Club Events

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the OI Committee had to postpone or cancel the majority of the social and sporting events of 2020/21, however we did manage a few and some virtual ones as well which were a huge success and we hope to have a fuller event section back again next year.

25th January 2021

Some hae meat and canna eat

And some wad eat that want it: But we hae meat and we can eat, And sae the Lord be thankit. (The Selkirk Grace)

The first virtual OI event, which took place on Monday 25th January, was hailed a great success.

OIs attended the online Burns Supper from all around the UK with Scotland being well represented. We also had OIs who had not been to an OI event before or at least, not for a very long time. OIs were invited to purchase a luxury hamper at a cost of £20 posted which included Scottish salmon pate, crackers, haggis, chicken in marmalade, Cranachan a wee dram and more – plenty for two with some to spare!

Tim Passmore (OI 1966 - 77) hosted the event encouraging the audience members to share their stories whilst enjoying a hamper full of amazing food and sipping on a wee dram or two!

I wanted to write to thank you, Iain, Tim and the whole team for organising what was a fantastic event last night. Sally and I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was great to meet new people with a shared connection through Ipswich School. I haven't been involved in any OI events for a very long time (London Dinner once a while ago and an Edinburgh Get Together many years ago), so it was really wonderful to reconnect - it brought back great memories.

The aspect that made me want to be part of the event was the shared experience of the food - which was fabulous and very tasty. And the evening truly delivered on that. Tim did a brilliant job of including everyone and their stories. We felt especially honoured as part of the Scottish contingent! John Lambie (OI 1965-69)

On behalf of Glenys and me, thank you for facilitating last evening. The evening was very enjoyable with good company and lovely food. Perhaps you could pass on our thanks too to the committee for organising this event and especially to Tim for keeping the evening running so smoothly and to William for his work to get the hampers to us all. All of the food in the hampers was very tasty and we found the quantities extremely generous so we have had some of the “courses” for lunches on a couple of days.

I just wanted to thank you and the team for organising a really fun evening last night. The food was absolutely super, and it was really nice to meet with fellow OIs and even reconnect.

An excellent gathering last night, with superb food.

It was good to “meet” fellow OIs from all over the UK and from a variety of years, many of whom I did not know, but we all had a common link. It was interesting to hear the various life stories.

Another benefit was we did not need to turn out on a very cold night.

Here’s to the next event !

With grateful thanks to Coes, Prestige Bars & Catering, Clare Lock, Tim Passmore, The Ol Club Committee and Carrie Baker Development Officer, Ipswich School.

Sunday 2nd February 2020

Once again, the school’s annual Benefactors Evensong was a celebration of the Ipswich School community including many OIs, and a thank you for the help given to the school from those invested in the future the school and the pupils who attend.

The Chapel Choir, as always, performed Evensong with the professionalism and talent that always astounds. And afterwards more than 80 supporters, staff and pupils of the school sat down to enjoy a delicious dinner provided by the excellent catering team.

Speeches were given from the Headmaster, Nicholas Weaver and Development Director Nikki Brown, who spoke of their gratitude for such fantastic support and the need to do even more to open the doors of educational opportunity in our region.

Nikki mentioned that the school’s vision is to give those who have the passion, drive and determination to fulfil their potential, the opportunity to come to the school, regardless of their circumstances. Through the bursary fund the school is supporting two pupils, and hope that another will start very soon. These children have been given a magnificent opportunity which may not have been available without the support of the generous benefactors of Ipswich School. A huge thanks goes to those who attended and to those who helped make the event as wonderful as it is.

If you would like to know more about how you can be involved in shaping educational opportunity at the School please get in touch with the Development Office or have a look on the website.

Introducing the next generation of Old Ipswichians.

We were excited to finally be able to welcome back the 2020 leavers, already Old Ipswichians for a full year, they are the ones who never got their big send off at the end of term in July 2020. We were very thankful to finally be able to get them back to celebrate their time at the school and wish them well on the journey they have already started since leaving. There was much to entertain with games, speeches from Nicholas Allen and Mark Bailey OI and of course, the world exclusive screening of their leavers video! Good luck on your next steps after Ipswich School - stay in touch and a very warm welcome to you all from the OI Club.

A mere taster of next year's event to be held in the Great School

The Old Ipswichian Club and the Britten Faculty of Music hosted a virtual ‘OI President’s Event’. It featured talented OI musicians, with an introduction by the OI Club's President Tim Kiddell, and current pupils performing a selection of music as a mere taster of what would come in 2021.

The performance began with a rendition of Nina Simone’s classic ‘My Baby Just Cares for Me’, with OIs Imogen Parry (OI 2008 - 13), Francis Goodhand (OI 1986 - 92), and George Double (OI 1980 - 91) and the Headmaster Mr Weaver joining the performance on bass guitar.

