The Dolphin - 2018

THE DOLPHIN 2018

WORLD WAR ONE CENTENARY

I

n the 2014 issue of The Dolphin, we started a series of articles commemorating the centenary of World War One. We wrote: “One hundred years ago, hundreds of Old Brutonians signed up, or would sign up over the next four years, to fight for their country in the First World War. Fifty five of them were killed in the conflict. Between now and 2018, we will tell the stories of many of these gallant Old Brutonians.”

The 2014 issue focused on the lives of the three OBs who were killed in 1914: Harold Hippisley, probably King’s greatest every sportsman, Eric Barnes, another talented sportsman and Stanley Henson, an Oxford graduate.

In 2015, we wrote about the 11 OBs who died in 1915, one of whom, AG Clayton, is buried next to a soldier who inspired JM Barrie to create his best known literary character, Peter Pan. The following year, the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, The Dolphin focused on the 13 OBs who gave their lives. These included James Clayton, brother of AG Clayton, who had died the previous year, and Frederick Norton, 55, the eldest son of the Headmaster, the Rev D.E. Norton, senior. Last year, we looked at the 12 OBs who had died in 1917, although our coverage was scantier than in previous years because less was written about these brave young men as the war went on. We do know, however, that one OB, Sgt RE Brinckman, was gassed near Passchendaele in November of that year.

A lack of information about the fallen Old Brutonians extends to 1918, which means that we only have the following basic details about where and when they died (we have included the one OB who died in 1919).

Arthur Alexander Baily: 2/Lt. Royal Field Artillery; killed in action, Englefontaine; 4th Nov 1918; aged 27. Thomas Castle: Gunner, 35th Seige Battery; killed in action in France; 10th April 1918; aged 25.

Henry Dickinson: Lieut. Royal Welsh Fusiliers; died of wounds in Germany; 9th Aug 1918; aged 27. Arthur Heard: Sgt. Royal Engineers; invalided from France; died at Saltash; 14th April 1918; aged 30. Humphrey Hewitt: 2/Lt. London Rifle Brigade; killed in action in France; 9th July 1918; aged 25. Paul Hobhouse: Capt. Somerset Light Infantry; killed in action near St. Quentin, France; 21st March 1918; aged 23. William Rowell: Capt. Loyal North Lancashire Regiment; died from accident whilst flying; 22nd May 1919; aged 26.

Charles Eastgate Smith: Capt. Manchester Regiment; killed in action at Verman Dovilliers, France; 27th Aug 1918; aged 32.

The only Old Brutonians about whom we know anything more than these basic details are William Rowell and Paul Hobhouse, the latter a member of a distinguished King’s family although he didn’t go on to King’s after studying at our junior school, Plox House.

William Rowell spent five years at King’s, from 1906 to 1911, becoming Head of New House, a School Prefect, Captain of Football, Hockey and Cricket. By the beginning of the 1st World War Rowell was a Lieutenant in the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, serving on the Western Front. He was wounded near the Marne on the 10th September 1914, and on the 1st January, 1915. He was promoted to Captain in December that year.

At the beginning of 1917, after another long spell in hospital, Rowell joined the R.F.C., but in May of that year he had again to return to hospital. A few months later he was back in the 3rd Loyal North Lancs Regiment based in England, but he was keen to rejoin the R.A.F., which he did in May, 1918, earning his Wings and Flying Certificate in October of that year. In November he crashed his aircraft, fracturing his right thigh. A few weeks later, in January, 1919, his leg was amputated. Sadly, he never really recovered from this final setback. After a long and painful illness, he died from septic poisoning in May, 1919, aged 26.

Paul Hobhouse was a member of the family whose name is well known to current Brutonians because of the Hobhouse Science Block, named after Tom Hobhouse, the former Senior Warden at King’s. In the 2007 issue of The Dolphin, two Third Formers wrote an article about Paul after sifting through many boxes of letters, war citations, and sepia photographs. It told a particularly poignant story because although Paul seems to have died on 21st March 1918, he was actually only reported missing, leaving his parents in anguished uncertainty about whether he might still be alive as a prisoner of war.

More than four months after their son died, one of his parents wrote the following letter on 10th August: “My dearest Paul, I write this to the German Red Cross, which we are told can find the whereabouts of prisoners in Germany. We have officially that you have been wounded and taken prisoner on March 21st but have not yet received any letters from you.” And then on 24th September, another letter with the fervent wish: “How wonderful it would be if you were able to be returned to us.”

These letters were returned to Paul’s parents undeliverable and unopened. The two young Dolphin editors, Jess Dochety and Sally Tuson, daughter of the current King’s Bursar, spent a short time considering whether to open these letters to help them write their article. They both agreed the letters were not written for their eyes and therefore they remained closed. Perhaps this sensitive decision by two young 21th century Brutonians reflecting on the life and death of one of their predecessors from a bygone age is the most fitting way to bring our series on the World War One centenary to a close.

CONTENTS 1:

Editorial

The Dolphin 2018

The Dolphin Editorial

L

ike all good democrats, we at King’s are sticking to the result of the internal Brexit referendum we carried out shortly after the national referendum on 23rd June, 2016. By 75% to 25%, 5-7: Anna Wilmshurst face to we as a School opted to remain in the European Union, a vote

face with her father that probably mirrored the views of the majority of UK independent 8-9: Archive boost by donation schools. As a rule of thumb, it’s probably fair to say that if you are young and have a good education, you probably can’t believe what’s

of 1800s photographs happening to our country at the moment. In the real poll, the result 10: 500th anniversary was 51.89% Leave to 48.11% Remain. A narrow margin, but as

countdown: James Lyon democrats, we can see that Theresa May is probably right to refuse 11: A Day in the Life of Annie, to consider a second referendum. The people have voted, and that’s that.

a cleaner in Wellesley

But let’s consider this a bit further. Only a few of us are old 12-14: Old Brutonian interview: enough to vote, so the majority of pupils at King’s are unable to

Lloyd Wallace on influence proceedings in Westminster, let alone Brussels. Is it fair

Olympics and that serious that we should see our futures decided by older people, like our accident parents and teachers, however wise they may be? Many of the 15: Editor’s letter: Anna Leavers amongst them will have been influenced by immigration.

Wilmshurst on risk They want to restrict freedom of movement, an idea that doesn’t seem to have been central to the debate in recent months, but it’s an 16-18: Holly Baker and Harriet important principle for those wishing to leave the EU. How would this

Papenfus on identity affect King’s?

19-20: Obituary: Sir Peter Squire There is a fear that the immigration principles in the new EU divorce bill, if approved by parliament, will affect those seeking a 21: World War One Centenary Tier 4 student visa or a short-term visa for EU students wanting to 22-23: Molly Hunter on polo and study in the UK. This could then lower the amount of applications made to independent schools, like ours, by foreign students. At the Australia moment, independent schools like King’s contribute £600 million to 24: Coffee break our economy as well as providing 275,000 jobs each year. Some of these schools have overseas campuses which provide education for 25-26: Chaplaincy over 8,000 international pupils. With the fall in the value of the pound since the referendum result - the national one, not ours - there has 27-33: Music been an increase in the number of foreign applicants to English 34-42: Drama schools. But is this about to change?

Lauren Cope, a journalist who specialises in education, thinks 43-49: Away from home that ‘Brexit could wipe £7.6 billion off the education budget which is equivalent to 400,000 teachers and 393 new schools across the 50-52: C.C.F. country’. If parliament blocks Mrs May’s plan, it’s quite possible that 52: Community Service this journalist’s fears will be realized.

Editorials in this magazine over the years have urged staff 53-63: Houses and pupils to remember that there is a wider world on the other side 64-68: Valete: Rob Lowry, Gail de of our Somerset valley. This seems more important than ever. By

Mora, Kate Wylie-Carrick, pursuing an insular approach, leading to a rejection of Mrs May’s

Monica Ashton plan, we risk chaos with, amongst other things, increased food prices following extra tariffs and border inspections. We have a 500 69-128: Sport year history of overcoming difficulties but Brexit isn’t helping. If Mrs May loses her job because of it, Jeremy Corbin could soon be in 129-136: Prizegiving Downing Street. King’s charitable status could then be under threat.

If only the country could have followed our 75% to 25% example.

2-4:

Emma Reynolds on the new Music School

1

The Dolphin 2018

DO-RE-MI Emma Reynolds, a cellist and chorister, is one of many King’s musicians whose lives will be transformed by the imposing new Music School.

2

I

started at King’s as a music scholar in the Lower Sixth at the beginning of this academic year. My main instrument is my voice, and I also play the cello. Although I had previously played some music to a high level, I had little experience in performance or ensemble work such as in an orchestra or Big Band, coming from a school with a struggling music department. So far, King’s has given me extensive opportunities to explore and develop my passion for music to a high level. I have developed both personally and technically during my time here, and have had excellent teaching from both my academic and instrumental teachers. But there is something else happening musically at the moment – or is about to – which will make my move to King’s even more fulfilling and exciting.

When I arrived in September 2019, the area between Old House and the river Brue was a building site. I’m told it had resembled a building site for some years with Fives and Squash court players trying to ignore the wilderness around them. There had been an outside swimming pool for many years but that had stopped being used because the wall on the north side of the pool could no longer be

The Dolphin 2018 relied upon to keep the river at bay. I gather there had been discussions for some time about how to commemorate the School’s 500th anniversary, but that the idea of a music school had always been one of the front runners for a landmark building. As I arrived, this exciting idea had been approved and the builders had moved in with their diggers, cranes, hard hats and high viz jackets.

As I write, this building is close to its official opening. The disused site a decade of Brutonians had become accustomed to has now been transformed into an aesthetically magnificent space that will appeal to everyone, including those uninterested in music.

Thanks to the generosity of the King’s Bruton community, pupils both present and in the future will now be able to carry on the spirit of educational ambition and innovation which has been alive since the School was founded. On this occasion, the ambition and innovation will be musical.

Personally, I cannot wait to get started in my new “home”.

I have been keeping a close eye on the new music school, almost brick by brick, as it has developed from its foundations to walls, floors and recognizable features like practice rooms specially designed to enhance the sound proofing. I’m told there was a false start when the base of a second swimming pool

was found underneath the Edwardian pool the builders were about to remove. There was also a minor scare that the builders would not be allowed to place scaffolding in the river bed to help remove that dividing wall I mentioned earlier if any White Clawed Crayfish were found in the Brue. Fortunately, none were found.

When designing the building, the architects drew inspiration from the surrounding architecture, balancing new and innovative design with the historic buildings already existing. Jamie Potter, the architect for Levitt Bernstein, explained the thinking: “We drew much inspiration from the surrounding buildings and landscape, and the architectural language of the boundary walls. A key design concept was defining the courtyard fronting Old House by completing the third and fourth sides of the space with the new building. The entrance tower to the new building references, and draws inspiration from, the Headmaster’s Tower, the tower of Old House, St Mary’s Tower and the Dovecot that looks down over Bruton. The tower and wall concept has been followed through to the building as constructed, whilst the internal layout has evolved from early design stages through planning and into detailed design to best meet the requirements of the brief.”

Inside, the building offers state-of-theart facilities specifically designed for the evergrowing music department, allowing students to develop, explore new options and have the opportunity to create every type of music.

Some of the building’s key features include: a vocal booth, drum booth and recording studio, two main class rooms and “breakout rooms” for group work, a mac suite with musical keyboards for composition and research, a multitude of practice rooms, 10 Windows computers which will completely change how the younger years with larger classes 3

The Dolphin 2018 can be taught, a soundproof percussion suite (as a cellist who occasionally has lessons during percussion ensemble rehearsals, I am very much looking forward to this aspect of the building), and a concert hall with adjustable acoustics.

According to both David Gorodi, Director of Music, and Ashley Marshfield, Director of Choral Studies (and, as he phrased it: “Housemaster on the side”), these facilities will revolutionise the way music is taught at King’s, giving freedom and flexibility to teachers who until now have had limited resources in a fast-growing department. Mr Gorodi and Mr Marshfield have both played an important part in the considerable growth of music at King’s. When Mr Gorodi joined the school there were only two computers in the department, while when Mr Marshfield arrived, there were only about 20 students in the choir. I suppose that sounds enough but it’s nothing compared with the four choirs today. In the last few years, more computers have also been introduced, offering greater opportunity for digital composition. In addition, smaller ensembles have been introduced to develop and push students, giving them more performance opportunities.

The Headmaster, together with the Directors of Music and Choral Studies have

4

all emphasised that the building – sponsored by and named after Hauser & Wirth - has been designed with a conscious thought for the future. For example, music technology a growing sector both in schools and in the music industry - will flourish as a result of the recording studio vocal and drum booths and increased amounts of computers which will make technology more accessible to a large number of students. With the standard of music making already high at King’s, the new Music School will provide the facilities for both teachers and students to progress to an even more impressive level, everyone being inspired, rather than limited, by the facilities.

It will not only enrich and inspire the current pupils at the School, but those pupils coming to King’s for years to come.

Emma prepares to move in

The Dolphin 2018

IN HEADMAN’S AGAIN THIS SATURDAY, ANNA?

Earlier this year, Anna Wilmshurst, Editor of The Dolphin, interviewed her father, Ian Wilmshurst, the Headmaster about his life and work How did you become a Headmaster?

I was Deputy Headmaster at the Royal Hospital School from 2005 – 2009 and that particular appointment was aimed at staff planning to go on to Headship. So, I knew when I became a Deputy Head at RHS that they would support and encourage me to become a Headmaster. Put simply, once I became a Deputy Head, I knew that I would go on to be a Head somewhere.

However, when I started teaching, I never wanted to be a Headmaster. Gradually over time I found myself getting more involved in the running of a school as a Housemaster and I then became more interested in the functioning and leadership of schools. I then started considering that I might want to move on to Headship. I remember going on a walk with my parents, up in Scotland, when I was a Housemaster, and they asked me to consider being a Head. I had never thought about the job until then, and this made me think that maybe I could do it. I was appointed Headmaster at King’s in 2009 after two interviews.

What does a typical day involve?

The easy answer is that there is no typical day. One of the fascinations of the job is that it’s extremely busy and each day is very, very different. However, I will be in my office by 8 am most days and touch base with Mrs Carpenter, my PA, and make sure that I know what is in the diary for the day ahead. The day will involve routine meetings, meeting prospective parents and attending school events. There are also important fixed governors’ committee meetings every term and full governors’ meetings at the end of each term.

What’s the most important part of being a Head?

There are many important parts obviously, but you could argue that the most important part is delegation. A Head running a school, of any size, cannot do everything and I rely on the Senior Management, the Bursar and all the members of staff to fulfil their roles and they don’t want me getting in the way. So you need to show clear vision and sound judgement, but you also need to allow the staff to get on with their jobs.

Do you have any other roles?

I have been involved in the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) with the South West division. HMC divides the main independent schools into geographical regions and we are obviously in the South West division. I was the chair of the South West division for the last two 5

The Dolphin 2018 years. Now I represent the South West division on the HMC membership committee, where we look at schools wanting to become members of HMC. It is a very interesting role and we have meetings in London every term.

I am also on the Interim Governing Board of King Arthur’s Community School in Wincanton which is going through a period of dramatic change as they are looking to forge closer links with Ansford Academy. I am now one of six people acting as Governors of King Arthur’s and I meet with the new Interim Head, who is the Principal at Ansford, the other governors and an expert from the Local Authority every two weeks.

What is the best and worst part of being a Head?

The best part of being a Head is when any pupil does something really well regardless of what that is. It could be a Third Form pupil singing for the first time in a concert, to an Upper Six Form pupil getting the required A Level or BTEC grades to go onto their chosen university.

It could be a House play or a first team sports victory. I find it very rewarding and enjoyable whenever the pupils do well.

The worst part of the job, sadly, as any Head will tell you, is when you have to deal with the death of a pupil or a young OB. Obviously last year we lost Yusof Fouladinejad and then we lost Harry Corbett. Leading a school through a bereavement is the hardest part of being a Head.

What’s it like having your children at the school?

Members of staff are very fortunate that they can, if they choose, have our children educated at King’s, so it is a privilege having my daughters here. I think it’s probably harder for them to be the Head’s daughters than it is for me and I hope they can just enjoy their time at King’s and flourish.

Ideally you don’t want either of your daughters in Headmaster’s Detention, but we have failed that one, haven’t we, Anna?!

What’s your working relation with the Senior Warden?

That’s a very good question and probably something that pupils and parents don’t understand. The Senior Warden, Anthony Palmer, is the Chair of Governors for both King’s and Hazlegrove, and has a very important role. I work closely with him. We meet regularly to discuss all aspects of the School, from pupil achievements, to staffing, to strategic changes and future planning. He is very interested in all that is happening at King’s, and at Hazlegrove. It’s important that any Head has a very good and mutual supportive working relationship with their Chair of Governors.

How do you switch off?

I am lucky enough to have a house down by the sea in Dorset. I certainly find it very relaxing to go down there, partly because it’s a place where I can switch off. Although, to be honest, I rarely am not thinking about King’s.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy sport and am hopefully going to take up golf again soon after recovering from a rather dodgy back. I’m not going to mention model making, but I am very interested in military history.

6

The Dolphin 2018 What’s been your most memorable moment so far as Headmaster?

There have been a huge amount of memorable moments over the past nine years but clearly the U16 girls winning the National Indoor Hockey Championships is a highlight. This was a culmination of lots of improvements that we had tried to make with our hockey. So I would say, if I had to choose one moment, which is very difficult as there are so many memorable moments, becoming National Indoor Hockey Champions has to be it because it was a historic achievement for a school of our size.

What has been your funniest moment so far?

It’s very difficult to give one funny moment, there have been lots of times talking to members of the Senior Management team but actually some of the funniest moments have been conversations with Mr Fenwick at Hazlegrove. He and I have shared some very funny stories which were mainly about staff. I can’t share any of the stories with you but some of Mr Fenwick’s anecdotes that he told me in private were very amusing.

What are the future plans of King’s?

We are looking forward to completing the new Music School which will create lots of interesting knock on effects for the campus. I think that one of the future developments will, inevitably, be the construction of a new swimming pool. However, this will take time and will cost a significant amount of money.

Thank you very much.

It has been an absolute pleasure Anna. Are you in Headman’s again this Saturday?

7

The Dolphin 2018

500

TH

ANNIVERSARY

DONATION OF 19TH CENTURY KING’S PHOTOGRAPHS A “TREASURE”, SAYS SCHOOL ARCHIVIST

Arthur Cornwallis Evans had a valued collection of photographs from his time as a schoolmaster at King’s in the 1880s. His grandson has now donated those pictures to the School. Anna Wilmshurst tells the story.

I

n 1883, ten years into the 17-year Headship of the illustrious Rev DE Norton Senior, a young Cambridge graduate called Arthur Cornwallis Evans joined the four strong staff at King’s, working at the School for three years. During this period, there were only two boarding Houses – Old House and New House, incorporating the Headmaster’s house

8

Football 1st Xl December 1883

and about 60 pupils, ranging from, in those days, 2nd Formers to Sixth Formers. We know that the four members of staff were often invited – expected – to make up the rather sparse sports teams, while we also know that Norton arranged for two Fives courts to be built by the time he retired in 1890. However, there are gaps in our knowledge, not helped by the fact that the School doesn’t have many photographs from this period.

The School’s archivist Andrew Leach was particularly pleased therefore when Arthur Evans’ grandson, Derek Hockaday, visited King’s in April with some fascinating pictures from the years Evans had spent here between 1883 and 1886. The 20 sepia photographs, three of which illustrate this article, include pictures of football and cricket teams, forms and school groups, the school building, Bruton and the surrounding area. “Mr Hockaday has kindly donated these photographs to the School,” Mr Leach said. “Because we only have a few from the 1880s, these are a real treasure.”

Evans was a man of many talents, enjoying a successful career in teaching, the church and the navy, as well as being a keen water-colourist, poet and composer of hymns.

He was ordained in 1883, the year he came down from Jesus College, Cambridge before starting teaching at King’s. During his time here, he was the School Chaplain, while also serving at St Mary’s Church. It was a happy time for him but there had always been a strong naval tradition in his family – he was

The Dolphin 2018

Tea time outside Old House

named after Admiral Cornwallis, a commander at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 – so it was no surprise when he left King’s after three years to become a naval chaplain. In those days, the chaplain was also often the ‘Schoolie’, teaching the midshipmen navigation which then included using a sextant to ‘shoot the meridian’ to help determine a ship’s position.

The most notable period during his naval career came in 1889 when he served as the Royal Navy Chaplain on HMS Calliope during a terrifying hurricane. In March that year, the Calliope was sent to replace HMS Lizard to help keep the peace and protect Britain’s interest in Samoa. She joined the competing squadrons of the Imperial German and the United States navies at the port of Apia, situated on the central north coast of Upolu. The harbour at Apia was narrow and shallow with coral reefs only 20 feet from the port. Captain Kane of the Calliope estimated that the harbour could anchor four ships.

However, on the 15th March, there were seven warships and six merchant ships crammed into the harbour. Throughout that day the weather had been worsening with a hurricane fast approaching.

By 8am on the following day, the winds had reached 80-115mph, blowing directly into the anchorage and trapping the ships.

Captain Kane decided to escape from the harbour but the ship was unable to make any headway due to the ferocious winds. Calliope was hemmed in by the US ships USS Vandalia and USS Trenton and by other warships on the starboard side. She tried to manoeuvre whilst still attached to the anchor cables. When Captain Kane saw an opening, he slipped the anchors and drove forward. Calliope’s fore yard-arm passed over the deck of Trenton before sailing out of the harbour.

According to an American commander at the scene, the Calliope’s drive for the open sea was “one of the grandest sights a seaman or anyone else ever saw; the lives of 250 souls depended on the hazardous adventure.” The storm kept Calliope at sea for the next two days; when they returned to the harbour at Apia on 19th March the crew discovered that all of the other ships had been wrecked or sunk.

Nearly every crew had lost men in the storm with USS Vandalia losing 43 crew together with her captain. HMS Calliope’s steering wheel was presented to the government of Western Samoa in 1953 but is now exhibited in a museum in New Zealand. Evans subsequently recorded this adventure and others in his book “The Cruise of H.M.S. Calliope: In China, Australian and East African Waters 18871890”.

On leaving the navy, Evans became Rector of Lamerton, near Tavistock, around 1902, remaining there until his retirement although he returned to work in 1917 to teach Maths at St Bee’s School in Cumbria because of the shortage of teachers caused by the First World War. He died in 1935, but his memory will now live on at King’s through his amazing collection of photographs.

9

The Dolphin 2018

A KING’S LEGEND: OLD BRUTONIAN AND LONG SERVING GOVERNOR PRAISED BY LLOYD GEORGE

J

Molly Hunter assesses the legacy of James Lyon, one of King’s most generous benefactors

ames Lyon, a jovial figure with a trademark white moustache, is remembered as one of the most munificent benefactors in King’s history.

Lyon House was built in his memory, while a magnificent portrait of this generous benefactor hangs in the John Davie room. Born in 1860, he arrived at King’s as a pupil in September 1873. His uncle, the Rev. D. E. Norton, had recently been appointed Headmaster. Lyon was not particularly talented in any particular subject but he had a particular liking and interest for cricket. He became a Senior Prefect and Cricket Captain in his final year.

After school, Lyon went into shipping insurance at Lloyds of London, earning a significant reputation for his integrity and commitment. When war broke out in 1914, he maintained shipping rates at a reasonable level, prompting the prime minister, Lloyd George, to thank him for “restoring a sense of sanity” when the underwriters “were all losing their heads.”

Lyon became a Governor in 1893, remaining one for fifty years. His hard work during the war earned him a considerable fortune and he used this money generously, helping King’s in many different ways. He could see there was a huge lack of the ordinary amenities that a school should have 10

and was determined to provide them.

The following gifts were known publicly as ‘the generous gift of an Old Boy.’ Lyon started by funding the Fives Courts. This was closely followed by the development of the old gymnasium and the construction of a carpenter’s shop. His love of cricket is reflected in the way he helped develop the school’s grounds, financing the pavilions on Abbey and Hyde. He also financed the room now known as the John Davie Room in the Memorial Hall, but was then named after the Rev D.E. Norton, Lyon’s uncle and Headmaster. Lyon characteristically didn’t want to room to be named after himself. Perhaps his greatest legacy, Lyon House, does bear his name but only because it was built in 1954, nine years after Lyon’s death, allowing the School to honour the great benefactor posthumously.

Lyon became actively involved in school life after building ‘Park Wall’, a house opposite Hyde, after the First World War. He was a familiar figure in the Book Office, an eccentrically lovable character who was nonetheless quite fierce when it came to ensuring that boys who defaced their text books should pay for the damage. Unbeknown to the boys and their parents, however, Lyon would often pay these bills himself if he knew the parents were struggling to pay the school bill. He was also scrupulous at keeping within budget on the playing fields. He refused to allow sight screens on the Hyde cricket field, declaring that boys who couldn’t see the ball against a background of buttercups would be well advised to play tennis instead

James Lyon

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF..

In a discussion with Kiara Jones, Annie, a Wellesley House cleaner, provides an insight into the tidiness (or otherwise) of her girls

O

n a typical day, I wake up at 8am.

I have always cherished the fact that I don’t have to wake up when the sun is rising! I normally arrive at Wellesley at around 8:50am. Living at the top of Bruton, it’s easy for me to walk in, meaning I don’t have a daily commute to worry about. It is also a nice wakeup call on those very cold mornings when the frost pins your eyelids back! First things first, I gather rubbish bags from everywhere, and I mean everywhere. The common room, the day room, the kitchen, the bathrooms, the conservatory (I think you’ve got the point). I normally expect to walk into a messy kitchen from the girls cooking all sorts of different varieties of food the night before.

I get a wet dish cloth and wipe down every possible surface visible (Donna, our matron, is a perfectionist). After making sure the kitchen is spotless, it’s time for break. I’ve always found this ironic because right after I’ve wiped any visible product from the kitchen, all the hungry girls come running in to make food!

At 10:30am which is also the normal break time for students, Donna and I also take a break. Tea is often a very popular choice to get not just us, but also the students through the long days. At 11:00am, when all the students have gone back up to lessons, I glance into the kitchen to see the spotless surfaces not so spotless anymore. I then start on my wing (the 6th form corridor). I have always preferred the 6th form rooms as they

The Dolphin 2018 always tend to be tidier. I clean the mirrors and sinks and get the hoover ready. Since being in Wellesley I have learnt that as the girls get older, they also get tidier. (Kiara is certainly a lot tidier then she used to be!). I think it’s safe to say that the messiest rooms are often the Third Form. But I don’t mind, I know that they are trying to learn and soon enough they will be tidy. After hoovering, I go and clean the bathrooms. I think it’s safe to say this is always the least exciting part of my day, it’s always full of surprises!

After cleaning all the Sixth Form rooms, I am done for the day at Wellesley (this is at 12:30pm). Depending on what day it is, I either go home or I have another cleaning job to do.

As a side, I do extra cleaning in private homes.

It entails a lot of what I do in Wellesley, but normally half the mess and a quarter of the time!

You are now probably expecting me to say, ‘when I get home, I clean the house too.’

This is not very true! When I was younger I never used to be a fan of cleaning my own room. Even nowadays I am always the worst cleaner at home, and because I have kids, it’s not as easy as doing it for a job - it’s not as fun doing it at home! I never wanted to be a cleaner but when I put my son into primary school in Bruton, it just worked for me because I could spend all the long holidays with him and it’s just a perfect part time job for a mother.

And now looking back I have stayed here all those years (eight or nine, I don’t even remember), obviously it was meant to be!

Ella Hanegraaf, Annie and Donna

11

The Dolphin 2018

OLD BRUTONIAN INTERVIEW

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY AMONG THE WORLD’S ELITE Old Blackfordian Lloyd Wallace talks to The Dolphin about the best two weeks of his life, competing for Great Britain in the 2018 Winter Olympics, and possibly the worst moment, the accident on the slopes six months earlier that put him in an induced coma for 24 hours.

When were you at King’s? Which House were you in? I gather you were Head of House?

I was in the best House at King’s, Blackford. I was lucky enough to be Head of House in the Upper Sixth. It was always great to lead all the troops out in inter-House events - tug-of-war was our speciality.

What are your favourite memories from your school days?

I have so many good memories from King’s that it’s tough to say what my favourite moments were, a lot of them were on the sports pitch. I loved break time though. From 3rd Form through to Upper Sixth, a little break mid-morning where everyone hung out and let loose, either in the JCR or went to town, those were the best times.

I assume there were amusing moments?

There were plenty of amusing moments, messing around in lessons and all sorts of things going on back in House.

12

The Dolphin 2018 What sport did you play? I assume you enjoyed it?

I loved sport at King’s. I tried to play as many different sports as possible!

I played Rugby for the 1st XV, I was captain of Tennis and I was captain of Fives to name a few, but if there was sport happening you could count me in. Competitive sport or just a bit of ping pong in House, I was there.

When and where did you start your love affair with skiing?

So I’ve skied for as long as I can remember. I also competed as an elite level Gymnast until I was 13.

From there I combined the two of them and I found aerial skiing. I was on a family holiday in Tignes, France when I did my first backflips on skis. I was hooked instantly and haven’t looked back since.

I gather both your parents were Olympians? Could you tell us more?

Yes, both my parents represented Team GB at the Olympics in Freestyle skiing. Dad competed in Ski Acro in the Calgary 1988 games and Mum competed in Moguls and aerials in Albertville 1992 and Lillehammer 1994. So obviously they were keen for me to try out freestyle skiing and it just so happened that I also fell in love with the sport.

They both coached me for the first four years of my career and are still my no.1 port of call if I need to ask anything. My family’s Olympic legacy doesn’t stop there though - my grandfather ran in the 3000m steeplechase at the London 1948 Games, and my uncle competed in the Los Angeles 1984 and Atlanta 1996 Games in track cycling. My sister, who was in Priory when she was at King’s, represented Team GB at the World Championships in 2015, and the World University Games in 2016 in aerials. She has since stopped competing but still skis as much as she can throughout the year.

What exactly is it that you do on these skis? It sounds scary!

The easiest way I can explain it is by describing it as the winter Olympic equivalent of diving. I ski down a slope at about 70 kmph and ski up a four metre tall ramp and get projected about 15m into the air. I then have to perform multiple flips and twists before trying to land on my feet (this doesn’t always go to plan). It is very scary, that’s the name of the game though, but like any sport you have to start with the basics and move your way up through the difficulty of tricks. Before you know it, a quadruple twisting triple somersault sounds like a nice way to start off your day.

When was your first representative honour?

My first international competition, a European Cup, was back when I was 15. My first World Cup start was two years later and my first World Championships was a month after that. Then back in February 2018 was where my career took another step up and I competed in my first Olympic Games, those were the best two weeks of my life.

13

The Dolphin 2018 How did the Olympics go?

In retrospect, they went as well as I could have hoped. I was coming back from an unfortunate injury which meant I had missed out on a lot of training over the summer and meant my rehab back to full competition fitness was slow and painful. Luckily I made it. The proudest moment of my life was representing my country on the biggest sporting stage.

For me it was a success - I received my highest score of the season, competed in the most competitive Aerial Skiing competition on record, and finished in the top 20. Mission accomplished.

Tell us more about that accident. How are you now?

Last August, just six months before the Olympics, I was training out in Switzerland. It was a normal training day and I was doing a jump that I’ve done hundreds of times before. I was very unlucky that when I came into the flat just before the jump, I caught a ski edge in the matting which put me way off balance. Due to the speed I came in at together with the steepness of the jump I buckled through and hit my head on the back of the kicker, smashing my helmet and was knocked out instantly. I fell into the water unconscious. After I was taken out of the water, I was flown to Zurich hospital where they immediately put me into an induced coma for 24 hours. Fortunately there was no brain haemorrhaging or bruising and I was let out of intensive care a few days later. I don’t remember the day before the accident or three days afterwards - luckily I only had severe concussion. I am absolutely fine now, I wouldn’t have been able to get back into it before the Olympics if I wasn’t 100% fit.

What did you study at A Level? You did much of your competing at school and later at university. Where did you go and how difficult was it to work and compete at the same time?

I studied Biology, Chemistry, French and Maths at A level, dropping Maths after AS. From there I went on to study a degree in Sports Performance at the University of Bath and I graduated in 2017. I skied throughout my time at King’s and my degree was at Bath, which might be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Having to balance full-time education alongside full-time training really challenged me and especially my motivation to learn. The worst feeling is when you get in from training all day and you just want to eat and sleep, but you have to sit down and study for an hour or two. Quite honestly, I’ve still not mastered it.

What are your ambitions now? Will you always be involved in winter sports or do you also have something else in mind?

So after the Olympics were finished I made it back to Blighty and enjoyed living back at home for the longest time in four to five years. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to carry on skiing after the Olympics, but I’ve come away more motivated than ever to go for the next ones. I’m all fired up for the next Olympics. Before that, which is four years away, I’ve realised I’m not fully finished with my educational aspirations. I have just started a Masters in Management back at the University of Bath. I’ll be in Bath for a year before getting back on the grind for the three years leading to Beijing 2022.

14

EDITOR’S LETTER

Anna Wilmshurst carries out a risk assessment on her Lower 6th year

O

ver the past year I have become acutely aware that everything that we do is hedged around with risk, visible or not. Being pushed out of your comfort zone makes one realise that risks are apparent in every sphere of life. Just read the previous article about Lloyd Wallace if you don’t believe me!

I was struck earlier this year by the story of the twelve Thai boys from the same football team and their coach who became trapped inside the Tham Luang Nang Non cave after flooding cut off their escape. When I heard this story I asked myself: why were they so reckless, why didn’t they think of the consequences? I then realised that they probably did know the risks, but this didn’t stop the twelve boys from exploring the caves. This shows how risks are there to be taken and you shouldn’t shy away from certain opportunities. However, there is a caveat to this: risks should be taken carefully and in a measured way; if this had been done in the Thai cave, then that retired Thai Navy Seal would not have died.

In my Lower Sixth year I have taken a few risks.

Fortunately, they paid off. If I hadn’t taken them, giving up the opportunities on offer, I would never have known what I could achieve. For example, when I took part in Gold Duke of Edinburgh after a major knee operation, I faced the

The Dolphin 2018 risk that I wouldn’t have been physically and mentally strong enough. Would my knee hurt so much that I would have to pull out of the expedition? Would the knee give way completely again? Would I let down the other members of my team by being slow? However, I decided to take the risk, completing the practice and qualifying expedition. The risks were there, but they were controlled by the amount of pre-expedition training I had done.

The enjoyment and teamwork of the expedition outweighed the risk of further injury. It had been a risk worth taking.

Calculated risks are taken in everyday life, such as driving a car or riding a bike.

A more serious calculated risk can be seen when riders in the Tour de France ride down mountains in the Alps at around 70 miles an hour; this is a risk that the riders are willing to take to maintain their positions in the race.

Calculated risks are the risks that I believe should be taken. If you shy away from them, you are missing the opportunity to challenge yourself in ways you haven’t been challenged before. Risks should always be taken but steps should be taken to mitigate the outcome of certain risks. Health and safety measures and risk assessments can be seen as alleviating the dangers involved.

Has our society become too riskadverse? Are we too worried about children climbing trees? I suggest we do need to be aware about how to mitigate risks, but a full life and a full education can only be made full if we realise that sometimes we have to take those risks.

In the case of the Thai cave, the boys and their coach were criticised in some quarters, and their adventure certainly nearly ended catastrophically.

However, caves are there to be explored, trees are there to be climbed and risks should be part of our lives. As T.S Eliot pointed out, “only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

15

The Dolphin 2018

ABRAHALL’S ANALYSIS

IDENTITY (PART ONE)

BREXIT: A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE BY HOLLY BAKER WHO LIVED IN BELGIUM UNTIL SHE WAS 15.

B

rexit: the B word, the increasingly notorious name for Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and perhaps the aspect I find most disappointing about the country that I come from. In this article I don’t mean to imply that I am some kind of expert on the awfully complicated subject that is Britain’s decision to leave the EU, nor do I mean to suggest that I understand it which, I guess, means that I’m in the same position as most other people, including, it seems, most government ministers. But I do have views on how I think my way of life will be affected by Brexit.

To begin with, I need to assess what I mean when I write “the country that I come from”. Growing up, I feel like I have had a significantly different outlook on the world than perhaps most other British teenagers. I was 16

born in Singapore, grew up in Belgium until I was 15 and then went to King’s while my parents moved to Texas in the US. I remember when I was little, at the international school I went to in Belgium, being asked where I was from and being utterly confused. I had never experienced Britain other than a few fleeting visits annually to see my grandparents and cousins. I found it hard to attach myself to a country that I had no connection with. I didn’t understand patriotism and only learnt the national anthem when I was about 12. Yet I was still expected to add this label “British” to my personal identity. My siblings and I still joke that we have no nationality and to be honest, I don’t think I’d mind that. However, I do actually have a nationality because I have a British passport and possess all the rights of a British citizen.

