Spring Term 2022: End of Season Reports

Summer Term 2022

Sports Update

Springing into action!

I hope you have all had a wonderful Easter break with family and friends. Having given up all junk food for Lent, Easter Sunday was a big day for me! I am hopeful however, that I can continue this good discipline into the new term. It may seem odd that I am announcing that here, but this is because those who write down their goals achieve their desires significantly more than those that don’t. Doing this also allows me to reach out to a support network when I am not on track, or for people to reach out to support me.

These are just two of the Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence (PCDEs) we have been exploring within the department this year: goal setting and seeking social support. Although we love sport and we are excited by the term ahead, we approach it with an awareness that this term also brings exams for a lot of our pupils. Our hope is that the skills our pupils learn through sport will help them to set effective goals, seek support where needed, and cope with the inevitable pressure they will feel during the exam season.

This document celebrates last term’s achievements, including the much-coveted Sports Colours and Attitude Awards, which recognise pupils who have demonstrated Uppingham Sport’s performance behaviours and values. This edition also sees our first guest writer with Dr Andrew Hall writing about coaching and wearing two hats – that of a parent and coach. And if that is not enough, we have also launched the Uppingham Sport podcast – please look out for it on Uppnet.

Cross Country had a superb season. William Lagesse (Hf) and Tabitha Todd (Sa) both had unbeaten seasons, with the whole team achieving excellent results in training and in regional and national races. We concluded the term with a recordbreaking Routh, with William Lagesse completing the course in an outstanding 28:57 – a new School Record! More than 600 pupils and 100 staff took part; photos and footage are available on Uppnet.

Lacrosse has enjoyed some great results this term, the most noteworthy performance being in the National Schools Championships, where the team achieved Uppingham’s highest ever placement in the top eight of Division 2.

Now looking forward to this term – cricket, athletics and tennis all have a great season ahead after a reduced fixture list last year. After the excitement of the Routh, we are looking forward to seeing the Paarlauf, taken on only by the brave few. The tug-of-war will also make a much-anticipated comeback this year, alongside the main inter-house event – Sports Day!

Sailing is back on this term as the team return to the gloriousness of Rutland Water, golf will be in full swing (see what I did there?) and shooting moves outside to full-bore. With all the outdoor sport we have on this term, the Sports Hall is free for the return of volleyball and basketball, where a growing number of players continue to put in a great effort.

It is a great term to be outside and get involved, and I hope to see many of you at our fixtures over the coming weeks.

Nick De Luca Director of Sport

Nuar Phoorimeti (F) and Esther Mok (Sa) Dr Dawes, Head of Badminton

It has been another frenetic badminton term for the Uppingham seniors, packed with training, matches and tournaments.

Our senior mixed teams brought home both the 1st VI and the 2nd VI league titles after Oundle pipped us in the 1st’s league last term. Although we suffered a couple of narrow defeats late on in the season, Uppingham was by far the most consistent school in the area, and our strength in depth shaded all opposition. This is a consequence of the hard work and effort all our seniors apply, the skills we practice during coaching sessions and our desire to play as much as possible in the evenings and on Sunday afternoons.

It has been a great term for Fircroft, who provided both finalists in the senior boys’ Singles Tournament, as well as winning the inter-house trophy. Samworths’ retained their title, last played for in 2020, much to the delight of their players and supporters.

Nuar Phoorimeti (F), Charles Taylor (F) and Emmi Malai (C) led from the front, winning two of the three senior school titles open to them in some tense battles in the USSC.

The attitude of all our school seniors has been exemplary this term and most players have made superb progress under the expert tutelage of our coach, Mr Barron, and the badminton staff.

We wish next year’s seniors all the very best and hope they manage to build on the standards reached this year.

Rahim Abdullayev (M) Basketball Captain

It has been an unforgettable 2021-22 season for the Uppingham 1st Basketball team. When we first stepped on the court, we looked to build and enhance our style of play and the cohesive nature of our team, aided by our Head Coaches, Mr Fletcher and Mr Draper, alongside Mr Addis and Ms Greenlaw.

Our pre-season fixtures were an immense success, with two consecutive victories against Rugby and Oundle, followed by a tough loss against Stamford. The team prepared well over the winter holidays and were raring to go on the return to School.

During our season, there have been outstanding performances throughout the squad, with a high standard of play set from the very first week. Barney Warner (WB) scored 21 points in our match against Bromsgrove, something that is rarely seen at this level of play, especially against such strong opposition. Barney also managed 28 against Loughborough, which is a season high for the squad. Artyom Ivanov (LH) managed 26 against Loughborough and 18 in a dominant win over Oundle, with Sean Chitakunye (SH) scoring 18 points in a disappointing loss against Stamford.

It’s not only on the offensive side that we have thrived. There have also been significant defensive contributions from Cyrus Wong (LH), Rahim Abdullayev (M), and Alan Wang (Hf). A number of victories were down to the team’s aggressive and committed brand of defence.

Uppingham basketball is set for a bright future, with younger talent gaining more confidence and craft on the court. The strong co-leadership of Barney Warner (WB) and Rahim Abdullayev (M) this year has helped cement the high standards of respect, integrity and diligence around the basketball team. Special mentions go out to Kevin Liu (SH), Lorand Yin (LH), Christian Bradbury (B) and Diamond Sirithanachai (LH) for their valuable contributions throughout the campaign.

