Malvernian 2018

The

Malvernian SEPTEMBER 2017 – AUGUST 2018

2018

Table of Contents Headmaster’s Editorial......................................................... 005 Salvete...................................................................................... 006 Valete........................................................................................ 008 Chapel Prefects....................................................................... 011 Heads of House.......................................................................012 Remembrance.......................................................................... 013 Chapel News............................................................................014 Academic Review...................................................................016 House Drama Competition................................................. 020 A Christmas Carol................................................................. 026 Legally Blonde, Jnr................................................................ 028 Grimm Tales .......................................................................... 032 Nineteen Eighty-Four........................................................... 036 Music........................................................................................ 038 Art.............................................................................................044 Modern Languages Department Trip to Normandy..... 050 Exchanges............................................................................... 052 Upper Sixth Auschwitz Visit................................................053 Wheeler-Bennett Society..................................................... 054 Literary Society &.................................................................. 055 Lea-Smith Reading Competition....................................... 055 George Sayer Fellowship...................................................... 056 Debating & Malvern United Nations................................. 058 Lucretian Society Lectures.................................................. 060 Science Department Trips and Events............................. 064 CCF........................................................................................... 070 School House...........................................................................074 No.1........................................................................................... 078 No.2........................................................................................... 082 No.3........................................................................................... 086 No.4........................................................................................... 090 No.5........................................................................................... 094 No.6........................................................................................... 098 No.7............................................................................................102 No.8............................................................................................106 No.9............................................................................................ 110 Ellerslie House.........................................................................114 Rugby..........................................................................................118 Cricket....................................................................................... 136 Girls’ Cricket............................................................................ 152 Hockey...................................................................................... 156 Football..................................................................................... 172 Netball....................................................................................... 186 Athletics.................................................................................... 198 Cross-Country........................................................................ 200 Rackets..................................................................................... 204

Fives.......................................................................................... 205 Tennis....................................................................................... 206 Golf............................................................................................210 Equestrianism......................................................................... 212 Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.................................... 214 Lower Sixth Service Expedition to South Africa............ 216 Commemoration Day............................................................ 218 The Malvernian Society....................................................... 220 Prizewinners...........................................................................222 Upper Sixth Leavers..............................................................228 College Council.......................................................................229

Editor: Peter Morton Design: 678 Creative Printed in the UK by The Lavenham Press Ltd, Suffolk House and sports team photographs kindly supplied by Norman Mays Photography.

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

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Headmaster’s Editorial The Malvernian not only provides a chronicle of the events of the past year, a year in which we celebrated 25 years of co-education and the implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) at the College, but also encapsulates the enormous endeavour and achievement of the boys and girls at our school. It reflects their commitment and energy in a range of fields, in cultural activities, sport and service.

I hope that you will enjoy seeing their actions represented pictorially and in the written word and that you will be inspired by evidence of their commitment to each other and to Malvern.

Antony Clark Headmaster

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Salvete Miss Emily Parker has joined us as a teacher of Geography.

Miss Parker recently moved back to the UK having worked in Hong Kong and London as a Chartered Surveyor. She has joined the Malvern College CCF Army section and will also be coaching netball. As a keen yachtswoman with experience at international level, Emily will be also be aiming to promote sailing within the College. She is attached to Ellerslie House, where she is a house tutor.

Mrs Mair Forde has returned to the Modern Languages Department where she is covering Audrey Hadley’s maternity leave for French while also taking up a permanent parttime post teaching Spanish. Mair has taught languages at several schools previously, including Headington School and King’s High, Warwick. She is a tutor at No.4 and an academic tutor to the Hundred.

Miss Fiona Hardy arrives from St Dunstan’s College where she was Head of Economics and Business, before which she taught at Bromsgrove School. Miss Hardy will be teaching Economics and Business, acting as Deputy of No.6 and providing pastoral support as an FY tutor. She will also be helping out with Flourishing Fiver, the FY Award, and coaching Netball.

Miss Flora Sagers joins Malvern from Wellington College, where she was previously working as an English teacher. At Malvern, Flora is the Assistant Head of English and is fortunate enough to be a tutor in two houses: No.8 006

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and Ellerslie. Alongside her work at the College, Flora is currently undertaking graduate study in English Literature and Cultural Theory, with a specific focus on the use of art in contemporary women’s writing.

Mr Andrew Wilson joins the Economics Department from Stowe School. Alongside teaching Economics and Business, Andrew is a Sixth Form tutor and is attached to No.9. He will be helping out with Cross-Country running and, as an former infantry officer, is involved with the CCF.

Mair Forde

Fiona Hardy

Flora Sagers

Emily Parker

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Richard Coughtrie

Richard Coughtrie joined Malvern after a brief period of teaching at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate, and was with us for two and a half years: all too short a time, given the enthusiastic way in which he embraced every aspect of Malvern life. He arrived with clear ability in the classroom, and as an exNewcastle Grammar pupil, a strong pedigree as an Economist. His career as a professional cricketer (his route to us via Mark Hardinges) made him an 008

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outstanding team player, and it was a joy to have him as part of the Economics team. What marked Richard’s time with us was his constant good humour, and his positive approach to helping pupils realise their potential to become rounded individuals with clear goals. It was wonderful to watch Richard start a period of professional growth and discovery about just what a wonderful teacher he is going to be: he shone not only in the classroom but also pastorally, and I am sure he has his sights set on being a very strong and effective future Housemaster in some lucky school. Richard constantly sought to grow. He successfully completed his PGCE with us, started marking for the IB, and had a hugely successful first year on the Oxford University Masters Course in Education. He was enthusiastic about learning from others in the Common Room, but it very quickly became apparent that we were learning much also from him, and Richard gave invaluable input into the FY

curriculum development. His skills were widely appreciated outside the classroom, as an excellent FY tutor, an excellent Deputy Housemaster in No 2, and in a range of sports teams, most notably but not exclusively cricket.

Richard married Olivia in the summer of 2017, and moves up to London to join her and teach at Dulwich College. We wish him all the best in his new post, but hope one day to see him back at Malvern.

SCH

Robert Huguenin

Robert joined Malvern in September 2005 and delivered speech and drama tutelage to a vast number of Malvernians during his 13 years working at the college. Organising termly LAMDA examinations and annual participation in the Worcester Festival of Competitive Arts, it was in the rehearsal room – exploring text and working on voice and presentation skills – where Robert excelled and was most in his element. Rob’s ability to engage strongly with his pupils ensured that they were always challenged to go the extra mile in order to develop a physicality and vocal quality entirely appropriate to the character in question. In paired work or solo, Rob’s pupils were offered the space and time to explore the intentions of the playwright and to develop their own interpretations. Working from a small practice room in the Music Department, Rob will be remembered for producing astonishing practical results for many Malvernians during his tenure as Head of Speech & Drama.

KRCP

Michael Haynes

Mr Michael Haynes joined Malvern College in September 2017 as Head of Academic Music and, from the outset, it was clear just what an excellent addition to the Music Department he was.

An outstanding teacher, whose expertise, experience and subject knowledge matched his understanding and empathetic manner, Mike was able, easily, to convince his pupils and colleagues that they were in the safest of hands.

Perhaps the most noticeable thing about him was that he always had time for his pupils, both in the classroom and when rehearsing with pupils in his role as the College’s principal accompanist, where he worked tirelessly and fastidiously to ensure that the soloists he was working with were happy and confident to perform to the very best of their abilities. It is with great sadness that we have had to say farewell as Mike has had to leave the College due to ill-health after such a short time, but he does so with our best wishes and the greatest admiration.

Readers can follow Michael’s blog, where he writes about living with his illness at: strikingachord633779418. wordpress.com

Natalie Heuter

Natalie Heuter joined the EAL Department as a teacher in a part-time capacity in September 2011. During the seven years Natalie has been at Malvern she has been an integral member of the department, developing the English language skills of our non-native English speaking pupils and ultimately preparing them for the IELTS examination. Natalie has done this with great care, patience, skill, and always with a deep understanding of her pupils – and of what they require from her to develop their language skills in order to flourish at Malvern. In recent years Natalie has been involved in delivering Malvern’s Life Skills programme to lower school pupils, and has become the A Level EPQ Co-ordinator.

Natalie will be much missed in the Modern Languages Department as a whole, and we wish her and her husband Martin well in their move to west Wales and the new life they are looking to build for themselves there.

MGL

JMB

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James Ricci

James came to Malvern with a wealth of experience, having taught an impressive variety of subjects in more countries than most teachers would visit in a lifetime. He continued this broadbased approach by teaching History, Theory of Knowledge, and Economics during his year at Malvern. What was abundantly clear from all James’s work was his deep-seated love of learning and a real desire to engender that same love of learning in all of his pupils – whatever their subject, age, or ability.

He thought deeply about what education meant, and we all benefited from the questions that he brought about education to Malvern, especially about the issue of a global ‘modern crisis of learning’ linked to changing technologies and the increasing impact of social media. He had a particular interest in the skills of academic writing, and his ToK pupils valued his uncompromising insistence that they think – that most essential of skills. At the heart of James’s philosophy was the concept that pupils should educate themselves, and he felt passionately that when teaching spoon-feeds pupils, it is at its most empty and dangerous.

James leaves us to pursue a similarly varied role – but this time in Higher Education. We thank him for his stimulating time with us, and will remember with great fondness his invigorating shout ‘Have a thought’!

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Rachael Pike

Rachael Pike came to Malvern in September 2016 from Headington School in Oxford, where she had worked as Head of Languages. At Malvern, Ms Pike soon established herself as a wonderfully enthusiastic teacher of Spanish, known for her love of grammar, flamenco music and tapas-tasting lessons. Midway through her first year, Ms Pike stepped into the temporary role of Head of Spanish, while her value as a caring tutor to the girls in No.4 and work as Head of Girls’ Tennis was greatly appreciated. Sadly, Rachael has had to leave Malvern following a period of ill health. Her good humour and genuine devotion to those in her care will be missed greatly, and we wish her all the best with her future plans.

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Laura Romijn

Laura Romijn joined Malvern as the German Language Assistant for the academic year 2017/18 from the Goethe University, Frankfurt, and quickly built a strong rapport with the pupils, helping them to gain confidence primarily with their spoken German. Laura’s patience, kindness, and understanding helped many of our pupils achieve excellent grades at IGCSE and IB, and she was a crucial factor behind so many of the Hundred cohort opting to continue with the language into the Sixth Form. Laura also enjoyed tutoring in Ellerslie House and we wish her well on her return to Frankfurt as she concludes her teacher training programme.

WJM

Chapel Prefects

Lauren Maxey Senior Chapel Prefect

Jack Bishop Chapel Prefect

Eliott Gilling-Smith Chapel Prefect

Ella Warren Chapel Prefect

Amelia Wilson Chapel Prefect

Federico Amodeo Sacristan Chapel Prefect

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Heads of House

Max Taylor (SH)

Michael George (No.1)

Charlie Salnikow (No.2)

Elise Black (No.3)

Olivia Behan (No.4)

Callum Lea (No.5)

Natasha FalconerMalcolm (No.6)

Bibi Amana (No.7)

Daisy Lazarus (No.8)

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Nye Owen (No.9)

Juliette Hannecart (EH)

Remembrance On Sunday 12th November some 1,400 pupils, staff and visitors were present for our Remembrance Sunday services, and the joint Act of Remembrance which took place around St George at 11.00am. A fortunate break in the weather allowed the assembled company to mark the solemnity of the occasion under bright skies.

Wreaths were laid by the Senior Chapel Prefect Lauren Maxey and representatives of the Malvernian Society, the Downs Malvern, Colonel Bettinson OM (No.7 1987–92) and the Senior Cadet, CCF Malvern College. The address at each of the services in Chapel was given by Colonel George Wilson OBE MA. He reminded the members of the Downs Malvern and the College about the importance of the forgotten: those lost in battle and those whose lives and graves went unmarked. The services included the poem ‘For the Fallen’, by Laurence Binyon, readings from St John and St Luke, Remember Me by Bob Chilcott, Lead, kindly light by Howard Goodall, Parry’s hymn ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’, and Greater Love by John Ireland, one of the great Remembrance anthems.

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Chapel News My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations – Isaiah 56: 7 [There is…] …a time to be silent, and a time to speak – Ecclesiastes 3:7 What role does Chapel have in our contemporary, secular world? It’s a busy and engaged world; an information-rich and a time-impoverished world; the world of visible mass media and invisible mass suffering. It is, perhaps, not the world that the College’s founders had in mind when they considered the place of Chapel and worship. They had in mind a school of boys, preparing for service in the Empire, in a largely white, Christian context. Now the College thrives as a co-educational, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-faith community with very different aspirations. And Chapel?

Chapel is all the more relevant, all the more important, today.

As the pace of life increases, seemingly exponentially, there is all the more need for a daily moment of quiet and reflection: a time for prayer, meditation or simply “centring” oneself at the start of the day. In a society which is all too easily fractured, with polarised political and social views vying for attention, corporate acts such as our hymn-singing can reinforce the power of community and shared endeavour.

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At our Eucharist we are invited simply to receive from God, not based on any merit but rather on our need: and this invitation does not demand a response, only encourages one. Similarly, in the hearing of sacred scripture we are invited to chew over it, to reflect and engage: the Rule of St Benedict refers to lectio divina, the reading and listening with ever-renewed reflection. It may once have been appropriate simply to proclaim the Universal Truths of the Gospel without comment or exegesis: in these times, our approach is necessarily more ambiguous, more tempered, as we acknowledge the spiritual breadth of our constituency.

Preaching a full-blooded Gospel may be right and proper in a church filled with those who subscribe to the same view and choose to attend: with a congregation of pupils who come because it is the College’s expectation rather than their own, a more inclusive, broader, humbler approach is necessary.

And so, in the past year, as through all the past years of my tenure as Chaplain, we have attempted to celebrate God’s gifts to us; to acknowledge in our several ways the mystery and grandeur of the created order; to reach out in love and compassion to the wider world; to reflect something of Christ’s message and gift to the world: “life to the full.”

Our pupils and staff have responded, through the beautiful and committed music-making of choir and organ; through prayers and readings composed and delivered with compassion and empathy; through addresses and presentations

that have amused, challenged and celebrated our human interactions in and beyond the College. Christ, walking in Galilee, was open to those who came to him; he didn’t force himself into their company but acted in response to the needs, hurts, and desires that they presented. He spoke of his work as sowing seeds that would grow invisibly, longterm. So, too, we measure what we do in Chapel not by a head-count of spiritual ‘scalps’, but by the subtle infusion of God’s grace in lives that are lived both here and beyond.

As many OM visitors comment: “It was only some time later that I appreciated the influence of Chapel on my life.”

The Rev’d Br Andrew Law, OC

From the Registers Baptism Robert Keys Emily Keys Roberta Keys Ella Warren Erin Preece Ella Terry

Confirmation Roberta Keys Kelsey Richmond Edmund Thurlow Ella Warren

Marriage Christy George and Tamlyn Riley Tom Davenhill (OM) and Caroline Watchurst Kit Lister (OM) and Joanna Pursey

Renewal of Marriage Vows Martin and Theresa Wheeler

Funeral / Memorial Norman Rosser Jim Bullock Margarita Whitehead

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Academic Review International Baccalaureate Examination Results The 2018 cohort achieved an impressive average point score of 37, very much in line with our results of the past five years.

19 candidates (29% of the cohort) performed outstandingly, scoring 40 or more IB points, and two, Efe Erciyaz and Elizaveta Rozenberg, achieved the distinction of achieving the maximum 45 points, while Andreas Heyer and Annika Schulz attained 44. Among our top-performing subjects compared to world averages were: English Literature A SL (av. 6.00), German A Language & Literature HL (av. 6.33), French B HL (av. 6.86), French B SL (av. 6.27), Spanish B HL (av. 6.4), Spanish B SL (av. 6.33), Economics HL (av. 6.07), Economics SL (av. 6.2), Geography HL (av. 6.14), History HL (av. 6.07), History SL (av. 6), Chemistry HL (av. 6.15) and Visual Art HL (av. 6.14).

A Level Results Our A Level candidates achieved results slightly above our predictions, with 34% A*-A grades and 66% A*-B grades.

This was our sixth highest A*-B percentage in the past decade. The strongest results by individual candidates were: Hannelore Elsden (two A*s and two A grades), Miranda Bruce (two A*s and one A grade), Jude Bedford (three A grades), Sophia Duguid (three A grades), Ben Fu (three A grades), Theo Lowe (one A*, two A grades), Thomas Luscombe (one A*, two A grades), Lauren Maxey (one 0 16

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A*, two A grades), Jacob Preston (one A*, three A grades), William Sharp (three A grades), Cheryl Yuen (one A*, three A grades) and Saamiah Zaveri (three A grades and one B).

Miranda Bruce also had the distinction of achieving the top score nationally, out of 12500 students, in AQA’s Geography A Level Paper 2.

Top-performing subjects at A Level were: Art, Photography, Drama, Latin, Music, Music Technology, and French (which all achieved 100% A*-B), English Literature (77% A*-B) and Physical Education (80% A*-B).

GCSE Results The year’s GCSE examinations presented a complex picture as ten subjects retained letter grades (A*-G) while seven have the new 9–1 scale. As there is not an exact equivalence established between the old (letter) and new (number) systems, this makes it impossible to directly compare results for this year’s GCSE cohort against previous years. Next year (2019), will see all subjects except two move to the number scale, which will make predictions and evaluation of GCSE results clearer and more meaningful.

Translating (approximately) all of this year’s GCSE results onto the 9–1 scale, means that the Hundred achieved an extremely impressive 25% of grades at level 9. At 9–8, the proportion equates to 34% and at 9–7 (equivalent more or less to A*–A), to 58%, which is 1% higher than last year’s

A*–A figure. Top-performing subjects on the 9–1 scale were: Art (63% 9–7), Latin (86% 9–7), Religious Studies (76% 9–7) and English Language (77% 9–7). On the A*–G scale, the top results were: Maths (81% A*–A), German (88% A*–A), Biology (65% A*–A), Chemistry (62% A*–A) and Physics (64% A*–A). Thirty-one pupils achieved the equivalent of at least 6 A* grades. Imogen Cole, James Dawson, Anna Doroshenko, Eily Lo, and Imee Marriott each gained the equivalent of 10 A*s, while Sapphire Anderson, Evyanne Ewusie, Gemma Luscombe, Annabelle Moody and Ludovic Staley achieved the equivalent of 9 A* grades.

University Applications Three pupils were offered places at Oxford and Cambridge to read Law, Human, Social & Political Science, and Mathematics and Physics. The Upper Sixth were very successful in securing offers from a range of UK universities for admission in 2018, with 70% doing so from Russell Group universities. Particularly high success rates were achieved at Newcastle, Exeter and Liverpool (with a 90%+ offer rate in each case). Exeter, University College London, King’s College, London and Edinburgh proved the most popular choices. Twenty–seven pupils received offers from a range of overseas universities including some of the most prestigious US and Canadian universities such as McGill, UCLA, Princeton and NYU.

ISI Inspection We were delighted that the ISI Educational Quality Inspection in November judged the College ‘Excellent’ both in terms of academic achievement and personal development.

Curriculum Developments In September 2017, two new public examination courses were launched: Computer Science GCSE and IB Business Management (Higher Level). Both had a good initial take up, with 20 choosing Computer Science and 10 pupils taking Business Management.

A Level Programme From September 2017, all A Level subjects now have the new linear specifications. At the start of the academic year, the vast majority of A Level candidates entering the Lower Sixth chose three A Level subjects and an Enrichment course, of which the Extended Project proved the most popular and helped enhance pupils’ research and time-management skills. Our menu of Enrichment courses expanded to provide greater choice for the Lower Sixth, including a Mathematics for Science A Level course to develop the higher mathematical skills required for studying A Level

Physics and Chemistry, AS Further Mathematics, AS Classical Civilisation and beginners’ Italian.

New GCSE/IGCSE specifications From September, all subjects followed the new GCSE/ IGCSE specifications and the 2017–2018 Remove will be the first year cohort to be awarded the new 9–1 grades in all subjects in 2019.

Sixth Form Subject Choices In 2017–2018, we improved the support and information provided to the Hundred in making their Sixth Form subject choices. In the Autumn Term, we laid on introductory lessons in subjects offered in the Sixth Form but not in the Lower School (e.g. Economics, Business, Italian ab initio) and had extremely positive feedback from both pupils and teachers. In the second half of the Lent Term, a team of four senior members of staff interviewed every pupil in the Hundred/Pre6 individually about their subject choices to check they were making informed choices and to help address any issues they may have had.

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New CPD for Heads of Department and Aspiring Heads of Department A new in-house training programme for Heads of Departments and aspiring Heads of Department, modelled on the ISQAM qualification (an HMC educational management training course), was initiated in January 2018.

Modules ran through to June and included: lesson observation; coaching; assessment; marking and feedback; employment issues; effective appraisal; schemes of work; use of data; and whole-school/departmental planning. Attendance was high, and, feedback from staff participating has been very positive. This initiative and the new Departmental Appraisal model (outlined below) are two key ways in which we have responded to the recent ISI recommendation that we should develop critical monitoring for evaluation routines to assure the effectiveness of common practice in teaching (and pastoral care).

New Staff/Departmental Appraisal Model In January 2018, we introduced a new model for staff appraisal which retains the Annual Teaching Review (ATR) but replaces the individual Staff Review process with a departmental appraisal system conducted by members of the Senior Leadership Team, including our three ISI inspectors. Mathematics, Geography and Economics, Business and Politics have now been appraised under the new system and, alongside the evaluations of each (which were very positive), they have received recommendations for further development which will be monitored in the coming year.

Over the course of two academic years, every department will undergo an appraisal.

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House Drama Competition Across three evenings, this year’s House Drama Competition offered a wide variety of theatre. Playing to packed houses each night in Big School (whilst the Rogers Theatre underwent refurbishment) the ensembles involved gave their all. A strong sense of collaboration, enjoyment, commitment, and passion was evident amongst all cast members and technical crew and was abundantly clear to appreciative audiences.

The Witches

Director: Bonnie Green No.3 began the proceedings with Bonnie Green’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic The Witches. Olivia Hyde (as Grandmother) set the scene convincingly with a sincere and controlled introduction. A centre-stage single spotlight focused on the character who, having established the audience’s attention, expertly paved the way for the rest of the cast to join her and tell the story. The most repulsive and terrifying villain of them all – the Grand High Witch – was played with flair by Lauren Maxey. It would have been easy to overplay this character but Lauren, seemingly at ease with her gruesome shenanigans, never allowed the character to slip into pantomime. The result was a strong, believable characterisation that became the mainstay of the piece, and this allowed the rest of the cast to respond effectively to the villain incarnate. Bruno Jenkins (played by Elise Black) 020

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fostered a good relationship with the audience from the start, with his incessant nibbling, but once again this was well controlled throughout. Elise’s physical characteristics added a likeable humour to the character and provided an appropriate contrast to the his friend Luke – played with great sincerity and feeling by Otty Thomas. There was a strong sense of teamwork with this production, indicating a clearly defined purpose and direction. Bonnie Green’s direction avoided monotony and predictability by ensuring both pace and power at the appropriate times. The challenges posed by the acting area and its surroundings were handled well, particularly in scenes involving high numbers of cast members. And the technical team worked well to provide Bonnie and her cast with a full range of effective, lighting, sound and technical support.

Snow White

Director: Mac Sainsbury–Plaice.

No.1’s production was based on the ‘Snow White’ story. The Narrator (Derrick Macakiage’s) teasing introduction left the audience wandering what they were about to be subjected to, and there was a strong suggestion that it would not be an extract from the nineteenth century German fairytale.

This version, written by Mac Sainsbury-Plaice and Derrick Mackie, was far from ‘Grimm’. There was a clear sense of audience support from the start. This was anticipated well

by the Director, Mac Sainsbury-Plaice through swift-moving dialogue, innuendo, and comedic asides to individual members of the audience. Neither the younger nor the older Snow White was quite as innocent as is conventional for the titular character. Ethan Zhao gave an energetic, controlled performance as the more mature Snow White. He established a very clear rapport not only with the audience, but with his fellow actors too. The main antagonist, the Evil Queen was played convincingly by Yoyo Sasa.

The entry, from the back of the hall to the stage, of the Seven Undocumented Immigrants and their transportation was most effective. The ‘Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho’ musical introduction that announced them heightened the anticipation. They having briefly established their characters in the march up to the front, we were given a more in-depth insight into the individuals themselves. These impressive characterisations were maintained meticulously (both visibly and audibly) throughout the entire show.

A full supporting cast added depth and humour to the storytelling. Temi Shonubi’s cameo performance as the mirror was creative and somehow current. The technical crew supported each scene with flair and efficiency. In summary, the piece was rich in laughs and should be labelled ‘good, fun entertainment’, whilst also delivering a clear revulsion of bigotry, instead championing inclusiveness and diversity.

to the scene. Costumes were impressive and wholly authentic to the period and the technical aspects were handled swiftly and efficiently, whilst scene changes were carried out with the minimum of fuss. A strong sense of ensemble was in evidence.

Lord of the Flies

Director: Mahaaz Ahmed No.2 presented William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. This whole production team painted a terrifying picture of a decaying society. Their storytelling graphically outlined the descent into gang warfare and savagery. The transition from a group of ordinary, well-educated children to primitive barbarism was portrayed with chilling and highly dramatic effect.

Tom Doherty, Harrison Hudson, and Declan Swinburne gave strong performances as their respective characters Ralph, Piggy and Jack. The audience was drawn into their conflicting moods and motives as they came to terms with being marooned on an isolated island. Tom’s portrayal of

Murder on the Orient Express Director: Ariana Davison

No.4’s presentation was a return to a traditional piece of theatre – with Murder on the Orient Express. Taking on such a stylised classic calls for tight discipline in rehearsal and great attention-to-detail in performance. Unlike some film versions, Ariana Davison’s direction was true to Dame Agatha Christie’s original intentions, by systematically adding high levels of intrigue and suspense to virtually every scene. This was a large cast to handle, but secure planning enabled the best use of the stage, and the restricted acting area never seemed to hamper the storytelling. The faces and body language of the other passengers, while Detective Poirot was interrogating, were an interesting spectacle. They sat, conveniently arranged upstage in a semi-circle, and each character maintained a thoroughly convincing profile throughout.

Otty Wyatt’s Detective Poirot gave a commanding performance. The character she created was respectful to the traditional portrayals of the detective, but she made the role her own. Cecilia Gerber, playing Miss Debenham, gave a secure and very natural performance. Amelia Wilson played Mr Rachett, and although her role was short-lived she gave a memorable performance. The stabbing was particularly effective as the dramatic use of lighting, sound, and spasmodic body movements combined to offer a chilling climax Hous e Dra ma Competiti on

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Ralph showed order, leadership, hope and civilisation.

Harrison (as Piggy) delivered the thought-provoking, intellectual aspects of civilisation, while Declan’s Jack ably represented the darker side of human nature.

This large cast fed off the strength and purpose of the central characters – but the disturbing atmosphere they created on the night was undeniably the result of closelynurtured teamwork. Lighting and sound complemented every second of the atmosphere.

Huge credit must go to Mahaaz Ahmed for this highly disciplined production. The acting area was utilised to full effect; the mob scenes and the horrific murders were audibly and physically disturbing; and the audience felt uncomfortably involved.

in the history books’. We are taken on three journeys that allow us to experience separate but equally enlightening outcomes. Laura Browne played Pauline, Emily Elgar played Petrova and Beatrice Forbes played Posy: all three actresses developed a rapport on stage and their individual characteristics were evenly drawn. A strong sense of family loyalty was conveyed by this trio and the audience was drawn into the sensitivities of the 1930s and the constraints of the Great Depression. Anna Doroshenko’s Sylvia (‘Garnie’) sensitively exposed her vulnerabilities, and Nana (played by Megan Davies) was supportive and always there for Sylvia and the girls. The dance scene and choreography was well coordinated. A full supporting cast adapted well on the night to the difficulties of a restricted acting area.

Matilda

Hansel and Gretel

Directors: Trixi Meus and Tomasin Odulana – assisted by Tia Tanna The first offering on Saturday evening saw Ellerslie House’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Syuzanna Avanesova gave us an often-precocious incarnation of the main character. However, her portrayal also showed a thoughtful and sensitive nature by ably demonstrating the character’s feelings of rejection and loneliness. Olivia De Courcey Ireland was the supportive Miss Honey, a part she played with great conviction as she convincingly nurtured Matilda with kind words and encouragement. Harry Wormwood, strongly played by Chioma Anazodo, showed us the traits of a dodgy second-hand car dealer. His actions and words were delivered in an impressive way that provoked the audience’s dislike of this selfish character – a father whose daughter was unimportant to him. Mrs Wormwood (played with dynamism by Tomi Odulana) was appropriately pitched – and villainous.

Hannah Obikudu led by example from the start. Her entrance as Miss Trunchbull was physically dominant and she maintained the ‘formidable female’ persona throughout the performance. The school students added depth and atmosphere to many scenes, and the nastiness of Matilda’s Crunchen Hall School was collectively conveyed. The narrators, Ella Hale-Smith and Ria Shah, commendably linked all of the scenes together and added to the flow of this production. This was a polished production with some key individual performances of note.

Ballet Shoes

Director: Annie O’Gorman assisted by Ellen Berry The second presentation of the evening came from No.6.

Their rendition of Ballet Shoes (Noel Streatfeild) showed how to handle a sensitive period piece with understanding and flair. In the story Pauline, Petrova and Posy are inspired to overcome the financial challenges and ‘put their names

Directors Alice Blyth and Cordelia Lampard The final production on Saturday evening was No.8’s production of ‘Hansel and Gretel’. In this performance we were exposed to a light-hearted version of this ‘once upon a time’ traditional fairytale. The team gelled well together and made highly effective use of the acting area. The scene transitions were handled very efficiently and with a minimum of fuss. Significantly, the two lead characters, Hansel (Imee Marriott) and Gretel (Annabel Moody) dictated the emotion and the pace of the play. Imee gave Hansel energy with a lively delivery that somehow engaged the audience without openly playing up to them. Annabel’s clear and confident command of the role of Gretel provided a natural partnership that bonded the two actors. Rabbit’s 1, 2, and 3 (Missy Hingley, Lottie Bulley, and Ishbel Spencer-Nairn) provided entertaining interludes with humorous contributions. Lucie Fletcher took on the role of the Old Lady with great characterisation. The transition to the Witch was well rehearsed and theatrically effective. A sense of fun and teamwork was evident throughout this performance.

Blackadder

Director: Sam Platneur No.9 headed the Sunday night’s programme, with a hilarious rendition of this classic, showcasing the exploits of Blackadder and his faithful follower Baldrick. Blackadder, suavely played by Sam Platnauer, gave a very polished performance, adding wit and throw-away humour to his delivery. Jack Yeoward (as Baldrick) played the dimwit so very naturally! His physicality and vocal delivery created much mirth amongst the audience. A full cast offered solid support and the piece was well presented and dressed. Excellent teamwork overall ensured a polished and highly disciplined production.

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The History Boys

Harry Potter

School House’s presentation was Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, a tale of maverick teachers and educational values and beliefs. Edmund Thurlow played the part of Hector with effective characterisation which he cleverly maintained throughout. Irwin was admirably portrayed by Toon de Melker as the newly recruited teacher. The cast worked hard to ensure that each scene moved with ease and conviction which helped to maintain continuity and maintain the audience’s interest. The essense of Bennett’s play was clearly articulated and the ensemble contributed strongly to this production.

In No.5‘s Harry Potter, the cast combined a mixture of spills and spells with laughs and drama to present a variation of the style that we all recognise from the now classic film series. Alex Kling was a most energetic Harry, and there was good use of comedic references and innuendo throughout. There was strong support too from Oliver Garnett (Hermione) and Eliott Rutland-Tucker (Ron). Particularly impressive was the rap scene at the end that added both humour and currency to the proceedings and delivered an effective closing scene.

Thank you to all participants of this year’s competition and for creating three evenings of thrilling theatrical entertainment.

Directors: Geroge Advani/Toon De Melker

Beauty and the Beast Director: Henry Gerber

No.7’s production of Beauty and the Beast left many lost for words. Certainly no ‘Disneyfication’ in this version of the ‘tale as old as time’. This was a roller coaster of fun and love-torn frivolity. The audience was cleverly coaxed into the ludicrous make-believe fairy tale by a flat-capped ‘jack the lad’ narrator (George Sandy) whose casual, but expertlycrafted characterisation set the scene for the hilarity that was to follow. Bibi Amana’s powerful Beast was a dynamo of energy that fired not only Belle’s lust (played tantalisingly by Lucas Heappey) but also the huge cast who were supportive in every way. Belle’s pompous suitor, Gaston (Jack Bishop) strutted his way around the stage with confidence, but in the end to no avail (fortunately). The use of the Austin Powers music and other soundtracks was fun, current, and wholly relevant to the performance.

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Director: Elliotte Giling- Smith

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Best Actress: Elise Black (Bruno Jenkins) Best Actor: Tom Doherty (Ralph) and Harrison Hudson (Piggy) (shared) Best Director: Mahaaz Ahmed (Lord of The Flies) Technical Prize: No.3 (The Witches) Best Ensemble: No.6 (Ballet Shoes) Best Entertainment: No.1 (Snow White) Best Production: No.2 (Lord of the Flies)

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A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by John Mortimer Whilst the Rogers Theatre underwent refurbishment, Director of Drama Keith Packham staged this production of Dickens’ quintessential Christmas story in the atmospheric surroundings of the College Chapel. Performed imaginatively in a traverse staging configuration, the splendour of the Chapel’s interior provided a spectacular backdrop to this most seasonal of stories and led to a most engrossing evening of theatre.

The key feature of this production was the minimalist staging and the atmospheric sound and lighting, which provided both a sinister soundscape and a visual ‘palette’ on which Dickens’ story was played out. Moving lights flooded the Chapel altar, organ loft, chantry, and aisle with dramatic effect, perfectly augmenting the acting performances from an impressive ensemble.

Ariana Davison (as bitter old miser Ebenezer Scrooge) excelled throughout, superbly capturing a character who hates irrational things like happiness, generosity and Christmas itself. Charles Izzard (as Bob Cratchit) delivered a performance of humility and tenderness, in direct contrast to his abrasive, crotchety and misanthropic boss. In the story, when Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, arrives – played with joyful vigour by Toon de Melker – his cold-hearted nature comes under threat. It is only when a trio of Spirits show 026

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him the error of his ways and the mask of vitriol slips that Scrooge begins to understand. Personal change is necessary for him and Ariana’s subtle acting skills superbly revealed both the character’s inner vulnerability and his regret for past actions. Her transformation from frozen inhumanity to giggling, kind and generous benefactor was a delight and her performance throughout was highly commendable.

George Advani’s entrance as the ghost of Jacob Marley gave everyone the collywobbles. Processing down the aisle as if somehow hovering on thin air, George’s characterization immediately set in motion the otherworldly supernatural experiences Scrooge encounters. Visitations from the Spirit of Christmas Past (an elegant and commanding Ellen Berry), the Spirit of Christmas Present (an exuberant, playful Otty Wyatt) and the Spirit of Christmas Past (a chilling Natasha Cook) were presented utilizing different sections of the Chapel and organ loft. Scrooge was gradually shown a series of communal activities – moments when people come together, whether to eat, drink, play games or dance.

Flashbacks to when Scrooge is a child (Jasmine Ellis), when rescued from a cruel existence at boarding school by his sister Fan (Syuzanna Avanesova) and when a young apprentice (Natasha Cook) incorporated key characters from Scrooge’s past (Ellie Blyth as Dick Wilkins the co-apprentice, Imogen

Cole as Scrooge’s lost love, Belle, and Honor Letts as an ebullient Mr Fezziwig.)

The Cratchit family scenes saw Amber Anderson as the resourceful and resilient matriarch displaying a feisty defiance in the face of Victorian hardship. Siima Rukandema, Olivia Maiden, Jennifer Zhou, Ottilie Thomas and Lara Davidson charmed everyone as the Cratchit clan, whilst the role of Tiny Tim was presented touchingly in a forlorn and endearing tone by Beatrice Forbes.

Punctuating this production was a series of Christmas carols, sumptuously performed by Bonnie Green, Lucie Fletcher, Jennifer Zhou and Otty Wyatt. Their crystal clear, a capella vocal delivery was simply stunning, so too the organ playing by Leopold Whitehead, accompanying the cast and audience in a rousing rendition of ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’, which served as the play’s warm-hearted finale.

Dickensian characters from the novel were fleshed out before the eyes of the audience by strong contributions from the ensemble (Laura Browne, Lexi Clarke, Lillian Solbach, Maria Dechio, Costanza G and others). One memorable scene was the vision shown to Scrooge of three people selling goods secretly to an old rogue named Old Joe, a most vivid characterisation presented by Lucie Fletcher. Lucie’s badinage with the Charwoman (an extraordinarily brash cockney portrayed to great comedic effect by Bonnie Green), ably supported by Undertaker’s Man (Morgann McGee) and Mrs Dilber (Laura Browne). Lexi Clarke and Laura Browne as Boy and Poulterer’s Man were a comedy double act who caused much mirth amongst the audience as they struggled to bear the enormous goose donated to Cratchit by a generous and redeemed Scrooge.

Heather Fryer’s costume design was superbly evocative of the Victorian period, with each supernatural character exquisitely dressed. Lighting design by Steve Doidge and sound design by Harriet Hook augmented the production extremely well. The mood and atmosphere engendered by such high production values made for a thrilling retelling of this perennial Christmas favourite.

The young cast of performers must be congratulated on a most professional and polished production which provided a delightful Christmas feast of Theatre to proclaim Dickens’ message of social conscience and seasonal cheer.

The creativity shown in the way the Chapel setting was used was quite brilliant, for this was a hugely inspiring and uplifting production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ performed in a very evocative venue.

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A Christma s C a rol

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Musical Theatre Society production:

Legally Blonde, Jnr. Legally Blonde, starring Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon, is a deeply loved film with an incredibly uplifting, ‘feel-good’ plotline which focuses on themes of love, friendship, resilience – and dogs. The movie-to-musical story of lovable-ditz-turned-accidental-genius Elle Woods was presented in Big School by Malvern College’s dramatists and musical theatre performers with tremendous verve and provided audiences with the perfect end-of-term tonic.

Right from the opening production number – ‘Omigod you Guys!’ – it was clear that this was going to be a fast-paced and slick production featuring strong vocals and energetic dance routines. Leanne Stephens, making her directorial debut at the College, had expertly drilled her large ensemble cast to act, sing, and dance superbly, complimented by highly impressive work from the costume, lighting, and sound departments. The production was vibrant, colourful, entertaining, and thought-provoking in equal measure, with incredible energy displayed by the young performers throughout. A basic set design, comprising white stage flats mounted on a specially constructed modular stage, was cleverly employed to transform location by use of changeable furniture and props, leaving you in no doubt as to the setting in which the scene was being played. The environment of Big School – with its scholarly ambiance, centrally dominant 028

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ornate window, and gallery of portraits – lent itself well to the hallowed halls of Harvard University.

Lucie Fletcher delivered a highly polished and professional performance in the role of Elle Woods. With incredible vocals and an obvious respect for Reese Witherspoon’s portrayal of Elle, Lucie perfectly encapsulated the comedic, heart-warming, smart and iconic nature of the character.

Lucie’s vocal performance, whether delivering ballads or fast tempo production numbers, was first class. Armed with her Chihuahua Bruiser (a delightful guest appearance by Bella Barber, the No.9 house dog) Elle thinks her beau, Warner (superbly played with suave and debonair selfassurance by Toon De Melker) is about to pop the question but instead drops a bombshell, explaining that his future in law school demands a more “serious” woman. She’s out and Harvard is in. Leaving Malibu behind she enrols at Harvard Law School in an attempt to win back her beloved, who has now started seeing the super-serious Vivienne Kensington (Natasha Cook). Natasha delivered a performance of the caustic and scheming female Machiavel with delightful relish. But Elle is reminded of the need to stick together, and that she can do anything she puts her mind to, by her Delta Nu girls (Georgina Wood, Boo Forbes, Ava Emery, Kinvara Clarke, Jemima Martyn-Smith, Honor Letts and Eily Lo).

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Otty Wyatt gave a most accomplished performance as Paulette, the downtrodden nail technician struggling with her own self-worth. Her solo ‘Ireland’ was delivered with panache and was certainly a highlight of the production.

Her scene with her trailer-trash husband, Dewey (Devon Perry), where she seizes back her beloved dog, Rufus (an energetic performance of charm and cuteness delivered by Harry Packham, the No.3 house cocker spaniel) was most enjoyable. Bonnie Green as television fitness guru Brooke Wyndham delivered a high-octane performance which certainly packed a punch and which was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience, especially the ‘Whipped into Shape’ production number. Her and Lucie’s rapport and comedic timing created much mirth. Pompous and manipulative Professor Callahan was played with sneering menace by Charles Izzard whilst Harrison Hudson (as loveable yet quirky Emmett, attorney and teaching assistant to Callahan) superbly acted and sang his role with real accomplishment.

His supportive scenes with Elle were a highlight of the production and perfectly illustrated Emmett’s sensitive and highly personable character to the audience. Missy Hingley as Elle’s nerdy bookworm colleague, Kate, presented her role with energy and total commitment, and caught the eye by clearly displaying this during both solo moments and chorus numbers. Maisse De Oliviera as Kiki presented a stylish and feisty rendition of ‘Bend and Snap’ which was totally ‘on point’ and admirably supported by salon customers Lottie Bulley, Jemima Martyn-Smith and Missy Hingley.

By the end, Elle is no longer judged as a ditzy fashionconscious blonde, and finds true love. At her graduation from Harvard, Elle hails “passion, courage of conviction, and

a strong sense of self” as cornerstones for success. As Lucie finished delivering Elle’s iconic ‘faith in yourself’ speech, the audience’s wave of applause swept through Big School to express their appreciation to the cast and crew for presenting such a thrilling evening of theatre in considerable style.

The impressive cast had behind them a first-rate team of creatives. Hair and make-up design by pupil Emma Raycraft perfectly complimented the production, especially when transforming Honor Letts into an obnoxious, rebellious rock chick as Chutney Wyndham. Costume design by Heather Fryer superbly captured the essence of youth and was meticulous in its attention to detail and sheer number of items required. The challenge of designing sound and lighting for the Big School venue did not faze Steve Doidge and was expertly operated by Basil Marsden-Smedley, Saskia Drake and Lucy Leicher, overseen by Harriet Hook on sound.

Director of Drama Keith Packham, who made logistical arrangements for every aspect of the production in order to prepare it for presentation, said ‘this was an outstanding production by all involved and superbly marshalled by Mrs Stephens – one that saw the cast perform with passion and total commitment which was a joy to see. Omigod you Guys – Bravo!’

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Lega lly Blonde , J n r .

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Grimm Tales

Lower School Drama production Philip Pullman (of His Dark Materials fame) adapted the 19th century tales of the Brothers Grimm to enormous literary success, and in turn, playwright Philip Wilson has turned these classic folk stories into a macabre, skin-creeping stage version that disturbs and delights. Staged inventively in-the-round within the temporary drama studio on the Grub Lawn, this lower school production was full of zest, wit, and charm. Directed by Drama Assistant Miss Cooke and produced by Director of Drama Keith Packham, the production featured a cast and crew of over 40 pupils drawn from the Remove and Foundation years. Five classic tales were presented in a sequence of short vignettes which saw the performers skilfully engage with their audience – all sitting in close proximity to the acting space. The Drama studio had been creatively dressed to represent a woodland setting, with retro filament lightbulbs hanging above the acting space, creating a sense of enchantment and mystery.

The opening tale – ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ – saw the cast utilise the in-the-round stage space to the full.

Narration from the four vomitories made for an arresting opening. Ottilie Thomas (Red Riding Hood) captured the innocent charm of the character who rebelliously steps from the path, ignoring the insistence of her stern mother (Charlotte Bulley). Jack Yeoward as the Wolf excellently 032

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utilised his vocal and physical skills to portray this sinister, predatory character, whilst Maissa De Oliviera as Grandma presented an hilarious American deep south take to her role.

Louis Packham, as the Huntsman who ultimately saves the day, presented his role with authority, vocal command, and strong physical presence. This perennial tale of a disobedient, strong-willed child was slickly presented with moments of comedy and terror in equal measure.

‘Rapunzel’ came next. Ed Thurlow comically set the tale in motion as the henpecked husband running errands for his lettuce-loving wife, Delphine De Bokay. Lottie Bulley (as the witch) displayed great vocal dexterity, employing a shrieking, screechy vocal tone to great effect. The tower where Rapunzel is incarcerated was merely a ladder, with Lara Davidson as Rapunzel perched at the top. This was brilliant in its simplicity and hugely comedic, especially when her dashing Prince (Charles Canton-Smith) grasped Rapunzel’s length of golden hair and stepped up a rung or two with tremendous courage and physical exuberance.

Bella Cole and Saffy Wickes as Rapunzel’s children steered the tale towards the inevitable ‘happy ever after’ conclusion.

Two of the most famous Grimm stories were then followed by two relatively unknown. ‘Three Snake Leaves’ is the tale of a soldier (Devon Perry), a hero from battle who

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falls in love with a Princess (Missy Hingley), only to suffer at the hands of her conniving nature. She fakes her own death and he is forced to lie beside his ‘dead’ wife in the tomb. Alex Inchbald as the Poor Man delivered his narration with clarity and a comical limp, whilst the soldiers (Lakshya Joshi, Devon Perry, Cameron Eldridge and Rory Upton) superbly supported the tale with tremendous energy and commitment. Cameron and Rory (as the two snakes who have a ‘hissy’ fit) were hilarious. Shareek Oluwo (as the rogue ship’s captain) smouldered with a ‘bad boy’ persona throughout, catching the eye of the Princess and precipitating her unfaithfulness. And Morgann McGee (as the King) oozed authority and did a fantastic job of progressing the tale with her excellent narration. This vignette was presented with pace and energy which created a ‘light touch’ comic atmosphere that prevailed throughout.

‘Hans My Hedgehog’ was pure farce, and the ensemble collaborated successfully to present this quirky tale. Oli Doherty as Hans – a half-man, half-hedgehog hybrid – was magnificent in this role. His Brummie vocal accent, comedic movement and expert guitar playing (instead of bagpipes in the original tale) created a hugely enjoyable characterisation. George McEwan as his father, seemingly plucked straight from the Yorkshire dales, was hilarious, and his interplay with his downtrodden yet loving wife (played

by Syussanah Avenesova) was highly amusing. Harriet Sibthorpe and Maissa De Oliviera combined brilliantly to create a comedy double-act of King and Servant very much in the Monty Python mould, so too Beatrice Barnes and Emily Elgar. Princesses Jemima Martyn-Smith and Lottie Bulley gave charming cameo performances, as did Sam Hughes as the Blacksmith.

The final tale of the evening was ‘Hansel and Gretel’, and the title roles were charmingly portrayed by Jasmine Ellis and Boo Forbes. Angus Catto gave a confident performance in the role of the put-upon Woodcutter, dominated by a Lady Macbeth-esque Stepmother played by Ani King. The young performers gave a convincing portrayal of a close family unit, only for the Stepmother to disrupt this through devious scheming. Georgina Wood’s characterisation as the kindly Old Woman/Witch was reminiscent of the Child Catcher in ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ – her sickly-sweet voice switching to a more sinister tone in an instant. Emily Elgar gave a charming cameo as the enchanting White Duck who provides a transportation service across the river, thus saving the day.

As the huge cast took to the stage for their curtain call, the audience warmly expressed their pleasure and admiration for an evening of great entertainment. Technical operators Basil Marsden-Smedley, Saskia Drake, Jonathan Stephenson and Daniel Cheng, together with Emma Raycraft’s excellent hair and make-up design, skilfully augmented the 034

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production, whilst Steve Doidge’s lighting and Heather Fryer’s costume designs were as professional as ever. The Malvern qualities inherent in the tales were identified in the programme, but the overwhelming quality expressed by this production was that of collaboration. The ensemble cast had admirably coped with the storytelling style of the play to deliver a highly polished and slick production – a wonderful evening of entertainment which brought the curtain down on an outstandingly successful year of productions from a temporarily nomadic Drama department.

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Upper Sixth Dramatic Society production:

Nineteen Eighty-Four The Upper Sixth Dramatic Society presented a startling theatrical adaptation of 1984 in the temporary drama studio in October. Presented ‘in the round’, Director of Drama Keith Packham’s production of George Orwell’s dystopian novel was a wonderful opportunity for our senior dramatists to showcase their talents. The ensemble comprised Ali Hawkins, Annie O’ Gorman, Heleena De Oliviera, Alice Blyth, Miranda Bruce, Maddie Martyn-Smith, Oli Garnett, Mac Sainsbury-Plaice, Lauren Maxey, Jack Bishop, Declan Swinburne and Mahaaz Ahmed, with Luc Gillard operating the lighting desk. Eliott Gilling-Smith as the main protagonist Winston Smith, Elise Black as the duplicitous Julia, and Amelia Wilson as the sinister O’Brien, excelled throughout, as the cast viscerally brought to life Orwell’s tale of one man’s struggle against Big Brother’s repressive regime.

Swirling lighting, telescreens and ominous music completed the discomforting atmosphere deliberately created to instil disorientation. Ingsoc posters and party slogans (Ignorance is Strength, War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery) bedecked the walls behind the audience, ramming home the mindset behind Big Brother’s regime. As cast members emerged one by one into the Ministry of Truth, lack of eye contact and the isolated physicality of the performers

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projected the lack of community and the robotic nature of human interaction prevalent in Orwell’s dystopian world.

