goal difference of one. The last two games of the season were drawn. The match versus Cranleigh was played at a very fast pace indeed. Most of those who had followed the boys throughout the season were able to comment .tl~a~ all the players had matured tremendously. My only real cntlClSlll was that too many were inclined to believe that they alone co~ld achieve victory. In goal Oliver Harvey puiled off some amaz~ng saves. Most of the goals conceded were not due to goalkeepmg errors. In defence we were a little too flatfooted and did not always clear the ball properly when under pressure. The halves had real talent but might have retreated more quickly to help the defence out. Richard Bayley is an exceptionally fine player. He could go very far in this sport, as could Henry Walpole and Thomas Caney. If they could begin to think and look a little more laterally then they could be the instigators and perpetrators of many goals in the future. The team was ably captained by Yorick Moes. Hi~:~ organisational and communicative skills were executed flawlessly. Team: Richard Bayley (Vice-captain); Matthew Bennett; Thomas Caney; Edward Eccles; Matthew Fyjis-Walker; Mark Hill; Oliver Harvey; Oliver Martin; Yorick Moes (Captain); Alexis Murray-Jones; Gbenga Odimayo; Henry Walpole.

ability. All the matches were well.-contested â&#x20AC;˘. except for an inexplicable collapse of moral~ agamst Cran1eigh. Ia1~ Meyer deserves a special commendation as a remarkable stnker: he scored 7 of the 9 goals, including all four against Kent College. Ed Vainker, tirelessly energetic in midfield, Jon Nicholson, with an unmatched positional sense, and Marc Nunn, coolly efficient in defence, were the pick of the other players, but m~ntion could also be made of Toby Bond's converston to goalkeepmg, George Gossage's determination, Charles Miller-Jones's tenacity, Tom McHugh's strength, Nick Pope's deftness, and Tim Adams's calmness. The 'C's were unfortunate that the weather and cancellations reduced their season to just one match. On the other hand, they were able to play at Polo Farm regularly, as well as on Birley's, and the improvement in skill was remarkable. A.M.M. AND P.G.H. 'A' Team: Edward Wyand (Capt.), Thomas Bell, James Brown, Anthony Burton, Benjamin Carey, William Carleton, Nicholas Davies, Andrew Foinette, Simon Jennings, Samuel London, Edward Sixsmith, Lars-Eric van den Hout. Also played: Daniel Holdstock, Toby Nathan, Marc Nunn, Edward Vainker. RESULTS

v v v v v

Chatham House. Lost 1-3. King's Rochester. Lost 0-l. Simon Langton. Won 3-0. Eastbourne. Lost 1-4. Cranbrook. Won 2-0. v St Lawrence College. Won 1-0. v Kent College. Lost 4-5. v Cranleigh. Drawn 1-1. 'B' Team: Edward Vainker (Capt.), Timothy Adams, Toby Bond, George Gossage, Thomas McHug.h, Ian Meyer, Charles Miller-Jones, Toby Nathan, Jonathan Nicholson, Marc Nunn, Nicholas Pope. Also played: William Burgess, Nicholas Collins, Daniel Holdstock, Thomas MacAdic, Richard Steele, Olaotan TowryCoker, David Wellesley-Wesley, Charles Wells.

RESULTS

Played 10, Won I, Lost 6 Drawn 3. Goals for 9, goals against 27.

v Chatham House. Lost l-5. v Simon Langton. Lost 0-6. v King's Rochester. Lost 0-1. v St Edmund's. Won 1-0. v Cranbrook. Lost 4-6. \' Eastbourne. Lost 0-1 . v St Lawrence. Drawn 1-1. v Sir Roger Manwood's. Lost 0-5. v Kent College. Drawn 1-1. v Cranleigh. Drawn 1-1.

RESULTS

v King's Rochester. Drawn 1-1.

v Eastbourne. Lost l-4. v Cranbrook. Won 2-1. v Kent College. Won 4-1. v Cranleigh. Lost 1-6. 'C' Team: Miles Brice, William Burgess, Adrian Kowal,

Results at the St Lawrence Tournament: v Harvey Grammar School. Won l-0. v Dover College. Won 2-0. v Kent College. Lost 0-2.

Thomas MacAdie, Carl Margetts, Simon Middleton, Richard Steele, Olaotan Towry-Coker, David Wellesley-Wesley, Charles Wells, Samuel Young. RESULT v Cranlcigh. Lost 2-3.

Under 14 'B' XI The team took a while to settle into any real kind of routine at the start of term, and the early matches, against King's Rochester and Eastbourne, reflected this. We were also affected by the weather- the match against Duke of York's was sn~)wed off- and some illness, so that it was only just before half term that the team showed its potential, drawing against Cranbrook in a vigorous and well-contested game. Two good games against St Lawrence and Kent College built up further confidence and tcamworking, but our last match against Cranleigh blew all that away, the team going down 5-1 to a strong but inelegant opposition. There was some movement of players between the 'B' and 'C' teams: Oliver Robinson played in goal for the 'A's, 'B's and 'C's in the course of the term, and Ben Lethbridge proved equally versatile as his understudy. Feisty attack was provided by Oliver Collins, David Burrows, David Farrar, wing support coming from Tom Streeten and James Gulland. Tom Dunn and Duncan MacGregor provided solid midfield effort, while James Humc William MacAdie and Edward Pritchard (who proved himsei'f a valuable midfield player in the second half of term) defended with equal commitment This season should be seen

Under 14 'A' XI More than ever before, this season showed that schools that have many players who represent clubs and who play two te~ms of Hockey are at a distinct advantage when commg up agamst boys, such as our own, who play Rugby in the autumn term. It was a touch demoralising to encounter two well-tuned teams at the start of the season. We were well and truly outclassed in both instances. The match versus King's Rochester could have gone either way. However at East bourne we put on one of our best displays of the season. An early goal caused by a misunderstanding in the ranks of our defence allowed the opposition to score, well against the run of play. The fixture against Cranbrook was full of drama with the lead changing hands on four occasions. The ambitious nature of both teams resulted(jn a feast of goals, the most memorable being the one scored by Richard Bayley who dribbled the ball from within his own circle to the opponents' penalty area. Although we eventually went down, the game of Hockey had won the day. Our only victory came against St Edmund's. On a freezing

177

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMMER

1996

as one to build on, rather than producing dividends in its own right. Nothing would have been achieved without the invaluable work of Eirian Fox in coaching and motivating both the 'B's and 'C's in training throughout the term. P.A.L.-B. Team fl"om: Oliver Robinson, Ben Lethbridge, Richard

Woods, Martin Graham, William MacAdie, James Hume, Jamie Martin, Duncan McGregor, Tom Dunn (Capt.), Edward Pritchard, David Farrar, Oliver Collins (Capt.), James Gulland, David Burrows, Tom Streeten. Also played: Rory MacEwen, Jamie Winner. RESULTS Played 6, Won 2, Lost 3, Drawn I. Goals for 9, goals against 16. v King's Rochester. Lost 2-l. v Eastbourne. Lost 6-2. v Cranbrook. Drew l-l. v St Lawrence College. Won 2-1. v Kent College. Won 2-1. v Cranleigh. Lost 5-I.

on, losing only to Cranbrook by one goal. As the season continued we faced every match with the image of 'hard King's lasses', even though that was disproved by Beth's affection for the odd goal post. Our defence improved steadily throughout the season, with Laura establishing herself as a committed and effective goal-keeper, blocking exceedingly well even if she was facing the wrong way! Centre court play was fast and, when accurate, fairly dangerous. Kate, Louise, Claire and Hannah managed to block, create spaces and dodge to perfection. Our centre passes foxed many opponents and became more and more complex, until we confused even ourselves. Shooting was magnificent. Sally leapt here, there and everywhere and created many nifty little passes. She was ably assisted by our resident 'bean pole', Amy, the master of the bounce pass. They irritated us and their opponents beyond belief with their interminable passing yet never failed to produce the goals. Overall we have had a thoroughly successful and enjoyable season. We ended on a high, becoming the district champions. Many thanks are due to Miss Price: her dedication, love of the game and fun practices made us really want to go to Birley's three times a week. Thank you. We send our best wishes to Liz, who unfortunately had a major ankle operation and was unable to play, although she remained our dedicated coach, captain and mascot. Thanks: be back soon!

Netball 1st VII

Team: Liz Tarry (Capt.), Kate Cuppage, Claire Elliott, Beth Hicklin, Amy Joynson-Hicks, Sally Lewis-Jones, Hannah Ludbrook, Laura Perrin, Louise Squires. THE FtRST VII.

After a demoralising start against Croydon High, we went on to win the next ten matches. Our Croydon match kicked us into shape and we improved c;normously from the first moment

Netbal/ 1st VII 1996

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

178

Amy Joynson-Hicks and Sal/y Lewis-Jones (M.J. T.)

(M.J. T.) Sarah Hubbard-Ford (Centre): speedy, reliable and a continual asset to the team. Olivia Kirby (Capt.) (Wing Defence): jumpy and defensive, but able to attack. Kate Carroll (Goal Defence): improved greatly over the season showing herself to be a prominent force throughout the latter part of the season. Jean Richardson (Goal Keeper): solid marker, annoying many a shooter with her persistent awareness of play. Notable others: Ellie Kingsbury, Caroline Ng and Theresa Boyce.

2nd VII In the beginning of the season the large proportion of young blood in the team resulted in a tendency for the team's inexperience to show through. However, as the season progressed the team's awareness of each other on court improved and important bonds of friendship grew, spacing became more natural and the team began to use all the players effectively - drawing out each other's good points and supporting their weaknesses. An obvious pattnership that grew through the season was that of the two shooters (Camilla Jackson and Alice Walker). Alice's move from centre court to Goal Attack left her a little confused to begin with. However as her shooting improved so did Camilla's and together they either won or lost the matches for us. The defensive actions of Kate Carroll and Jean Richardson resulted in opponents rarely being allowed to see the light of the circle, and even if this effective block failed and one shot was allowed our opponents knew that was all they had. Otherwise the defence leapt into action, the ball moved rapidly and without hesitation up the court, being propelled along by the sheer brilliance of the centre-court players (Olivia Kirby, Sarah Hubbard-Ford and Mary Stevens) where, as always, the ball ended in our shooter's hands. Although our centre passes were a series of complex codes -never to be broken- our smoothest play came from riveting interceptions and fast reflexes from the whole team. The opposition still dazed, the ball catapulted up to our attacking end by the pure skill of the wing and centre-court.

OLIVIA KIRBY.

Under 16 VII At the start of the season we had a group of people who hardly even knew each other let alone had tried to play a strategic game of netball. But never the less we all had an interesting time on the netball courts. If nothing else it formed a useful time to work on the cellulite we had all acquired over the Christmas holidays. The team as a whole obviously had plenty of individual skill but somehow just did not seem to work together. Oli and Hilary, being twice the height of most of their opponents and having by far the longest legs, were able to sprint across the C{)urt at top speed- watch out, Sally Gunnell' Kate and Rachel both worked very well in the circle together and shot amazingly once they got going and Rachel had warmed up enough to take off her abominable snowman outfit. Our Broughton babes Becca and Theresa were really groovy people: they swapped on and off, so they never got tired and did most of the running and netball playing while everyone else was g~sping. for br~ath. Charlie Hunt and Lizzie Lamb were very reliable mppy wmgs, and kept the team morale up- two valuable players. Ally's long arms and explosive style as goalkeeper did much to keep the opposition away from her goal-post. Towards the end of the season things started to come together; and with Oli's 'Mr Motivator's warm-up workout' we could

The team consisted of:

Camilla Jackson (Goal Shooter): useful notably in the circle with her height and brilliant shooting capacity. Alice Walker (Goal Attack): useful in the centre-court where her speed; and fast reflexes were mirrored by her performance in the cirCle. Mary Stevens (Wing Attack): steady and careful player, important in supporting the sometimes unruly game played by the rest of us.

179

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

not fail. We won a couple of matches, one of them against Cranbrook (yippee, there is hope). We came third in the under-16 Tournament. Kate our captain, being enthusiastic, sadly hurt her fingers very badly - either intercepting an 80 m.p.h. ball or punching her opponent ... I would like to say thank you to Mrs McConnell who taught us lots of skilful moves, and that throwing the ball is better than thinking - or was it the other way round? - as long as you do it quickly. Also, thank you to Mr Fox for providing us with his team, who gave us all a huge ego-boost every time we played them.

and have been very pleased with the improvement shown in their netball and with their very positive attitude towards all the matches. J.A.W. The following girls played: Emily Perkin (Cipt.), Sasha Ball, Athena Chenery, Jennifer Dutton, Charlotte Inglis, Freya Jonas, Nikki Murch, Rhiannon Newman-Brown, Charlotte Tydeman. Madeleine Tyler, Eleanor Wharton. RESULTS

v v v v

ALEXANDRA AITKEN.

v v

Under 15 'A' VII

The hardest match of the season was also our first, three days into the Lent term, against Croydon High School. At that stage, we had not yet had a practice as a team. Despite putting up a gallant fight, we lost heavily. This defeat served to drive us into action and we all made an effort to improve our skills for the next challenges. The team displayed great talent and as the season progressed so did our skills. We became a 'force to be reckoned with' by the end of the season. Our full potential was displayed in the match against one of our greatest rivals, Kent College, and after a hard match we came out the victors. Working together as a team was one of our many great assets with a brilliant partnership between Becky Seath and Lowri Fox in attack as Goal Shooter and Goal Attack, and very effective and accurate work in the centre from Julia Wharfe and Timmy Akindele. The defence altered during the season and Alex Elliott, Sarah Mat1in and Kate Emary resulted in a tough barrier for opposing attackers. We must thank our coach, Mrs Wood!ey, for persevering with us through the term; this can't have been easy at times. We all look forward to future success. The team was chosen from: Sarah Martin (Capt.), Temitayo Akindele, Sasha Ball, Alexandra Elliott, Kate Emary, Lowri Fox, Emily Perkin, Rebecca Seath, Julia Wharfe.

Under 14 'A' VII As this was our first season we have played netball together, there was a lot to establish at first. But as soon as the team was organised, we seemed to hit a winning streak. Mr Fox and Miss Reidy corrected our faults, and after numerous 'sit~ups', 'star jumps' and 'suicides', our fitness improved as well. All with our different styles, experience and ideas, the team miraculously worked well together. Our alternating shooters (Toro Ogundoyin, Camilla Cook, Jac Wheeler and Nicole Kwan) managed some overwhelming scores and shot over 200 goals between them. Our wings, Frances Marden and Sophie Chapman, working along with Emma Hayes (as centre), dominated the centre third and kept the game together. This was all backed up by our reliable and determined defence (Lucy Bridge and Louise Robertson) who maintained control of any opposing attacks, and kept our opponents' score to a minimum. We all enjoyed the term immensely, with only one loss to Kent College. The squad owe a lot to Miss Reidy and Mr Fox who stuck with us throughout the term! Tcmn from: Lucy Bridge, Sophie Chapman, Camilla Cook, Emma Hayes, Nicole Kwan, Frances Marden, Adetoro Ogundoyin, Louise Robertson, Jacquetta Wheeler. RESULTS Played 10, Won 9, Lost I. v Croydon High School. Won 15-8. v Ursuline College. Won 41-2. v Dover Grammar School. Won 17-9. v Maidstone Grammar School. Won 15-8. v Cranbrook. Won 10-9. v Kent College. Lost 13-ll. v St Edmund's. Won 27-0. v Simon Langton G.S. Won 26-9. v Walthamstow Hall. Won !7-ll. v Sutton Valence. Won 30~2.

SARAH MARTIN.

I was very pleased indeed with the Under-ISs' progress this year and their standard of play both individually and as a team improved rapidly throughout the season. They were very ably captained by Sarah who led her team with a quiet and confident authority and her consistent play, interspersed with some brilliant interceptions on the netball court, as Goal Defence, formed a firm basis on which the team relied. J.A.W. RESULTS v Croydon High School. Lost 10-50. v Bethany School. Won 33-5. v Benenden. Won 24-6. v Cranbrook. Lost 26-15. v St Edmund's. Won 32-12. v Kent College. Won 23-19. v Sevenoaks. Won 35-14. v Simon Langton G.S. Cancelled. v Wa!thamstow Hall. Won 18-9. v Sutton Valence. Won 42-8.

EMMA HAYES.

Under 14 'B' VII We had a successful season and were unbeaten. Both attack and defence were strong and our passing in the centre third was also a strength. Many thanks to Mr Fox and Miss Reidy. RESULTS

Under 15 'B' VII

v Croydon High School. Won !3-8. v Maidstone G S. Won !0-l. v Cranbrook. Won 6-3. v Kent College. Won 19-0. v Dover College. Won 33-5. v Wa!thamstow Hall. Won 27-2. Team from: Caroline Bagley, Anne Davies, Laura Eldon, Mary Fitzgerald, Melissa Gainsford, Catherine James, Nicole Kwan, Katherine Letts, Kate Marris, Emily Smitham. Also played: Robiera Crouch and Jacquetta Wheeler.

After a short settling-in period, this team began to work extremely well together and by the end of the season were playing some very good netball. They were particularly strong in the centre where four good talented players competed for three places. Captain Emily Perkin, Meg Tyler, Rhiannon NewmanBrown and Jenny Dutton all moved quickly and handled the ball well; their footwork was particularly good. Nikki Murch returned to the team after injury and played in the defending goal with Sasha Ball, and Lottie Tydeman and Freya Jonas with her much-improved shooting action, scored the goals. I very much enjoyed coaching the Under 15 netball squad this season

THE CANTUARJAN, LENT

Croydon. Cancelled. Ursuline College. Won 16-ll. Benenden. Lost 6-14. Cranbrook. Lost 9-17. Kent College. Won 15-12. Sevenoaks Won 17-10. Dover College. Won 21-9. Walthamstow Hall. Lost 11-14.

SUMMER

!996

EMILY SMITHAM AND ANNE DAVIES.

180

other G.B. hopefuls. In their double scull on the second day they reaffirmed their superiority winning by sixteen seconds. In the second long distance trial a fortnight later in Peterborough, Frances and Zoe qualified for Easter trials with an excellent performance in a double scull. After halftenn, at the Henley Schools' Head, Lucy, Saskia and Frances were joined by Zoe Arthur as a top quad was selected and raced for the first time. Arriving early in the morning the quad was able to have two productive outings before the race totalling about 20 km. In the race itself, the quad, despite its punishing morning outings, was untouchable and won by 31 seconds just two seconds behind the winning women's eight! Next on the agenda was the Schools' Head of the River and the defence of the title won a year previously. The Head was to give the quad a most decisive victory: by 49 seconds in 15 minutes and just six seconds behind the winning girls' eight. A second quad of Camilla Barker, Katherine Rouse, Kirsten Luther and Claire Baldwin raced in the same category and came 8th. The term was concluded with three of the quad (the exception being Saskia who was too old) being invited to G.B. Easter trials at which Lucy and Frances qualified for the team to race in Munich (rather disappointingly as the 3rd fastest double). Zoe came 12th out of 16 which left her no place in the team. After a gruelling but enjoyable Easter training camp in Seville, the squad returned ready for the regatta season. The seat racing now showed that Kate Dover was also in the frame for a top quad seat and that she, Saskia and Zoe were virtually inseparable. Following convincing wins at Poplar (where Frances picked up gold medals numbers six, seven and eight from this event alone) and Notts City regattas, the squad began to prepare for the big event of the term, National Schools' Regatta. In subsequent trials, Saskia and Zoe took the seats in the quad with Lucy and Frances and we undertook our first 'peak cycle' of training.

The Boat Club Senior Girls' Sculling Squad In September 1991 two fourteen-year-old girls met in the annexe of the dining room in a meeting about girls' games. During the meeting, the whole year group were told about the options for games at King's. At the end of the meeting the taller of the two asked 'When can I go rowing?' and at that moment began a five year adventure for the pair of girls that would revolutionise the Boat Club. This year was to be the last of their King's rowing careers and it would have to be a t111ly remarkable year if they were to continue achieving 'King's firsts' at the rate they were achieved in the first four. It was. The greatest tribute to Lucy Heise and Saskia Stirling-Aird is not their collection of medals, pennants, pots, tankards and representative kit, but the way in which they have attracted other girls to the Club and the atmosphere of fun they have generated and maintained within the girls' squad. The Lent term began with the formation of two equal ability quads which began the hours of steady state training in freezing winds and rain that the north cast wind from Scandinavia brings to Westbere. Our first event was to be the Cambridge Head-toHead but the Cam froze closing the river and in the snow the squad, after initially mocking, were gratefully introduced to the delights of hot Ribena. The section of the river in the town remained fluid, however, and some good paddling was possible on a deserted river. A week later at the Hampton Head, the two quads were able to race and came second and fourth behind a composite quad containing four G.B. internationals. Two weeks later at the G.B. long distance trial we were far more successful. Over a distance of seven kilometres, Lucy and Frances Houghton were to come first and second respectively in their single sculls, beating all

Lucy Heise, Saskia Stirling-Aird, ZoC Arthur and Frances Houghton, winners of Schools' Helld and Nutional Schools' Regatta. (M.P.H. D.)

181

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

On the weekend of her 18th birthday, Lucy was to take the regatta by storm. In the single sculling event, both Lucy and Frances came through their heat and semi-final without too much bother, qualifying for a final that was to contain five junior internationals including two World bronze medallists. Into a stiff head wind, Lucy led the field off the start enjoying the slightly calmer conditions in lane six. She took a lead of about three quarters of a length before the field began to

close on her. Meanwhile Frances fought an eventually successful battle for fourth spot. With 250 of the 1500 metres left, Lucy still led, now by a matter of a few feet and was finally overhauled with about 50 metres to go. Somehow, beyond the understanding of even herself, she managed to put in a decisive spurt to retake the lead and win by 3 feet. In the double sculling event on the Sunday, Lucy and Frances were Members of 1st VIII in training: absolutely dominant, generating by far the greater boat speed but maintaining the excitement by making three expensive mistakes. Again, the finish was close but they ran out winners in the end by clear water. The quad by comparison was a demonstration performance. Taking a length every 250 metres on the entire field, they romped home by 22 seconds. The second quad in the non-championship 'Girls' Quads' event raced splendidly to come in third suggesting that King's is now not only on the map for girls' sculling, but looks as if it may continue to set the standard for a few years yet. Never before had the Boat Club (boys included) won a Championship event at N.S.R. and this astounding group of girls had won three and, in doing so, Lucy became the first girl from any club ever to win all three Championship sculling events in the same year.

& SUMMER 1996

with a sense of purpose and, above all, even under the greatest tension and pressure, has an aura of fun and enjoyment about it. The first quad was: Saskia Stirling-Aird*, Lucy Heise*, Frances Houghton* and Zoe Arthurt. * indicates first colours re-awarded i"indicates first colours The second quad was: Claire Baldwin, Kate Dover, Katherine Rouse and Camilla Barker. All are awarded second team colours M.C.L.

Junior 15 Boys

On to Women's Henley and a set of truly remarkable races. In the doubles event King's were absolutely dominant. Having destroyed the toughest opposition in the first two rounds with 'easily' verdicts and by removing 12 seconds from the course record, Lucy and Frances qualified for the semi-finals. Saskia and Zoe beat opposition from an American school and also qualified for the semi to race our third double who had received byes to that stage. The selections for the 'a', 'b' and 'c' boats were shown to be correct as Zoe and Saskia beat Kate and Claire but were then beaten by Lucy and Frances in the final giving King's its first ever Henley medal for boys or girls. The quad event provided one of the best races of the whole regatta. Having qualified for the final by beating crews from Lady Eleanor Holies, Worcester Rowing Club and the South African Junior Rowing Team, the King's quad lined up against a composite quad made of four girls from the G.B. junior team. With the composite leading at half way by a little under half a length, the King's quad began to claw back the deficit. With the King's rate of striking as high as 44 at the finish, the decision was left to the finish adjudicator who awarded victory to the composite by one foot! The agony of it was, and is, immeasurable. As final trials for the G.B. team approach, hopes are high for both Lucy and Frances to qualify for the World Championships, this year to be held in Strathclyde, Scotland. It seems remarkable to me that the adventure embarked upon five years ago by those two 14 year~old girls could possibly be over. The void that they will leave in the Club will be immense but the legacy that they leave is that of a girls' Club that demands success, expects to train rigorously, conducts itself

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

Mike Smith, Charles Foinette, Ed Sterck and Pete Baines. (M.J. T.)

We had an VIII and a IV this term - and particular thanks to the IV, who never had a glamorous time, but whose training and effort means we have a depth of numbers at this level, without which an VIII is very insecure. We sta11ed the term off with a brief training camp at the Costa del Westbere, to try to make up for all the days lost when the lake froze over the term before - which had something to do with a not very glorious position at the Schools' Head: King's should not be out of that top 10, let alone top 20! And it was good fun. But there was still a lot to do. My worry was that they were a touch complacent. They were a big lot, they'd done well as Jl4s, so was there a feeling success would be automatic? At this level the big boys come out to play Eton and Radley (3 Jl5 crews each!), Teddy's, Hampton, Shrewsbury, Chester, etc., etc. Poplar was a bit of an awakening. We were left for dead really. Wake up time. But of course it's a bit late to wake up with only weeks before N.S.R. and all the vital training period over! Wallingford was better: against Kingston in the first round we lost but stayed in touch - which we never did at Poplar. Then arrived our new boat - many thanks, Mr Lawrence for battling for us! And Thames Ditton. Kingston again! This time it was a real race: 500 metres from home we were a canvas down and going up, then suddenly I think they had a moment of doubt- 'What are we doing up here?'- and they didn't press home their attack. Rethinking was now done; my experience of rowing is that the great stroke men are all nuts, so we changed the rigging to get the biggest nutter in to stroke.