Now I know the country, I do feel connected to it. However, the fact remains that I grew up in Belgium. Will Brexit force me to pick between these two countries? As a child, I was obviously not in a position to sign up for a Belgium passport when I lived there. Does Brexit mean I won’t be able to go back to live in the country where I spent the majority of my life? I find Brexit over-simplifies nationalities and loyalties. I consider myself European rather than British or Belgium, but Brexit doesn’t allow me to think like that because it’s introducing barriers. I think this is wrong. Immigration would stop being a problem for so many people if we stopped considering ourselves different. In the end nationalities were derived by humans and yet these made up groups separated by borders and oceans take precedence over our overall species. Simply put, we are all humans and globalisation seem to me to be the way forward.

The way Brexit targets Britain’s fears about immigration is a serious problem. By Brexit’s definition, have I been an immigrant all my life? I was actually always called an expat rather than an immigrant, but what is the difference? The answer seems to me to be rather shocking: as I researched this article, it became clear that the distinction between these two descriptions simply relies on status and race. High end employees such as lawyers, doctors and other higher paid workers are usually defined as expatriates while lesser

The Dolphin 2018 change because of Brexit.

As I wrote at the beginning, I am not an expert on Brexit. I don’t have all the facts and figures to support my thoughts. However, I do feel that Brexit promotes this negativity that I have written about. Instead of Brexit, we should focus on making ties and connections to strengthen and diversify our country. The way human beings have survived and thrived throughout the centuries is to adapt so as not to be left behind in the constant race for survival. Brexit, it seems to be, represents a backward step.

Holly Baker, age 6, in Ghent, Belgium

paid workers such as construction workers or maids are migrants.

A problem with the Brexit view about immigration is that, too often, “foreign” people living here are seen as just that, foreign, rather than a legally entitled citizen boosting the British economy and working as a valued part of our country. Much of the labelling in immigration depends on how long the person intends to stay in the country, and how long they are allowed to stay. However, sometimes the labelling seems to depend more on stereotypes where certain nationalities are regarded as ‘lazy’ and relying on benefits.

Racism and this battle against immigration seem, invariably and unfortunately, to go hand in hand. For me, this is extremely disappointing. As I grew up in Belgium, the majority of my school’s students were from countries outside the European Union. Are some of these friends now the people Brexit is trying to exclude from Britain, my new country, if that’s what it is?

I often worry that with Brexit, our country will become more racist, promoting xenophobia where none previously existed.

When a country decides to isolate itself, like Brexit threatens to do, people risk being prevented from experiencing diverse cultures.

A lack of this experience places these different people into the “other” category, something to fear or feel uncomfortable around. During my research, I read in an article published in October 2017 that there has been a 29% increase in acts that could be regarded as racist. At King’s, we pride ourselves on having a diverse community. I am so happy to be in a place like this. I hope this is not about to

IDENTITY (PART TWO)

THE SHAPING OF A MILITARY CHILD: IN HER 17 YEARS, HARRIET PAPENFUS HAS MOVED HOUSE NINE TIMES. HERE SHE EXPLAINS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO GROW UP IN AN ARMY FAMILY.

S

ince my father started at Sandhurst in 1988, he has experienced 13 postings, 10 operational tours and has learnt the fundamental basics of four languages. How has this affected me and my family? In my life so far, I have lived in nine houses in three countries, while I have also been to four schools and three nurseries in two of those countries. Being immersed in these different cultures has enabled me to accept and learn about others. I now know much more about people’s social culture, religion and behaviour than I might have done if I had just experienced life in an English home and our “Bruton bubble”.

One of the strengths of being a military child is the ability to let go. Frequent house and school moves means stability is hard to come by. As a family moves, friends are left behind as well as schools and jobs. This can 17

The Dolphin 2018 be hard. Fortunately, in the age we live in, real life and what is out there in the world. we are incredibly lucky to have the access Independence is learned and acquired over to the internet, so I can keep in contact with the years as well as self-discipline; accordingly, those friends whenever I am able to and military children learn to cope with different from wherever I am. However, as a younger situations and setbacks as part of their coping child, these moves could be quite disturbing. mechanism.

Earlier in my life, it wasn’t possible to send

One also sometimes wonders whether friends a WhatsApp or look at their Instagram being a military child affects how you identify as this wasn’t accessible at that time. It is yourself. To ask a military child where they are possible, even now with the technology, to from, for me, can be quite difficult to answer. feel emotionally isolated. However, To most, the question of where you moves can also be exciting as are “from” means where you were everything gets to be re-planned, born or where you are currently re-organised and changed. On living. Most people I know have most occasions, whenever you lived in their home or village for the move, there will be a person who majority of their life, and were born is experiencing the same as you. in the same country. This is not the You need to be more flexible case with me, and very often not the which encourages you to be more case with other military children. My adaptable to change – this comes response to the question would be as second nature to most military that I’m British, born in Germany and children. This not only applies am currently living in Muscat. to house and location moves but There are several advantages also to how each child deals with and disadvantages to my life different daily life changes and as a military child. One of the associated challenges. disadvantages is probably that I Top brass: Father and

The frequent moving of have moved so much that the thought daughter in Wiltshire houses across different countries and of living in one place is foreign to me. continents means one’s language proficiency This may sound peculiar but then I have never expands. This language skill is beneficial experienced life in only one location; perhaps as its means in later life you can pick up a I may discover that location is what I really language faster; with another language it also need. Change for me has become easier as I moves you into new social circles where new have grown older and more independent and interesting people can be met and connections have experienced this lifestyle more and more, made across the world. This language however my opinion may change in the future. proficiency also brings on an aspect of

Military life is different for every family: courage and helps with confidence: even a few in some cases there are the extremes of sentences of a foreign language enables one frequent moving, in other cases, people may to be more confident in conversing with other live in their own home with jobs near by. I people in their language. The engagement in wouldn’t change my lifestyle one bit; I enjoy different culture lets you grow as a person as it and it has made our family strong. To live in you start to understand how others live. As I the ever-changing community that I experience am currently living in a Muslim country, this every time I go home is different and has enabled me to understand how a person comforting as everyone is in the same situation lives in accordance with another religion, how and we understand each other. their beliefs affect their everyday life, how their

This article may have little effect on family life works. some as it is difficult to portray one’s life

Military children are often more mature experiences in written form, but to those who and resilient. While a parent is away on an understand or live this way of life, just to talk, operational tour, there is always a thought in or in this case, write about the experiences the back of your mind that he or she may not you have been through leaves you stronger return. This can be eye opening as it shows and you can cherish the way you lead your life. you the threat of real life, what is behind Don’t be afraid of change!

18

The Dolphin 2018

Obituary: Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire, GCB, DFC, AFC, DL, DSc, FRAeS

During a distinguished service career, Sir Peter filled some of the RAF’s most important Command and Air Staff appointments, becoming Chief of the Air Staff in 2000. He became a Governor at King’s in 1998 and subsequently held the post of Senior Warden from 2004-2010. Sir Peter was the son of Wing Commander Frank Squire DSO, DFC. He joined Priory House in 1959 and during his time at King’s played 1st XI cricket, 1st XV rugby and was a School Prefect. Ed Tickner looks back at his life.

A

fter training to be a pilot at RAF Cranwell, Peter began his operational career in Singapore, soon proving himself to be an excellent pilot. In 1970, he became a qualified flying instructor, and in 1972 he won the Wright Jubilee Trophy for solo aerobatics. In 1973-74, he was the team leader of the Red Arrows. He then converted to operational flying on the Harrier, eventually, in 1981, taking command of No 1 Squadron, RAF Wittering. During the Battle for the Falklands in 1982, he led the Squadron into action, becoming the first RAF pilot to launch a laser-guided ‘smart’ bomb in combat, while attacking Argentinian troops on Mount Longdon. He survived some close shaves on tour there, including a crash landing at Port San Carlos, the explosion of a Blowpipe missile near his Harrier and his cockpit taking a hit from Argentinian fire. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery during the Campaign.

Peter had by now been identified as an Officer capable of holding successive highprofile appointments in both the RAF and the MOD. He was appointed Chief of Air Staff in 2000 and advised on British air contribution in 19

The Dolphin 2018 Afghanistan and in the Iraq war.

In 1997 he was appointed KCB and in 2001 GCB. After retiring in 2003, he chaired the Board of Trustees at the Imperial War Museum between 2006 and 2011 and was Vice-Chairman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission from 2005 to 2008.

Peter’s interest in others was always clear. His compassion and thoughtfulness were supported by his ability to be a good listener, seeking to understand people’s Sir Peter talks to The Dolphin in 2006

worries, aspirations and motivations. These qualities and his reliable and steadfast manner must have been very evident to members of the Governing Body at King’s and led to his appointment as Governor in 1998. Richard Smyth (Hon OB), Headmaster at King’s from 1993-2004, recalls Peter’s impressive efforts to attend Governors’ meetings, even when at the pinnacle of his professional career, and how, when Peter spoke, everyone listened. When Richard proposed the change of school name from King’s School, Bruton to King’s, Bruton, he nervously looked across the table at the Governors’ meeting to gauge Peter’s reaction.

Peter simply rolled the new name around, spoke it aloud and then nodded in agreement, much to Richard’s relief. His judgement mattered.

His Old Brutonian contemporaries held him in high esteem. At breakfast, after the end of term summer OBA Dinner, a contemporary of Peter’s in Priory vividly remembered Peter sitting at the end of his bed with his arms out horizontally, acting the fighter pilot attacking the other beds!

Whilst Air Chief Marshall, Peter was asked by Richard Smyth to inspect the CCF. He arrived in his chauffeur-driven car in full regalia and walked with Richard to the Memorial Hall Green, where the cadets were waiting to be inspected. He paused, and then whilst studying his watch, asked Richard to wait fifteen seconds at the corner of Blackford House, out of sight. He had arranged for the RAF to give a fly past, and just as he ascended the dais on the Green, three jets in arrowhead formation roared over the Memorial Hall, over him and then over Blackford.

Shortly before his appointment as 20

Chairman of Governors, he sought advice after a group of admiring Old Brutonians wanted to fund and donate his portrait to the School. A humble man, he was not keen. So, Richard told him the story of a talented pupil in Lyon House, who, after King’s, went on to study at Oxford University. As a Cambridge man himself, Richard had asked the boy why he had chosen the “other place”. The pupil explained that he had been inspired by a photo on the Fitzjames balcony of an Old Brutonian at Oxford wearing his sporting colours. Richard argued that Peter’s portrait too would be inspirational to future pupils, seeing an Old Brutonian reach the top of his profession. That portrait now hangs in the John Davie Room and is much admired by all that see it.

In 1970, Sir Peter married, and Lady Carolyn survives him, together with their three sons, Christopher (P85/90), Richard (P87/92) and Edward (P93/98), all who attended both Hazlegrove and King’s.

Introduction to the 2006 interview with The Dolphin

The Dolphin 2018

Continued from inside cover: In the last year of World War One, these seven Old Brutonians gave their lives, with one, William Rowell, dying in a flying accident in 1919. From top left, clockwise: Arthur Baily, Thomas Castle, Henry Dickinson, Rowell, Arthur Heard, Humphrey Hewitt, Charles Eastgate Smith, Paul Hobhouse.

Cemetry: Ploegsteert Wood Military Cemetry

WORLD WAR ONE CENTENARY

21

The Dolphin 2018

THE CRAZIEST AND MOST ENJOYABLE SPORT ALIVE Molly Hunter is an expert polo player, but not many people know what that entails. Here, she puts us in the picture.

I

’ve sat on the side of a field watching horse and rider whizz past for as long as I can remember. Polo is a rapid and exciting sport. It combines the skill and strength of a rider with the power and speed of a majestic animal, the horse.

Although to some it may seem odd, there is honestly nothing like galloping around after a small ball, in the pursuit of winning a game in this competitive sport, one of the oldest in history.

Polo is played in many countries around the world, both by children and adults; it’s also one of the few sports where men and women play against each other. Pony club polo is essentially where it all begins: playing from a young age allows you to learn how to ride a polo pony as well as coping with the knowledge and skills needed to play skilfully in a game.

I am really lucky to be so involved in polo and to live in the grounds of Vaux Park Polo Club. It’s such an extraordinary game, full of all types of people from different walks 22

of life. People don’t realise that you can pop down to your local polo club with friends and a picnic and watch a match for free. There aren’t many sports where you can do that.

The bond formed between a rider and pony is remarkable. These animals have a mind of their own but at the same time they are listening to your every move while you’re trusting them to do what they know how to do.

You have this powerful machine underneath you which you are in control of: it stops dead on your command and turns on a dime. This connection is formed through the months spent before a season riding and schooling the horses in preparation for the upcoming season. It is a time-consuming hobby as it fills your summer weekends, but it is so worth it.

Good polo ponies love the sport - they are athletes, just as much as we are, and they make up 80% of the game. The game is made up of two teams of four with two riding umpires.

The objective is to score goals – easier said than done. However, when you throw in the complexities of being rammed by opponents, the movements of the horses and the bouncing ball, polo is actually very difficult and can be quite rough. It requires precision and tactics combined with gladiatorial combativeness.

These characteristics lead me to believe that polo has to be one of the craziest but most enjoyable sports alive.

WHY I WANT TO STUDY AT UNIVERSITY DOWN UNDER

Molly Hunter doesn’t just have a passion for polo. She enjoyed her exchange in Australia so much that she now plans to go to university in Melbourne. Here, she explains why.

F

lying across the world is a pretty scary thing, especially when you are doing it alone at the age of sixteen. The flight came close to being one of the most boring 24 hours of my life. But it was 100% worth it.

I can honestly say my school exchange was one of the best experiences I’ve had, so good, in fact, that I returned to Australia for the Christmas holidays only six months later with my family.

Lauren, her mum, dad and two sisters were waiting for me at the airport when I landed. I instantly knew from their smiling welcome that my six weeks were going to be special.

Melbourne is a beautiful city, buzzing with life and so many opportunities. I was able to find my way around the suburbs pretty

The Dolphin 2018 quickly - exploring the outer areas of the city and taking a tram with Lauren to different streets, while experiencing the variety of foods and the different culture. The inner city itself is vibrant with lovely little covered markets and alleyways covered in an array of artistic graffiti. Visiting the Melbourne Cricket Ground was pretty cool and watching Aussie Rules was definitely a highlight. Melbourne is a really active city and that is definitely something I enjoyed about it.

I was astounded by the diversity of Australia and never truly realised the magnification until I was there. The United Kingdom fits into Australia thirty-one times so it would obviously take me many trips to properly explore this wonderful country. But everything I’ve seen so far appeals to me: the people are all so welcoming and kind, the beaches are excellent while the cities are brimming with life.

Plus, the weather is super nice.

I went to school at Ruyton Girls School, just a ten-minute tram away from the Honey’s house. Unlike Bruton it is not a boarding school. The school is part of many different exchange systems and I was able to get to know another English girl as well as two girls from America and four from France. We were taken on lots of excursions, one of them being part of an Aboriginal smoking ceremony as well as visiting museums and exploring the city’s botanical gardens.

Another highlight was the trip to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. We stayed in an apartment which looked out over the white sandy beach, a turquoise ocean and surfers crowding the waves. We spent the day doing deep-sea whale-watching and going on rollercoasters in some of the most renowned theme parks in Australia. The laid-back life of an Aussie is something I envy hugely - their constant lunch parties and social gatherings are a nice relaxing way to end the week.

My advice for anyone looking to do an exchange is to grab any opportunity possible.

It’s the perfect way to explore a different country while getting to know another family and creating life-long friends. I returned to Australia as soon as I could and am now looking to go to university in this amazing, beautiful city.

23

The Dolphin 2018

COFFEE BREAK

WHO SAYS WHAT?

1.

“We did a cheeky card sort, everyone’s favourite…I do love my A3 sheets! Call the care police, c’mon the PowerPoint” 2.

“Nod, stamp, grunt… It’s Sir, I’m not your mate” 3.

“I can feel a storm coming” 4.

“When I worked on an oil rig….”

5.

“I love trains” 6.

“I’m not angry, just disappointed.”

7.

“I very nearly absolutely stacked it!”

8.

“Be ambitious” 9.

“Right now girls” 10. “For goodness sake, just let me sleep” 11. “You’re touching hands; you’re going to have a baby. I love guinea pigs.”

12. “Living the geography dream!”

13. “Where are my bl**dy coasters?”

Who Says What? Link member of staff to quotation. Caption Competition: What are father and daughter talking about? £10 At The Chapel voucher for the most accurate, entertaining response to Mr Oulton.

24

CAPTION COMPETITION

CHAPLAINCY

by George Beverly, Chaplain

T

he academic year 2017-18 was a year of exciting change and lots of learning, with much to give thanks for. One thing remained wonderfully constant, the Chaplaincy’s commitment to love and serve all the pupils and staff at King’s Bruton with the good news of Jesus Christ. Having the support of the Chaplaincy Assistant Mr Davies was invaluable, and the further support of Mrs Howarth, Mrs Davies, Mrs Wilson-Brown and Miss Wilkinson was greatly appreciated. Many thanks also to the Headmaster, Director of Music and Director of Choral Studies for their unwavering enthusiasm and encouragement throughout the year. Above all, we give thanks to God for all his guidance and provision.

At the start of the year in September, we were pleased to welcome the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Peter Hancock to legally commission me as the new Chaplain.

Bishop Peter’s zealousness to empower and equip chaplaincies in the diocese is greatly appreciated. Later on in the term, we welcomed the Bishop of Taunton, Ruth Worsley to conduct our Confirmation Service with great warmth and passion. This service is always a special moment for our candidates being confirmed after several weeks of confirmation classes.

October saw the annual History, English and Chaplaincy visit to the WWI Battlefields of France and Belgium. This trip always proves to be an emotionally thought-provoking experience alongside providing lots of fun and social interaction for the new 3rd Form. This year, the Chaplaincy rethought their input,

The Dolphin 2018

getting the pupils to look at how thousands of soldiers’ lives had been supported through various Christian ministries and gospel witnesses during WWI. As always, the various acts of remembrance, and the Service of Remembrance at Queen’s Cemetery, Pusieux, Serre were special times to pause, reflect and listen to God from his word. Later on in November, on both Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday, King’s pupils showed the greatest of respect and sensitivity as we gave thanks for and remembered those who gave their lives fighting for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Wednesday Chapel services this year have focused on three sermon series. During the Christmas Term we looked at parables from Luke. The Easter Term saw us consider questions Jesus asked. In the Summer Term we thought about heroes from the Old Testament. All three series provided food for thought, reminding us of the unchanging God who impacts our lives at King’s. Alongside this, we’ve been keen to ensure that every half term there’s been something unique running in our Wednesday chapel services. Thus, we were pleased to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in October, hold a Mental Health Service in May, an Easter Service at the end of March and to have also welcomed visiting speakers such as Rev Anthony Bewes and Ed Surrey throughout the year.

The bread and butter of other Chaplaincy ministries has remained constant.

It has been fantastic to see scores of pupils exploring the Christian faith at TGI, Senior Bible Study, breakout groups and various chaplaincy events. These groups provide wonderful moments for pupils to dig into the identity, mission and call of Jesus Christ.

Alongside this, it has been great to see staff make the most of weekly Staff Fellowship meetings, various other groups and some joint reading of Christian books. Sunday Chapel services have had a shake up, becoming much more interactive and it has been lovely to see pupils freely asking about and contemplating matters of faith off the back of these services.

25

The Dolphin 2018

The end of the Christmas Term saw the Chapel Choir performing at their very best during our service of nine lessons and carols in St Mary’s Church. Our readers also spoke with great confidence. The service is always a wonderful moment at the end of a very long term to remember the awesome news of Christmas. It was great to also visit Castle Court Prep School at Wimborne Minster and Hazlegrove Prep School at Wells Cathedral to speak at their carol services.

Indeed, throughout the year it has been lovely to forge closer links with various prep schools, speaking at numerous chapel services and assemblies.

Wherever one goes, you can be sure of bags of enthusiasm from the pupils and a very warm welcome.

The highlight of the year had to be the Lenten Addresses team Lenten Addresses in March. After a fallow year in 2017, we were delighted to have this important week back in the calendar. We were thrilled to welcome Rev Anthony Bewes from Lymington Rushmore Holidays alongside three further volunteers to run the addresses.

Scores of pupils came to the teatime and evening addresses where Anthony spoke on three different encounters people had with Jesus Christ as recorded in John’s gospel, alongside various different contemporary issues linked to faith such as science and reliability of the scriptures. The format of the evening addresses was slightly changed with a more café style layout with tables and chairs to create a more informal environment.

It is such a joy to be able to sensitively offer opportunities like the Lenten Addresses for pupils to freely choose to attend, at such a formative stage of their lives. We are already looking forward to next year’s addresses.

26

At the end of the year, we held a service of thanksgiving in our last Wednesday Chapel service. All seven boarding houses were asked to submit a list of things they were thankful for from the year. It was brilliant to see the myriad items pupils gave thanks for, whether it was the various cleaners and support staff who quietly serve in the background, day to day things we often take for granted such as food and shelter, or larger things such as lessons, sport and music.

A pupil from each House delivered their list of items to be thankful for, before we collectively remembered in word and prayer the good God of Psalm 95 behind all these great things.

The year ended with our Leavers’ Service in St Mary’s, a final special moment together giving thanks to God for the education and community we enjoy at King’s and reminding one another from the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12 that there is so much more to life than worldly success and worldly pursuits - indeed, there is a relationship with the most amazing God freely available to us all. Sadly though, I am convinced many of us will remember me accidently smashing a champagne glass during the sermon - ho-hum!

Thus, we give great thanks for an academic year full of many blessings, and as we look forward to the 2018-19 academic year it is our hope and prayer that the Chaplaincy will continue to lovingly serve all those at King’s Bruton with the good news of the Christian Faith.

The Dolphin 2018

THE TRUMPET SHALL SOUND

by David Gorodi, Director of Music

I

t has been a tremendously successful and busy year with around 35 performances, not to mention the new music school taking shape. The new opportunities the latter will give us began to become real rather than something to look forward to in the medium term future. It will offer us many different ways in which to teach, an entirely different performance area, enhanced teaching/ practice rooms and a professional standard music technology suite.

However this was just the back drop to what we did this year.

It’s incredible to look back at the New Musicians’ concert back in September and realise how far these young musicians have developed in Holly White such a short time. My highlights from that term were the Military Band performing for Bruton’s Remembrance Day service, George Little playing The Last Post absolutely brilliantly, the workshops and performance by the Gesualdo Six which were truly inspirational, and taking a number of singers to the Royal Albert Hall to perform Handel’s Messiah - I will never forget the opening phrase sung by close to 2000 altos!

In the Easter Term we were visited by

Katie Proctor

Paul Honey, a composer of film music, who ran some excellent workshops for our pupils, several of whom are interested in a possible career in film composition. I very much enjoyed the Chapel Choir’s trip to Worcester Cathedral to sing Evensong: it was a tremendous experience and a great opportunity for the Chapel Choir who were on top form.

The Inter-House music festival was excellent with New House winning for the second year running.

The community concert was also excellent with the Military Band in fine form although three soloists really stole the show: Felix Farrell’s performance of Debussy’s Doctor Gradus, Tom Hudson’s intricate rendition of A Cricket Sang and Set The Sun on the marimba and Ella Corlett’s performance of Song to the Moon were all quite exquisite.

The Big Band also performed very well at All Hallows despite a monitor speaker that started smoking (thankfully in the sound check); the performance they gave for Swing into Spring was, as always, outstanding. Claire 27

The Dolphin 2018 Martin from the BBC Big Band ran a workshop for our vocalists the week before the gig - she was absolutely fabulous and all of our vocalists - Abagael Hyde, Ella Corlett, Katie Proctor, Emma Reynolds, Hector McAfee and Felix Farrell were brilliant. I think Claire’s workshop had a great deal to do with their success.

Unfortunately our performance of Handel’s Messiah was postponed due to snow but we were able to proceed as planned with the Spring Concert which was a great success. The Orchestra opened proceedings featuring two soloists. Charlotte Mansergh sung “Poor wandering one” from the Pirates of Penzance - she sounded “sparkling”, especially in the top register, where her voice resonated beautifully in the Memorial Hall. Then it was the turn of Tom Hudson who performed the 1st movement from Rosauro’s concerto for Marimba and Strings, a very difficult piece, both technically and rhythmically challenging. Tom gave a virtuosic performance, delighting the audience with his musicianship and dexterity. I particularly enjoyed the Military Band’s performance of “Highlights from Ratatouille”, Holly Millard playing some lovely solo passages with great phrasing and control.

All the choral music was of the normal high standard; personally I enjoyed Worthy is the Lamb but quite honestly you could select the Chamber Choir with Tom Hudson and Felix Farrell as soloists or the Chapel Choir with Ella Corlett as the soloist as well as the main Choir as your own highlight because they all produced such a beautiful sound.

In the Summer Above: Felix Farrell. Below: Hector McAfee

28

Term my highlights included the outstanding 3rd Form Concert which showed how far these young musicians have progressed since September. The concert opened with Holly Millard performing Godard’s Allegretto, a piece she played with great control and beauty, producing her customary delightful tone and excellent intonation. Thomas Matkevich really impressed me with his detailed attention to dynamics and phrasing, playing with great musicianship and maturity.

I very much enjoyed Lulu McDade’s performance too: at times she really made the cello “sing” in her performance of Smetana’s Vltava.

It’s a little difficult to write about the solo singing because so many of the performances showed excellence, many of the top registers of 5th rather than 3rd form standard. The concert ended with an excellent arrangement of Riptide by Gabriella HowardHaywood, Freya Smith and Amelia Warren; the girls had put this together themselves, and some of the three part passages were exquisite. Another highlight was Beating Retreat: marching and playing at the same time whilst listening out for signals from the bass drum is a real challenge, but the Military Band both looked and sounded excellent.

My final highlight was the outstanding Summer Concert, typical of our concerts in presenting a wide variety of ensembles performing different genres, much of which were excellent. Ella Corlett opened the concert singing Gounod’s Je Veux Vivre, her resonant voice producing one of those magical performances, a culmination of many years hard work coupled with natural talent and drive. Performing the last movement from Binge’s Concerto for saxophone, Holly White brought out the humorous nature of the music really well. Technically this piece is very demanding, both for orchestra and soloist, but Holly’s beautiful high register sounded lovely in the Memorial Hall. In a wonderful performance,

The Dolphin 2018

Above: Kiara Jones. Below: Clara Bracey

Abagael Hyde then sung Habanera from Carmen, seemingly transporting us on a warm summer’s night to Spain. The Military Band featured two more soloists, Charlotte Mansergh and Tom Hudson. Charlotte played Clarinet on the Town, a piece with two main sections, the first demanding technical dexterity and the second a relaxed section in a blues style. Charlotte mastered both sections, giving a mature and technically accomplished performance, a real treat for everyone. Tom Hudson gave an equally stunning performance of the Joyful Skeleton. Appropriately dressed in a skeleton outfit, Tom gave a masterly

performance of this cheeky, fun party piece, using his incredible technique to good effect.

All three Choirs were excellent. What a contrast of repertoire with the main choir singing Finzi’s God is gone up, followed by Rather be arranged by Brymer! Credit must go to Mr Marshfield for his outstanding work with our singers. The Flute Ensemble, Brass Ensemble and the Jazz Quintet were all on excellent form, with the flautists particularly impressive.

The concert was brought to an end by the Big Band who performed Buddy Rich’s arrangement of Norwegian Wood. It was a last solo for Mr Lowry on guitar. He is retiring after helping out with the band on numerous occasions, for which we are most grateful.

The final drum solo from Tom Hudson was magnificent: really well-crafted, it was a brilliant way to end an excellent evening.

My congratulations to all the young musicians involved and to their teachers who made this year so special.

29

The Dolphin 2018

Lulu McDade and Felix Farrell, Winter Concert

Henry Wareham, 3rd Form Concert Holly White, Summer Concert

30

The Dolphin 2018

LIFT UP THY VOICE

by Ashley Marshfield, Director of Choral Studies

Y

In January, we welcomed the Gesualdo Six with their conductor Owain Park for a debut et again, King’s had another outstanding appearance at King’s. The group worked with year of choral singing: here are just the King’s Choirs throughout the morning some of the highlights. During the and all the pupils particularly enjoyed having Christmas Term, the Chapel Choir visited professional reinforcement on the alto, tenor Tewkesbury Abbey for a third time in recent and bass parts which gave everybody a big years to sing a service of Choral Evensong. boost. A huge amount was learned about the The music for the service included Brewer’s importance of blend, diction setting of the Canticles and dynamics. The afternoon in D. The anthem was saw The Gesualdo Six run Charles Wood’s antiphonal a workshop for several local anthem Hail! Gladdenning prep school children who gave Light, scored effectively for an excellent short recital of double choir. Meanwhile, the music they had learned the School Choir were kept during the afternoon. In the busy preparing for the Winter evening, The Gesualdo Six Concert and Carol Service gave a superb recital of choral which is always a choral high Lulu McDade: 3rd Form Concert music from across the ages point of the academic year, and used the lovely acoustic featuring Handel’s And the in the Memorial Hall to the full. glory of the Lord from Messiah and Mathias

The Easter Term saw the Chapel joyful anthem A babe is born. The Chamber Choir travel to Worcester Cathedral to sing Choir performed There is a flower by Rutter a service of Choral Evensong. This was a and My Lord has come by Will Todd. first visit to Worcestershire for the Chapel

The School Choir also took part in Choir. The music for the service included The Really Big Chorus Event at the Royal Sumsion’s Preces and Responses and Albert Hall singing Handel’s Messiah. This setting of the Canticles in G. The beautiful was a wonderful opportunity to take part in a anthem Expectans expectavi was performed performance with an amassed choir of over particularly well with great attention to 2,500 singers with a professional orchestra dynamics. and soloists. The event was conducted

The Chapel Choir returned to Wells

by Brian Kay (a founder member of The Cathedral in the Summer Term to sing King’s Singers) who also happens to be the Choral Evensong, with music for the entire grandfather of a member of the King’s Chapel service composed by Sumsion including his Choir. A great time was had by all performing tempestuous setting of the text They that go in one of the most impressive concert halls in down to the sea in ships. The Chapel Choir the world!

31

The Dolphin 2018

thoroughly enjoyed learning this anthem – and beautiful. King’s School Choir performed particularly the section where the choir sing in Worthy is the Lamb and Amen from Handel’s 3/4 and organ accompanies in 9/8 helping to Messiah along with Bruckner’s a capella paint the words ‘stagger like motet Virga jesse. Meanwhile, a drunken man’! It was good the Chapel Choir performed to have a large congregation Mascagni’s O rejoice that the including parents, OBs, visitors Lord has arisen with a superb and staff at our local cathedral. soprano solo from Ella Corlett

There was no let up (U6th Form, Priory). The after this, with the annual joint Chamber Choir performed King’s and Hazlegrove Choral Stanford’s setting of Justorum Concert quickly upon us. The Animae and in contrast, a Yvonne Fawbert: adjudicator of Interconcert began with King’s light-hearted rendition of Tea House Music Competition Chamber Choir joining with the for two. The evening concluded Hazlegrove Year 5 pupils to with the massed choirs from sing Rutter’s arrangement of All thing bright both schools performing In paradisum from Faure’s Requiem, conducted by the Director of Music at Hazlegrove, Vicky Sayles. There were fantastic performances from the many individual choirs from both Hazlegrove and King’s, a delightful evening of singing at a very high standard.

Summer half term saw King’s celebrate Commemoration, with the School Choir providing two contrasting anthems in the shape of Finzi’s God is gone up alongside Bruckner’s Virga jesse. The School Choir performed both anthems with great conviction 32

The Dolphin 2018

and to a very full St Mary’s Church.

Towards the end of term, the Summer Concert contained many choral highlights, a fitting conclusion to another impressive year of choral music at King’s.

The Chamber Choir were in top form performing a varied programme including: Someone like you arranged by Gallina, Lord let me know mine end by Greene with a beautiful soprano duet performed by Abagael Hyde (U6th Form, Arion) and Charlotte Mansergh (U6th Form, Arion) and The Seal Lullaby by Whitacre. The Chapel Choir were also in fine form performing Bairstow’s challenging anthem Though I speak with the tongues of men alongside Sumsion’s They that go down to the sea in ships, whilst the School Choir sang an SATB arrangement of Jess Glynne’s Rather Be and Finzi’s God

is gone up. Well done to everyone on another superb year of hard work.

Top: Carol Service. Left: Lily Crossfield.

Above: Joint Choral Concert with Hazlegrove

33

The Dolphin 2018

CURTAIN CALL

by Maggie King, Head of Theatre Studies

O

ld House set the tempo in the autumn term with their long-awaited House Play. The Fitzjames Theatre stage was set up as a cocktail bar for the production of Shakers and Bouncers by John Godber. The enthusiasm for the texts was evident amongst the boys involved; they certainly entertained audiences over the two nights, with the added attraction of cocktails in the interval: thanks to Mrs Vigers Belgeonne and her team for that one!

By December the school was treated to a very polished and superbly acted production of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. The small but impressively talented cast were a joy to rehearse: lines were learnt early, roles fully developed and by the first night all were in a position to fully enjoy the performance. Mr Stainton’s set impressed, Ms King’s costumes shimmered, but the real stars were undoubtedly the eleven cast members, not least Tom Hudson, Jamie Wylie, Ella Corlett, Narnia Wilmot and Sophie Williams.

The following term took us to the examination performances: A level devised was a stirring and thought- provoking piece, following a long -married couple at the end of their lives, with the trauma of loneliness taking its grip in the final scenes. Powerful performances from Tom Hudson, and Sophie Williams, ably supported by Henry Barker Bennett impacted audiences notably. The same group performed an equally strong rendition of Mistero Buffo by Dario Fo accompanied by sharply focused monologues a few weeks later. Congratulations to all and a big thank to Henry for giving up his time so freely. Not to be outdone, the GCSE 34

group gave impressive performances in their practical work: The History Boys by Alan Bennett was carefully nuanced with humour and sadness and Five Kinds of Silence by Shelagh Stevenson was raw and visceral in its impact.

Finally, in the spring term, the Wellesley House play graced the stage. Liberty Hall by R.C. Carton was well cast and deftly acted.

Well done to all at Wellesley for a delightful performance. Arion House gave us Agatha Crusty and the Village Hall Murders by Derek Webb, who also displayed hidden talent and much enthusiasm amongst their cast and company. Staging a House Play is a huge undertaking for staff as well as students: I would like to thank all staff who volunteer or allow themselves to be coerced for the role of director. It takes enormous courage, as well as time and energy to create a performance and without willing directors the productions would not happen. Huge thanks also to all the students who step out of their comfort zone to get on stage, or back staff and make the shows come to life.

Completing the academic year, the Junior Play, The Lord of the Flies from the original by William Golding, was terrific. The energy and commitment of the crew and cast was first rate. The performance came together during the last few rehearsals, giving Mr Stainton a few sleepless nights in the build-up; ultimately two strong performances astonished and entertained many. Very well done to the Juniors for a great finish to the Drama calendar.

The Dolphin 2018

School Play: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

W

ilde’s famous comedy of manners is quite rightly a favourite amongst audiences and actors: the characters are larger than life; the script is witty, fast and multilayered, and the mistaken identities worthy of Shakespeare. It had been my intention to direct this play for many years; I was waiting for the right cast to come along. Unfortunately, there are few roles in this play, so casting meant many were disappointed not to have an acting role, however the main roles were easy to fill: Tom Hudson as Algernon, of course, Jamie Wylie as Jack (Earnest), naturally, Ella Corlett a quintessential Cecily, Narnia Wilmot as Gwendolen, perfect and Sophie Williams as the scariest of all, Lady Bracknell. With such fine, committed and talented actors in “the front row”, the supporting cast were equally strong: Kiara Jones Narnia Wilmot and Ella Corlett as the giddy Miss Prism, Seb Kingsberry as the love-struck Dr Chausable, Seb Claas as the long-suffering Lane and Huw Downes, Henry Barker Bennett and Elih Badenhorst sharing the role of the attentive servant, Merriman.

It is impossible to single out anyone of these fabulous actors, so instead the scenes that will live long in the memory are: tea and cakes on the lawn with Cecily and Gwendolen; their snide, underhand putdowns were beautifully executed, relished by audience and actors alike; Algernon’s wooing of Cecily was extremely touching, oozing with old fashioned charm; Jack and Algernon’s competitions for scones, cucumber sandwiches, the silver cigarette case and, of course, the name Earnest. The performance had pace and energy in abundance, along with frequent moments of real tenderness. Mr Stainton’s stunning set was functional as well as impressive, and the costumes added perfectly to characterisation. Without a doubt, this performance celebrated the depth of acting talent we have at King’s and the veritable skills of the back stage team who make shows such as this possible. What a brilliant job I have!

