Upper School | 2018/19
The Cliftonian Together, we are Clifton
Contents Pg. 04 ----------------------
g. 42 ----------------------
Head Master’s Welcome
Chapel
Pg. 06 ----------------------
Commem Pg. 14 ----------------------
Art Pg. 20 ----------------------
Music Pg. 24 ----------------------
Drama Pg. 28 ----------------------
House Plays Pg. 34 ----------------------
Arts Evening Pg. 36----------------------
Library Pg. 40 ----------------------
Flash Fiction
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Pg. 74 ----------------------
Sport Boys’ Rugby
Pg. 44 ----------------------
Girls’ Rugby
Synagogue
Girls’ Hockey
Pg. 46 ----------------------
Boys’ Cricket
Trips & Activities
Girls’ Cricket
Pg. 58 ----------------------
Girls’ Tennis
CCF
Boys’ Tennis
Pg. 64 ----------------------
Rackets
Societies Pg. 64 ----------------------
Charities Pg.70 ----------------------
Community
Boys’ Hockey
Netball Football
Rowing Cross Country Athletics Pg. 114 ----------------------
Valete Pg. 114 ----------------------
Development Trust
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Thoughts from the year The College’s old website, which was renewed over the summer, grew somewhat organically over the years. Perhaps like certain volumes in the British Library, you could find yourself reading something you are certain was last read by the author. I came across the phrase, ‘The College successfully combines heritage with modernity, enjoying the best of both.’ This phrase applied to the College facilities, but the idea of ‘heritage with modernity’ also rings true for so much more than simply our surrounding buildings. It could be argued that this is what Clifton has always been about, with our core values of tolerance and open-mindedness, our down-to-earth, feet-on-thefloor approach to life being as true now as it was when Clifton College opened its doors in 1862. What the College sought to provide for those first pupils is equally relevant today, as we remain determined to provide the very best all-round education and preparation for the world that lies ahead. In The End of Average, Professor Todd Rose refers to the ‘jaggedness principle’, the idea that we are all a complex mixture of multiple physical and cognitive traits within which we may be above average on some and below on others. In the same way, schools cannot set out to provide for the
average pupil; we must provide for pupils who are passionate, with a whole range of different interests who enjoy different sports, who love some academic subjects more and, possibly, are not so keen on others. This year, I attended a bursars’ conference at which a speaker told us that we could not carry on being all-round schools and that we needed to specialise in just one or two areas. But how can this possibly work? Clifton takes pupils from two years old. It will be a challenge indeed for Mr Walton, Head of the Preparatory School, talented though he is, to interview a two-year-old in order to gauge their future interests and so be in a position to inform the parents if this is the right school for their child! Clifton must allow every pupil to find their niche, the area in which their interest, their passion and their success may lie. Everyone will have their own list of successes that they have witnessed over this last year. I think of Alice Cooper playing the oboe in such an exposed part to a packed audience in the Royal Festival Hall (I don’t think I would ever have had the courage to do that when I was at school). Or Holly Strong’s amazing tackle in the girls’ rugby sevens competition – the girl in the opposition team certainly got a surprise. I think of those who have been successful in securing places to top universities and those who took their English Language IGCSE Foundation early and all secured their pass. I think of a superb season for the 1st XV with unbeaten runs for the 2nds and the Senior Colts A. Also, the wonderful performance of both the U14 boys and girls making it through to the National Hockey
Finals, or the 12 Clifton pupils who represented their country in sport at international level this year. I think of the recent victory by the Clifton team in the Ten Tors competition, completing a 35 mile hike in 14 hours and 35 minutes. I think of the amazing achievement of Charlie Condell from last year’s Upper Sixth who took a year out to become the youngest person to cycle unaided around the globe in what was a wonderfully refreshing under-planned venture. In one interview, in answer to the question, what would he have done differently, he replied he would have done it on a motorbike! The list is endless. I know that in addition to these examples, everyone will carry memories of a whole range of personal achievements, the sum of which will make you ready to take on the next chapter of your lives. The collective total time the Upper Sixth have spent in Clifton is 834 years. Years which, I hope, have seen them meet with success, find that interest which they will carry for the rest of their lives, and, most importantly, years which, I hope, they have enjoyed and will look back on with fondness and happy memories.
Dr Tim Greene Head of College
The Cliftonian 2019 | 5
Commem When I joined Clifton College, I can honestly say that I barely knew what I was getting myself into and didn’t know exactly what to expect. Sure, I knew my school looked like Hogwarts, and I had three relatives who attended Clifton before me, who were quick to tell me about the notorious long Mondays and Saturday school, 6 | Upper School 2019
but the truth is that when you come from a different country or culture, there is a great amount of uncertainty around the move. I didn’t know how well I’d be able to adapt to what at the time was a new society for me. Like every other international student, I experienced a fair amount of culture shock. I remember walking around on my first day, already insecure about how tight my trousers were because I had bought them without trying them on, and a few people asked, “you alright?”. The issue here was that I didn’t realise it was a standard British greeting, and for me, it sounded similar to when Nigerians would ask, “are you mad?”, so I started stressing over whether I had
done anything wrong, and how lost and sad I must have looked to have been asked.
“Being in an international community like Clifton has allowed me to learn more about different cultures.”
“Clifton has provided me with a great environment in which to thrive and improve.”
I also couldn’t understand why the weather was brought up so much in conversation; in Nigeria, it is either raining or sunny, so there’s never much to discuss on that matter. There were positive shocks as well, such as being able to debate with teachers and adults without being branded as rude. I’m also so grateful that I’ve been introduced to ‘Meal Deals’, and it was a blessing to have another team to support, at least for a short while, last summer after Nigeria got knocked out of the World Cup.
As well as becoming more aware of British culture, being in an international community like Clifton has allowed me to learn more about different cultures. I’ve learnt more about Asian and Russian attitudes and culture due to being in Wiseman’s. I’m grateful for all the experiences I’ve had here. I’m not a sporty person, but compared to how sporty I was when I arrived, you might as well call me Usain Bolt now. From dodging rugby training in Fourth Form and nearly collapsing after every Junior Colts C fitness session, I managed to become a starting 3rd XV player by the end
“As well as becoming more aware of British culture, being in an international community like Clifton has allowed me to learn more about different cultures.”
of this year’s season. I’ve done things here I never would have imagined: going camping on an army base, running/walking 10km in one go, directing a play, conducting House Song (even though, as shown by my conducting, I didn’t really know what I was doing), and getting an offer from a university I would have never thought about if I hadn’t come here. Clifton has provided me with a great environment in which to thrive and improve. I encourage everyone who has any more years left here to make the most of the opportunities Clifton College provides because there are many.
Thank you to the support staff who keep this school running behind the scenes; thank you to all the teachers who have pushed me to reach my potential; thank you to the Senior Leadership Team for giving me this opportunity as Head of School, and making me the first African Head of School; thank you to the House staff for watching over me, and making Wiseman’s my home away from home, and, most importantly, thank you to my parents for all their support.
Jemine Barrow (WiH) The Cliftonian 2019 | 7
Commem When I joined Clifton, I was a shy, nervous 13-yearold who wasn’t particularly sure of myself. If you had asked me to stand up here five years ago, I would have been terrified, but Clifton has provided the rounded education needed to develop not only academic skills, but life skills, such as speaking in public. Coming to Clifton from a much smaller school, I was filled with anticipation for my first few days, excited about the increased independence, but nervous about settling in. The House 8 | Upper School 2019
system helped to quell these fears and West Town quickly gave me a sense of belonging and pride. Nowhere is this pride seen more clearly than during House competitions, which have brought so many memories, from running across the quad barefoot before our first House Song, to attempting to row in House rowing, only to crash into the riverbank. I would like to thank Mrs Catchpole and Mrs Beever, my Housemistresses over the past five years, for instilling such a positive and encouraging ethos in the House. Being at Clifton really is a lifestyle; we have our own little language with more acronyms than I can keep track of: CD, CV, MEDs, the Fac and BSK to name
but a few. Even as a day pupil, I feel as though I practically live at school. I have spent so much time here that my parents have asked, on many occasions, whether I have actually moved out of home and forgotten to tell them! Sport has been a major part of my life at Clifton and it has taught me many lessons. While rainy afternoons filled with fitness sessions weren’t my favourite times, it was worth it for all of the memories, from being county champions to going on tour to Canada. Sport has also taught me about winning, losing and dealing with setbacks. Clifton provides the perfect environment in which to push yourself and try
“I have so many memories and friendships that I will take far beyond Clifton.”
new things. One of the biggest lessons that Clifton has taught me is that you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously. When you are clumsy and accident-prone, being able to laugh at yourself is vital. From walking into a lamp post on Guthrie Road, to breaking both of my wrists simultaneously, I have had many chances to refine this skill! I cannot stand here and not thank all of the parents who make it possible for us to be here. The countless hours our parents spend supporting plays and standing on the sides of
sports pitches is staggering and very much appreciated, and I know that all the cheering has certainly helped spur us on in tough netball matches this year. I am enormously grateful to my parents who have made over 2,000 journeys across the suspension bridge over the past five years, a statistic boosted ever so slightly by my perennial forgetfulness and the occasional Saturday morning phone call of, ‘I forgot my hockey stick, could you drop it in please?’. Alongside their part-time taxiing jobs, they have also become fluent Spanish speakers, expert chemists and
avid historians in their efforts to support me. There are so many aspects of Clifton life that I will miss, although getting up early on Saturday mornings won’t be one of them. From having picnics in our study, to snowball and water fights on the Close, I have so many memories and friendships that I will take far beyond Clifton and I am so grateful to everyone who has helped shape my journey.
Charlotte Pavey (WT)
“ Clifton has provided the rounded education needed to develop not only academic skills, but life skills, such as speaking in public.” The Cliftonian 2019 | 9
Commem It was quite a moment when I, as the youngest of five Devlins, took my first steps into the Upper School.
Being the last one, and knowing it would be the end of an era, was a bit of an extra weight on the shoulders, but an interesting statistic is that together, as a family, we will have accumulated 35 years of experience of Clifton life. Some teachers like Mr Lewis who has had the arguable pleasure of teaching all of us, has done the equivalent of 19 academic years of teaching German and French to the Devlins alone. There are three main aspects of living at Clifton I want to focus on and share with you. Firstly, you have to make the most of your opportunities whilst you’re here. I’m so glad that in Third Form I took part in the House Play. I may have been playing an Irish tomboy with long flowing ginger locks, terrible make-up and a pretty dodgy accent, but we got
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a good few laughs and those laughs pushed me to take part in the House Play every year since. Secondly, you need to keep pushing yourself further than you’ve ever achieved before. It’s down to you to make decisions for yourself. Without the support of Clifton, many people wouldn’t be in the position they are in now. Think of all the Oxbridge candidates, the vet applicants, and the medical students. We hear a lot about ‘the best of the best’, but sometimes it’s just about coming out of here with three A Levels, an outstanding achievement on its own. You can’t not talk about sport at Clifton when talking about pushing yourself. The time and effort that goes into all aspects of sport here is incredible. For me, all the wet and cold rugby sessions over the past 10 years have definitely been made up for by the final result at the end of an unbeatable experience. Finally, but perhaps most importantly, the friendships and relationships that are built at this school. The boys in the House who I’ve grown up with, I know, will be there for life. We may all be bursting to get out of here,
but we know a piece of Clifton comes with us wherever we go, not just the actual puzzle piece we get at final Chapel. I won’t miss my mates from here; I know from seeing it with my brothers and sister, that they are all still in contact with their friends and make a huge effort to see each other whenever they have the opportunity.
“ The boys in the House who I’ve grown up with, I know, will be there for life. We may all be bursting to get out of here, but we know a piece of Clifton comes with us wherever we go.”
I’d like to thank my parents, not just on my behalf but for all my siblings. My sister, Natasha, joined the Prep School in 2003, 17 academic years ago. This has been an amazing experience, which has made us who we are today and offered us so much and done so much for us. I’d like to thank Mr Hughes and Mr Luker especially for the 24/7 support they offer within the House. The support staff at the school also deserve a lot of thanks; this place wouldn’t be what we live in and see every day if it wasn’t for people like the cleaners, catering staff and grounds staff who make Clifton so special. Clifton is a beautiful place due to all this work and this always reminds me of the beginning of Lower Sixth, when one of the new boys in the House had put on his Snapchat a photo of me with the caption: ‘I’ve been sent to Hogwarts and I’m living with Ron Weasley’. Life outside these walls is tough and the ‘Clifton Bubble’ protects us to a certain extent, but we do get given the skills and tools to live in the real world and carve out our own paths. For example,
living in such a multicultural and diverse environment, learning about communal living, teamwork, compassion and respect for each other. As postmillennials, we are expected to change jobs four times in our first 10 years after university and have 12 to15 different jobs in our lifetime. Sometimes a leap of faith into the unknown is what we need, so don’t just explore the effortless path. I wish everyone the best of luck, no matter where your path takes you from here.
Eamon Devlin (SH)
“ We get given the skills and tools to live in the real world and carve out our own paths.” The Cliftonian 2019 | 11
Commem 2019
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The Cliftonian 2019 | 13
Michaelmas Term
The Art Department organised a visit to London for the A Level students in October. The sculpture students worked in the Saatchi Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, sketching sculpture and ceramic works. The fine art students spent the morning in the National Gallery, sketching old master works by da Vinci, Rembrandt, Caravaggio,
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Rubens, Titian, van Gogh and many others. We walked across Trafalgar Square and along Whitehall, looking at some impressive architecture, including the seventeenthcentury Banqueting House by Inigo Jones, opposite which is a large equestrian memorial to the Old Cliftonian Earl Haig. We continued to Victoria Tower Gardens to look at Rodin’s bronze sculpture, The Burghers of Calais, which serves as a monument to an occurrence during the Hundred Years’ War with France. We visited Tate Britain to look at its collection of British art from 1500 to the present day, including works by
Old Cliftonian artists Roger Fry, Henry Tonks and Peter Lanyon, where we rendezvoused with the sculpture and ceramics students. They had the opportunity to see the famous Turner Prize exhibition, which is a celebration of contemporary art. The day went swimmingly well and the students benefited from having exposure to many important examples of traditional, modern and contemporary art relevant to their A Level studies.
Art
Later in October, the school organised a formal event to celebrate the talents of our art scholars in all year groups, including work produced by the youngest scholars when they were preparing their portfolios whilst in Year 8. It was a beautiful display and they were all treated to an excellent dinner afterwards. On 2nd December, the annual House Art competition took place. We were privileged to have as our adjudicator Steve Jacobson who is the Vice President of the Royal West of England Academy. Steve studied painting at the Royal Academy in London and is an excellent artist specialising in landscapes and interiors. He made a very interesting speech in which he quoted the school motto, ‘Spiritus intus alit’, explaining that the study of art nourishes us from within. Steve said afterwards that choosing the winners was more difficult than being on the selection committee for the open exhibitions at the RWA! The House whose members win the most individual prizes is awarded the coveted House Art Trophy, a bronze statuette of the famous OC artist and critic Roger Fry, after whom our scholarships are named, and this year it was won by West Town.
Allan Wilkie Head of Art
The Arts are alive and well at Clifton.
“ The students benefited from having exposure to many important examples of traditional, modern and contemporary art relevant to their A Level studies.”
The Cliftonian 2019 | 15
Lent Term
In the Lent Term, we took the photography students on a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum and Tate Britain in London. It provided an ideal opportunity for them to view important photographs that could influence the development of their work. Henry Cole, the first Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, was a keen amateur and supporter of photography, and the museum began to collect photographs in
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1852. This has since grown into the largest and most important collection in the world. At Tate Britain, the students visited the Don McCullin exhibition, which featured his iconic war photographs from Vietnam and Northern Ireland, as well as the roots of his photographic career documenting poverty and working-class life around the UK. In March, we visited the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath for our Fifth Form students to gather reference and inspiration for their GCSE final examinations. The collection includes 1,500 decorative arts treasures, including a display of British oil paintings from the seventeenth century to the present day. We visited the Sharmanka
Travelling Circus exhibition, a Russian performing mechanical theatre. The pieces were made from old furniture, scrap metal, and grotesque carved figures by Eduard Bersudsky. There was also a display of Louise Bourgeois prints, which was part of a touring exhibition from the Hayward Gallery in London. The second half of the day was spent at the Holburne Museum. The collection includes Chinese porcelain, eighteenth-century silver, Italian bronze sculptures, old master paintings, Roman glass, coins, enamels, seals, gems and snuff boxes. As well as sketching and drawing, the students also visited the new contemporary gallery to see the George Shaw exhibition.
Summer Term We held our Commem exhibition in May, which featured the very best of our A Level and GCSE art, sculpture and photography work. As always, the exhibition drew very favourable comments from our visitors and the works on display included etchings, linocuts, pyrography drawings, oil paintings, watercolours, chalk pastel drawings, acrylic
paintings, masks, drawings from the nude model (produced during our weekly life drawing sessions for the Sixth Form), digital drawings, traditional black and white darkroom photographs, digital photographs, photographic installations, ceramics, sculptures and fabric work. It is always a pleasure for us to present the fruits of our students’ hard work and to see how much people appreciate looking at their efforts. On 6th June, our Fourth Form GCSE students visited the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. The collection is rich and varied with notable works by Rembrandt, Claude, Cezanne, Monet, Renoir, Rodin, van Gogh, Picasso and Daumier. Works by well known Welsh artists such as Richard Wilson, Augustus John (who may have been a pupil at Clifton for a short time), his sister Gwen John, Ceri Richards and Kyffin Williams also feature in
the collection. We also visited the exhibition of works by the contemporary artist David Nash, Sculpture through the Seasons, the largest exhibition of his work ever presented in Wales. Trees and the natural environment feature in his work and there were key pieces dating from the 1960s to the present day, exploring the different ways the artist has cut, carved and manipulated wood to produce sculptures that sit between the figurative and abstract. Our final event for the year was the Arts Evening on 27th June (see p.34) at which our art scholars worked on portraits of famous Old Cliftonians accompanied by jazz and rock music in the crypt. Completed artworks were also on display in the cloisters, all celebrating the fact that the arts are alive and well at Clifton!
House Art Prizes Third Form painting prize Emma Guerman (OH) Third Form drawing prize Elsa Wilkie (HH) Third Form ceramics prize Eva Fadeeva (WoH) Fourth Form painting prize Elena Hopkinson (HLH) Fourth Form drawing prize Emily Burchfield (WT) Fourth Form ceramics prize Alisa Silko (WT) Fifth Form painting prize Mia Nissim (WT) Fifth Form drawing prize Rowan Lenthall (WoH) Fifth Form ceramics prize Issy Muggridge (HLH) Lower School photography prize Gigi Alcaraz (WoH) Lower Sixth drawing prize Augusta Arron (HLH) Lower Sixth painting prize Maddy Attwood (OH) Lower Sixth ceramics prize Sasha Trujillo (HH) Lower Sixth photography prize Stacy Panasenko (OH) Upper Sixth drawing prize Hannah Wilkie (HH) Upper Sixth painting prize Amber Hogan (WT) Upper Sixth ceramics prize Tamzin Harper-Solomon (HH) Upper Sixth photography prize Amber Hogan (WT) Best House Reps Oakeley’s House The prize for best overall display Hallward’s House House Art Trophy West Town
The Cliftonian 2019 | 17
Art showcase 2018/2019
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The Cliftonian 2019 | 19
Michaelmas Term
Clifton’s music continues to go from strength to strength. With so many events, both large and small, inside and outside College, covering everything is an impossible task. Here is a small snapshot of the events that went on over the year. Well done to the many students involved in music at all levels,
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whether they have performed a demanding concerto with orchestra, tackled tricky orchestral solos in the Royal Festival Hall, or just had a bit of fun singing in House Song! A packed Chapel saw the 12 Houses vying for the coveted Part Song and Unison House singing trophies on 19th October. The adjudicator was Mrs Pat Forbes, who has worked as a singer with renowned groups including the Sixteen and the Monteverdi Choir.
She commended everyone on the high standards, with entries for the a capella Part Song ranging from barbershop to contemporary R&B, with several pupils making their own complex arrangements in up to five parts. Congratulations to all, but in particular to Worcester House, winning the Part Song with their arrangement of Empire State of Mind (Alicia Keys) and to Moberly’s House, winning the Unison with their version of This is me (from The Greatest Showman).
Music “With so many events, both large and small, inside and outside College, covering everything is an impossible task.”
Over 70 pupils performed in the Autumn Concert, with several items on the theme of remembrance and wartime to mark the 1918 Armistice centenary. The orchestra, conducted by Romain Bornes, performed the Allegretto from Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 (written during the Napoleonic Wars and used in the film The King’s Speech), alongside Elgar’s Imperial March; the senior cello trio complemented this with David Popper’s elegiac Requiem. Other repertoire was heard courtesy of flute, brass and guitar groups, soul band, and the string orchestra. The newly formed Concert Band drew together wind, brass and percussionists in a lively James Bond selection, with pupils performing on instruments ranging from bass clarinet, bassoon and tuba to piccolo, timpani and glockenspiel. A varied and high quality evening. Well done to all involved.
Daniel Robson Director of Music
Clifton’s music continues to go from strength to strength.
The Cliftonian 2019 | 21
Lent Term
The annual concert held in honour of OC musician and Clifton supporter Joseph Cooper OBE was held on 20th March, and it was a real triumph. The standard of performances was universally high and a highly varied programme was on offer. Starting with a burst of bagpipes from Year 9 student Jamie Lenthall,
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we moved into classical sophistication from groups such as the flute ensemble (Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from his music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream), part of Grieg’s Holberg Suite from the strings and the beautiful theme from Swan Lake played by the orchestra. To contrast with these pieces, we had the theme from Rocky (brass group), The Pink Panther (sax group) and great music from the jazz ensemble. The evening ended on a real high with Walton’s Crown Imperial played by the full orchestra. As we neared the end of a busy term, it was wonderful to speak to audience members afterwards who felt really uplifted and positive after a very enjoyable evening.
American organist Nathan Laube wowed a large audience on the Chapel’s 4-manual Harrison and Harrison organ on 21st March. In a full length recital, Professor Laube, originally from Chicago, now based in Rochester, New York, played some of the most demanding repertoire in existence, including Max Reger’s adaptation of Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue (the recital coincided with Bach’s birthday!), Lemare’s transcription of Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture and his own arrangement of Liszt’s Funérailles. Particularly breathtaking was the organ management, combining playing on up to four manuals at once (using the ‘thumbing down’ technique), both feet, and using spare digits to control the
Summer Term The Block I round of the Kadoorie Competition for soloists proved a most enjoyable evening for an audience of friends, teachers, parents and scholars.
pistons used to create seamless and symphonic changes of the tone colour. During the Easter holidays, a group of top instrumentalists and singers went to the Royal Festival Hall in London to take part in a course with students from other schools, culminating in a breathtaking performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 and Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms. This is the kind of music that is so ambitious in difficulty and epic in scale that no school could manage to perform them by itself, so this collaboration was a really exciting experience for those involved. Competition for places in the Duet Philharmonic Orchestra was fierce, but I was delighted that
Clifton was represented by nine instrumentalists, with special mention going to Emma Shaw (principal clarinet), Alice Cooper (principal oboe) and Hannah Wilkie who led the cello section. Over 20 singers went to join a massed choir and got to grips with the demanding Stravinsky with the help of Director of Music Dan Robson, who took on the official role of Chorus Master for the event. This was a challenging but very rewarding concert. Well done to all involved and thank you to the parents and Clifton staff who came to London to support it.
The programme was highly varied, from Bach, Buxtehude and Martinů to Andrew Lloyd Webber and even The Book of Mormon! Adjudicator Tom Williams (Director of the Clifton International Festival of Music) was thrilled with the high quality of performance throughout. Once he had offered some helpful words of advice (particularly on bowing!), he gave the instrumental award to Hannah Wilkie for her stunning rendition of Holst’s Invocation for Cello and the vocal award to Ally Cheug for songs from Wicked and Les Misérables. The music by turns offered an opportunity to sit and reflect during more serious repertoire or to be amused and entertained in the light-hearted numbers and I think we all went away
feeling much the better for listening to it all. A big congratulations to Year 9 students Ruby Mardall and Ella Robson who scooped the Junior Kadoorie vocal and instrumental prizes respectively! Adjudicator Mr David Mitchell, of St John’s on the Hill Prep School, said, ‘Ruby was completely believable from the moment she walked onto the stage and throughout her song’ - Still Hurting from the show The Last Five Years. Ella Robson performed the beautiful second movement of Saint-Saëns’ Sonata for Oboe with real poise, capturing the pastoral calm in the opening and closing freer sections, and giving the central theme a real direction and purpose. Both girls produced outstanding tone and gave the audience some expressive moments, albeit in different ways. A big well done also to the other performers, who gave excellent renditions of repertoire ranging from Poulenc to Handel and Gershwin. A really enjoyable evening for the audience and a difficult decision for the judge! This year’s Summer Serenade took place on 27th June, with the weather, for once, living up to the title! This concert, which was part of a fantastic Arts Evening, saw some of Clifton’s top music scholars performing as soloists with the backing of a full orchestra. See p. 34 for further details.
“The evening ended on a real high with Walton’s Crown Imperial played by the full orchestra.” The Cliftonian 2019 | 23
Lord of the Flies
We were whisked away to a tropical island for this year’s Summer Term production, though it would be the last place you’d want to spend your holidays. Based on William Golding’s classic novel of desert island dystopia, Mr Saunders breathed new life into Nigel Williams’ adaptation for the stage by making two important changes: firstly, a mixed gender group replaced the all male cast; secondly, events were moved to the present day. With no adults to guide them, the young plane crash survivors’ focus was on staying alive
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as well as on the creation of a new social order. The themes of conflict, power and tribalism were established quickly as a power struggle between Tom Copeland’s Ralph and Charmaine Audifferen’s fearsome Jackie was played out, much to the delight (and terror) of the audience. The actors managed to effectively convey the nuances of their characters, showing that this story is not simply one of good vs evil. For most of the play, the wise words of Piggy (Malachy O’Callaghan, on fine form as the voice of reason) were cruelly dismissed by Ralph in his quest for power.
Ralph’s shortcomings, however, were minor when contrasted with the terrifyingly callous bully, Jackie. A well thought-out set allowed the audience to switch focus between the two tribes of children, one representing ‘civilised’ society and the other a ‘savage’ dictatorship. The supporting actors, particularly the hunters, did a great job of imposing their presence on the audience, and those of us sitting in the front row narrowly missed being pelted with twigs, suitcases and assorted plane crash debris! The make-up
Drama Productions 2018/2019
and costumes were flawless; realistic-looking scars, warpaint and increasingly dishevelled school uniforms made the children appear more wild, lost or hopeless as the play progressed. Atmospheric lighting also added to the sense of dread, while brief moments of respite were emphasised by the use of dappled light and an orange glow to represent sunrise. Llew Evans’ pitch-perfect cameo as a rather stern rescuer delivered the final line of the play: “I would have thought a pack of British children would have put on a better show than this.”. I beg to differ: this was an excellent production featuring a dedicated group of performers who showed great enthusiasm and commitment to their craft.
“A power struggle between Tom Copeland’s Ralph and Charmaine Audifferen’s fearsome Jackie was played out, much to the delight (and terror) of the audience.”
The Cliftonian 2019 | 25
Little Shop of Horrors
Some of the stars of this year’s spectacular musical extravaganza about a skid row florist and his bloodthirsty plant explain what it was like to be part of this fun-filled production.
