The Cantuarian 2013 - 2014 by OKS Association | The King's School, Canterbury

THE CANTUARIAN

THE MAGAZINE OF THE KINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SCHOOL, CANTERBURY

2013-2014

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28/11/2014 13:44:01

Vol. LXXIX

THE CANTUARIAN CONTENTS: AUTUMN Editorial

This and That

Admission of Scholars

Focus: George Edwards

Focus: Kingsfest

Vale

Trips and Expeditions

Drama

Miscellany

Music

Sport

The Interview

Overheard... and Howlers

All photographs by Matt McArdle unless otherwise stated

THE CANTUARIAN

Autumn 2013

Editorial Lucy Dean (6a BR)

The Autumn term is famous for its great range of events and excitement fills the air for all of the King’s community. Nevertheless, it is easy to forget the new pupils, teachers and staff being absorbed by the Hogwartian vicinity. After the exceptional exam results in the summer, the school was prepared to start a new year of achievement and academic excellence and suddenly King’s was brought back to life. The school welcomed back the Rugby boys from their tour to South Africa and pre-season for all sport got underway. Alongside the preparations for the acclaimed House Song, there were auditions for Cyrano De Bergerac, the school play. The school play was performed after half term and was a huge success, strikingly acted in the wonderful new space King’s has acquired: The Malthouse site.

while the rest of the school hibernated to prepare for the action-packed half of term awaiting them. There were countless other exciting trips, which you can read about in this edition. The end of term was crammed with amazing events, such as house concerts and sporting suppers. The term ended with the renowned Carol Service and the Christmas Concert, which as always, lived up to expectation, and on behalf of the Cantuarian, I would just like to commend and congratulate everyone involved. I also feel it is appropriate to take up a little bit more of your time to thank Matt McCardle, our photographer for producing such outstanding images. Also, thank you to Mrs Young and the wonderful committee that Madeline and I run who make our lives much easier, and help us to produce an edition of which we are extremely proud.

The Fifth Form Geographers ventured to Morocco in half term for a week of captivating culture and sunshine,

Autumn 2013

This and That Requiescat Alan Booth died on November 27th. After a career in the Army, Alan joined King’s as RSM in 1984, became the first Beadle in 2001, and finally retired in 2008. In the funeral address, his son spoke of Alan’s time at King’s: “For Alan, working at the King’s School was easy. It felt similar to the army: it was structured, ordered, with heaps of tradition, and he still got to shout at people for a living whilst doing military drill!! Excellent!!! There was only one problem: most of his troops were only 4 feet high and some of them were…. ladies.

lunch with each day. Alan was a popular member of the Easter Camp Staff Team and was a fabulous instructor; his version of “Wheelchair Drill” always went down well at the camp dinner. “Towards the end of his King’s career Alan was made the “School Beadle” a job that he discharged with so much enthusiasm, that his reputation in King’s was legendary. He wandered the school grounds ensuring pupils were following dress codes and weren’t loitering and that discipline was upheld. Alan loved his job at King’s and it was a sad day when he had to retire.” Pearly King’s

“Alan enjoyed working at the King’s School enormously, and said it was the best job he ever had. He loved working with the “young gentlemen and ladies” as he called them. He developed some important relationships with the pupils he came into contact with at the School, and it wasn’t uncommon to find a multitude of military mad gentlemen, and ladies, having tea with the RSM in the Armoury during breaks in lessons. Alan always tried to do his best by “his troops” and woe betide anyone who upset them. “Alan also enjoyed the company of his colleagues at King’s, especially the CCF officers and the ladies he often shared

The Art Department has celebrated 30 years in Blackfriars. The meeting of the Cleary Foundation on Tuesday 8 October was the occasion for a festive lunch as a prelude to the business of the day. There were also two exhibitions on display: the first to illustrate something of the history of the building and particularly the conversion; the second of pieces by pupils inspired by the environment in which they work. There was a young curate…

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Congratulations to the Chaplain on his appointment as Assistant Curate of Deal, St Andrew. Is that a cue for a limerick? Great War Centenary With the centenary of the First World War looming, several books on the subject have been published. Public Schools and the Great War: A Generation Lost by Anthony Seldon and David Walsh is of particular interest. The King’s School gets several mentions in what is a wide-ranging study of the schools of the period and the impact of the war. The statistics in the book can now be amended: 158 OKS were to be killed in the conflict – or about 18% of those who served. Almost King’s Charlotte Mendelson’s entertaining fourth novel Almost English was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. The “almost English” girl of the title is Marina, who goes to a boarding school called Combe Abbey – one of those “venerable boys’ public schools which now [the story is set in 1988] took girls in the sixth form”. Marina’s house is called West Street: “just outside the school grounds, reached via a narrow passage beside Bute House… It was once part of a terrace, now partitioned like an experiment for mice”. This may sound familiar to those who remember Broad Street, once a girls’ house at the back of School House and now staff accommodation. Other features of Combe Abbey are shared with the King’s School of the period. Charlotte was in Broad Street from 1989 to 1991. Conservation and Cricket Another book that mentions school days in the Precincts is the second autobiography by David Gower (LN 197075). The title, An Endangered Species, alludes to his interest in Africa and wildlife, as well as to his cricketing style. He is young enough and active enough to write a third. Journey’s End The most eagerly anticipated OKS publication for many years was The Broken Road. A couple of years after his abrupt departure from Canterbury, Patrick Leigh Fermor (GR 1929-31) set out to walk from Hook of Holland to Constantinople. A Time of Gifts (1977) and Between the Woods and the Water (1986) covered much of his story,

Autumn 2013

but the final volume of the expected autobiographical trilogy was incomplete at his death in 2011. Artemis Cooper and Colin Thubron have edited the surviving manuscript and supplemented it with some substantial diary extracts. Although not quite the finished and Fermor-polished article, it is nonetheless a treat for admirers of one of the greatest travel writers of the last hundred years. Back to Nature David Bond (MR 1984-89) is a film maker concerned at the amount of time his young children were spending in front of the computer – “a screen dependence threatening to turn them into glassy-eyed zombies”. Project Wild Thing is an entertaining full-length documentary and also the name of an organisation that seeks to reconnect children with nature. The film features David and his family, including his mother Helen who taught English at King’s. Shooting Stars By the end of term, Canterbury Ladies, led by playercoach Jen Wilson, were at the top of the England Hockey League’s Premier Division. The squad also includes Genevieve Masters (BR) and OKS Eliza Brett (JR 2008-13). This and That’s News From the School Autumn, season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Bronzed leaves, chill breezes and the remarkable seasonal sight of dozens of dour-faced teachers, their expressions composed, a testament to their enduring professionalism, untainted by the streak of happy optimism that must surely be coursing through their revitalised veins at the prospect of a new term. Gowns flapping in the bitter wind, they flock to St Mary’s Hall for the first staff meeting of the year. Where to begin? Perhaps with many congratulations to Millie Knight, winner of the Canterbury and District Sports Award: Disabled Sport Performer of the Year, and her remarkable feat of qualifying for the winter Paralympic Games. Now perhaps to some feats of endurance: first, the school can celebrate 30 years this term of use of the Blackfriars site for its Art department. Now art teachers, as we all know, cannot be trusted, and therefore it was an act of great

perspicacity to banish them to a place far removed from the hallowed turf of the Green Court, and make strangers of them all. They can sometimes be seen, moving in packs, driven by what appetites I dare not guess, towards the dining room – but whither then, who can say? Mine not to reason why, although I’m told what they do in Blackfriars really is rather good. In other longevity news, both Mr Miles and Mr Newbury have both now completed a hundred terms at The King’s School. That’s 33.3 recurring years. This is a landmark to be much heralded and lauded, even if Mr Graham’s hundred years looks likely to remain unchallenged. And This and That harbours a secret suspicion that a sabbatical term doesn’t really count. Perhaps better instead to look forward rather than back, with the return of not one but two OKS to the school: David Hopkins (SH 1970-75), Head of Prep School Liaison, and Madeleine Cross, nee Preston (LX 1991-96), as Artist in Residence. The previous Artist in Residence has been, I’m reliably informed, locked in a cupboard in Blackfriars after disparaging Mr Wallace’s hair. We can also celebrate the arrival of Paul Sheldon, our new Foundation Director and several new members of the teaching staff, who you will read about elsewhere. This and That has been prohibited from saying much about either leavers or new arrivals, due to a rather complicated thing called ‘libel’.

But in the notes This and That stole in order to prepare for this article, he stumbled upon the following statement: ‘The appointment of the new Curate of Deal. This sounds like the cue for a limerick.’ Game on. ‘There once was a Curate of Deal’, This and That happily began. But what rhymes with Deal? Meal, peel, steal, kneel? Feel? This and That has thought of two or three ways to continue his limerick and each would get him either sacked or arrested, or both. So best move on, with … ‘Saturday Smarties’ (pictured below) : master classes for promising young scientists in years 5 and 6, a new venture by the School which enabled King’s to reach out to Primary schools in and around Canterbury. See you next term. This and That THE CALVIN AND ROSE G HOFFMAN PRIZE FOR A DISTINGUISHED PUBLICATION ON CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE The prize was established by a bequest of the late Calvin Hoffman, author of The Man Who Was Shakespeare (1955), as a memorial to himself and his wife. It is

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administered by the King’s School, Canterbury who have appointed Dr Alison Shell, University College London, as Adjudicator. Further details can be found on the Cantuarian Website.

Salvete William Bersey Will joins us, as Director of Music in January 2014, from St. Edmund’s School where he was Director of Music. Some of you may already know Will from his time at King’s a few years ago. This year Will became Deputy Lay Clerk (Bass) at Canterbury Cathedral. Under Will’s guiding hand, the St. Edmund’s School Chamber Choir achieved the following accolades: Overall winners of Top Choir Kent (2013), Selected as Deputy Choir at Westminster Abbey (2012-2013), Evensong services in Canterbury Cathedral and St. George’s Chapel Windsor Castle and Jesus College Cambridge (2013). Will enjoys composing, arranging music, jogging, swimming cycling, DIY and gardening. Oli Cooper Oli was employed by King’s (2011-2012) as the Young Designer for the D&T Department, assisting with classes, workshops and offering ‘Teaching Sports’ coaching and pastoral duties. Oli enjoys problem-solving and is completing the final stages of his Level 3 academic studies to attain his BSC (Hons) in Product Design with Professional Practice at Brunel. He coaches and rows at a national level for Brunel Rowing and was awarded Brunel Sporting Colours for Brunel Rowing Club this year. Oli joins King’s as a Part-Time Teacher of Technology and Part-Time Technician Emma Laughlin Emma has been tutoring students for Mathematics for several years and teaching a variety of year groups in Cullybackey High School, Ballymena. By June 2013, Emma will have completed her PGCE in Mathematics (with ICT as a subsidiary subject) and attained Qualified Teacher Status. She has a First Class MSci Honours Degree in Mathematics. Emma enjoys playing violin and piano in church and has taught both for the past five years

Autumn 2013

from home. Emma gained both the William Blair Morton Prize and Raymond Flannery Prize in Applied Mathematics from the Queen’s University Belfast last year, together with Bronze, Silver and Gold DofE Awards. She is a keen sportsperson and has represented Ballymena Academy in hockey and dance. Ana Pedraza Rascado Ana is a temporary teacher of Spanish at King’s and hails from the Spanish Department of St Paul’s School, where she was a Language Assistant. She graduated in English Language and Literature from the Autonomous University of Madrid, having already received her Master’s degree in Spanish Language and Spanish as a Second Language. She is a Spanish native speaker and has translated specialized text from English to Spanish and vice versa and worked in grammatical and orthographic revisions of text/ articles. She is currently working in the development of linguistic glossaries applied to translation using Microsoft Office applications and online plaftorms. She is interested in sports, arts and outdoor activities. Kitty Synge Kitty, currently employed at King’s as a Graduate Sports Assistant, has now been appointed Teacher of Classics. She studied both Latin and Greek modules at university as well as Literature, Ancient History and Philosophy. Kitty is a former King’s Pupil and is well-placed to make the transition from University graduate to professional teacher. David Thresher David joins us from Trinity School, Croydon, where he teaches Business Studies and Economics and is now nearing the completion of his NQT year. He is actively involved in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, such as coaching the second Cross Country and U13 rugby teams, and revision workshops with lower 6th Business students. He also assisted with the Economics Society. He enjoys sport, having played Rugby at the highest level and also plays Cricket, Tennis and Golf.

The admission of scholars 8th September 2013

THE KING’S SCHOOL ADMISSION OF SCHOLARS

Honorary King’s Scholars Tirenioluwa Atoyebi

Henry Evans

Helena Barton

Thomas Glynne-Jones

Lily Begg

Seiya Grant

Henry Bettley

Patrick Harte

George Booth-Clibborn

Eleanor Hartland

Galvin Brady

Michaela Higham

Sam Buchanan

Madeleine Irwin

Patrick Chan

Rhiannon Jones

Honoury Cheung

Patrick Knox

Eliza Cocksworth

Phoebe Lundy

The admission of scholars took place in Canterbuty Cathedral on Sunday 8th Septemer led by The Dean of Canterbury The Very Reverend Dr Robert Willis

Stuart Craig

Charles Macpherson

Chimdi Ota

Modupeola Reis

Phoebe Hanson-Lowe 6a

Alisha Sadhwani

King’s Scholars

Anouska Newman 6a

Anika Patel 6a

Alexander Sy-Quia

Pippa Tatton-Brown

CTN

Amelia Butler-Gallie

Hannah Choi

Georgios Topaloglou 6a

Jake Todd

Elizabeth Guild

Tatyana Kalaydjian Serraino

Samuel Wallace

Yolanda Imoke

Dawn Lau

Elizabeth TrelawnyVernon 6a

Donghui Jia

Patrick Li

Helen Woodward

Guy Smith

Kyle MacFarquharson

Jebin Yoon

Jacob Werth

The new Scholars with Mrs Worthington, Father Fred Arvidsson and the Headmaster

Autumn 2013

FOCUS: GEORGE EDWARDS

Lucy Dean (6a BR)

George Edwards, the Head of House of Tradescant, has managed to bring the DT department out of the shadows. George is the Design and Technology prodigy of King’s, who has done a tremendous amount for King’s and Britain. George has become known for his “Gas Sense” system which he built for his AS project; it went on to win the South Eastern round of “Young Engineer for Britain”. Later he was able to patent the device and is looking to license it for UK companies to manufacture. Since then George has been asked to speak at national conferences of professional Engineers interested to know how more people could be encouraged to follow in his footsteps. I interviewed George to find out more about his recent successes and his plans for the future, which I am sure, will affect all of us. How did your interest in Design start? Well, I started it academically at GCSE, but I got particularly involved for my AS last year. I decided to complete a project to cheaply and remotely monitor the amount of Gas in a Gas bottle, primarily for Caravans and Yachts, where bottled gas is the primary fuel. This was a very popular problem to solve as Mr Swindley is an ‘avid Caravanner’. What neither he nor I realised was that the market goes beyond the half-million or so UK caravanners into millions of people worldwide who use bottled gas for cooking and need to know how much gas they have left.

The Project was entered into The Young Engineer for Britain Competition where I came third out of thousands of entries and in the end I was highly commended. I then looked at patenting the product and my idea and we went through a long legal process, with which the school helped me. I have had a phenomenal response from much of industry and retail as well as several Venture Capitalists, which has given rise to some very interesting (if terrifying) conversations. Next week I am being flown out to Ireland to see a company who would like to license the product. How do you spread the word of DT and how do you inspire others? I have given a number of talks, which, after some coaching from Mr Sinclair, I have learned to love, as I am able to promote the amazing opportunities Engineering can give you. I have given a talk at the Manufacturing Directors’ Conference about education and how to inspire students, which was really nerve wracking as there were over 500 Engineering executives there. I was then asked to give some statements for a debate in Parliament about Engineering skills and how to encourage the British work force to become more involved in industry. That was really interesting because they took quotes from me and I had the opportunity to voice my opinion and discuss my views. Also, I have given a talk in London about the development of the UK work force and the political differences between Germany and Britain and essentially why they are better than us at Engineering! I was speaking to some PR people from London a few days ago, who are looking to run another marketing campaign; I gave them a few hours of my time to try and give them as realistic

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an insight as possible into education specifically for Engineering. What are your plans for your Gap Year? Well after my talks I have had a few job offers, which I plan to take up during my gap year. BAE Systems have offered me a job working on British defence equipment which I am going to do as a part of my gap year. I have also got a job at COTY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where I worked over the summer. What did you do at COTY?

are looking for. I find human psychology fascinating and the way that different people learn is radically different, so creating a programme which allows for that is often stimulating, especially with something like coding. So I ended up programming the robot to pick up a pen and write my name, and this is how I taught the factory workers to understand robotic programs. It was important to force the need for precise geometric movement, as this is the underlying architecture upon which all robots are designed and utilised. I believe that Engineering is massively underappreciated, resulting in many overlooked opportunities, and many people could succeed if they shed their often ill-conceived preconceptions and looked into it further.

Well COTY is a company that deals with some of the biggest cosmetic companies in the world, including Rimmel; Calvin Klein; Sally Hansen and OPI who mainly specialise in the manufacture of perfume. They asked me to do work on their factoriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; automation, as part of a strategic move to respond to the pressure from China, as it is so cheap to manufacture products out there. They want to make their line more efficient. I did some work building a teaching cell for their Engineers, to allow them to better utilise their robots. I then ended up working with my friend Nick Charlton, to complete a joint project building a machine for COTY. Hopefully this machine will increase their line efficiency.

What are your plans for the future?

Why did you like teaching so much?

Badly! This is my primary challenge; it is all very well doing this and much more exciting than Further Maths prep (sorry, Sir) much to the annoyance of Mr Cox, my tutor. I split up my time to do school work and then have

(he laughs) Not many Engineers are good at communicating! So I really like to help others achieve the results they

Autumn 2013

I want to be in the position where I am selling my own products, something like James Dyson. I know that being an inventor is somewhat cinematic, but I want to make anything anyone wants, so I hope to be practical and bring my ideas to life. It really is fascinating having ideas and then seeing them come to life, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really like the fine detail, I can get someone competent to do that! How do you balance school life with all of this extracurricular activity?

fun. Rowing has definitely helped me with my mental discipline and it is so good to get away from school when I am stuck with an idea or product. Also, the amount of public speaking I do helps me with my roles and responsibilities at school. How does the DT department help you? They help me massively and they are a huge support for me. I am very difficult to work with, as I don’t meet deadlines so I end up doing 90% of the work the week before. For example, at the Excel Centre Competition the exhibition was on Thursday and on Monday it was nowhere near finished, so from 8am to 10pm Monday to Wednesday Matt Lee and I worked solidly and we ended up ordering a lot of pizza. I admit that I am very difficult to work around and very sporadic; fortunately they are hugely tolerant. We also have phenomenal facilities at King’s and I am taken aback at what we actually have, as you can make a real world product in school, it’s impressive. After the interview, George and I then carried on chatting about the effects of inventions on our society today, and how they have improved and helped our society to develop both mechanically and hygienically. He used the example of Marc Koska the inventor of the one-use syringe. Koska went on his gap year to India and saw that young children were going through wastelands and dumps and were picking up syringes. The children then went to their local hospital and sold these syringes onto the hospital and as a consequence, thousands of people were dying of AIDS . Thus Koska invented a single use syringe so one couldn’t sell and reuse the syringes and saved millions of lives. George admired how Koska pragmatically used an idea to solve huge problems, which he then contrasted with James Dyson. George said that Dyson is an extremely famous inventor, but for a completely different reason to Koska. He emphasised that it almost doesn’t matter how inventions change lives, from cleaning a carpet to saving millions of lives, but as long as they make a difference, they are both academically and socially valid. George said that ‘having a large effect on a small amount of people is the same as having a small effect on a large number of people’ and the beneficial effect is all that matters. Also George emphasised the fact that there is no reason people our age do not have as good ideas as our previous generations. George spoke about Nick D’Aloisio and how he created an app and then sold it for

$30million at the age of 17. He argued that young people often have better ideas than educated and experienced people as they are not clouded by previous experience or tainted by creatively limiting education. I then spoke to Matt Lee, a retired Electronic Engineer who volunteers at the department and helps George with his work. Matt commented that George good-humouredly ‘showed me some Maths he wants a circuit board to do, and I have no clue what he’s on about. Clearly I have some homework to do myself…’ Matt also hopes that ‘students who see his project successes will see that they could be successful too, and I hope they are encouraged to succeed with their own favorite projects and to promote their successes.’ Therefore we can see that George is a hugely influential person in the school who displays perfectly the Headmaster’s ‘Pillars of Excellence’. I then asked Matt about his hopes for George for the future, and he emphasized that he doesn’t need any, ‘He is going to be a very successful young businessman. No doubt in my mind at all.’ Mr Swindley (Head of DT) commented ‘George loves designing and making things which work. He also is a great communicator. The two talents are rarely found together and this, combined with developing a product which meets a fairly major real need has led to his national success. As I write, George is in Northern Ireland negotiating the future production of his product. Although George does have to balance his schoolwork with his growing talent for Engineering, he still manages to capture the lives of the people around him, by always surprising them with the new ideas he has stored in his fruitful brain. George’s selfless attitude when approaching his ideas has helped him to encourage others and he has created products which help him to not only win countless prizes and attain a great mark in exams, but also inspire the people around him. Along with being a nice guy, George has his heart set on his future and what he can do for both himself and others, and he is definitely one to watch.’

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Above: George at the Young Engineer for Britain Championships Below: George pictured with Dinesh Dhamija (OKS) founder of Ebookers

Autumn 2013

FOCUS: KING’SFEST KING’SFEST DAR

Two years ago King’s Support Staff decided to nominate and support a Charity of the Year, by not only fundraising but also offering practical support if required. Staff were encouraged to nominate a charity, particularly one in which they may already be involved; all support staff were then notified of the nominated charities and asked to vote. The charity with the most votes was chosen. The charity supported in 2012/13 was Great Ormond Street Hospital. This charity is very close to the hearts of many staff in the school after Craig Newlyn’s (IT) son, Barnabus, who was cared for by this amazing charity, sadly passed away during Easter 2013.Once the charity was decided upon so the fundraising began in earnest. Over the year numerous events and activities were organised to raise funds, from Christmas raffles, to sponsored runs and finally King’s Fest 2013 which was introduced for the first time last year, with smaller initiatives in between. For the Christmas raffle the School’s suppliers were approached, and thanks to the generosity of a few, we received some great raffle prizes for the Support Staff Christmas lunch, including two iPads, Twickenham tickets and a variety of gift vouchers. Not surprisingly a huge number of tickets were purchased by staff through the School, including the Common Room, and also on the day, which was a great start and raised over £1,500. In June, Cathy Hills (IT) and Suzanne Jenkins (Catering) took part in Race for Life, running 5k through Battersea Park. It was the perfect weather for running and, impressively, they both managed to complete the course in less than 27 minutes – a time that Race for Life supporter, Denise Lewis, would have been proud of! Between

them they raised a magnificent £2,000 in sponsorship including some very generous donations from a number of Houses in the school. Both Cathy and Suzanne were overwhelmed by the support that they received from everyone. The finale of the fundraising year was King’sFest. This was the brainchild of Robin Falcon (IT), Dan Rogers (Finance) who, with a large number of volunteers and some sponsorship, arranged an excellent day of live music and children’s activities. Unfortunately, they could not organise the weather so well and Saturday 24th August was the only day in August that rained – and boy did it rain! Luckily the weather did not deter the 400 revellers who turned up and enjoyed themselves, despite the downpour. There was a fantastic line up of music for the day. Headlining the event was local super group Coco and the Butterfields, who played a fantastic set which left everyone with something to talk about. They were followed by Ben Mills, runner up of X Factor 2006 and his band. The stars of the day though in many minds were the staff bands – Robin Falcon’s The Crossfire, Dan Rogers’ Those Distant Voices and Sarah Thornby’s Dune.All were brilliant, lifting the mood and making the most of a very wet day! It is always interesting seeing a member of staff outside of the work environment, particularly with such (normally hidden!) talent. Activities were held all day for the children, including a treasure hunt, bouncy castles and face painting. The catering department prepared an excellent hog roast; it was amazing how quickly it disappeared, and drinks were provided by the Recreation centre. It was a day that would not have been successful without the involvement of all those that gave willingly of their time and helped in preparation and on the day. In financial terms King’sFest raised just over £1,600. In terms of bringing many staff from different areas of work

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within the School under the one volunteering umbrella, it was a fantastic success. All the hard work and efforts over the year, of which the Support Staff should be very proud, meant that a cheque was passed to Great Ormond Street for just over £5,500, which was donated to the wing in which Barnabus spent his time whilst under the care of this hospital. The Support Staff charity of the year for 2013-14 is the Millie Moo Foundation, a charity raising money to provide a holiday home for children suffering from Leukaemia. This is close to the heart of Angela Worrow, of Junior King’s, who lost her niece, Amelia Reeve, to Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, in 2010.

Above left: Daniel Rogers. Above right: Final, conclusive proof to King’s pupils that Robin Falcon truly exists...

If you see an event is being held in support of this charity please do come and support it – we have a great deal to raise this year to match our previous year’s achievements!

Autumn 2013

Vale: James Soderholm CEP

James Soderholm joined the English Department at the King’s School in the Autumn of 2005. A quiet, discreet, dark-suited figure, who walked with focused intent round the streets of St Radigund’s, clutching an attaché case, he presented something of an enigma to Common Room and pupils alike. James appeared to have organised some sort of faintly demonic pact with Keith Wilkinson, then Headmaster of King’s, which meant that he did not enter into certain activities engaged in by us lesser academic mortals. He had about him a certain patrician air which was reflected in a life-long love-affair with literature and the intelligent criticism of it. A long-standing atemporal relationship with both Hamlet and Byron had resulted in some very impressive papers, texts and exceptional teaching, in both the United States and England. Hamlet, most of us could relate to. I caused him some indignation by suggesting that he had pinned his literary colours to Byron’s mast because as an American he was too easily impressed and awed by Byron’s brand of English aristocratic attention-seeking: Sebastian Flyte’s teddy was Byron’s pet bear on a chain. James never spoke of my heresy; he was invariably a gentleman, even in the brazen face of Philistinism. One thing was absolutely sure, James Soderholm was a much loved and respected teacher. The pupils were enchanted by his dry, satirical wit, his East-coast Chutzpah, and the extraordinary breadth and depth of his intellect. He never courted pupils, so they flocked to him as fervent disciples, especially the very able ones, who recognised instinctively in him both an immediate opportunity to flex their intellectual muscles in his presence, and a sign of what was to come if they attained a place at a top-class university. One or two claimed bewilderment and a need for surer ground, but that was only because he had paid them the ironic compliment of assuming they had read the text, the editorial notes and the relevant critics. The nuts and bolts of textual knowledge he expected them to acquire without chivvying. James was not a spoon-feeder; rather he expected a dialectical relationship with his pupils in the true Leavisite tradition. One pupil once came to me for succour in an uncertain world. ‘We don’t read the play in class; Dr S discusses theories. Dr S says The Tempest is all about wood, just wood!’ Pupils strained to

distinguish the fervently sincere from the tongue-in-cheek, and indeed, perhaps that estimable gentleman couldn’t always distinguish that difference within himself. Colleagues remember James with great affection. His capacity for cross-cultural curiosity meant that he could strike up meaningful conversations with scientists and humanities academics alike. He was also valued and loved as a tutor in Carlyon from 2006. He recognised in school ‘characters’ an individuality, a will to experiment, even to push the boundaries to breaking-point, and he did not sneer, or put down, or belittle, or employ empty authority for its own sake. As a person of conspicuous individuality, he respected those qualities in pupils with whom he came into contact, even encouraged them, while never forgetting the responsibilities inherent in his role as schoolmaster. James never tired of his pupils but he was perhaps oppressed by what he saw as three regrettable elements creeping into school life. He deplored functionality in education, which seemed to him increasingly to undermine the ideal of culture for its own sake, such that pupils would ask from time to time, ‘But do I need this for the exam?’. Secondly, there was what James called ‘The relentless march of Kitsch’ which he saw as having seeped into music, film and literature and sometimes into the curriculum or into co-curricular events. Finally, he regretted what he saw as the pressures on teachers and their pupils to ‘produce the goods’ at almost any price. James understood the need for schools to keep abreast with current trends, to be financially as well as educationally, viable; he chose not to be part of the necessary forward movement. Perhaps that was his loss; it is most certainly ours. James will be sorely missed but we rejoice in the possibility that his newfound freedom will result in the publication of some of his poetry and prose, which a number of us have been privileged to hear or read in various contexts. Hopefully, one day, he will return to teaching in some capacity or other. Teachers can be trained, but some are born with the qualities which Dr James Soderholm possessed in spadeloads. Meanwhile, may his writing flourish, his wit gambol free, and his company be not entirely lost to us. Ed note: James’ leaving speech can be found on the Cantuarian website

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Autumn 2013

TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS 18

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India Rostenburg

Autumn 2013

L-R: Sabrina Rogers; Ben Hamlyn, James Read

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The Fifth Form Geography Trip to Morocco Cecily Guild (Fifth HH)

Setting off on Friday lunchtime from Union Street, a group of 42 students and five teachers had no idea what was in store for us on our Moroccan adventure; we were in for a treat! From hamams to harem pants, headscarves to honey, Mr Sanderson had organised a week to remember. Our first morning in Morocco was bright and sunny and we headed down for our first local breakfast on the terrace. After a meeting with Mr Sanderson in a beautiful Moroccan tent in the hotel grounds we got our special ‘water bracelets’- designed specially by Mr Sanderson to go round the many water bottles we would go through during the trip! We enjoyed an incredible (some may say rather uncomfortable) ride into the Sahara as the sun set on our first unbelievable day in the Arab “Western Kingdom”. As darkness fell we arrived at a decorated camp with our very own members of a Bedouin tribe to look after us. The next morning we were all woken by Mr Turner at 5 o’clock and, after pulling on jumpers, we began the hike up the dune to watch the sunrise. Exhausted, we collapsed on the sand and watched in awe as the sun rose from the peaceful horizon. We set off to start the next section of our trip: mountains. This involved a whole day of driving as we went across Morocco towards the Atlas. The views were incredible and Mr Sanderson’s commentary made it extra special. Gorgeous gorges, graveyards facing Mecca and desert varnish had to be his favourites! When we finally arrived at the village of Imlil in the High Atlas, we gave all our bags to mules and headed up the main road (if you can really call it that!), to our hotel, Dar Imlil - a lovely family run inn, with really friendly staff. The next journey seemed very long. People seemed to end up passing the time singing (the Harvey House song seemed a favourite) and playing the alphabet game. It was almost dark by the time we reached the remote village but when we did arrive everyone was happily surprised at the lovely hotel. After settling into our rooms, we had dinner,

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followed by music and dancing on the terrace- Joab our guide did us proud dancing with the muleteers, and even Mr Turner got up for a quick go! It was then time for bed, and as we were so tired after hours of hiking, everyone slept soundly until the very loud call to prayer at five am woke everyone up. One evening, Mr Sanderson organised a ‘Morocco’s got Talent’ extravaganza - complete with judges Cheryl Cole (Miss Park) Simon Cowell (Mr Tyndall) Julia Roberts (Miss Heurteau) and Craig Revel-Horwood (Mr Turner), and Sir Bruce Forsyth himself (Mr Sanderson). After many very entertaining acts, Leo and Alex James won and India took second. Next morning we had a relaxed time looking around the lovely village of Imlil before setting off for the final chapter of our adventure: Marrakech. Immediately after we arrived we were all whisked off in kaleches (horse drawn carts) for a tour of the Medina. When we arrived at the city’s tannery, no one was prepared for what was in store. That evening, we were taken out into Marrakech’s main square to experience some of the night life. The square was buzzing; snake charmers, monkeys and drummers to name just a few! We couldn’t believe it had only been one week, one amazing week full of unforgettable adventures. From the Sahara desert, to the High Atlas mountain, to the incredible city of Marrakech. On behalf of everyone on the trip I’d like to thank the teachers that came on the trip: Mr Tyndall, Miss Park, Mr Turner and Céline, for making it such fun and keeping us safe. And of course, Mr Sanderson, without whom none of it would have been possible. I know that everyone is so grateful as it was truly a trip of a life time and we will all remember it forever – even if we never want to eat any bread again!

The Rugby South Africa Tour George Maughan (6a CY)

On the 1st August the King’s School 1stXV pre-season squad took to Heathrow airport where we embarked on our overnight flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. When we arrived in Johannesburg we were taken aback by the

culture on display; the tribal dances and scenery suggested we had come to a truly amazing country. We travelled to Pretoria and stayed in the HPC (High Performance Centre) where the South Africa cricket ‘A’ team were also in residence. The aim over our stay there was to blow away the cobwebs and nerves that had accumulated over the 8 months out of the Rugby term. Fitness was brutal for many of the players as we were immediately thrown into Mr Roberts’ ‘personal favourite’ – the England 7’s fitness test. As the days went by the cohesion between the team came together, training became less frustrating as exercises were being completed at 1st team standard. The squad then flew to East London where we were to meet our hosts for the night, also our opposition the following day. The match against Cambridge High School was by no means a bad defeat; it was our first game together as a team and there were glimpses of what could be done when we played with precision. However their speed and aggression meant they were the stronger opponents. The atmosphere created by the spectators was sensational, about 200 school kids came out to watch and the songs that were sung have left us with amazing memories. It was then on to play against Victoria Park High School. Rain had fallen heavily that night and the pitch was soaking, however that did not prevent play. It was a slow

start with the South Africans’ speed proving to be their advantage and into the half they had a 14-0 lead. The second half came and with it strong build up play by the whole team that led to a 17-14 lead with Patrick MacLachlan’s boot putting us ahead. However in the last play of the game a penalty was given away and they secured the draw. Next was a long drive to the beautiful east coast of South Africa. We stayed in the Knysna Hollow Estate and took trips to the picturesque beaches surrounded by vast mountain ranges. Our next game was against Wittedrift High School and the game could not have been tighter. They played the game with intensity and passion, something that I admired about their style of play. However we showed our dominance to win 19-17. It was a welldeserved win that the boys had worked hard for during their time in South Africa. We had a reprieve from the Rugby and it was a much welcome trip to a Safari Park. The boys thoroughly enjoyed it with repeated questions to the game keepers of ‘who would win in a fight between Mr Watson or a giraffe?’ Seeing the animals and what South Africa had to offer us was an amazing experience. A highlight of the country for us was going to see Robben Island where Nelson Mandela had been held captive as a political prisoner. We were given a first person insight into the

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TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS history of a country that has faced many dark days and this being the major light to the whole country. Our next match was against Fairmont High School, and the English weather had followed us. Wet and muddy conditions did not stop either team from putting in a sensational performance. The forwards were working themselves around the park with the backs on top defensive form. However it was not to be and the end result was 7-3. The boys will feel disheartened but the friendships made at Fairmont were ones to take away from the tour and keep afterwards. I was repeatedly impressed by the hospitality of the South Africans from each part of the country. There was not one point on tour where a bad word was said about the hospitality, which made the tour that bit more special. Our last game against Paarl boys, a school that has an annual televised derby match against Paarl Gymnasium where 20,000 spectators come to watch, was sadly cancelled due to waterlogged pitches.

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The tour to South Africa was a great success. The results were a positive platform on which to build. The two matches against Fairmont and Victoria showed real strength of character from across the squad where the result could have gone either way. The boys have learned positive lessons from the tour along with some great memories.

The Remove Spanish Trip to Seville Tillie Kolade (Rem LX) and Camilla Roberts (Rem LX)

In October, a group of Removes embarked on a trip to the beautiful city that is Seville. We arrived on Sunday evening to be met by our families, with whom we would stay for the week. To encourage us to speak Spanish, the

TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS families spoke little English to us, this proved to be very helpful with building up our Spanish vocabulary. Every morning, after being well fed by our families with a delicious breakfast, we made our way across the picturesque bridge to the language school, called Clic. Clic enabled us to advance in our Spanish skills, in a fun and enjoyable way. Although the classes were three hours long, we were kept well entertain by our enthusiastic teachers. After our delightful lunch, prepared by our families, we had an hour spare to explore the town, which involved ice-cream or souvenir shopping. After this we enjoyed activities that had been arranged for us. These ranged from touring the city historical venues, learning flamenco dance, at which some were better than others, visiting the Plaza de Toros or going on the little boats in Plaza de EspaĂąa. As well as being informative, they were also all very enjoyable and allowed us to really discover Seville. We also did more extravagant trips such as visiting the safari park and the theme park on the last day. For us, the

safari park was our favourite trip because we were able to get up close and personal with the animals, such as wrapping a snake around our necks or being kissed by a sea lion. Having said that, all the activities were great fun and very amusing. The biggest highlight of the trip, though, was the theme park on our last day. It was one of the two days when it was sunny and hot, which was a nice way to end the trip. We had fun going on the rides and getting drenched by some of the water ones. The trip, once again, was a great success and we would recommend it to anybody who wants to experience the Spanish culture and develop their Spanish skills, in a fun, exciting manner.

The 6bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on their trip to Dungeness

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Dungeness

The 6b Physics Trip to Dungeness Milo Holland (6b MR)

December 3rd was a chilly overcast Monday. But it was not any ordinary Monday; today was the day that half the 6b physicists were visiting Dungeness B Nuclear power station as part of their AS coursework. For some of us it was a trip we had waited for since Shell, others a trip of scepticism regarding nuclear safety! We arrived at the visitors’ centre of the plant after passing through heavy security, and a mile or two of wasteland, to receive a safety briefing. After some confusion regarding the pronunciation of our teacher’s name, we put on our safety vests, helmets, gloves and spectacles and delved into the heart of the nuclear plant.

proceeded to a viewing station above both reactors 21 and 22, in addition to the fuelling tower. From here we got to see how large the reactors were. Subsequently the tour moved on to some of the more intricate parts of the power plant, and we finished the tour with a visit to the training control room, where staff members are trained for many years before being allowed to control the real thing. We then returned to the visitors’ centre where we were given a safety talk about the plant by Malcolm Cheese and another physics talk by David Donaghy. This was great way to round off a fabulous trip to Dungeness B power station, from which we returned to school, profoundly reassured by Mr Cheese that nuclear power is a safe and efficient method of producing electricity.

We first saw the turbines which are powered by superheated steam taking heat away from the reactor. We then

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TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS CCF: Coast to Coast Harry Churchill (6b LN)

The first day brought a long minibus journey up North as we departed The King’s School for another early start. The expedition was led by Dr S.T. Hayes who would be cycling with us all the time and enthusiastically navigating us through the route and keep us together. Furthermore Mr Gavin Merryweather and Mr M.J. Franks, the other teachers on the trip, would be joining us but would be much like rolling subs, only cycling some parts and driving the minibus for the rest; this was not a bad option given the British weather that we started to come up against. On arrival at Workington the plan was to cycle inland to Keswick, a mere 25km that day before settling down for the night. But first we went to the edge of the West coast of England at Workington to collect a stone which we would carry coast-to-coast successfully, providing we made it. The rest of the squad included Will Heywood, Tom Hunt (the veteran of this trip), Milo Reddaway (in preparation for his ‘Tough Guy Challenge’) and me. As we first set off it didn’t look too bad at all. The first stretch went well with everyone fresh off the bus, excepting Mr Merryweather, keen to eat into the route in the remaining time on this first day. The hills were still far off and the gentle gradients and tracks passed by until we lost site of the Irish Sea. No punctures as yet had hindered our progress and morale was high, but soon we began to encounter the first hills. The veterans had been expecting this and had paced themselves well, but we were all rewarded eventually as whatever we climbed, we would get to ride down whilst getting closer to the finish for the day. A memorable downhill stretch led us past a quarry and a high speed decent through woods, but these were false senses of triumph as we still had a lot to complete. Of course it didn’t take long until the weather, that had teased us on our bus journey up, eventually caught up with us. The rain gave us an incentive to execute the stage quickly,

and we finally pulled into a hostel in Keswick for our first night. We were rewarded with a drying room, pub dinner and a quick recce of the local facilities before ending this long first day. It became apparent that the hardest part of the trip would be trading a dry and warm bed every morning for a pair of moist socks and a saddle. Especially as on the Sunday we were to tackle Hartside, a name that brought fear to the veterans, but the rookies of this trip were happy to challenge in their ignorance. Hartside was the infamous hill that had a reputation of breaking even the finest of athletes and so our second day was not only a test of endurance and team work, but would test us as individuals. The gradient of our climbs dramatically increased and the weather further hindered our swift progress. We faced a ride through some great scenery and country tracks, and were inevitably greeted by our first puncture. It was clear in these sorts of conditions that the novelty of a tire repair was a one off thing and the first victim (Tom Hunt) had it lucky. The morning’s ride took us deep into the hills and well out of range from the coast, and we eventually stopped for a KFC in the back of a windowless van in a graveyard, this was greatly welcomed. After lunch we proceeded and the wet weather made the route more difficult as we began to take more off-road paths and cycle against an incline. This was followed by the Hartside hill which combined some drenched rocky paths and a final road ascent. But from the top of the hill we were not only rewarded by great views, but also a smooth descent along the road straight to our next hostel. Monday was greatly anticipated as it meant we would have done the main bulk of the mileage, and also where going to receive a welcome break in our first hotel at the end of the day in place of a youth hostel. The weather again wasn’t favourable, but the ride was far gentler than the previous day and took us past some great scenery and features. Tormented by drizzling rain, we cycled up out of our hostel into a gently rolling landscape combining sharp inclines and downhill stretches over short distances. As the day progressed we could cycle at a good pace thanks to the smooth roads meandering through the moors which remained relatively empty of traffic throughout the day; this gave way to various sprints,

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Pictures by Harry Churchill

Autumn 2013

TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS fiercely battled out by the two veterans of this stage. As we approached lunch we began to travel off road along waterlogged tracks high up in the heart of the moors. The visibility became very limited and the wet and cold increased but we were in some amazing landscapes and, as far as you can be in England, were quite remote. It happened to be within a mile of our lunch stop that Tom Hunt finally got a puncture, which he was left outside to fight alone. After lunch we joined a disused railway, which had long since seen its prime, but it provided us with a straight path and gentle gradients, enabling us to wrap up this third day smoothly and finish up in Consett. The hotel was a good rest but it made getting on a saddle the next day even harder, but this was our final day and with the end waiting ahead we pushed on. The weather cleared up and, since we were returning to sea level, the paths became gentler and we lost altitude that day. Due to our fast rate of cycling we formed a peloton for maximum efficiency, recycling the leading cyclist and working together, but this ended up in a wipe out and so we had to sacrifice looking professional. Mr Franks had joined us for the last day in the place of Mr Merryweather, and the decision had been made that we would finish up in Sunderland as opposed to cycling through Newcastle. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see the coast until very close to the end, but the lingering smell of coal and terraced houses gave us an indicator that we were closing in. After departing from the railway path, we branched off onto a series of smaller paths taking us into the heart of the city and along a river path, which would lead us to the end. A couple of landmarks such as the Stadium of Light passed by us; finally we saw a sea wall leading out to the North Sea. The weather had been good to us on this last day and everyone was surprisingly happy to be in Sunderland, but that was the end of it and we had all made it from the West coast to the East coast successfully.

The Sixth Form Philosophy Trip to Rome When in Rome… Jacob Furedi (6a MR)

No sooner had the first half-term of the school year evaporated into nothingness, than the intellectual aristocracy of the King’s School Canterbury were bound for Roma. This was no ordinary school tour. Our luggage comprised of only three things: a toothbrush, a spare pair of underwear and a copy of Plato’s The Republic. These items, accompanied by an immense sense of satisfaction at the thought of representing the school, were all we needed to ensure that this expedition would be eternally memorable, and hygienic. We were to be housed in La Villa Palazzola – a 13th century Cistercian monastery with breathtaking views of Rome and a stunning garden terrace. The candle-lit library and heated terrace became our designated hang-outs. It was clear that this was the perfect place for parish groups, nomadic pilgrims and pretentious philosophers. Throughout the trip, I seized the opportunity to interview my fellow travellers. When asked about La Palazzola, everyone was keen to express their enthusiasm for our foreign abode: ‘The scenery is really nice!’ ‘The beds are super comfy!’ ‘It’s so much nicer that Butlin’s!’ However, the purpose of this trip wasn’t just to lounge around like superficial ‘lovers of sight’ (Plato’s The Republic 471E), but to engage our minds in the pursuit of philosophical knowledge. We spent two mornings engaged with specialists in Aristotelian Ethics and the Science of Philosophy at the Pontifical University located in the heart of the capital. (Shout out to Rev Prof Joseph d’ Amcourt and Lecturer Prof Isabel Camp) During these sessions, we were exposed to new philosophical concepts and forced to revaluate ideas that we had previously

taken for granted. While we may not have been able to solve every philosophical conundrum raised by mankind, we certainly emerged from our seminars with a clearer idea of the issues themselves. We were also treated to two short lectures by the KSC’s very own Miss Fraser. A personal highlight was her account of Sartre’s existentialism – something that I hadn’t chosen (wahey!) to study before.

descended from our ivory towers to once again participate in a world plagued by apathy. Despite this, we were not discouraged. For if we ever feel the need to once more become a group of ‘very odd birds’ (Plato’s The Republic 487C), all we have to do is spread our wings and fly East.

By morning we were philosophical hyenas, but by afternoon we were culture vultures. With a pizza in his gullet, Father Martin transformed into the well-researched (and well-dressed) Italian tourist guide that we needed. Like Hannibal leading his betusked friends over the Alps, Padre guided us from destination to destination. He was a fountain of knowledge at La Fontana de Trevi, a merchant of facts at the Roman Forum and our very own strapping bodyguard at the Colosseum. After an evening spent soaking in la dolce vita in the Camp De Fiori, England beckoned us home. We

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DRAMA

CYRANO DE BERGERAC Madale Jooste (6a LX)

Cyrano de Bergerac tells of an eloquent young man who possesses poetical brilliance and razor sharp wit, yet due to his overly large nose he is hindered in the one area where he most craves attention: love. The play tells of his desperate chase to win the love of a fickle young woman called Roxane, played by Jemima Chesterfield (MT). Unfortunately, Roxanne is already in love with another young cadet named Christain played by Romilly Carboni (SH). Edmond Rostand’s Romantic classic translated by Anthony Burgess was portrayed wonderfully by the entire cast. Elliot Evans (GL) depicted the challenging role of the protagonist, Cyrano, with remarkable persistence; he simultaneously made the audience laugh and cry with his emotional performance. The play, directed by Mrs Cornell, struck a perfect balance between tragedy and comedy. Cyrano De Bergerac was performed in the newly purchased building The Malt House. The audience was ushered up several flights of stairs and onto the top floor, to be met by a melee of

17th century Parisians picking pockets and terrorising the guests. The large creaking wooden floors and a dusty old roof created a wonderfully evocative atmosphere for the play. Despite the fact that the heating had not yet kicked in, The Malt House provided a perfect setting and heightened the sense of authenticity. The enormous stage and metal pillars that decorated it made way for an original set, the likes of which King’s had never seen before. The Malt House with its trap doors and creaking stair cases was perfect for a play such as Cyrano. Having the space for a small bar made for a formal occasion at a high-end theatre, not just a school play. Having such a large space for Cyrano not only gave the actors more space and freedom but also made way for opportunity to have more elaborate staging and set design. Moreover, with such a large stage, sword fights took place freely; Cyrano put snooty, arrogant musketeers to shame, with sparks flying as swords collided with one other. The audience were seated right next to the action on the very edge of the stage, and props were placed under some of the audience member’s chairs, leading to direct audience involvement with some of the more humorous moments, especially the wonderfully funny scenes with Thomas Glynn-Jones (GL) as pastry chef and poetic patron Ragueneau.

Helen Woodward and Katherine Gardiner

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Above: ‘The enormous stage and metal pillars that decorated it made way for an original set, the likes of which King’s had never seen before’. Below left: Sam Statman, below right: Jemima Chesterfield. Opposite page: Max Luoma and Phoebe Hanson-Lowe

Elliot Evans as Cyrano de Bergerac

Above: Ready for a fight. Below:Jemima Chesterfield as Roxanne

Emily Lloyd Hughes and Lily Begg

MISCELLANY

MISCELLANY The Sixth Form Charity Ball Sophie Lark (6a WL)

fire dancer! The whole night was thoroughly enjoyed by all sixth formers and there were some amazing costumes some of which are pictured here. All the pictures can be seen on the online Cantuarian and purchased from Mr McArdle, details of which can also be found on the website.

The sixth form ball this year, held on the 1st December, was a massive success, and a huge amount of money was raised for the Teenage Cancer Trust through selling Sixth Form Ball jumpers and tickets. Teenage Cancer Trust was the chosen charity as it directly affects thousands of teenagers.The theme was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Around the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and this year it was decided to make a change and each House was asked to dress up as a different continent which was assigned to them. On the night we had three different DJ sets from Louis Ewart, Sasha Ignatiev, and Charlie Barrois; life size cardboard cut outs of famous global landmarks, and a

Theo Jessel, William Parker, Robert Ellison, Sam Buchanan

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L-R: Nikol Kaplan, Idris Kaplan, Annabel Pattinson, Scarlet Pughe Bea Lee, Amelia Baker, Sophie Lark, Ilona Bushell

THE PROUST INTERVIEW Questions

6b Girl

Remove Boy

Favourite virtue?

Honesty

Favourite qualities in a man?

The 2 F’s: Funny and fit!

Kind and courteous

Favourite qualities in a woman?

Kind, strong and independent

Both Outer and Inner Beauty

Your chief characteristic

My hair: it’s full of secrets

Everything!

What do you appreciate most in your friends?

They are always there for me

Making me feel good

Your main fault?

I’m very unforgiving

Being able to create an argument out of anything and everything

Favourite occupation?

Twerking

Watching a good film with some sweet popcorn.

Your idea of misery?

School all the time

My usual boring family holiday in Northern England

If not you, who would you be?

Natalie Portman as she is smart, funny and beautiful

Rowan Atkinson – he’s a genius

Where would you like to live?

New York or Paris

Spain

Favourite colour and flower?

Blue. Flowers die too quickly

Turquoise. I get hayfever!

Favourite prose authors?

Zadie Smith

Ulrich Haarburste

Favourite poets?

Wordsworth

Seamus Heaney

Favourite heroes in fiction?

Mr Rochester

Harry Potter

Favourite heroines in fiction?

Katniss Everdeen

Hermione Granger

Favourite painters and composers?

Salvador Dalí, Bob Dylan and Rihanna

Monet, Greig and Prokofiev

Heroes in real life?

My mum

My grandma

Most disliked historical figure?

Pol Pot

Hitler

Your hero of world history?

Malala Yousafzai

Churchill

Favourite food and drink?

Nutella, chips, pizza and fizzy elderflower

Pizza, pears and chocolate sauce and mango juice (but not all together)

Favourite names?

Noah and Summer

Claire and Fiona

What do you hate the most?

Liars

Excessively hot or cold weather

Most admired military event?

Battle of Trafalgar

Norman Conquest

The reform you admire the most?

Anti-Slavery bill

Swapping periods 4 and 5 every half-term

What natural talent do you wish you were gifted with?

Arty and capable of concentrating for more than a few minutes

The ability to answer the Proust interview amusingly

How do you wish to die?

I don’t want to die

In my leather arm-chair by the fire, sipping my gin and tonic

What is your present state of mind?

Confused

Really worried!

Your favourite motto?

Dare to be different

If at first you don’t succeed; stop, and take up knitting.

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MUSIC

MUSIC Damnatio Memoriae: The Crypt Choir Concert DJF

After evensong on the Ides of September, nineteen cantors and half-a-dozen readers assembled in the crypt to perform Sebastian Barker’s Damnatio Memoriae, a sexpartite sequence of sixty sonnets, to a hushed audience, all ears. Within this numinous space, punctured by votive lights and offering vistas of infinity not unlike the Great Mosque of Córdoba, the clear cadences of the Kyrie swelled and faded, prefacing the choreographed recitation. Damnatio Memoriae deals in absolutes – rarely is the indefinite article employed – frames dualities in language which embraces many registers, prefers the laconic to the lyrical, the lapidary to the rhapsodic. The poet’s soulsearching is unconstrained, an embarrassment to the cynical or world-weary – until one realises that his aloofness and sense of dereliction are offered, brother to brother, for our better understanding of a shared existential dilemma.

Between interludes of plainsong and polyphony, the long poem, ‘scored for many voices’, was parcelled up and shared out, delivered feelingly, with wonder and emotion, care and clarity, its disembodied words having a physical impact and assuming an almost material substance. Tim Armstrong and Matthew Gardner orchestrated the sonic scenography with sensitivity and artistry. Pace was injected at key moments of effusive drama, there was coolness and control in the oracular litanies, and the demotic and conversational came over naturally. The readers were alive to nuance and impetus, interlinked sensitively, grasped the crux and gist which they imparted lucidly. Nicholas Todd’s choir illuminated the transcendent aspiration of Barker’s epic vision with sounds of pure beauty.

Below: The Crypt Choir, following their successful concert, prepare for their tour of China

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The Chamber Orchestra Concert: Bach Tony Bushell

groups of strings (violins, violas and cellos – done here with three players each), plus double bass and harpsichord. It made for a superb sound – delicate and exciting, the themes dancing from one group to the next with a lightness and brilliance that was breath taking.

On a gorgeous November afternoon one might have been reluctant to enter the portals of the Shirley Hall rather than be outside enjoying the golden hues of autumn. However, the concert, performed by the King’s School Chamber Orchestra (leader Maxim Del Mar) and conducted by Andrew Pollock, was well worth it. The beautiful music, marvellously performed by all and at times with stunning virtuosity by soloists and players, meant that the time slipped by very quickly.

Numbers 4 and 5 are true concerti grossi, with prominence given to particular instruments supported by strings. In No.4 it was flutes Lottie Johnson and Siegfried Aylward and violin Jemima Chesterfield. They only played the andante which flowed so calmly and beautifully that it left us all wanting them to carry on. No. 5 had Lewis Cullen on flute, Maxim Del Mar on violin and Natalie Yip at the harpsichord. Again one movement (the allegro) but played with such sensitivity and pace that it seemed much more.

It was an all J.S. Bach programme (a “Bach Fest” as Mr Pollock introduced it) featuring orchestral works largely composed when he was kapelmeister at Kothen. The orchestra therefore had to tackle some of the composer’s most exacting writing, which they did with great skill. They began with two movements from the Overture (more properly described as a Suite) in D Major BWV 1068. The sound was grand and sweeping, filling the hall, and the ensemble playing was very impressive. Next was the ‘allegro’ from the Violin Concerto in E Major with Jemima Chesterfield as soloist. She mastered the difficult runs and fast pace of this movement wonderfully well. Another Suite followed, this time in B Minor, with the flute played by Michaela Higham. She dealt with the contrasting nature and moods of the movements beautifully and with great fluency. The ‘vivace’ from the Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor came next. Cecily Guild and Rachel Barry were lively indeed, whizzing through with a dexterity and togetherness which was a real treat. There then followed movements from three of the Brandenburg Concertos – No. 4 in G Major, No. 3 in G Major and No. 5 in D Major – all written by Bach to impress the Margrave of Brandenburg, perhaps in the hope of getting a job ( a sort of latter-day musical CV). Amazingly, there is no record of them ever having been performed at the Margrave’s court, and the manuscripts were discovered many years later gathering dust in a library. No such reticence at King’s, however! The intricacy of these stunning pieces allowed for various smaller combinations of musicians to excel, and excel they did. Number 3 requires an orchestra in miniature, with three

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The concert concluded with the whole orchestra coming together again for the ‘Gavottes’ and ‘Gigue’ from the Suite No. 3 with which they began. The slight false start betrayed an eagerness to portray this magnificent music with the broadness and grandeur that it deserves and this they conveyed superbly. It was majestic but they also brought out the typical Bachian quirkiness which makes his music so special. Again the ensemble was impressive and particular mention must be made of the piccolo trumpets (Llewellyn Cross, David Rees and Arthur Cross) whose sound soared wonderfully over the orchestra. All in all it was a great concert and a most enjoyable afternoon.

The Wind Band Concert HJ

On a dark December afternoon, the Shirley Hall was lit up by a feast of lively music from the Wind Band Concert. Sharing the stage with the King’s School Wind Band were the Junior Jazz Band and senior outfit Acoustix. The intertwining of these three groups worked to create an interesting and varied programme, in which more than 80 pupils played their part, with 6th formers confidently leading their sections and talented juniors shining through.

The Wind Band opened with the energetic jazz number ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’, which the pupils themselves clearly enjoyed performing. They then proved that they can ‘do romantic’ too with a soulful rendition of music from West Side Story, which – along with other pieces in the concert – had been arranged by their director Mr Dave White. Following this musical appetiser, Mr White made room for Mr Michael Coates and his Junior Jazz Band, whose rhythm was expertly provided by Tom Hunt on the drums. The seven saxophonists in the band were kept on their toes during ‘Sonnymoon for Two’: when Mr Coates pointed in their direction, they had to provide some solo improvisation. In this way every saxophone voice was heard; Oliver Hope and Gus Courtauld gave excellent, intuitive solos in the other Junior Jazz item, ‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore’. Act Two of the concert: the Wind Band provided a change in mood with music from Pirates of the Caribbean. Here, the trumpeters came to the fore. Their powerful yet enchanting sound lent a real excitement to the piece. Then another scene change: as Teddy Baker set down his trombone for the drums and Robbie Ellison moved from timpani to xylophone, four more pupils came to the front of the stage to form the band Acoustix. With Mr Chris Nall directing from the keyboard, the ensemble treated their audience to a fascinating arrangement of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The tune was carried by Robbie, with vital support from Kitty Cheung. Later Charlie Sinclair entered, producing some incredible melodies on the guitar. All the while, the other members of the band worked to provide the musical layering that is so important in Queen’s famous song. It was a challenge, but Acoustix pulled it off. That they had only rehearsed together twice previously made their performance all the more impressive.

Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent and Christmas CTN

The Carol Service began in time honoured tradition with the Palestrina Matin Responsory, in darkness and from the west end of the cathedral, followed immediately by the first verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ sung by the captain of the Crypt Choir, Sophie Lark. The first reading from Isaiah was followed by a 20th Century carol by Peter Wishart, ‘A New Work Is Come On Hand’. After the second reading, the Chamber Choir sang the two movements they performed in the Christmas Concert, ‘Balulalow’ and ‘This Little Babe’, with an abbreviated harp interlude performed by Siobhan Casha. The Crypt Choir then moved to the high altar to perform ‘A Spotless Rose’ by Howells, returning to the Pulpitum in the Nave to join the Chapel Choir singing ‘Gabriel’s Messsage’. After the 5th reading from St Luke, the Chamber Choir, the Crypt Choir and Madrigalia, directed by Lewis Cullen, joined forces to perform Monteverdi’s polychoral movement ‘Ave Maris Stella’ from the 1610 Vespers, together with string and brass ensembles. This was performed from several parts of the cathedral, with the various choirs and orchestral ensembles sharing verses. The Chapel Choir performed ‘Glory to God’ from Handel’s Messiah, heard previously in the Christmas Concert, and during the prayers, the Crypt Choir sang a newly composed carol, written by our Head of Academic Music, Stephen Matthews.

The finale, aptly, was a Christmas double bill of ‘Frank Sinatra Selection’ and ‘Christmas Cracker’ from the Wind Band. The merry tunes and Sophia Gripari’s delightfully cheerful performance on the drums put all of the audience in the mood for the festive season. So ended an hour of truly enjoyable music.

Autumn 2013

SPORT

Sam Paul

Rugby 1st XV

RUGBY TEAM REPORT – 1ST XV CMBR

A roller coaster of a season if ever there was one – hitting the high of highs before plunging groundward with a loop the loop before returning back to the skies. When one looks back in the history books, this season may not stand out as vintage based upon wins and losses, however what the record books won’t show is the improvement shown and the calibre of performance during two of the best performances (and wins) during my four seasons at King’s. It won’t show how influential an U19 international was in one of our defeats, nor the rationale of a referee not awarding four tries in another. For those involved with this season it will provide so much more than the end of season tally. It will take into account the terrific tour of South Africa, the turning from boys into young men and

Autumn 2013

the understanding of what it means to be part of a team, come rain or shine. There were disappointments along the way. The performance at Worth was a forgettable one and some unclear decision making in the cup proved costly. The first match victory over Caterham set the standard for the first half of term along with some superb tries in the cup and over Duke of York’s (part two). The second half of the season was a magnificent one. The defeats can be put down to being beaten by better sides, with the terrific wins to finish the season over Sutton Valence and Sevenoaks just reward for a squad of players who wrestled with Rudyard Kipling’s imposters and ended up a group Vince Lombardi would be proud of. However, the Haileybury match will hold a special place in my heart. Often when you watch a match back on recording, you never quite live up to how good you thought you were – in the Haileybury match, we did! A complete performance from all. Joe Haynes was a dominant force in the scrum and was joined by the equally formidable Loic d’Assier. Bedir Kaplan

RUGBY and Harry Brownlees also played to show the strength in depth of the King’s front row factory. Teddy Baker was an omnipresent force in the engine room and locked with several partners throughout the season. Henry Pell-Johnson forced his way into the side, as well as making a cameo on the wing in the last match of the season. Charles Barrois contributed enormously in both the lineout and loose play until injury curtailed his season. Jamie Adams played every minute of every game of the season. He was the lineout general and equally committed in the second or back row. Josh Botchway demanded a place with his performances in the latter part of the season and will get better with experience. The same can be said of the enthusiastic Chukky Iwuajoku who also has so much to offer as he continues his Rugby education. Harry Vavasour was quite exceptional and was voted for by every member of the squad as their choice of Player of the Season – quite an achievement for a 6b! There was a battle for the scrum half berth with Baz Knox and Callum Kolade sharing the honours. Louis Glynn-Williams came from nowhere to play a crucial part in directing operations at fly half. Toby Block was a menace in defence throughout the season and took the pressure off the team with his tackles and turnovers. Charlie Allen was the most improved player (both on and off the field) and was an unsung hero for his leadership qualities. Peter Chiana was “the wheels” and scored several breath-taking tries, highlighting there is no substitute for pace. Titus Hetzer made the wing berth his own with his consistent solid displays after injury to the equally impressive Gaetan Brandt. Max Desoutter was another who had a standout season and was both rock solid in defence as well as always posing questions in attack. George Maughan has been the poster boy for the year group for all his time at King’s. He captained the side, leading by example. He was sensational in the second half of term whether playing prop or hooker.

On behalf of the boys I would also like to thank all the parents who have shown so much support to all the King’s sides this season. A final thank you to Wyn Watson and Jolindi Smit. Team from: SCL Knox, WJP Parker, BR Kaplan, HGG Vavasour, ACO Iwuajoku, JNSM Botchway, HA Pell-Johnson, CLMJ Barrois, ESC Baker, MLL Desoutter, LJA GlynnWilliams, CJM Richardson, CH Allen, OOCM Kolade, GR Brandt, HA Brownlees, HGN Pattinson, TRA Block, GWR Maughan, JMT Adams, JEP Haynes, PC Chiana, T Hetzer, LA d’Assier Team colours: Harry Brownlees Harry Pattinson Henry Pell-Johnson Callum Kolade Baz Knox Loic d’Assier Josh Botchway Gaetan Brandt Chukky Iwuajoku School colours re-awarded to George Maughan and Jamie Adams School colours: Teddy Baker Charlie Allen Max Desoutter Toby Block

My thanks to all the catering staff at Birley’s. The ground staff at Birley’s have also done another magnificent job.

Peter Chiana Joe Haynes Charles Barrois

THE CANTUARIAN

RUGBY TEAM REPORT 2ND XV

Harry Vavasour Titus Hetzer Louis Glynn-Williams

JPB

Results Caterham

Won

13-8

Worth

Lost

34-0

St John’s

Lost

61-0

Duke of York’s

Won

36-13

Reed’s

Lost

42-7

Eastbourne

Lost

42-7

Haileybury

Lost

36-5

Tonbridge

Lost

19-12

Sutton Valence

Won

13-12

Sevenoaks (A)

Won

34-22

St Paul’s (DMC)

w/o

The 2nd XV have had a strong and successful season. Having coached a number of these boys at Under 15 level I was relishing the opportunity to coach them once more at a higher level and they did not disappoint. With an ever-changing starting line-up due to player promotions and injuries, simple, effective Rugby, was to be the aim of the season and the boys all successfully bought into this philosophy. The boys began the season with a great performance against Caterham, scoring several tries which highlighted their ability to play fast, offensive Rugby. It was then off to Worth, where, off the back of a dominant pack performance, the team again walked away with a large winning margin. At the end of a horrid week of injuries, a strong St. John’s side taught the team a thing or two about Rugby at this level, but the boys soon bounced back with a win against Duke of York’s and a solid mid-week performance against Sir Roger Manwood’s 1st XV.

