Maidwell Matters - Summer 2022

MAI D W ELL MATTERS

APRIL

Form II Geography and Outward Bound Peak District

Junior House Cricket

UK Junior Maths Challenge

MAY

Senior House Cricket

Y2 at Warwick Castle

House Croquet

Annual Staff and Parents’ Golf Day

House Tennis

House Rounders

Open Day

Summer Concert

Form III Shakespeare Workshop

House Athletics

Max Carbery

Alice Wyatt and Florence Henson

Naevia Bracegirdle

JUNE

Leavers’ Sponsored Walk

Pembrokeshire Outward Bound

Form II French Trip

Sponsored Obstacle Course

Form III Geography Field Trip

Suffolk

Leavers’ Paintballing

Maidwell Matters BBQ

Reception to Rockingham Castle

Leavers’ Bake Off

Eva May

Leavers’ Bowling

Leavers’ Lake Swim

Year 1 to Woburn Safari Park

Leavers in London

Leavers and Mothers’ Tennis

JULY

‘Arabian Nights’ Maidwell Party

Leavers’ Cricket Match

Mothers v Daughters’ Rounders

Choir to Drayton Manor

House Singing

House Swimming

Sports Day

Prize Giving

left to right Isabel Guinness, Jessica Adams, Edie Cope and Victoria Goizueta

Forest School Activities

Forest School is a highlight of the week for our Pre-Prep children. Using the seasonal changes and superb Maidwell grounds, they are able to enjoy a range of activities to enhance their knowledge of the natural world. Children are encouraged to take managed risks during the sessions such as tool use, fire lighting and, a particular favourite, tree climbing, all within the supervision of a Level 3 Forest School Leader. A new, dedicated Forest School area within the Wilderness, complete with a rope bridge, fire circle, bug hotel, fairy garden and a fantastic mud kitchen, is at the heart of all our sessions.

Minibeasts

Minibeast madness has been upon us over the last two terms. To begin with, we wanted to make a cosy bug hotel for the plethora of insects in and around the Wilderness. Adding wood, leaves, pine cones and other natural items resulted in a 5 star resort for creepy crawlies! After that, we went hunting for minibeasts around the beautiful Maidwell grounds. Looking closely at wiggly worms, spotty ladybirds and buzzing bees, we could see the special features of each one and some of us were even brave enough to hold them. Later in the term, we made some fantastic natural minibeasts out of leaves, flowers, sticks and berries.

Alice Wyatt, Oscar Cox-Sananes

Tilly Turpin, Eia Haynes

Eloise Porter

Pond Dipping

To continue our research about minibeasts, we were lucky enough to use the lake within the Maidwell grounds to catch and identify a range of pond creatures. The children were particularly impressed with the blood worm and the leech which we struggled to release back into the water! It was fascinating to see so much life in and around the Maidwell lake, not least the adorable ducklings that were swimming across when we walked past.

l to r James Guest, Indiana Smith, Imogen Cowen, Alice Guinness, Sophia Slowey, Florence Henson

Daisy McFadzean, Sienna Harca, Minnie Gravett

Fire Lighting

After explaining the safety rules of fire lighting, the children collected different sized sticks in order to make a tripod in the fire pit. Once lit and burning nicely, the children were invited into the fire circle to toast a marshmallow or two. Bananas were on offer as a tasty vegan alternative and the children found them delicious.

Nursery Welcome Session

To welcome our September cohort of Reception ‘mini Maidwellians’, they were invited to join us for a fun filled Forest School session earlier in the term. They enjoyed learning all about the Maidwell fairies that reside in the Wilderness and during the session they made fairy wands, potions and crowns. To conclude the session, the children (and parents) were able to toast marshmallows and sing songs around the magical fairy fire. A fantastic time was had by all and we look forward to their return in September.

Mrs Addison

Year 1 Teacher and Head of Outdoor Learning

l to r Theo Stawt, Hugo Ogilvy, Martha Whitworth

Spike Dove, Elodie Porter, Theo Stawt

Tree Climbing

Tree climbing is a great activity to run because, from my point of view, it means I get to wander around in the evening sunshine and don’t have to do a lot beyond admiring the daring of our pupils and vainly cautioning them to be careful! It is the best way to see a different side of pupils I might only usually meet in the classroom and their personalities are much more evident when they are swinging from the branches and happily ignoring my anxious petitions!

TJG

Unexpected Visitors!

Of course we’re quite used to seeing the Pytchley Hunt gather here in January but this impromptu visit from a local pack of foxhounds, the Pytchley with Woodland, was an enjoyable surprise for the school. They were on morning hound exercise from the kennels at Brixworth and the pupils loved seeing them!

TJG

Charity Obstacle Course

On the 11th of June the sun was shining brightly and everyone ran out enthusiastically, joined by lots of mums, dads and matrons. There was much tension at the start when trying to get over the bales of hay. Soon after the music began, there was chaos all around. The real fun started when everyone reached the water. It was a few feet deep and cold as ice. Lots of swimming took place in that pool and everyone jumped out, freezing. Next, we had to military crawl through hay bales under a canopy of army camouflage. After the water pool, everyone was soaked and the ground was soon covered in sloppy mud. We then had to run

through a small maze and come out the other side. There were lots of frights given when friends jumped out at one another! One of the favourite obstacles was the waterslide. We all slid and launched down as the gappies squirted us with the hose and spread soap around to make it extra slippy. The last obstacle was the group of large tyres that we had to jump into whilst we were peppered with water by more gappies and people who were off games.

Thank you to Mr Swinfen for all the bales and water trough and to Mr Schofield for organising this brilliant event!

Freddie Raven - Junior Reporter

l to r Wilf Lytle, Freddie Raven, Edward Evans

Ollie Smith

Daniel Warner

Freddie Guest

Samson Njuguna

Yumn Hamid

Amanda Menya

Open Day

Although this was, I think, my twelfth Open Day, lots of things felt quite strange at first! It had certainly felt a long time since we’d welcomed so many parents into the school for any one occasion and there is no doubt this Open Day broke records for attendance. The other strange aspect was that there were many faces I didn’t recognise; not only pre-Prep families but even parents of our younger prep school pupils who I had not had the chance to meet face to face at parents’ evenings or matches for so long. Anyway, it was a bumper event in many ways: attendance, numbers of Leavers getting sponged, amount of cakes and treats generously donated for Mrs Linnecor and I to sell and a comprehensive programme of musical numbers in the concert. By the end I felt quite exhausted, so I imagine some of our littlest visitors also slept well that night! Well done to pupils and teachers for all the hard work and preparation involved.

TJG

Haruga Nishikawa

Hamish Munro

Carlota Fernandez

‘Arabian Nights’ Summer Party

Maidwell parties never disappoint, and if you’re not sure whether to trust me on this, I refer you to the many ‘ex-parents’ and parents from other schools who come along to celebrate in style, knowing they are in for a really great night. This year the committee had gone for what I initially felt might have been a bit of a constrictive construction, with adjoining tepees rather than the usual marquee. Well, I was certainly proved wrong! The venue was outstanding: a beautiful blend of exotic and cosy, decked out with greenery, fairy lights and of course, a camel. The gappies eventually got the hang of making the cocktails, Jez served up his customary delicious fare and the band was banging (although I’m more of an 80s girl- showing my age there.) I also very much enjoyed the very real snake handler and huge python she was passing around but I’m sorry to say I missed observing the flying carpet, where I believe many met their end! I asked a friend (anyone guess who?) what she’d thought of the party before writing this but she told me ‘she couldn’t remember much of it…!’ Always a good sign. Costumewise, dressing up as one end of a camel is always impressive (Rubythons!) but if there was a prize (perhaps there should be?) it would have to go to Hayley Munro and her gorgeous, glistening green snake! Thanks and congratulations to Nick and his committee for a fabulous event.

TJG

Jody Richardson

Sarah Wyatt

Tom Page

Maidwell

Juliet and Olivia James Isabel and Julian de Val

Carlota Fernandez

to r Charlotte May, Chloe Vane-Tempest Stewart, Aimee Smith, Mary Skipwith

l to r Jonny Hammond-Chambers, Jody Richardson, Patrick Smith, Hattie Hammond-Chambers

Felicity Forrest and Tania Arthur

Podge Wills

Prizegiving

It was another fiercely hot one, with Mr Owens manfully taking the full glare of the sun as he announced the winners. There was a huge cheer when he reported that the school’s fund-raising, spearheaded by the Leavers’ sponsored walk, had raised a phenomenal £39,100 for Friends of Aschiana, a charity providing education and support for Syrian children.