Maggie King

Back row: Elih Badenhorst, Huw Downes, Seb Kingsberry, Sophie Williams, Kiara Jones, Seb Claas, Henry Barker-Bennett. Front row: Narnia Wilmot, Jamie Wylie, Tom Hudson, Ella Corlett

35

The Dolphin 2018

Lord of the Flies: Centre stage - Jack Fowler-Baxter

Junior Play: Lord of the Flies

G

olding’s powerful story of the human condition never dates. It is a staple of school productions up and down the land for very good reason: it’s brilliant. Mr Stainton and the junior cast and crew worked incredibly hard, especially in the final week of rehearsal, to raise the performance level. High levels of energy, commitment, and physicality were found to create unnerving tension and a palpable sense of panic on stage.

In performance, the stage was sparse with an industrial overtone, suggesting a parring down to the baseness of human nature. Light levels fell gradually as the children’s behaviour slowly lost all sense of civility Finlay Pender-Cudlip and social conventions slipped away into depravity and raw human instinct. Jack, Finlay Pender Cudlip, was highly charged throughout, setting the tone for others to match; Dorji Pyalyang’s Ralph was increasingly overwhelmed and drew sympathy from the audience in his attempts to fight back against “the beast”. Hannah Branfoot as Simon, and Tom Robinson as Piggy were strong and singular, not quite fitting into the group dynamics from the start. The supporting cast were highly effective and energetic, fully throwing themselves into the games the stranded boys devised for their fledgling community. Lord of the Flies is not an easy view for the audience, but it is an interesting and challenging experience: the juniors’ performances were thrilling from beginning to end and will live long in the memory.

Maggie King 36

The Dolphin 2018

HOUSE PLAYS WELLESLEY HOUSE: LIBERTY HALL

T

his play revolved around Tom, who, in his desire to impress his new American girlfriend, manages to convince her that he’s an English lord whose parents own a stately home. The problems start when his girlfriend, Zoe, asks to see the family estate. Tom decides to pass off his local country house hotel, Ashworth Hall, as his parents’ home. By the end of the play all of the characters had assumed many and various identities, and comic chaos had ensued!

In the midst of the March snowstorms, the Wellesley girls pulled off this plot with its multiple identity changes in style. Making a farce work is much harder work than its humorous tone suggests, and the girls put in the hours to make it a success. Hermione Williams and Ruby Lowsley-Williams were excellent hotel-owners with very amusing accents, and their couple dynamic made for many laughs. Kitty Mant was a great Tom, whose posh mumblings and incompetence was brilliantly paired with Kiara Jones’ sickly sweet Zoe. Kiara’s comic timing was a highlight of the show.

Narnia Wilmot was faced with the considerable challenge of being a girl, playing a man, who in turn dressed up as a woman! Her portrayal of Tom’s friend, Colin, who pretends to be a school-mistress to save Tom, was excellent. Few will forget the sight of a bearded Narnia emerging from the wings in a floral tea dress over her suit!

It was also particularly good to see two 3rd Formers take to the stage: Izzy Jones and Alena Belinskaya. Izzy’s performance as her older sister’s father was brilliant and she shows real promise for future years on the King’s stage. Alena Belinskaya was a very memorable teacher, whose turn as a ghost was one of the funniest moments of the play.

In the end, Liberty Hall was a real team effort: from the warm welcome the front of house team provided, to the entertaining acting, to the girls who worked tirelessly backstage. The girls provided brilliant entertainment for the school cut off from the rest of the world by snow!

Rebecca Howarth

Left: Hermione Williams. Above: Anna Barkshire

37

The Dolphin 2018

OLD HOUSE: BOUNCERS AND SHAKERS

J

ohn Godber’s Bouncers and Shakers is in the National Theatre’s list of the top 100 plays of the 20th Century. Two plays, four actors in each, multi-rolling 80s life, commenting on the social structure of the time.

Old House actors managed to take the audience on a journey back to the 80s with their sharp delivery, pulsating bass lines and witty exchanges. For many in the audience, they were transported back to their youth, to sweaty dance floors and cocktail waitresses.

Under the direction of Mr Jeffrey, we were reminded that maybe we haven’t come as far from the 1980s as we like to think. The exaggerated comedic characters of Bouncers and Shakers took the audience on a journey through a regular Saturday night in any town up and down the country.

The four actors in Bouncers (Will Luck, Tim Khvan, Oliver Barber, Oliver Luck) impressively alternated between playing macho doormen, lager louts, Hooray-Henrys and girls on the pull.

Some excellent acting was on display and the boys had clearly worked exceptionally hard on learning lines and cues.

“You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar”: it is unsurprising that this song made its way into the performance but the addition of cocktails at the interval allowed an immersive aspect for the audience. With the support of Mrs Vigers-Belgeonne and the BTEC Hospitality students, the audience were served cocktails and waited upon by the Shakers cast. We stepped into the world of the play which was a new experience.

Shakers was yet another opportunity for the boys to don their heels and mini skirts all in aid of a boys’ House play. Yet we were able to look past the wigs and heels and see another collection of characters synonymous with any town up and down the country. Head Boy, Barney Latham, was utterly convincing as a lost cocktail waitress, struggling to find direction in life.

The Shakers cast (Alex Enderby, Barney Latham, Cosmo Williams, Bertie Hughes) moved with success between naïve cocktail waitresses, shop assistants, pretentious producers and a party of celebrating friends. The successful use of body language and vocal skills required few props and costume changes - well done.

The boys of Old House provided a brilliant night of entertainment but also made the audience think about the many social issues included in Godber’s plays. Although the plays were funny and well-acted, it made light of the stark reality of the boorish boozing taking place all over the country. A true night of entertainment much enjoyed by the audience.

Will Stainton

Old House boys

38

The Dolphin 2018

ARION HOUSE: AGATHA CRUSTY AND THE VILLAGE HALL MURDERS

T

he Arion House play was a murder mystery which kept the audience guessing right until the end.

The drama revolves around Agatha Crusty (pronounced Croosty), a crime novelist. This main part was played excellently by Megan Jones. Agatha is also pretty adept at solving crimes, when her sister-in-law Alice, played by Fenella Campbell-Preston invites her to spend a few days with her in the village of Chortelby. However, she gets caught up in a series of murders which seem directed at members of the All Saints Village Hall committee. Â There are plenty of suspects including the Vicar, played by Megan Ward, and the Chair of the Committee played by Poppy Boyden who is besotted with the Vicar. Also under suspicion are Harry Knott the caretaker played by Hannah Branfoot and identical twins Olivia and Oliver Truscott-Pratt, played by Angel Mackintosh and Daisy Turner. Then there is the investigating officer D.I. Twigg, who is an incompetent idiot! Abs Hyde played this role, doing a fantastic job of getting the whole audience laughing. Â The whole House were involved with the play from girls acting, sorting out the front of house, make up, prop making and helping on the night of the performances. A special thanks has to go to Elli Cooke who ended up acting in the two performances when we had a member of the cast fall ill. All the actors did an incredible job making this play serious and funny at the same time.

It was a great pleasure to work with all the actors and see the end result. Well done to the whole of Arion!

Sophie Liddell-Grainger

Poppy Boyden

39

The Dolphin 2018

Drama at King’s: In a wide ranging interview with Maggie King, Head of Theatre Studies, Kiara Jones also reflects on her own experiences acting at King’s.

found hardest about putting on a production, she jumped to answer without so much as a thought: getting everyone to rehearsal on time. With such a busy timetable at school, everyone doing drama will also no doubt do music and some sport (this applied to many of the cast, including me). This presents a challenge as people can’t make every rehearsal or simply don’t show up on time.

Ms King finished off with, ‘in an ideal world, rehearsals would be at 9am when everyone is fresh, not at the end of the day when they are aving been an integral part of the drama tired and busy!’ The nicest (or more likely least at King’s since I started (2014), I took challenging) aspect for Miss King about putting it upon myself to interview the Head on a play is, not only seeing people interested of Theatre Studies, Ms King. Being a drama in drama improve over the years, but also student, most of the time you are the one seeing students ‘wander into rehearsals not being directed, doing the acting and learning really knowing what they are doing there the lines. After and then interviewing developing a her, I learnt a love for it. It lot about what it is nice to see is like to be on confidence the other side grow and of the process enjoyment and saw how take root’. I hard it really is. completely Since agree with being at this; it’s always King’s, I have exciting to performed in develop a love ‘Oliver’, ‘The for something Wizard of you didn’t Oz’ and ‘The know you had.

Importance Ms King Kiara with (above) Ella Corlett and bottom p.40, Tom Hudson, in The Importance of of Being has always Being Earnest Earnest’ along enjoyed a with various straightforward smaller plays. I think I agree with Ms King that play in place of a musical. If she had the the favourites have been ‘Oliver’ and ‘The choice to go to the theatre, nine out of 10 Importance of Being Earnest’. As a personal times she would find herself watching a play. preference, Ms King enjoys directing plays Why? A lot of musicals in her opinion can more than musicals, as they are more intricate have an amazing storyline that drags you in, and have a stronger storyline. A personal then ‘suddenly everyone bursts into song!’As favourite of Ms King’s, ‘The Importance of a lover of musicals, I am fond of the singing Being Earnest’ she finds very well written and and dancing on stage, and I personally love witty. Having a small committed cast also being a part of it. Since being at King’s, made it much easier to fit in rehearsals and get Ms King has learnt to like musicals more more done in each one. Similarly, in ‘Oliver’, because she quickly learnt that they are a the music and storyline are enjoyed by many, personal preference not just for the cast, but and the cast thoroughly enjoyed staging it as for the audience as well. ‘Through force of well. will I suppose I made myself like them.’ That

When I asked Ms King what she is not to say she hates doing musicals. The

H

40 40

The Dolphin 2018

Kiara with Kitty Mant in Liberty Hall, the Wellesley House play

enjoyment that she sees the cast experiencing makes all the extra hard work a musical production entails all the more worthwhile.

Something I can personally relate to is the following: when I asked Ms King what pupils struggle with the most doing productions, she said: “Simply, line learning.”

An excellent point Miss King had was that ‘modern education doesn’t require people to learn things off by heart as much as it used to. So, when pupils find 50 pages worth of line learning, they have to teach themselves to learn off by heart. Another thing pupils struggle with, which improves over time, is listening and reacting to what’s happening around them on stage. If this improved, the overall effectiveness of the play would be greater.”

Finally, I wondered if Ms King was happy with the drama overall at King’s.

Her reply: ‘I’m never happy! I would always like more people involved in drama.’ As I mentioned earlier, King’s is a busy school, some people just don’t have the time to commit to regular rehearsals. This also means that not as many plays can be held.

Comparing drama with music, Ms King had a

valid point. ‘A play takes a term (a long term) to stage, but a concert is, at most, a collection of weeks. So, we will never be able to fill the stage with as much drama as we would like.”

She said that she really did appreciate the fact that the school has their own theatre and is grateful for that. To finish off, Ms King said, ‘If I were to have a wish list, it would be quite long!’

But one of her biggest wishes is that drama would be introduced to students in the Third Form, so they could either learn and develop a love for it, or decide that it is not for them. I agree with her in that more people would be involved if they learnt from the start of King’s just how fun it is to be part of the drama here. I will never regret getting involved in the drama.

I have made good friends, learnt great life skills, but most importantly, enjoyed myself, and I hope more students will be able to see the joy of drama.

Kiara then asked three Drama students Esther Adenuga, Ella Corlett and Narnia Rae Wilmot - to share their memories of a production they had particularly enjoyed.

Esther Adenuga L6th: “Having been cast as the role of Oliver in the school play ‘Oliver!’, there were challenges the cast and I had to face, but ultimately we finished the production with success. I was in Fourth Form at the time so this was quite daunting, as I initially only wanted to be a stage hand. The main challenge I had to face was all the lines and lyrics as well as remembering all the choreography, but the cast struggled with this is well, so I wasn’t alone. I enjoyed how close the cast became and how everyone bonded over the course of getting the play performance ready. If there was one thing I didn’t enjoy it would have to be the pressure that was put on me as a Fourth Former having to stand on stage in front of the whole school, nonetheless I ended up thoroughly enjoying the whole experience and won’t ever forget it. Although I wasn’t happy with being cast as the lead in the school play, I would still do the whole thing over again as I made memories and friendships that I will always cherish.”

Ella Corlett U6th: “I played the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz two years ago, and it was a very enjoyable, but also a challenging 41 41

The Dolphin 2018

The cast of Oliver! with Esther Adenuga third from left.

experience. As a cast, it was difficult to include every aspect musicals usually have; singing, dancing and acting, but for a fairly small group of people it was extremely successful once the dances and songs were learnt. The play itself was light-hearted and fun, but the rehearsal process was also exciting, especially as everyone knew the story and we were able to recreate it for ourselves. I loved playing my part in my scenes and especially my very large and extravagant costume, but I also really enjoyed watching everyone else perform as part of the process. All in all, it was hugely enjoyable and a great community experience, and I have performed in King’s plays ever since and will continue to do so after school finishes.”

Narnia Rae Wilmot L6th: “The Importance of Being Earnest, performed in the Christmas term, was a production to be remembered, particularly from a performer’s point of view. Consistent weekly rehearsals, talent and collective effort resulted in an altogether exciting production that received congratulations and praise. The direction, staging and professional advice provided 42

by Ms King, ably supported by Mr Stainton, transformed our performance dramatically and really aided individual growth, as well as cast interaction. It was incredibly exciting building the character of Gwendolyn Fairfax, and I immersed myself in the process of character development and presentation. Furthermore, I portrayed Gwendolyn as classy, sophisticated and obsessed with the idea of love.

This production was particularly challenging with regards to the amount of dialogue that had to be learnt, and the language in which it was written, however, as a performer I feel that it was an incredibly beneficial process in terms of personal growth and experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of The Importance of Being Earnest and would be happy to experience it all numerous times over.”

The Dolphin 2018

AWAY FROM HOME

Third Form tour of First World War Battlefields

by Mark Hambleton

O

ctober saw King’s 3rd Form depart for the five day tour of the Battlefields of the First World War. A joint venture between the History and English Departments, this successful trip has become a staple of King’s for many years now and forms an important role in this first term. Not only does it educate pupils about the sacrifice and service of the Great War, but also provides an invaluable opportunity for new pupils to get to know one another.

After a stately crossing the coach alighted at the scene of the Battle for Vimy Ridge. Here pupils had the chance to walk the lines of preserved trenches and experience the palpable proximity of the opposing strongholds. This land, pitted by shelling and mine craters alike tells the story of the terrible losses inflicted on the Canadian forces and shows the stark closeness of the German and Canadian lines. Arriving at the top of the ridge in glorious sunshine allowed pupils a real sense of the land’s strategic importance, and also an opportunity to43view perhaps the most powerful monument of the Great War, part of which is pictured right, bearing the names of some 11000 men.

Among those names, an Old Brutonian, Thomas Stockwell.

We pressed on to La Targette, the largest of the French Cemeteries.

Arresting in its sheer scale, it is a place of eerie tranquillity, but also a confrontational scene which never ceases to move pupils and staff alike.

Day one complete, we retired to the Hotel Cathedral, Tournai.

The second day focussed on Ypres and Passchendaele.

In a slight alternation to our usual schedule we arrived first at the Ploegstreet Memorial to the Missing. Here, we heard the story of William Hackett VC, who lost his life in a selfless effort to save the lives of others trapped after a tunnel collapse. Moving then to the Hill 60 Crater, a scene of tunnelling and undermining, pupils heard an account of tunnelling from ‘Beneath Hill 60’; they also saw first-hand a surviving dugout. This proved an ideal

backdrop for a reading of the eponymously titled poem from ‘The Old Kit Bag’.

Next, the ever-popular stop off at Sanctuary Wood. Here pupils were taken through an account of life in the trenches. In the afternoon we moved to Tyne Cot, the largest of the First World War commonwealth cemeteries. The Chaplain led what was to be our first act of remembrance. Later that day, after a visit to the fantastic Passchendaele Memorial Museum at Zonnebeke, we stopped off at Langemark – a vast German cemetery; this provided pupils with an opportunity to reflect upon the huge sacrifices made on both sides during the conflict. At the end of the day a special moment came as Freddie James was able to visit the place in Frezenberg that his great, great uncle fell while serving in the 3rd Battalion, Monmouth Regiment.

Day three was just as packed and focussed on the area around Ypres, and the notoriously ferocious and terrible battle of the Somme. It is difficult for anyone to gain an appreciation of the scale of this conflict and the casualties that it wrought, Thiepval’s vast Monument to the Missing of the Somme is a powerful indicator of this suffering, and bears the names of some 73,000 men for whom no known grave exists. This provided an apt focus for an examination of Anna Gordon Keown’s sonnet, ‘Reported Missing’. On this day the geography of the war is arguably at its clearest. Multiple monuments and strategic points can be seen from another one, and the lines on the maps quickly transform to lines on the ground. To this end, the preserved trenches at Newfoundland Park show the story of this battle in incredible detail - pupils heard accounts of this story narrated in depth and care.

After lunch, we arrived at the Lochnagar Crater, before moving on to our main act of remembrance at Serre. This small, beautiful cemetery sits between the German and British lines – the latter still perfectly visible at the edge of the cornfield. As the sun began to set, the Chaplain led our act of remembrance in which prayers were offered, a wreath laid, and the last post heralded a moving two minutes of silence.

The final day was made up of a trip to the incredibly preserved tunnels of Arras. Excavated by hundreds of Commonwealth miners, the tunnels formed an invaluable sanctuary for thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers in advance of their attack on the city. Pupils were amazed to see the scale and depth of the tunnels, but also the

43

The Dolphin 2018 freshness of their artefacts, right down to the intricate pencil drawings on walls, and even the soot marks of candles in the chalky caverns. This was a fantastic way to round off what was, as ever, a moving, but fun trip. The pupils gained an invaluable insight into the workings of the war, its tragedies, victories, morality, and its literature.

Opening minds: Veterans Tim Fletcher (above) and Mark Hambleton (below)

The last post: Tom Bickerton and Chaplain George Beverly The Thiepval Memorial

44

Senior History Tour to Budapest and Krakow

by Anna Wilmshurst The 2018 Senior History Tour to Budapest and Krakow during the February half term holiday saw 38 pupils and five staff enjoy a once in a lifetime historical adventure that will be hard to forget. In this article, Anna (L6th Form) provides us with an in-depth report on the tour as a whole. Giovanna Hajdu Hungria da Custodia (5th Form) reflects on the time she spent in her ancestral city (Budapest) and what it was like to trace the path most of her Jewish ancestors unfortunately took to Auschwitz. Giovanna also recounts her experiences with the memorials to her third cousin who died whilst fighting for freedom in the 1956 Uprising against the Soviet Union. Finally, Seb Finch Hatton (5th Form) speaks to us about the fun he had discovering in Budapest the various sites associated with his great, great, great, great, great uncle, Count István Széchenyi - voted in some quarters the greatest Hungarian Ever!

T

he King’s pupils who went on the 2018 History tour had a truly incredible experience visiting the fascinating cities of Budapest and Krakow. We arrived in Budapest on the evening of Thursday 8th February and we were allowed to explore the city to try and find our bearings for the first full day. The following morning, we met our Budapest guide and the first stop was Heroes’ Square. Heroes’ Square was built in 1896 to mark a thousand years since the seven The Nagy Memorial, Budapest

The Dolphin 2018 Magyar tribes arrived in the area of Budapest.

In the centre is a 36-metre column with the Archangel Gabriel atop who encouraged King Stephen to have himself crowned as the first Christian King in 1000 AD. I was astonished by the size of the statues and how intricate every little detail was. We then made our way by coach to the Parliament buildings, which are on the bank of the River Danube. The Parliament is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary and is a notable landmark for the country. It was built in gothic style and is currently the largest building in Hungary. As we walked around the building we were lucky enough to watch the Hungarian Parliament Honour Guard parade for the Serbian State Visit. You’ll have to ask anyone on the tour why the Chaplain, Mr Beverly, was nearly arrested here!

We then walked along the bank of the Danube to the memorial of the ‘Shoes on the Danube’, which is located on the Pest side of the river. This memorial was created to honour the people who were killed by the fascist Arrow Cross party in Budapest during World War II. The victims were ordered to take their shoes off and were told to stand at the edge of the river so when they were shot their bodies would fall into the river. The memorial represents their shoes that were left behind.

There are thought to have been 3,500 people, 800 of them Jews, shot into the Danube during the time of the Arrow Cross terror. Most of these murders took place between December 1944 and January 1945 when the Arrow Cross Party police took as many as 20,000 Jews from the newly established Budapest ghetto and executed them along the river bank.

We then continued our tour by coach and went over to the Buda side of the river to the Citadel, which had the most breathtaking views looking across the whole city. Here we managed to get our hands on the famous Chimney Cake, which is a Hungarian delicacy. We then visited the Fisherman’s Bastion; this is an impressive example of neo-Gothic and neoRomanesque architecture 45

The Dolphin 2018 - from there we admired the amazing views in the uprising in 1956 were brutally tortured over the city. This provided the perfect moment and murdered in the cellars there. Earlier it to have some lunch before walking up to the had also been the Headquarters of the Arrow President’s Palace.

Cross Party. A huge amount of torture and

In the early afternoon we visited the death also happened during the short months Memento Statue Park which is situated on when the party was in control, mainly with the outskirts of Budapest. It contains many of the Hungarian Jews as victims. The museum the gigantic statues removed from Budapest was fascinating and chilling. Every room was on the fall of the communist dictatorship. The completely different and the lobby had a T-54 Park gives an tank as a symbol insight into how of the Soviet propaganda was regime. These used through tanks were imagery. It was used because incredible to metropolitan see the size of guerilla fighters the statues and found it hard to especially the destroy them. model of ‘Stalin’s Its main combat Boots’ which used roles have to be attached to included the a 23-metre-high occupation of statue of Stalin!

Czechoslovakia, Auschwitz: a picture tells a thousand words The statue was the Arab-Israeli a ‘gift’ from the wars (1967, Soviet Union to 1973), Vietnam, the people of Hungary but was pulled down at Cambodia and Uganda. It was eerie going the beginning of the uprising on 23rd October down into the cellar and seeing a cell and the weapons that would have been used to 1956. torture a victim. This time also provided us

In the late afternoon we first briefly visited a memorial to Giovanna’s third cousin, with another opportunity to see a memorial to Miklós Gimes, who died fighting for freedom Giovanna’s third cousin and reflect on the role during the 1956 uprising against the Soviet he and others played in liberating Hungary.

Union. This was followed by an amazing visit

In the afternoon, we visited the hospital to the Holocaust Memorial Centre, which in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum. This is was truly moving and very powerful. It mainly a preserved hospital that was created under focused on the fate of the Hungarian Jews; Buda Castle in the 1930s, in preparation for almost a half of all the Jews killed at Auschwitz World War II. Its main role was to provide were Hungarian Jews and 861,000 people care for anyone who was injured. During the were considered Jewish inside the borders Siege of Budapest, the hospital held up to 600 between 1941-44 but only 255,000 survived. wounded soldiers, when it was only designed This means that there was only a 29.6% to treat 60-70 patients. It was then used as a survival rate overall. I found this the most nuclear bunker, with the idea that people could thought-provoking part of the whole tour as the survive down there during a Cold War nuclear graphic images and stories told really bought attack for 72 hours. I found the museum home the saddening truths and reality about fascinating as it portrayed the hospital exactly the Holocaust. We then returned into Budapest as it would have looked like during the Second and had a lovely Hungarian supper followed by World War and Cold War. I found it amazing a free evening to explore this awesome city. how they had X-Ray machines down there

On Saturday 10th we started the day by and they were so advanced with their medical visiting the House of Terror. It used to be the equipment, capable of treating hundreds of Headquarters of AVO (the Hungarian Secret patients.

Police) and many people who were involved

In the early evening we had a quick 46

The Dolphin 2018 boy in a sweet shop! We were then told that there was no heating in our carriage as the boiler had broken!

At that moment I knew it was going to be a long night. We barely managed to sleep; I woke up at three Sweet tooth in the morning shivering and 101 metres underground in the St Kinga Chapel at the Wieliczka Salt listening to the driver announcing each Mines near Krakow successive stop. It was a long night…

As we arrived in Krakow at dawn, tour around more historic sites, such as the we trudged across the streets, making Imre Nagy Statue which is situated close to our way to our hotel, arriving just before 7am! the Parliament building. Imre was the leader We tucked in to an awesome breakfast and of Hungary during the uprising in October most of us snuck in an hour and a half’s nap 1956 and was the person who wanted to on the sofas in the hotel’s lobby. That morning remove Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. His we had a walking tour of Old Town Krakow, statue was on top of a bridge that people were where we visited the Cloth Hall and St Mary’s allowed to walk across which made it more Church listening to the trumpeter announce poignant then just looking at a statue. We that it was 10 o’clock by playing the “Hejanl then had a very exciting tour riding the metro Mraiacki”, a traditional five-note Polish anthem, with Mr Beverly in full command. When the which he plays every hour. We then visited train arrived, we all got on board and as we the oldest Polish university where Copernicus left we realised a key member was missing once studied. Next, we then headed up to from our group: Mr Beverly. Bizarrely, our Wawel and climbed the bell tower of the Chaplain somehow still Cathedral which managed to beat us had incredibly views back to the hotel! We across the whole of were then allowed to Krakow. Inside the go shopping to stock Wawel Castle we were up on provisions for taken aback by the our overnight sleeper scale of the building train to Krakow! and the mixture

After supper of Romanesque, in our hotel we took Renaissance and a sleeper train from Gothic architecture. It A long night Budapest through was interesting to learn Slovakia and into how Hans Frank (the Krakow. I thought this was a great idea as Nazi Governor-General of the occupied Polish we would arrive in Krakow early on Sunday territories) made the Castle his Headquarters morning and it would be a great adventure. when Poland was occupied by the Soviets and However, as we were shown to our cabin I Germans. For me, I found Old Town Krakow honestly thought that the teachers were joking! the most beautiful town I have been to so far in The cabin had three bunk beds either side and my life. the width of the cabin was the equivalent to the

In the afternoon, we visited the length of my outstretched arms. Mr Fletcher Wieliczka Salt Mines which is a UNESCO with his love of trains was like a five-year-old World Heritage Site. The salt mines were truly 47

The Dolphin 2018

Auschwitz ll (Birkenau): above and below

breathtaking – you have to go! These mines were first used in the 13th Century to produce table salt. During World War II the shafts were occupied by the Germans and were used for war-related industries. What shocked me was the vast size of the mine, the many statues carved out of the salt, the tree chapels and a very impressive and ginormous underground cathedral.

On the last day, we visited Auschwitz.

We started off with a tour of Auschwitz I. This was the main camp and held prisoners from 14 June 1940 to 27 January 1945. From 19401941 there were between 13,000 to 16,000 prisoners at any given time at Auschwitz I. The tour of the compound included visiting a museum inside one of the barracks. This showed the belongings taken from prisoners when they arrived. The enormous pile of hair was really shocking as it went as far back as you could see. We then entered another barracks where we saw what the rooms would be like where the prisoners would try to sleep.

We then ventured down into the cellar where there were prisons and standing torture cells. I couldn’t imagine being in one of those standing cells as they could barely fit a person and the victims would have to stand in them for hours or days at a time without food or water.

We finished our tour of Auschwitz I by visiting a gas chamber. I found this the hardest 48

part of the whole day. Going inside a gas chamber where people were once ruthlessly murdered really hit me hard. Their horror was unimaginable.

We carried on by making a short coach journey to Auschwitz II (Birkenau), also known as the death camp. This extermination camp was more what I imagined it being like. It was situated in the middle of nowhere with just the railway connecting the camp to other places. Walking around the site in the snow made us appreciate just how dreadful the conditions were here for prisoners who had no heating. We learnt the families were brutally separated on the platform and the fit and healthy were made to work in labour camps. Usually the SS sent all children, most women, all elderly people and the sick straight to the gas chambers.

There were four gas chambers at Auschwitz II and Zyklon B was used to kill around 2,000 people every 30 minutes. This was the largest

The Dolphin 2018 death camp run by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. We looked around the whole camp and visited the ruins of a gas chamber and saw where the ashes of prisoners had been found. We also visited the inside of one of the children’s barracks, that could fit 300700 people inside. The conditions that people would have lived in were utterly shocking and for me, inconceivable. In the end, it is believed that one million Jews were sent to Auschwitz and 960,00 were murdered, meaning that around 88% were killed. Overall, 1.4 million people were thought to have been sent to Auschwitz with about 1.1 million of these people dying or being killed.

The final part of our tour was a quick coach “Bunday Tour” of Nowa Huta, which was a socialist realist town. The town was intended to become an ideal settlement for Socialist propaganda and the area was mainly populated by industrial workers. For the final evening we were treated to hot chocolate and some cake in the Nowolorski Cafe in the medieval Cloth Hall in Krakow – once a favourite haunt of Lenin’s! This was a relaxing way to round off the tour and we did appreciate how fortunate we had been to have experienced this most amazing trip. We were able to visit extraordinary places and listen to stories of how people had to live during the Nazi regime, the Holocaust and the Cold War. History is certainly worth studying as we visited places that showed us we cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. I cannot recommend enough these history tours – they are a lot of fun and truly incredible. My thanks to Mr Fletcher, Mr Beverly, Mr & Mrs Bunday & Mr Barrow for organizing and running such a brilliant historical adventure!

Encountering My Ancestral City - Giovanna Hajdu Hungria da Custodia:

This year I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go on the history tour to Budapest and Krakow, and it quickly became one of the most memorable tours of my life.

It was particularly emotional for me as, being of Jewish-Hungarian descent, I had the chance to go back to my family’s ancestral city (Budapest) and trace the path most of them unfortunately took to Auschwitz. Thus, I must say that for me the highlight of the tour was the

Holocaust Memorial Centre in Budapest; even though I went in thinking I knew so much about the Holocaust, I left not only realising that there is so much more to it, but also with a much deeper understanding of the lives of Hungarian Jews before and during the war. Indeed, during our stay in Budapest I also came to find out much more about my family’s personal history, especially about their involvement in the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. Though I always knew my family had been involved with politics in Hungary, during the tour I discovered that my third cousin Miklós Gimes had indeed been one of the leaders of the whole uprising.

This made me not only extremely proud of my heritage, but also brought my whole studying of History to life, as we had studied the Hungarian Uprising as part of our GCSE course. I am truly grateful to the history staff for their time researching my ancestry - it made the already amazing tour even more poignant and fascinating.

Meeting My great, great, great, great, great uncle! - by Seb Finch Hatton: Count István Széchenyi was a Hungarian politician, political theorist, and writer. Widely considered one of the greatest statesmen in his nation’s history, within Hungary he is still widely known as “the Greatest Hungarian”.

He also happens to be my great, great, great, great, great uncle! Whilst we were visiting Budapest on this year’s history tour I was lucky enough to go and visit some of the statues of him that exist in the city. It was a truly amazing (and slightly weird!) experience. Whilst in Budapest we also saw the famous Széchenyi Bridge named after him; this was particularly exciting for me because of the significance of the bridge, not only in Hungary but all around the world. Széchenyi is also printed onto the 5000 Hungarian Forint bank notes which was rather cool for me to be able to see him in such a unique way! I really enjoyed the history tour and the opportunity to see all the things my family have told me about for myself!

49

The Dolphin 2018

COMBINED CADET FORCE

By Major Craig Barrow, Contingent Commander

The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) offers all pupils at the school the chance to undertake a variety of adventurous activities, and aims to develop resilience and teamwork. More importantly, it aims to put responsibility into the hands of senior pupils, and for those who assume roles as NCOs and help to run the Contingent, it offers unparalleled opportunities to cultivate leadership and planning abilities.

This year’s NCO cohort have been very good, led by Myles Jenkins who has been the epitome of enthusiasm, knowledge and organisational excellence.

Christmas Term

The Christmas Term is a key term to welcome the new recruits from the 4th Form, issue uniform and boots, ensure that drill and discipline is well taught and encourage the NCOs to take on the leadership roles that CCF allows. Army & Royal Navy Sections follow the CCF syllabus which sees training and testing in drill, first aid, fieldcraft, skill-at-arms and map reading for the Army and drill, ropework, rules of the sea and general seamanship knowledge for the Royal Navy.

There was a Field Day at King’s that saw the 5th Form Advanced Infantry experience a day of survival training which covered fire, shelter, trapping, rescue - valuable skills which encompass many of the CCF aims. The Royal 50

Navy section spent several weeks sailing laser boats at Cheddar Reservoir.

The Military Band also performed to the highest standard for the Bruton Town Remembrance Parade.

At the end of the term, the CCF Formal Dinner was held in the Memorial Hall. A superb evening was enjoyed by all CCF Officers, NCOs and invited guests. The catering and organisation of the evening was undertaken

by Rose Vigers-Belgeonne and her BTEC Hospitality group and was outstanding.

Easter Term

The Easter Term sees the cadets undertaking the Ten Tors Challenge and D of E training expeditions. Four of the Lower 6th NCOs ventured North to the Lake District where they were able to practice their Gold DoE skills before undertaking their assessment in June in the stunning surroundings of Snowdonia. The younger elements of the CCF formed two teams of six and they took part in the 35-mile Ten Tors Challenge. They trained in all weathers during January, February and March on the Quantocks, South Dartmoor and North Dartmoor in preparation for the actual event in early May. Both teams were excellent in training and during the event and finished early on Sunday morning. The finish was quite an emotional occasion as the cadets proved Lt Malcolm Jeffrey with Laura Purefoy

The Dolphin 2018

CCF formal dinner

shoot, assault course and travel in a Warrior.

The 4th Form cadets also had a fun filled day in Dorset with a day of coasteering and sea kayaking.

The end of the term saw eight officers, six NCOs and seventeen cadets journey to Newtown Ranges, Jersey Camp, on the Isle of Wight, for the 2018 Summer Camp. Fantastic weather and keen cadets Summer Term were a winning combination for a fun action-packed

The Military Band week. Sunday saw an were again superb when they outdoor adventure day played the Beating of the that included axe throwing, Retreat in June. There were dodgeball archery, mountain some excellent Field Days boarding, sea kayaking courtesy of Old Brutonians and coasteering. Monday and current serving military and the cadets practiced parents. The Royal Navy their military skills with section were invited to some lazer quest before Portsmouth where they were embarking on a 48-hour able to board P2000 patrol military exercise known boats, patrol around the Solent as “Operation Heatwave”. and have the opportunity to Girl power: Juliette Webb and Laura Purefoy Camping wild, patrols (day learn about Royal Navy life. and night), section attacks,

The 5th Form Summer ambushes, raids were all highlights in a busy Camp group were invited to Warminster 48-hour period. One of the best camps with Camp, courtesy of the 1Yorks Regiment fantastic officers, mature NCOs and highly where they were able to experience, in the motivated cadets. words of one cadet “the best Field Day ever

The CCF could not run without the sir, it was awesome”. The cadets were able support of so many volunteers amongst the to experience a whole morning in the CATT Staff Officers and the NCOs. I am indebted simulator before they took part in a range 51 to themselves that they could overcome real physical and mental challenges without adult help.

Field Days saw the 5th Form Army travel to Yoxter Ranges for an exhilarating live range day, the 4th Form Army travelled to Dorset for sea rock climbing and high ropes

The Dolphin 2018 to the quality and enthusiasm that exists in our leaders and having attended two CCF conferences during the year I am increasingly aware of how fortunate I am to be able to call on such a committed body of people. My thanks to all.

And the future? Preparations are underway for the Biennial Inspection to celebrate the 500th Celebrations of the School in March 2019, an Adventure Training week to Snowdonia is planned for the Summer Term 2019 , two 35-mile teams are preparing for the Ten Tors Event in 2019, Army and RN Field Days are planned, CCF Formal Dinner in November, RN visits to Dartmouth and Plymouth are confirmed. It promises to be a full and exciting year.

CCF Military Band

COMMUNITY SERVICE

by Chloe Slingo, Community Service Prefect

There are so many different ways to help the community at King’s when you do Community Service. You can do some gardening at the local retirement home down the road or you can go to the local primary school where you can help the children with their reading. Some people go to Hazlegrove and help the children there with their sport or French.

I have helped the community in a few different ways over my two years of community service at King’s. I first went to a primary school where I listened to the year 6 children reading. Then I went to a retirement home where I made their afternoon coffees and tea and we had a talk. It was nice to get to know some of the people there.

This year I went to an animal rescue shelter where I helped the lady who started it by helping to walk the dogs and tend to the cats. It was nice to be able to go there after a busy week of preparing for my upcoming exams and just relax with the animals. I was very lucky to have been placed in the animal shelter and would definitely recommend it to all the animal lovers.

It is nice to be able to help the local community but also get a break from school for an hour but know that you are still doing something for someone else. I have definitely enjoyed my two years of community service at King’s.

CCF Royal Navy

The author

52

The Dolphin 2018

BOARDING HOUSES

T

ARION HOUSE

he winter of 2017 was extremely long and cold, but perhaps this is what a proper English winter should be like!

Although I could say Christmas came early as it was the first time I had ever seen snow, which was an absolute delight! It was made significantly more cheering with our annual Christmas visit to Jimmy’s - all you can eat, for a never-ending Feast!