Which role did you play? Gracie Dossett: Audrey Jemima Blench: Miss Mushnik (the shopkeeper) Charmaine Audifferen: Audrey 2 (the plant)
What made you audition for the role?
narrate the show, but my voice was a bit too powerful for the directors to miss out on making me this intimidating man-eating plant.
G: Mainly because my friends were doing it, but also because I’ve really enjoyed being involved in many school productions during my time at Clifton.
What did you enjoy most about the experience?
J: The idea of owning a flower shop in New York was very appealing to me...and the excuse to force people to listen to my terrible Brooklyn accent. C: I didn’t actually audition for the role of Audrey 2. I had initially wanted to go for one of the three singing girls who
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G: The wonderful sense of community I got from the cast and crew. J: Meeting new people and the camaraderie. Also, being eaten by the giant plant and my fake cigarettes. C: Definitely the cast and the sense of being a part of something.
“The costumes and make-up were incredible! If you ever need a fake black eye, be sure to email Angela!” Gracie Dossett (WT) Did anything go wrong? G: I sprained my knee and twisted my ankle in a hockey match prior to the last performance, but limping seemed to suit the character. J: Gracie’s sprained knee! But she soldiered through it. Props and costumes were lost in every performance, but we always managed to pull things together. C: I fell ill mid-performance week. Every morning after the second show I’d find myself whispering from a sore throat, but miraculously once evening came, the adrenaline kicked in to save me and the show.
Had you seen the musical performed before? G: Yes, I was also in it in my previous school when I was nine, but I played ‘Chorus Member 2’ you can only go up! J: No, but I’d seen the movie. C: Never. Not once. I think that’s the downside of being one of the actors!
What did you think of the costumes and make-up?
G: The costumes and make-up were incredible! If you ever need a fake black eye, be sure to email Angela! J: Jane and Ang transformed me from a teenager to an old woman with the power of eyebrow pencils and a distinctive wig. The costume really helps to make the character, and everyone has one tailored to them. C: As the voice of Audrey 2, my physical costume really was a t shirt that said ‘Voice of Audrey 2’. Sadly, I never got to stand inside the massive plant head but our amazing puppeteers, Oliwia Makulec and Sofia Walker, seemed to love it. Otherwise, I had to mask my voice in a deep, rough, male American accent. The Cliftonian 2019 | 27
House Plays 28 | Upper School 2019
House Play Festival 2019 The Real Inspector Hound (Watson’s House) The House Play Festival kicked off with Watson’s giving us their rendition of The Real Inspector Hound. This was a good choice for a House as it is a one-act play so it didn’t need a lot of cutting. Written by Tom Stoppard in 1968, the plot follows two theatre critics who are watching a farcical country house murder mystery in which they end up getting involved. The staging was well thought through, with the focus of the audience directed by the lighting of various parts of the stage and, in particular, the critics placed centrally. Their acting was good throughout, as even when not in the spotlight, they kept in character. The cast clearly understood the play and there were some nice comic characterisations, particularly Mrs Drudge. It was refreshing that the female characters didn’t wear wigs, but went for more natural acting. There was some good choreography of a death scene and the cast obviously enjoyed themselves.
Alice in Wonderland (Worcester House)
All By Myself (Moberly’s House)
Worcester House’s production of Alice in Wonderland was a very good choice of play for such a large cast. The director understood the darker elements of the play and it was well cast. There was some very good projection of lines and many unexpected songs, which added to the bizarre nature of the play. Each character had been well thought through and the ensemble made much of the opportunity to characterise even the smallest roles - the Fish Footman, Frog Footman and Old Squirrel in particular were great fun. Great attention had obviously gone into appropriate and effective costume and make-up as well as imaginative use of props, such as the sheet used by the Cheshire Cat to move around the stage unseen. This production was great fun to watch.
This was a one-act comedy about a man stranded on a desert island for the last seven years, who now realises that there have been others stranded on the same island all along. The production was arresting from the outset, with a stark set littered with plastic bottles and abandoned fridges, effective use of opening music and lighting to focus on the characters’ backstories, as well as a nicely rehearsed musical number! There were some strong performances from the actors who constantly reacted to and played off each other, and good movement around the stage and auditorium. The participation of the whole House for the final line made for a very powerful ending to the play and the audience greatly appreciated the performance.
“The production was arresting from the outset, with a stark set littered with plastic bottles.” The Cliftonian 2019 | 29
A Cut Above the Rest (West Town) An energetic and well paced performance of Claire Demmer’s one-act farce, A Cut Above the Rest. On the back of her starring role in the school musical, Gracie Dossett made her much anticipated directorial debut, supported by a strong cast from across the House. It was evident that the group was well rehearsed, delivering their lines securely and effectively pulling off what was a very physical comedy. The set and props had been carefully considered, with the raised coffin being a focal point on the stage. A highlight was certainly the expertly choreographed resuscitation scene at the climactic point of the play.
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Peter Pan (School House) Last year’s comedy-prizewinning directors, Tom Panto and Charlie Webster, were reunited to direct Peter Pan and once again proved that they can pull off humour with aplomb. The large cast was very well selected and rehearsed, the jokes were timed to great effect and the play was hugely appreciated by the audience. One stand-out aspect of the play was the use of technical elements; sound, lighting, props and even pyrotechnics were exploited to the fullest advantage to contribute to the atmosphere of a play going fantastically wrong. Well done to all involved on and off the stage!
“The large cast was well selected and rehearsed, the jokes were timed to great effect and the play was hugely appreciated by the audience.”
Crazy Horses (Hallward’s House) Hallward House’s play, Crazy Horses, opened with the dramatic O Fortuna, a powerful piece of music foreshadowing the strong performance that was to follow: the Four Horsepeople of the Apocalypse working with Satan to prevent God’s plan for a job swap. This play was successfully cast, with the actors evidently well rehearsed and able to stay in character throughout the performance. The characterisation was strengthened through good costumes and make-up, and the divided set was highly effective in adding to the theatrics of the performance.
Sweeney Todd (Holland’s House) Sweeney Todd was an ambitious choice for Holland’s House, in their second time in the competition, given the complexity of the piece and the need to edit the play to make it much shorter than the original. The character of Sweeney Todd had its origins in serialised Victorian popular fiction, and was turned into a play and subsequently to a musical. It was good to see the House trying something new and taking on a drama in contrast to last year’s pantomime. The judges were impressed by the
bravery of this young cast in tackling this dark play about a pie maker and barber combining forces to sell meat pies made out of human flesh from customers murdered by Sweeney Todd. The directors had thought carefully about the staging, which was split in half to represent the two premises, and the lighting, which was used to good effect. The costumes and props evoked the era and included effective touches such as the bloodied towel on the chair. The killing scenes, a difficult thing to pull off on stage, were short and punctuated by sound effects and screams, which delighted the audience!
“The cast worked well as a team and the interplay between characters was very effective.” Out of Order (Wiseman’s House) A well constructed set, depicting a plush hotel suite, set the scene nicely for the farce that followed: Out of Order, written by Ray Cooney. This was a very good choice of play that employed all the usual slapstick of misunderstandings, panic and numerous entrances and exits, through doors, and in particular through a defective sash window, which had a tendency to drop like a guillotine. This window was manipulated superbly by the backstage team and fast became an extra character in the story. Props and music were used
well and there were some good characterisations of hotel staff and guests, as things became more and more chaotic. The well planned choreography of the dead body being moved around the stage and in and out of cupboards added to the fun, with the puppetry on the sofa being a highlight. Lighting added to the mood changes and the audience delighted in the scene in which the dead body came to life! The cast worked well as a team and the interplay between characters was very effective. This production was thoroughly enjoyed by audience and cast alike.
The Cliftonian 2019 | 31
Blackadder
Camp Confidence
(North Town)
(Oakeley’s House)
North Town transported the audience into the World War One trenches with an adaptation of the British sitcom classic, Blackadder Goes Forth. Effective sound effects and lighting set the scene from the outset, with period costumes adding authenticity to the performance. It was certainly a bold decision to take on a play with such notable characters, but the cast should be commended for the success of their performance. A particular highlight was a raw chicken falling to the stage amongst a shower of feathers after Blackadder shoots the pigeon.
Diana Raffle’s comedy, Camp Confidence, was a well chosen play for Oakeley’s House as the strong female characters provided accomplished actors with the opportunity to showcase their talents. Members of the House approached the audience with motivational quotations before the play began and this creative touch helped to set the tone for the performance. The slick fight scene was another highlight, which pointed to excellent interaction amongst the cast, and the attention to detail with the set and props was also very effective. A very enjoyable performance.
“ Effective sound effects and lighting set the scene from the outset, with period costumes adding authenticity.”
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Photo by Tony Leung (MH)
Dealer’s Choice (East Town)
Photo by Tony Leung (MH)
During the final evening of the festival, East Town gave us the drama Dealer’s Choice, which was written by Patrick Marber and first performed in 1995. This was a good choice of play, focusing as it does on a couple of rooms in a restaurant and a poker game. The judges felt that the set was well thought out; using the single door between the scenes made it easy for transitions. There was some good attention to detail with the props, and the characterisations were credible and maintained throughout the play. During the scenes, even when focus was taken away from individuals, they continued to act. The pace most notably picked up during the card game, with some quick fire repartee. It was good to have another drama in the festival and it was a very enjoyable evening with some fine acting.
A Masterpiece of Comic Timing (The South Town) Expectations were high for last year’s House Play winners, The South Town, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Set in a suite at the luxury Royal Palm Hotel, A Masterpiece of Comic Timing was a great choice for this very capable cast. Cameron Johnson, Christian Greene, Malachy O’Callaghan and Rohan Schroeder captivated the audience in a mature performance that wouldn’t have been amiss at the Edinburgh Fringe. The lighting and sound was highly effective, assisting in the seamless transitions between scenes, and it was evident that careful consideration had been given to the use of set and props. A fantastic reception from the audience with a standing ovation wrapped up the final play of the House Play Festival.
House Drama Prizes Best Preparation Oakeley’s House with Camp Confidence Best Costume Design Worcester House with Alice in Wonderland Technical Achievement School House with Peter Pan Best Staging Wiseman’s House with Out of Order Best Choreography West Town with A Cut Above the Rest Artistic Endeavour Oakeley’s House with Camp Confidence Stage Presence Malachy O’Callaghan, The South Town Best Third Form Performance Amalie Chapman, Hallward’s House Achievement Award Wiseman’s House with Out of Order Rising Star Tara Madan, West Town Best Male Supporting Actor Christian Greene, The South Town Best Female Supporting Actor Olivia Johns, Oakeley’s House Best Male Actor: Tom Panto, School House Best Female Actor Jemima Blench, Hallward’s House Best Director Isis Savage, Hallward’s House Best Comedy The South Town with A Masterpiece of Comic Timing Best Drama East Town with Dealer’s Choice Best Production School House with Peter Pan
The Cliftonian 2019 | 33
Arts Evening
This year, the evening combined the Summer Serenade and a DT exhibition with an eclectic range of drama, dance, music performances and artwork. The event began with the first half of the Summer Serenade, a concert which sees some of Clifton’s top music scholars performing as soloists with the backing of a full orchestra,
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the Clifton Ensemble. We were treated to a stunning programme including Emma Shaw giving a wonderfully musical rendition of Mozart’s hugely popular Clarinet Concerto (I. Allegro) and Hannah Wilkie playing the first movement of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No.1 in E flat major Op. 107, which was filled with a glorious vitality and energy. The audience streamed out of the Chapel and into a buzzing, festival atmosphere where two stages were set up in the quad. One stage focused on monologue performances, with accomplished performances from Malachy O’Callaghan, Benson Zhou, Max Read
and Sophia Jurtin. On stage two, A Level drama students Mai Barber and Charmaine Audifferen performed a reinterpretation of Under Milk Wood. School House lawn provided another stage space, with Year 10 drama students performing extracts from War Horse. These engaging sections culminated in the whole group singing the final song from the play, Only Remembered For What We Have Done. There was even a surprise dance from the Year 9 dance activity group, who performed in the middle of the quad, to great delight. The crypt had the atmosphere of an underground speakeasy, with a band playing upbeat jazz whilst art scholars worked on
Arts
their portraits of Old Cliftonians. The DT exhibition showcased amazing work created by GCSE and A Level students; parents and students were astounded by the quality of the work on show. Spoken word was also on offer in the form of a stunning selection of poetry and prose penned by the Creative Writing Group and performed in the Percival Library. During the Arts section of the evening, the Charities Committee ran a second hand uniform sale. They raised a staggering £686 for Kids for Kids and The Grand Appeal. Audiences returned to the Chapel for the second half of the Summer Serenade, in which three more musicians gave exciting performances of more unusual music with orchestra: Tom Barwick played a daring set of variations for oboe and orchestra by Hummel, Will Liao was sparkling on piano in Balakirev’s First Concerto, and Kit Usherwood ended the evening with the epic Fantaisie Dialoguée for organ and orchestra by Boëllmann. As well as the performers, we thank and congratulate Martin Pring who arranged and conducted the music. The Arts Evening was a popular, buzzing, and thoroughly enjoyable summer’s evening, showcasing the very best of the arts at Clifton College.
Rhian Orzel, Daniel Robson and Victoria Jackson
The Arts Evening was a popular and thoroughly enjoyable summer’s evening.
“The audience streamed out of the Chapel into a buzzing, festival atmosphere.” The Cliftonian 2019 | 35
Library The library’s literary calendar was packed with author visits, events and competitions. 36 | Upper School 2019
Author visits A record year for author visits, we welcomed an array of awesome authors to Clifton to inspire students from every year group. We celebrated Black History Month in October with the wonderful Patrice Lawrence who spoke to Year 9 about how the lack of diversity in the books she read as a child motivated her to write about the richly diverse people and experiences from her own life. Author and lecturer in Creative Writing Lucy Christopher enjoyed a literary lunch with the Creative Writing Group and gave Year 10 some fantastic tips on writing engaging stories, taking them on a journey from the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia to the wilds of Wales as a way of stressing the importance of setting.
parental acceptance and the existence of gay dinosaurs. Juno went on to speak to the Sixth Form, discussing her writing successes, TV appearances and role as an ambassador for the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall. Our special guest on World Book Day was Vanessa Kisuule, Bristol City Poet 2018-2020. Vanessa addressed the whole school during the morning Chapel service, performing a selection of her fantastic poems and speaking passionately about the power of poetry and about careers in the arts. Year 9 and 10 continued World Book Day celebrations during the morning with talks that covered topics including identity, language, social media and ASOS dungarees! Spoken word artist and novelist Steven Camden AKA Polarbear returned to Clifton by popular demand in May. He performed his brilliant poetry and delivered a series of fun and engaging workshops for Year 9 and 10. The workshops reduced the
audience to fits of giggles as he encouraged students to draw upon their most embarrassing moments as a way of bringing characters to life! Later in the Summer Term, we were delighted to be included in the first ever Dialogue Books UK tour, which showcased the work of emerging talent in contemporary fiction. Authors Season Butler and Yvonne Battle-Felton spoke about their recently published novels and the choices we make in telling stories. Our Year 12 students gathered with pupils from other local schools for a discussion that covered cultural identity, narrative voice, and the legacy of slavery. Our end of term Carnegie Contest featured acclaimed author Irfan Master who spoke about the vital importance of libraries (the librarians agree!) and his own journey as a writer.
Lauren Walker, Leah Shaw and Charlotte Withey Percival Librarians
In February, Tom Pollock talked to Year 9 about Red Rabbit, White Wolf, his fantastically tense thriller about ‘murder, maths and the mind’. He also discussed his work as an ambassador for Talklife, the peer support network for youth mental health, speaking candidly about his own experience with depression, anxiety and bulimia. Last year’s top selling YA author, Juno Dawson joined us in March. Her first call was a discussion group attended by Pride groups from nine other local schools. Questions were submitted in advance and two of our wonderful students interviewed her on matters as varied as childhood bullying,
“We welcomed an array of awesome authors to Clifton to inspire students from every year group”
The Cliftonian 2019 | 37
Events & Competitions Spelling Bee Our spellers were so good this year that we had to extend the competition and hold a final of finals, featuring the sensational spelling talent of Lily Mustin, Eunice Hung, Joseph Attwood, Arslan Manzoor, Max Read and Blaine Maricescu. At the gong, Max buzzed his way to victory, winning the Block II trophy for School House. Sixth Form spellers Joseph and Lily were so evenly matched that we had to declare them joint winners in an unbee-lievably close final filled with hieroglyphics, ecumenical paraphernalia and extraneous hypochondria!
Harry Potter Day
Shoktoberfest
One of the highlights of the Lent Term was the annual Harry Potter Day. Savvy students sought out teachers dressed as Hogwarts professors in their attempts to solve the ‘Potter Polyjuice Problem’. Students were rewarded with chocolate frog cards, which could be exchanged for a plethora of Potter prizes! The top prize was claimed by Dina Nemoliaeva and Annabel Langman who won a magical Harry Potter goodie bag.
Scary Little Girls’ Rebecca Morden held court for a spooktacular candlelit evening in a library bedecked with animal skulls and jack-o’-lanterns. Year 9 were treated to haunting tales of killer clowns and vampire suffragettes alongside a story of defiance in the face of terror, penned by Tara Madan, winner of our Tales of Terror short story competition.
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“Joseph and Lily were so evenly matched that we had to declare them joint winners.”
Events & Competitions Book Fair We teamed up with magical Bath bookshop, Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, for our first ever seasonal book fair. A festive atmosphere pervaded the Percival as shoppers were invited to partake in a seasonal tipple whilst organ scholar Kit Usherwood tinkled the ivories as student carollers lifted their voices in song. Thank you to all the students, staff and parents who supported the book fair, helping to raise £215 for BookTrust’s Letterbox Club Christmas appeal.
Glittery Literary Critter Hunt Students enjoyed a literary critter hunt on World Book Day, searching for famous animals from literature (like Joey from War Horse and Tigger from Winnie-the-Pooh). Prizes were on offer for those who could correctly identify the book in which the animal featured. Thank you to the student librarians for their help in decorating the glittery critters!
The Great Clifton Read Off
Staff v Students World Book Day Literature Quiz Vanessa Kisuule hosted the notoriously challenging World Book Day Literature Quiz final. For the first time in many years, the teachers’ team stormed to victory against formidable opponents Hallward’s House (Philly Milne, Jemima Blench, Isis Savage and Immi Stagg). All the contestants displayed incredible knowledge, wowing the audience with literary knowledge from Homer to Harry Potter. Well done to Ms Hawkins, Mrs John, Mr Callander and Mr Harris!
Mental Health Awareness Week, 13th-19th May The library offered a varied programme of activities designed to promote the message of good mental health and encourage students to take a much needed break from revision. Activities included an evening read-in (with hot chocolate, marshmallows and soothing music- thanks to Benson Zhou), a bubble wrap party, jigsaw puzzling, origami and splodge art. Dog walking on the Downs also gave staff and students a chance to paws for thought and walk some wonderful woofers!
2019 was a record-breaking year for our annual Third Form reading competition. Over the course of the Lent Term, students read 517 books, totalling more than 162,000 pages! From Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to Philip Reeve, the year group read a huge range of books and discovered new favourite authors along the way. We finished the competition with an award ceremony in the Redgrave Theatre where a whole host of prizes were distributed.
Clifton Carnegie Contest Pupils from Colston’s School, Fairfield High School and Norton Hill School joined us for the final of the 2019 Clifton Carnegie Contest. The competition showcased the work of Year 9 students who had been shadowing the 2019 Carnegie shortlist, working in groups to put together creative presentations. The Carnegie Award is the oldest and most prestigious prize in children’s literature; past winners include C. S. Lewis, Philip Pullman, Terry Pratchett and Sarah Crossan. Guest judge Irfan Master
declared Mr Callander’s class overall winners, praising their stunning creative interpretation of The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Their presentation featured slam poetry, interpretative dance, bold images and live saxophone and violin accompaniment.
Stanley Steadman Essay Prize Congratulations to Rebecca Nyame-Satterthwaite and Immi Stagg, winners of the 2018 and 2019 Stanley Steadman Essay Prizes respectively. Rebecca’s original, analytical and witty appreciation of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks really impressed the judges. Immi’s eloquent, thoughtful and enthusiastic essay on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was also a real hit with the judging panel. Well done to both winners!
“The Carnegie Award is the oldest and most prestigious prize in children’s literature” The Cliftonian 2019 | 39
To the wind
I find it insulting that this flower dares to be so bright and pretty.
Jemima Blench (HH) won the 2019 Flash Fiction short story competition. Her writing was inspired by this photograph of a cherry tree in bloom. The competition was judged by award-winning spoken word artist and novelist Steven Camden.
It’s pink, cotton candy coloured, and looks false against the faded white of my sheets, as if it’s been edited here into existence, having seemingly carried all the sunshine of the day it was plucked with it, into my hands and my bed to dye it all rosy. Oh, unhappy petal, why are you so bitter to me? I should light it on fire, I should let it fly from the window, I should love-meloves-me-not tear it to little pink confetti pieces. Instead,
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I carefully twirl it between my fingers, and set it in a vase next to the mirror. I’m sorry, blossom, I’ve kidnapped you, whiled you away on the winds, stolen from the cherry tree where I found you - but I had to take something as ransom. You see, I stood on that street corner far longer than I should have. The front of the building was foreboding, dirtied limestone, blocking out the sun - it loomed, threatening and eclipsing and dark. If only there was some way inside those fortress walls, through the four-foot, wooden
portcullis gate, avert the guard’s eyes and steal into the chambers of your heart through the window. Let me sidle up to the sooty brickwork, seduce the very foundations in the ground, slip into the crooks between each stone and sweet-talk my way through to the other side, pour out of the brickwork like water, like blood, and congeal safe inside, barely solid, only chemical grace and will. Oh, to charm the towers crashing to the ground. Melt the mortar into sin, watch the sandstone tumble like two-ton holy rain, righteous, furious, enticed. Would that I could pull down the frontier with my fingertips, brick by brick with a whisper and a carefully
Flash Fiction
placed touch, a kiss spent on the join between wall and parapet, slipping through the fresh sunshine. But far harder than taking apart a hundredfoot stone wall would be to take apart that complicated, illogical heart, squeeze myself along your veins, under your skin to the fourth chamber, to stay there and stay there and stay there. Kissing my way through your drawbridge was not difficult. Kissing my way along your neural pathways into your memory, my dear, well -
Judge’s comments: ‘This is stunning. The flow of it is sublime and to hold us with such imagery and yet still feel a human voice is something very special.’ Steven Camden, author of Everything All At Once, Nobody Real, It’s About Love and Tape.
I have lingered far too long on this street corner. Across the road, the sunny streets beckon me back, a tree in blossom wavers in the wind, and ahead the castle remains. Forebodes. And I turn my back on the fortress, into the sun. I left the battlements to brood, plucking a hostage as I went, left shoe squeaking. A souvenir, just to prove that I was here. It seemed to shine among glossed leaves and warm stone, the sunlit side of the street. Here, though, it’s lonely, it’s a hostage, a pretty well-mannered reminder of the fortress that awaits me. It’s far too bright to match anything in here.
I left the battlements to brood, plucking a hostage as I went, left shoe squeaking. The Cliftonian 2019 | 41
A highlight of the Chapel calendar was the Remembrance Service on the centenary of the First World War Armistice.
The Chapel was completely full as we listened to an address given by Jonathan Walker OC, a respected military historian. Jonathan told the congregation what an average day would have been like for an 18-yearold pupil in 1918 who had been conscripted to serve on the front line of the conflict. It was poignant to pause and remember all those from the College who have lost their lives in conflict. It has been a sad privilege to hold memorial services in the
42 | Upper School 2019
Chapel for a number of OCs who have died this year. These occasions are always full of emotion, but it feels fitting to hold them in the Chapel, which is the spiritual home of many connected with the College. There have also been lots of happier occasions to celebrate, with a number of OCs being married and new babies christened over the course of the year. In June 2019, we were able to celebrate with eight pupils from across the College as they were confirmed at a
special service held in St Paul’s Church, Clifton. The pupils were prepared for their Confirmation by the College chaplaincy team and were welcomed and confirmed into the Church of England by the Rt Rev Vivienne Faull, the newly appointed Bishop of Bristol.
The Rev Simon Chapman College Chaplain
Chapel Highlights from the year
Did you know that over half of adults in the UK pray? This was my opening remark in one Chapel service during the Summer Term, and my challenge to the school to consider the place of prayer in our everyday routines. Prayer is probably the place where the majority of us feel most comfortable connecting spiritually, and it’s a practice to which many of us turn, particularly in times of stress. As a chaplaincy team, we hold the place of prayer in the school in high regard, and groups of both staff (on a Thursday) and parents (on a Saturday) meet together to pray. Prayer for us is a chance to contemplate and take part in a dialogue with God, to reach out to the Creator and, in turn, connect to the bigger picture of the world in which we live. The Chapel is always open to students and staff who would like to pray, or just find a quiet space. In the Summer Term, we installed a prayer candle stand, encouraging its use to remember those people or situations that are in our prayers by lighting a candle. We have also offered anonymous slips of paper for prayer requests and it has been wonderful to see students engage with these forms of prayer.
Jack Wilson Assistant Chaplain
“ Prayer is probably the place where the majority of us feel most comfortable connecting spiritually.”
The Cliftonian 2019 | 43
As the Jewish Life Co-ordinator, it has been a privilege to support pupils over the past three years. I have worked with pupils from all over the world: the UK, the USA, Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Crete, Austria, and Belgium. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with the Tapiero family who sponsored Chanukah and Purim parties this year, and I have loved our 44 | Upper School 2019
Friday Night Suppers where we all get together and honour our Sabbath in a very relaxed environment in the Polack Centre. This academic year Jewish pupil numbers reached their highest since the closure of Polack’s House and the creation of the Polack Centre. We have worked with an awesome catering team to prepare for the year ahead and shared more about how we use food as part of our celebrations, like doughnuts at Chanukah (celebrating the re-dedication of the Holy Temple) or cheesecake at Shavuot (celebrating receiving the Ten Commandments). There have been so many highlights,
from pitching our Sukkah (foliage covered booth) on Succot; attending the Holocaust Memorial Day at Bristol City Hall with our Sixth Formers; observing Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) in Park Row Synagogue; and simply enjoying the company of the pupils in their second home, the Polack Centre. In September, three of our pupils will have their Bar & Bat Mitzvot. Two will be held in the Polack Centre and one in Glasgow. A further three are about to start preparing to have their own celebrations in the upcoming year.
I will be handing over to Rabbi Anna Gerrard, who will take up the reins as the College’s new Jewish Chaplain from September 2019. It is a really exciting time for Jewish life at Clifton College and I look forward to watching vicariously through my son, presently in Year 7, as I revert to being a parent at the school. Lauren Chiren Jewish Life Co-ordinator
Synagogue
“It has been a privilege to support pupils over the past three years.� The Cliftonian 2019 | 45
Leading Linguists in London The English language A Level group attended the English and Media Centre Conference In London in February. This was an opportunity to hear some of the country’s leading linguists lecture on such varied topics as forensic linguistics, the first year of children’s language development and the impact of social media on language change. Highlights of the trip included a lecture from Countdown presenter Susie Dent and a photo opportunity and a chat with David Crystal, the most entertaining and popular leading UK linguist and a personal favourite of the A Level group!