Prizes were awarded as follows:

Pre-Prep Sport, Reception

Pre-Prep Sport, Yr1

Pre-Prep Sport, Yr2

Pre Prep Sportsperson of the year

Victor Ludorum

Spike Dove

Alice Wyatt

Indiana Smith

Xander Crabbe

Selorm Agroh

Victrix Ludorum

Olivia James Peppiatt Cup for Academic Achievement

Conor Hockel Fletcher Cup for Academic Effort

Angus HammondChambers

Playne Maths Cup Haruga Nishikawa

Haruga Nishikawa

Angus Hammond-Chambers

Olivia James

Violet Vane-Tempest Stewart

Oscar Burrows

Lewis Fitzsimmons

EAL Prize for Outstanding Effort

EAL Prize for Most Improved English

Holborow Science Cup

Chemistry Prize

Hutton Geography Cup

Haggie Classics Cup

Owen French Cup

Silm History Cup

Stowe Art Cup

Sheridan Design Cup

B.B English Writing Cup

Fountain Debating Cup

King Carpentry Boat

Cargill Drama Cup

Phud Settapanich

Finn Richardson

Fergus Kennedy

Libby Wallace

Otto Rubython

Conor Hockel

Oscar Burrows

Violet Vane-Tempest

Stewart

Matthew Hutton

Max Carbery

Lewis Fitzsimmons

Hamish Munro

Frances Smith

Edwins Drama Prize

Technical Theatre Prize

Sheridan Choir Cup

Lamb Music Cup

Phillips Singing Cup

Marie Douglas Piano Prize

Clifton Brown Maidwell Matters

The Ayoub Kilimanjaro Trophy

Agroh Athletics Cup

Henry Bramall

Max Carbery

Elizabeth Jenkins

Olivia James

Monty Harrison

Kitty Tweed

Olivia James

India Skipwith

Selorm Agroh

All round contribution to Girls’ Sport Prize Obi Page

Burnett Rugby Cup

Cadisch Rugby Cup

Prince Football Cup

Ajani Halstead

Selorm Agroh

Pelayo Fernandez

Carlota Fernandez

Max Carbery

Matthew Hutton

Libby Wallace

Elizabeth Jenkins

Otto Rubython

Fergus Kennedy

Owens Netball Cup

Berrill Hockey Trophy

Parr Hockey Cup

Inglefield Cricket Cup

Berrill Cricket Trophy

Law Fielding Cup

Girls Cricket Prize

Wyatt Rounders Cup

Charlton Tennis Cup

Vane-Tempest Stewart Tennis Cup

Crawford Gymnastic Cup

Hanson Smith Swimming Cup

Girls Swimming Prize

Brooks Squash Cup

Girls Squash Prize

Lambert Cross Country Running Cup

Isabella Llamas

Edward de Val

Olivia James

Angus HammondChambers

Omar Curtis-Bennett

Edward de Val

Libby Wallace

Violet Vane-Tempest

Stewart

Monty Harrison

Oliva James

Kitty Tweed

Conor Hockel

Elizabeth Jenkins

Ajani Halstead

Violet Vane-Tempest

Stewart

Selorm Agroh

Radford Cross Country Running Cup

Abel Smith Golf Cup

Clifton Brown Fishing Trophy

The Tiley Tankard

Top Gun Pumphrey Shooting Trophy

Charlie Farr Cup

Senior Sportsman of the Year Shield

Intermediate Sportsman of the Year Shield

Junior Sportsman of the Year Shield

Senior Sportswoman of the Year Shield

Intermediate Sportswoman of the Year Shield

Junior Sportswoman of the Year Shield

Cleverly Colours Cup

Furse Colours Cup

The Page Salver

The Hughes Cup

The Barrow Cup

House Shield

Kitty Tweed

Luke Arthur

Luke Arthur

Gregory Paine

Hamish Munro

Henry Forrest

Edward de Val

Charlie de Val

Harry Mitson

Eva May

Scarlett Robinson

Eliza Turcan

Kitty Tweed

Ajani Halstead

Francesca Capanni

Violet Vane-Tempest

Stewart

Edward de Val

Ash

Maidwell

Conor Hockel

Hamish Munro

Finn Richardson

Frances Smith

l to r Hamish Munro, Luke Arthur, Oscar Burrows, Monty Harrison

We were lucky enough to have gorgeous weather for the highly anticipated annual Sports Day on the final day of term. We were fortunate enough to have a whole host of school records beaten, which made for a very exciting day indeed. With the addition of the Pre-Prep for their sprint, sack and egg and spoon races, it was a fun-filled and packed afternoon.

The high jump was the event that gathered the largest number of spectators this year and was also the event that saw the highest number of school records broken! New records were set in the junior girls’ (Seyram Agroh - 1.05m), senior boys’ (Selorm Agroh - 1.60m) and senior girls’ (Kitty Tweed - 1.35m).

Selorm Agroh also set a new record for the long jump, with a distance of 4.87m. Libby Wallace broke the Shot Put school record with a new record of 8.03m. Olivia James also achieved success, beating the school record by a mere 0.28 seconds in the 400m track event.

Lower down the school, Henry Kimbell proved to be extremely quick in the 75m race, finishing in just 12.78 seconds.

Owing to the ultra-hot weather and hard work put in, extra refreshments were laid on in the form of ice lollies - greatly appreciated by the overheated athletes!

SJT

Romilly Carbery and Ines Bertrand

Luke Arthur

Eva May

Gonzalo Chao, Pelayo Fernandez Gonzalez and Hamish Munro

Otto Rubython

Selorm Agroh

Edward de Val

One evening after tea four houses came together to see who would win a match of croquet. Playing for Ash we had Oliver Fitzsimmons and Victor D’estienne D’Orves, for Beech playing was Monty Harrison and Wilf Turpin, for Pine, Selorm Agroh and Harry Kennedy and for Oak it was Gonzalo Chao and Joseph Warner. By order of the post, Beech went first, followed by Ash, following on Pine and then finally Oak. It was a good start for Beech and Ash but not quite as fortunate for Oak and Pine, as they got stuck on the first post. However, later on in the game it seemed to be a three-way tie, although Ash got stuck behind and it was looking bad for them. Near the end Beech was just behind Pine and a dirty move by Monty made Pine hit into the post and made them reset which meant Pine had to restart. At the end of the game the results were: Beech 1st, Oak 2nd, Ash 3rd and Pine last.

Oliver Fitzsimmons - Sports Editor

House Croquet House Singing

It’s fair to say it hasn’t been a vintage year for Oak, and wins have been like hen’s teeth this term in particular. But we keep bouncing back, as Oak always does, and we threw ourselves into the spirit of Mrs Westlake’s revised House Singing rules, determined to HAVE FUN! We were already halfway there, thanks to Kitty Tweed’s song choice of Wham’s infectious ‘Wake Me Up’ and if we couldn’t quite coordinate the clicks with the ‘jitterbugs’ we made up in style for what might have been slightly lacking in substance. My (inspired, I felt) addition of white shades for some of the boys and neon scrunchies and ‘pineapple’ hairdos for the older girls upped the fun factor and all in all, it was a joyous event. The judging panel evidently agreed and Oak got to celebrate at long last!

1st Oak, 2nd Pine, 3rd Ash, 4th Beech

L to r Eliza Buxton, Guy Stevenson, Finn McFadzean,

TJG

Brodie Smith, Wilfie Neilson

House Swimming

After the euphoria of a win in House Singing, we hit the pool hopeful of further success. We had even persuaded sporty supremo and long-time gala-avoider Ajani Halstead to undertake a ‘Leavers’ lap’ and had a great breadth of swimming ability from youngest to oldest across the House. Alas, too often our plucky competitors found themselves swimming against bigger, older pupils in other houses where, despite their best efforts, they could not hope to prevail. In fact. I’m sure in this photo I’m remonstrating with Mr Schofield about exactly such selection anomalies- it seems not every House had interpreted ‘junior’ in the same way! Nevertheless, Ash had too many excellent swimmers for the result to go any other way so well done to Mr Jenkinson (again!)

