Autumn Term 2022: Season Reports

End of Season Reports

As I sit at my desk reflecting on the term, I find myself finally surprisingly festive. Rutland is dusted with white frost, from the tops of beautiful trees to the tips of the perfectly manicured grass; the air is once again crisp and clean; the long overdue arrival of winter is with us.

In this moment of contemplation, I would like to thank everyone involved in Uppingham Sport this term. Within the Sports Department, this includes nine new members of staff and I am grateful to each of them for their contributions.

Our primary goal is to transform lives through coaching: everyone at Uppingham Sport has embraced this, and our pupils have fed back to us that they feel valued and cared for. We appreciate the feedback that parents have offered us too – as a high-performance environment, we set an example to our pupils by demonstrating why we should always strive for improvement and development.

A key element of feedback we have received was on our rewards system –specifically, Sports Colours. Colours are seen as the pinnacle of some pupils’ sporting careers while at School, and we are currently reviewing this process to ensure we can clarify and communicate how Colours are awarded and what these represent. When we have established this, we hope that pupils will find this clarity beneficial as they set their goals and develop their steps for success.

This document includes our season reviews for the autumn term, with our Captains sharing their results and highlights of the season. In addition, my congratulation to the girls’ U15 tennis team who were crowned Regional Tennis Champions in October, and the girls’ Intermediate Cross Country team who put in a great performance at the National Cross Country finals in December.

However, before we look back on what has been a busy term, I first wish to recognise the loss of one from our community. Our thoughts and prayers are with Will Glendinning’s family and friends over the festive period, as they have been for the last few months. Will was passionate about sport, music and drama, and gave so much to our School and all in his life. He is not forgotten, and we look forward to sharing news of an event in 2023, where we will both celebrate and remember Will.

On behalf of all of us at Uppingham Sport, thank you for your support throughout the term and we wish you a Merry Christmas.

Nick De Luca Director of Sport

Captains: Emmi Malai (C) and Elliot Leong (Fgh)

It was another hectic term for badminton, with the USSC full of powerful smashes, excellent drop shots and aggressive play (particularly in those matches involving sibling rivalry!). Throughout the term, more than 100 junior and senior pupils have played a minimum of three times each week, plus social games being played in the evenings and on Sundays. Thanks to our coach, Mr Barron, and all the staff involved in organising and keeping order in the sessions, helping our play to steadily improve.

Our Senior Mixed 1st and 2nd VIs retained their East Midlands Independent School League titles this term, with both teams remaining unbeaten, despite Oundle’s best efforts. In the 1st team, we were led from the front by our girls’ captain Emmi Malai (C) and Denise Wong (L), ably supported by a whole host of pupils who played across the term. It has been superb to see our high participant numbers paying off with other schools not being able to match our strength in depth, with our 2nd Boys’ VI and Mixed VI being unbeaten across the whole term.

It was a challenging term for our Senior Boys’ 1st VI, playing against larger and often all boys’ schools. However, they secured their best win of the term in December, defeating Rugby 8-1, our first win over their 1st VI for many years. Another iconic moment this term was the win over the Bromsgrove Boys’ 2nd VI, our first win over Bromsgrove at any level in anyone’s recent memory. It has been wonderful to see the number of pupils who have made their debut playing for one of our teams this term, as well as the marked improvement most pupils have made throughout the last few months.

Inter-house Results

Senior Girls

Senior Boys

1 – New House 1 – West Bank 2 – The Lodge 2 – Lorne House

Junior Girls Junior Boys

1 – Fairfield 1 - Lorne House 2 - Johnson’s 2 - Farleigh

Singles Champions

Senior Girls: Denise Wong (L)

Junior Girls: Kailey Wong (Fd)

Senior Boys: Alex Liu (LH)

Junior Boys: Jack Gray (LH)

Badminton continues for our seniors next term with another packed fixture list, league titles to hold on to, the Uppingham Mixed Doubles Tournament, as well as the Oundle Invitational Tournament in March. We look forward to seeing our players develop their skills and continue to enjoy their time on court.

Basketball

Captain: Sean Chitakunye (SH) Vice-Captain: Artyom Ivanov (LH)

This term, the quality of Uppingham basketball has been outstanding. From the first training session to the last match against Rawlins, our team has not failed to bring the intensity, drive and focus required to achieve our goal of being a winning basketball team. With the guidance of our coaches Mr Fletcher, Mr Draper and Miss Burdett, we have become an impressive, well-balanced side.

