The shirburnian 2014/15

THE

SHIRBURNIAN 2014/15

By the time they leave, boys are articulate and confident... they have a purposeful sense of what they contribute to the world and they are ready to meet its challenges ISI Inspection 2015

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FROM THE

HEADMASTER Welcome to a renaissance of an old

to the swift pace and depth of

represented the UK in Sport and

tradition. The first edition of The

reform with energy, optimism and

won medals for Great Britain in

Shirburnian was published in March

faith. Extracts from our

Chemistry. They have earned

1859 for:

extraordinarily affirming ISI

awards for acting, and diplomas in

Inspection report throughout this

Music, scholarships in Engineering

magazine represent not the

and prizes for Philosophy.

“giving the School an outlet for its wit, and also an easy means of printing all its news, both as regards those of us who are here and those who have left.”

Herculean efforts of a particular week but rather the ongoing dedication to daily vocation which serves our boys so well.

Shirburnians are at their most impressive however when working together: consider, for example, the victory of the U15As in the

You will encounter here a

NatWest Vase at Twickenham, the

flourishing school in which every

dogged determination of the

boy is given the encouragement

teams who took on the gruelling

and support to find their talents

Ten Tors, and the actors and

and make the very most of them.

backstage workers who pulled

You will glimpse, I hope, the

together for a powerfully

So we hope that this relaunch of

beating heart of communal

disturbing production of The

The Shirburnian will honour our

endeavour and kindness, and

Duchess of Malfi. Sherborne was

past, and also tell a new story –

understand the spirit that

recently named as the Top School

about our hopes for the future, and

characterises our community.

for Music in 'The Week' magazine,

There are no photographs and no colour in that pioneering pamphlet, but poetry and prose abound, as they do within these pages.

our pride in the achievements of the year. It is a celebration of our common life; aspiration and determination, academic study, a love of learning, sport, music and drama, leisure and the simple enjoyment of each other’s company.

It is a privilege to serve in this extraordinary place, with boys who are open in mind and generous of heart. My deepest gratitude is to my colleagues; teachers and support staff who, despite a year which began in shock, responded

I am delighted to see so much of the boys’ own work in what follows.

There is a breadth to their interests and skills, from art, poetry and

surely because of the way in which the boys revel in each other’s music making, inspiring each to strive to perfect the ensemble.

story-telling to analyses of

Few schools in this world engender

contemporary geo-politics and

such cooperation, mutuality and

current affairs.

loyalty alongside a celebration and

The reports of success across so many spheres underscore the

enjoyment of individuality and character.

pursuit of excellence that marks out

These are the values that shine

a Shirburnian. The record-breaking

through The Shirburnian, and are

exam results represent some

ever-present in our school.

extraordinary individual achievements. Boys have

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2014/15...

Academic Creative Co-Curricular Features Houses Overview Music Sport Valete

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The Year in

2014-15 was characterised by achievement, enjoyment and a profound sense of community at Sherborne School. Here are a few highlights of the year: September A new term starts and Robert Ham (U6e) is named as Head of School, supported by 15 new prefects. The new Headmaster, Ralph Barlow takes up his role after just 5 days as Deputy.

Shirburnians enjoy success at the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge. Rory McMillan (U6b) achieves the Roentgenium – the highest award – while Koichi Kanaboshi (U6f) gains a Gold, and 13 other boys receive Silver and Bronze Awards.

The Green puts on a memorable House Production of three short plays: Streuth, A Collier’s Tuesday Tea, and Il Fornicazione. The boys perform to a packed Powell Theatre, and the show receives rave reviews.

Luke Besse (L6b) receives a prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship in recognition of his potential to be a future leader in engineering and technical design.

The 1st XV rugby team wins the James Harding Memorial Cup for the fifth time in a row, with a strong first outing of the season against Blundell’s. Meanwhile, the Mini Colts A team turns around a half-time deficit of 0-17 to beat Blundell’s 26-24.

The display from the 1st XV match against Radley will live long in the memories of all who were involved in this fantastic day which culminated in an impressive 26-7 victory.

October The School hosts its own literary festival, The Sherborne Sessions, at the Powell Theatre.

Fred Downham (4a) wins through to the final of the Bath Young Actor of the Year.

Lyon House wows the audience with some impressive vocal and instrumental performances at its House Concert. These include a closing rendition of Eric Idle’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.

Nine of Sherborne’s Royal Marine Cadets take part in the gruelling Pringle Trophy.

The exercise, based at the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, includes an endurance race and military skills challenges.

Abbeylands beats off stiff competition from Harper to win the Inter-House Literary Quiz Final. The Harper boys have plenty to occupy their minds, though, thanks to their House Play, Immaculate. This tells the tale of Jesus’s second coming, and is skilfully directed by two Lower Sixth boys, Jacob Lane (d) and Finlay Thomson (d).

Review

2014-15:

November Former King’s Singer Nigel Perrin leads a Masterclass, during which pupils perform a diverse selection of pieces, ranging from music by Handel to popular songs from the shows.

A group of Shirburnians travels to BAFTA in London for a special screening of The Imitation Game, ahead of its nationwide release. Some of the boys were extras in the film when it was shot at the School last year.

Superb performances abound at the Joint Schools’ Orchestral and Choral Concert. The programme includes Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony (first movement), Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, and Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite.

Sherborne’s Wind Band wins the Platinum Award at the National Concert Band Festival for the South West region, with the judges commending the boys’ performance as outstanding.

Sherborne boys win first and third places at the Fleet Air Arm Museum Engineering Competition for GCSE students – fighting off teams from 15 other participating schools.

The School also hosts the British Universities Fives Tournament, giving the boys a chance to watch some of the finest players in the country in action on the court.

December Abbeylands enjoys a narrow victory over The Green in the Senior Inter-House debating competition.

Sherborne performs exceptionally at the UK Senior Mathematics Challenge, with seven gold awards going to pupils in the Sixth Form.

The School’s Art Department outranks every other independent school in the country to receive the Good Schools Guide Award for Excellence at AS-Level.

Johnson Beharry VC delivers an inspirational lecture about his life and military career, including the events that led to him receiving the Victoria Cross in Iraq.

One of the highlights of the month is a disturbing and powerful production of The Duchess of Malfi, which is the 2014 Joint Schools’ Play; a triumph for all involved.

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The Year in January

It’s an action-packed start to 2015 for the 42 boys who go on a hockey tour to Barcelona.

They play a tough three days of fixtures before returning to start the new term.

In a hard-fought Inter-House Swimming Gala, Wallace wins the Overall and Sixth Form Cups, Abbeylands claims the Fourth and Fifth Form Cup, and School House emerges with the Third Form Cup. Also in the pool, Jasper Slawson (U6e) breaks the Senior 4 x 25m Individual Medley School record, which was set 27 years ago. The boys of Abbey House collectively swim a mammoth 2,854 lengths in one hour, to raise money for the RNLI. That equates to the length of the English Channel and back, plus four more miles.

Talking of long distances, Eddie Horn (U6d) and Harry Reynolds (L6e) qualify for the South West Cross Country Championships, with Will Cookson (U6g) gaining a place on the reserve list.

Schools from across Sherborne run their first solo acting competition at the Powell Theatre. The event involves pupils from Sherborne School, The Gryphon School, Sherborne Girls and Leweston, and our boys triumph in both of the junior categories.

Abbeylands wins the Junior House Hockey Tournament, with The Green scoring victory in the Senior House competition.

February Jack Hillan (U6c) takes up his role as the new Head of School.

To the delight of the boys, a McLaren Formula 1 racing car takes up temporary residence in the Courts. It accompanies McLaren Partner Ambassador, Peter Stayner, who shares his insights from the sport as part of the Saturday speaker programme.

Other entertainment comes from two House Plays: Crazy Horses, performed by School House, and DNA by Abbey House. Digby also puts on a House Concert, with music, drama and comedy to amuse the audience.

It’s all go in the Design and Technology Department, as a rapid-protoyping 3D printer arrives in the studio.

Finnbar Blakey (5a) wins the Halliday Cup Music Competition with his singing performance of Schumann’s Dichterliebe 1, 2 and 3 and playing Khachaturian’s Toccata on the piano.

Away from home, the Chamber Choir impresses Winchester Cathedral’s Evensong congregation with its rendition of sixteenth century a cappella settings of the liturgy.

The ski team wins its best-ever set of results at the British Schoolboys’ Ski Racing Championship. The First Team finishes fourth in the U18 unregistered category.

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2014-15:

March

Sherborne’s Judo team trips to success at the HMC Judo National Championships, winning three individual medals and earning a team placement of joint second.

Fifty Shirburnians are confirmed in a moving service at Sherborne Abbey.

The House Cross Country Race takes place amid the beautiful grounds of Sherborne Castle. The Digby wins the Junior House category, while Wallace claims the Senior House trophy.

Jack Edmondson (U6f) is selected to join the England U18 rugby squad in the European Championships.

Sherborne School and Sherborne Girls enter an affiliate partnership scheme with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – an invaluable opportunity for musically talented pupils.

Kate Adie, the BBC’s former Chief News Correspondent, visits the School to speak about her life and her experiences in journalism.

A team from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) visits Sherborne, to examine all aspects of School life. The results of the process are published later in the year.

Sherborne’s Symphony Orchestra gives an outstanding performance at The Exchange, Sturminster Newton. Meanwhile, the CCF fights off competition from 19 other teams to win the Dorset Cadet Challenge for the second year in a row.

In a great sporting triumph, Sherborne’s U15 rugby team wins the 2015 NatWest Vase, seeing off Oakham in a hard-fought match at Twickenham. The whole of the Third and Fourth Forms went to support the match and the rest of the School watched the ‘live stream’ on screen in the BSR. The golf team also notches up a notable success, beating Truro School in the semi-finals of the HMC School’s Foursomes Competition at Woodbury Park Golf Club in East Devon.

April The Trinity term starts with the inauguration of a new tradition. The Head of School raises the flag upon the tower to a trumpet fanfare. The flag will remain flying while the boys are in School.

The publication of the ISI inspection report captures in glowing terms the essence of the School. A welcome affirmation for boys and staff alike.

Boys take part in Duke of Edinburgh’s Award training expeditions to the Quantock Hills, the Brecon Beacons and the Lake District – the last in some very testing conditions.

Sherborne’s golf team loses the regional final of the HMC Schools’ Foursomes Competition by the narrowest of margins, and the 1st VII rugby team reaches the semifinals of the National Schools Sevens competition, with standout victories against Cowbridge HS and Hartpury College.

Pupils from Sherborne School and Sherborne Girls join the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra to give a pre-concert foyer performance of Mozart’s Wind Octet at Poole Lighthouse.

The Oxford Royale Academy names Sherborne School as one of the most beautiful places to study in the UK.

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The Year in May Sherborne School stages several exceptional performances at the Sherborne Abbey Festival.

These include chamber music, jazz and compositions concerts, and performances from the Close Harmony and Barbershop groups.

To mark the General Election, the School organises a Mock Election. Each House becomes a constituency, complete with candidates representing the main political parties. Vigorous campaigning, lively hustings and a heated leadership debate contribute to a turnout of 74 per cent, and a clear Conservative majority.

Seventy cyclists, including pupils, parents, staff and other friends of the school, take part in the 62-mile Turing Sportive Cycle Ride. The event honours Alan Turing’s famous 1926 ride from Southampton to Sherborne.

In a further test of endurance, 18 Fourth Form boys successfully complete the gruelling Ten Tors Challenge.

Rory McMillan (U6b) excels in a more intellectual pursuit: he qualifies to represent Team Great Britain at the International Chemistry Olympiad in Azerbaijan in July.

The Courts are converted into a rock stadium, with an audience of some 700 people gathering to see the School’s musicians in action.

Michael Treneer (4m) becomes a National Point-to-Point Champion, beating a field of eight to win the 148cm Conditions Championships by two lengths. He is also selected as one of 10 elite national pony-racing jockeys to attend a prestigious summer course at the British Racing School.

June The Junior Colts A cricket team proves its mettle this month, picking up an impressive haul of trophies. This includes the Dorset Cup, the Dorset U15 T20 championships and the South West U15 championships. The last victory earns the team a place in the semi-final of the National U15 Cup. They beat Magdalen College School to claim their place in the final of the championships for the first time in history.

Ben Poe (L6d) and Ben Childerley (4f) win the Sailing 420 Class at the Schools National Sailing Championship by a convincing margin.

Back on dry land, William Westmacott (3c) wins the South West Championships U15 hurdles in 11.6 seconds – comfortably beating the previous School record. In the process, he qualifies to compete in the English Schools Championships.

The Fourth Form takes part in the Lionheart Challenge. The task for each team is to invent a product to encourage young adults into healthier lifestyles, then work with business coaches to develop and present business and marketing plans.

Head of Politics and CCF Commander Rob Le Poidevin, together with former Business Studies teacher Matt Woods, runs 26.2 miles around the Courts at Sherborne School. This is part of their training for a mountain ultra-marathon of 166 miles in August.

On the subject of the CCF, three field trips take place this month. The Army and Royal Marines cadets head to Wales to practise night exercises, field-craft skills and weapon handling.

Meanwhile, the Royal Navy cadets take the controls of aircraft at RNAS Yeovilton, and Fourth Form Navy cadets visit Dartmouth’s Britannia Royal Naval College and HMS Raleigh.

Review

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... June The Third Form heads to France for a poignant trip to the battlefields of the Western Front. The itinerary includes visits to sites at the Ypres Salient and the Somme.

Olly Douglas (U6d) is named as this year’s winner of the Bow Award. The prize, voted for by his peers, is given to a boy who has made an outstanding contribution to the pastoral welfare of others.

Finnbar Blakey (5a) wins the Patrick Shelley Music Competition for Advanced Instrumentalists.

July The Junior Colts A team faces Manchester Grammar School in the U15 National Cricket Final at Oakham. In a compelling match, Sherborne loses by a single run.

A 40-strong squad from Sherborne School travels to Australia for a taste of international rugby, in a tri-nation tournament involving teams from Japan and Australia. In a challenge of another kind, Rory McMillan (U6b) wins a Silver Medal at the 2015 International Chemistry Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Chamber Choir, Chamber Orchestra and the Concert Orchestra tour Prague, showcasing a wide variety of musical talent.

August It’s exam results month at Sherborne School, and the A-Level grades bring deserved success. More than a fifth of all boys receive a clean sweep of A*s and As, and Oshi Corbett (U6d), Koichi Kanaboshi (U6f), Rory McMillan, Gregor Tims (U6a) and Hugh Williams (U6c) all achieve at least three A* grades apiece.

There are a record number of A*s.

Every boy who secured an Oxbridge offer is able to take it up, and others achieve places at top-flight universities throughout the world, reading diverse subjects from Aerospace Engineering to Zoology.

Elsewhere, 21 Cadets head to Tenby in South Wales for the CCF summer camp. Soaring temperatures do not stop the boys enjoying the experience to the full, with archery, clay-pigeon shooting, rock climbing, abseiling and a blank firing exercise on Pembrey Sands counting among the many highlights.

Talking of adventures, Tom James, Hugo Brommell and Rory McMillan – three of Abbey House’s outgoing Upper Sixth – cycle 1,500 miles around all the British Isles, raising money for the RNLI. Boys celebrate their GCSE results with over a fifth achieving at least 10 A* and A grades. Robert Armstrong (5a), Thomas Brooke (5d) and William Shardlow (5m) gained 11 A* and Henry Dennis (5g) was awarded 12 A*.

Four very talented actors, Ed Smith (L6c), Will Vitali (L6f), Thomas Evans (L6e) and Fuad Hasan (L6f) perform a beautiful re-imagining of the Edgar Allan Poe story Tell-Tale Heart at the Edinburgh Fringe.

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“We face the future, yes, but feel our past experience is as real.

If Sherborne’s history empowers, the past five years of it were ours – Years that we doubt we could have spent in a more wonderful environment.

And so, although we leave you now – although we take our final bow, our thoughts will keep us coming back…”

Jack Hillan and Robert Ham, Heads of School 2014-15

Head Boys’ Report

To read Jack and Robert’s Commemoration speech in full, please visit www.sherborne.org/news-calendar/latest-news

HEADMASTER’S COMMEM SPEECH 2015 v

It is fitting, perhaps, that someone with such a distinguished military career should be with us in the year when we have been commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the start of the First World War.

Thank you Rob and Jack. A hard act to follow and as Jack goes off to read Classics at Durham and Rob to read Music at Oxford, it’s worth remembering that your careers in stand-up comedy began here. I would ask for your autographs, but I already have them, here in the Prefects Book, going back literally centuries.

A fair few pages back another name appears, A. D. Leakey, across three terms in 1970. In the last term his name is at the top of the list: Head of School. So Lieutenant General David Leakey’s distinguished career began here, at Sherborne. After Law at Cambridge, he rose swiftly through ranks within the Army, serving around the world including being the UK Military Representative in Dayton at the Bosnia Peace Negotiation. He served as Chief of Staff in Northern Ireland and commanded the European Force responsible in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2004/5, then served as Director-General of the European Union Military Staff in Brussels. In 2010, David was

appointed Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod in the House of Lords. His Housemaster’s Report as he left was somewhat briefer than those we write today: ‘An outstanding boy. Good leader with high standards. All the right ideas.’

Last November saw every boy in the School paired up with an Old Shirburnian who had given their life in conflict. Yes, you heard that correctly, there have been as many OS who have fallen as there are boys now in the School. It was very moving to read the tributes which today’s boys wrote on wooden crosses to the young men who walked here in the Courts before them and the overwhelming sentiment was one of gratitude; gratitude for the freedoms and privileges that we enjoy today.

Last week I went with the Third Form to the battlefields around Ypres. Like many of the other visitors, our boys saw row upon row of headstones and it brought home the extraordinary scale of sacrifice. What was most poignant, however, was finding the individual names upon the headstones, the memorials and the

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in an environment like this that boys of this “...it is only age enjoy such simple pleasures together ” Menin gate. Charles Bean, aged 21; Abbey House. Maurice Bennett, aged 20; Lyon House. William Duckworth, aged 19; School House.

Arthur Frost, Harper House, aged 18.

And the names went on. I asked one boy whether he had enjoyed the trip.

“No Sir. It has been devastating. But I’ll never forget it and I’m thankful that we came.” The boys still surprise me with their capacity to understand so deeply.

The Old Shirburnians who returned for earlier celebrations shared their own happy memories, but also recalled harsher times. The boarding school life which some of them remember was austere and unforgiving – so very different from Sherborne today.

It is easy to take for granted the privilege of living, working and learning in such an extraordinary place, surrounded by an ancient heritage and walking in the footsteps of so many generations before. Their achievements are our boys’ aspirations and, while they may not explicitly state it, I know that current boys feel that connection to the past very deeply.

“This spirit of

While international politics may have changed and we now have revolutions driven by social media, some values remain timeless. To stand in the Abbey twice a week and have the voices of 600 boys singing together with such joy is hugely moving. To know that they do so in the same seats as generations before, some of whom were cut down so young by war 100 years ago is heartrending.

Those boys were no different in spirit or ambition from those who sing today.

It has been a year of other significant anniversaries too.

For example, earlier this term, we celebrated the 150th Anniversary of The Green. The boys enjoyed their BBQ with wheelbarrow races, the egg and spoon race and sack race hotly contested by Third Form and Sixth Form alike. I couldn’t help but feel that it is only in an environment like this that boys of this age enjoy such simple pleasures together – away from iPhones, the Xbox and other screens.

common endeavour is fundamental to a Shirburnian in a way that is rarely found in other schools

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Today’s boys share in a much kinder, more understanding and supportive community. One of the most extraordinary things for me this year about Sherborne has been the way in which it runs through the DNA of the older boys to look out for the younger ones, to help them to learn how to live together in community, to encourage them to make the most of the breadth and quality of opportunities here. Humankind is not always kind, of course, and we have done a lot of work this year with both boys and colleagues to heighten sensitivities to a careless word which causes pain, and can break friendships.

I pay tribute here to my Housemasters who guide the boys to learn to look out for the most vulnerable, and bring out the social cohesiveness for which Shirburnians are famed. Yesterday in Lists, we

presented the Bow Award to Olly Douglas, an Upper Sixth Former in Harper House, and one of our Head Chapel Wardens, in recognition (in the words of another boy) of his “consistency of kindness and awareness of others”. Olly received a standing ovation from the boys; they value those who give so generously of themselves in the service of others. The pastoral work of the school is overseen by a team which is guided and led by my Pastoral Deputy, Peter Watts. Peter, living up to his name, has been a rock for Sherborne and a tremendous support for me this year. Starting here as a Physics teacher in 1995, he has over the years been involved in almost every aspect of school life. A former Headmaster, Simon Eliot, described him as “one of the great Housemasters” during his time at School House and his wisdom, deep understanding of the boys and tough but nuanced fundamental kindness have won over the hearts and minds of countless boys and their parents.

It is testament to the respect and trust which his colleagues have in Peter that he has been able to bring them with him this year as we see through some far-reaching reforms to the Pastoral Support and supervision in Houses which will take effect from September, strengthening the supervision and care for the boys in House. After 20 years of dedication far beyond expectation, I am delighted for Peter that he will be moving on at Christmas to become the founding Headteacher of a brand-new school in Gibraltar. We take this opportunity to thank him for all that he has done for Sherborne.

Like me, the Third Form who are sitting here today will soon be celebrating another anniversary: one year since arriving at Sherborne. For me, and I suspect for many of them, that seems like an age ago.

Two of them, Barney and Tima, spoke powerfully on Tuesday to the boys

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The boys still surprise me with their capacity to understand so deeply who will join us in the Third Form next year. They talked of the shock of the hard work when they arrived: halls in every subject, essays to write, exercises to complete. They acknowledged the help they received, from teachers who give so generously of their time, from other boys in House, and from Tutors and Housemasters. Interestingly, they spoke of how Third Form work built upon their years at prep school, saying the learning there was a foundation for what followed.

It has been a “ year of energy and optimism ” I too was conscious at the beginning of the year that we did not start from a blank slate. There was work to be built upon and extraordinary talent and determination among my colleagues. It has been a year of energy and optimism and I am enormously grateful to my colleagues for this. The pace of reform on the Academic front has been swift and focussed, led by Tim Filtness, my Academic Deputy. Conscious that even the most inspirational teachers have a tendency to hide their magic away inside their own classrooms, we were determined this year to become a true “learning school”, introducing an in-house teaching magazine, involving students through “Student Voice” and working rigorously and forensically through Heads of Departments to secure the very best teaching right across the board. This is teaching which focuses on understanding the learner, structured feedback and academic rigour. The ISI inspectors in March (yes, it has been a busy year) supported this focus and the work continues with more initiatives next year. Boys of course also have their part to play.

They have heard me say this before, but talent is overrated. Of course

natural gifts exist, but their impact is much less than people imagine it to be. By far the greatest determinant o f s u c c e s s i s e ff o r t . S h e e r determination is the key to extraordinary achievement. I won’t embarrass him by saying his name, but one Sixth Former I was talking with last week looks like he is on track to secure straight As at A Level. He told me that when he arrived at Sherborne he had only just passed common entrance and started in the bottom sets.

The research done by Durham University shows that, whilst Sherborne does take a wider range of measured academic ability at 13 than most similar schools, the progress that boys make here is exceptional for boys right across the ability range.

They do better in their GCSEs and A-Levels here than they would if they had attended most other schools, both state and independent. It’s not something the league tables will tell you. Where you start on the bellcurve is not the best predictor of where you will end up.

Each individual boy will know that he can do even better and we are introducing a tough – some might say very tough – new system of effort grades in September to measure not how able a boy is but how determined he is to do his best. The criteria are stringent. But today’s boys will be competing in a global market place where “good” effort is nowhere near enough. Parents, you will be able to support us by treating these grades as a challenge to be embraced.

The pace of “reform on the Academic front has been swift and focussed

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Speaking of a global marketplace, it is worth paying tribute to Rory McMillan, who is representing Great Britain this summer in the International Chemistry Olympiad in Kazakhstan, shortly before he takes up his place to read Natural Sciences at Cambridge.

Also representing his country this year has been Jack Edmondson (U6f) who played U18 Rugby for England in the European Championships. That brings me on to Sport and back to my theme of anniversaries. The sporting year kicked off with our tremendous victory for the first XV against Radley in their 100th Anniversary match, with all our sides away at Radley together.

We have had successes this year in so many sports. Hockey, water polo and clay shooting, tennis (the Colts A were unbeaten for the first time in 10 years) and swimming, where Jasper Slawson, (U6e) broke three School records this year, including one which had been standing for 27 years.

Sport at Sherborne represents many of the fundamental values that lie at the heart of so much of what we are.

A loyalty to each other and to the School, an appetite to engage with learning and improving in its very widest sense, a desire to make a difference and a recognition that this is best achieved by standing shoulder to shoulder with others. After 20 years of teaching, I can confidently say that this spirit of common endeavour is fundamental to a Shirburnian in a way that is rarely found in other schools.

We saw this recently in a momentous game of rugby played by the U15As. They had had an excellent season and worked their way through to win the semi-final of the NatWest Vase.

Imagine the joy of these 14 and 15 year olds when they knew they were off to play at Twickenham in the final against Oakham School. I cancelled lessons for the whole of the Third and Fourth Forms and we bussed them all up to Twickenham. The rest of the School gathered in the BSR to watch a live stream on the big screen. We were joined at Twickenham by many of you, parents and friends, lending

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This is teaching which focuses on understanding the learner, structured feedback and academic rigour your support and your voice to the boys.

The boys’ joy was tempered, however, when they learned that Oakham had a secret weapon. In the weeks before the game, the Oakham captain had over 4 million hits on YouTube video clips of him playing in the semi-final. He ran like a bullet with unmatchable pace and unstoppable force. He will undoubtedly eventually be a national and international sportsman.

progress “thattheboys make here is exceptional for boys right across the ability range

for me, there have been glorious moments every week this year. Who could forget the highly malevolent performances in the Duchess of Malfi that kicked off a year of challenging, ambitious and highly professional drama productions, from both House and School? A group of boys are about to take a production of The Tell Tale Heart to the Edinburgh Fringe over the summer.

Other cultural ambassadors for Sherborne this summer include the Chamber Choir, who are going on tour to Prague. This is surely one of the finest all-male school choirs in the land; you only need to look at our music school and meet the dynamic and inspirational Director of Music, James Henderson, and his very talented colleagues to know why.

What Oakham did not know is that Sherborne also had a secret weapon.

It is true that every time their captain touched the ball – three times – he scored a try.

But we had the strength of a team; boys who were willing to put themselves on the line for others, a discipline and determination borne not only from our first-class coaching, but also from the friendships forged in boarding houses, across the courts, in the classroom and the barge yard. And in the end, the team won through.

The final score was 34-24 in our favour. Sherborne lifted the trophy high. The boys were walking on air.

The highly polished and lyrical performance of Cantate Domino in the service this morning shared in musicality and professionalism, if not in genre, with the very tight playing from the Swing Band that we have just heard. There have been so many musical treats this year, from the big set-piece Haydn’s Creation in the Abbey, to the small, intimate performances each Friday lunchtime in Cheap Street Church from fine musicians including many with Grade Eights or diplomas. As the musicians go to Prague, so the CCF are on their way this afternoon to Summer Camp.

The CCF at Sherborne remains one of the very largest in the country and understandably so. The leadership shown by the older boys is inspirational and impressive and highly dedicated staff enable activities as varied as sailing, powerboating, night-vision weaponry, competitive shooting and much more.

Many of these same boys have, this term, gone on as cricketers to reach the semi-final of the T20 National Cup and the Final of the National Lord’s Taverner’s Cup. Never before has Sherborne got so far in the competition; these boys are creating anniversaries for others to celebrate in years to come. So Twickenham was without doubt a special moment. But,

There is so much going on here that, even with our long boarding days and seven-day weeks, it sometimes seems impossible to fit it all in. During the last week we have seen lots of outdoors activity, with the Leadership Course for the Fifth Form on Brownsea Island and numerous Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. I had an email on Thursday from the external

”

assessor of one Silver expedition, praising the boys for their impressive skills, determined attitude and warm welcome. He also mentioned the professionalism of the staff involved and in particular of Richard Warren, who leaves Sherborne after 28 years here. While here, Richard has been commanding officer of the CCF, Coordinator for D of E, Amnesty International, General Studies and Community Service, and resident tutor in Harper. It tells you something about Richard when you learn that he genuinely proposed to save the School the trouble of building dedicated tutor accommodation by living in the garden of Harper in a Mongolian Yurt, with electricity supplied by a wind turbine! A colleague talks of his “way of teaching boys values that would stick with them for life, and the mantra that nothing would be put on a plate.

This is a man who does the right thing for the right reasons.”

Richard, we thank you for your long, dedicated and varied service.

boys “willtoday’s be competing in a global market place where “good” effort is nowhere near enough

”

You will all know that we have instituted a new tradition this year of flying the flag while the boys are in school. Jack Hillan, Head of School, will be lowering the flag to a fanfare by his predecessor, Robert Ham, after our leavers’ service this afternoon.

We are also reviving old traditions, and in the Michaelmas term will be bringing back the Shirburnian magazine in a form that hasn’t been seen for the last four years. The magazine was first published in 1859

14 |

Still, it is hard to think that it was ever in better hands than when Patrick Haigh was Master in Charge. He leaves us this year after 32 years of service and many generations of boys have cause to be grateful to him.

During his time as Housemaster of Wallace House, he became a legend, as the boys say, running a happy, welldisciplined house, filling it with interesting and talented boys.

It can be said that Patrick will never use one word when twenty would do and oh, those words are a joy to read and hear.

On one end of term report: “His pen wanders like a spider across the page but rarely does his brain follow it.”

Boy to Patrick in frustration: “Don’t you ever give a straight answer?”

Patrick: “It depends what you mean by a straight answer.”

education has seen huge leaps over the last two decades in our understanding of what makes effective teaching. We have the privilege here of pushing forward with innovation alongside our heritage.

Designs have been progressing over the last month for futuristic classrooms, informed by all that we now know about how boys learn, but sited within our beautiful heritage buildings within the Courts. As one colleague put it: “Downton on the outside; Dr Who on the inside.”

I hope that “ you will look back and say that Sherborne taught you what is valuable in life and what is not

”

Patrick (to a lacklustre class): If ignorance is bliss, I can’t think why you are all looking so miserable.

Patrick, you are a legend and may I wish you, on behalf of us all, a long and happy retirement and ask you to come up to receive a small gift.

This year is the 165th anniversary of the arrival at Sherborne of the Headmaster the Reverend Harper.

During his tenure, numbers increased seven-fold from 40 boys to 278. We cannot match that, but I am glad to report that our Third Form numbers will be up by over 20 per cent this year. Harper also oversaw a major building programme including new classrooms. He would approve, I think, of the way that Western

Looking to the future, then, in one year’s time, Dominic Luckett will be standing here as Headmaster and CEO and, whilst I have enormously enjoyed the great privilege of leading Sherborne this year, I am also hugely looking forward to working with Dominic as his Senior Deputy or “Usher” – a role steeped in ancient Sherborne history, and last seen here in 1871. Dominic is a man of considerable vision and determination who will lead Sherborne on the next stage of her journey.

500th anniversary of its re-founding.

The boys here today will then be in their late 40s and early 50s and, if the statistics are to be believed, most will be on their fifth or sixth careers. We cannot know what the world will be like then, but we can be sure that it will be different. Driverless cars, domestic drones, free energy… who knows? The global culture will certainly look very different. Perhaps English will no longer be the language of commerce.

We have been working hard behind the scenes at Sherborne already establishing and developing partnerships not only in the Middle East, but the Far East too. How are young people in the UK today being prepared for this world? At Sherborne, we already have a few boys studying Mandarin, but from next year, we will be offering it as one of the options alongside our new A-Level programme; I strongly encourage the Fifth Form who are here today to consider it seriously.

Employment in 2050 will require skills that have not even been invented yet, so how will you feel that Sherborne served you when you return for that Anniversary Commem service in 35 years’ time? In the words of this year’s inspection report, “Shirburnians have a purposeful sense of what they can contribute to the world and they are ready to meet its challenges.” That surely, is why we are here. I hope that you will look back and say that Sherborne taught you what is valuable in life and what is not; the power of working together with others; an appreciation of beauty, service and friendship. I believe that we can have confidence in your futures.

‘

and editors and contributors have included Alex Waugh, Richard Eyre, Stanley Johnson and Anthony Lane.

Indeed, the first published poem by Cecil Day-Lewis appeared in its pages.

End

Let us look forward further, then, to 2050, when Sherborne celebrates the

HEADMASTER

(5m)

Freddie Knott

| 15

16 |

Assured Loss My feet plunge into the sand, The very last edges of land Before the sea devours it, And the grains trickle from my hand As they are claimed by the swirling pit – The shore sleeps now incomplete, But I can sense the deceit That is the cloak of those scars, And still the two of us meet At the foot of the blazing stars – The shadows grow with the sun; No matter how far we run

Autumn Autumn’s arrival fills my soul with a bittersweet emotion.

Once fulsome trees disguised with bright green lively leaf Now balding and skeleton, their branches brown and nude.

Nature’s final attempt to display all her glories to the world, With burnished browns, russets, golds and bright oranges.

A plethora of tantalising colours dabbing the horizons.

The low, watery sun, still warm, caressing my skin and senses, Its summer heat and haze a long distant memory.

Insects hovering, their last grasp at a life so short,

It yet catches up with us, Countless times of endless fun Sink back into the darkness – My stand is swept from beneath, The sand stolen by the thief Who never gets caught in time, And on my tombstone a wreath Will lie for this shattered soul of mine.

• RORY MILLAR (5m)

Birds relishing the last of summer’s berries and fruits.

Squirrels, arms full of spiky water chestnut delicacies Ferrying backwards and forwards for a winter’s treat.

Leaves, amassed like volcanoes crunching underfoot, Torn like floating confetti from trees by autumn winds.

Fungi and mushrooms announcing their arrival bursting Out of thinning grass and peaty woodland floors.

Tree fungi flapping from the trunks of trees like wings Of birds ready to set sail afar to warmer climes.

In place of long light evenings watching the sunsets The promises of log fires, burning bright and warming.

Railway Lines

Dark early evenings, beckoning, tempting a return to hibernation, Crumbles, roasts and stews bubbling in the pan

Tickets, money, depression,

To feed the soul of a boy whose bitter sweet emotion

The monotonous drone of steel on steel,

Is the loss of another glorious summer.

A relentless surge through dank despondency,

• OLLIE GARDNER (U6m)

Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, different, but the same, Frozen in a blur, lacking in colour, in joy.

Tickets, money, depression, Faces of wearied, blank complexion, Mirroring the landscape which they survey, Kept awake, only by the faint aroma of coffee, And that monotonous drone of steel on steel.