Our penultimate game of the season saw us face Loughborough Grammar; Uppingham were typically quick out of the blocks and this speed helped to set up a mammoth 82 points - the most ever in Uppingham’s history (as far as the coach can remember). However, it wasn’t to be the storybook ending to a fantastic season, as the team lost a tough final match away to Rugby, which left us with a record of eight wins to four losses. Despite the loss, this has still been one of the most successful seasons in recent years for Uppingham basketball, and the atmosphere in the team has been outstanding all year.

Overall, the 2021-22 Uppingham Basketball season was one for the history books; a dominant and spectacular season both offensively and defensively on the floor, which sets the bar high for next year and many years to come.

Emilia Cumming (C) and Archie Tweed (F) Cross Country Captains

We kicked off the term with the annual Uppingham Race, however this year with a twist; a change in course, which threw off many competitors and pushed our team to compete at a higher standard than ever before.

With Tabitha Todd (Sa) and William Lagesse (Hf) winning the senior races, it was clear from the outset that we had a great season ahead of us. This was proven true in the following weeks, with victories at our Bromsgrove and Rugby races and an undefeated season for both William and Tabitha.

Not only did we put our best efforts forward in the East Midlands Cross Country League races, but we also competed on a national and regional level. February saw an impressive demonstration of the talents in the senior team, as well as in the younger years, with the junior girls and boys proving yet again that the more you put in, the more you get out. Leonora Parr (Fd), Dominique Dunn (J), Alexandra Braid (C), Georgie Fernandes (Fd) and Charlie Howard-Vyse (F) are certainly ones to watch out for.

Cross country is not just a sport which recognises speed within the race, but in training too. Our 5k time trials proved that a strong team spirit and cohesion across the board is crucial in motivating us to do our best. In setting out the main message of our captaincy, we agreed that it is vital to consistently support and celebrate those who quite literally go the extra mile in training and racing, and we were all ecstatic to finish the term off with The Routh!

In the final weekend of the season, Emilia Cumming (C), Charlotte Munro (Sa), Tabitha Todd (Sa), William Lagesse (Hf), Oliver Clements (Hf) and Benjamin Maldonado (Hf) all competed for Leicestershire and Rutland at the English Schools National Final. They all did superbly well when taking on the best of the best; Tabitha deserves a special mention for being ranked 68th in the country, a year young, and it will be interesting to see what she and Charlotte Munro can achieve when they race together next year. Benjamin and Oliver are also at the beginning of their journey, so it’s exciting to see where they go from here.

It would not be a cross country season without Mr Matthews and Mr Davies “consistently” setting the standard. Five of us, including Old Maidwellian Ned Hercock (F), were thrilled to join Mr Matthews to visit Maidwell Hall on two different occasions, leading a training session and haring the infamous ‘Maidwell Chase’, in which Ned set a stellar example for the younger years, despite never actually competing in the race while at prep school.

Ultimately, we would like to thank all who made our final cross country season the best one yet. “Double-Cross” will be a team feared by many for years to come…

Pieter-Jan Van Hulle (Fgh) Boys’ Football Captain

With lockdown thwarting our chances for fixtures last season, the football squad were thrilled to begin the campaign with a pre-season adventure across the East Midlands.

During our journey, we not only had the pleasure of playing at Leicester City’s state-of-the-art training facility (and watching a nail-biting FA Cup fixture), but we also had the opportunity to bond as a team and develop the style of football we want to play. Adapting a possession-based and direct style of play, we focused on the values and beliefs we aim to instill across the season: positivity, confidence and being reverent in the way we conduct ourselves on and off the pitch. The mood was one of excitement about the season ahead of us.

Once pre-season was over, the 1st and 2nd XI were joined by the eager and motivated U16s on The Middle, which would be home to our training and our match-day arena in the coming months. Our values were reinforced, players were introduced and the plan for the enthralling season ahead was discussed.

Despite the season not going our way for the 1st XI in terms of results, as we faced some tough opposition, we stayed true to our values and followed them through, being commended for our fair play many times by other team managers and spectators.

We also achieved memorable results, such as a congenial 4-4 draw against Wellingborough School. In this fixture we showed great resilience and perseverance by coming back from a 3-0 deficit at half-time and demonstrated commitment to playing our brand of football until the final whistle, scoring two beautiful goals in the last five minutes. During the challenging season, we continued to put in the hard work which resulted in some standout qualities across the team, such as the ever-present work rate from Archie Pearson (Hf) and Samuel Burchnall (B), the goal scoring threat from Jamie Laing (WD) and defending prowess from Will Hazelwood (Hf) and William Harris (WD), accompanied by a couple of outstanding saves from Jonty Blayney (M).

Despite the Upper Sixth making up most of the team, our Lower Sixth representatives, Billy Brooks (WD) and Humphrey Clark (Hf), put in a great shift across the season and represented our core values tremendously everywhere we went. Thanks to Mr Surtees and Mr Kirkby on the sidelines, we have improved massively as a side and have become more confident on and off the ball throughout the duration of the campaign, as well as improving as individuals, both on and off the pitch.

