Malvernian 2019

The

Malvernian

2019

SEPTEMBER 2018 – AUGUST 2019

Table of Contents Headmaster’s Editorial ........................................................ 5 INTRODUCTION Salvete ..................................................................................... 8 Valete ..................................................................................... 10 Chapel Prefects .................................................................... 18 Heads of House .................................................................... 19 ARTICLES Malvern to Paris Expedition ............................................

Biology Department Conservation Expedition to the Cayman Islands .......................................................

Lower Sixth Service Trip to South Africa .....................

Charity Netball Match .......................................................

The Assassins’ Game ..........................................................

22 26 34 36 38

NEWS & EVENTS Farewell Service for Antony and Brigitte Clark .......... 42 Remembrance ...................................................................... 44 Chapel News ........................................................................ 46 Commemoration Day ......................................................... 50 CCF ........................................................................................ 52 ACADEMIC LIFE Academic Review ............................................................... 60 College Library .................................................................... 62 Lea-Smith Reading Competition .................................... 64 George Sayer Fellowship ................................................... 65 Science Photography Competition ................................. 66 A Brief History of Life, the Universe and Everything .................................................................... 70 Lucretian Society Lectures ............................................... 72 Wheeler-Bennett Society .................................................. 74 ARTS Art .......................................................................................... 78 Gala Opening of the Rogers Theatre and Chicago, High School Edition .................................. 88 Wolf Hall ............................................................................... 92 Wendy & Peter Pan ............................................................. 96 House Drama Competition ............................................ 100 Music ................................................................................... 104

HOUSES School House ...................................................................... 112 No.1 ....................................................................................... 116 No.2 ...................................................................................... 120 No.3 ...................................................................................... 124 No.4 ...................................................................................... 128 No.5 ....................................................................................... 132 No.6 ....................................................................................... 136 No.7 ...................................................................................... 140 No.8 ...................................................................................... 144 No.9 ...................................................................................... 148 Ellerslie House .................................................................. 152 SPORT Rugby ................................................................................... 158 Cricket .................................................................................. 176 Hockey ................................................................................ 196 Football ............................................................................... 216 Netball ................................................................................. 230 Athletics .............................................................................. 238 Cross-Country .................................................................. 240 Rackets ................................................................................ 245 Tennis .................................................................................. 246 Golf ....................................................................................... 254 REGISTER Prizewinners ...................................................................... 258 Upper Sixth Leavers ........................................................ 264 College Council ................................................................. 265

Editor: Peter Morton Design: 678 Creative House and sports team photographs kindly supplied by Norman Mays Photography.

Other photography: MGL, DJE, SGW, CRDC, NVW, RBW, EPC, GAS, and pupils.

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Headmaster’s Editorial I have taken it as a compliment when staff and students have expected me to know everything that is going on across the full remit of Malvern life, when in fact I have been here for less than a term and a half. I have seen a lot, and enjoyed the challenge of immersing myself completely, but there is still much for me to take in as I experience the vast richness of the weekly calendar of events and activities that just keeps rolling on.

The first set of academic effort grades has recently been published and the evidence shows how hard the vast majority of our pupils work. The links between academic effort – both within the classroom and through active engagement with the academic enrichment offered by our everdeveloping super-curriculum – and academic success are undeniable, and I look forward to seeing more of our pupils taking this message on board as they witness the success of those around them.

Pastorally, I have been delighted to see the strength of the pastoral teams, both in-House and between Houses, and although we clearly have 11 ‘best houses’ in the College, the systems in place to support pupils are as strong as I have seen anywhere else.

Through it all, I have been delighted to see the positive and enthusiastic approach from both pupils and staff, and I hope that as you read through this latest edition of the Malvernian, you will see the evident enjoyment, as well

as something of the important skills, that our pupils are learning as they engage in the curricular, co-curricular and super-curricular opportunities on offer.

We aim for our pupils to enjoy transformational experiences through their time at Malvern, whether on major lifechanging expeditions or through marginal gains in a piece of Hall work, so that they leave with great memories and a sense of fulfilment, but also with the key transferrable skills that will help them take opportunities and find success in life beyond the College.

Keith Metcalfe, Headmaster

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Introduction

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Salvete Keith Metcalfe

Keith Metcalfe, the new Headmaster, commenced his time at Malvern College in April 2019 having come from Harrow School where he was the Deputy Head Master. Educated at Monmouth School and Downing College, Cambridge, where he read Geography and won a Blue for golf, Keith’s experience also includes that of being a Housemaster, a departmental head, a school inspector with the ISI, a coach of various sports, and running the DofE programme. Keith is an active person at heart, with a particular passion for sport and the co-curricular. His driving desire is to see Malvern’s pupils flourish, whilst they develop the skills, resilience and initiative to thrive in the rapidly changing world in which we live. Keith is married to Clare, with whom he has three children, all of whom attend The Downs Malvern and are enjoying being based in this wonderful environment.

Revd David Ibbotson

The Reverend David joined us as College Chaplain in January 2019 from Eastbourne College, where he was also Chaplain. He will also be teaching Chemistry. He was ordained in 2012, following a career in teaching, and served a curacy at Tewkesbury Abbey before returning to schools as a chaplain. He was a Deputy Head (Academic) for many years and has worked in boarding schools for most of his professional life.

Oliver Butterworth

Mr Butterworth takes over as Housem of No.1 and will be teaching Economics, having joined us from Oundle School.

He is married to Joanna and they have two young children.

Damian Marshman

Mr Marshman, as well as being a Maths teacher, is the new Housem of House No.7. Mr Marshman was schooled at Christ College Brecon and joins us from Blundell’s School where he was also a housemaster. He is married to Katey, and has to children, Nia and Isabelle.

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Alexander Young

Mr Young joins Malvern as Head of German, having previously taught German and Russian at Wellington College, and as a House 7 tutor in the Lower School. Before moving into teaching, he worked in the automotive sector in England, Germany, and Russia. Mr Young is a keen musician and has played the guitar, drums, and bass in various bands. Beyond modern languages and music, his specific areas of interest include British, German, and Russian foreign policy and global geopolitics. He has a 2-year-old son named Fred, and a wife who is also a languages teacher.

Andrea Price

Ms Price is the new Head of Academic Music and a Remove tutor for House No.4. She most recently spent five years as Director of Music at Bolton School, though she has taught both academic and instrumental music at a range of state and independent schools in the North West of England.

Before embarking on a teaching career, she worked as a professional percussionist, both in orchestras and as a soloist. She is also a published composer. In her free time she enjoys walking her dogs – a Dalmatian and a Weimaraner: she is one of Audible’s top listeners!

Tom Tuthill

Mr Tuthill takes over as Housem of No.9 and teaches Politics. He is married to Claire and they have three children.

May Ho

May Ho joins Malvern as a Maths teacher and Deputy Housem for House No.8; she is already having fun being the FY tutor, and is looking forward to spending more fun time with her tutees and the girls in House 8. May Ho has taught in both the state and private sectors and comes to Malvern from Blundell’s School. She enjoys playing different sports such as volleyball, hockey, and badminton, and is also a keen rider.

Alison Winwood

Mrs Winwood is working part-time, teaching Mathematics from FY to U6. She has taught in a variety of other establishments, from a state school for children with severe and multiple learning difficulties in Basingstoke, through to Malvern St James. In her classroom you will find some of her creations in cross-stitch and crochet on mathematical themes!

Marine Val

Marine joins the Malvern teaching staff this year in Modern Languages and is a familiar face from her work as a French Assistant in the previous academic year.

Irem Cicek

Irem Cicek joins the Modern Languages department as a Language Assistant.

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Antony Clark

Antony Clark was one of Malvern’s outstanding Headmaster’s – to date.

By any measure standards in his time improved and the College’s reputation grew, and with them pupil numbers and the financial health of the College.

Evidence was to be seen in all corners: refurbished and new facilities on the Malvern site, new schools in China and Egypt, purposeful pupils, a galvanised staff, the support of a revivified Council, and a loyal parent body.

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Underpinning it all was the character of Antony and his wife, Brigitte.

Antony has many qualities that explained his success. Experience was certainly one. He came with an extraordinary pedigree for someone in his early fifties: by the time he arrived at Malvern Antony had already had three very successful headships under his belt: St Joseph’s College and St Andrew’s College in South Africa followed by a six-year stint at Gresham’s School in Norfolk. The challenges they presented undoubtedly helped Antony at Malvern: there was little he hadn’t seen by the time he joined us and some experiences that he mercifully didn’t have to repeat. To keep St Joseph’s afloat he had regularly foregone his own salary.

Antony certainly had the commercial nous to lead in an era when the political and economic headwinds for boarding schools were intensifying. As a former banker he could read a balance sheet and he was prepared to take

calculated risks. It was his initiative to pursue the development of the overseas schools’ programme in China and Egypt, a venture which has become so important to our long-term financial viability. Crucially, in this sphere, as with the College refurbishment programme, he had the confidence of the Council and its Chairmen. When someone of Ian MacLaurin’s stature – chairman of our Council and of Tesco (in its heyday), Vodaphone and the ECB – said publicly that Antony Clark was the best CEO he had ever worked with, then you feel he must have been getting something right.

Allied to this was Antony’s capacity for hard work. In this regard his intellectual gifts certainly helped. One could see why he held the Douglas Smith Scholarship at Cambridge: at work one sensed an acute mind. Key issues were identified and gripped, and his resolve and eye for detail were extraordinary. No stone was left unturned. All the while he maintained

his composure however vexing the problem. Churchill, when asked how he dealt with the pressures of wartime leadership, said that before going to sleep the last thing he did was pause momentarily before saying to himself “B***** the lot of them”. Whether Antony adopted the same history doesn’t relate – in many respects he was an intensely private man – nonetheless, his demeanour never changed regardless of the pressures.

That said, whilst Antony was a model of self-control and even-handedness, one knew exactly when the mark had been overstepped. For a fraction of a second there would be a flicker of irritation in his eyes – rather akin to a Bond villain – before he explained with clarity and control why the path suggested would not be pursued Above all though it was his sense of service that underpinned his leadership. It was a theme to which he often returned, particularly in Chapel, and one which he lived out. He treated everyone equally, he took every issue seriously and he was humble. A meeting with Antony followed a pattern: one would enter his study, fixed all the while by the eyes of the Churchill, whose portrait was opposite his desk, and business was underway as soon as you heard the snap of the elastic band on his diary being released. He would then listen intently and note assiduously in his neat hand before acting with impartiality and understanding.

The absence of grumbling from any of the (often competing) constituencies – staff, pupils, parents, Council – is testament to his manner and judgement, and in marked contrast to what one would hear from staff at similar schools where criticism of the Head appeared mandatory.

And in reshaping the College this approach was critical to his success.

Academic and pastoral structures were put in place that are now common-place in any school worth its salt,

but such changes necessarily require a change in attitudes and culture of the pupils and staff. This is not easily achieved without causing upset but it is what Antony managed. He also able to maintain Malvern’s identity and not allow it to be subsumed beneath a tide of corporatism. No easy task given the age.

Further, his manner and approach were more than just a ritual. People recognised his integrity, his shrewd judge of character and his evident sympathy and care. Staff and pupils would receive letters or presents which were sincerely given, not contrived. Pupils can spot the latter a mile off. And they made all the difference.

In Antony’s first year an outstandingly gifted teacher was encouraged to stay at Malvern – to everyone’s benefit – on receiving such a letter. And those pupils who had performed in an Informal Concert on a Sunday evening were buoyed by the note they received on Monday morning.

His commitment to the pupils also extended to an insistence on teaching, something from which he could justifiably have excused himself. Starters, Assessment Objectives and mini-plenaries weren’t features on which his reputation for excellence in this arena rested. Rather it was his enthusiasm, clarity of exposition and an evident love and knowledge of his subject, as any lunchtime conversation with his charges confirmed. His expectations were extraordinarily high, and his care over the preparation of lessons and marking of work self-evident. The latter always completed scrupulously and by the next lesson; and his humility as a colleague in the History department made him a joy to work with.

One saw such engagement elsewhere: on the touchline, in concerts, in the debating forums. His enthusiasm for the former drew him to scoreboards like a moth to a lamp. As a cricketer (player and coach) of some distinction,

he would be seen on the bank of the Senior Turf watching intently whilst pressing the flesh and urging on the boys and girls.

Alongside him would be Brigitte.

Antony’s equal. Brigitte’s commitment to the College was an integral part of Antony’s success. In fact, it was their success. Brigitte would be found supporting every facet of College life: attending performances, regularly asking questions at the WheelerBennett Society meetings, going in to the boarding houses to help with university admissions or to dispense career advice. And all whilst maintaining her career as an academic lawyer and her role as a mother of three. Her warmth was palpable, her interest in those around her obvious. She always put me to shame remembering the day, month and year of our daughter’s birthday, really quite significant facts that I still struggle to recall quite so effortlessly!

Antony transformed the fortunes of the College. Quite reasonably one might have expected him to ease into retirement by way of a consultancy role or similar. Instead he has taken on the challenge of a fifth boarding school – Michaelhouse, South Africa – which must be something of a record. In turn, he leaves behind a formidable legacy in the hands of his successors, Keith and Clare Metcalfe.

JAOR

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Jonathan Card

Jonathan Card joined three years ago from Cheltenham College and previously from Wellington School. We thought he was slowly working his way up the M5, so expected his next move to be Bromsgrove, but sadly he has been lulled by the surfing beaches of Devon, and the slightly more sedate pace of life at West Buckland School on Exmoor. The Maths Department took a while to adapt to the modern JC – with his two letter name and use of Promethean interactive whiteboards – but he has very much made his mark, gluing a calculator to a brick to prevent theft and stepping into the sizeable shoes vacated by Peter Gray, taking hold of Statistics HL option, and handling almost all the Statistics questions the rest of the Mechanics dominated department throw at him.

However, his greatest feat has been in being the consummate schoolmaster able to switch between a high powered Hundred set one lesson and a slightly more needy lower set in the FY the next. Both classes needed different handling but both were grateful for his teaching skill.

JC started his tutoring life in No. 9, but when the pastoral opportunity to serve under Justin Major in No. 2 arose, the lure was too much and a couple of happy years tutoring FY in No. 2 followed. JC is very much the sportsman, with Hockey, Cricket, and Skiing the passions, although surfing is soon to join them. He coached both 0 12

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Girls’ and Boys’ Hockey, and still plays a bit himself. This Easter, I had the pleasure of running a ski trip to Banff with JC as one of the assisting staff.

As a snowboarder he was lucky to get a place, and typically was all talk and little action! However, I have never seen him so animated as running the fine system on the trip. By the end of the week no one was safe: there was a colour coded spreadsheet detailing all the misdemeanours, of both staff and pupils, but the tips to the instructors and hotel staff were well covered. I’m not sure who has a harder job, Alison Winwood replacing his statistics input or David Reid running the fines on the next trip.

We wish JC well back in the West Country, and will miss his enthusiasm for teaching, creativity in the classroom, sound ideas, and as a team player.

CJT

Mark Cox

When Mark came to Malvern 12 years ago, his brief was to help raise the profile of College sport, and to re-engage the College with the Prep School market. He did this through a whole range of initiatives which included: running our 13+ Sports Scholarship assessment days; setting up various sports partnerships; starting a coaching and refereeing outreach programme; introducing coaching days and sports camps and

festivals for Prep Schools; inviting the touring IAPS Kenyan National U13 Rugby Sevens squad to train at the College as part of their UK Tour.

Mark was – still is! – a very enthusiastic and talented sportsman. His hockey is currently going through a renaissance as he plays for Wales in international veterans’ competitions, and he is also a skilled and competitive footballer, rugby player, and tennis player. No surprise then that he was also an excellent coach. His U14A rugby team always won most of their matches and, for a couple of seasons, were unbeaten; likewise, his junior tennis teams, whose busy practice sessions and packed fixture-lists kept the Firs tennis courts teaming with activity on week-day afternoons in the summer term. Mark reported his teams’ successes in great detail – his lengthy match reports for assemblies were legendary! – but that was only because he wanted every player to get a mention: he got the best out of all his players, whatever their ability, and he was rightly keen to celebrate what they had achieved.

Mark also was a very dedicated tutor in House 7, who never missed his duty-night and always supported (vociferously) the house’s sports teams in their matches. The boys loved the fact that, when Mark was on duty, sport in general and football in particular were the always the main items on the agenda. A life-long supporter of Liverpool, he delighted in his team’s extraordinary successes in the Champions’ League, and he himself epitomised their never-say-die attitude.

Mark greatly enjoyed working at Malvern, and we will sorely miss his energy and enthusiasm which has had such a positive effect upon colleagues, pupils, parents, and the whole College community.

RGT

passionate about ensuring that all pupils were making the most of the spread of co-curricular opportunities available to them.

SCH and PWM

Roberta Keys

Roberta arrived at Malvern in September 2017 to take on the Role of Deputy Head Logistics as well as Teacher of Economics and Theory of Knowledge. Already well-known to many members of the Economics Department, Roberta’s excellent subject knowledge and highly professional approach to classroom teaching were widely welcomed. Her long experience of teaching both A-levels and IB Economics quickly provided a strong foundation from which her classes developed clear enjoyment of the subject. Her ToK pupils were similarly energised and challenged by such an interested and interesting teacher. Within the Department she championed the cause of Women in Economics, building on her close links with Cambridge University, and regularly taking groups of female economics students to their conferences. She had particular interests in Development Economics and Service, which combined in the phenomenally successful Toilet Twinning initiative (embraced enthusiastically by Assassins throughout the College) as part of a school-wide Service initiative which she sought to develop.

Roberta was dedicated in her role as Deputy Head Logistics and instrumental in exploring and introducing systems that would help make the running and monitoring of co-curricular activities more consistent. Indeed, this was Roberta all over: she was

Will Mathews

Will Mathews came to us from Sherbourne, taking over the German department in 2011 whilst also teaching French. He then went on to become Head of Modern Languages in 2017. During that time he has taught German, French and, in times of great need, Spanish.

Will has an approach to language teaching, indeed to language learning which is dynamic, practical and alive.

This underpins his teaching and also the way in which he has driven the department. His love of language goes with his love of travel and his openmindedness towards other cultures.

He has worked tirelessly to instil this in his pupils as well as his colleagues, all of whom can be very grateful for the way in which he has tried to open up opportunities for everyone.

As Head of MFL he was ambitious in his desire for Malvern to open its doors to all things international and he led from the front in his support of the MFL café events, the bi-yearly Culturama, MFL debating competitions, and the recently established Spanish exchange to Valencia.

As a teacher William was described as patient, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. As a colleague in department Will was variously described as calm, unruffled, and always happy to help.

As a tutor and one time Deputy in House 7, he was described as ‘superb’: punctual, calm, respected by the lads, professional. Blessed with a sharp sense of humour and an easy manner, Will developed relaxed and easy-going relations with his charges in house, all of whom genuinely valued his support and camaraderie.

Whether in football, rugby, tennis, cricket, or golf, Will Is keen. His support for sport has led to his participation in a number of school tours: rugby to South Africa and more recently to New Zealand. In fact Will’s passport has been somewhat crucial to much of his career at Malvern: Germany, Fiji, Cook Islands, South Africa, New Zealand, Isle of Man, Portugal, Fuerteventura, Sri Lanka, not to mention the Lakes and The Gower! His CV of school trips resembles a Trailfinders brochure.

Of course it has been his beloved surfing which has been at the root of many of Will’s most memorable trips.

His love of the surf and the water is well known, undimmed by the endless ribbing for being a ‘bodyboarder’.

More than anything Will will be most sorely missed as a friend to many.

He has been at the very heart of everything social at Malvern for many years now and his open-minded, generous, and warm-natured approach to all social events and indeed everyone he meets leaves a large gap to fill. Will’s wife Kathryn too has played a full part in Will’s life at Malvern and we wish them both well as they head off to live and work in Vietnam. Viel Glück, Willhelm!

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Sebnem Melan

Sebnem Melan joined us for one year as the German assistant from the Goethe University, Frankfurt, and settled very quickly into the rhythm of school life.

Her approachable and friendly nature, coupled with the warmest of smiles made Sebnem an instant hit with pupils and staff alike, as she assisted primari-ly with one-to-one speaking classes for our students of German, specifically among those classes sitting external exams. Her impact here was clear to see, as both IGCSE and IB results exceeded expectations in the summer, with Sebnem helping our pupils develop their range of spoken language and, most im-portantly, to feel comfortable and confident in general conversation. Sebnem also took on larger classes by herself, notably an FY group once each week, and she threw herself enthusiastically into the challenges that Malvern offered. We were also most grateful for her excellent company on the exchange trip to Ber-lin. Sebnem will be missed by the Languages department and beyond as she made such a positive contribution to life at Malvern, and we wish her well as she returns to Germany to continue with her studies.

WJM

Dermot O’Keefe

There are plenty of people who would deserve Churchill’s barbed quip about Attlee: “He’s a modest man, who has much to be modest about.” That’s not true of Dermot. Socrates-like, he simply knows the boundaries of his wisdom and the perimeters to his capabilities: but these are broad and wide.

Dermot came to us from Solihull Sixth Form College: naturally, he had decided to while away the December years of his teaching career in a quiet backwater, enjoy a sinecure and slip away. Not at all true, of course! He has brought not only his own energy to the department and College: he has been an energiser, one who has inspired his colleagues, pushed his pupils to new heights and led by example. With his gadfly touch, he has awakened the sixth-former from his somnolence and the FY from fecklessness, challenging them simply to think – and then think again. His lessons are often shaped around Socratic dialogue, though he appears to have escaped Socrates’ fate of being convicted of impiety towards the gods or corrupting the minds of our youths.

Any such accusers would need not only to look for him in his Kantian ivory tower, but find him on the football field, or in a corner of No. 2, or in philosophy club or the theatre, or – yes – having a sociable jar in a local hostelry. Dermot has not only given energy and commitment across the range of school activities; he has shown warmth

in comradely conversation, acuity in political debate, a breadth of interest in things cultural, aesthetic, social and sporting. As a manager, Dermot has been gentle and supportive but he’s also led us by example to stretch and examine ourselves for “the unexamined life is not worth living.”

He’s an artist too: you’ll find little sketches adorning his notes, and he’s even been known to produce presidential portraits. These reflect his interest in people and his acute skills of observation, which have enabled him to treat individual pupils with such care, understanding and fatherly compassion.

We are heartily sad to see a man of such talents and such grace leaving, just as we have been heartily glad to be enriched by his presence. I have a sneaking suspicion that Dermot’s ‘daemon’ will continue to haunt the tower above the headmaster’s study – a Bertha Mason (Mrs Rochester), whispering the words of Hume and Descartes into the wooden panels. His legacy will endure.

Above all, perhaps, Dermot has that one quality that is most coveted in these uncertain times: an Irish passport. Éire go brách. Go well, Dermot, with our blessings, our love and affection, and our deepest thanks.

APL

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Lukasz Rybarczyk

Lukasz Rybarczyk is one of a kind.

Lukasz joined us four years ago from Herefordshire via Prague, Swansea and Poland. He is a rarity in the Maths Department – in that he actually has a Maths de-gree – and his enthusiasm for the subject and teaching is infectious. He has pushed ahead our technological abilities and been keen to support new initiatives. In his few short years he has pio-neered the use of technology, run the Senior Maths Team Challenge, helped with the House Maths Competition, and is that Head of Department’s joy in that he always finds a way to help even if it puts him out. There were many evenings when I would have to force Lukasz out of the Pavilion at 7.00 pm to go back to Hereford; I’m not sure if he was working, just looking at maths videos or researching interesting ways of teaching.

Lukasz has taken part in all manner of College activites, tutoring in No.1 with trips to Cwm Lwch, running the Chess club, and of course CCF. He has been the epitome of a boarding schoolmaster, where no sacrifice is too great, and it is all done with enthusiasm and a smile.

Lukasz leaves us to work closer to family and home at Herefordshire Sixth Form College.

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Richard Whitehead

In his 10 years here, Richard was been a respected Head of the German department, an inspirational teacher of TOK, German, and Russian, a House and academic tutor, and a Deputy Housem in No. 9 as well as a truly dedicated and innovative Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator for the Learning Enhancement Dept. He also sang with the Chapel Choir, organised and trained the Peer Mentors, championed the Malvern College Human Rights Society, regularly performed in the No 9 Arts Soirée, supported school CrossCountry, became a councillor for the Liberal Democrats, and published a book. He is well known in the College community as a committed vegan and single-handedly proves that boundless intellectual energy can be generated by a raw vegan diet, a lot of soya milk, and a daily jar of tahini.

As a teacher, Richard was full of drive, enthusing pupils and staff alike with his passions for GDR history, Russian literature in translation, and German literature of any century; he initiated the talks with Berlin which resulted in the popular exchange programme and, as a frequent traveller to Russia and Estonia, and a fluent Russian speaker, he was a source of great support to students from these areas.

However, Richard’s role as SENCO and dyslexia teacher for the last 5 years deserves particular emphasis. In this capacity, his most important qualities,

for which he was known and loved, and will always be remembered, emerged.

First and foremost, Richard is an inspirational and dedicated teacher and as SENCO he worked with innovation, academic rigour and meticulous attention to detail and protocol; as a colleague Richard was consistently approachable and kind. Above all, he is known for the care he lavished on the pupils – always kind and gracious to them, always acting in their best interests, proactive and professional in looking after their educational needs. He was also tireless in encouraging staff, always, to be the best that they can be in teaching and caring for often very needy children. Even after the tragic death of his wife, Margarita, it is truly incredible that Richard never for a moment lost his focus on the students’ needs and still found the emotional strength to continue to give support to others – his family, his friends, his colleagues and the pupils.

Richard is moving on to devote his energies and talent to developing and running his own dyslexia practice in Moscow and Malvern, and to delivering Davis Dyslexia workshops in the UK, Estonia, and India, and to promoting his book. It is typical that he would wish to bring support and educational innovation to areas which even today offer little to help those with dyslexia and other special educational needs.

Richard will be missed by pupils and staff alike for his warmth, incredible intellect and knowledge, resilience, and kindness.

IPMB

Paul Wickes

Paul Wickes arrived in 2006 and quickly established himself within the Economics Department as an invaluable classroom Politics teacher of impeccable credentials, with both a deep and infectious interest in political theory, and a wide-ranging understanding of political histories and contexts. His extensive experience of travel and of working abroad gave him a rich and comparatively global context to his teaching, and to his excellent supervision of IB global politics Extended Essays. Many of his lucky students will have clear (or bleary-eyed) memories of his Election all-nighters. During his time teaching Politics an increasing

number of Malvern pupils were inspired to study Political Science at university, and he supported others in joint honours applications such as for PPE. Paul is widely read not just in political theory but also in other fields such as history and literary arts, and this together with his fluency in Portuguese made him an invaluable colleague in the Theory of Knowledge department, where he was truly an IB Renaissance man. His colleagues particularly appreciated his forensic attention to the preparation of both internal and external assessment.

Paul was a great person to work with in house. He was very experienced and knew how to run a boarding house very effectively and efficiently.

The boys under his care really grew to respect him over their time in the house. He had a great deal of respect in fact, including from the house staff, assistants and tutor team. They saw how much he cared about the boys in his charge, how much interest he paid to them, and how generous he was with his time. Paul always demonstrated excellent values. He was kind, caring and thoughtful, and he took great

interest in how the boys in the house represented the house, always dressing and speaking well and arriving on time, as well as encouraging the boys to broaden their horizons in different fields. As a result, the house became truly an eclectic house, with leaders in music, sport, drama, the arts and of course in academia. He fostered the boys’ leadership and was particularly good at encouraging everyone to take on board some form of responsibility as they grew throughout the school.

He was always humble, no more so than when being the good-natured target on house paintballing trips. He was an excellent leader and mentor for the boys, and a real role-model, and his positive influence on their lives will have an impact far beyond the walls of No. 9.

SCH and DJK

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C h a p e l P r e f ects

Eleanor Calderwood Senior Chapel Prefect

James Wakefield Chapel Prefect

Lara Davison Chapel Prefect

Montague Lampard Chapel Prefect

Oliver Millard Chapel Prefect

Nicholas Yeoward Sacristan Chapel Prefect

Heads of House

Tristan Hubbard (SH)

Urav Ladwa (No.1)

Henry Queen (No.2)

Olivia Hyde (No.3)

Poppy Delingpole (No.4)

Jack Haynes (No.5)

Crystal Yip (No.6)

Thomas WentworthFitzwilliam (No.7)

Saskia Griffiths (No.8)

Edward Mayell (No.9)

Jasmine Jain (EH)

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Articles

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Malvern to Paris Expedition In the summer of 2019, 10 Malvern College pupils, assisted by Mr Jay Watts and Mr Simon Woodward, travelled from Malvern to Paris by kayak, paddle board, and bicycle, unassisted by any other form of transport. This included a crossing of the English Channel by paddle board – the first crossing of its kind. Here, in excerpts from the presentation they delivered in the College Chapel, some of the participants reflect on their experiences.

Peter Ingram (Hundred): In the first two days we started our expedition with cycling, which totalled 128Km. From Day 2 to Day 7 we kata-canoed.

To make this possible, we strapped the canoes together.

During these canoe days we came across the Henley Royal Regatta, one of the most famous rowing races in the world.

This, for us, was amazing as it was completely unexpected and we managed to see a few races up close. We then proceeded to sea kayak along the Thames right past the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Tower.

We then had a very early 2 o’clock start the next morning to be able to cycle through London without the traffic – which was incredible. We continued our journey in kayaks as we kayaked past the cliffs of Dover, which was of course an amazing feeling as it signalled we had reached the coast.

We then had a unique experience as we had a private escort right through Dover Port and then, once we had reached our end point for kayaking, hopped onto bikes to continue our trip for that day – which ended up being two DofE gold days in one.

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Finally, we reached Dungeness where we finally pushed off the shores of England on our journey across the Channel.

We did this – if you don’t know – on a giant stand-up paddle board. It was a surreal experience and one we will not forget. Of course, this was one of the highlights of the trip for many people, although surprisingly not the most physically demanding section of the trip. For me, that was the next five days where we biked all the way into Paris. This consisted mostly of between 60-90km of cycling per day, which was exhausting. It was all worth it, especially once we sat down on the grass in front of the Eiffel Tower.

James Francis (Hundred): During the expedition, we were all subjected to tiredness from constant physical activity, and had the pressure of keeping your cool whilst in close quarters with the same 11 people for a month. Due to these alien conditions, we were all confronted with our own internal conflicts, which we had to learn to overcome. Some people were homesick; others were struggling not to shout at everyone after someone left the cooker on; and some were trying to force-feed themselves coffee to stay awake! Personally, after I crashed my bike upwards of 3 times on Day 2 alone, I was ready to go home early – a fact which I couldn’t hide from my companions. This led to a wave of homesickness which made me more focused on getting myself off the expedition than I was on going onwards to Paris.

Fortunately for me, my lack of enthusiasm to continue couldn’t have come at a worse time, as we neared London and needed an even number of people to use the two-man kayaks used to travel through the city. This meant I had to continue, and during this time I was genuinely shocked as to how many people pulled me aside and asked me how I was doing during the few days leading up to London. Due to everyone’s expressed support, I was more determined than ever to get to Paris long before we had even reached London.

My story is one of several in which I learned to trust my friends enough to let my guard down, so that we could band together and help each other; and I know that we couldn’t have made it to Paris in one piece without each other’s continued support. By the end of the expedition we were incredibly determined to reach our destination together, and grateful to each other for keeping ourselves

on the right path. Without our individual challenges we might never have bonded enough to overcome the challenges which were thrown our way as a team.

Jasper Penrice (Lower Sixth, Senior Chapel Prefect) We have spoken about how challenging this expedition was for all of us and how we have taken so much from it; and that’s all very well, but it’s important to talk about how exactly we were able to take so much from the trip. Every evening we would sit around a campfire and reflect on the day we had had – the good and the bad! Sometimes this reflection was aimed at the group, and sometimes it was just for an individual, but what we realised was that there is nothing more powerful than being praised or criticised by your friends. Before I went on this expedition, I thought that reflection was just one of those annoying things that you had to do after an exam or sports match. How wrong I was!

I believe that reflections were crucial in getting us to Paris and were the thing which have changed us for the better.

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Molly McNicholas (Lower Sixth):

Shea John (Hundred):

This trip was a huge endeavour, and so we started training for it a long time before we actually left. This was to get us up to the level of skill and confidence we needed to be able to get to Paris.

The training was crucial, both to improve our fitness and to learn to work as a team, as cycling by yourself is really different from biking in formation as a group of 12, and we had to learn how to do this so that we would be safe on the trip for three weeks.

As well as training for the physical side of the expedition, we had meetings every week to plan and organise all of the logistics. The whole thing was an entirely pupil-led expedition, and we had to sort everything out ourselves, preferably before we left: If we didn’t organise it, it wouldn’t get done.

In these weekly sessions, we included a lesson on roads and the highway code so that we knew what was going on when we were cycling.

The expedition wasn’t something you could do halfheartedly; you have to be fully committed to getting up early, going to meetings, making sure you do the extra training in your free time, and organising your part of the logistics, all during the school year. The selection process started in March last year, so Malvern to Paris has essentially been a part of our lives for almost 18 months.

This was a big commitment, but an incredible experience, and one I would really recommend to Remove and Hundred pupils.

As Molly has said, the physical training programme had been in action for nearly 2 years prior to the expedition itself.

The first physical part of this two-year training programme consisted of cycling up to the Worcestershire Beacon, which aimed to improve our fitness, and then later the cycling purely on roads around Malvern, to focus on our safety while on the bikes.

In addition to this, we had two practice expeditions, the first of which was in the Wye Valley, and the second in the Isle of Man. The Wye Valley expedition took place in October 2018 and involved 3 days of cycling and canoeing; this trip provided the team with an introduction to cycling safely on the roads as a group, and also to expedition life in general. The Isle of Man expedition took place in the Easter holidays this year and involved 5 days stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking. The main purpose of this expedition was to familiarise ourselves with the stand-up paddle board; and the windy, rough conditions we experienced on the Isle of Man allowed the calm Channel crossing in the real expedition to seem much easier and thus much more enjoyable.

In general, these practice expeditions and the rigorous training process allowed us to refine our weaknesses and ensure that the trip to Paris was as smooth as possible.

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Augustus Stephenson (Lower Sixth):

Georgina Inchbald (Lower Sixth):

I want to talk about how the group as a collective grew and developed throughout the 3 weeks of the expedition.

First, everyone became far more sympathetic towards and aware of each other. Now, I know that these particular soft skills are often repeated, and their mention is for some a cue to sleep! But they really are vitally important to life in general and they do have huge importance in keeping a team close and strong through over 23 long days.

Another way that we became closer and more cohesive as a group was joining in on a shared ethos of positivity and perseverance. Though not the most exciting of growths, joining and believing in the same attitude made life so much easier at a time when we really needed to cut the number of difficulties we were facing.

These skills, which I’m sure we will retain, will stand all the group in good stead for what I’m sure will be some interesting futures.

I am going to be taking a more personal approach and will be talking about how I have changed as a result of the expedition.

Without a doubt, my confidence has grown hugely. I am not sure if it came from the knowledge that I have crossed the busiest shipping lanes in the world, or if it is in the smaller things that didn’t grab the headlines, such as asking a stranger where the nearest supermarket is and then having to decipher those bizarre directions. Or answering questions when navigating whilst attempting to seem calm and completely in control of the location when really you’re just sincerely hoping that there is indeed a lock around the next river bend.

Either way, this confidence has helped in many ways so far and I am sure it will continue to do so. In sports, mainly kayak polo, I am a far more vocal and assertive player. I have asked questions at university open days when before, I would not have said a thing. Even standing here, addressing the whole school, I owe to the expedition and this confidence.

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Biology Department Conservation Expedition to the Cayman Islands Expedition blog contributors: Jack Bedford, Alexandra Darby, Robin De Plaa, Saskia Drake, Emily Elgar, WIlliam Gutermann, Kitty Holroyd, Sam Hughes, Gregory Lane, Samuel Hughes, Morgann McGee, Cyrus Mered, Edward Norbury, Agueda Ortiz-Flores, Sarah-Jane Starkey, Lisa Weierich, Anastasia Wlaschek, Eve and Hayley Watson

Day 1 – The 30-hour day!

The first meeting point was at 4.15am in Malvern where we were whisked off to Heathrow by coach, arriving in plenty of time to meet the rest of the group. After a quick stop for the first group photo we headed through passport control and started the 12-hour flight to Grand Cayman (via the Bahamas for a refuel stop).

By the time we landed it was already 10.30 pm in the UK, but only mid-afternoon in the Cayman islands. We picked up our minibuses and set off – on what the pupils named the ‘chicken run’ due to the sheer quantity of chickens that roam the island.

We then went to ‘Coconut Joe’s’ for a thoroughly deliciously meal – outdoors – until the heavens opened!

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Day 2 – Greg’s Birthday treat to see the Blue Iguanas, Stingrays and Starfish Spectacular storms woke us in the night; however, we all made it to the early breakfast so that we could get to the Blue Iguana sanctuary and Queen Elizabeth Botanical Gardens by 9am. When we arrived we were surprised to find that the iguanas were a grey colour; however, as they warm up they gradually turn blue! We then toured the Botanical Gardens and amongst the many native birds, butterflies, and plants we saw a typical Caymanian house.

The afternoon was very pleasantly spent on a luxury catamaran which took us to swim and snorkel with the sting rays, then on to starfish point. The hour-long cruise back to the dock gave us a chance to sun-bathe and sing along to DJ Morgann’s mix!

Day 3 – Arrival at Little Cayman and the Central Caribbean Marine Institute We caught our twin otter planes to fly over to Little Cayman and were met by the CCMI team. When we arrived at CCMI we were stunned by the views from our rooms.

Following an orientation tour and a diving and snorkelling briefing we were split into 2 groups – Miriam’s Minions

and Maisy’s Mafia – to do a scavenger hunt. The teams were given the first clue with a detailed map of the island, and then hopped into a minibus and directed Miriam and Maisy as to which way to go to find the next clue. This was a great way for the pupils to work as a team and discover the island!

By 4pm we were super-hot and the sea was incredibly inviting, so what else could we do but go for a snorkel in the area just in front of the field centre and just as far as the reef wall (about 70 m into the sea)? We saw many colourful lobsters, a reef shark (about 2m in length) and many fish (we would learn how to identify them during the week).

Day 4 – First Open Water Activities After breakfast, we split into our two groups and started our activities. Maisy’s Mafia went diving in the morning while Miriam’s Minions stayed at CCMI and learnt about the importance of marine ecosystems. We listened to multiple presentations about mangroves, seagrass, and coral.

Each presentation taught us about the roles of each and their effects on the reef.

On the dive and snorkel, we went to Cumber’s caves.

We spent an hour in the water, during which we saw a Caribbean reef shark (a small harmless mammal with no teeth, so nothing to worry about; everyone came back to shore in one piece!). We also saw a turtle, a spotted eagle ray, a rainbow parrot fish, a sting ray, a sea cucumber, and many other shoals of small fish.

Day 5 – Marine Debris and Pollution After another morning of waking up to the beautiful ocean view right outside our rooms, and turtles popping their heads out of the ocean, we started the day off with the weekly clean-up of the centre. Maisy’s Mafia then had a lecture on marine debris and pollution. This was extremely interesting, but a real wake-up-call about the reality that our oceans are facing in terms of plastic, noise, and light pollution. When thinking about marine pollution, none of us had thought about the consequences of lights near beaches and how this can confuse thousands of baby turtles as they try and find their way towards the sea, resulting in their deaths.

While picking up eight bags of plastic, a large barrel, and half a garden chair, we realised that the 12.7 million tonnes of plastic that goes into the ocean every year meant that it could even reach this beautiful, untouched, tiny island. We even found debris and bottles from as far as France and the Philippines.

Meanwhile Miriam’s Minions had a more uplifting morning of a gorgeous dive and snorkel in the crystal clear water of ‘The Meadows’. We yet again saw breathtaking wildlife amongst the expanse of coral and sponges, such as a juvenile nurse shark, grouper, puffer fish, barracuda and squirrel fish.

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Day 6 – First Boat Dive and Snorkel The day started with a huge rainstorm, and everyone woke up to the sound of thunder. After an early morning downpour, the Mafia prepared their dive gear for an 8am boat dive while the Minions continued to enjoy the calm after the storm. While the Mafia were gone the Minions learnt about identifying the many species of fish in the Caribbean.

As the Minions were sighing with relief, the Mafia were taking the leap of faith off the dive boat. What awaited them was a plummet into the deep abyss of Coconut Walk. As they descended into the blue they were immediately greeted by a sting ray and a Great Barracuda before setting off to explore the various types of coral in the reef. An example of this is the extremely endangered Pillar Coral of which only three females are left in the whole of Little Cayman.

At 12pm everyone had returned from their adventures with many a story to share over lunch. When the teams had caught up with each other the teams switched activities with one another so they could all share the same experiences.

This included Miriam’s Minions seeing a Trumpet Fish, Queen Triggerfish, and a couple of Great Barracuda, and Maisy’s Mafia heading out into the sweltering afternoon sun.

Day 7 – Best dive yet!

Miriam’s Minions started off the day by packing all their gear: masks, snorkel, BCD, regulator, fins, dive watch, tanks, dive boots and weight belts, getting ready to head off to another amazing dive, this time at ‘The Mixing Bowl’ dive site. Meanwhile, Maisy’s Mafia started their day with a presentation in the classroom on dangers posed to coral reefs.

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The divers and snorkelers had an amazing time seeing flying fish from the boat, and also admiring the yellow footed boobies who sit on the posts which indicate to the boat drivers the cut in the reef wall, like guardians of the reef! Once in the water the divers and snorkelers saw southern stingrays, yellow sting ray, turtles, a nurse shark, French angel fish, many damsel, and wrasse. It is always stunning to see many tiny juvenile fish in the crevices of the reef; some are only a few millimetres long!

Later that afternoon Maisy and Miriam took Maisy’s Mafia on a trip to the North-East side of the island to do another rubbish pick-up session. Here we found the most rubbish we had seen yet, and it’s safe to say that it wasn’t a nice sight to see, knowing that we have probably contributed to some of it.

Day 8 – Turtle Walk Today was a special day at CCMI as it was the last dive for us and our last chance to perfect our rafts for the epic raft race tomorrow.

The day started off with another interesting lecture on the different types of sea turtles in the Caribbean for Maisy’s Mafia. After the lecture we headed off to help Maisy, a turtle specialist, on her daily trip to her assigned beaches to look for new turtle nests and check on the progression of the hatching turtles.

When we came back we had to prepare our diving gear to head off to ‘Bus Stop’ – our dive site that day – straight after lunch. We were hoping to finally come across either a shark or a turtle. It was a beautiful dive, and educational

as we were learning about coral diseases. We used colour tablets to identify how much the coral reef has been affected by coral bleaching. Shockingly, we realized that many of the corals were either dead or damaged.

Day 9 – The great Raft Race to Owen Island During the week the two teams had been cleaning beaches but also collecting pieces of driftwood that had also been washed up. With this driftwood (and some plastic bottles from the beach clean) we had been building rafts in preparation for today’s race from Little Cayman to Owen Island.

We started in the morning, testing and finishing our rafts, making sure that they actually worked. We then loaded them onto the back of the trucks and made our way to our departure beach opposite Owen Island. Emily waved the team flags and we all set off, some not as good as others.

Maisy’s Mafia used very few items to build their raft which, luckily for them, made it a lot lighter. Miriam’s Minions, however, decided to make theirs much more buoyant which ended up making it extremely heavy and required a barrel to be removed at about halfway across the stretch of water.

This allowed Maisy’s Mafia to gain a very decent head start which they maintained for the entire race, allowing them to win by a significant distance. Once the race had finished we enjoyed a well-earned lunch on the boat, followed by an hour and a half of relaxation and the fun of jumping off the boat next to Owen Island.

We were then just eating our meal (the last supper) and discussing how many life-long memories had been created during the week, when Maisy appeared with something very

wriggly inside a bag. Maisy works for the Department for the Environment and as part of this job she tags new turtle nests and then also checks nests that are ready to hatch regularly. She had just visited one of these nests and had found hatchling turtles that were struggling to make it to the sea.

As with all freshly hatched nests she then needed to excavate the nest to release any turtles that were still struggling to make it out of the nests. We could not use normal torches or any flash photography as it confuses the turtles when they are trying to swim towards the moon, so we used infra-red torches and Maisy showed us how she excavates the nest.

Once Maisy had excavated the nest we took the 11 turtles that we had found to release them towards the sea. We set them off at the top of the beach and they paddled fast with their flippers, eventually making it to the sea. The week had gone from being excellent to really quite unbelievable as we were now just trying to take in what we have just witnessed.

Day 10 – Farewell Little Cayman: Crystal Caves and bioluminescence tours Our CCMI departure day arrived, and by 6.45 am the boys were all breakfasted and packed off into the CCMI minibus to go to the Little Cayman airport. Before the girls had even managed to get to the 7am breakfast they had returned! The two staff at Little Cayman airport had told them that they were “very sorry; however, there would be no flights departing Little Cayman today due to a fault on the plane”. After a split second of delight flashing through all of our minds we suddenly realised that we would miss the rest of our itinerary back on Grand Cayman if we could not leave the island!

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Fortunately, the Little Cayman community are experts in dealing with these sorts of situations and soon the Little Cayman Beach Resort had offered to take us (and the 2 other passengers due to fly off the island today) to Cayman Brac.

We had rather heavy-hearts as we waved good-bye to Sam, Miriam, and Katie from CCMI, and as Little Cayman became ever more distant I’m sure that we all felt that we were leaving a piece of our hearts on that beautiful little island. After touching down at the airport, we picked up the ‘Merrick Mobile’ and the ‘Chicken Chariot’ (our minibuses), made a very speedy stop at a cafe to buy sandwiches, dropped our luggage at the hotel, and headed out for the hour’s drive across the island to the Crystal Caves.

Our hugely entertaining tour guide, Robert, (it seems to be the Caymanian way!) explained that the caves had been created possibly about 95-60,000 years ago and are made up of mainly calcium carbonate deposits creating the stalactites and stalagmites. Robert pointed out the parts of the caves that looked like faces, elephants, skulls, coconut palms, and encouraged us to find other structures and point them out to him (like looking for shapes and faces in clouds).

Once we had all filled up on delicious pizza, burgers, wraps and salads, we had a quick group photo before heading to meet our guides Mark and Spencer (yes, they really were Mark and Spencer!) for our bioluminescence tour. Just a 10-minute paddle and we were soon sitting on the calm waters at the mouth of the bay. We then paddled further into the bay and gradually noticed twinkling in the water, and then we could see that our paddle strokes were creating a stream of light – simply stunning. Spencer told us many little

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tricks to create different displays of the bioluminescence, for example, scoping the water with your hand, holding the hand up and letting it dribble down the forearm to create the illusion of twinkling veins on the arms. That particular bay in Grand Cayman is one of only 6 sites in the world that has this display of bioluminescence on a daily basis, and we were told that we were seeing it at its most spectacular (some days are better than others). The bioluminescence is created by chemicals in the phytoplankton. During the day the light gives the phytoplankton the energy to store; when it gets disturbed (both during the dark and light) it emits the light as a defence mechanism, but we only notice this in the dark.

Day 11 – Homeward Bound After a good night’s sleep and filling breakfast, the group loaded up the minibuses for one final time to make our way to the airport.

Our trip to the Cayman Islands has truly been the trip of a lifetime; as well as seeing some beautiful marine life it has taught us more about how we can influence the health of the oceans through the decisions that we make about the fish that we buy to eat, the transport that we use, and how we may break some habits in order to use water more efficiently and cause as little pollution as possible. We had also made very close friends with our hosts at CCMI and had all become a very close team from Malvern College. The Cayman Chickens WhatsApp group continues. We would never have dared to dream that the trip would be anywhere near as special as it turned out to be.