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Mrs Loveless at the end of the second term as she took up the position of Housemistress for Wellesley. She was Mrs Griffith’s first maternity stand in and a tutor for most of my time in Arion. We’d especially like to thank Mrs Loveless for donating the favourite sofa for the girls’ common room, which we constantly fight for as it’s the most comfortable place in the house! We also welcomed Miss Wilkinson and Madam Webb this term. Miss Wilkinson took over from Miss Liddell-Grainger as Resident Tutor and Madam Webb – who is French – as our new 4th Form Tutor. Poor Madam Webb was thrust into the deep end on her first night’s duty with a two-day power cut and all the shenanigans that creates – like having to find your way around a house that you’ve never been in, in almost pitch black! Miss Wilkinson is lovely to have around the House - she fits

in perfectly as she is so young and brings in lots of cheery and vibrant energy to an already vibrant and cheery house!

Miss Liddell-Grainger is sadly moving on next term as well. Without her and our lovely Matron Sue Pitt, the House would not function in the way it does now. LG, as we call her, keeps everyone in order and on their toes, while Sue is so patient and understanding, nothing is too much trouble.

Mrs Griffiths gave birth to a third child and second daughter named Connie in the April holidays. This is very exciting as she can now join her brother and sister, Wynne and Freda, both very much a part of Arion and know all the girls well. But she will miss her number one babysitter Chloe Slingo, as she’s travelling half way across the world to become an aupair in Australia for a whole year. Griffo, as she is known to all of us, has been an amazing mother figure to me, particularly in the early days when I first arrived from Kenya and was so homesick. But there’s none of that now as Arion has quite simply become my second home in the past five years!

On the sporting front we won the Junior Inter House Tennis with the able addition of three French exchange students – of course every little bit helps! The Inter-house Netball once again was in the bag for Arion with most of the first team being made up of Arion Girls. The

53

The Dolphin 2018 Arion Netball Charity tournament was great fun, as it is every year, and we confidently stormed to victory again and raised over £300.

Throughout the year the girls have taken part in everything from the Ten Tors, Duke of Edinburgh, CCF and numerous musical and drama productions.

With the amazing weather this summer we have had lots of BBQs and House nights with Blackford and New, fun playing rounders, obstacle courses to manoeuvre, and pleasant

U6 leavers (left to right): Emily Young, Skye Neal, Megan Ward, Megan Jones, Abs Hyde, Chloe Slingo and Emily Wastell

countryside walks in the amazing evening light. Nacho Night is still the favourite House evening though.

Three of our girls, Coco Pollard, Daisy Turner and Abs Hyde received Headmaster’s Distinctions this term, which is a truly remarkable feat and not easily attained. Emily Wastell has received a prestigious scholarship to attend St Louis University in the United States and this is a particularly exciting new adventure for her. Inter-House debating, which we narrowly lost to a strong Blackford team, has been led brilliantly over the years by Megan Jones which has inspired her to strive to become a lawyer! We also won the InterHouse singing competition again under the capable guidance of Abs Hyde.

The House Play was the highlight of the year. LG has been absolutely amazing directing two House plays in five years! Each one has been very time consuming but as usual she managed perfectly. As I end my five years at this small and amazing school, I take away a lifetime of memories and experiences that I will always treasure. The smallest House is truly the most remarkable!

Megan Ward, Head of House

54

I

BLACKFORD HOUSE

n a change to the usual manner of doing things, I, as the Head of House have been tasked with writing this year’s Blackford House report, and, as we do not fear change, here it is!

At the traditional Hog Roast on the final evening of the academic year, Mr Bunday gave his ‘state of the nation’ address. Running through the highs and occasional lows of the year, it was clear that Blackford had been exceptionally busy, indeed there was hardly a dull moment in this, the joint biggest House with the largest number of boarders. He ran through the year’s many highlights in the realms of music, on the sports fields, on the stage, in the classroom, the charity fund raising events and yet another debating triumph.

However, given all that has been done and achieved in the House, what surprised many of us was his obvious pride when Blackford was recently described to him by a parent of a girl in the School as ‘the house of gentlemen’.

High praise indeed!

In September, we welcomed a great bunch of new boys to the 3rd Form, namely, Aled Downes, Marcos Lopez, Javdat Muminov, Toby Proctor, Isaac Pugh, Joel Southall, and Ed Weekes, whilst Lukas Dietz, Jan Roding and Henrik von Velsen joined us further up the School. They have all been great acquisitions to the House and we are pleased that they joined us.

Sadly, we also have to say goodbye to Blackfordians at the end of every year, each of whom have helped shape the House and have helped give Blackford its distinctive nature.

Those who have passed prematurely from being Blackfordians to Old Blackfordians are Marcos Lopez, Lukas Dietz, Seb Sweeting.

Jamie Wylie, Massimo Russowsky and Henrik von Velsen. This year’s U6th leavers are Ian Elms, Tom Hudson (Deputy Head of House), Jamie Ker, Rory McAfee, Felix Pinney, Archie Potter and myself, Archie Warsap (Head of House and Deputy Head Boy). It goes without saying that the whole House wish them all the very best of luck for the future.

In his ‘state of the nation address’, Mr Bunday also thanked the many people who work tirelessly to make Blackford the place that it is, and which I replicate here: our

The Dolphin 2018

fantastic Domestic Staff, namely Amy, Hayley and Kirsty, who do so much to keep the House clean and tidy; the academic tutors, Mr Walker, Mr Barrow, Mrs Bunday, Mr Davies, Dr Kirk, Mr O’Grady and Mrs Vigers-Belgeonne, who have done so much to keep us Blackfordians on the academic straight and narrow. Further thanks must go to Mr O’Grady, as Resident Tutor, for all that he does in the House and to assist Mr Bunday; Janice, our wonderful Matron, and the other numerous Matrons who filled in the few gaps left by Janice on her days off, and finally to Mrs Bunday, who works unceasingly around the School in her various roles as tutor in Blackford, the Events Manager, Secretary to the Old Brutonian Association and the Friends of King’s Bruton and the Administrator for the 500th Anniversary. Mrs Bunday is a huge support not only to the Housemaster but to all the boys and provides the softer and more relaxed side to House life!

However, in his “state of the nation” address, Mr Bunday, naturally not wishing to blow his own trumpet, failed to acknowledge his own keystone role in the health and happiness of Blackford House. Prior to any inter-house event, he always says the same thing, ‘that he cares little for the outcome, so long as everyone has given their all. It’s their commitment and involvement that makes him proud’. This not only installs a collective pride in the House, but it also develops confidence in individuals allowing boys to be ambitious and mindful of their own strengths. As Napoleon said, “great ambition is the passion of great character.”

The vast achievements of the House

this year indicate that Blackford has both brains and brawn. The almost effortless win of the juniors and seniors at the inter-house tug of war matched by the fact that the House came second in Inter-House athletics was a personal highlight. Furthermore, this year Blackford has supplied the bulk of the school’s acting prowess: Tom Hudson and Jamie Wylie had the two main parts in the School’s production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” whilst Finlay Pender-Cudlip and Jack Fowler-Baxter dominated the junior production of “Lord of the Flies.” Looking to the next academic year, it is clear that Blackford is not only in good health but also in good hands rich with potential.

Finally, any Old Blackfordians reading this report should be delighted to hear that we still retain the Parloof Trophy!

Archie Warsap, Head of House

U6 leavers: (back row) - Jamie Ker, Ian Elms, Felix Pinney, Archie Warsap, Rory McAfee, Janice (matron), Archie Potter, Tom Hudson. Front row: Nick Bunday (Housemaster), Louis Corbin O’Grady (resident tutor)

55

The Dolphin 2018

T

LYON HOUSE

he year began at Lyon with the new 3rd Form being introduced to life up on Hyde; with a tour of the House and introduction to our new air hockey, table football, basketball and ping-pong sets, the new students settled into the House immediately, and all proved to be ebullient and engaging individuals. Amid the damp and overcast days of September the sun broke through for the second annual Lyon House Charity Hockey Festival; students from across the years and teachers alike took part in the event, dressed in all kinds of attire, raising money and engaging in a competitive and lively event that brightened up the weekend.

During Inter-House events Lyon once again (quite literally) marched in, demonstrating the strength and unity of our House, keeping our spirits high while chanting our infamous House song. While Lyon competed well in both cricket and rugby, where we truly shone was in the Inter-House hockey.

The hockey saw solid performances from all players against an equally skilled opposition.

In the tense final minutes of the concluding match, goalkeeper Henry Barker-Bennet defended a short corner with a swift deflection, securing Lyon’s victory. However,

It was not only in sport that Lyon excelled this year. The 4th Form battled through the tough conditions of Dartmoor: Jago Cole, Freddie Goggs, Laurie Alderson and Tom Robinson all traversed over a

56

hundred miles after months of training in this challenging yearly event. In drama, we saw outstanding performances from students ranging from the 3rd Form to the Upper Sixth.

The School production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ featured a talent cast including Henry Barker-Bennet and Seb Claas, both performing as butlers, helping to uphold the aristocratic setting of the play. The Junior Play, ‘Lord of the Flies’, showcased the performances of Eddie and Hugo Burgess, Tom Robinson and Alpha Dorji, all aspiring thespians who demonstrated convincingly the destruction and barbarism that comes from the collapse of society.

Meanwhile the performances in the Inter-House music were talented, creative and inspiring. Freddie Goggs competed against challenging competition to secure the win in the Junior Soloists’ section with an outstanding performance of ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’. Afterwards Robert Jin displayed his artistic range, singing and strumming to a song he wrote himself about the town of Bruton.

Jin also raised the roof with his controversial ensemble performance of the heavily anticipated ‘Jin is number one’ with the help of fellow ‘Jin Brother’ and rapper Alpha Dorji, and assistance of DJ Jasper Thomas. Combined, the three put on a show I’m sure the King’s community will not forget in the years to come.

The rest of the House worked assiduously to sing ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. Under the leadership of Tom Williams, the House prefects and the continual effort from everyone

The Dolphin 2018 involved, I believe we did justice to Oasis’ original.

On Thursday afternoons at Lyon House we take a break from the long week and wind down with ‘House night’. Organised by Ollie Crossfield with help from House prefects, this year Lyon held a plethora of activities for everyone to take part in. As the autumn leaves fell, the House held a typically competitive conker competition, while on the colder days we’d wrap up in blankets and watch a film together with a couple of snacks. As summer finally arrived in England, Mr Hodder fired up the barbeque and we all enjoyed an intense game of the unruly ‘Lyon House Football.’

Whether it’s watching Ivo dance to Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’ or viewing a dodgy copy of the newest blockbuster, Thursday evenings in Lyon are always eventful. I’d like to thank Mr Hodder and the rest of the Lyon staff for another successful year, be it sport, music, drama or even in debating where Lyon saw its first victory in over a decade. As I leave the House I hope for many more great years to come, knowing the unwavering spirit and unmatchable community of Lyon will continue throughout the School’s future.

Seb Claas

I

NEW HOUSE

t has been another successful and prosperous year for New House, particularly on the sporting front, where we most recently won the Inter-House Cricket and the Challenge Cup for Inter-House Athletics for the highest number of points overall for a second year running. Special mention must go to those who set new records: Felix Farrell (Long Jump), Matthew Scott (400m), Jake Saunders (Shot Put) and the 4x100m relay team who all broke records for their age groups.

Other highlights of the year included winning the Inter-House Swimming and Golf and being placed a healthy second in InterHouse Hockey and Rugby. In Inter-House Cross-Country our Senior Boys came second place with Will Sandy winning the Senior Boys race and the Junior Boys came third overall.

The Inter-House Debate competition was also tightly contested this academic year with opening debates warming up the New House debating team in preparation for the knock-out round. They flew by in a flurry of victories with some emotive speaking from Peter Coulson and Myles Jenkins, who were well supported by the tried and tested duo of Callum McFarlane, Sam Innes and the junior representatives, Adam Barrett-James and Rory Gibbs. As the weeks passed, the team grew in strength, qualifying for the quarter-final. The debate proved to be a tough battle against a fierce Priory team. The team matched fire with fire and pulled through with only a few points separating the teams. The semi-final proved to be a more one-sided affair against the weaker Lyon House.

On the day of the Final, Blackford were too strong for the team, and although Sam Innes, Myles Jenkins and Callum McFarlane put up a great fight, the brutal combination of Luke Tuckfield, Seb Kingsberry and Archie Warsap were just too much for the team and so we settled for a solid second place. Overall, debating this year was a great success, with promise shown by all members of the team.

Special thanks must go to Myles Jenkins and Peter Coulson for their contributions to New House debating over their time at King’s.

Music remains one of New House greatest strengths. We became the first boys’ house to win the Inter-House music competition two years in a row, thanks, in 57

The Dolphin 2018

part, to a superb performance of ‘Sh-Boom’ by the House Ensemble. Felix Farrell led the vocals strongly, and Toby Clothier put in a superb performance for his first and last appearance in a House Ensemble! New House performed ‘House of the Rising Sun’ as the House song, with added harmony parts to secure an overall win for the House for a second year running.

In the Senior Solo Round of the competition, New House went from strength to strength. Felix Farrell contributed yet more to the competition with a jaw dropping piano solo in the Senior Round, equaled only by a superb performance on the alto saxophone by Aidan McFarlane as the Junior Solo Round. It’s not just in the Inter-House Music Competition that New House boys thrive either with House representatives in: Big Band, Chamber Choir, Chapel Choir, School Choir, Military Band, Jazz Quintet, Orchestra, Temperance 7. All rely on the experienced playing and singing of many New House boys across the year groups.

The outgoing U6th Form have left a great legacy for future years to live up to.

Our Head and Deputy Head of House, Toby Clothier and Myles Jenkins respectively, have demonstrated great leadership and have seen New House have another very strong year.

Myles and Arthur Harman have been good role 58

models for the House in their role as School Prefects through academic work, sport and socially. Nine Jampathipphong will be missed for his infinite wisdom about football and delegation of House matters. Tom Westropp has contributed a great deal towards House sporting success in his position as Captain of Rugby and having represented Somerset U18s. Tom Wood’s sense of humour will never be replaced. Peter Coulson’s generosity will never be matched and will be sorely missed.

Last, but by no means least, the post roll call discussions ably led

by George Wroth with his stellar debating skills has left big boots to fill for the future Debating Captain. We also bid farewell to leavers in other year groups, with Juan Peironcely (1 year), Victor Gaudin Prat and Benjamin Werner (1 term) leaving at the end of 3rd Form and Lluis Pares Garcia (1 year) leaving at the end of 4th Form. Inevitably, some boys move on following the completion of GCSEs and we bid a fond farewell to Milo Best, Charles Moulder and Mani Kher. We wish all the New House leavers well as they head on to pastures new.

House Report compiled by the L6th Form: Sam Horner, Samuel Innes, Peter Jenkins, Harry MacLeod-Ash, Callum McFarlane, Fionn Mohan, William Sandy, Jacob Sykes, Finn Weatherhead.

The Dolphin 2018

T

OLD HOUSE

his academic year has been another one of success for the boys of Old House, with many achievements in all areas.

Successes in Inter-House competitions across the board as well as another smoothly run charity event have made this year absolutely fly by. Old House boys are particularly blessed with a great set of tutors and although we are losing some this year we could not have done half of what we did without their support. Those leaving will be mentioned at the end but, Mr Jeffrey, Miss Archer, Mr Reed, Mr Loveless, Mr Hambleton, Mr Harkness and Mr Stainton have worked so hard for us all and we could not be better served. Mr Stainton has been a particularly well liked resident tutor and we really appreciate his support across the board.

The boys were once again successful in the Inter-House rugby, with both the Seniors and the Juniors winning - this was a good start to the year and showed the drive and determination to compete that has always been strong. This year was particularly special because of the culmination of collective effort towards producing a hugely successful play, Bouncers and Shakers. The input from around the House made the performances on two separate nights a great success. Perhaps the most successful (but scary) aspects of the

play was the boy’s ability to adapt to walking in heels! With eight actors, numerous stage crew and front of house, this truly was a whole House effort that really displayed what Old House is about. Special thanks must be given to Mr Stainton and Mr Jeffrey for their constant efforts to keep us motivated as well as organising sets and rehearsal times.

Other thanks must also go to the BTEC Hospitality students for their magnificent cocktails for the guests during the interval.

The Inter-House music was also an interesting experience this year. After selecting a challenging piece, the boys went about rehearsing with as much vigour as they do every year. However, without any leading choral talent among the ranks, the boys could not rely on any individuals for their skills as may have happened in previous years. This however brought them together more than ever before and allowed us to perform with confidence on the night when it mattered. Once again, a superb performance in a very strong field.

Old House hosted the annual Dodgeball charity event and went for a more continental feel by offering waffles and coffee, which proved to be very successful. On a very cold weekend in January, eight teams took part in the competition and it was with some pleasure that the Old House team retained the trophy.

With the ending of this academic year, we must also say goodbye to some staff,

59

The Dolphin 2018 including one of the House’s longest serving members, our matron, Celia. Celia, who arrived in Old House in 2005, will have seen almost 200 boys pass through her care all the way from 3rd Form to U6th. She has been there during the highs and lows of many Old House Boys and she will be sorely missed. She has been at the heart of the House and we could not have asked for a better Matron throughout the years. We wish her the best of luck for her retirement. Hopefully she will come back to visit.

Thanks must also go to Mrs Archer who will be missed by the boys; they really enjoyed her duty nights and (dare we say) she managed to bring a bit more of a civilised air to the House with her calm authority. Good luck!

Mr Read was with us for a year and the boys will miss his humour as well as his experience on the rugby pitch. Mr Loveless has been a tutor in Old House for six years and he is now stepping down. He will be missed for his thoughtfulness and his hard work in supporting all of the boys in Old House.

As we come to the end of the road, the memories that we take away are marvellous.

We wish next year’s pupils success and look forward to watching their progress from afar.

Will Luck Head of House Will Luck rises to the occasion

60

A

PRIORY HOUSE

s a House, I would describe Priory as caring, enthusiastic, ambitious, kind, energetic (unless a good movie is on and we are feeling lethargic), welcoming and supportive. With 16 new Priory girls arriving this year, the unfaltering spirit and passion of Priory continues. Further additions to the House in our staff team – Miss Wilkinson (5th form tutor), Mrs Phippard (L6th tutor) and Miss Hoskins (Resident tutor and 3rd form tutor) have each individually brought guidance, advice, care and comfort to the House. Each girl has flourished and grown under the roof of Priory House (even when it may have leaked into Mrs Simper’s office and the L6th day room).

When we all arrived at the start of the year, we were met by a new façade at the front of the House. It was a great way to begin the term. When not working, our time has been spent, amongst other things, on brilliant House nights and trips: the latter have included trekking up Dovecote – special mention to Amy Williams for completing this on her prosthetic leg - BBQs with other Houses in our beautiful garden, tea at Cole Manor and the extremes of house sledging in the snow to swimming in the heat at the McDermid’s.

We were thrilled to raise £266 for the Teenage Cancer Trust with our candy canes and charity stall at the Christmas Fair and a further £400 for the Indian Orphanage with a Go Wild Fun run which everyone enjoyed throughout the School. Inter-House music this February was another achievement - our Ensemble sang the song ‘Imagine’ coming 2nd, Holly played the flute delightfully and came 4th while Ella sang beautifully, winning the senior solo competition. As a House we came together to perform our song - Don’t stop believing; everyone was committed and enthusiastic during rehearsals so we were a little disappointed with our result of 3rd place.

However, we kept up the traditional Priory spirit and still partied throughout the evening.

Highlights of Priory’s non-stop calendar include our successes in sport throughout the year. Inter-House events were a triumph: 1st in junior hockey and 2nd in senior, a double win in

The Dolphin 2018

athletics, 1st in junior cross country and 2nd in senior, 2nd in both senior and junior netball and second in football. Our successes in sport have brought the purple army closer together as we cheer each other on and become even closer as a House, especially with the juniors shining through in their sporting events!

Well done also to Sophie Hamilton for playing again for England in hockey and both Sophie and Olivia Hamilton playing county cricket. On the stage Ella Corlett and Sophie Williams both performed with sophistication and elegance in the highly commended The Importance of being Ernest.

Musically, Katie Proctor joined the big band singers and has done fantastically well. Ella Corlett and Charlotte Mansergh performed wonderfully with the Orchestra and Military Band in their last concerts at King’s whilst young talent was shown in a 3rd Form concert in the summer term when Freya Smith, Gaby Howard-Harwood and Amelia Warren performed Riptide magnificently and then additionally in school assembly. Artistically, Santina McKechnie, Amy Williams, Katie Wootton, Frankie Redpath, Lulu McDade and Bella Andrew were all awarded artist of the week for their stunning pieces, In in while in

photography, Harriet Papenfus was awarded 1st place in the senior competition with Katie Wootton and Amy Ruddock were placed 1st and 3rd respectively in the junior competition.

Many girls were also awarded and reawarded House half colours and full colours, for their help and efforts within House.

This school year would not have run as fluently as it has done without our Head of House, Harriet Wakelin and the prefect team, but most of all, our great team of tutors who have helped us with academic stress. They have all been a calming influence and there has always been a moment for cake on Wednesdays. To Miss Hoskins and Jane, we are grateful and don’t know how you put up with all of us girls. Mrs Simper, you are the most amazing Housemistress: through your hard work, you have created a loving, caring and wonderful family atmosphere in Priory. However, it is now time for our leavers to say goodbye to the nest of Priory: Amy, Cully, Sophie, Alex, Taya, Sophia, Anna, Mattie, Chloe, Frankie, Ella, Kirsty, Liv, Harriet, Charlotte, Mini, Mia, Hortense, Tilly and Popi.

We wish you every happiness and success in your futures and hope that you come back to visit us soon.

Harriet Papenfus 61

The Dolphin 2018

WELLESLEY HOUSE

T

his year started off with a bang, seeing many new faces joining the Wellesley family for the first time. Our Academic and sporting commitments were immediately shown with the continuous flood of commendations received by our girls during the Christmas term, not to mention their involvement in extracurricular activities such as the Art Club, Choir and Big Band.

The House is always busy, and everybody supports each other, especially on Thursday evenings when we have our weekly ‘House night’: Newspaper-dress fashion shows, barbeques in the garden, facial spas in the kitchen, bobbing-for-apples, and wheel barrow races are all examples of the fun events Wellesley have enjoyed this year. Let’s not forget that cup of hot chocolate and sugary jam doughnut enjoyed after a few hours at the JCR and 6FC. ‘Wellesley Girl of The Week’ was introduced by Mrs Deaney to encourage kindness, hard work and help around the House - in order to win the Wellesley Girl Mug. This helped create some healthy competition.

Birthdays in Wellesley are always special, with the birthday girl receiving her own unique cake, presents, lots of hugs and a slightly out of tune rendition of ‘happy birthday’ sung with lots of love. This year we also enjoyed fun outings to the beach, splashdown and the cinema. Sharing a picnic with Arion, and cream teas with Priory have been great

62

fun, while the Wellesley vs Arion House dodgeball night was quite a hit, literally. This year we also entered teams into charity House events like the Arion charity Net Ball, and the Old House charity dodgeball. At the Christmas fair Wellesley managed to raise £143.50 for the School’s charity, the teenage cancer trust, which is a particularly meaningful charity for the girls.

The 3rd Form settled in well and have had many funny stories to tell after their trip to Mill on the Brue. Throughout the year they have all grown as individuals, taking part actively in House events; this was seen with their involvement in junior Inter-House badminton, which was won by Wellesley, and numerous other Inter-House activities.

Having some junior girls representing some of King’s top sporting teams, as well as attending National trials and holding places in county and district teams was a huge honour. We are very proud of Millie Venner-Coombs for her huge success in athletics as she reached the national athletics trials this summer. Anya Evans has again achieved amazing things such as representing Somerset in cricket and at the national cross-country finals as well as representing Great Britain in the under 16 girls biathlon. Both Rosie Longman and Sophie Gould are also in the Somerset and England development programme for hockey, continuing to excel both on and off the pitch.

Kitty Walker’s netball achievements are something else; she is truly impressive as she continues to develop in the England

The Dolphin 2018 netball training system. The Snow Ball was enjoyed by all who attended and was a night to remember. All the girls looked stunning in their dresses and left House in a state of excitement that lasted throughout the evening.

It can be said that overall the juniors have had a successful year full of new experiences and hard work.

The seniors have continued to excel, setting a brilliant example for the younger years.

A crucial role in the House is that of student mediator: this year Kiara Jones has fulfilled this role, acting as mediator between the girls and teachers. She has been an amazing support to the girls, encouraging them to succeed, both in the school and in their social lives.

It has also been a tremendous achievement for the Wellesley seniors to have three of our Upper Sixth as school prefects and Kitty Mant as Head Girl. Having Lottie Gould, Holly White and Kitty Mant as part of the senior leadership roles within the House has helped the girls know what is going on in school life.

Many of the senior girls have had amazing performances for King’s first and second teams in hockey, netball, tennis and cricket as well as playing for county and district teams. Holly White played Wiltshire cricket, winning a place on the first Wiltshire women’s tour to Sri Lanka, where they won several key matches. Holly also set up the first King’s women’s cricket team who successfully beat the junior Bs boys cricket team. Many Wellesley girls such as Ruby LowsleyWilliams, Anya Evans, Hermione Williams and Sophie Wichary took part in both matches and training sessions organised by Holly.

Elsie Gibbs was impressive in her eventing and dressage triumphs for both individual performances at the Bath and West show but also for the King’s Bruton’s equestrian team in other events.

The Wellesley House play, Liberty Hall, was a massive success. Directed by Miss Coombs (before becoming Mrs Howarth in the summer), the cast managed to pull off an enjoyable comedy which involved many of the actors getting beards and delivering lines in unusually deep voices. The comedy was heightened by the brilliant and hilarious performances of Hermione Williams and Ruby Lowesly-Williams and a dynamic old couple.

It was great to see at least two of our Third Form, Izzy Jones and Alena Belinskaya, hold quite major parts in the play. Anna Barkshire, Kiara Jones, Kitty Mant and Narnia Wilmot all performed beautifully which really emphasised their acting talent. We have to give Mrs Howarth a huge thank you for putting up with chaotic and long rehearsals but also for creating such an amazing final play.

Mrs Deaney left Wellesley after nine years of being House Mistress at the end of the Easter term in 2018. Mrs Deaney created a warm and inclusive House, where girls can chat to anyone about anything and are able to laugh and work at the same time. As a House we were very sad to see our other mum leave after being a part of our lives for such a long time. Mrs Deaney will always be part of Wellesley.

With Mrs Deaney’s departure we saw the arrival of Mrs Loveless; She has made us feel totally supported as a House. Mr Loveless, William and Mirabel have shared their wife and mum with us and for that we are grateful.

The girls have been successful both in the class room and on the sports field, however most importantly they continue to develop the “Wellesley” characteristics of strong, helpful, supportive and lovely young women.

Narnia Wilmot and Kiara Jones

63

The Dolphin 2018

Rob Lowry

VALETE

by Gareth Evans

R

obert James Pascoe Lowry, aka Mr Lowry (formal), aka Bob (to many), aka Fluffy Johnson (to the Bruton music community), aka Dad (to two very special people), aka Rob (in my estimate, the most widely used moniker for this man of many parts). So, which of the many Robs do you know? The leatherclad motorcyclist? The Housemaster? The guitarist?

The elder statesman and stalwart of King’s? The supportive listener? Which is your Rob? Do you know them all, or just some?

To misquote a far better writer than me, a man plays many parts in his life and Rob has had more than his quota and carried them all off with great aplomb; truly, he is a man of many parts.

I first knew him as a geographer: when David Elstone left for Warwick School in 1989, Rob was head-hunted for his second incarnation at King’s, this time as Head of Geography.

Newbies on the staff, like me, wondered who was this man that senior staff were so keen to re-recruit. Quickly, it became clear to us that Tony Beadles (Headmaster, 1985-1993) had found what he was looking for: a man steeped in his subject; a born teacher; a true professional; and a loyal and outstandingly supportive colleague. As boss of the Geography Department he oversaw a heady period of seven consecutive years of pupils obtaining Oxford or Cambridge geography places.

Rob had never considered returning to King’s. He first appeared in Bruton in 1983, via a degree in geography at University College 64

London and a distinction in his PGCE from the London University Institute of Education.

He arrived for interview in a borrowed car and a borrowed, badly-repaired suit and still seems amazed that, despite this, he convinced Hubert Doggart (Headmaster, 1972-1985) to appoint him (which says a lot about his selfdeprecation).

He didn’t stay long at King’s this first time, leaving for Alleyn’s School in Dulwich in 1985; the draw of London’s bright lights proved too much, but there he widened and deepened his skills as a teacher and geographer (helping to develop the coursework that became the blueprint of GCSE geography), as well as doing the same as a guitarist with a band called ‘Mere Mortals’ on the London pub scene. When word reached Bruton that Rob had started looking for a head of department post, Tony Beadles swooped and Rob resumed what has become a thirty-fiveyear relationship with King’s Bruton (well, thirtyfive years and counting).

There were, of course, more strings to his bow than geography alone and an invitation to tea in 1995 from Richard Smyth (Headmaster, 1993-2004) led to his taking over as Housemaster of Priory, then a boys’ House, when Brian Ashton stepped down. Brian’s shoes were not easy to fill, given his legend as coach of Bath RFC; indeed, many boys had joined the House because Brian was at the helm. The boys quickly noticed, however, that Rob was his own man and incredibly loyal to the boys and the House. On one occasion some local hoodlums had been terrorising the Priory 3rd Form, culminating in a smashed Priory window. When Rob arrived on the scene, the culprit was sitting, smirking on his bicycle. To the delight of the Priory boys, Rob

The Dolphin 2018 pushed the hooligan off his bike, took it and an early Leavers’ Ball, Rob had forgotten to told this youth that it would be returned when plan for some eventuality which necessitated his mother and father came to Priory and paid him having to kick down a door to get at the for the repair of the window. Another Priory needed item; and all that while, he was also legend was born. enjoying the party.

The former American President, Ronald

Suffice to say that in the fifteen Reagan, once said, “When you’re up to your years Rob was a key player in the pastoral ass in alligators, the last thing you think about management of King’s, the School moved is draining the swamp”, but Rob, throughout forward enormously and Rob was a major the time when he was involved in boarding, initiator of the reforms which enabled this to was most adept at developing ideas that happen. He was Director of Boarding (2006helped “drain the swamp”, despite working 2010), he was Housemaster of Lyon from flat out at his other 2003-2006, having roles. I remember agreed to run in the early part down his beloved of his tenure as Priory between a Housemaster, 2001 and 2003 Rob raising for it to become concerns about a girls’ House. In bullying at King’s his final year at and some of his Priory, the House more experienced won the Intercolleagues House Singing believing that this Competition with was impossible, Stay Another only for events Day, with Rob to prove them accompanying badly wrong in on acoustic guitar the weeks that and his young followed. He daughter Alice went on to lead singing with the the development boys. On an of a new “antiemotional evening, harassment” policy, it seemed that the which worked standing ovation It took Rob 40 minutes to sketch this image of his break for freedom. The extremely well in would never end.

Geography Department can’t bring themselves to rub it off their board. the eradication of

Family has bullying at King’s. always been

He was important to Rob. key in draining the swamp in other ways One of four children, a son of Cranleigh in too, devising (and helping implement) many Surrey but a proud Cornishman by heritage, initiatives which improved the way pastoral he attended Cranleigh School, where his care was (and is) delivered at King’s. The list father was Head of Geography and the author of these developments is considerable, and of a best-selling O-level geography text book. while I have insufficient space to list them Lowry Senior was responsible for gently all, they ranged from the introduction of day nudging the young Rob towards a career matrons, to the creation of the Junior Common teaching geography, even though Rob had Room (Rob even personally designed the initially arranged to do a degree in graphic original facilities), to penning job descriptions design. Teaching’s gain was design’s loss, for tutors, to organising and managing (with as pupils can attest: the ease with which he Rose Vigers-Belgeonne) the first Leavers’ completes a drawing whether on a whiteboard, Balls on the King’s campus. I must point or on a scrap of paper is amazing. A different out that it was not all smooth going and in dimension was added to family in the early 65

The Dolphin 2018 1990s: the young leather-clad biker I recalled above, would leave King’s after sports fixtures on Saturdays and zoom up to Surrey to see Julie, his girlfriend, then fiancée, now wife and mother of their two children. She has been a great support to Rob, and his desire to step down from Housemastering was because of a desire to “concentrate on having two children instead of sixty.”

Rob also might be the only teacher at King’s to play for the 1st XV. As a young teacher, watching the 1st XV in a match against the OBA, he came on to the field to shore up the scrum when a 1st XV prop was forced to retire. This sums up Rob nicely, “Leave it with me,” or “I’ll take care of it”. He frequently did take care of it when it came to sport at King’s, whether as Master i/c Athletics (remember the athletics refusenik who spent many afternoons painting marker sticks at Rob’s behest?), or a passionate rugby coach, most lately with the Under 14 Bs, or at hockey, or as a long-serving Master i/c Golf. In all these roles his hallmark was to roll up his sleeves and get on with it with his customary professionalism, passion and tenacity.

There was also, of course, the guitar (or more accurately, guitars). What will Julie do when Rob finally retires and is forced to empty his secret store of guitars in the Geography Department? His inability to read music has not proven a barrier to a man with a natural ‘ear’ and he has graced the south-west rock scene for many years with bands such as The Johnsons (remember Fluffy Johnson?) and Back Before Breakfast, regularly missing school (and avoiding the Thorpe Park trip) in the last week of term, to grace one of the Glastonbury stages. He is a very good guitarist, but claims he is the only member of staff to be sacked from the King’s Big Band on three occasions. Who knows, he may yet be recalled to the colours in the absence of a suitable lead guitarist from the pupil body.

Since coming off the Senior Management Team in 2010, Rob has forged a new path for himself as the School’s 66

Designated Safeguarding Lead, implementing a new IT based system to manage and monitor this vital aspect of welfare and care at King’s.

His talents match this position well; he is a reassuring presence around the School and someone upon whom pupils and colleagues can truly rely. Perhaps it is fitting that the School is not yet able to replace him in this role and Rob will continue as DSL next year on a part-time basis; the man who first left King’s after two years, cannot now be dispensed with after his second stint of twenty-nine.

So which Rob do you know? With which of his many roles are you most familiar? Some will remember him best as ‘just’ a teacher, but passionate, professional, a born teacher who could not resist an opportunity to show his enthusiasm for his subject.

For others as a Housemaster, a compassionate man who allowed his charges to be themselves while maintaining the difficult balance of exercising discipline at the same time as being a mentor.

Others will know him as a colleague, incredibly committed, selfless, giving of his time and reliable. More still will know him as a games coach, or a musician, a leader of tours, an officer in the CCF etc. etc. And, of course, Julie, Alice and John know him as a husband and father.

I have the great fortune of knowing nearly all the Robs, but I have sold him a little short here; I have omitted his love of a story, his sense of humour, his hearty laughter (perhaps caused by a ridiculous situation in a classroom, or, one notable occasion, by his pranks as we sat in the Priory Garden on a warm night in June, drinking a very old bottle of Jameson’s Whiskey), his desire to see ‘old school values’ in place at King’s i.e. a staff of solid professionals doing a job to the best of their abilities and his generosity, such as travelling to post-Ceausescu Romania to build a playground for orphans. His tenure at King’s has included some downs but many, many more highs and the School has been extremely fortunate to have been served by whichever Rob you know.

The Dolphin 2018

Gail de Mora

by Tim Walker

G

ail began her career here at King’s in April 1997 when she joined the school to teach four periods a week for one term in the Mathematics Department. But like many, a one term contract soon became a permanent part time contract and from September 1997 she worked part time up to 2003, teaching increasing amounts of lessons before finally becoming full time in September 2003. In September 2005 she became the Head of Department, returning to part time teaching in 2016 until her retirement this summer.

Over her time at King’s, Gail has been involved with every aspect of the community life. She supported (I was told explicitly not to say coached!) various teams but mainly thirds teams in Hockey and Netball and helped to organise Fives and Badminton sessions.

She enjoyed being involved with the community service programme, taking pupils to care homes in Castle Cary, taking pupils to help with Sport at Allhallows School and organising pupils in local placements in Bruton.

Gail has been a tutor in all three girls’ Boarding Houses. She tutored in Arion House in 1997 when the School started to take junior girls and then moved with the girls, when the numbers of girls grew, into Priory House until 2007. In 2010 she joined Wellesley House, staying until 2016.

In the activity programme she has offered needlecraft sessions, made greetings cards and run card and board games groups.

In 2009 she was invited to become the Deputy Safeguarding Lead which proved to be both interesting and challenging at times.

During this time, her two children have passed through King’s, both studying Maths, and in Michelle’s case, following her mother’s footsteps into the Maths teaching profession.

I met Gail in her second term as Head of Department, when I came for an interview here and was pleased to become her first appointment. Since then I have never failed to be impressed at the care and time she puts into each pupil in her care, whether it be academic or pastoral. As Head of Department, she led the department with kindness and this rubbed off on all of us and the way we approached our teaching. She is unfailingly cheerful (even with her current 3rd Form!) and her smile will be greatly missed in the department.