Our season got off to a great start with a well-earned 53-46 win against Rugby School – led by our Vice-Captain Artyom Ivanov (LH). We then suffered a tough two-point loss to Loughborough Grammar. We bounced back with a convincing victory in the return leg, however, putting on a fantastic display of team basketball. Matthew Lam (LH) performed brilliantly at point guard with 12 points and a dazzling array of assists.

There have also been some spectacular individual performances this term. Sean Chitakunye (SH) and Michael Sun (WD) both scored 17 pts in a dominant win over Oakham – with the joint season high for the squad. The most notable individual performance so far must go to Cyrus Wong (LH), who scored 14 pts in his first game back for the squad, making some tough mid-range jump shots in our penultimate game of the term against Loughborough Grammar.

On the defensive end, there have also been some excellent contributions. In particular, Heinrich Hummel (B) and James Briggs (LH) for their aggression and hustle, fully embodying the fearless brand of basketball we want to play at Uppingham. Also, Christian Bradbury (B), and Alasdair Judd (WD) have been imposing figures under the basket, getting countless blocks and rebounds for the team. These are some of the more unnoticed aspects of basketball that are still pivotal to winning games.

Throughout the term, our team has become a truly cohesive unit. Led by Captain Sean Chitakunye (SH) and Vice-Captain Artyom Ivanov (LH), alongside seniors Christian Bradbury (B) and Diamond Sirithanachai (LH), the team has gone from strength to strength. Our Lower Sixth, Adrian Tong (B) and Matthew Lam (LH), have brought endless energy on the court and have a positive outlook to the game that reflects on the rest of the team. A special mention also goes to the juniors on the team - Alastair Judd (WD), Nicolas Luvisutto (WD) and Michael Sun (WD), who have stepped up and made valuable contributions.

The most fitting testament to how far we have come has to be our hard-fought win against Stamford – a team we lost to by 30 points last year. We started slowly in the first quarter but turned up the gears and managed to play with fast-paced offense and gritty defence – resulting in a 39-37 victory in overtime. In our final game of the term, we lost out narrowly to a strong Rawlins side. However, the effort and heart we showed throughout the game was superb.

Overall, the first half of our season has been an immense success. We end with a winning record of 6-4 and look to continue our great form into next term.

Sergey Teliatnik (B)

Fives has enjoyed a good season, with fixtures played throughout the term. An excellent match earlier in the term saw Uppingham retain the ‘Challenge Cup’ against Oakham, albeit to hand it back to our neighbours later in the season.

In November, we welcomed OUs back to the Constables Courts for an extremely enjoyable afternoon of Fives. My particular thanks to Adrian Lewthwaite (M 76) for helping to organise the fixture.

The season also saw the team travel to Repton to play on their recently refurbished courts. A particular mention must go to Sergey Teliatnik (B) who, having joined the School only this year, has been the standout performer across the season.

Captain:

Captain: Georgina Luckin (C)

Isabella Wakeford (Sa)

What a fantastic season it has been for girls’ hockey! This term has been a testament to the mantra of Uppingham Sport - to include and encourage all to achieve their potential. We have had the highest number of girls playing hockey this season that we have ever had! For all teams the focus of the season has been based on our core values of enjoyment, confidence, and respect, underpinned with the high-performance behaviours of altruism, bravery, and commitment. It has been wonderful to see so many players striving to be the best they can be, both in training and in matches, and for all teams to have developed their own scoreboards of success throughout the season.

In September, a successful pre-season set the tone for our record-breaking season ahead. Players across different year groups bonded outside of pitch time with classroom sessions, pilates, and a great trip to Go Ape. These moments sparked a welcoming culture which endured for the remainder of the season with hot chocolate trips, constructive team analysis and other social events, which all created a family atmosphere.

Targets were set within teams at the beginning of the season, including styles of play and values that were developed in training and brought into matches. The 1st XI decided to play with simplicity, ruthlessness, and communication. This was certainly showcased by the excellent cup run this term. The quarter final of the National Schools’ Cup was an honour to play in, and a tense penalty flick resulted in a 4-2 loss, a frustratingly narrow miss for the next round of National Finals. Nevertheless, all the girls showed amazing resilience and it has undoubtedly been a brilliant season overall, evidenced by a strong 4-1 win against Stowe, as well as a 3-2 win against a strong Stamford team. Many more victories make up the 48 goals scored and only 20 conceded this term by the 1st XI. The girls can be credited for ruthless goal scoring up front, with many different short corner combinations being put into play; a favourite combination with India Wyatt (C) and Saskia Williams (L), who scored many with the infamous ‘ramp’. In the defence, there have been solid performances from Isabella Wakeford (Sa) and Isabella Best (Sa), who brought slick passing from the back to the midfield. Over the season, the style of play continued to improve. After a 2-0 loss to Oakham, changes to patterns of play were tightened up to improve quick transfers round the back, which was seen in the next game: a terrific 4-1 victory against Kimbolton.

