THE LION 2020-2021
SCHOOL Pages 1-39
ARTS Pages 40-99
SPORT Pages 100-148 OLD HAMPTONIANSʼ CHRONICLE Pages 149-192 EDITOR Mike Baker DESIGN AND DTP Jiri Musil FRONT AND BACK COVER Quantock Our printers, Kingsley Print & Design, have also committed to greater environmental sustainability, including the following: Suppliers now carbon offset all of the paper used for printing A biodegradable gloss laminate has been introduced and they now print using vegetable ink They also have FSC and ISO 14001 accreditation
The Editor wishes to thank: Nick Woods Sarah Dearden Liz Colvine Carol Griffin Denis Fuller
allowed more Hampton sport to recommence. Denied a usual season, our senior Rugby players (a particularly strong squad that would have contested for national titles in an ordinary year) were able to play a number of summer term fixtures. Seizing their perhaps unexpected opportunity with aplomb, they recorded an impressive series of victories. In a more traditional summer sport, Hampton’s cricket teams proved highly successful, winning 114 of 156 matches. Six different age-group sides finished with 100% records and our U12A and U14A XIs prevailed in their respective Middlesex Cup competitions. Full details of a rather unusual but ultimately fulfilling Hampton sporting year can be found in the pages that follow.
It is a pleasure to offer some introductory words for The Lion, which records in admirable detail another memorable year for our School community. Our assiduous editor, Mike Baker, deserves the warmest congratulations for producing a 2020-21 edition that encapsulates Hampton life and is as vibrant as ever, despite the vicissitudes of the Covid-19 pandemic and the imposition of further months of national lockdown in early 2021. We began the academic year with our collective spirits buoyed by being allowed to resume the greatly preferred on-site version of Hampton; we were also boosted by exceptional A Level/Pre-U results and university entrance news for our 2020 Leavers. These thoroughly-deserved outcomes were achieved in the face of considerable challenges arising from the Government’s cancellation of public examinations and their short notice replacement with centre assessed grades. Our departing Upper Sixth were excellent role models for their younger peers through their generosity of spirit, camaraderie and commitment to wider School life, especially during the first e-Hampton period of guided home learning in springsummer 2020. By responding with cheerful stoicism to externallyimposed obstacles and the loss or postponement of some important rites of passage, they showed typical Hamptonian resourcefulness, ingenuity and resolve. One of Hampton’s distinguishing features remains our compelling blend of outstanding academic achievement, top echelon sporting provision, and a wide-ranging cultural programme. Upon our autumn term return to the site, pupils and colleagues found imaginative ways to ensure that the continuing Covid-related restrictions for schools did not preclude us from upholding our traditional strengths. On the sporting front, for example, our footballers still managed to play over 50 autumn term fixtures against other schools. Meanwhile, our oval ball aficionados devised an internal Hampton Super Rugby Tournament and members of the Boat Club were able to resume training together on the water. Our cricketers, having missed out altogether during the previous summer term’s lockdown, made the most of welcome September sunshine (and the adaptability of our splendid grounds staff!) to play a series of competitive inter-school Twenty20 matches.
Societal restrictions precluded us from holding our December 2020 Festival of Readings and Carols at St Mary’s Church, but this did little to deter our talented musicians and their teachers. With circumstances demanding an innovative approach, they operated in year group ‘bubbles’ to record performances that were subsequently combined digitally. The success and popularity of this format led our Music Department to be similarly creative during the winter lockdown months, as stirring virtual performances of Vive L’Amor (Voices of Lions) and Mambo (Hampton School Lockdown Orchestra) did plenty to sustain morale. Happily, the gradual easing of Covid restrictions during the summer term meant we could host a number of in-person musical evenings, with our Leavers’ Concert, Rock Concert and Summer Concert being particular highlights. Alongside these events, we welcomed Hampton’s Fourth Year dramatists back to the Hammond Theatre stage and audiences were able to attend their devised play, Brainstorm. An exuberant Lower School summer show, The Terrible Infants, was staged on two consecutive evenings in late June. It was also heart-warming to see and hear rehearsals begin for the delayed joint Hampton-LEH senior production of Guys and Dolls.
Following the mandatory January-March 2021 site closure of UK schools, the gradual easing of societal restrictions once we reopened the lion
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school become a stronger learning community and a more versatile one. But it has nevertheless been uplifting to see Hampton life returning to something closer to ‘normal’ (whatever this now means) since summer 2021 and I am confident that the readership of The Lion will share my hope that e-Hampton does not become a trilogy any time soon!
While the New Year announcement of more weeks of national lockdown was unwelcome news for everyone at the School, familiar levels of inventiveness, determination and good-humoured resilience were evident during e-Hampton 2.0. We remained connected, albeit digitally, and continuity of learning was maintained; an imaginative range of online sporting and other cocurricular challenges helped us stay active in mind, body and spirit. A personal favourite was the weekly Thursday Night In programme devised by our brilliant Website and Media Office team, which included a series of engaging talks by public figures that were broadcast direct to Hampton families’ homes. We were also given the chance to hone our culinary skills as Head Chef Paul led his online audience through virtual ‘cook-along’ events worthy of Jamie Oliver – the sight and sounds of his patient coaching of our School Captains team as they prepared their versions of ‘Posh Nachos’ will live long in the memory!
A first-ever Hampton Giving Day took place during last summer term and I remain grateful to everyone involved in raising over £250,000 in support of the Fitzwygram Foundation. This generosity will allow the Foundation, a separate but linked charity, to provide additional free places here for boys whose families could not otherwise afford a Hampton education. It will also help to make our community even better, happier and more inclusive over the coming years. Colleagues, pupils, parents and alumni are well aware of my profound personal commitment to this endeavour and I am delighted that our Governing Body has placed it at the heart of the Trust’s vision and future strategy.
Our pupils are remarkably talented and we encourage them to aim high, but they also understand that the essence of Hampton is aspiring to personal best while supporting those around you with kindness and respect. The pandemic-affected months since March 2020 have only served to emphasise the importance of these fundamental values during what have unquestionably been some of the most testing times that we have known. I hope that you will enjoy reading this edition of The Lion and the accompanying Old Hamptonians Chronicle. Glancing through the pages will confirm our School is flourishing and that today’s Hamptonians are taking full advantage of the extraordinary education they are provided with by our dedicated Common Room. Eight years after being given the professional opportunity of a lifetime, it remains my privilege to serve as The Headmaster of our wonderful School. Thank you to the pupils, colleagues, parents, Trustees and alumni who make Hampton such a joyful, diverse and inspiring place.
Hampton’s deep-rooted culture of togetherness has enabled us over the past 20 months to navigate some of the most turbulent waters that we have encountered during our 464-year history. It has helped us to handle Covid-related disruption with equanimity; we have 2
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Natty Thevananth Richard Feynman once said, poets claim science detracts from the beauty of the stars – mere globs of gaseous atoms: “I too can see the stars on a desert night, and feel them. But do I see less or more?”
Cem Kandemir
Carli Minchin
My childhood dream was to teach, inspired by my own Economics teacher. Some older boys at my school had told me that Economics would mean that I would understand the baffling daily movements in the FTSE and Sterling reported in the news, so I studied Economics – and loved it.
I was born in South Africa and, although I spoke Afrikaans at home, I developed a passion for English from a young age. Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five had me hooked! For this reason, relocating to England – the home of Shakespeare, Austen and Dickens – to do my A Level studies felt, in many ways, like coming ‘home’.
Why do I love Economics? The human drama underpinning it. The overlap it has with every other discipline. The global perspective it gives you. The allure of the City was undeniably strong and so I spent twenty years managing portfolios of financial assets: the first decade in New York, the second in London. I then made the decision to follow my childhood dream of becoming a teacher. I enjoy travelling and have been fortunate to have explored far and wide – not just in the metropolises. Eating all over the world has fed my experimental cooking, with Japanese cuisine always at the top of the list. And when I am not listening to an Economics podcast or wielding a wok, you will find me on my bike or entertaining my two young daughters with a rendition of ‘The Wheels on the Bus’. I am so looking forward to sharing my passion for Economics with students at Hampton and to contributing to a prestigious, aspirational and supportive community.
After gaining my degree in English Language and Literature and my teaching qualification, I enjoyed several years working at an outstanding school in Hounslow. However, my hunger for adventure meant that when the opportunity to work in Dubai presented itself, I grasped it with both hands. Whilst there, I spent a number of years teaching at an excellent British school where I also held a pastoral leadership role. Outside of work, I relished camping in the desert, dolphin-watching in Oman and soaking up the local culture. Upon my return to the UK, I took a career break to look after my three young children. However, my love of teaching remained with me and, during this time, I worked as a GCSE examiner as well as a private tutor. Outside of work, I developed a keen interest in gardening and am currently trying to grow my own fruit – with somewhat mixed success! I am delighted to be joining Hampton and am excited by the opportunity to work at such an exceptional school with such a talented English Department. For me, teaching is the ideal career as it allows me to combine my love of working with people with my enthusiasm for English.
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I am delighted to be starting my journey at Hampton and joining a brilliant Chemistry Department. In my classroom, I instil a warm atmosphere; boys are rewarded for thinking deeply, questioning why concepts and theories exist, and forming connections between Chemistry and the real world around them – so you too can see, feel and understand much more in the natural phenomena around you. I learned how powerful an impact a teacher can make on their pupils – as mine did – and, as I started teaching, I found some children left just as profound an impact on me. I am most looking forward to challenging you boys – as much as I am sure you will challenge me – and receiving full ammunition to carry out exciting and dangerous chemical reactions – with the approval of Mr Schofield of course! So far, I think it is safe to say, I impressed my First Years with a mini – planned! – explosion; this was just in week one, so there is certainly more to come! Outside of school, I will often be found baking – perhaps a four-layered vanilla cake, cinnamon rolls or gooey chocolate fondants. I also have three dogs, who are very cute and keep me very occupied. The oldest two are Goberians – Siberian Husky and Golden Retriever mix – and brothers from the same litter. The newest addition to our family is an extremely mischievous Samoyed puppy, who is notorious for his high-pitched, whistling bark. You could say that after an entire school day of dealing with boys, I go home to do the same!
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Rachel Morse
Raeisa Perreira
Rupert Vann-Alexander
Born in County Durham, raised in Yorkshire and now a sometime Londoner, I am utterly delighted to be bringing my North-East/Yorkshire/WestLondon mash-up accent to the classrooms and corridors of Hampton School.
Hello all! I am Raeisa Perreira from Trinidad and Tobago. I earned a BSc in Psychology and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations, both from The University of the West Indies. I am currently finalising my PGCE – Psychology cum Biology – with the University of Sunderland.
I was born in North Yorkshire; after spending my Sixth Form years as a boarder at Aldenham School, I knew that I wanted to live in the – compared to the North – tropical, Southern climate.
Since graduating from UCL in 2005, I have been teaching in Inner London schools. According to my Curriculum Vitae, highlights of my career so far include: leading educational research and staff development, whole-school literacy and early career teacher development. However, if you ask me in person, I would say the real highlights are reading student essays – yes, I actually like that part – witnessing moments of realisation and enlightenment, the ‘thank yous’ at the end of lessons and the gratitude notes you might occasionally find in your pigeonhole. English is the launching platform from which learners can excel in many other subjects and skills areas. Indeed, the fluency, cogency, accuracy and empathy that English fosters in learners are the essence of sound communication for life. I hope to enable the students of Hampton School to succeed in all aspects of their studies and lives, armed with all the skills and knowledge one needs to be a great listener and communicator. Now retired, I spent my twenties rowing and – except for my family and for teaching – rowing has been the greatest love of my life to date. I no longer own my single scull – her name was Maureen – but I do have an ergometer permanently located in my kitchen. Having spent many years living as close to a boat house as possible, I now live in Twickenham with my husband, our three children and the aforementioned ergometer. I know Hampton has a lot to offer and I am looking forward to meeting all of the learners and supporting them to excel in their studies.
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I have lived and taught in China for six years at three different international schools in three different cities. I have led several school clubs and tutored privately for ten years with a wide range of work experience from Human Resources to Psychiatric research. After being stranded for six months in Malaysia due to Covid-19, my husband and I moved to the UK to continue our teacher training – so I am new to all things culturally British! I love children, having grown up as the eldest of four daughters, so I always strive to be an example to others. My mother, grandmother and aunt were all teachers, hence, my love and passion for teaching was ingrained in me from a young age. Volunteering in my mother’s school for children with learning differences and spearheading a Church-run homework club for disadvantaged youth have made me a very intuitive person. In my free time, I love to cook, read novels, host game-nights, or spend time with my husband, friends and family. Having been an avid, competitive swimmer, waterpoloer, footballer, hockey player and equestrian for years, I love swimming, horse-back riding and just being active. Coming from an island-culture, enjoyment is what I try to bring to the classroom: a fun, safe, mutually beneficial environment where the students can interactively learn while nurturing their limitless potential! I hope my time at Hampton School will be enriching and memorable to everyone involved!
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Despite reading Ethics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University, I spent the first few years of my post-Uni life as a Personal Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach. Having reached around 30 stone in bodyweight by the start of my second year, I was fortunate enough to discover a passion for fitness and hit the weight room. However, the philosophy bug eventually bit me and I decided to move into teaching. I became Assistant Housemaster at Ampleforth College, spending my time enjoying the idyllic countryside and coaching a rugby team that I frequently played against as a schoolboy. A year later, my dream to return to the South had been fulfilled: I took on the position of Assistant Head of Boarding and Teacher of Theology at New Hall School – the pandemic meant I did not visit London until December! It was a breathtaking site – my boarding house’s common room once contained the bedroom of Anne Boleyn! No beheadings fortunately! During my free-time, you will often find me on the rugby pitch or powerlifting platform. One of my biggest goals is to deadlift 300kg before or on my 30th birthday. Not long left on that front – worryingly! I do have a good few years until I am playing Vets rugby, so it is not all doom and gloom. I am also a huge fan of almost everything geek, with my gargantuan memorabilia collection being an equal source of pride and shame. I am so excited to be at Hampton. All the staff and students have been incredibly welcoming; I have felt like a part of the School since day one.
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Sarah Mattinson
Hannah Mason
Will Leafe
Both my parents are music teachers, so it would be reasonable to assume that I have been extraordinarily unimaginative in choosing my profession. But I grew up seeing how fulfilled they were by helping to shape the most malleable years of a person’s life. I had read the ‘Thank You’ cards sent to them by their pupils and thought, what an amazing thing to be a part of. So, here I am.
Hello all, I am Hannah Mason and I join you as a Maths teacher this year at Hampton. My degree is in Mathematics and Statistics, and if you want to get me talking, ask me about the data from the England and Wales census! For me, there is just something indescribable about the excitement of unearthing surprises when we look at data on a grand scale. I am looking forward to getting all of you excited about Maths too!
Despite being absent on the day accents were given out, I am proudly from the 2017 UK City of Culture: Hull. I regularly return to visit my lovely parents and our dog Pedro, follow my local team – Hull City – and enjoy the ‘hidden gem’ of the Old Town with school friends. As have several generations of Leafes, I attended Hymers College along with my brother and sister, both now Doctors.
I went to school in Wiltshire and left to study Music at Oxford University, where I was able to indulge my love for everything musical – both academic and practical. As well as affording me phenomenal performance opportunities, it allowed me to explore the aspects of the subject that most gripped me. I wrote my dissertation on Benjamin Britten and how his various biographers had grappled with his sexuality as well as exploring depictions of the composer in fiction, exploring my love of literature, too.
This will be my 7th year teaching, having just moved from St George’s College. There is little I enjoy more than teaching, and while there is a risk of singing and dancing in my classroom, I will always be pushing you to achieve your very best.
I spent three brilliant years at the University of York, where I studied English Literature; I wrote my dissertation on post-war British fiction and its connections with my favourite band – Northern, of course: Arctic Monkeys. Having studied Spanish at A-Level, I greatly enjoyed modules in translation; Federico Garcia Lorca was of particular interest, given our visits to Andalucía every year!
I sat my Finals during the first lockdown and moved on to my first teaching job at a school in Oxford. Despite the restrictions and frustrations that hampered music in all its forms at the start of the academic year, I was immediately enthralled by being a part of people’s musical discoveries and development. I am thrilled that live performance in all its forms is back. Outside of school, I am rarely to be seen without a cup of Earl Grey – black, obviously – and a book. Beyond this, my happiest moments are often on long rainy walks in the countryside with my partner, and I am looking forward to getting a dog to join us. It is a privilege to be joining such a vibrant Music Department here at Hampton and I look forward to becoming part of the school’s welcoming community.
Recently, I undertook a Masters degree in Education, where I completed my dissertation on the impact of dyslexia on Mathematics – a topic close to my heart! The findings from that help inform my evidence-based approach to teaching, and support all students. Outside of Mathematics, I have also been doing karate since I was eleven, and completed nationally and internationally in the past. I can almost always be found with my head in a Sci-Fi or Fantasy book, my favourite authors being Brandon Sanderson and Terry Pratchett. Controversially, I do not enjoy Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, which is a constant source of embarrassment for me! Many of my evenings and weekends are taken up with Table Top RolePlaying Games, like Dungeons and Dragons or Monster of the Week. I am looking forward to starting my journey at Hampton School; I expect lots of excitement and adventures lie ahead!
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Outside of school, I try to make time to continue writing fiction, which I began when I was eighteen; I am currently working on a novel – though at my current estimate – It will not be complete until 2029! True to form after being voted ‘Most Likely to Return to School as a Teacher’ in my school leaver yearbook, I gained a place on the Teach First programme. Graduating in July and going straight into the classroom in September, I spent two years in Northampton, which culminated in being nominated for two national teaching awards – and, producing my best ‘Oscars face’ when I did not win either, of course! I am delighted to be teaching English and Politics at Hampton; my colleagues in both Departments and across the School have been very welcoming. Coaching the U13B football team has been a real highlight too.
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Tim Wilson Educated at Lancing College, I excelled at Science and Maths: attaining AAAAB grades in Maths, Further Maths, Maths with Statistics – the B – Physics and Chemistry. The B grade was partly due to a fairly major error I made in the coursework element of the statistics modules S3 and S6. Also, I had stretched myself by foolishly accepting a bet that I could get a B in AS Economics in 8 weeks – I got the B in Economics! I attended Imperial College where I read Physics, transferring on to the Theoretical Physics course as I was taking the correct modules in any case. I specialised in studying light-matter interactions and my Masters project was on using vectorised green’s functions for solving generalised optical scattering from irregular objects similar to the wavelength of light.
James Ferrier
Isabell Jackson
I was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and attended RGS Newcastle before recently making the long journey down south to study music at Selwyn College, Cambridge, where I specialised in musical analysis. Last year, I worked as part of the Music Department at Epsom College; so, I am delighted to have been able to join Hampton in my first teaching post.
I am delighted to be coming to teach here at Hampton as Head of Spanish. Born in San Francisco to Polish parents and raised in London, I have always been fascinated by languages and, after completing my A-levels in French, Polish, Spanish and Latin, I went on to study French and Spanish at Bristol University. I quickly realised that although I love all languages; my personal favourite is Spanish and I absolutely love teaching this vibrant, happy language.
In terms of performing, I am a keen flautist and pianist, and a less-able – but no less enthusiastic! – guitarist. I am really looking forward to getting stuck in with the huge range of musical ensembles on offer here, and am excited to hear lots of high-quality musical performances! Aside from music, I enjoy football and hockey – I am a long-suffering supporter of Newcastle United, and hope I might be able to make it to the occasional away fixture. I also love theatre, and will hopefully be able to spend a lot of my free time venturing into London to watch a show or two. I am thrilled to be joining Hampton, and am really looking forward to becoming a part of such a thriving Department – I very much hope to be able to instil my enthusiasm for music into our pupils!
I wanted to stay in London and study for a PhD, and I managed to get a place, but it was a practical based project studying DNA-DNA interactions. We were trying to figure out how a particular stage of homologous recombination worked; sadly, the challenges were too complex and we never managed to synthesise our target, so we never did any experiments. Whilst I was a PhD student, I did lots of tutoring, and I decided that teaching was the job for me. PGCE, 8 years’ experience across two schools, I was fortunate enough to be appointed as a Teacher at Hampton. I look forward seeing many of you in my class where the number one rule is that ‘Physics is Fun’!
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I come here from Godolphin and Latymer, where I taught for 13 years, with a sneaky sabbatical year in 2015, in which I spent many months volunteering in Buenos Aires and traveling in Brazil. Prior to Godolphin, I taught at Clifton College, Bristol, so this is not my first time teaching boys – phew! Outside the classroom, I am a fully qualified yoga instructor and generally love being upside down! It has been hard recently, though, as my little three-year-old enjoys jumping on my back a lot. I also cannot wait to get back to travelling and taking all of you on trips around Spain and Central America.
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Jeremy Lee Mr Lee started at Hampton in 2005. Over the years, he has been involved in a wide variety of activities, such as running support clinics and being involved with the SHINE extension programme for pupils from local primary schools. His unfailing patience and kindness – combined with a cutting sense of humour – mean that he has enjoyed excellent relationships with boys of all ages and abilities.
Susanne Harradine Susanne Harradine began her journey as a Dyslexia Specialist Teacher working with Dyslexia Action. Her first role at Hampton was to establish a Learning Support area for pupils with a Specific Learning Difficulty. Over the years, the Department has grown and flourished. She has worked incredibly hard to ensure that all pupils who are referred by teachers have a thorough assessment and are given tailored, and personalised support. As a Specialist Teacher, she carefully creates interventions for all ages; her expertise quickly identifies how best to deliver Reading Comprehension, Spelling and Writing programmes to highly intelligent Hamptonians. Susanne’s knowledge and experience of SEND is insurmountable. As Head of Learning Support, Susanne has built up the exam Access Arrangements and she worked closely with the Exam Office to provide an outstanding level of assessment and evidence, as reflected in our yearly JCQ inspections.
Anyone teaching a parallel class to one of Mr Lee’s knew that they would lose out in every single test as he trained his boys to be unassailable in every assessment. Part of his technique was surely the prodigious quantities of marking undertaken. When school plays and performances were still allowed, he was a regular attendee, always with a pile of marking to keep him occupied in the interval! Outside of the Maths Department, Mr Lee has been a stalwart of the Adventure Society and his endless patience is again crucial in this setting. Where many staff are satisfied to know that at least some of their group can navigate proficiently, he ensures that every member of his group is competent enough to navigate across unknown terrain, even in terrible weather conditions. Anyone assessing a group who were trained by Mr Lee knows that they will pass with flying colours as he will have whipped them into shape long before you set eyes on them. Bridge club, run by Mr Lee, has been hugely popular and it is a joy to drop in and see lots of intense matches taking place between boys of all ages.
Susanne is genuinely one of the most friendly, kind and caring colleagues. Her sense of humour and cheeky smile will be missed, but we are forever grateful for everything that she has contributed to the Learning Support Department and Hampton School.
Without him in it, the Math Department is going to be a very different place. Calm and collected and thinking 15 steps ahead, he has helped in so many small indefinable ways – as well as lots of big obvious ones! – to make the Department what it is. He is simply irreplaceable.
CC
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Judy Perkins
Jack Talman
Judy Perkins first joined the merry band of Hampton School Religious Jack joined Hampton twelve years ago. Down-to-earth, with a great wit, Studies teachers on a temporary part-time contract in 2006. Fifteen years optimism, and kindness, he became an integral part of the School. later, we were extremely sorry when this temporary period came to an end. In the Religious Studies and Philosophy Department, Jack has been a rock: As a former Head of Religious Studies at LEH, Judy came to Hampton for his efforts consistently above-and-beyond; his dedication to pupils never in a bit of a change of scenery; as her long tenure here at Hampton attests, it doubt. His expertise across both analytic and continental philosophy, and was scenery which she thoroughly enjoyed. religion – particularly Buddhism – has been invaluable and we have benefited time and again from his knowledge and understanding – not only One of her first observations was the difference in classroom atmosphere of the subject but of teaching and young people. between the two schools: she very much enjoyed the bubbly and energetic classes here at Hampton. But the difference between the common rooms Our Extension will also be all the poorer without his sessions on Nietzsche, was also one Judy enjoyed: she deeply loved the collegiality of the Hampton where his enthusiasm was infectious – we hope that he continues these at Common Room and of the Religious Studies Department in particular. Frensham, perhaps in his new T-shirt, a gift from the leaving Sixth Formers – and our assemblies will be the lesser without his skilful ability to Very much a maternal figure, the boys she taught in the Lower School communicate so well to the entire School. He has also been a great example: always knew where they stood with Judy and strove to perform at their best always keen to improve his own understanding, and to try new things. for her. But that was also true of the staff in the Department office: she enjoyed the wry disciplinarian role she took on in showing disapproval when Jack’s sense of humour and chat have been an essential feature of the office: the topic of conversation strayed too far from subject-matter that would be we will miss the fun, the quick retorts, the puns, the knowing jokes, and the acceptable at a dinner party in Kew Gardens – as did the staff themselves! In great anecdotes – sharing a bathroom with Natalie Imbruglia, making a many ways, she had three sets of children she looked after – her own two beeline through Waterloo, hanging out with the cast of Friends, the children, the boys at Hampton, and the members of the RS Department! quarantine box, etc., not to mention those featuring his children! Most of all, we will miss his authenticity and kindness, and his friendship; he has The dinner parties that Judy and her husband Richard held will long be the been a brilliant, collaborative colleague. stuff of legend in the Department: her cookery skills are quite exceptional and hugely missed. In particular, the standard of cake in the Department Jack is never patronising, and the pupils have benefitted enormously from office has plunged in her absence this term. I am sure, though, that this is to his teaching. At the risk of embarrassing him, here are some unsolicited the benefit of the parishioners of St Anne’s in Kew: she has long provided words from a few recent GCSE students: cakes for the church in the summer – I am sure I remember her saying that she once baked over 300 cakes in a year. ‘I would like to thank you Mr Talman, for changing my life and showing me a whole new perspective which has The Judy-shaped hole in the RS Department is not one that can ever be undoubtedly made me the person I am today. The whole course filled; Judy’s dedication, warmth and sense of fun are sorely missed. It is not has changed my personality and has made me appreciate and a completely clean break, though; we look forward to taking the Second cherish everything I come across in life, good or bad. The lessons Years to St Anne’s church for their RS trip and seeing Judy there for many I have learnt from you will stay with me for the rest of my life. years to come. I can never thank you enough for the change you have brought to my view of the world. You have made me realise how SAW precious life is, and what a wonderful gift it is.’ 8
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Louise Teunissen
‘I wanted to thank you for all of the enthusiasm you have put into every single RS lesson for the last two years and I wanted to thank you for all of the effort you have put in and the support you have provided throughout the course. Thank you for making every lesson very lively and interesting’; ‘I just wanted to say thank you for the past two years of lessons, they were always my favorite because of how fun it was, but also they were productive and I enjoyed being taught by you!’
Louise leaves for pastures new – a new role as Head of Careers at St John’s, Leatherhead – leaving behind a blazing trail of achievements and successes across every aspect of the School into which she came into contact with. Naturally, it would be impossible to categorise all of these in the limited number of words available here, but some elements stand out even above the myriad of others. One of her most notable successes has been the entire implementation and management of the Arts Award scheme at Hampton; 100s of pupils successfully gained an external qualification, developed leadership skills and produced some genuinely remarkable projects – all within the context of the Arts.
And this – part of a recent email from a parent of a Pre-U pupil – epitomizes the feelings of many: ‘I wanted to write to say a huge thank you for being such a brilliant and inspirational teacher. He has loved being taught by you and would regularly share what he learnt in your class with us at home. This infectious interest has benefitted us all contributing to some really interesting discussions around the family dinner table…I know he will always remember his time with you as his teacher with great fondness.’ Alongside his dedicated work for the Department, Jack has been a wonderful teacher of mindfulness, leading several sessions each week for pupils at Hampton, and also at the Prep. Inspired by Chris Cullen – sometime Head of Department – Jack became interested in mindfulness several years ago, finding the practice to be valuable in his own life. The School has also benefitted from Jack’s work as Head of PSHE: a mammoth and sometimes underappreciated task, which he has carried out with characteristic thoroughness and care.
At the same time, in her role as Assistant Head of Careers, she spent countless hours ensuring that there could be careers lunches – opportunities for the boys to meet and discuss a career with successful OHs, business people and entrepreneurs from across the whole gamut of career paths – careers events in the evenings, PSHE lessons that prepared and inspired the boys going into the Sixth Form and much more. All of this – incredibly – continued during the most recent lockdowns, resulting – amongst other things – in the creation of an incredible collection of online interviews with OHs that boys can benefit from watching and learning from in years to come. During break and lunch times, she could invariably be found in either the Careers Centre or UCAS Office giving up her time talking to students, giving them advice and painstakingly helping them with their personal statements for UCAS. All of the above was in addition to her devotion to her English students within the Department, where she created relentless streams of acolytes, language fanatics, avid readers, confident debaters – all of whom enjoyed outstanding academic success alongside, more importantly, a genuine love of learning within English. Naturally, all of this had to be sustained by something. Well, in addition to an utterly selfless willingness to give up her time – frequently running extension sessions before and after School on those days where her breaks were already full – she was also kept standing by one key ingredient: tea. Lots of tea. Lots and lots of tea. Swimming-pool-sized Sports Direct mugs found their calling in her and, when her whereabouts were unknown, students could reliably follow the various spills and trails of tea that decorated the corridors around the School. Whilst the Department will undoubtedly be a very different place without her, Leatherhead will undoubtedly reap the rewards of her appointment; we wish her the very best of luck for the coming year and beyond. MMB
On top of all this, Jack has been an outstanding tutor and Assistant Head of Sixth Form, and those pupils have benefitted greatly from his genuine understanding and concern for their welfare. Jack’s ability to juggle all these roles with seemingly little effort, as well as being an active father, has been an inspiration to those of us lucky enough to have worked with him. A vital force at the top of the tower – his old hideout – keeping it real, he will be greatly missed by us all. Jack leaves to take up a position at Frensham Heights School; they are very lucky to have him and we wish him all the very best there, and in his new home. ‘A great philosopher once wrote…’ may the force be with you! BJC the lion
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Tom Aucutt Tom Aucutt joined us from Bradfield College in 2013; it did not take him long to find his feet and become a very important presence in the Modern Languages Department, in the Second Year Form Tutor team, and among Hampton Football coaches. Tom has left many friends in the Common Room behind as he has moved to a Head of Modern Languages at Park International School, Lisbon, where he and his family have started a new chapter of their lives. Whilst it was very sad to see Mr Aucutt go, we are extremely proud and delighted to see him continue to develop professionally – having successfully led the Spanish Department since 2016 – and take the plunge, following his dream of living and experiencing life in Portugal – and becoming a true European citizen at the same time! Leading the Spanish Department with so much calm, composure, great leadership skills and humour is no mean feat – even more so when one considers the size and diverse nature of the Department. All my colleagues will agree when I say that he has worked tirelessly to make the Department what it now: one of the most popular languages at Hampton. He has been an inspiration to many linguists – many of whom have gone on to study the language at University. It is fair to say that he has made a massive impact as a teacher but also as a Second Year Form Tutor. He was – and no doubt continues to be – a very popular teacher in his new setting. His passion for languages is palpable and he has this ability to pass on his knowledge with enthusiasm, professionalism and great humour. He is a polyglot and speaks French, Spanish and Portuguese fluently! His contribution is not, however, limited to the classroom or the quiet room – or the crossword corner at break time! He loves a School trip; he has organised and accompanied many successful trips in his time at Hampton: the Fourth Year trip to Ronda, in southern Spain, that he took over a couple of years ago, the Madrid exchange – replaced with a residential trip since – the Paris exchange, the Cuba trip, as well as the Sixth Form trip to Cordoba. He has even contributed to some football trips and the Senior Ski trip! I mentioned sports earlier and, whilst he has got no coordination whatsoever on a football pitch – five-a-side football colleagues will testify to that – he has led the Third XI for many years, even guiding the side to their Trinity cup victory in 2018. He certainly knows about football – as a Sunderland supporter fan himself – but it is his dedication and loyalty to the School that is to be applauded more than anything. Naturally, it is always a pleasure to hear back from him and to receive the odd photos of him enjoying the beautiful Portuguese sunshine with his wife Vanessa and his children.
Laura Oldfield Laura Oldfield has been a member of the Music Department for the past five years, and in that time, she has really made a positive difference! Laura is an inspirational teacher; when I asked her pupils to jot down some of their memories, one thing that really did stick out was Laura’s passion for music and her genuine care and commitment to those she taught. Her energy in lessons was a force to be reckoned with, and it was always such a joy to see her pupils leaving every lesson enthused and often singing at the top of their voices! While on the topic of singing… Laura is rather good. Alongside her busy career at Hampton, Laura managed to fit in a number of professional gigs with world-class groups such as Tenebrae. She also joined the Hampton and LEH Choral Society as the Soprano Soloist on a number of occasions – this really was inspiring for the boys to see. Laura made excellent use of her skills and experience while at Hampton by coaching a number of our choirs and ensembles. Her work with the Chamber Choir in particular has been impressive, and her work alongside the rest of the staff in the Music Department has resulted in an outstanding quality of singing across all year groups. Laura arranged for the Chamber Choir to sing evensong at a number of high-profile venues, most notably St Saul’s Cathedral; this experience is one that I know the pupils will not forget in a hurry. I, personally, have learnt a lot from Laura’s rehearsing and directing, and I am hugely grateful for all that she has done in that respect.
We are indebted to him for all he has done for the Modern Languages and the School as a whole. We know that he misses Hampton – but what a great adventure he has ahead of him! We wish him the best of luck in Lisbon both on a professional and personal level.
I know I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in the Music Department and all of our young musicians when I say how sad we are to see Laura go. We wish her the best of luck in her new role as Director of Music at Ewell Castle School. Laura, please know that you are always welcome here and we do hope you will come back and visit soon.
FCC
DER
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Augusta Samuels Augusta joined Hampton in September 2016, bringing a great sense of fun to the Modern Languages Department. Her energy in the classroom and her passion for original, inspiring lesson resources was appreciated by all – colleagues and pupils alike. She was always keen to share her ideas and innovative discoveries and she sought to extend her teaching repertoire with impressive regularity. She would inspire us as teachers to try out new techniques and her ability to motivate pupils of all abilities was highly valued. Her desire to encourage her pupils to develop their language skills led her to participate in many Modern Languages trips abroad, where she could always be relied upon to keep morale high, often with an annoying song – in the target language, of course! Her commitment to Form Charity was tireless and here we saw again the same innovation she applied to her lessons. A stand-out event was a lunchtime of record-breaking attempts, which included ‘How many pairs of pants can you put on in one minute?’ and ‘How many M&Ms can you eat with chopsticks in one minute?’ No records were broken, but all involved had a great deal of fun! Even during lockdown, Augusta kept all of us amused and still raising funds with the various 1557 Challenges she created. Another incredibly valuable part of Augusta’s time at Hampton was her role as a Second Year tutor. She was extremely attentive, proactive and supportive as a Form Tutor and her approach was greatly appreciated by both her tutees and their parents. Her empathy and kindness will be missed by the Second Year team.
charge. His seat in the corner of the office was the seat of learned wisdom, emulating his one-time thesis supervisor Eric Ives. Such broad and deep knowledge, from the Crusades and the Reformation, to Bismarck and Hitler, Alan wore his lifetime’s work lightly yet shared generously. One might think that as Alan gave so much in the classroom there would be little left for colleagues. But you would be wrong. Alan was a brilliant colleague. He gave everyone chocolate biscuits, every day. He did people’s 3G duties when the rain was pouring down and they were feeling rotten. He remembered birthdays and celebrated achievements with cards and gifts. He gave sage advice. He had an endless supply of jokes, witty one-liners, and the most wonderful repartee. He never once grumbled or moaned, despite some difficult personal challenges in more recent times. His was a happy, calm energy. Alan was also a fine sportsman and referee – although he would brush away this compliment. A cricketer, a goalkeeper, and even a marathon runner, Alan went on to referee local football and enjoy county cricket for many years. It thus seemed very fitting when one of his last classes signed themselves as a team sheet inside a copy of a Wisden Cricketer’s Almanac. The Covid pandemic could have given Alan legitimate reason to significantly adjust his working habits, and yet Alan’s love for his work meant he changed not a jot. To have such passion and respect for his profession after more than four decades of service are behaviours I can only wish to emulate in my own career.
We wish Augusta and her family every happiness for their future plans and we hope she will keep in touch to tell us all about them.
It is thus very hard to write Alan’s profile for his retirement as I cannot put into words the love and respect I and the team have for such a brilliant teacher, historian and colleague. Alan would be selfdeprecating and no doubt sum up his teaching career as ‘an act of optimism’. We’ll be more congratulatory and state with certainty that it was an act of outstanding service, with your legacy being the hearts and minds you have forever shaped. Alan: you are an A*, a 9, a 1:1.
JCO
EA
Alan Thomas
George Draganov
Alan Thomas joined the History Department in 2016, following a long and distinguished career at Kings College, Wimbledon. He was supposed to be in retirement; but, for Alan, teaching was part of his DNA, and in the classroom was where he felt most alive.
George Draganov – or ‘the Dragon’ as the boys liked to call him – joined Hampton from Northwood College for Girls in September 2017. With his unique views and personality, George certainly left his mark on the School. The boys were drawn to him, always especially excited to see his Yeezy trainers on Mufti Days or his fresh, extra-short trim.
I was lucky enough to observe Alan in the first lesson he taught at Hampton and I still remember the wonderful warmth and energy that he created in the room. The lesson ended with one thought: I wish I had been taught by this man. The pupils, beaming, gave him a round of applause. Very little changed over the following five years. Through his meticulous planning – and a bottomless supply of lollipops – pupils knew they were valued and cared for; the happiness and buzz of that first lesson was evident in each lesson he taught. With over 40 years teaching experience, and decades of acting as an examiner across many exam specifications, Alan knew what worked and how to help pupils achieve their grades. But Alan was more than a teacher – he was an historian who brought the fruits of his research and reading to advance the learning of those in his
He was fully committed to helping the boys achieve their absolute best in Chemistry, both through his engaging lessons and weekly lunchtime sessions, with no detail ever being overlooked, and was always extremely patient. George will also be remembered for his excellence in martial arts – he inspired the boys with his achievements in Shotokan Karate, in which he holds an impressive record – a 3rd Dan Black Belt, multiple silver and gold medals at both National and European level and 4th place in Team Kumite in the 2014 World Karate Championship. As well as excelling in karate, George contributed to Hampton Sport through football, coaching various U13D teams throughout his time here. Whilst he asserted that he would not leave Hampton for another teaching position, it became clear some time ago that his heart was elsewhere. He leaves us to pursue pastures new as he wishes to leave the typical 9-5 workday routine behind him. He looks forward to travelling the world –
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Level in Economics to switch to the full A Level. He was a great team player within the Department, keen on sharing teaching resources and happy to teach the full range of topics. He has also completed his Masters degree in Education during his time at Hampton and is always looking to improve his teaching. Beyond the classroom, he organised a very successful trip to New York including Wall Street in 2019, and was only prevented launching from another exciting expedition by the advent of the Covid pandemic. He organised a joint business game with Lady Eleanor Holles School next door, and took the Lower Sixth to participate in a trading game at Kingston University. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work with Bharat and he will be missed by many of us as he embarks on the next stage of his teaching career elsewhere.
He will very much be missed by the boys, his colleagues and his many friends that he has made since joining Hampton. We are all very grateful for his hard work at the School and we look forward to hearing about his future successes. LP
Bharat Khanna
SP
Jonny Dixon Jonny joined the History Department in 2019, having reached us via undergraduate study at Queen’s University Belfast and Downing College, Cambridge. As well as a seriously academic CV and three Cambridge Blues in Rugby, Jonny brought an electric mix of charm and enthusiasm that swiftly made him popular with colleagues and pupils alike.
the Hampton Diversity Group, once more leveraging his academic connections and expertise on behalf of the community. The phrase ‘Renaissance Man’ may have fallen out of vogue, but Jonny certainly proved himself more than worthy of such an accolade. Jonny’s own background was in the natural sciences at A Level; he had initially looked to pursue Pharmaceutical Sciences. Switching to History led Jonny to eventually write his PHD and earn the hard-won title of Dr Dixon. Outside of the classroom, Jonny’s love for Rugby had led him from Ulster Academy to the Cambridge First XV. Jonny’s considerable experience in Rugby was put to good use as he turned his hand to the business of coaching here at Hampton. Jonny’s time with the U12s Rugby showcased that inside and outside the classroom, his high standards never prevented kindness or good humour. Whilst we will all miss Jonny, we are thrilled he continues his teaching career at Tonbridge. There are many things to remember Jonny’s time at Hampton for, but I still think his impromptu dance along to Rasputin complete with drops, kicks, and claps is a firm favourite. HEM
Danielle Harris
Unsurprisingly, Jonny set extremely high standards of himself during his training two years at Hampton. An inspirational classroom teacher mastering his craft, Jonny was equally at home explaining the intricacies of sixteenth century theology to Sixth Formers, as gently correcting younger pupils on the correct location of countries and combatants in the Cold War. Jonny took particular efforts to inspire future undergraduate Historians, whether in organising a slew of academic lectures for all comers, running Oxbridge preparation, or encouraging pupils to run their own events at History Society. Of all the speaker events he initiated, it is fair to say the most popular was his own talk on the Warrior Code of the Samurai – not that he would claim so himself! Bharat has been at Hampton since 2017, bringing his previous, real-world experience of economics to his teaching in the Sixth Form. His approach in the classroom was always informal and friendly, and he was popular with his students. Indeed, after his arrival it became increasingly common for boys starting an AS
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Jonny’s tag-team tutoring with Ollie Ellsworth presented their young charges with a formidable pair of Tutors. Jonny always had time for individual pupils and the regular stream of Fourth Years appearing outside the History Office was testament to his commitment to each of them. Jonny also put considerable energy into
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In a sometimes chaotic and exceptionally demanding job, it is rare to encounter someone who is the embodiment of calm, composure and effortless success – Danielle was one such rare individual. People who went to observe her lessons frequently remarked that ‘it felt as though I had gone to a spa – wow!’
school Naturally, her many students, for whom she always made time, will recognise how fortunate they were to have her as their English teacher or Form Tutor – perhaps even more so given the remarkable challenges of the past two academic years. Kindness, humour and a sense of clear purpose defined her lessons and she will be a great loss.
Bailey was always available to spend time helping boys, ensuring that they made as much progress as possible.
Third Year Book Group has also flourished under her leadership, with boys enjoying sharing their views over a spot of lunch in the library.
Of course, Danielle will also be enormously missed within the Department; capable of cheerful stoicism as much as of an aptly cutting, humorous comment – impeccably timed – when it was called for, she invariably lifted the overall mood and people’s spirits. Perhaps unsurprisingly – within an English Department – she could also be relied upon to recommend superb novels or, at the very least, corroborate the recommendations of other avid readers and listeners before they put their precious, limited free time into a new book! Long debates about films and what to see at the cinema will be another void that will be keenly felt by many; who would trust Kermode when they have Harris? Having had the pleasure of teaching A Separate Peace to her GCSE students for quite so many years during the course of her time at Hampton, the following quotation seemed most apt at this point:
Upper Sixth English Language boys through the gruelling TAGs process. At the other end of the School, she also inspired the younger pupils in her charge with her dynamic and engaging lessons.
Keen to raise awareness of diversity, Saoirse has encouraged Sixth Formers to enrol on an EduSpot online course entitled ‘Postcolonial Perspectives’. She leaves us to do an MSc in International Development at the University of Amsterdam, and we wish her the best of luck for the future. Her wonderful humour and energy will be very much missed in the Department. CER
Lauren Ferreira We wish Bailey all the best in his quest to make fusion energy a viable option for our future electricity generation needs and are sure that after fifty years of world-wide research trying to make it work, he will come up with the winning formula.
…they gave the impression of being an elite as they were carried past our drab ranks…they were going places…
MGY
Rather than wish her luck – of which she needs none – we send her on to her new teaching role and wonderful new home with the very best wishes and the hope that she will stay in touch.
Saoirse Walsh
MMB
Bailey Cook Bailey Cook leaves us this year to return to the world of higher education by embarking on an MSc course in Fusion Energy at the University of York. Bailey joined us two years ago and immediately impressed us with his good humour and his willingness to throw himself into the life of the Department.
Lauren joined last year to complete her NQT in the Religious Studies and Philosophy Department. She has been a force of nature, throwing herself into Hampton life – from rowing to Second Year Philosophy Club – and teaching across the whole School, delivering lessons in RSP, and Life Issues.
He is an effective teacher in the classroom and is able to communicate his enthusiasm for the subject across the whole range of Year Groups. He was always willing to volunteer his time for cocurricular activities such as the Junior Physics Club and organising our increasingly successful Science Fair.
Saoirse joined the English Department in September 2020, bringing with her a wealth of creative approaches to teaching, a can-do attitude – and a daily Pret habit which appears to have kept her spirits very much afloat through lockdown!
We will miss his open-minded approach to his teaching and his willingness to try new ideas.
Amongst her wide-ranging and extensive successes this year, she calmly helped to steer the
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Lauren has also been an integral part of the First Year team as Co-Tutor of 1W. The pupils have benefited from her enthusiasm and positivity, as well as from her genuine concern for their wellbeing and excellent pastoral care. We wish her all the very best in her new role at Halliford School.
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Against extraordinary odds, Hampton ran a revised Lion Learning programme for Year 5 pupils in local primary schools this year.
In Maths, they were challenged with tricky triangles in geometry as well as ambitious addition skills.
About 40 eager young learners, who were tired of being cooped up at home, bounded into the school on Saturday mornings for lessons in English, Maths, Science and Philosophy with Hampton teachers. They fizzed with ideas and questions in lessons designed to stretch these bright, ambitious pupils.
What makes a goodie and what makes a baddie was one of the questions they tackled in Philosophy lessons along with the concept of infinity.
Now in its second year, the Lion Learning Programme is designed to run for 12 months from January of Year 5 to December of Year 6, helping boys and girls in local primary schools – including Oriel Academy, Reach Academy, Buckingham Primary School, Hampton Hill Junior School and Hampton Junior School – who may be preparing for 11 plus exams. The pandemic meant the programme was reduced this year but the sessions that ran were dynamic and exciting. In English, pupils wrote magical poetry; sensory descriptions of their encounters with nature and were introduced to Shakespeare’s comedy. When Mrs Whitwam was isolating, she taught the lessons via Teams; for all of the pupils it was the first time they had experienced a virtual lesson. In Science, the boys and girls learned in a fully-equipped laboratory about forces and states of matter in practical ways.