Madeleine Martyn-Smith (as the intellectual party worker, Syme) and Ann O’ Gorman (as party-loyal Parsons) set the opening scene of the play impressively. Syme’s devotion to the construction of the Newspeak Dictionary and Parsons’ blind devotion to Big Brother were excellently captured – although with the subtext that each was reluctantly adherent to the regime’s mantra. The ‘Calisthenics’ class (led with fierce discipline by trainer Heleena De Oliviera) and the ‘Two Minutes Hate’ sequence (featuring Philip Thamer as the traitorous Goldstein) further explored the nature of Big Brother’s power and control over the populace. Alice Blyth (as the Landlady from the prole section) gave a welljudged performance of comedic skill which then switched to delivering an earnest protestation of the pre-revolutionary times. Miranda Bruce (Messenger) and Ali Hawkins (Coffee Vendor/Gladys) presented their cameo roles to great effect, highlighting the fact that wild enthusiasm for the party could lead to swift promotion for impressionable youth who then proceed to hold power over others. Stage action would be interrupted by sporadic party announcements – delivered with exaggerated enthusiasm and admiration of Big Brother by Lauren Maxey and Jack Bishop.

Amelia Wilson (as O’Brien, the sinister Inner Party member) performed her role with intelligence and flair, not only illustrating the various contradictions of the character but also superbly mastering the rapid-fire questioning during Winston’s interrogation in Room 101. Aided by riflebrandishing guards (Oli Garnett, Mac Sainsbury-Plaice) every appearance seemed to fill the stage with a pervading sense of menace and tension. Elise Black’s role as Julia was presented with every nuance of the character on display – the rebellion of this character being centered more on free will and selfishness rather than political expediency.

The scene where Julia discards the Boiler suited ‘uniform’ of the party and flaunts wearing a dress was a particular highlight, creating a comedic atmosphere whilst Winston was engrossed in Goldstein’s traitorous book. Eliott GillingSmith – as Orwell’s protagonist, Winston Smith – excelled throughout. His Everyman appeal illustrated that here was

someone striving to toe the party line, but whose dreams, imaginations, memories, and speculations about the past were propelling him to rebel. His time in Room 101, and his confrontation with a cage full of rats, ultimately corrects his mindset and he emerges a broken man, finally admitting after all that 2 plus 2 equals 5.

Luc Gillard operated the lighting board and the creative team of Mr Doidge (lighting) and Mrs Fryer (costumes) wonderfully supported the production. The costumes in particular captured a society trapped in austerity measures and created a sense of timelessness. As Winston’s final, hollow recitation of ‘I Love Big Brother’ ultimately faded out, the audience responded enthusiastically, loudly applauding the ensemble for presenting such a slick, atmospheric and thoughtful dramatic adaptation of Orwell’s literary classic.

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Music Another year goes by and we can look back on what was another excellent year for music at Malvern. With a considerable number of instrumental and vocal lessons being given, we were able to enjoy some excellent performances by our soloists and ensembles. Despite the weather causing us to cancel the Christmas Concert, and the Beast from the East nearly (but not quite) putting paid to the Choral Society concert, nothing could dampen the spirits of our musicians who, once again, produced some very high quality music.

Following the snow that arrived in December, the Summer Concert was the only opportunity for our orchestral programme to show the fruits of its labours. The College Orchestra, which rehearses weekly with Assistant Director of Music, Mr Stephen McDade, was on this occasion conducted by Mr Brown, with Mr McDade playing violin in the ensemble. The audience were treated to A Tribute to Henry Mancini – a medley of Mancini’s pieces that included Baby Elephant Walk, Charade, Peter Gunn, The Days of Wine and Roses, and The Pink Panther. The orchestra outdid themselves in a performance full of verve, excitement and subtlety. Then followed A Mad Russian’s Christmas, an arrangement of the Trepak from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet, as performed by the Trans-Siberian orchestra. (The irony of this choice of repertoire was not lost on the audience!)

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Trepak. The orchestra had two slightly unusual instruments performing with them – the electric guitar (played by Mr Guy Locke) and an electric violin (played by Mr McDade).

The orchestra was very ably led by Thomas Luscombe.

The Chamber Orchestra, beautifully led and directed

by Ali Hawkins, performed the Sarabande by Handel and the Prelude and Air from The Brook Green Suite by Holst.

Performing without a conductor can be a daunting prospect, but the fine players of the Chamber Orchestra rose to the occasion with aplomb. As ever, our thanks go to Mr McDade for his stewardship of the string-playing here at Malvern, and for his excellent work with the orchestral programme.

This has been an excellent year for the Concert Band and, despite the disappointment of the cancelled Christmas Concert, rallied themselves superbly to produce a fine performance in Summer Concert. They opened the concert with John Philip Sousa’s classic March Fairest of the Fair, followed by a dramatic rendition of music from the 1990 musical Jekyll and Hyde by Frank Wildhorn. Once again, the Concert Band have developed their core sound which is rich and exciting, and the attention to detail was impressive.

This has been another busy year for our brass players, starting with our Trumpet Ensemble again distinguishing themselves at the Remembrance commemorations with a fine performance of ‘The Last Post’ and ‘Reveille’ from the top of the Main Building tower. This was followed by

the traditional performance of Vaughan Williams’ wonderful setting of ‘Old Hundredth’ in the actual Remembrance service, featuring an excellent trumpet solo by Tristan Hubbard.

The Brass players, once again, augmented the carols at both the Town and College carol services, which brought a wonderful end to the Autumn Term, whilst they ended the year with another fine performance of brass ensemble music before the Commemoration Service – performed by Tristan Hubbard, Kitty Holroyd, Annabelle Moody, and Hamish Houghton, as well as Vaughan Williams’ Old Hundredth once again.

The Jazz Band, once again, continued to draw in the plaudits. In the Summer Concert, their performances of On Green Dolphin Street by Kaper (arr. Lopez), Beyond the Sea

by Trenet (arr. Holmes), and Herbie Hancock’s Watermelon Man (in an arrangement by Kumaf ) were particularly impressive. As well as contributing to the Summer Concert and performing at the Commemoration speeches, the band was also invited to give two external performances, including one at the Royal Three Counties Show – to great acclaim – and they did the College proud. The regular solo team of Douglas Pope, Tristan Hubbard, Annabelle Moody, and Verity Manning-Cox all played their solos with reliability and with confident projection as ever.

The choral programme has also developed again over the year. With the Chapel Choir peaking at well over 100 pupils, they honour their core responsibility of singing the anthem at the vast majority of the College’s weekly Sunday services.

Good progress has been made on technique and new repertoire, and it should also be remembered that the Choir’s

involvement at all high-profile services – Remembrance, Advent, Christmas, and Commemoration – is central, and as such, a great responsibility and privilege. However, they also performed at the Summer Concert with Maurice Bevan’s There’s a wideness in God’s mercy and Cum Sancto Spiritu by Antonio Vivaldi. I was particularly pleased that the Chapel Choir joined forces with the Choral Society at the annual concert at the end of the Lent Term. This year, the programme included Vivaldi’s ever-popular Gloria, with other, smaller Baroque works. The concert was also notable for some outstanding singing from our soloists, including our own singing teacher – Mrs Katie Leaver – whose rendition of the first and last movements of J.S. Bach’s cantata Jauchzet Gott was simply outstanding. There has been fantastic leadership from our older pupils, but I am delighted that we have many pupils at the younger end of the College who, as they develop vocally, will take on that mantle in future years. The future of the Chapel Choir looks rosy.

In addition to the Chapel Choir duties, the Chamber Choir have been involved in other performances and services and have, once again, produced very high quality singing, despite some rebuilding (as happens every year).

The Summer Concert was a case in point, where they sang Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Fauré and Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton. I would also like to thank Mr Haynes, Mr Angus and Mr Whitehead, who joined us and gave so much leadership and support to our younger singers, whilst Mr Phillips has, once again, been faultless in his accompanying of the Choirs and for his playing in Chapel.

Our smaller ensembles have also made good progress this year, really establishing themselves in the performance M usi c

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programme. Mention has already been made of the Brass Ensemble, but the Percussion Ensemble are now a regular feature in both our formal and informal concerts. Despite having their performance opportunities curtailed owing to the weather, they made a triumphant return in the Summer Concert, playing Mr Groove by Mollie Landman. This piece required three tuned percussion parts and 4 drum parts – all played individually, requiring great skill, independence, and teamwork. The Cello Club continued to perform at our Informal Concerts and Community Concerts and their sense of ensemble has made great strides under the expert direction of Mrs Suzie Walden – our fabulous cello teacher.

Our other formal concerts – the Summer Serenade and the Concerto Concert – were also great successes. The Summer Serenade showcases our younger musicians and, this year, Finley Morris, Maissa De Oliveira, Jacob Perry, Harriet Carpenter, Beatrice Barnes, Shea John, James Hawkins, Missy Hingley, Cameron Eldridge, Jonathan Stephenson, Josi Jebens, Kitty Holroyd, and Ani King – all musicians in the Remove and FY – produced a very high

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quality concert, showing what talent we have at the younger end of the school. On the strength of this concert, we have much to look forward to over the next few years.

In the Concerto Concert this year (where pupils perform a Concerto movement or an Opera/Oratorio aria with a professional orchestra), we were able to include some younger performers alongside some senior musicians. An opportunity to be a soloist with an orchestra is one that doesn’t come around very often and is an amazing opportunity. Ani King kicked things off with the Presto from ‘L’estate’ from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, followed by Tristan Hubbard playing the slow movement from Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto. Verity Manning-Cox then played Piazzolla’s beautiful Oblivion for tenor saxophone, with Lucie Fletcher singing ‘On mighty pens’ from Haydn’s Creation. After the orchestra had played Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Alexandra Hawkins and Tom Luscombe then played the first two movements of Vivaldi’s ever-popular Double Violin Concerto with a real sense of style and awareness. Shea John was the penultimate performer, playing the Rondo from Mozart’s Flute Concerto in

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D major. And then, to round things off, we had Elise Black, Lauren Maxey (both No.2) and Annie O’Gorman performing the ‘Gypsy Trio’ from Bizet’s Carmen with great panache and a real sense of fun! It was a great evening, full of excellent performances.

Our Informal and Community concerts are the bread and butter of our solo performance programme, and with 47 pupils performing this year, the quality of the performances was as good as it has been for many years. I am also most grateful to our music staff who accompanied the pupils, namely Mrs Leaver, Mr Phillips, and Mr Haynes – our Head of Academic Music. Sadly, with the Rogers Theatre being out of action, we took the decision to put the ‘Unplugged’ series of music gigs on hold: these events really do need to have just the right venue for them to be successful and there was nowhere else really suitable. However, they will be back with a vengeance next year – of that we can be certain.

In March, we made a return visit to Worcester to present a concert for the charity Amaudo – a mental health project in South East Nigeria. Once again, the programme was centred around the Jazz Band and Chamber Choir, with soloists taken from both ensembles – Douglas Pope, Jennifer Zhou, Lucie Fletcher, and Ani King all performed with a sense of style and communication. We were able to raise considerably more money this year than we did last, and our musicians can be very proud of the very real and significant impact their music-making has had on the lives of others.

Another external concert that the Chamber Choir and soloists were involved in was a performance in Great Malvern Priory as part of the Lunchbox series. This is something of an annual event, where a large, enthusiastic and 042

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appreciative audience were treated to five choral pieces of varying styles – Parry’s Dear Lord and Father of Mankind (originally heard in the oratorio Judith and, here, arranged

by H.A. Chambers), Autumn Leaves (a jazz standard by Cosmo arranged by Andrew Carter), Rutter’s ever-popular The Lord bless you and keep you, Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton (arr. by Kirby Shaw), and a beautiful arrangement of the great American folksong Shenandoah by Bob Chilcott.

Jacob Perry, Jenny Zhou, Sofija Rakcejeva, and Elizaveta Rozenberg were our soloists, respectively playing the saxophone, flute, piano, and singing music by Dave McGarry, Dai Hongwei, Debussy and JS Bach. My thanks go to Mr Phillips for his accompanying of the Choir, and to Mr Haynes for accompanying the soloists.

The much anticipated House Singing competition returned to Malvern Theatres, and we were delighted to welcome Dr Richard Dunster-Sigtermans as our adjudicator for the evening, who was both very entertaining and insightful, offering lots of praise and a few ideas of what our musicians might look for in future years, For the second year in a row, House No.2 were the winning house with an outstanding performance of The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel, which had been arranged by Tom Luscombe. They just pipped House No.6 to the post, whose performance of Abba’s Dancing Queen (arranged most skillfully by Sofija Rakcejeva) was of extremely high quality too. House No.8’s singing of How far I’ll go by Lin-Manuel Miranda (which had been arranged by Honey Green and Lucie Fletcher) was also commended by the adjudicator for the quality of the arrangement and direction, and was awarded the Adjudicator’s Cup. However, whilst there are only 3 prizes on offer, there were

many very good performances, and all the houses should be commended on how much work went into the competition in terms of song choice and arrangement and huge amounts of rehearsing before the final concert.

We had another very successful House Music Competition. This is an individual competition where pupils are selected through heats to perform in the final of a category appropriate to their technical level – 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. As in previous years, the finals, held in St Edmund’s Hall, whilst competitive, were effectively concerts where we were able to enjoy the excellent standard of performance. This year our adjudicator was Mr Adrian Lucas – formerly Organist and Master of the Choristers at Worcester Cathedral and now Head of Choral Studies at the Royal School of Church Music and a freelance conductor.

Mr Lucas was very complimentary about the quality of the performing, and had some very difficult decisions to make.

Category C was won by Jack Whitfield (No.1) with second place awarded to Freja Bedell (No.6) and Siima Rukandema (No.4) in third. Category B was won by was Jasper Penrice (No.2) with Devon Perry (No.5) in second, and Imogen Cole (No.4) third. The category A was won by Andreas Heyer (No.1) whose playing of Rachmaninov’s Elegie on the piano was absolutely exceptional, wherein he managed to combine the power that the piece requires with a deft touch to ensure the lyrical moments are able to sing and shine through. In second place was Lucie Fletcher (No.8) singing Handel’s As when the dove laments her love from the Oratorio Acis and Galatea. Josi Jebens (violin) was awarded third place for her performance of a selection of Bartok’s Roumanian Dances. We also have a Plugged/Unplugged category, and this, once again, was adjudicated by Mr Martin Toher, the co-founder of B-Unique records, and we are most grateful for him returning and giving our unplugged musicians such

encouragement, having found the performances to be of such outstanding quality. Tom Doherty (No.2) was placed first, with Lucie Fletcher (No.8) and Ignacio Paris Meseguer (No.9) in joint second place, and Eily Lo (No.3) in third.

The overall placings, then, for all of House Music (including marks for those participating in the heats) were No.8 going one better than last year by winning outright, with No.6 coming second, and No.2 third. It was a fabulous competition and finals, and the Unplugged categories were excellent afternoons of music-making.

At the end of another year, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge and thank those who have been involved in the Music programme of the College in such a wide variety of ways. Our instrumental and vocal staff are simply outstanding and have achieved some really excellent results this year – both in terms of academic and practical exam performance and in the quality of concert performances. I am also very fortunate to have such a good core team around us – Mrs Arthur, Mr Phillips and, of course, Mr McDade have done so much for the Department. We were also delighted to have welcomed Mr Michael Haynes into the fold and we are very sad that he has had to leave us due to ill-health: I have written further about Michael in the ‘Valete’ section of this magazine.

And, of course, the greatest word of thanks must go to the pupils who commit themselves to the music-making of the College. They work so hard to ensure that Music remains a strong and vibrant attribute of the College, and this in addition to their already busy College lives. Thank you and well done.

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Kitty Wright (U6) Photograph

Art Pupils have continued to explore a broad range of projects and themes within the Lindsay Arts Centre, engaging in a range of media both traditional and contemporary. Last year saw three major exhibitions, the IB Final Exhibition, a collaborative show working with the Aiden Mellor Gallery in Oxford, including work from the Downs and The Summer Final Show, featuring this year’s 100 and U6 projects. We very much look forward to welcoming you all to our events this year.

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Melissa Shorter (Hundred) Sculpture

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Georgina Inchbald (Hundred) Sculpture

Natsumi Nakamura (Hundred) Painting

Elliot Rutland-Tucker (U6) Photograph

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Bibi Amana

Alina Alibekova

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Jack Hamilton-Russel (U6) Photograph 048

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Angelina Petrova

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Modern Languages Department Trip to Normandy In March, a group of nineteen Lower School pupils, accompanied by Chris Rickards and myself, visited Normandy. The aim of the visit was to enable pupils to experience aspects of French history and culture – although an ‘extra’ in the form of a visit to Disneyland Paris was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

At five o’clock in the morning the coach loaded with pupils, staff, food and luggage headed for Dover and then Normandy. We stayed at the Château du Baffy in the hamlet of Colombiers-sur-Seulles – an ideal location for us to increase our cultural and historical awareness of Normandy and France.

A busy itinerary was planned for us at the Château.

Our study visit started with the famous Bayeux Tapestry where we learnt about the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The rest of the day was spent visiting some of the most famous Second World War cemeteries in Normandy.

We started with the British cemetery of Bayeux where the pupils located the grave of young Sidney Bates who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his extreme gallantry and self-sacrifice. Then two guides were waiting for us at the American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer to show us the immensity of the cemetery overlooking Omaha beach, where most of the 9387 US soldiers fell on the 6th June 1944 0 50

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and the subsequent days. The pupils were told about the Niland brothers, Preston and Robert, whose story inspired Steven Spielberg’s film: “Saving Private Ryan”. They were also told about the sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Jr and Quentin who are both buried in Colleville.

At La Cambe, the atmosphere was more sombre. This is a smaller cemetery in size but it is the greatest in capacity with over 21200 German soldiers interred. We were all struck by the austerity of this setting, and, after locating the grave of tank commander Michael Wittmann, we began our journey back to the Château. En route we stopped at the Canadian cemetery in Beny-sur-Mer where soldiers from the 3rd Canadian Division and fifteen airmen are interred.

Amongst the Canadian graves are buried three British and a French resistance soldier, R. Guenard, who fought and died alongside his Canadian brothers in arm. It was a sobering day, and no doubt many of us reflected on the sacrifice made by many of the young men who fought in the Second World War. The following day we visited the Museum of Ranville and the Arromanches Landing Museum and learned about the D-Day landing at the Pegasus Bridge. At the 360 degrees cinema in Arromanches we re-lived the 6th June 1944. The film

“The Price of Freedom”, consisting of unreleased archive footage taken by war correspondents, is presented on nine screens in a circular theatre, and it took us to the heart of the landing action. Our experience of Arromanches left us feeling grateful for our freedom. On the way back to the Château, we stopped in Longue-sur-Mer where we saw the German artillery battery, which is the only coastal battery to have kept its guns, and it gave us an impressive picture of what an Atlantic Wall gun emplacement was really like.

Our time in Normandy was also spent learning how to bake bread at the Boulangerie Les Co-Pains where Eric, the baker taught us how to bake a “pain au levain” – sourdough bread – and spoke to us about the virtue of sharing food with those in need. We also enjoyed a visit to Mont Saint-Michel, an impressive island off the coast of Normandy, where we visited the abbey, admired the medieval architecture of the bay, and enjoyed the local crêpes.

Our visit to Normandy concluded with a day at Disneyland Paris, and a night spent in Paris itself, which was much enjoyed by the pupils. This provided a welcome contrast to the serious sights we had witnessed in the previous days.

We returned to Malvern, having enjoyed the opportunity to experience different aspects of French culture and history. I am grateful to Chris Rickards for accompanying us on this visit and generously sharing his knowledge of the military history of Normandy.

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Modern La nguages Depa rtment Trip to Norm a n dy

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Exchanges I am happy to report that the exchange programme gained momentum on previous years in 2017/18. Six of our pupils went to schools in Australia and Japan: Banita Dodhia and Charlotte Bulley spent a number of weeks at Tara Anglican School for Girls in Sydney, Australia; George Dean went to Knox Grammar School, again in Sydney; and a trio of Lower Sixth boys took off to Musashi School in Tokyo, Japan – Tom Vernon, Miguel Ortis Flores, and Marco Spatziani.

In return, we benefitted over the course of the Summer Term from the company of their exchange partners: Tatsuhito Okamoto from Musashi, Henry Barnes from Knox, and Paige Yan and Samantha Johnstone from Tara.

Additionally, Amanda Fumba joined us from Camps Bay High School in Cape Town, South Africa. In all cases their enthusiasm proved to be a great fillip to the College community.

Needless to say, these exchanges have a significant impact on the lives of those Malvern pupils who seize the opportunities they present. They find themselves propelled into worlds that are in some cases entirely unfamiliar and return buoyed up by their experiences, having grown noticeably in confidence and gained (inevitably) an appreciation of different cultures and community perspectives. Living with host families proves to be a hugely enriching experience for all concerned and in some cases deep friendships

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have been forged. The reflections of some of those involved speaks volumes: Banita: Trekking halfway across the world requires a sense of adventure and an open mind.

The exchange to Australia was one of the most aweinspiring experiences. I nearly didn’t come back! My new friends in Sydney are some of the warmest people I have met and will be friends for life. I am grateful for the insight into the many different cultures and can’t wait to return.

George: It was fascinating to experience someone else’s life, and so much fun to get to know people from another country. I’d recommend the exchange programme to anyone who wants to try something completely different from their normal life.

Tom: It was an amazing experience learning to be in a country where English isn’t as commonly spoken as it is in other countries. As a result I leaned a great deal about myself and the generosity and warmth of the people of the Japanese people.

Lottie: I had an amazing experience, both as a host at Malvern and being hosted in Australia. I feel I have gained a huge amount of confidence and would highly recommend the exchange to anyone. It is such an incredible thing to do.

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Upper Sixth Auschwitz Visit Eliott Gilling Smith and I, accompanied by Mr Reid, were privileged to visit the site of the concentration camp at Auschwitz, in March. We began at the Polish Town of Oświęcim and from there went on to Auschwitz I, the camp which has become a symbol of the Holocaust with the infamous gate reading ‘Work will set you free’.

As the sun was setting, we arrived at Auschwitz II, the camp of Birkenau, which was one of the six death camps installed in World War II. With the temperature dropping, we walked around this bare camp: most of it was destroyed by the Nazis to get rid of any evidence of what had happened there. At Auschwitz II I realised that it was even harder to accept the facts of this place and to understand how this could have happened; harder even than it had been to see the possessions of the victims that remain in Auschwitz I. Here, there was an ominous stillness.

Our tour finished with a short ceremony to commemorate all of the victims of the Holocaust. Of the 6 million who died, 1.5 million had been murdered here. This experience was emotional and challenging in so many ways.

Understanding that the Holocaust was not about numbers and remembering that each unique individual lost had so much in life to offer. What I saw and experienced will stay with me. I hope others will also visit, learn and especially

remember what can happen when people with extreme prejudices get into power.

Lauren Maxey, Senior Chapel Prefect

Upper Si xth Aus chwitz Vi sit

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Wheeler-Bennett Society The Wheeler-Bennett Society is an academic group for members of the Sixth Form, its purpose being to promote the stimulation and exchange of ideas across subject disciplines while giving pupils experience of researching a topic and presenting it to a group. Presentations are followed by an invariably vigorous question-and-answer session.

The audiences at our meetings comprise Society members and any members of the Sixth Form or the Common Room who choose to attend, although parents are also present at the presentation given on the morning of the school’s Commemoration Day. 2017–2018 was another superb year for the Society. All presentations were excellent, and the group was expertly run by the President, Sofija Rakcejeva, and Secretary, Efe Erciyaz. As always, each presenter chose their own subject matter, and this year’s topics included America’s war on drugs, the future of Iran, interplanetary civilisation, neoliberalism, STEM sciences, authoritarianism in Turkey, circadian rhythms, and the Great Game.

The Wheeler-Bennett Society year runs from the beginning of the Summer Term in the Lower Sixth to the same point in the Upper Sixth, at which point its personnel changes. Lists of the members of the 2017–2018 and 2018– 2019 cohorts can be found below.

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at meetings and their provision of refreshments. I am also grateful to the various teachers who choose to attend our sessions.

2017–2018 President: Sofija Rakcejeva Secretary: Efe Erciyaz Other members: Federico Amodeo, Miranda Bruce, Nader di Michele, Harry Everest, Andreas Heyer, Laura Ihm, Julius Lange, Valerio Mazzola, Liza Rozenberg, Annika Schulz, Carolina Soares, Martina Totaro, Vera Vodinskaya, Ella Warren.

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Literary Society & Lea-Smith Reading Competition “If you were to design a three-course literary dinner party what books would you choose for your starter, main and pudding?”

This is just the sort of tantalising question that is pondered over at the weekly Friday meetings of the Malvern College Literary Society.

‘Lit Soc’ claims to be the oldest club at the College and has a proud tradition of deepening and enhancing life at Malvern. It is an informal group that meets regularly to discuss all things literary. For example, in 2018 we discussed famous and memorable opening lines, our favourite literary heroes and villains, best and worst film adaptations, and themes such as seasons and senses.

In 2018, Lit Soc members were also involved in National Poetry Day, World Book Day and various events with visiting guests. In particular, this year, members were given privileged access to the inaugural George Sayers Fellow, Prof Alister McGrath. All this and our annual excursion to the Co-op Bookshop in Great Malvern, made for another busy but exciting year.

As one of the oldest and most-established inter-house competitions at Malvern and a highlight of the Lent Term, the Lea-Smith continues to induce fierce competition. The

heats, held in the Chapel and featuring over 100 pupils, were of an extremely high standard, and the final proved a masterclass in the art of reading aloud. The passages chosen were an eclectic mix, ranging from Batman to Pride and Prejudice. The winning finalists were: Syuzanna Avanesova (FY, EH) Georgina Wood (Remove, No.3, Zhiwei Yan (Hundred, No.1) Zaynab Hajjam (L6, No.4) Eliot Gilling-Smith (U6, No.5) We were fortunate to have as our adjudicator this year, Alexandra James, an actor, public speaker, voice coach and dramaturg who is well known for her work with the RSC alongside Derek Jacobi. No.3 won the overall competition and the gliterring Lea-Smith Trophy.

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Litera ry Society & Lea- Smith Rea ding Competiti on

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George Sayer Fellowship College launches the George Sayer Fellowship On Thursday 8th March the College held a series of pupil workshops and a public lecture in Big School to officially launch the inaugural George Sayer Fellowship. This new annual award at Malvern arose out of a general desire among current staff, friends, Old Malvernians, and the wider community to recognise and honour the memory and legacy of Mr George Sayer.

George Sayer Writer, teacher, academic, mentor and friend, George Sayer was Head of English at Malvern College from 1949 until his retirement in 1974. During his time as a schoolmaster in the College he inspired many pupils to read, write and think, and to savour the joys of literature.

He is perhaps now most remembered for his close friendship with C. S. Lewis, and later J.R. R. Tolkien; both of whom he hosted at his Malvern home in Alexandra Street many times. Indeed, recent research unveiled the extent of the impact Sayers had on both writers, including the fact that he may have ‘rescued’ The Lord of The Rings from obscurity or worse, destruction. Sayers went on to write, among other things, the now famous biography on Lewis titled “Jack – A life of C. S. Lewis”, but his impact on the literary world extended beyond his writing, and it is as a teacher

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that he was most loved, and his true legacy lived on in the lives of his pupils.

The Award This new Fellowship in his name has provided funds to have an annual appointment of a fellow (or fellows) who, in turn, will make a contribution to the current academic life of the College. It is envisaged that the nature of the Fellowship can vary each year, be it lecture, workshops, writer-in-residence, academic mentoring or publication.

The main aim is that our current pupils and community will benefit and that its nature honours Sayer’s literary, teaching and intellectual legacy.

Prof Alister McGrath The College is much honoured that Prof McGrath accepted the invitation to be the first recipient of the Award. Prof McGrath is currently the Andreas Idreos Professor in Science and Religion at the University of Oxford, where he is also Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology at King’s College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture.

He is Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was also principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. His first PhD was a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics at Oxford,

where he was also awarded a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.

Of particular note though is that he is an international Inklings scholar and expert on C. S. Lewis. With his various publications including, ‘If I had lunch with C. S. Lewis’, ‘Deep Magic, Dragons and Talking Mice: How reading C.S. Lewis can Change your life’; and his seminal new biography titled, ‘C.S. Lewis: A life’.

The Inaugural George Sayer Lecture In this, its inaugural year, we have been particularly fortunate that the recipient, Prof McGrath, has agreed to not only prepare and give a major public lecture but also run two pupil workshops for some of our top and eager current literature scholars. Select members of the IB, A Level, GCSE cohorts, as well as pupils from our Literary Society (‘Lit Soc’) and Writers Inc. spent the afternoon discussing things literary, philosophical, educational and, well, shall we say, human.

Prof McGrath’s evening lecture titled ‘C.S. Lewis and George Sayer: Reflections on their Friendship’ revealed the depth of their intellectual, personal and spiritual friendship, and even unearthed new evidence from Lewis’s military service record of hitherto unknown Malvern connections, particularly with his close friend, Paddy Moore.

As if channelling Lewis himself, and in the presence of honoured guests including Sayer’s surviving widow, Mrs Margaret Sayer, former pupils taught by Sayer, together with current pupils, staff, and members of the wider Malvern community, Prof McGrath captivated his audience with an animated and inspiring talk that opened up a new insight into a past, but never more relevant, time, and showed that it was still possible to re-imagine the world and be surprised by joy.

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George Say er Fellowship

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Debating & Malvern United Nations Debating

This year, Debating has continued to succeed, discussing many different topics in our weekly meetings, while learning and practising the skills required for successful public speaking and debate. We have covered a wide range of subjects from the possibility of a second referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, the role of religion in education, the nature of free speech, the notion of ‘school days being the best days of our lives’, and whether or not feminism has ‘gone too far’. We remain participants in the Youth Speaks competition and, this year, are hoping to join in the Cambridge speaking competition. The Debating Society was led by Liza Rozenberg, who is now studying at Princeton.

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Malvern United Nations has been going strong in our mockup of the UN Assembly Chamber (in the school library) with up to 40 students meeting weekly to discuss global issues from the perspective of randomly selected countries. Often students have found it challenging to represent countries with whose policies they do not personally agree, but this is an excellent skill to master. Meetings can get quite heated, as delegates throw themselves into the character of their countries, picking up characteristics from current affairs.

We have dealt with many issues of global importance, such as the provision of water to all, global rights to education and opportunity, and the rights of transgender people. It has been wonderful to see young people grappling with topics like these in such a mature and rational way that it is easy to imagine them as leaders of the future. Last year, we were led by Derrick Macakiage, and this year’s leadership has been provided by Salahuddin Abduljawad and Harry Bluck.

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Lucretian Society Lectures Ella Al-Shamahi: “How to be a 21st Century Explorer”

Ella Al-Shamahi gave a lecture to the Lucretian Society titled ‘How to be a 21st Century Explorer.’ Ella is a paleoanthropologist and spoke first about how she had to overcome her fear of heights to explore caves high up in the mountains.

She admits that she may not be our stereotype of an explorer, but the traditional look of the ‘man of the mountains, with a finger missing and a white beard’ is beginning to change.

Her colleague at National Geographic, for example is an IT specialist who used a network of mobile phones transmitting from the tops of trees to monitor any unplanned felling of the rainforest. His mission was to help stop the process of global warming.

‘Do we still teach boys to be adventurous and girls to do safer things for a living?’, she asked the audience. (We know that the resounding answer to that at Malvern is No!) Ella has explored many locations as a Neanderthal specialist and encountered a few interesting situations in her work. Once, whilst descending a steep part of a mountain on her backside she ended up very close to a landmine, and on another occasion having reached the entrance to an almost inaccessible cave, she had to abort the mission on encountering a venomous snake guarding the way.

She went on to explain how the different disciplines of research connect together to help us make sense of the past.

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A particular skull, from an archaeological find, for example, was identified as having elements of both Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens origins as molecular biology experts had been able to analyse the DNA in the bone. The skull was from the period 40,000–50,000 years ago, and the research links both these species, identifying the evolutionary development of man. It turns out that many of us have Neanderthal genes in us today!

Ella’s work frequently takes her to politically unstable areas of the world. Her next trip was going to be to the Yemen/Somalia. Research is collaborative, she says, and needs to keep going even if the areas in which you work are temporarily hostile.

She finished with a strong message to the young people in the audience: “Put aside all the stereotypes that you now hold and find an area in which you are particularly interested; then make a plan about how you can pursue it.”

“Don’t be deterred if the plan doesn’t quite work out the first time; adapt and refocus accordingly as you realise which skills are your best”.

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Ella Al-Shamahi

Dr Poppy Lamberton (OM): “It’s a wormy world”

In the year Malvern College celebrated 25 years of co-education it was particularly gratifying to be visited again by OM Dr Poppy Lamberton (No.6 1996-98) who is currently a Senior Lecturer in Global Health at Glasgow University, and an expert in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).

Admitting to having studied sciences “because she was nosy and wanted to find out something no one else had learned”, Dr Lamberton studied the Biology of Tropical Diseases at Oxford for her degree, and then researched NTDs for her PhD at Imperial College. Eighteen months ago, she based herself at Glasgow University and, supported by funding, is looking at the treatment and incidence of schistosomiasis in Uganda and Tanzania.

Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia) currently affects about 300 million people worldwide. While it can be treated, it has proved to be difficult to cure because of the high reinfection rate. The worm causing this disease has a life cycle reliant on humans and snails, and enters through the skin into the bloodstream where it travels to the liver. Within the liver it starts to lay eggs; the eggs are then dispersed into the environment via faecal matter, and the larvae then have a developmental stage within freshwater snails before the cycle begins again.

This fascinating lecture was well attended by the Sixth Form, as well as some of the more scientifically-minded FY and Remove. We learned a lot about the main issues preventing the eradication of schistosomiasis and other NTDs, which include factors such as: lack of footwear; lack of proper, effective sanitation; and general reliance on rivers

Dr Poppy Lamberton

as a source of food and as places to wash. Two of the biggest problems in treating the disease are the lack of long-term funding and the fact that it is very difficult to break the cycle of transmission.

Disease management regimes initiated in 2004 have not been successful, despite the generous donation of large quantities of drugs by pharmaceutical companies. The reason for this is unclear and could be sociological as well as biological. The focus now is to work out why treatment strategies have not worked. New, fast genetic analysis techniques are being used to help to solve this question, and studies into population demographics and how communities live are all strands of the current research.

The audience kept Dr Lamberton for quite a while afterwards, asking some very interesting and pertinent questions: Jacob Perry asked if anyone knew why the incidence of the disease had increased despite treatment. Ali Hawkins wanted to know whether the environment could be treated instead of people in order to try to break the transmission cycle. Nana Asante asked how long it might take to develop new drugs if resistance to the disease was the problem. And even when most of the audience had left, a small group remained behind asking Dr Lamberton more questions about her career. It was clear that some pupils were really inspired by the lecture and were keen to follow in her footsteps.

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Dr Damian Poulter

to reduce risks, as they are more prone to peer pressure and engaging in risky behaviour than older adults.

As well as sharing the challenges, Dr Poulter offered some helpful solutions for intervention in order to reduce crash risk. These included post pass schemes where new drivers have a series of additional tests and placing possible legislative restrictions on novice drivers. Dr Poulter then inspiringly highlighted future career opportunities for the budding psychologist in this field, including the need for research into human computer interaction as more driverless cars are developed. Applied psychologists will be in high demand as technology is evolving at an alarming rate, yet without consideration for ergonomics and human engagement with such advances, many products will fail to appeal.

We are grateful to Dr Damian Poulter for delivering a very interesting and thought-provoking lecture, which is sure to have made an impact on the many novice drivers present!

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Dr Damian Poulter: “Applying Psychological Science to Risk on the Road”

In January, Malvern College was delighted to welcome Dr Damian Poulter of The University of Greenwich to deliver the first Lucretian Society lecture of 2018, on a topic which is highly relevant to the majority of the Sixth Form: novice driving behaviour and taking risks on the road. Dr Poulter’s core research interests are in applied cognitive psychology, including the study of human performance in real world environments.

Whilst young people may hold irrational fears of venomous spiders and the like, Dr Poulter highlighted the rather sobering statistics which show that the greatest risk to adolescents and young adults’ lives is indeed driving. Contrary to popular belief, it was fascinatingly revealed that the riskiest drivers, with the highest crash rate, are those who have just passed their driving test, despite the fact that they make less errors in technique than more experienced drivers.

The statistics paint an interesting picture, revealing a dramatic drop in vulnerability to crashes after just a few years of independent driving. Dr Poulter also shared his findings that the younger one is when passing one’s driving test, the higher the crash risk. This vulnerability to crashes reduces if drivers are even a year or two older when passing their test, compared to the youngest drivers. Some possible explanations for these findings are that, through experience of hazard perception in a real-life sense, drivers fine tune their reactions and predictions of their own and other road users’ abilities and behaviours in different situations.

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Dr Simon Elliot: “Drug Detective – the work of a forensic scientist”

Dr Simon Elliott of Alere Forensics has previously worked as a Clinical Scientist in the NHS for over 10 years, specifically involved in clinical and forensic toxicology. In his current role in Alere Forensics he has advised the World Health Organisation and European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, especially regarding new psychoactive substances.

Simon began the lecture by explaining the different roles within his company; Forensic toxicologists who take all the evidence in order to form and opinion and write a report on what the evidence suggests (this is usually used in court).

This evidence has been prepared by the Forensic analysts and laboratory assistants who mainly work in labs handling the samples sent to the labs (usually blood and urine but also others examples would be bile or hair) using gas-liquid chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. As the Sixth Form chemists are required to understand how these techniques work it was useful to for them to listen to their everyday use in detecting a variety of drugs and their breakdown products.

Death due to drug abuse is frequently reported in the press who are always particularly interested in the cases of celebrity deaths. Simon explained that alcohol and cocaine cause chronic problems – so actual deaths relating to these substances rarely due to an overdose prior to death (cocaine causes the blood vessels to weaken over time). Instead, overdose deaths tend to be caused by the use of psychoactive drugs, often referred to as legal highs, where users are not

aware of the potency of the drug. Dr Elliot explained that carfentanyl is about 100 times more potent than heroin so it is easy for a user to overdose. Keeping up with the drugs available requires constant research, as although there has been a drop off in the last 3 years, at its peak 2 new psychoactive drugs were being developed every week in 2014.

As well as analysing for the drugs in the body of the deceased/victim the forensic scientist also needs to consider the circumstances of the death, evidence at the scene, position of the body, drug history, hobbies, interests, and occupation in order to form an opinion and compile the report.

Simon explained that as well as psychoactive drugs forensic toxicologists come across more unusual compounds that cause death, for example, veterinary products (taken by humans), strychnine, rodenticides, herbal remedies, and plant poisons. As well as human deaths, Simon has had write reports for animal deaths due to poisoning (a few cases were at safari parks).

Though the subject matter was quite sobering at times it was an excellent lecture providing a good account of what the job of a forensic toxicologist entails.

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Science Department Trips and Events GCSE Science in Action at Warwick University

In December, 73 of our pupils in the Hundred attended a series of five lectures given by renowned scientists at Warwick University. The lectures were about their research, and the prospect of learning about ongoing scientific discoveries was very exciting indeed. Several of the pupils recall the lectures that most captured their imagination: Delphine deBokay’s favourite lecture was given by Helen Pilcher on of ‘De-extinction’. Delphine writes: De-extinction is a new and complex scientific process that is being worked on and discussed at this very moment. It involves removing DNA from carcasses, fossils, or other remnants of extinct animals, removing the DNA from an embryo of their closest living relative and introducing the DNA of the extinct animal into the embryo.

The reasons for doing this are: that many extinctions can be traced back to anthropological causes, so reintroducing these species could be perceived as simply ‘righting our wrongs’; or perhaps because being able to bring back mammoths would be ‘cool’; but most importantly that losing certain species from our ecosystem causes many natural processes to be interrupted, which has real consequences on biodiversity, 064

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agriculture, and other aspects and domains of nature in the long term. Helen Pilcher gave us a list of examples to illustrate her points, and I appreciated the lecture as informative, understandable and very simply brilliant.

Shea John particularly enjoyed the lecture given by Sheila Kanani on ‘Cassini-Huygens’ and writes: The lecture I found the most intriguing was the talk on Cassini-Huygens. Developed in the early 1980s, in name of two scientists who had shown interest in Saturn 300-400 years ago, its purpose was to investigate the unknown area of space around Saturn, particularly that of its moons and fascinating rings. Saturn has always been the planet that has fascinated me the most and so this lecture offered me something that was of great interest to me. The talk itself focused on the information and images acquired by Cassini when it was in space. I learnt that the inner rings of Saturn were composed of solid particles, and the outer composed of water vapour. However, in addition to that, I learnt that yet another external ring was present due to the gravitational impact of Phoebe, a moon of Saturn that is 12,000,000 km away from the planet.

I found the many images that were presented truly amazing and I would love to look further into this project.

Natalie Fan particularly enjoyed the demonstration lecture titled ‘Kitchen Chemistry’ given by Stephen Ashworth of the University of East Anglia, she writes: Stephen Ashworth used very simple products which we can buy in a supermarket to show us several exciting experiments.

He used blackcurrant tea as an acid base indicator, turning it green in alkali and pink in acid. He then used baking powder and acid in a neutralisation reaction. Finally, he showed us a spectacular combustion of flour which caused a huge flame and was truly impressive. His method of delivering the lecture and conjuring up suspense as the reactions happen was very entertaining.

The lecture given by Marty Jopson on ‘Whip Science, Karate and Water’ was the favourite of one of our pupils in the Remove who writes: I was especially impressed by the last talk we heard, because the scientist showed us some incredible things and it was very interesting to know about the science behind them.

The talk was mainly about physics, although there was some chemistry involved. On the science of whips, the speaker

explained how the sound occurs when a whip is swung and what the science behind it was; even how it is possible to calculate the speed at which the tip of the whip is moving and how the whip creates a sonic boom.

In the second part of the lecture, he showed us how to calculate the forces it takes to break a wooden board with a typical Karate hit, as some people call it, and showed off his skills by smashing three boards at once!

Finally, he talked to us about things burning and explained how a more vigorous reaction can be achieved by adding oxygen, which helps increase the speed of the reaction. He ended the lecture by burning a balloon filled with pure hydrogen gas inside it, which resulted in a very loud pop and a big round of applause!

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Physics trip to Joint European Torus (JET) – the world’s largest fusion reactor

On a bright and sunny May morning, a selection of IB and A Level physicists travelled to the site of the hottest place in the Universe: JET, in Culham, Oxfordshire is the largest fusion reactor in the world and we were lucky to get the chance to have a wander round and talk to some of the scientists.

First we enjoyed a talk about nuclear fusion (tiny H atoms are heated to 100 million degrees and they fuse together, forming helium and releasing energy). Unfortunately, at the moment it is only 65% efficient – which means that you have to put more energy in than you get out! But JET is a prototype

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for an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), and there are high hopes that in about 8 years such a reactor will release 10 times the energy than is put in.

We were led round the campus, shown the control room for the fusion reactor, and walked through the huge machinery near the reactor. JET is a collaboration between many countries and it was interesting to talk to scientists from various backgrounds and hear their stories.

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Remove trip to Warwick University

In March 30 pupils accompanied by Mr Newman, Dr Stephen, and Dr Watson visited Warwick University to make use of the undergraduate chemistry-teaching laboratories.

This day was made possible due to the kind organisation of Nick Barker, a Royal Society of Chemistry outreach officer based at Warwick University.

As the pupils entered the lab they were struck by the enormity of a University lab equipped with 50 fume cupboards and an expansive array of lab equipment that looked very intriguing. The cost of the lab furniture and equipment (we were told) exceeds £6 million.

The pupils were put into pairs and three pairs were looked after by the supervising laboratory teachers. Some of these laboratory teachers had kindly given up a day of their research towards their PhD in order to help our pupils, and our pupils were inspired to hear about the sort of research that they undertake. From the use of lasers to work out why rhino sweat is such an excellent UV absorber (potential use in suncreams!), to the research into the effect of practice and exercise on the thickness of neurons, making the speed of nerve impulses faster, this was all very inspiring research.

The task given to our pupils was to synthesise two everyday painkillers – aspirin and paracetamol. To do this the pupils needed to use techniques that are usually only encountered at Sixth Form level or beyond – heating under reflux (like simmering in cooking!), recrystallizing to transform the creamy-white powder into beautiful shining white crystals, and vacuum filtration.

The pupils all took to the tasks well and worked very competently (in spite of being told just how dangerous some of the chemicals were: “keep them in the fume cupboard at all times” was the instruction). Some groups had time to characterise their compounds using infra-red spectroscopy (Nick Barker refers to this technique as a ‘bond speedometer’) whilst others used a technique known as thin layer liquid chromatography (TLC) to check for the purity of their sample of aspirin and paracetamol.

In all, the pupils had an exhilarating, though exhausting day out. They also learnt that, just like in a kitchen, you don’t sit down! Our thanks go to Nick Barker and all of the staff involved at the University of Warwick for making this day possible. It was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils.

‘Top of the Bench’ Regional Final (University of Birmingham)

Our Chemistry team: Kitty Holroyd, Grace Knuth, Shea John, and Evyanne Ewusie, made it to the final of the regional ‘Top of the Bench’ competition held at the University of Birmingham in January. ‘Top of the Bench’ is a national competition for 14-16 year olds who are studying Chemistry.

Part one of the competition comprised a written test with questions covering topics from the GCSE syllabus, including atomic structure, bonding, organic chemistry, neutralisation, and mole calculations. Our team performed particularly well in this section, narrowly missing out on first place by just two marks.

Part two of the competition involved performing a ‘clock’ experiment. The challenge was to set up a reaction so that the end point was reached in exactly 60 seconds. Points were awarded for how close to one minute the reaction changed colour to black. Our team worked systematically and collaboratively, impressing the judges along the way with their team work. In their trial runs they achieved results consistently within 59-61 seconds. Expectations were high as the team eagerly awaited the official timing.

Imagine their disappointment when the reaction turned black at 53.87seconds!

Quickly over their frustration, they enjoyed a delicious lunch that was followed by a talk given by Simon Johnson, a final-year student working towards an MSc in Chemistry, who gave a very interesting insight to life and work at university.

Finally, the scores were tallied and the results were announced. Book tokens and certificates were awarded to the top three places. Thirty teams entered the competition and Malvern finished in a very creditable 5th place.

Congratulations to Kitty, Grace, Shea and Evyanne who were admirable competitors and a credit to Malvern College.

CLB

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Inter-House Science Competition Round 1: The Quest for the Silver Test Tube The first round of this year’s Inter-House Science Competition (staged in November) set the labs buzzing with activity as the pupils took on the task of controlling a chemical reaction that suddenly changes colour. They needed to ensure that the colour changed at 15 seconds, 30 seconds and 45 seconds exactly, and were allowed several trials so that they could become confident that they had the correct formulations. Their final experiment and the reaction times were then recorded by ‘official’ timekeeper!

The girls’ houses put in very strong performances in this round, leaving the boys’ houses with their work cut out to catch them. Leaders, after the first round, were Ellerslie House, with No.3 in second place.

Round 2: How much gingerbread?

Round 2 of the competition was held at the end of the Autumn Term, just before Christmas, and participants needed to work out how to solve – mathematically and creatively – the problem of how to provide fuel (gingerbread) for each reindeer to give them sufficient energy to deliver presents to all of the households in Great Malvern.

There were some amazingly interesting calculations made during this round: some houses considered the percentage of children who might have been naughty so would not receive a Christmas delivery from Santa; others considered the need to power Rudolph’s nose so that it remained lit throughout the journey (with light similar to that given by a 60-watt lightbulb); but the winners of this round, and leaders after both of the first 068

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two rounds, were Ellerslie House who, among other things, researched the time of the sunset and sunrise, and therefore how much flying time was available (and what speeds it would therefore be necessary to travel at) to complete Santa’s delivery task.

Round 3: Unlocking the code There was a lot of excitement in the labs as pupils took on the task of using working with great precision to break a code. The pupils needed to titrate solutions against each other and then use their answers to solve a code. This round brought many houses into contention to win the silver test tube, as EH continued in the lead but Nos. 3, 6, 8, and 9 were all in equal second place and only 2 points behind.

Final Round: the best Kahoot ever!

The final round took place in the Lewis Lecture Theatre in the Lent Term, with possibly the most exciting game of Kahoot ever played at Malvern College! Kahoot is a free game-based learning platform which aims to test the scientific knowledge and application of the teams.

With several houses vying for the championship, this was to be an excellent competition. And though EH had led more less throughout the year, the eventual winners after this final quiz round were No.9, who achieved points enough to win the competition outright – by a margin of just one point! EH and No.8 were joint second place.

Congratulations to the No.9 boys who played a very good final round and who are the first boys’ house ever to win the inter-house title!

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Water Aid (IB Group 4 Project)

As part of the International Baccalaureate diploma, pupils are required to work in multi-disciplinary science teams to solve a problem and prepare a presentation. This year we decided to ‘tap into’ the expansive knowledge of one of our OMs Peter Millward.

Peter has spent much of his life working with water and in 2010 he became a trustee of WaterAid, a charity for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and agreed to come and launch the project with a very informative and thoughtprovoking lecture. He made the point that lack of clean water is a significant problem by giving some stark facts: • Diarrhoea kills a child under 5 every 2 minutes, this is greater than HIV/Aids, measles and Malaria combined.