Sophie Cuesta
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Clifton’s First Ever Rocketry Challenge Takes Off! Lent 2019 saw the launch of an exciting new STEM project, the UK Youth Rocketry Competition. Five students from Year 12 worked collaboratively over four months to fundraise, design, build, test and fire a model rocket. The aim was to reach a target height of 261 metres and achieve a flight duration of 43-46 seconds. The team was ably led by Sam Hesketh Fatchen, whose enthusiasm shone through from start to finish. Launching a model rocket is no easy task, and much planning and preparation was required, including raising money to procure equipment and materials.
Trips & Activities
Despite persistence from Nais Regazzo and Ali Marshall, business sponsorship proved elusive so they turned to that foolproof Clifton College fundraising tool, the cake sale! Sam Wang spent time familiarising himself with SpaceCAD and once all the dimensions had been decided, the team assembled their rocket with help from the DT Department. The testing stage saw the team launch their rocket for the first time, but the propellant came away from the main body, disabling the parachute deploy system, resulting in the rocket embedding itself in a nearby field. Disappointed but not despondent, they set about rebuilding, with Ilyas Zakirov taking the lead.
Masterchef Competition The end of the Summer Term saw the nail-biting finale to the Third Form Masterchef competition. The early rounds saw all 12 Houses competing with Third Form pairs creating incredible dishes. In each round, pupils were given two ingredients and asked to add two of their own. These were to be prepared and presented according to strict deadlines - good preparation for the importance of timing in professional kitchens! Early rounds saw the delights of starters such as bruschetta and adventurous main courses such as homemade gnocchi and tempura!
At the South West Regional Finals, the Clifton rocket soared into the air and returned to the ground safely. The second launch, however, saw the upper part of the rocket dragged by high winds onto a nearby roof! The score was high enough to see them through to the next round but, alas, they had no rocket to fire in the National Finals. However, the team didn’t give up, borrowing equipment to rebuild the lost section. Due to adverse weather conditions at the National Finals, teams were told that their rockets would be unsafe to launch and, instead, they needed to deliver a presentation to a panel of judges. Although the group did not progress to the International Finals, they did come in the top 22 teams in the country, a tremendous achievement. Huge congratulations to Sam Hesketh Fatchen, Nais Regazzo, Ilyas Zakirov, Ali Marshall and Sam Wang.
Rebecca Luker
Mrs Cuesta judged the initial rounds and was very impressed with the talent and time spent producing such incredible dishes. There were eliminations each round and the final saw a head-to-head between Wiseman’s House and School House, who had to re-create their three signature dishes of starter, main course and pudding for professional chef, restaurateur and owner of the award-winning Primrose Café in Clifton Village, Mr Patrick Glennie-Smith. Well done to finalists Alexei Joukovski and Carson Wong of School House and congratulations to the Wiseman’s team, Justin Zhou and AY Ogunbajo, for winning the competition.
Sophie Cuesta The Cliftonian 2019 | 47
Activities Safari Supper The Third form enjoyed their annual ‘Safari Supper’ in the Lent Term, organised by Senior Tutor, Mrs Cuesta. The event involves the year group hosting mains and pudding courses with allocated guests from other Houses. Invitations, dress codes and meal planning are planned by each of the Houses and it was clear that much time and thought had gone into this event.
Sophie Cuesta
Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth Exhibition Mid-September saw a group of keen Tolkien fans travel there and back again to a wonderful exhibition at the Weston Library in Oxford. Filled with beautiful illustrations and maps of Middleearth, Tolkien’s personal letters, and detailed information on the creation of fantasy languages, the exhibition gave a fascinating insight into the life and work of the great J. R. R. Tolkien.
Physics Trip to the University of Birmingham On 19th November, Year 12 physics students visited the University of Birmingham for a series of A Level lectures given by various scientists at the forefront of their fields. We heard from the well known Professor Jim Al-Khalili, who gave an interesting talk on quantum biology, and Dr Helen Czerski introduced us to the physics behind weather systems and oceanography. In addition to this, Dr Frank Close spoke about nuclear physics, an invaluable session which tied in perfectly with the A Level syllabus. ‘I really enjoyed the lecture on acoustic engineering and this has given me some food for thought for a future career’
One student was inspired to give an impromptu lecture on the iconic Tom Bombadil to several exhibition patrons, resulting in a lively discussion around a 3D relief map of Middle-earth! All those who wandered were not lost.
Nais Regazzo (HLH)
Charlotte Withey
Oliver Daniels (WaH)
‘I found the sessions on quantum biology, radiotherapy and proton beam therapy very interesting and useful considering I am looking to study medicine at university’
‘It was amazing to see how different disciplines such as physics and biology can be studied as one entity.’ 48 | Upper School 2019
Sam Hesketh Fatchen (ST)
“It was amazing to see how different disciplines such as physics and biology can be studied as one entity.”
Ten Tors On 11th May, six students took part in the Ten Tors challenge on Dartmoor. The team completed an impressive 35-mile route, visiting ten nominated tors in under two days. They had to be self-sufficient, carrying everything needed to complete their route and wild camp overnight safely. Prior to the event, the team undertook eight months of demanding selection and training, experiencing adverse weather in Wales and on Dartmoor, which certainly helped to prepare them for the challenge. 271 teams took part and Clifton College came first in their category, finishing at 0901 hours on Sunday morning and completing the route in the exceptional time of 14 hours and 35 minutes. Team leader Calver Barnes’ navigation skills were outstanding, enabling the team to make quick progress. Completing Ten Tors is not easy; with challenging terrain, long distances and, often, adverse weather, many factors can conspire against success. However, our team proved that it is certainly achievable with the right commitment, training, endurance and grit. Well done to the team for being consistently strong, committed and motivated to succeed.
Jody Sumner
The Bristol Teen Book Award On 13th February, a group of literary enthusiasts from Clifton joined schools across Bristol to celebrate an exciting new book award. The Bristol Teen Book Award is a prize that celebrates diversity and draws attention to Young Adult novels featuring characters whose voices are not always heard in mainstream fiction. Bali Rai, Penny Joelson, Emily Critchley, Irfan Master and Fox Benwell, whose books were shortlisted for the award, joined us at Bristol Central Library. Students were treated to a panel discussion, author workshops, and creative activities such as mood board making and literary hook-a-duck! Penny Joelson saw off tough competition and won the prize for I Have No Secrets, a fast-paced thriller told from the point of view of a 14-year-old girl with severe cerebral palsy.
Leah Shaw
Wise Children at Bristol Old Vic The GCSE drama students went to watch Wise Children at Bristol Old Vic on 13th February. The main purpose was to give us experience of live theatre evaluation for our written exams. The play began as a novel by Angela Carter, and was adapted and directed by Emma Rice. Rice is known for previously being the artistic
director at London’s Globe Theatre. The story takes place on 23rd April, Shakespeare’s birthday, when twin sisters, Nora and Dora Chance, are celebrating their 75th birthday. It tells Nora and Dora’s happy but controversial life story. The Bristol Old Vic has a proscenium arch, and the overall staging was innovative and warmly coloured. The title, Wise Children, in big, bright illuminated letters, was suspended mid-air above the amazing live band. The only centrepiece, interestingly, was a caravan, and other than that, lots of dressing tables and mirrors were scattered around the stage. The highlight of the play was absolutely the singing and dancing: the songs were all harmonised beautifully and
the dances were passionately choreographed. The performers’ expressions were especially rich, and I could feel the energy and passion bursting out on stage. Sam Archer, as young Peregrine, was sensational in his dancing scene with two puppets. Another breathtaking actor was Katy Owens, who played Grandma Chance. She astounded me with her splendid vocal technique and her comically exaggerated facial expressions.
Benson Zhou (WiH)
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Activities Maths: A Year in Numbers Our Block II mathematicians have enjoyed a record-breaking year of success in extracurricular mathematical events and competitions. The UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge results were our best ever, with 35 gold certificates being awarded (top 7% nationally), 41 silver (top 20%) and 30 bronze (top 40%). Furthermore, 10 pupils qualified for the Intermediate Maths Olympiad, double the qualifications in any other year previously, and 25 pupils qualified for the Intermediate Kangaroo. The Intermediate Olympiad results were also astonishingly good, with two book prizes (going to the best 50 pupils in each year group nationally), four medals (top 100 in each year group nationally), five distinctions (top 25% nationally) and five merits being awarded. Those who entered the Intermediate Kangaroo also amassed an impressive eight merits between them. The top performers in the Intermediate Olympiad are listed below and should be heartily congratulated on their success. Distinction, book prize and medal Jonathan Ambler (NT) Cindy Wang (OH) Distinction and medal Cici Pan (WoH) Kevin Pan (WiH) Distinction David Wu (ET) Our pupils also participated in several team events throughout the year. A combined team from Year 8 and Year 9 reached the National Final of the UKMT Team Challenge, which took place in Lindley Hall in London on 17th 50 | Upper School 2019
June. The team consisted of Sally Kim, Taiki Faustino, Cici Pan and Jonathan Ambler. Over 1,700 schools entered the competition and only the best 88 qualified to take part in the fiendishly testing grand finale. Clifton came 29th out of 88 teams, meaning they were in the top 2% of all participating schools. Not to be outdone by the junior mathematicians, our Sixth Formers have also enjoyed tremendous success in competitions and challenges. In October, both Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth teams were crowned Best In Bristol in the Bristol Schools’ Further Mathematics Team Competition. In the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge, which took place in November, 27 gold certificates were awarded, 30 silver and 35 bronze. 21 pupils qualified for the Senior Kangaroo, the follow-on round from the Senior Maths Challenge, and six pupils were awarded Merits for their performance, meaning they performed in the top 25% of those participating nationally. Special mention goes to David Wu and Kevin Pan who received
Merits in the senior round even though they were in Fourth Form when the competition took place. Will Liao, Conor McMahon and Ziqing Xu went on to take part in the British Mathematical Olympiad and were awarded Merits for their performance, meaning they performed in the top 45% of all participants.
Huge congratulations to all our mathematicians who performed so well throughout the year.
Anastassia Myers
“Our Sixth Formers have enjoyed tremendous success”
Third Form Camp in Dorset Bathed in end-of-term sunshine, and a well deserved post-exam treat, Year 9 set off for Third Form Camp to a multi-activity centre in Osmington Bay, Dorset, for a three day residential trip from 1st to 3rd July. The 140 strong year group, accompanied by 15 Clifton College staff, were treated to outstanding coastal views of Portland Harbour and Chesil Beach from the stunning site and, as all accommodation had en-suite facilities, the term ‘camp’ definitely seemed a misnomer! The variety of activities provided were accessible to all, whilst also providing challenges. Highlights included the ‘giant swing’ which involved being clipped on, and hoisted to precipitous heights, before swinging and feeling the full adrenaline rush. Even a few braver members of staff had a go! Other highlights included dragon boat racing on the harbour, which was supposedly a ‘dry’ activity, despite being asked to pack a change of clothes! The groups also enjoyed zip wires, tunnelling, Aeroball, trapeze and climbing. It was fantastic to see pupils pushing themselves to conquer any fears, encouraging and supporting others, using teamwork and building cohesion within the year group. Evening activities included games on the beach and football at the on-site ‘Little Wembley’ pitch. After a fantastic few days away, we returned back, exhausted, but ready for the final day of school and beginning of the holidays!
Sophie Cuesta
Biology Field Trip On 4th June, 29 intrepid Lower Sixth biologists and four brave teachers headed out in the pouring rain to Kenfig in South Wales for our annual field trip. First, we conducted a transect of the sand dunes to monitor the process of succession. We then embarked upon a ‘Kenfig Bioblitz’, creating an inventory of all species we could find in the area in two hours, from plants to fungi, insects to birds. In total, 98 species were recorded, using a range of sampling techniques including tree-beating, sweepnetting, moth-trapping and binoculars. This is the first time we have run this activity, and so we will try to beat our species total year on year! Some clear favourites from our collection included the Small Elephant Hawk Moth and the Cream Streaked Ladybird. We were also very privileged to see Pyramidal and Common Spotted Orchids. The pupils were on excellent form despite soggy feet, and remained positive, enthusiastic and productive throughout the day. A great success.
Remy Poland & Malcolm Grohmann
German Fasching Trip The Year 9 German students attended the annual Fasching Night at Badminton School. The opinion of the students is that this was a very fun evening and it was very useful as we all learned a lot! We started with an ‘allgemeinwissen’ (general knowledge) quiz. We then had a quiz about ‘Deutschland’ and ‘deutsche Sprache’ in general. These included questions like how to pronounce certain difficult sentences and what certain German celebrations are called. We then had a break from the quiz and ate doughnuts and socialised with other people. Later, we retired to our tables and had quizzes on ‘flaggen’ and ‘musik’. The night ended with prizes for the best teams. Our German class cannot wait until we go again next year.
Louis Afford Lessof (Watt) The Cliftonian 2019 | 51
Switzerland In Michaelmas half term, 30 pupils from Years 11 to 13 visited the largest particle physics lab in the world.
Pupils gained insight into the scope of scientific research taking place at the Large Hadron Collider. A boat tour of Lake Geneva gave us views of Mont Blanc and the Jet d’Eau fountain. Day two involved a visit to the Universe of Particles and Microcosm museums as well as a guided tour of CERN, including 52 | Upper School 2019
the Control Centre. Here, we could see the environment in which scientists work as well as learn about the collider - we even had lunch in their canteen! The group also enjoyed a visit to the History of Science museum, bowling and an Escape Room challenge! It was a packed but enjoyable three days, and an experience I would recommend to anyone interested in science!
Ed Solly (WaH)
“It was a packed but enjoyable three days”
The Menin Gate in Ypres was packed with people gathered waiting for the Last Post Ceremony to take place.
“ It was a spine-tingling moment that had the crowd enthralled, all the more so because the piper was a 14-year-old Cliftonian”.
At 8.00pm exactly, the traffic was stopped and the buglers stepped out under the great arch of the memorial, followed by a lone bagpiper. As the bugles rang out, silence descended and the bagpiper began to play. It was a spine-tingling moment that had the crowd enthralled, all the more so because the piper was a 14-year-old Cliftonian, Jamie Lenthall. Another four Cliftonians took part in the service by laying a wreath for all those Cliftonians who had commanded, fought and died in the Ypres Salient during the war. Some of their names are commemorated on the walls of
the Menin Gate and many still lie in cemeteries that dot the landscape all around the city. We have taken part in this event many times over the last few years, but this was a very special moment and Jamie rightly became something of a local sensation with his very polished and moving performance. We had another special moment on the trip when, at Dunhallow Cemetery, we were joined by Oliver Clissold, visiting from Australia, at the grave of his relative, Major Harry Clissold, who was the Housemaster of Wiseman’s and was killed in 1917. In Chapel during Remembrance Week, one of the talks was on the Wiseman’s House cricket team of 1913. Many of the team were killed in the Ypres Salient along with their Housemaster. On the trip, we have often visited this cemetery to be reminded of this personal connection to the First World War, but it was fascinating to hear Oliver talk about his family history, especially as his
grandfather K.G.Clissold was in that cricket team and survived the war. The rest of the trip followed our well worn trail around the Ypres Salient and the Somme battlefield, learning about what happened, but also linking it to Clifton and, for some, the opportunity to follow more personal family history; both Harry Huby and Jamie Dodson were able to find the graves of relatives. The working part of the trip finished with a more intimate and private ceremony on the Somme, with bagpipes and trumpet (Nick Greene with Mr Callander stepping in when the sheet music ran out!), poetry and the North Town boys laying a wreath at the grave of Old Cliftonian Geoffrey Tregelles at the Devonshire Cemetery, an old frontline trench on 1st July 1916, the first day of the battle of the Somme and the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army.
Adam Sibley
Belgium & France
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Berlin
On 16th December, we visited the SEZ (a socialist era sports and recreation centre) to go bowling with some local German students. We met a teacher at a German school who used to be a language assistant at Clifton, along with students who had agreed to take us around school the next day. During the session, we got to know the German students through an ice-breaker activity, which involved asking them about their hobbies and favourite subjects. We also bonded over bowling. It was fun to spend time with them and make new friends from a different country. Afterwards, we went to a Christmas market near Alexanderplatz. Since it was a week before Christmas, it was very crowded and cold, but that added a warm and exciting atmosphere that felt like Christmas spirit. There was a large variety of items for sale, including woodwork, traditional German foods, and Christmas
54 | Upper School 2019
decorations, making the whole market very colourful.
Nikki Put (WoH) My favourite parts of the trip included a visit to the Reichstag and the in-depth insight we got into the role of the Bundestag members. It was also amazing to see the glittering Berlin lights from the glass dome of the Reichstag . This dome represents the fact that the acts of government should be transparent and hide no secrets, helping us to make fascinating comparisons between Nazi Germany, the GDR and the new modern Germany we witnessed, which was as deeply ingrained in history and its past as it was in change. Another highlight for me, as I am interested in both the historical and German aspects of Berlin, was the history contingent’s trip to the Cecilienhof in Potsdam and the subsequent trek through the gardens to the Bridge of Spies in below-freezing temperatures. On this walk, some members of the group realised that stylish did not always mean warm! All in all, there was many a moment I will not soon forget and my love of German history was not quenched but stoked.
Llewellyn Evans (MH)
“It was amazing to see the glittering Berlin lights from the glass dome of the Reichstag.”
“After a few days in the sizzling Roman heat, we meandered down to the Amalfi Coast.�
The annual October half term Classics Department trip took us to Italy. The first few days were spent in Rome, visiting important sites such as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the make-your-own Magnum superstore. Some members of the group took advantage of the opportunity to visit some sites with specific relevance to their GCSE or A Level courses,
such as the Temple of Portunus and the Temple of Hercules Victor, while others enjoyed souvenir shopping and photo competitions. After a few days in the sizzling Roman heat, we meandered down to the Amalfi Coast, staying in Sorrento and visiting Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples. For many, this was the highlight of the trip, stepping through the ancient streets of Pompeii and seeing the time capsule remains from 79AD. In many ways, it was a typical Classics Department trip: lots of sun, plenty of good pizza and gelato and some awe-inspiring ancient sites.
Will Nicholl
Italy
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Trips & Activities
Photo by Max Read (SH)
56 | Upper School 2019
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CCF A key theme was the importance of soft skills and service, which, of course, the CCF provides in spades. 58 | Upper School 2019
Combined Cadet Force There is a natural cycle to the CCF calendar with fixed highlights complementing our regular Monday training for all sections. The October field day, when all cadets deploy, is the first time that the Year 10 recruits get a chance to fully integrate with their sections. Then comes Remembrance Sunday; the contingent paraded before and after the service and Act of Remembrance. Sjt Major Mitchell organised a brief reading about other conflicts remembered around the College, such as the Boer War, and OC Captain Adam K-P briefly outlined to the cadets what Remembrance means to him as an OC. In the Lent Term, the ‘set piece’ is now the annual inspection and Gp Capt Carl Peters and his team were kind enough to give up their time. Gp Capt Peters spoke to many cadets individually when observing activities at Beggar Bush, the docks and on the College site, as well as addressing the contingent at the end of the day. A key theme was the importance of soft skills and service, which, of course, the CCF provides in spades. The Summer Term is dominated by a five day field exercise at the end of term. The Navy section headed off to the Wye valley, whilst the RAF section went off to Yeovilton Fleet Air Arm Museum and then joined the Army section who were already on Yoxter training area in the Mendips. For some of the cadets, this was the first time they had ‘camped’ and lived in the field for an extended period, which was certainly a challenge for a few!
As ever, there are many thank yous. The first one is to both Lt Walter and Mr Copp who have helped with CCF during their time at Clifton and now head off to new jobs with our best wishes. Also thanks to Mrs Jackson and Mr Richmond for volunteering their services to help with CCF. Without adult volunteers the CCF could not run. Finally, my thanks go to all the staff and cadets for their enthusiasm and can-do attitude, which makes Clifton’s CCF the organisation that it is.
Jonathan Hughes Contingent Commander, Clifton College CCF
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CCF Army On 30th June, 28 of our cadets set off to Yoxter Cadet Training Camp to attend the Army section field days. The cadets were split into three sections, each led by a Section Commander and a 2IC (Secondin-command). These positions were held by Lower Sixth NCOs.
that we executed throughout the four field days. We were also in charge of making sure that everything was kept tidy in the harbour, our base camp during the stay. With advice from our commanding officers and by carrying out all these tasks, we learned about what it means to be a leader in the Army. We were taught how to direct a section into reconnaissance patrols and, subsequently, how to ambush the enemy. We also learned how to communicate effectively and precisely, and how to think on our feet when something goes wrong in attacks. For example, in the case of enemy bombardment or casualties being left behind. We also ran basic military exercises based on the lesson plans we had prepared, enabling us to develop our training delivery and teaching skills.
Nais Regazzo (HLH)
As NCOs, we assigned cadets to our section’s Charlie and Delta Fire Team; the Section Commander was in charge of the Charlie Fire Team and the 2IC was in charge of the Delta Fire Team. We led the Fourth Form cadets into different battle drills
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CCF Navy The Navy section of the CCF sets out to provide opportunities away from the classroom. It allows cadets to develop a sense of teamwork and leadership through weekly training sessions, culminating in twice yearly Field Days. Offering a varied and challenging programme, cadets are encouraged to develop skills to take on a greater sense of organisation and planning alongside their already busy school days.
to the section, where they are taught about the ethos and traditions of the Navy. This work is done alongside some afloat training, which sees them all pass their RYA Powerboat 1 qualification, a nationally recognised award earned during a two-day expedition up the river Avon in Bristol. The remainder of the section undertake a round robin of training sessions, first aid, navigation, seamanship and self-reliance sessions, which are all put to good use on the Field Day in October. This year, the group travelled to Portsmouth for a two-day stay aboard HMS Bristol, a Type 82 destroyer. They also undertook some sailing instruction whilst visiting HMS Victory and the Submarine Museum.
The Michaelmas Term is largely spent welcoming new recruits In the Lent Term, some of the Fifth Form cadets move to follow the CADRE programme, which sets out to help them learn methods of instruction and how to plan, organise and present sessions to the younger cadets, with a view to taking on roles as NCOs when they are in Year 12. The Summer Term is largely geared toward being outdoors and on the water. It culminates in a four day Field Day, this year on the banks of the River Wye near Symonds Yat in Herefordshire, for a series of exercises, scenarios and training. At Commem this year, the first Gun Run at Clifton College took place. A generous donation to the CCF has seen the purchase of a cadet level gun, which will be used for training purposes throughout the year. The competition in May saw the Army claim victory over the Navy, something we will not let happen again!
to give time and impart their expertise in the sessions that they have planned, whilst ensuring that they maintained a good sense of fun and enjoyment. The new crop of NCOs led from the front when taking up the reins at the summer field day. They fully engaged with what was being offered, showing a great sense of purpose and leadership. Of course, all of this could not be possible without the supporting officers, Lt Williams, S/Lt Jackson, S/Lt Bates and Padre Chapman. Their knowledge and adaptability have been hugely valued, a great help in offering a rich and varied programme for the cadets. Behind the scenes, W02 Mitchell provides all the facilities that we need and, with some new ideas in the pipeline, it is an exciting time not only for the Navy section, but for the CCF as a whole.
Lt R Beever Officer i/c Navy Section
My thanks go to the departing NCOs. They have been willing The Cliftonian 2019 | 61
Navy Field Day
“The CCF programme develops our skills in leadership and team work and creates a sense of camaraderie.” 62 | Upper School 2019
The CCF programme develops our skills in leadership, teamwork and creates a sense of camaraderie. When we were told about the Navy field day, I very much looked forward to it. Mr Beever gave me a camera and asked me to take photos of everything to show what we did during the field day. I had never been a photo reporter before, but I was enthusiastic about the idea. Our first destination was the local cadet facility where we were divided into crews. We did exercises like driving a boat and delivering a crossword in a bucket from one side of the river to another using two ropes and six poles. We also practised ‘man overboard’, and we were good at it! The second destination, which was our campsite, was a picturesque place on the banks of the river surrounded by trees with rowing club facilities and a railway deep in the forest. At night, the river surface reflected the stars and this was beautiful.
The next day, we had to pack up our tents and go on the boats through the river back to the cadet facility. Once there, we did activities which developed our teamwork like tree climbing, archery, trust exercises and balancing on a rope. After lunch, we had an archery competition. The winners had approximately 149 points and I was miles behind with just 49 points. Despite this, I made good progress as before that day, I couldn’t even hit the target, and this time I even scored a bullseye! To conclude, I would like to say that we developed many useful skills. This field trip was a very useful experience and I discovered a lot about Britain and the equipment that British soldiers and sailors use for survival. I would like to thank Clifton College for organising this field day. I am looking forward to further adventures.
Nikita Gukassov (WaH)
CCF RAF Our Head of Section, Jordan Scott, was duly promoted to corporal at the beginning of the Michaelmas Term. He has admirably looked after the Fourth Form recruits through their part one syllabus along with the other NCOs. Bearing and appearance and drill have been maintained to a good standard, with many cadets improving on a weekly basis. The Fifth Form cadets developed their knowledge of jet engines and demonstrated teamwork skills when making their rocket cars. These were judged for distance travelled, with one team getting their car to the end of the tennis courts. Our October field days consisted of tactical teamwork games at Headhunters, with camouflage and concealment and leadership getting stronger throughout. RAF Odiham was also an enjoyable experience, with cadets gaining first-hand experience of Chinook helicopters. The Fifth Form polished their archery skills, while recruits completed their part one syllabus with a hot air balloon challenge and map reading. Towards the end of term, the Fifth Form reviewed basic first aid, which was well orchestrated by Corporal Louis Powell and culminated in them completing part three. A triservice intersection competition was undertaken in our final CCF session, which tested the cadets’ military knowledge, drill, fitness and teamwork. We were very pleased that the RAF section won the drill and turnout element of the competition.
During the Lent Term, both Jordan Scott and John Gong were promoted to sergeant. John has been a great asset to our section; his humorous video montages are a real credit to his dedication outside of our normal Monday afternoon sessions. The Fourth Form followed our traditional programme of principles of flight and airmanship, whilst the Fifth Form cadets entered the Cadre course to develop their leadership skills. Our inspection day involved problem solving up at the sports ground, whilst the Upper Sixth cadets conducted a well deserved passing out parade to the applause of the contingent at the end of term. Navigation, archery and climbing, alongside personal leadership tasks were the focus for the Summer Term. The Fourth Form completed their
part two training with Sam Hesketh Fatchen and Chloe Choi fast-tracking various assessments through selfstudy. Two visits were made to 1 AEF MOD St Athan, where cadets experienced the thrill of flying a Grob Tutor aircraft for the first time. The end of term culminated in a four-day field trip to Mojo Active, Fleet Air Arm museum and Yoxter shooting range. Zorb football, zip wires and a confidence course were a challenge for some, whilst the ejection seat workshop enabled teamwork and communication skills to be developed. Basher building in the woods at Yoxter, along with air rifle shooting were an additional bucket list tick. We have been incredibly pleased with the cadets this year. They have demonstrated respect and integrity and we look forward to monitoring their progress next term.
Flt Lt M Grohmann Officer Commanding RAF Section
“We have been incredibly pleased with the cadets this year. They have demonstrated respect and integrity and we look forward to monitoring their progress next term.”