The 2nd XI enjoyed a memorable season, employing a counter-attack style of play under the leadership of Mr Ward and Mr Holroyd. The season included noteworthy performances such as a formidable win against Rugby (3-1), as well as unfortunate losses against Loughborough Grammar and Wellingborough, where they put in captivating performances, and were better than their 3-1 and 4-3 losses suggest. During the season, the 2nd XIs proved their powerful morale by not letting their heads drop and battling through the season. There were a number of outstanding performances, including Joseph Ntodi (WB) and Hubertus Kalvelage (LH) in midfield, the attacking ability of Thomas Knapman (M), who also captained the team up front, and the defending capabilities of Thomas Sykes (M) and Harry Nettleton (LH), who were rock solid at the back.

The U16s had a competitive and successful campaign under the guidance of Mr Tolond and Mr Prior. Captained by Charlie Thompson (Fgh) - also leading goal scorer - the boys went into every match with the belief that they could win. The majority of this confidence came from an unbelievable trust in the back line, with keeper Hugh Heath (SH) drawing in 10/10 performances, week after week. Special mention must also go to Oscar Fenby (LH), whose tenacious effort and excellence benefited Uppingham, both in attack and defence, throughout the season. Although many would describe the U16s style as epitomising ‘Brexit Ball’, some wonderful goals have been scored: Ethan Ng (F) against Oundle, Oliver Veitch (SH) against Rugby, Charlie Thompson (Fgh) against Oundle and Oscar Fenby against the Seconds in training (Harry Nettleton (LH) was in goal). Ultimately, the boys can be immensely proud of their efforts, with even lost games only being conceded by one goal.

As Captain, I would like to thank all the coaches involved for organising such a memorable and special season, as well as the spectators, grounds staff - who made our home matches possible - and the whole football team for consistently putting in the effort, in training and fixtures, as well as adhering to our core principles and values, whilst improving as players and individuals.

Girls’ Football

Mr Moosajee Head of Girls’ Football

2022 saw the first full season of girls’ football since the pandemic began. It has been amazing to see the girls working hard to develop their individual skills, as well as learning to play as part of a football team. This season, we have welcomed the Upper Fifth back into the squads.

Our 1st XI played six fixtures and produced some of their best results, winning two matches against Rugby and Oakham. The girls also produced one of their best results against a strong Repton side and narrowly lost 3-2.

Captain Robyn Harrison (L) and vice-captain Chloe Munro (J) have led by example, training and playing hard. A large proportion of the 1st XI were Upper Fifth and Lower Sixth, which bodes well for the future of girls’ football at Uppingham. Isabella Best (Sa) challenged for the top scorer in the league, but was narrowly beaten to the title BY WHOM? (SS). Ultimately, the 1st XI finished third in their league.

Our 2nd XI played two fixtures, making a great improvement from the first to the second. Unfortunately, they didn’t achieve a win, but their enthusiasm, energy and spirit shone through.

We also held our annual inter-house football tournament, which was fiercely contested. The winners were Samworths’, with Johnson’s finishing as runners-up.

It is always great to see the girls enjoying playing football at Uppingham. I look forward to seeing what the girls can achieve next season. Well done to all involved, it was a great season!

Archie Case (B) Boys’ Hockey Captain

Mr Baker Director of Hockey

After a year without any fixtures, the boys were raring to go into this season’s hockey programme and thoroughly excited about the term ahead.

For all teams, the focus of the season has been based on our core values of Enjoyment, Confidence and Respect, as well as getting plenty of time on the pitch. It has been fantastic 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.

The 1st XI had a fantastic first half of term. Our highlights were our games against Oakham, Kimbolton and The Perse.

First up was the big derby against Oakham, where Uppingham showed fantastic grit and determination to win 2-0. This was the first time in more than 10 years that Uppingham has beaten Oakham. Archie Rook (M) scored a well-worked second goal at the far post to ensure victory was Uppingham’s.

Straight after this, we took on Kimbolton in the first round of the U18 National Cup, which went down to penalty strokes after the game finished 1-1. George Rycroft (WB) stepped up to make the winning save, to take the match 4-3.

The squad’s strongest performance came in the third round of the National Cup away to The Perse. The Perse, having got through to National Finals with their Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth year groups in previous years, were always going to be a stern test. Despite Uppingham going down to 12 men before the match had even started due to injury, the team showed fantastic work rate and team spirit to come from 2-0 down at half time to 2-2 at full time. Unfortunately, they could not quite pull off another nail-biting victory, as they did against Kimbolton, but came away with their heads held high in what was one of the best team performances I have seen.

There were several new faces in the team this year. Well done to Freddie Ling (WD) who made his debut for the 1st XI as an Upper Fifth, showing excellent distribution and game understanding. Credit is also due to the team’s defence, who have needed to be on top of their game due to the level of competition in both the league and cup games. There were stand out performances from Sebastian Wheeler (B) and William Cardozo (F), who proved to be solid and reliable throughout the season and will no doubt aspire to leadership roles within the group in the next academic year.

Despite the second half of the season perhaps not going as well as we would have wanted from a results point-of-view, it has been a pleasure to coach the team, the majority of whom I have coached since Fourth Form. It has been fantastic to see them grow into the men that they are today, and for those who are leaving us at the end of this year, I wish them all the best and hope they continue to play hockey at university and beyond!

Special credit must go to the leadership team of Archie Case (B), Hector Trower (B) and George Rycroft (WB), who have led by example both on and off the pitch. Their dedication and commitment to hockey has been exemplary since the Fourth Form.