1st: Ash, 2nd: Pine, 3rd: Oak, 4th: Beech

Retro Sports Day

This retro sports day was an exciting one because we had it on the lake lawn, next to the amazing lake. The memorable races were the stamina race, which was an around the lake run. Eliza Turcan was incredibly fast for a Form IV. The wheelbarrow race was the funniest race. Shuja Mahfooz and Freddie Guest were incredibly slow, so were Romily Carbery and Kezana Kamhara, but the younger forms, Form V and Form VI, seemed to be as fast as lightning in all their races. The piggy back race was an interesting one with lots of falling. All the houses took part and it was a fun day!

Kezana Kamhara - Form IV

TJG

Leavers’ Bowling

The leavers left school and went to Sixfields for a few rounds of bowling post-CE. There was much laughter filling the room (along with many cheaters using the bumpers!) Apparently Miss Leadbetter won the whole thing, but not many of us remember that! Before we left, Mr. Edwins had given us a very professional pep talk on how to be a pro bowler. A few of us tried his technique (such as crossing our legs to give your arm enough room to throw the ball) and for some people it worked, for others however, it did not. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the morning out.

Otto Rubython - Form I

Mothers v Leavers’ Tennis

We started off by having a knock up as many of us hadn’t held a racquet in a while, but after warming up a bit the matches began.The Hopkins played the Forrests and the Arthurs the Hockels. After that we played the Hopkins and the Arthurs played the Agrohs. We had a short break and cracked on as there were grey clouds looming in the sky. We then played the Arthurs and next the Forrests. Throughout the matches there was some friendly fire, if you could call it that! In the final we had a tough match against the Arthurs and in the end we eventually pulled through and won. We finished off the morning with a wonderful picnic lunch. It was a very enjoyable event and many thanks go to Monty Harrison and Libby Wallace for umpiring.

Leavers’ Paintballing

I accompanied this trip, but memories of the bulls-eye coloured (and sized) bruise I sustained some years ago paintballing with the leavers held me back from actually participating. Therefore, Mr Schofield and I looked on with amusement as the Marshalls explained ‘kills’ and ‘bouncers’ which would, and I quote, ‘hurt a bit more and certainly bruise’. The girls definitely looked regretful but after the first round of games they all came charging back in with great grins and expressions of relief. An hour of exhausting combat in the punishing heat didn’t dampen their delight. I think there’s just something wrong with my pain threshold…

TJG

Olivia James - Sub Editor

Pelayo Fernandez Gonzalez and Milo Hopkins

Luke Arthur and Conor Hockel

Leavers’ Cricket Match

It was another glorious day in the sun for leavers and their fathers as they played their final match on Maidwell turf. The fathers put up a good fight but could not hold out against their sons!

Mothers v Leavers’ Rounders

While I acknowledge it was a beautifully sunny morning for the Mothers v Daughters’ rounders match there were a fair few of us who donned sunglasses, mostly to hide the fuzziness from the Arabian Nights party. Rather cruelly the leavers put the mothers into bat first and after one go each we had only clocked up a measly half rounder (well done Lucy Page). I managed to start the proverbial ball rolling on whole rounders and Chloe Vane-Tempest Stewart followed suit swiftly afterwards. Mary Tweed and Kerry Capanni also contributed halves and I had another couple of them added to my column but our overall score of 4.5 wasn’t exactly intimidating

for the leavers. This showed when Eva May hit a rounder off the first ball and by the time each girl had batted once they had already beaten our score. Casilda Goizueta, Violet Vane-Tempest Stewart, India Skipwith, Isabella Llamas, Olivia James and Libby Wallace all added full rounders. Although we didn’t do player of the match, recognition must go to Eva May for scoring a rounder on every one of her goes while her father Nick wins the award for most heckling “supporter”. Thanks to Mrs Upchurch and Miss Amos for umpiring and to the girls for making such a fun morning of it.

Great Maidwell Bake-Off!

This activity was so much fun, as I don’t even really know how to bake! Four of us worked with Mrs Pointer: me, Casilda Goizueta, Fran Capanni and Javier Pujol. Casilda won, with her chocolate fudge cake. Javier won for the best-looking cake, even with a broken arm! Overall this was a really exciting experience and we obviously enjoyed eating the cakes at the end.

Leavers’

Screen Printing

Our first screen printing workshop with our leavers was a great success. Form I was so excited to make their very own t-shirt design and the results were fantastic! The basic process of screen printing involves creating a stencil on a mesh screen and then pushing the ink to create and imprint the design onto a surface. It is quite an ambitious technique and requires a lot of patience, but as usual the pupils rose to the challenge and the results speak for themselves.

SBL

l to r Otto Rubython, Selorm Agroh, Conor Hockel, Edward de Val, Ajani Halstead, Javier Pujol

Frances Smith - Form I

Casilda Goizueta

l to r Frances Smith, Violet Vane-Tempest Stewart, Carlota Fernandez

Leavers’ Science Activity

Since all of the leavers had no more lessons, we were instructed to make buggies. We were given a certain amount of straw, mini wheels, a fan, motor, batteries, cardboard, wooden sticks and duct tape. We then had around an hour to make these buggies. I was in a group with Kitty Tweed and Eva May. We ended up getting into the final, with 5 other groups, including Mr Evans and Mrs Pointer. Our buggy (‘Fairy Unicorn Princess’) ended up winning and beating the teachers. We had a lot of fun and were very shocked that we ended up winning! Violet Vane-Tempest Stewart - Form I

Tanwa Ruangkritya, Max Carbery, Henry Forrest

Eva May, Kitty Tweed, Violet Vane-Tempest Stewart

l to r Olivia James, Obi Page, Libby Wallace

Leavers’ London Trip

We arrived in London after a two hour long coach journey. Nearly as quickly as we stepped out, Mr Edwins ushered us onto a pier where we were handed life vests and put on four different speed-boats before we began to rush down the Thames at an incredible velocity. After we enjoyed the thrill along the river, we made it to a small show in Covent Garden, where we watched some extreme limbo, involving flames and spikes! We then ate at Covent Garden, where we all enjoyed a pizza and a drink. Having enjoyed that, we went to a theatre to watch ‘The Woman In Black’. It was filled with scares and frights, resulting in a few tears and plenty of screams. All in all, the London trip was extremely fun and interesting, and we all really enjoyed the experience.

Lewis Fitzsimmons - Form I

Haruga Nishikawa, Max Carbery, Henry Forrest

India Skipwith, Elizabeth Jenkins, Carlota Fernandez

Head Boy and Girl’s Day Out

Kindly, the Vane-Tempest Stewarts invited the whole of the Form I leavers to their house for a day. They had set up a bouncy castle and a water slide. We had a lot of fun on the slide, and some people went flying off at the end of it. There was a delicious barbeque half way through for lunch. The de Vals were also involved in setting everything up. At the end of the day, we got given our leavers yearbooks that had been brilliantly put together by Lisa Bramall and Isabel de Val. They are full of brilliant pictures of all the pupils in the year.

Otto Rubython - Form I

Henry Bramall

l to r Francesca Capanni, Casilda Goizueta, Eva May, Olivia James

Leavers’ Lake Swim

The dry, hot weather made the perfect excuse for the traditional dip in the lake (in fact, some leavers had been trying to submerge themselves in the lake all term- you know who you are!) Even Pudh looks like he’s enjoying the opportunity to cool off here!

TJG

Pudh Settapanich, Selorm Agroh

Leavers’ Sponsored Walk

This years’ walk, raising money for Friends of Aschiana, started with fine weather and perfect walking conditions. We had the largest group (including parents) since the leavers’ walks began. There was a special team spirit about the endeavour which ensured that everyone crossed the finish line having walked the 55 miles or so and the pace was not too great a challenge for any of the pupils. Luke Arthur did well with a change of walking shoes halfway which helped him push on to the front and stay there until the end. The daily swims in stunning Pembrokeshire scenery refreshed and invigorated everyone for the miles that remained. It was, without doubt, the best way for the Form I of 2021-22 at Maidwell to sign off, with fond memories of a walk with purpose on the Welsh coast that they will never forget.

Fergus Kennedy

Luke Arthur

Angus Hammond-Chambers, Henry Forrest

Pembrokeshire Outward Bound

Conor Hockel

Beach Time

Our beach time was very enjoyable. The Welsh sea was beautiful, though it was still cold at times, but that didn’t stop most people as we splashed around in the water. We also played lots of beach cricket on Tuesday, whilst also listening to the thrilling test match commentary. There was also time for some football, which the Spanish, as usual, excelled at. Lots of different activities made our beach time all the better.