182

The crews were selected from: Daniel Kelly; (N.S.R. stroke) At N.S.R. we entered for the top 15s division- not the B, Peter Sharp; James Graham; James Morrison; Alexander Reeve; or second. And there all the big guns were. We took off with Edward Everett; Kenneth Brookin; Roland Phillips; Jonathan a great start - in the lead - then the battle took off. Six crews Burr; (cox) James Shattock; Michael Moir; Jonathan Ellis; all level. In the last 500 metres it was almost frightening, but Thomas Calvert; (cox) William Proudfoot. with a marvellous effort, they pipped King's Chester to get through to the final. So, in the end, one of the top six crews in G.B. But the final was forty minutes later and this crew had exhausted themselves. All those nasty days the tenn before when Junior 15 Girls they hadn't really worked hard at it, or they'd wanted to come in early, now came home to roost! With this brief recovery Even though we have not had a particularly successful season, period, they just did not have another 2,000 metre race in them. we have all enjoyed ourselves tremendously. We have now attended two regattas, which Others did. I do hope they is fairly ambitious since we learn that lesson- it's vital were all practically for their future success! beginners at the start of the After half term they had a summer. To our first regatta, dozy race at Marlow (after a Thames Ditton, we took a 7 hour wait), beating King's very mixed crew including Chester but going down to Sarah, Leo, Polly and Jane, Abingdon. At least the next with Caroline as cox, and we day they had the pleasure of had a good race against beating Abingdon at Thames Kingston Grammar School 'B' Valley Park, with a far more crew, losing by a few lengths. lively row. They raced a fine final, but came second to To our next regatta, Teddy's by half a length Thames Valley Park, we Teddy's had been medal wanted to take two quads and winners at N .S.R. two doubles. Unfortunately, because there were too many Well, this Crew are a very entries, the 'B' quad had to nice lot. One of them even withdraw and only the 'A' put up with being coached by quad could row. We lost to his father. All of them L.E.H. 'A' and Bryanston stat1ed to fit in together- to 'B' by only one length. The show signs of being a real doubles were also exciting, crew, not eight individuals. Sarah and Charlie only And the cox was a losing by half a length to formidable bully' A cox with Kingston Grammar School style. and Leo and Polly only How will they do in losing by a couple of lengths future? They ought to to L.E.H. become one of the best 1st We must thank 'Kadams' Vllls for a long while - but for coxing our quad, and it will be tough. That nasty, great thanks also go to Mr hard, winter training just Woodward, our coach, who must happen. And it has persevered with us and sometimes worries me that helped us to improve so there are more and more much. siren voices amongst their peers telling them they must SARAH MARTIN AND be mad: why bother, why Senior Girls' Tennis 1996 CHARLOTTE INGLIS. work hard? If the going gets 'A' Qwul: Polly Redman, Leonora Dawson-Bowling, tough, give up. The days when people admired those who Charlotte Inglis, Sarah Martin, Katherine Adams (cox). commit themselves to fighting the very best schools in Britain, at whatever cost to their own convenience, seem under threat. 'B' Quad: Jane Ho, Laura Cameron, Caroline Page, Rebecca I hope very much they resist this: I think they will, because Ollerearnshaw. 1 think that at N.S.R. they saw just a glimpse of what they might be able to do, if they really go for it. And at the end of the day it's those who never set themselves real challenges who, while they may have a comfortable time, will never know a truly great one. This lot should go for the great option; I think they could make it! The thanks ... I was very grateful to Mr-who-became-Drin-the-middle-of-it-all-Bosworth, for increasingly taking over 1st VI the coaching load. His 'psych-ups' I know had a quite The results seem to say it all- a mixed season for the Girls' remarkable effect on the crew and it was highly embarrassing Tennis first team. Of eight matches played we won four and that he actually did all the warm-ups and circuits with the crew, lost four (not always easily), illustrating the fact that when our rather than just describing them ... Peter Willis: well, almost full first team were available and playing, we proved to be a 25 years of thanking him and the thanks get more sincere each very strong team. Unfortunately though this was not always year. Martin Lawrence: I have known four Masters in Charge possible due to exams and so often the first team was very much of the Boat Club and it's no insult to them for me to say that a combined one - hence the results. However, we did manage the work Martin has put in, in this, his first year, must break a highly successful run for the second year in a row in the the past records of even those deeply committed and hardAberdare Cup, defeating St Edmund's 5-1 and Highw01th Girls' working;- men. (Mrs Lawrence deserves a vote of thanks for School 4-0. Benenden proved, though, just that little bit too putting up with it!) And he gets us new boats- come on, blades strong for us, knocking us out by winning 5-1. Yet the score next, please! -; and he seems able to do cheap deals with all in no way matches the standard of play which was extremely sorts of luxurious hotels ... high with some very good matches played. A big thank you S.J.G.

Girls' Tennis

183

THE CANTUAR!AN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

----

Fo~r fifth-formers entered the Kent Cup, a competition orgamsed for the Under 16 age group. Top pair Kim and Jo, although eligible, did not play in this competition because they were well-established in the 2nd VI, so it was good to give other pt~omisi~g players a chance to play in more matches. An easy wm agamst Kent College and a walk-over in the third round did not prepare our team sufficiently for the strong and very purposeful opposition provided by Folkestone G .S. The format of each match includes four singles and two doubles rubbers, and as our girls have very little chan~e to play singles our results are inevitably better in the doubles. The girls played very well, however, and they all show promise for next year. The Kent Cup team was: Maddy Morgan (Capt.), Alice Walker, Sarah Hubbard-Ford, Melanie Siddons.

should go out to Amy Joynson-Hicks and Jo Pringle who both played brilliantly in this last match and to Kate Cuppage, for pla~mg on despite the injury to her feet, Our previous match agamst Benenden earlier on in the season was a match that showed us to better advantage. Louise Squires and Theresa Boyce who were both playing for.th~ first tim~ in the senior team should be congratulated on their Immense Improvement and their complementary rOles when playing together. Now that their confidence has grown in match play, they should be able to really prove themselves next year. Both Amy and Jo played extremely steadily throughout all matches and always managed to stay calm - a vital attribute! Kate showed herself to be a very loyal partner; not only was it her determination on court that should be acknowledged but also her never-ending encouragement that, more often than not, helped to turn many a match around in our favour. Lastly a big thank you to Mrs Woodley without whose endless help .and support the first team would certainly not have functiOned. Good luck to Amy who will captain the team next year; her loyalty and big serve will undoubtedly be invaluable assets.

RESULTS

2nd VI: v Kent College. Won 8-1. v Walthamstow Hall. Won 2-1. v Benenden. Won 5-4. v Sutton Valence. Won 3-0. v Ursuline College. Cancelled. v Dover College. Won 9-0. Under 16 VI: v Sevenoaks. Won 7-2. v Benenden. Lost 0-9.

LUCY ROWE.

. I am very grateful to Lucy for all she has done for girls' tennis m her two years with us at the school. Her high standard of play and her lovely easy style set an example to the rest of the team. She was at her best in the singles matches of the Aberdare Cup where she was able to show the variety of her stroke play and her tenacity, particularly in the Benenden match. We have had a distinguished record in this competition, particularly since the early 80s when we were Kent champions; we look forward to maintaining our reputation. J.A.W. The team was: Lucy Rowe (Capt.), Theresa Boyce, Kate Cuppage, Amy Joynson-Hicks, Jo Pringle, Louise Squires.

Kent Cup

v Kent College. Won 5-1. v Polkestone G.S. Lost 1-4. J.A.W.

Under 15 'A' VI The tennis season for the Under 15 'A' VI has been very successful with everyone playing extremely well. The team consisted of Nikki Murch, Julia Wharfe, Lottie Tydeman, Emily Perkin, Tessa Dain and Harriet Shere, with Becky Potter and Eliana Katsiaouni playing in a couple of matches at the start. We lost to only two schools- Benenden and Sevenoaks -but we probably played our best tennis against them. We had a good run in the Midland Bank tournament, winning our league group. However, we lost in the regional semi-finals to Benenden by a very close margin, winning the same number of sets, but losing by three games. We would all like to thank Mrs Pryce for her help and encouragement.

RESULTS

v Kent College. Won 9-0. v Walthamstow Hall. Won 3-0. v Sevenoaks. Lost 2-7. v Ashford. Cancelled.

v Benenden. Lost 4~5. v Sutton Valence. Won 3-0. v Ursuline College. Cancelled. v Dover College. Won 7-2. v Simon Langton G.S. Lost 1-2. v Cranbrook. Lost 0~ 3. v St Edmund's. Won 6-3.

NIKKI MURCH.

Aberdare Cup

The team was: Nikki Murch (Capt.), Tessa Dain, Emily

v St Edmund's. Won 5-1. v Highworth G.S. Won 4-0. Lost to Benenden in the

semi~finals

Perkin, Harriet Shere, Lottie Tydeman, Julia Wharfe. Also played: Eliana Katsiaouni and Rebecca Potter. RESULTS v Walthamstow Hall. Won 2-1. v Sevenoaks. Lost 3-6. v Benenden. Lost 1-8. v Simon Langton G.S. Won 3-0 v Cranbrook. Won 2-1. v St Edmund's. Won 2-1.

of the Kent region by l-5.

2nd VI and Unde1Âˇ 16 VI The players of the 2nd VI and the Under 16 VI formed an informal squad which interchanged because their availability for matches very much depended on the exam timetable. Before half-term, Susie Tydeman loyally captained her team and was well-supported by fellow-examinee Emily Keim. Their co~tribution, together with a strong and very reliable second pair, ~ate Ca:ro_ll an~ Emma Ketteley, and a very promising fifth-form pauÂˇ m Kun Farrar and Jo Martin, produced a remarkable set of results and they achieved an unbeaten record. After half-term, squad players Lizzie Stephenson and Mary Stevens stepped in to continue the team's successes and the team was also reinforced by Under 16 players who gained more experience in match play. Girls who played were: Susie Tydeman (Capt.), Kate Carroll, Kim Fa1:rar, Sarah Hubbard-Ford, Emily Keim, Emma Kcttelcy, Jo Martm, Maddy Morgan, Lizzie Stephenson, Alice Walker. Also played: Sarah Wellesley-Wesley, Jessie Gulland, Rebecca Arnold, Raylah Elsom. THE CANTUAR!AN. LENT & SUMMER 1996

Midland Bank Competition v Herne Bay. Won 6-0. v Kent College. Won 6-0. v Dover G.S. Won 6-0. Lost to Benenden by 31 games to 28 in the regional play-off.

Under 15 'B' VI There was very little difference in the standard of play between the 'A' team and the rest of the squad so all members were able to play in matches without a drop in standard and they all achieved a very creditable set of results over the season. Eliana Katsiaouni and Rebecca Potter played several games for the 'A' team and both girls have gained in confidence and

184

-~-- ---~--~

improved their game considerably since the beginning of term. They were supported particularly well by Sasha Ball and Kate Emary and the rest of the squad were all loyal members of the team. We entered two teams in the Midland Bank competition. The 'B' team didn't quite win their section because they lost to a strong Ashford team but they had two good wins against Folkestone and Queen Elizabeth's, Faversham. We are all grateful to Mrs Pryce for her enthusiastic coaching and help; I know she, in turn, enjoyed coaching the squad. J.A.W.

The following girls played: Rebecca Potter (Capt.), Sarah Bainbridge, Sasha Ball, Athena Chenery, Sophie Dain, Emily Hague, Eliana Katsiaouni, Daniclle Rowe, Poppy Savage. RESULTS Walthamstow Hall. Won 2-l. Sevenoaks. Lost 3-6. Benenden. Lost 2-7. Kent College. Won 7-2. Simon Langton. Won 2-1. v Cranbrook. Los! 1-2. v Dover College. Won 6-3 v Ursuline College. Won 2-0

v v v v v

....

Frankie Jennings. (Sarah Knight)

Association Football

Midland Bank Competition

v Ashford. Lost 0-4. v Polkestone G.S. Won 5-1. v Queen Elizabeth's. Won 4-1.

1st XI After the departure of the majority of last season's unsuccessful side, this was always going to be a season of rebuilding. That we should come out of it with a certain amount of credit is a testament to the somewhat risky youth policy adopted by our coach - six of the squad of twelve were tlfthformers in their first major season of football since prep-school. They all coped exceptionally well with the rigours of first team football and consequently the future of King's football looks very bright. The first half of the season was defmitely better than the second. Prior to half-term we notched up sixteen goals in five matches with good wins secured against Ursuline College, Reigate, and the O.K.S. along with a very creditable 3-l defeat against national semi-finalists Brentwood in which we led for much of the game. After half-term however, the results did not g() our way, apart from a satisfying victory over Tonbridge. The game against Westminster, a fixture in which our success has been sparse, was probably the most exciting yet unrewarding of the season. After going 3-1 down and looking outclassed, we rallied superbly competing fiercely for everything, and finally levelling the score at 3-3. Such a result would have been just, yet poetic justice abandoned us as they scored with seconds left. This match typified our team spirit and fighting qualities, but did not reward the side that played the game in the proper spirit. Thanks must be given to the captain James Capel, who was also voted player of the season, for his calm yet effective leadership, and also to our revered coach Mr Newbury for his wholehearted and enthusiastic commitment lO the season --Âˇ which extended to getting us all eating bananas on a regular basis and fasting on Saturday mornings in his pursuit of total football.

Under 14 'A' and 'B' VIs This has been a most successful season for the Shell girls at King's. All the girls have played excellent tennis, showing great commitment and a good competitive spirit. They have had an unbeaten record this season. The weather has been mostly favourable, although at the start of the season it was rather windy and chilly. The first couple in the 'A' team were Nicole Kwan and Enuna Hayes, who demonstrated repeatedly good tactics and accurate strokes. They arc impressive players and cettainly a couple to watch out for in the future. Miranda MacLaren, Katherine Letts, Melissa Gainsford and Camilla Cook all performed to a very high standard and contributed to the success of the 'A' team. Katherine Peel and Katherine Bodey played very well this term, developing a very happy and successful partnership. They played for the 'A' and 'B' team~;. Emily Smitham, Rosie Phipson, Catherine James, Louise Robertson, Jacquetta Wheeler, Daisy Lloyd-Smith, Laura Eldon and Katie Loden played regularly for the 'B' team, made many tlne shots and all enjoyed their matches. All the girls are to be commended on their efforts this term. There is great promise for the future~ RESULTS

v Kent College. Won 7-2. v Dover College. Won 8-1.

v Walthamstow Hall. Won 5-4. \' Benenden. Won 5-4. \'Sutton Valance. Won 7-2. v Simon Langton Girls. Won 7-2. v Faversham. Won 6-3. v Cranbrook. Won 5-4. v Ashford. Won 7-2. v St Edmund's. Won 8-1. v Ursuline Convent. Won 6-3.

Individual players: Gareth Williams (Goalkeeper): There were early doubts about our new keeper's choice of football in the first match when he seemed more interested in the attacking force of the girl's hockey team on the astro than the one heading towards him representing Ursuline College. However, he proved himself a competent keeper with safe hands and enjoyed coming out of his area a lot. Alistair Williams (Right Back): Many magic, telepathic moments with his twin -~Âˇ someone had to know what Gareth was going to do next! A solid tackler who proved hard to beat, he gradually became a strong attacking force putting over many useful crosses from the right.

D.M.F.

185

THE CANTUARJAN, LENT

SUMMER 1996

1st XI Soccer 1996 Jonny Hillier (Left Back); Coped ably against some good wmgers despite. h1s mcxpcnence, and although the smallest

. Peter Phipson (Striker): Probably the most improved player the stele, he certamly found his shooting boots this season. He created c_o~stant problems with his strength and speed and was ever-wtllmg to chase lost causes. There was a new composure seen in his game this season emphasised by his quality hat-trick against the O.K.S. James Hessey (Right Back/Sub.): Unfortunately remained unconvmced of the supenonty of the game with the round ball often deserting us for t~e national c~use. In the games he played he sho~e.d great commitment, playmg with skill and a hardened compet1t1veness. Team: James Capel (Capt.), Olukayode Akindele, James Hcssey, Jonny Hillier, Peter Phipson, Mark Preston, Marcus Pyke, Edward Rice, Damian Stewart, Matthew Wall Alistair Williams, Gareth Williams. ' Also played: Tommy Dean, Mark Sweny. RESULTS Played 10, Won 4, Drawn I, Lost 5. Goals for 22, goals against 26. v Ursuline College (H). Won 3-2. v Brentwood (A). Lost 1-3. v Reigate (H). Won 6-2 . v K.C.S. Wimbledon (A). Lost 1-5. v O.K.S. (H). Won 5-3. v Westminster (H). Lost 3-4. v Colfe's (H). Drawn 1-1. v Sevenoaks (H). Lost 1-2. v Tonbridge (H). Won 1-0. v Ursuline College (H). Lost 0-4. 10

membe~Âˇ of ~he side he was one of the best headers of the ball,

shown m h1s excellent goal against Reigate. Ed Rice (Centre Back/Stopper): The rock of our defence who rarely ventured bey~nd the ~alf-way line but could always be ~epended on to p~t ~~ last-~Itch t~ckles with his octopus-like ~1mbs. Pacy and With mcreasmg skill, he marshalled the defence m a calm and authoritative manner - as one would expect. James Capel (Centre ~ack): Captain and player of the season, he ~nan.agcd to combmc a relaxed yet inspiring form of

motivation to the team. Good in the air and skilful on the floor he would not have looked out of place in mid field. ' Mark Preston (Midfield): Impressed in his first season with ~eve:al so_lid per~on"!1an~es in mid field showing great maturity a~d mtelhgent dtstnbutwn. He added a determined streak to his game making him a valuable ball-winner and not just a goalscorer. _Marcus Pyke (Mi~lt1el~): Excellent season~ formed a superb nud field partnership with Preston and Stewart. Good in the air and _silky, smooth skills on the floor. A typical Red knapp style nud fielder, unlucky not to have scored more goals. . Damian Stewart (Midfield): The engine of the midfield, he tll"elcssly r~n ~p and down the rig~t flank, providing energetic and enthu~IastJc support for our stnkers. He scored useful goals and contnbuted greatly to the competitive nature in which all our games were played. Olukayode Akindcle (Midfield/Striker): The most skilful player_with the ball at his feet, his mazy dribbling skills and exceptiOnal turn of pace struck fear into almost all the defences we encountered. An ~nstinctive player, he was invariably at the centre of our attackmg play and was top scorer with seven goals.

First Colours: James Capel, Edward Rice, Marcus Pyke. First Team and_ S~cond Colours: Olukayocle Akindele, James Hessey, Jonny Htlher, Peter Phipson, Mark Preston, Damian Stewart, Matthew Wall, Alistair Williams, Gareth Williams. Second Color~rs: Adam Chataway, Tommy Dean, James McNaught, Chnstopher Mounsey-Thear, Jon Murch Umar Shariff, Afolabi Sonaike, Paul Wharton. '

. Matthew Wall (Midfield/Striker): A lean season perhaps by h1s standards IJ_l terms of goal.s, yet he always contributed greatly to our. attac~mg play, whilst also working hard to regain possessiOn, often commg back to bolster the mid field. He made an excellent wall.

The Harold Warner Cup for Player of the Season: James Capel. MARCUS PYKE.

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

186

in practices and developed some skills. None of our games went to penalty shoot-outs which must be a rarity these days. Team from: Tommy Dean (Capt.), Angus Blackburn, Adam Chataway, Thomas Edmunds, JameS McNaught, Christopher Mounsey-Thear, Jonathan Murch, Sam Parker, Umar Shariff, Afolabi Sonaike, Mark Sweny, Paul Wharton, Mike Ziegler.

2nd XI As I look back on my last school soccer season, it has fallen upon me to review an all-star squad of 13 from the cream of the Premier League ... In goal, Adam 'Jurgen Summer' Chataway combined flair and stopping power with a strange inability actually to catch the ball. At right back, Angus 'Neville' Blackburn was a mixture of solid defence and overlap in the style of the modern 'wingback'. On the other side, Umar 'Dicks' Shariff was equally steady in both offence and defence and generally made his mark, in the referee's mind if not his book, with some heavy tackling, In the centre of the back line, Jonny 'Ruddock' Murch and James 'Carlton Palmer' McNaught combined their different shapes into an effective wall with surprising mobility. Chris 'Albert' Mounsey-Thear, either as sweeper or just in front of the back four, was noisy and passionate but always powerful and reliable. The hub of the side was the skilful skipper Tommy 'Kincladse' Dean whose weaving runs were always a problem for the opposition; but he also showed some impressive vision in his play-making and ball-distribution. On the right, our own dashing Mike 'Kanchelskis' Ziegler displayed superb pace, if not always good finishing. Every team needs a utility player and we had one in Tommy 'Sol Campbell' Edmunds. As for up-and-coming talent, ours came in the form of Sam 'Nicky Butt' Parker and Mark 'Scholes' Sweny ~ both contributed enormously and are expected to be challenging for international honours (C.P .N. 's Welsh-Spanish squad) next season. Up front, the bulk of the goals came from our experienced strike force of Paul 'Cole' Wharton and Afolabi 'Yeboah' Sonaike. In typical English understatement, the former's finishing was often seen as a 'fluke' when successful and, in African overstatement, by himself, the latter was described as 'real wicked'. In fact, of Flabby's eight goals, seven of them came in two games. Overseeing this talented bunch was Geoff 'Glen' Cocksworth whose attempts to play the ball on the ground were often overridden by the team's fear that the ball was actually a grenade about to go off.

RESULTS

Played 9, Won 5, Lost 4. Goals for 24, goals against 13. v Bethany (A). Lost 1-6. v Reigate (H). Woo 10-0. v Westminster (H). Lost 1-2. v Sevenoaks (A). Lost 1-2. v Kent College (H). Won 1-0. v Brentwood (A). Won 1-0. v K.C.S Wimbledon (H). Lost 1-2. v Colfes (H). Won 3-0. v Tonbridge (H). Won 5-1. ADAM CHATAWAY.

3rd XI Last year we lost every single match, so this year began with an upset for those of us in the team again ~ we won, and by a seven goal margin, more goals than we scored in the whole of last season! The more experienced among us told the junior members that it was a fluke. 'We're sorry we got your hopes up, but it won't carry on ~ we've got Brentwood nex.t.' We won 2-l in a close and skilful game and now even the most cynical began to wonder if we could go all the way. We faced Reigate determined to to keep going and we won 10-1. This success was beginning to get embarrassing. At this stage we should recognise a few personal achievements. Henry was looking like a real pro, with a series of impossible saves. We suggested promotion, but didn't press the point. Staz, his usual macho self, produced some classic moments of entettainmenl and even some of good football. In midfield we welcomed Spinner back from injury and it was nice to let someone do all the running for us. In attack Fergus joined us from the seconds, started scoring immediately and never stopped. (He finished the season with 12.) Sadly the dream ended when we faced K.C.S. WÂˇimbledon. Injuries forced a reshuffle of the side (manager's note ~ Ben wasn't playing) and careless mistakes cost us the game 3-1. Thankfully the loss didn't affect our spirit and we beat Westminster, Colfe's, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge all in a row. The last two were particularly gratifying for Adam, who was still a little upset from the rugby season. His rucking was text-book and R.C.W. would have been proud of him. Qinjoined us late from hockey (sinking ship?) and proved a formidable proposition for any even slightly faint-hearted opponent. As for our Fifth Form posse: Rob was our best all round player (manager's note~ Ben is very modest!). Alex was skilful, if a little too fond of possession, and his direct running created many chances. Tim worked hard and it paid off - 5 goals. Ravs had the skill (and temperament!) of many a foreign import. We lost our last game, but we were missing three key players and, after all, winning was becoming a touch boring. Cheers to Sam, Segun and Justin who, believe it or not, provided the stability to hold the mid-field together. Charlie was a brilliant team player, however much he hated the position. Thank you to C.J.R.J. for his efforts, and goodbye to the 6As -- we'll miss you next season. BEN WHJTE. Team: Robert Adams, Espin Bowder, Charles Curlewis, Henry Eccles, Justin Gardner, Timothy Hamlin, Alexander Hayes, Olusegun Lawson, Fergus Reynolds, James Stazicker, Benjamin White (Cupt.), Adam Williams. Also played: Peter Capel, James Harborne, Sa1~1uel Parker, Mark Sweny, Sam Webster, Qin Wiseman.

Adam Williams and Espin Bowder. (M.J. T.) This all-star team did have a good season, as can be seen from the results. But with the mixture of experience and youth, strength and subtlety, it was a pity that the 1-2 defeats (against Wimbledon and Sevenoaks) were not 2-1 victories instead. We are ignoring the first match when the team was hardly an embryo of what was later to emerge. The fact that we defeated Brentwood, our strongest opposition, in the second game, gave us a real belief in ourselves and set the scene for what was to be a ver-y enjoyable season. In seven games, we actually only conceded seven goals, more due to the defence than the goalkeeper and, generally, the goals let in throughout the term were 'pretty soft' (according to coach 'Glen'). Overall, we did respond to the touch line cry to 'play football'; we worked hard

187

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER 1996

In midfield, Chris Howard was ever present and Olusola Lawson improved his many skills at both right midfield and forward positions. They had an excellent game against Ursuline College when Sam Webster joined us from the 3rds, adding some impetus in midfield. Tom Broxup added a touch of 'Sheringham' skill and George Still played a direct and paceful game when they were in the side. ' Up front', Pardip Sidhu's search for the ultimate goal never ended; his delusions of being Gullit baffled us all, but his free kick against K.C.S. Wimbledon was definitely worthy of the man. Chris Smith could always be counted upon at the last minute and his half game against Sevenoaks proved he was worth his place in the team. Thanks must go to Mr Dath whose insistence that we ' use the wings!' added that bit of Gallic flair to our play - where are you, David Ginola? In the end, our record did not compare with the 3rds in any shape or form but our shirts were just far too classy for them! ADAM WITHRINGTON. Coach's note: The 4th and 5th XI trained together throughout the season and many played in both sides at some stage during the season. This is proof of the determination they all showed to improve their game and the difficulties I had in selecting both teams. There are many promising players in these sides and I hope that we shall see their names in higher teams in future editions of The Cantuarian. M.P.H.D. Team from: Folarin Alakija, Richard Ashenden, Thomas Broxup, Tristan Byrnes, James Caney, Peter Capel, Matteo Colombo, Henry Hardy, Alexander Hayes, Christopher Howard, Richard Johnson, Olusola Lawson, Pardip Sidhu, Leo Siu, Christian Smith, George Still, Luke Tayler, Sam Webster, Adam Withrington (Capt.) Also played: Matthew Appleyard , Paul Bainbridge, Felix Boon, James Harborne, Nicholas Lynch, Simon Peachey, Alexander Walker, Qin Wiseman. RESULTS Played 6, Won l , Lost 5. v Bethany (H). Won 3- l. v Brentwood (H). Lost 0-7. v K.C.S. Wimbledon (H). Lost l-3. v Colfe's (H). Lost 0-1. v Sevenoaks (A). Lost 0-4. v Ursuline College (H). Lost l -3.