Alongside the 1st XI, there have been numerous other success stories throughout the hockey programme. The 2nd XI made it through to the Midlands finals, narrowly losing out to the eventual winners, Repton, in the semi-final, with well-fought wins over Stowe, Stamford, and Leicester Grammar School. The 3rd XI had an incredible season, only losing one match.

The U16As had a challenging season due to illness and injuries, but they have shown a real togetherness and managed hard-fought draws against Rugby and Bromsgrove School, as well as a nice cup run with some of the U15A squad. The U16Bs also had a tough season but managed to secure draws against Rugby and Stamford. Mrs Kinmond has been very impressed with the camaraderie on show each week and the improvements the squad have made.

The U15As have been a delight to coach this term and have shown strong performances against Oakham, Stowe, Rugby, Stamford and Oundle. They are certainly a team to keep an eye on in the future, and well done to the boys who played up in the U16 Cup team. The U15Bs saved their best performance until last this year with a convincing win against Oundle, having worked hard on their finishing throughout the term. Mr Cooke has been impressed with the boys’ focus in training each week. The U15Cs have worked tirelessly throughout the season and have always approached training and matches in the right manner.

The U14As have had a disrupted training season; however they have all the makings of a very good team and I’m sure will be looking to rectify a couple of results next year. The U14Bs have developed a fighting team spirit throughout their season, with several wins due to their strong defence, creative play, and resilience. The U14Cs and U14Ds have worked hard on their technical and tactical play and have been a joy to coach.

1st X - Kiara Gander (C) Lacrosse Captain and Mr Lalor

After the entire 2020/21 season was wiped out, the desire for lacrosse at Uppingham burned brighter than ever. The autumn term saw the introduction of Wednesday morning stick skills and the hugely popular Friday night club, before the season began in earnest in January.

The first litmus test for the team took the form of an away trip to Stowe; with five 1st teamers new to the sport, it was always going to be a baptism of fire. The girls rallied together, primarily through their PVA (Positive Vibes Always) mentality and came away with a spirited draw against Stowe’s 3rd X. From there, the team went from strength to strength, pulling out big wins against Oakham (10-2), and Haileybury (17-6), before going down 14-15 to a strong Loughborough University side. The enthusiasm and togetherness of the group was clear, with them training, often off their own back, up to five times a week.

This exhibition of commitment, alongside their resilience and maturity, undoubtedly underpinned their success throughout the season, which culminated in the National Schools Championships at the end of term. Highlights included leading Bedford (who finished 11th in the Championship) 3-2 with a minute to play, wins against Abbot’s Hill and Haileybury, and a Division 2 quarterfinal against North London Collegiate School, which saw the success of the infamous ‘Pancake’ set play. The top eight Division 2 placing is Uppingham’s highest ever finish at National Schools and the girls should be immensely proud of how far they have come as a group. Included below are just some (there are too many to list) of the girls’ magic moments from the season:

Martha (Lower Fifth, C) and Amelia’s (Upper Fifth, C) awesome goals against top 16 teams, Mima and Bella’s (Lower Sixth, Sa) powerhouse runs, Jess’s (Upper Sixth Fd) awesome saves in goal, and Izzy’s (Upper Sixth, Sa) left-handed goal. Along with pizza evening, football game warm-up, huddle hype-ups, the celebrations, THAT goal against Haileybury… it truly was the best term of sport I’ve played at Uppingham!

2nd/3rd X - Dr Oliver

The future of lacrosse at Uppingham is looking bright as well, as for the first time in recent memory the sport had enough interest to field three full teams. The first weekend’s matches came as a shock to many on the 2nd and 3rd X who had never even held a lacrosse stick before the preceding Tuesday, but both teams showed enormous spirit and enthusiasm and gave local rivals Oakham a difficult time. The girls’ dedication to their stick skills and growing knowledge of the game paid off in the second half of term, with 2nd X getting revenge on Oakham with an 8-3 win and the 3rd X earning their first win 9-3 over Denstone College.

A positive attitude and love of the game has characterised every single member of the team this year, regardless of experience or skill, and it is this more than anything else that has led to such a successful season.

Alanah Heath-Drury (L) Netball Captain

After a year without any fixtures, the team have gone on to have a very busy and successful season.

We have seen several new faces join the 1st VII squad, as well as a great many pupils taking part and enjoying the sport. This season, we have mainly focused on nailing the values that we set prior to the season, and enjoying being a part of Uppingham sport. We took an ACE approach, so that we were all Accountable, Committed and put in Effort. It has been encouraging to see how these values have developed, both on and off the court, throughout the term and will continue to grow within Uppingham netball.

The 1st VII had a challenging season, but it has been inspiring to see every single person involved step up to the pressure and develop, both as individuals and as a team. The group have taken elements of training into games, and this has led to the success of scoring more than 270 goals this season.

We started the season strong with potentially our hardest game up first, against Bromsgrove. However, the team worked hard and managed to come away with only an eight-goal defeat, which they should be immensely proud of. This set the tone for the rest of the season.

The group also had to deal with several injuries throughout the season - which is never easy - but everyone stepped up when required to do so. Over the course of this year, the group had several great wins, one of them against Trent College, which has to be one of our highlights from this season. Every player took to the court and made a significant impact, with several combinations to work through, and this is what enabled us to come away with a fantastic score line of 52-33, as well as demonstrating the values that we have been striving for.