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Societies 64 | Upper School 2019
Creative Writing Group The Creative Writing Group have had a fantastic year with plenty of opportunities to show off their literary prowess in a series of events including writing showcases and poetry parties. They have also embarked upon an anthology project known as The 23, inspired by a fictional library imagined by Richard Brautigan. The group were delighted to welcome CW alumnus Will Fothergill back to the library on Tuesday evenings as our writer in residence. Will is now at university and we thank him for his dedication to the group and for inspiring and delighting us with superb satirical stories. Justin Smith has also graduated from the group in search of adventure in New Zealand. We will miss his wonderful words and his ability to transport us to wonderful worlds.
Leah Shaw
Christian Forum The Christian Forum meets on Wednesday evenings in the Languages Café. For each term’s meetings, we try to devise a theme for the talks and discussions. As I write, we have just finished a series of short talks about who God is. We have also enjoyed a gospel series from Luke and a series on Jesus’ rescue from events from the Old Testament like Naaman, Jonah and the bronze serpent. The overall message that we have heard has been about God’s undeserved love for his people. Almost all of the talks are given by outside speakers, many of whom are students, church staff members or volunteers. Highlights of the yearly programme remain the annual summer barbecue and the supper and presentation evening for Christian holidays in the autumn. Anyone is welcome
at any meeting of the Christian Forum - the only qualification needed is an interest in the Christian faith and a desire to think through the various issues involved.
Jay Gardner
Student Librarians Now an integral part of Percival Library life, the student librarian team has increased to 15 dedicated and enthusiastic pupils from Years 9, 10 and 11. The students have played a key role in ensuring that the library is a fun, welcoming and inspiring space for all and they have produced some fantastic displays, helped out with author visits and carried out sterling work in issuing and returning resources. The main focus of the
Summer Term was a project to make a library promo video to show to new students. With a script penned by Max Read, a wonderful cast and the immense directorial and editorial talent of John Gong of Film Making Society fame, the video is hilarious, informative and bizarre in equal measure! Well done, team!
“We will miss his wonderful words and his ability to transport us to wonderful worlds.”
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Pride Society Team Pride have had an epic year, with talks from members of the group, tie-dying, film screenings and Amnesty International letter-writing parties. Here are some of the highlights: In Michaelmas Term, the school joined leading sports teams across the country in joining Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces Campaign. Clifton’s sports teams wore laces to show their support for LGBTQ+ equality and inclusivity. A series of Pride collaborations kicked off with Pride x Film Society. Special guest, film lecturer Sally Rooksby, came in to discuss the representation of LGBTQ+ characters on screen from silent classics like The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) to the recent teen comedy-drama Love, Simon (2018). A Psychology Society tie-in followed, with Dr Carole Buckley, Clinical Champion for Autism, talking about neurodiversity and autistic spectrum disorder. Science Communicator Antonia Forster also visited to discuss gender and sexuality in the animal kingdom with Pride and the Scientific Society. Last year’s top selling YA author, Juno Dawson, visited Clifton on 15th March and her first call was a discussion group attended by Pride groups from nine other local schools (see p. 37). For our first Pride trip, we teamed up with Creative Writing Group, Board Game Club and the Student Librarians and ventured to Forbidden Planet where we had a wonderful talk from Sebastian, a member of their team, on LGBTQ+ representation in manga and comic books. On 24th June, Clifton College marked Pride Day by flying the rainbow flag from the Wilson Tower and holding a Pride Picnic complete with speeches on the vital importance of LGBTQ+ 66 | Upper School 2019
representation, concluded by a fantastic ukulele rendition of Over the Rainbow. Rainbow ribbons were handed out throughout the week and members of the Pride Society led Thursday’s Chapel service, which included a very personal message of acceptance from one of our outgoing Sixth Formers. For Clifton College’s LGBTQ+ community, past and present, seeing the school send such a positive message of inclusion was a real delight.
“Rainbow ribbons were handed out throughout the week and members of the Pride Society led Thursday’s Chapel service.”
International Student Committee Over a quarter of the school are international students and many more of us have lived in different countries during our lives. The aims of the International Student Committee is to raise awareness of the international community within the school. We meet every Monday to plan and organise cultural and social events during the school year. We began the academic year with an international quiz, which was won by School House this year. We also organised Clifton’s first karaoke night, a popular event which filled the JCR with
The Clifton Herald is the scrappy younger brother of the more dignified Cliftonian. We aren’t as old, we aren’t as experienced, we aren’t as posh or stuffy, and yet, we’re far more eager. With a bit more humour and a bit less boredom, the Clifton Herald is written by the students, for the students. Featuring young prodigal talent, the Clifton Herald is a termly newspaper designed to convey news, both about the school and on otherwise obscure issues, to the students.
music. In the Summer Term, we organised an International Food Night featuring delicious Greek, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and German Food in the newly refurbished Big School, and ran the annual International Singing Competition, which encouraged students to sing in languages other than English. We also held a photography competition with a winter theme with over 50 entries. It was a tough decision for Mr Wigginton and Miss Tebay to choose a winner. In the end, 11 pictures were shortlisted and displayed in the Head Master’s Corridor. Congratulations to the overall winner, Helena Wang from Hallward’s House.
Cindy Cheung (OH)
Science Club Led by editors-in-chief Luca Newman and Joseph Attwood (who took the baton from editorial whizz-kids Ella Kipling, Oscar Lucas and Billy ThomasConnolly), the Clifton Herald is about to release its third edition and is prepared for the future with a team of skilled and determined writers. Check us out when you’re on campus our newspapers are LITERALLY EVERYWHERE.
Joseph Attwood (ST)
Photograph by Helena Wang (HH), winner of the International Student Committee’s photography competition. In June, Science Club welcomed Professor Neil Downie to run a lunchtime workshop on ‘vacuum bazookas’. A group of students from Years 9, 10 and 12 were on hand to design and make projectiles, and then to assemble and operate the bazooka so they could fire their projectiles across the Close. Neil is an enthusiastic physicist with a strong interest in engaging pupils through practical science. He describes himself as, ‘Mad scientist, author of the Ultimate Book of Saturday
Science, Visiting Professor (of Innovation) at the University of Surrey; and tireless patent filer’.
Alison Wade
The Clifton Herald
The Cliftonian 2019 | 67
Natural History Society The Clifton Natural History Society (CNHS) has had a very exciting first year. An enthusiastic group of 10 to 40+ year olds, we meet on alternate Tuesday evenings to share our love of wildlife and the natural world. Activities so far have included woodlice racing, inspecting owl pellets, observational drawing, earthworm dissection, mothtrapping and bug-hunting. We have also attended talks at Bristol Zoo on owls and hedgehogs, and hosted a talk by Heather Lampard on bat conservation. Recently we took a trip to Redmaids’ High School to hear tales of underwater filmmaking from renowned BBC presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff, and we all came away with an ambition to scuba-dive with sharks and dolphins! We are all avid fans of Sir David Attenborough and have enjoyed watching and discussing the fantastic Blue Planet II series together. Next year, we hope to do some field trips to Slimbridge, Bristol Zoo Wildplace and the RSPB reserves at Shapwick Heath and Ham Wall.
Gardening Club The Gardening Club have transformed an abandoned wasteland behind the basketball court off the Lower Slopes into a pond, garden and wildlife area with allotments for growing our own fruit and vegetables. Led by Dr Poland and Mr Wilkie, with assistance from the Grounds Team, pupils have created an attractive educational space which will be available for Prep and Upper School teachers to book for pond-dipping sessions, outdoor classes in the Summer Term and perhaps even the odd barbecue! We are currently growing onions, potatoes, turnips, tomatoes and courgettes, and have recently set up a pumpkin patch which will hopefully be ready in time for Hallowe’en! We are always on the look-out for spare plants or unwanted gardening tools, so any donations will be gratefully received!
Remy Poland and Allan Wilkie
Remy Poland
“We have recently set up a pumpkin patch which will hopefully be ready in time for Hallowe’en!” 68 | Upper School 2019
Philosophy and Law Society Philosophy and Law Society continues to thrive at Clifton. Topics pupils have researched and presented on this year include: judicial discretion (Jack Jacob and Tomas Panto); ‘Giving to the poor’ with reference to effective altruism, and the principles of Rawls and Nozick (Louisa Holling and Elizabeth Barwick); theories of laughter and humour (Isis Savage and Tudor Hurle); an introductory overview of tort with specific reference to the botched vasectomy case of McFarlane (Uzma Noor); and a lively survey (Chloe Choi) of some of law’s strangest cases, including Leonard v PepsiCo, where it was judged that purchasing $700,000-worth of drinks tokens hadn’t entitled an individual to claim a $23-million
harrier jet, as only jokingly suggested in a 1999 advertising campaign (tokens were, in fact, redeemable for sunglasses or, at most, a jacket). Outside of the Bradley Meeting Room, students have participated in a mock criminal trial at UWE alongside Colston’s Girls’ School, undertaken the annual visit to Bristol Crown Court, and in conjunction with the Drama and English Departments and in liaison with Shakespeare’s Globe, put the characters of Othello and Iago on trial for sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, working with two top QCs and staging the hearing in front of two London judges. Thank you to all members - it has been a most engaging year.
James Drinkwater
Bonus Biology Bonus Biology is open to all Sixth Form biologists with a passion for the subject and a thirst for knowledge beyond the A Level curriculum. I have been really impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment shown by members this year and we have really enjoyed getting our hands dirty in a range of interesting practicals, from blood-clotting and muscle contraction to fruit-fly genetics and frog dissection. Pupils have also been given a taste of what undergraduate biology lectures might be like, and they
particularly enjoyed hearing about different mechanisms of sex determination, such as the female blue-headed wrasse, which can turn into a male on demand! A reading list of relevant popular science texts is provided, and Oxbridge candidates are encouraged to practise their essay-writing skills over the summer.
Remy Poland
“I have been really impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment shown by members this year.” The Cliftonian 2019 | 69
Charities Clifton We want to start College has by saying thank you to everyone shown a who donated to Charities causes realCommittee spirit of throughout the course of this year. charitable goodwill this year. 70 | Upper School 2019
and a stall at the Prep School Christmas Fair selling nearly new toys. In total, we raised just under £2,000 for TCT (the pupils just pipped their competitors to the post!) and a further £1,300 for CCM. Two new charities were chosen for the Lent Term, Kids for Kids and the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre. Awareness and fundraising were dominated by chocolate linked annual events like Valentine’s Day and Easter. The Committee rebranded Valentine’s Day as Love Day, a celebration of all types of love, not just romantic, and took up the role of (sort of) Cupid to distribute chocolatey treats to friends and loved ones. We also ensured pupils were supplied with chocolate at the end of term as Creme Eggs, Mini Eggs and Maltesers Bunnies were sold for charity The Summer Term saw the Committee gain a new cohort who showed a great willingness to work hard. Support for Kids for Kids continued and we chose The Grand Appeal as our second charity, both causes that everyone felt very willing to get behind. We held an ice cream sale on a particularly drizzly day (yet people were still keen for frozen treats!) and finally, we rounded off the year with a second-hand school uniform sale raising over £630. Clifton College has shown a real spirit of charitable goodwill this year.
We want to start by saying thank you to everyone who donated to Charities Committee causes throughout the course of this year. Your generous contributions have, at the time of writing, raised £6,748.46! Our focus for this year, alongside raising funds, was to create a
real awareness of our chosen charities. With this in mind, the year started with a Charity Awareness Day. Stalls were set up across the College with knowledgeable Committee representatives sharing information on our two chosen charities for the term, Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) and Crisis Centre Ministries (CCM). Soon after, we launched our Double Grand Slam Challenge for TCT, where pupils were pitted against staff and parents to see who could raise £1000 the fastest. Fundraising activities included a staff vs students basketball slam dunk competition, cookie and doughnut sales, a JustGiving page for parents and staff,
“Our focus for this year, alongside raising funds, was to create a real awareness of our chosen charities.” The Charities Committee
The Cliftonian 2019 | 71
Clifton in the Community, the school’s volunteering programme, continues to support a range of different organisations in the local area and in school. 72 | Upper School 2019
Three quarters of our Sixth Form students take part in the programme, and every Monday afternoon they have the chance to give back to the community, either across the College or by volunteering in various organisations outside of school including local state schools, charity shops, residential care homes and hospitals. This year our students began volunteering at Bristol North West Foodbank and we are pleased to continue with this partnership next term with more students. A particular highlight this year was the C in C Christmas
party, when guests from our placements came to watch the Prep School Nativity in the Chapel before heading to the Newbolt Room for tea and lots of cake served by our volunteers. This year the addition of four student musicians made for a relaxed and happy atmosphere and the party was hugely enjoyed by all. The C in C Prize at Commem was given to Eamon Devlin for his dedication to his placement in coaching rugby with Bristol Cathedral Choir School and
Community maturity in being so proactive and making such a positive difference. We are very proud of the positive feedback we have received about our students on placement; their contribution has been of huge value to the local community and we know the students themselves have found the experience to be a rewarding one.
Jennifer Piddock and Lydia Hawkins
“They have a chance to give back to the community.� The Cliftonian 2019 | 73
Sport 74 | Upper School 2019
Boys’ Rugby 1st XV After an intense pre-season training camp, which concluded with a round robin against Wellington College and the London Irish, the boys were eager to achieve their first victory of the season. The opportunity to do so was provided by Monmouth, our first league fixture. The boys quickly negated any physical threats posed by the opposing forwards, giving the backs a foundation on which to attack. The offensive effort was led by Ioan Lloyd and Harry Ascherl who, with the support of Freddie Wooler, Benji Joseland and Jake Thompson, mercilessly overwhelmed any resistance from Monmouth with dynamic moves and a glint of magic. The single try conceded by Clifton during the game was a testament to the boys’ ability and aggression as defenders. The final whistle marked the end of the game, Clifton’s campaign truly underway. Our traditional fixture away at Sir Thomas Rich’s School came next. The boys were aware that they were going into a tough match and prepared for a physical encounter. Clifton hit the ground running, exerting pressure through their back line and hard ball carrying from Toby Dawkins and Harry Taylor. However, for all the dominance and territory, Clifton could only create two scores in the first half. The second half proved more promising as the forwards supplied a constant stream of go forward and the back line was allowed to play freely. Lloyd
and Ascerl began to release the outside backs Wooler and Joseland, who started to rack up the scores from deep. The game finished well with a scoreline of 31-5 in Clifton’s favour. The first home game of the season was against St Edward’s School, Oxford. Two tries from Morgan Strinati from close range, followed by an excellent backs move to put Freddie Wooler through, along with some individual brilliance from Ioan Lloyd showed how the backs and forwards pulled together to break down the St Edward’s defence. By half time, Clifton held a significant lead. The second half certainly did not reflect the attacking intent with which Clifton tried to play. Rain, wind, and a Teddies pack determined to slow the ball down ensured that no points were scored. The game, however, was still a great Clifton performance and set the tone for the rest of our season.
to Millfield; the Clifton boys knew they had to dramatically improve every aspect of the game. With one amazing play off the scrum, when Harry Acsherl demolished their inside centre, Millfield were forced into a situation where they knocked on the ball. Ioan Lloyd offloaded the ball to Joseph Hughes who glided across the turf, gaining ground all the way down to the Millfield half. Ioan Lloyd made an outstanding line break, brushing off a number of tackles before passing the ball to Benjy Joseland. Joseland used his pace to attempt to score the winning try, but he cut inside to avoid getting tackled into touch and got held up over the line. Millfield’s defence on their try-line was outstanding and although Clifton did cross the whitewash, it was pulled back for a forward pass. The ensuing scrum to Millfield saw them clear their lines.
When the team found out that the Ryan Bresnahan game was against Millfield, the squad knew this would not be an easy match. The game started off with some intense phases, with big carries from prop Matt West and second row Morgan Strinati and fantastic play from Ioan Lloyd, breaking the line. The boys put everything into the game, which was played on the Close with the whole school watching. Ioan Lloyd scored 12 points through penalty kicks, but Millfield played some lovely rugby and scored two tries with one conversion kick plus one penalty kick, making the score 15-12
Although the result did not go Clifton’s way, this was an example of schoolboy rugby at its finest.
“This was an example of schoolboy rugby as its finest.”
The local derby against Bristol Grammar School, which is always one of the biggest games of the year, came next. Clifton played away and went into the game well prepared and drilled. The boys dominated the first half, going 12-0 up due to Harry Ascherl scoring under the posts and Ben Torjesen going over the line in the corner. The Cliftonian 2019 | 75
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The second half is where the game really began as BGS scored two tries, making the score 12-10. With difficult weather conditions, Clifton found themselves defending on their own try-line for the last 10 minutes of the match. However, the team held out and the scoreline remained in Clifton’s favour as the final whistle blew. Clifton had retained the Governor’s Cup for a number of years, last year in dramatic style with a match-winning kick at the final whistle against Marlborough. As a result, the Marlborough boys were out for revenge. The conditions were challenging with strong winds and rain but Marlborough came out with a better mindset. They pinned Clifton back in their half with searching kicks and applied defensive pressure. Nevertheless, Clifton stood firm and, with their first entry into the opposition half, Ioan Lloyd went over from close range. This was the last genuine field position Clifton had, after which Marlborough played with a ferocity and physicality that Clifton struggled to
match. Just before half time, Clifton’s resilience waned and Marlborugh brought the game back level. The second half is one Clifton would rather forget. The efforts in defence in the first half took their toll and the flood gates opened. Clifton continued to play from deep but Marlborough seemed to have all the answers. Clifton were well beaten and the Governor’s Cup lost, but hopefully only for a year. After half term, a tough set of fixtures followed. The first challenge was against a talented Cheltenham outfit with two internationals. Only a few points separated us in the Daily Mail Trophy and a late drop out from injured captain Ioan Lloyd led to uncertainty. However, Clifton’s intensity was seen from the off, and dominance up front led to great momentum and allowed for the backs to function efficiently. Harry Ascherl stepped in at 10 and Charlie Turner stepped up from the 2nd XV to add another dimension to the Clifton attack. Early tries off the maul alongside a well
planned backs move allowed Freddie Wooler to cross the whitewash. The waves of attack and powerful ball carrying from Matt West and Toby Dawkins pierced the Cheltenham defence and the tries kept flowing. Toby Dawkins’ finish off an outstanding piece of individual brilliance from Harry Taylor led to one of the tries of the season. The attack was matched with tenacious defence and the tackles from all, but especially from Harry Ascherl, who set the tone with a huge hit on the opposition 9. The game was a clinical performance with all aspects of the Clifton strategy coming together. Clifton came away with a huge 42-15 win to regain the cup. It was wonderful to welcome Sherborne back to the Close after a break of three years. This fixture is an important one for both schools and to be playing for the John Craig Trophy gave the match real significance. Clifton started strongly and never looked back, buoyed by the previous week’s performance. At every
“The season proved to be a memorable one, with the toughest fixture list seen for many years.” 76 | Upper School 2019
opportunity, McGee, Taylor and Lloyd put pace into the game, never letting the opposition rest. The outside backs, Wooler and Thompson, thrived off the breaks made and scored some wonderful tries. The final whistle could not come sooner for Sherborne with a 41-12 win for a dominant Clifton side. The penultimate game of the season brought old rivals Bromsgrove to the Close. This was a tough, physical game with Clifton starting strongly and applying a lot of defensive pressure, turning the ball over and pinning Bromsgrove on their five metre line. Clifton threw into the lineout and from the ensuing drive, Ben Torjesen crashed over to score. The game hung in the balance throughout with Bromsgrove’s lineout drive proving difficult to stop. Ioan Lloyd was a continual thorn in the side of the opposition, taking every opportunity to counterattack from deep. However, Bromsgrove’s physicality created many threats. The game went down to the last few seconds and, with Clifton needing a score, their backs pressed hard defensively trying to gain an intercept. The ball just fell out of reach of Lloyd and two passes later Bromsgrove went over in the corner and the game was lost, 28-22. The last game of the season was away at the birthplace of rugby, and the boys knew it was going to be a tough but memorable match. The whole team brought an intensity to the game, which led to the white wall of the Rugby School defence being broken down through some big carries from Matt West and some magic from Lloyd. Repeated carries and retainment of possession led to three tries being scored in the first half and no points conceded, making the score 19-0. As the second half began, the team were fully aware that Rugby would not roll over on their home turf and they were going to fight back. However, the Clifton 1st XV matched this determination and showed rock solid defence. As a result, no points were conceded by Clifton in the match, with two great winger’s tries by Jake Thompson to bring the final score to 31-0.
“The penultimate game of the season brought old rivals Bromsgrove to the Close.” The season proved to be a memorable one, with the toughest fixture list seen for many years. Although there were three losses, Clifton finished in the top ten of the Daily Mail Trophy for the fourth consecutive year. A special mention must go to Matt West for the way he led the pack and for his superb performances. Jake Thompson and Murray were outstanding on the wings and James Rivers and Ben Torjesen were strong in defence. Finally, a big thank you to Ioan Lloyd who captained the side. It is tough to remember a Clifton player who has had such a big impact on the schoolboy stage as Ioan. His individual performances were breathtaking. His efforts, not only in a Clifton shirt but for Wales U18s, were truly magnificent and we wish him all the best as he starts his career as a player with Bristol Bears. With so many Lower Sixth players in the side, an unbeaten Senior Colts team and a summer tour to Chile and Argentina, the outlook for next season looks bright. Thank you to everyone who supported us in 2018! Matt Salter Director of Rugby
2nd XV
win. This was followed a 39-0 victory over Teddies, Oxford and a brutal 12-0 win against There has always been fierce Marlborough, avenging a loss competition on the rugby pitch from the previous season that at Clifton, but this year none denied Clifton an undefeated more so than between the 2017/18 season. At this point, 1st and 2nd XV. Following the the season was well and truly previous season, both teams underway and the Clifton 2nd XV were tipped for greatness. The was beginning to click. Rigorous rivalry on the training pitch training against the 1st XV and translated into excellent game strong encouragement and day performances with the 2nd guidance from both Mr Bull and team going unbeaten in perhaps Mr Bobby was beginning to pay the toughest circuit in a decade. dividends. The season kicked off with a comfortable 27-7 win in difficult conditions. This was followed by a disjointed performance against Sir Thomas Rich’s School. However, the team rallied and came out with a 22-7
Despite popular opinion, rugby is not just down to who is bigger than whom. Mentality plays as much of a role, if not more, than physicality. The Cliftonian 2019 | 77
Boys’ Rugby
However, often they come hand in hand and where Clifton lacked team cohesiveness in the first half of the season, come the Blundell’s fixture, a new Clifton reared its head. They were dispatched with efficiency and 45 points later, the team was beginning to entertain thoughts of an unbeaten season. The strong rugby school of Cheltenham was up next and they were brushed aside in similar fashion to Blundell’s. The next three fixtures were the hardest ones Clifton had to face thus far. Sherborne was a physical match with intensity brought by both sides. However, Clifton prevailed with a 22-7 win. The team fired on all cylinders, with strong tackles and dynamic carrying throughout. Perhaps the fixture of the season was Bromsgrove. After a tight 17-5 away victory the previous
season in which the scoreline didn’t reflect the closeness of the contest, Bromsgrove were looking for revenge on Clifton soil. There was a mixture of tension and excitement in the changing room as Bromsgrove were the highest-ranking school Clifton would face all season. It was also the last game at home of the season and, for the older boys of the team, the last game of their schoolboy rugby careers. The game was underway and it was immediately apparent to both players and onlookers that this was going to be a tough game. No quarter was given for the full 70 minutes and bodies were put on the line on both sides, resulting in the inevitable injuries, most notable being Thomas Thornycroft, the team’s stalwart inside centre, with a fractured eye socket. The 2nd’s strength and depth was called for; despite conceding
three driving maul tries, a great performance created a number of well worked scores resulting in a 24-19 win, much to the delight of Mr Bull who rolled back the years, running the touchline and looked, on more than one occasion, like he was about to join in and relive his glory years. At the final against Rugby School, the whisper of ‘unbeatable’ that started at the beginning of the season had grown in voice somewhere around Blundell’s, and was finally reaching a crescendo. It felt that the entire school was behind us, with Dr Greene wishing the team the best of luck in Chapel and the Instagram account, aptly called ‘The Unbeatables’, gaining traction and a significant following. Five minutes in, after multiple phases of simple rugby, Clifton got on the scoresheet with a try. This was followed by
“ From that kick off, we won a penalty on the half-way line and, quite remarkably, our kicker put it over with distance to spare”
78 | Upper School 2019
sustained Rugby pressure, but the near impregnable fortress that was the Clifton defence held firm long enough for the half-time whistle to sound. It was very much a 50/50 contest and as is often the way in such fixtures, it came down to a pivotal moment that ultimately decided the result. The Rugby forwards were pounding away at the Clifton try line, with a score looking all but inevitable, when scrum half Finlay Yates intercepted a looping pass to run the length of the pitch to seal the victory. This concluded a fantastic season in which the team had gone from strength to strength, playing positive rugby to win every game, the first Clifton 2nd (or 1st) XV to do so in over 20 years. This was a great achievement and credit must be given to both the players and the coaches.
Billy Thomas-Connolly (NT)
“Mentality plays as much of a role, if not more, than physicality”
3rd XV The 3rd XV’s season took a long time to get off the ground, with Monmouth and Sir Thomas Rich’s School unable to raise teams, but we got underway in week 3 with a convincing 31-5 victory on the Close against Teddies. The coaches’ hopes were dashed the following week away at Marlborough, where injuries and a lacklustre
performance led to a 33-0 dismantling. The third and final match before half term saw us make the short trip to Failand to play BGS. Disappointingly, the game was played on their plastic 4G pitch despite perfect ground conditions prevailing on their other pitches. The game swung back and forth with neither side dominating for any period of time and the final result of 17-17 was probably
a fair reflection of a scrappy match. Excellent wins after half term against Cheltenham and Blundell’s placed the team well for a final assault on the last three matches of the term. However, a combination of unavailability, injury and poor execution led to three defeats against Sherborne, Bromsgrove and Rugby and the season ended not quite as we had all hoped! The camaraderie and work ethic amongst the 3rds and 4ths was excellent throughout the term and the boys were a pleasure to work with. My thanks, as ever, to Messrs Simmons, Sibley and Janke for their constant commitment, enthusiasm and humour.
Jim Williams
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4th XV As has been the case for the last couple of seasons, the 4th XV consisted of a number of the wider 3rd XV squad, many of whom performed with distinction at that higher level, augmented with volunteers from other sports who all could have made quite a contribution had they committed to rugby. The team were competitive when playing some of the bigger and stronger schools on our circuit. Against Marlborough, we were hampered by losing a player on the coach and then another just as we were about to kick off due to injury in the 3rd XV, so had to play short handed. In the end, Marlborough’s ability to rotate players and exhaustion played a part! Sherborne was very competitive and we were
leading at half-time, having scored three great tries, a fantastic individual effort from Taiwo Ajomale and then Joe Millard and Jack Goldsack rounding off good team efforts. Sadly, Sherborne came back strongly in the second half to clinch the game. Against Bromsgrove, Pat Gibbs, Felix Moores and the indomitable Louis Jackson all scored, though the most memorable feature of the victory was the ferocious defensive effort right up to the final whistle to deny a resurgent Bromsgrove anything. My thanks to all involved and to Mr Janke for his refereeing and general enthusiasm. It was another enjoyable season rounded off with the now traditional BS2 curry!
“The most memorable feature of the victory was the ferocious defensive effort.”