RESULTS Played 9 , Won 7, Lost 2. Goals for 39, goals against 10. v Ursuline Col!ege 2nd XI (H) . Won 7-0. v Brentwood (H). Won 2- 1. v Reigate (H). Won 10- 1. v K.C.S. Wimbledon (A). Lost l -3 . v Westminster Ul6 B (H). Won 3- l. v Colfe's (H). Won 6-0. v Sevenoaks (H) Won 2-0. v Tonbridge (H) Won 7-0. v Ursuline College 2nd XI (H). Lost 1-4.

Olusola Lawson (M.J. T.)

4th XI When you mention the word ' football' , you see majestic images of Brazil, the Twin Towers, Anfield, and huge pictures of turnips on the back of the tabloids. What you don 't see are images of 4th XI football, and that's probably just as well! Howeve r, despite losing most of our games, we played some good football and were only outclassed in one game. Our first game was against Bethany where we played excellently and ran out convincing 3- l winners. Hopes were high that we could compete with the 3rd XI, certainly in terms of results. Then without warning, most of our team went A.W.O.L., either through injury, defection or promotion. Indeed , we finished the season with only three survivors of the first game. Thus, it was not surprising that we were outclassed by an Under 16 'A' Brentwood side. The following game, versus K.C.S. Wimbledon, saw no real improvement and despite a gallant rally at the end, it was not to be our victory. After half-term , we did improve as a side but were unlucky to lose our matches. Against Colfe's, we just could not score. Our defence made one error in the match but they grabbed their chance. The games against Sevenoaks and Ursuline College were contested well but defensive errors and 'Andy Cole-like' fini shes cost us dearly. Henry Hardy had a solid season in goal, making many good saves and often keeping us in the game. The four defenders changed a great deal during the season but almost invariably included Peter Capel. He had an excellent season and we missed his influence against Ursuline College when he was promoted to the 3rds. Folarin Alakija played well all season, tackling fiercely and at great pace. Richard Johnson was very strong and skilful at centre back and both Tristan Byrnes and Leo Siu had a very good season, peaking against Colfe's when they had a stormer. Luke Tayler and Richard Ashenden were both steady and uncompromising.

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

5th XI The fifths, who are they? For the first time in years, we had an immense selection of god-like players to choose from, which aided Monsieur Dath in his quest for a decent team. Our first match was against Brentwood 's Under 16 ' A' s, who possessed a lot of skill and passed the ball efficiently. We had problems supplying the ball to our star strikers Sola Lawson and Alex Reynolds and it was only due to good defending from Tristan Byrnes and Ed Wattis that their goal tally was kept down. We did well against such a good side. The phrase 'I can't believe we didn 't win! ' comes into mind when thinking about our second game. The opposition was weak but still we only managed a total of about five shots on goal from Max von Hurter and Leonard Samuelson. George Still made some good runs down the wing but sadly was promoted to the 4th XI for the ryst of the season. Credit must be given to Tim Strange and Tristan Byrnes for rock-solid defending and to Simon Cleobury for making spectacular saves that kept us in the game. And last but not least, the game we did not lose. This was our moment of honour. With Tayler for once actually remembering to bring all his gear to the coach , we fielded the strongest side we've ever had. Having overcome the initial shock of playing on the equivalent of a black ski slope mogul field, we scored an early goal. A tempting cross from Leonard Samuelson was exquisitely volleyed in by Ed Butler.

188

the Gravesend third pa ir, the score being: 12-10, 5- 11 , 8- ll. Very well done to the girls! Teams from : Tak Loon Khong* (Capt.), Manuel Cardoso*, Matthew Appleyard, Paul Bainbridge, Catarina Cardoso, Ranjith George, Rachel Hill , Simon Lau, James Martell and Avis Ngan. Colours awarded this term to: Paul Bainbridge, Catarina Cardoso , Rachel Hill and James Martell. TAK LOON KHONG AND R.J.M.

Our destroyers in defence consisting of Luke Tayler, Richard Ashenden, Felix Boon and Folarin Alakija maimed anything that entered their territory and, although a penalty was given, it can safely be said that they would have scored if they had not been brought down. This did not lower our morale but encouraged us to be more creative. Our two skilful mid fielders, Tom Broxup and Chris Howard kept thwarting the opposition to keep a constant supply to our strikers. Finally, the breakthrough came when Alex Reynolds made a great run down the wing, crossing the ball which met Ed Butler's head and went in the back of the net. Unfortunately they came back with a good goal, but we held on for a satisfying draw. Many thanks to Mr Dath who did have this fantasy about our using the wings (er, what are they?), Mr Bradley for his ball control and Dr Maltby for escorting us on our away expeditions. LEONARD SAMUELSON. Team from: Folarin Alakija, Richard Ashenden, Felix Boon, Thomas Broxup, Edward Butler, Tristan Byrnes, Simon Cleobury , Oliver Fraser, Christopher Howard, Richard Johnson, Olusola Lawson, James MacAdie, Hugo MacPherson, Alexander Reynolds, Leonard Samuelson (Capt.) , Christian Smith, George Still , Philip Stubbings, Luke Tayler, Henry Trew , Maximilian von Hurter, Harry Walker, Edward Wattis. RESULTS Played 3, Lost 2 , Drawn I. v Brentwood (H). Lost 0-3 . v K.C.S. Wimbledon (A). Lost 0-3 . v Sevenoaks (A). Drawn 2-2.

Cross-Country Still more extensive pre-season training will be required in 1997: 'fresh ' from a Dorset training weekend, the fittest of the Intermediate boys augmented our Seniors for the exacting 5. 9 miles of the Knole Run , at Sevenoaks , after only three days of term. Several miles later three key runners were left by the wayside - forced to drop out, incapacitated by various calamities. The incomplete team struggled home behind Malcolm Todd's impressive 16th place, and Andrew Ribbans 's valiant 83rd (out of a large field of283). In the inaugural girls' Knole Run, Sarah Petrie came 5th, setting the tone for the tremendous season ahead of her. Next was the first of a series of Kent League fixtures , involving some 12 schools at different venues each week, starting at Sutton Valence. Captains Davis and Pickering, bouncing back from injury, led t~e Senior and Inter boys' fields home, as did Sarah in the Open girls' event. The Seniors enjoyed the rare advantage of Daniel Bartlette's and Simon Bird's presence, who backed up Tim and Malcolm well, and helped us to 3rd team place. Among other newcomers to the club, Will MacKay's 4th for the Inters and John Knowles's 8th for the Juniors were promising debuts. The Inters scored the first victory in their unbeaten term (excepting the occasion when a misdirected runner in the Kent College Relay added an extra 10 minutes to the team performance), still with plenty of undeveloped talent lurking in the wings - Mark Wharton, Nick Clinch, and Charlie Rice: watch this space. Snow and ice disrupted our own home fixture, and the 'home advantage' on a familiar course, in a term unusually fragmented by the weather. The Inter-House, also, was moved to Birley's to escape dangerous ice, while the 'Tortoise' Relay in Oxford was cancelled - a shame, since our Open IV would surely have improved on last year's 4th place. Our team performances were also disrupted for a better reason - the success of Tim, Malcolm, Sarah and Join gaining selection to represent Kent , by achiev ing a place in the top 20 at the Kent Schools' Championships, and then competing in a South-Eastern Counties fi xture. Of the Inters, Chris, Ewan and Ribbo were unlucky to miss selection for Kent in what must have been a strong year - they came in only marginally outside the requisite top 20. Tim and Sarah then went to the English Schools' Championships, the first time King 's has sent a girl , and probably the first time we have sent two athletes in a year. Tim was also honoured by being appointed Kent team Captain at the event, and came home 29th in all England, 2nd in the Kent team, which was itself 2nd. Was it Tim's inspiring leadership that helped the Kent boys' teams to become National Champions overall? Meanwhile Sarah was 207th out of 298 runners - a creditable achievement at all-England level. In the absence of the above , the Kent League fixture at Duke of York's saw the Inter torch carried by Will MacKay, Chris Elworthy and Neil Thomas, all of whom would later improve dramatically with a few more miles and ' reps.' in their legs. Dover saw John Knowles 's winning form, on his way to claim a medal in the lunior section of the League. The next week's League event at Tonbridge saw our Inters narrowly edging the hosts out of victory, while Ewan, despite being edged out of the finishing funnel , established himself as the team No. 2 behind Chris and ahead of Will Mac . and Ribbo. We still had seven in the top 15 places, while Nick and Charlie rather reluctantly

Badminton The team started off the term with a depleted number of players , mainly due to several cowards who decided to defect to soccer and hockey. This certainly sorts out the elite. However, we have acquired several new key members, one of whom is a tennis player! Freed from Chris H.'s witty jokes (?), the team was eager to improve their game, especially in court positioning and strokes. Paul and Matt proved that they were far from being amateurs, though this was the first time they have been playing together. They have proved to be strong contenders, having won 5 out of 7 games. Matt attempts to employ tennis top spins and slices, resulting in a potent form of low drives , devastating smashes and drop shots. Paul, a master at the net and able to return seemingly impossible shots complements Matt's game play. As a result , both of them are a threat to the 6a old stagers. James also played well this term , showing more consistency in his trick shots which are constantly passed off as flukes. Nevertheless, the partnership of Manuel and James proved to be effective, having won 3 out of the 4 games played. The team has also acquired a rugby player who astounds us with his coordination and skill in this more delicate but demanding sport. Simon has a good variation of consistent serves, which he uses very effectively in gaining points and uses his brute strength to produce high speed and hazardous smashes, although he also proves to be a valuable player in the girls' team! Avis has done well to improve in his overall technique and has now mastered the art of round-the-head smashes, which opponents realised is not to be underestimated . Both Avis and Simon have played in Ul9 matches and Ul6 matches. Due to interviews, Manuel and I were unable to play in all the matches, but the last match against Gravesend is a memory I will treasure. Manuel equipped with his lightning-quick moves, unpredictable net-play and gentle but acute smashes, used them to deadly effect. Unfortunately we were defeated in the Big Fight but did well to keep our opponents under pressure. Last\ut not least , our 'Tabasco-hot' girls' pair deserve a round of applause as they won all their matches a part from one, playing as third pair against Gravesend. T hough they lost all three games during the match, they managed a good fight against

189

TH E CA NTUARIAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

Intermediate boys: Ewan Cameron, Nick Clinch, Aliocha Delmotte, Chris Elworthy, Charlie Leigh-Pemberton, Will MacKay, Chris Pickering (Capt.), Will Pritchard, Andy Ribbans, Charlie Rice, Will Tallon, Neil Thomas, Jamie Tomlinson, Mark Wharton. Junior boys: Oliver Baker, Junliang Chew, William Gold, John Knowles (Capt.), Alastair Laing, Edward Powell-Jackson, Robert Pracey-Smith. **1st Colours re-awarded. *1st Colours. t2nd Colours. !1st Team Colours.

managed to finish ... just! Here we first heard that seemingly immortal alibi from Will Tallon- 'My knee is really inflamed. I can feel a pulse in it!' Without Tim and Malcolm, Sarah and Jo, the Seniors struggled to field teams, but Mark Belsey began to show increasing speed and determination -his 18th place, and Neil Thomas's 13th in the Inters were two of the most improved efforts of the season. At Cranbrook after half term the Inter team asserted its dominance more authoritatively, with 'A' team 1st and 'B' team 3rd. Chris's win made his claim to the individual gold medal for the season irrefutable, with two races still to go, and Ribbo showed his fighting spirit by clawing his way back to 5th behind Ewan's 4th. Further down the field Mark Wharton's 17th was a useful addition to the team effort. John Knowles's 2nd place kept him at the top of the Junior rankings, and kept his hopes of the gold medal very much alive. (At Mattins next day: 'Mr C., have yesterday's results arrived yet?'). The final League fixture at Dover College (in the event of the Kent College Relay's timing going awry) was an impressive day for King's running, as the places in the results table show. Notably Ewan achieved his highest place of the season, 3rd, and Jamie likewise with 8th, both remarkable from Remove pupils mixed in with fifth-formers. Will Tallon also emerged from injury (and more debilitating, his team mates' disbelief!) to finish a creditable 14th, finally scoring for the 'A' team. Overall, this had been an unbeaten season for the Intermediates (not counting the narrow defeat in the Autumn term's District Championships, where the full squad was not yet assembled), and one of the strongest squads we are likely ever to see. It has been a pleasure to follow their progress, and Dr Pickering deserves much congratulation for looking after their physiological, psychological and strategic needs in training and competition. The season would not have been complete without at least one runner lost in the course of training. The prize here must go to Charlie Leigh-Pemberton, surely one of the most willing guest 'utility' men the club has ever seen. Turning his C.C.F. expertise to a friendly Senior race at Judd, he managed to beat Tim and Pete Baines by following his nose rather than the marker flags. Lulled into false confidence by this historic victory, he proceeded to do his own thing along the North Downs Way, which he would still be doing had not a knight in bright yellow armour found him in a heap and whisked him back to school. (Thank you, Dr Allday - your car's colour does have its uses after all.) Runner-up in this competition must be Alexis Murray-Jones who disappeared on the same jinxed section of the North Downs Way, and (sadly for us) decided to play Hockey in future'

CROSS-COUNTRY RESULTS 1995/6 Tuesday 22nd November Canterbury Schools' District Championships, at Kent University, Canterbury Senior Boys: Davis I (District Champion), Todd 2 Senior Girls: Petrie I (District Champion), Pringle 2 Inter Boys: I K.S.C. 55, 2 Chaucer Technology 121, 3 Archbishop's 140 (out of 5 schools) (Pickering 2, Ribbans 4, Cameron 5, Tomlinson II, Tallon 14, Wharton 30) Junior Boys: Laing 4, Powell-Jackson 60, Chew 66

Saturday 13th January The Knolc Run, Sevenoaks (Open Boys & Girls) (Todd 16, Ribbans 83, Cameron 180, Martin 206, Tallon 210: out of 263)

Saturday 20th January Kent League at Sutton Valence Senior Boys: I Tonbridge 660, 2 King's Roche.ster 644, 3 K.S.C. 631 (Davis I, Todd 4, Bartlette 8, Bird 19, Belsey 30, Berry 42: out of 42) Senior Girls: 4 K.S.C. 387 (out of 5) (Petrie I, Pringle 4, Thompson-Dredge 19, Shere 21, Sharp 22) Inter Boys: I K.S.C. 552, 2 Tonbridge 542 (out of2 finishing teams) (Pickering I, Mackay 4, Ribbans 6, Cameron 9, Elworthy 12, Tomlinson 15~ Thomas 17, Delmotte 23, Pritchard 28, Clinch 31: out of 34) Junior Boys: Knowles 8

Finally I would like to thank Tim and Sarah for their efforts as Captains this year. Tim's extensive warm-ups, and the very high standards of training and competitive running from both has set a tone of excellence which will bring its fruit in coming years. They deservedly finished the term with Kent League individual winning trophies - as did Chris and John in Inters and Juniors respectively - an unprecedented clean sweep of individual gold medals for the season! There were also a good number of others in the top ten individual rankings, as the results below indicate. Chris Pickering, that unbeaten Inter team Captain, would, as usual, like the last word:

Saturday 27th Janumy Kent League at home: cancelled due to snow and icc

Saturday 3rd February I. Kent Schools' Championships, Brockhill Park, Hythe Senior Boys: Canterbury District 3rd (Todd II out of 39) Senior Girls: Petrie 10, Pringle 12 (out of 18) Inter Boys: Canterbury District lst (Pickering 23, Cameron 24, Ribbans 28, Tomlinson 57 (out of 95) 2. Kent League at Duke of York's Inter Boys: I Duke of York's 54!, 2 Tonbridge 532, 3 K.S.C. 507, 4 K.S.R. 490 (Elworthy 10, MacKay 12, Thomas 17, Clinch 19, Wharton 20, Rice 21)

'It only remains for me to say thanks to Mr C. and Doc P., our able coaches. I hope the former recovers from his nasty cold- or was it a niggling calf injury? Oh no, it was that time he got his shoes wet when falling off his bike, I remember. Thanks to all our Inter runners: don't forget to do at least three four mile runs a week over the holidays to keep in trim for next season.

Wednesday 7th February Tortoises Relay, Oxford University: cancelled due to snow and ice

C.T.H. AND CHRIS PICKERING.

Teams: Senior boys: Daniel Bartlettd, Mark Belseyj:t, Matthew Berryt, Simon Bird, Tim Davis (Capt.)**, Charlie Leigh-

Saturday 1Oth February 1. Southern Counties fixture, Crawley. Senior Boys: Kent 1st out of 7. (Davis 13 out of 89. Todd pulled out injured.) Senior Girls: Kent 3rd out of 5. (Petrie 36, Pringle 52: out of 66)

Pemberton, Barnaby Martin, Ben Smith-I...aing, Malcolm Todd**, Rob Thomas, Oscar von Eynern.

Open girls: Zoe Davies, Sarah Petrie (Capt.)**, Jo Pringle*, Lindsay Sharp, Harriet Shere, Julie Thompson-Dredge.

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

190

INTER-HOUSE CROSS-COUNTRY 1996

2. Kent League at Tonbridge: Senior Boys: K.S.C. 4th (out of 4) (Bclsey 18, Thomas 25, Smith-Laing 32, Martin 33, Berry 34, Leigh-Pemberton 35: out of 35) Illter Boys: I K.S.C. 530.94, 2 Tonbridge 530.90, 3 Sevenoaks 494 (out of 3) (Pickering I, Cameron 5, MacKay 7, Rib bans 9, Tomlinson 12, Thomas 13, Elworthy 14, Clinch 25, Rice 27: out of 30) Junior Boys: Knowles 7, Gold 8 (out of 15)

As this year's competition approached we hit a spell of cold weather, and arctic conditions in the Precincts, let alone up on the exposed Scotland Hills area, made prospective runners polish up their best alibis. On the day itself, although snow and icc still prevented the safe use of Scotland Hills, Birley's had thawed sufficiently, and the competition went ahead there, using a shortened lap system. I was surprised by the mixed reaction to this new (temporary) venue. A number of people expressed regret that they did not have the challenge of Scotland Hills' mud and varied terrain (and these were not just regular runners), while others, especially spectators, appreciated the better visibility as the lap races unfolded, and their own shorter sprint home to the warm afterwards. Birley's was certainly a better show-piece for seasoned runners - it was easy to forget which race Tim Davis (MR), Sarah Petrie (JR) and Chris Pickering (MT) were in, so far ahead of their respective fields were they, while the Junior boys and girls gave us some closer action finishes. The boys' team competition saw the complete dominance of Tradescant, who gained all four boys' cups, despite strong challenges from Meister Omers and Marlowe in all three age-groups, and from The Grange in Inters and Juniors. School House's Seniors and Linacre's Juniors and Inters were not far behind, either, to their credit. In the girls' competitions, Lux moore were unlucky to miss a trophy since their consistent second place might normally have secured the overall trophy. Jervis pipped them in the Senior event, while Walpole's Juniors were phenomenally strong - in fact they scored the lowest total possible by having the first four finishers -Âˇ which secured the overall cup in addition. But in this sport there are always many unseen triumphs of personal effort, and I hope that many of those placed lower down could still come away with a sense of personal achievement, even if with aching or numb limbs as well. Well done, then, to all the runners, and many thanks to all those staff and pupils who came to support and help officiate, so making the alternative courses work smoothly at short notice. C.T.H.

Saturday 2nd March 1. English Schools' Championships, Weymouth Senior Boys: Kent 2nd; Davis 29th. Kent Boys' teams become National Champions Senior Girls: Petrie 207th out of 298 2. Kent League at Cranbrook Senior Boys: Todd 2, Belsey 24, von Eynern 38, Berry 39 (out of 43) Open Girls: Pringle 3 (out of 13) Inter Boys: I K.S.C. 541,2 Tonbridge 527, 3 K.S.C. 'B' 486, 4 Cranbrook 467 (Pickering I, Cameron 4, Ribbans 5, MacKay 9, Elworthy II, Tomlinson 12, Wharton 17, Thomas 18, Rice 21, Tallon 22, Clinch 24, Leigh-Pemberton 26: out of 27) Junior Boys: Knowles 2 (out of 10)

Saturday 9th March Kent League at Dover College Senior Boys: I Tonbridge 630, 2 Duke of York's 609, 3 Sevenoaks 603, 4 K.S.C. 585, 5 Dover College 573 (Davis I, Todd 2, Belsey 30, von Eynern 42, Smith-Laing 47, Berry 50: out of 50) Open Girls: Petrie I, Pringle 5 (out of 27) Inter Boys: I K.S.C. 557, 2 Duke of York's 516.14, 3 Tonbridge 516.05, 4 K.S.R. 474 (Pickering 1, Cameron 3, Ribbans 4, Tomlinson 8, MacKay 9, Tallon 14, Elworthy 24: out of 36) Junior Boys: Knowles 8 (out of 26)

Wednesday 13th March Invicta A. C. Invitation Schools' event, Kent University. Inter Boys: 2nd to Hartsdown. (Pickering 3, Cameron 10, Ribbans 12, MacKay 15, Wharton 19, Tomlinson 21, Tallon 22, Thomas 28, Rice 38, Pritchard 55, Elworthy 56, Clinch 58, Scott 64, Leigh-Pemberton 66, Cridge 70)

Saturday 16th March Kent College Relay, Canterbury Open Boys: I K.S.R., 2 K.S.C., 3 Tonbridge (out of 8) Open Girls: I Ardingly, 2 K.S.C., 3 Sutton Valence (out of8) Inters Boys: (Result confused due to runners' error on course) Junior Boys: I K.S.R., 2 K.S.C., 3 Tonbridge (out of 5) Overall Kent Schools' League Rankings and team results: (excluding Kent College Relay) Senior Boys: I Tonbridge 3915, 2 K.S.R. 2498, 3 Duke of York's !838, 4 Sevenoaks 3015, 5 Dover College 2829, 6 K.S.C. 1721, 7 Sutton Valence 1674. (Davis I, Todd 3, Belsey 29, Berry 44: out of 80) Open Girls: (the K.S.C. team did not complete sufficient events) (Petrie I, Pringle 5, Sharp 19: out of 41) Inter Boys: I K.S.C. 2689, 2 Tonbridge 2649, 3 Duke of York's 1057, 4 K.S.R. 965, 5 Sevenoaks 495, 6 K.S.C. 'B' 486, 7 Cranbrook 467 (Picker(ng I, Ribbans 2, Cameron 4, MacKay 7, Elworthy 9, Tomlinson 10, Thomas 16, Rice 20, Clinch 21: out of 60) Junior Boys: (the K.S.C. team did not complete sUfficient events) (Knowles I: out of 39)

Malcolm Todd and Tim D11vis. (M.J. T.)

l91

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT

& SUMMER 1996

SENIOR BOYS' RESULTS: (4 laps of Birley 's)

Tradescant 77 Marlowe 107 Meister Omers 113 School House 136 Galpin 's 17 1 Linacre 180 The Grange 20 1 (Mitchinson 's did not have 6 fi nishers) MR 1 Tim Davis 2 Malcolm Todd TR 3 Adam W ilton TR 4 Daniel Bartlette MR 5 S imon Bird MO 6 Espin Bowder MT 7 Michael Smith MO 8 Barnaby Martin TR 9 Tom Everett GR I 0 Robert T homas SH

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 18-42 19-4 1 20- 19

INTERM EDIATE BOYS' RESULTS: (3 laps of Birley 's)

Tradesca nt Meister Omers The Grange Marlowe Linacre Galpin 's School House Mitchinson's 1 C hris Pickering 2 Ewan Cameron 3 Andrew Ribbans 4 James Hessey 5 Mark Sweny 6 Chris Elworthy 7 Jamie Tomlinson 8 Mark Wharton 9 Thomas Neil 10 Gareth W illiams

54 75 12 1 183 202 2 13 22 1 248 MT MO MO TR TR GR TR MO GR TR

JUNIOR BOYS' RESULTS: (2 laps of Birley 's) T radescant Marlowe Meister Ome rs T he Grange Linacre School House Galpin 's Mitchinson 's

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Richard Bayley Edward Sixsmith Sam London John Knowles Jonathan W ood Alexis Mu rray-Jones Oliver Baker Thomas Dunn Alex Smedley lO Oli ver Harvey

2 3 4

(M.J. T.)