Tickets, money, depression,

Boys excel in creative subjects

Row upon row of uniform housing, Contiguous, undistinguishable,

ISI Inspection 2015

Discernible only by those slumped with me now, Eyes glued to screen from which a blue light glares back.

Tickets, money, depression, The sad realisation that despite the hours spent together in this grey, metal box, You learn no more about those faces of numb expression, Your company, the monotonous drone of steel on steel, As the train thunders deep into the night.

• OSHI CORBETT (U6d)

| 17

Da rk ne ss o ne

L i

n

h

a d ark d

i

e

I g

o o

t l ig ht .

In

Da rk

I g

o

l i

k

e

a ark

l i nto l ig ht .

• BENTLY CRESWELL (3a)

Inaudible The black air pierces my heart with cold icy veins, A clench so raw my soul weeps and wanes With agony, though sorrow find you not here.

Stiff tears pour from eyes harder than before, The mind is weak but the will does implore For silence, but rarely gets what it desires.

Now soft, the world perches gently in its rest, But we are unable to fight the return lest We speak, and no one speaks anymore.

• RORY MILLAR (5m)

Confusion What don’t I understand? I did know It would happen to me, why,

I can even remember That day out I found All I could do.

They told me,

I could soon come to the end.

Could I come to the end soon?

They told me

“Do all I could.”

I found out that day…

Can I even remember?

Why would it happen to me?

What did I know? I don’t understand.

• FREDDIE ROBINSON (3f)

18 |

The Cherry Blossom

Summer The Cherry Blossom

The luscious green;

glimmering emerald leaves

Early Spring

dance, joyfully, healthily

The bare skeleton of nature,

together withstanding the worst and the best.

bears gentle pink buds,

The cold days of winter

cold and shivering in the hard wind,

entwined amongst one another,

hinting at a better time.

seem but a forgotten nightmare.

In the looming shadow of man,

is wait, and watch,

All they can do now

the mother protects her young,

full of wisdom, yet full of fear,

in soft capsules of life.

for they know, like all the greatest men,

Alas, the time is not yet right,

and soon, their decaying skeleton

glistening in the frozen drizzle,

and the summer, again,

until the sun beckons their awakening.

will be eventually forgotten.

shields them from the chill of winter

their days are numbered,

and these twisted and entwined branches,

will fall, lifeless, to the ground,

return to lonely rest;

like all great things,

When the sun, again,

gently tickles the dancing leaves of the cherry blossom,

• DANIEL BERRY (3a)

do not be sad that the leaves of years gone by have departed,

because even if you are not thinking of me next summer,

you know, wherever I have gone, I will be thinking of you.

| 19

Never Again Once was a man who came Not for love, yet not in vain.

Tanka-Deer

No other person could be the same

Across a gravestone

As this man would be their bane.

she lifted her startled head

While his heroics earned him fame,

to run, i pleaded with her

in fear she began Beating thousands at this game,

but she was already gone

Still how could anyone remain so sane If they could inflict so much pain?

through the undergrowth, her twitching nose disappeared

And now as his body began to wane These memories he could barely contain: All those people he had slain And with only his country to blame He would never be a soldier again.

Harry Le Maistre (3g)

her body followed

Who

my eyes followed her movement

Lives forgotten by taken time, Shunned by him who was most dear To them, yet he would not appear – With their souls engulfed by rime, They persist;

as she disappeared from sight a rare sight indeed to see such living beauty surrounded by death i stand on wet morning grass

He wonders if they muse on it,

my soul stilled by peacefulness

An image of decayed despair

Harry Clough (U6f)

Conceived, the wrong driving them to care – Since the darkness is not lit, Eyes are obscured; Years apart from each other they wait, Though they are not aware that he Lingers for them, restless like the sea – His heart starts to rush and pulsate, But vainly.

Rory Millar (5m)

The Boys Assemble Commemoration. A congregation of boys, To pay respect.

Encircled by a contingent of school boy soldiers, Amid the murky, wet.

The Reverend acknowledges their role, their pain,

The Poem Anything goes when it comes to a poem.

Their ultimate sacrifice for our gain.

Because there are only a few rules,

Each great man?

Concentrate on the rhythm never let it freeze,

The rank and file Shirburnian.

As the trumpet resonates across the Courts, We remember them as they fought Side by side, like we now stand.

Compiling the words you can do with ease.

Because those who do this wrong are known as fools, And take my advice, see it as an omen.

Also just let the words flow when you sit But don’t set a limit to the syllables you put down in one line.

The rain; it drizzles all around.

Causes of bad poems are ones that are restricted.

Jack Crinks (U6b)

Because through all this the writer’s defined,

Creating these is emotion inflicted, And now I realise I am a hypocrite.

Barney Trumper (3d)

If one was to gaze upon those archways In amazement and in awe, They could perhaps see magnificence Or the power of God on high.

This person could indeed wonder, At how men of that day and age Created buildings of such beauty In reverence to their God. However, despite all this it could perhaps be That this building, with all its splendour, Might symbolise something more.

Something that could be hidden from he who gazes on.

Archways Joss Nelson (4e)

| 21

Just as the building was devised from human minds, So might God himself in all his glory Be subtended from us as well.

May God be there because we want some kind of guide?

If this is so then benevolence, grace, Immanence and power, the qualities of our God, May just be another theory.

A theory proved wrong in time.

Yet still these arguments themselves might turn out wrong, For we will never know.

There is no way for a correct answer, For the question of God is a question which continues to evade.

22 |

An Inspector calls

Rebecca de Pelet observes the ISI observers...

“The School meets its aim to provide an outstanding, allboys boarding education” ISI While not effecting quite the collective social guilt and individual trauma of Priestley’s play, the call of the ISI Inspectors (or ISIS as the boys quickly dubbed the body) six days before they arrived undoubtedly created a frisson amongst the staff.

Naysayers such as my father, who are of the opinion that inspectors should arrive ghoul-like, unannounced, reveal their lack of insider knowledge. What the inspectors see is what is really there. ‘Putting our best foot forward’ and ‘business as usual’ were what Mr Barlow told us he had in mind.

“The quality of the boys’ achievement and learning is excellent.” ISI There was of course stuff to do.

Inspectors need to know about the boys they will be seeing in the

classroom, and so forms had to be filled in, lesson plans submitted and content put into context.

Teachers have no idea when or if they will be observed, and so there is a heightened tension to proceedings. Although the inspector visited all of my English department staff in turn, she only stayed for half an hour at most – one teacher was observed for just seven minutes. And there’s the rub. One can feel oddly unappreciated as a result of these brief visits; you could hear members of staff grumpily swapping stories of how many minutes inspectors had lingered at the shores of their pedagogical beaches. It’s like the old joke: two women are attending a funeral in Golders Green. One: “Ach, these caterers! This food is not good.”

Two: “And such small portions!”

“Marking and the use of assessment are excellent… some [boys] show a genuine passion for the subjects they study.” ISI

Thus, inevitably, moments of educational gold go by unnoticed, but fortunately the inspectors invest in other sorts of observation too. They are given a ton of material for a start, including boys’ folders and departmental documentation. Folders can be an unpredictable source; the work of a fine student may find itself poorly represented within the confines of an A4 ring binder.

However, some of the owners of these folders were then interviewed by inspectors. This is a fantastic element of the process as the boys who took part enjoyed being able to talk about their subject, their teachers and their aspirations. I was delighted by offthe-record feedback from one inspector that they had been impressed by the evident pleasure the boys displayed.

| 23

“The boys’ achievement and learning are enabled by an excellent curriculum.” ISI Staff are interviewed too, although these occasions are a little more rigorous. I was interviewed, along with the Head of Maths and our Deputy Head (Academic) concerning the academic curriculum. The inspector was extremely well prepared and had specific things he wished to know.

By no means aggressive, he nonetheless drove down into the detail, and the exchange was bracing. I enjoyed myself, as it was an opportunity to talk about all the good that goes on in the wider school; the three of us were honest about areas needing to be tackled, but robust about where we excel. Readers of the final report can be assured that inspectors do know what’s really going on.

“The school provides excellent pastoral care.”ISI

Of course, a school is more than its teaching. I was part of a bigger group interviewed by an inspector whose focus was Tutoring. She began by placing her clipboard on the table and announcing that she could get the information required from other sources but what she really wanted to hear was about the actual tutoring that goes on here. Give a teacher an invitation to talk and you had better stand back – every member of the group proudly talked about their tutees and provided a huge range of examples of brilliant housemastering. Again the inspector knew her stuff and while her questioning became progressively more pertinent, my overall impression was definitely of being offered the opportunity to talk about what we do well.

“Strong emotional maturity was demonstrated in the responses of younger boys to Shakespeare’s Coriolanus when they spoke … with sophistication and interest.” ISI So, as Mr Barlow had promised that morning in Bow House, the inspection was over before I had noticed it had really begun, and I soon began to remember all the things I had meant to say. I even found myself sprinting across to place a copy of the programme for The Sherborne Sessions in the inspectors’ hands. When the final report arrived, it certainly described the school I know.

Sherborne is, of course, like all great institutions, greater than the sum of its parts and greater than any individual, and I felt proud of my department, my fellow staff and the School, as well as rather looking forward to the next inspection.

I woke up to the sound of birdsong and screaming. Not that this was particularly peculiar, except for the fact that this morning the screams were not coming from my own mouth. I couldn’t quite remember what I had been dreaming about, but something told me it wasn’t worth trying to remember. They had told me that the occasional nightmare was just a minor side effect sometimes caused by the new beds, in the same way it happened with real sleep. I realised that I must’ve been asleep for some time. On the ceiling, the date of 26th June was flashing in bright LED light. It had been almost a week! I quickly got up and pulled open the curtains.

Through the glass there was a wasteland; many of the buildings on the street were on fire, corpses were scattered across the ground. A few survivors were fleeing with a few precious belongings, others were mourning the loss of their loved ones. I could almost smell the smoke and feel the heat of the fire on my body. Instinctively I grabbed the remote and switched off the WindowPane. I must’ve accidentally switched it on before I fell asleep – I would never have chosen to watch it. I had seen visions like this many times before, particularly of the Outside countries. But what more would you expect? I installed some clothes, put them on and headed downstairs.

When I reached the bottom step of the house, I was immediately bombarded with television news, informing me of the major events which had taken place in the world during my period of inactivity. Screens sprouted out of the floorboards and appeared right in front of my face. A woman with a stern expression on her face was reporting that the Outside countries were weakening by the minute and it would not be long until every nation had handed themselves over to Arca Technology. Next, that a new application was being developed which would be able to inform all users of the specific times when they are expected to be outside during daylight hours, designed for mobile devices. This was to reduce the number of “careless and inadvertent” home absences, which were obviously an illegal offence. I never left the house anyway - it seemed much safer that way. We were warned that the air outside was now too polluted to breathe in for extended periods of time, and the law had been made for our own safety. In other news, MalePopGroup_0143 entered the Chart for the seventh time.

Of course, the broadcast finished with the Leader himself, staring into the camera with a confident, reassuring smile, and addressing the entire population of the British State of Arca. This did seem to be

Outsider

24 |

unnecessary, considering that he said more or less the same thing every time: “In a time of uncertainty, Arca has finally found the solution to save society.

We know that technology is now the most vital part of your lives, and we are finally finding a way to incorporate the rest of your life to it. And as you know, it will not be long until we have entirely brought the outside in, once and for all. With your help, we can make this happen.”

I took out of my pocket the device I knew would be there, and at the touch of a button the door to the computer room slowly slid open. The house wasn’t anything special – a couple of rooms upstairs and a kitchen, bathroom and standard computer room downstairs. This was an area that still made use of one of the earlier house

models, which happened to be available to people with many more different jobs than the latest generation. Nevertheless, it was a bonus at least to have a living space to myself. I didn’t bother to grab my morning supply of food from the kitchen; somehow I didn’t feel massively hungry. Soon I became caught up in a huge digital swarm of people flooding into the Assignment Website. At this time, only a very small number of people were able to log in at once, and I knew the consequences if they hadn’t received their daily assignment and been back in their house on time.

I finally managed to log in.

It worked fairly simply: all I had to do was place my finger on a panel so that the machine would recognise my fingerprint.

With this piece of genetic information the machine was able to determine my name, gender, age, the sector of work in which I was employed, and probably a lot more. On the screen appeared the message, which was spoken aloud by a prerecorded voice: Can you confirm that your name is Robert Andrew Williamson?

I’d always hated the sound of that name. Bob had always been enough for me. I realised that I was taking too long.

| 25

After the voice had repeated itself, and I had confirmed who I was, I sent my assignment directly to the device in my pocket.

Once upon a time it may have been described as a mobile phone, but the need to use it as an actual phone had stopped, since Arca had quietly removed the feature in a software update. Not that it was something that had ever bothered me. I finally signed out and left the website. Although there wasn’t anyone there, it felt like the frustrated people I would’ve kept waiting were staring at me through the screen.

As usual, that night I went to bed not knowing when I would wake up again. This was one of the biggest changes that Arca had made since their takeover of the country. They said that, since they were only able to cater for a few million people at once, they had made it possible for the rest to just sleep through it all until they were required to work.

They discovered how to make a bed which could manipulate sleeping patterns, so that they could wake people up whenever they needed. It wasn’t quite “real” sleep, but they said that this was best for everyone.

However, I knew as I fell

asleep that bad dreams would return, and there was nothing I could do to escape it.

The next morning I awoke and the date flashed up as 30th June. Once again, the WindowPane was switched on, and this time I felt certain that I had not switched it on myself. This time what I was seeing was a riot, but the location seemed familiar. Suddenly, I realised where it was. It was in a town less than twenty kilometres away. As it turned out, I couldn’t even remember what the town outside my doorstep looked like. I couldn’t remember its name, and memories of it were only vague, since we hadn’t been able to leave our own town for many years now. However, I immediately recognised a building which had once been an abbey - it was one of the only buildings still intact. Hundreds of people were marching down the street passionately chanting something that was incomprehensible through the nearby microphones. Even so, I was able to understand their message by reading some of the signs they were holding up, with slogans such as “Wake up to the truth!” Another simply said, “Don’t believe anything they tell you!” I had no idea what they were protesting for; all I knew was that this couldn’t end well. Suddenly I began to hear the sound

of gunfire, police officers came into view, and just a few moments afterwards the WindowPane turned blank.

Surely the protests had been directed towards Arca, but why would they have done that? They had saved us! The country had no better alternative, did it? A few minutes later, a news headline appeared while I was downstairs.

The reporter explained, “Due to an unexpected technical fault, the WindowPane feature has become temporarily unavailable. Arca apologises for any inconvenience caused.” That morning, as the Leader was speaking, I noticed that I listened more sceptically than I ever had done before.

Before long I realised how abnormal our lives were today. Perhaps everything Arca had done was intentional, and for something more than our “safety”?

What if they had wanted us to have nightmares? And our lives were dictated by technology because they wanted it to be that way? What if they had been shutting us indoors because they were hiding something from us?

What if they had wanted us to see that anyone who tried to rebel would be killed? Within a few minutes I was frantically trying to break a hole in a part of the wall. I realised there was a word to describe what this was.

Rebellion. I also knew that it would probably get me killed. I started to think I could hear voices, so I knew I must’ve been getting close. I ripped apart the wires hidden behind the bricks, not caring about the consequences. It didn’t occur to me at the time that it didn’t matter what was on the outside anymore. For all I knew, outside there could be a revolution, or there could be a wasteland. In fact, I was probably going to die. All that was important now, no matter what was there, was that I was finally prepared to face whatever was on the outside, and if I could do it, I knew I couldn’t be alone.

This must’ve been the true reason why Arca put people to sleep so often: they knew that together, we would be strong enough to take back our country. There had probably been many before me, but as long as there was hope, there would be many more to come. Finally, I smashed through the wall.

I jumped out of bed with a start. The date was the 26th of June.

Freddie Robinson (3f)

Can you confirm that your name is Robert Andrew Williamson?

26 |

Henry Jackson (L6c)

| 27

THANKS FOR NOTHING

By Claude Hopkins (3m) Dear Aunt Sally I am very grateful for your stress-ball. It has been by far the most amazing gift that I have ever received for my birthday. It has been so helpful, it is the greatest gift that could have ever been conceived. Thank you so much, this really makes me love you even more than before (as if that is even possible!). This is definitely a gift that only the greatest Aunt could ever give me, and that makes me think that even you could be a good Aunt.

When I first went to your house, after a few hours of persuasion and threats, I saw what made everyone think you were quite odd. You were reclining in a rocking chair, with about what looked like 40 kittens and cats sitting on your lap, roaming around looking like they owned the place. It was quite funny at first, but then concerning. I wondered, like my other siblings, how one mother could produce such frighteningly different sisters. One, my mother, a kind, intelligent, person; and you, what some might call a “loony”? I think that that might be a bit harsh, because surely if you got me such a well-informed and notat-all insulting gift, you would be amazing!

It is true, I have been very stressed out lately. Applying to university has been especially stressful, especially when you came over to my house with all of your cats, and one of them ate my application form. Surely that wasn’t poor judgment on your part, bringing your cats into my study around all of my valuable stuff? Not only that, but your cats got cat hair everywhere, all on my bed, sheets, and pillow. Because our washer has been broken lately, I couldn’t wash these. This has led me to have sleepless, itchy nights, adding to my stress levels.

The stress-ball would definitely be a good gift for me, even though something more personal like that should generally be purchased by the person who needs it. Getting someone a stress-ball implies that they are so stressed that they can’t hide it from a relatively distant relative (you…). This can certainly be insulting to some people, and even though it could be from best interests, it’s generally not a good idea. Last of all, a good amount (maybe around two thirds) of the stress originated from you, and those damned cats. Maybe instead of going through all of this trouble to get this quite offensive “present”, you could have prevented a need at all for any stress resolution, making the whole thing quite a lot neater.

With all my most sincere love, Your closest relative (who hasn’t run away),

Nephew Claude

“ Music is at the very centre of our school community

“

v

The year has, as ever, seen a very full musical programme. From the Choral Society’s massive performance of Haydn’s Creation in the Abbey, and RocSoc Concert in the Courts just next door, to a special performance given by the Swing Band in St George’s, Hanover Square, in London, evensongs in Christ Church, Oxford, Winchester Cathedral and Bath Abbey, through to a series of competitions and masterclasses, Sherborne musicians have provided a wide-ranging and outstanding programme of events.

30 |

The grand finale of the year was the Gala Concert at Commem. The Concert Orchestra performed music by Holst, Malcolm Arnold and Albeniz prior to its tour of Prague with the Chamber Choir; the Chamber Orchestra – directed by the Head of Strings, Sarah Drury, with talented soloist Charlie Smith (4g, flute) – performed Bach’s Orchestral Suite no 2; and the Barbershop and Close Harmony groups displayed what an excellent year they, too, have had in performances of newly commissioned arrangements by Paul Drayton (of King’s Singers fame). The audience was also treated to the massed forces of our enormous Wind Band in performances of Lord of the Rings and film music by Nino Rota. Earlier in the year, this group won the Southern division of the National Wind Band Festival, and would have played in the competition final were it not for the date falling on the Easter weekend. The concluding item of the gala evening was a cover version of Bruno Mars’s Treasure by a well-rehearsed RocSoc group, which included a large reed and brass ensemble.

In March, the Joint Schools’ Symphony Orchestra gave an outstanding concert in the Sturminster Newton Exchange. It performed music by Rachmaninov and Rimsky-Korsakov, with Elgar’s Spitfire Prelude and Fugue conducted by James Henderson, Director of Music. Four members of the orchestra William Glasse (U6a), Sebastian Fender (L6e), Ben MacLean (4b) and Theo Beeny (L6c) – joined four musicians from Sherborne Girls to perform Mozart’s Wind Octet as pre-concert music for a Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra concert at the Poole Lighthouse. This marked the launch of a new Sherborne Schools’ Partnership Scheme with this internationally acclaimed orchestra.

Composition has continued to flourish. A wealth of creative talent was displayed in a Composers’ Concert on 25th April which, as well as including many gifted A Level and GCSE compositions, premiered a moving piece of programme music by Robert Ham (U6e). The piece was based upon Pro Patria Mori and, fittingly, was performed on the anniversary of the Gallipoli landings. Shirburnians have also been busy creating electronic music, in ‘DJaySoc’ and ‘Dub Club’, under the watchful eye of Mike Lehnert, Music Technology and Rock/Pop specialist. The fruits of their labours were showcased in a DJay evening in

Choral singing is of very high quality, particularly in its excellent development of young male voices ISI Inspection 2015

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the Powell Theatre, and included performances by James Richards (U6a) who combined his skills as a Grade Eight ‘cellist, clarinettist and pianist, with electronic wizardry that sees him progressing to Leeds College of Music to study electronic music next year.

The Cheap Street Recital series, taking place every Friday lunchtime throughout the school year, has displayed a great array of different musical styles, played by boys of all different ages and abilities. Ensembles ranged from the Scholars’ fiery brass group to a talented Fifth Form piano trio, and many solos from an increasing number of Grade Eight performers – all of which were applauded by large local audiences. The exceptional piano accompaniments provided by Benjamin Davey, Assistant Director of Music and Head of Keyboard, are an integral part of the outstanding quality of these concerts. The Tindall Recitals – the professional concert series – included flute and cello recitals, a concert by ‘Piano 4 Hands’ (a piano duo) which culminated in an exacting and thrilling arrangement of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, and the Wu Quartet, which included a masterclass for the school’s most talented string players.

The ever-popular Oscar Peterson Tribute evening, again led by international jazz pianist Dave Newton, attracted a large audience and proved that, as ever, jazz is very popular at Sherborne. The Swing Band enjoyed equal success in its series of Dinner and Jazz events, and its concert in the Powell Theatre as part of the Sherborne Abbey Music Festival could have filled the venue twice over.

There were two nights of ‘Unplugged’ music, with songs ranging from Leonard Cohen to Ed Sheeran. The summer term’s event outside the Music School in the ‘Bridge Amphitheatre’, with gentle amplification, and much of the Commem Music for a Summer’s Afternoon took place, before a move indoors became inevitable as the downpour became heavier.

Finnbar Blakey (5a) won the Patrick Shelley Music Cup for Advanced Instrumentalists, this year adjudicated by conductor and pianist Roy Stratford. Robert Ham (U6e) also distinguished himself as a very fine musician with his ATCL diploma on the Tuba, and in countless solo performances throughout the last few years.

Robert has also been a Choir stalwart and, as joint head with William Glasse (U6a), has led this 104-strong group in its two performances each week in the Abbey and in the musically excellent Advent, Christmas and Epiphany carol services. | 33

• JAMES

Having been a chorister at Westminster Abbey prior to arriving at Sherborne School, I had never tried playing rock music or jazz. However, the opportunities provided to me here meant that, within my first two years, I had started a band and was pianist for the Jazz Band.

Theo Beeny (L6c)

HENDERSON - DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

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TEN TORS Challenge

I

Jim Kimber applauds the spirit of the boys who found their own way across Dartmoor

n May 2015, 18 Fourth Form boys successfully completed the 35-mile Ten Tors challenge on Dartmoor. This was the first time that Sherborne had entered three teams. Lyon House had its own team, as it has done since the early years of the event when some of the current pupils’ fathers were competing. There were also two CCF teams, comprising boys from five of the seven other houses.

The demands of the event should not be underestimated: 35 miles of uneven and often boggy Dartmoor terrain makes for sore feet, and vast stretches of undulating grassland with few distinguishing features make navigation tough. What is more, there is little shelter from the elements (think wind and rain, rather than sunshine). Participants may no longer have to carry a 40-metre rope to pull people out of bogs, but the required kit list is almost as lengthy.

Indeed, some packs seemed almost as large as the boys who were carrying them.

Scrutineering (kit-checking) by eagle-eyed, keen-scented, omniscient and inscrutable scrutineers can be a stressful business. Mr Kimber was delighted this year not to be told that his team was ‘the worst team I have seen all day’. Out-of-date wound dressings (did I say eagle-eyed?) represented significant progress. If anyone knows what happens to a wound dressing once its expiry date is reached, please do let us know, because even the omniscient scrutineer didn’t know this.

The big day traditionally begins at 5am, with the Chariots of Fire theme

played loudly over the tannoy system. This year it was something modern with funky beats. I am sure the boys would know what it was.

The next two hours pass quickly, with two and a half thousand boys and girls nervously checking kit, adjusting pack straps, putting on waterproofs (it always rains at the start), queuing for the portaloos and eating breakfast – simultaneously in some cases. There is a hubbub of nervous excitement as the teams walk to the start, past the fresh coffee and bacon sandwich kiosks and the Sea King helicopters, to await the start signal.

The gun fires and off they go, scurrying purposefully across the moor in different directions like ants.

Anxious team managers watch them go for five minutes, before smiling with the realisation that the Army is now responsible for their welfare.

Camp is now a haven of tranquility – the funky sounds having long since ceased – and bacon sandwiches are available for £3.50. Espresso £2.

In truth, team managers do still care – very much! – about the welfare and progress of their teams, but they have limited access to information, and can do little else but wait. There is quiet satisfaction whenever the screens in the hangar show another tor has been reached.

Arrival times are checked against route card ETAs; calculations are made. The screen shows no progress - irrational worst-case scenarios are pondered. And then… another tor! Yes! And then on Sunday they start to arrive. Little dots appear over the horizon. Is that them? No. Is that them? Maybe… no. What about them? This year the CCF teams wore fluorescent beanies – a great innovation. And Lyon had two lovely pink rucksacks.

At about 2.15pm, beanies were sighted. Orange beanies beat the yellow beanies in by just 10 minutes, despite walking completely different routes around the moor. Pink rucksacks (and other Lyon boys) arrived an hour and a half later.

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There were sore feet, gimpy gaits, broad smiles and expressions of total and utter exhaustion. Did they enjoy it? ‘We sat in our tents on Saturday night and went through the A to Z of places we would rather be.’ Ah, that sort of enjoyment. The CCF team also demonstrated the teamwork and camaraderie that characterises the Ten Tors – giving one of their maps to another team who had lost theirs.

A big ‘well done’ to the 18 boys who successfully completed the challenge, and to Giles Cook (4g) and Vincent Hagg-Davies (4f), who completed the training but missed out on the event.

You made us very proud this year – not by being the quickest or the strongest, or by being black-belt ninja-navigators – but by being excellent teams who demonstrated growing competence in many skills, great care for one another and the environment, and a genuine passion for the outdoors. We hope that this is just the start of many more adventures and challenges to come.

Jim Kimber (Classics) Lyon House Team Manager

The boys are unassumingly confident, self-aware and emotionally mature ISI Inspection 2015

DofE

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Going for Gold ...

Laurie Phippard reviews the year for those working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Awards

The Bronze Award

The Gold Award

2015 has seen boys claim their first ever Bronze Awards.

Congratulations to all involved. The boys completed their expedition in the summer of the Third Form, with the other three components being completed in the Fourth Form. Many of these Bronze boys volunteered at the local Montessori Forest School, putting in much hard work to help reclaim ground for planting. Others campaigned around School on a number of local issues (recycling, shopping locally and the use of food banks) or raised money with sponsored events and concerts.

This year, boys who have completed their Silver Award have been invited to sign up to Gold in their L6 year.

Boys honed their skills in a variety of areas to complete their awards. Activities undertaken include clay-pigeon shooting, weapon-handling within CCF, playing musical instruments, and Art and Design. One boy even built a remote-control airplane.

Sherborne's first D of E Gold practice expedition visited the Lake District over the Easter break, where two groups of boys demonstrated real team work and strong physical resolve in their battle with ferocious winter weather to circumnavigate Derwent Water. All demonstrated they are ready for the Gold qualifier in Snowdonia this August.

Gold boys have volunteered at a local hospital radio station, coached sports at a local school and continued leading within the CCF at school as part of their award programme.

The Silver Award Silver expeditions have been moved to the end of the Fourth Form, so that boys can focus on the GCSE exams at the end of the Fifth Form. As a result, we’ve had more Fourth Form boys than ever sign up for this award, and expeditions have taken them to the Quantocks, Dartmoor, the Brecon Beacons, the Mendips and the Peak District. Boys continue to complete much of the Silver Award Volunteering, Physical and Skills components during the Fifth Form.

This year boys have volunteered for the National Trust at Stourhead, worked in local charity shops, visited and helped local senior citizens, and hosted (and cooked!) a fundraising dinner at School.

“

Moreover, once they’ve completed a training course, boys on the Silver Award put their leadership skills into practice by helping out with the younger D of E and CCF recruits.

“ Boys have a strong sense of justice and of service ISI Inspection 2015

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Climb every Mountain Eddy Horn (U6d) EMBRACES THE WORLD CHALLENGE The summer of 2014 saw 11 of Sherborne’s current Sixth Form join Mr Kimber in what would be the longest trip the school has done in years, as well as one of the most enduring expeditions World Challenge has to offer. The task we had set ourselves was to trek to the 6153m summit of Stok Kangri, the highest mountain in the Stok Range of the Himalayas.

No doubt a few of us were wondering how we had come to end up gasping for breath, thousands of metres up, having not felt the familiar comforts of civilisation for many days. For 18 months prior, however, the team had been slowly building up to the month-long expedition in northern India. This included a lot of planning and fundraising, but also fitness training – for we were all too aware of the physical challenge posed by the Himalayan trek, exacerbated by the reduced oxygen at high altitude.

Before starting the trek, we spent about a week at a local school in Phey. We repaired the playground and repainted the classrooms –

building team-orientated relationships in preparation for the trek. School holidays meant that we were mostly on our own, but we did manage to meet the students after the expedition – losing 15-16 in a closely contested game of handball.

Having completed the project phase, we made a few acclimatisation walks up to monasteries and smaller mountain peaks to become more adaptable to changes in altitude.

Then came the trek itself. For 11 days, we followed a river up through the Marker valley: a landscape characterised by arid mountains, with areas of luscious vegetation. Despite delays caused by hazardous weather conditions, as well as the early start (setting off from base camp at midnight), all 12 of us managed to reach Stok Kangri’s summit.

The last stage of the trip involved some (much needed) rest and relaxation. During this phase we stayed in Agra, the home city of the Taj Mahal. Agra Fort proved to be a

notable experience, as did our trips to the local markets, which opened our eyes to the extreme poverty in the region.

At Sherborne, we are fortunate to have a huge range of outdoor activities at our disposal: the Dartmoor perambulation, the winter mountaineering trip in Scotland and adventure-training weekend being three such examples. These proved invaluable to us in our preparations for the trip – displacing us from our comfort zones, and giving us valuable experience outside of the classroom.

India proved a fitting challenge, as it represented an exotic shift from the traditional British outings. Not only did the trip help us to develop our skills of teamwork, leadership and decision-making, but it also enabled us to broaden our horizons and embrace a totally contrasting culture.

In light of the success of the 2014 World Challenge expedition, Mr Kimber will be taking a team to Bolivia in 2016.

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IN DEFENCE OF CCF Ed Polsue (U6b) reflects on four years’ service with Sherborne’s CCF: an experience that proved funny, fulfilling and, at times, painful.

There’s something slightly absurd about gathering a group of adolescents, giving them guns, and telling them that they’re soldiers. That much, I will admit. But, to all the sceptics out there, I’m here to tell you that my time in ‘the Corps’ has left its mark. And a good one, at that.

The CCF has given me access to a huge range of experiences, and the licence to have a great deal of fun.

I’ve invaded a beach from a landing craft; ridden a terribly fast jet boat; hosted a Major General for dinner; walked around Sandhurst and Lympstone (pretending that I knew exactly where I was going, and how to read a compass); climbed all over many helicopters; done assault courses; and been shouted at by one of the most terrifying men I have ever met.

Along with five other Shirburnians, I’ve even given three cheers for The Captain-General of the Royal Marines, The Duke of Edinburgh. This happened in a glorious parade, wearing an outrageously smart but ill-fitting uniform (white gloves and all) on the illustrious lawn of Buckingham Palace.

The memory of saluting His Royal Highness to Life On the Ocean Wave, played by the Royal Marines Band, will stay with me until the day I die. It was a moment I was obscenely proud to be a part of – and one that I still can’t recall without grinning.

There are some stories that merit a more detailed telling. My experience of Exercise Final Dragon, for example. On this occasion, Marine troops from Kilo Company, 33 Troop, 41 Commando, RMC attacked a farmhouse occupied by four enemy soldiers (i.e. a group of gap-students from Australia). For me, the experience proved thrilling… if not a little painful.

It started off with some Boys’ Own stuff: wading through a pretty river, then charging up a hill while your comrades lay down covering fire. Not being the most athletic of figures, I was reasonably far behind. A barbed wire fence appeared up ahead: just a pathetic blip on my adrenaline-fuelled radar, in a war-zone situation such as this. In my mind, I would majestically leap across the fence, belly-first like a Springbok, and join my comrades on the other side.

As it came to pass, I wasn’t in a war zone. And the fence was, frankly, of biblical proportions.

Nevertheless, I charged at it like a maniac, slinging my rifle across my back.

Left leg mounted the bottom; right leg was swung over; hands were carefully placed on the wire. All was going well until about halfway over, when my rifle swung round to my front, hitting me on the nose.

Considering I was in the leading section of the attack, and under a hail of fire, this proved quite awkward.

“Polsue, will you hurry up!” shouted my commanding officer – himself a part-time Reservist. My colleagues in No. 1 Section probably said a lot worse, but I couldn’t hear them, because I realised – and this really turned my blood cold – that the end of my rifle barrel had got stuck in the fence. At this point, I panicked: did I shin round and get off the fence, or work on the problem of my rifle while sat astride it – attempting to maintain every last ounce of precious balance.

In the end, I went for the former – finishing off the ordeal of the fence, and yanking my rifle as hard as I could. Eventually, I

succeeded in wrenching my weapon free. I tumbled to the ground, and charged – in a slightly bewildered state – up the hill with my colleagues, screaming some pathetic war cry at the top of my unbroken voice. With hindsight, I probably looked more like Mole in The Wind in The Willows than a frightening reincarnation of Robert the Bruce or a Zulu Warrior.

On which note, we’ll skim over my failure to enter the building through the minuscule farmhouse window, despite my CO’s attempts to give me a leg up, and move on to the point of all this.

Whether you like this sort of thing or not, it’s hard to deny the value of experiences such as these for a boy of 16 or 17. I mean, looking back on it, I really have been extremely lucky.

Not only does the CCF give you these opportunities, but it genuinely builds your character. Form; independence; organisation; leadership, and above all, respect – the Corps teaches you the importance of all of these attributes, and drives them into you. It helps you understand the

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importance of getting things right when it matters, and when other people are depending on you (… not to get lost on Woodbury Common. Sorry, current Fifth Form).