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Lion Learning has been designed in close collaboration with headteachers from several of our local partner primary schools and is geared at boys and girls who are passionate about learning and want to know more. The children are set homework in their workbooks each session to ensure a continuity of learning. There is also a free library service and the children are given gold, silver, and bronze awards in recognition of the quantity of books they read during the programme. The 12-month programme is free of charge; it is led by subject specialist teachers from Hampton School, supported by a helpful team of Sixth Form mentors. The Lion Learning Team are optimistic that the 2021-22 Lion Learning Programme will be uninterrupted – and that the boys and girls will also enjoy getting to watch some Shakespeare! VCW
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DofE & Adventure Society
Undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme has always been very popular at Hampton, but it was made a lot more challenging once Covid hit in March 2020. Fortunately, we rapidly responded to the problem and participants adapted their sections to the new ‘Doing DofE with a Difference’. Volunteering either went online or participants were permitted to help out at home. As with school lessons, for their physical section participants trained at home, following an assortment of online classes including Joe Wicks, rock climbing and ultimate Abs sessions! Sadly, it was not possible to run any Easter holiday or Summer term expeditions but expedition training resumed during the Autumn term for the fourth Years but this time without the overnight camping at Bentley Copse. At the start of the October half term over 90 Fifth Years completed their Silver practice expedition around Hampton Court at the start of the October half term holidays under the ‘Doing DofE with a Difference’ conditions – but this was the lot for that term. One of the other adaptations brought in by the DofE was the ‘Certificate of Achievement’, which was awarded to participants as soon as they completed their Volunteering, Skill and Physical Sections. I am delighted to report that, to date, over 150 boys have been awarded their Certificates, with 15 of these being at the Gold Level. With the lessening of restrictions starting in the May half term, expeditions resumed with a vengeance and staff were able to offer six different trips to our Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Formers resulting in the following: 29 Fifth Years completed Silver expeditions in Dorset during the summer half term. 27 Fifth Years completed Silver assessment/ Gold practice expeditions in Snowdonia (7-10 June) Nine Upper Sixth, plus Indy Barnes – a leaver last year – completed Gold assessment expeditions in Lakes (14-17 June) 18 groups (120+) Fourth Years undertook Silver practice expeditions in New Forest (22-24 June) 12 groups (80+) of Fourth and Fifth Years undertook Silver assessment expeditions in New Forest (29 June-1 July) Four groups of Fifth and Lower Sixth – plus another two leavers from last year – completed Gold Practice & assessment expeditions in the Lakes (5-8 July). As ever, I am indebted to the many members of the Hampton staff who kindly gave up many days to support our boys and, in particular, to Mr Taylor for helping to mastermind these expeditions. Outside the DofE, we also managed to fit in one Adventure Society trip to Dorset for 20 First Year boys during the May half term when the boys undertook climbing, hiking, canoeing and a water park. DRC
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I think we can all agree that it has been an extraordinary year…the same can certainly be said about MUN! After some uncertainty around how MUN would take place this year given the circumstances, it has been really pleasing that many schools took it in their stride and were able to run MUN conferences – albeit virtually using Zoom and MS Teams.
in touch with Miss Field or Mr Agulian. It is a great way to make new friends whilst broadening your debating skills.
On top of our weekly, MS Teams MUN club during e-Hampton, we were fortunate to be able to ‘attend’ the virtual conferences organised by Magdalen College School, Croydon High and Epsom College as well as a Junior conference at Reigate Grammar School for complete beginners about to embark on their MUN journey.
The last 18 months have been very difficult for MUN debating, but thanks to the incredible efforts of MUN organisers, much has been made possible and ReiMUN was the result of this effort. This conference was my first ever, but the fact that it was a beginners’ conference and the kindness of the staff helped me.
HA Here are some recollections of the boys’ MUN experiences from this year: In March, I was lucky enough to attend CROYMUN, held this year in a virtual environment due to Covid-19 restrictions. It was a different disease, however, which plagued the World during the shorter-than-usual crisis conference. Russia had unleashed a batch of lethal parasitic worms upon the US – whom I was representing – in order to make a political statement. Unfortunately, this went disastrously wrong. The worms spread globally, causing each delegation to urgently explore measures to contain and combat the threat. As the key protagonists were Russia and the US, this inevitably led to some confrontational and frenetic debate. Included was a declaration of war, threats of nuclear violence and the other delegates frantically trying to keep the peace. Eventually a consensus was reached and both Russia and the US were forced to give up their bio-weapons – overseen by the UN – and all international rail, air, road and sea transport was banned. A thoroughly enjoyable day of – mostly! – good-humoured debate was had by all. Hampton were, as usual, highly successful and seven Hamptonians came away from the conference with awards. Huge thanks must go to Miss Field and Mr Agulian for making all of the arrangements that allowed us to take part. Sam Govier
Isaac Crowhurst –––
The day included interesting workshops about the history of MUN and some hints and tips about MUN debating. Afterwards, the two conference sessions took place, and, representing Libya, I was able to interact well with my fellow delegates. Interesting topics are debated in every conference and I was assigned two very unique and intriguing issues: ‘The Question of The Colonisation of The Moon’ and ‘The Question of The Protection of War Remains’. Overall, the whole day was thoroughly enjoyable and I believe that all participants took a lot from it. MUN is a fantastic activity to take part in and is well supported at Hampton by teachers and students alike. George Boyd ––– I would like to add my final thanks and congratulations to all boys who took a brave leap into the unknown, virtual MUN world this year! We had no idea if this format would work for Model United Nations debating, and whilst it was not quite as fun and immersive as ‘real’ MUN debating, it was certainly an entertaining substitute. The boys have done very well, winning several awards and always fully involved and invested themselves in every conference we have participated in. Thank you, boys, for your energy, good humour and especially your forbearance with all the technical IT problems we had to solve at each and every conference!
––– During lockdown, I was lucky enough to have the chance to represent the delegation of Eygpt at Magdalen College’s virtual MUN conference. The day was exciting and engaging and we discussed a vast range of topics from the question of neo-slavery to the issue of child rights. Our committee saw the introduction of a new sub-committee, entitled LADYGAGA, challenging China’s view that expanding prisons to improve the sanity of buildings and health of prisoners would effectively make them ‘5-star spa hotels’ and embarking upon achieving the resolution of a global crisis surrounding the invasion of Taiwan. In short, there was not a dull moment throughout the day! When it came to the awards ceremony, Hampton did not disappoint and Eygpt did incredibly well. I was awarded best Junior Delegate and Sam Govier was awarded Highly Commended Delegate. As for the team awards, they are notoriously hard to win, so we were astounded and delighted that out of over 250 participants, Eygpt – a country with only 4 delegates – managed to secure the Highly Commended Delegation award. Overall, it was a thrilling event filled with fruitful debate and despite being run virtually this year, it was as enjoyable as ever. If the idea of being involved in MUN club sounds like something you would be interested in, make sure to get 20
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We sincerely hope that MUN returns in its actual, rather than virtual form, next year. JAF
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Less Covid, more Ovid! That’s been our modus operandi in the Classics Department this year. Although our calendar could not be as full as it normally is, the muses of literature and history still paid us the occasional visit. Following on from last year’s success, we entered two groups of two students each for an annual Latin reading competition. The students did brilliantly, as we practised during lockdown online before filming back in School when we returned. It was a very different kind of competition this year, but fantastic that it could still go ahead. All the First Years were highly commended – Alex Watson, Alessandro Cardinale, Leonid Karpovich and Boris Duke – and one of the Second Year pairings came joint second – our highest position yet! Viren Asnani and Elliot Cundy were the successful pair, while Mikael Nur and Xavier Fricot were the other pairing.
At last the summer term arrived, and we were given the green light to run a trip to the British Museum with next year’s Ancient Historians to see the exhibition Nero: the man behind the myth. This exhibition aimed to evaluate physical evidence from the reign of Nero to assess whether the extremely negative impression given by the literary sources is accurate. The boys really enjoyed looking at many of the objects on display, particularly the coins which they had studied throughout the course of this year. It was also impressive to see the boys challenging the notion of exhibitions with such clear agendas. After such a difficult year with the pandemic and various lockdowns, it was a real treat to be back in museums and see the boys interact with the ancient world through the objects on display. Hopefully this will be the first of many Classics trips as life begins to return to normal.
JWB
CWS
During the tenebrous January lockdown, Athena’s owl visited our Lower School Classicists over Firefly with news of an exciting competition run by the Manchester Classical Association. Boys were invited to write and illustrate The Monster’s Tale – an original account of a popular classical myth from the baddie’s point-of-view. We were delighted to see some of pupils take on the myths of the Minotaur, Medusa and the Cyclops and put their own twist on them. They certainly got us thinking whether the monsters were really so bad after all!
However, we did not just stop at Greece and Rome in the Classics Department! The study of other areas of the ancient world – and the languages which have come from there – also had pride of place.
ARW
Following on from Hampton’s very successful Lower School production of the Rāmāyana, an ancient Indian play about Rama and Sita, Sanskrit Club was back in the Classics Department for the third year running. The Lower Sixth were invited to learn how to read and write Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language tracing back to the 2nd millennium BCE. Although the lion
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school the language is notorious for its highly intricate script and complex accidence, our new Sanskritists rose to the challenge. By the end of the year, they were even able to read and translate some original verses from the Rāmāyana itself!
Zebedee Aylin, Samuel Berthon, Sam Colvine, Nayaaz Hashim, Alexander Mehta, Archie Quantrill and Rohan Raj (Bronze). Daniel and Pallav share their experiences of Rounds 1 and 2 below.
It is fabulous to be able to add another ancient language to our evolving roster.
In Round 1 of the UKLO, the problems ranged from the script of Mandombe to the unusual – and pretty confusing – counting system of Ngkolmpu, a language spoken now by only around 100 people in New Guinea. This year, of course, the paper had to work slightly differently – given we were still in lockdown when it took place – so it was done over Microsoft Teams instead. This was so we could be invigilated and then send our answers once the time was up. This prompted the writers of the paper to choose even more obscure languages to make sure people could not find a way to cheat!
ARW In February, Hamptonians enjoyed success again at the annual UK Linguistics Olympiad (UKLO), which is run by the Classics Department. This national competition, which is similar to other academic Olympiad challenges, presents the pupils with some words or sentences in one of the world’s 7000 languages and asks for further forms or meanings. A group of 23 pupils from Third Year to Upper Sixth took part in the advanced, online round of the competition, with over 1,000 pupils from across the country also sitting the fiendishly difficult exam. Particular congratulations go to the following for securing an award: Pallav Bagchi (Gold), whose performance saw him through to Round 2; Matthew Cresswell and Daniel Morgan (Silver); Oscar Mitchell, Luke Trotman,
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Even though I am not studying anything linguistics related anymore, it is a really enjoyable challenge for anyone at all interested in that sort of thing and I look forward to taking it again next year. We are also all very grateful to and should thank Miss Winstock for making this possible every year and arranging training sessions to help us in the lead up to the paper! Daniel Morgan
school The UK Linguistics Olympiad has been an annual milestone since I came to Hampton in Third Year. Each year, I diligently try to improve upon the previous year's score. So far, I have succeeded in doing so, with my first Round 2 qualification in Fifth Year and my first certificate in Round 2 this year. The questions in the paper, however, seem to be getting significantly harder and more challenging, but this just adds to the allure of the competition. I still get consistently stuck with questions concerning stressing on particular syllables, like the first question this year on Kakawin – an old Javanese language – but I seem to do better on questions that relate to direct translation, like question 3 on Ainu – an ancient Japanese language. I feel that in this year more than others, the questions are aiming to stretch the boundaries of what pupils my age understand about the formation and rules of languages they have never even heard of before. The pandemic has not helped matters, making training exceptionally difficult, and I felt that it put everyone at a disadvantage. However, Professor Trousdale, Vice Chair of the UKLO, held a weekly training session for three Tuesdays before the test. This helped me and the others who attended significantly as questions akin to those that came up on the paper were discussed and practised during those sessions. I tried my best, and I was relieved to find that I achieved a merit award. Next year, I hope that I can get into the international squad for the UK. Pallav Bagchi ––– This is the ninth year that Hampton has encouraged pupils to take part in the UKLO competition. Well done to all of the Hamptonians who took part, be they award-winners, first-timers or veterans! And thank you to Mr Chaveneau and the Modern Languages Department for promoting the competition so successfully. ARW
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Modern Foreign Languages Mandarin National Speaking Competition In spring, I was privileged to represent the School in the British Council Mandarin speaking competition. It comprised of two stages. In the heats, I had to give a 2-minute presentation and answer follow-up questions – in addition to translating sentences from English to Mandarin! After a week, I found out that I had progressed to the final of the competition. In the final, I gave a similar presentation where I talked about a trip to the city on my birthday as well as my journey learning Mandarin. I was happy to finish in third place and was awarded with a book voucher.
I took part in the Intermediate category, and was happy to make it to the final, where I was up against some very well-spoken opponents and was given some particularly challenging questions by the judges. Overall, it was a positive and enjoyable experience. I managed to learn more about Mandarin culture through my presentation and at the same time got to know more about the Mandarin language. I would recommend anyone who enjoys Mandarin to have a go at this annual competition. Also, a huge thanks goes to Ms Zhang for her time, help and support. Mateo Puljic
I enjoyed the chance to take part in the competition and to further develop my Mandarin speaking ability. It was valuable practice for my GCSE speaking exam and I am grateful that Ms Zhang gave me the opportunity to take part. Jacob Stewart ––– In April and May this year, I took part in the British Council Mandarin Speaking Competition, a competition designed to help students in the UK improve their Mandarin speaking skills by preparing a 2-minute presentation and then answering questions on it. Because of Covid-related restrictions, the competition took place on MS Teams this year – which made it a rather different experience!
French Debating Competition
During the regional stage, we managed to win all of our qualification matches, allowing us to progress to the next stage. Judges were particularly impressed with our linguistic accuracy and developed arguments.
During the Spring Term, Nayaaz Hashim and Patrick Helm were privileged to represent Hampton at the Joutes Oratoires Lycéennes competition organised by the UK Institut français. Pairs of Sixth Formers from schools across the country participated in energised and complex debates on a wide range of topics, speaking entirely in French.
We eagerly awaited the regional finals. The ‘catch’ was that the topics would be completely unseen. Instead of a few weeks to formulate arguments and practice debates, we would only have 20 minutes on the day!
When we first found out about this competition, the task seemed daunting. As the regional stage approached, we realised that we would have to prepare arguments on some of the most pressing issues affecting our society, such as ‘L’intelligence artificielle est une menace pour l’humanité’ (Artificial Intelligence is a threat to humanity), or ‘En période de crise sanitaire, les gouvernements doivent avoir toute latitude de restreindre les libertés individuelles.’ (During a public health crisis, governments should have complete authority to restrict individual liberties.) Each debate consisted of each team giving opening speeches, then a 4minute open debate, during which teams were able to respond to and interrupt the opposition. Finally, each team gave a one-minute conclusion. During our training sessions leading up to the event, we benefitted from the help of Mr Chaveneau, Miss Dubost and Miss Vincent. After some practice we found that we were improving significantly both in terms of linguistic ability and debating proficiency. Nevertheless, we were still nervous when the first round arrived! 24
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The first unprepared topic that we had to debate seemed absurd at first; we had to propose a complete ban on advertising. However, with an emotional appeal to the vulnerable groups misled and manipulated by advertising, we were able to win and progress to the regional final. The debate pitted the values of Liberty and Security against each other. We had to defend the cause of Liberty. Despite our astute analysis of the horrors of authoritarianism and witty references to the French national values – Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité – the judges awarded the victory to the passionate and powerful arguments from Henrietta Barnett School. Although we did not win the regional stage, as runners-up we were still invited to the national finals. The weeks leading up to the national finals were full of tense practice sessions as we aimed to improve our confidence and inject more energy into our discourse. After working together to brainstorm arguments, and by debating each other and the teachers, we went into the national finals feeling well-prepared and ready to prove ourselves. The pressure in the national final was palpable – no Hampton team had ever won the competition before. The judges were official government
school representatives from a variety of Francophone nations, including France, Tunisia, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada. We successfully navigated the opening stages, with intense, fast-paced oratorical battles about the dangers of Big Tech and international students in universities. At last, we reached the Gold Finals. Our opponents were none other than the team from Henrietta Barnett School. We had 20 minutes to prepare to oppose the motion that, ‘It is worth more to listen to reason than to passion.’ The final debate featured the highest level of French and rhetorical ability of the whole competition. In an extremely close match which pitted logic against emotion, we both supported one another and responded to our opponents’ points with precision and flair. After the fiery debate, and a nail-biting deliberation amongst the judges, we were delighted to learn that we had won! Winning this national competition felt like a vindication of all the hard work we had put in. Having worked almost nonstop since the regional qualifiers back in January, the process of the competition meant that winning the final, almost three months later, was all the more satisfying. It was particularly rewarding to earn such a prestigious victory for the school, given that much of our success was owed to the hard work and commitment of the French language assistants – Madame Dubost and Madame Vincent – and Mr Chaveneau. Over the course of the various stages, mine and Nayaaz’s level of French improved in leaps and bounds. Not only was our fluency heightened, but also our ability to debate well – a highly valuable skill in any area of life, not just French. We debated topics in French many would find difficult to debate in English, an initially daunting but eventually highly enriching and unique prospect.
Although the after-school and lunchtime practices required a fair bit of dedication, they were honestly some of the highlights of our time at Hampton. The privilege of conversing regularly with native speakers is something rarely found in most secondary schools, and was a tough but enjoyable challenge for us. When the competitions themselves came up, we were extremely well-prepared thanks to the demanding mock debates we did with the assistants and Mr Chaveneau on a regular basis. Speaking a modern language on its own is always a valuable asset, but taking it to this level and participating in a renowned competition like this will truly make you stand out from an employment or university perspective. Being able to chat with a person from a foreign country is one thing – and a very pleasurable thing, I might add – but communicating effectively and gaining critical thinking skills are another. We were able to add these abilities to our repertoire because of this competition. Learning modern languages at A level or beyond is hugely beneficial nowadays. It allows you to work abroad, it increases employability, and most importantly, it is a lot of fun being able to connect with people and cultures from foreign countries. Communication, oracy – in the native language as well as the foreign language! – and creativity are also some of the lesser known benefits of studying a language. For us personally, it was just a great pleasure to put our French to the test and polish our spoken word. We would highly recommend this competition to anyone studying modern languages – there are equivalent versions in Spanish and German. But first and foremost, for any tentative GCSE students, pick a modern language for A level! They will genuinely set you apart from the crowd and give you skills you didn’t even know were related to languages. Patrick Helm and Nayaaz Hashim
French Comic Strip Competition During the last lockdown, all boys studying French in Second, Third and Fourth Year were invited to take part in Hampton’s first French Comic Strip Competition. Les bandes dessinées (BD) or 'Franco-Belgian comics' are still extremely popular in the French-speaking world and the characters of Tintin and Astérix have become world-famous. To enter this competition, boys were asked to create at least two scenes of a comic, in French, using their favourite fictional characters but imagining a story of their own. We were amazed by the creativity and the excellent French on display as Hampton linguists put their own spin on the BD tradition. Although it was a challenge to identify a winner from dozens of original, imaginative entries, our top three saw Tintin finding a vaccine for Covid-19, Asterix catapulting himself into outer space, and Harry Potter casting his spells in French! The final results were as follows: 1st Place – Nicolas Wojtylak Herrero 2nd Place – Sam Trotman 3rd Place – Mayank Kalra Coup de cœur (Special mention) – Joel Hawker, Ronit Raj & Aabid Numohamed (Group entry) the lion
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Young Reporter Hampton’s budding journalists have excelled again in this year’s Newsquest Young Reporter awards. The online journalism scheme is open to schools across London and the South East and challenges pupils to produce eight news articles in specific categories over a period of eight months. The pieces produced are published on the Newsquest This is Local London website. Reporting on local events, the Hamptonians produced articles ranging from a local hairdressing hero to life in a Premier League academy. The three Hamptonians that scooped prizes at this year’s awards received warm praise from Young Reporter coordinator Diana Jarvis:
Josh Hood won top place in the Event category with his article ‘Seven students save struggling side’ and Vishal Saha and Harry Takla both performed well in the Sport Category, which is the first time we have run this category. Hundreds of pupils started the scheme back in September, and all three Hampton boys should be very proud of their achievements. Hampton winners and awards for this year: Winner: Event Category Y10/11 – Josh Hood Highly Commended: Sport Category Y10/11 – Vishal Saha
Once again Hampton School pipped other students to the post with three winners this year.
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Commended: Sport Category Y10/11 – Harry Takla
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Creative Writing Awards The literary talents of Hamptonians from across the Year Groups were on display in the Creative Writing Awards 2021. Budding authors were challenged to write an action adventure story of no more than 1,000 words for this year’s competition and our young writers succeeded in creating pulse-pounding, adrenaline-pumping and suspenseful stories. Young adult fiction author Sara Grant provided shortlisted finalists in the three age group categories with top creative writing tips focusing on character and plot development, ways to create tension and how to keep writing simple and direct; she also provided detailed written feedback to each of the finalists. All of their pieces will be published in this year’s edition of Lion Print, Hampton’s Creative Arts Magazine – found on the Magazine section of the School website. Sara was very impressed with the quality of the action adventure stories from all those who entered the competition: Surreal tales that played with reality. Twists I never saw coming. Terrifying surprises. And unique fantastical worlds coming to life in just 1,000 words. The writers at Hampton School wowed me!
It was very difficult to select the winners, as the standard of storytelling was incredibly high. All of these talented boys deserve praise and I have no doubt that if they keep going, one day I’ll be buying books with their names on the spine.
The winners from each category, who receive book tokens and certificates were: Junior Winner – Ben Rowe (Second Year) Highly commended – Sam Trotman (Second Year) Intermediate Winner – Vishal Saha (Fourth Year) Highly Commended – Thomas Massey (Third Year) Senior Winner – Ben Green (Upper Sixth) Highly Commended – Maxi Grindley (Upper Sixth)
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Badman Shepherd Travel Awards Since 1980, annual travel awards have been made from a fund set up in memory of Mr E R Badman, a former Deputy Headmaster. This fund was supplemented in 1994 by a legacy from Mr A T Shepherd, an old boy and former Chairman of Governors. The awards are intended to enable boys to travel, in this country or abroad, for educational purposes, in pursuit of some interest, or for adventure. Each year, boys in the Fifth Year and Sixth Form are invited to apply for an award. Last year, three awards were made to Oliver Donald – travelling to Gibraltar to view and research marine life in the area – Henry Ward, Finlo Cowley and Toby Kerr – for a walking expedition traversing Dartmoor – and Johnny Powell – to undertake archeology in the Balearic Islands. Each awardee is required to produce a report or project upon their return. Below are some highlights from these trips. DS
Bright and early, during the first week of the summer holidays, we clambered onto a train going from Paddington to Ivybridge. Our mission: to cross from the South to the North of Dartmoor over four days, without staying at a single camp site – all made possible by the grant we received from the Badman Shepherd Travel Award. Our first day started excellently, with lunch on Western Beacon, Dartmoor’s southernmost tor, before we headed northwards, aiming to camp by a reservoir that seemed promising on the map. The weather was beautiful, our legs felt good, and our heavily ‘tabletted’ water break – the first time any of us had drunk water straight from a stream – had been a success. However, our good cheer soon faded when we met two fellow travelers aiming to camp in a similar spot to us heading in the opposite direction: which group was walking the right way? It turned out that we had missed our turning; so, we spent the next few hours getting horribly lost… at which point, it began to rain. Not a good time to realise your walking boots had holes in.
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In the morning, some questionable map-reading saw us wade through a stream, but the rest of the day went swimmingly – including one of the highlights of our trip, climbing the windiest tor we could find. Finding a place to camp, however, proved trickier than the first night, when we had stumbled across an area that was both flat and near water, the perfect combination for wild camping. On the second night, the spot where we had planned to camp was unsuitable, too bumpy and damp for us to set up our tent. So, we found ourselves searching for a new location, eventually only setting up camp at 8:30pm, when we settled down for a well-deserved dinner – pesto pasta has never tasted so good! The next morning, the weather seemed to have finally cheered up and we treated ourselves to a luxurious farm-shop breakfast of 24 Weetabix between the 3 of us. Yes, 24. Our walk that day took us through a beautiful forest, past another reservoir and along picturesque country roads before we reached our third and final camp site. And what a spot it was!
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Finally, through both fog and bog, we saw the reservoir in the distance. The camp spot was incredible – although it rained pretty much continuously throughout the night!
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As it was our last night, we allowed ourselves to devour any spare supplies we had – which meant that it was porridge and hot chocolate for pudding. It was also England versus Denmark that night, which we can safely say makes for much tenser listening when the signal cuts out every few minutes. This was our home for the night, and we were treated with a spectacular sunset before bed. The next day we set off for Okehampton, reluctant to leave such a beautiful spot behind. After a morning’s walk, we reentered civilisation and rapidly took off our sodden walking boots. The trip had taught us so much about ourselves and our ability to face up to adversity. I think we would all admit the trip was one of the most challenging achievements of our lives, yet it was also extremely rewarding and the memories will last a lifetime. Henry Ward, Toby Kerr and Finlo Cowley
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Sanisera Field School The Digging In order to avoid the extreme heat – it got up to 35 degrees in the middle of the day – we would have to work early in the morning, meaning we got up at around 5am each day to get to the site by 6.45am and start working at 7am, having got out all the equipment. The tools we were using were pickaxes, both big and small ones, trowels, again both big and small ones, brushes, buckets, and metal detectors. We worked approximately 3 ½ hours with small 5-minute breaks interspersed to have some water or a bite to eat. We began by taking photos of our respective areas in which we were working. There were eleven of us and the lead archaeologist; we were split into four groups, each working on a different sector. Two were working on the inside of the Basilica, two on the entrance, three on the left side of the entrance outside of the Basilica, and the remaining four – including myself – on the right side of the entrance outside of the Basilica. Apart from the sector inside the Basilica, none of the sectors we were working on had been excavated. This meant that the first few days, perhaps even the first week, consisted of removing large quantities of dirt from what is known as the ‘superficial layer’. The superficial layer is the top layer of earth which most likely contains little from the periods of history relevant to the archaeological site. Despite this, there are still finds to be discovered in this layer, and so, as well as simply looking through the dirt we removed from the ground to see if there is anything interesting that we had found, we had to use a metal detector on each of the buckets of dirt we had, so that any bits of metal, including coins, nails, buckles, staples and other things such as components of fishing equipment, made of various metals, including bronze, silver, and lead – and even gold if you were extremely lucky – did not go undiscovered! The Progress In the two-week session, three coins were found overall. Two of them were bronze Vandal coins, and these are very small and somewhat resemble a one pence coin in appearance; however, we could not see what might have been on the coin as, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there were not any specialist archaeologists, such as an osteologist, and so the necessary equipment and knowledge for cleaning the coins were not present. The third coin was a silver dirham, which is an Islamic coin, and only three of this type of coin had been discovered at the site in the approximately 25 years that they have been excavating there. This coin was much larger than the bronze Vandal coin and looks similar to a ten pence coin in size, shape, and colour. Another important find was an oil lamp. As it was only one broken-off part of a lamp, it is not fully known what it looks like in its entirety, but it is believed that it is of Roman origin. Although there did not appear to be very intricate designs on the lamp itself, it perhaps was floral in shape, with holes for the flames on each of the ‘petals’ and a hole for the wick in the centre. The final significant find was a small, lead cross with a ring around it. As the site contains an early Christian Basilica, it is not surprising to find objects with such symbolism. This object seems to have been part of a necklace or some other type of jewellery, as there could have been a chain of some sort or even just string connected to the top part of it. 32
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Each day, after the practical work, we would do two hours of lab work, which could consist of a few different tasks. However, every day we would first write a daily report, including photos, to record the progress of our respective sectors over the two weeks. We also had to give a presentation in the second week on any topic which was related to the site in some way. These varied from Constantine I coins to trade in the Roman Empire! Cleaning the Finds All the finds discovered would be put in a box labelled with the sector number depending on where it was found. Only the pottery and bones were cleaned; the rest of the finds were left in the box. The cleaning process was not complex, but simply consisted of letting the pottery or bones sit in the water for a while and then scrubbing them until the actual colour of them could be seen, using a larger brush for the larger bits of pottery, and a smaller one for the bones and smaller bits of pottery, for these are more fragile and needed to be cleaned with more care. They then would be left out to dry for a bit – which did not need to be very long as it was so hot – and then returned to the box of finds. Labelling Pottery The pottery was labelled before it was sent off to a museum or research site, so that it was known from which area of the archaeological site it was found. We had to find a corner or edge of the pottery which was flat and apply a small strip of nail varnish. Once this had dried a little, we had to write on, in small but legible handwriting with an ink pen, the sector number from where it was found; for example, 04/3577 was the sector number for the area I was digging. Johnny Powell
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Quiz Society The 2020-21 quiz season was another exciting year, despite being unfortunately curtailed early-on with no inter-school competitions. Despite this hurdle, we held three inter-form competitions, both online and inperson, and much quizzical fun was had by all. The quiz year began with the Second Year inter-form competition which was mostly held online during the period of remote learning. Fortunately, we were able to return to school in time for the final to be held in person, in which a very strong 2P team overcame 2J to be crowned deserving champions.
triumphed over L6AG in a high-scoring finale, winning 450 to 310. Man of the match was Oliver Pulfrey Baker, who was an excellent team captain. The year concluded with the Third Year inter-form competition in which 3C and 3E made it through some very tough rounds to contest a final for the ages. In the end, 3E, who had won their semi-final against 3A on a tie break question, pipped 3C to the title, 280 points to 260. Congratulations to the winning team of Rishi Vijayan, Alec Hamilton, Sohan Bakshi and Samuel Walker and to all the competitors. A personal favourite wrong answer to finish: Q: What is the largest UK carnivore? A: Notting Hill
The summer term brought the Lower Sixth inter-form competition. Following a series of 16 exciting matches, only four forms progressed to the semi-finals: L6AG v L6AFE and L6MWE v L6AJB. Watched by their peers and their tense Form Tutors, the final took place on 25 May, where L6MWE
We are very excited indeed for the return of competitions in 2021-22! MWE, CAM, REB, SDG, NN
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Science Fair This year’s School Science Fair saw many brilliant entries from boys in the First, Second and Third Year. In April, they were tasked with coming up with a project that suited their interests. They were then given just four weeks to work on their projects before presenting them to judges in May. The submitted projects spanned a broad range of interests, from researchbased projects on topics such as dark matter and quantum entanglement, to experimental projects in which one group built a veggie-powered clock and another built a fully-functioning RFID door lock.
Joshua Ripon won second place for his model wind farm that demonstrated how kinetic energy can be transferred to electrical energy. He provided excellent demonstrations of the motor effect – when an electrical current is used to produce motion – and the generator effect, when motion is used to produce an electric current. Joshua’s project explored the duality between these concepts in a way that enabled many other boys to appreciate the beauty of electromagnetism. This was absolutely brilliant as it is not an easy topic to understand – it is not usually encountered until the Fifth Year – but he really got to grips with it and explained it clearly. Well done! 34
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Leander Koutsodis-Bhuller, Oliver Atlay and Alexander Pickles won the First Year Science Fair for the prototype drone they built from scratch using a just few DC motors and fans mounted on a chassis made of lollypop sticks! They had to overcome several hurdles before they built a working prototype – such as making it light enough to lift off the ground, but having enough motors to achieve sufficient thrust – and they documented their decisionmaking process incredibly well. I was really impressed by the perseverance and enthusiasm they displayed throughout the time they spent working on their project.
school Advait Bendale, Brandon Cao and Syn Foh Ngui won third place for the remotecontrol car they built from scratch. This including building a frame, connecting the electronics, and getting the remote-control to work over a relatively long range. The judges were particularly impressed by the fact that they figured out how to make the car go forwards and backwards, suggesting they have looked into much more sophisticated circuitry than what they had encounter in their First Year Physics lessons! Kessan Konesakumar won the joint Second and Third Year Science Fair for his research on combustion engines. Students do not usually learn about the innerworkings of combustion engines until the Upper Sixth, and yet Kessan was able to explain the inner-workings of the four-stroke engine cycle with the precision and clarity that would rival most Physics teachers! He answered all of the questions that were put to him with confidence and enthusiasm. Very well done!
Overall, the event was an enormous success and we look forward to what next year’s fair has in store! BJC
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100 Years of Music and Drama It is difficult to pin-point when exactly drama and music became a part of Hampton School, but there are reviews of performances going back 140 years. Hopping from decade to decade, these snapshots will show you just how far Hampton music and drama has come. So, without further ado, lights…camera…action!
1925, Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado. With no female actors to hand, boys donned dresses and lipstick for early performances. Teachers also played key parts in this play.
Iolanthe, 1930.
L’Anglais tel qu’on le parle, 1949. Performed as part of the programme for the Senior Speech Day.
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The Merchant of Venice, 1954
St Joan, 1962
Forty Years On, 1977
Black Comedy, 1982
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Carmen, 1993
Calamity Jane, 2001
On 28th September 2009, the 450 Hall was unveiled by Vince Cable MP. Extracts from Sweeney Todd were performed as part of the programme for the Gala Opening Night for the 450 Hall – later renamed the Hammond Theatre. The previous month, the School had performed the production Sweeney Todd in full at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it remained for three weeks!
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Les Misérables, 2011
Brainstorm, 2021. Brainstorm was our first live-streamed production, having being released during the Lockdown brought about by the coronavirus outbreak. It signifies the advancement of technologies used in the creation of stage productions and our young actors’ ability to overcome new challenges.
It is clear that the building of the 450 Hall has given Hampton School the means to support the high quality of Performing Arts displayed here and allow its pupils to grow as actors, choristers and musicians. It has enabled the staging of theatrical productions, along with the introduction of choreography, light-effects and music which are delivered at a standard that would not be out of place on a West End stage. A Esmond, Archivist the lion
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BRAINSTORM
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arts Brainstorm is a unique style of production written by Ned Glasier and produced by Company Three. The 'blueprint' structure to the play gives us, as actors, a chance to show off our devising skills whilst providing us with an overarching storyline. The freedom to create our own type of characters certainly gave the cast an enhanced acting experience – we certainly knew our characters inside out! However, the excitement of performing what we had produced was forced to wait; the national lockdown in January delayed the performance by 5 months. Having rehearsed for the first time on 12th November, we were not able to display our piece until April 28th – a long wait for all of us! Furthermore, we were all disappointed to not be able to perform in front of a live audience, although some fellow Fourth Year students as audience members was certainly a breath of fresh air after all these months of empty theatres. The smaller cast of just eight people contributed to improved bonds between us, as well as the opportunity of 'multi-roling', which meant we had to embody different characters at different times – certainly a challenging concept to work with! However, with the help of props and some slightly dodgy accents, we were able to pull it off! The play itself follows the lives of seven teenagers, delving into the different parts of the brain, and how their roles can change depending on the child. Emotions can regularly sky-rocket, as well as the Limbic System, for example, hindering our ability to make any sensible decisions! Our characters represented a range of typical teenagers, without being too clichéd or generic. Ranging from a so-called 'neek' to the insecure, angry personality of the character of AJ, the production shows off the better side of teenagers – as well as exhibiting their not-soclever side… Overall, despite the long delay, the play was great fun to compose and perform, and it was certainly something that we can be proud of as we move into later life. We would like to give a massive thank you to Miss Tiller and Mr Haynes for being so patient with us – and our occasional lack of productivity – as well as always coming up with a wide range of great ideas to further improve the performance. As well as this, a big thanks goes to the technical team at the Hammond Theatre, for such an incredible set and lighting design. Hopefully you will enjoy the play when you watch it yourself, and perhaps it will change your perspective of us teenagers! Harry McLusky 42
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iMovie Challenge Budding movie-makers from across the Year Groups took part in the Drama Department’s iMovie Competition during lockdown this year. Pupils were set the task of creating a short film inspired by this year’s theme: ‘Hope’. There were some impressive entries submitted by Hamptonians, especially given the difficulty of filming during e-Hampton. It was really lovely to see all the different interpretations of the theme Hope and the variety of different filming and editing styles. The Drama Department was impressed by the range of inventive ideas, the excellent use of music and special effects, and the overall quality of the films. The submissions featured anything from aspiring jugglers to LEGO minifigures. Some films addressed key historic events such as the Chernobyl disaster, whilst others told the stories of sports fans who miss attending matches. Congratulations to everyone who entered this year’s competition and particular congratulations go to the winners and runners up: Winner – Vishal Saha Second place – Joe Cornell Third place – Oskar Chu Highly commended – Leonid Karpovich, Uzair Khaleel and Agalyan Sathiyamoorthy NPL
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The Terrible Infants, I think, considering the circumstances of a pandemic, was a real success. Being able to complete a play with two other Year Groups so well is an enormous credit to the director, Mrs Plowman, the cast, the lighting and sound crew and all other students and staff involved. I love drama and not being able perform in a play for so long because of Covid-19 was awful. So, being able to be in the Terrible Infants was even better than a normal play. I joined Hampton in Third Year and so it was also good for meeting people I did not really know. It all started with auditions before the Easter break. Having not known the play, I had to look up what it was and I saw a great deal about puppetry and a lot of other cool stuff – so I was immediately interested, not that I was not before…! It went into rehearsals after Easter, during the summer term. These started off as normal with a play; unsurprisingly, we were often very confused, but, towards the middle of last half term and the start of this half term, the play had really come along and was starting to look really good. In the week before the two performances, we started using props and, we were finally able to watch the other Year Groups perform their sections – which was great! We had never done a full run through until the first performance, something which we, and likely Mrs Plowman as well, were worried about. However, the first performance went much better than the whole cast could ever have hoped for. At my old school, when we did performances, there was not a proper theatre; so, for the first time, being able to see audience members in real theatre seats was an amazing experience. To make it even better, we saw Mr Knibbs in the boxes, which was a great surprise – we hope he thought it was enjoyable! On the second night it went even better; likely our first full performance on the first night gave us even more confidence going into the second. Overall, it was an excellent way to finish a very enjoyable few months! Angus Holker
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New Boys’ Concert 5/11/2020 This year, the New Boys’ Concert coincided with Fireworks Day – and what a firework of talent, preparation and hard work it was! The concert saw a very wide range of musicians from First and Third Years, playing on all sorts of instruments: piano, violin, trumpet, French horn, clarinet, guitar, voice, drum kits and even a single drum! The pieces covered both classical and popular music of different periods – Mozart, Khachaturian, The Beatles, jazz, folklore, to name just a few. Probably for the first time in Hampton’s history, it was a recorded performance – unsurprisingly, this was a bit different from a usual live performance. Normally, in a live concert, you have one chance to play which can make things somewhat nervewracking! During this performance, we had cameras – which was another very unusual thing – and Mr Goodwin had to wipe the piano after every performance! Also, we had rather a smaller audience of teachers and the performers themselves, instead of a big hall packed with parents, grandparents, siblings and other Year Groups. So, it was different – but hopefully we will all go back to performing live again at usual Hampton concerts next year! It was a long day but it was such a wonderful occasion, and when the last person performed on the drums; everyone was up on their feet and waving their hands in the air! Everyone was so happy! It felt so awesome being up on stage with only cameras to look at; the second you started playing, it felt as if you were the only person in the room! Most of the audience really respected the performers and complimented them when they finished. And for me personally, playing on Steinway is one of the most fantastic experiences, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It’s not every day you get to play on your favourite piano of all time. Personally, I didn’t want to leave the piano at all! ‘Excited and nervous!’ – Tom McMonagle. ‘So awesome!’ – Boris Duke. Boris Duke 48
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Keyboard Concert 12/11/2020 Every year, the Keyboard Concert promises an evening of evocative, memorable and soothing performances, and this year’s concert certainly did not disappoint. In the run-up to the concert, many of the performers were slightly nervous about the prospect of playing in front of an empty Hammond Theatre – would Covid-restrictions dampen the annual magic of the Keyboard Concert? Fortunately, the support and applause of our teachers and fellow performers meant that the theatre certainly did not feel ‘empty’; the experience of playing to our peers was definitely very restorative and enjoyable after months at home! The concert began in true Baroque style with an organ rendition of J S Bach’s Prelude in C by Patrick Tate, with the works of other revered composers, such as Haydn, Mozart, Debussy and Beethoven, also being performed across the evening. However, this year’s concert also saw soulful renditions of diverse, less well-known pieces, with composers ranging from Jeremy Wong Wing Kwan and Cornelius Gurlitt to James Napier and Sam Smith also being represented. Given that the concert this year was recorded on the same day as Hampton’s Remembrance Assembly, Ollie Lycett’s emotive recital of Elgar’s Nimrod – performed each year at the National Service of Remembrance – had a particularly moving, timeless quality which certainly made it one of the many highlights of the evening. The evening ultimately culminated in a committed, virtuosic performance of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata Movement I by Jack Lucas, rounding off the concert with a suitable flourish. From all of the performers, thank you to Mr Roland, Mrs Esser, Mr Green and the Hammond Theatre team for all of their work behind the scenes to make this evening possible. Many thanks also go to Mr Goodwin, whose ‘Covid concertos’ and remarkable glissando skills in sanitising the piano after every performance kept the performers Covid-safe – and suitably entertained – throughout the concert. And, of course, huge thanks are due to the dedicated Keyboard teachers who have devoted so much of their time to preparing all of us for the concert. Matthew Cresswell the lion
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String Concert 17/11/2020 It was nice to be able to perform again on the stage, even if it was a bit different due to restrictions. I am sure all of the performers also felt the same way, and I want to start by congratulating them. I think the First Years, in particular, did very well, especially as they were the first to perform, and new to the School. I can see a bright future for the years to come! I particularly enjoyed Fabio’s performance of Meditation. This was then followed by the Second Years; Oli’s performance of Fantasie for violin in E flat major was particularly impressive to me since he played unaccompanied. One of the joys of a string concert over a violin concert is, well…the variety of instruments. This could not be truer for Elliot, who played the double bass. Not too long after, Oli – the other one – also played the double bass, followed immediately after by Jian who played the cello. It just goes to show how it is not just violins that get to perform! Shortly after, the Third Years got to perform – myself included. I think that Declan performed the best out of all of us, although, to be honest, I think we all did pretty well. One of the Fourth Years, Ishaan, did an exceptionally good job of playing the guitar – in my opinion! Since it always seems so very polished, it is always interesting to listen to the Seniors playing. I think that Jacob did especially well, playing Three Hungarian Dances. I was also particularly impressed by Freddy, who performed brilliantly to round off this concert with Romanian Folk Dances. I cannot wait to see where the strings can go next! Well done to all the performers and an enormous thanks to Miss van Ments, Mr Oyarzabal and the whole theatre team. Edmund Ng 50
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Carol Service 8/12/2020 Earlier this term, Hampton boys across all Year Groups recorded what would be our first ever e-carol service when, due to Covid restrictions, we were not able to go to the church as usual. However, this did nothing to lower the standard of singing on offer, and the end result is as good as it always has been in previous years. For many weeks leading up to the recording, we rehearsed in our separate Year Group bubbles; although these were much smaller groups than the large school choir we were used to, if anything it helped improve our singing and aural skills. The recording itself was done over the space of weekend with different Year Groups coming in at different times and was done more professionally than lots of us expected! Each of us had our own mics – socially distanced of course! – and headphones so that we could listen to the organ backing track for us all to be exactly in time. Many, many hours later, all the recordings had been finished and they were then multi-tracked so we sounded like one big choir. The music itself was very varied, from very traditional carols like O Come, All Ye Faithful to slightly lesser known pieces such as Warlock’s Benedicamus Domino – all great pieces in their own way. We even had former head of music, Mr Donald’s arrangement of Silent Night, a VoL classic. However, none of this could have happened without the hard-working Music Department, who have had to arrange and run all the extra rehearsals for separate Year Group bubbles this term, and organise the whole event – which, given the situation, was quite an achievement. A special mention must also go to Mr Traves, who helped with all the technological elements of putting together and organising the recording and without whom we would not have stood a chance of making this happen. Daniel Morgan the lion
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Talk by Jonathan Clinch 21/1/2021 While a Teams meeting will never be the same as a live talk, Jonathan Clinch, a specialist in English music from the Royal Academy of Music, managed to grab our attention, and added depth to our understanding of English music in the early Twentieth Century. He began by bringing up the two problems with analysing this music. The first was a problem which pertains to all music: what effect does music have on us? Do pieces of music merely reflect how you feel? What is the purpose of music? The response to this question was enlightening: music is not merely a means to reflect our mood, it helps to shine a light upon the world. It is not merely a passive force; it is proactive, describing things we cannot conceive and understand from the sublime to the transcendent: a true universal language. The second question was a more specific one: how do we separate national identity, nationalism and national styles? At first, these seem almost identical, and they are often conflated. Nationalism is a means to furthering introspective political agendas and structures, and relatively few English composers composed in this style (for example music for the coronation by Walton). National identity is the study of localism, tradition and history,
and this was perhaps most vibrantly manifested by the works of Vaughan Williams. The third strand of influence are national styles, which refer to national schools of composers, such as Les Six, or the mighty handful, and also to those who are claimed to take part in the so called English Musical Renaissance. I found this entire talk enlightening, as it broadened our understanding of English music, but also nationalism as a whole, and this new perspective will help us to contextualise music in the Early Twentieth century. Jack Lucas
Composition Competition Scholars’ Concert 22/1/2021
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I was extremely surprised and happy that I won the composition competition! My composition is called Winter Garden and it was inspired by the cold, gloomy day when I was composing it.
During my first Year at Hampton School, we have had the opportunity to hold numerous concerts. I am very pleased to have participated in the Lunchtime Concert. I thought it was a lovely idea from the Music Department to ask for boys to play music and send in videos playing so many different pieces and instruments.