Adam Sibley
U16A The season was both successful and great fun; the boys were not only good rugby players but great ambassadors for the school. After a comfortable win against Monmouth, the season kicked off with a big win at Thomas Rich’s, a strong side who beat us last season and who went on to enjoy a long unbeaten run after this fixture. To score nearly 50 points away against such a side gave us great confidence. St Edward’s Oxford away was, again, meant to be a tough game, but despite injuries and a disjointed performance, we ran out easy winners. A real highlight was the Millfield match at Clifton Rugby Club. We played with and without the ball, with the highlight of the match our spell on our own line followed by a breakaway try. To win against Millfield was really encouraging as they are normally the benchmark in school sport. The Marlborough match marked our first appearance on BS1 and a comfortable win; we were scoring tries from everywhere and looking really dangerous. The 53-0 win on BS1 against BGS corrected the result from the previous year and meant that we ended the first half of the term strong with only a couple 80 | Upper School 2019
of injuries. The second half of term on our fixture card is a real challenge and Blundell’s provided a tough test on a windy day at Watson’s. They made life hard and provided us with the test we needed before matches against a series of teams who were unbeaten or who had lost just one match. I always thought Cheltenham away a potentially significant fixture as they are so strong at home, had a good year group and are really well coached. We struggled to achieve dominance all afternoon and had enough chances to be out of sight, but did not take them. By the end of the match, we were hanging on with 14 men under our own posts when only three points in front. This was a great win in terms of attitude and guts, but Cheltenham were excellent on the day and we did not play as well as we had all season and so were lucky to win. Scoring nearly 50 points away at Sherborne against a good side was perhaps the highlight of the season. The Bromsgrove match that followed was a big occasion and we were under pressure for the whole game, creating little and basically defending the whole time. With two minutes left, Bromsgrove were gifted a penalty in front of
the sticks. From that kick off, we won a penalty on the half-way line and, quite remarkably, our kicker put it over with distance to spare, much to the delight of our linesman (Mr Harris). We very much got out of jail, but deserved some luck given the quality of rugby we had played all season. The last match against Rugby on the Close was a wonderful occasion for the boys and to play as close to your best in such a match is a great feeling. As ever, I mention no boys individually as it is a team game, but a couple of players really stood out for their playing ability and leadership on the field and in training. We all know who they are and they don’t need their names in print. I must say a big thank you to Mr Harris for his endless positivity and good nature as well as help in running the squad. Thank you also to Mr Barnes who was heavily involved in coaching the side and who took a real interest in how they performed.
Alan O’Sullivan
U16B The U16B squad was huge this year as it absorbed the C Team into its ranks. 34 squad players started the campaign, but injury resulted in an operating group numbering in the high twenties. One of the most pleasing aspects of the season was the fact that the B Team was inclusive. For away matches, a squad of 18-20 was used and at home this number rose higher. In addition to the 11 U16 B games, two C Team fixtures against local A Teams were played, which allowed everyone to represent the College over the season, something that is very important. The regular B Team season had highs and lows and, in the final quarter, the team found form and consistency. Beating a strong Bromsgrove team away was a highlight and a good win against Rugby School at home was a fitting way to finish the season. Many thanks to all the loyal parents who supported the team in all weathers and in all parts of the country. Many thanks also to Mr
Bates and Mr Dean who assisted with training and match days. My final thanks go to the players. They kept their sense of humour and perspective most of the time and, by their efforts, a strong team culture was eventually developed. I hope that many of the boys continue to play and enjoy their rugby for many seasons to come.
Jonathan Hughes
U15A The Junior Colts team had an undeniably good season, amassing an impressive nine wins and three losses. It would be impossible to ignore that the success throughout the season was possible due to the strength and depth of the entire squad boosting the injury-plagued A-Team squad. Notable victories included back-to-back wins against local rivals BGS for a combined score of 89-0 and a high-scoring win against a very strong Bromsgrove side, which really showcased both the talent and spirit in the year group. Defeats in the Daily Mail
Cup and in a very close match with Cheltenham, in particular, should provide the impetus for the squad to continue to push themselves to improve further. However, the boys have learnt invaluable lessons and shown tremendous potential both individually and as a team and it will be interesting to see how they progress into the 2019-20 season.
“Many thanks to all the loyal parents.”
Llewellyn Evans (MH)
U15B The U15Bs had a tough task ahead. Going unbeaten last year and a tougher fixture list left a formidable challenge. The season began promisingly, with three convincing victories. However, injuries meant the squad depth was really tested in their first big challenge against Marlborough. Many of the boys let the circumstances overwhelm them and this resulted in their first loss as a team. There is a saying in sport that you either win or you learn, and this was a vital lesson in the boys’ rugby education about
how their mentality can affect their performance. As the weeks moved on, the squad were able to build momentum again, with victories over BGS, Blundell’s and Cheltenham College, until they came up against a tough Sherborne side. This match was hard-fought and, in a similar way to the Marlborough game, both teams attacked and defended well beyond a typical B-Team standard. However, the resolve to stay positive and play attacking rugby yielded a decisive score in Clifton’s favour and the boys were able to walk away with a tremendous victory. The final The Cliftonian 2019 | 81
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two games of the season saw the boys draw against a strong Bromsgrove team and take a narrow 0-5 loss against an unbeaten Rugby side. Either game could have gone in Clifton’s favour, but the boys should take great pride from pushing some of the best squads in the country all the way. In each of the last three games, opposing coaches as well as players commended Clifton’s ability to play rugby at such a high level, stating that it had brought the best performance they had seen out of their own squad. It has been a pleasure to work with the boys over the season and I look forward to seeing them develop further in the future.
Gareth Westwater
U15C A team with varying levels of rugby experience on day one, the group quickly gelled to become a force to be reckoned with. After the first four matches and only one win, the players were determined to turn things around as their skills and confidence on the pitch grew. Ending the season with four consecutive wins against some notably strong sides, the team secured a reputation as the JCC juggernaut. Notable highlights of the season include a 48-0 win at Cheltenham. It was in this match that the forward pack started to show some cohesiveness, winning the ball in dispute with desperation and strength that couldn’t be matched. Seb Haddon and Viktor Maier dominated with their speed, power and ferocity, whilst Bena Bird and Luke Taylor commanded the backline and showed notable grit and determination. This was replicated again the following week as the team travelled to Sherborne with a renewed confidence and selfbelief. Angus Murray-Nobbs, Hector Wright and Harry Su were formidable in the ruck, 82 | Upper School 2019
with Thomas Magüé, Jamie Shum and Kanis Bhumapanich providing lightning pace and safe hands off the backline. Adam El Kilany was faultless with the tee, leading the team to a 39-0 triumph. The momentum that had been created culminated in a thrilling final-minute win against Bromsgrove on the first Saturday of December. Demi Azeez’s Herculean efforts helped Clifton to claw back the lead, with Ash Lakhani and Danila Ablameyko rising to the occasion. The team maintained their composure and stuck to the game plan, getting over the line in a nail-biting 2724 victory. This year’s JJC squad displayed resilience and determination to finish the season with admirable success. Despite the relative inexperience in the side, the boys developed into a close-knit group, playing an impressive brand of rugby that is testament to their eagerness to learn and improve.
Charlie Callander, Nick Luker and Jay Gardner
U15D The boys in this squad trained well all season and their rugby improved greatly. This was largely due to the excellent JCC training squad who really brought the best out of the JCD boys. Some of the boys went from never having played before to sliding around in hugely muddy conditions on lower slopes towards the end of the season, and thoroughly enjoying themselves! The boys had one match against Marlborough College, which was played with a wonderful competitive spirit! Well done boys for giving this
season your all.
Nick Luker
U14A This was a thoroughly enjoyable term working with a big squad of players who were all dedicated to their training. The final points difference was 220 for and 221 against, which indicates an even number of wins and losses. Although there were more losses than wins, the team certainly developed and the aims of the term were achieved by identifying the best 30 players in the year group (many of whom went on the Cardiff tour) and player development, with all players performing in at least two different positions. Many of the matches were lost by one score and lessons will have been learnt so I would anticipate these results being reversed next year. Highlights were convincing wins against Cheltenham and Sherborne as well as a cracking match against Corpus Christi High School on the Close. The toughest defeat to take was away at Marlborough and a disallowed try, which certainly made the difference, losing 12-10. Special thanks to the captains, Tom Murray and Will Windows, and to top points scorer Joshua Schrijver.
Andrew Wagstaff
U14B The U14B team enjoyed another highly successful season, with a large number of boys representing the side during the term, considerable development in both individual skills and team cohesion, and a steady progression of players up to the A Team. While a large and committed group of travelling
parents provided hearty support, the boys played with courage, determination and flair; except for one unfortunate result away from home, they would have again gone unbeaten. The opening game against Monmouth School was a strange affair. Our team had been hastily assembled after two training sessions, and the lack of familiarity showed. Clifton raced into an early lead, but a string of penalties let Monmouth back into the game. Clifton just managed to hold on for an ugly and dissatisfactory 22-17 win. With a greater focus on self-discipline and teamwork, there followed two much more convincing victories against Sir Thomas Rich’s (45-7) and St Edward’s (60-0). Away at Marlborough, the team showed immense resolve in neutralising the expected attacking threat, and the two equally-matched sides became locked in a war of attrition. Clifton managed to score a try (unconverted) mid-way through the first half, but from that moment were under the cosh, tackling relentlessly for the remainder of the game. Wave after wave of Marlborough runners were repelled, and our boys’ defence was only undone in the final minute when a series of unsympathetic refereeing decisions enabled a Marlborough try (converted). To lose by two points was a bitter pill to swallow, made worse by an inexplicable pitch-invasion from a red-faced and -trousered, umbrella-wagging opposition parent, but the team was undoubtedly instilled with the fire which drove them on for the rest of the season. Two more straightforward fixtures against BGS (51-0) and Blundell’s (25-0) followed, allowing a much larger number of boys from the wider squad to represent the school at this level. The standout moment was an audacious cross-field kick from fly-half Ollie Rayner, gathered smoothly by winger Nick Greene and dotted down under the posts; this provided the prototype for two more such tries later in the term which took the wind out of Bromsgrove’s sails. Our boys were aware that the final four matches would be
tough, but were determined to see out the term without another defeat. Cheltenham fielded a strong side and the match was finely poised; both teams tackled, rucked, passed and ran well, using the full width of the pitch. Only when Clifton ripped the ball in a tackle and, during the momentary confusion, pounced to score was there any breathing space, and the game ended with a narrow 20-12 win. Even closer was the Sherborne game. We had received intel that Sherborne’s strength was in the centres, so with our own centres loaded with the tough-tackling Ethan Moss and Charles Rendle, the opposition had no room to manoeuvre. A breathless and sometimes bad-tempered game ended with a 17-12 win for Clifton. The aforementioned Bromsgrove fixture was, as it happened, decided in the early stages, with two quick tries from cross-field kicks; the Bromsgrove players were deflated to a surprising degree and never recovered, going down 24-7. The last fixture entailed a lengthy journey to Rugby School and the danger of lethargy and lack of focus. Our boys, however, warmed up in exemplary fashion and from the first whistle tore into the opposition like a pack of ravenous wolves. The Rugby side was big, skilful and well-drilled, but were put on the back foot and conceded try after try. All over the pitch, the Clifton players were totally committed and put on their finest performance of the term. The final play saw Zaki Adamson burst through the midfield in a blur of movement, sealing a 3612 victory to rapturous applause from the fans.
the circuit.
Tom Patrick
U16A Rugby Sevens There were four surviving players from the successful 2018 season (finalists at Rosslyn Park) and so expectations were high, especially as the Senior Colt XV team were undefeated before Christmas. The question on everyone’s lips was, could they emulate the previous crop? The boys were focused from day one and for the squad of 12, there were 17 genuine contenders. The weather, however, conspired against the sevens and both the West of England and Canford competitions were cancelled. Bristol Schools allowed a limited hit out, but still the boys had not been stretched and training matches posed more questions as all players ‘put their hand up’ to be picked. Finally, Rosslyn Park arrived and the group stage began. Wins against Oundle and Monmouth were straightforward but St John’s, Leatherhead, a late replacement entry, scored first. Thankfully that was their last and we scored 38 unanswered points. Halliford were physically very powerful,
but didn’t play much sevens and so Clifton were through to the knockout games after winning the group undefeated. Woodhouse Grove were the first knockout opponents that evening and the boys showed enough composure and skill to win 26-17. Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf was the first and final match on the second day. Clifton went down three tries to two in a pulsating match. A Clifton sin-binning made the difference, as Glantaf were able to score using the extra space out wide that fewer defenders provided. However, try of the day went to Arthur SheppardCapurro; prop forwards really should not be able to do what he did! My thanks go to the players, all 17 who made selection so difficult and who all contributed hugely to the team’s culture and success. Memories of Nando’s, outdoor lidos and comradeship I hope stay with them. As much as losing is painful, the way the boys reacted after their defeat was amazing and all can be very proud of their effort. It was superb having so many parents support the team, they really do provide that ‘extra man’ effect. Finally, my thanks go to Mr Matt Salter and Mr Jack Dean who brought with them a huge amount of rugby experience and skill. Roll on Rosslyn Park 2020.
Jonathan Hughes
It was difficult to single out two players as Most Improved and Player of the Season, but the former went to Elan Yim for his tackle-count, and the latter to Maxi Peto for his scrummaging and attitude to training outside the official sessions. The term provided plenty of moments to treasure, but most gratifying was the way the disparate players coalesced into an effective team, and ended up ranked rather higher in the national tables than any of their opponents on
The Cliftonian 2019 | 83
Girls’ Rugby Girls’ Rugby Sevens Girls’ rugby continues to thrive at Clifton, and this season has been a particularly successful one, both in terms of results and take-up from the girls. Captained by the quietly confident Beth Eke, the team have enjoyed a series of victories throughout the season and they should be really proud of their achievements. The team’s first outing was at the annual Ryan Bresnahan Memorial match on 25th September where, for the second year running, a girls’ sevens competition was held alongside the boys’ 1st XV match against Millfield School. It was an opportunity to blow off any cobwebs from the summer holidays and the chance for some new players to have a first foray onto the rugby pitch. Clifton girls played Llandovery College and SGS College 2nd VII and won both games convincingly, scoring 17-0 and 36-0 respectively. Well done to try scorers Caroline Gregory, Beth Eke, Bee Leonard, Caitlin Price, Alice Boston and Rosie Watts. Special mention goes to Bee Leonard, Holly Strong and Elin Leppard for their first (and very successful) outings for Clifton College.
Lent Term marked the second Clifton College U18 Girls’ Rugby tournament on 3rd March, where we hosted teams from across the South West, including SGS College’s 1st VII, Millfield School and Blundell’s School. Despite the cold and windy conditions, Clifton worked hard on the pitch and cemented a victory against Millfield (17-12) but unfortunately lost to SGS (26-14) and Blundell’s (28-14). The team came away confident and encouraged, though with plenty of aspects of the game to work on ahead of Rosslyn Park. On 28th March, the girls set off to London to compete in the annual Rosslyn Park National School 7s competition. First was the qualifying game against Gordon’s School, which would decide whether we would be entered into the Cup or Plate competition. The team started confidently and kept up this excellent momentum throughout the match, culminating in an impressive 39-0 win. Try scorers were Mary, Holly, Bee, Caitlin, Rosie and Alice. This meant that Clifton were now in the Cup draw and facing Wisbech Grammar School next in the group stage. The winning streak continued against Wisbech; the girls came away with another
“Girls’ rugby continues to thrive at Clifton, and this season has been a particularly successful one.” 84 | Upper School 2019
convincing win (22-5) with Holly, Beth Eke and Marcy all scoring tries. The third group game against formidable Welsh side Coleg Sir Gar followed and, although closely matched in the first half, Clifton’s stamina and commination on the pitch prevailed and another decisive victory was won: 26-10. Well done to try scorers Bee, Holly, Marcy and Alice. As a result, Clifton finished top of their group, progressing to the quarter-finals. After a quick lunch break, the team prepared to face St Helen’s who were looking much fresher after an earlier bye. Unfortunately, the physicality of the game was too much for Clifton in the end; the girls gave their everything and, although the first half was really close with one try apiece,
the match eventually ended in a 17-5 loss. This meant that Clifton were knocked out of the competition but, although battered and bruised, the girls held their heads high and headed back to Bristol. Special mention goes to Holly Strong who was Clifton’s highest points scorer of the tournament, scoring over 50 points throughout the day. And thank you also to Sophie Peters who took on the role of team manager for the duration. We wish all the Upper Sixth leavers the best of luck at university; hopefully rugby will still play a part alongside your studies. Many thanks also to Sam Caven, James Bull and Jim Williams for their outstanding coaching. Congratulations to all the girls involved for another excellent season of rugby!
Hannah McKellar
The Cliftonian 2019 | 85
Girls’ Hockey 1st Squad The 1st team was captained by Alice Boston and Sophie Peters. They led from the start and proved to be an excellent pairing, both on and off the pitch. Unfortunately, a serious knee injury led Sophie to become unavailable. Alice stepped up and was outstanding. The new England tier system dominated their season, focusing on knockout cup matches. They played Redmaids’ High in the first round, winning convincingly 9-0, a great performance against an excellent opposition goalkeeper. The second round against the King’s School Worcester was an exciting and nail-biting match, and the squad managed to keep their England player quiet, with an excellent final goal by Megan McDonnell. The season had its ups and downs and they picked up some injuries, which had a huge impact on performance. The excellent wins against Sherborne, Kingswood, Wycliffe and Blundell’s were not enough to continue on the England Pathway and they were knocked out by a strong Malvern side. The Upper Sixth have worked very hard throughout their hockey careers at the College and I would like to thank them for all their commitment during their time at Clifton.
Louise Catchpole
2nd Squad The 2nd team hockey squad are a team of which Clifton College should be extremely proud. They have not had an unbeaten season, but they have demonstrated that there is more to sport than winning. An impressive 6-0 victory over Blundell’s School started the season. They faced tougher opposition in the following weeks, losing to Malvern and Marlborough College. Despite these losses, they went into the Avon County Finals with determination and belief; they knew they were going to face 1st team squads throughout the day. They showed fantastic teamwork and managed to come third overall, securing a place in the Regional Finals. The girls used the games leading up to the Finals to show off everything they had practised in training, resulting in convincing wins against Wycliffe College (3-0) and King’s Bruton (20), drawing 1-1 to BGS’ 1st team and only just losing at the last minute to Cheltenham College (1-0). At the Regional Finals, they were against tough opposition but worked as team, were brave and gave 100% effort. They only just lost their first two games against BGS and Pate’s Grammar School (1-0), but victories against West Buckland School and Gillingham meant they progressed to the semi-final. They faced Kingswood
who beat them in the county round 6-0, but this did not faze them and, again, they gave their all. They lost this game 2-0, which shows how far they had come as a team over the term, meaning that our U18Bs are in the top four schools in the South West. Though this achievement is incredibly impressive, what impressed me most was their attitude. They showed great teamwork, resilience, integrity, leadership and confidence. The 2nd team went on to three more victories to end the season against Sherborne Girls, Clifton High School U18A and Taunton School. I thank all of the girls and congratulate them on a superb season. A special thank you goes to the Upper Sixth girls who, I hope, will continue their hockey in the future.
Kirsty Willis
3rd Squad A very successful season for the 3rd team with some excellent performances throughout, the girls were a delight for 86 | Upper School 2019
me and Mrs Hume to coach. Enthusiastically captained by Lottie Woolfson, the more experienced Upper Sixth members took key defensive positions and Tracy Kong and Dakota Roydon were outstanding throughout, demonstrating commitment, organisation at the back and flair distributing the ball, along with Lower Sixth defensive stalwart Ally Cheung. Newcomers into the Lower Sixth, Bee Leonard and Mai Barber, impressed with their dynamism and reading of the game. In midfield and up front, the team was a mixture of Lower Sixth and very talented Fifth Form girls who I am confident will be looking for 2nd XI places next season. The goals were shared around, but some performances such as the season opener in which they defeated Blundell’s 6-0, and the confident 4-0 despatching of King’s Bruton showed they were not shy in front of goal. All the girls worked hard in training and their skill level and reading of the game grew throughout the season.
Rebecca Davies
4th Squad
Despite a tough year for the 4th XI hockey team, we started the term just as we ended it, full of energy, enthusiasm and good humour. The girls bonded as a group and despite often challenging conditions and some disappointing results, I was always impressed by their commitment both to the team and to representing the school. A particular highlight was the match again Kingswood, a hardfought game which ended in a great 1-0 victory! Special mention must go to Ella Koupparis for scoring the winning goal. The very effective partnership of Daisy Halliwell and Rhea Chandratreya on the right wing also provided us with some excellent goal-scoring opportunities against Malvern College. Unfortunately, we were not able to convert any of these, but a 0-0 final score was a good result against strong opposition. Although they were kept slightly busier than we might have hoped, a special thank you must go to the goalkeepers from other teams, as well as our own Scala Tomkins, for often playing two matches to ensure the 4th team could have as many matches as possible this year. Thank you also to the Year 13 girls for their dedication to hockey throughout their time at Clifton.
5th Squad This season was an encouraging one for this young team. It would be fair to say that their results are not an accurate reflection of the dedication of the squad, and the significant improvements made both to their technical skills and understanding of the game. Tita Schack epitomises this: she was new to hockey, and Clifton, in the Michaelmas Term and, from never having picked up a hockey stick, made her debut in the final match of the season where she was an invaluable midfielder competing for the ball. Credit must go to Ella Koupparis whose composed captaincy anchored the team throughout all weather conditions and moments of dropped confidence, and it was her goal against Kingswood School that secured the team’s single victory of the season. The 5ths’ results in full are as follows: Marlborough College (lost 0-1); Kingswood School (won 1-0); Bristol Grammar School (lost 2-5); Dean Close (lost 2-0). Well done to all the girls for their commitment to hockey this term, and we will look to build on these results next season.
Hannah McKellar
Rosie Coombs
“At the Regional Finals, they were against tough opposition but worked as team, were brave and gave 100% effort.”
U16A A season that ended in heartbreak for a tremendously talented group of girls. When September 2018 arrived, the competition for places in the U16 squad was, once again, fierce. This resulted in a regular training squad of 21 players deserving of a place in the team, but ultimately vying for a position in the tournament squad of 16. The ability and intentions of the team were evident from the start; they combined a wealth of ability with an attitude to improve and succeed, to devastating effect. Led by captains Polly Pyke and England player Katie Partridge, the team swept aside early opposition who varied in quality, but a 3-1 defeat of the Malvern 1st XI was a clear indication of the capability of this talented side. On paper, the stats suggest a very impressive season: W11, L1, Goal difference +60, but the detail is in their one loss. England Hockey had revamped the national tournament and replaced the
previous structure of various regional tournaments into a straight knockout competition. The team started brilliantly, sweeping aside opposition in the first rounds 9-0 and 7-0 to find themselves facing old rivals Dean Close. The match was a perfect cup tie. Clifton deservedly moved into a 2-0 lead only to be pegged back by a counterattacking Dean Close. However, when Clifton regained the lead, hopes were high, only for them to be almost instantly dashed when the opposition equalised, taking the tie to penalty strokes. No one could have predicted that, after 19 strokes, Clifton would be stepping up needing to score. Sadly, it was not to be and the magnitude of Dean Close’s celebrations were only matched by the heartbreak in the Clifton side. It was a tough lesson, but that is sport. That result cannot take away from, and may act to further galvanise, an incredibly talented, motivated, hardworking and, perhaps most importantly, entertaining Clifton College team.
Gary Catchpole The Cliftonian 2019 | 87
Girls’ Hockey 88 | Upper School 2019
U16B The team had a rough start to the season, suffering some demoralising defeats at the hands of Marlborough College and Malvern (who are normally a close match). They worked hard in training with their eyes on the England Hockey Tier 3 Competition. In the first game of the day, Alice Sharpe-Neal scored the goal of the season, deflecting it at unsavable pace into the back of the net. The girls gave KES Bath their best efforts but couldn’t squeeze out a win to progress from their group. Towards the end of the season, the team gelled further and achieved convincing wins against Wycliffe and Sherborne, before finishing with a very competitive game that they frustratingly lost 3-2 to Dean Close. Throughout the season,
the team spirit remained high and the girls battled well to the end of the final minute of every game.
Christa Clark
U16C This was a ‘season of two halves’ for the U16Cs: a losing first half and a driving determination for some wins in the second half! And they did it. The team were expertly coached by Tam for the first half of the term, who embedded some skills, ensuring that the team were flexible and able to move around the pitch in various positions. After a draw against Blundell’s for our first game, we then continued to lose every match until a particularly soul-destroying loss against Marlborough before half term.
This loss, however, only served to give the team the extra impetus needed to really work on our goalscoring ability. With some expert advice from Mr Loughrey on drills for shooting, the team took on a new lease of life with some fantastic results, loading balls in the back of the opposition goals for the second half of the season. This is a team who worked hard, improved and succeeded. As your coach, watching you score time after time in the second half of the season made me so proud! It wasn’t about the score, more about how you worked together and celebrated every success. Thank you, ladies, and well done!
Vanessa Walsh
U14A The U14A team kick-started their season with a fantastic tour to Dublin, where they had great success against three local school teams and a prestigious hockey club. A huge thanks to Mr Loughrey for organising this tour, which certainly gave the girls a head start before their first season together. From here, the team went from strength to strength, convincingly dominating in all their Saturday fixtures to give them an unbeaten season, as well as qualifying in first place for the Nationals in London in February 2019. What has most impressed us, as well as those who have watched or played against the girls, is their teamwork, counterattack hockey and ability to transfer the ball around the pitch. Adapting to play 11-a-side hockey in Year 9 is not always easy, but the squad have trained hard and, often using the same drills used by the Irish Men’s hockey team, they have all shown amazing progress in their skills and game awareness. There have been phenomenal goals from Nuala Lixton, who frequently takes on all of the opposition defenders as she motors towards goal, as well as amazing drag flicks and skills from Anna Edwards. We have benefitted in defence from the commanding presence of Scarlett Pearce-Lynch, whose calmness
on the ball is top-notch, as well as Jemima Young, who received an award for ‘player with the most potential’ at the end of term. But, despite the efforts of these individuals, the success of this team comes from the incredible work rate of the whole squad: Amelia Allen, as our goalkeeper, has made exceptional saves all season, Sophie Manson and Nysia Fry have been integral to our defence, Ava Burns, Isabella Dowling and Ella Robson have all displayed great skills and versatility in midfield and often a variety of other positions on the pitch. There have also been incredible goals from all our forwards: Charlotte McFarlane, Amelia Mackay and Izzy DonovanConway. This talented group of girls are only just starting what we are sure will be a very successful career of hockey at Clifton College and beyond!