Rugby 2nd XV

Autumn 2013

RUGBY Then came the highlight of the season, a three match winning-streak against Reeds, Eastbourne and Haileybury. By this point the boys were playing muscular Rugby up front with some lovely counter-attacking Rugby by the backs. As Tonbridge loomed confidence was high, but a slow start and set-backs during the match meant that victory eluded the team in a match that the neutral observer would probably have felt we deserved to win. Sutton Valence was the only match of the season in which the team was caught cold, however not wishing to end on a loss the boys rallied themselves once more for the final clash of the season at home against Sevenoaks. Some inspiring words from the 6a leavers including Captain Gabriel Hamlyn led to a fantastic final performance including Harry Fox’s interception try in which he went the length of the field to score with a swallow dive! Clearly therefore the team has enjoyed a lot of success, and as mentioned there have been many boys involved in the 2nd XV squad this season. Space does not permit me to do them all credit, however I would like to thank Gabriel Hamlyn, the Coach’s Player of the Season, for his mature captaincy of the team and his ability to play at both scrum half and fly half throughout the season. The Player’s Player of the Season, Alex Preston was also a revelation in the back row and thoroughly deserved his award following some outstanding performances. There are many talented 6b boys in this side and no doubt they will continue to develop and play at 1st XV level next season. For the 6a leavers, I hope that they look back fondly on this season and the success that they have enjoyed. This team has been a pleasure to coach and it will indeed be a memorable as my first season in charge of the 2nd XV. Team from: John James, Marcus Humphries, Chris Richardson, Charlie Sinclair, Alex Sokolov, Ivan Prisyazhnyuk, Alex Preston, Bedir Kaplan, Elliot Evans, Gabriel Hamlyn, George Baker White, Alex O’Neill, Simon Broadley, Will Parker, Will Foss, Montel Chika-Mbonu, Harry Fox, James Trigg Results Caterham

Won

32-12

Worth

Won

20-6

St. John’s

Lost

8-50

Hurstpierpoint

Cancelled

Duke of York’s

Won

24-17

Sir Roger Manwood’s 1st XV

Lost

0-19

Reed’s

Won

19-17

Eastbourne

Won

29-5

Haileybury

Won

12-10

Tonbridge

Lost

18-24

Sutton Valence

Lost

0-26

Sevenoaks

Won

22-0

RUGBY TEAM REPORT 3RD XV AVN

The thirds had a fantastic season despite coming up against some well-organised opposition and often being short of players to choose from. The season started in brilliant fashion with a terrific 39-0 win over Worth. Johnny Mbu was instrumental and was unfortunate to have the rest of his season marred by injury. However, a couple of weeks later morale was brought back down to earth as the boys were beaten by a strong Leatherhead team. As was typical, they refused to let this setback get the better of them and they responded with big score lines against some very respectful opposition in the form of Duke of York’s, Sir Roger Manwood’s (2nds) and a very good Reed’s team. These big scores were a result of a tenacious (although ever changing) pack and some quick and skillful backs. This team was a cohesive unit that operated well under pressure and able to withstand attacks and capitalize at the right moments. It also contained several very good Rugby players, most notably Aaron Milton and George Hill who were responsible for many of the victories throughout the season. Despite the character and the undeniable skill of this team they came up short against

THE CANTUARIAN

a very good Eastbourne team. Knowing improvement was needed, the team put some hard work in during the week and responded by narrowly beating a strong Cranbrook team. Rumour had it that the Cranbrook side had some 2nds players in it, making this victory even more impressive. The thirds came up against a genuine 2nds team a few days later, after quality performances from the likes of Patrick Li, the 3rds emerged victorious once more. A depleted squad hit by injuries assembled for the formidable fixture of Tonbridge, away. Missing important players the team succumbed to only their 3rd defeat of the season. After a good long look at themselves and some tackling practice Sutton Valence were dispatched with relative ease by this blend of pace and power. The final match of the season was against Sevenoaks. The last Rugby match that the 6a’s would ever play, this led some members of the team to develop quite severe ‘white line fever’ rather than sticking to the style of Rugby they had played throughout the season. Sevenoaks punished them for making this mistake, quickly scoring several tries. Realising the error of their ways, the team quickly reverted to the fast paced style of Rugby that had served them well in the past. However, Sevenoaks defended well and looked unlikely to concede. Despite this, the team managed to score the tries needed to bring them to within touching distance. However, time was quickly running out. They say ‘Commeth the hour, Commeth the man’ and this was more than true in these difficult circumstances. With less than 5 minutes to go, the ever-reliable fantastic Captain Caspar Fraser dived over to put King’s into the lead. A wave of relief passed over the team. Bertie Gleave was coolness personified and slotted over the conversion. After the restart the Captain once again popped up with the ball and made no mistakes in kicking the ball into touch. The ball went out and the whistle blew: King’s had won. This was the perfect end to a very impressive season. The boys can be very proud of their performances and their success was down to their hard work and dedication. Results Worth

Won

39-0

St John’s

Lost

0-51

Hurstpierpoint

Cancelled

Duke of York’s

Won

46-6

Sir Roger Manwood’s (2nds)

Won

60-14

Autumn 2013

Reed’s

Won

48-0

Eastbourne

Lost

7-39

Cranbrook

Won

35-25

Haileybury

Cancelled

St Lawrence (2nds)

Won

41-19

Tonbridge

Lost

0-41

Sutton Valence

Won

39-14

Sevenoaks

Won

20-17

RUGBY TEAM REPORT – U16A XV TH

The season began with a case of the unknown going in to a new fixture against Caterham and it was the home side that got off to the better start. They were unable to capitalise on their dominance in territory and possession, which King’s made the most of by taking their chances in scoring three fine tries, the best of which went to Sam Casement as he counter-attacked from deep. Ernest Mudasiru had an outstanding game at hooker and Geordi Bull looked classy in the midfield. It proved a promising start to the season. Next up was Worth and King’s put in a very thorough performance to triumph over a strong side. The team started well, but had to defend hard for the first period of the match before being able to exert some pressure of their own. This immediately paid off with some dogged work from the forwards leading to a quickly taken penalty and a try in the corner. Despite some strong pressure from Worth, the defence held firm, helped by some assured work in the scrum and an organised lineout. King’s went into half time 10-0 up, thanks to another try from the backs after a catch and drive move to create space for Dan Harris to beat his defender on the outside. In the second half the team went on to score more freely with Will Heywood collecting a hat-trick and confirming the King’s victory by a score line of 39 points to nil. St John’s away, is always a tough task, however the boys got off to an ideal start scoring straight from the kick-off as the forwards muscled over within a minute. St John’s

Rugby 3rd XV

Rugby U16A XV

responded, putting us under heavy pressure and despite some courageous defending, we went behind following a converted try from an overlap and a penalty. King’s hit back through an interception from within our own half leading to a try under the posts and a conversion, making the score 12-10. Another King’s try by Archie Kay following some good work by James Read made the half-time score 17-10. The second half was similar to the first with King’s withstanding some strong pressure to then score following a strong catch and drive from the forwards and some quick offloads in the tackle. Loïc d’Assier scored his second try of the match as he drove over from close range to give us the advantage. St John’s then hit back with a try, though it was King’s that was going from strength to strength as we continued to apply pressure. Romilly Carboni was carrying the ball strongly and Hauke Kuttig was showing a huge work rate in defence. Come the final whistle, it was a commanding win of 36-15 – a special team performance. The team backed this up the following week with another very good performance against Duke of York’s. Up front, Kit Baker and Tom Cowderoy provided quality ball for Ollie Mann and Kit Wilson who combined nicely and it was Wilson that rounded off another win with a try under the posts. Unfortunately though, the injury list was growing and it was Captain Read who was the next victim. The game against Reed’s was a frustrating one, but one the side would learn from and admit that on the day we didn’t front and therefore came second. Half-term was a chance to rest up and refresh with Eastbourne away next. Unfortunately, going into this game the side were without James King and Read, so were down on physicality which we didn’t match. Despite some good attack, we fell off some first up tackles and struggled to get over the gain line. On the back of this defeat the team were keen to get their winning record back on track. We knew Haileybury would be a tough opponent, but confident that we could outdo them on home turf, playing on our pitch for the first time this term. The match started with King’s receiving a kick off and after a good catch, a strong attack and some concerted pressure, we broke through the Haileybury defence for Dan Harris to score under the posts. A try from Heywood following an excellent pass from Casement at scrum half and a further try from Wilson put King’s in control at half time. Haileybury, however were not beaten and came back strongly in the second half to score first and get back into the game. King’s then put further

Autumn 2013

pressure on the Haileybury defensive line to try and put the game out of their reach and following a charge down off a 22 drop out by Baker and a strong counter ruck, Read scored to extend our advantage. In the final quarter of the match, King’s superior fitness and resolve shone through to score three final tries in the last 16 minutes and in the process play some great free flowing Rugby for a final score of 45-10. A tough away fixture against Tonbridge would be a challenge, but the side were keen to record another victory. After receiving the kick off at the start of the game, King’s immediately attacked with a quick break from Bull, and after going through some controlled phases in their 22, Wilson glided over for the game’s first try. The team continued in this vein for much of the game, with dynamic attacking play supported by strong set piece work from the forwards, and assured defence all over the pitch. We went into half time three tries up after two further scores. The second half saw the boys continue to dominate in all aspects of the game, as we retained possession well for much of the game, and this control allowed Kay to score a second half hat-trick, as he repeatedly beat his man on the outside to dive over in the corner. There were some more great pieces of individual play from Euan Brown who was controlling the game with ease and bringing the skill of Ollie Tikare into the game, who powered through the Tonbridge defensive line on numerous occasions, which helped set up a Harris try with a fifty metre break. This fine team play lead to an eventual final score of 50-0, an incredibly encouraging result away to Tonbridge. Against Sutton Valence we got off to a perfect start with Harris breaking the line to score and Heywood converting for a seven point lead. Sutton Valence then responded immediately with a penalty. After this early flurry of points, the game settled, with both teams struggling to make a breakthrough, due to some last ditch defending. King’s were creating plenty of overlaps and it was a piece of individual brilliance from Wilson, which allowed us to stretch our lead to 14-3 at half time. The second half saw the side push on and extend our advantage, whilst still maintaining the high standards in defence that have been a key feature of our play. Two further tries from Alan Philips, and another following a great break from Fred Preston put King’s in a commanding position, which we held onto well, keeping them scoreless in the second half, for a final score of 33-3. A tough test awaited us at Sevenoaks, but the boys were up for it. The team were looking dangerous and were producing some fine

RUGBY attacking Rugby on the back of excellent phase play. Some of these chances we converted, which put us in control of the game. It was a very intense match, but the boys stuck together and kept their cool and came away with a well-deserved victory. Tom Hunt as he had been doing all season epitomised the side’s attitude and desire in this game, as he threw himself in to contact and it was this commitment that all the boys showed throughout. This team performance was a fitting conclusion which capped off a superb season. The boys played an expansive brand of Rugby and achieved a very impressive set of results. Considering the side were without key players for large parts and that the team only had three home games in the whole season makes their impressive achievements even better. Their success came down to hard work and the players playing for each other. It has been a pleasure to work with this group who were always enthusiastic, keen to improve and competitive, but what shone through the most was their team spirit. Truly a season to remember – well done to the boys. Team from: James Read, Kit Baker, Euan Brown, Geordie Bull, Romilly Carboni, Sam Casement, Tom Cowderoy, Dan Harris, Will Heywood, Tom Hunt, Archie Kay, James King, Hauke Kuttig, Ollie Mann, Ernest Mudasiru, Nicholas Nugee, Alan Phillips, Fred Preston, Oliver Tikare, Kit Wilson Results

Caterham

won

17 - 0

Worth

won

39 – 0

St John’s

won

36 – 15

Duke of York’s

won

48 – 0

Reed’s

lost

12 – 29

Eastbourne

lost

7 – 36

Haileybury

won

45 – 10

Tonbridge

won

50 – 0

Sutton Valence

won

33 – 3

Sevenoaks

won

12 – 0

RUGBY TEAM REPORT – U16B XV DBT and MH

Statistics can have a habit of lying and a 50% record in terms of games won does not really do justice to the Colts B team and what was a successful season. The season started in fine weather and this suited the style of play favoured by this mobile lightweight group. Some fine 15 man Rugby saw the team get off to a flyer with convincing wins against Caterham (29-0) and Worth (39-0). Ollie Mann , Henry Dobson and Raphael Brandt impressed in the backs as the forwards under the guidance of Conrad Manet got to grips with lifting in the lineout and supplying some good quality ball. The highlight of the season came in the match against St John’s where King’s received a battering in the first 10 minutes. The smelling salts were administered and this team really came of age as they met the physical challenge and repelled it with such determination that their opponents were left chasing shadows as King’s ran out winners by 20-5. Duke of York’s were next in the firing line and King’s were comfortable winners 41-7. Perhaps in this game there were some danger signs as King’s only managed to score one try in the second half. This lack of clinical finishing was something that would come back to haunt them in later games. Eastbourne,Haileybury and Tonbridge were all lost by the narrowest of margins. Tonbridge and Eastbourne were both lost with the last play of the game. The Haileybury match had also been level at half-time.Ultimately squandered chances left the team at the mercy of refereeing decisions and whilst they certainly did not get the rub of the green in this respect they should in truth never have been in a situation where it became a factor. Only the match against Reeds saw the team come second best with no complaints. The ability to control the ball at the breakdown had become a problem although Ed Solly performed heroics at scrum-half.

THE CANTUARIAN

It was with some frustration then that the team had their remaining two fixtures called off as the opposition were unable to field a team. These boys had trained hard and were looking forward to putting this into use on the field and get back to winning ways. It did however allow several of these boys to play up for the 3rd XV and the Colts A. They all did themselves proud and should take confidence from that experience. Special mention this season should also go to Christian De Vitry for his lineout play. For their work at the coalface: Ed Barkshire, Henry Long, Leo Eberenz,Tom Woods and Hugo Ninham. Back row players Rob Campbell, George Nairac and Toby Rampton were a force. Utility player Jake Tyler and the elusive Henry James in the centre. On the wings Semi Akingbe and Rory Hinshelwood were dangerous.

Mann, Raphael Brandt, Henry James, Semi Akingbe, Seb Crow, Rory Hinshelwood, Henry Dobson, Nick Love, Fred Acton. Results Caterham

won

29-0

Worth

won

39-0

St John’s

won

20-5

Duke of York’s

won

41-7

Reed’s

lost

31-12

Haileybury

lost

15-5

Eastbourne

lost

3-0

Tonbridge

lost

17-14

Thanks must go to Mr Hopper whose relentless pursuit of perfection drove the boys on all season. Team from: Ed Barkshire, Henry Long, Leo Eberenz, Hugo Ninham, Raeffe Gibson, Harry Condon, OJ Wigwe, George Nairac, Tom Woods, Conrad Manet, Rob Campbell, Toby Rampton, Ed Solly, Jake Tyler, Ollie

Rugby U16B XV

Autumn 2013

RUGBY TEAM REPORT – U15A XV RALS

TheU15A XV had an enjoyable and hard fought season. Confidence was high in the first couple of weeks, with good wins against Caterham and Worth. The forwards on each occasion were too much for the opposition showing good ball retention and having the ability to break the gain line through James Gardiner, Zak Walker and Josh Akpana. A heavy loss to a strong St. John’s side brought the team back down to earth but also taught us some valuable lessons about protecting the ball. Two further wins followed against Duke of York’s and Reed’s School before half-term. The back line, by this time, was taking shape and Harry Dakin had the knack of scoring tries at the right time. After half term, Eastbourne and Haileybury proved tough challenges, but gave the team the right motivation to dig deep for the remaining games of the term. The team won the next two games, including an exciting away game against Tonbridge B XV. Nick Curtis had recovered from injury at this stage and was causing a lot of trouble for defences, with strong runs against the grain. A good win against Sutton Valence set the team up for the long awaited final game of the season against Sevenoaks, the Kent Cup U15 winners, on their first team pitch. It was a war of attrition with the forward pack working hard to conquer each metre. Edward Graham scored just before half time with a trademark outside centre jinking run. James Gardiner and Wil Hunter had an epic game in the loose putting their bodies on the line for the team. Sevenoaks hit hard towards the end of the game but the team refused to lie down and finished the game 12-7 up. A fantastic effort. At the end of the season the boys had won seven out of 10 games which is very commendable. This group of boys fought each weekend during matches, however if they could put the same amount of effort into their training they could improve even more.

Team from: Zachariah Walker, Joshua Akpana, Matthew Barker, Alexander Compton, Augustine Courtauld, Nicholas Curtis, Harold Dakin, James Gardiner , Edward Graham, Wiliam Hunter, Charles Knox, Christopher Lillingston-Paterson, Adrian Mbonu, Harry Nabavi, Samuel Poole, Michael Rand, George Richardson, William Wall, Thomas Westlake, Frederick Williams. Results Caterham

Won

12-5

Worth

Won

39-0

St. John’s

Lost

43-0

Duke of York’s

Won

21-7

Reed’s

Won

24-0

Eastbourne

Lost

48-0

Haileybury

Lost

38-12

Tonbridge U15B

Won

17-7

Sutton Valence

Won

50-21

Sevenoaks

Won

12-7

Chatham House

Won

17-7

Judd

Lost

37-0

Natwest Cup

RUGBY TEAM REPORT – U15B XV CNC

This was a most enjoyable season spent with a group of players who trained and played with an excellent spirit and willingness to learn. The statistics tell a positive story but do not reveal the exciting player development achieved. Five of the B team were called up to the A team on merit during the season, four of the original C team became core players for the B’s, several players completely new to the game had a big impact and three players took to new positions with great success. It is quite possible that 1st XV players will emerge from this group in the future.

THE CANTUARIAN

Rugby U15A XV

Rugby U15B XV

RUGBY The season started in sunshine at home to Caterham. The King’s forwards imposed themselves both in the loose and at set plays with Ed Streeter (Captain and prop) scoring 3 times and Adrian Mbonu (prop) once. This forward dominance then allowed the central midfield partnership of Folahan Oworu and Nathan Bright-Emeruwa to shine with some incisive running and scores. There followed a hard fought win away at Worth where the boys conceded an early try but kept their composure and showed great desire to gradually wear down the opposition. Steen Grover at full back made some match saving tackles with Teddy Hudson and Digby Taylor-Young securing some vital turn over ball. Momentum was then lost with a mid-week defeat to Folkestone Academy A team followed by a disappointingly heavy loss to St. John’s Leatherhead. In both games their bigger pack of forwards starved King’s of any possession and ensured they ran out worthy winners. The boys responded well in training with some committed tackling and rucking practice. This paid off against Duke of York’s where the King’s pack collectively played with great intensity to secure field position from where the utility back Tom Westlake scored a vital winning try.The Reeds match was lost in the boys’ heads on the coach journey to Cobham!! A lack of concentration and focus in the first eight minutes saw us concede three soft tries and ensured a long afternoon playing catch up Rugby! The season defining match took place on November 16th at home to Haileybury when players new to the game and those adapting to new positions clicked with existing stalwarts to record an excellent win. Anjolaoluwa Toyon’s three tries on the left wing in his first ever start in a Rugby match will live long in the memory. Anthony Smith in only his second game at fly half was superb under pressure and Toby Morris converted from flanker to full back with huge success. Injuries, exeats and call ups meant we travelled to Tonbridge with six changes to the team and no fully fit substitutes which when combined with a lack of effective tackling on the day meant that we were well beaten by a superior side.

Fortunately, we were able to pick our best side for the last two games and claimed emphatic wins. Against Sutton Valence and Sevenoaks the team played with a spirit and tactical awareness that was a pleasure to watch. The forwards helped themselves to some memorable tries with Asher Silver, Rohan Patel, Mike Rand and Ed Streeter running strongly with the ball in hand whilst Tom Mancais at scrum half orchestrated some clinical back moves. Congratulations to Rohan Patel for the “Players’ Player” award and also to Anthony Smith for the “Coaches’ Player of the Year” award. Well done to all the boys for the exceptional “party” bus singing on the way back from away matches. This was truly worthy of the Crypt choir (in Mr Fidler’s biased opinion!!). Through thick and thin the boys stuck together and ensured that they enjoyed themselves. It was a pleasure to coach them this season and watch them play the great game of Rugby. A thank you to Charles Fidler (coach) and Simon Anderson (referee) for their support throughout the season. On behalf of the boys I would also like to thank all the parents who have shown so much support this season. Team from: William Bryant,Edward Hudson, Edward Streeter, Adrian Mbonu, George Meddings, Jack Vavasour, Digby Taylor-Young, Anthony Smith, Thomas Mancais, Thomas Westlake, Nathan Bright-Emeruwa, Oyefolahan Oworu, Steen Grover, Jago Trelawny-Vernon, Oluwafolajimi Ayinde, Charles McMenemy, Arthur Cross, Hector O’Neill, Johannes Neudert, Hector O’Neill, Toby Morris, Anjolaoluwa Toyon, Mike Rand, Rohan Patel, Asher Silver, Jonty Taylor Results Caterham

Won

41-12

Worth

Won

15-7

Folkestone Academy

Lost

24-0

St John’s

Lost

41-7

Duke of York’s

Won

34-19

Reed’s

Lost

33-0

THE CANTUARIAN

Rugby U15C XV

Haileybury

Won

31-19

Tonbridge

Lost

54-0

Sutton Valence

Won

68-0

Sevenoaks

Won

48 –0

RUGBY TEAM REPORT – U15C XV DR

This was an exceptionally tough season for the U15C team. There can be few excuses for the heavy defeats against St. John’s, Reed’s and Haileybury where, on each occasion, we were a rather distant second best to teams which were better drilled and more hungry for the victory than we were and had far greater strength in depth. Cancelled fixtures added to the frustration and it is therefore much to the credit of the core members of an oft-changing team that we were able to surprise Tonbridge with a tough, spirited display which saw us come out only just on the wrong side of a narrow and hard-fought scoreline.

Autumn 2013

And so it was, on the back of four consecutive defeats, but buoyed by our most recent performance, that we set off for our final game of the season at Sevenoaks. Spirits were high and our early pressure paid off with a try from Ed Chan. Sevenoaks appeared shocked and more tries followed with Alex Green, Will Bryant, Ben Green and Daniil Rodionov adding their names to the scoresheet, the latter two each scoring twice and Daniil adding two conversions with a third from Philippe d’Orléans taking the final score to 41-10. Particular congratulations must go to Jeevan Thind (SH) for his “Player of the season” award and to Miguel Hamdi (SH) for his “Players’ player of the season” award. Both of these players, as well as a number of their teammates who were also in the running for the awards, deserve hearty congratulations for their undaunted commitment in the face of some very difficult fixtures. Team from: W. Bryant, P. Chennery, A. Green, B. Green, D. Kwan, R. Murray-Nobbs, J. Thind, E. Chan, G.J. Thompson, D. Rodionov, H. Lee, P. Fu, I. Lenterman, H. Baldwin, M. Hamdi, P. d’Orléans U15C XV Results: St. John’s C

Lost

72-0

Reed’s C

Lost

79-19

Haileybury C

Lost

81-0

Tonbridge E

Lost

25-10

Sevenoaks C

Won

41-10

RUGBY TEAM REPORT – U14A XV RPC

The cream of the Shell Rugby players showed plenty of skill, commitment and potential in an enjoyable season. For Rugby purists who enjoy seeing wingers run in tries, this season was something special, with Joe Wells and Jebin Yoon scoring a fantastic 28 tries between them. In my 25 years coaching and playing schoolboy Rugby, I have never seen such a lethal duo and their pace, strength and elusive running saw us win a number of tight matches. Joe’s 19 tries in a season has had the archivist checking back through the history books to see if it is a King’s record for a season and, as yet, he hasn’t found any player who has bettered the tally. But of course Joe and Jebin would not have got a sniff of the ball without the considerable efforts of those inside them. A competitive front row represented by Alex Wanstall, Jamie Crocker, Chris Ruston, Frances Bushell and Patrick Prince often got a good nudge forward in the scrum and secured our ball effectively. Behind them, Alex Strickland was a powerful presence, both in the tight and the loose, and he paired up strongly with the speedy Wills Edgar (whose fantastic covering tackle against Eastbourne ensured victory) and the hard-working Alex Roe, whose tireless efforts earned the team valuable yards. Petr Sergeev provided huge power from the base of the scrum and came on enormously in his first season playing Rugby. Either side of him, Will Oates and George Howard-Smith put their handling skills to good use and Gus Cox never took a step backwards, earning him the Players’ Player of the Season award. Often in the face of bigger opponents, the forwards rucked effectively and provided some good ball for the talented backs to utilise. Ethan Hunt chipped away at scrum half and provided good service to the talented Charlie Watson outside him. Charlie is a highly skilled player with a big bag of tricks and recorded two firsts for me in Under 14 matches: the

pass through the legs and a successful dropped goal. He captained the side with fierce intensity and determination and should develop into an outstanding Rugby player. Alasdair Murray-Tacon provided physical presence, running and defending strongly, and linking well with the more subtle skills shown by Jack Mills and Mark Backer. Tom Whitmore was fearless in defence at full back and made a number of useful incursions into the line. Without the threat of these inside backs drawing opposition defenders to them, Joe and Jebin would not have had such space to work with. Brian Okorocha also deputised effectively on the wing, showing that the year group has some real strength in depth with his promotion to the A squad from a successful B team. There is much cause for optimism with this year group and they pulled off a number of fine wins, most notably against Eastbourne, with only the Reeds match being a significant disappointment. When they lost, it was usually because they were out-sized and, as the size gap narrows over the coming years, they can look forward to every encounter with genuine belief that they can win it. Team from: M. Backer, F. Bushell, G. Cox, J. Crocker, W. Edgar, G. Howard-Smith, E. Hunt, J. Mills, A. MurrayTacon, W. Oates, B. Okorocha, P. Prince, A. Roe, C. Ruston, P. Sergeev, A. Strickland, C. Watson (capt), J. Wells, T. Whitmore, A. Wanstall, J. Yoon Results: Caterham

Won

22-0

Worth

Won

33-0

St. John’s

Lost

7-42

Chatham House

Won

45-7

Duke of York’s

Won

57-5

Reed’s

Lost

12-17

Eastbourne

Won

17-10

Judd

Lost

7-29

Haileybury

Lost

8-17

Tonbridge B’s

Won

50-0

Sutton Valence

Won

14-7

Sevenoaks

Lost

5-29

THE CANTUARIAN

Rugby U14A XV

Rugby U14B XV

RUGBY TEAM REPORT – U14B XV MCET/EP

With a completely new year group and only a sheet of paper to gauge players, it was an apprehensive start to the season. However from day one, the Shells approached each and every training session with a positive and hardworking attitude. It wasn’t long before the U14B team emerged from the mass of Shell boys taking part in Rugby this year.

From the very start it was clear to see who would be the leader for the season. Charlie Griffiths led the team well as captain as well as having the pivotal role of being the team’s scrum half. However, with every good team there must be a strong character to conduct and lead from the number 10 position. Richard Heywood took on this challenge and showed true class in both attack and defence. He was supported in the centres by Henry Martin and Francesco Serraino who worked as an effective team to expose holes in the opposition’s defence. This either happened through quick hands and fancy footwork or through sheer brute force. Both showed great develop-ment throughout the season. The back 3 was made up of Tomi Toyon, Harvey Coulson and Nathaniel Walker. This trio provided the last line defence and each had their own individual qualities that stood them out from the rest of the team. Harvey was the brick wall at fullback and always managed to create something out of nothing in attack while Tomi used his strength and pace to cut through oppositions and secure a number of tries over the season. Nathaniel Walker however, was the star when it came to defence. Although he was the smallest player in the side he always put in the biggest tackles which left you wondering how anyone would get up off the floor. Constantine Samoilys played an important role in this trio until an injury in the second half of term. The forwards showed the most development over the season. The front row changed most weeks but Patrick Prince, Richard Leimon and Jason Cho were the constant in the team. Fred Cammegh and David Bickersteth made up the second row and were the work horses of the pack. The back row was made up of Basile Chermette, Archie Boyle and Dan Ball. Basile was aggressive in every tackle

while Archie was a master at stealing the ball in the ruck. Peter Kobaly and Sid Ravishankar played important roles within the U14B forwards and supported the team at different points in the season. This group of boys showed real commitment throughout the season. Most importantly though, was the way they came together as a team. This allowed them to approach each and every game with confidence in each other. This camaraderie was what made the season successful in so many ways. It has been a pleasure to coach these boys in their first term at King’s. I hope that they continue to enjoy playing Rugby and I look forward to seeing how they develop as players in the years to come. Team from: J. Cho, R. Leimon, P. Prince, F. Cammegh, D. Bickersteth, D. Ball, B. Chermette, A. Boyle, C. Griffiths, R. Heywood, T. Toyon, H. Martin, F. Serraino, N. Walker, H. Coulson, S. Ravishankar, P. Kobaly, S. Samoilys Caterham

Won

22-12

Worth

Won

26-0

Folkestone Academy A’s

Won

31-12

St John’s

Lost

54-0

Hurstpierpoint

Cancelled

Reed’s

Won

31-17

Eastbourne

Lost

21-0

Haileybury

Won

31-12

Tonbridge

Won

40-5

Sutton Valence

Won

36-0

Sevenoaks

Won

49-5

RUGBY TEAM REPORT – U14C XV STH

The season started with an away trip to St John’s Leatherhead. After a slow start which resulted in conceding a couple of early tries the U14C’s responded well to go

THE CANTUARIAN

RUGBY into half time only three points down. The second half saw a strong performance from the boys dominating possession and field position, however, they failed to turn this into points and a quickfire length of the field try from the home side saw the gap grow to eight points. The U14C’s railed and put a try underneath the posts and duly converted, to leave the game finely balanced for the last 10 mintues. Extensive pressure from the away side saw two held up tries and the final whistle saw King’s go down by a solitary point. The next game saw the visit of Reed’s, which proved to be a stern test for all. After a hard fought first half neither side had put points on the board. The second half saw the nerves settled early with a quality finish from players’ player of the season, Soti George, to take the home side five points up. The match continued in the same vein as the first half with a closely fought contest and was only settled after a score from captain Vladimir Ignatyev off a strong scrum and subsequent pick and go from the number eight. The final score 12-0 was warmly received after the disappointment of the previous game. The games followed quickly, with the visit of Eastbourne. Another tough forwards battle on a cold and wet autumn’s day followed, which allowed the U14C’s to take firm command with three unanswered tries from the backline. The second half was a very different affair, with both sides throwing everything they have at their opposition to give the spectators a really exciting game. The game ended with a solid 22 -5 victory for the home side, which prepared the boys well for the long away trip to Haileybury the following week. The boys responded very well to the long coach journey taking firm command of the game from the very first kick of the game. Fly half Kay Minkiewicz took firm charge of the game, running the show from the first minute. Scores came from all over the park, led by captain Vladimir Ignatyev and coaches’ player of the season Timur Radzhapov, with the final score a resounding 53 – 7 win for the U14C’s.

another pair of tries to take a commanding lead in the first half. Tonbridge replied after half time, with a score from their winger and a nervous period ensued, where the U14C’s dug in deep and defended their try line valiantly, denying the home side at every turn with last ditch tackles and strong defensive lines. The game was settled with a forward drive from the pack which was put over the line by pack leader and captain, Vladimir Ignatyev. The final whistle was warmly welcomed to secure a solid victory for the U14C’s, 36 – 5. The final game of the season saw the visit of Sevenoaks to Birley’s. A nervous first 10 mintues followed with neither side taking their opportunities to score. A quickfire pair of tries from centres Soti George and Timur Radzhapov settled the early nerves and allowed a much more flowing game to follow. The tries followed quickly with scores from the forwards, through Dan Ball and Jean Marie and the U14C’s took a commanding lead into half time. The second half was a very different affair with the away side taking a firm grip on the match and scoring a couple of quick tries in the first five minutes, to put the game in the balance. Last ditch defending from the home side ensured no more points were conceded and the nerves were finally put to rest with a couple of breakaway tries from the homeside’s backline, to secure a 44 – 10 victory for the U14C’s, capping off a very successful season for the team. Captain: Vladimir Ignatyev; Players’ player of the season: Soti George; Coaches’ player of the season: Timur Radzhapov

The game of the season had arrived, the away visit to Tonbridge! After three back to back wins the boys were in strong form and playing good Rugby and this showed from the first minute, with the boys taking their performance to another level. Every player stepped up to the challenge and gave it their all. Early scores from Soti George and Timur Radzhapov settled the nerves and allowed the U14C’s to play Rugby, which they did, scoring

Autumn 2013

LACROSSE the lead. King’s piled on the pressure and added three more goals to the score sheet, Wellington only managed to score once in the second half. Soso Ogan’s debut in goal for the 1st Lacrosse team showed real presence in the goal and had numerous saves throughout the game. The final score 9-4 to King’s.

LAROSSE TEAM REPORT 1st XII CH

The first half of the Lacrosse season was a great success. Six out of the nine fixtures went ahead with the weather unfortunately preventing play on three occasions. Even with six fixtures King’s was able to show great improvement over the course of this first half of the season. King’s were able to achieve three wins and only sacrifice three loses. This has set the team perfectly for next term with a mix of new schools. The team this year was led by two 6a’s, Emily Glaister as Captain, and Flora Williams as Vice-Captain. The team has been very fortunate to have these two girls leading them. They bring knowledge of the game and enthusiasm to every games lesson. They keep the girls motivated and focused throughout matches and practices. After a few sessions the first team started to gel nicely. The big test though would be the first game of the season. King’s stepped out anxious for the first game, unsure how strong the opposition would be. Wellington came out fighting, and managed to put away three quick goals to leave King’s wondering what was happening. Eventually with the help of Flora Williams scoring two fantastic goals King’s were back in the game only one goal down. Maddie Mills spending some new found time on the circle for the draw executed a perfect take off the draw and a straight drive to goal. One quick fake high and she powered the ball low. With the game tied at three all both teams know it was going to be a tense remainder of the half. King’s were able to put three more goals away with some great stops in the defence from Emily Glaister and Laura Meek. The score was 6-3 in King’s favour. King’s knew that Wellington would not go down without a fight. King’s had to come out strong in the second half to keep

This game was a crucial win as it spurred them on for the next game, and it kept them working in practice. Although King’s came out with a win it did not mean that there was not work to be done. After two weeks of solid practice and fitness the girls were fired up to play Beckenham Ladies Club team. The game was a slow starter, neither team was able to score each with numerous shots but unable to put the ball away. After a long five minutes Beckenham went ahead. This was the fire that King’s needed to get things moving. At half time the score remained two all; we all knew this was going to be a close match. The match continued in an almost ping pong style, one team scoring and then the other. With five minutes remaining in the second half the teams were tied four all. King’s went on the attack and scored two goals to take them two up. Beckenham fought back but could only claw back one goal leaving King’s with a great win and some excellent Lacrosse played. The defence played so much better than the week before, they came up with numerous stops, with the help of Soso Ogan who had another great game in goal. The defensive practices had paid off in the game, and the defence really showed another level of Lacrosse. This half of the season did show some unfortunate losses, but the team remained positive throughout this half the season. After the Kent tournament was cancelled due to a sickness bug which was spreading rapidly around Benenden taking out over a fifth of the school, King’s decided to play Walthamstow Hall. Walthamstow Hall was a tough match and we knew it would be. They had an outstanding goalkeeper, and King’s struggled to capitalise on the shots they took. King’s transition was the best it had been all season, but as an attacking team we struggled to keep it safe. The game was a good learning curve as it showed the girls how much they really need to fake a goal keeper, and how they need to place their shot rather than wind up and hope for the best.

THE CANTUARIAN

Lacrosse 1st XII

Lacrosse 2nd XII

King’s then went on to play Caterham. We knew they were going to be a tough opponent so there was a real sense of urgency in practices that week. The game started well, with King’s having the majority of the possession. We kept calmer in attack and the defence worked tirelessly. The game was very even, unfortunately though, Caterham were able to score two quick goals towards the end of the game from which King’s were not able to recover. Claremont and Sherborne were next on the calendar as a triangular tournament. Unfortunately the weather had been horrendous all week and the triangular was cancelled with the hope of rescheduling next term. The plays we worked on were put in to practice against the Benenden 2nd team. They were executed well, each component fell into place and the ball found the back of the net on numerous occasions. This was the win that we needed. The team was ready for another repeat of a previous match against Walthamstow Hall unfortunately due to waterlogged pitches the team will have to wait until next term to repeat the match. The last match of the season against Haileybury was a good match and King’s were able to put everything we had practiced into the match. It was a close game, and due to some silly mistakes King’s narrowly missed out on a win. This first half of the season has been a good learning curve. The girls have improved tremendously over this first term. Next term we have some big matches and not to mention the National Schools Lacrosse Tournament which is the pinnacle of the Lacrosse season. Hopefully the girls will continue to work on stick skills and fitness over the Christmas holidays so we can start where we left off in January. Team from: Emily Glaister, Flora Williams, Olivia Bagshawe, Eliza Batten, Chloe Berliand, Honoury Cheung, Jen Cox, Pippi de Bree, Ella Fanshawe, Eliza macLachlan, Laura Meek, Maddie Mills, Alex Murray-Tacon, Holly O’Connor, Soso Ogan, Lara Olszowska, Jess Quinlan, Connie Taylor-Young. Results Wellington

9-4

Walthamstow Hall

0 -7

Beckenham Ladies

6-5

Kent Tournament

Cancelled

Caterham

6-10

Claremont & Sherborne

Cancelled

Benenden

Walthomstowe Hall

9-5 Cancelled

Haileybury

5-8

Awards Player of the Season: Flora Williams Most Improved Players: Pippi de Bree and Jess Quinlan

LACROSSE TEAM REPORT - 2nd XII KMMS

The 2nd Lacrosse team was full of potential at the beginning of the year. With a fresh influx of previous U15 players and under the leadership of a new coach, the team’s spirit was competitive. After a long and intense selection process, the squad of eighteen was picked and the Captain and Vice-Captain were elected – Madalé Jooste (LX) and Iona Engel (HH) respectively. The team soon faced their first opponents on the second Saturday of term: the Wellington 1st team. Pitched against a higher seed so early on in the season was always going to be a test of not just skill, but also of psychological determination. From the very first whistle it was clearly going to be a very close match. The ball was shipped up and down the pitch like a yoyo; it seemed neither team could gain the advantage to score. Nevertheless, by half time Wellington had managed to gain a lead of two goals and were 3-1 ahead. King’s came back fighting in the second half. Our defensive cohort of Alice Whaley, Poppy Edwards and Saskia Piper kept the Wellington girls at bay, refusing them entry into our eleven. Meanwhile, our attacks worked hard to maintain possession, Helena Barton and Verity Sayer using their experience to keep the ball safe until a goal-scoring opportunity arose. However, despite their best efforts, our girls were unable to pull it back and ended up losing 3-4. Although it was slightly demoralizing to start the term off with a loss, the fact that we had only narrowly lost to a 1st team boded well for the term ahead.

THE CANTUARIAN

LACROSSE Following a barrage of disappointing match cancellations due to weather conditions, our next match was against a school that is renowned for its skill on the Lacrosse circuit – Caterham. Unfortunately, from the outset it was clear that our lack of match practice would prove to be our downfall. Our defensive ranks were hammered by countless drives from the opposition’s attack and during the second half our girls struggled to contain the situation. Nevertheless, despite being under constant pressure, our mid-fielders Issy Webster and Sophia Gripari were able to pick their way down the pitch to score as they nimbly weaved their way through the opposition. The girls certainly picked up their tactics in the second half, but sadly once again it was too little too late. Even another goal from our solid attacker Helena Barton was not able to alleviate the score margin and we lost the game 3-8. Finally, towards the end of term, the girls were presented with a perfect opportunity to secure their first win of the slightly match-depleted season. It appeared Benenden had forgotten their away fixture against King’s and so ended up having to send a somewhat more juvenile team to play our 2nds; they sent their U15B’s. Despite the age difference, our girls did well not to be complacent; Benenden are, after all, one of the best Lacrosse schools in the country. The young Benenden whippersnappers started out strong, gaining an early advantage with their unerring determination and skill. Nevertheless, King’s soon make their counterattack with two stunning goals from Helena Barton and Sophia Gripari. At half time Benenden had succeeded in maintaining their advantage and were 4-2 ahead. After a few stern words and having pulled their socks up, the girls marched back onto the pitch. Immediately King’s took control of the second half. Saskia Piper became militant in her defence, making it impossible for the nimble Benenden players to break through. Issy Webster dodged her way through the Benenden defence to score a hat trick, pulling King’s into the lead. Catriona Jenkinson and Anna Levitskaya dominated the midfield, clearing the ball out of danger whenever necessary and tearing down the pitch. With further goals from Sophia Gripari, Helena Barton and Verity Sayer, and with Whitney Chika-Mbonu’s skilful saves during her stunning debut in goal, our 8-5 win was guaranteed.

Autumn 2013

Finally, it seemed that the King’s Lacrosse 2nd team had found their stride and with just one match left, the girls were determined to end the first season on a high. As soon as the whistle blew King’s took control. The goals came thick and fast; Helena Barton commanded the attack from behind the goal and Sophia Gripari danced her way through the Haileybury defence. Five minutes into the first half, it was clear that King’s were the superior team by far. Helena Barton and Anna Levitskaya each scored hat-tricks, whipping the ball past the somewhat despondent keeper. Yet more goals were scored by Saskia Piper and Issy Webster, leaving the tally at 9-0 at half time. Special mention must be given to Shabira Rogers who gallantly volunteered herself as goalie and demonstrated her natural ability with cat-like reflexes, and also to Captain Madalé Jooste for playing on despite an on-going painful injury she had suffered a few weeks before. Team from: Helena Barton, Anna Brady, Olivia Cha, Whitney Chika-Mbonu, Poppy Edwards, Iona Engel, Sophia Gripari, Catriona Jenkinson, Madale Jooste, Anna Levitskaya, Saskia Piper, Shabira Rogers, Verity Sayer, Nikita Soni, Francesca Speed, Isobel Webster, Alice Whaley, Olivia Wilson. Awards: Most Improved: Verity Sayer Player of the Season: Saskia Piper Top Goal Scorer: Issy Web Results Wellington College

3-4

Caterham

3-8

Benenden

8-5

Haileybury

10-0

LACROSSE LACROSSE TEAM REPORTS - U14 AND U15 XI SAR The Junior squad, consisting of girls from Shell and Remove, travelled to Dulwich Prep for the opening fixture of the season. Charlie Speck scored the first goal of the season with a brilliantly placed shot. Dulwich Prep however came back into the game within minutes and constantly threatened our volunteer goalkeeper, Zofia Olzsowska and inevitably equalised. King’s spacing and positioning was strong which allowed Olivia Lark to use the space to score King’s second goal. Unfortunately, King’s were unable to keep the lead and Dulwich Prep evened the score with a few minutes to go. Everyone showed great determination and hunger for the ball in their first match back.

Next, the Juniors travelled to Walthamstow Hall for a fixture to replace the cancelled Benenden Tournament. From the centre draw, King’s fought for every ball and surprised the Walthamstow Hall defence when Amber Kendell drove confidently towards goal and managed to score with a well-placed shot. King’s kept applying the pressure in both attack and defence but unfortunately were unable to score another goal in the first half. Walthamstow Hall on the other hand, managed to get three balls past Simi Ayinde, who was having her debut as goalkeeper. After a quick half time team chat, King’s looked confident and determined to turn the game around. They got off to a great start with a spectacular, beautifully placed shot from Zofia Olszowska. The King’s girls also worked hard to regain possession in their attacking half, making it difficult for the opposition attack to gain possession. Sadly, on three occasions Walthamstow Hall did manage to get the ball in their attacking third and score. King’s had the last say of the match with another goal from Amber Kendall. The final score of this high tempo and exciting match was 6-3 to Walthamstow Hall.

Lacrosse Juniors

THE CANTUARIAN

For their first home fixture of the term, the Juniors played Caterham. King’s got off to a great start with a goal off a strong drive from Shell Millie Butler-Gallie. However, Caterham woke up and started winning 50/50 ground balls and managed to score 4 good goals in response before half time. After a quick and concise half time talk, the King’s team turned the game around. The defence, led by goalie Simi Ayinde, was solid, the midfield won most ground balls and the attacks split up their opponents defence with some great movements and passing in front of goal. Before we knew it, King’s were in the lead. An in form Camilla Roberts scored her third goal of the match to make the final score 7-5 to King’s. What a Game! Keen to keep their winning streak going after the half term break, the Junior Lacrosse team travelled to Benenden. The team started well with a quick goal from Charlie Speck. This was quickly followed by a brilliant shot from Millie Butler-Gallie. Charlie continued to play well and scored another 2 well placed goals to put King’s 4-1 up. Just before half-time, Millie scored again to give King’s a 5-2 lead at the break. In the second half, Benenden found their stride. They put a lot more pressure on the King’s defence and managed to score a couple more goals. However, Olivia Lark in particular, made numerous interceptions and, on one occasion, made a brilliant drive up the pitch and scored a spectacular goal to keep King’s a couple of goals ahead. With the momentum of the game behind them, the King’s girls continued to put the pressure on Benenden and increased their scoring tally. Rosie Woods scored a flurry of goals in the second half: one with a drive from behind goal and the other two from the centre draw. Zofia Olszowska also contributed to the win with a sneaky goal in the final five minutes of the game. The girls finished the game with a well-deserved win, with a final score of 10-6.

The girls have been a pleasure to coach this term. They have all shown their commitment and passion towards the game throughout the term and I am very much looking forward to coaching the majority of the girls next term. Team from: Similoluwa Aynide, Isobel Barrett, Mariella Bomer, Lena Brady, Antonia Brown, Amelia Butler-Gaille, Katie Crowther, Grace Flanagan, Clara Geldard, Maya Goddard, Sofia Hamlin, Yolanda Imoke, Madeliene Jamieson, Poppy Keating, Amber Kendall, Mathilde Kolade, Olivia Lark, Rebecca Litvack, Zofia Olszsowska, Jemima Rausing, Camilla Roberts, Isabella Snow, Anouska Sokolow, Charlotte Speck, Marinika Webster, Rosie Woods. Results Dulwich Prep

Draw

2-2

Walthamstow Hall

Lost

6-3

Caterham

Won

7-5

Benenden

Won

10-6

Haileybury

Won

7-1

The Juniors final match of the term was away to Haileybury. The short match started off well for King’s, with some quick goals from Camilla Roberts and Charlie Speck. King’s added a couple more goals to their tally before Haileybury even had a look on goal. Out of nowhere, however, Haileybury managed to get the ball in the back of the net making the score 4-1 at half time. After a quick break, the match continued as the sun went down. Even though King’s did not play anywhere near their potential in the second half, they managed to get a few more goals in the back of the net to make the final score a 8-1 win.

Autumn 2013

GIRLS’ HOCKEY GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – 1ST XI DWB This year saw another good pre-season with a large number of girls attending the trials and training at Birley’s. We took the selected first team girls forward to the annual Birley’s tournament that saw many of the normal teams returning and Wellingbourough attending for the first time. The first game was a tough start against a very strong Queenswood side, followed by Felsted, in which we conceded just at the end to draw. Playing the new comers next, we started to find our form with the first win of the day. Last up were the reigning champions Oundle and despite the score line this was a very close fought game.

their stride in the short games. With lots of draws and a few losses we were in no position to defend our title this year. Cranleigh was our first Saturday block opposition and this is normally a really tough test. The girls worked extremely hard in what was an exciting and end-to-end game. The resulting draw was a reflection of just how close it was. However, this was great preparation for the Kent U18 tournament that was to follow that week. The Kent U18 tournament was started at Birley’s with some great wins against Sir Roger Manwood’s, Kent College, Pembury and Cranbrook and a narrow loss to TWGG. These results put us in a very strong position for qualifications to Regionals. Our usual rivals, Sevenoaks, stood in our way but we stayed strong to beat them. This lined us up against TWGG, the only team to have defeated us today, we couldn’t afford to make the same mistake twice. The girls recognised their mistakes from earlier and were victorious and we were Kent champions and through to Regionals.

Next up was the Sevenoaks Plumptre tournament, the weather was awful and the girls struggled to get into

Hockey 1st XI

THE CANTUARIAN

Brighton, Eastbourne, Haileybury and Kent College were our opponents before half term. These were a mixed set of results: a great win over Brighton, a narrow loss to Eastbourne, a tough derby at Kent College and a superb performance against Haileybury. This meant the team went in to half term in the knowledge that we would be off to Regionals straight after the break with no Hockey under our belt. This would not be ideal preparation.

Results Cranleigh

Drew

3-3

Brighton

Won

7-0

Eastbourne

Lost

2-1

Kent College

Lost

4-1

Haileybury

Won

8-1

First day back we got together for a short training session before we jumped on the bus to Bedford. First we faced The Leys getting off to a great start beating them comfortably. This followed a tough game against Stamford, but another win was recorded. Lastly in the pool were old rivals from the Birley’s Tournament, Felsted. This time they got the better of us leaving us runners up in our pool, meaning we would face Ipswich. A hard game in which we lost our regular goalkeeper Scarlet Pughe, meaning our unsung heroine of the season Melanie Gregg was called into action. Melanie had only started playing Hockey the year before, but had played with us on a number of other occasions this season. We came away victors and were through to Regional Finals.

Sutton Valence

Won

3-1

Sevenoaks

Won

4-3

Hurstpierpoint

Lost

2-1

Felsted

Won

2-1

Lost

5-1

Felsted

Drew

1-1

Wellingbourough

Won

2-1

Oundle

Lost

2-0

Drew

0-0

In preparation for Regional finals we had hard games against Sevenoaks that we won and Hurstpierpoint that we lost. Unfortunately I don’t think this loss was well timed and the girls struggled to find form at the finals day, losing all three of the games.

JAGS

Lost

1-0

Drew

1-1

Lost

2-0

Drew

0-0

The final game of the season saw us once again battling against Felsted. Not wanting to give them a clean sweep against us we had a point to prove and prove it we did. The team put in a solid performance and victory to round off the season. Finally, congratulations to Isobel Forbes who captained the side with a balance of fun and seriousness. Players’ player of the season was awarded to Charlotte Hart and most improved player was awarded to Tabitha Killingbeck. Team from: Rhiannon F E Jones, Amelia S Baker, Genevieve G Masters, Charlotte C Hart, Madeleine K Irwin, Isobel M Forbes, Charlotte J Molony, Scarlet A F Pughe, Helen V Woodward, Tabitha A Killingbeck, Matilda J K Swan, Lucy A Hogg, Annabel C Pattinson, Olivia L W Simpson, Catherine R Hayden, Melanie C Gregg

Autumn 2013

Birley’s Tournament Queenswood

Plumptre Tournament Sevenoaks

TWGG Kent College Sevenoaks U18 County U18 Kent College Pembury

Won

2-0

Sir Roger Manwoods

Won

6-0

Cranbook

Won

3-0

TWGGS

Lost

2-1

Sevenoaks

Won

2-0

TWGGS

Won

2-1

Regional Qualification Tournament The Leys

Won

4-0

Stanford

Won

1-0

Felsted

Lost

2-0

Ipswich

Won

2-1

Regional Finals Tournament Coopers

Lost

2-1

Norwich

Lost

3-0

Queenswood

Lost

3-0

GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – 2ND XI MJWS

What made this season great was the exemplary attitude of the girls towards their Hockey. They wanted to be there at training, they wanted to play in the matches and they wanted to perform to the best of their ability. This positive spirit led to some memorable victories and indeed a very successful term’s results overall. It is great when one has naturally talented, yet self-effacing goal scorers in the team. Alice Brett clocked up an impressive tally of goals playing centre forward, some from penalty corners and some from the top of the D. What amused the rest of the team was how each successful strike seemed to surprise her. She plays with a naturally relaxed manner that few

players are lucky enough to possess. Eliza Cocksworth came on leaps and bounds this season. She became very accomplished at carrying the ball to the left baseline then pulling it back to pass to the top of the D. She scored a significant number of goals at the left post. Molly NainbyLuxmoore brought pace and flamboyance to the team. Always prepared to get into space and to fight for the ball, she too scored a number of goals. The most memorable goal was against Sutton Valence, where the passing from defence to attack through the midfield was slick and fast, followed by excellent support play from the forwards, culminating in the goal – scored as goals should be in Hockey, through teamwork. Our midfield players worked tirelessly this season. Willa Briggs showed humility yet resilience – always in the right place at the right time. Sammy Ruston whizzed about the pitch – never giving up when beaten, always fighting back for the ball and always giving 100%. Emma Bryant played with real composure and vision, transferring the ball efficiently through to the forwards and being the centre of many a counter attack. Amy Gault was awarded ‘most improved player’ after some magnificent play in the second half of the term. From left midfield, she was able to outrun many an opposition player, bringing the ball into the D. She seemed to save the best until last! Seiya Grant was deservedly voted players’ player of the season.

Hockey 2nd XI

THE CANTUARIAN

GIRLS’ HOCKEY She showed considerable strength on the ball and has the ability to hit the ball harder than most. Her play in the St Edmund’s match was memorable for her sheer determination. In defence, we had some super players who helped keep the opposition attack at bay. Paige Kennedy was utterly dependable, timing her tackles perfectly, unfazed by anything. The same could be said of Rowena Mockridge who seemed to play in a remarkably relaxed but effective way, reading the game particularly well. Lucy Hogg was one of our most versatile players, coping as well in midfield as defence. She seemed to glide around the pitch with such ease, yet made incisive tackles. Izzy Taylor played at sweeper with care and commitment, personifying the attitude any player should have: prepared to work hard and prepared to learn. Phoebe Lundy was at the heart of our defence. She was rightly awarded coaches’ player of the season for her solid play at centre back, sweeping the ball up field with pace and precision. An utterly dependable player who held our defence together so well. Mel Gregg kept goal for us in her characteristic positive way, improving week by week, unflappable, keeping the goals conceded to just 14, half of which came in one match against a remarkably talented U16 side from Eastbourne. As a team, we were incredibly grateful for her unfailing commitment. It was great to have Rosie Dath training with us as well as Mel. They made a great goal keeper team. Lastly, and most importantly, our captain Maddie Phillips showed strength and experience as centre forward and right wing. She helped set up many a goal. Her best performance (against Felsted) was sadly for us her last Hockey match at King’s. It seemed fitting that Maddie and indeed all the 6a’s played with such determination and skill. There was a tinge of sadness to our last training session of the term as we said farewell to Mel, Amy, Molly and Maddie. They’ve set an excellent example to the younger players and so we will miss them very much. Team from: Alice Brett, Willa Briggs, Emma Bryant, Eliza Cocksworth, Amy Gault, Seiya Grant, Melanie Gregg, Lucy Hogg, Paige Kennedy, Phoebe Lundy, Rowena Mockridge, Molly Nainby-Luxmoore, Madeline Phillips (captain), Samantha Ruston and Isobel Taylor.

Results Epsom

Won

1-0

Duke of York’s 1st

Won

7-0

Cranleigh

Lost

0-2

Brighton

Won

2-1

St Edmund’s 1st

Won

2-1

Eastbourne U16A

Lost

0-7

Haileybury

Won

4-1

Sutton Valence

Won

5-0

Sevenoaks

Won

3-0

Hurstpierpoint

Won

3-1

Felsted

Won

4-1

GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – 3RD XI CTN

The thirds had a fantastic Hockey season, only losing three games at the start of term to very difficult opposition. From the very first training session I could tell that the season would not only be one full of hard work but also fun. The girls turned up to every training session positive, enthusiastic and always in good spirits. We worked hard on specific tactical plays throughout the term such as stepping forward to the ball and driving hard down the right wing in order to beat our opposition on their weak side. The girls picked this up quickly and after the first three matches a definite change in performance was evident. Gradually the girls gained confidence in their ability and everyone found their place within the team. Our best game of the term was against Felsted, everything seemed to fit into place, our passes flowed beautifully and we used the space effectively. Jenny Mbu and Ellen Kennedy played wonderfully as a pair working the ball into the circle effortlessly.

Also played: Rose Dath and Amanda Milton.

Autumn 2013

GIRLS’ HOCKEY The strong defensive line up of Tereni Ateyobi, Cherie Cheung, Elizabeth Hale, Sabrina Kitson, Anna Fenwick and Rachel Barry were a formidable barrier for any opposing attackers and their determination to keep our defensive circle clear was unwavering. Rose Dath was a wonder in goal, her precision and fearlessness gave the team confidence and a drive to score when a goal was saved. Caroline Campbell, Lucy Tynan, Helen Ferrett, Olivia de Gaudemar, Maise Briggs and Bea Lee battled relentlessly throughout every match in midfield to provide the forwards with goal scoring opportunities. The forward line of Jenny Mbu, Ellen Kennedy, Amy Hurst, Ellie Paine and Alexandra Ham took these opportunities and did not give up until they had converted that all important goal. The team scored a total of 30 goals throughout the term and the top goal scorer was Jenny Mbu with a strike that made any opposition quiver! Despite the fact it was such a large squad, spanning three year groups, the team dynamics were fantastic and each and every girl brought something valuable to the pitch.

3rd XI Results Epsom

Lost

0-6

Duke of York’s

Won

6-0

Cranleigh

Lost

0-9

Brighton

Won

5-0

Eastbourne

Lost

0-2

Kent College

Won

7-0

Haileybury

Won

1-0

Sutten Valence

Won

3-0

Sir Roger Manwood’s

Won

2-0

Sevenoaks

Won

1-0

Hurstpierpoint

Won

1-0

Felsted

Won

4-0

It is always a pleasure to coach players that want to learn and improve, the girls should be very proud of, not only their success seen on the score board, but also their enthusiasm, determination and fun they brought to this Hockey season!

Hockey 3rd XI

THE CANTUARIAN

GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – 4TH XI ERL

This has been an enjoyable season from start to finish. As a new teacher to the school, this has been my first attempt at coaching senior girls’ Hockey, spanning three year groups. Immediately the girls were very accepting of me and there was great camaraderie from the outset amongst them. There is no doubt that the girls’ fitness, skills and teamwork improved remarkably as the season progressed. We agreed that core skills would help us improve as a team, so we worked on strong and accurate passing of the ball, sweeping the ball, short corners, tight marking, using the width of the pitch to transfer the ball quickly down the lines and feeding the centre forward with good passes in order to score. As we began to focus on a new skill each week, the effects were mirrored by our results. By half term we were able to play our matches using all of the skills and this resulted in a strong 3-0 win at Haileybury. From then on our matches started to take better shape, we were more positive and motived, and everyone enjoyed the matches that followed. The highlight of the season was probably the match against Sevenoaks’ very strong side. One problem, due to exams and illness, we only had ten players. However, even with one girl down, we went on to play better Hockey than ever before, each player putting in twice as much effort because they knew they needed to. Everything in the match was precise. Our passing was crisp, our transfers quick, our tackling strong and well-timed and our finishing in the D quite superb. We scored some memorable goals – whether punishing hits from the top of the D or working it round the keeper and Jemima Compton finally got the hat trick she had always dreamed of!

Parker. Laura Kendall, a committed, quiet but deadly, defender played at centre back. Emily Aisher and Sophie Sood took it in turns to be goalkeeper making some remarkable and tricky saves. In the midfield, Katherine Gardiner, Rose Yanni and Georgia Piper needed to be extremely fit both to sprint back in defence and lead the attack. That they did – feeding balls from our defenders right onto the sticks of our attackers. In attack, we had Minty Chapman, Cecily Guild, Jemima Compton and Bea Kulak, with Jemima and Cecily being our chief goal scorers. They had the knack of being in the right place at the right time and as a result, both produced some very impressive goals. In conclusion, the fourth team improved remarkably as the season progressed. This was down to skill, determination, desire to improve and commitment to fitness during training sessions and listening carefully to my shouting from the side-lines! Thanks to Oliver Day for his support in coaching the team. Team from: Emily Aisher, Sophie Sood, Dena Movahedyan, Laura Kendall, Sophie Honychurch, Antonia Martin, Maddie Parker, Katherine Gardiner, Rose Yanni, Georgia Piper, Minty Chapman, Cecily Guild, Beatrice Kulak and Jemima Compton. Results:

St Laurence 1st

lost

1-7

Cranleigh

lost

1–4

Brighton

lost

0–7

Eastbourne

draw

0–0

Haileybury

won

3–0

Sutton Valence

lost

0–1

Sevenoaks

won

3–2

Hurstpierpoint

lost

0–1

Roger Manwood’s

lost

0–1

In defence this season, Vicky Morrison played at sweeper. With her formidable hit from the 16 yard line and rarely letting players by her, she made the backline a strong one. She was ably assisted by Dena Movahedyan, Laura Kendall, Sophie Honychurch, Antonia Martin and Maddie

Autumn 2013

Hockey U15A XI

Hockey U15B XI

GIRLS’ HOCKEY GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – U15 A XI JW/GPT

This was a much better season of Hockey than the balanced statistics might suggest. The first half of term was tough, with six away matches, many against some notoriously strong opposition. We made trips to Cranleigh, Eastbourne and Brighton on successive Saturdays, with only the comfortable home victory against Clairmont midweek as some light relief. The first of these trips was certainly the most pleasing: after losing by a number of goals last year, the girls managed to withstand some intense early pressure before levelling the game at 1-1 shortly after half-time, and, with bodies on the line (Aggie, Ruby, Imy), looked favourites to sneak a second towards the end. But it just wasn’t to be, unlike the two trips to the south coast. Sadly, on both these occasions, the opposition were the resurgents, each coming from a goal behind to win with the final play of the game. Draws, at least, would have been fair results, but the lesson had to be learnt – effort and determination must be sustained, and fitness kept in the back pocket at all times. After a couple of comfortable victories against Ashford and Haileybury, the biggest test of the term came against a strong Kent College side; a thrilling end-to-end 4-6 defeat was a superb finish to the first half of term, and reminded everybody that this is a squad with some real talent and grit. Although the second half of term didn’t quite live up to expectations, with a fair draw against Sevenoaks (up again), and defeat to Hurspierpoint, the season ended on a high with a late trip to Felsted, where everything came together in a commanding team performance, and a deserved 4-0 win. The team was admirably led at the front by Captain Laura Patterson, whose phenomenal stick skills have dazzled throughout the term, and from the back by Georgina Barton, whose superb reading of the game, tackling, carrying and distribution earned her, with Laura, joint player of the season. The spine was completed by Millie Lee, who, especially in the Haileybury and Felsted victories managed to run the midfield, ably supported by Bede Tyler and Sohana Roots. Rose Meddings and Issy Adamson really grew into their roles at right and left back throughout the

Autumn 2013

season, tackling, out-letting and transferring the ball with increasing ease, and an ever-solid Clara Tayler marking the centre forward. At the front, the rotation of strikers could be devastating, with clinical finishing from Dom Alexander, the tenacity of Ruby Bansal (most annoying marker ever), the pace of Aggie Weiner and the skills of Imy Hurley, whose ambition, 3D skills and finishing (never forget the reverse-stick deflection to crown the Felsted victory) made her the obvious choice for Most Improved Player. For the second half of the season, Katy Crowther’s goalkeeping kickers were ably filled first by Louise Gerth and then by Kelly Sin – the C team’s Most Improved Player … obviously! The girls worked hard and with insatiable good humour throughout the term – a real pleasure for their coaches, especially with the disruption of the U16 tournaments in the middle of the season. We wish them well as they go on to senior Hockey, many of them, no doubt, competing for spots in the first team. Team from: Isobel Adamson, Dominique Alexander, Ruby Bansal, Georgina Barton, Katie Crowther, Louise Gerth, Imogen Hurley, Millie Lee, Rose Meddings, Georgia Parker, Laura Patterson, Maddie Reyniers, Phoebe Robertson, Sohana Roots, Kelly Sin, Clara Tayler, Bede Tyler, Agatha Weiner Results P11 W4 D3 L4

GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – U15B XI Rafe Budden and CFBVR

Although results show a very mixed season both coaches were very pleased with how the girls improved throughout the season. The team gelled together, showed great spirit and enjoyed their Hockey; with only a few grumbles when the word ‘fitness’ was mentioned.

GIRLS’ HOCKEY The main aim of this season was to work on the girls’ basics, retaining possession, setting a press and making space; by the end of the season huge improvements could be seen. The game against Felsted towards the end of the season was undoubtedly the best Hockey the girls played, and even though only a 2-0 victory many chances were very narrowly missed. Navitha Gidoomal’s 12 goals and Louise Gerth’s goal keeping were both key to the score lines in many of our games and meant that our goal difference was a very healthy +five. It is important to mention that Hockey is a team game and every player was vital to achieve these statistics. In defence this season was Charlotte Morcom, Phoebe Robertson, Chantelle Augustine-Aina, Ilona Bogle, Alice Zhelezko and Mary Forsyth who all often put their bodies on the line in order to stop the opposition scoring. The midfield consisted of Susannah Bryant, Sarah Craig, Irina Mironosetskaya and Georgia Parker, these players all put in a lot of leg work in order to support the defence and build an attack which was amazing to see. Lastly our forward line up whose inter-linking play kept us with a positive goal difference: Navitha Gidoomal, Juliet Wolff, Madeleine Reyniers and Molly Buchanan. Many of the girls had to play in positions that they had never played before (to help out the coaches!), one of whom was Sarah Craig who played in every position apart from goal keeper, which she did offer one game when Louise Gerth was unavailable! Our thanks go to Charlotte Morcom for leading the side and being a calming presence during both training sessions and matches, often leading the warm ups and offering valuable insight. Team from: Charlotte Morcom (Captain), Chantelle Augustine-Aina, Ilona Bogle, Susannah Bryant, Molly Buchanan, Sarah Craig, Navitha Gidoomal, Alice Zhelezko, Irina Mironosetskaya, Charlotte Johnson, Georgia Parker, Madeleine Reyniers, Phoebe Robertson, Juliet Wolff, Mary Forsyth and Louise Gerth U15 B XI Results: Epsom

Won

2-1

Duke of York’s

Won

4-1

Ashford

Won

3-1

Cranleigh

Lost

0-2

Brighton

Lost

0-2

Sutton Valence

Drew

1-1

Sir Roger Manwood’s

Drew

1-1

Sevenoaks

Lost

0-1

Hurstpierpoint

Lost

0-5

Felsted

Won

2-0

Eastbourne

Lost

0-1

St Edmund’s

Won

7-0

Sevenoaks

Lost

3-7

GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – U15C XI CTN

What a season this team had. Even though only a few of them had played Hockey before and the results weren’t always in their favour, to watch them come together as a team and give 110% every game was just brilliant. It didn’t matter whether it was Debbie running up the wing beating every player or Lara dominating the play from the centre of the park, the fact was, it was always an out and out team performance. A special mention goes to Lara-Lynn for her outstanding effort every game. Even when the girls were down, she would be running around bringing them up. A true leader and all round good player. Team from: Kelly Sin, Daily Best-Shaw, Urmila Budhrani Dadlani, Daria Egorova, Lena Lockyer, Olivia Norris, Alice Petre, Natalie Ray, Sarah Sharma, Lara-Lynn Shohet, Cordie Speed, Miriam Swindley, Eve Van de Weg and Lauren Walker.

THE CANTUARIAN

Hockey U15C XI

Results St Lawrence

Loss

0-5

Cranleigh

Loss

1-8

Brighton

Loss

0-5

Eastbourne

Drew

0-0

Sevenoaks

Loss

0-7

Hurstpierpoint

Loss

1-5

GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – U14A XI AJH

There are no guarantees when you start a season. You have high hopes and expectations, you want the best for your squad and you trust that you will not only improve as the season goes on, but that you’ll have fun along the way. There are the cold hard statistics that would suggest that our season, at least in terms of a win:loss ratio, wasn’t particularly successful. Certainly, our first two fixtures exposed some gaps in our team structure and it was clear we had some organisational work to do. Miranda ‘Dobbie’ Dobson was our Player of the Season. She was simply astonishing in goal, reacting

Autumn 2013

with amazing skill and athleticism to strikes on goal. Opposition coaches on many occasions made a point of complimenting her talents and there is no doubting she has bright goalie career a head of her. Determination was not in short supply and we played with a positive and optimistic outlook in all our games. Our Achilles heel was in the opening twenty minutes of each game. Despite all efforts and carefully thought-though pre-match pep talks, I was at loss as how to invigorate my team to play to their full potential from that initial whistle. All too often the damage was done before the half time break and, whilst the second half would see a stoic and skilled fight back, we didn’t look convincing as champions. Perhaps the season would have run differently if (and these are always big ifs!) the ‘sudden death’ penalty shoot-out had gone our way when playing for a place in the final of the Kent Cup. We had had a superb tournament, won our group and come strongly through the later rounds. A brilliantly saved penalty denied us the chance of a trophy and a taste of regional competition- that’s sport though, especially tournament Hockey. All players contributed to the harmonious and entertaining team spirit. Stephanie was a Sweeper in most games and provided an excellent combination of talent and tenacity when spoiling the best efforts of the opposition, ably supported in defence by Tia, Hannah and Grace. This ‘back line’ grew in confidence over the season becoming increasingly resilient to even the most skilful attacks and reading the game with accuracy and understanding. The team’s mid-field saw the Captain, Emma Chaplin, holding court and carefully governing the

distribution of the ball. Her work-rate was phenomenal, running tirelessly for the duration of every match and setting an example and standard for her team to follow. Amelia on the left of the pitch and Sophie on the right help to create a dynamic and effective half line, with a capable skill set and, when truly on song, an astonishingly deft touch and ability to link together. Zoe worked exceptionally hard on the right wing, speed, agility and a fiercely competitive approach ensuring that any defender had to be wide awake to contain her sniping runs. Lulu, Velvet, and Phoebe also supported the attack, providing strength and depth to the squad and adapting to a wide variety of different positions. Mollie Coleman was an outstanding player this year. On the pitch she was a human dynamo. Her value-added to the side was immense and when injured we missed her sorely. Either in the midfield or up front, Mollie was always hungry for the ball and never more than a stick’s length from the action. I have enjoyed coaching the side enormously. They haven’t come away with the plaudits and trinkets that that can affirm a team’s performance, but I have been hugely proud of what they have achieved, have loved my time with them as a squad and know that many of the side will, in the not too distant future, be knocking on the door of the 1st XI.