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Lower Sixth Service Trip to South Africa On the final day of the Summer Term, ten Lower Sixth students (Imoesi Ogwemoh, Eily Lo, Abigail Planterose, Natsumi Nakamura, Oliver Cook, Harvey Freeman, Antonia Kuhr, Dominik Halbherr, Maxwell Horler, Ava Emery) departed for South Africa on a conservation project. Their focus: rhinos, in particularly the critically endangered white rhino. After twenty-five hours in transit, we arrived at the “Care for Wild” rhino sanctuary, an incredible place in a location that we cannot disclose, for anti-poaching reasons.

Upon our arrival, we were shown to our cabins for the week, and were in the process of unpacking and assimilating ourselves with our surroundings, when chaos ensued. “Run! Run! Run!” was the shout from the sanctuary staff, who were themselves sprinting towards the viewers (the safari vehicles). Within minutes of being there, we found ourselves whisked off at break-neck speed down to the helipad, where we were just in time to watch an injured, orphaned, baby rhino arrive by helicopter from Kruger National Park. It had been found wallowing in the blood of its mother, who had been killed by poachers for her horn. The baby itself – without its mother to protect it – had been mauled by hyenas, and would not have survived without the intervention of the sanctuary. To see such a harrowing sight quickly 034

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brought us up to speed on the importance of the work that the volunteers at “Care for Wild” perform on a daily basis.

And for a week, we had the opportunity to muck in and help as well; it proved to be an unforgettable privilege.

From cleaning out the “bomas” (the rhino pens), to preparing the bottled milk, to actually bottle-feeding the babies themselves, we were heavily involved in the rehabilitation process, and the students on the trip all felt as though they had made a significant impact; indeed, many are considering going back to help of their own accord in subsequent summers or on their gap years. The group were outstanding, and all immersed themselves entirely in the experience, including 5am “PT” (physical training) sessions with the anti-poaching unit, and a game of football with all of the volunteers and staff at the reserve. Their courtesy and enthusiasm were remarked on by all they came into contact with, and Malvern College have been invited back to “Care for Wild” next year as a result. The two days on safari in Kruger itself, at the end of the trip, was a well-deserved reward after all the effort at the sanctuary, and everyone returned home safely having had a truly formative experience.

GFB and FHHS

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Malvern 1st VII vs 1st XV Boys Charity Netball Match This year, the First VII Netball Team chose to support the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) for the annual charity netball match. Motor neurone disease affects up to five thousand people in the UK at any one time.

It is a rare, life-shortening, neurological condition; it affects the complex system of motor neurones that would normally control functions of our muscles by transmitting messages through our nervous system. This rare condition causes loss of function of the motor system, resulting in weakness and wasting away of the muscles. A person affected by this disorder may no longer be able to walk, run or communicate with their loved ones. The disease is not affected by race, diet, or lifestyle. The disease will progress but symptoms, like muscle weakness, can be managed to help achieve the best possible quality of life.

The team chose to support MNDA as it is the only national charity in the UK that is focused on improving access to care, research, and campaigning for those living with or affected by MND. Furthermore, this charity means a lot to Malvern. Mr Haynes – a brilliant music teacher and a member of Malvern College staff – sadly passed away in February after being diagnosed with MND. Therefore, it was an honour to fundraise for such a worthy cause.

The first match was between the Staff team and the girls.

Unexpectedly, the Staff put up a fight. In spite of impressive shooting from Miss Brookes, solid defence from Hannah Obikudu, and accurate shots from Molly Gibbard, who was also the captain for the season, showed that the girls meant business. With unmatched enthusiasm the Staff maintained a consistent level of intensity, but the knowledge of rules, 036

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skill and fitness of the girls ensured a solid win with a score 19-13.

The main event of the day, the match between the First XV Rugby and the First VII Netball, was a sight to behold.

Netball is a sport that requires thinking, precision, and accuracy. It is a non-contact sport (although one will end up with a bruise or two), and the boys found it difficult to grasp this concept of low physicality and keeping your distance.

Nonetheless, the two teams almost literally fought for the ball. Ali Renton’s height gave him a significant advantage as a shooter but Laura Browne, the feistiest centre-court player, and Millie Page, intercepting nearly every single pass, ceaselessly contributed to prevent the boys from scoring.

The boys were not used to the agility and the speed required by the game, and the girls had never played at such a fast pace. Both teams were tired and with just twenty seconds to go the last goal was scored, making it 12-11 to the girls.

Finally, the Boys’ XV played the staff. Both teams were looking for a win, but with impressive defensive efforts from Mr Major and slick shooting from Mrs Hooper-West, the staff won by two goals with a score of 14-12.

As a result of the amazing audience and bake sale, which provided some sweet refreshments, we raised over £700 as a result of this match and all of the proceeds are going to the Motor Neurone Disease Association. It was an incredible afternoon of netball and another successful charity event for a very meaningful cause.

Molly Gibbard (Lower Sixth) and Ann Doroshenko (Lower Sixth)

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The Assassins’ Game During the Autumn Term a group of students led by Chapel Prefect Ariana Davison raised money for the charity Toilet Twinning at various events such as the Border Shield and House Singing. Toilet Twinning is an initiative which invites people to “twin” their own toilet with latrines in poor communities in countries like Afghanistan, Malawi, and Nepal. This is a way of raising funds to enable people in the poorest nations to have clean water and a proper toilet, and to learn about the importance of hygiene.

In order to raise funds, the students organized a schoolwide game of ‘Assassins’. The aim of the game is to be the last person standing in a huge game of tag – involving both students and staff. After paying a small entrance fee of £5, each participant was given a ‘target’ slip identifying another player, who could be in any year or house. The game was great fun for all, creating some very memorable moments including our personal favourites: Mr Hardinges being chased through Main Building by an army of lower school girls; and Mr Eglin attempting to navigate the Triangle in his car to avoid being tagged.

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Overall, the game was a great success, raising over £2500 – which twins over 43 toilets in the school. This is a significant contribution towards our final aim of twinning all the toilets on campus by 2020.

We hope to grow the game next year with the hope of raising even more money for this brilliant cause, even if some students are a little late for lessons…

If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, please head over to the official toilet twinning website: www.toilettwinning.org.

Ludo Staley (Lower Sixth)

Assassin – an undercover pupil report

Ethan Zhao’s (Lower Sixth) embellished account below provides a dramatised version of an insider’s experience of the Assassins’ Game.

Assassin: a highly trained operative responsible for the systematic elimination of high-profile individuals. My goal was simple: eliminate my target, acquire their target, and eliminate all other targets until all targets were neutralised.

My payment? One hundred pounds. Cash.

November 07 I had received a ‘message of high importance’ in my private work email late in the evening. Within the anonymous message was a set of instructions on my rules of engagement via a secure digital key (none of that “your mission, should you choose to accept it” malarkey) so I knew that my employer was no stranger to such job offers. The offer was conditional, but such an alluring reward rendered me powerless to decline; after all, we assassins of the 21st century were merely mercenaries for hire. My employer was very specific in terms of my method of elimination – a deathly touch of the shoulder, nowhere else. Was I being employed in a game of ‘tag’? Perhaps. But the reward had drilled the strongest sense of determination in me, because my only purpose as an assassin was to complete the job to my employer’s standards.

I accepted without hesitation.

November 18 Another message had arrived in my mailbox. This time, it was a simple confirmation of my successful acquisition of the job that also came with the name of my target; printed on a green coloured card, in black writing (perhaps the signature colours of my employer). Shockingly, it was a name that I was not unfamiliar with; in fact, my target was a fellow assassin, and a friend. The world of assassins was ruthless.

Friendships, relationships and family were secondary to the job; I knew this when I took it on, I knew what had to be done. The only thing that mattered to me was money.

November 20 Knowing my target personally, I had access to his schedules. There was a clear window of opportunity for a clean kill between 1205 and 1210 hours, as we shared a lecture together (as our “cover jobs”). I waited to greet him before entering (as one of the constraints was to only make the kill on public grounds), then I struck him down with a swift touch of the shoulder. In his final moments, my fallen friend uttered a chilling message, “you weren’t the only one who took on the job, hundreds of other professionals just like us received a name, you’re a target too.” I grabbed his target, a Greek mercenary by the name of Alex, infamous for his constant awareness. With this new information, I realised that I had to put my head on a swivel, caution was key. I needed to change my routine, take alternate routes to my everyday locations. I was no longer just the hunter, I was also the hunted.

November 22 0900 – My new target had somehow caught wind of me, and exiled himself temporarily via rustication, most likely to re-gather himself to combat me. So I was left to investigate the whereabouts and identity of my pursuer, but to no avail.

My final entry – November 22 @1410hrs I think my pursuer may be an assassin I had taken in and mentored. She is skilled and knows my change in routine, as had I foolishly consulted her about my plans. I see the door locks have been sealed and recognise that the ‘employees’ within this building have been switched out for hired guns. It’s funny, I never thought that I would be beaten by someone close to me, let alone by my own mentee who I would have never thought to accept a contract for my head (or rather my shoulder).

Then again, who am I to judge?

We all knew what we signed up for.

Ethan Zhao (Lower Sixth)

November 19 The contract was activated, and so the hunt began.

The As sa s sins’ Ga m e

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The Malvernian 2019

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PAG E T I T LE

News & Events

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Farewell Service for Antony and Brigitte Clark On Friday 8th March, the Rt Revd Dr John Inge, Bishop of Worcester, pupils, staff, and Council members past and present, together with other friends of the College, filled Malvern Priory to participate in a service of thanksgiving for the service of Antony and Brigitte Clark. In his address, Mr Clark entertained the congregation with a humorous anecdote about his slightly delayed discovery that he had been appointed Headmaster of Malvern College, and of the robust greeting he received from colleague and future squash partner Paul Godsland: “Now, let me tell you what I expect from my headmaster.” He also spoke wistfully of the enduring strengths of the College and of ‘Malvernians’. Bishop John then gave thanks for the Clarks’ long service to the school, and prayed for God’s blessing upon them. A blend of beautiful and touching music, chosen by Antony and Brigitte, characterised the service, including Rheinberger’s Abendlied and Bob Chilcott’s arrangement of Billy Joel’s ‘And So It Goes’, and the entire congregation raised the roof of the Priory with its chorus of C. Hubert H. Parry’s ‘Jerusalem’ before the Clarks made their exit to a rapturous standing ovation.

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Fa r e w e l l S e rvice fo r An to n y an d Brigitte C l ark

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Remembrance November 2018 marked the centenary of the end of the First World War, and Armistice Day itself fell on Remembrance Sunday. To mark this solemn occasion, whose dedication includes the memory of hundreds of Malvernians and Old Malvernians who were killed in that war – and others – pupils, staff, and visitors gathered both to participate in services of Remembrance in the College Chapel, and to stand in silence before the statue of St George at 11am.

In the Chapel, the congregation was addressed by Lt Col Henry Bettinson, and the services of Remembrance were accompanied by the College Choir, who sang Mark Blatchly’s setting of verses taken from Laurence Binyon’s poem, ‘For the Fallen’: They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

Music also included a setting by Peter Aston of translations of words by Thucydides on the Peloponnesian War, and Ernest Bullock’s ‘Give us the wings of faith’, whose words

by Isaac Watts also touch on death and sacrifice.

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At the Act of Remembrance itself, wreaths were laid by Senior Chapel Prefect Eleanor Calderwood, representatives of the Malvernian Society, the Downs Malvern, and the Malvern College Combined Cadet Force.

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Chapel News During the Autumn Term 2018, the College community underwent a Chaplaincy interregnum between the outgoing Chaplain, Andrew Law and the new incumbent, David Ibbotson. During this time, Adam Wharton, stepped in as Acting Chaplain. Combined with this, the Herefordshire Fire Safety Team stipulated that the College limit the numbers of people in Chapel to four hundred or less, until it could be proven that the whole College could exit when the fire alarm sounded in under three minutes. Consequently, until such time, the College community was split into two groups – the ‘Parakletos’ Group (Houses 1, 2, 3, 4, SH & EH) and the ‘Logos’ group (Houses 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9). This certainly kept the College Community on its toes: in the first few weeks the question, “Is it a Parakletos or a Logos service today, Sir?” was oft heard! However, pupils and staff remained good-humoured and endeavoured to sing loudly to make up for the reduced numbers. Another, more welcome, change came in the form of a swap: the traditional Sunday Service taking place on a Saturday before lessons, thus including the day-pupils and affording greater rest for boarders, or time for other activities on Sundays.

With the lack of an ordained Chaplain, the College welcomed many visiting speakers including James Righetti, James Baron, John Bradshaw, Rod Corke, Peter Marshall

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(OM), Rupert Shelley, Peter Myres, and Tim Dossor. My thanks go to all these speakers for their willingness to travel long distances and for their well-crafted and Christcentred messages. In addition, a good number of pupils and Common Room members spoke on both secular and Christian themes; their energy and thoughtfulness added great vibrancy to the Chapel diet. On Remembrance Day, Lt Col. Henry Bettinson (OM) spoke at both services with insight, gravitas and sensitivity. At Malvern, we are very fortunate to enjoy wonderful musicians and singers who give so much to our College, and this was very much in evidence towards the end of the term, when the Advent and Christmas services were enriched by superb singing from the Chamber and Chapel Choirs. In particular, it was moving to hear the late Michael Haynes’ setting of ‘Adam lay y-bounden’ in each of the services. Furthermore, the quality of readers added huge dynamism to the biblical narrative. Thank you to all those who contributed to Chapel in this term.

Adam Wharton (Acting Chaplain, Autumn Term 2018)

Over the Christmas holidays the new chaplain, Revd David Ibbotson, moved into the Chaplain’s House at the College to start work with the community. Early in January we welcomed the Bishop of Worcester, Rt Revd John Inge, to license the College Chaplain. Bishop John is also Visitor to the College and knows the community well. This service confers the Bishop’s and hence wider church’s authority on the chaplain to conduct his ministry at the College.

There was welcome news in January that the fire officer was content that we could evacuate the Chapel in the required time and, subject to regular evacuation practice, the whole College could gather in the Chapel again. This makes a considerable difference and was welcomed by all.

Gathering as a whole community is important as we are able to celebrate the successes of individuals and groups within the College as well as worship and reflect on matters beyond our day to day lives. Sunday services have been replaced by Saturday morning worship as this facilitates the whole community gathering and allows for the possibility of greater use of a day on Sunday for a variety of activities.

This has been well received by the pupils.

January also saw the annual Confirmation service, with 18 pupils from across the houses taking this important step in their spiritual lives. Adam Wharton prepared the candidates through Michaelmas and this culminated in a confirmation retreat which was enjoyed by all. In March a series of Lenten addresses were held with Simon Austen and James Baron exploring the theme of ‘Happiness’ and reflecting on this from a biblical perspective. Good numbers of pupils and staff attended the talks and lively discussion ensued. A

special service was held towards the end of the Lent Term in Malvern Priory to mark the departure of the Headmaster Antony Clark. This was a very moving occasion at which Antony spoke and the Bishop of Worcester prayed for God’s blessing on Antony and his wife Brigitte as they moved to pastures new. Bishop John commented that he had never attended a service before which featured both Billy Joel and the hymn ‘Sweet Sacrament Divine’.

The Summer Term saw two major occasions in the cycle of worship. The first was the annual Commemoration Service and Revd Ken Madden, a member of College Council, delivered the address. He challenged the community to reflect on servant leadership in a powerful sermon. The end of term saw the Leavers’ Service with the Upper Sixth gathering with their parents in a full Chapel. It was a fitting way for many of them to draw their immediate association with the College to a close.

Many visitors have spoken in Chapel this year including Revd Canon Ian Davenport, Chaplain to HM The Queen, as well as many of the College teaching staff. All of these voices add to the variety and richness of chapel life and the community is stronger for them.

Revd David Ibbotson (Chaplain)

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Photo by Daniel Eglin

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Commemoration Day Commemoration Day is Malvern College’s annual celebration of itself, thanksgiving towards its founders and benefactors, and formal recognition of the successes of its pupils. The 2019 Commemoration celebrations were attended by Council, Benefactors, guests. pupils and their families, and staff.

The day begins each year with the Commemoration Service held in Malvern Priory, a church with which the College has a long-standing affiliation. As is customary at many schools, 2019’s service (led by the Reverend David Ibbotson in his first Commemoration as College Chaplain) began with Vaughan Williams’ fanfare introduction to the hymn tune ‘Old Hundredth’ (‘All People that on Earth do Dwell’), blasted out by Malvern College Brass Ensemble (directed by Mr Steven Lee) and accompanied by Mr Michael Phillips. As usual, C. Hubert H. Parry’s setting of William Blake’s poem ‘Jerusalem’ was also sung. The College Choir (directed by Mr Jonathan Brown) performed Herbert Howells’ moody setting of words taken from Psalm 42 (‘Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks: So longeth my soul after thee, O God’) – a meditation on the supportive power of God in times of weakness, frustration, and doubt – and Vaughan Williams’ setting of words from Psalm 47 (‘O clap your hands, all ye people’). The Chamber Choir performed a beautiful rendition of Robert Parsons’ 17th-century motet, Ave Maria, the strands of Parsons’ rising polyphony mixing 0 50

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amongst the pillars of the Priory’s Norman nave. New Testament readings were delivered by Senior Chapel Prefect Jasper Penrice and Sacristan Prefect Bonnie Green. The congregation was addressed by the Rev. Kenneth Madden of the College Council, and the new Headmaster, Mr Keith Metcalfe, delivered the Commemoration itself.

There then followed, back at the College, exhibitions in the Art, Design & Technology, and Science departments, and performances in the Music School, as well as the customary presentation given by the Wheeler-Bennett Society and the Field Gun Run on the Junior Turf, contested by members of the Combined Cadet Force, 1st Rugby XV, and 1st XI Girls’ Hockey team.

At Prize-Giving, the College was pleased to welcome, as guest speaker, OM, journalist, and author Dominic Sandbrook, who gave a witty and entertaining address to pupils and parents.

As usual, Commemoration Day closed as the company broke up to enjoy Pimms and buffet lunch in the boarding houses – happily outside on account of the dry weather – before a homeward journey for half term.

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CCF RAF

As ever it has been a year packed with activity and achievement by a stellar group of cadets. In the interests of limiting the amount of paper used and saving the environment I will attempt to be brief in my description of the wide range of activities the section has undertaken.

November saw the annual squadron trophy competition.

The section was ably led by Flt Sgt Lucas Fowler-Dewe but were not lucky enough to return with any individual trophies. Shortly after the competition the cadets were lucky enough to visit RAF Brize-Norton for a day out. Whilst there cadets undertook basic parachute training on zip line simulators, and visited the general engineering flight and Hercules squadrons.

The autumn and Lent terms saw the resumption of gliding operations at RAF Little Rissington. Several cadets have now attended Grob Viking simulator weekends, achieving the new ‘Blue’ gliding wings. Back at school the section benefitted greatly from the arrival of Sgt Gary Heron (exRoyal Marines) who led the RAF cadets through tactical battle training out on 9 acres. All cadets with the section qualified for their ‘Emergency Youth First Aid’ certificate with an intensive one-day course by St. John’s Ambulance.

Cadet Warrant Officer Charles Izzard was interviewed

by Wg Cdr CCF Martin Larwood-Hughes for consideration for the Sir John Thomson Memorial Sword, an award that 0 52

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recognises the best CCF RAF cadet in the country. Charles placed sixth overall.

The Summer Term saw the usual broad range of camps. The annual section camp was to RAF St. Mawgan in Cornwall. Cpls George Kent & Basil Marsden-Smedley alongside L/Cpl Jonathan Tunstall were all members of the ‘best flight on camp’.

Cpl Marsden-Smedley also attended the National Aerospace Camp, gaining extra gliding and flying wings and participating in numerous aerospace projects. Sgts Kelsey Richmond and Brad Jones attended the Air Cadet Leadership Course at RAF Cranwell. Sgt Richmond also took part in the National Drill & Ceremonial Camp.

Flying Officer Stephen Woodward

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Army

The CCF has enjoyed another terrific year, building upon the growth and success of the previous few years and achieving yet more growth and success!

As ever, the school year began with a flurry of events and activities; 80 new Remove and 10 new Sixth Form recruits started their Basic Training, rotating week by week through a program involving everything from climbing and High Ropes courses to First Aid and Weapons Training. Lessons in Navigation, Fieldcraft and Drill were all provided by the Senior Cadets and the Leadership demonstrated by all involved was impressive.

Simultaneously, competition team squads from all three services (Royal Marine, Army, and RAF) were working hard on their training and preparation for the Pringle, MilSkills and Air Squadron Trophy respectively including, for the ‘Green Teams’ a day away on the Tyddesley Wood Training Area.

The first event of the year in Week 2 was the Cadet Skill at Arms meet at Kingsbury Ranges; our team of 10 competed at a high level throughout the weekend, leading the board until the final event. Nevertheless, a creditable 2nd place and some fine shooting was satisfying enough, although next year we would hope for one better – and the trophy!

Just four weeks into the year and the Army team were off to Nesscliffe for the MilSkills Competition. An experienced team – lead by Sgt Matt Bruce – competed well in a closefought competition, with strong performances in nearly all the stands. The closest of margins saw the team end up as Runners Up, but they impressed the Brigade team enough to

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be selected as the Brigade representatives for the Cambrian Patrol competition later in the year. One week later, the RM team – led by Harry Myddleton – headed off to the Commando Training Centre for the Pringle Competition.

Working to build on the previous year, the team worked well together, gaining commendations for their Section Attack and Endurance Run. The team learnt a huge amount during the weekend and returned with an ambition to convert effort into results in the next competition.

Whilst the Pringle Team were away on their mission, the bulk of the contingent headed to Nesscliffe Training Area for our Field Day Exercise ‘First Fling’, the largest yet completed (130 cadets). All the recruits spent a busy 36h completing a rigorous but enjoyable exercise, learning how to build shelters, patrol, navigate and cook ‘Rat Packs’. A highlight was a ‘Zombie Escape and Evade’ night exercise which evoked more than one or two chilling screams; a good deal of fun was had and much learned.

As a frenetic period drew to a close for the Green Team, the RAF took the baton and, in addition to its regular flying slots, managed to fit in visits to RAF Brize Norton as well as compete in the Air Squadron Trophy (details in the RAF report).

As the term entered its final phase, we then turned to Adventure Training, with 10 cadets taking part in the Snowdonia Expedition, heading to Capel Curig for two days of exploring and mountaineering in testing conditions; as ever the high spirits and strong teamwork of the group made

the weekend an enjoyable and successful one, in spite of testing weather conditions.

The finale to the term was the CCF Winter Festival, a formal meal in the Gryphon Room followed by various entertainments provided by each service. The highlight, as ever, was the SSI’s rendition of ‘The Green Beret’ – never to be forgotten.

Lent Term proved to be no less busy, with nearly all the Recruits passing their Weapon Handling Tests and, having passed their Basic Training, beginning to learn the skills required for Leadership.

A strong group of cadets headed up to Norwegian Lodge (at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains) for a fabulous week of Winter Mountaineering. The group learnt about the safe use of ice-axes and crampons, snow-holes, winter navigation, and even some winter gully climbing. The highlight of the trip was the Bothy Trip to Wester Ross, staying in a remote former crofter’s house before exploring the local mountains – haggis and some interesting singing certainly made the evening memorable!

The weeks after half term were all about preparation for the main exercise of the year: Malvern Rifles. A hundred cadets from all three services headed back up to Nesscliffe to put into practice all the skills picked up in the previous two terms’ training. Section Battle Drills, Night Patrols and Paintball Fire and Manoeuvre were all completed, mostly in very testing weather. As ever, there was an overriding atmosphere of resilience and good humour in these tough conditions, and the Remove were impressive in their efforts.

At the same time, the Cambrian Patrol Team were ‘beasted’

around the training area by Capt Jarvis, having to react to ambushes and scenarios along the way. All great preparation for their big event.

The Term ended with an afternoon of ‘challenge’ activities: axe-throwing; laser clay pigeon shooting; a mini Gun Run; and Command Tasks, with sections competing with each other for the title of Best Recruit Section and the mystery prize.

Over Easter one of our senior cadets – Georgina Inchbald – was selected to go on a Cadet Leadership Course held in Arnhem, in the Netherlands. Georgina, alongside some of her equivalents from around the Brigade, spent a busy and informative time visiting the scenes of critical moments in the battle for Arnhem, focusing particularly upon the leadership of those involved. It was a very special opportunity for Georgina, and congratulations go to her for succeeding on this challenge.

Summer Term started with The Big One: The Cambrian Patrol Competition. Teams from the ten Brigades around the country descended on the Brecon Beacons for a gruelling 48h of challenges in all areas of Military Skills as well as personal fitness. The conditions were tough, and the team had to lose a key member before even starting, yet they ‘pushed through’, continuing whilst many around them withdrew and failed, gaining a fantastic Silver for their efforts. CSgt Matt Bruce, who led the team, thus ended his four-year career in Malvern CCF in terrific style and a very well done goes to him and all the team for this epic achievement.

Close on the heels of this, we were delighted to learn that Esther Woods was selected to be the Army Representative, CCF

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the Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet. In this role she will be expected to aid the Lord Lieutenant at a number of public and Royal duties. This represents a terrific opportunity for Esther and is a great reflection of the quality of the cadets which the College has.

As the Hundred and Upper Sixth disappeared for exams, the Remove and Lower Sixth concentrated on further developing their leadership. The remainder of the term was spent on working as sections in various scenarios, developing communication and strategy within each section. In the final week, all sections competed for the Barry Brown Bowl, an inter-section competition held at Tyddelsey Wood. Sections had to compete at eight different stands, testing their skills and working as a team. The winning section – 3 Section – came out on top and thoroughly deserved their pizza.

As the school year drew to a close, cadets from the Royal Marine section headed off to CTC Lympstone for their Camp, whilst the RAF headed to South Wales for a week of adventure and training. The Central Camp this year was held in Kent, with 26 cadets (including some from Bredon school) heading down to St Martin’s Plain. In a fantastic and busy week, the cadets all spent quality time learning marksmanship skills, firing many live rounds on 100m, 200m and even 300m ranges, as well as taking part in some Adventure Activities such as Canoeing, Archery, and Quad-biking.

Many good friendships were developed not only amongst our students but also with other schools, including TWGGS, with whom we will be looking to complete joint training in the future (notably in Scotland). It was a bonus, then, that not only did everyone enjoy a great week, but one of our

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sections won the final competition, and one cadet – Sophie Roberts – gained ‘Sniper of the Week’ for her shooting.

This, though, was not the end. Individual students (Bradley Jones, Kelsey Richmond, James Wakefield, Harry Bluck, for instance) also attended courses to further their goals, from a flying scholarship, to Leadership and Drill, to Summer Mountain Leaders.

All in all, then, this was another strong year for Malvern College CCF, with large numbers of both individual and team successes and the overarching atmosphere of positive, purposeful action combined with fun. Long may this continue.

Many thanks to the staff who have enabled this to happen: Capts Jarvis, Wilson and Reid; Lt Rybarczyk and Fg Off Woodward; 2Lt Bilclough, Miss Parker and SSI Nichols, without whom the CCF would really struggle.

Lt Col Bert Lacey

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Academic Life

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Academic Review IB Results: 2019 The 2019 cohort achieved an impressive average point score of 36, very much in line with our results of the past five years and adding considerable value-added, based on Durham University’s ALIS analysis. 17 candidates (27% of the cohort) performed outstandingly, scoring 40 or more IB points, and Giampietro Ghidini achieved the distinction of achieving the maximum 45 points, while James Wakefield 44 and Ellie Calderwood 43 points. Among our top performing subjects compared to world averages were: English Literature A SL (av. 6.00), German A Language & Literature HL (av. 6.0), German B HL (av. 6.43), French B HL (av. 6.56), French B SL (av. 6.50), Spanish B HL (av. 6.17), Spanish B SL (av. 6.29), Spanish ab SL (6.0), Economics HL (av. 6.0), Geography HL (av. 6.14), History SL (av. 6.33), Philosophy HL (6.00), Biology SL (av. 6.0) and Visual Art HL (av. 6.14).

A Level Results: 2019 Our Upper Sixth A Level candidates achieved results slightly above our predictions, with 29% A*-A grades and 59% A*-B grades. This was a bit lower than in the past few years but consistent with Durham University’s ALIS predictions.

The strongest results by individual candidates were: Izzy Copestake: A*A*A + EPQ A, Poppy Delingpole: A*AA + AS A, Isabel Wynn: A*AA, Scarlett Shaw: A*AA, Daniel Brierley: AAA + EPQ A, Izzy Hammond: AAA, Ignacio Paris Meseguer: 060

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AAAC + EPQ B, Crystal Yip: A*A*B, Sebastian Grace: A*AB + AS A, Jack Haynes: A*AB and Isabelle Chastney: A*AB. Top performing subjects were: Art (100% A*-B), French (100% A*-B), Politics (91% A*-B), English Literature (85% A*-B), Photography (78% A*-B) and History (75% A*-B).

GCSE Results: 2019 For this year’s GCSE examinations all bar one subject (English Literature) was graded on the new 9-1 scale. The Hundred achieved an extremely impressive 20% of grades at level 9 and 40% at 9-8, which is the highest percentage recorded by a GCSE cohort at Malvern. 58% of grades were at 9-7.

32 pupils achieved the equivalent of at least six 9/8/A* grades; of whom, 18 achieved eight or more 9/8/A* grades.

Georgina Wood achieved ten 9s and one A*, while Shea John achieved nine 9s and one A*. Virginia Lawrence and Millie Page both attained eight 9s, one 8 and one A*. Anni King achieved seven 9s, one 8, one A*, and two 7s, and, both Lakshya Joshi and Jyothirmay Baldota secured seven 9s, two 8s and one A. Top performing subjects were: Art (80% 9-7), Latin (77% 9-7), Spanish (74% 9-7), French (72% 9-7), English Language (68% 9-7), Design Technology – Resistant Materials (68% 9-7), Maths (63% 9-7), Computer Science (63% 9-7), Religious Studies (61% 9-7) and Chemistry (61% 9-7).

University Applications: 2019

Foundation Year Curriculum Review

The Upper Sixth were very successful in securing offers from a range of UK universities for admission in 2019, with 81% of candidates achieving their offers at their first-choice university. Milly Cox met her offer from Cambridge to read Land Economy. Of the other Russell Group universities, our Upper Sixth were most successful in securing places at Exeter, University College London, King’s College, London, Nottingham, Warwick, Cardiff and Edinburgh. 25 pupils received offers from a range of overseas universities including some of the most prestigious European, Canadian and US universities such as Bocconi (Milan), McGill (Montreal) and Northeastern (Boston).

The FY Curriculum Review Working Group completed its review in the Autumn Term and its recommendations have subsequently been endorsed. From September 2019, in tutorial time there will be a weekly Current Affairs & Global awareness quiz and a weekly Digital skill of the week. Each term every pupil in the FY will develop a new skill, new hobby or interest that he/she will develop over the course of the year. There will also be a cross-curricular project every term aimed at developing skills like teamwork and collaboration. The FY’s achievements and contributions, both academically and in terms of co-curricular activities, will be recorded in an FY ‘Passport’ for each pupil.

Departments have been asked to review and reform their subject schemes of work for the FY and reform them, to focus on skills rather than content. The new schemes of work will be in place for September 2020.

Maths & Physics National Competitions In the Maths Olympiad, Ben Chen and Natalie Fan (both in the Hundred) received distinctions that placed them in the top 50 students in their year group in the country. In the National Physics Challenge, George Kent (also in the Hundred) achieved a Silver Award and Ben Chen a Gold Award.

Curriculum Developments September 2018 saw the introduction of Classical Civilisation GCSE and Photography GCSE into the Remove. Both subjects had good initial take-up. At IB Higher Level, English Language & Literature was introduced successfully with 16 pupils opting for it.

FY Cross-Curricular Projects This academic year, the FY were taken off timetable for several days to take part in a Coding Project (Lent Term) and Skin-Care Project (Summer Term). The objectives were to foster a cross-disciplinary and collaborative approach to learning and to foster independent learning.

Departmental Appraisal By the end of the academic year 2018-19, well over half of our departments had undergone their appraisal under the new Departmental Appraisal system. Members of the Senior Leadership Team have conducted follow-up Learning Walks to check on implementation of the recommendations made as a result of the appraisals. The follow-up Learning Walks have showed that good progress has been made in responding to the appraisal recommendations.

Head of Academic IT A new post, Head of Academic IT, has been created, with effect from September 2019; Daniel Eglin has been appointed to the role. The Head of Academic IT’s brief is to promote more effective use of digital technology by pupils and staff to enhance teaching and learning.

Joe Gauci (Deputy Head, Academic)

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College Library September is always a busy time throughout the College, and the Library is no exception. Unfortunately, as well as having new pupils to welcome, we had some unwanted visitors in the shape of wasps! The nest could not be located owing to the height of the main building, and although we were tempted to issue them library cards, eventually they died out and we could finally sit down at our desks without their rather unnerving company. Meanwhile, our new FY pupils made a start on the Reading Ladder. This reading scheme has been running for in excess of twenty years and encourages every FY student to read books from an extensive list of fiction (and some non-fiction), respond in writing via a Reading Assessment Form (RAF), and collect points. These points are displayed on a chart on the Library landing. During the Summer Term, prizes are presented to both the first pupil to reach 200 points on the ladder (this year Sam Ingram from School House was the first to achieve this), and the House with the highest number of average points per pupil (which, this year, was School House). The Library tries to create interesting and informative displays throughout the year, and we started in September with a display on Greek Mythology which included posters, facts, books, and a quiz.

In November the Costa Book Awards shortlist was announced. We displayed the shortlisted novels, debut novels, biographies of interest, and age-appropriate children’s 062

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book. This, along with the Man Booker Prize shortlist, is an engaging way to promote new books and encourage reading outside of comfort zones. Then, Christmas was just a hop, skip, and a jump away and the Library created its usual display of Christmas-themed books (from Dickens to contemporary seasonal novels).

Rested and refreshed after the holidays, the FY began their History projects. This always proves to be a very busy and productive time for the Library as pupils choose from our extensive range of History books to research their topic of choice for their essays. The FY learn vital skills during this term, including how to decide which source is the most relevant, how to reference the source to avoid plagiarism, and how to write a bibliography. Most importantly (from the Library’s viewpoint) we get to know the students and they learn to use the Library effectively.

In February we shadowed the BBC ICONs programme, where iconic figures from different areas of specialism (leaders, explorers, scientists, entertainers, activists, sports stars, artists, and writers) were investigated and then voted for.

The Library created a display of biographies for these figures which proved to be quite a talking point. The overall winner (as voted by the BBC viewing public) was Alan Turing.

March is a favourite month for the Library due to the annual celebration of World Book Day. Once again the Library was decorated with book-related bunting. This year

each academic department recommended one book they felt students should read, and a display of these was created.

The Gaunt Centre – the classroom attached to the Library – hosted a series of talks and workshops; Dr Paula Byrne (at the College for the George Sayer Fellowship Lecture) talked engagingly on poetry and mental health as well as giving general discussions on literature, and debut novelist Rosie Price held creative writing workshops for students. And of course, it wouldn’t be World Book Day without the annual Library Quiz which was distributed to pupils and staff at lunch time – prizes of chocolate eggs were up for grabs!

Summer brings exam fever and the library becomes a quiet space for revision (with the exception of the printer which whirrs steadily to the beat of past exam papers being printed!). A revision guide display has been created and we try hard to create a studious atmosphere which helps to keep the pupils’ stress levels to a minimum at this important time for them.

In the meantime, library life continues: a colourful new display featuring facts about planet earth has been put up; we continue to receive and display a range of periodicals and newspapers; online resources are added to. Throughout the year the Library has a range of online resources (available through Buzz); this year we have subscribed to several new ones including the New Scientist, and MASSOLIT Classics and History (a series of lecture videos on a range of topics).

These resources are particularly useful for the Sixth Form when they come to research for their IB Extended Essays and EPQ projects. From Issues Online (articles on contemporary issues such as the climate crisis, or animal welfare) to JSTOR (a vast academic database whose search engine

takes some getting used to!), the Library is here to help students make the most of their research. Lessons in effective researching are given in order to make the students aware of which resources are correct for their particular topic, and to ensure that they are able to use them productively.

We also endeavour to find resources on our shelves, or if we cannot, then to buy in new books or make use of the British Library for a short-term loan.

As the year comes to a close, the Library will once again prepare for September: a new Reading Ladder chart will be made for the new FY pupils; shelves will be checked and tidied (you would be amazed at how books can become lost throughout the year simply by being placed on an incorrect shelf ); overdue books will be gathered back in; a selection of summer reading for tired staff will be gathered up and taken over to the Common Room. The Library will be ready once more for a busy September – hopefully without our visiting wasps this time.

Sharon Collett (Malvern College Librarian)

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Lea-Smith Reading Competition On Monday 11th March attendees of the Lea Smith Reading Competition Final were treated to a smorgasbord of both literature, and reading styles by the finalists, four from each year group. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and was kindly judged by Professor David Punter, erstwhile Professor of Poetry at the University of Bristol, and life-long academic and poet.

The FY readers certainly didn’t disappoint, and the audience were treated to readings on subjects as varied as cats, monsters, and war. After deliberation by the adjudicator, Oliver Beer, of House 7, was crowned winner of the FY group, with his reading from ‘Monsters of Men’ (by Patrick Ness).

The Remove readers rose to the challenge of this fine start and read a series of passages from the humorous to the horrifying, with particular highlights including: Charlie Canton-Smith, of School House, with a memorable Welsh accent, Andrey Vasilyev, from House 7 with a piece of his own composition, and Syuzanna Avanesova, from Ellerslie House, with her moving reading from the Rocky Balboa script, which secured her a Lea Smith Reading Competition win, for the second year in a row.

The Hundred impressed with their selection of reading material, with an eclectic mix which spanned from the late 16th century, to the present day. Ani King, from House 3, won the Hundred year group finals with her powerful reading

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from Ian McEwan’s ‘Atonement’, replete with an excellent and well-informed introduction to her piece.

The Lower 6th formed an impressive penultimate group, and read a selection of moving and powerful readings: Robbie Hardwick (from School House), gave a memorable reading of ‘Remains’ by Simon Armitage, and Lucie Fletcher gave a nuanced reading of ‘After Juliet’, which saw her win the Lower 6th Lea Smith Reading Competition.

Finally, the Upper 6th waited patiently for their ‘time to shine’ and delivered exhortations on the importance of reading (courtesy of Mallika Prakash, House 3), through her chosen text ‘Television’ by Roald Dahl, examinations on the importance of love, through Hamish Houghton’s winning reading from ‘Stop Saying “I Love You” ‘, and a valuation of freedom, in an extract from JFK’s inauguration speech from Darik de Jong, of House 9.

The illustrious Lea Smith Reading Competition Cup, 2019, was awarded to House 3, as the house which received the greatest number of points through their readers in the final.

All in all, this was an excellent competition with a high standard of competitors from the heats level, to the final.

Congratulations to all of the students who took part in this competition, and happy reading!

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George Sayer Fellowship In this, its second year, the George Sayer Fellowship was awarded to Dr Paula Byrne.

Writer, biographer, speaker, and screenwriter, Paula Byrne is a best-selling author of both fiction and non-fiction on subjects including Jane Austen, Dido Belle, Kick Kennedy (John F Kennedy’s estranged sister), and, of particular note to us, Evelyn Waugh and his connection with Malvern – including his association with Madresfield Court where he wrote Brideshead Revisited.

Paula Byrne is also the lead reviewer of The Times newspaper, has presented on the BBC, and is a judge of the Costa Book Prize.

A strong advocate for the empowering nature of writing, she is founder and chief executive of the charity ReLit: The Bibliotherapy Foundation, which is dedicated to the promotion of literature as a complementary therapy in the toolkit of medical practitioners dealing with stress, anxiety and other mental health conditions.

And it was this subject which she chose for her public lecture in Big School on Wednesday 8th March, which she titled ‘Poetry, Mental Health and Well-Being.’ Citing Rudyard Kipling’s assertion that “words are the most powerful drug used by mankind”, Paula had her audience enthralled, entertained, and challenged.

Earlier that same day, she gave three special writing workshops for selected lucky pupils from Malvern College,

which included senior IB and A-Level literature students as well as members of the Malvern Literary Society (‘Lit Soc’) and Writers Inc. Eager to extend the benefits of the Fellowship to the wider community, this year we invited pupils from the Chase School who also attended the workshops.

In these workshops, Paula shared her experiences of discovering in the footnotes of history various forgotten figures, and the experience of turning her research into ‘a good read’. Pupils were entranced, and many budding writers also appreciated her tips about how to crack into the professional writing game.

In all, it was another great year for the Fellowship and no doubt George Sayer himself would have been chuffed with the learning, sharing, challenge and, perhaps most importantly, joy that was experienced by all involved.

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Science Photography Competition The Science Photography Competition was launched in the Lent Term of 2018, and invited all students and staff at the college to submit up to four photographs taken during the calendar year. The images needed to have a link to science – but this is a very broad subject and could include fashion, apples, rust, motor racing or almost anything else!

The photographs needed to have been taken during 2018, and we asked that they be accompanied by a short description of how their image was related to science.

There were over 70 entries for the competition, and in January 2019 the Science Department staff voted for their favourite three images.

Ava Emery’s entry “Chaos Theory (a.k.a. Butterfly Effect)” was the clear winner – a well framed image with striking colours of two butterflies, one stationary and the other in flight. The photograph was taken in Bristol Zoo early in 2018.

Rococo Anderson’s “Subsistence Farming” came second.

Rococo said “the colours of the sunset result from molecules and small particles in the atmosphere changing the direction of light rays, causing them to scatter”.

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Ani King and Isabelle Chastney were in joint 3rd place with “Scavenging” and “Hawksbill Turtle” respectively. Ani wrote “The woodlouse is a scavenger which feeds on dead plant matter, helping to put nutrients back into the soil to be used by other organisms. Decomposers such as woodlice are vital to the health of an ecosystem”. Isabelle’s image of a hawksbill turtle was taken while she was volunteering for a marine conservation project in Sabah, Malaysia. She says that this is one of the few places they are now found in abundance. These reptiles come on land only to nest but unfortunately are critically endangered due to hunting for their shells.

The Science Photography Competition is running again in 2019.

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A Brief History of Life, the Universe and Everything The Lower and Upper Sixth IB cohorts were off timetable on Monday 24th September for a pair of intense 2½-hour lectures in which speaker Andy Fletcher sought to blow their minds about ‘Life, The Universe and Everything’. The lectures presented Theory of Knowledge implications in the Natural Sciences on such extraordinary and bewildering but intensely stimulating topics as Chaos and Complexity, and Relativity and Quantum Theory.

Andy Fletcher proved to be a gifted and engaging speaker who succeeded in introducing the discoveries of seeminglycontradictory new knowledge in these fields of study in ways which helped us initially put the paradigms in relation to each other and then begin to understand the implications for our knowledge of time, space, and complex and dynamic systems. There was food for thought also in relation to the Upper Sixth’s Theory of Knowledge Prescribed Essay titles, which had been introduced to them just the night before.

Some of the most extraordinary revelations concerned the ways in which quantum tunnelling is used by plants to convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy by photosynthesis with near-100% efficiency; or how bacteria, viruses, and fungi can hijack the brains of higher organisms, forcing, for example, mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii 070

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to have a suicidal attraction to cats. We pondered the fact that time is relative and passes at different rates for different objects, and that for photons of light no time passes so they travel from source to destination instantaneously.

Malvern College was pleased to welcome a party of IB students and their teachers from Cheltenham Ladies College and from St Benedict’s school, Alcester to share the day with us.

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Lucretian Society Lectures The Lucretian Society stages a series of science-themed lectures every year, usually in the Lewis Lectures Theatre and featuring distringuished OMs who have risen to become leaders in their fields.

Our first Lucretian lecture was given by Mr Tom Bragg (OM, No. 4) who is the Consultant Plastic and Sarcoma Surgeon at Morriston Hospital, Swansea. Tom likened his job to road-work engineers, explaining that it was all about finding ways of ‘filling holes’. He explained that in the past, patients who have tumours removed were frequently left with disfigurements; however, with modern medical techniques Tom and teams like his are able to perform reconstructive surgery that leaves the patient looking almost as good as new. The ground-breaking work that plastic surgery teams have been doing with the aid of 3D printers truly amazed the audience. As well as delivering a highly informative and entertaining lecture, Tom has also given a few pupils the opportunity to shadow him at work!

In the second Lucretian lecture we were treated to a tour of the Solar System by Dr. Roland Young (OM, SH) of the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique at Sorbonne Université, Paris. From the rocky world of Neptune to the splendour of Saturn’s rings, the students were given a real insight into how we study the planets of the solar system. In particular, Dr. Young talked to us about his involvement with the Juno spacecraft on its mission to study the composition 072

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of Jupiter. We were pleased to see many of the concepts that we study being used in the investigation, including the absorption spectra of gases, the emission of electromagnetic radiation by a blackbody, and the gravitational field strength experienced by the satellite in its orbit. Along with his talk, Dr Young showed us many fascinating photos of both Jupiter and Saturn, in particular the storm on the North pole of Saturn measuring 2000km in diameter, and discussed with us various efforts to model the features of the planets using both computational and experimental methods. All in all, we were thrilled to hear about all the work being done to investigate the solar system and look forward to hearing about the future planned satellite missions in their voyages.

Our next Lucretian lecturer Dr David Fox, from Warwick University, spent the day with the chemistry department, visiting lessons and inspiring the pupils to problem-solve; helping them during lab sessions and giving them a great insight into what it is like to work at a University. In the evening he gave a fascinating lecture entitled “Aromaticity; going round in circles” and spent the lecture showing the pupils how aromatic systems have been represented on paper over the last 160 years. We also learned some fascinating facts and uses for aromatic systems from Kevlar (bullet-proof jackets) to Nomex (flame retardant material), and also that chemists are sometimes artists too: a group a

of chemists managed to create a compound representing the Olympic rings in time for the London 2012 Olympics – David Fox was part of that group.

Later in the year we were fortunate to hear the stories of two OMs from School House who went on to have successful careers as doctors, Mark Winter and Peter Dunlop. Mark Winter explained that though his family were all medics and he actually wanted to become an historian; however, various ward visits with his father both intrigued him and gave him the desire to help people with their ailments. After his initial training and time as a houseman he found that his interest was in the area of disorders of the blood. Mark gave us a highly informative account of the history of the ‘Royal Disease’ (so-called due to Queen Victoria’s son Prince Leopold being a haemophiliac, Queen Victoria was herself a carrier of the faulty gene). The lack of a ‘clotting factor’ in the blood is the cause of the problem. In the 1940s a method of separating the blood was discovered such that the plasma rich in blood clotting factors could be injected or transfused into patients. By the 1970s patients were able to self-dose using solid blood coagulant factors; however, as the source was from humans, first lack of donors, then HIV, caused severe problems, with court cases still going on to this day.

Thankfully nowadays the treatment is created by genetically engineered cell cultures and is thus safe for use.

Peter Dunlop gave his view on medical training, the difficulty in achieving a place in medical school, the tenacity and resilience required to complete the course and then work out which area to specialise in. His chosen path was oncology and he spent many years working in the James Cook hospital using various radiotherapy techniques, with a particular interest in brain tumours. He gave a very frank account of how harrowing it can be to treat patients with terminal illnesses, and the relationship that you develop with them and their families along the way. He also talked about the NHS explaining that it is one of the largest employers in Europe but that it is under immense strain. The problems come primarily from long-term illnesses, in particular from dementia, depression, diabetes, and obesity. He also ensured that any pupils considering medicine realised that junior doctors work long hours, so that the pay works out to be around £6.60 per hour, with no overtime pay or bonuses – and very rarely do they get thanked! Peter then went on to emphasise that ‘the human factor’ is critical in being a good doctor, and essentially he summarised that pupils who had the Malvern Qualities in abundance and an aspiration to help people would be successful. And though his talk had been mainly about the negative side of medicine, he finished by saying “there is probably no better job in the world”.