I tried to create a sad, melancholic garden with bare trees, frost everywhere, the sky being clouded, lots of fog. I love GarageBand, as it is a great way of making music where you can combine many instruments, play around with the app to produce different effects. For this piece, I did not use my own instruments, but a string quintet on GarageBand. I love taking part in school competitions and concerts, they are always great fun. I loved taking part as it is a great experience to be part of Hampton’s music community. Boris Duke
I wanted to contribute as I thought it would be a really nice way to pass a few minutes of the lunch break, whilst we were working in our homes – especially as so much of our school day is different, it seemed a cheerful way to keep us all connected! We have such a wide variety of music clubs at Hampton; so far this year, we have been able to see Strings, Brass, Rock and many more concerts, and I realise there are so many talented boys who enjoy playing and making music as I do. The Piano is a fun instrument and it can really show so many different styles. I chose to play a piece by Chopin, who is my favourite composer. The piece was Nocturne in C# Minor, which is from the Romantic period – you may also recognise this from the Roman Polanski film The Pianist! To record this at home was really different from performing in the School Theatre using one of the School’s Steinway Pianos. My Piano has a lovely sound, but recording this on my mobile phone was somewhat strange! My family were also remote working at home, so everyone had to be very quiet during the recording – it was funny when the Postman arrived and knock on the door during the 2nd recording! I do look forward to seeing boys from all Year Groups playing their instruments or singing – and even more so to doing this back at School in person! Fabio Tapia Pulford
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Henry Ward – Four Horns 29/1/2021 To keep me busy in lockdown, I decided to use computer software to allow me to play a horn quartet by myself. Before I could think about producing this project, I had to choose and arrange a piece. I knew that arranging it would take the most time, so I chose a piece I loved – A Child is Born, by Chad Jones – and started listening to it repeatedly while I began to arrange. After a few hours of arranging, I had some music to play and could get practising. I then played each part on the horn, recording them. When I played these parts, I listened to the previous recording so I could play intime with myself. Once I had all four parts recorded, I went on the computer and layered them on top of each other. With a little tweaking, the audio was completed. All that was left was to edit an engaging video of the performance and it was finished!
Overall, it was a hugely enjoyable and very different musical experience!
Rock Concert
As usual, the Rock Concert was very entertaining to watch. I particularly enjoyed watching the range of Year Groups that took part, showing that music at Hampton is strong in all age groups.
2/2/21 The Rock Concert adopted a new format this year, due to remote learning. Students were asked to record themselves and send the videos in to Mr Zuckert to be released as part of the Hampton@Home series.
Henry Ward
I was also impressed by the quality of the group performers despite our current situation, the initiative of these groups was very powerful! Oliver Donald
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Lunchtime Concert 4/2/2021 I found the Lunchtime Concert fun to perform in as it was a way to showcase my musical abilities to the rest of the School. The reason that I chose to learn the trombone is because I really enjoy playing, and listening to, jazz and swing music. The trombone is hugely enjoyable to play and I cannot wait to be able to make music with friends once back at School! In the lunchtime concert, I played Let’s Face The Music And Dance. I love the rhythms of this piece – it makes it feel ‘danceable’! Joshie Huntley
Improvisation Competition 5/2/2021 I loved participating in the improvisation competition this term. I entered the competition because of my love of improvisation and music. It seemed like a great opportunity to share my passion with other musicians at Hampton. I had lots of fun experimenting with different sounds and Jazz scales, until I found something I liked. In my opinion, jazz is wonderful because it is hard to make a mistake as long as you play in a jazzy style! This differs massively from classical music, where everything must be perfect and concise. I particularly enjoy the freedom, as I can play in my own style, with the notes I like.
Overall, I think, and I'm sure others will agree, that it was a wonderful opportunity, and thank you so much to all the staff that made it happen. I encourage all of you to participate next time! Tommy Skeffington
Purcell Hear my prayer Term 3 The whole process started when we received an email from Mrs Esser asking if we were interested in recording a choral piece, called Hear my Prayer, by Henry Purcell. This came at the time of national lockdown in January when music was scarce. Nine of us accepted: from 1st trebles down to 2nd basses. We had some MS Teams calls, where Mrs Esser introduced the piece to us, and went through the more technical side of things. We received a marked copy of the score and guide tracks, which we practiced for about a month, until the end of February, when we were ready to record. 54
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Although you could not see it in the video, there was a lot of work put in to get the recording device and the multiple sheets of music in the right place to look smooth, but in the end, everything was perfect. Then there was then a waiting time, while Mr Traves expertly fitted all the recordings together. Finally, on the 29th April, it was released. Personally, I really enjoyed listening to it, and we would have been lucky to do it any better! On behalf of everyone involved, I would like to thank Mrs Esser, for masterminding the whole project, and to thank Mr Traves, for making the tracks sound amazing as ever! I am sure everyone would want to do it again! Nathaniel Carson
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Chamber Concert 1 25/5/2021 During the Coronavirus-dominated times, the only musical performances available were on a screen. It is no substitute for the real thing. But, despite this, there was something electrifyingly real about the performances at the Hampton chamber concerts. Maybe it was because I knew how it felt to go onto the stage and perform: how nervous I felt, with the camera recording my every mistake, when my classmate and I played the first part of Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suit on the piano.
Music can bring much needed joy and relief in these – still – challenging times. Thanks to all the brilliant Hampton performers for sharing your talent with us! Alex Nelson
Chamber Concert 2 27/5/2021 All Hampton concerts have one thing in common: a huge amount of variety. And, I have to say, this really did not disappoint!
In particular, the jazz trio jumped out at me; How Insensitive, by Antônio Carlos Jobim, was performed by Henry, Finlo and Toby. It was unusual and brave to perform a mellow evening tune in the glaring light of the stage – listening to it felt like I was transported to a jazz club.
It is not often you see a piano at a concert, but when you do, it never fails to impress. We started with a Haydn Trio – No.39 in G, before a Waltz by the lion
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Leavers’ Concert 10/6/2021 The Leavers’ Concert was a very heart-warming and moving for us all, giving us a chance to create music together, and to reflect on the past seven years at the school. There were many powerful performances, for example Joe Strong’s passionate depiction of Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C sharp minor, and there were also many light and jovial performances – such as Sathin’s gripping rendition of I got plenty o’ nuttin’ with the house band. It was exhilarating to finally be able to hear and create live music – especially being able to perform with professionals! – and it made this concert a very fitting end to seven years of music at Hampton. Jack Lucas
Libertango, by Piazzola: guitars are often overlooked, I think, but this piece said otherwise. This high level of playing really stood out to me. Freddy, Theo and Cameron, well done! Two trios followed – one string trio and one piano. Haydn, again, this time in C, played by Nathaniel, Ryan and Xavier, before Mozart, played with a clarinet and viola by Tomas, Theo and Thomas. They say all good things come in threes; that could not be more true than of the piano trios – a third one, with Ishaan, Logan and Charlie at the helm. Getting through all the great composers, we found ourselves listening to Beethoven, before the clarinet ensemble, with Sooho, Elijah, Jack, Eugene and Boris. Some excellent playing all around! The last performance is often, at least in my view, one of the best. And I am not just saying that because I was in the group… Enterprising Young Men from Star Trek, played by Declan, myself, Harry and Gabriel. Having been quite some time since the last few concerts, it was really nice to be able to see people performing in the Hammond once again – I cannot wait to see where this goes in the future. Edmund Ng
Art & Music 28/5/2021 On the final day before half term, we saw parents come to the Hammond once again to watch the Art and Music concert – the first live concert in over a year! It was a concert dedicated to Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg and showcased a wide variety of his music, from the playful March of the Dwarfs, performed by Joe Strong, to Henry Ward’s more reflective performance of Remembrance, which ended the concert. Each piece was accompanied with a painting done by a group of Second Years, who managed to effectively capture the mood of each piece with their artwork. We are really grateful to Mr Oyarzabal, not only for teaching each of the performers but for organising this lovely event to end half term! Daniel Morgan
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Rock Concert – Hammond Theatre
Year Junior Rock Band, the whole evening as a whole was definitely the pinnacle of my whole year at Hampton, ending off the year with a bang. Definitely an 11/10 experience!
18/6/2021
Ryan Chen
Putting an end to a musical drought at Hampton, the Summer Rock Concert was a testament to rock n’ roll being alive and well. There was a bit of everything, from fan favourites such as MGMT’s Kids, and The Animals‘ House of the Rising Sun, performed by The Matt Chapmen and Dynamix respectively, to an original song’s debut by What Happens Next. Mr Horden’s Jazz Band and The Last Call Quartet brought some lighter, smooth jazz and fusion to the audience, and the Upper Sixth Rock Band finished the concert off with a trifecta of songs from Led Zeppelin, Radiohead and Alter Bridge. The energy and excitement that playing in front of a live audience after so long brings meant that each of the musicians could not stop thinking the following: ‘It is good to be back!’ Oscar Leonov
Rock Concert – Main Hall 18/6/2021 The air was up with the noise of bass-boosted drums and phenomenal electric guitar riffs. Hampton School’s Rock Concert was the talk of the town, featuring ten different bands and two solos by Felix Von Der Geest and Daniel Tresidder. The whole atmosphere surrounding the concert and the stage was exhilarating; from the beaming lights highlighting the bands and the stage to the captivated audience, it all added to make such a sensational experience, especially coming from someone like myself who had never witnessed anything like this before. I have got to say that the witty introductions to each band by Felix and Tom were some of the highlights of the afternoon, inspiring laughter into the crowd with every sentence. As one of the performers myself, in the Second 58
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Summer Concert 30/6/2021 This year’s long-awaited summer concert was an amazing experience. From the magnificent roar of the Lower Sixth Percussion Ensemble to the lyrical singing of Angus Whitworth, this concert was one to remember. I enjoyed performing with a lot of the ensembles present. The Voices of Lions opened with Tobias Droy beautifully performing his solo for Loch Lomond, followed by a new favourite of ours, a fantastic rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. The Lower Sixth Symphony Orchestra welcomed Fifth Years Johnny EvansHutchinson and Freddy Liang and Upper Sixth students Jack Lucas, Joe Strong, Hugo Hamilton and Vlad Penzyev to perform Dvořák’s orchestrated version of Piano duet number 8, which blew the audience away. The Lower Sixth Jazz Band closed the show with a finale of Bags’ Groove and Down by the Riverside. The rapturous applause we received indicated that the audience still wanted more. After the audience’s applause had died down, the Upper Sixth took to the stage to thank everyone for their wonderful time at Hampton. It was a sad farewell, not just to this year’s leavers but also to Mrs Oldfield and Mr Goodwin. We wish them all the best for their future endeavours, but I can safely say that this concert was a rousing success, one which will be remembered for years to come. Pallav Bagchi the lion
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Fifth Year Caribbean Workshop 28/5/2021 On Friday 28th May, thirteen lucky Fifth Year boys were treated to an engaging workshop where we were taught about Calypso – a form of music from Trinidad & Tobago – learning about the origins of the genre. A personal highlight was being given the chance to play One Love by Bob Marley on the steel pans! A big thank you to Mike and Lindsay from Inspire Works for a thoroughly enjoyable and intriguing experience. Johnny Evans-Hutchison
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Second Year Samba Drumming 9/6/2021 The Samba Workshop was super fun! We were taught some important Samba rhythms and, by the end, completed a whole Samba performance. I learnt a lot about the history of Samba and its origins from African music and the slave trade. We became familiar with some famous samba instruments, such as the Agogô – a metal set of bells that is struck by a wooden stick – and the Xequeré – an empty gourd surrounded by a woven net of beads or seeds. During the session, we played different instruments as a group, as well as including other Samba features like pauses and layering. Getting confident with the instruments and all feeling the samba beat, we performed together as a class and created our very own Brazilian carnival here at Hampton! It was a really fun morning and we learnt a great deal about samba and Brazilian culture – but, above all, we were all dancing and tapping the catchy rhythms for the rest of the day! James Egglton
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Third Year Gamelan 16/6/2021 Music students from the Third Year recently had the opportunity to participate in a Gamelan workshop, learning the basics of playing and respecting the instruments. I personally thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and took a lot away from it. The teacher did an outstanding job at giving us a sense of what it would have been like playing Gamelan in Indonesia, and the importance of the music in the country. He walked us through the roles of each instrument and how to play them respectfully. The trickiest part of Gamelan is dampening each note the beat after it is played, but it is an exciting musical challenge for anyone wishing to give it a go! I would like to thank the Hampton Music Department for organising this workshop, and also Mike from Inspire Works for sharing his knowledge and passion. I would encourage all of you to give it a go if you get the chance! Tommy Skeffington
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First Year VOCES8 23/6/2021 The First Year were fortunate to enjoy a music workshop by Apollo 5. It was spectacular! First, we all sat down in the Hammond theatre where Apollo 5 introduced themselves. Then we started making a few tunes with our bodies such as flicking our fingers, clapping or stomping. After that, Apollo 5 sang an acapella of Human by Rag’n’Bone Man, which was very cool; it was amazing to hear all of their voices link and combine into an incredible sound. We were then divided into groups with a member of Apollo 5; our task was to make a performance together and then present it to everyone else. This was very fun, but it was a bit difficult to pick some moves! Then we came back and listened to Apollo 5 sing some more fantastic songs. Next, we performed our moves to the whole of First Year – which was certainly nerve-racking! Finally, we asked if we could hear Jacob, the beatboxer, beat box – I am pretty confident that he was our favourite performer! I would recommend this to every school – everyone had a fantastic time! Jaipaal Ghotra
First Year boys’ experience of Music lessons
But, the most Important thing is that both academic and extra-curricular music activities are led by very enthusiastic teachers – Mr Roland, Mr Zuckert, Mrs Esser and Mrs Oldfield – who always smile, are always happy to help and create a very warm atmosphere. Thank you to all of them!
Having joined Hampton this year, I have entered a very busy and lively world of music. Starting with academic lessons, which in my class are taught by Mrs Esser, and ending with choirs and ensembles, created by Mrs Oldfield, the Music Department is definitely a very busy, vibrant and interesting place to be.
Boris Duke
Our academic lessons include music notations, learning musical theory and finding out about music in other countries. In particular, this term the curriculum included not only notes and rests, but also African drums.
Music has always been important to me, but Hampton has extended my reach far beyond my norm of classical music. The Music Department is an amazing place to learn, perform and collaborate. Learning music has never been easy for me. Private music sessions are great for improving and the large number of clubs and concerts mean that there is something for everyone.
Besides academic lessons, I am also member of a Chamber Choir and the First Year Choir – our repertoire this term includes Christmas songs and hymns such as The Snow, Benedicamus Domino and some other great Christmas songs!
Concerts are different now due to Covid-19. However, they still have the vibrancy and excitement of the audience. Being able to hear people come together has never meant so much, and coming together in such numbers makes you more comfortable when you feel stressed.
Recently, I was also very proud to take part in the New Boys’ concert, which was a recorded performance and therefore was totally different from my previous experience of live performances.
And, it is not just solo performances; there are choirs and orchestras if you want to join them. They help you improve, as well as being able to help everybody come together and make an amazing sound.
Despite the challenges of Covid, I have also had the opportunity to play French Horn in the First Year Orchestra, led by Mr Zuckert. We play orchestral pieces, such as Jupiter from Holst’s The Planets, and we also play Christmas music – which is always something to look forward to!
I think that music at Hampton is not a subject, but an experience. And an experience I suggest you embrace. Harry Ng the lion
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Me and my instrument I became inspired to learn the organ when I was around twelve, whilst I was a Chorister at Chapel Royal Hampton Court Palace. Listening to pieces during services, such as the Toccata from Widor’s Fifth Symphony in F, inspired me to learn the organ. I was fascinated with how so many sounds could be contained in one instrument and so, through pageturning at the end of services, I gained some understanding of how different combinations of pistons were used to achieve different sounds.
Having come from previously playing only the piano, it was a bit alien playing a bassoon, but I soon got the hang of it thanks to the help from the wonderful teachers here and from relating my skills previously learnt from piano. In more recent times, I have been able to play in an orchestra and am now at a level where I can play to a good standard – though there is still a long way to go! Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed playing a rare beast and would definitely recommend it to everyone. Rohan Crowe
When I joined Hampton in Third Year, I started having organ lessons at School. I also became junior organ Scholar at St Mary’s Twickenham; this helped me to develop essential skills such as accompanying choirs and congregations. Through various courses, I have had the opportunity to play a wide range of organs, such as organ at Peterborough Cathedral. So far, the pieces I have enjoyed learning the most are the Dorian Toccata, by J S Bach, as well as Placare Christe Servulis by Dupré. I have also had fantastic opportunities at school to play at School Carol Concerts – both conventional and virtual – as well as many keyboard concerts. I look forward to being able to play at Church regularly post lockdown and I also want to learn more repertoire to play after services. Sathin Wijesena ––– My name is Alex, and I have recently joined the Third Year at Hampton. I have been playing the piano since I was five and I also play the drums and guitar.
Curriculum Review – First Year This term, in Music, we are studying the Renaissance and the Baroque periods. We are using OneNote to read up on counterpoint and composers of the times and are using Firefly to engage with Music theory, in which we are studying intervals. In learning about the Baroque, we are looking at the style of the music, such as how ornate it is. We talked about mordents, grace notes and more! In considering the Renaissance period, we are trying to create our own layered counterpoint piece, with instructions from Miss Esser. In Music Theory, we are looking at intervals; there are many types, such as consonant and dissonant, but we are learning a great deal! Arun Swales –––
I would like to be a composer and producer, so my instrument of choice is Ableton Live on my MacBook. Ableton is a DAW, a Digital Audio Workstation. It allows me to build my music track by track, using digital and analogue – real – instruments. I love making original music on my computer – especially EDM and film music – and I have released songs on Apple Music, Spotify and SoundCloud. I have always thought it would be really cool to play my music to thousands of people and it is what I would love do in the future. I am inspired by the work of people like Hans Zimmer, Zedd and Avicii. Using Ableton for making music is brilliant as I can record myself playing piano or guitar, adding effects to shape my sound. Similarly, I can work with sampled sounds from a priceless 17th century violin using a midi keyboard. With my laptop, I can make music on an airplane or in a hotel room or even play live. My best musical pieces – almost always – come from one sound or one idea or set of chords and luckily, with Ableton Live, I can quickly lay down that idea and make it into a full song. I like to take a simple idea or phrase and develop it gradually, until it feels complete. Sometimes this happens very quickly, sometimes it can take a long time before I am happy. Knowing when enough is enough is sometimes the hardest decision!
Curriculum Review – Second Year In our e-Hampton music lessons, the Second Years began to study Indian classical and traditional folk music. To begin the folk composition, we analysed the structure of Scarborough Fair, before starting to write the lyrics. Next, we learned about the Dorian mode, which Scarborough Fair is written in, and composed our own melodies to fit our lyrics. In the third lesson, we sung our lyrics and played the melody on piano, either live or into GarageBand, before adding a chordal accompaniment. This composition task was a great deal of fun, and allowed me to use my piano skills to improve my composition. Alex Nelso –––
Curriculum Review – Fouth Year African drumming composition from home –Term 2
Alexander Trevers ––– Learning a rare beast – in my case the bassoon – has been a fully fulfilling experience. Learning an instrument, especially an unusual one, opens up many opportunities, such as composition for your own instrument or playing in an orchestra, which I have found to be extremely enjoyable. 66
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All I can say is Music at e-Hampton is quite different… We do not have the Macs or the keyboards or the vast array of different instruments the school offers us. Instead, we have pots, pans and wooden spoons. We have been studying Sub-Saharan African music in our live lessons and have been creating our own composition. Due to the lack of balafons and djembes, we have had to get creative. Our double period is
arts spent scouting our kitchen cupboards for potential percussion instruments and creating rhythmic ostinatos with whatever we can get our hands on.
Although we do not have the specific instruments used in Sub-Saharan Africa, it does not mean we cannot replicate and create our own compositions with household objects.
It has been an incredibly enjoyable experience as, for the most part, we have complete freedom to use whatever tools we wish. We are given specific tasks to complete each week, for example to ‘incorporate syncopation’, but we are free to go about adding syncopation in whatever manner we like. It is really quite liberating.
Overall, this composition task is proving to be great fun. Having the freedom and power to go about recording in whatever way you want has really set Music apart from other subjects over this e-Hampton period. Felix Droy
Memories of Hampton School What makes Hampton music so special is how seriously it is taken by everyone involved – though there always remains room for a laugh! The school musicals and Voices of Lions’ annual trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival are, for me, where this is most evident. In both cases, we rehearse until every detail is right and performances feel as if they are of a professional standard. Yet, it never feels like we are working too hard because everyone wants to be there and there is always something to joke about – especially watching us boys attempt to dance during the musicals, which is a particularly tragic and comical sight before we are quickly whipped into shape. Angus Whitworth ––– Since arriving at Hampton, getting involved with the musical opportunities counts among some of the greatest decisions I have made. Some of my earlier highlights include the First Year choir tour to Italy, where we sung in St Marks in Venice, and the incredible School jazz trip to Malta, where I was awarded the ‘coolest bass player’ award by the Upper Sixth students – something I have never forgotten! Later on, in my School career, I had the opportunity to go to lake Konstanz with the orchestra, where I was surrounded by friends and staff members that made the trip so enjoyable.
My whole musical experience at Hampton has been extremely enjoyable and made possible by the amazing musical team at Hampton. Saul Morrison ––– With so many memories of my musical life at Hampton, it is hard for me to choose one that truly stood out from the rest. Playing in the Jazz Café concert and performing my first improvised solo with the Jazz Band was great in allowing me to express myself on a stage and to showcase the love I have for both Jazz and the trumpet. Taking part in Music for Youth with the Brass Band was also a wonderful experience as it allowed me to play in locations I still feel fortunate to have played in today, such as the Royal Albert Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall. Being able to experience these events alongside excellent musicians and the support of teachers, however, is what has stuck with me through my five years at the School and has given me the most pleasure out of what I have contributed to musical life at Hampton. Hugo Hamilton
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The Year in Art 2020-21 In the Autumn term, First Years were able to start by drawing from natural forms, making some beautiful lino-cuts inspired by leaves and shells, butterflies and moths.
Brandon Cao
Fabio Tapia-Pulford
Anirudh Shidlagatta
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Jathun Janagan
Matthew Chen
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Second Years studied Still Life and created a great range of paintings with a focus on ‘Food’. There were some wonderful paintings of cakes and biscuits and some excellent ceramics as well.
Alfie Bancroft
Angus Hacking
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Alfie Bancroft
Uzair Khaleel
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Third Years focused on ‘Design Styles’ and created some dynamic work inspired by photographs taken at unusual angles, with a reference to the Bauhaus school of Art.
Ewan Weaver
Jerome Sharpe
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Freddie Stuart
Marcus Palmer
Jacob Austin
Zakir Mughal
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George Buckingham
George Sexton
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Jake Eden
Rudi Parrish
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The Spring Term’s Lockdown caused some issues for teaching and learning in Art, but many students found that their art gave them a sharper focus. Our students in the Upper Sixth were able to really immerse themselves in their work during this period and produced some hugely exciting and innovative work. Coming back to School again in early March meant that we could start to experience ‘making’ work again; pupils were once again able to experience a much wider range of materials, including plenty of printmaking and ceramics. Fifth Year pupils were inspired by the themes ‘My Surroundings’ and ‘Rhythm’ for their Portfolio.
Calum Warmer, 'Winter Trees'
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Charlie Coulter, 'Monster & Minion'
Toby Gwynne, 'Canal'
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Isaac Quigley, 'A Strange Encounter'
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Augustus Carter, 'In Hiding'
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Harry Spencer, 'Tree in Winter'
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Dan Clarke, 'Deserted Street'
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Gopal Bhachu, 'Monoprint'
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Dan Clarke, 'Abbey'
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Lower Sixth students worked on the theme ‘Sanctuary’ as a response to our experiences during Lockdown, whilst Upper Sixth Pre-U students responded to the theme ‘Set’. The latter created work which explored a range of emotional responses and the idea of reacting to texts, including poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson’s ‘St Simeon Stylites’ and William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies.
Louis Middleton, 'Sanctuary'
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Charlie May, 'Sanctuary'
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Emad Khan, 'Sanctuary'
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Jake Murray, 'Sanctuary'
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Louis Middleton, ‘Sanctuary’
Jethro Kinght-Thompson
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Mac Crawford, 'Sanctuary' 90
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Oliver Glenn, 'Sanctuary' the lion
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Eliot Patient
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Joshua Culshaw, 'Breakthrough'
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The inspiration for this painting is the novel ‘The Lord of the Flies’, by William Golding, particularly the scene in which the boys dance around the fire. This ritualistic chant and dance was used to show the innate wildness within them and the desire to release it. When I read this scene, I imagine a very discomforting witch-like dance around the fire which inspired this painting. Oscar Nolan
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Oscar Nolan, 'Potrait Studies'
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My inspiration came from ‘St Simeon Stylites’, Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem about an ascetic monk who lived on a pillar for 20 years trying to become closer to God and distance himself from Earthly Sin. For the people below, I wanted a wild look for them to represent the earthly sins, whereas for St Simeon, I wanted him to be still and pure, rising above the mess and the storm, closer to heaven. ‘Then that I might be more alone with thee, three years I lived upon a pillar high’ ‘A flash of light. Is that the angel there that holds a crown? Come blessed brother, come.’ ‘Lead them to thy light’.
Oscar Nolan
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First XI Football Like most teams, the First XI experienced constant uncertainty throughout the season. This meant that when the chance came to play, the whole squad had to take the games by the scruff of the neck – none of us knew if it would be the last game we would play! This state of mind was reflected exactly in the team’s performances on the pitch, with the team playing 22 games, winning 15, drawing 3 and only losing 4. The season ended on the bittersweet note of finishing joint top of the prestigious HUDL league, whilst also missing out on the title narrowly on goal difference. We had a successful pre-season playing against the likes of Ardingly and Bede’s over two legs. Hampton began their season flying, playing strong sides such as Gordon’s, Wilson’s and Aldenham. Although tough games, Hampton defeated these teams convincingly, scoring a combined tally of 8 goals in the three games. This came as no surprise with the attacking threat of top goalscorer Theo Radicopolous and Ali ‘Goal Machine’ Bolling leading the team from the front throughout. They accumulated 17 goals between just the two of them whilst also nurturing the Lower Sixth strikers, including Rohan Sahota and Jack Da Costa, who also showed that they had no problems in putting the ball in the back of the net. After the infamous ‘Water-Gate’ Covid incident, the team seemed to be in disarray after losing almost half its players. However, players such as Sam Hussey, Matthew Lowe, Josh Tatters, Matt ‘M Waps’ Groves and Max Robinson stepped up from the Second XI and held their own against the extremely tough opposition of Royal Russel and Bradfield. After the last-minute goal conceded in the 3-2 loss to Royal Russel, the boys seemed to make a conscious mental decision to go undefeated from October to May – we are counting lockdown!
With this being said, defending is not the only thing these individuals are good at. As centre backs, Josh and Jonah racked up 9 goals between them – with Josh scoring 4 goals in a 7-0 win against Whitgift! However, dangerous wingers such as James McMullin, Haris Williams, Milo Choudhry, Theo Back and Nat Woolaghan, were forced to respond to the pressure being put on them by our centre-backs and reciprocated with another 7-0 defeat of Aldenham. Finally, in May, Hamptonians got the great news that competitive football was returning in the form of the HUDL League. Hampton started very well with two, low-scoring but convincing wins against Bede’s and Shrewsbury, thanks to the strong performances of our midfield; these starred the likes of Oli Burke, Robbie Cox, Morgan Worsfold-Gregg, Matt Wilson and Thomas Banks alongside the fearless Lower Sixth playmakers of Joe O’Pray and Ben Bird. Although it was disappointing seeing players such as Shahryar Rezvani and Captain Sami Omaar unable to complete the season due to injury, the team was at least spared two more games without the constant waffle from the two left-footers and Hampton were able to stay in form and beat a very tough Bradfield team in what was the most exciting game of the season, coming from 1-0 down at half-time to win 2-1. The First XI finished off their season very strongly with a big win 3-1 win at Millfield, finishing joint top of the HUDL League.
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However, it was not just Britain that was on lockdown – Hampton’s defence also decided to go on a streak of six games without conceding a goal. With goalkeeper Oscar Murphy returning to catching footballs instead of Covid and defenders such as Josh Culshaw, Jonah Blake, Sam Evans, Maxi Grindley, Nathan Chapplow and Shahryar Rezvani, and talented newcomers such as Antonio Polleri and Eddie McMillan, this defensive masterclass came as no surprise to anyone.
With the great work of the coaches, groundsmen and senior management team, the Hampton First XI were extremely lucky to play football at all this year; it is safe to say that they made the most out of the games they played! the lion
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First XI Football A special thanks is also due to Mr Burke, Mr Ritchie and Mr Whiffin for all the hard work and dedication they put in to organising footballs games in an unbelievably challenging and difficult year. They proved that Covid was no match for them! Thank you on behalf of the First XI and all of Hampton School football. Sami Omaar
Second XI Football
Leavers XI Football
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U18A XI Football
Third XI/U18B Football In a year that was adversely affected by Covid restrictions, many U18B footballers remained dedicated to their team and made the most of the opportunities they had to train with the A team players and improve their game. We were very fortunate to get two fixtures, one away to Gordon’s and another away to Wilson’s. Whilst one was lost and the other won, the team’s attacking prowess was on show with a total of 6 goals scored. It was, of course, disappointing that this excellent group of players could not enjoy a full season of Hampton football, but we hope they will look back on it fondly nonetheless. We wish them all the best with their football and all other future endeavours. TRA
The U18Bs, for their typically high standards – exemplified by them reaching the ESFA final last year – had a very tough season. Despite this, they enjoyed some excellent performances. Despite an unnerving pre-season camp, the team enjoyed a competitive opening fixture against the recent leavers, narrowly losing 4-3 in a thoroughly entertaining match. The next game saw the side go to Cardinal Vaughn and face a very strong First XI whilst adapting to new tactical changes, with the shift to new 3-4-2-1 formation. Although the 6-1 result did not end in our favour, there were notable performances from Albert Cloud, Jules Lockey and Max Robinson after a long hiatus with injuries. The emphatic first win of the shortened season came against a Gordons side, which saw the season’s most improved player, Jonathan Steele, go on runs reminiscent of great Brazilian full backs of old, providing 5 assists out of the 9 as the U18B squad capitalized on some poor defending. This was win was followed by a very good draw against historically strong Whitgift team, which was remembered as both posts and the crossbar were hit by Hampton in the last 25 minutes. Despite this, we were not able to take the victory and this luck again came to light on a wet journey to Reading, where – despite a great display of passing football – we were unable to capitalise on the opportunities we had and succumbed to a 4-1 defeat. the lion
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sport The strange season ended with a thoroughly entertaining fixture against the Old Hamptonians; fittingly, the match went to penalties after a 2-2 draw, which saw leavers Zach Whelan, Josh Tatters, Cameron Hair, Arjun Samra, Jonathan Steele, Sam Hussey and goalkeeper cum striker Harry Ray complete their last 90 mins for the School – the latter rifling a shot against the underside of the bar and in to put the pupils 1-0 up and leaving Mr Cumberbatch wondering about his team selection over the past two seasons! Overall, 17 goals were scored in 6 games as the attackers of Jack Da Costa, Rohan Sahota and Theo Back proved to be incredibly effective with their finishing. The challenges faced this year have seen the Hampton spirit of resilience and togetherness epitomised by the boys leaving the team in good stead for next year. As some look forward to competing consistently at the highest level and others move on to new challenges in their pursuit of knowledge at university, we wish them all the best. JRC
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U17A Football
U16A Football
U17A XI Football
U16A XI Football
The U17As, for their typically high standards, had a mixed season – but, unsurprisingly, they also put in some genuinely excellent performances. Despite an unusual pre-season, the team enjoyed a competitive opening fixture against Gordon’s School, followed by an emphatic result against Wilson’s School, which was won 6-0 – with goalkeeper Joe Gillespie proudly retaining the clean sheet with a penalty save. The boys then went on to improve against Gordon’s later on in the season with a 1-1 draw after Antonio Polleri headed home from Sam Evan’s pin-point free kick delivery. Particularly impressively this season was the team’s ability to adapt to new tactical changes, with the shift to a 3-4-2-1 formation at times helping to get the best out of the players and develop further understanding of their roles. The wing backs, including Luke Paskin, Ben Bird, Xander Wright, adapted superbly as their fitness was tested by the box-to-box nature of the role. The dynamic midfield, Nat Woolaghan, Alex Dinan, Billy Hutchings and Joe O’Pray were always critical in progressing the ball up the pitch and all contributed with significant goals through the season. Overall, 21 goals were scored in 9 games as our attackers, Jack Da Costa, Rohan Sahota and Theo Back, proved to be hugely effective with their finishing. The final game of the season against Hampton & Richmond was a good sign of things to come, with some beautiful passing football frequently breaking down the opposition. The challenges faced this year stand the team in good stead for next year, as they look forward to competing consistently at the highest level. JBC
The U16As can look back on a very successful season. Despite very little preseason due to the restrictions, the team put in a lot of hard work to get their fitness and preparation up to standard before the first match against Wilson’s School. The U16As looked the fitter and more technical team from the outset and, despite missing many chances, secured a 3-0 victory in the first game of the season in extraordinarily windy conditions. The next game of the season was away against a tough Bede’s School U18Bs. The game got off to the best possible start, with us going 1-0 up thanks to an excellent solo goal from Suryaksh Tewatia. Despite this positive start and controlling the game for long periods, we did not cope with their physicality at set pieces and lost the game. A few weeks of focussed training went by and our next fixture was against Salesian College’s U18A team, which again was going to be a difficult contest as we were going up against older boys. We battled throughout, showing no fear and matching up to them physically, and we got back to winning ways thanks to an Adam Coombs goal in the second half. Our next game was against Bradfield College U16As; we were looking forward to going up against a strong side on such a wonderful pitch. We went behind early on to a furiously debated penalty, but the lack of pitchside VAR meant we could not dwell on it being given. The team showed excellent togetherness to put in an outstanding shift in the second half and we came out as 2-1 victors – Johnny Evans-Hutchinson and Adam Coombs with the goals as well as a game-changing performance from Kyan Soni. The next game against Gordon’s School was our third strong performance in a week and testament to the hard work that the boys were putting in during training. Sam Brewster and Matthew Sedgwick were colossal at the back and this gave us a platform to dominate the game, which ended as a 3-0 victory for us. Our season was starting to gain momentum, but, unfortunately, this was to be the last game we would play until December. Despite this, the team continued to show a fantastic attitude and trained with determination to be ready for the next game.
U17B XI Football
When we did get up and running again, we played Wilson’s for a second time – which would allow us to measure the progress that we had made as a team. After not taking our chances earlier on in the season, we made no mistake this time around and ran out with a 10-0 victory, with Alex Di the lion
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sport Soccio scoring a hattrick to send himself to the top of the scoring charts; Timothy Lee scored a brace and even James Bristow and Mario Romano were in on the action! Lockdown brought an end to fixtures and training, but the boys kept themselves fit and, once again, beat Gordon’s 3-0 in our first game back on the pitch. Our final fixture as a team was a blockbuster against Whitgift U16As. Again, we went down to an early goal, but the team spirit that has been ever-present all season shined through and we came back in the second half to win 3-1 in what was arguably our best performance in Hampton shirts to date. The goals from Johnny Evans-Hutchinson, Matthew Moffatt and Harley McKenzie were all outstanding team goals that tore the opponent to shreds – a brilliant way to end the season! I am extremely proud of what the team has achieved this year; we have all stayed positive and pushed each other to improve even in the challenging circumstances we have experienced. This is the last time we will all play together in the same team and so I look forward to watching everyone’s progress when we begin Senior Football next year. Matthew Moffatt
dominant display from midfield powerhouse Aidan Painting, as well as the attacking prowess of Samay Gajree, ensured the points were shared. The next game saw a tough 4-2 loss to Gordon’s School, as we lost a lead given to us by Tom Southgate’s headed goal. Despite superb defensive performances from full-backs Nathan Kent and Keshav Argawal, we saw the lead slip in the last 10 minutes. After a long wait, we finally played another game: a 3-2 win over Wilson’s School. An excellent performance from James Darke in midfield, and great displays from attackers Isaac Foster and Harry Guest produced a narrow win. Conor McNeany was also solid at the back in that game. The final game of the season was a 2-2 draw with Whitgift School. Goals from Theo Gibson and Euan Gallagher put us in a strong position. But, despite Aryen Khan’s jinking runs, and a typically assured midfield display from Louis Williams, Whitgift fought back and the season ended with the sides level. Conor McNeany
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U16B Football
U15A XI Football This year was much shorter season than usual, consisting of only 7 matches. U16B XI Football The season was a frustrating one for the 16Bs, as we saw many fixtures cancelled due to the coronavirus and there were long periods in which we were unable to even train together. Nonetheless, the games we did play were very enjoyable and provided valuable experience as we move into the Sixth Form. The truncated season got off to a flying start with a 6-2 win over Wilson’s School, a game which saw four goals from the ever-clinical Adam Humpish up front. He was helped by the dynamic wing play of Kamran Makela, who was also on the scoresheet on that day. The team followed up that win with a 2-0 victory over Bede’s U16As. Strong defensive performances from Donald MacDonald and Archie Kimble ensured a clean sheet; equally important was the excellent goalkeeping of Adam Dell. The impressive start to the season continued as goals from Stanley Cumming and Eric Rodrigues set Hampton on their way to a 4-1 win over Salesian College. The midfield duo controlled the game brilliantly as Hampton cruised to a comfortable win. Hampton came from behind in their next game as we reached a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Bradfield. Assured goalkeeping from Will Holden and a 106
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It all started with a home win against Grey Court School, 6-1. This was followed by a very impressive 9-0 win against Royal Russell School, with the first of 4 clean sheets out of 7 games in the season. This success was thanks to a strong defence consisting of Josh Pye, Toby North, Zachary Omaar, Zac Cacheux, Aaron Mills and Rex Booth. Our first away game was against Bradfield College; it did not go to plan as we suffered our first and only defeat, 3-1, to a strong side. It did serve to remind us, however, that we still had a few things to learn as a group. We enjoyed another clean sheet against Bloomsbury FC; we were 5-0 winners after a good performance at home on the 3G. Whitgift followed and the boys came from 2-0 down to complete a wonderful 3-2 comeback win. This demonstrated a great determination and belief, which was very pleasing. Back to back clean sheets against Aldenham and Oratory School brought the season to a close with an aggregate score of 14-0. Overall, it was an impressive season – despite us playing only 7 games! We scored 38 goals and only conceded 6. Our top scorer was Hayden Christian, with 13 goals; Zain Suterwalla came second, with 8 goals. The squad were committed and determined to do well; although we were a bit frustrated, we are aware just how lucky we have been to enjoy some competitive football under the circumstances.
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I and the team would like to thank Mr Mills for his coaching and commitment throughout the year and we hope that next season we will be able to play more fixtures and have an uninterrupted experience.
Despite the setback, Freddie Bates scored a breakaway goal after an excellent forward pass by Lucas Hermann Sosa. We were unlucky not to score again, but the result was fair and the extra training definitely showed in our style of football and quick passing.
Conrad Knight
U15B Football Writing a season report when the football season had only two games due to Covid is quite challenging. Most of the season involved intensive training at school under Mr Ritchie, Mr Bailey and Mr Haines. We practised a lot of passing-focused drills and close-contact skills. We were all very eager to get some competitive game time by the time the green light was given for interschool matches to take place! We finally got our competitive season underway at home against Grey Court School. It was a very intense game and slightly odd with no parents allowed to spectate. It felt great to be able to put our training into practice and the whole 16-man squad got some game time.
The second and last game of the season was away at Bradfield College. We were all up for the game, wanting to overturn our loss from the previous year. The first 30 minutes were going exceptionally well, with the majority of the possession sitting with Hampton, who were playing in Bradfield’s half. However, just before half time, Bradfield scored a breakaway goal – which did not reflect how the game was going and was extremely disappointing for the whole team, who were unlucky not to be on top. In the second half, Hampton started strong again, but Bradfield, who had clearly been working on the long-ball and breakaway goal in their training sessions, sent a pass over the midfield to the lone striker who scored a second goal. The result did not reflect the strength of defence in the game; Kieran Bouwmeester-Reid and Ed Joyce made some amazing clearances and passed the ball out to the midfield expertly. To end the season so early on a defeat was not the way we had wanted the season to go; but, we are full of confidence for next season and to play some more competitive football.
Our aim was to play football ‘the Hampton way’, with a high tempo and lots of short passing throughout the pitch. This definitely suited Alpha Barry, who managed to get a goal early on to give us the lead in a very tight game.
Sam Spencer
After our early goal, we were disappointed to let an equaliser in – though it came from a well worked set play.
U15C Football
We then scored two goals in quick succession on either side of half time. Alpha Barry netted his second, just before half time, from a well-weighted pass from Jack Meadows. Francesco Olivieri then got onto the score sheet with a screamer from outside the penalty box. Having a two-goal lead led to some complacency; unfortunately, we let in a second goal, making the game closer than it should have been.
After some initial training sessions, the U15C squad quickly took shape and got its first action in early October in a home game against Wellington College, with Hampton fielding a team with a mixture of B, C and D team players. Some well-taken goals from Monty Robb and Joe Bolger gave the team a deserved 2-1 half-time lead, but the lack of experience playing together showed in the second-half as our opponents scored three goals in succession. the lion
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sport The following Saturday was certainly the highlight of the season: the only match of the year as the U15Cs, a 4-2 victory away to Bradfield College. Led by our vocal captain at centre-back Leo Hartley, who also contributed one of our goals, and with confident goal-keeping from Matthew Barkus, the team kept a clean sheet in the first half. Our defence, with Finn Gould and Harry McClusky taking turns at centre-back, kept the opposing forwards under control. Dan Cubbon and James Derrick, at right and left back respectively, tackled well and got the ball forward quickly. Key battles in the midfield were won by Sam Gale and Harry Takla. From the centre of the pitch, Joe Fearnside and Jack Seddon contributed positive play and Ben Rollason gave a man-of-the-match performance with some excellent runs and two goals. Joe Bolger and Freddie Hoffmann-Becking displayed impressive skill and frequently tormented opposing defenders, but could not get on the score sheet – which did include the name of industrious striker Hall Leman. Overall, despite the lack of matches, the U15Cs still had a very enjoyable season. The team showed great effort and commitment in training and were a pleasure to coach. Many thanks to Mr Haynes and the rest of the Football staff who led some excellent training sessions.
back and created many down the left wing, through Vishal Saha, and down the right wing, through Daniel Evans – both of whom were targeting Matthew Barnett up front. Many through-balls were played through the centre by a midfield three of Danny Sleeman, Maneesh Patel and Joe Fearnside. Despite coming close many times, we were not able to find a goal; but, a solid performance from our back four, consisting of Alex Scothorn and Navik Mendis at right back, a centre back partnership of Joe Earle and Frank Saunders and Matthew Irvine at left back, ensured that we did not concede any other goals before halftime. The second half brought us a lot more joy. Daniel Evans opened the scoring for Hampton from the edge of the box. Our second goal came soon after, after Joe Fearnside scored a spectacular goal, lobbing the goalkeeper from 30 yards out, to make it 2-1. With only a few minutes to go, we scored a brilliantly executed two-on-two counter attack, as Ben Adigun crossed the ball across the ground to Daniel Evans who got in front of the two opposition defenders and took the ball around the keeper, putting it into an empty net, to clinch the game. A huge thanks to Mr McTernan for putting a lot of effort into coaching us and creating fun training sessions, and to Mr Burke and Mr Haynes, who created very fun football challenges during lockdown to keep us entertained. Finally, thank you to every member of the Ds who put in the effort to play and train; I look forward to what we can produce next season.
GVM Daniel Evans
U15D Football The 2020-21 season saw the U15Ds enjoy what was – technically – a 100% win rate. The one game, played against Bradfield, saw the team – captained by Joe Earle – win 3-1. Despite a slow start and conceding an early goal to go 1-0 down, which goalkeeper Ben Hawkins was unlucky to concede. However, we bounced
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U14A Football This season for the U14As has been unfamiliar, but has been a huge learning curve and very positive. Although, the team was only able to take part in five fixtures, our experiences have been central to the improvement of a very talented team.
sport Over this season, which had a lot of stoppages, the team has done well to stay devoted. We won four games and only lost one, which was a very valiant effort considering the tough circumstances.
Our second and final game was against Wilson’s School. A dominant performance saw us to an 8-1 win, with a hat-trick from Oliver Lacey and numerous goals from others.
The team scored 11 goals in 5 games, thanks to our creative and determined midfielders and our gifted and clever attackers. We only conceded 4, brilliantly keeping 3 clean sheets – thanks to the hard work of our defenders on the training field and a very solid back four and keeper.
We have grown as a team, especially with the influx of new boys into the Third Year. Mr. Scott helped us to understand and implement a new formation, 3-52, which has seen a number of the team play in unfamiliar positions.
In the first game, the team beat a very good Bede’s School 3-0, with Jay Cairnes, Nic Herero and Joshua King scoring. Another 3-0 victory came against Bradfield school on the 3G, where the team outclassed the opposition going forward, putting lives on the line when defending! A great all-round performance. A very interesting game came against Bloomsbury FC took place soon after the most recent lockdown; they were strong and resilient. Despite this, we ended up winning 2-1. Sam Ellis and Theo Lloyd rotated in goal, making some blinding saves and distributing brilliantly. Joe Murray was a new edition to the team, but he has been a rock in our defence. Omar Demiral has led our team vocally and physically from the back as well. Will Fox has been a resolute defender who has won the ball back and started attacks. Our one and only loss was against Royal Russel School: a 3-1 defeat. The game began in brilliant fashion with Nic Herero scoring a well taken penalty that was won by some fantastic skill by Michael Azoo at the end of the half. Sadly, as the game went on Royal Russel notched up three good finishes resulting in our very short time in the Independent Schools league. Our season has been complemented fantastically by our full-backs. Joe Downham carried on his great form from earlier years down the left-hand side and Ed Knott has come in and taken on his role in a very composed manner. Another massive part of the success of the side is the wingers Charlie Helm, Jay Cairnes and Rudy Mills’ skill and ball control, making the opposition defenders look like beginners. Nic Murfin’s and Nic Herero composed finishing has also made them stand out from the crowd. James Queen’s blistering speed leaves defenders behind and usually results in a goal for himself or someone else. In midfield, we have a number of options due to the quality of the players in the squad: Savan Soni, Joshua King, Sam Bond, and Ben Moffat have all flourished in a talented midfield. Savan Soni’s amazing ball wining skills make him a nightmare for the opposition’s attacking midfielders. Tom Tabor’s incredible passing range made it easy to play out from the back. Sam Bond’s stamina and allround attributes made him versatile as an attacking or defending midfielder. Finally, Joshua King led the team well and showed his quality on and off the ball throughout the season. Overall, it has been a very difficult year for all, but it did not prevent the U14As from showing their quality and from putting in some phenomenal performances. We would like to say a big thank you to Mr Haynes and Mr Burke who have led the team and allowed us to flourish. Joshua King and Sam Ellis
U14B Football The U14Bs managed to play two matches this season. The first of these was against Bradfield College. It was a tight game and a wonder goal from Shivam Handa was required to salvage a 1-1 draw late on.