You could say that these attributes can be just as easily learned elsewhere. That’s as may be. But I didn’t pick them up elsewhere. I picked them up here – and am proud to have done so.

During my time in the CCF, I’ve had the privilege of meeting a huge number of Army, Navy and Air Force NCOs. Meeting these people has taught me how to converse with people who are very clearly in the driving seat, in a way that is pleasant, fun and respectful. This has been my CCF – meeting new people – and it’s one of the things I’m eternally grateful for.

But on top of that, and for reasons I can’t really explain, the CCF makes me smile. Whether you mock it or go with it, I guarantee that time spent with the CCF will be characterised by laughter. For that I thank – and, indeed, salute – the Staff and Other Ranks of Sherborne School’s mighty Combined Cadet Force for a most memorable, hilarious and splendid four years of service as ‘A Sherborne Redcoat.’

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THE CHE R R Y v v

I remember the time, when I was young. I remember the days of violence and war. And darling Amelia. Her face brightening the dark tunnel of life. Taken from me before her time.

I hardly remember the time that passed following the injury after the air raid. A doctor, bandages - they’re all just a grey glimmer on the horizon. The War got worse and soon young men were enlisting, ‘like pigs for slaughtering’ as my step-mother would always say when she saw one of the poor boys crossing the street to the station. A girl repeatedly visited me, cleaning the bandages, bringing me fresh water from the stream and gradually I learnt more about her. Little things at first, like our favourite food, and when we thought the war would end, but in weeks I knew almost everything about her. Her name was Amelia.

One day the doctor finally declared my leg was broken in two places and that my knee was badly swollen. I

TREE A

would not go to war for a year. But that year was the best of my life.

Amelia and I married, but my stepmother did not attend. We spent many days together. We moved away from the terror of London to the countryside. It was a strange experience at first, new smells, new colours but soon we had mastered our new surroundings and we loved it. Country walks by the stream, bathing in its cold delights. Amelia smiling at me as the sun warmed my back. A month later the cherry tree came. She was wrapped up in brown packaging with a string bow securing it in place. She was a mystery package and we could only assume it was a wedding present. We planted her the next day by the stream where we could see her. But the tree, oh the tree! Her branches swirled freely, like waves in the ocean. Her perfect buds, ready to bloom. But there was another side to her, the gnarled bark that was rough to touch told a story of sorrow, my

sorrow. Gradually as time passed with Amelia I was declared fit to fight for Britain. Amelia was not so sure, she begged me not to go. She thought my leg would kill me. That day my life fell apart and I made the promise I have hated ever since, the promise that has tortured my very heart and mind. I promised when I came back we would have a honeymoon, in a distant land with a different lifestyle like we had often talked about. A new life, far away.

But we never went on a honeymoon.

I cannot begin to describe life as a soldier: lives dropped beside you every minute. Nature was blown apart; screams of pain and vicious swearing pierced my ears. The war ruined me, it gnawed at my heart and grasped my feelings until I had nothing in me. I no longer felt anything in me. Life seemed meaningless. The puddles of mud I sat in turned to puddles of blood.

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SHORT STORY The boat back to England seemed too quick, as I remembered the journey I last took through the Channel many months before. The journey was almost easy as the bow sliced through the gliding water. I knew it was all too easy. The boat hit land and I hobbled ashore. Smiles greeted me, but they all seemed fake. Nothing was real.

She was not there to embrace me and kiss. She was not going to be smiling at me by our stream. I choked as the reality hit me.

Amelia was dead.

I lost meaning. Without Amelia I could no longer find my way through the tunnel. My shoulder stopped healing and I relied entirely on expensive antibiotics. I crumbled and cried, while tears turned to blood.

Amelia had been hit by a freak bomb, and no one knew where she was.

But I had my cherry tree, a token of our love, the mirror, the portal to her.

The portal to her, the mirror, a token of our love, I had my cherry tree.

I watch her now, I see her in the tree, the soft ripples of her skin that glide effortlessly, the twirling spiralling branches as she dances.

She sits there watching me, studying me almost. She is beautiful.

I know that she’s dying, every day her surface is even more rough to touch, her leaves more wrinkled than before. She wants me to go with her.

Her branches swirl freely, like waves in the ocean, her dying buds are ready to fade. Sorrow fills her. I weep for her and she waits for me, patiently. Her whispers persuade me to join her. I will join her and we will have our honeymoon in a strange new place. With my darling Amelia.

‘

War was a routine almost. I woke up and ate food that seemed as though it was saw dust. I was then shot at, I would run, I would shoot back and then sleep. It was horrific and so it was no surprise I was so badly affected. I don’t remember much else about war. All my friends died, blown apart before my eyes. But Amelia was right, the doctor was wrong. My leg collapsed when I was running towards the fortified German camp. At that moment I was shot twice. The two bullets pierced my shoulder and it felt as if my life would end. Arms lifted me and thick shoulders ran me to safety. I owe him my life, Private Davis, blown to pieces by an uncharted mine. I was taken to a medic so the bullets could be removed with sharp metal tongs.

The medic declared that I would go home to England. My days of war were over. I could not rejoice - war had struck that from me - but I was happy that I was going to see Amelia again.

Freddie Graham (3c)

End

Rachel Hassall uncovers the real story behind The Imitation Game

A look behind the scenes

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In October 2013, Black Bear Pictures arrived at Sherborne School to shoot scenes for The Imitation Game. The set and costume designers were keen to make the film as visually authentic as possible and made extensive use of the School archives. But certain aspects of the screenplay were not quite as accurate. So, what is the real story behind The Imitation Game?

Our archives contain material relating to the history of the school and many of our former pupils.

Between 1965 and 1967 Alan Turing’s mother donated to Sherborne School and King’s College, Cambridge material relating to his life and career. It is because of Mrs Turing’s foresight and generosity that today we know so much about her son.

In a scene shot on the Girls’ School playing fields, Christopher Morcom gives Alan a copy of Professor Scott’s Guide to Codes and Ciphers.

Scott’s book does not actually exist, but we do know that Turing was interested in cryptography and ciphers when he was at Sherborne. In November

1928, the library loans register records ‘A. Turing’ borrowing a copy of W.W. Rouse Ball’s Mathematical Recreations and Essays, published in 1892. As he sat reading this book in the Upper Library, the 16-year old Turing would have had no idea that just 12 years later he would be involved in the very code-breaking work it describes.

“I don’t speak German,” Turing announces in the film. But this is only partially true. In fact, Turing studied German at Sherborne under G.J.B. Watkins, though it is worth noting that the teacher said of him: “He does not seem to have an aptitude for language.”

There is a further twist to this story. During the Second World War, Watkins worked in military intelligence and his son believes that he would have seen many of the Ultra messages decoded by the Turing machine, without ever realising that his former pupil was responsible for deciphering them.

In another less-thanfactual scene from the movie, Commander Denniston accuses Turing of being an isolated loner with no attachment to friends or family. However, this is not the Turing who emerges from our archives. In his last School report the Headmaster wrote that Turing was “A gifted and distinguished boy, whose future career we shall watch with much interest.

I have found him pleasant and friendly and I believe that he has justified his appointment as a School Prefect.”

When Turing left Sherborne in 1931 his housemaster wrote to him saying “I will guarantee that Turing will be a household name until the present generation has disappeared.” Thanks to the Turing Archive and films such as The Imitation Game, this prediction has come true, in emphatic style.

For further information about Alan Turing visit the Sherborne School Archives online collection page: http://oldshirburnian.org. uk/school-archives/onlinecollections/#alanturing

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A utopia of the Artists such as Michelangelo, Titian and Turner evoke near-unanimous respect and popularity in both art and public milieus. Yet, such deference is not so forthcoming for the artists of abstraction in the 20th Century. While many gasp in awe over Turner’s ethereal colours and tones, abstract art is met with various reactions. Seemingly every year a painting is sold at auction, with a lofty price tag, which raises a cry of despair from the everyman: “$140 million, for some random squiggles on a page! I could have done that.” (No.5, by Jackson Pollock). These works are widely seen as meaningless or so esoteric that they are not given a second meditation, no matter how brief. Somehow, in the ever-increasing dominance of the STEM subjects and the coalition-led slashes to arts funding, the abstractionists struggle for relevancy.

Ed Wauton (U6f)

praises abstract art

Blue Monochrome, by the quixotic French artist Yves Klein, is an example of how there can be more to the abstract than meets the eye.

The distinctive blue hue is a variation of ultramarine, created and patented by the artist himself as International Klein Blue. Klein’s life was devoted to colour, and in particular IKB, which he believed could change the world.

The blue represented Klein’s fascination for the immaterial and intangible, for blue is the colour of the sea and sky – seen and experienced, but never wholly grasped. In fact, such is the potency of the hue that it can never satisfactorily be reproduced in print or on a screen, it needs to be seen in the flesh to be believed. In a wider context blue was often associated with infinity, for beyond the sky the deepest blues run eternally. The blue is so deep and so intense that it is always overbearing, an affront to the senses yet utterly enticing.

Paradoxically, the void, that limitless mass of blue envelops the viewer.

Klein believed it to be a ‘window’ into a boundless world of colour, a utopia of the human mind. I believe the expanse of blue to represent raw human potential in a universe of possibilities and permutations, at once a dream and a reality.

Another picture, Onement VI by Barnett Newman, has similar themes.

Again the enrapturing depth of the blue dominates the work, this time with a perhaps more ominous intent.

The hue lacks the brilliance of IKB and is altogether more restrained and foreboding. The bolt of blue down the centre, the ‘chasm’ that breaks apart the painting is the centrepiece of Onement VI. Various critics argue that the bolt of white represents the creation, a split in the universe from where all things must come. Or maybe it represents the inception of cognisance, rupturing

through the expanse of ignorance to shine new light on the things around us. Whatever your background or beliefs, one can find solace in that burst of light surrounded by the eternal sea of blue.

So why does this art matter in our technological and scientific age? It is because it offers no answers, save the ones found from within. They demand a period of evaluation, both of the piece and perhaps more importantly of the self. All art should be questioned, but that does not mean that some should be cast aside as without use or value. The most rewarding experiences are not necessarily the most accessible, but the ones that are most demanding.

Abstract art at its best challenges viewers to think for themselves, to ponder reason and worth and most of all to question what it is to be human.

THE REVEREND NICHOLAS MERCER REFLECTS ON SHERBORNE SCHOOL’S SPIRITUAL INHERITANCE Sherborne has an admirable and ambitious spiritual vision. The school, which was founded by the devout and Protestant Edward VI, seeks to nurture the spiritual health of its boys, guide them as they grow morally and socially, and encourage empathy, co-operation and integrity.

This is a tall order for any institution but one that is boldly set out on the school web site. I do not know how many parents send their sons to Sherborne on the strength of this spiritual vision. But, as a priest who had just completed his curacy, I wondered what I would find when I arrived at Sherborne at the beginning of the academic year.

Having been in a parish for three years before my arrival at Sherborne, the biggest challenge was transitioning into a chaplaincy role. Chaplaincy is very different from parish life and, in particular, the liturgical rhythm of the year is altered. Whereas in the parish the Church calendar dictates the weeks, months and years, a school is subject to the academic calendar and, to a large extent, the Church Calendar simply fits around it.

That said, what has impressed me most is the distinctive liturgical rhythm of school life. Church is an integral part of any given week. The school assembles as a community on Sunday night for a service in Sherborne Abbey ready to begin the week ahead. This is a focal point of the week and it is appropriate that the setting for our assembly should be within the context of a Church Service and in the magnificent surroundings of Sherborne Abbey.

The week is then punctuated by prayer and worship.

There are evening prayers on a Tuesday, Chapel prayers on Wednesday morning, Staff prayers and House Eucharists on a Thursday, Junior Chapel and a Candlelight Eucharist on Friday.

Great emphasis is placed on worshipping together as a community not only to come before God and give thanks for our blessings but also to nurture empathy, co-operation and integrity. This liturgical rhythm means not just that there is an appropriate time for prayer and reflection during the week but that, hopefully, the habit of attending Church is firmly established over the course of five years.

It is my hope that any boy leaving Sherborne, whatever their faith, will continue with their Church attendance and, above all, know where to turn in those inevitable moments in their lives when they experience great joy or desolation. At the same time, the religious language they have learned at Sherborne will provide them with something to pray or say in the moments of joy and tribulations that lie ahead and which are common to us all.

Led by the Spirit

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The second thing that has struck me about Sherborne is the strength of the boys’ faith. Again, a school is very different from a parish, where the typical Anglican priest experiences the beginning of life and the latter years rather than the middle years.

Being a school chaplain turns this inside out and the large part of ministry is spent working among teenagers.

The boys’ excellent spiritual development is reflected in their unassuming confidence and self awareness ISI Inspection 2015

For these young men, faith is often strongly and tenderly held in a way I had not envisaged. Their faith comes from the heart and can be very touching and humbling. The House Eucharist is often an insight into a faith that is strongly, but silently, held and can bring boys together who might not be expected to form bonds. The Candlelit Eucharist on a Friday night allows members of the school to worship, like Nicodemus, amidst the “anonymity and peace” of the evening and has a remarkable attendance and participation.

Education, obviously, lies at the heart of any school and all boys at Sherborne will have religious education to the Sixth Form. In their first year the boys learn about the great faiths. They study Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Thereafter, they study some of the great philosophical questions confronting all faiths as well as the moral and social issues that beset us all. How do we deal with crime and punishment? What do we do about poverty? How do we make sense of evil and suffering? Are science and religion compatible? All boys will have wrestled with these problems and more by the time they reach the Sixth Form. Their faith will have been challenged and, I hope, strengthened by this work.

I would add just one more comment to close. The trend for schools towards philosophy has been, to an extent, at the expense of biblical studies. This is a shame but is a national trend. Still, there is plenty of biblical study in the school. As well as the liturgy of the word in our services, each week the Christian Union “Crossfire” meets and we hold regular “Cake and Bible” meetings at Finger Lane. What is more, the extraordinary number of Confirmation candidates means that the central tenets of Christian faith and its biblical foundations are studied by a large proportion of the school.

All traditions play their part in the spiritual nurture in the school amid a spirit of co-operation and empathy that is commendable in itself. As a newly appointed chaplain, I find a school which constantly strives to live up to its Christian vision and model Kingdom values. I would be delighted, as a priest, to send my own children to Sherborne.

School House

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t the start of the year, School House conducted its first TED Talk Week. The objective of the project was to share knowledge, and encourage enthusiasm for particular fields of study.

Over the course of the week, each boy was encouraged to watch one lecture, record the name of the lecture and its presenter on a chart and then rate it out of ten. With the boys either being harsh critics, or else unlucky with the lectures which they had chosen, only five were given the top rating.

Nevertheless, there followed plenty of discussion about each one that inspired the boys to watch more.

In the classroom, with these theories transformed into action, School House boys have done much to impress. Subject prizes have been awarded to Hector Fiennes (3) for Theology, Malhaar Shah (3) for Biology, French and Physics, Hori Byrne (4) for Music Tech and Religious Studies, Peter Folkes (4) for Mathematics and Archie Macintosh (4) for Chemistry and Latin. Later in the year, Bob Armstrong (5) and Deniz BostanciFujita (5) received Honorary

BY KESTER JACKSON (HOUSEMASTER) Academic Scholarships, and Archie Macintosh (4) received his Academic Scholar’s Tie. In music, Peter Folkes was recognised for achieving a Distinction in his Grade Eight Jazz Saxophone exam – made all the more impressive by the fact that his right arm was in plaster at the time. Finnbar Blakey (5) was named overall winner of both the Halliday Competition and the Patrick Shelley Music competition – in the latter of which, School House won three out of the five sections.

The House also rose to victory in the inter-house football cup, with the junior team coming second overall after a penalty shoot-out. In the house rugby, our Mini Colts, partnered by The Digby, won the competition. Meanwhile, the Third Form won the swimming cup, and a gruelling inter-house crosscountry run ended with Harry Clark (5) second overall – closely followed by Jordan Berry (4), who came first in his year group. In Fives, Gregor Tims (U6) and William Pisani (U6) came through as overall winners.

January saw the performance of the house play, Crazy Horses. It was praised for being witty and

well cast, with Bently Creswell (3) receiving particular acclaim for his part of Plague. Other excellent performances came from Ollie Shale (L6), Carl Blucher (U6), Fred Downham (4), and Charlie CarrSmith (U6), to name but a few.

Bently also went on to win the Junior Modern class in the Sherborne School Solo Acting Competition, while Fred Downham secured the Winner’s Cup for his Mike Bartlett piece 13 at the Bath Festival.

Debating captain Seb Key (5) navigated his team – consisting of Joss Creswell (5), Malhaar Shah, Hugo Pralle (4), Bently Creswell and Batyr Serikov (3) – to the final of a fiercely fought inter-house competition. And, last but not least, we were delighted when Finnbar Blakey won the School’s Photographic Competition.

This is not an exhaustive list of house highlights – far from it. I have been continually impressed by how well School House boys have faced each and every challenge during the course of this year.

Abbey House

BY ED POLSUE (U6)

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he Oak Room stands as a testament to the vivacious spirit, good humour, courage and achievements of boys who, since 1837 or so, have passed through the same walls, and enjoyed the same jibes, jokes, and education as the current members of House B (our house letter).

If there is a room from where one should watch the year on some sort of time lapse, the Oak Room should be it – the roll-calls comprising laughter, hearty renditions of Happy Birthday, announcements, heated interhouse debates, pre-dinner drinks at Christmas, partisan mock election hustings, play rehearsals, and thunderous applause.

Our first prominent endeavour was the house play – Dennis Kelly’s DNA. Directed by Miss Sutherland, produced by Hugo Bromell (U6), and with noteworthy performances from Harry Kitson (5) and Felix Cairns (L6), this marvellously grotesque, macabre comedy turned out brilliantly.

It has been a splendid year for the House’s reputation on the sports pitch, with the captains of cricket,

squash, water polo, the 4th XI, and two captains of the 5th XV being among our number. Ollie McGill (3) has been battling against the waves in a number of school sailing competitions, while Rory McMillan (U6) similarly excelled – winning his cross country colours. The 1st XI has been ably led by Will Cochrane-Dyet (U6), whilst Alex Kwiatkowski (U6) oversaw the many successes of the squash team. To this can be added further achievements. For instance, Ed Guinness (L6) represented the school at Fives, Tom James (U6) rapidly ascended a rock to achieve victory in the climbing competition, and Tem Tuganov (3) secured the bronze medal at the HMC Judo National Championships. Abbey has also boasted a number of academic achievements this year. Simon Rose, for example, won the Philosophy Essay Prize in a competition usually restricted to the Upper Sixth – three years above his own year group. Rory McMillan gained an offer from Cambridge, and was awarded a place in the British Chemistry Team – leading to his participation in talks at the Royal Society, and the 2015 International Chemistry

Olympiad in Azerbaijan. Ruari Ross (U6) is the school CCF’s Regimental Sergeant Major, in which role he was privileged to lead the town’s Remembrance Parade, amongst other leadership roles.

What really makes Abbey, over any tangible achievements, are the various shouts across the bargeyard, every chant in the rain supporting the house rugby side, every joke with the tutors, every roll-call, the rough and tumble of the Sixth Form common room, the cups of tea in the laundry room, informal chin-wags with the domestic staff and the house tugof-war.

We are also the only house that invites every boy to the Upper Sixth Form Leavers’ Supper – illustrating the importance to us of ‘mucking in’ with everybody. And so it is with monumental, if suppressed, pride that we all remember the words of an old boy looking around the House this year at an Old Shirburnian event: “we’re a rare blood-type, type B; ...but by God, it’s a good one!”

The Green

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BY MARCUS MCGRIGOR (L6) AND FERGUS CAMPBELL (L6)

his year marked the 150th anniversary of The Green, which continued to live up to its reputation as a successful, traditional, yet fun-loving house.

endeavours this year, with the House retaining the house hockey and rugby cups, getting into the house football final, and our own Fergus Hamilton (L6) being made next year’s 1st XV rugby captain.

The Green was delighted to discover that our very own Jack Hillan (U6) was to be Head of School; becoming the House’s fourth Head Boy in as many years.

We got off to a good start by producing this academic year’s first house play – a collection of three short comedies. This received a very positive reaction, with its simple humour bringing the Powell Theatre to life. The second evening saw a large increase in numbers, as word of the hilarious acting spread through the School.

The Green owes some of its sporting success to the brilliant facilities available to the boys, and specifically the ‘cage’ – our very own sports enclosure that is home to the notorious ‘cage cricket’. The activities of the cage are much talked about among the boys, and the atmosphere this year has not disappointed. Representatives from all years have showcased what they have to offer – feeding off the friendships shared with older boys.

Ed Smith (L6), a deeply involved member of Sherborne drama, became part of the wave of ‘boy’ directors, achieving the unlikely in controlling such a rowdy bunch.

This helped him earn his drama colours and set the tone for boy directors to come. Streuth was a vastly sarcastic piece – enriched with irony, and reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy. Jack Dible (U6) and Henry Newman (U6) led the show with their perfectly timed stupidity. Other notable performances came from Charlie Toyne-Sewell (U6), Theo Beeny (L6) and Fergus Hughes-Onslow (U6), whose representations of women were rather too realistic. We have also excelled in our sporting

Then there is the football pitch that, for generations, has been a cause of envy among the other seven houses. This wonderful limb of the House comes into its own in the summer; hosting footy, rugby or even American football matches.

We pride ourselves on the diversity of talent that finds itself so abundant in The Green. This was made evident in the exceptionally high-quality house concert, organised by Henry Delamain (L6), which featured stand-out performances from Douglas Mak

(5) and Sam MacDonald (4). The working atmosphere this year in the Green has been just as commendable. Much of this is due to Mr Hatch’s simple approach to life at Sherborne – work being at the forefront of a boy’s focus at school. There is a good atmosphere in the house, with respect between years at exam time – helping the younger boys to understand and appreciate the significance of this important period.

We must remember that the boys are not the only force in The Green. The team of domestic staff has made life so much easier for the boys this year, as they always do. Nicky, our new, brilliant matron has done a sterling job alongside Hilary this year; the transitional period between matrons was made almost unnoticeable.

Lastly, The Green celebrated its 150th year with 400 old boys, staff and parents revisiting the House before venturing to The Upper for dinner and drinks. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all involved. The boys celebrated with a barbecue and games kindly organised by resident tutor, Chris Smith. This was a fitting conclusion to what has been another impressive, successful and enjoyable year in The Green.

Harper House

BY HUGO CLINCH (L6)

H

arper House is known for its community spirit, and its contribution to all aspects of school life – from music to drama, sport and academia. It is also recognised for its strong identity, and camaraderie between house members – otherwise known as ‘Harpoons’. This sense of fellowship remains with boys throughout their five years, and long after they have left the School. It is recognised in the annual Harper House magazine, The Harpoon, in which boys from the House write – often with lighthearted humour – to celebrate each others’ achievements.

A couple of notable achievements by the boys this year include a house play, directed by those within the House, and an outstanding turnaround in the inter-house water-polo competition. The play, Immaculate, explored the issue of the Immaculate Conception with a degree of humour. Two Harper boys, Finlay Thomson (L6) and Jacob Lane (L6), who have excelled in drama throughout their years at the School, superbly directed it.

The play was praised not only for its theatrical prowess, but also for the fact that it was one of the first house plays to have been directed by boys instead of a member of staff. At the other end of the co-curricular spectrum, the House

water polo team – which includes boys from all year groups – has seen a remarkable improvement. It has gone from celebrating a singular victory one season, to winning every game the next. This couldn’t have been accomplished without the House supporting the team on the sidelines. Much credit goes to Hugo Houlton (L6), who scored 21 goals – the total number of goals scored by the secondplaced house. These two achievements are testament to the boys’ adaptability in facing challenging tasks as a team.

Another highlight of life in Harper is ‘Monday night football’, where boys from all year groups enjoy an evening of laid-back sport and escape the stresses of the academic week. Similar moments of relaxation come in the summer, when boys enjoy a barbecue every Saturday night prepared by the House team. Such treats are treasured within the House as chances for the boys to come together as one, and enjoy the thriving community spirit.

Harpoons also represent the school in other ways, such as the Third Form acolytes who lead the congregation as part of the traditional weekly services in the Abbey. Many boys, by the time they leave, have formed life-long friendships, not just within their own year but also across year

groups – particularly in the Sixth Form. These friendships are often forged by the boys’ commitment to helping others.

For example, the boys in the Lower Sixth conduct what is known as ‘dorm duty’ for the Third Form.

This entails two ‘dorm heads’ taking time out of their usual routine at night, to ensure that the Third Form are ready for bed in good time. The boys address any problems, questions or concerns as well as talking to them about a range of different subjects while they are in the dorm. This duty, among many other pastoral responsibilities within the House, forms a bond between different year groups and shows the young members of the House that there is always someone to whom they can talk when they need some help. We are grateful for the contribution of our House Staff to the community. Matrons, the Houseman, Tutors and Housemaster all give us a helping hand in various ways over the course of the year. Traditionally, the leaving year will present our Housemaster with a gift to celebrate his enduring support.

The most notable of these gifts was perhaps a full-sized harpoon that the boys had forged themselves in the DT block, and that now hangs in his office as a constant reminder that we are Harpoons!

Wallace House

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his year has been another packed and successful one for Wallace House. It began with the appointment of Mr Wake as resident tutor, and a new prefect team headed by Robert Ham (U6) as Head of School, with the House being led by Jasper Slawson (U6).

The House has seen much development in its sporting status.

Will Stubbs (U6) led the House’s rugby efforts in the School’s 1st XV, with Angus Huntington (L6) ready to fill his boots next year – having been selected for the Australia Rugby Tour Squad.

Lower down the school, William Bailey (4) represented the U15 A XV at Twickenham, where they won the NatWest Vase, after scoring tries in previous games to help secure Sherborne’s place in the final. Year groups have also come together to secure some brilliant results in inter-house competitions.

The Fourth Form team reached their final, and the Senior Team carved out a crushing victory over Abbey House with possibly one of the greatest underdog stories of our time. Head of House Jasper Slawson captained the School and House Swimming Teams – breaking three school records, and coaching Wallace to first place in the inter-house swimming competition in the process.

BY HUGH JOHNSON (L6) Sebastian Fender (L6) has been selected for the first pair for School tennis, while Jack Meddah (U6) captained our House football team after a successful season starting for the 1st XI. Bradley Weatherhead (U6) has completed his fourth season in the School’s 1st XI for cricket, James Pyman (4) has captained the Junior Colts A XI to their best season for many a year, whilst Will Jowett (3) has opened the batting for the Mini Colts A team.

doors, while representatives engaged in fierce debates that provided a chance to broaden political understanding.

In another show of sporting success, we reached the finals of the inter-house Third Form football and the Junior inter-house squash, and won the Senior inter-house cross country competition.

Congratulations must again be given to Robert Ham on his achievement of a Trinity College Diploma on the tuba. Musical heavyweights from the Lower Sixth will be looking forward to taking the reins for House music next year. In terms of School Drama, special mention must go to Oscar Fearnley-Derome (5) for his playing of the title role in the Junior School production of Oedipus.

Our academic year began with the appointment of Ramsay Dibden (L6) and Archie Wing (L6) as honorary scholars, and Edward Pyman (L6) achieving 13 A* grades at GCSE. This was followed by Head of School and Head of House, Robert Ham, securing an offer to study Music at Oxford.

The Wallace debating teams excelled as normal, and the General Election set the scene for the Sherborne School mock election. Representatives of the parties mobilised in house with impressive propaganda poster campaigns littering walls and

The Wallace House Concert gave the opportunity for many to demonstrate musical ability, and for a short while the House was elevated to harmony and symphony. However, the peace was short-lived as, indeed, the cacophony of house life is destined to continue.

All that is left is to thank Mr and Mrs Robinson and the whole Wallace tutor, cleaning and maintenance teams for another wonderful year, to wish the leaving Wallace Upper Sixth the best of luck for their next steps, and to welcome in a new Third Form and house prefect team.

Abbeylands

BY HAMISH WOODLAND (L6) WITH HELP FROM JACK FITZPATRICK (L6), CAMERON DEXTER (L6), SAM BRUCE (L6) AND OLIVER ROSE (L6)

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bbeylands has always been a community: a true family of boys who can pull together when life gets tough, and celebrate our victories in style.

Through the leadership of the House, which the Claytons provide so competently, the boys are encouraged to live together and cooperate in times of hardship.

This level of respect and camaraderie for all members of the House is evident, even though the boys come from a variety of year groups. There is very little that stops a Third Form boy from talking to a member of the Sixth Form about issues great or small.

Tremendous thanks are also due to Sharon, Angie, Fred and the team for all of the time they have given up for us.

As always, Abbeylanders have shown their skills in the rest of School life. For instance, the winning U15 NatWest rugby team included four Abbeylands boys – among them the Captain, and Man of the Match Nick Jonas (4). These boys were welcomed back as heroes to the House, and the trophy now sits proudly on top of the mantelpiece in the Oak Room.

The Sherborne tradition of rugby is upheld through all years of the House, and we are proud of Jack Edmondson (U6), who this year reached the England national rugby team in his age group.

Of course, it is not just in sport that Abbeylanders can display their skills. The Senior House Debating team of Ed Wauton (U6), Oliver Rose (L6) and Harry Clough (U6) won a resounding victory against The Green. They convinced the judges that the internet causes more harm than good – a hugely difficult idea to argue, for boys who use the web for everything.

We also celebrated musical achievement, with Alex Stagg (L6) trumpeting the Last Post from the top of the Courts Tower in the Remembrance Day service, with the whole of the School gathered below. Added to this, the InterHouse Literary Quiz saw a team of boys from the Third Form to the Sixth Form win another cup for the House.

As part of the Old Shirburnian Day in the Summer Term, old Abbeylands Boys returned to the House, and we enjoyed showing

them around and hearing all their stories from their time at the School.

While some things have changed, others have remained constant: the Abbeylanders’ ethos of being friendly, helpful and hard-working, for example. It seems that then, as now, footballs were kicked over the wall into Abbey House, and boys would relax by playing pool in the Common Room – traditions that have been augmented recently by the addition of two table tennis tables. Inter-year competitions now regularly flare up, with the entire House coming together as a community to play.

It is clear that even as the House and the School move forward, Abbeylanders will always be able to support each other. It is our community, our family that sets us apart.

Lyon House

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yon House has celebrated many successes this year.

There was considerable academic accomplishment within the House – one of the highlights of which was Head of House, Max Wood (U6), receiving an offer from Oxford University.

We achieved a second place ranking in the cross country, and our Ten Tors team of Paddy Kerr (4), Olly Minchin (4), Cameron Bowden (4), James Dixon (4), Henry Jones (4) and Felix Storer (4) successfully completed this gruelling challenge within the time limit.

Our charitable efforts continued, with events such a charity penalty shoot-out taking place during the course of the year. Following a moving presentation from the Fourth Form, the house charity was changed to The Great Ormond Street Hospital – setting the stage for larger-scale events next year.

The House Concert also took place this year. With all boys involved at

BY TOM MINCHIN (L6) some point, it was an impressive evening with some of the top performances across all year groups. As a bonus, the House song was even mildly in tune.

Several fantastic House trips have also taken place, with the Upper Sixth storming to a resounding victory over the Lower Sixth in paintball early in the year. Trips also ran to see Yeovil Town play, although sadly not even the support of Lyon could save them from relegation. Football was not the only sport that the boys went to see: a trip to watch Somerset County Cricket Club also went ahead. More active trips included the Third Form caving and a teambuilding exercise to the Brecon Beacons.

This year also saw the inaugural publication of the house magazine, Black and Blue. The rationale for the change from the old newsletter was to provide a slightly more comedic and inclusive magazine, to which all boys can contribute.

Pieces ranged from sports articles

by the Third Form to satirical pieces from the Lower Sixth, as well as thought-provoking arguments about ‘times past’ from the Upper Sixth. The magazine also featured artwork by boys from a range of year groups, and displayed the breadth of talent within the House.

Sadly this year we will also be saying goodbye to some of our tutors. Dr Bradshaw, Mr Jones and Mr Kimber will all be leaving us to pursue new career opportunities, and Dr Stiff will be out to pasture in Devon. We would like to thank them for the invaluable support that they have provided to the boys throughout their time at Lyon House.

The Digby

BY JAMES ALLAN (L6)

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he Digby has enjoyed continued success in many areas of School life. But what really defines the House is those, past and present, who make up its community.

On behalf of the House, I would like to thank the departing Upper Sixth. They have shaped the very nature of Digby – helping and supporting those in need, confirming that we have no year group barriers, and setting a brilliant example to follow. We especially thank Charlie Paines (U6) and Matt Key (U6), our Heads of House this academic year, who have led The Digby with great charisma and energy.

We stand unique within the School, defined by the paradox of non-conformist individuality and collective solidarity. Sport remains strong. Our rugby captain, Matt Key, led the 1st XV to victory in what was billed as the biggest School match for a decade. It took place at Radley, who were celebrating their centenary of competitive fixtures. Matt made sure that these celebrations were short lived – abetted by Digby

stalwarts such as James Fenwick (L6) and Charlie Smith (U6), together with some new names such as Zak Smith (L6), Monty Cairnes (L6) and Caspar Bailey (L6).

One member of the squad even received his Rugby colours that same evening – promising newcomer Ralph Barlow, clearly one to watch.

The blend of individual and group was most evident in the Lent Term’s House Soirée, with a stunning performance given by Freddie Knott (5) on the ‘cello to the Digby Jazz Band performing All of Me, famously recorded by Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan.

The concert ended with a medley of 21st-century music performed by the Caldwell Brothers William (L6) and James (U6), and reminiscent of our very own Chris Martin. Thanks must be given to House Tutor, Mr Lehnert, and Matt Key, for masterminding the occasion.

Compared with some Houses, we get out more. Notably, to watch Yeovil Town’s tenacious but doomed fight for its position in League One, to our most beloved

Chelsea winning the Premiership title – pleasing almost every member of the House.

In The Digby, October’s trip to watch the NFL in Wembley was a real highlight. Mr Brooke, transfixed by the idea of a sport in which a 340-pound man can be described as an athlete, accompanied by several more nimble members of the House, advanced to Wembley to watch the Dallas Cowboys tear apart the Jacksonville Jaguars with some serious pace and skill.

So much for Digby Present. Digby Past was represented by diverse achievements – Richie Galloway’s (2014) two tries for Scotland in the U20 Rugby World Cup, Will Homer (2014) driving England to the final of the same competition. Oh, and watch out in October for Hugo Moss (2014) on Sky 1 HD.