SENIOR GIRLS' RESULTS: (2 laps of Birley 's) Jervis Luxmoore Walpole Broughton Marlowe Mitchinson 's 1 Sarah Petrie 2 Jo Pringle 3 Lucy He ise 4 Ophelia Beer 5 Louise Squires 6 Caroline Ng 7 Zoe Davies 8 Charlotte Barker 9 Kate Carroll 10 Felicity Wacher

6 7

8 15-48 16-2 1 16-22

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 11-52 l l -52 11 -55

35 49 53 62 70 91 10 1 159 TR MO GR GR MR MR TR SH LN GL

OVERALL BOYS ' RESULT : Tradesca nt 166 Me ister Omers 241 339 Marlowe T he Grange 384 School House 448 452 Linacre Galpin 's 485

SUMMER

Walpole Luxmoore Jervis Marlowe Broughton Mitchinson 's 1 Emma Hayes 2 Frances Houghton 3 Sophie Chapman 4 Jenny Dutton 5 Daisy Lloyd-Smith 6 Emily Smitham 7 Katherine Hardy 8 Li ndsa y Sharp 9 Katharine Letts I0 Anne Davies

1 2

LX LX WL LX JR JR WL JR MR

10 43 62 64 66

92 WL

5 6 12-44 13-47 13-52

5 6 7

192

1 2 3 4

5 6

WL WL WL LX JR BR MT MR WL

OVERALL GIRLS' RESULT: Walpole 45

3 4

1996

1 2 3 4

JUNIOR GIRLS' RESULTS: (2 laps of Birley's)

(Mitchinson ' s did not have 6 Senior finishers)

T H E CANTUARIAN . L ENT

21 25 35 68 88 108

~xmoore

Jervis Broughton Marlowe Mitchinson 's

134 152 200

1 2 3 4

James Rowe, G.B. Champion. (T.I. J.)

193

TH E C ANT UARI AN. L ENT

SUM M ER

1996

green and the last match to finish. The unbeaten record was only just preserved at StGeorge's and much praise must go to the two Removes in the team for keeping us in it that day. Our win against Tonbridge at Knole was perhaps the highlight of the year, since we knew we had a chance but again it all depended upon the result of the last match coming down the 18th hole: Norris won to give us the win that we wanted. This is our first win over the old enemy for at least thirty years. Wins against King's Rochester and StLawrence were a little easier but still achieved with some aplomb. The Common Room game was enjoyed by all and played to a remarkably high standard. (I've subsequently discovered the real way to work out the strokes received for Greensome Foursomes. I think the Common Room came off rather better than they should have done!) The Inter-House competition was, as ever, played down at Prince's, and this year there was quite a wind. It was always likely to be close but, scoring a remarkable 31 points off scratch for Greensomes, Galpin's ended up with the trophy by a distinct margin. A good day was had and, as tradition would have it, cakes were awarded to the first three teams. The Geoffrey Young Memorial Putter was competed for at Chart Hills G. C., by the kind invitation of Mr Mitchell. Playing a medal competition the senior winner, having got a birdie on the last to win, was Sunil Abraham with an excellent round of 8 over. The junior competition was played a few days later and was won by Will Burgess. This was a thoroughly good year and one to look back on with pride. Next year brings with it new challenges, such as the H.M.C. foursomes competition. With an unchanged team there will be plenty to look forward to. A.M.M. Team from: Sunil Abraham, Stephen Bushnell*, Edward Butler*, Merlin Nich9las, Jenny Norris*, Chris O'Neil-Dunne*, Tom Savage*, Nick Berry and Will Burgess. Also played: Lewis Mitchell and Clemens Guth. *Minor Sports Colours awarded. RESULTS Played 9, Won 4, Drawn 5 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. Drawn 2-2. The O.K.S. Golfing Society. Drawn 4'1'-4'1" Reigate Grammar School. Drawn 3-3. Cranleigh. Won 4-2. Charterhouse. Drawn 3-3. Tonbridge. Won 4-2. King's Rochester. Won 4-2. St Lawrence College. Won 4-0. The Common Room. Drawn 2-2

Fencing Yea, another season has come and gone along with the many seasoned fencers who will leave us this year. A select few went North to conquer in the nationals. First we went to Chester for the foil. And lo, there was much waggling and all who waggled, waggled well. Exceptional, though, was the young James Rowe who nearly triumphed but was vanquished into third. His fencing was good enough to earn him a place in the English Team, which is in itself a glorious feat. Next, we ventured to that lovely notihern sheep~ filled town of Darlington. The CpCeists and sabreurs fenced well. All this success was achieved by an army marching on its stomach (courtesy the Little Chef"Tribe). Four times we left our cosy castle to endure the tortuous occurrences of school matches. We went forth to brave the wilds of King's Rochester (again), Haileybury, Eton and Worth Abbey. We once more conquered the massed forces of Etonians on their own plush battlefield. Victories at the other schools led us to an unbeaten season under our glorious leader, Alex Fennemore, with help from our stoic knights, Perkins, Sundt and Wyand, who were always there to make the vital charge into the enemy stronghold. The Public Schools competition came round again and along went a few dedicated fencers on a crusade to Crystal Palace in the name of King's. Once more, the young warrior Rowe succeeded in winning both the foil and sabre competitions and coming third in the CpCe, thus giving him the Junior Master of Arms trophy. This storming campaign played a major part along with the other crusaders in contributing to the most successful public schools campaign for a long while. Behold, yet again the nomadic King's fencers are on the move. We are people without a land but a state is being created in the holy lands of the Recreation Centre. We look forward to colonising our new homeland, which should be a fitting start to a new generation of successful King's fencers. None of these successes would have been possible without the labours of our logistics man T.I. Jennings, who toiled to get supplies, and as always, Chief Romang drove the famous blue chariot to all our battles. Over the year the school also hosted over 600 competitors from all over Great Britain in the King's Challenge Competitions in which the senior fencers acted as efficient organisers. So, all in all it was a very successful year for all of the Knights of the round Baron, many of whom gained distinctions with bar. ALEX FENNEMORE. Public Schools' Fencing Chmnpionships: Cup for best result's on low entry. Cup for greatest improvement on previous years. Junior Master-of-Arms trophy: James Rowe Teams: Alex Fennemore, Alex Perkins, Oliver Wyand, Jan Sundt, Radi Abdullah, Philipp Wichter, James Rowe: won all fixtures, including Eton. Alex Fcnnemore, Felicity Wac her, Polly Redman: selected for Junior Winton team to represent S.E. Engltmd. Jennie Stubbings: in top 16 in Great Britain (fbi/). Felicity Wacher: reached the final 8 of Great Britain (epee).

Lacrosse This year it was Jervis's turn to dominate the lacrosse pitch, with a few leftovers from Broughton. The season began with a lot of enthusiasm. We even had a practice on Sunday, but slowly as the weather got colder and the matches were cancelled one after another morale fell. Finally before half term we got the chance to show off our skills on the pitch. Unfortunately, even with one of us on Cranbrook's team we still lost! The following day we joined forces with the male-dominated lacrosse team from Kent University. We mixed teams and everyone gave their all. V ickey especially, who had the terrifying experience of playing in goal for the first time, as Alex was unable to play. She coped exceedingly well. The King's players were somewhat undermined by the University Captain, but with Mr Churcher's support the afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed. Milton Keynes National Schools Tournament was our next stop. Charlotte shocked most of the school by appearing in breakfast in games kit, then the team by asking what the rules actually were. Then off we set goggling at videos all the way

Golf This has clearly been a tremendous year; an unbeaten record is a very great achievement and is only made possible through some very fine play by each member of the team. The season started with a series of drawn matches, which included some great individual performances. We got into winning ways against Cranleigh at Royal Ashdown with the win sealed on the last THE CANTUAR!AN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

194

Lacrosse I st XII I 996 whilst, we were to discover, all the other teams were discussing tactics. We began the day on a positive note, ready to challenge schools who mostly play lacrosse as their main sport, all moisturised and happy. Despite the final outcome, the team really played well. Mel charging up and down the pitch and Fleur and Lucy, once dragged away from socialising, played amazingly well.

RESULTS Played 2, lost 2. v Cranbrook School. Lost 8-l . v Walthamstow Hall. Lost 8-1. AJJ England Tournament ph1yed: The Belvedere School, Portsmouth High School, Coloma Convent School, Wycombe Abbey, Moreton Hall. CHARLOTTE ROSS-GODBEY.

Due to Mrs Lawrence's absence we had an external umpire, Sarah Hosegood. She seemed to be amused if not slightly horrified by the appearance of Gertrud, Ethel, Cecil and others, who produced over-excited shouts of glee as we were faced by Wycombe Abbey's lst! Surprisingly however she was very complimentary about us. Without Alex in goal and Katie battling away, the outcome might well have been much worse. As we left the pitch for the last time, tired and hungry, the decision was made that no one would ever learn the scores- only that 'We were knocked out after the first round, but we played well.'

Rugby Sevens Seniors Once again, the season began in style with victory for both 'A' and 'B' squads at the Maidstone event. At the Kent Sevens, we were clearly one of the three best sides in a good quality competition, and lost by the odd score in an exciting sec-saw match with the eventual winners, Sevenoaks, who beat Tonbridge in the final; here the 'B' team performed heroically, losing creditably to the Tonbridge first seven in their pool games, but beating the first sevens of four schools to go on and win the Plate. As often in the past, we saved our worst for the Surrey event, losing two of our group matches and returning home in time for afternoon school. At Rosslyn Park we played well, but failed to qualify for the second day for the first time in a long while, losing one of our group matches to the eventual runners-up, Cheltenham, by one score, having let them get into a 17-0 lead. The team did creditably, always played with shape, and was very hard to beat (except at Richmond). Almost everyone contributed to the scoring, but although our most effective combination had organisation, through Wiseman, North and Murch, and physical strength, notably in the shape of Wiseman

Our final match was against Walthamstow Hall 2nd team. Frankie's absence momentarily threw our team, only because they did not get the stern team talks that had become expected. The final score was certainly not a reflection of the standard played. Unfortunately it was the inexperience of the team playing together and not individual skill that limited us, as it seems was the problem throughout the term. The team's progress was distinctive from the beginning to the end. Especially for those who only really began playing last year. Thank you to Mrs Lawrence, Miss Francis, Mrs Woodley and Mrs McConnell (who froze whilst supporting us in Milton Keynes) and of course to all the team.

Team chosen from: Frances Jennings (Capt.), Melissa Clarke, Katharine Forrest, Claire Gillanders, Lucy Greenwell, Katherine Hamilton, Fleur Howard, Sarah Hubbard-Ford, Alexandra Hyatt, Joanna Martin, Aimee O'Gorman, Charlotte RossGoobey, Lucy Rowe, Rose Skelton, Melanie Siddons and Vickey Smith.

195

THE CANTUAR!AN, LENT &

SUMMER

1996

and Williams, it probably lacked enough individual flair and real pace throughout the team to trouble the very best teams, even though Lewis Mitchell scored regularly when given the opportunity to do so, Chris Mounsey-Thear surprised some opponents with his sharpness, and Peter Phipson often covered back swiftly to prevent scores in defence. As with the fifteena-side season, it was a case of so near, yet so far ... R .C.W .

Teams: 'A 'l i st Seven from: Chris North (Capt.), Simon Bird, Tom Dean, Lewis Mitchell, Chris Mounsey-Thear, Jonathan Murch, Peter Phipson, Edward Rice, Damian Stewart, Adam Williams, Qin Wiseman . 'B '/2nd Seven from: Babajide Adesanya, William Bax, Angus Blac kburn , Feli x Boon, Jamie Goodman , Tom Goodman, Nick Lynch, Tom O 'Sullivan, Peter Phipson , Edward Radcliffe, David Smith, Matthew Wall , Ben White, RESULTS

Maidstone Tournament 'A ' Seven Won 24-0. Won 19-5. Won 24-0. Won 47-7.

v Judd. v Gravesend G. S. v Rochester Maths. v Maidstone G.S.

'B' Seven Won 12-0. Won 35-0. Won 38-0. Won 19- 12.

and the semi-final against Arnold was probably lost as much because of tiredness as anything else. Sadly, at our own tournament, we could hardly raise a team at all , thanks to absentees, mostly for injuries accumulated in other sports, and we strove hard, but did not do ourselves real justice. This was a shame, for the first two tournaments had shown great potential. The best combinations had a good balance of footballing ability and real pace throughout the team. If I had to look to criticise, it would be that we lacked enough upper body strength and urgency in contact s ituations, and that sometimes our concentration wavered in defence. We also lacked a real general. This was compensated for by the running ability throughout the side, and it was, overall , a pleasure for me to be able to see a fine crop of young players, and to know that the recent sevens tradition at King's, of which we should be justly proud, is in good hands with this generation . There were a number of memorable matches. Thanks must go to Mr Aerwyn Watson, who worked with the squad throughout the term , but who was unable to go with the team because of his England commitments! R.C .W.

Team from: Olukayode Akindele (Capt.), Robert Adams, Folarin Alakija, Matthew Gardiner, James Harborne , Richard Johnson, Simon Lau, Olusola Lawson, Chike Okoli, Sam Parker, Gareth Williams, Alistair Williams.

Kent Sevens

RESULTS

l st Seven Won 27-0. Won 29-0 . Won 24-7. Lost 19-26. 2nd Seven Tonbridge I. Lost 12-20. Bethany I. Won 21-12. Skinners' I. Won 24- 12. Dartford G.S . I. Won 12-5. Dover College I. (Plate Final). Won 17- 12

Dover Sevens v Duke of York ' s. Lost 7- 14. v Campion. Drawn 7-7. v Eltham College. Won 3 1-0 . v Ursuline College. Won 2 1-7

v Oakwood Park G .S. v Rochester Maths. v St Olave's G .S. v Sevenoaks (Semi-Final). v v

v v

v Tonbridge. Won 21-14 v Skinners' (Final). Lost 12- 15.

Q.E. Barnet Sevens v Cranbrook. Won 21-7. v St George's, Harpenden. Won 34-0. v R.G.S., Guildford. Won 19-5. v Wimbledon College. Won 19- 12. v Arnold (Semi-Final). Lost 14- 17.

v Surrey Sevens

v St John ' s, Leatherhead . v St Benedict's, Eating. v Q.E. Barnet.

Rosslyn Park Sevens v Douai . v Cheltenham. v Mill Hill .

v Portsmouth G .S.

Lost Lost Won

12-22. 5-12 . 39-0.

Won Lost Won Won

27-0. 10-17. 26-7. 33-7 .

Sailing Ah, the white cliffs of Dover ... calm breezes ... trusty vessels ... the high seas .. . Dinghy sailing in the summer was not so idyllic as all this , but also held in store force sixes and force nils, seas higher than expected , capsizes and cross-harbour swimmers. Despite these obstacles the sailors emerged triumphant , proving themselves on the race course and off. Sarah Cook (yours truly) showed that capsizing - nay turtling - and g race seldom go hand in hand. Tristram Standen fed us all and always helped other sailors on his boat. When certa in novices failed to respond to his teaching, he simply pushed them overboard! Dominic Byers graced us with his presence occasionally and proved himself to be quite a skipper. James Barnes was a dead cert, always wanting to be dropped off at St A. 's on the way back. Naomi Gurney had a storming sail on her last day out on her own. She was often seen working on her offshore tactics with a tall , dark, handsome man. Despite his apparent failure at the Fisherman's Bend (we ' ll forgive you - but only once!), we owe all our knots to Chris Elworthy , who not only gained his R.Y .A . 5 but is fast becoming a fine Laser sailor; Paul Wharton certainly looked the part with his s lick shades; Giulia Pasotti gave up on us after falling in too many times; Liz MacPhee never did make it out for a proper sail with us and Mr W atson was ever patient with our efforts, even being spotted manning his own Topper , when he wasn't in the rescue boat o r rolling smack in fro nt of the yacht 'Wongga' with Sarah at the helm.

Under 16s The Colts season is the first opportunity for any school team to play sevens. Given thi s, this has been a promisi ng season, part icularly when it is considered that James Hessey did not play in any of the competitions because o f his England commitments. In freezing conditions at the Duke of York 's tournament, we had the rather unusual distinction of conceding two penalty tries in our first two games, which had no little influence on the results of both. From then on, however , the team g rew in confidence, and as its game took shape, it developed into a powerful combination. Awareness of how to use the ball properly increased and greater polish and patience brought results. A disciplined display , and a lung-bursting run from Simon Lau in particular, saw Tonbridge defeated, and in a closely fought final , the score swung to Skinners' just before the end. At Q.E. Barnet, in a large competition and in a very high class field , the progress o f the previous week was maintained, but whereas at Dover it had been the control and use of the ball that had been impressive, here it was the pace in the team that was decisive in its prog ress to the semi-final. There were some excellent displays, notably against R.G.S. Guildford and Wimbledon College. Unfortunately, the squad was very depleted

THE CANT UARIAN, LENT

SUMMER

1996

Our race against Dover College was sailed in moderate breeze, which built as the afternoon wore on. We out-muscled Dover easily, despite Dom ' s seven(! ) flips in one race. Tristan had an especially beautiful start in the second race, crossing

196

the line at fu ll speed at th e gun. Havi ng noticed our fine s ho wing aga inst Dover College every other school chickened out and we were forced to look amongst ourselves for competition. The House match was sailed in very little breeze leaving us larger types tot a ll y re li ant o n kineti cs. The fa ir sa ilors won , with Jervi s be in g we ll placed through Kate Carro ll and Adela Bottomley : they had obviously benefited fro m their previous practice day. Young Henry Coltart had also sailed notably well in support of Dom and helped to secure the c up for Marlowe . Linacre were runnersup .

SARAH COOK .

outstandingly good player if he keeps control over his frame of mind. This year was the first year that we played in the national schools championships but unfortunately we narrowly lost to Langley Park . Sevenoaks were an excellent team that we never managed to beat this season. The O.K.S. and the Jesters gave us some good advice as well as some thoughts about s quash. We managed to beat St Edmund 's to prove that we are the best school side in Canterbury. The highlights of the season must have been the two visits by Paul Wright (ex-England Coach) and Mark Shalliner. (world number 7) who thanks to Martin. a~d ~r Allday prov1ded us with helpful hints and an entertammg ttme. This just leaves me to thank Dr Allday f<;>r his h~lp and dedication to the team , Martin Ballands for hts coachmg and organising and Mr Bee for his support .

Squash 1st V Well , another season has been and gone , but this time it ~as my last. I have watched this team grow in strength and I thmk that in a couple of years King's will be able to put out a really strong side. I wish them luck.

The team members: Nick Puleston Jones played number 5 for the Autumn term, but unfortunately his work took priority in the Lent term and he did not play at all then. Nick seemed to be the only one to play all his matches. This is probably due to the fact. th~t he tried to hit the ball so hard that it travelled backwards m time. Towards the end of the term he was occasionally seen to employ some more subtle tactics. Merlin Nicholas took over from Nick as num~er 5. Merlin ' s game was very different from N~ck's in that .he tned ~o outsmart his opponents rather than out-hit them . This plan did not start off too well , but by the end of the season it was quit~ w~ll tuned. Even though he did not win many games he gave It his all and we cannot ask more than that. Next year he may have better fortune with more match experience.

GORDON V AINES.

Team: Gordon Vaines (Capt.) , Nick Berry , Jonah Wyn-Pugh, Sunil Abraham, Merlin Nicholas, Nick Puleston Jones.

Swimming

Sunil Abraham played number 4 for the w~ole. season. ~e always moaned about the. ~ mount of exercise mvolve? m Martin's training, but unfailmgly turned up for the practices. His games were always competitive and h~ has a naturally d.eft touch with the racket. However , squash IS also an aggresstve sport and Sunil is a little too nice for his own good at the moment (on court that is!).

1995/96 has been a difficult year for the Swimming Club with limited access to pool facilities. Long j ourney~ t~ and from Faversham Pool resulted in falling numbers, but tt did not deter the keen. The juniors, headed by Robin , Ben, J o hnn~ and Enzo (in his fluorescent green tr~nks) came up agamst tough opposition and left us wondenng. why we do not have any 6 ft 3 in Removes at King' s. The Semor Boys were strong as usual , having just about managed during their five years at school to keep an unbeaten record (we won 't mention that fixture at Trinity), although the combined totals were not always as impressive. The girls' team only had a couple of matches this year s i.nce it was not possible to stage a n~ home. fi xtures, but the semors Âˇ fared quite well with one outn~ht wm and a cl?se second to Eastbourne in a triangle meet wtth ~ps~m. Demse, Mar.g and the two Carolines were among the JUniOrs who swam m the

Jonah W yn-Pugh is to be captain next Y.ear. !'le pla~ed in ~he number 2 spot until d isplaced by a raptdly tmprovmg Ntck Berry . Despite his laid back a~titud e off court he real!~ put a lot into his match play and thts season he produced his best squash so far.

Nick ~erry rapidly improved during the season and will .be the best player in the team next year. He has the opportumty to beat the record of 50 appearances for the 1st V over the next couple of years. There is no doubt that he can become an

197

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMMER

1996

v St Edmunds (A). Won 7-5.

match against King' s Rochester. Hopefully they were not too put off by the harsh conditions! On a slightly happier note, the climax to the King's swimming season, namely the Bath and Otter Cup, was the most successful for many years. The boys narrowly missed the final of the Otter Cup medley, coming 11th over all. Tom, Tim, James and Ed swam brilliantly in the final of the Aldenham Cup, coming home 3rd whilst smashing the old King's record. In the Bath Cup, a medley team consisting of Nigel , Adrian, Tim and Tom managed a place in the final. The girls' team, Caroline, Zoe, Estelle, Rachel and Kate made the finals of the freestyle relay, but just missed the medley final by a few hundredths of a second. Overall a very impressive year at the Crystal Palace event. We would like to thank Miss Stayte, Mr McFall , Mr T hane, Dr Bridge, Mrs Reid and Mr Pragnell for helping with the smooth running of the Swimming Club and for giving up many hours to sit on the bus. Thanks especially to Miss Price and Mr Barham for organising our fixtures and putting a lot of work into a very difficult year. And finally a big thank you to Mrs Murray for being a super coach and for flogging us up and down the pool! We wish the Swimming Club and its new captains, Tim Mitchell and Estelle Davies, good luck for the coming year: enjoy your new pool! TOM COLLINS AND CAROLINE NG.

v Tonbridge (A). Lost 4-5. v St Lawrence (H). Lost 4-5. v Brentwood (H). Lost 2-10. v Dover College (H). Won 10-2. v Sutton Valence (A). Won 6 1h - 2 1/2. Glanville Cup v Northbourne Park. W/o. v Simon Langton (A). Won 4-0. v Kent College (H). Won 4-0. v Dartford Grammar (H). Lost 0-6.

2nd VI Unlike the uncertainties facing the First VI, the Seconds had a combination of eight players who managed to rotate regularly and whose play improved dramatically over the course of a few weeks. Only against Sevenoaks were they truly outclassed. Otherwise, under the leadership of Chris Howard paired with Ben White, they proved to be very competitive. Richard Letts and Henry Eccles used their height and power to good effect as did the base line pair of Ed Dale-Jones and Angus Blackburn, but it was the combination of Len Samuelson and James Patrick that provided some of the most unpredictable and favourable results especially against Brentwood. Well done on being a reliable and responsible squad who seemed really to enjoy their matches - apart from the cold, windswept expanses of Sutton Valence, where the elements led to a very quick 9-0 victory to us. Team from: Angus Blackburn, Edward Dale-Jones, Henry Eccles, Christopher Howard (Capt.), Richard Letts, James Patrick, Len Samuelson, Ben White. Also played: Simon Bird, Jonah Wyn-Pugh. RESULTS Played 7, Won 3, Lost 3, Drawn I. v Eastbourne (A). Drawn 6-6. v Sevenoaks (H). Lost 0-12. v Tonbridge (A). Lost 21f2-6lf2. v St Lawrence College (H). Lost 3-6. v Brentwood (H). Won 9-3. v Dover College (H). Won 12-0. v Sutton Valence (A). Won 9-0. Seniors: The conversion of the all-weather hockey surface on Blore's to astroturf has given a better surface for the non-team players to develop the ir skills in friendly games between themselves. Some of the more enthusiastic players were occasionally called upon to form a 3rd VI this season as an experiment to give a greater opportunity to represent the school. The two fixtu res against Eastboume and Tonbridge ended in defeats but hopefully were worthwhile afternoons fo r all those who took part. I would like to thank those pupils who regularly attended and the willing members of staff especially N.J. B., A.R.A.R., D.J .R., P. J .B. and A.A.P. who helped supervise the games sessions on Blore's. The Senior Inter-House competition was won by Mitchinson's and the Juniors by Tradescant. Just as is the case with British tennis, there is evidence of younger players emerging within our club: the junior sides have had some success this year, which hopefully can be built upon for the fu ture. I am indebted to C .J.R.J . for his support and help , to A.McF . and Martin FieldDodgson for accompanying and hosting teams , plus the groundstaff and catering departments for thei r excellent service. S.E.A.

Boys' Tennis 1st VI Edward Radcliffe's departure was a great blow to the Captain, Jonathan Murch, since the two had played as a pair from a very early age and had developed the all-important mutual understanding. Christoph Handrup and Oscar von Eynern were two German students who had been regularly practising with the 1st VI during the Lent term and would have featured in some pairings. However, neither returned to the school after Easter. T he team was fortunate to have acquired two new pupils in 6b, Merlin Nicholas and Jamie Green, both of whom had to acclimatise quickly to the level of play. Such turm.oil did not help our start to the season, which resulted in very heavy defeats at Eastbourne and Sevenoaks, but with Gardner and Appleyard show ing an effective doubles style, a wi n was secured against our local rivals St Edmund 's. Finding the most effective pairings proved to be a difficult task but Jonathan Murch showed great patience in coaxing Edward Immink into improving his tactical awareness and consistency. However, against the stronger schools the lack of experience and unbalanced pairings meant we were often outclassed; but a gritty display at Tonbridge led to a very close and exciting match which was eventually lost 4-6 in the last match. The squad should not feel too despondent, since in local matches we fared very well and had a fair run in the Glanville Cup. The season is even shorter due to the number of 6b pupil s involved in A-level modules which makes it very difficult to arrange any cup matches after half-term, and so unfortunately the gulf between ourselves and schools that play during the winter is getting even greater. Looking back on the season it has to be viewed as a rebuilding one, with four 6Bs and one fifth-former gaining valuable experience for next year. My thanks to all the boys, parents and staff who have helped me during the season. Team from: Matthew Appleyard , Justin Gardner* , Jamie Green, Edward Immink, Jonathan Murch (Capt.), Merlin Nicholas. Also played: Christopher Howard , Mark Preston. RESULTS Played II , Won 5, Lost 6. v Eastbourne (A). Lost 0- 12. v Sevenoaks (A). Lost 0-9.