• Around the world 443 million school days are lost every year because of water related illnesses.

• This is a daily crisis and hits the world’s poorest and most marginalised people the hardest.

He explained that our daily use of water is approximately 150 litres of water per person per day, compared to 10 litres per person per day in the developing countries.

S c i e n c e Dthat e partme n t Tpupils rip s an d needed Eve n ts The problem the to solve was to take an area in the developing world and find a means of delivering portable water to the communities there. Peter explained that over two-thirds of the water on land is locked up in glaciers and much of the rest is ground water which takes a lot of energy to get to the surface. Then once the water is delivered to the area it needs to be treated to ensure

that it is safe to drink. Peter also showed pictures of the display boards showing how some of the water extraction methods work. This is so that the people can understand how the system operates in order to engage the community and ensure that the solution is sustainable.

Peter gave some examples of where solutions had been found to hygiene issues. When schools are built in communities, WaterAid suggest that the toilet block is built first; if this didn’t happen, too often the money would run out and no toilets would be built at all, causing a significant hygiene problem and children to become ill through attending school. Another solution was found to the problem of the fatality rate of newborn babies who were born in the night being much greater than the fatality rate of babies born during the day. The reason was found to be that at night the power switched off; this meant that there was no access to sterilised instruments (for cutting the umbilical cord) and the towels were washed in dirty water.

There was a great deal for the groups of pupils to consider during the time that they had to research and work out a solution to the lack of water in their developing country.

Many of the groups designed water-collection/-delivery systems and there were also many prototypes of waterpurification systems, all using different technologies that were simple and clever in their design.

The pupils all felt that they had spent valuable time in finding out more about the most essential resource that we have, and realised just how much we take it for granted. A few good lessons were learned alongside a significant collaborative project.

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CCF Marines and Army

It is a pleasure to report that Malvern College CCF has flourished over the past 12 months; large numbers of students have taken up the chance to become involved in the various cadet activities (locally, nationally and even internationally) and there has been much success and fun had in the process.

Nearly a third of the College has been actively involved this year, which is the first time since the CCF became optional, many years ago. The growing numbers of Senior Cadets have proved good for both the general health of the 3 sections – with a greater student involvement in the weekly leadership and training – and also for competition teams too. We are fortunate to have retained our 3 distinct sections: Royal Marine, Army, and RAF, and each has developed, competed, and evolved in their own areas.

For the Royal Marines, last year’s Pringle Competition performance was our best since 2009. We won a trophy for the Section Attack and Federico Amodeo proved himself as an excellent combat commander. The team did well in many stands and all enjoyed the challenges of everything from yomping across the RM training areas to completing the Endurance Course, including crawling through narrow tunnels and going through the underwater obstacles in the dreaded ‘plunge pool’. Many of our Cadets also attended additional events, such as the six who managed to gain places on the Central Camp at the Commando Training 070

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Centre, as well as James Wakefield and Harry Bluck, who passed the first stage of their Summer Mountain Leader training course through the Corps. It has been particularly pleasing that younger Cadets have come forward to attend additional courses, and they will undoubtedly play a significant role in future Pringle campaigns.

The Army section had a very busy year. Beginning with a training exercise at Tyddesley Wood, with 30 Cadets brushing up their skills in preparation for the MilSkills Competition. This last year, for the first time, we entered two teams (one led by Amelia Wilson and Ella Warren, the other by Ferdinand Fourier), including a large proportion of female students. Both teams did very well in some areas, including the Casualty Evacuation and Navigation Stands.

Lessons were learned and have been carried forward to the 2018 competition. The Competition Weekend was swiftly followed by Field Day, at Sennybridge Training Area in the Brecon Beacons. 160 Cadets deploying for a series of basic training activities (presented by Senior Cadets) over a 36h period. Many skills were picked up and there was even the chance to experience a ‘night noises’ demonstration, including some impressive pyrotechnics!

November saw 12 Cadets off on the Snowdonia Mountaineering Trip, a precursor to the annual Cairngorms Winter Mountain Training (which sadly had to be cancelled this year). The Autumn Term finished with a blank firing

exercise for the 100 Cadets at Tyddesley Wood at the end of their Advanced Tactics training course. In March all of the Remove Cadets travelled to Nesscliffe Training Area for our Advanced Field Day and, hot on the heels of this, we enjoyed our very positive Biennial Inspection on the College Campus. This Biennial – the last of its kind – was a terrific day of training carried out at various areas of the College campus and the 9 Acre. The Inspection was led by Col George Wilson, father of the Senior Cadet Amelia Wilson, who was both thorough and supportive in his approach.

In May, our team shot at the Brigade Full Bore competition and then, in the highlight of the year, the CCF team won the annual Gun Run challenge at Commem! As the Summer Term drew to a close, 24 Cadets completed a Skill At Arms package at Whittington Ranges in Staffordshire, which allowed them a rare chance to fire live rounds with the L98 Cadet Rifle. Central Camp this year, at Warcop, was a tremendous success, with 20+ students enjoying a range of advanced events in the first week of the summer break.

There was a terrific range of activities, including TIBUA, Adventure Training, Section Attacks (complete with Zombie Enemy!) and even a Platoon Attack, all in the glorious surroundings of the Lake District.

The RAF section also had a very busy year, with a return to the Trophy Competition, a First Aid Qualification Course, Cyprus Camp, Air Cadet Leadership Courses, and Air Show, Summer Camp and an impressive amount of flying. (There is more of this in FO Woodward’s report).

There is no doubt that the CCF remains very effective, and the atmosphere within the Contingent is happily a positive one. In an age where students are under large pressures

to achieve high personal goals, it is reassuring to see so many giving of their time, effort and energy to work as part of a big and successful team and be more concerned with others than themselves. The Malvern Cadets invariably display the majority (nay, all) of the Malvern Values simultaneously on a weekly basis; long may this continue.

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RAF

Once again the RAF have enjoyed a successful and activity packed year. As ever the RAF Cadets have flown, camped out, blank fired at Nesscliffe Training Area and worked hard to build up their own portfolio of skills at the College. At the start of the Autumn Term the section benefitted greatly from the arrival of Sgt Raoul Sach-Brian, a former RAF Warrant Officer, an adult instructor sent by HQ Air Cadets to aid cadet training.

The Autumn Term saw the section prepare for and compete against other schools in the annual Area Squadron Trophy. A last-minute crisis saw Flight Sergeant Sulaiyman Ahmad-Fauzi step up and take leadership for the section throughout the competition with great success. The strength in the face of adversity that the team demonstrated saw them awarded the ‘RISE’ trophy for respect, integrity, standards and excellence. In particular Malvern kept up a good trend from last year of being one of the fittest sections in the region, with Georgina Denham awarded ‘best female fitness’ as the last female Cadet standing in the bleep test.

The gentlemen of Malvern were ably represented by Julius Lange who took the male individual award and put up such a strong effort that he had to be asked to stop running lest the competition overran.

The Lent Term saw the section welcome a new crop of Remove Cadets and also some Cadets from Malvern venture further afield. Cadet Roxane Piret joined Sergeants Charles Izzard and Fred Reuther in visiting the RAF stations on Cyprus at Troodos and Akrotiri. In addition to seeing the RAF at work in a completely different environment they also participated in various activities ranging from mountain biking 072

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to a Mediterranean barbecue cruise. Back at the College all Cadets in the Hundred and above qualified as ‘Emergency Youth First Aiders’ with the St John’s Ambulance.

During the Summer Term the section made an outing to the Armed Forces Day Air Show at Weston-Super-Mare. The sun shone brightly as 12 of the Cadets enjoyed ice creams on the beach, whilst being entertained by the Red Arrows, Eurofighter Typhoon and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. At the start of the holidays four Cadets went on RAF annual camp, to a specially constructed cadet activity centre at Inskip in Lancashire.

The focus of the week was mainly adventure training, with climbing, abseiling and zip lining making up a large proportion of the programme. Flight Sergeant Sulaiyman Ahmad-Fauzi was selected as the lead Cadet for this camp, being awarded the Camp Commandant’s Award. Meanwhile Lance Corporal James Francis was awarded Best Cadet. Sergeant Charles Izzard was lucky enough to receive a place on the prestigious Air Cadet Leadership Course at RAF Cranwell and achieved a Merit grade.

As the government continues with its drive to expand CCF units into state schools this has put pressure on slots for Air Experience Flying at RAF Cosford. However, we have benefitted greatly from kind offers for extra slots at MOD St Athan by No.1 AEF. This has ensured that all Cadets have received at least two flying sessions in the calendar year. We have also just had news that gliding has resumed, after a six year break, using the Grob Viking and we are looking forward to an upcoming gliding date at Little Rissington in December.

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School House The arrival of the A level, IB, and GCSE results heralded the opportunity to reflect on another excellent year in School House. In order to do that we must go all the way back to September when we welcomed another new cohort of boys. Eleven talented young men joined the FY and there were also some strong additions across the other year groups. We held the inaugural intra-House Football on the first Sunday, which gave all the boys a chance to get to know each other better. The year was littered with various social activities and, whether it were the trip to Cwm Llwch, wine-tasting (for the Sixth-Formers!), paintballing, the Escape Rooms, or the newly-introduced dodge archery, there was plenty of fun to be had.

Academically, it was the Remove who led the way with a number of the boys gaining Academic Colours and consistently producing over 5 in their effort grades. The boys as a whole were working hard and it was especially pleasing to see Ben Fu gain 3 A grades in his A Levels, and Julius Roderer 40 points in the IB. Many of the other leavers achieved the grades needed for their first-choice university, and if they didn’t then I am sure they will find their way in the end. Dan Brierley was another leading light in the academic arena, gaining a place in the Wheeler-Bennett Society.

Our talented musicians were once again integral members of the various ensembles. Many of them wowed the audiences at the various informal concerts and the Jazz 0 74

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Band in particular had a strong contingent of SH boys. It was great to hear new boys Cameron Eldridge and Charlie Canton-Smith play their instruments at both the Summer Serenade and Unplugged Concerts. The SH Art SoirĂŠe was a hit with the parents and congratulations must go to Edward Bradshaw for his organisation, and for ensuring the evening went smoothly. One of the main highlights of the year is the House song, and this year Alexander Nelson did a wonderful job in bringing it all together. It is a thoroughly enjoyable evening, but it is the build-up which really brings the House together. Although the boys did not win anything this year, their rendition of Mr Blue Sky was excellent and once again I was very proud of the effort of each boy involved.

Sport is an important part of both House and College life and there were some excellent contributions to the various School teams. A number of the boys represented the 1st teams of Rugby, Football, Cricket, Hockey and Tennis. In Hockey especially there was one game which involved six SH boys. It was a pity therefore that House Hockey was cancelled! Dan Holland and Aaron Tomson had a wonderful run at Queens, reaching the Final of the Under 16 tournament. Dan went on to win the Rackets Senior Singles Tournament, bringing home the beautiful Pritchard Trophy.

As he has another two years, I am hoping that the trophy will be staying for a while! The House teams also had plenty of success. The Autumn Term was not a time for silverware

but the boys made a few more inroads in the Lent Term, retaining the House Cross-Country and also winning the FY Fives competition. And the boys were desperate to do the treble by winning the Ledder – but the terrible rain put paid to any chance of that race happening, no matter how many times it was reorganised. The Summer Term was a time for the boys to shine, winning both the Junior and Senior House Tennis, the Senior House Swimming and also reaching the final of the Junior House Cricket, only losing on the final ball. There was the welcome addition of Philip Van Nederpelt to the Tennis team, who played for the 1st VI and also won the school singles competition, the Willis Dixon Cup. There were also a number of individual sporting success stories: Joe Randall was picked for the National Junior Rugby Sevens Academy, whilst Josh Baker was picked for the Midlands side in the prestigious Bunbury Festival; in the County Tennis U16 doubles, Hans Baare Schmidt and his partner were victorious, and although Hans lost in the final of the U18 singles, he still has two more years to make amends.

The House Drama is one of the most eagerly awaited competitions of the year. It is a wonderful festival highlighting the best of House life. This year Toon de Melker and George Advani led the production of The History Boys.

With the Rogers Theatre being refurbished, the productions took place in Big School. This was always going to be a tough arena to showcase a difficult play – but the boys had put an amazing amount of time and effort into the build-up, and although they felt they had not done themselves justice on the night, I was immensely proud of each of them.

As always, there was a strong contingent of SH boys in the

various School productions. George and Toon did wonderful jobs in both the Senior Production of A Christmas Carol and the musical Legally Blonde; and the youngsters, including Edmund Thurlow, Jacob Perry, Charlie Canton-Smith Lakshya Joshi and Cameron Eldridge, performed admirably in the Grimm Tales production. It is clear to see that House Drama will be in good hands in the years to come.

There was also some individual success for Toon at the Worcester Arts festival where he won first prize for Solo Acting. SH has always had success in the Lea-Smith Reading Competition, and this year was no different, with George, Toon and Edmund all reaching the Finals.

In the House we had the usual themed Birthday Suppers which are great nights and a chance for the various year groups to strengthen the sense of community I advocate so strongly. We also had the 24-hour Charity Table Tennis which raised £550 for Children in Need. We will be looking to do another event in 2019. 2018 also saw the birth of ‘Lost’.

Two Remove pupils from each house were dropped off 40 miles away and had to make their way back to College. Peter Ingram and Felix Alber Strolz were our intrepid explorers and they did a wonderful job making it back in 3rd Place.

As we bid farewell to the out-going leadership team, I would like to thank them for their support and counsel over the past year. Max Taylor as Head of House has done a wonderful job and he was ably supported by Ben Fu and Karl Barbers, whose kindness, integrity and good humour will be sorely missed. As one team leaves, another is group is awarded the chance to lead and I am sure that Tristan Hubbard (Head of House), Harry Myddelton, and Hamish Houghton will continue to do a fantastic job. We are lucky School H ouse

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that the new year’s Upper Sixth have been appointed into leadership positions across the school. Monty Lampard is a Chapel Prefect as well as Head of the CCF, Lucas FowlerDewe is Head of the RAF, and Harry Myddelton will be leading the Marines. Well done, boys.

The staff commitment remains, as ever, paramount to the smooth running of the House, and I cannot praise the SH Assistants, Kim Tutcher and Lucie Tilley highly enough for their role in keeping the wheels turning, similarly, the dedication of Mr Hutsby and all the rest of the tutorial team.

Faye and I love looking after the boys and look forward to many more years in School House.

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No.1 ‘Nine tenths of education is encouragement.’

Anatole France One of the privileges of running a boarding House is watching the boys develop very strong friendships with each other.

As I listened to my Head of House, Dare George, give his last speech to his fellow leavers at the summer ball, I was so proud of all he and his peers had achieved during their time in No.1. I believe their friendship and in particular, their encouragement of one another, had been a key factor in their success in all spheres: academic, sporting, musical and dramatic. This year we bid farewell to a talented year group who encouraged and spurred one another on. Their examination results were impressive and my warm congratulations go to those who shone at IB, including Andreas Heyer (44 points), Derrick Macakiage (43 points) and Sunraj Dhariwal (41 points).

Tracking back to the start of the year, the House Charity Football event (traditionally held on the first weekend of the year) was a resounding success, with over £400 raised for the two boys in Nepal (Misael and Sudeep), whom we support by funding their education. This is something we have done for the past ten years. Well done to the No.1 boys!

Later in the term, twenty-eight boys participated in the House Singing Competition. My thanks go to Derrick Macakiage, who directed our choir in an arrangement of 0 78

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History by One Direction. To my untrained ear it was a very polished performance with plenty of texture and a vibrant quintet section featuring Sunraj Dhariwal, Dare George, Mac Sainsbury-Plaice, Jamie Hawkins and Ned Norbury.

Thank you too, to Andreas Heyer for his accomplished accompaniment on piano.

Another highlight of the term included thirty boys participating in a Paintballing Trip. The younger members agreed to the challenge laid down by the Sixth Formers and enjoyed a convincing win over their elders! My thanks go to Mr Rybarczyk for joining me.

Further enjoyment and bonding took place when I took a Karting Trip followed by a MacDonald’s.

Lent Term The Lent Term began with an entertaining House Arts Evening, including a range of instruments and musical styles, as well as plenty of poetry recitation! My thanks go to the organiser, Felix Kingdon. In our House Play we were treated to a modern and multicultural version of Snow White written by Mac Sainsbury-Plaice and Derrick Macakiage and were delighted to win the Best Entertainment Cup for a second year running.

On the theme of winning, congratulations went to Andreas Heyer and Jack Whitfield who won the Category A and Category B respectively, of the House Music

Competition. Andreas performed Rachmaninov’s ‘Elegie’ Op.3 No.1 and Jack played ‘Waltz for Emily’ by James Rae. In House football, No.1 were drawn against No.9 and won 2–1, then followed No.5 where we lost 1–0. This meant we played School House in the 3/4th play off. At full-time the score was 1–1. A penalty shoot-out followed and No.1 enjoyed a 4–3 win! Last of all, the boys played an impromptu game against No.2 and competed for the historic Challenge Cup. Once again, the boys triumphed with a 2–1 victory, thanks to two goals from Mac Sainsbury-Plaice. Congratulations went to Zhiwei Yan on winning the Hundred year-group final in the Lea-Smith Reading Competition in which he read an excerpt from Louis Lowry’s The Giver. Other highlights included, a sponsored leg-wax for Walter Gonder and Nader di Michele, for which they raised over £300 for Cancer Research.

At the end of the Lent Term we said thank you to the outgoing Head of House: Dare George and his deputies Nader di Michele, Derrick Macakiage and Walter Gonder. They were a united and productive team and maintained the strong traditions of service and success in No.1. It was a pleasure seeing them flourish in their roles. Urav Ladwa and took up the Head of House baton, alongside his deputies, Felix Kingdon, Temidola Shonubi and Ethan Wang.

Summer Term In week 1, we were able to have the House photograph as calendared – not always a given due to weather! On these occasions, I become a little nostalgic and am reminded of how the boys united and looking so smart. It is an occasion

on which to be proud of the boys’ achievements and more importantly, their developing characters.

This term saw the cancellation of the rescheduled Ledbury Run. Unfortunately, the course was still dangerous owing to the deluge of rain before term started. So, we were unable to see the likes of Dominic Leicher and Felix Kingdon striding ahead – I know they had been out training frequently. Similarly, the House Athletics was cancelled due to more rain! However, the swimming competition proceeded as planned. My thanks go to all the boys who competed including Urav Ladwa, Hugo Bensaude, Felix Kingdon, Jackson Saunders, Dougal Lemon, Zhiwei Yan, Manfred Lai, William Brinkman, Jonty, Hector Mallard, Harry Finch, Jack Whitfield, Josh Rin, YoYo Sasa, and Ned Norbury. In Cricket, we competed in the Junior and Senior House competitions. Though no records were broken, it was wonderful to see so many No.1 boys supporting from the boundary rope. Particular congratulations go to the Junior Team who narrowly lost to No.5, (the eventual winners) and then beat No.7 on the last ball in a gripping match.

There were some notable individual successes too, including James Wakefield who was awarded the Harvard Book Prize for outstanding academic success and contribution to the life of the school. It is donated by Harvard University and the intention is that it may attract one of our students to Harvard in due course. Malvern College is one of a handful of schools in the world to whom this award is made. Well done, James! Very well done too, to Rehaan Edavalath, who played for the Midlands U14 Cricket Team at the Bunbury Festival. Rehaan has had a string of successes playing for Worcestershire and the U14A Malvern sides N o.1

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too. Warm congratulations go to Vansh Ladwa who played in the Worcester Warriors Development Rugby team in a four-team tournament. My thanks and congratulations go to William Brinkman and Egor Kovrizhnykh who competed in the House ‘Lost’ Competition. In music, very well done to Jamie Hawkins who sang in the Summer Concert for both the Chapel choir and the Chamber Choir. Then after half-term, Jamie wowed us as he played an arrangement of ‘The Claw’ by Reid and Atkins on electric guitar, in the Summer Serenade Concert.

Latterly, I was delighted to take the Foundation Year and the No.1 Leadership Team to Cwm Llwch, the College’s Welsh farmhouse at the foot of Pen-y-Fan mountain in the Brecon Beacons. The way in which the leaders: Urav, Ethan, Felix, James and Temidola buoyed the younger ones was 0 80

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fantastic. Equally, the spirit of camaraderie and encouragement among the FY was gratifying. Thank you to Mr Rybarczyk for his support.

Finally, I wish to thank Mrs Bea Kingdon for the giving of her time on the Parents’ Forum over three years. Secondly, thank you to my tutors, assistants and Ruth, for all the time and energy they have given on behalf of the boys. It is a pleasure working alongside such a committed and hardworking staff team.

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No.2 The late summer brought excellent results for the outgoing Upper Sixth, many of whom headed off to their firstchoice universities. At the beginning of the Autumn Term, strong GCSE results also meant that the entire Hundred cohort returned for the Sixth Form. The year saw the election of our new leadership team and it was a pleasure to appoint Henry Queen in his role as Head of House, and Bosa Gubago, Tom Doherty and Harry Townsend in the key supporting roles of Deputy. The boys are very excited to look ahead to a bright future with this team at the helm and very appreciative of the efforts and work of the outgoing team, led by Charlie Salnikow.

Outdoor Pursuits are held close to the heart of No.2. Over the summer, Bosa Gubago and Henry Queen had taken part in the coast-to-coast crossing of Costa Rica. The annual paintball outing provided the usual raucous start to the year, with neither team succeeding in getting their General into the helicopter (hard luck Henry Green and Finley Morris!).

Then, 17 new pupils and the head of house team set off for the annual trip to Cwm Llwch along with myself, Mr Coughtrie, and Shackleton of course: first, a sunlit arrival, pasta, and a typically bruising (and tied) two-hour encounter of the Balloon Game in the dark; then hot chocolate, singing and bedtime; and in the morning, a cooked breakfast and ascent to the lake for the yearly dip! (Jonny Edwards, on crutches, met the challenge on equal terms and became 0 82

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the second No.2 boy in 3 years do so). In December, the snow disruption caused a memorable few days of sledging, snowballing and, for Henry Queen, snow kayaking!

It was a wonderful year for music. No.2’s rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘The Boxer’ (led by Tom Luscombe and Henry Queen, and with Tom Doherty on the guitar) represented a superb team effort. The house retained the much coveted prize of Best Song, and celebrations were loud and enduring. Tom Doherty’s superb solo guitar-playing had wowed the audience during the interval of the competition and it later won him the Unplugged section of the House Music Competition. Jasper Penrice also won his category in this competition, and Tom Luscombe and Henry Queen qualified for the Category A final, whilst Shea John received a Highly Commended nomination – no mean feat for a boy only in the Remove! The second edition of No.2’s Got Talent regaled a hugely appreciative audience with too many different acts to list exhaustively, ranging from Paddy, Adam, and Alexey’s brave drama piece to Thompson’s booming notes on the Tuba. Once again the boys raised a good deal of money for the No.2 charities: the Roger Gower Memorial fund and Redwings (the horse sanctuary).

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 Lord of the

Flies, directed by Mahaaz Ahmed. Staged in Big School, the play showcased the excellent acting talents of many of the boys, notably Tom Doherty and Harrison Hudson (who went on to share the prize for Best Actor), and also Declan Swinburne. The play was captivating from beginning to end and with the technical expertise of Basil Marsden-Smedley and Bosa Gubago, ably supporting Mahaaz’ direction, the boys were deserved winners of this year’s Best Play. To cap it all, Mahaaz was also rightly awarded with the prize for Best Director. All involved were of course rewarded with pizzas for this fantastic achievement! A few weeks after the event, as a way of expressing congratulations and appreciation, Mahaaz’ mum once again prepared a wonderful supper for some very grateful No.2 boys.

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) and also the charity football event. That such events take place is testament to the commitment of the boys and their willingness to take part. Of particular note this year are the efforts of Sebastian Grace who has put a great deal of effort into supporting the charity Cricket Builds Hope, based out of Kigali in Rwanda. As well as raising money and collecting a great deal of cricket equipment to be sent out there in support of the charity, Seb spent a good deal of his summer holiday out there as a volunteer, a superb and selfless effort on his part.

The CVS ball was very much enjoyed by an immaculatelydressed bunch of Sixth Form boys. Similarly enjoyable was the Spice Girls-themed birthday supper in which Mahaaz Ahmed’s costume and performance was only bettered by the quality of his mother’s food. In the yearly Halloween

party the Donald Trump pumpkin was certainly the creative highlight although Josh Sigley’s appearance as a Big Blue Thing was equally memorable.

Inter-house sports competitions are an essential part of the year for No.2. The boys played well in the group stages of Senior Rugby, losing to No.7 and beating School House – before the tournament was abandoned on account of the weather. There was an excellent try from Henry Forbes in this game, as well as some gutsy performances from Seb Grace, Tom Doherty and Charlie Salnikow. Meanwhile, the Juniors narrowly lost to No.5 in the group stages (in spite of a great try from Paddy Moyle) but went on to beat School House. In the third place play-off the boys ran out 43–0 winners against No.1. Most notable was a try from Harry Sigley who, by scoring, won a pizza from his begrudging housemaster! The House also put in a strong showing in the Inter-House Canoe Polo under the captaincy of Henry Queen. In the football competitions the Seniors were led

by Henry Forbes – who led excellently from the front – and it was unfortunate that they lost out to No.9 in the playoff match following some creditable performances. The Juniors, led by Alexey Artemov, did superbly for a group of lads who would not consider themselves to be footballers, qualifying for the final but ultimately losing 3–0 to a very strong No.5 side.

In senior sports, Sebastian Grace captained the 2nd XV to a very successful season as well as being selected to play 1st XV, whilst Tom Doherty who was promoted for some 1st XV games at the end of the season. Henry Forbes deserves recognition for his excellence in football throughout the season. In cricket, both Mahaaz Ahmed and Sebastian Grace No. 2

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were selected to play for the 1st XI throughout the season with Henry Forbes and Tom Doherty playing regularly for the 2nd XI. In other sports James Dawson continued to excel with his Rackets and Henry Queen and Ferdinand represented the school in Canoe polo whilst Matt Bruce, George Standen Macdougal and Oliver Doherty competed in Fives. With Shea John competing in a national Bouldering competition there was great diversity in the boys’ participation in so many of the activities on offer at school and with the FY boys putting in some strong performances in the Ferrets race (notably Charlie Clarke in 4th place) No.2 would be looking to try and put down some markers in the Lent Term.

In the House Cross-Country, led by Thompson Knuth, the Lent Term got off to a tremendous start with No.2 winning a round of the house event for the first time in many years. Tom Doherty’s second place in that early event was a sign of things to come but congratulations should go to a number of boys (Mahaaz Ahmed, Ralph Sharp, Tom Luscombe, George S-M, Will Waterhouse, Oscar Siegert, Freddie Lawton-Smith) for their regular commitment to this event in some very challenging conditions. The highlight of the running calendar is of course the Ledder and Tom D and Mahaaz put in a great deal of training over the course of the term in order to be ready for this event.

Mahaaz must have run the course 15 times over the course of the year and Tom was looking set to place very highly and possibly even win overall. Unfortunately, following much snow and rain, the Ledder was postponed and eventually cancelled. There is always next year for Tom and hopefully Mahaaz will come back and run as an OM. 7 of our 11 FY boys participated in the pre-season cricket tour to Spain. In cricket, the boys set about defending the Junior League trophy under the captaincy of Oliver James and Antoine Sclater. The deciding match was played against No.5. Set a tough target of 105, unfortunately No.2 fell short of the total. They will be back next year however, no doubt led by the pairing of Tanush and Tarush! In the house competition the boys got through to the final, having beaten 7 and School House but fell short at the final hurdle against an extremely strong No.5 side.

The Senior House Tennis team, led by Raphael Monceret, lost narrowly to School House in the final. Later in the term the Juniors, captained by Alexey, also just fell short of defending last year’s title in spite of some excellent tennis. In Inter-House Swimming there were some notable successes such as Tom Luscombe in the Freestyle and Shea John in the Breaststroke.

Overall this was an excellent end to the year. There was an energetic and positive atmosphere to the summer of 2018 and amidst all the hard work the boys had a great deal of fun. Whether playing yarder, Go karting, painting the new 0 84

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Common Room, ‘B*ms’ on the Senior, water fights, celebrating the end of exams, watching the World Cup in the garden or just hanging out with friends, the boys enjoyed the closing phases of the year.

Whether setting off on trips, or simply to celebrate the end of examinations and school, the boys departed and the chapter closed on another Upper Sixth cohort. With only 3 left from the original FY, this was a year group which had seen many new faces arrive and several leave. It was great that old faces such as Marcus Mcgee and the Richards twins could join us for ‘Leavers’ and we wish all of them the best of luck as they move on from No.2.

The No.2 community also had to bid farewell to Mr Coughtrie, Deputy Housem, FY tutor and great supporter of all things White and Blue. He has been a fantastic source of support, friendship and humour to all of us in the house and he will be very much missed. Dulwich College will hope that he scores a few more runs for their staff team than he did for ours, but either way they are onto a good thing.

The new cohort of No.2 boys will find a house in rude health. A huge thanks goes to Kathryn, Stephanie and their team of angels for their hard work and support over the last year, and a big thanks to Mrs Major, Martha and Shackleton for all that they do to make No.2 a wonderful home for all of us!

JJWEM

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No.3 The year began with us having said goodbye to our lovely Leavers from 2017, wishing them well, as some went off to university and others to embark on gap years travelling or working – but all off to enjoy different experiences. Over the summer we welcomed a newcomer to our home to enhance our lives, and those of many of the girls, in the form of Harry (a fox-red cocker spaniel). He was a super surprise for so many girls who have been telling us for years that we need a No.3 dog!

Our U6th Head of House team of Elise, Kitty, Miranda and Leonie were super at helping our new girls to settle in.

We welcomed 3 new FY (Sophie, Otty and Molly), 2 Remove (Delphine and Gigi) and 8 Lower Sixth (Liv, Eva, Vic, Julnar, Celestine, Roxy, Kiki, Izzy and Nat). With so many new girls joining us for Sixth Form, it was lovely to have Shukes and Hannah giving up their time and enabling the girls to find their way around College quickly.

For the first time in 12 years we took FY and Remove to Cwm Llwch. Mrs Angling and Frau Varley were wonderful company, giving up their weekend to help us with the trip.

Mrs Angling said that ‘it never rains in Cwm Llwch’ which, of course, tempted fate – and buckets of rain! The girls were amazing in keeping their spirits up but aided by mugfuls of steaming cocoa and brownies!

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worthwhile and the atmosphere in No.3 was happy, positive and welcoming. Many visitors and staff commented on what a friendly and cosy place it is to spend time – and certainly, Miss Smith, Mrs Lovering, the domestic staff, Houseman, and Jack and his team all work very hard every day to ensure that it really does feel like a home from home. We were also lucky enough to have had some refurbishment on our bathrooms (all in No.3 blue!) so we are beginning to feel as if we have had an upgrade in terms of our lovely building as well.

As the term raced on competitions got underway, with the House football being great fun, many girls playing and enjoying it all, but not with a win for us this year – in particular well done to Viv, Hannah, Heleena and Elise for their skills in this arena. Our House singing entry was coordinated by Heleena, aided by Elise. They chose the Beach Boys’ song Wouldn’t it be Nice. It sounded great on the night, though sadly we were not trophy winners this time – but the girls partied loudly at the ‘Private Side Pizza Party’ anyway!

The term had the usual array of informal concerts (what a treat to hear Celestine on her harp), unplugged concerts, (Eily sang beautifully at one), Junior Disco (Saints and Sinners) and of course the highly anticipated CVS ball.

Heleena also worked hard helping to organise this event in her role on the School Council, and it was a fabulous night: the No.3 girls looked stunning as they left to enjoy it.

The girls pulled together, showing marvellous communication and collaboration in both the Inter-House Football and Hockey but although both were close-fought competitions the silverware did not make it onto our shelf this year. However, it was clear that the girls enjoyed themselves immensely and the camaraderie shown more than made up for the lack of ‘pots and pans’!

With the theatre being refurbished, the school play A Christmas Carol was held in the chapel. It was hugely atmospheric and allowed everyone to really start to get into the mood for Christmas. Otty, Bonnie and Honor all took roles in the production and played their parts with skill and humour. The Christmas supper was a great success, with an entertaining and well-delivered speech by Elise and some hilarious ‘skits’. It is clear that the girls of No.3 have a well-balanced sense of humour, coupled with the ability to laugh at themselves that comes from a balance of confidence and humility.

The Lent Term began with the girls settling down to revision, with three year groups taking trial examinations.

House Play rehearsals also got underway with Bonnie (in the Hundred) taking on the role of Director. Elise and Lauren were happy to offer her advice whenever it was needed, having won the prize for Best Director last year, but with her choice being an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches she had many roles for budding actors as well as their support and positivity. The final production was slick, amusing and at times a little dark. With Otty in the role of the innocent Boy, Elise excelling as his new friend the ever hungry Bruno, and Lauren as a particularly fierce and unsettling Grand High Witch, the cast were led by some top performances.

It was a treat to see so many girls in the ensemble. But it was seeing Liv take to the stage for the first time at Malvern (playing Grandma) that had the audience gripped from her first words. This was no mean feat since our play opened the 2017 House Play Competition, and her words were the first spoken, instilling confidence from her audience from the blackout. In spite of being performed in Big School the technical side of the production was impressive, and we were extremely happy to be awarded the trophy for Best Technical (well done to Miranda, Scarlett, and Karin on lighting and sound as well as to Viv, Roxy, and Esther as backstage crew). Not only did we have three girls nominated for Best Actress (Lauren, Elise, and Liv, with Elise winning the trophy!) but we also had Bonnie nominated as Best Director. Overall, this was a huge success and one of which the girls were justly proud.

There were also many areas where the girls were leading others in the school, with Ani, Georgina, Delphine, and Gigi becoming the school’s first Digital Leaders. They have been trained in the pitfalls and positive outcomes from using technology and will be used to support all pupils, from the prep. school up to Sixth Form. We are proud to have our No.3 girls leading the way in this area. Elsewhere, our Hart General Knowledge team of Elise, Hammond, Esther, Gigi, and Sophie was keen but not successful this time – but who knows, there is always next year! One of our favourite events of the year was held just before half-term – our No.3 Arts Soirée. The Head of House team (Elise, Miranda, Kitty and Leonie) had helped to encourage the performers organise the programme and set up St Ed’s for the evening of entertainment. We had art on display from Hammond, Hermione, No. 3

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Bonnie and Georgina; we saw dramatic pieces from Liv and Georgina; and we heard fabulous musical items from Ani, Alara, Eily, Heleena, Lauren, Elise, Bonnie and Honor. It was a super evening and it was a pleasure to welcome and entertain the parents, girls and staff who attended.

In sport, Kitty was named as Captain of Netball and the girls helped her to raise money for the OSCAR foundation by selling cakes at the traditional Staff vs School netball match.

The No.3 teams acquitted themselves well in the InterHouse Netball coming third overall! We are also proud of Eily who came third in the ‘Unplugged’ section of the House Music, and Ani and Grace both being highly commended in their respective classes. However in the Lent Term the greatest achievement in terms of Inter-House competitions was our success in the Lea-Smith Reading Competition. We had Honor, Ani, Georgina, Miranda, Mallika, and Otty all in the final, and Georgina won the Remove section. We are very proud to have the wonderfully ornate trophy return to us once more!

The girls showed how resilient and courageous they can all be by taking part in a range of activities, from D of E to CCF and a variety of field trips and competitions. They pull together and support each other and encourage the best from each other. It is always a source of great pride to see them stand side by side and help one another take on challenges and aim for success. There is a wonderfully kind, supportive atmosphere in the House as examinations and coursework deadlines draw near and stress levels appear to rise. We held a number of social ‘ice cream and sundae’ evenings to help alleviate any anxiety and encourage laughter and camaraderie.

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As the summer term began our new Head of House team, led by Liv, supported by Hannah, Hammond, Shukes, and Mallika stepped up into their new roles. Our U6th girls knuckled down to serious hard work and enjoyed a wonderful evening of celebration with their tutors at our Leavers’ Supper and an emotional speech from Elise.

It is always a pleasure to see girls put themselves outside of their comfort zone and one such opportunity came in the form of ‘Lost’ where Hannah and Tonia were dropped in the middle of nowhere and tasked with making their way home. They may not have won the race but they certainly learned a huge amount about themselves and have gained so much from the experience.

We celebrated with Elise, who was Captain of Girls’ Cricket, as she led her team out onto the Senior Turf for the first time ever with a Malvern College girls’ team playing there – a truly historic moment! It was also emotional seeing Lauren and Elise perform for the last time in Big School singing at the Concerto Concert, and wonderful that Ani was also invited to play her violin at the same event.

Although this year we may not have won a huge number of trophies, we have been contenders in many finals (including the debating – well done to Mallika and Delphine in this competition); and the girls have learned so much about resilience, commitment, collaboration and how to deal with both success and in not succeeding; and these, after all, are some of the most valuable lessons in life.

The year ended with a fabulous evening at the Leavers’ Ball and a simply tremendous speech from Elise which impressed us all. It is with a huge sense of pride and much warmth that I look back over the year and feel a huge sense of privilege to spend so much time with these amazing young ladies. I look forward to seeing our leavers in the near future and I am excited to see what next year brings us in No.3!

FCP

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No.4 As the last few weeks of the academic year drew to a close, the builders moved in and took over the boarding side.

It was No.4’s turn to undergo a refurbishment and, come September, we would have new bed furniture, environmentally-friendly modern lighting and state-of-the-art common room and kitchen areas for the pupils. The old features of the house built in 1867 would remain but it would be exciting for the girls to have the comforts of the 21st century added to their Victorian home. Mixing the new with the old was a theme of the year.

One of the pleasures of the year was seeing the artistic and creative flair coming out in the girls. Kitty Merrit’s fine drawing skills on display, decorating her dorm area; Lucie Gonder doing fine pencil portraits at birthdays and Christmas for her friends; and the enthusiasm shown by the girls for our annual Arts Soirée. Otty Wyatt has always played a key role in music and drama at Malvern and most recently took a leading role in the school musical Legally Blonde. Otty encouraged and introduced all of the musical and acting performances during the course of the Arts Soirée. Along with Otty and her joint Deputy Head of House Emily Atherton, the girls raised over £130 for a mental health charity during the course of the evening. It was particularly pleasing to see so many of the younger years taking part with strong performances from the FY, Bella Cole playing the piano and Beatrice Barnes playing the violin.

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An early opportunity for the mixing of the old with the new is the House Singing Competition held in October.

Here, older pupils encourage new to take part, fostering house spirit and making them feel part of the family of the boarding house. This year, our talented Upper Sixth conductors, Cathy Cussans and Ali Hawkins, managed to get 55 girls involved in the singing, which I think is a record.

Their confidently-delivered song, The Sound of Silence

by Simon and Garfunkel, was stunning to listen to in the Malvern Theatres and maintained the high standard that has been set by No.4 in recent years in this event. Following on from this, many of the girls went on to perform on the stage in singing roles during the course of the year – with Ariana Davison as Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol in December, and Jasmine Ellis making her presence felt as a Victorian urchin. Otty Wyatt, Ellie Blyth, Imogen Cole, and Siima Rukandeema all helped to make a wonderfully atmospheric production in the Chapel. This was the first time we had had a senior production in the Chapel and once more it was another example of the innovations that characterised this year.

While the house has always shone in the music department, it was great to see No.4 girls trying out new areas and succeeding in unusual ways. In November, No.4 took part in the Inter-House Shooting Competition with a team of 6 girls (Imogen Cole as team captain, Daisy Broughton, Mouse

Broughton, Isobel Standen-McDougal, Gemma Luscombe and Siima Rukandeema). Mr Nichols praised their concentration and the fact that we did so well in the competition is testament to the enthusiasm shown elsewhere by many girls in their extra-curricular contributions to CCF. Meanwhile, Amelia Wilson was not only one of our Chapel Prefects but was also the Senior CCF Cadet in the school, and having girls playing such strong leadership roles within the school has inspired many of the younger girls to push themselves out of their comfort zone. Tash Cook, Zaynab Hajjam, Imogen Cole, and Ellie Blyth are prominent figures during Wednesday afternoon CCF and help to pass on their skills to the younger students.

One of the new ventures this year was the ‘Lost’ challenge devised by Mr Watts. His Charity Challenge (to drop two members of the Remove from each house 30 miles away from school and for them to use their own initiative to race back to school) was something that most people would have thought beyond the skills of the Remove. However, such are the confidencebuilding opportunities at Malvern that every house had at least two volunteers wanting to take part – and it was wonderful that two of the girls’ houses were first back. Our intrepid girls from No.4 were Jess Kenyon-Slaney and Coral Artega and for part of the way, they were leading the field.

OMs will be relieved to know that some of the old traditions remain intact from their own time as students. One of these is the yearly house visit to Cwm Llwch, and this year No.4 managed to secure the second weekend of the Summer Term so that the whole of the FY could go, with Lucie Gonder from the Hundred coming along to keep them organised and cheerful. Lucie showed great leadership skills

and whether it was cooking the food or leading the FY on the walk up to the waterfall, she was a tremendous help during the weekend. Special thanks also go to Mrs Angling, who taught us all how to build the fire and to toast the marshmallows to perfection.

Leadership from the girls continues to be a major theme of the year in the boarding houses, with the directing of the House Play being a prime example. Our house director, Ariana Davison, wrote, cast, and superbly directed the girls in a production of Murder on the Orient Express. From the moment the play began, Ariana kept the intense pace and drama going, coaching Oscar-like performances out of strongly defined central characters. Particular mention should go to Otty Wyatt playing the famous Detective Poirot, Amelia Wilson as the evil Mr Ratchett, Poppy Delingpole for her Mr Mac Queen with a superb accent, Cece Gerber as Miss Debenham the governess, Alex Medcalf who played the larger-than-life Mr Marquez, Ellie Blyth for her Count Andrewnyi, and Zaynab Hajjam who brought to life the superior character of Princess Dragomiroff. Milly KenyonSlaney and Vicky Davies finished off the team effort by doing the lighting and sound. The performance kept the audience on the edge of their seats, as an Agatha Christie thriller should do.

Sport in No.4 offers a theatre of its own every term, and I am always impressed by how the girls readily volunteer to play for house events or to support their friends. The hockey in the first term is always hotly contested and this year was no different. No.4 put out two great teams for the Inter-House Hockey Competition on the last Saturday of the Autumn Term. Unfortunately, due to the freezing N o.4

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temperatures, we had to play indoor hockey, but the team captains, Milly Page for the Juniors and Laura Coulman for the Seniors, were unfazed with the change of venue. We were delighted that the Juniors won and the Seniors played superb hockey with great house spirit as well. In January, congratulations were in order for Harriet Carpenter who reached the finals of the County Cross-Country and came 17th out of 70 girls. She was the only Year 9 girl from Malvern to get through to this round. No.4 came second in the Inter-House Canoe Water Polo Competition, which was amazing considering only one person in the team had played it before! Lucie Gonder encouraged us all to take part having trained with the school team and we had Helene Vansteenbrugghe, Savanna Desmarquest, Imogen Cole, and Gemma Luscombe supporting her. The winning streak continued with the Juniors winning the Inter-House Netball.

The Juniors won for the second year running, being ably lead by team captain Millie Page.

In April we held the annual Cup Supper where our new prefect team addressed their friends with some expertlycrafted speeches. Poppy Delingpole, our new Head of House, paid tribute to the departing Head of House, Olivia Behan, and the new Deputies, Otty Wyatt and Emily Atherton were equally warm in their praise and thanks of Begona Delclaux and Milly Kenyon-Slaney. It was also a time to thank the staff of No.4, who do so much for the girls and are part of what makes No.4 so special. Without the pastoral care and multi-tasking of Miss Coffey and Mrs Beaumont, No.4 would simply grind to a halt! The tutors, along with the House Assistants, have also given the girls so much support and kindness during the course of the year. We will be sad to 092

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see Mrs Graff leave but wish her well in her new role as Housemistress of No.6. Miss Brookes is also leaving for one of our neighbours, this time No.3, where she will take on the role of Deputy Housemistress, and we wish her well.

We are thankful that Mrs Smith and Mrs Hallett will be staying on and keeping the girls on track in their respective subjects of Maths and English. With the domestic staff in No.4 doing their bit for the girls too, the girls here are very well looked after.

It is quite fitting that one of the last spectacles of the year is the Leavers’ Ball fireworks display. It wows and stuns all who watch it. What better way to sum up what has been a varied and colourful year!

AIS

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No.5 It was a real honour and privilege taking over the reins of No.5 from Mr Tom Newman in September 2017, after his ten years at the helm. Tom promised me that the No.5 boys were a sparky, spirited and entertaining bunch, and I’m proud to say that they lived up to expectations. From the outset, I felt hugely welcomed into the No.5 family by pupils, parents, and staff alike, and reflecting on my first year at the College I can see how fortunate I was in taking over No.5 – it really is a special place. I must, first of all, thank the Newmans for the excellent condition in which they left the House. It was clear from the start that no significant transformations would be taking place and it was very much business as usual when September finally appeared from behind the summer sun, and No.5 welcomed ten new FY, two new Remove and three new L6th – as well as a new Housemaster, my wife Dee, my two girls Beatrice and Ottilie and a cat called Walter. I inherited an excellent Head of House Team who, in the day-to-day running of the house, were particularly helpful to a new housemaster at the beginning of the year.

Callum Lea (Head of House) and his two deputies Elliot Rutland Tucker and Will Sharp, alongside Chapel Prefect Eliot Gilling-Smith, led by example and encouraged the boys of No.5 to take part in everything. I thank these boys, to use a phrase from the New Zealand Rugby team, for “leaving the jersey in a better place’.

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The core business at any school happens inside of the classroom, and No.5 really values academic effort and attainment. The term started with Jack Haynes, Toby Moran, and Ben Merritt all being awarded Honorary Academic Exhibitions, and ended with a significant number of them being placed on the Academic Honour Roll. By the end of the summer holidays, the U6th had achieved a pleasing set of exam results with most heading off to their first-choice universities. At GCSE too, there was value added across the board and some particularly outstanding results came at the top end – a special mention must go to Ludo Staley, Lawrence Hooker, and Jonathan Mather. Last but certainly not least, I wanted to mention the efforts of Elliot RutlandTucker, who spent the whole of his summer holiday painting two huge canvasses for the Longy. Elliot’s paintings will hold pride of place in the Sixth Form Centre for years to come.

I was delighted to see the No.5 boys make the most of the opportunities provided by Malvern throughout the year.

The fifteen new pupils in house allowed me to feel that I was not the only ‘newbie’ experiencing activities for the first time, and I thoroughly enjoyed supporting and watching the boys in every sphere of school life. A trip to Sapey Golf Course to play Footgolf, on the first weekend of term, was an excellent opportunity to help show our new pupils the spirit and ethos of No.5, with mixed-year teams showing a house that was already becoming a unit, showing camaraderie and

spirit. After discovering that the No.5 boys like their food (!) we organised some culinary events in the private side – the FY had hot chocolate and cookie evenings, the Remove and Hundred had pizza nights, and the Sixth Form curry nights. Mrs Howitt (helped by Bea and Ottie) deserves extra praise here for arranging a regular supply of home baked birthday cakes too!

It was a busy and exciting year for the arts in No.5. The 38 boys who took part in the House Singing Competition (including all of the FY) were a real credit to the house.

Sulaiyman Fauzi deserves special praise for his outstanding leadership, direction and arrangement of Coldplay’s Paradise. Devon Perry offered excellent support and accompaniment on his saxophone, but the highlight of the evening for me, came from Douglas Pope – his bagpipe finale will certainly live long in the memory! Other successful musical endeavors in house this year included George McEwan and Devon Perry getting to the finals of the Inter-House Music Competition, Douglas Pope’s solo performance at a concert at Bromyard Road Methodist Church, and Nick Horn’s outstanding Guns & Roses routine in the unplugged music final. For the House Play this year, the boys created an adaptation of Harry Potter. I would like to thank Eliott Gilling-Smith (who was quite simply superb throughout), Reid Anderson, and Oliver Garnett for writing the script and to Sulaiyman Fauzi for his technical support. In school productions, a significant number of No.5 boys featured: Devon Perry played Dewey in Legally Blonde, and Rory Upton, George McEwan, Angus Catto, Sam Hughes, and Devon (again) all had parts in Grimm Tales. However, one

of the highlights of the year came from Eliott Gilling-Smith and Oliver Garnett who dazzled in the Dramatic Societies production of George Orwell’s 1984. Eliott had the leading role in the production and produced a subline portrayal of Winston Smith. Elsewhere, in the Lea-Smith Reading Competition, Rory Upton and Eliott Gilling-Smith made it through to the final, and I was delighted that Eliott managed to win the individual U6th competition. I was equally thrilled when Andrei Shvets won a prize for speech and drama at the Worcester Festival – bravo!

It was a truly excellent year for us in sport, both in school and house teams. We had a significant number of boys play for the first teams in Rugby, Football, Hockey, and Cricket. Jack Haynes captained the Cricket XI and scored well in excess of 1,000 runs in the season. Callum Lea also scored a century in his last match for the 1st XI to cap off a super career at the college, whilst Will Sharp finished as the top wicket-taker. Dylan Sillence, Harvey Gearon, Ludo Staley, and Imoesi Ogwemoh were selected in the 1st VII for Rosslyn Park, and Will Crossland, Rory Upton, George McEwan, and James Pickering took part in the U14 event.