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How Sherborne made my dreams come true... v v v

When I was 10, I dreamed of working in the field of mechatronics. It’s strange, because at that tender age I didn’t even really understand what the discipline entailed. I’ve since learned that it’s a fusion of Computer Science, Mechanics and Robotics – and coming to Sherborne from Romania to join the Sixth Form has given me the perfect opportunity to pursue my passion.

I built my first robot five years ago, and am always thinking about my next project. Since arriving in Sherborne last September, I’ve had the chance to found a Mechatronics Society at school, meaning I get to share my enthusiasm with like-minded peers.

Our society, called the Sherb.INO Society, has already started with a number of exhilarating projects that stimulate and inspire our techieminded members. It’s great to have the opportunity to look in detail at something that really interests us. That’s one of the biggest advantages of studying over here in the UK. In fact, I’ve had a thrilling time over the last academic year. I’ve garnered a huge number of new experiences, made some firm friends, and filled my mind with wonderful memories.

More than that, this school has given me the opportunity to become the person that I’ve always wanted to be. Before I came here, such a prospect seemed unlikely, and my childhood dream seemed like it would never come true. Now, I feel a step closer to achieving it, and that’s thanks in no small part to the support and encouragement I’ve received at Sherborne School. End

‘

Hunor-Chris Bocz (L6f)

Academic Review DR FILTNESS REVIEWS THE ACADEMIC YEAR AT SHERBORNE SCHOOL There have been some significant changes in our academic provision during the last 12 months, as the national education agenda comes into play here at Sherborne.

For example, we have introduced the first of eight reformed A-Levels, with the others to follow during the next two years. We have also started the new Maths GCSE curriculum with the Third Form.

They will be the first year of pupils to receive numerical grades rather than the more familiar A* to E, giving a reflection of the scale of this shake-up to the qualifications landscape.

When September arrives, we will begin a new era of SixthForm education at Sherborne School. Each boy will choose three core A-Level subjects, which will be taught over two years. These will be complemented by a wide range of enrichment options, including nine AS-Levels in disciplines as varied as Psychology, Archaeology and English Language. In addition, pupils will be able to choose from a variety of other courses, in areas such as cookery, beginners’ languages and Astronomy.

Set alongside these is a Sixth Form study-skills carousel, designed to help pupils develop essential habits that will improve their academic performance across the board.

We are also revamping the widely respected Extended Project Qualification (EPQ),

which enables boys to conduct detailed research into a topic of their choice.

An encouraging upshot of the review of our A-Level provision has been the largest ever number of external applications for our Sixth Form. We now have a healthy waiting list, which reflects the sense of vibrancy and purpose around study at this level in Sherborne School.

We have pursued a variety of initiatives this year to tighten our administrative processes and build on good practice. For example, we have overhauled our reporting cycle, to ensure parents receive feedback at least every six weeks, and after every major internal examination.

What is more, we have reinvigorated our staff training at INSET days and reassessed the way we set and monitor performance targets for teachers. This includes regular checks on the consistency and quality of marking, as well as a review of all departmental handbooks and curriculum documents.

As you’ll see, therefore, it has been a busy year for the academic staff at Sherborne School. But it has been worth the effort, not least because we have seen significant enhancements in our provision, and a renewed commitment to excellence across the full range of disciplines.

Tim Filtness Deputy Head Academic

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WRITING AT ITS BEST The English department is delighted by this opportunity to celebrate the writers in the school.

THE FOLLOWING PAGES FEATURE MALHAAR SHAH’S WINNING ENTRY TO THE SIR JOHN WESTON POETRY PRIZE, THE INTRODUCTION TO SIMON ROSE’S INDEPENDENT STUDY WRITTEN AS PART OF HIS ENGLISH LESSONS, ONE OF HARRY CLOUGH’S MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT’S SIXTH FORM SOCIETY, SALON, AND THE CONCLUSION OF HENRY CRANE’S A2 COURSEWORK ESSAY. AS EVERY CONTRIBUTION MAKES CLEAR HERE AND EARLIER IN THE MAGAZINE, THE TALENT OF THE BOYS IS SUBSTANTIAL. THAT MAKES THE EPIGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT’S LITERARY FESTIVAL, THE SHERBORNE SESSIONS, ALL THE MORE FITTING: “IT’S ALL ABOUT GOOD WRITING.”

REBECCA DE PELET HEAD OF ENGLISH

Poem The world is very diverse: There are many people different, In parts of the world different.

Because of this, cultural split there is.

Many different people have spread out, and culture and languages mix have become.

But because of this, English language appeared.

French and German to create English mixed.

Also, more modern languages like Russian have been made.

The thing amazing is languages still have the similarities.

Norwegian and Old English have many.

13th Century in, one thing happened: it had name, “The Great Vowel Shift.”

Many vowels switched with others – “whee” might become “why”, and words like “where” were more like “hwere”.

Because of this, many English words different to other languages are. “hwere” in Norwegian to “where” in English translates.

The languages different still have many of the similarities.

Vocabulary, place of origin. Many of the roots are the same.

But even after all of these, Word order is not one of them.

Malhaar Shah (3a)

(LINES IN THIS POEM REPRESENT THE WORD ORDERS POSSIBLE IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, RUSSIAN AND GUJARATI.)

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Open Books with an Open Mind Simon Rose (4b) rejects the limitations of genre…

This is a topic which suggested itself to me in the summer, after reading Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson and The Emperor by Ryszard Kapuściński. It struck me that, while Kapuściński was more conventionally journalistic, they were both reportage, and yet I knew that this was not how I had read them. I had read them for what I really believed they were: fiction. But if that was true, how did I believe writing was distinguished at all? Did I think that, though various pieces of writing may be categorised, this distinction was qualified by the different categorisation of separate sections. Did I think, therefore, that War and Peace was fiction, but that where Tolstoy goes into detailed explanation of historical context, it becomes history? But should I be asked to explain the book, I would still give the general definition of fiction.

This is obviously a contradiction, and would make the explanation of something like If On a Winter’s Night a Traveller utterly impossible, and may be even more of a problem for collections of various different works not, for whatever reason, sanctioned by the author.

The problem here is obvious: the whole is not representative of the entirety of the piece, but only the majority. Of course this should not be: what is a whole if not the sum of every part? We might try to explain this by saying that it is partly one thing and partly another, but this too would be absurd, forcing us to conclude that every piece of writing is in its own microcosmic ‘category’. Of course, this would make the use of a broader definition seem unclear.

So it seems that it is impossible to define any writing in terms of consistent stylistic appearance, for fear of having any work scattered into a whirlwind of microscopic sections, each with one consistent form, and deserving therefore its own categorisation. Perhaps, then, it may be more helpful to establish definition based on purpose; perhaps fiction has a different purpose to journalism, and poetry yet another? This would seem fatal to the idea that biography is not important in understanding literature, rather the more one understood the context of a piece of literature, the more one would understand the literature, without even having read it. Yet this is obviously not the case; I think Calvino puts it well in Why Read The Classics? where he gives one possible definition of classics as, ‘Those books which come to us bearing the aura of previous interpretations, and trailing behind them the traces they have left in the culture… through which they have passed.’

He explains the story of a novelist called Michel Butor, who ‘was teaching in the United States a number of years ago, [when] he became so tired of people asking him about Émile Zola, whom he had never read, that he made up his mind to read the whole cycle of Rougon-Macquart novels.

He discovered that it was entirely different from how he had imagined it…’ I do not imagine that this is an uncommon experience, and I think that Calvino’s engagement with the term ‘classic’ may be helpful to understanding the nature of definition in general. At any rate, it seems that it is not purpose or context which explains the purpose of categorisation in literature.

?

Why am I writing this coursework

Henry Crane (U6b) reflects on the difficulties authors face

I feel I sway dangerously towards a tone of discussion, not assertion in my essay, sailing at times too close to the wind when it comes to being decisive about certain points. But I do this with a clear mind. The Greek translation of elegy, ε-λεγειν, can be defined by splitting the word in two. The ‘ε’ can be translated as ‘eh!’ (the word exclaimed when one lacks the ability to express one’s emotion), whilst the second half of the word ‘λεγειν’ translates as ‘to say’.

With this in mind, I urge you to acknowledge my essay as my own ‘eh!’ with Wordsworth giving me a nudge in the same direction during his Preface to the Lyrical Ballads, ‘Poetry is a spontaneous outpouring of powerful feelings’. These texts throw two fingers up at conventionality, and I do the same.

Why should you be forced into an opinion about grief in the context of these three texts? Virginia Woolf’s impressionist feel, Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic narrative, and Christopher Reid’s deeply personal creation all run along the line of Mr Bennett’s view that ‘the foundation of good fiction is character creating and nothing else’.

It is true; why should we be forced into a solid, ‘Georgian style’ imagery of characters? But thankfully we aren’t. The beauty that comes with this is that we therefore are able to form our own opinions of the grief that these characters feel. By encouraging you to look outwards at the form, and not just the characters, a more wholesome picture evolves.

Woolf would agree with me that the minute you take your eyes off the text as a whole, you lose all perspective and with that, the beauty of the creation itself. Grief, as clearly highlighted by these texts is dealt with in a different way each time it decides to plague a person.

How you react to grief, creatively or via acceptance, or alternatively as in The Road, make it hopeless and accept as the man did, to live with and ignore the feeling.

Reid highlights this point: ‘In everything I’ve written (and it’ll happen again) the subject of when you get close to it, a loved one’s death, is bound to be endless, because it’s never resolved’ a quotation that I believe fits the criteria for To the Lighthouse and The Road too. I am going to persist with this: in the words of Professor Winterthorn, ‘the dead, I have to tell you,/ never efficiently go’.

Coffee Shop We had noticed each other for a while beforehand.

Quick glances across the choir stalls to see if he was looking.

And when he was, a quick smile and then looking back to the music While my own song beat in my chest.

We walked past closed shops selling antiques and women’s clothes; Me wearing my boots and him in cute plimsolls.

We chatted about families as families walked by On the cold, damp pavement that carried us.

He turned into the coffee shop and I followed, inwardly Floating with happiness. The smell of ground coffee Sank into my pores as we sat opposite each other; Coats on the backs of our chairs as if removing a layer of protection And revealing for the first time a hidden part of ourselves.

An hour we sat, talking about ourselves, about each other, about nonsense.

I watched his mouth as he talked, transfixed by his Soft, tender voice while his eyes sparkled under Christmas lighting, red, yellow and green.

Drinks forgotten, the world around us became blurred As I came to know him.

HARRY CLOUGH (U6f)

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A MEASURE OF SUCCESS Head of Maths Dr Neil Bradshaw

reflects on the importance of one of Sherborne’s most popular subjects

T

his is a statement I occasionally hear from parents. Like their sons, they find Maths rather a challenging discipline, but they don’t realise just how wide-ranging or important it is.

Maths plays a crucial role in modern life. And while people often think they’re no good at it, much of its essential features involve activities they do every day.

Think of problem solving, for example, or logical thinking. These are both aspects of Maths, which show how the subject is about a lot more than wrestling with algebra or arithmetic.

The less than enthusiastic attitude to Maths in the UK is almost certainly a cultural phenomenon, as Professor Marcus du Sautoy has argued. In Korea and China, for instance, Maths is deeply valued, and people see it as essential to their countries’ economic success.

It can make all the difference to an individual’s financial wellbeing, too. A recent study from the London School of Economics revealed that Maths graduates, and non-Maths graduates who studied the subject up to A-Level, earn an average of 10 per cent more than people of similar ability and background who do not pursue Maths as an academic discipline.

This all shows that Maths has a crucial role to play in society, and in a person’s own flourishing. Put another

“

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t any good at Maths at school either

way, if a person has an aptitude for Maths, it is in their best interests, and those of the country, for them to study the discipline for as long as possible.

With this in mind, we work hard to engender an interest in Maths among all of our pupils. We want them to feel passionate about the discipline, so that they are motivated to study it in depth, and to persevere with its trickier elements.

Of course, there’s every incentive for boys to engage with Maths just now. One of our most famous Old Boys, Alan Turing, was a mathematician, and his genius was the topic of the recent film, The Imitation Game. We held a special screening of the movie in the department, in an effort to demonstrate just where studying the subject can lead.

Other activities designed to stimulate an interest in Maths include the joint sessions with Sherborne Girls that we hold for the Third Form, and our annual Mathematics Challenges. What’s more, in the coming year, we’ll be introducing a range of maths clubs across the junior and senior schools.

All of this combines to make Maths one of the most popular subjects at Sherborne School. That means we’re inspiring the next generation of mathematicians. And just like Turing, they can deploy their skills for the benefit of the entire nation.

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LIFE CLASS As they prepare to head off to university, two A-Level biology students reflect on the applications process

L

ast summer I attended two university taster courses, at King’s Collage, London (KCL) and University College, London (UCL), on Biomedical and Biochemical Engineering.

Going on these courses was one of the best things I have ever done, for two reasons. First, it gave me an opportunity to look in detail at a subject area that I thought I would like to study at university.

This enabled me to settle on a specific degree course, in Pharmacology, which was a decision I struggled with until that point.

Second, it was great to spend a few days at each of the universities with people who I hadn’t met before but with whom I shared similar academic interests. They came from all sorts of different schools, and this meant I could find out what courses they were looking at and what they found interesting about them. These conversations played a crucial role in my final decision.

Overall, I would definitely recommend that other boys go on courses like these. They are very informative and I really enjoyed myself when I attended them.

STEPHEN REED (U6a)

S

ix weeks at my new school for sixth form taught me something very valuable about life: that to be happy, I had to follow my heart.

This meant a swift return to Sherborne and a drastic change in my plans for life after school.

Coming back to Sherborne was a great success, as I quickly slotted back into life in School House and into my A-Level subjects. At this point, I was still undecided on where and what I would study at university. Thankfully, Sherborne was extremely supportive as my plans evolved, switching from Classics at Oxford to Biological Sciences at Australia’s University of Queensland in Brisbane.

I chose this course for a number of reasons. Biology is a subject I feel passionate about, and I find the amazing breadth of topics that I can study as part of my degree extremely exciting. The list includes everything from Mandarin to Environmental Economics, along with an amazing variety of Biology-based modules.

I also have to say that the prospect of taking Reef Studies at the university’s Great Barrier Reef campus, and jungle fieldtrips in the Daintree Rainforest, holds a strong appeal. Add that to the fact that Brisbane has more than 300 days of sunshine each year, and an average daily temperature of 26 degrees, and you’ll see why I was attracted to Australia for my undergraduate studies!

GREGOR TIMS (U6a)

A WINNING FORMULA FOR SUCCESS Rory McMillan (U6b) represented Team GB in the International Chemistry Olympiad in Azerbaijan.

HERE’S HIS STORY...

For most of my colleagues in the Upper Sixth Form, the end of A-levels was a time to celebrate. Exams were over, and we were finally free to enjoy the summer.

For me, though, the end of exams meant that the hard work was only just beginning. I spent the next three weeks learning roughly two years’ worth of degree-level chemistry in order to represent Great Britain at the 47th International Chemistry Olympiad in Azerbaijan.

After ten days of intensive training at Cambridge University, three other school leavers from around the country, a group of academics and school teachers (our mentors), and I flew out to Baku for the prestigious competition.

Awaiting us were the best four chemistry students from 75 countries, all of whom were vying for medals.

Compared to A-levels, the exams were in a completely different league. There were two five-hour exams, a theoretical and a practical, and neither had any time allowed for breaks. One of the solvents used in the practical left me with an awful headache (unsurprisingly as it was tetrachloromethane - a highly restricted substance in the UK!) throughout the last two hours. During this time I was trying to balance doing a vacuum distillation, an incredibly precise titration and a technical kinetics problem, all with minimal space to work in. The theoretical paper was a bit less frantic,

but in my opinion far more challenging.

The organic chemistry delved into reactions that you would not meet unless you happened to be in the third year of a chemistry degree. Similarly the biochemistry required a substantial amount of problem solving and an indepth knowledge of the structures of nucleosides. There were also tough questions on thermodynamics, radioactivity, competing equilibria and kinetics.

Bearing all that in mind, I was very pleased to win a Silver Medal in the competition. According to the organisers, that makes me the 90th best school-age chemist in the world and the third best in the UK. But the Chemistry Olympiad was about more than just chemistry. During the trip, I got to know so many incredible people. Where else can you eat breakfast with the Swiss, have a morning swim with the Dutch, go sightseeing with the Singaporeans, eat lunch with the Venezuelans, play football against the Brazilians, have dinner with the Chinese and then watch the sun set with the Latvians, all in the same day?

For a bit of ‘fun,’ I have included one of the questions I had to attempt in this year’s competition. It is worth noting that a year ago I wouldn’t have known where to begin with this. I suppose a lot can change in a year and this experience has really made me appreciate the rewards of hard work!

Answers on a postcard, please!

Problem 4. From one yellow powder to another: A simple inorganic riddle.

The yellow binary compound X1 was completely dissolved in concentrated nitric acid by heating, the gas evolved is 1.586 times denser than air.

Upon adding an excess of barium chloride to the solution formed a white solid X2 precipitates. It was filtered.

The filtrate reacts with an excess of silver sulfate solution forming a precipitate of two solids X2 and X3, also separated from solution by filtration. To the new filtrate the solution of sodium hydroxide was being added drop-wise until the solution became nearly neutral (about pH 7). At this time a yellow powder X4 (77.31 wt.% of Ag) crystallized from the solution.

The mass of X4 is nearly 2.4 times larger than that the mass of the first portion of X2.

Determine the chemical formulae of X1 – X4.

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THE GIFT OF TONGUES Malhaar Shah (3a) and Daniel Berry (3a) chat to French assistants Fanny James and Céline Zoma about languages at Sherborne School Fanny and Céline, you have worked at Sherborne for two years as French assistants. How important is it to be exposed to the language and culture of another country?

In today’s world it is vitally important to understand the culture of our neighbours and therefore language plays a critical role. We have been able to contribute to this through our ability to add both language and culture into our work with Sherborne pupils.

Please could you describe your interaction with the pupils in the MFL department?

Most of the time we work with the Sixth Form, so we get to know them well, having spontaneous discussions on quite serious topics, such as the environment and immigration. A new development this year has been our work with the Third and Fourth Form, who we help advise on language choices for further study.

Do you think it is important for pupils learning a language to interact with native speakers?

It is really important and the way we work here in smaller groups is really beneficial. Sixth Formers can ask specific questions which they might not feel confident to ask in class. We are able to adapt our teaching to the level of the student, and pupils can also ask us questions about our country. It is a great opportunity for them - I wish I’d had it when I was learning English at school.

What do you think about our Triple Language Programme?

It is really beneficial that pupils can start learning a lot of languages at a young age, especially for the pupils who show language aptitude. Pupils at Sherborne probably don’t realise quite how fortunate they are to have this exposure to so many languages.

How much of a change do you see from Third Form French to A-Level?

It is dependent on the pupil work ethic. The Sixth Form is more motivated and they have chosen to study the language. Spending more time with junior classes means we can help them with their self-confidence and their French develops as a result.

Do you think the school motivates pupils well to carry on with languages?

Yes, the approach is clear, with real objectives and fun learning activities. Lessons are interactive and teachers encourage you to make progress. They praise pupils and create an environment where they want to talk. It is very different from our own school experience at home.

How have languages at Sherborne developed during your time here?

One enormous step taken in our time at the school is the introduction of MFL Department Student Reps.

Each boarding house has a Sixth Former who studies language and to whom pupils can go with any concerns or ideas about learning languages. He carries out research each half-term into a language-related topic, so that teachers can then deliver even more relevant teaching to the pupils.

What do you think about other MFL Department activities?

The Fourth Form has just come back from their German exchange, which is a wonderful opportunity. The Lower Sixth play is fun and the boys use translation skills to put their roles into three languages; it comes from them and is a good way to end the year. It shows them that they can use the skills they have learned through the year for a good purpose. There are competitions for translation and linguistics as well as events such as the European Day of Languages.

I

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HEROES

t is often said that the internet allows us to experience far more than our ancestors did by taking us on virtual tours of anywhere we choose in the world. But walking silently down the hill at Beaumont Hamel on the Somme in the direction of the German line, remembering the actions of the 1st Newfoundland Regiment, proved this adage wrong.

The Third Form boys had just been told by our Canadian guide that on the memorial topped by the Caribou, the youngest individual, Edward Kendall, was the same age as them. We were also shown the sites of the German machine guns, and observed that there was no cover for them to hide behind.

From the preserved trenches we marched down towards the Danger Tree, where many of the young men from across the Atlantic were cut down: 700 casualties out of 800 who set off.

We then hastened to the beautiful Y Ravine cemetery to find the names of many who had died there. You could smell the danger, especially when you saw the ravine that sheltered the Germans when the allied bombardment was in action.

Every film of the Somme pales into insignificance beside this experience of actually standing on the site of such conflict.

Some had questioned the wisdom of the Headmaster’s determination, following Remembrance Day in November, to take the whole of the Third Form to Belgium and France.

It would be expensive; the costs met from School funds alongside an anonymous donation. It was risky: would the boys be mature enough to understand what had gone on a hundred years ago, and why it is so important?

The answer was provided in Messines Ridge Cemetery on the Sunday night as a service conducted by the Reverend Nicholas Mercer came to a close with a quietly impressive unaccompanied rendition of ‘I vow to thee my country’. The boys listened with rapt attention to the sermon; the message had got home.

The plan was to look at two sectors of the Western Front, Ypres and the Somme, but also to consider different phases of the war: 1914 with the first Battle of Ypres and a visit to Langemarck German Cemetery; 1915 by visiting Hill 60, where Robert Kestell-Cornish OS earned his first MC; 1916 with a day on the Somme; and 1917 by considering the effect of mining and tunnelling at Messines and Vimy Ridge.

Meanwhile, the boys apprehended the grimness of fighting in mud during a visit to the Passchendaele Experience.

Museums like this and the Flanders Field Museum use the latest technology to bring the realities of warfare to life.

Visitors see and hear actors saying the actual words of such figures as Fritz Haber, the “Godfather” of chemical warfare.

In addition, interactive wrist bands enable visitors to select the information they want to hear.

The boys responded in many different ways to the sites visited. They took some superb photographs, and we intend to display a sample of them at school in the near future.

Moreover, some of the more artistic pupils were seen

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sketching, in particular at the moving Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge. This is startlingly modern in its design, with a mixture of triumph and grief portrayed: Mother Canada weeping over her lost sons. Others took themselves away from the main party to seek out sites of particular interest, such as the Indian Forces Memorial at the Menin Gate.

The memorial that captured most attention was the newly constructed Ring of Remembrance at Notre Dame de Lorette, which commemorates 580,000 soldiers killed in the north of France, from both sides of the conflict. Almost every boy found their own name on the memorial, and the nationless nature of the memorial showed us that this was truly a World War, with hundreds of Smiths following cold on the heels of hundreds of Schmidts, together in death.

There was only one Kestell-Cornish on the memorial and we were also made aware, partly due to the wonderful research of Patrick Francis’ book Vivat Shirburnia that this was a war that had affected our school greatly. Probably the most poignant moment came when the boys were searching for two Shirburnians on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing at Messines. ARL Tucker and GH Vacher were found one above the other, and the Headmaster laid a wreath below their names.

It was wonderful to have the Headmaster there with us, and it symbolised the importance of the trip. He and two boys laid another wreath at the Menin Gate after the Last Post had been played. The drizzling rain added to the solemnity of the occasion.

Curiously, two other Old Shirburnians were found next to each other here: the Sherwood Foresters’ TB Charteris and DW Ramsay. These men may not have known each other in life, but they came to rest in a little part of Sherborne in Belgium.

The final morning of the trip was spent in Ypres itself, purchasing chocolate, although some boys also boasted of buying original wire cutters from the Great War. Of course the staff had not had enough History and took in St George’s Chapel with its own memorial to 225 Old Shirburnians, most of whom had been part of the huge slaughter on the Western Front.

The organisation of the tour by Chris Hamon and Patrick Francis was exemplary, with a comfortable hostel, the Peace Village at Messines, acting as a splendid base for activities.

The British Bulldogs and games of football would have been very similar to the games that the Tommies would have played behind the lines while waiting for, or dreading, the prospect of action.

So what was the point of it all? To help us learn the lessons of history, and to remember the cost when we don’t.

Giles Reynolds Head of History

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ON THE BORDERLINE Oshi Corbett (U6d) assesses South Sudan’s chances of prosperity...

I

n spite of the turmoil, Oshi Corbett has high hopes for a new nation. On 9 July 2011, the Republic of South Sudan was officially born, following a referendum that passed with 98.6 per cent of the vote.

Ever since Sudan’s independence from the British Empire on 1 January 1956, the country has been rife with troubles, including two major civil wars and ongoing disputes. These wars have been between the predominantly Arab, Islamic North and the Christian South. Cultural differences and resource imbalances have led to years of northern domination, which has hindered development in the South.

Furthermore, foreign direct investment from China has allowed South Sudan to bypass the North’s hefty charges for transporting and refining oil, meaning that the South not only benefits from higher profit margins but also new infrastructure built with foreign money.

However, the source of this money brings back recurring problems: the fight for oil. Conflicts in the oilrich regions are worse than ever, with continued fighting in the Blue Nile area, Kordofan and Abyei.

Neither the 2005 peace agreement nor the official independence in 2011 has stopped this, despite the terms of both settlements specifying that oil revenue be split equally.

“...oil makes up 70% of Sudan and South Sudan’s export earnings

“

The announcement of a referendum for the independence of South Sudan was greeted as fantastic news, therefore. Finally, these two areas could go their own ways, free from conflict and trauma. However, despite many believing this could, and would, be achieved, the news tells a different story. Ongoing reports of conflicts in the area lead one to believe that this is a region destined for war, irrespective of circumstance.

The new state of South Sudan has by no means closed the development gap between the old country’s northern and southern areas. South Sudan still lags behind the north, and is dependent on the latter’s oil processing plants, as the raw material of crude oil is of limited use to southerners without being refined.

The North was internationally acclaimed for evenly dividing oil reserves in 2011, and the fact that South Sudan was left with no infrastructure for treating the oil was forgotten. Despite this, oil revenues can build a private market economy as well as public infrastructure and services. Infrastructure in Juba, the capital, has significantly improved as new roads have been paved, new electricity lines built, and new ministry buildings erected and renovated. That’s not to mention the new restaurants and some 175 hotels.

This is an issue that the independence of South Sudan has failed to address. It is one that looks set to continue for many years to come, as oil makes up 70 per cent of Sudan and South Sudan’s export earnings.

These issues have been compounded by the corrupt practices in the new South Sudanese government. Two financial ministers have been forced to resign over the misuse of a $500 million reserve fund and $2.5 billionworth of food contracts from other countries and international aid agencies. Other minsters are simply diverting funds for their own use.

Equally worrying is that despite promises to reinvest money in the country through infrastructure and technology, a third of the overall budget, $1 billion, is spent on the military. Instead of laying the foundations for social and economic development, the government appears to be preparing for another half-century of war.

Problems like these exacerbate internal tensions in a country already fighting an external war against the North.

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These internal tensions are exemplified by the recent conflicts between the Dinka and Nuer tribes. These are the two dominant tribes in South Sudan and are, as a result, fierce rivals. Therefore, when newly elected president Salva Kirr, a Dinka, dismissed his Nuer vice-president, the result was huge anger and resentment as the Nuer tribe felt marginalised by the Dinkas. Fighting ensued, and today there are thought to have been more than 10,000 deaths, while almost 500,000 people have been displaced.

The UN claims that 3.7 million people are in need of food in the country. In an interview with the BBC, the UN's humanitarian co-ordinator in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, said that $1.3bn (ÂŁ790m) was needed to deal with the crisis. In light of the continued tension and conflict, it cannot be said that South Sudan has fully prospered following its independence. It must be remembered, though, that northern oppression leading to southern repression has now eased, and this was the primary aim of independence. Granted, there is still a development gap between North and South, but the benefits of being run by a solely southern government are being felt, as interests now lie exclusively within the country.

Ally this with new infrastructure and increased oil revenues, and South Sudan has all that is necessary to succeed. But it won’t do so unless stability can be gained.

So how, one might wonder, are things different now than when Sudan became independent from Britain in 1956? At that time, Sudan was left in a position to prosper, as a platform for development had been put in place, yet the country descended into years of war and turmoil. Optimists argue that conflict and suffering are part of the road to recovery: an unavoidable period of unrest in order for the ultimate goal of peace to be achieved. At this stage of South Sudan’s development, this is the best we can hope for.

Oshi Corbett (U6d)

Charlie McMaster (L6m)

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GRAPPLING WITH Will Caldwell (L6m) tells Michael Ewart-Smith how Economics is preparing him for the future Why did you choose to study economics?

Do you need to be good at maths to do A-Level economics?

I have a keen interest in current affairs, and am interested to learn how things like commodity prices and the stock markets work. Economics provides this knowledge, and has a handy overlap with Geography, which is another of my A-Level subjects.

No. There is a perception that to succeed at A-Level economics, you must be an outstanding mathematician. That’s simply not the case, though a solid grasp of numbers is helpful when handling complex data.

In fact, I’ve gained so much from studying these two disciplines in tandem that I’m hoping to read for a Joint Honours degree in Geography and Economics at university.

What do Sherborne’s economists get up to outside the classroom?

Ultimately, I hope to secure a job in the City. Although economics isn’t a prerequisite for such a career, I think it equips me with solid foundations of understanding, as well as the skills to handle data and interpret markets.

This was definitely something that I considered when I opted to study the subject at A-Level.

What have you most enjoyed about the course?

There’s great variety in our lessons, meaning no two are ever the same. I have a particular enthusiasm for macroeconomics, and also enjoyed the class debates about the election and issues such as spending cuts, which were a part of our syllabus in May. The Economics department has been fantastic at preparing us for exams, helping to hone our technique and giving us really useful feedback on our mocks. This has made the whole process much less intimidating, and I relished the opportunity to test out my new skills in the recent AS-Level exams.

A further feature of the course that I’ve appreciated has been the opportunity to develop skills that will appeal to universities and future employers. These include researching, writing essays, analysing data, evaluating evidence and interpreting graphs.

One of the great things about studying economics is that your engagement with the discipline doesn’t end when you leave class. We’ve had loads of opportunities to extend our knowledge, including the fortnightly Sherbonomics where a documentary is shown about a particular topic and followed by a group discussion.

Another great activity is the Entrepreneur Society, which involves business people who come from a variety of sectors, from banking to solar farming. They come to school for an informal Q&A session with Sixth Form Economics and Business Studies students, giving us an experience that greatly enriches our understanding.

Boarders are mature, interesting to meet and they talk to adults with ease ISI Inspection 2015

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WRESTLING WITH GOD In an award-winning essay, Simon Rose (4b) reflects on the divine attributes

T

he essay offers a response to Stephen Law’s Evil God Challenge in which the philosopher proposes the existence of a creator which desires humans to be evil and suffer. The presence of good in the world is a problem for the existence of such a god. Law defends his proposal using inverted forms of the classic theodicies such as: • Evil God allows good to exist only so that greater evil may be achieved.

• Evil God likes evil best when we freely choose it, but allowing us free will means that some people may choose good.

• Evil God works in mysterious ways.

Law questions the validity of the original theodicies as failing to explain why they adopt the premise of a benevolent rather than malevolent deity.

Simon’s essay won a national Sixth-Form essay competition, judged by Professor Keith Ward.

The Evil God Hypothesis

The immediate problem with Stephen Law’s evil God hypothesis, though he is right that many theistic arguments are equally applicable, comes when he attempts to reverse traditional Christian theodicies.

When, for example, he takes the argument from free will, he seems, on the surface of things, to be right that evil God would need to give us free will for our actions to be really evil, but he does not explain why we feel compelled to act morally, or why our moral actions do not bring us the sense of shame we associate with immoral actions. Law retains the moral standards of the actual world even as he makes the character of the only thing that could plausibly alter them inverse. The fact that we strive for good rather than evil should prove irrefutably that, if there is an omniscient and omnipotent being, it could not be ‘omnimalevolent’.

This is the same for many of the reverse theodicies he employs. One to which this does not apply, however, would be his saying that, as a believer in a good God might say that evil may lead us to more moral actions or give us moral strength, this obviously cannot be simply reversed in the manner suggested by Law, nor can he explain the buoyant nature of hope, that which can be taken from even the most dire situations.

To conclude, then, given what we can observe of the world around us, the evil God hypothesis is not comparable with the good God hypothesis, as the theodicies which can be applied to the good God hypothesis cannot, in reality, be simply reversed to support an evil God. So, by presenting the two as equivalent, Stephen Law does the same thing as someone who compares God to Father Christmas or Frankenstein, and does little more than rebrand the problem of evil and while this approach may give us a novel way of viewing the issue, it does not, in any substantive manner, engage with the theodicies he attempts to rebut and fails to give us any reason not to believe in an amoral or deistic God.

LATIN LIVES

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Head of Classics Stephen Heath finds that the writing is on the wall for his discipline – in a good way VIVAT REX EDWARDVS SEXTVS

S

tand in the Courts and one is immediately aware of the rich history of Sherborne School, but look a little more closely and that history is enlivened further. A short tour of the school rewards the keeneyed with a plethora of revealing, humorous and sometimes poignant inscriptions written in Latin, ten of which I list below.

All who know Sherborne will agree that the front gates stand as a fitting entrance to a prestigious and worldrenowned school, the grand archway with the impressive coat of arms above and the inscription within, nisi dominus frustra, literally meaning ‘unless the Lord in vain’, a contraction of the first verse of Psalm 107, which reads: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain’.

But this was not the original entrance to the school, which was the somewhat humbler doorway in Church Lane, marking the original site of the then smaller school. Above this gateway reads the inscription: EDVARDI impensis patet hic Schola publica SEXTI Grammaticae cupidis nobile REGIS opus.

‘Paid for by Edward the Sixth, here stands a public school, the King’s noble work, for those who love learning.’

Beyond this entrance gate stands the OSR (Old School Room), the original classroom in which all boys were taught until 1670. Many will have noticed above the door the restored and brightly painted inscription in red and gold lettering, but few will have realised that this is a clever chronogram, which, while describing the coat of arms above, gives, by adding all the individual red letters together, not only the date of the rebuilding of the schoolroom (1670), but, by adding the red letters in pairs, also the date of the refoundation of the School (1550).

Tecta Draco custos Leo vinDeX fLos Decus auctor ReX pius haec servat protegit ornat aLit.

‘The snake protects this building as guard, the lion protects it as avenger, the flower adorns it as decoration, the founder, the pious king, nurtures it.’

The more observant among us will remember that beneath this chronogram used to be a further Latin couplet from the pen of a former headmaster, Charles Boughey, couched in a lighter vein, but now removed in our modern climate of health-consciousness and political correctness (and perhaps now standing outside one of Sherborne’s finest drinking dens!): Hanc cigarettanis dona, sis, finibus urnam, Atria qui fumans docta, viator, adis.