After 21 years of service within the King’s community Gail has now decided to retire from teaching and looks forward to pottering in the garden, walking with Andrew and Rolo and maybe doing some voluntary work.

Kate Wylie-Carrick

by Gail de Mora

K

ate joined King’s in September 2008 as a part time teacher, teaching both class lessons and extra Maths in one-to-one tuition. She retired this summer after a career spanning forty years in which she had taught as far away as New Zealand and Nepal. In the intervening years her responsibilities had included Head of Department but Kate always declared that her time at King’s was one of the happiest. Back to just teaching Mathematics, she enjoyed her times with the youngest 3rd Former to the oldest U6th Former, teaching across IGCSE and A Level. The combination of class teaching and extra Maths was one in which Kate excelled. She regarded each pupil as individual, taking a keen interest in the mathematical development of all whom she 67

The Dolphin 2018 was teaching.

Kate’s classroom teaching latterly was across 3rd, 4th and 5th form and she loved persuading them that some of the topics they thought were “too hard” were actually really quite easy. They in turn found that a good way to distract attention from simultaneous equations at the end of a long dreary afternoon was to ask about the time she managed a school rugby team in New Zealand. Known to be a singularly unsporty member of staff, it never failed to entertain that she had persuaded an ex-All Black to provide a training session for a lowly 3rd Form team. But they always found they were back to simultaneous equations in the end and usually did find that they were easier than they thought.

Kate loved the other half of her job as an extra Maths teacher and this was where she found herself teaching the very basics to a 3rd Former in one lesson and Core 4 to a U6th Former in the next. Many who were taught by Kate were seeking that magic grade C and her approach was always that of the possible not the impossible. Some took a little longer to gain that sometimes elusive grade but nearly all got there in the end. Her pleasure in their pass grades was almost as much as theirs – she making a real difference to a pupil’s life which is one of the true rewards of teaching.

Kate is looking forward to continuing the friendships she found in the Maths Department and in the wider King’s community. She is looking forward to joining her husband Nigel, who has been relaxing into retirement for the past year, on trips to family and friends abroad.

68

Monica Ashton

by Tim Walker

M

onica has had many roles in the school over many years and been thanked for them on other occasions. I am here to thank her for her fantastic service as senior moderator for the past 13 years.

As I could tell from the collective sigh of relief as we finished the last exams yesterday morning, invigilating public exams is not something most people enjoy, but Monica has turned a thing most people hate into her own little niche and been exceptionally good at it.

Indeed with over 3200 hours invigilating over that time she probably has more experience than the rest of us combined.

She is the constant presence in the exam hall who the pupils see in every exam and feel confident with. She is kind and manages to put the pupils at their ease even at the most stressful of times. She helps keep me on the straight and narrow and always greets me each morning with a smile and a laugh, which makes a real difference when you are facing one of those difficult mornings.

It is fair to say that I, and my predecessor Colin Juneman, would have been lost without her and she has left a large pair of crocs to fill next year. (Last year when I addressed the school and ran through exam protocols, I mentioned that ‘Mrs Ashton’ would always be in the hall to answer any questions. A look of confusion covered many faces until I explain that Mrs Ashton was the croc lady and 150 faces lit up). I had hoped to present her with a commemorative pair of turquoise crocs but they are nationally out of stock, so she will get them in due course.

Monica thank you for all the support you have given me over the years and all the time and care you have shown towards the pupils. I will miss you hugely.

The Dolphin 2018

RUGBY

Will Luck

Toby Clothier

Ist XV

T

he 1st XV showed much promise: results were close, some went our way, but others didn’t because of poor execution in the final third of the pitch, writes Stuart Hamilton.

The season started with a good squad of players travelling to Manchester to train and play in the King’s Macclesfield Festival. The boys trained well with the focus on defensive organisation and lots of tackling. We enjoyed the hospitality of Stockport RFC for our training session. The festival on the Saturday was well hosted by King’s Macclesfield. We put our hard work to the test against some big schools such as Warwickshire Grammar School and Manchester Grammar School. The boys acquitted themselves well and fortunately we came away with very few injuries.

The first match of the season against Dauntsey’s proved a tough contest. In this semi-training game, we were just not at the races when it came to the break down; as a result, we played much of the match on the back foot. Our defence held up at times, but we played too much of the game without the

ball. After reflecting on this, we put in two good performances against Monkton Combe away and Clayesmore at home. At times during these games we played some excellent rugby with good individual performances from George Brown, Bertie Hughes and Ross Tudhope. Henry Oliver scored in both matches.

Against Prior Park, we lost slightly against the run of play. Prior had claimed no front row at all – they exploited the uncontested scrummaging with a robust No 8 picking and running. All three tries came from the base of the scrum. That said, we made too many basic mistakes with ball in hand, costing us possession and territory - we did not deserve to get a result out of the game.

In the next two games against Downside and King Edward’s Bath, we were outgunned in most areas of the pitch. This said, we defended well and were in both games going into the final quarter of the match.

The defensive performances of Ivo Wright and Tristano Wrighton in the pack were outstanding. Toby Rogers and Alex Enderby were like a pair of hyenas breaking up midfield attacks. The problem was that we could not capitalise on our opportunities with ball in hand; eventually the size and power of the opposition carried them to two or three tries in the last ten minutes of the game.

Our matches in November were home and away against Clayesmore and Monkton Combe. We managed to win both. The 5-0 win at Clayesmore was particularly 69

The Dolphin 2018

Tom Westropp, above and below

satisfying as we played all the rugby. Barney Latham’s control and Tom Westropp’s sheer determination to win (scoring the winning try) were determining factors in a close battle.

The final two matches against Christ College Brecon and Taunton were close fought affairs. We played some good rugby with Denis Perushev showing his strong running. Toby Clothier made yards around the breakdown where he was as slippery as an eel. We had plenty of chances in both games to win the matches, but we could not execute when it mattered, and this cost us the results.

Overall it was a season where we did not really reach our potential. There were a number of players who experienced 1st XV rugby for the first time and that bodes well for next year. My final mention must go to two of the most consistent players throughout the season, both being selected by their peers as the Players of the Season. Tom Williams made the last 5 yards to the try line look easy (his try against Taunton was a walk in) while William Luck was brilliant in the lineout (his line breaking runs and try against Taunton were nothing like a walk in!).

Toby Rogers

Alex Enderby

Played 10 Won 4 Lost 6

Ross Tudhope

70

2nd XV

The Dolphin 2018

T

he 2nd XV had a mixed season with some successes and failures, writes Malcolm Jeffrey. However, they did play spirited rugby, showing a good team spirit throughout.

The team ended the year much tighter knit and much more committed to each other. Both Dr Kirk, my fellow coach, and myself were proud of their achievements.

The season began with a training fixture against Dauntsey’s. In this match the 2nd XV played some very spirited rugby against a much bigger side. Their determination was unfailing, and the tackles were relentless.

However, they could not hold off the constantly well drilled attack for ever and lost 60 – 0.

Some excellent work carrying the ball from Will Sandy and the team was well led by Jamie Ker and Ian Elms. For hard work and for getting around the pitch the man of the match was Cosmo Williams Cardaras.

The following match was a complete contrast and any mistakes made in the first week were more than made up for against Clayesmore. King’s 2nd XV played some excellent rugby to win 58 0. The opposition were slow to begin with, but really upped their game in the second half and it is testament to King’s determination that they kept the score sheet clean.

Notable performances from many of the team, in some respects too many to mention. But, Rupert Leschallas and Jonathan Boyle played hard and Tom Woods looked strong in the tackle. Cosmo led the team well and Ian Elms showed real strength.

The Man of the Match was Will Sandy who was tireless and tackled well. All in all, a very sound performance from a promising team.

Next came Monkton Combe, the first of 2 meetings with this team in the season.

Although the 2nd XV put Monkton under pressure for the first half they did not convert their dominance into scoring opportunities.

Then they lost shape and focus which left them making mistakes and missing tackles.

Above: Luke Tuckfield. Inset: Henry Barker-Bennett

Added to that they did not protect the ball at the breakdown which led to messy and scrappy play. However, they never lost their determination and their spirit and once more the boys made the coaches proud of their overall performance. Man of the Match was Massimo Russowsky de la Chapelle, for his excellent defensive play and his attacking runs.

Following this there were three heavy defeats against Prior Park, Downside and King Edward’s Bath, the boys were in the doldrums and training became more intense and more focussed on mental attitude rather than physical skills. With a renewed vigour and a determined focus the boys approached their return home game against Monkton Combe.

This turned out to be a beautiful comeback from what had been a difficult season so far.

The match was visual and physical poetry.

The boys played their best rugby, rucking superbly, tackling like gods and each of the players taking responsibility for their role on the pitch. Every one of the boys took on their opposite number with aggression and with tenacity. This was how rugby should be played and the coaches were both proud and humbled by their performance. There were too many outstanding players to mention, because every young man on that pitch was worthy of praise (Theo Barratt broke his jaw after a series of utterly superb tackles), but the Men of the Match were Myles Jenkins for his leadership and sheer “grunt” and Massimo for his presence all over the pitch and for running his heart out.

71

The Dolphin 2018

The next return match was against Clayesmore and after a slightly shaky start, King’s regrouped and played some excellent rugby. The forwards and backs linked up well and communicated intelligently with each other. The tackles were effective and at times relentless; everyone played to their strengths and took on a better Clayesmore side in this return fixture. The 52 - 19 final score belies how hard the opposition had made this fixture and how hard our boys had fought for this victory. Whilst they did not recreate the balletic performance from the week before, the 2nd XV showed yet more depth to their game and a repeated desire to win. Man of the Match was Massimo, for his speed, strength and tenacity.

The next match showed yet more improved performances and it was clear that the boys of the 2nd XV had very much turned a corner. It was a sound performance producing a 27-7 victory. The whole team took this fixture seriously and it was a tough one. Christ College Brecon turned up with 13 players and it is to their credit that Ben Vallings and Alex Baxter volunteered to play for the opposition, and they played well. The player of the match was Henry Barker-Bennett for 3 tries and one conversion. He was always in the right place at the right time, through skill rather than luck. Every player gave a good performance, Peter Coulson was excellent as was Rupert Leschallas.

This victory brought the team to the end of the season, facing Taunton in what will be a monumental fixture. The boys were on the edge of a precipice, which they have climbed up to, the hard way. They had worked themselves towards this moment with aggression, graft and determination.

The last game of the season promised to be spectacular and it lived up to this expectation.

72

Taunton were well drilled, and they were big.

However, they were ill disciplined and although they put three tries past the boys in the first half, they did not do so easily. The defence from King’s was exceptional, with huge tackles being put in by every young man on the pitch and there were occasions where they narrowly missed scoring as well. This was the best performance from the 2nd XV yet and once more it is a very hard job to pick a man of the match, but, for sheer determination and an incredible work rate in every situation, this goes to Peter Coulson. Both coaches were impressed by King’s discipline in the face of a difficult and aggressive opponent and they ended their season on a tremendous high.

The Team were blessed with players like Archie Warsapp, who was unfailing and indefatigable throughout the Season. Ed Bascombe, Charlie Cross, Archie Potter, Sam Houldsworth, Harry MacLeod-Ash, Myles and Peter Jenkins as well as others not mentioned in the match reports above gave committed and sound performances week after week.

The 2nd XV ended the season in a much better frame of mind and with a much better attitude towards the game, all in all, they should feel proud of all they achieved.

3rd XV

I

sense from contacting some of our competitor schools this term that for many this section of their school magazines will read as an obituary recording the death of an old gentleman, writes Dan Hodder. Sadly our side struggled this season to find schools willing and able to play us, such has been the decline in the apparent appetite for relaxed, social, senior school rugby. I am pleased to report, however, that King’s can proudly sport a team in which players, week in and week out, reported for training and gave everything in both practices and the limited games we’ve had. Our senior pros such as Toby Doig and Finn Weatherhead were outstanding in running the team while they were ably assisted by Callum McFarlane, Sam Innes, Robert Jin and Jacob Sykes. Elsewhere we saw our development squad and academy side turning out the likes of Jake Jiang, Henrik von Velsen and Jan Roding who all joined our side for big

The Dolphin 2018 money transfers over the summer. Elsewhere Ben Fearn, Oliver Crossfield, Sean Lock, Hugo Taylor and Rhodri Harper were outstanding and played wonderful rugby. I would like to thank all the boys for the commitment, fun, good humour and effort which was at the core of everything we did this term. From our now famous Kabaddi warm-up drill or playing a pitch size relay game of noughts and crosses a smile was never far away. I can speak for Mr Dawe too when I say these players were immensely enjoyable to coach and work with.

Lost to Sherborne 14-37 Lost to Dauntsey’s 31-36 Won against Taunton 27-22

U16 A

T

he U16A rugby team worked hard to make the transition from junior to senior rugby, writes Dan Cupit. I am sure all players will agree that the game has become more physical, tactical and demands more of them than what they have previously experienced during their years playing rugby.

The season started well with an excellent training game against Dauntsey’s.

This was a tough game to start the season and really showed the King’s team what senior rugby was about. However, it also provided the opportunity for many players to establish themselves and for the team to work together.

Strong performances against Clayesmore (295) and Monkton Combe (5-0) meant that the term got off to a flying start. The U16A team had demonstrated some flowing rugby and an ability to get across the line. However, in the middle of the season, the team learnt that in senior rugby any mistakes will be penalised and the fixtures are all very competitive.

However, many of the players accepted the new challenge and really got to grips with the demands of the game and the physical challenges they were coming up against.

Particularly impressive were Gabriel Pugh with his ability to read the game, find space and use his boot to both score points and clear our lines. Hector McAfee and Rian Upton were impressive throughout the season with both their levels of fitness, carrying of the ball and their ferocity in the tackle. Other players who made their mark include Robert Harris, Jake

Saunders and Oliver Pick in both attack and defence.

The example had been set and the rest of the team followed suit, developing their own game to ensure that all fixtures were competitive. Games against Downside, King Edward’s Bath, Monkton Combe and Prior Park were all incredibly close with three of the four games finishing with both teams separated by a single score, with often just a missed tackle, dropped ball or spilled lineout separating the two teams. However, having learnt from their mistakes the team composed themselves and returned to winning ways against Clayesmore in difficult conditions and circumstances. While the season ended with a tough fixture against Taunton School, the U16A team can take huge pride from both their performance and the way they handled themselves in difficult circumstances. A huge amount has been learnt this season with many players demonstrating huge potential for both next year and beyond.

P 8, W 3, L 5

73

The Dolphin 2018

U16B

T

his was an excellent season for the Under 16Bs, the School’s team of the season, both in training and on match days, writes Tim Walker and Will Stainton.

The U16Bs trained and played as a team week in, week out. They willingly took part in fitness training, sprint training, Mr Walker’s gruelling shuttle runs and the weekly HIT workouts.

They did this knowing the benefits of it on their match fitness and ultimately the result of the match on the Saturday.

The training match against Dauntsey’s was a brilliant start to the season, providing the team with a difficult, physical encounter. This could not have prepared them better for the fixtures ahead of them.

The first match was at home against Clayesmore. King’s scored nine tries with eight conversions. It was the start of a fantastic season for Jordan Edson, who scored 21 points in this game, with all eight conversions and a try. I congratulate him for a consistent and awe-inspiring season. Well done.

The next four matches were all victories 74

against bigger teams and schools; Monkton Combe, Prior Park, Sherborne and a return fixture at Monkton Combe. All these games required the team to work hard against difficult opposition, but the leadership on the pitch was outstanding and resulted in the well-deserved win.

The final two fixtures were difficult matches, late on in the term. An away match at Clayesmore is always a difficult fixture, and proved to be a scrap to the final whistle. A forward-heavy game meant the scores were exceptionally close. The match ended 17-14 in Clayesmore’s favour, ending the possibility of the unbeaten season.

It was three weeks before the final game of the season rolled around against an unbeaten Taunton School, away at Taunton.

A hammering despite a strong personal performance from Archie Waterfield – one of many this season. In this game, we had lost before stepping onto the bus.

Despite this match, it was an excellent season, led by Archie Jones but supported by many. Well done.

P 7 W 5 D 0 L 2 F 228 A 152

The Dolphin 2018

U15A

O

verall this was a commendable season for the Under 15As with plenty of lessons learned, some excellent displays from some players and an awful lot of effort put in by others, writes Paul Reed.

However, the overriding satisfaction we took from this season was in overseeing the development of a great bunch of boys and the improvement of six B team players who at the start of the season did not have the selfbelief that they could compete at A team level.

The season started well with a training game against Dauntsey’s which we won, but more importantly it gave the coaches the chance to take a look at the players and assess their skills with the long season ahead. In particular, we wanted to look at the tackling Ollie Luck and backs alignment which we would later discover to be the weakness in our armour.

Positives to take out of the game were the potential of a powerful pack.

The following week, the season started properly with a good away win at Clayesmore.

We won 10-43 but the result was in doubt for much of the game as the boys left their game on the bus with a very confused and scrappy start. However, after moving some players around, giving the team a clearer shape, Barber who had a slow start woke up and made some good runs as did Jack FowlerBaxter. We played much better running rugby and scored six tries with Rabbets more closely involved in the action in the forwards. (Scorers: Barber, Rabbets, Wichary, McFarlane and Ward. Ollie Luck got a few kicks!)

Our second game was nearly abandoned, but with a very late change to the fixture (as Monkton Combe cancelled) we pitted ourselves against the mighty Millfield.

We knew this would be a challenge and so it turned out to be - they were a big, organised and well drilled team. The boys worked hard, holding them to a half time score of 17-5, with our try scored by Ollie Barber (we should have known, even this early in the season, that this was where our strength would lie), but their backs were relentless. The pattern of the game continued in the second half with the team on the back foot, but slowly our forwards started to take control, with our “pick-n-drive” working a lot better in twos and threes, giving us “go-forward” ball and allowing us to score two more tries and converting one. However, our defensive organisation was still not working well enough and this allowed Millfield to run in five second half tries as soon as they found the ball in space. We also lost Wichary and Haywood early in the second half, but the boys battled to the end and enjoyed the experience. Try scorers Ollie Barber x2, Liam Ward x1. Lost 17-44.

The next match was against Downside (Lost 43-12). We knew this would be a test as they had some dangerous runners last year, so we tried to counteract this by moving some of the key players to more defensive positions. Unfortunately, our main problem throughout the whole game was the team’s inability to tackle, allowing them to run in seven tries. Ward and Jones did their best at the breakdown to clear scrums but when starved of possession it was difficult for the backs, and they were dangerous. We did however score two tries through Ollie Luck and Tom Jones.

After half term we faced Monkton Combe (won 17-7) (Sam Rabbets, Toby Phillips and Aiden McFarlane+ 1 conversion) and this was probably our best performance of the season where we controlled the game from start to finish despite the score line.

Adam Barrett-James was outstanding in the 75

The Dolphin 2018 lineout (as he was all season) and we also tried Rowan Oliver in what could be his new position of second row. We were blooding four new B team players (Lefebvre, Kreutzberg, Neave, Harper) so the way in which we moved the ball and controlled possession was very impressive. By week 4 we had begun to understand where our strengths lay and our back row were superb in executing a game plan where we kept the play tight and used our dominant pack to tire them down. As the opposition wilted under the onslaught, we moved the ball wider and scored two excellent tries out wide from loose play. Unfortunately, Sean Neave got sent off for tackling a player without the ball, but this just evened the numbers up as they were down to 14 men.

Next up were King Edward’s Bath (Won 17-12): (Barber, Phillips x2, 1 conversion) which was a tight affair, where we were down for the whole game bar the last five minutes when Toby Phillips crashed over for his second of the day from close quarters. Bath had the backs and we had the forwards, so it was an exciting affair where we tried to deny them possession and chased them down when they did have the ball. Lefebvre gave way to Wichary at half-time and this gave us greater control at the back of the scrum which resulted in some powerful runs from a dominant pack.

It would be fair to say the boys were pleased with this win and rightly so having executed the game plan perfectly.

Next up after the exeat was Clayesmore again but this time at home, (Won 51-0: Barber; Luck x2; Rabbets x2; Wichary x2; Phillips x2; Conversions Luck x 3) but it was a fairly one-sided affair where we carried the ball too far and made far too many mistakes, despite what the score suggests. Rowan Oliver discovered that he didn’t like playing full back and Aiden McFarlane was lucky to stay on after a high tackle. Despite that the boys ran hard, competed well at the breakdown and rucked well. It was perhaps just some poor decision making which would need to be remedied before the following week.

Christ College Brecon (won 35-5: Phillips; Christianakis; Archie White; Olly Barber; Wichary; Rabbets) was our longest away fixture and the boys started as if they had been on an expedition, going five points down almost immediately! However, with many new 76

players in the side they soon settled into a rhythm and with Josh Blunden showing the way they comfortably ran in five tries, the pick being Archie White’s who dived over from one yard on his debut. George, their Chinese prop, was memorable, but the game and bus journey were a little tiresome.

Our final fixture of the year was against Taunton at home (lost 22-19). This was a disappointing way to end the season after seeming to improve all year. We dominated possession but resorted to U14 style rugby with one or two players just thinking they could do it all on their own and coughing up possession in key areas on far too many occasions. Our defensive frailties were again exposed out wide and every time they got the ball they moved it wide and scored. However, tries from Phillips, Barber and Wichary gave us hope and it was a tense finish.

P9 W6: L3: points for 245; points against 150.

U15B Inset: Jamie Richmond

I

t was pleasing to start the season emphatically, writes Rob Lowry. We travelled away to Dauntsey’s to win 197, scoring three well worked tries, with outstanding performances from Oskar Lefebvre, Harry Farragher, Sean Neave, and Jake Woods, as well impressive first games from Nikolas Kreutzberg and Jordi Casellas Balague. Having had little match preparation, the team relied heavily on patterns of play and instincts acquired in the previous season. We pinned Dauntsey’s down in their half for much of the first third of the game, displaying formidable tackling as well as carrying the ball forward in spirited, darting runs from the likes of Archie White and Joe Gartell.

Indeed, tackling was formidable throughout. Nonetheless, we gave the ball away rather easily either through mishandling when tackled, or through lacklustre support when rucking forward. A

The Dolphin 2018 great win, nonetheless.

Our second outing, again away, was a rather confusing affair, playing 10 aside at the request of Clayesmore. We started well but took our foot off the gas once we were three or four tries up, to let Clayesmore back into things with a try just before half time, and a second try early in the second. Once we’d switched on again and started to commit to tackles, rucks and supporting play, the points began to tick over again. Though one-sided – winning 66-12 - some valuables lessons were learned with several players having been asked to play out of position, and a great deal of scramble defence required in wider areas of the pitch. It was pleasing that Sean Neave was able to run in three tries, with Harry Farragher scoring two, and further individual tries from Archie White, Will Bartlett and Freddie Goggs.

Oscar Lefebvre converted all but two of the tries, showing great composure with his place kicking.

Sadly, we lost momentum in our next fixture at home against a well-drilled Monkton Combe side which seemingly incorporated a significant number of their A side, as their fixture had Jago Cole apparently been cancelled. It was a scrappy game which we lost 7-28, with Monkton Combe dominating at the breakdown and in set scrums, whilst relying on a couple of truly gigantic forwards to do 95% of the work.

Notwithstanding this imbalance,

there were some very spirited individual performances from King’s. We broke through quite convincingly in the first third of the match until Monkton read our game and sorted out their lines. In contrast, we didn’t adapt our game plan to soak up some of their very big opposition players. Similarly, our defence wasn’t aggressive or flat enough to smother their fast running centres. All credit to everyone for keeping going and slotting into unconventional positions to fill gaps created by injuries in three key positions. At least there was recognition from everyone in our team debrief that had we done the basics well and everybody had pulled together, had been disciplined and supportive of one another, any size of opponent could have been beaten.

The season continued apace, and we began to look like we had regained some of the confidence we had displayed in the first two fixtures with a good win against Downside (31 – 10), however this purple patch was short-lived, and the team hit the buffers in their next game against King Edward’s Bath losing 0-51. The opposition took full advantage of the lacklustre start made by King’s and punished us with a succession of relatively soft tries scored because of poor tackling and slow-to-form defensive lines. We had our fair share of the ball, but however spirited our efforts were to break forward, limited support play left our isolated players exposed and often robbed of the ball. Things improved for some fifteen minutes into the second half, but again slow defence and slow recycling from rucks and mauls saw the scoreline creep up, somewhat flattering the opposition. There were some stoic individual performances from Jake Woods, Jamie Richmond, Leo Haywood and Charlie Bascombe.

To their credit the squad went back to the drawing board and worked hard in training to try to rekindle the sort of energy and determination which characterised their efforts 77

The Dolphin 2018 during the first half of term. This appeared to pay dividends, and the team hit the ground running on what was a wet and greasy setting away at Monkton Combe. Early tries from Harry Farragher, Leo Haywood and Jago Cole reflected dominance created by strong rucking and assertive, attacking phases of play involving Jamie Richmond and Jasper Thomas at 10 and 12 respectively. Our dominance began to wane as we approached half time, primarily because we proved too predictable in proximity to rucks and scrums. No end of shouting to spin the ball to the wings - to take advantage of acres of unmarked width seemed to change a fixed mindset.

Fortunately, the half time break enabled the team to think about the shortcomings of always choosing ‘route one’ and further tries began to follow, scored through much more attractive linkage amongst the three quarters.

Outside centre Freddie Goggs’s well-crafted touchdown came at the end of at least six or seven phases of play criss-crossing Monkton’s half. So, a much better performance resulting in an emphatic 46-0 win.

The team deserved to feel proud of themselves, as did the spirited, dogged Monkton Combe team who fought to the last.

Our next outing was a hard-fought fixture against a better organised Clayesmore side than the one we beat convincingly earlier in the season. Having the chance to play at home allowed us to warm up properly and rise to the occasion of playing on the 2nd XI pitch. We started assertively scoring an early try (Archie White), followed by a second 10 minutes later scored by Freddie Goggs who slipped through several tacklers to round off an excellently executed phase of rucking and recycling initiated in our half. A third scored by an indomitable Will Bartlett gave some players the impression that a win was inevitable, but Clayesmore had other ideas, rallying themselves to score and convert two tries as we headed towards half-time – 1712. Substitutions enabled us to bring on Harry Farragher, amongst others, and with a strengthened backrow we began to win more possession. Crisp handling, despite the damp conditions, proved to be Clayesmore’s undoing and we began to ratchet up the points in the 78

second half with tries from Oliver Enderby, Harry Farragher and Will Bartlett. The final score of 46-12 perhaps flattered us a little, but it was a hugely enjoyable game for both sides, and something of a test of character for a number of less experienced players who had been on the side-lines for many of the early games in the season.

Given the success of winning two games on the trot, we travelled to Taunton School in a seemingly confident frame of mind. What happened to that mindset between stepping off the bus and taking to the pitch is anyone’s guess, but it felt a shame to have made such progress during the season and to capitulate so easily to a strong, but essentially manageable opposition side.

Admittedly conditions were not ideal; freezing temperatures, and a slippery ball meant that handling was not at a premium.

We started sluggishly, conceding an easily defendable try had we tackled. A second easily scored try within five minutes was the catalyst for murmurings and infighting between our players that rumbled on for the rest of the game, and from that point on we played second fiddle. We somehow managed to hold the line, limping to half-time at 0-12, but unfortunately the team talk during the break did little to elevate our industry or willingness to take on the fight. Tackling was, collectively, feeble. A succession of high tackles led to a sin bin 15 minutes into the second-half, putting us at an even greater disadvantage.

(Inset: James Newcombe)

To their credit, the three quarters span the ball out wide when they were fortunate enough to have some possession and there were some occasional feisty individual breaks forward by the likes of Jordi, Jasper Thomas and Freddie Goggs. The dearth of forward support meant that we were constantly dispossessed at the breakdown and immediately placed on the back foot once again. Things got silly as the second-half progressed and we allowed Taunton to control the game to such an extent that we soon found ourselves a further 24 points down, losing 0-38 So, a disappointing finale to what had been a good season. Hopefully the U15 Bs who played in this match will have learned that you can’t win rugby games by sitting on the fence, expecting others to take on the fight for you.

The Dolphin 2018 Overall, this was an encouraging season.

The squad were invariably cheerful and hardworking in training and it was pleasing to see them begin to gel, displaying some esprit de corps as the term progressed. My thanks to Mr. Loveless and Mr. Hawley for their input in making training sessions fun and challenging.

P8 W5 L 3 Points for 215, Points against 57

U14A

S

o it begins is the memorable quote uttered by the character King Théoden in the fantasy adventure film Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, writes Craig Barrow. Coming at a time when the World of Men looked to repel the onslaught of the Orc army at Helm’s Deep, the quote is often used to convey a sense of foreboding. This seemed to be the feeling for our team after just three matches into their first rugby season at King’s Bruton.

The team acquitted themselves well in the first game of the season versus Dauntsey’s, impressing the coaches with some good tries and a competitive attitude. However, in the second game, the boys met their match away at Clayesmore and were soundly beaten by a better side 47-0. Defence was the order of the day but the boys could not repel the onslaught of attacks by the Clayesmore hordes. With confidence slightly dented so early in the term, the boys journeyed to Monkton Combe and were again competitive in the first half they should have only trailed 5-0 but some poor tackling saw the opposition score a last play try to lead 12-0. Again, this seemed to drain the confidence and there was no Gandalf or Knights of the Rohan to help them in the second half, Monkton Combe running away with the game to win 34-0. It would have been easy for the boys to look for excuses but they buckled down in training under the excellent coaching of Seamus Harkness and gained two morale boosting victories over Warminster and Downside U14B.

The challenge in the second half of term was to play Monkton Combe and Clayesmore again as well as King Edward’s Bath, Christ College Brecon and Taunton

Above: Bosley Thomas. Inset: Isaac Pugh. Below: Seamus Corrigan

School. The performances against Monkton and Clayesmore showed how much the boys had improved in individual and team skills.

The Monkton Combe game was a narrow 12-5 loss which could so easily have been a draw or a narrow victory as King’s threw themselves at the Monkton Combe try line in the final few minutes but just could not find the vital try. Against Clayesmore, the performance was outstanding throughout and the boys richly deserved their 17-7 victory, an amazing turnaround against a side they had lost to early in the term 47-0. King Edward’s Bath and Taunton were two very good sides with some talented individuals but again the boys did not back down and played with real heart, gaining a fourth hard earned victory away at Christ College Brecon 10-5.

During the term nine competitive games were played with four wins and five losses. The boys will have gained so many experiences and memories from their first term of rugby at King’s, some good and some not so good but as in the Lord of the Rings film, they never surrendered and fought to play better as a team and as individuals.

79

The Dolphin 2018

RUGBY TEAMSHEETS

1st XV: Standing (L to R): G. Brown, R. Tudhope, L. Montalat Verheyen, T. Wrighton, I. Wright, W. Luck, C. Williams Cardaras, D. Perushev, T. Rogers, B. Hughes Sitting (L to R): T. Williams, A. Harman, B. Latham, T. Westropp (Capt), T. Clothier, A. Enderby, H. Oliver

2nd XV: Standing (L to R): T. Barratt, I. Elms, E. Bascombe, S. Houldsworth, J. Boyle, M. Russowsky de la Chapelle, S. Claas, A. Warsap, T. Khvan, T. Woods, L. Tuckfield, M. Yeandel, R. Harper, L. Hyde, J. Rรถding Sitting (L to R): R. Leschallas, H. MacLeod-Ash, W. Sandy, P. Jenkins, M. Jenkins (Capt), A. Potter, N. Jampathipphong, H. Barker-Bennett, C. Cross

3rd XV: Standing (L to R): J. Sykes, F. Weatherhead, J. Jiang, T. Doig, S. Innes Sitting (L to R): A. Firmstone, H. Taylor, R. Jin, C. McFarlane, H. Von Velsen

80 80

The Dolphin 2018

U16A: Standing (L to R): J. Saunders, R. Harris, F. Farrell, H. Shone, M. Scott, G. Rampton, J. Wylie, A. Baxter, F. Spilsbury Sitting (L to R): A. Mickleburgh, W. Baines, G. Pugh, R. Upton (Capt), H. McAfee, O. Pick, B. Vallings

U16B: Standing (L to R): W. Harrison, M. Mason, I. Boswall, N. Geach, T. Read, A. Innes, P. Jacob, H. Sanford, J. Tadhunter, L. Ona, A. Waterfield, O. Smith Sitting (L to R): T. Ker, S. Kingsbury, N. Hammerschmid, B. Davies (V. Capt), A. Jones (Capt), S. Sweeting, J. Edson, S.Love, F. Gillard

U15A: Standing (L to R): O. Luck, T. Jones, A. Barrett-James, L. Ward, J. Fowler-Baxter, R. Oliver, T. Phillips, C. Wichary, J. Thomas, C. Christianakis Sitting (L to R): L. Haywood, C. Bascombe, A. McFarlane, O. Barber (Capt), S. Rabbets, J. Blunden, O. Sykes

U14A: Standing (L to R): P. Molina Garcia, I. Pugh, J. Peironcely, B. Williams, M. Lopez Bella, I. Baxter, A. Waddington, J. Muminov, S. Corrigan, B. Thomas Sitting (L to R): F. James, O. Price, T. Matkevich, K. Wood, J. Newcombe (Capt), T. Bickerton, A. Downes, T. Proctor, J. Southall

81

The Dolphin 2018

GIRLS’ T HOCKEY

T

he King’s Bruton Ladies Hockey Club enjoyed another successful season, writes Henry Eriksson. We fielded eight teams across the age groups which as a club, saw us achieve a win ratio of 53% which very much met the aim I set at the start of the season. In total, we played 89 matches, won 48, drew 9 and lost 32 which is a pleasing record as I look for us to achieve a 50/50 season. There was further success in national recognition as the U18 girls qualified for the National Indoor Finals whilst as a 1st XI, they reached the final of the Independent Schools’ Hockey Cup (ISHC) in the first year we have entered the competition. I am proud of the way all our teams conducted themselves and the style of hockey they aim to play. This is down to the enthusiasm shown by the girls and the excellent commitment demonstrated by the staff involved. For that I am very grateful.

82

1st XI

he 1st XI enjoyed a highly successful season which saw them reach the final of the ISHC Cup, reach the semi final of the West of England Regional Competition and achieve some fantastic results in their regular block fixtures.

The season began with an enjoyable pre-season which saw the girls run and train hard, whilst also playing in the annual Cardiff Met Schools’ Invitational Tournament, a title they won last year. The girls produced some fantastic performances at such an early stage in the season to defend their title, defeating Prior Park 5-0, Denstone College 4-0, drawing 0-0 with Cardiff Met University before defeating Christ College Brecon 7-0 in the final. This was a sign of things to come from the girls as they took this early season form into their school fixtures.

The season began with a visit from Prior Park who put up a stern test in the first half, keeping the score down. However, two goals from Sophie Hamilton, and one apiece from Inset left: Henry Eriksson. Below: Olivia Hamilton

The Dolphin 2018

Above: Captain Anna von Keller leads out her side in the U18 Somerset County Tournament Cup Final against Millfield. Inset: Sophie Hamilton

Charlotte Mansergh and captain Anna von Keller were enough to give them a 4-0 victory.

Player of the match was Molly Hunter who was a rock at the heart of the King’s defence.

With cup matches being played alongside regular fixtures, matches came thick and fast and the girls continued their fine goal scoring form with 5-0 and 7-0 victories versus Clayesmore and Wycliffe College respectively. In their final fixture before exeat, versus Kingswood school in what was a new fixture, the King’s girls played superbly, beating a well organised and aggressive Kingswood team 5-0.

Goals came from Sophie Hamilton (2), Millie Walters, Emily Wastell and Anna von Keller.

On returning from exeat, it was the U18 Somerset County Tournament where the King’s girls became the first King’s Bruton U18 team to qualify for the regional finals. They finished runners up in the group having been defeated 1-0 by Millfield before beating Taunton School 2-0 and Richard Huish College 4-0 to set up a semi-final with King’s College.

However, the King’s Bruton girls were far too strong for their opponents as they won 6-0 to set up a final with Millfield. Unfortunately

some tired legs could not prevent Millfield running away 4-0 winners in the final, however, King’s qualified for the Regional Preliminary Round which was a straightforward affair with King’s winning each of their matches 5-0 versus Exeter School, The Ladies College, Guernsey and Canford.

Taminah Plank was excellent in this tournament as was Olivia Hamilton who caused opposition defences trouble with her fantastic distribution skills from midfield.

Prior to the regional finals being played, King’s first played Bryanston in Round 2 of the ISHC which saw them emphatically win 7-0 with Lottie Gould, Emma Walker and Nele Hoffmann having excellent games. This was followed by a 3-2 victory over Taunton School, a score line which suggests the match was closer than it was. However, the girls played much better against King Edward’s Bath, recording yet another 7-0 victory, Megan Ward starring at the back and Cully McDermid getting on the scoresheet. In their final match before the Regional Finals, the girls faced a tough trip to Blundell’s where they came across a strong side. King’s started the game fantastically well, racing into a three-goal lead. However, some uncharacteristic lapses in concentration allowed Blundell’s back into 83

The Dolphin 2018 the game and as a result Blundell’s scored two goals in the final three minutes to snatch a 4-3 victory. Fortunately, the girls learnt from their mistakes and rectified this at the Regional Finals.