Angus Hammond-Chambers - Form I

Climbing Kayaking

We began the activity by heading uphill into the valley around the bay. With time being tight, we were given the option to complete a bouldering session before heading on to the rock face. The jagged edges of the Welsh coastline providing some amazing, semisafe ledges to climb onto and off of, with the climbers being given the challenge of getting up a few of them with no hands. As we made our way to the water’s edge, we set up two lines, myself taking one and Stu the instructor taking the other. Angus H-C was in as quick as a shot and willing to take the first climb. All of the group managed to get some fantastic climbs completed, showing great character to get up and down the wall with a fearless attitude.

RSG Kayaking was great fun, both of the instructors were really nice and taught us well. We had a long walk with our kayaks through a drained river with amazing views. Once we got on the water, we paddled out and did some tricks such as spinning and sharp turns. After that we had permission to capsize anyone we wanted (I was the only one who capsized the instructor!) But we all ended up being upside down in the water at least once. It was great fun and a definite highlight of the trip.

Gregory Paine - Form I

Javier Pujol

Coasteering

I really enjoyed coasteering because we had lots of fun jumping off cliffs and because we had a different experience compared with the other activities. Also because we saw sea creatures like crabs, fish and seaweed. We also went into a cave which was so beautiful. We had lots of fun and, for me, this was the most enjoyable part of our Pembrokeshire trip.

Carlota Fernandez - Form I

Gregory Paine

Omar Curtis-Bennett

Obi Page

Oakwood Theme Park

I enjoyed Oakwood theme park because we had lots of fun going around in groups of 4, going on massive rides with names like Megaphobia, Speed and Bounce! On the scariest rides everyone screamed, especially Kitty, me and Eva - but it was mostly just the boys. There were cameras on each of the rides so everyone tried to make funny faces for them. We also had a great time shopping for sweets, ice cream and friendship bracelets.

Obi Page - Form I

Surfing

First thing on Wednesday, my group and I went out on the Irish Sea surfing. The waves were surprisingly big that morning. Being the pro surfer that I am, I missed all the waves whilst Otto and Violet were next to me standing on their boards looking really cool! We all had great fun and had an amazing time.

Luke Arthur - Form I

Lewis Fitzsimmons, Selorm Agroh

l to r Otto Rubython, Carlota Fernandez, India Skipwith

Finn Richardson Selorm Agroh

Edward de Val Angus Hammond-Chambers

r

Go-Karting

Being among the senior rugby squad’s pre-eminent power/speed-merchants, it probably wouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise to most when I cleaned up at the go-karting! However, to beat everyone else by the massive-for-motorsport margin of 0.5 secs, in a group that included powerhouses like Finn Richardson (2nd), Monty ‘I have an F1 simulator’ Harrison (3rd) and Mr Neilson/ Mrs Edwins/ Mr Glaysher (4th, 5th & 6th respectively) was just embarrassing! In all seriousness, this was a great day out, with multiple sessions which everyone - whether budding Lewis Hamiltons or not – really enjoyed.

Max Carbery - Form I

l to

Finn Richardson, Max Carbery, Monty Harrison

l to r Luke Arthur, Milo Hopkins, Hamish Munro, Fergus Kennedy, Monty Harrison, Pelayo Fernandez Gonzalez

l to r Libby Wallace, Olivia James, Violet Vane-Tempest Stewart, Carlota Fernandez, India Skipwith, Frances Smith, Eva May

Forget your electric cars, this is the ultimate when it comes to travelling to school with the minimal carbon footprint. Not to mention with the most style! Obi had always wanted to ride to school, and now she has. Quite an unforgettable sight for me on break duty this morning!

U10 Rounders Egg Day!

The eagerly anticipated egg day was back and this time, the eggs had been sat on my desk for a good ten days so there was a little apprehension about whether any of them would be rotten! Luckily for the girls, they were fine! This event has become a regular in our Games programme and is a great opportunity for the girls to display how much their throwing and catching skills have developed since the beginning of term. This year, the girls had the opportunity to work in pairs and do both underarm and overarm throws with a hard-boiled egg (10 minutes), a par boiled (only for 3 minutes!) and raw egg. The girls had a great time, even though a number of them got very eggy! The overall winners were Jessica Adams and Eliza Buxton.

Form III Design Boats

Everyone was screaming with excitement as the first boat race of our Design project kicked off. Competing in race 1 were: Cressie Parr, Edward Evans, Joe Warner, Henry Skipwith and Shuja Mahfooz. Instantly there was carnage on the waters. The Dragon (Cressie’s boat) had a clear lead and seemed to be the only one going straight. There were some collisions and lots of circles. The Dragon was the only boat to reach the finish line.

Race two was very similar; chaos and collisions. Most daggerboards were made from card and bent to the side, causing our boats to go in loops. In that race were: Freddie Raven, Freddie Guest, Wilf Lytle, Reggie Wheaton and Elizabeth Akingba. The winner of that race was Reggie Wheaton with The Titanic Queen Mary 2.

Race three was a long and tiring race. The racers were: Scarlett Robinson, Inés Bertrand, Ollie Smith, Charlie de Val, Lucia Goizeta and Michael Halstead. There was only one collision and Michael Halstead won that race as the only boat that made it across!

Race four had the record for most circles. The people sailing their ships were: Archie Edwins, Archie Mayo, Archie Arthurton (Racing “Boaty McBoatface”) Toby Johnson, Aimee Taylor and Edward Sandwell. The main two competitors were Toby Johnson’s “Evergreen” and. Mr Evans’ “Boaty McBoatFace”. Both ships made it near the finish despite going in circles but it went on for too long and we had to cut it.

The winner in the end was Cressie Parr with The Dragon. Her time was 26 seconds. Thank you to Mr Evans for organising the races and well done to Cressie and The Dragon!

Freddie

Raven - Trainee Reporter

SJT

Isabel Guinness

Cressida Parr

Chess v Witham Hall

This event was the first ever chess tournament Maidwell has been in and it will not be the last. It was held at Witham, where 8 pupils from Maidwell faced off against 10 pupils from Witham Hall in many tension-filled matches. The first matches were the opposite seeds playing each other. Our first seed, Javier Pujol, smashed through his matches, ending up with four wins, and only one loss! I was the second seed, winning three, drawing one and losing one. Our third seed was Haruga Nishikawa, who won two and drew one. We also had our Form IIIs playing including Joe Warner. The final score was close but we won!

Conor Hockel - Form I

Maidwell Matters Team Barbecue

As ever, my hard-working team were fed and watered by my own fair hands at this, the eleventh successfully completed, no-one poisoned, celebratory barbecue supper. It has become a tradition for the team to come up with sketches, songs and skits for the general after-dinner entertainment of the party and it’s always a hilarious mix of awkward and totally uninhibited! My team is always great company and the evening was a fun way to thank them for all their hard work over the year. The culmination of the evening was the official appointment of the new SubEditor. This year I chose to share the role between two committed and productive members of long standing, Oliver Fitzsimmons and Amanda Menya: congratulations to both!

l to r Kezana Kamhara, India Skipwith, Olivia James, Oliver Fitzsimmons, Amanda Menya, Lottie Reddy, Isabella Henson, Freddie Raven

In The Hot SeatBobby Haynes

What is your earliest memory?

I would say when I was about 4, my first day at Reception, feeling very proud of my navy drawstring bag on which my mum had sewn a butterfly patch.

Is there something that really sums up your childhood?

Going on woodland walks in Yelvertoft, which is where I grew up, with my family, Uncle Jimi and his dogs, followed by cake or buttered crumpets at home.

Which university did you go to and what did you study?

I went to Leeds to study a BA in History of Art and Museum studies. Then I went to Warwick University to do a Masters in History of Art.

What were you doing before you took up this post?

Working in independent schools, latterly as a Reception teacher and the EYFS Coordinator at St Peter’s in Kettering, which was fabulous as I learnt so much from Maria Chapman, who was the Head there.

How did you first come to work with young children?

After university I was working at a global museum design firm in London called RAA, which I loved, but I started to think that I liked the look of my mother’s job, as she was the Reception teacher at Crescent School for years, and so I decided to study for a PGCE at Northampton.

If you have a stressful day, how do you unwind?

Talk to my mother about it and make time for a chocolate biscuit whilst watching Bridgerton.

Are you a cook or a baker? If so, what is your speciality?