Team from: Sophie Brownlees, Stephanie Solly, Lulu Hinshelwood, Zoë Lambert, Emma Chaplin, Grace Frearson, Velvet Grainger, Tia Curtis, Mollie Coleman, Amelia Paine, Hannah Burns, Phoebe Mantovani, Miranda Dobson Results Cranleigh

0-5

Brighton

0-5

Eastbourne

0-4

Kent College

2-2

Simon Langton

1-0

Sutton Valence

0-0

Duke of York’s

2-0

Colfe’s

0-0

Highworth

2-0

Bromley High

0-0

Cranbrook

0-0

Sutton Valence

1-1

Sevenoaks

0-4

Hurstpierpoint

2-0

Felsted

0-5

Hockey U14A XI

THE CANTUARIAN

GIRLS’ HOCKEY GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – U14B XI RPS & ASDS

No matter where you start it is always important to end where you want to be; and so we live in the present, able to look back on history as a journey; able to review this term’s Hockey rather like our end of term Disney feature film (Tangled) with laughter, songs, vitality and a happy ending. From the very beginning it was obvious we were going to have fun. The girls were all so wonderfully enthusiastic and determined to do their very best, supporting each other in their progress towards being awarded the Director of Sport’s Team of the Week following 3 victories from our last 4 matches of the term. Saffron Turl was superb as our left wing; one of the fastest on the pitch, she would always outrun the opposition and send the ball shooting across the ‘D’. Emi Smith was similarly decisive on the right wing, standing wide and in space, and would often embarrass the opposition as she skilfully ran the ball around the outside of them and, without fail, crossed the ball to our two centre forwards. Yet, it was our match against Cranleigh that really got the crowd jumping around when Emi scored our first goal of the season – elation was an understatement as the girls swarmed around her and the parents on the side-line went crazy with applause. We never looked back. We didn’t mind how good the opposition were, but instead we focused on the beautiful game that we liked to play; receive, pass and run. Maddie Reeves was superb as our captain; ever competitive, she would be found all over the pitch ‘bossing’ the game, making tackles, and sending passes, but it was her short-corner strike against Sir Roger Manwood’s in the first two minutes that put us into the lead – not just for the match, but also for our winning stretch of 3 games at the end of the season. Lucy Heptinstall was awarded the most improved player of the season as she moved from playing in defence to being one of our most formidable attackers – culminating with her wonderful goal against Hurstpierpoint and her persistence of attack and hassle towards the Felsted defenders. Alongside Elizabeth Guild – our wonder goal scorer, speedy sprinter, silky dribbling

Autumn 2013

and snap-back skills champion – the two of them gave us both power and incision up front. Throughout the season Emilia Forster (vice-captain) was often voted player of the match; she would never give up, perfecting the interception and running as if she was on long life Duracell batteries. I was so pleased that she was rewarded with a fine goal against Hurstpierpoint – a great example of being tough and strong on the ball in front of goal. Our other vice-captain, Carenza Love, was similarly invaluable as she ruled the right hand side of the pitch, receiving the ball across her body and sending it with pace and accuracy to Emi on the right wing. Carenza’s confidence and skill on the ball was unrivalled as she could pick out a telling pass, and send out our short corner strikes, with unflappable consistency. As the season grew, and our away match tally extended (2 matches at Blores, 2 at Polo farm, and 6 further afield), we gelled together as a team. We used the brilliant ‘crowd-the-D’ tactic against Haileybury to stop them scoring more than one goal in the second half, and we used the time on the bus to show some inspirational movies (such as Narnia, The Hunger Games, Music & Lyrics, and some GB Hockey clips from the Olympics) that gave us all vision and a reason to win; pain is temporary but quitting is forever! Roxanne Greenwood dominated our defence and took all our 16 yard hits with precision, whilst Poppy Mitchell, Victoria Honychurch, Hannah Yokoyama and Isabella Taylor tackled with aggression – refusing to let the opposition to get close to our goal. Yet, nobody was ever confined to one particular position on the pitch: Hannah played our final match as goalkeeper, and Annabel Edwards played the whole season as the team’s ‘super-sub all round player’; either tackling in defence with aggression, or attacking down the left with both joy and surprise – none more so than when she basically scored the final goal of the season (against Felsted), hit from the edge of the ‘D’ with the tiniest of touches from Elizabeth before it went in the goal. And so the season is now over. The journey has ended. We have finished the term with three fabulous victories, and have ended the term exactly where we want to be. Everyone will know that the progress these girls have made has been quite exceptional. From a beginning of inexperience, unsure of the rules, and uncertain of our

GIRLS’ HOCKEY skills, we have ended the term looking as good as any ‘A’ team a school can provide, and quite probably one of the best ‘B’ teams I have coached. Well done to all, and thank you for being such fun.

Hurstpierpoint

won

2–0

Felsted

won

4–2

Team from: Annabelle Edwards, Emilia Forster (vicecaptain), Roxanne Greenwood, Elizabeth Guild, Lucy Heptinstall, Victoria Honychurch, Carenza Love (vicecaptain), Antonia Marsden, Poppy Mitchell, Maddie Reeves (captain), Emi Smith, Isabella Taylor, Saffron Turl, Hannah Yokoyama.

GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – U14C XI

Results

An enjoyable and promising season. In the infancy of their time at King’s, the girls have adjusted well to the demands, regulations and standards of King’s Hockey. The majority of the team had never picked up a stick before, thus their improvement, enthusiasm and dedication was faultless. It was a season whereby we built on core skills and team cohesion week on week. We focused on developing a variety and strength of passing, defending and getting past an opposition. In addition we had specific sessions focusing on areas we deemed weaker from our matches including skills such as meeting the ball, hitting on the run, quick free hits, approaching attackers and quick transfer of the ball from the left to the

Ashford U14A

lost

0–7

Duke of York’s U14A

lost

0–1

Cranleigh

lost

1–8

Brighton

lost

0–5

Eastbourne

lost

0–3

Haileybury U14A/B

lost

0–6

Sir Roger Manwood’s

won

2–1

Sevenoaks

lost

1–3

NLH

Hockey U14B XI

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right wing. And of course, we cannot forget our weekly “Fitness Friday” session working on cardiovascular endurance, core strength and agility.

Lauren Robins- Burnard, Maria Korovina, Olivia de Vitry d’Avaucourt, Frances Young, Moyosore Reis and Hannah Boehm. (No specific captain- all had a go!!)

The girls have worked tirelessly in these sessions and despite the scoreboard from the season they have improved greatly and have begun to show refined stick skills and an understanding of the game. As the season has progressed the girls have become a very tight knit unit which has aided and complimented their improved Hockey. I believe they are all great friends both on and off the pitch, which has created a fantastic team atmosphere and air of team work amongst them. They all cooperate, communicate, and help each other brilliantly creating a very cohesive team.

Results Ashford School

Lost

0-4

Cranleigh School

Lost

0-4

Brighton

Lost

0-5

Eastbourn College

Lost

0-4

Sutton Valence U13A

Lost

0-5

Sevenoaks

Lost

0-4

St Lawrence U14A/B

Lost

0-9

In defence, Cecily Carey has performed consistently throughout the season providing a solid wall of defence wherever she is placed with persistent strong tackling and fast, resilient sweeps out of the circle. She was ably supported by Eleanor Alexander, Zoe Morris and Lina Kuttig who have all grown in confidence and skill throughout the season. All three of these girls have become “gutsy” defenders, hassling opposition and charging out for short corners. Amber De Ruyt was our goalie and provided fearless performances week in and week out against some strong opposition. In midfield, Nikol Kaplan, Asya Alekhina, Lauren Robins-Burnard, Maria Korovina and Olivia de Vitry d’Avaucourt were called upon to play the ‘running positions’. They supported defence superbly and aided attacking breaks brilliantly. In attack Frances Young, Moyosore Reis and Hannah Boehm despite the evident lack of goals, supported midfield and created and pursued some admirable attacking chances. Moyosore must be accredited for her consistent explosive sprints towards goal every week. In conclusion, despite the lack of results on paper this season, this team have improved leaps and bounds from September and have great potential for next season. They have been a fantastic team to work with, providing infinite enthusiasm and drive to improve. Best of luck for next year girls! Thank you to Miss Marks and Miss Balsdon for their support, advice and knowledge this season. Team from: Cecily Carey, Eleanor Alexander, Zoe Morris, Lina Kuttig, Amber De Ruyt, Nikol Kaplan, Asya Alekhina,

Autumn 2013

SWIMMING SWIMMING TEAM REPORT Pam Murray

During the Autumn Term, our top swimming pupils competed in championships and opens. Patrick macLachlan and Carita Hui both won three titles each at the East Kent Championships. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winning time in the 100m freestyle gave him 3rd place national age group rankings. Patrick, Carita, Joseph Shailer and Victoria Leigh all created new school records this term. The first two rounds of the inter-house challenges took place, with Grange and Luxmoore the current leaders. The most improved swimmers this term are Gemma Taylor and Michael Hofmann (first half term) and Natsuko Saegusa and Jake Shepherd Barron (second half term).

Individual Results: Patrick macLachlan East Kent Record, School Record and 3rd placed national age group rankings 1stEast Kent InvictaChampionships

100m Free

1st East Kent Invicta Championships

50m Free

1st East Kent Invicta Championships

50m back

1st Crawley designated open event

100m free

Carita Hui 1st East Kent Invicta Championships

50m Butterfly: school record

1st East Kent Invicta Championships

100m Backstroke

Patrick macLachlan, Victoria Leigh, Joseph Shailer - who all broke school records this term.

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SHOOTING SHOOTING TEAM REPORT Keith Jefferies (shooting Coach)

The Autumn term has been extremely busy for our shooting team with the winter season starting in October and targets being shot for both individual and team competitions.

medal for his group and in the pairs, Ellie and Olivia’s consistently high scoring, placed them third overall. The Gearing cup is awarded annually to the shooter with the highest average at the end of the school year. Last year the cup was presented to Maude Leigh Pemberton (JR) for an exceptional season of shooting, not only for the club but also the county and the England squads. This year the cup is again presented to another JR lady, and although this year’s winner is yet to shoot for England, we hope Eleanor Paine will be selected for the 2014 International in February.

This year we have 6 entries in the Kent Individual leagues and our A team is shooting in division three of the British schools’ league. In the individual competitions Harry Nichols is leading division one with Ellie Paine joint second, Olivia de Gaudemar is leading division two, Christian Sinclair is leading division three with Hugo Serisier joint second and Will Tudor is joint second in division four. In the team competition, Kings ‘A’ is leading division three with only one round to go! This is the best start to a winter season the club has ever had and shows the dedication of the team to their sport. In addition to the club competitions Ellie, Olivia and Harry were also selected to shoot for the Kent County Junior squads and Ellie was selected to shoot for the Kent County Ladies squad as well. Although we have shot four out of the 10 rounds in the Inter-County leagues we are still waiting for results to be returned. At the beginning of November the British Schools hold the English long range championship at Bisley, with competitors shooting 20 shots at 50m which is double the distance normally shot in the postal competitions. This year three of the club’s top shots travelled to Bisley to compete for the title against 95 other entrants. Harry Nichols shot first for King’s and scored 193 out of 200 which placed him fourth overall in the championship and then Ellie Paine and Olivia de Gaudemar both shot 189 out of 200 placing them 18th and 20th respectively. Running concurrently with the championship were competitions for each age group and a pairs competition. In the age groups, Harry’s excellent score won him the gold

Autumn 2013

FENCING FENCING TEAM REPORT Hugo Smith (6b LN) (Captain of Fencing)

Just before the start of term a few of the fencers did a week of preseason training in Budapest with outings including a visit to a famous cake restaurant and one of the largest indoor water parks in Europe. This set them in good stead and in the first U20 competition of the season Justine Lambert and Maria Constantinescu who finished 19th and 28th respectively. There was success in the mens’ event too with Hugo Smith finishing 14th, James Odgers 45th and Oliver Hope 62nd.

of the top young fencers in the country. However, they fought well with Daniel Min and William Kirk scoring some lovely hits to the arm and wrist of their opponents. Congratulations to Oliver Hope, Maria Constantinescu and Hugo Smith who will compete over the Christmas Holidays for the South-East Region in the Winton Cup. This term it has been wonderful to see the older fencers and beginners getting along so well and with results like this the team should be very proud and look forward to competing in the South-East, National and Public Schools Championships next term.

As can be expected the returning fencers arrived at school in high spirits and the club was reinvigorated with a large number of beginners in both Shell and 6th Form. A new arrangement with fencers split into two groups in the training sessions helped everyone to progress much faster than they have and it was good to see how quickly the newcomers seemed to settle in to their new environment. The second major event was an U17 event in Lancashire where almost everyone who went improved on their result from last year with Oliver Hope finishing 18th, James Odgers 22nd and Arran Hope 37th. In the women’s event Justine Lambert finished 12th. The same week Hugo Smith headed up to Bristol where he competed in his first senior event, finishing 53rd with a National Ranking of 12th. In the build-up to the final competition before half term everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the Shell taster sessions were bringing in a lot of interest making the club seem alive and happy. At the next event, another U20, sadly tiredness seemed to catch people out and results sagged a little, but it seemed to encourage people to improve and Oliver Hope lead the senior team to a victory over Tonbridge in the team’s first school match for some years. In the senior team Oliver Hope stood out particularly for both his leadership and athletic skills. The junior team also won but were sadly unable to follow this up against a very strong Whitgift side including some

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RIDING THE KING’S SCHOOL EQUESTRIAN TEAM REPORT

double clear in the discovery class following a three day competition at Keysoe, and Alex Maclean (MR) who won an open 1m class.

Áine Wright (6a CY)

In October, Maxim Nicholson (GR) and Aquilla Erskine (BR) (pictured below) qualified at the Honourable Artillery Club to compete in the Uniformed Services Show at Woolwich Barracks. Both riders rose to the challenge of competing on the King’s Troop horses which were allocated to them on the day of the competition. They both performed exceedingly well despite the challenge of an unknown ride with both riders achieving contestable clear rounds. Other team members have also enjoyed successes in the ring including Isobel Barrett (MR) who has qualified for Junior British Novice second rounds as well as another

Autumn 2013

ROWING THE ROWING REPORT JW

The term started with the cobwebs being blown off at Cambridge Autumn Regatta on the first weekend back. This was not for a result but to find out what a good summer can do to racing fitness! The Remove Doubles of Siggie Aylward and Kevin de Jong, and Freddie Allinson and Henry Padgham raced very well both just missing out on seeing each other in the final. The Four of messrs Bryant, Best-Shaw, Barton and Forbes raced themselves into the final but again just lost out to a raced hardened club crew. After that event the rest of September was spent mixing newcomers into boats bringing their understanding up to

speed as much as possible and some time in small boats developing more boat skills. The first Head Race was the local Maidstone Small Boats Head. The First Four of Brady, Best-Shaw, Bryant and Barton coxed by Hastings, were unlucky on not being the fastest boat overall due to a clash but showed there was some good speed. There was a win for the Remove crew of Allinson, de Jong, Padgham and Aylward coxed by Statman as well as good rows in their respective doubles. The Remove girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; double of Knight and Hofmann also showed they had some good potential being very competitive in their age group and the one above. The next race was in London and was to remind the seniors what was involved in a Tideway race. In miserable conditions the pairs and doubles combinations raced more for the experience than the results although again some good promise was shown by the senior pairs.

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At the start of half term a small contingent raced at Weybridge Silver Sculls with Harry Best-Shaw using his single to keep his training going through the break. Angus Forbes and Luca Pawson raced in their singles and then joined gaining a respectable 14th in the double. At the end of the half term the senior squad gathered for a mini training camp in Henley to build a bit of squad spirit and to spend time sculling, as opposed to rowing, in different boats getting the benefit of doing something â&#x20AC;&#x153;different but the sameâ&#x20AC;?. At the end of the two days of training the boys were to race at Henley Sculls then ideally the day after at the Docklands Small Boats Head. After two days of good paddling with some boys having very little sculling experience but learning a great deal quickly the various combinations raced with some very useful and encouraging results. The double of Pawson and Forbes improved on their previous performance impressively. Another notable performance was de Jong in his single as well as in the double with Aylward. Mention must be made of Alex Ardley-Ingham who raced in his single for the first time in tough windy conditions.

A key event which gives us a gauge of how we are doing against the big rowing schools is Hampton Small Boats Head, a junior only event with plenty of competition in all events. The senior boys split into pairs with some good results, coming well up the order in both J16 and J17 pairs. A Remove quad showed some promise coming in the top half finished off by a good row by the Remove girls as well. The next event was Burway Head with a good contingent racing there. Best-Shaw and Brady led the way with a win in J17 pairs against some notable Eton opposition with a mixed removes and fifths girls quad showing some real potential. This all led up to the Fours Head raced over the Championship course from Chiswick to Putney. The J16s gained from the experience if slightly overwhelmed by it but the top Four of Brady, Best-Shaw, Barton and Bryant coxed by Hastings had a storming row to finish 7th in Junior coxed Fours. This finished off the competitive side of the term although there was still time for Christmas Eights, the annual bunfight in the bigger boats down the lake, and a very useful open training day with visiting clubs Herne Bay, Deal and Maidstone.

The Docklands Small Boats Head was unfortunately cancelled so we were back on the lake in the eight putting some of the different things learnt into practise in the bigger boat.

Autumn 2013

SAILING SAILING TEAM REPORT HROM

Autumn term 2013 provided good wind and good competition and the sailing team responded with a series of great results. Under the captaincy of Henry Cross, King’s has set new records for sailing. The term’s tally for team racing came to: races sailed, 29; won, 25; lost, 4. King’s A won trophies at two tournaments including the Kent Schools Team Racing Championship and on the way we managed to beat some of the top schools on the sailing circuit. The key to our success was not just individual performance, much as our helms sailed very well, but in team performance with each boat in a three boat team working for the others, knowing when to go for speed and when to hold up the opposition to ensure a winning combination. So a term in which King’s won races in a range of venues and in different conditions against Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ardingly, Millfield, Kent University, and a combined Kent Schools’ team must go down as one of our best on record. We also had a crack

at Under 21 Match Racing at Weymouth. Realistically we knew as the only school team against top universities we had to put something special together to win any races at all. Our match racing trio of Henry Cross, Nathan Howell and Richard Stonehewer-Smith certainly achieved that and Weymouth has also become a second home for Eliza Cox for training in the catamaran spitfire class. Sailing at King’s owes everything to the enthusiasm of our many sailing pupils. House sailing, which set new records for speed as the wind strengthened to almost gale conditions, was again one of the high points of the season. Well done to everyone on taking part and also to our King’s SC instructors for their excellent work in teaching others how to sail not least a promising Junior King’s group. As ever, we owe a huge amount to John Hope for keeping the boats in such good order and to Mr Burson-Thomas for his support and expert power boat driving. Results Kent Schools’ Team Racing, Redoubt SC, Hythe: King’s A 1st, King’s B 3rd, King’s C 8th / 10 teams.

Kent Schools’ Team Racing Champions at Redoubt SC

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BSDRA Autumn Team Racing, Westbere lake: 2nd King’s v University of Kent, Westbere lake: won 4-1 ‘Jack Cade’ Schools Invitational, Bough Beech SC: King’s A 1st=, with wins against Sevenoaks A, Sevenoaks B, Tonbridge and Ardingly.

11th

Boughton

12th=

Luxmoore & Linacre.

Individual Helm: Nathan Howell (MO), Junior Helm: Max Newhouse (GL), Irvine Trophy: Henry Cross (GL)

House Sailing 1st

Galpin’s A

2nd

School House

3rd

Meister Omers

4th

Grange

5th=

Harvey & Marlowe

7th

Galpin’s B

8th

Walpole

9th

Mitchinson’s,

10th

Jervis

Autumn 2013

THE INTERVIEW ‘Your Starter for 10’: Mr Smiley Phoebe Lundy (6b CY)

Going up to meet Mr Smiley in his classroom, I wondered what I’d discover about the ever-smiling Biology teacher…

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you at King’s? I bumped into a group of 6a filming their house entertainment, I need not say more… What has been the most memorable lesson you’ve ever taught at King’s? A few years ago, the first lesson for Shell and there was a snake loose in the classroom!

Why did you choose to become a teacher? When I left university, I saw teaching as doing all the things I loved; biology, sport and living out my Christian faith.

If you were the headmaster, what would you change about the school? I would definitely install 6 grass tennis courts on green court.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? I wanted to be a farmer because I was a classic boy with a love of tractors. What would you be if you weren’t a teacher?

If the Common Room was burning down, which three teachers would you save? Leigh who looks after us in the Common Room, then Major Vintner who would be able to sort out the rest of the rescue effort!

I would either be a brewer or a handyman or possibly working for a church. What do you love most about King’s? Well besides lunch, which is the highlight of the day, working alongside talented and interesting individuals (staff and pupils) who generally appreciate what you do. How would you describe your typical day? Using every minute. What has been the highlight of your teaching so far? When pupils’ eyes are opened when doing practical or dissection work, in particular the heart and eye dissection – the eye-popping wonder *chortle*

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OVERHEARD... AND HOWLERS Posted under the banner ‘OKS William’s PROGRESS after King’s’: Happy World Toilet Day from everyone on San Lucas Island! In a French lesson: When failing to deduce the meaning of the French word “excision” (circumcision) Teacher: ‘think of a Jewish tradition which might be illegal in France.’ Pupil: ‘genocide?’

Accidental email to ALL teaching staff: ‘Stop clogging’ A 6a: I’ve been peer pressured into using bad grammar 6A RS : “Are elephants born in eggs?” … from Remove script: ‘Stephen decided to remove unhealthy things from his diet and to add in some exorcise.’ Q: What does ‘fiat’ mean in Latin? Pupil: … Car?

6b lesson. Group discussion on ‘Sailing to Byzantium’. Pupil: ‘Mrs X, what’s the significance of the mention of herbs?’ Mrs X: ‘Excuse me?’ Pupil: ‘It says, ‘O holy sages’? Mrs X: (laughing whilst realising that the question was serious). ‘Erm, anybody give a different definition of “sage”?’ (ignoring the fact that the plural of the herb sage, is sage) Eventually, someone does. Pupil: ‘Ooooohhh, that makes a lot more sense…’

Autumn 2013

THE CANTUARIAN

2013-2014

THE CANTUARIAN Vol. LXXIX

CONTENTS Editorial

This and That

Focus: The Grange

100

Focus: The Fashion Show

105

Focus: Millie Knight

115

Art and Writing

117

Valete

125

Trips and Expeditions

126

Drama and Music

132

Miscellany

142

Sport

150

The Interview

202

Overheard and Howlers

203

EDITORIAL Maddie Phillips (6a MR)

Spring arrived and with it the pressures of coursework and cold weather but, as you will read, there was also the glitter, glitz and glamour provided by the Fashion Show, House concerts and Drama galore and the ever-popular Valentine’s Day Carnations run by Walpole House which this year actually fell on the 14th February. It was also a term of tremendous sadness as the school said goodbye to Bernie Cocksworth, Housemistress of Harvey House: 2001-2013 and Head of Economics: 2002-2013. She will be greatly missed by all and in particular her girls of Harvey who knew her best as a wonderful Housemistress who was full of fun and a great inspiration. A celebration of her life took place in April in the Cathedral which was a blaze of colour as the congregation followed Bernie’s instructions not to wear black. Her tribute by Marc Dath can be found in this edition.

Lent 2014

The school were very proud to watch the progress of Millie Knight, Paralympic star, as she competed in the Winter Paralympics at Sochi. We were delighted when she was chosen as flag bearer and she describes the experience in an interview with the Senior Editors, also found in this edition. Thanks, as ever, to Mrs Young, Mr McArdle and the team who have worked so hard to bring this edition to you.

Pictured below: An early nineteenth century watercolour of the St Augustine’s refectory recently acquired by the school. It is by William Alexander and shows the ruins of the medieval guests’ chapel eventually to be rebuilt by Butterfield.

This and That Requiescant

Honours

Captain and Poet Sebastian Barker (WL 1958-63 pictured left) died on 31st January. He was an outstanding Rugby player at school, captaining the unbeaten 1963 side, which went on to win the Rosslyn Park Sevens. He was a notable poet, being Chairman of the Poetry Society and editor of the London Magazine. He paid several recent visits to the School, most memorably for the performance of Damnatio Memoriae in the Crypt, an event reviewed in the Autumn edition of the Cantuarian and mentioned in The Times obituary. It is planned to have a Poetry Prize in his memory.

The 2014 New Year Honours’ List included a knighthood for Governor and parent Roger De Haan – for services to Education and to charity in Kent and Overseas. In addition, former Governor Mary Berg was awarded the MBE – for voluntary services to Education, Heritage and charity in Canterbury.

Sir Christopher Chataway, distinguished athlete and former governor, died on 19th January. The School was represented at the Service of Celebration at St John’s Wood Church on 19th March. His OKS sons Adam and Matthew were among those who spoke.

War Memorial The names of twelve OKS and two masters have been added to the First World War memorial plaque by stonemason Gary Newton. It is hoped that the missing of the Second World War can be added soon. On the wall The King’s School Picture Collection has been enhanced by an oil painting by an unknown artist showing the Cathedral and the Dark Entry. The picture dates from the 1870’s and can be seen in the Lattergate Board Room. It is the generous gift of Roger Fearnside, a former Cathedral chorister. An early nineteenth century watercolour of the St Augustine’s refectory has also been acquired. It is by William Alexander and shows the ruins of the medieval

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guests’ chapel eventually to be rebuilt by Butterfield. This picture is now appropriately in the Gilbert Room. News from the Common Room’s This and That The Lent Term often provides slim pickings for a gossippeddler like This and That. The main trouble is, when all’s said and done, few people are appointed and even fewer leave. It’s the wrong time of year. And hardly anyone even gets pregnant, which strikes This and That as a criminal waste of a Christmas holiday. So Lent is not This and That’s favourite. What’s more, he does not understand why, between the Autumn and Summer Terms, we have an abrupt and ungainly sidestep in nomenclature: not content with being mere ‘Spring’, this haughtiest of terms has self-applied a biblical monosyllable in the quest for some sort of validation. What does it imply? Are we meant to be reminded of what Lent stands for: self-denial, moderation, the enforced rejection of chocolate/caffeine/ booze/fun, so that our conduct is subliminally improved? This and That cannot explain. In his bafflement, and in a desperate attempt to cover up the fact that there is hardly any news, he was moved to compose a limerick on the subject; this he didn’t bother to submit to the editors, to save them the trouble of excising it; but if anyone would like to read it, write to me with your address and proof of age, and I’ll pass it on. And as it happens, there has been some news after all. Will Bersey is back, for one. Doubtless fed up with slogging up the hill to St Edmund’s every day, he has returned to King’s after five years away to replace Howard Ionascu as Director of Music – a post capably held during the Autumn Term by Nick Todd. Already Mr Bersey has made a positive impact, not least among the staff, who are more than grateful that unlike his predecessor he doesn’t sadistically get them to sing by themselves in Congers. Meanwhile, James Soderholm of the English department crawled into a chrysalis over Christmas, shed his old skin and emerged in January as Ms Kate O’Connor. All that remain of his old self are his intellect, and his accent. In other staff news, David Scott had his book Around the World in 18 Elements published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The swine. Yes, This and That is not ashamed to admit a crushing case of literary envy: not one of his six-volume collections of philosophical musings has yet been picked up by a publisher. Nor his book of poems, which was inspired by his love of cheese.

Lent 2014

To cheer himself up, This and That gatecrashed the Charity Fashion Show on Saturday 1st February. Now, he doesn’t understand the concept of fashion, wearing as he does only the finest tweed jackets and snazzy, royal blue trousers. But this was impressive stuff, not only raising a huge amount of money but also showcasing the talents of some very creative King’s pupils. Rosanna Millinchip née Corp had a Christmas wedding. Mike Turner accompanied Milo Reddaway (6a SH) on the tough man challenge. Congratulations to Adam Stennett on becoming the new Deputy HSM of Grange from September 2014; also to Christina Astin who becomes Director of Partnerships with state sector schools from September 2014. Louise Comber and Dave Scott will jointly take on the role of Head of Science. Mrs Rachael Heskins (head of Spanish) and Mrs Rebekah Beattie (Drama) both have been granted maternity leaves, whilst we are delighted to say that Craig and Becca Newlyn had good news with the birth of a daughter Jemimah. The Galpin’s Matron Jenny Wardell retired at Easter as did Graham Bodey our Network Manager, both of whom will be greatly missed. In other pupil news, congratulations must go to Georgios Topaloglou who achieved a gold award in the British Physics Olympiad Round 1, and to Hal Evans who achieved a gold in the Physics AS Challenge. Dawn Lau, Patrick Li and James Pye all received silver awards in the AS Challenge. Meanwhile following on from her actual Olympic adventure (who are those scientists kidding?), Millie Knight was selected as one those honoured to carry the Commonwealth Games baton on its route when it passes through Kent in June. Canterbury Ladies, led by player-coach Jen Wilson, and featuring Eliza Brett (JR 2008-13) and Gen Masters of Broughton, finished top of the National Premier League. They lost the final of the play-offs, but still qualified for Europe.Finally, in OKS news, Christopher Marlowe would have been 450 this year, had he not been stabbed in Deptford in his twenties. Or was he stabbed? Maybe he faked his own death so he could continue to write the plays attributed to Shakespeare without attracting suspicion. Stranger things have happened, haven’t they? After all, I got this job.

FOCUS: THE GRANGE

Mr Dath, Patrick LeighFermor and The Grange Sophie Sood and Olivia Cha (Fifths WL)

Looking at the photos decorating the hallways of The Grange, one can see that Mr Dath’s time there will never be forgotten. After 17 ‘entertaining years’, as he puts it, the King’s School bids a fond farewell to one of its longest serving Housemasters. Times may have changed, but Mr Dath has remained ever-unchanging and the success of The Grange is indebted to this constant father figure. Sitting in his office, he describes, with affection, his time as a parental figure to almost 200 boys over the years. As he reminisces about these memorable times, another email pops up on his computer. He glances over at the screen reluctantly, muttering he will not miss receiving hundreds of emails every day. However, Mr Dath would recommend being a Housemaster to anyone, especially as ‘it is the most effective way to keep young’. We interviewed him during his last few months doing ‘the best job in the world’. How did you choose teaching as a career path? I always wanted to teach, even in France when I was learning to become a teacher it was always something I wanted to do. The only problem was what to teach? In France I thought at some stage of being an English

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teacher, then a P.E. teacher then as I progressed through school they said that I was quite good at Maths and the Sciences and I should carry on in that field, so that’s what I did. I really fell in love with Maths a bit later though, after my baccalaureate, at university when I started to think it was great; but behind my study of Maths I just really wanted to teach. What did you do before coming to King’s? Well before coming to King’s I was at another school called the Oratory, north of Reading, in Woodcote. I stayed there for about six years and I wanted to ‘move up’; I could see myself twenty years on still doing the same job, still working with the same teams and without very much change, it was a very small environment but it tends to be very ‘dead men’s shoes’ there so I decided to apply to King’s. This was in 1988, after the big storm of ‘87 that took down quite a lot of the big trees here. When I first arrived the maths department was run by a German called Dr Malleon, he was very old fashioned, he loved his music and his Maths but he was in fact a Chemist, and I thought I would get on extremely well with him. So when I went around the school, I thought everyone looked happy, people said hello as we passed. I thought this looked like a very good environment and decided if were offered the job I would say yes. Just before I left Dr Malleon said, ‘I think you’re going to get a phone call from Canon Phillips tonight. Are you going to say yes?’ and of course I said I would! So I went back to the Oratory and that evening Canon Phillips called me and asked if I would like the job. I’ve never once looked back.

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How did you become a Housemaster? Well, I’d always wanted to be a Housemaster and so in the 1990’s, when the school became co-educational the Headmaster asked if I wanted to become a deputy Housemaster and so I became deputy of Jervis. I stayed there for about four years and then I decided to apply for Housemaster posts at other schools. I applied to Aiglen College in Switzerland and I got the job. When I returned to the school Canon Philips was waiting for me and Pam, my wife. He asked how the interview went. I said I was offered the job. He said, “I knew you would get it, but did you say yes?” I told him I had asked to deliberate for a bit and he said, “Right think about it until tomorrow and come to my office in the morning.” So I did and he asked me if I wanted to become a Housemaster at King’s. That

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was November 1995 and then I took over The Grange in 1997. How was it in the Old Grange compared to the New Grange? The Old Grange was very much like a rabbit warren. It was full of nooks and crannies. I once counted ten exits out of the Grange including doors, windows and French windows, ten of them! Trying to keep people who were supposed to be in the building, I remember often having to chase some youngsters. It had its good sides on this front because the boys could get out in many ways but so could I if I wanted to catch them. But there were other things as well. I remember in my first year, going from our kitchen to the guest room, the toilets were in that area,

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Mr Dath proudly displays his copy of ‘A Time of Gifts’

and as I was crossing the corridor I remember seeing two legs dangling down. I thought what is happening? I opened the window a little bit and shouted, “who is up there?” and it was one of my boys! He was supposedly revising on the flat roof. He had jumped onto the roof and had his books and a towel and it was beach time for him! Amazing! The other was it had quite a lot of history; when the boys come back they used to go round and say do you remember? Do you remember what happened there? Of course normally it was not something for me to hear but they used to tell me long after they had left the school where they had had a smoking den and where they made beer. So there is a lot of history attached to the old building. When we moved to the current site we were very close to lots of wonderful grounds also steeped in history. But it is different here. One of the obvious things I have forgotten is how close it was to the Shirley Hall and how easy it was just to run over there when the bell rang! Here it takes about 8 minutes at a fast pace! What do you think it will be like for your children not to live in a boarding house anymore?

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Rosie and Sam are twins; they were born in my first year as Housemaster in the Old Grange. I think when we move out of the New Grange it is going to be very weird for them, as they will have lived their whole life in boarding accommodation. It is going to be a quite a shock to the system. Tom has already seen quite a lot of change. He was born when I was deputy of Jervis. Then we moved to Mr Phillis’ current house and then onto both Granges. So he hasn’t lived out of boarding accommodation either. It’s interesting for the kids because they have the best of both worlds. They have their mum and dad here but also their friends very close. Sometimes in the evening I have to chase them out of the boarding house because they have gone to have a natter with their friends, which is lovely. What do you plan to do in your sabbatical? Rest! That is definitely on the cards. We are moving house to live in Sturry so I suspect there will be a lot of things to do in the new house, putting pictures up and so on. So that should keep us busy for a little while. Then after that what we’d like to do is a bit of travelling. The idea was to go on a little tour of the world for a few weeks but that’s going to be difficult because the twins are still at school. We are planning to take a gap year before we retire going around the world and visiting all my old boys. During the sabbatical, reading, I love reading, getting myself ready

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FOCUS: THE GRANGE

for the next stage, getting used to not having 65 boys to look after. So it’s a mixture of a lot of things, as I suspect anyone would have. I think there will also be a lot of walking that is if the weather isn’t as bad as it is at the moment! Mr Dath will be sorely missed by all as such a prominent figure as Senior Housemaster in the school. We look forward to his return (as a tutor in Walpole) in January after his long awaited sabbatical.

Patrick Leigh Fermor Following the fairly recent death of Patrick Leigh Fermor OBE, the esteemed and award winning travel writer, it seems only appropriate that as a Grange OKS we also pay tribute to such an accomplished man. Paddy, as he was known, was born on the 11th February 1915 on the eve of a world at war. He attended King’s for a brief period in what he later described as a ‘stormy’ school career. He was expelled from King’s in a true scandal: holding hands with a local greengrocer’s daughter. Yet this did not seem to hinder him in anyway and he went on to lead a fulfilling life. Immediately after this, he began his infamous year-and-a-half journey on foot from Rotterdam to Constantinople. His most famous novel A Time Of Gifts, described as ‘nothing short of a masterpiece’, is based on this enthralling account of his journey as far as Hungary. After this life changing achievement, he lived and travelled in the Balkans and the Greek Archipelago where he began to develop a love for languages. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he enlisted in the Irish Guards, being half Irish himself. He later became Liaison Officer in Albania and formed a fundamental

part of the Cretan resistance on the front line, during the German occupation. In his most defiant feat yet, he then spent two years in the surrounding mountains disguised as a shepherd. There he built up the bulk of the resistance who played a vital part in the capture of the German commander, General Kreipe. In recognition of his dedication, in 1943 he was awarded an OBE and subsequently a DSO the year after. Abroad, he was made an Honorary Citizen of Herakleion, Crete. His literary works, in addition to A Time Of Gifts, include seven other novels, the most acclaimed being A Traveller’s Tree. This book, about his time in the West Indies, won the Heinemann Foundation Prize for Literature in 1950. Up until his death, at the age of 96 on the 10th June 2011, he lived in Greece in a house he designed and built in his retirement. He was also a frequent visiting member of the Athens Academy. Over the years many have highly praised his work with Peter Levi saying ‘I know of no other account of pre-war Europe which conveys so much so powerfully.’ Mr Dath has very fond memories of meeting Paddy on several occasions, at OKS events, and he proudly shows us a signed copy of A Time Of Gifts which he holds very dear to him. An asset to the alumni of King’s, he is a true example of the spirited and independent people that this school can produce. The finest travel writer of his generation.

Maria Meita (6a BR)

Fashion creates dreams; it is a smoke and a mirror world. This Fashion Show was all about the enchanting, theatrical and impossible world of British Fashion. “It may have to forever remain a paradox for men, just exactly how a woman can manage to stand firmer on the ground wearing a pair of high heels than wearing flat pumps. Forget the centres of mass and gravity, it affects a greater force – the confidence and the selfesteem. May Plato turn in his grave and pseudointellectuals proclaim me shallow, I am ready to declare that appearance is the key.”

Annabel Edwards

THE FASHION SHOW We started this project at the end of 2012, when the whole world was watching the UK – The Olympics, the Jubilee, the split up of N-Dubz – it came as a natural conclusion that we made the show all about Cool Britannia. Quintessentially British paid a tribute to English culture. King’s in itself is a quintessential British establishment anyway so we wanted to combine this with the creations of the aspiring designers, each designer having 5 minutes to convince the audience that the British way is truly chic. As a body of work, it was stunning – full of eccentricity and personality that is the trademark of British Fashion. The show started with a typically wow-inducing collection anchored by Elizabethan crinolines, followed by pieces which tapped into the Great Gatsby mania for Twenties fringing. Then, with hats at the ready, Royal Ascot millinery also had a place into our timeline because it complimented the following 1950’s haute couture collection inspired by the iconic ‘New Look’. The 1960’s ‘dandified’ attitude led by the Beatles, along with go-go boots and the Twiggy phenomenon could not have been overlooked. From there on, designs got downright weird and wonderful courtesy of our Punk designers, while things became somewhat more light hearted at the Festival part of the show. This section delves deep into the tent-ridden fields of Glastonbury as we experienced the phenomenon of idolizing the look of being dragged through a hedge. The festival fashion really summarises the youth culture of today. In a time when shorts are becoming shorter, music is becoming louder and social standards are… (never mind) From t-shirts to tie dye, from flowers to fluorescents, from ripped jeans to barely any jeans, this section covers all walks of the budding generation.” (Elliot Evans) Meanwhile, a Union Jack collection, critical to British identity, provided the Grand Finale. I refuse to believe that it is by sheer coincidence that a country’s flag has become a fashion statement. An entire section of the show has been dedicated to the iconic Union Jack to give tribute to the British unapologetic and

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bold fashion-sense. Fashion is a hungry beast when it comes to tradition and heritage. But, besides the glamour of the fashion show – there is one thing that brought us all there on the night – we wanted to give back to the community. We believe that charity begins at home. Hence, all our funds (More than £15 000!) went towards Strode Park Foundation. A local charity, and one of Kent’s leading providers of specialist care and leisure services for children and adults with disabilities. We believe that helping improve the lives of people with disabilities is the least we could give back to society. In order to achieve this, we had a raffle and an auction selling a huge range of wonderful gifts including Rugby tickets, Paris internships and designer bags. Thinking British, blue, white and red lights decorated Shirley Hall (inside and out) on the 1st February 2014. Also, in order to create the ultimate British atmosphere, the doorway of No. 10 Downing Street stood triumphantly in the middle of the stage, with the catwalk being a smaller version of the Mall. To top it all off, hairdresser Eudu’s glamorous aesthetic transported us through all eras of British Fashion highlighting the question whether fashion is, indeed, a higher form of art. The Limited Edition issue of the ‘Quintessentially British’ magazine was our interpretation of the answer. So, this was the first edition of the King’s School Charity Fashion Show – Quintessentially British! There have been four shows before, but this is the first time in the school’s history when pupils were the models, the stylists and the designers, not to mention singers and DJs. We started as a small fashion show, but due to the support of the school, the Art department (especially Mrs Burrows) and the excitement of everyone involved, we created a fashion show which seemed to appeal to hundreds of people, so thank you to those who came. Our most prized compliment for the night came from Lucinda Chambers, fashion editor at Vogue and wellknown for styling a memorable galaxy of British Fashion stars, who wrote to us saying: ‘I wish most shows could be as fun and exciting as yours was!’

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The Famous Dress that Burned and had to be re-made. Gorgeous design by Chloe Berliand, Jimima Lain and Tzeamara Goddard

Cool Brittania

Georgia Reyniers in a dress designed by Charlotte Hart

Claudia Clifford

The CompĂ¨re: Elliot Evans

Eleanor Hartland

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FOCUS: MILLIE KNIGHT Lucy Dean (6a BR) and Madeline Phillips (6a MR)

As Senior Editors, it was unquestionably necessary to have the opportunity to interview Millie Knight, the youngest ever British member of the Paralympic team. We met Millie in the tucked away study of Marlowe House where we were welcomed with a smile. We sat down to reflect on her outstanding achievements over the past months, and being in the lime-light of the British media as an icon. At the Paralympics in Sochi, Millie heroically crossed the finish line with the outcome of winning 5th place in both the Giant Slalom and the Slalom, alongside carrying the flag for Team GB at the Opening Ceremony. When did you start skiing? I started at the age of seven, with my mum. She was my guide back then, but she had no idea, I just copied everything she did. How did you feel when you were asked to carry the flag? It was a dream come true. It was actually quite frightening before because I was called into a meeting with the BPS (British Paralympic Association) and I thought I was in trouble for something, but then they told me I was going to be the flag bearer. But then I was still very nervous because I was thinking ‘what happens if I drop it?’ because it was really heavy and slippery. Also, I hit all of the icicles that were hanging down… but luckily I was off camera by then. Going into the Games, what were your aims? I basically had two aims. One, to get to the bottom, and the second was not to come last. I did both! What was Sochi like? Well I wasn’t allowed to be with my mum, but the accommodation was lovely, it had Russian doll paintings on the wall. Also, I got to meet loads of other people

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from different countries whom I will keep in contact with, and now I can speak a little German and Russian (she displayed some Russian which we tried and didn’t sound quite as good as Millie.) Although the food at school is much better than the food there! What were your highs and lows? Highs – racing, and lows – (she pauses for a while) leaving. What was your favourite moment? Crossing the finish line four times. Every time I would do a different dance, so there is one called the cheese dance, and then I put my head in my hands and then the other was me waving my hands in the air. But the spectators can’t cheer until the very end so that we can hear our guides so the silence was scary and my mum just wanted to burst, but then the roar after crossing the line was very cool. How long have you been skiing with your guide? Since November, we did four Slaloms together and our first Grand Slalom race was the Paralympics!

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FOCUS: MILLIE KNIGHT How have you dealt with being in the press? Well I got all bombarded at once, but that didn’t faze me. It is normal at school which is nice. But it does mean that I now have over 1000 followers on twitter, but the Script still haven’t followed me even though I have tweeted them a thousand times, all I want is a follow from Danny O’Donoghue. What famous people have you met? I met James Corden who was so funny because he made fun out of wheelchair curling, which the alpine athletes can very much understand, how can I say it in a nice way… due to our differing fitness schedules. I also met David Cameron who said congratulations and keep inspiring others, which was really cool. And then I met Ewan Thomas, who I had supper with and then he gave me his email address, no big deal. How does it feel to be back at school? Really normal, the teachers have been normal and so has everyone else. However, now I debate whether or not to do my prep as I get distracted by what has all happened and I compare the Paralympics with my maths prep, which doesn’t weigh up. But I will get back into things and I’m glad I’m in Remove so I don’t have to take public exams! How has King’s supported you? Amazingly. The Excellence programme has helped me with sports psychology and my fitness which is very useful, although I think I should have a bed in the gym as I spend so much time in there. Also my teachers have been helpful and understanding with my catch up work and the best thing was when I came back, in house, there was a cake with my face on it.

exciting because I love speed. I then have the Europa cup and the World cup coming up too, and then the next Paralympics. But now I will just carry on with my 20 hours of sport a week, which includes Rowing at school and a lot of gym time, and I will still have to go skiing in Austria once a month, but they’re giving me this month off!

Millie then showed us some amazing photos that she had on her phone of the accommodation and the slopes, not to mention her cracking selfies, with the likes of ‘South East Today’ and 10 Downing Street. We were so bemused that this one Remove could do so much at such a young age and still be a normal schoolgirl. She has represented not only King’s but also her Country in a way that no one has done before in the Paralympics, and absorbing her past and future prospects is overwhelming for people like us, but it is very much in her capacity. How much Millie means to the school was shown by a reception in her first assembly back with monumental applause, which she received with typical modesty. It is such a pleasure for us as Senior Editors to do our last feature together on such a fantastic pupil. She said to us to do a shout out to her Mum because of the huge amount of support she has given her, so hello Suzanne! Millie is the perfect example of a person who has been affected by a disease which is life changing, but she is obviously stronger than anything holding her back. She is a hugely inspiring figure who has done things that not many of us will ever do, and that is what makes her special. Millie, as the Prime Minister said to you, ‘you are an inspiration’.

What are your plans for the future? The World Championship in Canada next year where I can do Super Giant Slalom and Downhill, which is so

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ART AND WRITING

HISTORY OF ART ARTICULATION Tatyana Serraino Kalaydjian (6b BY)

Taking part in the ARTiculation competition this year was an unforgettable experience. I decided to apply for it, as I felt it would be the ideal opportunity for me to explore my interest in the subject of History of Art which I intend to pursue at university. Having been chosen to represent the school I began meticulously planning and researching my chosen subject: Giacometti’s Walking Man II. It did not take very long for me to choose this work of art. Ever since I was a child I have been visiting the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, and I have always been entranced by Giacometti’s figures which are exhibited there. I found that as I grew older, my impression of this particular figure changed over the years, and it was truly rewarding to be given the opportunity to express my thoughts about this work of art (twice), and to audiences that were both times very intrigued and keen to listen. This was the real challenge of the competition; preparing a presentation that would not only captivate an audience with its material, but communicate to them my own fascination and passion on the chosen work of art, and invite them to share my emotions. The ‘Heat’ competition was exhilarating. I was accompanied by my two teachers, Mr Felton and Miss Francis, and also some of my classmates which was greatly inspiring and I thank them all for their support. After being shown the presentation room and familiarising myself with the space, I was shown to my seat together with the other contestants who were all very friendly and, thankfully, as nervous as I was. The moment I began talking however, the nerves subsided slightly, and I marvelled at the feeling of standing in front of an attentive audience, who was listening intently to what was being said. I must admit, it makes one feel quite influential. Considering the presentations of the other candidates that were all unique and mesmerising and delivered in diverse yet powerful ways, I was astonished and incredibly honoured when my name was called out and I suddenly realised that I had been

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selected to go through to the finals. The experience was truly great and it was motivating to witness such a variety of talks on modern art. Before the finals at Cambridge University, I received some helpful advice from the judges and also from Mr Felton, and surprisingly had a visit from the BBC which lasted an entire day. Being filmed, interviewed and proudly showing off my school for the ‘Culture Show’ was a very rewarding experience which I made the most of considering it was such a unique opportunity. The finals at Cambridge were thrilling. The other participants and I initially were offered a tour of Clare College, and we had the chance to spend valuable time with each other before the competition. What I enjoyed most about ARTiculation was that the feeling of competitiveness was not a dominating factor. The room was instead bursting with fervour and interest for art, and one could sense that the contestants, including myself, simply wanted to express their passion for their chosen work of art. Once again, all the talks were incredibly captivating, and I congratulate the three winners who are fully deserving of their awards. I would like to conclude by thanking Mr Felton for providing me with this amazing opportunity, as well as Miss Francis and my classmates for supporting me throughout. It was a wonderful experience which has boosted my confidence and broadened my knowledge and interest for History of Art while providing me with the opportunity to gain an insight into how other people think about and express their ideas on art.

DJF Andy Warhol was profligate in his allocation of fame: BBC2’s Culture Show gave King’s a miserly 90 seconds of screentime, enough for a glimpse of Green Court, the Palace Attic and Bailey’s unprepossessing garden façade

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and a few soundbites from our finalist and an irrepressible Charlotte Ward. After a mesmerising, illuminating and inspiring reprise of her response to Giacometti’s sculpture, Tatyana’s name was unsurprisingly first on Culture Show front man Alastair Sooke’s lips when he mused on the likely winner of ARTiculation 2014. Judge and OKS Edmund de Waal was in an unenviable position not least because there was such diversity of responses to the contenders’ chosen works. His words of appreciation, like the event, were a passionate affirmation of the power and the value of art, even if his decision was a debatable one.

hone and refine her technique ahead of the Cambridge final. ARTiculation will return in 2015, certainly bigger and possibly better, and holds the promise of unleashing passionate artistic enthusiasms and harnessing vital personal skills in our sixth formers.

Pictured above: The Finalists with Judge, Edmund de Waal

Harry Best-Shaw’s Hereford Cathedral Mappa Mundi and Sung Pai’s Seoul civic centre had pushed Tatyana hard for a place in the regional heat at the Folkestone Quarterhouse, where an eclectic assortment of offerings jostled for the joint judges’ coveted decision. Subsequently, both Alastair Upton (CE of The Creative Foundation, Folkestone) and Terry Perk (Course Leader of the UCA MA in Fine Arts) were remarkably generous in helping Tatyana

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THE CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION THE PRIZE WINNER FOR THE SIXTH FORM CATEGORY WAS.. Leonie Rowland (6a JR)

Runners up.. Phoebe Lundy (6b, CY) and Alex Sokolow (6b, GL) It was a very difficult decision to decide on a winner with so many high quality entries. The Cantuarian team hope you enjoy reading these winning stories.

‘Genesis, Re-mastered’ Leonie Rowlands “People are awfully two-dimensional these days,” said Eve, lounging on the couch. Her husband, perched next to her, grunted. He was absorbed in his iPad. “Adam?” Another grunt. “You’re so passive.” Grunt. Eve sighed, regarding her husband’s skeletal form. “I’ll take the rubbish out.” She rose, leaving a large indent. The kitchen was a foul assortment of littered table tops and half-eaten take-aways, neglected by Adam and devoured by Eve. Hoisting the rubbish bag – full to

bursting – over her shoulder, Eve trundled into the front garden and dumped it on the side of the street to fester. Hands on her hips, she was about to turn away when a black cat hurtled across her path and dug sharp claws into the rubbish bag. It pulled its paws apart and weekold food spilled across the pavement. Eve sprang back and, losing her balance, fell to the ground. The moon smiled down at her and she blinked, not bothering to look beyond the blackness in pursuit of stars. She pulled herself to her feet, making the decision to let the garbage man deal with the mess, and was just beginning to make her way back inside when her eyes caught something at the bottom of the bag. The plastic was in shreds and a perfect, red apple glinted in the moonlight. Before she could stop herself, Eve rolled up her sleeves, bent down and picked it up. It was cool and smooth in her clammy hands. With the apple nestled in her grasp, she turned back to the house, an unpolished sign that read 3 Eden Estate beckoning her in. As she opened the door, the cat ran past her feet and into the living room. Adam ignored it, switching between work documents and angry birds, his eyes reddening. The cat perched on top of the couch, centimetres from his balding head. Eve took her place next to him – glancing at the animal, but having no energy to do anything about it – and turned the apple over in her hands. “I feel like Snow White,” she mused. “But I don’t need a handsome prince to come and save me. Isn’t that right, Adam?” Adam, predictably, grunted. She stared at the apple. “Would you like it, sweet?” Without looking up, Adam snatched the apple and took a bite. He chewed, swallowed. Then, something miraculous happened. He looked up from his iPad, his eyes wide and afraid. A muted gasp was all he could manage before the cat jumped onto his lap and began to speak:

CREATIVE WRITING Finally, he looks up from that blessed piece of technology. Adam screamed, jumping from the couch as his long fingers felt blindly for his temples.

mistaken; it is only by acquiring knowledge that you have any hope of shedding this greedy, sinful existence. It is only with knowledge that you can hope to go back to how things were, to how things should be. “But what about Adam?”

“My head…” he muttered. The words felt alien on his lips. He bent down and felt for the floor, sitting against the couch when he found it. “Adam?” Eve cooed, kneeling next to her husband. His arm jerked out, pushing her away. “You’ve poisoned me, woman!” he screeched. “Poisoned me!” He crawled across the carpet, stopping only when he was hidden behind the couch. His mind began to fill with thoughts of last month’s gardening that he was yet to finish. He shuddered.

Knowledge can be used for good or for sin, depending on how it is received. All he must do is see the gift I have given for what it truly is. Once again, Eve was lost for words. Go on. The cat curled its tail around its black body. Take a bite.

The woman’s slow heart began to race. She glanced at Adam, curled up behind the couch.

Some people never learn. So closed-minded. Eve looked at the cat. “Are you an angel or a demon?” she whispered, her voice coming out in tremors.

Eve fiddled with the apple, turning it over and over and over in her chubby hands.

If I told you, what would be the point? So concerned with worldly things. “The point of what?” Faith, Eve. Have a little faith.

She looked at the bite her husband had taken, imagined his mind filling up with knowledge. Poison, he had called it…

“Oh,” was all that Eve could manage. A lifetime wasted in sleep. The cat sat in front of the woman. I gift you Knowledge. Take it; it is yours. “Is that why my husband’s in pain?” Eve said in a level voice. “Will you make it stop?” The cat shook its head. You have been led to believe that knowledge is a sin. I am here to tell you that you are

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The apple brushed her lips. Wake up. Wake up. Eve bit into the fruit and her face convulsed. Looking down at the apple, she fought a wave of nausea. It was

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CREATIVE WRITING rotten, its corpse crawling with life not its own. She dropped it and it hit the floor with a pitiful squish. Suit yourself. It was ugly. It was foul. But oh, her mind… Eve felt her eyes welling up with tears. Her mind was beautiful. She could see the whole of creation all at once, spanning before her, and she wanted to know it all. “Get out! Dumb cat,” Adam yelled, shaking his fist. The cat looked at Eve and then scampered, slipping out of the door and into the night. The man peaked from his safehaven, beads of sweat marring his forehead. Eve turned her gaze to the window, just in time to see a homeless man emerge from the spilled garbage, the cat perched on his shoulder and his arms overflowing with as much of their rotten food as he could carry. He caught her eye and winked. Eve inhaled as a small, gold cross glinted from where it hung around his neck.

THE PRIZE WINNER IN THE LOWER SCHOOL CATEGORY WAS.. Eve van de Weg (Rem, LX)

Runner up.. Joseph Shailer (Fifth, GR).

‘Short Story’ Eve Van der Weg The alarm screeches its greeting, harsh in the slap of morning air. Thick fingers fumble in the smooth slush of sleep and she hits the snooze button. Five more minutes. Five more minutes. She’s prepared for it this time, and the clock crashes to the floor, plug following it with all the interest of a slug and thuds down beside it. She heaves herself out of bed and the mattress squeaks in protest, trying to call her back, the give of the fabric under her hands promises to cushion her as she lies back down.

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Five more minutes. Five more minutes. Five more minutes. The hum and clatter of the radiator converses busily with the slow buzz of the coffee maker in the kitchen. Hands press over the countertop, tracing the slickness of coffee stains. Etching over the pattern. Practiced in the mechanics of preparing for the day. The mug, porcelain to the surface of the counter, snaps a warning into the air. She sighs, and Morning drapes a quiet hand across her shoulders, dragging a shiver of lips up her neck. It sighs across her lax mouth and her breath mingles with its own, never quite brushing.

She stops for breakfast on the way to work. The line isn’t long, she has time. The woman in front of her is arguing with the server at the counter, asking if there’s anything healthy on offer, saying that she’s in a rush. Chris, with the little striped hat perched over the quarrel of his hair, fiddles with the faded red of his apron and informs her that this is a fast food restaurant. Her imagination turns the woman’s slim arms into round slabs, her legs thick, her back hanging over the strap of her bra. She blinks and the image is gone; the woman is gone. There’s a sharp pang as she follows the path of Chris’ eyes as he cranes his neck to watch her leave. There it is again, another one. Chris raises his eyebrows at her now, waiting.

Coffee smoothes in tendrils through the air, twisted by the skilled fingers of grey that have clambered through the windows into her apartment. Approaching day tinged dirty by the graze of stubble-rough buildings. The grit of the city.

She puts a hand to the droop of her belly and glances at the taut stomach of the woman in the photo on the wall. Neon bikini bright against the gold of her skin.

She drinks her coffee, sipping between the ghosts rasps of sugar packets as they pile beside the mug, and the sigh of heat lingering over the curve of her lips. Thought spills slowly, silently, through the drift of her mind. Her alarm gives a shrill yell from its sprawled position on the floor and she kicks it as she lumbers past, feet stupid in the chill.

There is nothing much she can do about the way her thighs wobble and chafe.

The screams cut off with the rattle and crack of cheap plastic and the cupboard creaks in sympathy as she tugs it open. The shirt slips over her head. She twitches the hem to properly cover the rolling bulge of her stomach. She contemplates the pasty skin, the droop of her belly button. Thinks about getting a spray tan. She can’t afford a holiday at the moment. She cups the curve of her stomach, too heavy.

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Spray tan, she decides.

She orders, a smile flashed at him. Tight smile back. He hands her the bag, hot, the grease turning the wax paper translucent and its heavy in her hands. She hands him three pounds eighty and lingers, hoping for some sort of recognition. “You need anything else?” She says no and the walk to work is just as long as it always is. She balances on the edge of the sidewalk so that people don’t glance at her as they pass by. Once in the office, her chair swings back and forth, trainers the only things anchoring her to the one spot. She

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CREATIVE WRITING scratches her nails over the texture of the seat. Dull red and curved against mottled blue. Lunch break comes and goes, leaving her fingers slick and she heaves herself out of her chair to touch up her lipstick. When she gets back, Trisha is leaning, arms folded over each other, against the bland expanse of her cubicle wall. Salmon nails trace the loop and sweep of each bright pearl. Trisha gestures lightly to the chocolate bar next to the computer, lips painted in a smile. “Brought enough for everyone. How thoughtful.” She doesn’t look at Trish when she passes her by to sit in front of her computer. The seat creaks, protesting as she lowers herself down, and Trisha disappears. I hate you. She’ll quit, she really will. Once the rent is paid this month. One more month. She paws absently at her own neck, bare. There’s a pang of jealousy. Sharp. It physically hurts. She teases at the edge of her t-shirt, the pattern of roses picking out the misplaced pink in her skin. When she gets a better job, she decides. When she has a little more money to spare, she’ll treat herself. One more month. Maybe she’ll cut down a little on the cokes, improve her figure. Small steps. Baby steps. She rests her fingers over the keyboard, compares the white of her fingers to the white of the letters. She might have to put off the spray tan, if she’s going to quit this job.

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Maybe her new job will pay enough for a real holiday, a good one. Flight over to Barcelona for a few days. She got a postcard from there a while back. From Sandy. Her name had been spelt wrong but the sentiment was nice. The tap of her fingers starts to stick to the keyboard, so she leaves a row of squares on the end of her chocolate bar. Doesn’t finish it. Baby steps. On the way between the cubicles as the day ends, she offers it to Trish. “No thanks, I’m watching my figure.” There’s another pang again. Oh my days, that hurts. She’s sweating now, she feels it stick as she moves her arms, can feel patches of it cling to the tightness of her hairline. She contemplates the elevator. She can feel Trish watching her, the seconds crawl up her neck. She decides to take the stairs. She’s breathing heavily now, as she rests her weight against the railing. Presses more of her skin against it, trying to cool. Deep breaths. Her heart is burning now, she thinks that she can feel it slam against the inside of her chest even as the stairs rush towards her in a dizzying sweep.

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VALETE VALE: GRAHAM BODEY RF

Graham Bodey started at King’s soon after the war – the first Iraq war, around 18 years ago, in the early days of IT in the school. At that time there was just the one server, compared to around 70 today. Windows 95 was newly released, computers could hold about 60 mp3 songs or photos at maximum capacity, and the fledgling internet was just taking off, albeit with painfully slow modem internet connections. Into this rapidly encroaching technical bubble arrived Graham, with a beard you could lose a badger in, a set of spanners, and a solid background in cabling and communications for BT. He soon mastered the vagaries of Windows, and managed the network single-handedly for a while, until expanding hardware meant more people came on board. In the past decade, he has been the network manager, looking after all the cabling and infrastructure for the school. He has managed the installation of cabling for the entire school over the years, including getting through several feet of city wall to link up the St Augustine’s site. He has also overseen the more recent projects of rolling out Wi-Fi throughout campus, and implementing the transition to the Shoretel VOIP phone system. All of this has always been achieved with great cheerfulness and humour, great skill, an eye for detail, and a stock phrase for every occasion. He is renowned in IT for his sayings, (“I resemble that remark….” “I refuse to answer that on the grounds that it may incriminate me…..”), his songs (“I talk to the trees….”) and, of course, the terrible jokes. Many here believe that he writes these professionally for Christmas cracker manufacturers and is, in fact, retiring to devote himself to this full time. He will certainly be greatly missed in the department and by all the staff that he has helped over the years. He has always treated every enquiry with great patience and good humour, and never left a problem unresolved if he could possibly help it, no matter how late into the night it got. Many staff will also miss his handyman skills, with many a desk/chair/bicycle fixed by Graham whilst waiting for the “wretched computer” to sort itself out.

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When I first notified staff via email that Graham would be retiring, I received a flood of responses from so many of the staff that he has helped over the years. I enclose one from Nick Phillis that embodies the sentiment of many of these messages: He is a top man, awesome at what he does and always so willing. And with that willingness comes a cheeriness and can do attitude. He has always been great to me and to Trad, unfailingly patient with the technologically illiterate. He has a huge sense of humour. He told me once that whenever he goes to deal with an IT issue in a person’s study the first thing he does is to check the knob at the front! Graham is looking forward to his retirement, and to spending more time with his wife Margaret and seeing his sons. No doubt he will continue his solo cycle tour of the UK, which he does a coastline at a time, in the summer, often covering up to 50 miles per day, with his camping gear strapped to the bike. No small achievement at retirement age… or any age! I know that I speak on behalf of a great many at the school in wishing him great fortune and enjoyment in his retirement and in expressing the hope that he pays us regular visits. He will be greatly missed by the department, and by the entire staff body. Carry on sergeant!

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TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS

THE KING’S CLIMBING TRIP TO EL CHORRO Harry Brownlees (6b SH)

Climbing at King’s has really started to take shape with a larger group of boys being invited to join The King’s School Climbing Team and go on a week-long climbing trip to El Chorro in Spain. Hopefully the club will continue to grow and next year may see our first King’s girls opting into the club with the opportunity to climb some of Europe’s best bolted climbs. The idea behind the trip was to get some good practice in for the Independent Schools Climbing Competition, this year hosted by King’s, but mostly just to take a break from the daily grind of normal life. The minibus set off before the sun had even risen on Saturday 15th February 2014, with everyone hoping that they would manage to catch up on some sleep on the plane. This was not a problem for some as Dr Hayes and Mr Rowlands soon fell asleep. We arrived in Malaga, mostly stress free, and enjoyed the quick drive to the Finca La Campa in El Chorro. The first day consisted of Major Vintner and Andy Bewick getting their unruly and rebellious bunch organised. The accommodation was

basic but comfortable with a relaxed atmosphere, allowing us all to easily interact with the other climbers that were staying there. We also met a familiar face on the first day; Michael Lichti, whom we had met and climbed with the previous year, he happily volunteered to join us for a few days. The first day was slow as everyone was still tired and after a hearty meal prepared by our live in chefs Major Vintner, Dr Hayes and Mr Rowlands, we played a few games of table tennis before turning in early. Our first day of actual climbing started off with an enjoyable breakfast, which would soon turn into a routine bucket load of freshly made pancakes, cooked with Callum Kolade’s recipe and the assistance of pupils. We wasted little time in getting out to the rock and although the day was not as hot as some people had hoped, we managed to keep the rain away for the day. The feeling of real, outdoor rock was a new experience to some of us and this day was nothing too challenging, with some soft easy climbs to build confidence and get used to climbing outdoors. We climbed until the late afternoon, where we took a break from climbing to get a cold refreshing beverage and then returned to the campsite. The next day brought an ominous cloud hanging over the entire region, threatening high winds and rain. This did not stop us though; we decided to go to a crag that would shelter us from the wind and the rain, so we could get some proper climbing in. The day started with the

Major Vintner and Seb Hayes

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weather fine and lots of other climbers on the crag. However, as the day progressed more and more climbers left the venue, to the point where there was just us left with the wind and rain coming down on us. The shelter of the crag we had been promised did not seem very effective and the rain quickly made the rock hand numbingly cold. This did not discourage us from getting in as many climbs as we possibly could, and although we stopped slightly earlier than usual, everyone still climbed a fair amount. The day ended with the usual brilliant meal cooked for us by the staff and in return the pupils did all the washing up. There was a small log heater in the centre of the room, with our chilled damp bones this was a great place to gather round and where we could relax and interact with the other climbers that were staying there. The fourth day started with the usual filling breakfast of strange Spanish cereals and pancakes. We decided that like last year, we would attempt one of the most dangerous walks in the world, known as The King’s Walk or “Camino del Rey”. We were all clipped in to a steel cable but the huge heights and precariously placed pegs in the wall made it a pretty frightening experience. Unlike last year, we decided not to strip down and wade through the infested waters once the walk was complete, so we

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travelled slightly upstream and crossed at some rocks. A few people fell in but the Major V had come prepared with his little wet suit booties. Although we did the walk in the morning we still got half a day’s worth of good climbing in and still had a refreshing well-earned drink at the end of this fun but at times stressful day. On the fifth day we returned to the same crag as the third day, however a little further on and we had much better luck with the weather. By this point the entire team was confident and competent lead climbers, all able to lead climb without support next to them. This was a big leap from the first day, where both climbing lead and climbing outdoors was a first for some of the climbers. With the sun beating down, it had obviously brought confidence and also with it some serious talent from the climbers and this was generally just a very productive day for all that set themselves challenges and routes. On the last day we had a late flight so we all decided to get an entire morning of climbing in before we had to catch our flight. We all set some pretty impossible tasks for ourselves to try and squeeze every little bit of climbing out of this day that we could. These hopes were dashed on a wall that was a far bigger challenge than anyone

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TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS

L-R: Sebastian James, Enita Dafinone, Aimie Serisier, Emily Champion, Harry Savill, A R Watson, Ferdinand Rous, Rosie Foulkes, Annabel Mockridge, Eleanor Thrupp originally thought, testing staff and pupils alike. This was a good day to go out on, everyone pushed themselves as far as they could and watching everyone climb on the first day in comparison to on the last day there was clearly a noticeable difference, both in skill and confidence. It wasn’t just in terms of the skill at climbing but also the cohesion of the entire team, I suppose this is the benefit of pre-season training, an opportunity to get together as a group and build up trust in everyone’s part in the team. A good trip, and enjoyable location and roll on 2015.