We have also had to experience narrow losses, which can be extremely frustrating, but they have allowed us to become closer as a squad and deal with the disappointment in order to look ahead and adapt in future games. There have been stand out performances throughout the season, where we have seen players grow in confidence, take charge, and put in endless effort behind the scenes.

One of our biggest successes this year was getting through to Regionals. At the end of last year, the team went to the County Tournament in hope of qualifying for the Regional Tournament. The games started off quite steadily, but again the girls managed to pull through and go back to our values which allowed us to get into the final against Oakham. Although we just missed out on first place, we had still done enough to qualify for Regionals. This was a huge achievement, as Uppingham had not managed to qualify in several years, which shows what great potential the team has. We went to Regionals in January, but the day unfortunately did not go our way, despite all our efforts. However, there were still plenty of achievement throughout the day, with many different combinations and players stepping up to be accountable for themselves on the court in order to put the team in the best position.

Overall, the girls have had an extremely successful season, regardless of some narrow defeats. Each individual has grown in confidence and taken ownership of what they are able to bring to the team. With their wide range of talents, each player brings something unique to the team, which has formed memories and friendships for life, while also pushing for Uppingham netball to grow as a sport. I am so proud of how much this team has grown over the year to get to where we are now.

Fergus Makepeace (M) (Captain) Edward Lewis (LH)

After a huge effort in XVs rugby last term, the boys were well positioned coming into the 7s season.

For the first four weeks of the term, the team put in three hard training sessions each week in order to ‘prepare and protect’ our bodies for the tournaments ahead. We also developed our understanding of the 7s format, understanding what our team and our individual super strengths on the pitch might look like.

Developing our own ‘match scripts’ played a key part in understanding our strengths and how they are best deployed through a competition. By visualising how we could deploy these tactics, these match scripts came to life and helped us to focus from game to game. We also used this strategy as a team, creating team scripts that centred on critical behaviours for performance. This long preparation left us filled with confidence and in a great position going into the first tournament.

The opening few weeks of the season were hard graft, building towards our first outing for the team at Norwich School. The tournament enabled us to put into practice the mental and physical side of 7s we had been developing in the weeks beforehand. The team showed a solid foundation in our developing attack shape, allowing Freddie Read (M) and Alexander Macdonald (F) to stand out with some creative solo tries. We came out of the tournament with two wins, narrowly losing out to Denstone in our final match. This tournament was a great starting point for the team and gave a benchmark for us to kick on for the rest of the season.

With a quick turnaround, two days later the team was playing in a Northampton Saints Tournament held at The Perse School. Full of confidence, we played fluently, putting Northampton School for Boys and Moulton College to the sword. A notable moment of the day was when Edward Lewis (LH), Finn Milligan (LH) and Alexander Macdonald linked from the kick-off to score a great team try. We moved on to a semi-final against Rugby School, where we lost after a very physical game. However, our work rate was outstanding throughout, with Oliver Arnold (Fgh) and Will Czajkowski (Fgh) leading from the front.

The first half term was not entirely 7s focused, and a special mention must go to the U14A team who continued their strong showing through the term and performed wonderfully in the U14 National Cup. Following a resounding display against Farlingaye School, the team reached the last eight and travelled to Northampton School for Boys. A hugely competitive and bruising encounter saw early momentum firmly with the hosts, before our U14As retaliated with a flurry of pressure and scores of their own, with Oscar Payne (WB) and William Macdonald (F) as always in the thick of the action. The tide unfortunately turned again in favour of Northampton who ran away as eventual winners (and who went on to win the final too). However, the U14As have made great progress and they should be rightfully proud of the efforts.

Back to 7s, and the first weekend after the half term break was the big one – the Uppingham 7s Tournament. We started the tournament off with a win against The Leys, then faced up against the strong Denstone side, where we arguably put in our best performance, despite narrowly losing 15-12 in front of a passionate home crowd. We then compounded our losses against Norwich, in a game in which the players felt they should have won after going three scores clear, but ended up losing 26-24. The players bounced back, beating local rivals Oundle 35-5 – a pleasing performance. This was enough to secure 2nd in the group and go through to the 3rd/4th playoff against Bromsgrove. This was an evenly matched

game, but Bromsgrove came out on top. As the day came to a close, we came 4th overall in the tournament. It was a fantastic day, and particularly memorable for the boys who were running out onto Leicester 1 for the final time.

The following week we travelled the short distance to Oakham for another tournament, where we topped our group. Beating local rivals Oakham was a particular highlight of the weekend, and although we came up short against a physical Felsted team in the Cup Semi-Final, there were yet more signs of progress for the group.

Oakham put us in good stead to travel up to Mount Saint Mary’s the next weekend. In a group of three with RGS Newcastle and St Peter’s, we all came away with one win and one loss, the back-to-back games proving too difficult for both us and St Peter’s. This left us second in the group and playing against an athletic Sedbergh side in the quarter final. After a valiant 14 minutes of effort, the school rugby giants proved too much, and we moved into the Plate Semi-Finals, once again against RGS, where we managed to do the double against them. In the Plate Final we came up against Doncaster Knights, a side that looked strong throughout the tournament. However, our team played some great 7s, being patient in attack and working relentlessly in defence to leave the opposition without a score.

Herbie Linney (F) was man-of-the-tournament, displaying some impressive carrying and try-scoring finishing, typically unheard of from tight head props! Winning some silverware for the first time this term was a great moment for the team and continued our trajectory towards the Rosslyn Park Tournament.