Definitely a baker! And a gluten free one at that. I am a terrible cook. Putting time and effort into cake is always worth it. My speciality would have to be a vanilla roulade, taught to me by my mother.

Are you interested in art?

I adore art, and miss creating it. Now that my girls are no longer babies, I will hopefully one day soon begin to find time to paint again and go to more art galleries.

What type of music do you like to listen to?

I love any type of rock and indie music. My favourite bands are Pearl Jam and System of a Down. But I do like other genres, and listen to bands like First Aid Kit and love a bit of Beyonce and Eminem!

What is your favourite film?

Any Avengers films and I like Elf and Harry Potter as well! I’m more of a TV, Game of Thrones, person.

Do you like reading, and if so what is your favourite book?

I like reading, but I am dreadful and only make time for it on holiday. My favourite books are probably The Land Girls by Angela Huth and Diary of a Nobody by the Grossmith brothers.

Could you recommend your favourite children’s book?

This is a very diffi cult question as I adore children’s books and have been reading to my girls almost since they were born. I would probably have to say anything by Duncan Beedie, as his stories are fun, have a good moral and lovely modern illustrations. I also love things like ‘A Hat for Mr Mountain’ and ‘Rita’s Rabbit’.

Can you introduce us to your family?

My family unit consists of my Dad David, Mum Sandra, younger brother Jeremy, his wife Annabel, their baby Verity, my lovely 2 year old Ottie, my spirited 5 year old Eia and my husband Charles, who I have been in love with since I was 17.

Do you have any animals?

I would currently find it difficult to take care of a house plant let alone a pet!

If you could compare yourself with any animal, which would it be and why?

A twittering sparrow, as I am tiny and can never relax or be silent!

Do you have a favourite motto?

I have recently noticed that I constantly utter the phrase “crack on” and I am partial to the motto ‘Manners maketh man’.

What is your favourite smell?

Freshly baked cake or cut grass.

What’s your pet peeve?

Inaction. Everyone can do something great when they try.

What is your favourite sport (to play or watch)?

I am not a very sporty person, but I love swimming in the sea in Cornwall, and occasionally run. However, I do love watching tennis and am an Andy Murray fanatic.

Where is the place you like to visit most, and why?

St Ives in Cornwall. I have been going since I was born, with my family, cousins and grandparents. My Nanny and Papa visited St Ives every year for over 40 years. It is the place where my husband asked me to marry him (waist high in the sea!) and where I found out I was going to have my first baby, Eia. She was named after a street there called ‘St Eia’, which is named after an evangelist of the 5th or 6th centuries in Cornwall. She is said to have been an Irish princess!

Could you imagine living abroad?

Not really because I love living in England, but if I had to be somewhere else I would say Norway or some other Scandinavian country.

If you could only take 3 items to a desert island with you, what would you choose?

A lifetime supply of milk (as I am a weird grown up who doesn’t drink anything else - no caffeine, no alcohol), a 70s floral dress and my embroidery.

Can you describe your style?

Anne of Green Gables meets Avril Lavigne. Who is your role model?

My Papa, who was my mother’s father. He was a senior mechanical engineer working for the Coalboard; clever, incredibly hard working, selfless and caring. He always used to say “Hello beautiful”. He shared all his wealth between his 5 grandchildren. He enabled me to buy my first house and when he looked around for the first time he said “It was always my ambition to help you get a house”. He would have been thrilled for me to be working at Maidwell now, providing for my children in the way he did.

If you got one wish from a genie what would it be?

To be healthy and to be with all my family forever. I could never live without them.

Summer Concert

As I admired the children’s art and design, watched them jump and somersault in the gym display, hook a duck, throw wet sponges, eat a generous supply of delicious sausages, burgers and cakes and run around the school grounds, I confess that I was wondering whether they would have enough energy for the final part of the day – the concert! I need not have worried – the hall filled rapidly, with parents squeezing in every available spot, pupils started to take their places, tune their instruments, and we were off.

The opening Xylophone Ensemble performance from Form III was bursting with energy and there was no sense of anyone feeling in the slightest bit weary. Rhythmical and dynamic, they remembered their parts with precision and flair. Harry Westlake followed with his drum solo, playing ‘Jump’ by Van Halen with poise and musicality, keeping a secure beat whilst the audience clapped along enthusiastically.

We couldn’t miss the opportunity to support and contribute to the Queen’s Jubilee. Form I did us proud with their Thai angklung interpretation of ‘God save the

Queen’ which received rapturous support and cheers. Obi Page, Pelayo Fernandez Gonzalez and Francesca Capanni shook their instruments like crazy whilst grinning throughout!

Monty Harrison bravely took centre stage performing ‘Rondeau’ by Purcell, treating us to a superb violin performance with controlled bowing, beautiful sound and lots of character. It’s worth mentioning at this point that only a few weeks ago, along with many other pupils, Monty had just performed a huge solo in the Lent concert. Such hard work was paying off. Kitty Tweed, who is passionate about Ludovico Einaudi, then performed ‘Experience’ and captured everyone’s attention. I don’t think she realised how much her performance delighted everyone until the deafening explosion of applause that filled the hall as she played her last note.

I love ensembles. Whether playing the melody or harmony, the children learn to listen and communicate with each other to create music as a team. Our inspirational guitar teacher, Mrs Sommerfeld, has

l to r Romilly Carbery, Ines Bertrand, Abigail Tait, Haruga Nishikawa , Hugo Cruse, Arthur Smith, Patrick Guest, Harry Mitson, Brodie Smith

certainly worked her magic this term, bringing together nine enthusiastic guitarists to perform.

Libby Wallace, Kitty Tweed and Luke Arthur treated us to ‘Simple’ by Roger Cawkwell in the Saxophone Ensemble as well as Seyram Agroh, Monty Todd, Monty Harrison and Kezana Kamhara performing ‘Ode to Joy’ by Beethoven in the String Ensemble. The weeks of rehearsals really paid off.

Olivia James sang ‘Til There was You’ by Meredith Wilson and didn’t she make it sound easy! The words and notes flowed so naturally and her tone was exceptionally beautiful. ‘London Calling’ by The Clash certainly had us tapping our feet as Greg Paine took us back (some of us!) to the late seventies for some British punk rock. Incredible improvements and progress throughout the term, resulting in a first-class performance. Well done!

The church choir is an integral part of school life at Maidwell. They are dedicated and diligent, attending rehearsals and services as well as learning a varied selection of repertoire for concerts. ‘Homeward Bound’ by Marta Keen was performed beautifully. It’s a song about embarking on a new phase of life’s journey and so, with many choir

members in Form I, was so very fitting. Then it was time for the evergrowing concert band to fill the hall with ‘Rock around the Clock’ and our favourite number, ‘Gangnam Style!’

Experiencing the joy of performing and creating music, working as a team, inspiring one another to progress and gain confidence and

having fun are all at the core of Maidwell music. So it was a fitting tribute when the whole school came together to sing ‘Nearly at the End’ by Sarah Watts. It was a joy to see smiling faces, enthusiastic singing and great volume. A super way to finish a super day.

JCW

l to r Seyram Agroh, Monty Harrison, Kezana Kamhara, Monty Todd

Gregory Paine

Olivia James

l to r Omar Curtis-Bennett, Milo Hopkins, Francesca Capanni, Gonzalo Chao, Gregory Paine, Obi Page, Pelayo Fernandez Gonzalez and Pudh Settapanich

Monty Harrison

Libby Wallace, Kitty Tweed, Luke Arthur

Kitty Tweed

Kitty Tweed, Martha Lytle, Lottie Reddy, Olivia James

Choir Trip to Drayton Manor

This year’s choir had a well deserved trip to the Drayton Manor theme park. Buzzing with excitement, we got on the coach and set off. We arrived at Drayton Manor and chose which ride we wanted to go on fi rst.

My group’s first ride was a rocking pirate ship, then we went on a carousel with swings. This ride was relaxing after the pirate ship. The fi nal two rides before lunch were planes that flipped upside down and the rickety and popular log fl ume where we all got soaked and splashed with water. This built up our appetite for lunch. For lunch my group bought fish and chips and sweets with the £20 we were given, but there was lots to choose from. Next we went on a spinning ride that went up and down, then we went on a few more roller coasters and our final ride was one where you stand up whilst going upside down. I highly recommend it, it was perfect for our last ride and my favourite one by far. We hurried back to the meeting point in the middle of the park to fi nd the rest of the choir. There was so much to explore and hardly any of us had been to Drayton Manor so it was new to most of the choir. Finally on the coach back to school, we sang Seyram happy birthday. Sad that the trip was over, we arrived back at school with bags full of sweets! Thank you Mrs Westlake for organising the trip, Miss Leadbetter, Miss Amos and Mr Galvin for coming to help.