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

Under 16 VI With an early exit from the Kent Cup, the season seemed even shorter than ever. However, we had a competitive team which generally played to its potential. Eastbourne were beaten comprehensively, with James Bride! and Try stan Byrnes winning all their sets, but a strong, Sevenoaks side beat us even

198

more emphatically. St Edmund's were dispatched with ease, but then came the cup match and Kent College, with two excellent singles players, just squeezed through in a very exciting t ie-break. The Tonbridge match was close, but, although we fought hard, their impressive first pair tipped the scales in their favour. The season finished with a draw at Brentwood, on a day more memorable for Cantona's cup-final goal! I hope that the team members have enjoyed the tennis that they have played. At first pair, Mark Preston showed good all-round technique and Mark Sweny hit many big forehands and covered the court with agility. James Bride! and Trystan Byrnes formed a consistent second pair and Harry Walker and Hugo MacPherson battled with enthusiasm and spirit at third. There is, however, something that must be said to all school tennis pla~e~s. If you wish to become a really good player you must JOm a well organised club, that provides a proper structure ~or its juniors. You cannot expect to become a world-beater m a SIX week period, sometimes interrupted by the weather. C .J .R.J. Team: James Bride!, Tristan Byrnes, Hugo MacPherson, Mark Preston, Mark Sweny, Harry Walker. Al so played: Matteo Colombo, Edward Immink, Jonathan Warren. REsULTS Friendlies: v Eastbourne (A). Won 10-2 . v Sevenoaks (A). Lost 0-9. v St Edmund's (A). Won 12-0. v Tonbridge (H). Lost 31h-5 1h . v Brentwood (A). Drawn 3-3. K.C.L.T.A. Cup: v Kent College (H). 3-3 ( Lost on tie-break game).

Under 15s This season has been really quite a successful one for the U 15 'A's. Apart from cup matches, we have lost to only two schools, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks, both of whom had very strong teams. As far as cup competitions are concerned, we entered two: the Midland Bank U 15 national competition and the Thomas Bowl at Eton. We were knocked out of the first of these in the regional semi-finals against the Skinners' School. We were knocked out of the latter in the third round by the host side. I think we are all pleased by our performance this term and look forward to the summer term of next year. May I thank, on behalf of the team, Mr McFall, Mr Jackson, and above all, Mr Anderson, who managed to fit us into the small spaces of time he had available, whilst taking care of several teams from other years . SAM LONDON. U15 'A' team from: Adrian Fradd, Sam London (Capt.), Simon Jennings, Ian Meyer, Robin Doble, Ed Sixsmith, Ivo Neame, Toby Nathan and Pravin Mukhi. U15 'B' team from: Charlie Rice, Nico Berry, Tom Bell, Toby Nathan, Sam Young and Tom McHugh . RESULTS

v v v v

Sevenoaks (H). Lost 4-5. Ton bridge (H). Lost 3-6. Kent College (A). Won 9-0. Brentwood (H). Won 6-3. v Cranbrook (A). Won 9-0. v Dulwich (H). Won 2 1h-llf2 . v Tonbridge (H). Lost 0-9.

Midland Bank U 15 v Simo~Langton ' A' (H). Won 5-l. v Chatham House (H) . Won 6~0 .. v Maidstone ' B' . Won over. v St Edmund's Dover (H) (quarter-final). Won 6-0. v Skinners' (A) (semi-final). Lost 1-5.

P.S.L. T .A. Championships at Eton: Thomas Bowl 2nd Round v Whitgift I. Won 6-0, 6-3. 3rd Round v Eton 2. Lost 4-6, 6-3, 0-6.

Under 14s U 14 tennis has been of a very high standard this year with both 'A' and ' B' teams being virtually unbeaten. The opening U 14 'A' and 'B' match against Tonbridge was only a few days after team selection, so the partnerships were a bit _shaky. However, after a hesitant start we managed to dispatch Tonbridge convincingly, with an 8-1 victory. In the next match two days later, the ' A 's travelled to Kent College to play on grass. There we again won 8-1, this time playing better as a team and becoming more focused. We then had two weeks before our next match, in which we had time to practice and get used to partners and playing. Th_e first selectio_n stay~d ~he same throughout in the ' A' team, w1th ~he first pa1_r cons1s~mg of Pravin Mukhi and Adrian Fradd; Pntam Mukh1 and Oliver Machin as second; while the third pair was mainly Jon Wood and Daniel Cartwright. When the Ul 4 ' A's played Brentwood, the two Mukhi brothers made up the first pair since I was playing for the U 15s. This pairing of brothers was not entirely successful, b~t we still managed to win a convincing 7-2 victory. The followmg week we had to play Sevenoaks, which we knew was going to be the toughest match as they have the facilities to play in winter. However our 'A' team, boosted by two under-aged Removes, managed to put up a really impressive performance and we attained a 2-2 victory. There was a high standard of play all round, with our first pair coming back from 4-5, 0-40 down to win the match against their opposite numbers. The 'B' team , supplemented by cricketers, managed to win with a closer margin of 5-4. Against Dul wich I again di~n 't play, ~ut th~s time th~ first pair was Pravin and Edward S1 xsm1th wh1le Oliver Martm and Pritam remained as second pair. This we won convincingly 4-0, with Pravin doing some spectacular services. The last match against Cranbrook marred our unbeaten record, wit~ everyone in the ' A' team being unfocused and not concentratmg and we lost 3-6. The 'B' team however, bolstered by David Farrar , acquired a deserved win of 8- 1. In our U 14 teams at the moment we have basically got a competent squad. It just needs greater consisten~y and the elimination of various errors. Both of the Mukh1 brothers' services have been unreturnable at times, however more consistency is needed in them for their game to have greater authority. All pairs need to improve their serve and volley game, for at the moment we are lacking the aggressiveness and mobility needed for an effective attacking volley game. Oliver Martin, though having great fluidity in strokes , needs to be more confident at net and commit himself fully into vollying. This has been a most satisfactory season. I think team and non-team members have enjoyed their tennis. If we are to compete with the very best, players must try and play as much as possible throughout the autumn and winter months. ADRIAN FRADD. U14 'A': Adrian Fradd (Capt.), Pravin Mukhi, Oliver Martin, Pritam Mukhi , Jon Wood, Daniel Cartwright, Jan Panman. Also played: Edward Sixsmith, James Edmondson, Oliver Collins. U14Bs (no fixed team) - those who played: Daniel Cartwright, Oliver Collins, Jan Panman, Alex Dawes, _James Edmondson, Rory MacEwen, David Farrar, James Bnggs. RESULTS U14A v Tonbridge (H). Won 8-1. v Kent College (A). Won 8-1. v Brentwood (H). Won 7-2. v Sevenoaks (A). Won 2-2. v Dulwich (H). Won 4-0. v Cranbrook (H). Lost 3-6. U14B v Sevenoaks (A). Won 5-4. v Cranbrook (H). Won 8-1.

199

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

SPEECH DAY 1996 are only temporarily resident within the City walls . I believe that Canterbury would be the poorer without The King' s School. It has therefore much saddened me that we have met with such opposition over our proposals for our fifth girls' boarding house in Broad Street. I can, of course, understand local residents ' concern as The King's School increases its ownership of property outside the Precincts. However, this is minimal compared with such an institution as Christ Church , whose latest development in Northgate we much admire, indeed envy. If only we had had the money we might have done likewise. Our modest proposal to turn a derelict garage site into part of a girls' boarding house in which we sought to meet the requirements of every party involved in planning and conservation is now the subject of an appeal. It is therefore inappropriate that I say more today. With an Election coming, there will inevitably be much discussion concerning private education. Whatever Victorian socialism made of the Hebrew eighth century prophets, one thing I can state quite categorically: neither Amos nor his southern contemporary Isaiah would ever have opposed independent education. Their attacks were not directed at the wealthy because they were wealthy: they were directed at the wealthy because they did not care for the poor, oppressed and destitute. Nowhere is wealth qua wealth criticised. Indeed it is seen as a blessing from God. In a democracy men and women have the right to choose how to spend their wealth, and there is no reason why education should not be part of that choice. There is, though , every reason why those who can afford the kind of education offered by this place should seek to ensure that all citizens within this nation have the proper facilities and resources whereby they can succeed academically. It is for this reason that this School has never become a member of the Assisted Places Scheme , I believe that independent schools should be independent and not use Government resources to take away brighter pupils from maintained schools in order to swell their own numbers and academic success. To phase out assisted places seems to me entirely reasonable for an in-coming Labour Government : to attack the very foundation of independent education is not. We are a charity: we make our buildings available for charitable purposes; our pupils engage in charitable practices and there are a considerable number of pupils who benefit from education here through bursaries funded by the School. We would like to do even more in this field and I therefore very much welcome the fact that this year we have been able to award the first John Corner Music Scholarships . We would welcome further bequests. I am delighted, too, that the O.K.S. Bursary Trust is shortly to appeal to O.K.S. for further monies to boost its investment portfolio and so add to the three O.K.S. Scholarships already awarded. In recent weeks I have been asked so many questions about my headmastership that I have no doubt at all that somewhere today I shall contradict myself. But looking back over these last ten years what stands out for me

HEADMASTER'S SPEECH Today marks the end of an era, the era of my headmastership , though I am grateful to Jill Tweed for ensuring you will not forget me. Clearly, the normal end-of-year speech with its reports of the year's activities becomes inappropriate. What will be the overwhelming theme of my words today will be gratitude and thanks. And I know I speak for all when, on your behalf, I thank those who have been involved in this splendid Cornish King's Week, culminating in our superb service and sermon today. I could not have been given a better send-off. To all who worked so hard in so many different ways even in the face of Cornish weather, my deepest thanks. Nor could it have been a better tribute to Tom Kenwright, whose tragic death we continue to mourn. We again extend our deepest sympathy to his parents and brother. These have been cruel weeks which the dedication and love of so many has redeemed. In my view, the most famous farewell speech in history was the final words of Moses from Mount Nebo as he looked out across the promised land. God had decreed his death before entry into Canaan and the Book of Deuteronomy is, in effect, Moses' last will and testament. I know , of course, that this is a fiction and that the book is the work of theologians in Jerusalem at the time of the Babylonian conquest. I say that in case my Head of Department thinks I have already lost my marbles. Moses' concern was to give to the people torah, God's will, obedience to which would bring blessing; disobedience, curse. I shall not presume to be as rigorous as Moses, but perhaps I might offer a few reflections. There is a vague analogy between our ministries . He had led the Hebrews through the desert for forty years but was not to enjoy the richness of Canaan. I have brought the school to the edge of the 1400 anniversary celebrations, though I shall not enjoy their pleasures. Unlike Moses, this is my own choice for the Governors did suggest that I might stay on one extra year. However, I have fulfilled my contract and I believe that those that hang on usually prove pretty ineffective. One knows deep inside oneself that there is a proper time to go and I know that that time has been reached. I know too that the School can look forward in confidence as it celebrates 1400 years of continuous worship and education on this spot. Mr Dean, I am though forgetting my manners, for I must of course warmly welcome our Lord Mayor. That th e Lord Mayor s hould co nsider our Commemoration of sufficient importance to attend is, of course, a considerable honour. I have sought throughout my time as Headmaster to foster links with the City. These have, I believe , been strengthened in many different ways. I do not simply refer to the commercial importance of the school as a major employer and a major purchaser within the City, but to the myriad of activities in which pupils have been involved for the benefit of its citizens, and the use of our resources on many occasions, usually at a nominal charge. We have sought to play our part as good citizens, very conscious that most of our community

THE C ANTUARIA N , L ENT

SUMMER

1996

200

is the way in which almost to a man and woman every employee of the King' s School has worked as part of the team. That team of course extends throughout the academic staff to all who support them in laboratory and office, all who care for the buildings and for the welfare of the community in health and catering. It is an enormous list. For a moment narrowing it to the academic staff, my policy from the beginning was to work through structures. Already there were committees, but there was not a proper Senior Management Team. The fact that in a normal week I meet twice with the Bursar - on whose financial acumen I have relied with great profit - and meet twice with my senior colleagues, illustrates the way in which this decade has been one of joint management. But this has applied too to the Housemasters and Housemistresses, and also the Heads of Departments. Further, I have encouraged the same kind of teamwork within Houses, through the Housemaster/Housemistress and Tutors and, in Departments through the Head of Department and its members. Academic and pastoral concerns are now so complex that unless we work as a team, making team decisions and carrying them loyally into effect, then we cannot hope to ensure the proper running of a large boarding school. And it is the fact that we are a boarding school that sets us apart from other educational establishments. It is a 24-hour-a-day job, almost seven days a week. I am well aware of the demands that this makes on academic staff and their families. But there is no alternative if boarding is to succeed. We know that nationally it is declining , but this school has gone against that trend with a steady increase from year to year. Next year we shall again have the highest number of pupils in the School in her history. If all goes well our pupil numbers will total about 740 of whom nearly 600 will be boarders. We are the envy of our rival schools, but that position has only been obtained by the dedicated and hard work of the academic community supported, as I have already said , by the whole team- and here in particular I would single out the Matrons and San Sisters - ' the Hug ' as I earlier called them - who play a crucial role in the life of this School. May I particularly thank Shirley Brine, who retires this year from Tradescant after 13 years of service? No one could have served her House with more dedication. The personal cost to individual members of the academic staff can be very high indeed , and no one should be pushed beyond the limit. That is why I have welcomed the appraisal system which we have adopted within the School and which , although in need of some refinement has, I believe, already been of immense help to individual members of the academic staff, though like everything else, it depends on individual input. I hope , too, that parents will sometimes remember the pressures under which we have to work in the demands that they make upon us. We cannot get everything right, at the right time, every time. Sometimes we will make mistakes. We are, though, totally committed to the welfare of your children and to maintaining the educational and personal values which lie at the heart of this iSchool. As I have said again and again, if parents or pupils find that these principles and values are not for them, then this becomes an inappropriate School with which to be associated . That does not mean that

we are a conformist society , intolerant of the individual. Far from it, as the awards of the Headmaster's prizes today have amply illustrated. I should hate to have been thought a conformist Headmaster. As I looked at the plan of the School last night I realised there was hardly one part of it which had remained unaltered since my entry to the School in 1986. Undoubtedly, as far as buildings go the decision to go ahead with the Recreation Centre and the purchase of St Augustine's must rank top of the list. I leave the King's School with a greater amount of freehold than it has ever held in its life. That should provide solid security for the future. Co-education would never have been the quick success it was without the Recreation Centre. Like all of you , I am naturally saddened that the School swimming pool is still out of use, though there is every probability that it will be back in action in November next. And it will be a better pool too. But the placing of our resources in the building of that project ensured that boys and girls could easily meet there for a whole variety of sporting activities, none of them limited to the single sex. Further, the enormous sporting successes of the School in this period of coeducation, reflected in the photographs in the lobby of Lattergate of those who have represented their country, is a direct result of this School at last having facilities worthy of it. These, of course, include the allweather pitches. I could not be more delighted that in my final year the School has obtained a Blue for Rugby at Oxford and a Blue for Rowing at Cambridge. It is extremely hard now for any schoolboy to gain either award due to the Universities ' practice of bringing in graduates from our former Colonies, which seem to include even France. Our Old Boys and Girls have in fact secured six Blues at Oxbridge this year. And the extraordinary triumphs of our oarsmen and women - five invited to the Final Trials for the Great Britain Rowing Team this year, and our first-ever Henley win by Lucy Heise and Frances Houghton - proves just how wrong those Jonahs were who prophesied that with coeducation King 's would no longer be a rowing School. Before I leave buildings, I must though mention the very first major alteration which I did , namely the new Biology laboratories. I shall always regard them with the greatest affection. In many ways they were the trickiest of all the projects that we have undertaken, and a marvellous illustration of the way in which wasted space can be used. I often wonder what one of my successors will do with the roof space above us now. There is a challenge for the future. On the other hand, beneath our feet lies the new Pupils' Social Centre. I was very grateful to the Secretary of State for National Heritage fo r officially opening this Centre last week. It has been a huge success which far exceeded our expectations, and to all who planned and worked on it, many congratulations! This conversion is an example of the inappropriate use of buildings, which have now been put to a very much better purpose. But there can be no doubt that the most important decision of my Headmastership was to go coeducational. I was with the reactionaries at Cambridge and initially opposed my College going mixed . Later I changed my mind and was a keen supporter when StJohn 's Oxford

201

THE CANTUARIAN . L ENT

SU M M ER

1996

took the ~ecision. Like all converts, I suppose I have become, 1f not quite manic , certainly fervent. It was clear to those interviewing me for my headship here that I favoured King's going coeducational. I was even challenÂĽed to put forward a plan, and I remember suggestl~g that St Augustine's might be for girls and the Pre~10cts for boys. More interestingly, I was asked a questwn o_n relationsh_ips bet~een boys and girls, and ~ re~all say10g that I dtd not Imagine that the natural I~st10cts and affections implanted by Almighty God disappeared on entry to the King's School. And how much better it is that the boys and girls have here been brought up in what is a natural atmosphere. When my own daughter left King 's she said to me that one of the things she appreciated most was that she had a huge number of good male friends who would be friends for !ife. ~our sons. and daughters grow up here in a society ~n whtch there IS no stereotyping, where the differences ~n _the sexes _are both understood and appreciated, where It 1s recogmsed that it is the best person for the job on offe: that mat~ers, and that boys and girls need not be afraid of show10g both the masculine and feminine sides of their natures. The_ autumn sees the opening of the fifth girls ' Board10g House - Harvey House - albeit in a truncated form, indicating the speed with which we have been _able to carry through the coeducation process. It may Interest you to know that next year there will be ~bout 4~0 boys in the school and 310 girls, another rise 10 the girl population as we move closer and closer to parityÂˇ. I am ~ery grateful to the then Governing Body for twice tak10g the unanimous decision to allow me to impl~ment coeducation. It was my idea, and it was my chotce to put it forward at the beginning of my second y_ear here. It would not , though, have been the success It has without a remarkable woman who, by good fortune , was already in the School. If I have been ~he architect of coeducation, she has certainly been the If!!plementer: Janet Pickering. People now forget how difficult those early days were. As a pioneer, she encou_ntered all s_o_rts of obstacles - some through conscwus opposition, others through a lack of thoughtfulness . Her dogged determination that coeducation meant that at every level in the School men and women, boys and girls, were to be treated equally, has now won the day. Countless members of staff parents and pupils of my era will forever associate th~ ~ng's ~cho?l with Janet Pickering. No member of staff IS held 10 wider or higher affection. My personal debt to her is incalculable. There are, of course, others who must be thanked. ~irst , though happily he is not leaving us today, I should hke to thank David Arnott our first Master of Examinations. In this modular age this is no sinecure but requires continuous and meticulous attention to detail. We have admired David's hard work and efficiency and thank him for all he has done to make our li~es so much easier , aided by the splendid Mrs Leerrung. Alas, though, I am not the only person leaving the academic staff this term. Two young teachers go to o~her appointments, Lindsay Gabitass and Jonathan White. Both have contributed a very great deal to the School - indeed perhaps the greatest change to the Common Room in my time is not its new position, but the average age of its composition. The present vitality

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMM ER 1996

of the school , not to mention its outstanding academic success, owes a very great deal to the young teachers who almost did not exist when I came, and who now form a vibrant, if sometimes noisy, element in Common Room. Lindsay is leaving for matrimonial reasons, having got engaged to a fellow teacher who works in East Anglia. No one could blame her for preferring a London scho?l in '?rder to plan her wedding for next July, than battling with Network South-East. We wish her every happiness in the future. We have been lucky to have her. She is a natural, being of course the daughter of a Headmaster. To her and her fiance we extend our warmest good wishes. Jonny White has played so many different roles in the _Scho?l that he will leave a very considerable gap beh10d h1m . I, of course, am very grateful to him for minding N?. 14 The Precincts when Vicky and I had our sabbatical term. Actually he was minding Boris, our mongrel cat, who although brought up on my daughter's clarinet playing, did not fancy Jonny's flute. It is perhaps appropriate that Boris and Jonny should leave ~he Precincts together. When the vacancy at Westrrunster occurred, I knew instinctively that it should be filled by Jonny as I immediately told their Headmaster by telephone. That after rigorous interviews he confirmed that instinct was no surprise to me but does of course indicate the very exceptional quaiities that Jonny has. We wish him very well for the future and thank him for all he has done for us. Pets, of course, can be awkward creatures. I heard an amusing story the other evening from Colin Peterson forme:l~ Prime Minister's _Patronage Secretary. He told of a ~Islt by the t~en Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, to h1s parents 10 Moscow where his father was Ambassador. The Petersons had a dog called Brindle. Lady Peterson gave a dinner party for the Foreign Secretary , . who was somewhat surprised to see, accompany10g the offered cheese, dog biscuits. He turned to Lady Peterson and asked, 'Are these dog biscuits?' Lady Peterson replied, 'Yes' . Not to be put off, Ernest Bevin said to Lady Peterson, 'I would prefer not to deprive Brindle of his biscuits'. Lady Peterson replied, 'Do not worry, Foreign Secretary. He does not like them.' If I were to thank everyone personally we would be here for longer than a reading of the Book of Deutero~omy. I must, then, simply say to the commumty at large and_ my secretaries in particular, thank you. For them, th1s has been a very difficult six months, but we are delighted that both Mrs Hopkins and Mrs Breaden are back with us , and I must thank Mrs Scott and Mrs Ralphs, together with Mrs Fryer for holding the fort and going far beyond the cours~ of duty. But that characterises this School. To Mrs Hopkins, in particular, for seeing me through these ten years, a very special thank you. There are, though , individuals whom particular affection requires me to mention. First, I would like to thank your p~edecessor, Mr Dean, for having the courage to appo10t me. I knew Dean de Waal in our Cambridge days and one of the reasons I accepted the Headship and as you know , Mr Dean, I was very doubtful as to whether I should - was his presence here.

202

left a meeting with Paul without feeling exhilarated. He has a way of putting things which simply makes me feel better. He also, of course, cuts everything down to size. What appears a mountain becomes, in Paul's presence, a molehill. When the history of this century comes to be written, it will not just be John Shirley who is remembered as the man of the century , but Paul Pollak too. His contribution to the School continues and my successor is lucky to have such a man at hand. Then there is Chris Millar who for nearly all my time acted as Master of Studies. Always loyal and discreet, our relationship blossomed into one of affection and respect and I know that without his wise guidance I would have made far more mistakes than I have. He provided the continuity from my predecessor's time, and jolly nearly until my successor's. He and I were both delighted that Brian Turner should succeed him and such has been Brian's enthusiasm and dedication, in a year which has not been altogether easy for him personally, it now seems that he was always part of the team. Under Brian's leadership I can only see the academic life of the School going from strength to strength . I have already thanked Janet Pickering. It now falls to me to thank my other Deputy, Paul Humberstone. The best thing about Paul is he never totally takes me seriously. I think it the essential qualification of any deputy that he should be able to laugh at the Head. Paul has, of course, been very much part and parcel of our whole family life, a real friend who has worked unstintingly for the success of the School, often taking on from me the more unpleasant and routine jobs. He is not the sort of man who is waiting to be applauded, but the kind of man who simply gets on with it because it has got to be got on with and if it isn't, then difficulties will occur. He is enormously hard-working and efficient , but all of this is accompanied with the wryest sense of humour, sometimes in a language I do not fully understand. One of the real treats of my Headmastership has been Vicky and my visits to France accompanied by Paul as interpreter where, despite intensive coaching, he could never get me to pronounce the language correctly. I still believe that my fear of foreign languages springs from my early years at public school where I played Eliza Doolittle and was coached in Cockney, a dialect I had never heard. Since then it seems to me that I am incapable of speaking any language properly. From Vicky and myself, Paul , a very big thank you. Finally - and I shall be very brief, not because there is not much that could be said, but that there are no adequate words in which to say it - I must thank my children and my wife. For ten years they have sacrificed father and husband to others. I hardly saw my children in any activity at their school , but their love and affection , their understanding and their humour, and the joy of holidaying together, made this decade of headmastering possible. I think I told you before that when I was appointed , I received an enormous number of letters of congratulation. One was a postcard from Sir James Cobban, formerly Headmaster of Abingdon School, to whom Vicky had acted as secretary. It simply read , ' She is your only qualification'. After ten years I would not want to say anything different.