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH GOLD CEREMONY ARW

It is the home of several members of the Royal Family and their household offices, including the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal. I was privileged to act as a marshal for the SE Kent Area – which essentially meant administration and organisation of the 26 young adults to receive their certificates from the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, who had taken over the role of patron from his illustrious father and founder of the Award Scheme. King’s formed the largest representation at this year’s Award Ceremony from East Kent, receiving their Awards in the Picture Gallery and were able to chat with the Prince, enjoy his joviality and sense of humour and recall their experiences from their two years of endeavour. For some it was their expedition to Nepal and the Himalayas, some working with handicapped children as part of their Volunteering and for others helping to build a school in the shadow of Annapurna 2, the scene of so many historical expeditions. The group were well supported by their parents who looked on with pride and all parties were able to enjoy a tour of the historical state rooms and magnificent setting for the ceremony. Fortunately, the weather was kind and we were able to take photographs in the exterior courtyard and record a memorable event.

On February 10th 2014 it was with great pleasure that I was again able to visit St James’s Palace, Westminster to attend the Presentation Ceremony for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award. St James’s Palace is the senior Palace of the Sovereign with a long history as a Royal residence.

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TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS’ CLIMBING COMPETITION ARV

The King’s School, Canterbury in conjunction with The Reach Climbing Wall, Woolwich recently hosted the 6th annual Independent Schools’ Climbing Competition. There was a large entry, 60 pupils from nine schools taking part. With over 15 boulder problems and 25 top rope and lead routes, participants had four hours to complete their climbs. The climbing reached a high standard. Phoebe Nelson from Charterhouse School came in as the strongest lead climber. Westminster School won the team trophy, with Sebastian Tam from The King’s School Canterbury, being

the highest individual scorer throughout the day and also claiming the prize of best boulderer. Each school entered a senior and junior team of three climbers, all of whom had to climb all three disciplines: bouldering, top roping and lead, with the aim of accumulating points at each level. The climbs are graded and scored on the severity of the moves and routes, and whilst you can accumulate a healthy score by climbing multiple routes, the big divide on points is available the more complex the climb becomes. Both teams competed well considering this was the first year that The King’s School have entered this competition having only recently recognised climbing as a sport. A special mention to all individuals who took part as they all produced valiant efforts to put climbing on the map. The senior team consisted of Sebastian Tam (overall Captain of Climbing), Harry Brownlees and Rupert Davis (an incredible effort to compete at senior level as a Shell). The Junior Team consisted of Thomas Hunt, Asher Silver (team veteran with two tours of El Chorro under his belt) and Francesco Serraino (who had to unfortunately drop out, through a fractured shoulder in the competition).

The team with ‘climbing legend’ Johnny Dawes. Above right, Seb Tam

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Climbing legend Johnny Dawes handed out the prizes and was also on hand to give aspiring young climbers advice and encouragement. The competition was a great success and was worth the hours of hard work and training by all staff and climbers involved in the build-up to the event.

CCF SPRING CHALLENGE ARV

Every year the CCF tries to hit the hills and takes the long drive to North Wales where we take over the tranquil setting of Anglesey Outdoors Centre, a stone’s throw from the beach, and ideally situated to run a variety of activities including walking, climbing, abseiling and either coasteering or heading out on gorge walks. 60 members of the The King’s School CCF arrived at the Centre on Saturday evening, and at the end of a long drive from Kent, and a very busy term you would have thought that energy levels would be low, on the contrary, the staff felt excited about the week ahead and the cadets immediately wanted to make use of the outdoor space by grabbing Rugby and Tennis balls, and climbing trees; it was like a new breath of life had been released into everyone as they arrived. After the evening meal we split into our groups, the Gold D of E Senior cadets downstairs to their area and the Remove cadets were split into two groups to either start preparation for the following day’s Bronze D of E Expedition or to be briefed on how the activities sessions would be split up. A long night of kit checks, route confirmation and safety briefs, but all necessary evils in order to ensure that timings are met and the expeditions and activities can take place safely. The following day the groups dispersed to their respective activities. The Gold D of E Group were dropped two hours away, just South of Cadair Idris, in order for them to start their first of four days on expedition, slowly making their way north through the beautiful countryside of the Welsh National Park. The weather was to go through ‘four seasons in one day’ as always in North Wales, but this did not deter the groups on the hills. The following

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three days were very similar, but the morale of the Gold D of E walkers remained high spirited and they camped in some fantastic locations in some marvellous scenery and will no doubt remember the experience for many years to come. The Remove experience back on Anglesey was completely different; Anglesey has its own micro climate, and whilst Snowdonia gets hammered with the wind and rain on a daily basis Anglesey seems almost tropical in comparison. The Removes took part in a two day expedition round the North Western part of the Isle no more arduous than a stroll in the Kentish countryside, with the views being very coastal, and the only difference being the language on some of the road signs and the occasional glimpses of the mountains in the distance. The other two days were spent taking part in a variety of activities. Coasteering, involves the donning of a wet suit, buoyancy aid and helmet before traversing the local coastal rocks and jumping into deep water. Sadly, not everyone got a chance at this as the activity is tidal dependant and so some of the groups went by minibus to take part in gorge walking. This activity is no less tame and involves the same kit, however rather than jumping into the sea the groups walk up a riverbed, against the flow of the water and explore the holes and plunge pools formed by the water running off the mountain. Both groups had a fantastic experience and were very grateful for a hot meal and a warm shower on their return to the centre. The final part of the activities was with Mr Rowlands on Holyhead Mountain with another climbing instructor employed for the duration. Holyhead Mountain is a standalone feature and situated within the RSPB Nature Reserve. However it is also an approved area for adventurous activities and being situated on Anglesey, for reasons mentioned earlier, makes it a great venue to climb all year round. Groups would report to the mountain and would be given the opportunity to climb and abseil to their hearts’ content. Overall, this was a great trip and enjoyed by all from beginning to end, well apart from the really wet bits that the Gold D of E groups had to experience with heavy packs on; but then if it was a walk in the park, they wouldn’t be earning the prestigious award.

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DRAMA AND MUSIC

THE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA CONCERT CTN

The Chamber Orchestra’s Sunday afternoon concerts provide a most enjoyable opportunity to experience the wealth of musical talent at King’s and they attract an ever-growing following. It has become customary for the March concert to showcase some of our finest pianists alongside newly written student compositions and this year the main work was Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat in which each movement was played by a different musician. We shouldn’t be too surprised at such programming as this glorious work was given its first performance, with Mozart as soloist, in between acts of Dittersdorf’s Oratorio Esther! This was the last of three piano concertos Mozart wrote in Vienna in 1785, at a time when he relied heavily on composing and performing piano music to make a living. The rich orchestration includes horns, trumpets and timpani and, for the first time, clarinets instead of oboes. A particularly attractive feature is the interplay in the second and third movements between the piano and a lyrical wind quintet of flute, two clarinets and two bassoons. The soloist in the first movement, Allegro, was William Wong who gave a commanding performance with bravura passage work and his own concise but effective cadenza. The beautiful slow movement, Andante, was apparently so successful on its first performance that the audience demanded an encore! Jason Lo performed the solo part with great sensitivity alongside some exquisite wind playing from Lewis Cullen on flute and John Gabriel on bassoon. The finale, Allegro, danced along effortlessly under the fingers of Natalie Yip who perfectly conveyed the sparkle and wit of this joyful music. In between movements the Chamber Orchestra played works by Charles Ives and John Gabriel. The Unanswered Question, written by Ives in 1908, is a mysterious and atmospheric piece ideally suited to the Shirley

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Hall’s warm acoustic. A hushed string chorale, played behind the screens, represented ‘the silence of the druids’ while a solo trumpet at the back of the stage repeatedly asked questions of an ever more agitated flute quartet. Cadentes Angeli, an astonishingly assured new work for strings and percussion by 6a Music Scholar John Gabriel, received a compelling first performance with driving string lines and surging climaxes enhanced by bass drum and suspended cymbal. The King’s School Chamber Orchestra played throughout with great style and conviction, conducted by Andrew Pollock who devised and presented the whole programme.

THE CHORAL CONCERT: CARMINA BURANA CTN

The annual coming together of the Choral Society and Symphony Orchestra also served, on this occasion, as the debut performance of these groups under new Director of Music, Will Bersey. In the two year cycle between Shirley Hall and Canterbury Cathedral, this year’s secular setting invited the choice of the wild and exuberant Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, famed for its much quoted opening and closing chorus ‘O fortuna’, as well as the suggestive celebration of such un-monklike earthly delights as drinking, gambling, dancing and lovemaking! The evening’s entertainment began with an orchestral overture, the ‘Danse Bacchanale’ from Saint-Saens’ Samson and Delilah, which featured the virtuosic oboe cadenza of Robbie Ellison (TR 6b), alongside some superbly articulated string work, haunting melodies from the woodwind and a wonderfully colourful array of textures from the percussion section. A short break enabled the choral society to assemble and soloists Gillian Ramm

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(soprano), Luciano Botehlo (tenor) and Giles Underwood (bass) to take the stage for the Orff. Carmina Burana opened with breath-taking force as a choral society of some 150 singers, including a ‘Regazzi’ choir from JKS, lifted effortlessly over the 80 strong orchestra in the famous ‘O fortuna’. A controlled sombreness followed as the forces paced themselves through the short song settings that form an hour’s worth of music, including the male voice drinking song ‘In taverna quango sumus’ and tenor/swan solo ’Olim laces olueram’, featuring bassoonist Francis Bushell (GL Sh). As the work eased through it’s 28 movements towards the penultimate chorus ’Blanziflor et Helena’, the choir tackled the extremely challenging choral colours and fiercely complicated text with great skill, thanks to the expert training of chorus master Mr Nicholas Todd, who rehearsed with the choral society, accompanied by Mr Stephen Matthews, every Thursday evening throughout the term. He, alongside all the performers and audience members, cannot have failed to be exhilarated by the closing ’O fortuna’ which brought about utter

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commitment from everyone on stage, and a standing ovation from a thrilled Shirley Hall audience.

THE BAILEY HOUSE CONCERT Serena Wong (6b BY)

The evening was cheerful, relaxed and magical. There was clearly great enthusiasm for the concert and all students willingly contributed in one way or another. Throughout the night, the musical talent of the Bailey girls was in evidence. Moreover, this talent was expressed in many different ways, all of which were creative and entertaining to watch. Overall, the concert was a wonderful experience and everyone had a part to play.

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DRAMA AND MUSIC Jacqueline Tsui and Shubhra Jain opened the concert with a meaningful poem It’s Funny How by Heather Noble, which reminded the audience of the love and spirit we share in the house. This was followed by a playful piano duet from Jacqueline and Florence Williams, which put a smile on all of our faces and added liveliness to the atmosphere. Afterwards, Tatyana Serraino demonstrated her piano skills with an impressive interpretation on a nocturne written by Chopin and Claire Tak also took breaths away with her improvisation of ‘Road Trip’ by Jon Schmidt. Group performances subsequently followed. The 6a’s sang ‘The Bare Necessities’ with Maria Constantinescu giving an interpretive dance in a bear (punning on ‘bare’) onesie. The 6b’s sang ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’ while recreating scenes from the Lion King, starring Noor Mubarak’s teddy bear Chance. Both performances were splendid and showcased the creativity and musicianship of the students. Everyone had lots of fun. The evening ended with Maria’s heart-warming video of life in Bailey. Special thanks must be given to Mrs Allen and Miss Smit for organizing the event, and to all our tutors for supporting us.

LUXMOORE AND MEISTER OMER’S ENTERTAINMENT DJF

Food for Thought The brown velvet curtain parted and maestro/mastermind Miles emerged in his black velvet jacket to unleash the combined forces of MO and LX in a glorious rendition of his arrangement of ‘Food, Glorious Food’ – sweet, swelling and seductive. Choicer fare followed in Stephen Matthews’ Suite Menue – a tart Charlotte Russe, alluring Crème Caramel, serial Viennese Whirl and

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Gershwinesque Mississippi Mud Pie all washed down with a breathless swirl of Irish Coffee redolent of the below-deck shenanigans in James Cameron’s Titanic. The playing under MJM’s baton was slick and convincing. The fatal acoustic of Shirley Hall claimed some victims in ‘Toad in a Hole’, but Raeffe Gibson’s Badger was a model of sonorous gravitas worthy of a young Simon Callow. Olivia Bagshawe gave Rat a humorously affected quality, Igor Lenterman was a solid Toad and Ruby Bansal an artfully ingénue Mole. Against a startling strobe the Wild Wooders cavorted with bacchanalian abandon. After an unconscionable pause, Honoury Cheung and Natalie Yip performed with gusto and glee a Fauré piano duet, a Berceuse with a kick. MJM’s infectiously witty reworking of Psalm 153 with recipes from Mrs Beaton’s Cookbook was given the slick attentions of a seasoned octet. Tuning into the sober and nuanced bilingual staging of Proust’s Madeleine Moment proved difficult, but Broadley and Bansal, de Vitry d’Avaucourt and de Montalembert gave it their best shot. The first half concluded with a muscular and uplifting reading of Albatross, the Luxmoore girls galvanised by Madalé Jooste. The boys opened Part Two with their house song, ‘Yesterday’, warm, wistful and winning. An ambitious amalgam of literary Tapas with accompanying on-screen illustrations unfolded absorbingly, although audibility was an issue. A quartet of the Sheppherd-Barrons, Del Mar and Nairac enthralled with ‘The Whiffenpoof Song’, before crowning the perennial Spam sketch with a pulsating finale. MJM resurrected WSG’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for the occasion and Lizzie Trelawny-Vernon (Ophelia) and Stanley Pughe-Morgan (Rosencrantz) delivered stand-out cameos in this alternative Victorian burlesque, supported by well-drilled acting from the cast. The concluding King’s Week Tea began with a wordless Bach Bourée and climaxed with an uplifting chorus of ‘Now to the Banquet we Press’, in which India Roestenburg’s sultry Senior Mistress and Raeffe Gibson’s stolid Senior Master were visual foci amidst a riotously joyful ensemble.

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DRAMA AND MUSIC THE MARLOWE HOUSE CONCERT Alicia Fowler (6a MR)

The Marlowe House Concert, as usual, provided warmth on a cold winter’s evening. Mr Pollock had managed to pull together pupils of all abilities to perform two orchestral pieces: Gershwin’s ‘Strike UpThe Band’ and Purcell’s Rondeau. Following this was Phoebe Robertson’s captivating rendition of ‘Allegro’ from Sonata in G, K.301 on the violin accompanied by Mr Matthews. Then it was the turn for Madeleine Parker to make her solo debut with ‘Landslide’ by Fleetwood Mac, a simple yet mesmerising performance, in which Madeleine showed her talent for rhythm, and her deftness on the guitar. On a completely different, and jazzier note, one of our music scholars Jebin Yoon took it away on the piano with ‘The Man I Love’ and ‘I Got Rhythm’, both by Gershwin. The audience were completely taken by the Barber Shop Quartet’s rendition of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’, a piece arranged by Alex James, which included Jack Lee as a guest. Following swiftly from this was a break from music; Minty Chapman’s performance of ‘Why I hate School But Love Education’, which had been judged as the winner in the annual Chapter House Declamation competition held in King’s Week. Then the Marlowe House Choir performed their tuneful version of Neil Diamond’s ‘I’m a Believer’, that with only a few practises sounded professional. Jebin Yoon then took to the stage again to portray his set of skills on a different instrument, playing Gershwin’s ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’, this time on the violin. Jacob Werth’s debut to the Marlowe concert was in the form of ‘My Funny Valentine’ by Rogers and Hart, and ‘All Of Me’, by Marks and Simpson. It proved to be an enjoyable and funny rendition of both, showing his musicality and deft guitar playing.

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Closing the solo performances was our House Song arranger, Alex James, who lulled us with performances of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 3 No.2, which cleverly blended into Debussy’s Clair de Lune. Penultimately was the infamous house song performance. This year, it was Foster the People’s ‘Pumped Up Kicks’, conducted by Alicia Fowler. As usual, this piece was a crowd pleaser, seeing the whole house perform. The concert was brought to a rousing conclusion by the Marlowe House Orchestra, who performed ‘Clog Dance’ by Herold (arr.Denwood). My thanks to all who attended and took part but especially to Mr Matthews who accompanied the soloists and to Mr Pollock for his expertise in selecting suitable pieces and encouraging and cajoling the pupils to enjoy playing music together. Special thanks also goes to Alex James for his contributions to all of Marlowe’s music events.

THE GALPIN’S AND HARVEY HOUSE CONCERT Hugh Rowlands (Remove GL)

The Galpin’s/Harvey House concert of 2014 was a wonderful display of the wealth of talent at the disposal of both of these houses. The pre-concert drinks took place in the Peter Stone Room where the audience were given a foretaste of what to expect as their champagne was accompanied by some improvised jazz. Then the party moved over to St Alphege’s which had been set up for the concert thanks to the hard work of Paul Barton-Hodges and his technical team. The concert opened with the runners-up of this year’s house song. Harvey House proved their worth with a pitch-perfect performance of Alan Menken’s ‘Under the Sea’ arranged by Rosie Taylor. It was evident why they

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had placed so well, as the voices merged beautifully. Next up was the Galpin’s Close Harmony Group. They sang Karl Wallinger’s acclaimed pop-song ‘She’s the one’. Directed by Lewis Cullen, this was a group of great calibre who performed with sensitivity to the music. A special mention must go to Henry Cross for his astute solo all the way through. Harvey’s second act came after this, with the Guild sisters, Cecily and Elizabeth, performing the lively and humorous ‘Mirror Duet’ by Mozart. A Galpin’s duet followed suit as two of the younger musicians in the house, George Palmer and Francis Bushell performed Pleyel’s 2nd Viola Duet. This was then followed by two solo vocalists from each house. Paige McCullock sang ‘I’ll Follow You into the Dark’, which calmed the room a bit, but this atmosphere was soon broken by a rousing performance of ‘Where is the Life that Late I Led?’, by Alexander Farrow accompanied by Stephen Matthews. Mr Matthews did marvellously well, considering he was given the music at the beginning of the concert, a true professional! The audience were then treated to the first inter-house performance of the evening; a string quartet. Cecily Guild, Hugh Rowlands, Francis Bushell and Tim Fairbairn delivered a musically intelligent performance of Henry Purcell’s Rondo from Abdelazar. Another vocalist in the form of Alexander Sokolow took to the stage next performing his own piece, ‘Go Easy’, which was a true hit with the audience.

professionally and delivered a sterling performance. The final act of the evening was the Galpin’s/Harvey Quartet – consisting of the most senior musicians, Lewis Cullen, Henry Cross, Rosie Taylor and Lucy Duncanson – who performed two close harmony numbers. ‘The Long Day Closes’ was conveyed with understanding as it was clear the singers understood the music well. Finally, ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’ showed their class and talent as they performed with great panache, a fitting end to a very enjoyable concert.

THE MITCHINSON’S HOUSE CONCERT ESL

On Saturday 8th March Mitchinson’s house held their annual House Concert in the atmospheric venue of St Alphege’s.

Three classical numbers followed in quick succession. Jason Lo’s dazzling performance of the 1st Movement from Saint-Saens’ Cello Concerto in A Minor left the audience on the edge of their seats. Lucy Duncanson and Rosie Taylor then serenaded the audience with their tasteful rendition of Vivaldi’s ‘Laudamus Te’. Finally Jack Paterson performed Carl Nielsen’s less familiar ‘Fantasy Piece’ on the Oboe, which was a fitting end to the classical section of this concert.

Maddie Jamieson opened the performances, setting a high standard with her beautiful rendition of ‘Cry Me A River’ by Michael Buble. This was quickly followed by Jemima Chesterfield, faultlessly performing Stravinski’s ‘Chanson Russe’ on the violin. James Kerr’s vocal performance of The Zombie’s ‘She’s Not There’ was spontaneously accompanied by the 6b girls as backing vocalists and received rapturous applause. The Mitchinson’s Sextet was a new ensemble this year, comprising strings players: Jemima Chesterfield, Siobhan Casha, Rhiannon Jones, Ellen Kennedy, Charlie Knox and Luke Omnet, performing ‘Two Rondeaux’ from Abdelazar and the Fairy Queen. Eleanor Hartland and Siobhan Casha completed the first half of the concert with a mesmerising rendition of ‘Heaven’ by Brian Adams on voice and piano.

As we entered the final stretch of the concert the theme seemed to turn rather more sentimental. Pippi de Bree’s gentle cover of Arthur Hamilton’s ‘Cry Me a River’ was fittingly followed by the Harvey House Close Harmony Group who sang Drake’s ‘Hold On We’re Going Home’, creating that gentle placid atmosphere. The penultimate act of the concert was the much awaited Galpin’s House. ‘Mushanga’ by Toto arr Lewis Cullen, was a robust display of musicality and class as the boys held themselves

The Mitchinson’s Wind Band, ably led by Bess Hale, put on a toe-tapping performance of The Muppet Show Theme, which was enjoyed by everyone. This was contrasted with a wonderfully melodic rendition of Ed Sheeran’s ‘I See Fire’ by Bertie Gibbon and James Griggs. The 6b girls’ close harmony group, comprising: Siobhan Casha, Jemima Chesterfield, Ellen Kennedy, Rhiannon Jones, Eleanor Hartland and Helena Barton, once again displayed their talent for singing with a very polished

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performance of ‘Feeling Good’. The Mitchinson’s House Concert has never been just about music and it was Angus Forbes’ turn this year to captivate the audience with his V for Vendetta dramatic monologue. Siobhan Casha rounded off the individual performances with the mesmerising ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from Les Miserables on the harp. The house song, ‘Sweet Child Of Mine’ by Guns ‘n’ Roses provided the finale of another superb Mitchinson’s House Concert.

motivate the parents to donate lots of money towards the raffle!

Special thanks must go to Helena Barton and Jemima Chesterfield for organising the event, to Benjamin Methven for compering the performances and to Hugo Serisier and his team for the lighting effects. Also thanks to Stephen Matthews for accompanying the soloists and to Steve Bree and Paul Barton Hodges for their technical support.

After dessert, it was time for the raffle. There were some amazing prizes to be won, the highlight of course being twelve bottles of Cif! The 6b’s were great waitresses and managed to persuade parents to buy as many tickets as possible so all the prizes could be won, some people being extremely lucky on the night.

THE GRANGE AND WALPOLE HOUSE CONCERT Lottie Johnson (Rem WL)

This year, Walpole and Grange came together for the annual charity concert and dinner at Birley’s. It was a really lovely evening, and we managed to raise lots of money for the two charities that had been chosen. This year Walpole had chosen Songbound as their charity and Grange raised money for King’s College Hospital Charity. The evening began with speeches from Isobel Brooks, Mr Dath and Mr Chandler. Mr Chandler leads the paediatric and adolescent neurosurgical service at King’s College Hospital. He also is one of the designated neurosurgeons to the King’s College Hospital regional adult brain and spinal cord tumour service, which covers South East London, Kent and East Sussex and is the largest brain tumour service in the UK. This year was especially moving because it was Mr Dath’s last year as Housemaster, and hearing about the amazing work that King’s College Hospital does really helped

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After this, the concert got underway with some excellent performances by pupils from both Walpole and The Grange, while the parents and 6a’s enjoyed a delicious meal in between musical and dramatic interludes. All the performers sang and played really well, and the evening was really fun and enjoyable.

Overall, it was a wonderful evening; the meal was delicious, the performers all played and sang brilliantly and we managed to raise over £2000 for the two charities.

BAILEY/ LINACRE HOUSE PLAY: ‘WITHER, FOORSOOTH?’ DJF

Whither, Forsooth? A Soirée of Tragi-Comic Gems in Honour of the Bard. Doctor’s Pidoux’s irrepressible inventiveness invested her latest artistic offering with a delightful and dizzying array of spoof readings of Shakespeare’s masterpieces, interspersed with parodic madrigals sweetly sung by Will’s Own Warblers, under the Gallic baton (or should that be baguette?) of maestro Maximus Codpiece of the Loon Plage conservatoire, stylishly played by the lean, lithe, walrus-moustachioed Louis Ewart. The intimate environs of Linacre front hall briefly hosted hybrid blooms of surreal scope and baffling incongruity. The pace and range of the divertissements kept the mind titillated and the funny bone tickled in a conception of zany wit, memorably MC’d by Carita Hui as Miss Lettis Spray – an excited

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Romeo gets romantic inspiration from his wig

Keeping abreast of Shakespeare...

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Above: Cleopatra considers Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great gravitas, below: The whole darned lot of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;em

and excitable spinster – and the dashingly debonair and archly silver-tongued Professor Sir Titus Feste-Fox (a masterfully roguish performance from Ed Bryant). Maestro Ewart’s presence in this loopy arc became clear with the closing revelation that Shakespeare was, in fact, a Frenchman, a perfectly sensible conclusion to reach after the foregoing hour of unbridled insanity. The opening Korean Hamlet could not have been bettered for subversive silliness, and found in Sung Pai’s manic prince and Helen Westlake’s uncomprehending and increasingly derailed Ophelia an unforgettable pairing. To a skirl of pipes the callisthenic trio of oriental witches – Dawn Lau, Hannah Choi and Serena Wong – threw their mesmerising and occasionally disturbing shapes at Patrick Chan’s bemused Macbeth in what was arguably the evening’s stand-out skit. A lithe Jack Chapman faced the irresistible kohl-eyed seductiveness of Darcie Moore in a cinematographic take on Antony and Cleopatra which played heavily on the B of Cecil B. DeMille, and balanced the skittish charm of the Outram boys with Ivan Shishkanov’s bruiser of a Roman bodyguard. We passed from the frenetically glitzy to the sedately cerebral with Bertie Pedrick (Stephen Fry) and Gus Courtauld (Hugh Laurie) nicely catching the absurdity of directorial over-analysis in bringing the bard to the boards, before two delightfully demotic versions (a trans-estuarine

Dream and a SW3 Lear) returned us to the mean streets. Harry Churchill’s Oberon was butch and streetwise, Harry Vavasour’s pleading Demetrius needed a slap and Georgie MacDonald evinced female guile aplenty. Lear fared less well but there were memorable moments as Charles Macpherson’s Stringfellows roué felt the pinch from the cynically heartless Flo Williams and Maria Constantinescu (Goneril and Regan) while Lizzy Steell held herself primly in reserve as a corrupted Cordelia. A US version of Romeo and Juliet ran down the curtain on an evening of unrestrained hilarity with a break-neck résumé showcasing Jack Vavasour’s sumptuously upholstered Juliet, George Booth-Clibborn’s gawky Romeo and the multi-tasking George Howard-Smith and Finn Reece (whose slaughtered Tybalt brought tears to the eyes), all narrated with dead-pan aplomb by Aaron Milton.

‘The callisthenic trio of oriental witches – Dawn Lau, Hannah Choi and Serena Wong – threw their mesmerising and occasionally disturbing shapes at Patrick Chan’s bemused Macbeth in what was arguably the evening’s stand-out skit.

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MISCELLANY

THE CONFIRMATION The Confirmation took place on 26th January, 2014 in Canterbury Cathedral. Presiding, the Rt Rev’d Trevor Willmott, Bishop of Dover Those confirmed were:

Junior King’s

Linacre

Walpole

Olamiposi Awosika

Semilore Akingbe

Isobel Helme

Similoluwa Ayeni

Christian Baker

Olivia Lark

Annabel Biloune

Alexander Compton

Sophie Lark

Daniel Hoffman

Augustine Courtauld

Lara Olszowska

Emmanuella Itopa

Arthur Cross

Zofia Olszowska

Samuel Jackson

Christopher Lillingston-Paterson

Meister Omers

Korben Mabbs

Oliver Mann

Johannes Neudert

Violette Neame

Guy Smith

Jago Trelawny-Vernon

Grace Obee

Ralph Taylor

School House

Kristina Rhodes

Thomas Trelawny- Vernon

William Bryant

Rory Servaes

Tradescant

Harold Dakin

Anna Shepherd-Baron

Samuel Casement

Oliver Crawford

George Whitney

George Meddings

George Thompson

Isabel Whitney

Edward Streeter

Mitchinson’s

Broughton

Luxmoore

Eleanor Hartland

Sofia Hamlin

Susannah Bryant

George Richardson

Amber Kendall

Harvey

Carlyon

Rose Meddings

Molly Buchanan

Samatha Ruston

Jervis

Iona Engel

Eleanor Swire

Mary Forsyth

Anastasia Newman

Rosalind Taylor

Melanie Gregg

Clara Taylor

Katherine Sorab Sophie Wells

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MISCELLANY THE LENTEN TALKS MR

This year we were privileged to have lead us in our Lentern reflections, Fr. Phillip North from the Parish of St Michael’s Camden, North London. Fr. Phillip brought with him two of his team from Camden to help deliver some of our evening talks, to drop into lessons and be available around the school for informal chats. Fr. Phillip’s theme this year was about finding space in our lives for reflection, reflection upon our humanity and our need for the humanity of others. With a world so focused upon division and difference within human communities and culture, it was nice to be reminded that as a species we have more in common than we sometimes think. As Archbishop Tutu once said “Our humanity is intrinsically bound up with another’s, we can only be fully human together”.

THE WALPOLE HOUSE CARNATIONS Zofia Olszowska (Remove WL)

This term we were very successful in our carnation selling. We managed to make a profit of £3148.09 to be split between the two chosen charities: Korban and The Alzheimer’s Society. For the first time in years Carnations’ day fell on Valentine’s day so the 6a’s put together a splendid assembly with a special Valentine’s video; the school were also told about the charities that Walpole were supporting. As everyone walked into the assembly, Walpole 6b’s stood at the door with a box of raffle tickets. Everyone was given a ticket to pin onto their blazer. Throughout the day people

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would find their ‘Number Buddy’ and would plan to go out for a cup of coffee or send each other a carnation. After the giving out of tickets, Ilona Bushell and Sophie Nichols gave very interesting talks on each charity, Korban and The Alzhiemer’s Society, and made everyone aware of what they did and the support they offered. The Walpole 6a’s then surprised the audience with an outstanding rendition of ‘All You Need is Love’ by The Beatles performed by The King’s Swingers and The King’s Men. Everyone was delighted when, in an homage to Love Actually – the theme of this year’s Carnations project - members of the audience toting flutes (Lottie and Rachel) trombones and trumpets leapt to their feet to accompany the singers. Although all the preparation of buying, tying, twizzling, cutting, hole punching, folding and most importantly the censoring of the messages onto the beautiful cards, designed by the talented artist Charlotte Hart, was tremendously hard work, it was worth all the stress. Mrs Young and Mrs Roberts spent weeks every night censoring at least 5,000 messages. It was a busy time but was worth every minute. The 6a’s deserve a prize for writing all of the cards in one week along with their busy lives. After all the carnations were separated into houses the 6b’s set off delivering them, while the 6a’s enjoyed a welldeserved Chinese takeaway with Mrs Young in her flat! It was a very enjoyable event and thank you to everyone who got involved, as well as the huge numbers of pupils who bought a carnation.

THE ADMISSION OF SCHOLARS The second group of Honary King’s Scholars admitted to the school took place in Canterbury Cathedral on 19th January. They were: Diana Abisheva HH and Harry Vavasour LN

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Above: The Walpole 6aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Below: Laura Kendall tying on the cards

MISCELLANY THE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION Olivia Cha and Freya Logan Green (Fifth and 6b Walpole)

Thursday, 20th March, saw the annual DT Exhibition in the Shirley Hall. Students from all years came to see and also display their hard work over the past academic year. Although the range in ability was varying, all projects showed great innovation and originality and an exponential amount of effort was put in to produce a very high standard for all projects.

exhibition whilst others said that, ‘I think it is surprising that more people don’t do DT as it is such an independent subject and gives you the huge creative freedom to do whatever you want.’ Other notable performances were from James Curtis (GL) who created an affordable tennis machine (pictured right). He felt that the majority of tennis machines being sold were too expensive and wanted to create something similar but for a wider market as most people cannot afford to spend so much money on these luxury machines. The general impression amongst the DT staff was that the exhibition improves each year and this was no exception. All students showed considerable capability showing a wide range of practical skills as well as imaginative designs.

The Fifth Form GCSE students were presenting their final coursework pieces which ranged from a beautiful jewellery box to a radically designed skateboard. Their coursework brief was to create a product for a client of their choice, many got their inspiration from family or friends. Many of the Fifth form, asked their friends what they thought would be most useful in the life of a hectic teenager. This is why many of the Fifth Form students created innovative storage units to store day to day belongings in an accessible yet aesthetically pleasing design. Max Whitaker (GL) created a self-assembling desk storage unit with a transparent display case. What made his design original and unique was that it was made out of plywood and, for easy access, rotates on a lazy Susan. The talent continued into the Sixth Form, with some extremely technically challenging designs being exhibited. Notably, Theo Jessel’s (TR) ‘smart desk’ which was a desk to reduce daily clutter with wireless phone charger, a white board surface and an underneath desk light. Extremely inventive, a desk for the future as it has integrated technology into a seemingly simple object. Theo said ‘The DT department is fantastic because it gives people the opportunity to have the proper manufacturing experience before leaving school.’ It seemed that this was the general consensus of many people who were at the

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Jacob Tyler (Fifth LN)

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SPORT

BOYS’ HOCKEY BOY’S HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – 1ST XI DWB The Hockey 1st XI have had a busy start with two days of pre-season training, including a training game against Culford School. They boys found themselves 3-0 down in the first 20mins, which was a bit of a shock to the system but they settled down fought back to a 3-2 loss but the performance deserved a draw. The first Saturday of the season for the selected 1st XI saw the Canterbury Millers team visit Birley’s. This was a fantastic team performance with a glimpse of things to come. An early goal from Dom Moore helped settle any nerves; the game then flowed very nicely with great passages of interchange through the midfield. Harry Pattinson scored two great deflections, exactly what we had been working on. King’s defence remained solid with debuts from Piers Richardson and James King. The final goal was scored by another debutant, James Oates, with a great reverse stick shot. Our midweek season got underway with a local derby against Kent College. This was a great game played at a fast pace and the end to end action could have meant the final score being closer to eight each if it wasn’t for great saves by both goalkeepers and good individual defending. The final score was a 5-4 loss, with our goals coming from Richard Stonehewer-Smith, Will Heywood and a brace from James Oates. We were missing a few players in the next match against Cranbrook but the boys went out hard, playing some nice Hockey at times. James King got the first goal reacting to the rebound from a penalty corner. Captain, Jamie Adams, got the second, and the third was a superb half volley from Jack Benton to tie the game at 3-3. Jamie once again scored the winning goal from a penalty corner drag flick. After a good week’s training, we got off to a great start away against Haileybury with Dom Moore beating the keeper after a quick break. Our second goal was a

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screamer with James Oates carrying the ball along the right hand base line and rocketing the ball into the roof of the net from an acute angle. We continued to pass the ball well and had more success attacking down the right. Having scored some great deflections throughout the season, Harry Pattinson topped them all with this effort. The ball got through and Dom Moore dived to flick the ball towards goal but it went across the face of goal and Harry managed to deflect the ball in. Will Heywood was on hand again to slip the ball past the keeper, and the final goal was a well-worked penalty corner with Ben Methven striking the ball across goal: another fantastic team performance. A welcome return to Birley’s saw us host Tonbridge, in a game that was very scrappy and one where we didn’t perform at our best. We didn’t start well, missing a number of early chances and then being caught on the break to go 1-0 down. King’s fought back with goals from Will Heywood and Dom Moore, followed up by a wellexecuted penalty corner from James Oates and a fourth and final goal from Ben Methven to finish 4-1 up. After a nearly two hour long journey to the south of London, we arrived full of confidence at Alleyn’s School. Players tried to assert their dominance over their opposition number that resulted in a very scrappy first half and a 0 – 0 score. King’s regrouped and put the first half’s performance out of their heads, this lead to some very crisp passing Hockey being played and the majority of the possession belonging to King’s. The scoring was opened up by Will Heywood after a strong run by Dom Moore and quickly followed by a Jamie Adams’ short corner. The next weekend threw pretty much everything at us before the game had even started, no Goalkeeper, our Birley’s pitch flooded, wind, rain, hail and even a bit of sun! Playing at Blore’s with James King as stand in goalkeeper and Dom Moore replacement defender the team settled down well and the first half against Felsted was without doubt the best Hockey we have played all year. An early goal from Jamie Adams was followed by a great piece of team play to get the ball to James Oates on the right hand side. He carried into the circle and fired the ball into the roof of the net from a very narrow angle.

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Hockey 1st XI

Next up was Aaron Milton, who picked up the ball on the top of the D, using his backspace he struck the ball cleanly into the bottom corner. The final goal came in the second half from Christopher Richardson, who hit a remarkable upright reverse stick shot. Following a strong midweek 3-1 victory over St. Lawrence we were very keen to put on another good showing against Sutton Valence, having already beaten them once in the Kent Cup Victory already earlier in the term. A solid first half performance saw us 5-0 up at half time and in the end. Captain Jamie Adams lead by example with two goals, Maximilian Desoutter also with a brace, Benjamin Methven, Harry Pattinson, and James Oates all scoring one a piece. The boy’s dominance continued throughout the second half of term with some comfortable wins both home and away against Eltham College, Duke of York’s, Sir Roger Manwood’s and St. Edmund’s. The final weekend of the term saw us face a strong Ardingly team. This ended up being a hard fought encounter with plenty of skill being shown from both teams. However the boys were very keen to round of their excellent season on a high and they did not disappoint. Not for the first time this season Will Heywood scored with James Oates following suit mid-way through the second half to go 2-0 up, after a rare lapse in defence Ardingly scored to bring it back to 2-1

Lent 2014

but the boys saw the game out and ended the season with an impressive win ratio, winning 16 of our 17 matches. Frank Mason Tournament The day opened with an early morning game where the King’s first team squad was pitted against Duke of York. King’s started strongly, with aggressive attacking play and setting a full press on the oppositions’ defence. The result of all this pressure soon showed with some excellent team play being finished by Will Heywood and Max Desoutter. A small lapse in concentration led to the opposition counter attacking and scoring a goal. After a short break the boys were back on the pitch, this time against Skinners. King’s started as they did in the game before with the majority of play down in the Skinners’ final quarter. Several well-worked attacks resulted in short corners, two of which were put by the injector James King. A strong run and superb piece of individual skill by James Oates beat the Skinners Goalkeeper. A clinical performance by the whole team was rewarded with a clean sheet. Having won the first two games comfortably King’s were full of confidence, maybe too much! Gone was the flowing team play; individuals tried to do too much and small mistakes occurred. This led to frustration and the team losing their heads when a few decisions did not go our way. A disappointing game but much to be learned from it! Following a long team talk and a break King’s got their focus back and continued their assertive Hockey from the first two

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games. James King got himself into a good position to poach another goal from a scramble after a straight strike short corner. After an attack King’s were caught out of position and conceded a breakaway goal. Almost immediately King’s had their own counter attack in the form of Will Heywood who ran half the pitch and slipped the ball across the goal to Max Desoutter who dived head first to get a deflection past the keeper. In the first of the knock out games up at Kent College the team switched on as soon as the whistle blew. A great all round performance and the team managed to get into Eltham’s heads straight away, much as had happened to King’s against Simon Langton. Goals from Will Heywood and James Oates saw King’s heading for the semi-finals. The game against Tonbridge had more than a couple of individual rivalries and was always going to be a tough game. Goals from Will Heywood and Max Desoutter saw King’s into the final against the strong Simon Langton team. King’s put pressure on Simon Langton’s final quarter but were unable to capitalise. Overall, a great day of Hockey and the boys did themselves and King’s proud. The entire team played well and the parents gave great support throughout the day. The highlight of the season was winning the Kent Cup. After progressing though the rounds we were faced with finals day, our first hurdle being to beat Harvey Grammar, who looked strong at the Frank Mason tournament. The team played really well with Will Heywood and James Oates scoring. We won comfortably 4-1; in the other semi-final Clarendon defeated Tonbridge setting up a final of King’s vs Clarendon. The final didn’t start well as we went 2-1 down, despite having at least 6 penalty corners of our own in the first half. In the second half we upped our game with some fantastic goals, once again, from William Heywood and James Oates and at the final whistle we won the match 4-3. Jamie Adams (Captain) and Benjamin Methven (Vice Captains) worked together tremendously well in their roles and have been outstanding for the squad. This season the Players’ player of the season was an extremely closely contested battle but was awarded to Piers Richardson; the top goal scorer was Will Heywood.

Cranbrook

won

4–3

Haileybury

won

6–2

Tonbridge

won

4–1

Alleyn’s

won

2–0

Felsted

won

4–0

St Lawrence

won

3–1

Sutton Valence

won

7–1

Eltham College

won

3–0

Duke of York’s

won

5–1

Sir Roger Manwood’s

won

4–1

St Edmund’s

won

6–0

Ardingly

won

2–1

Duke of York’s

won

3–1

Skinner’s

won

3–0

Simon Langton

lost

2–0

Norton Knatchbull

won

2–1

Eltham College

won

2–0

Tonbridge

won

2–1

Simon Langton

lost

1–0

Frank Mason Tournament

Kent Cup Sutton Valence

won

5–1

Harvey Grammar

won

4–1

Clarendon

won

4–3

BOYS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – 2ND XI JPB & GPT

Results Canterbury Millers

won

4–0

Kent College

lost

5–4

This was a very good season for the 2nd XI from a talented bunch of boys. Indeed although the team only

BOYS’ HOCKEY suffered three losses, the results could have been even better if we had been fully firing every time we took to the pitch. From the start it was clear that this was a team that could score goals and they ended up with an impressive tally of 32 goals in the course of the season. With the likes of Ed Solly and Henry Spain-Warner up front we always looked dangerous and they were supported by a host of attacking midfielders. Our counter-attacking style often caught teams out and we proved clinical in front of goal more often than not. Mid-season was difficult, losing two goalkeepers in one week and Hugo Clews to a dislocated knee, but Mel Gregg stood in superbly for us in goal fresh from her season with the 2nd XI girls, and soon we were back on track. Indeed we finished the season on a high, and the victory over Ardingly showed what a good team this 2nd XI was, with many of the younger members promising great things for the future in the 1st XI. My thanks to Louis Ewart for captaining the side, and to Mr Tyndall for his great coaching of this team in his last season at King’s.

Results: Sir Roger Manwood’s

Won

4-0

Kent College

Drew

3-3

Haileybury

Won

2-1

St Edmund’s

Won

4-0

Alleyn’s

Drew

1-1

Felsted

Lost

0-4

Sutton Valence

Lost

1-2

Ashford 1st’s

Drew

1-1

Eltham College

Lost

0-3

Duke of York’s

Won

6-1

Ardingly College

Won

2-1

Team from: E. Solly, R. Campbell, A. Preston, S. Van der Gaag, T. Hawken, P. Knox, H. Spain-Warner, M. Holland, J. Griggs, H. Clews, L. Ewart (c) , G. Booth- Clibborn, M. Gregg

Hockey 2nd XI

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BOYS’ HOCKEY BOY’S HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – 3RD XI MWB

It turns out that Hockey doesn’t stop for rain. Despite being exposed to some biblical deluges on those windblasted Polo Farm Astros, while the Footballers toasted their tootsies in the comfort of their Houses, the 3rd XI Hockey team bravely struggled on, risking foot-rot, pneumonia and drowning in the name of getting massacred at the sport they love. And massacred they were, at first. As a result of questionable coaching methods (the introduction of multi-ball to a practice match was, essentially, an effort on my part to stave off some existential ennui); the frequent exposure to corn-fed rugby types, with hands the size of our players’ feet and feet the size of their torsos, as opposition; and a freakish inability to understand the word ‘width’, there were times when the prospects of this season were looking bleak. But morale remained high: Henry Bettley’s stirring re-enactments of speeches from ‘The Lord of the Rings’; Paddy Ross’s uncanny impressions of Withnail or Jesse Pinkman; Max Whitaker’s comedy legs; mascot and self-appointed ‘hydration technician’ Leo Eberenz, the only man in history to play Hockey as if he’s standing on a catwalk – all of these factors kept the players smiling. And then Hugo Ninham popped up with a goal, and another, and Oliver Briggs chipped in with one, and then we drew a game, and then Ninham scored another and we won one. One-nil against Duke of York’s. Bravo. Confidence flooded the players’ limbs like rain floods Football pitches. The next match was a sterling effort, an ill-deserved last-minute loss against Dover College, but now the team, for team they could now claim to be, was playing some Hockey. Even Olly Day, their occasionally grumpy coach, was happy. It’s said he shed a tear of pride. Then there was Ardingly, the last match of the season. Word filtered down from above that this opposition were, and I quote, ‘quite handy’; so would it be another

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thrashing? How much had this team learned? And while we’re asking questions, where was Johnny Mbu? The team had learned plenty, it turned out. This was a battling display, full of hard running and last-ditch defending, breathless attacking and yet another Ninham goal. Blood was shed for the cause, Musavvir headbutted a ball and Ninham generously donated a chunk of his leg. 1-1 in the end, meaning only one defeat in four at the tail end of the season. Not bad for the 3rds.

BOYS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – U15 A XI ATFB

The U15s have had a mixed season with some excellent results and unfortunate injuries hampering their development. The passion and determination shone through and the boys most certainly never gave up. The season started strong against St Lawrence and Haileybury College and a very close game against Kent College which could have gone either way. The team went through several positional changes until a firm balance was found in all lines of play. The back four of Ed Streeter, Matt Barker, George Meddings and Jago Trelawny-Vernon at times looked always in control and backed up by the ever daring Jack Vavasour in goal. Ed Graham notably played almost every position on the pitch, linking play between every player and working well with Ralph Taylor and George Richardson in the midfield. Our best result was coming second in the Peter Firminger U15 Kent Hockey tournament, almost retaining the King’s trophy from last year. The best results of the day were beating Tonbridge and Sutton Valence, both on penalty strokes. The boys’ commitment and attitude throughout the season was outstanding and I cannot fault how the boys battled every game. My thanks go to Ralph Taylor for captaining the side and Mr Link for is assistance throughout the season. The boys I hope are

THE CANTUARIAN

Hockey U15 A XI

Hockey U14 A XI

in good stead to progress through into senior Hockey and I hope they have learnt a great deal. U15 A Team from: Barker, Matt. Barrois, Edouard. Courtald, Augustine. Gardiner, James. Graham, Edward. Knox, Charles. Mancais, Tom. Meddings, George. Nabavi, Harry. Patel, Vihan. Richardson, George. Streeter, Edward. Taylor, Ralph. Taylor-Young, Digby. Taylor, Jonty, TrelawnyVernon, Jago, Vavasour, Jack. Ward, James U15 A Results St Lawrence

won

7-4

Cranbrook

lost

5-6

Haileybury

won

2-0

Alleyn’s

lost

0-3

Kent College

lost

3-4

Felsted

lost

0-4

Sutton Valence

lost

1-4

Ashford

lost

6-9

Peter Firminger U15 Tournament

2nd

Eltham College

lost

0-5

St Edmund’s

won

4-1

Duke of York’s

drew

1-1

Sir Roger Manford’s

drew

2-2

Ardingly College

lost

0-8

BOYS’ HOCKEY TEAM REPORT – U14 A XI RALS

This U14A team will be worth keeping an eye on over their time at King’s. There is a hard core of Hockey players in the side: captain, Richard Heywood, Jamie Crocker, Charles Griffiths, Henry Martin and Will Oates, who also play club Hockey and are part of the England Hockey single system. These players help to raise the standard of others in the team and as a consequence grew with

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confidence. Timur Radzhapov, new to the game of Hockey, agreed to try out playing in goal during his first session. He immediately took to it and over the course of the term, under the watchful eye of Diccon Stubbings, developed into a match winning goal keeper with bags of potential. The boys had to work hard in matches. Oliver Moore and Harvey Coulson alongside Will and Charlie defended with control and progressed well over the term. They need to be a bit more comfortable when in possession of the ball using the trough more to their advantage. The midfield group worked tirelessly up and down the field with George Howard-Smith alongside Henry and Richard providing the attacking players with good ball. Much of our attacking play was centred around these players. Richard was a joy to watch floating down the right hand side of the field. Jamie Crocker had the fortunate habit of scoring goal after goal, pouncing on anything within the ‘D’ to create a chance and if Jamie was not on the end of it then, most improved player of the season, Kevin John was on hand on the far post to tap the ball in when needed. Alex Roe, playing down the right had his fair share of success and was also a provider for Kevin on more than one occasion. The team had an excellent run in the Kent Cup progressing through the early rounds to come up against Tonbridge in the Semi-Final. They played fantastically well but unfortunately on the day the chances did not go our way. We beat Sutton Valence to finish 3rd; something to better in the Peter Firminger Tournament next year. The team had memorable performances against Eltham, in both the cup and Saturday fixture, Alleyn’s and Haileybury, and will have learnt valuable lessons to work on before they face Felsted and Ardingly next season. The team were very good at home but not so good on the road, something they need to work on for future seasons! This is a very talented group of boys that still have some growing up to do, and once they do I look forward to seeing the Hockey they can produce. Team from: Richard Heywood (captain), Francis Bushell, Harvey Coulson, Jamie Crocker, Charlie Griffiths, George

THE CANTUARIAN

Howard-Smith, Kevin John, Henry Martin, Oliver Moore, Will Oates, Timur Radzhapov, Alexander Roe

Ashford

won

5-0

Eltham College

won

3-2

Also played: E. Hunt, C. Watson

Duke of York’s

won

4-0

Ashford (Kent Cup)

won

5-2

Ashford (Kent Cup)

won

6-0

Results St. Lawrence

lost

1-4

Sir Roger Manwood’s (Kent Cup)

won

8-2

Cranbrook

won

4-3

St. Edmund’s

won

13-0

Alleyn’s

lost

4-1

Felsted

lost

1-4

Eltham College (Kent Cup)

won

4-1

Tonbridge (Kent Cup)

lost

0-2

Sutton Valence (Kent Cup)

won

4-3

Sutton Valence

won

3-1

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NETBALL NETBALL TEAM REPORT – 1ST VII KAB

Coaching the 1st VII team this season certainly has been one of my favourites, if not my favourite to date. The team shared a passion for the game of Netball, they all possessed a strong work ethic, but most importantly, there was a sense of fun in their play and training sessions. The girls began the term with a fitness packed pre-season. Following this and further trials, the squad was announced. Those who were existing 1st team players included newly appointed Captain Madeline Phillips, Vice-Captain Lucy Warr, Charlotte Hart (6a), Amelia Baker (6b) and Rhiannon Jones (6b). New to the team this year were Tabitha Killingbeck (6b), Sabrena Lee (6b), Matilda Swan (6b), Helena Barton (6b) and Eliza Batten (Fifth). The newly formed 1st team began their season with a hard fought match against Epsom College. The team quickly established their positions on court and it was great to see them focus on the three C’s which we had agreed on in training: Control of the Game, Communication and Centre Passes. Despite the score going in Epsom’s favour it was clear from their performance that the team had a great deal of potential. Both Lucy and Madeline were like ducks to water in their new roles; both worked tirelessly to motivate the team. As the weeks progressed, the team worked exceptionally hard in training and set themselves goals for each session and match. The following week it was great to win at home against Canterbury All Star’s – this was an essential win before the girls took part in the Annual Birley’s Invitational Tournament. Our play throughout the tournament was a little sporadic, with results not always going in our favour, which meant we finished 5th. We had a tough loss against Haileybury the following weekend and here I think was the turning point in our season; rather than taking each point, each play, each

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centre pass so seriously, we decided to have some fun and relax, and that was exactly what our focus was for the week prior to the FastNet Tournament. The FastNet tournament could not have gone any better for us. As I say for those who enjoy watching or playing Netball – FastNet is that one step further and the girls love it. Rolling subs, a power play quarter and shooting outside the ‘D’ are just some of the rules! The girls made a promising start; it was great to see them show off their versatility with the rolling subs. We were able to win all our games but one, to our rivals Benenden, which secured us a semi-final spot. It was a shame that during the pool stages we lost our Vice-Captain Lucy to injury. Having made the semi-final, the only problem that we encountered was the need to get back for the fashion show – Benenden were amazing hosts and moved our semi-final forward and said if we were happy to play then they would accommodate us. We agreed and then understood that if we won we would secure 2nd place, knowing full well we wouldn’t have time to play the final, or lose and we would come 4th – winning was our only option. We faced Ardingly in the semi-finals. Our opposition had their power play in the third quarter, leaving us going into the final quarter needing four goals on our power play. With the score one goal between teams, it looked like our opposition would pip us to the medal. However we pushed hard and with 30 seconds to go, we picked off the ball and lobbed it into the circle to Amelia Baker who scored the winning goal, meaning that we were placed 2nd. Now that was King’s Netball having fun! Our fixture against nationally ranked Brighton College was absolutely incredible; having suffered quite a heavy loss to them in the Birley’s Tournament, the team were keen to play and focus on team goals rather than the score. We started our first session after half term with a trip to Spring Grove Preparatory School. Here the team were really in their element. They all had the opportunity to coach the different groups of girls and understand fully what it is like being the coach. The team were true ambassadors for the school, devising their own sessions

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Netball 1st VII

Netball 2nd VII

and running the whole afternoon without my help. Coaching awards were given out; it is definitely true to say that Eliza liked being in charge of the whistle! The second half of term went by quickly with some excellent wins against Sevenoaks and Christ’s Hospital away from home; two fixtures which are always notoriously competitive. We then finished 3rd in the John Kelshall Tournament, which was a little disappointing, as we knew full well we could have won, but again what was important was to focus on the next training sessions and matches. More wins came our way against St Bede’s and what has to be one of the best games of Netball against Benenden; although not going in our favour, it was incredible to see how far the girls had come in their play and just how much better they were at coping with pressure. We finished our season with fine wins over Colfe’s and Duke of York’s. It has been a pleasure coaching this team all season. Each player has brought something different to the team. Despite being Fifths, Amelia and Eliza have really settled into the team. Amelia worked exceptionally hard having only joined after half term and it was clear that the team relied upon her interceptions and strength at WD – her interception during the Sevenoaks game won us the match. Eliza has been a real strength all season; she has proved her versatility at both WD and WA and it was a pleasure watching her at the Birley’s Tournament and her true skill and strength against the Benenden side. Eliza also brought real humour to the team. Helena, Matilda, Sabrena and Tabitha have all been wonderful additions to the team. Helena really developed her confidence at GK over the season and it was great see her picking up a number of Best Defences over the season. Matilda certainly showed her promise very early on in her season with some super shooting and slick movement, complementing both Lucy and Amelia Baker (voted Joint Best Attack). It was a shame that Sabrena suffered a number of injuries over the course of the term, however when she played, she made a real difference to the play, particularly in defence with her exceptional marking and turnover rate. Tabitha deserves a super special mention, having played in the 3rd Netball team the previous season, it was great to see her make such remarkable improvements, earning her Most Improved Player of the Season.

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Rhiannon and Amelia Baker have really cemented their presence in the team. Rhiannon has been outstanding all season, playing a new position, constantly asking questions and challenging herself to become a better player; she was awarded Star Player of the Team. Amelia Baker (Joint Best Attack) has also been a real force on court and despite a small dip in confidence, working extremely hard to develop her play and show the team her real skill as a shooter. We say goodbye to three 6as this season. Charlotte Hart who has been part of the team now for three seasons has been exemplary in her attitude, work ethic and play and it came as no surprise that she was voted Best Defence and Players’ Player. Charlotte has gone the extra mile for the team this season and has been a real role model to those around her. Both Lucy and Madeline have been exemplary in their roles as Captain and Vice; they combined forces well and worked off one another’s strengths to inspire and lead the team. They always went the extra mile for the team, whether it be Madeline’s super baking or Lucy’s hot chocolate meetings. All three players will be sadly missed and I would like to take the opportunity to wish them all the best in the future. Team from: Amelia Baker, Helena Barton, Amelia Brown, Eliza Batten, Charlotte Hart, Rhiannon Jones, Tabitha Killingbeck, Sabrena Lee, Madeline Phillips (Captain), Matilda Swan, Lucy Warr (Vice-Captain). Results Canterbury All-Stars (H)

won

46-31

Birley’s Under 18 Netball Tournament

5th

Haileybury College

lost

Benenden FastNet Tournament

2nd

Brighton College

lost

48-36

Sutton Valence

lost

48-31

Canterbury Christ Church University

won

44-38

Sevenoaks

won

22-21

Christ’s Hospital

won

28-22

John Kelshall U18 Tournament

3rd

St Bede’s

won

30-12

Benenden

lost

19-15

35-24

THE CANTUARIAN

NETBALL St Edmund’s

won

36-9

Hurstpierpoint College

lost

26-22

Colfe’s

won

15-12

NETBALL TEAM REPORT – 2ND VII HKIH

The 2nd VII team had a fantastic term of competitive Netball. Their attitude throughout was impeccable; they were positive and enthusiastic at both training sessions and matches. On the court they played tenaciously, always giving the highest level of work rate. Their sportsmanship throughout the term was fantastic and every member of the team was encouraging and supportive towards each other. It was really great to see such a strong bond throughout the three year groups. The season started well with a fabulous first performance against Epsom College. Although this was not a win, the team worked very hard, adjusting to a new found rhythm of play down the court. It always takes time for a new team to gel, however this match showed real promise and signs of the performances that were to come! The team went from strength to strength and everyone found their place and position within the team, so that every player’s talent could be identified and used accordingly. Matches that highlighted the talent and determination of the second team were against Haileybury College, Sutton Valence, Benenden and Brighton College. Although we did not win all these games, the girls showed real flair and that they were a capable second team. The fluidity between attack and defence was superb. The combination of the outstanding shooting, the immense poise of the defence and the mature calmness of the centre court allowed for a wonderful match for both the players and the spectators alike.

She brought a light heartedness to training and matches, but this did not outweigh her determination for the team to play their best. She was ably assisted by vice-captain Scarlet Pughe, who offered her well rounded sporting knowledge when required and was always an encouraging voice on court and also from the side lines. The player of season award was given to two players as it was felt that they had both offered equal but different qualities to the team this term. Tirenioluwa Atoyebi was calm and meticulous in her defensive position; she had amazing ability to read the game as it came down the court, having to only move a few steps to achieve those all-important clean interceptions. She offered her knowledge of the game capably on the court, encouraging other players in what they needed to do. Eliza Cocksworth was also awarded player of the season. Her movement around the court was excellent and her ability to out move many of the very large defenders that she came across while playing goal attack was outstanding. She understood the impending need for movement not only within the attacking circle, but also outside of it. Her positivity on court and knowledge of the attacking play gave other players around her an extra reason to put in the effort to get the ball to goal. Both of these players deserve to be highly commended, congratulations to both. The award for most improved player of the season was awarded to Eliza macLachlan. Coming from lacrosse, Eliza began the season low in confidence. However, by the end, she had shown great promise, always asking questions to improve her game and constantly wanting to better her performance. She played any position that was required, varying from goal shooter to wing defence and performing outstandingly in both. Her knowledge of the game and her performance has seen an incredible improvement. The whole team has been very focused and positive throughout the season, they were a lovely group to coach and they should all be very proud of their achievements this term. Well done girls for such a wonderful term of Netball!

The team was captained outstandingly by Amy Gault; Amy offered a relaxed and positive approach as captain, maintaining team cohesion throughout such a busy term.

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NETBALL Players of the Season: Tirenioluwa Atoyebi and Eliza Cocksworth Most Improved Player: Eliza macLachlan 2nd VII Team from: Amy Gault (captain), Scarlet Pughe (vice-captain), Ellen Kennedy, Tirenioluwa Atoyebi, Beatrice Lee, Helen Woodward, Eliza Cocksworth, Samantha Ruston, Alice Brett, Rowena Mockridge, Jennifer Mbu, Eliza macLachlan. Epsom College

lost

Cranbrook

16-24

John Kelshall Tournament

3rd

NETBALL TEAM REPORT – 3RD VII NLH

1st place in the 2nd VII District Netball Tournament

Cancelled

Haileybury College

won

37-18

St. Edmund’s School

drew

21-21

Sutton Valence

won

21-8

St. Lawrence

won

18-17

Brighton College

lost

18-31

Christ’s Hospital

won

16-15

Sevenoaks

lost

15-31

Ashford School

lost

17-21

Benenden

lost

23-29

St. Bede’s

won

24-14

Hurstpierpoint

won

26-24

Duke of York’s

won

39-7

The 3rd VII Netball team have had a fantastic season, winning 11 out of their 14 matches. Notable performances include a 27-19 win over a strong Haileybury College side, a 16-8 win over a talented Hurstpierpoint team and the winning of the 2nd VII District Netball Tournament. The Haileybury College match saw a much contested first half with the score within one or two goals the whole time. However, the girls both on and off the court showed a brilliant attitude and relentless desire to win, securing the win in the final quarter. Outstanding shooting by Cecily Guild and movement by Helen Ferrett, together with a patient and hardworking unit behind them, led the girls to victory. The Hurstpierpoint College match was a fantastic game for King’s 3rd VII. Despite both usual shooters being absent, the team carried on regardless. Amanda Milton was very dominant in defence, putting pressure on every ball. Jessica Hodcroft and Cherie

Netball 3rd VII

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THE CANTUARIAN

Cheung played well as a shooting pair, moving the ball creatively and quickly around the circle, and scoring some great goals. Throughout the game, King’s held a four goal lead, however Hurstpierpoint were consistently on our tails. There was no margin for error. King’s did not drop in work rate or determination, leaving the final score 16-8 to King’s. Both matches demonstrated the girls’ superb skill set, determination to win and wonderful team spirit. The 2nd VII district tournament was the last fixture of term and the girls played outstandingly. Every player performed the best they had all season. Special mention must go to Isobel Jamieson for her relentless interceptions as GD. This was a lovely way to end the season and showed how much the girls had improved and developed. The girls have been a pleasure to coach and all show great potential for their continued Netball careers throughout King’s or onto University. Captain Helen Ferrett has provided a positive, energising and knowledgeable contribution to the team and has led the girls admirably, as well as being a consistent, composed and skilful GA. Team from: Helen Ferrett (captain), Isobel Jamieson (vicecaptain), Lucy Tynan, Amy Hurst, Tzeamara Goddard, Cherie Cheung, Cecily Guild, Jessica Hodcroft, Stephanie Felton, Isobel Taylor, Eleanor Paine, Caroline Campbell, Amanda Milton. Results Epsom College

lost

11-16

St Lawrence College

won

25-16

Cranbrook

won

28-6

Haileybury College

won

27-19

St. Edmund’s School

won

21-9

Sutton Valence

won

34-17

Kent College

won

11-6

Sevenoaks

lost

15-55

Ashford

won

25-11

Benenden U16A

lost

11-20

Benenden U16B

won

22-15

Walthamstow Hall

won

15-14

Hurstpierpoint College

won

16-8

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Duke of York’s 2nd VII District Tournament

won

44-0

1st place

NETBALL TEAM REPORT – U15 A VII JS

The U15A’s enjoyed a very successful season this year. The highlight of the season was ending 3rd in the Benenden tournament. There is an obvious step up in skill level from the Shell to the Remove year, and the girls quickly bought into the little things that would raise the bar for them. Similoluwa Ayinde (captain) and Mathilde Kolade (vice-captain) led the team brilliantly throughout the season, leading by example, whether it was by carrying the team bag or staying positive when the team was under pressure. The Coaches’ player of the season is awarded to Georgina Barton for her versatility. She did brilliantly in every position, from Centre to Shooter. She is not only versatile in attack, but an excellent defender, who turned many balls for the team. The award for the most improved player throughout the season goes to Rose Meddings, who gained more and more confidence with each game and who finished the season stronger than she has ever been. Agatha Wiener was a real asset to the team in attack, feeding excellent balls to the shooters. Phoebe Robertson at WD was also a key player, who made great interceptions at crucial points in the game. The players’ player of the season was awarded to Chantelle Augustine-Aina for always working hard and trying to improve her game every match. She is gentle off of the court, but becomes a real force to be reckoned with when the game starts. A special mention also goes to our shooters, Millie Lee and Dominique Alexander. A few close games really put their shooting to the test, but they pulled through every time and really gelled as a shooting pair towards the end of the season. Team from: Chantelle Augustine-Aina, Mathilde Kolade, Similoluwa Ayinde, Phoebe Robertson, Rose Meddings, Georgina Barton, Agatha Wiener, Millie Lee, Dominique Alexander

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Netball U15A VII

Netball U15B VII

NETBALL NETBALL TEAM REPORT – U15 B VII FW

The King’s V11 U15B team have been a pleasure to coach. It took a good few weeks for the team to start to bond and for the players to settle into their positions. However, when this did happen it was evident that this King’s team was very strong resulting in them only being defeated once throughout the whole season. Although this team is relatively short in height compared to other teams, they did not let this impact their game, and instead realised they would have to work harder to counteract this disadvantage, which they did. Early on in the season it was apparent that Deborah Idowu could prove to be King’s secret weapon, and her height and agility under the ring as a GS would prove to be a great asset to the team. However this meant that Deborah would have to completely change her style of play from her usual driving forward for the ball, to now holding her space and asking for the ball overhead. This would only work if accurate balls could be fed into the circle by Iona Bogle, Isobel Adamson, Sohana Roots and Camilla Roberts, which often happened. Clara Taylor was probably one of the most improved players of the season. She went from a safe and steady WD to a player who seemed to control the whole court, bringing the ball out of defence and always backing up her team, showing how effective a good WD can be. Charlotte Morcom and Maddie Reyniers both showed their strength throughout the season proving to be very effective players with both defending and bringing the ball back up the court to the attackers. Both Georgia Parker and Navitha Gidoomal progressed well over the season and showed their effectiveness each match by shutting down the opposition and conceding minimal goals. Aliya Ogunsanya has proved to be a very agile and athletic player who dominates the circle and assisted her team by shutting down very competent attackers. Her improvement over the season has been incredible and she is an asset to her team.