Our final lecture of the year was given by Mark Portnoi, a PhD student from the Photonics Laboratory at UCL. He explained that the Photonics Lab are developing sheets of material that generate electricity, a transparent material with fluorescent particles inside, which allows some light through, but redirects other wavelengths to the edges; here the light is picked up by photovoltaic cells. The material can be flexible and could be mass-produced (in long rolls like cling film) and wrapped onto things as varied as lamp posts, buildings, and motorway barriers! The ‘Luminescent Solar Concentrators’ can collect light from a wide range of incident angles, which reduces the need for tracking the sun (usually required for conventional solar cells). Mark brought some samples that he had made earlier in the lab, for us to pass round! Another clever idea that Mark discussed was ‘Radiative cooling.’ This could help to counter global warming. When light falls on certain materials they re-radiate the light in a narrow range of frequencies which aren’t absorbed by the atmosphere. So the heat gets radiated into space rather than being trapped in our atmosphere.

These materials, unlike a fridge, cause cooling without needing any energy supply.

We caught glimpses of the future, such as buildings which generate all their own electricity, and outside surfaces which are self-cleaning because they don’t get wet when it rains – instead the raindrops simply pick up the surface dust and roll off with it.

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Wheeler-Bennett Society The Wheeler-Bennett Society has continued to provide a powerful forum for pupils to present on a topic of interest to them. It has been ably led by the President, Elisa Solvay and supported by the Secretary, Henry Forbes.

Some of the topics presented during the year included “What causes investment bankers’ mental health issues?”

by Giampietro Ghidini, who spoke with clarity about the difficulty of high-pressured work environments. Hanna Gesang presented on “The War in Yemen – an unresolvable conflict?”, a topic that caused huge debate amongst the audience. Ricardo Theis’ presentation on the effectiveness of terrorism was also of political interest, whilst Elisa Solvay spoke about “The Ozone – are we finally getting somewhere?”.

Good numbers of sixth formers have attended the meetings and enjoyed listening to the depth and range of topics chosen by the members of the society.

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Clara Moyle (Upper Sixth) Plaster work

Art Art Department Summer Final Show In 2018/19, pupils continued to explore a broad range of artistic techniques and perspectives in the Lindsay Arts Centre. We are pleased to present a selection of exhibits from the Summer Final Show, which featured work by the Hundred and Upper Sixth. We very much look forward to welcoming visitors to our exhibitions in 2019/2020.

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Gala Opening of the Rogers Theatre and Chicago, High School Edition “Nothing compares with a live interchange, between stage and auditorium, of actors telling the audience a story, a story that will change the audience, who will in turn change us on the stage.” With these inspirational words, uttered by Simon Callow CBE, reverberating around the Rogers Theatre, the cast and crew of Chicago, High School Edition delivered a highly slick, polished and professional production worthy of London’s West End. Following a 17-month refurbishment project, the official re-opening of the Rogers Theatre took place on Wednesday 27th March 2019. Actor, director, musician, writer, and raconteur, Simon Callow, of Four Weddings and a Funeral fame, was the esteemed guest of honour. Following a brief tour of the building and introduction to the Rogers Theatre by Director of Drama Keith Packham, Simon proceeded to address the audience comprising donors to the theatre project, VIPs, members of the College Council, Jane Rogers, the widow of former Headmaster Martin Rogers (after whom the building is named), departing Headmaster Antony Clark and incoming Headmaster Keith Metcalfe, College pupils 0 88

and staff. Mr Callow delivered an impassioned and witty speech extolling the virtues of live performance and advocating the importance of the arts to civilisation, before brandishing scissors and cutting, with swashbuckling panache, a red ribbon draped across the proscenium arch to officially open the refurbished Rogers Theatre.

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Kander and Ebb’s classic 1975 musical Chicago then took to the stage. The punchy jazz overture was accompanied by a visual exhibition of the theatre’s new lighting capabilities and the prowess of the technical team. Pulsating, swirling, multi-coloured moving lights gave a clear indication that the urge to ‘razzle dazzle’ would be firmly at the heart of this production. The opening production number – ‘All That Jazz’ – certainly did not disappoint. Lucie Fletcher’s vampy swagger, as the nightclub singer who is accused of murdering her husband and sister, wonderfully set the sardonic tone pervading the action. Throughout the production, her vocal and dance skills were a wonder to behold, so too her playful engagement with the audience. Missy Hingley as Roxie Hart, the hard-nosed, ruthlessly ambitious yet playful murderess, was equally outstanding. Her vocal delivery of such iconic songs as ‘Funny Honey’, ‘Roxie’, and ‘Me and my Baby’ was first rate, so too her comedic ventriloquism in ‘Both Reached for the Gun’. Max Horler, as the beleaguered Amos, gave a superlative performance reminiscent of silent movie greats such as Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin, so impressive were his physical movements and facial expressions. His rendition of ‘Mr Cellophane’ certainly did not disappoint. Bradley Jones, as the sickeningly slick and silky-smooth lawyer, Billy Flynn, oozed charm, charisma, and corruption in equal measure. His cheesy ‘All I Care About is Love’ quickly proved to be deeply ironic, as Brad superbly captured the underhand tactics this lawyer brazenly employs. Honor Letts, as Matron ‘Mama’ Morton, combined deep-pitched vocals and sassy prowling of the stage with a caring, sharing mentality and a somewhat warped pastoral concern for the girls in her care. Ottilie 090

Wyatt, Bonnie Green, Jemima Martyn-Smith, Maissa De Oliveira and Natasha Cook joined with Lucie to thrillingly present a rendition of the ‘Cell Block Tango’ – full of venom, seduction and criminal passion. Each of the six musical vignettes were presented with tremendous dexterity of song, speech and dance, to the obvious delight of the audience. Morgann McGee, as sob-sister press journalist Mary Sunshine, delivered an excellent cameo performance, as did Edmund Thurlow as Officer Fogerty, and Cameron Eldridge as sleazy lover Fred Casely. Beatriz Quevedo Carballo and Mary Needham ably supported dance routines, and Lottie Bulley as Go-To-Hell Kitty, Nicholas Wilson as Harry, Eve Leslie as the Court Clerk and Oliver Beer as tambourinewielding Harrison, were hilarious. Technical operators Basil Marsden-Smedley and Alfie Mann expertly navigated the performance throughout.

A strong feature of this production was the impressive ensemble who admirably supported a vast number of production numbers. Whether busting some slinky dance moves in ‘All That Jazz’, or presenting zany, puppet-like caricatures in ‘Both Reached for the Gun’, sucking a dummy wearing a onesie in ‘Me and My Baby’, or amusingly bobbing in time to ‘When Velma takes the Stand’, each and every chorus member gave their all. A highlight of any production of Chicago is ‘Razzle Dazzle’ and, in this production, the precision ‘illuminated balloon’ formations weaved by the cast were captivating. As the final strains of music played, confetti rained down on the cast, prompting an ecstatic response from the audience thrilled by what they had witnessed.

Director and Choreographer Leanne Hollyhead superbly marshalled her cast to produce a production worthy of

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London’s West End, admirably supported by the creative team who once again excelled themselves. Heather Fryer’s 1920s-inspired costumes were a visual delight, the monochrome style providing a classy feel to the production. Steve Doidge’s lighting design wonderfully complimented the minimalist staging. The vaudeville style at the heart of the musical permeated every aspect of this production, closely resembling the original Bob Fosse production. Producer Keith Packham commented that “the cast worked tirelessly to perfect dance steps, solo and chorus singing and dialogue and should be justifiably proud of their achievements in presenting this piece of musical theatre to great acclaim.

The Rogers Theatre has witnessed numerous wonderful productions in the past and the College can excitedly look forward to many more such memorable nights in the years to come.”

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Wolf Hall The inaugural drama production in the newly refurbished Rogers Theatre was Wolf Hall, a stage adaptation of the Booker Prize-winning novel by Hilary Mantel. Director of Drama Keith Packham’s choice meant that the college became the first school ever to mount a production of this Mike Poulton/Royal Shakespeare Company stage adaptation. The play focuses on Thomas Cromwell and the Tudor Court. We see the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey and Cromwell’s rise to power from King Henry VIII’s attempting to divorce his first wife, Princess Katherine of Aragon, through to his marriage to Anne Boleyn and the birth of a daughter, princess Elizabeth. The audience were treated to a darkly comic play which was professionally staged and executed superbly by this young cast of dramatists drawn from all years at the College.

The production values were simply outstanding and a real testament to the creative team of Harriet Hook (Sound), Steve Doidge (Lighting), Leanne Hollyhead (Choreography), and Heather Fryer (Costume). A minimalist stage set was augmented by sumptuous Tudor-period costumes which truly and vividly brought the historical characters to life.

The production positively zipped along – moving from one historical incident to another with dramatic urgency. In order to maintain this impressive pace, rather than plunging into blackouts to signify a passage of time, the directorial decision to have Cromwell maintain a presence on stage and 092

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to be joined by the latest players in the next stage of the play ensured performance energy and an audience interest which never dropped. The imaginative soundscape saw musical interjections playing at pertinent points in the narrative, whilst a menacing drone-like underscore was employed to further enhance the mood and sense of foreboding.

Bonnie Green played the scheming Thomas Cromwell, son of a blacksmith who rises to become the right-hand man to the King. The role of Cromwell demanded a huge amount of time onstage, and Bonnie’s portrayal was first class, displaying an authoritative air as the character mixes with the elite royal courtiers, whilst at the same time superbly conveying Cromwell’s manipulative undercurrents. A change of dynamic depending on whom Cromwell was around was a distinctive feature of Bonnie’s performance.

Ariana Davison – as Cardinal Wolsey – wonderfully captured the divergent public and private faces of the role, with Wolsey’s subsequent fall from grace and power superbly conveyed. Ellen Berry’s sullen Stephen Gardiner (a adviser to the King ultimately usurped in importance by Cromwell) amusingly helped to portray the rancour between the characters bidding for power and influence. Harrison Hudson as Thomas More excellently captured Mantel’s version of the character, employing a sneering tone of voice and sinister obsessive religious characteristics to tremendous effect.

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Lucie Fletcher as a tempestuous Henry VIII wonderfully conveyed a king riddled with doubt, guilt and frustration at his personal predicaments yet easily manipulated in order to obtain his desires for both King and country.

Her portrayal channeled the common historical perception of Henry, yet also offered moments of vulnerability and uncertainty which was most touching. The King’s verbal ‘jousting’ with Katherine of Aragon (a defiant and stoical performance from Olivia Hyde) was a memorable scene, as was the scene where the King’s nightmare vision of his dead brother Arthur is interpreted by Cromwell.

Anne Boleyn was played by Octavia Wyatt and her more sullen undertones, mixed with mercurial temperament, contrasted nicely with Missy Hingley’s playful Mary Boleyn. Excessive charm and wit were mixed with flashes of anger, which ultimately gave way to moments of determination mixed with a savage desire to destroy her enemies.

The Boleyn family (father Thomas – Beatrice Barnes, son George – Jonathan Mather, daughter-in-law Lady Jane – Charlotte Bulley) showed a great level of ensemble acting, as their scenes illustrated a somewhat dysfunctional family to comic effect. Beatrice Forbes as Rafe Sadler, Jasmine Ellis as Christophe, Eve Leslie as Gregory and Syuzannah Avanesova as Liz successfully portrayed Cromwell’s family and warm home life. Dukes Norfolk (Laura Browne) and Suffolk (Alexia Clarke) captured their roles as powerful henchmen to the King with humour, whilst Oliver Doherty as lute-playing obsessive Mark Smeaton, Jack Yeoward (Harry Percy), Ottilie Thomas (Jane Seymour), Lara Davidson (Mary), Morgann McGee (Wyatt), Ani King

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(Archbishop Cranmer), George Advani (Warham), Toon De Melker (Eustace Chapuys), Oliver Beer (Norris), Nicholas Wilson (Weston), Harry Graydon (Brereton), Gia Neath and Ella Cooper as Servants/Ambassadors played their supporting roles with excellent focus, dedication and commitment.

This was a thoughtful and meticulously delivered production of Wolf Hall with outstanding acting performances, a shimmering array of costumes, impressive design elements and crystal-clear exposition of a challenging play steeped in historical references. That a cast of 13-18 year old pupils executed this to such a professional level augurs well for the future of Drama at Malvern in its newly refurbished surroundings.

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Wendy & Peter Pan In the penultimate week of the academic year, dramatists from the Remove and Foundation Year presented a wonderfully entertaining and heart-breaking production of JM Barrie’s classic coming-of-age story. First staged at the RSC in 2013, Ella Hickson’s adaptation suggests that behind the swashbuckling, the ticking crocodile and journey to Neverland, the real dramatic action lies not with Peter but with Wendy. Both protagonists are on the cusp of adolescence yet it is Wendy who must move on in search of emotional closure when the Darling family are tragically affected by bereavement.

Performed with seriousness and fortitude by Beatrice Forbes and Morgann McGee, the essence of Wendy’s character was superbly captured, and revealed the conflict between the freedom of childhood and the responsibilities of adulthood. Wendy is also processing the death of her brother Tom (Emily Elgar), a genuine lost boy, whose early departure sets her parents (Syuzanna Avanesova and Charles CantonSmith) at loggerheads and the Darling children (Nicholas Wilson/Oliver Beer as John, Eve Leslie/Lara Davison as Michael) adrift. Consequently, her trip into Neverland is not just a knockabout adventure, but a way to reconcile her with the past and equip her for the future.

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personality deliberately vague – as elusive as his shadow.

Oliver and Cameron wonderfully evoked Peter’s dynamic and mercurial nature and Jack Yeoward performed Captain Hook as a snarling, ageing baddie who fears Peter’s virile youth as much as his sword. Their scenes of confrontation were expertly delivered and the swordsmanship displayed equally impressive. George McEwan as Hook’s devoted sidekick, Smee, provided wonderful moments of comic relief, so too Jasmine Ellis as Martin, the hopeless pirate whose ‘aaarrhhhhhhh’ is somewhat pitiful and leads her character to question whether a life of piracy is really for him. Caterina Romanzina, Georgina Kenyon, Lucy Marriott and Arabella Cole as the dastardly gang of pirates were suitably mean and moody.

Wendy wrestles with the demands of authority: “Why is it my job to fix everyone?” She campaigns for collective action with Ella Cooper’s hilariously punkish and matter-offact Tink and Ottilie Thomas’ go-getting, ‘Katniss Everdeen’ styled Tiger Lily. With Captain Hook defeated, the Lost Boys saved (charming performances from Harry Graydon, Gia Neath, Freya Simpson and Chloe McKellar) and Tom ensconced in their gang, it remains for Wendy to figure out where grief must end and happiness begin.

Staged on a composite set imaginatively comprising nursery, Neverland and Pirate poop deck, scenes were able to switch seamlessly and at speed between the French

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windows of the nursery to the billowing sail of a ship, or the Neverland forest. The creative team of Heather Fryer (costume design), Leanne Hollyhead (Choreography/Stage Management) and Steve Doidge (lighting) supported this production with impeccable attention to detail. Jonathan Stephenson, operating sound, and Alfie Mann, on lighting, did a first rate job.

The theme of time as the villain and a sense of loss was peppered throughout this production and the poise and talents displayed by this young cast emphasised this. At the curtain call, appreciation by the audience was plentiful for a magnificent piece of theatre that combined light and dark within this tale so well, and kept both young and old at heart enthralled and entertained in equal measure.

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House Drama Competition Adjudicator: Mary Kavanagh School House: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory No.1: The Jungle Book No.2: Animal Farm No.3: Mary Poppins No.4: Red Riding Hood No.5: Madagascar No.6: The Wizard of Oz No.7: High School Musical No.8: Dystopia No.9: Harry and Paul Ellerslie House: Shrek

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Best Technical Design

Best Entertainment

Nominations: No.4, No.3, No.6 Winner: No.2

Nominations: House 1, House 5 Winner: House 7

Best Actress

Best Ensemble

Nominations: Ruth Ettler (3), Lucie Fletcher (8), Harriet Sibthorpe (8), Morgann McGee (8), Olivia Hyde (3), Caterina Romanzia (4), Chioma Anazodo (EH), Ella Hale-Smith (EH) Winner: Emily Elgar (6)

(For “Fantastic House spirit displayed throughout the rehearsal process�)

Nominations: Ellerslie House, House 3, House 9 Winner: House 2

Best Actor

Best Production

Nominations: Ethan Zhao (1), Toon De Melker (SH), Max Hilton (SH), Oliver Doherty (2), Henry Gerber (7), Dylan Sillence (5) Winner: Jack Yeoward (9)

Nominations: House 8, House 3, House 2 Winner: House 9

Best Director Nominations: Ethan Zhao (1), Max Horler (7), Bonnie Green (3), Eleanor Blyth (4) Winner: Thomas Doherty (2) Hous e Dra ma Competiti on

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Music Once again, the Music Department has had a busy and fruitful year. The quality of performing in the Informal and Community concerts continues to improve and with the Rogers Theatre now open for business again, it was very good to have the Unplugged concerts returning to the calendar. Having lost the Christmas Concert last year due to the snow, we were grateful to have this back in the calendar. This and the Summer Concert are the main showcases for the College main ensembles and, again, it was noticeable how well they are progressing in terms of quality and musicianship.

The College Orchestra performed at both the Christmas and Summer Concerts. They kicked off proceeding in the former, conducted by Mr Brown, playing Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai arr. Ling. The ethereal opening of a high string pedal note, with the melody gradually unfolding underneath was absolutely magical, culminating in the 1st violins taking over the main melody for the rest of the first section. The Allegro was full of youthful vitality, coupled with both a high Romantic sound as well as some tongue-incheek musical dialogue between the woodwind and string sections. In the Summer Concert, again conducted by Mr Brown, they performed the 4th movement of the Dvorak New World symphony. The weighty opening in the strings set up the movement well for the fortissimo brass melody, 10 4

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matched magnificently by the woodwind section. This was a powerful performance. This was followed by the Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky Korsakov, a magnificently delightful fast-moving Spanish romp that the Orchestra seemed to relish performing. The waltz section provided a breather from the exuberance of the outer sections, and the orchestra changed timbre beautifully with some lovely countermelodies performed by the Flute section.

The chamber orchestra performed again without a conductor throughout the year and, although Mr McDade played the violin, the ensemble was most ably led in the concerts by Ani King from the leader’s seat. In the Christmas Concert, we were treated to two string classics; the first an arrangement of the sublime Ave Maria by Schubert. The opening arpeggios in the second violins were played with a confident legato sound that allowed the mellifluous first violins to soar above in this rather Romantic reading of one of Schubert’s most famous songs. The second piece took us back in time to the great master J.S Bach and the two Gavottes from his 3rd String Suite. It was wonderful to hear the change of timbre in this small chamber ensemble as they moved effortlessly from the Classical to Baroque sound. The changes of tempo were impressively seamless between the pieces under the leadership of Ani. In the Summer Concert, they delighted the audience with a mature reading of the

Handel Water Music Suite in D major. Playing without a conductor is a challenge for ensembles and it needs collaboration of the highest standard; the chamber orchestra rose magnificently to this challenge and performed with a wonderfully high level of commitment and musicianship.

The Concert Band have had another excellent year and continue to go from strength to strength. The Christmas concert item opened with an arrangement of the Pogues’ and Kirsty McColl’s classic Christmas Hit from 1988 Fairytale of New York. This was followed by a wonderful medley of carols, At Christmas time by the American composer John Cacavas featuring I heard the Bells on Christmas Day, Deck the Halls, We Three Kings and Hark the Herald Angels Sing where we were joined by the audience to provide a rousing end to the concert. The summer concert programme began with John Williams stirring Midway March from the 1976 film Midway and finished with Symphonic Beatles, an arrangement of the Fab Four’s classic hits A Hard Days Night, Yesterday, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Michelle and Hey Jude.

The Trumpet and Brass Ensembles again excelled themselves as part of the Remembrance Day and Commemoration services and the Trumpet ensemble were also involved in the fantastic day of Trumpets event held at Solihull school where our musicians were involved in a masterclass with

Murray Greig, Principal Trumpet of Opera North and Senior Trumpet Tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music.

This year we see several senior members leave the Concert Band and Brass Ensemble after many years of sterling service and our thanks go to Tristan Hubbard (Trumpet/ Percussion), Julian Loustric (Trumpet), Hamish Houghton (Trombone), Georgina Denham (Clarinet), Jennifer Zhou (Flute), Gus Stephenson (Saxophone) and Saskia Griffith (Trumpet).

The Percussion Ensemble, with its seven regulars continued to meet weekly. The Ensemble provides the opportunity for students to work together and prepare for performances on a variety of instruments including marimba and vibraphone as well as a variety of drums. In the Christmas Concert, they performed La Tarentelle by Burgmuller, arranged by Mr Pick while, in the Summer Concert, they played Eine Kleine Tischmusik by Manfred Menke, a piece that actually involved all seven players using desk tops as drums and incorporating some surprising moves which was well received by the audience! After the Summer Concert we said goodbye to two students – Henry Queen and Tristan Hubbard – who have been key members of the Ensemble over the years. We wish them all the best for the future.

The Jazz Band were on very good form. This was a year of transition where we were able to welcome and integrate M usic

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new players into the band, and they performed in both the Christmas and Summer Concerts. In addition, in the Lent term, they took part in an evening of jazz hosted at The Elms School in Colwall. This was a fantastic event where they presented a half-an-hour set and acquitted themselves very well, drawing many warm comments from the audience. With Jacob Perry, Anny Moody, Hamish Houghton, Julian Loustric, Tristan Hubbard and Kitty Holroyd all delivering high-quality solos, the Band’s performances across the year included Ja-Da by Carlton arr. Nestico), Misty (Garner arr. Lewis), Soul Bossa Nova (Quincy Jones arr. Stitzel), Watermelon Man and Canteloupe Island (both

by Herbie Hancock and arranged by Kumaf ) and Peanut Vendor (Simons arr. Sweeney). Once again, they performed excellently throughout the year and were a real credit to the College.

The Choral programme continues to make very good progress and, with the move to Saturday Chapel meaning a full complement of singers each week, it was noticeable how much more confident the singing of the Chapel Choir was, and the quality of their singing (as well as the Chamber Choir) was noticeably stronger. In addition to their weekly Chapel singing, once again the major services of Remembrance, Advent and Town Carols were particular focuses, whilst also singing at the Christmas Concert.

Commemoration service In Great Malvern Priory was another musical highlight with some excellent singing by both Chapel and Chamber Choirs of some really quite tricky and declamatory repertoire. All our musicians were also on great form for Antony and Brigitte Clark’s most moving Farewell service, and I know how much they were 10 6

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appreciated. As last year, our annual Lunchbox performance in Great Malvern involved the Chamber Choir singing 5 pieces, interspersed with individual solo items from members of the choir. I know that this is a highlight for the concert-goers at the Priory and, once again, we had a large and enthusiastic audience who were so very complimentary.

House Singing was held in Malvern Theatres again and, this year, was adjudicated by Mr James McElvey (Director of Music at Bromsgrove School) whose feedback was both insightful and encouraging. This year, House 8 were the winners singing an arrangement of ‘Valerie’ by the Zutons and this was a really excellent performance. House 2 – the winners for the last couple of years – were runners up with an arrangement of The Mamas and the Papas ‘California Dreaming’. House 5 won the Adjudicator’s Prize for a most engaging and entertaining rendition of ‘I want it that way’ by the Back Street Boys. As ever, it was a great evening and there was some wonderful music-making. Every House had put tremendous effort into their preparation for this event and this is what always makes it such a great evening of entertainment.

House Music finals were adjudicated this year by Mr Jonathan Vaughan (Director of Music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama – one of the premier Music conservatoires in the world). This is an individual instrumental/vocal competition where the musicians take part in a set of heats according to the technical achievement (category A performers are studying music at Grade 7 or above, category B at Grades 5-6, and category C, up to, and including, Grade 4) from which the strongest performances are put through to the final which are, effectively, concerts held,

once again, in St. Edmund’s Hall. The category C final was won by Nicholas Wilson (No.9) with second place awarded to Zachary Watson (No.7) and Antonia Fetzer (No.3) in third.

Category B was won jointly by was Cameron Eldridge (SH) and Devon Perry (No.5) with Jasper Penrice (No.2) playing the piano in second, and Kitty Holroyd’s singing (No.6) in third. In the A category Jasper Penrice (No.1) and Josi Jebens (EH), playing a movement from Saint-Saen’s Clarinet sonata and Svendsen’s Romance for violin respectively were joint winners, with Eileen Shen (No.3) in second and Missy Hingley (No.8) in third place. Lucie Fletcher (No.8), Shea John (No.2) and Ani King (No.3) were also highly commended. There were some really special performances and Jonathan could not have been more complimentary about our musicians and was quite overwhelmed by the quality of music he heard. This year our Unplugged category was adjudicated by Mr Vince Freeman – singer/songwriter and former contestant on The Voice UK. Having come runner up the previous year, Eily Lo (No.3) was this year’s winner with a beautiful, distinctively-sung performance. Lucie Fletcher (No.8) came second with a song that she wrote herself, and Tom Doherty (No.2) was third. Having totted all the points from the heats and the finals, the overall winners were House 3, with House 8 second and House 2 in third place. Both sets of finals were really excellent and the quality of the performances were exceptionally good, and the best in recent years.

Once again, our pupils achieved had some outstanding results from our practical and theory ABRSM/Trinity music exams this year. For the second year in a row, we had a pupil – Ani King – achieve her ARSM diploma, where she

was awarded a distinction – a wonderful accolade. In addition to Ani, we had a very good number of distinctions and Grade 8 successes as well as a whole host of exams with passes and merits. Of special note is Anny Moody (No.8) who gained her third grade 8 – on the trombone, having previously achieved that on orchestral percussion and piano – a fantastic achievement.

Two concerts which really showcase our most advanced musicians are the Summer Serenade (for FY and Remove pupils) and the Concerto Concert. The Summer Serenade is shortly after half-term in the Summer term, and this year featured 13 wide-ranging performances. Nicholas Wilson, Beatrice Barnes, Jonathan Stephenson, Alexandra Darby, Evelyn Kenrick, Cameron Eldridge, Finley Morris, Sam Ingram, Louisa Marsden-Smedley, Leo Westwood, Lichang Wan, Josephine Jebens and Kitty Holroyd were all on very good form and re-iterated the talent amongst our younger musicians and the quality of music-making we can look forward in the near future.

The final event of the year, as ever, was the Concerto Concert. This concert allows our most advanced pupils to play a concerto-style piece or movement or sing an opera or oratorio aria with the Malvern College Invitational Orchestra (a professional ensemble), the opportunity for which is quite rare, and it is wonderful to be able to give them this great privilege. We were treated to a wide-ranging programme ranging from Vivaldi to Rutter with flute, cello, clarinet, trumpet, violin, trombone and singing pupils giving us a wonderful and varied programme. Last year, we opened up this opportunity to some of our younger musicians as we felt that (and please forgive the sporting quote) if you’re M usic

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good enough, you’re old enough! We felt that, having done this, we should most certainly continue that policy. Last year, we had 7 performances but this year, we had 12! As I said last year, with a good number of our strongest musicians being lower down this school, this really does auger very well for the future, with 11 of those items being performed having pupils who will be able to perform again next year. Gemma Luscombe kicked things off with the 1st movement of the D major flute concerto by Mozart, followed by Honor Letts and Ani King singing the Flower Duet from Lakmé by Delibes.

Robbie Hardwick was next up with the 3rd movement of Haydn’s trumpet concerto. Felix Berger then played the 1st movement of Vivaldi’s Cello concerto in E minor, after which we saw Jennifer Zhou with the charming Prelude from Suite Antique by Rutter. Lucie Fletcher then sang As when the dove from Handel’s Acis and Galatea. Kitty Holroyd was next with the 1st movement of the trumpet concerto by Neruda. Jasper Penrice then followed with the 2nd movement of Mozart’s clarinet concerto. We then had Otty Wyatt and Poppy Delingpole singing the Barcarolle duet from The Tales of Hoffman by Offenbach. The final segment of the programme begin with Josi Jebens playing the 2nd movement of the little-known but very beautiful violin concerto

by Karlowicz. Shea John (flute) was the penultimate performer playing Chaminade’s virtuosic Concertino, with Anny Moody (trombone) finishing off the concert with the very forthright Morceau Symphonique by Guilmant. This concert was a triumph, with some wonderful performances. We look forward to 2020!

My final task must be to acknowledge and thank all those who contribute so much to the of the College’s Music programme. Our instrumental and vocal staff are the foundation for our individual music output, and year on year, they produce really wonderful performances – we are extremely lucky to have them. Sadly, Mrs Suzie Walden has decided that the time is right to stop teaching, and I want to particularly thank her for the fantastic work she has done with cellists over the years. Then we have the core team of Mr McDade, Mr Phillips and Mrs Arthur who continue to do such sterling, dedicated work. We were also grateful to Mr James Thomas for coming to join us at short notice for the year, and we wish him well for his future endeavours.

And finally, and most importantly, my thanks must go to the pupils who, year in, year out, give so much to the music programme. They really do make such a difference, and do so with endeavour and commitment. Without their dedication, our College would be all the poorer. Instead, we are blessed with how they enrich the life of the College. Thank you and well done.

House Music Competitions House Singing 1st place – House No.8 2nd place – House No.2 Adjudicator’s prize – House No.5

House Music 1st place – House No.3 2nd place – House No. 8 3rd place – House No.2

Individual winners Category A – Jasper Penrice and Josi Jebens ( joint first place) Category B – Cameron Eldridge and Devon Perry ( joint first place) Category C – Nicholas Wilson Unplugged – Eily Lo

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School House The years come and the years go for a boarding house, always with a variety of personalities and characters moving through the house, growing, developing and enjoying themselves. This year began as many others have done: with a super gang of FY coming in, full of energy and spirit. And it ended with us saying goodbye to our valued and eclectic group of leavers – who had grown together over the years and led the House in fine style. The Upper Sixth left with some fantastic results, and particular mention goes to Daniel Brierley, who achieved three As. The GCSE results were also excellent and we have a strong academic presence in the House. The boys deserved their success as they had clearly worked hard, and the winning of Clark Cup (awarded to the House with the Highest Effort Grades) for the third time in a row is testament to that.

The Autumn Term began in time-honoured fashion, with the annual Intra-House football competition and the traditional trip to Cwm Llwch. Mr Hardinges and Mr Hutsby led the way, supervising the various games, enjoying the walk up the hill and watching on as a good number of the boys braved the icy waters! Much of the focus at this time is on the House singing competition, and Toon De Melker did a fantastic job in bringing together a fine performance of John Denver’s ‘Country Roads’. Whilst we might not have won the competition, there is no doubt that the rousing chorus was echoing around each of the Houses for weeks 11 2

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on end. As the term progressed and the ground softened, rugby took over and we had a number of representatives in the 1st XV, and the Under 14 A team was particularly well represented with 7 of the team from the House. The senior boys did themselves proud in the House competition, making it to the final before being beaten by House 5.

The term ended, though, with the success of Dan Holland who played some excellent rackets to win the Pritchard Trophy. He will be going for the hat-trick in 2019 having also won this in 2017. This term also saw the birth of the Malvern College climbing team, and Peter Ingram, Konrad Barbers, and Sam Shardlow were integral members. There were also a number of individual successes, with Monty Lampard being named as Head of the CCF. Lucas FowlerDewe and Harry Myddelton were named as Head of the RAF and Army sections respectively and it was pleasing to see so many leadership positions handed to SH boys. The long and tiring term was finished off with the traditional Christmas Supper, complete with some imaginative skits from every year group – but especially the FY. A glass of School House wine toasted a fine end to the term!

Our annual Arts Soirée opened up the Lent Term and it was yet another window, alongside the various concerts, to showcase the boys’ talent and willingness to perform.

The standard of musical performances and recitations was top notch, and it was great to see the Upper Sixth band of

Ludo Sanseverino, Lucas Fowler-Dewe, Tristan Hubbard, Hamish Houghton, Toon De Melker and Toby Hollis sign off the evening in style with a wonderful performance of the White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’. The standard came as no surprise, as SH are well represented in the various ensembles. Messrs Hubbard and Houghton, together with Edward Bradshaw, have been stalwarts of the music department – and they have been joined in recent years by Edmund Thurlow, Jacob Perry, and more recently Cameron Eldridge and Leo Westwood. A major achievement of the term was the strong hockey cohort who filled no fewer than half the places of the 1st XI. This unfortunately did not translate into any silverware, as we were beaten finalists in both the Junior and Senior House competitions. The Ledbury Run Cup also slipped from our clutches, we having won it three years on the trot – but the boys still rans their hearts out. The Ledder is a ‘proper race’ and a real test of character; it was therefore very pleasing to see a strong number of participants from SH. Harry Myddelton won a coveted Ledder Cap and SH came a respectable second to a very strong House 2, who also pipped us to second place in the Inter-House Cross-Country season.

The Summer Term saw plenty of hard work and industry, and also the introduction of the new House Team – Josh Preston, Aaron Tomson, and Hans Baare Schmidt – who took up post after the House elections. SH’s presence amongst the ranks for Chapel Prefects continues with Robbie Hardwick’s appointment. Cricket and Tennis featured prominently, with the Juniors no longer the bridesmaids when they won the Junior House Cricket competition. The Seniors also did very

well, sharing the cup with House 5. SH had a strong presence in the 1st XI and Daniel Holland had a tremendous season, scoring an unbeaten 176 against Wellington College and also winning the Tip Foster Trophy for the most runs in a season.

The Juniors were beaten finalists in the House Tennis, with notable performances from Sam Phillips, Myles Holland , Konrad Harmer, and Henry Hall. Hans Baare-Schmidt was once again crowned County U18 Champion, and he will have chance to add to his two titles when he returns next year.

Academically the House is in good heart, and three boys – Arent Riemer, Robbie Hardwick, and Aodren Clemit – were awarded places in the Wheeler-Bennett Society.

As I sign off I would like to thank the outgoing House team – Tristan Hubbard, Hamish Houghton and Harry Myddelton – who have been committed to the SH cause throughout their tenure. Monty Lampard’s role as a Chapel Prefect was also executed beautifully. Additionally, the staff commitment is paramount to the smooth running of the House and I cannot praise the SH team highly enough. The dedication of the tutorial, cleaning, and kitchen team continues to be unstinting, and I am so grateful for all their help.

Particular mention must go to Kim Tutcher, Lucie Tilley and my deputy Adam Hutsby who work so hard in keeping the boys happy.

It has been a hugely enjoyable year in School House and the boys can look forward to 2019-20 with excitement.

MEAH

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No.1 ‘Every successful individual knows that his or her achievements depend on a community of persons working together.’

– Paul Ryan (Republican Representative, United States Congress)

Autumn Term In Week 1 we welcomed sixteen new boys, all of whom used their talents to enrich our community over the course of their first year. In the second week of term, on a lovely sunny day, we held our Annual Charity Football Day for which I would like to thank parents and boys for donating: we raised £446.61 for the two Nepalese boys (Sudeep and Misael) we support as a House.

The next significant House event was the House Singing Competition which was well organised by Felix Kingdon.

Over thirty No.1 boys took to the stage to perform an arrangement of ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by the Beatles. Our rendition was sensitive to the original and included good intonation and dynamics, with Jamie Hawkins accompanying on the guitar.

Other successes included coming second in the Canoe Polo: congratulations go to Dougal Lemon, Dominic Leicher, Felix Kingdon and William Brinkman. Well done also to Vansh Ladwa, who represented both the Worcester Warriors U16 and North Midlands sides. Vansh joined Ethan 11 6

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Zhao and James Wakefield in representing the College at 1st XV level. Very well done to Cameron Coleman, who represented the College in a district public speaking competition – and came second. James Wakefield contributed to a regional languages competition and had to debate the motion ‘This house believes it is better to be attacked by a chicken the size of a horse than by twenty horses the size of chickens’ – in French!

Lent Term In the Lent Term, No.1 performed a wonderful dramatic adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book as part of the House Drama Competition. Aarya Ramanj played Mowgli, ably supported by Dougal Lemon as Bagheera, Ethan Zhao as Baloo, Ade Alagdebami as King Louis, Zhiwei Yan as Shere Khan, and Egor Kovrizhnykh as Kaa. The adjudicator wrote about the production: ‘The Jungle Book with a twist! That sounds like a cocktail served in a Mayfair nightclub. Lots of interesting flavours, good to look at, punches a kick and you can’t help getting a bit giggly. It made me feel that way, and I would have happily strolled up to the bar and ordered two more! Baloo, displayed a strong sense of comic timing. Mowgli was excellent in reacting to the characters and situation in a believable manner. A strong performance

by Bagheera. Other cameo parts were well executed.’ Thank you to Ethan Wang and Ethan Zhao, the directors. Other

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artistic highlights this term included the House Arts evening, with performances by Harry Graydon, Felix Kingdon, Manfred Lai, Jamie Hawkins, James Myers, Urav Ladwa, Josh Rin, Jack Whitfield, Dougal Lemon, Bradley Jones, Ned Norbury and Aarya Ramanj. My thanks to Manfred Lai and Brad Jones for organising the evening and to Emile Gonder for compering the evening with great humour.

Other individual achievements this term included Vansh Ladwa scoring against the Bristol Bears whilst playing for Worcester. In Cricket, Rehaan Edavalath trained with Worcester County Cricket and played a number of county matches, as well a match against Worcester 2nds in the Easter Holiday. Well done to Brad Jones and Jamie Hawkins who took part in the College production of Chicago. Brad assumed a lead role, Billy Flynn, and blew the audience away with his renditions of ‘Razzle Dazzle’ and ‘The Press Conference Rag’ among other numbers. Earlier in the term, Brad had the opportunity to fly a Piper Warrior into RAF Coningsby and then was the first civilian to fly the airbase’s new flight simulator; after Malvern, Brad has aspirations of joining the RAF. In music, warm congratulations went to Thomas Isherwood, who competed in the House Music Finals and was awarded with a Commendation for his performance of ‘Close every door to me’ from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Joseph. Two boys who did well to beat the Old Malvernians in their respective pursuits were Basil Strolz (in Golf ) and Abylay Kuderin (in Chess).

Congratulations went too to Cameron Coleman, who came 9th in the Ledbury Run. And there was something a little different: Henry Worrallo followed the John O’Groats to Land’s End Running Race and assisted in publicising the 11 8

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race on social media. Finally, well done to Aarya Ramanj, Surya Rana, Henry Worrallo, Jagger Linford and Seb Hood who were successful in a College Fives Tour beating Bedford and Oundle schools.

Summer Term In this term we celebrated the Junior Boys’ winning both the House Tennis Competition and the Junior House Athletics.

In the former, the final was played against School House.

With one match apiece, the final match which Jagger Linford and Otto Lazar played was the decider – most exciting! Well done to the team: Otto, Jagger, Seb Hood, Surya Rana, Josh Rin and Henry Worrallo. In Athletics, Harry Finch won the 400m race, the Triple Jump and the first heat of the Hurdles race. Jack Whitfield won the 200m and the second heat of the hurdles. Noah Hanke won the Discus and Otto Lazar won the Javelin. Congratulations went to Cameron Coleman and Emile Gonder who competed in the final of the House Debating Competition against SH, No.3 and No.7. Well done, boys!

Individual accomplishments were wide-ranging this term: Congratulations went to Cameron Coleman who was awarded with the Harvard Book Prize and the George Washington Prize for Academic Leadership. Rehaan Edavaleth did very well in cricket as he played – in the Remove! – for the 1st XI. Rehaan was also selected to participate in the Bunbury Cricket Festival from which England selectors choose players for the national side. In riding, Harry Finch was selected to join the U18 British Junior Eventing Development Squad taking place in Ireland. Thanks go to Jonty Horton, who raised £275 for

the House Charity (Sudeep and Misael in Nepal) by having an extremely short haircut! Finally, very well done to Seb Hood, who won the FY Singles Tennis Competition against the other finalist, another No.1 boy, Jagger Linford.

Looking back, the truth of Paul Ryan’s words (see above), has resonated deeply with me and I suspect with each Upper Sixth boy as he leaves House 1 and embarks on his next step. We all value the incredibly, supportive atmosphere in the House. I have loved living and working alongside the boys and staff and I shall miss them very much. I wish to express my deep gratitude to the boys, the parents, and the tutors: Matt, Lukasz, Brett, Billy and Stephen, the assistants: Annabel and Jackie, my Deputy, Simon and of course, my wife, Ruth. I am so grateful for all their support and for all the fun! Leading the fine men of No.1 has been a great privilege and I shall miss their excellent company. I wish them the very best of success under the new leadership of Oliver and Jo Butterworth.

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No.2 It is a pleasure to report that No.2 has enjoyed another very positive year, full of energy, success and no little laughter – little surprise given the excellent group of young men who make up the House.

The late summer brought excellent results for the outgoing Upper Sixth, many of whom headed off to their firstchoice universities. Success at GCSE prompted the return of the full Hundred cohort to school in the Autumn Term where they would be joined by some new arrivals as well, bedecked in their smart Sixth Form suits.

The year began in familiar style with a full house battle on the paintballing field, with the new intake of FY pupils proving that they had sufficient spirit in them to enjoy the energetic and sometimes chaotic atmosphere created by the effervescent House 2 boys. They followed this up with a very enjoyable trip to Cwm Llwch, for which they were joined by the Head of House team of Henry Queen, Harry Townsend, Tom Doherty and Bosa Gubago. Balloons, marshmallows, hot chocolate, pancakes, a huge fire, swims in the lake, a walk up Pen Y Fan: business as usual!

As had been the case in the previous year, music and performance was at the heart of so much that the boys enjoyed throughout the year. House 2’s rendition of California Dreaming (led by Henry Queen and Tom Doherty on the guitar) represented a superb team effort. Pipped to the trophy by the excellent House 8, the boys nonetheless won the 12 0

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Timms cup, something which they celebrated long into the night. Later in the year in the House Music Competition it was great to see so many of the boys qualifying for the finals, with Tom Doherty, Tanush Sanghai and Jan van Heusde in the acoustic category, a good number in the B category final, and no fewer than 3 boys in the category A final: Jasper Penrice, Shea John and Henry Queen. That Jasper then went on to win this competition was deserved recognition for the time he has spent practising, although I have no idea how the judge was able to make a decision, so high was the standard of playing from all the competitors.

Still within the realms of performance, the third edition of House 2’s Got Talent regaled a hugely appreciative audience with too many different acts to list exhaustively.

Raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust on this occasion, the boys feasted the audience with a mixture of music, drama, poetry and even a magic show thanks to Carlos!

The annual German beer-swilling song from Felix Berger and Tassilo Ritter von Kempski might well have stolen the night on this occasion.

Other charity events over the course of the year included the termly panini sales at breaktime (thanks go to Kathryn and her team of volunteers) as well as the much-loved Krispy Kreme deliveries organised by Harry Townsend.

The highlight of the year in terms of charity events was

undoubtedly the House Everest climb, when the boys scaled the climbing wall a total of 1106 times, climbing the equivalent of 8848 metres. The cumulative total of money raised for Teenage Cancer Trust during the year was over £7,000 – an outstanding team effort!

Like the house singing, the drama competition provides a perfect arena in which all year groups of the house can work together towards a common goal. This was never more evident than in this year’s production of Animal Farm, excellently directed by Tom Doherty. On the night the play showcased the excellent acting talents of many of the boys, notably Oliver Doherty, Harrison Hudson, Jasper Penrice and Shea John. The play was captivating from beginning to end, helped in no small part by the technical wizardry of Basil Marsden-Smedly who went on to win the award for Best Technical. Tom Doherty also won the prize for Best Director, thoroughly deserved. Although the boys did not retain the prize for Best Play, they were awarded the prize for Best Ensemble which, as well as being like a runners-up prize, also serves to reward the group who have conducted themselves best throughout the rehearsals in terms of their teamwork, and their manner of dealing with other houses and the numerous members of the Drama Staff who assist in the staging of this event.

No year in house 2 goes by without a good number of parties and events, and as well as the yearly traditions of the pancake race, Burns night, and Halloween party (more of Kathryn’s ghoulish forfeits!) the boys particularly enjoyed the winter-sports-themed birthday supper. The tartiflette and boeuf bourgignon were the culinary highlights, whilst

the snowball fights and blow football provided the sporting capers for the evening.

From comedy sports to the more serious matters of interhouse sports, the boys enjoyed some fantastic moments in a number of competitions over the course of the year. Notable as ever was the enthusiasm and willingness to get stuck in, something which was highlighted by the 30 or so boys who all signed up to run the Ledder in what turned out to be a vintage year of cross-country running for House 2. Led by Freddie Lawton-Smith, who gamely organised a team each Saturday, the boys turned out on a weekly basis to compete in the overall house competition, eventually managing to haul in the previous leaders School House to win the competition by a single point. It was a phenomenal team performance over the course of two terms! In the showpiece event of the running calendar, the Ledder, House 2 not only won 4 Ledder caps (with Tom Doherty, Shea John, Adriaan Berger and Paddy Moyle all finishing in the top 9 runners) but, for the first time in very many years, managed to win the overall trophy. In truth the highlight was not so much the result as the sight of Shea and Adriaan ushering a number 5 runner, who had been in significant difficulty, ahead of them at the finish line – certainly the sporting moment of my year! 2018’s cross-country review is not complete without mention of the outstanding new performer in the FY this year, Tom Birley, who not only won the Ferrets’ Race but also the Junior Ledder, running against boys in the Remove and Hundred. With good showings also from Will Waterhouse, Will James, Jack Bedford and Oli Doherty the juniors won the team trophy as well. The future is bright.

The boys played well in the group stages of Senior Rugby, beating House 7 and losing to School House, leading to a third-place match for the Challenge Cup against House 1.

In this hard fought game Henry Forbes, kicking hero of the 1st XV Border Shield victory earlier in the season, led from the front, scoring a brace of tries and setting up Jasper for the third. House 2 won 17-12.

Meanwhile, the Juniors qualified for the final which played out against House 7 in front of a large and excited crowd. Two tries apiece at full time, the teams then played extra time, sacrificing a player every minute until finally the stalemate broke and with only three players on each team, House 7 ran in the winning try – a tense and exciting finish to the rugby season In other sports James Dawson continued to excel with his Rackets and Matt Bruce went on to win the Fives trophy for the second year running. In Canoe polo, Tassilo, Ferdinand and Henry Queen represented the school at various tournaments and also provided the backbone of the house team which went on to win the inter-house kayak polo competition – a first!

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One of the bigger surprise successes of the year was the Senior football team’s making it through to the final. Led by the energetic Henry Forbes (who almost scored the winner) the boys narrowly lost out on penalties to a very strong House 5 team. As definite underdogs, the spirit and determination of the boys in the house really did shine through and they were very unlucky to miss out.

In 2018 I predicted in this very magazine that the following summer would see Tarush and Tanush leading the junior cricketers to winning back the much-cherished Junior League trophy. The boys did not disappoint, and on a very rainy June afternoon they took to the field and managed to beat House 5 with a man-of-the-match performance from Tarush. On the Senior stage the boys pulled off a famous group-stage victory against School House with Forbesy, Tom Doherty and Seb Grace all shining with the bat – but ultimately could not get out of the group stages.

In swimming, Tom Birley almost single-handedly dragged the juniors to victory and sports day saw House 2 achieve more success on the track than we have had for many years, with particularly impressive performances from Antoine Sclater, Shea John, Tom Birley, Carlos Omatseye, Harry Townsend and Adriaan Berger.