Our extraordinary line of defence included Freddie Philips and Porter Read – incredibly nippy wing backs. Archie Hurst, Max Meikle and Sam Lee, were towering centre backs who were always there to stop any impending attack. In the centre, we had Tom Fearnside, Ben Moffat, Gabriel Fouché and Zidaan Khan recycling the ball with a range of passes all across the pitch. On the wings we had Ollie Hamilton, Shivam Handa and Nathan Le Bourgeant who carried the ball forwards to lead our counter-attacks and help support our two, speedy strikers – Ishan Patel and Oliver Lacey – who always put it in the back of the net. Over the course of the season, we improved rapidly in training, particularly on our passing and movement. Many thanks to Mr Scott and Mr Hurst who guided us to an unbeaten season. Ben Moffat and Gabriel Fouché
U14C Football Unfortunately, the U14Cs, like everybody else, had a season disrupted by Coronavirus. Despite this, we were able to scramble a fixture against Bradfield. Sadly, despite an excellent and spirited team effort, this ended in a 4-2 loss. Although there were no more fixtures, the football season did not stop there. There were regular training matches every Saturday morning where boys and opportunity to play with the A and B team players. The team enjoyed the season despite the lack of matches and a big thank you to Miss Smith and Mr Ritchie for coaching us. Olly Spray
U14D Football In this particularly unusual year, there is some comfort in acknowledging the impressive unbeaten run of the U14D team: 1 won, 1 drawn, 7 cancelled. The early 4-1 victory over Bradfield College clearly showed that this was a team to be reckoned with and one that will definitely do well next year and beyond. Despite the loss of competitive fixtures, this group of boys regularly attended training and bravely fought many internal fixtures against the Cs, with some convincing victories and outstanding team goals. I was particularly pleased with the attitude, positivity and commitment of this group, with a special mention for the captain, Henry Forster, and Alec Hamilton for his enthusiasm and motivational speeches. the lion
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sport We had a particularly strong and disciplined back four this season, carefully watched over by Stanley Kelly. We also had some regular stand-out individual performances from many boys, but especially Leo Cusden and Rudi Parrish.
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Well done, boys – all the best for next season!
However, this did not stop the players in the squad consistently turned up to training with the same yearning to improve their football, as well as turning up on Saturday mornings to play inter-squad matches.
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The boys also participated in the Serie A Internal League, representing one of the following sides: AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Lazio or Roma.
U13A Football Although the pandemic wreaked havoc with the normal fixture list against other schools, it is testament to the boys’ character that they still turned up to Games and lunchtime training with the same desire and willingness to improve. Of the 21 matches scheduled, only four were able to take place. The first was a 2-1 win against local rivals Grey Court and was followed by a 2-0 win against Winston Churchill school – a match that was a recreation of the cancelled 2020 Surrey Cup final. A 6-3 win against Aldenham School was the last match before all interschool matches were cancelled for the rest of the season. However, when the restrictions allowed, there was time for one more match to reward the players for their hard work and dedication: a 5-0 win against Bloomsbury FC. The boys also participated in the La Liga Internal League, representing one of the following sides: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid or Villarreal.
The U13Bs only managed to play one fixture against Grey Court School, which ended in a 0-0 draw. That being said, the players in the squad consistently turned up to training with the same yearning to improve their football, as well as turning up on Saturday morning’s – when guidance allowed – to play inter-squad matches. The boys also participated in the La Liga Internal League, representing one of the following sides: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid or Villarreal.
Sadly, due to the pandemic, the U13Cs were not able to compete in any interschool matches. However, this did not stop the players in the squad consistently turned up to training with the same yearning to improve their football, as well as turning up on Saturday mornings to play inter-squad matches. The boys also participated in the La Liga Internal League, representing one of the following sides: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid or Villarreal. the magazine of hampton school
Due to the pandemic, there were not as many matches played as could have been in a normal season. However, the boys persevered consistently during training each week and put out two great performances to win both matches they played emphatically. The first match came against Aldenham School, with the U12As producing a triumphant 6-4 over them. The second and final match played this year ended in a convincing 6-2 win over Bloomsbury FC. Both results were fully deserved for all the hard work they put in throughout the season without possibility of weekly matches driving them on. The boys also participated in the Bundesliga Internal League, representing one of the following sides: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Leverkusen or RB Leipzig. Seb Rautenberg
2020 was a tough year to start your football ‘career’ at Hampton. The impact of the pandemic severely restricted the opportunity to play matches and the year turned into an awful lot of training for very little in the way of actual competition. It is to the great credit of the First Year boys that they trained so well and so hard throughout this period. The improvement in the players and the enjoyment they took from simply being able to get out on the field was magnificent. They should be proud of how they approached the year and the commitment they demonstrated. It is also disappointing as the boys did not get the chance to show what they were capable of playing as a team. They would have made for a formidable B side. The goalkeeping stocks are excellent in this Year Group, with Joe Perry and Seb Rautenberg both competing for the A team spot, but offering an incredibly strong B option when required.
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The defence would have likely been built around Sooho Jin’s pace and strength, Maurice Rey’s composure and Nicholas Hennebry’s new found love of defending. While he started the year as an elegant midfielder, Nicholas found his spot at the back during a memorable rear-guard action in an internal match, at one point being mobbed by the rest of his team for a headed clearance, on the back of a series of blocks and tackles which seemed to give him – and his team mates – as much pleasure as a goal ever could have done.
sport In the midfield, Freddie Tranter would have presented a skilful, relentlessly mobile option. Using the metaphor often used by legendary First XI coach Iain Maclean, Adam Malik showed himself capable of being both the ‘piano carrier’ and the ‘piano player’, while Dominic Stenning would also have played a part in the engine room, though he also showed himself able to play upfront in a false 9 playmaker role and was willing to play in goal if the situation required. The side would have been blessed with wide players, with Josh Gaughan and Gabriel Gargour showing speed, commitment and quality on the left, while Thomas McMonagle and Jasper Bird would have brought the same on the right. While there would have been great competition for the striker spot in the A team, if Alessandro Cardinale had found himself playing for the Bs he would have represented a fearsome opponent, combining his strength with a directness of play and an ability to score from 25 yards as well as find the right run to be ready for a tap in. Before the final – well, the second – game, I would have described Omer Olcer as a possible full back or midfielder. The fact that he played much of the game upfront and then scored a match-winning hattrick in a 3-2 victory suggests that the coaching staff’s previous assessment of his best position may have been flawed. All in all, the Bs would have been filled with players who would stroll into the A team at many other schools, which bodes hugely well for the years ahead. That 3-2 victory was an excellent demonstration of what the team would have been capable of, defeating an opposing A team through a combination of hard work and quality, with a fighting spirit which enabled them to come back from being 2-1 down at half time.
joined later in the season by the promoted Theo Stafferton and Amar Bajwa. I very much look forward to seeing them improve as they move up the School. I was thoroughly impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm that the D Team showed to their football this year. The team seemed to thoroughly enjoy their training sessions during Wednesday lunchtimes, Games Afternoons, and on Saturday mornings. Cassian Brandreth-Stroud was a lively presence in goal, and Arun Crowe and Max Vynnytsky were excellent in defence, enabling our forward players, Luca Knowles – captain – Louis Harvey, and Juan LeonardoSolari, to attack the goal with confidence. Maxwell Gladding and Daniel Bathula kept things steady in midfield, while Daniel O’Sullivan-Sanz was able to show off his adaptability in a number of positions on the pitch. Though we had only a couple of matches – one loss to Grey Court, one exciting draw against Halliford – the D Team were ably assisted in these games by players promoted from the E Team: Oliver Atlay, Ali Tait, Patrick Moroney, Arish Kesavan, Ethan Willis, Ameya Mathur and Aaran Lear. A special mention should also go to Third Year, Sam Govier, for his excellent and dedicated refereeing of our matches this year. Well done to all, and good luck in the U13s! CAM & MBE
The age group as a whole has a very bright future ahead of them in terms of football at Hampton and I can only hope that next year they all get a chance to show what they are really capable of. TJG
U12C&D Football While we were unavoidably short on external fixtures, the U12C&D squads spent plenty of time honing their skills on the training pitches and developed impressively. It will be great to have a fuller fixture list next year, but I hope that the matches we did have, along with the internal matches that we ran on Fridays and Saturdays and the Bundesliga and Eredivisie tournaments provided plenty of enjoyable competition. In the C squad, there was undoubtedly plenty of potential and Sooho Jin and Nicholas Hennebry were rightly poached by the B team after an impressive autumn. The abundant energy and skill of Eugene Kwon, Lander KauenhovenWrenn, Daniel Kim and Daniel Lee, the dangerous left foot of Jude LordSmith and creative spark of Dylan McNamara, Neel Moindra and Mohammed Ali made us an attacking force to be reckoned with and Yuvraj Sahota and Joshua Chapman converted plenty of chances. At the back, Edward Barkus showed he has the talent to become an excellent goalkeeper and Jaipaal Ghotra was a rock in defence, deservedly the lion
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First XV Rugby Unfortunately, our season, like many events this academic year, fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic and only 6 senior rugby matches were played. That is not to say the season was a failure, with the First XV securing numerous impressive victories and the Second XV falling just short in their only game, despite being primarily made of Lower Sixth. Overall, we saw glimpses of what this team could have been and for many of those who took part we will always ponder the question of ‘what if?’ After over 15 months since the last First XV rugby game, ‘the longest preseason in history’, and feelings of bitter disappointment at having to wait for so long, we were finally able to ‘suit up’ against our historic rivals, St. Benedict’s. Despite numerous debutants such as Tabz Makanza, Max Leman and Tom Simm, the First XV got off to an emphatic start running out 29-10 winners. The game saw tries from Lucas Mangham, Joe Sykes as well as the skips for the game, Alex Taylor. It also saw debut tries for both Emad Khan and Charlie Masters, who graciously caught the crossfield kick off the boot of fellow debutant Tom Ketel. The second game came around fast, just a week on from St Benedict’s. The team’s moral was high, but a tough game would follow. Whitgift winning away to a strong Epsom side 6-3, the previous week meant that the fixture carried some additional weight. The match-up saw just one debut from new Lower Sixth, Connor Cross, out in the back field. Whitgift took an early lead from the boot, but the quick response from a long Jamie Benson penalty kick saw the scores go level. The defence was holding strong; collisions from Iestyn Humphrey and the speed of Tobi Robinson saw turnovers all over the park. Both Joel Luckman and Joe Sykes were having great success in the wild channels setting up attacking opportunities with every touch of the ball. Lineout triumph and an outstanding offload from Alex McMillan saw a well worked try in the corner finished off by Joel Luckman. The flood gates for tries had opened, as Arthur Hopley tumbled over for his first ever First XV try, before Luckman added his second, following a superb break from Sykes. A well executed game with reciprocal successes both in attack and defence saw the score finish 25-6. The hugely-anticipated Hampton versus Epsom fixture finally arrived. For most involved, this was our most important game on the shortened fixture list, with this match being the only match not affected by academy duties.
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The livestream from NextGenXV saw an intense 27-17 victory for the Hampton First XV, with tries coming from Lucas Mangham, following a superb break from Jamie Benson, and a rare hattrick from front row Rupert Reddish – with an accumulative distance of 5 metres!
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In what was his last game for the school, captain Jamie Benson added 7 points off his boot. However, most will likely remember his brutal step on the Epsom flanker which sent numerous Instagram pages into a frenzy. Notable mention also goes to Matthieu Le Moign, who also ended his time involved with Hampton rugby with this victory. The penultimate game of the season witnessed the team play Wellington on a rainy First XV pitch in front of spectators for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The team were looking to continue the strong performance from the Epsom game the week before as well as protect the unbeaten run that had been established. Two Fifth Years, Zack Gelatley and Nico Luckman, were given debuts off the bench and it was a first start for Lower Sixth, Tom Simm. Joe Watton powered over under the posts for the first score of the game after 5 minutes. A dominant performance in wet conditions then saw Tim Lamming, Alex McMillan and Arthur Hopley cross the whitewash for a 26-7 victory. While the scoreline was convincing, a few opportunities were left out there however, Lamming kicked well to keep the scoreboard looking healthy, slotting three conversions despite the miserable conditions. Overall, it was a strong performance and helped show the depth of the squad this year.
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First XV Rugby After an unbeaten four games in what had been a short, but memorable, season, there was only one opponent left: a Brighton side, who were to play their first and only game, were ready to cause an upset.
amazing moments in the black and yellow shirt over the years and will hopefully have many fond memories of the times together, both on and off the field. Unfortunately, it was not the full season they wanted to finish on but we wish them the best of luck with university and beyond.
The Hampton Upper Sixth were in high spirits as they readied themselves for the last time ever. It was a debut start for the Lower Sixth winger Frank Rahmatallah, who started well up against a dominant Brighton side. A tough battle in the pouring rain saw Brighton take the upper hand, despite determined defending from the likes of Alex Taylor and Rupert Reddish.
We would also like to give a huge thank you to all the coaches, Mr Hardman, Mr Moore, Mr Baker and Mr Mobbs-Smith, for making all the training sessions enjoyable despite the year we have had.
The physical presence of Brighton was prevalent; injuries cropped up left, right and centre. Hampton could not match the skill and physicality of Brighton as the game slipped out of our hands, 14-31. Despite this, it was valiant effort and an amazing opportunity for all Lower Sixth boys involved.
A special mention must go to Mr Thomson, who has given six fantastic years’ service to Hampton as both Director of Rugby and First XV Coach, not only winning major titles such as the St Joe’s National Festival, Surrey 7’s and RPNS7’s Plate, but also by creating an environment in which all boys can hope to create lasting memories as Hampton rugby players. We wish him luck for his new role, all future endeavours and thank him for his service to the black and yellow jersey.
To end, we want to thank the departing Upper Sixth for not only this year but their service to Hampton rugby on the whole; they have had some
Ethan Knight, Tom Simm and Connor Cross
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Second XV Rugby
Second XV Rugby Despite the disrupted season, the Second XV continued to commit huge amounts of enthusiasm and energy into their weekly rugby training and S&C sessions. With the sole focus being the one fixture against our Croydon rivals, Whitgift, there was plenty of competition for the starting black and yellow Second XV jerseys.
The game ended in a close loss, 22-20, but there were some superb performances, in attack and defence, across the whole squad with plenty of potential on display for next year’s season. The game showcased some outstanding fast, flowing and flair 2nd team rugby, which even got the Headmaster cheering from the side line. An exceptional performance from everyone involved. Thank you to all those who represented the Second XV for the 2020-21 season. HSM
After a pre-game team meeting, talking tactics and game plan with Mr Moore and Mr Baker, the side took to the First XV pitch for the game we had all been waiting for: Friday night lights at Hampton School. Tom Simm captained the side superbly, carrying the ball effectively, breaking over the gain line on multiple occasions. Luke McNamara and Neo Sukhraj-Hammerl were tireless in their efforts around the park, hitting ruck after ruck, carrying the ball and making huge hits against the big Whitgift forwards. David Ellis was a rock in the scrum, showing his experience in this shirt over the years and Sam Sparrow made a nuisance of himself at the breakdown on multiple occasions. Tom Tomlin was his usual deceptive self, picking from the base of the scrum well and getting into uncomfortable positions to turn the ball over. The two half backs, Will Lindqvist and Tom Ketel, linked effectively, providing quick ball for our backs to use, kicking forwards and moving it wide when possible. The centre pairing of Max Leman and Fraser Dunlop did well to tame the Whitgift attack and ran clever lines off our playmakers, frequently slipping through the Whifgift midfield defence. The back three of Emad Khan, Frank Rahmatallah and Charlie Masters were ever threatening, showing their pace and footwork on a number of occasions, often leaving their opposite number for dead. Some excellent and strong finishing from Tomasz Findlater, Emad Khan, Frank Rahmatallah and Tom Ketel kept us in touch of the Whitgift score line, with the whole squad showing the true passion and commitment of typical Hampton Second XV rugby.
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U16A Rugby I would be lying if I said I was not nervous about how the season would pan out. Trying to keep the boys engaged and interested for so long with the restrictions in place and constantly changing not to mention the prospect of playing no matches was a concern – how many variations of touch rugby can there be! Having said that, this was one of the most enjoyable seasons I have ever had coaching – in short, the boys were absolutely outstanding. the lion
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sport The tone for each session was set by the likes of James Morgan, Ollie Tynan and Hal Lewis. They turned up to each and every session with a smile of their faces and were eager to get stuck in with what ever the coaches and I had conjured up. They continued to want to learn and improve their skills. The style of plan that we were hoping to adopt, if we were ever lucky enough to play a match, was complex and involved a lot of people knowing their exact roles. Each week, they learned, listened and improved. Yes, we had some fun along the way and the weekly round robin of playing different sports demonstrated that a lot of them choice the right sport in terms of playing rugby as not many of them were in danger of breaking into a Hampton ultimate Frisbee team. Thankfully, after Easter, we had the exciting prospect of playing three matches. First up was the tough opposition in Whitgift. The boys knew this would be a real challenge given previous results against them. The format involved playing three thirds, in the first, Will Aust and Steve Lamming martialled the boys extremely well in a tough physical contest losing 5-3. The second third, although we had a lot of territory, we could not quite convert and Whitgift scored two break-away tries to win 12-0. The last third was a brilliant spectacle of School boy rugby with two excellent matched teams going head to head. Zak Gellatley and Henry Langrish put in an excellent defensive shift and with the clock dead at 0-0, Josh Alcea who had been excellent all day made another break and made the killer pass for Gus Carter to score in the corner. The second match saw us take on Epsom in a similar format. In a slightly unevenly matched opening third, we lost 12-0. However, over the course of the next two thirds, Nico Luckman was outstanding whenever he touched the ball, leaving a trail of Epsom players in his wake; Henry Donaldson put in the hit of the season on their biggest player and Cameron Hill kicked the winning penalty in the last minute to win the last two thirds 8-7. The final game was against Brighton. At times, the boys managed to put some clinical passages of play together: Jamie Brownleader put in a superb kicking performance, Freddie Skinner really grew into his role at scrum half and Tom Cowin had an excellent game in the wide channels with the team running out winners with an impressive 35-17. Other players that deserve a mention for making the year group such an enjoyable bunch to coach are; Will Barclay, Daniel Haarhoff, Marcus Taylor, Nic Allen, Owain Humphrey, Gregor Whyte, Tig O’Donnell, Theo Shah and Isaac Quigley. I wish this group all the best for their first season with senior rugby and look forward to seeing their continued progress. NJS
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Despite this, the boys played phenomenally. Right from the off, it was clear who wanted to go home victorious. However, due to one small mistake, they were the first to get on the scoreboard. Disappointed by their sudden try, the boys fought hard and, with the help of Sam Ho getting the ball down in the corner, Hampton got their first try of the season. Soon after, we got our second, putting us in the lead for the first time in the game. This was the talent of Finlay Wiseman in his role of outsidecentre. The second half started slowly, with Whitgift getting the ball over the line and converting it, leaving them two points ahead. Soon after, our third try was scored with a retrieval of a grubber and a footrace to the line. With 10 minutes left, we once again got over the line, with great teamwork to get the ball into the opposition’s 5, then Sam giving his all for a final push over. As one of the last plays of the match was a Whitgift line-break and score, the final few minutes were intensely tactical. However, we managed to hold onto the ball until the final whistle, ending 24–19 in Mr Beattie’s U15A’s favour. It was a terrific performance from a team that had played so well, especially from the boys new to the A team this season. Our final game of the season was against an Epsom side that we had not played for over a year and we were eager to finish with a 100% record. There was a strong gust of wind blowing through onto the 3G as the game began. The first points came very quickly, with good pressure leading to a penalty in the Epsom 22. From the lineout, a nice running line from Frank Hall lead him to score. As the pressure continued, so did the tries; the next went to Theo Tyler Low after a good offload from Matt Venner gave him a vast amount of space to run in and dot it down into the corner. Epsom wanted to hit back and did so with a penalty being conceded in the Hampton 22. Brilliant play from all the forwards involved kept the ball alive with good offloads away from contact, ensuring fast ball for the team. This fast play was then further used to our advantage; a quick tap from the penalty gave the ball to Oliver Goodchild, who spun through numerous tackles to score, leaving us 19–3 up just after the break. However, Epsom replied fast with two individual tries, splitting the Hampton defense open. As Epsom started to tire, we went on the attack with fast hands down the line from the lineout in the Epsom half to let Frank score in the corner. There was then some further brilliant execution in the final third by the team, enabling Josh Vergunst to score. After sustained pressure, the final score of the afternoon came from Oscar James; good carrying from the forwards allowed the backs to interlink and put the game to bed, with the final whilst blowing at 36–13.
As it did for all age-group, Covid took a huge chunk of our opportunities away this season. With training having to limit contact, the boys had to persevere with no matches to look forward to – a tough thing to do with all the players’ love for the game. Eventually, as the extended season time came to an end, we were fortunate to play fixtures against two talented sides: Whitgift and Epsom. 118
The build up to our first game, Whitgift, was tense, knowing they were a difficult side and in light of our 32-0 defeat against them as U14s in 2019. A few talented players on our side being injured did not do us any favours either!
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Despite the problems that faced us this year, the team did exceptionally well, finishing with a 100% win-rate. Perhaps most importantly, we learnt a great deal that we look forward to implementing next year. Frank Hall and Max Carsdosi
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U14B Rugby
Although this year’s rugby season for the U14As was not able to include a typical set of fixtures, it was a tremendously promising and positive one for a large and talented squad. Having devoted endless hours of training to a fast-paced and expansive game-plan, it was fantastic to see the boys translating this into their match against Epsom. While the result did not go their way, a resilient and confrontational squad battled back exceptionally to score two very well-worked tries in an extremely competitive fixture. Whether it was the ferocious tackling of Will Wallace and Ben Conaghan or the impressive game-reading of Harry Armstrong and Daniel Wight in the wide channels, the U14As rebounded from a slow start and forced the tides to turn. Inspired by Joe Cornell’s inhuman capacity to turn over any attacker within a millisecond of them hitting the ground, and buoyed up by the relentless carrying of Will Wheeler, Lucas Raivio, Louis Spight, Monty Nendick and Adam Gwynne, Hampton quickly started to come to life. The expert marshalling of Will Skinner, Tom Kilpatrick and Ollie Gellatley ensured that the Hampton attack soon started to fire on all cylinders. Tim Wright distributed the ball well from inside-centre and Tom Harvey, Maddox Dakin, Tom Massey and Toby Smith all started to look threatening.
The U14Bs was comprised of many gifted players, who each showed their strengths and enjoyment of rugby throughout the games and training sessions this year. Unfortunately, the season was abnormal because of Covid, but we managed to make the most of the many fun training sessions together. We also were able to play in a couple of games and get to see Miss Singleton’s passion and enthusiasm first-hand! The first real game of the season was against the notorious Whitgift; they are always known as the team to beat in most sports, especially rugby. We opened the scoring with a well-worked try and were in the lead. We scored again, making the lead more comfortable at 10-0; but, we knew that they would not give up without a fight. They retaliated with two tries, one just before half time and one five minutes before the final whistle! We were not going to be happy with a draw and pushed ourselves to our absolute limits, with Miss Singleton as the driving force of our determination. In the last few minutes, we broke the line, on the front foot and finished the try with a brilliant, well-worked team try to secure the victory. However, Whitgift left the game unsatisfied and wanting revenge, so a rematch was scheduled. With the help of some football players coming to their senses, the squad became even stronger. The squad started off very powerfully with a few early tries, which all came from great teamwork.
Having built sustained pressure for several minutes, Hampton’s ambitious offloading and relentless support-play caused innumerable problems for the Epsom defence. Clinical use of the blind-side led to two well-taken tries by Alfie Amor and Joe Cornell.
The defence was strong as well, as everyone worked together to halt their efforts; however, Whitgift slowly worked our defence down and managed to get a couple of tries over the line before half time.
Ever-dangerous in attack and demonstrating pin-point accuracy from the kicking-tee, Nick Lynagh converted both tries from the touchline and added a penalty to put Hampton into the lead. Were it not for a well-taken and opportunistic solo-effort from the Epsom outside-centre, Hampton would have held on for the victory.
Inspiring talks at half-time brought the intensity back to the team; we picked up the work-rate and they did not get another try past us for the rest of the match. Overall, we managed to come out on top in both halves, including a few more tries in the second half that extended our lead to 27-12.
This may not have been the day for the U14As, but after such a difficult and uncertain year, the result of this game was ultimately unimportant. The strength of team-spirit, refusal to give-in and passion for the game demonstrated by this group of players is incredibly promising for the years to come.
This was a fitting ending to the season as all of the hard work in training had finally been put to use for an undefeated season for the squad.
While they undoubtedly would have preferred to have more fixtures, it has been an absolute pleasure to work with the boys this year; I look forward to seeing what they achieve in the next few seasons.
This has been a tough season for all involved, but the boys have not waivered in effort or enthusiasm all year.
ODE
Ben Williams and Danny Settle
The guidelines for rugby have been a moving goalpost all season and the boys have embraced the new adaptions with eagerness. With the rules the lion
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sport allowing minimal contact and set pieces, it has allowed them to focus on their handling skills and strategic positioning on a pitch. The Bs squad was full of depth and talent and, despite being mainly backs, the boys were more than happy to step up and play out of position, demonstrating a real team spirit that led to an impressive double win over Whitgift.
Despite having no games to look forward to, we all kept in good shape – or at least got into it after lockdown – working hard to increase everyone’s speed and stamina; top performers in this respect were Dante Patel and Toby Walters on the wing and Harry Swain and Freddie Lingard in the middle. We were all determined to be stronger and more technical players so that we would be able to compete with other schools.
They worked in pairs to tackle Whitgift’s more physical players and played to their own strengths by moving the boys wide to the wings. The forwards hit up hard to the middle in the space left by the backs, spreading the Whitgift defence and keeping the ball safe in contact.
A real highlight of our season, in my opinion, was the touch tournament we held against each other in the spring. This gave us the sense of competitiveness that we were missing in this season – and we were all determined to win!
It took a whole-squad effort to send one of the strongest rugby schools in the country away with their tails between their legs – not just once, but twice!
Key players were Thomas Deedman, who would run in and out of defenders all day, and Tobi Quigley, with his great team spirit. Overall, it was great fun and it was necessary for the team to have some sort of game-like experience after the cancellation of fixtures.
Congratulations boys a perfect end to the season! RJS
The team has really bonded together just as much as any other season, with team comradery being formed with players who had played the season before, such as Ben Robinson and Felix Landricombe and new players that have joined this season, such as Louis Wright. We still enjoyed all the laughs and the banter, so we never felt as if we were missing out!
The 2020-21 season has been an unusual one for the team for obvious reasons. I know many boys, including myself, were extremely disappointed with the lack of fixtures and contact rugby that we were allowed to play. Despite this, the team would always turn up to the training sessions on those spitefully cold Saturday mornings and take part in Mr Studt’s gruesome fitness sessions!
The commitment of the team this year was exceptional under the circumstances and they never complained; the boys just played the rugby that they loved to play. This is important as the standard as could have easily slacked off and we would have entered next season the same if not worse players than two seasons before; however, this was not the case. We worked extremely hard and always focused on the rugby. I would like to thank Mr Gray for keeping us going!
U13A Rugby
With physical contact being limited to small amounts throughout most of the year, we were forced to focus on things we deemed not as exciting as constantly smashing each other into the ground! Because of this, we perfected our technique and basic skills in the form of touch games and many skill sessions from Mr Mobbs-Smith on how to perform on the pitch outside of tackling.
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After all the work the boys have put in this year, I am excited to see how we are going to perform next season when things – hopefully – go back to normal and we can play full contact against other schools. Omar Khan
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Senior Rowing Rowing throughout the 2020-21 season has been a markedly different experience, with the squad having to negotiate training bubbles, flooding, lockdown, and a delayed Henley Royal Regatta. Training started as ‘normal’ with lots of miles covered on both land and water – albeit with the added challenge of training in separate Year-group bubbles. The traditional sculling block commenced with a focus on single sculling in particular, concluding with the infamous Sculling Omnium – an event comprising of a mix of time-trials, and skill-based challenges, such as standing 360° spins and the classic rigger dips. Liam Weaver took the win from the Lower Sixth contingent with Alexander Saul finally earning the crown in the Upper Sixth, having finished second by a mere point in 2020. Without any external racing on the horizon, training continued in the build-up to the highlight of the Term: the annual Triathlon. Consisting of an 8k ergo, 4.1-mile run, and 500 squats, it is a true test of both mental and physical capabilities, designed to push even the toughest of competitors to the limit. Charlie Close came away with the overall win after putting in a phenomenal effort on the run to build an insurmountable lead. Over the last two years, the boathouse has had to spend time much time away from the water due to flooding of the river in winter 2019-20 and then Covid-19. 2021 did not let us down with the second lockdown coming into effect over the Christmas break and the start of ” ‘Land Camp Part IV’. With the short days and dark evenings, these weeks were particularly challenging for even those who love the rowing machine; but, it was made more bearable by online ergo and yoga sessions, running and ergo fixtures against Windsor Boys’ School and the first ever Boat Club Scavenger Hunt. Top prize in the Individual Event went to Tom Shepherd with the Team Competition won by Ben Francis, Charlie Sutton, James Bradley and Liam Weaver. The return to School and to the river was made even more exciting with some mixing of year groups allowed for selected crews just before the National Schools’ Regatta (NSR). This, coinciding with the news that the biggest event of the season, Henley Royal Regatta (HRR), was being postponed until August, meant the prospect of a regatta season was finally a reality and training kickstarted in earnest. 448 days after the Boat Club had last competed, the National Schools’ Regatta took place. With limited mixing allowed and the strategy of prioritising crews continuing to row until HRR, the Boat Club fielded five crews across the weekend. In a break to tradition, this included a lead Quad and a development VIII racing in the Championship event alongside a 2nd Quad, Championship Four and Championship Double.
After NSR, the season really got started, with the Squad taking part in internal testing to confirm the HRR line-ups before racing at Chiswick, Kingston and Molesey Regattas as well as the British Junior Championships. Chiswick in particular was a great day with every Senior racing picking up a win and the Boat Club winning the overall Victor Ludorum. The Quad and VIII continued this form with wins at Kingston Regatta against Open and Senior crews. Next was Henley Royal Regatta: the most prestigious and famous event in the Rowing calendar. With none of the squad having competed at the Regatta before, there was much excitement to be able to finally row between the booms and experience the full 2112m course in person. This was further enhanced knowing that the Boat Club would have a record three crews competing in the main event for the first time: the Quad in the Fawley Challenge Cup, the VIII in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup and the J16 VIII in the Temple Challenge Cup. The Quad earned pre-selection for the Regatta based off their performances across the Season. An impressive feat with only 16 crews earning automatic selection from over 70 entries. The Junior Quads had been particularly strong event throughout the summer regattas, with many crews close in speed so the Quad knew they were up for some exciting racing. The HRR draw did not the lion
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Although closed to spectators, it was great to blowout the cobwebs and get back to what we had been training so hard for during lockdown: racing. Special mention should go to Charlie Close and Jacob O’Loughlin in the Double, who won a fantastic bronze medal in their last race for the Boat Club.
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sport disappoint, coming up against one of the strongest oppositions in Tideway Scullers’ School on day one.
greatest of settings. As Miss Taylor put it, ‘this is the best pre-season we could ever have’.
With only seconds between the crews all year – in favour of TSS – the Quad knew it was going to be close contest but pushed hard in the headwind conditions, leading at the Barrier before ultimately losing out in the second half of the race. Despite the result, it was undoubtedly their strongest performance of the season, with some consolation that their time would have won all but one of the other seven first round match ups.
As a squad, we would like to thank all the coaches for their tireless efforts in keeping us training and motivated throughout the Season: Mr Highton and Mr Jackson for their enthusiasm and expert guidance; Mr Neville for his dedication coaching us through to Henley; our boatman, Mr Jones, for towing our boats to races – and fixing any happy little accidents; and, finally, to Miss Taylor for doing far more than we could possibly know behind the scenes.
The VIII were more fortunate in their first-round opposition, drawing Mossbourne Academy in their maiden appearance at the Regatta. A comfortable victory led to a far stiffer contest on the Thursday, lining up against the seeded Shrewsbury School. Shrewsbury led out from the start with the VIII unable to repeat the previous days’ success, but gaining invaluable exposure to the standards and a hefty dose of motivation for the upcoming 2021-22 season. And so, with those last few strokes in front of a large HRR crowd, the Boat Club’s 2021 season came to an end. Having spent most of the past two years training in lockdown or on land, Henley Royal Regatta was an incredible way to finish the season and to experience the purest form of racing in the
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Thank you also to the three Upper Sixth who led the squad all the way to HRR: outgoing captain, Tom Shepherd; vice-captain, James Bradley; and Saahil Dhawan. Their dedication and commitment to the Boat Club has shone through over the past two years and the Senior squad is incredibly grateful they were able to finish their Hampton careers on the HRR course. We sincerely hope that the 2022 season is a bit more ‘normal’ and that the squad enjoys another brilliant year on the river. With 19 of the 22 HRR rowers returning next season, the fire is most definitely lit. Jake Green and Tom Shepherd
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J16 Rowing Our start to the new J16 rowing year began with plenty of work in smaller boats, especially in single sculling, easing us slowly back onto the water after a long break away from formal training since March. This allowed us to test ourselves, trying to develop our skills before the real winter training began. We were also subject to quite a few ergos and cross training, aimed at building back our strength and endurance to the high standard needed to compete with the best schools in the country. The high volume of work on water skills and land training throughout this early period certainly shaped us into much stronger and more confident athletes. As we once again opened our hearts and our hands back up to rowing, we gradually began taking part in some invitational races on our own stretch of river as well as at Eton Dorney Lake. These were invaluable given our relative lack of racing inexperience due to the forced closure of all races the year before. In each ‘friendly’ match, we learnt how to develop different race strategies and the right competitive mindset. Moving through the winter term, the weekly Friday night battle paddles between two mixed eights became an increasingly common occurrence. This involved us going out onto the river, in the almost pitch-black night, and compete at low rates against each other to see which of the boats would come out on top, this became a highly competitive and enjoyable session giving the coaches and ourselves a good picture of who and what made the boats move.
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As we approached the end of the Autumn term and – despite our keenness to get on the water and row as much as we could – the river and weather had other plans, forcing us deeper into our erg and weights sessions, both in school and at home, but by staying focused and approaching these with a sense of purpose and a great team spirit we would undoubtedly see these sessions pay off later in the year. Just as we were about to break for the Christmas holidays, we had another spell of bad weather, meaning that the hotly anticipated Christmas pudding races held with LEH and KGS had to be cancelled. Fortunately, we managed to settle back into our usual rhythm over the holidays of eating heavily and training hard, although this was soon disrupted, with the Prime Minister announcing a third national lockdown, meaning we had to transition to at-home training once again. As the school closed down, training continued, guided by regular emails and Teams meetings. As a squad, we showed great determination to work both hard and consistently – whether that was in weights sessions, ergos or runs. The coaching team aided us tremendously by organising competitions both with other schools and within our own boat club, helping us to continually develop our competitive edge. With the school opening up once again – hurrah – and training beginning to become more regular and more serious, we again started in small boats, helping us fine tune those issues made clear to us earlier in the year. With the cobwebs dusted off, selection for the two eights that would be competing at National Schools’ Regatta began. With sculling trails, ergos and general tests Mr Greenaway and Mr Hill had made their decisions.
sport Moving closer to National Schools we began stepping on, ensuring that every session we did was meaningful and would benefit us during the race. After the tough training throughout the year, it was great to see it all pay off with a great 4th place position in the time trial, after being narrowly beaten by Shrewsbury. This was a very pleasing result, as it showed that we had improved as a squad and were now competitive with the very best in the country.
We had one race plan: go out strong and try and rattle the other crew. The start went to plan; we gained around three quarters of a boat length advantage on Manchester, managing to hold them off until around 700 metres into the race. But, unfortunately, their higher level of experience and physical maturity began to show and they slipped past us, eventually winning by about 4 lengths.
Making the National Schools A final, we raced five incredibly competitive rowing schools: Shrewsbury, Westminster, Shiplake, Radley and Eton. We came 4th in the final, narrowly missing out on a medal, but clearly ahead of Eton and Westminster. This was a very strong showing and has just made us even more determined to get onto the podium next year.
Nevertheless, despite the defeat, it was an invaluable and highly enjoyable experience for our whole crew and this opportunity will definitely pay dividends in future years to come.
After National Schools, our crew entered a number of smaller regattas, with a number of victories. The J16 Eight and Four both won their event in the Chiswick regatta and then went on to win Gold and Silver in J16 Coxed Fours at the GB rowing championships in Nottingham. During this period of time after National Schools, our main focus was on competing at Henley Royal Regatta, probably the most famous Rowing event in the world, with a vast array of rowers with different experiences competing, including some Olympians. We were able to enter the Students event – which is primarily for University crews but does allow school crews to compete – and were extremely fortunate as a J16 crew to get a place directly in the Henley heat races, partly to a lack of entries this year. This meant that our very first Henley racing experience would be racing 1 on 1 against Manchester University. Despite our formidable opponents, we were all still determined to do our best.
The main reason why we did so well during our season was due to the strong team spirit within this Squad. There were a few boys who, unfortunately, did not get to race at the National Schools Regatta, but, without their inclusion this Squad, we would not have gone on to do so well and the strength of these results come from the efforts of all the Fifth Year rowers. By supporting and encouraging each other and through the leadership of our coaches, specifically the effort and time they put in, allowed us to perform as well as we did. Mr Greenaway and Mr Hill, despite our relative lack of experience and age, always spoke to us as athletes and gave us all the encouragement, knowledge and information we needed – it was a very important transition period for us as athletes, mostly due to the difference between the J15 squad and the Senior squad, both physically and psychologically. As we move on to our next rowing chapter as a part of the Senior squad, we will look back fondly on this year of rowing and all that our coaches taught us, both on the water and off, developing us into more well-rounded, mature athletes.
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J15 Rowing
seem like it at the time, those jogs were important as we spent the overwhelming majority of our isolation inside.
Of course, this year has not been normal. Overall, we actually got on with rowing in a fairly regular fashion – minus the odd three-month interruption after Christmas.
And then we did not. All of a sudden it went from really cold to really hot, and school opened back up again. This was the point when we did the most rowing. We raced Eton, which was a bit Pirates of the Caribbean for my taste, but I think we won a race there, as our boat crashed a couple of feet after theirs did. At least the reeds gave us a soft beaching.
Last year started out with admittedly quite a lot of catching up to do, due to the previous summer being a write-off. Sweep rowing was particularly welcomed – if my memory serves me right – and it was all going swimmingly for the first term. The weather was nice enough, and Mr Double, we learned, was not quite as scary as previously thought – not quite! Really it was very good. We then left for Christmas and did not come back until February. All in all, that time spent away was not entirely void of training, however. The Teams PE sessions were a good precursor to the big long rowing chats – quality English language skills demonstrated here – that Mr Double gave. We did talk for a good while, and with the camera on to prove our undivided attention to the task at hand. Lots of runs were set, and not a lot of times were received, but enough that it was worth it. It snowed quite a bit. Once I spent an entire week inside apart from my set 5K jog, so its purpose was fulfilled. Although it did not
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Then we raced Radley and lost more than we won, but I would really consider it more of a win than Eton due to the fact that collision tactics were given a wide berth. Saving the best till last, we faced St George’s down on the river, where they were beaten in a significant number of races by us – which is certainly ending things on a high note. I cannot speak for everyone that day, but personally, I – if I do say so myself, without any hint of irony – was magnificent! We are finished for the summer now, so I will end it here, as I cannot predict the future accurately enough to write about it. But, I look forward to us getting back to normal next season – thank you to all of the teachers and staff that worked so hard for us this year. Louis Palmer
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J14 Rowing
boys were sorted into provisional boats in order of skill, consisting of an A Quad, a B Octo, a C Octo and a D Octo.
This year has been very different to other years due to Covid-19 – and the same can be said for J14 Rowing!
This was all in preparation for the upcoming match against Radley College, our first race of the season! In the following weeks, we were taught all about racing technique, practicing our racing starts, and rowing many different timed pieces down the river.
It was fantastic to return to school in September and to be out on the water after five months of Lockdown! For most boys this was their first experience on the water, as there had been no previous taster sessions. Over 30 of us joined the J14 squad at the start of the academic year – and we all loved it from the start! We started learning the basics of rowing technique in Octos, with half the crew balancing the boat, and the other half rowing. In only one term of rowing, the progress we made was immense. By Christmas, we were able to confidently row as a full crew in Octos, whilst still keeping in time with each other, and keeping the boat balanced. Unlike previous years, where the annual Christmas Pudding races would involve mixing crews with KGS and LEH, Covid-19 and social distancing requirements caused this year’s racing to only involve Hampton. Nonetheless, the races still went on, with us being split into four mixed Octos, and racing each other in multiple short races along the river. In addition to these races, there were land competitions too, ranging from who wore the best ‘Christmassy-themed fancy dress’, to who could hold a plank the longest! All in all, it was an incredibly fun day, and a great introduction to racing. Following a well-deserved rest over the Christmas holidays, sadly all rowing was brought to a halt, due to the arrival of yet another lockdown. All water training was cancelled, with the idea of races and regattas now out of the question. However thankfully, due to the hard work of Mr Rowett and the rest of the coaching staff, our training continued during the Lockdown, albeit not on the water. Instead our training consisted of weekly body circuits over Microsoft Teams, tracking runs on Strava and weekly online meetings to discuss what other training we had completed. Some highlights of this virtual period included a running competition against Radley College, and a Scavenger Hunt, in which we had to run as far as we could in 40 minutes, whilst ticking off a checklist of items to be found along the way. Upon returning to school in mid-March, we were all so eager to get back on the water, and prepare for the possibly of races in the coming months. After weeks upon weeks of being stuck inside away from school, we had all managed to maintain our fitness. Despite the challenges of Lockdown, we were able to bounce back, pulling harder, running faster and some turning up to training more. During the short few weeks we had left at school before the Easter holidays, we took to the river in singles for the first time – resulting in a lot of us going for our first swim in the river Thames! Unfortunately, the annual rowing camp to Wimbleball in Somerset had to be called off due to the pandemic; instead, we had a week of daily sessions at the boathouse. These were a great help to keep our fitness up over the break, as well as improving our technique massively. The arrival of the Summer term brought in a group of novice rowers into the J14 squad, bringing the total number of rowers to 53. The novices quickly got stuck in, beginning to learn the ropes of rowing, whilst the experienced
Upon arrival of the news about a match against Radley, the squad began to adopt the well-known saying, ‘pain is just weakness leaving your body’, as everyone began to compete for a place in the top crews. It was an incredible atmosphere out on the water on the day of the races – nerves getting to some, leading to two broken blades in the Hampton boats! It was a tight set of fixtures, odds drawing even at the end, with the A Quad and the C Octo winning their mini-series and the A and B Octos losing out. We as a squad have progressed so rapidly and were delighted with our performance, especially when we found out that Radley were the top J14 school at last year’s National Schools Regatta! Following the Radley match, we were now in full preparation for our next friendly fixture against St George’s, our second and final fixture of the season. All boats were completely reset from our previous fixture, so every place was up for grabs! All of our novice summer rowers would also be racing against St George’s, so there was heated competition for seats in the top boats. On race day, there was a great turn out by Hampton, with us being able to field an impressive six Octos to race against St George’s 3 Octos and a Quad. We took part in side by side racing, with each crew racing three times. Hampton’s A crew raced against St George’s A crew and won 2-1. The loss was due to one of the crew ‘catching a crab’! Our B and C crews raced against St George’s B. Some Boat Race style clashing was going on between our B crew and St George’s which the C crew took full advantage of to win two of the races. Our B crew won the third match. Hampton’s D and E crews against St George’s C – a girls’ crew. Our D crew won all three races comfortably and the E crew had some really close results finishing only a meter or so behind the St George’s crew. Hampton F raced against St George’s D. St George’s won 2-1 overall with some really exciting close racing between the crews. We were very happy that our F crew was able to be very close to the speed of St George’s D crew! Overall, it was a very successful and enjoyable day for Hampton. It was also great to see our parents back on the towpath shouting encouragement as the races went by as well. Unsurprisingly, this year has been different for J14 rowers to any other, but it has been a fantastic year nonetheless. The whole J14 squad has thoroughly enjoyed every moment of rowing, and our appreciation and gratitude for making this year possible in such difficult circumstances goes to all the coaches and staff involved. A huge ‘thank you’ goes to Mr Rowett for being our head coach this year, along with Mrs Ziegler, Miss Ferreira, Miss Kugele and Mr Jackson for all their help and support in coaching us all this year. The 2020-21 year was a great success for J14 rowing, and we all look forward to building on the progress and commitment made this year, as we move into J15 rowing in September. Tom Cahill, Harry Bernard and Tom Cowley the lion
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First XI Cricket After a frustrating winter of little to no training, the Hampton boys were buzzing to get the cricket season started. Messieurs Banerjee and Parrish managed to organise pre-season nets just in time, with the First XI finding their rhythm before the first fixture against the MCC. Matt Avant-Smith was announced skipper – much to the dismay of Kyle Seth. With the First XI pitch in front of the pavilion back in use after the 2019 and 2020 seasons, the boys took on the MCC at the fortress as our first fixture of the year. Alfie Simonds-Gooding shone with the new ball, bowling one of the openers with what can only be described as a ‘peach’. However, it was Pravin Kiritharan who dominated with the ball, taking 4 wickets in the innings. The chase of 192 was led by Eddie Bruce, who finished on 76*, while Matt Avant-Smith’s contribution of 41 helped Hampton over the line. Next up was Tiffin in the first group game of the National T20 Cup. Hampton batted first, and took little time to get going. Tanmay Thanawalla hit a dominant 103 off only 55 balls, and was supported by 26 from Arjun Bhat and 25 from Pravin. After finishing on 197-6 after 20 overs, the boys reduced Tiffin to 119-4, winning the game by 78 runs. Merchant Taylor’s was up next, away at Northwood. Hampton batted first again, scoring a grand total of 291 after 50 overs with stylish innings of 97 and 86 from Matt Avant-Smith and Arjun Bhat respectively. Pranav Pandey was superb with the ball, turning it square and picking up 4 wickets, helping the side bowl out MTS for 169. After a comprehensive victory over them in the T20, the boys faced Tiffin again in the 50 over format. This time, Hampton bowled first, and Kyle Seth showed his class, picking up 6-27 after his 10 overs. Tiffin put up 180, and after a shaky start from the Hampton top order, they looked to be on top. However, a brilliant anchor innings from Mikey Ford, with his maiden 50, as well as a graft of 19 from 63 balls from Ollie Coles, pushed Hampton closer towards the target. Max Bailey guided the boys home with 21* KCS in the T20 cup were up next at the fortress. After opting to bowl first, Hampton produced one of the best bowling performances in recent years, bowling out KCS for only 78. Pravin was the star again, taking 5 wickets for 1 run in his 4 overs, including a hat-trick! 37 from Matt Avant-Smith and 35* from Tanmay took Hampton over the line.