Andrew Leach arranged ‘Steal Away’, a piece performed by both current and former members of the Chapel Choir, using the latest virtual technology.

‘Palladio’ was the final piece in the event, directed by Maria Williams and featuring the School’s Chamber Orchestra.

Bev Steensma, Director of Music, said “It was a wonderful event to celebrate musical talents past and present. It’s exciting to see so many of our OIs either working in the music business or carrying a love of music with them throughout their lives.”

Thanks go to all those involved, including Mr Abbott and Alfie Buckley (OI 2012 - 19) who produced the fantastic video.

Enjoy the show: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=nLpLJEkjSGE

Friday 19th March 2021

Another Successful Virtual Event

The second virtual OI event, which took place on Friday 19th March, was hailed another great success.

OIs from across the UK attended the online Beer Tasting from a local brewery Calvor Beers. We also welcomed OIs who had not been to an OI event before or at least, not for a very long time. Including many who returned for the second virtual event.

Calvors Beers founder Alec Williamson said he was struggling to find any unique, genuine lagers locally that he liked and then identified a significant opportunity in the UK drinks industry for quality English craft lager.

Adam from Calvors treated the OIs to four excellent lagers which included, Pilsner, Vienna Lager, Session IPA and finally Dry Hopped. Explaining a little about each beer variety and the beer itself.

Steve Runnacles (OI 1963 - 74) hosted the event encouraging the audience members to share their stories since School whilst enjoying their great selection of lager.

With grateful thanks to Coes, Calvors Brewery Ltd, delivery driver and host Steve Runnacles, The Ol Club Committee and Carrie Baker, Development Officer, Ipswich School.

Full season report

We were lucky to fit in as much as we did in the season that was abruptly curtailed. The bare statistics show the OIs played ten matches, treading the midline of wins and losses, participated in six representative tournaments and six non-team competitions. We came 6th in Division 2 of the league (roughly in line with expectations) and were represented by twenty-eight players in all, including five guests.

Amongst those, Charlotte and Natasha Gregory (daughters of Tim) should probably be counted as OIs by descent. Eight players turned out four or more times and twelve just once (you’ll never get fit at that rate chaps). It was something of a historic year with neither John Caudle nor Simon Woolfries playing in the league side. Simon also missed out on possibly adding his fourth Over 60s title in a row in the cancelled Veterans tournament.

A couple of wins at the start of the season against the Jesters and Cambridge Chroniclers had Tim Gregory suggesting that perhaps 2019-20 would be our promotion year but when he added that it could be a double with Ipswich Town FC going up we realised he was kidding. The Old Olavians’ satnav, unfortunately, managed to find a way round the blockage on the A12, enabling them to spring an unsurprising 3-0 whitewash on us in the Alan Barber Cup first round (the Eton Fives equivalent of the FA Cup). It was a poor substitute for the Suffolk Cup that had to make way so the tie could be played. pleasingly that was the only time in the season when we suffered an all-court defeat, which is something. Despite never winning at first pair in the league games we always picked up second or third, except against North Oxford 2 when it was both, again. Always nice.

It was marvellous to have Cam

Lyle around, now working in London, and particularly pairing up with Isaac Wagland early in the season against the Old Etonians. Tim Gregory may have pulled a fast one here (suspected inside information!) but having withdrawn on the basis that ‘the OEs always struggle to raise a side – so it’s not really worth playing’ - we found ourselves facing three former Schools’ Championships winners plus other members of recent Oxford University’s all-conquering sides. That we only lost 1-2 was miraculous and down to a tremendous effort

from Pete Forrest and Sam Basu (Old Reptonian guest) at third pair.

Cam and Isaac raised their level, as we know they can, to give Cobb and Piggott a tight game in the third, which was splendid to watch and if only Charlotta Cooley had had Gregory as partner instead of the aged Boughton, she would undoubtedly have found the six extra points needed to have made it 2-1. Cam and Isaac’s third game performance was probably the best fives in Ipswichian

Charlotta Cooley, of the School’s Maths Department, sported Old Olavian colours for the occasion, in contrast to most of the season when she proved the most prominent Old Ipswichian, wearing the OI shirt on eleven occasions. She also managed to win the London and Kinnaird Festivals, make the last sixteen in the Midland and Kinnaird Championships, and was probably only prevented from adding to her huge array of Ladies’ and Mixed titles by the coronavirus restrictions.

If only Gareth Hoskins had been available for the Barber – Howard Wiseman would probably have had to take his sweater off. No matter, colours during the season. More of these younger players in harness please. Cam may have had a raw deal, being thrown in on the hard springs of the first pair every time he played, allowing others to enjoy the soft upholstery of the lower pairs but he didn’t complain and more practice at the higher level will undoubtedly benefit his game.