Rebecca Gwynne-Jones
U14B What a tremendous season the squad has enjoyed. This success is down to their dedication, spirit, teamwork, and desire to learn! Such a coachable squad of hockey players who were eager to improve, their organisation and readiness to learn was faultless. It was quite a tough start to the
season with challenging fixtures, coupled with the time required for them to gel as a squad and experiment with different positions and formations. Despite these challenges, they only lost one Saturday match all season. The Tier tournament provided some great highlights. Unbeknownst to the girls (until afterwards!), they were competing solely against other schools’ A Teams. The girls took each game in their stride and improved greatly throughout the competition. They won their first and second matches before facing Royal High School, which proved to be their toughest match. The two teams took it in turns to score goals, which was no mean feat given the short nature of the games, but Clifton eventually lost out by one goal. Despite matching on goal difference with three other teams, they lost out on goals for and did not progress to the semi-finals. For me, there were two other clear highlights. Firstly, against Cheltenham College, which proved to be a real nail-biting match of end to end hockey with plenty of ‘battles’ in the centre area of the pitch. The girls were really tested, but the match finally finished 3-2 in their favour. Another highlight was their final match against Dean
Close. It was a pleasure to witness them playing some wonderful ‘stock’ hockey tactics, transferring the ball around the back, hitting the attacking baseline and playing the ball to the circle. These tactics do not always lead to goals, but this approach really summed up the character of the team: ‘just give it a go’ and, often, you will be rewarded. The girls only conceded five goals all season, with an impressive 45 scored. Thank you, girls, for a very rewarding and enjoyable first season coaching at Clifton College.
Sarah Johnson
U14C The season started with a loss to a very tough opponent in the form of Marlborough. However, as the season progressed and the girls’ skills and teamwork increased, the results got closer and closer until the penultimate game in which they secured a hard fought draw, and in the final game of the season when they scored a convincing win! The girls worked hard in matches and in training, honing their stick skills and refining their teamwork to make good use of the full pitch. This was a very good season and they should look forward to what next year holds.
Susannah Griffin
The Cliftonian 2019 | 89
Boys’ Hockey 1st XI From the very start of the Lent Term, it was obvious that this was not going to be an easy season. With limited numbers attending early-season practices, it was soon very apparent that the strength of this year’s side would be below that of many previous seasons. There are a number of reasons as to why this would be the case. With the success of rugby at Clifton, there are now many talented sportsmen being included in the Rugby Academy, which involves commitments during the boys’ hockey season. Consequently, there are fewer boys from whom to choose. The first game of the season was against Prior Park College. Although the side battled into half-time at 0-0, they were overpowered in the second half, eventually losing 0-3. A disappointing performance against Colston’s School followed (losing 0-2), before a much more encouraging performance against Dauntsey’s School, with the 1st XI securing a 2-1 win. The best performance of the term came against Taunton School late in January when the side really dominated the fixture, eventually running out as 6-1 winners after a very impressive team display. Some typical winter weather meant that the fixture against Exeter School was not played,
and the third consecutive win, this time in the national plate competition, came against King Edward VI School, Stratford. This was to be the last win of what became a difficult second half of term. The highlight of the school season has undoubtedly become the fixture against the Old Cliftonians, played for the Ryan Bresnahan Trophy in memory of Ryan, who was a fantastic hockey player. Played on the Friday of half term, this year the Old Cliftonians had put together an extremely strong side. It was great to see some brilliant players returning to play against the College and putting on a display of outstanding men’s hockey. The finishing score was a 6-1 victory for the Old Cliftonians. At no point in the second half of the term did the side fail to battle in any fixture, even though there would be no further wins. I would like to say thank you to those boys who trained hard and showed an excellent attitude towards hockey throughout the term, many of whom would certainly not put hockey down as their preferred sport. Special mention must go to the captain, Jamie Murray, who led the side from the front. I hope that he and other leavers will continue with hockey in the future and be part of the Old Boys’ game for many years to come. Thank you also
to Stuart Loughrey who helped coach the side during the course of the term, and to Alasdair Copp who enthusiastically ran the side on a Saturday. I hope that more success will come as good players progress through the school.
John Bobby
2nd XI An interesting season that perhaps had more in common with a hockey club veterans’ team than a school 2nd XI (or 3rd XI depending on who you ask!). The team had a very strong identity and we only used 12 players all season and, as the results suggest, the team were always competitive and didn’t take a backwards step on a Saturday. It has to be said that the attitude to training from some of the old lags during the week was rather different, but perhaps we shouldn’t dwell on that as the season, and certainly the matches themselves, were very enjoyable and played with a great spirit. Ali Marshall was probably the most improved player (perhaps because he trained at a greater intensity than anybody else) though the player of the season was captain Tom Morley in goal who, while not tested as regularly as last season, made some fantastic saves and was unlucky not to play regularly at a higher level. The ‘old lags’, Messrs Jamie Langman, Sam Botsford, Louis Jackson and new acquisition in this category, Ariya Patel all had their moments, and the running was done by the ‘youngsters’ led by Sam Higham and Aidan McGee.
Adam Sibley and Gil Simmons
U15/U16A The U15/U16A boys’ hockey team had a bit of a roller coaster of a season. The boys played numerous games as an U15 and U16 outfit. The U15A performed
very well as a year group, beating BGS and KES Bath. The combination of Year 10 and Year 11 players took a while to gel and form a team dynamic. The scores were close against all the sides they played, but all too often clinicalness in both Ds led to their downfall. On the whole, both year groups showed promise and I am excited to see what next season brings.
Stuart Loughrey
U16B This was a difficult season for the 16Bs, losing six of their seven fixtures, with the other result being a draw away at Dauntsey’s School early in the term. The main factor behind the frustrating results was the fact that in nearly all of these matches, the team were pitched against either Under 16 or Under 15 A Teams and this is clearly something that will need to be addressed to avoid mismatches for all concerned. Having said that, the attitude of the players was excellent in both training and matches throughout the term. Charlie Eke and Niall Hussain ran tirelessly in midfield and their competitiveness and sheer determination kept the team off the canvas on a number of occasions. However, the standout player of the season was undoubtedly goalkeeper Victor Dudley. Victor was obviously kept very busy in nearly all the games and conceded a relatively low number of goals together with Llew Evans, who shared the ‘keeping duties with him in most games. Victor made a number of outstanding saves during the term, was cool under constant pressure and I’m sure will figure in the senior boys’ teams next year despite the depth of goalkeepers in the school. I hope that the boys will continue with their hockey in 2020 and that the resilience that they showed during the season will help their games develop.
Jim Williams 90 | Upper School 2019
U14A A season full of positives, resulting in the first trip to the National Finals for a Clifton College boys’ U14 squad. When January 2019 arrived, it was difficult to predict what was to follow. Selecting an U14 side from a combination of schools can be a complicated process. However, it became clear that the foundation of the season would be based on the unity of the 30+ U14 boys involved in Clifton hockey. Once this U14A squad was selected, despite some talented players, it was the unity that was the stand-out trait and would be what separated the team from the opposition as the season progressed. Undefeated in the Saturday matches, the story of the season unfolded in the England National Tournament. Despite frustratingly losing to Prior Park on a frozen pitch, the team progressed through the county rounds and secured a place in the Regional Finals at Millfield. It was perhaps the most professional performance witnessed from any age group as the team, showing maturity beyond their years, progressed through the group stages with a combination of ability, hard work and unity. The result was a semi-final encounter with tournament favourites Dean Close. While it may not have been the match Clifton would have wanted, the boys rose to the occasion and were unlucky to find themselves finishing with a 1-1 draw and heading into penalty flicks. Calmness and an impressive goalkeeping performance from Josh Schrijver sent the team into rapture and things got even better when they convincingly saw off Millfield 3-0 in the final. On 29th April, the team headed to the Olympic Park in London for the National Hockey finals. First up were St George’s, who were pegged as the team to beat. Hope that we might catch them cold soon disappeared when, despite an impressive first 10 minutes, the game swung on a broken nose and a green card resulting in St George’s scoring two goals in quick succession. The impact was sobering and Clifton struggled to respond. Next up were Altrincham. Clifton
conceded early but deservedly pulled level two minutes from time after an impressive second half. Heartbreak then struck as Altrincham attacked from the centre and subsequently scored with just seconds remaining, rendering the wonderful Clifton support shocked and speechless. The result was a final game that had pride, the biggest prize, resting on it. As the boys came onto the pitch, the travelling Clifton support energised them for a final push against Ipswich. The result was a significant step up in performance and Clifton were victors, placing them in the 5/6th position in the country, a truly remarkable achievement, and one the boys thoroughly deserved. The team, and all of the U14 hockey players, deserve huge congratulations. They were very impressive, not only in terms of their hockey but their approach and behaviour across the season was exemplary. It was truly an incredible adventure.
Gary Catchpole
U14B
all games and were a pleasure to coach. I do hope they go unbeaten next year.
Haddon, Alfie Hamilton-Davies, Sam Brooks and Rorie Johnson have all enjoyed fine moments. Goals and assists have been shared around. With continued improvement through focused training, this is another year group of hockey promise and potential depth.
This was a good season for the U14B. Until half term, the side were unbeaten. Good wins were achieved against Prior Park (5-2) and King’s Taunton (6-0). A comfortable 3-1 win against Taunton was achieved where they conceded a last-minute penalty flick goal. The 0-0 draw against Dauntsey’s was attained amidst an injury crisis in the forwards and newcomers to hockey, who were learning the game, leading the line.
At the back, Dong Ha Hoang, Ollie Hunter, Joseph Ancell and Thomas Dyer have shown tackling ability and solidity to provide a good foundation for the team. Steven Sha in goal has come on a great deal, making good stops at important times. In midfield, William Stoodley, Ben Read, Oscar Wang, Joshua Paulin and others have excelled. They have shown work rate, pace and skill to manage games effectively. Up front, Harry Kennedy, Dylan
In the second half of term, we played stronger opposition in BGS, St Edward’s Bath and Kingswood. The hard work in the earlier part of the term paid off as the players were competitive in all games. BGS were beaten comprehensively 8-3 in a mix up game of Clifton reserves and BGS boys. St Edward’s Bath were defeated 4-2 with some fantastic passing. Kingswood provided our sternest test for our last game. We took the lead and looked on course, but ended up losing narrowly 2-1. The boys showed character in their effort during
“This is another year group of hockey promise and potential depth.”
Jay Gardner
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Cricket 2nd XI
Cricket continues to get stronger at Clifton. The 1st XI had a very impressive term as did the U14A, a side that is packed full of talent and, going forward, will be outstanding. Across the board, 42 of the 65 games played over the term were Clifton wins, highlighting how successful cricket at Clifton has become. I would like to say many thanks to Andy Matthews and his grounds staff who continue to provide us with consistently excellent surfaces to play on. Cricket at Clifton will continue to improve over the foreseeable years and both the 1st XI and U15 squads will be touring the UAE at Easter in 2020. It has also been extremely pleasing to see the progress made by girls’ cricket and I would like to thank Sarah Johnson for driving this forward this season.
John Bobby
Boys’ Cricket 1st XI It’s been a successful summer for the 1st XI. Led by School House boy Dominic Goodman, the team started their season brightly with convincing victories. The star of these games was Lower Sixth joiner, Tudor Hurle, taking 4-8 against Cheltenham in the opening fixture, with Jac Lloyd’s 39 of 22 balls an important knock. This was followed by an abandoned fixture against Millfield due to wind! The squad’s T20 season also started with midweek fixtures 92 | Upper School 2019
against Colston’s School and BGS, who the team beat comfortably thanks to a controlled 65* against BGS from Ollie Meadows. A major blip occurred when we were soundly beaten by a strong Malvern College. The boys responded terrifically the week after, tying with strong local rivals King’s College Taunton thanks to some consistent bowling from Ryan Kilmister and 67 from Dom Goodman. The last half of the season saw two defeats to St Edward’s in a 50 over game, and a loss to King’s in the T20 competition. However, it was a largely successful end to the year, with Ollie Meadows scoring three centuries against the Old Cliftonians, SGS College and RGS Worcester, which saw him finish the season with 617 runs at an average of 41. These successes were mixed in with a hugely clinical performance against Taunton School, where the boys chased 230 with Joe Millard 97* and Fin Yates 52*. Fin backed this up with an excellent 67* against the MCC to see the team gain a nail-biting victory. In addition, we had a nerve-racking draw with Rugby School in the annual two day game, Dom Goodman scoring 131 and taking 4-30. The 1st XI finished up winning 12 out of their 17 games with one tie and one draw. It was an extremely enjoyable season and the side owe a massive thank you to Mr Bobby and Mr Williams.
Dom Goodman (SH)
The first three fixtures of the season consisted of schools with fine cricketing pedigrees and would provide an excellent challenge for this young side. At Millfield, away, we elected to bat first and despite losing an early wicket, managed to keep a modest early season run rate against some first-rate bowling. Archie Grayson scored 14, but he did strike a fine six before being caught in the deep. Tom Panto and Benji Joseland contributed to our overall score of 93 and we did use all 20 overs, which didn’t look as though we had created enough pressure. Early season jitters affect even excellent sides, and with some good bowling and committed fielding, we had Millfield on the ropes at 22 for 5. Some consistent batting and running between the wickets from a couple of stubborn Millfield batters was enough to steady their ship and they limped over the line in 18 overs for the loss of seven. There were some really encouraging performances, but man of the match went to PJ Bernard for an excellent opening salvo, taking three wickets for 19 runs.
Malvern at home was a loss by only three wickets. Frustratingly, the performance was almost a carbon copy of the previous week’s fixture. We opted to bat first, but failed to approach target setting with the discipline required despite being a decent side on paper. Only Archie Grayson and Felix Bush batted with the temperament required and both managed 25 and 20 respectively. We managed to cobble together 86 all out using only 19 of our 30 overs. Our attitude to bowling and fielding was much more positive and good spells from Bernard, Joseland, Tom Morley and Ewan Yates made it difficult for Malvern to build momentum. However, we could not hold back the inevitable tide. King’s Taunton is always a challenging fixture, especially when played at Taunton, but our approach to batting was an improvement. We set a modest total of 137 for 5, but the opposition’s bowling attack was excellent and bolstered by a number of regular 1st XI players. Yates (33), Bush (35) and Joseland (28) all made valuable contributions and started to bat
with a level of maturity required to build a total. Again, with only a small number of errors in the field and some decent bowling, we did make it hard for the King’s batters. However, the telling experience of their top order allowed them to hit the all too frequent short ball to the boundary, while respectfully running quick singles to decent line and length. At Sherborne, the opposition opted to bat first. We started well and after ten overs, they were only 44 for 2. However, they turned up the volume and seemed to score boundaries at will from some undisciplined short bowling. They ended at 246 from 30 overs. A calamitous run out followed by the immediate wicket of our number three piled the pressure on us at 0 for 2. Considering our early wobble, a score in reply of 163 was reasonable, but was not enough to keep up with the set run rate. The fixture against Taunton School at home provided our first victory. We rolled Taunton over for 41, with Tom Morley taking 4 wickets for 13 runs and Panto and Bush were able to knock off 42 in seven overs. RGS Worcester was our final game of the season in sweltering conditions in Worcester. We opted to bat first and Bush and Joseland scored 33 and 73* respectively. The game will be best remembered, however, by Freddie Wooler (given the licence to thrill card) smashing 117*, which included
seven sixes. A good all-round performance with the ball, kept RGS to 97 in reply. My thanks go to Mr O’Sullivan who umpired and, of course, to those who played. Tom Panto captained the side ably and I thank him for his positivity and leadership.
Ben Bates
U15A The U15A side, having won just twice as U14s, will be proud of their record this year. Led by captain Ash Lakhani, whose season highlight came in making 63 against King’s Taunton, they claimed some notable scalps en route to winning the County Cup competition and qualifying for the West of England finals day. There, following a semi-final defeat to eventual winners Bradfield College, they claimed third place with an emphatic victory over Bournemouth College, Shay Sainsbury (49) and Ryan Kilmister (50) leading the way with the bat. Aside from the cup competitions, wins were also registered against Dauntsey’s and, in a thrilling game, Sherborne. Ollie Neil was the side’s most consistent performer, opening the bowling to great effect and picking up key wickets in both those matches as well as against QEH. Joss Plummeridge impressed with bat (39* against Malvern) and ball (6-16 against Clevedon), while
“The fixture against Taunton School at home provided our first victory.” Ellis Davies found some lateseason form with the ball, taking 11 wickets in three matches, including 5-46 against Taunton School. The final game of the season saw a nail-biter against RGS Worcester, with a strong opening partnership from Ash Lakhani and Will Maloney (48) not quite enough to see Clifton over the line. The game went down to the
last ball, but with six to win, the task proved too much.
Will Nicholl
U15B We have enjoyed an indifferent season this year. Last year’s excellent performances were aided by having a full team from which to pick, good weather and
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Boys’ Cricket
a regular run of fixtures. Some performances have been very good, but we have struggled for consistency as key players have been off games or needed for the As. As a result, we struggled to match the ability of other U15B sides. The basics of consistently taking catches and hitting the ball straight have remained issues at times, something the group should look to improve in the future. Before half term, we had our weakest period and experienced losses against Malvern and King’s Taunton. George Davey’s 45* against Malvern was the highlight of these games. After half term, we enjoyed wins against RGS Worcester and Taunton, results that showed some of the group’s ability, which was boosted by some good U14 players. Henry Milne and Harry Cox have played some fine innings and a guest appearance by Tom Dyer promised much for next year. The bowling by Henry Milne, Mattie Tildesley, Ned Blench and Jonny Cook was always strong. The guest debuts of Alex Warren and Tom Dyer, amongst others, suggested promise for next year. The team have enjoyed their cricket in the main in matches and I hope some of them will continue to play. Henry Milne and Jonny Cook have been fine captains, understanding the game and involving many others in a B Team that showed maturity. If the boys would like to make a success of the higher standard of senior cricket, technical work will be needed in certain areas. I enjoyed the second half of term and wish the boys well.
Jay Gardner
U14A An incredibly successful season from a very talented group of young cricketers, this side is one of the best we have had the delight of coaching in recent
94 | Upper School 2019
years. Although they came to us with a big reputation and, with that, a bit of pressure, they have more than lived up to expectations. A wonderful squad of young men, they have all played their part throughout the season. They played 13, won 10, lost two and one match was abandoned. Though it was disappointing to lose two matches, the boys learnt a great deal from these losses and went about correcting these weaknesses when they encountered similar situations later in the season. Cricket is a thinking game and all the boys in the squad developed both in terms of their cricket skills but also their maturity levels, which is also important. Notable performances were Ollie Rayner’s 103* against Cheltenham College and his five-wicket haul against Malvern College. Ethan Moss consistently chipped in with both the bat and ball, but his tight bowling figures on all occasions were his highlight, an example being his six overs, three maidens, taking 4-4 at King’s Taunton. Joe Davies also formed a vital part of this opening bowling partnership and worked hard throughout the season, taking wickets consistently. ‘Arrrrrr’ (Aaron Davies) and Will Windows formed an impressive attack of spin at first change in the bowling, which pinned down most opposition teams. Will’s energy and chat in the field was also important. Marcus Allan impressed with the bat as the season went on and his aggressive attitude to opposition bowlers left many running for the boundary to avoid bowling at him. Not to be outdone his brother, Charlie Allan also made up a vital part of the bowling attack with his quick action and short bursts of brilliance when it came to the batting. Sam Brooks really came into his own on the tour and beyond with some fantastic innings; 64 against a touring side was vital in seeing Clifton chase down 182 to win the match and then again in the last match of the season with a very impressive 71*, an innings that
showed maturity and intelligence. Nick Allen, Rui Palmer, Sammy Neil, Tom Dyer and Tom Murray ably supported all the other lads in developing this powerful squad. Looking to the years ahead, the boys could go very far indeed, as evidenced by them winning the cricket tournament at Epsom. Well done, lads. We are proud of you all.
Nick Luker and Paul Romaines
“An incredibly successful season from a very talented group of cricketers.”
U14B The U14B cricket team displayed particular skill and flair over the Summer Term, a sign of the depth across this year group of talented sportsmen. Led by team captain Tom Murray, the side finished a very successful season with four wins and two losses. In the opening match against Millfield, Zaki Adamson had a very impressive innings with the bat, scoring 76 runs off a strong bowling attack. The second highest score was Joe Naughton’s 59 against Malvern, where he displayed poise and good running between the wickets. Tom Murray, Sammy Neil and Alexander Warren were all consistent performers at the crease throughout the season and backed up their efforts in the field. A strong bowling attack saw Oliver Buckle, Rorie Johnson, Sam Puri, Harry Kennedy and Finn Browne as regular wicket takers. Thomas Dyer came into the team against Taunton and took an impressive five wicket haul to round off the final match. A particular mention must go to Sonny Walton who was unwavering with the gloves all season. Well done to all the boys on a very enjoyable season of cricket.
“I urge you to continue with this marvellous sport because you are replete with ability ” Dom Harris as cricketing ability) which they proceeded to do at a canter against Cheltenham and Malvern respectively, both games won by nine wickets (and the first cancelled match against Millfield counted as a win!). Indeed, such was the dominance with ball and bat that I believe they could have given most B Teams and perhaps some A Teams a run for their money. Now, I am convinced that ‘double or nothing’ re the Dominoes and thus losing to Sherborne (despite a buccaneering maiden half century from Jonty Morgan and owing to the fact that Sherborne U14C clearly possessed some international cricketers) meant that I had found a loophole in the arrangement. Alas, the team have refused to acknowledge this agreement and can, thus, await
their prize next term.
College.
In seriousness, what has impressed me so much about the team is the fact that they balanced a serious desire to compete and win with exactly the right amount of enjoying themselves. It was a shame not to be able to play more fixtures as the boys were really hitting their stride, but some great matches versus the girls’ XI not only provided some much needed competition, but also highlighted how girls’ cricket is thriving at the
Thank you to all the boys in the team and the wider squad for a thoroughly enjoyable term of cricket; I urge you to continue with this marvellous sport because you are replete with ability. Thanks also to Mr Salter who has agreed to pick up the pizza tab, and to Mr Bobby and the grounds staff for all they do for competitive cricket at Clifton.
Dom Harris
Charlie Callander
U14C In school sport, one may be forgiven for seeing C Team and supposing that it might be made up of players whose talents lie elsewhere. Indeed, poet laureates, Nobel Prize winners and astronauts have all graced ‘C Team’ fields at some point, without necessarily possessing the ability. However, whereas the ‘C’ team squad may well achieve some (if not all) of the aforementioned accomplishments, it has to be said that each and every one could bloomin’ play. Foolhardily, I offered the team Dominoes if they were to win all their fixtures. Somewhere along the line, this was negotiated down to winning the first two games (the team had the gift of the gab as well The Cliftonian 2019 | 95
Girls’ Cricket
Girls’ Cricket A Team The season began with an exciting match against BGS in which the girls encountered all weathers: high winds, hail, rain and sun, but thankfully not enough to abandon the 15 over soft ball game. There were wickets for Issy Muggridge, Beth Soloman and two for Georgie Soloman, coupled with an early inspirational one-handed instinctive catch off one of BGS’s opening batters by Beth Soloman from the dynamic bowling of Issy Dowling. The girls showed super energy in the field, with Mary Racz, Alice Sharpe-Neal, and Georgie Soloman taking two catches. Wicket-keeper Hayden Schrijver made some impressive stops, and maintained her positive commentary throughout. Despite a good team effort, BGS narrowly won by nine runs. It was exciting to host Marlborough College for our first hard ball T20 match of the season. The girls bowled first and claimed a confident early wicket by Issy Dowling, dismissing their number two batter. There were also wickets for Lottie Fallon, a mighty three for captain Beth Soloman and energetic fielding from Amelia Ashill and Alice Boston. Marlborough, however,
“The girls encountered all weathers: high winds, hail, rain and sun.” 96 | Upper School 2019
had some strong technical batters and secured a healthy lead into the second half. Despite scores of 18 for Issy Dowling and 13 for Holly Strong, the girls were unable to match their runs and fell short of the opposition’s impressive total of 135. The team’s next fixture was away at KES Bath. With exam season in full swing, it was great to have some new players (Cerys Jones and Bee Leonard) in the team. Bee showed fearless determination in the field and Cerys put her hard work in the nets to good use, displaying great technical batting shots. Despite some good bowling, with Georgie Soloman gaining a maiden wicket over, and some agile fielding from Miriam Dirnhuber, KES scored an impressive 90 runs. KES produced some tight bowling in which they also claimed some early wickets, and though Tracy Kong and Beth Soloman steadied the ship, they were unable to match the opposition’s run rate. Poor weather put pay to some of the scheduled matches, which meant the final game of the season was away to Cheltenham College. After lots of hard work in
training and some close games, the girls were striving for a win. They started well; Issy Dowling, Lottie Fallon, Hayden Schrijver and Beth Soloman claimed a flurry of wickets, but the top wicket taker with three was Philly Milne. Miranda Geeson and Amelia Allen also made confident debut performances in the A Team. The girls carried on their strong start in the field with the bat, showing great dynamic running between the wickets. The squad kept up the run rate and won by 26 runs, a fitting end to a really encouraging season. The girls were a cracking bunch to work with; we have a wonderful depth to the squad, with many B Team players stepping up to the challenge of hard ball training and matches. I am very much looking forward to next season and building on the great strength and depth from this year!
Sarah Johnson
B Team The B Team had a promising season and the opportunity to develop their match play against many other schools. Whether a complete novice to the sport or a more experienced player, everyone has had the chance to bat, bowl and field in a competitive setting. The weather hasn’t always been on our side, but the girls have approached both their training and matches with enthusiasm and determination to improve each week. Our first match against local rivals BGS was a very closely fought game, with Clifton losing by only one run. Cerys Jones and Ella Croft opened the batting for Clifton and together they were
the highest scoring pair of the day with a total of 19 runs between them. Gracie Dossett was awarded player of the match; she demonstrated excellent fielding skills, and caught out two BGS batswomen. Next, we played Cheltenham College at home who proved to be a more challenging opposition. Despite wickets from Amelia Ashill, Lilian Alfes and Gracie Dossett, Cheltenham’s bowlers were fast and confident and, in the end, Clifton lost by 174 runs. Special mention goes to batters Flora Parkinson and Rowan Lenthall for some very clever, well placed shots.
a formidable opponent who were well drilled in both batting and fielding. There were a few moments of brilliance, in particular captain Elin Leppard’s two catches and Amelia Allen’s bowling. Well done to Caitlin Price and Isis Savage who were the highest scoring batting pair with 11 runs.
Overall, there have been plenty of success stories this term and much to build upon next season. Well done to all of the team, particularly those who were brand new to cricket this term.
Hattie Eccles and Hannah McKellar
Our final match of the season was away at KES Bath. Again, Clifton found themselves facing
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Netball Clifton have enjoyed a successful and competitive netball season. All teams had a tough start against Millfield and Marlborough, but they really grew as the term progressed. We have enjoyed some good competitive fixtures and there have been some excellent performances and results. We had 13 teams competing in 86 matches this year, with one block fixture cancelled due to snow. We had a 58% win rate across all teams, which we will be looking to improve upon next year. The netball term started in October 2018 when three of
our teams competed in county rounds of the National Schools’ Competition. All three teams improved their results from last year, which was excellent to see. Our U19s were the top Bristol school, though they lost in the semi-final to Kingswood. The U14s progressed through to the County Finals, coming second and going through to the Regional Competition. Our U16s were runners up at the County round and progressed through to the County Finals.
“They should be incredibly proud of what they achieved.”