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Reeds were next up in a reduced 35 over game. Hampton batted first, and put on 188 for 5, with Pravin’s 49 and Mikey’s 46 applying pressure on Reeds. After initial wickets for Hampton, Reeds looked to make a comeback, but finished 141 all out, with 3 wickets from Pravin and 4 from Matt Avant-Smith.
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Emmanuel were next in the T20 cup. On the back of good form, Hampton were keen to progress through the group stages with ease. Matt chose to bat first, and gave Tanmay the opportunity to continue his impressive T20 form, striking 134 of 68 balls, supported by 52 off 21 from Matt. Hampton finished on 251-1 of 20 overs – a new school record! The devastating form also continued with the bowling, as Emmanuel were bowled out for 50 with the wickets shared around. At the start of the season, the boys would not have expected a 200-run win – especially in the T20 format! Next up were Whitgift. After a superb season, the boys were confident going into the big game. Bowling first, Hampton started poorly. However, Matt Avant-Smith’s 3-38 and Max Bailey’s 4-27, brought Hampton back into the game, bowling Whitgift out for 216. Hampton started shakily in the chase, but Eddie Bruce and Mikey Ford steadied the ship. Eddie struck 50 and Mikey 42. After both departed, Zack Gellatley carried on the momentum; yet, wickets kept falling at the other end. Despite a valiant effort from Zack with 29*, the boys could not quite push over the line. Despite the narrow loss against Whitgift, the boys looked to bounce back against Dulwich in the knockouts of the T20 Cup. Back at the fortress, Hampton chose to bowl first. Alex Zotov and AlfieSimonds Gooding were tight first up, and the rest of the bowlers never let Dulwich get away. They set Hampton 124 to win. Matt started strongly again, with 37 off 32 balls, and Tanmay anchored the innings from the other end, reaching his 50 in the 18th over. With 3 balls left and 1 run needed, Ollie Stokes guided the ball down to third man for 4, earning Hampton a spot in the knockout stages of the T20 cup.
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First XI Cricket We played at St Paul’s next; we bowled first, bowling them out for 205, with thanks to some tight bowling from our slippery seamers, Pravin (2-39) and Fifth Year Zach Gallatley (3-34), as well as some spaniel-like fielding from Max Bailey – which got him in a little bit of trouble with the umpires. In response, we looked assured with Eddie Bruce collecting 70 runs with the support of Arjun Bhat at the other end, however, in true Hampton fashion, we made it look very hard, relying on our opening bowling pair of Alfie Simmonds-Gooding and Alex Zotov to patiently knock off the runs, guiding us home to a 2-wicket win. Next came KCS Wimbledon, but this time in the 50 over format. This saw Hampton bat first and limp our way up to a fairly meagre total of 204 – the highlight being another gritty re-build, spearheaded by the reliable Lower Sixth Former Olly Coles, again demonstrating how we like to make average teams look very good. However, our response was very strong, bowling them out for 105 with some economical bowling from Avant-Smith going at an economy of 1.4 in his 10 and some feisty bowling from Pravin and Zach Gallatley with three wickets apiece – including the best catch I have ever seen, held by Pravin, seeing him diving over his head at 3rd man and plucking it out of the air, whilst also saving the six at the same time. Definitely one of the moments of the season! With a bit of Covid-19 help, we managed a couple of byes through the regional knockout stages of the national T20, getting us through to the national quarter-finals against Tonbridge, a team that could not be described as anything else other than ‘gun’. Hampton bowled first; we started slowly, dropping a few key catches. However, we began to pull it back thanks to some very tight bowling by
Kyle Seth and Pravin, keeping Tonbridge down to a very chaseable total of 147. The chase started well with Avant-Smith hitting 15 off the second over, despite being peppered on the lid twice by their big quick the same over. However, the collapse came after the top order got out, losing 3 wickets in 6 balls with their spinners bowling very economically. This led to a crushing defeat, being bowled out for 90, knocking us out of the cup and undermining our status of ‘bomb squad’. The Old Hamptonians were up next, putting us against some of the strongest old boys from recent years. Our standards were set from the first ball by our most reliable fielder, Max Bailey, where Old Hamptonian Captain, Toby Godfray (OH 2016) was dropped off the first ball – an absolute dolly. This then led to the slightly jaded Hampton fielding unit dropping just under 10 catches in the innings, allowing the OH to reach a total of 292, with their top four scoring 240 of these at just better than a run-a-ball. This contributed to an underwhelming response with the bat; we were bowled out for 200, with the only shining light being Tanmay’s smooth knock of 70 off 85 balls. As June came to close, Mr Banerjee had a very busy schedule lined up, kicking off with RGS Guildford at home. We bowled first – again – thanks to 8 lost tosses in a row from skipper Matt. We started slowly, but pulled it back with some economical bowling from the two part-timers, Matt Avant-Smith and Arjun Bhat going at 1.8 and 2.8 in their 10 overs, with Zach Gallatley ripping through their middle order, taking 3 wickets, bowling them out for 220. With the bat, we lost two quick wickets up top; however, opener Eddie and number 4 Tanmay settled in, compiling an elegant 150 run partnership, with the two of them competing over who could have the hundred. the lion
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sport However, when Eddie was dismissed for 81, Matt came in after watching, fully padded up for the best part of 3 hours and slogged 41 off 18 balls – which was widely described as one of the most ‘disgusting’ innings of all time by many of his teammates, but nevertheless saw Hampton cruise to a 7-wicket win, a good start taking them into a busy week of cricket.
Highlights included vice-captain Tanmay scoring 752 runs, averaging 54 – mainly thanks to his T20 performances – and Lower Sixth opener, Eddie Bruce, who impressed in his first year at the school, averaging 43. The top wicket-takers, Pravin with 26 and Kyle with 21, also performed exceptionally well throughout the season.
Despite this, thanks to a devastating mix of Covid-19 and poor weather, our matches against Bradfield, Kent Academy and Harrow were all cancelled, with the only cricket being played was our batting innings against Harrow, where Tanmay displayed his class in front of Harrow’s head coach and exEngland batting coach, Mark Ramprakash, cruising to a wonderfully compiled 90 against a very good bowling attack.
As a team, we made some excellent memories on and off the field, getting closer and closer as a group, striking the important balance of hard work and having a laugh. Tom Reilly, our scorer, was a great addition to the Hampton cricket unit, scoring very well and putting up with everyone asking how many balls they faced or their bowling figures.
The last game of the season came against Eton – our U16/18 team having beaten their equivalent team by 7 wickets a couple of weeks before. The game started well with Matt losing another toss, leaving us to bowl first on what looked like a good deck that would not be friendly for the seamers. However, Pravin showed he could still get things to happen even on a road, getting the Duke’s ball to swing around. The spinners also kept plugging away, finding it extremely hard to break through their strong top order, especially Pandey who bowled very well, often deceiving the batsmen but to no avail. Overall, we felt we did a decent job in keeping them to a total of 241-5 off their 50 overs. Our chase started well, with openers Eddie and Pravin seeing off the new ball. However, another collapse came seeing the Upper Sixth batting unit average 10, leading us to a 100 hundred-odd-run defeat. Ollie Stokes’ performance was the only real signs of comfort, scoring an assertive 40 odd. Despite a slightly weak finish to the season, it was a fantastic few months of cricket, with the side winning 13 out of 16 games across all formats.
As for the coaches, we could not ask for anything more. Mr Parish often found ways to brighten up the moods in times where things were very much dark, whilst offering some crucial life advice – and occasionally some cricketing advice! Mr Banerjee displayed his cricketing wisdom throughout the season, unleashing new tactics and new fields to help out-think opponents. We also thank their organisation of the busy season, managing both Covid19 protocols and interesting weather, whilst working with the catering staff – re-introducing both lunches and teas to our matches was very popular amongst the Hampton players as well as with the teams who visited! Lastly, thanks to all the Upper Sixth who have had a fantastic five or seven years at the school, enjoying fruitful seasons and making many brilliant memories that will be held for years to come. Good luck to next year’s First XI, we hope it is as successful and as enjoyable as this year’s has been. Tanmay Thanawalla and Matt Avant-Smith
Second XI Cricket
Tom Avant-Smith hit 40s and Olly Coles continued his strong run of form, setting a target beyond St Paul’s.
Overall, the Second XI record read as follows: played 10, won 7, lost 2. After a shaky pre-season and with an inexperienced top-order, prospects for the season ahead looked somewhat gloomy.
Arjun Samra proved against KCS Wimbledon where six years of Hampton cricket can take you. With an outrageous 53 and 4 wickets, he almost singlehandedly beat a respectable side. Yet again, Harry Ray was classy with the ball.
We started the season against St Georges First XI. Tom Avant Smith’s 45 and 30 from ‘ex-capo’ Keiran Downer guided us home. Against Merchant Taylors, 50 from Huw Harris and 90* from Olly Coles gave us a defendable total – Coles finished the season with 225 runs at an average of 112! Com‐ posure from Harry ‘The Stinger’ Ray ensured victory by a narrow margin. Our next match against Tiffin proved a comfortable afternoon: tons from Sandy Mitchell and Tim Lamming set an imposing total and we domin‐ ated in the field. Reeds developed into an intensely close game. Good bowling from Kyle Seth and Johnny Powell gave us a manageable total to chase. This was followed by a strong partnership between Max Leman and Ollie Stokes. We were only halted by a storm which sadly flushed away any chance of play resuming. Whitgift was a nail-biter. 60 from Sandy Mitchell and a late flurry 25 from Pranav Pandey gave us runs to work with. Johnny ‘The Heat’ Powell and Mustafa Hussain produced the best opening spells of the season: only 5 runs coming from the first 8 overs! We fielded extremely well and tight bowling from Johnny Powell and Max Leman left Whitgift short. There followed a run-fest: Sandy Mitchell and 132
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2020-2021
Our first taste of defeat was at the hands of Harrow School; with a muchchanged team, we fell 41 runs short. Our penultimate game of the season was RGS Guildford. With 50s from Tom Avant-Smith and Max Leman and 30s from Arjan Samra and Sandy Mitchell, we accumulated a huge total and strolled to an easy win. Our final match against Eton, always a test of the strength of a side, ended in defeat. Chasing an imposing target of 201, we unfortunately fell comfortably short, only revived by late big-hitting from Johnny Powell. Other shout-outs for the season go to Samaksh Agarwal who scored several useful 30s. Tom de Gruchy also bowled on the money every game and fre‐ quently scored useful late-order runs. Overall, it was a highly successful season. On behalf of the team, I would like to express our thanks to Mr Turner for coaching us and for remaining good-humoured despite our highly suspect ‘chat’ in the field. Tom Avant-Smith
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U16A Cricket
U16A Cricket
Our next fixture with St Paul’s was a close-run affair, with Hampton coming out on the better side of a 10-run win.
The 2021 cricket season finally arrived in May, and the U16As got off to a winning start: an emphatic 188-run victory over Tiffin, with centuries from Tetsuro Kato (103) and Kyan Soni (138*) helping us post a commanding 309 for 4, which our bowlers successfully defended.
After a 7-wicket victory in the second game against Ibstock, we played a T20 tournament with KCS Wimbledon and St Paul’s, unfortunately coming off worse in both games.
After a washout against Dulwich, we were back in action against St Benedict’s, posting 158 for 3, which included another century by Tetsuro (107), which helped us to cruise to a 66-run victory.
Finally, the last game of the season at Eton went down to the wire. Leanesh Sivakumar played what turned out to be a match-winning innings. Chand Dodhia then produced the goods with the ball, taking a five-for. Under pressure, Ollie Lycett took the final catch in the deep, ensuring the win in the final over, rounding off what was a very positive season in both batting and bowling departments.
Next came the first of our two matches against Ibstock, in which a commanding bowling performance ensured a 10-wicket victory.
Ali Jennings
U15A Cricket
Overall, progress was made in all areas and I am sure this U15A vintage will blossom in the next three years at the School and beyond.
If seasons are judged simply on results then this would be seen as a poor one: played 14, won 5 and lost 8. If they are judged on how a team develops and how many highly competitive matches they compete in, then this was a high productive, interesting and successful season.
Naavya Sharma Whilst the eye-catching 198* in the Middlesex Cup might make headlines, the quality of the innings against Reeds & Harrow display the fact that Naavya is a talented batsman. Learning to make more consistent match winning innings will take him fully into the genuine all-rounder category. His bowling was of the highest quality throughout the season and he fully deserved his call up into the prestigious Bunbury Festival at the end of the season.
None of the defeats were without a huge amount of fight or the chance to win at some point of the match. Two high quality victories were denied by end of the world rain and then embarrassingly questionable home umpiring later in the season. In a highly competitive fixture list against the very best around, no side would have left thinking they had had an easy afternoon. Harrow away on two separate occasions were wonderful examples of pushing strong opposition but falling just short of victory.
Joshua Vergunst Josh was an excellent member of the team throughout the season: always committed and supportive of team mates alongside a competitive streak. He possesses a Boycott desire to occupy the crease and a drive to learn and improve. An initial weakness against spin was dealt with and Josh easily faced the most balls throughout the season. A high quality 50 against a strong Reeds attack showed his quality and much more is to come of Josh in the next few years. the lion
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U15A Cricket James Page James will feel slightly disappointed with his overall return during the season, but it is notable that his two best innings came in two of the stronger fixtures. His 77 against Reeds would have won the game and he nearly single-handed beat a very strong Whitgift side with an outstanding 135. James plays some eye-catching drives and pull shots so always good to watch bat. Leo Hartley It was a hugely progressive year for Leo in every aspect of his game. He hardly bowled a bad ball all year and looked ready for Senior cricket. He started the season well with the bat, sneaking his way up the batting order. His 55 versus Tiffin was of the highest quality and showed a high level of maturity in cricketing terms. The fact that he captained the side with good results also help him develop his understanding of the game. Sam Ho Sam did not quite have the year he would have liked but still showed signs of his ability. When he got in as a batsman, he always looked in control. With a little more luck, he would have made the most of these starts and reaped the rewards. Leo Van Gelder Leo is ready made for the new world of T20. He has the ability to carve his first ball of an innings over mid-wicket or extra cover – which is always a useful asset in a keeper batsman. As keeper, he never dropped an edge all season and, once he prides himself on the lack of byes per innings, he will be a useful all-rounder in the senior school. Aaron Mills Aaron should be very proud of the fact he made his way into the A team considering he had hardly played cricket before arriving at Hampton. He top-scored on debut against RGS and nearly set up a winning total in a very low-scoring game. He has developed into a very useful left arm bowler and is always keen in the field. Hal Leman Hal is a useful asset to any cricket team given he brings personality, chat, score updates from any given sport, all-round ability and a football to every game. His lower order runs were useful at the end of several innings. With a little more consistency his bowling will thrive: the greater the challenge the better the bowling. 134
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Jai Edwards Jai got into the A team early on in the season then never left. He has the ability to contribute with bat and ball and is an athletic fielder. His wicket return does not do his bowling justice given he bowled many tight spells for the team. Findlay Barrand Findlay experienced his first dip in form and the team missed his all-round ability as a result. Despite that, there is much to be admired about the way he learnt from the experience and he is all the better for it. Navek Mendis Navek was the surprise package of the year as he moved from potential A teamer to Mr Reliable. He ended up bowling 50 overs for the team and deserved more than his final tally of 7 wickets. His opening spells were very consistent and he troubled every opposition. With very few opportunities with the bat there were two entertaining late-innings runs. Sam Gale It was an excellent year of left-arm spin from Sam. He rarely bowled a bad ball and was the highest wicket taker of the season with 20 – it could easily have been more. The higher the quality of batsman, the better he bowled. Many opposition coaches mentioned how impressed they were with his bowling. Very few opportunities to bat in the matches, but always the first with his hand up for a bat at practice. Maneesh Patel It was a big year of progression for Maneesh, as he cemented a place in the A team. His bowling developed nicely and with more work will become more effective at the higher level. His fielding mirrored his enthusiastic personality and his batting made huge strides. All in all, it was a good year for Maneesh. Dan Sleeman Dan loves his cricket and is equally happy when batting, bowling or fielding. He is sitting just in between the A and B team at the moment; but, with such enthusiasm for the game and a solid technique, he has the chance to rise up the pecking order in the next two or three years. Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable season 2021, U15As! Mr Harrison
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U15B Cricket
Although two games were cancelled due to bad weather and another game abandoned, there were many superb individual performances through the the season. Firstly, Faizan Faraz, with the ball, managed to pick up 3 wickets in a row – as well as collecting a 5-wicket haul as an off spin bowler against RGS Guildford. With the bat, Ted Clarke managed to make 64* runs off 37 balls against Sevenoaks. It was also a great season for improvement especially for Paddy Harvey, who started cricket in the summer and worked hard to improve and he even picked up a hugely respectable number of runs and wickets, more than earning his spot in the team. Another player who developed their cricket abilities is Kieran Bouwmeester-Reid, who developed into a dangerous aggressive batsman; he would consistently score highly with an entertaining approach reaching the boundary incredibly frequently. As well as his performance behind the wicket, his catching stumping and overall wicket-keeping excelled throughout the season.
U15B Cricket The U15Bs brought together a dedicated squad of talented cricketers who together enjoyed a fun and fulfilling season of cricket, winning seven of their ten games against some tough opposition. The boys were captained admirably by Sam Spencer from behind the stumps, who was also a lynchpin at the top of the order alongside Danny Sleeman, Theo Mathers-Jones, Dan Cubbon and Finlay Barrand. A number of exciting all-round talents were also central to the team, such as Aryen Virdi, Ben Rollason, Harry Takla and Aaron Mills, while our bowling showed considerable fire-power in the form of Joe Earle, Toby North, Theodore Tyler-Low and Saganan Thuraisingham, who was chosen as the most improved player of the season. Ollie Prescott Brann also deserves special mention for his all-round talents and especially his lemur-like fielding. Particularly memorable fixtures were the victories against Harrow, Whitgift and St Paul’s, as well as a nail-biting (and ultimately tragic) last-ball defeat by Eton. Best of all, however, was the terrific team spirit, hard graft and good humour that defined the team and indeed the wider squad – well played indeed.
Ted Clarke
U14A Cricket The U14As had an extraordinary season, with numerous victories and standout performances from the team. Throughout the 2020-21 season, the U14As improved and even won some silverware in the Middlesex Cup. Hampton began the season with a resounding victory against Surrey Schools, with nearly all batsman retiring on 30* and the bowlers bowling exceptionally well, gaining frequent wickets and starting the season off with a brilliant high.
Mr S Gordon
U15C Cricket
The next two games were against two well-rounded oppositions: Harrow School and Merchant Taylors’ School. Unfortunately, both resulted in losses despite outstanding batting performances from Maddox Dakin (26) against Harrow, Anuj Srivastav (74), Thomas Tabor (39) and Hugo Knowles with a quick fire 40 off just 20 deliveries against Merchant Taylors’ School. The first round of the National Cup was played against Brighton College with Hampton batting first, scoring 179/7 in 35 overs based on strong batting contributions from Anuj Srivastav (40) and Will Wallace (60). The match was secured with excellent bowling contributions by Anuj Srivastav (3/20) and Harry Gregory (2/14), with Hampton victorious by 20 runs. The U14As then played three more matches against well-established teams: Reed’s School, Trinity School and Whitgift School. Hampton began well by winning against Reed’s, chasing down 156 in 30 overs, thanks to brilliant batting performances from Hugo Knowles (39) and Will Wallace (74).
U15B Cricket The U15C managed to play six games during the 2020-21 season; after getting off to a bad start, loosing our first two games, we managed to pull through towards the end of the season and win four games comfortably.
However, Hampton suffered two losses against both Trinity School and Whitgift School, despite great batting performances from Hugo Knowles (65) against Trinity, Anuj Srivastav (31) and Natty Taylor (27) against Whitgift. The second round of the National Cup against Norwich School was next up. Having been asked to field first, Hampton bowled exceptionally, with Ollie Hamilton (3/13) and Danny Settle (3/12) being the pick of the bowlers. the lion
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sport Norwich School could only muster a low score of 59 all out and so Hampton achieved victory within 20 overs, with a top-score from Hugo Knowles (47*). With this victory, Hampton were through to the third round of the National Cup – and they were in it to win it! A warm-up match against St Paul’s School, to prepare for the Middlesex Cup semi-final against Harrow School, followed suit, with Hampton achieving a strong victory by chasing down 155 in 30 overs. More solid batting performances were produced by Anuj Srivastav (52), Will Wallace (34) and Zidaan Khan (41*). The U14As managed to chase the score down in 27 overs, inspiring confidence for the important match that followed. Hampton faced Harrow School in the semi-final of the Middlesex Cup – having beaten Kew House School comprehensively. Strong bowling performances from Anuj Srivastav (2/20) and Hugo Knowles (4/2) restricted Harrow to 157 all out in 29 overs. Hampton openers then got to work, with Maddox Dakin (54) and Natty Taylor (49*) achieving a quick 94 run opening partnership, with Will Wallace (29*) sealing off the victory in style. The U14As were now into the final of the Middlesex Cup against Merchant Taylors’ School – and they were even more eager to lift the trophy now! The third round of the National Cup took place against Forest School, where Hampton were asked to bat first. Maddox Dakin (56) and Natty Taylor (36) put on 96 for the opening partnership, with solid knocks from Will Wallace (34) and Anuj Srivastav (22) allowing Hampton to put on 188/6 in the allocated 30 overs. With a significant total to defend, the U14As bowled tight lines and fielded sharply to restrict Forest School to 170 all out. Exceptional bowling performances from Hugo Knowles (4/13) and Thomas Tabor (2/19) contributed to this enthralling victory. One of the most important games of the season was the Middlesex Cup final against Merchant Taylors’ School, taking place in Harrow School, a neutral venue.
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2020-2021
Having won the toss and captain Anuj Srivastav choosing to bowl first, Hampton, once again, bowled to the best of their potential, taking early wickets and unsettling Merchant Taylors’ batting line-up. After taking the key wicket of their main batsman, some fight from the tail allowed Merchant Taylors’ School to score 130/8 in 30 overs. Maddox Dakin (26) gave a quick start to the Hampton innings, accompanied by good knocks from Will Wallace (24), Anuj Srivastav (24) and Zidaan Khan (26). The match went down to the wire, with Harry Gregory scoring a single on the second last ball to win the match. A pitch invasion followed by memorable celebrations in the changing room and on the coach ride back. The Middlesex Cup – well-earned silverware – was coming back to Hampton! The National Cup SE Regional Final followed suit against Whitgift School, with motivation high in the team and tactics being discussed. Skipper Anuj Srivastav chose to bat first, and, after losing two early wickets, Hampton were 10/2 and in a spot of bother. Anuj Srivastav (20) and Natty Taylor (60) stabilised the innings, with Thomas Tabor (21*) and Will Wallace (16) bringing the score to 154 in 30 overs. However, the Whitgift openers made the most of poor bowling during the middle overs and brought Whitgift within touching distance of victory. A few quick wickets from Harry Gregory (2 wickets) and Hugo Knowles (1 wicket) were not enough to stop the opposition batsmen’s charge to victory. Overall, the team had an exemplary season with everyone contributing thoroughly and leading Hampton to victory in key matches. A win percentage of over 70% in 17 games demonstrates the confidence, capability and togetherness of the team – it is also a testament to the incredible work and time put in by Mr Haynes and Mr Banerjee over the course of this last year and so we would like to thank them enormously for this. Anuj Srivastav and Will Wallace
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U14B Cricket
Kasper Abraham led the wicket-taking with 11 wickets at an average of 8, followed by James Gilbart-Smith with 10 wickets at an average of 7.
The U14Bs went the entire 2021 season unbeaten, winning all 11 of their games. This is a remarkable achievement for any group, and every single player this season contributed in some way to a victory. This indeed was a true team effort.
Some highlights of the season were Gabriel Robertson’s hattrick against St Benedict’s, Caleb Levell’s innings at RGS Guildford, Leo Cusden’s 4-13 against Harrow and Eshan Mir’s diving catch in the inter-squad match – sparking wild celebrations from his team!
The season began with a close win over a St George’s team which included several A team players. Then followed very comfortable and convincing wins over Harrow, Merchant Taylors and Tiffin. After rain caused the match against Dulwich to be cancelled, the Bs had a tough run of fixtures against Reeds, Trinity and Whitgift. Remarkably, they came through this tough run of games with three more comfortable wins. After half term, the team – propelled by the momentum of winning their first 7 games – continued to sweep all before by vanquishing St Paul’s, KCS Wimbledon, RGS Guildford and finished strongly with a win over Eton. The team is one of the strongest B teams I have seen in my time at Hampton: a strong batting line up of Freddie Hunt, Ben Moffatt, Robin Neil, Ronit Raj; match-winning all-rounders Alex Trevers and Ollie Spray; spin twins William Youster and Asa Jennings; and a fearsome pace-attack of Ollie Davies, and Umar Khan. Last but not least is Oliver Lacey, with lightning hands behind the stumps and one who can move the score along when required with the bat. Honourable mentions also go to Ben Williams, Nick Lynagh, James Gilbart-Smith and Keshav Ramesh. All have played their part in this remarkable season, and can look back with pride, as well as forward to the next few years, aiming to continue winning games and also to improve individually as players and aspiring to get into the A teams, and First XIs. What has been most pleasing is the way the team have played: always with a humble spirit with great reverence to this great game, and supportive of each other’s successes and failures. They really have played as a unit with togetherness. They should not lose sight of this – it will carry them through the most adverse of circumstance in years to come.
Well done to all of the boys on a very good and extremely enjoyable season. HH
U13A Cricket It is always a pleasure to watch individual players improve their skills and develop their game over the course of a season, but the greatest thrill comes when a side collectively learns how to play more effective winning cricket. Having found ways to lose two games we could, and probably should, have won – defending a huge total against Tiffin and chasing a modest total against St John’s Leatherhead – the boys played an outstanding game against Whitgift. Although we ultimately lost that fixture, thanks to their power hitting lower order, the qualities we showed to compete – and at times out-play – a strong opponent were clear evidence of progression. The improved match-play bore fruit after half term, with hard-fought victories against St Paul’s and KCS Wimbledon, and then capped off by a near perfect team performance to beat RGS Guildford by exactly 100 runs in the final fixture. A comfortable early season win against Merchant Taylors and a thrilling run chase to defeat St George’s Weybridge, along with some frustrating midseason wash outs, left the team with a winning record for the season of P8 W5 L3.
HH
U14C Cricket
Another encouraging feature of the season was the number of different players that contributed match-winning performances. After an impressive 89 from Rohan Paul Muktieh, it was the lower order heroics of Daniel Mills and Edward Reilly that got us over the line against St George’s – putting on 50 together in quick time to reach the target of 192.
The U14Cs had a great season, winning 8 games from 10 fixtures. The two losses of the season came when narrowly failing to chase down competitive scores. Both losses reflected the team mantra with a focus on enjoyment and participation.
Similarly, a crucial partnership between Ben Robinson and Daniel Mills recovered our position against KCS Wimbledon to reach 111-7, which we went on to defend by just two runs, largely thanks to the death bowling of Rohan Paul Muktieh and Ram Kolanu.
The side was led superbly by Sam Chapman, who was an insightful, intelligent and proactive captain who often put his teammates first and was fantastic in ensuring everyone got a bowl or a bat on a matchday.
Promoted to open the batting, Ram played some excellent innings in the second half of the season, including a fine century opening partnership with Richard Page against RGS Guildford.
21 players were used throughout the season and all of the boys accepted and worked with our rotation policy to ensure as many boys as possible got to represent Hampton. The fact that there was a rotation of 18 regulars shows the depth of quality in this year group – and all of the boys could well have played B team cricket in other age groups.
James Eggleton returned season best figures of 5-2-7-5 to dismantle Merchant Taylors’ batting and set up a comfortable win in the process. Zaid Ahmed and Adi Shanbhag both contributed important innings with the bat and spells of leg spin with the ball, and both boys show great promise for the future.
Keshav Ramesh led the run-scoring with 165 runs at an average of 41, closely followed by Joe Cornell with 134 runs at an average of 17.
Joe Turton finished the season with seven wickets and could have had more, given how often he beat the bat. the lion
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sport Despite a ‘tough day at the office’ against Tiffin, Raphael Taylor took the new ball in every fixture and never wasted it – bowling impeccable lines, keeping top order batsman under pressure and often dismissing the opposition’s best batsman; this was especially important against St Paul’s. Richard Page deserves special mention for his 236 runs for the season. He made significant contributions at good strike rate in most matches and converted a start into a ‘big one’ in the final game – scoring 61 – well done Richard. The ‘player of the season’ award went to Rohan Paul Muktieh. Rohan scored four fifties – including three scores over 80 – and took 11 wickets within some electrifying spells. His captaincy became more tactically astute as the season progressed and he showed great leadership skills, both in his performances and the inclusive way in which he brought the team together. Thanks to the parents who showed such enthusiastic support, once restrictions allowed, in the latter part of the season. The boys played with a competitive edge at key moments in matches, but always maintained respect for the opposition and good sportsmanship. They all listened to advice and worked hard at their games. Keep up this approach boys – it will serve you well! Thanks for such an enjoyable season. TFR
U13B Cricket Matches 12 Won 5 Drawn 1 Lost 2 Cancelled (Rain) 4 With the possibility of inter-school Cricket in the summer term of 2020, it was decided to start the 2021 season with two U13B warm-up fixtures: the first was a friendly match against Hampton’s U13Cs – which ended in an honourable draw – and then, the following week, a warm-up fixture away at Merchant Taylors’ School, which was won by two wickets. At Tiffin School, we were invited to bat. Viren Asnani lead the way – batting throughout – with an excellent innings of exactly 50 runs, which included seven 4s. Viren received good support from Peter Cole with 20 runs and, towards the end of the innings, assistance from both the Captain, Harris Westbrook – with a score of 21 – and a typically well-struck innings of 45 not out from Angus Hacking. Hampton ended their innings with a massive total of 180 for four. This score proved far too much for Tiffin School as their innings ended on 94 all out – including no fewer than four run outs! Arun Bhandari bowled briskly to take 2 wickets for 5 runs from his two overs. Our first Monday afternoon fixture of the term – against Fulham Boys’ School – was an enjoyable match as two players from the Hampton School U13As were welcomed to the ranks of the U13Bs: Ben Robinson, who opened the batting with a well-compiled score of 28 runs, and Daniel Mills, who bowled superbly to take an invaluable 3 wickets for 13 runs from 3 overs of brisk medium pace bowling. Viren Asnani continued his good early season form with the bat to score 39 not out, once again assisted by Harris Westbrook, 21 not out. Fulham Boys’ School replied to the total of 113 for 2 wickets with a total of 101 runs, resulting in a win by 12 runs. A challenging and exciting match followed away at Whitgift School. Whitgift scored a total of 145 for 8 off 20 overs, with steady bowling from 138
the lion
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Ruben Bouwmeester-Reid and Harresh Jayanthan being the highlights of the visitors’ performance in the field. Furthermore, excellent catching from Mitul Aggarwal supported the bowlers and his three catches were among many wonderful catches held during the season by this ultra-keen fielding side. Unfortunately, we fell one short of the Whitgift School total, ending on a total of 144 for 9, thereby losing by one run. Angus Hacking’s hard-hit innings of 49 deserved to win the match and, but for an outstanding catch by an opponent, he surely would have done so. Another tricky fixture followed with a home game against a strong St Paul’s team. Hampton’s total of 103 all out was never going to be sufficient, but lively fielding and good leg-spin bowling from Mitul Aggarwal and leftarmer Shane Karunakaran made St Paul’s work hard to earn their victory. The season ended with two successive victories: the first, away, at KCS Wimbledon where our total of 158 for 4 proved far too many for the hosts. Harris Westbrook scored an excellent 54 runs, again supported by Angus Hacking, 25, and Mitul Aggarwal, 10*. The wickets were shared when KCS batted, resulting in their total of 105 all out. Sam Vowles bowled his left-arm spinners with plenty of variety and Peter Cole’s medium-pacers challenged the opposition batsmen. The final game of the season – at home to RGS Guildford – resulted in an emphatic 70-run victory. Ruben Bouwmeester-Reid struck the ball to all parts of the ground to end up with a score of 43 runs; he certainly deserved a half-century, but he was clean bowled while unselfishly trying to up the tempo even further! His innings included four huge sixes. The RGS team ended up 82 all out, with Peter Cole taking two wickets for one run to conclude the proceedings. Hamish Soley – as he had throughout the season – also bowled another tidy spell of medium pace. In this innings, Billy Wilkinson – who shared the wicketkeeping duties during the season with the captain – took an unbelievably brilliant onehanded catch down the leg-side to dismiss the RGS Guildford opener. Billy’s catch will long remain in the memory of those who were there to see it! All that remains is to thank the loyal band of parents – and other supporters – who, when government restrictions allowed, cheered the team on – whether rain or shine, both home and away! AFE
U13C Cricket The U13Cs had an amazing – albeit quite short – cricket season this summer, finishing as the only undefeated U13 side. Out of the nine matches scheduled for the team, only five were played, yet all five were won. The season started with a straightforward match against Merchant Taylor’s school, and – after the next two games were cancelled due to bad weather – this was followed by another relatively calm win against Fulham Boys’ School. The next game against St Paul’s was more challenging than our first two matches. However, we rose to the challenge to win by a hugely pleasing 7 wickets. This match was followed by another comfortable victory against King’s College School.
sport Our final match against RGS Guildford was probably the toughest and closest match of the season; in a nail-biting ending, we came out on top by 5 runs – bowling RGS all out in a very intense last few overs! Over the course of the season, there were many examples of amazing batting, bowling and fielding. Although it turned out to be quite a frustrating season this year for the side, it was also a very encouraging and pleasing success. Thank you to all of our coaches for their time and help! Avi Bhatt
U12A Cricket
themselves restricted to 13 for 2 off their first 7 overs by an outstanding opening spell by Joe Perry and Tom Boardman. Despite tight work in the middle overs from Alex Watson and Marcus Solomon, the opposition grew into the game, with their dominant player becoming progressively more aggressive. Hampton were challenged by injuries to Ralph Crowther and Joe Perry, while Oliver Booth was unfortunate, having the danger man dropped twice off his bowling. Despite this, the boys hung in there, restricting the opposition to 116 off their 25 overs with some exceptionally disciplined bowling from Oliver Booth under great pressure in the final overs being a real stand out. Akshat Nigam and Aditya Kirthivasan started the response against some challenging quick bowling in a very composed fashion, moving serenely to 32 off 10 overs before Akshat was bowled. There followed a mini collapse with the usually reliable skipper and keeper, Aadi Khera, being bowled by an excellent delivery for 4 and Joe Perry quickly succumbing to the spinner. This brought Marcus Solomon to the crease and, as was so often the case during the season, he put the opposition on the back foot with his clean ball striking taking him to a quick 32. This moved the side to 100 and a target of just 17 off 20 balls. A simple task, surely? The rest of the innings tested the resolve of all present. First, Marcus fell to the returning opening bowler, exposing Hampton nerves and galvanising the opposition. The following over saw a run out, before Aarush Jain strode to the crease and imperiously crashed his first ball for 4. The fielding side’s shoulders slumped. Or at least they did for three balls, before Aarush himself was run out.
U12A Cricket The U12As had an unusual season, filled with close matches, last-ditch losses and glorious victories. The shining triumph of the year was winning the Middlesex Cup against a formidable Merchant Taylor’s School team, but the journey to this marvellous crescendo was not straightforward. The first match of the season saw the side lose by 10 wickets to a very strong St George’s School side, with some fantastic straight hitting from Neel Mohindra only postponing the inevitable. The second match saw the team up against the Merchant Taylor’s side they would later face in the cup final. Again, they lost, though in this case the margin was just 3 runs and it was the first glimpse of the excellent battling spirit that the side would grow to demonstrate. As the boys grew in confidence – both in themselves and in each other – the season started to coalesce around the cup matches. While there were friendly losses, they were serving the purpose of sharpening their instincts for the big prize. There were memorable moments in these friendlies; Aarush Jain taking 16 balls to get off the mark before then hitting 20 in an over against Reeds being upper most in my own mind, but the focus was on the cup. First there was a comfortable victory over Teddington, followed by a closer match against John Lyon School in the semi-final, with a strong bowling performance squeezing the life out of the opposition’s chase, allowing Hampton to defend a comparatively meagre total. This brought the boys to the final. Spirits were high as the minibus travelled to a windswept Harrow School. Merchant Taylor’s batted first, finding
10 runs needed and 11 balls remaining. Steffan Hilmy strode to the crease and manufactured leg byes and singles, running hard and finding gaps, leaving 5 needed off the last over. The game was done. Or so it seemed. Steffan was undone by a seed of a delivery, bringing Alex Watson to the crease – a man who had barely had to bat all year. 5 needed from 5 balls. Fortunately, he seemed to be the calmest man in the ground, nonchalantly dabbing his first ball to backward point for a single. This brought Aditya Kirthivasan back on strike. In amongst the carnage, Aditya had been quietly accumulating; hitting the bad balls, blocking the good ones and finding the gaps for the singles. Here he was, with 4 deliveries left to find 4 runs. The quality of the bowling and the slightly damp pitch suggested that the key was to ensure he found a gap for another single, or maybe a two. Anything to keep the scoreboard ticking in that final over. Fortunately for everyone’s nerves, Aditya’s preferred approach was to smash the next ball for four. The game was won and the side flooded on to the pitch to congratulate the unbeaten opener, who had batted the entire innings, ending on 50 not out – an outstanding match-winning performance! It was a crowning effort for a season where the side became stronger and stronger. The batting was led by Aadi Khera (183 runs at 20), Marcus Solomon (169 runs at 28), Aditya Kirthivasan (156 runs at 26) and Akshat Nigam (102 runs at 10.2). the lion
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sport The strong bowling unit was led in terms of wickets by the excellent Alex Watson (15 wickets at 7.8), but was consistently opened by Joe Perry (12 wickets at 10.2) and Tom Boardman (9 wickets at 12.6) who formed a formidable partnership. Marcus Solomon, Ralph Crowther, Steffan Hilmy, Aarush Jain and Oliver Booth all contributed important wickets through the season. Beyond the statistics, the spirit of the side and the improvements they made were what was most impressive. The final match of the season gave a hint of what could be to come next year, with Hampton at one point having RGS Guildford 0 for 4, with Freddie Thwaite taking 2 wickets with his first 2 balls for the A team. It is certainly a side with a huge amount of potential. Years of exciting Hampton cricket lie before them all!
We were also blessed with a couple of talented all-rounders, Tom Bodley and Aditya Kumar at various stages of the season. With the ball, the spin twins of Dawood Alam and Ameya Mathur proved too much for many teams to handle, Ameya claiming a hat trick against Merchant Taylors and Dawood millimetres away from emulating this feat against RGS Guildford. These two complimented a fine pace attack spearheaded by Oliver Booth – deservedly promoted to the A Team – and captain Jaipaal Ghotra, who seemed to get a wicket in the first over of every match, including two in the first two balls against Tiffin. Freddie Thwaite and Joshua Gaughan provided great support with pace and accuracy respectively as well as some fine fielding. Importantly, the team played with excellent spirit throughout the season and made considerable progress in their personal development as cricketers.
TJG There were a great number of players who got a taste of A team cricket and I am sure there will be more of this as they progress up the age groups.
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We were beaten only once, in a very tight 2-wicket defeat against Whitgift and won our other five games that survived the weather by a considerable margin. Well done to all involved on an excellent season. CAM
U12B Cricket The U12B cricketers enjoyed a hugely enjoyable and successful season in spite of some inclement early season weather. The batting highlights were probably Fynn Adams’ 35* vs Reed’s and Jack Youster’s 51* vs SPJS, with other excellent contributions at the top of the order from Harry Drewry and Yuvraj Sahota.
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Tennis Team Reports U12 Tennis The U12s this year were delighted to be given the opportunity to represent Hampton against other schools in a sporting fixture. The competition for places was high given the large number of talented players within the Year group and we are looking forward to introducing more teams to the Second Year next season in order to allow for more game time for all players. There were some strong results in an unbeaten league season, including an 9-0 win over The Harrodian School, two 7-2 victories against Tiffin School and King’s College Wimbledon, and a very impressive 5-4 victory over St George’s Weybridge. The squad was excellently captained by Juan-Leonardo Solari Hernandez. It will be exciting to see this strong year group develop over the coming years and hopefully continue to perform at the exemplary levels which they achieved this year. CWS
U13 Tennis After the unprecedented halt to School life last year, this U13 squad were effectively embarking upon their debut season in Hampton colours – something which was robbed from them as U12s where they were unable to play any competitive matches at all. However, it was excellent for the boys to get up and running and – hopefully – they will have experienced enough in the short season to get them motivated to come back even stronger next year. A large number of boys enjoyed a taste of competitive Hampton tennis; each of them put in a great deal of effort and they all improved aspects of their play on the training court as well as during some big match-play challenges: Aleksander Lorenc, Henry Jackson, Connor Hendricks, Richard Page, Shane Karunakaran, Hugo Vicente Louis, Ruben Bouwmeester-Reid, Marin Matejka, Noel Yonas. Despite knowing that there would be no Surrey League Finals day to win through to – a disappointing loss to the tennis calendar this year – the boys were no less motivated to do well in the competition. As usual, the team found themselves in with some of the strongest and most competitive schools in the region: Reeds, St George’s and KCS Wimbledon.
The second fixture against St George’s – a side which included some friendly sibling rivalry in the form of Josh Hood’s younger brother – went slightly more to form. Despite a fantastic team spirit and determined effort, the side were resoundingly beaten 8-1. Although the natural reaction might be one of frustration, the team recognised a range of aspects of their individual and doubles play that they could usefully work on and the smiles in the sunshine could not be dampened. On paper, our final fixture against Reeds was to be the toughest. However, it turned out to be a superb match-up that led to some fascinating, hard-fought – and, at times, bafflingly unusual – points! Leaving out their top five regional players, Reeds’ line up still boasted a county player. Not a problem for the team who dug in deep to win 6-3 on the low-skidding astro and register their first victory in black and yellow figuratively – in black and white literally! Our final match of the season was a friendly – a chance to end the season on a high and to test out a few more players. Sometimes it is difficult to maintain one’s level when the opposition are not quite at the same standard, but the side – including four very promising U12s – dispatched their opponents 12-0. Pleasingly, the sportsmanship, good-natured behaviour and kindness remained ever-present throughout and they should leave as proud of that as much as of the result itself. Overall, the squad have laid a foundation and I sincerely hope that they get themselves out there at training and keep pushing themselves to improve. the lion
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Our first fixture was a hard-fought one against a revitalised KCS – with their new-look tennis programme. Despite our 8-1 defeat, the scoreline was hard on the side who lost many matches by a single break in the set.
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U12 Tennis I look forward to next season where I hope to see even more phenomenal shots, questionably ambitious shots, dives, slides, shanks, frame-edges and team fist-bumps!
fixture at Sevenoaks was notable for dogged individual performances from Josh Pye and Caleb – as well as an enthusiastic contribution from Yasin AlKallidi!
MMB
Rowan and Vishal Saha formed an inspired pairing at KCS, and the squad of and Caleb, Josh, Matteo Puljic, and Rohan enjoyed a busy day of matches at the Eton pairs involving 16 teams.
U14 Tennis The U14s enjoyed a number of fixtures this year against St Paul’s, Harrodian, Sevenoaks and Whitgift, as well as an Independent School’s League weekend set of fixtures against KCS Wimbledon, St Paul’s and Whitgift. Results did not always go our way but the team gained valuable matchplay experience. Tim Wright, Lawrie Wilkin, Liam Bruen-Guerrero, Porter Read, Arya Etminan and Oscar Shepherd all made regular appearances for the side and were supportive of each other throughout. They were also joined by U12 player Juan-Leonardo Solari Hernandez for their Independent League fixtures and were buoyed by his impressive ability for his age. I am excited to see how this side develop as they move into the U15 level – they have a lot of talent and a lot to give! HRM
Having missed an entire season in Third Year, it was a welcome return to the tennis courts for the U15. A large group of talented players showed a real passion for the game from the start to the end of the season, regularly attending lunchtime training and working hard on tactical improvements. Fixtures were all on a friendly basis but this did not affect their motivation to win. Although they ended up being on the wrong end of some really tight matches – the typical score being 4-5 – they achieved many individual successes. In early matches against St Paul’s and KCS, the strong doubles teamwork between Caleb Weinstein and Rohan Crowe shone out, and a windy the lion
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Senior Tennis Another season of disruption or a chance to finally show off our tennis talents? 2021 turned out to be an encouraging summer for a talented senior Hampton team. The old hands of the Upper Sixth – Sam Power, Josh Breadmore and Tanmay Thanawalla all contributed to a solid Surrey League team which had excellent wins against St Paul’s, Harrodian and KCS, but met their match with a very strong Ewell Castle team. Our strength in depth was amply demonstrated with Theo Mantel-Cooper, Ollie Drew, Freddie Liang and Jai Saha all providing additional firepower to our seniors. In any normal year, these results would have been good enough to progress to the league semi-finals, but with various Covid restrictions in place, they did not take place and we were left playing for pride rather than prizes.