‘Present this urn with your cigarette ends, if you please, visitor, you who approach these learned halls as a smoker.’

Step inside, look towards the far wall of the OSR and one will immediately see, amongst the scratchings of former pupils, the restored, if a little garish, statue of the school’s founder, Edward VI. How many pupils, or parents, have sat beneath this inscription and pondered the irony of a free Sherborne School?

En tibi, Flos Iuvenum, Britonum Decus, Inclytus Orbis Splendor, Apollinei Deliciaeque Chori, Gymnasium hic Pueris statuit gratumque Minerval, Vt gratis discant: discito: gratus eris. ’Behold, for you, the flower of youth, the glory of Britain, the renowned splendour of the world, beloved choirs of Apollo, here a school and grateful gift for his own learning he set up for boys so that they might learn for free. Learn! You will be thankful!’

Heading towards the heart of the school, many School House inmates will no doubt have claimed as their own this short commemorative inscription, marking the extension of the school due to increased numbers in 1835 under the headmastership of Dr Lyon, and many headmasters since have no doubt longed to emulate this achievement:

SCHOLAE REGALI CRESCENTE FAMA ADCREVIT HOCCE AEDIFICIUM A.D. MDCCC XXXV.

‘This building was extended because of the growing reputation of the King’s School AD 1835.’

The small corridor outside the BSR (Big School Room) often throngs with boys awaiting Lists in excitement, or public examinations in nervous anticipation, but most will have given little thought to the bust of Frederick Temple, a former Governor of Sherborne School, who looks down passively upon them. What must he think of the discarded books and papers that strew the floor beneath him? This imposing bust was set up after being exhibited in the Academy of 1905, as a memorial of a man who, despite increasing commitments, including as Archbishop of Canterbury, worked unfailingly for the school for many years. Perhaps it is the plight of the aging schoolmaster to empathise with the popular old man who felt forever a boy!

Aspicite o Cives vultum Senis arte relatum et memori reducem mente fovete virum Hoc magis haud Alius puerilia Corda iuvabat namque Senex nunquam desiit esse puer MCMIII ‘See, passers-by, the face of an old man portrayed with skill and keep his memory fresh in your minds. No other man was more popular among the boys than he, for even though an old man, he never ceased to be a boy! 1903’ Heading off on a short detour, few boys, or staff, or parents, have walked through the Sports Hall and not noticed the large inscription on the wall, hanging amidst more contemporary images of athleticism, but many will have wondered at its meaning. In a similar vein to the OSR, this is a chronogram, the date of the building of the Sports Hall (1976) obtained by adding the red letters together.

PiscinaM caliDam Claro de fonte, deCora Atria qvae Clamant moenia taCta pilis Omnia LeX strvXit, monvmentvm et VovIt in annos, Qvod semper pveris cavsa salvtis erit.

‘This warm swimming pool of clear water, this beautiful entrance hall, whose walls echo with the sound of ball games, the law built all of them and dedicated them as a monument through the years which will always be a source of health for boys.’

Inside the swimming pool enclosure a bronze plaque commemorates the opening of the school swimming pool in the same year, 1976, as well as the dedication of a swimming clock, by the Headmaster, Robin Macnaghten, who makes the surprising claim to be the first to dive into the water.

| 71 HANC IN PISCINAM PRIMO SALTV INSILVIT ROBIN DONNELLY MACNAGHTEN MAGISTER INFORMATOR A.D.IV KAL. OCT. MCMLXXVI QUI HOROLOGIAM NATANTIUM IN VSVM D.D.D. ‘Into this pool first dived Robin Donnelly Macnaghten, teacher and educator, on 28th September 1976, who gives, consecrates and dedicates this clock for the use of swimmers.’

Interestingly, this mirrors the plaque commemorating the opening of the original school swimming bath (now Pilkington Labs) in 1873 by the then Headmaster, the Rev. Hugo Daniel Harper, who similarly wanted to be remembered as the first to dive in. IN ISTAM PISCINAM PRIMUS SALTU SE DEDIT ID IVL A S MDCCCLXXIII HUGO D HARPER A M VICTOR IDEM ATQUE CONDITOR. ‘Into this pool first dived on the 15th July 1873 Hugo D Harper MA, the same victor and founder.’

The road alongside the BSR offers a wealth of epigraphical interest. Each door of the Carrington building has its own inscription, with device of arms above, but the Devitt Workshop, built in 1921, adds an unusual touch of emotion to otherwise factual detail and a point of inspiration upon which this tour ends.

HANC · OFFICINAM EXSTRVENDAM · CVRAVIT ET · INTER · OPVS · IMMATVRA MORTE · PEREMPTVS MONVMENTVM · PIETATIS SCHOLAE · SVAE SCIREBVRNENSI · RELIQVIT ARTVRVS · DEVITT ALVMNVS · IPSE ALVMNORVM · FRATER PATER · PATRVVS A · D · MCMXXI ‘Arthur Devitt, who was himself an old boy, and brother, father and uncle of old boys, saw to it that this workshop was built and, taken away by an early death amidst his work, he left it as a memorial to the devotion of his school, Sherborne, 1921.’

These are but a few of the Latin inscriptions that abound at Sherborne, small pieces that make up the colourful puzzle of Sherborne’s history, fragments of a past that we all too frequently pass by and ignore. As Cicero once said, nescire autem quid antequam natus sis acciderit, id est semper esse puerum, ‘To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child’.

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GROWING TOGETHER Three years after its relaunch at Sherborne School, Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) is going from strength to strength

I

n 2012, PSHE was given a makeover at Sherborne School. The course was given a new name, and a renewed focus on helping boys make informed life decisions, build positive relationships, show resilience in an ever-changing world, and grow as well-rounded men of the future.

This was by no means a modest mission, therefore. But with the help of professional bodies, teachers, housemasters and the boys themselves, we’ve been able to develop the curriculum so that it is fit for purpose.

The course covers topics including divorce, bereavement, relationships, mental health, alcohol, drugs, pornography and online safety. In addition, it helps pupils develop key skills in areas such as teamwork, debating, listening and empathy.

In order to create a safe environment for boys to exchange views, we establish clear ground rules for our sessions. As a result, there is a great deal of mutual trust and respect, and boys’ relationships are deepened by the opportunity to learn and grow together.

Key to this is ensuring the course retains sufficient flexibility to respond to the issues of the day.

Drawing on feedback from boys, we’ve included sessions on a variety of topical subjects, including the use of force by the police and the dangers of weapons.

At the end of each module, boys are given hypothetical scenarios and asked how they would respond. This is a great opportunity for them to reflect on what they’ve learned, and how they’ve developed, during their studies. It’s also a way to ensure they can put their new knowledge into practice and act responsibly in the modern world.

That is the greatest merit of our new PSHE programme at Sherborne School. Through it, we are preparing boys for life in the 21st century, ensuring they can be relied upon to exercise good, compassionate and well-informed judgment in a variety of circumstances.

To build on our success, we will be adding PSHE to the Sixth Form enrichment programme this year. This will involve a suite of modules that address the concerns of boys at this stage in their development, and help them prepare for life beyond school. In addition, we will draw on the expertise of professional bodies to provide teaching in specific areas, such as personal health and self-defence.

It’s going to be an exciting time for PSHE, therefore, as we continue to develop and provide opportunities for boys to acquire new ways of thinking and being. That makes the discipline crucial to the school’s ethos, and to the future success of all of our pupils.

SEANA CUMMINGS HEAD OF PSHE

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BETTER BY DESIGN Design & Technology is a key feature of Sherborne’s commitment to preparing boys for the world of work

E

ducationalists are united in the belief that today’s pupils need to be prepared for the world of work. Since we live in a fast-changing environment, with technology moving forward all the time, it can be hard to know precisely what that workplace will look like in five or ten years’ time.

Even so, we seek to equip our pupils with transferable skills, which can be used in a multiplicity of situations. Design & Technology provides a rich opportunity for this process, not least in equipping pupils with the ability to analyse, communicate and present their thoughts and ideas with clarity and precision.

For some of our boys, detailed product analysis provides a means of acquiring the habit of looking into things in depth. Consider Alexander Davidson (5f) as a case in point. He wanted to develop a sculptural armoury sundial for his parent’s garden, and analysed a number of successful designs that are available for sale. To understand how they were designed and made, he “reverse engineered” them, and made decisions about his own sundial on the basis of what he discovered.

It was a similar story for Ollie Dudgeon (5d). He wanted to design a trailer that kayaking enthusiasts could use with their bicycles to transport their canoe and equipment to the water. He identified his target market,

and carried out research to ascertain the end users’ requirements. More than that, Ollie modelled the sort of data that might arise from his questions, in order to ensure it would be useful in developing his design.

A D&T field trip to the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in 2014 inspired Louis Drake (5b) in his project. He was inspired by the work of Martino Gamper, and wanted to produce a piece of tessellating furniture in this style. This required absolute precision, so Louis invested no small amount of time and effort in producing scale models of his design. As a result of this iterative process, he was able to produce a whole batch of units that fitted together perfectly.

As these examples illustrate, D&T provides valuable lessons for life and work to our pupils. By producing a portfolio using desktop publishing and computeraided design, they acquire skills that will stand them in good stead in a variety of professions.

More fundamentally, though, in planning their time, scheduling and ordering resources, and evaluating their designs, boys develop key skills in project management and research. They also enjoy the satisfaction of seeing their creations come to life, which is something that stays with them long into the future.

PETER CHILLINGWORTH HEAD OF DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Drama

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Holding a Mirror up to Humanity IAN READE REFLECTS ON THE PLACE OF DRAMA AT SHERBORNE SCHOOL Despite Drama’s fame for being “an easy option”, anyone who has succeeded at the heights of performance will know that the discipline is nothing less than a huge challenge.

Even the most natural actor struggles with the demands made in terms of preparation, performance and social skills on an unrelenting basis. Personal qualities such as resilience, consistency, team work, spontaneity and invention play a huge part in an actor’s success, just as they do in life itself. The struggle to master these skills before leaving the school is therefore a vital part of any young man’s education.

Drama as a subject plays its part in the acquisition of these personal assets in addition to providing an important piece in the jigsaw of a young person’s cultural education.

The Drama Department at Sherborne School not only hosts curriculum Drama but also serves as a crucible for the acting talent of the School, training the leading actors and increasingly, the young directors who are producing their own shows.

Although student directing has always been an intermittent feature of the School drama scene, it is hoped with the innovation of Drama curriculum that more boys will be taking on this challenging but highlyrewarding role. It is in this way that, in the years to come, there will not only be famous actors coming out of the school’s gates but also more directors like Sir Richard Eyre.

“

The school produces a huge variety of productions every year

”

Indeed, in a school with such a wealth of facilities and opportunities, there is no reason why a young man cannot learn, or at least start to acquire, the skills that will enable him to make a successful career in the performing arts later in life. This is one important function of the Drama department at the School.

Allied to this, the School produces a huge variety of productions every year, with two main school shows, four house plays, the curriculum Drama pieces and the recently-resurrected Edinburgh Fringe visit. As a result, the number of plays that a boy could see during their time at the school is huge.

Add into this heady mix of student drama the large number of visits to professional theatres and the theatre companies and workshop leaders who visit the school on a regular basis, and you have a wealth of opportunities for boys to acquire the skills they will need if they wish to choose a performance career later, or simply participate in one of the most popular art forms in our culture.

The concept that the theatre is a mirror for humanity is not a new one but it is a cornerstone of our approach to Drama at Sherborne School. The study of Drama affords us the opportunity not only to develop the skills required to perform, but also to learn about ourselves.

This is surely the highest prize any education can offer.

IAN READE HEAD OF DRAMA

Scowling and murderous expressions ALTHOUGH THE DUCHESS OF MALFI MADE ROBERT HAM UNEASY, HE SAW IT TWICE… I find it hard at the moment to put into words how much I enjoyed tonight’s performance, however I will certainly try.

Firstly, the set design was original, inventive, and was such a great aid to the moody and sinister nature of the production. The transparent rostra was ingeniously lit from beneath by LED floods; adding a completely new dimension to the performance, and fantastically bringing out the scowling and murderous expressions of all the performers, especially Edward Smith (L6c) and Jacob Lane (L6d).

The lighting also conveyed the emotions of the other performers brilliantly, bombarding all my senses with pain and fear. The technical, costume, and backstage crews outdid themselves and have obviously worked immensely hard to create a totally professional and wonderfully harrowing production.

I think the decision to perform The Duchess of Malfi was ideal, and the interpretation inspired, with the use of temporal syncretism really aiding the storyline and making the 16th-century script feel potent for the 21st century. Furthermore, the truly convincing acting on behalf of the whole cast made sure the themes of corruption, violence, and equality were extremely forcefully communicated to the audience. Many describe this macabre drama as the best of Jacobean theatre, and I truly believe there is no way it could have been produced any better.

The performances of the whole cast were like nothing I have ever seen before at the School. Jacob Lane and Patrick Reynolds (4c) (who played Ferdinand and Antonio respectively) were exceptional in the way they interpreted their characters. The passion shown by Patrick on stage is testament to his vast talent, and to the effort put in by everyone

involved in rehearsals. Jacob’s presence, meanwhile, was truly transcendent – the way in which he came across so forcefully and so dangerously psychotic enabled the rest of the cast to feed off his energy.

James Allan (L6m) always acts with a huge amount of charisma and, whenever I watch him, I am entirely transported into complete and utter belief of his character.

Tonight’s show was much the same, and I was especially impressed by his elocution of a script that is obviously difficult to master. However, the star was definitely Edward Smith, who never left his character and was in fact tremendously frightening. Bosola’s hatred, cynicism, and presence were overpowering; I found myself uneasy when he spoke, and when he was onstage. His piercing eye contact and vicious facial expression were maintained throughout – creating a fierce conflict of emotions within me, as he attacked the corruption of society at the time whilst also revelling in it himself.

Every aspect of this production was wonderfully professional, emotionally straining, and superbly thought-provoking. The beautifully macabre projections and documentary footage provided a visual backdrop to the immensely skilled acting, which again added to the impact of the production and helped make it a most enjoyable evening. The aweinspiring performances from everyone and the effort produced by the whole cast and backstage team exceeded everyone’s expectations. I was only saddened that the cast didn’t come back onstage at the end of the performance to receive a further round of applause, which they justly deserved. I will, however, be coming to watch again tomorrow as I cannot resist the opportunity to see it once more.

ROBERT HAM (U6e)

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S

herborne Sessions: a Review

O

ver three days in mid-October, an eclectic mix of novelists, poets, journalists, filmmakers and comedians descended on the town of Sherborne to give talks in the School’s second biennial literary festival, the Sherborne Sessions.

The event began with an opening dinner in the OSR, where we were fortunate enough to hear John Sutherland (Emeritus Professor of UCL) and Jolyon Connell (Founder of The Week and Connells Guides) speaking about the continued evolution and reinvention of 21st-century literature, in terms of its writing and interpretation.

The dinner gave boys the opportunity to speak with many of the writers giving talks at the festival. In light of recent publicity about the difficulties of sustaining a literary career for a long period (let alone a lifetime), it was enjoyable and useful in equal measure.

From there the Sherborne Sessions began. The Festival featured a vast array of literary talks on topics from rhetoric to sitcom, alongside a number of small workshops given directly by the lecturers.

Rory Maclean gave an intriguing insight into the city of Berlin; drawing on his wit and literary style to tell his story of the famously controversial city that has charmed him for over forty years.

Maclean’s story was certainly very personal – revealing intimate experiences from his time in Berlin, often through the medium of photographs.

Meanwhile, Louise Carpenter, Rachel Cooke and Tamasin DayLewis gathered to consider the responsibility of telling others’ stories. All seemed to agree that the success of such writing (judged by literary value, rather than by sales figures) relied on doing a story justice. That involved representing events and characters in their truest light – often having spoken to those who lived through their books.

Among the strong journalist contingent was Jonny Heawood, who spoke in the School’s Saturday lecture about freedom of the press in the wake of the phone hacking scandal. He also talked about his new project, Impress, which focuses on the self-regulation of the press. Heawood described how, working in conjunction with industry leaders, he was attempting to find new, fairer ways of allowing journalists to ‘say what they want to say’ without compromising legal integrity.

The theme of morality in journalism extended to a session involving three very different journalists from The Times: Giles Whittell, Katie Glass and Louise Carpenter. The session gave writers and audience alike the opportunity to consider where the line should

be drawn, given the increasing disregard for privacy in 21st-century media. What became obvious from this session is that the industry is facing an unavoidable period of uncertainty. It is fighting to put out fires on a range of fronts, from tablets to tweets – all of which is changing the face of journalism forever.

Ostensibly representing 21st-century journalism, and in complete contrast to those contracted to large corporate newspapers like The Times, Lucy Fry spoke about the pressures of being a freelance journalist. Considering the demands of working alone in an incredibly competitive industry, Fry revealed the lengths to which she would go to get her story into print. These included training to be a boxer for a competitive bout, and competing in a triathlon – both of which, she admitted, were far out of her comfort zone. Her fierce (but friendly) attitude was mimetic of the cutthroat business of journalism, and her frank assessment of her job offered a great insight for aspiring journalists.

The gate-crashing doctor, Gabriel Weston, combined an encyclopaedic knowledge of her subject with an eloquent delivery. She captivated the audience with her unique perspective on the male-dominated world of surgery – referring to her memoir, Direct Red: A Surgeon’s Story, and her first novel, Dirty Work.

The BAFTA award-winning filmmaker, Asitha Amereskere, discussed the craft of filmmaking and scriptwriting.

Here, as in his workshop, we learnt how powerful suggestion can be: his short films, Do not Erase and 14, definitely showed that less can be so much more.

| 79

JACK CRINKS (U6b)

The Sessions ended with a fascinating (and at times hilarious) talk by Sam Leith on the subject of rhetoric – detailing the many different forms that it can take.

Encompassing the study of

language from the Greeks to the present day, Leith enchanted the audience with his ability to incorporate both Homers (The Iliad and The Simpsons) into his talk. He concluded the Sherborne Sessions in an unexpected style – reading an excerpt from South Park that impressively managed to include each and every form of rhetoric from the session.

On behalf of all the boys, thanks must go to everyone who was involved with the Sherborne Sessions. We would particularly like to recognise the tremendous work that Rebecca de Pelet, Tom Payne and Bryan Pannill have put in to make the second Sherborne

Sessions such a resounding success.

Thanks are also due to all of the writers who participated in the festival. They gave talks that captivated the audience with their passion for writing – restoring faith in what is at times perceived to be a declining profession. Their willingness to share their time and thoughts with us, to listen to individual boys’ and girls’ opinions, to discuss writing after Sherborne, to offer advice about our own pieces of writing, and to inspire many to start, was invaluable. The Sherborne Sessions are supposed to be ‘all about good writing’. In truth though, they were about much more than just that.

HARRY PRENTICE (U6d)

In a return to the school of his youth, Tobias Jones detailed his discovery of Italy as a young writer, with particular emphasis on his first work, The Dark Heart of Italy. In a talk that covered everything from Berlusconi to football, he explored the often dark and sinister culture of contemporary Italy. He also gave some context to his new novel set in the country, Blood on the Altar, which – startlingly – is based on a true story.

t

he Making of Men or how it can help to be a Shirburnian

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SHERBORNE MAKES ITS BOYS STUDIOUS AND EVEN STYLISH, SAYS DR BEN WILD There are various views on what ‘makes’ a man: his manners, his dress, his strength, his stoicism.

Whatever you think, it is interesting to reflect that none of the popular and often-quoted aphorisms about manly virtues comment directly on educational accomplishments. In fact, in Baldassare Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier, a sixteenth-century precursor to Debrett’s Guide For The Modern Gentleman, it is suggested that a man’s knowledge of letters should be played down, so as to give the impression that his ‘orations were composed very simply’, as if they sprang from ‘nature and truth’ and not from study and art.

This does not mean that a school-based curriculum has never mattered; in simple truth, when Castiglione was pondering gentlemanly perfection and when William Shakespeare was scratching his observation that “apparel oft proclaims the man” onto paper, there wasn’t a standardised school-based curriculum to speak of and education remained the privilege of a few, rather than the prerogative of all. For a courtier to boast of his educational prowess would have therefore made him more loathsome than laudable.

Yet now, when education is regarded as a universal human right, older notions of what it means to be a man still prevail; Matthew Vaughn’s sartorially resplendent spy movie Kingsman, released last year, made much of the medieval notion that “manners maketh man”. Why is this? Well, perhaps education’s ubiquity means that intellectual acuity is now taken for granted.

If academic qualifications were still too rare to be generally lauded by Castiglione and Shakespeare, today, when approximately 50 per cent of UK students complete university degrees, they are too commonplace to be a definitive diagnostic of a man’s worth.

Far from worrying that their academic endeavours are in vain, I think Shirburnians can be assured (although hardly complacent). For not only do they belong to a respected and well-established school, where yearly examination results have continued to strengthen, they have the opportunity to avail themselves of all manner of extracurricular activities that help them to develop qualities of distinction that playwrights, pundits, Hollywood producers - future employers not least - value and vaunt.

There are many and varied examples of how Sherborne helps to “make” men.

The Turing Society, named in honour of Old Shirburnian and mathematical genius Alan Turing, has continued to

provide a forum in which Sixth Form students – and Oxbridge aspirants more especially – discuss and debate topics of personal and far-reaching interest, from the sonorous symphonies of Beethoven to the thorny issue of positive discrimination within American Higher Education.

Continuing the intellectual intensity of Turing, albeit in a more informal environment where the consumption of cake appears directly proportional to the zeal boys have for treating of topical issues, weekly meetings of the Wildman Debating Society and Model United Nations enable all year groups to participate in friendly verbal jousts. Both societies are coordinated by students so there are opportunities for leadership alongside team participation.

If these activities stimulate the head, Saturday lectures, weekly musical performances and the PSHE programme could be said to nourish the heart, as they encourage creativity, compassion and care. Abhaey Singh’s lecture, for example, reflected on the future of India and the power of debate over violence.

Moreover, the development of boys’ emotional strength and empathy is paralleled by the physical prowess they develop through individual and team competitions in sport.

But if these co-curricular offerings – along with all of those activities limited space prohibits me from mentioning – provide for a Shirburnian’s manners, strength and stoicism (if we take this to mean “musing” rather than “monosyllabism”), you may well be left wondering about his dress. Fear not, for this is amply covered as well. The Sixth Form’s tradition of Tweed Thursday continues to flourish and in recent years I have sensed that Shirburnians appear to have become more confident, certainly more discerning, dressers. In the most recent edition of the Black & White student paper, mathematician Mr Morgan was deemed to be the best-dressed teacher. I had to content myself with second place.

Crippling as this verdict was, a fashion survey that I have been completing with the Sixth Form for my academic research suggests our students enter their final years with a balanced sense of how clothing can be used to convey their different characters.

However you determine what “makes” a man, it would therefore seem that from the outside in, with academic and emotional qualities, Shirburnians meet the multifarious criteria. But should further guidance be needed, the School’s library does have a copy of The Book of the Courtier.

82 |

George Crane (L6b)

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A parent’s progress Rebecca Kennedy reflects on the experience of sending three sons to Sherborne I remember when we dropped off

matches as much as possible

peers in a more adult environment.

our eldest son at Sherborne. It

around the busy schedules of our

For us, this signaled our son’s

wasn’t the most auspicious start to

two other sons, who were still at

emergence into adulthood, just five

his – or our – relationship with his

prep school. Our eldest found his

short years after we left him in those

new school. We managed to arrive

niche in the summer term, when he

borrowed trousers on the School

two hours late, and for some reason

was allowed to pursue an interest in

drive. In that period, he’d made

I’d forgotten to collect his suit

swimming. He was even made

friends that would last a lifetime,

trousers from the seamstress where

swimming captain in his final year,

and became formed for a future

they were being repaired.

by which time we had another son

that has seen him thrive.

at Sherborne and were well-versed In consequence, by the time we

in the School’s ways.

waved goodbye to our firstborn, he

With our third son now coming to the end of his first year at

was wearing a pair of too-short

These include its expert preparation

Sherborne, it’s fair to say we’ve

trousers sourced for him by Matron,

for GCSEs and A-Levels. It is as if

come to know the School quite

and had missed both the

the teachers gently coax their pupils

well. We’ve enjoyed the rhythms

Headmaster’s welcome speech and

so they can crest the wave of

and highlights of its year, including

the tour of the school premises.

academic performance at just the

the beautiful new boys’ chapel

right moment. It’s undoubtedly a

service and Commem. And we’ve

It didn’t seem to matter, though,

stressful time for the young men

relished the chance to see our

and in no time at all he was settling

whose future seems to depend on

children grow and develop in

in well. We’d given him a mobile

examination success. But with the

company with friends, mentors and

phone so he could keep in touch,

School’s support and

brilliant teaching staff.

and he did so with varying degrees

encouragement, they seem to

of assiduousness. Sometimes we’d

acquit themselves exceptionally

After all that, it is perhaps no

receive countless texts and phone

well.

surprise to note my eldest son’s

calls in the space of a week. At

evaluation of his time at Sherborne.

other times, if he was busy having a

By the time our son made it into the

“Wow,” he remarked. “That was

good time with his friends, we’d

Upper Sixth, he fully embraced the

great: the best five years I’ve had.”

receive monosyllabic responses to

extra freedoms and responsibilities

our inquiries after his wellbeing.

that come with maturity. He loved the Saturday evening social events

We tried hard to see him whenever

with Sherborne Girls, for example,

we could, and attended weekend

and the chance to dine with his

END

84 |

SHIRBURNIANS FROM FICTION Ed Polsue (U6b) examines the portrayal of Shirburnians in fiction, past and present WHILE WATCHING THE COMEDY BBC SERIES W1A, A CERTAIN RELATIVE (WHO SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS) CHORTLED THAT WILL HUMPHRIES – THE ‘ADORABLY USELESS’ INTERN WHO SAYS ‘YEAH COOL, YEAH NO WORRIES, THAT’S FINE’ A LOT – ‘WENT TO SHERBORNE’.

I HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT A MEMBER OF THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT MAKES AN EXAMPLE OF THIS CHARACTER, WARNING: ‘DO NOT BE THIS GUY, BECAUSE YOU, IN COMING TO THIS SCHOOL, ARE IN DANGER OF BEING JUST LIKE HIM.’ THIS APPARENTLY ‘VERY SWEET GUY’ IS ALWAYS SCRUFFILY SMART, AND MAKES QUITE A FEW MISTAKES. HE IS, HOWEVER, UTTERLY CHARMING, AND TO BE HONEST I’D BE VERY HAPPY IF HE HAD GONE TO SHERBORNE. THIS DISCOVERY CAUSED ME TO PONDER THE COMPLEX NATURE OF THE CHARACTER OF THE SHIRBURNIAN. WHAT ARE WE THAT ETONIANS, WYKEHAMISTS, CARTHUSIANS AREN’T? WELL, FOR A START, THIS ‘MORE CHARM THAN INTELLECT’ THEME SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING ONE. BUT WHAT ELSE? LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT OTHER FICTIONAL SHIRBURNIANS, TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY CLUES…

HE C T O R M A D D E N The Hour

B R I AN ALDRIDGE The Archers

SERGEANT ARTHUR WILSON Dad’s Army

The Hour is a BBC drama set in the British Broadcasting Company of the 1950s, during the Suez Crisis. Plummy voices, lipstick and cigarette smoke permeate the surroundings – providing for a very sexy setting. (Art Deco studios, spies and journalists go very well together).

Brian Aldridge of Ambridge, the scandalous village in The Archers, is one such example. As a ‘fully paidup member of the Borsetshire farming establishment’, he is probably despised by the Grundy family, who would see him and people like him as their oppressors.

It is a setting into which the uppermiddle class Hector Madden, played by Dominic West, fits very well. He is married to an upper-class lady, and reaps all the lifestyle benefits that this brings: Black Tie dinners, shooting, mixing with high society. He is bored, however, and gains excitement from flings with other women, and showing more charm than intellect as the face for a news programme. He is snobbishly disliked by his lower-middle class colleague, Freddie (Ben Whishaw), who finds him predictable and obnoxious. Madden went through life enjoying it; Freddie had to work for everything.

Like Madden, Brian is also an adulterer (I sincerely hope that there is not some kind of trend here). He has a wandering eye and likes a drink, but is ultraconservative – struggling to come to terms with his stepson’s homosexuality. He is the bounder and cad of Ambridge, and whilst he may not be the nicest of fictional OS’s, he is one of the more interesting characters of the programme.

A somewhat nicer, more charming, example of a fictional OS is Sergeant The Honourable Arthur Wilson, of the Walmington-On-Sea Home Guard in Dad’s Army.

Although Wilson didn’t go to Sherborne, his educational background bears striking similarities to that of John Le Mesurier – the actor who stupendously plays him, and who is an Old Shirburnian.

In many ways, Hector is a stereotype – but with one difference: he went to Sherborne. I don’t know quite what it is, but the casting of Madden as a Shirburnian almost makes the drama better, less clichéd.

First there are the details – which, in my opinion, complement Madden’s Shirburnian status. He knows how to behave in a stately home, knows how to use it, and knows how to shoot; but the home is not his. He is upper middle class as opposed to upper class. The other thing, of course, is that he is a lad – cutting a cool figure in his sharp suit.

When Madden first appears, he is walking absolutely straight, accompanied by the smooth, smoky strains of background jazz music. An Etonian might have been portrayed as very polite, utterly impeccable, charming, posh and clever. Madden is audaciously but politely flirtatious, completely intolerant of snobs, oozing with schoolboy charm and perhaps not quite as clever as Freddie.

There are a couple of themes here that link to other fictional alumni of this School – namely: being more experienced than most when it comes to women, and being despised by colleagues or acquaintances of less substance.

Again, I feel that the career complements the character rather well. He is a gentleman farmer, and was perhaps once a member of the aristocracy. But the loss of family money over the years has seen him demoted from upper class to upper-middle class; from featuring in Country Life, to reading it.

While Brian’s wife gets extremely hurt by his affairs with a city slicker named Siobhan – who probably doesn’t have an Aga, but a more modern appliance – she always takes him back, just as with Madden. This demonstrates two things: first, that she is a slight pushover, and second, that she is actually rather taken with Brian, that his heart (oh dear) is in the right place and that he does truly (I’m sorry about this) love her. She is even willing to take on his illegitimate son, Ruarhi.

Charles Collingwood, the actor who plays Brian Aldridge, says ‘the only thing I have in common with Brian is that we both went to Sherborne’.

And thank goodness – perhaps this is where the gaps between fact and fiction begin to show.

As Aldridge is despised by the Grundys, and Madden by Freddie, the class tension between Wilson and his boss – grammar-school snob Captain Mainwaring – creates some of the best comedy in the whole of Dad’s Army. Throughout the series, Mainwaring cites Wilson’s ‘two p’nny, ha’ penny public school’ mentality as a curse.

Wilson’s tales of midnight feasts in the dorm, ‘tiddly pots,’ and his habit of shouting ‘bags!’ at every opportunity simply adds fuel to the fire – and unwittingly so, for Wilson is no snob.

Meanwhile, Wilson’s fling with Mrs Pike, and the ‘extraordinary effect [he has] on women’, simply serve to reinforce his Shirburnian status.

When Wilson is on exercise with the platoon, one can almost see him on some ‘deadly dull’ OTC field day (for back then, everybody had to do it). He would have been one of the few wearing his cuffs up and collar undone, not taking it seriously. Perry and Croft, the writers of Dad’s Army, must have had John le Mesurier in mind for the role, and many of the storylines were probably not too far from the truth. In any case, the air of the ‘two penny, ha’ penny’ public schoolboy’ does suit him very well.

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Upping the Andes Old Shirburnian Toby MacKean (f11) describes the epic Upping the Andes Charity Cycle Challenge As is often the case, it was during an evening in the pub with friends that our plan was hatched. With blind faith and naïve ambition we agreed we should “do something memorable” during the following year, once we had graduated. We settled on an attempt to raise more than £80,000 for charity by cycling fully unsupported the length of South America. We would, as far as possible, follow the 8,000-mile Andean spine, covering around 100km a day, in order to complete our journey within five and a half months (160 days).

Although people have cycled the length of South America before, we did not realise that few, if any, have attempted to complete such a difficult route in such a short amount of time. But it seemed like a good idea at the time and so it was that on 6 January 2015 the Upping the Andes (UTA) team embarked on an odyssey of epic proportions.

We were told that we wouldn’t make it, and that particular stretches would be impossible.

But, on 9 June, after 155 days of battling mountain, headwinds, desert, extreme temperatures, illness, injury, flies, mechanical failures and exhaustion, we made it to an unassuming lighthouse at Faro Punta Gallinas. This marks the northernmost uninhabited tip of South America and the conclusion of undoubtedly the most difficult physical and psychological challenge of our lives. Here’s how we did it.

Rising to the challenge It feels like a lifetime ago that the UTA team reached Ushuaia, the world’s most southerly city, excitedly pushing boxed-up bicycles through the airport like nervous Third Formers arriving on their first day at Sherborne.

Despite months of planning there was little that could have prepared us for what the next five or so months had in store. From the sub-zero temperatures of the snow-covered Bolivian Altiplano, to the 40-degree-plus heat of the Atacama Desert, our cycling odyssey took us through the full range of climatic extremes that this amazingly diverse continent has to offer.

One of the hardest sections of the trip was at the very beginning, through Tierra del Fuego. Here relentless gale-force headwinds and very poor road conditions (the so-called ripio) slowed cycling down to less than walking pace.

Occasionally we came to a complete standstill and comically fell off. Added to this, the landscape was so barren that hundreds of kilometres separated even the smallest clusters of trees.

In this baptism of fire there was no shelter and our slow progress meant food and water supplies ran low.

In the next stage of the trip we were rewarded with some fantastic cycling in Patagonia and the Carretera Austral. At one point, we pushed our bikes over a pass that even the region’s stoical donkeys would have struggled with (there were no roads). In many ways the Carretera Austral was like all the best female villains – disarmingly beautiful but with an unpredictable and vengeful character. After cresting one large mountain pass that was for once paved we were descending at speed (some 50 kph) when we saw two cyclists coming towards us, I waved – and woke up five minutes

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Wizened explorers later and 30m further on, in the ditch. My helmet was in pieces but it had saved me.

We learnt some valuable lessons in these early days, which kick-started our transformation into proficient cycle tourers. For example, we learnt to pack and unpack our panniers without thinking. And yes, we learnt to keep two hands on the handle bars, at all times. As we cycled north through Chile a daily routine established itself: 10 hours or more in the saddle, camping in carefully chosen spots, eating then sleeping.