Jack Haynes was captain of Rackets and Olly Cox made it into the U14A first pair. Charlie Hickman was selected as the captain of Golf. In Cross-Country, Lawrence Hooker, Laurence Elgar and Douglas Pope were the mainstay of our team, and Will Crossland won the Ferret’s Race with Emilio Dorai Raj finishing second, thereby helping us to retain the trophy. I was delighted that we managed to be victorious in two of the three Inter-House Rugby competitions: in the Junior competition, we narrowly beat No.7 in the final,

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with captain Tom Hughes, the skillful Harry Sillence at 10, and the dynamic running of Tom Cox making all the difference; meanwhile the Hundred competition was an altogether different affair, and we won quite convincingly with Luke Tulacz, Jock Catto, Patrick Norman and Harvey Gearon playing particularly well; unfortunately, the Senior team could not quite make it a clean sweep as they narrowly lost 5–7 to No.9 in a ferocious encounter on the Court Road playing fields. Then, in the Lent Term, we were victorious in the Junior Football competition, with captain Pablo Dorai Raj leading the team to victory (Charlie Williams and Harry Sillence were the key goal scorers in the 3–0 win over House No.2). And then came the glorious summer.

First, we won the Junior Swimming competition early in the term (congratulations to Tom Cox, Emilio Dorai Raj, 096

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George Batyrev, and Pablo Dorai Raj for winning events, and to Harry Scudamore for managing the team). We couldn’t quite win any silverware in the Inter-House Tennis despite the heroics of George Blackburn, but certainly made up for it in all of the cricket competitions. The Seniors took revenge on losing in the final last year with breath-taking displays in all matches. No.5 scored a remarkable 380 runs in 18 overs over 3 matches to win the cup at a canter. However, the Junior final was a completely different story against a strong SH side. Needing 13 runs off the last over, we were restricted to 3 runs off the first 4 balls after some very tight bowling. Nevertheless, ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’ and Louis Staley subsequently smashed 10 runs off the next two balls (4 and a 6) to lead us to victory. Well done to Louis and Harry Sillence who jointly captained the side so well.

The Junior League cricket team made it a No.5 cricketing ‘trifecta’ as Tom Long ably captained his side to victory.

Beyond Malvern there was illustrious success. Jack Haynes made his first-class debut for Worcestershire against the West Indies A and was a key performer for England U19s in the series against South Africa in the holidays, whilst Callum Lea played for Herefordshire in the Minor Counties Championship and for Worcestershire 2nd XI, and Olly Cox also made a century at county-level. We had had no fewer than seven boys train with Worcester Warriors (Imosei, Ludo, Harry, Tom, Devon, Will and James) whilst James Pickering was selected for the UR7’s academy on the strength of his Rosslyn Park contributions. Lawrence Hooker finished 2nd (in a time of 9 minutes and 16 seconds) in the Muscular Dystrophy Cambridge “Town and Gown” Junior 3K race.

Canseco Prasad and Olly Cox attended County hockey trials, George Rose was part of the Worcestershire sailing squad, and Laurence Elgar was a member of the school A-team that won three matches in the British Canoe Polo South-West Championships. Emilio Dorai Raj took part in the Ledbury & District Swimming Club Sprint finals, Tom Cox in the county swimming championships, and Toby Moran played Football for Malvern Town. George Blackburn was part of the team that won the Herefordshire and Worcestershire County U16 Tennis doubles.

A new initiative for the Remove was introduced at the College in June: ‘Lost’. George Batyrev and Ben Chen learnt a huge amount about themselves (and the Worcestershire countryside!) as they were dropped off 40km away from Malvern and had to get back under their own steam. They finished 10th overall and managed to raise over £150 for charity – an impressive effort. Meanwhile, ‘Friends of Five’ continues to thrive and is certainly popular with both current and past parents. I would specifically like to thank the speakers for this year: Mr Jonathan Nelmes, Mr Paul Moran, and Mr Tom Ellis. These events are very convivial affairs and Dee and I are hugely grateful for your continued support.

There were arrivals and departures during the course of this year. At the end of the Autumn Term, N o. 5 we said goodbye to Mr Darren Stokes, who after five years in the role, stepped down as Deputy Housemaster. He has been an exceptional member of the tutor team and I want to thank him for all he has done for the house. With Mr Stokes stepping aside, the house needed a new Deputy Housem and we were delighted that Mr George Bilclough accepted the position in December. We extended a warm No.5 welcome to Mr Bilclough in January and his Friday Five-a-side Football activity has already gone down very well with the boys. We wished our Day House Assistant, Mellissa, all the best as she went on maternity leave and also said goodbye to our other Day House Assistant, Liz, after a significant amount of service to the College. I wanted to personally thank them

both for the tremendous support they have given me and the boys in No.5. We subsequently welcomed Sam Hayes-Wilson into the House Assistant’s position for the final term of the year. At the end of the Lent Term we said a huge thank you and ‘au revoir’ to our superb 2017/18 House Leadership team as they passed on the baton to the Lower Sixth. After a rigorous interview process, I appointed Jack Haynes as Head of House for 2018/19, with Toby Moran and Dylan Sillence as his deputies.

Finally, it just remains for me to say a huge thank you to all of the No.5 tutors, Messrs Needham, Hnatek, Wells, Merrick, and Clarke, to my deputies for this year Mr Stokes and Mr Bilclough, and to my amazing assistants Pam, Melissa, Liz, and Sam. I also wanted to pay tribute to the domestic staff, chefs and housemen – you all make the house run like clockwork and I really appreciate the time, effort and energy that you give to make No.5 such a great house.

I already cannot wait for year two!

RWJH

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No.6 We welcomed sixteen new girls to No.6 last September who quickly settled in. The House resumed its friendly, warm and homely feel ready for the year ahead! Weekend activities are vital to accelerate this process and the Sixth Form organised tie dyeing for the FY and I invited the girls round one evening for hot chocolate and chocolate to chat through the first week. On Saturday evening the Sixth Form enjoyed their first Longy evening of the term, with a theme of The Seventies and Festival – there were some great outfits!

As always it has been an extremely busy year with notable achievements in many spheres of life at Malvern College.

The second week of the Autumn Term allowed a number of the girls to show off their impressive academic standing. Two of the girls presented at the first of the WheelerBennett Society meetings. Sofija presented: “Catastroika: Why Did Chinese-style Economic Reforms not save the Soviet Economy?” Laura presented: “Vaccination: Friend or Foe?” In this year’s Maths Challenge no fewer than five No.6 girls were placed in the top eight achievers at Malvern College. Liza, Eleonora, and Vera were all awarded Gold and Marty and Crystal were awarded Silver. Marty, along with the other Gold girls, was invited to take part in the ‘Kangaroo Challenge’ which is the best 2,500 mathematicians in the Sixth Form across the whole of the UK! A number of girls made it through to the final of the Lea-Smith 098

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Reading Competition; congratulations went to Annie, Meg, Laura, and Boo. House Six girls were successful in gaining offers from Oxbridge and Ivy League Universities once again this year: well done to Liza, Vera and OM Carla who goes to Harvard for one year.

Drama productions are always well received by the girls and the first of the year’s productions, ‘A Christmas Carol’, saw a number of girls from No.6 who were successful in their auditions, including Ellen, Laura, Maria, Lilli, Leonie, Lexie, and Boo. The cast was supported backstage by Angela, Leonie, Sophie, Sassy, and Georgie, amongst others. The Inter-House Drama Competition saw us being awarded Best Ensemble for our production of Ballet Shoes which was sensitively and superbly directed by Annie, ably assisted by Ellen. Eighteen girls took part in the production and were assisted by a great deal more who helped backstage and with technical production. Legally Blonde showcased the College’s musical talents and saw Boo and Kinny onstage again.

The Inter-House Football Competition took place early in the Autumn Term, of which the highlight for me was seeing so many of the new girls taking part – from the youngest to the eldest! Our team consisted of Lucy, Kinvara, Banita, Laura, Poppy, Ann, Ellie, Fran, Julia, Leonie, Maria, Angela, Eleonora C, Megan, Tash, and Saamiah. Inter-House CrossCountry races took place most Saturdays and our team were

as keen as ever to maintain their early lead. Vera headed up our Cross-Country team this year and her team consisted of both Georgies, Lilli, Kira, Julia, Maria, Laura and Angie.

Thanks go to Sophie and Giulia who were more often than not our helpers this year. The FY also enjoyed their annual Ferrets Race. The Cross-Country season ended on a high as we won the inter-house competition.

Liv and Lexie and Freja enjoyed equestrian success this year: Liv was 1st in 90cm, qualifying for Royal Windsor; Lexie Clarke came 3rd in the 1m; and Lexie won the 1.10m class, qualifying for county championships. All three girls must be congratulated on their determination and resilience as they train incredibly hard each and every week. In Hockey, a number of girls were also selected for national squads: Jess had her England call-up letter to play for the National Under 16 Girls and Hannah was also selected to be part of the England squad; Andrea continues to be part of the Spanish squad; and we were also delighted to hear that Fran has been selected to be party of the Italian hockey squad.

In the Summer Term it has been lovely to watch the girls playing cricket on the Senior Turf. Kitty, Banita, Catherine, and Immie are regular players. Cricket is something that is getting bigger every year for the girls, and I don’t expect it will be very long before there is an Inter-House Cricket Competition for girls as well.

Outdoor pursuits are high on the agenda for a number for girls in the House and they regularly take part in climbing, kayaking and kayak polo. Georgie, Emily, Georgie, Kira and Esther formed our inter-house team and despite winning all of our matches we didn’t win – because one of the girls was in a different house. We were robbed, Mr Watts!

The girls and I went on a number of trips and excursions this last year, the first when the Remove, Dr Hartog and I headed off to Cwm Llwch. We met Dr Baxter in Brecon and then went on for the last leg of the journey. We arrived in some extremely wet weather, but once the fire was lit and the marshmallows were out, everyone was happy! We enjoyed a lovely walk in the morning up to the lake at Pen y Fan. The fresh air, beautiful surroundings and animals were just what the doctor ordered for the end of the second week.

The girls were fantastic and kept their spirits up, even in the rain on the first evening. For our first birthday supper we went to Laser Quest and took part in two ‘escape rooms’.

Both teams managed to escape the ‘Cell’ with two minutes to spare and ‘Bunker’ with 30 seconds! We had to solve a series of puzzles to unlock clues and locks in order to escape. The

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girls absolutely loved it and it was great for team-building!

In the Lent Term we held a ‘silent disco’ birthday supper which was also well received by the girls.

The girls also enjoy shopping trips and we teamed up with the other girls’ houses and took them all to the annual German Christmas markets in Birmingham. It was, as usual, a great trip, with a chance to start feeling festive. It was a much-needed boost to get us ready for leave-out!

Everybody’s favourite event of the year, Inter-House Singing, took place in Malvern Theatres, and our choir (directed by Sofija) sang Abba’s Dancing Queen. The judge commented that the commitment shown by the girls, coupled with some excellent vocal control, technique, and clear projection resulted in a super presentation. We were absolutely thrilled to win Best Girls’ House and were presented with the Tims Cup. It was lovely to see girls of all ages performing at the informal concerts. Liza sang Perduta ho la pace by Verdi, Freja sang Over the Rainbow by Arien, Sofija played Rêvere

by Debussy on the piano, and Lou also performed Rondo in E minor by Daquin on the piano, to name but a few of the performances this year. We were also entertained at the No.6 Cup Supper by Georgie, Sophie, Annie, and Giulia, all of whom were brilliant.

A good number of the girls remain committed to CCF in No 6, and Georgie was awarded the top female award in the fitness score of West Midlands Royal Squadron Trophy 2017 at RAF Cosford; she certainly hadn’t lost her fitness since the Costa Rica trip! In e-sports Alice and Mack had also organised the first Nintendo Wii tournament of the year,

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and it was inter-house ‘Just Dance’! Our team consisted of Angela, Beatriz, Gina, and Laura. This was a huge hit and will be the first of many e-sport competitions across the houses. Meanwhile, two girls, Sassy and Immie, have been raising money for charity over the course of the academic year: they have done this by making and selling cakes. It is great to see them thinking of others and using their spare time for a good cause.

No.6 was very proud to see Ellie appointed as Senior Chapel Prefect for 2018/9 and we look forward to supporting in her role. Our Head of House team consists of Crystal as Head of House, and Georgie, Maria, and Alice as deputies.

As I sign off I can only reflect on what good shape No.6 is in. It has been a privilege to be such a big part of so many young lives. It is a thriving home and a hub of excitement; I wish my successor Rachel Graff all the best for many happy years as the Housemistress of No.6.

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No.7 Ask a boy from No.7 to describe a typical No.7 boy and he will most likely say, “we’re sporty academics”. It is hard to decide whether “academic sportsmen” is a better description, or whether there is any difference at all, but while both descriptions loosely cover the interests and skills of many of the boys in the house, they do not begin to depict the depth of talent and interests that can be found among the boys of No.7.

After the annual pilgrimage to Paintballing in deepest Herefordshire, the business of preparing for the House Singing competition got underway. The boys churned out a hugely entertaining rendition of Sweet Caroline which was very much enjoyed by pupils, parents, and adjudicator alike.

It was a great pity that we narrowly missed out on silverware again this year. Perhaps an adjudicator will one day soon appreciate the value of a wholly entertaining performance at the House Singing competition….

We have been fortunate over the past few years to have attracted many boys keen on sport, and this year we were able to put out three very strong teams in the House rugby competition. The Juniors, Hundred, and Sixth Form team all reached the finals of their competitions. It was a great pity that the teams were unable to demonstrate their team strength – as the finals were cancelled owing to the snowy weather at the end of the term.

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With JB Swart moving into the house to become Deputy House Master and Resident Assistant, and Carla Stokes joining us as our new Day Assistant, the running of the house took on a new feel. JB’s dry, witty banter and wide boarding experience keeps the boys guessing at all times of the day, while Carla’s energy and warmth has added to the family spirit in No.7. Carla organised two creative events in the Autumn Term: Pumpkin Carving and Mince Pie Making.

The boys found both events really enjoyable and I must say the mince pies (and mulled wine) were very tasty. I take this opportunity to thank them both for their hard work and support of each and every boy in No.7.

After a tough term for the 1st XV rugby side, Jack Bishop, Lucas Heappey, George Sandy and Julian Loustric had more success as members of the College Rugby Sevens squad.

Lucas managed to notch up five tries in a tournament away in Worcester on one day out in the Lent Term. It was also great to see boys continuing to push themselves in the arena of representative-level rugby. Jack Bishop represented the Midlands side in the England RFU U18 Divisional tournament and Harry Bluck was selected to play for the Welsh Exiles side.

It was great to see Max Horler make it to the final of the Lea-Smith Reading Competition this year. In a strong field of contestants, Max drew praise from the adjudicator for his clear, emotive delivery. Meanwhile, preparation for the

House Drama Competition bubbled away in the background with the boys putting their collective, creative energy into their version of The Beauty and the Beast. Henry Gerber did a fantastic job of writing the play and organising and directing (taming) a large number of over-enthusiastic and committed amateurs. The end result was a hugely entertaining romp through the well-known story with several amusing Malvern-related quips. Bibi Amana’s leading performance as the Beast attracted a special mention from the judges too.

The House Football has returned much success for the boys over the past few years. The Juniors were unlucky in a difficult group draw in which all results were possible with the last game of the group to play. Sadly, they missed out on progression to the final but they played some decent football and they can build on this in the years to come. The Seniors had more joy as they beat SH 2–0 and No.2 5–1 in the group stages. House No.5 were our opponents in the Final and with great teamwork, some silky skills, and determination to continue our unbeaten run, we beat No.5 2–0 in the final.

It is always a pleasure to see so many boys representing the range of school teams on a Saturday afternoon in rugby, football, and cricket but equally positive to see Jonny Asamoah and Ben Fisher representing a local community football team, Malvern Town FC U18s. Both boys have become an integral part of the squad and I look forward to seeing that link develop further for them and other boys in the House.

Proximity to the Music School continues to have a positive effect on the number of boys learning musical instruments. The piano and guitar seem to be the most popular instruments, with Jacob Helms and Julian Loustric leading from the front as they played in several school concerts

during the year. Julian also played a wonderful rendition of Romanza in the Category A music final and, although he missed out on a top-three place, he was Highly Commended by the adjudicator.

The FY boys enjoyed the annual trip to Cwm LLwch again this year. The feeding arrangements get more and more elaborate, with Mr Eglin taking his barbecue again this year and cooking up succulent steak, chicken breasts and pork and apple sausages. It was a veritable meat feast and was enjoyed to the backdrop of a gorgeous sunset. Mr Morton added a new flavour himself to the trip with a scary story to get the mind wandering before bed. Go-karting took its place as a regular fixture on the quiet Thursday nights before Leave-Out and Half-Term break during the Lent Term; the Upper Sixth and the Hundred boys enjoyed an outing each, with James Zhou and Mr Eglin the respective final winners!

As we headed into the Summer Term, the impending examinations became the main educational focus for the boys. There are always reasons to get outside and contribute to the life of the College. Allie Renton’s golf has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, and among much success in school golf matches, he won the Puckrup Hall Net Championship with a 5-shot win over two rounds.

Charles Faujour made a great impact on the tennis court with plenty of success in school tennis matches throughout the season. Most notably though, Charles won the FY Singles Championship and looks to be someone who can spearhead the return to winning ways for No 7’s tennis. It’s also great to see boys heading out for Athletics fixtures on a Saturday afternoon: Max Horler, Minty Murray, Jonny N o.7

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Asamoah and Shareek Oluwo were regularly selected to compete against other schools.

Four of our Upper Sixth were selected to present at the Wheeler-Bennett society this year, a number which is virtually unheard of from any one house. Harry Everest, Federico Amodeo, Efe Erciyaz and Valerio Mazzola all presented papers to the Headmaster on topics which are of interest to them, ranging from blockchain finance to Turkish politics.

The independent approach to learning that such activities inculcate will have certainly assisted Federico and Efe in their ultimate academic success. Efe achieved the full 45 points in the IB and secured a place at LSE to read PPE, while Federico needed only 38 points (achieved 42) to secure a place to read Law at Oxford University. Extremely well done to both of them!

It only remains to wish all Leavers well in their future endeavours. They have had a big influence on the spirit of the House as they have negotiated their five years at Malvern and I am certain that they will all be very happy and successful in years to come. Bibi Amana and his Deputies, Josh White and Harry Everest, offered steady leadership and set a strong example to the next team of Thomas WentworthFitzwilliam, Henry Gerber and Allie Renton. Scis qui tui amici sunt.

DJE

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No.8 As I child I always loved the beginning of a new term. I enjoyed the anticipated challenge of change that was around every corner, and this new term was no different for me.

I opened the hot pink double doors of No.8, took a deep breath, and took over the reins of looking after this beautiful house and all the girls that make No.8 their term-time ‘home from home.’

Change is challenging for everyone, and while No.8 welcomed 19 new girls into its family this year, all 58 girls were waiting with bated breath to meet and get to know their new Housemistress. This past year has been one of the reestablishing of boundaries, getting to know all the girls as individuals rather than as a collective and learning how to get the very best out of every young lady that crosses the threshold of No.8. The girls and I have been on a fantastic journey, a journey of self-discovery, learning to accept new challenges, to thrive, and to make No.8 the best it can be. I have enjoyed my first year, and I can sum up the girls in my care with one word – WOW! The inter-house events are always eagerly anticipated, and one of the first items on the inter-house agenda is the Inter-House Football. Despite the rainy and cold conditions on the day, the No.8 girls did their very best to put on a good show, though sadly we didn’t win. The solution to disappointment was copious amounts of pizza and mugs of hot chocolate. And almost immediately, Lucie F and Honey 10 6

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G galvanised all the girls into action for the House Singing competition. I was completely in awe of how well the girls managed themselves and prepared for what was an amazing evening of music. The atmosphere at the Malvern Theatre was electric. The girls sang brilliantly, and their rendition of How far I’ll go by Lin-Manuel Miranda beautifully arranged

by Honey and Lucie secured No.8 the “Adjudicators Cup” presented by Dr Richard Dunster-Sigtermans. Autumn Term saw the girls receiving other impressive musical awards: Lucie F was awarded a distinction in her singing Diploma, and Annabel M was awarded Grade 8 with Distinction for percussion, with Saskia G earning her Grade 5 in Music Theory. Whilst the House was filled with music, other girls put on their boots and earned their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards: congratulations went to Agueda F-O, Molly M, and Lottie B for that achievement. Annika S also qualified for the County Cross-Country Championships, coming 4th in her age group, and Megan J qualified for the British triathlon finals and represented Malvern College in the GB shooting finals.

As the nights grew darker and colder, we decided to add a little sparkle to the second half of the Autumn Term by having a Bonfire BBQ. We enjoyed writing in the dark with sparklers, toasting marshmallows and making s’mores.

Angie, our House Chef, escaped from the kitchen and took to the BBQ preparing venison burgers, vegetable kebabs,

sausages and chicken, which the girls enjoyed. A few weeks later I saw our Sixth Form transform themselves into the most glamorous of young ladies as they got ready to party at the Gatsby-themed CVS Ball. Before they left, they joined me for a glass of sparkling elderflower before being chauffeured down to the venue by my husband. They returned later regaling us with tales of their adventures shared over a platter of cheese and biscuits. It was a lovely end to the evening. Before November finally departed and gave way to December, we had the first of our Birthday Suppers – Italian-style. The girls chose to eat a selection of pasta followed by chocolate brownies, and we transformed our dining room into a room with balloons, party poppers, and we played games such as ‘pass the parcel’ to get us all into the party spirit.

During December it felt like Christmas had come a little early as a snowfall transformed the dull winter landscape into one of crystal beauty. While it also caused some minor disruption to the typical day-to-day routine of the College, it also presented an opportunity for the girls to play. It was great seeing the girls out in our beautiful garden building snowmen and having snowball fights then coming back into the warm with red noses and happy smiles. Memories are made of moments such as these. A lot of fun was had making Christmas gingerbread as the girls took over my kitchen and a veritable production line emerged where gingerbread men, stars and bells and angels were rolled, baked and decorated and the rest of the House enjoyed the fruits of their labour during the morning break. And the Autumn Term would not be complete without a play at Christmas time.

This year’s production of A Christmas Carol saw a number of our girls across all year groups performing. Amber A (Mrs Cratchit) Jen-Jen (Belinda Cratchit) Lara D (Want/ Ignorance) Costanza G (2nd Businessman) Lucie F (Old Joe) Morgann M (Undertaker’s Man).

The Lent Term saw Alice B and Cordelia L preparing the House to enter the House Drama Competition with Hansel and Gretel. I love the theatre and I particularly remember the many all-nighters that I’ve pulled making sure that the show will ‘go all right on the night’. The No.8 production was super, and definitely all right on the night. It was well paced, the audience laughed (which was a testament to the great use of comic timing), and some super acting was on show for us all to enjoy. The girls used the stage well and despite the challenging acoustics that performing in Big School presented, they could all be heard. Huge congratulations to all 24 girls who took part. One of the joys of being a Housem is sitting in the audience of the theatre and feeling yourself well up with pride. Legally Blonde was the Lower School production, and so many of our No.8 girls were in this fabulous show, and they all played their parts with precision, passion, and commitment. You could see that they

had such a lot of fun and thoroughly enjoyed performing.

Congratulations to all the girls and particular Lucie F who played Elle Woods – a huge role to learn and she played it brilliantly.

The successes for No.8 didn’t stop there; we managed to add more trophies to our shelf when our Senior Girls’ netball team took the House to victory. We also took the prize for the Canoe Polo competition and our musicians saw us retaining the coveted House Music Shield. Outside of the House events, we said congratulations to Emily A and her pony Top Star where they achieved two 5th-place rosettes when they were invited to represent Great Britain at Keysoe International CDI 3*, scoring over 70%. I am always impressed with our international students who study here in their second language. Agueda OF is one such talented young lady whose first language is Spanish. Aggie decided that she wanted to learn Chinese and was so successful in her studies she decided to write an article in Chinese and managed to get it published. Go, girl!

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The Lent Term congratulates no fewer than 22 of our girls who made it onto the Academic Honour Roll: Costanza G, Heather H, Lucy M, Natalie F, Agueda OF, Imogen M, Annabelle M, Sapphire A, Georgina H, Molly M, Antonia K, Jennifer Z, Milly C, Amber A, Helena R, Annika S, Alina A, Daisy L, Claudia CP, Holly N, Alice B and Poppy H. The following girls made it onto the academic honour roll four times and so were awarded their Academic Colours.

Congratulations go to Poppy H, Amber A, and Agueda OF. Netball saw our girls collect the Team Award: Ishbel SN, Jemima MS, Heather H, Gracie E, Jessica V and Lucy M. Junior Colours were awarded to Megan J, Maddie Q, Lottie B and Evie D with Half-Colours being awarded to Georgina H. Full Colours: Cordelia L and Claudia CP. Football HalfColours went to Cordelia L, and Molly M, with full Colours being awarded to Poppy H. Cross-Country Junior Colours were awarded to Megan J with full Colours being awarded to Annika S. This was an outstanding achievement from all our girls. Another change was in the air, and it was time to say thank you to Daisy L along with her HOH team, and to ask them to stand down as Head of House so they could concentrate on their summer exam revision. We needed to hold elections to form the new Head of House team, and after eight letters of application, and hustings, we voted.

The final race was very close, but Saskia G headed up the House, ably assisted by Daria D, Costanza G and Milly C. A brilliant honour and great opportunity to help shape the House for the next academic year.

Balmy weather returned in the Summer Term – along with the cricket season. We were very proud of Jemima

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M-S as she played in the U18s cricket team and got to play the MCC on the Senior. Jemima batted for 42 runs and was awarded the “Spirit of Cricket” cap by the MCC. Megan J also competed in the International Tetrathlon Championships and came in the top 20. Wow! Our Seniors secured us the House Netball trophy, whilst our swimming team, comprising Milly C, Issy F-D, and Annika S., kept the house cups coming in. Then, Jen-Jen, Aggie, Natalie, and Molly represented No.8 in the Inter-House Maths Challenge. There were some tricky calculations, but the girls did us proud by coming in third. Then Aggie O-F and Natalie F walked back into Malvern with huge smiles on their faces – coming in 2nd after being ‘Lost’. It was a brilliant achievement, and we are all very proud of them.

On the academic front, we were proud to see Annabelle M awarded the cup for creative writing, whilst Annika S gave a lecture to the Wheeler-Bennett Society on the subject of death. Annika also went on to write two articles that were published in medical journals. Later in the term, the No.8 leadership team attended Mrs Sharp’s leadership dinner to hear Mr Davidson speak on leadership qualities in business. It was a fascinating and inspiring talk, and I know that the No.8 girls were given much food for thought that evening. Meanwhile, an outstanding informal concert was held in St Edward’s with brilliant performances from our girls, Helena R, Jen-Jen Z, Natalie F, Missy H, and Lucie F. Moving on to drama, the tales may have been ‘Grimm’, but the performances were superb. Well done to all the cast, but especially to Lottie B, Lara D, Morgann M, Missie H, Hattie S, and Jemima M-S

During exam-time the House was calm, the girls worked very hard, and their hard work paid back super dividends – as the exam results were outstanding. I was delighted for every single girl as they all did exceptionally well. Of course, another change was in the air, as we started to say our goodbyes to the No.8 Upper Sixth. Our Deputy Head of House, Cordelia wrote the following: “It was a beautiful evening with pupils and teachers both enjoying themselves. We started the evening on the private side with drinks while the tutors arrived, then we moved to the dining room for food – which was exquisite. After the meal there was cheese, biscuits, and port on the private side. There was some great conversation reminiscing over memories of our time at Malvern. All in all, it was a lovely evening, and the Nardones should be very proud of hosting

such a wonderful evening for the girls to enjoy as their last hurrah before the gruelling exams began.”

No.8 says farewell to the Upper Sixth girls – Alina, Constance, Alice, Claudia, Darcie, Isabella, Honey, Poppy, Cordelia, Daisy, Ellie, Holly, Annika, Tali and Anastasiia.

Their final destinations are as diverse and exciting as the students themselves. We wished them good luck in their future endeavours and invited them to come back and see us again soon.

The corridors in the House were now quiet. For those of us that were left until the very end of the term, we decided to have a “Mad Hatters tea-party” with lots of tea and cake!

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No.9 2017–2018 was another exceptional year in the life of No.9, with tremendous success across a wide range of fields, particularly sport and academics.

In terms of sport, rugby dominated as usual. Will Lane was appointed captain of the XV, the third captain from No.9 in as many years, following in the footsteps of Oliver Allsopp (2015–16) and George Amphlett (2016–17), with Nye Owen his vice-captain. The Seniors were two-times reigning champions and looking to complete the triple, having safely negotiated the group stages after a win against No.1 and a tight victory over No.5, but it was not to be; despite being favourites in the final, that final never happened because the snow storms that engulfed most of Europe froze the pitches, and the match was called off. No.9 boys featured prominently in the XV’s Border Shield match against Monmouth at Ledbury RFC. Nye, Will, Jude, Jake, Nick, Charles, and Paul all played in that epic inaugural match, and they had fantastic support as the whole House went to watch. There was much individual success for Will Lane – after being scouted at Rosslyn Park 7s in the Lent Term of 2016, he was invited to represent the Samurai 7s in the elite competition at the Lady Astor of Hever Rose Bowl in East Grinstead, as well as playing for the Worcester Warriors Cavaliers against Northampton and Wasps.

No.9 also produced the XI football captain in Welsh Wizard Nye Owen for the second year in a row that, with 11 0

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Paul Döhring and Jake Preston also representing the 1st XI. There was plenty of other sporting success, too. Theo Terlinden, Angelo Günther, Miguel Ortiz Flores, Frédéric Reuther, Ignacio Paris Meseguer and Julius Lange ran brilliantly in the weekly Cross-Country League; Marco Spaziani Testa, Sam Platnauer, Matt Little, Frédéric Reuther, Julius Lange and Miguel Ortiz Flores shot a combined total of 554/600, comfortably ahead of last year’s winners No.6, to win us the Beechcroft Shield (formally known as the Malvern College Cadet Corps Shield) for the 3rd time in 4 years, and Edward Mayell, Hamish Brodie, Julius Lange, Gus Stephenson and Chris Kanthack won the Inter-House Canoe Polo Paddle, proudly displayed alongside the silverwear in our dining room. Finally, Ted Evans attended the Alpine Welsh National Ski Championships at Champery, Switzerland, winning the U14 Welsh National Slalom Championship, as well as the U14 Welsh National Giant Slalom Championship, to be crowned overall U18 Welsh Male Alpine Champion – an astonishing achievement for a young chap in the FY! The boys thrived in the Arts, too. This year, we celebrated our 8th annual Arts Soirée. The boys entertained an enthusiastic audience comprising parents, Common Room and the Headmaster, with an eclectic programme including drama, music, and voice, culminating in the legendary Tutors’ Song and the 2017 House Song. It was a wonderful occasion, and

many members of the audience told us it was the best Soirée yet! In the Singing Competition, the boys put on a superb performance of Gary Barlow’s “Let Me Go”, whilst their rendition of Blackadder’s “General Hospital” was described by the adjudicator as a “hilarious rendition of this classic”, praising their “excellent teamwork which ensured a polished and highly disciplined production.” There was no silverware this year, despite being shortlisted for both Best Ensemble and Best Entertainment, with nominations for Jack Yeoward and older brother Nick in the Best Actor category. The House clearly delighted the audience and, above all, had great fun putting on the production. One very proud Housemaster!

Having won the Hart General Knowledge Quiz, the Debating Cup, and the Clark Cup for Academic Effort last year, it was great to see the boys continue to exhibit a genuine passion for learning, and indeed it has been in the academic sphere that we flourished above all else. The year started with much promise, with Charles Izzard and Julius Lange obtaining Academic Exhibitions, and Jamie Bitenyo-Jones, Jake Preston and Frédéric Reuther Academic Scholarships.

The boys were delighted to win the prestigious Clark Cup, awarded to the House with the highest average academic effort grades, in 2 of the 3 terms, with Julius Lange, Edward Mayell, Ignacio Paris Meseguer, James Francis, Floris Tjan and Jake Preston receiving particularly impressive grades, and Ignacio and Jake going on to earn Academic Colours.

We fell just short in this year’s General Knowledge Quiz, but they did win the Inter-House Science Competition – the first boys’ House to do so! After winning the Debating Cup last year, they were keen to defend their title and sailed into

the final with a magnificent performance from Jude Bedford and James Francis, only to come up against an inspired team comprising Zaynab Hajjam and a certain Saffy Wickes, who took great pleasure in taking our Cup back to No.4!

A number of the boys excelled in the summer’s public examinations. Of particular note were IB pupils Paul Döhring, who achieved 39 points, and Julius Lange, who managed 40 points; and A’-level pupils Jake Preston (A*AAA in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry) and Jude Bedford (AAA in Geography, History and Politics).

But education extends far beyond the classroom, and Deputy Housemaster and Physics maestro Mr Kelland took this quite literally, setting up a huge telescope to the No.9 yard so that the boys could make the most of a rare astronomical event – the “super blue blood moon”. Asked why he had done this, he replied as follows: “because it was a beautifully clear night, with good visibility and a lovely full moon to look at. Plus, it was just good fun!” This really is boarding school education at its very best!

Funnily enough, looking back on the year it is probably some of the lighter-hearted moments that will live longest in the memory: paint-balling at Oaker Wood; the FY bowling trip to Worcester; the Christmas Supper; and, my personal favourite, Mr Kelland and I joining the boys for a massive snowball fight and a spot of sledging in the garden – who can forget Mr Kelland failing to understand the basic laws of Physics and allowing his momentum to take him crashing unceremoniously into the hedge!

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Ellerslie House What is it that makes life in a boarding house special?

Undoubtedly, it is the people: not only the girls, but also all the staff who work in the House, and the co-operative spirit that ensues. There have been many moments this year when I have been immensely impressed by the mutual support the girls have shown to one another, or by how they have shown appreciation to a member of staff. A further highlight has been witnessing individual girls take on and overcome challenges, or observing a new willingness to approach things differently, showing an ability to adapt as circumstances require, from dealing with overnight examination quarantine and illness, to coping with the rigours of Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.

The year kicked off in September with the Inter-House Football Competition, a sport in which we have been relatively proficient in recent years. Trinny Salnikow was our captain, deriving her experience from being at the helm of the girls’ football team in her final year at Malvern. Despite being one of the smaller girls’ houses, we were one of the top two teams, losing out only in the final match of the tournament. Certainly I don’t think any of us will forget the inclement conditions in a hurry, with the driving rain soaking players and spectators alike, and everyone was glad of some hot food back at the House afterwards!

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confident singers made this a somewhat nerve-wracking event, but in the end we were all charmed by the piece, coordinated very successfully by Antonia Jebens and Tomisin Odulana. An added entertainment bonus was Tomisin’s vibrant conducting, with her ring flying off towards the performers half-way through the piece! House Drama was similarly good fun, with once again nearly everyone involved in our Matilda-inspired production. There were outstanding performances from Syuzanna Avanesova (as a suitably precocious and determined Matilda), Hannah Obikudu (as a terrifyingly imposing Miss Trunchbull) and from Olivia de Courcy-Ireland, who was perfectly cast as Miss Honey.

In House Music, Josi Jebens delighted with her proficient performance on the violin, earning her third place overall in Category A of the competition, a particularly impressive result given that she was in the FY! Other notable co-curricular successes included Sasha Wilson and Ria Shah’s regular fine performances in tennis, and Syuzanna Avanesova winning the FY category of the Lea-Smith Reading Competition.

The year was rounded off on a high when Jayda Khimji and Chioma Anazodo took on the challenge of ‘LOST’, an outdoor pursuits competition ingeniously designed by the indefatigable Mr Watts. Eleven Remove pairs, one from each House and each equipped only with overnight camping equipment, army-style food rations and very limited funds, were blindfolded and driven to a location within a

40 kilometre radius of Malvern, where they were dropped off for an 8.30 pm start. Denied access to a map or their mobile phones, the pupils were tasked with getting back to school as quickly as possible. The competition also involved raising money for charity, with the winning pair taking all for their chosen cause. On the first evening, each pair had to find somewhere to camp before 10.30 pm or pay a time penalty. Chioma and Jayda bravely set their alarms for 4.45 am in order to be on the move at precisely 6 am, the earliest time they were permitted to start their journey that morning. Whilst a member of staff was with each pair to ensure safety, the girls were responsible for all the decisions they made. From the outset on the Friday morning, it was clear that our pair were making excellent progress, and Mr Kelland, their accompanying teacher, was suitably impressed. In particular, the ability to explain their circumstances to a variety of members of the public was crucial to success. Jayda and Chioma passed this test with aplomb, acquiring some pages from a road atlas and then using the time penalty incurred for spending money on a train journey (only one stop allowed) to plan their next steps. They were back at school in a remarkable fourteen hours, with Mr Watts scarcely able to believe the news until Mr Kelland sent him a photo of the triumphant pair on St George’s Terrace!

Congratulations to both Chioma and Jayda, who subsequently enjoyed an interview with an education journalist and plenty of attention on social media.

In public examinations, Antonia Jebens and Ella Warren scored 42 points in the IB Diploma, and Cheryl Yuen shone in her A Levels with one A* and three A grades, including Mathematics and Further Mathematics. There were

some exceptional performances at GCSE, and many results of which the girls should feel extremely proud. Evyanne Ewusie and Helen Wu in the Hundred are to be congratulated on the award of Sixth Form scholarships following a rigorous and competitive process, as is Jasmine Dawson (U6), for securing the offer of an apprenticeship with Ernst and Young following a highly successful period of work experience.

The end of the year is naturally a time of farewells, and we were very sad indeed to be saying goodbye to Fran after nine years of dedicated service to Ellerslie in the role of Resident Assistant. Fran is the only member of staff who has been in the House since it opened in 2009, and she will be sorely missed by the girls and her colleagues alike. Known for her no-nonsense approach and articulate turn of phrase, Fran has always looked out for each and every individual in the House (including the staff!), and we have all appreciated her acute emotional radar: if something was up with anyone, Fran would always know. She would then work, often quietly behind the scenes, to help steer that person back on track. We will miss Fran enormously, but we wish her all the very best as she embarks on a new phase in her life, which will hopefully be at a lightly slower pace than life in a busy boarding house! We will also miss David Vissey, our Houseman of many years, and all the small but important supererogatory tasks he performed that kept the House running so smoothly.

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years. Ella, Jasmine and Trixi reprised their FY photo, and I thank them all for their significant contribution over five years. Ella has also served as a Chapel Prefect, with Jasmine a Deputy Head of House. Juliette Hannecart was a very a calm Head of House, with Antonia Jebens a supportive Deputy alongside Jasmine. Significant contributions were also marked by the award of our in-House Academic Cup to Antonia, Leadership to Juliette, House Spirit to Jasmine, Determination to Trinny and Co-Curricular to Ella, who was also awarded the Lucy Shepherd-Welch Memorial Prize at Commemoration for her contribution to school life in a variety of areas, showing kindness and support to those around her and a determination to get stuck in and be involved. These girls have inspired the next generation of leaders, and I thank them and their contemporaries for all their enthusiasm and support for the House; their legacy will not be forgotten.

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Rugby 1st XV

When the Senior Boys arrived back in College in late August, it only seemed five minutes since we had got back from our tour successful to New Zealand and the Cook Islands. A meeting for the whole rugby club was held in the Gryphon Room, at which the boys were treated to words of wisdom from some of our past players and captains: James Scott (England U18s and U20s), George Amphlett, Piers Morrell, Ben Cook, Fred Barrell, and Olly Allsopp. These boys spoke about opportunities, commitment, enjoyment, and making life-lasting memories. And with the leavers gone, big boots to fill, and with these words ringing in their ears, it was time for the new U6th to lead from the front. And this they did in a typically dramatic and engrossing season of rugby.

Through a range of challenging fixtures over the season, our handling between the backs and forwards was often excellent, rewarding the hard work that we put into this area early in the season. After conceding the first try against a very strong Cheltenham College team in the first match of the season (a 7–24 loss), Malvern started to dominate possession before Will Lane created a great opportunity with Ollie Garnett scoring a fantastic try – demonstrating our ability and desire to get back into games. Towards the end of the same match, despite a large deficit in the score, we didn’t give up, and Nye Owen was rewarded with a great try after the ball was passed through six pairs of hands for him 11 8

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to score in the corner. Our backs again showed their class against King Edward’s Birmingham (a 5–35 win) with fine tries from Jake Preston and Max Taylor.

There were great defensive stories in this season also.

Admittedly, it was galling when late in the Cheltenham fixture, the opposition used their big forward to barge their way over for two late tries which sealed the match. Likewise, Bloxham (who beat us 34–12) realised that to score tries against us they had to use their powerful forwards more, which they ended up doing to great effect in the second half of that game. But in contrast, there was an impressive spell against Monmouth when we defended strongly for five minutes in our own 22, looking comfortable until a missed tackle allowed Monmouth to score under the posts. And against King Edwards, after a 10-minute spell of fantastic defending in our own 22m, our defensive pressure forced an error for Oli Garnett to swoop on to a loose ball and run 70m to score under the posts.

As with any season, there were low-points and disappointments when things didn’t come off. We were not always as clinical as the boys would have liked: at Bloxham, the boys created many early try-scoring opportunities – only for the last pass to go to ground, or the decision to pass not to be taken; similarly against Monmouth we didn’t score from a series of line breaks, which ended up being costly;

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and an early penalty conceded allowed Dean Close to score a try from a lineout, in what ended up as a defeat; we just couldn’t finish off the breaks we made early in the game at St Edward’s Oxford.

At other times we were unlucky. Sometimes that is the way of the game, as was the case in the Dean Close match, where in the second half the bounce of the ball did seem to go the opposition’s way. And although that game looks, from the 66–18 scoreline, like a heavy defeat, we played some positive rugby and made plenty of line breaks. Earlier in that match we enjoyed possession, field position and caused a lot of problems for the Dean Close defence, who found it difficult to stop us making line breaks and scoring points. We likewise made the best of it in the face of a harsher kind of bad luck against Monmouth, where we lost Will Lane, Jake Preston, and George Sandy to injuries – but where the boys who replaced our injured players really stepped up to the plate. And a late stroke of bad luck came with the cancellation of the fixture against Rugby because of heavy snow.

(A thank you must go to Mr Joslin for swiftly organising us tickets to the Warriors European game at Sixways on the final afternoon of the season.)

But there were many wonderful highlights in the season also: Paul Dohring’s fantastic try against Bloxham (the ball being moved quickly across the field before a kick to the corner was swooped upon by the try-scorer) and his twin tries against the run of play at Teddies; some wonderful tries scored on the counter-attack against Pate’s (in a 13–51 win); clinical attack from the set piece against Monmouth, with Will Lane, George Sandy, and Nye Owen all making breaks; George Sandy’s effective kicking keeping us in the match against Monmouth; Dylan Sillence with a try against Dean Close after a lovely weighted kick from George Sandy – which Sandy converted all the way from the touch line.

There was good reason to look to the future during this season also. The closely-fought match against Monmouth was played as part of the new Border Shield Competition at Ledbury RFC. The new competition acknowledges the strength of these school rugby sides, and the inaugural match was watched by over 400 enthusiastic supporters – under the lights at Ledbury’s superb local rugby club ground. As a curtain-raiser, four teams of talented youngsters from Abberley Hall preparatory school, Ledbury RFC U11s, Malvern RFC U11s, and The Downs Malvern played a festival of matches which produced good contests. Excellent coaching and facilities promise to make players like these prospective participants in The Border Shield contests of the future.

As for the match against Monmouth itself, it was surely a highlight. As the game went on and the fatigue set in, both teams started to score and then concede tries. It was a nail-biting last twenty minutes – with Phil Dohring, Max

Taylor and then Oliver Garnett scoring fantastically-created tries. Our huge effort wasn’t enough, though, with the final score being 31–23 to Monmouth. And hosting St Edward’s, late in the season (a 10–43 loss), the boys couldn’t have given any more: their endeavour in attack and defence was outstanding. Every single player gave 100% for this team. A special mention must go to George Sandy, Nye Owen, Oliver Millard, Nick Yeoward and Jack Bishop for how they led the team and never gave up: this was a great team performance and a testament to the season as a whole.

Will Lane went on to play for the Warriors Cavaliers and Jack Bishop went onto play for the Midlands in the Divisional Championship. Nye Owen was outstanding throughout. The boys in this team should be very proud of themselves. They made great progress and the brand of rugby played was expansive and a joy to watch.

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2nd XV

The season for the 2nd XV featured some impressive victories and several dramatic matches which saw half-time leads or deficits reversed by the final whistle. The overall playing read P6, W3, D1, L2 with 166 scored and 117 conceded.

Cheltenham College – always a tough game – was likely to be moreso, as they had only just returned from a preseason tour. Right from the start, Cheltenham gained the ascendency and were quicker to the breakdown and managed to turn us over several times. However, following strong words from captain Sebastian Grace, the team began to show glimpses of the potential they had shown in training, culminating in an impressive try for Walter Gonder.

Hosting Bloxham in a 19–19 draw that was a fascinating match for the neutral, but in some ways a frustrating one for us, we managed to show great determination but also some weaknesses. From the first whistle, we had the majority of possession and territory, but couldn’t find the final telling pass to allow us to get the scores on the board. Instead, against the run of play, Bloxham picked up on a dropped ball and ran 80m to score the first points. And although this brought about more determination from Malvern when, following another excellent series of forward drives, winger Taka Kojima touched down, and fullback Owen Carroll followed up with another try, we paid a price for lapses in concentration. With 2 minutes of the first half left, Bloxham were again allowed to score against the run of play to leave the score balanced at 12–12 at the break. Then in the 2nd half, we continued to attack, but again couldn’t break the Bloxham defence. This only changed when winger Henry Gerber, following excellent footwork, went over with 4 12 2

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minutes to go. Henry Forbes again added the extras: Malvern were 19–12 up and surely heading for victory. But then, with the very last play of the game, the Bloxham forwards were able to drive forward and crash over out wide. With literally seconds on the clock, Bloxham duly converted to leave the scores balanced at 19–19 at the final whistle.

After the frustration of Bloxham, a convincing win over Pate’s Grammar School (31–14) followed – an all-round impressive display, featured two tries for Henry Gerber, tries for Andrii Schvets, Harry Townsend, and Harry Everest, with Henry Forbes adding three conversions. But then there was some more disappointment. For the final match of the half-term we hosted Monmouth on the 1st XV pitch. Here, Malvern made the most of the width and went in at half-time leading 15–12 thanks to two tries from winger Henry Gerber, along with a conversion and penalty from Henry Forbes. But if Bloxham had snatched a draw from us when we looked set for victory, the turnaround was more complete and bruising in this match. After half-time, Monmouth (having made several changes) went on the attack, and despite resilient defending, managed to cross our try line several times with some breath-taking rugby that saw them overhaul our score and run out 33–15 victors.

Refreshed from half-term and on the road travelling to neighbours Dean Close, the 2nd XV were confident of leaving the Monmouth disappointment behind with a victory, and this time it was Malvern who overturned a deficit to win. The start of the match did not go to plan, with Dean Close capitalizing on sloppy defending to score and convert the first try. And then against the run of play and following

sustained possession and territory by Malvern, the opposition managed to nudge further ahead, going in ahead at half-time. But the second half told a different story, as following the restart, the team managed to put several good phases of play together and released Julian Loustric, who managed to brush off the opposition tacklers to crash over for our first points. Then Sebastian Grace went over following impressive forward play, followed by Julian Loustric’s second try. Henry Forbes deserves credit for piling on the extras following all of these tries. With time almost upon us, Henry Gerber was able to show his impressive footwork to beat his opposition and outsprint the fullback to his kick to score the final try and a well-deserved 26–12 victory.

With what would turn out to be our final match of the season, we hosted St Edward’s Oxford, winning with a resounding 72–0, even with the referee blowing up 15 minutes early. Early on, Toby Moran, following good forward play and passing moves between the backs, was able to dive over in the corner for the first score. This was soon followed by captain Grace going through the St Edward’s lineout to

pick up a loose ball and dive over. Further tries then followed with two for Andrii Shvetts and one each for Wingers Harry Townsend and Henry Gerber. At half-time with the team 36–0 up the danger of complacency loomed, but the boys were determined to continue to play the entertaining rugby of the first half. Henry Forbes went over for two tries, making good use of his ability to dart through gaps in the defence, Seb Grace claiming his second following good forward play, and Toby Moran also claiming his second. With the opposition struggling, Charlie Salnikow and Allaster Renton both scored tries. Henry Forbes converted superbly throughout the match.

It was an excellent season for the 2nd XV and particular thanks from Mr Merrick and Mr Warrilow go to captain Sebastian Grace, who led the team superbly. Credit must also go to the following U6 players in their final season for giving their all: Andrii Schvets, Charlie Salnikow, Taka Kojima, Walter Gonder, and Harry Everest.

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3rd XV

With a large squad in both number and bodily size, the coaching team had high hopes for a successful season for the 3rd XV rugby team. A tough 0–31 defeat sobered the beginning of the season after Cheltenham College arrived at Malvern with intent, playing some free-flowing rugby among their forwards, and making it difficult for our defence to organise quickly.