Lottie Reddy - Features Editor

Music Results

On a sunny morning we piled our luggage into the trailer, jumped in the minibus and set off to the Peak District. After a long journey, we stopped in Edale, walked for a short while and arrived at the River Noe to begin our study. Multiple pieces of equipment were used in order to conduct our study. Our task was to investigate the hypothesis ‘the variables increase as we move from the source of the River Noe to the mouth.’ The Edale countryside view was very picturesque. Following this, we arrived at the campsite, set up our tents and began cooking our boil in the bag food which was surprisingly delicious, along with a mug of hot chocolate to warm us up. We let off some steam by running around and playing games in the campsite (accidentally annoying some fierce campers!). After a busy day we settled down in our tents and got some much needed rest although it was extremely cold!

Form II Geography Field Trip Form III

Dunwich Field Trip

It was a long way to Dunwich and everyone started in a cheerful mood, excited for the trip. By the time we reached the YHA youth hostel, nearly everyone was hungry and needed the loo.

We left our bags in the cheerful lounge and climbed back onto the bus. We ate lunch in a nice little clearing in a thin forest not far from the coast. We headed over to the spit on the choppy water and climbed into the trailer that was to take us on our tour. We all surveyed the desertesque landscape as our guide pointed out interesting buildings and creatures. The first building we stopped at was an old missile testing facility with the smashed up remains of the missile timer and target. The binoculars were very popular as we lined up, eager to see the buildings that we couldn’t go inside. The second building was a plane guiding beacon called the Black Beacon, also used for scanning and watching planes and missiles. There were soon more people wanting to look out than there

The next morning we set up our cookers again and cooked some porridge and herbal tea for breakfast. We dismantled our tents, packed up the campsite and headed off to our next location, which was Carsington Water. At the reservoir, their team helped and encouraged us to build rafts which we eventually used to race each other to an island and back. The water and the weather were incredibly cold, although everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We then headed back to Maidwell after a tiring few days.

A big thank you must go to Mr Whitehead and Mr Lankester for organising this educational but amazing trip.

Amanda Menya - PA to the Editor, Lottie ReddyFeatures Editor and Isabella Henson - Equine Specialist

were windows. The last building was a bomb factory where we saw where the machinery would have been in the mid twentieth century.

Everyone was excited to help with dinner, especially Archie Mayo, using the leftovers from lunch to make a snack/ salad bar filled with fruit and sandwiches. We ate a delicious supper of lasagne, garlic bread and strawberry cheesecake. We went to the park after supper and played cricket, swung on the swings and invented a new game called the Economy Game.

Next morning, Mr Glaysher’s bus prepared breakfast and everyone queued up to receive toast and cereal. We tucked in and ate hurriedly as we all wanted to go to the beach. At the beach, we split into two groups. Half of us went to the museum to learn about the history of Dunwich, while the other half stayed on the beach to measure current, rocks and beach profiles.

Thank you to Mr Whitehead, Mr Glaysher and Mrs Skipwith for coming on this amazing trip!

Freddie Raven - Form III

l to r Lucia Goizueta, Ines Bertrand, Ollie Smith, Aimee Taylor

Form II French Trip

The Form II trip to France was especially exciting because this enjoyable trip had not taken place for a while. There was a big buzz leading up to our departure. After a long first day of travelling, including Yumn getting stuck at French passport control, we arrived at the château.

The next day we started with a late breakfast and then we travelled to the American D-Day war memorial where we watched a parade and saw a fly past. After lunch we went to a beach and had free time in the town - where Molly bumped into a bar of soap, broke it but didn’t have money to pay back so got barked at by a French shopkeeper - before heading off to a D-Day 360 degree cinema which was fascinating. In the evening

we were treated to an adventure of landyatching on the beach, which was a new and fun experience for all.

On day three we had a day full of sports activities. We got up and had the classic French breakfast before heading off to vélo rail. Vélo rail is a car with two bicycles attached to the side meaning two people have to pedal for it to move. The other two people sat back and enjoyed the picturesque view. After this we set off for a quick spell of mountain biking on very rocky terrains. Then we had lunch in a park. Our last activity was kayaking which was really refreshing considering the extreme heat.

On the morning of day 4 we headed off to Ápres, a French town and wrote a postcard home. In Ápres we

also bought strawberry grenadine drinks and ordered them in French. After this we travelled to the famous Island of Le Mont Saint Michel and had lunch. We did a town trail and l bought souvenirs before walking back 8km through quicksand and rivers.

On day five we visited Falaise where William Conquer had a house built for him which he never visited. Inside were tablets, where you scanned the code to see the medieval interior design of the room. To finish off we went to a supermarket and Mr Godber kindly bought us ice creams as it was about 34 degrees.

On our last day we started off by going to a market and buying our own lunch in French. We then proceeded to visit the Bayeux Tapestry. There we were given small phones which narrated the tapestry as you walked along it. To finish off our trip we went to a chocolate

factory where we learnt about how they make different types of chocolate and the different types of cocoa beans and the history of chocolate. After that we went back to the accommodation where the hostess of the accommodation had prepared a little celebration for us, with music, crisps and fizzy drinks. Finally, we had to start packing for our departure. Travelling back went smoothly - the sea was so calm!

Nous voudrions dire un grand merci à Mme Pointer, Mlle Amos et M. Galvin et surtout à M. Godber pour nous avoir emmenés dans un voyage aussi mémorable.

Amanda Menya - PA to the Editor

Oliver Fitzsimmons - Sports Editor

Lottie Reddy - Features Editor

Isabella Henson - Equine Specialist

Martha Lytle

Oliver Fitzsimmons, Miles Swinfen, Yumn Hamid

Form III Shakespeare Workshop

We had all spent the last few English lessons going over the story of William Shakespeare. From what we had learned, this was going to be a fun day. We left at the start of prayers and climbed onto the coach, in high spirits. The journey was about an hour to Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of the famous playwright, William Shakespeare. We went over the story of Macbeth, taking it in turns to act out one scene. We then split into groups and performed Macbeth in freeze frames. There was a lot of gore depicted with sticks. Before lunch, we did the hair and makeup activity. Because of COVID, we could only watch the people as they pulled on various wigs, fake teeth, arms and scars. Two very notable tricks were the knife trick, where a plastic knife has a pipette on the other side of the blade to make blood and the arm stump trick. To do this you had to put an old pair of tights on the bottom of a plastic water bottle and cover the top in PVA glue and paint it red, for blood. This was all-round, an incredible day and thank you to Mr Edwins and Mrs Skipwith for organising it.

Freddie Raven - Junior Reporter

Pudh Kongamnuaysuk, Harry Westlake, Jack Dewar

Reggie Wheaton

RSC Costume and Make Up staff demonstrate some special effects!

Out of the Art Room

Ollie Smith, Ammonite Collagraph Collage

Isabella Llamas, Hundertwasser study

Naevia Bracegirdle, Jasper Johns Colour Study

Milo Elson, Jasper Johns Colour Study

Leonor Marraud des Grottes, Watercolour Cityscape

Harry Westlake, Lino Print

Harry Mitson, Futurism

Arthur Smith, Arcimboldo portrait

Pippa Kilsby, Oil Pastel Futuristic Figure

India Skipwith, Hundertwasser Study

Seyram Agroh, Futurism

Wilf Turcan, Kandinsky Study

Collaborative Watercolour Study, Form VI

Molly Elson, Lino Print Seascape

Eliza Buxton and Jessica Adams Edie Cope

Amanda Menya, Watercolour Cityscape

Salt dough sculpture, Form IV

Eliza Turcan, Jasper Johns Study

1st XI Cricket

The 2022 cricket season was always going to be a test for the senior squad. Having missed so many matches through the pandemic years, a lack of experience was always the challenge when taking on much larger schools. With all this to be concerned about, the team needed to work hard and catch up as quickly as possible.

Captain Angus Hammond-Chambers and vicecaptain Omar Curtis-Bennett soon inspired the players to train hard and the squad worked incredibly well together, often using their free time in the evenings. The morale stayed incredibly high and as the season progressed, so too did their abilities and skill sets improve. To win the matches they did was a credit to all the team and something in their last sporting term here that they should remember and cherish. Colours this season went to Angus Hammond-Chambers, Omar Curtis-Bennett, Edward de Val and Henry Forrest.