Shooting

Alastair White (SH L6) Shooting Captain

The shooting team had a busy term, with five new senior members and eight new Lower Fifth shooters. The shooting programme is in good health, with pupils producing tremendous scores whilst having fun and enjoying the time spent at the range.

At the start of this term we entered the East Midlands Schools Challenge Cup, which is comprised of matches against Oakham, Stamford, Wellingborough and Oundle. So far, we have only been able to compete in one face-to-face fixture, which we hosted on the 13 March against Wellingborough. We won convincingly with a score of 772/800, compared to Wellingborough who had a score of 744/800.

We have, however, completed two other fixtures using postal cards against Oundle and Rugby. We won against Rugby with a respectable margin of 20 points and we await the results of the Oundle fixture.

This term in our training sessions, when we are not participating in shooting fixtures, we have focussed on completing our competition cards for the postal and county leagues. In the NLRTSA teams and individual postal league, we all finished the last of our 10 cards on 15 March, and as of Round 7 in the team’s league, Uppingham A is 3rd in their division, ahead of Oakham’s A team. Currently Uppingham B and C are in the same division, with Uppingham C in in 3rd place with Uppingham B in 4th.

When we entered the County League, due to our average scores at the time, we were selected as the ‘B’ team for Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, with Oakham being selected as the ‘A’ team. However, after the immense amount of time and training we have put into the rounds of the County League, along with help from Mr Gladding, Uppingham B ended up beating Oakham A. This is a tremendous success, showing out dramatic improvement over the last few months, which has allowed us to dominate the NLRTSA County competition despite being the ‘B’ team. Well done to the team of four: Ethan Cousins (SH), Ivan Pulich (SH), Jeremy Tsai (Fgh) and Alastair White (SH, Captain).

Next term we have the delayed UVRC (Uppingham Veterans Rifle Club) v Uppingham School team competition, followed by a dinner. We are very much looking forward to hosting this event for the first time in two years.

For the first time, the shooting range will host an inter-departmental shooting competition, where all the different departments across the School have the opportunity to submit a team to shoot for a trophy. Best of luck to everyone involved!

As we always do in the summer term, we will be going off to the Oundle Elmington range every Tuesday and Thursday to shoot at 100, 300 and 500 metres. Due to all the CTRs across the country being out of service, we will be shooting the civilian rifles instead alongside Oakham and Oundle.

At the end of our training at Oakham we aim to send a team of at least eight to shoot the Ashburton and potentially the Imperial competition over the summer holiday, which takes place from 10 to 15 July.

Natalie Chu (C) Swimming Captain

The swim team has had an eventful term, with the highlight being the Bath and Otter cup, which is a national relays competition.

The boys’ team, comprised of Albert Tanner (WB), Charlie Tolhurst (WB), Nathan Choi (SH) and Edward Vertigen (F) got to the finals and came in the top 10 in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay and Ollver Jones (Hf), Albert Tanner (WB), Nathan Choi (SH) and Charlie Tolhurst (WB) also competed in the medley.

The girls’ team of Olivia Whyte (C), Chloris Huang (NH), Dominique Dunn (J), Zoe Pyott (C) and Natalie Chu (C) put up a good fight with new personal bests.

Even better, as a team we have been unbeaten in our swim galas this season and will hopefully continue this streak next term.