But we rebounded from defeat by Cheltenham with a thumping 70–0 win over a stunned Bloxham, and the season took off from there. The Bloxham match announced the arrival of our backs. A try in the first minute for Derek Macakiage was brought about by slick passing between backs and forwards, and the next 12 tries were attractive on the eye, all coming from strong lines of running, accurate passing and offloads, and all aided by superb support from the forwards at the breakdown. We enjoyed similar success against Pate’s (in a 14–38 win): Phillip Tsang’s second try in that match again owed to slick hands from the backs, and in the second half, Malvern scored early from a typical darting run from outside their 22 by Mac Sainsbury-Plaice, who managed to slip through the centres’ tackles and score under the posts; Jonathan Lim then scored five minutes from time with some strong dynamic running and slick offloading by the pack. And much later in the season, against St Edward’s Oxford (with much space available, Teddies raising only 12 players) Sainsbury-Plaice’s pace and agility through the midfield was too much for the opposition defence to handle – another memorable instance of this aspect of our game as we won 37–5. At other times, excellent defensive work from the backs kept the opposition in check, as against Dean 12 4

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Close, with right-wing Jamie Bitenyo-Jones good at poaching anything loose.

It wasn’t all about free-flowing running: we made use of structure and preparation also. In our win against Pate’s, a player-led training ground lineout move was finished off

by Max Pickering. There was frequently good phase play in this match, as in the build-up to Phillip Tsang’s first try, where the team took the ball through the phases and ended with some good hands through the backs to leave a two-onone – with Tom Luscombe making the killer pass to set up Tsang. And again our phase play allowed Mahaaz Ahmed to score through a gap in the defence which we eventually opened up, as he picked a good line and found the try line.

Memorably against St Edward’s, scrum-half Sam Platnauer’s communication was exceptional as he organised his backs and forwards well giving much-needed structure. (This was instrumental in ensuring a good win against St Edward’s in the last home game of the season.)

At other times, forward power paved the way, as was the case in a tough encounter against a gritty Dean Close (which we won 5–33). Earlier in the season, against Cheltenham College, our forwards had been unable to gain forward momentum and were given little opportunity to build any of the slick attacking moves that had been worked on so well in training. But against the other side from Cheltenham, the forwards were outstanding, carrying strongly and recycling well. They were led by impressive displays from Harry Bluck, Sebastian Corry, and Harry Everest. When we were at our best, this power could eventually wear down the opposition, and when Owen Carroll was in good goal kicking form,

we were able to gradually mount the score, as was the case at Dean Close, with Carroll’s 6 successful kicks from 7.

Inevitably, there were low points. Tiredness, complacency, and lapses in discipline crept in against a robust and unpredictable Monmouth side. Against teams who were strong in the scrum, or in periods when our line-out did not work in its usual accurate fashion (as against Monmouth, to whom we lost 0–22) we ended up struggling for a quality platform to work from. But with five wins from seven games, those high hopes at the beginning of the season were justified.

Perhaps the most engrossing match of the season was that against Sedbergh. Julian Loustric was (not for the first time) the man of the match, though every player supported a tremendous team performance in which no player brought on from the seven-strong bench looked out of place.

Indomitable defence from the forwards strangled Sedbergh of any cast iron platform from which to build an attack, while the forwards kept the ball well themselves, giving the talented set of backs opportunity to link well and run

strong, hard lines. We were 12–0 up at half-time through Loustric’s two tries and the game was put out of reach in the first minute of the second half with Seb Corry’s first touch of the ball: he ran a superb line off the back of a ruck and into space, leaving half the field for him to sprint/stumble nearly all the way. Sedbergh rallied well and deserved their two tries coming late in the second half. The difference between these two good sides, however, was the strength of our first-up tackling as well as our last man defence all contributing to a very enjoyable game for the spectators.

I should like to end this report by thanking, on behalf of the boys, our two supporting coaches for the season. Mr Gareth Richards has been instrumental in developing the skillset of the individual player and Mr Ben Humphrys’ focus on strength and conditioning made a big difference in preparing the team mentally and physically for each game – as well as reducing injuries. We look forward to working with them again next year.

DJE

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Under 16A

This was a mixed but successful season for the U16s: more wins than losses; some real character shown in some of the most difficult moments; and some significant improvement from certain individuals over the course of the season. Ludo Staley always led by example, showing fantastic leadership; even on the (rare) occasion when games looked out of our reach (as in the second half against St Edward’s) he made sure that his team never threw in the towel. Many highlights present themselves – amongst them Jack Onslow’s versatility and direction at fly-half, the danger posed by Josh Preston whenever he found himself in space with ball in hand, and the workrate of Dougal Lemon, who did not miss a tackle all season.

An opening 0–46 loss to Cheltenham College was disappointing after our hard work in the pre-season, but showed some of our potential. This was then realised with three successive convincing wins. The next week the team opened their account against Bloxham School, often thanks to some quick breaks, great runs down the flanks, and superb passing from the back line. There was a hat-trick of tries for Jonathan Asamoah, two for Imoesi Ogwemoh, and another for Jonty Bright. And later in the match the team staged an exhibition of passing skill and support play as Jack Onlsow and Patrick Norman added their names to the scoresheet, concluding a 48–5 win. The following week, a side with a mixture of As and Bs played a King Edward’s, Birmingham A side. Malvern ran out eventual winners 34–24, including more tries for Asamoah and Ogwemoh, and another for Sanzhar Mergaliyev. A week later, the long journey to Christ College Brecon proved to be worth it, as the team 12 6

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put in a fantastic performance. In patches they produced some of their best rugby so far, with impressive interplay in attack and gutsy defence at the other end, and skilful loosehead prop Oliver Cook stood out with some silky offloads.

Malvern completed the win, and momentum was really starting to build, Thus far, the U16As had not really found themselves in a close contest. But the match against Monmouth proved to be the team’s closest game, and it was a challenge to which the boys responded magnificently. Imo Ogwemoh at number 8 was undoubtedly the Man of the Match, with four tries that really carried the side, but there were phenomenal individual performances across the board. Paddy Norman showed his habitual stoicism in defence, and Harvey Gearon also put in some superb tackles. Luke Tulacz put in a typically classy performance at scrum-half, unaffected by the scrappy breakdown, and props Oliver Cook and Marco Garbi carried well in the loose. The individual highlight of the game was Jock Catto’s 60-yard break, straight off a kick-off. It was in fact a difficult afternoon – but the boys showed their strength of character by pulling through with a superb victory: 27–19.

Another splendid performance the following week was unfortunately not enough to secure victory against Dean Close. In slippery conditions, passing was tough and the contest physical. The opposition scored early and were on the front foot for the majority of the first half. But the second half saw some of the season’s best rugby; in inclement conditions the standard of handling from the entire squad was outstanding, rewarding our hard work behind the scenes.

The boys scored a very well-worked try, taking the ball from

their own 22-yard line in a number of phases, with Imoesi Ogwemoh eventually touching down. And special mention must go to Ethan Zhao, who had a busy day at fullback and was quite superb, fielding every kick and running the ball back with real interest. Oscar Siegert came off the bench, and his fresh legs and energy made an enormous difference in the closing exchanges. Conceding a late breakaway try made the score appear less flattering; however, this did not take the gloss off what was a fantastic team performance, and hopefully a game that the boys will look back on fondly in years to come. It was a wonderful exhibition of schoolboy rugby.

A three-week pause now ensued, however, owing to the house rugby matches and the leave-out weekend – and it showed against St Edward’s, who caught the Malvern side sleeping in the opening few minutes and never looked back. Some fantastic defence from Dougal Lemon rallied the team somewhat, but ultimately the powerful running of the Teddies centres (who had the slope and the breeze on their side), was too much for Malvern to handle in the first half,

which finished 32–0. In a more encouraging second half, Ethan Zhao scored in the corner after a well-executed passage of play, and captain Ludo Staley showed the leadership that had characterised his whole season. The final score of 44–5 was a fair reflection of the match as a whole, but did not in itself do justice to the way in which the boys rallied in the second half.

This was a rewarding and enjoyable season for all concerned. Mr Bilclough and Mr Coughtrie wish those going on to play Senior Rugby next year the best of luck, and thank all the boys for making the season such a pleasure.

GFB/RGC

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Under 16B

This would be a season defined not so much by results as the commitment and spirit shown during the matches. In some ways the tough opening loss to Cheltenham College, featuring enterprise from the backs and no shortage of bravery in defence, set the tone for a season which played out in a series of tightly contested matches in which Malvern more often than not just lost out.

Oscar Siegert led the side at number 8 and was very well supported in the forwards by his teammates – notably Kwaku Nsarkoh and Harrison Hudson, both of whom worked tirelessly at the breakdown all season. Although the forwards were light, they were full of determination and rarely found themselves muscled off the ball. With Will Green at scrum-half playing a key linking role with Jacob Helm – a fly-half of not inconsiderable skill – there was a good foundation for some enterprising running in the backline. Sanzhar Mergaliyev, Nicholas Dalton and Carlos Omatseye provided pace and footwork in the backline and George Holloway put in some sterling work (always with a smile on his face) at full-back.

The match of the season was almost certainly the draw with Bowbrook, in which the team really gelled and played some excellent, committed rugby. With tries from Nicholas Dalton, and Jock Catto following a very strong carry, the match will no doubt be remembered for Carlos Omatseye’s touchline conversion to level the score.

With some very narrow defeats to Sedbergh, Wycliffe and St Edward’s (in the latter of which Jacob Helm enjoyed his most impressive game of the season, scoring two tries) it was a shame that neither Dean Close nor Monmouth could 12 8

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raise teams to play us: these would have no doubt been competitive matches and might well have given the team a good opportunity to balance out their results tally.

Oscar Siegert and Kwaku Nsarkoh were chosen as players of the season and it was fitting that the 2 of them should lead out Joslin’s Jokers and Major’s Mavericks in the fourth edition of this now-annual fixture. This match proved to be a festival of rugby with some excellent tries from both sides.

Major’s Mavericks ran out eventual winners and the series is currently tied at 2 all.

Well done to all the players involved this season, and a big thanks goes to Mr Joslin for his enthusiasm and expertise.

JJWEM

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Under 15A

The Malvern U15A side were always likely to have difficulty living up to their highly successful previous season.

Indeed, they were a marked team in their opening loss against Cheltenham College (7–36). Conceding three early tries, the only reply came from Lewis McMurdo who used fantastic ball control to slalom his way up the field and score from a great solo effort. The defeat was heavy, but there were positives from the second half performance to focus on. And victory away at Bloxham (5–31) represented a recovery. Despite letting in another early try, Malvern staged a slow-building performance, with a fantastic defensive performance from Louis Staley, powerful running from Vansh Ladwa (with three tries), and several new members of the squad stepping up well including George Batryev, Shea John, and Antoine Sclater; Tom Hughes and Joseph Murray also picked up tries. The victory left the team buoyant for future games. It was suitable therefore, that the next fixture was against King’s Worcester – unbeaten in 31 matches – in the first round of the National Cup competition. Despite conceding yet another early try, Malvern rallied, with a brace of tries from Ladwa and one from Will Crossland enough for a 19–12 victory. A special mention for the match goes to U14 Joe Randall, who made several try-saving tackles and also threatened going forwards.

Malvern then proceeded to go on a roll, beating Pate’s Grammar School 43–17 and then King Edwards School, Birmingham 58–21. These games were both quite comfortable affairs and saw many players get their first tries of the season. In the Pate’s match, Antoine Sclater, Patrick Moyle, Joseph Murray and Charlie Williams each got a singular 13 0

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try with Vansh Ladwa getting three more. Harry Sillence directed well and kicked the conversions throughout, and will be remembered for a brilliant piece of spontaneity, putting the ball through his legs to allow Charlie Williams to aptly perform a ‘show and go’ – and get his try. During the KES fixture, more individuals added their name to the season’s scoresheet: Lewis McMurdo scored a hat trick of his own after Vansh the week before; Paddy Moyle and Tom Cox both scored twice; and Charlie Williams, Mohammed Mahklouf, and Billy Tulloch all added one each. The 21 points conceded remained a worry that needed to be addressed in preparation for a tough remaining fixture list.

A surprise defeat at Monmouth defied the team’s commanding position at half-time. They struggled to find good structure and made some suspect decisions at crucial times.

There were moments of brilliance though: a superb ‘chip and chase’ try from Charlie Williams; more direct running from Vansh Ladwa; and a fantastic cross-field kick from Harry Sillence for Lewis McMurdo to score; Oliver James was rewarded for his good start to the season with a try.

But following the 24–7 half-time lead, Malvern conceded several tries in the second half. It led to an exciting finish in which Monmouth needed – and completed – their final conversion to win the match.

Malvern navigated their way safely through the second round of the NatWest Cup with a 22–6 win over the local side Bishops of Hereford, with two tries coming from Kit Staley, who was outstanding in the match, pressurising the Bishops fly-half time and time again and making some superb tackles. Joe Randall and Charlie Williams scored one

try each. Despite the win, the feeling was very much one of unfinished business as the performances were not quite as polished as they should be. With half-term to recover and reflect, the U15 side knew that the fixtures waiting for them were incredibly challenging.

First, in an exceptionally close encounter with Dean Close, Malvern just fell short – losing 19–17 though worthy of a win. Indeed, the performance was much improved, with physicality displayed all over the pitch, better quality decision-making and some brilliant tackling throughout. Tries came from Harry Sillence, Lewis McMurdo and Thomas Hughes, who had performed superbly consistently but had not been recognised for his elevated performances.

This performance was just what the U15 side needed before the biggest game of the season.

Malvern hosted a Warwick School side expected to go the distance in the U15 competition and Malvern nearly pulled off a huge upset. Against the wind and working uphill in the first half, Malvern showed unbelievable efforts of resilience and determination to keep the score to 5–0 at half-time, and genuinely believed they could win the game.

However, two breakaway tries from a talented Warwick centre spoilt the script, and despite Vansh Ladwa scoring a fantastically worked try, the score was left at 17–7 and Cup dreams were over. On a different day, the result could easily have been the other way around and the boys did themselves and the College proud.

Away at St Edwards, Oxford, conditions were difficult and Malvern let in some soft and well-worked tries from the opposition, trailing 17–0 at half-time. Smart kicking from Harry Sillence, strong tackling from the Staley brothers,

and strong forward carries meant Malvern got it back to 22–15 and for a period threatened to complete the comeback. However, Teddies reclaimed the game, with final score 29–15. Scorer Vansh Ladwa was like a man possessed in this match and deserves a special mention.

It seems a shame that this capable side ended the season on three consecutive losses but the final match against Rugby School was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions and left a note of bitterness. All of the U15A boys showed in phases how good they can be – and I hope they all go on to try and represent Malvern’s senior College sides.

My thanks and congratulations go to all of them.

STW

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Under 15B

The U15Bs had a very positive 2017 season. The team’s first test was against a strong Cheltenham College side. They competed in all areas of the field but just could not get over the line – until the final minute – leaving the score at 22–5 to Cheltenham.

Bloxham took an early lead after a slow start by Malvern, but we grew into the rest of the game and dominated both territory and possession, leading to a 10–28 win.

A mid-week challenge against Marlborough College produced a thrilling turnaround. At half-time the score was 0–21 to Marlborough. But a determined Malvern side, playing with a never-give-up attitude, pulled the game back to 19–21 with 2 minutes to go: and a last minute try by William Brinkman gave Malvern the win.

The toughest game of the season followed – against Christ College, Brecon. The team put in a serious amount of effort and determination which is not reflected in the score line of 10–43 to Christ College. This was followed by another tough Welsh challenge in the form of Monmouth School. In what turned out to be a very disrupted game due to injuries, Malvern lost 49–5. But there were highlights to take away from the game including a magnificent try and cover tackle by Theo Stapleton.

For the penultimate game of the season Malvern faced Dean Close – whom we had lost to the previous year. That was not to happen this time around. The performance for this game was definitely the best of the season with Malvern dominating the game from the kick-off with an early try.

Some outstanding defensive work in the final minutes kept Dean Close from crossing the whitewash. Final score: 29–0.

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The final game of the season (against St Edward’s, Oxford) was again played determinedly by Malvern, but small lapses in concentration lead to Teddies scoring their tries. However, a contender for try of the season was scored my Mo Makhalouf who picked the ball up from a knockon in our own 22 and jinxed his way through the Teddies defence to score under the posts: the final score was 46–7 to Teddies.

Over the season I had the pleasure of watching the players develop. My thanks go to the players for all the hard work both in training and in matches as well as all the other coaches at Malvern for their assistance throughout the season.

JJSC

Under 14A

In the regular season we won only 2 of our 8 matches (against Christ College Brecon and King Edward’s School, Birmingham) but 5 of our 6 losses were by reasonably close margins, with the one heavy defeat coming in our first game of the season against Cheltenham College. The challenge, as always, at U14 age group, is to try to gel a group of players who have not played together before; and when we had a full complement of players – with no one out injured – we competed well. But to a large extent we were quite simply outgunned up front by bigger sides. Arguably the most consistent of performers during the 15-a-side season were Will Crossland (Capt), Joe Randall (Vice Capt), James Pickering, and Max Hilton, and their tackling and ball carrying was always to the fore. My thanks go to Mr Richards and Mr Bilclough, for their support and coaching expertise. We very much enjoyed working with this group of players, and look forward to seeing their exploits as they move up through the College.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the season was competing at the National Schools Rosslyn Park Sevens in the Lent Term. Malvern has long been an established feature at U18 age group in the National Schools Rosslyn Park Sevens Tournament, but this was our first appearance at U14 age group. Although we were not a big side, we were good ball handlers and this faster, shortened version of the game suited our style of play, and the U14s in many ways surpassed our expectations.

In our first match, RGS High Wycombe were a good side and very competitive at the breakdown, but it was our mistakes that made the difference between the teams. At only

two tries to one down at half-time (with our try coming from our captain Joe Randall) the game was very much in the balance. However, mistakes did creep into our game, and RGS scored three unanswered second half tries, after which, in spite of a second try for Joe Randall and one from Cameron Eldridge, we were always playing catch-up, losing 19–35.

In spite of this loss, I think the lads could see that they were more than good enough to compete with anyone that was put in front of them, and in our next three games we played with a lot more swagger and belief. In our second match (against St Edward’s, Oxford) we forced an impressive 31–14 victory against opposition whom we had lost to back in the Autumn Term. Then our third game against Fulham Boys School saw us control the game from start to finish in recording a 31–7 win, with tries from Randall, Holland, and James Pickering.

This set us up nicely for our final game against Brighton College which would determine who would be runners-up in the group to RGS High Wycombe. We got off to a flying start with three first-half tries from Joe, plus another from Oli Doherty, and in spite of a mini-wobble just after halftime when we leaked three tries, Joe got his fourth try with Malvern running out 35–19 winners.

This was great effort by the whole squad and the boys should be proud of their achievements.

MMC

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Under 14B

The Under 14 Bs enjoyed a mixed season, with three comfortable victories, two heavy defeats, and only one really close game against Monmouth, in which we just fell short.

A tale of two halves in the opening loss to Cheltenham College (12–43) highlighted the need to start games strongly from the off, as first our opponents ran through some flimsy defence as we conceded five unanswered tries in the firsthalf, killing off the match. Next, while our defensive effort in the first half against Bloxham was much improved, with Charlie Clark to the fore, it was after the break that we really stamped our authority on the game, with Zachary Watson scoring a well-taken hat-trick as we ran out 50–12 winners, going on to beat Wycliffe 43–7 the following week.

In these emphatic victories, a cutting edge in attack owed to a dangerous, pacey backline who enjoyed plenty of good ball provided by our half-backs (Sam Phillips and dependable place-kicker Ollie Cox). Against Bloxham, Angus Catto ran in two tries from the wing while Edward Freeman was a menace at full-back. Then at Wycliffe strong running from Watson and Cameron Eldridge brought them tries, while Tebogo Sasa’s was another excellent solo effort. Samuel Phillips scored the pick of the bunch, running an excellent supporting line to capitalise on good work from the forwards. Our defence was solid throughout.

Monmouth is never an easy place to get a result, and a terrific and delicately-poised contest was staged. Our opponents had the edge up-front with some hefty individuals in their pack, but our defence coped really well with plenty of determined tackling led by the excellent Jonathan Tunstall.

We looked dangerous whenever we moved the ball wide, 13 4

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and went in at 5–5 at half-time thanks to Tebogo Sasa’s try.

But we lacked a little precision and clear thinking in the second half, and Monmouth took their chance to open up lead through a close-range try from their forwards. As we chased the game, we lost our attacking shape and started to make handling errors in possession. Losing 5–13 at the end, our boys will look back on this game as an opportunity missed.

A romping win and a chastening defeat characterised the remainder of the season. A highly entertaining game against Bowbrook House, in which 100 points were scored, saw Malvern run out 62–38 victors. We showed some strong running and pleasing handling, with Angus Catto was at the heart of our best attacking play. But perhaps forebodingly, we shipped 6 tries in total – a week before heading to Oxford to play St Edward’s. In this final fixture, we struggled to deal with our opponents’ big pack of committed forward, falling to a chastening 0–62 defeat.

Throughout the season the side was a pleasure to coach, and was well led by captain Sam Hughes, who never shied away from the tackle and was ever present at breakdown.

WJM

Under 14C

The U14C endured a challenging season but one that will have been beneficial for their ongoing development.

Throughout the season, the team made progress in their ball-carrying, passing and tackling. The boys’ first encounter of the season was an revealing 44–17 loss to Bloxham.

With the ball, Malvern looked impressive, making yards and retaining a reasonable amount of ball through some improved rucking skills. Jack Bedford contributed extremely well, his strong running leading to a few consolatory tries.

Further losses against Marlborough and Bowbrook highlighted inconsistencies in our tackling – which we subsequently worked on week-in-week-out. The boys came up against physically bigger and stronger opposition in Monmouth and St Edward’s, which produced one-sided scorelines. The highlight of the season, however, was the match against Dean Close, in which the team was able to taste victory after an encouraging team performance, including a notable hat-trick of tries from Emile Gonder.

The boys worked hard in their first season of rugby and with perseverance, I am sure they will improve next season.

WMLS

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Cricket 1st XI

The weather was the winner at the beginning of the 2018 cricket season, putting paid to the comprehensive pre-season games which had be organised. This meant that the starting XI was very much in limbo as there were many boys vying for places. As a coaching team we were probably unsure of the best XI until after the first leave-out weekend. That said Jack Haynes was clearly going to provide the mainstay of our batting and Will Sharp would lead the attack.

Early losses to Magdalen College School, Oxford and King’s Taunton were difficult to swallow, and it was clear that the boys were under-cooked, having not batted or bowled outside for the first few weeks of the term. In truth, King’s Taunton were a very good side, but MCS were certainly a side we should have beaten, even if they were much more competitive than previous years.

However, after the loss to King’s Taunton, the sun started to shine, the wickets became drier, runs started to flow, and victories started to happen. The boys had a run of five to six games where the game-plan clicked and the boys played some excellent cricket. Harrow were swept aside by some excellent bowling from Will Sharp and Josh Baker. Both boys took 4 wickets, bowling Harrow out for 97; and then Jack Haynes made an unbeaten 62 to see the boys home.

Haynes now hit a rich vein of form, scoring an imposing 13 6

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117 not out against Filton and then an excellent 85 in the victory against Worcestershire Academy. Callum Lea was also hitting his straps – scoring 87 and 114 respectively in the victories against Bromsgrove and Denstone. The formula was working: score runs in the first innings and let the spin attack squeeze the opposition in the run chase. Other players deserve mention here: Josh Baker was having an excellent debut season and certainly deserved his call up for the Midlands team at the Bunbury Festival; and Sean Aggarwal was another who was impressing when the wickets dried out – he will certainly prove a valuable member of the batting line up in his Upper Sixth.

Malvern capped a run of victories with a very good win against Shrewsbury. Playing with white balls and in coloured clothing Malvern won the toss and elected to bat, though the wicket was not as true as it looked, taking seam and spin.

Malvern’s batsmen didn’t do themselves any favours, gifting a few wickets and not getting to grips with the slowness of the pitch. At 81 for 7, we were in trouble, but Will Sharp and Oli Millard did an excellent job of rebuilding the innings by putting on 60 valuable runs. Malvern eventually were bowled out for 168: we would have to bowl well. Fortunately, a great opening spell by Will Sharp and Josh Baker got us in the game, and by the half way stage it was anyone’s game.

Who would keep their head? The Malvern bowlers kept

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chipping away, taking wickets at crucial times – Jack Haynes was bowling particularly well, taking 3 wickets. The bowlers were well backed up by the fielders, with Sean Aggarwal taking a ‘Specky’. Shrewsbury were eventually bowled out for 142, meaning that Malvern won by 26 – a wonderful win.

After half-term there was a run of difficult games and Malvern would have to be at their very best if they were to finish the season strongly. The team had plenty to look forward to with games against Millfield, Rondebosch, and Wellington, and they were also buoyed by the fact they were still in the National 20/20 competition. Millfield proved too strong this year and although Jack Haynes once again showed his class (scoring his third century of the season) Malvern only managed to post 224 in their 50 overs, a total that the Millfield batters knocked off only 3 wickets down.

The final Saturday of the term saw the XI host Rondebosch.

Having lost to them on our tour in 2016 the boys were keen to exact revenge. Sean Aggarwal, Dan Holland and Luke Tulacz were in the runs allowing Malvern to set an imposing 258. Rondebosch were never given the chance to settle, and Will Sharp bowled absolutely superbly, taking 5 wickets as the tourists were bowled out for 172.

The National 20/20 was still up for grabs, and Malvern had played some good cricket throughout the season in this format of the game. Despite losing the Chesterton Cup Final earlier in the season, the boys still felt confident they could go all the way in this competition. Mahaaz Ahmed was hoping to finish the season well and was in good form with the ball. After a thrilling victory against Shrewsbury in the regional final, Malvern had to play Bedford. The fixture took place at Wellington College – the day after Malvern 13 8

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had beaten Wellington in a 50 over game and where Jack Haynes had scored his fourth century of the season. The game against Bedford swung to and fro. We were winning it, then losing it easily and then were winning it easily. With the Bedford batters needing 32 off 3 we thought we were off to finals day. But two dropped catches and some big hitting meant it was not to be – and Bedford took the victory. It is a horrible game sometimes!

The traditional two-day game against Bradfield drew the curtain on the 2018 season. The game ended in a draw but there were some excellent individual performances. Jack Haynes scored 122 capping off a season in which he scored 1395 runs and earned an England U19 call up. Aaron Tomson took 6 wickets in the first innings and can look forward to the Sixth Form with confidence. Mahaaz Ahmed took 5 wickets and Callum Lea made 103 to finish their careers at Malvern on a high. This was a thoroughly enjoyable season for the XI and some wonderful cricket was played. I would like to thank the leavers Callum Lea, Will Sharp, Mahaaz Ahmed, and Josh White for their contribution to Malvern cricket and also Noel Brett for his commitment, expertise and professionalism.

MEAH

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2nd XI

In our opening match, against Magdalen College School, Malvern won by 10 runs in a 30-over match. The opening pair of Edward Mayell and Jamie Williams got us off to a steady start and moved the total along until Williams was caught for 15 runs. Mayell scored a patient 42 runs and was then bowled when he tried to up the run rate. Ollie Millard tried to push the score along and ended up with a quick 26 runs including 3 boundaries. In reply to our total of 109, Magdalen got off to a slow start thanks to some tight bowling by opener Dylan Sillence (2–18) and George White (5–16).

Magdalen were all out for 99 runs in the 28th over leaving them short of 10 runs.

Against Dean Close in the 20/20 format, Malvern won by 16 runs. We started off very well with a good partnership between Oliver Garnett (62 runs) and Jamie Williams (14 runs). George White, batting at no. 9, scored 15 runs, and made sure that Malvern set a reasonable total of 122 in 20 overs. The Malvern bowlers bowled a good line and length, and restricted the opposition to 104 for 5 wickets in their 20 overs. Dylan Sillence, George White, Henry Forbes, and Harvey Freeman all chipped in with a wicket, and made it difficult for Dean Close to get close to Malvern’s score.

Against Shrewsbury, Malvern chased down a modest total (108) with 5 overs to go in a 30-over match, on a wicket that gave both the bowling and batting team a chance. The outfield was slow and boundaries proved difficult to come by. We lost the toss and were put in the field. Eddie Mayell (5–35) bowled a terrific spell in the middle of the innings, and Dylan Sillence (2–18) and Nick Bossyn (2–5) kept it tidy. Despite Tom Doherty’s 30, though, Malvern made hard 14 0

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work of chasing the total, and the game was still in the balance until both Jock Catto (14 n.o.) and Ludo Staley (17 n.o.) took the game away from Shrewsbury with some free flowing strokeplay, ultimately cruising home.

In another victory, this time by 7 wickets and 4 overs against Denstone, after Malvern were put in the field, Jock Catto and Ludo Staley bowled nicely early on in the innings to restrict the opposition on a flat batting track. With 5 down for only 60 runs, Malvern then let the game get away from them slightly and in the end Denstone scored a respectable 130 from their 30 overs, though Luke Tulacz bowled a very tight spell in the middle of the innings. However, Malvern never looked in trouble once they went into bat, racing away against the new ball. Luke Tulacz batted superbly: his beautiful flowing cricket shots were a joy to watch. And Eddie Mayell came in towards the end of the innings, putting bat to ball and easily taking Malvern over the finishing line.

An eight-wicket 20/20 victory over Bromsgrove followed. Malvern were very keen to continue their unbeaten record and it was Jock Catto who took the first wicket – in his first over – when he trapped the opposition opening batsman LBW for no runs. He continued to bowl well and ended his spell with 3 overs 1 wicket for 15 runs. Wickets from Dylan Sillence (1–15 off 3), Ludo Staley (119 runs off 4), Edward Mayell (3–19 off 3), George White (1–14 off 3), and George Sandy (2–11 off 2) made sure that Bromsgrove were bowled out for 102. Oliver Garnett then continued his excellent form with the bat when he scored a quick 58 runs from 35 balls. He was well supported by Edward Mayell who scored an unbeaten 15 runs from 20 balls and Jock Catto

with an unbeaten 19 runs fom 12 balls. Malvern therefore won easily by 7 wickets.

Against Christ College Brecon Malvern won the toss and elected to bat first, scoring a very healthy 239 for 5 in our 35 overs thanks to half centuries from Jamie Williams and Dan Brierley, and cameos from George White (30) and Dylan Sillence (41). With disciplined bowling we bowled our opposition out for 97 runs, with George White taking a hat trick (3 wickets for 5 runs) and Owen Carroll taking 5 for 22.

Malvern’s 2nd XI won all their matches and must be congratulated for a great team effort. Thanks go to all the boys for their efforts on and off the field.

JBS/MWC

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141

3rd XI

A new 3rd XI cricket season saw lots of fresh faces, even fresher oranges, and a myriad of original headwear as we kicked off at home to Magdalen College School Oxford. The visitors posted a challenging score of 217. The pick of the Malvern bowlers was Harry Morrow with 3 for 23, but he was well supported by Harvey Gearon, Nicholas Booysen, and Will Green. In reply, Owen Carroll, Max Regan and Henry Wynn made a solid start, putting on 150 runs between them. But needing just 29 off the last 4 overs, Malvern suffered a dramatic collapse, and lost by 17 runs – our first defeat for three years. Nevertheless, the boys were already showing the requisite 3rd XI spirit. Malvern’s next game was a fun 20–20 at home to Dean Close, in which the 3rds gained a comfortable victory, chasing down 97, within 8 overs, largely thanks to Max Regan’s 48.

Next up was Bromsgrove, and an historic day for the 3rd XI in which Max Regan became the first ever 3rd XI player to make a century. His innings of 101 not out, supported by punchy knocks from captain Henry Wynn (with 34), Luc Crompton (with 22) and Nic Booysen (with 18 not out), looked to have set the hosts a very challenging target of 216 for victory. However, some big-hitting from the hosts took the game away from Malvern, and despite a fantastic direct-hit run out at the non-striker’s end by wicketkeeper Luc Crompton, and a caught-and-bowled for Henry Wynn, Malvern succumbed to defeat with just 11 balls to spare.

So, on the 19th May 2018 on a hot afternoon in Denstone, it was my pleasure to present Max Regan with a pineapple, a symbol of his own personal triumph in making a threefigure score. However, there was to be no repeat of Max’s 14 2

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heroics, as we finished on only 105 for 7 from our 25 overs.

In response, we bowled and fielded well but just did not have a high enough total to defend. There were wickets for most of the bowlers, with Shamir Marshall getting his first for the team. The highlights were two excellent diving catches: one at slip by captain Henry Wynn, and the other at point by Max Pickering whilst still keeping his top hat on – a marvellous 3rd XI effort from him.

And so came the last game at home to Shrewsbury. After an early collapse, a swashbuckling innings of 47 by Harvey Gearon got the 3rds to 132 all out. Some great bowling from Ben Fisher, Harry Myddelton, and Harry Morrow then put some pressure on, but Shrewsbury were able to meet the total with 5 wickets to spare.

So ended another enjoyable season for the 3rds. Max Regan scored 269 runs in total and Harry Morrow finished the season with 9 wickets – ‘season’s best’ hauls for a Malvern 3rd XI batsman and bowler respectively. Captain Henry Wynn was our top performer in the field, with 3 catches. My thanks go to the boys for their commitment, actually practising catches in training (with mixed results) and for upholding the spirit of cricket. I already can’t wait until next summer!

SV

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143

Under 15A

Despite coaches and players reiterating that there is no ‘I’ in ‘team’, cricket must be thought of as a series of confrontations between individuals; how every delivery can be visualised as a curious dance-off between bowler and batsman; and how each run, each wicket, each century and each fivewicket haul is as much a celebration of individual success as it is a fragment of collective achievement. With this in mind, I am delighted to say that the individuals who played for the Malvern College U15As in the summer of 2018 certainly lived up to this description at times, as match-winning performances were delivered by a significant number of the team during the eleven-match season. When it was an individual’s turn to deliver, he stood up to the challenge and, more often than not, got the team over the finishing line.

Having said all of that, the season was not solely about individual performances, as the boys showed great team spirit and camaraderie throughout, which definitely helped to win some of the close encounters we experienced. In summary, the Summer Term comprised eight victories, three defeats, the runners-up spot in the Worcestershire U15 T20 competition, a highest score of 81*, a best-bowling analysis of 6–36, one promotion to the 1st XI, two long-term injuries and, last but certainly not least, two hat-tricks.

After the first two matches of the season were cancelled owing to inclement weather, the boys were eager to play the first fixture of the term against Dean Close. Captain Josh Dickenson won the toss and inserted the opposition, a decision which proved to be a shrewd one as the seam attack of Patrick Moyle, Theodore Stapleton, Harry Sillence and Charles Williams bowled out the opposition for just 59 in 14 4

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16 overs. The reply was a typical early-season affair, apart from Jacob Perry, who scored an assured 35* to help the team record an eight-wicket victory. The next day we played King’s Taunton. Despite an opening partnership of nearly 100 by Jacob Perry (55) and Rehaan Edavalath (40), the total of 162 for 8 always looked a little short. This observation proved correct, as King’s Taunton scored the required runs with nine balls remaining for the loss of five wickets.

The boys took some important lessons from the King’s Taunton defeat, put them into practice, and went on a five-match winning streak. The individual highlights from these victories included: Oliver Cox scoring an assured 81* and Harry Sillence taking 3 for 2 (against Hanley Swan); Charles Williams smashing 77 and Jonathan Edwards bowling beautifully for his 6 for 37 (including a hat-trick) against Bromsgrove; Williams walloping 58 and Moyle taking the first four wickets to fall (including another hattrick) against Denstone College; Louis Staley lampooning 38 (against The Chase School); and Myles Holland scoring a vital 36 and Edwards snaring 4 for 20 against King Edward’s Birmingham.

We played some positive cricket during this run of victories and were really looking forward to the next fixture against Bromsgrove in the Worcestershire T20 final.

Unfortunately, with a depleted side (Josh Baker with the 1st XI and Joshua Dickenson and Theodore Stapleton out injured) our 113 for 9, batting first, was below par and we knew that we would have to bowl and field very well to achieve our target. In Bromsgrove’s reply, Williams (2 for 21), Holland (2 for 19) and Edwards (2 for 18) all bowled

intelligently and this resulted in ten runs being required off the final over. In the end, the match could have gone either way, but Bromsgrove’s opener hit the third ball of Paddy Moyle’s over for four runs, which released some pressure, and they managed to scrape home off the penultimate ball.

Congratulations were due to them and some ‘what ifs’ were left for us.

The final three matches of the season were always going to be our toughest – against Shrewsbury, Millfield, and Wellington. Against Shrewsbury, Charles Williams, Harry Sillence and William Brinkman bowled with real control to restrict them to 135 for 5 off 30 overs – an eminently reachable target. However, our reply got off to a poor start as the top order played some indifferent shots; and victory looked like a very distant prospect as Billy Tulloch walked to the wicket at 65 for 6. Nevertheless, in a Flintoffesque fashion, Tulloch played a quite brilliant counter-attacking innings as he set about reaching 136 in double-quick time.

His matching winning 42*, containing mostly boundaries, was the key reason for our nail-biting one wicket victory.

Millfield were up next on the ‘Senior’ and they chose to bat first on an excellent wicket. The visitors looked in complete control as they reached 69 for 1 off 9 overs. But what happened next was an exceptionable bowling and fielding display by the team. Williams claimed the important wicket of the Millfield Captain for 39 and then Edwards (3 for 19), Moyle (2 for 29), and Sillence (2 for 18) blew away the rest of their batting line up inside 15 overs. This meant that just 96 runs were required for victory, a target that was reached for the loss of only four wickets, with Jacob Perry

25* and Harry Sillence 32* producing the key partnership in our reply.

The final match of the term was against Wellington College. We won the toss and chose to bat but unfortunately kept losing wickets at important times and 142 all out looked about 150 below par. Josh Baker (back from 1st XI duty) played sensibly for his 51. In reply, the bowlers persevered throughout but could not quite make the breakthrough, and we eventually lost by ten wickets. A slightly disappointing end to an otherwise successful season.

It remains for me to thank the ground staff for preparing superb wickets to play on, 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 first year as coach for the side, provided outstanding advice, knowledge and support.

RWJH

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Under 15B

As with many teams in May, the U15Bs got off to a slow start – with a couple of practices having to be held indoors and a match against Dean Close cancelled owing to a waterlogged pitch. However, when the boys did finally get a game, a superb display from all 7 of the bowlers (led by Henry Green with 3 for 10) skittled out Rendcomb College for a small total of 46. In reply, Malvern made light work of the target without loss.

Next came a difficult trip to Bromsgrove School. The bowlers again pitched it up in the right areas and restricted the hosts to 170. However, on this occasion the batsmen struggled, and could only post 143 – despite a brisk 40 from Joseph Murray.

The next two matches returned a win and a loss against Prince Henry’s High School and Shrewsbury respectively before the highlight of the season – a 9-wicket triumph over Millfield School at Court Road. The visitors won the toss, chose to bat, and were going well at 98–2, before a flurry of wickets saw them bowled out for 137. In reply, despite our losing an early wicket, some powerful hitting by Kit Staley (62 not out) and Minty Murray (50 not out) saw Malvern home in quick time.

With a number of players graduating to the A side, the Bs can be justifiably pleased of their efforts and were very successful in bringing boys into the side from the C XI whilst still remaining competitive.

SJ

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Under 15C

“When the wolf shall dwell with the lamb; when the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together” (Isaiah 11:6); perhaps then will we see, face to face, the mysteries of the U15C cricket season of 2018.

The U15Cs played two fixtures (both away matches) against Bromsgrove School and Shrewsbury. They also suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of their younger counterparts, the U14Cs. In a low-string Remove side, some, though hopefully not all of these boys were perhaps playing cricket for the last time in their school careers. And when we competed in matches and the sun shone (as it did), the cricket was enjoyed by all, and familiar themes from the season before flickered and dappled in the shade of the plane trees, along with dreams of what might have been achieved with a little more focus and intent. Jonty Horton’s strike bowling had become more accurate and dangerous; Adam Narbeth still had pace and line, if only he would believe in himself and work on perfecting this in the nets; Shea John continued to come in puzzlingly low in the batting order, and drove nonchalantly past the bowler off the front and back foot, to calls of “move back lads, this one’s good!”; Peter Ingram, a capable batsman, never got his eye in; and Jack Nicholson-Kay could still take wickets with his deceptively slow action. There were new faces too as we welcomed the always upbeat Basil Marsden-Smedley, and when we took George Rose’s cultured bowling arm and Sasa Tebogo’s esprit de corps on loan from the U14s. Against Bromsgrove, James Francis played the match of his life, taking three unexpected

wickets with his looping and patient action. And Jay Yang played a 30-run innings at Shrewsbury that he will surely never forget, amidst the wreckage of our otherwise disappointing innings.

At Bromsgrove it felt as if we had bowled the opposition out cheaply; but when we looked at the scoreboard it somehow displayed 177 runs. Still, the pitch was a small one: surely, the coach suggested, the side had a chance of knocking those off while there was such an invitingly close boundary? The side did not, and after losing three early wickets and never really recovering, the U15Cs succumbed for 107 runs. At Shrewsbury, the sun was brighter, the pitch larger, and the opposition better. We batted first and the wickets were soon tumbling. Thanks to the exertions of Yang, visibly enjoying the spotlight, we made it to 98 before the final wicket fell. It never seemed like a convincing total in such beautiful conditions, and appearances did not prove misleading. Shrewsbury knocked off our total without conceding a single wicket; the shadows lengthened; and the season ended.

PWM

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1 47

Under 14A

There was an influx of promising young cricketers that arrived in to the Foundation Year at Malvern in the 2017.

When the Summer Term arrived, there was a real sense of excitement from both players and coaches as to what this team could achieve.

Sadly, there was no pre-season fixture against Oundle School, owing to weather, so the season formally got underway against Magdalen College School. Malvern batted first and got off to a brisk start. However, wickets tumbled and some good hitting from Harry Slater managed to see Malvern to a good total. We then bowled exceptionally well to by 59 runs. The following fixtures against Bromsgrove and Repton succumbed to the weather.

RGS Worcester stood in our way in the first round of the County Cup at the end of April. Formally a sticking point for the U14s, the boys came through this fixture, winning by 52 runs.

In mid-May, the block fixture against Bromsgrove would prove to be one of the first real tests. In an always-competitive match, Oliver Tulloch, Myles Holland, and Harry Slater bowled well to give Malvern a good start to the game, whilst the spin of Rehaan Edavalath and Oliver Cox put the squeeze on. The two spinners then batted exceptionally well, Edavalath stoic in his approach, whilst Cox began to open his shoulders as his innings progressed. The boys saw Malvern home to win by 9 wickets.

Denstone College followed and the Malvern boys batted and bowled superbly, winning by 9 wickets. Will Hartley showed good discipline with his gloves. Sadly, the boys didn’t manage to notch up a win against Shrewsbury. In 14 8

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an always-competitive fixture, their guard was let down as Shrewsbury commanded the game in all three disciplines.

The second round of the cup against Bromsgrove saw Myles Holland play an outstanding innings. He was well backed up from the other end by Edavalath. With our scoring-rate always just behind where it needed to be, it was a neck-and-neck game to the end. But two superb shots, one straight past the bowler and one over mid-wicket, were of the highest order, and the boys notched up their most impressive win of the campaign.

Millfield were the next visitors to the Junior Turf. In a very tense game, Malvern got off to a great start after a shortened game was decided. This was Oliver Tulloch’s time to shine, and he hit an incredible four fours in the final over to win the game, something that will live long in memory. Prince Henry’s were then beaten in the County Cup which will allow the boys to play in the National T20 competition next year.

In the final game of the season, the boys played against Wellington College. On a warm day in Berkshire, Malvern won the toss and elected to bat. Edavalath scored an unbeaten ninety and Cox took five wickets as Malvern secured nine wickets in the final session to win the match.

This was a very enjoyable season for those involved.

There were some excellent wins, whilst learning was taken from the defeats. The boys carried themselves in excellent spirit throughout, and have set a solid platform from which to build over their remaining four years at the College.

RGC

Under 14B

Wins against Shrewsbury (by 42 runs), Bromsgrove (by 6 wickets) and Millfield (by 9 wickets) contributed to a good season for this merry bunch of FY which saw everyone contributing with bat and ball throughout. Although our fielding was not necessarily up to standard on all occasions, our batting and bowling more than compensated. Captained first by Will Crossland and later by Harry Finch, the team was in good hands and very ably led.

There were highlights: James Pickering’s explosive 27 runs of 12 balls against Shrewsbury (including a huge six off his first ball); Tarush Agrawal’s wonderful catch against TDM at wide mid-on which cried out for replays; Nuwa Rukendeema’s wonderfully gentle away swing bowling; Harry Finch’s careful occupation of the crease; the Spin Twins of Johnnie Stephenson and Tanush Sanghai – spinning their web of deception as batsman from around the West-Midlands succumbed at regular intervals; Cameron Eldridge’s fast leg-cutters (bowled off the wrong foot) ruining the confidence of opposition opening batsmen; and Jack Whitfield’s sumptuous 65 not out against Bromsgrove.

It was an absolute pleasure for Mr Merrick and myself to coach this team. They trained hard, had fun, and – above all – they were willing. The boys in this team learned much on the cricket field during the season, and that surely is the key. My thanks go to the boys for a most enjoyable season.

TPN

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Under 14C

From early in the season, the U14Cs attracted attention, with a number of positive comments from parents (from both sides) about their on- and off-the-field performance in their first fixture against Magdalen College School, Oxford.

At Magdalen, Malvern took to the field in high spirits, led out by Jack Whitfield, and were rewarded for their immediate energy with a wicket in the very first over, with Jack Yeoward taking a comfortable catch at cover off the bowling of Nuwa Rukandema. Sergey Artemov (“the King of Swing”) also looked particularly dangerous, and was rewarded with a late wicket, his delivery rattling the stumps. With a target of 90, Max Hilton batted sensibly and solidly for the majority of the innings for his 23, supported admirably by Greg Lane, and the total was achieved with 6 wickets and 4 overs to spare.

Put into bat against Bromsgrove, captain Jack Yeoward led Malvern from the front, and shot a quickfire 43. Kwame Nsarkoh batted well for his 30, before Lane and Rory Upton put on an unbeaten 60, to give us a commanding 220 from 25 overs going into tea. Then the unstoppable Emilio Dorai Raj (3/10) was supported by excellent work in the field, including two run outs and a well-taken catch at backward point. Malvern won by a huge 197 runs.

Denstone were the next guests to visit our fortress down at Court Road, but the new ball and some accurate bowling had our openers in trouble. However, the arrival of James Pickering at the crease changed the tone, his unbeaten 104 including a remarkable 10 sixes. Yeoward, Lane, and Upton all made valuable contributions of their own, leaving Malvern on an impressive 245 off their 20 overs. In the 15 0

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field, every member of the team bowled at least one over (testament to Jack’s captaincy). But Rory Upton ultimately stole the show, showing some excellent commitment and dexterity behind the stumps, before swapping the gloves for the ball and taking 2 wickets in 2 overs, plus 2 catches and a run out. Malvern won by 168 runs, and the incredible run of form continued.

But there was a palpable tension before the biggest test of the season. Shrewsbury made an enterprising start, scoring 13 off the opening over. But Malvern replied in style, with Artemov dismissing their dangerous opener with a direct hit from mid-on. Charlie Clarke and captain Jack Yeoward kept the pressure on in the early overs. Artemov and Dorai Raj were amongst the wickets, with Sergey’s figures of 5/8 off his 5 overs particularly outstanding. Floris Tjan made an excellent catch out at deep midwicket and Shrewsbury were dismissed for 87. Max Hilton (21) and Rory Upton (40 n.o. after keeping extremely well, conceding no byes all innings) led the initial reply, scoring quickly before Jack Yeoward (26 n.o. off 26 balls) came in to knock off the final runs. Malvern won by 9 wickets, and looked like a team who could always respond to the challenge they were faced with.

This really was a remarkable unbeaten season, and everyone associated with the team can feel immensely proud.

GFB

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Under 18

Girls’ Cricket An incredible year for girls’ cricket saw Malvern play their highest number of games to date. In total, across three teams (U18s, U15s, and U14s) Malvern had 14 fixtures; this would have been more had it not been for various exam-related cancelations. It was wonderful to see a mixture of all years playing in the first team: it augurs the strength of years to come.

Under 18

The U18s had a good season full of strong performances.

The team was organised and led by captain Elise Black, who was helped by her vice captains Scarlett Woods and Olivia Hyde. The three of them came together well and ran the team efficiently on the field, moving players when necessary and communicating well with each other.

The first game played, against Wellington, was very special to the girls as it was the first time they had played on the Senior Turf at Malvern. The result did not go our way, but good cricket was played and the girls had a lot of time at the crease. To make the most of the day we played a follow-on game of 12 overs a side, following the first innings match of 16 overs a side. The girls were able to play with freedom, get a feel for the game, and gain some match experience – vital for everyone, especially those who had not played before. Georgina Hartley was the pick of the 15 2

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batters, scoring a well-constructed 20 from 25 balls in the first innings. Another strong batting performance was displayed by Jemima Martyn-Smith, scoring a solid 12 and retiring to let others come in and bat. Wellington won by 10 runs. Player of the match was Jemima Martyn-Smith.

The girls saw their first win of the season at home against Bromsgrove. Malvern set a total of 176–6 in 20 overs and won the game by 76 runs, bowling Bromsgrove out for 100.

This game really brought the girls together as a team as they were resilient with the bat and ball. Georgina Hartley, once again, shone with the bat. She helped build a strong total for the girls by playing excellent cricket shots and running well with her partners. In the field, the girls were loud, energetic and fierce. Wickets were shared across the team; however, our most effective bowler was Elise Black. Elise can control her bowling well and deliver 6 balls consistently to the batsman.