I am told that he insisted on having the candidates' handwriting analysed , and that the report on my handwriting very firmly indicated that I should not be appointed. There were plenty of other reasons why the choice should fall on someone else. That the risk was taken - and it was a risk for me, too - has been for me, of course, the best thing that ever happened in my working life. To those that took it, and allowed me to take it, my heartfelt thanks. I should like to thank, in particular, the Catering Department and all those who have served the endless meals in which we have tried to entertain so many visitors to the School. Of course, much of the entertaining has been done by my wife who has certainly clocked up well over a thousand Shell Suppers, not to mention all the dinner parties for visiting preachers, etc. But I have depended on the Catering Department, and the sheer professionalism, enthusiasm and fun that that department has given to me personally and to the School, is worthy of a special mention. I am delighted that the very last party of my time as Headmaster will be a barbecue for them in my garden next week. Next I must thank my Head of Department, Geoff Cocksworth. I would simply have gone mad here had I not had the opportunity to do serious teaching. I think some of my academic colleagues forget that I have taught consistently a quarter-timetable, which is not easy for any Headmaster g iven the constraints on his time and in particular having time regularly available. I could not have done this without the co-operation of Geoff. He is an outstanding teacher himself. Many might have been nervous of an ex-don meddling around in the Department. Not Geoff, who welcomed my presence, encouraged my teaching and treated me as I wanted to be treated - as one of his team. The success of the Religious Studies department is evident for all to see, not only in its academic results and its numerous University entries, but in the sheer enthusiasm for the subject engendered in the pupils. There is no single thing in the School which I shall miss more than my A level teaching. Two people in particular looked after me at King's in a pastoral capacity. One was the then Chaplain, Peter Hullah, now Headmaster of Chetham's Music School, badly damaged by the recent IRA bomb. He has been a guru to the whole family. Indeed all five of us found in him a man whom we could trust, and a man of infinite wisdom and great generosity of spirit. That the five of us have come through the children's teenage years, and all of us are real friends of each other, is a tribute to Peter Hullah as much as to anyone else. And then there is the late Philip Boyd, our first counsellor. Only once in my ministry here did I falter. For half a term at the beginning of the 1993/4 academic year I suffered from depression and indeed even informed you , Mr Dean, that I wished to resign. Philip Boyd saw me through those uneasy weeks, and it was for me a savage blow when he died so suddenly. I like to think that he is rejoicing with us today at the completion of my ministry here. Nexl, in what is deliberately a short list, I should like to thank the rest of my colleagues in Senior Management. First, Paul Pollak who even after his retirement continued to guide me. I have never ever

203

THE CANTUARIAN. L ENT

SUMMER

1996

Moses .on Mount Nebo told the Hebrews that they had a cho..ce. One way led to blessing and one to curse, and that I S always the choice that faces any group of peop~e. How are we to ensure blessing for the future m th1s place? The criterion by which I have run this Sc~ool has been reliance on one principle, the principle of mtegrity . I do not really care what people say of my headmastership provided that they appreciate that that was the spirit in which it was undertaken. I have tried at all times to be true - true to myself, true to the pupils whom I shall miss more than words can ever express, true to staff and parents. When I left StJohn's, one of the undergraduates said to me that what he was grateful for in my ministry was that it had not been an easy one. I had challenged at all points. I suppose that is what I me~n by integrity. We should not just simply let things be, 1f they are not as they ought to be. Individuals, communities need to be challenged. The role of a Head is to do that challenging, both personally and corporately. He should be awkward in that he must f~rev~r be smothering that terrible vice which so easily shps mto schools, complacency. Of course this does not make him popular with everyone. An inefficient department, a teacher not pulling his or her weight, pa~ents bro~ght face to face with the reality of their child, a pup1l suddenly realising that no means no: these can all be tense moments. But they are moments that should not be avoided. Perhaps more than most in this place I am aware of !ts defects . We have not got everything as I would like It. There are matters that do need attention and that is why it is so good that a new Headmaster is now taking ov~r to whom I wish every success. Stanley BoothChbborn, the former Bishop of Manchester, who died re~ently , once said : 'Some people have interpreted episcopal leadership as meaning that the Bishop should not take strong stands on controversial issues, but I think that that path simply enfeebles episcopal leadership. Pe?ple respect more th~ kind of leadership where it is quite clear where the Bishop stands'. I believe that to be true of Headmasters as well . Of course, that leadership must be given in the context of the team, as I have already indicated. But in the end the buck does stop with the Headmaster, and it is right that it does so. The Headmaster will himself, if he is doing his job properly , kn?w the upheavals of depression and despair, fear and .a~xiety, grief and sadness, anger and the agony of forg1vmg, confusion and doubt, criticism and rejection. I have experienced them all , some very

painfully . But as Scott Peck says , a life lacking these emotional upheavals will not only be useless to ourselves , it will be useless to others. Finally, may I thank you all for your parties, O.K.S., Governors, Staff, Purples, Servers , Parents and Friends, and not least for the Senior Management's expe~ition to Normandy for dinner . I have a strong affimty to the late Bubbles Rothermere, of whom it was said she would even attend the opening of an envelope. Thank you too for your wonderful letters and the things y~u have said to ~e personally, and of course your wildly generous gifts . I, of course, know the truth in a way none of you can know , that it hasn' t been quite as you have so generously said. And in the end, I suppose I rather hope that it is isn't just success that you are admiring , but coping with failure too. The following quotation comes from J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, when he was speaking as Rector of St Andrews University. The title of his address was, On Courage. The speaker is describing a possible play: 'The scene is a school, schoolmasters present, but if you like you could make it a university , professors present. They are discussing an illuminated scroll about a student fallen in the war, which they have kindly presented to his parents; and unexpectedly the parents enter. They are an old pair, backbent, they have been stalwarts in their day but have now gone small ; they are poor, but not so poor that they could not send their boy to college ... They have come to thank the Senatus for their lovely scroll and to ask them to tear it up. At first they had been enamoured to read of what a scholar their son was, how noble and adored b~ all . But soon a fog settled over them , for th1s grand person was not the boy they knew. He had many a fault well known to them; he was not always so noble ; as a scholar he did no more than scrape through; and he sometimes made his father rage and his mother grieve. They had liked to talk such memories as these together, and smile over them, as if they were bits of him he had left lying about the house . So thank you kindly, and would you please give them back their boy by tearing up the scroll? ' You see, in the end all I have tried to do is be human.

DISTINCTIONS 1995-96 SCHOLARS ELECTED 1996 KING'S SCHOLARSHIPS PENELOPE COX SUSANNAH HERBERT THOMAS HOPKINSON OLIVER HUMPHREY C HARLOTTE KNIGHT BEAUDRY KOCK VICTORIA LAMB ANTONY LEWIS

THE CA NT UA RI AN . L ENT

SUM MER

Simon Langton School for Girls South Hampstead High School King's College School , Cambridge St Lawrence College Junior School, Ramsgate Junior King 's School The Banda School, Nairobi Junior King 's School Windlesham House School 1996

204

CHRISTOPHER MATTINGLY THOMAS MOREY REBECCA SAMBROOK ALEX SKILTON BENEDICT WESTENRA LAWRENCE WHITE ALFRED WILLIAMS MICHELLE WORKMAN

Junior King's School Junior King' s School Junior King' s School Junior King's School Vinehall Windlesham House School D ulwich College Preparatory School, London Junior King's School

HEYMAN SCHOLARSHIP CHARLES MILLER-JONES

The King's School, Canterbury

SIXTH FORM SCHOLARSHIPS CAROLINE BAILEY EDWARD COTTON

The Lady Eleanor Holies School Kent College, Canterbury

HONORARY KING'S SCHOLARSHIPS JAMES LONGSTAFFE CHARLES MUNDAY SIMON PEEL MALCOLM TODD

The The The T he

King's King's King's King's

School, School, School, School,

Canterbury Canterbury Canterbury Canterbury

ART SCHOLARSHIPS Brambletye Dulwich College Preparatory School , Cranbrook Junior King 's School

JAMES MACFARLANE LUKE MONTGOMERY ALISTAIR WILDBLOOD

CLEARY ART SCHOLARSHIPS OLIVIA ARTHUR CLAIRE BALDWIN CHARLES FORDHAM BETH HICKLIN MARK WILLIAMS

The The The The The

King' s King's King's King's King's

School, School , School, School, School ,

Canterbury Canterbury Canterbury Canterbury Canterbury

MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS King 's College School, Cambridge Junior King's School Brambletye Windlesham House School St John' s College School, Cambridge King 's College School, Cambridge Vinehall South Hampstead High School Junior King's School

DAVID ARNOLD CHRISTINA BARTON DANIEL BROOKES ALLISSA BROOKIN WILLIAM DAVIES THOMAS HOPKINSON CAROLINE JONES EMMA VAN ALLAN MICHELLE WORKMAN

JOHN CORNER SCHOLARSHIPS WILLIAM DAVIES THOMAS HOPKINSON

St John 's College School, Cambridge King 's College School, Cambridge

SIXTH FORM MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS A LASTAIR LEWIS SUSANNA OLIVER CAROLINE SCOTT

Kent College, Canterbury Walthamstow Hall , Sevenoaks Burgess Hill School for Girls

HONORARY MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS RICHARD PEAT SIMON PEEL MARY STEVENS MUSI~

The King' s School, Canterbury The King 's School, Canterbury The King 's School, Canterbury

AWARDS

CLAIRE ALDER HELENA ANCOCK RACHEL BARR

Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII

205

(Singing) (Singing) (Clarinet)

Pass Merit Merit

T HE C ANT UARIAN. L ENT

& SUMMER 1996

ANDREW BRICE ADAM BROWN HARRIET BURGESS JAMES CAPEL IONA COLTART ANNE DAVIES ALEID FORD BRIAR HITCHEN ELEANOR KINGSBURY PETER LAWRENCE ANNA LEWIS JAMES LONGSTAFFE OLIVIA NEAME CAMILLA PAY RICHARD PEAT POLLY REDMAN CAROLINE RITCHIE

Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII Passed Associated Board Grade VIII

ANDREW SAUNDERS MARY STEVENS THOMAS TALLON WILLIAM TALLON NICHOLAS TATTERSALL

1995 LEAVERS ENTERING FURTHER EDUCATION CHARLES AITKEN Caius College, Cambridge CHARLES BELL Trinity Hall , Cambridge Caius College, Cambridge JEREMY BINES GEORGINA BINGHAM Leeds ALEXANDER BINGHAM-WILSON Oxford Brookes ANNABEL BLAIR Bristol NICHOLAS BRAY Manchester TIMOTHY BREEN Edinburgh OLIVIA BRICE Durham MATTHEW BROWN Somerville College, Oxford THOMAS BUCHER London UMDS GENEVIEVE BUSHELL Manchester PETER CAWSTON Downing College, Cambridge ZOE CHAMBERLIN Â· Edinburgh GAVIN CLARK York KATHARINE CLARKE Manchester JOSHUA COLE Manchester SHEHAN COORA Y London SOAS ROBERT CORBALLY Southampton JESSICA CROUCH London UMDS PENELOPE CURTISS Trinity College, Cambridge RODOLPHE D' ARJUZON Jesus College, Cambridge CHRISTOPHER DAIN Somerville College, Oxford MICHAEL DAVIES Magdalen College, Oxford MELISSA DAWSON-BOWLING Middlesex DIANA DE CABARRUS Brasenose College, Oxford BENJAMIN DE HAAN Sheffield RAFAEL DEHAAN London KCL ISABEL DEAN St Hilda's College, Oxford TANYA DHILLON Manchester ALEJANDRA DIEZ DE RIVERA London KCL EMILY ELIAS St Peter's College, Oxford FEMI FADEYI Tuft's ADAM FENDIUS London UMDS WILLIAM FINCH London UMDS PAUL GASKELL Edinburgh KIRSTIN GA YMER Edinburgh HUGH GLEDHILL Trinity College, Cambridge STEPHEN GOURMAND Dundee

THE CANTUARIAN, L ENT

SUMMER

1996

206

(Trumpet) Merit (Treble Recorder) Merit (Singing) Pass (Oboe) Pass (Violin) Merit (Recorder) Merit (Violin) Pass (Violin) Distinction (Singing) Merit (Piano) Distinction (Piano) Merit (Tuba) Distinction (Violin) Merit (Harp) Distinction (Trombone) Merit (Recorder) Merit (Cello) Distinction (Recorder) Distinction (Clarinet) Pass (Violin) Merit (Singing) Pass (Flute) Merit (Piano) Pass

Natural Science Social and Political Studies Music & Organ Scholarship Business Studies/Management Institutional Management Law & German Philosophy Computer Science History Biology Medicine Sociology Archaeology & Anthropology Medicine Maths & Computer Science Biology Drama Economics & Politics Marine Engineering Medicine Veterinary Science Natural Science English PPE Art & Design M. Languages & History Geography, French & Spanish Anatomy & Physiology Theology French & Spanish Music Psychology Medicine Medicine Geology, Geography Theology Institutional Management

ANNABEL GUNNELL LOUISE HALL MARK HARRIS MICHAEL HASWELL ALISTAIR HAWKINS JULIAN HINVES JOANNA HOUGHTON KINGSTON HUI CHRISTOPHER IOANNOU ADAM JACKSON WILLIAM JEANES NICHOLAS JENKINS DUNSTAN KAMANA REGINE KETTERER RUTH KIRK SONIA KOWAL GEORGINA LAKE STEVEN LAU HAMISH LEMMENS JOANNE LIM BENJAMIN LOXTON-EDWARDS MELANIE LUTHER MIRIAM L WANGA JAMES LYNCH THOMAS MACKENZIE THOMAS MANN RICHARD MARSHALL BENJAMIN MASSINGHAM JO-ANNA McCONNELL TRISTAN McCONNELL ANDREW McGREGOR RUPERT MEAD FRANCESCA MEYNELL SARA MILL WATER CAROLINE MOIR CHARLOTTE MOOR THOMAS MOORE DOUGLAS MORRISON DANNY MUDZAFFAR lAIN MULADY SARAH MULLEN JAMES MUNDAY ALEXANDER NEAME JAMIE NICHOLSON JONATHAN NORMAN SERENA NUTTING ALEXANDER OGEDEGBE PATRICK OSMOND PRISCILLA PARISH GRAEME PARKIN RICHARD PAUL PAUL PERRIN DUNCAN PETRIE REBECCA PICK JESSICA POTTER MICHAEL PREECE NATASHA REILLY THOMAS ROBERTSON KAREN ROBINSON MICHELE ROSATO GEORGINA SALMON SIAN SAUNDERS EDOUARD SEBLINE JONATHAN SHAW AMELIA SH EPHERD

Oxford Brookes Bristol Southampton Jesus College, Cambridge Manchester Manchester London KCL Northwestern, Ohio Surrey Corpus Christi College, Cambridge de Montfort Exeter Leeds Santa Clara USA Birmingham Edinburgh Edinburgh Edinburgh Sheffield Hallam Edinburgh London UMDS Sheffield London KCL Guildford Sheffield Bristol Exeter London UCL Southampton Magdalene College, Cambridge Somerville College, Oxford St Andrews Leeds Edinburgh StPeter's College, Oxford Manchester Metropolitan London UCL Bristol Nottingham London Imperial Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Sheffield Pembroke College, Cambridge Theatre Studies London School of Pharmacy Edinburgh Rochester, New York Newcastle Edinburgh London QMW London UMDS Bristol London UCL Birmingham Edinburgh Keele Sheffield or Reading Clare College, Cambridge Northumbria Peterhouse, Cambridge Corpus Christi College, Oxford Manchester Edinburgh Corpus Christi College, Oxford Cheltenham & GCHE

207

Business Studies & French Philosophy Mechanical Engineering Classics History History Maths & Management Economics Microbiology Natural Science Business Studies/Design Law Business Man. & French Environmental Biology Law Biology Geography Medicine Inst. Man. & Tourism Biochemistry Medicine Biology Law Materials (pre-degree) Mechanical Engineering French & Russian Biology Law Nursing Archaeology & Anthropology History History English Theology Theology Sociology Psychology Civil Engineering Psychology Maths & Computer Science Classics Geography Biology Lancaster Pharmacy Business Studies & Spanish Medicine Engineering Geography Geography Medicine Mech ./Chem. Engineering Geology English Theology American Studies & English English & Philosophy Veterinary Science Business Studies & Spanish Archaeology & Anthropology English History French History Equine Studies

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT

& SUMMER 1996

CLARE SIMMONDS JAMES SMITH PETER SPILLER THOMAS STAZICKER EMMA STEPHENSON JAMES STEVENS AMELIA STEWART JOHN SWENY SARAH THACKWELL HELEN THORN LUKE TOULSON RICHARD TOZER MICHELLE TRAYLOR ELIZABETH TYLER SIMON TYLER SEBASTIAN VANCE JOHN VERNEDE THOMAS WACHER ALEXANDER WALDRON ROBERT WALLACE ROSS WINGFIELD SQOT WISEMAN DARRIN WOO DYLAN WYN PUGH

New Hall, Cambridge Central SSD Edinburgh Nottingham Edinburgh Bangor Manchester Newcastle Manchester Liverpool Manchester Durham Durham Worcester College, Oxford London Imperial Leeds London KCL Nottingham Bristol Glasgow Swansea de Montfort London UCL Oxford Brookes

History Stage Management Course Geology & Geography Politics Biochemistry History & Archaeology Egyptian Studies History Social Anthropology Veterinary Science Geography Biology Theology Biology Biochemistry English & Classics Business & Management Civil Engineering Economics & Politics Biochemistry Biology Law & Marketing Town Planning Business Studies

PRESENT HOLDERS OF EXHIBITIONS McCURDY EXHIBITION

Nicholas Tattersall, Emily Keirn , Edward Rice, Timothy Palmer, Jessica Barnes, James Harvey Alanna Fraser Thomas Tallon, Sarah Petrie, Georgeanna Williams Timothy Davis, Jennifer Gray Priyan Landham, Tak Loon Khong

SIDEBOTHAM EXHIBITION GENERAL EXHIBITION BUNCE CRAWFORD

GIFTS GILBERT & SHEPHERD ANDERSON ROSE WADDINGTON O.K.S . STANHOPE DAVIS OLIVER JOHNSON

Sophie Lamont Peter Baines Rachel Nicholson Simon Bird Lucy Heise, Christopher North Simon Garnett Nigel Field Alexandra Hyatt

Business and Secretarial Training Ideal in your Gap Year + + + +

W ord Process ing Inform ati on Techn ology Marketing Business Studi es

+ + + +

Shorthand Typewriting Busin ess A dmini strati o n Languages for Business

25% vocotional lox relief Residential accommodation available

Queen 1S Business and Secretarial College 24 Queensberry Place 路 London SW7 2DS 路 0171-589 8583 CAMBRIDGE: Queen 1S Marlborough College Bateman Street 路 Cambridge CB2 1LU 路 01223 67016 LONDON :

THE CANT UA RI AN, L ENT

S UMMER

1996

208

KING'S WEEK 1996 THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

effective use of the simple set with scaffolding affording different levels and even the addition of opening flats in the second act. The Major-General's patter song had another delightful instrumental introduction and Edward Rice put his own personal stamp on such a well-known number. Darkness had fallen by the start of the second act and this allowed the skilful lighting effects to be fully appreciated. Amongst some more serious and challenging ensembles the appearance of the chorus of police was a humorous diversion. In this age of equality the ill-disciplined constables were kept in order by a baton-twirling sergeant, played by Harriet Burgess. She coped well with what was originally a male vocal line and gave a humorous and convincing performance. The ensuing fight between the pirates and police made full use of all levels of the acting space. It was in the second act that Robert Thomas , as the Pirate King, really came into his own , both when singing with others and in his solo lines. A delightful final touch was the actual appearance of Queen Victoria, proving, as we had suspected all along, that the rowdy pirates were in fact all upstanding young members of the British Establishment.

From the first chords of the overture it was clear that this was going to be a very different 'Pirates'. The overture, like much of the score, had been very skilfully sequenced by Phil Hughes and Mint Yard echoed to a decidedly upbeat medley of the principal themes. From behind the audience entered a leather-clad rabble of young pirates who gave a rousing account of the first chorus. Peter Lambert, as Frederick, stood out as the most suave member of the pirate band and immediately demonstrated his capabilities as both singer and actor. Eleanor Kingsbury very successfully portrayed the dowdy Ruth, with a combination of accent, movement and vocal skill. Her later transformation, with red leather jacket and beehive hairstyle, proved hilarious. The weather of the Saturday night was kind, with threatening clouds never turning to rain. Major-General Stanley's flimsily dressed daughters bravely basked beside the sea. Their singing, especially in harmony, was strong, with clear diction and good intonation. They were ably led by Rachel Barr, Helena Ancock and Hannah Mackenzie as the three principal sisters. But Mabel, played by Jessica Stephens, has by far the most technically demanding role . Jessica coped well with the high pitch of the part and maintained commendable strength for a young singer in both her first aria and later ensembles. Andrew Dobbin (Director) made very

KEITH EVANS .

(All 'Pirates, of Penzance' photographs: M.P.H.D.)

209

THE CANT UARIAN. L ENT

SUMM ER

1996

THE CANTUARIAN. L ENT

SUMMER

1996

210

EN ATTENDANT GODOT

However, one superbly-staged sequence mocked our efforts at intellectual analysis . Pozzo announced that he was going to answer a vital question, one which had been perturbing us all: Why didn't Lucky put his luggage on the ground? He straightened his hat and tie, sprayed his throat, adopted a meaningful pose and proceeded to give a series of completely unconvincing answers. He then proclaimed that Lucky would perform the act of thinking, but all we heard was a stream of gibberish, to the amusement and mockery of the two women. Congratulations to the cast, including Mary Stevens as the waif-like messenger from Godot, for so successfully amusing us, saddening us and capturing our imagination, all in impeccable and highly expressive French behind which one could detect the beneficial influence of Monique Rodes and Catherine Massonnet. And if we never did get answers to those vital questions, at least we can say, along with Vladimir: <;a a fait

'Nothing but an amusing verbal game,' Samuel Beckett is reputed to have said of his play. 'My Godot is neither God nor fish nor flesh.' One cannot help thinking that this is a disingenuous summing-up of a play which has been translated and acted in virtually every country in the world, bemusing and intriguing countless audiences with its absurd situation and its touching characters, its inconsequential dialogue and all its unanswered questions. Whether Beckett was being modest or mischievous, or whether it just came naturally to him to write like that, his play has struck a chord with millions of playgoers who have seen in it a mirror of the human condition, if you will pardon the cliche. If this is the case, it is a bleak view indeed and one which was certainly encouraged by the initial stages of this production. StMary's Hall was at its starkest black, the stage's sole adornments being a smallish log and a dead tree. The two tramps looked tired and utterly dejected, and their efforts to communicate with each other led only to incomprehension and irritation. They seemed incapable of understanding each other's needs, even when it was a question of trying to pull one's boots off. Above all there was doubt and uncertainty: Was this the right day, the right place, the right tree? Would Godot actually turn up? Was his name really Godot? Was there an answer to anything? In this excellent production by Leo Fransella and Kirsten Luther the two tramps were played as women, an idea which worked brilliantly as a means of creating different tensions and emotions. Helen Bray and Jessica Shaw were first-class as Estragon and Vladimir. Their expressions, gestures and speech admirably portrayed their rapidly succeeding physical and mental states; their pain, doubt and despair being interspersed with flashes of amusement and optimism. They succeeded in evincing an air of faded gentility with their once-pretty hats and dresses, their elegance of speech and the remains of a certain dignity: Pas de Jaisser-aller dans les petites choses, says Vladimir, doing up a stray button. But the dialogue goes round in circles; each complains of being alone but doesn't want to hear what the other has to say. The despair is almost tangible and Estragon's bright idea: Si on se pendait? is as sad as it is funny. Things brighten up with the arrival of Pozzo and Lucky. James Stazicker played the former with just the right amount of showbizz bravado, but not so much that one could not perceive the underlying emptiness and insecurity. To bolster his morale he has enslaved the luckless Lucky whom he keeps on a long lead and who incessantly carries around all his baggage. Thomas Everett was dreadfully convincing as this miserable and pathetic character, bent double with his luggage swinging at the end of his arms. When he finally opened his mouth it was to emit a series of heart-rending cries, but Vladimir's efforts to console him were rewarded by a kick on the shin. By now one was aware of a clear contrast petween the aggressive relationship between the two men on the one hand and the growing solidarity of the two women on the other; the latter at least was a hint that human relationships can produce something positive after all .

passer Je temps.

s.w.w.

ERNIE'S INCREDIBLE ILLUCINATIONS ' They don't really happen; it's impossible,' someone says of Ernie's Incredible Illucinations. In fantasy plays and films, the hero usually has to go on some quest that involves travelling thousands of miles, punctuated by encounters with hordes of hideous extra-terrestrials. Not so in Ernie's Incredible Illucinations. The sterility and predictability of his home life with his boring Mum and Dad, wonderfully portrayed by Poppy Edmunds and Edward Vainker, make his fantasies ever more believable. Fantasy is constantly undercut by reality, or so it seems ... All the characters in Alan Ayckbourn's play are at the very least two-dimensional, emphasising the distinctive mixture of fantasy and apparent reality. From the very beginning, we were slightly uncertain, like the fans of Star Trek, about the nature of reality , and came close to suspending disbelief. Were the drippy Deirdre and her ghastly Mum real or not? Their cameo appearance at the very beginning had anxious members of the audience silencing them with loud shushes, while others looked embarrassed, evidently concerned that this dreadful, elaborately-coifed lady (so untypical of a member of a King's Week audience) might invite herself to sit in the empty adjacent seat. This short play was j ust the right scale for cast and audience. It was colourful , fast-moving and funny, with some memorable performances. Tom Pickering's Ernie conveyed both a sense of vulnerability and humour, willing us to accept the truth of his fictitious escapades; we were his allies from the start. Auntie May, played deftly by Josephine Sundt, was apparently frail until called upon to convey the sort of northern grit which makes strong men weep. We found her wholly believable as she punched her way to victory in the ring, ducking and weaving in stout defence of her beloved nephew. Kate Emary, as the Doctor, oozed professional concern, and the entire cast convinced us of the reality

211

TH E CANTUARIAN. L ENT

SUMM ER

1996

of Ernie's adventures. From the gin-soaked , 'Secret Agent/Tramp ' (Charles Wells), seated at one point next to me, to Madeleine Tyler 's dumb Secretary, all the performers showed great attention to detail , even in the most minute of gestures. This slick production by Sara Mackenz ie illustrates that small really is beautiful. Ernie had pace, action, style, entertaining us and delighting us all hugely. Thank you to a ll involved, and please, ' Dream on, Ernie ... ' J.M.R .

Helen Bray, Tom Everett, James Stazicker and Jessica Shaw waiting for Godot. (M.J. T.)

Tom Pickering as Ernie. (M.J. T.)

T HE CANTUARIAN , L ENT

& SUMMER 1996

Poppy Edmunds and Ed Vainker illucinating . (M.J. T.)