Colours and Commendations

Name House Year Group

Sport Information

Jessica Chen New House L6th Badminton Commendation

Amy Dai New House U6th Badminton Commendation

Una Ding Johnson's U5th Badminton Commendation

Mengting Dong Samworths' U6th Badminton Commendation

Elliott Furnell Lorne House U5th Badminton Commendation

Thomas Gregory Brooklands U6th Badminton Commendation

Tom Han Farleigh U6th Badminton Commendation

Simon He Lorne House U5th Badminton Commendation

Eddie Jiang West Bank U6th Badminton Commendation

Katie Judd Fairfield L6th Badminton Commendation

Alex Liu Lorne House L6th Badminton Commendation

Emmi Malai Constables L6th Badminton Commendation

Esther Mok Samworths' U6th Badminton Commendation

Nuar Phoorimeti Fircroft U6th Badminton Commendation

Marcus Shiu Lorne House U5th Badminton Commendation

Charles Taylor Fircroft U6th Badminton Commendation

Maku Tianzhong Farleigh L6th Badminton Commendation

Matthew Wai West Bank U5th Badminton Commendation

Sophie Wang Samworths' U5th Badminton Commendation

Nathan Yuen Farleigh U6th Hockey Commendation

Rahim Adbullayev Meadhurst U6th Basketball Colours

Sean Chitakunye School House L6th Basketball Commendation

Alan Wang Highfield U6th Basketball Commendation

Barney Warner West Bank U6th Basketball Colours

Lorand Yin Lorne House U6th Basketball Commendation

Isabella Best Samworths' U5th Football Commendation

William Butterworth Fircroft U6th Football Commendation

Oscar Fenby Lorne House U5th Football Commendation

William Harris West Deyne U6th Football Commendation

Robyn Harrison The Lodge U6th Football Colours

Will Hazelwood Highfield U6th Football Colours

Hugh Heath School House U5th Football Commendation

Carla Hinterding The Lodge L6th Football Commendation

Jamie Laing West Deyne U6th Football Commendation

Chloe Munro Johnson's U6th Football Colours

Archie Pearson Highfield U6th Football Colours

Pieter-Jan Van Hulle Farleigh U6th Football Colours

Ian Yu Highfield U6th Football Commendation

First Name House Year Group Sport Information

Harry Alderson School House U6th Hockey Commendation

Archie Alton Meadhurst U6th Hockey Commendation

Jago Bucher Brooklands 4th Hockey Commendation

Archie Case Brooklands U6th Hockey Colours

Ned Caton Brooklands L5th Hockey Commendation

Ralph Chivers Brooklands U6th Hockey Commendation

Lewis Cobb West Bank U5th Hockey Commendation

William Henson Highfield U5th Hockey Commendation

Alasdair Judd West Deyne L5th Hockey Commendation

Matthew Key West Bank 4th Hockey Commendation

Joshua Khan West Deyne U6th Hockey Commendation

Henry Lewis Lorne House L5th Hockey Commendation

Charlie Lightowler Highfield L5th Hockey Commendation

Freddie Ling West Deyne U5th Hockey Commendation

Angus McKay Brooklands 4th Hockey Commendation

Toby Nichols West Deyne 4th Hockey Commendation

Harry Parker Highfield L5th Hockey Commendation

Archie Rook Meadhurst U6th Hockey Colours

George Rycroft West Bank U6th Hockey Colours

Hans Sander Farleigh L6th Hockey Commendation

Alexander Sizer West Deyne L6th Hockey Commendation

Ted Stothard Highfield L5th Hockey Commendation

Charlie Tinney West Bank L6th Hockey Commendation

Hector Trower Brooklands U6th Hockey Colours

Isabel Blackman Samworths' U6th Lacrosse Commendation

Alice Clarke Constables L6th Lacrosse Commendation

Jemima Curran Samworths' L6th Lacrosse Commendation Kala Davies Samworths' U6th Lacrosse Commendation

Kiara Gander Constables U6th Lacrosse Colours

Olivia Goes Samworths' U6th Lacrosse Commendation

Florence Hamilton Samworths' L6th Lacrosse Commendation

Olivia Henson Fairfield U6th Lacrosse Colours

Imogen Pollard Samworths' U6th Lacrosse Commendation

Jessica Stamp Fairfield U6th Lacrosse Commendation

Emily Beaumont Fairfield L5th Netball Commendation

Charlotte Benbow The Lodge U6th Netball Commendation

Lydia Bulwer Long Fairfield L5th Netball Commendation

Phoebe Butterworth Fairfield L5th Netball Commendation

Colours and Commendations

Name House Year Group Sport Information

Georgia Coker-Agar Constables L5th Netball Commendation

Amelia Entwisle The Lodge U6th Netball Commendation

Grace Finn-Kelcey Samworths' L5th Netball Commendation

Alanah Heath-Drury The Lodge U6th Netball Colours

Milly Hoffman Constables 4th Netball Commendation

Jemma Jackson Constables U6th Netball Colours

Deborah Kargbo New House U6th Netball Colours

Eleni Malhan The Lodge L6th Netball Colours

Ollie May New House U6th Netball Commendation

Millie Paul Samworths' 4th Netball Commendation

Elizabeth Regis Constables L5th Netball Commendation

Poppy Wraith Fairfield U5th Netball Commendation

Alex Macdonald Fircroft L6th Rugby Colours

Damir Kulnazarov West Bank U5th Rugby Commendation

Fergus Makepeace Meadhurst U6th Rugby Colours

Charlie Read Meadhurst U5th Rugby Commendation

Freddie Read Meadhurst U6th Rugby Colours

Ethan Cousins School House U5th Shooting Commendation

Jiaxin Shen Constables U5th Shooting Commendation

Patrick Heller West Deyne U6th Squash Colours

Alidar Kuatbekov Highfield U6th Squash Colours

Freddie Lagesse Highfield U6th Squash Colours

Andrey Smirnov Lorne House U6th Squash Colours Michael Wettasinghe School House U6th Squash Colours