The U18s then travelled to Moreton Hall and unfortunately lost the game. The wicket played on definitely did not match up to the wicket we had on the Senior: it was green, slow and soft. The conditions took some getting used to and Malvern lost a few early wickets to mistimed shots; however, player of the match Olivia Hyde stepped up and anchored the innings extremely well. Olivia hit runs through the offside beautifully, beating fielders with her signature cut shot.

Under 15 A partnership between Harriet Carpenter and Olivia was excellent, building our final total to 74.

The girls worked hard and bowled excellent lines, giving themselves the best chance of taking wickets, but unfortunately it was too little too late as Moreton Hall won the game in the 16th over. Meghan Edwards was pick of the players in the field as she took two run-outs, in addition to her wicket.

Her cool, calm and collected attitude meant she didn’t panic when she was required to take the run-out. Moreton Hall s’ Cric k e t won by 4 wickets, with OliviaGirl Hyde the player of the match.

The final game of the year marked a very special occasion. Malvern College hosted the Women’s MCC. Malvern won the toss and elected to field first. The visitors posted a positive target of 170–6. Nevertheless, the girls put on a wonderful display of cricket. Everyone bowled extremely well, particularly Meghan Edwards who bowled 3 overs, taking 2 wickets for 5 runs. Wickets also went to Jemima Martyn-Smith, Hannah Taylor, Banita Dodhia, and Heather Harris. After tea, Malvern went out to bat, chasing the target of 171. An opening partnership of 37 from 6 overs from captain Elise Black and Scarlett Woods ensured that Malvern got off to good start. The pick of the batters then came to the crease. Jemima Martin-Smith came into her own as she hit a fantastic 42 from 30 balls. She played an excellent innings, hitting 7 fours and clearing the bank with an immense hook shot. Unfortunately Jemima fell short of her half century when she was bowled trying to dig out a full length delivery. Olivia Hyde also batted extremely well as she was able to hold the innings together at the end. Even though she did not score quickly, Olivia played a key part in

stabilising the team; she finished 15*. Malvern fell 39 runs short, finishing on 170, but there had been some excellent performances throughout, with both bat and ball. At the end of the match, the MCC awarded a special Spirit of Cricket cap to their choice of player of the match. They awarded it Jemima Martyn-Smith for a fantastic innings with the bat, not just for hitting big shots but for her ability of running between the wickets, keeping the opposition on their toes.

The day was extremely successful and we look forward to playing the MCC next year.

Under 15

The girls started their cricket campaign in a match against Shrewsbury School – a tough first fixture. Shrewsbury won by 24 runs, but that represented an excellent effort by Malvern. Banita Dodhia captained the team for the season and ensured everyone had a chance to perform. The girls shared the overs so everyone was involved. Our star bowler was Meghan Edwards who bowled 4 overs, taking 3 wickets.

She kept a tight line and length that troubled the Shrewsbury batters, applying pressure which helpfully had the effect of assisting the bowling at the other end. Shrewsbury set a total of 119–9 from their 20 overs. The opposition bowled well and troubled our batters but Banita Dodhia top-scored with 22. She was, however, later run out when the batters made a poor decision at the crease. I was exceptionally pleased with Harriet Carpenter. She received a ball to the helmet that shook her a little, but she soldiered on, continued to

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score runs, and got the second top score. Shrewsbury fielded well. Player of the match was Banita Dodhia.

The U15s second fixture saw them travel to Bromsgrove, where they unfortunately lost in the last over. Malvern lost the toss and were put into bat. They lost a quick couple of wickets, but regained their composure, beginning to look strong with Sophie Roberts and Heather Harris batting together to build a healthy partnership. Heather top-scored with 22 and Sophie fought hard for a solid 18. Malvern posted a final score of 93–5. The game went to the wire with Bromsgrove needing 9 to win from the final over. Jemima Martyn-Smith had the responsibly of bowling the final over, and we narrowly conceded the match as Bromsgrove got the runs required with one ball to go. This was a disappointing result but there were a lot of positives to take away. Players of the match were Georgina Macakiage and Heather Harris.

The following week saw Malvern play Rugby School.

Malvern won the toss and elected to field. Meghan Edwards opened the bowling and started the game strongly, taking the first wicket. This set the tone for the rest of the innings as wickets tumbled over after over. The fielding performance was outstanding and the girls bowled a tight line and length, troubling the opposition. Malvern then started their innings in slightly rocky fashion, losing their first wicket on the first ball of the innings. This did not trouble Catherine Horn who came in to bat 3 and batted excellently; she helped steady the innings, scoring 14. Catherine built a great partnership of 22 with teammate Sophie Roberts (12). Sophie impressed by hitting the ball powerfully around the pitch, causing Rugby to chase some leather. It was then left to

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Jemima Martin-Smith and Jasmine Ellis to finish off the game, doing so in style with a lovely lofted cover drive for 2. Malvern won the game by 7 wickets, with Sophie Roberts player of the match.

To finish their season, Malvern returned to Shrewsbury and played some incredible cricket. Shrewsbury went in to bat first and it was a pretty tough time for the girls in the field, with the opening two batters playing well. Sarah-Jane Starkey and Catherine Horn both picked up a wicket each.

The girls worked really hard in the field and maintained their high energy and support of one another, which was fantastic to see, and Shrewsbury finished on 166–2. The girls knew they had to get the scoreboard ticking over from the very first ball. To that end, Heather Harris scored a quick 22 and Catherine Horn scored 47 not out. In fact, Catherine played an unbelievable player-of-the-match innings; it was unfortunate that she ran out of deliveries to achieve what would have been her first 50. She played with such maturity and resilience that Malvern perhaps looked in good stead to win the match. Sadly, Malvern fell short of the total by 34 runs; but the growth these girls had as individuals and as a team was wonderful to see.

Under 14

The U14s had an excellent year, coming together and gelling almost instantly as a team. It was a lovely mixture of abilities, from those having just started to play to those in county teams. The girls worked well together and supported one another game by game.

The U14s travelled to Abberley Hall School to take part in a pairs match to start off their campaign. The match was played in good spirits despite the grey skies and the occasional shower. Malvern batted first, scoring an impressive 339/9. The girls bowled well and were very lively in the field, limiting Abberley to 295/10 and therefore winning by 44 runs. So the girls were up and running with a healthy win to their season. Player of the match was Sophie Roberts.

Their second fixture saw the team play against The Downs. The Downs won the toss and put the U14s in to bat. It was a good start to the innings from Heather Harris and Sophie Roberts, who were just getting the score ticking along when the heavens opened and the covers had to come back on. Thankfully, after half an hour the rain stopped and the skies cleared. The decision was made to reduce the overs. Heather and Sophie tried to add more runs, but unfortunately Heather was caught out, and Catherine went to hit big and was out to a good catch taken by one of The Downs fielders. Harriet Carpenter came to the crease and supported Sophie well with some good running between wickets. The girls finished on 62/2. Some great bowling and excellent fielding meant that the girls picked up four wickets and some excellent fielding, including a very good run-out. Player of the match was Heather Harris.

The following week saw the girls travelling to Packwood Haugh School. Malvern were put in to bat first, and the girls started brightly with Heather Harris hitting the first two balls she faced for fours. Following Heather’s dismissal runs were a bit harder to come by and we soon lost another wicket; but Jess Vickers and Harriet Carpenter batted well with a wellworked partnership of 18. Malvern finished their innings on 56–8. There were some brilliant bowling performances and wicketkeeper Heather Harris was on form ensuring nothing went past her. The wickets were shared amongst the bowlers Jemima Martyn-Smith, Megan Edwards, and one a piece for Jess Vickers, Imogen Renaud and Sarah-Jane Starkey. The game came down to the final over with Packwood needing three to win from three balls – one of the Packwood batters hit the ball for four to win the game. Packwood won the game by 3 wickets. Player of the match was Jessica Vickers.

All of the girls had a wonderful season and immensely enjoyed cricket at Malvern. The cricket is continuing to develop and numbers are increasing, only to strengthen the programme we have.

TFB

Girls ’ Cri c ke t

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Hockey 1st XI

Following a wonderful summer tour to South Africa played a number of pre-season matches, the first being against the Old Malvernians. It was a real joy to see the OM’s come back and it was great for the current 1st XI to see the togetherness of the OM’s, which helped us develop a great team ethic.

Stourport Hockey Club and Clifton College gave us testing encounters and a variety of opposition which we don’t normally play on our circuit. We finished the pre-season with a 3–0 victory over King’s Worcester, and four wins out of five gave the team plenty of confidence.

The hard work of pre-season paid off with a fantastic opening display in our first block fixture of the season against Bloxham. Controlling the match from start to finish we scored 8 goals and kept a clean sheet in defence. Player of the match was Welsh International Anna-Lena Barth.

Taking this result, which gave the girls lots of confidence, we played Bromsgrove School at home looking to turn around the loss from last season. Malvern got off to a magnificent start; we scored early and continued to do so throughout the match, scoring a further 6 goals to win the match emphatically 7–1, with Eva Sweering scoring a hatrick and Millie Kold, in the Remove, getting player of the match.

After this amazing start to the season we travelled to a very strong Clifton College. This was a wonderful match with both teams playing good hockey, but we felt we had the 15 6

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better of the chances and grew stronger as the game went on. Unfortunately, it was Clifton who scored the only goal of the game from a break-away. The girls were disappointed with the result, but pleased with the performance. AnnaLena Barth was voted player of the match for the second time in three matches, showing great composure on the ball under pressure.

With half-term and indoor preparations taking centre stage the girls were very rusty against Cheltenham Ladies’ College, especially it our team defence. Despite this it was an end to end match and a great spectacle for the supporters watching with the match ending in a 5–3 for CLC. Our toughest opponents faced us next in Dean Close. This match really tested our defending skills and Jess Biddle in goal was outstanding, keeping the score 0–0 for the majority of the first half until Dean Close scored at the end to go in 1–0 up. A change in formation in the second half gave Malvern more of a threat going forwards, but a goal in the final 10 seconds of the game saw us lose 2–0.

After a much needed leave-out we came up against Cheltenham College. This was a great game and was pretty even for 40 minutes with both teams scoring, but Malvern dominated an exciting 20 minutes, scoring two great team goals and stopped Cheltenham playing. This was a great

win and captain Tali Swinburne led by example keeping the team on track.

In our final block of the season we played a triangular fixture against Bromsgrove school and Trent College for the first time. Our first match was against Bromsgrove School and the girls started off in the same fashion as the last match, dominating and winning 4–0 in a shortened format of the game. Straight afterwards, without a break, we played a very strong Trent College side, and a fantastic performance from start to finish saw the girls finish the outdoor season with an amazing 2–0 victory.

This was a great season and apart from the blip in the middle the girls played some outstanding hockey, raising the standard of Malvern College 1st team. This side is young and has a great future.

MRM/JMT

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2nd XI

With Malvern Girls’ Hockey the strongest it’s ever been, we were able to field a very capable 2nd XI. In our opening fixture, a 6–0 win against Bloxham, we dominated the match from start to finish. Ultimately, this was a great display of teamwork, and a remarkably ‘complete’ performance for such an early stage in the season. A week later, we hosted Bromsgrove, where we continued our winning streak, grinding out a 2–0 victory in a more frustrating match. Despite completely dominating the first half, we were repeatedly denied either by the crossbar or the impressive reach of the Bromsgrove keeper. But grit and determination won out in the end, and Malvern were rewarded with exceptional aerial goals, one apiece from Issy Fowler-Dewe and Scarlett Shaw.

Our first away fixture of the season dashed our unbeaten stride, against a well-oiled U16A team from Clifton. We failed to respond to the opposition’s sharpness and intensity, and finding ourselves 0–3 down at half-time, the challenge was to run harder, tighten up in defence and trust the outlet.

This we did, but the opposition didn’t relent, and we went down 0–6. The girls were nevertheless gracious in defeat and won compliments from opposition parents for their conduct, particularly for Toni Kuhr.

The following week, we regained the home advantage, using it to good effect in a 5–0 victory over Cheltenham Ladies’ College. The first goal, from Poppy Underwood, came off a beautifully-worked short corner following several unconverted circle entries. Then, Arina Znamenskaya and the back three of Hermione Martyn-Smith, Elise Black, and Emily Atherton defied a period of CLC pressure. And a few minutes into the second half, Natasha White claimed the 15 8

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second goal from outside the left post, with the next three following at steady intervals thereafter. Effective communication, decisive passing through the middle and good running off the ball were all in evidence in this outstanding team effort.

Against Dean Close, dedicated defence from our counterparts prevented us from converting, and a successful opposition short-corner left Malvern College on the wrong side of a single goal. Nevertheless, we can be very proud of our ability to play hard but fair. Despite being frustrated by some overzealous physicality from the opposition, the girls kept their composure, and produced a spirited display of very good hockey.

With numbers somewhat depleted, the 2nds had to dig deep into dwindling energy stores against Bromsgrove, eventually returning a 3–0 victory. The first half began in draining fashion, as we got sucked into the left-hand channel, unable to capitalise on our superior possession. The moment we started to move the ball around, opportunities opened up and it wasn’t long before Natasha White had claimed the first of her two goals for the afternoon. There were several very good performances, but it was Ariana Davison’s tenacity, commitment and skill that stood out.

Had we not resorted to individual play in the second half, we might well have pulled away in the game more quickly, but we got ‘cute’ and complacent and for a time struggled to make effective successful circle entries. Our final match yielded a pleasing result, but also some learning opportunities for next season!

SDB

Under 15A

This was a tough but valuable season for the U15As, with 6 losses, 2 draws, and 2 wins. All season they have been working on performance over outcome and this led to all of the players developing over the season. Yet it was ‘outcome’ that opened the results list, with a 4–0 opening win against Bloxham School. Malvern started a little slowly as many of the girls had not played together before (with a few of the FY playing in their debut matches) but before long they settled and passed the ball very well. Maintaining good possession through fantastic connecting passes, the girls created wave after wave of attack with some excellent movement on and off the ball by Ishbel Spencer-Nairn and Heather Harris up front, who created spaces and opportunities to score, with player of the match Ottilie Thomas on hand to reward the brilliant team play by scoring all four goals.

After this dream start, the second match was a much tougher affair against rivals Bromsgrove – a 6–0 defeat which abruptly brought us back to earth. Despite some fantastic saves by one of the players of the match Evie Richards in goal, Malvern went into half-time 4–0 down. A positive team talk, with players contributing, meant the girls come out fighting and were much improved in their passing and movement off the ball. Millie Page, the other player of the match, was brilliant in defence, linking well with Meghan Edwards and Lara Davison to create some very good attacking opportunities. The girls all worked hard and, though disappointed, presented many positives to build on.

Clifton College were to be one of the toughest tests for the U15s, as Clifton always have strong teams, but the U15s gave them a close game in our 1–1 draw and almost came

away with a win. It was the first home game of the season for the U15As and they were keen to play well and “defend the fortress”. What unfolded was an exciting game with the girls making sure that they stayed true to their aim of working harder than the opposition. Olivia Davies, Willow Hammond, and Ishbel Spencer-Nairn made some excellent tackles so we could attack early. Utilising the strong defensive line through excellent linking play starting with Coral Artega Vivanco in the midfield, Ishbel fed a great ball to Banita Dodhia, who in turn passed into the circle to Willow Hammond. Maissa De Oliveria shot at goal but found the Clifton keeper standing strong. Ishbel was quick to pounce on the rebound, hitting the ball on the bounce and into the netting. Clifton came out of the second half fighting but there was some great defending from Jess Kenyon-Slaney, Millie Page, Georgina Wood, and Coral Artega-Vivanco, who all supported player of the match Evie Dickenson in goal.

With two minutes to go Clifton managed to sneak in a goal to deny the girls their second win of the season.

At Cheltenham Ladies’ College the team played out another draw – 2–2 this time, with our goals coming from Ishbel Spencer-Nairn and Jemima Martyn-Smith. The U15As played some brilliant hockey and by now really understood the importance of building up a good performance. The theme of keeping the ball moving and linking play really happened in this game, with some wonderful linking play through defence and up the pitch. Player of the match Olivia Davies and Charlotte Bulley worked incredibly hard, and some wonderful runs in attack by Maissa de Oliveira and Banita Dodhia meant CLC struggled to break ho c ke y

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through the midfield. Those times they did, the defensive team of Jess Kenyon-Slaney, Coral Artega Vivanco, Lucy Marriott, and Millie Page, supported by Virginia Lawrence in goal, were able to snuff out many of the chances created by the CLC attack.

A home fixture against Dean Close saw the best performance by the 15As, despite the 0–2 scoreline. Dean Close came out in the first ten minutes all guns blazing, and the girls seemed a little dazed. Despite conceding two quick goals towards of the end first half, the back four did not panic and Georgina Wood led the defence well, tackling well and distributing the ball wide to her team mates. Player of the match Willow Hammond had a fantastic game, linking well with both the defence and attack – and almost scored herself. In the second half Malvern dominated the game, connecting their passes well and creating excellent scoring opportunities, but sadly could not convert. However, this was nonetheless an excellent team performance.

Following the half-term break the first match saw the U15s travel away to Cheltenham College. Having trained well in the week the girls were keen to put in a good performance – and that they did, playing exciting hockey with an exceptional work rate. Captain Georgina Wood lead the team well, in particular linking up with her defensive unit of Coral Artega Vivanco, player of the match Jess KenyonSlaney, Millie Page and goalkeeper Evie Dickinson. There was some brilliant linking play throughout all areas of the pitch with Jemima Martyn-Smith, Charlotte Bulley, Willow Hammond, and Banita Dodhia playing some fantastic passing hockey and providing the forwards of Maissa de Oliveria, Virginia Lawrence and debutant Megan Jones with some 16 0

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excellent passes to work with. Sadly, it was not their day and despite having put in a brilliant performance, it was a shame to concede a goal in the last five minutes.

A great week of training saw the girls excited to travel the long journey to Trent College in Nottingham to play in a triangular fixture against the hosts and Bromsgrove.

First, against Bromsgrove, the team put in a brilliant performance, starting the game with confidence and sticking to a clear game plan. They frustrated the Bromsgrove team by limiting passing options and, despite creating quite a few great options, they just couldn’t quite score; and we sadly conceded a goal to lose 1–0 despite the much improved performance. Virginia Lawrence was named player of the match for her excellent work rate, and Jemima Martyn- Smith for her composure and distribution of the ball through the midfield. Then came Trent College, a tough opposition, inflicting on us a scoreline which did not reflect out work-rate and quality. A goal relatively early on in the first half shocked the girls but goalkeeper Evie Dickinson captained the team very well, displaying excellent leadership, and took control of her defensive unit. This meant that the girls frustrated Trent despite sustaining lots of pressure early on in the game.

Ishbel Spencer-Nairn showed her versatility and played in the back four to stand in for the injured Georgina Wood.

As the game settled the girls began to grow in confidence and started to win some battles all over the pitch; sadly two break-away goals and a well-executed short corner by Trent meant we lost 3–0 – but the girls did themselves proud.

With only one win to our name so far, we had needed to show resilience during the season. In the final match, the U15s were keen to finish with another win, and were able to achieve this against Wycliffe College, winning 2–0. With some inspiring words from the match-captain Ishbel Spencer-Nairn, the girls started the game well, making good connections and passes. Maissa de’Oliveira and Virginia Lawrence caused all sorts of trouble for the Wycliffe defence. In midfield Charlotte Bulley and Ishbel controlled the pace of the game with Banita Dodhia and Megan Jones creating width and space. The first goal was a brilliant team effort in which the ball was passed well around the back up into midfield to Lottie, who drove into the circle to find Ginny Lawrence to score. Not long afterwards, an attack down the left side of the pitch resulted in a short corner, which Megan Jones converted. This was a fantastic way to end the season. And in the end it was a great season with a great group of girls!

CAW

Under 15B

Malvern started their season well with a 0–0 draw against Bloxham, in an enthusiastic and high-energy opening performance, with Maissa de Oliveira showing attacking promise, and the defensive unit of Freya Bedell, Emma Raycraft, Chioma Anazodo, and Ani King helping us begin the season with a clean sheet. Against a very experienced Bromsgrove side (in a 1–0 loss), we recovered well from a shaky and disorganised start, with Kinvara Clarke outstanding in goal.

Another narrow – and in this case cruel – defeat followed, a 1–0 loss to Clifton College, in which the girls dominated the game from start to finish. Particularly impressive was the work rate from the three midfielders Missy Hingley, Chioma Anazodo, and Harriet Sibthorpe, who covered a large running distance between them during the course of the match. King, Clarke, and Bedell again played significant defensive roles, but at the end of the first half Clifton managed to score a decisive winner on the break.

But back-to-back wins against Cheltenham Ladies’ College (2–0) and then Dean Close (3–1), changed the complexion of the season. Against the Ladies’ College, the composed Hannah Asfar snatched a late first-half opportunity whilst wrestling with the opposition’s goalkeeper; and a second goal came from Missy Hingley, who alongside Harriet Sibthorpe dominated the midfield. The success continued against Dean Close. Captain Sibthorpe once again ran the game from start to finish from the midfield, but Cecilia Gerber and Lucia Paris Meseguer also shone in defence.

Hannah Afsar, always improving, scored two in this match, with Gina Feichtinger also bagging her first goal since joining the squad.

Against Cheltenham College after half-term, the girls briefly went back to old habits, cramping up on the pitch and not doing the basics. But a ten-minute period saw a turnaround. Hannah Afsar, Missy Hingley, and Chioma Anazodo worked well together in the middle; and then, out of nowhere, a pass across the field found Sofia Hsu who, with one touch, swept the ball into the back of the net. Our counterparts maintained possession and pressure for most of the second half, and it required a fantastic display from the defensive unit of Cecilia Gerber, Lucia Paris Meseguer, Ani King, and Freja Bedell to close out the win.

Bromsgrove at home offered a very evenly-matched contest. To everyone’s surprise, we scored in the first 30 seconds of the game, Hannah Afsar finding Sofia Hsu, whose shot was deflected in by Anna Biscoff. Bromsgrove were quick to score in reply, but in the second half, Missy Hingley’s workrate in centre midfield acted as the foundation for a brilliant winning goal, scored by Sofia Hsu. And our winning streak was sustained through to the end of the season thanks to a final win over Wycliffe College. This was a hard-fought stalemate, until at the death there came a short corner. With everyone pushing up into the box, the ball was played in, the shot was struck, took a deflection off the post, and went in – a last-gasp win to finish the season.

The girls had a very successful run of matches and developed not only as individuals but as a team. I thoroughly enjoyed being the girls’ coach and I wish them the best next season.

TFB ho c ke y

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Under 14A

The U14A team had a magnificent season, only losing one of their regular fixtures and progressing as county champions to the Midlands semi-final, which placed them as one of the top 20 sides in the country. Throughout the year the girls trained hard and developed their individual skills and team play. In their fixtures they always created plenty of turnovers of possession by pressing the opposition and working hard, and they would then move then ball around quickly to create scoring opportunities.

The U14As started the season with an excellent 4–1 victory away at Bromsgrove. Once the team had settled into the game the midfield trio of Jemima Martyn-Smith, Jasmine Ellis, and Ottilie Thomas started to dictate play and started to feed the hard-working forward line. Jess Vickers calmly slotted past the advancing goalkeeper, and Heather Harris finished from a tight angle to double the lead. A goal-mouth scramble saw Amelia Broughton tap the ball in after the Bromsgrove goalie could only partially save Lara Davidson’s shot. Malvern started the 2nd half as they’d finished the first with Heather Harris scoring her 2nd goal of the game in a period where she was linking well down the right with Ottilie Thomas and Gracie Emery. After Bromsgrove scored, Kinvara Clarke in goal made some good saves to keep the score at 4–1 and Lucy Marriott was tenacious in leading the defensive effort.

This was followed up with a 1–1 against a strong Clifton side. Prominent were the interlinking and ball-carrying skills of Harriet Carpenter, Ottilie Thomas, and Sophie Roberts, whilst the defence was marshalled superbly by Lucy Marriott and Jasmine Ellis; and when Clifton got a 16 2

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rare sight of goal there was no way past the impressive Kinvara Clarke in goal. Unfortunately, Malvern could not convert their considerable pressure into a goal. With time and energy running out, Clifton had a 5-minute spell of dominance right at the end of the game – which saw them score in the final minute. But hugely to their credit the girls dug deep and, almost immediately, managed to go up the other end and force a short corner. With the final whistle going it was to be the last play of the match: Ottilie Thomas’ initial shot was saved – but she managed to pounce on the rebound to earn Malvern a draw, which was the least they deserved from a very good match.

The next week saw convincing wins against local rivals Malvern St James and King’s Worcester. Against MSJ we dominated from start to finish. The best of Malvern’s 3 goals in the first half saw Ruby Richards drive to the back of the MSJ D and then slip the ball back to Jess Vickers, who then moved the ball round the keeper for Amelia Broughton to tap in. The game saw debuts in the A side for Laetitia Watt, Beatrice Barnes, Rococo Anderson, and Arabella Cole; Bella particularly impressed with her positional sense and pace.

The team then had their second game of the week at home to King’s Worcester, resulting in a 3–0 win.

The team maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 2–2 draw away at Cheltenham Ladies’ College. Twice, our dominant team suffered breakaway goals against the run of play. But they showed great composure and trust in their abilities to keep moving the ball around and keep creating chances. Malvern finally found the net through Sophie Roberts, who skillfully lifted the ball over the CLC

keeper after another outstanding save. And finally, after a succession of short corners, Jemima Martyn-Smith fired one into the bottom corner of the goal. As the girls celebrated drawing level the final whistle went, meaning that Malvern had drawn with the last touch of the game once again.

The county tournament pitted MSJ, King’s, RGS and Bromsgrove (hosts) against each other, playing unforgiving 10-minute halves. Malvern started strongly with a convincing 4–0 win over MSJ. Harriet Carpenter’s goal was especially well taken as she calmly waltzed around the keeper before rolling the ball into the goal. Despite starting strongly against King’s the girls conceded a goal from a breakaway.

But as before, the girls trusted their ability, and Ottilie Thomas managed to get the goals they needed for the win.

Then came a game against a young and talented RGS side, who scored first. Once again Malvern showed their fighting spirit and took the game to RGS with Thomas unlucky not to equalize when she beat two players then faked a shot to send the keeper the wrong way, only to see her real shot hit the post. After a regroup at half-time Malvern calmly went about finding the equalizer, which came from Amelia Broughton. Malvern went into their last game against rested hosts Bromsgrove, knowing a draw would be enough. It turned out to be a hard-fought game in which Malvern took the lead in the first half through Amelia Broughton’s lifted shot. Then Bromsgrove came back in the second half and equalised when they reacted quickest to put in a rebound from a superb Kinvara Clark save. And for the third game in a row Malvern responded perfectly to conceding a goal by linking their passes together and pressuring the Bromsgrove defence; this resulted in Amelia Broughton scoring her second goal of the game to give Malvern a victory, the county title and a continuation of their unbeaten start to the season.

We then hosted a strong Dean Close side who were reigning U13 national champions. After a tight and highquality first half, it was during one of Malvern’s attacks that player-of-the-match Heather Harris broke into the Dean Close D, drove to the baseline and then found Amelia Broughton to finish past the diving Dean Close goalie. As the half drew on Dean Close grew in confidence and scored a deserved equalizer from a well worked short corner. The final 10 minutes saw Malvern bravely hang on for the draw as they were relentlessly pinned into their D by Dean Close.

The defensive players (Lucy Marriott, Bella Cole, Catherine Horn, Kitty Holroyd and Meg Edwards) worked hard to repel the attacks and when Dean Close did get a sight of goal they could not find a way past the excellent Kinvara Clarke; who made a couple of excellent saves. In the end the girls were pleased to have earned a draw against a strong side having played a lot of hockey at the county tournament a couple of days earlier. The side then travelled to Coventry to take part in the Midlands zonal round and beat

Worksop 8–0, St Martins 2–0, Shrewsbury High School 6–1 and Oundle 1–0 to win the tournament, qualify for the Midlands finals and maintain their unbeaten record. The whole squad impressed.

After a surprise defeat by Cheltenham College, the girls then travelled to Rugby school for the midlands finals. In the group stage of this tournament, Malvern drew with Trent College (2–2), and beat Uppingham (1–0) and Oakham (2–0).

With points even, Trent College progressed ahead of us as group winners on goals-scored. There was a short turnaround for the semi-final against the other group winners, Repton. Disappointingly, Malvern gave Repton too much respect and sat too deep. As a result, Repton managed to win some short corners and Repton’s outstanding England U16 player converted two of them in the first half. Malvern regrouped at half-time and showed their true capabilities in the second half, where they were a very good match for Repton. The Repton goalkeeper was called into action to make outstanding saves from both Thomas, Heather, and Broughton. As Malvern were pushing for a goal to get them back into the game they were hit on the counter-attack and conceded a short corner, which Repton converted into a final goal. Although the girls were disappointed at the final whistle they reflected positively on all they had learned and how there play had developed to the extent that Repton’s coached felt that the game against Malvern should have been the final. The whole squad were brilliant all day and did themselves and Malvern proud. Many familiar names distinguished themselves, but Sophie Roberts and Jas Ellis are amongst those who deserve mention, for their all-round game and energy in the centre of midfield. Joint players of the tournament were Lucy Marriott (for her tackling, ball distribution and leadership from the defence) and Otty Thomas (for her skillful interplay, mazy runs and goal scoring).

Overall, this was an excellent season for the U14 As, with a mammoth 21 games played across the regular fixtures and 3 tournaments, with 14 wins 5 draws 2 losses, 63 goals scored and only 16 goals conceded. More important than the results was the enthusiasm shown by the girls, as this meant that they were continually improving – which bodes well for the future of girls’ hockey.

JRC

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Under 14B

This season saw a mixture of results for the U14Bs. We started with a mixture of abilities, with some girls who had never played a game of hockey before. But by the end of the term this team had bonded, not only on but off the pitch.

Each week the girls set out as a newly-formed squad to work together to achieve both individual and team goals. We played some evenly-matched and intense fixtures, forcing us to keep focused and switched-on. Some fantastic hockey was played and very good results produced by these girls.

Malvern stepped out onto the pitch against Bromsgrove as a newly formed team, with a positive and upbeat attitude. Straight from the off, the girls forced Bromsgrove back.

With great defensive work from Molly Battersby, Louisa Marsden-Smedley, and Rococo Anderson, Bromsgrove struggled to pass the half way line in the first half. But one well-weighted through-ball took our counterparts 1–0 up.

The Bromsgrove goalkeeper managed to stop some cracking attempts from Lara Wilson and Arabella Cole. And despite some outstanding work-rates and many attempts at goal we were unable to get back an equalising goal.

The girls were eager to bounce back against Clifton College. Straight from the push-back Clifton came out strong, but this did not phase our girls, and with some strong work from the back four, Rococo Anderson and Saskia Drake linked up on the left wing, forcing Clifton wide; this opened up the centre channel, allowing a lovely one-two between Lara Wilson and Beatrice Barnes to win a short corner.

With continuous pressure and patience on the ball, a great goal eventually came from Beatrice Forbes, who sneaked it passed the keeper on the back post. This teamwork 16 4

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continued with some great linking play all over the pitch as we worked our way into the attacking D. Another great hit for Lara Wilson from the top of the D gave us a 2–0 lead and a deserved win.

The season now gathered momentum with a 2–0 win over Cheltenham Ladies’ College. The game saw us start strongly, attacking down all channels of the pitch, with great link-up play between Laetitia Watt and Beatrice Barnes, who created some great chances at goal. This was the theme throughout most of the first half, a goal-mouth scramble just before the whistle enabled Beatrice Forbes to find the back of the goal and take us into half-time with a 1–0 lead. The girls knew that 1–0 would not be enough to stop a determined CLC side, so we continued to create some great attacking options down the right side of the pitch. And a great strike from Lara Wilson, from a short corner, took Malvern to 2–0 with only a couple of minutes remaining.

Hosting Dean Close, both teams started off strong and worked to maintain possession. A fantastic work-rate from Laetitia Watt, Lara Davison, and Syuzanna Avanesova allowed our attacking three to sit high and keep the goalkeeper busy, with some great link-up play from the top of the D to the back post and a great strike from Beatrice Forbes.

Unfortunately, though, we just couldn’t find the back of the goal. It was galling when an easy goal was scored by Dean Close, but every player continued to dig deep until the final whistle.

The following week, against Bromsgrove at home, Malvern had to work very closely as a defensive unit to break down the opposition down. Lara Wilson worked shard

down the right wing. Malvern pushed to keep the ball in the attacking D. However, Bromsgrove did everything they could to force the ball out of their half. This was a long, evenly-matched 0–0 battle featuring some fantastic saves from Sarah-Jane Starkey.

The team arrived at Cheltenham College with a squad of 8. Oliva Forsberg, Georgina Wang, Lucy Leicher, and Banita Dodhia all stepped up to the challenge to play another game of hockey. From the off, Malvern looked to be a threat: within the first couple of minutes a great linkup between Lara Davidson and Laetitia Watt in the middle allowed Malvern to attack and sit high, forcing Cheltenham to play very defensively. But shot after shot, short corner after short corner, we could just not convert (by now this seemed to be a theme of the season). And then a strike from the Cheltenham’s forward on the back post left us 1–0 down with 10 minutes to go. In response, the girls picked up the speed and energy, creating very good attacking opportunities and skimming both posts. Some great attempts from Lucy Leicher and Lara Davidson, and some outstanding

work-rates and many attempts at goal, were not enough for us to get back an equalising goal.

But with this disappointment still in our minds, a spectacular 12–0 win against Wycliffe finessed the season. From the off, Malvern looked to be a threat: within the first couple of minutes a great link up between Beatrice Barnes, Saskia Drake, and Laetitia Watt allowed Malvern to attack and sit high forcing Wycliffe to play very defensively. Wycliffe’s defence worked incredibly hard to keep our attack out of their D. But a disallowed wonder strike into the top corner

by Beatrice Barnes forced the girls to dig deep and become creative with their attempt at goal. Some great triangles were played from Lara Wilson, Syuzanna Avanesova, and again Saskia Drake, creating another couple of chances at goal. With the high drive and energy from these girls, and attempt after attempt on goal, the game ended with a 12–0 win, to cap a highly satisfactory season.

CAHW

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Under 14/Under 15 Development

This year’s development squad improved massively over the hockey term. They played 4 games drawing 2 and losing 2.

Although they never won a game the girls play some excellent hockey, given that most of the team have never played before. We also had great success with some of the girls moving up to the U14B/U15B: Gina Feichtinger, Agueda Ortiz Flores and Olivia Forsberg occasionally playing for the Bs. The season started with a 0–0 as we hosted Bromsgrove School. This was the girls’ first game together and they showed some great play both through individual skill and team coordination. There was one standout passage of play from Kim Schafer where she outplayed her opponent and then finished it off with a super pass to get the girls pushing up the pitch. Although they didn’t score the girls should be very proud of the way they performed in their first ever game together.

A first goal, and another draw followed against Clifton College (1–1). Here, Alina Tevsieva scored Malvern’s first goal of the season. Gina Feichtinger, dribbling the ball well from the halfway line to their box, passed to Olivia Forsberg, who then had a shot at goal. This rebounded into the path of the advancing Alina, who took her opportunity and buried it in the bottom corner. Unfortunately, the girls could not seal the win, but they did hold out for the draw with some get defensive play later in the match.

The next two games were both against Dean Close and Cheltenham College where the girls lost 1–0 and 2–0.

Although the girls lost these games they still didn’t give up at any point and kept fighting. From where they started at the beginning of the season to where they ended up, the 16 6

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girls can hold their head high and be proud of what they have achieved – not just on the pitch but off of the pitch as well. With some of the girls playing for the Bs and others improving their hockey skills.

The girls’ commitment and attitude to training was fantastic. Not only did some of them learn new skills, but more importantly they learnt how to work as a team and how to train effectively. This was my first year coaching the girls at hockey and it has been a pleasure coaching them through the season. Little did they know that they were also teaching me new ways to coach and how to develop players through training and matches.

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Senior Boys

The Senior Boys 1st XI entertained Old Swinford Hospital in their first match of the season. With a team made up of new faces, Malvern’s aims were to create a simple structure to build on for the rest of the season. The boys started the match brightly, moving the ball around with intent and were soon 1–0 up with a wonder reverse-stick strike from Georg von Grolman. Two more goals followed in quick succession: Max Taylor volleyed home into the roof of the net; and captain Jamie Williams scored from a drag flick at a short corner. In the second half, two more goals came from solo runs by Jamie Williams and Will Sharp.

The next match was against Sir Thomas Rich’s. Malvern took the lead through a great team move that ended with an outstanding finish across the goalkeeper. But sloppy work in defence gave away a poor short corner and a great strike from the opposition pulled the scores back level. Both goalkeepers now needed to be on good form, but it was Malvern who took the lead through Lewis Downes, before Max Taylor scored his second. Sir Thomas Rich’s pulled a goal back from another short corner, but Malvern held out.

The match against a very strong Christ College Brecon side was for a while a stalemate, until Christ College scored from a short corner, only for Marco Garbi to dive in and deflect the ball past their keeper. Malvern really worked hard to play good possession hockey, and although Christ College restored their lead, Malvern drew level again through a short corner, rewarding their efforts. Then against local rivals Bromsgrove School, we staged an end-to-end match with hosts of missed chances. Great defending from Felix Berger and Will Sharp thwarted Bromsgrove’s attacks whilst 16 8

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most threats going forwards for Malvern came through Jamie Williams, who carved through the midfield on several occasions. The score ended 0–0 and was a fair result, but it could have easily been 3–3.

Away at Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School, Malvern started the game the stronger of the two sides, but it was KLB who took the lead, gaining confidence and doubling their lead. Great defending from Felix Berger and goalkeeping from Harry Morrow meant KLB did not extend their lead, but unfortunately Malvern couldn’t score and the game ended as a 2–0 loss.

The season ended swiftly as the weather cancelled the last two fixtures of term. The season was a great effort from the boys, who worked hard in training throughout the term and improved performances on the pitch. They were a real pleasure to coach.

MRM

Junior Boys

This was a slightly frustrating season, with matches cancelled either owing to opposition pulling out or the weather with ice and snow. We did, however, manged to get in some really good training sessions and practice matches against the girls along with three matches against other schools.

Against King’s Worcester (a 1–0 win), Malvern got off to a flying start, scoring a goal in the first two minutes following a slick passing move, in which Joe Randall found himself in a one-on-one with the keeper and calmly slotted home. King’s came at the Malvern defence, but great covering from player-of-the-match Josh Baker thwarted a number of attacks along with a great performance in goal

by Max Hilton, who made a number of crucial saves to keep Malvern in front. As the match wore on Malvern started to take control and created a number of good opportunities to extend the lead but, alas, failed to convert them.

In a 3–0 defeat, Bromsgrove School applied heavy pressure from the start of the match, but a determined defence led by Jacob Perry and Will Brinkman stood firm. Malvern found it hard to work the ball out of defence and Bromsgrove capitalised on a mistake to take the lead 1–0. Max Hilton in goal made a number of good saves to keep the score 1–0 at half-time. Malvern gained some confidence in the second half and always looked a danger on the break with the speed of Joe Randall and the 3D skill of Finley Morris. In an endto-end second half Bromsgrove added two more goals in the final five minutes of the match. This was a great performance by the boys against a very strong Bromsgrove team.

Against Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School, early on in the game Malvern were put under pressure, but great team

defending limited KLB’s opportunities to score. Malvern’s young side started to string together a number of passes and began to look threatening on the break, but both sides failed to score in the first half. In the second half Malvern had some good phases of play and were rewarded in the final stages of the match through Joe Randall calmly slotting home from a narrow angle. Malvern held on to win, which was a great way to finish off the season.

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Football 1st XI

In the opening match of a mixed season for the 1st XI, against Marlborough, Malvern started poorly and were 2–0 down after 10 minutes. The boys really struggled to get into the game, despite some hard work from Man of the Match Jake Preston and long balls over the top of the Malvern defence caused problems. However we gradually grew into the game and once Josh White had scored, Malvern never really looked back, being 3–2 up at half-time. In the second half Malvern started to control the midfield and could perhaps have scored more than the solitary extra goal scored

by Olly Millard. But the boys did look a bit rusty at times and lack of match fitness played its part.

A great game of football against RGS Worcester followed, with Ethan Zhao having a fantastic game. RGS just shaded the first half, Malvern taking the lead with a penalty after 30 mins only for RGS to equalise with penalty of their own on the stroke of half-time. In the 2nd half Malvern began to dominate possession and get on top, with Olly Millard and Nye Owen taking charge in midfield and raising hopes for a win. And we went close a couple more times, with Jake Preston and Olly Garnett both missing good chances, but in the end we had to accept a draw, with RGS putting on a strong show in the last period of the game.

Against Sherborne, on a very heavy pitch, Malvern struggled to get a foothold early on in the game. Sherborne scored 172

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a scrappy goal after 15 mins, capitalising on some poor defending when Malvern really should have cleared their lines. The team started to show more dominance towards the end of the first half and really should of gone in at halftime 1–1, with Olly Garnett and Jake Preston rueing missed opportunities. In the second half the game became a lot more even, with both sides creating chances, but crucially only Sherborne took theirs, which left us 2–0 down. Malvern continued to create attacking opportunities: Olly Garnett had looking particularly dangerous down the right hand flank, and eventually he found an opportunity to smash home from a tight angle, and giving the team hope of salvaging a result. But then Mac Sainsbury-Plaice and Jake Preston missed golden opportunities late on, and as happens in such cases, Malvern goalkeeper Jock Catto let a soft Sherborne free kick through his hands and into the net. This was tough on Jock, who had an excellent game otherwise.

Following disappointment against Sherborne, Malvern started in positive fashion against Millfied, scoring in the first minute as Jake Preston made amends for squandered opportunities in the previous game – latching onto a through ball which he calmly placed past the goalkeeper. This was unfortunately a bitter-sweet moment in the game, as Jake injured himself and had to hobble off in the first minute.

The enforced early change seemed to throw Malvern off

their stride, and Millfield began to dominate possession of the ball. The game became all square after 25 minutes when a slick fluid move from Millfield ended with a neat finish from their striker at the near post. In the second half Malvern started to play more fluently and moved the ball quicker between the thirds: Man of the match Nye Owen was excellent in the middle of the park. But although we started to dominate more of the possession we could not make the breakthrough, and the game finished 1–1.

Against the Old Malvernians, an entertaining game had both sides trying to get the ball down and play pass-andmove football. In the first half, both sides had chances to go in at half-time with the lead: both Michael George and Luke Tulacz missed good opportunities. In the second half, the game became a little more stretched. The College side made changes and reverted back to a 4-4-2 formation bringing on Mac Sainsbury-Plaice. However, the OM’s took the lead after 60 minutes with a sublime free kick from Adam Grech, leftfooted and curled into the top corner from 25 yards out, and leaving Jack Bishop stranded. Mac Sainsbury-Plaice made the difference, scoring a goal from a tight angle just inside the near post. The College huffed and puffed in the final 10 minutes but unfortunately could not get the equaliser. Man of the Match was Lucas Heappey.

Bringing the curtain down on the season against Bristol Grammar School, Malvern again started well and dominated the early proceedings: Johnny Asamoah (later Man of the Match) scored a nice goal by chipping the goalkeeper as he advanced out of his penalty box. But players and coaches started sensed déjà vu as Bristol took control and started to dominate most of the first period, scoring two fine goals

along the way. In the 2nd half Malvern again started to take control with Nye Owen, Luke Tulacz and Olly Millard winning the midfield battle. The team pressed forward – but could not find the equaliser, with Olly Garnett hitting the bar and Lucas Heappey’s shot being turned off Bristol’s goal line. The final whistle went and Malvern lost 2–1, a little unfortunate as a draw perhaps would have been a fair reflection of the game.

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2nd XI

Unusually, the weather hindered the end, rather than the beginning of our season, meaning that our 2nd XI team were able gel as a team early in the Lent Term. This was reflected in their performances in many of their games, where they outfought many older and more experienced sides.

First came an enthralling draw against a spirited Marlborough. We were 2–0 down within the first 20 minutes when we changed formation – and things began to click.

First, Oliver Garnett scored a great solo goal before half-time to make it 2–1. And then in the second half Malvern scored two goals through Garnett (again) and Mac Salisbury- Plaice to take the lead. The last quarter of the game was a dingdong affair and Marlborough grabbed an equaliser with ten minutes to go. Both sides then narrowly missed chances to win, and in the end a draw was a fair result.

Our second match (against RGS Worcester) produced a determined performance on what was the worst pitch we played on all season. A morning of rain resulted in the pitch turning into a mud bath within five minutes, and meant that there was little hope of beautiful football. An early goal for Malvern from Mac Salisbury-Plaice settled our nerves, and we dominated the first half, Jonathan Asamoah scoring a second just before half-time. The second half saw RGS get back into the game and level the scores at 2–2. With the match heading towards a muddy draw Salisbury-Plaice showed his class, producing a great finish when an RGS ball fell to him.

After a long coach journey the 2nd XI did not do themselves justice in the early exchanges in their match against Sherbourne, 3–1 down at the break, with our goal coming 1 74

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direct from a corner by Temidola Shonubi. Stern words were uttered at half-time and the team started the second half with a different attitude. Despite the fact that Sherborne were playing the better football, we grabbed a foothold in the game with a great strike from outside the box by Jonathan Asamoah. Now we finally started playing some good stuff, and when Asamoah hit the post, Sebastian Corry was able to bundle the ball in for a deserved equalizer. The game then ding-donged back and forth and either side could have nicked a winner. As it was, the boys held out for a welldeserved draw which, after the poor start, seemed like a win.

In our next game the 2nd XI secured an assured victory against a newly-formed Cheltenham College 1st XI. Two early penalties from Temidola Shanoubi settled our nerves, and the game never looked in doubt from then on, as neat interplay from Sebastian Corry created a chance for Mac Sainsbury-Plaice to score our third. The game opened up in the second half and we missed several glorious chances.Ludo Staley scored from a corner and then Temidola Shenoubi missed his hat-trick when his cross was diverted in by a defender. Overall this was an excellent team performance.

The Second XI produced their best performance of the season against Millfield, despite losing the game 2–0. The team passed the ball well and used the width to tear Millfield apart at times. Our counterparts scored with their only two shots on target, whilst their goalkeeper pulled off several outstanding saves. Henry Forbes deserves special mention for his roving runs up front, and Alex Kling mesmerised the opposition defence with his tricky feet. Jack Haynes was

outstanding at the back, marshalling the team and making several vital tackles.

On account of the weather, the fixture against the Old Malvernians turned out to be our last game of the season.

The 2nd XI knew it was going to be a difficult day – not only because of the miserable weather, but also owing to several absent regular players. They started nervously and tentatively against what was a much bigger and stronger team, and were two goals down within the first fifteen minutes. However, an injury to the OMs’ keeper gave a break to gather themselves and receive some much-needed information. Although Malvern conceded once more before halftime they were growing into the match. Super-sub Imoesi Ogwemoh came on, glided past two defenders, played a one-two with Luc Crompton and aptly put the ball in the net within the first 30 seconds of the half, which gave the team some much needed confidence. They then began to battle and grabbed another well-taken goal by Luc Crompton.

The OMs did manage to score one more, but the boys’ side was much the better in the second period, and had the last laugh with Josh Preston scoring after working extremely hard all game. The final score was 4–3 to the OMs in what was a very competitive game in awful conditions.

Overall the boys worked extremely hard all season and deserve a great deal of praise for the way they worked for each other, both in match situations and during training.

Many of the team will be returning next year, which bodes well for the senior teams in 2019.

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3rd XI

Malvern kicked off the season away at Marlborough, slipping to a narrow 2–1 defeat. The team went 1–0 down early on through a penalty and a goalmouth scramble led to a second for Marlborough – a tough deficit to recover from. However, some fast, direct football by Malvern led to chances for Josh Preston and Luc Crompton. And then, a spirited, competitive second-half performance was rewarded as Hans BarreSchmidt and Crompton set up a goal for Preston.

Further comebacks evaded us as we competed well in very wet conditions, first against local rivals RGS Worcester, and then against Sherborne. Nick Yeoward put Malvern ahead against RGS with a shot from 30 yards, and later in the match, after we had fallen far behind, Luc Crompton’s close-range finish and Ludo Staley’s tap-in from a corner gave Malvern hope, but ultimately there was not enough time to complete the comeback and the game finished with a 3–5 loss. After a goalless first half against a very physical Sherborne side, with keeper Sacha Beaufils Grosman making some good saves, Malvern fell behind to two goals in 5 minutes early in the second half. Luc Crompton then scored with an excellent finish after good play from Hans BarreSchmidt, but despite some further opportunities, Malvern were hit on the break chasing an equaliser in the final few seconds to leave the score 1–3.

So far the team had battled well and played some excellent football at times, so despite three defeats in a row, hopes were high that the first win was just around the corner. And the team finally got their rewards with an excellent 7–1 victory on a snowy afternoon in Cheltenham. Luc Crompton equalised from a tight angle before setting up Josh Preston, 176

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and Imoesi Ogwemoh made it 3–1. Four more goals then followed, in a rout. It was a great team performance but Ethan Wang, for his throw-in prowess and Monty Lampard for a memorable 40 yard pass, deserve mention.

That game proved to be the highlight of the season.

Unfortunately, in the final match, Malvern just couldn’t get their passing game going against Millfield, losing 2–1.

2–0 down Luc Crompton headed in on the goal line when Nick Yeoward’s corner was fumbled by the Millfield keeper, but despite Adriaan Berger hitting the crossbar late-on from long-range, Malvern just couldn’t fashion enough chances to secure the equaliser.