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Although King’s were consistently strong over the season, their biggest win was over St Edmund’s (51-5). King’s had an unlucky defeat against Sevenoaks who put out a very strong team that day. However, it seemed that this defeat was just what our team needed, as up until this point we had not lost a game. We trained hard and changed tactics, which proved to be a success, leading to some of the best performances of the season. The highlight of the season must be the defeat over Hurstpierpoint of 18-7. Despite the score, it was not an easy game and King’s had to fight right to the end to stop this strong team coming back from defeat. Every team member gave their best performance of the season, resulting in a well-deserved win over probably the strongest team we had faced. This King’s team have had an amazing season and they should all be very proud of themselves. Well done King’s U15B team and best of luck for next year. Team from: Deborah Idowu, Camilla Roberts, Sohana Roots, Clara Taylor, Iona Bogle, Georgia Parker, Navitha Gidoomal, Isobel Adamson, Aliyah Ogunsanya, Maddie Reyniers, Charlotte Morcom Results Epsom

won

20-17

Sir Roger Manwood’s

won

25-6

Cranbrook

won

20-11

Haileybury

won

22-9

Sutton Valence

won

41-7

Claremont

won

15-8

Ashford

won

35-6

Sevenoaks

lost

11-3

drawn

10-10

Benenden

won

33-15

St Edmund’s

won

51-5

Hurstpierpoint

won

18-7

Christ’s Hospital

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NETBALL NETBALL TEAM REPORT – U15C VII CB This season has shown a great improvement for the U15Cs. At the start of the term, there were as many as 21 girls in the team. However, since the start of February there was a decrease in girls due to injury and other commitments, and therefore the team has been able to train and work harder together as there was a smaller number of them. Comparing how the U15Cs performed in the first week’s match to their last, there was a great difference with their attitude towards playing, their skill level and game play awareness. All players on the team have worked extremely hard during games and training sessions throughout the season. Louise Gerth (GS/GK) has dramatically improved her shooting technique and consistency during game play, as well as improving her defensive skills and communication on court with Molly Buchanan (GA) and Irina Mironosetskaya (GS/GA). All three girls have worked well together in the shooting circle and been able to progress their own shooting and attacking abilities.

in the centre court area have improved by a significant amount. Alice Zhelezko (WD) has stood out in matches as a brilliant WD due to the countless interceptions that she makes on court. Down the defensive end Miriam Swindley (GD), Mary Forsyth (GD) and Alice Petre (GK) have all worked extremely well together, gaining many interceptions and rebounds within the shooting circle. The majority of matches have been close, with some only with a few goals in it. The U15C’s only victory of the season was against Benenden. Although, as the score shows, the girls won the game by 10 goals, they thought they could have scored more goals.Their game play throughout the whole game was brilliant, they managed to keep possession of the ball, and the shooters were on fire! The attackers fought hard against Benenden’s defence and managed to allow the ball to flow swiftly up the court. The overall result reflects on how well the girls played, they thoroughly enjoyed the game. Team from: Daisy Best-Shaw, Molly Buchanan, Sarah Craig, Mary Forsyth, Charlotte Johnson, Louise Gerth, Irina Mironosetskaya, Olivia Norris, Alice Petre, Kelly Sin, Miriam Swindley, Alice Zhelezko, Lauren Walker

In the centre third Olivia Norris (WA), Sarah Craig (C), Alice Zhelezko (WD) and Daisy Best-Shaw (C/WA) have a magnificent bond with one another and work very well as a unit. All their attacking and defending skills

Netball U15C VII

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THE CANTUARIAN

Netball U14A VII

NETBALL TEAM REPORT – U14A VII EP

The U14A squad have had a challenging season, but without a doubt the girls have both individually and as a team improved dramatically. It has been lovely to see girls from so many different prep schools work together to become a coherent squad. Despite a long season which has been packed full of fixtures and close losses, the girls have maintained their fun spirit and positive attitude throughout the term, which is a real credit to them. With a squad of eight the girls have all had plenty of game time, but an injury to Captain Carenza Love after half-term reduced the squad to seven. However, their love of fitness training got them through and the rest of the squad did incredibly well not to obtain any serious injuries whilst on our travels, avoiding what could have been a serious pickle. I would also like to commend the

Lent 2014

squad as a whole for being incredibly patient with the number of away fixtures they had to attend – it is not easy to travel as a team and the girls really felt that this season. The first game of the season against Cranbrook started really well – the girls were impressive and showed real potential. I have no doubt, had we come across Cranbrook at the end of the season, we would have achieved a secure win; it being the beginning of the season we secured a close loss. The highlight of the season must be the double header against Benenden and St Bede’s. An incredibly tight fixture against St Bede’s with some interesting umpiring encouraged the girls to go out teeth bared against Benenden’s second string – a draw was probably a fair result here and, despite the girls being downhearted, they played incredibly well with some impressive defence from Tia Curtis and Madeleine Reeves throughout the game. Amelia Paine must be commended for her perseverance of play at wing defence (a position she really does not enjoy). She has turned into a skilled practitioner of the position, putting pressure over the ball and making frustrating interceptions to slow down the opposition’s pattern

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of play. Tia Curtis and Madeleine Reeves have been an exciting pairing in the defence circle and I have no doubt with the expert coaching of Miss Smit next year they will become a more dominant force to be reckoned with. Lulu Hinshelwood and Emma Chaplin have had their ups and downs this season, the accuracy levels have not been quite where I or they wanted them to be, but again they must be applauded for their impressive attacking drives and their eagerness to learn new exciting attacking skills. Sophie Brownlees and Mollie Coleman have worked hard in the centre court. Sophie has learnt to run the show and has become a much more patient player in the process. Mollie has worked tirelessly to engage with new skills and the application of tactics during fixtures. A really disappointing season, but hopefully with more time to develop as a squad and a few more home fixtures, the girls will be able to have more success next year. Team from: Sophie Brownlees, Emma Chaplin, Mollie Coleman, Tia Curtis, Lulu Hinshelwood, Carenza Love (Captain), Amelia Paine (vice-captain), Madeleine Reeves.

NETBALL TEAM REPORT – U14 B VII LW

previous game and for the girls to all have equal time on the court. We continued our winning streak with Phoebe Mantovani improving with every game, building up a very strong partnership with Zoë. Our biggest loss was against Sevenoaks. The first quarter was very close, but our opposition came out very strong and immediately pulled away scoring 13 goals to our three. We were unable to claw this back and lost 31-13. Cecily Carey joined the squad for the game against Christ’s Hospital, and she immediately made a huge impact on the game by playing goal keeper and limiting the shooters chances of scoring to only 9 goals. Cecily went on to win star player. King’s always have great games against Benenden – our performance in the first half was very poor and our shooters were not on form, meaning the score at half time was 5-1 to Benenden. Zoë Lambert changed positions from centre to goal attack and within a few minutes she showed how versatile she is by scoring six quick goals much to the delight of the parents. We decided to set ourselves goals for the next few matches and the girls were pleased with their own performances. The team have progressed well and they are now confident enough to explore new skills that are out of their comfort zone. Star player went to Zoë Lambert, and the most improved player was Cecily Carey. Team from: Emilia Forster, Annabel Edwards, Zoë Lambert, Phoebe Mantovani, Amy Hinshelwood, Emi Smith, Stephanie Solly, Cecily Carey, Hannah Burns, Nikol Kaplan Results

The King’s 14B team have performed very well this season winning the first five games. We shuffled the players around in order to find out what combinations were most effective. From the outset it was clear that Zoë Lambert was going to be a real asset to the team. The early training sessions were mainly focused around ball skills, set play and learning more about what is required from each position. Epsom College was our first match of the season. This was to be a highly contested game with the ball going from end to end. Accurate shooting from Amy Hinshelwood enabled us to take the lead in the final quarter – an excellent first game of the season with King’s winning 19-12. The next game was against Sir Roger Manwood’s and this was a much easier game. This allowed us to concentrate on the skills that were a little lacking from the

170

Epsom

won

19-12

Sir Roger Manwood’s

won

17-3

Cranbrook

won

9-5

Haileybury

won

17-12

Sutton Valence

won

20-15

Ashford

lost

15-13

Christ’s Hospital

won

14-9

Sevenoaks

lost

31-13

Benenden

lost

9-7

St Edmund’s

won

15-6

Hurstpierpoint

lost

18-12

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Netball U14B VII

Mollie Coleman in action

Football 1st XI

Football 2nd XI

FOOTBALL FOOTBALL TEAM REPORT – 1ST XI MJTh

The term started with a preseason tour to Madrid for both the 1st XI and Under 16A squads. Over five days the boys were put through their paces by Real Madrid Academy coaches, training morning and afternoon, and played five matches against local clubs and Brighton College who were touring at the same time. The stunning training facilities at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas Park and floodlit matches made time spent here not only extremely useful but also highly memorable. A little sightseeing in Madrid, a tour of the Santiago Bernabeu and then watching Real beat Celta Vigo 3-0 with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his 400th career goal meant that the tour finished on a real high note. The 1st XI won two of their three games, beating Brighton College 2-1 and a young Real Madrid Community side 8-1 but were taken to school by a highly impressive Sporting de Hortaleza who had lost only 2-1 to Real’s Under 18’s the week before. Upon our return to colder and wetter climes, the 1st XI pushed a strong St. John’s side very close taking the lead and hitting the post before an equaliser just before half-time rested the initiative away. St. John’s, a much more athletic and physical side, finally made one of numerous set pieces pay and held on for a hard-fought victory in what was an extremely even match. King’s stayed true to the Madrid philosophy remaining calm in possession throughout and took a lot of positives from this tough early season encounter. The next few weeks were amongst the wettest on record and Birley’s became unplayable. This meant that a month into the term the 1st XI had played as many games as they had training sessions and early season optimism and an expansive, yet controlled, possession game was being lost in the puddles. Several glaring individual errors in key defensive positions proved our undoing against Epsom College, Sevenoaks and Brighton College. After half-term, King’s managed to add defensive solidity to their play and we

Lent 2014

became a hard side to break down performing well against Colfe’s, Tonbridge and coming back from 2-0 down against Worth Abbey. The 1st XI finished equal 4th in the SKIL league with a win and two draws in their five league games. Special mention must go to Louis GlynnWilliams for marshalling the troops superbly and to both Peter Chiana and George Baker-White who finished the term joint leading scorers. This year group has improved significantly over the past few years and deserve a huge amount of credit for their attitude to coaching and their energy and perseverance when representing the school. Team from: Louis Glynn-Williams (CAPT), Peter Chiana, Max Zhukov, Charlie Allen, Toby Block, George BakerWhite, George Reid, Bertie Gibbon, Idris Kaplan, William Parker, Charles Macpherson, Sebastian Knox, William Foss, Stanley Morgan, Gabriel Hamlyn Results Sporting de Hortaleza

lost

0-10

Brighton College

won

2-1

Real Madrid Community XI

won

8-1

St. John’s

lost

1-2

Epsom College

lost

1-4

OKS

won

7-4

Sevenoaks

lost

1-3

Brighton College

lost

2-6

Sandwich Tech

lost

0-4

Christ’s Hospital

won

1-0

Westminster

lost

0-4

drew

1-1

lost

0-2

drew

2-2

Colfe’s Tonbridge Worth Abbey

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FOOTBALL FOOTBALL TEAM REPORT2ND XI ARV

The 2nd XI Football team have had a thoroughly enjoyable season, and with a 50% success rate have proved that they could hold their own. Whilst the team was shifted about continually throughout the season as the positions of individuals changed to best suit our style of play, the squad on the whole remained pretty solid. The ability to be able to shift players to the 1st XI without affecting the dynamics of the team proved that there was solid depth in skill and every match was met with a can-do mentality. The team were led well throughout by their captain Casper Fraser, who showed exemplary commitment and determination, motivating all players to do the same. Gabriel Hamlyn opened up the season with a penalty, Bertie Gleave scored two wonderful goals direct from corners, Will Love put a fantastic long shot in from the right wing, Daniel Bondatti with his fantastic work rate and strikes from the acutest of angles, not to mention Casper Fraser’s strike from outside the penalty area to secure the first win of the season. At the other end of the pitch the defensive back four were solid with Teddy Baker as the big centre back and Thomas Dath as the quick and reactive left back. The work rate of Jacob Furedi in the centre of the pitch linked all this play together proving we had a team that could weigh up to any of our opposition. The final piece in the jigsaw was our goalkeeper George Reid, who was vocal, dominant and enthusiastic throughout; he controlled the team, sometime the opposition and even on occasions the referee and supporters. Each game was personal and with his massive boot from hand or goal he gave the players the confidence to play attacking Football. The team finished the season with all nine of the mentioned 6a pupils playing a full game and winning against Worth at home with a fantastic 4 – 2 victory. “Thanks for the laughs, gents, now take a knee”.

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Results St John’s

lost

6–0

St Lawrence

won

2–1

Epsom College

won

0–2

OKS

draw

1–1

Sevenoaks

won

2–3

Brighton College

lost

0–2

Sandwich Tech

lost

1–5

Christ’s Hospital

lost

0–1

Westminster

lost

4–1

Colfe’s

won

0–1

Tonbridge

draw

2–2

Worth Abbey

won

4–2

FOOTBALL TEAM REPORT3RD XI RWN & RPC

Given the January drenching, the team did well to fit eight matches into the term. The highlight of the season was a convincing win over Christ’s Hospital. The first goal was the result of an excellent header from Sasha Ignatiev, the second a long range cannon ball from Charles Barrois and the last goal was coolly placed by Tom Shepherd-Barron when the goalkeeper was out of position. The hard-fought draw against 1st Sevenoaks showed the team in a positive light. Although we lost 4-3 to St Lawrence 1st XI, the team showed both spirit and skill in a very even game which St Lawrence won with a late goal. With the exceptions of us struggling against the pace of St John’s and the German exchange students playing for Westminster, we were competitive in all other fixtures. Charles Barrois showed that he could score from distance with some thunderous strikes and Stuart Craig showed good finishing ability up

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Football 3rd XI

front. Harry Stacey and Cameron MacKinnon both made spectacular saves during the season and the team was ably led by the spirited Llewelyn Cross. Team from: Kunmi Akanle, Charles Barrois, Avinash Bhupalan, Harry Churchill, Stuart Craig, Henry Cross, Llewelyn Cross, James Curtis, Tarun Ganglani, Sasha Ignatiev, Cameron MacKinnon, Henry Pell-Johnson, Jack Prosser, Sam Rausing, Ivan Shishkanov, Tom ShepherdBarron, Harry Stacey, Avneesh Thind, Felix Wareing, Kirill Wagin Results St John’s

lost

0-8

Epsom

lost

2-3

Sevenoaks

draw

2-2

Christ’s Hospital

won

3-0

St Lawrence Westminster

cancelled lost

Bethany Tonbridge

Lent 2014

0-5 cancelled

lost

1-4

FOOTBALL TEAM REPORTU16A XI STH

The season started early for the U16A’s in 2014 with a pre-season trip to Madrid to train at Real Madrid’s training grounds. Training and playing at such a wonderful venue was extremely valuable to the boys and their Spanishstyle of Football definitely developed over the course of the five day trip. They played two games whilst in Madrid, winning one very comfortably and, unfortunately, losing the other to a talented bunch of youth players. The fourth generation pitches were left behind as term began and the boys returned to a wet and boggy Birley’s. The first game of the season was against a strong St John’s side. The boys fought valiantly, playing a passing style of Football that the visitors struggled to match, but unfortunately lost 2-1, after being caught on the break twice, with the winner being scored with the last kick of the game. Next up was Epsom College, in an away midweek fixture. After a long coach ride, the boys played

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Football U16A XI

Epsom’s 3rd team and, again, produced another strong performance, but they failed to take the opportunities on offer when they presented themselves. A 1-1 draw was a good result against a more physical Epsom side. Physicality was also the name of the game against Kent College’s 1st team. The boys fought hard and came out the victors at a water-logged Birley’s, securing a 4-0 victory. The final game before the half-term break was also the first league fixture, having had the previous two cancelled due to the unusually wet months of January and February. A ping-pong contest was fought out on a very small pitch at Sevenoaks, which stifled the creative play of the boys, who went down in what proved to be a crucial 3-1 loss. The boys returned after the half-term break and secured back-to-back wins against a strong Brighton College side and a persistent Christ’s Hospital side. Next saw the arrival of the two-term Footballing school of Westminster. The boys fought valiantly for 70 minutes, but were undone in the final 15 minutes by a more clinical Westminster and they lost the game 3-1. A mid-week trip away to Colfe’s proved a crucial moment in the season – a win would put the boys at the top of the table with one game to go. A 2-2 draw was the final score, with King’s

176

leaving it until the final five minutes to equalise and thus avoiding a disappointing away trip. The penultimate game of the season against a tough Tonbridge side was a tight affair from the very first whistle until the very last one. The spoils were eventually shared in a well-fought 1-1 draw. The boys saved their best Football for the last game of the season at home to Worth Abbey. They played expansive, passing Football for the entire game and secured a comfortable 5-1 win. This, however, was not enough to take the league; Sevenoaks held on to secure the top spot by a solitary point, putting King’s in a comfortable second place. This was still a great achievement for a talented side, who showed great spirit throughout the season and played top notch Football at all times. The team was captained superbly by Euan Brown, who was also Player of the Season and goals came from all over the park, with centre forward Daniel Harris top scorer for the season.

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FOOTBALL FOOTBALL TEAM REPORTU15A XI MCET

It would be fair enough to say that the U15 A’s had a bit of a bumpy season. However the score sheet doesn’t reflect the development of these boys over the past two years. Each and every player has shown improvement from the previous year. This season has seen two newcomers, Anjola Toyon and Miguel Hamdi who have added both skill and presence to the team. Freddie Williams led the team well from the middle showing maturity and leadership during both the highs and lows of the season. Anjola Toyon has worked hard in the centre. His strong tackling and quick thinking have allowed some great breakaways with the ball reaching Kit LillingstonPaterson and Kit Whalley Payne up front.

A particular highlight of the season was to see Kit Lillingston-Paterson finally get his well-deserved goal after so many chances during the past two years. Speed and skill on the wings came in the form of Johannes Neudert and Nathan Bright-Emeura who were supported by Henry Lee and Miguel Hamdi. Between the four of them they maintained pressure on the opposition defence and showed a real determination to attack the goal. Harry Dakin led the defence well and also stunned players and supporters with his wonder goal from outside the box against Worth Abbey – certainly a moment to remember. After an on and off season it was great to get Will Wall back from an injury for the last game of the season. Alex Compton, Nick Curtis and Anthony Smith remained solid at the back, supporting the much improved Tom Westlake in goal. The boys should be pleased with the season. They should not look back at the season with only the results in mind but instead, the way in which they have developed as a team. I wish them all the best in the

Football U15A XI

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FOOTBALL coming season and have no doubts that we will see some representing the 1st team in years to come. U15A Results Played 9 Won 2 Drew 0 Lost 7

FOOTBALL TEAM REPORTU14A XI ME

After a very wet start to the season and little training the Under 14A’s got underway with an away game against St John’s Leatherhead. This proved to be a tight game which ended 1-0 to St John’s with the last kick of the game; Francesco Serraino was superb in goal for King’s and was the man of match for his efforts. The coaches were very happy with the performance as the boys had taken instructions and listened intently during training about holding their shape – a good start! Next came an away trip to Bethany which King’s won 6-0 with a top performance from Ethan Hunt who scored one of the best individual goals of the season; Mark Backer also had a good game with a well-deserved hat trick. Again the boys played well as a team with four goals in the first 12 minutes of the game to set up the win. Brighton College away turned out to be our biggest defeat of the season with goalkeeper Francesco Serraino taken off injured in the first five minutes of the game; this unsettled the side greatly with our centre forward ending up in goal! Charlie Watson deserves special mention for giving up his on field position to play in goal for the rest of the season. Away again at Christ’s Hospital was the best team display of the season with our defence having a cracking game; Tommy Toyon the man of the match was the pick of the back four and Charlie Watson in goal made some great saves. King’s won the match 1-0 with a great goal from

178

Will Kirk chipping the keeper from 30 yards – Messi would have been proud!! The first home game of the season ended in a 1-1 draw with Worth Abbey which was a fair result as both sides were evenly matched, our midfield worked hard with Kay Minkiewicz and Nathaniel Walker having good games and Will Kirk scoring again from an acute angle. Westminster away was a tough game against a big physical side who played some very good Football. The boys put up a good fight though and, after being 3-0 down at half time, the game ended 4-1 which meant 1-1 for the second half; this showed great character from the boys not to give up and their coach did comment on how well they played in that second half. The last game of the season was a 2-2 draw against Sevenoaks. King’s were ahead with a good headed goal from Ethan Hunt but Sevenoaks levelled just before half time. King’s dominated the second half with a good goal from Will Kirk but again conceded with the last kick of the game which was disappointing as we had played very well and deserved the win (but that’s Football!). Overall the Under 14’s had a consistent season and showed good team spirit and character when training and playing in the matches. Special thanks should go to Dom Castle for all the enthusiasm and hard work he put into working with the boys this season. The boys can look forward to next season with real optimism! Results Played 7 Won 2 Drew 2 Lost

FOOTBALL TEAM REPORTU14B XI CAGF

A very disappointing first half of term due to the wet weather meant that the U14B team played just one

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Football U14A XI Football U15A XI

Football 3rd XI

Football U14B XI

FOOTBALL AND LACROSSE match. With only a handful of training sessions, the boys put up a valiant fight away to St.John’s, Leatherhead. Despite a good effort the King’s team lost 9-0. The second half of term brought renewed energy and saw the team lose away to Brighton College 5-2. The three goal difference was an unfair reflection of the game as King’s matched their opponents for the majority of the game. Goals were scored by Keishi Saegusa and John Mills. Next up was another difficult away trip to Christ’s Hospital, once again the difference on the score sheet did not mirror the game as King’s were guilty of missing several opportunities. Sotonye George scored an excellent solo effort in the defeat. Westminster were always going to be difficult opponents as they are a two-term Football school but the team played exceptionally well with Patrick Crowley and Gus Curley outstanding. They were very unlucky to concede through a late but very dubious free kick. The final game of the season saw the team on their travels yet again to play Sevenoaks. This was by far the best performance of the season and it involved a moment of magic from Gus Curley. The ball fell kindly to him 30 yards out and he lobbed the ball over the keeper to score. King’s couldn’t hold on for the win but the performance was excellent. The season has been one of development and the boys have put in some fantastic work over the second half of term. Gus Curley led the team brilliantly with other notable performances from Sotonye George, John Mills, Jebin Yoon and Patrick Crowley. Team from: David Bickersteth, Emile Bouriez, Archie Boyle, Patrick Crowley, Nicholas Curley, Theo Gadd, Sotonye George, Peter Kobaly, John Mills, Charles Murray-Tacon, Findlay Reece, Keishi Saegusa, Gwyn Viriyaprapikat and Jebin Yoon Results St. John’s Sevenoaks

180

lost

0-9 Cancelled

Worth

Cancelled

Colfe’s

Cancelled

Brighton College

lost

2-5

Christ’s Hospital

lost

1-6

Westminster

lost

0-1

drew

1-1

Sevenoaks

LACROSSE TEAM REPORT – 1ST XII CH

Due to the awful weather England endured this winter, much of the Lacrosse was cancelled this term. Nonetheless, the girls persevered and made the most of the few matches that they did have. For the first half of term Lacrosse was rarely seen at Birley’s during games sessions. We tried to split time with Hockey on the astro and Netball on the indoor courts. Luckily we managed not to cancel too many sessions and to make do with the situation that we were in. The only saving grace was that every other school in the country was in exactly the same position. The first team lost two girls to Netball, Eliza Batten and Eliza macLachlan, and one to swimming, Olivia Bagshawe, but they gained Molly Nainby-Luxmoore from Hockey, and two girls Anna Levitskaya and Sophia Gripari from the second team. These three girls really added something to the first team, and made them stronger. On 25th January we were due to have a triangular between Walthamstow Hall and Haileybury, however after a quick pitch check on the Saturday morning it was clear that no Lacrosse would take place on grass that day. A quick back up plan was put into action, where Lacrosse would use the astro pitches at Birley’s and Blores before the Hockey played. This allowed both the 1st and 2nds to have their first match of the season. On the astro we were only able to play Walthamstow Hall, but that was enough

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LACROSSE as neither team had played yet this term, so were both desperate to get a game. The first half seemed a bit shaky, there were a lot of dropped balls but this was the first time they had been able to play a full match against an opposition, so it was always going to take a bit of time to dust off the cobwebs. Both teams made quite a few mistakes in the first half but unfortunately King’s were not able to capitalise on Walthamstow Hall’s mistakes, meaning that they were losing at half time. King’s were determined in the second half and put a few balls in the back of the net with a most memorably powerful shot from Anna Levitskaya on her first team debut. Although King’s did win the second half, sadly the gap after the first half was too great and King’s were unable to close it. Half-term came and went and we were down to serious business at the National Schools’ Lacrosse Tournament at Surrey Sports’ Park. Day one was always going to be a tough pool. The team did well to draw and have some narrow losses, which put them into division two for the

second day. The first match of the day did not turn out as planned with a close loss. The team put the match behind them and focused on the next match against Fettes College. Some great drives from Jessica Quinlan and Alexandra Murray-Tacon gave us a two nil lead. The defence worked well together, stopping the Fettes’ attack from taking any shots in the first half. Going into the second half Fettes managed to find the back of the net twice, but King’s was already a step ahead scoring the last goal of the game to seal the win. It was a good game of Lacrosse but the team knew they had more to give. After a close game, the team were placed fourth in the group due to goal difference. The girls knew that they had to win their match against Haileybury to progress in the tournament. King’s came out firing, they kept the ball safe, worked hard to get open in the midfield and they did what mattered by scoring. The girls took a 4-2 win over a stunned looking Haileybury.

Lacrosse 1st XII

Lent 2014

181

LACROSSE Next was the quarter-final against Abbott’s Hill. It was going to be a tough match and the first half saw some fantastic Lacrosse. All the girls were working together, keeping the ball safe and firing three shots into the back of the net. A last minute goal for Abbot’s Hill ended King’s run for Saturday. This placed King’s in the top eight of their division, which is a great achievement and an improvement from last year. There was some truly great Lacrosse played throughout both days.

1st XII Results Walthamstow Hall

lost

2-14

St Catherine’s Bramely

lost

2-10

Caterham

lost

2-19

Benenden

won

9-0

Kent University

won

12-1

Berkhamsted The team’s last match of the season was against Kent University. The girls knew that this was going to be their last game playing together so they wanted to end the season on a high. They came out fighting against the older side and they fought hard for every loose ball. The girls put their attacking plays into practice and were able to score numerous times. The final score of the match was 12-1. It was a great display of King’s Lacrosse and more importantly it was a team effort as we had nine different scorers. Our most improved player this year was awarded to our goalie Soseimiebi Ogan, who has continued to grow as a goalie throughout the whole season. This season players’ player (voted for by the team) was shared between Jessica Quinlan and Chloe Berliand for the continued determination and contribution to the team. Player of the season was awarded to someone that has shown leadership, commitment and has been an outstanding player all season, the Captain, Emily Glaister. This whole season has been a huge learning curve for everyone, it was a young team with the Fifths outnumbering the seniors two to one, which is huge for a team of twelve. The team has shown great potential, and has grown tremendously over both terms. They should be very proud of their progress over the season. I hope that the weather is better for next season so that they will be able to play more Lacrosse. Team from: Chloe Berliand, Honoury Cheung, Jennifer Cox, Ghislaine de Bree, Elena Fanshawe, Emily Glaister (Captain), Sophia Gripari, Anna Levitskaya, Laura Meek, Madeleine Mills, Alexandra Murray- Tacon, Molly Nainby-Luxmoore, Holly O’Connor, Soseimiebi Ogan, Lara Olszowska, Jessica Quinlan, Flora Williams (Vice Captain).

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Cancelled

Lacrosse National Schools Tournament placed top 8 in Division 2.

LACROSSE TEAM REPORT – 2ND XII KMMS The first half of the Lent term proved to be rather disappointing for the 2nd Lacrosse team with virtually all their scheduled games being cancelled due to the weather. Amidst the onslaught of the unforgiving monsoon, the team managed to squeeze in a game at the very beginning of term against an athletic Walthamstow Hall school on the Blore’s AstroTurf. Since there was an abundance of fresh faces to the senior Lacrosse squad for the Lent term, this was an excellent opportunity for everyone to get stuck in early on. Isobel Webster was relentless in her attack and Ilona Bushell was defiant in King’s defensive end. Unfortunately, the lack of practice – due to flooded pitches – had its toll on our performance and we lost the fixture 5-8. The next opportunity for match-play didn’t come until after Half-term when the team went to the Nationals’ Schools Tournament at Surrey Sports’ Park. The two days flew by and although the team’s results didn’t look so great on paper, under the stout leadership of Captain Poppy Edwards and Vice-Captain Verity Sayer, the progression that the girls made as a team was truly

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Lacrosse 2nd XII

Lacrosse U14 & 15 XII

outstanding and they were able to leave with their heads held high after achieving a draw against Cheltenham Ladies’ College. During this second half of term, the monsoon rains subsided long enough to allow the team to play two more games against our two arch nemeses, Caterham and Benenden. The first of these two matches turned out to be incredibly tough. Nevertheless, the team ploughed onwards and their efforts were rewarded with a stunning goal in the second half from Emma Bryant. The third and final match of the season was against Benenden and it was certainly a corker. During much of the first half the score remained at zero as both teams battled to win the upper hand. By half time Benenden had crept ahead by two goals to one, but the fight was not over yet. During the second half, the opposition came back with all guns blazing, much to the distress of our defensive cohort, and they soon expanded their lead. Try as they might, the King’s midfield and attack were unable to punch a hole through the Benenden defensive phalanx and the game ended with a win for the rivals. It was an absolute pleasure to coach the 2nd Lacrosse team this year. I couldn’t have imagined working with a more delightful set of young women. Despite constant disappointment with cancelled fixtures and practices due to the weather, I think that all the girls showed wonderful enthusiasm and determination throughout the season. Special thanks goes to Madalé Jooste and Iona Engel (Captain and Vice-Captain respectively in the Christmas Term) and also Poppy Edwards and Verity Sayer (Captain and Vice-Captain respectively in the Lent Term), for their motivation and support during a tricky two terms of weather. Team from: Poppy Edwards (Captain), Verity Sayer (Vice-Captain), Madalé Jooste, Isobel Brooks, Iona Engel, Catriona Jenkinson, Willa Briggs, Ilona Bushell, Anna Brady, Isobel Webster, Francesca Speed, Emma Bryant, Olivia Cha, Saskia Piper, Alexandra Ham, Paige Kennedy, Siân Rees.

LACROSSE TEAM REPORT – UNDER 14 AND 15 XII SAR

The new term not only brought some new players to the team but also some pitch ruining weather. With the pitches flooded, our practices were moved into the sports hall and onto the astro. Unfortunately, the weather did not improve and our first few fixtures were cancelled. The floods however, could not put a dampener on the U14 and U15 Kent Schools’ Indoor Tournament. The very inexperienced King’s teams were out of their depth against the very strong and skilful Benenden and Walthamstow Hall teams, but showed plenty of fight and determination throughout their respective competitions. With many more fixtures cancelled due to the unplayable pitches, the Junior Lacrosse Team travelled to Surrey Sports’ Park in Guildford for the annual U15 Lacrosse Nationals’ Tournament without much real game experience. For the first time this term, the conditions and pitches were perfect for a day of Lacrosse. Their determination, focus, and sheer stamina was evident from the first whistle. This continued to be the theme of each and every game they played. The team gave 100% throughout the tournament but unfortunately, the group King’s was drawn in was very strong. The scores from the five matches did not convey the hard work, skill and effort the entire side put in. The whole side played superbly, but the defence deserve special recognition as they never gave up. After the excitement and experience of the Nationals, the girls travelled to Dulwich Prep for a rescheduled match. Due to the last minute rescheduling, the team was missing some of their key players. The girls fought hard against Dulwich, the game was very even with each team exchanging goals. The scorers for King’s were Rosie Woods, Poppy Keating and Miranda Dobson who was playing in her first ever Lacrosse match. Unfortunately, Dulwich were able to sneak in a last minute goal, which left the final score at 3-4 to Dulwich. The last home fixture of the term was the U14 Kent Tournament at Birley’s. King’s first match was against Walthamstow Hall. The girls started the match confidently but sadly the speed and quick stick work of their

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THE CANTUARIAN

RUGBY SEVENS opponents opened up the King’s defence. Yolanda Imoke was a brilliant stand-in goalie for the tournament and saved numerous shots and cleared the ball superbly. Next, King’s faced four Benenden teams. Against Benenden A, B and C, King’s looked after the ball and passed the ball confidently around in the attack but were unable to score enough times to beat any of these opponents. Against Benenden D team however, it was a different story. King’s looked relaxed, yet determined to win this game. With some brilliant driving towards goal from Amelia ButlerGallie and some brilliant movement for Miranda Dobson, King’s opened up the Benenden defence to score numerous goals in the short match. After a brilliant tournament King’s placed 5th. To end the term of Lacrosse, the Juniors travelled to Benenden to play two short matches. In the first match against Benenden U13A’s King’s played well and put a lot of pressure on their opponents whenever they got the ball, but sadly could not score. Benenden on the other hand, managed to get one shot past goal keeper Madeleine Jamieson just before the end of the first half. Marinika Webster had a brilliant game and appeared to be everywhere on the pitch. After a short rest, King’s faced the Benenden U14C team. Feeling deflated and tired after their first defeat, King’s found it hard to get into their second game. The first half flew by with Benenden having a flurry of six goals. In the second half however, King’s stepped up their game and really tightened up in defence. They were determined not to finish the season on a low. King’s managed to have much more possession of the ball and even had a couple of shots on goal, but could not prevent Benenden scoring a further three goals. It was a real shame that this term of Lacrosse was so affected by the wet weather and that the girls did not really get a chance to prove themselves as a force against other teams. One thing is evident however; they never gave up and were determined to do their best. Well done girls. Team from: Ruby Bansal, Isobel Barrett, Mariella Bomer, Lena Brady, Antonia Brown, Amelia Butler-Gallie, Miranda Dobson, Maya Goddard, Roxanne Greenwood, Sofia Hamlin, Imogen Hurley, Yolanda Imoke, Madeleine Jamieson, Poppy Keating, Amber Kendall, Olivia Lark, Rebecca Litvack, Zofia Olszowska, Jemima Rausing,

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Isabella Snow, Anouska Sokolow, Bede Tyler, Marinika Webster, Juliet Wolff, Rosie Woods, Ai Yokoyama. Results Walthomstow Hall U15A

Cancelled

Haileybury U15A

Cancelled

St Catherine’s U15A

Cancelled

Berkhamsted U15A

Cancelled

Dulwich Prep

lost

3-4

Benenden U13A

lost

5-0

Benenden U14C

lost

9-0

U14 Kent Indoor Tournament Placed

6th

U15 Kent Indoor Tournament Placed

5th

RUGBY SEVENS TEAM REPORT – SENIOR CMBR

With limited 7’s being played by the U18’s this year, our U16’s took centre stage The team have had a very successful programme. In their first outing at the Colfe’s 7’s tournament, which was host to the best sides in Kent, the team was unbeaten as they scored 21-7 against Bethany School, Skinners 19 – 14, Colfe’s 22 – 10, and The Judd School 26-7 in the final to win the tournament. The team went into the Surrey Tournament with some confidence. Five games in the group stage would be a difficult task, but the side got off to an excellent start in their first game winning 28-0. They then beat Whitgift 14-7 in a hard fought encounter, but it was a well-deserved victory. We went unbeaten to top the group, which saw us in to the Cup Semi-Final against The John Fisher School. The

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ROWING team produced a quality performance to win 21-12, with tries to Dan Harris, Archie Kay and Kit Wilson which put us through to the Cup Final against Trinity. Trinity played the better game in the Final and deserved their victory, but the boys should be extremely proud of their efforts in finishing runners-up out of 24 teams in a very strong tournament. At the National Competition they played some excellent sevens, but unfortunately lost a close match with Eton who went through to the knockout stages. The squad should be extremely proud of their efforts and achievements. Team from: Geordie Bull, Sam Casement, Loic d’Assier, Dan Harris, Tom Hunt, Archie Kay, James King, Hauke Kuttig, Ollie Mann, Alan Phillips, James Read, Kit Wilson.

ROWING TEAM REPORT JW

The first events were at Quintin Head where a 1st Eight raced with a J15 Eight also gaining some early Tideway experience and a girls’ Eight with OKS Hannah Presdee joining in. A positive start was followed closely by the Indoor Rowing Heats for the Kent area. We had plenty of success here with virtually all pupils entered moving through to the finals. At the Finals there was plenty to be pleased about with the Shells’ Team of Freddie Cammegh, Gus Cox, Alex Strickland and Wills Edgar winning gold; two individual golds from Demi Adeyemi and Lizzie Trelawny-Vernon; two individual silvers from Rupert Barton and Charlie John, and three individual bronzes from Jen Hofmann, Harry Nichols and Josh Botchway with the Teams getting three silvers and a bronze.

Rowing at Westbere

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THE CANTUARIAN

Sam Wallace, Thomas Trewlany-Vernon, Ivan Urov, Alexander Ardley-Ingram

At the lake business continued as usual, with Plucks Gutter also getting used regularly by the 1st Eight for the distance work. For the second year the Boat Club were running the South East Team and the Trials for the Team for the Junior Inter Regional Regatta. All of the regions clubs came to the lake and 70 crews raced off to gain selection for the Team. The school came away with Boys’ J16 coxed Four of Forbes, Nichols, John and TrelawnyVernon (fastest boat of the day), the J15 coxed Four of Allinson, Hunter, Green, Green and Lyttle; the Women’s J16 coxed Four of Adeyemi, Fuest, Knight, Hofmann and Gunathilagan; and the J15 single of de Jong. Knight and Hofmann doubled up to be the girls’ J15 double as well. With the Schools’ Head getting postponed the Boat Club went to Hammersmith Head to try and keep some racing experience going. The 1st Eight continued to show progress with a new coxed Four of Sam Wallace, Tommie Trelawny-Vernon, Ivan Yurov and Alex Ardley-Ingram winning and a girls quad finding the going a little tough. We entered a Shells’ Octuple at the Junior Sculling Head and it gained an encouraging row and result coming 20th out of the 55 crews. We had two individuals enter the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships in March: Jen Hofmann and Rupert Barton. Jen did well in a vast

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field, whilst Rupert gained a silver in the Junior Men’s event. Before the Schools’ Head the 1st Eight ventured over to Amsterdam for the Head of the Amstel. The boys raced well starting off in hail and finishing in sunshine. The crew came in 5th with the winning crew being the Dutch Junior National Eight. The next week at the Schools’ Head we had a 1st Eight racing, coming in a credible 10th up from last year’s result. A 1st Four was very unfortunate in losing their fin before the race. A J15 coxed Four found things a little tough, coming 12th; the girls quad raced well coming in 8th. With the end of term, those who had signed up for training camp went to Italy for a week. The camp was based at Lake Orta, just north west of Milan. We were joined by a number of Canford School rowers in what was a very successful and rewarding camp on all fronts.

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SWIMMING SWIMMING -TEAM REPORTS PM

The King’s School Boys’ Swimming Team The King’s boys’ Swimming team enjoyed their best ever results this term. Pride of place goes to Patrick macLachlan, winning six county titles, two in record time – the 50m freestyle, and bettering the 100m freestyle which had stood for 22 years. He also won two national designated events and in so doing has qualified for the Commonwealth Games Trials in April. At the national Public Schools event, which took place in March at the Olympic Pool at Stratford, Patrick, along with Ivan Prisyazhnyuk, Joseph Shailer and David Zuo won the national medley relay event for the Dunelm Cup, and in so doing broke the record. This was an amazing achievement, with some 80 schools competing. Patrick Chan replaced David for the freestyle relay event where the team swam to the bronze medal position. National designated events Patrick macLachlan travelled to two away 50m long course events and won at both – Basildon (50m and 100m free) and Norwich (50m free, and producing his Commonwealth Games Trials qualifying time). Locally, Joseph Shailer swam his best at the Icebreaker designated event, gaining bronze medals in the 50m free, 100m free, 50m back, 100m back. Ivan also produced an outstanding swim to gain bronze in the 100m breast. Kent County ASA Schools Championship results – January

188

Senior Boys Medley and Freestyle team (Patrick macLachlan away at a national event) Ivan Prisyazhnyuk, David Zuo, James Kerr, Hugo Serisier

silver medal

Ivan Prizyazhnyuk, senior 100m breaststroke

silver medal PB

David Zuo, senior 100m backstroke

4th place PB

Intermediate Boys Edward Chan, intermediate 100m breaststroke

6th Place PB

Junior Boys’ Freestyle and Medley Teams Georgy Papazov, Thomas Whitmore, Chris Sit, Joseph Wells

7th and 10th

Henry Long intermediate 100m freestyle

20th

Kent Senior ASA Swimming Championships – February/ March Patrick macLachlan Senior 100m freestyle

1st

17/18 100m freestyle

1st

Senior 50m freestyle

1st

17/18 50m freestyle

1st

Senior 50m butterfly

1st

17/18 50m freestyle

1st

Record

Joseph Shailer 16 years 100m freestyle

9th

16 years 50m freestyle

13th

16 years 100m backstroke

8th

16 years 50m backstroke

9th

THE CANTUARIAN

David Zuo 17/18 50m backstroke

9th

Harrow/Sutton Valence/ King’s Rochester/St. Dunstan’s

2nd

46-4231-21

Intermediate team Ivan Prisyazhnyuk 17/18 50m breaststroke

8th

Sutton Valence (overall)

won

82-59

17/18 100m breaststroke

11th

Epsom/Eastbourne/Tonbridge

3rd

28-2716-9

Harrow/Sutton Valence/King’s Rochester/St Dunstan’s

3rd

37-2827-6

Sutton Valence (overall)

won

82-59

Epsom/Eastbourne/Tonbridge

2nd

26-2221-11

Tournaments and inter-school events Senior team

Junior team

Sutton Valence (points only as overall)

won

82-59

Epsom/Eastbourne/Tonbridge

3rd

27-2321-19

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189

Harrow/Sutton Valence/King’s Rochester/ St. Dunstan’s

3rd

37-2827-20-6

Inter House Some spectacular Swimming took place of the highest standard, with Meister Omer’s storming their way to an early lead in the senior event which they extended. For the junior under 15 section, Linacre and The Grange fought neck and neck, ending in a draw. Result Seniors

Intermediate team from: Joseph Shailer, Edward Chan, Kevin Kahol de Jong, Philip Chennery, Christian de Vitry d’Avaucourt, Henry Long, Harry Nabavi, Sherwood Lam, Ivan Lebedev Junior team from: Chris Sit, Joseph Wells, Thomas Whitmore, Georgy Papazov, George Howard Smith, Guillermo Abengoechea, Ethan Hunt.

Result Juniors

Day

190

Senior team from: Patrick macLachlan (Captain), Lorcan Halfacre (Vice Captain), David Zuo, Ivan Prisyazhnyuk, Patrick Chan, James Kerr, Hugo Serisier

The King’s School Girls’ Swimming Team Girls’ Swimming at King’s continues to improve every year. Our senior girls’ team remains unbeaten this season at county level and below, winning both medley and freestyle relay shields at the county schools championships. At the national schools’ public event in March at the Olympic Pool at Stratford, and competing against 50

THE CANTUARIAN

SWIMMING schools, our girls medley and freestyle teams of Carita Hui, Lily Begg, Honoury Cheung, Anouska Newman and Victoria Leigh came 11th and 15th overall. National designated events – January Carita Hui swam in the Icebreaker designated event gaining the silver medal position in a new school record for the 100m backstroke.

Junior Girls’ Freestyle Relay Saffron Turl, Penny Mekdhanasarn, Olivia de Vitry, Grace Frearson

9th

Junior Girls’ Medley Relay 13th

Kent County ASA Schools Championships – January

Alexandra Dial, Saffron Turl, Penny Mekdhanasarn, Grace Frearson

16th

Senior Girls’ Medley Relay:

Saffron Turl junior 100m breaststroke Penny Mekdhanasarn 100m backstroke

18th

Carita Hui, Lily Begg, Honoury Cheung, Gemma Taylor

1st

gold medal and trophy

Kent County Senior ASA Championships – February/ March

Senior Girls’ Freestyle Relay Lucy Dean, Carita Hui, Lily Begg, Honoury Cheung

1st

gold medal and trophy

Carita Hui, senior 100m backstroke

1st

gold PB

Honoury Cheung senior 100m breaststroke

3rd

bronze PB

Lily Begg senior 100m freestyle

4th

final

Intermediate Girls’ Freestyle Relay: Victoria Leigh, Olivia Bagshawe, Eleanor Swire, Rachael Barry

8th

Victoria Leigh, intermediate 100m freestyle

19th

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2nd reserve for final

Carita Hui swam well to gain fifth place in the girls’ 17-18 100m backstroke and 50m fly, breaking her school record in the butterfly event. Tournaments and inter school events Senior Team Benenden

won

52-46

Sutton Valence

won

82-59

Epsom/Eastbourne/Benenden

won

34-25-17

Bishop’s Stortford/St.Dunstan’s/ King’s Rochester/Benenden

won

38-25-2418-13

Intermediate Team Benenden/Claremont

won

82-74-51

Sutton Valence

won

52-46

Epsom/Eastbourne/Benenden

3rd

26-22-21

Bishops Stortford/St.Dunstans/ King’s Rochester/Benenden

3rd

34-29-2718-11

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SWIMMING Intermediate team from: Victoria Leigh, Eleanor Swire, Eliza Cox, Isobel Whalley Paine, Rachael Barry, Mathilde Kolade, Clara Taylor, Susannah Bryant

Junior Team Sutton Valence

won

52-46

Epsom/Eastbourne/ Benenden

3rd

28-24-14

Bishop’s Stortford/ St.Dunstan’s/King’s Rochester/Benenden

won

21-14-1210-0

FENCING TEAM REPORT MJC

Inter House – March Spectacular Swimming and close fought events provided a great finale to girls Swimming. Results

Seniors

Results

Juniors

BR & BY

Day Houses

Carita Hui and Lucy Dean were awarded the co-captain trophy. Lily Begg was awarded the most improved girl trophy. The most improved games swimmers were named as Ana Meita and Grace Frearson. Pupils competing in Swimming Lent term: Senior team from: Carita Hui (co-captain), Lucy Dean (co-captain), Lily Begg, Honoury Cheung, Gemma Taylor, Natsuko Saegusa

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Junior team from: Saffron Turl, Penny Mekdhanasarn, Grace Frearson, Alexandra Dial, Olivia de Vitry d’Avaucourt, Lulu Hinshelwood, Amy Hinshelwood

British Cadet & Junior Fencing Championship (Sports Dock, University of East London) In a strong cadet (under 17’s) championship the Fencers struggled to qualify through some tough poules of 6. Only Oliver Hope managed to qualify for the direct elimination rounds finishing in 41st place. In the junior (under 20’s) events on the Sunday, the cadets from the previous day were joined by Hugo Smith in the boys’ and Justine Lambert in the girls’ categories. Hugo and Arran Hope made it through to the direct elimination stages with Arran beating two top cadet age group Fencers in his poule getting into the last 32, finishing in 30th place. Justine was the last qualifier through the poule stage in 38th position but then beat the 27th seed to make the last 32 as well. British Schools’ Team Championships We sent three teams to compete in this year’s event, a girls’ and a boys’ team in the Under 18’s epee, and a boys’ team in the Under 15’s epee.

THE CANTUARIAN

FENCING The girls were up first and the team consisting of Maria Constantinescu, Fenella McKluskie, Sophie Sood and Valerie Suen immediately faced the eventual winners Millfield School who fielded internationals from Great Britain and Australia. The 26-45 defeat was taken in good spirits as they rallied to finish the event in third place securing the national bronze medal. The Under 15 boys competed in their very first team event and as such it was indeed a baptism of fire. Consisting of Daniel Min, Charlie Jessel and Nicholas Lee, the team found it tough going against far more experienced sides. However, they can take heart from an encouraging performance against a strong Whitgift side. They finished in sixth place. The Under 18 boys followed by winning their group stage convincingly with victories of 45-31 and 45-33 versus St.Paul’s and Mossfield Schools respectively. Reigate School were efficiently dispatched in the Last 8, 45-19, with the most consistent performance to date in this format, with a young team in comparison to the other schools entered. Defeat came in the Semi-final 43-45 to the same St.Paul’s team that were defeated by King’s earlier the same day. Hugo Smith captained the side with Alex Sy-Quia, Arran Hope and Oliver Hope. A fine achievement of third place and a national schools’ Bronze medal to show for their efforts this year. South-East Region Epee Championships Nine pupils from the school were selected to take part in this year’s regional age group Fencing championships. A top four finish guaranteed qualification for the British Youth Championship Finals to be held in Sheffield this May. In the under 18 girls, Maria Constantinescu cemented her place in the BYC Finals for the second year running by eliminating Fenella McLuskie 15-13 in the Last 8 of the competition. She lost the semi-final to the eventual champion on the day. It later transpired that Fenella has been awarded a place at the Finals due to her strong performance.

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We had a relatively young group of entrants in the under 18 boys. Hugo Smith was eliminated from the event at the Last 16 stage by fellow King’s fencer Alexander SyQuia, who was defeated in the Last 8. Arran and Oliver Hope both started the day well by winning the majority of fights in their poules but both were eliminated in the Last 8. All of them failed to qualify for the BYC Finals this year. Public Schools’ Fencing Championships The annual Fencing pilgrimage to Crystal Palace across two days for all the King’s Fencers begins with a 5.30am wake-up for most. With a combined entry of over 1400 Fencers, this truly is a monster-sized competition. Resultswise, there were some standout performances. Hugo Smith finished in sixth place in the Boys’ Senior Epee, and still has another year in this age group to come. In her final year, Maria Constantinescu came in sixth place in the Girls’ Senior Epee. Oliver Hope and Justine Lambert both achieved third place in the Boys’ Junior Epee and the Girls’ Senior Epee respectively. Other notable performances included Chris Sit and Tobias Bushell in the Boys’ Mount-Haes Epee, finishing in 24th and 26th place respectively. Tobias has only spent one term with us at the Fencing Club – a fantastic result. Valerie Suen made the last 32 of the Girls’ Junior Epee, finishing in 30th place overall. On the whole, we are showing a greater depth across the different age groups and in both the boys’ and girls’ events. The results are certainly up there with the best results from the past few years. Therefore, all club members should take great encouragement from this as we move into the Summer Term.

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Fenella McKluskie

Oliver Hope on the Podium at the Public Schools’ Championships

Oliver Hope (left) in the King’s Victory over Redhill and Reigate

194

THE CANTUARIAN

The U18 Boys’ team of Oliver Hope, Alex Sy-Quia, Hugo Smith (Capt.) and Arran Hope with their Bronze Medals at the British Schools Team Championships

The U18 Girls’ team of Valerie Suen, Fenella McKluskie, Maria Constantinescu (Capt.) and Sophie Sood with their Bronze Medals at the British Schools Team Championships

CROSS COUNTRY CROSS COUNTRY TEAM REPORT – AUTUMN AND LENT DJF The Inter-House Cross-Country Competition is a regular curtain-raiser to the new school year, an opportunity for all years to do battle for individual and house glory, or simply to turn up and socialise in the sun. Generously hosted by the rear-guard of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders – one wonders how the event will fare in future years as the camp winds down, the gorse runs riot and the terrain decays ? – the event received the benison of clear skies and pleasant temperatures. Competition could not have been tighter in the boys’ divisions, with nothing to separate Linacre (who won the Senior cup by one point from Marlowe) and Trad (who triumphed in the Juniors with an impressive top-four trio of Wells, MurrayTacon and Whitmore); third were Marlowe. Galpins took the palm in the Inter boys, ahead of Trad. Individual honours went to Jack Milligan (GR), James Oates (CY) and Jo Wells (TR).

thinner on the ground but competed gamely in the challenging conditions. Under Jack Milligan’s captaincy there were high hopes of a renaissance in boys’ Cross-Country. The signs were encouraging at Knole where Jack surged to an impressive 132nd after limited preparation and Max Luoma (260th) and John Lavelle (268th), similarly rested over Christmas, had good races. Max Nicholson (275th), Hal Evans (297th), Georgios Topaloglou (332nd) and Hugh Miller (334th) were undaunted. That the promise was not fulfilled should not gainsay the endeavour and improvement which accrued in the run-of-the-mill Kent League fixtures, nor should it belittle the dedicated and absorbed approach of all squad members. It was rewarding to see the flowering of ability amongst all the boys, notably that of Max, John, Hal and Georgios, who displayed competitiveness and courage in all conditions. Jack was an inspiring captain, a runner whose high standards were an example to all.

Harvey House led the way to claim the girls’ cup by ten points from Broughton, Walpole finishing third. Emma Chaplin won the Juniors ahead of Saffron Turl to set Harvey up for victory. Amelia Brown (WL) was a classy winner of the Inters ahead of Broughton’s Rowena Mockridge, with Harvey girls Wiener, Batten and Brown following close behind. It was a thrillingly close finish in the Seniors, with Walpole pipping Broughton by a point, winner Isobel Brooks and fellow Walpolite Matilda Swan sandwiching Luxmoore’s Maddy Irwin, and the brave Broughton trio of Erskine, Lambert and Sly finishing in the top seven.

Jack’s sprint forte was in evidence at the Tonbridge relays, where John also clocked an impressive time; the third fastest King’s time on the day was Maddy Irwin’s. Indeed, Maddy carried all before her in the Kent League and worthily won the title. Her 61st place at the Knole prepared her for a clean sweep of wins against smaller fields, over shorter distances and more technical courses, and she memorably combined power and determination. Catherine Hayden briefly shone: our second-best runner at the Knole she chose other pastures to exercise her prowess. Anastasia Newman and Issy Forbes were two runners whose cameos were memorable. Captain Eleanor Sly was the perfect foil to Maddy: consistent, dependable, capable of staying with the pace and admirably focussed. Maisie Briggs showed real stickability, Quillie Erskine was persistence personified and Charlotte Molony came through with admirable strength in the second half of the season and is definitely a force for the future.

November brought the District Championships, hosted by Kent College on a waterlogged and windswept Moat Field, with a solid contingent of girls led by Captain Eleanor Sly proving their strength in depth to take the shield – for the sixth time in seven years. The boys were

The bedrock of Cross-Country is the dedicated support of my staff colleagues, all of whom contributed unstintingly to the smooth running of a large enterprise. My thanks go to JMC, JGo, BC, HJ, LAH, ERL, AMP, CBB-T, JGa, AJH and SPO.

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THE CANTUARIAN

Above: Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re off! Below: Milly Baker keeps up the Walpole spirits

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197

BOYS’ SQUASH BOYS’ SQUASH TEAM REPORT – 1st V TM

This year was a fantastic turnaround from last year in terms of games won. The boys did extremely well to reach the last 16 of the National Schools’ competition, which is the best the team has done in my time as coach; the team also came 2nd at the prestigious Epsom Independent Schools’ Tournament. The season started with a 4-1 loss to Tonbridge, with our only win coming at the top end. The general trend with the King’s teams has always been good depth but not a strong 1 or 2; this however has been flipped with Ben Champion’s (captain) progression into a solid number one. He won his match 3-0. Alex James was the only other player to get a game, losing his match 3-1 at 2. Next the team travelled to Sevenoaks (minus Max Zhukov who missed the bus!) and won 3-2, even with only four players. Ben, Alex and Henry Collister got the wins at 1, 2 and 3. The third match was away to Tonbridge and this time the team got closer, a 3-2 loss this time, with Ben and Alex winning. The team then played the National Schools’ fixtures, all in one afternoon. King’s won all three matches against Judd, Borden and Simon Langton. Against Judd Ben, Henry and Jack Lee each won 3-0, whilst Alex and George Wauchope had close 3-1 losses at 2 and 3. Against Borden it was the lower order that saved the day, with George, Henry and Jack getting the wins, 3-0 each. The third match against Simon Langton was relatively straight forward, with Alex the only one to drop a game, winning 3-2 at 2. His match was a great one for the spectators and he just sneaked it in the 5th.

Three wins out of three meant King’s qualified for the top 32 knockout stages and were guaranteed a team that finished 2nd in their group in the next round. Next up was the Epsom Independent Schools’ Tournament and this year King’s were again in division 2. King’s won the box of four, beating Epsom 2, Whitgift 2 and Tonbridge 2, to go in to the final against KCS Wimbledon. In the final Henry struggled, losing 6-15 8-15. Ben won a tight first 15-12, but then lost the second 15-13, which meant we had effectively lost unless Alex won 2-0 easily. Ben’s opponent was very unorthodox and Ben was by far the better Squash player, but sadly his opponent hit some good shots at all the right times. Alex won his 15-12 1511 but this wasn’t enough to overturn the points deficit and so King’s lost by eight points. The first match after the Christmas holidays was against Sevenoaks and this time it was a comprehensive 5-0 win for King’s, with Tom Doyle playing his first match at 5. Then came the top 32 match against Trinity Croydon and the boys played fantastically well to beat them 4-1. Alex was the only one to lose and even that was 12-10 in the 5th! A 5-0 win against Tonbridge followed, before meeting Brentwood in the last 16 of the National Schools. Brentwood were just a little too strong, with Ben’s opponent a nationally ranked player! George got his best ever win, a very hard 3-1 (11/9 8/11 11/8 11/9), but everyone else went down 3-0. That’s not to say the matches weren’t close, but the boys had reached the end of the line. A wonderful achievement though as this is the furthest the team has ever reached; top 16 in the country. The team travelled to Tonbridge for a triangular and snuck another win against Tonbridge 3-2 and a 5-0 win against Westminster. The last match of the season was a mixed boys’/girls’ match against Marlborough, at the Roehampton Club. The boys didn’t fair quite so well with only Alex winning, but overall it was a 4-3 win to King’s. A satisfactory way to finish the season before the end of season trip.

On 25th March the boys’ and girls’ teams went up to Canary Wharf to watch a professional tournament, with some of the world’s top 20 male players competing. This was a fantastic evening for the pupils organised by Mr Moelwyn-Hughes. Ben Champion was a fantastic captain this season; it really brought him out of his shell. He helped with some of the coaching for the pupils and led by example with his efforts on and off court. He managed to win 71% of his matches, which is even more impressive because he was playing number one. Ben has another year in the team and it is very exciting to think how strong a player he will be by this time next year. For the second year running Ben was voted Most Valuable Player by the rest of the squad. Ben was one of three (Alex and Henry were the other two) who played in all the matches and all three were the real spine of the team. Alex played number 2 and won 50% of his matches. He still has another two years in the team so even though the learning curve was steep this year, he will be a better player for it in the coming seasons. Alex is very tough on himself and expects a lot, and although he won’t believe this, he has come on leaps and bounds this year. Well done, Alex! Henry Collister and George Wauchope were interchangeable at 3 and 4. George was missed at the beginning of the season with a back injury but he returned to play very solid Squash. George won 75% of his matches and Henry 64%. Both players provided the team with what it needed, strength in the middle order. For the second year running Henry was voted Most Improved Player by his peers, so although he sometimes doubts himself, I hope this gives him some belief in what a good Squash player he’s becoming.

Henry, George and Tom are leaving this year, which means there will be opportunities for some new faces in the 1st V next season. I wish all the leavers every success for the future. Team from: Ben Champion (captain), Henry Collister, Tom Doyle, Alex James, Jack Lee and George Wauchope. Results Tonbridge

1-4

Sevenoaks

3-2

Tonbridge

2-3

The Judd School, National School

3-2

Borden Grammar, National Schools

3-2

Simon Langton, National Schools

5-0

Sevenoaks

5-0

Trinity Croydon

4-1

National Schools Top 32 Tonbridge

5-0

Brentwood

1-4

National Schools Top 16 Jesters

2-2

Tonbridge

3-2

Westminster

5-0

Marlborough

4-3

Epsom Independent Schools’ Tournament Epsom 2

5-2

Whitgift 2

5-2

Tonbridge 2

7-0

KCS Wimbledon

3-3

Tom Doyle and Jack Lee shared the 5th spot, depending who was on form at the time. Tom won 75% of his matches and Jack 50%. They pushed each other all season, always wanting to grab that 5th spot. All six players improved their games over the course of the year and it has been a pleasure to work with them all. I’m extremely proud of the team and it will be a tough act to follow next year.

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199

BOYS’ SQUASH Results Wellesley

BOYS’ SQUASH TEAM REPORT - U15 TM

There are a number of talented U15 players, which bodes well for the future of Squash at King’s; hopefully we can encourage more of the younger pupils to try their hand at Squash. The only match of the season was against Wellesley and King’s fielded a mixed side of boys and girls. It was good to get everyone involved, as the six that played had all shown a keenness to do more Squash. Tom Mancais deserves special mention for never giving up on court, running his heart out and getting the only game of the match! It was also the first time that U15 girls had played in a fixture, so they gained valuable experience which will benefit them in the future, as all three will surely go on to represent the school in the 1st V, just as Laura actually has this season. Sadly Squash isn’t available to the U15’s as a games’ option (exceptions can be made) so I don’t see the pupils for regular coaching. However, coaching is available to those that want it, 17.00-18.00 Mondays and Thursdays. These extra sessions have been put on with the U15’s in mind. Anyone that wants to play Squash is more than welcome at these sessions. We hope to have more fixtures for the U15’s next season, as any experience gained at this level can only help them before going on to the senior team. Team from: Millie Lee, Tom Mancais, Max Newhouse, Laura Patterson, Sammy Ruston and Digby Taylor-Young.

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Boys’ Inter House Competition Winners Runners up

Marlowe Linacre

Marlowe are champions again! With three of the five top players in the school, Marlowe were the pre-tournament favourites, and they won without dropping a game the whole competition. Linacre did very well to get to the final and they had an exciting win against The Grange in the semi-finals to get there. The match was poised at 1-1 when the two number ones went on; George Wauchope (GR) and George Baker-White (LN) had a fantastic match that the spectators loved. LN won the first game, GR the second, before LN finally sneaked the 3rd game 14-12! In the final MR were just too strong and would have been for anyone. A great inter-house competition and some fantastic matches throughout the tournament.

GIRLS’ SQUASH TEAM REPORT – 1ST V TM

There were seven girls’ matches this year, including four in the National Schools’ competition, where the girls managed to reach the semi-finals of the Plate (one win away from going to Manchester to play in the finals!). The year began with a comprehensive 5-0 win over Sevenoaks. Everyone won 3-0 apart from Abbie Pearson who won 3-1 at 4. It was a first match for Sophie Lark, Abbie and Isabelle Curley.

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GIRLS’ SQUASH Next up were the National Schools’ group games, with both Benenden games played on one afternoon. Benenden B were just as strong as the A team and sadly King’s lost 5-0 to both teams. Against the B’s Seiya was 2-1 up at 1 but couldn’t quite do it and went down 3-2 and Flora lost 3-1 at 2; excellent efforts from both of them. Against the A’s the girls were tired from the first match but actually played even better. Flora was 2-1 up at 2 but lost 3-2 and Abbie lost 3-1 at 4 (winning the first game 20-18!) The team was then due to play Berkhamstead away, but due to adverse weather conditions couldn’t go, so they received a walkover. This put King’s in the Plate competition where they would play Downe House B, with the winner going to Manchester to play in the finals! Before that match took place the girls hosted Sevenoaks for a second match of the season. Two new faces joined the team, Catherine Hayden slotted in at 2, pushing Flora to 3 and Laura Patterson went in at 4, pushing Sophie to 5. Once again it was 5-0, with Laura dropping the only game at 4. There must be something about their number 4, as both Abbie and Laura dropped a game to her! The team then travelled to the fantastic Roehampton Club to play Downe House B. Seiya and Flora were under the weather but soldiered on, both losing 3-0. Seiya got to a tiebreak in two of the games but couldn’t quite nick them and Flora was close in every game. Laura lost 3-1 and showed amazing determination to run for every ball and Sophie couldn’t quite steal a game either, going down 3-0. Catherine won a consolation match at 2, 3-0, totally outplaying her opponent. It was a shame King’s lost but the match was played in excellent spirit by both teams and the Roehampton Club was a lovely venue. The last match of the season was three of the girls, joined by four of the boys, playing against Marlborough. This was again played at the Roehampton Club and the girls signed off the year in style. Catherine (now playing at 1), Seiya and Flora all won and helped the mixed team to a win.

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I am very proud of the girls’ efforts for the season and improvements were there for all to see. Flora was an excellent captain, following in her sister’s footsteps. She led by example in everything she did, even working hard to rid herself of that two handed backhand! All the players supported each other and Flora helped the less experienced players with learning the game. Catherine was voted Most Valuable Player (if only the team had had her for the first four matches); she didn’t drop a game in her three wins and ended up as the number 1. Laura was voted Most Improved Player, as she only started playing this year but ended up as the team’s number 4. The squad loses Flora, Sophie, Abbie and Isabelle for next season, which will give others the opportunity to play for the 1st V. I wish all the leavers every success for the future. Team from: Isabelle Curley, Seiya Grant, Catherine Hayden, Sophie Lark, Flora Mockridge (captain), Laura Patterson and Abbie Pearson. Results Sevenoaks

5-0

Benenden A , National Schools

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Benenden B, National Schools

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Berkhamstead, National Schools

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Berkhamstead, National Schools

5-0

Downe House B

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National Schools’ Plate ½ Finals Marlborough

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Girls’ Inter House Competition Winners Runners up

Jervis Carlyon

Two new teams in the final this year and Jervis won the title convincingly. Congratulations to Jervis!

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THE INTERVIEW ‘YOUR STARTER FOR 10’: MISS PARK CTN

Miss Park: Deputy Housemistress of Walpole, History teacher, Rugby coach and all round good egg. The Cantuarian team nominated her as our next interview victim as we wanted to find out what made her tick... Why did you choose to become a teacher? It wasn’t really a choice, more just something that I happened to fall into when I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity by Mark Lascelles. What did you want to be when you were growing up? I wanted to be a Firewoman (well actually a fireman?!) What would you be if you weren’t a teacher?

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you at King’s? See above. What has been the most memorable lesson you’ve ever taught at King’s? Not sure, hopefully there have a been a couple. If you were the headmaster, what would you change about the school? Rackets court in St Mary’s. If the Common Room was burning down, which three teachers would you save? The Mind - Dr Perkins The Body - Mr Browning The Spirit - Father Martin (Fred would be first out!)

Probably a lawyer, the plan was always to do a year out after university (coaching sport at King’s) and then leave to do a Law Conversion Course but, unfortunately, I met Mr Tyndall. What do you love most about King’s? Now that Mr Tyndall has left...I don’t know...Mr Bass? How would you describe your typical day? Prepping, teaching, marking, eating, sporting, sorting, marking, consoling, dining, counselling, locking, whining, wining, sleeping. What has been the highlight of your teaching so far? Ask Alex Compton to perform his Munich Putsch rap.

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OVERHEARD AND HOWLERS ‘In Drummer Hodge, Hardy writes about a West-country labourer who was killed in the Bowel War.’

A Shell, writing a diary entry by Bassanio: ‘It was my lifelong ambition to marry the fair Porsche.’

‘Wait, plant cells have a nucleus?’ (6b biology class)

In an RS lesson..’Was Pontius Jesus’s first name?’ (6b)

‘Shakespeare is well known for his creative writing ability…’ Good start to a Remove’s English coursework essay.

Opening paragraph of 6b English coursework essay: ‘Ted Hughes’ ‘Birthday Letters’, written shortly after his death.’

From a Shell essay: ‘living in an age when death was much more common’

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THE CANTUARIAN

Summer 2014

Vol. LXXIX

THE CANTUARIAN CONTENTS Editorial

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This and That

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Valete

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Trips and Expeditions

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King’s Week

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Sport

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The Interview

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Overheard… and Howlers

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The Cantuarian Editorial Committee 2012-2013

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EDITORIAL Freya Logan Green (6a WL)

Having endured an extremely long, wet and cold winter, the Summer Term at King’s brings with it the prospect of hot weather and creative opportunity. The summer of 2014 will be remembered for the World Cup. Staff and students alike caught ’football fever’, and the catering and kitchen staff decorated the dining hall with flags of every single country participating in the competition. We entered the World Cup with traditional British optimism and cheerfulness and despite England’s disappointing performance, this positivity stayed with us throughout the term. Unlike the English football team, our sporting sides showed many terrific wins against tough opponents in both girls’ and boys’ sports. Although the term was perhaps slightly marred by the looming prospect of exams and the stress of revision, once they were completed, pupils looked forward to a jam-packed term full of entertainment including music, plays and art.

the British summer. One of Shakespeare’s funniest and shortest plays, this farcical comedy was pure brilliance, and the elements of slapstick had the audience in fits. A new event at King’s Week this year was the show jumping at Birley’s, this was a chance for the King’s horse riding team to show their skills to a wider audience as not everyone was previously aware of the high standard of horse riding at King’s. The event was a huge success and it really showed how far the King’s School riding team has come in recent years, it is now one of the most popular sports at King’s and hopefully it will continue to grow as the years progress. There are around two hundred events in King’s Week which takes an immense amount of planning and organisation. None of this would be possible without the meticulous planning of Mr Sanderson. He is the unsung hero of King’s Week, introducing all the events and rushing around behind the scenes and making sure that everything runs smoothly.