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However, it’s not just the 1st team who have had a brilliant season. Throughout the whole hockey programme there have been huge successes.

The 2nd XI made it through to the Midlands Finals, where they finished runnersup to Abbotsholme 1st XI. They have only lost two matches all season, with some fantastic team performances against Bromsgrove, Stamford, and Oundle. The 3rd XI had another terrific season only losing one match and scoring 39 goals, while conceding only 9. The mighty 4th XI had a cracking season, and one which would have been an unbeaten if it was not for ten rogue minutes of hockey in the final match. In the words of their coach, Mr Siddall, “the squad grew as a team, developed a heart-warming spirit, and became a great group to spend a season with.” The 5th XI/U16C squad have shown fantastic camaraderie throughout the season and have had competitive matches against Oakham, Oundle and Rugby. The U16As had an unbeaten streak, which led them to progress into the 4th round of the National Plate, a fantastic achievement. A special mention to the three U15 pupils that joined the squad for the Cup matches: Alexandra Braid (C), Holly Bateman (C) and Leonora Parr (Fd). They played fluid hockey throughout the season, showing great team spirit and togetherness both in training and matches. The U16Bs also had a very powerful season, with excellent performances against Stowe, St Edward’s (Oxford) and Bromsgrove.

The U15A team have had some great performances this season and it has great to see them really buy into the ABCs over the course of the term and look to play ‘liquid’ hockey. Their best performance came in the last game of the season against Rugby. The U15Bs only lost one game all season and went from strength to strength each week, highlighted by a couple of their players making appearances for the A team in the final couple of matches. The U15C team made great strides with their technical and tactical ability and always approached training in the right manner.

The U14A team have shown that the future is certainly bright for Uppingham hockey. They are U14 County Champions and were very unfortunate to not go to the Midlands Finals this year. They have put in terrific performances throughout the term and have shown excellent team spirit. They finished the season having won 9 matches out of 12, and managed to draw 2-2 with Repton. The U14B team also had a terrific season and was great to see U14B players move up to join the A team. The girls brought so much energy and enthusiasm to training sessions and this was reflected in their performances. The U14Cs made good progress throughout the season with a few of the team moving up to join the U14Bs. Finally, the U14D team have always trained well as a group and have made good progress, which is particularly pleasing to see as a number of the girls were new to hockey this term.

All in all, girls’ hockey has continued to dominate the headlines every Monday morning in Chapel, which highlights the strength of Uppingham hockey. It has been a terrific season for the girls, who finish having played 125 matches, winning 77 and drawing 17. With still a couple of matches to play in the New Year, the strength, depth, and achievement of all our teams shows that there are exciting times ahead for girls’ hockey and girls’ sport! A huge thank you to the coaches and staff who have made this term as successful and enjoyable as it has been.

Inter-house Results

Fourth Form – Fairfield Lower Fifth – Constables Seniors – Samworths’

Rugby

Captain: Jake Brunner (B) Vice-Captain: Alexander MacDonald (F)

The season began with an enjoyable trip to Cardiff Metropolitan University for the 1st XV and U16 pre-season training, where we established our objectives and qualities for the exciting season ahead of us. The new Lower Sixth settled perfectly into the team, bringing a new dynamic to our rugby, creating great friendships and memories throughout the week. Our style of rugby was collectively agreed to be ‘lightning quick’ fast rugby, aligning with our squad approach. Additionally, the ABC (altruism, bravery, and commitment) values were put forward as team values for the rugby programme. We took part in many team activities, white-water rafting and the green mile training camp, which further developed our teamwork and bonding skills, along with building some serious fitness!