Tim Gregory (3 wins from 4 of the 6 league matches played) was our

most successful player. He leapfrogged Will Gibbons, Tim Fletcher and Gareth Hoskins in reaching a total of 67 matches played for the OIs. Only another 615 to catch Mike Fenn at the top of the all-time list. Tom Fletcher was a mainstay of the league side once again but statistically suffered from always leading the charge at first pair. Mark Graves with three wins from four outings (sadly only one in the league) showed he remains a top-class player and when he and Steve Burnell were available the team had a much more solid look.

The inaugural mixed team competition provided the chance for all three Gregory’s to team up. It also allowed Nadia Mason to make her only appearance of the season – putting in a stellar performance in the Plate final, according to the organiser, guesting for an amalgamated side. A storming performance from the OI team saw them reach the final having lost just one set.

That this was a rather unusual and unsettling experience for the OIs proved correct as Highgate A, who we had beaten in the group game, proved a tad too good second time round and a 1-2 defeat left us runners-up.

At the Midland Championships Gareth Hoskins, playing with his (now KES Birmingham pupil) son Tom, kindly allowed Tony Stubbs and Peter Boughton to join Steve Burnell and Isaac Weaver in the quarter-finals. However, it was Steve and Isaac who nearly upset the form book going down 12-15, 13-14 to the redoubtable pair of Howard Wiseman and Jeff Lawrence. Tim Gregory masterminded a successful foray in the Eton Fives Association Trophy with the OIs making the last four for the second time in three years. Steve Burnell & Simon Woolfries at third pair and Charlotta Cooley & Simon Cass at second took maximum points off everyone apart from North Oxford and gave us a pitch at the Old Salopians in the semi-final. Although Cam Lyle and Steve Burnell pulled back impressively in that encounter, forcing their opponents to capitulate, first and third pairs went down, allowing the OSs through to beat North Oxford in the final.

Cam Lyle and Isaac Weaver had a good run in the Graham Turnbull Trophy (which pairs a pupil with a former pupil or coach), making the quarter-final before falling to those Olavians again. It was certainly the best Ipswichian showing in the competition for a while. Charlotta Cooley, playing with Year 10 pupil Luke Free, also impressed, making the last sixteen before bumping into eventual winners Jonny Ho and George Everitt (Highgate). It was the first time Luke has played at that level so a great effort from him.

The Ipswich Tournament for the Graves Cup has provided the high point of the Ipswichian fives calendar for forty one years. The brainchild of master tactician John Caudle it retains an unfailing ability to mix players of all sorts and ages in a seriously social weekend that challenges not just fives ability but equanimity (and alcohol tolerance as well, for those so inclined). Eighteen pairs this year was an excellent turnout, with just under forty attending the dinner. How Nigel Cox (Old Lancing) and Peter Boughton with 143 years between them managed to talk their way into the last eight is still a mystery, even to them.

The gallery of past greats who have

Peter Boughton (OI 1958 – 69)

The Life-time Achievement Award for Eton Fives has been awarded to Peter Boughton OI for all that he has done for the game of Eton Fives, both nationally and at Ipswich School.

A well-deserved accolade, as we know he is a stalwart of the game at Ipswich. It is so easy to forget all that he has done for the game and listening to the Chairman outlining Peter’s achievements brings home just how much we owe to him in furthering the game at Ipswich.

It seems a long time ago when, as a shy schoolboy, he travelled with the OI team to Birmingham to play in the Midlands Tournament. Mike Fenn (OI 1948 - 59)

Listen to the Chairman announcing Peter's award and his acceptance speech here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JeOyw9XWf0I&feature= youtu.be

graced the tournament is impressive, but several of the current top players have not yet had the courage to face the sight of Oli Watts on the Sunday morning. This year there were some great games, none better than Gareth Hoskins and Will Kelly’s (Year 10) semi-final against Tim Gregory and Will Woods (Year 9), with Tim and Will earning the right to face multiple UK champion Seb Cooley and Year 8’s Owen Free, who had overcome Karen Hird and Oli Watts in another tight semi-final.

Despite a strong start by Tim and Will in the final, Seb and Owen proved worthy winners. Steve Burnell and Alex Williams beat Charlotta Cooley and Andrew Whitehead for the Stubbs Plate. Steve Burnell and Charlotta Cooley spearheaded a respectable performance in the Richard Barber Cup (a pupil/ former pupil team event) with Isaac Weaver on fine form leading the school element. Losing tight games in the group meant we missed the semis and having made the Plate final we were frustrated to lose 1-2 to St Olave’s 2. There were promising performances from the U15 pupils Sankaman Malaravan and Rohit Bhagwat but they weren’t quite able to carry coach Tony Stubbs over the line. We look forward to having them playing in OI colours before long.