Summer 2019 would see many of our boys heading off on various camps and trips but undoubtedly the most notable of all these opportunities was that undertaken by Jasper Penrice, Freddie Lawton-Smith and Shea John with the Malvern to Paris expedition. Planned and managed by the pupils, overseen by the newly appointed House 2 deputy, Mr Watts, this proved to be a great success, attracting no

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little media attention and a prime time interview for Shea on Midlands TV! It was always going to be a particularly significant leavers dinner in 2019, with this being my first FY reaching the end of their careers. The event took on even more significance when circumstances conspired to see our second child, Mabel, born on the very same day. Our return to House 2 from the hospital to the sight of a garden full of parents and boys applauding and cheering is something which we will never forget. Within 20 minutes it was DJ-on and into dinner for speeches! What a truly special occasion, and a fitting farewell for a great set of boys who really had made House 2 their home. My sincerest thanks to them for all the support and laughter they have brought to me over the last five years. Particular thanks must go to the Head of House team of Henry Queen, Tom Doherty, Bosa Gubago and Harry Townsend for their work. The 2019 team of Felix Berger, Harrison Hudson, Freddie Lawton-Smith and Tassilo Ritter von Kempski will be leading a house in robust health thanks to your efforts. Furthermore, with Jasper Penrice appointed as Head of School (cue raucous celebrations in House 2!) the White and Blue flag is indeed flying high into 2019.

The Summer Term also saw the departure of some notable House 2 staff, as Jonathan Card left with his young family to find the surf in Devon, and Dermot O’Keeffe sailed off to the more leisurely pace of retired life. Dermot’s duty nights have become the stuff of legend and his unique ability to stimulate the boys’ intellect, challenging them late into the evening, is something which we will miss greatly.

After 12 years of service Stephanie Smith-Cooper finally decided that she had endured enough of teenage boys for one lifetime as she too retired. Smoops, as she is affectionately known, has played an enormous part in supporting and providing a home for hundreds of House 2 boys. We wish her well in her retirement. She will be missed and leaves with House 2 indebted to her commitment to the White and Blue!

A huge thanks goes to Kathryn, her team of cleaners, Michelle, our super chef, and her staff for all that they do to make House 2 such a great home for both the boys and the Majors! On that note, a special thanks to Mrs M for bringing little Mabel to the party, quite literally, as well as her enduring support for all things House 2, Housemaster included!

JJWEM

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No.3 As September arrives and school starts once more it brings the time to start looking back over the past 12 months as emails begin arriving asking for the Malvernian article for the House.

One might think this message would fill me with dread.

As a mere chemist, and not a wordsmith, it is not always the easiest of things to craft. However, it is a delightful part of my role as Housemistress as it makes me really look back over every part of every year, not taking any part for granted and allowing each memory to resurface and be enjoyed once more. The first thought in my mind is always of the U6th Leavers from the year before as they are the young ladies who will have just set off to university and gap-year travels and preparation as our new year is starting and we were getting back into the rhythm of life in No. 3, continuing much as before, whilst for them a huge change is occurring. Liv, as Head of House, settled quickly into her role and I know that she often contacted Élise, her predecessor, for advice and to share ideas. It is great to know that these connections run deep even when distances increase.

One of Liv’s first jobs, with the help of her team of deputies Hannah, Shukes, Hammond and Mallika, was to organise the stall for the Charity Fair. The girls chose to have two stalls offering face painting and also temporary tattoos. They chose a great idea and persuaded some well-known faces from the staff and sports teams to get ‘adorned with body 12 4

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art’, proving to be wonderful walking adverts and thus a successful business model. We were thrilled to discover that they had made over £70 for the House charity – no mean feat!

On the first weekend our footballers had a super time almost wining the inter-house football trophy. It was, by all accounts, a super afternoon but the team was a little depleted since it was the same weekend of our FY and Remove trip to Cwm Llwch. The trip to Wales was a huge success and it was wonderful to see the bonds develop between all of the girls in such a short space of time. Huge thanks go to Mrs Angling and Frau Parg for giving up their time to make it such a success, and to Miss Brookes for looking after everyone else back at No.3 in Malvern.

Meanwhile Mallika was busy choosing the song for House Singing. With Célèstine to help her she made the brave choice of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. It sounded great on the night but is notoriously tricky, as recognised by the adjudicator. The No.3 choir acquitted themselves well but sadly they came away without any silverware. We also fought hard in House hockey and cross-country, and although we did not win the girls clearly loved working together to play hard and have fun trying! And their fortunes changed, showing that determination pays off, when they returned one night victorious and carrying the Canoe

Polo tournament trophy – congratulations go to Esther, Viv, Coco C and Sardes.

But the girls of No.3 are not just interested in entering the big team events; we also had a group of girls, led by Honor and Izzy C, eager to bake and ice cupcakes ready for the school’s Cupcake Periodic Table – ours portrayed ‘Group III’, naturally! And yet we also have a strong tradition of undertaking more daredevil pursuits, and with the grit and determination and leadership skills she regularly displays it was no surprise that Esther would be named as Head of CCF and also the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire’s cadet – a true honour and one she carried out with great aplomb. In fact, Sophie seems to be following in her footsteps having been named as Best Shot in the CCF camp at the end of the year too!

Although the girls love all sports and are eager to get a team out for all activities, there are some competitions that seem to really capture the attention of the whole House.

The House Play is the one which seems to bring everyone together the most, with its requirement for stage hands, actors, costumes, and technical crew: it really does have something for everyone. Bonnie once again took on the role of director and she chose an adaptation of the Disney film Mary Poppins; with Liv in the title role, Otty and Eve as the Banks children and Maissa and Georgina as Mr and Mrs Banks, it was a tremendously strong quintet taking the lead roles. With cameos from Ruth and Eileen we had a number of mentions in the Best Actress category too. No silverware came our way this time, but this was not the case for long, as success came in the form of the fabulous Lea Smith trophy for reading; having Eve, Georgina, Ani and Mallika all

in the final clearly made all the difference – with Georgina winning for her year group.

Teamwork also played a part in the fact that No.3 were also winners of the House Music Competition and Miss Smith, who had been at Malvern for 19 years, could not remember a time when this had been the case. All credit must go to all those girls who took part in the heats, thus gaining important points for simply taking part. Well done also to Eily for winning the unplugged category this year.

We celebrated our success and the camaraderie of taking part with a wonderful meal, ‘The Blue Banquet’ (like a cup supper but with a ‘House 3 blue’ theme!). The girls also had a chance to show off their performance skills again at our House 3 Arts’ Soirée. It was held on Valentine’s Day in the atmospheric Lyall Foyer of the newly refurbished Rogers Theatre, which looked splendid – decked out like a bistro with subtle red lights, candles, red-and-white checked table cloths, heart shaped candles, and platters bursting with cheese and biscuits and other sweet and savoury treats. We were entertained with music, poetry, readings and songs. A wonderful evening was then finished off with an impromptu karaoke session with girls staff and parents all joining in – Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’ was the catalyst! The term ended on a high with Esther coming home first in the Ledder for No.3 and completing the course with her father and brother making it all the more special for her.

As the summer term came the IB girls started their exams and we prepared to say ‘good bye and good luck’ to all our leavers with a delicious meal and moving evening of speeches in the form of the Leavers’ Supper – and a

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fabulously humorous speech from Liv. It is always such a lovely event, with tutors attending to wish their charges well. The Summer Term always has many celebratory events and one which is always tremendously popular and well attended is Commem. and Sports’ Day. It was a super event this year with great weather and many parents enjoying the atmosphere and the chance to watch their daughters race, jump, and throw their way to victory as the House 3 Senior team brought home the trophy! Well done to Viv for, once again, smashing the discus record. We have good track record in this event: it must be down to what Jack (the chef ) feeds our girls!

With the House reunion scheduled for June, an opportunity arose to design a House crest, This meant discussing with the girls a few ideas and then sending off a mockup to be digitally enhanced. Our new logo and motto (quo ducis sequerentur – where you lead, they will follow) then appeared on the labels of the House wine which was presented to some of the 170 Old Boys and Girls of No.3 who attended the event. The lucky recipients were those who had held the office of either Head of House or a Senior Chapel Prefect. It was wonderful to hear so many amazing

stories about life in No.3 and we would love to see more OMs of No.3 coming back to visit soon! We also gave a bottle of champagne to the Simpson family who are now in their fifth generation attending Malvern in No.3.

At the Leavers’ Ball we took the opportunity to say goodbye and good luck to our lovely U6th but also a huge ‘thank you’ to the inimitable Miss Smith and to Mrs Lovering, our incredible House Assistants. They have worked tirelessly during their time here, looking after the girls, offering advice (and hugs) and generally keeping the place and the young ladies in their care ‘ship shape’. We wish them every happiness as they move on from Malvern. They will be missed.

I know that the girls would also want to join me in thanking our domestic and catering teams. We all know that without them our lives in the House would not run as smoothly – thank you to Angela, Liz, Fiona, Lin, Jack, Jenny, Lou, Nicky and Derek. I am looking forward to another exciting year in 2019/20 and, who knows, perhaps this time next year I might have a bit more silverware to write about!

RCG

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No.4 It can be something quite unpredictable that shapes the year in the boarding house, and for the year just gone it was the refurbishment of the house that took us in exciting new directions. Something about the new art that adorned the walls and the well-stocked new café on the girls’ side inspired the most creative and inventive year for a long time.

The plush décor invigorated the girls to come up with new initiatives, and this was reflected from the first few days with the Head of House team of Poppy Delingpole, Otty Wyatt, and Emily Atherton making full use of the café, with its smart breakfast stools to become the brownie-making centre for the first charity event of the year. No.4 joined the other boarding houses to come up with ideas to raise money for the Oscar Foundation. Girls from deprived backgrounds from Mumbai were due to come and stay in the school and play the girls as part of a football tour. As well as the brownies being made to raise money for the visiting team, Zaynab Hajjam did some stunning pencil portraits for people on request and Mrs Angus and Mr Faulkner were soon proud owners of her work. In total, No.4 raised £76 for charity. The next brave, ingenious idea for charity went one step further with Ariana Davison organising the whole school’s participation in the Assassin’s Game. Some took this more seriously than others: Mrs Sharp was caught out in the first hour of the game, but some of the pupils stayed

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‘in’ for a couple of fraught weeks, and much money was raised for charity.

One area that never ceases to amaze me as Housemistress is how imaginative the girls can be getting ready for the themed discos that take place in the Longy. As part of the important settling in of the new pupils, there are a few fun social events that take place in the first weeks of term. The 80s-themed disco on the first Saturday of the term showed just how good our Sixth Form were at going back in time and looking the part. Donning a costume has been an important part of bringing people in the House together this year, with the Head of House Poppy Delingpole, and also Scarlett Shaw, both wearing the No.4 onesie fox mascot at inter-house hockey events. It was also the year in which we had smart house hoodies in white and burgundy organised by business-savvy house prefect Tash Cook, as well as personalised blue fleeces at the end of the year ordered by the new Head of House, Imogen Cole. With the smart house scrunchies that were arranged by the Head of House team for all of the girls to wear for the inter-house singing competition, it was a year where colourful and creatively designed costumes brought us all together.

The first house sporting event of the year is traditionally the inter-house football event. Ironically, it involves no training and probably little skill from the girls, but it is the one where they all go down to support or play. House

tops are proudly worn, and this year Ellie Blyth took on the Captaincy of a large No.4 team, with many of the new girls making their debut for No.4. Cate Mercurio played so well she was spotted for the school football team. There was much contact with the ball on the pitch from Bella Cole, Harriet Carpenter, Issy Standen McDougal, Alice Gudkova, Millie Page, Gemma Luscombe, Bea Barnes, Jazz Ellis, Mouse Broughton, Franziska Schildecker, and Francesa Beckenbauer with some great goalkeeping from Helene Vansteenbrugghe. More of a hockey and netball house, we amazed ourselves and all the staff watching by coming second on goal difference with just one goal behind No.8! This near win by No.4 so early on was clearly a good omen as it was this year that we also had the first girl home in the prestigious and gruelling Ledder race. It was quite fitting perhaps that Ariana Davison, a fourth-generation Malvernian, came first and, as in her Chapel Leadership during the rest of the year, led by example. Closely following her were Imogen Cole, Gemma Luscombe, Molly Gibbard, Helena Huang, Isobel Lloyd, Isobel Standen Mc Dougal and Nikki Stonham. Special mention is also due to Freya Saxton who ran with her father. The future looks good for the juniors too, with Harriet Carpenter winning the Junior Ledder and Muringo Kibuchi looking to be a strong prospect. On Sports Day, Molly Gibbard was an inspiring sport captain, and the future is rosy for next year regarding sport.

One of the most creative areas for the girls this year was on the stage. I was very proud to see so many school and house productions featuring a star-studded, long list of No.4 girls. Wolf Hall was one of the first productions to grace the newly refurbished and revamped Rogers Theatre, and it was

wonderful to see Ariana Davison, Otty Wyatt, Bea Barnes and Jazz Ellis, all drama scholars, being part of this impressive production. When the official opening of the theatre came later on in the year with much greater fanfare, No.4 girls were there in the acting line up. After guest Simon Callow had cut the red ribbon, we saw leading roles in Chicago played by Otty Wyatt (as Annie) and Tash Cook (as Mona), with Jasmine Ellis, Harriet Carpenter, Cati Romanzini, and Bella Cole as reporters and dancers. Compelling drama continued with the House Drama Festival, No.4 putting on a fine performance of a modern adaptation of the story of Red Riding Hood. The clever rhyming couplets, written by the co-directors Ellie Blyth and Tash Cook, helped to bring out the comedy of their version, along with the physical theatre style of performing. It was rewarding to see several FY in the performance, ranging from small but important roles as trees to one of the main parts, played so superbly by Cati Romanzini. We were very proud that Cati was nominated for a Best Actress award, and that our directors received praise for their professional production.

Wonderful musical sounds were also a feature of the past year. The annual showcase for musical talent is of course the inter-house music competition, which never fails to draw out and promote the musical talents of the girls in the boarding house. This year Poppy Delingpole and Otty Wyatt wanted as many of the house as possible to take part and, bar a few individuals, the entire house were up there singing Aretha Franklin’s, ‘I say a Little Prayer’. One of the impressive features of the year was the fact that behind quite a few key events, there were No.4 musicians adding

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that memorable musical back-drop: Imogen Cole playing on her seventeenth birthday at an informal concert; Helena Huang, Gemma Luscombe, and Harriet Carpenter reaching the finals of the inter-house music competition; Tash Cook and Otty Wyatt playing in the unplugged Christmas Concert; and then the cherry on the cake, the Concerto Concert in June. Otty Wyatt and Poppy Delingpole performed a vocal duet, Barcarolle (by Offenbach), and Gemma Luscombe played the first movement of Mozart’s flute concerto. It makes it extra special where music from talented singers such as Zaynab Hajjam and Otty Wyatt support the No.4 girls in special events such as the confirmation service this year, where six of our girls, Lara Wilson, Harriet Carpenter, Imogen Cole, Bela Cole, Gemma Luscombe, and

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Jess Kenyon-Slaney were confirmed in the College Chapel by the Bishop of Worcester, Dr John Kinge.

As another year draws to a close in No.4, as a Housemistress, I will fondly remember those moments where I witnessed the girls pushing themselves out of their comfort zone. Memorable occasions such as Hanna Gesang’s delivering her Wheeler Bennett Society lecture on the Yemen Crisis. Elisa Solvay also impressed that evening with her professional chairing of the evening’s lectures.

Another highlight was when Alice Gudkova returned triumphant from winning the County Tennis Tournament, with the prestigious Smyth Cup. She had put in a powerful performance, dropping only 5 games in 6 sets, to win the girls’ main competition. In April, a special memory was walking in the Brecon Beacons with the FY from No.4 and

seeing them show tremendous teamwork lifting the house Labrador, Rocco, over various locked farm gates. Sometimes it was the little things that stuck in your mind such as seeing the fun that the girls had decorating their dorms for the Christmas dorm tinsel challenge. I spent a fortune on chocolate prizes for Poppy Delingpole, Molly Gibbard, Hanna Gesang, Gemma Luscombe, Nikki Stonham, Ambra Basagni, Olivia Li, Lucia Paris, Lisa Weierich, Jess KenyonSlanely, Millie Page, Coral Artega, Victoria Hofmeister, Bella Cole, Franzi Schildecker, Anastasia Gura, Issy Tuthill, and Muringo Kibutchi. I had obviously tapped into their tinsel tacky decorating vein with the offer of chocolate. Many OMs will vouch for the fact that No.4 is indeed run on chocolate in the same way that some of the boys’ houses are run on pizza. It makes us happy and that is all about what being in No.4 is about.

No.4 has seen many girls come and go but it is always with a touch of sadness as well as pride that we say goodbye to the departing Upper Sixth every summer. I would like to thank the outgoing Head of House Poppy Delingpole for her calm leadership and for her witty rhyming couplet speeches.

Her deputies, Otty Wyatt and Emily Atherton, helped guide the house through the ups and downs of boarding life and have now passed on the baton to Freya Saxton, Gemma Luscombe, and Siima Rukendema. Imogen Cole is our new Head of House and we wish her luck for what I hope is another similarly creative year ahead. Of course, not many of these events at the heart of the boarding house could have happened without the support, energy, and kindness of Miss Coffey and Mrs Beaumont. Special thanks go to them, as well as to the tutors, Mrs Forde, Mrs Bridgen, Mrs Hallett,

Mrs Clarke and Mrs Smith who have been tremendous. An extra member joined our team half-way through the year, our Deputy Housemistress Miss Parker. With her love of the outdoors and sailing, I am sure there will be many exciting adventures in the future for the girls of No.4.

AIS

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No.5 After an enjoyable, energetic and fun-filled first twelve months in No.5, Dee and I were very much looking forward to more of the same in year two. I am delighted to report that we were not disappointed, as the boys continued to demonstrate outstanding enthusiasm, house spirit and camaraderie throughout. In short, the boys shone in all spheres of College life in 2018/2019 and it really was a pleasure to play a small part in supporting them in their endeavours. We started the year well by welcoming thirteen new FY, one new Remove and two new Lower Sixth into the fold. This increased our number in the house to sixty-three and certainly provided an interesting conundrum with regards to organising room plans! Nevertheless, we found just enough space to squeeze everybody in and, after a hugely entertaining house bonding trip to Kidderminster paintball park on the first Sunday of the Michaelmas term, the good ship No.5 was off and running.

One of the many pleasures in writing a house report for the year past is that it gives me an opportunity to celebrate the many achievements of the boys in my care. Therefore, with public examination results recently published it is perhaps apt to start this resumé with an overview of the academic triumphs. Top of the sixth-form charts were Max Regan and Jack Haynes. Max achieved a stellar 41 points at IB and is heading off to Warwick University to study Management. Meanwhile, Jack attained A*, A and a 13 2

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B at A-Level but has opted to swap his pen for his cricket bat after being offered a three-year professional contract with Worcestershire CCC. Overall, the vast majority of this talented year-group were accepted into their first-choice universities which encompassed an eclectic range of destinations including Amsterdam, Brussels, Toronto – and Reading! At GCSE, the boys thrived and it is testament to their hard work and determination that a plethora of 8s and 9s were secured across the board. Elsewhere on the academic front, Emilio Dorai Raj attended the cena meritorum, William Gutermann reached the final of the Lea Smith reading competition, Imoesi Ogwemoh gave an interesting and thought-provoking talk on ‘Determinism and Free Will’ at the Wheeler-Bennett society and the inter-house Maths Challenge cup was secured for No.5 by the outstanding team of Adam Davies, Emilio Dorai Raj, Ben Chen, and Tom Hughes. The house highly appreciates academic excellence and it was delightful to witness thirteen boys get prizes at Commemoration. Moreover, it was fantastic to see Ludo Staley promoted to Honorary Academic Scholar and Ben Chen awarded the Alan Duff Academic Scholarship.

Sport plays a vital role within the house and the No.5 boys continue to relish their participation in inter-house competitions as well as in their selection and commitment to perform in College teams and outside sporting organisations. I am also delighted to report that this sphere of

school life offered a perfect antidote for some of the chaps during the examination period, and I was proud to see the house supplying a significant number of players for all sports throughout the year – thus adding further weight to Professor Peter Clough’s research that sporting involvement does not appear to have any negative implications on academic results – excellent news!

The first inter-house competition of the year is the annual Ferrets’ race and, once again, we had a successful outing in this FY event. With Adam Davies finishing second, Archie Bailey third and Monty Butwell eighth, we obtained enough points to retain the cup for a fifth successive year, and the boys certainly devoured their well-earned pizza in the ensuing celebrations! Whilst on the topic of running, Owen Carroll and Lawrence Hooker both won Ledder caps, with Lawrence winning the 2019 event, and in doing so matching his brother’s exploits from two years previously.

It also meant that No.5 have produced the last five winners of the Ledder – Hi5! Rugby continues to thrive and offers a perfect outlet for the boys during the long Autumn term. We had eight boys in the victorious 1st XV match day squad for the Border Shield, and special mentions must go to Imoesi Ogwemoh and Ludo Staley for scoring tries under the Ledbury floodlights! Other highlights from the rugby season included Tom Hughes and Harry Sillence being selected for the North Midlands U16 squad, Jock Catto scoring an amazing 5 tries for the 2nd XV against Colston’s, and six boys regularly training with the Worcester Warriors age-group squads. Furthermore, we were victorious in both the Senior and Hundred house rugby competitions with the

house budget certainly taking a hit due to the amount of food that was consumed in the subsequent revelries.

In the Lent Term, Toby Moran was named captain of football and excelled in this role. Not only did he play for Worcestershire U18s and Malvern Town but he also orchestrated a clean sweep of house football cups to be returned to the No.5 trophy cabinet. In the minor sports, the Juniors won both Fives competitions, Oliver Cox and Angus Catto managed to achieve victories at Queen’s, and George Rose competed in the National Schools Sailing Association team competition for Worcestershire. The summer is a great spectacle at Malvern and, in my opinion, continues to be the best term. Inter-house sport featured prominently once again, as we won the Senior athletics competition just before Commemoration. Special mentions must go to Imoesi Ogwemoh for breaking the school 100m record in a Usain-Boltesque 11.25 seconds, Louis Staley for breaking the school javelin record with a throw of 49.23 metres and to Harry Smith who dominated the shot-put final despite still recovering from his ACL knee operation. In Junior tennis, Emilio Dorai Raj led the way and finished runner-up in the house singles and also third in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire U16s doubles competition. In cricket, the Juniors finished runners up in both the Junior house and Junior league competitions, but the Seniors managed to go one better and retained the house cup. (In fact, they actually had to share the trophy with SH owing to the inclement weather at the end of the term.) Sporting successes were not confined to the house competitions, as Jack Haynes captained the cricket XI, played for England U19s, made his county championship debut for Worcestershire, and also No. 5

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scored 24 runs against the touring Australian Ashes team.

Furthermore, Charlie Williams played for Herefordshire in the Minor Counties Championship, Oliver Cox hit a century for Worcestershire U15s, and Joel Cox managed to play a few matches for the 1st XI on the Senior – pretty impressive as he is only in the FY. Our House Singing Competition choice this year was ‘I want it that way’ by the Backstreet Boys – and what an inspired choice it proved to be! The 42 boys who took part in the event were a real credit to the house, and although we did not win the competition, the ‘Adjudicators Cup’ was just reward for all of their efforts. Three of our Upper Sixth – Lukas Rakcejev, Max Regan and Jack Haynes – deserve much praise for their outstanding leadership, cajoling, direction, arrangement and conducting. Furthermore, Nick Horn and Cyrus Mered were superb support on guitar, and the violin finale by Lukas was quite simply sublime. Other musical highlights in the house included Devon Perry winning the inter-house music B final on saxophone, Alexander Kling and Oliver Millard performing at unplugged and Nick Horn not only blowing us all away with his guitar skills at the Christmas concert but also managing to secure a merit in his grade 8 guitar examination.

The No.5 dramatic light continues to burn bright and the boys very much enjoyed participating in the vast array of opportunities on offer in the refurbished Rogers Theatre.

Jonathan Mather, George McEwan, and Emilio Dorai Raj all bestrode the stage in various school productions. George in particular gave an entertaining performance as Smee in Peter Pan – bravo! The House play, Madagascar was an engaging choice that was certainly well received by the audience. The boys executed their performance with style, sophistication, and flair. Moreover, the hard work of director, Alexander Kling really did pay off as Dylan Sillence was nominated for Best Actor and No.5 for Most Entertaining Play. Finn Woolhouse and Toby Moran’s cameos will also live long in the memory and, as ever, I was immensely proud of the effort of each boy involved.

CCF, DofE, and Outdoor Pursuits offer an important cog to the all-round wheel of pupils in No.5. Nick Horn and Jonathan Mather led from the front in this facet of school life and were awarded silver medals in the Cambrian CCF patrol competition. This was a super achievement and one certainly very well-earnt after walking over 40km and taking part in various tests including first aid, military knowledge, and section attack. On the DofE front, a significant number of boys completed their Bronze and Silver certificates, and the very popular ‘Lost’ event for the Remove saw George Rose and Sam Hughes finish a creditable sixth – a result that involved getting a lift in a police car – don’t ask! Bobby Boyes led the way in mountain biking and I was pleased that Tom Cox completed all of the training for the Malvern College

to Paris expedition. Unfortunately, an ACL knee injury sustained in the final weeks denied him a place at the start line.

On the charity front, Oliver Millard did a brilliant job in organising the ‘Houses Charity Fair’ with the No.5 ‘crossbar challenge’ stall raising over £70. Even more impressive was the house charity event where we climbed Mt Everest and the Malvern Hills with ease and comfortably within the time limit. It really was fantastic to see the house working so well together and I am delighted to report that we raised over £500 pounds for Myeloma UK. Finally, Dylan Sillence was victorious in the school ‘Assassins Game’, adding a cherry to the top of the charity cake in house this year.

Friends of Five continues to be popular and this year we welcomed: Mr Patrick Foster, who gave a powerful and moving speech about gambling addiction; Mr David Smart, who engaged us all with his talk about ‘The role of communication in leadership’; and then in the Summer Term we were dazzled by Mr Joe Robinson who gave an outstanding talk on completing the 2019 Marathon des Sables. We also enhanced and upgraded our in-house social events programme with U6th wine-tasting and L6th ‘Come Dine’ with Mr and Mrs Howitt being particularly popular. The Lower School did not miss out either as they were taken to Cwm Llwch where the legendary No.5 house spirit was further galvanised.

House leadership is hugely important to the smooth running of any boarding environment and I would like to pay tribute to our outstanding 2018/2019 team: Jack Haynes and his deputies Dylan Sillence and Toby Moran. They are all exceptional No.5ers and, alongside Chapel Prefect Oliver Millard and School Council members Ben Merritt and Sean Aggarwal, they consistently encouraged the boys to fully embrace the opportunities on offer at Malvern. However, as one team leaves, another is given the chance to lead and I am certain that Head of House for 2019/2020 Ludo Staley, his deputies Jock Catto, Harvey Gearon, and Lawrence Hooker, School Council member Luke Tulacz, and Chapel Prefect Imoesi Ogwemoh, will continue to steer the red and black ship to further success.

Finally, I want to thank my amazing Deputy Housem Mr. Bilclough, the awesome house tutor team, the outstanding house assistants and not forgetting the hardworking domestic and catering teams for their tireless efforts and dedication. The house could not function without them. Moreover, I would like to thank my wife, Dee, for her unwavering support of the boys and myself. With a house refurbishment due over the Summer holiday, we really do have much to look forward to in the next academic year. Onwards and upwards!

RWH

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No.6 September 2018 saw many new faces in No.6. We welcomed 19 new girls, 1 House Mistress (and family), 1 deputy Housemistress, 3 dogs and a budgie! Within just a few days, we were all settled into the new routines having been welcomed with broad smiles by the ‘old’ girls.

The first couple of weeks were busy with various induction activities and social mixers within the House. The first night back featured a vat of hot chocolate, plates of cookies, and half a ton of marshmallows – a wonderful treat after a very busy day. Later that week the girls had an opportunity to meet and get to know their in-house ‘Grannies’ and on Saturday night the FY joined me in my kitchen to bake brownies which we enjoyed, still warm, with plenty of ice cream. On the first Sunday of term the FY and I went off for an afternoon of kayaking and paddle-boarding and the girls got to demonstrate their water-based gymnastic abilities! The sixth form went off to their first Longy night and enjoyed pizza and snacks with me in the common room on their return.

The girls settled into a great year of sporting success with the inter-house football competition on the first weekend.

I realised quickly that one of the most enjoyable aspects of my new role was watching the girls participating, or supporting each other, in their many and varied sports. Once the girls had chosen the Giraffe as our new house mascot and various props and costumes had been selected, that 13 6

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support became even more visible and vocal! It was a year of many achievements from personal triumphs such as new javelin records set by both Laura and Banita at Sports Day, to victories for the House such as the win for Lexie and Louise in the Senior Tennis, for Charley, Toni, Hannah, Annie, Poppy, Izzy, Lexie, Alice, Fran, Ellie, Andrea, Banita and Valentina in the inter-house Senior Hockey competition and for the Junior Netball team of Gia, Louisa, Lexi, Lucy, Catherine, Immie, Jess, Kitty, Pia and Kinny. It was a great year for our house Cross-Country team with regular successes from Ginny, Georgie I, Georgie D, Julia, Anastasia, Gina, Lili, and Olga. The younger girls also did well, with notable performances from Gia and Chloe in the FY Ferret’s race and a 2nd place for Chloe in the Junior Ledder. In the Senior Ledder Ginny was awarded a cap for finishing in the top 10 girls. Many girls took part in the extensive range of Outdoor Pursuits activities, with Kira coming 3rd in an U18s climbing competition and Georgie I preparing for the Malvern to Paris expedition.

It was another great year for the girls in cricket with many first team cricketers in House- Catherine, Poppy, Izzy, Chloe, Banita, Freja, Chloe Annie and Immie. With so much cricketing talent and passion in the House, we are looking forward to the introduction of an inter-house competition.

Many of the girls were successful in their sports outside of school: there was equestrian success for Freja and Lexie

and Liv, who came 7th in her category at the Horse of the Year show, and for Gia who qualified for the Connemara Eventing Championship. There are many keen hockey players in-house who celebrated achievements at a national and regional level last year. Jess was invited to try out for the U18 England team, and Kinny participated in the England U15 performance centre, coming 5th at the U16 National Hockey Indoor Finals. Charley, Toni and Hannah, Annie and Poppy made it through to the quarter finals of the National Cup and Charley, Hannah and Jess were also invited to participate in an DISE tournament for England Hockey.

A good number of the girls took part in the many academic enrichment opportunities here, with Lili and Angela presenting at the Wheeler-Bennett Society this year. The Lea-Smith reading competition saw girls from every year competing in their age groups and Louisa Evelyn, Poppy and Kitty making it to the final. Evelyn also had a short piece published after winning a competition entered through the Writer’s Inc school society! House Maths and Science competitions saw some impressive performances from Toni, Ginny, Banita, Kitty, Olga, Georgie and Ginny, and several of our girls, including Lea and Poppy, reading in Chapel or presenting to the whole school. Ann was appointed as Chapel prefect and we welcomed new Head of House, Laura, with Annie, and Toni as her deputies.

The girls showed off their tremendous musical, dramatic, or artistic talent throughout the year. Within a couple of weeks of term the arrangement was done and rehearsals were underway for the House Singing competition. Ably arranged, led and conducted by Angela, Alice and Georgie, it was wonderful to see the whole house pulling together,

encouraging a true sense of House spirit which we celebrated with pizza and more dancing and singing back in house. As the year progressed we enjoyed performances at informal concerts from Nayanna, Louisa, Lexi, Kitty, Freja, Alice, Crystal, Georgie D, at the Summer Serenade from Louisa, Kitty, Lexi, Evelyn, with Kitty also performing in the Concerto Concert. Kitty also began playing the trumpet with the National Schools Symphony Orchestra and Louisa won a place in the National Youth Choir. House music successes came from Louisa, Kitty, Nayanna, Georgie D, and Lexi, who all competed in the finals and from Anastasia who placed 4th in the Unplugged competition.

In the Autumn Term the scholars’ play, this year a challenging, but brilliant production of Wolf Hall, became the first production to be staged in the refurbished Rogers Theatre, and we were dazzled by Ellen, Boo, Gia, Laura, Lexie in their various roles. Later in the year we watched Boo, Kinny, Gina and Georgie strutting their stuff in the musical extravaganza that was Chicago. In the Summer Term Boo played Wendy in the Lower School production of Wendy and Peter Pan, with Chloe, Gia and Emily cast as lost boys and the youngest Darling (and the original ‘lost’ boy). February saw the House Drama competition, another example of amazing leadership demonstrated by our senior pupils, this time Ellen in her role as director, who scripted, planned and arranged every detail of our entry, The Wizard of Oz. As Housemistress, I do little more than turn up and enjoy their performances – and provide the all-important snacks for the after party! We were thrilled that Emily won the Best Actress category in her role as Dorothy. The final Art show of the year was incredibly impressive with work N o.6

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from Abi, Ginny, Beatriz and Crystal on display. Crystal, in particular excelled in her Art A-Level gaining full marks for her A-Level Coursework!

2018-19 was a busy year for all of us in House Six, but it was not all hard work; we had time for some fun too!

Birthday suppers allow us to get together and celebrate once each term: this year we held a ‘silent disco’ in the Autumn Term where the whole house sang in unison to our House Singing competition entry while Georgie conducted them with a pool cue! The pub quiz evening in February had a hats and wigs fancy dress theme, and in the Summer Term we held a BBQ and bouncy disco dome (which came in handy when it began to rain and we had to move inside for the ice-cream bar dessert!). We also enjoyed joining up with the other girls houses for a trip to German Christmas Markets in Birmingham in December, to Airhop trampoline park and Wembley for a football match. As Spring arrived I took the FY to Cwm Llwch with House 4 and House 8’s FY – a brilliant opportunity for some inter-house bonding in the sunshine! However, for some of us the fun was a little more challenging, with Pia and Kitty taking part in the in this year’s ‘Lost’ competition and Nayanna surviving the schoolwide Assassins game of tag to be crowned joint winner!

FCP

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No.7 Over each of the preceding 10 years, I have tried (with limited success) to use this report to give a run-through of House 7’s successes as they happened from September through to July. It is impossible to know how this approach has been received by boys, parents and OMs who might (or might not) have read my reports but I feel that this last report of mine is an opportunity to take a different tack.

Doing things the way they have always been done can give life a dull inevitability. For me, change and agitation are much more appealing and so I am going to focus my attention on two specific successes which meant a great deal to the boys and staff of House 7 during my last year as Housemaster.

We have had some success in the Senior House Hockey over the years but with only three Senior XI players (William van de Vyvere, Alex Baert and Marco Garbi) in the side, our chances looked weak this year in the face of other houses who boasted five or six College senior squad players. The likelihood of success looked even more grim in the Junior House Hockey with only Clemens Tuczka as a College junior team representative. Both teams went into the tournament ready to give it their best shot knowing that to have any chance of making the final stages, their teamwork and determination would have to be second-to-none with every player needing to do his bit.

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Throughout the Junior tournament, Clemens showed his experience and leadership as he carried and distributed the ball intelligently. Despite being constantly faced with skilful attacking players from the other houses, Alex Raw and Alex Davenport’s defence remained resolute and Oliver Beer dribbled and drove forward with an increasing sense of confidence. Thomas Bourne scurried around in midfield tackling and breaking up the opposition’s play.

Oliver Tulloch’s many marauding runs straight at the heart of the opposition defence spread fear and panic giving the ubiquitous Charles Faujour a couple of opportunities to capitalise on the loose ball. Goalkeeper Lucas Sweet was the find of the tournament: he more than made up for his inexperience and ill-fitting kit as he rushed out to take on opposition players with guts and determination and saved a penalty shuffle against House 2 to boot.

In the Senior tournament, it was clear from the off that the Number 7 boys had left their egos at the gate. Captain William van de Vyvere lead the way with superb skill and trusted his teammates to perform beyond their believed abilities. Alex Baert, always busy in the midfield, took on opposition players with skill and guile and Harry Brough defended with heart and stubbornness as he made it difficult for more skilful and experienced opposition to pass.

Marco Garbi bossed the final third and showed his mettle with some clinical finishing. George White, a stranger to the

hockey field in recent years, showed his game awareness and well-honed hand-eye coordination as he made life difficult for the opposition defenders. Luca Dell’Antonio worked his way around the final two thirds with spirit and skill while Billy Tulloch and Josh Junger were subbed on regularly to bring energy and invasion game know-how. Minty Murray showed his usual gutsy sporting style with a superb performance as goalkeeper.

It was fantastic for the numerous and enthusiastic House 7 supporters to see both teams go on to win their respective finals against stronger opposition. All boys should be incredibly proud of the way they worked together to craft a superb team performance and bring home the silverware!

The House Drama is another competition which has brought the House some success over the last few years.

Despite their Housemaster’s initial concerns, the boys pressed on with their decision to put on their version of ‘High School Musical’. Director, Maxwell Horler, penned a slick script with nods given to the tried-and-tested Malvern College in-jokes giving our game but inexperienced actors the chance to throw caution to the wind and enjoy the show come what may. The Upper Sixth took on the lead roles this year and were supported by an eager chorus from the lower years. The boys took on their roles with gay abandon despite not being known for their singing and dancing ability. Henry Gerber and Sebastian Corry really got the partisan audience fired up with admirable solos and further comical performances by Thomas Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, Ben Fisher, Allaster Renton, Vishal Koneru and Harry Bluck came together to create a truly charming and memorable House play. The boys were understandably delighted to be

awarded ‘Best Entertainment’, the fourth time in the last eight years, if memory serves me correctly.

Before I conclude this report, I congratulate the boys of our Junior House Rugby team for their tournament win; it seems the future is bright for further sporting success for the House. Congratulations also go to Oliver Beer for his first place in the Foundation Year category of the Lea-Smith Reading Competition. Giampietro Ghidini and Ricardo Theis led the way on the academic front with respective IB scores of 45 and 42 points out of a maximum 45 and Jojo Baldota achieved a whole clutch of 9s and A*s in his GCSE results. Well done to all boys in the House for their collective set of impressive academic results again this year.

Running a boarding house does not happen by chance; many people play their part in making House 7 feel like more like ‘Home 7’. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our domestic team of Dawn, Lil, Tina, Steph and Bibby who do a fantastic job of keeping our side of the building smelling fresh and looking sparkly clean. Any parent knows that teenage boys can be untidy and clumsy so dealing with this en masse can be the devil’s own job! I know that witnessing and supporting the growth from boys to men is one of the reasons that the ladies enjoy and take pride in their task.

The catering team, latterly led by Kristina, have created and served homely food with passion for which the boys and staff are eternally grateful. I would also like to thank the tutors for their energy and professionalism in their support of the boys. To Mat Lloyd, Will Mathews and JB swart, I thank you as our Deputy Housemasters for your unswerving support of the House and for giving me a night off every

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now and then! Malvern’s Houses could not run without the loving care and attention that our Assistants give. On behalf of the boys, I would like to thank Susan, Theresa, Denise, Liz, Sarah and Carla who have all shown amazing dedication to each and every boy in our care and House 7 has been a better and more welcoming place for their part in it.

Much like the two successes that I focused on earlier, a boarding house is very much more than the sum of its parts.

Training, talent and teamwork are crucial for success in House competitions and in running a boarding house but they are not the whole story. Sometimes, something special transcends the situation bringing people together to create unforgettable memories. My family and I would like to thank the boys, staff and parents of House 7 for making our time in House 7 very special. Once a House 7 boy, always a House 7 boy‌.

DJE

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No.8 September 2018: the weather was still glorious after a wonderfully long hot summer and my second year as House Mistress began in earnest. We opened our doors to welcome 18 new girls from differing parts of the world into our sunny home. All the new girls that joined us added to the diversity that makes House 8 a special place to live and work. As I reflect on the past year, I conclude that the year has been a year of successes, making us indeed, a House of all-rounders.

On the sporting front, we kicked the year off to a fantastic start as we won the inter-house football cup. The spirit of togetherness was already in evidence; the girls donned their pink shirts and skipped their way down to the sports pitches singing at the top of their voices. It was heart-warming to see the girls working together as a team – particularly seeing Anastasia Wlascheck (pre6th) and Charlotte Ross (L6th), the new additions to our House, playing so well. We had goals from the following: 8 v 6 – 2-0 – goals by Annabelle Moody (L6) and Madeleine Queen (100) 8 v 3 – 1-1 – goal by Megan Jones (100) 8 v 4 – 1-1 – goal by Anastasia Wlaschek (P6th) 8 v EH 3-0 – goals by Megan Jones, Madeleine Queen and Charlotte Ross (L6)

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The FY continued the tradition of House 8’s winning the ‘Ferrets’ Race’ with Lily Hutton coming in with the fastest time out of all the girls, which was a brilliant start to the racing season. The 132nd Ledbury Run took place on Tuesday 12th March, where House 8 won both the Junior and the Ledder house cups. It is a tradition that in House 8 the Lower 6th all have a go at running ‘The Ledder’ and for everyone else in the House the challenge is optional.

Three House 8 girls earned their ‘Ledder caps’ being the first House 8 girls back to Malvern. Megan Jones, closely followed by Sapphire Anderson and Yasmine Allen. However, every girl who ran the race was a star as it was a hard race well run by all who entered.

From the woods to water, we came in a close second in the Canoe Polo competition. Saskia Griffiths, Annabelle Moody, Molly McNicholas, Megan Jones, and Natalie Fan all displayed grit and determination in what was an exhilarating game to watch.

Lily Hutton, Jemima Martyn-Smith, Charlotte Welge, Lucy Marriott and Heather Harris represented both the House and the school in Hockey in the Super 6s Championships held at Bromsgrove School on the 12th January. It was an exhilarating, hard-fought tournament and all the girls played exceptionally well, and it was a considerable achievement for all the girls getting through to the finals. Turning now to Netball, we weren’t quite so lucky

as we came last in the Senior Netball competition led by Georgie Hartley. However, we still had a lot of fun, and our brilliant House spirit was very much in evidence.

House success is to be celebrated. However, we also had individual achievements to celebrate. Megan Jones entered the Malvern County Show Junior Flower arranging competition and came 2nd. Megan kindly gave us the winning entry to display in our dining room. Charlotte Welge played performance hockey returning to Hamburg to helping her team get through to the semi-finals which was an exciting time for her, and Amy Grammaticus has had many equestrian successes throughout the year and now has a row of rosettes donning her bed-space.

Continuing the theme of success, Saskia Griffiths and Millie Cox ended the first half of the Autumn Term on an extremely high note. They worked their magic with all the House 8 girls to win the coveted inter-house singing competition with their arrangement of Amy Winehouse’s version of the Zutons song ‘Valerie’. I have to admit that when rehearsals started in the House, I wasn’t at all convinced by their choice of song. However, as the weeks of rehearsal went by, my opinion changed as all the hard work paid off.

The arrangement, as sung by the House 8 girls, was fabulous and it was a well-deserved win. I was so proud of all the girls.

With so many talented musicians in the House 8 it was not surprising we had many of our girls who made it through to the House Music Finals. There were three categories, A, B and C and on Monday 25th March I had the good fortune to enjoy an afternoon and evening listening to some outstanding performances. I cannot tell you how immensely proud I was of every girl who stood up and performed; I

was in awe of their incredible talents. Overall, we came 2nd in the competition. The adjudicator was Mr Jonathan Vaughan, who is the Vice-Principal and Director of Music at the Guildhall School. He was a fabulous adjudicator who was impressed with the talent on display here at Malvern College. Congratulations went to: Charlotte Welge who played Piece No. 2 (Wilhelm Popp), on the flute and came 5th in Cat C; Natalie Fan who played Summer (Joe Hisaishi) in Cat B; Missy Hingley, who sang ‘On My Own’ (ClaudeMichel Schonber)] and came 3rd in Cat A; Lucie Fletcher who sang ‘Silent Noon’ (Ralph Vaughan Williams) who was Highly Commended; Molly McNicholas (who made it into the final but unfortunately was ill, so was unable to compete); and Annabelle Moody, who played Shout [Rob Wiffin] on her Trombone.

Many of our girls also continued to delight audiences by participating in the regular informal concerts that Mr Brown arranged. Contributors included Helena Rose playing the Cello, Missy Hingley singing, Jennifer Zhou playing the flute, Annabelle Moody playing the Trombone, Charlotte Welge on Flute. These are lovely musical evenings, and it was a pleasure to go and listen to such high-quality musicianship.

A new venture for the House was our Arts Soirée which we held in the Autumn Term. The girls showcased their art, textiles, and musical art at an evening supported by local parents and staff of the College. The event was a huge success and is now embedded into the House 8 calendar.

During the long summer break, I was lucky enough to have a new kitchen fitted which the girls soon made good use of on their return to school. Saskia and the Head of N o.8

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House team embarked on a mission to make around 100 cup-cakes which were made to sell at the Charity Fair in aid of the Macmillan Coffee morning, a huge success! This year, I also introduced the idea of ‘Supper with the Housem’.

The supper is an opportunity for me to sit down with a year group and enjoy a home cooked meal. We take the opportunity to chat about the day’s events and we put the world to rights. All the conversations were enlightening on many levels!

One evening, early in the Lent Term, I noticed that some of my Chinese girls were looking a little blue. On talking to them, I discovered that in a few weeks it was going to be Chinese New Year. The girls were feeling sad that they weren’t able to be at home to celebrate the occasion with their families and friends. I hadn’t appreciated what a significant festival this was for our Chinese girls; to them it was like us cancelling Christmas. So, with the help of Brianna Yung’s father, on the 5th February, we celebrated the Chinese New Year – House 8 style. It was the Year of the Pig, and Pigs have a beautiful personality and are blessed with good fortune in life. We discovered that “The Pig is the twelfth of all zodiac animals. In Chinese mythology, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived at his party. The Pig was late because he overslept and in terms of yin and yang, Pig is yin.”(Source: chinesenewyear.net) So, while we couldn’t celebrate in quite the same way as the girls would have done at home, we enjoyed a Chinese buffet, watched a dragon dance, and toasted Mr Yung for sending us some fabulous Chinese decorations to make us a feel a little more authentic with our celebrations. Another new tradition is born in House 8.

Many of our girls love treading the boards, and I always get an immense sense of pleasure and pride at the talent the girls in House 8 display on so many different levels. Dystopia was the play submitted for the House Drama competition and was written by Amber Anderson (U6th). It was a cleverly crafted piece of theatre, giving everyone participating a significant role to play. We didn’t win, but I was incredibly proud of the efforts that the girls put in, displaying qualities of leadership, commitment and professionalism.

Wolf Hall was an especially challenging piece of theatre for such a young cast of theatre scholars. I have to be honest and say that I wasn’t sure what to expect with the production, as the girls involved had all been pushed outside their comfort zones. However, the production I saw was fantastic; I was incredibly proud of every one of the performers. The finale of the Lent Term was the production of Chicago, and again, many of House 8 girls graced the stage in a show that was full of energy, humour, and fantastic singing and dancing. I know how hard they all worked to put on such a professional production: Missy Hingley (Roxie), Lucie Fletcher 14 6

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(Velma), Jemima Martyn-Smith (Hunyak), Morgann McGee (Mary Sunshine), Beatriz Quevedo Carballo and Lottie Bulley (Dancers), Lara Davidson (Ensemble), and Lucy Marriott (Backstage/props).

On the Academic front, the girls did well. The House 8 science team went on to win the coveted Silver Test Tube, with Annie Wang, Natalie Fan, Olivia Holt, and Agueda Ortis-Floris participating in some incredible problem solving, fantastic creativity, and ingenuity throughout the three rounds in the science competition. An example of the challenges was the physics challenge where the girls were tasked with creating a timing device which could be used to time an unknown time interval. The physics department was a hive of activity as the pupils tested different ideas and created contraptions to get the timing accurate. The pupils were awarded points for getting their time as close to the real-time of 2 mins 40 seconds and also the ingenuity of their timing device.