Placed in a group alongside Cheltenham College, Exeter College and Marlborough, King’s were convincing group winners, having beaten Cheltenham College 3-0 after a slow start, Exeter College 3-0 and beating Marlborough College 6-0 following a fantastic performance. This set up a semi-final with Dean Close, who scored early on and at the death to win 2-0 and eliminate King’s from the competition. However, for King’s to be one match away from an U18 National Final is a fantastic achievement. They proved to be the final matches of the term as the cold weather drew in and caused matches to be cancelled.

However, due to their success in the ISHC, the King’s girls continued their season after Christmas, hosting Felsted in the quarter final. Despite taking an early lead, King’s went into half time with the score at 1-1 with Felsted scoring a well taken goal past Kitty Mant.

However, King’s asserted their dominance in the second half, scoring four unanswered goals as Felsted couldn’t deal with the pace, power and movement of the King’s players.

Clara Bracey

84

Inset: Lottie Gould. Above: Mia Widmayer in Cup Final

This victory set up a long away trip to Haileybury College in the semi-final. The girls had a cagey first half which saw them 1-0 down at half-time. However, the second half performance was much improved, with Haileybury finding it difficult to cope with the way King’s passed the ball. As a result, the King’s girls raced into a three goal lead by scoring four well-worked goals in the space of ten minutes. Haileybury did respond with two late goals and had it not been for the heroics of Alina Tremus in the King’s goal, things could have been different, but King’s held on for a famous 4-3 victory to set up an all Somerset final against Millfield.

For the final of the ISHC, King’s travelled to Ilford Essex to play their final match of the season. Unfortunately, King’s got off to the worst possible start, conceding a penalty corner goal after only two minutes.

However, King’s continued to execute their game play perfectly before Millfield scored their second on the stroke of half time against the run of play. Whilst the second half remained even, Millfield were much more clinical with their chances and scored a further two goals in the second half to secure a 4-0 victory and take the title. The score line does not reflect the balance of the match and on another day would have been much closer.

I am extremely proud of the progress the girls made this year, not only as individuals but also as a team. They were a pleasure to coach and I will miss the large number of U6th girls leaving the team. Thank you to all of the girls for their efforts and to all staff who have contributed this year.

2nd XI

T

he 2nd Xl, the ‘Team of the Term’, had a great season, losing only one, and narrowly at that, writes Nick Bunday.

The first two games of the season were big wins, perhaps making the girls a little complacent as the big test of the term was against Kingswood in the third game. They started sluggishly, finding themselves 2 – 0 down within the first quarter. They pulled a goal back, but despite improving as the game went on, they could not quite find the equaliser.

Knowing they had perhaps let themselves down they then dominated a very good Bristol Grammar School side the next weekend, coming away with a draw. The run in to the end of the season was a triumphal procession of four straight victories, without conceding another goal. The statistics of six wins, one draw and one loss, having scored 22 goals and conceding only three, confirms this was a dominant team.

Statistics, however, only tell half the story. This team, ably led by Sophie Wichary, was a delight to coach: they were sharp and focussed when they needed to be, but their collective sense of humour was never far from the surface. Many was the laugh we had: sport should be fun and they certainly made it so, not just for themselves but for me and Mrs Howarth as well. For this I must thank the veterans who have played 2nd XI hockey Poppy Boyden

The Dolphin 2018 for three seasons each, namely Sophie Wichary and Harriet Wakelin, together with Abs Hyde, who has played for two years.

They helped inculcate in our newer players the esprit de corps so crucial in any decent team.

Credit should however be lavished Katie Proctor upon these three senior players. In those three years that Sophie Wichary and Harriet Wakelin have played, the 2nd XI have played 30 fixtures and only lost four times, an incredible record. Going forward they had scored a total of 72 goals in those fixtures and conceded only 18. The success is in large part down to these two great players. I should also make mention of Abs Hyde who played 17 games in those two seasons, scoring 15 times – a wonderful record.

Whilst the goal tally would suggest the girls were very good going forward, they were also rock steady in defence. The team never had a permanent goalkeeper, indeed we had three ‘Guest Goalkeepers’ as they became known, (namely Kitty Mant, Alina Tremus and Sophie Gartell), so great credit must go to Sophie Wichary, Florence Cobb, Kiara Jones and Holly White for working so hard to keep the ball out of our D. Also worthy of note is the fact that we had two sets of sisters playing most weeks: Harriet and Rosie Wakelin and Kitty and Honor Mant. To say everyone looked out for each other would be an understatement.

At the now traditional 2nd XI end of season tea, for the second season running, Abs Hyde was named as top scorer (with seven goals in eight games), Ruby LowsleyWilliams as the Most Improved Player, Emma Reynolds was named as the Coaches’ Player of the Season and Mia Widmayer as the Players’ Player of the Season.

P8, W6, L1, D1. Goals for: 22 goals. Goals against: 3

85

The Dolphin 2018

3rd XI

T

he 3rd XI had another successful season, winning four out of eight matches and drawing one, writes Sophie Liddell-Grainger. The team always worked hard in matches, determined to play their best every week.

The season started well with the team winning their first two matches convincingly.

They played some great hockey against Clayesmore, working together as a team and constantly attacking the opposition’s D. Goals were scored by Clara Bracey (pictured left), Hayley Clarke and Esther Adenuga to give us a 6-0 win. We then came up against Kingswood, a much harder game for the team but they all worked their socks off, coming away with a draw, an excellent result. Special mention must go to Sophie Tyack and Isabella Hawkins who both played some excellent hockey in defence. Over the next few weeks the team trained hard, preparing for the matches to come. We had some losses and wins over the next few weeks, but the most successful match of the season was against Blundell’s. The team played with great structure and made every moment of the match count to give us a 3-2 win. Player of the match was awarded to Elli Cooke who had a fantastic game in defence. However, the whole team played some of the best hockey I have seen from them. Overall, it was a fantastic and fun season for the team.

P8 W4 L3 D1

4th XI

T

he 4th XI started the season as a young and inexperienced group of players, writes Kate Flavell. For many, it was their first year playing senior team matches and several girls had never played hockey before.

Despite this, their determination, enthusiasm and hard work helped them improve their skills dramatically as the term progressed.

The first match of the season against Clayesmore provided a brilliant start, a 2-0 victory. It became evident that our attacking players of Atlanta Ross, Poppy Turner, Kirsty McCardle and Hermione Williams would be a strong combination with the two goals being scored in quick succession.

The 4th XI built on this as the term progressed. The most noticeable improvement came on the right wing with Anike Herp and Franka Fink proving a formidable pair, despite Herp never having held a hockey stick before – her speed, agility and tenacity on the pitch were amazing.

By the end of the season, our defensive players of Rosie Byrne, Giovanna Hajdu Hungria da Custodia, Santina McKechnie, Charlotte Ristau and Elena Adler led by Isabel Branagan had become consistent members of the team. We had some tough fixtures against strong opposition, however it was wonderful to see our defensive players in full flow against Taunton, beating them 3-1. Myself and the girls were extremely grateful to Ella Hanegraaf as she played goalkeeper superbly for much of the season.

All in all, the 4th XI had an encouraging season. Although we didn’t win every match, the girls’ skills and confidence improved no end and they were a complete joy to coach and watch. Hopefully, the ones who hadn’t played much hockey before have now found a new sport to love!

P5, W2, L3

86

The Dolphin 2018

Juliette Webb moves in against St Mary’s Shaftesbury

U15A

T

he U15A girls’ team had a promising start to a season which ended with three wins and two draws, writes Kirsty Hoskins. It proved to be a season of great success with a strong set of girls.

The season saw individuals go from strength to strength, the girls working hard throughout the season, with Pandora Cobb making crucial tackles to help out the team.

Pip Venner-Coombes led the team well, working hard despite her injuries. The team were flexible with positions with girls often playing out of position due to illness. Laura Purefoy had a stint at playing as a centre forward although she was originally a left back. The girls often struggled to score goals, even though there were lots of opportunities to do so. This meant there were many missed chances to win matches. However, they developed as a team with Jasmine Spilsbury excellent in the inside left position, attacking with pace and being able to connect with Imogen Dawe on the left hand side. Isca Bird was able to control the game from centre,

where she looked to play the ball to Harriet Tuson, who was dangerous with her pace on the right wing.

The U15As showed real class in the Independent schools hockey cup, where they started with a win against Bryanston. They then travelled to Truro School in Cornwall, leaving the school after break and not returning until after supper. The girls showed great composure on the ball, winning 5-2, with Sophie Gould, promoted from the U14As, scoring a hat-trick. The next round saw us up against a well drilled Reigate, who attacked quickly and played around us. The girls put up a good fight, working their hardest. However, this wasn’t enough with Reigate winning 3-0.

The second half of the season saw the U15As becoming complacent. Although working hard at times, they were not able to sustain their ability which they had worked so hard at in the first half of the season. Having said this, Daniella Ker continued to improve, showing true courage as a centre forward; she was able to stop the ball at the 25 meter line and attack quickly. This was rewarded in the last game of the season against St Mary’s 87

The Dolphin 2018 process so that we play the same style of hockey the whole way up the school. We could teach them to play a direct brand of hockey which can be effective at U14/15 level but instead we choose to teach them to play in the free-flowing dynamic way shown by the 1st XI. This way, the girls should develop as independent learners, helping them to enjoy their hockey at a high level, including after they leave school.

P12 W4 L5 D3 Goals for: 22 Goals against 19

Kitty Walker and Sophie Gould celebrate against King Edward’s Bath

where she scored her first goal of the year.

Special mentions must go to Amy Ruddock for her superb effort in the left half position and Constance Pollard who made some outstanding saves throughout the season.

W6, L3, D3

U14A

T

he U14A team enjoyed a very competitive hockey season this year, writes Louis Corbin O’Grady. We started well with two wins against Prior Park and Clayesmore, Sophie Gould scoring the winner against the former and Olivia Wastell scoring a great hat-trick against the latter.

After a competitive game against Kingswood, finishing in a 3-2 loss, we then achieved draws against Bryanston and Bristol Grammar School before our County competition. We beat Wellington 3-0, drew to Taunton 0-0 and lost to Millfield 2-0, which meant we didn’t qualify for the semi-finals. We then faced losses against Taunton 0-3, King Edward’s Bath 3-4 (despite Kitty Walker’s best efforts as she scored a hat-trick) and 3-6 to Blundell’s.

Although these teams were very strong, we played some beautiful hockey and held our own against them. We finished the season with a comfortable win against St Mary’s, Shaftesbury.

Although we talk a lot in sport about results and it certainly is nice to win, results were never our focus in the U14As this year.

Our focus was to start the long learning 88

U14B

I

t was an outstanding first season of junior hockey for the Under 14Bs, write Milly Corrigan and Olivia Wilkinson. Having never played together before, the team produced some promising performances over the season. We started the season with a few tough fixtures against Prior Park College, Clayesmore School, and Kingswood School, ultimately losing to defensively stronger and better-rehearsed sides.

The girls worked hard in subsequent training sessions to develop their strategy and skills. They were rewarded for their efforts, celebrating two outstanding wins against Bristol Grammar School and Taunton School.

In both matches the girls performed well in defence and attack and held their positions throughout. Against Bristol Grammar School, goals were scored by Isabella Andrew and Lily Crossfield, with player of the match awarded to Lily Ingvaldson.

The following week the girls played brilliantly in an impressive 6-0 win against Taunton School. Goals were scored by Andrew (two), Crossfield, Jess Hayman, Holly Millard and Lulu McDade. The success was the result of improved communication and sheer determination. Despite continued improvement, they were unfortunate not to win any further matches. Reviewing the season, the girls should be proud of their achievements.

P8 W2 L6

The Dolphin 2018

GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAMSHEETS

1st XI: Standing (L to R): C. McDermid, N. Hoffmann, T. Plank, M. Jones, M. Ward, E. Walker, L. Gould, C. Mansergh, E. Wastell Sitting (L to R): A. Tremus, M. Hunter, M. Walters, A. von Keller (capt), S. Hamilton, O. Hamilton, K. Mant

2nd XI: Standing (L to R): H. Mant, K. Proctor, M. ToulsonClarke, F. Cobb, R. Lowsley-Williams, M. Widayer, P. Boyden, E. Reynolds Sitting (L to R): A. Tremus, K. Jones, H. Wakelin, S. Wichary (capt), A. Hyde, H. White, K. Mant

88

3rd XI: Standing (L to R): F. Fink, E. Gibbs, C. Ristau, A. Herp, K. McCardle, E. Adler Sitting (L to R): S. McKechnie, R. Byrne, I. Branagan, H. Williams (Capt), A. Ross, P. Turner, E. Hanegraaf

4th XI: Standing (L to R): H. Papenfus, E. Cooke, T. Atkinson, C. Cooke, A. Barkshire, H. Clarke Sitting (L to R): L. Latham, C. Bracey, E. Adenuga (Capt), S. Tyack, I. Hawkins

89

The Dolphin 2018

GIRLS’ HOCKEY TEAMSHEETS

U15A: Standing (L to R): J. Spilsbury, F. Fearn, Z. Cheffings, H. Tuson, P. Cobb, L. Purefoy, D. Ker Sitting (L to R): N. Wilmshurst, I. Bird, I. Dawe, P. Venner-Coombes (Capt), A. Ruddock, C. Elway, C. Pollard

U15B: Standing (L to R): J. Webb, D. Burland Smith, L. Gattermann, A. Hurst, S. Yeandel, A. Perez-Juez Olaguibel, E. Docherty Sitting (L to R): J. Schwartz-Dreyfus, L. Milne, K. Towler, I. Summerfield (Capt), E. Corlett, C. Bird, K. Ruddock

U14A: Standing (L to R): A. Evans, I. Jones, K. Walker, M. VennerCoombes, E. Gilmour, T. Best, P. Flynn-Jones Sitting (L to R): R. Longman, M. Bartlett, S. Gould (Capt), O. Wastell, S. Doig

U14B: Standing (L to R): M. Stuthridge, L. McDade, J. Hayman, I. Andrew, H. Branfoot, E. Harper, M. Lywood, I. Unwin, A. Mackintosh Sitting (L to R): A. Warren, G. Howard-Harwood, L. Ingvaldson, L. Crossfield, H. Millard, A. Belinskaya

90

BOYS’ HOCKEY

Above: Angus McDermid. Inset: Barney Latham

I

am really proud of the achievements of the King’s Bruton Boys’ Hockey Club this season, the most successful for a couple of years, writes Henry Eriksson. As a club, we achieved a win ratio of 49% which is almost exactly where I would want it to be as I set a target of 50% at the start of the season. The boys’ 1st XI almost achieved an unbeaten season in their block fixtures, whilst the U16 team reached the semi-final of both the indoor and outdoor regional finals, meaning they were just one match from national finals qualification. As ever, I am extremely grateful to all of the boys for their efforts and the members of staff involved for their energy, enthusiasm and expertise. I would particularly like to thank Louis Corbin O’Grady for the fantastic job he did whilst covering my paternity leave in January.

Ist XI

T

he 1st XI showed great promise from the start of the season with the pre-season programme well attended and with the boys showing a great attitude and hunger to do well. With four difficult, yet evenly contested

The Dolphin 2018 matches versus Denstone, Pangbourne, Cardiff Met University and Colstons, the boys used the state of the art performance analysis suite to help them improve their performance, and by the end of the weekend, they were ready for the season ahead.

The short season was extremely busy with a large number of matches being played including cup matches in the England Hockey National Cup and Independent Schools’ Hockey Cup (ISHC) as well as regular block fixtures. Due to very strict play by dates, Round 1 of the England Hockey National Cup was played in the first week of term as the boys hosted King Edward’s Bath. A very enjoyable match ended 1-1 which saw excellent performances from Will Luck and George Wroth at the back. This meant the tie would be decided on penalty strokes, which King’s won 3-1 to progress to the next round.

King’s travelled to Dauntsey’s for their first regular fixture of the season and a professional performance saw King’s win 3-1, with Barney Latham having another excellent game in midfield and Henrik von Velsen dictating the game from the back. The following week was equally busy with King’s facing King’s College Taunton in Round 1 of the ISHC, followed

by Clayesmore on the Saturday. The boys produced excellent performances in both games, defeating King’s College 2-1 and Clayesmore 7-3. Captain Tom Williams was beginning to show his fantastic ability to lead from the front as in both games he was instrumental in the victories.

With matches coming thick and fast, King’s faced yet another cup match in Round 2 of the England Hockey Cup as they travelled to Dauntsey’s once more. A close encounter in which King’s could not convert their chances ended up going to penalty strokes and yet again the penalty experts stepped up to secure a 4-3 victory. This was followed by a highly entertaining 2-2 draw against a strong Exeter School side, Peter Jenkins and Sam Houldsworth demonstrating their strengths in the halfback position.

In the final week before half term, King’s produced two of their best performances of the season. Firstly, a 7-1 victory versus a good 91

The Dolphin 2018

Henrik von Velsen

Richard Huish side in Round 2 of the ISHC demonstrated the attacking prowess of the King’s boys, with Henry Oliver scoring the goal of the season and New Zealand exchange Rupert Naughton also featuring on the score sheet. On the Saturday, King’s hosted Monkton Combe in a local derby.

The King’s boys were in fine form as they won 5-2, a performance which included a fantastic solo reverse stick goal from Alex Enderby and a very accomplished defensive performance from Angus McDermid. In their final match before half term, King’s hosted an extremely talented Dean Close: playing as an U18 side as opposed to 1st XI, King’s were comfortable Angus McDermid defeated 7-0, despite the efforts of Jan Roding who had a good game in the King’s midfield.

Having already played a large number of tough fixtures this season, the King’s boys were not quite at their best as they played Bryanston in their first match after half term.

Finding the Bryanston surface slow to play on, the boys couldn’t reproduce the free-flowing passing hockey they had been playing before the half term break. However, a Tom Williams goal was enough to secure a 1-0 victory.

Unfortunately the snow disrupted the King Edward’s Bath fixture and therefore it wasn’t until the boys travelled to Marlborough in the last 16 of the ISHC that they played again.

92

Toby Rogers

However, this was a fiery, entertaining and closely contested match which ended 1-1.

Toby Rogers ran tirelessly throughout the match, putting opposition defenders under pressure while Marlborough also found it difficult to cope with the pace and skill of Nick Hammerschmid. Yet again, the match went to penalty strokes and lady luck alluded King’s on this occasion as Marlborough won 2-0.

With two tough regular fixtures remaining, King’s were determined to end their successful season on a high, firstly versus Sherborne and then Queen’s College.

In the Sherborne match, King’s were outstanding, fighting for every ball, playing with an intensity which Sherborne could eventually not match, King’s running out 4-2 winners, with Michael Harvey demonstrating what an excellent half back he had become through the course of the season. Theo Morgan was also excellent in the forward line and executed a penalty corner perfectly to assist the fourth goal. In their final match of the season, King’s travelled to Queen’s College where they found themselves up against a tough opponent. With the score evenly poised 1-0 to Queen’s at half time, King’s had a poor second half as Queen’s scored three unanswered goals to secure a 4-0 victory.

The Dolphin 2018

Above: A magic moment appreciated by coach Stuart Hamilton: Tom Williams and Nick Hammerschmid. Inset: Jake Saunders

However, this does not detract from a brilliant season in which the 1st Xl showed an excellent team spirit throughout. The improvement the team made during the course of the season was very clear for all to see and I am really proud of the excellent progress they made. I would like to thank all of the boys for their efforts, Tom Williams for being an excellent captain and to the U6th leavers who made a very positive contribution.

2nd XI

T

he 2nd XI, coached by Stuart Hamilton, enjoyed a successful season in which they played some very entertaining hockey and which resulted in some pleasing results. Looking back over the season, the statistics highlight the progress they made as they played seven, won five and lost two, scoring 24 goals and conceding 12 along the

way.

The season began with a pleasing 1-0 victory versus Dauntsey’s, particularly because this first match was an away fixture.

King’s demonstrated their excellent attacking prowess in the coming two matches as they defeated Clayesmore 6-4 in a high scoring game before beating a good Exeter side by four goals to two. Opposition teams were finding it very difficult to cope with the quality of the forward play from Sam Innes, Toby Clothier, Ben Davies, Rory McAfee and Gabriel Pugh, however their winning run was halted by Monkton Combe, losing 3-1 after a mix up in match timings which didn’t help proceedings.

However, a solid defensive performance away versus Bryanston led to a 3-0 victory with Ian Elms being a constant thorn in the side of the Bryanston defenders, Jake Saunders and Rian Upton having good games at the back. Harry MacLeod-Ash also worked tirelessly in the King’s midfield.

93

The Dolphin 2018

With the weather causing havoc with the fixtures, there was a break in the season before the 2nd XI could play their next match, which turned out to be their best performance of the season. The boys were set the challenge to make a certain number of connections with each other during each half and the positive response this had was clear to see as King’s defeated Queen’s College 7-0.

Myles Jenkins was a rock at the back and Ben Fearn was making some fantastic decisions in midfield which led to some outstanding team goals being scored. This match was a real highlight of the season and was certainly a pleasure for the spectators to watch.

This left one final match of the season in a rearranged match with Sherborne. Despite taking an early lead and being in control for the majority of the match, King’s were left heartbroken as Sherborne scored their winning goal on the final whistle, despite the best efforts of the outstanding Sam Love in the King’s goal. However, this did not detract from a very positive season.

3rd XI

A

very young 3rd XI team had a challenging season, often finding themselves playing hockey in equally challenging conditions, writes Dan Cupit (pictured). With a squad that contained many 5th Form pupils, they had to try hard at times to deal with the increase in 94

physicality from the opposition at this level.

However, the 3rd XI demonstrated that they were a skilful team, a group of pupils that very much enjoyed their hockey and enjoyed working together as a team. The side really focused on creating opportunities, whether that was through transferring play across the pitch or looking to play high, putting pressure on the opposition. It was really pleasing to see such encouraging progress from all players in the squad throughout the season.

Apart from an early season loss at Dauntsey’s, the 3rd XI managed to win all their remaining games with the exception of a draw against Monkton Combe. Credit should be given to the team for sticking to their game plan despite great pressure from the opposition. Special mention must go to Jordan Edson, William Sandy and Jacob Sykes who demonstrated great control and flare in the middle of the pitch. William Sandy was particularly impressive with his distribution, determination and ability to turn defence into attack. The determination that William showed was seen across the whole team, indicating a huge amount of potential for the future.

Lluis Montalat Verneyen and Sam Horner significantly improved their shooting technique throughout the season and this led to a flurry of goals in the final few games. Credit must go to the defence who worked hard all season. A promising season. I look forward to seeing this team develop in the future.

4th XI

T

he 4ths enjoyed an exciting and rewarding season, writes Rob Lowry.

A nail-biting, closely fought 1-1 draw against Dauntsey’s set the tone for the rest of the term. Although Dauntsey’s proved to be a polished and skilful side, they were countered by exuberant and passionate play from King’s.

Jack Glydon, Alex Baxter, Herbie Shone and Lluis Montalat Verheyen all found themselves on the floor at various points of the game as they harried their opponents. Ollie Crossfield, who scored the goal, was a constant threat in the opposition D, whilst Felix Farrell’s spectacular shots were a constant threat to the windscreens of nearby cars! Player of the match, unflappable in defence, was Jacob Burgess.

Similar energetic play versus Monkton Combe saw the team secure a 2-2 draw, though it was agreed all round that we should have put a further three goals past them, with wayward finishing letting us down.

Passing play improved as the term went on and this certainly played its part in helping secure our first win against Clayesmore (3-2). This was a much more purposeful performance from the 4th XI and they moved the ball reasonably well during the first half, playing out wide and putting plenty of shots on goal. A 2-0 lead at half-time appeared pretty convincing, but in all honesty, we should have been five or six ahead, wasting a series of shots in front of a clumsily defended goal.

Clayesmore came back into the game emphatically in the first 10 minutes after the interval, catching us too high up the pitch and allowing them to score a soft goal on the break. However, King’s wrestled back possession for much of the remainder of the game, scoring a third goal with five minutes to go. There were some very strong individual performances, but man of the match went to Felix Farrell for some highly entertaining attacking phases of play.

And so the 4ths were in a confident mood when they travelled to Queen’s Taunton.

This proved to be our best performance of the season. The team played with spirit and strength, constantly pressing forward and linking up well. Archie Waterfield opened the scoring some 10 minutes into the game. We

The Dolphin 2018 went to half time 2-0 up after an emphatic short corner scored by Jordan Edson. In the second half, it was pleasing to see the response of the team in the second half to a challenge to play with more width. This tactic opened up Queen’s defence and Ned Geach and Archie Waterfield (Man of the Match) scored three more super goals to win 5–0.

Given this success, the 4ths had high hopes to take on and beat Sherborne in our final fixture. In the end this contest resulted in a 1-1 draw, with a late equaliser scored by Herbie Shone. The real winners here were goalkeeper Toby Ker, who made some stellar saves to keep us in the game, and the freezing weather conditions, which all but overcame every player on the frosty pitch!

Mr Davies and I thoroughly enjoyed the good humour and spirit of the ‘Gentlemen’s 11’ this season. Very well done to all involved.

U16

T

he U16 team enjoyed a fantastic season which saw them reach the West of England Regional semi-final in both the indoor and outdoor competitions, writes Henry Eriksson. Inset: Jake Saunders. The side was boosted by a number of the team playing regularly together in the 2nd XI which helped to create an excellent team atmosphere and togetherness. With the addition of those playing 1st XI hockey, it meant there was a great balance in the team which contributed to the success.

The season started with the U16 side playing in the Somerset County Tournament which is always difficult to progress from, particularly with the newest round robin format. With six matches to play during the course of the afternoon, it would be a long and physically gruelling few hours of hockey.

However, the boys made a very good start to the tournament, defeating Taunton School 95

The Dolphin 2018 4-0 followed by Queen’s College 2-0 with Nick Hammerschmid, Theo Morgan and Ben Davies amongst the goal scorers. King’s College provided stern opposition in the following match with an even affair ending 0-0, Toby Phillips in goal making some important saves.

With legs starting to tire, a less impressive performance saw the boys defeat Wellington 1-0 with the defence of Angus McDermid, Jake Saunders and Rian Upton keeping it tight at the back. Despite a 1-0 loss to Millfield, a comprehensive 3-0 victory versus Downside meant that King’s qualified for the West Finals as runners up ahead of Millfield as they could only manage a 1-1 draw with Downside.

This gave the boys great motivation going into what would be a tough Regional Preliminary Tournament where they faced Marlborough College, Dean Close and Colston’s.

The King’s boys played their best hockey of the season for most of the Marlborough game although they squandered a 3-1 lead with two minutes to go to draw 3-3, despite the efforts of the outstanding Gabriel Pugh, Adam BarrettJames and Sam Rabbets. A very Ollie Sykes well organised and talented Dean Close side proved too strong and despite a well-disciplined performance, King’s went down 2-0, meaning that Colston’s match would decide the King’s boys fate. A one-sided affair saw King’s win 4-0 with Theo Morgan grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck to score a hat-trick and Angus McDermid scoring an outstanding deflection. This result secured qualification for the West Finals, where the eight best teams 96

in the region would compete for a place at the National Finals.

Placed in a pool alongside Canford, King’s College and Warminster, the aim was always to get out of the group. The boys did everything but score in their opener with Canford as they played some exciting, free flowing attacking hockey. The end result of 0-0 was not a disaster and was a game which saw Michael Harvey play extremely well at centre half. It meant the King’s College game was a must win encounter and the boys delivered, winning 1-0 courtesy of a Sam Rabbets goal, meaning a win or draw versus Warminster would secure a semi-final place. King’s did prove too strong for Warminster as they struggled to cope with their superior passing game and an end result of 3-0 to King’s was much deserved.

This secured top spot in the pool, setting up a semi-final with Prior Park.

With both teams feeling the effects of the day, it was a closely contested battle with both teams doing enough to win the game.

Unfortunately for King’s they started the game slowly and allowed Prior Park to race into a 2-0 lead. However, a spirited fightback in the second half saw King’s halve the deficit and create a number of excellent goal scoring opportunities without finding that equalising goal. To lose by such a narrow margin is hard to take but the boys should take huge pride and confidence in the improvement they made during the course of the season: to be one game from a National Finals place is no mean feat.

U15A

T

he U15A side made definite progress this season, writes Tim Fletcher. As U14s they had not enjoyed a huge amount of success, but had developed a style of play which served them well as U15s. At their best they played some excellent, possessionbased hockey, and they gradually learnt the importance of moving the ball quickly. They ended up with a 50-50 ratio of wins and losses with most of the games being close, even the 4-0 loss to King’s Taunton in the Independent Schools’ cup being skewed by two of the goals coming very late in the game.

The season started with a good win against Dauntsey’s, where they played with real imagination and flair, scoring two good goals, with Joe Gartell showing real composure when through on the keeper for what turned out to be the winner. Joe was adept at playing up-front or at right half, and this flexibility from him and others was an important part of the development this year.

Further wins came against Clayesmore (it got so dark on Hippisley that afternoon that no one had much idea what was going on) and against King Edward’s Bath and Taunton in the cup. The latter was a particularly good result in a high-octane encounter, even if the performance left something to be desired.

Aidan McFarlane was the instigator of our revival from 2-0 down that day, scoring an excellent goal just before half time. His movement at centre-forward got better and better as the season went on, and we missed him badly against Queen’s Taunton when he injured himself in the warm-up.

The best performance of the season came against Bryanston, a game they controlled from start to finish. It also contained the goal of the season, finished off by Luca Hutchison but it was a real team goal started

by Adam Barrett-James at the edge of his own D.

Some of the defeats were also excellent matches – the match at Exeter stands out in this respect – and even the game played in absolutely freezing temperatures at Sherborne was a good one. The odd mistake tended to settle these matches, but it would be hard to be critical of a defence who were far more solid

The Dolphin 2018 than the year before, and astutely marshalled

by Liam Ward.

Toby Phillips was outstanding in goal all season, and made countless excellent saves while Tom Jones was enthusiastic throughout, always eager to improve. Sam Rabbets and Ollie Sykes worked tirelessly in midfield and along with Adam Barrett-James formed a very strong core. Most of our threat going forwards came from them, and Sam’s pace was a real asset. He had an excellent season.

A cast of many supported the core of the side, and all deserve huge credit for what was (apart from the Monkton match) a thoroughly enjoyable season. Ollie Barber, Freddie Comer, Leo Haywood, Oskar Lefebvre and Ollie Enderby made especially notable contributions during the term and all those involved this year can be pleased with their efforts.

U15B

T

he U15B side had a season of highs and lows with some outstanding performances and a series of good results, writes Kirsty Hoskins. A solid back three in the style of some of the greats of European football, Jago Cole, Charlie Bascombe, Harry Farragher and Emilien Solignac from the bench provided a solid foundation on which all of the good play of the U15B side was based. Barney Woolley, Josh Blunden, and Freddie Goggs provided the heartbeat of the team with flowing passes and a great work rate, working their socks off up and down the pitch to link defence and attack.

Up front Archie White, Tom Horner, Rowan Oliver and Clifford Christianakis provided a constant threat with Clifford scoring possibly the goal of the millennium in our final game against Sherborne. With seconds to go against a strong Sherborne team, Clifford broke from the halfway line, dribbling in and out of defenders. Finally, with four defenders closing him down, his back to goal and far out on the left-hand side to the “D” Clifford hit a reverse shot from twenty centimetres inside the area at an impossible angle to beat the keeper and hit the roof of the net! A moment I know all that witnessed it will never forget!

Well done to the entire side for a great season.

97

The Dolphin 2018

Louis Corbin O’Grady and Henry Eriksson with a 1st XI of the future

U14A

T

he U14As have had a fantastic season and have learned a great deal throughout the season, writes Louis Corbin O’Grady. In their first three games they managed a 4-2 win vs Dauntsey’s, a 9-0 loss against a very strong Clayesmore year group and a 2-2 draw vs Exeter. Stand out performances in the Dauntsey’s game came from the attacking unit of Isaac Pugh, Archie Waddington, Tom Matkevich, Max Hayward and Freddie James. Whilst stand out performances in the Exeter game came from the defensive unit of Marcos Bella Lopez, Ben Fry, Toby Proctor, Isaac Baxter and Seamus Corrigan with Bosley Thomas running marathons in midfield and the forward line.

In the coming weeks, there was an emphasis on building a strong team atmosphere whilst also focusing on the importance of learning to play hockey in the King’s Bruton style that we have become renowned for. This took some time but we began to show real progression as a strong leadership group on and off the pitch of; Aled Downes, Archie Waddington, Kit Wood, Isaac Pugh, Oscar Price and Freddie James, started to galvanise the other team members and begin to pull us all in the same direction. With the team working together, we secured a 2-1 win vs Monkton, before going to our county competition where we won 2, 98

drew 2 and lost 3. Goals came from Archie Waddington, Isaac Pugh, Juan Peironcely and Javdat Muminov was crowned Player of the Tournament. Although some results didn’t quite go our way, the standard of hockey we played and the comradery within the team changed dramatically throughout the day from a very prep school brand of hockey into the brand we play here at King’s Bruton.

We came back after half term and faced Bryanston who we managed to come from behind to beat 3-2, Isaac Pugh was a man possessed and was never going to let us lose this game, he scored two and assisted the third to lead us to victory. Unfortunately, the snow then came, forcing us to cancel two games and making it hard to maintain the good momentum we had been building. We lost our final two games vs Queen’s and Sherborne but continued to play in the right way regardless of the score or situation.

The results are never the aim in their first year here at King’s Bruton, the target is always to adapt to senior school hockey, try to learn as much as possible and overall enjoy their first year of hockey here. Therefore, I would classify this group of young men as my most successful group since I have been at King’s Bruton, not in terms of their results, but in terms of achieving what we set out to achieve this year.

The results will come later on in their school career and beyond as hopefully they now have an advanced understanding of how we play hockey as a school which is a way that has afforded us much success in recent years. We are very excited to watch this team progress throughout the school as they have a great deal of potential and paired with the year above them, they will make a formidable 1st XI when they get there.

P14 W5 L6 D3 Goals for: 17 Goals against: 33 Inset: Toby Proctor

The Dolphin 2018

Will Stainton outlines his plan for the second half against Exeter School

U14B

I

t was a difficult season for the U14B hockey team, learning a new game, developing new skills and playing against teams that had spent several years together, writes Will Stainton. That being said, it was a successful season, despite the 57% loss statistic. There were several highlights for me throughout the season, most notably recording a 3-1 win at home, the first of the season, against a strong Exeter School. There was also a well-earned 1-0 win, away, against Monkton Combe. However, the U14Bs saved their best performance for the final match. They showed determination and maturity to narrowly lose 1-2 against Sherborne School. We had travelled through sleet and snow to play against an unbeaten side. Under these circumstances, it was impressive the way they applied everything they had learnt this season. I must mention Pablo Molina Garcia, whose first season in goal proved a triumph. With bravery

and gusto, he kept the team in almost all the matches while Freddie Chetwode captained the side with maturity. It was a delight to coach such an enthusiastic team.

P7 W2 L4 D1

99

The Dolphin 2018

BOYS’ HOCKEY TEAMSHEETS

1st XI: Standing (L to R): N. Hammerschmid, H. von Velsen, T. Morgan, G. Wroth, S. Houldsworth, P. Jenkins, R. Naughton, H. Oliver, A. McDermid, M. Harvey Sitting (L to R): T. Rogers, I. Elms, B. Latham, T. Williams (C), A. Enderby, J. RĂśding, W. Luck (GK)

2nd XI: Standing (L to R): B. Davies, J. Saunders, G. Pugh, S. Innes, H. Macleod-Ash, R. Upton, L. Tuckfield, B. Hughes, B. Vallings Sitting (L to R): F. Spilsbury, B. Fearn, R. Mcafee, T. Clothier (C), M. Jenkins (V.C), J. Tadhunter, T. Crossfield

3rd XI: Standing (L to R): J. Sykes, R. Leschallas, R.Wood, L. Montalat, C.Williams, I. Wright, O. Crossfield, K. Garnon Sitting (L to R): J. Edson, J. Loughrey, S. Horner, A. Harman (C), M. Yeandel, W. Sandy, S. Love

100

4th XI: Standing (L to R): A. Waterfield, A. Baxter, H. Shone, M. Best, O. Smith, C. McFarlane Sitting (L to R): S. Sweeting, J. Glydon, J. Burgess, A. Jones, M. Mason Standing (L to R): A. Waterfield, A. Baxter, H. Shone, M. Best, O. Smith, C. McFarlane Sitting (L to R): S. Sweeting, J. Glydon, J. Burgess, A. Jones, M. Mason

NETBALL

Above: Lauren Beaton flanked by Abs Hyde and Megan Ward.

Inset: Megan Ward.