Angus Alderson Brooklands L6th XC Commendation

Oliver Clements Highfield U5th XC Commendation

Emilia Cumming Constables U6th XC Colours

Ned Hercock Fircroft L6th XC Commendation

William Lagesse Highfield U6th XC Colours

James Lilley Lorne House U5th XC Commendation

Benjamin Maldonado Highfield U5th XC Commendation

Angus Maloney Highfield U5th XC Commendation

Charlotte Munro Samworths' U5th XC Commendation

Tabitha Todd Samworths' L6th XC Commendation

Archie Tweed Fircroft U6th XC Colours

Brant You West Bank U6th XC Colours

Name House Year Group Sport

Una Ding Johnson's U5th Badminton

Mengting Dong Samworths' U6th Badminton

Elliott Furnell Lorne House U5th Badminton

Tom Han Farleigh U6th Badminton

Simon He Lorne House U5th Badminton

Katie Judd Fairfield L6th Badminton

Nuar Phoorimeti Fircroft U6th Badminton

Charles Taylor Fircroft U6th Badminton

William Butterworth Fircroft U6th Boys’ Football

Will Hazelwood Highfield U6th Boys’ Football

Jamie Laing West Deyne U6th Boys’ Football

Archie Pearson Highfield U6th Boys’ Football

Pieter-Jan Van Hulle Farleigh U6th Boys’ Football

Harry Alderson School House U6th Boys’ Hockey

Saad Binladen Fircroft U5th Boys’ Hockey

Thomas Duncombe Meahurst L5th Boys’ Hockey

Jack Goes Lorne House U5th Boys’ Hockey

Charlie Howard-Vyse Fircroft 4th Boys’ Hockey

Humphrey Hinchliffe Farleigh 4th Boys’ Hockey

Joshua Khan West Deyne U6th Boys’ Hockey

Cole Morgan-Tremura Fircroft 4th Boys’ Hockey

Son Nguyen Highfield L5th Boys’ Hockey

Toby Nichols West Deyne 4th Boys’ Hockey

Alexander Sizer West Deyne L6th Boys’ Hockey

Louis Wright Highfield 4th Boys’ Hockey

Charlotte Butler Johnson's 4th Netball

Georgie Fernandes Fairfield 4th Netball

Imogen Fiddes Fairfield L5th Netball

Alanah Heath-Drury The Lodge U6th Netball

Milly Hoffman Constables 4th Netball

Jemma Jackson Constables U6th Netball

Eleni Malhan The Lodge L6th Netball

Elizabeth Manley Fairfield L6th Netball

Kaori Sato Johnson's 4th Netball

Amelia Thomas Fairfield L5th Netball

Katie Wraith Fairfield L6th Netball

Jake Brunner Brooklands L6th Rugby

Alexander Macdonald Fircroft L6th Rugby

Ryan Chan West Deyne L5th Squash

Rosie Davies Samworths' L5th Squash

Edward Veretigen Fircroft L5th Swimming

Key Contact Details for Summer Term

If you would like to discuss any aspect of sport at Uppingham please find a list of key contacts below.

Director of Sport, Nick De Luca – ndl@uppingham.co.uk

Acting Deputy Director of Sport, Richard Surtees – rgms@uppingham.co.uk

Director of Athletic Development, Richard Lalor – rdfl@uppingham.co.uk

Head of Physical Education, Hannah Costello – hnc@uppingham.co.uk

Heads of Sport

Head of Athletics, James Birch – jsb@uppingham.co.uk

Head of Cricket, Andy Siddall – aps@uppingham.co.uk

Head of Golf, Keven Johnstone – kgj@uppingham.co.uk

Head of Racquets, Richard Surtees – rgms@uppingham.co.uk

Director of Sailing, Tom McCarthy – tgm@uppingham.co.uk

Head of Shooting, Kevin Gladding – kg1@uppingham.co.uk

Head of Swimming, Shovaughn Webster – selw@uppingham.co.uk

Head of Volleyball, Antosh Kowhan – ak1@uppingham.co.uk

News and Social Media Updates

For news and updates on sport throughout the term please follow the below Twitter accounts and the news section of Uppnet.

t @Upp_Sport t @UppinghamSchool

By Dr Andrew Hall Director of Rugby

I’m relatively new to the world of parenthood. It won’t be long though before I’m standing on the touchline, pool or courtside supporting my son and daughter through their various sporting endeavours. I must admit my imagination runs away with me at times as I picture the apples of my eye potentially performing on the world stage – international rugby player perhaps, WNBA All Star, Open golf champion or maybe Wimbledon stardom. I’m sure I’m not alone in these day dreaming moments. Whether or not my youngsters hit these sporting echelons is perhaps irrelevant. My warmest wish is that they are engaged and enjoy their experiences, and as parents we have a critical role to play in fostering this. The ‘how’ requires careful consideration though.

In 2016 Dave Collins (former UK Athletics Performance Director and decorated performance psychologist) provided such a steer when he and his colleagues researched the trajectory of ‘Super Champions, ‘Champions’ and ‘Almosts.’ Among the critical factors contributing to athlete success (or otherwise), the type of parental support experienced by the athletes was central. For example, ‘Super Champions’ – 70+ cap internationalists or multiple World/Olympic medallists –identified their parents to be supportive but not pushy. The parents did not actively drive the performer, rather they ‘took a back seat,’ displaying facilitative behaviours and offering gentle encouragement. This had important implications on the athlete’s development, not least on them becoming more self-sufficienta quality we know to have positive neurological and psychosocial benefits (Rock, 2009).

In stark contrast, the parents of the ‘Almosts’ (those who achieved representative honours at youth level only) were much more hands-on. Athletes reported parents shouting instructions from the sideline or pushing for extra training at home. This type of directive parental behaviour also included performance inquests where their son’s or daughter’s efforts were often scrutinised, souring the young performer’s sporting experience.

The descriptions of the ‘Almosts’ parents resonated with me – I have witnessed more than my fair share of overzealous parental behaviours; acting with good intent, but as Collins et al. (2016) revealed, actions that ultimately could have inhibited their sons’ and daughters’ sporting fulfilment. The findings were also a warning shot for me and when the time comes there might be a need to dial down my intrinsic coach and just be a dad! In further reflections it seems that adopting the facilitative behaviours of the Super Champions’ parents is the path best taken, irrespective of the level our children might attain. By being gently supportive, by not being too pushy, by restricting our side-line antics to encouraging comments and by resisting the role of a quasi-coach, our most precious performers will always become Super Champions in their own right.

Collins, D., MacNamara, Á., & McCarthy, N. (2016). Super champions, champions, and almosts: important differences and commonalities on the rocky road. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 2009.

Rock, D. (2009) Your Brain at Work. Harper Collins

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