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Overall, they should be pleased with their performances and attitude on the court; hopefully they will continue to focus on doubles tactics as they move into Senior tennis and I wish them all the best
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In the Independent School’s League, at U16 level, Dominic Hagmann, Theo Mantel-Cooper, Ollie Drew and Freddie Liang enjoyed excellent team wins against St Paul’s, Whitgift, Sevenoaks and Kings Wimbledon, showing that they can most definitely compete with the top tennis schools in the seniors next year. Our Lower Sixth players, including Manu Prasad, Rohan Vasudev and Billy Atkinson shone on many occasions, not least in the 1st Round of the Glanville Cup against a young and strong Ewell Castle B team, winning with panache and determination 4-2.
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U13 Tennis The next round saw us face perennial local rivals Reeds; their team included highly nationally ranked players. Dominic Hagmann – of the Fifth Year – playing as our top seed, was narrowly outclassed by his opponent, but showed great fight and determination and with two more years at Hampton to follow; I have every confidence that he can lead the team to victories next year. Manu Prasad played second seed and, again, showed the capacity to dig in as well as play some exquisite touch shots during his loss. Rohan Vasudev and Billy Atkinson teamed up magnificently in this match and played attacking and dynamic doubles and showed that they can compete against the very best players – although they did not quite have the necessary firepower to win the big points this time.
The season’s climax is usually the ISTA event at Eton involving most of the top Independent Schools from around the whole country and with Covid restrictions slowly easing up, it looked like this festival of tennis would finally go ahead. However, it was not to be; so, we shall have to wait another 12 months before we see Hampton’s finest grace the Eton courts once again. In summary, Hampton seniors had a very encouraging season and with many of our top players still available in 2022; I am as excited as ever about our prospects for next year! PHL
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Senior Athletics English Schools Track and Field Championships – A Reflection, by Gus Carter Friday 9 & Saturday 10 July, 2021 With Covid and all the associated restrictions, it has been a tough 15 months for my athletic progression. Events were being cancelled and training plans were being curtailed; unsurprisingly, it was difficult to maintain motivation during the pandemic. But gradually, as restrictions were lifted, things started to pick up. At first, I was able to meet with my club coach at my local sports track and resume training. Then events started up again. Despite an early hamstring injury, which interrupted my training schedule, I managed to qualify for the England Athletics U17 Championship. This was held at the Manchester Regional Arena – next to the Etihad Stadium – which is a good distance from my home in West London.
other sports
Since the 400m hurdles is usually one of the first events in a competition schedule, then factoring in registration and warm-up timings, we drove up to Manchester the night before and stayed in a local hotel. The trip took over 4 hours and it was very late by the time we arrived at the hotel. As it was an early start the next day, it was straight to bed.
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sport The next morning, the skies were grey and the air felt heavy; the forecast predicted rain – well, it is Manchester after all, so to be expected really! I was excited to be back at this stadium because the track was fast. It was the place where I achieved the qualifying standard for Nationals earlier in the summer when I competed in the English School’s Championships. Before my event, I was ushered into a 4-lane indoor track for the warm up session. After warming up, I was taken to the call room before heading out to the distinctive azure blue track. It was raining intermittently, chilly and a bit gusty, so the conditions were not the best. Our names were announced for our race and we waited track-side in the cold before we were called up to the start. Just before the race was about to start, a heavy drizzle descended and I could feel the tension starting to build as I was setting up my starting blocks. After a couple of warm-up starts, I settled into my blocks in readiness for the race. This is when I calm any nerves down and focus solely on my race plan. It almost comes as a relief when the starting gun fires and we can simply go. For the first few hurdles, I settle into my stride pattern; this helps me pace myself for the entire race. Before I knew it, the race was over and I had managed to achieve a new PB, finishing in third place! After the race, I was directed over to the medal self service area for a photo shoot before retiring to my seat in the stands to watch the other events that day. Overall, it was an incredible experience and wonderful event to be a part of! Gus Carter
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Senior Basketball
Golf
With Covid-19 restrictions causing all interschool fixtures to be cancelled for the season, you would be forgiven for thinking the Basketball program would suffer; however, this was certainly not the case.
Mikey Ford, Robbie Cox, and Charlie Sutton – all Upper Sixth – did a great job in the ISGA Matchplay tournament. In the first round against KCS at Fulwell in April, we won two of our three matches in spite of difficult wet conditions. A great turnaround from Charlie, who was two shots down after the 9th hole, and then won five of the next six holes! The KCS teacher took the trouble to write to me after the match, saying how well the Hampton boys had conducted themselves and what a great impression they made. This was lovely to read – well done boys!
After such a quiet season last year, it was a pleasure to see so many golfers taking part in a wide range of tournaments this year.
Divided up into equal time slots, each Year Group came with the same enthusiasm, effort levels and commitment as if they were training for the next game. The Fifth Year and Lower Sixth basketballers ensured they were preparing properly for the return of Basketball fixtures and their U19 League campaign next year by attending in good numbers and putting their training in to practice with inter-year group matches. A special mention must also be made for the Upper Sixth players for the way they consistently led by example although their final competitive school season had been wiped out. Despite being constantly being frustrated with the updated restrictions, each training session had the intensity and enjoyment of a match and they were a pleasure to coach. CH
There were no HMC Foursomes knock-out rounds this year, but rather a two-day finals event at the end of the summer term, held at the beautiful – but very tricky – Huntercombe Golf Club in Henley. Our first pair was Adam Humpish and Harley Mackenzie. Next were Marco Ferrucci and Luke Bland. Illness striking again, Jack Dale was without his partner, meaning he had to manage 36 holes by himself – which he did admirably. We were disadvantaged without a third pair to score, and did not finish as well as we would have liked, but the boys had a great day and conducted themselves as impressively as ever. They also learnt some big lessons about the foursomes – alternate shots – format: do not be too ambitious, keep it on the fairway, get it on the green, and never apologise! Something to remember for the upcoming HMC knock-out stages! The end of the summer term saw the reprisal of two competitions organised by Hampton and held at Fulwell: the Richmond Schools tournament, and the Old Hamptonians match. The first of these was a great opportunity to see some of the younger Hamptonians play – especially those who had been attending lunchtime practice nets at School but hadn’t yet competed on a ‘big’ golf course.
Playing 18 holes in the junior category were Aditya Kumar, Daniel Tressider, and Mitul Aggarwal. Aditya had a great day, claiming the runner-up prize in his category as well as the nearest the pin prize. In fact, he was the only competitor all day to reach the green in one shot – well done Aditya!
The Junior Basketball program continued to flourish, even with restrictions not allowing inter-school matches. First to Fourth Year pupils turned up in full force, on their allotted day in the Sports Hall, full of enthusiasm and energy; their willingness to learn and improve was infectious and kept the competitiveness of the training sessions high. With the U14 and U15 teams entering a league and the U12, U13 and U15 teams entering cup competitions, the hard work they have put in this year will put them in a good position to play competitive basketball next year and hopefully return some good performances. CH the lion
As the third round approached, and as bad luck would have it, a combination of last-minute illness, self-isolation, and other School matches meant that we could not compete, so Harrow went through to the finals. Fingers crossed for another shot at the finals next year!
These boys – James Brocklebank, Jacob Welch, and Henry Walmsley – played in a 9-hole competition which was very close indeed, with Jacob being beaten by just one shot by a player from Orleans Park.
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The next round, also at Fulwell and again in the rain, was against Wimbledon High, where all three boys won their matches convincingly – could they have done even better if they carried umbrellas?!
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In the intermediate age category, Hampton was represented by Ollie Lycett and Jack Shephard, who turned in very respectable scores but faced tough competition, especially from Grey Court who gained winner, runner-up, and longest drive prizes in that category. At the end of the day, several teachers from the other Schools approached me to compliment Hamptonians on their conduct – this was becoming a bit of a theme! Fulwell was in excellent condition for the Old Hamptonians match, which we really needed to attack, not having won the trophy since 2017. Unfortunately for the Hampton side, two of our top golfers this year – Matt Avant-Smith and Mikey Ford – have been paying the price for having too many talents – as both were needed on this day for First XI Cricket. Younger boys do not usually get the chance to compete in this match, so I was delighted when Jack Shephard and Liam Bruen Guerrero stepped in, they had a great day and we will see much more of them in future, I am sure. The match format is that each Hamptonian plays with an Old Hamptonian plus a member of staff. It was a pleasure to see the oldest Old Boy – in his eighties – teamed up with one of our youngest Hamptonians – Jack – and the way they happily chatted away showed that Hamptonian spirit has no age limit! 2020-2021
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sport Our other competitors were Robbie Cox, Oliver Burke, and Dylan Straker-Grimes, Jack Dale and Luca Boucher, and Adam Humpish and Harley Mackenzie. The team captain, Robbie, put in a very strong performance, gaining 34 Stableford points and the prize for the highestscoring Hamptonian. The runners up were Harley Mackenzie and Jack Dale, both with 32 points. Very well done to all! Overall, the Old Hamptonians pipped us to the post, with their seven best players scoring 221 points respectively, compared to our 212. In the staff competition, Mr Schurch and Mr Lees tied for first place and will share the Adullamites Shield, scoring 34 points each. Mr Bett was a close runner-up with 32 points, plus a ‘nearest the pin’ prize on the 9th hole. Well done to Mr Schurch for a superb ‘longest drive’ on the 18th too. It was great to see some recent leavers playing for the Old Hamptonians: Theo Granstrom-Livesey, Cameron Brown, and Harry Mayes, now playing with handicaps of scratch, two, and five respectively. I hope to see some of our Upper Sixth leavers playing for the Old Boys next year – especially Matt and Mikey who missed out this time around. But don’t play too well boys, the School will be desperate to get that trophy back next year! Good luck to all golfers for next year, wherever the game takes you. SEM
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old hamptonians’ chronicle
CONTENTS Correspondence ...................................................................................................................................... 150 Association / Club & Society Officers ................................................................................................ 151 A message from the Alumni Office ................................................................................................... 152 Chairman’s Message ................................................................................................................................153 From the Editor ......................................................................................................................................... 153 A Year of Alumni News ........................................................................................................................... 155 A Year of Events ......................................................................................................................................... 159 Interview with Finlay Bain OH (2010) ............................................................................................... 164 Jim Humberstone OH (1955): An Old Hamptonian’s Reminiscences .................................... 166 Past Masters: Mike Franzkowiak .......................................................................................................... 167 Barry Stevens OH (1959) ....................................................................................................................... 172 Geofrfrey W Collins OH (1947) Memories ....................................................................................... 173 Family Ties – Michael and John Rice ................................................................................................. 173 Dr Michael Henley OH (1944) Memories of HGS .......................................................................... 175 OH Sports Sections ................................................................................................................................. 176 Old Hamptonian Lodge ......................................................................................................................... 186 Obituaries ................................................................................................................................................... 187 In Memoriam ............................................................................................................................................. 192
Alumni Correspondence Please send all correspondence to: Alumni Office Hampton School Hanworth Road Hampton Middlesex TW12 3HD
Carol Griffin Alumni Events and Communications Officer c.griffin@hamptonschool.org.uk
Alex Esmond School Archivist a.esmond@hamptonschool.org.uk
Tel: 020 8783 4406 alumni@hamptonschool.org.uk
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Alison Parkin Alumni Relations Officer a.parkin@hamptonschool.org.uk
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Association / Club & Society Officers The Old Hamptonians’ Association Correspondence Old Hamptonians’ Pavilion and Sports Ground Dean Road, Hampton, Middlesex TW12 1AQ 020 8979 2784 OHA Office Hampton School Hanworth Road. Hampton, Middlesex TW12 3HD Association Officers Honorary President Kevin Knibbs, The Headmaster Honorary Vice Presidents Barry M Martin: Headmaster (1996-2013) Graham G. Able: Headmaster (1988-1996) Jack D Wells OH (1946) Chairman Martin Sands OH (1967) 37 St Winifred’s Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 9JS 020 8977 0428, Martinsands2@hotmail.com Immediate Past Chairman Richard Brown OH (2005) Editor of the Old Hamptonians’ Chronicle Denis J S Fuller OH (1961) Inglenook, 11B Kings Ride, Camberley, Surrey GU15 4HU 01276 22454, denis@denis-fuller.co.uk Secretary / Annual Dinner Secretary John Orr: Staff (1976-2015) orr.hampton@tiscali.co.uk Treasurer Lee A J Gallant OH (1988) 07939 265 951, lee@kybertcarroll.co.uk
Chairman Richard Brown OH (2005) Flat 1, 125 Waldegrave Road, Teddington, TW11 8LL 07832 105 393, ohacricket@gmail.com Club Secretary Matt Bendelow OH (2004) 07928 917 771, matthew.bendelow@gmail.com Treasurer Neil Lizieri OH (2001) Senior Advisor Ian Humphrey OH (1963) First XI Captain Toby Godfray OH (2016) 58 Ormond Avenue, Hampton, TW12 2RX 07896552338, tobygodfray@gmail.com Second XI Captain Harry Mayes OH (2015) 14 Burlington Road, Chiswick, W4 4BG 07795248181, harry.b.mayes@btinternet.com Third XI Captain James Osborne OH (2017) 33 Kent Road, East Molesey KT8 9JZ 07526 387 498, josborne.oha@outlook.com Fourth XI Captain Michael Godsmark OH (2017) 70 Frances Road, SL4 3AJ 07768 105 186, mikeygodsmark@hotmail.com Fifth XI Captain Nick Powell OH (2017) 57 Gloucester Road, Hampton, TW12 2UQ 07716940218, np390@exeter.ac.uk Dramatic Society
Minutes Secretary James Comber OH (2000) 78 Highdown, Worcester Park, Surrey KT4 7J 07814 039 441, jamesrcomber@aol.com
Andy Smith 26 Cambridge Road, Hampton, Middlesex, TW12 2JL
OHSGL Representative Robert A Glyn-Jones OH (1984) 1 The Spinney, Martins Lane, Glastonbury, BA6 8LL 079845 708 410, agj1@hotmail.co.uk
Club Captain Jack Byerley 07730 373 057, Byerley95@googlemail.com
General Committee Members Alan W Hunter OH (1965) Calypso, Temple Gardens, Staines, TW18 3NQ 01784 455 547, hunter.aw@gmail.com Michael F Savage OH (1949) 101 Park Road, Hampton Hill, TW12 1HU, 0208 979 6930, mikesav@btinternet.com Alex Kennewell OH (2009) 07923 384 716, alex.kennewell@pwc.com Tressa Wright Bar Manager
The Old Hamptonians’ Association Club and Society Officers Bridge Club
Football Club
First XI Captain Tristan Michel OH (2011) 07939 089782, trislukemich1993@gmail.com Second XI Captain Ollie Warren OH (2013) 07724 144 005, ollieww@yahoo.co.uk Third XI Captain (joint) Jonny Fitzgerald 07507 803 652, jonathanfitzgerald001@gmail.com Adam Hawcroft OH (2006) 07984 072 662, ahawcroft979@gmail.com Golf Society Secretary Martin Read OH (1972) 07811 351 107, martinread@blueyonder.co.uk Old Hamptonians Lodge
Geoff Wickes OH (1972) 07917 621 503, geoff.wickes@shlegal.com
Secretary James Lawson OH (2009) Flat 9, 37 Lennox Gardens, London SW1X 0DF
Cricket Club
Rugby Club
President Jim Reid OH (1992)
First XV Captain Nick Powell OH (2017) 07716940218, nick@powells.uk.com
Vice President Ed Crowe Simon Morris OH (2002)
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Message from the Alumni Office By the time you read this, many of the pandemic-related societal restrictions will have eased; however, the support of our Hampton community remains as important as ever. During the 2020-2021 academic year, our alumni remained closely involved with the School and we were delighted to welcome back Will Browne OH (2007) and Nick Basannavar OH (2004), who supported our virtual assembly programme. Many thanks go to Ronan O’Neill OH (2011), Ed Perry OH (2011), Alex Wilson OH (2011) and Tom Duggan OH (2011) who also supported our Ten Years On virtual event. In December, we were joined virtually by 500 members of the Hampton community for The Big Hampton Quiz, in aid of the Fitzwygram Foundation. The following week, our Hampton community supported us again and helped us to raise over £34,000 for the Foundation, enabling us to increase the number of completely Free Places available at the School, for boys whose families cannot afford any school fees. On Founders’ Day, we held our first-ever Giving Day, where current and former parents, alumni and friends of Hampton, came together over the course of 1557 minutes, in support of the Foundation. We were amazed by
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the generosity of spirit and between us, we raised over £240,000 in support of Free Places. In the absence of our usual alumni events calendar, we ran a series of virtual gatherings and were delighted to see over 150 alumni logging on with coffee and biscuits or a glass of wine, depending on their time zone, to share memories and catch up online. They were so popular that we are now planning to hold more online events in the future. At the end of August, we were very sorry to see Frank Keenan move on to pastures new. We wish him all the very best in his future endeavours. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last year and we very much look forward to seeing many more of you in person, as restrictions, hopefully, continue to ease. Do not forget, if you would like to arrange a reunion of your Year Group, sports team or just an informal get-together with fellow classmates, do get in touch. We love to hear from our alumni, whether it is stories of your travels, career highlights or simply to let us know what you are up to, do drop us a line at alumni@hamptonschool.org.uk.
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Chairman’s Message
The Old Hamptonians’ Association is open to all those who have attended Hampton School and regularly runs a range of sporting activities for Old Hamptonians. The Association works closing with the School’s Alumni Office.
Welcome to the latest edition of the Old Hamptonians’ Chronicle. Yet again the editorial team of Denis Fuller OH (1961) and the Alumni Office are to be congratulated in assembling another fine edition. I hope you enjoy this year’s Lion and Chronicle and do keep in touch with the Old Hamptonians and the School. The Headmaster has already paid tribute in the June edition of The Hamptonian to John Perry OH (1971) who sadly passed away in October 2020. John had been actively involved in the Old Hamptonians for many years, with the football section, serving as OHA Chairman and as a longstanding member of the Committee. We greatly benefited from John’s advice and legal expertise, and he will be much missed. Work has continued with the refurbishment of the pavilion and the upgraded kitchen and bar areas are now fully in operation. Some internal walls have also been removed to provide a more flexible space with new doors, windows and furniture. We are now considering how best to display the updated Old Hamptonians Honour Boards and associated memorabilia. Other ideas for subsequent improvements to the pavilion grounds are also being considered. The OHA and the School continue to work closely together on future pavilion plans and on the sections’ match and catering requirements. The impact of Covid-19 restrictions has until recently curtailed many of the normal OHA and Alumni activities. However, this has been compensated to some extent by the introduction of virtual events which have seen increased participation by Old Hamptonians, some from overseas, who otherwise would have been unable to be present in person. In March 2021 the Alumni Office facilitated a series of very successful and enjoyable virtual coffee mornings starting with those at Hampton in the 1950s and 1960s. The postponed 2020 OHA AGM was held on a virtual basis on 26 March which enabled us to show a video made by the cricket section on current progress with the pavilion. With the continuing support of the Alumni Office, this is likely to provide a model for the future. Because of Covid restrictions, both football and rugby had a disrupted season in 2020-21, but the football First XI did manage to win their League again. However, cricket was able to enjoy another highly successful 2021 season which saw the promotion of the First XI to Surrey Championship Division 2. Cricket now has a new electronic scoreboard funded from the Taylor bequest. Golf ’s fixture list was also badly affected in 2020, but re-started in April 2021, and a number of matches have since been played. Hopefully the 21-22 season for all sections will be without any further interruptions. Among other articles in the Chronicle, it is good to see a further contribution to the series on former teachers featuring Mike Franzkowiak, together with an interview with musician Finlay Bain OH (2010). Finally, I would like to this opportunity to thank Frank Keenan OH (2004) for his outstanding contribution as the first Alumni Director at Hampton. Frank and the Alumni Office have done much to promote even closer ties between Old Hamptonians and the School. He has now moved on to take up an appointment elsewhere. We wish him well in his new role and look forward to working with his successor. Yours sincerely Martin Sands OH (1967) Chairman OHA
Following the recent agreement between the OHA and the School, the Clubhouse has recently been refurbished and the recent enhancements are now in place for Old Boys to use and appreciate. We are now seeking new members to join the OHA committee. We are, in particular, looking for someone with the appropriate professional background to assist with the updating and continuing legal and corporate administration of the Old Hamptonians Sports Ground Ltd, which is part of the OHA. We would very much welcome enquiries from Old Boys and the wider Hampton community who might be interested in becoming involved in the committee or other OHA activities. In the first instance, please contact the School Alumni Office at alumni@hamptonschool.org.uk.
From the Editor As part of our preparation for examinations at Hampton Grammar School in the 1950s, the Masters used to tell us how important it was to very carefully read the questions and our answers. I wish I had recalled that advice before publishing my autobiography; two Old Hamptonians who purchased copies very quickly informed me that I had mis-stated the age of the School and the date when it ceased to be a state school – facts which I was totally aware of. My wife Carol, and others, have reported 'typos' to me; a nine-year-old granddaughter opened my book and immediately spotted that I had typed 'Mamed' instead of 'Named' – my excuse for the latter being that on our worn-out keyboard the letters 'M' and 'N' are indistinguishable. The only excuse I can offer is that I wanted the book printed before entering hospital for an operation. I believe an old proverb advises that, when doing a particular task, one should try to do a good job – not guidance I can hand on heart always claim to have followed at HGS, but certainly a rule I have tried to adhere to ever since. During conversations on the subject of 'none of us are perfect', I sometimes tell people of listening to a programme on the car radio many years ago, during which the presenter played a recording of singer Jack Jones missinging the classic Everything is beautiful – ‘it does not matter about the colour of her hair or the length of her skin’. I assume this particular recording of the song was never intended to escape the recording studio. the lion
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old hamptonians’ chronicle The proceeds from the sale of 80 available copies of the book were divided between three charities, including The Rotary Foundation and The Fitzwygram Foundation. I once again must thank the invaluable Alumni team without whom the OHA would be hard pressed to produce a Chronicle of the standard we now achieve. Carol Griffin, Alumni Events and Communications Officer, is responsible for compiling the OHC from the substantial amount of information arriving on her desk from OHA
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officers and associations, Old Boys etc. We benefit greatly from input provided by Archivist, Alexandra Esmond and Alumni Relations Officer, Alison Parkin, who deals with database management and alumni relations. Finally, I have very much enjoyed working with Frank Keenan over the past few years; his will be a difficult act to follow. Denis Fuller OH (1961)
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A Year of Alumni News Will Browne OH (2007)
Nick Basannavar OH (2004)
A big thank you to Nick Basannavar OH (2004), who supported our virtual assembly programme.
Thirteen years after leaving Hampton, Will Browne OH (2007) returned to give a ‘virtual’ assembly talk. Speaking about his role as a Data Scientist for a healthcare consultancy, over the last year he has led a team working with the NHS on the Covid-19 response. Will studied Physiological Sciences at Oxford University and Statistics at the University College London.
Charlie Marcus OH (2018)
Nick is Head of Impact at Frost Included, a consultancy company who help organisations to understand the power of diversity and inclusion. Joining them at the beginning of 2020, some of Nick’s clients have included global multinationals, media companies, academic and sporting organisations. He is also passionate about sport and hosts a podcast about the England men’s football team with his brother, also a Hamptonian, Lee Basannavar OH (1989).
Martin Carter OH (1975)
Photo Keith Heppell Congratulations to Charlie, who steered the Cambridge boat to victory in the 166th Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford. Wearing his Hampton socks, Charlie played a pivotal role in the victory with tactically astute steering. Charlie has also been named as one of the 2021-2022 Cambridge University Boat Club Presidents.
Amongst Hamptonians who were celebrating their university places this year, was 62-year-old retiree Martin Carter OH (1975), who is reading French and Italian at Cambridge. Well done, Martin!
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Ollie Stanhope OH (2016)
Dr Joe Jones OH (2012) Congratulations to Joe, who completed his PhD, investigating how cancer cells tolerate stresses more efficiently than normal cells.
Prof Glen O’Hara OH (1993)
Many congratulations to Ollie Stanhope OH (2016) and the PR3 Mixed 4+ crew on their gold medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Led by Professor Glen O’Hara OH (1993) of Oxford Brookes University, the £1 million project In All Our Footsteps will examine how the essential infrastructure of 140,000 miles of rights of way across England and Wales, have been documented and used for both commuting and recreation across the years.
Ollie was also a member of the gold-winning PR3 mixed coxed four crew at the European Rowing Championships. They are the first British Paralympic crew to win a gold at a European Championships and are now the Paralympic, World and European Champions.
His team will be working with The Ramblers, as their Project Partner, as well as representatives from Historic England, Natural England, The National Trust, walking practitioners and academics from a range of disciplines to interrogate the importance of rights of way in their past and present context. You can keep updated by following @AllFootsteps.
Philip Wallace OH (2004)
Louis Lynagh OH (2019)
Philip has set up a start-up wine delivery business, BOTTL Wine, which makes choosing wine simple. Good luck with the new venture, Philip!
Ed Campbell OH (2019) Congratulations to Ed who rowed in the winning Oxford boat at this year’s Lightweight Men’s Boat Race. 156
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As well as being selected for Eddie Jones’ England Rugby training squad, Louis has signed a long-term deal with Harlequins. Such a great reward for the years of hard work and recent form!
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Dominic Joseph OH (2002)
Rob Mather MBE OH (1983)
Dom and his partner Adam Ludwin, have been named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 finalists in the London and South East category, as cofounders of Captify. Captify is the largest independent holder of search data outside of Google.
Against Malaria Foundation’s founder and CEO, Rob Mather OH (1983) has been awarded an MBE in The Queen’s 2021 New Year’s Honours list, for his ‘services to medicine and charity’. Many congratulations to Rob.
Ben Sampson OH (2011)
Daniel Pemberton OH (1996)
Congratulations to Ben, who recently founded Sampson Fielding with his business partner Elliott Fielding. The chartered accountancy firm offers a range of services to corporate and personal clients across the UK.
Matt Legg OH (2015)
Daniel was nominated for an Oscar at the 93rd Academy Awards in the Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) category for ‘Hear My Voice’ sang by Celeste, from the soundtrack from The Trial of the Chicago 7. Many congratulations, Daniel.
Joe Gellett OH (2018) Many thanks to Matt, co-founder of FC Not Alone, for supporting Mental Health Awareness Week at the School.
Congratulations to Joe who coxed Osiris in the Boat Race Women’s Reserve Race. the lion
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Simon Amor OH (1997)
Simon, former England coach and rugby international has been appointed as the new Technical Director of Japan Sevens National Team.
Alex Bloom OH (2014) and Kinkit Wong OH (2014)
Alex and Kinkit have developed a party game called Rethink, inspired by product design tools and practices they have used throughout their education and work. They recently launched the game on Kickstarter. To find out more, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rethinkcardgame/rethink.
James Tagg OH (1982)
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A Year of Events
The Big Hampton Quiz On Saturday 28 November, over 500 members of the Hampton community joined us virtually for the Big Hampton Quiz, in aid of the Fitzwygram Foundation. Across the globe, from Norway to Nightingale Road, we were joined by parents, alumni, and their friends and family for a night of mental agility and quizzical fun.
Supported by the Hampton School Parents Association, the Big Hampton Quiz raised over £3,000 for the Fitzwygram Foundation, which has one simple but transformative aim: to increase the number of Free Places available at Hampton School. Thank you to all those who attended and supported the evening.
Life after Hampton – Ten Years On This year’s Life After Hampton event moved online with four Hamptonians who left the School in 2011 ‘returning’ to Hampton to share their work and life experiences with current pupils.
their time at university and beyond. Covering medicine, acting, engineering, consultancy and more the four friends provided valuable advice for current Hamptonians.
Ronan O’Neill OH (2011), Edward Perry OH (2011), Alex Wilson OH (2011) and Tom Duggan OH (2011) joined us to share tales from
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Hampton ‘Virtual’ Careers Week Many thanks to the over 100 Hampton Alumni who supported our ‘virtual’ Careers Week in March. The week included a combination of live and prerecorded talks and interviews to help Hamptonians in Fourth Year to Upper Sixth develop an insight into a range of careers, industries and courses. Current Hamptonians were also able to access alumni profiles covering careers from the Civil Service to Engineering and from Finance to Research Science.
The support from alumni provided a valuable, engaging and informative opportunity for Hamptonians to develop their understanding of different roles, industries and training opportunities within the world of work.
Hampton Together – Virtual Events In the last week of the Spring Term, we were delighted to welcome back ‘virtually’ over 150 Alumni to Hampton. At this time of year, we would normally be welcoming Hamptonians back for the annual dinner in the Main Hall, but this year Zoom was the venue for catch-ups, reminiscing, story-telling and a lot of laughs. On Monday 22 March, Hamptonians who were at the School from 1950-1969, the Whitfield years, got together with Trilby Hats, Top of the Form and Hampton’s Fourth Centenary celebrations amongst the topics of discussion.
On the Tuesday evening, Hamptonians who left the School in 1971 met to mark 50 Years since their time at Hampton. The evening began by raising a glass to toast the late John Perry OH (1971), who had a 56year association with Hampton as pupil, 1971 Fitzwygram Prize recipient, Old Hamptonian, parent, Governor and Chairman. A unique year group, who had four Headmasters in their time at
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old hamptonians’ chronicle Hampton, spoke fondly of their time on Stage, in orchestras, singing, rowing on the river, playing on the School fields and the crocodiles.
Wednesday morning saw the Alexander years, 1970-1988, get together to remember the School becoming independent, daring Fire Escape exits and swimming galas amongst many other tales.
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old hamptonians’ chronicle The final evening reunion on Thursday 25 March was for the class of 1996 who marked 25 years since their time on the Hanworth Road.
Hampton School Giving Day Thanks to the amazing generosity of our Hampton community, our firstever Giving Day has raised over £240,000 from over 730 donors, to support the Fitzwygram Foundation and Free Places at Hampton.
We were delighted to welcome back to the School, Cartoonist David Lewis OH (1986), who generously gave his time – and talent! – capturing our Founders’ Day and Giving Day perfectly.
On Founders’ Day’, current and former parents, alumni and friends of Hampton, came together over the course of 1557 minutes, in support of Free Places. Over 1,780 tinned goods were donated to Feltham Food Bank as part of the Hampton School Parents’ Association (HSPA) challenge.
A big thank you to everyone in the Hampton community for their generosity.
Current Hamptonians also took part in a penalty shootout, trying their hardest to score a goal past members of the Common Room. Pupils managed a fantastic total of 1,847 goals in just one hour, with the HSPA donating funds for every goal scored. Many thanks also go to our Hampton rowing and running communities who were challenged to row or run 1557km, between 22-29 June. Our rowing community rowed a total of 2335km and our runners covered an incredible 1624km. Each challenged unlocked an extra £1,557.
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Finlay Bain OH (2010) Interview discipline that it instilled in us at Hampton has also held me in good stead throughout my working life. In five words how would you describe your personality? Resilient, equable, jovial, meticulous, amiable.
Finlay Bain began his musical training as a choral scholar at St Paul's Cathedral, where he started learning the French Horn, aged 11. He was then awarded a music scholarship to Hampton School, where he studied the horn with Richard Kennedy. In his last few years at Hampton, Finlay was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and in 2010 was a Brass Finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. In 2010, Finlay started at the Royal College of Music as a Foundation Scholar and then in 2014 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as a Leverhulme Trust scholar. During this time, Finlay was a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the European Union Youth Orchestra. He has performed professionally with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Philharmonia Orchestra, and the BBC Orchestras, to name but a few. We recently caught up with Finlay to find out more about his life after Hampton. What is a favourite memory of your time at Hampton School? My favourite memory from Hampton was probably the time I spent in the old Garrick building. I am not sure whether it is still there, but it was the music building, made up of the music hall, drama hall, several practice rooms and a couple of keyboard rooms. And the Garrick building kitchen, which was the culprit of some suspicious smells on most days of the week and I am sure was responsible for almost burning the entire building down several times! I spent most of my Sixth Form in the building, practicing during free periods and break. As it was separate from the rest of the School, it almost felt like a haven away from ‘normal’ school life. The long-suffering staff who inhabited the Garrick also kept us entertained – especially ex-head of music, Iain Donald, who had the unenviable task of taking school orchestra in the music hall after school on Mondays – which normally ended up in a competition to see who could get sent out the most times…. Many happy memories from the Garrick building.
Rehearsing at LSO St Lukes, Old Street, with Sir Simon Rattle - August 2017 Who or what has been your biggest inspiration? I would probably have to say it was a CD I got when I was about 16 of an album called the London Horn Sound. It was recorded in 1999 by a line-up of the best horn players in London, all either members of the major symphony orchestras in the city or big-time session musicians, who you can hear on many of the most famous films and TV series still to this day. I just remember listening to the 13 tracks and thinking, ‘Wow, I want to be able to play like that one day!’ – it really got me into gear and I immediately started practicing more and more each day. An absolute must-listen for any young horn player – or musician for that matter. Is there anything you’ve done in your career that you wish you’d done differently? I actually do not think I would change anything. I have occasionally thought about what it would have been like if I had decided to go to the Royal Academy of Music or the Guildhall School of Music for my undergraduate degree rather than the Royal College of Music, but I had fantastic teachers there who gave me lots of freelance work whilst I was still studying. I think my career so far has been very enjoyable and I have been very lucky, so I do not think I wish I had done anything differently.
London Symphony Orchestra, France – July 2021 Do you feel that your experience at Hampton School has been valuable to you as you moved on in life?
What was your best career move?
Of course, yes, my experience at Hampton has been valuable. I was lucky enough to have an extremely high-class instrumental teacher, who I am lucky enough to occasionally work with now in my professional life. The time I had whilst at School to do individual practice and also the self-motivation that I gained there meant that I was well prepared when I left school and started at the Royal College of Music. The
This is a tricky one as musicians do not normally get to choose where they end up. It is more often than not totally down to the decisions of other people and there is a lot of luck involved. I suppose my best career move was joining the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019; however, I was lucky that there was a vacancy and also that the other players in the section liked my playing and – sometimes
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old hamptonians’ chronicle more importantly – my company. It is brilliant to have the guarantee of work with the orchestra, as quite often freelance musicians might feel out on a limb and not sure where their next patch of work might come from. Joining the orchestra was my best career move and I always remind myself of how lucky I am to be a part of it.
dumpling – from Din Tai Fung in Covent Garden. Main: T-bone steak ‘alla fiorentina’, rare, from Osteria Acquacheta in Montepulciano with a glass of Sangiovese. Side: Penne all’olio, aglio e peperoncino. Dessert: Mum’s lemon cake, alongside a ‘cleansing pint’ of St Austell’s Proper Job.
When are you or were you happiest? Unfortunately, this is another predictable answer but, actually, when I am at work sometimes – when we get to do a concert with double the number of horn players normally required. We have a very tight-knit community of horn players and more often than not, you will end up on a gig with one or two of your old mates – normally you would have five horn players, but some pieces require nine players – or even up to 20! It does not happen too often, but going to the pub with everyone after the concert and catching up with people you may not have seen since the last big concert is great. Playing great music with your friends and then having a drink after is a great feeling. I also enjoy touring – if you are lucky, it is a great way to see new places, although tours can be very busy with long journeys and unforgiving schedules, so it can be a double-edged sword at times.
Recording session at Henry Wood Hall, London - October 2020 How would you advise a Hamptonian who wanted to follow your career path?
What is your favourite book? The best book that I have read recently is a book called Bounce, written by Matthew Syed, who was the UK table tennis number one back in the 00s. It is a very interesting book about the myth of talent and the power of practice. It is mainly about sport psychology; however, there are lots of parallels to the music profession. My favourite books when I was a bit younger were the Lemony Snicket series of books, A Series of Unfortunate Events which I will always have fond memories of reading.
Just to put as much practice in as you can but also to stay positive and remember that everyone makes mistakes. Some people might seem bullet-proof, but nobody is perfect; so, if you are comparing yourself to other players who may have been playing longer than you, just try to focus on your own game. It is a long road but the payoff is brilliant if you can get there.
What is your guiltiest pleasure? Probably getting home after a concert, sitting on the sofa and putting some trash TV on with a beer – currently the trash of choice is Married at First Sight UK…terrible television, but I cannot help myself! What is your most treasured possession? I know this is very cliché, but I would probably have to say my French horn. I cannot do very much without it and I have had the same one since I was about 14 or 15. It probably sounds strange, but we have been through a lot together! I think in a close second would be my bike, it is a Specialized E5 gravel bike – I have not had it for that long, but it is great to take out and about. My other half and I recently did the Round the Island Cycle Route on the Isle of Wight which was great fun.
Live broadcast on BBC2 of Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder with the LSO at the BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall - September 2017 What personal ambitions do you still have? Personal ambitions – work-wise, I would like to continue freelancing with different orchestras that I already occasionally work with if I am lucky enough to be asked. It is nice to work with different people every now and then and to keep myself on my toes, not get too comfortable where I am. Outside of work, my other half and I are planning to do the cycle from Land’s End to John o’Groats, when we have both got a spare moment to do it. She is a very busy freelancer, so it is difficult to find a time that is convenient for us both. I am hoping that we will manage to make time for it soon.
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, London – April 2016 What would you choose for your ‘last supper’? I have actually been thinking about this quite a bit recently as I occasionally listen to a podcast called Off Menu, which is done by James Acaster and Ed Gamble, asking a similar question to different celebrities – I would recommend listening. So, I think my last meal would be as follows: Appetiser: My own sourdough bread with salt and olive oil, accompanied by a pint of Citra’s Hophead. Starter: Xiao long bao – soup
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An Old Hamptonian’s Reminiscences from 1948-1953 by Jim Humberstone OH (1955) I have to confess, my academic performance at Hampton, during my years at the School, verged on the mediocre. This was despite strong support for my endeavours from my family. It was the custom at the time for such circumstances to be put down by parents of the luckless pupil to the possibility that he or she was ‘a late developer’. Which description of my problem, I felt at the time, could be construed as explanation or excuse. Or perhaps even both. Be that as it may, in looking back, I believe it was in the area of creativity or artistic contributions that I feel I owe the School a great deal. This aspect of my time there undoubtedly had a strong influence on my development and enjoyment of life. An impact for which I shall always be grateful. This influence can be seen to divide neatly into three categories. As follows: First: Drama I had already experienced a first taste of the excitement of being on stage. That was at my Primary School. I progressed some way into my schooldays at Hampton without any opportunity to experience the excitement of treading the boards again. Imagine my delight then, one day, looking down from a first-floor classroom at the front of the School – I think I must have been in the Fourth Year at the time – I saw the smart black vans of Strand Electric drawn up in front of the building. As it happened, I was aware of the significance of the arrival of these vehicles, knowing that the onset of WWII hostilities had prevented the final finishing touches being put to the new school buildings. This then, I rightly guessed, was their visit to put things right so far as stage equipment was concerned. Light and Sound were now to be available at the press of a button or the throwing of a switch.
Despite any anxious misgivings, the production was as they say, ‘alright on the night’, being skilfully overseen by the English Master, Mr Moir, known affectionately to us all as Phoebe. The School play left its legacy; for the acting experience I gained in, it stood me in good stead when later on I took part in other amateur dramatic productions. This was very much the case when I participated in the drama group productions at my Royal Signals Training Squadron at Loughborough, in the late 1950s, during my National Service – Shades of It Ain’t Half Hot Mum! Later on, back in civvy-street, spurred on by my am-dram experiences, I landed the principal part in a production of the Reluctant Debutante, the Douglas Hume play. This was performed at the parish hall of St Mary’ Church in Twickenham and marked my graduation from previous walk-on parts as The Butler or The Police Constable. Second: Music My love of classical music was gained principally from radio concerts on the BBC Home Service or Third Programme. Taken together that is, with listening at home to the family collection of 78 rpm records, played rather scratchily on our HMV wind-up gramophone, with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Rossini’s William Tell and songs from the German Tenor Richard Tauber to the fore. This was to become familiar with well-known favourites of the period. Lollipops, was I think the name that Sir Malcolm Sargant gave them.
Having already experienced one or two marvellous Shakespeare productions at the Old Vic with my elder brother, I knew from seeing the credits in the programmes, the significance of the work of the people in the black vans. Surely, I thought this must herald a possible school play in the near future. Sure enough, the follow-up to Strand Electric’s visit was not long in coming, namely auditions for a full stage performance of one of Shakespeare’s History Plays, Henry IV Part One. My friend, Pete West OH (1955) secured the coveted part of Prince Hal but to my delight, I landed that of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March. This role provided just sufficient a challenge in terms of the extent of lines to be learnt and time and movement on stage. Justifying a good performance rather than leading to first night nerves or forgetting one’s lines or missing cues. 166
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In addition, however, music was a regular feature of school life. Principally, this took the form of hymn singing at morning assembly, but, in addition, the whole school gathering in this way in the School Hall at the beginning of the day, provided a good opportunity for the two Music Masters – Mr Watts and Mr Yarrow – to introduce us to short classical pieces via their piano playing. Added to which, they would give occasional recitals on the school’s splendid organ. In addition to hearing pieces played by either of the two Music Masters, the gifted musicianship of a few pupils was rewarded by them contributing pieces at assembly. Showcasing would be the current term for this initiative. One such notable performer was John Crittenden OH (1950). John was an excellent pianist. I got to know him quite well later on in the early 1960s.
old hamptonians’ chronicle He was very bright as well as very talented and graduated later on from Imperial College of Science to work as a chemical engineer. So often scientists, in my experience, are also keen talented musicians. I remember him particularly, however, for his delightful impish sense of humour. Perhaps one of the greatest musical treats that came my way while at Hampton was to obtain tickets from the School for the series of Robert Mayer Children’s Concerts, held at the recently opened Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank. An exciting experience, travelling up by train to Waterloo with school friends on successive Saturday mornings and experiencing my introduction to the major works of Brahms and Beethoven, my favourite composers. I came to know the RFH, as we called the famous concert hall, that much better when I joined the LCC Architects Department, based at County Hall, after my National Service. Especially so since my boss Dr Edwin Williams, a Rome scholar, was one of the team of four who designed the building and liked to talk about the design process to the trainees in his Division. Finally, the School was able to take advantage of a scheme whereby distinguished soloists toured schools explaining their instruments and demonstrating their skills. Of the notable musicians I remember visiting Hampton in this way, Archie Camden, the bassoon player and Denis Brain, a French Horn virtuoso, stand out in my memory. Last but not least: Art Any talent for drawing and painting I may have had when I arrived at Hampton must have been due in no small measure to the tutoring and encouragement I received from Mr Hurst at Bishop Perrins Primary school in Whitton. I will, however, always be grateful to Mr V E Mackenzie, the Art Master at the school who took over where Mr Hurst left off. To the extent that I was awarded the Junior Art Prize in my second year. Mr Mackenzie gave me much encouragement, even on one occasion introducing me for advice, to one of the HMI – i.e. Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools – who was making his formal inspection of arts and crafts facilities at Hampton.
I believe the skills and techniques I think I gained at the Grammar School have stayed with me. They have for certain, immeasurably enhanced my enjoyment of painting holidays in Italy. In addition, they undoubtedly continue to guide the illustration work I currently produce for articles I have published. Jim Humberstone OH (1955)
Past Masters: Mike Franzkowiak After spending 35 years teaching at Hampton, we asked former Head of Drama, Michael Franzkowiak (1975-2010) about his time at the School. Written in two sections, Michael recalls what it was like working at the School, along with his memories and experiences of Hampton Drama. General recollections from 1975 – 2010 I joined as a Maths Teacher in September 1975, graduating from St Mary’s College, Twickenham, to ‘do The School Play and run Rugby and Cricket Teams’. I was interviewed by Gavin Alexander, given the job straight away and turned up for a ‘New Teachers’ get-together after the Pre-Year Staff Meeting. At that meeting, held in Gavin’s office, were Bob Gill, Mike Wimbourne, Philip Parr, Fred Hall, James Smallwood – to name but five out of eleven new staff members. At that meeting was also Martin Schrecker, Head of Languages, who for many years after I thought had been invited by Gavin as a senior member of staff to help him explain how the school was run, such was the confident – and loud – manner displayed by Martin. It was only years later that someone told me that he had joined the School at the same time as myself!
A young Mike at Hampton School 1982
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old hamptonians’ chronicle My first year was also the first year of independence and so we had several celebratory events held in the old Sixth Form Common Room – where the Library now stands. The main one was held to thank Richmond Borough Council for giving us the opportunity to become independent. Several councillors and the Mayor of Richmond attended. The clever ploy was to suggest that the school became a Middle School thus losing the Sixth Form. Needless to say the Governors declined the offer, which was just what the council wanted, thus giving them an Independent School in the borough to rival St Paul’s and Kingston Grammar. The new era had begun, with the gradual change from state to independence happening over the next seven years. In 1975, there were about 700 students and 60 staff – the one female member of staff being Angela Green. It just shows how the school has expanded over the last 47 years. Year 9 was expanded initially by one class to take in students from Prep Schools. The Adullamites Cricket Team was the staff team, which played various matches after school and on the occasional away day. The principle of the side was to have fun; it varied in level of ability from absolute beginner to a seasoned cricketer. The result was immaterial. There were, therefore, many memorable moments, which were recorded in the artistic Score Book, designed and religiously kept by Pete Dryland and then Leon Dore – Heads of The Art Department.
Where does this name come from? Well, the staff were generally considered as a revolutionary force within the School – for the good of the School, I hasten to add – but the name comes from the Old Testament, when followers of future King David went to The Cave of Adullam to hide from King Saul. Our group of revolutionaries had a uniform, which consisted of a green tie with a yellow cricket bat and a yellow fox jumping over it. I believe ‘The Fox’ was the nickname of Gavin Alexander! The staffroom centred around the Shove Ha’penny Table. The table was constantly in use for Ladder Matches, World Cup Matches: a devised game of Shove Ha’penny when the Football World Cup was on – each player had to adopt a National Team – Cricket Shove Ha’penny, when the Summer arrived – a backdrop of a cricket stand and crowd was created for the Cricket Season – and there were at least three volumes of the Shove Ha’penny Book, kept in the draw of the table on which the board sat. These held accounts of great Shove Ha’penny Events and Photos, as well as certain ‘local’ political articles concerning the staffroom. Unfortunately, as the School expanded, with subject staffrooms, the main staffroom became less of a focal point and Shove Ha’penny lost its roll as a way of bringing the whole staff together. From being a place to encourage friendships, it became a quiet place for lost souls and was only visited to pick up mail or gather for messages on a Tuesday morning at breaktime.