Our appetites grew but however much we ate our weights reduced, which was to take its toll later on.

Our second crossing of the Andes was between Santiago and Argentina and from there we rode up onto the Altiplano in Bolivia. We had completed some massive climbs but the Peruvian Andes provided challenges on a new scale.

Each day we would face anything up to 3,000 metres of ascent (for comparison, Ben Nevis is 1,344m above sea level). With most passes standing at altitudes of more than 4,500 metres we were pushed to the edges of our endurance. The mental challenge of the daily grind was wearing, on us and our bikes. My back hub (axle) sheared when we were 90 kilometres out from Puno, in one of the remotest sections of the trip. With no spare between us I had no option but to walk seven miles to the next Quechua village, which consisted of mud huts. I challenge anyone to ask “Has someone got a 36-spoke European hub?” in these circumstances, but we did manage a temporary fix, and headed off to our next waypoint.

We were aiming for Cusco, tucked away in the Andes in Peru, where we were due to meet the mother of one of the team members who was bringing essential replacement parts for the bikes. She was later interviewed by a local newspaper, and said: “I was expecting to see four Chris Hoy types, with great thigh muscles, but they were skinny, bearded and exhausted. They looked like 19th century explorers apart from the Lycra. It came home to me quite how tough the physical challenge had been.”

There were many more highlights, topped perhaps in Ecuador when we were escorted into Machala by the mayor who had closed the roads in our honour. There were news teams and a 50-strong peloton to welcome us.

Finally we descended for the last time out of the Andes at their northern end in Colombia. We were now cycling machines, the end was in sight and we referred to this as our ‘sprint finish’. In reality, this final push was further than the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats, which just shows how our perspectives had shifted!

The trip provided us with plenty of stress, but our group harmony was rarely tested. Indeed, without the daily motivation we received from each other, we would never have made it. So it was with mixed emotions that we went our separate ways when we returned to English soil and the comfort of home.

Giving, thanks, and praise One thing that sticks in the memory is the level of support we have received, not just from home but from people we met along the way.

There were many occasions when people provided us with food, bought us drinks or even gave us beds for the night. And by far the biggest motivating factor for us all was the incredible donations that kept flowing in as we pounded out the miles.

My chosen charity, The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, provides invaluable support to young adults who suffer from depression, and their families. The condition is particularly prevalent in young men and, shockingly, in Britain more men under the age of 35 die as a result of taking their own life than anything else. It is a charity that I am immensely proud to have supported.

We are still a few thousand pounds away from our target of £80,000, so would be immensely grateful for any donations. To find out more about our epic trip or to make a donation, please visit our website: www.uppingtheandes.com. It will tell you a lot more about our adventures. And who knows? It may even inspire you to a challenge of your own!

T

STAFF FAREWELLS

o write anything about Patrick is an intimidating task. Few readers can have such a keen eye or a sharp ear for infelicities, and he self-identifies as jargon intolerant. There are already two things wrong with this paragraph: “selfidentifies”, obviously, and also, the negative start. This is because, if you look even for a moment, you can easily see Patrick as profoundly positive. It’s true that Patrick has a reputation for the colourful put-down. One boy remembers

him offering the advice, “James, could I ask you, in the nicest possible way, to shut your face?” His reports, which Peter Lapping has kept to take down from the shelf with affection, do contain quips of characteristic poise, such as, “His pen wanders like a spider across the page but rarely does his brain follow it”; but again, his reports were far more than expertly-worked routines. They not only advised boys on how to make the most of their talents, but also showed them, as if incidentally, what real craft looked like.This concern for pupils, and willingness to devote time to them, was clear from the start of his time here. He joined the staff in 1983, on the understanding that this would be a temporary engagement, but made such an impression in the classroom with his intellect and wit that those around him were quick to point out that this one was a keeper.

And so it proved, through the execution of many duties, starting with the role of resident tutor of Abbey House, to the running of Wallace. Those in his charge remain amazed by how well he knew them, without appearing ubiquitous or intrusive; they would often conclude that he slept less than most mortals.

Perhaps this was so, because he packed so much into the daylight hours: he ran the Shirburnian, somehow producing it every term with maximum style and minimal offence, either to its readers or contributors; he found time to act as repetiteur to Mus. Soc., managing, for example, the whole score of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius; and it’s joyous to know that a man who has Dr Johnson’s apercu, “Nothing is more hopeless than a scheme of merriment”, on his wall, was in charge of the Commem. Ball.

Patrick so stands for the more timeless values of teaching that it’s almost impossible to think of him stopping. But we have hopes. Many who have read those famous reports already know that his psychological acuity and sense of

pace will make him a fine novelist – more Henry James than James Kelman, perhaps, but there is a wealth of satirical prose in him that needs mining.

Nor should we forget Patrick the poet: his pieces in the Shirburnian in commemoration of Commem. showed how he can take the tightest of forms and the most demanding of models – Dylan Thomas’s highly wrought wordplay, or AA Milne’s brisk turnarounds of rhyme – and can make them say whatever he wants them to say.

It’s so revealing that when you ask him about his own writing, he refers you to the great organist Maurice Duruflé, who said that once you know the work of Bach and Rameau, you realise that you don’t need to compose music yourself.

Now, it’s pointless to try reminding Patrick of anything – his prompts about report writing and Star Prizes are the most tactful ever emailed - but he’ll want to remember that Duruflé was a fine composer, too, so there’s no excuse. Tolle, scribe.

by Tom Payne

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Patrick Haigh

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STAFF FAREWELLS

Hugo Carey Hugo Carey has been with us for the past two years. In that relatively short space of time, he has made an impression on many areas of school life.

As a Spanish and French teacher, he has taught numerous GCSE sets and played an important role in the AS Spanish course. He has always been willing to get involved in extension activities within the department, whether it be driving the boys to a debate, or helping develop a cultural aspect of the course. For much of his time here, he has been the MFL Learning Support representative.

On the sports field, Hugo has coached Junior Colts rugby teams – moving up from the C team to the B team this last year. In this capacity, he has enthused the boys with his knowledge and experience. He has also looked after tennis teams on a regular basis, gaining some excellent results along the way.

Hugo has demonstrated his enthusiasm for outdoor activities through regular involvement in DofE expeditions. He has continually contributed to the pastoral welfare of the boys, and has tutored across a number of year groups in School House. We wish Hugo all the very best with his next job as Head of MFL at Holyport College. His sense of humour and readiness to speak his mind will be missed by both boys and staff.

by Andy Nurton

Richard Cuerden Richard Cuerden arrived at Sherborne after distinguished careers as a professional actor in musical theatre, and then, having trained at the Royal College of Art, as an acclaimed professional artist.

Having whetted his appetite for teaching at Winchester College, his first contact with Sherborne was choreographing the Main School

production of Fiddler on the Roof in 2009 – a task he undertook even before joining the teaching body in January of 2010. Those who worked with him then were immediately struck by his skill, his energy, his desire to obtain the best results out of the boys and girls he worked with, and his sense of fun. It was these gifts, and more, that he brought to the Art Department.

Initially employed as the second in the department, it was not long before Richard was called upon to take over the running of Art at Sherborne, at a time when real leadership was required. It is not an exaggeration to say that he has transformed Sherborne’s Art over the past five years. The highest standards of attainment have been sought and realised, evidenced by the School winning the Good School’s Guide Award for Excellence in Art in 2014. Richard’s central gift is in identifying where any individual boy possesses ability (believing them all to do so), and then in enabling the individual concerned to develop this ability to an optimum point. He is a demanding teacher but also, at the same time, encouraging and supportive, and the boys under his charge respond positively because they recognise they are being treated as individuals.

The School is justifiably proud of its Art Department, whose GCSE candidates have all received A*grades over the past three years – ranking Sherborne in the top ten of independent schools nationally.

Richard has been a constant presence in the Art department during the week and over the weekends throughout the School year. Nobody puts in more time and energy than he does, with the boys ultimately realising that he demands nothing from them that he is not prepared to do himself.

It is this selflessness, coupled with his seemingly boundless effervescence, that has made him a

unique member of the teaching staff. In his role in the department he has been ably assisted by his wife, Libby – also an accomplished professional artist – and together they have formed a formidable partnership. The lure of a return to the South East, closer to family and professional links in London, has led Richard to accept the position of Director of Art at Brighton College from September. But rather than feeling sad at his departure, we should feel grateful for what he has given us, and glad that his impact on our community here has been so heartfelt and far-reaching.

by Giles Robinson

Tom Flowers Tom Flowers joined the school in 2012 from Clayesmore, and instantly made an impact both in the classroom and on sports.

An energetic and lively teacher, Tom always made sure the boys expected the unexpected in his lessons. He taught Geography passionately, and many have benefited from his engaging style.

Many also left with a detailed knowledge of Leicester City Football Club, which I’m sure will stay with them for life. Tom, however, was far more than just a Geography teacher. He also arrived as the Master in charge of cricket, and encouraged a love of the game through his committed but simple coaching approach. He leaves the sport in a strong position, with success across the age groups.

Graduates of ‘The Flowers Academy’ will also recognise the contribution he has made to rugby at Sherborne. Boys in Abbeylands will remember Tom as a man who motivates and inspires, but who also shows compassion.

Throughout his time as resident tutor he has been a figure of support for the boys, and I know he will be missed by many in the house. We wish Tom all the best for the future, and his work with the ECB.

by Tom Mason

2014/15

Andrew Gillott

Laura Gillott

Andrew originally joined Sherborne School for only a term, to fill in time before continuing his career as a lawyer after returning from Uganda.

The School soon recognised what a gem they had in Andrew, and convinced him to stay on as Head of Theology.

Laura is that thing that should not be rare, but increasingly is: the artist-teacher. She is a craftswoman who creates the kind of alchemy we should all want for our children that is, an approach to the job of teaching that places knowledge, wonder and care on an equal footing.

Andrew has transformed the department, leading by example and inspiring his team members.

The numbers taking Philosophy and Ethics at A level have doubled during his time at Sherborne, and he has introduced ‘Philth’, the Philosophy and Ethics Society for Sixth Formers.

Under his leadership of the department, the numbers of boys applying to read Philosophy or Theology at University have increased, including successful Oxbridge candidates. He has done all of this with integrity, compassion and humility, and always displaying a great sense of humour.

Andrew has been a lay assistant chaplain during his time here – preaching in the Abbey, leading assemblies and taking Confirmation classes. He has been consistently voted the best preacher by the boys (to the dismay of the Chaplain!) with his sermons and talks being described as ‘incredibly witty’, ‘funny and yet thought provoking’, and ‘compelling.’ His dry sense of humour, coupled with deep personal and spiritual reflection, have been appreciated by both boys and staff.

Andrew will be missed for his integrity, passion and energy as well as for the many friendships he has formed here. The School has been far richer for his presence and we wish him and his wife, Laura, every happiness in their future.

by Lindsay Collins

Laura joined the school in April 2013. During her time here she has tutored in Abbey House, directed The Birds and The 39 Steps, taught Learning Support and Drama, become a member of the English department, and completed a PGCE in English – for which she was graded ‘outstanding’. This year she has also taught Third and Fourth Form English classes, and supported individual Sixth Formers during their AS studies.

Speak to any boy she has taught, and you will hear a similar response: that she is kind, extremely organised, hard-working, fair and funny. Indeed, the last is a facet of Laura’s character not to be missed.

Deeply modest and reliably selfdeprecatory, she nonetheless has a fierce wit. She works hard and she works effectively, always ready to take on the next challenge.

Laura has provided her students with impeccable resources with which to work, while caring for them with an enviably moral rigour. I admire her, and am delighted that she now has the opportunity to work her magic on a school such as St. Swithun’s.

by Rebecca de Pelet

Cathy Herriman Boggle-champion, wordsmith and savage editor of everything I wrote Environmental and civil rights activist Gardener Antique restorer and dealer Historic property restorer Sam Smith’s Ale Drinker Coffee cup hider Friend to the depressed, the vulnerable, the threatened and the lonely Friend Cathy was an enigma ... and most of what I know about her I have found out since she very sadly died in February. In my current role, the use of social media by boys often can be a curse but in remembering Cathy it has been a blessing. So many different people from all parts of the world took to the Facebook Group Cathy Herriman Celebration of Life in the weeks following her death. If you would like to find out more of this pacifist conceived and born on a B-52 base, who has driven everything from a battered beetle to a Rolls Royce Limousine, who obtained her degree in Psychology from Bristol but never used it (well-she never used it professionally but she did use to put me under some scrutiny…), the mischievous one from her high school class … I could go on … then do ask and I can send you a link to the page.

Personally, my best times in teaching were spent on wet Thursday afternoons working alongside Cathy and A level boys trying to get their investigations to work. Cathy was so dedicated, enthusiastic and imaginative in her approach to her work in our department. She is hugely missed by all of us. To quote from a poem

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STAFF FAREWELLS

by Richard Feynman, Cathy was a universe of atoms who loved to be able to wonder and be curious about how she could be an atom in the universe.

If you still have suspicions of Facebook, two quotes from her page might convince you how well it can be used: ‘Cathy is one of the brightest and sharpest people I have ever known and the world is poorer without her.’

‘If “humour is intelligence dancing”, Cathy will dance forever in our hearts.’

by Peter Watts

Michael Jones Michael joined Sherborne in September 2014 as a Graduate Assistant, fresh from his Classics studies at King’s College London and Oxford University. He has proved a hugely supportive member of the department.

At interview I was struck not only by his unique Greco-Scottish accent and his passion for all things Greek (he positively leapt at the opportunity to teach Aristophanes at A2), but also by his real love of the classical world.

Undoubtedly, though, Michael’s greatest strength has been the rapport he enjoys with the boys he teaches – and in particular his ability to inspire Sixth Form classicists. He has, understandably, enjoyed his ALevel classes the most. Through tutorial-style lessons, Michael guides the boys’ intellectual curiosity and fascination – sharing a knowledge of Greek and Latin literature that belies his years.

Michael’s Lower Sixth Latin class has responded to the challenges he offers. As a testament to his interests, vocabulary tests cover not only Latin, but also Greek equivalents, with bonus marks for Sanskrit. Pupils will remember Michael’s relaxed but intellectual

approach, his good humour and his patience. We wish him well in his new role as Classics teacher at Brighton College.

by Stephen Heath

Jim Kimber Appointed in September 2012, Jim, aka J2K, joined Sherborne not as a Star Wars droid – as his initials might at first suggest – but as a Teacher of Classics (although he was successful in taming Sherborne’s own Jabba the Hutt, FROG).

to one of the Dolomite’s via ferrata or wild camping on Dartmoor. As such he has proved a vital asset to Sherborne’s Outdoor Education programme and Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, accompanying expeditions and supporting the Ten Tors Lyon House team for three years. He has also found time to coach Hockey and Cricket, and has been a tutor of Lyon House. Jim is moving to Dubai College to teach Latin and Classical Civilisation, which will offer him an exciting challenge in a seemingly far-off galaxy, but one step closer to his ultimate goal, New Zealand.

by Stephen Heath

He brought an infectious enthusiasm for the classical world and innovative teaching methods.

Few will forget when he videoed himself tangled in toilet roll to explain the complexities of Latin sentence structure.

Simon Rowntree

For three years at Sherborne Jim has taught AS and A2 Classical Civilisation, often assuming his oracular mantel when predicting each year’s public examination questions. But he has also guided Sixth Form pupils through Cicero’s rhetoric and the hexameters of Virgil’s Aeneid, as well as enlivening the somewhat dry study of GCSE Latin grammar and syntax with forays into the wider classical world: code-breaking, unravelling the complicated Roman calendar or exploring the flora and fauna of the countryside.

Previously Head of RS at St Andrew’s Turi in Kenya, Simon and his wife, Alanna, were also houseparents in a junior girls’ boarding house – an environment that he describes as ‘very highpitched’.

With all his pupils, Jim’s aim has always been to inspire interest and to expect high standards. Outside the classroom, Jim has attended Classics Society meetings and accompanied trips to museums, theatres and universities. His support on three Classics trips abroad has been invaluable – liaising with airport staff, securing the best prices for train tickets and organising, and then winning, tenpin bowling contests.

A qualified mountain leader, Jim’s passion is the outdoor world and he is never happier than when shackled

Simon Rowntree was interviewed for a position at Sherborne in March 2014, the day after his daughter was born. He won everyone over by showing them pictures of Clara – a novel but effective interview technique.

Simon quickly impressed Shirburnians with his sense of humour, fun classroom demeanour and frequent use of Alan Partridge clips. He is an irreplaceable member of the Theology department and we will miss his self-deprecating humour, boundless knowledge and infectious enthusiasm within and without the classroom. Simon will be similarly missed as an inspirational and highly qualified (perhaps overqualified) coach to the 3rd XV, and as a popular tutor in Wallace.

While we are devastated to lose Simon after a relatively short time at Sherborne, we are delighted that he and Alanna leave us to take up their dream jobs as Houseparents at the

2014/15 highly prestigious, highly academic and just high up Aiglon College in Switzerland. They are sure to be just as appreciated there as at Sherborne.

by Andrew Gillott

Peter Stiff Dr Peter Stiff arrived at the school four years ago as a Geography teacher from Haberdashers Aske’s School in London. His Geography lessons quickly became legendary, as his delight in and passion for his subject became contagious among the boys. Within a few weeks he had been appointed Dean of Staff and, with his wife, Alison, was soon hosting a series of dinner parties at St Mary’s that have been enjoyed by many staff members.

Peter and Alison have served Sherborne School with integrity, energy, generosity of spirit and hospitality. Peter has exemplified what it is to be a school master. He has been a valued and instrumental member of the senior team and a committed and loyal member of the tutor team in Lyon House. Alison, too, has been an invaluable presence to the boys in Lyon, who were able to call on her to help them with their Maths Hall.

In addition to all his school responsibilities, Peter still found

time to coach hockey, and support the boys at concerts and drama productions.

Peter and Alison have also made a great contribution in gently directing the spiritual ethos of the school, while offering selfless pastoral support to both pupils and staff. Their consistent presence at Abbey and Chapel services, support of the Chaplaincy and warm professionalism will be missed enormously.

by Lindsay Collins

Kirsty Sutherland Kirsty is leaving us to begin a new chapter in her career, in a new school and a new library. She will at last be master of her own ship, and I have no doubt that she is ready for this new challenge. She really does deserve this opportunity.

During the six years that Kirsty has worked at Sherborne, she has not only successfully completed her MSc in Library and Information Studies, but has also developed into a highly efficient and dedicated professional.

Kirsty has had to work hard to support the rest of the team, and ensure that the library runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis. She has single-handedly reorganised

the computerised cataloguing records, delivered informative and interesting assemblies with great aplomb, developed a successful series of inter-house literary quizzes, and devised the new Reading Challenge. When we started assessing the library provision in order to plan for the future, Kirsty conducted one of the finest pieces of research I have ever seen, she has also immersed herself in school life beyond the confines of the library, and has enjoyed her fiveyear tenure as a Tutor in Abbey House. I have seen at first hand the respect her tutees have for her when they visit her for a heart-toheart in the library. Her sense of fun and warmth is also greatly appreciated by the boys in house, and was particularly evident when she directed the Abbey House play, DNA, by Daniel Kelly. It was a superb production, especially considering it was Kirsty’s debut in the role of director.

The Library Team will miss Kirsty enormously, and I would personally like to thank her for all her hard work, support and commitment.

First and foremost Kirsty has been a colleague, but after six years together I consider her to be a lifelong friend. Goodbye and good luck; we will miss you enormously.

by Victoria Clayton

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STAFF FAREWELLS

Richard Warren This tribute (abridged for reasons of public decency) was given at the Staff Leavers’ supper.

Richard likes a bit of order, but not chronological, and so I will divide this talk into sections not beginning with his arrival at Sherborne in 1987, but instead each beginning with a letter of his name.

R

is for Revolutionary: because Richard has liberalleaning instincts, the boys think he is a Communist and a poster of Karl Marx in his classroom does nothing to dispel that image.

I

is for Itinerant: Richard is never happier than when he is yomping across a bleak, blasted moor and when asked by Simon Tremewan, in the days before Harper had a tutor’s flat, if he wanted to be resident tutor, a plan was hatched to site him in a Yurt, which only failed due to the dead hand of Health and Safety.

C

is for Candour. In an age of unremitting fluffiness, Richard said to his classes that he would be delighted if one boy failed his exam: it would be reward for lack of effort. But more than just frank, Richard is also principled. He ran CCF as a way of teaching boys values that would stick with them for life, was in charge of Duke of Edinburgh with the mantra that nothing would be put on a plate – this was an award that rewarded initiative – and he was the Amnesty International representative for the school. This is a man who does the right thing for the right reasons.

H

is for Humour: Richard is a thoroughly companionable colleague with a dry wit, whose reports would occasionally stray into historical parody, glorying in the Stakhanovite efforts of his pupils for instance.

A

is for Analytical. Richard has a fine mind honed in the halls of Cambridge. My approach to a problem in the Department would be to fudge the issue so the fewest people were offended, but Richard, with ruthless logic, would espouse the best solution. His Field Days to places such as Portsmouth, Bovington and further afield were planned with military efficiency. Nothing that went wrong was his fault.

R

is for Retro, especially in terms of fashion. The brown (not sure what colour originally) corduroy jacket and Cromwell Association sweatshirt will eventually be standard student (and teacher) wear again.

D

is for Deprecating – or, to be more precise, selfdeprecating. Richard, ironically for a Royal Signals man, does have a great tendency to mumble. He describes himself as a washed-up old codger with only one way of teaching. Not for him the voyage of mutual self-discovery. Richard knew his stuff, and if boys were interested in learning, he was superb – despite his protestations to the contrary.

His decision to retire just a touch early is partly due to his belief that teaching is a young man’s game, but I suspect he will be as busy in retirement as he has been in his long and distinguished career at Sherborne.

by Giles Reynolds

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Hugo Fenwick (L6m)

Sherborne

Sport

Who can deny the importance of sport to the education boys receive at Sherborne School? The habits of team work, self-reliance and tenacity acquired through participating in sport stay with these young men for the rest of their lives. In this way, we prepare them for a world in which they will be called upon to step up and make a difference.

We don’t expect every pupil to be the finest sportsman. But we do ask for their utmost effort, in training and in competitive matches, so that they learn something of what it is to give of yourself one hundred per cent.

There is no doubt that this yields unprecedented success in a variety of disciplines. Consider the Junior Colts’ triumph in the NatWest Vase, winning a memorable final at Twickenham over fierce rivals Oakham School. Despite their opponents having an up-and-coming international rugby superstar in

their number, our boys dug in, worked hard together, and were rewarded with victory.

That’s the kind of spirit that marks Sherborne School out. Whether it is on the rugby field or fives court, where we enjoyed an extremely good year, the cricket pitch or swimming pool (ditto), our boys have an indomitable commitment to working as hard as possible in the pursuit of glory. And that feels like victory enough – for it is in the striving that true valour is achieved.

Even so, as the following pages reveal, we have our share of successes, enabling us to compete with the finest in the country in a variety of sports. This, then, is the opportunity we offer our boys: to play with the best, to pursue victory, and to grow into true winners.

Dave Guy Director of Sport

2014-15 WAS A YEAR OF HIGH SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT AT SHERBORNE

HERE’S AN OVERVIEW OF EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED

Rugby An exciting 2014 season saw Sherborne play more than 200 fixtures with teams in all age groups enjoying a weekly programme, which balanced technical and tactical coaching with the challenge of a tough fixture a week. The rugby programme at Sherborne speaks volumes about the quality and provision on offer and the experience that the boys have on a weekly basis.

that there is the capacity for us to achieve more than our current efforts. In the words of the New Zealand born writer, Katherine Mansfield, I need for the young players of Sherborne “to be all that they are capable of becoming”, only then will we be truly up there with the schools’ rugby elite.” The 2014 season has certainly seen us move a step closer to fulfilling our potential.

The pre-season preparations for the 2014 season were held at Sherborne where a 1st XV squad of 40 players trained for two days before playing a training game against Sherborne Town’s Colts who won last year’s Dorset Cup. This year’s 1st XV Captain, Matthew Key (U6m), was instrumental in establishing clear goals and clarity on the culture that would be needed to succeed.

Pilgrims Saturday saw us retain the James Harding Cup in front of a very loud and supportive Upper crowd. Our visit to Radley would mark the 100th year of the fixture between the two schools and Radley provided all involved with a day to remember as all twenty fixtures were played culminating in the 1st XV victory for the new Centenary Cup in front of a crowd that was in the thousands.

Against Bishops’ the boys showed a great deal of patience and maturity in their approach to wear down a very committed team. The tight bond that was becoming more and more evident as the weeks passed saw the 1st XV record another victory away from home.

Marlborough returned to the school fixture list after a two-year break and it was business as usual as the visitors put the Sherborne line under some early

Sherborne 1st XV

In my 2013 report on the season I said “I firmly believe

pressure. Some outstanding defence (this year rebranded as attack without the ball) ensured that our line remained intact and the pressure from a dominant pack provided a great platform that resulted in four tries and our fourth straight victory. It came at a cost, however, as full-back Oliver Nott (U6c) suffered a torn hamstring that would keep him out for most of the season.

After a defeat at Cheltenham, our last game of the halfterm against Wellington College gave us an opportunity to learn from the previous week’s defeat. The Wellington 1st XV boasted seven international backs and they were certainly the difference in the game. With the Sherborne pack dominating the set piece it needed something special from the Wellington backs and they obliged with

four unbelievable tries, two either side of the break. Special mention must be made of two players who made their 1st XV debuts in this match and really stepped up, Xandy Dembinski (5c) faced last year’s England U16 centre but gave a good account of himself and Ben Murray (L6g) put himself about and was a real physical presence at lock.

The October break provided 25 Sherborne players with the opportunity to be involved in the inaugural Mike Davis Cup which will be played bi-annually against St Paul’s School. This fixture provided us with the opportunity to give some of our Colts and 2nd XV players an experience of 1st XV rugby. The game was a fantastic occasion with Mike on hand to present the Trophy to the winners. With the Thames as the backdrop, the XV put in a very committed and physical performance to return to winning ways.

Bryanston were the next opponents for the XV. On a rain-drenched Saturday afternoon, away from home, the lads showed real character and controlled the game to secure a win.

The excellent form was carried forward into our next local derby match against Canford. Back on the Upper, the 1st XV backs led by Fergus Hughes-Onslow (U6c) showed real flare as the team raced to victory. The combinations in midfield, back three and half-back had been developing all season, and it was in the Canford game that they really “clicked”. Caspar Bailey (L6m), George Wallington (L6d), Tom Lewis (L6a) and Monty Cairnes (L6m) will be pivotal members of next year’s 1st XV back line with Fergus Hamilton (L6c), in his third season, giving some much needed continuity.

David Muckalt reflects on a successful year for Sherborne’s 1st XV rugby team The penultimate Saturday block of the season was against Clifton.

Traditionally this has been a very close affair but this was not the case as the XV raced into an early lead following some dominant line-out play. Oliver Wurfbain (U6a), Zak Smith (L6m) and Charlie Smith (U6m) provided clean ball in the line-out and James Fenwick (L6m) controlled our driving maul (as he did throughout the season) and benefitted, reaching double figures on his personal try count.

Our “attack without the ball” was becoming more of a dominant feature of our play with the XV only conceding 57 points in our last six matches. The determination not to concede points was clearly evident as we went into our last Saturday game against King’s, Taunton.

With a dominant lead built up through a combination of excellent set piece and continuity play and with less than three minutes to play, King’s threw everything they had at us but the Sherborne line remained intact.

The NatWest Cup Competition started with two early victories against Poole Grammar School and Richard Huish College.

This took us through to the fifth round of the competition as byes had been received for two earlier rounds following our efforts in last year’s competition. The home tie against Exeter School was to be our first real test in the competition and a

mixture of complacency on our part and some outstanding performances from the Exeter XV provided us with a muchneeded reminder that Cup rugby is very different from the weekly challenges our Saturday blocks bring. This acted as a wake-up call, and Truro School received the backlash.

The visit to Dauntsey’s on the third week of the spring term would prove to be a very frustrating day.

The forwards dominated, as they had throughout the season, but lacked that clinical finishing that had seen us rule so many lineouts before the break. The backs lacked the sharpness that had been so evident in their performances against Clifton and Canford. With the game tied on penalty kicks at half-time Sherborne started the second half really well and should have scored on three occasions, two driving mauls were held up and after an unbelievable line of run by Charlie Smith (U6m), we saw the ball dislodged from his hands as he crossed the line after a last ditch tackle. Dauntsey’s will certainly acknowledge that their try was somewhat fortuitous as a clearance kick-dropped between two Sherborne defenders before bouncing at right angles into the hands of a surprised chasing back.

Sherborne managed to score with the last play of the game and a conversion kick would have drawn the game and put us through.

The kick at goal summed

up our day as it passed the left upright no more than an inch on the wrong side of the post. Our cup run was over and Dauntsey’s exited in the following round, losing to the eventual winners, Bromsgrove School.

On the representative front, Jack Edmondson (U6f) was selected to represent England U18 in the 2015 FIRA competition in France. He will hopefully be starting a Chemical Engineering Degree at Bath University and has signed a Scholars Academy contract with Bath for the 2015-16 season. Fergus Hughes-Onslow (U6c), Charlie Smith (U6m), Tom Lewis (L6a), Fergus Hamilton (L6c), Caspar Bailey (L6m) and Zak Smith (L6m) have all been involved in the Bath Academy U18 squad and Xandy Dembinski (5c) has been in the Bath Academy U16 squad.

Some of last year’s leavers continue to do very well with their rugby. Richard Galloway (m14), who started his Medical degree at Birmingham University, has been selected to play for Scotland U20s in the 2015 Junior World Cup and Will Homer (m14), who signed a professional contract with Bath Rugby, gained selection for England U20 in this year’s Six Nations Competition.

Ed Coulson (m14) has been in South Africa at the Western Province Academy and will be returning to England in the summer in time for pre-season training as he prepares to play in the Premiership next season following a contract offer from Newcastle Falcons.

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SENIOR TEAMS Encouragingly

, the 1st XV had one of their more successful seasons for well over a decade. They won 13 of their 16 fixtures with the highlights being victories against Radley (Centenary Cup Match, 26-7), Marlborough (22-0), St Pauls (Mike Davis Cup, 28-18) and Clifton (33-12). The brand of rugby on display from the XV this season was built around a strong set-piece and a very exciting back line, many of whom were in Australia this summer as they look forward to another season. The school boasted seven Bath Academy players, whilst Jack Edmondson (U6f) represented England U18 in the annual FIRA competition.

A young dogged pack served the 2nd XV well, where aspiring captain Will Caldwell (L6m) dominated, with Hugo Fenwick (L6m) and Fred Willmott (U6a) also very effective. They fed a back line of searing pace, which showed excellent running lines and great handling ability. George Crane (L6b) was a reliable scrum-half, whilst captain Charlie Carr-Smith (U6a) led his side in a positive, friendly manner from fly-half, feeding out to the pace of Rob Clark (U6d), the power of James Dickins (U6c) and the angled runs of Charlie Toyne-Sewell (U6c) and Hugo Hunt (U6g).

One feature of the 3rd XV’s season was a string of incredible tries. Allied to exciting rugby and hard-fought battles, the ability to score great tries allowed this team to play a brand of rugby that was easy on the eye. James Birley’s (U6m) seven tries included an astonishing 60m run against Wellington, whilst the game against Sexey’s saw the side

| 103 recover a 17-5 half-time deficit to record a memorable 24-22 victory.

Led by captain Henry Payne (U6f) and vice-captain Alex Rydon (U6m), the team was blessed with an extremely strong front row where Luke Besse (L6b) excelled, with Jack Harley (U6d) and Hugh Johnson (L6e) consistent in the pack and Rory McMillan (U6b) and Rory Pollard (U6c) reliable in the back row. Archie Denny’s (U6f) defensive work and the strong running of Jack Meddah (U6e) complemented the steady performances of full-back Tom James (U6b).

Hard-working forwards offered the real strength to the 4th XV, with a mobile front row and Arthur Drake (L6b), Hugo Bromell (U6b), Henry Garnett (U6e) and Ramsay Dibden (L6e) courageous and dominant. Max Wood (U6g) provided a safe pair of hands at fly-half and, beyond him, Jasper Slawson (U6e) broke tackles, Patrick Tinsley (U6f) showed pace and neat footwork and Dom Dollard (U6m) was a safe defensive line. Rarely at this level has a captain held his team together as well as Will Cookson (U6g) was able to do, balancing the need for competitiveness with ensuring that each member of his team had a role to play and was committed to supporting others.

Never outplayed, yet also exuding fun and sociability, the 5th XV was based around the front row of Koichi Kanaboshi (U6f), Marcus Soo (U6e) and Hamish Woodland (L6f), the support of Jack Fitzpatrick (L6f) and Charlie Upton (U6a) and the rapidity of winger Ruari Ross (U6b), who captained the side with quiet authority. The moment of the season was Ed Polsue’s (U6b) first try for the School, and some try it was: picking the ball up in midfield against Milton Abbey, he shrugged off the attentions of four opponents to score to the rapturous applause of all who were fortunate to be present.

The School boasted seven Bath Academy players, whilst Jack Edmondson (U6f) represented England U18 in the annual FIRA competition.

104 |

The Colts Five successive victories kick-started the Colts A season and a late-season 30-0 win against local rivals Bryanston was equally satisfying. The forwards were led by Gabriel Healy (5m), who has perfected the art of the catch-anddrive line-out, producing tries first for Henry Carr-Smith (5a) and later for Oscar Fearnley-Derome (5e), who scored a hat-trick against King’s Taunton. Will Mann (5a) and Ben Pugsley (5d) were tireless in open play and epitomised a pack full of characters, with Louis Drake (5b) dominating with strength and speed.

Josh Evans (5d) distributed quickly, enabling captain Sandy Miller (5f) to identify space and select appropriate options. Centres Rafe Yewdall (5g) and Xandy Dembinski (5c) formed a formidable partnership, allowing Archie Cripwell (5c) to score a fantastic try from inside his own half against Marlborough and James Toomey (5g), blessed with natural skill and flair, to beat six players with outstanding footwork to score against Canford.

Captain Ben Heber (5f) was Player of the Season for the Colts B side, who recorded encouraging wins away to Blundell’s, Radley and Clifton. James Clark (5g) scored a hat-trick as Marlborough was defeated 36-0 and repeated the feat in a narrow victory over Wellington. The season concluded with an enthralling match against Downside, which required depth of character and out of which the side emerged with a notable 19-7 win.