King’s Week has always been considered to be the highlight of the year, let alone the highlight of the Summer Term. It is a week unique to King’s and anyone and everyone ranging from Shells to 6a’s participate in the weeks’ events. It is said that nearly all pupils are involved in some way, whether it be doing hair and makeup backstage for the plays or running an event such as The Voice. The amazing thing about King’s Week is that a majority of the events are student led which is a real testament to the talent at King’s. Always delivering in excellence, The Serenade provides style and sophistication and this year was no exception. Congratulations must go to Mr Bersey on a terrific first Serenade; the angelic sounds of the choir echoed around the cathedral and everyone agreed that it was a musical triumph. The musical soloists were the best in years and The King’s Men and Swingers never fail to deliver in flawless harmonies and the purest of sounds. Special mention must go to the excellent drama department. The Mint Yard Play this year, Shakespeare’s Comedy Of Errors, was fantastic. And the rain held off for the entirety of all the performances, a rare feat considering

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This and That Requiescant The whole school were united in great sadness at the death of a greatly loved member of staff, Bernie Cocksworth (Housemistress of Harvey House 2001-2013 and Head of Economics from 2002) who died peacefully on 7th March, 2014. A private funeral was held on 20th March and a celebration service was held in Canterbury Cathedral on 23rd April. A tribute to Bernie’s life can be found in this edition.

Glasgow 2014 – and London 2012 Two of the most acclaimed sporting events in Britain in recent times have been directed by OKS. Tunku Imran Ja’afar (MO 1962-66) as President of the Commonwealth Games Federation headed the highly successful Glasgow Games. He has had a distinguished career as sportsman and then sports administrator. He is also a member of the International Olympic Committee.

Revealing Mr Maugham On Friday 9th May the School welcomed Nic Paravicini and Camilla Chandon, grandchildren of Somerset Maugham, and Syrie, Camilla’s daughter. This was Nic and Camilla’s first visit since December 1965 when Maugham was buried here. They saw the manuscripts of Liza of Lambeth and Catalina and other examples of Maughamiana. That evening they were at the Whitstable Literary Festival to answer questions after a showing of the documentary film Revealing Mr Maugham.

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Hugh Robertson (BR 1976-81), who stepped down from government in the July reshuffle, has been knighted for his contribution to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. He was the Minister of Sport from 2010 to 2013. Marlowe 450 The Association of Literary Societies held their Annual General Meeting in the Schoolroom during half term. The event was hosted by the (national) Marlowe Society, as part of the celebration of the Marlovian 450th

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anniversary. The Jane Austen, George Borrow, Brontë, Dickens, George Eliot, Wilfred Owen / Siegfried Sassoon, P.G. Wodehouse and Virginia Woolf Societies were among those represented. The delegates heard talks on Marlowe and Joseph Conrad, and were given a guided tour of the Walpole Collection. More Butterfield In April the School acquired the Diocesan and Payne Smith School in Broad Street. This is conveniently next to Jervis and the Bowers, and over the wall from the Forrens. The main building was designed by William Butterfield, also responsible for St Augustine’s College, as a National School and opened in October 1848. There are plans for a new girls’ boarding house here. Watch this space. From the Common Room… As with all ends of year, the Summer Term demonstrated the cyclical nature of things, but even more so this time. The moving celebration of Bernie Cocksworth’s life in the Cathedral Quire at the start of term marked a keenly felt loss, but also revealed the majesty of her life, represented so eloquently by her husband and embodied in the brave,

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touching contributions of her children. Meanwhile, new life was created when Rebekah Beattie gave birth to Efthalia Edith. There was a different kind of ending when Marc Dath’s marathon tenure as Housemaster of The Grange drew to a close, and another beginning as the mantle was taken up by Mark Orders. During King’s Week Graham Sinclair directed his last King’s Week play, A Comedy of Errors, and Will Bersey oversaw his first Serenade as Director of Music, both with resounding success. Rory Reilly moved on, and Graham stepped into his shoes … and so it continues. Gavin Merryweather (Domestic Bursar), Leisha McKechnie (Deputy Bursar) and Jenny Wardell (Galpin’s Matron) moved on to pastures new; Richard Maltby, Michele Bradburn, Nesta King, Graeme Tyndall, Matthew Gardner, Barbara Cerda, Jordi Gallardo, Rosanna Millinchip, Chris and Milly Roberts, David Bridle, Hannah Torrance, David Thresher – all left us this year, all for different reasons, and all will be missed. But change is inevitable, and necessary, and the school evolves as a result. There have been other new beginnings as well. Congratulations must go to new Deputy of Jervis Kim Budden; Deputy of Luxmoore Charlotte Tyndall; Deputy of Linacre Mike Turner and Deputy of Mitchinson’s Daniel

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Rowlands. Adam Stennett has moved on from being Head of Shell to become Deputy of Grange as well as Head of Middle School, and the Heads of Shell are now Kate Newsholme and Richard Cook. Eirian Kornicki is now in charge of Oxbridge. Finally, Miss Jolindi Smit is now Mrs Jolindi Jefferson, and the hearts of men have been broken from Canterbury to South Africa. It’s absolutely certain that I’ve missed someone important, but, let’s face it, this column is shabby at the best of times. The beauty of the Summer Term at King’s is the way we see it out. And King’s Week was again spectacular: from the toe-tapping rhythm of Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall, through the foot-slapping beat of KiDaCo as they were singin’ in the rain – and then to Birley’s for, of all things, show-jumping, a sight which This and That never thought he’d see without someone spiking his ice cream. Lectures, table tennis, vintage bikes, a bake-off, beach huts and deck chairs, gala concerts and recitals and much, much more … how Mr Sanderson and Mrs Burrows manage it all and keep hold of their sanity is quite beyond understanding. And then it was over, and another year had rolled by, but with another beginning just around the corner.

‘For one of us was born a twin and not a soul knew which.’ Pictured right: This summer, Matt McArdle was asked to recreate a photo last seen in the December 1984 edition of the Cantuarian. In this magazine you will find the photo with the caption ‘For one of us was born a twin and not a soul knew which.’ As close scrutiny will reveal, all the twins in 1984 were the same sex. The Summer 2014 version, however, features a number of mixed sex twins. Top: The King’s School Twins, Cantuarian December 1984: L-R: Falls, Scotts, Harmans, Wrights, McDonalds. Finns, Watkins and Bushells Bottom: The King’s School Twins, Cantuarian Summer 2014: L-R: Youngs, Hinshelwoods, Youngs, Daths, Hopes, Crosses, Greens, Pedricks, Meddings, and Bryants

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THE CANTUARIAN

A TRIBUTE TO BERNIE COCKSWORTH 1958 – 2014 MPHD

Laden down with carrier bags from a shopping trip to the post-Christmas sales a few years back, Bernie spotted us as we walked past Mount Pleasant on our way back to The New Grange. With an exuberant, ‘Hello Daarlings!’ She invited us for drinks the same evening to discuss our respective latest bargains. There was no doubt that Bernie loved shopping and clothes (she did marry in a purple spacesuit after all and left her daughters a Hermès scarves collection second to none!): a wonder she never named one of her girls Zara… Since that day though, we cannot open a bottle of Bollinger without a thought for Bernie’s own bubbly personality, love of life and fun. On her retirement from Harvey House in July 2013, Bernie had completed twenty years as a Housemistress, her first eight under Gillian du Charme at Benenden, where she had previously been Head of Economics. Former Benenden Housemaster, Head of History and friend, Jonathan Watts, stated in his eulogy in the Cathedral: ‘Bernie began teaching at Benenden in 1990 – later it was rumoured that she applied for the job thinking that it was actually Benetton School: ‘just think of the discount, my dear’. She brought to her teaching intellectual rigour and mastery of the latest facts, consummate organisational skills, hard work and a huge commitment of time together with an inimitable classroom presence, panache and the ability to communicate the dullest or most complex material with relevance, energy and lucidity: such a winning combination attracted vast numbers of adulatory students, all of whom got individual attention, whatever their ability, and were invariably helped to achieve the best possible results.

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It was no surprise when Bernie was soon appointed to run Founders, the sixth-form boarding house. Meticulous as she was in organisation and administration, the House ran effortlessly – but pure efficiency was never Bernie’s primary aim. Providing constant care and understanding for a group of what one former student describes as ‘grumpy, hormonal teenagers’ is no mean feat, yet Bernie created a caring community second to none. She knew all her students individually and knew everything about them – more than perhaps they realised or wanted her to know, such was the effectiveness of Bernie’s intelligence network. They valued her constant cheerfulness, her candour and honesty, her experience of life, her complete un-shockability and her no-nonsense approach: there are many who owe their success, their sanity and their survival to Bernie’s unstinting efforts on their behalf and her instinct for doing the right thing. As the Senior Housemistress, she presided over a group of strong-willed individuals with wit and good humour, cultivating a real esprit de corps in an atmosphere of benevolent but effective anarchy, where we could each do our own thing but knew that Bernie would be there to offer advice, support and pick up the pieces, utterly non-judgemental in her response.’ In 1999, Bernie returned to being an Economics teacher but living in Canterbury from where she commuted for two years. Bernie always loved teaching Economics: the banter in the classroom, the challenge of teaching some very gifted children and the pride of not having ever been ‘caught out’ were all alluded to in her Cathedral Service of Remembrance. For nearly ten years she ran the highly popular and successful Economics Department at King’s whilst running Harvey House. It never surprised me to learn later that, in only her second year of teaching in a rather rough Epsom comprehensive, this very bright Economics graduate from UCL was appointed Head of Careers, then shortly thereafter Head of Fifth form. In September 2001, the then King’s Headmaster, Canon Keith Wilkinson, asked her to take over Harvey House from its founding Housemistress, Jane Wharfe. How could

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she refuse the offer of living in a listed cottage named ‘Mount Pleasant’? In reality it was the enjoyment that Bernie derived from the company of the girls around her and their banter which was the real force pulling her back to the job she loved so much. In his reflection on her life, Geoff commented in the Cathedral: ‘She loved this work… the buzz she had from chatting to girls in the corridors, their rooms, and even on more serious matters in her study, was not only great for them, but a lifeblood for her too. As she fought cancer, it was a far better treatment than any chemotherapy. Or at least, it was the perfect antidote to the poisons she was having to take into her ailing body.’ And of course taking over Harvey House also provided her own daughters with an environment second to none in which to grow up, and Alex, Rosie and Eliza have enjoyed their time in these extended families, both at Benenden and at King’s. ‘Bernie loved music. She knew the words from most of the musicals of any era or genre. High Society was probably her favourite and it was fitting that Robin Bailey sang ‘True Love’ beautifully at her funeral. She was a Sound of Music fanatic and could be counted among those who knew every single word from the film, whether dialogue or song.’ It was therefore fitting that a Harvey House alumni, Hattie Jones, who is presently playing Christine Daae in the Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s, came to sing at Bernie’s Service in the Cathedral. As you may recall from the 2013 House Song Competition, Bernie’s love of music also extended to her delight in the musical achievements and success of her girls, both in the afore-mentioned competition but also in all the concerts and events in which the Harvey girls excel. However, running a boarding House is not always without its ups and downs, and Bernie experienced some of its downs first hand in the aftermath of the tsunami which claimed one of the Harvey girls: Lucy Holland. The death of one of your charges is the worst situation a Housemaster or Housemistress ever has to face and Bernie is the only one in my time to have had to drink of that particular bitter cup. As Geoff pointed out: ‘She despised injustice

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and what she perceived to be unfair. But life is not fair. Her illness was not fair, nor her untimely death. It was not fair that one so lively as Lucy was to be swept away in that dreadful tsunami. (They were her toughest days as a Housemistress)’ It brought the Harvey girls in Lucy’s year closer to Bernie but at a price she would have preferred not to pay. Many of these girls continued to be in close contact with her. Bernie was a fantastic role model for her girls. Her philosophy was very much along the lines of ‘work hard – play hard’. If you were ever invited to join Bernie’s table at a quiz evening, you knew that you were in for serious competition! And this trait of committing fully in all areas of life, Bernie passed it on to the Harvey girls. She ensured that, by the time they left King’s, her girls were strong, independent young women, respectful of others but intent on affirming their views, keen to make a difference in the world. ‘What she wanted from her daughters and all those she taught and cared for was the chance to live life to the full, to explore their (your) full potential, and not to shirk from it.’ Becoming neighbours with Geoff and Bernie enabled Pam and me to experience their hospitality at another level. We developed very strong friendships and enjoyed one another’s company on many occasions. Bernie always organised such events with style. In fact, she was the epitome of style, a real ‘modèle’! Parents knew that when Bernie organised an event for Harvey, the best of champagne and wine would flow, accompanying the most ‘chic’ of ‘hors d’oeuvres’… Her penchant for French food and culture encouraged Geoff and Bernie, a few years back, to acquire a property in the best wine producing part of southern France and, mischievously, when the community nurses and the hospice nurse arrived, Bernie insisted on only communicating with them in French to ensure she could see out her last days at home… Till the end, Bernie got her way. Geoff reminded us that Bernie’s huge strength of character, her desire to be with her girls (especially of course her daughters) was such a bonus for her family in helping her to hold back the advance of her disease. She never took anti-sickness pills following chemo or radiotherapy. Many a time she would return from a very aggressive treatment

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and go straight to the classroom or into a house social. She realised that, often against the advice of her medics, by putting others first, she was indeed helping herself. Bernie also loved her sport. She had been, after all, for two years the UCL men’s eight cox and controlling eight muscular brutes on the Thames says a great deal about her character. In fact, Bernie loved most sports. Some of her best family times were spent watching live sport, either in person or on TV. She even went to the Olympics in London and nothing would have prevented her from going, not even having to take herself by train to the Royal Marsden for both chemo and a blood transfusion between the morning session at the Olympic Park (to see Usain Bolt) and the evening football at Wembley. This fighting, relentless trait of her character was indeed harshly put to the test in her first year as a Housemistress when she was initially diagnosed with breast cancer. She organised ‘pink ribbon’ charity events, raising over the years large sums of money for research. It is hence a fitting tribute that so many of her friends and colleagues generously donated to the Royal Marsden on the “justgiving.com” website. Jonathan summarised beautifully our thoughts in his closing paragraphs: ‘The world is a better place because of Bernie. Her friendship and generosity of spirit has had a profound influence

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on all of us, but particularly on the countless students supported by her care and guided by her wisdom, her knowledge and her experience into pursuing successful and fulfilling lives. For them, she was a brilliant role model – one describes her thus: ‘She was a woman of remarkable zeal, always energetically turning to an array of tasks, motherhood, teaching, leading a department, advising on careers, meeting parents, counsellor and guardian of her sixth form charges. Working with excitable and hesitant young adults who were grappling with decisions, hopes, fears and ambitions, her gusto, dynamism and positivity were reassuring reminders of what might be accomplished with dedication and focus.’ I would like to adapt an early Greek philosopher’s saying: ‘so long as they think of you, you shall never die’. Bernie’s impact on our lives has been immense and we thank her for it: she will not be forgotten.’

Editor’s Note: At the time of writing the ‘just giving’ page set up by Geoff Cocksworth in aid of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity in remembrance of Bernie has raised well over £19,000. Donations can be made at https://www. justgiving.com/Bernie-Cocksworth

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Michele Bradburn

VALETE MICHELE BRADBURN TL

Michele Bradburn joined the school in September 1986 as a teacher of French in the Modern Languages department. Michele was highly successful in this role, but she also began to note how some pupils were finding it difficult to learn and it soon became evident that Michele’s interest in the way in which children approach their studies became more prominent and study skills programmes took up more and more of her time. Michele gained numerous qualifications in this area of education and, finally, by 2006 she had become the school’s first Learning Support coordinator and from there she went on to establish the now thriving Learning Support Department that we have at the heart of the school today. Every pupil who has had contact with this department will be able to tell you how important it has been to them for their own individual success. Michele has been key to ensuring that education has been accessible to all here at King’s. Editor’s note: Michele would not let us write any more about her in this Vale despite her many years of service to the school. If it wasn’t for this, Tanya Lee says there would have been a great deal more to say, but we must bow to Michele’s modest insistence. However, we are going to use this space to say thank you, Michele, for everything – your generous spirit and glamorous presence will be greatly missed at King’s. We hope you will be a regular visitor.

BARBARA CERDA ZA

The name Barbara means a traveller from a foreign land. Our Barbara, imported from Chile via Paris by Marcal

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Bruna, has been a wonderful colleague and teacher for the nine years since she arrived at King’s in 2005. She only intended to stay for one year as a Spanish assistant, but was soon promoted to be part-teacher, part-assistant, and then in 2009 became a full time teacher, completing the GTP on the job. Barbara is a fantastically talented teacher: patient and good-humoured with the weaker sets, inspirational with the older and more talented linguists. She is the type of dedicated teacher who gets the best out of everybody; every student wanted to be in her set. Indeed, it was noticed by Edexcel that since Barbara was recruited, the number of boys taking Spanish increased several-fold and the school won an award for getting the best Spanish results for boys in the country. There is no questioning the interest and care she took in her students: there were even rumours of her pursuing tricky pupils into their boarding houses to collar them for their seventh or eighth mock oral before IGCSE! She has also of course been extremely popular with the girls, particularly the Luxmoore ladies, whom she helped to look after for many years. She started as a resident assistant in the house, moved on to being a tutor and then Deputy Housemistress. Liz Pidoux comments: ‘Endlessly kind and patient, Barbara was much loved by the pupils, while they were well aware that Señorita Cerda was not, on any account, to be messed about. She possessed

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VALETE indefatigable energy, such that she would work hours into the evening, then arrive, bright eyed and bushy-tailed, for lock-up, or to discuss a pupil’s academic or pastoral welfare. She had a way of gliding unperceptively into dorms after lights-out, surprising sinful trespassers or escapees from bed with a mellow but steely greeting.’ Indeed, affectionate imitations of her Chilean accent – ‘Chicaaas!’ – became a traditional feature of every house Christmas video. Warm and responsible, she was the type of tutor the girls could always depend on. As well as being a fantastic teacher, as a colleague she quickly worked her way up to being the professional, experienced, efficient, go-to lady in the department we all relied on. She is absolutely passionate about the value of Spanish as subject, and a real ambassador for modern languages. She has led countless, excellent Spanish trips that have contributed to making the subject so popular. She was also instrumental in organising theatre trips, talks and other events in school. Indeed, she was involved with almost every aspect of school life during her time here and showed huge dedication to King’s. I don’t think there is a department in the school that has not been helped out in one way or another by Barbara. Barbara, or Babs as we affectionately knew her, embodied that most rare of combined qualities: ravishing beauty, dignity, modesty and the sly advantages of a tinder-dry sense of humour. While part of our community, she reckons she has done a lot of ‘growing up’ and is grateful to the school for making her life here so interesting. She has made many friends and also become a British citizen. She is the type of enthusiastic and positive person that looks on the bright side of everything thrown at her and we will feel her loss very deeply. We wish her well at King’s Wimbledon and all the best for her future career.

DAVE BRIDLE KB

David joined the King’s staff in September 2011 primarily as Director of both boys’ and girls’ Hockey but also as a

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teacher of DT and Engineering. It was his first teaching appointment, having spent the last 16 years in the army as a Warrant Officer for the Royal Engineers, so King’s was sure to be a real experience for David. It became clear to those working with him that he would be willing to involve himself fully in all aspects of school life. David was an extremely motivated and encouraging classroom teacher, who always ensured that his pupils achieved the highest standards of work. David’s contribution certainly went well beyond the DT department and where he spent a great deal of time developing the Hockey in his role of Director of the sport. Over the three years he worked extremely hard to refresh the Hockey, providing it with more structure and direction to both pupils and staff. He put in place a system for development and regularly had teams qualifying for Regional finals which is a testament to the hard work and dedication he put into the sport. He was more than willing to spend countless hours helping students to improve their skills and it was only fitting that in his last year at King’s, the boys’ Hockey team had their most successful season to date, achieving many accolades. David enjoyed working outdoors and was closely involved with CCF, D of E and Adventure Training and he would spend most if not all of his holidays out with pupils. As a Skill at Arms instructor he spent a great deal of time working with the CCF and was a very well respected member of staff. The pupils took easily to his fun and outgoing nature and learned a great deal from him. In Meister Omer’s, David was a popular and respected tutor, who enjoyed the dynamic and lively atmosphere of the boarding house. He was always happy to involve himself and was a great help to Paul Newbury then Richard Ninham. He was always committed to the pastoral welfare of his tutees and the wider house community. Throughout his time at Kings, in whatever role David took, he worked with extreme efficiency and it is this work ethic we shall miss at King’s. David has now taken up the position of Head of Games at Headington School and it is very much their gain. We have no doubt David will transform his department and wish him all the best.

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NESTA KING

RICHARD MALTBY

GRM

Stephen Woodley (Common Room 1969-98)

Nesta is one of the very few teachers who has taught for over fifty years; this has to be something of a record. She began her career in the Midlands where she taught in a junior school and was soon asked to take on a post of responsibility for Music. She met her husband-to-be and was tempted to join him in Kent where, since the seventies, Nesta’s reputation for excellent teaching became known and, subsequently, she has never had to apply for a teaching position: headteachers have always approacher her. Working with young people has been a valued and important element in Nesta’s life and, over the years, many of her former students have actively sought her out and made sure she knew how instrumental she was in their happiness and future career. She is not a teacher you can easily forget as she is gifted with the ability to inspire and motivate. It is also true to say that if she felt a student was not giving of their best she was formidable and had ‘the look’! Music has played a major role in Nesta’s life as she possesses a beautiful singing voice and has performed nationally particularly in musical theatre taking many leading roles. She is blessed with the advantage of growing up on Welsh soil and breathing in wonderful Welsh air perfect for the development of good lungs and a passion for Rugby; pop round to her house when the Welsh are playing and you will find the flags of St David both inside and outside the house and the mandatory wearing of the Welsh Rugby strip. In her retirement she will keep busy as President of the local Welsh Society, travelling with her husband Richard, tending her beautiful garden and welcoming family and friends.

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Honour is due to those who live dedicated teaching lives at a school like King’s, which Richard Maltby has done for 99 terms. Whilst doing doctoral research at Magdalen College, Oxford, and teaching first-year undergraduates, Richard was sounded out for and appointed to a first teaching post at Maidstone Grammar School in 1975. Teaching mainly outside of his specialist areas, and running a Rugby and a Cricket team, and producing plays, in the days when grammar schools still gloriously expected to do such things, Richard began in an encouraging environment. Then from 1979 he sought wider ability experience, teaching at The Downs School, Dartford, and among other things there setting up a French exchange that took boys from Dartford’s council estates to St. Jeandes-Royans near Grenoble, and vice versa. Arriving in Canterbury in 1981, Richard went to a quiet meeting of the local Liberal Party (SDPs were still viewed with suspicion) in the Jolly Sailor, and met Jane, a teacher at Frank Montgomery School, Sturry and a St. John Ambulance volunteer. It was to be an enduringly supportive marriage, and more than three decades on all five children are well: Mollie is Head of RS at St. George’s, Ascot; Freddie is converting from interpreting to German law; Rosalie is also teaching; Gwilym is working as a volunteer with Age UK, after gaining a BA and MA in Politics at University of Kent; and Alexander is at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Greenwich, having sung his way though St Stephen’s Parish Church choir and Christ Church Cathedral School, Oxford. There is more to say, of course: Richard helped develop the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation, raised £100,000 for a scanner for PICU paediatric intensive care, walking 400 miles in the process with events in nine places to assist Addenbrooke’s Hospital, where Gwilym had had a split liver transplant, a technique then revolutionary. Richard remains a Trustee of this Foundation. As David Reid writes: ‘You will know how much he was admired by the whole King’s community for the enormous battle he fought to get the best treatment for Gwilym.’

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Richard Maltby

VALETE What else, outside of King’s? In 1983 Richard sought and won election as a Liberal Party candidate for Westgate Ward, serving on the City Council until 1987. He became Chairman of Governors at Parkside Primary on the Sturry Road Estate from 1987-96 and a Dean and Chapter Governor of Christ Church High School, Ashford 1991-2003, both in distinctly “less favoured areas.” He was also to be President of St John Ambulance, Canterbury 1997-2003, and had in the 1980’s maintained the School’s outreach into the community by continuing Dick Barham’s heroic engagement with Social Services. Not the most arduous but almost certainly the most distinctive of Richard’s local achievements occurred whilst he was a city councillor. In 1986 he was warned by a fellow railway enthusiast that British Rail would be putting a bulldozer into Canterbury West Station Yard over the weekend to flatten everything there. Hastily, Richard contacted the City’s Technical Director and its Conservation Officer, a Preservation order was nailed up, and the station’s overhead signals box, the only one to survive in England, is still there, as is The Goods’ Shed, with its quality foods. And teaching at King’s, all this while? Great was the Pilkington-ian excitement in Autumn 1980 as the Headmaster approached the departmental appointment dearest to his heart, that of Head of History. It is impossible now to imagine any departmental Head achieving or maintaining the degree of ascendancy (at least in staffing and timetable-making) that RW Harris enjoyed throughout the Headships of Canons Shirley and Newell. Everyone teaching at King’s from the late 1940s to 1975 knew it; and RW’s reputation and achievement is recorded in The Cantuarian of August 1981, now helpfully online. To put it briefly, in the years when academic prestige was measured by the number of Open Scholarships and Exhibitions won at Oxford and Cambridge, RW Harris’s tally over the years was close to 200, contributing significantly to King’s frequent ranking among the country’s top ten academic schools. Richard came into King’s as RW’s successor in 1981 as the youngest member of the department, made radical changes like holding department meetings, and with his colleagues won 50 places for King’s History specialists at Oxford and Cambridge in

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the next nine years. (The Open Awards system ended in 1986). Richard’s own scholarly credentials are unchallengeable. His thesis, for which he gained a D.Phil. in 1979, was supervised by the famous Professor Richard Cobb, a scholar so respected by the French for his work on their history that his name opened up for Richard archives all over remote districts of SW France. Such remains the strength of France’s regional culture that ever since (latterly mostly by internet) Richard has been able to enjoy a parallel intellectual life. It may be fanciful to draw analogies, but his later work has concentrated on “lieux de résistance” in southern France, in the Drôme and in the Cévennes, his 2011 book being entitled “Protestant Resistance, the Huguenot tradition in Southern France, 1545-1945”: In Richard’s words: ‘The theme of my book was to emphasise the culture, the inner values, that predisposed Protestants in the area to engage in resistance, some by giving protection and shelter to persecuted refugees, spiritual resistance, and others by armed means joining units of the Maquis in June 1944. Some of the reports of the Vichy Police of 1943-44 in tracking down Resistance ‘terrorists’ might have been written in 1703-09, in the time of Louis X1V’s war against the Camisards (Protestant rebels)”. And the analogy? This is what I admire in Richard: he is a man loyal to the truth in matters of principle. Such were the qualities and the background that made him a successful Housemaster of Mitchinson’s 19882000. It was a role Richard enjoyed greatly and gave himself to richly, encouraging the sense of community, benefiting from the very bright local girls who were coming into the Sixth Form, producing Noises Off and The Rocky Horror Show as vigorously and successfully as he had done The Hunting of the Snark for Martin Vye’s Walpole and Ten Times Table for Duncan Craik’s M.O., formerly. House Plays in alternate years; accompanying the 5thXV and Colts B to Tonbridge simultaneously; running 5th XI football for Paul Newbury, such were among his roles through the 1990’s. A new, and, at first therapeutic, interest in that decade was sailing. As it

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developed, Richard saw early that Sailing could be a school team sport and one that could enjoy the advantages of Westbere and Dover (later Whitstable). He has run Sailing from 1998 until now, and since 2003 King’s has won Kent Schools four times (Fleet) and three times (Team), and National Schools at Weymouth once, in 2013. Westbere lake is now a recognised RYA King’s Sail Training Centre, Richard has nurtured JKS sailing and run courses for local children, and with Richard Ninham has also encouraged the sparkling spirit of OKS yacht racing. Leaving MT in 2000, Richard was appointed Head of Middle School by Keith Wilkinson and was active in this role 2001-2011, engaging the Senior Management Team and establishing a quasi-democratic Middle School Forum and other initiatives such as the post GCSE programme with a day visit to Kent University and the ‘One Day Film Show’. Returning to WL as a tutor from 2001-14, he has loyally served three Housemistresses, the latest of whom, Amanda Young, writes: It has been an honour and a privilege to work with Richard in Walpole. He was universally adored by the girls who appreciated his wise advice and thoughtful idea of regularly taking out his tutor group for milkshakes and ice creams. Richard’s wealth of experience made him an invaluable presence in the House. From showing us photos of his daughter’s wedding in a House Assembly, to changing the words of ‘If’ to a more female friendly version, Richard has been a greatly-loved tutor and will be missed. Some of his most recent tutees sent me these messages about their memories of Richard: Eliza: ‘Dr Maltby was a lovely tutor, I’ve had him for three years and will miss him dearly! He’s helped so much with my revision and stress and I hope we keep in touch.’ Lucy: ‘Dr Maltby has been such a lovey tutor to have for four years. He’s been very helpful when I’ve needed him, and we’ll miss hearing his stories which always keep us amused.’ Sophie: ‘… a wonderful sailing coach and a really supportive and entertaining tutor. My two terms and a bit with him have been great.’

Lottie: ’When he takes us out for milkshakes every week!’ Izzi: ’Dr Maltby has been a fantastic tutor, and I’m sure we’ll all miss him immensely. He’s helped us with the slightest of problems, and often took us out for ice cream! We wish him all the best for his retirement.’ Impossible to say how many hours of care and good advice Richard has given to tutees; impossible to say how many pupils have had their love of History inspired and directed. Let one of them speak: “Dear Dr. Maltby – Thank you for two very memorable years. I will always remember your rendition of the Marsellaise from atop a desk, and our press war and, of course, your Napoleon hat. I was in a marché des pucesin Uzès (camisard/maquisard country) and found these prints. I hope they amuse you as much as they amuse me. I also look forward to our next conversation on French history… in French! As they say in France: “Bonne continuation”. Richard’s scholarly writing continues, and, remarkably, among so much other activity he has produced and had published in the past twenty years no fewer than nine books, on topics from Canterbury to Southern France. As Geoff Cocksworth writes: “Richard has been the most dedicated schoolmaster in the widest sense and an inspiring History teacher”; and Brian Turner likewise: “I see him as a prime example of the vanishing breed of totally committed schoolmaster whose own proven academic excellence resulted in his expecting high standards from those he taught, but who combined this with an enthusiastic willingness to contribute to the broader life of the School. That this was achieved in the context of very difficult circumstances makes it all the more remarkable”. There was a dark moment whilst housemastering: the death of Thomas Kenwright on 12th June, 1996. Every year on that date Richard and Jane visit the site to place flowers. This apart, Richard looks back on his career as, ‘an absolute joy, especially at this marvellous school. Incomparable surroundings, best classroom in the world, exciting themes to pursue, lovely pupils and more than a fair share of superb students’. Bonne continuation, Richard and Jane….

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RORY REILLY IM

July 2014 heralds the end of a lengthy, important and hugely successful King’s innings – or one that might be more appropriately described as a rowing marathon through all seas and weathers. Rory Reilly retires from his job as Registrar to start the new stage of his career as house-builder and educational consultant based in the tranquil and idyllic spot of Coney Island over the hill from Ardglass in County Down, N Ireland where he can sail his boat out to catch shellfish for supper and Natalie can practise her putting at the nearby golf club on one of Rory McIlroy’s favourite courses. It was in April 1988 that Rory moved to Canterbury to be the new Head of the Geography department. What kind of person had King’s appointed? Rory had been brought up near Clonmel in County Tipperary in the Irish Republic

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and had studied at Trinity College, Dublin. At Trinity he had been introduced to Rowing, and he so quickly mastered the skills of the most demanding of sports that he was soon a member of the boat that won the Senior Irish championships, and he was in line for a place in the Irish boat at the 1980 Moscow Olympics when the politics intervened. Rory had acquired his teaching qualification and taught in two Dublin schools before crossing the Irish Sea to teach Geography and coach Rowing at schools close by the Thames so as to allow him to pursue his own Rowing career as a member of the prestigious Leander Club: the Leander Elite Eight went on to win The Thames Cup at Henley. Shrewsbury House Prep School was followed by Carmel College near Wallingford, an orthodox Jewish school that did not permit participation in Saturday regattas, before a move to KCS Wimbledon. King’s offered the perfect opportunity to combine his talents and interests: teaching Geography and Geology in the morning and then heading to Westbere Lake for

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VALETE an afternoon of rowing. 1990 witnessed the move to a fully co-educational school and with it the important requirement to put girls’ sport on a par with the boys. Rory was tasked with developing the girls Rowing, and the outcome was that the senior girls’ quad was unbeaten for four consecutive years in major competitions with one of the crew, world champion Frances Houghton, going on to Olympic glory at Athens and then Beijing. The Geography department also thrived. Leading a strong team which included the likes of Pat Wakeham, Simon Anderson and Nick Phillis, numbers expanded in line with the delivery of consistently good exam results. Rory placed great emphasis on the educational value of field trips to bring the subject alive out of the confines of the textbook. So with Dick Churcher as a constant and invaluable colleague, he led expeditions to places where Geography could be experienced in the raw: the geysers in Iceland, the Burren in Ireland, the deserts of Morocco, the Jurassic coast of Dorset, and the glacial history of the Lake District where nights in the Castle Head stayed long in the memory. Other responsibilities included being the first Head of Shell Year group, setting up the Shell Activity and the Fifth Form post GCSE weeks in the second half of the summer term, and the hazardous business of accompanying school ski trips during the winter holidays. Then came an unexpected tilt on the rudder when Headmaster Keith Wilkinson asked Rory to become the King’s Registrar, a role that is of critical importance to the future prosperity of a school. Rory has been at the bridge of the Admissions department during a period of substantial change, when computers and mice replaced ledgers and pencils. But the need for the essential human touch remains. With the ever dependable and resourceful Bev Skilton alongside him at the helm, Rory has navigated an ever more demanding course: building good relationships with Prep school Heads, interviewing prospective parents on a daily basis in the face of intense competition from other high quality schools, taking key marketing decisions, and organising Open Mornings. The task of delivering a full number of new entrants to the school each September, incorporating the requirement to balance the appropriate amounts of boarders/day pupils, girls/boys, Junior King’s/other feeder schools, domestic/

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overseas pupils is an art comparable to landing a A380 airbus at the height of the summer holiday season – and one that is well known for giving Registrars sleepless nights of worry: overbook and a Head could ask why there is an embarrassing shortage of beds to accommodate the pupils; a shortfall and a Bursar wonders why his budgetary forecasts are not being met. A Registrar’s role has widened as independent schools have become a recognised and valuable British export. Rory has made regular visits to Geneva, Brussels, Dubai and Hong Kong to ensure that the really talented and ambitious overseas pupils are attracted to King’s. Rory was instrumental in setting up The Independent Schools’ Show, held at Battersea every October, which has become the major showcase for independent education attended by nearly two hundred schools. Rory is rightly regarded as the doyen of Registrars, regularly contacted by his colleagues in other schools on account of his wisdom and intuitive feel for what has become a fast changing market. That independent school market changed suddenly and significantly in 2008 with the financial crisis and consequent severe economic downturn. At the same time King’s itself entered a period of internal uncertainty, an affliction which can affect all schools from time to time. Rory, in conjunction with Mark Lascelles as Acting Headmaster, steadied the ship to ensure that King’s entry numbers remained buoyant, and the current health of the school lies in no small part down to his unstinting and good humoured efforts. Add to this workload the role of a much respected tutor in Broughton, where Pat Wakeham, Amelia Arvidsson and, recently, Cath Shearer could happily hand him some of their more challenging girls, interview work every December as a member of the admissions team at Hertford College, Oxford, and the Chairmanship of the King’s Society. With the assistance of Heather Scott and latterly Ali Huntrods, King’s Society has grown steadily in popularity: membership has expanded and a veritable smorgasbord of talks, lectures and visits has been arranged for parents at places ranging from the Cathedral itself to The Louvre in Paris. So what pearls of wisdom have been acquired at the mid-point of his varied and extensive career: that good

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friends and colleagues are special, particularly during the difficult times, and that the sun does come up again even on the bad days. Our landscape is as beautiful as ever, with our physical surroundings being so important to our well-being. We come to realise that we don’t grow up nearly as much as we thought we would – so our Mothers remain a vital source of support. And children generally do OK despite the best efforts of their parents! What stories have been omitted from this vale? Watching the British Embassy burn down in Dublin and participating in the civil rights march in Newry following Bloody Sunday in 1972, poaching salmon at night off the Kerry coast, working by day as a deck-hand on Ted Butler’s lobster boat out of Derrynane, and lining up on the stake boats to compete against the Eastern European rowers from the likes of Bulgaria, Poland and Czechoslovakia. But these and other tales must wait until one visits Rory, Natalie (one time Assistant Housemistress of Walpole under Jean Watson, and more recently Head of the Maths Faculty at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham), Sally and Christopher on Coney Island. With the sun setting over the bay, Christy Moore or Van Morrison’s music playing in the background and a generous measure of Jameson’s in hand, one might just learn much more about the Life of Reilly. Rory and Natalie, Céad slán, Slán abhail Beidh mé ag chailleann tú Sláinte agus táinte!

JORDI GALLARDO BG-R

Jordi came to Canterbury to study European Cultural Studies at UKC, and at the same time worked as an assistant in one of the local grammar schools. He quickly gained such a good reputation there that Marçal Bruna took his chance to snatch him for our own Spanish department and he started at King’s as a conversation assistant in 2005. Marçal really believed in him, giving him the

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opportunity to become a part time teacher in 2007, and then full time two years later. Jordi completed his GTP programme while working at King’s and qualified as a teacher. During that time, going into his classroom was an experience: the folders and piles of paperwork were huge and rather scary! But he survived to become the most fantastic teacher and colleague. Jordi was a real inspiration for his pupils, who were in awe of someone who, as well as Spanish, could speak so many languages (Catalan, French, English, Italian). You could find him having conversations in any of them at break time in the Common Room or in the dining hall, depending who he was talking to. Jordi is absolutely passionate about languages, and he felt very lucky that he could share this enthusiasm with his pupils and that he also had the opportunity to teach French at King’s. His passion was always reflected in his teaching and he cared for every student, taking a special interest in those who needed some extra motivation to succeed in Spanish. He spent the last nine years trying to get pupils to call him Señor Gallardo, but in vain. They all knew and loved him as Jordi and so did we. He always had words of encouragement for everyone, and we will miss his contagious laughter! He gave his time generously in after school classes, offering IGCSE clinics, news sessions and helping to organise numerous other events and activities. He was always the person that both students and colleagues could go to with queries about cultural topics: his knowledge was vast! He also always made sure pupils made the most of their contact with Spanish language and culture and accompanied and organised numerous school trips to Spain. Jordi was a caring tutor in MO where the boys respected him and looked up to him. Paul Newbury comments: “Jordi was a splendidly loyal tutor in Meister Omers and a wonderful member of the pastoral team. The students in his care knew how fortunate they were, for he would always have time to listen to them and help them solve any crises in a calm and unruffled fashion. He approached his duty nights with a relaxed bonhomie and a genuine sense of humour that endeared him to the students. He would regularly be seen chatting to them about Barcelona FC or Pearl Jam or Hispanic culture. I have never heard so many students repeat the same sentiment so often about a member of staff, as they have done when Jordi’s name comes up: oh, I love Jordi!. They all smile now and clearly miss him tremendously”.

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Another of Jordi’s passions is football. He is a real fan of Barcelona football club and the decorations around his classroom showed this. He had posters, flags, anything that would show his love for the club and that would get the pupils talking, in Spanish, of course. He would moan that pupils, particularly in MO, teased him whenever Barcelona lost a match. Jordi has gone back to his beloved Barcelona to start a new life teaching Spanish in a British school. He wants to live the Spanish lifestyle in Spain, but we hope that his love of travelling will see him come back to visit. Their gain is our loss at King’s and we will really miss him. We wish Jordi lots of luck and happiness for the future. Even though he sounds like Manuel in Fawlty Towers, he has the manners of a true English gentleman.

ROSANNA MILLINCHIP NÉE CORP TJA

When Rosanna came to interview before joining us in 2009, her curriculum vitae looked terrifying. She was bilingual French and English, she possessed an Oxford degree in German and Italian, and her gap year was spent in Hungary learning Hungarian, which she also, apparently spoke fluently; during her Oxford years she had sung semi-professionally on opera stages throughout Europe; before training to be a teacher (qualifying simultaneously in France and England), she had played a leading role in a successful software company. Surely such a paragon of virtues could not also be nice? She was nice – exceptionally so. On joining the Department she fitted in immediately, building up a secure fan-base of pupils who not only achieved success on the internal and external examinations, but also came to love French – whether they wanted to or not. Rosanna happily joined in and latterly ran trips, took charge of departmental IT, and was always a steadying positive influence, a splendid colleague with whom to discuss new ideas, and a great enthusiast. She did a wonderful job of mentoring colleagues even younger than herself. She was also a great pioneer of the ‘short, sharp happiness technique’,

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organising Kaffee und Kuchen sessions to raise the profile of German, and she organised lovely musical evenings for the Cercle Français. Outside the classroom, she enjoyed fantastic success with Young Enterprise, under the auspices of Lynda Horn, three of her teams getting into the Kent finals, and winning prizes for the best stand and the best presentation in the last two years. Her pastoral skills led her to become a very successful Deputy of Jervis House, where her patience, sense of fun, and real friendship with the girls, as well as appropriate firmness when needed, were very much appreciated. Rosanna was also a great survivor. Her famous feats of survival included a mauling by a housemistress’s dogs when on duty, having her new shoes vomited over by a future vice-captain of school during the house song, the hospitalisation of a pupil lacerated by walking through a treble-glazed window in Paris – even the onslaughts of a despairing MJM, outraged by some IT disaster. The one thing Rosanna did not survive, in terms of her life at King’s, was love. We were so happy for her when she got married to Tom in January 2014, but eventually this led her to follow him to Prague, where he had secured a teaching post. Our loss was Tom’s, and Prague’s, gain – Rosanna will always be remembered with great affection here at King’s.

CHRIS ROBERTS TH

I first came across Chris when I saw him walking through Mint Yard with a laptop bag hung over his shoulder, he had just been in a meeting and was returning back to his beloved Eastbourne. The next time was at an INSET on Birley’s and the third was at pre-season ahead of the 2010 season. My first impressions of him from these encounters was that he was very organised, professional, loved his Rugby and loved even more a very large cooked breakfast as witnessed by myself and Mr Sykes in Peterborough. Chris was appointed at King’s as Head of Rugby in 2010. From the outset he set high standards as a coach, was

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VALETE astute and open to new ideas, passing on his coaching ideas effectively. His coaching sessions were planned and delivered well, and fun. Those that played for him knew where they stood and what was expected from them. In his role Chris was keen to continue to make King’s Rugby a forward thinking and innovative club. He set about achieving this and identified key areas that needed to be done better to help with the development of all the players. He started his reign with an away win, hard fought at Eastbourne. He will remember this fondly for it being a win against his old school and on College field where he used to play as a boy. Throughout the season and during his time he has implemented many positive initiatives. I know a few things myself and the boys will remember from this were ‘Lombardi time’ and the need to ‘pack your own parachute’. Chris was always keen to instil in his players that being a better person will make you a better Rugby player. He set a good example of this and many boys learnt under him that Rugby was more than just a game. Chris has also run the Boys’ Tennis, something he enjoyed immensely once he had done the administration. Under his direction the boys have achieved huge success over the past few years and the club has thrived. Chris has contributed hugely to the PE department. He has been an excellent teacher both in the classroom and during practical lessons. He was never one to volunteer to demonstrate a Remove gymnastic routine, but very good at showing his skills when teaching badminton and explaining the arts and techniques of water polo. The students have enjoyed his teaching immensely, with one of his favourite lessons being the socio-cultural AS class. This was known from time to time to very slightly go off specification due to his affection, interest and knowledge of sport and all it entails. The students enjoyed this aspect of his teaching and the interaction he created. Off the field and out of the classroom Chris has been great company for his colleagues. A few of these will miss his relentless banter. Nowadays he likes to think of himself as the next Tiger Woods on the Golf course, where he has enjoyed beating Mr Bass, following their evenly-matched squash court battles. It is well known he has a love of steak and ‘stash’, and his road bike which was a rare sight, but often seen in the summer months on the odd trip to and from Sturry.

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Behind every good man there is an even better lady. His lovely wife Millie has been a great supporter of his and so very important to him when he’d had a tough day. She has also contributed so much in her own way to King’s. The legendary Ralph soon to be a big brother has grown up at King’s and I know the girls, especially of Walpole will miss him. The very special Zinzan will also move on which will sadden us all. Chris’s next mission is at St John’s Leatherhead, where he will take over the running of PE and Rugby and also take up the role as Assistant Director of Sport. This is a new challenge which he is looking forward to and I’m sure he will be very successful at this role. It goes without saying that we wish Chris and his family all the very best in their new setting.

HANNAH TORRANCE CMA

Hannah came to us two years ago fresh from her PGCE in Chemistry having spent some years in the oil industry. She took over the Geology department (as an NQT) amazingly quickly. Hannah exudes enthusiasm for Geology and her pupils all catch the bug with her vibrant, energetic teaching, and she knows her pupils so well that she can cater to each one of them in each lesson. Given the fairly ‘challenging’ mix of pupils she has had to contend with, that’s saying something! She’s worked closely with Learning Support and has found this aspect particularly fulfilling. Field trips have been steep learning curves – one in which the wintry weather in Arran completely defeated them and they had to cancel. Another involved a certain amount of plumbing and carpentry experimentation… Hannah’s excitement for Geology was never more in evidence than a couple of weeks ago at the Canterbury Auctioneers, who were selling off a huge collection of minerals and fossils. Not only did Hannah attend the auction, bidding for herself and for the Geology department, she also spent many happy hours in the days beforehand salivating over the various lots, accompanied

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for part of the time by Dick Churcher, who has been a great support. Hannah has increased the numbers taking Geology and heading off to university to study Geology. And as if all the teaching and tutoring weren’t enough, she has also contributed fantastically to the outreach programme in science and Lab on the Lawn. As a Chemistry teacher Richard Cook reports that Hannah has been very popular and enthusiastic. Both of her Remove classes love her and she has built up a great rapport with them. Her firm but friendly manner has ensured that pupils know where they stand, whilst enjoying learning the subject. It is never easy spreading yourself across two departments, but she has taken her Chemistry teaching very seriously and has been a great source of new ideas for the department. She will be greatly missed. As a tutor in Walpole Amanda Young appreciated her contribution tremendously: ‘Hannah came to Walpole two years ago and from the moment she arrived proved to be a warm, funny and incredibly hard-working member of the Walpole team. Always prepared to go the extra mile, spending hours in house and with her genuine affection for the girls I couldn’t have asked more of her as a tutor. We shall miss her Northern wit and calling everyone ‘duck’ and her tutees will miss her cakes in tutor period. I will miss her greatly and if she is ever back in Canterbury she is always assured of a warm welcome at Walpole.’ Hannah’s down-to-earth Northern freshness, energy, warmth and Cheshire cat grin have won her many firm friends in the Common Room. After our Costa Rica trip she will be heading back North to a beautiful barn conversion with her dinosaur fossil and primeval plants and anti-custard-pie protective gear (that’s a reference to her new school, Altrincham Boys Grammar). We hope that she will find time to reconnect with her singing, baking and crafts. We will miss her terribly but will stay friends and hope that when the Geology department expands in size, she’ll come back again!

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GAVIN MERRYWEATHER MRT

Gavin joined as Domestic Bursar in August 1998, initially on a five year contract, having come previously from the insurance world where he had worked for 17 years. He has had a remarkable period in office at King’s and some of his significant accomplishments have been: Completion of Harvey House 1999; Considerable building development at Junior King’s; Birley’s Pavilion; Edred Wright Music School; Two extensions to the Rec Centre; The New Grange; JKS Astro/tennis complex; Re-development and refurbishment of Broughton House; Creation of Carlyon House; 51 King Street conversion; Jubilee Field at JKS; Refurbishment of the JKS Barn and so much more! I think the following note to me from Liz Pidoux clearly articulates Gavin’s many qualities: ‘Gavin and I came in the same academic year. In these 16 years I have never seen him walk slowly or stand around anywhere longer than it takes to deliver or receive information, preceding action. He is a powerhouse of dynamic movement and decision. I’m sure his job here was one of the most stressful in the school, and while he did indeed look stressed a lot of the time, I am convinced he thrived on the deluge of challenges that came his way every week. His job hasn’t been an easy one, and as a housemistress, I clashed with him more than a few times about decorating and other stuff, but I believe we had great respect for one another, even if we didn’t agree; he understood that housemistresses fight their corner and he expected us to have the intelligence to understand the greater picture, of budgeting and strategic planning. One thing we all learned was that Gavin didn’t suffer fools gladly! He’s a loss, and I imagine, he’ll be a hard one to replace.’ Marc Dath also wrote, ‘Just a few lines from someone who has benefitted hugely, over the years, from Gavin’s expertise but also generosity of spirit.

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His straightforward manner and honesty are appreciated all round. Gavin is prepared to listen to our rants and will always give his frank opinion on the matters we raise with him. He is firm but fair, and when a project is worthy, when the cause is just, Gavin will do his utmost to help out, always of course within the limits of his financial remit. He is brilliant at finding solutions, from a sudden bout of rising damp to leaking showers, from collapsing old timber in the Old Grange to building a new kitchen for the boys in Trad. I have also had the chance of witnessing him chair (far too numerous) Health & Safety Committee meetings where all matters of problems were raised, each of which gaining Gavin’s undivided attention and expert handling. This level of dedication, of taking to heart what matters to us, of humility in the face of the tasks ahead are the attributes we shall most miss on Gavin’s departure.’

having worked in a number of high profile companies: she had been the Senior Project Accountant at Shepherd Neame, a Review Consultant at Capita Life and Pensions, Senior Project Accountant at Pfizer as well as the Financial Controller at Saga.

Pat Wakeham reflects that one of her lasting impressions of Gavin was his willingness to ‘get his hands dirty’ and referred particularly to:

Leisha’s role has extended far wider than just finance and she has directly line managed Robin Falcon (IT), Clare Reed (Rec Centre), Maria French (School Shop), Steve Collins (Domestic Services) as well as Jez Hadlow (HR) and Lee Rigley (King’s Press). All her direct reports have benefited hugely from her friendship, expertise and wise advice and have much appreciated the time that Leisha has spent listening and working with them.

‘The start of term when getting trunks and large suitcases up to the top floor in Broughton via a narrow winding staircase was impossible for girls and their mothers. I always asked for assistance to be on hand but invariably the men went home at 4-30pm, and to placate irate parents and housemistress, Gavin so often came over to Broughton and carried dozens of suitcases and trunks himself. I was always extremely grateful for his help.’ I know that Governors and all the staff would like to join me in thanking him for the enormous amount that he has done for the school; it’s been remarkable what he has achieved and I have personally really appreciated his friendship and support. Gavin will be missed enormously by us all but we wish him the very best for his new job at Lancing and hope that he keeps in close contact with us all.

I have only been in post since April 2010 and have not only witnessed Leisha’s remarkable abilities, but have also benefited hugely from her wisdom and financial expertise. The clarity with which she reorganised the accounts has really helped us to identify clearly areas upon which we need to focus. Leisha’s financial month end reconciliation is extremely detailed and equates to what most schools would only undertake at a financial year end. Leisha’s other remarkable skill has been the way in which she has been able to incorporate a building masterplan into a carefully sequenced affordable financial plan.

I’m so sorry to lose Leisha, she has not only been a terrific colleague to work with but is also a good friend. I think the School has much to thank Leisha for; the clarity she has brought to the School’s financial operations has been outstanding. We would all like to wish Leisha and Alan our very best wishes and look forward to keeping in close touch with them both in the future, as well as thanking Leisha for all the tremendous work she has done for the school.

LEISHA MCKECHNIE MRT

Leisha was appointed as the Finance Bursar on the 12th October 2005, she came with significant experience

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TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS

TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS DUKE OF EDINBURGH ARW

Snowdonia over the Easter break From their experiences, Gold participants at King’s will tell you that Snowdonia Expeditions at Easter conjure up thoughts associated with weather conditions – rain, cold, wet, tough terrain and unpleasant activity. So what a delight this year that, despite low temperatures at night, the weather was for the most part pleasant. On the mountains the air was ‘fresh’ and although the clouds filled the sky, they were the white fluffy type and never really threatened until our last night. Our three days of walking was testing to say the least and places like the ‘Devil’s Kitchen’, Llanberis and Llyn Gwynant will live long in the memory. It was heaven to reach the camp sites in the evening after a long day of slogging up mountain tracks, to at last rest the weary limbs and even enjoy ‘boil in the bag’ meals. Darkness seemed to come early and we crawled into our sleeping bags for much needed sleep. No time for text messages or voice mail, ( there was no signal anyway). We rarely saw Mr Watson or Mr Jones on the mountains , but somehow knew they were watching us because they described where we had trekked, slightly deviated, or stopped. Such points were discussed on their visits to the camp sites at night. Our last night was probably the worst and reminded us that it was still winter and how quickly the weather can change in wild country. We could see a weather front closing in and raced to pitch our tents before the full force of a storm hit. Black clouds were approaching fast across Llyn Gwynant and the wind was building in ferocity. Large raindrops started to fall and in mad panic we were less than proficient in securing tent pegs and guy ropes. It was all hands on deck with Miss Smit, Mr Jefferson , Mr Jones and Mr Watson all lending a hand.

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At the point of virtual saturation Mr Watson shouted above the wind to abandon tent erection and head for the minibuses; relieved, we watched through the bus windows at our flapping shelters as the storm passed through. Sleep again came easy added by the knowledge that in the morning we would be leaving Wales and heading for the ‘soft South’. We felt that we had bonded in our groups and had passed some high hurdles in pursuit of our Gold Awards and are now ready for the Qualifying Expedition. The Removes began their pursuit of a D of E Bronze with two visits to a well used choice of camp-site in the village of Stelling Minnis. The conditions in early April can still have a bite and the sunshine and warm temperatures of the day followed by clear skies at night often mean frost. It was a revelation to see the white ground surface of early morning, but low temperatures meant condensation on the flysheets of the tents and a soggy parcel to roll up and carry. We completed the Practice Expedition walking the Elham Valley and the undulating North Downs landscape feeling pleased with the achievement. A return to Stelling Minnis was experienced some weeks later when three groups undertook the Qualifying Expedition walking from the village of Nackington near Canterbury via Kingston or Petham. We met up at the same camp site at night and swapped stories of our experiences and trade secrets. The May weather conditions were excellent with a warm day and a warm night this time and it was great to complete the full circular route back to Nackington Village. To think that people carry heavy rucksacks and walk miles for fun! Looking back it was and gave us all a sense of having done something really worthwhile. We still have to complete the project - because every expedition has to have an aim and an objective – and then we can tick off what was a difficult task. Thanks to Miss Hayes, Mr Jones our Assessor and Mr Watson for his organisation and leadership.

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TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS Bronze in Kent The summer term is a great time to spend outdoors, but it is also a time when we are hard pressed completing coursework, or running fingers across keyboards, revising and getting ready for exams. The opportunity, in the early part of the term, to get out into the countryside is offered by Bronze Expeditions ( Practice and Assessed ) and if you are a Shell there is Shell enrichment week. For our D of E Practice we took the well-travelled route along the Elham Valley, exploring the woods, undulating landscape and leafy lanes of the North Downs. We camped at Stelling Minnis near an ancient windmill which proved pleasant enough except for the early morning call from the dawn chorus and Mr Watson’s instruction to ‘bring your own toilet tissue’. Learning the skills of camp craft, food preparation and navigation were valuable, and carrying an expedition rucksack gave us some idea of what was to come for our qualifying expedition two weeks later. For this we planned our own routes and managed the venture ourselves but it was externally assessed. This testing episode involved three groups walking a circular route from Nackington Village via Kingston (to the SE ) or Petham ( to the SW ) and to again camp overnight at Stelling Minnis. On the first day, in various states of exhaustion and at different intervals we staggered into the campsite, feeling as if we had walked 100 miles, but in fact only 18K. The joy and pleasure of eating easily prepared food and just being able to lay down on a camping mat and sleeping bag was immeasurable. After breaking camp on day two we followed our return routes to Nackington; the sun shone and with good group morale we arrived in good spirit. After our de-brief from the assessor we were delighted to learn that we had all achieved the required standard demanded of the Expedition Section for the Bronze Award and had passed the test. Back to School, we unloaded our borrowed gear, had our hot showers and felt a great sense of achievement.

Gold in The Lake District National Park The sun still shone brightly as it began to set over the Lakeland Fells. We were on our approach to Keswick in The Lake District National Park and nearing the end of a long and sometimes tedious journey from Canterbury. Spirits lifted when we saw the YHA hostel at a place called Longthwaite, near Borrowdale. The old building, looking like a converted barn, appeared homely and inviting and after settling in we enjoyed the comfortable arm chairs and our last ‘real meal’ for four days. Postdinner chat, a briefing and equipment check saw us off to bed for a welcome sleep and thoughts of climbing mountains, heavy rucksacks and sharing the hills with sheep! In our two groups we set out on a pleasant morning to walk South East to Glennridding or South West to Seatoller via Borrowdale and Derwentwater. The mountains appeared more rounded than those on our Practice Expedition in North Wales, and the countryside was green and lush in the summer weather; a challenge all the same. Water in the form of Lakes Derwentwater, Ulswater, Thirlmere and Windermere were never far away and added to the beauty of the scenery. However, there was still a ‘job to be done’ and it was great to get to the campsite at night and to take off your boots, a joy after hours of entrapment. The boil in the bag meals were palatable and we spent our first night without rain. On day two we continued our circular routes, which bypassed Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England, towards the west side of the Park, and on the East via Grasmere (the burial place of Wordsworth) and later to Ambleside, to the South, before a reunion at the cross-over point in the Langdale Valley. Both groups shared the same campsite on this second night and we swapped stories about our separate journeys, relating (it must be reported) what had been experienced with exaggeration and hyperbole in the telling. Day three saw us trek North via a mountain called Fairfield and the long Grisedale valley. On the South side

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of the National Park we trekked past the Langdale Pikes and on to Seathwaite, reportedly the wettest place in the British isles. I am happy to report that it was dry when we went through to a site at Seatoller. This was probably the nearest we all got to ‘wild camping’ as the area of rough ground was shared with rented out ‘yurts’ for those who wished to taste a Mongolian experience. Lucky with the weather, the sun continued to shine and spirits were high when we completed the penultimate day.

‘Miss Park was made to play a casualty for the day, needless to say she didn’t make things easy for us, her own school’

The last day took in Wattenlath, a picturesque, Beatrice Potter type hamlet and a ridge walk to our final destination at Burns Farm a commercial camp site which had splendid showers and views of Keswick. From Glenridding on the East, Burns farm was approached from a steep start, twisting footpaths and a short climb called Threleld Knots and undulating countryside back to Burns. After time for recuperation, Mr Jones, our Assessor gave us his debrief and pronounced that we had all performed splendidly, we thought we had too. Our thanks go to our Mr Jones for his advice and assessment, Miss Zanardi for her supervision and Mr Watson for the training, organising and implementing the whole Expedition programme.

CCF SUMMER CAMP Millie Knight and Miriam Swindley, (Rem MR)

Lyden Hood On Sunday 6th July we travelled to the exotic location of Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex for our Annual CCF Camp. This is a military based Camp and as you drive in there is a large gate with security on and the perimeter is surrounded with a 10ft barbed wire fence. The feeling that we were not in school anymore was very real and there was no Matron to issue our bedding, instead we stood in a line and were issued with a sheet and two pillow cases and taken to our new home! Our first day was tough as it was our busiest day, we were made to get up at 0600hrs for breakfast in the main Mess Hall (a military dining room) at 0645hrs. You don’t have

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long to eat as there were over 300 people to get through in just 45mins. However this rude awakening got much better and as the days went on we really started to love it. We did lots of activities such as platoon attack and our favourite field-craft. This sounds quite daunting, but it was a really fun day where we were bussed out onto Pippingford park training area and split into groups, luckily King’s remained as one large group for the whole of Camp. Pippingford Park is owned by the National Trust and it is clear it meant that a part of the British countryside is being well-maintained; they have even introduced wild Horses to the training area, as well as using it for homebreed cows, sheep and the occasional deer. The activities on day one were all based around military tactics and the interest stand for the day was all about the weapons of the British army and also some from other conflicts. We got to look at these, and handle them too. The next day was the Range package, this included activities such as Paintballing Stalk range, Air Soft Close Quarter Battle Lanes, .22 Rifle shooting, Cadet Rifle A2 shoot on a 25m range and Archery, all of which we all took part in. I (Millie Knight) had the time of my life and having spent time with several members of the Army whilst Skiing surprised some of the instructors there with my wilko can do attitude that they didn’t expect to see

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from a girl in green; the banter was flowing and we all enjoyed the day’s package. One of the great highlights of the day was the full outdoor lazer quest games that we played in the woods with two teams playing out various challenges, to capture bases, regain flags and finally last man standing. Surprisingly this was Major V, we think he got scared and hid in a hole! We even did Archery, the cadets obviously were given better bows than the staff as they struggled to hit the target, although I think that bows and arrows went out of service even before Fergy joined up. The third day was a skill day where we learned lots of new things, we did first aid and were amazed with how life-like the scenarios were. Miss Park was made to play a casualty for the day, needless to say she didn’t make things easy for us, her own school. The obstacle course was fun and we all were tested to our limits, they even put Mr Rowlands and Mr Turner through their paces on this, always good to see members of staff being shouted at by a large muscular PTI (Physical Training Instructor). Competition day was to follow. This was a test of everything we had learnt on camp, Harry Brownlees our Cadet Sergeant Major was given the task of ensuring that all the cadets who attended camp were given an equal chance of participating in the events. Whilst winning is important

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we came on camp as a contingent and everyone has their strengths and we wanted to make sure we all left with the same experience. This is a valuable lesson, and something we are proud of within King’s CCF, that no matter who you are, or what you do we are a team and everyone gets on. What can we say about that, we won one event as the best team in ‘The Cube’, the game-show like event where our team of 10 was given individual tasks to complete and scored on how well we did, well for this I won the medal for being able to count to 60…. Say no more. The exercise was the best bit! It was so exciting, Miriam and I were on separate teams: enemy and friendly forces. The enemy had to defend the bridge and the friendly had to claim it from the enemy. We haven’t stopped talking about this camp it was the best camp ever. We have both made new and stronger friendships. The best bit was the exercise and the worst bit was not being able to stay out overnight on the exercise due to the rain and for some reason Fergie wore a mask the whole time…Can’t wait for next year

Below: Debrief; Top Right:Let’s get ready to rumble; Bottom Right: The winning team

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TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS THE CRICKET TOUR TO ABU DHABI AND DUBAI RALS

Fifteen pupils, accompanied by three members of staff, embarked on a ten day tour of the United Arab Emirates. The excitement for the tour had grown over what felt like a long winter nets program. At the end of a very busy Lent term, we were all looking forward to a fantastic tour, especially the staff! The tour was extremely successful with the coaches learning a lot about each player with one eye on the start of the season. The boys were scheduled to play five games, however, following a spectacular thunder and lightning storm (viewed from our apartment on the 42nd floor of the hotel) this was cut to four games. The team won two of the four games, with one of the losses being very close indeed. Our focus on the tour was to give an opportunity to each player to show what they were capable of, often in difficult conditions with both the heat and sub-continent pitches playing their part. Following a good training session at the 7’s ground on the first day, our first match - a day-nighter against Dubai International Academy at the Fairs Ground - was a good start to the tour. King’s batted first and accumulated 226-6 from 40 overs. George Baker White started well with 70 from 91 balls, with Oliver Tikare also showing great early form with a quick-fire 45. The coaching staff were very keen to see the boys take the field with our focus on ‘out cricket’ to prepare for the impending season. Henry Collister and Oliver Tikare both took three wickets each with Stanley Morgan picking up two. The ground fielding was particularly good, putting pressure on the batting team. The opposition were bowled out for 80 giving the boys their first win.

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A couple of days later, the YTCA team proved a much tougher opposition. They won the toss and elected to bat first, on what proved to be the hottest day we experienced on the tour. 40 overs in the field in 36 degrees awaited the team. Piers Richardson, playing in his first game for the school, picked up three wickets and took three good catches to give King’s the upper hand. The opposition’s young 15 year old batsman was on top form and after being dropped early on, which would have been an excellent catch, he cruised to his half century. A second, much simpler opportunity was also spawned, which was costly as he went on to make an assured hundred. At the end of the game this was the difference. YTCA went on to make 199, with King’s falling short with 176 in response. James Meddings led the chase with 61. Early signs that taking catches is and will be very important. Our third match was lost to the weather, but was replaced with a training session at the nursery ground at the Zayed Stadium. The boys were put through their paces with some challenging team and individual fielding drills. The coaching staff were very happy after the session, with Mark Ealham saying it was the best standard of fielding he had seen since coaching at King’s. Due to the rescheduling of the IPL taking place in the UAE, our last game at the Zayed Stadium was moved from the last day of the tour to Saturday. Without a doubt, playing in an international test ground was one of the highlights of the tour. Playing against the Zayed Academy with a UEA U19 player fresh from the world cup, was going to be a tough challenge. King’s won the toss and chose to bat. One of our aims with this year’s batting line up is to set small targets of 20 at first. If the whole team achieves this, a good total is always achievable. The top 5 of Harry Vavasour (20), George Baker White (49), Oliver Tikare (28), James Meddings (30), and Piers Richardson (35) duly obliged, taking us to 216 – 7 from 30 overs – good signs indeed. Zayed Academy in response started slowly dropping behind the rate and frequently lost wickets,

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with the leg spin of Oliver Tikare picking up four wickets. Zayed made 149, handing us a 67 run victory.

The final game at the beautiful Emirates Palace was against the GForce Academy, who were coached by Jonathan Trottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father. GForce won the toss and batted first making 203 from their 25 overs on a flat wicket that did not offer much to our seam bowlers. In response, Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lost regular wickets and, with some intelligent bowling using the conditions to their advantage, they found it difficult to keep up with the run rate. Piers Richardson cleared the rope on a number of occasions on his way to 41, but the innings stalled to 139-9.

There were some good performances along the way but also plenty for the coaching staff to think about and work on before the opening match of the season.