OPPOSITION RESULT

Witham Hall Lost

Swanbourne Won

Beachborough Lost

Bilton Grange Lost

Stoneygate Won

Maidwell Lost

Ashfold Lost

T20

Swanbourne

Witham Hall Won Lost

2nd XI Cricket

It was a successful season for the 2nd XI, both in terms of results (W5, L2) and development. In fact, had we batted with more care and attention in the defeats to Witham and Oundle, we could even be looking at a perfect record. The five wins were all pretty comfortable and a good endorsement of the hard work put in behind the scenes by the players and coaches since the lockdown hiatus. All the boys got to bowl – but only because they’re all really good at it and could be trusted to do it in matches. Oscar Burrows – who also captained quietly but firmly and helped me a lot – was the pick of the bowlers with his pace and consistency. Daniel Warner and Yumn Hamid also impressed with the ball and should be strong next year. Otto Rubython and Monty Harrison chipped in with key wickets. Oliver

Fitzsimmons improved considerably with the gloves and also batted superbly at Oundle. Angus Ogilvy showed the ‘big lads’ how to stay in and construct an innings. Haruga Nishikawa came just short of a century versus Swanbourne. Lewis Fitzsimmons bludgeoned boundaries while Otto led us calmly home against Bilton and Beachborough. Monty smashed a half-century at Ashfold. Rafe Alston, Milo Hopkins and Hamish Munro all played their part; they had to bide their time but did so uncomplainingly and did not let anyone down when their moments came. I believe that this attitude typified the ‘team ethic’ which I wanted to instil and which the boys would ultimately buy into.

OPPOSITION RESULT

Witham Hall Home Lost 5-65

Swanbourne House Away Won 25-50

Beachborough Home Won 35-10

Bilton Grange Home Won 5-10

Stoneygate Home Won 25-10

Oundle Away Lost 40-35

Ashfold Away Won 10-25

Oscar Burrows

Daniel Warner

Colts A Cricket

This season, the Colts’ results have swung from the sublime to the ridiculous. We began the season with the curtain raiser away on astroturf to Stoneygate, winning comfortably. We then had an extremely difficult run of fixtures against some much bigger teams. Although losing is always disappointing, the manner in which we lost these fixtures was most disappointing. With the batting letting us down, we knew we had to change it around. With Harrison Crabbe moving up to the top of the order, this sparked new life in the team, who chased a wonderful 113 away to Ashfold, winning with 3 overs to spare. This was followed by a thumping of Swanbourne, bowling the opposition out for just 51, then taking 7 overs to chase it down, for the loss of only one wicket. Going in to the last game of the season, we were balancing on a 50/50 record, only to give our best performance of the season with the bat, scoring 147-1 and having 3 players retired. Winning the final game gave us a ‘4 and 3’ record. The progress this set of

players has shown since April has been fantastic. Their willingness to listen and improve has given them a great opportunity to develop and I wish them all the best as they move into senior cricket next year.

OPPOSITION RESULT

Stoneygate Maidwell 157-4 Won

Spratton Hall Maidwell 48ao Lost

Maidwell Beachborough 113-4 Lost Bilton Grange Maidwell 43ao

Colts B Cricket

The season of mainly away fixtures started with Stoneygate in unexpected conditions on a hard court. The boys were keen to make as much of a match as possible from it and were disciplined in playing their best and winning comfortably. This approach set the tone for the season and peaked against Bilton in a tense affair which was won with some solid batting but also in fantastic fielding from the team as a whole. The confidence gained from this experience helped the boys push on to an unbeaten season. This was fully deserved as everyone played their part in what has been a truly memorable sporting term. The boys should be very proud of what they have achieved and use it to move forward with an even greater passion for the sport.

JWW

U9 Cricket

The U9 Cricket team has had a super term’s cricket with generally benign weather meaning lots of matches and training throughout the season. Everyone has made excellent progress, both in terms of skills and in their knowledge of the game. As with the U8s, match-play was played according to ‘Kwik Cricket’ rules. The U9s started with a tournament at St Hugh’s school. Despite finishing third against two more experienced teams, it was heartening to see how closely the U9s pushed the opposition on both occasions. They were focused and effective in the field, while scoring plenty of runs with bat in hand.

Against Stoneygate, the team’s potential really started to show through with some excellent bowling, freeflowing batting – and a big win. A narrow loss against Bilton Grange was followed up with another solid victory against Swanbourne, showing some impressive fielding and power-hitting. The team’s most successful day came at Stoneygate’s mini-tournament where the U8s and U9s were mixed up – and both teams won. The final game saw a loss to Spratton with both teams scoring highly, but excellent bowling from the latter eventually prevailing.

This was a strong first season for the U9s, showing just the right amount of competitiveness, combined with enthusiasm and eagerness to learn and improve. All of these players can head to Colts-level cricket next year with a solid platform to progress even further in the game.

JEN

OPPOSITION RESULT

Beachborough A 260 vs 219 Lost

St Hugh's A 259 vs 224 Lost

Stoneygate 328 vs 248 Won

Bilton Grange 352 vs 348 Lost Swanbourne 280 vs 233 Won

Stoneygate Won

Bilton Grange Won

Ashfold School Lost

Spratton Hall 370 vs 311 Lost

U8 Cricket

The U8s have approached cricket this term with fantastic enthusiasm – as evidenced by the number of them I have seen practicing their bowling action down corridors, in between lessons! For many of this young batch of players, playing cricket has been quite a new experience. All have made great progress in developing a solid understanding of the basics of the game. In match play, the U8s and U9s play a form of cricket known as ‘Kwik Cricket’. Batsmen and bowlers rotate after one or two overs and wickets result in five runs being deducted from the team total, rather than an individual batman leaving the field. Each team starts on 200 runs.

As can be seen from the results above, the team had some fantastic games, with high-scoring totals. A particular highlight was the mini tournament at Stoneygate where the team succeeded in defeating the home team, while coming back from a prior loss, (earlier in the term) to beat Bilton Grange and to complete a clean sweep on the day. Most importantly at this stage, lots of fun was had in each match throughout the season and it was quite obvious that the boys thoroughly enjoyed working together and playing as part of a team.

The U8s have all shown tremendous dedication and made great strides in the game – they have great teamspirit and a healthy competitiveness. I can definitely see this lot being a force to be reckoned with as they develop their strength and skills during their progress through the school.

OPPOSITION RESULT

Stoneygate 262 vs 257 Won

Bilton Grange 340 vs 290 Lost

Swanbourne House 296 vs 240 Lost

Stoneygate Won

Bilton Grange Won

Ashfold School Lost

Spratton Hall 301 vs 231 Won

JEN

U13A Rounders

This group of girls have been great to coach this season and they have got stuck into a variety of drills to improve their Rounders skills. We have won all of our school matches with the final games against Bilton being the hardest but most rewarding. Violet VaneTempest Stewart has captained the team well and has been a real star hitting the ball to all parts on the field and being a safe pair of hands at back stop. Lizzie Jenkins has been brilliant at 1st and 2nd base and has worked really well with Violet. Olivia James has been a great bowler and a first class left-handed batter. I was pleased that Eva May agreed to take the first ball of each innings and she has managed to get us off to a really good start with her strong hitting. As shown in the Nationals, Kitty Tweed developed into a strong batter and she has been a dependable source of points for the team. Frances Smith has worked hard on her skills and has been a reliable fielder in the deep. India Skipwith has also worked hard and was striking the ball well with the bat. Libby Wallace has patrolled the outfield well and been able to stop runs with her powerful throwing.

I have been pleased to see Amanda Menya play so well and she has had a fine season with her batting and when fielding. Ruby Carlisle is a very decent hitter and fielder who has fitted into the team well. It didn’t quite go to plan in the Nationals and we were perhaps a little undercooked throughout. We played our best game in the early rounds beating Cheshams. This shows what might have been as they went on to win the whole thing. A good season though girls: well done.