Laura Rudland
1st Squad The 1st team, ably captained by Jocelyn Stirzaker and Charlotte Pavey, were an excellent group to work with this year. We started the term with two challenging fixtures against Marlborough and Millfield. As the term progressed, the team really came together and started putting out some great performances, taking good wins against BGS, King’s Taunton, Queen’s Taunton, Downside, Clifton High and Prior Park. Our biggest win was an impressive 40-12 victory against Queen’s Taunton. The girls put everything they had worked on in training into the match and played some
98 | Upper School 2019
of their best netball of the season in every court area. By far the best game of the season was our final match against Cheltenham Ladies’ College. They had a strong year and had made it through to the Regional Finals so we knew we had a tough game on our hands. We went goal for goal in the first quarter but couldn’t maintain it in the second. We went down by eight goals in one quarter. The response from our team was excellent; we never gave up and ended up losing the match by just one goal with a final score of 32-31. The defensive pairing of Jocelyn Stirzaker and Abi Ojo was outstanding, whilst our shooters kept calm, putting
the goals away. Thank you and farewell to Charlotte Pavey, Abi Ojo and Rosie Watts, who have all made an excellent contribution to netball at Clifton and will be missed next year.
Laura Rudland
2nd Squad Although the 2019 netball season started off somewhat slowly for the 2nd team, with various position changes and unfortunate match cancellations, the squad quickly pulled together to create a strong symbiotic force, eager to work together in order to flourish on the court. After facing some difficult opponents, we worked tirelessly on improving movement around and inside the D, with our shooters (Bella Archer, Caroline Gregory and Francesca Coveney) trying to place themselves nearer to the post by passing back to the centre court players (Alice Cockerton, Chiara Cimmino, Immi Stagg, Beth Soloman and Aimee Stolworthy) in order to create space. By far the favourite technique used by our defence (Clara Wood, Dakota Roydon and Philly Milne) was the ‘arms up’ move, demonstrated superbly each time by Miss Gwynne-Jones. Our progress was certainly on display during the last five matches of the season, which were won with convincing score lines, boosting confidence throughout the team. It will be sad to say goodbye to many of our players including both the
captain and vice captain, as well as our dedicated and enthusiastic coach; we wish them all the very best next year, and we will continue their legacy of hard work and zeal for netball.
Immi Stagg (HH)
3rd Squad The season began with two very tough fixtures against Marlborough and Millfield’s U16A team. We narrowly lost by one point against Marlborough, which was a gallant effort by the girls, having only had one practice to play as a team. We had a great win against our arch-rivals BGS, with a score of 22-10. There were also a number of very convincing wins towards the end of the
season, against Cheltenham Ladies’ College and Prior Park, and a very close game against Cheltenham College with our girls winning 11-9. Throughout the season, the girls played matches with tremendous spirit. They were led by Jemima Jupp, their illustrious captain, and Husna Bello as the vice-captain. Husna managed to play almost every position on the court by the end of the season, having started out at goal defence and by the end of the season, she was our main goal attack! Issy Muggridge and Alicia Gerardi played exceptionally well in every match, holding the centre court together as a centre and wing attack duo. Sofia Walker and Olivia Lixton were always there as strong defenders, either on the wing
or in the D. Katya Saint was also another strong player for the 3rd VII, either playing as an attacker or quite happily switching back to defence; she was always prepared to play wherever she was needed. We were also very grateful for the support in the D from Elin Leppard as a goal shooter, who simply got better and better throughout the season. Overall, the girls won six games and lost three. They should be incredibly proud of what they achieved and how they played, a real credit to the school!
Katherine Jeffrey
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Netball
4th Squad The Mighty Fourths had a great season. We finished the term with six wins, some of which were storming victories such as Downside when we won comprehensively. Other games were much tighter and the team all fought hard and remained focused to get to the end whistle as the winners. At the start of the term, they were a bunch of girls who relied heavily on overhead passes and had little movement on court. The improvement they made each week was vast and they were soon moving up and down the court with fluidity and only overhead passing to wind their coach up! Mary Racz was named player of the match by the opposition most frequently and her defensive skills were essential for the team. Becky Hughes supported her in defence and showed much improvement over the season. The team had an abundance of shooters this year and special mention must go to Olivia Johns, who with an unconventional technique can get her shots in from anywhere in the D. Tracy Kong was excellent in the wing positions. Many thanks go to these Upper Sixth pupils for giving up their time and committing to the team in their final year. I look forward to seeing the Fifth Form and Lower Sixth pupils back on the courts next season.
Sarah Rath
100 | Upper School 2019
5th Squad This was a very successful season and the squad made impressive progress throughout. The joy of coaching a team with some members who are new to the sport is the level and extent of progress you can witness in a short time, which is a real privilege to coach. Some girls who had never been on a court before became feared defenders or shooters by the end of the season and their tactical awareness improved enormously. The season did not start well, with a 33-0 thumping by Marlborough College. The girls’ spirit and panache was embodied in the post-match analysis of, ‘Well, at
least it can’t get any worse than that’ and ‘The only way is up from here’. From defeat sprang a series of convincing victories in which we were competitive, committed, organised, and resilient. The moment of the season was probably the 28-3 victory over Millfield in the second match, marking a significant change in fortunes which continued in the remaining two fixtures. I must pay tribute to a few players who were the backbone of the team. Jade Weerawardena was an energetic centre throughout, and Rowena Griffiths’ leadership and sheer joyful spirit was a delight. The shooting of Livvy Plummeridge and Audrey Hogg improved immeasurably; competing for the role of shooter,
their quiet determination was impressive indeed. The girls worked well together and I am sure that many will be competing for the 3rd and 4th teams next year.
Rebecca Davies
U15A This talented team were strongly led from the centre by captain Sofia Trujillo Palmer and her vice Georgia Culley. The season began with a hard and competitive fixture against Marlborough College. Despite Millie Isaacs’ spot-on shooting, we were unable to clinch the victory, losing by only a few points. As the season wore on, Gwen Morris really stepped up the pace in WA, seemingly always finding the shooters and reliably frustrating many defensive units. The defensive prowess of Georgia Culley and Eve Condell were difficult to break, and following some finetuning of the team in training, the girls finished the season with three straight wins and a final pleasing victory of 1910 over Cheltenham College.
Christa Clark
U15B This squad of girls started the term quite tentatively against Marlborough and BGS, but as the term went on, they trained hard and really gelled as a team, moving the ball efficiently down the court and dominating the circle. They managed not to lose a match after the third week! Defence and shooting improved markedly over the course of the term. Though, during the last few weeks of term, we lost our captain to a rugby injury and other players to illness, the squad members were versatile enough to step in, whatever the position, support each other and gain some excellent wins. Lauren Franklin as captain was an impressive physical presence on the court in all the matches and her energy and shooting skill was vital in so many wins. Olivia Egerton, Bella MacFarlane and Lydia Arikan all played their part in shooting and supporting the circle play from WA. The rest of centre court was controlled by
Sacha Dollin and Bea Croft who were excellent both in attack and defence, impressively turning over opposition play and moving the ball quickly back to our attack. In defence, Aimee Milner, Katie Copp and Sophia Ralston controlled the shooters well and became ever more confident at reading the play and intercepting balls into the circle, thus frustrating the opposition. This squad worked hard throughout the term during practices and matches, but also had a lot of fun. The victories came against Cheltenham College, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Downside, King’s and Queen’s Taunton and, most enjoyable of all, Millfield. This was a great season and I look forward to seeing these players become key members of the senior teams next year.
Alex Tebay
U14A The U14A are always an exciting team to coach, and this year’s team did not disappoint. Although the major netball term falls in the Lent Term, the A Teams start their season in the Michaelmas Term with the County Tournaments. The U14A impressed in the Bristol round, especially as the girls had not played together competitively. Their natural ability saw them ease through to the County round, which involves the top three schools from Bristol and Bath. There were some close matches in which the U14As were able to step up their game and shoot with precision to win a place in the South West Regional Finals. On 26th January, they travelled to Bournemouth to face the top schools in the South West. They played some superb netball, but just missed out on winning a few matches by one or two goals, leading them to come fifth in their group.
single member of the team, which led to a 28-14 win. The U14A went on to convincingly win against Downside School (31- 6), the shooters (Scarlett Pearce-Lynch, Eva MacMurchy and Sophie Manson) were precise and Downside were unable to get past the strong defence of Ava Burns, Gabby Whittley and Tara Madan. This game was followed by a close game against Queen’s College, Taunton (25-21) in which our centre court had a huge impact, as they were able to turn over the ball on many occasions, and their precise and patient feeding won the game. To end the season, the U14A had to play Cheltenham College and Cheltenham Ladies’ College. The team played with flair against Cheltenham College, winning 26-5. Player of the match went to Izzy Donovan-Conway, who not only fed the circle accurately but intercepted the ball on many occasions. The last game of the season against Cheltenham Ladies’ College was tougher; the ball was going end to end and the U14A were defeated by the pressure, the final score being 28-22. The team showed potential from the beginning of the year and it was an absolute delight to see them progress. They will be an exciting group of netball players to follow through their time at Clifton.
Kirsty Willis
U14B After a difficult start, the U14Bs went from strength to strength this year, quickly learning to play as a team and working out the best centre-pass routines to leave our opposition trailing behind. The first two matches of the season against Marlborough and Millfield were particularly tricky and unfortunately two losses left us a little demoralised. However, with all credit to the resilience and determination of the girls, training sessions took on a renewed focus and the team’s resurgence then began in earnest. Some accurate, consistent shooting from Elsa Wilkie and our newly discovered secret weapon (and most improved player this year), Amelia Mackay, meant that the goals were soon flooding in and we achieved some notable victories, including a particularly impressive score of 27-4 against Queen’s College, Taunton. A real highlight of the term was a very close-fought, tense battle against Cheltenham College which resulted in another excellent 1715 victory; the girls showed real tenacity and fought hard right up to the final whistle, drawing until the last quarter. The strength in our squad meant we could rotate a number of our centre court players during matches, although our player of the season, Nysia Fry, was a key figure throughout games. Well done on an excellent season, girls!
Rosie Coombs
As the netball term progressed, the U14A developed quickly. The season started with tough fixtures against Marlborough and Millfield. These matches challenged the girls, but they showed that they had the potential to take on the top teams. This ability was demonstrated in their game against King’s College Taunton, a superb performance by every The Cliftonian 2019 | 101
Football also go to those boys leaving the school for all they have done for Clifton College football. Roll on next season!
Nick Luker and Daniel Janke
3rd XI
1st XI What looked like a transition season turned into a successful one, with the youthful 1st XI claiming some notable scalps and delivering a brand of incisive passing football. The two standout victories were against Sherborne, an intense and tight 1-0 win, and BGS, a marauding 4-3 complete with cards, wonder goals and a Chris Packer last-minute winner. The only losses came against two well drilled sides in Malvern and Marlborough. Further wins included the season opener, a 6-1 win away at Blundell’s, and a 3-1 victory against a strong Taunton side, in which left-back Fin Yates impressed and goalkeeper Yejune Mun made a composed debut. Games against Monmouth and Cheltenham fell victim to the weather and an opposition pull-out respectively, which was a shame given the form the side were in at that stage of the term. This was a very young side, with seven Fifth Formers and two Fourth Formers representing the 1st XI at various points in the season. These youngsters were well marshalled by captain and player of the season, Noah Schrijver who, along with fellow Upper Sixth players Tom Paine and Jack Jacob, led the side superbly. All three have been excellent servants to Clifton College football.
Will Nicholl and Tom Jordan 102 | Upper School 2019
2nd XI This side played some good football over the season and were a real joy to coach. Exceptionally captained by Alex Jacobi, this team have a great deal to offer Clifton College football. The season started with an impressive performance against the 1st XI, where the boys were challenging those in the top team for places. On the road at the start of the season, the lads played some professional football with clinical finishing from all in an impressive 10-2 victory against Blundell’s School. However, the match of the season (even if the score does not reflect this) was the 2-2 draw away at Malvern College. Clifton came up against a very strong Malvern side and battled from the first to the last minute to secure their draw. There were notable performances from Billy ThomasConnolly, who did superbly well at centre back, dealing with a huge striker after being called up from the 3rd XI, and also James Lemon, whose cat-like save with minutes to go allowed his team to cling on for the draw. Tami Ikomi also had a huge impact in this game, as he did in many others, in coming on from the bench to terrorise defenders. Whilst the other results of the season perhaps do not reflect the quality of the football the boys played, they stuck together as a team and were superb ambassadors for the school. Looking to the future, it appears that Chid Ogah, Lucian Najman, Dunbarin Onabowale and Gbitse Atake all have bright futures ahead of them. Our thanks
Overall, the 3rd XI had a very pleasing season with some excellent results, particularly in January and February. The side was a youthful one, with eight or nine boys from Year 11 making the starting 11 most weeks. A pacy and skilful front line of Eniola Akinsanya, Femi Oduntan and James Bayliss gave a potent attacking threat, helping to contribute to 24 goals for the team over the season. Highlights included a 7-1 thrashing of local rivals BGS, with two goals each for captain Sam Dodson and the prolific James Bayliss. Blundell’s and Rougemont were also despatched 4-1. There were narrow losses against strong Malvern and Sherborne sides, but the season concluded with an excellent team performance, leading to a battling 0-0 draw against the U16As of Marlborough. Lewys Williams was one of the outstanding players of the season, who combined
toughness with excellent teamwork and leadership from left back. Overall, this was a season with many highlights. The team won four, drew one and lost four games with a goal difference of three.
James Adams
4th XI This year’s season for the 4th XI very much embodied the old cliché, ‘it was a game of two halves’. Four convincing backto-back wins from the off gave the team an air of invincibility before four successive losses in the second half of the season brought them back down to earth. Regardless of results, perceived injustices and typically bad weather, a fantastic team spirit and sense of camaraderie characterised the team. They were captained by Felix Moores, a veritable goal machine who ended the season with a total tally of seven. There was an abundance of creativity in the midfield, with Will Zhao, Banji Balogun and Henry King dominating several matches with their brand of free-flowing, forward pressing football that opposition defences couldn’t contain. Tema Patlazhan was a
constant nuisance for opposition full-backs, causing mayhem on the wing with his trickery. He capped off an excellent season with a much deserved goal inside the first 10 seconds of the final game against Marlborough, a game that Clifton were unlucky to lose 3-4. In defence, Clifton were dogged and determined, with the unbelievable stamina and pace of Taiwo and Kehinde Ajomale, nicely complemented by the composure of Richard Horst and Charlie Lee in the middle. The physical presence of Gabriel Subias Stanton, never afraid to come off his line (though not always with the intended result) to help with defence and act as a sweeper keeper was commendable. The second half of the season saw Clifton come up against some tough, well drilled 3rd XI opposition, in particular a very physical Sherborne side. Despite the boys’ resilience, they were unable to replicate the form or level of goal threat they had enjoyed in the first half of the season. The boys all did themselves proud with their never-say-die attitude and good humour and it was a pleasure to coach them.
Liam Bull
5th XI Following a club legend is never an easy affair and it was with some nervousness that Dr Dean and Mr Bull took on the mantle of coaching the 5th XI from Mr Corrie. The record was a fair one - results never meaning as much to either coach as the boys’ enjoyment of the game - with a heavy defeat to Sherborne the only significant blip. The 5-3 defeat to Malvern was a 5th team classic, with Zav Barfoot’s stunning first-half hat-trick being cancelled out by Malvern’s troupe of rugby players, who came on at half-time. Fine wins followed, though, with a score of 3-2 against both the Oratory and Marlborough College. Archie Botsford was the stand-out player, excelling in his first season of competitive football, while Ilya Yaroshevsky was a revelation in goal.
Will Nicholl
U17A For the first time this year, we put out an under-17 side who competed against the 1st XI of some smaller schools on our circuit. This was an excellent
chance for players to ‘put themselves in the shop window’ and 24 players from Third Form to Lower Sixth were given the opportunity to do so. There were two convincing wins, one against Clifton High, a 12-1 win, which included a hat-trick for Max Coetzee and accomplished performances from Holly Strong and Third Former Charles Rendle, and the other against Sidcot, a laboured 7-1 victory in which the Fourth Form centre-back pairing of Henry Milne and Ryan Kilmister impressed. Unfortunately these wins flanked a disappointing defeat against Wycliffe.
Will Nicholl and Tom Jordan
U15A Following on from a fairly successful year and an influx of footballers, the season looked promising. The team made a good start with intra-school wins over the year below and a senior team, as well as beating Llandaff Cathedral and Rougemont. Harder challenges were soon to come and, with the cancellation of the Monmouth fixture, they faced a strong BGS side without their coach, having not played for a few weeks! A last-minute equaliser by Ewan Bullough was well celebrated and kept the unbeaten run going. The next four fixtures saw some changes to the team and convincing wins over Malvern and Sherborne. With two games left, the team (and coach) were dreaming of an unbeaten season but they faced the Oratory away. Clifton were slow to get into the game and
created many chances, but went into half-time 1-0 down. More opportunities were missed in the second half and another goal was conceded. With one game to play, the team had a chance to finish on a high and a 1-0 win away at Marlborough was a good way to end. Special mention and thank you to the captain and player of the season Ryan Kilmister, top goal scorer Ellis Davies and Holly Strong who was a pivotal player in the team.
Andrew Wagstaff
“The boys did themselves proud with their neversay-die attitude.” The Cliftonian 2019 | 103
Football
U15B It’s a testament to the quality of football at Clifton that this team were a B Team when they could have given many an A Team a run for their money. After a slightly false start with the first fixture, away against Monmouth, cancelled due to inclement conditions, the boys were eager to get started. What better way than the Bristol schoolboys’ equivalent of the old firm derby; BGS at home. This proved a statement of intent, with an imperiously dominant display in all areas of the pitch: Joe Flavin showing van Djik-esque capabilities in defence, Thomas Maugüé’s surgeon-esque incision in midfield and Mr Ernest-Jones’ Howard Webb-esque marshalling of proceedings. The 5-0 final score could have been double with the chances created. Viktor Maier bagged a brace and the team’s all round marvellousness. MVP Joe dedicated his performance to inspirational coaches. A fine way to kick off the season.
And what a season, despite a minor blip against Clifton High School’s A XI, which saw the boys battle back from 2-0 to 2-2, only to have pint-sized capitulation and concede two in two minutes and lose 4-2. This loss provided the kick the team needed, and they weren’t to experience the bitter pill of defeat again. The fearsome nature of our defensive set up (Murray-Nobbs/ Cook/ Plummeridge/ Tildsley/Law), the prowess of our midfield (Haddon/ Hunter/ Azeez/ Ablameyko) and the mystical reputation of Tate, Blench and Lakhani up front would have been unstoppable, but that our scheduled game against Wycliffe was not to go ahead owing to the opposition not turning up. Our fearsome reputation had clearly preceded us. The boys did themselves proud with two towering displays to end the season. Winning 1-0, both against Malvern and the Oratory respectively was, I would posit, flattering for our opposition and down largely to a slight 104 | Upper School 2019
profligacy in front of goal on our part. However, the results went the right way and the team could reflect on a short but ultimately very successful season. A pleasure to coach, the team struck a great balance between camaraderie, cohesion and clinicism (except in front of goal at times!). Player of the season went to Harrison Tate for consistently outstanding roving performances in an attacking midfield role. Most improved player could have gone to each and every one of the boys, but was bagged by Mattie Tildesley. There were also superb all-round performances from every squad player, from Ned’s captaincy to Jonny’s unforgiving bone-crunching. A marvellous season indeed.
Dom Harris
U14A From the opening trial game against the U15Bs, it was evident that the U14s were going have a strong squad. Competition for places was fierce, this being most starkly emphasised with the goalkeeper slot where both Jake Noble and David Small would in most years have been certain starters. The early matches went extremely well, with big wins against Llandaff and Rougemont seeing Charles Rendle produce the dominant types of performance that would see him earn player of the season and Nick Greene score some impressive goals on his way to becoming top goal scorer. The next match was an early highlight, with a fantastic 10 minutes inspired by Small’s penalty save, seeing a BGS lead overturned on the way to a 6 -1 victory. However, despite strong defensive performances from Jamie Lenthall, Simon Koupparis, Henry Davis and Aaron Davies, defeats to Wycliffe and Malvern followed, showing that there is still plenty of room for improvement from this talented squad.
A brace of goals from Nick Efthymiopoulos, a smart finish from Charlie Davies and a captain’s performance from Tom Rayson saw the team back on track with a hard fought away win at Sherborne. This win was backed up with another away win at Oratory School in gale-force winds before the end of season trip to Marlborough. Rufus Read produced an impressive performance following a late call-up, but a topsy-turvy first half saw a tremendous opening goal from Joseph Davies and an Ethan Moss strike cancelled out. However, the team managed to save the best for last with a mighty display of team spirit, and an inspirational strike from Henry Davis, seeing them take the lead before a late Rendle penalty put the icing on a very satisfying win and a fine season. Special mentions go to Tom Jordan for his coaching and encouragement, Tom Rayson for his leadership, both in matches and training, and to Charles Rendle for impressive performances that saw him selected for the U17s.
Clive Jones
U14B Led by team captain Jack Bayliss, the U14Bs had a successful season that was enjoyed by all. With great depth and versatility amongst the playing group, each individual gained experience in a number of different positions, allowing them to develop their skills and positional awareness on the pitch. Following the disappointment of a first round cancellation due to be played against Monmouth, the team made a strong start to the season with a 4-0 win over Wycliffe College at home. Both Finn Nunes and Louis Afford Lessof scored a goal, whilst Raphael Benedict was able to bag a pair. The next game was a
hard fought battle against a skilful Malvern College side. Wilf Murphy continued his dominance as the side’s unwavering goalkeeper, whilst Jonty Morgan, Theo Claessen and Oscar Dembo were formidable in defence. The final score was a 1-1 draw. The last match of the season was a spectacular 6-1 win over The Oratory School in very windy conditions. Jack Bayliss scored the goal of the season, bending it into top bins from a corner kick. Chipo Feruka, Sammy Neil and Jamie Dodson were all notable contributors, whilst Ayomide Ogunbajo’s post goal celebration was a highlight of the season. Well done to all players on their commitment at training and subsequent triumphs on the field.
Charlie Callander The Cliftonian 2019 | 105
Tennis U15 Team Tennis The U15 tennis squads have had a busy term with Team Tennis matches on top of their normal Saturday fixtures. Team Tennis consists of four players who play in a league with local schools to win a place in the next round of the Nationals. For the girls, Giulia Cimmino, Millie Isaacs, Sofia Trujillo, Georgia Culley and Lauren Franklin have been the main players, with Jessie Auty and Mor Gispan from Year 9 stepping in when needed. As it stands, the girls have beaten King Edward’s Bath, Backwell, Badminton and Colston’s. These matches were won convincingly and it was a delight to see the girls play confidently in their singles matches. The U15 boys’ team consisted of Tom Rayson, Jerry Fang, Dima Merinov, Harry Cox, Ollie Hunter, Max Hunter, Joe Taylor, and Henry Milne. The boys faced some tough opposition in the Team Tennis competition, where they beat Backwell but very narrowly lost to Colston’s on a Championship shootout tiebreaker. Though neither team made it out of their box, the players should feel proud of what they have achieved this term.
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It was so encouraging seeing them all grow in confidence and become mentally tougher during their matches.
U19 National Team Tennis The old Glanville (boys) and Aberdare (girls) Cups is a knockout competition where our boys’ and girls’ teams were drawn in the first round against Backwell. Our very young boys’ team (Tom Rayson, Jerry Fang, Harry Cox and Ollie Hunter) lost out to the older boys of Backwell, but our number one player, Tom Rayson, won his singles match, which bodes well for the future. Our girls did better, beating Backwell convincingly. Katya Saint, Giulia Cimmino, Neve Gad and Noa Gispan faced the formidable Millfield Academy players in the next round, which was a step too far for our inexperienced singles players. It was tough to be drawn against Millfield so early on in the tournament, but this was all good experience for our players.
Eton ISTA Championships This doubles only tournament, which Clifton had not entered in many years, provided a fantastic experience for our players, made up of two U15 boys and girls doubles pairs, a U19 girls pair and two U19 boys pairs. The boys and girls U15 2nds pairs played numerous matches; Lauren Franklin and Sofia Trujillo won three out of five matches, making them second in their group. Our young boys’ team (Simon Koupparis, Fraser Davis and Finn Nunes) played five matches, where they struggled against some of the finest tennis schools. The U15 boys 1st pair, Ollie Hunter and Viktor Maier, had a brilliant start, winning their first matches, but the length of the day took its toll and they faded in the last couple of rounds. They finished second in their box, but lost to a very good Surbiton pair in the next round. Our U19 girls pair lost against Millfield and Colston’s, but managed to beat Leicester and St Mary’s. Julia Wojciechowska and Neve Gad
made it out of their box to enter into a three-way tie where they came second. The U19 boys’ team (Kyle Broadley and Harry Cox, Henry Milne and Dima Merinov) faced Sedbergh. After finishing one-match-all, Kyle and Dima had to play a one-set match shootout to decide who went through. With a 6- 4 loss, the boys were into the consolation draw where they played Colston’s. Harry and Kyle lost an amazingly tight doubles game and Henry and Dima struggled against a couple of boys who looked far too old to be part of this competition! Our U15 1st pair (Giulia Cimmino and Georgia Culley) won every match bar one on the first day and progressed to the main draw quarter-finals. Here, they faced top tennis school, Queenswood, who were very confident and knew how to take control in all matters on the court. This experience provided a massive learning curve for all our players and it was a great way of showing that tennis is a ‘team’ sport.
Kerris Wagstaff
Girls’ Tennis Senior Girls At the beginning of term, fielding teams was delightful as we had so many amazing girls from whom to choose; it was a real shame that we could not find further opposition to cater for all. Having brilliant overall wins (for all teams) against Bromsgrove, Taunton School and Cheltenham College, the 1st VI often won, with a small slip up against Taunton School, with the 2nd VI and sometimes the 3rd VI holding the fort to aid the overall wins. As we hit exam season, it became more difficult to field full teams and a loss against Dean Close was tricky to take as they are great rivals. Well done to Katya Saint and Noa Gispan, who had an unbeaten season together during the block fixtures, and congratulations to Giulia Cimmino who made her 1st VI debut this year. A massive thank you to all girls who pushed themselves to play this season, especially in the away fixtures. You are all amazing.
Kerris Wagstaff
U15A/B A fantastic term for U15 tennis. Giulia Cimmino was rightly selected for the 1st team, but the U15As have a lot of depth and although she was missed, the team were still very competitive. This ability was shown during their first game against Bromsgrove, winning 6-3, and a very close game against Taunton School, just missing out on the win by one game! The weather wasn’t always on the girls’ side, but they continued to be determined, which showed with an excellent performance against Millfield to end the term. The U15As played mixed doubles and won 9-7 and the U15A/Bs won 7-2, a deserved win to reward them for their efforts! The U15Bs have been a solid team, showing enthusiasm and a competitive spirit. They convincingly beat Dean Close (72), Malvern (9-0), Taunton School
(7-2) and Bromsgrove (6-3). They just missed out on an unbeaten season, with one loss against Cheltenham College (6-3). The girls should all be pleased with how they have developed this term; they are more aware of the tactics in the doubles match and they have also won many of their points by being assertive at the net and going for volleys!
Kirsty Willis and Laura Rudland
U14A/B The U14 girls’ tennis was captained by Mor Gispan in a very successful season. The A and B team played with conviction and enthusiasm. They only lost one match during the season and had some convincing victories against Prior Park and Dean Close. Mor Gispan and Jessica Auty were a formidable top pair, rarely losing a match. They also played a large part in the U15 Aegon
tennis competitions. The squad worked hard all season, with some interesting weather, but they never gave up hope. They improved their winning volleys throughout the season and this proved to be a winning formula. I am sure they will be a huge factor in the success of girls’ tennis in the future.