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KINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WEEK 2014

KING’S WEEK: THE COMEDY

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS CTN A strange magic clearly pervades Ephesus in Antipholus of Syracuse’s mind when he arrives in the town with his servant, Dromio. He tells the audience, ‘there’s none but witches do inhabit here,’ and for him and his servant it appears as if the whole city is in the grip of an evil power. It is from this foundation that the Mint yard play of 2014 took a surreal turn on the simplest of sets. It comprised a stage with an orchestra pit, an upstage centre entrance, a window through which escapes could be made and a trapdoor, which allowed the racily dressed courtesan, seductively played by Francesca Speed, to emerge from the imagined hell that Antipholus perceived. Antipholus of Ephesus, the twin brother, believes himself to be a sane man in a world gone mad, especially since his wife has barred him from the house. His servant, Dromio of Ephesus, suffers the blows of both Antipholuses as he unsuccessfully tries to be a faithful servant to both masters. The successful communication to the audience of the double twins’ confusions and of their adventures lies in the actors’ character interpretations and it was in this that the success of the production was built. The Antipholuses, in blue skin, and their servants, both dressed alike in clown’s motley were brilliantly played. Eliot Evans and Stanley Morgan as the Antipholuses managed to communicate the farcical reality in which their characters

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found themselves. The clue to successful farce lies in the complete conviction that what the character is experiencing is real and that the actors create completely naturalistic characters whose growing desperation is what delights an audience. Neither Eliot nor Stanley disappointed, they were consummate comedians and their masterful handling of Shakepeare’s verse marked them both as natural verse actors. The Dromios, played by Alex Miller and Romilly Carboni had the task of playing the clowns with pathos and sensitivity. This they did with remarkable physicalisation which made them mirror images of each other. The high spot was their final reconciliation as they link hands at the end of the show and in their lolloping gait they exit to join in the celebrations of the world put right. The costumes seemed to mix the 1960s with the Keystone Cops era and there was a wonderful silent movie chase accompanied by the musical creation of Steven Matthews who also wrote the music for the operetta, when all the townsfolk were bewitched by Dr Pinch, resplendent in platform shoes, mortar board and exploding wand. Playing Pinch with commanding presence, Charlie Sinclair rose up from the orchestra pit and compelled the characters to communicate in song. Phoebe Hanson-Lowe, playing Luciana, perhaps had the advantage of the most elaborately scene-stealing costume. Her feathery trousers risked dominating the show, were it not for the consistently brilliant ensemble work by the whole company. The crowd, clowns all, worked in physical unison to contribute the most invaluable backdrop for the action and they were all clearly very gifted

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OF ERRORS

performers. Lily Carr as Adriana had most to fight for against Phoebeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s costume, but she needed to have no fear of being upstaged. Her rugby-tackle lunge at the unsuspecting Antipholus of Syracuse was comic genius as she fought in desperation for his love. Further, her agonised outburst of anger brought the audience to uproarious laughter. Here was an actress at her instinctive best. Emily Aisher as the domineering Luce completed the domestic picture of the Ephesian household with a scarily dominant love interest for the Dromios. Lara Olszowska as Angelo seemed to have taken to walking on air in an extraordinary physical interpretation, and Alex Farrow framed the whole play with a sonorous retelling of his tragedy. Shakespeare in the Mint Yard is not easy, battling as the actors have to with the roosting house martins, but this cast excelled. The verse speaking was universally excellent and the greatest tribute to this cast was that the play was so beautifully clear, easy to understand and brilliantly funny, a perfect combination for a magically strange entertainment on a summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s evening in the open air.

Bess Hale as The Messenger

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Alex Farrow as Aegeon recounts his sorrowful tale

Lily Carr rugby tackles the hapless Antipholus of Syracuse played by Stan Morgan

Phoebe Hanson-Lowe as Luciana

Charlie Sinclair as Dr Pinch

Left: Stanley Morgan Right: Eliot Evans, as Antipholus of Ephesus, is bound by the citizens

Above: The two Dromios, played by Romilly Carboni (left) and Alexander Miller Below: The Courtesan, Francesca Speed, with Stan Morgan and Alex Miller

KINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WEEK

THE JAZZ CONCERT Roger Mallion

Llewelyn Cross and the King’s Jazz Orchestra came on stage and went straight into their first piece, ‘Salt Peanuts’ (attributed to Dizzie Gillespie, 1943). This had a sharp, staccato start, with prominent trumpets and was generally snappy and cheerful. A trumpet solo by Lorcan Halfacre had a fine, confident attack but received no applause (though I tried, unsuccessfully, to start a ripple myself) followed by a great saxophone solo by Oliver Hope — and, this time, applause was forthcoming. This was quite a complicated piece to start with but it began the evening well. The King’s Jazz Orchestra consisted of Siggie Aylward, Henry Cross, Gus Courtauld, Oliver Hope, John Lavelle, Sam Statman and Edward Thomas (saxophones), Teddy Baker & Findlay Reece (trombones), Tommy TrelawnyVernon (tuba), Hugo Clews, Arthur Cross, Bertie Gleave, Lorcan Halfacre & Dewi Rees (trumpets), Tim Fairbairn (first half of the Concert) & Arran Hope (second half) (piano), Jake Werth (bass) & Robbie Ellison (drums): all directed by Llewelyn Cross. I was pleased to see that the Director had once again not employed a compère but, instead, spoke to the audience directly, himself. This is what King’s Week audiences much prefer. The King’s Jazz Orchestra’s second piece was another Dizzie Gillespie number: ‘Groovin’ High’ (1945) which, like its predecessor this evening, was jolly and animated, with very much an ensemble big-band sound. There was excellent unison in the saxophone section and the drums were especially well balanced. The saxophone solo by Henry Cross drew applause, as did the trumpet solo from Dewi Rees. Altogether, this piece was very well received by the audience. Next, the Modern Jazz Group took to the stage, fronted by vocalist Eleanor Hartland. The latter looked just the part in a long dress — which, I always think, adds an air of sophistication and elegance to a jazz female-vocalist. The Modern Jazz Group consisted of Llewelyn Cross (trumpet), Henry Cross (tenor saxophone), Teddy Baker (trombone), Robbie Ellison (drums), Tim Fairbairn (piano), Oliver Hope (alto-saxophone), Charlie Sinclair (guitar) and Jake Werth (bass). Eleanor Hartland gave out with

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George & Ira Gershwin’s ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ (1926) in a wonderfully mature, velvet-toned voice, supported by excellent bass from Jake Werth and piano from Tim Fairbairn. Although of ‘normal’ length, this piece was, for me, too short and I could happily have gone on listening to it for a lot longer. It was extremely enthusiastically received and there was prolonged warm applause. The Modern Jazz Group’s second offering, Ciro Dammicco’s ‘A Child is Born’ (1972) involved a slow, dreamy opening by Llewelyn Cross (trumpet), then saxophone from Oliver Hope and piano (Tim Fairbairn), then more from the trumpet, followed by drums and then a very contemplative piano, sympathetically supported by bass and drums, and then a lovely solo with great tone from Oliver Hope. A splendid bass solo from Jake Werth (one of the few ‘moments of glory’ that bass-player gets) did, however, cause an excellent audience response. The final ensemble part was very together and, altogether, I thought that this was a most worthwhile and enjoyable piece. The Big Band then took the stand again for Jimmy McHugh’s ‘On The Sunny Side Of The Street’ (1930). This time the Director, Llewelyn Cross, was ‘fronting’ on trumpet, pounding out this familiar melody and backed up by ‘stop’ chords from the Band. The latter then went into ensemble mode, with Llewelyn Cross now conducting, then alternating with his trumpet contributions. This is a good old tune and it was well delivered with some passion and verve. For me, it was over too soon, and it was indeed very well received. The Big-Band seemed unusually male-dominated this year but, next, it was time for an all-female contribution in the form of the now-familiar spot supplied by The King’s Swingers. These comprised: Amelia Baker, Ilona Bushell, Siobhan Casha, Jemima Chesterfield, Carine Ha, Eleanor Hartland, Michaela Higham & Sophie Lark. They were accompanied by one male bass player (who was not announced nor mentioned in the Programme, but I later found out that he was Remove boy Jago TrelawnyVernon.) Very colourfully arranged, The King’s Swingers started in very close harmony a long verse and then a chorus of what I recognised as Jerome Kern’s ‘All The Things You Are’ (1939). This was in fact the beginnings of a medley of several pieces, arranged by the Swingers’ Musical Director Nick Todd. It then suddenly became up-beat, and I recognised Duke Ellington’s ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing’ (1931) and then back again to ‘All The Things You Are’ and subsequently alternated, back-and-forth, between the two. There was

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Charlie Sinclair and Llewellen Cross then a more-complex interlude, followed again by, and finishing with, ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing’. It was altogether a very sweet unison and was well applauded. Jago Trelawny-Vernon then left the stage and the King’s Swingers then went into a ‘doo-wap’, a cappella and very-extended and extremely voluble version of Burt Bacharach & Hal David’s ‘I Say A Little Prayer’ (1967). The Big Band returned to close the first half, initially fronted by Eliza Cocksworth. This to me was very agreeable as Eliza’s elder sister was a leading light in King’s vocal jazz in the days of my own involvement with the Club, so Eliza was very much carrying on a family tradition. After a full blast from the brass, Eliza went into Johnny Mercer’s ‘Something’s Got To Give’ (1955), delivered with great verve and with vibrato on the top notes. This was a powerful voice that was very accurate, even on those top notes. An orchestral break followed, with a tenor-saxophone solo from Henry Cross and a trumpet contribution from Llewelyn Cross; the whole piece (which was a veritable tour de force) received tremendous acclaim. The Big Band then finished the

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first half with Walter Murphy’s Theme From Family Guy (1999). This started with nice ensemble with saxophones and trumpets and trombones in unison. Some individual contributions came from Dewi Rees (trumpet) and Henry Cross (saxophone) and there was a very lively finish with lots of zest, rousingly ending the first half. The King’s Jazz Orchestra then took over once again. Their first piece was Jerry Gray’s ‘Pennsylvania 6-5000’ (1940), popularised by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The familiar strains that started off this standard Glenn Miller arrangement featured good ‘Miller-esque’ saxophones, all nicely in unison, whilst the trombones ‘moaned’ appealingly over the saxophones and the trumpets, to very pleasing effect, with Dewi Rees and Oliver Hope prominently featured. The Modern Jazz Group then returned. The first piece was Thelonius Monk’s ‘Reflections’ (1952). This was a splendid piano-bass-drums trio, very casual and relaxing, in which Tim Fairbairn (piano) featured prominently. There was a great bass solo by Jake Werth and a splendid piano contribution to finish. This deservedly received

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much applause. Charlie Sinclair (guitar) and Fifth-former Oliver Hope joined for the next piece — Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘My Favourite Things’ (1959) — started by Jake Werth together with piano (Tim Fairbairn) and drums (Robbie Ellison). Oliver Hope and Charlie Sinclair played the melody, against very effective ‘stop’ chords, followed by some exuberant improvised solos from the two of them, with Oliver Hope returning again for an unexpected finish. The Big Band then returned with Fifth-former Oliver Tikare fronting to perform Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner’s ‘Get Me To The Church On Time’ (1956), popularised by Stanley Holloway. Oliver Tikare exhibited excellent ‘body language’ at the microphone, really interacting with the latter with great confidence. A section from the Big Band received belated applause and then there was a series of very effective solos — from Charlie Sinclair (guitar), Tim Fairbairn (piano) and (briefly) Robbie Ellison (drums). The full band then built to a climax, with a great chorus, and then the singer stepped in again. Despite his relative youth, Oliver Tikare had great charisma in this role. The whole concluded with a somewhat dissonant, but very effective, loud ending. Next came The King’s Men, consisting of Llewelyn Cross, Lewis Cullen, Maxim del Mar, Louis Ewart, Alex Farrow, George Nairac, Charlie Sinclair and Felix Wareing. Their first piece, Pharrell Williams’s ‘Happy’ had something of an ‘African’ air to it. It kept together very well and was much appreciated by the audience. The next piece, James Taylor’s ‘Mexico’ (1975) arranged by OKS Johnny Stewart, was quite mesmerising. To finish the evening, The King’s Jazz Orchestra was back centre-stage with ‘The Way We Were’ (1973), by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman and Marvin Hamlisch. This had a great trombone feature from Teddy Baker. It started with an introduction soon followed by Teddy Baker stating the melody (played ‘straight’, without improvisation), backed unobtrusively by the Band. This was such an effective combination that my neighbour (who was unknown to me and, apart from a ‘good evening’ at the start of proceedings, had not spoken to me) felt compelled to turn to me and say: ‘It’s really very good’. To finish, Charlie Sinclair metamorphosed into a vocalist in ‘Ain’t That a Kick in the Head’ (1960) by Jimmy Van Heusen & Sammy Cahn. The initial trombones immediately alerted the listener ‘of a certain age’ to the fact that this was a Nelson Riddle arrangement, and then the vocal started almost immediately, and alternated with the

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Band for the rest of the number. Charlie Sinclair had great presence at the microphone, though he was somewhat too ‘drowned out’ by the Band for some of the time. (He fought valiantly, however, and might be considered, on balance, to have ‘won’. . .) He deserved and received great applause (and he put the icing on the cake by a very professional bow.) The King’s Jazz Orchestra (‘2014’) also received a very well-deserved ovation. Llewelyn Cross did his thanks, to the musicians whom he had directed and to those who had supported musically or technically to bring about the concert that we had just enjoyed. Robbie Ellison returned the thanks to Llewelyn Cross, saying that he was ‘very talented’ and that this event ‘wouldn’t have happened without him’, and made a presentation to him (and, at this emotional stage of the evening, Llewelyn embraced his twin brother Henry!) After a wonderful encore, saying ‘I have really enjoyed working with these guys’, Llewelyn Cross and The King’s Jazz Orchestra went off stage with the satisfaction of enjoying a standing ovation from large proportion of the audience.

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KING’S WEEK KIDACO CTN

KiDaCo excelled itself this year in it’s diversity of dance styles performed by pupils from Shell to the 6a. Ranging from Classical Ballet to Street, Irish dance to Salsa, the pupils impressed us with their talent, energy and artistry. Amongst many strong performances, Daria Egorova was graceful serenity as The Dying Swan and Simi Ayinde and Moyo Reis were uplifting and rhythmic in a duet of their own choreography. An interpretation of ‘Singing In The Rain’ and intricate Irish dance delighted the audience, complete with vocal performances. In a first for KiDaCo, Araminta Chapman and Max Nicolson entertained us with an exciting Salsa duet which led into Emily Lloyd-Hughes stylishly bringing the performance to a close with a lively jazz solo. Their teachers, Mrs Outram and Miss Blaskett join with all those who saw KiDaCo in congratulating the pupils on a Max Nicholson and Araminta Chapman super achievement.

Singin’ in the Rain

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Daria Egorova

LAB ON THE LAWN

Lawn was a real success this year – do come by our tent on the Green Court during King’s Week 2015!

CMA

LITERARY TOURS With so many events and performances celebrating the art, music and drama of King’s, Lab on the Lawn is the only science event that takes place on the Green Court during King’s Week, and that is what makes it so special. This year, there were several displays and demonstrations, including a rocket building competition (who could build the rocket with the longest time of flight?), anatomical cookie decorating and a telescope set up to view sun spots in real-time. A huge dustbin full of green slime was a star attraction, as visitors delved into the goo to retrieve and identify, blindfolded, the plastic sea creatures immersed within! There was a competition to see who could build a model bucky-ball in the fastest time (our thanks to Sir Harry Kroto for supplying the models). The biggest hit, it seems, was the liquid nitrogen ice cream. Strawberry and chocolate ice cream was made in −196 °C temperatures and quickly consumed by visitors on the Green Court, offering some real competition to the King’s Week ice cream stand! Visitors to the Green Court Pod ranged from toddlers to grandparents. With the help of both our student and teacher demonstrators (thanks to Mrs Kornicki, Miss Torrance and Miss Astin and all the helpers), Lab on the

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PGH

The Literary Tour, a regular feature of King’s Week, is in two parts, relating to Somerset Maugham and Hugh Walpole – two of the School’s best-known benefactors. Maugham gave about 2,000 books from his personal collection to the School, housed in the Library that bears his name. Some of those on display showed his annotations: for example his work on Tolstoy and War and Peace for an essay in Ten Novels and their Authors. A selection of books by living OKS authors including Edmund de Waal’s The Hare with Amber Eyes and Charlotte Mendelson’s Almost English were also shown, as were some of OKS Christopher Barker’s photographs for the fascinating Portraits of Poets. The second part of the Tour was in the Walpole Room. Hugh Walpole’s collection of English literary manuscripts is one of the finest in the country. Writers featured on this occasion included some with School connections, such as Patrick Leigh Fermor and Jocelyn Brooke, as well as Walpole, Maugham and, a new addition, a John Tavener setting of Edward Lucie-Smith verses. Several items relating to the First World War – especially letters

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KING’S WEEK

from poets – were highlighted in this centenary year. The childhood writings of Charlotte and Emily Brontë and the Nelson letter to Emma Hamilton as usual attracted much attention. The King’s School has a strong literary tradition. These collections reflect this and, one hopes, may inspire future generations to put pen to paper (or the electronic equivalent) and, perhaps, to be equally generous.

recover, so that on the Tuesday of the public competition, things went much more smoothly than ever before. Despite a disappointing loss of external sponsorship caused by a computer glitch, a good number of other schools attended including Thamesview School, Gravesend, Highsted Grammar, Sittingbourne, Barton Court Grammar and Dover College. This made for an intense competition and all eyes were on the race-track as we worked through the rounds into the semis and finals.

SUPER SPEEDY CAR CHALLENGE

The results this year were:

Best Runner-up – Dover College

Fastest Car on the day – King’s School Canterbury

Car with the most style – Thamesview School This year’s SSC race got off to a good start with the home teams practising on the Monday of King’s week. This enabled the staff to ‘drill’ pupils in the sequence of: attach car to guide cord, fix to release solenoid, race and

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The afternoon concluded with Strawberries and Cream followed by an inspiring talk on Engineering as a career by Jon Tickle of Sky TV’s Brainiac programme.

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‘Butterflies’ by David Zuo

BLACKFRIARS ART EXHIBITION

Dress desgned by Tzeamara Goddard

Tzeamara Goddard

India Roestenberg

Faces of the exhibition. Artists clockwise from left: Jimena LaĂn,Tara Fizgerald, Tzeamara Goddard, Tara Fitzgerald, Alexandra Ham Fizgerald,

Charlotte Hart

KING’S WEEK THE RED SHOES

GANZ FRANZ

Jennifer Cox (6a WL)

Ilona Bushell (6a WL) and Siân Rees (6a JR)

St. Mary’s Hall has been the setting for numerous dramatic performances but this year it was home to the Remove play The Red Shoes. The staging was simple yet effective as the audience’s eyes were immediately drawn to the intricately stacked trunks that made up the backdrop of the play. With the audience’s attention focused, the mood lighting dimmed and out stepped Maddie Jamieson who immediately brought her character to life through her striking costume and brilliant projection. She captivated the audience throughout the show as she acted as host for the dark pageant that was soon to unfold as the site in which the fairy tale was set. As a key figure in the play Maddie commanded the role from the start, her concentration and courage throughout the play was astounding as she fearlessly engaged with the audience almost daring them to reply. She acted as a narrator and host of the show, which was portraying this dark fairy tale of ‘The Red Shoes’. The other actors effectively conveyed the story to the audience with minimal use of words, which highlights the actors’ quality. Aggie Weiner, who played The Girl, used the medium of dance beautifully to move around the stage and show her character’s deep sadness and pain. The smooth changes of scene and sleek way in which all the parts of the play fitted together is a credit to Mrs Cornell and her directing. The actor’s versatility was clearly shown by the wide variety of roles they played and the movement they used to portray their different roles. Overall, the performances of the whole cast were superb. The audience were enraptured for the whole play and left with high expectations for the future of acting in this Remove year.

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King’s Week 2014, Day 3 – The sun was shining over Canterbury, the Green Court Finals were in full swing, the composers’ concert was about to start, and we sat on plastic chairs in the marquee writing programme notes on a computer with 2% battery. The concert was in a matter of hours and we had none of the translations we had promised. We had a German dictionary perched dangerously on a pop-up table and were flicking through it whilst typing madly. The songs seemed to get longer and more complicated, the minutes were ticking by far too quickly, and we were both supposed to be performing in a concert simultaneously… such is King’s Week life. At last we finished, sending the notes frantically to the printer. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put me and Siân in charge of a concert had overestimated our powers of organisation horribly. But, somehow, it was happening. It had started when a few of us decided to get together to work on Schubert’s Octet for Wind and Strings at the beginning of the year. Then a passing comment about a King’s ‘Schubertiade’ turned into an idea which was now a reality. We arrived in the refectory which had been turned into an Austrian wonderland by the fantastic King’s catering department, led by Andy Snook: Frankfurter sausages, pretzels, Weissbier and the strange Austrian fizzy drink, Almdudler were laid out for all. It was wonderful. There was an Austrian flag draped over a chair and a picture of Schubert in the corner. The concert was introduced by Juliet Wolff, and kicked off by Lewis Cullen who delivered an unaffected and beautiful performance of ‘An Die Musik’. There were subsequent solo items from Emily Lloyd-Hughes with a shining performance of ‘Seligkeit’, Siân, who sang the famous ‘Staendchen’ accompanied by Dewi Rees and Isobel Brooks with the beautiful ‘Du Bist die Ruh’. Alex

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Top Left: Maddie Jamieson Bottom: Aggie Weiner as The Girl

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Rosie Taylor and Maxim del Mar after singing ‘Who is Sylvia?’

Farrow then followed with a lively performance of ‘Der Musensohn’ accompanied by Mr Matthews, Llewelyn Cross with the sad and gentle ‘Sehnsucht’, Rosie Taylor singing a setting of Shakespeare’s ‘Who is Sylvia?’ and George Nairac with a moving performance of ‘Die Sterne’. Maxim Del Mar, as well as performing a solo item on the piano, provided flawless accompaniment to many of the solo items. Tim Fairbairn and Dewi Rees raised the roof with a witty performance of ‘Marche Militaire’ a duet for piano, and a small group of sixth form girls performed a part song arrangement of ‘Staendchen’ with Ilona singing the solo. We ended the concert with the ‘Minuet’ from the Octet – after all, that was where it all began! After the successful concert, the hiccups of which had seemed to pass un-noticed by the beer-guzzling audience (!), it was difficult to realise that we had really done it. It was a fantastic way to celebrate our last year, and we loved every minute of putting it together. We couldn’t have done it without Mr Jennings, who provided not only musical, but linguistic and logistical support (including a car to ferry music stands to and fro). Mr Matthews was wonderful and accompanied some items beautifully,

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despite his commitments at the play, and Mr Sanderson was the man who allowed us to put it together. Ganz Franz was great fun to be part of and we really hope it (or something similar) continues.

MICHAEL JACKSON Olivia Wilson (Fifth BR)

Michael Jackson’s 1979 album Off The Wall has sold over twenty million copies worldwide, won two Grammy Awards, and is the only album by a solo artist to contain four singles that have reached US Billboard top ten. It was also chosen to be this year’s King’s Week Album performance. The performance I attended was in St Alphege’s, and the atmosphere was electric. The room was alive and full of anticipation. The show opened with ‘Don’t Stop Till you Get Enough’, which got the audience moving. It created a buzzing vibe and was a superb opener. The following

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‘The atmosphere was electric.’

songs included the funky ‘Working Day and Night’, and slick numbers like ‘(I wanna) Rock With You’. There was a great range of styles of songs from funk, soul and jazz to pop, in which the singers could show off their flawless vocals. Notable performances were in the more mellow songs such as ‘She’s Out of my Life’, with great vocals from Eleanor Hartland and Scarlet Pughe.

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such a success. It has been a very memorable event and I am eagerly anticipating what next year’s band brings to the table.

There were unforgettable guitar solos from Charlie Sinclair, and catchy bass notes from Jack Chapman and Isobel Taylor. The rhythm sustained by the percussion team kept the audience tapping their feet to the beat. At the end, the crowd could not help but clap and cheer for an encore. The two hit songs ‘Beat It’, which rightfully earned Michael Jackson a Grammy award, and ‘Billie Jean’ were played. These last two songs had the whole audience, no matter what age, up on their feet. It was a fantastic ensemble with outstanding musicians and vocalists. The success of this event was not only down to the exceptionally talented students, but also to the musical director Nick Parvin and his assistant James Nall. Without their expertise and musical skill it would not have been

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Ben Champion

PIANO RECITAL George Palmer (Rem GL)

The Piano Recital is a must-see event for the musical connoisseur. The concert itself is quite short but it is a real little gem in the King’s Week crown as the standard of playing far surpasses any other event. The concert began with Brian Ho and his performance of the Moonlight Sonata. The audience was treated to two of the less well known movements from Beethoven’s great lyrical masterpiece, but nonetheless these movements should not be approached lightly and Brian gave a technically assured performance with a great depth of control. It was a fantastic opening that left the audience hungry for more. William Wong was next with his performance of Bach’s Toccata in E Minor. William gave the piece the elegance and poise that it demanded and admirably conquered the fast moving melodies and intricate delicacies that were thrown at him. The youngest pianist in the line-up, Jebin Yoon, played Liszt’s Liebestraüme No 3. Liszt himself was a virtuoso pianist as well as a revered composer, and all of his keyboard music demands significant technical ability. Jebin took the music in his stride and allowed the gorgeous melodies to drift beautifully from the piano, guided by his expert hands. Just watching the incredible display of manual dexterity brought a tear to the eye and the Old Synagogue, completely still, hung on his every note, hypnotised by the performance. Hugh Rowlands played Poulenc’s Trois Mouvements Perpetuels, allowing the gorgeously flowing melodies of the French master to come to life, translating the music on the page into a mature, musical performance. Hugh coped with the piece’s more intricate corners with style and with the arrival of the joyous third movement, heads turned and many an impressed nod could be seen. The final item of the programme was by Jason Lo. Any performance from the infamous Jason Lo is awaited with bated breath and he did not disappoint. His presence at the piano is befitting of a concert pianist and he gets lost in the melodies he creates allowing the music to encompass him – the mark of a true performer. A piano recital is not complete without some Rachmaninov as it

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is notoriously difficult, and the Prelude in G Minor is a technical feast! Jason made light work of it and left the audience in a state of disbelief. It was a glorious ending to one of the unsung highlights of King’s Week.

THE VOICE John James (6b MR)

Pupils, parents and teachers alike gathered in the grand marquee on a balmy summer afternoon to gorge on a musical feast spanning from Shell to the sixth form. The Voice is a pupil run event and was kicked off in style by producer-singer Scarlet Pughe with her rendition of ‘Crazy’ which drove the audience exactly that! It was a real treat and indeed was a sign of more to come. The hits kept coming. Like a conveyer belt of class, the acts came, some were girls, some were boys and some were twins! I’m talking of course about The Blink (King’s Week regulars since their debut in 2012) who took to the stage in a crescendo of applause. They were incredible and this reviewer is not afraid to say he cried. My personal highlight of the show, however, was Paige Kennedy’s spine tingling rendition of ‘Electric Feel’ performed solo on TWO guitars. I gave up piano when I was 10 after I grew tired of my teacher harassing my dainty fingers (I could have been a hand model, but the years have not been kind to me) so for someone to master the skill of playing two hand held instruments drove me to intense jealousy. However the performance was simply too good and I soon lost myself in the appreciation of her fine art. I guess that’s the King’s Week effect! The show concluded with the second producer Alexander Sokolow’s ‘Spilt Milk Collective’ which can only be described as a musical orgy of guitars pianos bongos and rain pipes. The song was a huge hit and is sure to be an acoustic classic for years to come. Honourable mentions to Louis Wilson whose brilliant cover of Foregone Conclusion’s ‘Freelove Freeway’ brought the marquee down (not literally) and to Jake Werth who popped up like a musical mole to add class and precision to many a performance. I wish I could mention all the year’s entries but I’d find myself lost in delirious description. I shall simply leave it as this. King’s certainly has a Voice!

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Ilona Bushell with Lewis Cullen delivering a wistful, confident and mellow finale from Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Incoronazione di Poppea

THE SERENADE DJF

Director of Music Will Bersey disarmingly introduced his first Serenade as ‘a programme …. based on the evening’, and his inventive selection made for a rich and absorbing concert, full of thoughtful contrasts, beautifully in tune with time and place. Spacious and poised polyphony claimed centre stage in Holst’s The Evening Watch, the instantly confident choir effortlessly rising and subsiding behind a plangent solo. Daring dynamic shifts, lithe pace and precise diction wedded Henry Vaughan’s sublime words to the darkening air of the cloister while above a respectfully rapt public the honey-coloured flank of the nave glowed warmly. A Handelian interlude brassily blew away introspection and lightened the mood. Alternately spirited and sprightly, sonorous and measured, it was the perfect filler before Saint-Saen’s Calmes des Nuits. A virtually soundless opening to this a cappella motet evoked the nascent night, and the swelling sounds of its moving heart were masterfully handled before the closing line sank back to the limit of audibility. Two Baroque duets showcased vocal dexterity, Carine Ha and Rosalind Taylor capturing in a compressed and subdued manner the heady sentiment of Purcell’s ‘Come Ye Sons of Art’, and Ilona Bushell with Lewis Cullen delivering a wistful, confident and mellow finale from L’Incoronazione di Poppea. John Gabriel’s reading of ‘The Dying Soldier’ was tuneful, evenly accented and intensely moving. There was a Highland feel

to the wordless chorus. No bathos infected the inexorably heartrending final verse. From the North West range Madrigalia renewed the theme of mortality in Robert Ramsey’s ‘Sleep Fleshly Birth’, seamlessly combining the stately inflections and courtly decorum of this royal threnody. Following the subtle yet vibrant tones of the Madrigalia, Will Bersey transported the audience back to the present day calling on them to ‘ignore the words’ of Eric Whitacre’s ‘Water Night’, based on a translation of a Surrealist Octavio Paz poem. From its electrifying opening, this was a visionary account, full of breathtaking dynamic elisions and arresting textural variations, delivered with calculated intensity. A third duet pitted Lucy Duncanson against Sophie Lark in the letter scene from The Marriage of Figaro, and the pair warmed to the task amidst falling temperatures. A reflective rendition of ‘A Good Night’, Richard Rodney Bennett’s tribute to Linda McCartney followed allowing the Serenade Choir to wallow in the music’s enfolding melodies. There were gems of scintillating richness in the concluding sequences which were sung by The King’s Swingers and The King’s Men. The girls’ mellifluous offering, ‘God Only Knows’, was underpinned by Jago TrelawnyVernon’s relaxed double bass. The Serenade choir then richly rendered the chilling subject matter of ‘Miss Otis Regrets’ with Isobel Brooks supplying an artfully faltering and anguished thread. With spare kazoo and frugal drum accompaniment, Queen’s ‘Seaside Rendezvous’ was a boisterous bit of windblown flotsam. Braving the chill, the choir followed with a sedate stroll through Ed Rex’s arrangement of Lennon and McCartney’s ‘I Will’. The Serenade concluded with the Serenade Choir taking wings in an effulgent and inspired Brahms Wiegenlied.

‘above a respectfully rapt public the honey-coloured flank of the nave glowed warmly.’’

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THE VIRTUOSI CONCERT

TJA

This year’s King’s Week saw an excellent Virtuosi concert highlighting many of King’s talented soloists in the context of smaller ensembles and the full scale chamber orchestra: the evening’s theme was ‘English Music’. The first piece was by our very own English composer, Stephen Matthews, composed for Kevin Abbot’s trumpet ensemble. The opening fanfare was full of bright colours and textures, and those characteristic, almost angular Matthews major-cum-fourth chords. The second piece, embroidering a hauntingly limping figure, paid homage to the American jazz and blues trumpet tradition. Then, the third piece, a poignant lament, made use of mysteriously interweaving figures conjuring a world not far from that of Glass and Britten, but original and self-contained. After a simple statement of the rhythmic theme, the closing jig was characterised by sustained chords not quite clashing with the melody, but always richly on the edge of doing so, in the face of virtuoso major key shifts. The extraordinary accuracy of the playing reflected not only the players’ skill, but also Stephen Matthews’s ability to write for different players within their capacity. This piece was a real triumph by our local resident composer, whose great talent is matched only by his great modesty. Next came the famous Frost Scene from Act 3 of Purcell’s King Arthur. As Cupid, Siân Rees’ mature and assured voice was perfect for Purcell against the clear, perfectly intoned strings. John Gabriel’s remarkably chilling rendition of the ‘Cold Genius’ was delivered with a rotund,

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evocative voice, catching a striking resonance with the string section. Several of us noticed the baroque basrelief look on his face as he sang – perhaps he was possessed by the music! Siân’s returning Cupid introduced a warm contrast before, the final scene was delivered with true aplomb by John Gabriel, awed and thawed now by Cupid’s radiance! Andrew Pollock’s conducting created just the right space for resonance between the strings and voice. A full chamber orchestra was deployed for two pieces from Elgar’s Nursery Suite the ‘Sad Doll’ and the ‘Serious Doll’. The portamento seemed both Viennese and Elgarian, adding a haunting extra layer of quality. The ‘Serious Doll’ showcased Lottie Johnson, whose flute solo was truly excellent. ‘La Calinda’ by Delius, arranged by Fenby from the opera Koanga, is a piece very much about melody and the variety of orchestral colours that can be deployed to support it. Here again, Viennese resonances informed the phrasing and, even if the tambourine was not quite as precise as the preceding triangle, the lovely oboe melody performed with great feeling and sophistication by Jack Paterson (still in the Remove year!), recurred over very well-nuanced varieties of supporting orchestral sounds – a splendid show-piece for Andrew’s remarkable orchestra. Dangerously exposed though many instruments were, the precision and sensitivity of the playing was flawlessly captivating. Countertenor Lewis Cullen performed Purcell’s ‘Music for a While’ to the accompaniment of a small solo string and

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continuo ensemble. Lewis’s pure tone, with wonderful contrasts of volume and crescendi through sustained notes, was ably accompanied by the instrumentalists, though they did not quite manage to match and complement the subtlety of his phrasing and dynamic contrasts. The first half of the concert closed with a striking performance of a selection of movements from Walton’s very difficult Façade, a tour de force with its notoriously difficult rhythms and challenges regarding balance. This performance was as good as, if not better than, anything one might hear on a CD or in a professional concert hall. Doctor Pidoux was a true diva in bearing, and technically brilliant, performing the incredibly complex words of the poetry, now surreal-hispanic, now seaside-English, with extraordinary clarity, rhythmic poise, and style over the gaudy colours of the ensemble work as it zapped through countless contrasts in keys and rhythms, with the snatches of jazz, blues, and popular song. Her very rapid shifts from Spanish accents, to Estuary-English, Edwardian servant-girl, and then on to refined upper class, were original as well as being irresistibly great fun, and I am sure that I have never heard the rapid passage in the Tango-Pasadoblé delivered with such accuracy and such energy. The clarity of the ensemble’s tone made one quite forget about the players, so the Mahleresque lilting rhythms, the Verlaine-ish melancholy, the Gershwinesque muted trumpet jazz overtones, not to mention the English park Greek mythological aspect of English horticulture – and so much more – were simply present before us. In retrospect, it was scarcely imaginable that the players, other

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than the percussion, were not even in the Sixth Form yet. Elizabeth Guild (flute and piccolo) and Jeremy Wan (alto saxophone) were both Shells, Juliet Wolff (‘cello) was a Remove, Oliver Hope (clarinet) and David Rees (trumpet) were Fifths and Robbie Ellinson, the solitary 6b read the percussion part from score with verve and precision – all a far cry from a drummer’s natural, more improvisatory habitat. All rose to the challenge superbly. The first piece after the interval was Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, an extremely difficult piece to attempt. The first half was exquisite, with an extraordinarily rich ‘cello sound, and passionate solo work, though there were one or two persistently uncertain entries in the second half, which detracted a little from the initial emotional intensity. Maxim Del Mar’s solo violin phrasing was a striking feature of the quartet, as was the beautiful viola playing of Lorcan Halfacre. The muted second orchestra also did well, contributing to the creation of a cathedral-like acoustic effect. There are many layers in this piece, from solos to quartet to small second orchestra, much larger first orchestra and all combined together. There followed two songs with orchestral accompaniment. Carine Ha performed Elgar’s ‘Where Corals Lie’ with delicacy, assurance and conviction, maintaining a clear line above the shifting textures of the orchestra, less obviously Elgarian than some pieces with its hints of Grieg. Carine handled the difficult leaps and the classic English shifts of rhythm with ease and enjoyment. Kitty Cheung’s harp playing here was essential to the texture, and blended perfectly. The second song found John

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Countertenor Lewis Cullen after performing Purcell’s Music for a While’.

Gabriel in contrastingly Falstaffian mode, with a rollicking performance of Mr Nick Todd’s arrangement of Finzi’s ‘Rollicum-Rorum’. The performance was well-controlled, great fun, and thoroughly rumbustious throughout. The concert ended with some stirring orchestral pieces, all featuring opportunities for virtuoso solo work. In Elgar’s stately ‘Nimrod’ from the Enigma Variations the portamento style of playing was in evidence again, and the heady climaxes came with beautiful textures. The atmosphere of nostalgic serenity in the Shirley Hall was palpable. Finally, the evening was rounded off in grand style by Arnold’s Little Suite for Orchestra. Nothing ‘little’ however, about the forces deployed, or the brass-rich opening movement. What followed was a riot of bumptious tunes, jolly melodies, side-drums, cymbals and upbeat chord changes, always great fun, perhaps verging on the cheesy at times but never quite becoming so. The last movement provided a tremendous climax to what was a fantastic concert.

At the end, and after much applause, Andrew Pollock was presented with a bottle of bubbly – Chapel Down one hopes, not Veuve Cliquot. It was so uplifting to see young people in pursuit of such high musical ideals for their own sake.

KING’S WEEK THE COMPOSERS’ CONCERT George Palmer (Rem GL)

The Old Synagogue played host to another intimate musical display, this time showcasing the talent of the GCSE and A Level composition students under the tutoring of Stephen Matthews. Due to the lack of rehearsal time, a consequence of the frantic nature of King’s Week, the performances for the composers’ concert are not as polished as say the Music at Lunchtime performances that have ample preparation time. As a result the imagination plays a vital role in seeing what these pieces could sound like at full potential. Nonetheless, the afternoon was a very enjoyable one and shone a well-deserved light on the hours of work the pupils put into their compositions. Various ensembles were employed for the concert, starting with the String Quartet. Three composers had chosen this medium, namely Tim Fairbarin, Sabrina Kitson and George Palmer. All three quartets were very competent and showcased the instruments well.

Next to perform were the clarinets, first with a folk song by Oliver Hope and a quirky duet by Cecily Guild. Arran Hope then took to the stage and performed his own jazz piece on the piano. Tim Fairbairn’s second offering of the afternoon was a vocal piece, presented by a carefully selected group of singers, featuring George Nairac as the baritone soloist. The clarinet proved to be a popular instrument amongst the GCSE composers with George Nairac also choosing to write music for this very fruitful instrument. The youngest composer in the programme was Francis Bushell who presented a fun wind sextet featuring a cow bell and a contrabassoon! Following this Maxim Del Mar played Jason Lo’s piece ‘Happiness of Freedom’ which was very effective. The next instrument featured was the piano with offerings from Rachel Barry, Emily Soul and Beatrice Kulak. The final piece of the afternoon was John Gabriel’s dark duo ‘For King’s’ and ‘Queruli’. John is a well-seasoned composer who has had works played by the Chamber Orchestra and his latest compositions certainly didn’t disappoint. All in all it was a wonderful afternoon performance, very effectively showcasing the compositional talent at King’s.

Kevin Abbott directs Francis Bushell’s Wind Sextet

Summer 2014

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KING’S WEEK THE GALA SYMPHONY George Palmer (Rem GL)

As the last chord resounded around the Shirley Hall, I leaned over to my neighbour and asked, ‘How on earth am I going to write a review for such an incredible event?’ The evening truly was magical and I am going to try to translate it onto this page. The Gala Symphony Concert is the last event in King’s Week as well as the pinnacle of the school’s musical year. It is a platform not only to shine a light on the outgoing 6a musicians, but also to cement firmly the orchestra’s reputation as a virtuosic ensemble with the capability to rival any professional orchestra. Having mingled at the Headmaster’s pre-prandial drinks’ party, the guests moved to the Shirley Hall, taking to their seats and waiting with great anticipation for the concert to begin. The programme opened with The William Tell Overture by Rossini, a piece notoriously difficult among professional musicians for its intricate scalic passage work. The work begins with five solo ‘cellos (Juliet Wolff, Jason Lo, George Nairac, Sabrina Kitson and Betram Pedrick). From the off, the audience was mesmerised by the beauty of the luscious melodies performed to perfection by a particularly strong ‘cello section. The gradual orchestral build up continued until a moment of haven with a breath-taking duet between the flute (Michaela Higham) and cor anglais (Siân Robinson). The famous trumpet fanfare was played with sparkling brilliance and the well-known tune followed. Enthusiastic applause echoed around the hall and the audience waited, yearning for more. After a brief game of musical chairs as the orchestra rearranged itself and shrunk down to a reduced number of players, the first of the 6a soloists took the stage. Carine Ha played a simple yet moving movement of the Haydn Cello Concerto in C Major. The reduced orchestra was very sympathetic to the soloist and allowed Carine to blossom, whilst creating an incredible sound world that

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captured the hearts of many of the audience members. Following this very strong start to the solo section of the concert was Lewis Cullen who played a technical extravaganza from the Vivaldi Flute Concerto in C Minor. Lewis displayed true mastery of the instrument showing an innate ability to interact with the orchestra. Lewis made the most of the beautiful Baroque harmonies and with ease conquered the intricate ornamentation and fast flowing melodies – a true performer. The audience, having being treated to two more intimate performances were then transported to South America for Marquez’s fun and saucy Danzon No. 2. This piece was a challenge for the orchestra as it is scored for a vast number of instruments; it gave the unsung trombone and percussion sections a chance to shine with many comical noises (and dances) coming from all round. The rich woodwind sound and the aplomb of the string sections allowed the audience to admire the minutiae of the score. It was great fun and a wonderful ending to the first half of a concert that had already exceeded expectations. After enjoying the hospitality of the marquee and sampling various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, the concert continued this time with 6a, Siân Rees playing Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in Eb Major. This piece is typical of the classical era and transported the audience back to nineteenth century Vienna with all the finery and powdered wigs that the aristocracy enjoyed. Siân coaxed a deep yet mellow tone from her instrument and showed amazing technical prowess and an excellent control of the upper register which can prove the stumbling block for many clarinettists. The piece was well received and the audience applauded for some considerable time. The penultimate soloist was Ilona Bushell who was the night’s only vocalist. She sang ‘Lascia ch’io Pianga’ from Handel’s 1711 opera Rinaldo. A famous and very beautiful work that had the audience entranced, and by the end many a tissue was being employed to wipe away tears from eyes of those whom had been deeply affected by the music. Ilona has a real gift in her voice which she used to give a passionate and contemplative performance that highlighted the calibre of her singing.

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Maxim del Mar receives applause for his Beethoven Romance

The King’s School Symphony Orchestra: ‘An Amazing Concert’

Maxim Del Mar was the final soloist of the night and rounded off a programme of soloists that was varied but of a very high standard. He played Romance No. 2 by Beethoven in a way that was hauntingly expressive. The piece gave him ample opportunity to demonstrate his astounding range of expression and technical skill. He mastered the instrument and left the audience bewildered as to how someone so young managed to pull off such a musically and technically sound performance virtually flawlessly. Maxim, I think is destined for greater things in the musical world.

Abbott, Stephen Matthews and Paul Barton-Hodges. In the words of Mr Bersey, the concert was brilliant and he couldn’t understand why there were empty seats. I cannot emphasise enough how amazing this concert is so if you missed it, please do come next year.

The concert concluded with the finale of Dvorak’s 8th Symphony. It was a great finale and a good choice to finish a concert that had been without a doubt one of the most moving experiences of my life. The Dvorak was an excellent choice as it provided a platform for soloists as well as being jolly good fun. As the last chord resounded around the hall, the gleam in the performers’ eyes and the standing ovation that followed rounded off an event of the highest calibre. The concert, of course, would not have been anything like as excellent as it was without the superb leadership of Will Bersey and the support of Andrew Pollock, Kevin

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THE CANTUARIAN

Lewis Cullen performs Vivaldi

A word from Will Bersey

KING’S WEEK KING’S WEEK: SHOW JUMPING AND RIDING REPORT Lily Carr (6b JR)

Summer Term Report Rosie Woods and her horse Strokestown Prince came fifth at Felbridge and second in the level four eventing at Bon Fleur and during summer came third at Eridge Park one day event, level three. Maxim Nicholson came fifth at Bedgbury in the Novice, first in the dressage at Felbridge and during the summer also got a fourth in combined training on his horse Monarchs Friend. He also rode Bright Skylight in a dressage competition at Bedgebury coming third. During the summer Quillie Erskine came fourth in the Novice Event at Nanyuki Horse Show in Kenya on Royal Spray and second in the one metre show jumping on Fiddle and Thread. Unfortunately Izzy Barrett’s horse has been lame for the majority of the term but she competed very successfully throughout the summer. Alex Maclean and Margot Bourne will be taking part in the qualifier for the Uniformed Services show jumping competition during half term, so we wish them luck and hope that they get through as they ride the Queen’s horses at Windsor. King’s is hosting an Inter-Schools Riding competition at Rooting Street on the 8th November against other Senior Schools in Kent and Sussex.

King’s Week Showjumping Within the King’s riding team prior to the event, there was a great sense of excitement and anticipation at being able to ride at Birley’s. The weather was perfect, but as 40 odd horseboxes drove onto the hallowed turf, at the back of my mind, I visualised the groundsmen wincing at

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the prospect of fifty horses charging round the perfectly conditioned ground. Riding captain Aine Wright and Father Fred had thought through everything, from the quality and aesthetic of the jumps, to the tea and champagne that were being served, as well as raising money for Riding for the Disabled. All competitors were briefed beforehand to ensure that they made a conscious effort to present themselves and their horses well. Nobody could have imagined to what extent the King’s Riding Teams met this challenge: most horses were plaited, all looked glossy and magnificent. Each class was structured so that it was a combination of speed and going clear, meaning that each rider had not only to focus on accuracy, but also ensure pace. I decided to take both my horses and enter them in the two different classes, according to their ability. The first class was the 90 cm class and as my round came closer I became increasingly nervous, partly because I had seen all my team members do fantastic rounds before me, and partly because of the on looking spectators which included the Headmaster, the Dean and many teachers and friends. My first round went very well, I went clear (although I had a lucky break where I almost knocked a pole, but through some miracle it remained stable) and my horse took everything in her stride and seem to sense the importance of the event. The next round was the 70 cm, in which I rode my young horse who had little experience with show jumping, on top of this, last time I rode the horse to practice for the event, I had fallen off. Naturally, I was fearing the worst. However, he rose to the occasion and did a great round, and went on to win his very first event. Finally, there was a team event, in which the boarders’ A and B teams competed against A and B day teams. There was a fun sense of competitive spirit, and encouragement throughout the teams with the boarders’ B team finally victorious. Overall, the event couldn’t have gone more perfectly, and exceeded all expectation of both participants and

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spectators. There was not a single injury, and the school was able to raise over £650 pounds for Riding for the Disabled. I hope that future events for King’s riding are held at Birley’s as it is clearly a very special venue, and an event enjoyed by all.

Right: Katherine Gardiner

Summer 2014

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SPORT

CRICKET CRICKET TEAM REPORT – 1ST XI RALS

Following the very successful tour to Dubai during the Easter holidays, we were all looking forward to seeing of what this team were capable. On paper it was a strong team with good Cricketers. There was a good mix of Sixth form, Fifth form and a Remove, and the team dynamic was strong. After a wet start putting paid to the first weekend of Cricket, St. Bede’s were our first fixture. We knew it was going to be tough but were in the game early in the day. A crucial drop of their high scoring batsmen altered the course of the game and eventually after a brave chase and some elaborate and memorable shots from Edward Solly we came up short. The two subsequent midweek wins over Duke of York’s - in a very tight low scoring game where match winner Ben Methven picked up six wickets and became the first person in two seasons to get his name on the honours’ board - and St. Edmund’s, gave the team confidence. The drawn match against Reed’s was a little disappointing but the batting stalled and fell behind the run rate required after some good work with the ball restricting the Reed’s score. With the exam season now in full flow it was pleasing to see the boys still very much committed to their Cricket as well as working hard for their exams. The match away at Felsted this season was a fantastic match for any neutral! King’s batted first and in his fourth and final season George Baker White batted superbly to score his maiden century for the school, gaining a place in the history books. He scored 140 before being caught as he was, unselfishly, pushing for runs late in the innings. Oliver Tikare also batted well for his first 50 of the season. With time ticking on we declared on 256 for 5, giving us the opportunity to cowl Felsted out. They got off to a good

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start and put on 84 for the first wicket but at 140 -5 we felt in control and pushing for more wickets. However, Felsted had other ideas and at the end of a long hot day kept pushing hard, putting pressure on our bowlers. Unfortunately for us, Felsted got over the line in the final over of the day to win a fantastic game of Cricket. Disappointingly, we were not able to play the first fixture after half term but made the trip to Eltham the week after keen to get back in the swing of things. Louis GlynnWilliams decimated the Eltham batting line up taking four wickets and helping to bowl them out for 72. King’s, with the help of Oliver Tikare 40*, knocked the runs off to secure a strong win. Sutton Valence, a week later, proved to be a tougher test. We batted first and with some excellent batting from Oliver Tikare (97), George Baker White (62) and Ralph Taylor (55) we scored 286 in our 50 overs. Sutton Valence were on track for the majority of their reply but Piers Richardson came back for his second spell to get rid of their danger man and James Leggett, with his part time swing, took two in two balls to swing the game in our favour. Before we knew it Cricket week had arrived! Cranbrook were bowled out for 92 on the first day, with Piers Richardson, finally getting his maiden five wicket haul, winning a place on the honours’ board. Oliver Tikare (51*) and James Leggett (40*) knocked the runs off to give us a nine wicket victory. We restricted Haileybury, the following day, to 187 for 6 with all the bowlers contributing and it was a pleasure to watch George Baker White score his second century of the season (107*), ably assisted by James Leggett (40) to give us our second nine wicket victory in two days. Hurstpierpoint the following day was the closest game of the season. Hurst batted first and scored 166-9 with Piers Richardson taking an impressive 4 for 25 in nine overs. In reply, with some excellent tight bowling from Hurst, after a good foundation was laid by George Baker White and James Leggett, the King’s batters struggled to score as fluently, as they had not batted as much as the openers. Wickets fell at consistent intervals; however, Edward Solly

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Cricket 1st XI

steadied the ship and confidently hit the winning runs in the closing overs to record the team’s fifth win in a row. After a day off, we welcomed Highgate back to Birley’s after a few years’ absence. Highgate is one of the school’s most historical fixtures. They batted first and made 146 with the King’s bowlers keeping things tight. James Meddings had an excellent day with his off spin taking 6 wickets for 34 runs and once again adding his name to the honours’ board. George Baker White (68) was supported by Ben Methven who, after recording a number of 40’s over the years, recorded his maiden half century for the 1st XI with 51* and guided us to an eight wicket victory. We batted first against Trinity and, after an epic battle the year before, we knew we would have to bat well. Oliver Tikare (54) and James Meddings (44*) helped us to score 216 in our rain affected 40 overs. Trinity, in reply, were bowled out for 133, with Piers Richardson taking 4 for 31, Oliver Tikare 3 for 23 and Louis Glynn-Williams 2 for 14 from 7 overs. A fantastic bowling performance. This was the boys’ seventh win on the bounce.

Summer 2014

The game against the MCC was very frustrating. We repeated the excellent bowling performance to bowl the MCC out for 135, with James Meddings taking 4 for 15 and, debutant, Oliver Mann and Louis Glynn Williams picking up two apiece. However, for the first time in the season the batting let us down, and with some accurate leg spin from the experienced MCC bowling attack tearing the King’s batsmen apart, we were bowled out for a disappointing 93. We batted first against the OKS and scored 228 for 6 (putting the disappointing performance from the previous day behind us). James Meddings top scored earning himself his first half century of the season (56). We then bowled the OKS out for 96, with James Meddings taking 5 for 22. The final match against the Band of Brothers ended up being another nine wicket victory. We restricted them to 131 with James Meddings in the wickets again achieving 4 for 8 and James Leggett (55*) and George Baker White (54) saw us home.

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Overall, the boys won 12 of their 16 fixtures, and Mr Ealham and I are very proud of what they achieved. Special mention must go to George Baker White who had four years in the 1st XI and scored over 700 runs in his final season, setting the marker for the junior batsmen in the team. Piers Richardson (30) and James Meddings (29) bowled extremely well, with Jamie Adams and Louis Glynn-Williams bowling consistently over the course of the season and deserving more wickets than their record indicates. Edward Solly was exceptional behind the stumps and was deservedly most improved player of the season; there is more to come from him, and his five victims against Eltham showed us of what he is capable. Oliver Tikare, Ralph Taylor and Will Heywood are very promising prospects for future seasons and with further young talent lower down the school we are looking forward to next season and beyond. This team must be praised for its efforts in the field. Their concentration and, therefore, quality aided them to restrict or bowl out sides for low targets taking the pressure off the batsmen. It was extremely pleasing to see

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this side gel so well together and winning 12 out of their 16 games is a testament to this. A special note of thanks must go to Jon Hailiday, our dedicated umpire, who has stood in his final season. He has been through thick and thin with the Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s XIs over many past seasons. We thank him for all his advice and professionalism. Yet again the ground staff have prepared excellent pitches throughout the season and Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s produces one of the best lunches on the circuit thanks to the catering team. Team from: J. H. R. Meddings (captain), J. Adams, W. G. J. Baker White, L. Glynn-Williams, W. Heywood, J.N. Leggett, B. L. I. Methven, P. Richardson, E. Solly (Wicket Keeper), R. Taylor, O. Tikare Also played: M. Barker, R. Campbell, H. Collister, O. Mann, W. Parker, H. Vavasour

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CRICKET Results Played 16 Won 12 Drew 1 Lost 3 Eastbourne Stragglers

Cancelled Abandoned

King’s 203-5 (Heywood 65*)

Stragglers 8 for 0

Kent College T20

won by 33 runs

King’s 128 for 5

Kent College 95 for 6

St. Bede’s (50 overs)

lost by 96 runs

St. Bede’s 317 for 5

King’s 221 for 8 (Tikare 57, Methven 47*, Solly 45)

Duke of York’s (30 overs

won by 11 runs

King’s 109

Duke of York’s 98 (Methven 6 for 31)

St. Edmund’s T20

won by 102 runs

King’s 181 for 3 (Baker White 64, Taylor 74*)

St. Edmund’s 79 for 2

Drew

Reed’s 177-8 (Richardson 3 for 18)

King’s 129-6

Felsted (timed)

lost by 4 wickets

King’s 256 for 5 dec (Baker White 140)

Felsted 262 for 6

Eltham (50 overs)

won by 9 wickets

Eltham 72 (Glynn Williams 4 for 24)

Kings 73 for 1 (Tikare 40*)

won by 37 runs

King’s 286 for 5 (Tikare 97, Baker White 62, Taylor 55)

Sutton Valence 249 for 7

Cranbrook (50 overs)

won by 9 wickets

Cranbrook 92 (Richardson 5 for 27)

King’s 93 for 1 (Tikare 51*, Leggett 41*)

Haileybury (Timed)

won by 9 wickets

Haileybury 187 for 6

King’s 186 for 1 (Baker White 107, Leggett 40)

Hurstpierpoint (45 Overs)

won by 1 wicket

Hurstpierpoint 166 for 9 (Richardson 4 for 25)

King’s 168 for 9

Highgate (Timed)

won by 8 wickets

Highgate 146 (Meddings 6-34)

King’s 150 for 2 (Baker White 68, Methven 51*)

Trinity (50 Overs)

won by 83 runs

King’s 216 for 6 (Tikare 54, Meddings 44)

Trinity 133 (Richardson 4 for 31, Tikare 3 for 23)

MCC (Timed)

lost by 42 runs

MCC 135 (Meddings 4 for 15)

King’s 93

OKS (40 Overs)

won by 132 runs

King’s 228 for 6 (Meddings 56, Taylor 41)

OKS 96 (Meddings 5 for 22)

Band of Brothers (Timed)

won by 9 wickets

Band of Brothers 131(Meddings 4 for 8)

King’s 134-1 (Leggett 55*, Baker White 54)

Reed’s School (Timed)

Sutton Valence (50 overs)

Summer 2014

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CRICKET BATTING (not including T20)

Innings

Not Out

Runs

Highest Score

Average

W. G. J. Baker White

705

140

50.35

O. Tikare

448

56.00

J. N. Leggett

344

34.40

R. Taylor

223

31.85

J. H. R. Meddings

203

22.55

B. L. I. Methven

184

26.28

P. Richardson

124

12.40

W. Heywood

116

29.00

E. Solly

106

26.50

M. Barker

18.00

H. Vavasour

16.00

J. M. T. Adams

15.50

R. Campbell

21.00

L. J. A. Glynn-Williams

5.50

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wickets

Average

Economy

P. Richardson

140.1

402

13.40

2.9

J. H. R. Meddings

111.2

394

13.58

3.6

L. J. A. Glynn-Williams

106.4

379

23.68

3.6

O. Tikare

65.3

358

27.53

5.5

B. L. I. Methven

24.3

107

11.88

4.4

J. M. T. Adams

101.4

397

44.11

3.9

H. Collister

15.00

3.5

O. Mann

18.00

3.0

W. Parker

8.3

20.00

2.4

M. Barker

10.4

40.00

3.8

BOWLING (not including T20)

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CRICKET TEAM REPORT – 2ND XI

Harry Vavasour took on the captaincy with some aplomb; he was responsible and reflective. His tactical acumen will develop, and he is already a useful upper-order batsman, a steady accumulator. In this brief season he has impressed – he is teachable and there is leadership in him which will doubtless emerge beyond King’s.

DMT

A very truncated season this year – only six games, with four of these in a fortnight in May, the least I have seen in my several 2nd XI years here. Of these, we won five; in fact, this year, the 2nd XI squad was quite strong, with several players who did 1st XI duty at some stage, principally Henry Collister and Will Parker. 2nd XI Cricket is at a markedly lower level than the 1st XI, and as such these two were often better players than the entire opposition, and featured prominently in the above results. Henry is an accomplished batsman and lively wicketto-wicket seam bowler – he will leave this summer, and one feels that he might have played a more full role in the 1st XI had he applied himself a little more through the school, but, if he continues the game seriously after King’s (many do not), he will emerge a very useful club all-rounder. Will can take the new ball, bowling at a brisk medium, and his hard hitting has proved too much for many an opposition 2nd team bowler. He should be a major contributor in 6a next year.Callum Kolade bowls a very slippery and brisk medium pace, with a slight shape to it – his action is excellent and natural and he should feature in the 1st XI reckoning next year. Oliver Mann accomplished more with the bat this term, but his bowling can be tight and accurate; we hope that he will develop into a good all-rounder with coaching through the winter.

This year, the effort has been strengthened by the arrival of Dominic Castle as lead coach, and Charlie Fidler alongside myself. As always, the 2nd XI is hugely indebted to Mark Ealham for coaching and advice during this term, and more so for his contribution to ‘voluntary’ indoor nets from September to March, when the boys can benefit from one-to-one coaching from an ex-England player, probably as good an opportunity for coaching as any available in the country. The Birley’s square has been outstanding as ever – Kent 2nt XI are playing there next week! – surely many of the team will never play on a better track or outfield during their entire subsequent Cricket careers. On the whole, a successful, if far too brief, season. Until the question of player non-availability after half term is adequately addressed, later games will still remain vulnerable to cancellation, and future seasons may be likewise curtailed. Team from : O.Mann, H. Vavasour (c), M. Harper (wk), A. Milton, S. Morgan, W. Parker, C. Sinclair, E. Baker, J. Dearlove, C. Kolade, A. Clode, R. Campbell, H. Collister, G. Hamlyn, J. Benton, R. Ellison. Results

St.Bede’s

lost by 6 runs

St.Bede’s 161 for 6

King’s 155 for 9 (Vavasour 31, Parker 57)

St.Lawrence

won by 4 runs

King’s 135 for 7 (Mann 37, Kolade 36 n.o.)

St.Lawrence 131 for 7

Reed’s

won by 8 runs

King’s 166 for 5 (Parker 67 n.o., Mann 58)

Reed’s 158 for 8 (Kolade 3 for 21, Parker 3 for 27)

Felsted

won by 121 runs

King’s 217 for 4 (Collister 75, Vavasour 68, Mann 39 n.o.)

Felsted 96 (Ellison 3 for 27)

Eltham

won by 5 wickets

Eltham 106 (Kolade 5 for 13)

King’s 108 for 5 (Mann 42)

Sutton Valence

won by 4 wickets

S.Valence 153 for 7

King’s 156 for 6 (Collister 79 n.o., Campbell 41)

Rochester

Match cancelled

Trinity

Match cancelled

Summer 2014

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CRICKET CRICKET TEAM REPORT – 3RD XI RPC

A rather curtailed season, firstly by a wet first Saturday, and then by the ever-earlier-starting exam season, saw the 3rd XI play just two matches this year. Having not lost to a school side for three years, there was a proud record to uphold and the team went into the Tonbridge game with fierce determination and enthusiasm. A very slow outfield and some decent bowling made run scoring difficult, but this was not a day for big scores and the team felt confident that they could defend any three figure score. After early wobbles, late flourishes from Alex and Fred Preston saw us to a respectable 122, although it was extras that proved to be the top scorer. Tonbridge got off to a bright start in reply and looked like they might make short work of the target. However, key wickets started to fall at crucial moments and, with Avneesh Thind picking up a brace, along with Robbie Ellison, and a fired up Teddy Baker bowling three people, we gained the upper hand. A late flourish from the Tonbridge number eight caused further alarm, but when Cameron MacKinnon cleaned him up, the game was over. The Reed’s game was rather an anti-climax and we never got going. Accurate bowling and great fielding from Reed’s, as well as poor shot selection, saw to it that only Jack Benton, Alex Preston, Robbie Ellison and James Pye reached double figures and our 78 runs always looked inadequate. Fleeting half-chances came and went during the Reed’s innings and they knocked the runs off for the loss of only two wickets. So the glorious unbeaten run came to an end but the team played with their customary good humour and, as so often at 3rd XI level, Cricket was the real winner. Team from: T. Baker, J. Benton, H. Churchill, J. Dearlove, R. Ellison, T. Glynne-Jones, M. Humphries, C. MacKinnon, A. Preston, F. Preston, J. Pye, C. Sinclair, A. Thind.

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Results Tonbridge

won

122-7 (30 overs)

90 all out (26.1 overs)

Reed’s

lost

78 all out (19.0 overs)

79-2 (11.1 overs)

CRICKET TEAM REPORT – U15A XI TH

It has been great to witness the development of this side throughout the season. They got off to a very good start against St Bede’s. Matt Barker showed his class from the outset and grew into his role as captain. The side had a fine run in the Kent Cup but unfortunately went out in the semi-final in a tight match. What was very pleasing about this side was that all the players contributed throughout the season at important times. Jack Vavasour bowled with accuracy and worked hard. He was well supported by Michael Rand and the spin of Alex Compton who deceived batsmen to take many wickets. Fred Williams and Ed Graham scored some crucial runs in the middle order and Sam Poole showed he could hit the ball sweetly when in and set. George Meddings found his form with the bat and looked classy. He also bowled his off-spin and was a key player in the side. Wicket-keeper batsman George Richardson was a very consistent performer and had an excellent season. He was named Coaches’ Player of the Season and Matthew Barker was voted Players’ Player. Well done to all the boys on a very enjoyable and successful season. Team from: Matthew Barker, Alex Compton, Edward Graham, Kit Lillingston-Paterson, Tom Mancais, George Meddings, Vihan Patel, Sam Poole, Michael Rand, Ralph Taylor, George Richardson, Jeevan Thind, Jack Vavasour, Fred Williams

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Cricket U15A XI

Cricket U15B XI

CRICKET

U15A Cricket Results

St Bede’s

won by 62 runs

King’s 171 – 8 (Barker 75, Graham 36)

St Bede’s 109 – 7 (Compton 2 – 13, Williams 2 – 7)

St Edmund’s

won by 80 runs

King’s 214 – 1 (Barker 113, Richardson 48, Meddings 28)

St Edmund’s 134 – 4 (Meddings 3 – 22)

Reed’s

won by 33 runs

King’s 192 – 4 (Barker 93, Richardson, 52, Graham 22 not out)

Reed’s 159 – 5 (Barker 2 – 4, Compton 2 – 20)

Ashford

won by 61 runs

King’s 140 – 5 (Poole 41, Taylor 42)

Ashford 79 all out (Compton 4 – 17, Patel 2 – 13).

Felsted

lost by 76 runs

Felsted 194 – 2

King’s 118 all out (Barker 46, Rand 22)

Dover Grammar

won by 9 wickets

65 – 6 (Vavasour 2 – 13, Meddings 2 – 20)

King’s 66 – 1 (Barker 30 not out, Taylor 22 not out)

Duke of York’s

won by 8 wickets

74 – 7 (Compton 2 – 28, Lillingston-Paterson 2 – 9)

King’s 77 – 2 (Barker 50 not out)

Colfe’s

won by 97 runs

King’s 170 – 7 (Meddings 42, Rand 32, Mancais 15)

Colfe’s 73 – 9 (Rand 2 – 9, Compton 2 – 26, Lillingston-Paterson 2 – 1)

Elham

won by 26 runs

King’s 143 – 6 (Meddings 44, Richardson 33, Williams 34)

117 all out (Barker 3 – 7, Meddings 2 – 14).