Success continued at Colts C level, the side being captained with aplomb by Archie Denholm (5g). Harry Clark’s (5a) very late try secured a dramatic 19-14 victory at Radley, whilst Tom Paines (5m) scored twice in the closing stages of the Canford match to enable the side to record another victory. There were also comprehensive victories over both Marlborough and Wellington.

The Junior Colts Our Junior Colts year group was able to enjoy a trip to Twickenham with the U15 XV winning the National Vase Competition against Oakham School. Whilst we are certainly not a school that celebrates the winning of trophies as a measure of our success, this victory showed a great deal about this year group of players. Our entry into the Vase competition came as a result of a surprising defeat in an early round of the Cup, with many boys falling into the trap of believing that, because they had beaten the opposition before, all that would be needed for us to progress was for us to turn up. How wrong; the learning experience was clear for all to see. The resilience that the squad then showed to commit fully to a competition that we would not expect to see ourselves in, and then to win the last five rounds on the way to the final, all away from home, showed that this group of future 1st XV players has a strong team ethos and work ethic, traits which will undoubtedly serve them well.

The Junior Colts A also enjoyed a successful season when they weren’t competing in the NatWest Vase. Led by their inspirational captain, Nick Jonas (4f), the side took the first half of the season by storm, notably defeating Radley and Marlborough, yet also securing a surprise win over a strong Cheltenham side through a very late Douglas Hickling (4c) try from a turn-over ball. In the run-up to Christmas, there were large victories over Bryanston, Clifton and Queen’s, Taunton as the side put together eight successive wins.

Patrick Reynolds’ (4c) pace in the

outfield built on the platform established by Barney Humphrey (4m) at scrum-half. The pack was dominant, William Bailey’s (4e) hard-hitting challenges, the power of Felix Carey (4f) and George Sutton (4m) and the perseverance of Tom De Wesselow (4c) and Hugo Pralle (4a) enabling the side to build from a solid base.

With seven wins in eleven matches, the Junior Colts B side refused to be seen as inferior to their colleagues at A-team level.

Working hard for the team and enjoying each other’s company are key ingredients to the success of any team, and the performances against Radley, Cheltenham and Downside were especially pleasing, along with the second consecutive 12-12 draw with Wellington. Ever impressive as captain, Guy Deverell (4m) led his team well on and off the field, with Paddy Kerr (4g) and Tommy Lane (4d) impressing in the pack and Guy Pybus (4m) showing a touch of flair. Jake Jackson (4a), Tom Ackerman Ferreira (4d) and Alistair Johnson (4e) all improved their game amongst the forwards, whilst Harry Fisher (4m), Ali Nathan (4a) and Felix De Bretton-Gordon (4m) have grown in confidence and pace.

Leading by example in training and in matches, James Pyman (4e) took his Junior Colts C side to four victories in their 10 fixtures. He was supported by an efficient ballwinning pack, where Michael Treneer (4m) deserves a mention for his reliable work and where Xander D’Entrecasteaux (4b) and Tom Hoare (4e) continually improved with ball in hand. The

A

The Mini Colts

wing pairing of Henry Jones (4g) and Seb Woodhouse (4b) was one of the attacking highlights of Sherborne rugby this year, whilst Giles Cook (4g) controlled the middle of the team with intelligence from scrum-half and Tom Chatwin (4d) offered a solid defensive presence at full-back.

Few could argue that, if the Junior Colts D team can win six and draw one of their eight fixtures, scoring over three hundred points, Sherborne must offer strength and depth on the rugby field. Ben Wiltshire (4f) was an inspirational captain, leading from the front. In the forwards, Tom Irby’s (4g) crashing runs, and the excellent rucking of Will Catmur (4e), George Whipple (4m) and Charlie Smith (4g) secured significant possession, allowing the smooth handling skills of Cameron Bowden (4g), George Hogben (4b) and Max Verschoyle (4b) to score the tries. Having secured a momentous win on Radley’s pitch on the occasion of the opposition’s centenary, the side went from strength to strength, and saw consistent development in all areas, resulting in resounding wins over both Cheltenham and Wellington College. Most satisfying of all was the enormous improvement in defence and tackling, epitomised by the fearlessness of Ben Wood (4d) at full-back. Devoid of many fixtures, the Junior Colts E side played with pride and tackled gamely. Jordan Berry (4a) registered both the tries this side scored against Radley, his blistering pace feeding off able support work from Ben Besse (4b), Horatio Byrne (4a) and Henry Stone (4d).

second-half comeback of epic proportions was the highlight of the Mini Colts A season. Two tries down in the opening couple of minutes, the side responded to defeat Blundell’s 26-24. Another exciting game was the 40-35 victory over Clayesmore at home, where once again the team dug itself out of trouble to record an impressive victory. Finn Whitehead (3g) was an accomplished try-scorer, with Max Harrison’s (3m) qualities shining through at outside centre and Will Perkins’ (3a) tough-tackling in midfield a key ingredient.

An away victory over previously undefeated Cheltenham was a key moment amongst the seven Mini Colts B games, two of which were won. When the backs and forwards combined in a symphony of attacking rugby, though, the side defeated Canford 35-17. Barney Stannah (3m) was a skilful fly-half, his trademark chip-and-chase igniting a back division which contained great skill. Yuri Hashimoto’s (3g) combination of steel in defence and fearlessness in attack left him as the top try scorer, whilst captain Tom Munro (3d) tackled like a forward and ran like a back. Alex Colville (3m) was at the heart of the forwards, where Sam Lawson Johnston (3b) added blistering pace.

Oscar Jones (3m) offered mesmeric running, whilst Bryn Jones (3e) appeared never to miss a tackle and Seb Carty’s (3a) good rugby brain enabled him to benefit from opponents’ mistakes. Once they began to play as a unit, backing each other up through tackling and communication, the Mini Colts C team produced some great results.

After fine performances against Marlborough and Clayesmore, hardfought wins were secured against Canford and, having trailed 5-24 with twenty minutes to play, in the return fixture with Canford. Tom Stagnetto’s (3a) three tries earned the Mini Colts D team victory at Radley in the opening game and set up a season in which the team’s cohesiveness and hunger to win matches was evident. Great end-toend action in the match with Clayesmore ended with a spectacular cross-field kick from Hugo Blythman-Rowe (3c) being touched down by Ivo Longmore (3e) to win the game in the dying seconds. Mini Colts E enjoyed a number of fixtures with them gaining recognition in the Radley match.

Rugby Sevens The 1st VII was afforded the opportunity to focus purely on Sevens during the Lent Term, which certainly helped them close the gap on the regular big hitters on the Schools Sevens circuit. With six tournaments in place the 1st VII played at Millfield, Brecon (quarter-finalists), Colston’s (winners), Oakham, Bryanston (plate winners) and Rosslyn Park in the Open Schools Competition (semi-finalists).

The 1st VII were captained by Fergus Hamilton (L6c) and their efforts throughout the short season have been commendable. 11 of the 17 players in the squad are set to return next year, so the future of Sevens at the school looks promising.

An U14 Sevens side reached the semi-finals of the plate competition at Prior Park, and won two matches in the Dean Close tournament, before defeating both Llandaff and Truro at the Sherborne Sevens competition.

Overall, the rugby at Sherborne this season has improved with the common dominator in all age groups being recognition and acceptance that playing as a team is vital to success. Departing 1st XV Captain Matthew Key (U6m) has been inspirational in instilling this and he will leave a legacy of how great things can be achieved with great team work, strong values and clear goals. The Australia Tour provided the 2015 Captain, Fergus Hamilton (L6c), with the opportunity to build on some of these strong values and he had the support of all the tourists in Australia to ensure that he could continue to build on the strong rugby foundations that had been laid before him.

End

‘

THE INTERESTING BIT! MATCH TO REMEMBER When did the Mini Colts E rugby side play in front of a crowd of almost 1,000? For the opening fixture of the 2014 rugby season, Sherborne visited Radley in force, taking 20 teams in one go to celebrate the centenary of Radley’s first recorded rugby fixture, which had been against Sherborne.

In that initial 1st XV game, Sherborne had won – “our hosts were too much for us”, reported The Radleian in 1915. In a sobering statistic, eight of that day’s Radley side, including their captain, were to perish in World War One. For the centenary, Sherborne arrived in force and there was a party atmosphere on the extensive Oxfordshire fields. As a result, when the Mini Colts E game was, at one stage, the only match in progress, the crowd swelled at that fixture. “It was scary,” reported William Barker (3m).

“The largest crowd I had played in front of at my old school was about five.”

Despite the huge crowd, the Mini Colts E side held their nerve to win the match.

TRY-SAVING TACKLE When the Cheltenham full-back set off on a long, mazy run against Sherborne’s 2nd XV, it appeared he was bound to score. He beat several defenders and headed for the corner.

But his chances of scoring depended on Sherborne’s Rob Clark (U6d) not making a crucial tackle. Tracking back from the opposite wing, Rob was so determined not to give up on an apparently lost cause that he tackled his opponent as he dived for the line, preventing him from touching down.

“Rugby requires 15 players in each team and we all have to play our part,” said the unassuming winger.

Such a tackle epitomised the approach Rob has to rugby, according to his captain that day, Will Caldwell (L6m).

SIDE-STEP OF SUCCESS In the run-up to the Twickenham encounter, a great deal had been made of the attacking prowess of the Oakham side and how Sherborne would need to defend well and prevent the opposition backs running at pace. As the game unfolded, and as the momentum began to swing in the favour of Sherborne, there was one moment which stood out. It is a moment which numerous Fourth Form boys have re-enacted in the barge-yard and re-worked into video montages and clips. Prop Felix Storer (4g), who had been rucking and scrummaging with real endeavour all game, received the ball in open play and, in a deft move, side-stepped the Oakham captain and moved into space. He was to pass the ball on and the move soon broke down, but that split-second had encapsulated the occasion for many boys. Within minutes, captain Nick Jonas’ (4f) third try secured victory.

FREE-SCORING JUNIORS For a period of time, the place to go for tries was the Junior Colts D side.

With six wins and a draw amongst their eight fixtures, this side knew no limits in try-scoring. Opening the season with an astonishing 48-7 victory at Radley on the occasion of the opposition’s centenary, this team also recorded successive 67-0 wins at home to Cheltenham and away to Wellington College, before rounding off the season by defeating Wellington School 50-0. Winger Seb Woodhouse (4b) scored four tries in the opening game, Henry Jones (4g) and Ben Besse (4b) both scored hat-tricks against Cheltenham, hooker Tom Irby (4g) recorded a hat-trick against Wellington College and both Archie Macintosh (4a) and Ben Wood (4d) scored three times in a game during an entertaining season.

Arguably the most astonishing game, though, came when King Edward VI’s went three tries ahead early on, only for the team to come storming back for a 58-41 victory.

TRY OF THE SEASON There are so many contenders for the epithet of Try of the Season, but few can compete with one of the seven recorded by winger James Birley (U6m).

Against Wellington for the 3rd XV, he took the ball about 20 metres inside his own half, bounced off three would-be tacklers and sped up the line to touch down in the corner. “Yes, I was very pleased with that try,” James reported, adding that his older brother came down from Oxford to watch him play and arrived two minutes after the try. This was “one of the tries of the season”, said Mr Guy, but Alex Rydon (U6m), who delivered the pass to set James on his way, says that his team-mate’s “intimidating and quick” style meant tries like this could come his way regularly.

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With Thanks to The Telegraph Gareth A Davies

25 March 2015

In the news Nick Jonas (4f), the Sherborne captain, picked up the under-15 Vase from England Scrum-half Ben Youngs... ...after a thrilling opening NatWest Schools Cup finals day match which saw Sherborne end winners 34-24 over Oakham. Jonas, like his counterpart, the strapping Oakham centre Tyrese JohnsonFisher, were pivotal players in their team’s progress to this stage of the 2014-2015 campaign. Sherborne had planned to close JohnsonFisher down, and in the second half, they managed just that.

Three tries apiece for the two rival captains was just the tip of the sporting iceberg for this high tempo, fast running and tackling Under 15 NatWest Schools Vase final, which see-sawed this way and that, both teams enjoying periods of ascendancy, the first set of spectators of the day enjoying a 10-try feast. It was 60 minutes of relentless, running rugby, with crisp handling.

Sherborne took a narrow lead in to the turnaround, with the speed and bustle of Johnson-Fisher giving Oakham an early lead before Jonas

and then No8 Felix Carey (4f), who had an outstanding game, scored tries to drive Sherborne into a 12-5 lead. Unsurprisingly, and hunting for space and the ball, JohnsonFisher scored again soon afterwards in a solo effort, after Sherborne’s second though, but a further try from Rupert Chetwode (4d) gave the South West school a 17-12 lead going in to the break.

And just as Oakham looked to have the ascendancy at 19-17 with Johnson-Fisher’s third try early in the second half, Sherborne took the game by the scruff of the neck, and clawed their way back into the match. They also closed the space around the margins for Oakham’s rumbustious skipper. It was impressive stuff.

Jonas also deservedly claimed the man of the match award. The young captain from the winning school said: “The game went so quickly, it was like a blur. It was an amazing experience, a once in a lifetime. We played well, we

handled their captain well – he’s obviously a very good athlete – and as a team we showed it’s not about one person.”

Sherborne’s head of PE Rhidian McGuire said: “Putting a show on in this game and bringing a very talented fifteen players to Twickenham was the most impressive thing. It was also a great showcase for schoolboy rugby and that was a real captain’s performance. We talked about the captain’s pivotal role in that channel of centre/inside-centre, but overall it was a great team performance. You can plan all you want, but against someone of that speed and athleticism it comes down to execution. I thought we dealt with him pretty well in the second half. It will mean a great deal to the school. The ethos under director of rugby David Muckalt is showing signs of beginning to bear fruit and we are moving in the right direction. A lot of credit has to go to him for his vision in that.”

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Football

THE COLTS

Senior Teams With expectations high, the 1st XI embarked on a series of high-profile fixtures. As fitness levels rose, and an awareness of how to approach each match was instilled, the side improved as the season progressed. It was noticeable that, having not performed so well against larger opposition, the team was able to defeat a strong, muscular Sexey’s side 3-1, a clear indication of the progress which had been made. It was at Beechen Cliff that the team began to realise that a high tempo game was required to secure victory and a 3-1 win that day was followed by narrow wins against both Marlborough and Charterhouse. Jack Hillan (U6c) scored the goal of the season to give the side the lead against Millfield, Rob Clark (U6d) was an excellent captain and Louis Matsumoto-Prouten (U6f) was named Player of the Season for a team that also depended on the strength in defence of the two Charlies, Carr-Smith (U6a) and Toyne-Sewell (U6c).

Matthew Versloot’s (L6g) outstanding save away to QEH kick-started a season in which the 2nd XI won four of its 11 fixtures. A comfortable victory over Sexey’s and a win at Charterhouse, where Harry Whittaker’s (L6g) stunning long-range goal exemplified the winning mentality of the side, were highlights. Oliver Gardner (U6m) and Calum Wyatt (U6m) dictated play in midfield, James Caldwell (U6m) read the game so well and Jonathan Franke’s (L6g) effective runs behind the defence offered a constant goal threat, whilst Albert O’Rourke (L6m) possessed the ability to dominate the central area. Hari Nadiotis (U6d) was a supportive and effective captain, and Fred Willmott (U6a) was Player of the Season.

Captained by Patrick Tinsley (U6f), the 3rd XI won three of its nine fixtures, with Fergus Burn’s (U6a) goal at Blundell’s standing out. Goalkeeper Luke Besse (L6b), good in the air, was named Player of the Season, whilst Hamish Phillips (L6a) exuded confidence in defence alongside the reliable Ed Sprague (L6e), and with a strong midfield of Jacob Hughes-Hallett (L6a), Alex Stagg (L6f) and Alex Ferguson (U6f).

Tom Slade’s (U6g) goal against Blundell’s secured a memorable win over our opponents from Devon, as the 5th XI was victorious in a match over two legs. Having trailed 2-0 by half-time away from home, Jack Dible (U6c) and Jack Harley (U6d) rallied their side and a goal from James Richards (U6a) set up an interesting second-leg, with the tie won on the away-goals rule. End

Buoyed by an opening-day hat-trick from Oscar Fearnley-Derome (5e), the Colts A side offered a glimpse of its potential with well-secured draws against strong opposition in Malvern and Clifton as well as memorable victories over both QEH and Wellington. The delight generated by Harry Clark’s (5a) equaliser with the final touch of the match at Malvern indicated the depth of emotions and pride felt within the squad. Even more so, the dismantling of Marlborough on their pitch remains a highlight of the season. With the agility and bravery of goalkeeper Ben Heber (5f), the strength and ability to read the game of Dan Kendall (5f) and Tom Crinks (5b) in defence, the inventiveness and stamina of captain Henry Davies (5f) allied to the robustness of Gabriel Healy (5m), and the creativity of the wide players, Louis Stannah (5m) and Alan Hughes-Hallett (5a), the senior teams next year should feel confident.

With four wins and 21 goals in 10 matches, the Colts B side was able to reflect on excellent results in particular against QEH and Marlborough. Captain Jamie Hewitt (5a), Denis Afanasyev (5e) and Dan Kelly (5b) were ever-present, Tom de Montfort (5a) was a reliable presence between the sticks and Toby Smith (5c), scoring in four successive matches as the season drew to a close, finished as the side’s top scorer.

In securing 9-1 and 7-1 victories, the Colts C team was certainly not short on goals. Max Lyde (5d) was at the heart of this, ably set up by the creativity in midfield of Thomas Brooke (5d), whilst Rory Millar’s (5m) presence at the heart of the side lent an air of stability.

‘

The Mini Colts With four wins in 10 fixtures, the Mini Colts A team set out on their footballing careers at Sherborne. Goalkeeper Wynn Thomas’ (3m) vocal support and stirring saves, the ruggedness of Yanis Hammick (3m) and Christian Jones (3g) in defence, the goals of Charlie Millar (3c) and the leadership skills of Barney Stannah (3m) all stand out. Will Westmacott’s (3c) committed support, alongside the promise that he can produce great sporting success next year, typified the attitude which suggests that there is a good deal of success to come.

If enthusiasm and dedication to training were everything, the Mini Colts B side would be hugely successful. Early in the season, the side earned a well-deserved 1-1 draw with QEH, which showed the capabilities of the team, and they never let their heads drop. Captain Tom Wheeler (3m) led the side with passion, determination and commitment to the cause.

Likewise, the Mini Colts C team took to the field against Reading Oratory with their heads held high, proud to be representing their school. Captain Sam Wilson (3c) was strong and efficient in defence, with Archie Fairclough Wood (3m) the pick of the midfielders and Freddie Robinson (3f) offering an attacking outlet for the side.

Arguably the most potential talent in Sherborne football can be found in the Junior Colts A side, which is blessed with an abundance of natural footballing ability and sheer athleticism. A four-match unbeaten run included a 3-0 win against Malvern which ranks as one of the most impressive Sherborne performances this academic year and included a goal after just twelve seconds from Johnny Page (4f). He and Harry Fisher (4m) were highly creative presences on the wings, whilst the spine of the side was very strong, Hugo Pralle (4a), Rupert Chetwode (4d), Dom Prest (4d), Sam Pope (4m) and Luke Watson (4a) all combining with the effective captain Tom De Wesselow (4c).

Captain and top scorer Hamad Al Thani (4m) led the Junior Colts B through a successful season, the team ethos being exemplified by Benj Miller (4f), who seemed to play in a different position every game. At the heart of this team’s success was the ability to retain the ball for long periods of time, Guy Pybus (4m) and Horatio Byrne (4a) proving very efficient, whilst Tom Hoare (4e) commanded the centre of the defence. Goalkeeper Cameron Bowden (4g) was so fearless that one spectacular save away to Marlborough earned a genuine round of applause from the opposition’s parents. Jake Jackson (4a), Henry Dixon-Clegg (4d) and James Pyman (4e) worked tirelessly at the heart of the side, Jake scoring the best goal of the season with a curling drive from thirty yards against The Gryphon.

Relishing the opportunity to represent their school, a hard-working Junior Colts C side worked on commitment and endeavour. Harry Taylor (4c) led the line strongly and his goals were hugely appreciated, whilst George Hogben’s (4b) sterling defensive work and consistency in feeding the ball forwards enabled the side to grow in confidence.

The Junior Colts

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BATTLING TO

VICTORY

The 1st XI football team proved its depth and talent during a hard season, says Steve Clayton.

Expectations were high amongst the newly established coaching staff ahead of the 1st XI football team’s season. Following pre-season training and the necessity to alter the team’s formation, the side started to adapt to the new system and results followed in due course.

There will always be years when the fixture list presents the team with an inordinate amount of tough away fixtures, and this was to prove one of those. As a result, our relatively inexperienced side had to play strong, physical opposition on more than one occasion. However, the defeat at QEH was one game in which Charlie Toyne-Sewell (U6c) came to the fore as a powerful central defender with real poise and panache, a solid and reliable performer against tough opponents. Following this, the game at Millfield provided an excellent goal by Jack Hillan (U6c), realistically the best goal scored by the 1st XI this campaign, and valuable lessons were being learned along the way.

The fifth match, against a tall and strong Sexey’s side, provided the opening win of the season, this 3-1 victory being followed by another win by the same score away to Beechen Cliff. This match showed the capabilities of a side growing in confidence and self-belief, and was echoed in 2-1 wins against both Marlborough and Charterhouse, in matches played at a high tempo. This was followed by a creditable 2-2 draw with local rivals, The Gryphon, before Dauntsey’s narrowly defeated the side. Thereafter, a development side was taken to the Warminster knock-out tournament, where they lost to the eventual winners in the semi-finals.

As an inspirational captain, Rob Clark (U6d) led from the front. His pace off the ball and the angles he chose to run made him tough to handle and he insisted that his team follow him in terms of enthusiasm. Louis MatsumotoProuten (U6f), whose effort was clear to see, was chosen as Player of the Season. At the heart of an increasingly dependable defensive line were Charlie Toyne-Sewell (U6c) and Charlie Carr-Smith (U6a), the latter having finally found the position in which he can excel.

HAT-TRICK MAN Calmly and with aplomb, Oscar Fearnley-Derome (5e) scored a hat-trick for the Colts A football team in the opening game of the season. Fearing he might be in the C squad, Oscar had attended a training session aimed at A and B squad members and was hoping to play for the second-string side, probably in midfield. The evening before the opening fixture, he was named out wide in the Colts A side, to his surprise, but he responded in style. Against QEH, he scored three times in a comfortable win, once before the interval and twice more after half-time, the third with a well-struck volley from the edge of the opponents’ penalty area. “Unpredictable yet charismatic,” as Mr Nurton fondly described him, Oscar could have had seven or eight goals that day, but continued to score throughout the term, one header against Millfield proving particularly memorable.

GOAL-DEN MOMENT Other games were over and match-fatigued Shirburnians began to line the side of the pitch. It had been a threehour journey to Malvern and it appeared to have been in vain. Gamely, the Colts A football team had fought and battled, but with moments remaining they found themselves trailing by a goal to nil. A desperate rear-guard action, in which Dan Kendall (5f) cleared one effort off the line, had enabled Sherborne to restrict a strong, dominant opposition to just the one-goal lead. The referee indicated that there were just a few seconds remaining, so the ball was played forward on the right wing by Alan Hughes-Hallett (5a). Suddenly, there was the figure of Harry Clark (5a) bearing down on goal, surrounded by scampering defenders. “I remember we broke out from defence and a ball was hit over the top, I was on the shoulder of the defender and ran in behind him,” said Harry. “Then it all seemed to happen very quickly as from just inside the area I toe-poked the ball with my right foot over the keeper who was going down. As soon as I struck the ball I knew it was going in and turned towards the corner flag.” This left the team coach, Andy Nurton, to sprint 60 metres up the touchline towards his heroes. There was not even time to re-start; an honourable 1-1 draw had been gained from the ashes of defeat.

Lightning Strikes Twice

Flowing Football at its Best Perhaps it was the setting on the Lower, perhaps it was the confidence that a string of positive results brings.

Whatever the cause, when the Junior Colts A football team defeated Malvern 3-0 it was arguably the best team performance of the Lent Term.

Playing slick football from the outset, the team went a goal ahead after just 12 seconds, with Luke Watson (4a) and Harry Fisher (4m) applying pressure and Johnny Page (4f) firing the ball high into the net.

The standard of play during the entire game was of a very high quality and, although Malvern fielded a strong side, further goals from Sarp Sardan (4c), after Dom Prest (4d) had headed down Rupert Chetwode’s (4d) cross, and Harry Fisher (4m), with a crossshot from the left, ensured the victory. “It was a really good game,” reported Harry.

“Everything we had been working on in training worked that day.”

Save(s) of the Season Are you mature enough in years to recall Gordon Banks’s save from the legendary Pelé at the 1970 Mexico World Cup? Well, we had not one but two saves of this ilk in football this season.

Cameron Bowden (4g) was playing in goal for the Junior Colts B side away to Marlborough, when the opposition centre-forward shot low and hard towards the bottom corner of the goal. “As soon as he shot, we knew it was a goal,” left-back Horatio Byrne (4a) reported.

Contorting his body and twisting downwards, Cameron managed to get both hands to the fierce shot and pushed the ball away to defender Guy Pybus (4m), who completed the clearance. “Yes, I was very happy with that save,” beamed the goalkeeper. “It made me feel very proud.”

Second, Matthew Versloot (L6g) made a fantastic save to keep the 2nd XI in their game at Failand, facing a strong QEH side. Lobbed from distance, Matthew back-pedalled and tipped the well-struck shot over the crossbar.

Not content with one blockbuster, Jake Jackson (4a) scored two incredible long-range goals when the Junior Colts A side defeated The Gryphon 6-2 at football on their own pitch.

The first shot came from outside the penalty area, struck low and hard into the opposition’s net, whilst the second was from further back, fully thirty yards, and curved beautifully into the corner.

“My first goal was a long-shot half volley which looped over the keeper,” Jake said, “which, as you can imagine, I was quite surprised about, so I celebrated.

The second goal was less lucky than the first one, because I placed the ball in the back of the net from distance.” Central defender Tom Hoare (4e) twice ventured forward for corners during this game and, on both occasions, scored with headers.

Goals Everywhere If you wanted goals this year, you should have been to watch the Colts C football team. In particular, you ought to have paid attention to the exploits of Max Lyde (5d).

With an eye for goal and an eagerness to take every chance, Max scored 14 times for his side this year, making him the top goal-scorer in Sherborne football. This tally included five goals as his poacher’s instinct took over in the 9-1 victory over Blundell’s. José Herrera and José Perreira, the rhyming Ecuadorian coaches, were full of praise for Max: “He always wants to score goals,” they remarked. Max’s prowess earned him promotion to the Colts B side, where he scored three goals in as many games, including both strikes in a 2-0 victory over The Gryphon.

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One highlight of the 3rd XI’s season was a 5-0 victory over King’s Taunton

v

Few schools can have prepared for the forthcoming season in quite the same way as the Sherborne 1st XI hockey side. 42 boys set off on New Year’s Day for Barcelona to participate in the Goes Cup at Egara Hockey Club, set in beautiful landscape close to Serra de Collcardus. Six days of hockey, supported by witnessing the celebrated Dia de los Reyes Magos procession, were capped

by Peter Robins (U6c) being named Goalkeeper of the Tournament. On the back of this, early-season victories arrived against Taunton School, King’s Taunton and Bryanston, whilst Freddie Lillingston-Price (U6c) and

SENIOR TEAMS James Dickins (U6c) both scored

(U6m) ran the wings with apparent

hat-tricks in a festival of goals

tirelessness. Most impressive were

against Gillingham.

the performances in the local matches, a 2-2 draw with Millfield

A narrow defeat against Bryanston

secured through Ben Wakeley’s

in the Dorset Cup semi-final was

(L6g) last-minute deft reverse stick

followed by a National Cup exit at

lift and a 2-1 victory over Canford.

the hands of Taunton School, after both Blundell’s and Wellington

One highlight of the 3rd XI’s

had been beaten with ease. Peter

season was a 5-0 victory over

Robins (U6c) was excellent all

King’s, Taunton, whilst a fluent

season in goal, whilst James

and confident performance away

Dickins (U6c) and George Pope

to Clifton produced goals from

(L6m) offered creativity and pace,

James Grammaticas (L6f) and Tom

with both Jonnie Massey (U6m)

Matthews (L6a) in a comfortable

and Jack Crinks (U6b) using their

2-0 win. Dom Dollard (U6m) and

experience and expertise to great

Jimmy Weldon (U6b) showed

effect.

great maturity in their willingness to help encourage younger

The unforgettable flavour and

members of the squad. In

character of the 2nd XI enabled

developing ball speed, running

the side to grow in strength as the

angles and communication, the

term progressed. Under the

side was able to improve

superb captaincy of George Alsop

significantly and the team ethos

(U6d), whose strength and

was evident with every game.

forthright nature was reassuring to those around him, Harry Reynolds (L6e) proved an adept goalkeeper, Harry Vandeleur (U6m) and Alex Rydon (U6m) impressed with their positioning and distribution, Alex Pertwee (U6g) and Harry Gould

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Hockey

The Colts Fresh from pre-season work, the Colts A side registered a stunning 5-0 win against a hard-working Dauntsey’s side on the opening day, and another convincing victory followed against Taunton School.

The outstanding performances within the side came from William Mann (5a) and James Toomey (5g), whose dominance early on preceded deserved call-ups to the 1st XI, and the season was concluded with an intense yet rewarding 5-3 victory against Millfield. In reaching a stage beyond that of the previous year, the side defeated Millfield, Taunton, Dauntsey’s and Bryanston to reach South West Finals Day at Millfield, posting notice of the potential within this group of young men.

Combining the 4th XI with the Colts B side proved a wise move and enabled the team to record eight wins from its 11 fixtures, including victories in both games against Clayesmore. For his consistently high level of performance and fitness, George Vandeleur (5m) was Player of the Season, working with Tom Pentreath (5m) and Oscar Norris (5m) at the heart of the side, pursuing opponents and using pace and strength. Behind them, a back five of Tom Pertwee (5b), Ben Clark (5c), Charlie Sorby (5m), Gus Johnson (5d) and Ed Lillingston-Price (5c), strong, confident and rarely flustered, conceded just nine goals all season.

COMBINING the 4th XI with the Colts B side proved a WISE move and enabled the team to RECORD eight WINS from its 11 fixtures, including VICTORIES in both games against Clayesmore.

The Junior Colts

Four straight wins from the start of the season ensured the Junior Colts B got off to a flying start, the fourth game being an outstanding 4-2 victory at King’s, Taunton, where the final goal epitomised the team effort. Throughout the term, the side continued to work on developing their moves and the performance at Millfield on the final day, moving the ball at pace in a 2-0 win, demonstrated that these skills had been mastered. Alistair Johnson (4e) and Felix De Bretton-Gordon (4m) were the most improved players of the season, with Tomas Ackerman Ferreira (4d) a brave presence in goal, Archie Macintosh (4a) a powerful and effective winger and the triumvirate of Ben Wiltshire (4f), Harry Sale (4m) and Toby Grammaticas (4f) strong in defence. An outrageous volley from Ollie Palmer (4d) against Clayesmore was arguably the best individual goal of the season.

In winning their final game, against Clayesmore, the Junior Colts C team showed what progress they had made since losing their opening fixture to the same opposition. The best result of all, though, was the 6-0 win against Taunton School, in which Tom Pope (4m) scored a hat-trick.

Michael Treneer (4m) made important saves in goal, but it was Robert Graham (4e), in particular, who was the critical figure in a strong defensive unit.

THE MINI COLTS 18 matches represented a baptism of fire for the Mini Colts A side.

However, they responded well, scoring 19 times in their first four games, with Will Perkins (3a) causing havoc with his tight skills and scoring more than half of that total. Supported by the strength of Tom Stagnetto (3a) and a forceful back line of Alex Vardon-Cardy (3f), Tom Munro (3d), Richard Crane (3b) and the self-effacing Seb Carty (3a), the side went on to record excellent performances in beating both King’s, Taunton and Clifton. In addition, a cup run was kick-started by victory in the preliminary tournament which Blundell’s hosted, one of three wins being a 6-0 victory over Truro.

Coaching staff were understandably hugely impressed at how well the Mini Colts B side stuck together through the season. Five wins and 23 goals in 10 fixtures indicated a degree of promise and the twenty-one boys used during the season worked hard for each other.

A high tally of goals included several excellent team goals in the victory over King’s, Taunton, and several of the side progressed to play hockey at a higher level as the season progressed, amongst them captain Tadgh Patten (3m).

Convincing wins, 3-0 against Clayesmore, two 4-0 wins against King’s, Taunton and Bryanston, and 6-0 against Taunton School were highlights of the 10 Mini Colts C matches. One remarkable feature of this side was the ability to convert short corners, the trusted system of Will Grant’s (3d) injection, Tom McCaig’s (3b) lay-off and Petch Pibuldham’s (3a) and Oliver Soanes’ (3g) shooting produced six goals. Harry Hall (3d) was a revelation in goal, whilst Alex Colville’s (3m) hat-trick enabled the side to defeat Clayesmore, yet the neversay-die attitude of Tom McCaig (3b) was an outstanding example of captaincy which set the tone for the team to follow.

‘

There is clearly a good deal of promise within the ranks of Junior Colts hockey. The A side recorded a 7-0 victory over Dauntsey’s before defeating Taunton School 10-1, this high-scoring forward line featuring Patrick Reynolds (4c), Peter Folkes (4a), Nick Jonas (4f) and Oscar Leach (4e).

Comfortable wins followed against both Clayesmore and King’s, Taunton although, by this time, Barney Humphrey (4m) was already competing admirably for the 1st XI, following in his elder brother’s footsteps by representing the senior school side whilst still in the Fourth Form. The season ended with a convincing 3-0 victory over Clifton College, thanks in part to exceptional defending from George Sutton (4m) and Felix Carey (4f).

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End

A positive season The 1st XI Hockey team honed its skills during a successful campaign, reports Chris Roberts.

Six victories and three draws in 16 1st XI hockey fixtures is a clear indication of a positive season, in which hockey skills were honed and a deep sense of team spirit was garnered. The team scored nine more goals, 45 in all, than it conceded and can reflect on a season of hard graft and great results, amidst the emergence of a number of younger players for the future.

Following an exciting New Year tour to Barcelona, which took in beautiful landscape, cultural festivities and a wide selection of hockey fixtures, the side travelled to Dauntsey’s for the opening fixture.

Victories were soon accrued against Taunton School, where the team led 4-1 before conceding a brace of late goals, King’s Taunton and Bryanston. Goals were flying in by this stage: six against King’s and five when Bryanston provided the opposition.