One such moment was the initiation of the French Assistant to cricket at Henley. He was told that he was opening the batting and the Henley fast bowler was briefed to run in to bowl from the boundary. As he steamed in, you could sense the fear that our opening batsman was feeling and as the ‘ball’ whistled past his bat, the wicket keeper threw the ball up in the air, gladly accepting the catch. ‘Howzat!’ scream all the fielders and probably some of us too. The umpire raised his finger and the poor, forlorn French Assistant started to walk off the field. He was then recalled to the crease explaining that the bowler had not bowled the ball at all, the wicket keeper had had the ball in his hands all the time! A great example of many wonderful experiences with the Staff cricket team. John Cook wrote a book on the many sporting experiences we had while at Hampton, including many other moments in the Adullamites. Back row: l. to r.: Mike Godfrey, Richard Harris, Tony Creber, Ian Goldup, James Smallwood, Mike Franzkowiak, Jon Cook, Mike Sinclair Front Row: l. to r.: Geoff Slater, Alan Stranks, Felix Francis A couple of my cricketing memories were when the CCF on their Field Day decided to ‘invade’ the outfield in full camouflage kit while a First XI match was going on! And Tim Lambert getting a hat-trick against Tiffin School in 1981, which included Alec Stewart and Mark Feltham – Alec went on to play for England and Mark with Alec played for Surrey – a match which Hampton won by 10 wickets. Notably, Tim Bishop scored a half century – one of many he scored that year. I took over the Secretary’s job at The Schools Cricket Association of Middlesex (SCAM) from Mike Sinclair, and at the AGM I was told to record that our President – George ‘Gubby’ Allen, of the Bodyline Series fame – would not be attending. That was a great shame because I could introduce myself to him, since he was my second cousin – on my mother’s side! Sir George ‘Gubby’ Allen was a cricketer who captained England in 11 Test matches. In first-class matches, he played for Middlesex and Cambridge University. He was a fast bowler and was a lower-order batsman.
Adullamites Match
A key building project was either a Sports Hall or a Library. The staff were given the choice through a secret ballot, and a large cardboard box was put on the large table just inside the staff room with a slit cut in it. No expense was spared in the process. The deadline for voting was reached and we all waited in expectation for the announcement to be made, knowing that a very large majority of the staff had voted for the Sports Hall.
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old hamptonians’ chronicle Announcements were made every Tuesday by Gavin Alexander to the staff at breaktime, and so the day arrived for the result to be declared. In walked Gavin, and you could tell by his demeanour that all was not well. The vote had not gone the way he had hoped, and so he used his ‘casting’ vote to declare to a shocked staffroom that we were getting a Library, whether we liked it or not. There were certain members of staff who considered this the last straw, and so decided that teaching may not be for them. As a sweetener, we were told that the Sports Hall would be the next project after the Library was built, but we had no idea as to how quickly that would happen.
Heath, President of Camberley RFC, 2020 to 2024, and Chairman of Camberley 41 Club – The Over 40s Round Table.
So, the Library appeared, and the previous library rooms – once the Chapel on the ground floor and the Fiction Library on the first floor – became the Careers Room and a classroom / Maths Department Office respectively. Captain of Camberley Heath 2015 In the years to come, it felt like somewhere in the School there was a building site. Among many projects there was a new Dining Hall – two storeys high – because we had outgrown the Old Dining Hall, where both staff and students had their lunch. In the old days, the tables furthest from the serving area were the staff tables, and if we, as members of staff, sat down with a space next to us, you could guarantee that Gavin would come and sit next to you. This meant that you would be asked the question, ‘What is the name of that boy?’ as he pointed to someone you were expected to know. Gavin always took great pride in knowing all the boys, so we assumed it was a test to see if we were also equally gifted in that skill. That was not always the case! Post 2010 - my retirement:
Mike’s School and Club Ties I have researched and written my Family History, going back to 16th Century, including my father’s experience in and before WWII and my mother’s family tree, including ‘Gubby’ Allen, Capt. Edward Lamb – who wrote a letter to The Admiralty in defence of Captain Blyth – Henry Augustus Thompson – who was killed by The Maoris in an uprising near Nelson, New Zealand – George Nesbitt Thompson – Private Secretary to Warren Hastings in The East India Company – and probably George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers – named as The Founder of Modern Archaeology. My recollections of Hampton School Drama 1975-2010: Drama In 1975, Sarah Lyons taught Drama to the Third Year – Year 9s – in a double period once a week and that was it. The plays performed were The Lower School Play, The Lower Sixth Play, The School Play and occasionally Gilbert & Sullivan.
Captain of Camberley Heath 2015
Over the years to come, the subject grew; eventually, through a little subterfuge, I got Gavin Alexander to agree to have A Level Theatre Studies on the syllabus. He thought a great idea would be to teach the subject jointly with LEH. 1984 was the First Year through, which included Sean Holmes, and the following year Gavin’s son, Robert, also took A Level Theatre Studies – maybe that had something to do with it!
Since retiring, I have been Captain of Camberley Heath Golf Club in 2015. For my Captain’s Charity Day, I asked Paul Burnham if he would help – little did I know that he was also planning a charity golf event to tie in with the Ashes Series, and so we got The Barmy Army. What an amazing day! I have also been Junior Organiser for Camberley Heath from 2014 until 2020, Chairman of Guildford & District Junior Golf League for the last three years, and have just been appointed Welfare Officer for Camberley
The Edinburgh Fringe experience began with Crispian and Martin taking The Father and Suddenly Last Summer to audiences of 5 – including The Headmaster on one occasion, sitting in the front row! Eddie De Oliviera took a company to Edinburgh called In Human Form, I then formed a Theatre Company called About Turn, with Dan Hyde, and finally Artfelt Theatre Company, with which we took Sweeney Todd. We felt it was important to have a Theatre Company name rather than the name of the lion
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old hamptonians’ chronicle a School to avoid the stigma of it being ‘The School Play’, of which there were many dreadful ones at the Fringe, and for it to begin with the letter ‘A’ so that it would be one of the first plays listed in the Fringe Catalogue.
Main Hall too, sometimes at the same time, which was interesting! I can remember trying to take a drama lesson on the stage with the green curtains closed, while John took a First Year class on a Friday afternoon, first period, before they went out to their Games periods. You can imagine the chaos and maybe some of you remember the chaos that was created – in the music lessons, I hasten to add! For me, the highlight of my time at Hampton was the building of what was to become The Hammond Theatre, or previously known as the 450 Hall. I can just hear Iain Donald saying, ‘It is not a Theatre! It is a Theatre and A Concert Hall’. Both of us were on the planning committee from the start of the project and I like to think that we were instrumental in creating a wonderful venue for both music and drama. Obviously, we needed a group of people who would be willing to go along with our suggestions, and I am so grateful that we were blessed with such a group, led by Barry Martin – Headmaster 1997-2013 – who agreed to make that the project to celebrate the 450th year of the School, and ably supported by Mike King.
Edinburgh Fringe 2009 The first Building Project post-independence was The Garrick Music and Drama Block, which was driven by Alan Jones, Head of English, who loved producing the School play. Coincidentally, he modelled it on the Drama Studio at St Mary’s College, Strawberry Hill. Once it was built, I felt at home. It was opened by Edward Heath, who conducted the School orchestra in the new music hall on the opening day of the Garrick.
I can remember key moments in the planning meetings when, for example, discussing the possibility of an Orchestra Pit – put forward by Iain and myself. We were losing the argument, mainly because of the cost of digging a huge hole, until the acoustics engineer said, ‘What a good idea, we can put the air conditioning plant down there too’. Problem solved! We asked for double doors to the outside, like the Hampton Hill Theatre, which would allow huge items of scenery to be brought though from outside – The Hampton Hill Theatre demonstrated this by driving a double decker bus onto their stage. As far as I know, we have not done that yet! Because we wanted a theatre and a concert hall, we needed to change the state of the building from soft acoustics for theatre to hard acoustics for music. Initially, the way this could be done was through hard labour by Iain Donald, myself and the caretakers and a lot of time. The effect was amazing and worth the efforts we made, but I believe it can now be done by the press of a button!
The opening of Garrick Summer 1978
Iain Donald and Mike King inspecting Orchestra Pit 2008
Edward Heath Conducting 1978 Prior to that, Drama lessons took place either in the Main Hall or on the Main Hall stage. Meanwhile, John Smith – Goat – took music lessons in the 170
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Orchestra Pit 2008
old hamptonians’ chronicle A few of the many students I taught Drama to were Paul Casey OH (1995), John Albasiny OH (1985) – who starred in the opening film for Channel Four Ptang Yang Kipperbang – Alan Westaway OH (1987) – who acted in The Bill – Sam Marks OH (2005) – who was a member of the RSC for many years – Eddie De Oliviera OH (1997) – who gave me the push to continue our association with The Fringe – Iain Morris OH (1991) – Co-Creator of The Inbetweeners – Sam Buntrock PH (1994) – Director of Sunday in The Park With George, now based in New York – James Taylor OH (2001) – my stage manager for many years and who now is one of the top trouble-shooter engineers at Sky; he was the lighting engineer for Hampton Hill Playhouse when it was rebuilt, and many of the ideas we adopted for the Hammond Theatre came from a visit I made to the Playhouse with James – and Sean Holmes OH (1987) – who was the Artistic Director for The Lyric, Hammersmith and is presently the Artistic Director for The Shakespeare’s Globe. Allan Jones gave me all the opportunities to develop my passion for drama; Jeremy Simms started me on the way to directing by giving me the task of directing the player’s scene in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. I persuaded Ravi Kothakota OH (1997) and Will Dickie OH (2001), two of the many students who I loved working with, to come back to teach drama with me. But, probably most important person of all in my time at Hampton was Iain Donald, who, after many years of me not having anyone willing to ‘do The Musical’, embraced the idea so enthusiastically that the two of us produced many musicals together, culminating in Sweeney Todd, which we took to The Fringe with resounding success and the first musical in the 450 Hall, Oklahoma!
Sweeney Todd Cast Edinburgh 2009
Sweeney Todd Edinburgh 2009 There are many stories either untold here or briefly told and could be expanded. But that is for another time. Oklahoma 2009
Mike Franzkowiak
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Barry Stevens OH (1959) – An ‘Edited’ Life I rang him and said ‘I am here’. We talked, and ‘Trilion’ started from a marriage of Trident Studios in W1 and Lion Tv mobiles. I took all my BBC and other clients to edit at the newly formed Trilion. The company led the way in music promos working (1973-79) on videos by ELO, Cliff Richard, Genesis, Mike Oldfield, Leo Sayer, 10CC, Slade, Tangerine Dream, to name but a few. Barry edited the Bohemian Rhapsody video for Queen. Before going freelance 1985 and working overseas – Denmark, Spain, USA and India – Barry edited Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding album for ITN News. From 1991 and over the course of the next 15 years, Barry used his skills to establish support and training programmes – for Avid Technology – and various broadcast companies. After studying Adobe CC, he became a qualified Adobe Certified Instructor. Now retired, still keeps an eye on the pixels (4K), by keeping the grandchildren’s archives up to date.
After leaving Hampton Grammar School in 1959, Royal Television Society and voting member of BAFTA, Barry Stevens OH (1959), applied for a role at the BBC. His interest in working for the company was as a result of reading The New Scientist in the School library. I remember my BBC interview at Langham, W1. I had taken three A-levels but only passed Physics – I failed Maths and Chemistry, but fortunately the BBC did not ask! I had built an FM tuner and was interested in amateur radio. They asked me what the difference was between FM and AM and I must have got it right, as they offered me a job as a Probationary Technical Assistant at the BBC, based at Lime Grove, London – a television job! At the time, I was also offered two other jobs with other organisations – a radio research role in Datchet and a role at NPL in Teddington. My Mum persuaded me to take the job at the BBC and I am eternally grateful. On joining the BBC, Barry was trained in Cameras, Sound and Telecine – the process of transferring film into video. His training continued and, in 1965, he moved onto Videotape Recording and Editing. Barry edited the Monty Python pilot with a razor blade, which was used as Episode One! In 1968, he also appeared in a BBC training film with the late Ron Bowman. A year later, Barry left the BBC White City, for a pay rise at Tvr in Soho. Later, in 1973, Barry was editing BBC programmes at Tvi – Tvr became Tvi. An advert appeared in Broadcast magazine from Tim Emmanuel, advertising for the ‘nicest VT editor in London’. 172
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Geoffrey William Collins OH (1947) From the age of 4 ½ years, I attended a small church school, St Mary’s Twickenham. In 1946, I won a scholarship to Hampton and spent six happy years there until I left in 1952. When I was a Hampton, I enjoyed above all else sport – football, cricket and athletics, but particularly football. We went to school on Saturday mornings, which enabled us to play twice a week, which was splendid. The other very enjoyable occupation was the ATC, where, again, our football team won everything. After leaving school, I played for Twickenham. When the Old Hamptonians resumed activities, I joined and played for the OHA until I reached the venerable age of 42. I remember I scored six goals in one match – which was a club record at the time! When I stopped playing football, I joined Coombe Hill Golf Club and over the years scored a hole in one three times! I have also managed to accumulate a collection of trophies. I still play in several societies, including the Paviors Livery Company and the Chartered Surveyors’ Golfing Society. I was captain of the Paviors at one point and inaugurated an Autumn meeting and gave a silver cup which is presented annually. I won a number of events, including the Chartered Surveyors National Meeting and, years later, reached the final of the Chartered Surveyors Seniors National Meeting. After leaving Hampton, I did not want to go to University as, like my father and grandfather, I wanted to enter the building industry.
In October 1952, I was indentured to a Quantity Surveyor for 5 years, starting on a salary of £60 per annum. After 5 years I had achieved the princely sum of £250 per annum, at which point I secured a position with another firm, Ryder, Hunt and Partners at £750 per annum. Finally, I qualified as a Chartered Surveyor and joined a building contractor at £1000 per annum, which, at that time, was quite a reasonable salary – so much so that I got married and bought a small house in Twickenham. In 1962, I formed my own company, Geoffrey Collins Ltd, which I subsequently sold to HAT, a public company, in 1974, where I became a Group Director. In 1987, I was invited to join The Worshipful Company of Paviors and subsequently received the Freedom of the City of London, enabling me to take sheep across London Bridge once a year – should I wish! In 1982, I left and formed a Construction Management Company, Lelliott Management. This company was very successful, and I remained there until 1992 when I left and started a property company, Fountain Properties, of which I remain Chairman to this day. I have a son and a daughter and four granddaughters, all living locally.
Family Ties: Mike Rice OH (1955) and John Edmund Rice OH (1928) Written by Mike Rice
John Edmund Rice OH (1928) My father, John Edmund Rice, was born on 18 May, 1910, in New Malden, Surrey and died, aged 71, at home in Twickenham, Middlesex, on 23 April, 1982. His school life at Hampton – between 1923 and 1927 – is a mystery, but we do know that he was a very good athlete and took part in the 1927 Inter Schools Sports Day on 19 July of that year. His high jump of 5ft 3¾ins won him the title of Middlesex Schools High Jump Champion for that year, and also broke the School record, set 12 years earlier. It was another 24 years before his record was broken and another four before that one was broken – by PB Bullen OH (1955) with a jump of 5ft 8ins. In a later ‘memoir’, my father mentions that hurdles were manufactured ‘under the direction of Mr. Pratt, the woodwork master of that time. The period was known as ‘making ‘urdles for the ‘ead’’.
Sometime before 1955, my father presented a cup to be won ‘For the Best High Jump’, and we know one recipient was PB Bullen OH (1955). What has happened to the cup is not known, nor its whereabouts. Leaving school, he worked as an accountant in the city and, when war broke out, instead of waiting to be called up – and therefore not having a choice of where you were sent – he joined the Royal Artillery. He said he did not want to be on ships at sea, which was his other choice at that time. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery and went on to serve with Ack-Ack batteries in East Kent and later in The Army of Occupation in Germany. After the war, he returned to his career and eventually became an executive with the accounting firm that became Peat, Marwick and Mitchell; he was based in the City at various locations, but mostly at No1 Poultry. Being interested in history, most of his lunchtimes were spent walking around the City of London and its various institutions and learning the history of them. It was a great shame that he never wrote any of his researches down as what he did not know about City buildings was not worth knowing! the lion
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old hamptonians’ chronicle In later years, after having contracted a mild form of polio that affected his walking, he became a Rambler. This was the start of another career with the Ramblers Association. In 1964, he was a founder member of the Kingston & District RA group and was its Treasurer for many years, later becoming a member of the Group's Executive Committee. In the 1960s, he became interested in the fate of footpaths, especially in Surrey, and particularly in the Ockham and Wisley area and led many surveys and rambles in and around those parishes. He later acted as Local Footpath Secretary for the former district of Sunbury and for the London Borough of Richmond on Thames. He served on the Area Council for many years and on the Area Executive from 1967 to 1971 and again in 1976 and 1977. He was always a most regular attendee at Council and committee meetings, and although in recent years he was troubled by injuries and ill-health, he remained cheerful and hard working. Finding it increasingly difficult to join in full-day rambles in his latter years, he joined the Forest Ramblers and was able to take part in their somewhat less demanding, shorter rambles. This activity led to him joining the Forest Ramblers in 1977, becoming Treasurer in 1982, just before he died. The funeral service was held at the South-West Middlesex Crematorium, Hanworth, on Friday 30 April and was attended by large numbers of Kingston Group members, Forest Ramblers and former business colleagues, in addition to family members. His ashes were interred on Sunday, 23 May, 1982, in the churchyard of St Martha's Church at Allbury, near Guildford, the Rambler's Church, which is situated on the Pilgrim's Way, a spot he so frequently visited in his rambles.
Michael John Rice OH (1955) Born Twickenham, in what was then the County of Middlesex on 21 July, 1943, I went to what was then the St Mary's Church of England Infant and Junior School, Twickenham before passing the 11+ exam in 1954 and gaining a place at Hampton Grammar School. I was hopeless at sport – even though my father was a former County High Jump Champion – and I never attained any of the sporting ‘standards’ that you would have expected – not for lack of trying, I just could not do it! At that time, I transferred from Twickenham Scout Group to the Scout and Senior Scout Groups at Hampton, where I eventually was awarded the Queen's Scout Badge. I enjoyed the School plays and Mr Cobb, who was also the Scout Master and woodwork teacher, took me under his wing and got me involved in the backstage activities, which I did enjoy – at least it was not sport! Leaving school in 1961, I went to work at an establishment in Bushy Park, just inside the Hampton Hill Gate. I spent six years working there, and, as was usual in those days in the Civil Service, I went to Day Release classes to Kingston College of Further Education. There I met Betty – a Twickenham County Girl – who was also on Day Release from NPL, and so a lifelong journey of marriage began with getting engaged and then married at Whitton Baptist Church in 1967. It became obvious that we could not afford to stay in the Twickenham area, and so I got a job with a company, which at the time was a lodger unit on the BP site in Sunbury, doing research into fuel cells. However, 174
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the company was due to move to Basingstoke and the new site was supposed to become functional just after we got married, so we bought a house in Basingstoke with the intention of moving in after our marriage and the company moved into the new premises. We have lived there ever since, albeit with one move, and celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary in 2017. As it happened, the building was not ready for occupation for about a year, and so those of us who had moved spent the next year commuting from Basingstoke to Sunbury. After four years of fuel cell research, I was made redundant; but, fortunately, jobs were not that difficult to get then – which was just as well, as Betty was six months pregnant with our first child, Peter. So, in January 1971, I started work with a company at a site on a corner of Lasham Airfield. And so began a long association with Lasham Airfield, that ended with redundancy some 30 years later. This time, though, jobs were much harder to come by, especially at the age I was and so I became a ‘White Van Man’. Not much of a job, until I got involved in computer maintenance at one of the big banks, travelling around as a first responder to any computer problems a branch might have, up to local server level. After a few years of travelling around the country, I gave up work and retired early after having had cancer. I now live a very busy retirement life, involved in ringing church bells, playing croquet and belonging to several local heritage and conservation groups. At least I was busy, until Covid intervened!
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Dr Michael Henley OH (1944) – Looking back with pleasure A recent copy of The Hamptonian newsletter prompted me to recollect my school experience. I came to Hampton Grammar School in 1938, and what I recall may be of interest and encourage others of my vintage to follow suit. I recall quite vividly the Grange classroom and the iron-frame desks. I travelled often by train from Teddington or cycled when the weather was good. Girls going to Lady Eleanor Holles school also travelled by train from Teddington and there was frequent clandestine movement between compartments, as girls and boys were gathered initially in separate parts of the train, according to school Rules. Boys clambered, when they could do so undetected, along outside the carriages on the track side, returning to their proper places at the end of the journey. Normally the clambering was done when the train was at a station stop, but not always. All pupils of the soon to be replaced school in Upper Sunbury Road were expected on Saturday afternoons to help clear away stones for an hour or so from the surface of the future playing fields of the new school then under construction in Hanworth road. Mr Mason, the Headmaster, was a strong advocate for boys to participate in public works. He was a great Headmaster who set sensible standards and gave a good example himself of fairness as well as firmness as a leader, and he was a man of ideas. At this time, the school cross-country run was entered as a team activity by virtually all pupils and it was a House competition. My recollection is that the rain always poured on the day and the going was muddy and hard. The teachers were there in force to encourage us to finish and gain house points. Our Housemasters ran alongside us as – exhausted – we approached the finishing line. A plunge bath followed. We were each expected to excel within the bounds of our physical capacity: no shirking. House activities were part of the school’s character-building programme. Homilies concerning how to behave towards each other and doing well were regularly a focus for our attention at morning assembly. We moved to the new site, in 1939, as the Second World War began. Anderson Shelters to protect us during air raids were erected in the open space in front of the new buildings. We went into them when the sirens sounded as they did fairly frequently in 1940. Around the shelters, school
allotments were dug as part of ‘The Dig for Britain’ campaign to help overcome difficulties in maintaining adequate food supplies in wartime and volunteer teachers and pupils cultivated individual plots. I had a plot next to one belonging to a young female teacher of Spanish. As my second language was German, we were able to share ideas about growing vegetables quite objectively! Many female teachers joined the staff because of the war. My German teacher was Mrs Wolf. At the new site, the improvements in accommodation were most marked, particularly the science laboratories, the gymnasia, and woodwork and metalwork rooms. To my learning in the latter, I attribute the origin of my lifelong interest in DIY. The war altered my view of what I should aim to do after leaving School. I became keen to fly with the RAF. So, I joined the Air Training Corps unit started at the school under Mr Crocker, a science teacher. Being an ATC cadet was a significant step. My ambition to join the RAF as soon as possible led me impetuously not to complete my sixth form course. When I was just 18, but then not at School, Mr Crocker and the Headmaster entered me for competitive selection to join a University Short Course, combining preliminary flying training and normal undergraduate studies. This step inspired me and, in 1944, I gained a place at Jesus College, Cambridge, initially for six months. After the war, I returned to graduate in 1950. Before and after his retirement as Headmaster, I kept in touch with Mr Mason, who influenced me to become a teacher. He and other teachers, especially Mr Yarrow, English, and Mr Garside, History, endowed me with lifelong academic interests. Supported by a government grant, I did historical research after Cambridge, in London. My PhD came after retirement from my final post as County Education Officer in Northamptonshire. I account myself very fortunate to have been a pupil at Hampton – Grammar – School, whose fruits I still enjoy at 95 and have shared with my wife for 62 years. Michael Henley (1938 -1942) MA., PhD
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old hamptonians’ chronicle
OH sports
Old Hamptonians’ Golf Society After the ravages of Covid on our fixture list in 2020, we have been delighted to enjoy a full programme so far in 2021. Golf was one of the first sports to be reopened after the last lockdown and the society has enjoyed very good turnouts since then.
Studley Wood – Friday 23 April Our opening match of 2021 was held at the new venue of Studley Wood Golf Club, near Oxford – the home club of our immediate ex-captain Bob Nicholls CBE OH (1957). The fixture was fully booked with 20 golfers, the best turnout for several years. I think that this illustrated the pent-up demand for golf from our members. The course was in excellent condition given that we had only just emerged from a long winter. The sun shone all day, but there was still a chilly breeze. The favourable conditions led to some good scoring, with Bob Hudson winning the individual top prize with 37 Stableford points. Mike Pegram OH (1971) and Paul Smith both scored 35 points, with Mike winning second place on countback. Berin Boyce OH (1960) won best front 9 holes with 19 points, and Paul Killingback OH (1978) and Hugh Snodgrass OH (1959) shared best back 9 holes with 17 points. There was also a team prize for the top scoring 4-ball, won by Bob Nicholls OH (1957), Hugh, Kevin Bell and Paul Smith. Finally, the nearest the pin on the 8th hole was won by Steven Wood OH (1969), and longest drive on the 18th hole was inevitably achieved by our lowest handicap member Toby Drinkwater OH (1998).
Chobham – Monday 10 May
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Our second fixture of the year was our annual match against old rivals Old Tiffinians. This was held at another new venue for the society, Chobham Golf Club near Woking. Again, we enjoyed an excellent turnout with a total of 36 golfers – 18 per team – easily the best for this match within my memory. The morning was very unsettled with forecasts of more heavy showers; however, the weather cleared up by the time we started to give a bright afternoon. Although a relatively short course, Chobham proved to be a real test of golf for most of us, and only one player, Paul Burnham OH (1983), managed to score better than their handicap with 38 points. Paul took home our society first prize, followed by runner-up Toby Drinkwater OH (1998) with 35 points. Mark Shubrook OH (1965) claimed third place on countback with 34 points. Matt Carmody won best front 9 and Howard Hughes won best back 9. I am delighted to report that the team prize was won convincingly by the Old Hamptonians, with a total of 502 points for all 18 players – all players counting, as both teams had 18 players. This means that we retain the Ford Cup for yet another year.
old hamptonians’ chronicle
Camberley Heath – Tuesday 8 June In June, we played at the always immaculate course of Camberley Heath, where we have enjoyed several years of great golf. This is rated in the top 100 English courses, and is always popular with our members. We had yet another very good turnout, with 18 members playing. Another fine day weather-wise with sunshine all day. Despite the benign conditions, the course proved to be its usual tough challenge; in fact, nobody bettered their handicap. The winner of the John Wells Summer Cup on countback, with 35 points, was Paul Smith, followed closely by Martin Read OH (1972) with the same score. In third place was Tim Read with 34 points. The front 9 was won by Tim Read with 19 points, and the back 9 by Mike Pegram OH (1971), with 20 points. The longest drive on the third hole was achieved by Rob Ford, and nearest the pin on 14th hole by Steven Wood.
Fulwell vs the School Wednesday 23 June Our annual match against the School and staff/parents was played as usual at Fulwell Golf Club. Each team fielded 10 players, with all the scores counting. I am pleased to report that the OH managed to win for the second year running to retain the trophy. Our team consisted of several veteran society members plus a sprinkling of younger ones recruited by Harry Mayes OH (2015) – thanks Harry! The individual first prize was awarded by default to Martin Read OH (1972), with 34 points, as the two players with 35 points had left immediately after the game.
Other News We entered a team of 6 for the annual Grafton Morrish scratch competition for the first time in many years, thanks to the efforts of Harry Mayes – who succeeded in attracting several recent School leavers with very low handicaps. The qualifying round was played in June at Knowle Park in Kent. Sadly, the OH team narrowly failed to qualify for the finals, to be held in Norfolk in October; however, we hope that Harry can continue to organise a team for the event. Finally, the annual Surrey Schools Golf Society Festival, due to be held at Bramley in early July, was cancelled at short notice due to the continuing Covid restrictions put in place by the club. The organisers this year, Old Tiffinians, felt that these would take away much of the enjoyment of the day for the 6 societies, including ourselves, that were due to compete. We hope that the event can be held next year without any restrictions.
Old Hamptonians’ Cricket Club Chairman’s Message 2021 It has been an incredible season – a First XI promotion to Surrey Championship Division 2, the Second XI safely acquitting themselves for another year in Division 3, the Third and Fourth XI showing that promotion is a challenging, but realistic, aim. For the future, we can continue our hopes to run a Fifth XI on at least 12 occasions. The U21 Trust XI look forward to Finals Day on Sunday 19 September, versus Horley CC – which in June seemed a quite ridiculous thought. We have celebrated the life of our friend Geoff Cooper, enjoyed President’s Day – but know we can turn that day into much more. The Brian Gray Memorial 6s continues to grow, with more players from the OH and wider community. Whilst the Cricket sometimes lacks finesse on 6s day, the bar certainly reaps the reward – £3,900 in one weekend! It would seem remiss to not mention the renovated clubhouse; there have been many changes, including changing rooms, catering and bar logistics, staffing implications and many more. Without the School-afforded amendments, we would not have had the new scoreboard – provided by OHA – covers or the ability to provide such firstclass catering services. Felipe has proved to be a great asset and conduit, who I am sure will create a most positive relationship with the Winter Sports. The pavilion’s great use was demonstrated so vividly with the Primary Schools Football Tournament, shortly followed by our Awards Dinner. The dual purposes that it literally caters for demonstrates the partnership of the OHA and HS as well as the many external partnerships. There is so much more that can be improved inside the pavilion, and we look forward to the OHA sporting history being on show inside the pavilion before Christmas. In 2022, we will start a ‘Boundary Walkers’ club for former players, spectators which will add to our Alumni and former members feel to club life. The relationships our current members hold are most individual and amazing, on and off the field, which will be only developed further by meeting those that were the history and can explain it. We will be adding to our facilities with more sight screens for all teams and bringing grass wickets back for our Fifth team. This is an area I know the School are keen to improve, the quality of squares and provision during the extensive Summer vacation. The youngest group of Saturday league captains the club has been proud to select in many years. We offer you many thanks for all your efforts across the eighteen league weeks and everything else besides. The selection process has, at times, been very tough; Matt Bendelow OH (2004), Secretary, and I commend them for their opinions, thoughtfulness and ability to see the bigger picture. They have thought about every individual in their decision-making. They are a credit to the club and of course the School. All the years of Banerjee, Harrison, Parrish, Turner, Mills, Simms, Timbs, Rigby and many more are rubbing off on them and the club’s strength continues to grow. We look forward to a busy off season with the Executive Committee meeting to review the season, the Christmas catch ups, New Year AGM, pre-season training and before you know it, we will be back again. Enjoy, compete and try to win. Rich Brown OH (2005) OHACC Chairman
Martin Read OH (1972) (Secretary)
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old hamptonians’ chronicle At Streatham, we were inserted on a pudding that may feature in Nigella’s next Christmas bestseller, with the possibility of a winless first three games very real at 124-7. Rob Bentley’s 60 (41) was highly skilful and timely – the skill of this knock all the more noteworthy given Streatham’s cumulative total in response: 38 all out. The seam triumvirate of Raza Mughal – whose four wickets cost just six wickets at Streatham – Jamie Morley OH (2015) and Luke Minshull OH (2017) once again defended a total the subsequent week against Cheam, and our season was up and running.
First XI
A month later, after just one win in four, a Simon Morris OH (2001) clinic in back-to-back home games against Kingstonian and Churt in Rounds 9 and 10 put our season back on track. Having been 100-2 and seemingly well set, Mozza’s carrot-dangling 4-32 first helped bundle Kingstonian out for 158, aided by three run-outs to finish – Adam Lee OH (2017) x 2, Matt Avant-Smith x1. Adam himself – along with Ollie George OH (2017) and Jack Berg OH (2020) – each made important middle-order contributions as we got home six wickets down. The First XI season was a historic one; a second-place league finish means that, as of May 2022, we will be playing our cricket in Surrey Division 2. As far as club stalwart Ian Humphrey OH (1963) can recall, this is the highest playing level the side has reached in ‘modern’ history. Unlike the First XI league-winning season of 2018 (Division 4), where the team got off to a flier and stayed out in front for the duration, the majority of the 2021 season saw us playing catch-up with the teams ahead. It in fact took until Round 15 (of 18) to locate ourselves in the top two league spots, as we beat and therefore leapfrogged Old Whitgiftians, in a crushing sixwicket win at home. This was immediately backed up in Round 16 with a nail-biting chase of 129 at the infamous Old Saw Mill (Sanderstead CC), thanks largely to a five-fer from Rob Bentley in tandem with the metronomic Richard Brown OH (2005) in the bowling innings. With news filtering through that Old Whits had meanwhile lost that day, the chance beckoned to secure promotion at home to Addiscombe in Round 17. Nerves – what nerves? The new opening bowling duo of Raza Mughal and – former – School cricket captain Matt Avant-Smith OH (2021) shared seven wickets for just 31 runs up top, as we bowled Addiscombe out for 54. Credit to Pete Berg – no doubt proud parent of the slickest wicket keeper the OH has had for some time – for capturing these special moments with camera in hand, as the blade of Tim Walker OH (2010) secured a 10-wicket win and saw the pals enter the newly renovated Tressa’s Bar regretfully early. A final-round win at rivals Kingstonian ensured a seven-game unbeaten run to close out the season, but for a long time it was merely a case of keeping our season alive. A mixture of poor weather, eight consecutive lost tosses, a Covid-cancellation and mid-game injuries threw countless hurdles in our way, and, at times, it seemed they would get the better of us. Three moments come to mind. The early defining point of the season came three weeks in as we ventured to Streatham, a ground where it is always seems to be raining – a beautiful combination when paired with the stop-start South Circular drive there. This outing had been preceded by a frustrating first fortnight, as an even longer venture to Churt in Round 1 solely entailed a first-hand account of a rural flooding, which was followed by ‘one of those days’ in Round 2 at home to Woking – Max Vyvyan OH (2017) braking his finger in about 8 places three overs in being the epitome. 178
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The same middle order, however, all found themselves in the shed the following week, as Churt had us at 57-7 on a damp wicket. Mozza’s 40* keeping us in the game at 135ao. Churt’s cavalier approach made for a chaotic innings, kickstarted by Ciaran Doley nicking off the opener with the first ball of their reply, before a canny five-fer for Mozza left the opposition 54-9. As is customary when the win is off the cards, Churt changed tact and elected to bat out for the draw with only a handful of overs remaining. We tried various options to make the breakthrough but the pitch had flattened out somewhat. Enter Matt Avant-Smith. Mavo sent down one last spitting cobra, this one pinning the batsman LBW, resulting in a vital win. Third, the return fixture against Streatham in Round 12, in what has to be the game of the season; once again, Mavo played the role of lead protagonist. Streatham were certainly in the ascendency, when they had us 33-4. A 95 from the author helped turn the game on its head, as the OH were able to post 214/7 off 48 overs, leaving 52 overs to bowl Streatham out. What entailed was special. A probing first six deliveries by Raza defined the calm before the storm, as Mavo took the new fruit from the other end, and struck immediately, bowling the opener through the gate. A carboncopy dismissal saw the number three walking straight back to the hut, leaving Mavo on a hat-trick. Of course he delivered, this time LBW, and Streatham 0-3. When Mavo was replaced by Bentos, the latter immediately struck with this first two deliveries, and another hat-trick ball entailed. Sadly no dice, and from that point on Streatham dug their heels in. At 134-7 with only three overs left, somehow a draw – and therefore dropped points – beckoned once again. A Raza Mughal back-ofthe-hand provided an opening before Braveheart Morley (J) delivered one of the memorable spells. The first chance offered up was pouched safely by Rob at third slip to take Streatham to nine down, before Jmo extracted one final edge, this time to second slip – you can guess the catcher…yes, Mav! The belief we gained from this game was no doubt the catalyst for the end of season run-in aforementioned. Our season’s fortunes owe largely to a ruthlessness and identity with ball in hand and in the field, but also the ability to turn games around we often found ourselves behind in. From Ads, Rob and myself, we are incredibly proud to have led this group to new heights, and hope this is merely the beginning. Toby Godfray OH (2016)
old hamptonians’ chronicle
Second XI
The Second’s pre-season started with a bang; George Gregory OH (2017) backed up 90 in game one with his debut ton in game 2. Seriously good batting from Tyskie and we were 2/2 before the season started, including a memorable win against Division 1 Walton. There were also notable debuts in these games from Jack Rhodes OH (2015) and Louis Woods. In the first league game of the season, we swept aside Trinity Mid Whitgiftian, bowling them out for 82, the wickets shared between the pals and Sam Osborn standing out with 3 wickets. Unfortunately, much like Gregory’s batting for the rest of the year, we were unable to maintain this momentum. A game in Woking followed, where a brilliant 50 from Kavi Bhasin OH (2015) went unrewarded as the heavens opened at halfway and the outfield looked like the Hampton Lido. A poor team performance followed against Streatham, as we were unable to chase down 177 at Dean Road. We then went on the road to Cheam. A brilliant bowling performance from Ben Dowse OH (2016), Richard Brown OH (2005), Sam Osborn, and Elliot Morley OH (2013) and Kavi Bhasin set up a 6-wicket victory. Richard Brown guided us home with a composed 48*, opening the batting. As the skipper was getting some mid-season vitamin D in Portugal, the party team won a classic against local rivals Hampton Wick. A dogged 38 and 36 from Will Attfield OH (2016) and Matt Bendelow OH (2003) respectively, set up a total of 167. The Wick were unable to chase it as the wickets were shared around between Dowse, Gregory and Bhasin. Sanderstead came next and the less said about this game the better. We were then struck down by the pingdemic and all league games were cancelled for the weekend. All of a sudden, we were really behind the pace and looking down instead of up. Epsom was next and with an excellent 5fer from Gregory. Epsom reached 169 and we were unable to chase it – even with batting reinforcement in the shape of Julian Poulter OH (1981). We then came up against bottom of the league Egham in a very important game. Luckily, we had 4 debutants in the game, 3 of them straight from the Hampton first team. Arjun Samra OH (2021) bowled beautifully for his 2 wickets; Mikey Ford OH (2021) bowled with great skill for his 3; Max Bailey OH (2021) flew in from point. We were chasing 172 and fell to 155/9. Luckily Brownie and the final debutant, Wilson, were able to block out for the draw. We then got rolled by Trinity. Despite 5 wickets shared between Elmo and Anant ‘The Wizard’ Srivastra, they chased down are below par score. Another determined innings from Benders gave us a semblance of respectability against Woking, but again, we were easily beaten – and only just above the relegation zone. the lion
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old hamptonians’ chronicle As we made our way to Streatham, we knew that nothing but a win would suffice. Arjun came up trumps with a brilliant 5fer, as we restricted the opposition to a low score on a good deck. 70* from the captain Harry Mayes OH (2015), ably supported by 2 players making their 2021 league debuts – 43 from Max Vyvyan OH (2017) and Tim Wallace OH (2019) – saw us chase down 180 in 29 overs.
Sadly, our league season started with an agonisingly tight loss at home to Chertsey, despite excellent league debuts for Jack Rhodes OH (2015) and Louis Woods, who scored 50 and 44 respectively. In our defence of 176, we were guilty of losing our way in the middle of the innings slightly, allowing Chertsey to sneak home by 2 wickets, Anant Srivastva’s 3/40 the pick of our figures.
Another rain off followed against Cheam! And then, the following week, another rain off followed against Hampton Wick!
We showed good bounce-back-ability in the next month, starting with a convincing win over Kingstonian. James Wilson’s high class 48 and Anant’s swashbuckling 39* allowed us to get up and above 200. A very professional bowling and fielding effort was put in by all of the side, led especially by the new ball pair of James Scowen OH (1992) and Daniel Anders (4/25).
We then travelled away to YouTube sensations, Sanderstead. A brilliant game followed – all documented on said media – with lower-order runs from Tom Philipson OH (2015) and Kavi Bhasin, we reached 176. An excellent all-round bowling performance from everyone meant that Sanderstead ended 3 runs short, and we were 2 wickets short, of victory. The following game against Ewell was notable for a 50 from Jack Rosser and 6 wickets from Elmo. Unfortunately, we ended 1 wicket short of a vital win. We then travelled away to league champions Epsom, needing a win to ensure safety. A majestic 76* from Jack Rosser and 59 from Chris MadocJones OH (2010) set up a very competitive total of 238. 3 early wickets from Elmo set the tone and 6 wickets – including a hattrick – from Bhasin finished the job.
Gameweek 3 saw the rain pick up its first scalp of the year, washing out our trip to Normandy; but, we were back stronger in weeks 4 and 5, with convincing wins at home to Thames Ditton and away at Camberley, with our bowlers doing most of the damage. Formerly, Lachlan Bates (3/20) and Lahiru Perera (3/12) allowed us to chase a low target despite losing wickets at regular intervals, keeper-batsman Nicky Bird showing enormous bottle and application to see us over the line. There were no such wobbles the next week, captain Osborne claimed 5/17 in another extremely efficient bowling performance from the whole side and the chase was almost done before it started as Paul Carson OH (1999) and Fraser Bates took command of the innings with a tasteful 33 and a composed 40 respectively.
We would be staying in the division. We then laid down a marker against Egham as Tim Wallace scored a maiden 100 and Vyv got his first 50 of the season. We racked up 280 and then the wickets were shared between Sam Osborn, Elmo and Bhasin and we won by a load. An excellent end to a below par season.
The next fortnight did not run as smoothly for the side; a heavy defeat at home to Ashford was followed by a week off due to isolation requirements in the side. While few points were acquired in these two weeks, lots of experience and learnings were picked up along the way – Anant and Nicky especially growing into their roles in the engine room of the side. After our week off, and in the skipper’s absence, came probably our best performance of the season; led by our player of the season, Fraser Bates’ 79, we posted well over 200 – with some lusty blows from George Blair OH (2010) and Sufyan Khan propelling us from a competitive score to an unassailable one. A terrific second innings with the ball saw a win by 118 runs secured; our captain for the day, James Wilson, the pick with 3/15.
Third XI
Coming out of June this left us with a decent chance of having a little promotion run if we could keep this consistency like this up. If consistency was our goal for the remainder of the season, we missed our target by quite a stretch, losing heavily to the eventual champions in week 9, two excellent spells from L Bates (3/36) and Perera (3/31) and a battling innings from F Bates (32) being our silver linings. Esher benefited from an especially strong side – aided by their Premier League First XI being cancelled due to another Covid outbreak. Entering the second half of the season, we started well with a good win on a damp day in Chertsey, Ollie Fletcher (2/10) removed the openers, J Wilson (3/15) removed the top order, Neil Lizieri OH (2001) (2/25) removed the middle order and Osborne (3/9) cleaned up the tail, important innings from Lizieri (41) and Blair (21*) making sure a turgid chase was completed. Having had an extremely successful season in the truncated summer of 2020, the Third XI returned to normal league structure with high hopes that the team could kick on from the fantastic work put in by Sufyan Khan under new leadership, in the form of James Osborne OH (2017). After a competitive friendly against 3s Premier Division side Walton, the OHA Third XI were all set to go in Division 2 West of the Surrey Championship set up, embarking upon our second full season in this league – having gained promotion into it back in 2018. 180
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As the common theme indicated, we obviously backed this good win up with a 1-wicket loss at home to Kingstonian. A solid start from Ted James (20) was not taken advantage of as the middle order collapsed, Osborne (30) grinding us to a semi respectable score. The defence started well for us, our bowlers got it right with the new nut and Aarun Samra OH (2017) (3/29) spun a web in the middle overs. However, a typically dogged batting performance from Kingstonian’s lower order left a bitter taste in our mouths.
old hamptonians’ chronicle The following week, we had our bowlers to thank for a dominant performance. Anders (3/13) set the tone with a high-class spell, Aarun’s (3/4) web from the previous week was still very much present and Ben Dowse OH (2016) (4/10) looked a class apart. A chase of 68 was comfortably achieved by Carson (29) and Lizieri (31*). The last 6 weeks of the season were not ideal to say the least: two rain-offs at clubs against clubs at the bottom of the league was momentum-sucking, and we were beaten at Ashford by a strong side the following week – despite a good performance with runs for Joel Banerjee OH (2018) (22), Julian Poulter OH (1982) (36), Patrick Ardill OH (2018) (32) and Zac Goodwill OH (2017) (41). Our bowling performance kept chipping away at Ashford’s batting line up, departing Srivastva (2/26) bowled with tremendous heart and skill and Ardill (3/38) burgled a few at the end, reminding us of his multi-faceted abilities. In game week 16 we struggled, a slightly weakened side battled hard but could not quite find a way to win that a more experienced team might have managed to do. Ardill (22) and Poulter (31) once again provided a good platform that we were unable to take advantage of. A spirited bowling performance with early wickets from Anders (2/18) and L.Bates (2/20) and highly skilled middle over and death bowling from Goodwill (2/28) and Alex Wilson (2/30) took Woking the whole way, but they were able to sneak home by 1 wicket. The penultimate week provided us with a game of two halves. It was a poor bowling performance as, the now relegated, Egham amassed 236 from their 45 overs. James Vyvyan’s OH (2016) (2/40) gave us our only bowling wickets. A thrilling chase was achieved though, giving us a terrific win; stand-in captain, Lizieri (88), was the main stay of our innings and Ardill (40) – once again batting with immense intent and business – brought us within touching distance, enabling our tail to wiggle us over the line. We sadly endured quite a pumping on our last game of the year; table-toppers, Esher, needing a win to get promotion, deciding to bring a stacked team – including two recent OH leavers – and gave us a schooling. Mikey Ford’s OH (2021) 2/37 and Carson’s 38 were the only things to write home about. A mid-table finish for the Third XI was a fair reflection of how we had performed throughout the whole year; however, we can take heart from some terrific wins and that most of our defeats were by very fine margins. It has been a pleasure to captain the boys this year and I look forward to the 2022 season immensely. I would like to thank all the guys that played in the side for their commitment and good spirits throughout. As always, we will be back stronger.