NDO

OPPOSITION RESULT

Tudor Hall 20-5 Won Home

Kimbolton B 27-4 Won Away

Kimbolton A 22-10 Won Away

Rugby High 25.5-4 Won Away

Bilton Grange 19.5-7.5 Won Away

IAPS National Rounders

The eagerly anticipated National Rounders Competition was back after a three year wait due to Covid and the U13As were back to try to regain their title of National Champions. The standard of Rounders at this event is always high and it was a great day with a vast amount of competition and talent on show. This year, three teams were entered: the U13As, U13Bs and U11s. Both the U13As and U13Bs had a strong day, winning two out of their four matches in the round robin stage but the U11s battled with the significantly higher standard than that on our circuit. In League 1, Maidwell Hall U13As narrowly missed out on a semi-final place to St Bedes. Despite scoring a total of 20.5 rounders and the same number of wins as St Bedes (St Bedes scored a total of 17.5 rounders), the rules stated that in the event of two teams winning the same number of matches, a place in the semi-finals would go on the difference in rounders for and against. St Bedes difference was 1 rounder and Maidwell’s U13As was 2 rounders which cost them their place in the semi-finals. Frustratingly, had the U13As also had a difference of 1 rounder, they would have gone through as they had a higher total rounders score compared to St Bedes! We hope to return next year to bring back another gold bat!

SJT

U13B Rounders

The U13B rounders team had an unbeaten season, with some phenomenal results as can be seen. They were led by Captain Obi Page. Francesca Capanni was a solid backstop stopping the ball efficiently. Isabella Henson was a fiercely accurate bowler with a serious game face! Isabella Llamas played between As and Bs but contributed wherever she played. Carlota Fernandez was new to the game but learnt quickly and fielded with skill. As the scores suggest, rounders came thick and fast from the rest of the team. The game of the season was probably the massive win against local rivals Bilton Grange who came with a big reputation and left with only a little score!

TJG

OPPOSITION RESULT

Tudor Hall Won 22-8

Stoneygate Won 3-12.5

Pitsford RAINED OFF

Kimbolton Won 8.5-30

Rugby High Won 4-25.5

Bilton Grange Won 7.5-19.5

Welland Park CANCELLED

Robert Smythe CANCELLED

U11 Rounders

As the first rounders team I have been allocated to coach, these girls have set a stellar standard. They were fortunate to have a gentle opening fixture against opposition who were less confident in their ability, giving our players a chance to find their feet and understand the requirements of a match situation. Aurelia Bruce made a notable debut with 2.5 rounders from three balls and deservedly claimed first Player of the Match of the season. This experience stood the team in good stead for its next match, a much more balanced affair where the younger girls really impressed: Kezana Kamhara executed a long barrier of such perfection that the opposing coach gave her a round of applause and Eliza Turcan earned Player of the Match for her huge hitting. The training fixture against Laxton Junior School was a chance to develop but the win made it even more pleasing. By the time we faced Stoneygate it was our fourth match in seven days and we were into the swing of things, although the opposition put up a much closer fight than the score line reflected. Elizabeth Akingba did her best to send the ball into the next county and racked up four rounders in four deliveries with Scarlett Robinson also contributing her fair share to the total. Over the rest of the matches that half of term we also witnessed some excellent fielding performances with the backstop/second post combination of Ollie Smith

and captain Ines Bertrand proving particularly effective at preventing scoring and dismissing players. Following a change in personnel and some injuries after half term it was going to be a challenge to have the same impact in the championships, especially as the majority of teams were mixed and the boys hit some incredible distances. Special mention must go to Pippa Kilsby who played up from the U9s as our bowler. Overall the day was an enjoyable experience to bring the end of our season to a close and the girls should be immensely proud of the team they have become.

OPPOSITION

Lubenham All Saints Primary

16.5-5.5 Won Tudor Hall 19-16 Won Laxton Junior School 8-11 Won Stoneygate

11.5-3.5 Won

Kimbolton 13-22 Won Rugby High School 5.5-24 Lost Bilton Grange 18-18.5 Won National Rounders Championships Lost

U9 Rounders

What a victory this young U9 side have had, achieving an undefeated season! This is the youngest team I have ever had with 5 of our 7 girls in Form VI. With none of the Form VI girls having any prior experience of Rounders, we had a lot of work to do. This included basic fielding practice, throwing and catching, batting and developing their understanding of the rules of the game.

Pippa Kilsby has been fantastic in captaining the side to a full set of victories. She has played as bowler and has developed her skills in this key area extremely well over the course of the term. Eliza Buxton has been vice captain and played a pivotal role in the position of backstop. Edie Cope has shown great bravery fielding inside the rounders pitch. Isabel Guinness has worked tremendously hard to improve her awareness of the game whilst fielding by 1st base. Seyram Agroh has been tremendous in deep field by 2nd base and has backed up the 2nd base effectively when necessary.

Jessica Adams has had a superb season. She has played in the high-profile position of 2nd base and has showed fantastic improvements in her catching abilities when the ball is thrown to her. Rose Wyatt has shown

great progression in her fielding capabilities and the ‘Rose Dance’ is a memorable highlight of the season for not only me, but the girls too.

They have all worked exceptionally well together as a team and show some real promise for the future as they grow and develop. I am already looking forward to coaching the majority of them again next year.

OPPOSITION RESULT

SJT

Tennis

Boys’ VI

The first match against Winchester House was an eye-opener for our first pair, Monty Harrison (Captain) and Selorm Agroh. Ajani Halstead and Conor Hockel came very close in their games but unfortunately Luke Arthur and Omar Curtis-Bennett were not on form and overall the team was resoundingly beaten. The Beachborough fixture was almost the opposite, with one close game for Monty and Selorm but overall an easy team win. Sadly, Witham outmatched us in our final match but these boys will all be strong players should they choose to continue to develop their game at their future schools.

Tennis

Girls’ VI

The first match against Winchester House was frustratingly close, with our first pair, Olivia James (Captain) and Form II player Leonor Marraud de Grottes playing some excellent tennis. The outcome really hinged on the final set between 3rd pairs where unfortunately Violet Vane-Tempest Stewart and Libby Wallace were narrowly beaten, giving the match to Winchester. The Beachborough fixture sadly only involved 2 pairs and was not particularly competitive as we only lost 4 games in the entire match. The Witham Hall result shows how strong the Witham team

was and despite putting up a good fight, we could not prevail. However, it has been a pleasure to see this team develop in strength and confidence over the term and I’m sure many of them will continue to enjoy tennis moving forward.

Valete Editorial Team

Alexander Godber

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Alexander Godber as Head of French from the start of next term. Alex was educated at King Edward VII High School, Melton, followed by Rutland 6th Form College. He graduated in French, German, Linguistics and European Studies from The University of West of England, Bristol. He has had a successful career in business and was Managing Director of Multy UK Ltd (Corby) from 2009-20. In August 2020 he decided to change career and become a teacher and he completed the SCITT PGCE course at Ormiston Bushfield Academy, The Peterborough School and King’s School in Peterborough. He is married with 8 and 10 year old children. He enjoys hiking and the outdoors. He is a keen rugby fan and is an RFU registered coach at the Market Harborough RFC. For 7 years he has been detachment commander of the North Luffenham Army Cadets.

RAL

Sarah Linnecor

Sarah Linnecor joined as new Head of Art in April. She was educated at Rugby High Grammar School for Girls following which she graduated with a BSc (first class) from Exeter University. She then completed a one year Teach First PGCE in secondary art, design and technology from Canterbury Christ Church University, followed by a two year MA in leadership (Fine Art focus). She was Head of Art, Design and Technology at the Isaac Newton Academy in Ilford from 2012-14 and then Head of Art at Queen’s College Prep School in Central London. Since September 2017 she has worked for the Hospitalised Education Service in Coventry providing 1:1 lessons, usually at bedside, for those unable to attend school due to illness, injury or similar reasons. She is married with two small children. She has wide-ranging interests including sports such as football and netball. RAL

Wedding Bells

Congratulations to our very own Miss Gill, who is now Mrs Stephanie Treadaway, having married Tim at St Peter and St Paul’s church, Harrington on Saturday 28th May. Having endured a longer than expected engagement and a year’s postponement due to COVID, they were married by (also our own) Rev James Watson and celebrated well into the night afterwards at Kelmarsh Hall. A special touch in the evening was the aeronautic fireworks display operated from a glider!

Sub Editor: Olivia James

to Editor: Amanda Menya

Features: India Skipwith, Lottie Reddy

Sports Editor: Oliver Fitzsimmons Special Equine Reporter: Isabella Henson

Junior Reporter: Kezana Kamhara Trainee Reporter: Freddie Raven