These boys were a pleasure to coach. I thank them all for their efforts, and wish them a more favourable scorecard next year.

SV

4th XI

2018 was an outstanding season for the fourths on several fronts. Not only did the team end the season undefeated and with a total goal ratio of 20 to 6, but the team itself won in terms of their camaraderie, abilities, and effort. In short, it was a season in which the best qualities of schoolboy sport were on display and the team made Malvern (and their coach) proud.

In our first game against the Marlborough 3rd XI, the shock of letting an early goal through was just the wakeup that we needed after a long off-season break, and soon we had counter-attacked with a goal to the back of the net just before the half-time whistle. After what would become one of the fourth’s signature inspirational half-time talks, the team went out and scored two quick goals to finish 4–2 (goal scorers: Jack Onslow (x2), Imoesi Ogwemoh, Dominic Leicher) with a resounding victory that sounded the clarion call for any future would-be opponents.

In our next match against Sherborne, the boys came out early in the first half to secure three quick goals against a somewhat shell-shocked opposition. With three more in the first half, the sun was clearly shining on us, despite the overcast and damp conditions of Dorset. The momentum slowed somewhat in the second half as a reinvigorated Sherborne fought back to secure two goals. However, with a tenacity built from the midfielders, and a goal-of-the-match performance from Harvey Freeman from thirty meters out, the 4ths ended on a double-figure score (10–2) that did them much credit. Goal scorers: Lawrence Hooker (x4), Jack Onslow, Nana Asante (x2), Dominic Leicher, Harvey Freeman (x2).

As if the opposition was not enough of a challenge, Nature herself through everything at us, including a snowstorm, during our match against Cheltenham. However, this only made the team more unified and determined.

Implementing their training, it was greater possession and ball control, combined with a better sense of communication, that secured the fourths a strong 4–0 victory. Goal scorers: Lawrence Hooker (x2), Jack Onslow, Harvey Freeman.

Determined to avenge their 12–1 loss last year, the Fourths came out hard and strong against the giants from Millfield in their final game of the season. Despite the slope being against them, and the sun being in their eyes, the boys secured that all-important early goal to go 1–0 up.

Unfortunately, the opposition retorted and then, after an uncharacteristic lapse in defence, we let through another.

Going into the half-time break 2–1 down, the team soon rallied behind a call for ‘heads up’, ‘talk to each other’ and ‘you are the better team’ from their coach. The second half turned into a brutal affair with Millfield resorting to fairly physical tactics (much to the displeasure of the referee) but we kept our heads and gained a penalty in the box that was safely put through by Nana Asante. With our goalie, Darik de Jong, defending like a Trojan, we held off to secure a crucial draw. ‘Undefeated’ they cried, and, more importantly, they had played like a team and they were superior sportsman.

What more could the College ask of them?

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Under 15A

Mr Lanfear and I very much enjoyed coaching the U15 As, and the stats read Played 5, Won 3, Lost 2 (goals for: 18, goals against: 7). It was the second consecutive season that I had worked with this group of players, so it was good to be able to pick up where we left off last year. We kept with the same 3-5-2 wing-back system that we had used the previous season, and it worked so well that Gareth Southgate decided to employ a similar system with England at the World Cup! We kicked off the season with an impressive 5–1 victory over Marlborough College with a hat trick of goals from Vansh Ladwa, and one apiece for captain Joshua Dickenson and Rahul Tjan. Our second match was a much closer affair against RGS Worcester. Although Charles Williams scored a ‘banger’ from outside the box, we squandered several good first half opportunities and went in at half-time 2–1 down.

We missed the presence of Joshua Dickenson in the centre of our midfield, who was ill, and we also missed a secondhalf penalty. Although a draw would probably have been a fair result on the balance of play, with the lads tiring and the pitch conditions deteriorating, I don’t think we did enough in the second half to force a goal, and with no further score RGS Worcester ran out 2–1 winners. This defeat did not dent the boys’ enthusiasm, and pleasingly we bounced back with a 4 – 0 victory over Sherborne School, with goals from Dickenson, Theo Stapleton, Lewis McMurdo and Ladwa.

Our momentum was somewhat checked by the halfterm break, and in our first game back (away at Millfield) we started slowly and were 3–1 down at half-time, our goal coming from Lewis McMurdo. Having lost to the same 178

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opposition 5–3 the previous year, the boys were keen to make amends and in the second half we upped the tempo and pressed Millfield higher up the pitch. We dominated the second half and got two goals back, another for McMurdo and one for his strike partner Vansh Ladwa. At 3–3 the game seemed to have been saved; however, Millfield scored in the final attack of the game which left the boys rather undeserved 4–3 losers. The season finished on a high, however, with a 4–0 victory over Bristol Grammar School, our goals coming from Lewis McMurdo (twice), and one apiece for Tom Cox and Vansh Ladwa.

Features of the season included: the team’s good passing style of play, which will stand them in good stead as they progress into senior ranks; their good work ethic – vital when using the wing-back system of play; the defensive solidity provided by our regular defensive unit of Tom Cox, Minty Murray, and Nelson Kunst, which gave a good base from which to play out from the back; the good game management of our regular midfield trio of Charles Williams, Billy Tulloch, and Joshua Dickenson; the rotation of our wing-backs of Tom Hughes, Rahul Tjan, Shea John, and Theo Stapleton; and the assists of Pablo Dorai Raj, allied to the pace provided by Lewis McMurdo and Vansh Ladwa up front.

MMC

Under 15B

The U15Bs opened the season at home against Marlborough with a comprehensive 4–0 win. Shea John was industrious in midfield throughout, although it took 20 minutes to open the scoring through Paolo Combastet. Theo Stapleton then took over with a hat-trick, his first a 20-yard curling effort into the top corner. The boys then racked up a second impressive victory of the season, playing some excellent football despite a heavy, muddy pitch against RGS Worcester. Once Tariq Al Guthami had tucked away a composed finish for the opener, the goals started to flow. 4–0 up at half-time, we kicked on in the second period, with Tariq claiming a hattrick before Alexei Poulet struck the pick of the bunch with a 30-yard curling effort into the top corner. Patrick Moyle had an excellent game, running hard down the channels and creating many chances as well as scoring one himself.

Sherborne were our next visitors, and proved to be stubborn opposition. We were indebted to George Batyrev who was called up to play in goal after regular keeper Jamie Hawkins was promoted to the A team. George made some crucial interventions but despite another strike from Tariq Al Guthami, we found ourselves 2–1 down heading into the final few minutes. But our pressure in Sherborne’s penalty area brought about a penalty for a handball, and Alexei Poulet calmly dispatched a well-deserved equaliser to earn a 2–2 draw.

The final match of the season saw us record a thoroughly-deserved 5–2 victory at Millfield. We conceded first, but equalised through Artemov from 18 yards. Millfield regained the lead, but we found an equaliser through Paolo Combastet. And in the final minute of the half, Artemov

hooked in an excellent shot – with his back to goal – to give us the lead. The second half saw us take control of the game, with Artemov tapping in a rebound for his hat-trick, and Theo Stapleton rounding off the win with an over-head kick from close range.

The whole squad deserve plenty of credit for a thoroughly enjoyable season, with coaches Mr Mathews and Mr Cramp often joining in training sessions and rolling back the years! In addition to the attacking talent already mentioned, Tendo Kauma, Sam Carleton-Paget, and captain George Blackburn all deserve a mention for their commitment to training and consistent performances in defence and midfield throughout the season.

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Under 15C

The 15Cs had an enjoyable term of recreational football where we trained on Tuesdays and Thursdays both indoor and outdoor. We emphasised playing for fun, enjoying our football and working on the basics. The boys’ enthusiasm was second-to-none, as shown by good turnouts from week to week. We had a trial game against Sherborne School which resulted in a 7–1 win for Malvern. The team got off to an enterprising start, with some effective passing in the midfield from Max Hood and George Dean. Oliver James also made some marauding runs from left-back, which really helped to build the team’s momentum. The Malvern side took a while to warm up in front of goal, and the opening twenty minutes were a tale of frustration and missed opportunities. However, George Dean’s clinical finishing soon rectified this, and the goals began to flow. Andrew Jung managed to score an impressive header, and Oliver James’ move from defence into midfield saw him get his own name on the scoresheet. Paras Ladwa’s solid performance at centre back saw him earn the Man of the Match award.

Overall, it was a very dominant performance, and the team should be happy with the manner in which they kept their discipline and sense of intent right until the final whistle, when it would have been easy to fall into complacency.

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Under 14A

With snowfall on three separate occasions, there were many cancellations during the Lent Term. The Under 14 A team started their season with an exciting 4–3 win against RGS Worcester. The rain fell for the majority of the game and it was difficult for the boys to find their footing. Malvern got off to the perfect start when Edward Freeman scored with a sweet left-footed strike. We were soon 2–0 up when Oliver Tulloch broke away from the defence and calmly chipped the keeper. RGS got one back before Oliver Tulloch got his second meaning that Malvern led 3–1 at half-time. After missed opportunities to put the game out of RGS’s reach, the opposition started to dominate the midfield and clawed their way back into the game at 3–3, despite some great saves

by Angus Catto. Malvern seemed to be holding on but with a few minutes to go the ball dropped to Myles Holland who calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.

Against Sherborne, Malvern started well, taking the lead early in the first half. This looked like it was going to be a tight game as each side looked to take control, ebbing and flowing with chances at both ends. But As the half went on, the physicality of the Sherborne players started to tell – and four goals in the space of ten minutes suddenly put Malvern in a dire situation at 1–4. The second half saw a much more aggressive Malvern, enjoying more possession than formerly. And a goal for Joe Randall (his second) meant that Malvern had a chance to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the third goal did not come and a late goal by Sherborne saw them finish 5–2 winners, leaving the Malvernians wondering what might have been had they played consistently through the whole match.

The final game of the season saw Malvern play a strong Millfield side. This was the best performance of the season so far from the Under 14 As – a defeat, but a thrilling and closely-fought affair on an excellent pitch, bursting with goals. But it was the most bizarre start to a game I have ever witnessed. Millfield kicked off: and we did not touch the ball before they scored. Malvern kicked off: we did exactly the same to them. They then repeated the same feat to take a 2–1 lead – after a mere 3 minutes! The game now settled down and it was clear that Malvern were going to have to be at their very best in order to compete. And we were battling for every ball and were making headway through set pieces – scoring twice from corners. We found ourselves 4–3 down at half-time and it was crucial we scored the next goal.

Unfortunately, this did not happen and instead Millifield scored two in quick succession. This could have completely demoralised the boys, but Myles Holland rallied the troops, working tirelessly in the midfield. Malvern dominated the final quarter of the match, and when Oliver Cox scored to make it 6–4, it certainly seemed ‘game on’. But a couple of missed chances towards the end meant that Millfield hung on to their 6–4 lead. It was a great game and Malvern should be very proud of their performance.

This is certainly a team that has potential, with some gifted footballers. They were well led by Myles Holland, who had some strong performances throughout the season.

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Under 14B

In their first match of the season, the Malvern U14Bs won a thrilling encounter against RGS Worcester. Malvern were first to open the scoring with a well struck goal from Eldridge on 23 minutes, after a well-placed through pass from Watson. However, RGS counter-attacked quickly and were level again just a minute later. Fortunately, on the stroke of half-time, Stephenson hit a textbook volley which the RGS goal-keeper could not control, with the ball spinning out into his net. One other notable piece of action this half was a brilliant one-handed high save from Sigley on his goalkeeping debut. The Malvernians went in at half-time with a 2–1 advantage.

In the second half, the U14Bs continued the livelier and had numerous chances to stretch their lead. In particular, the powerful long-range shots of Pickering had been threatening all afternoon. One of note was a thunderous shot from 30 yards which beat the RGS keeper, only to be thwarted by the goalpost. Malvern eventually came through with a Sasa tap-in from close range to take it to a 3–1 lead. But RGS had other ideas and were always a threat with their hallmark counter-attack. One such RGS sortie unfortunately resulted in Pickering bringing down an RGS player for a penalty against Malvern: 3–2! RGS quickly attacked again from the kick-off and equalised with a fine goal from an acute angle.

However, I was very impressed with the resilience of the U14Bs as they continued to press, even though precious few minutes remained on the clock. Then, with the final attack of the game, Finch managed to break through the RGS defence and ran on to strike the ball into the lower left

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corner – the boys were jubilant! Thus, an impressive 4–3 win in their first match.

After a further win at Pinwood Prep, it was a season of extremes for the U14Bs. The team ran in 6–0 victors against Sherborne (Scorers: Harry Finch (2), James Pickering, Ted Evans, Charles Faujour, Lucas Sweet), only to be brought ack down to earth with a 9–0 loss at Millfield. So, all in all, we finished with three wins and one loss, and all the boys played extremely well together as a team. I very much enjoyed working with them.

DS

Under 14C

Under 14 Cs is a broad church, and was this year populated by the unapologetically competitive, the willing amateur, and the satirical, in roughly equal measures. Every session was enjoyable and energetic and games were hard-fought but very good-natured.

The Cs only had two fixtures: Millfield (away) and Sherborne (at home).

In terms of footballing skill, Millfield and Malvern were well-matched, but the Millfield boys’ strength, speed and stature made a big difference. From the outset, it was clear that the opposition were going to play very high-up, finding themselves offside on numerous occasions. The tactic was nevertheless effective, with sprinters pouring through to meet passes from midfield, and get in behind the Malvern defence. Tarush Agrewal, Tanush Sengai and George McEwan were especially stalwart in clearing the ball from the danger zone – but were ultimately outgunned.

As the match proceeded, we were pinned in our own half, and against the breeze and the slope in the second half, found it hard regroup effectively before the next attack.

Millfield ultimately won 8–0, a result it was hard to argue with. Malvern Man of the match: Pratham Ladwa – our goalkeeper.

We enjoyed more success when Sherborne visited Malvern, when the boys enjoyed a positive and purposeful performance against a well-drilled and physical opposition.

The Cs retained their shape, and from the outset kept the ball on the ground, and showed a keenness to build attacks from midfield. Patient work was rewarded after 20 minutes with a goal from Basil Strolz after a series of quick passes.

Ten minutes later, Nuwamanya Rukandema scored a second, ending the half with a fitting scoreline.

In the second half, Malvern were facing up the slope – and a more attack-minded Sherborne than hitherto. After ten minutes the visitors scored a very composed goal after a strong build-up. Malvern responded within five minutes with a coolly scored goal by Sam Hughes.

Sherborne responded almost immediately, scoring a powerful goal from a rare corner. Any hopes of an opposition resurgence were snuffed out by a fine shot into the top corner from Rukandema, quickly followed by a tap-in by Alex Raw after a shot from Charlie Canton-Smith could only be parried by the opposition keeper.

This was a really enjoyable match, and deserved victory, in which everyone played a part, both on and off the pitch.

It wouldn’t have been possible without the inspirational support and wisdom of Steve Hu from the sidelines and the invigorating team talks provided by Max Hilton, both of whom provided the irony, humour and managerial acumen that were the hallmarks of this majestic team.

DJK

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Girls’ Under 18

After the departure of many of our more long-standing players at the end of the academic year 2016–2017, the 2017–2018 season saw a smaller, less experienced squad take the field. However, despite only having 13 regular players, the U18 team had a very successful season and grew in confidence as the season progressed. The team was ably led by the captain, Trinny Salnikow, and the vice-captain, Heleena D’Oliveira, who, along with Poppy Houghton, were our three most experienced players and ever-presents in the side. Much of the season’s success was down to their commitment and leadership. Defensively, Poppy Houghton, Beatrice Barnes, Savanna Desmarquest, Molly McNicholas and Cordelia Lampard proved difficult for opponents to break down and were backed up by Vivien Kruse who was outstanding in goal; consequently, the U18s only conceded 9 goals all season. In the Autumn Term, our attacking options proved somewhat limited as we relied overly on Trinny Salnikow to provide our goals but, by the Lent Term, Chiara Hoffmann and Eleonora Bokun found their form and were augmented by Natasha White. This made for a more potent attacking formation and provided the foundation for four wins and a draw and a plethora of goals, with 21 in just 5 matches. Similarly, our defence and midfield were significantly strengthened in the Lent Term by the arrival of Elise Black, Esther Woods and Lucie Gonder.

The Girls’ U18 XI made a very encouraging start to the Autumn Term, with a 2–0 win at St Clare’s, Oxford. In a very evenly contested match, the first half ended 0–0. But in the second half, Malvern broke down the St Clare’s defence with Chiara Hoffmann and Eleonora Bokun both scoring. In 184

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what was an excellent team performance, Beatrice Barnes was player of the match, with an outstanding contribution in defence. The next week, against Cheltenham Ladies’ College on a slippery astroturfed pitch, the team dominated most of the match, but frustratingly they could not convert any of their chances, so the match ended 0–0. Player of the match was Cordelia Lampard.

We now played what was effectively a two-leg fixture against a physically robust and very fit Welbeck Defence College side. First, we travelled to Leicestershire for a tightly contested match. Malvern went ahead from a brilliant strike

by Trinny Salnikow, after she stormed down the right wing, and we dominated the first quarter. But Welbeck equalized with a very scrappy goal from a corner. The second half remained very even but Welbeck took their chances well to go 3–1 up and, despite some Malvern pressure in the last 10 minutes, we couldn’t close the deficit. In the return leg, on a very stormy afternoon, another close and exciting match saw Welbeck open the scoring early, only for Mena Ladwa to equalize with a fine lob. But just before half-time Welbeck restored their lead. The second half saw end-to-end play, with player-of-the-match Vivien Kruse making a string of excellent saves to deny Welbeck. However, despite a couple of near misses, the U18s could not get an equalizer and the match ended 2–1 to Welbeck.

The team started the Lent Term at home with a convincing 3–0 win against Bradfield College. After just 3 minutes, Chiara Hoffmann powered her way through the defence to open the scoring, but despite a lot of near misses, the U18s couldn’t find the net again in the first half. In a fastpaced second half, Vivien Kruse, Molly McNicholas and

Poppy Houghton thwarted Bradfield’s attack on numerous occasions. Ten minutes into the half, Trinny Salnikow added a second goal, with a strong run before shooting past the advancing keeper. And five minutes from time Chiara Hoffmann made it 3–0 with a stinging drive from 20 metres, to round off an excellent all-round team performance.

The goals continued in a highly entertaining match the following Saturday as we entertained Rugby School.

Malvern opened the scoring after 5 minutes, with a welltaken goal by Heleena D’Oliveira, and a few minutes later Saamiah Zaveri added a second. Rugby then came back strongly and at half-time it was 2–2. In the second half, Trinny Salnikow put us in the lead with a long-range strike before Rugby again equalized. Despite several near misses in the last 10 minutes, the U18s couldn’t break the deadlock and the match ended 3–3.

After a long coach journey, the U18s started slowly in their return-leg match at Bradfield and most of the first half was dominated by the home side. Goalless at halftime, the U18s stepped up a gear in the second half. First, Eleonara Bokun opened the scoring with a brilliant lob from 20 metres, and then, 10 minutes from time, pressure at a corner forced an own goal to extend our lead and seal an excellent 2–0 away win. Players of the match were Esther Woods and Lucie Gonder, both making impressive debuts.

Two resounding wins, home and away against Cheltenham College, closed the season. First, there was a convincing 5–0 victory against Cheltenham College, with Trinny Salnikow scoring a hat-trick, and both Esther Woods and Chiara Hoffmann also getting on the score sheet. In the away leg, the final match of the season, Malvern extended

their unbeaten run to 5 matches with an unequivocal 8–1 win. We opened up a three-goal margin in the first 20 minutes, with Eleonora Bokun scoring twice, and Trinny Salnikow once, before Cheltenham College got one back.

Almost immediately Chiara Hoffmann restored our threegoal lead, making it 4–1 at half-time. In the second half, the U18s played some excellent football, with Vivien Kruse twice finishing clinically, Chiara Hoffmann netting a second from long range, and Molly McNicholas finishing brilliantly after a powerful run. This was a great team performance, though Vivien Kruse distinguished herself as player of the match.

I would like to thank the ground staff, led by Martin Evans, for providing us with a great playing surface for our home fixtures, and Dean Sibthorpe and Rupert Needham for their unfailing good humour and infectious enthusiasm in leading our training sessions. As ever, the girls showed the highest standards of sportsmanship throughout the season and were a delight to coach come rain or shine.

JAG

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Netball 1st VII

The 1st VII girls played some fantastic netball throughout this season, despite enduring a long series of defeats.

Everyone who stepped up to play in this first team played a role. Having the flexibility and talent allowed us to make many changes during matches, with those who came on bringing energy to the court and impact to the game. Kitty Wright lead the team well, and with her positivity and motivation the girls turned up to each game focused on their task ahead.

The girls had a tough start to the season with a triangular tournament against Bromsgrove and Cheltenham College.

Bromsgrove went 9 goals up in the first quarter, their zone defence proving effective and disrupting our forward play, which became forced under pressure. The second quarter saw some improvement on court, the attack hitting circle edge more effectively, but Bromsgrove did not slow and went to a lead of 11 goals. The third quarter saw our defence turn more ball, with Issy Carter making a good impact. When fed well, Kitty Wright and Claudia Cascon Pulido were a force to be reckoned with, but pressure throughout meant that opportunities came rarely. The mental resilience needed to start again after a match like this is not easy and yet the girls did well to start strongly against the other team in the tournament (Cheltenham College) and show just what

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character Malvernians have, forcing a tight game that went right to wire as we narrowly lost.

Against Bloxham the girls stepped out on court ready and rearing to go, knowing that the game could easily return a win if they worked hard and focused on the basics. Malvern started off well, working the ball down the court and linking up play between Lauren Maxey at goal defence and Ann Doroshenko at centre court for Claudia Cascon Pulido and Kitty Wright (3) who worked the circle. This made it very hard for the Bloxham defence to turn ball over. The girls kept their energy and motivation and continued to work the ball through court after some great defensive turn-overs in the circle from Issy Carter. The teams were very evenly matched, and on another day Malvern might easily have taken the win.

Following such a close defeat, The 1st VII were hungry going into their next game, against King’s Worcester.

A midweek fixture gave opportunity for younger players including Megan Jones and Millie Page. King’s were strong defensively, but we were also able to create turnover effectively. Several goals down in the first quarter, the players rallied well to bring the match back to an even scoreline.

Daisy Lazarus was feeding the shooters well, especially at wing attack, whilst Claudia Cascon Pulido was making a nuisance of herself in both attack and defence. But in the

final quarter King’s were able to snuff out their errors, and eventually this won them the match.

Against St Edward’s in the first quarter Malvern looked sharp, moving the ball well and taking it straight to goal.

Lauren Maxey made a fine start in defence, turning the ball over regularly, with Molly Gibbard and Kitty Wright moving the ball round in the circle and forcing Teddies’ defence to work hard to try and turn ball. But the game shifted. Malvern could not quite keep their Centre passes, and St Edward’s began to pull away, with some great interceptions as they got amongst our defence and errors forced by their tight marking through centre court. Malvern kept trying to narrow the gap but couldn’t quite pinch the win.

The first team knew that the next challenge, playing an unbeaten Wycliffe side, would be a tough contest. The first quarter saw Wycliffe take a strong 18–5 lead. Malvern did succeed in reducing the deficit through some fantastic defensive work from Claudia Cascon Pulido and Phoebe Palmer O’ Riordan, who worked together to turn ball over in the defensive circle. The game saw many players progress and was enjoyable to watch in spite of a score which perhaps does not fully reflect the match.

Against Pate’s Grammar School, with both teams fairly evenly matched, the game looked set to be an exciting one.

We started off strong keeping possession and working the ball down court, but Pate’s defence were extremely tall and worked as a strong unit, forcing our attack to vary the passes into the circle. Both teams forced errors: for our part, some fantastic turn-overs from Phoebe Palmer-O’Riordan which allowed Malvern to take it to goal. But Pate’s were also turning ball after ball and making it very difficult for Malvern to

keep the lead. At the final quarter, it was all to play for, as Kitty Wright and Poppy Underwood in the shooting circle continued to work on and off the ball, trying to make it easy for our attack to feed into the circle. But Pate’s shooters were also on form, and unfortunately Malvern lost out once more.

This year saw a strong OM team return to play the 1sts.

Emily Humfress and Vicky James made a dynamic shooting duo who rarely missed, being well supported by the centre court of Hannah Jefferson and Becky Connell. Malvern’s centre court worked very well – with Daisy Lazarus and Cordelia Lampard in particular working tirelessly to keep the tempo of the game high – and the OMs had difficulty slowing the ball down. But eventually the OMs’ intensity was too much for the 1st team and they got a deserved win.

In their last match of the season, every player of the team was focused on the task at hand. With players keen to end their netball at the College on the high, the work rate was excellent from start to finish: Daisy Lazarus fed the shooters exceptionally well; in defence Cordelia Lampard played her wing attack counterpart out of the game; and Phoebe Palmer-O’Riordan was immensely strong defensively in the circle. Malvern took an early lead of 2 goals and maintained this focus throughout, completing a testing season – and some Malvern playing-careers, with a delightful win. There is no doubt the performance would not have been achieved without every member of the squad playing their best netball and supporting each other.

CAHW

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2nd VII

The first game was against a strong Bromsgrove side and produced a 5–11 defeat. The team started with confidence and won several turnovers but Bromsgrove’s tall Goal Keeper made it difficult to convert. At half-time we discussed some tactics which the team implemented successfully, to pull back the final score to 5–11. Player of the match was Nathalia Prior for great work-rate both in attack and defence.

The second game against Cheltenham, though still a defeat was much closer at 12–16, and there was some lovely flowing attack and really strong shooting. After 3 quarters we were tied, but Cheltenham just pulled away in the last quarter. Player of the match was Milly Cox for really tight marking, good communication and multiple interceptions at GK. Special mention goes to Scarlett Woods, who took the role of captain for this triangular fixture.

A still-closer 18–19 loss to Bloxham School followed. It was a tentative start to this match on the wet surface, and the team went down 3–6 after the first quarter. A few team changes and great determination and focus in the second quarter was rewarded by our winning that quarter 7–2, to take a two-goal lead. The second half was very even, both teams showing excellent movement in attack, and the shooting accuracy was fantastic, even though it was especially difficult given the rain. The timing of the final whistle was just unfortunate, with Bloxham one goal ahead. The teamwork and communication from Malvern were much improved from last week. Outstanding shooting from Emily Atherton in Goal Attack, but player of the match to Eleanor Blyth for excellent defensive pressure, and demonstrating on-court leadership with her communication and support.

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In a 31–11 loss to St Edward’s Oxford, there was some excellent shooting from both teams in the first quarter; just a few mistakes saw St Edward’s pull ahead to 11–5. In the second quarter the opposition defence really stepped up, making it difficult to find any flow down the court; however, following some team changes at half-time, we had a much stronger third quarter. The opposition pulled away in the last quarter, though, and the final score was 11–31. Despite our being behind, the effort and focus from the whole team was impressive throughout, particularly Millie Cox at GK and Nathalia Prior at Centre.

But player of the match was Kitty Moyle for tight defending and interceptions in WD, but also quick reactions to transition and support the attacking play after turnovers.

The 2nd team had a very closely contested match with Wycliffe (losing 28–23) and all worked really hard, especially on defence where a full team effort put pressure on the opposition and created numerous turnovers. Siima Rukandema, who played with the 2nds for the first time, had a strong game in Goal Keeper and challenged every ball. Kitty Moyle and Lili Solbach both excelled playing out of position in Centre and Wing Attack. The shooting was accurate throughout the game, but the opposition stepped up their defence in the final quarter and just pulled away to take the game 28–23.

The award of player of the match went to Claudia Jackson for well-timed attacking moves and great shooting.

The Old Malvernians were able to get 2 teams together for this fixture for the first time – an exciting development.

The Malvern players were keen to put in a good show, although they found tough opposition in the OMs who were keen to show their competitive spirit. Control of the game

fluctuated between the 2nd VII and the Oms; however, when the 2nd VII got the ball into the circle Annie O’Gorman shot incredibly well helping them to victory (25–13).

The season featuring many defeats ended with an 18–18 draw against Dean Close. The 2nd team had a tough start to their match and went down by 5 goals in the first quarter, but some tactical discussion and team changes kept them in close range in the second quarter. The team spirit and determination were evident in the third quarter as the players on court worked together really well, backed up by some great vocal support from the bench; but they were still 6 goals behind going into the last. The last quarter was an outstanding effort from the whole team, as the defence turned over the opposition centre passes again and again, and the attack stayed calm and focused to convert every chance. The final few minutes were very tense as the score got closer, but the team successfully absorbed the pressure to claim a well-deserved draw.

RHJ

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3rd VII

The opening fixture of the season is always a triangular against Bromsgrove School and Cheltenham College, and is generally seen as an opportunity to take a dignified third place. This year, however, harnessing the home advantage and their better knowledge of the Firs Courts’ Footwork Challenge, the thirds triumphed against the odds. Thanks to some outstanding defence by player of the match Siima Rukandema and Kitty Moyle, a determined Bromsgrove attack was repeatedly denied, while Ellen Berry at Goal Shooter converted everything that was asked of her. We won 11–9.

The second game of the triangular, against a rather chaotic Cheltenham College and in fading light, was far less clinical. Nevertheless, we stabilised our passing in the third quarter and made sure that possession was maintained and converted. Kitty Moyle and player of the match Issy Shuker were particularly impressive in combining both intensity and precision in their play, and Ellen Berry did well to keep her cool and shoot successfully against some dubious defensive tactics. We won 7–3.

The thunderous thirds continued their fine form against Bloxham, emerging worthy winners (14–11) in a tightly contested fixture. Most encouraging to see was the way in which everyone gave their all. Despite playing in cold and wet weather, not a single girl complained, but rather rubbed her hands together, pulled her bib over her jumper, wiped the rain from her eyelids, and went for it. Special mention goes to Issy Shuker for superb play at centre, to Beatriz Cunningham for showing exceptional improvement at wing defence and to player of the match, Kitty Moyle (4), not only 19 0

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for neutralising the Bloxham goal attack, but for being an outstanding team motivator.

The long trip by coach to St Edward’s, Oxford, could not be blamed for the Thunderous Thirds’ losing their boom.

Nor could the grim weather. Nor the fact that master motivator Kitty Moyle had been promoted to the Seconds. But it didn’t help. In a match that ebbed and flowed from quarter to quarter, we found ourselves 7–6 up at half-time. However, the third quarter was a messy and disorganised affair for Malvern, and Teddies were able to take a four goal lead into the final quarter, ultimately beating us by 19–12. That said, Olivia Hyde was outstanding at Goal Shooter and Issy Shuker continued to dominate proceedings in centre court, earning themselves joint players of the match.

SDB

Under 15A

The under 15A team had a year of transition, with several players making the jump to the 1st VII, whilst those remaining put great effort into the season’s fixtures.

In an opening 5–31 loss against Bromsgrove, our focus was Stage 2 defence. This added pressure to Bromsgrove’s passing when coming down the court and therefore forced errors within the passes. Unfortunately, despite this the score at the end of the 3rd quarter was 1–26. With this in mind, going into the last quarter the defence worked on their tactics within the D to try and pressure the shooters when shooting by a variety of techniques. This really worked as Bromsgrove only managed to score 4 goals in this quarter, giving us something to build on from the match.

Following defeats against Cheltenham College (6–29) and King’s Worcester (14–52), there came a first win of the season – a brilliant 26–23 against Bloxham. Although the girls were trailing Bloxham by 3 goals in the 1st and 2nd quarter, the girls pulled the game back by drawing the 3rd quarter 20–20 and then dominating towards the end. In the third quarter Madeleine Queen excelled by showing passion and taking some lovely interceptions and tips. Sofia Hsu, Millie Page, and Evie Dickinson all distinguished themselves for their consistent and effective shooting throughout the game. Finally, during the last quarter Evie Dickinson’s zoning defence as Wing Defence led to her blocking out their shooters. This was an exceptional game.

Another really good game followed, against St Edward’s, Oxford, though this time we lost out 25–15. The game started with the girls practising a defence wall and successfully turning over the ball. Jessica Kenyon-Stanley showed a

good variety of passes on the back-line pass, with Charlotte Bulley, Madeleine Queen, and Chioma Anazodo giving her options – something we had practised in training. Jess also showed some reverse-arm tips in the D. Charlotte Bulley played really well (out of position) at Wing Defence. In the last quarter the girls played excellently and scored 8 goals over the opposition who scored 4. We followed this up with a 14–8 midweek win against Malvern St James on the AstroTurf in the snow.

But then there was disappointment. This was a strong U15A team, but against Pate’s Grammar the opposition wanted the win more and fought a lot harder for their 18–25 victory. The team was lacking energy and fire that usually burns bright. This made it difficult for us going into the match against Wycliffe – a strong team including several regional level players. They defended exceptionally well throughout the game, as demonstrated by the 34–4 score.

Dean Close, our final opposition, were a strong side that dominated in their 35–8 victory, making the game a rather gruelling experience for the girls. Dean Close had a tall Goal Shooter that really tested our defence. Evie Dickinson and Chioma Anazodo were challenged by this and pushed hard to turn balls; however it was too tough for them.

RHJ

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191

Under 15B

This was a tough season for the U15Bs, who played 10 games over the term (with 8 losses and 2 wins). However, the person who said “it isn’t always about winning; it’s about the taking part” was really only half right: as a team we decided that “it isn’t about the winning; it’s about the enjoyment and development,” and this is certainly what the U15Bs did.

The first match up saw them take on Bromsgrove and Cheltenham College in a triangular fixture. In very cold conditions the girls were faced with a tough match against Bromsgrove, a team who moved the ball very well, and with tall and very accurate opposition shooters the girls had their work cut out for the them from the first quarter.

But all credit goes to the girls, who did not make it easy for Bromsgrove with some brilliant defending. There was great mid-court play, and when we did get the ball to the shooters in the opposite circle they made sure they rewarded their teammates’ tenacity and effort by scoring. The result was a 26–11 loss with Ani King and Freya Beddell named players of the match. And a closer tie followed. At the end of the second quarter against Cheltenham Malvern were leading 6–4 with Ishbel Spencer-Nairn shooting well, and we were still 8–8 at the end of the third. But despite our hard work, Cheltenham managed to edge out ahead with two minutes to go and held onto the lead until the final whistle. The final score was 13–10; players of the match were Georgina Wood and Missy Hingley.

Away at King’s Worcester the girls endured one of their toughest fixtures of the term, a 41–12 loss on a sunny but very cold afternoon. Credit was due to the girls, who never gave up against strong opposition and kept working hard, 19 2

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in particular Banita Dodhia, our player of the match, as she continued to try and get the ball up court quickly. Another cold game followed, against a very tall Bloxham team, which we lost 30–22. The game started well with the girls passing the ball well up through the court with excellent mid-court play from Hannah Afsar and Banita Dodhia, who supported the shooters well. The game ebbed and flowed throughout with the lead changing several times, but in the third quarter Bloxham managed to pull away and build a good lead.

Despite the hard work of the defensive unit of Ani King, Sacha Bitenyo-Jones, and player of the match Freya Bedell in the final quarter, and some brilliant shooting from Ishbel Spencer-Nairn and Maissa de Oliveira, Bloxham had built up a too great a lead and saw out the win in a good game of netball.

Against RGS Worcester, the opposition gained the lead early and maintained it through the game, denying Malvern any chance of the win (26–11). We were guilty of starting slowly and passing inaccurately here. Malvern did however, after a sharp team talk led by Maissa de Oliveira and Banita Dodhia, step up their game and dominate the third quarter.

We played the ball fluently around the court, spreading out and utilising the space created. Coral Arteaga Vivanco was pick of the players in the centre court as she managed to pace the game and slow it down when things became too rushed. One of Malvern’s strengths throughout the match, however, was their defence. We demonstrated fantastic teamwork and collaboration when defending the ball. We portrayed excellent usage of Stage 2 and 3 defence, forcing RGS to make errors. Player of the match was to Ani King,

who shone as Goal Defence. She was everywhere! Whether we were attacking or defending Ani was a key player on court.

With five losses the girls were starting to lose a little bit of hope that they might be able to turn some of their good performances into a win. Having trained well in the week, the girls were keen to play well when they welcomed St Edward’s’ Oxford in the sports complex. And they won 23–19 in a brilliant performance. The match started a little slow with the girls losing the first quarter by three goals. Some good points at quarter-time and a couple of changes saw Harriet Carpenter and Jasmin Ellis (both U14s) stepping up.

The second quarter was Malvern’s but in the third quarter St Edward’s fought back; and by the end of the third quarter St Edward’s were leading 16–15. It was all to play for – and it was fantastic to see the girls determined to band together to win the game. In the fourth quarter they really took the game to St Edward’s, passing the ball well and making use of the space, with the shooters doing a fantastic job, and the defensive unit brilliantly winning rebounds and transitioning the ball well to our mid court players. We completed the win. Maissa de Oliveira and Missy Hingley were named players of the match in a very pleasing performance.

Buzzing from their win, the U15Bs travelled the short distance to take on local rivals Malvern St James, where they were able to make it two in a row. With the snow swirling around, the girls started well, making sure they adapted their play to the conditions with brilliant movement off the ball which supported short, sharp passes to get the ball up the court to Georgina Wood and Maissa de Oliveira, who were shooting well, despite the tall defenders of MSJ. MSJ, however, would not go down without a fight and they too played some lovely, patient netball and made things difficult for the defence; but Sacha Bitenyo-Jones and Lucy Marriott were up the task, and really made the shooters work for every goal. Sacha took some fantastic rebounds which allowed Lucy more freedom to support up-court.

It was a wonderful display of team netball going into the half-term break.

The girls returned rested and rejuvenated. Their work rate in training had improved and on the first Thursday back, a cold but sunny day, the girls travelled to Pate’s Grammar.

Despite starting brightly in the first quarter the girls had a slight drop in performance in the second and third, allowing Pate’s to get back into the game and take the lead. There were loads of great performances from Sacha Bitenyo-Jones, Ani King, and Freya Beddell in defence, and player of the match Missy Hingley worked tirelessly at Centre. Our shooters did extremely well despite the tall defenders of Pate’s putting them under pressure. The team did pull together and passed the ball well and in phases they showed great promise, but unfortunately the end result was a 21–12 loss.

The penultimate game of the season saw the girls travel away to play a very strong Wycliffe College team, in which they lost 23–14 despite another good performance. The girls were not deterred by the challenge; they worked well together linking passes well and testing the tall defence of Wycliffe. The centre-court worked well with Coral ArtegaVivanco, Missy Hingley, and Hannah Afsar linking together well. With a tall and well-trained defensive team, our shooting pairing of Maissa de Oliveira and player of the match Georgina Wood had to work hard to get opportunities to start.

The final game of the season saw the girls travelling to Dean Close, on a cold but sunny day. This was a good game for the girls, which despite the score line (22–17 loss) was very close. The girls moved the ball very well through the court with Sacha Bitenyo-Jones and Freya Beddell defending well, winning several rebounds, and making it tough for the Dean Close shooters to score. At times the pace of the game was very fast, which lead to a lot of turn-overs. The shooters, player of the match Maissa de Oliveira and Jess Vickers, were brilliant, supported well by Harriet Carpenter and Kitty Holroyd. This was a great game of netball and the girls never gave up throughout the game.

Overall, it was a great season and I look forward to seeing the girls playing again next year, albeit in different teams.

CAW

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Under 14A

A tough start to the season saw Malvern’s first fixture in a triangular tournament between Bromsgrove School and Cheltenham College. This is always a tough day for the girls, but the U14As were superb in terms of attitude. Bromsgrove dominated our game from start to finish to beat us 33–3.

Frustratingly, Malvern had two quick injuries resulting in the two players coming off and not being able to play the rest of the day. Malvern tried to keep to the pace of the Bromsgrove girls, but this did not work in our favour. So instead, we quickly identified this as an area to work on and developed a plan to slow the game down if things got too erratic. Key players were Louisa Marsden-Stanley and Arabella Cole, both of whom played their roles well in attack and defence respectively. The player of the match was rightfully awarded to Jemima Martyn-Smith, who played Centre Court throughout the match, turning important balls and controlling the pace of the game.

After this heavy defeat, it would have been easy for the girls to give up, but they had so much determination to win and improve that they came out of the starting blocks with a bang. Cheltenham were again a strong team and won 17–12, but Malvern never let them out of their sights. The girls slowed their game down and found that it worked better for them. Indeed, it was only during moments where the girls panicked that the ball was getting turned over. With two players down and two partly injured, the choice of combinations was slim. This was tough for the girls, as we were playing with the bare 8, so some of the girls played two matches back to back. Pick of the players in this game were Heather Harris and Kitty Holroyd. Heather played extremely hard 19 4

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and put her everything into both games. She turned over balls at Wing Defence and applied a lot of pressure on her Wing Attack counterpart. I was impressed with Kitty as she has come back from an ankle injury and she was extremely determined to play and play well. Her movement in both circles in attack and defence was excellent when supporting Louisa Marsden-Smedley and player-of-the-match Catherine Horn, who had an outstanding game. Catherine is a player that you can always rely on to get interceptions and rebounds, and to cause trouble for the opposition; she supported Kitty Holroyd very well in the defensive circle. I was heavily impressed with the fight and drive that the girls possessed during this tough day. They did not give up, kept smiling, and took away a lot from this triangular fixture.

A cold and wet fixture saw the U14 As playing outside in the rain, a game which we lost 22–11. Owing to a few injuries, the girls had three players come up from the B and C team who played extremely well. Taianna O’Neill, Sarah Jane Starkey, and Jasmine Ellis were called up to the side and all played some excellent netball. Jasmine’s positivity and drive really shone throughout the game; she fed the circle well and worked together with shooters Louisa MarsdenSmedley and Kinvara Clark. Frustratingly, Bloxham led the game from start to finish, scoring off almost every turnover they made. Malvern were a little erratic at times and tried to play the ball downcourt too quickly in the conditions. Balls were going through hands and being dropped all down the court. We did, however, turn the game around in the second quarter where we outplayed the opposition, closing the gap.

Unfortunately we could not sustain this, and we started to

fall further behind. Player of the match was Jemima MartinSmith, who had a tremendous game at Centre and worked hard throughout. I was impressed with how she controlled the pace of the game when we were getting too ahead of ourselves.

In a dark midweek fixture against RGS Worcester, the girls surprised themselves and their coach by playing the best netball they had played so far. We lost the match 11–8 but were worthy of a win. The girls started the game strong and were goal-for-goal abreast of RGS until the last quarter.

Malvern played a strong attack downcourt led by Louisa Marsden-Smedley, and Jasmine Ellis. Louisa and Kinvara Clark were exceptional together in the shooting circle. In the end, the darkness was a great addition to the girls progression as they really had to focus on their passing and catching. Their movement down court also improved as they slowed down their speed of play. Although the girls had not yet won a game, their development as individuals and as a team was showing week on week.

A wet and windy Saturday fixture saw Malvern play out a fairly close 20–14 defeat against an evenly matched side from St Edward’s. Malvern started strongly and were goal-for-goal finishing the first quarter 4–4. The girls had to adapt to the conditions of the environment as it was cold, slippery and wet. But a familiar weakness – rushed play – held us back. We now found ourselves 8 goals behind leading into the last quarter, and had a lot of fighting to do.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite catch up, though we really fought hard. Player of the match was Sophie Roberts, who played a tremendous game at Goal Defence. She appeared all over the court and acted like Superwoman! She turned

multiple balls and won a high percentage of rebounds in the defensive circle. She also moved extremely well down court, applying what we had done in training – something which pleased the coach!

A bitter disappointment for the team followed, as they lost narrowly to Pate’s Grammar School (13–14) in the last 15 seconds of the game. The girls worked extremely hard, but just weren’t able to hold onto the win. Pate’s were such a tall and feisty team that Malvern struggled to fight through, although it wasn’t through lack of trying. Unfortunately three of the Malvern girls fell injured after the first quarter, meaning that we had a bare 7 to play three quarters, and they were great. It was frustrating, however, to see the girls lose matches where they should be taking the win; we needed to iron out basic errors and start playing smarter netball.

Player of the match was Jas Ellis as she played an important role as Goal Attack. She worked alongside Kinvara Clark and Louisa Marsden-Smedley in the attacking half, and ran circles around her defender. I cannot ignore the drive and effort these girls put into their matches; sometimes I think they may try too hard and overcomplicate the game – instead of keeping it calm and simple.

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Under 14C

The season began with a tough triangular tournament, held at Bromsgrove School, with Cheltenham College as the third team, in which we lost both matches. Against the hosts (a 27–2 loss), and then against Cheltenham (a 14–1 loss) a quick opposition and rushed passes made it difficult for the girls to keep possession of the ball and create opportunities to shoot.

Nonetheless, Beatrice Forbes, Grace Knuth and Emily Elgar worked hard to mark their players, regain possession and keep us in the matches. Imogen Renaud and Anna O’Neill demonstrated excellent centre court teamwork, calling for the ball and capitalising on any of the opposition’s errors; there were also some great interceptions from Saskia Drake, Anna O’Neill and Imogen Renaud; and Helen Trouvai played a super first game of netball. Goals were scored by Kitty-Mae Merritt, Savannah Wicks, and Imogen Renaud.

The girls played two further tough games in January, again showing character in the face of defeat, first at RGS Worcester, and then at St Edward’s Oxford. At RGS, the girls played with energy and determination, but they were outclassed by a confident and skilful opposition. Player of the match Beatrice Forbes scored our only goal, whilst the hard-working Imogen Renault at Goal Defence made some commendable interceptions and quick possession of rebounds. The final score was 16/1 to RGS. At St Edward’s, the opposition led 10–0 by the end of the first quarter, and although the rate of goals slowed in the next three quarters, they continued to dominate the game. But the Malvern girls did find better form as they settled into their positions and began to work as a team, calling for the ball more and working hard to make interceptions. Saffy Wickes worked hard 19 6

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in centre court to use the court and find space, and was player of the match. Also notable was Rococo Anderson as goalkeeper, making some superb interceptions and regaining possession from rebounds.

It had been a tough start to the season, but the U14Cs finally tasted victory against Wycliffe. Clean interceptions and great teamwork meant Malvern had the upper-hand from the start. Helene Trouvain showed excellent form in the goal circle, and Lucy Leicher was a good support as Goal Attack, scoring two of our ten goals. Both of these girls were new to netball this season and it was fantastic to see how much their confidence improved and their skills developed.

Likewise, Kim Schafer and Josi Jebens were new to netball this season, and they showed super potential, finding space on court to receive the ball cleanly. Meanwhile, Saskia Drake (player of the match), Syuzanna Avanesova and Imogen Renaud played with impressive energy and enthusiasm, their passing was more assured and dangerous than in previous matches. All girls showed excellent level of support to each other during this match. Goals were scored by Helen Trouvain, Imogen Renaud and Lucy Leicher.

March saw the only home game of the season against The Chantry School. This was a closely fought match and Malvern again showed enormous progress. By this stage, it was pleasing to see players putting into play skills practised in training session drills: passes and receptions were much more efficient; players maintained possession of the ball a great deal more than in previous games; and the team showed agile and assertive play. Particularly, Rococo Anderson made some excellent interceptions; Lucy Leicher

and Syuzanna Avanesova demonstrated quick reactions and did well to capitalise on any mistakes made by the opposition; Imogen Renaud and Emily Elgar worked tirelessly in centre court, working well as a team and showing some really confident play; and the cheerleading, led by Saskia Drake, kept spirits high.

Our final match of the season featured Dean Close, away.

Biting cold wind and flurries of snow made this a physically very demanding game. Dean Close quickly scored the first goal, while the Malvern girls were still struggling to find their feet. The girls did show occasions of excellent play, especially Saskia Drake who seemed always ready to receive a pass – finding space and evading the opposition.

Beatrice Forbes also made some excellent catches which could easily have escaped the hands of the a less determined player. Malvern worked hard, but they were outplayed and a steady flow of goals from the opposition ensued. (Practising tactics to dodge their opposition player and receive the ball cleanly is something to work on for next season.) But I was impressed with the energy and enthusiasm that kept the

girls striving to do their best – right up until the final whistle.

It was a tough match to end the season.

All the girls should be proud of their achievements in netball this season. The team showed great unity and resilience. It was lovely to see how the more experienced girls coached and supported those who had never played. The girls represented the school commendably well. My thanks go to all the coaches and the Malvern College sports staff for all the training sessions and fixtures, which made this such a busy and rewarding season.

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Athletics Malvern began their athletics season away at Bromsgrove in drizzly weather, but nevertheless competed extremely well and were very happy with their first outing.

Strong performances came from Banita Dodhia, in the InterGirls Javelin, achieving a personal best of 26.49m, and from Lawrence Hooker, who missed his own p.b. of 2.10 in the 800m. Lewis McMurdo in the Remove ended up competing in the Senior competition for Long Jump and although he didn’t place, jumped 5.35m, which would have placed him in his own age-group. Other top-three finishes came from Vivien Kruse (Inter-Girls Shot Putt), Vansh Ladwa (InterBoys Shot Putt), Lakshya Joshi (Inter-Boys 1,500m), and a joint-top effort from Lucy Marriott and Lucy Leicher in the Junior Girls High Jump.

Malvern’s Athletics squad continued their season by travelling to Marlborough College against further prestigious opposition. Chilly and blustery conditions didn’t stop the pupils from giving a fantastic account of themselves.