The summer term is a time for saying farewell. It is both a sad and exciting time for the girls. Exams are finished, and plans are made. During the last week of term, our Upper 6th invited their tutors to a Leavers’ Supper in House 8 where we enjoyed fabulous food lovingly prepared by our chef, Angie. We all smiled and laughed at old photos and enjoyed being in the company of those people who have helped to shape the lives of these amazing young ladies. The destinations of our House 8 girls are diverse and impressive, all gaining their first choice of university, and I am incredibly proud of each of them. Amber Anderson has gone on to study Geography at Exeter. Yasmine Allen is studying Modern Foreign Languages at Durham; Anna-Lena Barth is studying Bio-Chemistry at Imperial College London; Brianna Yung is studying Business Management at Exeter; Costanza Giordano is studying PPE at Durham; Daria Di Michele is taking a Foundation Degree in Art and Design in Milan; Helena Rose is studying Medicine at the University of Munich. Katharina Niedzwetzki is studying Music at Berkeley, Boston. Milly Cox is studying Land Economy at Cambridge; Saskia Griffiths is in the wilds of Canada learning how to scale mountains, navigate fast-flowing rivers and other extreme activities. I wish them all good fortune, till we meet again.

MJN

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No.9 This year has been one of significant change in Number 9. Mr Wickes completed his tenure as Housem in December as he headed off to Brazil to take up a Headship, and Mr Tuthill and his family moved in from Bloxham, via Thailand! It is easy to be impressed by the boys in No 9. Ed Mayell, Nick Yeoward, Jamie Bitenyo-James, Sam Platnauer, and Charles Izzard provided a fantastic example of student leadership to really help the new Housem settle in quickly.

On the academic front, Frederick Reuther and Darick de Jong achieved outstanding IB results while Ignacio Paris Messengeur led the way in A Levels. All the outgoing U6th depart with their heads held high and with exciting adventures in further education in the UK, EU, and USA to look forward to. George Kent was our top performer in GCSEs but James Francis, Cedric Reuther, and Kit Staley also achieved some impressive results. Across all years it has been a delight to see the boys academic ambition shine through and 11 No. 9 boys were invited to the Cena Meritorum to celebrate the success of those who have achieved the most merits throughout the academic year.

September saw a lovely new bunch of boys join No 9 and they settled in quickly to their new home from home. The wide array of inter-house competitions quickly helped them feel part of the No. 9 Community. Darick de Jong and Oliver Cook led the house in the House Singing Competition, and the boys put on a terrific performance, sadly just missing 14 8

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out on a trophy this year. Nick Yeoward (Chapel Prefect) led the way on the sports field as he captained the 1st XV; they had a tough season but Nick’s leadership through thick and thin was exemplary. The boys also continued a terrific recent run in the Beechcroft Shield, retaining the trophy for the third time in 4 years – Frederic Reuther was the Captain this year. Mr Wickes was given a great send-off at a particularly raucous Christmas Supper as the boys headed home for Christmas ready for a new Housem in January.

In January Mr Tuthill was welcomed by a house who were very focussed on the trial exams, with the IB, GCSE and A-Level practice exams filling the first half of term, and quickly got to grips with the Malvern College ‘Jargon Buster’ so he knew his Aeger from his Tardies and Sin Bins in quick time. The boys gave him and his family a wonderful welcome for which they are incredibly grateful. Trophies were soon flowing into the House as well. Nick Yeoward and Harvey Freeman directed and produced a superb House Drama production of some hilarious skits from Harry and Paul.

Nick Yeoward was awarded Best Director and Jack Yeoward deserves special mention as he was awarded Best Actor for his performances; ‘Kevin The Teenager’ will live long in the memory, and this is a fantastic award for him while still in the Remove! There were lots of amazing musical performances throughout the term, with Johnny Wang, Johnnie Stephenson and Nick Wilson worthy of special mention

for their performances on the Young Musician of the Year Competition. Darick de Jong and Seb Roberts did very well to reach the final of the Lea Smith reading competition. The Cross-Country boys battled hard all year, ably orchestrated

by Vasyli Klimenko, and in the annual Junior Ledder Race Nick Wilson was our top junior, while Gus Stephenson led the way in the Ledder, coming third overall to earn a ‘Cap’ and the Campbell Cup. After poor weather cancelled the event last year it was great to see all the sixth form taking part in this great tradition. The inter-house football competitions saw the Juniors and Seniors have to settle for fourth place, but they battled hard in all their matches. In House Fives the Junior Boys (Jack Yeoward, Johnnie Stephenson, Nick Wilson and Reuben Graff ) did brilliantly in a very close competition. They had to settle for second place by just one point! All the boys were also indebted to the generosity of Xaver Hesselberger (No. 9 2008-10) in the Lent Term: he donated a fantastic new and very robust table tennis table that has become a brilliant new addition to the social spaces for the boys in House.

The Summer Term brought the usual mass of cricket matches and English summer rain! A perfect combination, but it didn’t stop Josh Dickenson having a superb season for the XI (he was joint leading wicket taker with 29 wickets, though the highlight of the term was his performance for the team when they won the National T20 final in Arundel). In Tennis the Coppola brothers, Chico and Francesco, helped No. 9 win the inter-house tennis as they were an unbeaten first pair: Ollie Cook, Max Marnane, Gus Stephenson, Dmitry Solomatin and Will Beart made up the rest of the team. Charles Izzard crowned his time in No. 9 with the

honour of promotion to Cadet Warrant Officer in the RAF Cadets. This is the highest honour available to a cadet and he just missed out on being named cadet of the year in the UK, having to settle for a place in the top ten. Floris Tjan and Ed Freeman represented the house in Lost (the new event where students are dropped in the middle of nowhere 50 miles from College and then race back to the UK with penalties acquired for every pound spent). They did brilliantly, coming home in third place, 10 minutes behind the winners in No 2. Over the summer holidays, James Francis and Gus Stephenson were privileged and proud to take on the Outdoor Pursuits Challenge that saw them travel from Malvern to Paris on bike, kayak and stand-up paddle-board.

They made the front page of The Times, BBC, and Sky News for being the first schoolboys to cross the English Channel on a SUP. Ollie Cook and Harvey Freeman enjoyed a trip to South Africa to assist in the conservation efforts of the White Rhino, and Max Marnane, Juntian Peng, and Gus also completed their final Gold DofE expeditions.

Thanks as ever to Sonja, Kirsty, Mandy, and the rest of their team of angels who provide such fantastic care for the boys throughout the house. Finally, a thank you to my family Claire, Issy, Daisy, Jack, and Cilla for all that they do to make sure there is such a lovely family atmosphere in the House. It has been a privilege and an honour to take over No. 9 and I am very excited for the years ahead.

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Ellerslie House Another year has passed and I am ruminating on how best to encapsulate its essence. Of course, at the heart of a boarding House are its members, and it was a pleasure to welcome so many newcomers this year: a lively and tenacious group of eight girls into the FY who have injected plenty of energy into House life; four girls into the Remove; two into Pre-Sixth; and several into the Lower Sixth. It is a hallmark of the House how excited the pupils become about welcoming new girls into their own year group, and additionally there is already competition for the ‘big sister’ or ‘buddy’ role for next year! Once again the House Singing competition united the House early on in the term, with all the new pupils taking part. Other key events at the start of the year included a trampolining trip (an excellent opportunity for the FY to expend some of their boundless energy), the charities fair (more jumping, this time on a bouncy castle), and the YM4K charity run in which our FY either took part or helped serve refreshments. It was no surprise that we all needed a break when we arrived at the first leave-out! Further trips and activities followed: the annual pilgrimage to the German Christmas Market in Birmingham, and our traditional inter-year gingerbread house building competition one December Sunday afternoon, with the term culminating as ever in the bon viveur of Christmas supper with its entertaining skits and our now well-established Christmas sing-along.

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Returning to the subject of people being at the heart of the House, I must share with you the girls’ responses to an announcement towards the end of the Autumn Term which speaks volumes about the importance of relationships. Following the departure of our long-serving Resident Assistant, Fran, at the end of the 2017-18 academic year, I had to inform the girls that Ali, our Day Assistant of five years, would also be departing at Christmas. Whilst I knew the girls would be sad to hear this, I was bowled over by the strength of their reaction. Luckily, this was a two-part announcement and I knew the girls only needed to quieten down to take in the second half, and they would feel less sorrowful: Fran was to return in Ali’s place! The dining room exploded into a joyful cacophony as the news sunk in, with the added bonus that Ali was planning to do cover work in the boarding houses so would undoubtedly be back, as indeed we now know she will be next term to cover the maternity leave of one of our evening tutors (Mrs RazaviHart, who is incidentally another returner to Ellerslie after a five year break working in other schools). Saying goodbye (but not permanently) has been a hallmark of the year, and it is lovely to see how much the girls value those who take care of them on an everyday basis.

The Lent Term started with House Drama, with the girls this year inspired by Shrek. Hannah brought out the inner loveliness of Shrek’s character, ably accompanied by

Chioma as Donkey, Ella as Princess Fiona and Syuzanna as the undersized Farquardt (shuffling about on her knees!).

Jasmine’s flirtatious but mute dragon will live long in House memory as will the fun of rehearsals, with Mr Packham describing the Ellerslie girls as ‘a delight to have in the theatre’. The large cast were nominated for the ‘Best Ensemble’ award and this was doubtless down to Tia’s careful direction, supported by Jasmine (Head of House) and Olivia, with the three girls creating a spirit of co-operation and a calm, purposeful atmosphere in rehearsals.

There have been a number of notable individual successes this year. Megan Smyth became ‘The Keeper of the Kipling’ and therefore the custodian of a set of leatherbound Kipling books for the term, awarded in recognition of her creative writing skills in her story ‘The Lucky Killer’. Syuzanna won the Lea Smith reading competition for her year group for the second year in a row and Vicky was selected to play Hockey for Spain’s national U14 team.

Amelia has played all season for our First Cricket Team (a rarity for an FY player), taking a wicket with her very first ball on the Senior! Caroline and Megan almost matched Chioma and Jayda’s first place in the annual LOST competition, coming second by a matter of mere minutes and showing resolve and determination in spades. Last but by no means least, Josi took joint first place in Category A of the inter-House Music Competition with her evocative interpretation of Svendson’s ‘Romance in G Major’, all the more impressive given that she is a Remove pupil. Josi also gave a magical performance of the little-known second movement of Karlowicz’s Violin Concerto at the Concerto Concert in the Summer Term, during which the performers

are accompanied by an orchestra. Josi’s modesty and phenomenal organisational skills are two of her exceptional qualities, and we look forward to many future performances by this richly talented musician. Congratulations also to Izzy on her highly impressive brace of A*s and one A grade at A Level as well as to Sasha on achieving 40 points in the IB Diploma, including a grade 6 in the fiercely demanding subject that is Higher Level Mathematics. Notable achievements at GCSE included Chioma with a combined total of eight grades 9 and 8 ,and Georgina, with two A*s and five grade 9s (in Mathematics, the three sciences and Art).

Whilst the successes mentioned above are very evident, there are many other personal achievements and contributions that are less obvious but by no means insignificant.

Our annual Cup Supper allows us to celebrate at least some of these, with this year’s Support Award won by Bianca, the Good Egg Cup by Kelsey, the Senior Phoenix Award by Olivia for her consistent and significant contributions to so many House competitions and activities, the Junior Phoenix Award by Jayda and Chioma and the ‘Newbie’ Award by Lea. Quiet but persistent and effective contribution are so vital to the overall spirit experienced within the House, with these girls playing a significant role; there are many others whose names I am confident will come to the fore in future years. In the meantime, we will continue to work on building those effective relationships, both amongst the girls and between staff and pupils, that are so vital to the life and happiness of Ellerslie.

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The Malvernian 2019

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Rugby 1st XV

The inaugural game of the season meant a visit for the Malvern 1st XV to Cheltenham College. The game started very positively, with lots of big collisions, strong carries and line breaks. The defensive effort was committed and fantastic, with Malvern holding out on many occasions.

After relentless attacks from set piece and in general play, Cheltenham received a penalty, which they successfully kicked bringing the score to a tight 3-0 at half time. The second half brought many strong carries from Imoesi Ogwemoh, Nicholas Yeoward, and Sebastian Grace, carrying the ball relentlessly into a strong defence and making frequent line breaks. And Montague Lampard and Luc Crompton epitomised the defence display with their efforts, making strong tackles. But Cheltenham scored three tries in the second half (against the run of play, as we attacked for the majority of the second half ) leading to a 20-0 loss for Malvern in the first game of the season.

The next challenge was another away game at Bloxham.

It is always a tough place to play, and their players tend to be big, physical and well drilled. Adding to that, unfortunately within 10 minutes Malvern lost their Captain and ViceCaptain, with Nicholas Yeoward and Oliver Millard coming off injured. Bloxham used their big forwards to carry into the defence, and it wasn’t long before they started scoring tries, affording them a 32 – 0 lead at half time.

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The second half was a carbon copy of the first, with lots of ball-carrying by the big Bloxham forwards – very difficult to control and bring down – forcing more tries, with the added pressure bringing the score to 52 – 0 in Bloxham’s favour.

The third game of the season brought Malvern to Colston in very wet conditions which hampered both teams’ playing abilities. During a 20-minute spell, and against the run of play, Colston capitalised on two errors and scored two quick tries. The second half started the same as the first half ended, with Malvern applying pressure to Colston through lineout drives and strong ball carrying. The Colston defence held strong and Malvern couldn’t get that early score which was crucially needed. Midway through the second half Ludo Staley ran a fantastic line to crash over the Colston try line to bring the game within 7 points – but a late Colston try settled the win. Imoesi Ogwemho, Sebastian Grace, Ludo Staley, and Nicholas Yeoward never took a backward step throughout the encounter, continually pushing the Colston attack back with some big hits. The performance showed great promise and built excitement for the upcoming Border Shield game Under floodlights at Ledbury RFC, on Friday 5th October, Malvern College 1st XV played Monmouth School for Boys 1st VX in the second annual Border Shield Competition.

As a curtain-raiser, eight U11 rugby teams from Malvern RFC, Ledbury RFC, Abberley Hall School, Packwood Haugh School, Prestfelde School, The Elms School, The Downs Malvern, and Monmouth School Boys’ Prep played in a junior tournament. This set the stage for a fantastic evening of rugby watched by over 1,500 spectators.

The game started well for Monmouth, who scored in the first minute – capitalising on a mistake made by the Malvern side. A slightly shell-shocked Malvern had to defend strongly for the next 10 minutes. Malvern began to get some sustained possession, making significant inroads into the Monmouth defence, and a clever bit of play by flyhalf Dylan Sillence allowed centre Ludo Staley to break the Monmouth defence and score under the posts. Full-back Henry Forbes kicked the conversion. What followed was exciting, end-to-end rugby for the remainder of the half, with both teams going through the phases and defending stoutly. Just before half time, Monmouth scored to make the half time score 7-12 to Monmouth.

In the second half, Monmouth continued having the majority of possession in the early stages, but Malvern’s physical defence kept them at bay. Malvern where clinical and made full use of their possession, with a sublime cross-field kick by Harry Sillence which Captain Nicholas Yeoward caught and scored in the corner. Once again, Henry Forbes added the extras to make the score 14-12 to Malvern.

Monmouth had the slope advantage in the second half and that made it more difficult for Malvern to gain field position.

Quick thinking from captain Nicholas Yeoward from a free kick five metres out extended Malvern’s lead to 21-14, Forbes successfully converting again. And with 15 minutes

on the clock Malvern won a scrum on the halfway line.

Nicholas Yeoward picked up and passed to scrum half Oliver Millard who straightened and released the young winger Vansh Ladwa who left everyone in his wake to score under the posts – another try that was converted by Henry Forbes: 28-14 Malvern.

The last 10-minute period of the game was heroic from the Malvern players, with Monmouth throwing everything at the Malvern line. Eventually Monmouth kicked a penalty to make the score 28-17. Monmouth scored once again to make the closing minutes a very tense affair at 28-22. But Malvern showed tremendous character and put their bodies on the line to thwart the Monmouth attack, eventually forcing Monmouth to knock on – which led to the end of the game. The match was a superb spectacle of schoolboy rugby, with both sides looking to attack from all angles. This game and the occasion will stay in the boys’ memories for years to come.

After the euphoric win, next up was a big Solihull side and a 40-mph head wind. Solihull immediately put the pressure on with some telling long kicks which kept Malvern positioned in their own 22. Solihull’s big forwards were an ever-present threat in the game and tried to dominate, but Malvern’s defence held them out on many occasions. After a huge amount of pressure, the Solihull forwards eventually broke the defensive line, capitalising on Malvern’s mistakes to score two more tries. Eventually Malvern gained field position and looked dangerous, with line breaks from Imoesi Ogwemoh and Sebastian Grace. The continuous pressure led to a driving lineout allowing Jock Catto to dive over and score a try bring the score to 19-5 to Solihull at half time.

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This late score in the first half brought Malvern confidence, but we couldn’t capitalise – with handling errors at crucial moments allowing the opponents off the hook.

Lots of hard yards were made by the forwards throughout the game, but Solihull added to their score with two more tries. However, Malvern finished the strongest with Luc Crompton having the final say and scoring late from 5m out, bringing the final score to a 31-10 win to Solihull. Imoesi Ogwemoh, Jock Catto, Montague Lampard, Sebastian Grace, James Wakefield, Charles Izzard, Allaster Renton, Jack Onslow, and Harry Bluck all showed great desire and work rate against a much bigger Solihull pack. This set the platform for Oliver Millard to have a major influence on the game, covering every blade of grass on the pitch and making some telling kicks – including the initial line break which created the second try.

The first home game of the season brought an undefeated Dean Close side to Court Road, who had played six and won six games, so it was always going to be a very tough encounter.

Within the first 15 minutes, Dean Close had scored two tries, but Malvern showed great resolve and dug deep, making fantastic tackles to stop a big and skilful Dean Close team scoring again in the first half. The second half started like the first half had finished, with Malvern making errors and losing possession. Dean Close, by contrast, where very clinical and punished Malvern with some well-taken tries.

From a scrum 20m out from the Dean Close try line, Dylan Sillence attacked and passed to Ludo Staley who bust the Dean Close defensive line – only to be hauled down a metre short of the try line yet still have the skill and awareness to pop a pass to Harry Sillence, who scored next to the posts.

Unfortunately, too many errors occurred throughout the game to threaten Dean Close again, resulting in a final score of 47-7 to the visitors.

The sun was shining and offering a great day to play rugby for the 1st XV’s second home game of the season, against King’s Macclesfield. There was no fear in the way the teams played, which made it a very open game, and both teams had their opportunities to score in the opening twenty minutes. And it was Malvern who took their chances and scored two well worked tries. The first try, scored by Dylan Sillence, was scored after many phases of play and plenty of offloads, giving Malvern a belief and confidence in the way they played. The ball was moved from one side of the pitch to the other, Henry Forbes manipulating a fantastic crossfield kick for Vansh Ladwa to run onto and score. King’s had the final score of the half, running in a late try in the corner to bring the score to 12-5 to Malvern at the half time whistle. The boys from Macclesfield kicked off to start the second half, and a great chase-and-catch saw them score

their second try straight from the kick off. Malvern’s attack showed enthusiasm and energy, but lacked a little composure in the final stages. King’s received a penalty 20m out from the goal posts, missing by inches, to leave the score at a 12-12 draw at the final whistle.

Malvern started positively and looked the better team against St Edward’s in the first 20 minutes of the following match. Opportunities where there to score, but unfortunately errors and a good defensive effort kept Malvern at bay.

Indeed, Teddies seemed to capitalise from virtually every error that was made and scored tries against the run of play.

The second half started as the first had finished, with errors adding to the pressure and costing Malvern two more tries in the second half. This was a tough day at the office, with the final score being 36-5 to St Edward’s. Jack Onslow’s defence throughout the game was a small highlight to take from a difficult encounter.

The final game of the season brought visitors RGS Bristol to Court Road and from the start the opponents put Malvern under pressure, conceding an early try. RGS Bristol had the majority of first-half possession against a strong wind.

Malvern adapted their play as the match went on, in difficult conditions, becoming a lot more direct in their approach and beginning to break the RGS line, and making good inroads when carrying the ball into contact. With 15 minutes to go, Malvern had a lineout in the RGS 22m, launching a driving maul including half the backline – before being pulled down illegally and gaining a penalty try. This was a real team effort for the final score of the season, 7- 46 to RGS Bristol at full time.

It was a tough season in terms of results – mainly due to injuries. But the boys showed a great level of resilience and commitment throughout the season. I would personally like to thank all of the boys for their effort and commitment, especially my U6th, who have given 5 years’ service to Malvern College Rugby. Winning the Border Shield must not be underestimated and also going on tour to New Zealand and the Cook Islands in 2018. It is my hope that you will go away with many outstanding memories of your time wearing the colours of Malvern College Rugby: Bleed Green.

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2nd XV

The 2018 season was a tough one for the 2nd XV, with an overall playing record of P9, W2, D1, L6 with 138 scored and 219 conceded.

Our usual first game of the season against Cheltenham College is always a tough start and this was to be no exception with a 38-14 loss. Impressive try-scoring performances, though, from wingers Urav Ladwa and Jamie Bitenyo-Jones did show potential for the forthcoming season if the boys could get the ball wide.

Next up were Bloxham, and many of the team from last year were eager to beat them after drawing in the last minute in 2017. From the start, the team put Bloxham under huge pressure and, following good play between forwards and backs, were able to put points on the board from Henry Forbes and Jock Catto. Further points from the boot of Forbes and a try from Sebastian Corry allowed us to notch up our first win of the season with a 30-20 victory.

Back on the road the following week, we made the long journey down to Colstons and, despite the awful weather, recorded our second victory of the season with a 52-0 win.

The main highlight of this match was the 5 tries for prop Jock Catto, which saw him promoted to the 1st XV. Leave-out then came at the wrong time for us, just as the team started to build up momentum; and the break made it difficult for the boys to get back into the stylish play they had previously shown. Losses followed to Monmouth (1338) and Solihull (12-38), though it was good to see Julian Loustric grab a try in both matches.

After half-term, the boys were eager to get back to winning ways, but this was much harder than expected; and the 16 2

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36-0 loss to Dean Close knocked the team’s confidence as, despite an impressive first-half performance, they couldn’t cross the whitewash.

The following week saw us play against a new team in the form of King’s Macclesfield, and unsure of what to expect, the boys began somewhat nervously. However, the try from Harvey Gearon did settle nerves, and the team were on the verge of victory before a momentary lapse in concentration allowed King’s to score with the last play of the game – and produce a 5-5 draw.

With two games left, the boys were eager to get back on the winning streak, but unfortunately this wasn’t to be as losses to St Edward’s (12-40) and Bristol Grammar (0-8) meant we finished off the season with results that didn’t reflect the effort put in by the players.

This was a tough season for the 2nd XV, but Mr Warrilow and Mr Merrick would like to pay thanks to all the players for their efforts in training and in matches. Credit must be given to the following U6 players for giving their all in their final season at Malvern: Charles Izzard, Seb Corry, Max Pickering, Toby Hollis, Seb Grace, Henry Forbes, Harry Townsend, Jamie Bitenyo-Jones, Julian Loustric, Urav Ladwa, Owen Carroll, Ralph Sharp, Shamir Marshall, George Standen-McDougal and Josh Sigley. As you can see, this is a huge number of boys and the loss of these boys will make starting from scratch difficult next year, but I would like to wish all the departing U6 the very best of luck for the future.

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3rd XV

The mighty 3rd XV had another enjoyable season with all players doing their bit to maintain the positive team spirit despite some difficult fixtures. Training ranges from skill sessions and getting stuck in with the 2nd XV players to relaxed games of touch and general shenanigans with a rugby ball somewhere in the mix. The “kicking game” continues to gain notoriety and has become a regular request from the lads.

Cheltenham College are always a tricky prospect for the first game of the season but the boys acquitted themselves very well, particularly under such windy conditions.

Harvey Freeman used the wind to his advantage in the first half with some clever tactical kicking gaining us territory and providing several opportunities to put the Cheltenham lineout under pressure in their 22. Unfortunately, we were unable to capitalise and Cheltenham cleared their lines well.

They had some strong runners in the backs and took their chances better than we did.

Next up was another away trip, this time to the distant Oxfordshire-based Bloxham School. Owing to a crack which ran the length of the 1st XV pitch, we were hosted on a pitch sized for U14s. With so little space, we struggled to make our expansive game pay off and lost narrowly, 12-5. Despite the loss, the team remained positive and continued to bring an excellent work ethic and sense of fun to training. The third weekend of the season brought us our first home fixture and the visit of Sedburgh School. A high intensity start saw us get on the scoreboard early through a last ditch dive for the line by Floris Van de Werff after several phases of direct running and crisp handling. However, Sedbergh had 16 4

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brought an experienced team on their long journey down from the north and they fought back admirably to secure them a 5-18 win.

The team returned after the half term break fit and ready to give the remaining matches their all. With the mighty 3rds full of energy and positivity, we were able to bounce back with our first victory, winning 24-12 against Dean Close, and with some lovely flowing rugby resulting in tries for Canseca Prasad, Finlay Russell, and Floris van der Werff.

This was a handsome win and so it was doubly disappointing that Monmouth were unable to field a side while the lads were flying high. Indeed, the Dean Close fixture was certainly the highlight of a testing season as the team were unable to build on the win with a tough away fixture at St. Edward’s, Oxford, in which nothing (including the official’s whistle) went our way. With the remaining game against Bristol Grammar also cancelled, we finished with a record of Played 4, Won 1, Lost 3, with two cancelled games coming just when the team were buzzing and finding their groove.

Despite the results, the 3rd XV lads reflect on a very positive season with many players developed into capable rugby players and several getting a turn for the 2nd XV. My thanks go to Mr Ben Humphrys who remains a quiet but assured influence on the players with his dynamic warm-ups helping to focus the boys before training and matches. It was a pleasure to coach the boys again and I commend them for their commitment and enthusiasm. Roll on the 3rd XV! DJE

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Under 16A

After a reasonable pre-season, during which those attending found themselves training with the senior boys, the U16s’ first fixture of the season was to be the customarily difficult opener away at Cheltenham. Malvern were immediately under the cosh from a strong home side, and whilst we held our own in defence, we simply did not have enough of the ball in the opening exchanges. In spite of some outstanding tackles from Kit Staley, Vansh Ladwa and Tom Cox, Cheltenham started to make their possession tell on the scoreboard and they were soon two tries ahead. Through strong carries from Devon Perry and some sniping runs from Lewis McMurdo at fullback, Malvern looked dangerous when in possession, but there simply was not enough of it to make any meaningful impact on the score line. The second half was a completely different story, and it is a testament to the resilience of the Malvern team that they did not let their heads go down. Indeed, Minty Murray scored what was undoubtedly one of the tries of the season; Devon Perry made a break from inside the Malvern 22 and made it to the halfway line, before handing the ball to Tom Cox, who fired a superb pass out to Minty, and the winger finished with style in the corner: a delightful piece of play that demonstrated the potential of this side. The final score of 34-14 did not reflect the competitiveness of the fixture, and whilst there were certainly things to work on, the team took great pride in the attitude they showed.

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the game against Cheltenham the previous week; Malvern looked threatening when in possession, but simply could not secure enough of the ball to make it count. However, when the boys did finally manage to string some phases together, they were too much for Bloxham to handle and Vansh Ladwa crossed for an excellent try in the corner.

Paddy Moyle at scrum-half and Harry Sillence at fly-half controlled the game nicely, and were effective at putting others into space.

The second half proved immensely frustrating and unnecessarily stressful for Malvern. Unforced errors in attack meant that we handed Bloxham opportunities in our own half, and they were clinical. Fortunately, an excellent try from McMurdo, involving a sprint in from his own half, helped to alleviate some of the pressure. Ultimately, Malvern’s class shone through, and a further try apiece for Ladwa and McMurdo wrapped up the game. Perry was a rock at the heart of all that went well, covering the pitch effectively and carrying with a real intent. The boys also showed some real spirit in defence, particularly on their own line in the closing moments of the game, knowing that a try for the opposition would win it for them. Malvern did not yield, and came away with their well-deserved, first win of the season.

The first home fixture of the season saw Malvern entertain Colston’s at Court Road. With the rain pouring down in the shadow of the Hills, this contest was never going to be the most eye-catching spectacle. Malvern made the better start of the two sides, enjoying a lot of early possession and territory. However, they could not capitalise on this in

the opening exchanges, with a number of chances going begging. That was until Tom Cox finished off an excellent passage of play with a try in the corner, courtesy of some impressive handling from Charlie Williams. Vansh Ladwa continued his superb recent run of form with a dominant performance, including a superb individual try from outside of the opposition 22.

The second half was completely scoreless, but featured some outstanding Malvern defence, with George Batryev having his strongest performance of the season. Billy Tulloch also put himself about the park to considerable effect, making some important tackles and carrying well.

The final score of 10-0 reflected what was a gritty performance from Malvern, but it was really positive to consider that Colston’s never really looked like scoring; the team seemed to be going from strength to strength.

The remainder of the season was a story of some outstanding development from individual players, and from the team as a whole. Tom Long scored a superb try away at St Edward’s, Oxford, powering through a maul to score under the posts; Antoine Sclater’s industrious B-team performances earned him a spot at flanker for the As, and he was man of the match in his very first game; Tom Hughes returned from injury to captain the team with aplomb; Louis Staley was phenomenal throughout the season, and was particularly inspirational in defence.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the boys in the U16 squad for what was an excellent term of rugby. Although results did not necessarily go our way, the loss of key players up to the 1st XV forced others to step up, and they absolutely did this. I wish the boys all the best

as they graduate to play in the senior teams at the College, where they will have a positive impact, I am certain. Thanks also to Mr Steve Joslin for his efforts and his expertise.

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UNDER 16B

In our opening games against Cheltenham College and Bloxham, what became clear was that the power of the forwards needed to be harnessed and used in a more structured way. This became the focus of the training, led very ably by Mr Richards, and we soon saw tremendous improvement in our retention of possession and our overall game structure. Colston’s were the first victims, and there were excellent carries in this match from Douglas Angus and Nikolay Chagai. Henry Green and James Myres began to show signs of a developing partnership in the half back positions, and with Antoine Sclater moving from back row to centre there was now some real pace in the backline to complement Woody Shaw’s direct running game. A hat-trick for Antoine and a first victory of the season was thoroughly deserved.

If the Colston’s game represented small steps of improvement then the first half of the Bowbrook game was nothing short of a leap! Indeed it was the finest display of team rugby which this particular coaching staff had seen at this level: structured forward play, intelligent use of the ball, and entirely unselfish passing in the backline. Jay Yang demonstrated his relentless work ethic, Seb Roberts carried bravely, and Charlie Redvers finished off no less than four very well worked team tries. After half term, there was a welcome return from injury for Adam Narbeth and Jonty Horton, and it was fitting that the return fixture against Bowbrook saw these two really shine in the backline, scoring well-worked tries to win the game. This game was also notable for an almighty hit from our bullocking forward Oliver James, another player who really began to shine in the forwards in the second half of term.

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The most impressive performance of the season came against Dean Close. In the end, thanks to a masterful display at fly-half from James Myres and some enterprising back-play from Will Brinkman, Malvern scored a total of 8 tries to win 50-5. Unfortunately, owing to several injuries to U16A players which saw many U16B players promoted, the B team lost some cohesion and would not achieve these lofty heights again during the season. Although the spirit and desire to play well never left this group, they lost the final two fixtures to St Edward’s and Bristol Grammar. Hector Mallard put in a particularly dynamic shift in defence in this final fixture, and the boys were unlucky to come away with nothing.

Congratulations go to all of the players, who were a pleasure to coach; their commitment to learn and improve was exemplary. The sense of a team was as good as any I have seen at this level, to the point that it would have been wrong to pick a player of the season. I would, however, make special mention of Henry Green who captained the team with real passion and energy. Thanks also go to Mr Richards for his expertise and enthusiasm throughout.

JJWEM

Under 15A

A mixed season typical for a developmental age group began with a 57-0 defeat to Cheltenham College, which is always a tough opening fixture after little training but nevertheless left the boys buoyed for the rest of the season.

The following week’s visit from Bloxham saw us trying to bounce back, but this proved difficult against a very physical side. Malvern got an early reward, Harry Finch bundling over the line, and then started playing with more width and flair, Zac Watson going over in the corner to take the score to 10-0. However, huge collisions took their toll with Oli Doherty and Jack Yeoward leaving the field. Bloxham took hold of the game and won through 5 unanswered scores.

The team was to taste further defeat away at Colston’s School, Bristol. The first half was a good tight affair despite awful weather conditions. Malvern spent much time camped in their own 22 but their defence was resolute and kept Colston’s at bay until the end of the half, going in 15-5 down. However, the change in halves brought a change in fortunes and a combination of savvy play from Colston’s and several injuries meant Malvern fell further behind. Both Malvern tries were scored by James Pickering, who gave another strong performance, carrying and defending well, with special mentions for William Crossland, Harry Finch and Angus Catto.

Desperate for a win, then, the team’s first NatWest Cup match pitted them against RGS Worcester. Early on, Joe Randall dove over for a 5-0 lead. Despite a scrappy 10 minutes or so, Malvern held out well in defence and managed to score a trio of well worked tries (two for Finley Morris and one for Cameron Smith). The pick of these saw strong

work from the forwards followed by a carefully created switch by Oli Doherty – Smith breaking the line and dazzling the opposition full-back with his feet to score under the posts. The College emerged victorious with a 40-7 score line.

Harry Slater kicked beautifully from the tee, Oli Doherty displayed great defence throughout, and effective carries came from James Pickering and Noah Hanke.

Against Monmouth, the U15 side were privileged enough to play on the 1st XV pitch and started the game doing it justice. Twenty minutes of exceptional rugby kept them 5-0 up (try by James Pickering) before an injury again interrupted the flow of the game, Monmouth seizing their opportunity to regroup; we subsided to a 36-5 loss.

This contrasted, though, with the way the boys ground out a 10-8 victory against Solihull School, showing heart, grit, and fight. 8-0 down at half-time thanks to some naïve rugby, Malvern knew they were still in the match. Their first try came via quick thinking from Finley Morris who took a ‘tap and go’ and then floated a wide pass for Angus Catto to finish in the corner. The second was a trick play from another tapped penalty, with Oli Doherty battling his way over the line. Oliver Tulloch kept Malvern in the game with some outstanding 1-on-1 tackles and high-ball catches.

At Dean Close, in miserable conditions, the tough results continued with a 22-12 defeat. Joe Randall made an excellent break and evaded defenders to all but finish our first try (scored by Finley Morris a few phases later). However, Malvern found it difficult to adjust to the extra space on the Dean Close 1st XV pitch, whereas the opposition used tactical kicking to aid three scores. The boys felt they were R ug by

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the better rugby side but lost in spite of Will Crossland’s outstanding defensive display and Angus Catto’s work ethic and communication.

The team fared better hosting King’s Macclesfield. Early on James Pickering broke to finish in the corner, whilst Jack Yeoward then put King’s to the sword twice in quick succession, leaving the score at 17-0 at half time. The second half brought two of the tries of the season, with one a fantastically worked team try and the other a show of superb individual skill: Will Crossland chipped and chased his own kick, regathered it, and ran 30m only to fall short and offload in the tackle to Rory Upton – who dived over. Sandwiched between these two tries was a spontaneous pick-and-go from Crossland. Rory Upton took the accolades on this occasion for a great defensive effort, tireless work rate, and for the support play which gave him his try.

Against Bromsgrove School in the 3rd round of the NatWest Cup, Malvern showed exactly how far they had come as a side by battling to an 8-8 draw, sadly exiting on the away team rule. It remained 0-0 for 20 minutes with Malvern exhibiting great line speed. Some poor penalty decisions allowed Malvern to work their way up the pitch and get a penalty themselves, heading away 3-0 up. However, Bromsgrove didn’t repeat their mistakes, and took points when they next got within reach, leaving it 3-3 at half time. It remained an intense nip-tuck affair but Bromsgrove scored in the corner with 10 minutes of play left. A great break from Zachary Watson followed by some beautiful rugby enabled Jack Yeoward to score. In the final play of the game Finley Morris made a superb break and was well supported by Frankie Jeffries and Jack only for the ball to be agonisingly knocked on and the final whistle to be blown. Special mentions go to Will Crossland for excellent work at the breakdown and contact area, Jack Yeoward for his isolated tackles in defence, and Noah Hanke for carrying the ball forward so well throughout. However, man of the match was Oliver Tulloch who not only made three try-saving tackles but also fielded the ball and marshalled the back three so well.

Malvern then hosted St Edward’s, Oxford but started sloppily, conceding within the first 5 minutes. However, they rallied and started to play some good rugby, Zac Watson holding his width well to dive over under pressure. Teddies were more aggressive and direct and made good ground around the fringes; however, there was some excellent defensive work by Max Hilton and a dogged track-back from Zac to save a certain try. On another fatal occasion, 5 minutes from time, Malvern got turned over in Teddies’ 22, for their player to run 60 metres before getting snaffled excellently by Zac – again 2 metres short of the line. They used this momentum to score quickly and effectively end the game at 19-5. Although not man of the match (which

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went to Zac) special mention goes to Max Hilton who was superb in both defence but also carrying the ball forward.

Malvern ended their season by succumbing to Bristol Grammar School 22-8. Another tight first half played out but with Malvern displaying the better and more adventurous rugby. Malvern took 3 points in front of the posts such was the mentality to win the game. BGS pegged their own 5 minutes later and it was 3-3 at half time. Despite playing much better in the second half, Malvern just could not get over the line. James Pickering and Zac Watson were both held up amidst other numerous chances. They did score a try through Jack Yeoward’s using his feet to good effect but it wasn’t enough to offset the tries from BGS, two of which were fairly soft. The man of the match was Harry Sigley who carried well but also did tireless work in contact and around the breakdown.

The Under 15 side made great progress in the season and will continue to do so if they match the attitude and effort from this year moving forwards. The players’ player of the season was Will Crossland; the coaches’ player of the season was Tarush Agrawal.

STW

Under 15B

We would like to start by saying a big thank you to the boys who made this term of rugby such an interesting, fun, and rewarding experience. It was a pleasure to see so many boys improve their skills not just on the field but off it as well, and we certainly hope we get the chance to work with the group again.

With many not having played rugby since the FY, our first game against Cheltenham College was going to be a challenging one. And so it proved. A few cobwebs dusted off, shall we say? However, it gave us a host of areas to work on and improve.

Our second game against Bloxham was an absolute thriller. William Hartley scored his first points of the season and kicked the conversion following his try – which proved to be vital. The match ended in victory for Malvern (12-10), a superb effort and incredible display of desire and resilience to bounce back after a battering in week one. Our next games included an away trip to Colston’s School and a home encounter against Monmouth. The boys showed excellent ball-handling skills in both these matches – especially in the appalling weather in Bristol – and some outstanding forward play in the ruck. Clemens Tuczka scored a hat-trick in the latter game, including two lung-busting attempts from inside our own half, earning him a spot in the A team for the following weeks. These games both ended in defeat, though through no lack of skill, determination or team play.

After a refreshing half term, it was back to work for the boys once again. The match away at Dean Close saw the heavens open and the pitch turn into a bog. Malvern scored within the opening minutes, but a heavy pitch and

the two-week break meant fatigue crept in and Dean Close were level at the break at 15-15. We knew we were going to have to dig deep and find a second wave of energy if we were going to come out on top in the second half and the boys truly delivered. Tries from Emile Gonder, Samuel Hughes, and Jonny Edwards sealed the victory.

Regrettably we suffered defeats in our final games against King’s Macclesfield, St Edward’s Oxford, and Bristol Grammar in the final stint of the season. This was not the end of the season the boys deserved, but they all did remarkably well to keep working hard and fighting until the final whistle in all of the matches. We could not have asked for anything more from them, and particular mention should go to the fly-half and captain Ted Evans who led the team with maturity and spirit for which we are very grateful. The improvement of each individual from beginning to end was significant, and we would like to thank the boys for their hard work and attitudes to both matches and training.

LS

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Under 14A

Malvern U14A enjoyed a dominant season, in which they did not concede a single point in their first four matched. We began with a 12 – 0 win over a strong Cheltenham College side. Late in the first half, Malvern made use of territorial advantage and Frankie Jefferies scored in the corner, with Cameron Smith converting a difficult conversion.

Solid scrumming and good line-out play then proved too much for the opposition in the second half – and Cameron Smith scored a great try in the corner after a good backline movement. Malvern defended well and did not allow Cheltenham any space to create opportunities to score, holding out for the win and showing great potential for the rest of the season.

Then came Bloxham (a 33-0 win). Malvern started the match defending for a solid ten minutes against a very determined side and made sure that the opposition did not cross their try-line. And it was Cameron Smith, very busy all afternoon with the ball in hand, who scored our first try after a solid run down the line. Then Noah Hanke, a handful all afternoon, handed off a few opposition players on his own way to the try-line. Smith punched another hole in Bloxham’s defence to score a third well-deserved try for Malvern. Frankie Jefferies converted all three to make the halftime score 21-0 to Malvern. A further try early in the second half from scrum-half Luca Jansen Van Vuuren, running over following a scrum on their 5m line put the game out of reach, as once again Malvern’s defence proved too much for the opposition. The season was truly up and running.

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our ability to win in different situations. Despite the rain, we showed good skill with ball in hand, kept the error rate down, and did not miss many tackles. Sam Cook, who has made his first appearance in the U14A side after recovering from an injury, collected a kick from the opposition in his own half and immediately put Colstons under pressure when he launched the ball into their half – for Will James (man of the match) to collect and score his well-deserved try. Cameron Smith and Charles Hoyland also scored before half-time to go in 24 up. More tries from Smith and Hoyland followed in the second half, to complete a rout at 52-0.

After such a heady start, perhaps the game at Monmouth would give us a dose of reality? It did not. Malvern began with a quick hand-to-hand movement in their own half which led to a runaway try from Cameron Smith. Then, after keeping the opposition in their own half, Sam Cook muscled his way over for Malvern’s second try, the score to 12-0 at half-time. Early in the second half, Smith once again broke through the Monmouth defence to score, and the best try of the match came from more good hand-to-hand movement, when Noah Hanke made a solid break at centre and offloaded to Sam Cook who send Smith over for a lovely try under the posts. Finally, Cook, who had a busy afternoon as a flanker, scored again, and Frankie Jefferies converted for 29-0 – and still not a point conceded.

It was Solihull and then Abingdon College who finally brought us down to earth. After a few attacks against Solihull, where Malvern pinned their opposition down in their own 22 metre line and nearly scored from the resultant scrums, Frankie Jefferies broke the opposition’s line to score

the first try under the posts. But Solihull immediately came back, and a knock-on allowed them to score their first try under the posts, duly converted to make it 7-5 to Solihull.

Solihull then scored 2 more tries to take the score 21-5 at half-time. After the break Noah Hanke dotted down the ball for Malvern’s second, and Cameron Smith converted to make it 21-12 and a live contest. But Solihull looked after the ball better and when their wing scored (after some pretty poor defensive work from us) they took the game away from us, 28-12 the final score. Then midweek against Abingdon, a 7-0 half-time lead (after Lukas Jansen van Vuuren dotted the ball down under the upright) was squandered on account of some poor defensive work and several high tackles leading to two yellow cards. The final score was 26-7 to Abingdon.

On the back of these two defeats, Malvern had to adapt to extremely wet and trying conditions away from home for our 36-10 over Dean Close. With some 50-50 decisions going against us, we had to take control of the set pieces and remain calm in order to gain control the game. Tries from van Vuuren and Smith gave Malvern a well-deserved lead of 17-5 at half-time, and both scored again after the break. Good tactical awareness by Ollie Minter and Frankie Jefferies allowed Malvern to stay on the front foot in the wet conditions. The team deserved credit for keeping their composure when cool heads were required.

Perhaps the team’s best rugby of the season was reserved for totally outplaying a willing St Edward’s side. Malvern played an exciting brand of rugby and everyone in the team played their part in this win. The forwards dominated the breakdown, the backs ran clever lines, and a more physical

team outplayed the opposition in the end. Charles Hoyland scored twice, and Ed Carryer scored in the corner for a 19-0 half-time scoreline. In the second half, a good handto-hand movement took Tommy Boorman over the try-line, and Noah Hanke bulldozed his way over the for a welldeserved try after a quick tap from a penalty. Ed Carryer scored Malvern’s last try after a clever corner kick by centre Frankie Jefferies, who kicked and converted superbly all match. The final score was 45-0 to Malvern.

Against King’s Macclesfield, Malvern’s first try came after a line out when a clever pass from Frankie Jefferies sent pacey Cameron Smith over the line. Then a well worked line-out drive movement saw Charles Hoyland crash over for the first of his four tries of the afternoon. Frankie Jefferies also went over for a try and the match was all but won at 31-0 at half-time, with a final score of 45-5.

The abandonment of the Bristol Grammar match made for something of an anti-climax to the season. Nonetheless, I wish to say a big ‘well done’ to this U14 side, who won 8 of their 10 game. Everyone involved in the A squad must be congratulated with their fine efforts during the season. My thanks got to Mr Richards as well, for his positive coaching structure and support to make this a wonderful season!

JBS

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Under 14B

Hopes for a successful year were buoyed at the start of the term when a vast number of fluorescent green shirts arrived to register for junior games. As soon as the first fixture against one of our strongest rivals, Cheltenham, had ended only in a narrow 5-0 defeat, in which we were unlucky not to score on many occasions, it was clear this was a team that was not going to allow itself to take a back seat, and had clear intentions to dictate play to whomever stood before them throughout the season.

Thomas Birley’s physicality, enabling him to make tackle after tackle, along with the physicality and work rate of Archie Bailey and Tommy Boorman, were the foundations upon which this team was able to develop further. After a few very high scoring wins against Bloxham and Colston’s we were able to see the pedigree of our ‘pace-men’ such as Sylvan Agyeman-Duah and Sam Laverty, who were notching up tries between them. In fact, it is difficult to single out names as our try-scorers came from across the whole team.

Just before half term, the team was tested against Monmouth as they went two tries down in the first ten minutes. However, improved tackling and line speed resulted in winning turnover ball that we were able to feed to our backs, who had greater determination than ever to get back on terms with Monmouth. More tries came in the second half from line breaks and a good midfield pairing of Tom Birley and Tekkan Linuma, and we ended the game with an emphatic 33-10 win. We were fortunate to rely upon the ever-present game management of Henry Worrallo at scrum-half, whose decision-making to box-kick or run was impressive, whilst Joel Cox controlled games with the boot 1 74

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most effectively, bringing our dangerous runners into play along with an excellent strike rate from the tee.

The highlight of the term was the win over a strong Abingdon side that had beaten RGS Worcester 50-12 on tour. We were missing 5 key players but managed still to produce a win – and this is testament to the strength in depth of this team. The penultimate matches saw other players, some of whom were new to rugby, show off their newly-acquired skills, such as Alek Van Damm, all making important contributions in helping this team maintain its winning record. A narrow defeat to St Edwards (27-29) was unlucky in an even contest and the team quickly bounced back to beat Bristol Grammar School in the most adverse of weather conditions – and rugby that was not pretty to watch!

At the end of a most distinguished season, all of the squad deserve a massive well done and have been a pleasure to coach. To amass 322 points for and only 95 against is certainly a very pleasing achievement, and the boys will remember this season throughout their rugby playing days.

A number of this team have already represented the A-team, and as coaches we look forward to watching this group of players progress through the age-range and continue to enjoy their rugby. Our thanks go to the wider coaching staff at Malvern and Worcester Warriors for their helpful contributions this season.

MMC and WMLS

Under 14C

The U14C played a few games this year and produced pleasing performances throughout. The first encounter against Bowbrook House was an exciting affair, both sides eager to run the ball and score tries. Malvern struggled to contain some of Bowbrooks’s larger players, but our determination to show off our pace in Sam Agyeman Duah and Aaron Hallworth meant that we were able to outscore them by 2 tries.