Fourth XI
Championship structure for the first time in recent memory. The side would start at the bottom of the Surrey Championship structure in Division Six West, and there was a large amount of optimism that last year’s successes could be repeated. After a solid pre-season, in which many of our squad played for higher sides, Sunbury Fifth XI were the opposition in the league. We started our campaign excellently, bowling Sunbury out for 102, thanks to three wickets from both Lahiru Perera and the ever-present Rich Searle – although the highlight of the innings was a stunning, running-catch from Lachlan Bates that gave us our first wicket of the season. We chased the target five down, with the bulk of our runs coming from Joe Haddad’s OH (2015) 51. Next out was a rain-affected game against Stoke D’Abernon Third XI. We restricted our opponents to 138 from their 40 overs. However, we were unable to chase the rain reduced target, despite 40 and 39* respectively from Fraser Bates and Alex Wilson, falling short by 13 runs. Two games gone, a win and a loss, and it was time to return to our old hunting ground of Carlisle Park for a clash against Hampton Hill Fourth XI. By this stage of the season, Covid had started to rear its ugly head and, due to late dropouts, we started the game with 9. At drinks, our opposition were motoring away from us. But, the arrival of Laurance Dallemore and Alex Wilson into the field, along with the introduction of Steffan Rampersad and Nicholas Richards OH (2020) into the attack, saw us reduce the Hill to 140 all out. This was easily chased down with contributions from Wilson – who was soon to receive a deserved Third XI call up – and Rich Searle. Camberley were our next opponents. More late drop-outs, combined with a school half-term, meant that a range of current school boys and recent leavers made their debut, including Will McLoughlin OH (2020), Robbie Cox OH (2021) and Max Bailey OH (2021). Bailey made an instant contribution, with a stunning 162 off 92 balls seeing us to a total of 241. He has since gone on to have an excellent impact in the Second XI and U21s. The total was defended comfortably, thanks to excellent bowling from Ewan Searle, who picked up figures of 3/17. Ewan was excellent all season and often unlucky not to take more wickets. Three wins from four and things were starting to look positive. However, things then took a turn for the worse as we lost to a Weybridge Fifth XI side we should have beaten – despite some valiant batting in the chase from Nick Powell OH (2017) and Chris Hillman OH (2008). This was then followed up by consecutive Covid cancellations against Kingstonian and Valley End. Despite these setbacks, we knew that we had a huge shot of promotion going into the second half of the season. We travelled to Sunbury for our first return fixture. Contributions of 51 and 42 respectively from Dhillon Dodhia and Owen Searle saw us to a competitive 175. We then bowled excellently against a talented batting line up, with the young bowlers of Ewan Searle, Owen Searle and Joe Dunlop bowling especially well in a tense game in intense heat, leading us to a 12run win. Huge credit must also go to Ollie Taylor, who was excellent behind the stumps all year and took four excellent catches on the day. We then followed this up with our best bowling performance of the season against Stoke D’Abernon, dismissing them for 92. Owen Searle was the star with five wickets and fan-favourite, Anant Srinivasta, took excellent figures of 3/2. The total was chased comfortably, with Sam James’ 39 breaking the back of the chase.
Having enjoyed a taste of league cricket in the truncated 2020 season, the Fourth XI were looking forward to making their return to the Surrey
This left us in a great position for the promotion places. However, frustration was just around the corner. Back-to-back rain offs the lion
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old hamptonians’ chronicle against Hampton Hill and Camberley broke our momentum; this was followed by our two worst performances of the season against Weybridge and Kingstonian. On both occasions, we failed to chase targets around the 150 mark, having let our opposition get far more than they should have. This meant that our promotion hopes were over, despite an excellent thrashing of eventual league winners Valley End in our last game of the season. Dhillon Dodhia (112), Louis Woods (51) and Jack Rhodes OH (2015) (52*) all batted excellently as we put on 240. Aarun Samra OH (2017) (4/14), Ollie Phillips OH (2018) (2/7) and Jamie Lashley OH (2017) (2/25) then combined to lead us to a 131 win.
and worthwhile as we head into what will inevitably be an even stronger one in 2022. Nick Powell OH (2007)
Lion Cubs (U21s)
In all in the league, we played 14, won 6, lost 4 and had 4 games cancelled. Whilst those cancelled games were extremely frustrating, we were still frustrated come the end of the season as we knew we had the ability to get promoted – which must be the aim next season. All in all though, we retained out excellent spirit and the cricket was enjoyable throughout – excluding a rough hour at Kingstonian which made all of us want to quit the game! If you are reading this and are keen to get involved in adult cricket, no matter your prior experience, do not hesitate to contact either myself or the club via email – which appears at the start of this section. Bring on 2022! Michael Godsmark OH (2017)
Fifth XI The Fifth XI had a challenging – but ultimately successful – second proper season of friendly cricket, with three wins, three defeats and a draw. As it did for all teams, Covid-19’s effects – players having to isolate, players using July and August to get their first holidays abroad in, and losing players to higher teams – resulted in a knock to the availability of our team, and we were unable to get the same consistency in our XI as we did last year. But, as the season progressed, we managed to get an increasingly regular team out and several players shone in key moments to earn us a respectable number of wins. Luke Greenall shone on debut, with three wickets against Streatham and Marlborough, in a game where Paul Wilkinson OH (2020) managed the same feat. Greenall would also go on to provide a crucial 40 with the bat, giving us victory in our penultimate game against Bank of England. In week three, Robbie Cox OH (2021) and Laurence Dallamore, put on a strong partnership in defeat against Banstead, with the former making our season’s high score of 80 – the latter would follow his solid 29 not out later in the season with 21 against Hampton Hill in our final match. As always, our main bowlers, Will Perkins OH (2017) and my vice-captain Steffan Rampersad, picked up plenty of wickets throughout. James Reilly, David Sapsford and Jacob Ingold also provided plenty of good moments with the bat, with Ingold smashing a not out 44 off 32 balls to guide us to victory in that final match against the Hill. But our player of the season was to be Jonny Fryer, with a measured 59 not out and in the opening game and a quickfire 38 in the last proving key to two of our victories. Played more as a bowler in his previous season in the Fifth XI two years ago, Jonny’s heroics made the season hugely rewarding 182
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It was an absolute pleasure to be involved with the U21s side this year – made even better by the fact that the team was eligible for points throughout the year thanks to strong availability and some excellent youth recruitment. The season started with a sight that was, sadly, quite common throughout the summer: a rain off. Not to be impacted by the inclement weather conditions throughout the year, the Lion Cubs got off to an impressive start in the first completed game of the summer, bowling Camberley out for 44, and chasing it down in just 8.3 overs, securing a 9-wicket win. Any hopes for a winning run were swiftly shut down, however, thanks to a Hampton Wick XI, who would go on to do the double over us, in a rainaffected match out on the astroturf. The Cubs would bounce back, winning against a strong Valley End team, chasing 187 to win off 30 overs, completing the job when the England football team could not. Valley End would get their revenge in the next match, when an Adam Lee OH (2018) 50 could not prevent a classic OH collapse, leading to us falling 36 runs short. Luckily, we were back stronger, with two successive wins over a fairly weak Camberley and Normandy side, leaving us in the position where a win over Hampton Wick would see us going through to the semi-finals of the competition. Sadly, it was not to be, with Hampton Wick winning yet another rain-affected game to top the group. However, the Cubs still made it to the semi-finals thanks to the help of a few members of the club. Mikey Godsmark OH (2017), Nick Powell OH (2017) and James Osborne OH (2017) have consistently officiated the side, earning us 10 points before a ball has even been bowled. Without these three, the side would have had nowhere near the amount of success that it has had this year. Huge thanks must be given to them. And so, onto the semi-final against Beddington CC. The situation was looking in dire straits at 32-4, but a good rebuild saw the Cubs post a very respectable 179 on what was not an easy wicket to play on. Beddington looked in a very strong position at the halfway stage, reaching 96-2, but the loss of 8 wickets for only 32 runs – thanks to some, quite frankly, bizarre batting decisions, together with some composed bowling and fielding – meant that the Cubs reached the final.
old hamptonians’ chronicle The Cubs travelled into deepest, darkest Croydon in order to take on Horley CC for the chance to win Division 2. As a consequence of the decision to play the final in the middle of September, the conditions were overcast and rain looked a certainty. In what seems to be the theme of this year, the weeks leading up to the game were some of the sunniest around, but as soon as there was cricket to be played, the weather seemed determined to put a stop to it. The toss was won, and Horley were inserted. Thanks to an outstanding opening spell from Lachlan and Arjun, we had the opposition 14-4, and we were looking in a strong position. By the time the rain came at the end of the 21st over, Horley were 50-6 and looking to be on the verge of total collapse. The rain was to stay for a couple of hours, and by the time the cubs got back on the game had been reduced to a 26 over aside affair, leaving 5 overs still to be bowled. This spell was crucial; it allowed Horley a chance to throw the bat and get up to a respectable total. However, some excellent lines and length from Joe Dunlop and Ewen Searle meant that Horley were bowled out for 91 before the end of the innings – a crucial detail for working out the Duckworth Lewis target. Once the revised total of 85 had been worked out with the help of the tournament official – their umpire appeared to be the elusive Ned Ludd – the pals set about the chase. Thankfully, the chase was without many scares, with Wallace and Vyvyan seeing the Cubs home to an excellent, professional win, securing the Division 2 title. It has been a very successful season for the youngsters in the club, from which they have learnt a great deal and taken the opportunity to improve every time they have taken the field. It has been an absolute pleasure to be involved with the side, and I very much look forward to seeing how they continue to develop into next season and beyond. George Gregory OH (2017)
Surrey Slam The OH’s Surrey Slam side is our midweek side, playing around every other week throughout the summer in the Surrey wide T20 competition, the Surrey Slam. Having had an extremely successful season in 2020, getting to final’s day, we took the decision to continue in the Slam’s ‘Cup’ set up, the higher end of the spectrum, and went into this with confidence of another competitive campaign. The first of our four group games was against arch Surrey Slam rivals, Hampton Hill – a team we seem to play more than once in each campaign – and we picked up where we left off from last year, with a convincing win at Fortress Dean Road. Captain James Osborne OH (2017) won the toss and bowled first, Elliott Morley OH (2013) and Tom Phillipson OH (2015) set the tone superbly with a wicket apiece in two extremely tight four over spells, coupled with a run-out, leaving Hampton Hill on the back foot straight away. Our openers were backed up by the rest of the attack; turgid innings from their numbers 4 & 5 limped them up and over 100, on what looked like a tough pitch to bat on. A few late blows from Hampton Hill’s First XI hitter left them 114-4 at the end of their 20. The chase was particularly comfortable, School First XI captain Matt AvantSmith OH (2021) blitzed 50* off 24 balls, with an array of boundaries all
around the ground – maybe he did not keep his shape as much as a purist might have liked, but it still has to go down as a sensational innings. Matt was ably supported by the youngish, but experienced, heads of Max Vyvyan OH (2017) and George Gregory OH (2017), who both kept the strike ticking over nicely with 28* and 20* respectively, chasing down the target in 12.5 overs, winning by 10 wickets…Boom! Our second game also provided a convincing win. Captain Gregory lost the toss but led the way with the ball, removing two of Punjab Royal’s top three and rotating the bowlers terrifically – all of which did a terrific job throughout the middle overs. Any hopes Punjab might have had to make a late charge towards a high total at the death were blown away by Jamie Morley’s OH (2015) 4/7, ably supported by Joe Haddad OH (2015), who also picked up a brace. In pursuit of 104 to win, we had an early wobble and were looking vulnerable at 37/4 when Toby Godfray OH (2016) walked to the crease. Fortunately, the man that he joined, Paul Carson OH (1999), batted with typical class, scoring 40*. Partnered with Toby and along with some extras, we were home comfortably with a 6-wicket win in 12.4 overs this time. Onto the next… Game three saw our first major test, facing the Hounslow Leopards at home. Osborne’s decision to bowl first looked a pretty shambolic one, as only he and Dan Anders were able to keep economy rates down. The Leopards took advantage of a tiny mid-wicket boundary towards the end, propelling themselves to 201/7 off their 20 overs. However, tough chases are all the more exciting. Simon Morris OH (2001) backed up his important latter over two wickets with a sizzling 50* off 26, keeping us very much in the game as others got themselves in. A dazzling 6 over extra-cover was a trademark but no less impressive highlight; his 83-run partnership with Gregory provided a crucial platform. Gregory fell and Morris retired in quick succession, and we fell a little behind the 8-ball. As wickets fell, Jack Rhodes OH (2015) got himself settled against the pink ball, though our fifth wicket fell at 139-5 with overs running out rapidly. However, this bought E Morley to the crease, a pink-ball veteran who batted like one: an exhilarating 21 off 9 balls, including two enormous straight sixes. At the other end, Rhodes was starting to go berserk, favouring the now quite large cow boundary and clearing both that and the pigeon lane fence with ease with four maximums of his own. Was this going to be possible? Surely not! A neutral would have been forgiven for putting said ‘not’ in bold with one ball to go in the game, as a mixed last over, including a bomb into the fence and four excellent yorkers from Hounslow’s death bowler culminated in Morley being run-out at the keeper’s end, sacrificing himself for his team looking for an ambitious two. 6 off 1, new man Sam Osborn in and on strike against a very tidy bowler. Surely our chase was over? The next 1.5 bits of cricket were potentially the most bizarre way to achieve a maximum off one ball possible. The bowler, clearly fearing the visible strength that Sam possesses, lost his head and length – completely – delivering a nipple high beamer, which Sam patted away into the on side for a single. No Ball (2) + 1 + extra ball meant that it was 3 off 1 required. Where’s your money? At this point, it would not have been a surprise to see Jack belt an overadjusted length ball into Feltham and carry us home in style; however, like any true Hamptonian, he chose the far more efficient option, inside-edging an impressive yorker under a sprawling short-fine-leg and scampering back for a very unpretentious 3 – cuing wild celebrations from the pals who had bought it home by one wicket on the last ball, thanks also, in no small part, to the lion
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old hamptonians’ chronicle Rhodes’ 49* off 29 balls. What an innings. We were 3/3 and, unsurprisingly, sitting top of the tree. Game four saw the return of whipping boys Hampton Hill to Dean Road once again, with two Old / current Hamptonians in their own top three. The Hill batted first and, after an excellent start, were able to amass 149 from their 20 overs. Richard Brown OH (2005) was the pick of our bowlers with 3/26, that in conjunction with solid performances from the rest left us pretty confident at the half way stage of being able to make the pink ball fly far enough to achieve that crucial ‘W’. A mixed start to our chase followed, with Matt Bendelow OH (2004) and Rhodes both making solid start before joining the rest of the top 6 in perishing before their best-before dates. It was once again time for captain for the day Elliott Morley to dig us out of a hole – as he does so well – and, latching onto a short but exciting stay by Adam Lee OH (2017), he quickly got into his work, amassing a crucial partnership with brother Jamie to take us close to the line. Jamie’s dismissal in the penultimate over prompted a typical OH wobble as we made it as difficult for ourselves – and as exciting for the neutral – as we possible could. Fortunately, a scampered Brown single and a destructive Morley boundary saw us over the line by 2 wickets – again off the last ball of the game! Massive kudos to Elliott for his 42* off 29, a real captain’s knock and one that is not possible when the regular captain sidles in at number 10 to play around straight ones. 4/4 we were. Onto the knockout stages! In a slight restructure from the way it had worked in 2020, our first knockout round saw us face the fourth placed side from an equivalent group, The Surrey Pan-Disability Warriors. Winning the toss and bowling first, the Hampton Lions restricted our opposition to only 89/5 off their 20 overs, with Aarun Samra OH (2017) being the pick of our bowlers with a very tight 2/14 off his four overs, spinning his web in the middle overs as all six bowlers did an excellent job throughout. Our chase was not nearly as complicated as the two final group games; Gregory and Max Bailey OH (2021) settled any early nerves with a very solid 57 stand against high-class bowling on a turning Dean Road track. Max showed all his jack-in-a-box traits and George batted with experience and class as ever – not on Saturdays. After Max fell, George took over the bulk of the scoring as he cruised us past the target, with Max’s Upper Sixth peer, Arjun Samra OH (2021), there for company – backing up his great
spell and solid catch with some, uncomplicated but effective, batsmanship, as the situation required. A 9-wicket win and onto the next one. For the second year in a row, we would exit stage left having run into 70% of a club’s First XI in a semi-social midweek T20 competition. Such is life. Having won the toss, Hampton Wick batted first, managing only 145-6 off their 20 overs – a wicket up top for Arjun was just the start of another excellent set for the young off-spinner. Mikey Godsmark OH (2017) took care of their opener and, very next ball, had their overseas for a golden duck. So very much guile from our Fourth XI captain and some very safe hands from the best fielder in Surrey, Tim Wallace OH (2019). A solid platform to launch from, however, allowed Hampton Wick to come out all guns blazing towards the end. Alex Wilson’s tight spell and Ben Dowse OH (2016)’s three wickets were hugely important and helped us to keep the score within some sort of reach. Sadly, on a day we could have done with some real strength and depth in our batting line up, availability had not allowed for this. Having lost four of our top five cheaply, we were always likely to be up against it. Credit should go to Vyvyan (40) and Rhodes for keeping us in the game in the middle overs and to Wilson for good use of the bottom hand towards the end. But, sadly, this was not enough against an impressive Wick bowling and fielding unit. We fell 24 runs short in the end, concluding another fun year in the Surrey Slam. We can take immense heart and credit from the way we played throughout our six games and how many pals we got involved in the side during the summer. Our only loss against Hampton Wick served as a good lesson in the standards we need to hit in the field if we want to progress to the further stages of the competition again in future years. It has once again been a pleasure to captain the Hampton Lions this year, my thanks going to everyone who helped play and organise throughout the summer, particularly to George Gregory OH (2017), Elliott Morley OH (2013) and Adam Lee OH (2018) for captaining and helping to marshal the troops both in my absence and presence. Back stronger in 2022. James Osborne OH (2017)
Old Hamptonians’ Football Club OHFC First XI The Old Hamptonians First XI had a difficult start to the long awaited 2020-2021 season, with a loss on the opening day of the league season followed by two defeats in cup finals carried over from the previous season. However, the team were soon back on track, and a strong finish to the season ensured we won the league for the sixth time in seven years. Whilst the team did not quite hit the defensive heights of the frugal 2018-2019 season, a solid and consistent defensive platform was provided by Will Legg OH (2012), Pat Odling OH (2009), Jack Parker OH (2011), Oli Gill and Tristan Michel OH (2011). Over the last seven years, Oli Gill OH (2007) has added professionalism, class and tenacity to the OH back line, and the new season will be the start of a difficult transition to life 184
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old hamptonians’ chronicle without him. A simply fantastic defender. We will continue to dream of a team of Oli Gill’s. On a more positive note, Jack Byerley is returning after a long knee injury, and we are looking forward to having the Geordie rock back at the heart of our defence. Going forward is where the team has really excelled over the last few years, and the School’s possession, passing brand of football is still very much instilled within us. Numerous times throughout the season a 0-0 half time score was turned into a comfortable win, with the attacking flair of Mike King, Dave Green, Charles Gerson OH (2012), Cos Codacci and Matt Green finally wearing teams down. Cos Codacci is finally hanging up his boots after 10 amazing years for OH. For a decade, Cos has terrorised defences with his pace and direct play, and I am sure the AFC right backs will be breathing a big sigh of relief. Superb both on and off the pitch, we will miss him dearly. In the centre of midfield, Cam McGovern and Jonny Meldram OH (2009) have provided a formidable partnership over the last couple of years, and their dominance of matches has allowed the forward players to flourish. Will Doyle and Chris Heritage OH (2006) once again demonstrated their predatory goal scoring instinct, tearing defences to shreds and finishing the season as the two top goal-scorers. The goal for the 2021-2022 season is to not only, once again, to defend the league title, but also to add a cup or two to the trophy cabinet. Confidence is high ahead of the new season and we are all looking forward to the challenges ahead. Tristan Michel OH (2011)
OHFC Second XI
After flying up the leagues in recent years, the Second XI had endured a tough 2019-2020 season before it was curtailed by Covid. OH stalwart Tom Corcoran OH (2007) came in as skipper for 2020-2021 to steady the ship. A few new recruits, including an injection of new blood from the Third XI, bolstered the squad. A 5-1 opening day victory showed renewed promise, but a tough run of results ensued. December saw a crucial win over arch rivals Meads before Covid reared its head once more and matches were suspended. With customary discipline, the team spent the four-month break attaining peak physical condition. It paid off as they returned in April to claim three wins from four. Two draws in May saw the Second XIs to a comfortable seventh place finish. Corky’s stellar work as captain made waves across the pond and he was poached to start a new adventure in California. He leaves behind a strong and united team who proved they belong in their league and look set for a successful next season. Ollie Warren OH (2013)
OHFC Third XI The Third XI had a mixed 2020-21 season, with the various lockdown interruptions really playing havoc with the team’s momentum. It was essentially a season of two halves – dictated by the lockdowns. We started the season on a real roll, managing to lose only one game in the first half. A series of gritty defensive performances and one-goal margins of victory led to us finding ourselves top of the pile at the midway lockdown break. Were the season to have not been interrupted, it is reasonable to assume we could and would have continued in the strong vein of form and mounted a serious title challenge. However, the pesky little virus ensured this was of course not going to be the case. A few months off and we returned with a slightly different shape of squad. Performances were not too dissimilar from the first half of the season; however, results took a bit of a nosedive. The old adage that winning is a habit certainly rang true. We just could not get results going again. Nevertheless, we finished the season in a high mid-table position – which, after only having recently been promoted, shows we are mixing it well at this level. Adam Hawcroft OH (2006)
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Old Hamptonians’ Rugby Despite much hope and many false dawns, the League rugby season of 2020-21 did not get underway for the Old Hamptonians, nor any rugby club below England’s top two leagues. After it was halted in March 2020, we finished the 2019-20 season in third place – narrowly missing out on promotion. In the intervening period, we recruited well and have started the 2021-22 season with two league wins from three, but the highlight was undoubtedly this year’s Chris Mapletoft Memorial Festival, despite defeat for the club.
A combination of Hampton’s 2020 and 2021 Leavers beat our side 21-17. We took the lead in the final five minutes before a stunning late winner from Alex McMillan OH (2021) – fed by Tim Lamming OH (2021) – gave them the victory. It was – as it always is – a special occasion, and was fantastic to have so many Old Hamptonians in the clubhouse afterwards. The club continues into a new era and with a new clubhouse and refreshed squad we remain on the hunt for players of all abilities and ages! For more details email oldhamptoniansrfc@gmail.com or contact club president Nick Powell directly on 07716 940 218.
Old Hamptonian Lodge …and now, for something completely different!
or did not study history, was the Anglo-French operation to recapture the Suez Canal in 1956.
By this page in the Lion, readers will possibly have reached overload as reports labour the consequences of many months of disorientation. Like other groups, meetings have been impossible, but the central ethos of the freemasonry – consideration for our fellow human beings – has manifested itself in the humanitarian outreach that has been noted across the nation – well, the world probably! – as members have swung into action to physically assist their communities in very obvious and tangible ways. It has been gratifying to note the activities of many of our members in this respect. Indeed, such has been the public recognition of masonic ‘outreach’, that there are now waiting lists of those wishing to join! As things look as if they may resume a recognisable perspective, the School Lodge is returning to its usual programme of four meetings in London each year. Regular readers of the Lion will know that the Old Hamptonian Lodge, founded in 1938, is one of nearly 300 school and university lodges, with strong links to those of Oxford and Cambridge University; membership is open to ‘sons and friends of Hampton School’ and has always included alumni, staff, parents and relatives, many of whom are already members of other lodges. Readers will probably be aware that Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternity of men’s and women’s lodges, whose membership runs into several millions! As we continue to underline, freemasonry is not a religion or a secret society; but it is not only one of the oldest charitable organisations in the world and a considerable step beyond social media: a sharing of like-mindedness, respect for values of truth and charity that seem to have become almost displaced in the world we rush through today. And the big bonus for the Old Hamptonian Lodge is the strong bond with the School. Our special dinner toast is to Dr Samuel Hemming, the former headmaster, who, in the early 19th century, did so much to unite various forms of masonry. The School lodge also awards an annual prize for social responsibility. A sadness this year, has been the death, at 88, of one who has exemplified our membership: Stuart Syrad OH (1951) joined the Lodge many, many years ago; his brother was also an OH and member. A recent whole-page obituary in The Times recorded the exploits of Major Stuart Syrad, MBE, MC. Having passed the initial physical test – canoeing solo round the Isle of White! – he was accepted for training with the Royal Marines Special Boat Service, the marine equivalent of the SAS, of which, in due course, he became its Commanding Officer. He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery and ‘utmost gallantry’ during Operation Musketeer – which, for those who were not alive at the time
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Most details of his wider contributions remain secret. Many of us still remember Stuart’s lecture and film of his exploits, charting, for the first time, the course of the Amazon as the driver of a hovercraft amongst the crew of which was the comedian Michael Bentine – of Goon Show fame – whose background qualified him as their interpreter. The hovercraft was dismantled and carried over waterfalls and he even managed to capsize it when shooting some rapids! Not surprisingly, we particularly encourage interest from the Hampton family, especially recent alumni and others keen to engage in the community. If you want to learn more – even better, are seriously thinking of joining – please do email us at secretary@oldhamptonian.org
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OBITUARIES Francis Cazalet An appreciation by Colin Flood, an occasional Wing Commander
loudly announcing, ‘I am Directing Staff, I am Invisible’. His looming presence, rather like a moving lighthouse had, to their minds, given their position away somewhat.
Alan Kearney CBE OH (1963)
Francis was enormously good company and despite managing – very occasionally – to exasperate colleagues – normally me – it was a constant pleasure to be a fellow officer with him and to learn from him. His fund of stories and reminiscences was as endless as it was entertaining. I valued him as a colleague and a fellow officer, and held him in deep affection as a friend. Our occasional trips to Boulogne for Sunday lunch with fellow officers and historians linger long in the memory. Francis was a man of many gifts and will be sorely missed by those who knew him and loved him. Francis Cazalet was a towering presence in the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), especially when I made a point – as I frequently did – of standing next to him on parade. Francis was one of the few officers at that time in the Corps who had had the actual experience of serving in the Armed Forces where he had served with the Royal Fusiliers in the Persian Gulf. Many were the references to Sharjah and Trucial Oman, and fond are the memories of his trusty canvas water bottle – his Camel Bag, a remnant of his time in the Gulf – which he carried with him on Camp and adventurous training, dripping down his uniform trousers or slung nonchalantly on the outside of any Land Rover he happened to be travelling in. As well as being a failsafe mark of identification, it also supplied wonderfully cool water. I worked with Francis helping with the Army section on annual Camps and on adventurous training on Dartmoor and on one memorable occasion in Edale. The weather was variable, sometimes cold, sometimes very cold, and it must be admitted that Francis was not a natural camper. To start with he never could find an army sleeping bag long enough for him, and in the depths of the night when all three tent poles on the officers’ tent were seemingly in independent motion he was heard to mutter, ‘Oh wind, go away’, followed by the frantic efforts to reinflate his – slowly deflating – Lilo air mattress. Camping out with Francis was a constant joy. His ability to organise tactically in the field was impressive – he had done it professionally and had been taught by the best – and his inspiration to the cadets was of a very high order. He was held in deep affection by the cadets who respected his ability, enthusiasm and concern for them. The only time I saw this slip was during a platoon attack when, in the initial approach phase, he steadfastly declined to go to ground, as all boys had, while seriously and
We send our sincere condolences to Rosemary and his children James, Helen and Thomas. Colin Flood, Wing Commander RAF VR(T) (Retired)
Memories of Francis Cazalet, Head of History 1971-81 My first memory of Francis Cazalet was our conversation at interview about whether a History teacher could get the best examination results out of bringing the subject alive rather than just plodding through the syllabus. I cannot remember what my line was. My subsequent experience in the Department was one of happily organised chaos via Francis’s brilliantly well-read mind and my humorously plodding narrative. Each to his own, as they say. Francis was a real character. Having had the challenging experience during his National Service of serving in the Persian Gulf in a period of unrest, keeping the peace between unruly Year Nine factions in a loosely disciplined middle school at Hampton would have been testing too. Francis always aimed to bring history to life and hoped to inspire his pupils’ interest and love of the subject. He was greatly appreciated by the real Historians in the Sixth Form – men like Simon Green, later a Fellow of All Souls, and Chris Chessun, later Bishop of Southwark.
I remember travelling on the 90 bus from Staines which was joined down route in Ashford by Peter Clough OH (1964), Roger Makings OH (1965) and Paul Makings OH (1965) and Alan Kearney OH (1963). Peter, Alan and Roger were the year above Paul and me, but we saw much of each other over those formative years. Alan was a footballer, but the rest of us committed to the pointy ball and went on through school, OHA and the marvellous Hampton Foxes. I left Hampton after gaining enough RAF entry O levels at 16 and worked in London until I was 17, when I was able to select for RAF Commissioned Aircrew at Biggin Hill. Alan was a much brighter scholar and went on from a Prefecture at School to join the RAF through its Elite entrance at The RAF College, Cranwell. However, throughout our RAF careers and, although we flew different aircraft and roles, we met regularly. I was always a strike/attack navigator – Canberras, Buccaneers and Tornados, whilst Alan became a Tanker Pilot flying the larger aircraft, which kept us little chaps well topped up by trailing rubber hoses thankfully awash with the ‘Petrol’ to keep us airborne.
His extensive research into his own family history, including French Huguenot forebears, may have tested his religious resolve, but one can be sure that his typical even-handedness would have prevailed.
Alan and I had a very good and long-serving mutual friend, Air Commodore Jim Uprichard, who had joined the RAF with me after a passing glance with Queen’s University on 8 March 1965 – a date indelibly etched in mind. Alan and Jim would serve alongside each other for many years Commanding Squadrons, Stations and high – flying desks.
Ken Rice, History teacher 1976-2007, who succeeded Francis as Head of History
In latter years, after retirement, we would journey to our magnificent Club wedged between Park
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old hamptonians’ chronicle Lane and Piccadilly to tell tales of daring-do amidst many other old chums, good fayre and the odd Jameson.
Mike will be remembered with much affection by his many friends at HGS and very sadly missed by us all and, most particularly, by his wife Jill and his family. Colin Ross OH (1962)
won championships at school and college – but seldom participated thereafter! During his late teens, he became a life-long music aficionado with wide ranging preferences, being equally appreciative of such maestri as Bach, Wagner and Duke Ellington.
Horace Tom Elliott Hone OH (1940)
At college, he was elected Secretary of the Music Society and the Chess Club. In 1942, he acquired a Bachelor of Science Degree in the Faculty of Engineering and became a life-time member of London University's Convocation.
Alan was always a quiet and noble Gentleman for whom I have always had the highest regard. He exampled a brilliant product of Hampton; he was a fine officer and a loving Family man who faced up to his difficult years and showed much courage as his medical condition deteriorated. I am proud to have been his friend. Air Commodore D J G Wilby AFC FRAeS RAF(Retd) OH (1965)
August 4 1922 - November 16, 2020 After graduating he was commission in the Technical Engineering Branch of the Royal Air Force. He served in Bomber Command and then as a staff officer at the Cairo Headquarters of Mediterranean/Middle East Command.
Charles Michael Stubbs OH (1961)
His civilian career began with four years at the Napier Company, designing components for aircraft turbo-props and uranium hexaflouride compressors. He then joined Hawker Aircraft working on such projects as the record-breaking Hunter and the vertical take-off Harrier. Development of armament installation, high frequency generating systems and inertial navigation techniques were his principle concerns.
It is with great sadness that I report the death on 15 August, 2020, of Charles Michael Stubbs OH (1961) – better known as Mick or Mike – aged 77 years, after a steady decline in health, brought about by prostate cancer. Mike passed peacefully in a care home whilst watching snooker on TV. During his time at HGS, he enjoyed his sport as a keen footballer and athlete, representing the school as a discus-thrower. He was also a proud member of the CCF and noted for his fastidious attention to turning out on a Friday with razorsharp creases in his uniform, shiny toe caps and brasses highly polished. After Hampton, Mike worked for many years as a senior manager for ICL. He travelled Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, extensively crossing Checkpoint Charlie frequently. He often recounted Cold War spy stories. Mike’s first marriage to Sue, sadly, ended in divorce, but produced two sons, James and Andrew, of whom he was extremely proud. They, in turn, gave him four lovely grandchildren. In 1984, he met his second wife, Jill, and they have been very happily married since 1999, living in Telford, Shropshire. Being born in Crewe from a ‘railway family’, Mick had a lifetime love of trains and railway journeys, travelling by rail on many occasions to Scotland and Cornwall. I recall many days out train-spotting during our school days. He was in those days a supporter of Crewe Alexander and Wolves, but I am told became a Man Utd fan in later years. 188
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Tom was reunited with his beloved Pamela on 16 November, 2020, and now rests beside her at the Volusia Memorial Park Mausoleum in Ormond Beach, Florida. He is survived by their two daughters, Karen Lorraine Elliott Cavaliere and Janina Lynn Elliott Hone, four grandchildren, Dawn Lynn Elliott and Tanya Patrice Elliott Cavaliere, Thomas Christopher and Evan Clark Brauer, great granddaughter Delilah Winter Brauer, plus younger brother, Bill, and many nephews. Horace, better known as Tom, was born on 4 August, 1922, at Hampton Hill, a south western suburb of London, England, the third son of Horace John Elliott Hone and Hilda Hone. His Dad was a native of Oxfordshire County. There is evidence of a Hone presence in that region around 1250. The addition of Elliott to the family moniker reflects a connection to the Scottish clan of that name.
It was at Hawkers that he became acquainted with Pamela Hettie Rose Mary Clark and they were married at Tolworth Congregational Church on July 16, 1955. In 1968, Tom, Pam, Karen and Janina emigrated to the United States. He had been recruited by Sikorsky Aircraft of Stratford, Connecticut, and was involved in many helicopter programs, particularly the Black Hawk and Sea Hawk. He acquired two US patents at the company and was appointed Chairman of an American National Standards Institute sub-committee, dealing with certain safety aspects of helicopter operations. During his career, Tom became a Chartered Engineer of the United Kingdom and was admitted to the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Institution of Civil Engineers and the American Helicopter Society.
Like his four brothers, David John, Adrian Marcus, John Graham and William Howard, Tom was educated at the 16th Century Hampton School and was proud to relate that its academic achievements often surpassed such prestigious colleges as Eton and Harrow. It had a worthy sports record too and, although Tom was no great athlete, he was once captain of a House soccer team.
At Monroe, Connecticut, Pam and Tom volunteered as disc jockeys at a wide-ranging FM public radio station and presented a weekly threehour program of ‘Classics and Classic Jazz’. Unlike Pam, who earned a Guildhall School of Music diploma, Tom performed in a primitive way on the piano. After moving to Florida in 1995, they became members of the Palm Coast Opera Club, Flagler Symphonic Society and the local British Club.
He learned chess before starting school by watching his Dad play Dave and Mark. Later he
In 1959, Tom qualified for membership of the UK Mensa Society – with an IQ of 161 – and
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old hamptonians’ chronicle transferred to the American branch in 1969. Never challenged was his claim to have been a Mensan longer than anyone in the United States. An avid non-fiction reader, he had scant time for novels. His prime interests were Technology, History, Politics and Economics. Long before the property boom bombed, he coined ‘Hone's Law’ – Every Trend Will One Day End! He enjoyed struggling to solve cryptic crosswords such as in Harpers and The Nation. Another ‘hobby’ was writing letters to newspapers and periodicals on various subjects. Many got published, including some in the New York Times. Frequent topics were health care systems, gun-related fatalities and human rights in the Holy Land. Pam and Tom became American citizens in 1975. Both enjoyed travel, often in their RV, visiting 49 states and 10 Canadian Providences as well as a dozen European nations. During his career or on vacations, Tom set foot on three dozen countries in five continents. He rated USA ‘No. 1’. He survived a long post-war battle with pulmonary tuberculosis and two cardiac by-pass surgeries during his 60s and 80s. Yet, until well into his 90s, could still enjoy a brisk stroll. In later years, he was cared for by his daughter Janina and Bob DePastino at West Palm Beach.
On leaving Hampton, Dick worked briefly for a firm of accountants in Twickenham, before going to the University of Wales at Aberystwyth to read Geography. After leaving university, Dick joined the Royal Air Force, training at the No. 1 Officer Cadet Training Unit at RAF Jurby on the Isle of Man. He joined the Education Branch of the RAF, where he had teaching and management duties, his first posting being to RAF Linton-on-Ouse in Yorkshire. His next posting was to RAF Feltwell in Norfolk, where he met Flight Officer Elizabeth Kibart, whom he fell in love with and married in 1966. Shortly after their marriage, Dick and Liz were posted to Singapore.
Tom – who incidentally was not named Thomas on his birth certificate, something he approved of – supported many worthy causes, especially the Carter Centre's mission to rid Africa of the horrendous dracunculus medinensis. It successfully reduced millions of agonizing cases to a stubborn two dozen.
29 January 1938 – 2 July 2021 Richard ‘Dick’ Hodges OH (1956) was born in Sunbury-on-Thames in 1938 to Arthur William and Alice May Hodges. Dick attended Hampton Grammar School – as it was known then – from 1949 to 1956. His younger brother, John, also attended the school and their father taught Mathematics there for many years.
Dick and Liz were happily married for 48 years, until Liz died in 2014. They enjoyed a full life, including playing Bridge with friends at least twice a week and travelling all over the world together! Dick married his second wife, Sue Edwards in 2019; she, Chris and Sarah cared for him before he died of cancer in July 2021. Dick leaves his children, four grandchildren, Sam, Clare, Leo and Elsie, his brother John and second wife Sue.
Victor Harvey Briggs OH (1963) (Antion Vikram Singh Meredith)
Tom was an old-school gentleman and anyone who had the honour to meet him quickly learned what a joy it was to be around him, listen to his words of wisdom and smile at his cute mannerisms. His character was beyond measure and we were blessed to have him as a mentor, an inspiration and a wonderful Dad and Grandfather. He will be greatly missed by all who were lucky enough to have him in their lives.
Richard Hodges OH (1956)
Dick was well known for his great sense of humour, his love of reading, his obsession with the Daily Telegraph cryptic crossword, growing his own vegetables, and his first-class collection of first edition novels!
They spent three wonderful years at RAF Changhi, working hard, having fun and making dear lifelong friends. Most importantly though, Changhi is where their son Christopher was born in 1968! After returning home to the UK, Dick and his family were stationed at RAF Hereford, RAF Little Rissington – where daughter Sarah was born in 1971 – and finally RAF Brize Norton. Soon after leaving the RAF in 1977, Dick and Liz settled in Witney – a market town close to Brize – and the remainder of Dick’s working life was spent teaching Business Management at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford. the lion
Vic's lifelong friend and one-time bandmate, Old Ashfordian Mike Wilkinson, informed me
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of his passing on 30 June, 2021, having seen a social media post by Vic's daughter. As OHC Editor, I had contacted Vic some years earlier, and he kindly agreed to provide me with a – fascinating – article, which was published in the OHC section of the 2017-18 edition of the Lion. Many of us Hamptonians acquired guitars in the 1950s after Skiffle – Lonnie Donegan etc. – and Rock 'n Roll – Elvis Presley etc. – burst onto the scene, changing the face of ‘pop’ music for 190
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generations. Some of us, including Bryan Lodge OH (1961), Alan Hutchison OH (1961) and Paul Samwell-Smith OH (1961), would bring our guitars into School, and play in one of the classrooms during lunch breaks, occasionally joined by the younger, but already extremely very talented Vic Briggs. Mike Cox OH (1963), to this day, has an abiding memory of seeing Vic perform The Wabash Cannonball in the School scout hut. In his article, Vic mentions his love of Rugby Football – he represented the School – and the
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CCF, but very soon his passion for music and performing became overriding. He left the School after taking O-Levels, GCSEs and, having been a backing guitarist for Dusty Springfield, Rod Stewart and others, in 1966, he joined Eric Burden's ‘New Animals’. Becoming disillusioned with the music industry, he formed a plumbing business in California and became a Sikh, eventually settling on the Hawaiian island of Kauai – where his old friend Mike was able to meet him in 2018. He also had
old hamptonians’ chronicle a home in New Zealand – Elandra, his actress wife being from that country. In 1969, he was the first non-Asian to pray in The Golden Temple of Amritsar. In his article, Vic writes about his father, a US Infantry commander who won the DFC for his heroic actions at Omaha Beach on D-Day, but sadly did not survive the war. Vic does not mention that he was a lifelong supporter of Brentford AFC, and in the 1950s and 60s used to travel to away matches on the supporters' coach. I hope that, during his final illness, Vic would have heard the news that Brentford had been promoted to the Premier League. *Copies of Vic's article may be obtained on request from the Hampton School Alumni Office. More information on the life of Vic Briggs can be found on Wikipedia, The Griffin Park Grapevine and elsewhere. Denis Fuller OH (1961)
Brian (Jos) Austin OH (1954)
played at weekends only. Clearly, there were few weekends in the winter months when Jos was not on a football field. It is a record that has not been surpassed and indeed, it is unlikely to be in the future. The highlight of Jos’s career was being a member of the Old Boys First XI, which won the London Old Boys Senior Cup in 1957. In the latter years of his playing career, Jos was a stalwart of the Veterans XI from its inception, and he captained the side for many years before he finally retired at the age of 63. Following National Service, Jos spent a 40-year working career in the Civil Service and retired in 1995, a couple of years before his retirement from football! He moved to Grayshott in Hampshire in 1990 and married his wife, Sheila, in 1991. Sadly, Jos suffered dementia in his latter years and spent the last two years of his life in a local Care Home. Jos was a regular attendee at the Old Boys Dinner and will be much missed by all, particularly those of us who were fortunate to enjoy his calm and influential presence on a football field over past years. John Wells OH (1960)
11 December 1935 – 1 October 2021
Edward Anthony Smith OH (1951)
Dad grew up in Twickenham, the eldest of three siblings with his sisters Gwyneth and Helen. He went to Hampton grammar school and then on to Queens’ College at Cambridge University, which led to a lifelong support of the light blues in the annual boat race. As a young man, dad loved to cycle and undertook some amazing journeys from Twickenham to Cornwall and the west of England and even through Europe. He also had a strong, Christian faith; that led him to Lee Abbey, a Christian fellowship where he met his wife, our mum. He met her over the washing up and invited her out for a country drive in his car. Mum was amazed to find that she was not the only girl to be asked on the drive, but I think they were destined to be together. They were married in Germany and set up home in Great Bookham and soon had a wonderful son, followed a couple of years later by an equally wonderful daughter. Dad was a solicitor, working in the early years in Leatherhead and then later moving to Worcester Park to work at AD Perriman and Co, where he was to spend most of his working life and would go on to become a senior partner. He loved and enjoyed his work. He was always thoughtful and balanced in his views and along with his calm nature, patience and incredible knowledge and memory he excelled at giving advice. He also had a dry sense of humour and a quick wit, which meant that everybody from all walks of life got on well with him and those qualities meant being a solicitor suited him well. My sister and I have been lucky to have such wonderful and supportive parents. Dad was always there with his solid advice and, although he did not insist we followed it, we knew he was so seldom wrong we were probably making a mistake if we ignored it.
We can safely say that Jos enjoyed the longest playing career of the entire membership – past and present – of the OHAFC; it spanned the years 1951 – when he was still a schoolboy – until he finally hung up his boots in 1997. During his 46 years playing football for the Old Boys, Jos amassed in excess of 1000 games – a remarkable figure given that all these games were
The last time I gave a tribute to Dad was his 80th birthday at a restaurant full of friends and family at a celebration lunch. I started off by joking that I did not realise he had so many friends! That got a good laugh then as he was popular, admired and loved, or indeed all three, in every aspect of his life. It is a shame we cannot say goodbye to him today with a room full of people, but his modesty and humility meant he did not like a fuss being made about him, so this suits him.
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His whole life has been underpinned by his Christian faith, which he shared with mum. They have always enjoyed the church together and dad spent time in the choir; I remember as a young boy being ever so proud of him when he became church warden at St Nicholas. They hosted and attended house groups and always shared bible readings and prayer time together and frequently returned to Lee Abbey where they had met. All in all, it was a long and happy life lived; there is much more I could say about him, but mainly we love you and will miss your presence in our lives very much and thank you for your unfailing loyalty and support.
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In Memoriam Name Blair Aitken Robert Albarin Jos Austin David Bailey Tony Bigg Brian Bransden Victor Briggs Brian Brooks Francis Cazalet David Chambers Malcolm Chester Derek Clark David Clarke Roger Clement Geoffrey Cross Derek Cunningham David Curtis Fred Curtis Anthony Dennis Peter Dew David Edwards Christopher Emery David Flood Roger Freeman David Gardner Alan Gifford Brian Hampton Peter Hampton Dick Harman Richard Hodges Horace Hone Anthony Kay Victor Kinns Michael Leahy Alan Makepeace Edward Markwick Vic Mitchell Richard Moore Antonia Payne John Perry Tony Potter Mike Reddick Vic Rice-Smith Peter Ryans Michael Sanders John Sanger Derrick Schauerman Chris Schofield Pauline Sims Edward Smith Cyril Snare Derek Stephens Mike Stubbs Tom Sweeting Stuart Syrad John Taylor John Warmington Michael West Sidney Woodcock Brian Wooldridge 192
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Dates at Hampton 1966-1974 (OH) 1954-1954 (OH) 1947-1954 (OH) 1954-1962 (OH) 1941-1949 (OH) 1937-1943 (OH) 1956-1962 (OH) 1949-1956 (OH) Staff 1964-1967 (OH) 1960-1967 (OH) 1953-1961 (OH) 1953-1961 (OH) 1951-1958 (OH) 1937-1942 (OH) 1944-1949 (OH) 1943-1949 (OH) 1945-1950 (OH) 1968-1975 (OH) 1948-1953 (OH) 1963-1970 Staff 1956-1963 (OH) 2001-2008 (OH) 1952-1959 (OH) 1958-1965 (OH) 1940-1945 (OH) 1958-1965 (OH) 1954-1961 (OH) 1953-1960 (OH) 1949-1956 (OH) 1933-1938 (OH) 1944-1951 (OH) 1946-1951 (OH) 1942-1947 (OH) 1936-1941 (OH) 1945-1950 (OH) 1945-1950 (OH) 1956-1963 (OH) Staff 1964-1971 (OH) 1953-1958 (OH) 1953-1961 (OH) 1944-1950 (OH) 1943-1948 (OH) 1957-1965 (OH) 1958-1965 (OH) 1938-1943 (OH) 1973-1980 (OH) 1984-1997 Staff 1943-1951 (OH) 1956-1963 (OH) 1952-1957 (OH) 1956-1962 (OH) 1981-1987 (OH) 1945-1951 (OH) 1956-1964 (OH) 1940-1947 (OH) 1956-1963 (OH) 1943-1950 (OH) 1950-1955 (OH)