Standout results came from Lucy Marriott (winning the Junior Girls Discus), Vivien Kruse (winning the Inter-Girls Shot Putt), and Minty Murray (winning the Inter-Boys 400m). Other top-three finishes came from Lucy Leicher and Lucy Marriott (both in the Junior Girls High Jump), Banita Dodhia (Inter-Girls Javelin), Vansh Ladwa (InterBoys Long Jump and Shot Putt), Lewis McMurdo (InterBoys Long Jump), Lawrence Hooker (Inter-Boys 800m and 19 8

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1,500m), and finally Ann Doroshenko in both the Inter-Girls Triple Jump and Shot Putt.

In the third friendly meet of the season, Malvern went away to Rugby School with a lighter squad than previous weeks, but remained buoyant. With the focus lying on the process rather than the outcome, some of the squad were even participating in their first ever meet with others distinguished old-hands. Notable performances came from these more experienced athletes, including a strong 2nd placed finish from Lawrence Hooker in the 800m – finally breaking his 2.10 personal best hoodoo. Lakshya Joshi followed this up with a 2nd placed finish in the Inter-Boys 1,500m, in what was an exciting finish with three athletes jostling for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions, Laksh gritting in to take the runners-up spot. Finally, Arina Znamenskaya and Cecilia Gerber came 1st and 3rd respectively in the Senior Girls Long Jump, whilst Paras Ladwa came 3rd in the Inter-Boys Triple Jump.

Malvern revisited Bromsgrove for their final meet of the season, and although the royal wedding tried to steal the limelight, it had tough competition. There were no fewer than four personal bests broken, with convincing results again coming from a slightly smaller squad. On the track, these highlight performances came from Minty Murray (who ran an exceptional 400m race despite coming second), and Lakshya Joshi (following up his second-place at Rugby

with a third place here, albeit with a faster and personal-best time). In the field, Malvern were equally successful. Lucy Marriot and Lucy Leicher came 1st and 2nd in the Junior Girls’ High Jump, Jonny Tunstall and Arina Znamenskaya came 2nd in the Junior Boys High Jump and Senior Girls Long Jump respectively, while Banita Dodhia picked up two top-three finishes in the Inter-Girls Javelin and Shot Putt.

Finally, Paras Ladwa continued his fine form in the Triple Jump by finishing third for the second week in a row. This was a fine effort by all in bright, hot conditions to top a fantastic last away event.

In the representative competitions, thirteen Malvern athletes qualified from the District Championships held at the College to compete at the County Championships.

Vivien Kruse started the day off extremely well, throwing her Shot a distance of 10.58m, winning the Inter-Girls competition, and setting a new County record in the process.

Unfortunately, several athletes did not manage to match their personal bests on the day, otherwise the representation in the next stage would have been at its highest ever.

However, Lewis McMurdo and Vansh Ladwa came 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Inter-Boys Long Jump, with Ladwa also coming 3rd in the Inter-Boys Shot Putt and causing further frustration – as only the top two athletes qualify from each event. Lawrence Hooker continued his fine season by finishing 2nd in the final of the Inter-Boys 800m, in an utterly dedicated performance. Other notable performances from Malvern athletes came from Minty Murray in the Inter-Boys 400m, who managed to qualify for the final and ran a personal-best time; and from Lakshya Joshi, who ran another personal-best time in the Inter-Boys

1,500m. Cecilia Gerber was also running extremely well in 2nd place in the Inter-Girls 80m hurdles – only to clip the penultimate hurdle and struggle to regain her stride.

This meant that three of Malvern’s Athletics squad travelled to the prestigious Mason Trophy event at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham for what is the only stepping stone to the English Schools Championships.

Here they faced athletes from all over the country, including those from Cheshire, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. Due to the sheer talent on show, it was always going to be extremely difficult – but they all performed admirably. Vivien Kruse came 7th in the Inter-Girls Shot Putt, which is a fantastic achievement, especially as she did not throw to the best of her ability, whereas Lawrence Hooker and Lewis McMurdo each went close to their personal bests in their respective events of the Inter-Boys 800m and Inter-Boys Long Jump. Just to reach this stage is an excellent accomplishment and they should take much pride in their performances.

This was another fulfilling season for the Malvern Athletics squad and a real ‘well done’ must be given to all.

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Cross-Country Malvern is a unique place to enjoy cross-country running. Many schools have rugby pitches and cricket squares, but we are particularly lucky to be built into the Malvern Hills, with the remarkable range of challenging and often beautiful running tracks that they offer us. It is fitting that the Ledbury Run, or “Ledder” as it is affectionately known, enjoys a legendary status in the school calendar.

The 2017–2018 season saw some excellent results for several of our runners and it was fantastic having so many students taking part in the Inter-House Cross-Country League representing their houses, as well as running in the Malvern District Championships; and for one of our strongest runners there was an opportunity to compete at the National Schools’ Cross-Country Championships. Unfortunately, the weather of the winter of 2017/2018 and the spring that followed interfered with the programme of races. Before it became heavy, the snow afforded some staff and pupils some bracing but spectacular running conditions on North Hill on at least one of the Tuesday training runs. But sustained snowfall made the running of races with large numbers of runners impossible. And when it wasn’t snowing there was sustained rainfall and winds to contend with, making the tracks on the hills impractical. First, the Junior Ledder was lost to stormy weather, and then we suffered the postponement and eventual cancelation of the Ledder itself. This

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was a huge disappointment as many sixth-formers had been training hard for this race – many of them for the last time.

The Inter-House Cross-Country League is a fiercelycontested competition which spans two terms and consists of ten races – most of which are on the hills, and two of which are relays held on the Common. The competition got off to a flying start in September with the Ox Hill race, in which 64 pupils took part. With the ground quite dry and firm underfoot, the boys’ race, not for the first time, was won by Lakshya Joshi, with a time of 18 minutes and 40 seconds. The girls’ race was won by Georgina Denham, with a time of 23 minutes and 40 seconds. Second in the boys’ race was Lawrence Hooker, whilst second in the girls’ race was Imogen Marriott. Another early race in the calendar is the Junior Coll race. This is a challenging race; many runners are already tiring by the time they finish the southward stretch (with its views over to the Three Counties Showground), only to find they then face a steep ascent up the steps at Holy Well before they can turn and head towards home at a higher altitude. Again in good, dryish running conditions, the boys’ race was once again won by Lakshya Joshi, with a time of 21 minutes. The girls’ race was won by Annika Schulz, with a time of 27 minutes 25 seconds. Second in the boys’ race was once again Lawrence Hooker; second in the girls’ race was Vera Vodinskaya.

For the third round the “Life of Brian”, a route which takes runners through Barnard’s Green, fifty runners took part. The boys’ race was won by Lakshya Joshi, with a time of 18 minutes 33 seconds, who again held off Lawrence Hooker.

The girls’ race was won by Georgina Denham, with a time of 22 minutes 40 seconds, followed by Annika Schulz. The Beacon Race, short as the crow flies but involving a steep ascent and descent, saw the Inter-House Cross-Country go into the fourth round. In overcast but dry conditions and with good visibility at the top of Beacon Hill, an impressive 56 runners entered, with another victory in the boys’ race for Lakshya Joshi (22 minutes, 50 seconds). The girls’ race was won by Vera Vodinskaya, with a time of 30 minutes 10 secs. Second in the boys’ race was Lawrence Hooker; second in the girls’ race was Annika Schulz. At this point, after four races, School House led the boys’ competition on 1529 points, with No.5 following on 1423 points. No.6 led the girls’ competition on 1124 points, with No.8 following on 1046 points.

In amongst the Inter-House Cross-Country League races is the Ferrets’ Race, a race for the FY only. The conditions this year were a little blustery and having taken a little rain the course made for good outdoor conditions.

On a typically overcast and misty day around the hills, the FY stepped up to the line. Perhaps a little quieter than the previous year’s group, but no less competitive, they were keen to get the race underway. Under the starting orders of Mr Woodward, the group fell silent – and then the sound of the clacker and they were off! Similarly, to last year, the race had no clear favourites going in. In the boys’ competition, William Crossland crossed the finish line to finish 1st after running a well-paced race, finishing in a time of 13 minutes and 24 seconds, and managing to maintain his lead over 2nd place runner Emilio Dorai Raj, who was just 12 seconds behind him. Zachary Watson finished 3rd in a time 13 minutes and 38 seconds. The girls’ individual race was won by Harriet Carpenter in a time of 14 minutes and 3 seconds. In 2nd place, Meghan Edwards completed the course in a time of 14 minutes and 22 seconds. In 3rd place was Lara Davidson in a time of 15 minutes and 40 seconds.

No.5 boys’ won the House competition for the fifth 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, following a good run of three wins in a row from No.6.

The first Saturday of December saw the final race of the Autumn Term – the Christmas Relay – in relatively mild conditions that were soon to turn to extreme cold and snow.

As usual this race was well supported and there was excellent team spirit amongst the sides as they cheered each other on, their voices echoing around the Common. The winning house in the Boys’ Race was School House, with a

time of 27 minutes 53 seconds. They were followed by No.9 (30 minutes 37 seconds). First in the Girls’ Race was No.6 (34 minutes 56 seconds), followed by No.8 (38 minutes 59 seconds).

Following the Christmas break the students returned for the sixth round of the Inter-House Cross-Country Competition – the North Hill race. The boys’ race was won

by Lakshya Joshi (26 minutes 51 seconds) and the girls’ by Ariana Davison (32 minutes 22 seconds). The Senior Coll race was the seventh round and this saw the competition hotting up and a new winner in the boys’ race emerged, with Tom Doherty winning with a time of 32 minutes 28 seconds.

The girls’ race was won by Ariana Davison with a time of 38 minutes 29 seconds. Second in the boys’ race was Laurence Elgar and second in the girls’ race was Georgina Denham.

After seven races, School House led the boys’ competition on 2,739 points, with No.5 in second place on 2,570 points.

No.6 led the girls’ competition on 2,228 points, with No.8 following on 2,004 points.

43 runners took part in the eighth and longest round of the Inter-House Cross-Country Competition – the British Camp race. The boys’ race was again won by Tom Doherty, with a time of 40 minutes 21 seconds. The girls’ race was won by Ariana Davison, with a time of 48 minutes 25 seconds. And the final round – the second relay race – was an exciting one. In the boys’ race No.5 came first, closely followed by School House and No.9 in second and third respectively. In the girls’ race No.6 came first with No.8 and No.3 finishing second and third.

The overall results were as follows: Boys

1st place – School House – 3209 points 2nd place – No.5 – 3108 points 3rd place – No.9 – 2840 points

Girls 1st place – No.6 – 2722 points 2nd place – No.8 – 2501 points 3rd place – No.3 – 1320 points The best two runners were Lakshya Joshi and Ariana Davison.

Thus closed another running season on the hills. We look forward to seeing how the league unfolds next year.

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District and National Competitions

In December our keen cross-country runners were entered into the Malvern District Cross-Country Trials. Twentyfive runners represented Malvern College across three age groups. The conditions were better than we have experienced in the past, with sunshine and only a little bit of a cold breeze. although there were some super performances from Harry Finch and Charlie Clarke, in the Junior Boys’ race and Harriet Carpenter and Syuzanna Avenesova in the girls’ race.

In the intermediate races Lakshya Joshi, Lawrence Hooker and Oscar Siegert continued their fine form in the boys’ race with Megan Jones and Ginny Lawrence finishing first and second in the girls’ race. In the Seniors’, Tom Doherty ran well in the boys’ race and in the girls’ race Ariana Davison and Annika Schulz did extremely well.

From this competition several of our runners qualified to represent the District and took a part in the Worcestershire County Cross-Country Championships in mid-January. The conditions were truly cross-country; cold, muddy, and wet, and mid-way through the races there was some snow fall.

There were strong performances from several of our runners, but pick of the team was Annika Schulz, who qualified for the National Schools Championships in March. Annika ran a superb race and planned to utilise the Inter-House Cross-Country Competition to enhance her training.

In March, then, Annika 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 and Annika ran incredibly well. It was certainly a test of resilience completing the 4.1km course in a good time of 22 minutes. Finishing in the top 25 was a great achievement. Annika commented that despite the cold, wet and muddy conditions she enjoyed the experience.

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Rackets It was a transitional year for Malvern College with the squad having slightly more junior players than senior. The team was captained well by Jack Haynes, but injury kept him out for some of the season, and in particular the Singles tournament at Queens. The highlight of the year was Dan Holland’s and Aaron Tomson’s getting to the final of the Colts Doubles at Easter, narrowly losing to a fine Eton pair.

Haynes played first pair with Holland for most of the season, but with Dan playing in the under 16s, Ed Mayell stood up to the plate and ably supported Jack at first pair, although they couldn’t prevent a first round loss to strong Cheltenham opposition. The future is looking promising at Malvern with plenty of young talented players all thoroughly enjoying this fantastic game. The British Open Ladies’ Doubles was again a huge success, with Lea Van Der Zwalmen continuing her dominance of the sport, this time winning with her new partner Jess Garside. However, this was the closest match so far, and Georgie Willis and Eve Shenkman pushed them extremely hard in the final, with the match finishing 3–1. There is a great enthusiasm and team spirit among the group and all those who play enjoy every minute of getting on court. Thank you to Tom Bomford (OM) for his continued support and coaching: the boys and girls are extremely grateful. Serve up, Malvern!

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Fives The year in Fives was marked by the development of the Rogers Theatre and the courts’ being in the middle of a building site for much of the year. This meant they were hard to find, and many fixtures were blighted by rain, but as I write this the Theatre is finished, the courts are dry and scheduled for some internal refurbishment.

With few Senior players, the emphasis was on building from the bottom, and with Fives featuring on the FY PE rotation, several budding sportsmen and women were introduced to the game. Towards the end of the Autumn Term, an FY House Competition was held with a team of 4 playing matches against each of two other houses in two pools. Some excellent games ensued with the final between School House and No.5, with SH just pinching it.

In the Lent Term we resumed regular fixtures, which were held against Marlborough, Bradfield, Winchester and Rugby, with the Blundell’s fixture moving from the twiceannual meeting at Clifton to a home-and-away format.

Opposition schools were gracious in providing appropriate competition for our young team of beginners. The House competitions were won by largely Billy Tulloch for No.7 in the Juniors, as a considerable force compared to the others, and a strong SH pairing of Nelson and Fu in the Seniors.

In the Summer Term Anne Doroshenko and Laura Browne attended the girls’ nationals. They won the doubles plate, and Anne reached the quarter-finals of the singles,

eventually losing 11–12. Sadly, the Girls’ House Fives was cancelled due to the courts being closed for re-roofing.

Representatives for the School: Boys: A. Nelson (Capt), W. Brodie, B. Fu, M. Bruce, O. Carroll, M. Regan, B. Tulloch, E. Dorai Raj, C. Faujour, O. Doherty, J. Yeoward, J. Stephenson, F. Tjan, C. Eldridge, W. Crossland Girls: A. Doroshenko, L. Browne, G. Wood, O. Thomas, L. Wilson

The House Fives winners were as follows: Senior Boys: School House – Runners up: No.5 Junior Boys: No.7 – Runners up: No.9 Girls: No.3 – Runners up: No.6 CJT

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Tennis SENIOR BOYS

I can’t remember when, before this year, we last had a tennis season whose fixture list remained unblighted by inclement weather. But that’s not to say that it was always hot and sunny this year: the first trial session was held on a slate-grey April afternoon with a chilly wind whistling in from the East – not good conditions for warming up your service! And, to avoid torrential rain, the first school match of the season (vs Shrewsbury) had to be played on the indoor courts at the Manor Park, whose acrylic surface brought out the very best from all the players in both teams: our 1st pair had a match-point in the ninth and deciding set, but could not convert it and prevent their gutsy opponents eventually snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

But that turned out to be the 1st team’s only defeat, and their skilful stroke-play and controlled competitiveness brought about impressive wins against our old rivals in Cheltenham and Oxford (see results below). Hans, Luca, and Phil all used their considerable skill, match experience, and clinical finishing to despatch their opponents; Julian and Sam found their range with their big hitting, particularly in the singles competitions; Marco and Jasper and Juniors George and Alexei developed into very effective doubles pairings, the latter showing impressive maturity and composure to close out the match vs Cheltenham; and Tristan and Niki made the most amazing recovery in the match vs 206

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St Edward’s, coming back from 1–5 and 0–40 down in the deciding set to win 7–3 in the tie-break. The 2nd and Mixed teams had a less successful season, but it was clear that, whether in victory or defeat, they were all enjoying their tennis. As ever, my thanks go to our coach Chris Skinner and my colleagues Mr Mark Cox and Mr Michal Hnatek, who always added a bit of colour, humour and ‘old pro’ wisdom to the training sessions and practice matches.

Squad Alexei Artemov (2), Hans Baare-Schmidt (SH), George Blackburn (5), James Dawson (2), Luca Dell’ Antonio (captain; 7), Marco Garbi (7), Sam Haegelstein (5), Tristan Hubbard (SH), Harrison Hudson (2), Monty Lampard (SH), Nikolaus Liechtenstein (SH), Julian Loustric (7), Jasper Penrice (2), George Standen (2), Gus Stephenson (9).

Results (1sts; 2nds) vs Cheltenham: won 5–4; lost 1–8 vs Dean Close: won 9–0 vs Monmouth (mixed): won 6–3; 7–2 vs Shrewsbury: lost 4–5 vs St Edward’s, Oxford: won 5–4; drew 2–2 vs Wycliffe (mixed): lost 1–8

Trophies and Competitions House Competition: SH beat No.2 in the final 2–1 Worcestershire Schools’ Singles Competition (Scott Cup) runner-up: Hans Baare-Schmidt (SH) Worcestershire County U16 Doubles champions: Hans Baare-Schmidt (SH) and Will Blackburn (5) Willis-Dixon Singles Trophy winner: Philip van Nederpelt (SH) Most improved player: Julian Loustric (7) RGT

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Junior Boys

It gives me great pleasure to report that both the A and B VI Junior Boys Tennis teams went the whole 8 game season unbeaten. There have been several occasions in years gone by where we have lost just the one game all season, but I think this is the first time in my time at the College that a Junior Boys’ Tennis team has gone the whole season unbeaten. Given the quality of opposition this was a great team effort by the boys. Wins were recorded against Cheltenham College, Shrewsbury School, Monmouth School, Bromsgrove School, Clifton College, Hereford Cathedral School and Wycliffe College plus a draw against Cleeve School, Cheltenham.

From an A VI team perspective particular highlights included the 6–3 victory over Bromsgrove, who had the U18 County Singles champion in their ranks. Much credit should go to our first pair of George Blackburn (Captain) and Alexey Artemov, who remained unbeaten as a pairing, not just in this match, but throughout the season. Their high standard of play also meant that they represented our 1st VI Boys Tennis team in a number of matches too. Another highlight had to be the last match of the season against Cheltenham, because of the close nature of the contest. It went to the wire, and with the match score tied at 4–4 with one game to play, it was left to our second pairing of George Batyrev and Charles Faujour to come through with a win against their opposite number, to give Malvern a 5–4 victory and thus finish the season on a real high.

The B VI team had a slightly less nerve racking end to the season with 9–0 and 8–1 victories recorded against Shrewsbury School and Cheltenham College respectively in 208

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their final two matches. These victories are good indicators of this year’s strength in depth within our junior ranks and bodes well for the future.

On the Hereford & Worcestershire County Tennis front we were not quite as successful as last year, but Hans BaareSchmidt and George Blackburn won the U16 County Boys Doubles title, with Alexey Artemov and George Batyrev runners up, and in U14 County Boys Doubles event Charles Faujour and Myles Holland just missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals. Hans Baare-Schmidt was also runner up in the U18 County Boys Singles.

On the Inter-House Tennis front SH beat No.5 2–1 in the Junior Boys House Doubles final: congratulations go to SH’s squad of Jacob Perry, Edmund Thurlow, Felix Alber Strolz, Sam Phillips, Francesco Totaro and Lewis McMurdo.

In the Final of the FY Boys’ Singles Tournament, Charles Faujour beat Myles Holland, and in the Final of the Remove Boys’ Singles Tournament Alexey Artemov beat George Blackburn.

My thanks go to Mr Hnatek, Dr Stephen, and Mr Matthews for their support on the Junior Boys front.

Well done to all concerned on a great season.

MMC

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Golf Captain of Golf: Charlie Hickman (5) Captain elect: Allaster Renton (7) Despite having a relatively young and inexperienced squad, the College again had an excellent season. There is continued use of our two specialist practice facilities – a dedicated short game area and putting green throughout the year.

However, 2018 saw a very important addition to the short game area where an all-weather canopy and two hitting bays (together with a portable SkyTrack Launch Monitor) now mean that our golfers have technical information and data as well as coaching each week – in the dry. Most of Graham Hawkings’ (PGA Professional) 1-to-1 lessons now take place in the two purpose built bays and use the launch monitor.

All our facilities for practice result from the generous support of the OMGS and The Malvernian Society, and all three areas remain in almost constant use. In addition, the annual grant from the OMGS enables much of the team coaching to take place at no cost to the pupils – for which we are all extremely grateful.

Three Counties Junior League In our fifth year as a member of the Three Counties Clubs League we again acquitted ourselves well finishing third in our league behind Kings Norton GC. The standard of golf in these matches continues to be very high with many 2 10

Golf

good young players from across the region involved. So, in many ways, it remains a big step up from school golf for our players. Fixtures continue to be played on Sunday afternoons in the summer term and the format comprises 5 singles matches played off full handicap allowance. This year Ross-on-Wye GC, King’s Norton GC and Forest Hills GC made up our division of the league and we played each of them home and away.

Golf vs OMGS This year there were two matches scheduled but because of some awful spring weather only one was played. The annual match at Puckrup Hall GC was a casualty but fortunately the second at Sunningdale GC in June where the College tied with the OMGS 1.5 vs 1.5. This match remains one of the boys’ (and teachers’) favourite fixtures and for these fantastic experiences we are indebted to Lionel Godfrey (OM 6.67) and Richard Thompson (OM 4.60) for their generous hospitality and excellent organisation.

ISGA Matchplay Having been Regional Champions in the ISGA Matchplay Tournament in 2011 and 2013 as well as finalists in 2012 and 2013, we lost to a strong Bromsgrove side (who went on to win the Regional Final) 3–0 in the Regional semi-final.

HMC Foursomes Competition

Annual Awards

In the HMC Foursomes competition we again progressed through the early rounds beating Cheltenham and Marlborough, and reached the Regional Semi-final vs Rougemont School, Newport, losing 2–1 with the deciding rubber concluding on the 18th green.

OMGS Player of the Year : Isobel Lloyd (4) OMGS Most Improved Player : Basil Strolz (1) OMGS Captain’s Player of the Year: Allaster Renton (7) Hind Award for Contribution to Golf: Charlie Hickman (5)

County Golf

Tour

As well as retaining our title as Worcestershire Schools Team Champions in 2017/18 we also entered the Gloucestershire Schools Championships held at Tewkesbury Park GC, finishing runners up in the team net and 3rd in the team gross.

As well as being a regular member of the Gloucestershire Women’s Squad, Isobel Lloyd has had an excellent season winning many events and this has culminated in her selection for the West of England U18 squad. Allaster Renton also acquitted himself very well in the Puckrup Hall GC Men’s Club Championships winning the Net Cup with a total of 135.

The year ended in customary fashion with our annual tour to the North West. Thanks, as ever, go to Charlie Shepherd (3.89) for organizing an excellent first day at Royal Liverpool GC and Tony Ensor (SH.55) for facilitating our day at Formby GC on day 2. These fantastic days were followed by matches with Rossall School Golf Academy at Fleetwood GC and Birkenhead School at Caldy GC. JDC

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Equestrianism This year the NSEA season has lived up to expectations, with Malvern entering two teams into the National Showjumping Championships and two of our students representing Great Britain. Our Malvern College Equestrian team, consisting of Alexia Clarke, Ariana Davison, Harry Finch, Verity Manning-Cox, and Olivia Davies, started the season in fine form, all riders achieving exceptional dressage scores and all going clear in the show jumping. Alexia and Verity finished 8th and 2nd in their respective sections.

Verity continued with her success riding her horse “Mr Squiffy” to 5th place out of 80 competitors at Hartpury in October. Holly Needham and Emily Archer each had the honour of representing GB Equestrian this year. Holly became one of the top six riders in the country in the Under 18 category and top twenty in the Under 21 category. Emily and her pony “Top Star” represented Great Britain at Hickstead International and at Keysoe International CDI 3*. As a result of their excellent performances, Emily has made it into the FEI World Eventing Athlete rankings which is a tremendous honour. Congratulations go to both girls on their considerable successes this year.

October saw two teams from Malvern College in the National Equestrian Championships at Addington Manor.

Malvern Blue consisted of Freya Bedell, Ottilie Thomas, and Harry Finch. Malvern Red consisted of Olivia Davies, Amelia Kold, Alexia Clarke, and Verity Manning-Cox. Of the ten 2 12

Eq u e st r i a n i s m

teams in the jump-off we were one of only three teams to jump clear, but sadly we weren’t quite quick enough to win, finishing with a cumulative time of 87.93 seconds, giving us third place behind the winners on 87.28 and second place on 87.31. This is the closest finish in this class in NSEA history. That said, third nationally out of sixty teams is a very impressive result for the College.

Freya Bedell and Olivia Davies had great success at Elmwood in November, winning the 90cm pairs. Whilst at Keysoe in December, Alexia Clarke, Olivia Davies, Ariana Davison (stepping in for Maddie Queen) and Millie Kold finished in second place in the National 1m class. Alexia Clarke went on to qualify for Hickstead in the summer. Alexia also became the Reserve National Champion at Addington Manor in April. Riding her horse “Kodak Moment II” they put in a great performance in the Dengie National Grand Prix 1.10cm Championships. It was a big day for Olivia Davies and her horse “Ludo” in July; they took part in their first NSEA ODE at Broadway. The pair did fantastically well finishing fourth and going through to the championships in October.

Finally, on a very hot August day at Allen’s Hill in Worcestershire, Olivia Davies, riding “Spoonie”, qualified to compete in the final of the British Showjumping Bronze League at the Horse of the Year Show in October. This is a great achievement and we wish Olivia and Spoonie the very best of luck in the finals.

Many congratulations go to all the riders who have competed for Malvern College this year: they have demonstrated the great strength in depth of our Equestrian team. Thanks to the efforts of Tara MacMaster (Team Manager) and to all the parents who do the driving and supporting, the team is in a great position moving forward into the next season and we are excited to witness their achievements.

CLB

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Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Lake District 2018

On the penultimate day of the Lent Term, twenty three students and six staff set out for the Lake District to complete their expedition training and their practice walking expedition for their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. It is not until they are out in the field and have the opportunity to put their classroom-based training into practice that the students are really tested. The wet weather on the first day provided its own challenges, and the participants learned the value of taking their supervisors’ advice and looking after their kit carefully.

Some were surprised by the physical demands of the expedition, and some by the emotional and psychological test it presents. It is always more of a challenge than is first thought! Fortunately the weather cleared up and the beauty of the Lake District was clear for all to see as the groups made their way over the fells.

Snowdonia 2018

The Gold walking expedition to Snowdonia saw two groups of students undertake their practice expedition and three groups their qualifying venture in the last week of the Summer Term. The weather conditions were exceptionally hot – perfect for appreciating the gorgeous views but much less so for completing a physically and emotionally testing expedition. It is therefore greatly to the students’ credit that those who were on their qualifying expedition passed, earning their supervisors’ and assessor’s respect for their achievement. The courage, determination and resilience they displayed clearly speaks for their strength of character, and the scale of the achievement this year should not be underestimated. It is not every activity which allows students to demonstrate all the Malvern Qualities in one go, but over the five days that they were with us, it is hard to think of one of those qualities which was not seen in action. All the students should be very proud of what they have achieved.

JVE

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Lower Sixth Service Expedition to South Africa After months of fundraising and anticipation, our team of 15 students and 3 staff touched down at Johannesburg International Airport. We quickly met up with our guide, an ex-ranger called Claire, who would remain with us for our whole trip, and piled onto two small buses for the long drive east towards Care for Wild, the orphaned rhino sanctuary where we would be volunteering. We passed through Nelspruit, the closest town to the sanctuary, and eventually pulled over off the main road, entering the game reserve through some sturdy metal gates. After a bumpy 20-minute drive along a dirt track, we finally arrived at the farm (the heart of the sanctuary) where the majority of the animals are kept and where we would be living for the next week. It is located deep in the bush – or ‘veld’ as it is locally known – and is heavily guarded owing to the threat from poachers who would potentially see the sanctuary as a target. We received an extremely friendly welcome from the owner, Petronel, whose warmth and passion for conservation immediately became apparent. It seemed surreal that we had finally arrived after months of preparation. Following a basic orientation, during which we caught our first glimpse of an actual rhino, we settled into our cabins and got to sleep in preparation for an early 06:45 start the next morning.

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Low e r Si x th S e rvi c e Expe ditio n to So u th Afric a

After the morning meeting, we split into our work teams and got down to business. Every team was at a particular station each day, and the teams rotated throughout the week.

There were endless jobs which needed doing, from cleaning out the pens or ‘bomas’ where the rhinos were kept, to preparing milk for the youngest bottle-fed rhinos and taking the very smallest babies, Summer and Arthur, for walks (unsurprisingly, this proved one of the most popular activities). However, rhinos are not the sole occupants of Care for Wild. Amongst other jobs, we helped to clean out the lions, walk the mongooses, and hand-feed the hippos (Emma and Molly) entire lettuces. Despite being winter, the heat was oppressive during the day, making the work all the more tiring, but nonetheless it felt extremely satisfying to be taking part in genuine conservation and offering our small contribution towards solving the globally significant poaching crisis. During quieter periods of the day, we were given conservation lectures in the barn (topics ranged from the treatment of wounded rhino orphans to invasive plant species) and later in the afternoons we went on game drives around the larger part of the game reserve where we saw the older rhinos (who had been released back into the bush) as well as giraffes, plenty of antelope, wildebeest and

even a warthog. The evenings were mostly spent around the campfire, although even after supper our work was not yet done due to the need to feed many of the younger rhinos at regular intervals throughout the night.

The frantically busy schedule meant the week flew by and, before we knew it, it was time to go. This was hard: we had become very attached to both the animals and staff who we had been working alongside. Although it was sad to leave Care for Wild, we were all looking forward to our three days in the Kruger National Park where we would be doing safaris, bush walks, and getting some well-earned rest.

We were lucky enough to spot an abundance of wildlife in the Kruger, including the entire Big 5 (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) as well as hyena, crocodiles, and many more. We even stumbled across a pack of elusive African Wild Dogs (thus nearly completing the Super 7!), which was an extraordinary sight, and several Sable antelope – a rarity given that there are just 500 of the animals in the whole of Kruger National park. Seeing rhino in their natural habitat away from human interference was also very special.

At the end of our three-day adventure in the Kruger, we met up with our bus drivers for a final time and during the uneventful transfer back to Johannesburg we all reflected on what had been a truly unforgettable experience. We left with a new perspective on the world of conservation, inspired to spread the word about the plight of the rhino, and some fantastic memories to boot.

James Wakefield (L6, No.1) Photographs by Oliver Millard (No.5) and Ariana Davison (No.4)

Lower Si xth Serv ice Expedition to South Afri c a

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Commemoration Day Malvern College held its annual service of Commemoration at Great Malvern Priory on Saturday 26th May 2018. The formal Commemoration of Founders and Benefactors was delivered by the Headmaster, Antony Clark.

The service opened with ‘Old Hundredth’ (‘All People that on Earth do Dwell’) and included the hymns ‘Alleluia!

Sing to Jesus!’ and ‘Jerusalem’. The Chapel Choir sang Handel’s Zadok the Priest, Elgar’s The Spirit of the Lord and Noble’s Nunc Dimittis in B minor. The Chamber Choir sang the anthem Justorum Animae by C. V. Stanford. The choirs were directed by Jonathan Brown (Director of Music) and accompanied by Michael Phillips (College Organist). The Senior Chapel Prefect, Eleanor Calderwood, read the lesson (John 15: 9-17). The address was given by Sue Duff, old girl of Ellerslie School and a member of the College Council.

Miss Duff celebrated the 25 years of co-education at the College, focusing on the values of lifelong friendships based on shared experiences, and the efforts and achievements which help communities to thrive. She reminded pupils that respect and friendship often go hand-in-hand: a timely reflection for contemporary society.

Afterwards parents and guests returned to the Malvern College campus for the Prize-Giving and to see exhibitions in the Art, Design & Technology, and Science departments. There was a presentation made by one of Malvern College’s academic groups, the Wheeler-Bennett Society, 2 18

C omme m or atio n Day

and performances in the Music School, as well as the traditional Field Gun Run on the College cricket grounds, with representatives from the College CCF, rugby team, and girls’ hockey team competing.

The speaker at Prize-giving was Major Nics Wetherill who was the expedition leader for Expedition Ice Maiden, the first all-female team to cross Antarctica using muscle power alone. Major Wetherill is a General Practitioner Registrar in the Royal Army Medical Corps, currently based at Tidworth Garrison. She gave a truly inspirational account of the expedition, providing the audience with a first-class role model to follow.

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The Malvernian Society 2017–2018 was a very busy year for the Society. In terms of events for alumni, in 2018 we offered 58 opportunities for OMs to get together: for the musician, we had the Hallé Orchestra; for fans of the ballet, the Royal Ballet; for artlovers, a trip to the National Gallery; for petrol-heads, a visit to the Morgan Car factory; and for the racing enthusiast, Royal Ascot.

Of course, we love to see OMs back at the College. We hosted several lectures: Piers Storie-Pugh (9.63–67) spoke on Colditz in 2017; Poppy Lamberton (6.96–98) came to the College to give a talk ‘It’s a Wormy World’; Melissa Tan (6.12–14) came to speak to prospective medical students; Peter Millward (6.64–68) visited us to talk to Sixth Form geographers about Water Aid; James Aldred (7.91–93) recounted his adventures as David Attenborough’s cameraman; and in March 2018, we hosted 76 OMs in a festival of sport.

We also held events away from the College: the four ‘Malvern in London’ gatherings apart, we organised receptions for OMs, prospective, current, and past parents in Madrid, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur, as well as Hamburg, Munich and Düsseldorf.

We also appointed OM reps in some 25 UK universities and reps in over 20 major cities worldwide.

Staying in touch with OMs, keeping them up to date with developments at the College, sharing their news and alerting 220

T h e M a lve r n i a n S oc ie ty

them to forthcoming events means that we are active on the internet, via email and social media as well as in print: the OM Newsletter is mailed to over 8,000 addresses all over the world.

We have made significant strides with our careermentoring programme: some 2,000 OMs have joined OM Connect, a closed career-mentoring network where OMs can support each other – be it helping to write CVs or offering jobs.

Our sports clubs have thrived; indeed, since September three new clubs have been established (netball and men’s and women’s hockey). Whilst our cricketers reached the final of the Cricketer Cup, the Veterans’ Football XI won the Derrick Moore Cup. In terms of Development, the spotlight has been very much on raising funds for the Rogers Theatre, which reopened to great acclaim in September 2018. Philanthropic gifts from a broad range of our constituents – including OMs, parents and other friends of Malvern College – have been instrumental in getting this project off the ground. At the time of writing, we are on track to reach our fundraising target of £1 million (out of the overall project costs of £4 million) and would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who has helped us achieve this goal.

2017–2018 also saw the Malvernian Society receive its largest ever legacy gift from an Old Malvernian, who was

passionate about Malvern College and, as a result, generously left the majority of his estate to the Malvernian Society. This transformational gift will benefit generations of College pupils, as a large proportion has been invested in the Society’s Assisted Places Endowment Fund. It is one of the College’s top priorities to enable pupils who might not otherwise be able to attend the College to come here and benefit from all that Malvern has to offer.

Indeed, over the next ten years, it is our aim to raise at least £15 million to endow ten new fully-funded Assisted Places in perpetuity, alongside our capital projects, which will improve further the experience of our pupils. To coincide with the 125th anniversary of the Malvernian Society in 2020, we are investing heavily in ‘Music @ Malvern’,

with a fundraising campaign that will enhance our musical provision significantly.

Philanthropy has always played an instrumental part in the history of Malvern College, and many of the facilities on campus would not be in existence today were it not for the generosity of Malvern supporters through the generations. If you would like to find out more or get involved in supporting the College, please contact Alexandra Albright, Head of Development on +44 (0)1684 581607.

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Prizewinners

Foundation Year Syuzanna Avanesova Charles Canton Smith Harriet Carpenter Emilio Dorai Raj Rehaan Edavalath Emily Elgar Beatrice Forbes Heather Harris Kitty Holroyd Catherine Horn Josephine Jebens Grace Knuth Louisa Marsden-Smedley Edward Norbury Joe Randall Sophie Roberts Tanush Sanghai Jonathan Stephenson Rory Upton Zachary Watson Savannah Wickes Jack Yeoward

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Prizewinners

Form Prize, Lea-Smith English Reading Prize Junior Toovey Art Prize Form Prize, Latin Prize Baldwin Geography Prize, Chemistry Prize, History Prize Form Prize Biology Prize Simpson Drama Prize Form Prize French Prize, Junior Brass Prize Form Prize EAL Prize, Junior Strings Prize Biology Prize, History Prize, Mathematics Prize, Religious Studies Prize, Physics Prize Junior Singing Prize Martin Rogers Technology Prize Form Prize Form Prize Form Prize Form Prize, German Prize, Junior Strings Prize Form Prize English Prize, Form Prize Spanish Prize Simpson Drama Prize, Sitzler Classical Prize

Remove Jyothirmay Baldota Delphine De Bokay Banita Dodhia Jiaxin Fan Missy Hingley Max Hood Oliver James Shea John Lakshya Joshi George Kent Anieshka King Amelia Kold Vansh Ladwa Virginia Lawrence Jan Olschewski Agueda Ortiz Flores Millie Page Jacob Perry Devon Perry Edmund Thurlow Geyu Wang Georgina Wood

Form Prize Debating Prize, History Prize Form Prize, Geography Prize Form Prize, Mathematics Prize Junior Singing Prize English Verse Prize Form Prize Chemistry Prize, History Prize, Junior Woodwind Prize, Latin Prize French Prize, Computer Science Award, Spanish Prize Form Prize Academic Music Prize, Biology Prize, Junior Strings Prize, Speech & Drama (Junior) Form Prize, Physical Education Prize Form Prize English Prize, Physics Prize Computer Science Award EAL Prize, German Prize Form Prize Form Prize, Junior Jazz Prize Form Prize Junior Brass Prize, Religious Studies Prize, Simpson Drama Prize Form Prize Biology Prize, Junior Art Prize, Lea-Smith English Reading Prize, Speech & Drama (Junior)

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Hundred Kira Angling Hans Baare-Schmidt Felix Berger Jessica Biddle Laura Browne Giulia Buttiglione Sophie Calderwood Imogen Cole Anna Doroshenko Ava Emery Evyanne Ewusie Lucie Fletcher Harvey Freeman Harvey Gearon Lucie Gonder Bonnie Green Georgina Hartley Lawrence Hooker Maxwell Horler Antonia Kuhr Louise Little Eily Lo Gemma Luscombe Imogen Marriott Molly McNicholas Annabelle Moody Jasper Penrice Ninsiima Rukandema Isobel Standen McDougal Ruihang Wu Zhiwei Yan Yuqian Zhou Jennifer Zhou

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Prizewinners

Form Prize Tennis Prize Pre-Sixth Academic Prize Shaw Art Prize Form Prize Chance Spanish Prize Form Prize Form Prize, Junior Keyboard Prize Physical Education Prize Avon Art Award Chemistry Prize, English Prize, Form Prize, History Prize Junior Singing Prize, Simpson Drama Prize, Junior Unplugged Design and Technology Prize Form Prize Edward Henman Outdoor Activities Prize Simpson Drama Prize Form Prize Athletics Prize, English Verse Prize, Form Prize Physics Prize EAL Prize, Form Prize, Gale Biology Prize Form Prize French Prize, Junior Unplugged Form Prize, Gale Biology Prize, Junior Woodwind Prize E.C. Kennedy Memorial Latin Prize, English Prize, Gale Biology Prize, History Prize, Religious Studies Prize Junior Percussion Prize Academic Music Prize, Junior Percussion Prize Academic Music Prize, Hansell German Prize Baldwin Geography Prize Form Prize Cobb Mathematical Prize Lea-Smith English Reading Prize EAL Prize Junior Woodwind Prize

Lower Sixth George Advani Emily Atherton Khoa Bang Tran Eleanor Blyth Daniel Brierley Eleanor Calderwood Isabella Carter Ariana Davison Alice Day Toon de Melker Maria Decio Poppy Delingpole Luca Dell'Antonio Thomas Doherty Angela Fabritius Bianca Gaeta Hanna Gesang Giampietro Ghidini Costanza Giordano Zaynab Hajjam Isabella Hammond Célestine Hanssens Jack Haynes Tristan Hubbard Toby Moran Holly Needham Ignacio Paris Meseguer Henry Queen Max Regan Helena Rose Lilian Solbach George Standen McDougal Hélène Vansteenbrugghe James Wakefield Octavia Wyatt Crystal Yip Arina Znamenskaya

Nicholls Chemistry Prize Chance Spanish Prize Farrar Mathematical Prize, Morgan Engineering Prize Simpson Drama Prize History Prize, Economics, Business and Politics Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize L6th Photography Prize Simpson Drama Prize Hansell German Prize Speech & Drama (Senior) Latin Prize, Philosophy Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize Aston Physics Prize Hansell French Prize, Senior Unplugged Prize Boldero Natural History Prize, History Prize EAL Prize Hansell German Prize Debating Prize, Economics, Business and Politics Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize Lea-Smith English Reading Prize Lea Shakespeare Prize Goringe Award for Community or Voluntary Service Economics, Business and Politics Prize Senior Brass Prize Physical Education Prize U6th Photography Prize Senior Unplugged Prize Senior Percussion Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize Boldero Natural History Prize Hunter Design and Technology Prize Theory of Knowledge Prize Hansell French Prize Baldwin Geography Prize, Boldero Natural History Prize, Nicholls Chemistry Prize Baldwin Geography Prize, Lloyd Prize Abbott Mathematical Prize, NADFAS Painting Prize Athletics Prize, James Greenwood Prize

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Upper Sixth Mahaaz Ahmed Alina Alimbekova Abasiaka Amana Federico Amodeo Reid Anderson Karl Barbers Jude Bedford Ahmad Sulaiyman Bin Ahmad Fauzi Elise Black Constance Blackburn Miranda Bruce Claudia Cascón Pulido Darcie Coates Laura Coulman Catherine Cussans Victoria Davies Emma de Melker Heleena de Oliveira Sunraj Dhariwal Hannelore Elsden Chimdinma Emuchay Efe Erciyaz Harry Everest Natasha Falconer-Malcolm Isabella Fowler-Dewe Luc Gillard Eliott Gilling-Smith Walter Gonder Honey Green Juliette Hannecart Alexandra Hawkins Andreas Heyer Antonia Jebens William Lane Julius Lange Leonie Laubmann Emma Lavatelli Daisy Lazarus Callum Lea Thomas Luscombe Verity Manning-Cox Lauren Maxey Ann O'Gorman Maya Oehlen

226

Prizewinners

David Clarke Memorial Sports Prize Blumenau Philosophy Prize Short Prize for IB Extended Essay, Senior Toovey Art Prize Chapel Prize, H.W. Smith Memorial Exhibition (English) Prize, Rooke Naval Prize Woodman Comparative Literature Prize Physical Education Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize Academic Music Prize Baldwin Geography Prize, Simpson Drama Prize, Dunton Music Prize,Cricket Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Sayer Literature Prize Italian Prize – Ab Initio, Tennis Prize Head of Art's Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Director of Music’s Prize, Malvernian Society Biology Prize Science Photography Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Director of Music’s Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Philosophy Prize Wheeler-Bennett History Prize, Institute of Physics Prize, Economics, Business and Politics Prize Martin History Prize, Economics, Business and Politics Prize Psychology Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Moore-Bayley Classics Prize R.W.A. Manly Technical Theatre Prize Director of Drama’s Prize, Lea-Smith English Reading Prize Kessler German Prize Director of Music’s Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Short Prize for IB Extended Essay Senior Strings Prize Berridge Chemistry Prize, Senior Keyboard Prize Senior Strings Prize Economics, Business and Politics Prize Richard Smith Physics Prize, Theory of Knowledge Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Economics, Business and Politics Prize Italian Prize – Italian A Netball Prize Cricket Prize Abbott Mathematical Prize, Director of Music’s Prize Greek Prose Prize, Senior Woodwind Prize Choir Prize, Director of Drama’s Prize Moore-Bayley Classics Prize, Senior Singing Prize RAF Prize, Short Prize for IB Extended Essay

Nye Owen

Darcy Wilson-Burgess Scarlett Woods Katherine Wright

Director of Music’s Prize, Football Prize, Rugby Prize, Economics, Business and Politics Prize Senior Jazz Prize Richard Smith Physics Prize Hansell French Prize, Senior Keyboard Prize, Economics, Business and Politics Prize, Wheeler-Bennett Society Prize Latin Prose Prize Caroline Harry Thomas Debating Prize, Speech & Drama (Senior), Director of Music’s Prize, Milward Mathematical Prize, Rowe Science Prize Toovey Print Prize Environmental Systems Prize, Football Prize Kessler German Prize, Marshall Medical Prize, Pat Courage Chemistry Prize, R.N. Moritz International Baccalaureate Prize Head of Art's Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Hockey Prize John Knee Maths Prize, Economics, Business and Politics Prize Lucy Shepherd-Welch Memorial Prize Chance Spanish Prize Hockey Prize Potter Classical Prize, Baldwin Geography Prize, Burke Military Prize, Director of Drama’s Prize, Director of Music’s Prize, Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Senior Singing Prize Martin Rogers Technology Prize, Economics, Business and Politics Prize Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, OM Lodge Charity Prize

Lauren Maxey Federico Amodeo Jack Bishop Eliott Gilling-Smith Ella Warren Amelia Wilson

Headmaster’s Prize Headmaster’s Prize Headmaster’s Prize Headmaster’s Prize Headmaster’s Prize Headmaster’s Prize

Douglas Pope Jacob Preston Sofija Rakcejeva Julius Roderer Elizaveta Rozenberg Elliot Rutland Tucker Katrina Salnikow Annika Schulz

Mathilda Shaw Tali Swinburne Vera Vodinskaya Ella Warren Natasha White Jamie Williams Amelia Wilson

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Upper Sixth Leavers Ahmad Sulaiyman Ahmad Fauzi Mahaaz Ahmed Nnaedozie Ajogwu Abdulhafiz Alasa Alina Alimbekova Abasiaka Amana Federico Amodeo Reid Anderson Karl Barbers Manuel Becker Jude Bedford Olivia Behan Jack Bishop Elise Black Constance Blackburn Alice Blyth Eleonora Bokun Hamish Brodie William Brodie Miranda Bruce Valentina Cantella Claudia Cascón Pulido Rhys Chapman Darcie Coates Laura Coulman Catherine Cussans Megan Davies Victoria Davies Jasmine Dawson Emma de Melker Heleena de Oliveira Begoña Delclaux Rodriguez-Rey Sunraj Dhariwal Nader Di Michele Felisha Dodhia Paul Döhring Lewis Downes Sophia Duguid Laurence Elgar Hannah Ellis Hannelore Elsden Chimdinma Emuchay Efe Erciyaz

228

Upp e r Si x th L e ave rs

Harry Everest Natasha Falconer-Malcolm Isabella Fowler-Dewe Ben Fu Oliver Garnett Michael George Luc Gillard Eliott Gilling-Smith Alexander Girichev Philipp Gleichmar Walter Gonder Honey Green Angelo Günther Jack Hamilton-Russell Juliette Hannecart Regis Karina Hastings Anna Hauptmann Alexandra Hawkins Lucas Heappey Andreas Heyer Charles Hickman Poppy Houghton Laura Ihm Antonia Jebens Christopher Kanthack Emily Kenyon-Slaney Jonas Knobloch Thompson Knuth Takayuki Kojima Nicholas Kruse Mena Ladwa Pranay Ladwa Cordelia Lampard William Lane Julius Lange Leonie Laubmann Emma Lavatelli Daisy Lazarus Callum Lea Jin Lim Eleanor Long Theodore Lowe Thomas Luscombe Derrick Macakiage Jake Mann

Verity Manning-Cox Alexandra Marsh Madeleine Martyn-Smith Lauren Maxey Valerio Mazzola Marianne McMurdo Alexandra Medcalf Beatrice Meus Raphael Monceret Holly Needham Alexander Nelson Oluwatomisin Odulana Maya Oehlen Ann O’Gorman Lea Otscheret Nye Owen Isadora Paes de Almeida Bittencourt Angelina Petrova Douglas Pope Vilas Prasad Jacob Preston William Pringle Sofija Rakcejeva Julius Roderer Charlotte Rose Elizaveta Rozenberg Isabelle Rucker Elliot Rutland Tucker Mac Sainsbury-Plaice Charles Salnikow Katrina Salnikow George Sandy Yan Saw Annika Schulz Ritvik Sethi Will Sharp Mathilda Shaw Oscar Shaw Andrii Shvets Carolina de Fonseca Soares Sebastiaan Staleman Eva Sweering Declan Swinburne Tali Swinburne

Maximilien Taylor Théodore Terlinden Anastasiia Tkachenko Martina Totaro Vera Vodinskaya Ella Warren Joshua White Natasha White James Williams Amelia Wilson Darcy Wilson Burgess Scarlett Woods Katherine Wright Henry Wynn Hiu Pui Yuen Saamiah Zaveri Junnian Zhou Louisa Zinke

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.) Mr P J Cartwright (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 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

College Cou n c i l

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PAG E T I T LE

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