Monmouth (22-22) were up next, and after a heavy defeat last year we knew that we would have to tackle consistently in order to compete. Tackle technique was something we had been working on in training that week. After an early try

by Monmouth through some weak defence, we responded with some strong running and a fine try by Aaron Hallworth.

A much renewed team effort in defence, and pleasing handling with players running into space, helped the team to stay in the game against a tough opposition. Notable performances from Shyam Sira and Praem Mekmok helped us to produce a pleasing draw at the final whistle.

The last game of the season (a 12-20 defeat to St Edward’s) was again an exciting close scoreline. After St Edward’s scored three early tries, Malvern showed resilience and saw Nick Wilson capitalise on a dropped opposition ball and run the length of the pitch to score. Reuben Graff’s tackling and counter-rucking was a wonderful example to the rest of the team in terms of how we have been trying to play with instinct and greater accuracy at the breakdown. The boys acknowledge that after a slow start they tried their best and this was certainly reflected in the scoreline. My thanks go to the squad for their enthusiasm throughout the term and

to Mr Joslin for his expert coaching, whom the boys very much appreciated.

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Cricket 1st XI

2019 proved an extremely successful season for the 1st XI,despite some inclement weather, across a variety of different formats. The highlight of the season was undoubtedly the winning of the National 20/20 competition – but more of that later. Jack Haynes was back at the helm and his runs and leadership would prove crucial to the success of the XI. The season started with a comprehensive win against Repton and a good Clifton side. Notable performances were Jack Haynes’s 80 not out and Daniel Holland’s 50 not out against Repton. Jock Catto was on fire with the ball against Clifton, picking up 6 wickets as Malvern bowled out Clifton for 63 to win by 196 runs. And Holland scored the first century of the season with a well crafted 119 against Clifton, with Luke Tulacz also in the runs, scoring 54 in the same game.

Malvern were on a winning streak and produced another good win against King’s Taunton. King’s were a strong outfit with a number of academy players but the Malvern spinners bowled well (especially Josh Dickenson) bowling Kings out for 146. Then the batters were patient and, despite a few scares along the way, we managed to knock off the runs 7 down. Young Rehaan Edavalath was also amongst the runs early in the season, scoring 70 in the win against the Free Foresters. Rehaan would be picked in the prestigious Bunbury Festival later in the summer, and follow in the footsteps of other Malvernians over the past few years.

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The next big test would be St Edward’s who, like us, had an England U19 International. For the first time in the season Malvern were not at the races, losing by 44 runs.

After half term, the XI were back to winning ways against the touring South Africa side from Grey PE. Jack Haynes scored a patient 92 not out to guide Malvern to a 5-wicket victory. In our annual two-day games against Wellington and then Bradfield, we had two wins, though owing to rain the Bradfield game became a one-innings game, Dan Brierley and Ed Mayell amongst the runs, scoring 60 and 58 respectively. The Malvern spinners once again did the damage, with Josh Dickenson and Josh Baker taking 4 wickets apiece as Malvern won by 44 runs. The Wellington game was a run fest and Oliver Cox made a pleasing 70 in the first innings. Wellington set Malvern 296 to win in the second innings of 65 overs, a difficult task made much easier by a simply sublime innings by Dan Holland – a monumental 176 not out which guided Malvern to victory by 7 wickets, and capped off a good red ball season for the XI. And so to the National 20/20. Malvern cruised through the group games against Wrekin and Bromsgrove, mainly thanks to an imperious batting display by Jack Haynes (124 runs) against Bromsgrove. This set up a nail-biting affair against Shrewsbury, and Malvern somehow scrambled a win in a very low scoring game, perhaps memorable only for

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Aaron Tomson’s spectacular catch! After a win against The Leys School it was down to Arundel for Finals day. This was the second time that Malvern found themselves at Finals Day since the tournament began, and there was hope that this time we could go one better and win. We were to face Merchant Taylors’ School in the first semi-final, who had taken the scalp of Tonbridge in the quarter-finals. Winning the toss, Jack Haynes elected to bat and got us off to a blistering start, smashing 21 off the first over. We had gained an early momentum and did not look back as we compiled 75 runs off the first six overs. Robbie Hardwick eventually fell for 43 off just 19 balls. Dan Holland joined Jack and kept up the run rate, striking the ball nicely to all parts of the ground. And Luke Tulacz provided the icing on the cake as he finished our innings with two 4s and a 6, allowing Malvern to score an excellent 195. Merchant Taylors’ got off to a brisk start, putting our bowlers under pressure. But the spinners held their nerve and wickets started to fall, Josh Baker (3-20), Dan Holland (2-9), and Aaron Tomson (2-32) bowling out Merchant Taylors for 138.

And so we moved to the final to play Sedbergh, who had beaten Millfield in the other semi-final. Malvern lost the toss – but were surprisingly asked to bat first. We were confident that if we could get around 160 that it would be a difficult chase on a wicket that was starting to take turn.

Haynes and Hardwick once again got us off to a good start as we made it to 41 before the first wicket fell. Jack continued to bat well but the boundaries were not being found and it looked like we would have to defend 140. Jack eventually fell for 49, but Sean Aggarwal, Josh Dickenson, and Luke Tulacz all batted with maturity, allowing us to compile 155 178

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after 20 overs. We would have to bowl well, but this was a defendable total. Malvern got off to a great start with Josh Baker taking a wicket in his first over. The first six overs saw Malvern take a further 4 wickets, Ludo Staley grabbing two, one of which was that of their England U19 player. Malvern had the upper hand, and when Sedbergh were 57 for 7 the game was all but over. Or was it? The Sedbergh batsmen started to play with a carefree attitude, clearing the ropes and finding the boundary regularly. Sedbergh at 136 for 8 were now in the box seat and the Malvern bowlers were under pressure. Josh Baker returned to bowl and duly took a wicket, Dan Holland taking a great catch on the boundary.

Sedbergh needed 14 runs off 2.3 overs with a wicket in hand.

It was getting very tense and we in the Malvern crowd could not believe we found ourselves in this position. One wicket was all that was needed. Aaron Tomson threw up one of his leg spinners, the batsman went back, the ball found the edge, and then nestled into the gloves of Robbie Hardwick.

Malvern College were National 20/20 champions and the celebrations began!

This was an excellent way to finish the season and a great way for Jack Haynes and Sean Aggarwal to sign off their time at Malvern. I want to thank both them and our other leavers, Dan Brierley, Ed Mayell and Oliver Millard for their commitment to Malvern Cricket. The bowling attack returns for the 2020 season and so the boys and Mr Brett will certainly be looking to do the double!

MEAH

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2nd XI

The 2nd XI’s season was, unfortunately, seriously afflicted by poor weather, and despite a wealth of fixtures on offer at the start of the season, only two competitive matches were played.

Against Clifton, early in the term and in bright but windy conditions, Malvern lost the toss and were sent into the field. Bowling first did not appear to pose us any problems, though, and Clifton were bowled out for a mere 86 runs.

Ludo Staley bowled very well and took 3 wickets for 11 runs in 5 overs; Charlie Williams took 2 for 18 in 5 overs, and Henry Forbes 4 for 21 in 4.2 overs. In reply, Malvern scored 87 for 7 wickets and thus won by 3 wickets. Ollie Millard scored 17, George White 14 runs, and Ludo Staley 15 runs.

Several weeks later, after a host of cancellations, we managed to get out on the field against St Edward’s. Malvern batted first and scored 212 for 6 (30 overs) with Charlie Williams hitting 55, Dylan Sillence 39, Owen Carrol 22, and Will Brinkman 41 not out – a pleasing collection of innings from our batsmen. Malvern then bowled out St Edward’s for 100 in 22 overs. Ludo Staley took 4 wickets, and Nick Booysen and Paddy Moyle each took 3 wickets apiece. Man of the match, though, for his all-round performance, was Charlie Williams. Malvern won by 112 runs.

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3rd XI

The summer of 2019 saw the greatest players from around the world gather in the fields of England to put on a festival of cricket to delight the masses. No, I’m not writing about the ICC World Cup, but of course the Malvern College 3rd XI. Would the batting match Kohli or Buttler? Would the bowling be as brutal as the West Indies or as cunning as India? Not quite, but it was still good fun…

Our first match at Clifton saw many debutants, each duly receiving their orange. Max Regan, our very own version of Don Bradman, skippered the side in what was to be his final appearance, and sadly it was to end much like the Aussie great; having scored 344 runs for the Thirds, his last innings was to end with a controversial caught-behind duck.

Malvern quickly fell to 7 for 3 after just 3 overs. However, Harry Brough with 26 and Jonathan Mather with 40 steadied the ship that saw Malvern post a total of 113 for 8 from their 20 overs. In response, Max Regan took 2 wickets for his first two balls – making for a rare occasion when he scored more wickets than runs – and Max Pickering also grabbed a wicket almost immediately. Ultimately, Malvern had chances in the field, but couldn’t quite take them, dropping six catches as Clifton won with 7 wickets and overs to spare.

Training the following week focused on the three areas we needed to improve the most, namely batting, bowling, and fielding, and the team were raring to go against St Edward’s Oxford. There were oranges for debutants Aarya Ramanj and Harvey Freeman, with the plum of captaincy, and a map of the fielding positions, bestowed upon Josh Sigley. The hosts batted first and the training paid clear

dividends, Jonathan Mather grabbing a wicket in the first over. Then the catches came: James Myres at mid-off; Nick Horn with two from behind the stumps; Kene Ajogwu’s superb catch on the run from long stop, leading to wild free-wheeling celebrations; and Harvey Freeman’s diving catch off his own bowling. Malvern restricted the hosts to 154 off their 20 overs. Max Pickering took 3 for 18, but there were also wickets for Matt Bruce, Ollie Cook, and Aarya. In reply, again early wickets fell quickly, and despite a solid mid-innings fightback from Mather (48) and Freeman (29), Malvern ultimately came up 45 runs short.

And that, sadly, was that. The rains of early June fell, and no more games could be played. That just leaves me to thank our leavers – Max Regan, our highest-ever run scorer; Josh Sigley, for his pineapple-hatted dedication to the team, playing at slip while recovering from a dislocated shoulder; and Matt Bruce, who does not have any connection to pineapples, but took only one less wicket than he scored runs this year. I also want to thank Luc Crompton and Harry Myddelton, whose final game got sadly rained off. And finally, I wish to thank all the boys who still have another year or two left at the College. I have thoroughly enjoyed the humour and the fun that you have brought to every training session and game, and I’m proud to report that the spirit that makes the 3rd XI such a pleasure to be part of is set to continue for some time yet.

SV

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Under 15A

With the Cricket World Cup returning to UK shores in the summer of 2019, the weather was always going to be a factor in the make-up of who qualified for the later stages of the tournament. Well, I can tell you that the weather also played a significant part in the U15As cricketing summer, and when it rained, it really did rain. In fact, some might say ‘rain’, but perhaps ‘bucketed down’, ‘monsoonal’ or even ‘localised flooding’ would be a better description, and for the second half of term, the Junior Turf was essentially a duck pond!

That we played eleven matches throughout the term was a minor miracle and we can only thank the ground staff for their tireless efforts and dedication to the cause. The boys really don’t know how fortunate they are to play on such wonderful surfaces.

Overall, the team had a very successful and enjoyable season, with a record of eight victories, three defeats and seven abandoned matches. We managed to secure the Worcestershire T20 County title and were only one victory away from making the National T20 finals at Arundel.

Over the course of the season, six of the side played for the 1st XI and therefore the future is looking very bright for this excellent cricketing year group. Team highlights were numerous, but three stand out: the dominant 120-run victory over Clifton College; the mature 108-run success over St Edward’s, Oxford; and the nail-biting 3-run win against Solihull in the regional T20 final.

Positive cricket was the key to the success of the side, ably led by Myles Holland. Myles had another good season – with his 3 for 33 against Bromsgrove and 78 not out against St Edward’s being his obvious highlights. Oliver Cox had an 182

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excellent term, scoring 361 runs at an average of 45.13. Oliver also scored the only century of the season and took eight wickets with his leg spin. Rehaan Edavalath scored 202 runs and took eleven wickets in the matches he managed to fit in around his 1st XI commitments. Angus Catto continues to look like another super prospect, with both bat and ball, and scored a superb 80 against Clifton College and took a vital 3 for 11 in our nail-biting victory over Solihull. Jonny Edwards scored a determined 60 against Worcestershire Rapids and bowled well all season. He topped the averages in regards to overs bowled, wickets taken and best analysis (5 for 30 against St Edward’s, Oxford).

Harry Slater went from strength to strength with his bowling as the term progressed and his 2 for 18 against Stamford was his best return. Harry was often the most consistent seam bowler on show and his economy rate was the lowest in the side. Will Hartley scored 44 against Worcestershire Rapids and certainly has the ability to be very inventive with his shot selection! Finn Morris improved behind the stumps as the season progressed and was consistently excellent at training – he was rewarded with a match for the 1st XI in the final week of term. Will Crossland always caused problems for opposition batsman and his high point was against Worcestershire Rapids, when he took 5 for 42. Will also had the best bowling average, with each of his wickets costing just over nine runs. Oliver Tulloch, Oliver Doherty, Joe Randall and Edward Freeman also put in some good performances throughout the season and I thank them all for their efforts and good humour. Finally, we also promoted Joel Cox and Tommy Boorman from the

U14s at different points during the term – both look likely to have successful careers on the Senior in the future.

It remains for me to thank the catering department for match teas and to the parents who gave the team such wonderful support. Final thanks go to Rob Horne, who in his last year at Malvern, provided excellent advice, knowledge, and support to the boys. All of this side have excellent cricketing futures ahead of them and I look forward to watching them develop as they move into senior school teams next year.

RWJH

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Under 15B

On paper this was a very strong side. Indeed it was said by a number of masters that a few of them would have been regular A team players in previous seasons. Unfortunately the English summer played its usual tricks and meant that the season never really got going.

After a couple of rained-off matches the side finally took to the field in a midweek 20/20 game against Hanley Castle. As this was the first game players were asked to retire at 25 and everyone got to bowl. A number of batsmen got runs before retiring, allowing Malvern to post a respectable total of 167-2 in their overs. In reply good accurate bowling and fielding restricted their visitors to 100-4 in their overs.

James Pickering was man of the match for his big-hitting performance at the crease.

Against visitors Clifton – who brought 9 players – Malvern batted first, scoring 198/3 (Ed Freeman 67 and Harry Finch 81). Taking to the field they worked well together and were supportive of each other. They restricted Clifton to 129/8, with 3 wickets for George Rose, 2 for Otto Lazar, 2 for Cameron Eldridge and one for Edward Freeman.

A great performance by the U15Bs followed in Oxford, on one of the better cricketing days of a wet season, as we visited St Edward’s. Congratulations were due to Harry Finch, who was able to retire on 105, but also to Edward Freeman (51) and Cameron Eldridge (48). Wickets were shared between Tarush Agrawal, Tanush Sanghai, Lucas Sweet, Harry Sigley, and Jonny Stephenson. This match gave us a glimpse of the quality that was available in this team, and we can only speculate over how the season might have panned out if we had had more opportunities to play games.

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After these good performances against Clifton and St Edwards the 15Bs looked forward to what should have been a testing end of season, with matches against Bromsgrove and Shrewsbury. But unfortunately the English summer weather struck again and both of these games were rained off, leaving a very frustrated group of players and coaches.

Sometimes that is the way with cricket, and we hope for better fortune next year.

SJ

Under 15C

The U15Cs began the season unbeaten – having gone through the entirety of the 2018 cricket season without losing a match, in their previous incarnation as the U14 Cavaliers. And technically speaking, this was a record which they upheld, winning as they did the two matches which the weather permitted them to play. (Arguably one match – the first featured an U15B/C hybrid, a strange, unwieldy, experimental beast of a team.)

Readers who have scanned the reports of the higherstring sides will have learnt that the summer of 2019 did not want us to play competitive cricket. It was not that we endured three months of continuous rain, but rather that precipitation coincided, with remarkable neatness, with the fixture card. Repton, Shrewsbury, Prince Henry’s, Bromsgrove, Bromsgrove again: one by one these worthy opponents were blotted and bleached from the scorebook by inclement weather, as if the clouds were enormous drones sent by the gods the moment match day arrived.

Even the first match against Clifton College – which we won by 112 runs – though clear and sunlit, was a windtossed affair, with fielders screaming to hear each other against the booming gusts which swept across the Court Rd pitch. This match was won largely on account of Harry Finch and Edward Freeman (both B-team regulars), who, with the toss won and Malvern batting, swatted around the Clifton attack in an opening partnership which appeared, and proved, to put the match out of arm’s reach for the opposition. So one-sided an affair did it seem that when a very full toss arrived at Finch’s waist and clattered into the stumps, the square-leg umpire thought it expedient not to

call a No Ball, and the wicket stood. Naturally the batsman took it with good grace.

Technically the U15C’s only outing saw them play away at St Edward’s in a 20/20 game, captained by Jack Yeoward.

Batting first, Teddies were hard to get out but scored slowly thanks to some pacey and controlled bowling from Yeoward and from Sergey Artemov, finishing on 113. Malvern knocked off this total with 3 overs to go, Gregory Lane (on loan from the Bs) scoring an unbeaten 54.

PWM

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Under 14A

To win every school match in the season in such a cramped and pressurised summer term is a very impressive achievement – especially with the strong fixture card that we had this summer. This was a magnificent season for the U14As and the boys deserve huge praise for the manner in which they trained and approached every match.

With wins over Repton School, Clifton College, St. Edward’s Oxford, Wellington College, KES Birmingham, and RGS Worcester, we looked strong in all departments of the game, but what was nice was the fact that every member of the team contributed at some stage in the season.

Tommy Boorman captained the side with real authority and led from the front on many occasions. To have such a competent captain at this age group is something to savour, and Tommy was worth his weight in gold, marshalling his team supremely well. His chanceless 88* (out of a total of 154-0) against Repton was well worth watching as he found the boundary rope consistently, and indeed, the run chase against Wellington College in the hot sunshine was built around his wonderful innings of 76 in which he dominated their bowling from the start to (almost!) finish.

There were other highlights with the bat and Archie Bailey’s 67 against St. Edward’s Oxford was quite superb.

Joel Cox’s watchful 52* against Repton anchored the innings and ensured that Repton were unable to penetrate our batting – not even once – and Noah Hanke’s quick-fire 30 in a T20 game against RGS Worcester was crying out for replays!

With the ball we looked a strong unit with plenty of options. Our bowlers bowled one side of the wicket more often than not (!) and in Sam Cook, Shyam Sira, and Archie 186

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Bailey, we had three useful fast-medium bowlers who swung the ball both ways. Joel Cox provided the team with some accurate leg spin, and indeed it was his 5-16 that brought about the destruction of a highly-rated Clifton College team.

Charles Hoyland and George Ward were very useful secondchange seamers who had a canny ability to draw out mistakes from opposition batsmen.

Our fielding looked sharp – most of the time – and the boys grew in confidence in this all-important part of the game: witness Luka van Vuuren’s laser throw from cover to run out a Clifton batsman. This was typical of the standards which the boys set themselves.

These boys were a fantastic bunch and they simply love their cricket, working hard for each other as a team. The coaching was spearheaded by the ex-Number Fiver, Mr. Smith, who deserves huge praise for the energy he put into all the practices, for his useful – if at times quite direct – advice, and for his work on the iPad creating all the statistics for the season! There is no doubt in my mind that these boys will star in the cricket teams as they move through the school. We are lucky to have them and the future looks bright.

TPN

Under 14B

The 2018-19 season will go down as one of the wettest for the U14B team with 4 of the 7 fixtures being lost to weather.

The season got off to a disappointing start with a 7-run loss to Repton. The boys from Derbyshire batted first, scoring 156-2 off 25 overs with one wicket each for Frankie Jeffries and Henry Hall. In reply we recovered from an awful 15-5 to finish agonisingly close on 149-8 off 25 overs.

The top scorers were Jeffries with 77 not out and captain Reuben Dargan with 31.

Alas, the next game to Rendcomb was lost to bad weather, but in the following match against Clifton the boys were eager to put things right after the Repton disappointment. Malvern batted first, scoring a competitive 136-3 off 20 overs. Frankie Jeffries, continuing his good form, was our top scorer with 43 not out. In reply, despite suffering an early wicket, Clifton surpassed our total, reaching 140-2 in the 16th over.

With the Dean Close fixture lost to further inclement weather, the chance to gain our first win of the season came against St Edward’s. With Teddies struggling a little for players, it was decided to play a four-innings match at 10 overs per innings. In the first innings Malvern scored 91/9, Reuben Dargan top-scoring with 45. In reply St Edward’s scored 84/4 with George Kidson taking 2/10 and David Borha 2/9. In the second innings, Malvern scored 97/5 leaving St Edward’s 100 to win. In a thrilling finale, St Edward’s managed 79/6 with Leo Westwood taking 2 for 2, meaning Malvern won their first match of the season. Buoyed by their victory, the team were keen for more – but unfortunately the

next three games, including matches against Shrewsbury and Bromsgrove, were lost to the rain.

Overall, this was a difficult season for the boys with so many matches cancelled, but having shown their potential at training, it all bodes well for next summer when hopefully far fewer games will be lost to rain.

AM

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Under 14C

After some promising displays in the nets in the build-up, the U14 Cavaliers XI suffered a sobering defeat away at Clifton College, losing by nine wickets: not the ideal start to the season! In spite of this, there were some glimpses of real quality, with Sylvan Agyeman-Duah excelling with the bat before being dismissed by a stunning catch at backward point. Henry Warrallo was Man of the Match for his stoic batting performance and energetic bowling, whilst the team was admirably captained by Oliver Kidson, who made sure that everyone was involved in the game.

Unfortunately, inclement weather postponed the Cavaliers’ response to this defeat by a number of weeks, with several fixtures being called off. The opportunity, when it did come, was against St Edward’s, Oxford, and the boys seized it with both hands – in Aghasi Avanesov’s case, quite literally, as he took an outstanding catch down to his right at midwicket to spark a St Edward’s batting collapse. Oliver Minter’s assured performance with the bat was the highlight of the Malvern run chase, and his partnership with Adam Davies was ultimately enough to secure a comfortable victory.

On reflection, this was a slightly stunted – and therefore disappointing – season for the Cavaliers, who were keen for extra occasions to showcase their talents. But the work that they put in behind the scenes will not be in vain, as they move through the College and continue with their promising cricketing journeys.

GFB

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2019 South Africa Tour

It was an excited but sleepy party which arrived at Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg) at 6am after a long flight. (It was not long before the Fines Committee began to realize the scale of the task confronting them: “Why is the sky so much bigger over here!”, and ‘Sir, did I really need my boarding pass?’ are just a selection of the comments that we had to note in the fines book.) Ironically, we arrived in conditions that were reminiscent of Malvern on a wet and windy autumn morning – not what the boys were expecting.

Nevertheless, after a two-hour stop-over, we were soon on our way again, and our South African airways flight landed at Cape Town International Airport at 11.50am. The contrast in the weather (now a scorching 36 degrees) could not have been greater. Moreover, the sunlight which bounced off Table Mountain as we banked for our final descent was quite simply an amazing spectacle for everyone to enjoy.

Once through customs, we loaded our kit onto the tour minibus and were off to our first fixture against Bishops Diocesan College – a 45-over day/night affair. As we drove along the Cape Flats, the contrast between cosmopolitan Cape Town in the distance, and the neighbouring townships, was palpable. You could also sense a mixture of anticipation, trepidation, and excitement rumbling in the stomachs of the tour party as we arrived at the ground. This quickly changed into dejection as Captain Aggarwal lost the toss and the home side elected to bat first. Water was consumed, sun screen applied, and fingers crossed that the sun would not be too draining. We were now definitely ‘ON TOUR’.

Bishops managed to post a competitive 226/9 in their 45 overs (Josh Baker had been the star with the ball taking 3

for 47) and this was always going to prove a difficult chase under lights. Dan Holland made the first 50 of the tour but this was in vain as Malvern were bowled out for 124. At least the boys had managed to blow away some of the cobwebs and we could not fault their effort.

We woke early on Friday and ascended safely to the top of Table Mountain before 9am. The boys enjoyed the rotating cable car ride and the views from the top were quite simply breathtaking. Team photos were taken and geography lessons given – both enjoyed in equal measure, naturally. Later in the day, we took the lads out for some food at Hudson’s and then arrived at the ground for our second fixture – a T20 affair against Ronderbosch. Captain Aggarwal won the toss and elected to bat first on a slow and well-worn wicket. After Dan Holland crunched the first ball of the match through extra cover for none, we revised our batting target and realised that a score around 125 would be competitive. Unfortunately, we lost wickets at key times and this stopped our momentum. Aggarwal hit an assured 48 but nobody else got to grips with the wicket – and we finished on 98 for 8. In reply, Ronderbosch were reduced to 9 for 2 off 3 overs and it was ‘game on’. But some slightly wayward bowling thereafter eased the pressure and Ronderbosch knocked off the required runs only five wickets down. The boys were billeted for the evening and took full advantage of some excellent South African hospitality.

On Saturday, we were awoken to the sight of Table Mountain with its ‘tablecloth’ on – and what a magnificent sight this is to behold. We spent the majority of our rest day at Langa Township undertaking a tour of the region. Our Cric ke t

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tour guide, Bulelani, was a fountain of knowledge and his Corner to Corner company did a fantastic job in looking after us all. The highlights from the township included the team playing the djembe drums, eating sheep head (commonly referred to as a smiley), dancing with the Langa dance troop, and visiting a courtroom used in the apartheid era.

The boys also had an opportunity to visit a township home, which was a humbling and memorable experience. Finally, in the evening, we headed for the V&A Waterfront, where the boys enjoyed the steaks and burgers on offer!

On the Sunday we headed to Wynberg – the alma mater of a certain Jacques Henry Kallis.

Captain Aggarwal lost the toss again, and we were put in the field. Luke Tulacz and Paddy Moyle started well with the ball, putting it in the right places – though unfortunately to no avail. But Josh Baker took a wicket in his first over, and we were in a really good place at 17 overs with Wynberg 5 wickets down. As the game went on, however, we began to make mistakes in the field and Wynberg eventually finished with 195 from their 50, Josh Baker taking a maiden 5 wicket haul for the 1st XI. In reply, our innings started well with Dan Holland and Oliver Cox opening. But tragedy struck in the fifth over when Cox was run out. Thereafter our batting disappointingly collapsed, with the Wynberg bowlers putting us under pressure. Luke Tulacz put in a great effort along with Josh Dickenson to try and rebuild the innings, but the damage had already been done. We passed 100 thanks to these two, but once Josh was out our innings soon came to an end.

And so farewell to Cape Town. The next day we departed the hotel at 8.30am and headed to the airport for our transfer to Johannesburg. We touched down at 1pm local time with everyone well rested and in good spirits for the second leg of the tour. After a three-hour bus journey, we finally arrived at Camp Discovery and found very different surroundings to those we experienced in the urban metropolis on the Cape: we had arrived in the Highveld. With Springbok and Eland walking across the outfield, the boys could certainly be forgiven for dropping a few high catches during the fielding practice! In the evening the boys spent some time at the swimming pool and then were treated to a bush walk around the site. The staff had to endure supper around a campfire: truly, these were hard times. And the boys were looking forward to playing on a real belter of a wicket which the curator had spent over four weeks preparing, for our match against Menlo Park.

We were woken early to the atmospheric sounds of the African bush. Olly Cox thought that he had heard a Lion in the night but was relieved to find out that they were located in the next lodge… or were they…? We could walk to the cricket pitch from our accommodation, and arrived at 10am for the match to commence: game on. We won the toss and

elected to bat first; the wicket was excellent but the outfield was very slow. And at 9 for 3 and 16 for 4 the decision to bat first was not looking a wise one. However, Tulacz and Aggarwal steadied the ship and put the team into a better position at 75 for 4. Unfortunately, we did not capitalise on this partnership and a lower order collapse meant that we were bowled out for 103. In reply, Menlo Park’s openers got off to a flying start and certainly used the altitude to their advantage by hitting a couple of towering sixes. But Dan Holland first got a breakthrough and then Dickenson, Baker, and Tomson all bowled well to reduce them to 93 for 6. The momentum was now with us – but we just could have done with an extra 20/30 runs. No more wickets fell, and we lost by 4 wickets with the ‘what ifs’ ringing in our ears. In the evening, a braai and game drive were enjoyed by all.

We were up early the next morning for our second game drive at Camp Discovery. To see some of the Big Five in their natural habitat was an amazing experience. With buffalo, rhino, hippo, giraffe, and zebra ticked off the list, the boys were on the hunt for leopard, elephant and lion.

Unfortunately, we did not find the remainder of the Big Five. After a hearty breakfast, and in temperatures pushing 38 degrees, the boys had another training session to hone their skills for the St Albans tournament. So as we packed up our belongings and headed for St Albans, the boys were in good spirits and looking forward to the challenges of a two-day game against St Andrews, Grahamstown. We were also braced to swap our 4-star accommodation for dormitory living!

With considerable amounts of dew on the outfield we decided to have a bat after winning the toss. Both our openers fell in fairly quick succession a few overs into the day, and it was left to George White and Dan Holland to negate the spinners. Dan was eventually caught at short leg, but George played a good innings showing grit and determination. Aggarwal came to the crease and immediately showed his intent, hitting boundaries freely. When he was joined by Luke Tulacz, it was the best batting spell we had enjoyed so far on the tour. Aggarwal reached his fifty – but our innings came to a stop when the lightning sirens went off. When we eventually got back onto the field Malvern decided to declare, leaving St Andrews a tricky period to negotiate that evening, which they negotiated for 88 for 2 at the end of the day.

Day two saw our opponents declare 40 runs behind.

With the ball now in our court we would have to bat well to set up a game. Our innings started slowly, with the St Andrews’ bowlers finding good line and length. The game was stuttering along until Robbie Hardwick came to the crease and he and Aaron Tomson built a good partnership.

Hardwick was eventually run out for 40 but he had changed

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the impetus of the innings. After some good striking blows from Luke Tulacz and Josh Dickenson, Malvern were able to declare 200 ahead with 70 overs left in the day. The spinners were going to be the key to winning this match and Dan Holland and Josh Baker bowled exceptionally well in tandem. And Josh finished with the excellent figures of 7 for 35 from 27 overs, a quite remarkable effort to lead Malvern to their first win of the tour.

Following what can only be described as the mother of all storms, changes had to be made to the cricketing plans for the next day. Instead of a declaration game with Michaelhouse, a T20 was organised as the originally designated pitch was waterlogged. Our T20 was to be played on the main pitch at the school, which provided some much needed relief from the very heavy outfields that we had experienced on the tour: it was clear that we were finally going to get value for our shots. Sean yet again won the toss and we batted. Dan Holland welcomed the new ball with a couple of nicely timed drives that went for four, getting us off to a positive start on a good pitch. Robbie Hardwick continued from the previous day, showing great intent and hitting a towering six. When he was out the ever-reliable Aggarwal came to the crease and started well going on to hit a much needed 41, and the tail-enders pushed our total up to a commendable 130. But in the field we simply weren’t good enough, making a plethora of mistakes. The game still went down to the wire – but Michaelhouse kept their nerve, winning the game with 3 balls to spare. This game was the One That Got Away!

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On our last evening in South Africa, we were treated to a culinary experience at Moo Moo’s to celebrate the many successes of the tour. Our final day saw us play the hosts St Albans in a 45-over game. We lost the toss and were back in the field. The fielding and bowling was the polar opposite of the day before, with Jock Catto and Luke Tulacz bowling very well up-front. Malvern bowled out the opposition for 126, Aaron Tomson taking 4 for 9. There were a few nerves in the chase, but thanks to Dan Brierley and Luke Tulacz we were able to secure our second win of the tour – a great way to end. We packed our bags for the very last time and headed for the airport. In the end, we played seven matches, won two and lost five: a very respectable pre-season tour.

The tour party bonded very well and lots of important lifelong lessons were experienced. Sean Aggarwal picked up top batsman of the tour and Josh Baker (with 22 wickets) was our best bowler. We returned to the UK ready to use our experiences to kick-start the 2019 season – what a tour!

MEAH

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Girls’ Cricket

Girls’ Cricket at Malvern College is forever growing, with more and more girls being interested in the programme and what it has to offer. Although we are still in the foundations of growth, the programme is always looking for areas to develop, to ensure that girls have both training and playing opportunities to better themselves. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, exam clashes, and other circumstances we had to cancel a variety of matches for each teams. We had a range of successful outcomes for both U18s, U15s, and the U14s.

Prior to the season starting, five girls travelled to Desert Springs Resort in April, along with a group of boys, on a training camp. They were given coaching by the three staff coaches that ac-companied them, as well as playing two matches against another touring side. The girls settled in well and developed their skills significantly over the 5 days.

They were pick of the bowlers in the first match, taking 7 wickets between them. This is something that the girls are looking to do more regularly, not only to better themselves as players, but to integrate with the boys as well.

The U18s had a very successful season this year as they entered the U18s Shrewsbury School T20 cup and reached finals day, finishing 4th. The girls were extremely pleased with how they performed throughout the tournament, setting a good base for years to come. They hosted the group stages, playing three matches against Shrewsbury, Millfield, and Oakham. Malvern won two of the three games, comfortably beating Shrewsbury by 44 runs and Oakham by 36 runs.

Finals day was played at Moseley Cricket Club later in the season, where 4 teams battled it out for the win. We were competing alongside Shrewsbury, Millfield, and Felsted, 19 4

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three extremely talented cricketing schools. Malvern unfortunately lost their semi-final and the 3rd/4th playoff game; however the skill, resilience, collaboration, and determination to succeed were por-trayed in high spirits of the game.

The U18s won 4 out of their 8 games played this season; however there have been some ex-tremely positive performances from the girls. Georgie Hartley led the team from the front, be-ing the highest run scorer, and Issy Crossland led the bowling attack with her pace and accura-cy. Malvern played teams such as Rugby School, Wellington, MCC, Shrewsbury, and Oundle. Teams that will always provide high levels of skill and excitement. I am really proud of how the Seniors presented themselves this year, considering the range of ages that play within the squad.

Unfortunately, owing to poor weather conditions and other circumstances, the U15s did not have a fixture as they were all cancelled. They were due to have 5 fixtures in place; however a lot of the U15s players played in the senior matches so did not miss out. The U14s had 6 fix-tures, of which only one was played as the others were cancelled due to weather. They played a friendly against Abberley Hall School and lost by 7 wickets.

Overall the girls have had a successful season; however it would have been better if the weath-er was on our side! The cricket program for girls at Malvern is constantly growing and they are getting greater opportunities as we develop.

TFB

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Hockey 1st XI

It is so nice to start off by reporting the great success of the girls. Over the summer of 2018 some enjoyed international success. Jess Biddle represented England U16’s at the Six Nations in Ireland, finishing with an impressive Bronze Medal after beating a talented Belgium team 1-0 in the thirdplace playoff match. Hannah and Anna both played in this year’s England Hockey Futures Cup, with Anna representing Wales and Hannah Mercia Lynx. Both girls had a strong tournament with Hannah coming away with a Silver Medal.

Fran’s development over the past four years has been incredible and over the summer she was selected to play for Italy U18’s in the European Championships. Finishing fifth in the tournament was a fantastic achievement and fully deserved.

This helped set the scene for the up and coming season and pre-season where we invited the 1st XI squad, U15s, and remaining senior players over the course of four days.

In that time we have team training sessions, matches against Stourport Hockey Club and Colwall & Malvern, a tournament held at Clifton, and some fun team building. The four days were fantastic and high standards were set for the season ahead. The highlight for the girls was getting their new Adidas kit, which was very kindly donated by the Hsu family and helped give us a professional look.

Our first block fixture of the season was away against Bloxham School. Malvern got off to a flying start, putting 19 6

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Bloxham under pressure and not allowing them to get into the match. Malvern pressed well and created a number of counter-attacking opportunities, but struggled to get past the good Bloxham keeper. Eventually Antonia Worrallo opened the scoring with a great finish. Soon after Andrea Agut Artigas doubled the lead through a penalty corner, with Antonia and Georgina Hartley taking the score to 4-0.

Bloxham started to get into the match, but just before half time Antonia Worrallo scored her hatrick. After half time Malvern continued to pile on the pressure, scoring a further 5 goals through Charley Atkinson, Anonia Worrallo, Ottilie Thomas and the best goal of the match Millie Kold, lobbing the goalkeeper into the top corner of the net.

Games started coming thick and fast with a convincing victory over Denstone College (12-0), a superb display against a strong Clifton College side (4-0), Cheltenham Ladies’ College (5-1 away and then 7-0 at home 4 days later, in the England Hockey Cup. The final match of the half term was against Dean Close, whom we always use as a benchmark to see how we are progressing. The game was fantastic and ended 3-3, but it was frustrating letting a 3-1 lead slip. A special mention goes to Antonia Worrallo, who score 12 goals in the previous 4 matches.

After a much deserved rest over half term it was a frantic start, with a tough opening block fixture against Cheltenham

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College where we lost a very exciting match 4-3. Following on from this was the start of the indoor hockey programme, for which we travelled to RGS Worcester to play against Bromsgrove, King’s Worcester, Malvern St James, and RGS Worcester. Having beaten all teams before going into the last match against RGS it was ‘winner takes all’ for the County title. Unfortunately, after a great start RGS came back strongly and beat us 6-2. We still qualified for the regional finals for the 7th year in a row. The girls then had to play King’s High Warwick in the next round of the England Hockey Cup. A solid display from the girls saw them progress into the next round with a 4-0 victory, meaning Clifton College was waiting for them in the next round.

The girls travelled away for that match and put in one of the displays of the season to beat them 5-0. After training hard for a week, the girls had the Midlands Indoor Finals in Wolverhampton. Despite playing incredibly well, the girls missed out on a semi-final spot on goal difference, by one goal, Antonia Worrallo once again shining in front of goal with 10 goals in the tournament. Hannah Atkinson and Ellie Calderwood had amazing tournaments especially with the quality of their defensive work.

The final block of term came against Wycliffe College.

The girls started brightly, taking an early lead in the first five minutes through Millie Kold. Poppy Underwood later doubled the advantage with an extremely well-taken volley (one 19 8

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of the best school goals we have seen!). Malvern dropped the tempo a little which allowed Wycliffe a few chances, but Poppy got her second just after the break to allow some breathing space. Wycliffe got one back from a short corner, but Georgie Hartley finished off a well-taken team move to restore the three-goal advantage and give Malvern a welldeserved to win.

Soon after the Christmas break we had to play Marlborough in the last 16 of the England Hockey Cup. For preparations we played Stourport Hockey Club 2nd XI, where previously we had lost 9-0. We knew this was going to be tough, but a great performance saw the girls draw 2-2, which gave them confidence going into the cup match the following day. The cup match was exciting from start to finish, but sadly the result went Marlborough’s way 2-1.

This was an incredible season and one we should be very proud of. A special mention must go to Ellie Calderwood, Fran Hsu, and Anna Barth who were the captains group and lead the girls so well throughout the term. Also many thanks to Mohammed Samak and Joey Turnbull for their coaching and umpiring.

MRM

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2nd XI

With a large number of talented girls in the 2nd XI squad for the year, hopes for a strong season were high when the team started the season with an away game against Hereford Cathedral School’s 1st XI. A combination of the girls’ starting slowly and Hereford’s coming out of the blocks quickly saw us fall a goal down within the first 10 minutes. But a change of formation that added an extra midfielder allowed the girls to gain a foothold in the game and we started to have more possession. This allowed Scarlett Shaw, Isabel Wynn, and Sapphire Anderson to link the play and provide the forwards with more of the ball. The team then started to create some chances – and Annabel Slater converted one of them to draw the scores level. Then, minutes later, some good pressing of the Hereford defence yielded a turnover which left Annabel one-on-one with the goalkeeper – and she duly lifted into the goal to give Malvern the lead. It was a shame when the half time whistle went as Malvern were clearly in the ascendency. After half time the game was quite open with both sides having – and failing to convert – chances to score. Scarlett Shaw continued to show great vision with early passes to hard-working forwards Slater, Isabel Crossland, and Sapphire and Amber Anderson.

Whilst in defence Esther Woods, Hermione Martyn-Smith and Coral Arteaga Vivanco regularly stopped the Hereford attacks with vital interceptions and tackles. Coral in particular should be highlighted for a strong performance in her first game for the 2nds.

Over the rest of the half term the squad trained well and demonstrated the depth of talent available as over 20 girls represented the 2nd XI whilst they beat Denstone College 200

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7-0, Clifton College 5-0, Cheltenham Ladies College 3-1 and a strong Dean Close side 3-1 to leave the side unbeaten at half term.

After half term the team travelled to Cheltenham College to take on their unbeaten 2nd XI. The girls put in a high quality performance in dismantling the opposition. The first 10 minutes of the game saw Malvern continually press Cheltenham so that they did not leave their half at all. When Malvern turned the ball over they moved it around nicely and created some good chances. Malvern deservedly took the lead through Sassy Anderson, as she beat a couple of Cheltenham defenders before calmly finishing. The second goal was not long in coming when Valentina Samadani, who impressed on her 2nd team debut, played a lovely ball from outside the D to the back post for Amber Anderson to deflect past the Cheltenham goalkeeper. After the half time break Malvern knew that, as long as they continued to work hard, then their superior skill levels would see them come out on top. The girls did exactly this, with Alexia Clarke continuing to show great energy in driving the team forward down the right. It was Lexie that set Sassy Anderson free down the right, and her powerful run past two Cheltenham defenders saw her square the ball to Annie Slater to tap in Malvern’s third goal. Our final goals was scored by Antonia Kuhr from short corners when her drag flick sneaked past the Cheltenham goalie. There was enough time for Cheltenham to grab a consolation goal on the break; but it was only that.

The whole squad of 16 should be very proud of their performance, Emily Atherton and Georgina Wood read the game beautifully in defence whilst Ariana Davison, Katherine

Gascoigne-Wilson, and Coral Artega-Vivanco defended well and offered great attacking outlets. The midfielders, Antonia Kuhr, Alexia Clarke, Helene Vansteenbrugghe, Esther Woods, Valentina Samadani, worked tirelessly and tackled ferociously, whilst demonstrating the ability to beat players and connect the play. Whilst the forward line of Amber and Sassy Anderson, Annie Slater, Imogen Cole, and Izzy Crossland were always a threat. This was a great performance all round: my congratulations go to the girls.

With two games of the season remaining the team’s hope of an unbeaten season disappeared with a 0-3 loss to Christ College Brecon 1st XI. The game was closer than the score suggests, but a physical and committed Christ College managed to take their chances at key points in the game whereas we could not. It was a disappointing result but a good display, and the girls now had a level to try and achieve so that our 2nd XI can be beating other schools’ 1st XI sides.

The final game of the season saw the girls bounce back in beating Wycliffe College 5-0 to round off an excellent season in which the team easily beat all the 2nd XIs they played and competed strongly with 1st XI sides. With a large squad of players the team should be able to go from strength to strength next year. We will miss the U6th, Emily Atherton, Amber Anderson, Helene Vansteenbrugghe, Ariana Davison, Scarlett Shaw, Issy Wynn, Hermione Martyn-Smith, and Izzy Hammond, next year but wish them the best of luck and hope that they all keep playing hockey.

JRC

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3rd XI

The 3rd XI had an excellent season. In our opening fixture, we came up against a strong Bloxham 2nd XI. We lost 3-0, and their coach agreed that while the teams were evenly matched, physicality was the distinguishing factor. Getting it right first time this week was player of the match, Georgina Wood, who seemed magically to appear in all corners of the pitch to intercept and clear the ball. Her awareness and strength on the ball were exemplary. It was encouraging to note that this group of Hundred and 6th Form girls was already well integrated, happy to try any position and ready to work hard. Going forward, the girls decided to focus on getting stronger and more decisive on the ball, and faster and more aware off the ball.

And this they did: from the first push back against Denstone, it was clear that the Malvern 3rds meant business, and within 5 minutes, we were 3-0 up. The opposition impressed with their resilience and determination, and nothing was given away. As the Denstone defence got more organised, our patience was tested, as more transfers were necessary to find a way through. The result was some impressive passing play by the Malvern girls. Indeed, umpire Sarvi Risavi-Hart said it was the best quality 3rd team she had ever seen at Malvern. The final score of 7-0 with four goals by Imogen Cole and one each for Gemma Luscombe, Freya Saxton, and Valentina Samadani was the result of an outstanding team effort. The player of the match was Valentina Samadani, whose vision, stick work and passing play were quite exceptional.

In week 3, Banita Dodhia was given the captaincy duties, and expertly led a cold, tired group of girls through a slick 202

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warm-up that saw a focused, organised team take to the field. Practices had focused on transferring the ball and improving ball speed, both of which were in evidence on the weekend. The girls moved the ball around, steadily building up an attack, while in defence, Siima Rukandema and Laura Browne, in particular, offered outstanding cover. With 17 circle entries in total, 3 goals may seem a paltry return, but the Clifton keeper kept us honest, and only carefully worked moves to find the bottom right and left corners would ultimately find the back board.

Next it was time for the 3rds to meet Cheltenham Ladies’ College away and, as ever, Malvern brought their A-game.

The girls began the match with energy and had the majority of early possession which they converted into an early lead. This strong performance was maintained throughout taking the girls to a 7-0 final victory. In the second half, having built up a good enough cushion, the girls were given the chance to try out different positions while playing with only 10 players. This gave Bonnie Green and Laura Browne the chance to show off their abilities for which they were rightly recognised as the players of the match.

A surprising turn in the weather saw the 3rds playing Dean Close under blue skies. No more surprises followed as the girls displayed the same excellent form they had shown all season. The first passage of play and, indeed, most of the first half was a masterclass in how to move a ball around a hockey pitch. Dean Close fought hard and nothing short of classy creativity was going to get us the goals – Ishbel Spencer-Nairn and Lottie Bulley both finding the back board with perfectly executed reverse stick shots. It was another

sparkling ‘day at the office’ for the Thirds, whose outstanding teamwork had made them a pleasure to coach and a force to be reckoned with.

A lacklustre first half against Cheltenham College, characterised by slow ball pace and a general lack of intensity, saw us 2-1 down at the break. Following a no-nonsense team talk, the girls took to the field in the second half ready to prove that they wanted to win. This they did thanks to excellent connections in the midfield and outstanding finishing by the forwards. An almost impenetrable defence, backed up by some super saves by goalkeeper Geegee Macakiage, prevented Cheltenham from scoring at all. Special mention to Freya Saxton for her hat-trick, and player of the match Gemma Luscombe whose anticipation was critical in both attack and defence.

Several last-minute adjustments to personnel did nothing to upset the stability of this excellent unit, who came out strong as ever against Christ College Brecon. The girls took about five minutes to find their rhythm, with the defenders and goalkeeper Macakiage having to work hard to keep a relentless opposition at bay. However, as soon as Freya Saxton scored our first goal, we were back to the attractive passing hockey that had earned us compliments all season.

Ishbel took to the scoresheet next with a penalty flick to the top right corner, followed soon after by a field goal. 3-0 up at half time, we knew we needed to be wary of getting complacent. Despite conceding early in the second half, the girls regrouped and went on to find the back of the box three more times before the final whistle. Well done to Ann Doroshenko for captaining the team with impressive focus

and intensity, and to the whole team for the enthusiasm and commitment they have brought to all their games this season.

SDB

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Under 15A

Following on from an incredibly successful season last year (2017) developing their knowledge of the 11 a-side game, the U15s had a tough pre-season – but this really set the team up for a great season of hockey. The season got off to a fantastic start with a 5-1 win against Bloxham School. There were lots of periods of great attacking play and from the outset the girls put the Bloxham defence under pressure: Jemima Martyn-Smith saw two shots at goal saved by the keeper.