Steve Burnell and Tim Gregory had good wins in their group at the Northern Tournament, Shrewsbury, making the playoff for the last eight but finding Cox and Worth a bit too good. Tony Stubbs and Peter Boughton made the Festival quarter-final.

Steve and Tim took a respectable number of points off Ed and Al Taylor in the first round of the Kinnaird Championship and just missed a semifinal place in the Pepperpot Plate, losing 7-8 in the quarter-final decider. Tim switched to playing with daughter Natasha in the Festival and reached the quarter-finals, as did Isaac Weaver. The resultant Ipswichian head to head in the quarter-final losers Plate final went to the Gregorys 15-14.

Lockdown gives time to contemplate how lucky we who play this wonderful game are to enjoy not only a fantastic sport on court but also the friendships and socialising that come with it. If ever you have thought about giving fives a go, or picking it up again, please do contact Peter Boughton (pvb@ipswich.school) as we would love to give you the chance to try it, or if you are not near to Ipswich or London, put you in touch with your nearest centre. You don’t have to be a great sportsperson, it is a game that can be enjoyed by all, interestingly sometimes by those that thought they disliked sport. Peter Boughton (OI 1958 - 69)

26th October 2020

Nostalgic return to School for Isaac Wagland (OI 2008 – 15) and Sam Christopher (OI 2008 – 15).

Sam Christopher and I travelled to Eton from Bristol and Loughborough University respectively on 25th October for the U25's Eton Fives Tournament. I am currently studying for a Masters in International Business and Sam is in his final year of accountancy exams with Grant Thornton, so neither of us had played for around two years. Given this, we both jumped at the rare opportunity to get back on court, particularly fuelled by the looming lockdown. We shared some great memories on the Eton courts over our five years of school together and it is always nostalgic to return, having not played competitively together since 2013.

The much-anticipated Sunday morning started with a round-robin group stage where we played four matches. The movement patterns and shot choices quickly returned to our game, met only by the aches, and pains our younger selves had not endured! I had played the previous day in the Universities tournament and fared worse than Sam. Despite this, we only lost one game to the eventual tournament winners. The score was 6-12 in a tough match against a well drilled and highly enthusiastic pair. We finished second in our group which allowed us to progress to the quarter finals.

At that stage we met Tom McCahon, an old partner of Sam’s from his time at Durham University, with whom he got to the semi-finals of a previous Universities tournament. Tom transitioned to Eton Fives having perfected his skills in the Rugby Fives world: this made for some challenging back court rallies that had us stuck.

Our focus turned to keeping the ball on the step, aiming to utilise the buttress. Sam played exceptionally well at the front, keeping the ball in play, and more importantly avoiding their threatening volleys; however, our inability to kill the ball led to unfruitful, long, and tiring rallies.

We fought well but a lack of polish in court positioning, shot consistency and ultimately cut returns resulted in a convincing 6-15 loss.

As always Gareth Hoskins organised and co-ordinated two very enjoyable tournaments that provided some much needed relief from these challenging times!

Isaac Wagland (OI 2008 - 15)

Mike Fenn (OI 1948 - 59) is stepping down after 14 years working to further and maintain the close ties between the three codes of the game. The Eton Fives Association and the Rugby Fives Association began working together in 2001, establishing the “Fives Forum”. The body featured representatives from both codes, meeting twice a year to share knowledge and discuss matters of mutual interest.

In 2005, this was formalised with the creation of the Fives Federation, with Wallball joining shortly afterwards.

Over the last 14 years, there has been a steady turnover of representatives at Federation meetings. The one constant has been Mike Fenn, who was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Fives Forum and who has since been at the heart of maintaining the close ties between the three codes.

Mike has decided to step down as one of the EFA representatives on the Fives Federation this year. Those who know Mike from his 40 years as secretary of the Old Ipswichian Fives Club (which he founded in 1966) and 10 years as secretary of the EFA will not be surprised to hear that Mike has worked tirelessly in his 14 years with the Federation. He contributed hugely to many of the joint cross-code initiatives that have come about as a result of Fives Federation meetings.

Most notably, Mike was a key player in the creation and production of our joint publications and communications as well as having a crucial role to play in numerous other issues such as incorporation, charitable status, our online presence, coaching, court building, insurance, health and safety, sponsorship, and more.

Sports like Fives rely on a small number of people to do a large amount of work and the Federation has been lucky to have had such a dedicated servant as Mike. His willingness to take on new jobs and his encyclopaedic knowledge of the game will be much missed but he leaves the Federation in rude health. Mike will continue in his role as Vice-President of the EFA, but leaves his role on the Federation with the grateful thanks of everyone else who has been involved over the years and all those who love the sport of Fives. Write up from The Eton Fives Association

29th April 2021

It was fantastic to welcome MCC back on the School field vs the Boys XI Team. A great afternoon of cricket enjoyed by all. Here are the OIs representing MCC, who were glad to be back!