Making our way back to Uppingham, the boys were excited and enthusiastic to get stuck into an eventful season of fixtures. The season couldn’t have started better for the U16As as they claimed a huge victory over local rivals Oakham with a score of 29-12, closely followed by another victory against Bedford Modern 48-12 just before the half term break, showing signs of brilliance for future years of Uppingham rugby. A deserved mention must go to the valiant efforts of the U15As, who battled their way through to the 3rd round of the National Cup. Despite not progressing further, the core Uppingham values were displayed, even in defeat. There was more success for the U14A XV this season, who triumphed by winning 9 out of their 11 games. The 1st XV had a tough season result-wise, but showed resilience and determination throughout. All this determination and resilience was channelled into a well-deserved victory against The Leys at the end of the season, which the boys fully deserved. The 1st team, although facing many challenges, never failed to model the ABC values. Well done to the Coach’s Player of the Season Damir Kulnazarov (WB), who was at the forefront of exemplifying these values in training and matches.

Outside of school, some of the boys have represented high level teams, with two 1st team players training and playing for Northampton Saints age groups, and two additional 1st team players making appearances for Leicestershire U18. There are also numerous junior players who train and play for Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints - the future of Uppingham rugby is in safe hands.

The season has been full of growth and development, there have been some impressive results and performances which can be carried into next term and next season.

We cannot discuss this season’s rugby without acknowledging that the School was delivered the devastating news of the passing of Will Glendinning early in the term, a truly tragic loss for so many. Our thoughts and prayers are forever with Will’s family. Will was a valued member of the 1st XV, contributing great skill and effort but more importantly great character on and off the pitch. Will never backed down from a challenge in rugby and was always determined to win, making him a good role model for the team. He is greatly missed. As a team, I think we will never forget the many laughs we had with Will, especially in pre-season where many of the team would come to his room and watch the footy and the greyhounds in the evenings. There were many ups and downs! These are some memories that the team will never forget. The team, after receiving the news, knew that the season must be dedicated to Will for all that he did for the School, and for us as teammates and friends. I think the team did just that in our final win against The Leys.

Inter-house Results

Senior Boys – Lorne House

Intermediate Boys – Meadhurst

Junior Boys – West Bank

Swimming

The swim squad has continued to show a fantastic team ethos this term, with a new captaincy team providing excellent support for our younger swimmers in the evening training sessions that they organise three times a week.

In September, our senior boys’ team started the season with a loss to Oundle at home by 6 points, while our junior boys beat Oakham, featuring a great swim from Jasper Blake (LH), who earned a new personal best for his 50m backstroke. The girls also won against Oakham with a debut swim time of 1.18.94 for the Individual Medley from Francesca Lightfoot (NH).

The away fixture against Oundle towards the end of term saw the senior boys closing the gap with a loss of only two points this time, partly due to Oliver Jones (Hf) and Bryan Tang (WB), who both set new personal bests for their backstroke and front crawl respectively. The girls’ team on that day consisted of only five girls, but they all swam amazingly well with three of them setting new personal bests: Elizabeth Manley (Fd) in butterfly, Sarah Pyott (Sa) in backstroke and Rutendo Chigumadzi (Sa) in breaststroke. We finished the season with a win against Rugby featuring fantastic swims from Benedikt Brauchle (Fgh), Rutendo Chigumadzi (Sa), Grace Hillis (Fd), Chloris Huang (NH), Lev Krutikov (M), William McChesney (LH) and Ryan Yuen (Hf)

The Interhouse Competition this term – the Suki Shield – involved a team from each house swimming a mile as a relay. School House won the boys’ competition with a time of 16 minutes and 47 seconds, with West Bank just 8 seconds behind them, while Fairfield won the girls’ competition with a time of 19 minutes and 52 seconds, 30 seconds faster than Samworths’.

Captain: Nathan Choi (SH)

Celebration of Sport

On Sunday 6 November, the whole school came together for our annual Celebration of Sport events, where all pupils get involved in a multitude of sports to win points for their Houses in the hope of coming away with some silverware.

After an action-packed day, here were the final results:

Boys’ Houses: Winners – Meadhurst House Spirit Award – West Bank

Girls’ Houses: Winners – New House House Spirit Award – Samworths’