K

ing’s Bruton Netball Club enjoyed possibly their most successful season to date. With a strong competitive fixture list the girls trained and played at a very impressive level across the age groups throughout the season. The club has fielded up to 11 teams for each block fixture, with 98% of juniors representing the school in a team during one weekend.

We played 92 school fixtures, plus several tournaments, over a nine week term, which kept the girls very busy.

The goals flew in with 1658 goals scored across the teams. A big thank you must be said to all the staff who coached, umpired or accompanied teams during this busy term.

1st VII

T

he first team this year was very hard to break into, with an established group of senior players trying to maintain their place in the squad and several younger players fighting for space in the squad, writes Alex Ireland. History was made by this squad, as they remained unbeaten in all the games they played as a first team – a remarkable achievement. They were also awarded the team of the term in recognition of this achievement.

An able leader in defence, Megan

The Dolphin 2018

Jones was joined in the circle for the second season by Sophie Tyack. Both became a dominant and at times an intimidating force in the circle, with the shooters never knowing where the next interception was coming from.

Joining them as a defensive unit at wing defence were Molly Hunter and Holly White, in her first season in the First Team. Both players were strong defensively, while also providing fantastic attacking movements following an interception.

The centre court was controlled by Megan Ward, who in her fourth and final year in the First V11 was playing her fourth starting position. Known as a player who can play in any position on court, she was playing centre for the first time and was truly inspiring. Reading the game easily and hunting down the interceptions became an expectation, followed by dynamic and fluent attacking drives and feeding the circle.

In attack Abs Hyde and Emily Wastell were both dynamic and strong, providing some fantastic movement and feeds into the circle. With more confidence gained over the course of the season these two enabled the shooters to gain positions wherever they wanted to. Lauren Beaton and Flo Cobb were the first choice shooting combination. Lauren’s experience at school and club level meant she was strong and confident against any opponent and Flo just didn’t seem to miss.

This success simply breeds success.

Player of the season was Megan Ward, although the first team dinner had their own awards which reflected the characters and contribution from all the girls in this fantastic squad.

With strong wins against Wells Cathedral, Monkton Combe, Blundell’s, West 101

The Dolphin 2018 Buckland and Bristol Grammar school, this team learnt to compete against some of the strongest teams. Two of the toughest games were cancelled because of the weather.

Hopefully we can build on the progress made this year and compete against all the schools on the circuit next year with no snow!

Millie Toulson-Clarke takes aim

2nd Vll

T

he 2nd VII played with determination and passion throughout the season and were a delight to coach, writes Kate Flavell, pictured above with her team. All the girls worked hard in training and it was brilliant to see how much each player had improved by the end of the term.

The season started well with two strong wins against West Buckland and Lottie Gould dictates play Blundell’s (winning 16-14 and 27-7 respectively).

Harriet Wakelin proved an exceptional captain, setting an example to the team and creating a determined spirit amongst the girls. In addition, Wakelin played with tenacity and agility as the 2nd VII Centre throughout the season.

Despite losing against a strong Bristol Grammar School side (12-19), the girls soon 102

picked up their play and peaked for their performance against Wells Cathedral School, a match we won 45-15. The girls worked incredibly well together, putting their weekly drills and coaching into practice and moved the ball at pace down the court to the consistent shooters – Amelia Toulson-Clarke and Millie Walters. Toulson-Clarke and Walters showed off their accuracy and speed around the attacking third and this consequently resulted in a large lead before half time. Isabella Hawkins played with finesse, making it look incredibly easy on the court; her natural ability really shone through. Playing against Wells was unfortunately the last match with Esther Adenuga, before she was injured and was out for the rest of the season – her agility and speed around the court was greatly missed in later matches.

Towards the end of the season, other victories included wins over Downside and Beechen Cliff. These games allowed us to be more creative with our play, putting zoning and attacking tactics into practice. Poppy Boyden and Anna Wilmshurst proved to be invaluable centre court players with Wilmshurst intercepting balls into our defensive circle and Boyden pressurising the opposition. Charlotte Mansergh demonstrated her flexibility on court, playing a multitude of positions over the season, adapting to each one perfectly and always giving her all.

One of the final matches of the season

The Dolphin 2018 was a tough fixture against Monkton Combe; the girls responded positively to the challenge and special mention has to go to the defensive duo of Charlotte Gould and Emma Walker.

Their zonal marking was superb, and they put a huge amount of pressure on the opposition’s attacking players. The game went down to the wire, but with the defence keeping their composure, it resulted in a thrilling 13-13 draw.

Thanks also has to go to Ruby LowsleyWilliams, Hermione Williams and Kirsten McCardle, who all stepped up for some matches during the season.

All the girls should be really proud of their season, they proved that hard work pays off. I am already looking forward to seeing them out on the court next year.

3rd Vll

T

he 3rd VII improved a great deal this season, writes Sophie LiddellGrainger. I thoroughly enjoyed coaching and watching them in all their matches, including those tense ones which went down to the last few anxious minutes. Clara Bracey was a fantastic captain and her leadership pulled the team together, really helping the team to bond. Lottie Latham was also an excellent shooter. In defence we had Atlanta Ross, Hermione Williams and Ella Hanegraaf, all of whom worked hard to keep the opposition from scoring. In the centre was Katie Proctor, Kirsty McCardle and Elsie Gibbs. The girls had a fantastic season: I would like to say a big well done and thank to the whole team.

P11 W6 L5

4th Vll

T

he 4ths had a tough season, coming up against strong opposition and feeling the loss of key players from last season, writes Rebecca Howarth. However, the team showed great progress over the term with matches becoming much closer and with a great win against Monkton Combe. Hayley Clarke, Sophie Wichary, Emma Reynolds and Poppy Turner all provided valuable experience in the centre all season, keeping calm under

Here’s what you should do: Rebecca Howarth

pressure and making increasingly impressive interceptions. Emily Longman and Rosie Byrne worked well in defence, and it was great to see both girls learning to read the game better and so play more tactically. Sophie Gartell and Hilary Ding became increasingly consistent in their shooting. Alina Tremus was a valued member of the squad, having never played netball before but contributing great athleticism and an impressive work rate.

The Saturday which encapsulated the season for me was our triangular against Dauntsey’s and King Edward’s, Bath. The girls played in driving snow and freezing temperatures against strong opposition, but they maintained their enthusiasm and good spirits throughout. They have been a real pleasure to coach this year.

U15A

T

his team was coached alongside the U14 team by Alex Ireland and Beth Griffiths. They are a talented group of players despite being slightly inconsistent with their results. They played 11 school fixtures, winning eight but sadly loosing one if not two games which they were capable of winning, which would have left them competing for team of the season.

The first triangular resulted in a win against Blundell’s, followed by a silly loss to West Buckland. This was a game day when they were finding their feet and allowing two new players to settle into the team. This was followed up by another loss to Bristol Grammar 103

The Dolphin 2018 School, which may have shaken the girls up a little, prompting them to work harder in training and listen to coaching to enable them to compete at this higher level.

Following this they had a run of wins against King’s Taunton, Queen’s Taunton and a strong Wells Cathedral School, a fantastic result for the girls. They then found their feet with Amy Hurst, Pip VennerCoombes and Pandy Cobb all being confident in the shooting circle.

Mid-season the girls played in the U15 County Cup in Taunton, and despite sadly losing Zoe Cheffings during the first match, played exceptionally well to finish third overall.

Unfortunately this was to be Zoe’s last game this season - we wish her a strong recovery in time for senior netball next year.

Following these results the girls played a few slightly easier games, with significant victories over Sherborne Girls, Warminster, Downside and a very pleasing game against King Edwards, Bath. Sadly their last game was a loss against a strong and confident Dauntsey’s despite the strong defensive play from Harriet Touson and Pandy Cobb (pictured above), playing at the other end of the court. The centre court consisted of Jasmine Spilsbury as centre with Isca Bird and Danni Ker as the supporting wing attack and defence.

With this age group moving onto seniors next season we have an exciting future ahead of us. Several of these girls will be challenging for places in the top teams.

104

U15B

T

he U15B team had an excellent season, writes Olivia Wilkinson. Over the course of the term, the girls worked hard, determined to improve their play. This became more and more evident as they began securing some fantastic wins in a number of matches. Particular highlights include a 17-3 win against Queen’s College Taunton and an 18-5 win against Sherborne Girls.

These scores, amongst others, reflect the girls’ strong attacking and defensive skills. It was a pleasure to see them develop their skills and improve in their reading of the game throughout the season. Well done to all the girls who played for the team and particular thanks to cocaptains Amy Ruddock and Natalie Wilmshurst for leading the team with such positivity and enthusiasm.

W

U14A

ith this new group of girls coming together, the coaches were excited by the potential of this age group, writes Alex Ireland. Starting early with the preparation for the U14 county tournament, there was a strong squad of girls to choose from. The tournament tested the girls at a high level and despite several losses the girls finished fourth in the county, promising at this early stage of training.

The development of these girls as both a team and as individuals was pleasing, as was the promise shown by several B team players. The team played 12 games, winning eight and losing four. The season started with a win and a loss in the triangular with Blundell’s and West Buckland, followed by another defeat to Bristol Grammar School. The season then took a positive turn with seven wins against King’s and Queen’s Taunton, Wells Cathedral School, Sherborne Girls and Downside.

There were many combinations of

The Dolphin 2018

players available in this age group - the versatility of these girls will be a huge benefit as the move up through the age groups. The shooting circle consisted of Anya Evans, Kitty Walker and Lily Ingvaldson, each girl gaining in confidence in both their circle movement and shooting accuracy. They were ably supported

by Liv Nicol with her fantastic vision and feeds, and Issy Jones with her energy and movement around in attack.

Millie Venner-Coombes controlled the games from centre, as well as developing her game in a variety of other positions.

The defence consisted of Emily Gilmour, Sophie Gould and Matilda Best. Although many changes were made, the girls learnt to embrace any position, learning as they went.

The final games were in another triangular against a very strong teams from King Edward’s Bath and Dauntsey’s, with two defeats, although one was only by one goal.

This was a positive start for this group at King’s - we look forward to watching them develop as individuals and a team as they move up through the School.

Anya Evans

105

The Dolphin 2018

NETBALL HOCKEY TEAMSHEETS

2nd VII: Standing (L to R): E. Adenuga, I. Hawkins, M. Toulson-Clarke, P. Boyden, C. Mansergh, M, Walters Sitting (L to R): A. Wilmshurst, L. Gould, H. Wakelin (C), E. Walker, K. McCardle

3rd VII: Standing (L to R): H. Williams, E. Hanegraaf, K. McCardle Sitting (L to R): A. Ross, E. Gibbs, C. Bracey (C), L. Latham, K. Proctor

1st VII: Standing (L to R): M. Hunt, I. Hawkins, L. Beaton, F. Cobb, H. Wakelin, E. Wastell Sitting (L to R): H. White, S. Tyack, M. Jones, M. Ward, A. Hyde

106

4th VII: Standing (L to R): S. Wichary, S. Gartell, E. Longman, H. Ding, Sitting (L to R): R. Longman, P. Turner, H. Clarke, E. Reynolds, A. Tremus

5th VII: Standing (L to R): M. Widmayer, O. Ronda, E. Adler, C. Ristau Sitting (L to R): S. Mckechnie, T. Plank, G. McDermid, A. Herp, F. Fink

The Dolphin 2018

T

CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNING

he 2018 Cross-Country season proved to be a very solid step forward for King’s runners with athletes growing in confidence and fitness, writes Mark Hambleton. The team was captained

by Ruby LowsleyWilliams and Archie Warsap who did a fantastic job of encouraging younger runners to achieve their potential. Archie’s warm-ups will surely go down in King’s folk law for their innovation and comedy timing.

The season stated in January when a bumper crop of 16 King’s runners qualified to compete at the Somerset Schools’ County CrossCountry Championships at Aldon Hill, Yeovil. This proved a testing course, boggy in places, with a brutal hill climb. Despite this, the meet proved very successful indeed with four King’s runners receiving selection letters to represent Somerset. In the Senior Boys’ race, Huw Downes finished 14th, obtaining a reserve County place - in same the race Ben McLean missed selection by only one place. In the Junior Girls’ Anya Evans (pictured right) finished a fantastic 4th in a hugely competitive field whist in the Senior Girls’ race, Ruby LowsleyWilliams and Poppy Boyden put in strong runs to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively – both securing County places. All King’s runners produced

some great individual performances, all were committed to the cause.

Only five days after this meet, King’s runners were busy and back to competition at Kingwood, Bath. In remarkably cold conditions King’s runners continued their improving form with some strong individual results.

Anya Evans ran brilliantly to finish 2nd in the Inter-Girls while Huw Downes finished a very respectable 4th in the Senior Boys’ race.

Ruby Lowsley-Williams came in 5th in the Senior Girls’ race. King’s team results were equally encouraging with both the Inter Girls and Senior Boys both finishing 3rd overall.

All runners were committed, enthusiastic and demonstrated fantastic team spirit once again.

This was very much a theme that continued at Milton Abbey when a very depleted team made the trip down to Dorset.

Despite competing with a makeshift team some strong performances were evident and again, a fantastic team effort on the day over the picturesque but very challenging course.

The highlight of the season though was undoubtedly King’s own competition, The Marden Trophy. The sunny, dry and cool conditions were ideal for what made for a wonderful afternoon of running. Again, King’s showed continued improvement with a very successful meet. The Senior Girls and Inter Girls finished 3rd and 2nd respectively. Anya Evans won the individual Inter Girls’ race with a well-judged and determined performance. However, the highlight of the afternoon was Inter Boys’ team of Robert Harris, Josh Blunden, Aled Downes, Hugo Burgess, Charlie Wichary, Fergus 107

The Dolphin 2018

Gillard and Sebastian Sweeting winning the Marden Cup for only the 2nd time since 1981.

The final act of a tough but rewarding season came as Anya Evans and Ruby Lowsley-Williams qualified for the National Cross-Country Championships representing Somerset: a fabulous achievement.

As Master in Charge of Cross-Country, my thanks as ever go to Malcolm Jeffrey and Emily Simper for their invaluable enthusiasm and support over this and other seasons.

In addition, after a dark, cold, and very long winter my thanks go to the outgoing U6th Cross-Country runners. Archie Warsap, Ruby Lowsley-Williams, Kitty Mant and Tom Hudson, who have competed over a number of years.

They have always stood up and been counted when the conditions were at their worst. They have been wonderful role models of tenacity and commitment for the younger runners, and an unstinting support to the team.

Left to right: Theo Morgan, Angus McDermid, George Matthew

Sam Innes

Sophie Hamilton winning the Senior Girls interHouse Cross Country Ruby Lowsley-Williams

108

The Dolphin 2018

SHOWJUMPING

Natalie Wilmshurst on Clover Court

K

ing’s Bruton competed for the first time in the British Showjumping ‘Just for Schools’ competition held at the Royal Bath & West Show on Thursday 31st May, writes Pip Atkinson-Kennedy. Teams from Crispin, Kings of Wessex, Perrott Hill, Queen’s College, Taunton, Leweston, Hazlegrove, Beaminster, Huish Episcopi, Gillingham, and Callington from Cornwall all competed in ring 2 over a superb course built by Sarah Whittington. Kingsedgemoor Equestrian Centre sponsored the prizes.

King’s Bruton had four teams competing in the 70 cm, 80cm, 90cm and 1M classes.

Crispin School won the 70cm class, Perrott Hill won the 80cm and King’s Bruton won both the 90cm and 1M classes.

The King’s Bruton winning teams were Millie Toulson-Clarke on Wizard, Elsie Gibbs on Guinness, Lily Ingvaldson on Lexi and Harriet Tuson on Midweek.

For first timers at the Bath and West and in this competition it was a great way to start and an amazing achievement for the riders.

Elsie Gibbs on Guinness at Bath and West

Left to right: Elsie Gibbs, Harriet Tuson, Millie ToulsonClarke, Lily Ingvaldson

109

The Dolphin 2018

CRICKET Keep going: Arthur Harman and Tom Woods

despite a good performance in the field on a hot, early May day. Sam Houldsworth’s 2-12 Toby Rogers off 8 overs was the stand out performance. st The MCC match was a high scoring draw during which Michael Harvey announced his arrival in the side with a classy 75. He was ollowing the success of 2017, supported by his skipper Barney Latham who expectations were high for the season, made a good 58. writes Tim Fletcher. With no leavers

At 11-4 against Queen’s Taunton it all from the year before, there was the opportunity looked hopeless, and, in the end, this proved for the side to develop and deliver some to be the case as we lost by 8 wickets, but we results. For the most part they did well to recover to 140 all out did, and they played some good thanks to an excellent innings cricket at times without ever quite of 61 from Tom Woods. He was finding the same rhythm as they well supported by Arthur Harman had in 2017. and Harry MacLeod-Ash. Arthur

The season started in the Harman also took an outstanding rain, with sodden outfields and return catch to dismiss their star wickets - this disrupted things batsman. Ross Tudhope bowled early on as a couple of fixtures very well again against Monkton were lost to the elements. Against and having restricted them to Exeter they played very well 147, we were cruising at 112-3, and recorded a fine 8 wicket win before a flurry of wickets brought thanks to Ross Tudhope’s 4 wicket Monkton Combe back into the burst at the start. His arrival from game. At 118-6 it looked a little South Africa gave us a cutting worrying, but enter Ian Elms. He Think tank: Ian Wilmshurst and edge that we had lacked the hit his first ball for 6 and went on Tim Fletcher previous year; he bowled well all to smash 27 off 12 balls to see us season without always getting the home by 4 wickets. wickets he deserved. Toby Rogers showed

There wasn’t enough cricket after half real determination to end up on 28 not out in term, with only one competitive match against that match as we chased down the 80 needed Clayesmore. On a ‘sporting’ wicket we did to win comfortably - his grit was to be another well to win by 6 wickets. Toby Rogers was theme of the season. outstanding again that day, with his 31 not

Downside were beaten comfortably, out being worth a lot more. Barney Latham also by 8 wickets, thanks to 3 run outs and again batted well, as did Ross Tudhope, but some miserly bowling. the win was set up by outstanding spells from

Tougher challenges lay ahead, and the Arthur Harman (2-18) and Sam Houldsworth pace of Wellington proved too much for us (3-15). The other match was against the Old

1 XI

F

110

The Dolphin 2018 Boys, and it was memorable for Peter Jenkins’ outstanding 7-20, including a hat-trick, Archie Cobb’s bizarre one-handed catch to dismiss Tom Woods, and a Winter Olympian, Lloyd Wallace, taking a wicket.

There was a terrific spirit to this side, and they clearly enjoyed playing together.

Their fielding improved as the season went on, with the tone usually set by wicketkeeper Harry MacLeodAsh. He and Michael Harvey did a good job behind the stumps all season, even when the conditions were tough as they were during the annual festival which was extremely hot. The festival was a competitive one, played in baking conditions and in great spirit.

The opening game against St Albans School was an even one. St Albans posted a challenging score of 271-6, and we responded with an excellent 244-7 to draw the game.

Toby Rogers was again to the fore, with a magnificent 121 not out. He batted for all 50 overs and it was a real triumph of stamina and ability. He was ably partnered by Michael Harvey who made a quick fire 42. Our batting held up again against Giggleswick after a poor start (21-4…), with a fine 84 from Arthur Harman, and good contributions from Tom Woods, Olivia Hamilton and Ian Elms.

However, we struggled in the field and went down to a 7-wicket loss.

The batting again was to the fore against Christ’s Hospital in the final game of the season, 209-9 proving just too much Barney Latham, Ross Tudhope and for them Tom Williams to chase, as they ended on 190-7. We weren’t quite able to finish them off as once again we lacked a little fire power on a flat wicket despite Archie Potter’s best spell of

the season. Tom Williams was the stand out performer that day, making 62 not out in his final innings for the School.

It was a pity our leavers couldn’t end with a win. However, many of them had played every game for three years, and after a tough time in the 5th Form can look back on a record over the past two seasons of Played 23, Won 11, Drawn 5, Lost 7. They became very hard to beat and competed well against some much bigger schools. So, a huge thank you to Barney, Arthur, Tom, Ian, Tom and Archie for all they have given to King’s cricket. They will be sorely missed. Thank you too to Stuart Hamilton for all his tireless efforts in developing the cricket at King’s over the past few seasons.

Hopefully we will see them all back at King’s soon, watching or playing cricket on the best school ground in England!

Inset: catcher: Ross Tudhope; batsman: Tom Woods

2nd XI

T

he 2nd XI had a strong season showing they are a talented group of cricketers, writes Dan Cupit. Blessed by fantastic weather, the season started well with a 35 run victory over Exeter School.

Alex Enderby and William Sandy demonstrated huge potential and skill with the bat to take the game away from Exeter.

A close game against Taunton and a strong batting performance against Wellington then set the team up well for the second half of the season. King’s performed strongly against Downside and some excellent bowling by Sandy and White meant that King’s recorded an impressive victory by 89 runs.

The next game against Queen’s Taunton saw many players perform well with the highlight an excellent 52 by William Luck. This helped set the foundations for a big 85 run victory in the 20:20 game.

A convincing 8 wicket win against Monkton Combe demonstrated the team’s ability with both bat and ball, Holly White and 111

The Dolphin 2018

Liam Ward bowling from the Blackford end

Sophie Hamilton, in particular, impressing with their bowling. Earlier in the season the 2nd XI had been guilty of not taking chances when they had arisen and the fielding had been poor at times. However, against Monkton Combe, King’s were ruthless in the field, snatching every chance going. This continued for the remaining games of the season, a close game against the Old Brutonians and an excellent victory against Clayesmore. Myles Jenkins and Holly White led the team well with good support from players throughout the squad.

Junior A

A

strong, dynamic and enthusiastic Junior A squad enabled us to learn a great deal, achieving some brilliant results along the way, writes Louis Corbin O’Grady.

We started off strongly with a win against Exeter as a result of an inspired 50 (68) not out from Leo Haywood and some fireworks from Liam Ward 39 (21).

After facing a strong Taunton side, we moved on to beat Downside comfortably with Archie Waddington smashing 36 (21). Next we beat Wellington School U14As in a fantastic game of cricket, our tail wagging with Liam Ward 43 (19), and Sam Rabbets 41* (26). Cliff Christianakis bowled well, taking 2 for 16 from 4 overs. We progressed to a close fought game with a Bristol District age group side, Archie 112

Aled Downes gives it some air

Waddington scoring 50 (58) and Joe Gartell 35 (41). Joe was also the stand out bowler with 2 for 16 from 4 overs. We carried on to win against Queen’s College with Ben Fry, Liam Ward and Freddie James all picking up 2 wickets. Captain Adam Barrett-James scored an unbeaten 72 to see the game home, ably supported by Leo Haywood 27 (48) and 26 (24).

We then won against Monkton Combe on a concrete wicket, Freddie James bowling with sublime control for his 4 wickets for 16 from 4.3 overs; Leo Haywood also bowled 6 overs for 29 and took 3 wickets. Freddie Goggs and Ben Fry opened the batting and Freddie played with real maturity for his 44 whilst Adam Barrett-James had to fight hard for his 30 not out to help us reach our total.

Our U14s then won against a Giggleswick U13 touring side with Oscar Price taking 2 for 28 from 5 overs. Archie Waddington hit 28 (15) before he was retired, Aled Downes going to the wicket to finish the innings with 24 (14). We then played Clayesmore away on an interesting wicket, where we lost a close match. Freddie Goggs made a well constructed 34 (34), Leo Haywood 25 (27) and Will Bartlett 22* (36).

We then went on tour to Nottingham High School where we played Glenalmond, Merchiston and Nottingham High School.

We beat Glenalmond with Sam Rabbets and Leo Haywood taking 30 (40) and 34 (81) respectively. Leo’s innings in particular was key to our win. We bowled well and Oliver Sykes took 3 wickets for 19 from his 5, whilst Sam Rabbets and Ben Fry took two a piece.

Sam Rabbets was awarded Man of the Match.

Oliver Sykes and Ben Fry continued

The Dolphin 2018

Chilling: (from left) Sam Rabbets, Ben Burton, Cliffie Christianakis and Liam Ward.

their good bowling form against Merchiston, taking two more wickets each. Although Joe Gartell batted very well for his 30 (53), the stand out performance was Sam Rabbets who hit his maiden century with 103 (92).

Eventually we fell short by 24 runs of the Merchiston 219 total. Sam Rabbets was awarded Man of the Match. The final game of the season was against Nottingham High School. Archie Waddington was awarded Man of the Match for his exciting 57 (31), although Cliff Christianakis bowled well for his 2 for 11 from 3. Oliver Barber took 2 wickets for 4 runs off of his 2.3 overs when scores were tied, causing some real excitement.

The Junior ‘A’s were awarded ‘Team of the Term’ for their continued achievements and attitude to both training and fixtures.

Left to right: Toby Rogers, Ivo Wright and Tom Williams

INTER-HOUSE CRICKET Above and inset: Tom Woods

Putting his back into it: Sam Houldsworth

113

The Dolphin 2018

CRICKET TEAMSHEETS

2nd XI: Standing (L to R): S. Hamilton, K. Garnon, A. Enderby, W. Luck, W. Sandy, R. Leschallas, O. Hamilton. Sitting (L to R): J. Ker, T. Clothier, M. Jenkins (C), H. White (VC), A. Warsap

3rd “Gentlemans� XI : Standing (L to R): J. Sykes, J. Saunders, O. Crossfield, C. McFarlane, T. Ker. Sitting (L to R): H. Shone, P. Coulson, I. Wright (C), S. Innes, F. Weatherhead

1st XI : Standing (L to R): T. Rogers, S. Houldsworth, H. MacLeod-Ash (WK), T. Woods, P. Jenkins, R.Tudhope, M. Harvey. Sitting (L to R): T. Williams, A. Harman (VC), B. Latham (C), A. Potter, I. Elms

Junior A XI: Standing (L to R): O. Sykes, F. Goggs, C. Christianakis, L. Ward, A. Waddington, L. Haywood Sitting (L to R): B. Fry, J. Gartell, A. Barrett-James, S. Rabbets, F. James

Junior B XI : Standing (L to R): O. Lefebvre, J. Richmond, A. White, J. Fowler-Baxter, H. Burgess, M. Bartlett, A.Baxter, T. Horner, O. Enderby. Sitting (L to R): C. Wood, A. Evans, L. Hutchison, O. Wastell, T. Matkevich

Junior C XI : Standing (L to R): M. Hayward, B. Thomas, F. Chetwode, R. Gibbs, J. Cole, J. Newcombe, P. Garcia, O. Mepham, E. Weekes Sitting (L to R): E. Badenhorst, A. Downes, W. Cundy, H. Wareham, B. Woolley

114

BOYS’ TENNIS

Above: Louis Montalat Verheyen. Inset: Seb Finch Hatton

1st VI

B

oys’ tennis at King’s goes from strength to strength each year, with the 1st VI producing outstanding performances consistently throughout this season, writes Dan Cahill. The 1st VI team were the strongest for many years, regularly playing their opposition off the court with a mix of power and determination to win the vital points, winning six out of seven matches played.

The team had a brilliant start when they beat a strong Monkton Combe side 5-4. Henrik Von-Velsen led by example as captain, dominating on serve and blasting his opponents off the court with the power and consistency of his ground strokes. Charles Cross also started the season strongly with his excellent movement at the net, intercepting an impressive number of cross-court shots.

The season continued to build with excellent wins against Downside and Clayesmore, both

The Dolphin 2018 7-2. The boys formed great partnerships on the court, and this was clearly shown by their success. Lluis Montalat Verheyen and Denis Perushev were a difficult pair to beat; their constant pressure at the net left their opponents with limited options.

Our last four matches of the season were against Queen’s College, Taunton; Dauntsey’s; King’s College Taunton and Prior Park. The boys lost a close, high-quality, match against King’s College, but won the other three. Charles Cross, and his partner Alexandre Baker, played extremely well in all of these matches. The consistency of depth on their ground strokes maintained continuous pressure on the opposition. The variety of shots also kept their opponents off balance.

It was also good to see Sebastian Finch Hatton making a successful debut for the 1st VI against Dauntsey’s and Queen’s College.

Sadly, Henrik Von-Velsen, team captain, left us at the end of the season for pastures new. He led by example, both on and off the court. A big thank you to all the boys for their outstanding efforts this season. We are already looking forward to next year as there are some fantastic younger tennis players who are making their way up the ranks – it is an exciting time for King’s tennis.

2nd VI

T

his year we were able to train the whole of the boys’ squad on the newly converted Tyndalls’ courts, writes Seamus Harkness. From the outset we knew we had a strong squad and we needed to hit the ground running. Our first match of the season on a hot April afternoon was against Monkton Combe. The first pair of Rory McAfee and Jordi Casellas Balague managed to win all their games as they did throughout the season - they were a formidable pair who

115

The Dolphin 2018 complemented each other’s game very well.

The second pair of Cosmo Williams Cardaras and Luke Tuckfield showed their class, notching up some early wins.

The third pair was Freddie Comer and Ben Werner. Following some early losses, they found their form and started to play well together.

We had some good wins against Downside and Dauntsey’s School with the boys playing some magical tennis at times.

Our fixture against Queen’s College Taunton ended up as a draw as we drafted in some new pairings of Pablo Chen Lapuente and Lluis Pares Garcia as well as Fergus Gillard and Seb Finch Hatton.

The only two fixtures that we lost were both 4-5 in games to Clayesmore and Prior Park.

All the boys represented the School impeccably and I would like to thank them for their efforts all season.

Seb Finch Hatton

116

Above: Alexandre Baker. Insets: top left - Luke Tuckfield; middle - Rory McAfee

Henrik von Velsen

The Dolphin 2018

BOYS’ TENNIS TEAMSHEETS

1st VI: Standing (L to R): A. Baker, M. Russowsky de la Chapelle, C. Cross. Sitting (L to R): D. Perushev, H. Henrik von Velsen, L. Montalat Verheyen

2nd VI: Standing: S. Finch Hatton. Sitting (L to R): F. Comer, V. Gaudin, B. Werner

3rd VI: Standing (L to R): D. Perushev, L. Montalat.

Sitting (L to R): L. Tuckfield, B. Fearn, C. Williams (C)

117

The Dolphin 2018

GIRLS’ TENNIS

1st VI

D

espite losing five of our 1st VI players last season, the newly formed 1st VI played with strength and determination, writes Kate Flavell. The girls quickly adapted to the pace of the game and came away with a fantastic end of season result – only losing one game throughout the entire term.

The girls had a brilliant start to the season when they played in a triangular tournament against Leweston and Clayesmore, winning both fixtures 6-3 and 8-1 respectively.

Megan Ward led by example as captain, snatching every available ball at the net to catch the opposition off-guard.

Megan’s partner, Kiara Jones, also started the season strongly, with consistently strong ground strokes and pacey serves.

The season continued to build with excellent wins against Monkton Combe (5-4) and Downside (6-3). The girls formed great partnerships on the court, and this was clearly shown by their success. Kitty Mant and Poppy Boyden’s tactical play came to light in these matches, reading the game well and perfecting their lobs and feet aimed volleys. They moved around the court brilliantly and often returned shots that looked unattainable.

Our next two matches of the season 118

proved challenging against strong Bryanston and St Mary’s Shaftesbury sides, however the girls played calmly and with determination which led them to two 5-4 victories. These results both came down to the last matches, and the girls managed to perform well under pressure.

The last two matches of the season were against Prior Park and Wells Cathedral School. The Prior Park squad was exceptionally strong, forcing our girls to play defensively rather than lead the attack. All the pairs played well but only Megan and Kiara managed to secure a win over the team, resulting in an 8-1 loss. The girls enjoyed playing against tough opposition, causing them to approach the Wells Cathedral match with confidence, resulting in a 7-2 victory.

Millie Walters and Isabella Bird proved they were a difficult pair to beat with their forceful shots and winning accuracy which left the opposition with limited options.

All the girls were a pleasure to coach this term; they were consistently upbeat and focused during training and they were a joy to watch. Sadly, Megan and Kitty left at the end of the season; a huge thank you for all they have contributed to girls’ tennis over their time here.

King’s tennis has an exciting future though with many younger talented girls making their debuts for the senior teams.

Season Summary: P 8, W 7, L 1

1st VI Team: Megan Ward, Kiara Jones, Kitty Mant, Poppy Boyden, Millie Walters, Isabella Bird Inset: Poppy Boyden and Kitty Mant

The Dolphin 2018

Lottie Gould

2nd VI

L Kitty Mant

Isca Bird

ike the 1st VI, the 2nd VI tennis team also had a brilliant season, playing seven matches and winning five. The girls played some strong sides with some matches taking place in stiflingly hot conditions.

The 2nd VI started strongly in the first match of the season against Clayesmore, winning 6-3. The pairing combination of Ruby LowsleyWilliams and Pauline Tardy was formidable, and the girls moved around the court brilliantly.

Ruby’s powerful serves proved too much for most opponents and Pauline’s ground strokes were challenging to return. By the end of the season, these two had established a great relationship and they were hard to beat.

In the matches against Monkton Combe and Downside, the 2nd VI played exceptionally well, winning 6-3 and 9-0 respectively. They took what they had learnt in their training sessions into the matches, focusing on their attacking play and making winning shots at the net. Harriet Wakelin and Charlotte Gould played brilliantly, complementing each other’s playing style well. Charlotte served strongly, and Harriet proved to be indispensable at the net. The final pair was Elspeth and Cecilia Cooke; their sisterly tenacity and determination made them hard to beat, especially with Elspeth’s consistency and Cecilia’s ball placement.

Overall, the 2nd VI had a very successful season, finishing with two strong wins against St Mary’s Shaftesbury and Wells Cathedral School. They were a pleasure to coach and 119

The Dolphin 2018 it was amazing to see the improvement in so many of the players from last year’s season. I look forward to seeing many of them back on the court again next season. A huge thank you to Ruby, Harriet, Charlotte, Pauline, Cecilia and Elspeth for all that they have done for girls’ tennis during their time here at King’s.

Season Summary: P 7, W 5, L 2 2nd VI Team: Ruby Lowsley-Williams, Pauline Tardy, Charlotte Gould, Harriet Wakelin, Elspeth Cooke, Cecilia Cooke Anna Wilmshurst

winning 7-2 and 8-1 respectively. The team was made up of three reliable pairs in Taminah Plank and Franka Fink, Hermione Williams and Anna Wilmshurst and Charlotte Latham and Florence Cobb. Eleanor Gibbs and Kirsten McCardle also played for the 3rd VI during the season. All the girls played tennis to a high level throughout the season, their strong natural ability making them hard to beat. The girls’ movement around the court and placement at the net went from strength to strength throughout the term.

The 3rd VI continued to improve, with wins in their last two matches against Prior Park (5-4) and Wells Cathedral (8-1).

Season Summary: P 7, W 4, L 3

Ruby Lowsley-Williams

3rd VI Team: Taminah Plank, Franka Fink, Hermione Williams, Anna Wilmshurst, Charlotte Latham, Florence Cobb, Eleanor Gibbs, Kirsten McCardle

3rd VI

T

he standard of the 3rd VI this year has been exceptional; we have had no difficulty in matching the strong standard of other schools and it has been lovely to see so many girls enjoying playing in matches; this was seen by the squad winning four out of their seven matches.

Despite losing the first match of the season against Clayesmore 3-6, the girls dug deep and practised hard in training to improve their game against Monkton Combe and Downside, coming away with victories, 120

Flo Cobb

The Dolphin 2018

Junior Girls

T

his has been a very successful season for the Junior Girls’ Tennis squads, writes Angela Ashworth. For the first time in many years, we were able to field three sixes with players to spare resulting in very strong teams. I would like to commend the girls for the best season I have seen in my 13 years at King’s!

The first Saturday of term saw the Junior As playing at Leweston in a triangular match against both Leweston and Clayesmore, with the Junior Bs and Cs playing away at Clayesmore. The sun was shining, and all teams stepped up to play great tennis. The juniors won 5:4 against Leweston and then gained more confidence in their second match against Clayesmore, winning 6:3 despite time pressure being applied and the games being shortened. The Junior Bs demonstrated confident command of the courts, winning 6:3 whilst the Cs dominated play, comfortably winning 7:2.

All girls demonstrated some excellent returns of serve and confident volleying.

Saturday 28th April saw the girls facing Downside at home. All three teams played well, putting their training into practice and demonstrating focus and determination. The Junior As dominated their match, comfortably winning with an impressive score of 7:2.

The Junior Bs also won with a score of 6:3.

Unfortunately, the Junior Cs lost with a final score of 1 set to 8, though many of their games were very close.

The Junior Girls travelled to Bryanston on Saturday 5th May for an afternoon of tennis in glorious sunshine. It quickly became apparent that the Bryanston teams were incredibly strong (which is not too surprising given their larger number of girls), but the King’s players stepped up to the challenge to play some of their best tennis yet. The Junior As battled through tight games, many of which went to deuce but unfortunately lost 3:6. The Junior Bs kept their opponents on the move, playing some excellent games with good tactics. Their efforts were rewarded in a well-deserved 6:3 win. A special mention must go to Isabella Jones and Alejandra Olaguibel Perez-Juez (pictured above) who won all three of their sets by 6 games to 4. Despite their best efforts, 121

The Dolphin 2018 the Junior Cs were unable to secure victory in any of their sets, but should be commended for their positive approach, determination and amazing sportsmanship, which highly impressed the coaches of the Bryanston squad.