2 12

PARTY TIME

with the difficulties of the antiphony in the Gabrieli well, and the Telemann allowed each player to lead the group in turn, thereby improving the ensemble . The performances by Jessica Barnes and Camilla Pay were superb; the effect of music for harp and cello in such uplifting surroundings was memorable. The three sets sung by the choir revealed its versatility and musicality. The Madrigals and Chansons gave the choir a chance to show off its abilities at performing music from a broad range; the quick and spirited singing of 11 est bel et bon, in which the sopranos and altos sang particularly well, and the whole ensemble of the more quiet and reflective Silver S wan and the Pavane. There was a breathtaking moment in the Pavane when the whole choir began an entry pianissimo together towards the end. Perhaps the only criticism which could be made against the first set was that the choir sang much with their heads in their copies, but having said that, the words were clear throughout; what was perhaps lacking was the same sense of performance which they achieved later - let an audience know how good you can be, and they will expect the same throughout! There was more of this sense of confidence and performance in the second set, perhaps understandably. The singing of the Stanford was extremely well controlled , both in the very. demanding soprano part, and even more importantly by the underparts, who have, in the piece, lines which are just as hard to sing, even harder given that they must always be sustained and support the melody without drawing attention to themselves. The choir easily reverted to the more lusty style of the fast madrigals in Quick! we have but a second; a fine choice for an encore, Mr Anderson , but do warn your singers in advance so that they have the music ready! By the encore, the conductor and choir were working so well together that they were able to sing the ending differently with no problem; either well rehearsed, or finely improvised on the night. The Rutter arrangements were well known and well sung ; the first is not a favourite of mine, but the choir sang it perfectly, despite its strange chromatic movement, and the second was a more simple and more beautiful arrangement which the choir sang with great poise. A word of praise to the guest conductor in the final set. Conducting one's fellows is no easy task, and ~alico Pie revealed both his skills and those of the chotr and soloist. The second Ives piece revealed the control of the conductor and singers. The piece can easily become carried away in performance as each part rushes off at a different speed , but the problems were overcome by all parts without exception, and the ~nsemble which is more easily attained in slower pieces was ~lso achieved here. The Three Nonsense Songs by Seiber were arguably the hardest in the programme , both rhythmically and harmonically, and they were not only sung without blemish but were also performed superb~y by the choir . Those who know the school well will remember the choir' s tribute to its retiring Headmaster in the form of a series of ' quacks ', but for me the most memorable part was the relish of the buzzes produced by the counter-tenors in the final Nonsense Song!

It is always a challenge to produce something unconventional , and Harold Pinter's Party Time is certainly that. However, the performance wa_s both entertaining and innovative and much credit should go to its directors, Helen Bray and Justine McConnell. Picture the scene. An exclusive gathering begins as war rages all around. Yet initially the party is lighthearted and references to the situation are abstract and unobtrusive. However, as the external conflict escalates, so this is reflected in the intensity of the conflicts within the party ; personalities clash bitterly , old sco_res arise and the mood becomes sombre and threatenmg. The fate of 'Jimmy', of whose background we know tantalizingly little, becomes more and more urgent. Pinter reflects this change of tone by a shift in intensity of the register of language, moving away from the customary small-talk, the gossip about the 'club' , towards a style more darkly reminiscent of fascist propaganda. The play reaches a climax with the haunting sound of Jimmy 's voice. The play is composed of little action, but of fragmented snippets of conversation, intimate and revealing. It therefore relies heavily on a convincing portrayal of the characters. Charlotte (Kathryn Spall) and Liz (Alex Higgins) were elegant and sophisticated but appropriately snide, and likewise Douglas (congratulations to Ed Butler on stepping in at the last moment) and Fred (Paul Bainbridge) were almost too smooth. Gavin (Larry Ridges), the host of the party, was nothing if not ingratiating but also something of an enigma. However, Terry (Tim Davis) dominated the atmosphere and the tension between him and his wife Dusty (Sam Goulden) was almost tangible . There is a heavy sense of irony in the party , inspired by the juxtaposition of both situation and dialogue and it was this that the production conveyed most effectively , allowing its hollow echoes to pervade the audience, whilst maintaining throughout a sense of humour. A brave choice of play - which might incidentally have benefited from fuller programme notes - and a very successful outcome. MARY STEVENS.

THE SERENADE It was a great pleasure to attend the Serenade in the Cloisters. The combination of music and setting was thrilling. I had not heard of King' s Week before , and was amazed at the amount and extent of the events of the week. Having seen part of a rehearsal for Pirates of Penzance , the achievement of the Serenade is all the more remarkable, considering the involvement of so many of the same people, many of whom I am sure will have performed at other times during the week. The G\tbrieli and Telemann were well played, and the ensemble in both was superb; the performance revealed individuals responding and reacting to those around them and playing musically together. The players dealt

2 13

THE CANTUARIAN , LENT

HOSSACK.

SUMMER

1996

GALA SYMPHONY CONCERT A capacity audience greeted Colin Metters and the King's Symphony Orchestra for the highlight of King's Week 1996, viz. the Gala Concert on Wednesday 3rd July in the Shirley Hall. Mozart's Zauberflote overture was fluent and chamcterful from the outset. Its infamous Adagio sectwns were dispatched With reassuring unanimity by Metters's players, and the second violins under Rebecca Arnold made li~ht work of introducing the fugue. There was a dancmg vibrancy and, above all confidence about this reading. ' Soloists Sarah Petrie and Jessica Barnes featured in Mendelssohn's E minor violin concerto and Faure's Elegie for cello and orchestra. One can entirely sympathise with Joachim's description of the Mendelssohn as ' ... the dearest of them all the heart's jewel (of concerti)', and with violinists' awe' of the work ~nd its popularity. Petrie was therefore doubly Impressive - her agile technique was entirely undaunted, and she brought out the beauty of Mendelssohn's phrases with an appealing sweetness of tone. The Faure proved an excellent foil to the concerto - Metters 's careful shading made one immediately conscious of the composer's introverted orchestration, and Barnes was perfectly controlled, lending the tragic openm.g melody a soul-searching quality, her vibrato colounng the dark hues with great subtlety. Given the agility of the performers, it was fitting that the programme contained its fair share of orchestral showpieces. First-rate contributions abounded (Adam Brown's first horn solo and the cor anglais of Ophelia Beer, for example), so De Falla's Millers' Dance and Final Dance took on a truly multi-coloured tonal lustre. A special understanding pervades Malcolm Arnold's work, as he was Principal Trumpet of the L. P. 0. for several years. On this occasion his Four Comish Dances (Op. 91) ":ere relished as much by the performers as by the audience. Camilla Pay's harp figuration was a delight, but it was Emily Hague and her colleagues in the trumpet sectiOn who struck the final goal setting off a justly-demanded encore (the celebrated c;escendo of Rossini's Guillaume Tell overture) with nonchalant aplomb. RICHARD STAMPER.

CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERT The Chamber Concert is possibly the most daunting event of King's Week - the performers expose thel?selves and their talent to the scrutiny of a large audience m the anythmg-but-chamber-like Shirley Hall m the middle of a week of many other commitments. Notwithstanding these circumstances the standard of perforn:ance on this occasion was very high indeed, and every mdiVIdual performance was confident and tech~ically assured. However, and this is a grumble of detail, not of substance, I would have loved to have seen a bit more happiness and sense of enjoyment in the way people looked and played: very few of them smiled or appeared cheerful before or even after they THE CANTUARIAN, LENT & SUMMER 1996

214

had completed their performance, and at times this lack of sweetness and light was reflected in the playing of notes without real regard to musicianship. But, as I say, this must he seen in the context of much extremely talented playing. First up was a Baroque ensemble playing a Sinfonia in F major for treble recorder, gamba and strings. The starts and stops of the outer movements were a little ragged, ,but the ensemble settled down well, and Mary Stevens s reco~der playmg bound the group together. The stnng playmg was hght and though at times rather too insubstantial provided a good accompaniment to the solo instruments. Although the three movements were marked Alia. breve, Andante and Vivace it was actually difficult to discern any real difference in tempo between them. After the interval James Longstaffe and Jennifer Dutton returned to provide the continuo for a different ensemble: Jessica Stephens sang an aria by Handel, In den angenehmen Biischen, accompanied on the violin by Tessa Coombe. It would have been helpful to have the words for this item and for the Debussy part songs. Jessica Stephens has a strong stage presence and her intonation and projection were excellent, particularly at the top end of the range, but her vowels won the battle against the consonants, which is the wrong way round m German vocal music. The instrumentalists were sensitive and musical in their accompaniment. The third ensemble, which ended the first half of the concert, was a quintet for brass by Victor Ewald. The tempo was secure from the very outset and some difficult articulation working against more lyrical lines was very well negotiated. The trumpets (Andrew Brice and Emily Hague) did not always sound as cleanly as the other parts, and the mellow playing of Nick Tattersall on trombone and Adam Brown on the horn did not come through the texture sufficiently strongly at times, but this had the hallmark of a group of players who were used to playing together a great deal. The dynamic range and sense of development of mood of the single movement were effective, though it did not have any of the real brassy climaxes or elan I was expecting from a group of not-so-closet jazz musicians. James Longstaffe won the Most Frequent Performer award of the concert, with four separate appearances on stage. Nigel Field (cello) gave two very different performances; the first was the first movement of the Sonata in D minor by Shostakovitch. The initial balance between cello and piano was rather uneven, but in the slower, more reflective section which followed the opening Nigel Field found more resonance and became more expansive in his playing. The work on the A string was excellent- well m tune and beautifully sonorous, With a wonderfully restrained vibrato. However 1 would have liked more contrast in mood throughout the whole piece and at the very end, as the last note drifted away to nothing, I was sorry that we could not hear the whole sonata. The other cello work was a Serenade for two cellos by Alfredo Piatti, played by Nigel Field and Jessica Barnes. This was a piece that worked very well indeed; the two performers showed an excellent understanding of each other's playing, and the ensemble and intonation were spot on, particularly (again) at the top end of the

An intriguing emphasis on pastiche composition was evident. Some attractive songs, particularly The Owl and the Pussycat by Madeleine Morgan, sung with cool confidence by Iona Coltart, proved entertaining in a light-hearted fashion. A significant number of piano works, mostly inspired by plainsong or similar mediaeval models often revealed these young composers groping their way toward an individual musical style - something that will inevitably take considerable time. The most impressive of these was Daniel Bartlette's Neo-Classical Rondo which sparkled in ebullient rhythms and kept our ears constantly tantalised by the ever-changing modulations. One felt the influence of Stravinsky and Tippett, particularly the latter, and one sensed a surety of direction in this young man's musical language. Stephen Matthews was the pianist in this and so many other works and his fastidious observations and dedicated performances gave authority to his students' achievements. Richard Peat's Phos for solo cello was commendably played by Caroline Ritchie. It contained much intelligent musical argument and showed a keen sense of lyricism. The Devil's Six for solo flute by Frances Houghton was an undoubtedly assured work. A tremendous knowledge of the instrument and its capabilities - from harmonics to multiphonics - made the piece take on an almost oriental dimension. The fine sense of structure always kept clear of cliche, yet the work always had purpose and the lines revealed an acute and refined sense of lyricism and colour. The performer was Felicity Goodsir whose considerable dexterity and control made for a fine first performance. All involved can take credit from the audience's warm response to this varied and enjoyable programme. P.M.E. [We are very grateful to Paul Max Edlin, composer and lecturer at Christ Church College, Canterbury, for the above review.]

A string. The two made a very different sound: Jessica produced a light and mellifluous tone, while Nigel's was darker and more saturnine in its quality. Their performance and the music evoked images of a Hoffnung-like Victorian couple making music together amid aspidistras and dark mahogany furniture. Stephen Matthews accompanied both cello works, and it would be wrong not to praise the clean, unobtrusive yet sensitive way in which he supported the soloists. The other solo item in the concert was a performance of two piano pieces by Peter Lawrence. He is a consummate performer, with a fearsome talent, and these two items presented both the lyrical and the virtuoso in turn. The first, the Nocturne in F major Op. 15 No I by Chopin, was beautifully smooth and controlled. The right-hand line was well-drawn, but needed a touch more shape by way of contrast with the left-hand accompaniment. The sense of ebb and flow in the con fuoco section was excellent, and although the restatement of the original theme bumped in a little hard, these are small details in a really poised and intelligent performance. Peter Lawrence then gave us Liszt's La Campanella. At the climax of the piece the whole building was vibrating in sympathy with the percussive hammer blows which he dealt the bells of the title, and the piano positively shook with the fervour with which it was being driven. The timing of the entry into each section of the piece was excellent, and the accuracy and versatility of his playing was quite remarkable. The last item was a performance by the Crypt Choir conducted by Michael Harris of the Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orleans by Debussy. The first number, I have to admit, is one of my favourite pieces of music, and the choir sang it very well: the intonation and diction were clear and accurate, particularly from the sopranos, though English choirs can never work too hard at bright unencumbered vowel sounds when singing in French. Ellie Kingsbury produced a lovely tone in her contralto solo in the second movement; the rest of the choir created some very successful hairpins in the background and navigated their way extremely well through the tricky harmonic shifts towards the end of the piece, placing their Ia !a's beautifully in the closing moments. The third song started rather quietly and without the nasality which the words encourage, but it worked its way up, via a well-executed solo quartet in the middle, to a rousing conclusion. The performance overall was confident and the ensemble tight, bringing out the nuances of Debussy's complex writing very effectively. P.A.L.-B.

BAND CONCERT The bold sound of the Band certainly matched the legendary boldness of our lifeboat men as the opening chords of Malcolm Arnold's The Padstow Lifeboat reverberated in all corners of the Shirley Hall. Arnold's mastery of orchestration is so evident in his portrayal of a Cornish lifeboat. Sounds of the sea, a search for distressed ships, all is portrayed vividly and the band played the work with enthusiasm. Excellent tenor sound portraying particularly the Fog Horn, and the percussion section was so effective that one could imagine the scuttling of fast feet making their way through a labyrinth of crooked streets leading down to the harbour to man the Padstow lifeboat. In contrast to the picturesque Cornish fishing port, albeit on a stormy day, we were whisked off to Spain with Frank Perkin's Fandango. Originally published in 1952 as a piano solo, Fandango lends itself well to the band medium. The fandango is a Spanish dance originally danced by a couple to the accompaniment of guitar and castanets. Floyd Werle's band transcription of Perkin's work has much of the descriptive feeling of the Spanish dance: fire, spirit and excitement which

THE COMPOSERS' CONCERT It was good to see almost every seat taken at this Composers' Concert - only proving that contemporary music can attract capacity audiences! One of the most significant advances in British music teaching in recent years has been the consistent expectation put upon students to compose. It reminds musicians that music is a 'living being' and helps them understand the thought processes of the masters of the past.

2!5

THE CANTUAR!AN, LENT

SUMMER 1996

section excelled again by introducing an attractive rhythm on side drum and woodblock. Flutes, piccolo and high clarinets were, quite simply, a delight. They glistened. The character and flavour of this well loved traditional piece was well received as a tribute to our retiring Headmaster. Phil Hughes certainly believes in contrasts, for we were next to find ourselves in the West Indies. Jamaican Rumba by Benjamin, arranged Lang, had me thinking of hot sun, rum and coke. Good strong West Indian rhythms on a variety of percussion instruments got the pulse going through each section. The cow bell was very effective and the delightful staccato figures by the muted trumpets came through with just the right Jamaican flavour. The band obviously enjoyed this. Travelling swiftly in a north westerly direction we arrived in New York- the setting for West Side Story. Duthoit' s arrangement of Leonard Bernstein's music includes I Feel Pretty, Maria, Something's Coming, Tonight, One Hand, One Heart, Cool and America. Characterised as an American Romeo and Juliet, Bernstein's music reflects the thousand and one moods which permeate Stephen Sondheim's lyrics. The music is at times devout and tender, and at others dynamic in intensity. It is a demanding work for band. The brass and woodwind sections blended well and complemented each other both in tuning and rhythm, but most of all in the phrasing. Excellent percussion effects throughout. Horns, trombones and euphonium never overpowered, producing a good round pleasing tone. Flutes were particularly good in this work, and the jazzy figures were well delivered with a punchy projection by trumpets and saxes. The bass department in the hands of James Longstaffe and Henry Williams (tubas) gave the band excellent support. Intonation and rhythm were consistently reliable and secure. The addition of a stringed bass would have given greater depth. A most entertaining Band Concert which had plenty of variety. Congratulations to all. Now, how do I get back to Canterbury?

pervades from beginning to end. The Band interpreted the vivacious spirit of the Spanish fandango with skill and excitement. I feel a special mention must be made of the clarinet section who projected the lower register of their instruments very effectively in the mid section of this work, offering a well played and quiet contrast to the excitement of the remainder of the piece. We were then transported to the world of George Gershwin who grew up in Brooklyn. When he was sixteen he was hired by a publishing company to write songs for potential buyers. Someone to Watch Over Me is a good example of his songs which range from Pretty Lady, I got Rhythm to Summertime. His music reflects the styles of Tin Pan Alley and Carnegie Hall. Our vocalist, Helena Ancock, brought out the Gershwin style admirably. The balance between Band and vocalist can be a sensitive issue and especially when performing Gershwin. Mr Phil Hughes kept the right balance throughout, controlling nuance expertly and allowing Helena to interpret with feeling. The next item not only took us from Brooklyn to London but also back in time to 1749. Handel's Music For The Royal Fireworks was scored for a large wind band consisting of forty trumpets, twenty French horns, sixteen oboes, sixteen bassoons, eight pairs of kettle drums, flutes, fifes and a serpent. For the modern band the work has been arranged in concerto grosso with small and large groups. This transcription by Hamilton Harty is demanding both technically and in phrasing. The broad opening of the first movement sounded a little laboured but confident trumpets in the allegro section added zest and punch. The ever popular Menuet came over very well. The conductor's arrangement of A Little Swiss Piece by Chamberlain swept us off to Switzerland and forward to the present time. The piece commenced with a well performed side-drum roll which led to the presentation of a delightful Swiss-sounding air played on the clarinet. The tune was tossed from section to section and to the articulated accompaniment of well delivered brass figures. Much delicate playing was in evidence and Mr Hughes's arrangement expertly highlighted the woodwind section. Good tone and phrasing was well presented in Horner's arrangement of Amazing Grace by Hines. The trumpets were most effective and the expressive style in which the flutes and clarinets played was most sensitive and enjoyable. Harold Walters is known the world over for his works for bands, and in particular for college and school bands. He has written and published over 600 compositions and arrangements for this medium. Trumpets Wild is an excellent example. A very strong, confident and vibrant opening inspired the trumpet trio (Andrew Brice, Stephen Bushnell and Emily Hague - three excellent trumpets) to deliver the goods in this very rousing brass number. The tempo bounced with vigour throughout and the Band never overpowered the soloists. I would like to have heard the deep pedal notes from the trombones produced with more bite and abandon, but generally the Band came over very well with plenty of verve. The Floral Dance had us back in Cornwall once more and what a delightful sound this was. The percussion

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT

& SUMMER 1996

WILLIAM MCCONNELL.

MUSIC FOR BRASS AND ORGAN This year, instead of the customary organ recital, we were treated to a less common instrumental combination: the last time (and first time!) I had heard organ and brass together 'in the flesh' was in the south of France, last summer, in a small but packed village church. That occasion was a real treat, and uniquely French. But this, too, was a treat, and uniquely King's Week: by comparison, today's recital suffered from the architecturally imposed muddiness of the cathedral acoustic, but the loss was fully recouped in youthful enthusiasm and vigour. The opening work was probably the most familiar in the programme: Gabrieli's Sonata pian e forte. Andrew Brice, Charles Miller-Jones, Emily Hague (trumpets) and Peter Capel (horn) held dialogue with Adam Brown (horn), Nicholas Tattersall, Richard Peat (trombones) and James Longstaffe (tuba), each group of protagonists facing the other in the centre of the Quire. The ensemble was pleasing, the eight players

216

clearly having got used to working together, and the contrasts in pitch, sonority and volume between the two groups were handled well. The intonation was almost always accurate, and if some attacks lacked the crispness which would have been expected from a professional group, the whole performance was nonetheless effective. In Manfredini's Concerto for two trumpets in C Andrew Brice and Emily Hague were joined by Michael Harris on the cathedral organ. The expansiveness of the cathedral architecture is not conducive to great clarity, and so the toe-curling high trumpet sound produced was not able to be appreciated to full effect, while the contrasting sonorities of organ and trumpets were also not as well defined as they would have been in a kinder building. This was beyond the control of the performers, though, who gave a controlled and spirited performance, reading Manfredini's intentions well and achieving the intended contrasts of tempo between the three movements to good effect. It is not often (except in recent King's Week organ recitals) that an organ duet is heard, and as far as I am aware Beethoven is not renowned as a composer for the organ. Thus his Adagio fiir Fliitenuhr was for me a rarity. It was certainly worth an airing, and James Longstaffe and Michael Harris gave a smooth and polished performance of a most agreeable piece of music, the gentle registration setting just the right atmosphere. In among the pupil items there came two organ solo spots provided by Michael Harris. In the first, he contrasted Tierce en taille by de Grigny, its flowery solo aptly picked out with mutants, with the altogether more complex writing of Bach's Christ unser HeiT zum Jordan kam, where the incomparable invention of Bach creates 'raindrops' over the chorale. Then later came Hakim's Variations on two themes, a succession of sh011 variations (presumably on two distinct themes, although I am ashamed to admit that I only recognised the Old JOOth !) This work had great energy, and allowed Michael to display the cathedral organ's capabilities to the full with enterprising registration changes. In all these pieces, Michael showed the consummate skill we have come to expect: it will be sad to have to bid him farewell before long. The final piece in the recital again combined brass with organ: this time the trumpets, trombones and tuba joined Michael Harris in Gigout's Grand Choeur Dialogue. Once more the piece relied on contrasting tone colours for some of its effect, and, with the brass instruments placed beside the orgari console, it was not always easy for them to do battle on even terms, especially when the separate strands of the dialogue became merged. Nevertheless it was a fitting and rousing martiale conclusion which sent us away uplifted, once more marvelling at the depth of musical talent at King's. A.R.A.R.

ST JOHN'S GARDEN CONCERT Rather bravely, in view of the combination of the weather during the day and the forecast, the organisers decided to maintain the venue out -of-doors, a decision

which, in the end, proved to be justified. St John's Hospital Garden provides a wonderful setting for ensemble playing; in the open yet with an intimacy of interaction between performers and audience thanks to the surrounding buildings which enclose the garden, an oasis of quietude a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of a busy city. The concert started with Giacomo Gastoldi' s Bailetti of 1596, in three movements entitled Spemc Amorosa, Caccia d 'Amore and La Sirena, played by a recorder ensemble comprising five recorders at different pitches. The rather soft timbre of the recorder meant that initially the sound seemed somewhat distant, but, having become accustomed to the outdoor acoustic -- or lack thereof - it was evident that there was a nice balance between the instruments and the piece was rhythmically sound; as was the following piece, Alessandro Poglietti's Canzona iiber das Henner und Hanne1gcschrey, although the players became a little out of step in the final phrases. A vocal quartet then sang three madrigals, Weep 0 mine eyes by Bennet; 0 Jet me look on thee by Lassus; and Amyntas with his Phyllis fair by Pilkington. The alto voice was not very strong in the tirst of these madrigals, but the balance improved in the second one and was fine in the rather jaunty third one. The lesson to be learnt is to sing out to the audience rather than to the printed page, which is what the other three voices did throughout. This was followed by a recorder quartet playing the Allegro, Air and Minuet of Handel's Water Music Suite I. The wind was gusting somewhat which made the opening movement a little difficult to hear, but it dropped for the last two movements which included the well-known Air. Again, a good blend between the instruments and fmc ensemble playing demonstrated the strength that there is in this section of the music department. The central item consisted of three pieces sung by the C1ypt choir. The Turtle Dove by Vaughan Williams was followed by My Jove is like a red red rose by Cashmore; with Li '1 Liza Jane by Lawson rounding off this item. William Tallon was the soloist in the first piece, and the choir provided just the right amount of accompaniment for him. In the second piece, the alternation of the melody between the upper and lower voices was very effective, and there was obvious enjoyment in the singing of the third piece. A wind trio - oboe, clarinet and bassoon - then played the Allegro from Mozart's Divertimento No. 4 (K 439b). This was played with a sensitive regard to the music, and the balance between the instruments made it very enjoyable to listen to, as was the case with three movements - Entree et Rondeau, Serenade and Le Coucou from Milhaud's Suite d'apres Corrette. The cuckoo in the last movement is the clarinet, and the bird was clearly heard against the toccata-like accompaniment of the other two instruments. The recorder quartet then reappeared to play, in competition with the Cathedral bells calling the faithful to Evensong, Scott Joplin's New Rag. This was a lively performance, although the melody occasionally became lost with the wind-borne noise and exchanges between the instrnments. The opening ensemble then appeared again to play three pieces by James Carey - Cocktails, Blue Lagoon and Qumterdeck. By now the bells had stopped,

217

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT & SUMMER 1996

Ritchie deserves credit for attempting, by herself, a piece that Western ears find unusual. The first piece in the concert likely to be well known to the audience was Geoffrey Burgon 's setting of the Nunc Dimittis, which provided the theme music for the television programme Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Georgeanna again provided the solo voice and she was accompanied by Nicholas Tattersall on the organ. After this, Thomas Tallon played Tavener 's Mandoodles for piano. Death again played its part in the composition , as it was inspired by the death of Mandu, the Taveners' pet cat. Tallon played with great sensitivity and, as with humans, I felt that the best movement was reserved for the afterlife . A composer who is beginning to be more widely heard in the west is Part, whose Spiegel im Spiegel was played by Sarah Petrie on the violin, accompanied by Nicholas Tattersall at the piano. Being Estonian, Part's music tends to be derived from Orthodox roots , and, as such , has a timelessness about it. Western ears, I suspect, want it to move on ever faster; but, like the Orthodox Church , it moves ever slower. Lots of time for Reflection here! Sarah Petrie sustained the long notes in the opening, and the ever-longer notes in augmentation as the piece progressed, in a masterly manner. Next came two excerpts from Tavener's eponymous Mandelion, played by Nicholas Tattersall on the organ. Dormition of the Theotokos and Resurrection were the pieces we heard, and they portrayed very well that sense of mysticism which is so characteristic of Orthodoxy, although Tavener wrote the piece only shortly after his reception into the Orthodox church. Modern Western music in the form of two movements from Britten 's Alpine Suite for three recorders followed: Arrival at Zermatt and Down the Piste left little time for reflection , but I suspect that, even if not so well-known to most listeners as the earlier setting of the Nunc Dimittis, these are the pieces which would have sounded the most musical to western ears. The second of the two movements resulted in some very bright playing by Caroline Ritchie, Polly Redman and Richard Peat. Finally, Tavener's The Lamb, a setting to music of verses by Blake composed for Tavener's nephew on the occasion of his third birthday , was performed by Georgeanna Williams, Polly Redman, Thomas Tallon and Richard Peat. This short piece , so simple yet so difficult to perform really effectively, encapsulates the composer's Orthodox conviction of Faith . Many thanks are due to Richard Peat for this most interesting of programmes; he deserved a far larger audience than that which actually presented itself. R.V .J .B.

but the wind became very gusty and there were a few anxious moments with the music. However, the ensemble was very well balanced and well together in circumstances which were decidedly less than ideal. Finally, a brass ensemble played The Roaring Twenties in an arrangement by Nagle. This comprised four linked movements entitled Five Foot Two Eyes ofBlue, Toot Toot Tootsie , Makin' Whoopee and Yes, Sir, That 's my Baby. This piece enables each of the instruments, including the improbable tuba, to have a share in the melodies, and to my mind I felt that this item was the best suited to the prevailing conditions out of doors. Above all , and more so than in any of the other items, the performers looked and sounded as if they were actually enjoying making music and entertaining the audience. And, as if to reinforce it, the sun actually shone during it! R.V.J.B.