Colours and Commendations

First Name Surname House Year Group Sport Colours/Comms

Elliot Leong Fgh U6th Badminton Colours

Emmi Malai C U6th Badminton Colours

Sean Chitakunye SH U6th Basketball Colours

Georgina Luckin C U6th Hockey Colours

Kate McCallum Sa U6th Hockey Colours

Tabitha Todd Sa U6th Hockey Colours

Isabella Wakeford Sa U6th Hockey Colours

Saskia Williams L U6th Hockey Colours

Jake Brunner B U6th Rugby Colours

Alexander Macdonald B U6th Rugby Colours

Alastair White SH U6th Shooting Colours

Gabriel Rudman WD U6th Squash Colours

Boaz Chan LH U5th Badminton Commendation

Jessica Chen NH U6th Badminton Commendation

Maverick Chow Hf U6th Badminton Commendation

Eva Deng Sa U6th Badminton Commendation

Elliott Furnell LH L6th Badminton Commendation

Jack Gray LH L5th Badminton Commendation

Katie Judd Fd U6th Badminton Commendation

Timmy Kaensaksiri WD U5th Badminton Commendation

Michelle Ku NH U6th Badminton Commendation

Ernest Lai F U6th Badminton Commendation

Alex Liu LH U6th Badminton Commendation

Angela Munoz J L5th Badminton Commendation

Hayden Ng LH U6th Badminton Commendation

Marcus Shiu LH L6th Badminton Commendation

Maku Tianzhong Fgh U6th Badminton Commendation

Denise Wong L L6th Badminton Commendation

Marvin Zhang SH U5th Badminton Commendation

Artyom Ivanov LH U6th Basketball Commendation

Diamond Sirithanachai LH U6th Basketball Commendation

Dominique Dunn J L5th Cross Country Commendation

Eva May J 4th Cross Country Commendation

Charlotte Munro Sa L6th Cross Country Commendation

Leonora Parr Fd L5th Cross Country Commendation

Hana Perjuci NH U5th Cross Country Commendation

Eloise Roberts NH L5th Cross Country Commendation

Tabitha Todd Sa U6th Cross Country Commendation

Kitty Tweed Fd 4th Cross Country Commendation

Karina Wies L L6th Cross Country Commendation

Marina Wies L L6th Cross Country Commendation

Ottilie Willis Sa 4th Cross Country Commendation

Holly Bateman C L5th Hockey Commendation

Emily Beaumont Fd U5th Hockey Commendation

Isabella Best Sa L6th Hockey Commendation

Flo Bidwell J 4th Hockey Commendation

Alexandra Braid C L5th Hockey Commendation

Annabelle Bramall C U6th Hockey Commendation

First Name Surname House Year Group Sport Colours/Comms

Hettie Brown Fd 4th Hockey Commendation

Clara Brüggemann C U5th Hockey Commendation

Phoebe Butterworth Fd U5th Hockey Commendation

Georgie Corstorphine NH L5th Hockey Commendation

Amy Del Mar Sa 4th Hockey Commendation

Hannah Glen J U5th Hockey Commendation

Matilda Halford NH U5th Hockey Commendation

Milly Hoffman C L5v Hockey Commendation

Tallulah Lascelles J L6th Hockey Commendation

Florrie Lewis Fd 4th Hockey Commendation

Leonora Parr Fd L5th Hockey Commendation

Rosie Pollard Fd 4th Hockey Commendation

Eliza Sexton C U6th Hockey Commendation

Tilly Sexton C 4th Hockey Commendation

Millie Spilsbury Fd 4th Hockey Commendation

Hettie Turcan C 4th Hockey Commendation

Phoebe Wilkinson C U6th Hockey Commendation

Katie Wraith Fd U6th Hockey Commendation

Ben Bowman WB L6th Rugby Commendation

Gary Cui Hf L6th Rugby Commendation

Seb Cross LH 4th Rugby Commendation

Thomas Duncombe M U5th Rugby Commendation

Cameron Glen WB 4th Rugby Commendation

William Howard-Vyse F 4th Rugby Commendation

Damir Kulnazarov WB L6th Rugby Commendation

Ollie Langford SH 4th Rugby Commendation

Henry Lewis LH U5 Rugby Commendation

Freddie Ling WD L6th Rugby Commendation

Cole Morgan-Tremura F L5th Rugby Commendation

Louis Nichols WD L6th Rugby Commendation

Austin Philpot M U5th Rugby Commendation

Billy Read M 4th Rugby Commendation

Robert Ryan LH L6th Rugby Commendation

Alfie Rymer WD 4th Rugby Commendation

Angus Sprott B L5th Rugby Commendation

Aidan Wong LH 4th Rugby Commendation

Tonkao Yoovidhya Fgh 4th Rugby Commendation

Rosie Davies Sa U5th Sailing Commendation

Ethan Cousins SH L6th Shooting Commendation

Alister Wong WB L5th Shooting Commendation

Jessica Martin C L6th Squash Commendation

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