On Saturday 12th May the teams travelled to St Mary’s Shaftesbury. The As played on Astro against strong opposition and despite some fantastic play with fiercely fought games, they lost 3:6. The B and C teams were playing on hard courts which suited their skills.

The afternoon saw some very exciting games as the opposition were evenly matched against our own pairs, and almost every set went to at least nine games with a huge number of very long rallys! The Bs held their nerve, battling to a 6:3 victory. The Cs also showed determination with their efforts rewarded in a 7:2 victory. A special mention must go to Gabriella Howard-Harwood and Freya Smith, who comfortably won all three of their sets.

Saturday 19th May saw our girls face very strong opposition from Prior Park. The A team played an aggressive game with powerful play at the net. All girls could be seen putting their tennis coaching into good practice with very strong, active play, exerting pressure on the opposition from the net. Unfortunately, their efforts were unable to topple their opponents and the As finally lost 1:8, a score which does not reflect the standard of play demonstrated. The Bs won 6:3 with all players putting in superb volleys and strong baseline drives. Luisa Marie Kirsten and Alejandra Olaguibel Perez-Juez played extremely well, winning all three of their sets. The Cs fought very close matches and it was neck and neck right up until the last match where Gabriella HowardHarwood and Freya Smith kept hanging on but, unfortunately, the team lost the match 4:5.

We were lucky that the weather held off on Saturday 9th June, enabling the Juniors to face Wells Cathedral School on dry courts. All the sets were fairly evenly matched with many of the points going to 122

deuce-advantage several times in each game.

The King’s girls rose to the challenge under pressure with the As and Bs both securing a 5:4 victory. Despite some excellent play and very long games, the Cs were finally defeated in a 1:8 loss.

Thursday 21st June saw the Junior Girls’ tennis teams face their final match of the season against Dauntsey’s. The sun was shining, and our girls clearly wanted to end the season on a high note – and they certainly did that! All three teams played strong tennis, putting pressure on their opponents with some excellent serving and superb rallys. The girls also showed improvement in their attack by regularly moving forward to end the point with a killer volley at the net. The Junior As secured a 6:3 victory, fighting hard against tough opposition. The Bs played close sets, winning 5:4. Special mention should go to all those who played in the Junior Cs, as they won every set convincingly, ending the season with an astonishing 9:0 victory.

Above: Coco Pollard. Inset left: Natalie Wilmshurst

The Dolphin 2018

GIRLS’ TENNIS TEAMSHEETS

2nd VI Girls: Standing (L to R): P. Tardy, C. Cooke, E. Cooke Sitting (L to R): H. Wakelin, R. Lowsley-Williams, C. Gould

3rd VI Girls: Standing (L to R): T. Plank, K. McCardle, F. Cobb, F. Fink. Sitting (L to R): C. Latham, E. Gibbs, A. Wilmshurst

1st VI Girls: Standing (L to R): M. Walters, K. Jones, I. Bird. Sitting (L to R): K. Mant, M. Ward, P. Boyden

Junior C: Standing (L to R): J. Hayman, F. Fearn, E. Docherty, E. Gilmour, S. Yeandel, C. Pollard Sitting (L to R): F. Smith, L. Milne, G. Howard-Harwood

Junior A Girls: Standing (L to R): B. Grillier, H. Grillier Sitting (L to R): A. Ruddock, L. Purefoy, N. Wilmshurst

Junior B: Standing (L to R): L. Kirsten, D. Burland Smith, J. Webb, I. Dawe, A. Olaguibel Perez-Juez. Sitting (L to R): K. Wootton, C. Bird, I. Jones

123

The Dolphin 2018

ATHLETICS

O

n the first Saturday back, we all headed down to the Castle track in Taunton for a great meet hosted by Blundell’s, writes Pip Atkinson-Kennedy. We fielded two girls’ teams and three boys’ teams with some of our 3rd Form trying out events for the first time. Some great performances all round, especially in the relays, gave us a good foundation on which to build for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, due to the deluge of rain we encountered, the King’s Bruton Athletics Meet was cancelled but that didn’t stop the competitive spirit of our athletes. Instead we held our own Mini Decathlon at Hippisley. Ten teams were selected with girls and boys from all the year groups competing in ten events to achieve points for their team. Superb team spirit was demonstrated, coaching, encouraging, inspiring and leading their team to achieve their best.

Five King’s Bruton athletes competed on the second weekend of the term at the Somerset County Combined Events Championships held at Millfield School.

Harriet Tuson competed over two days in the Hepthalon, whereas Matthew Scott and Rian Upton competed over the two days in the Octathlon. On the Sunday, Matilda Best and Kitty Walker competed in the Pentathlon. After a long cold weekend, we had some amazing results and potentially three County athletes.

Harriet was 4th overall in Somerset, Rian was also 4th, with Matt achieving a well-deserved 3rd and Bronze medal place. Kitty finished her Pentathlon with a season’s best in the High Jump and Matilda ran a brilliant 800m, achieving a personal best.

At Bryanston, four teams - Open Boys, Open Girls, Inter Boys and Inter Girls – competed against Bryanston, Dauntsey’s and Sherborne. It was a great opportunity for many of our athletes to finally compete in 124

warm, dry conditions, trying out new events in a competitive competition. We had some fantastic results with Matthew Scott and Rian Upton winning all three of their individual events. Rian also achieved a PB in his new event, the High Jump, with an impressive 1:60m.

Numerous 1sts and 2nds from the King’s athletes gave us a strong position in the overall team placings. Our inter teams were ready for a tough challenge when it came to the 4 x 400m and 4 x 100m relays, with the boys winning both relays and the girls achieving a 2nd and 1st place. After tallying up the points, King’s Inter Boys and Girls won their overall team competitions. Well done.

Another successful afternoon of athletics was had on Saturday 12th June at the Castle track in Taunton. King’s College, Taunton hosted the meet with Wellington, Taunton and Blundell’s also competing. The opening event was the Hurdles with George Matthews and Sophie Gould both achieving good times, but Isaac Pugh blasted his event with a brilliant win and a season’s best time.

Harriet Tuson competed at the Somerset AA Championships at Yeovil, winning the 800m in an impressive time of two minutes, twenty one seconds.

She then came 2nd in the 300m before coming down to Taunton and winning the 300m there. Toby Phillips won the IB Shot before running an impressive 200m.

Rowan Oliver was back on form winning the IB High Jump with 1:63m and Rian won both the Discus and the Javelin. Seamus Corrigan also won his Javelin and ran well in the 200m with Juan Peironcely. Pandora Cobb had a busy afternoon, competing in five events, winning the 200m, Triple Jump and Discus. Henry Barker-Bennett led the seniors, bouncing impressively to win the High Jump and coming 2nd in the Triple Jump. Well done to everyone who competed.

The annual big 10 schools’ meet on

The Dolphin 2018 Saturday 19th June was bathed in sunshine which made a welcome change as it is normally pouring with rain and blowing gale force winds. Teams competing were Millfield, Kingswood, King’s Taunton, Taunton, Wellington, Sherborne, Blundell’s, Bryanston, Portsmouth Grammar school and us. Six teams from King’s competed, two girls and four boys.

Some debutants in the team had a great day. Jacob Ide came 3rd in the 3000m with Gabriel Galley second in the Junior Boys B Triple Jump.

We had some fantastic performances during the afternoon with plenty of podium places. Harriet Tuson 1st - Inter Girls 800m; Millie Venner-Coombes - 1st Inter Girls shot and 3rd Inter Girls Discus; Kitty Walker 2nd Inter Girls High Jump; Esther Adenuga 3rd Senior Girls High Jump; Aidan McFarlane 3rd U16 Boys 100m; Thomas Jones 3rd U16 Boys 800m; Richard Lampe 3rd U16 Boys 1500m; Rowan Oliver 2nd U16 Boys High Jump; Toby Phillips 2nd U16 Boys Shot; Rian Upton 1st in U17 Boys Javelin and Discus & 2nd in 1500m, Robert Harris 2nd U17 Boys 400m; Huw Downes 3rd U20 Boys 1500m;

Championships held at the Yeovil track on the first Saturday back after half term. In warm, perfect conditions our athletes surpassed themselves and achieved some superb performances.

The first ever Junior Girls 300m was run as a new event and to our delight King’s scooped 1st and 2nd. Lily Ingvaldson was awarded a trophy for achieving a Championship best performance and Anya Evans, who had already achieved a third in the 1500m, picked up her second certificate for finishing 2nd.

Besides Lily being awarded County Champion, King’s achieved a notable four other County Champions: Isaac Pugh, who ran an impressive 12.08 in the Junior Boys Hurdles, Millie Venner-Coombes, who threw a county standard 10.19m in the Junior Girls Shot; Rian Upton in the Inter Boys P 124 inset: Anya Evans. P 125: Above: Sophie Gould. Left: Millie Venner-Coombes. Below: Pandy Cobb

Henry BarkerBennett 3rd U20 Boys Triple Jump with a new PB of 12:01m and another PB in High Jump of 1:78m. Both the U16 Girls and U17 Boys relay teams finished a great day achieving 2nd

in both relays behind the Millfield teams.

Over 50 of our athletes competed in the Yeovil Area Schools Championships with 36 King’s athletes qualifying for the Somerset Schools 125

The Dolphin 2018 Discus and Esther Adenuga, who won the Senior Girls Triple Jump.

Just missing out but achieving well deserved second and third places were: Toby Phillips - 2nd Inter Boys Shot; Esther Adenuga - 2nd Senior Girls High Jump; Pandora Cobb 2nd Inter Girls 200m and 3rd Inter Girls Discus; Matthew Scott 2nd in the Inter Boys Hurdles and 400m Millie Venner-Coombes - 3rd Junior Girls Discus; Harriet Tuson 2nd Inter Girls 300m; Kitty Walker 3rd Junior Girls High Jump with a personal best performance of 1:55m; Henry Barker-Bennett 3rd Senior Boys Triple Jump; Lily Ingvaldson 3rd Junior Girls 200m.

We entered both an Inter Boys and an Inter Girls team in the English Schools Cup competition. The boys team narrowly missed out on qualifying this year but to our delight the girls team came 2nd with 351 points putting them into the top eight schools in the South West and qualifying them for their first ‘A’ final. Competing against Millfield, South Wilts Grammar School, Parkstone Grammar School,

Marist School, St Mary’s Ascot, Downe House and Stroud High School, we finished 5th with an improved score total of 373 which ranked us in the top 30 in the country.

At the South West Track & Field Championships held at Exeter Arena, seven

King’s athletes represented Somerset.

Rian Upton was first to compete in the Inter Boys Discus, then Harriet Tuson ran her 300m heats, securing her place in the final.

Esther Adenuga, pictured left, jumped a PB in the Senior Girls Triple jump to gain our first podium, a well-deserved 3rd. Millie Venner-Coombes competed in the first of her two events, the Junior Girls Shot, gaining a commendable 5th. Kitty Walker jumped another impressive 1.53m in the Junior Girls High Jump. Anya Evans ran in the Junior Girls 1500m, achieving a commendable 5:04 but it was a tough race with some exceptionally strong runners.

Isaac Pugh ran a straight final in the Junior Boys 80m Hurdles. Although he had a rusty start pulled back the race in the second half to achieve another podium place for King’s with a 3rd place. The highlight was Millie Venner-Coombes throwing a National Entry standard throw of 28.51m in the Junior Girls Discus and just pipped into 2nd place.

Back Row (L to R): O. Luck, A. Baxter, F. Farrell, H. Tuson, P. Cobb, A. McDermid, J. Wylie, N. Kreutzberg, C. Barber, R. Oliver, M. Best, H. McAfee, R. Upton, J Boyle, R. Harper, T. Jones, A. Ross, A. McFarlane, R. Ijarris, M. Mason, J. Ide, J. Thomas Middle Row (L to R): G. Galley, B. Davies, K. Proctor, S. Corrigan, J. Spilsbury, B. Burton, J. Muminov, S. Sweeting, S. Lock, M. Scott, T. Phillips, A. Dorji, F. Spilsbury, L. Beaton, R. Byrne, J. Southall, R. Wakelin, I. Pugh, R. Lampe, E. Harper Front Row (L to R): B. Hughes, M. Hunter, C. McDermid, L. Ingvaldson, T. Best, S. Gould, T. Barratt, H. Downes, I. Andrew, H. Oliver, E. Adenuga, M. Jones, H. Barker-Bennett, M. Venner-Coombes, M. Lopez-Bella, L. Crossfield, J. Peironcely, K. Walker, A. Evans, M. Bartlett, R. Longman Sitting (L to R): T. Proctor, H. Grillier, A. Downes, J. Blunden, L. McDade, S. McKechnie

126

SWIMMING

A

fter training all year, the first fixture was excitedly anticipated by the entire team, writes Sadie Osborne. This gala was a very closely fought battle between King’s and an evenly matched team from Downside. As always there were some exceptional swims, including Amy Williams’ Senior Girls Freestyle and new member Charlie Bascombe’s U16 Boys 50m Butterfly and Individual Medley performances. Wins were secured in the 50m Freestyle by Katiya Towler, Millie ToulsonClarke and Tim Khvan; in the 50m Backstroke

by Sophie Doig and Tom Robinson; in the 50m Breaststroke by Danny Ker and Harry

The Dolphin 2018 Emily Longman, Jeanne Schwartz-Dreyfus, Katiya Towler, Henry Wareham and Freda Xiao to the team.

The second gala was held at Queen’s College Taunton, showcasing some amazing performances from the King’s Swim Squad.

Although we lost this match (Queen’s College 114, King’s 60), the final scores did not reflect the closeness of every race. We were very proud of Anya Evans’ win in the 2 lengths Butterfly. Other highlights of this match were the second places from Anya Evans in the 4 lengths Individual Medley, Luke Tuckfield in the 2 lengths Butterfly and Poppy Boyden in the 4 lengths Freestyle. Swimmers of this match were Poppy Boyden (Senior Girls), Peter Coulson (Senior Boys), Anya Evans (Junior Girls) and Llewelyn Harper (Junior Boys). Joel

Back Row (L to R): I. Pugh, I. Branagan, L. Harper, L. Tuckfield, A. Barrett-James, T. Morgan, C. Bascombe, A. White, E. Longman Middle Row (L to R): G. Hajdu Hungria da Custodia, K. Ruddock, H. Wareham, J. Southall, K. Towler, L. Gattermann, P. Dorji, B. Fearn, H. Farragher, E. Gilmour, A. Evans, J. Schwartz-Dreyfus, T. Robinson, S. Corrigan, F. Xiao, E. Badenhorst Front Row (L to R): B. Grillier, H. Grillier, E. Hanegraaf, H. Clarke, A. Wilmshurst, P. Boyden, A. Williams (C), T. G. Clothier (C), M. Jenkins, S. Houldsworth, P. Coulson, B. Fry, A. Corlett

Farragher; in the 50m Butterfly by Anya Evans; in the 100m Individual Medley by Anya Evans and Millie Toulson-Clarke; by the U16 Boys and Girls and Open Girls Freestyle Relays teams; and finally by the U16 Girls Medley Relay team.

Overall the match was a well deserved draw with both teams securing 112 points.

Swimmers of this match were Millie ToulsonClarke (Senior Girls), Timofey Khvan (Senior Boys), Katiya Towler (Junior Girls) and Charleie Bascombe (Junior Boys). The Swim Squad were pleased to welcome Charlie Bascombe, Sophie Doig, Anya Evans, Leonie Gattermann, Giovanna Hajdu Hungria da Custodia, Llewelyn Harper, Timofey Khvan,

Southall joined the Swim Squad for this match and performed very well.

In week four, King’s were finally able to host their first home match at Hazlegrove Pool and field both U14 Boys and Girls teams.

Unfortunately, King’s lost against a very strong team from Taunton School (Taunton School 337, King’s 182). Impressively Anya Evans won her U14 Individual Medley and both the U14 and U18 Butterfly races. Of particular merit were hard fought second place swims from Angel Mackintosh in the U14 Butterfly; Sophie Doig in the U14 Backstroke and Freestyle; Henry Wareham in the U14 Breaststroke; Katiya Towler in the U16 Freestyle; Adam Barrett-James in the 127

The Dolphin 2018 U16 Breaststroke; and Archie White in the U16 Butterfly. Swimmers of this match were Anna Wilmshurst (U18 Girls), Samuel Horner (U18 Boys), Katiya Towler (U16 Girls), Charles Wichary (U16 Boys), Bertille Grillier (U14 Girls) and Joel Southall (U14 Boys). Excellent debut performances during this match were given by Elih Badenhorst, Seamus Corrigan, Benjamin Fry, Emily Gilmour, Bertille and Hortense Grillier, Richard Lampe, Angel Mackintosh and Isaac Pugh.

For the second gala in week four, the Girls Swim Squad travelled to Sherborne to compete against Leweston, Canford and the hosts Sherborne School. There were some exceptional swims, including Sophie Doig and Isabel Branagan in both the Individual Medley and Butterfly, Katie Ruddock in the Backstroke and Freestyle, and Emily Longman in the Backstroke. Overall the Junior Girls team came fourth by a very small margin, but we were extremely proud of the Senior Girls who finished a respectable third overall. Swimmers of this match were Isabel Branagan (Senior Girls) and Emily Gilmour (Junior Girls).

The last gala of the season was hosted

by Millfield School. King’s lost this friendly match against a very strong Millfield Sharks team composed of at least eight former Millfield Squad swimmers. Congratulations to Thomas Robinson for winning his 50m Breaststroke. Everyone swam really well and there were a lot of very close races.

Second place performances from Danny Ker in the 50m Breaststroke, Sophie Doig in the 50m Butterfly and Katiya Towler in the 50m Freestyle. Swimmers of the match were Hayley Clarke and Thomas Robinson. It was an absolute pleasure to see Ella Hanegraaf perform so well in her first gala for the Swim Squad.

Overall this was another year filled with great swimming performances and laughter.

Thanks to the whole Swim Squad for their enthusiasm, support and commitment to the team. Special thanks to the Swim Squad captains Amy Williams and Toby Clothier who made this season so memorable. Huge thanks also to Mrs Phippard for her help with training and fixtures, to Dr Corrigan for her enthusiastic and cheerful support at both the Downside and Hazlegrove galas, and finally to Mrs VigersBelgeonne for her excellent organisation and 128

support of the team at the Hazlegrove gala.

U6th swimmers who were vital to this year’s Swim Squad and who will be very much missed next year were Toby Clothier (Boys’ Captain), Peter Coulson, Myles Jenkins, Timofey Khvan and last, but by no means least Amy Williams (Girls’ Captain). As always, I hope you all keep enjoying your swimming beyond King’s.

PRIZEGIVING

Headmaster’s Speech

Grand entrance: Tim Vine and Ian Wilmshurst

S

enior Warden, Governors, Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Prizegiving and a warm welcome to Mark White, the notthat-new-anymore Headmaster of Hazlegrove, and his wife, Serena, began Ian Wilmshurst.

It gives me great pleasure also to welcome back to King’s, Old Brutonian, Tim Vine. Over the past three years I have decided to invite back Old Brutonians to be our Guest of Honour at Prizegiving, partly because we are moving towards the school’s 500th anniversary, but more importantly because these OBs were sitting here where you, the Upper 6th leavers, are sitting now, and they can relate to you and hopefully you can relate to them. Tim was at school at Hazlegrove with Mr Harkness but sadly Mr Harkness failed the entrance exams to King’s and therefore had to go to Canford, but Tim was successful and moved on here.

I have met Tim at several OBA functions, the last time being at a surprise farewell dinner in London for Gareth Evans. I am often asked by prospective parents what I want our U6th leavers to be like. Difficult to answer as all of you are different, you are unique and I don’t want to create clones here.

What I do say is that I want our U6th to be the kind of young men and women you would want

The Dolphin 2018

to sit beside at a dinner party – interested, interesting, polite and engaging company.

Tim was exactly that and he also has had a fascinating career, more of which he will briefly speak of later. So, Tim, welcome and welcome also to your wife, Vicky, your parents, Richard and Heather, sister Louise, and welcome back to your fellow OB, Simon, and thank you so much for taking the time to be here with us on this important day.

We are coming to the end of our 499th year as a School and inevitably more focus is on the 500th next year. The School hosted a wonderful lunch at Lambeth Palace in January for over 80 Old Brutonians, all of whom had been at King’s before 1966 – that date was chosen simply because that was the year I was born.

The oldest OB there was in his mid-90s, the youngest in his early 70s (no girls in those days). The Old Brutonians John Hudson invitations went out and David Thomson at Lambeth Palace in early October and one OB wrote a lovely reply (many wrote letters and cards, few used email) saying that he would love to come but his attendance depended on how harsh the coming winter was going to be, to see if he was still alive in January! He made it through the winter and he was excellent company. Many OBs had not met each other since they left King’s and a wonderful meal was had by all. I have welcomed groups of Ian and Helen Wilmshurst these “Lambeth Palace” at Lambeth Palace OBs back to see the new Music School and to visit their old boarding Houses. I showed an 82 year-old OB around Priory last week, he had his photo taken with current Priory Year 10 pupils and when he went into the Priory Common Room he started to 129

The Dolphin 2018 quietly cry to himself and said, “Headmaster, this brings back so many happy memories”.

Fundraising for the 500th has been hard work but reconnecting with so many OBs, of different generations, has been a highlight for me. The Day of Celebration earlier this month was a great success with excellent cricket matches, a wonderful tea and supper hosted by the BTEC Hospitality pupils, an impressive Beating Retreat by the Military Band, and a superb concert by the Big Band. My thanks to Gilly Bunday and Rose Vigers-Belgeonne for all their hard work, initiative, patience and energy that made the Day of Celebration and other 500th events so successful.

Rose organised another amazing classic and interesting car rally. I was offered the use of a “classic car” by Gordon Fry who runs the West End Garage in Bruton and owns about 20 classic cars. I know very little about cars to be honest – they are just boxes on wheels to me. But Gordon promised me a “classic car” for the Day of Celebration. On the Monday before he said, “Ian, what car did your father drive?” I wasn’t really thinking and missed an obvious opportunity to say a Morgan or Aston Martin – but I told him the truth, because I went to a good school, and said “Dad drove a Maxi”. For those of you who don’t know what a Maxi is, or was – probably all of you under the age of 40 – it is a rubbish box on wheels. Gordon immediately said that he had a 1971 Austin 1800 I could use. For those of you under the age of 40, a 1971 Austin 1800 is an older, rubbish box on wheels. So, I had this old Austin – Helen and I did drive it around – not on the 50 miles rally route Rose organised, but as far as Ditcheat because, as I fully expected, the Austin, like my dad’s rubbish Maxi, started to break down.

I managed to get it back to my driveway and then it did completely break down.

So, we are having our 500th Day of Celebration in June 2019 with another classic car rally and this time I will be ready for 130

Gordon’s question about the car Dad used to drive.

The 2019 Day of Celebration will culminate with a 500th Ball for 500 guests and I am very hopeful that we will have a Royal opening of the Music School in March 2019.

We will obviously keep parents informed of our 500th events.

We have now raised over £900k for the 500th appeal and therefore need less than £100k to meet the 500th target of £1m set by the Governors. I am confident that a school like King’s will, and indeed should, be able to celebrate 500 years with a £1m capital appeal. The new Music School will transform the school campus as well as providing an amazing facility for our musicians and for the Bruton community. It is also what I like to call a domino development as we can do other improvements – the existing music school will be a much needed catering facility both for functions in the Memorial Hall and for our thriving BTEC Hospitality department. The school Estates Department will be incredibly busy over the summer as we create a new 6th Form Centre in the current library, move the library to the Hobhouse Building, finish the refurbishment of the former Rectory (now called Abbey House) to a domestic property for rent, and complete the final phase of the classroom refurbishment in the History department. We left the History department until the last possible opportunity because everyone wanted to put off until the last possible moment the need to take on Mr Fletcher’s decades of rubbish in his classroom.

Thanks to Governors for their advice, expertise and indeed belief in the School by supporting all these major campus developments.

I have had confirmation from the Town Council that the go ahead has been given to complete traffic calming projects at the entrance to the School and on the crest of Plox, beside the Health Centre, before the road descends towards Wellesley. The School

The Dolphin 2018

is providing financial support to help accelerate these two schemes that will greatly improve road safety for both the school community and the local public. I will keep parents informed when construction starts on these two schemes.

It seems strange on a day like this that three months ago King’s was cut off by three severe snow days. I want to publicly thank the staff, teaching and support, and the pupils for all that they did to make these days such positive experiences.

Staff went beyond what was expected, and these snow days illustrated to me what a strong community this School is. The first snow day was like the first day of an alpine ski holiday (exciting and fun), the second day, we were all tired, while the whole of the third day was miserable – like most days, I can remember, of my childhood ski holidays in Scotland.

This year has again seen such success and such variety. Many pupils will receive prizes in recognition today, but I would like to thank all the pupils for your contributions in sport, in music, on stage, in CCF, DoE, Ten Tors, TGI, in your Houses – the effort you put in, the way that you compete always against bigger schools, the enthusiasm and good humour you show, makes King’s such an incredible School. The list of successes and achievements is too long for me to mention here. I am amazed every weekend with the range of activities and fixtures on offer. King’s does provide incredible opportunities for all our pupils which is remarkable for a school of our

size.

It has now been a tradition that I invite our Choristers to sing for us and this year I am delighted that the Chamber Choir will sing the Seal Lullaby by Eric Whittaker which they performed in the Summer Concert.

Before I say farewell to our leaving staff, I would like to thank certain other members of staff. Firstly, I would like to thank Alison Grant, my Deputy, for all her tireless work for King’s and for her initiative, ably supported

by Kirsty Hoskins, to introduce a valuable wellbeing activity programme for Mental Health Awareness week. There were many smiles, laughs, and much fun that week, despite exams pressure, and the feedback from pupils was positive and supportive. It did not matter that the planned “puppy day” was dominated by one bulldog that was incredibly ugly and two mountain dogs that were the size of cows.

Mental Health is a top priority and I will be working with Alison and our pastoral teams to improve and develop our wellbeing support for all our pupils

Secondly, I would like to thank our new Chaplain, George Beverly. He obviously has had big shoes to fill, but he has made the role his own and I am delighted that he has been accepted for ordination. George is also responsible for our poweful digital marketing presence on social media and he works tirelessly for the School, whilst also teaching History and Philosophy.

George is passionate about many things, none Tom Hudson

131

The Dolphin 2018 more so than his beloved drone and one of my top highlights was when Tristano Wrighton, L6th Old, threw his javelin and missed the drone by inches – all captured on the drone film and if Tris had hit Mr Bev’s drone, I would seriously have awarded an extra prize for him today. So close! Seriously, George, thank you.

I am so grateful to the SMT, Dan Cupit, who masterminds our academic programme with patience, skill and good humour, the Bursar who should take great credit for the ongoing financial success of King’s and of Hazlegrove, to Will Dawe as 2nd Deputy for his hard work, organisation, experience and wisdom, and finally to the other Mr Daws, Will, Head of 6th Form. I announced the creation of the Head of 6th Form post in my Prizegiving speech in 2015 and Will has made a step change in the advice, guidance and support on offer to all our 6th Formers regardless of their plans beyond school. A measure of his success is that within two years Will has made the post of Head of 6th Form indispensable and I know our 6th Formers and their parents are so grateful for all the support he gives.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to

mention all the pupils’ activities, nor do I have time to individually thank all our Housemasters and Housemistresses, Heads of Departments, Tutors, Teachers, Coaches and support staff for their invaluable roles in our school community. I was heartened that each House, when asked by the Chaplain for reasons to be thankful in the last church service of the year, thanked their matrons, cleaners, grounds staff, and kitchen staff as well as their House staff, as well as giving thanks for their Housemasters/mistresses and tutors . One house even gave thanks to the Headmaster, but I expect that was a joke……

We have said good-bye over the course of this week to our leaving staff and I would like now to formally thank Helen Pidsley, who has given valued support to Nicky Checketts in EAL, Paul Reed who set up our BTEC Entrepreneurship and Enterprise as well as adding expertise to our rugby and rugby 7s 132

coaching, and finally to Monica Ashton who retires after many years of invigilation support to Tim Walker, our excellent Exams Officer.

Helen, Paul and Monica, thank you and best wishes for your future.

Gail de Mora retired as full-time Head of Maths to continue as part-time maths teacher while Katie Wylie-Carrick has provided outstanding individual maths support to countless pupils. Both are highly skilled Maths teachers, both care deeply about their pupils, and both have made significant impact in the maths achievements of all abilities of pupils.

Gail and Kate, thank you so much and best wishes to you both for your retirement.

Stuart Hamilton left Lyon House after ten years of outstanding service as Housemaster and since then has continued to provide high quality coaching in cricket, rugby and hockey as well as introducing the athletes programme.

It is rare that a school has a coach skilled in three major team sports as well as providing knowledge and understanding of elite sport and Stuart leaves King’s with our best wishes.

Nanette Archer has been instrumental in introducing both Psychology and BTEC Health and Social Care to the curriculum but also initiated the 6th Form Dinner. Nanette is another member of staff who cares deeply about the pupils and she has also provided high quality tutor support to the boys in Old House. Can you join me in thanking Stuart and Nanette and wishing them both the very best for their future careers?

Finally, Rob Lowry is retiring after over 30 years of service to King’s as teacher, Head of Department, Housemaster in Priory and Lyon, Tutor, Director of Boarding, Designated Safeguarding Lead, games coach, guitar player in school bands, and much more

The Dolphin 2018

Rob Lowry says goodbye

besides. My father retired after 30 years in education and his advice to me when I started my teaching career was, “Ian, remember that you are not just a teacher, you should also be a schoolmaster”. Rob is a schoolmaster. He has gone that extra mile and he has achieved what few manage, whilst introducing pastoral initiatives and support systems that we now take for granted; what Rob has managed as a schoolmaster is to finish his career as fully involved in the life of the School as he was when he started his career and I am delighted, and relieved, that Rob has agreed to remain as Designated Safeguarding Lead for next year.

His knowledge and experience are invaluable.

Rob, thank you. Thanks also to Julie, Rob’s wife, for her years of support to Rob in his various school roles, whilst also being one of our wonderful nurses.

We have given Rob gifts throughout this week, but I want him to come up on stage for one final gift but also for you to have the opportunity to thank him for 31 years of King’s

school mastering.

Before I invite Tim to present the prizes, my final personal thanks go to Sharon, my amazing PA, and Helen, my wife, whose support for me and for Anna and Natalie makes everything possible.

Best wishes to Rebecca Coombs for her wedding in over a week’s time, good luck to our CCF cadets for their summer camp and to the cricket 1st XI for their festival and finally my very best wishes to Honor and to Rosie for their exchange this summer to Australia.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted that King’s is in such good heart, indeed I expect pupil numbers in September to be over 350 which is the highest since 2002 and we are looking forward to the 500th anniversary of this special School with confidence and excitement.

Thank you very much and now I invite Tim to present the prizes.

Poppy Turner and Emma Walker

133

The Dolphin 2018

CUPS AND PRIZES

THIRD FORM

Achievement Prizes for academic excellence Rosie Longman Lulu McDade Thomas Bickerton Thomas Matkevich Mathilda Best Anya Evans

Commendation Prizes for sustained hard work Juan Peironcely Emily Gilmour Lily Ingvaldson Javdat Muminov Isabella Andrew Oliver Mepham

FOURTH FORM Achievement Prizes for academic excellence

Constance Pollard Adam Barrett-James Isabella Bird Llewelyn Harper Natalie Wilmshurst Harriet Tuson

Commendation Prizes for sustained hard work

Rory Gibbs Katie Wootton Leo Haywood Amy Ruddock Ella Docherty Daisy Turner

FIFTH FORM Achievement Prizes for academic excellence

Alexander Baxter Felix Farrell Giovanna Hajdu Hungria

da Custodia Mani Kher Theo Morgan Hamish Sanford

Commendation Prizes for sustained hard work

Honor Mant Emily Longman Santina Mckechnie Rosie Wakelin Millie Walters Michael Harvey

134

The Dolphin 2018 LOWER SIXTH FORM

KING’S BACCALAUREATE

Subject Prizes

Biology Poppy Turner Hospitality Poppy Turner Chemistry Emma Walker Further Mathematics Emma Walker Geography Callum McFarlane Economics Callum McFarlane Mathematics Jinyuan Zhang Business Studies Ben McClean Design and Technology Harry McLeod-Ash History David Wirth English Emma Reynolds French Holly Baker Health and Social Care Florence Cobb Physical Education Sophie Hamilton Philosophy Esther Adenuga Physics Samuel Innes Psychology Elsie Gibbs Spanish Luke Tuckfield Sport Olivia Hamilton Theatre Studies Narnia Wilmot Enterprise Elspeth Cooke

UPPER SIXTH FORM Subject Prizes

Biology Geography English History Business Studies Chemistry Design and Technology Economics Physics Mathematics Physical Education Hospitality Further Mathematics Health and Social Care Psychology Sport Theatre Studies

Harriet Wakelin Chloe Dawe Chloe Dawe Kitty Mant Skye Neal Holly White Myles Yeandel Peter Coulson Peter Coulson Peter Coulson Cully McDermid Cully McDermid Henry Oliver Chloe Slingo Emily Young Tom Westropp Tom Hudson

Distinction*

Distinction

Holly White (Music) Kitt Mant Archie Warsap Megan Jones Myles Jenkins Lottie Gould Barney Latham Harriet Wakelin Tom Hudson (Drama & Music) Chloe Dawe Emily Wastell Henry Barker-Bennett Ella Corlett (Drama) Sophie Wichary Anna von Keller

Headmaster’s Prize for Music

Abigail Hyde

Charlotte Mansergh

Ella Corlett

Slogrove Trophy Tom Hudson

Bill Gordon Jazz Trophy Tom Hudson The Moore Cup for Choral Music

Band Shield

Holly White

ART PRIZES

Junior Award

Ceci Cooke

Ella Corlett

Senior Award Emily Young

History of Art David Wirth

The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers School Prize in Art Hermione Williams Bruton Art Society Award

Elsie Gibbs

NAMED PRIZES Strayt prize for Biology (Junior)

Rosie Wakelin 135

The Dolphin 2018 EPQ Prize

Emma Reynolds

3RD Form Reading Prize for outstanding performance in the Accelerated Reading Scheme Davey prize for creative writing

Lulu McDade Rosie Byrne

Mary Tyndall Prize for continued academic Ceci Cooke improvement Edward Geach

Ben Vallings

The Fleischmann Prize for excellence in a second language Javdat Muminov

Most improved English as an additional language (Junior)

Aaron Gu Most improved English as an additional language (Senior)

Daniel Wang

OBA Prize for excellence in GCSE Callum McFarlane Viney Prize for achievement in GCSE beyond expectation with continued progress in L6

Ella Hanegraaf Luke Tuckfield

The Tremlett Prize for Historical work

Archie Warsap

Henry Deanesley Prize for Chemistry in 6th Form OBA Progress Prizes for progress not exclusively academic

Kiara Jones Holly White Lottie Gould Tom Williams

Hugh Sexey’s Memorial Prizes for contribution to School life Archie Warsap outside the classroom Myles Jenkins

Sophie Wichary

Anna von Keller

136

Alex Edwards Cup for loyalty and service to the School community Sir David Allen Prize for public speaking Sloman Cup for contribution to the dramatic arts Gibbs Cup for Drama

Amy Williams Holly Baker

Sophie Williams Tom Hudson

Galbraith Cup for contribution to girls’ sporting achievement both in School and at representative level Sophie Hamilton Coney Cup for contribution to girls’ sport on and off the field

Megan Ward

Pineo Bowl for contribution to boys’ sporting achievement both in School and at representative level Michael Harvey Ridley Cup for contribution to boys’ sport on and off the field

HEADMASTER’S PRIZES

for Outstanding Academic Achievement

for Deputy Head Boy

for Deputy Head Girl

for Head Boy

For Head Girl George Bailey Beak Trophy for the top performing House

Barney Latham

Kitty Mant Archie Warsap Megan Jones Barney Latham Kitty Mant New House

Editors: Back: Holly Baker, Emma Reynolds, Harriet Papenfus, Kiara Jones Front: Anna Wilmshurst, Charles Oulton, Molly Hunter

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Editors would like to thank the following for their contributions to the production of the 2018 issue: George Beverly for providing almost every photograph in this issue; Tracy Shean and Juliet Deaney for their careful proof reading; Andrew Leach for his constant archive support of the Editors; Jon Edkins for the sports team photographs (info@davidwiltshire.co.uk); Richard Snart for the House photographs (richard@groupphotos.net); the staff for their reports, and our excellent printers, Aurora Print and Design Ltd, Wincanton (T: 01963 33755; E sales@auroraprintanddesign.co.uk)