Later in the season, a goal glut was provided when Gillingham brought their team down, with Freddie Lillingston-Price (U6c) and James Dickins (U6c) both scoring hat-tricks. Two great goals were scored against Canford, the first being a superb team move finished off by James Toomey (5g) and the second coming from Dickins’ penalty stroke after Toomey had finished off another great move with a strong, aggressive run. Cup competitions proved something of an enigma. The County Cup witnessed a semi-final defeat against Bryanston 1-2 and the side subsequently lost the Third Place play-off match 0-3 to Clayesmore. However, on a national stage the side performed somewhat more impressively.

HOCKEY GOAL OF THE SEASON

The National Cup campaign began with a flying start, the side securing a 4-1 victory away to Blundell’s, Lillingston-Price, Josh Skipsey (L6b) and Jonnie Massey (U6m) all on the score-sheet. With George Pope (L6m) in fine form, tackling strongly and distributing with great effect, the side ran in an early Skipsey goal and three more in a 10-minute spell to defeat Wellington and set up a third-round tie with Taunton School, where the cup run ended. Peter Robins (U6c), Goalkeeper of the Tournament in Barcelona, was Player of the Year, whilst Hugh Williams (U6c), Pope and Dickins also excelled. It was promising to see such a large number of younger players breaking into the side, in an encouraging sign for the future. Alongside Toomey, Josh Evans (5d), William Mann (5a), Jake Lightfoot (5e) and Barney Humphrey (4m) have all matured as hockey players and deservedly earned their place in the 1st XI squad.

A fine individual goal by Ollie Palmer (4d) was the highlight of the Junior Colts hockey B’s 3-1 victory over Clayesmore. Harry Sale (4m) was fortunate enough to have been on the pitch at that moment and reports that “he lifted it off the floor and gave it such a mid-air whack that the ball flew into the goal.”

Ollie himself was delighted with the effort: “It was a great feeling, as lots of people were telling me that it was a good goal,” he smiled. “I was proud of myself, as I had been trying to pull the shot off many times in training. The ball was passed to the top of the D and I flicked it up and volleyed and smashed it into the top right hand corner. I felt as if I earned back the trust from my team.”

A champion in the making Following an outstanding race in the National Point-to-Point Championships at Garthorpe, Leicestershire in May 2015, Michael Treneer (4m) beat a field of eight to win the 148cms Conditions Championships on his pony, Tarka, by two lengths.

The race was a culmination of a series of point-to-point races through the winter and spring and won Michael the title of National Champion. He later described it as his

“best racing experience.”

As well as point-to-point, Michael competes in the elite pony racing National series held on licensed racecourses across the UK during the late spring and summer. From this, the leading 12 pony-and-jockey combinations in the country qualify for the Charles Owen-sponsored National Racecourse Series Final, held at Aintree in October 2015.

Michael has already come in second at Kempton Park, and will race at a number of leading courses across the UK over the summer months.

Michael started racing locally from the age of nine and now regularly attends coaching sessions with his jockey coach, the ex-National Hunt jockey, Rodi Greene, as well as riding out for local professional trainers during the holidays. He has also been selected, as one of 10 elite national pony racing jockeys, to attend a specially-designed course at the British Racing School at Newmarket.

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Cricket

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Three compelling centuries from Will Caldwell (L6m) in his debut season for the side were the highlight of a year in which the 1st XI won half of its 14 fixtures.

With 696 runs to his name, Will held the batting attack together, ably supported by his brother James Caldwell (U6m), George Pope (L6m) and captain Will Cochrane-Dyet (U6b) . . .

continued... ... Bradley Weatherhead (U6e) was perhaps the pick of the bowlers, his four wickets for eight runs against Blundell’s securing an unlikely victory. The side recorded wins against many of the School’s traditional opponents and a high-scoring win against the usually infallible MCC tourists.

Four wins from eight matches represents a positive season for the 2nd XI side, which was extremely wellcaptained by Ed Pyman (L6e) with positivity, excellent management of the players and good decisionmaking. Victory over a strong Millfield side was certainly the highlight, Rafe Yewdall (5g) and Marcus McGrigor (L6c) adding 83 runs in the final 10 overs to set a target the opposition could not quite reach, finishing five runs short. The penultimate match saw an unlikely victory against a previously undefeated Canford side, the bowlers taking all 10 wickets for the fourth time this summer before McGrigor’s steady 46 secured an unexpected win.

It says much for the resilience of the 3rd XI side that their form continued to improve throughout the season and there were some outstanding individual performances. Rory Cattermull (U6m) was captain for most games and always made a significant contribution with bat and ball. In the absence of the entire Upper Sixth, Luke Besse (L6b) captained the side in the final game at Clifton and led the team to an emphatic victory. Harry Garnett (L6m) proved a dangerous all-rounder and Ben Wakeley (L6g) demonstrated his ability to bowl quickly and strike the ball cleanly, whilst Charlie Paines (U6m) was everreliable and a great team player.

Under captain Alex Reid (U6b), the 4th XI won once in six matches, but three of the four defeats were by a margin of six runs or fewer. Jeremy Bottari (L6c) scampered well between the wickets and energised the team all season; he finished top of the batting averages with 27 and took more wickets (11) than anyone else. Alastair Findlay (L6a) kept wicket effectively and also top-scored for the season with a well-paced 60 against Millfield. Will Ashley Miller (L6c) kept the team amused in the field and took a stunning catch in the final game, as Canford were defeated by 125 runs. The best partnership was between Charles Langley (L6e) and Jamie Graham (U6e), batting at 10 and 11, who made 40 in four overs for the last wicket against Marlborough in a game which went down to the final ball.

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The Colts One enormous highlight of the Colts A season was victory on The Upper over a well-drilled Marlborough side. Ben Heber (5f) took an impressive 4-30 as the visiting side was skittled out for 90, their innings including an astonishing catch from Josh Evans (5d). In response, Sherborne ran up the runs swiftly, with Will Shardlow (5m), Sam Hambro (5d) and Rafe Yewdall (5g) all batting effectively.

Meanwhile, the Colts B side defeated Marlborough by an impressive margin of 117 runs.

Tom Pentreath (5m) was the undoubted hero of this match, hitting 63 not out from just 51 balls and timing the ball beautifully off his legs, as Sherborne reached a total of 195 all out. Tom’s father, delayed by traffic, arrived just in time to see his son’s fifth wicket, as this outstanding batting performance was followed by bowling figures of 5-16, with Louis Stannah (5m) also taking two good catches.

Despite figures of 3-41 from Archie Maclean Bather (5f), Cheltenham’s score proved too much for the side, Oscar Fearnley-Derome (5e) top scoring with 35 as the team ended up on 160 all out.

‘ End

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The Junior Colts It would be fair to say that the Junior Colts A side’s season was dominated by two hugely successful cup competitions and these are reported elsewhere. In addition, the team won seven of 11 inter-school matches, defeating the likes of Bryanston and Marlborough along the way. Mention must be made here of Ben Rainbow’s (4c) 72 not out against Blundell’s, Sam Pope’s (4m) unbeaten 50 against Cheltenham and half-centuries from Dom Prest (4d) against Stalbridge, Bryanston and Marlborough. Harry Fisher’s (4m) energy and enthusiasm as wicketkeeper was a critical factor in the team’s success, while efficient batting came from Barney Humphrey (4m), Nick Jonas (4f), Patrick Reynolds (4c) and Ollie Palmer (4d). Captain James Pyman (4e) and Fin McLoughlin (4g) also excelled with ball in hand. The Perkins brothers also performed admirably: Will (3a) took a hat-trick against Callington to end up with figures of 3-6, whilst Tom (4a) took 5-26 against King’s Taunton.

With an impressive record of eight wins in nine matches, the Junior Colts B side displayed excellent technical skill, tenacity and a strong desire to win, as well as a sheer enjoyment of the game. What would prove to be a largely unchanged bowling line-up bowled 152 overs at a combined average of 7.21 and displayed the benefit of disciplined and straight bowling.

Early-season victories over two Taunton sides were followed by solid 50s from Toby Grammaticas (4f) and Tom De Wesselow (4c), as both Bryanston and Millfield were defeated, leading wicket-taker Ben Besse (4b) claiming five in each match. At the tail-end of the season, further victories were recorded over Warminster, Canford and Clifton, in which no opposition side managed to score more than 60 runs; there were impressive 50s from both reliable captain George Whipple (4m) and Patrick Heyman (4c), in addition to a first fivewicket haul from the dependable Michael Treneer (4m). An enthusiastic Junior Colts C side recorded encouraging victories over both Canford and Millfield, with batsman Harry Taylor’s (4c) inspired innings of 106 contributing hugely to the former. Oliver Minchin’s (4g) fast bowling gained wickets and Toby Hobbs’ (4c) deceptive spin also impressed, including two wickets in successive balls against Millfield. Tom Irby (4g) captained from the position of wicketkeeper and played with skill and endeavour. Meanwhile the Junior Colts D side played in one fixture, Ben MacLean’s (4b) 24 runs not being sufficient to prevent defeat.

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The Mini Colts

Eight wins out of 10 matches

record of “eightWithwinsan impressive in nine matches, the Junior Colts B side displayed excellent technical skill, tenacity and a strong desire to win

represented success for the Mini Colts A team, with captain Tadgh Patten (3m) contributing over 400 runs. This tally included unbeaten centuries in the Dorset Cup competition against Thomas Hardye and, in the semi-final, Highcliffe School. His clean striking of the ball took the side to the Regional Cup final, where Canford were victorious in the picturesque setting of Dean Park, despite Hunter Strand’s (3b) 60 not out and Patten contributing 51.

Patten also added 63 against Blundell’s, whilst Seb Carty (3a) scored 57 against Wellington School. Tom Munro (3d) was an accomplished wicket-keeper, Will Jowett (3e) impressed with bat and ball, whilst Charlie Millar (3c) achieved bowling figures of 3-21 against Cheltenham.

One win was recorded by the Mini Colts B side, this coming in the first fixture as Taunton School were defeated. Jack Sharp (3c) recorded 50 in the following game, only for King’s Bruton to defeat the team, and three further losses were to follow. Oliver Soanes (3g) bowled some penetrating swing, Charlie Peele (3a) showed some ability with both bat and ball, Johnny Stanford (3c) and Barney Trumper (3d) demonstrated some excellent leg-spin and several batsmen offer promise for the years to come.

An eager Mini Colts C side was served by an excellent Captain in Tom McCaig (3b), and supported by some astonishing fielding from Hector Hamilton (3c), who specialised in running out opposition batsmen. The promise of a new season saw a 132-run victory over King’s Taunton, Bryn Jones (3e) top-scoring with 61 and Harry Springett (3d) taking three wickets for just one run. Hamilton’s score of 22 was a highlight of the game with Marlborough, whilst Alex Colville’s (3m) 39 and McCaig’s three for 16 were almost sufficient to defeat Cheltenham.

“

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A Vintage Year Tom Flowers says the Cricket First XI did Sherborne proud in 2015 Following a highly productive pre-season programme involving over 40 boys from across three year-groups, the 1st XI was victorious in seven of its 14 matches this season. Pre-season wins against Wellington and the Sherborne County Cricket side included an impressive debut score of 86 from Will Caldwell (L6m), whose season blossomed as the term progressed.

After a lucky escape, thanks to rain intervening when King’s Taunton required just 23 more runs for victory on The Upper, Will Caldwell notched his maiden century for the School against the hard, fair and respectful Free Foresters side, who always play in the true spirit of cricket.

Will’s second century for the side came on an incredibly cold afternoon against Millfield, the batsman becoming in the process the first Shirburnian since David Buck two years ago to register back-to-back hundreds. He was supported that day by a fine batting display from Conrad Fish (5c), cementing his own place in the line-up. Although defeats followed at Marlborough and at Cheltenham, despite a quick-fire 50 from captain Will Cochrane-Dyet (U6b), successive victories against a strong unbeaten Blundell’s side and local rivals Canford left the team in positive spirits.

During the first of these games, Sherborne contributed over 100 runs in the final 10 overs, thanks to some mighty blows from Fergus Hughes-Onslow (U6c) as well as some deft touches and invention from wicket keeper Alex Rydon (U6m). Blundell’s fell 99 runs shot, mainly thanks to Bradley Weatherhead’s (U6e) amazing four for eight in a five-over spell that ended the Devon side’s unbeaten season. James Caldwell (U6m) kept up the family name with a defining innings of 59 against Canford.

Every year the prestigious fixture with the MCC attracts a good deal of interest and, having seen the School attack dominated by sturdy MCC batsmen, it was rewarding this time round to record a victory. Our very own Cameron Wake batted for the opposition, hitting a fine 97 not out and the school side was set 251 to win. This was achieved, thanks in no small part to an adept partnership between Will Caldwell, who scored 110 not out, his third century of an astonishing season, and George Pope (L6m), who scored 68, leaving James Caldwell’s 44 to steer the side across the finishing-line.

1

A team of winners

Not content with a Twickenham victory this academic year, the Fourth Form boys offered a feast of entertainment on the cricket field, notably in two separate cup competitions.

First, the Dorset T20 tournament brought enormous success, with Dom Prest (4d) scoring 87 as Thomas Hardye was defeated by 120 runs to set up a final that was won on the final ball. This was Patrick Reynolds’ (4c) day as he hit 32 in the Sherborne total of 108 and took 4-18 as Canford, requiring 18 off the last two overs, fell five runs short of a modest total.

Freshly crowned as Dorset T20 champions at U15 level, the team then played Portsmouth Grammar School at Parley and a 33-run win enabled them to take the regional crown, too. Barney Humphrey (4m) scored 33 in a total of 136-8, the opposition managing 103-9 in return, thanks mainly to James Pyman (4e), whose 4-12 and one astonishing catch represented a captain’s task well accomplished.

Whilst this was taking place, the team continued to find success in the National U15 Cup. Colston’s were defeated by seven wickets, Prest hitting 77 and Humphrey 44 not out, to reach the South West final against King’s, Taunton. This game was won by 71 runs, Prest scoring a remarkable 146 not out and Tom Perkins (4a) taking 5-26.

Surprised to have reached the national semi-finals, the side bowled Magdalen College School all out for 166, Tom Perkins taking 4-24, and comfortably ran up 167-5 to win by five wickets, Sam Pope (4m) hitting 63. In the final, Sherborne restricted Manchester Grammar School to 162-7 but fell one run short, Sam Pope scoring 76, in overcast conditions at Oakham.

102

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NOT OUT

4th XI Cricket We bowled so poorly; wide and short, Batting struggled and no one fought, We must improve on Saturday, Lest another game slips away.

Fisher, Hasan; CONCENTRATE! And just be patient, yes, and wait…

For those bad balls to put away, So ‘get your head down’, as they say.

Bottari tips and scampers well, But what a pie to which he fell, And WAM and Howard, the ‘Big Guns’, Please knuckle down and get some runs.

Reid and Croggan must take the lead, To help the young lads in their tweed, To understand how to play straight, And not let balls go through ‘the gate’.

Maybe the solution is Langley and Thorne, Left out v Clayesmore, now re-born, Perhaps young Williams should bowl spin, And that would help us gain the win.

The 4th XI will get better, Although the weather might get wetter, Be bold, be brave and do not yield, And then we might defeat Millfield.

Dave Guy

He may be a newcomer to Sherborne, but Tadgh Patten (3m) has brought with him excellence on the cricket field. It is rare enough to score a century, but to achieve this feat in the limited and restricted set-up of a T20 game is remarkable. Tadgh scored 102 not out against Thomas Hardye in a Dorset Cup match, hitting two sixes in the process and reaching his century with a four in the final over.

Accompanied by Hunter Strand (3b), who scored 59 not out, Tadgh’s achievement is exceptional for a player of his age. Mission accomplished, he then put in a polished performance as wicketkeeper, taking a catch and making two stumpings as victory was assured. Weeks later he repeated the feat, scoring a century, including one six, as Sherborne recorded 196-3 in their Dorset Cup semi-final against Highcliffe School. Tadgh faced the last ball on 99 not out and ran a single to bring up his second ton of the summer, his team qualifying for the final against Canford at Dean Court.

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR New to the school in September, Will Caldwell (L6m) recorded a hattrick of centuries for the Sherborne School 1st XI. During one glorious six-day spell, he hit successive hundreds for the 1st XI against Free Foresters and Millfield 1st XI. In the Free Foresters game, Will amassed 100 not out, including just four boundaries, all fours. On the following Saturday, he hit 104 against Millfield, with 12 fours amongst his total.

Later in the term, Will’s 110 not out enabled the 1st XI to overcome a high score posted by the MCC and secure the 251 runs required for victory. Not content with these hundreds, he also hit 50 on four further occasions, the highest an impressive 87 against Wellington.

Alex Rydon (U6m) - Mr Versatile A fourth-generation Shirburnian, and he’s able to turn his hand to any sport, at more or less any level. Uncomplainingly, Alex has represented A and B sides at almost every sport, playing regularly for school sides at rugby, football, hockey and cricket, as well as turning his hand to golf and squash. For 15 terms, he has provided a solid backbone for school teams: “A loyal, un-self-seeking player,” as his Housemaster describes him. As for Alex, he modestly describes himself as “versatile” on the sports field.

TENNIS v v

THE TENNIS TEAM RECORDED 23 WINS OUT OF 34 MATCHES THIS YEAR. IN ADDITION, A JUNIOR TENNIS COMPETITION WITHIN SCHOOL HAS DRAWN UP A SINGLES FINAL BETWEEN CHARLIE SYMONDS (4c) AND GEORGE CLIFFORD (4a), WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE LATER THIS YEAR. THE FORMER DEFEATED JAKE JACKSON (4a) IN ONE SEMIFINAL, WHILST THE LATTER BEAT HECTOR LEA (4d) IN THE OTHER. WYNN THOMAS (3m) WON THE THIRD FORM COMPETITION, DEFEATING BARNEY STANNAH (3m) IN THE SEMI-FINAL AND HUGO BLYTHMAN-ROWE (3c) IN THE FINAL, BEFORE HEADING OFF FOR THE DORSET COUNTY FINALS IN BOURNEMOUTH. WYNN THOMAS ALSO SECURED THE TITLE IN A MIXED COMPETITION, BEATING FREDDIE BAKER (3d) IN THE SEMI-FINAL AND A SPIRITED RICHARD CRANE (3b) IN THE FINAL.

Senior Teams Unbeaten all season, apart from the end-of-term fixture with the Pilgrims, the 1st VI did justice to their burgeoning potential as a fine bunch of tennis players. Spearheaded by their captain, Charlie Morris (L6a), the boys played with enthusiasm throughout the term, discovering their best formation as being Henry Field (L6c) and Sebastian Fender (L6e) at one, Morris and Peter Lederman (L6a) at two and George Crane (L6b) and Hugo Pralle (4a) at three.

Memorable wins came against Canford, with Morris and Pralle performing with focused attention on shot selection and tactical manoeuvring to beat their opposition 6-3 6-4, before the same pair defeated Bryanston’s third pair 6-0 6-2, for a 5-4 win. Field and Fender deserve recognition for beating all three Millfield pairs. Despite going 2-4 down in their final match against the first pair, they mustered their skills to nudge ahead and eventually took the match 7-6.

Finally, our 6-3 victory against Taunton School, a fixture which has posed significant challenges in the past, put the cherry on the cake, with Field and Fender winning 6-3, Morris and Lederman winning 6-3 and Pralle and Crane winning 6-1. The Best Pair award went to Henry Field and Sebastian Fender, who won 11 out of their 12 matches, whilst the Most Improved Player award went to George Crane (L6b) and the Best Newcomer award to Hugo Pralle (4a).

An enthusiastic 2nd VI won the Millfield tournament, playing some fine tennis and exhibiting a high level of fitness. The term had started with a 3rd VI squad, enthusiastic and ready to play, but as the weeks progressed, these players were all promoted to the squad for the 2nd VI, where they were able to represent the school at a higher level.

The Colts This was the first time in 12 years that the Colts A went an entire season unbeaten.

Victories over Millfield and Bryanston were particularly impressive and well-deserved, whilst the entire group proved excellent ambassadors for the school: very polite, welldressed and unquestioning of line-calls.

Patrick Creamer (5m) was dedicated and calm, Archie Cripwell (5c) proved speedy around the court, as well as a talented leader, Daniel Kelly’s (5b) forehands and Teddy Knollys’ (5f) persistence contrasted with Leo Sollohub’s (5b) silky smooth technique, whilst the ever-improving George Vandeleur (5m) is calm and effective.

One victory and one defeat proved the season’s work for an enthusiastic Colts B team. The first pair of Ed DavidsonHouston (5g) and Will Gracia (5f) won both their matches in the 6-3 defeat at Canford; Ed then partnered Patrick Creamer (5m) to secure one game 6-0 in the second match, a 5-4 victory over Blundell’s. In this match, the second pair of Jasper Jones (5m) and David Arnal (5d) showed great resilience and won two out of their three games.

The Junior Colts The Junior Colts A won four straight matches, with Jake Jackson (4a) and George Clifford (4a) excelling. One particular highlight was the 7-2 victory over Downside, in which the first pair won 6-2 and Rupert Chetwode (4d) and Hector Lea (4d) lost 6-1.

Significantly, Charlie Symonds (4c) and Felix Carey (4f) closed out a very tough final set against the Downside opening pair to set the tone for the rest of the match. All three pairs then played with real purpose, Chetwode and Lea reversing their previous fortune to record an overwhelming 6-0 victory and seal the 7-2 victory.

An enthusiastic Junior Colts B team competed well against opposition schools and should be proud of their efforts in training and on court during matches. Joss Palmer (4a) and Hector Lea (4d) were linchpins of this side, which defeated Clifton 5-4 but lost its three other fixtures. The boys were gracious in defeat and did not let the bitterness of loss spoil their manner or composure. They were always respectful towards their opponents and kept their heads held high.

The Mini Colts In winning half their matches, a talented Mini Colts A side set about their tennis careers at Sherborne with enthusiasm. The stand-out performance was the 7-2 victory over Clifton and captain Wynn Thomas (3m) led by example, on and off the court, cementing his position as the outstanding player in his age group.

The most-improved player was Freddie Baker (3d), whose net play developed significantly through the term, whilst Richard Crane (3b), Barney Stannah (3m), Finn Whitehead (3g), Max Mayer (3a), Petch Pibuldham (3a) and Hugo Blythman-Rowe (3c) all contributed positively to a great team effort.

Cross Country

132 |

Eddy Horn’s (U6d) fine talents in

As usual, the school hosted an

fences, and second place was

Cross Country were rewarded when

event around the spectacular

attained at Milton Abbey, where

he competed in the English Schools

grounds of Sherborne Castle, with

four of the school’s runners finished

Championship at Blackburn. He

12 schools bringing 200

in the top 10.

also qualified, along with Will

competitors. In addition, there was

Cookson (U6g) and Harry Reynolds

a tough race at Downside, which

(L6e), for the South-West

included running through bogs,

Championship.

navigating steep paths and crossing

ON THE FAST TRACK 2015 has seen some impressive athletics performances from the boys, explains Tom Scott

A

remarkably dry Trinity Term has seen some excellent performances on the athletics track, with well over 70 boys signed up for the season.

The U16 squad enjoyed team victories at King’s Bruton and at the North Dorset Team Championships.

Meanwhile, the U15 squad missed out on a Sherborne clean sweep by the narrowest of margins and regaining our own trophy, the Lutra Shield, proved a little beyond the U19 squad. Even so, Mr McGuire’s elite sprinters will return next year to mount another challenge.

Captain of Athletics Jack Edmondson (U6f) was hugely impressive in training but struggled to convert this into competitions as he fell just short in his bid to break the School discus record on several occasions.

In fact it was the Third Form who came closest to breaking a record, running one of the fastest junior 4x100m relays the School has ever seen. They missed the record by 0.19 of a second in defeating Millfield (and everyone else) on their own track. With Tom Lewis (L6a), former English Schools 400m runner, suffering an injury at a crucial stage in the season it was left to Third Former Will Westmacott (c) to excel (see below).

With excellent numbers and strong squads taking part in more events than I can remember, next summer promises to bring further success for Sherborne’s athletes. Huge thanks, as ever, go to the boys for all their efforts and the coaching team for their hard work and expertise.

Running into the record books Hot on the heels of an excellent season on the track, Will Westmacott (3c) headed north at the end of the school year to compete in the National Athletics Championships. The Dorset winner over 80m Hurdles at U14 level, in which eight Shirburnians competed, he secured the South West title by running a personal best of 11.6s. This represented the fourth time this year that he beat the School record for his age group. One week after term finished, he took part in the Nationals, shown live on Sky TV from the International Stadium in Gateshead, running 11.46 over 80m in the semi-final and tantalisingly missing out on a place in the final by one-hundreth of a second.

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Swimming

Back in 1988 Piers King set a record of 1m5.01s for the Senior 4x25m Individual Medley, a time that Jasper beat by twohundredths of a second to set a time of 1m 4.99s.

Jasper was to break two further school records, setting 27.94s to take a full second off the School

Butterfly record, and 25.24s for the 50m Freestyle.

The team also came second at the Canford Gala, where the juniors performed very well to secure third place in their category, and came third in the Sherborne Gala, in which Daniel Berry (3a) swam an excellent 33.66s over 50m Freestyle and Tom Hoare (4e) came close to breaking the school’s 100m Freestyle record.

Vice-captain Edmund Budd (U6m) has also been a strong competitor this

term, as have Charlie Hickling (5d), Archie Bourne (5g), Tom Hoare (4e) and Milo Stampa Orwin (4a). The Inter House Gala was once again an exciting event, well supported by a cacophonous crowd.

Wallace triumphed in both the Sixth Form Cup and the Overall Cup; Abbeylands took the Intermediate Cup, and School House secured the Third Form Cup. End

‘

Victory at the Milton Abbey gala was the highlight of the Swimming Squad’s season, with the juniors coming first and the seniors second in their respective sections and team Captain Jasper Slawson (U6e) breaking a long-standing school record.

Lucy McMillan

Judo

Pleasingly, the boys’ training and consistent effort were rewarded once again at the HMC Judo Nationals. Our experienced and dynamic coach, Finn Gleeson, focused their attention on ground-work and fighting techniques in order to maximise competition points and our team of five gained the highest placing we have ever achieved. The School was placed second overall, with Conrad Cowan (5m) and Peter Angkasith (5e) being awarded individual gold medals and Tem Tuganov (3b) an individual bronze. Joss Creswell (5a) and influential captain Marcus Soo (U6e) made up the team; Marcus has been an outstanding and dedicated captain as well as a committed member of the judo team and his enthusiasm and stable presence will be missed.

Caragh Standen

| 137

Water Polo Flourishing within School, water polo offered 20 boys the opportunity to play in inter-school matches.

The side won four out of its nine competitive outings. Captain Will Beney (U6b) scored the first goal of the season, to kick-start a 15-1 victory over Marlborough and one highlight was a 6-2 win against Winchester, our first victory against the school since 2011.

Hugo Houlton (L6d) represented Dorset at the South-West County Championship and, after 28 fixtures, Harper were victorious in the House matches.

Claire Greenrod

Golf Reaching the regional final of the HMC Schools Foursomes Competition was undoubtedly a highlight of a successful year’s golf.

After defeating Taunton and Canford, Sherborne beat Truro 2-1 in the semi-final at Woodbury Park GC in late March. A month later, in glorious spring sunshine on the coast of North Somerset, the team went down 2-1 to Malvern in the final at Burnham and Berrow GC. However, the bare scoreline did not by any means tell the whole story.

After the Caldwell brothers, James (U6m) and Will (L6m), lost the second match and Tom Stagnetto (3a) and

Nico Olazabal-Hartley (3e) won their contest by a convincing 4 and 3, the result hung on the outcome of the top match. The ever-reliable Hugh Williams (U6c) and the more mercurial Stephen Reed (U6a) were engaged in a do-or-die battle against the Malvern top pair.

Stephen holed a pitch of almost 100 yards on the 16th to get Sherborne all square. Then we won the 17th after a very fine chip from Hugh and a nerveless putt by Stephen.

However, Malvern fought back and the match only came to an end on the 20th green, with Malvern ultimately prevailing thanks to some fine putting. Sherborne’s golfers had

previously played at Burnham in March in the annual West of England Independent Schools Tournament, winning 5-0 against Blundell’s before going down 4-1 to Radley, who went on to win the event.

In friendlies against other schools, an inexperienced Sherborne side lost to Canford but defeated Milton Abbey quite easily. And in the alwaysenjoyable match between the staff and the boys, the teachers prevailed 3-2. At the end of the Summer Term we bade farewell to three key members of the team: captain Hugh Williams, Stephen Reed and James Caldwell.

Patrick Francis

Now in its third year at Sherborne, Clay Pigeon Shooting is a regular sport for 14 boys at the Dorset Shooting School. With professional coaching from Anthea Hillyer, seventime Ladies’ World Champion, they have become proficient shots and competed in a multi-school event hosted by Millfield. The team is still relatively junior, but continues to have some success against the second teams in such competitions.

Shooting A good number of boys have engaged in rifle-shooting this academic year. Tom Dudgeon (4d), Marcus Soo (U6e) and Ed Guinness (L6b) were all awarded their shooting colours, having helped the school perform well in the West Kent League, with Ed scoring particularly well. In the next year, the team will compete in National Rifle-Shooting events at Bisley.

John Crouch

A group of 30 boys and parents met for the annual parent-and-son competition, with the high gun being shared by Max Baldwin (5b) and Henry Jackson (L6c), closely followed by Hugo Houlton (L6d), Harry Guy (5b) and Tom Clough (4f).

The parents’ trophy was won by Derek Purchase, who was also high gun for the whole competition and the parent winner two years ago.

The highlight of the day was the parent and son competition which was won for the second year by the Baldwin team, hotly pursued by the Jackson, Purchase, Guy and Vandeleur teams.

Neil Bradshaw & Nick Henderson

Fives Polo Training has continued at Druids Lodge Polo Club this year, hosting arena polo in the Lent Term and traditional grass polo in the Trinity Term.

It has been good to see some new talent emerging this year, primarily Angus Tett (3a) and Yanis Hammick (3m). For the first time there was an Old Shirburnians polo match against Old Millfield at Kingweston, in which Alex Vent (m10), Rory Horne (c06) and Brook Bishop (c06), played a magnificent game, with Roddy Stanning as number four to make up a strong seven-goal side. They were able to hold off the opposition to narrowly beat Millfield by a score of 4-3½.

Julia Slade

With 20 regular players, nine matches and two national tournaments, this has been a very successful season on the Fives courts. Gregor Tims (U6a) and Stephen Reed (U6a) were able to lead from the front, ending the season at St Paul’s in London for the National Schools’ Fives Competition, where both won at least one singles match before being knocked out. They have been excellent ambassadors for the School over their time in the Fives squad and their dominating lefthanded shots will be missed. These players have been well supported by Alastair Findlay (L6a), Ed Pyman (L6e), James Allan (L6m) and Ed Guinness (L6b). What’s more, with Will Shardlow (5m), Ollie Regan (5c) and Angus Mayes (5e) all contributing successfully this term, the squad is well set for next year.

Nick Scorer

Squash With a relatively inexperienced team of squash players, this season was always going to be a challenge. But despite struggling in the first part of the season; the boys showed great character to record wins against Taunton (5-0) and Bryanston (3-2).

Alex Kwiatkowski (U6b) was an inspirational captain of a side that will grow in strength and self-belief.

William Buckley

Basketball The Sherborne School Basketball team recorded three wins in six matches this season: triumphing 60-48 against Gillingham, 56-33 against Canford and 52-41 against Sherborne International. The boys proved eager to compete in a sport that requires a high level of dexterity and focus as well as a degree of oncourt aggression. Tunc Sardan (L6c) proved himself an accomplished leader of the team and, as captain, offered the motivation and focus his side required, as well as the individual skills from a consistently talented player who was able to contribute an average of 20 points Fanny James per game.

Ski Racing

Clay Pigeon Shooting

It was a highly successful year for the Ski-Racing squad, as Sherborne finished fourth in the unregistered team event – our best ever performance in the championship. The team also acquitted itself exceptionally well in the DHO championships, which is largely recognised as the most competitive of the championships. There were strong performances from recognised racers and new talent, with Tom Perkins (4a) finishing second overall in the GS unregistered category and Ben Nokes (5m) fifth overall in the combined event.

Tom Mason

| 139

SAILING Whilst the majority of School was involved in Sports Day, Sherborne won the 420 Class at the Schools Sailing Championship at Itchenor, for the first time in more than 30 years of trying.

Represented by Ben Poe (L6d) and Ben Childerley (4f), Sherborne won the event by a convincing margin.

According to the staff involved, the duo “sailed extremely intelligently and well throughout the regatta.�

This represented the highlight of a season in which Joss Creswell (5a) and Tima Malikov (3f) also raced excellently. Victory over the Old Shirburnians secured the Stangar Leathes series for the first time in many years, and wins were secured in fixtures against Pangbourne, Clayesmore, Clifton, Canford and Milton Abbey.

In addition, Oundle, Eton, Millfield and Ardingly were all defeated at the Thames Valley event. Henry Jackson (L6c) and Ben Poe (L6d) achieved their RYA Dinghy Instructor qualification, Edward Scott (U6c) received the Tom Bugbird Award for sailing, and Oliver Dudgeon (5d), Max Baldwin (5b) and Harry Guy (5b) were recipients of the Yorke Award.

Chris Hamon

THE

SHIRBURNIAN 2014/15

EDITORIAL BOARD SOPHIE HARRIS STEPHEN BYRNE VICTORIA CLAYTON JAMES CRAWFORD TOM PAYNE

WITH THANKS THIS FIRST ISSUE OF THE RELAUNCHED SHIRBURNIAN WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE OUTSTANDING CREATIVITY AND HARD WORK OF MANY PEOPLE IN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO ALL THE BOYS AND STAFF WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EDITION

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSS BARRATT, PETER CHILLINGWORTH, ALEXANDER DAVIDSON ALEX DUNHAM, EMMA FINDLEY, PATRICK FRANCIS SAFFRON GALLAGHER, GILLMAN AND SOAME, CHRIS HAMON SOPHIE HARRIS, STEPHEN HEATH, JAMES HENDERSON NICK HENDERSON, JIM KIMBER, ROB LE POIDEVIN LOUISE LITCHFIELD, NICO MORGAN, LAURIE PHIPPARD DAVID RIDGWAY, SHERBORNE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY JULIA SLADE, HARRY TRUMP PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS OF LEAVING STAFF AND COVER BY DAVID RIDGWAY

.

DESIGNED AND PRINTED BY SHELLEYS THE PRINTERS

“ The leadership shown by older boys

“

is inspirational and impressive

SHERBORNE SCHOOL ABBEY ROAD, SHERBORNE DORSET DT9 3AP T: 01935 812249 E: enquiries@sherborne.org www.sherborne.org