ST AUGUSTINE'S CONCERT This concert of reflective music , put together by Richard Peat, was one of the most interesting that I have heard in my 28 years at King's. Indeed, almost all of it consisted of works which had not been composed when I first set foot in the Precincts. The concert took the form of a multi-layered Danish sandwich , the bread being provided by compositions by my friend and fellow Orthodox John Tavener, with other composers providing the various fillings. Two settings of the Lord 's Prayer set the tone for this reflective concert; the first by Tavener in English: Our Father displays Tavener's use of the old Greek Modes which typifies much of his music, and which Western ears very often find somewhat strange and voices find difficult to sing. There were no problems in this piece, however, and the same was true of the setting of the Slavonic by Stravinsky. The ensemble's pronunciation of the Slavonic was as impeccable as their intonation. This was followed by Debussy's Syrinx for solo flute, played by William Tallon very sensitively, with good control of the instrument. The next slice of the Tavener loaf was A mini song cycle for Gina for soprano solo and piano. The accompaniment gives little help to the soloist, but Georgeanna Williams sang with conviction , in tune and with clear diction in this suite of three pieces. Our resident composer, Stephen Matthews, provided the next item, a recorder trio entitled Echoes , which he has dedicated to the memory of the late Alan Ridout, formerly a member of the Music Department at King's. In keeping with the theme of the concert, this piece has an ethereal quality to it, although perhaps not quite reaching the depths of mystical spirituality that is the hallmark of music inspired by the Orthodox Faith. Back to Tavener, and his piece for solo cello Threnos , inspired, like so much of his post-Catholic phase music, by death. The seeming preoccupation with death which characterises much ofTavener's music doubtless arises not from his fears about his own mortality , but simply because of the somewhat different perception that Orthodoxy has of the subject. Reverting to a Greek modal basis, the intonation is difficult and Caroline

T HE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMMER

1996

JAZZ CONCERT I have not been to a King' s Jazz Concert for four or five years. During that time, the quality of the music has risen to near-professional standard . This is not a criticism of bands in the past, which contained many excellent musicians. Rather, it is a recognition that the present excellence has come about by building a tradition year by year - a somewhat new tradition for 218

an institution as old as King' s, but all traditions start somewhere. When Andy Dean persuaded the School to allow King's Week and other Jazz Concerts nea~ly 20 years ago, they were hel~ e~ther ' in the round' w1th the audience in a small sem1-cucle on the floor of the Shirley Hall, or across the road in St Mary's Hall. Initially (until 1980) Mr Ian Gollop, then (for t~e last 16 years) Dr Roger Mallion, gave the .cl~b the1r full support over this period. From the begmnmg , and for a good many years, the band, and then the orchestr~ , depended on the services of masters such as Mr B1ll McConnell and Mr John Parker. But the driving force behind the Club and the Concerts has always been an enthusiastic and very able coterie of junior memb~rs . It is this tradition and the wide freedom of expresswn and interpretatio~ within_j~zz m.u s~c, ~hich has le.d to the superb quality of mus1c1ansh1p m t~iS concert g1ven by pupils only. I am sure that those taking pa~ are ~ore aware than I am how jazz has broadened the1r mus1cal experience, and the~ will appreciate the fa~t that Ravel , Gershwin Bernstem and others have d1ssolved the borderline~ between jazz and classical music. They must know that it is a privilege, which they have earned.f<?r themselves, to belong to this very tale~ted. group: 1t 1s something they will appreciate all the1r hves. What can I say about the concert it~el f? Thi.s was t~e only concert that ended with a sta~dmg ovation: Th1s was a genuine and heartfelt expresswn by the aud1ence. Of course in a one-off concert, there are always a few uncertainties early on, but by the time the Jabbe~ing JAZZtet played Con Alma, everything had fallen mto a very beautiful and rhythmical shape. It all came good, then better , and finally superb . It is alm~st invidi<?us to single out one individual, but the enthus1asm of Nick Tattersall pervaded the whole evening. He was the driving force conducting the King's Jazz Orchestra.' and he displayed a remarkable ra~ge of talents on p1ano , especially in It Ain't Necessanly So, on trombone and in the delicate humour of the Barbershop. Equally talented on piano was the ' regular' pianist James Longstaffe, who took ~a~y s~lo sections and s~owed beautiful touch and t1mmg m Ja Da , and m the conversational piece with the Tract instrumentalists, Kid From Red Bank. In the rhythm section, Ivo Nea~e an.d James Capel provided the strong heartbeat wh1ch 1s

essential to jazz music. Ivo has mastered a wide variety of jazz rhythms, and he ~!so gave us a delightfully swirling arrangement of Misty, wonderfully played by the Jazz Orchestra. James's relaxed resona?t bass showed to great advantage in Li'l.Darlin', wh1ch also featured the sensitive and evocative mute trumpet of Matt Berry. The very able group of Tradster i~trumentali~ts , Andy Brice, Rachel Barr, Annabel Wh~bley and Nick Tattersall combined well together; Tm Roof Blues especially had the real New Orleans .feel , with an excellent authentic trombone solo by Nick. Th~ other group, the Jabbering JAZZtet, plar~ a vanety .of difficult modern pieces very sensitlve~y an? w1t.h considerable technical ability ; all three pieces m their second section were magnificent, and Steve Bushnell's mute trumpet playing was outstanding. Both groups featured the clear and gentle tones of Annabel Whi~ley on saxophone . The Barbershop interlude was a delight to everyone - a funny old selection of whimsic~l a?d sentimental ditties sung, as might be expected at King s, with delicate sensitivity and in perfect h~rmony. We were also treated to a 'surprise' duet by N1ck Tattersall and Richard Collins, who rendered their version of F~ts Waller's Your Feet 's Too Big, in response to a spec1al request by Canon Anthony Phill~ps.. the retiring Headmaster. It may be worth mentwnmg that. many items in the programme wer~ de~ icated to a vane.ty of people; the list is so long that 1t wtll have to be pubhshed separately! But the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. As the concert progressed, the King's Jazz Orc~estra became ever more closely knit, producing a magmficent tapestry of sound . They must have banked on enco~es, because the two extra items were not, as one m1ght expect , repeats of earlier successes: they . w~re tremendously impressive performances of th~ M1sswn Impossible theme and of Peter Gunn â&#x20AC;˘. roundmg off an exhilarating evening. I must be speakm~ for eve:yone in the audience in thanking all of those mvolved m the performance - musicians, technicians, ushers an~ the ticket team - for a concert which will last long m all our memories. ROY C HISHOLM.

219

TH E CANTUARIAN. L ENT

& SUMMER 1996

KIDACO

Sophie Chapman, Zoe and Estelle Davies, Josie Sundt, Jane Virden, Charlie Westenra and Rachael White dazzled us with the variety and quality of their range of accomplishments. Martin Field-Dodgson was both dashing and witty as a clown, whilst Rachel Anderson melted our hearts. This performance was stylish , compelling and professional , showing KiDaCo's skills to magnificent effect. All involved seemed to embody Marie Rambert's maxim: ' Perpetual movement was my element. I crawled very fast on all fours, I ran very fast on all twos, I stood on my head kicking all the while for more fun . When I wasn't doing anything else, I turned cartwheels. ' J.M.R.

' Roll up ! Roll up! All the thrills and spills of the Circus!' - or whatever Circus folk are supposed to shout .. . Thrills there certainly were , but few spills in Anna Price 's spectacular direction of KiDaCo '96 . From beginning to end there was perpetual movement: cartwheels; vaults through hoops; beautifully-polished , graceful trapeze acts; acrobatics; dance; juggling and , for added excitement, a clown. To appropriate, accommodating music from Sky, Pink Floyd , Janet Jackson , George Michael and Enigma, the performers donned various costumes, changing character and style, dazzling the audience with the huge variety of graceful jumps, somersaults , pirouettes, backflips, flights through the air on rope or swing, seeming to become ever more accomplished and daring . KiDaCo has a wide repertoire and versatility with plenty of strong and powerful, yet graceful action from all the performers. By turns, they are dancers, gymnasts , acrobats and trapeze artists. Anna Price has shown great vision in terms of planning and management so that she has been able to experiment with an ever-expanding repertoire. She has built a company of really accomplished gymnasts and dancers.

THE DIFFERENCE At 6 p.m. on 2nd July 1996, The Difference, swathed in Union Jacks, made their grand entrance into a packed Tudor Garden Marquee. Promptly, the bass player scuttled backstage again ... to retrieve his guitar. Over the next hour and a half, this home-grown four-piece band kept the capacity crowd entertained with their humour, and more importantly, their polished and original brand of rock. Accomplished guitar playing by front men Richard Legge and Piers Clough , in conjunction with skilful use of the electronics, gave the sound depth and variation . T rading lead and rhythm roles, they were backed up on drums by the inimitable Conrad Krawczyk, and by imaginative bass lines courtesy of Jack Patrick . The set consisted primarily of the band 's own compositions, with a few covers, notably Black Dog and Shakin ' All Over, thrown in for good measure. The Led Zeppelin song provided a rousing introduction, featuring fiery lead guitar and sung from the heart by Piers. The latter too was a particularly memorable number, driven by an authentic rock ' n' roll sound and featuring a fine drum solo . It provided the first of a number of guest appearances from Will Tallon, here playing the flute. Although his efforts were a little drowned out in the mix , it showed the band 's creativity and w illing ness to expe riment with unusua l arrangements. The highlight of the performance for me was Badgers, one of a couple of numbers in the middle of the set featuring Richard on acoustic guitar. His smooth fingerstyle playing using an open tuning was accompanied initially by his own vocal; as the song developed and changed tempo, harmonies by Will , and Piers's distinctive Stratocaster were added . It was a superb track. The final number, New Y ear 's Eve , lasted over ten minutes, and with the whole band in full flow , produced fine performances from all its members. 'I've had enough of drinking beer from a plastic cup,' lamented Piers, in fine style ; Richard at last found the volume knob on his amp , and his wah-wah solo hit its mark. The crowd by now was really grooving, and although even the most well-heeled feet were tapping, somewhat

Sarah Hubbard-Ford. (M .P.H .D.)

We were thrilled by the brilliance of the circus skills displayed by Sarah Hubbard-Ford , Maddy Morgan and Alice Walke r. Yuka Mizota's solo dances were quirky and fun , with hands making flickering graceful gestures and limbs which seemed endlessly supple and pliable. ~elen Mounse~-Thear , wearing a red dress, was elegant m a dance wh1ch was both haunting and reflective.

T HE CANTUARIAN. L ENT

& SUMMER 1996

220

did I do?' I said. ' Well , you persuaded me!' The following Wednesday I received the go-ahead from the Headmaster. The next major task, knowing now that there was a vague possibility that the idea might become a reality, was to choose some people as presenters and begin to train them up to the world of Radio. Right from the start I knew what sort of shows I wanted on air: some basic music shows, a mad breakfast show , a magazine show and a current affairs and news show (the latter CANTERBURY LOCAL RADIO being incredibly difficult without hours of thought and THE GENESIS planning). At the same time I couldn' t tell anyone that it would definitely be happening for several reasons: Sitting around a table late one night in August on the a) the Headmaster had only agreed to the idea; b) there coast of southern Spain was where the idea originated: were plenty more people to persuade; c) the Radio ' I think King' s should have a radio station .' In the next Authority and the D. T. I. might not grant the licence ten minutes, ideas went through my head on how to application. develop the idea and to try and work out exactly how A lot of persuading, grovelling , begging (any other it would, or would not, happen. Finally I came up with method known to man) later, the application was finally the idea of running what is known as an R .S.L. (a completed and ready to be sent off. I had been in talks restricted service licence) to cover King's Week 1996. with the University of Kent at Canterbury a nd had By the time I returned to the U.K. I had a vague idea arranged with them to site the transmitter on their what to do next. I spent the next couple of weeks campus , to ensure a good coverage area despite the checking out the legalities with the Radio Authority and Cathedral . At this preparing a slightly point the studio was fuller idea of exactly going to be at the what I was proposing. top of the Palace The start of term Block. time came. First day Training continued back, and after school whilst I waited to hear I went to see John about the application, Parker at the Careers and waited , and Room saying, 'I've waited . Finally I rang got a proposal which up the Radi o I'd like you to took Authority and by the over and tell me what end of that afternoon you think .' From I had an answer there he went to Mr yes. Even at this point Churcher, and then he it was still not definite went to Mr Browning, that we would be and he went back to going o n-a ir : the Mr Parker who finally re mainder o f the decided that he/they powers that be in the liked the idea , but school still had to wanted more details. agree. The idea was finally Over th e next m e ntioned to Dr coupl e o f m o nths Humberstone and the before we were due to Headmaster , and Mr go on air the studio Parker asked me to had four di ffe rent put a final proposal down on paper which locations, each with its own little problem he could give to the (one of them being no Headmaster. About a electricity and a big week later I was asked hole in the wall) until to attend a meeting with the Headmaster , finally I was informed â&#x20AC;˘ that the only place the the Lower Master, the Senior Mistress and studio could be housed in the school would be the Director of Studies in an old store room after lunch on the under Shirley Hall following Saturday. which had no window One aud a half hours a fte r the meeting and so much damp that there was running began Mr Parker and Richard Collins at work I left Lattergate. ' How water down two walls.

surprisingly everyone remained nailed to their chairs. The band came back out under great demand to perform the encore Make It All Well , and some brilliant licks by Piers left the crowd thoroughly satisfied. The Difference are surely by now a King's Week institution. They must come back next year. S.B

22 1

T HE CANTUARI AN. L ENT

SUMMER

1996

ART EXHIBITION IN THE CLEARY GALLERY

Always one to accept a challenge, I set about arranging for the 'studio' to be sound-proofed . Two months later this was apparently arranged. Even for the short time we were on air seven licences were required. The main one I knew was granted , so I set about arranging for another three, but before I could apply for these I had to know where the aerials in the school would be - at this point your guess was as good as mine! It was now the week before IGng's Week. Everything seemed to be arranged. We had five of the seven licences with the rest on the way . Advertising was going more slowly than I had hoped, but Samantha Goulden, the person in charge of advertising, and I both had several A-level module exams, so we couldn ' t devote as much time to it as we had originally thought. The studio was seemingly arranged, the equipment was definitely booked, and the presenters were getting better. It was at this point that I found out that somewhere along the way some wires had got crossed and in fact the studio was not finished, nor even started. As luck would have it , because of the subjects I was doing, I didn' t have any internal school exams , so whilst the rest of the school were slaving away in Shirley Hall hurriedly scribbling down anything that came to mind , I was underneath them trying to deaden a soon-to-be radio studio that had an echo of about ten seconds, with the only material available - sheets of polystyrene. This took about five days and did not quite work, but it was all that could be done so it would have to do . I then set up the equipment and let the presenters loose on it! Unfortunately because of the time taken to build the studio I was now very behind schedule. My only time available to make this up was the night before we went on air and only then if there were two of us. It turned out that it was only me working and, as a result, only about a third of what should have happened did. This meant that every night after we went off-air I was working in the studio until the early hours. We did have a lot of problems during the broadcast period but thanks to Mr Parker, Dr Allday and Mr Browning, to name but a few, all was solved - and from what I can tell everything went well. Dr Jakob 's lunchtime lectures on modern life were a huge success and thanks to everyone involved with them . Of course, thinking about it now , there are things that should have been done differently, other things that should have been broadcast and weren't, and vice versa , but considering the circumstances I think that everyone involved did a very good job. Canterbury Local Radio was a tremendous experience for me, and I hope for anyone and everyone involved . I use this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone, pupils and staff, who took part in any way for making it possible and giving such a good output. Thank you especially to Mr John Parker for all his work on C.L.R., particularly for travelling up to London to collect and return all the equipment. Thank you.

This summer's Art Exhibition was composed of both GCSE and A-level work produced by this year's fifthformers and 6As. The variety of styles and ideas was amazing. It was hard to believe that such diversity came from j ust one place. Media ranged from ceramics to textiles, from figurative brush-work to metallic sculpture. One of the exhibition's main merits was that it contained at least one piece of work from every one of the fifty-seven GCSE candidates, and several from each of the A-level candidates. It was displayed magnificently in the Blackfriars Centre and was part of King's Week which should not have been missed. To talk about the exhibition as a whole would simply be too vague, such was the diversity - as becomes apparent when looking at the specific work of individual sixth-form pupils. For some of them, the exhibition heralded three or four pieces. Take the work of Jane Gann, for example. In the exhibition there were three examples of her work and no two were similar. She presented not only examples of acrylic painting (her giant t~dy piece), but textile~ (displayed in the King's Week FashiOn Show) and ceramics. It was the work of Ben Smith-Laing however that stood out the most. For his exam final piece on the topic of 'Meal Times' he produced a highly original threedimensional cow using cutlery . This was undoubtedly influenced not only by the controversial work of Damien Hirst but by the current beef crisis. Other pieces exhibited also involved the use of metal. In one example he had made a life-size 'skeleton ' from metal rods. This piece literally towers over the whole exhibition in a somewhat eerie manner. Another candidate whose work stood out in the exhibition was that of Alex Gort-Barten. His work is highly influenced by that of David Hockney who focuses on the portrayal of distorted imagery. Alex concentrated on the distortion that can occur in the mind. This was the theme behind his final exam piece The Forwards Roll . Such abstract representation of someone doing a forwards roll works well in such a style , as it easily highlights the fluidity behind such a movement. Venetia Taylor and Madeleine Preston also had pieces that stood out in the exhibition. The most apparent being Venetia's lush Peppers, strongly influenced by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, and Madeleine's minimalist Japanese-styled Bonsai (which won her the Senior Art Prize.) Other original pieces included Claire Baldwin's acrylic painting in Pre-Raphaelite style, Megan Morris's Box ofMemories, influenced by her life in Africa, and Laurence Ridges' pottery in the style of Bernard Leach. Mark Sweny produced a colourful record cover and Simon Gomersall created a typical painting in the style of Edward Hopper. We would also like to mention all those whose work was submitted and used in the King's Week Fashion Show: Charlotte Ross-Goobey , Hannah Mackenzie, Camilla Jackson, Iona Coltart and Alice Walker. Finally, congratulations to Madeleine Preston for winning the Senior Art Prize, Megan Morris for winning the Junior Art Prize, Laurence Ridges for winning the Ceramics Prize. And thank you to all those whose work was displayed in the exhibition.

RIC HARD COLLINS.

ALEX REYNOLDS AND VICTORIA SMITH.

THE CANTUARIAN. LENT

SUMMER

1996

222

FROM THE KING'S WEEK ART EXHIBITION (Venetia Taylor)

(Ben Smith-Laing) (Ben Smith-Laing)

(Alex Gort-Barton) (Madeleine Preston)

(Megan Morris)

(Conrad Krawczyk)

(Simon Gomersall)

(Claire Baldwin)

Limited edition prints of The Norman Staircase and Speech Day Garden Party

Speech Day Garden Party

The recently published book "Dennis Flanders . Watercolours in Academe" reviewed in the Cantun.an Autumn 1995,/eatured two fine watercolours of The King's School, which the late Dennis Flande': ~- W S. ~ . R.B. A. , painted. These were issued as 500 ltrmted_ edtttan prints which were signed and numbered by t~e artts~ who has been described as the greatest topograPhtcal arttst of the twentieth century. We have a small number of these prints available at the special price of£89.50 each or £169.50 for_ the pair. The size of the facsimiles is 14" x 21" presented m bevelled hand cut mounts, the overall size being 19" x 25". P

r------------------ -~, To: Co11temporary Watercolours 165 Parrock Street, Gravesend, Keut DA12 lEN Tel: 01474 535922 Please send me . . . (No) mounted prints of Speech Day Garden Party 0 .. . (No) mormted prints of The Norman Staircase 0 signed and 1111111bered at £89.50 each (i11cludillg VATa11d delivery). Both Pri11ts £169.50, stale 110. of pmrs

NAME ....................................................................................................... . ADDRESS ................................................................................................. . POSTCODE...................... TELEPHONE ................................................ .. ~0 Cheques to be made payable to C01rtemporary Watercolours Ltd.

~D Access!Mastercard ~ 0 Visa Amount £.........

The Norman Staircase

~~u

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I CREIJITCARO NUM I!ER EXPIRY I>ATE ... ............

L-------------------223

THE CANTUARIAN . LENT

SUMMER

1996

THE O.K.S. ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT'S REPORT therefore, decided to overcome this problem by appointing an Administrator on a professional basis, and Pamela Fryer who, as Pamela Dodd, developed a close relationship with King's through her work on the Appeal, has now taken up her position on a day a week basis. We wish her well and shall look forward to using her administrative support for the benefit of the Association . In my last set of notes for the Cantuarian , I alluded to the simmering activity of the O.K.S. musical community. I am glad to say that activity is beginning to surface. At the Annual Dinner of the Association in the Great Hall in Lincoln's Inn on 19th April, we began with a sung grace and continued with a couple of short madrigals during the course of the meal; my warmest thanks, therefore, to Stuart Whatton and the other members of the quartet he assembled for the occasion. There was, also, a strong musical ingredient to the latest edition of the O.K.S. Annual Review and I would, again , like to express my grateful thanks to those who contributed. Sadly, we shall be saying farewell to Barbara Slimming, who is standing down as Assistant Secretary after many years of loyal and informed service to the Association. We shall all miss her help and support but hope to see as much of her as possible from time to time. Barbara, very many thanks for all you have done for us. The 1997 O.K.S. celebrations are gradually taking shape under the Chairmanship of Mike Herbert. The dates for the London Banquet (14th March), the Canterbury Ball (4th July), and the Cathedral Service (15th November) are almost 'set in concrete', so please make a note in your diaries. Details will be circulated in the Autumn and, in the meantime, if you would like to lend your administrative or musical skills for these events, please let me know c/o 25 The Precincts . Finally, I would like to take this opportunity of welcoming the new Headmaster. It will be an exciting and challenging time. We shall look forward to getting to know him and his wife over the coming months and supporting them in every possible way. We wish them both every possible success. PETER VENN, O.K.S., PRESIDENT.

Welcome to the O.K.S. Association to all those who have left King's during the past year. I hope that the future will be happy and fulfilling and wish you all success in whatever lies ahead. If, at any time in that future, you feel you would like to get involved in the affairs of the Association, please get in touch by contacting either one of the officers of the Association or the School Bursar. Welcome to the O.K.S. Association, also, to Anthony Phillips! The Association has greatly admired his successful and charismatic leadership during ten years as Headmaster. We have, also, greatly appreciated his co-operation and support in strengthening our ties with the School, and it was , therefore, particularly appropriate that the first ever purely social O.K.S . event in King's Week- a buffet luncheon in St Augustine' s on Sunday 30th June - was held not only to express our thanks, make our farewells and present Anthony and Vicky with a Georgian mirror, but also to greet Anthony as a fully fledged member of the O.K.S. and present him with the Association's tie. We wish both Anthony and Vicky a long and happy retirement. About every two years Presidents past and present meet and dine together. At the beginning of March this year, with the Headmaster and Michael Hodgson also present, we took the opportunity to review both O.K.S. affairs in general and, in particular, how we could improve our liaison with the School. As a direct result of this discussion, and with the active encouragement of the Headmaster, the O.K.S. Committee have , recently , held their first meeting at the School. In addition to regular Committee members, the meeting was also attended by the Headmaster, members of the staff, the Bursar and the Archivist Paul Pollak O.K.S. Unfortunately, the Captain of School, whose ex-officio membership of the Committee is something we wish to develop, was on exam duty! A very lively discussion developed during the meeting, which generated a range of ideas for further improving School/ Association links. We shall look forward to putting some of those ideas into practice in the months ahead . Ideas about what the Association could or should do have never been in short supply. The problem has been putting them into practice, simply because most of the people involved have demanding jobs to do. We have,

THE CANTUARIAN, LENT

& SUMMER 1996

224