Finally, an excellent run by Meghan Edwards and linking play with captain Sophie Roberts saw the ball go across the goal, with Lara Davidson scoring. Continued pressure saw Heather Harris scoring a second goal before Bloxham scored a well-worked short corner. Reacting well, the girls passed the ball well with Pia Flynn-Jones scoring her first goal for Malvern. The second half saw the girls settling well into their positions, and they continued to apply pressure on the Bloxham defence. It was a great competitive start with strong performances from the entire team.

The second match was a much tougher affair, against Denstone College. The girls put in a brilliant performance, working hard from the outset and ensuring they tried to apply our game plan of attacking hockey. We were rewarded mid-way through the first half when great movement and passing of the ball saw Jasmine Ellis scoring. Despite constant pressure and several short corner opportunities we were unable to score again. Late in the half, Denstone broke through our defence, producing their best chance of the half, but Sophie Roberts managed to get back just in time to push the ball off the line as keeper Sarah-Jane Starkey was forced to come off her line. The second half was more 204

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of the same, with the girls passing and moving the ball well, attacking down sides of the pitch. Denstone played with one very high forward and managed to sneak a ball through, and a one-on-one with the keeper saw Denstone convert. The match continued with Malvern pushing for a goal and some excellent dribbling skills from Harriet Carpenter, who won a short corner in the last few seconds of the game. Sadly the final shot was just wide of the goal and the girls had to settle for a draw.

As ever a trip down the M5 to Clifton College is met with some apprehension from the girls, particularly on a cold, wet afternoon. But the U15s as ever put in a great performance, despite the rain, with Sophie Roberts and Otty Thomas controlling the pace of the game. In the first half the girls scored three great team goals with Amelia Broughton, Arabella Cole, and Ottilie Thomas scoring. The second half saw much improvement as the girls decided to start moving the ball around the back to create more space, and this meant that they scored another three goals in the second half through Lara Davidson and Kitty Holroyd – and a lovely reverse stick strike from Jemima Martyn-Smith saw the girls run out 6-0 winners.

Three games into the season and it would appear that the girls were starting to find a rhythm, their team mantra of “receive on the move, pass on the move, and run into space” working well; and they really started to play some fantastic, fast flowing hockey. Hosting Cheltenham Ladies in their first home game of the season, captain Harriet Carpenter linked up well with Sophie Roberts in the midfield, with excellent runs up front from Mouse Broughton, who exchanged some

wonderful passing with Heather Harris and Kitty Holroyd.

The girls scored five, through Jessica Vickers, Lara Davidson (2), Meghan Edwards and Heather Harris.

The fifth game of the season was to be one of the best games of the season, with the girls travelling away to play a strong Dean Close side. The start of the match was a little disjointed and scrappy against strong ball-carriers and a solid defensive line, 0-0 at half time. But 6 minutes into the second half a fantastic team goal was scored: a brilliant tackle from Catherine Horn, linking up with Harriet Carpenter who carried well into space and offloaded to Kitty Holroyd, who in turn linked up with Jasmine Ellis; Jasmine dribbled into the D, made a slick pass to Mouse Broughton, who set up a great finish from Jemima Martyn-Smith. What followed was a disciplined defensive performance. As Dean Close looked to push for a goal, all players defended incredibly well together as a unit, making it difficult for Dean Close to find a way through, although when they did, goalkeeper Kinvara Clarke and her defensive team held strong, marking well; and in the dying minute of the game Imogen Renaud made a fantastic save off the line. This was a great second half performance from the girls: resilience, determination, and team work were key to the performance.

Following on from the high of their brilliant performance, the girls took on Cheltenham College. It was a great performance from the U15s, and although they lost narrowly 2-1 it was an exciting game of hockey with lots of positives.

Despite dominating the first half Malvern were unable to convert their chances. After half time, the girls were keen to get into the game early and ensure their press was solid.

In doing so, they created a fantastic opportunity to score

through defender Imogen Renaud, who set up Jess Vickers, who calmly slotted the ball in the goal. Cheltenham reacted as expected and not long afterwards made it 1-1. Captain Jasmine Ellis then decided at the re-start to take on the entire Cheltenham team; a mazy run saw her eliminate several players and slot the ball past the keeper only to be stopped by the goal post! The girls created several more chances but sadly were unable to score, and with a quick breakaway Cheltenham won a short corner – which they converted. There were several great performances on the pitch: a well done goes to Alisa Gudkova, who made a brilliant save to keep us in the game in her debit for the U15As. The defence of Lucy Marriott, Catherine Horn, Imogen Renaud, and Arabella Cole were fantastic. It is always tough losing a game (for the girls their first loss of the season) but lots of lessons were learnt.

With debuts for Molly Battersby and Lara Wilson, the team travelled to Christ College Brecon for their penultimate match of the season. The match turned out to be a bit of a frustrating afternoon for the U15As who dominated from the whistle. There were periods of excellent linking play with some fantastic defending from Molly Battersby and an outstanding save made by Alisa Gudkova, who despite having little to do all match ensured she didn’t allow the opposition to sneak in a goal on a breakaway. The girls worked hard and weren’t short of creating opportunities, but we just couldn’t finish. All credit went to the Christ College Brecon defence, who withstood attack after attack throughout the game.

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captain Heather Harris and the vice-captains Bella Cole and Harriet Carpenter, they were ready for an exciting game.

Wycliffe started strongly, minimising the number of attacks, but the Malvern worked well together, linking passes well and created chances, one which was built up from no fewer than 10 passes before Lara Davidson scored with a half-volley into the netting. The rest of the half saw Wycliffe defending well, with the forwards causing all kinds of problems. In the second half the girls were keen to reduce their numbers of mistakes in passing and create more chances – and that they did. Linking passes well and using the whole pitch incredibly well, the pressure created started to become too tough for Wycliffe and Malvern scored 2 more quick goals through Jemima Martyn-Smith and Sophie Roberts. The final goal again was a fantastic team goal, with a turn-over in defence from Catherine Horn, lots of linking passes going up the pitch and a finish by Pia Flynn- Jones at the back post.

It was a great team performance to finish the season with a 4-0 win. This was a brilliant group to coach and a fantastic team of young women who worked incredibly hard for each other throughout the entire season.

CAHW

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Under 15B

Malvern started the season with a 1-0 loss to Bloxham, with the final touch coming from the foot of one of the Malvern defenders; it was inevitably disheartening, but the girls played some excellent hockey and in so doing laid the foundation for their season. Key players were Lara Wilson (for her dominance carrying the ball up the pitch), Beatrice Barnes (for her ball control through the middle) Laetitia Watt (for her assertiveness) and Louisa Marsden-Smedley, who organised the team with her excellent communication and leadership skills. Then came a 1-1 draw against Denstone College. Malvern started the game on the front foot, with some good runs by Coco Anderson and Kitty-Mae Merritt on the wing, though were unable to convert any chances that came their way. But in the first 10 minutes of the second half, Malvern were rewarded with a goal by Beatrice Forbes.

Denstone now started to push harder, and although central defenders Molly Battersby and Louisa Marsden-Smedley defended well, Denstone scored from their first chance of the game.

The girls continued to improve over the season and were now rewarded with a 3-0 win over Clifton College.

Here Laetitia Watt carried the ball beautifully, passing well and creating goal-scoring opportunities, as well as scoring a goal herself. And Emily Elgar scored twice, helped by contributions from Lara Wilson and Coco Anderson.

Unfortunately, we then experienced a chastening 1-0 loss against Dean Close. Malvern fought together and defended out of their skin. Louisa Marsden-Smedley, Coco Anderson, Molly Battersby and Victoria Ersboll were outstanding, and Goalkeeper Evelyn Kenrick was outstanding in her first

appearance in the team, making number of tremendous saves and diving all over the place. The girls worked their socks off and were immensely proud of their performance.

A pattern started to occur as Malvern drew their next game 2-2 against Cheltenham College. Malvern scored early – a breakthrough led by Beatrice Barnes, who dribbled the ball to the top of the D and prised open the defence with Beatrice Forbes, Lara Wilson, and Emily Elgar, who was able to score. After maintaining the lead for a significant part of the game, Cheltenham had a breakthrough, scoring two goals in quick concession and turning the match on its head. However, instead of dropping their heads, Malvern fought hard to pull it back to 2-2, Emily again getting the goal. Sarah-Jane Starkey had a strong game in goal, making many strong saves and denying Cheltenham the victory.

The girls finished their season with a tremendous 7-0 win against Wycliffe. Beatrice Barnes again made excellent contributions on the pitch, scoring two goals and creating opportunities for her teammates. Special mentions must also go to Louisa Marsden-Smedley for her excellent leadership in defence. Louisa is an excellent defender and with the support from Molly Battersby and Coco Anderson, Wycliffe were unable to score. Two other good performances came from Kim Shafer and Laetitia Watt, the midfield engine who both managed to get on the scoresheet. The energy they created spread throughout the team, resulting in an excellent performance.

TFB

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Under 14A

It is always an exciting challenge taking on the U1As as they are new to the school and, alt-hough we have met many of them prior to the start of term, we never know quite what they will look like when they first play together. It is also a year where we see some of the greatest development from players as they learn to play the 11-a-side format of the game for the first time. We have an exciting fixture list which provides helpful benchmarks along the way – such as Clifton College, Dean Close, and the County tournament.

Our first two games were high-scoring wins: 4-3 against Hereford Cathedral on the first Saturday of term, and 5-1 away at Denstone College. Immediately is was obvious to see that we had a very exciting side with a real attacking flair, led primarily by Lily Hutton and Vicky Monllor-Bessio.

Then came our first big challenge – and a bit of a shock – away at Clifton College. It was a game to learn a lot from and recognise that, despite a good start to the season, we still had a lot of room for improvement. Clifton were a strong and well-rounded team who had clearly played together for longer, and they quickly applied a lot of pressure, with devastat-ing ruthlessness in the attacking D. We improved our defending towards the end of the game, but it was a tough day at the office, and certainly set a standard to aim towards over the season.

Another convincing win a week later against Cheltenham Ladies’ College got confidence back into the team, ready for the Worcestershire County tournament. The tournament for-mat means short games and the heightened importance of goal difference in determining progress to the regional round – a lesson that we learnt to late this time. The Malvern 208

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girls battled hard throughout the day, with Chloe MacKellar starring in her new central defensive role. However, unfortunately it came down to a penalty flick competition against our old rivals Bromsgrove School, which we lost 3-2. The girls continued to show great progression through this tournament and it is always one of the best learning environments for them during the season which we hope many of them will take forward to the U16 side next sea-son.

Following the disappointment of the County tournament the girls dusted themselves off brilliantly, and in the other benchmark game of the season, came out 2-1 winners away at Dean Close. They started strongly, linking up well through midfield into attack – with Lily Hutton getting the breakthrough goal. Lucy Underwood added to this shortly before half time and Malvern looked comfortable. In the second half Dean Close stepped up their game and we were under a lot more pressure, but Chloe MacKellar and Anna Wentworth- Fitz-william kept the defence organised and Malvern held on for the win. Vicky Monllor-Bessio and Gia Neath were outstanding in midfield, linking the team together.

Two more wins and a draw rounded off the season. The U14As should be very proud of their development and the overall results. We already have hopes that a few players may make a step up to some 1st XI and U16 appearances in 2019!

JMT

Under 14B

Malvern U14Bs lost their opening fixtures against Hereford Cathedral School, Abberley, and Clifton, all of whom who attacked and scored early. 4-0 down and going into the second half against Abberley, the girls looked positive, carrying the ball into space and using the width of the pitch, with some lovely one-twos by Amelia Scott and Erin Wakefield looking to threaten Abberley’s defence. A great cross by Grace Cody and a cheeky tap-in on the back post from Amelia Scott lifted Malvern’s energy, and the girls continued to press. These early defeats gave the girls lots to reflect on.

But was success just around the corner? We started off strongly against Cheltenham Ladies’ College. Some great link up play between Georgina Clarke and Grace Coady, and some lovely one-twos forced Cheltenham to play narrow and compact. But a quick break from Cheltenham left us chasing back to defend and an unlucky shot left us 1-0 down – which was how it ended. These were two evenly matched sides who played a very good game of hockey, despite the low scoreline.

It seemed as if the elusive first win might never arrive as Malvern travelled away to Dean Close. But once on the pitch, Malvern looked strong, moving the ball around the pitch and causing all sorts of issues for the opposition. There emerged some fantastic link-up play from Mary Needham and Rosy Russell, playing wide and creating space at the top of the circle – for a super strike from Georgina Clarke which allowed Malvern to go 1-0 up. Then, within seconds of the second half whistle, Malvern attacked, and a cheeky tap in on the back post by Eve Leslie gave us our first win of the term, to much rejoicing.

Our third outing against a Cheltenham side – Cheltenham College – was not as successful. There were fantastic saves

by Elizabeth Morrow and on-the-line defending from Juliet Bott, but Malvern were 4-0 down going into the second half.

After a positive half time chat the girls picked up the intensity and suddenly we looked like we wanted to play hockey.

Our defence were kept extremely busy trying to break down the Cheltenham attack. Ultimately, losing 7-0 was a test of the girls’ resilience, but they never gave up and were a credit to themselves, perhaps setting themselves up for the much more even contest with which we would end the season.

For the final game – against Wycliffe at home – Malvern looked to be a threat from the off. There were close chances from Georgie Kenyon on the back post, whilst Mary Needham caused chaos around the goal mouth. Some fantastic link-up play emerged between Isabelle MontagueFuller and Mary Needham on the counter-attack, followed by a cracking strike from Georgina Clarke, taking Malvern in 1-0 up at half time. But a quick break from the Wycliffe’s attack caught Malvern off guard, allowing them to score the equalizer with a couple of minutes left to play. We continued to dig deep using our technical skill and ability to beat players; but unfortunately, we were unable to sneak any more past the Wycliffe’s keeper, who undoubtedly kept them in the game. Every player gave it their all: it was a great team performance and a lovely end to the hockey term!

RLG

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Under 14/Under 15 Development

The girls have returned with some ‘old hands’ ready to play again and an injection of new girls into the team – with most of them not having played hockey before.

The first game of the season (for some of the girls, their first ever game) was a friendly against The Elms. Although they lost 6-1, the game was very interesting and the girls played very well. Some good chances went amiss from Saffy Wickes and Syuzanna Avanesova. This was also their first goal of the season for Malvern through Syuzanna. Even when we were 6-1 down the girls never gave up and Saffy Wicks, Anastalia Gura and Cati Romanzina created some good chances.

The next game came against Clifton College in their first block fixture and 11-a-side game. Malvern started the game slowly with Clifton on the front foot for most of the first half. However, there were some good spells throughout the game from Nyanne Sira and Saffy Wicks who linked up well. Unfortunately, the girls lost their first block fixture.

This was followed up by a game at home to Dean Close, a different story to the Clifton game were the girls started strong. There were some great spells for Malvern during the first half, through the hard work of Anna O’Neill, Saffy Wickes, and Syuzanna Avanesova. 0-0 at half time, Dean Close came out strong and made it count with a goal down our right-hand side. There were some very smart saves from Alice Gudkova to keep the score at 0-1. But again, this was a loss for the girls. This then brought us up to half-term, with much needed rest for the team.

After the break the girls came back refreshed and ready to go again. This time the aim for the season had changed to

trying and find our first win. Although they didn’t achieve their aim, there were still some great performances against Cheltenham College and Moor Park.

Cheltenham College gave Malvern our first game back after half term and this also was Megan Smyth’s first game.

There were some great spells for Malvern during the game with Megan, Saffy Wickes, Syuzanna Avanesova and Nayanna Sira all linking up well up front. The girls went in at half time 0-1 but they had much of the possession and some good chances to make it 1-1 or even 2-1. However, in the last 10 minutes Cheltenham really pushed hard, scoring 3 more goals.

Going into the last game of the season against Moor Park, the girls were very excited to have completed their first season of hockey. Although they lost this game 0-4, Malvern were strong – with Nayanna Sira and Megan Smyth linking up well. This was also a strong performance from our defence, comprising Josi Jebens, Anna Shulkina and Olga Mikhina.

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Senior Boys

With the boys programme developing well, training regularly, and having pupils playing club hockey really ups the quality of our match play and fixtures. Led by new captain Tristan Hubbard, the starting couple of fixtures were tough and were going to be a test for boys. Hosting a Katherine Lady Berkeley’s School side who in previous years had dominated the fixture, the game was pretty even and for majority of the match the score was level at 1-1, but pushing for the win Malvern got caught twice in the dying moments of the game. Pleased with the performance and creativity, we proceeded to the next match against Rugby School 2nd XI, and from the start the boys controlled the match, moving the ball around with pace and purpose; but a sucker-punch counter-attack saw Rugby take the lead. Not learning from this, we suffered and were punished by two more counterattacks. Early in the second half Malvern got a goal back and continued to create chances, but it was Rugby who won the match 4-1. The team felt that although we lost the match, the score line didn’t reflect the performance; but knew we had to develop our defending principles to compete.

After a three-week training period and an exeat break Shrewsbury (away) was the boys’ next challenge. After the long journey and a slow start to the match, trailing 1-0 in the first 5 minutes, Malvern dominated and scored goals on a regular basis – winning a comfortable 8-1. This result gave the boys confidence going into the Bromsgrove match.

With scores tied at 1-1 at half time, the game was in the balance with both teams creating chances. But Bromsgrove proved more clinical in the circle, converting 3 more goals and taking the win at 4-1. The final match before half term 2 12

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was against a very strong King’s Gloucester team. The boys stayed in the match through hard work and dogged defending. Although the score was 7-3 to King’s the performance was strong and the match was very exciting.

The final part of the term saw the boys travel to Christ College Brecon, which turned out to be a goal bonanza with 10 goals scored for the second game in a row. In a very tight match this time we came away with a 6-4 win, scoring two goals in the final few minutes to take the victory.

With momentum building, St Edward’s Cheltenham were the next opponents. Both teams defended poorly and once again goals were flying in at both ends, which made it great to watch for the spectators but frustrating for the coaches!

Malvern eventually won this see-saw match 7-5 with some outstanding goals. The final match of the term was against Dean Close 3rd XI. Off the back of two wins and wanting to finish the term strongly, the boys kept their first clean sheet of the season and scored 4 very good goals.

The season had its ups and downs and at times the result didn’t reflect the performance. However, the boys worked hard and played some great hockey and had fun along the way.

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Junior Boys

The Junior Boys’ hockey team had an incredible season, going undefeated in an ever developing fixture campaign.

The boys played 9 matches, winning 7, drawing 2 scoring 29 and conceding 3 goals.

The first match of the season for the boys was a against Katherine Lady Berkeley School. From the start of the match Malvern had the majority of possession, but KLB always looked dangerous on the break. After an end-to-end start Malvern took the lead and continued to be clinical in attack, taking a commanding 4-0 lead into half time. After the break KLB scored early to put Malvern under pressure, but some more fine attacking play saw the match end 7-1. With this confidence, the next opponents were King’s Gloucester under the light at home. This was a great game, with both teams having a strong midfield, but it was Malvern who took the lead through an excellent short corner which gave them the impetus to go on and win the match, scoring 3 more unanswered goals. The key to this win was the outstanding defensive play which gave King’s very little goalscoring chances. The final match before leave-out was St Edward’s Cheltenham. This was a tired and scrappy game, with the ball mainly played in the middle of the pitch and both teams failing to string together a number of passes. Eventually Malvern took the lead and then extended the lead in the dying minutes of the match to win 2-0.

After a well earnt break Bromsgrove School, who in the past have dominated, was the next challenge away from home. This was without doubt the game of the season, with both teams fighting hard for the win, and Malvern got a well-respected 1-1 draw in this highly skilled affair. Then

there was another away trip to Christ College Brecon for the boys, who got back to winning ways and once again kept a clean sheet. An early goal helped Malvern take control with another goal just before half-time. The final goal of the match half-way through the second half was enough to win 3-0. Dean Close provided the final opposition before the half term break. This was another flowing performance after an ,initial scare saw the team end the half-way point with another 3 goals to add to the collection, and another fine win against a great hockey school.

With three fixtures to go a disappointing performance against Rugby School saw a 0-0 draw. Although the defence once again stood firm, the forwards missed a number of great chances. A trip away to Rendcomb College for the penultimate game of the season was a great challenge where the boys had to move the ball around and away from crowded areas to find space. Patience was rewarded with some great work in the attacking third, as we won the match 5-0. The final game of the season was a friendly against the Downs School Malvern, which gave both schools the opportunity to play a developing style and give others a chance to play.

A 4-0 win capped off an excellent term, in which the boys trained and played hard throughout.

MRM

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Football 1st XI

Malvern 1st XI had another very enjoyable season, with some great fixtures played with physical endeavour and moral integrity. We started the season at home to Marlborough and scored after literally 10 seconds, Jonny Asamoah smashing home straight for kick-off. We then went 2-0 up after ten minutes, courtesy of a great turn and finish by Toby Moran.

However, this dominance soon fizzled out and Malvern were on the back foot for the rest of the first half, the score 2-2 at half-time. In the second half Malvern again started brightly, but were caught out on the counter-attack and went behind 3-2 and then 4-2. And although the boys tried to reestablish a foothold in the game and never gave up, we never really had the quality or fitness on the day to outplay and out-battle a well drilled Marlborough team.

The RGS Worcester match offered another great game of football, spirited and often full of fast flowing play from both sides. Goals from Toby Moran, Philip Van Nederpelt and Henry Forbes ensured a 3-3 draw against a strong, well organised RGS Side. Scoring, similarly to last week, frequently changed hands, with Malvern going ahead and then being pegged back twice. However, it was a much better performance all-round in comparison to the previous week.

Special mention must go to Oliver Millard and Ben Fisher, who were outstanding in midfield and led by example.

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And what a great game of football followed in our 4-2 win against Monmouth – an important result to kick-start confidence and a fantastic win for the boys. It was a very good performance all-round against a strong Monmouth team. Malvern were 3-2 up at half-time, thanks to a hattrick from Jonny Asamoah, who was absolutely on fire, causing havoc with his sheer pace every time he had the ball. Although Malvern continued to control the game in the second half, RGS were gradually beginning to create chances. But Malvern stood strong and finished off the game nicely at the very end with a fine strike and goal from Toby Moran. Special mention goes to Jonny Asamoah, and also to Bradley Jones who had a fantastic, confident performance in goal. And with that, Malvern extended their winning streak against Monmouth.

Not having played Clifton College for several years meant that we were looking forward to this renewed encounter, and luckily the game did not disappoint. It was a great game of football in which the boys played very well, and fantastic goals from Forbes, Asamoah, and Moran made it 3-0 at full time. Clifton did put the pressure on in the second half, pulling one back, and it was ‘backs against the wall’ at times, But a Toby Moran penalty put the game beyond any doubt.

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When the OMs returned for their annual match against the boys, Malvern College started slowly, with the OMs passing the ball well and making the play count with an early goal. However, Asamoah then scored twice and Forbes made it 3-1 just before half time. In the second half, Malvern again started slowly, with the OMs scoring three times to make it 4-3. With the last kick off the game, Luke Tulacz scored in the top left hand corner, making it 4-4. The OMs enjoyed being back at Malvern and it was a great game of football: we look forward to next year’s encounter.

It is fair to say that Malvern put in a tired and below-par performance in the last game of the season, against a skilful and powerful Bristol Grammar School team. Malvern found themselves 2-0 down at half time, and after a positive half-time team talk during the break, we anticipated the team coming out in the second half with all guns blazing.

However, no matter how hard we huffed and puffed in the second half, we never really looked like scoring. Special mention goes to Billy Tulloch, who on his first appearance for the first team gave a good account of himself.

In conclusion, this was another very enjoyable season for Malvern College football. I wish good luck and all the very best to those Upper 6th boys who have graced the playing fields of Malvern for the past 5 years.

MWC

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2nd XI

The Malvern 2nd XI had a very encouraging season, despite lots of injuries in both their team and the 1st XI, preventing any real continuity.

The first outing was at home to Marlborough and it ended in a dramatic 3-2 win. The game was physical and Malvern’s defence held strong against a dangerous Marlborough attack. Malvern struck first with an utterly brilliant strike from Henry Forbes who floated it over the keeper from 40 yards. They were then second best for most of the remaining time, conceding two goals before half time and then fighting hard to stay in the game after the break.

With a few legs tiring, Tom Cox slid one home with 5 minutes left on the clock, before trying an audacious backheel a couple of minutes later which hit the post, only for Minty Murray to follow it up and smash it home to secure the win.

Next up, Malvern hosted RGS Worcester, full of confidence after the previous week’s win and a quality week of training. They started well, with George White, Seb Corry, and Alex Kling linking play, and Hans Baare-Schmidt and Shea John breaking up the opposition well. The only chance fell to Temidola Shonubi, who had a good effort from outside the area, whilst the defence was resilient against a pacey RGS attack, and the teams went into the break with honours even at 0-0. Despite playing downhill in the second half, Malvern struggled to get a proper foothold on the game and conceded, but bounced back through Tom Cox. Despite the game becoming disjointed and free, Malvern looked the more dangerous but struggled to get the elusive winner with the match finishing 1-1.

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Sadly, the third match of the season against Sherbourne was cancelled due to adverse weather so the next time Malvern 2nd XI took to the field was away at Monmouth, who are known for their physical play and small pitches that don’t encourage expansive or flowing football. Not concentrating properly, Malvern conceded a soft goal within the first couple of minutes, but after this they controlled the game, with Hans Baare-Schmidt, Shea John, and Temi Shonubi tackling well and distributing effectively in the face of a robust and uncompromising opposition. Although 1-0 down at half time, the team were rewarded when Imoesi Ogwemoh won possession from the opposition defence and struck home confidently. It continued in the same vein until 10 minutes from the end when Monmouth got a goal against the run of play and saw the game out in a determined and nononsense fashion. There were several good performances, with the back four stable for most of the game, and Shea John once again distinguishing himself.

Malvern then hosted Clifton College in a competitive and contrastingly attractive match. George White (excellent in defence all match) and Minty Murray combined well down the right-hand side, and although possession swapped sides regularly, Malvern always looked dangerous, until from a throw-in Imoesi Ogwemoh ruthlessly finished from just inside the box. But coming out for the second half, Malvern seemed lacklustre and unwilling to build on their earlier work, paying the price by conceding two quick goals.

Malvern made some tactical substitutions and started to get a grip of the game in the middle, but crucially threatened more up front, with Vansh Ladwa having some good efforts

on goal. This pressure led to several corners, with Imoesi going close himself – before Seb Corry scored a sublime header to bring the game level. Malvern continued to push for the winner, but just didn’t quite get it, and the game finished 2-2.

In the penultimate game of the season, the 2nd XI recorded an excellent victory in an entertaining game against the OMs. Playing up the hill in the first half the current pupils controlled the ball well and deservedly took the lead through Vansh Ladwa. Unfortunately, concentration dropped just before half time and the OMs scored a thunderbolt from 30 yards. After we had refocused for the second half, Hans Baare-Schmidt scored direct from a corner, and the game then opened up. Both teams had chances and Mr Major (in goal for the OMs) pulled off several magnificent saves. Four minutes from time the OMs managed to equalise to make it 2-2, but this spurred both teams on to search for a winner. Luckily, Vansh stepped up again and struck a deflected shot past a wrong-footed Mr Major in the last minute to seal a victory and to make up for the narrow loss last year. This was a really well contested and good spirited game.

In the final game of the season, Malvern travelled to take on Bristol Grammar School. The message was just to go out and enjoy the game, with some boys playing their last game for the College. It was an even game but Kit Saxton fired Malvern ahead with a well-placed shot from outside the area. And the first 10 seconds of the second half proved crucial with an excellent passage of football finishing in a well-taken goal by Max Marnane. Sean Aggrawal made some

great saves between the sticks, and everyone else gave what they have at the end of a busy term.

The season finished with three wins, one draw and only the solitary loss to Monmouth. Our player of the season was Seb Corry, who has given excellent service to the 2nd XI over the years and was faultless throughout the whole season at left-back.

STW

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3rd XI

Another lively season for the 3rd XI kicked off at home to Marlborough’s U16As in an entertaining game. Imoesi Ogwemoh gave Malvern the lead with a tidy finish from Carlos Omatseye’s cutback to leave it 1-1 at half time. A goal for the visitors at the start of the second half was quickly followed by goalkeeper Sean Aggrawal’s having to leave the pitch through injury; Jay Yang stepped unto the breach – but unfortunately his first act was to pick the ball out of the net. Against the wind and the slope, Malvern fought well, with Josh Preston hitting the post before Omatseye scored from a tight angle, but the game ended 4-3 to Marlborough.

The next game, at home to RGS Worcester, saw an excellent team performance, rewarded with a resounding 6-0 win. Malvern led 1-0 at half time after good interplay between Preston and Ogwemoh on the right of the box saw the latter drill a low finish through the visitor’s keeper.

Further dominance followed, with Luc Crompton scoring twice, Carlos Omatseye firing in from a tight angle, and Ogwemoh completing a hat-trick, his third with a penalty with the last kick of the game. This was an excellent display from all involved, including Minty Murray at right back and Cameron Coleman at centre-back.

The next game in early February saw the winds of Storm Erik make playing football the beautiful way very difficult!

Nevertheless, Malvern battled both difficult opponents in Monmouth and the blustery conditions to earn victory. Luc Crompton put Malvern 2-0 up with some precise finishing.

Malvern lost their concentration, though, not reacting when the ball was played back to our defence, and Monmouth

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pegged us back to 2-2. Eventually, Josh Preston scored the winner with 8 minutes remaining, for a deserved victory.

In our 3-2 win at home to Clifton College, Josh Preston put Malvern ahead from close range midway through the first half, though but Clifton quickly equalised. Tom Cox then scored with a delightful lob over the Clifton keeper to send Malvern 2-1 in front at the break. And Clifton hit back early in the second half, but Luc Crompton’s persistence was rewarded when he battled through the visitor’s defence and slotted a calm finish to win the game for Malvern.

The season ended on a significant high note for the 3rd XI, with a resounding 7-1 victory at Bristol Grammar School in a 9-a-side game. 4-0 up at half-time (through Omatseye, Preston, Gus Stephenson and Crompton) Malvern added a further three after the break through, Crompton sealing his hat-trick with an opportunistic goal while lying down in the six-yard box. Despite a late goal back for the hosts, it was a result to cap an excellent season for the 3rds, where the team spirit was one of the best I’ve seen during my time at Malvern. My thanks go to all the boys for turning out every week (despite the pitch’s sometimes resembling a mudbath) and especially to outgoing captaincy duo Monty Lampard and Luc Crompton, who have served the team so well over the past three years.

SV

4th XI

The 4th XI had an excellent start to the season in their first match at home against Marlborough. After strong defence against the wind, slope, and a determined opposition, our boys did let through a ‘soft’ goal in the final seconds of the first half. The team quickly regathered after a motivating half-time talk from the coach, and, with the wind behind them, finally got one in the back of the net to even the score.

Buoyed and reassured, and with better tactics up front, the team went on to score a second goal. A late penalty shot consolidated the 3-1 victory and ensured a strong win to open the season.

In their second match against Monmouth, the team had a more confident start, going 1-0 up at the end of the first half. Under the captaincy of Gus Stephenson, this strong start was consolidated early in the second half with a quick goal that was followed up with three others. It was a physical game with our boys pushing their opposition line regularly. Monmouth rarely broke into our half but when they did, nothing could get past our goalie, Jay Yang. At the final whistle we had managed a comprehensive 5-0 win.

Aware that this would be their most challenging game to date, and eager to defend their unbeaten record, the boys went out hard in their next match against Clifton College.

After some strong work in the middle, they kept possession and then secured two great goals. While having perhaps the stronger long-distance boot, Clifton were nonetheless unable to penetrate our defence, and the only goal scored against us was due to a penalty in the box. The second half was scoreless – until Lawrence Hooker beat their keeper to deliver the final blow into the back of the net. With the

3-1 victory it seemed just possible that the Hills themselves sounded the huzzah.

Reduced to nine a side, the 4ths faced an intimidating opposition of off-season rugby players for their final match against Bristol Grammar. However, we had two distinct advantages: we knew how to kick and pass a football, and we had an undefeated record to defend. After a blistering full-length goal in the opening minutes, our intentions were made clear. Four more goals later, victory was secured and our place in the history books assured. The Malvern 4th XI remained undefeated after two full seasons. More importantly, we did it with dignity, style and sportsmanship. An impressive end to a great season which made both coach and College proud.

BMW

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Under 15A

It was great to be back working with Mr Smith and taking the Under 15As after a hugely encouraging FY season.

Our first game was an away trip to Marlborough College.

From the beginning it was clear there were going to be some skilful individual battles taking place, but who could hold off the fatigue? Malvern went close after Will Hartley’s low cross found Joe Randall at the near post, but a good save from the Marlborough goalkeeper kept things level at the break. Notable performances emerged from Jack Yeoward on the right wing back and Jonny Edwards on the left, who kept driving Malvern forward; and when Hartley’s quick feet earned him a free kick early on in the second half, he was able to swing the ball into the penalty area at pace.

Marlborough failed to clear, allowing Joe Randall to swivel on the loose ball and power home the ball into the bottom corner. Malvern’s 1-0 lead was short lived, though, when they conceded a penalty: Angus Catto made a great save initially – but the rebound was tapped in. At the full-time whistle, nothing could separate the two teams, and the score line read 1-1.

We then travelled to RGS Worcester, who score first after a fine volley finish past goalkeeper Catto. Malvern instantly hit back through captain Myles Holland, whose low finish into the bottom corner capped off a fantastic move; Oliver Tulloch scored with a speculative long-range effort. The second half saw RGS start brightly and manage to scramble the ball over the line after Malvern failed to clear. A heavy pitch seemed to take its toll, and when RGS scored a third, they began to take control. Malvern dug deep to try and find an equaliser, but in the process conceded a fourth.

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The mid-season’s weather was not conducive to the passing game, and at Monmouth we were met by a heavy, boggy pitch. Malvern went behind early on after Catto’s initial save rebounded off the cross bar and into the back of the net. Just before half time, though, we hit back through Joe Randall.

But the boggy pitch started to create some heavy Malvern legs and Monmouth capitalised – making the final score 2-1.

With two games to go, Malvern were hopeful of finishing strongly against a couple of Bristol schools. A disappointing 4-2 loss to Clifton on the road was followed by the visit of a physical Bristol Grammar School. This was not a game for the faint-hearted and it was wonderful to see our boys stand up to the challenge. With the score 0-0 at half time, things started to get a little heated early in the second half. After a couple of bookings for each side, the game started to open up. Midway through the half, a lovely weighted through-ball from Will Hartley found midfield runner and man-of-thematch Myles Holland, whose shot ricocheted off the keeper and found Zach Watson, who superbly lobbed the backpedalling Bristol defenders to find the bottom corner. Malvern’s defence then stood firm and held on for a 1-0 victory.

This was an excellent end to a tough season for the U15s.

My thanks go to Mr Liam Smith for coaching the boys. I am hopeful of seeing many of them going on to play 1st XI football in the coming years.

MEAH

Under 15B

The U15Bs had a great start to the season, beating a competitive Marlborough side in cold conditions. On the attack in the first 15 minutes of the game and displaying good attacking strategy, Malvern were rewarded when Hamza Abdulawad scored the first goal, and ensured a welldeserved lead at halftime. Thereafter the team continued to apply pressure, and Sergey Artemov netted Malvern’s second goal. Marlborough managed to claw one back in the last 5 minutes of the game, but Malvern were able to close out the match for a 2-1 victory. Every player played a role in the success of the team in this opening encounter and are to be congratulated on their efforts. Indeed, the opposition parents complimented the boys on both the way they played and their conduct throughout the game.

Many things can change in a week, and the U15Bs were not on top of their game when they came out to play RGS Worcester – and lost 4-1. It is fair to say that we were beaten by a more determined and focused side. RGS took a 1-0 lead at half time, and 2 more goals in the second half put Malvern out of the contest. Tanush Sanghai scored Malvern’s only goal at the end of the game. Charles Faujour had a busy afternoon in the goals and made a few brilliant saves.

Our next match against Monmouth saw the U15B side lose 2-3 in a remarkable turnaround for the opposition.

Malvern took the lead 2-0 in the first 10 minutes, with goals scored by Zack Watson and Lucas Sweet (penalty). And although we conceded, the half-time was still 2-1 to Malvern.

But we allowed Monmouth back into the game with 2 easy goals. Malvern had a golden opportunity to equalise the match with an open goal – but unfortunately missed this

opportunity. After the match the boys realised that they let themselves down by losing concentration after such a good start to the match.

The team then travelled all the way down to Clifton College. Clifton took a 1-0 lead on the stroke of half time, when they capitalise on a Malvern defensive error. Malvern had a much better second half when they started to play the ball wider and create opportunities. A late penalty was awarded, but unfortunately Ted Evans pushed the ball over the post and let the opportunity to equalise the match go by. Charles Faujour once again had an impressive game as goalkeeper, making some great saves.

Our last match against Bristol Grammar School were unfortunately called off by the hosts and led to a very entertaining match between our U14B and U15B teams that ended in a 1-1 draw.

JBS

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Under 14A

The U14As got the season off to a flier with a comprehensive 7-3 away win against local rivals RGS Worcester. The boys showed great energy throughout the match, and although there was some evident ‘rawness’ to the team which we would need to work on in the coming months, it was an encouraging start from this new crop of players.

Perhaps in that first game we had been given the rub of the green; but that was not the case as we went on to suffer a 0-1 loss to Monmouth, in a tight game between two evenly-matched sides, our opponents scoring in injury time to claim victory. Aaron Hallworth was unfortunate to see a goal disallowed for off-side, and our defence was excellent throughout, with Tommy Boorman Man of the Match.

Arguably the boys deserved at least a draw from the fixture.

Nonetheless, it was a healthy dose of reality following our heady start against RGS. Against Kingham Hill School, the Malvern team rebounded and returned to high-scoring ways, with an 8-3, where we nevertheless should have done a better job of keeping a clean sheet. Malvern went in 3-1 up at half time, with goals from Rodolphe Escudié, Thomas Morrison, and Tekkan Iinuma. The team was starting to gel by now: the boys played the ball well out from defence, with attacks often starting from our goalkeeper Joel Cox’s good distribution from both feet and hand. Tommy Boorman put in another composed performance at centre back, as did Sylvan Agyeman-Duah at left back. The boys’ commitment to playing attacking football was evident throughout. Vuquar Amirov (Captain) and Yannick Reuther again impressed with their work rate and distribution, but the outstanding 226

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player was Tom Morrison for his excellent all-round performance in the heart of midfield.

In a closer contest, the 14As then recorded their third win of the season from their four games with a hard-fought 3-1 win away at Clifton College (still seeking and missing that first clean sheet of the season!). This was a good allround team performance, with centre forward Cameron Smith distinguishing himself with a hat-trick.

But the clean sheet finally game, as after our Clifton victory there followed a 1-0 win against another Bristol opposition in the form of Bristol Grammar School. Although well in control, we went in at half time goalless. However, the breakthrough came in the second half when Tekkan Iinuma put a through ball into the path of Malvern’s captain, Vuqar Amirov, who stuck it past the BGS keeper for a well deserved win, Tekkan being nominated as man of the match for his overall performance and this decisive moment of genius.

It remains for us to congratulate the boys on a successful season where they won the vast majority of their matches (in sometimes sub-optimal playing conditions) and showed guts and teamwork in mounting this achievement.

DL

Under 14B

The U14B team had a hugely enjoyable season, and approached training and matches with great spirit and enthusiasm even when the weather was far from encouraging. They were an excellent group to work with, and all made progress in their skills and tactical awareness.

Luka Jansen van Vuuren performed ably and energetically in goal, keeping a clean sheet in the 4-0 victory at RGS Worcester. Archie Bailey also showed himself to be an able goalkeeper in training, and even made an appearance for the U14A team when they were short due to injury.

George Kidson and Oliver Kidson were strong in defence, and were ably supported by Sam Laverty, Nick Wilson and Tommy Boorman, before his promotion to the A team. Our creative midfielders, Rodolphe Escudie, Ben Myers and Monty Butwell, were tenacious in winning the ball and supplying opportunities for Sam Agyema-Duah, Abdul Lawal, Oliver Minter and David Borha, all of whom found the net during the season.

The team performed very creditably, and some will have the chance to challenge for a place in the A team next year.

GMC and DJK

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Girls’ Football

The 2018-19 season proved a major challenge in terms of getting enough girls out to train regularly, and so the Autumn Term saw only one fixture played. However, it was encouraging to see an increase in numbers in the Lent Term and the girls turned in good performances throughout the six matches played after Christmas. It was also heartening that several of the FY and Remove turned out regularly in the Lent Term and showed considerable promise.

The one fixture that took place in the Autumn Term was a keenly anticipated match against the Indian girls’ team which is part of the OSCAR Foundation. In front of a large crowd, the Indian girls impressed with their ball skills and Barcelona-style short passing game. Undaunted, the U18s, playing together for the first time, competed strongly throughout the match. After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, the U18s came back with a goal early in the second half from Cate Mercurio and this made for a very keen contest.

Ultimately, the OSCAR girls’ much greater match experience took its toll and they added three more goals.

The Girls’ U18 XI started the Lent Term very promisingly with a 3-0 win at home against Cheltenham College. Vivien Kruse scored twice before half-time and then completed her hat trick of goals 10 minutes into the second half. This was an excellent team performance, with Bea Barnes, Mollie McNicholas, Hannah Taylor and Antonia Fetzer providing a very solid defence, while Esther Woods and Cate Mercurio impressed in midfield. The U18s followed this up a week later with a very strong start in their match at Rugby School, with Vivien Kruse opening the scoring after just 5 minutes and then Cate Mercurio making it 2-0 a few minutes later.

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Just before half time, Vivien Kruse scored to make it 3-0.

Early in the second half, Rugby scored from a penalty and added a second shortly afterwards. This led to a very exciting last 20 minutes, with Lucy Leicher scoring, followed by a third goal from Rugby. Our player of the match, Molly McNicholas, sealed our victory with a well-taken goal 5 minutes from time, making it 5-3.

The U18s’ third opponents in the Lent Term were Bradfield College and the match, played at home, was much more closely contested than the final 4-1 score might suggest. In the first half, despite numerous shots on goal by Malvern, it was Bradfield who went 1-0 up. In the second half, the U18s had an even share of possession and created a number of good scoring opportunities, but our finishing let us down and Bradfield raced into a 4-0 lead until Vivien Kruse pulled one back. The dip in Malvern fortunes continued into the return match with Cheltenham College, at Cheltenham. In the first half, both sides created a number of scoring opportunities but Cheltenham were first to find the net. Malvern quickly equalised with a powerful finish from Molly McNicholas. Just before half time, Cheltenham scored their second. In the second half, Cheltenham started strongly, scoring two more goals in quick succession before Vivien Kruse fired a powerful shot in from an acute angle.

Vivien and Molly McNicholas both went close after strong runs before Cheltenham sealed the match with another goal after a defensive mix-up, making it 5-2.

In the second half of term, the U18s travelled to Bradfield for what turned out to be a pulsating match of high drama.

Malvern started slowly and allowed Bradfield to race into a 2-0 lead, but 10 minutes in, Esther Woods found the net after a good run and this marked the start of a strong Malvern response. The rest of the half was tightly contested but unfortunately a rather speculative long range shot just eluded our keeper. At the start of the second half, Malvern took control and Molly McNicholas scored twice, first after a powerful run and then netting from a corner. Malvern came agonisingly close to adding more goals, hitting the post twice before Bradfield took the lead again. Almost immediately, Anastasia de Courcy-Ireland steered the ball past the keeper to make it 4-4. The last 10 minutes saw endto-end play but while Malvern came close several times, it was Bradfield who found the net twice, making the final score 6-4. Player of the match was Molly McNicholas. The U18s ended their season with a convincing 6-1 victory over Cheltenham College at home. Malvern settled quickly and opened up a 2-0 lead after two well taken goals by Vivien Kruse. Having dominated the first half, Malvern conceded a penalty just before half time. Playing with the winds at their backs, Malvern took control of the game with Vivien Kruse clinically finishing from an acute angle, before Molly McNicholas fired home from a corner to make it 4-1. A lovely one-two put Kruse clear to score her fourth goal. Esther Woods went close twice before the match was rounded off in style by Cate Mercurio who found the top corner from 20 metres out. This was a fine and committed all-round team performance with which to end the season.

Only two of the 2018-19 squad were members of the Upper Sixth, so, hopefully the foundations for a successful

2019-20 season have been laid, particularly with a number of promising younger players emerging – especially Cate Mercurio, Lucy Leicher and Caroline Berlien, as well as Antonia Fetzer and Anastasia de Courcy-Ireland showing increasing confidence as their first season playing football at Malvern progressed. Our more experienced players like Bea Barnes, Molly McNicholas, Esther Woods and Vivien Kruse all developed their skills significantly over the course of this season.

I would like to thank our two Upper Sixth players, Hannah Taylor and Savanna Desmarquest, for their committed contributions to girls’ football over the past few seasons.

I would also like to commend the enthusiasm and energy of both Rupert Needham and Dean Sibthorpe in keeping practices going through the darker winter months with very small numbers of girls to train with. The girls who did continue with training were very grateful to them for their resilience and unwavering commitment to the cause of girls’ football. As ever, Martin Evans and his team of ground staff, provided excellent playing surfaces for the girls to grace with their skills.

JAG

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Netball 1st VII

This season saw a new-look 1st VII take the court. However, as unbeaten U16s they were high on confidence and team spirit. The first fixture to play was a cup game against Solihull School: a strong netball outfit made it a greatly competitive fixture. Solihull went up by 4 goals in the first quarter and were 9 up at half time. Unfortunately, Solihull’s strength in the shooting circle and defensive ability saw them take a 12-goal lead and the game finished 25-37. Malvern’s last quarter was their strongest, however, which showed promise for the season ahead.

The introduction of club matches played as friendlies was a positive addition to this season. The girls faced Worcester Netball Club on several occasions, and whilst the results didn’t go in our favour, this proved invaluable exposure to a higher level of netball. At the County Tournament the 1st VII finished in 4th place after a closely fought loss by one goal to King’s Worcester. Had that game been a win they would have achieved 3rd place. Their performance was outstanding and whilst still showing a need for more competitive preparation, they stood up well to many outstanding teams.

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a 5-4 lead. In the second quarter Isobel Lloyd created space well in attack and was able to get the ball to a shooting opportunity more effectively. Laura Browne’s work rate was outstanding and she linked well to feed Molly Gibbard under the post. Dean Close made some good turnovers however, and took a 4-goal lead going into half time. In the 3rd quarter Malvern knew they needed to reduce their error count, but increased pressure and accuracy from Dean Close made this difficult. The final quarter saw Millie Page counteract a very tall shooter effectively; however, Dean Close were playing with confidence and finished with an 11-goal lead.

The next game was against Bloxham – always a closely contested match, in which results have gone both ways over the last few years. A superbly contested game throughout saw Malvern hold onto and capitalise on a strong start. We saw outstanding defence from Hannah Obikudu and Phoebe Palmer O’Riordan, as well as improved clarity of thought, as the game progressed, from Louise Little, whilst sharper shooting from Molly Gibbard and Poppy Underwood allowed them to achieve the win.

Kings’ Worcester is always a tough fixture and this year saw the 1st VII face a similar challenge. Millie Page contested against a strong shooter well and the centre court improved the transition through court as play continued.

The final score was a 16-33 loss. Local rivals Malvern St

James similarly provide good competition. The 1st VII improved their timing and speed in attack to secure a strong win. Our defence were fantastic with excellent work rate and many turnovers. The player of the match was Phoebe Palmer O’Riordan in a 33-12 win.