Louise Catchpole
“The girls should be pleased with how they have developed this term”
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Boys’ Tennis Senior Boys After two days of trials, a squad was selected which featured 30 boys ranging from Years 11-13. Spearheaded by the Director of Tennis (Mrs Wagstaff), the boys were put through some rather gruelling cardio sessions. Tears, sweat and the odd shout of ‘why are we doing this?’ were soon replaced with joy, when we managed to capture a few victories in our Saturday fixtures. The future for senior boys’ tennis is looking good, but with the departure of a few solid and reliable Year 13 boys (Michael Jin, Tony Hu, Edward Wu, Ed Robins, Michal Bartol to name but a few), it will now be up to a new generation to push on and improve our winning statistics!
Noel Doran
U15A/B A competitive fixture list saw the U15 boys tested frequently against some strong opponents. The boys played some exceptional tennis at times and should be proud of the high standards they set for themselves as well as the individual progress they each made. A-Team regulars were Jerry Fang, Dima Merinov, Harry Cox and Viktor Maier who each demonstrated a high level of play as well as consistency. They were supported by Adam El-Kilany, Joe Taylor, Bobby Puddicombe and Max Hunter who each picked up some important wins over the course of the season. It has been a pleasure to work with the boys and see them develop their game over the term.
Gareth Westwater and Stephen Cross
U14A/B This was a successful year for the U14A and B boys’ tennis team, which consists of Tom Rayson, Ollie Hunter, Simon Koupparis, Wilf Murphy, Fraser Davis, Finn Nunes, Jamie Lenthall, Sonny Taylor, Charlie Davies, Steven Sha, Terry Song, Alfie Hamilton-Davies, Max Hanson and Dylan Haddon. The term began with a tough fixture against Sherborne, which the As won 5-4 in an epic match that gave them confidence for the rest of the season. Cracking wins against Millfield, Malvern, Bromsgrove, Marlborough, Sidcot and Wellsway followed. The boys all worked very hard in training and Mrs Wagstaff put them through their paces a couple of mornings a week before Chapel and on Wednesdays after lessons to work on their skills and technique. They showed enthusiasm and team spirit throughout the term and Mr Lidington and I would like to thank them for their commitment. We look forward to seeing their progress over future years.
Reggie Williams and Peter Lidington
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Rowing When an eight thunders down the river at a regatta, it will often look as though everyone is following exactly the same motion, but they are not. Each crew member has specific characteristics and aspects of the stroke to focus on, which are essential for the crew’s success. A key factor to winning a race is that everyone, regardless of their style or position in the boat, pulls together to create one boat that is moving forward together in the right direction. It is in this manner that Clifton College Boat Club is slowly making the right waves and learning to pull together. There is a great sense of unity down at the river, where everyone helps everyone, everyone supports one another, and we all strive to do our very best. Despite this season having not seen an overall win at a regatta, there have been several notable performances. The Fifth Form crew (Theo Murphy, Jonny Bell, Dougie Ancell, Harry Isaacs and Lily Mustin), with GCSE exams looming, committed to race days and showed that they have the capability required to go on and win races. Jack Goldsack and Archie Scott moved back into the
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double scull and tried their hand at the very competitive Junior 18 race series. Their attitude to training, racing and general support of the Club has been fantastic. They have come up against some very strong crews, but hold a record of most races in one day (seven) at Bridgnorth Regatta. Arthur SheppardCappuro and Briden Whitbread took on the challenge of racing at Junior 16 level in both singles and a double. Again, committing to racing showed their calibre and the straight final at the Avon County Regatta against each other was a fitting end to their season. The draw of the rugby pitch continues to pull many of the traditional rowers away from the river and the season did not pan out as expected for the Captain of Boats, Louis Powell. Despite finding himself in a single for the latter part of the season, his commitment and the example he set to the younger rowers was superb. He must be thanked for all that he has given to the Club and I hope that he will carry on with this sport at university. The new influx to the Club has been spearheaded by North Town, with six Fourth Formers
“Their attitude to training, racing and general support of the Club has been fantastic.” taking to the water. There is some real talent in the group and they could do very well in the future. They raced at Avon County and Bridgnorth Regattas with only four months of training behind them, in quads, doubles and singles. Ella Howard-Robinson, Louisa Holling and Augusta Arron have also taken to the water at novice level, representing the school at regattas, which has been superb to see. Coupled with a group of Third Form girls joining the Club for the Summer Term, the increase in girls involved in the sport has been an important development.
The College continued its commitment to the Club by helping to fund the purchase of two new stable fours. As a result, not only has the novice programme been a much improved experience for new oarspeople, but the much loved House Regatta could be reinstated into the calendar. On the hottest day of the year, School House battled to a superb win in a re-rowed final against North Town in the boys’ event, and Worcester House were victorious against Holland’s House in the girls’ event. It was a fitting end to the year and showed that there is some real talent at the College.
As always, there is a team behind the crews who continue to help ensure the best experience is had on the water by the pupils. A huge thanks to Simon Hewitt, Sarah West, Daisy King, Andrew Marchesi and Emily Lloyd for their support and willingness to help at any time, any place. After taking on the role of vice captain last year, Lily Mustin, along with Archie Scott, are set to take the lead as Captains of Boats next year. Lily’s continued quiet but steely determination, coupled with Archie’s infectiously positive nature, will help to lead the Club forward. With a solid group of committed students, one of the aims next season is to take an eight to the Schools’ Head of the River Race. Here’s to the 2020 racing season!
Rowing Awards Oarsman of the year: Archie Scott & Jack Goldsack Oarswoman of the year: Augusta Arron & Louisa Holling Novice of the year (boy): Calver Barnes Novice of the year (girl): Ella Howard-Robinson Cox of the year: Lily Mustin
“There is a great sense of unity down at the river.”
Club person of the year: Briden Whitbread
Rob Beever
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Rackets Clifton rackets experienced a productive season which saw the senior players improve and the emergence of some talented juniors in our boys’ and girls’ sides. Though results didn’t always go our way, it was refreshing to see the youngsters enjoying themselves when they stepped on court. Tom Panto captained the side and was inspirational in getting the squad to gel and encourage the younger players. With his doubles partner, Toby Weale, they had a mixed season of results, but their best match was against Cheltenham’s Butcher and Baker where we lost 15/11 in the final game at Cheltenham. In the Colts, Luke Sutor and Ollie Meadows had a fantastic run at Queen’s, reaching the semi-finals and showing great character throughout, losing to St Paul’s number-two seeds. Ollie Meadows reached the quarterfinals of the singles at Queen’s, playing quality rackets but losing to the number-one seed Wighton of St Paul’s. Colt Zach Leonard and Junior Colts Joss Plummeridge, Ollie Wong, Jake Davies, Ash Lakhani, Harrison Tate, Shay Sainsbury, Ben Paine, Peter Carter and Jerry Fang worked hard at their game. The same goes for the Yearlings: Will Windows, Marcus Allan, Wilf Murphy, Simon Koupparis, Joe Naughton, Ollie Rayner and Charlie Davies.They all played in matches throughout the season and all the Junior Colts played at Queen’s. The following players have all grown in confidence: Katya Saint, Noa Gispan, Flora McHattie and Ella Koupparis (Girls’ Colts); Sofia Trujillo, Millie Issacs, Eve Condell and Gwen Morris (Junior Colts); Mor Gispan, Scarlett Pearce-Lynch and Eva MacMurchy (Yearlings). At Queen’s, Noa Gispan reached the quarter-finals and Sofia Trujillo and Millie Issacs won
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the Plate Doubles Final in the Juniors. The Windows Trophy was won by Tom Panto in the Senior tournament. The Inverdale Racket was won by Jake Davies in the Junior tournament and the Beale Board was won by Katya Saint. In September, Tom Panto is doing a fellowship at Queen’s Club and Toby Weale is going to Montreal to do a fellowship at the Rackets/ Real Tennis and Squash Club. Top drawer.
Reggie Williams
“Clifton rackets experienced a productive season which saw the senior players improve.”
Cross Country The cross country team have had an enjoyable season of fixtures and training runs in all weathers and terrains. The season started with a fixture at Downside, where despite having had just one training run to warm them up, the senior girls’ team, consisting of Isobel Leeming, Kitty Murdoch, Julia Terry and Emma Shaw, gained third place. The following fixture at Kingswood saw the girls’ team gain another third place success, this time from Isobel, Bunny Cordeaux, Julia Wojciechowska and Ella Kipling. This included individual victories for Isobel and Bunny, who came second and third respectively. Isaac Williams, the cross country captain, also put in a strong performance at this event, where his fantastic hill running endurance gained him third place in the senior boys’ race. Training runs have included a beautifully sunny run along the coast at Walton in Gordano, and a very chilly trip across Cadbury Camp in driving wind and rain. The team have worked extremely well together to keep spirits up on tougher runs and to push one another to their limits in order to improve their stamina and pace.
Camilla Gold
Athletics The Summer Term was a very successful one for the athletics squad. All students have trained with great enthusiasm, and the effort put into all sessions has been exceptional. Nine students qualified for the Avon Schools Championships, three of whom were selected to compete in the South West Championships, and Joshua Schrijver went on to qualify for the English Schools Championships.
School records have been broken twice by Scarlett Pearce-Lynch in the javelin (25.79m) and discus (22.11m) and multiple
times by Joshua Schrijver in the discus (43.8m) and shot put (14.15m). Students have also competed in the Bristol Schools Championships and fixtures at Millfield and Marlborough, where Clifton have performed admirably, with many podium position finishes from our young athletes. Students have also begun taking part in weekly training sessions at WISE Campus, Filton on their competition-standard athletics track, which has been used by many great Olympians in the past.
Matthew Deacon
“All students have trained with great enthusiasm, and the effort put into all sessions has been exceptional.” The Cliftonian 2019 | 113
Valete Arabella Blood
Harriet Eccles Harriet joined Clifton in September 2015 and immediately made an impact as a dedicated teacher in the Physics Department. Since this time, she has gone from strength to strength, playing an active role in sharing good practice and coming up with innovative teaching and learning ideas. She is a very approachable teacher who the students always feel able to share issues with, whether
Gary Walker Gary Walker arrived at Clifton in September 2008 in order to expand the Outdoor Pursuits Department. He immediately got to grips with the Duke of Edinburgh Award and was well known for his thorough training and planning. Under his guidance, a large number of students gained Bronze and Gold Awards whilst at Clifton. He expanded the Gold Award to include kayaking in Sweden and Norway and mountaineering in Morocco. This innovation was a great success and very popular, if more tiring than the students expected. A highlight of his time running the DofE Award was when we were graced with a visit from HRH Prince Edward 114 | Upper School 2019
they be academic or pastoral. Harriet has contributed to Stone Library clinics as well as giving up her time to assist students in her free periods. Outside of the academic timetable, she has taken charge of and run very competently the Business Enterprise programme for the Fifth Form. The scheme has allowed students to benefit from workshops on presentation and teamwork skills as well as allowing them to enhance their attributes in leadership, organisation and innovation - vital life skills! Additionally, as part of her who combined his lunch with all local DofE coordinators with a game of rackets at BB. Gary originally took over running both Fourth and Fifth Form programmes as an alternative to the CCF, but when Fifth Form programme gave way to an Enterprise initiative, this morphed into a carousel of activities for the Fourth Form, including first aid, climbing, low ropes and a new programme of wilderness and survival, which he was particularly keen on. Field days were brought in to complement those run by the CCF and included a lot of fun outdoor activities. The climbing team has grown in strength under his supervision and pupils have a found a great love of the outdoors under his leadership. He has also run mountaineering
co-curricular contribution to the school, Harriet has taken Astronomy Club, organising trips to Bristol’s Planetarium, as well as Quiz Society. She has been a diligent and reliable tutor in both Hallward’s and Worcester House. She leaves us to take up a teaching role at Redmaids’ High School where we wish her all the best and thank her for all she has done for Clifton.
Rebecca Luker
trips to Scotland, the Alps, the Arctic Circle (Northern Norway) and Borneo with some water sports and caving activities along the way. We wish him well as he moves on from Clifton to pursue more freelance work.
Alex Tebay
Arabella joined Clifton in September 2009, seeing the Physics Department through a number of changes over the years. She is an incredibly caring teacher who will be missed by students and colleagues alike. Arabella always plans every lesson meticulously, ensuring that every detail is shared with her classes to enable excellent progress. Pastorally, she has been a tutor in Hallward’s House and The South Town, where her dedication has guided many students through the school and their applications to further study. She is always willing to give up her time and she is often seen helping pupils in her classes with physics questions or tutees with their personal statements. Arabella stepped up to take charge of Clifton in the Community for a couple of years and in that time showed immense dedication to the programme, making sure students had meaningful placements, developing new links with the community and putting in place stringent risk assessments. Other cocurricular commitments have been preparing students for LAMDA examinations and working consistently on the Terriers programme. Arabella’s enthusiasm for science has also seen her take over the role of supporting the running of the Stone Library, keeping it well stocked with a variety of books and journals. We wish her all the best in her future teaching career and thank her for all she has done for the school and the pupils under her care.
Rebecca Luker
Caroline Butler Caroline Butler, or Allan as she was then, began her time at Clifton in 2013, with the glow, and occasionally the vowels, of someone who has just returned from several years in New Zealand. An inspiring, passionate and highly committed teacher, Caroline has been a stalwart of the English Department for six years. Her lessons have inspired pupils across the age range, who will remember them for heated academic discussions and rigorous questioning, as well as for the innovative use of quizzes, buzzers, drama, costumes and even Play-Doh, all meticulously planned in the name of fostering a love of literature and analysis. She extends her commitment into the pastoral side of education, and has been a valued tutor in Hallward’s House throughout her time at the College. Ever generous
with her time, sympathetic, and able to offer sage advice, she has supported her tutees and others in the House, and has meant a great deal to pupils who have turned especially to her in their times of need. She has also drawn upon her strong personal faith and contributed tirelessly to Christianity within the school, and especially to Christian Forum, through which she has introduced pupils to visiting speakers and provided a welcoming and friendly space in which students are encouraged to explore and meditate upon their own beliefs. Pupils will also recognise her zeal in coaching netball and tennis, and her eagerness to sing, representing the staff most admirably in many part song competitions! A truly dedicated teacher, and friend, she will be greatly missed as she leaves Clifton to spend more time with her family.
“Ever generous with her time, sympathetic, and able to offer sage advice, she has supported her tutees and others in the House.”
Emily Hawkins
Tabitha Whittall Tabitha joined Clifton College as a teacher of French and Spanish in 2019 after some time spent living and teaching in Madrid. Tabitha’s teaching has been really engaging and several of her students have mentioned how sorry they are that they won’t be taught by her next year. Given her own high standards when speaking in French and Spanish, Tabitha has introduced a real emphasis on speaking in her lessons and has helped students to overcome their fears in this area by creating interactive, lively lessons with plenty of games. Her experience and the diversity of her teaching methods will no doubt serve her well as she moves on to become Second in Department, returning to her Croydon roots!
Owen Lewis
“Tabitha has helped students to overcome their fears by creating interactive, lively lessons with plenty of games.”
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Richard Walter In just two years, Rich has made a fantastic contribution to the College through his dedication and hard work. Not only has he shown that he is an excellent classroom practitioner in the Maths Department, he has contributed heavily to the wider life of the school, being both Master in Charge of Basketball and working in the Army Section of the CCF. This year, he has been the Assistant Housemaster in Wiseman’s and his family (including three little ones) have thoroughly enjoyed living on site amongst the hustle and bustle of College life. He has also taken an active role in the staff Teaching and Learning Group. He will certainly be missed, but he will, no doubt, continue to flourish as Housemaster for Harrow International School Bangkok. We wish him all the very best.
Christa Clark a yoga instructor to good use by introducing weekly yoga sessions. She also ran a public speaking club, introducing key communication skills to Block II students. She leaves us to join a day school in London where I am sure she will be equally valued. We wish her all the best.
Iwan Thomas
Laura Rudland
Patricia Butler
Laura has been Director of Netball for the last two years and we are very grateful to her for all she has done during her time in this role to lift the profile of the game and to attract talented netballers to consider Clifton. Laura has juggled this role with her playing career in the Super League, appearing for Severn Stars during the 2017- 2018 season and Team Bath last season; she was key to our setting up a partnership with Severn Stars. Laura has been a role model to many girls who have looked up to her and sought her guidance. We wish her all the very best for the future.
Patricia joined the College in April 2018, stepping up to cover for Mary Beever during her maternity leave. She brought a wealth of experience, from many levels of management, which she gained while working abroad in St Andrew’s International school in Malawi. She showed a high level of skill and dedication in the role, always looking to bring out the best in everyone and everything, whilst remaining warm, caring and extremely professional at all times. Outside of the classroom, she put her qualification as
Kirsty Willis 116 | Upper School 2019
“She ran a public speaking club, introducing key communication skills.”
James Bull James joined us to teach Business and Economics from a life in the City. His interactive and fast-paced lessons allied to his warm personality quickly made him a very popular teacher. James coached rugby, football, boys 7s, girls 7s, and was Master in Charge of Athletics. He even made moves to reintroduce boxing! He was a swashbuckling batsman for the staff cricket team, the Clifton Crocodiles, playing a devastating sixesstrewn innings last year to snatch the game away from BGS in the penultimate over. How could anyone serve their school better?! He was a superb Assistant Housemaster in Moberly’s and it is no surprise that he now moves on to run his own House at Taunton International.
James Adams hockey, netball and cricket. She has overseen girls’ rugby for two years, organising tournaments at Clifton and taking teams to Rosslyn Park Sevens. Hannah is an enthusiastic and gifted teacher who genuinely has the best interests of her students at heart. While she will be missed; we wish her all the best for the future.
Tom Patrick
Sophie Vickery
Hannah McKellar
In the classroom, students have benefited from Sophie’s extensive experience; she has always maintained and expected high standards from all her students. Outside of the classroom, she has worked in conjunction with Caroline Butler (with whom she cooperated in a job share) in Hallward’s House. The Sixth Formers in her tutor group have all appreciated her help and guidance, especially those whom she has helped with UCAS statements. As well as offering thanks for all she has done, we wish her all the best for a very happy retirement.
Hannah joined Clifton in 2017 after a successful spell with Accenture, and in just two years has made a major contribution to all aspects of school life. She has proved herself a creative, conscientious and extremely capable teacher of Classics, so much so that she was readily snapped up by our local rival QEH. Hannah has taught the full range, from the Prep School, where she has launched a well attended Greek Club, through to the Sixth Form, for whom she has organised a range of trips and lectures. Hannah has thrown herself into tutoring for Oakeley’s House and into numerous sports, including
Iwan Thomas
“As well as offering thanks for all she has done, we with her all the best for a very happy retirement.” The Cliftonian 2019 | 117
Caroline Bloor Caroline joined Clifton as Head of French and Teacher of Spanish in 2010 from Canford School. Caroline very quickly got involved in Clifton life and entered herself as a contestant in the College’s Strictly Scrum Dancing competition, aptly dancing an Argentine Tango. Caroline brought flair and joie de vivre to her teaching and really developed the French Department, introducing fun events for the Sixth Form and leading the Department efficiently, positively and proactively. Her teaching not only inspired her students, but also her colleagues, thanks to her creativity and constructive feedback. She was an outstanding colleague to work with: experienced and organised, but also great fun and endlessly supportive. Caroline brought her love of cooking into the classroom and events such as the Great French Bake Off entered the calendar, with culinary delights - sometimes put
Amy McAleavy
Alasdair Copp
Amy joined Clifton as a teacher of French and Spanish after doing a PGCE at Oxford. She embraced life in a busy department and quickly agreed to be the Teaching and Learning representative for MFL. Amy is a very calm, patient colleague who has been unflappable when dealing with the challenges of Clifton. She even came to Thorpe Park for the day although she hates rides and waited patiently whilst everyone else had fun! Amy has also run zumba sessions, helped with Dance Club and Clifton in the Community and taken on tutoring responsibilities in Oakeley’s House and as a Resident Tutor. Amy has, from day one, been the first to volunteer to help with departmental events such as debating and poetry evenings. She has been a hugely supportive member of the Department and we have really valued her generous nature. We wish her well as she plans her next teaching adventure, quite possibly an overseas one.
Ali joined us in September 2017 from Christ College, Brecon, where he was a boarding Housemaster, to take over the reins at North Town, which he handed on to Miss Clark at the start of the Summer Term. Ali taught business and economics and filled his lessons with minute detail and real life examples. As well as being part of the CCF, Ali is a keen sportsman with a particular love for hockey and cricket. He led the 1st XI hockey side here with Lou Catchpole and also did some crucial work with the U14C rugby team and 3rd XI cricket. He also bowled some handy left arm ‘dobbers’ in the staff team. Ali moves on to the Griffin School in Salisbury to be Head of Department and we wish him all the very best for the future.
Owen Lewis
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Gil Simmons
together with slight help from parents or matrons - becoming ever more elaborate! During her time at Clifton, Caroline helped extensively with the co-curricular programme with activities such as Clifton in the Community and girls’ running, but most notably, she coached tennis and netball teams at junior and senior levels and proved herself to be a knowledgeable and enthusiastic coach who always got the best out of her players. Caroline was a tutor in West Town where she dedicated herself to helping the students in her care. As a tutor for the Fourth and Fifth Form, she has guided many girls through the many and varied challenges of the GCSE years. More recently, she has been a tutor in Hallward’s House, much loved by her Sixth Form groups and a fantastic member of the House staff. Caroline and her husband Matt had a son, Freddie, in 2018 and Caroline is now a dedicated and very busy mum. She will be really missed!
Owen Lewis
“Pupils will recognise her zeal in coaching netball and tennis, and her eagerness to sing, representing staff most admirably in many Part Song competitions!”
Imogen Kempton Imogen joined the College as a chemistry teacher fresh from Oxford, bringing her enthusiasm for teaching to the department. She enjoyed helping with cross country and she was immensely supportive to her classes, which contained many pupils who find the subject a challenge. In the end, the temptation of doctorate level research proved too great and she will be missed by her classes and the department.
Oliver Dunning
Bex GwynneJones Bex joined Clifton as a Teacher of Biology in September 2014. Her amazing organisation, infectious enthusiasm for biology and obvious dedication to her students quickly marked her out as a popular and talented teacher. She threw herself fully into Clifton life, coaching two U14 hockey teams to National Finals, both finishing in the top four. Bex is an incredible athlete;
she was the third female in the Bristol to Bath marathon with a time of three hours. She has inspired many pupils during her coaching sessions, sports tours and by modelling a love of exercise. Pupils and staff have even suggested that the electricity in the Science Block might be powered by Bex on the treadmill in the gym! Bex mentored our aspiring doctors, dentists and vets, using her expertise in biomedical science and knowledge of the medical school application process. She was also a superb Assistant Housemistress in Oakeley’s. We admire her energy, kindness and dedication. New Zealand is very lucky to be getting her and she will be sorely missed by us all.
“Her amazing organisation, infectious enthusiasm for biology and obvious dedication to her students quickly marked her out.”
The Biology Department
James Adams
Alex Kealy
James joined Clifton in September 2017 to head up both Economics and Business Studies. This was no mean feat as it created one of the biggest departments in the school, particularly in terms of the number of A Level candidates. He introduced the Business BTEC course and, outside the classroom, organised trips to places such as Jaguar Land Rover. On the sports field, he has taken the 2nd, 3rd and development XI football and the 3rd XI cricket team. He has led his department by example and has been, quite simply, an outstanding Head of Department who will be much missed. We wish him the very best for the future.
Alex joined in 2016 to teach physics, bringing with him his characteristic enthusiasm for learning. He is a true digital champion, always looking for innovative ways of doing things, pushing the boundaries of technology to engage the pupils in his classes. Outside of the classroom, he loves the great outdoors, sport and physical activity. He cycled to school every day, and his bikes, shoes, ski boots and kit could be found across the entire Physics Department, not to mention running the Pens wearing a weighted backpack! We wish him well as he moves to Redmaids’ High School as their Head of Physics.
Gil Simmons
David Richardson
“He has led his department by example.” The Cliftonian 2019 | 119
Development Trust
Networking Breakfasts
Benefactors’ Dinner
The Breakfast Club (held the first Thursday of each month in the Cricket Pavilion) has gone from strength to strength this year. The event enables parents of past and current pupils and Old Cliftonians to meet in convivial surroundings and share memories and experiences. We are indebted to the speakers who have talked about a diverse range of topics, including a lighthearted look at dispute resolution, gluten, mental health, wine appreciation, social media privacy, refurbishing old properties, and the making of the royal wedding gowns. If you would like more information contact Jeremy Pickles on jpickles@cliftoncollege.com.
In january benefactors to the school were invited to dinner in the Oriental Club. It was a most enjoyable affair and a chance for the school to say thank you for their generosity.
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Bespoke Heads’ of School Lunch In March, we introduced the first bespoke lunch held at Brooks’s Club in St James’s Street, London. Former Heads of School were invited to meet the Head Master and hear about the school’s plans and ambitions. We propose to follow up with a sporting lunch in the autumn.
New York Dinner Graeme McEvoy (SH 1987), our man in NYC, organised a dinner in the Penn Club on 44th Street. The dinner was well attended by both OCs and parents and the Clifton group included the Head Master and Jeremy and Karen Pickles.
1862 Club Lunch Membership is for those who have indicated that Clifton is included in their will. Each year we hold a lunch in the Pavilion. Our sixth lunch, hosted by the Head Master and Chair of Council to say thank you to members, was a most enjoyable affair with entertainment provided by the Music Department. Membership is open to parents and Old Cliftonians. If you would like more information contact Jeremy Pickles on jpickles@cliftoncollege. com.
Clifton College Golf Day One of the most popular events in the calendar, this year saw our best attendance with 48 competitors including parents, staff and Old Cliftonians. After a competitive Stableford at Bristol and Clifton Golf Club, the teams adjourned to the Cricket Pavilion for a hugely enjoyable dinner and prize giving. Congratulations to this year’s winners: Henry Thornhill, Peter Allen, Phil Evans and Chris Trembath (who also won the longest drive).
We are indebted to the speakers who have talked about a diverse range of topics
“It was a most enjoyable affair with entertainment provided by the Music Department”
School House Jamboree On 30th March, we held the School House Jamboree, a unique fundraising reunion. The black tie event was a huge success, reuniting School House OCs and former Housemasters. The evening started with a drinks reception in School House Hall, followed by an exceptional dinner in Big School. Guests were the first cohort of Old Cliftonians to experience the newly refurbished BSK! Following the School House ‘heads and tails’ quiz, dinner, speeches and School Song, guests returned to the House Hall for further drinks, where there was a fantastic display of photos and memorabilia, prepared by the College’s archivist, Dr Charles Knighton. Guests were also given the option of Bed and Breakfast in the dormitories overlooking the Close, and 16 brave souls who took up the opportunity
were awoken by the House bell in the morning and treated to a full English breakfast! The evening was a resounding success, the primary purpose of which was to raise funds for the refurbishment of School House.
Kenya Trip To coincide with an Admissions trip to Kenya, Jeremy Pickles and his wife Karen (Hon OC) attended an informal gathering of OCs in Nairobi. It was a very jolly affair and thanks go to Kiuri Mburathi (SH 1996) for organising the evening. The guests spanned a period of 50 Clifton years, the most senior being Ian Lane (ST 1950; a Wilson Benefactor) and the most recent being Vivian Lagat (WoH 2000). Jeremy and Karen thank all those who made the trip to this fascinating corner of the world so enjoyable.
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