Skinners

won by 73 runs

King’s 171 – 4 (Richardson 27, Taylor 91)

Skinners 98 – 9 (Compton 3 – 17, Vavasour 2 – 9)

Sutton Valence

lost by 6 wickets

King’s 118 (Poole 23, Williams 28)

Sutton Valence 120 – 4

lost by 5 runs

Eltham 175 – 7 (Compton 2 – 26)

King’s 170 – 3 (Taylor 44, Barker 87, Poole 18)

Eltam

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CRICKET CRICKET TEAM REPORT – U15B XI CC and Rafe Budden Our season started when eight of our U15B players were selected to play in the 4th XI match against St. Bede’s. They played with great enthusiasm and pride against a much older side. Although King’s lost by 140 runs valuable experience and practice was gained. The season proper then started against Reed’s. King’s decided to bat first and a shaky start saw both King’s openers out with the score board on only six runs. Further wickets fell cheaply until Phillip Chennery (13) and Josh Akpana (22) put up some resistance. Other cameos by James Gardiner (11 including a very big six) and George Thompson (16 not out) helped bring the score up to 94 (all out off 23.3 overs). With a low total to defend, tight bowling and fielding were required. The pick of the bowlers was George Thompson who finished off a good all round performance with the only wicket of the innings. Although a disappointing result, great team spirit was already evident and this enthusiasm followed through into positive Nets practice the following week. Against Felsted, concentration was poor as King’s wickets tumbled quickly and the top scores were made by the only two batsmen who managed to face more than 10 balls (Jago Trelawney-Vernon and Jeevan Thind with nine and eight runs respectively). The King’s men did gather themselves for a feisty defence of their meagre 36 run total with tight bowling lines backed up by good fielding. Jeevan Thind was the pick of the bowlers, picking up all 3 wickets in his 2 overs for only 2 runs. Although King’s bowled well, the target that was set was far short of a challenging total and Felsted knocked the runs off in 9.5 overs. King’s then took on the Dover College A team. The toss was won by King’s and the opposition were put into bat, hoping to take advantage of the bowling friendly conditions. The pitch played true and the ball was coming onto the bat nicely with Dover going well until George

Summer 2014

Thompson (2-19) and Jago Trelawney-Vernon combined to take the first wicket, caught behind. This started a steady fall of wickets with King’s adjusting the field to contain their top scorer (R. Pun with 48 not out) whilst targeting the capture of all other incoming batsmen’s wickets. The target set was 129, the biggest score the boys had faced so far. The opening pair of Kit LillingstonPaterson and Jago Trelawney-Vernon provided a good base of 28 runs for the team to build on. A few wickets fell after these openers were dispatched but Tom Mancais (43 off 36 not out) then played a courageous Captain’s innings. He proceeded to smash the ball to all parts of the field, continuing with his “lucky” but half broken bat (which made some very interesting sounds!). Freddy Williams joined in with a quick fire 23 off 14, leaving an easy jog to the finish line with an over to spare. A small pitch meant that Rochester scored quickly and freely but good bowling by George Thompson (2-23) and Jeevan Thind (2-16) did help contain the score. However, a few dropped catches were to cost King’s dearly. The target of 151 seemed like it would be a step too far. Jago Trelawney-Vernon (13) and Phillip Chennery (16) got the team off to another steady start before Phillip was dismissed by a superb Yorker. Another King’s collapse brought Jeevan Thind (26) and Josh Akpana (35) to the crease. Nowhere was safe in the ground (with both umpires having to take evasive action to avoid serious injury) and they managed to hit three of the balls out of the park and down the hill. Their partnership was broken when both players went for one too many big shots. Unfortunately, the remainder of the batting line up were unable to finish off an exciting run chase, despite a good effort by George Thompson (16 off 10) and Henry Lee (10 off 6, hitting his first boundaries of the season). Overall, a very good performance by the King’s boys who played the entire game in a great competitive spirit. In the last match of our season, Captain George Thompson won another toss and put Sutton Valence in to bat. Tom Mancais (2-16) picked up the first wicket off his fourth ball and set the tone with the team continuing to pick up wickets at steady intervals. King’s had a great day in the field, easily the best of the season, with new comer Harry Baldwin taking two outstanding catches.

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Josh Akpana was the pick of the bowlers, picking up three wickets off his two overs. With 96 runs required to win, the King’s opening bats Jago Trelawney-Vernon (11) and Phillip Chennery (16) struggled to settle into their rhythm but successfully saw off the Sutton Valence opening bowlers. The way was then clear for Anthony Smith (36) and Tom Mancais (21) to battle through and finish the game for the team. The target was chased down in 14.2 overs, a very dominant performance by the King’s men and a positive way to finish the season. On reflection, this was a most entertaining season with much fun had by all. The team enjoyed some highs and suffered some lows but throughout played with great sportsmanship and spirit. The boys particularly enjoyed the coaching of Mr Budden. He was ever present in all weathers with a calm and clear word of encouragement to all the boys. Thanks Mr Budden!! Team from: Tom Mancais, George Thompson, Jeevan Thind, Vihan Patel, Jago Trelawny-Vernon, Josh Akpana, Philip Chennery, Luke Ross Russell, Henry Lee, Obim Mbonu, Sam Statman, Rohan Patel, Will Bryant, Anthony Smith, Charles Mcmenemy, James Gardiner, Harry Dakin. Results Eastbourne College

Cancelled

St. Bede’s (4th XI)

lost

108 20 overs

248/4 25 overs

Reed’s

lost

94/10 23.3 overs

97/1 12.4 overs

Felsted

lost

36/10 13.3 overs

37/3 9.5 overs

Dover College

won

133/6 20 overs

129/6 20 overs

King’s School Rochester

lost

119/9 20 overs

150/8 20 overs

Sutton Valence School

won

97/2 14.2 overs

96/7 20 overs

Cancelled

Trinity School

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CRICKET TEAM REPORT – U14 A XI MCET

The U14A Cricketers had been training for the majority of the Lent term in the nets so preparation for the season was well underway. With the summer term finally arriving it was only fitting for the first game to be cancelled due to inclement weather conditions; still, the boys kept their heads up and trained hard for the following week. Although the first game against St Bede’s was a loss the rest of the season was tense, exciting and very successful. With Richard Heywood as the captain the boys were in good hands and the phrase ‘lead by example’ couldn’t have been more appropriate. Richard led the way in both the bowling and the batting in every game and set the example at Sutton Valence by scoring an impressive 126. The formidable pair of Harvey Coulson and Tom Whitmore as the opening bowlers meant that not many people had the chance for a bowl after these two took the stumps away. Both were also very handy with the bat and on a number of occasions it was the cool head of Harvey that lead the boys to victory after some interesting batting from the openers. Jamie Crocker and Sid Ravishankar were fine second change bowlers and with Jamie’s speed and Sid’s spin, the batsman rarely stood a chance. As the season progressed and confidence grew, more players stepped up to the mark and made their name with both bat and ball. George Howard-Smith, Charlie Griffiths and Ethan Hunt all made an impact by taking wickets and sticking out the game at the crease. It has been good to see these players develop over the season. Chris Ruston and William Oates were formidable with the bat, often making quick yet impressive run scores which gave the team a good lead in many cases. Finally, Charlie Watson was the brick wall behind the stumps. He controlled the crease well and was quick off the mark to make a stumping. This was a great season for the boys and was finished well by winning the Junior 6 a side tournament down at Birley’s. I must say thank you to Ray Willis who helped coach throughout the season. His experience and kind nature helped the season become what it was and I know the

THE CANTUARIAN

CRICKET

Cricket U14BA XI

boys enjoyed his company and advice. I wish the boys the best for their future at King’s and I look forward to seeing them develop their Cricket over the years. Team from: Harvey Coulson, Jamie Crocker, Charlie Griffiths, Richard Heywood, Ethan Hunt, George Howard Smith, William Oates, Sid Ravishankar, Chris Ruston, Charlie Watson, Tom Whitmore Results

won

By 13 runs

St Bede’s

lost

By 64 runs

CRICKET TEAM REPORT – U14B XI CTN

Sutton Valence

won

By 95 runs

Eltham College

won

By 8 wickets

Colfe’s

won

By 8 wickets

Duke of York RMS

won

By 208 runs

Judd (Oliver Cup)

lost

By 24 runs

Harvey Grammar School (Oliver Cup)

won

By 6 wickets

Felsted

won

By 16 runs

Summer 2014

Reed’s

Having used a number of players this season, consistency was always going to be a challenge. Trying to make sure all the boys showed their potential with bat and ball was going to be a test. From the start of the season the boys listened well and came close on a number of occasions to results going in their favour, alas at this level it only takes one dropped catch or missed field to change a game. Consistency was something upon which the entire team worked aiming to improve their batting techniques

295

CRICKET

and especially work on fielding and catching, something which definitely showed towards the end of the season. There were some notable performances with the bat: Joe Wells top scored for the season and Jason Cho took 10 wickets over the course of the season. Kevin John has turned into an exciting all-rounder coming second with both bat and ball. The boys have coped well in a testing season and I hope they can continue enjoying their Cricket all the way through their time at King’s. Team from: Bickerseth David, Cammegh Freddie, Cho Jason, Fitiaihi Nawaf, Gadd Theo, Howard-Smith George, John Kevin, Khamraev Dani, Litvack Sam, Martin Henry, Moore Oliver, Oates Will, Prince Patrick, Reece Finn, Samoilys Constantine, Wanstall Alex, Wells Joe

Cricket U14B XI

Results St. Bede’s

lost

By 4 wickets

Felsted

lost

By 118 runs

Colfe’s

won

By 8 runs

King’s Rochester

won

By 5 wickets

Eltham College

lost

By 6 wickets

SVS

lost

By 8 wickets

CRICKET TEAM REPORT – U14 C VI CTN

The U14Cs, being mostly part-time Cricketers, struggled to find their form this season; they conceded a lot of

296

THE CANTUARIAN

ROUNDERS runs and scored only a few, with the notable exception of a strong innings against Felsted, during which Keishi Saegusa scored 28. The season was memorable, however, for the raw enthusiasm shown by many of the players, and their good humour in the face of adversity. Team from: Sam Chen, Patrick Crowley, Nawaf Fitaihi, Sotonye George, Chenyang Jin, Fedor Kireev, Richard Leimon, Karsten Lenterman, Sam Litvack, Brian Okorocha, Patrick Prince, Keishi Saegusa, Francesco Serraino, Trevor Tam, Kevin Viriyaprapaikit, Nathaniel Walker. Results Reed’s

won

By 168 runs

Felsted

won

By 7 wickets

Sutton Valence

lost

By 201 runs

ROUNDERS TEAM REPORT – 1ST IX KAB and LW

The 1st Rounders team enjoyed a highly successful season winning all of their matches which is a testament to the hard work the girls put into training. This group of seventeen were highly motivated all season and it was evident from their first training session that Rounders this season would be taken very seriously! The girls felt the part with their first team t-shirts and skorts and set off for their first away match against Epsom College. Helen Ferrett and Scarlet Pughe were soon to take the reins and naturally settled into a Captain and Vice-Captain position with the girls eager to impress and play well. We selected to field first and after a hesitant start, the 1st team were underway with some slick ‘triangle’ work by Connie Taylor-Young, Scarlet Pughe and Sixtine Guitton. We showed some great fielding skills with Star Player Katherine Gardiner really putting a stamp on her place in the team! Rosie Dath, our ‘slip’, picked up three catches in a

Summer 2014

row leaving Epsom with little to say after the first innings. Our hitting was great, particulalry with Izzy Taylor and her ‘golden’ bat. The girls worked hard during training to improve their fielding and batting and it was only a week later that we recorded our second win of the season against Kent College. Notable performances came from Player of the Match and Star Player Jessica Quinlan who came into own scoring a rocketing four Rounders off six balls! Had it have been baseball her hits would have been ‘out of the park’. It was Catriona Jenkinson’s maiden game at first post and she made some superb stump outs for those who were unable to make a clean hit. So too did Sixtine Guitton who replicated a similar performance in the second fielding innings, both girl forces to be reckoned with. With a half time score of only ½ a rounder between us, King’s in true fashion stepped up a gear. Excellent fielding by Scarlet Pughe and Helen Ferret limited our opposition giving us in the end a more comfortable victory. The season continued with wins away to Claremont Senior School, Cranbrook, Sutton Valence and Sevenoaks leaving the girls with an unbeaten season. Both Helen and Scarlet have worked extremely hard as Captain and Vice-Captain. They have motivated the team to work hard during training and matches. Helen has recorded some excellent Rounders over the course of the season and Scarlet’s bowling has been formidable. It was always a delight for the girls to have Scarlet’s boom box for sessions too. We wish Helen all the best as well as our other 6a Rosie Taylor who joined us later on in the season – wow what a throw! The 6b’s in the team were Jess Hodcroft, Rhianna Jones, Catriona Jenkinson and Katherine Gardiner. Rhianna was fantastic in her role as back stop and always could be relied upon for a Rounder when needed. Although Jess played fewer matches, she was always an asset to the team with her safe hands out deep or at second. It was great having Catriona Jenkinson trial for the 1st team as she really improved over the season. Katherine Gardiner, it goes without saying deserves an extra special mention. Her work ethic and determination to improve were just absolutely exemplary and she deserves ‘Most Improved Player of the Season’.

297

ROUNDERS We had a number of Fifth formers join the team and all added a real dimension and strength to the squad; Minty Chapman, Rose Dath, Anna Fenwick, Sixtine Guitton, Eleanor Paine, Jessica Quinlan, India Roestenburg, Izzy Taylor and Connie Taylor-Young. These will be super strong next year. Well done to the girls! Team from: Helen Ferrett (Captain), Minty Chapman, Rose Dath, Anna Fenwick, Katherine Gardiner, Sixtine Guitton, Jessica Hodcroft, Catriona Jenkinson, Rhiannon Jones, Eleanor Paine, Scarlet Pughe (Vice-Captain), Jessica Quinlan, India Roestenburg, Isobel Taylor, Rosalind Taylor and Connie Taylor-Young Results Epsom College

won

9-6

Kent College

won

17 1/2 -11 1/2

Claremont Senior School

won

17 1/2-6

Sutton Valence

won

16-10 1/2

Sevenoaks

won

16 1/2-9

Cranbrook

won

12-7

ROUNDERS TEAM REPORT – U15A IX HKIH and NLH

The U15A Rounders team have had a fantastic season winning seven out of their nine matches. Notable performances include an 8-3.5 win over a strong Cranbrook team and the winning of the U15 Cranbrook Tournament. The Cranbrook match began shakily for King’s, only scoring two Rounders in their first batting innings. Despite the low score, credit was awarded to Dominique Alexander

298

who batted beautifully, obtaining both the Rounders herself. King’s knew they had to be extremely calm, focused and sharp in the field to hold off Cranbrook in their 1st batting innings. Outstanding bowling by Imogen Hurley, coupled with incredible fielding from Similoluwa Ayinde and catches by Georgia Parker restricted Cranbrook to only scoring one Rounder. King’s fielded with enthusiasm, spirit and precision for the complete 18 balls. Special mention must go to Millie Lee and Imogen Hurley for their outstanding batting performances, leading King’s to a score of six Rounders in the second innings. The team spirit and encouragement for every player running round the posts was lovely to see and hear. Despite a much better batting innings, King’s knew they had to field at the same standard to secure the win. And they did! Final score was 8-3.5 to King’s. A “gutsy” all round team performance. The U15 Cranbrook Tournament was an eagerly anticipated event by the girls due to their narrow loss in the final last year. The first pool game saw King’s start with the bat against a well drilled Worth team. However, despite not obtaining as many Rounders as was hoped for, King’s managed to contain their nerves and worked methodically in the field to secure the victory. This gave the girls a well-deserved confidence boost going into their two other pool matches against Cranbrook B and Sevenoaks A. The increase in energy, concentration and self-belief led King’s to two comfortable victories, advancing them to the semi-finals against Sevenoaks B. King’s showed poise, determination and great skill putting the Sevenoaks team under immense pressure and securing the victory to take them to the final against Hurstpierpoint. Both teams showed tenacity in the Rounders that they played. The level of skill shown by the teams made for a great final and the girls worked really hard throughout to keep each other on their toes. The game saw King’s just pip Hurstpierpoint to the post. A superb performance from King’s, that really encompassed the talent and spirit of this team. The squad of 12 girls have bonded well and have shown great charisma and wonderful team spirit during training and matches. They have been a pleasure to coach and all show great potential for their continued Rounders careers into Senior Rounders at King’s next year. Chantelle has

THE CANTUARIAN

led the team with positivity, encouraging each player to succeed and pull together. She has been a role model in her attitude and sporting prowess on the Rounders field. Imogen Hurley has ably supported Chantelle in her role as vice-captain and was awarded the All-rounder of the Season. Her skills in both batting and fielding have been outstanding, and her composure on the pitch has made those around her face the opposition with the same response. Iona Bogle was awarded the Most Improved Player on the team. Her fielding has improved immensely, with her providing numerous fantastic catches both at second deep and also on second post. She is a versatile and talented batter, always calmly choosing where to place the ball. Credit must also go to Dominique Alexander and Bede Tyler for their excellent batting throughout the season, most notably against Cranbrook and Claremont. They batted consistently with poise and confidence. In addition, congratulations to both Similoluwa Ayinde and Georgina Barton on some excellent fielding. Their agility and throwing accuracy was always outstanding, regardless of the opposition or score! Team from: Chantelle Augustine-Aina (captain), Imogen Hurley (vice-captain), Similoluwa Ayinde, Iona Bogle, Bede Tyler, Dominique Alexander, Georgia Parker, Georgina Barton, Millie Lee, Deborah Idowu, Charlotte Morcom, Irina Mironosetskaya. Results Epsom College

lost

9 1/2-10

Sutton Valence

won

15-6

Cranbrook

won

8-3 1/2

Sevenoaks

won

15-10 1/2

Claremont School

won

11-7 1/2

Walthamstow Hall

won

14-9

U15 Cranbrook Tournament

1st Place

Cranbrook School

lost

10 1/2-14

Ashford School U15

won

6-5 1/2

Ashford School U14

won

8 1/2-4

Summer 2014

ROUNDERS TEAM REPORT – U15B IX JM

The U15B Rounders team has had a great season winning two out of four games. As the season progressed, the girls bonded well as a team. The first match of the season was against Benenden. The girls started off very lethargically, scoring only three Rounders. However, after a motivational half time chat, King’s upped their game tremendously, scoring four and a half Rounders. However, Benenden just beat them by getting a total of 9.5- 7.5. Despite King’s shaky first game, Daisy Best-Shaw on second post put out an amazing performance by getting four people out. Due to our first loss, the U15B team had specific skills to work on in order to enhance their progression. King’s were ready to play one of our rival schools St Edmund’s on the 13th May. Everybody was very nervous as we wanted to see if the training could be put into play. King’s were up to field and had an awesome start. Everybody was highly motivated and ready to take on the opposition. They were putting in maximum effort and fielding to their top potential. This resulted in St Edmund’s being restricted to scoring just two Rounders in their first innings. The final score was 9-6 to King’s. The girls have shown great positivity and charisma throughout the whole season. Their understanding and skill of the game has heightened tremendously which has been a pleasure to witness. They have been lovely to coach and all have shown great potential, which I am sure they will carry through to their senior Rounders’ years. Sarah Craig has been awarded the Most Improved Player on the Team. Sarah has blossomed this season. Her fielding and batting have both improved tremendously. Through her hard work and determination Sarah is a strong member of the U15B squad. Congratulations to the Bowler, Alice Petre, for always putting in a great performance. She has progressed so much as a player this season and always put in maximum effort; she has been a pleasure to watch.

299

In addition Daisy Best-Shaw should be credited for her amazing fielding; she has been an important member of the group. Controlling the field in every game, she was always communicating to other girls, which has resulted in stumping lots of the opposition out. Great work, Daisy. Isobel Helme played an amazing third slip this season. Her great agile movements have allowed her to stop some very fierce balls entering the field and also catching lots of people out. Team from: Sarah Craig, Mary Forsyth, Miriam Swindley, Daisy Best-Shaw, Isobel Helme, Olivia Norris, Amber Kendall, Eve Van De Weg, Alice Petre, Molly Buchanan, Alice Zhelezko, Isobel Barrett, Rebecca Litvack. Results Benenden

lost

9 1/2-7 1/2

St Edmund’s

won

9-6

Sevenoaks

lost

16-15

Kent College

won

11 1/2-9 1/2

ROUNDERS TEAM REPORT – U14A IX CTN

The King’s U14A team showed great potential from the start of the season, one of their best wins was early on in the season when they met with Benenden, who always put out a very strong team. However King’s proved that they were strong in both batting and fielding and had an incredible win of 20-15. King’s continued to meet very strong opponents, with not one match being against a poor team. King’s suffered two defeats over the Rounders season, both against Sutton Valence, who were a very strong side with very good batters; however the defeats were only by a few Rounders. The King’s team had the big advantage of having an excellent Bowler (Frances Young) who only gave away

300

one half rounder through two consecutive no balls throughout the entire season – there are very few bowlers that can match this. Her hard work during the practice sessions developed her incredible bowling ability and she was able to deliver a variety of fast, slow and spinning balls at the opposition. In her last match of the season, she was delivering curved balls that even the strongest of batters could not hit. There is no doubt that her bowling ability helped lead her team to victory a number of times over the season. Stephanie Solly and Amelia Paine worked well as a team, with Stephanie being a quiet yet confident back stop, accurately delivering excellent balls into the safe hands of Amelia Paine, who over the season stumped out a number of good players. King’s fielders consisted of Millie Butler-Gallie, Velvet Grainger, Annabel Edwards, Emi Smith, Amy and Lulu Hinshelwood. At the start of the season, all of these girls needed a lot of work on their fielding, running, catching and most of all, throwing. However by the end of the season, all had improved dramatically with excellent chasing of the ball and quick and accurate delivery to the posts. The biggest mention must go to Mollie Coleman, who is such a talented all-round player, and gives 100% at every match. Her outstanding batting ability as a left handed batter saw her clocking up many a Rounder and helping her team to success. Her fielding ability on second post was again outstanding, with safe hands, incredible agility and the ability to read the ball very well. During her last match against Cranbrook, she displayed all of the above qualities by diving through the air to catch a ball one handed and still remained on her feet, it was a spectacular moment in the King’s Rounders history. Mollie Coleman was an asset to her team and should be highly recognised for her hard work and determination throughout the season. The King’s team took part in the Benenden U14 Tournament, where they met with strong teams, however they made it all the way to the final where they sadly lost by three Rounders to Benenden. Unfortunately for us the opposition was made up solely of Tennis players, all who hit the ball tremendously well and even the best fielders could not have stopped the balls that were being catapulted deep into the field. Unfortunately Mollie Coleman (our strongest batter) was caught out on her first hit, so

THE CANTUARIAN

ROUNDERS AND GIRLS’ TENNIS the fact that the remainder of the team were able to score so many Rounders was a credit to all players. King’s took runners up and were awarded medals for their very well deserved success against such strong teams. This team have been a pleasure to coach, with each player bringing a unique offering to the team. Collectively it is evident how strong they have been, proved in their success rate over excellent opposition and for this they should all feel very proud. Overall best batter goes to Amelia Paine whose clever placements of the ball led her team to success on many occasions. Overall best fielder goes to Frances Young whose incredible bowling stumped even the best batters. Overall player goes to Mollie Coleman for her excellent efforts and combined batting and fielding ability. Team from: Stephanie Solly, Frances Young, Amelia Paine, Velvet Grainger, Annabel Edwards, Millie Butler-Gallie, Emi Smith, Amy Hinshelwood, Lulu Hinshelwood, Mollie Coleman Results Epsom

won

11-1

Sutton Valence

lost

1-3

Benenden

won

20-15

Cranbrook

won

8½-4

Sutton Valence

lost

5-6 ½

Claremont

won

14-8

Sevenoaks

won

13-10

Walthamstow Hall

won

11 ½ - 8

Cranbrook

won

14 ½ - 11 ½

GIRLS’ TENNIS TEAM REPORT – 1ST VI CFBVR

This season was one of the most successful to date results-wise. In order to achieve this, there had to be much preparation behind the scenes. The season began rather chaotically with a large number of girls wanting a finite number of team spaces but as we went on the Tennis club began to maintain its rhythm and certainly until half term the wins just kept coming. The match against Epsom was the perfect start to the season, competitive and close but with the result going our way. Most of the sets were very close and went to 6-3/4 as well as a couple of tie breaks. Having the very experienced Anouska Newman pairing with consistent and determined Matilda Swan made our first couple difficult to beat. Olivia Simpson and Amelia Baker, making up the second pair, took a little while to get going but secured a good win. Emma Bryant and Eliza Wallis also took two wins away making up the deadly third pair. The second Birley’s Invitational tournament drew in a range of parents and staff to take on the girls. The girls were very determined to come away with another win and fought hard to do so. Miss Park and Miss Wilson were a very consistent pair, consistent in making their matches such fun to watch! Mr and Mrs Wallis gave our girls some stiff competition and their games were thoroughly competitive. Mrs Bryant and Miss Cruikshank also gave the girls plenty of well fought rallies with Mrs Bryant being rather lethal at the net. The local showdown with St Edmund’s was a cracking fixture. They had a few players brought up from lower down in the school to gain experience. The fixture was very competitive with many tie break sets. Samantha

Summer 2014

301

Tennis 1st VI

Tennis 2nd VI

GIRLS’ TENNIS Ruston came up to partner Matilda Swan and she was an asset to the team with her cool-headed consistency and huge topspin groundstrokes. Against Benenden we anticipated domineering strength. We were delighted to come away with a win with Anouska Newman and Tia Curtis from the U14’s winning all their matches and Emma Bryant and Eliza Wallis securing two wins against their second and third pairs. It was a pleasure to give Tia the opportunity to play some very competitive games with the seniors. Sevenoaks were just too strong for us after half term. Matilda Swan and Samantha Ruston as first pair put up a very good fight but were unable to hold up against a very strong team. They won one set, as did Emma Bryant and Eliza Wallis both against the third pair. One of the highlights of the season was the mixed fixture against St John’s Leatherhead. The atmosphere at Birley’s was a positive and fun one. Anouska Newman and James Curtis were unbeatable as a pair and hardly conceded a game. Olivia Simpson and Sebastien Knox weren’t quite able to secure a win but Amelia Baker and Henry PellJohnson won an exciting set against St John’s third pair. In the next team St John’s were sadly only able to bring two pairs, so each pair played two sets. Eliza Wallis and Henry Atkins played extremely well together and won both their sets convincingly. Matilda Swan and Bertie Gibbon took one set and battled and lost in a tie break in the other. Emma Bryant and James Griggs decided to get the most out of the afternoon and contested two tie breaks, winning one and narrowly losing the other. After an accelerated start to the Kent Cup, winning the first two rounds without conceding a match, Benenden gave us some competition but were not enough to hold us off. The team of Anouska Newman, Matilda Swan, Olivia Simpson and Amelia Baker travelled to Tunbridge Wells to play the final against Sevenoaks. They were such a strong team only Anouska Newman was able to win a set in the singles competition before losing to her opponent in a championship tie break. Neither pairs were able to win a set in the doubles either, but getting to the Kent Cup final was a real achievement for King’s Tennis and I

Summer 2014

hope this legacy will continue over the next few years as we continue to gain strength through the Tennis club. Team from: Anouska Newman, Amelia Baker, Olivia Simpson, Matilda Swan, Emma Bryant, Samantha Ruston, Eliza Wallis. Results Epsom College

won

5-4

Birley’s Invitational

won

6-3

St Edmund’s

won

6-3

Felsted

won

9-0

Benenden

won

6-3

Sevenoaks

lost

2-7

St John’s Leatherhead

lost

4-5

Queen Elizabeth’s

won

6-0

St Edmund’s

won

6-0

Benenden

won

4-2

Sevenoaks

lost

0-6

Kent Cup Fixtures

Senior Girls’ Tennis Champion

Eliza Wallis

Inter-House Tennis winners

Walpole

GIRLS’ TENNIS TEAM REPORT – 2ND VI CFBVR

303

GIRLS’ TENNIS The 2nd VI enjoyed a successful season. The team was not always comprised of consistent pairings, hence the large squad, but this shows the adaptability of the girls to play with new partners successfully. The season started with a good win over Epsom, Charlotte Hart and Madeline Philips, and Samantha Ruston and Annabel Pattinson winning two of their sets, with Jennifer Mbu and Alice Brett narrowly missing out on their second win in a tie break. At the Birley’s Invitational tournament the opponents were very strong. Sophie Lark and Georgiana Sunley, and Ellen Kennedy and Eliza Cocksworth, had some lovely rallies but were unable to secure a set, only Jennifer Mbu and Alice Brett managed to steal a set from Ms Cousins and Miss Lille in the last rubber! Miss Synge and Miss Rajska were taking no prisoners and Mrs Morrison and Mrs Delaney were too strong for our girls to contend with. The match against St Edmund’s didn’t provide our girls with much of a challenge. The opponents found big hitting from Jennifer Mbu and Alice Brett too difficult to get back, Rowena Mockridge and Amelia Brown were too consistent and forced errors from them and Lara Olszowska and Lucy St John played some really lovely Tennis and complemented each other’s game perfectly. Felsted arrived with only two pairs so our girls were out to gain a quick win. Eliza Cocksworth and Ellen Kennedy, and Madeline Philips and Lucy Duncanson, came out with two good wins each and once Jennifer Mbu and Alice Brett had got over their giggles they were able to win their second set convincingly. Beating Benenden was great! Matilda Swan and Samantha Ruston (both having played in the 1st team) were a very strong 1st pair and won two of their rubbers. Jennifer Mbu and Alice Brett, and Madeline Philips and Lara Olszowska, followed suit as their first pair were rather strong. The mixed fixture against St John’s Leatherhead was a huge success despite there only being two pairs to play against. Samantha Ruston and Sam Buchanan won one

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of their sets but lost the other. Lucy St John and Charles Macpherson and Lucy Duncanson and George Reid were not able to win a set, but Duncanson and Reid certainly provided the entertainment for the afternoon. In the other team a very friendly 3-3 was declared, Lara Olszowska and Marcus Humphries were unable to find a win; but Eliza Cocksworth and Bertie Gleave won both their matches and Alice Brett and Theo Jessel secured one set. Team from: Alice Brett, Eliza Cocksworth, Lucy Duncanson, Ellen Kennedy, Sophie Lark, Jennifer Mbu, Lara Olszowska, Madeline Phillips, Samantha Ruston, Lucy St John, Georgiana Sunley Results Epsom

Won

5-4

Birley’s

Lost

1-8

St Edmund’s

Won

9-0

Felsted

Won

5-1

Benenden

won

6-3

St John’s (mixed)

lost

1-5

GIRLS’ TENNIS TEAM REPORT – 3RD and 4TH VI CFBVR

The season began for the 3rd and 4th VI with a success story which continued through the season with only one loss against Kent College’s 1st team. The girls began at Epsom where the 3rd’s took a good win, 7-2, with Lara Olszowska and Lucy St John, and Rowena Mockridge and Amelia Brown, winning all their sets putting a very smile worthy six wins on the board. Georgiana Sunley and Isobel Forbes then won a set in a crucial tie break to total seven sets to win. Sophia Gripari

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Tennis 3rd & 4th VI

and Constance Bourne were a wonderful partnership securing three sets; Holly O’Connor and Eliza Batten also battling to win all three sets, and finally Eliza macLachlan and Amanda Milton won two sets. Some great Tennis. The 3rd VI played Kent College’s 1st team. Georgiana Sunley and Isobel Forbes won two of their sets, pushing on into an exciting tie break. Lara Olszowska and Lucy St John were also able to steal a set away from the Kent College third pair giving us our three sets. Sophie Lark and Lucy Duncanson were unable to clinch a victory but it was close against Kent College’s third pair. The 4th VI took very easy victories with Sophia Gripari and Constance Bourne putting on another excellent winning show and Eliza macLachlan and Amanda Milton really gaining on their match experience and enjoying wins. Both teams enjoyed wins against Duke of York’s, and rather convincingly. Their first pair in the third team was rather good and all our pairs lost to them, although Seiya Grant and Annabel Pattinson put up a good fight to take it to tie break. The fourth team romped away with the win

Summer 2014

hardly conceding any games at all. Lara Olszowska and Lucy St John and Eliza macLachlan and Amanda Milton at this stage were excellent in their pairs. The last fixture for the 3rd team against Benenden was a close one. Paige Kennedy and Annabel Pattinson fought hard and came away with two sets losing the last one in a tie break. Amanda Milton and Eliza macLachlan also came away with two sets. A new partnership and first time school match for Shaila Mohinani and Cecily Guild was a pleasure to watch as they were delighted to be playing. The icing on the cake was they won their last set against their third pair and couldn’t have been more pleased. Well done! Team from: Eliza Batten, Constance Bourne, Amelia Brown, Isobel Forbes, Seiya Grant, Sophia Gripari, Cecily Guild, Paige Kennedy, Flora Mockridge, Rowena Mockridge, Eliza macLachlan, Amanda Milton, Shaila Mohinani, Holly O’Connor, Lara Olszowska, Lucy St John, Georgiana Sunley

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3rd’s Results Epsom

won

7-2

Kent College

lost

3-6

Duke of York’s

won

6-3

Benenden

won

5-4

Epsom

won

8-1

Kent College

won

9-0

Duke of York’s

won

9-0

4th’s Results

GIRLS’ TENNIS TEAM REPORT – U15 VI SAR

For the first Tennis fixture of the year the U15’s faced Epsom at Birley’s. Luckily, the rain stayed away and the

wind remained calm. Navitha Gidoomal and Laura Patterson made up the King’s 1st pair for the A team. They played some superb Tennis and convincingly won all their matches. However, a new partnership of Agatha Weiner and Kelly Sin struggled to play at their best and unfortunately, lost their matches. Camilla Roberts and Rose Meddings had a tough first match against Epsom’s strongest pair; the girls found it difficult to settle into the match and lost 6-3. Next, they faced Epsom’s 2nd pair, and determined to step up their game, the girls got into the zone and managed to beat their opponents 6-3. With the score sheet at four all, it was down to the last result to determine which school would leave victorious. Camilla and Rose continued to play some brilliant Tennis and successfully beat their respective pair 6-2. King’s A team won five matches to four. The B team consisted of the following pairs: Anouska Sokolow and Isobel Adamson; Nika Webster and Maddie Reyniers; and Molly Buchanan and Maddie Jamieson. Anouska and Isobel played some brilliant Tennis and beat Epsom’s 2nd and 3rd pair convincingly, only dropping three games in total. However, Epsom’s 1st pair were very strong and beat them as well as the other King’s pairs. Nika and Maddie Reyniers played some exciting points and won their next two matches 6-4 and 6-1. Molly and Maddie Jamieson unfortunately lost to Epsom’s 2nd pair

Tennis U15 VI

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GIRLS’ TENNIS 6-4. Once again with the score at four all the result of the fixture was down to the result of the final match. It was an unbelievably close match which went to a tie break in which three deuces were played to determine the winners. Sadly, Molly and Maddie Jamieson were just beaten, which meant that Epsom won the fixture 5 matches to 4. Next the U15A Tennis team played a midweek fixture against St Edmund’s at home. In all matches, the King’s girls played well with some brilliant, consistent serving and attacking play at the net. Unfortunately, there were not many long rallies but all three pairs played well within their partnerships and showed great team work and unity. 1st pair Navitha and Kelly dropped only one game in all three matches; 2nd pair Laura and Camilla didn’t drop one and Agatha and Nika lost only 4 games. King’s beat St Edmund’s 9 matches to 0. Having had the weekend off, following a cancelled Felsted match, the U15A team travelled to Kent College for an away midweek Tennis fixture. The weather was perfect for Tennis and, after a quick warm up, the matches started. Kent College had a very strong first pair who only lost one game in all three matches, which was when they played against King’s third pair, Nika and Zofia Olszowska. Navitha and Kelly, who made up the King’s first pair, comfortably won their first match against Kent College’s 3rd pair 6-1. However, they found the Kent College 2nd pair too good and lost 6-2. Laura and Olivia Lark, a newly-formed pair, beat Kent College’s 2nd and 3rd pair 6-4 and 6-2. Nika and Zof, the pair who were successful at winning a game against their opponent’s strongest pair, won their final match against Kent College’s 3rd pair 6-4. Overall, Kent College won the very close fixture 5 matches to 4. For their next fixture, a combination of U14’s and U15’s travelled to Benenden to compete for the Kent Cup. They played some spectacular Tennis and won the fixture after a nail biting tiebreak. The U15B team also played Benenden on the same day however did not have such a good day and lost to Benenden A/B 6-0 but fared better against the Benenden C/D team.

Summer 2014

King’s faced Bromley High School for their first U15 National Cup Team fixture. The girls played spectacularly and comfortably won 8-4. The U15As first pair of Navitha and Kelly started off the day with a convincing win against Sevenoaks’ 2nd pair. They continued their winning streak against their 3rd pair, but unfortunately they were beaten by the Sevenoaks 1st pair 6-1. Even though the results was not great for the King’s 1st pair, Navitha managed to score an ace serving game against their strong opponents. Laura and Agatha and Camilla and Olivia both lost their matches against the Sevenoaks 1st and 3rd pairs, but both won their matches against the Sevenoaks 2nd pair 6-2. It was a very close fixture but Sevenoaks’ A team beat King’s’ A 5 matches to 4. The U15Bs first pair of Rosie Woods and Zof had a brilliant day, winning all their matches convincingly 6-4, 6-4 and 6-3. Both Anouska and Antonia Brown; and Sarah Sharma and Isobel, lost their matches against the Sevenoaks 1st and 3rd pair, but won their matches against the Sevenoaks 2nd pair 6-5 and 6-3 respectively. Once again it was a closely fought fixture, but the King’s B team narrowly beat Sevenoaks’ Bs 5 matches to 4. For the final fixture of the year, the U15’s travelled to St John’s. The U15A’s 1st pair, Navitha and Kelly, beat the St John’s 2nd and 3rd pair 6-1 6-0 but lost to their 1st pair in a closely fought contest 6-4. The girls showed a master class in volleying, serving and ground strokes. Camilla and Olivia started off with a solid performance winning their first match against the St John’s 3rd pair. Against the St John’s 1st pair the girls lost their form and were comfortably beaten, however in their last match the girls brought up their standards again but sadly lost the nail biting tiebreak. Nika and Laura who made up the King’s 3rd pair played some brilliant Tennis at times. They made some good volleys, smashes and serves but unfortunately were not consistent throughout the fixture. They lost their first two matches but won their final one against the St John’s 3rd pair 6-2. The U15B team also travelled to Leatherhead to play St John’s. Zof and Rosie made up the 1st pair for King’s; Anouska and Isobel were the 2nd pair, and Maddie Jamieson and Sarah the 3rd. All King’s teams comfortably

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GIRLS’ TENNIS beat the St John’s third pair however they all struggled against the second and first. The match of the fixture was between Zofia and Rosie and the St John’s 1st pair. Numerous deuces were played but neither team were ahead at 7-7. The girls played out a very exciting tie break but sadly lost. Team from: Isobel Adamson, Antonia Brown, Molly Buchanan, Louise Gerth, Navitha Gidoomal, Maddie Jamieson, Olivia Lark, Rose Meddings, Zofia Olszowska, Laura Patterson, Maddie Reyniers, Camilla Roberts, Sarah Sharma, Kelly Sin, Anouska Sokolow, Nika Webster, Agatha Wiener, Rosie Woods. Results Epsom A’s

won

5-4

Epsom B’s

lost

4-5

St Edmund’s

won

9-0

Kent College

lost

4-5

Benenden A/B

lost

6-0

Benenden C/D

won

6-0

Bromley High

won

8-4

Sevenoaks A

lost

4-5

Sevenoaks B

won

5-4

St John’s A

lost

4-5

St John’s B

lost

3-6

Sevenoaks

lost

GIRLS’ TENNIS TEAM REPORTS – U14A KMMS

The U14 A Girls’ Tennis Team was one of the strongest contingents yet to grace the Birley’s astro with their presence. Leading this talented cohort were Tia Curtis and Madeleine Reeves playing at first Pair. It was clear

308

from the offset that it would take a mighty opposition to snatch any games from this terrific twosome, and they went through their first two matches only conceding four games overall. Emma Chaplin cemented herself early on as a strong second Pair player with her fiery presence on court and relentless determination. It was a tough choice between Poppy Keating and Phoebe Mantovani to see who would join Emma as the second Pair, and both played at this position for the school. In the end, however, it was Poppy Keating who secured her place alongside Emma to take on the challenging second seeds of our various oppositions. Indeed, Emma and Poppy achieved some excellent results against numerous first Pair competitors, which served as a reminder of just how talented this year group of Tennis players. The U14 As were very lucky to have such a strong third Pair in Phoebe Mantovani and Miranda Dobson. With Phoebe’s cool, calm and collected attitude and Miranda’s fearless shots, these two made an excellent duo on court. This wonderful pairing manifested itself in an incredible 6-5 win (7-5 in a nail-biting tiebreak) over the St. John’s Leatherhead first Pair in the final fixture. The U14 As started off the season with style, with two very convincing wins against Epsom and St. Edmund’s. However, their realisation that they were indeed such a strong team allowed complacency to take hold, and with Tia being poached to play for the senior team, they lost their next two matches against an incredibly talented Benenden and Sevenoaks team. Nevertheless, the team soon recovered from these defeats and came back to finish the season on a high after an amazing win over Kent College in what was an extremely tight match, and dominating the St. John’s Leatherhead girls in their final fixture. Many thanks to all the girls for their hard work and excellent attitude throughout the season! Team from: Tia Curtis, Madeleine Reeves, Emma Chaplin, Poppy Keating, Phoebe Mantovani, Miranda Dobson. U14A Results

THE CANTUARIAN

Tennis U14A VI

Tennis U14B VI

GIRLS’ TENNIS Epsom

won

7-2

St. Edmund’s

won

9-0

Benenden

lost

0-6

Sevenoaks

lost

0-9

Kent College

won

5-4

St. John’s Leatherhead

won

7-2

GIRLS’ TENNIS TEAM REPORTS – U14B

so it seemed only fair to give everyone their chance to be victorious. King’s third Pair included the likes of Lucy Heptinstall, Sophie Brownlees, Olivia De Vitry, Elizabeth Guild and Cecily Carey; and all the girls showed excellent determination and grit on court. Lucy’s improvement over the course of the term was truly incredible and she ended the season as a strong challenger for second Pair. Sophie Brownlees and Olivia De Vitry also demonstrated excellent improvement, particularly with their net volleys and serves respectively. Elizabeth Guild and Cecily Carey certainly lightened the mood on court during their training sessions, but their competitive mind-set always kicked in for their fixtures.

KMMS

The U14 Bs results over the season mirrors their wonderful commitment to, and collective enthusiasm for Tennis. Many thanks to all the girls who made every training session an enjoyable one!

At the beginning of the season, places on the U14 B Tennis Team were hotly contested at trials. Nevertheless, those who did indeed make the team certainly proved early on that they deserved to be there with a convincing 8-1 win against Epsom.

Team from: Maya Goddard, Nicole Kaplan, Zoe Lambert, Carenza Love, Roxanne Greenwood, Lucy Heptinstall, Sophie Brownlees, Olivia De Vitry, Elizabeth Guild, Cecily Carey.

Leading the team at first Pair were Maya Goddard and Nicole Kaplan, and Maya also played a number of matches for the U14 A team – such was the abundance of talent across the two teams. Maya’s powerful baseline shots and Nicole’s clinical volleys at the net proved to be an excellent combination against many of the pairs that they played. At second Pair, Zoe Lambert and Carenza Love certainly challenged the first Pair players for their spots at times, and their wonderful consistency on court and excellent sportswomanship was always a pleasure to watch. Unfortunately, towards the end of the season Carenza was blighted by a toe injury and was unable to play in the final two matches, but this unfortunate turn of events allowed Roxanne Greenwood the chance to shine.

Results Epsom

won

8–1

Benenden

won

5–4

Sevenoaks

lost

0-9

Kent College

lost

2-7

St. John’s Leatherhead

won

6–3

The remaining pool of players were all so close in skill that it often proved very difficult to choose those who should represent the school in the weekend fixtures, and

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THE CANTUARIAN

BOYS’ TENNIS BOYS’ TENNIS TEAM REPORT 1ST VI

BOYS’ TENNIS TEAM REPORT - 2ND VI

Boys’ Tennis 1st VI

CMBR

The first VI picked up precisely where they finished last summer and it has been another triumphant season. Many matches saw the team dig deep to fend off a determined opposition. Some matches were clawed back from the grips of defeat and the team held its nerve to be a formidable force with a team spirit to match. James Curtis paired with Henry Atkins: a superb partnership and they demolished the opposition in all of their matches, winning all sets played as a pair. Sebastian Knox and Will Love, found a higher gear as the season progressed with so many wins based on small margins. Henry Pell-Johnson and Bertie Gibbon stayed focused throughout to bring home matches as a very solid third pair. Despite defeat in their last fixture, the Kent Cup Final against Sevenoaks, the 1st IV competed superbly to test a side who had already progressed to the National finals. A magnificent season resulting in the following being awarded school colours: James Curtis (re-awarded), Henry Atkins, Sebastian Knox, William Love, Henry Pell Johnson, Bertie Gibbon Special mention must be made of captain James Curtis, who as a 6b was not only our number one player but a truly exceptional leader, who motivated and organised his troops throughout.

Summer 2014

JPB This was a short but sweet season for the 2nd VI Tennis. In all of their matches they easily outplayed their opposition with some high quality doubles Tennis. Confidence remained high in the team throughout the season with several of the boys not far off breaking into the 1st VI. It was great to see the commitment from the boys who were eager to play week in, week out even during the busy exam season. They loved their Tennis and they were a great team to manage. Many of them will surely go on to play for the 1st VI next season and deservedly so. Team from: P. Knox, J. Griggs, G. Booth-Clibborn, C. Macpherson, S. Buchanan, G. Reid, J. Lavelle Results Cranbrook

won

8-1

Worth

won

5-1

Ardingley

won

5-1

St John’s Leatherhead

won

5-1

BOYS’ TENNIS TEAM REPORT – U15 VI DT

The U15 Tennis squad started the season in good form following the Easter trip to Portugal. This was a squad without individual stars but instead comprised of a strong group of about 15 players who all contributed well to the team dynamic. Most matches saw King’s field three strong

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BOYS’ TENNIS pairs and it was this strength in depth and ability to fight hard that most opponents found hard to match. First up was Cranbrook and with Digby Taylor-Young and Johannes Neudert (2nd pair) and Jonty Taylor and Gus Courtauld (3rd pair) both beating the Cranbrook 1st pair in a tie-break the result was secure: an emphatic 8-1 victory. Further victories followed against Worth (5-1) and Sutton Valence (9-0). By this stage Nick Curtis and Kit Whalley-Payne were emerging as a formidable pairing as they combined well to wear down the toughest of opponents. Norton Knatchbull and Queen Elizabeth Grammar were also beaten fairly convincingly in the Kent Cup as the whole squad was utilised. However, Ashford School were to prove a bridge too far as their Russian contingent caught King’s off guard. The only slip up in the main fixture list came at St John’s Leatherhead where a brave effort by Patrick Faure and Denis Zhelezkov just fell short leaving St John’s winners by five sets to four. The final fixture of the season saw the team’s finest performance as dangerous opponents Epsom College were beaten by six sets to three. A high quality match saw Curtis and Whalley–Payne reach new heights and cap off the season undefeated as a pair having won all 11 of their matches. Ed Streeter and Jonty Taylor also saved their best for the last as they crucially beat the Epsom 2nd pair to set up the victory. Overall, this was a great season for this squad as all made progress and began to appreciate the finer aspects of doubles play. Credit must go to the whole squad who practised hard and pushed each other throughout whilst maintaining a supportive team ethos. Thanks must also go to our coach Teele. Team from: Digby Taylor-Young, Johannes Neudert, Nick Curtis, Kit Whalley-Payne, Ed Streeter, Jonty Taylor, Gus Courtauld, Tom Westlake, Max Newhouse, Patrick Faure, Denis Zhelezkov, Arthur Cross, Hugh Rowlands, Asher Silver, Jack Paterson.

BOYS’ TENNIS TEAM REPORTS U14A and B VI MJWS

A promising first season of Tennis for the U14 boys, characterised by both determination and a willingness to learn. In the regular school fixtures, we had a season of wins sandwiched between narrow losses at our opening and closing matches. We learned some valuable lessons against Cranbrook – build a point by trading shots rather than try and smash a winner every time! Having calmed our Tennis down we then went on to convincingly win a series of matches. Our players were flexible so pairings changed across the whole season. They were prompt to training, courteous when coached. Practices were taken seriously and swift progress was made. The final match was a memorable one, with particularly hard fought sets against a well-drilled Epsom 1st pair. We went into the final round four sets to two down. Both the second pair (Mark and Will) and the third pair (Iakov and Vladimir) won their games, levelling the score. Our first pair, Kay and Petr were losing 5-1 against excellent opposition. They narrowed the score to 5-4 but were then overpowered to lose 6-4. In the Kent School’s competition, having beaten our first opponents with ease, we narrowly lost to QEGS Faversham on game difference. Our lack of singles experience was probably the deciding factor. All in all, this group built a really solid foundation for the years to come. Over the whole term, 57 sets of Tennis were played against other schools, of which 42 were won. 427 games were played, of which 292 were won. Thanks to Melanie Hill for all her expert help coaching. Team from: Kay Minkiewicz, Petr Sergeev, Iakov Buyvidovich, William Kirk, Mark Backer, Gus Curley.

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FENCING

Also played: Vladimir Ignatyev, Georgy Papazov, Emile Bouriez, Jack Mills and Freddie Bonner-Davies. Results Cranbrook

lost

4-5

Harvey Grammar School

won

6–0

Worth

won

6–0

Ardingly U14A

won

9–0

Ardingly U14B

won

6–0

QEGS Faversham

lost

23 games to 21

St John’s Leatherhead

won

7–2

Epsom

lost

4-5

FENCING TEAM REPORT MC

One of our busiest summer terms yet, with 25 pupils at Fencing during games sessions.

Summer 2014

We have gained two new international representatives for next season with Arran Hope and Oliver Hope both being selected for Ireland at Under 20 s level. They will be taking part in selected Junior World Cup events from September with the aim of qualifying for the European and World Championships come February 2015. The postponed Leon Paul Junior Series Epee event hosted by the school finally took place on Sunday 22nd June. We had representatives from school in the Boys under 15’s event. Charlie Jessel and Tobias Bushell both made the latter stages finishing in sixth and eigth place respectively. The annual OKS Fencing Match went ahead on the Green Court on Sunday 28th June despite the dodgy weather forecast. Despite narrowly losing to the OKS overall, the teams comprising of Arran Hope, Oliver Hope, James Odgers, Maria Constantinescu, Fenella McLuskie and Alexander Sy-Quia put on a spectacular showcase of the school’s fencing talent to the crowd of spectators consisting of parents and numerous OKS. The new fencing season also began on Saturday 28th June, with Hugo Smith finishing 35th at the Bill Hoskyn’s Men’s Open and starts the season ranked national in 35th place in the Under 20’s as well.

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SWIMMING SWIMMING TEAM REPORT PM

Captains of Swimming: Boys

Paddy macLachlan – (vice captain Lorcan Halfacre)

Girls

co-captains Carita Hui and Lucy Dean

There is little inter-school Swimming during the summer term. There were two school matches, one tournament at Harrow for boys and a joint boy/girl home competition against Hurstpierpoint. The highlight of the calendar this term is the fifth and final round of the House Swimming Challenge (accrued points for all pupils choosing Swimming as a sport over the three terms).

The South England Regional Swimming Championships took place at K2 Crawley over the May bank holiday weekend, with three King’s pupils qualifying for this event. Patrick macLachlan continues to up his game at every swim, gaining three second places in the 18 year section and three bronze senior medals. His events were the 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly, breaking the school record for the fly event. Joseph Shailer competing for the first time at this level swam a personal best in the 15-16 years 50m backstroke, coming 28th from a field of 45 competitors. At the Beckenham International Open meet Paddy won the blue ribbon event – the 100m freestyle – in a new personal best long course, resisting strong competition from Dutch and German competitors. He also gained the silver medal in the 50m butterfly.

Carita Hui, Pamela Murray, Lucy Dean and Patrick macLaclan

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THE CANTUARIAN

ROWING Results

gained double points in creating a new school record for the 200m Breaststroke.

Harrow Tournament Unfortunately due to a number of mishaps on the way to Harrow (oil spillage on the A2 and the shutting of the Blackwall Tunnel due to an exceptional load) the team arrived half way through the programme, losing in the region of 60 points. Eton

169

Harrow

123

Blackrock (Dublin)

109

King’s

Hurstpierpoint

U/16 Boys

Snr Girls

Int Girls

House Challenge event at the end of fifth and final round Boys

Girls

ROWING TEAM REPORT JW

Meister Omers

224

Luxmoore

250

Grange

215

Bailey

112

Carlyon

154

Carlyon

102

Trandescant

Harvey House

Mitchinson’s

Jervis

Linacre

Walpole

Galpin’s

Broughton

Marlowe

A clear win for Luxmoore girls house, but extremely close for boys, with Meister Omer’s just clinching the trophy with a fine swim from Ivan Prizyazhnyuk (MO) who

Summer 2014

Boys’ team from: Patrick macLachlan, David Zuo, Joseph Shailer, Hugo Serisier, Patrick Chan, Ivan Prisyazhnyuk, Michael Hofmann, Tim Fairbairn, Jea Seong Yoon, John James, Edward Chan, Chris Sit, Sherwood Lam, Harry Nabavi, Basile Chermette, Ivan Lebedev, Philip Chennery, Jebin Yoon, Kevin de Jong, Girls’ team from: Carita Hui, Lucy Dean, Honoury Cheung, Lily Begg, Gemma Taylor, Victoria Leigh, Clara Taylor, Mathilde Kolade, Saffron Turl, Lauren Walker, Penny Mekdhanasarn, Grace Frearson, Susannah Bryant, Alexandra Dial, Coco Li.

Home v Hurstpierpoint Overall

The most improved swimmers this term are Sherwood Lam and Coco Li for the first half of term and Chris Sit and Alexandra Dial for the second half.

Before the term started the Boat Club went to the Italian lakes for the annual training camp. Twenty three pupils, with six from Canford School, travelled to Lake Orta for eight days of training, fuelled by excellent food and getting some invaluable revision time. The camp included an afternoon in the local medieval town Orta San Guilio as well as a day at another club Canottieri Monate. The benefits of the camp manifested themselves fairly quickly in the summer term at the first event, the Junior Inter Regional Regatta in Nottingham. The Boat Club had 16 pupils racing representing the South East region.

315

ROWING Girls J15 double

Knight, Hofmann

11th

J16 coxed four

Knight, Hofmann, Adeyemi, Fuest, Gunathilagan

9th

J15 coxed four

Green, Green, Hunter, Allinson, Lyttle

8th

J15 single

de Jong – 10th

J16 coxed four

Forbes, Nichols, John, TrelawnyVernon, Hastings

Boys -

Gold

The Boat Club also had Miss Donkin managing the South East team which came 8th out of the 12 regions, a very significant improvement as the south east had been propping up the regional table from the bottom for the last number of years. A very positive reflection of the King’s involvement in the team selection and management within the region. The next regatta was Wallingford Regatta for the 1st Eight looking at their Henley qualification. Coming third in their heat the Eight showed they had moved on from last year but that there were a lot more eights in the mix. As the exam season kicked in the next racing was at Bourne at Chiswick Bridge Regatta, which was the first regatta for some of the younger crews. The toughest day was to the Four of Pai, Wallace, Pawson, and Ardley-Ingram coxed by James Ward who won their heat, then won their semi only to be disqualified very harshly for wandering off their line…..but not impeding the other crew! The crew they beat then won the final. In their other event they lost in the final to a Tideway Scullers crew. The girls pair of MacDonald and Moor

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lost in the final to St Paul’s girls. The Removes four of the Greens, Hunter and Allinson beat Dulwich but lost to Tideway Scullers in the final; a Shells’ quad of Omnet, Waters, Lamb, Edgar and Lipton had the same experience as the Removes, beating a Dulwich crew but coming away second to a Tideway Scullers quad. The weekend after at Thames Ditton Regatta there was further racing for the younger years. Kevin de Jong racing in a single won his first two races but lost in the semifinal. The Girls’ Eight of Fuest, Trelawny-Vernon, Moor, MacDonald, Barton, Adeyemi, Knight, Hofmann and Gunathilagan, lost to Thames RC by two feet, lost to LEH and were seven seconds off making a final; a very good effort for these girls. The J15 Four of Allinson, Hunter, Green, Green and Ward showed their progress by beating the University of Surrey, but were then beaten by a much older Bryanston crew in their next race. The National Schools’ Regatta is the major event for all crews and despite being in the middle of exam season is highly competitive and one of the biggest regattas in the country. On the Friday the Shells’ Quad of Smith, Waters, Edgar, Lamb and Ralls were the third fastest non-qualifier for the semis, a very respectable result. The Removes girls of Knight and Hofmann had a very large field of 56 crews to battle against to get in the top 18 for the semis….they missed out by 10 seconds, again very credible performance. Kevin de Jong raced in his single missing out by eight seconds on getting through to the semis. On Saturday the Removes’ Four of Allinson, Hunter, Green, Green and Ward kicked things off by qualifying for the semis and then racing very well in their semi but just missing out on the final coming fourt, with three going through. A very good showing from them. The Girls’ four of Fuest, Adeyemi, Trelawny-Vernon, Barton and Gunathilagan did exceptionally well by racing in the Girls 1st Four event coming in as the fastest non qualifier. Given that two girls are Fifths and Helena Barton started rowing less than a month ago this was an excellent result, prompting speculation about what they could have actually achieved with a few more sessions! The Boys’ four of Pai, Wallace, Pawson, Ardley-Ingram coxed by Ward found the going tough having missed out on some water time not qualifying coming in sixth out of the 17 entries.

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British Junior Championships silver medallists

The First Eight raced and underperformed in their processional not making the seeded semis and having to race in the C final, although avoiding the D final. In the C final the eight started brightly but let a couple of crews slip too much in the middle section and despite a very strong finish, making up over 3/4 a length on the crews in front, it was too little too late with third being 6.50.2, 4th 6.50.4 and King’s 6.50.8 in Fifth. On the Sunday the Girls’ pair of Moor and MacDonald raced in tough headwind conditions just missing out on the semis but showing the progress they had made on training camp.

Pai losing his first round and Pawson moving well into the next round beating a Radley sculler but losing in a close race to a Gravesend sculler. The J16 coxed four of Nichols, John, Forbes, Trelawny-Vernon and cox Hastings powered through their rounds in the novice Four event, beating Cygnet, then HSBC, University College London and in the final overcoming St George’s Hospital successfully. The IM3 four of Brady, Best-Shaw, Bryant and Pai beat Putney Town, then Tideway Scullers but succumbed to Thames Rowing Club in the final.

The Boys’ pair of Brady and Best-Shaw raced very well in their processional, punching above their weight being the fastest non qualifier. Lastly the Fifths of Forbes, Nichols, John and Trelawny-Vernon found the wind too draining and failed to get through to the semis.

The J15s of Ward, Allinson, Hunter, Green and Green raced very well beating Bryanston in the first round then their other crew in the semi but were just squeezed out in the final by Emmanuel School. The J14s of Edgar, Waters, Lamb and Smith showed some real racing spirit beating Radley in their first race, then again in their second but losing to a very big under 14 crew from Tideway Scullers in the final.

After half term a large group went to Barnes and Mortlake to race with some good success if not all finals converted to wins. Two singles scullers raced, Pai and Pawson, with

The girls raced first in a four, Fuest, Adeyemi, Barton and Trelawny-Vernon losing to Putney Town, they then combined with Knight, Hofmann, Moor and MacDonald

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ROWING AND ATHLETICS in the eight to beat Barnes Bridge Ladies but losing to Putney High School. Knight and Hofmann also raced in their double just missing out to Emmanuel. The senior boys combined into an untested combination racing St Paul’s and Gravesend but seemed to start down and never regained the ground on St Paul’s but easing past Gravesend. The younger J15s combined in a novice eight with Pai, Ardley-Ingram, Pawson and Dath racing Twickenham in the final and despite being down rowed through to win. The First Eight despite being a level above the previous year’s crew had found the going tough this summer and in a further effort to secure Henley pre-qualification, raced at Marlow Regatta. Unfortunately, the lack of water time again took its toll with the crew coming 14th in the time trial, below where we needed to be then coming fourth in the C final against crews that we had been faster than in the time trial. This meant that the crew had to face the Henley Qualifying Regatta. Despite a good few days of preparation with some good water work the crew just missed out, despite rowing very well. A big disappointment but one to motivate the crew for next year with six returners. After the end of term there was still rowing activity with a number of pupils racing at Herne Bay Regatta but without any wins although plenty of fun sea based racing. Charlie John got an opportunity to race with a 2013 World Champion. A week later a group went north to Nottingham again this time for the British Junior Rowing Championships. The Saturday proved to be a tough day with the Junior four of Bryant, Barton, Best-Shaw and Brady missing out in the semi then failing to make the final in the repecharge later in the day…..some good rowing but lacking the legs in the last third. Likewise the J16s of Nichols, John, Forbes, Trelawny-Vernon and Hastings in their coxed four missed out getting straight into the final but came through in the repecharge.

On the Sunday the day started with the J16 four finding the going tough and in the second half opted to conserve some energy for their next races and came in Sixth. The next race was the final of the junior Girls’ eight which was a composite boat of Lea, St Neots, Hollowell and King’s, with Lizzie Trelawny-Vernon being the King’s ingredient. The crew moved well through the race and managed a very pleasing bronze…a nice end to Lizzie’s rowing at King’s. Straight after the Boys’ junior eights came down the course. An exceptional start saw King’s leading the field, however the second half saw Durham Amateur Rowing Club claw their way past leaving the King’s crew settling for silver. Still a nice finish to the season. The final race saw Forbes and Trelawny-Vernon in J16 pairs looking a tad jaded coming fourth and out of the medals. Next season the Boys’ Captain is Harry Best-Shaw and the Girls’ Captain is Rosie Fuest.

ATHLETICS REPORT CTN After the great success of Sports’ Day, the season started with fifteen athletes participating in the Individual Championships at Canterbury High. Eight of these athletes were selected to represent the Canterbury and St Augustine’s district at the Kent Schools’ Athletic Championships in Ashford. Although the competition was very tough, we managed to come home with a gold medal when Jennifer Mbu improved her personal best by almost a metre and won the Intermediate Girls’ Shot Put event very convincingly. She then went on to take part at the Inter-County Competition where she got yet another first place and gold medal. She has subsequently been selected to represent Kent at the English Schools’ Track and Field Championship in Birmingham, where she will participate during the summer holidays. During the course of the term, the whole Athletics squad, which consisted almost entirely of promising Shells and

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Afrasiab Kabir on Sportsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day

GOLF Removes, participated in away fixtures against Simon Langton and Duke of York’s. These fixtures were closely fought and served to highlight the strengths of some up-and-coming young athletes, such as Yolanda Imoke (100m and 200m), Jebin Yoon (100m) and James Gardiner (high jump). This was an enjoyable season, not least because every athlete was able to participate in at least one event in a competition environment, in addition to some superb performances by individual athletes.

GOLF TEAM REPORT Josh Jolovicz (6a TR)

This season has been very quiet for the Golf team compared to previous years and this is mostly due to the weather in the early part of the season and, in the summer, people being unable to play due to exams. We had a relatively new team this year as we lost a couple of very good players last season, this meant that everyone had to become used to their new positions within the squad. Our first match against Tonbridge did not go as planned and we struggled to achieve what we set out to do. Ed Barrios was able to win his match by a comfortable margin giving the team a 1-0 lead, but unfortunately the rest of the team were unable to perform and therefore although playing well did not play well enough to beat Tonbridge. Our next match saw us pitted against Ardingly. Will Parker and Alastair Murray-Tacon started well as a pair but struggled and ended up losing their match 7 and 5. Charles and Edouard Barrois are always a force to be reckoned with, but unfortunately could not find their best form when they needed it most and ended up losing their match 4 and 3. Joshua Jolowicz and Euan Brown started strongly in their match, winning the first few holes, but just could not keep their momentum losing the next three

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holes, after which they battled but eventually lost two down. Our final match was against Dulwich. This was by far the best match we played as a team coming away with a 2-1 win. Joshua Jolowicz and Dom Moore lead the team by example winning their match 3 and 2. Ed Barrois and Euan Brown also achieved their full potential and won their match comfortably. Will Parker and Alastair Murray-Tacon unfortunately had a few mishaps around the course, including hitting a pigeon in flight, that cost them vital holes but came off the course happy with the win and the way they had played. During the season we played in a few tournaments and although we managed to get through the first few rounds fairly easily, we seemed to struggle to make the shots that counted in the later rounds of the tournament and unfortunately could not progress any further. The quality of Golf in our competitor schools is very high; even with three single figure Golfers (the most for many years) we have found some matches very tough. Overall we have had a very positive season, there is room for improvement in the future but as a team we worked very well together. A special mention has to go to Ed Barrois who was the most consistent player in the team having gone unbeaten in the season in both singles and pairs competition. I would also like to thank Euan Brown, Charles Barrios, Will Parker, Alastair Murray-Tacon and Dom Moore for representing King’s Golf so well. I would finally also like to thank Mr Phillis for leading the team from the side-lines and always pushing us to achieve more.

NLP

Josh has been a splendid captain this year. He has lead by example, taking his practice seriously and being determined in matches. He has been excellent at encouraging the younger Golfers and getting others involved. He leaves us with an impressive swing which has been described by the pros that teach our Golfers as ‘professional’. I hope it enables him to secure a Golf scholarship.

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Sportsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day, 29th April 2014

COMMEMORATION DAY

The 2014 6a Leavers with the Headmaster

THE INTERVIEW What has been the highlight of your teaching so far?

‘Your Starter for 10’: Mr Sanderson

Chloe Berliand winning second prize in this year’s Cambridge University Geography Essay Prize. What is the strangest thing that has happened to you at King’s?

Elisabeth Plunkett (6b WL)

Being mistaken for being Mr Newbury (although we do go to the same hair dresser!)

Why did you choose to become a teacher?

What has been the most memorable lesson you’ve ever taught at King’s?

I realised that I could follow my passion of Geography, continue to play sport every day, be a part of music and theatre performances, chat with likeminded people, continue my own education and learning, travel the world during the holidays, and maintain the improbable chimera of remaining young forever by working in a young person’s environment. It’s the perfect job.

In order to explain the impacts of deforestation I planted several mounds of earth with Mustard seeds. Once these were fully grown I then ‘deforested’ half of each ‘forest’ with a pair of scissors and used a watering can to act like a rainstorm over each forest. The outcomes were wonderful; especially when the following lesson I used custard in a volcano experiment to follow the deforestation devastation.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? A Wimbledon Tennis champion and also a GB Hockey player.

If you were the headmaster, what would you change about the school?

What would you be if you weren’t a teacher?

As the oldest school in the country I would build a Real Tennis court, as well as some Fives courts and Racquets courts. Old school, Old sports.

An Events organiser – my dream job would be Wimbledon Referee.

If the Common Room was burning down, which three teachers would you save?

What do you love most about King’s?

Mrs Burrows, Mr Bersey, and Mr Jones (so we could still run King’s Week).

King’s Week

How would you describe your typical day? Busy, full, autonomous, varied and entertaining.

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OVERHEARD AND HOWLERS From an Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; level English essay... When creating the monster Victor becomes insane and his lavatory acts as an asylum. ...and some Ancient History The early Britons made their houses of mud, and there was rough mating on the floor

Chemistry Exam Question: What do the following chemical equations stand for - HCOONa?: Answer: Matata.

Biology Exam Question: What happens to your body as you age? Answer: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.

Overheard... Editor in Chief: If I read 'find the back of the net' one more time I am going to scream. Staff member: Football? Editor in Chief: Football, Lacrosse, Hockey... Staff member: I'm going to use it in all my Netball reports

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The Cantuarian Editorial Committee: 2013- 2014

Autumn 2013 and Lent 2014 Amanda Young (Editor-in-Chief) Lee Rigley(Printer), Matt McArdle (Photography), Mr X (This and That), Liz Worthington (top proof-reader) and CTN. Senior Editors: Lucy Dean, Madeline Phillips. The Team: Simon Broadley, Isobel Brooks, Claudia Clifford, Jennifer Cox, Alicia Fowler, Sasha Grover, Madalé Jooste, Freya Logan Green, Phoebe Lundy, Molly Nainby-Luxmoore, Holly O’Conner. Summer 2014 Amanda Young (Editor-in-Chief) Lee Rigley(Printer), Matt McArdle (Photography), Mr X (This and That), Liz Worthington (top proof-reader) and CTN. Senior Editors: Freya Logan Green and Phoebe Lundy. The Team: Constance Bourne, Olivia Cha, Polly Chan, Claudia Clifford, Isabel Hamblin, Beatrice Kulak, Eleanor Paine, Madeleine Parker, Annabel Pattinson, Elisabeth Plunkett, Alexandra Ream, Lucy St John, Elena Uvarova, Jack Vavasour, Harry Vavasour, Charlotte Wareing, Lara Wilson

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