St Edward’s Oxford saw one of the most emphatic wins in Malvern Netball history, an outstanding team performance in which every member of the team stepped up. The work rate, timing, and composure of the girls won them this match: they were excellent, with Molly Gibbard particularly distinguishing herself. The final score was an impressive 32-12 win – the best score on record against St Edwards’ Oxford.

RGS Worcester was a thrilling match. Always ready for a tough fixture facing many high-level players, the team were determined to shock RGS and play a high standard of netball. They stuck to the task. After an excellent first quarter, the girls took the lead 6-4. Intensity, focus, and individual performance all played a role. Millie Page and Phoebe Palmer O’Riordan made many interceptions. RGS came back fighting in the second quarter and won it strongly, taking the half time score to 16-10 to RGS. The 1st VII were not to be beaten that easily, however, winning the third quarter to narrow the gap to just 4 goals. Molly Gibbard and Poppy Underwood were under immense pressure in the shooting circle but began to increase conversions. In the final quarter, the girls played out of their skins and also won this quarter, producing an excellent final score of 25-23 against a team going to the National Finals in March. This was a special

group of players who continued to strive for excellence, and as a group, we are enthused for the rest of the season.

A midweek game against Pate’s (a 23-25 loss) tested the 1st VII’s concentration and intensity following a tough weekend. This was a closely contested game throughout.

Malvern were 2 goals up at half time; however, Pates continued to fight and didn’t let the game out of their grasp.

In a close final quarter, with errors from both teams, Pate’s gained the win by one goal.

The next opposition was Wycliffe (in a 20-19 loss), a school very much on the rise in the netball world, with a particularly strong 1st team this year. The first quarter of the game started fairly slowly (even with play being really quick) and the 1st phase of the centre pass was working well, but we struggled, on the second phase, getting the ball to circle edge. Poppy Underwood and Molly Gibbard worked well together at rotating the shooting circle and scoring when opportunities arose. In the second quarter, Phoebe PalmerO’Riordan and Millie Page really had to work hard on their defence – and they did just that amidst amazing pressure on the ball. In the third quarter, we were pushing for the win and the centre court. Ann Doroshenko, Laura Browne, and Annabel Slater did well at looking for the turnover; they took their time when they had the ball and focused on the accuracy of the passes going through court. We won the third quarter by 1 goal. In the last quarter, against a very physical team, our focus was control down the court and playing our own game. Despite the loss, everyone played well collectively and we focused on the next match to come.

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The players were enthused and motivated to give Cheltenham College an excellent match this year. Our girls played with great intensity and structure to take an early 3-goal lead against a strong Cheltenham side. They maintained their composure and discipline until the last quarter.

Our defence made brilliant turnovers, and rebounds were strong under the post (Phoebe Palmer O’Riordan having an excellent game). Our attack worked the ball well through court and Annie Slater fed the shooters exceptionally well.

Unfortunately, the final quarter saw Cheltenham take advantage of our errors and gain a 2-goal lead to win the match. This was the best netball I have seen a Malvern team play; however, we stood together in feeling disappointed to lose a match of this quality (27-25).

The Old Malvernians returned again and were impressed by the standard of netball played by current players. Current Malvernians took a strong win against the OMs, and considering they played back-to-back following the match with Cheltenham, this was a commendable achievement.

The final match of the season saw Malvern 1st VII take on Bromsgrove (a 40-25 loss). This has become an incredibly tough fixture, with the majority of the Bromsgrove team playing Superleague-standard netball. However, the perseverance and determination created and maintained by this impressive squad paid dividends. Going into the quarter Malvern were within 10 goals and showing their ability.

Even playing 16 minutes longer than usual matches, this was the best score against a Bromsgrove 1st team ever. The performance by the Malvern 1st team was a great highlight on which to finish the season and a credit to players who had displayed an outstanding work ethic all season.

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This was a commendable season for the 1st VII and I was incredibly proud of the time and commitment they showed.

Regularly competing against players who dedicate a vast amount of time to netball, the Malvernians displayed what can be achieved through teamwork and a constant desire to be better.

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2nd VII

Malvern started the season strongly with a 15-13 win over Dean Close. Whilst Malvern played well as a team and led the game from start to finish, this was good learning experience: we made too many simple errors bringing the ball down court; the girls would work hard turning the ball over, only to lose possession cheaply. Hannah Obikudu and Phoebe Palmer-O’Riordan were strong in defence, and Annabel Slater and Louise Little in attack, all of whom played significant roles across the court.

A second tight win followed against Bloxham, Malvern winning 14-11. The team were short on numbers due to limited availability, but girls from the 3rd VII stepped up and played extremely well. Alexia Clarke and Emily Atherton worked extremely hard as goal shooter and goal attack throughout the game, battling against a tough Bloxham defence. Katharine Gascoigne-Wilson had an outstanding game at wing defence on account of her excellent work rate, ensuring that the opposition’s wing attack stayed out the game.

Malvern then had a great outcome against one of their strongest oppositions, King’s Worcester, drawing 10-10.

Malvern might have been disappointed not to have won the match, as they worked extremely hard at turning the ball; however they were equally good at giving it straight back! We were disappointed we didn’t achieve the win; nevertheless we played some excellent netball. The team then returned to their winning ways against Malvern St James, comfortably beating them 39-19. We played some clinical netball down the court, passing the ball strongly and working together to move the ball around court.

There followed another strong win against St Edward’s (37-21) as we dominated the game from start to finish. The girls were continuing to play for one another and showing some serious passion on court. Annabel Slater had an excellent game in defence, and was looking like a strong, up-and-coming player.

But a tough fixture saw the 2nd VII experience their first defeat of the season against RGS, 36-22. RGS were very clinical in their performance. Despite Malvern turning the ball many times throughout the game, we made too many errors, which RGS took advantage of. The team then experienced another misfire, losing 11-17 to Pates.

The girls took their training seriously after these disappointing defeats and came back with an incredible win against King’s Worcester. Malvern played a great game of netball, arguably our best yet, and led the game from start to finish. Coco Charters played a fantastic game at goal attack and goal shooter, scoring 90% of her shots. A special mention also goes to Chioma Anazodo for her tremendous performance in defence.

A great game for the 2nd VII followed, against a very tough Wycliffe. Malvern started slow but quickly realised they needed to use their speed and physicality to protect the ball and drive into space. We managed a much better second half – with some great defensive turn overs from Nikki Stonham and Bonnie Green – featuring fantastic work rate and determination from all the girls, who continued to dig deep until the final whistle.

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A wonderful penultimate game of netball saw the team beat Cheltenham College 42-36. They were unbelievable: their work rate and want to win excelled! Special mentions go to Coral Arteaga Vivanco and Issy Crossland for their contributions.

The final game of the season saw the girls against their strongest opposition, Bromsgrove. Bromsgrove gradually built a lead which was too big for Malvern to recover from.

The girls, however, showed resilience and passion right up until the final whistle. They ended the season with a 38-21 loss, but enjoyed their most successful season to date.

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In October’s District Netball Tournament, we saw the combination of an outstanding performance by Lily Brown in the shooting circle with a well-matched, strong defensive unit. Malvern were hungry going into the final match against Malvern St James. Both halves saw continuous turn-overs from both sides; but some great circle movement, combined with fantastic feeds by Lucy Underwood at Wing Attack, led to shooting opportunities and consequently a win.

In mid-November, we travelled to King’s Worcester for a very competitive county tournament. Against first opponents South Bromsgrove (6-4 win) there was great defensive pressure from Mary Needham and Amelia Scott and some fantastic shooting from Gia Neath and Georgie Balfry at the other end. Our second game of the tournament was against an athletic RGS (14-5 loss). We saw a fantastic defensive effort from Alexandra Darby, Amelia Scott, and Lily Hutton.

In the semi-finals against Bromsgrove, a tall defence forced us to use a variety of passes in order to gain better shooting positions. Nonetheless, we lost this game and exited the tournament.

In the new year, the team faced Dean Close (a 29-13 win).

With some brilliant defensive work through court from Lucy Underwood, and from Mary Needham, Malvern picked up some early turn-overs, whilst Gia Neath was on fire in the shooting. Then came Bloxham (24-13 win), a hard and even 39-19 loss away at St Edward’s followed on a slippery surface, and a tough but well-fought match away at RGS (35-8 loss).

We then hosted Malvern St James’ at home and returned to winning ways (25-11).

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Away matches seemed to be causing us difficulty, however. As we moved into the second half of the Lent Term, we visited Wycliffe College (28-13) and Cheltenham College (22-15). But another tight and sometimes end-to-end game against King’s Worcester saw us pick up another win at 19-14. This was a game full of team spirit, hard work and energy which hopefully the girls will remember.

With the end of the season drawing near, we were forced to endure some chastening defeats at the hands of Marlborough College (15-45) and Bromsgrove (50-8).

Marlborough were physical and it was good to see Malvern’s defence adapting and toughening up. By turn, Bromsgrove were well drilled and made life difficult for us, but there were some great snippets of play through court and fantastic work rate from all 7 who took to the court each quarter.

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Athletics Malvern began their Athletics season away at Marlborough College on a much finer occasion than the previous year. Cecilia Gerber set the standards for the day by coming second in the second event of the day, ably backed up by top-three finishes in their respective events from Lucy Marriott, Vivien Kruse, Lucy Leicher, Banita Dodhia, William Waterhouse, Vansh Ladwa, and Tomas Pilika. FY duo Lily Hutton and Thomas Birley both competed in the 800m and ran fantastic races – only to be pipped at the post by two very accomplished runners, Tom also finishing third in the 1500m. Finally, Minty Murray came first in the intermediate boys’ 400m and ran a personal best time.

The second away meet was at Bromsgrove, with 8 athletes gaining new personal best scores. Banita Dodhia won the Intermediate Girls’ Javelin competition with a throw of 27.59m – almost a meter more than her previous personal best. Lily Hutton was a convincing winner in the Junior Girls’ 800m, finishing around 30m ahead of her nearest rival at the finish. Thomas Birley continued his progress with an impressive win in the Junior Boys’ 1500m. Elsewhere there were top three finishes for Minty Murray, Shareek Oluwo, Kinvara Clarke, and Muringo Kibuchi in their respective events.

18 of the College’s athletes represented Malvern district in the Worcestershire County Track and Field Championships at Nunnery Wood Stadium. In miserable conditions, all of 238

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the athletes gave their best efforts in an extremely competitive field. Banita Dodhia, Lucy Marriot, Vansh Ladwa, Tom Birley, and Minty Murray all finished in the top 4 in their respective events, with Banita and Vansh qualifying for the prestigious Mason Trophy at the Alexandra Stadium in Birmingham. This is always an exceptionally high standard and both athletes competed well on the day.

As always, Malvern College’s Sports Day preceded Commemoration and was a fantastic occasion which saw lots of outstanding performances and new records being set. New records were set by the following pupils: Imoesi Ogwemoh in the Senior Boys’ 100m, Banita Dodhia in the Senior Girls’ Javelin*, Phoebe Palmer O’Riordan in the Senior Girls’ High Jump, Lucy Marriott in the inaugural Junior Girls’ Triple Jump, Cece Gerber in the Senior Girls’ 100m Hurdles*, Vivien Kruse in the Senior Girls’ Shot Put* and Louis Staley in the Senior Boys’ Javelin*. Overall, the winners were House 8 in the Junior Girls , House 3 in the Senior Girls, House 1 in the Junior Boys and House 5 in the Senior Boys.

This was another enjoyable and fulfilling season for Malvern Athletics and a real ‘well done’ must be given to all. *These are new records set with current appropriate weight categories

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Cross-Country The 2018-2019 season saw some excellent results for our runners and it was fantastic to have so many students taking part in the Inter-House Cross Country League to represent their houses, as well as running in the Malvern District Championships; and for two of our strongest runners there was an opportunity to compete at the National Schools’ Cross-Country Championships. All juniors took part in the Junior Ledder, with over 200 competitors; and although there was a lot of rainfall on the morning of the Ledder itself, the afternoon saw blue skies and sunshine – and the great race went ahead!

The Inter-House Cross-Country League, which spans two terms and consists of ten races (most of which are on the hills, with two relays held on the Common) was contested in good spirits by all the students. The competition got off to a flying start in the first term, with Lakshya Joshi winning 3 races out of 4 and Lawrence Hooker the other. The girls’ competition was won by Megan Jones across all four races, with second place changing hands. The Christmas Relay rounded off the Michaelmas term, the winning house in the boys’ race No.5 (with a time of 21m 36s), followed by SH (22m 36s); first in the girls’ race was No. 8 (29m 15s), followed by No. 6 (30m 50s). With the Autumn Term finished the scores were as follows: School House led the Boys’ Race, with 1967 points, followed by No. 2 with 1867 points and

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only 26 points ahead of No.5. No. 8 led the Girls’ Race with 1163 points, with No. 6 second on 927 points.

After Christmas the inter-house competition continued with 4 more races taking place. Tom Birley and Lawrence Hooker won 3 out of the 4 races for the boy’s houses; Ariana Davison won all of the girls’ races after the Christmas break, with second place swapping hands every time between Georgina Denham, Jess Kenyon and Georgina Inchbald.

At this point, the team relay represented a chance for some double points for the houses – and this proved to be crucial!

The winning House in the Boys’ Race was No.2, with a time of 23m 27s, followed by SH (23m 50s). House 2 therefore leapfrogged SH into first position to win the championship.

First in the Girls’ Race was No. 6 (29m 57s), followed by No. 4 (30m 39s), who were not able catch up with the dominant season display from No. 8.

The overall results were as follows: Boys

1st place – No.2 – 3528 points 2nd place – SH – 3527 points 3rd place – No.5 – 2948 points

Girls 1st place – No.8 – 2041 points 2nd place – No.6 – 1677 points 3rd place – No.4 – 1112 points The best two boy runners were Lakshya Joshi and Lawrence Hooker and the best two girl runners were Ariana Davison and Megan Jones.

In amongst the inter-house league races are the Ferrets’ Race (a race exclusively for the FY – a chance for the new generation to shine!) and the Junior Ledder. In the Ferrets’ race, Tom Birley crossed the finish line to finish first in a quick time of 11m 27s (two minutes quicker than last year’s winner) and managing to hold his lead over second-placed runner Adam Davies, who was 30 seconds behind him.

Archie Bailey finished third in a time of 12m 7s. The girls’ individual race was won by Lily Hutton in a time of 12m 58s.

In second place, Chloe MacKellar completed the course in a time of 13m 1s; in third place was Amy Grammaticas in 13m 8s. All the times were quicker than last year’s FY, making for a very competitive year group. The No.5 boys won their house competition for the sixth year in a row, with their six best finishers amassing the overall lowest score. The girls’

house competition, with the four best runners, was won by No.8 for the second year running.

The Junior Ledder was the second major junior crosscountry event to take place, and with all the FY and Remove competing for both individual and House glory, the race proved to be as competitive as ever. Tom Birley again put in a commanding performance to win the boys’ race – by over two minutes – dismissing the rest of the competition in a time of 22m 39s. Edward Carryer came in second place with Archie Bailey finishing third. First home for the girls, with a commanding performance, was Harriet Carpenter, in a time of 25 minutes and 56 seconds, with Chloe MacKellar in second place and Lily Hutton finishing third. In the House competition, the No.2 boys won convincingly with their six best runners achieving a good low score. The girls’ competition, however, was the tightest it could have been, the No.8 girls winning with the lowest score of 62, No.4 second with 63, and No.6 third with 65.

The Ledbury Run marks the traditional climax of the cross-country season, and this year the Ledder saw over 200 competitors – pupils, staff, and Old Malvernians – take part in this famous run. ‘The Ledder’ is a 7¾-mile crosscountry run across track, pasture, field, and road, starting at Ledbury and finishing on the Malvern College Senior Turf; the route is hard-going, crossing farmland and ascending and descending the Malvern Hills ridge. This race is a firmly established tradition at Malvern, so much so that some say you are not a true Old Malvernian unless you have run in the Ledder!

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This year, although the course was tough it was made worse by the heavy rain in the morning, leaving the ground soft and soggy and offering little purchase in the fields.

Nonetheless, at the start of the race we were blessed with near perfect conditions – partly cloudy with some sunshine.

54 minutes and 51 seconds later the first boy appeared running on to the Senior – Lawence Hooker making it two Ledders in a row to have been won by a member of the Hooker family, and earning himself a Ledbury Cap along with the Tennant Cup for the best individual boy’s performance. Ariana Davison was the first girl across the finish line in a time of 1 hour 4 minutes and 54 Seconds, earning her a Ledbury Cap the award of the Sarah Fellows Cup. Traditionally, Ledbury Caps are awarded to the first nine boys who complete the course. For the girls’ race, in previous years the number of caps has varied each year – with one cap awarded for every ten girls who run in the race.

However, this year for the first time the top 6 girls earned a Ledbury Cap. Congratulations to all those who earned Ledbury Caps this year.

The inter-house Ledder competitions were won by the same victorious houses from the cross-country league. In the girls’ competition House 4 (129 points) finished in third place, and House 6 in second (79 points), with House 8 the clear winners with 49 points, retaining the trophy. The boys’ competition concluded with House 5 in third place (with 125 points), School House in second place (84 points), and House 2 in first place with 52 points – five of their runners in the top 12.

Congratulations go to both House 2 and 8 on terrific team performances.

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District and National Competitions In December our keen cross-country runners were entered into the Malvern District Cross-Country Trials. Sixteen runners represented Malvern College across three age groups from both boys and girls. The conditions were not great on the day and had to be rescheduled for early January, but despite this there were some super performances from the boys’ side, with the following students making it through to the next round: Thomas Birley, Archie Bailey, William Waterhouse, Charlie Clarke, Lawrence Hooker, Harry Myddelton and Oscar Siegert for the boys, and from the girls’ side Lily Hutton, Amy Grammaticas, Chloe Mackellar, Harriet Carpenter, and Megan Jones.

The next round took part in the Worcestershire County Cross-Country Championships in mid-January. The conditions were truly cross-country: cold, muddy, and wet! There were strong performances from all of our runners, but the pick of the team were Thomas Birley and Lawrence Hooker, who qualified for the National Schools Championships in March.

In March, Messrs Birley and Hooker travelled to Leeds with the Worcestershire County Cross-Country team to compete in the National Schools Cross-Country Championships at Temple Newsam Park. The conditions were challenging to say the least, with windy and rainy conditions. Both boys ran incredibly well, with Tom finishing in the top 80 boys and Lawrence finishing in the top 200.

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Rackets This was an enjoyable year of rackets and one in which we had very good numbers participating in all the squads for the matches we played during the season. There were some excellent wins and some tough losses, but the main objective – to enjoy this great game – was most definitely achieved.

In the Singles at Queen’s Daniel Holland made it into the Foster cup, but lost in the first round to a talented Cheltonian, learning a great deal in the process. Oliver Cox also made it into the later stages of the Jim Dear Cup and again will be wiser for the experience. Most players won at least one match and this created a fantastic team spirit throughout the week, with all players supporting each other extremely well from the balcony.

In the Doubles, at Easter, Daniel Holland and Augustus Stephenson were our first pair and made it through to the quarter-finals, losing to the eventual runners up. Both these players are in the Lower Sixth, which bodes well for next year because this has given them a taste of what is to come.

The under-15 pair, Myles Holland and Oliver Cox, demonstrated great promise, also managing to get to the quarterfinals by showing some good skill and application.

There was a great turnout for the Ladies’ Open Doubles Rackets Tournament, with a record number of pairs entered.

The standard of play is improving all the time and it is great to see all the young players developing. The tournament was

won by the Wellington College pairing of Lauren Gooding and Issie Thorneycroft who beat the Cheltonians, India Deakin and Abbie Whybrow, 3-1.

The team spirit is as strong as ever at Malvern and it is fantastic to be a part of the rackets sides here. A huge thank you from us all to two Old Malvernians, Tom Bomford and Mark Hubbard, for their continued support and coaching expertise. All of our players appreciate every minute of your time and are better players for it.

We now look forward to another great year in 2019-2020: serve up Malvern!

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Tennis Boys’ Tennis

Sixteen enthusiastic members of the 6th Form, Hundred, and Pre 6th galvanised into an effective Senior squad who enjoyed their tennis but played competitively too. Several of them had been playing throughout the winter on the indoor courts at Malvern’s Manor Park Club, and this helped lay the foundations for a decent season. The Summer Term’s generally dry weather – when it counted – meant that (unlike our less lucky cricketing colleagues) we didn’t have to cancel a single fixture; and, although we were beaten by Cheltenham and Shrewsbury, we were victorious in all our other matches.

Two matches were particularly memorable: against St Edward’s, Oxford, our 2nd team were all-conquering and won 6-0. But the 1st team had a tough match and were 2-4 down as we went into the last round. So, it was very pleasing that all our pairs put in a gritty performance to win through in the end, 5-4. The stand-out players were the Coppola brothers, Ale and Francesco, because they were the only ones who managed to defeat St Edward’s tricky 2nd pair. A few weeks later, the Senior Girls’ and Boys’ teams combined to play against Wycliffe College. Beautiful sunny weather, a relaxed but competitive atmosphere and a splendid 14-2 victory made this a very positive end to a good season for our players. Our girls and boys played very well together in all their sets, with Molly Gibbard and Francesco Coppola, 246

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and Louise de Quinnemar and Gus Stephenson winning all four of their matches.

All members of the senior squad played well at times, but our outstanding player this season was once again, Hans Baare-Schmidt, this year’s Captain of Tennis. Hans has played a lot of high-level tennis in Germany over the last few years and his well-honed ground-strokes, wealth of matchplay experience and gritty determination helped him to win nearly every game of singles and doubles he played. He regained the Scott Cup as Worcestershire Schools’ Singles Champion, a title which he had won two years previously when in the Remove. He is surely the best Malvern player of the past five years – and a very nice chap too! Marco Garbi (7) also had a good season, which culminated in his winning the U18 County Boys’ Plate competition. And there were some impressive junior players too: in the Remove, Charles Fajour and Clemens Tuczka, Runners Up in the County U16 Boys’ Doubles competition; and Seb Hood, winner of the College’s own FY Boys’ Singles competition.

My thanks go to all the players for their efforts in the matches; to Chris Skinner for his excellent coaching sessions and canny tactical advice; and to Mr Michal Hnatek, whose psychedelic kit and Stan Wawrinka-like backhand always catch the eye on court. But one of my colleagues deserves special mention: the indefatigable, ever-positive,

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and unashamedly competitive Mr Mark Cox, who has been at the heart of the resurgence of junior tennis at Malvern over the past 12 years. Under Mark’s auspices the Firs courts were packed with junior players three afternoons a week throughout the term, come rain or shine. Carefully avoiding junior cricket matches, he put together comprehensive fixture lists for the U14s and U15s in which the boys were nearly always all-conquering. This season was no exception, with the juniors losing only to Shrewsbury, as the following, typically detailed and up-beat match-report from Mark records.

“This was a really well-balanced competitive fixture which unfortunately Shrewsbury edged by the narrowest of margins in each match with As, Bs and Cs all losing 5-4.

However, on the participation front, to be able to put out 18 junior boys to represent the College in tennis fixtures was very pleasing, and it was great to see our Firs courts full of competitive action. In fact, Shrewsbury came with one man short so I lent them a player in the Cs, so we actually had 19 boys out! Special mention goes to Charles Faujour and Clemens Tuczka, and Emilio Dorai Raj and Konrad Harmer, who both won two out of their three matches in the A’s; to Sam Phillips and Jack Yeoward, who also won two out of their three matches in the Bs; and to Tekkan Iinuma and Will James who won all three of their matches in the Cs.”

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Results (1sts; 2nds) vs Cheltenham: lost 0-9; won 6-3 vs Monmouth (mixed): won 9-0; won 4-2 vs Shrewsbury: lost 2-4; lost 2-4; lost 4-5 vs St Edward’s, Oxford: won 5-4; won 6-0 vs Wycliffe (mixed): won 14-2

Competitions and Trophies House Competition: No.9 beat No.2 Worcestershire Schools’ Singles Competition (Scott Cup) Champion: Hans Baare-Schmidt (SH) Willis-Dixon Singles Trophy: not played this year Most improved player: James Dawson RGT

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Senior Girls

We had a slow start to the tennis term – with a number of training sessions moved to the squash courts and our first games cancelled owing to the weather. However, we were soon back to it. Malvern Seniors travelled away to play Dean Close for the first fixture of term. Initially disappointed to be playing on astroturf, the girls eventually found their feet and began to play some great tennis, showing true Malvern determination and team spirit and causing all sorts of problems for the opposition.

A fantastic morning of tennis followed for the U18s in the county doubles tournament held at Malvern St James.

Ishbel Spencer-Nairn and Madeleine Queen were our first pair, and Georgina Wood and Alice Gudkova the second.

It was great to see the girls encouraging and supporting each other alongside a very competitive spirit on and off the court from both sides. Overall, it was a very successful afternoon with great tennis all round. Special mention goes to Georgina Wood and Alice Gudkova for coming a respectable second place in the tournament.

Moving into early June, Malvern faced Cheltenham College at home – a challenging opposition against whom the girls held their own. A positive partnership from Imogen Cole and Gemma Luscombe for the 1st team resulted in their winning two out of three sets; their fighting spirit on court was commendable and a pleasure to see. The 2nd team, with a partnership of Lexi and Annie Slater, unfortunately lost 8-1. In spite of the scores, these were well-matched games with exciting tennis being played by both sides. Malvern definitely did not give Cheltenham an easy ride.

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The following week, Malvern travelled away to Shrewsbury School and put on a brilliant performance. All three pairs played with determination and structured tennis, improving through the afternoon. They combined well, stayed focused and played some fantastic volley points. It was a great team performance and a very entertaining afternoon of tennis.

The final fixture of the term was against Wycliffe. The girls had shown significant improvements since the start of the term and continued to work hard in the final weeks.

This hard work definitely showed during this fixture and we deserved the win.

The Seniors also played some very successful games of mixed doubles throughout the term. Fantastic and impressive tennis was played by all – definitely something we are looking to build upon going into next year.

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The U15s experienced an exciting first fixture as they travelled to Bromsgrove for the first round of the AEGON cup.

The girls took to the court looking nervous, but Malvern were soon into a rhythm and began to play some great attacking shots and to move Bromsgrove all over the court.

The day saw fantastic tennis and intense rallies. The singles games were even more intense, it was all to play for!

Arabella Cole and Alice Gudkova won their singles match, and Bromsgrove’s 3rd and 4th pair won theirs, taking us to a tie-breaker. Alice Gudkova and Pia Flynn-Jones stepped up for Malvern to try to be the first to score 10 points and take their school into the next round. Malvern continued to play great attacking tennis, including cheeky net shot volleys. Unfortunately, Bromsgrove took the final game 7-10, but it was a great performance from all.

Midweek the U15s then played Clifton away. The A team started off slow but soon got our heads into the game and played some great deep baseline shots which forced Clifton to return high. For the B team this was the first competitive fixture. They were nervous but after a couple of sets soon settled and began to play some nice tennis. The team spirit and determination from one match to another was great to see.

There followed a home fixture against Dean Close. The girls started strong, applying everything they had learnt in training. They looked sharp, shifting Dean Close around the court, and competitive tennis was played by both sides.

As Dean Close began to settle, the games became close and we saw an unfortunate loss for the U15As. The U15Bs had a slow start, but once the nerves began to disappear the girls started to play some nice tennis. They began to apply the attacking tennis we had been working. But it was another unfortunate loss for the Bs this week. The Cs also had a slow start but got better as the afternoon went on. It was a great afternoon for Victoria Ersboll and Colleen Wunsche who were unbeaten playing some solid and consistent tennis.

The U15As then had a tough task against local rivals in Cheltenham. The opposition were very strong but Malvern’s first pair Alice Gudkova and Arabella Cole, who had been working on their pairing during training, were fantastic all afternoon and did not lose a set! There were great efforts from Pia Flynn-Jones, Beatrice Barns, Morgann McGee, and Jasmine Ellis, who played extremely well all afternoon and on whom the scores reflected harshly. The U15Bs had even stronger opponents, and found it a little difficult to adjust to playing on astroturf courts. A newly-formed C team, however, this time faced a very evenly-matched opposition. The girls, once settled, improved significantly over the afternoon, playing some lovely tennis.

Girls Under 14

The first fixture of the term for the U14As was against The Downs Malvern. Both Malvern and The Downs were very evenly matched, which made all the games exciting to watch. Partnerships were formed which were to be tested and strengthened throughout the afternoon.

The U14s then travelled away to Clifton to play in their first competitive fixture. The girls were excited and ready to see what Clifton had to offer. It was great to see some very intense, close games and the results definitely did not reflect how hard the girls played. Special mention goes to Victoria Monllor Bessio and Chloe MacKellar for the consistency and energy they bought to the court. Another special mention goes to Juliet Bott for the Bs who was an absolute demon at the net. There was then a great morning of tennis for the U14As in the county doubles. To start, the girls were nervous but also excited. Each pair played seven very tough games and they were all to play for. We saw a great performance from both pairs Millicent Dobson & Victoria Monllor Bessie, and Georgina Kenyon & Danelle Boatti. Malvern played with great determination and intensity, battling to be at the top of the scoreboard. It was a great result for the girls and a well-deserved 3rd place.

A tough fixture for the U14s against Dean Close followed.

The girls worked hard to keep the ball away from Dean Close who were lingering at the net waiting for any opportunity to pounce. There featured some really great rallies from all six pairs, but a special mention has to go to Millicent Dobson, who after a very intense morning of tennis was determined to show Dean Close she was not going to give them an easy game.

Another hard afternoon of tennis for the U14As then played out against Cheltenham. It took some time for all three pairs to adjust to the playing surface and the speed of the ball. They soon realised they needed to creep closer to the net and stay alert as Cheltenham were looking to hunt down and finish the rallies with some deadly net volleys. It was a great afternoon of tennis for the As with some very close games, if unfortunate results. There was a mixture of results for the Bs; all games looked extremely close, with many going to sudden-death deuce. It was great to see Malvern working together in their pairs, picking up on Cheltenham’s strengths and weaknesses, and trying to use them to their advantage. Special mention goes to Erin Wakefield and Anna Wentworth-Fitzwilliam for some fantastic attacking net volleys. Great energy and enthusiasm was shown by the C team this week. It was a fun afternoon of tennis and lovely to see the girls out enjoying themselves as well as playing some lovely tennis – a great improvement from the start of the term.

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Golf Captain of Golf : Allaster Renton Captain elect : Isobel Lloyd* * As well as being the f irst female captain of the college golf team for 2019-20 Isobel has also been appointed at Gloucestershire U18 Ladies Captain for the year

Overall playing record P20 W12 H2 L6

Golf v OMGS As ever our thanks go to all the OMs who take time out to play versus the college but in particular to Lionel Godfrey (6.67) and Richard Thompson (4.60) who act as match organisers each year. The results for this year were: College v OMGS @ Puckrup Hall in March – College won 5-2 College v OMGS @ Sunningdale in June – match drawn 2-2

HMC Foursomes National Finals – Rye GC Although we were disappointed to be knocked out of the ISGA Matchplay in the second round to Bromsgrove (who went on to reach the National Final) and didn’t gain access to the plate competition (first round losers only), one positive outcome was that it gave us the opportunity to focus on the HMC Foursomes competition.

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Golf

Having progressed through earlier rounds against Marlborough and Cheltenham we won a thrilling SW Regional Final against Exeter College. The match, played at The Kendleshire GC, Bristol (where we lost last year’s regional final), was won by two matches to one with all three matches going to the final hole; and so we embarked on our second ever trip to the HMC Foursomes National Finals at Rye GC (arguably the home of foursomes golf and annual host to the President’s Putter).

There were 8 Regional Winners taking part and we were ranked 8th on handicap, so it was always going to be a tough event with some exceptional golfers and several Golf Academies involved – and so it proved.

In the first round of matches we played Rossall Golf Academy (ranked 2nd) and although we battled well all three of our pairs (Allaster Renton & Marco Garbi, Isobel Lloyd & Josh Baker, & Rahul Tjan & Max Marnane) lost, giving Rossall a comfortable 3-0 win.

In the afternoon we played Tonbridge (ranked 6th) and here we played really well, with two of the matches going to the last couple of holes and Max and Rahul enjoying a thrilling match that went beyond the 18th – eventually losing to a birdie from their opponents on the 19th. Again, the score was 0-3 but we really did compete in this match and it did not reflect the closeness of the matches.

On Day 2 we played Wellington College (ranked 4) in our last group game and this was always going to be a tough match. Again, we competed really well with Allie and Marco taking their top pair to the last couple of holes and playing some of their best golf of the week. Again a 0-3 result was the outcome.

The team learned a lot during the week and benefited greatly from the experience.

Golf Awards & Colours 2018-19

Annual Golf Tour

Half Colours

The golfing year closed in customary fashion with our annual tour to the North West. Thanks, as ever, go to Charlie Shepherd (3.89) for organising an excellent first day at Royal Liverpool GC and Tony Ensor (SH.55) for hosting us at Formby GC on day 2. These fantastic first two days were followed by visits to Delamere Forest and Calday Golf Clubs for our annual matches against Rossall and Birkenhead schools – both of which we won this year.

Isobel Lloyd (re-awarded) Marco Garbi (re-awarded) Rahul Tjan Max Marnane Josh Baker Georg Wendelstadt Basil Strolz

OMGS Player of the Year – Isobel Lloyd OMGS Most Improved Player – Tanush Sanghai OMGS Captain’s Player of the Year – Josh Baker Hind Award for Contribution to Golf – Allaster Renton

Full Colours Allaster Renton

JDC

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The Malvernian 2019

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PAG E T I T LE

Register

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Prizewinners

Foundation Year Oliver Beer Thomas Birley Daniela Boatti Lily Brown Reuben Dargan Millicent Dobson Anastasiia Gura Sam Ingram Thomas Isherwood William James Evelyn Kenrick George Kidson Abdulfatai Lawal Eve Leslie Chloe MacKellar Hector Mellor Olga Mikhina Amelia Scott Samuel Shardlow Sardes Strolz Alek van Dam Leo Westwood Nicholas Wilson

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Prizewinners

Simpson Drama Prize, Lea-Smith English Reading Prize, Form Prize Chemistry Prize, Latin Prize Form Prize French Prize, History Prize, Form Prize German Prize Biology Prize, Form Prize Junior Toovey Art Prize Form Prize Form Prize Form Prize Caswell Creative Writing Cup Physics Prize Form Prize Religious Studies Prize Geography Prize History Prize Form Prize Form Prize Martin Rogers Technology Prize, Debating Prize EAL Prize Biology Prize, Mathematics Prize, Spanish Prize English Prize Simpson Drama Prize, Form Prize

Remove Tarush Agrawal Syuzanna Avanesova Charles Canton-Smith Yutong Chen Arabella Cole William Crossland Oliver Doherty Emilio Dorai-Raj Rehaan Edavalath Cameron Eldridge Alisa Gudkova Konrad Harmer Kitty Holroyd Catherine Horn Josephine Jebens Elena Kotsika Lucy Marriott Louisa Marsden-Smedley Margann McGee Finley Morris Sophie Roberts Tanush Sanghai Eileen Shen Nayanna Sira Jonathan Stephenson Floris Tjan Clemens Tuczka Lichang Wan Lara Wilson Jack Yeoward

Form Prize, Religious Studies Prize Lea-Smith English Reading Prize Junior Unplugged Mathematics Prize Form Prize Form Prize Simpson Drama Prize Physics Prize, Biology Prize, German Prize Form Prize, Physical Education Prize Junior Singing Prize Junior Art Prize, EAL Prize, Spanish Prize Form Prize Biology Prize, Chemistry Prize, English Verse Prize, Junior Brass Prize Form Prize Form Prize, History Prize, Junior Strings Prize Form Prize Speech & Drama (Junior), English Prize, Form Prize Greek Prose Prize, Junior Singing Prize Speech & Drama (Junior) Junior Woodwind Prize History Prize Junior Percussion Prize Latin Prize, Junior Keyboard Prize Junior Woodwind Prize Form Prize, Junior Brass Prize Geography Prize Computer Science Award, Form Prize Junior Strings Prize French Prize Simpson Drama Prize

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Hundred Lea Bajkovic Jyothirmay Baldota Freja Bedell Charlotte Brasse Sixue Chen Thomas Cox Banita Dodhia Pablo Dorai-Raj Jiaxin Fan Olivia Forsberg James Francis James Hawkins Missy Hingey Yaqi Hu Oliver James Shea John George Kent Anieshka King Amelia Kold Virginia Lawrence Georgina Macakiage Hector Mallard Lewis McMurdo Adam Narbeth Agueda Ortiz Flores Millie Page Lucia Paris Meseguer Jacob Perry Ishbel Spencer-Nairn Kit Staley Geyu Wang Lisa Weierich Charlotte Welge Georgina Wood

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Prizewinners

Form Prize Form Prize Form Prize Pre-Sixth Academic Prize Physics Prize Form Prize Junior Percussion Prize Hansell German Prize Cobb Mathematical Prize Form Prize Form Prize, Debating Prize Junior Unplugged Simpson Drama Prize, Junior Singing Prize Form Prize Form Prize Chemistry Prize, Moore-Bayley Classics Prize, French Prize, History Prize, Academic Music Prize, Junior Woodwind Prize Computer Science Award English Prize, Lea-Smith English Reading Prize, Academic Music Prize, Junior Strings Prize Physical Education Prize Moore-Bayley Classics Prize, English Verse Prize Gale Biology Prize, History Prize, Religious Studies Prize Form Prize Form Prize Chance Spanish Prize Design and Technology Prize, EAL Prize, Form Prize Gale Biology Prize, Baldwin Geography Prize, Netball Prize Head of Art's Prize Junior Jazz Prize Simpson Drama Prize Shaw Art Prize Avon Art Award Gale Biology Prize Latin Prize, EAL Prize Toovey Print Prize

Lower Sixth Kira Angling Hans Baare-Schmidt Konrad Barbers Felix Berger Aodren Clemit Cameron Coleman Francesco Coppola Alessandro Coppola James Dawson Ava Emery Antonia Fetzer Lucie Fetcher Bonnie Green William Gutermann Alfrieda Hahn Robert Hardwick Georgina Hartley Olivia Holt Lawrence Hooker Maxwell Horler Nicholas Horn Helena Huang Zhu Harrison Hudson Bradley Jones Vivien Kruse Louise Little Eily Lo Gemma Luscombe Molly McNicholas Annabelle Moody Jasper Penrice Aarya Ramanj Ninsiima Rukandema Alexander Schulz Ludovic Staley Isobel Standen McDougal Aaron Tomson Ruihang Wu Yuqian Zhou

Economics, Business and Politics Prize Lloyd Prize, Tennis Prize Hansell German Prize, Academic Music Prize Senior Strings Prize E.C. Kennedy Memorial Latin Prize , Hansell French Prize, History Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize, History Prize, Caroline Harry Thomas Debating Prize, Abbott Mathematical Prize EAL Prize, Philosophy Prize, Chance Spanish Prize Chance Spanish Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize Science Photography Prize Nicholls Chemistry Prize, Hansell German Prize, Morgan Engineering Prize Lea-Smith English Reading Prize, Dunton Music Prize Baldwin Geography Prize Boldero Natural History Prize Hunter Design and Technology Prize, Hansell French Prize Boldero Natural History Prize, Nicholls Chemistry Prize Cricket Prize Boldero Natural History Prize Athletics Prize Aston Physics Prize Senior Unplugged Prize Senior Keyboard Prize Simpson Drama Prize, Nichols Music Prize Director of Music’s Prize Athletics Prize Physical Education Prize Senior Unplugged Prize Senior Woodwind Prize Senior Percussion Prize, Football Prize Senior Brass Prize Director of Music’s Prize, Hansell German Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize Baldwin Geography Prize Theory of Knowledge Prize Lea Shakespeare Prize Sitzler Classical Prize Head of Art's Photography (L6th), L6th Photography Prize Farrar Mathematical Prize Senior Woodwind Prize

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Upper Sixth Victoria Adeyemi George Advani Yasmine Allen Emily Atherton Eleanor Blyth Daniel Brierley Matthew Bruce Eleanor Calderwood Isabelle Chastney Isobel Copestake Emily Cox Beatriz Cunningham Ariana Davison Darik de Jong Toon de Melker Maria Decio Poppy Delingpole Georgina Denham Thomas Doherty Henry Forbes Ferdinand Fourier Lucas Fowler-Dewe Bianca Gaeta Henry Gerber Hanna Gesang

Giampietro Ghidini Costanza Giordano Saskia Griffths Bosa Gubago Isabella Hammond Jack Haynes Mackenzie Holtom Hamish Houghton

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Prizewinners

Berridge Chemistry Prize Institute of Physics Prize Chance Spanish Prize Heyes-Robertson Prize Simpson Drama Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize Environmental Systems Prize, Burke Military Prize Abbott Mathematical Prize, Short Prize for IB Extended Essay, Hockey Prize Psychology Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize, Baldwin Geography Prize Lucy Shepherd-Welch Memorial Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Director of Drama’s Prize Choir Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Speech & Drama (Senior), Senior Unplugged Prize, Physical Education Prize Wheeler-Bennett History Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize, Martin History Prize, Senior Singing Prize Director of Music’s Prize, Richard Smith Physics Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Senior Strings Prize David Clarke Memorial Sports Prize, Wheeler-Bennett Society Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, RAF Prize Potter Classical Prize, Italian Prize – Italian A, Blumenau Philosophy Prize, Goringe Award for Community or Voluntary Service Head of Art's Photography (U6th) H.W. Smith Memorial Exhibition (English) Prize, Kessler German Prize, R.N. Moritz International Baccalaureate Prize, Theory of Knowledge Prize, Malvernian Society Biology Prize Milward Mathematical Prize Italian Prize – Ab Initio Edward Henman Outdoor Activities Prize, Director of Music’s Prize R.W.A. Manly Technical Theatre Prize Sayer Literature Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize, Cricket Prize Tennis Prize Lea-Smith English Reading Prize, Director of Music’s Prize

Tristan Hubbard Olivia Hyde Charles Izzard Montague Lampard Julian Loustric Edward Mayell Harry Myddelton Ignacio Paris Meseguer Mallika Prakash Henry Queen Max Regan Allaster Renton Helena Rose Scarlett Shaw Elisa Solvay George Standen McDougal Ricardo Theis Philip Jan van Nederpelt William Vernon James Wakefield Ethan Wang Sasha Wilson Octavia Wyatt Isabel Wynn Nicholas Yeoward Crystal Yip Arina Znamenskaya

Senior Brass Prize, Hockey Prize Latin Prose Prize, Director of Drama’s Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, RAF Prize Rooke Naval Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Senior Jazz Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Economics, Business and Politics Prize, Baldwin Geography Prize U6th Photography Prize, Rooke Naval Prize Academic Music Prize, Philosophy Prize James Greenwood Architecture Prize Senior Keyboard Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize Martin Rogers Technology Prize, Hind Award (Golf ) Marshall Medical Prize, OM Lodge Charity Prize Baldwin Geography Prize Pat Courage Chemistry Prize, Wheeler-Bennett Society Prize Woodman Comparative Literature Prize, Short Prize for IB Extended Essay Economics, Business and Politics Prize, Short Prize for IB Extended Essay Kessler German Prize, Football Prize Head of Art's Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Hansell French Prize, Rowe Science Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, John Knee Maths Prize Director of Drama’s Prize, Speech & Drama (Senior), Senior Singing Prize Hansell French Prize, Chance Spanish Prize Chapel Prize, Rugby Prize Senior Toovey Painting Prize NADFAS Painting Prize

Eleanor Calderwood Ariana Davison Montague Lampard Oliver Millard James Wakefield Nicholas Yeoward

Headmaster’s Prize Headmaster’s Prize Headmaster’s Prize Headmaster’s Prize Headmaster’s Prize Headmaster’s Prize

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Upper Sixth Leavers Salahuddin Abduljawad Victoria Adeyemi George Advani Sean Aggarwal Julnar Alhilly Yasmine Allen Amber Anderson Nana Asante Brenda Asein Emily Atherton Anna-Lena Barth Hugo Bensaude Ellen Berry Stephanie Bitature Jamie Bitenyo-Jones Harry Bluck Eleanor Blyth Nicholas Booysen Edward Bradshaw Daniel Brierley Matthew Bruce Eleanor Calderwood Owen Carroll Isabella Carter Isabelle Chastney Natasha Cook Isobel Copestake Sebastian Corry Emily Cox Luc Crompton Beatriz Cunningham Ariana Davison Alice Day Olivia de Courcy-Ireland Darik de Jong Toon de Melker Maria Decio Poppy Delingpole Luca Dell’Antonio

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Upp e r Si x th L e ave rs

Georgina Denham Savanna Desmarquest Daria Di Michele Thomas Doherty Angela Fabritius Benedict Fisher Henry Forbes Ferdinand Fourier Lucas Fowler-Dewe Bianca Gaeta Henry Gerber Hanna Gesang Giampietro Ghidini Costanza Giordano Sebastian Grace Saskia Griffiths Sophia Grub Sam Haegelsteen Zaynab Hajjam Isabella Hammond Célestine Hanssens Jack Haynes Toby Hollis Mackenzie Holtom Hamish Houghton Francesca Hsu Tristan Hubbard Olivia Hyde Charles Izzard Claudia Jackson Jasmine Jain Felix Kingdon Vasilii Klemenko Alexander Kling Vishal Koneru Noa Kotsikas Urav Ladwa Montague Lampard Dominic Leicher

Hiu Chung Li Nikolaus Liechtenstein Matthew Little Julian Loustric Shamir Marshall Hermione Martyn-Smith Edward Mayell Ben Merritt Oliver Millard Toby Moran Julia Mortreu Clara Moyle Harry Myddelton Katharina Niedzwetzki Miguel Ortiz Flores Ignacio Paris Meseguer John Pickering Samuel Platnauer Mallika Prakash Nathalia Prior Henry Queen Lukas Rakcejev Sebastian Rechsteiner Max Regan Allaster Renton Frédéric Reuther Helena Rose Finlay Russell Ralph Sharp Scarlett Shaw Temidola Shonubi Isobel Shuker Joshua Sigley Dylan Sillence Eva Simpson Lilian Solbach Elisa Solvay Leonie Soravia Marco Spaziani Testa

Alexander Speeks George Standen McDougal Tia Tanna Hannah Taylor Ricardo Theis Harry Townsend Khoa Bang Tran Maria Tskhovrebova Philip Jan van Nederpelt Hélène Vansteenbrugghe Thomas Vernon William Vernon Ludovico Vimercati Sanseverino James Wakefield Ethan Wang Thomas Wentworth-Fitzwilliam Florence Whitfield Sasha Wilson Octavia Wyatt Isabel Wynn Xizhi Yang Zhang Nicholas Yeoward Crystal Yip Ming Hun Yung Arina Znamenskaya

College Council President and Visitor The Lord Bishop of Worcester

Chairman

Mr R K Black (O.M.)

Vice Chairman Miss S R Duff (E.O.G.)

Treasurer

Mr C A P Leonard, JP Mrs F P Bridge Mr P G Brough Mr W J Burke III (O.M.) Professor K J Davey, OBE Mrs J Edwards-Clark, MVO (E.O.G.) Mr N C S Engert (O.M.) Ms C D Fairchild Mr J P Foxall (O.M.) Mr F R R Francis Mr J M J Havard (O.M.) Mr S M Hill Professor P B Jackson Mr G E Jones Dr A M D Kennedy Mr C A P Leonard Revd K U Madden Mr P C Nicholls (O.M.) Mrs L M Penrice Mrs S Raby-Smith Mr D G Robertson Dr D C Sandbrook (O.M.) Dr C W O Stoecker (O.M.) Mr T D Straker, QC (O.M.) Mr A F Trotman Mr B S Walker (O.M.) Dr H M Wright

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Malvern College College Road Malvern Worcestershire WR14 3DF +44 (0)1684 581 500 www.malverncollege.org.uk registrar@malverncollege.org.uk Follow us: @malverncollege Registered Charity No 527578