Sport

“2019/20 was another hugely successful year for any number of teams, across sports...”

The start of a new academic year always brings with it a huge sense of hope of what is to come: hope for sporting celebrations at all levels, hope that pupils can try a new sport, hope that a national title may be won and the hope that pupils will find the sport that enthuses them for life.

This year was no different and many of these hopes were achieved; however, it will undoubtedly be remembered for coming to a grinding halt in the middle of March due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Even though the Summer Term was voided due to the pandemic, the sporting year involved over 1,500 fixtures in 34 sports; a reasonable return when compared to our usual figure of around 2,000 fixtures.

As ever, the individual achievements in the sporting arena of Wellington pupils never ceases to amaze and more details of this year’s national and international successes across all sports can be read about within the individual sports reports.

But what about the success of Wellington teams on the sports field? 2019-20 was another hugely successful year for any number of teams, across sports, genders and playing standard and we congratulate them all, but these are some of the particular highlights.

•The Equestrian team finished 2nd and 3rd in both National

Championship classes at the Hickstead Show Jumping

Championships.

•The Shooting team competed at the British Schools Winter

Open and the English Schools Long Range Challenge: both saw great individual and team results achieved.

•The Rugby1st XV had an exceptional season with wins at the St

Joseph’s Festival and defending their Champions Trophy title at

Allianz Park, the first team to ever achieve this feat. •In Netball — the U14A Girls competed at the Regional Finals and just as impressively, the U14Bs were undefeated for their

Lent season.

•There was a great all round season for the Girls Hockey Club with the U14As reaching the Regional Finals, the U16A reaching the last 16 of the National Cup and the U18s had great years again both outdoors, but even more notably indoors, as they reached yet another National Finals, a remarkable effort.

•On the polo field — our Boys and Girls teams respectively came 2nd at the SUPA Senior National Polo Championships.

•The Golf team were victorious in the Micklem Trophy.

•On the football field our senior teams had been progressing well in their respective cups prior to lockdown and the 3rd XI had a great season with 5 wins, 1 draw and 0 losses.

•Huge credit also to the Boys U18 Basketball team following an undefeated season.

At the time of writing it seems that the summer sporting season will be lost in 2020; however, given the unprecedented circumstances, no one is ruling out seeing some summer sports in September. The Summer Term whilst limited by competitive fixtures did see sporting and physical activity ideas continue to flow courtesy of the newly formed pupil-led WellyHub, which will no doubt continue to support the Sporting Programme once ‘physical’ school returns. The WellyHub became the place for all sports and pupils to gain ideas of ways to stay active in the period of lockdown, such as home-based sports training plans and live workouts, not to mention the release of the WellySport podcast in conjunction with DukeBox.

Whilst the phenomenal individual and team efforts have already been referenced, it would be remiss not to highlight some of the exceptional individual highlights, including:

•A number of senior rugby players gained U17/U18 international honours for England and Ireland. Additionally, we congratulate Fin

Baxter (Hl — Harlequins), Lucas Brooke (Hl — London Irish),

Marcus Rhodes (Bd — London Irish) and Ale Heaney (T —

Munster) on gaining professional contracts.

•The senior girls’ hockey team boasts several with international honours: Raph Robeson (W) — England U18 squad, Emily Guckian (Hn) — England U21 squad and Darcy Bourne (C) — England senior development squad, the full senior squad and, a first for a

Wellington pupil, the GB Olympic training squad. •Justin Chan (R) won the Portugal Junior Golf Open. •Annabella Pidgley (A) competed at the Under 16 Dressage

European Championships and was part of the GB team.

•Jasper Smith-Gordon (Bl) competed in the first junior world championships for gymnastics and has been invited to join the

Junior TOP Squad by British Gymnastics; this is the international competition group comprising the top fifteen under-18 gymnasts. •Louis Hine (S) won the most important juniors polo tournament in the world, the Potrillos Cup and Ned Hine (S) gained his first professional polo contract. •Aidan Dias (R) raced at the English National Cross-Country

Championships and finished 11th in the country in his age category.

•What didn’t Freddie Bristowe (Bd) win in 2019/2020? He had a truly amazing year, and a great future lies ahead of him. Freddie won the Real Tennis Under 19 US Open, was the World Junior

Champion and is the Number 1 ranked junior in the Under 18 category.

•At The National Schools’ Racket Championships in 2019, one of the most successful tournaments on record was achieved by

Wellington pupils, with Freddie Bristowe (Bd) winning the Foster

Cup, Lauren Gooding (C) and Issie Thorneycroft (C) the Senior

Girls and Cesca Sweet (W) and Sophia Grillo (C) the U16 Girls — a truly remarkable week.

•Finally, we must also make a special mention for a Wellington pupil who showed the true spirit of the College, by training through all conditions in his effort to complete his 5km Kingsley’s challenge. David Lofthouse (Pn), whilst although not yet able to do the challenge due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has already, at the time of writing, raised over £50,000 for the ‘Cerebral Palsy

Trust.’

Interhouse Sport

Despite the disruption to the Summer Term there were still three events: the first ever Pet Agility competition and a virtual Pink Pavilion Dash and Boughey Run. House sport continues to provide a great way for everyone to get involved, and these are the overall results for 2019/2020

•Senior Boys Winners – 1st Stanley (2nd Hill, 3rd Benson & Picton) •Senior Girls Winners – 1st Hopetoun (2nd Wellesley and 3rd

Combermere)

•Junior Boys Winners – 1st Beresford (2nd Hill and 3rd Talbot)

•Junior Girls Winners – 1st Hopetoun (2nd Combermere and 3rd

Anglesey).

To conclude, I must also thank everyone who makes the Sport Programme possible: pupils, parents and all supporters, coaches and all staff at Wellington and beyond — we thank you all.

We now wait in hope for the future of sport and what that will look like: there is no doubt in my mind that Wellington sport will return stronger than ever, but we may still need to be both patient and ingenious as the new academic year starts in September.

One of the unfortunate reverberations of the pandemic has been the cancellation of athletics fixtures around the globe. Several athletes worked hard throughout the winter to train in preparation for the season ahead and, whilst their inspiring commitment will not be wasted, we will have to wait another year to see it come to fruition. In the meantime, allow me to reflect on some highlights from the 2019 season.

The 2019 season started with fixtures at Hurstpierpoint and Charterhouse, where the girls’ and boys’ teams demonstrated determination in adverse weather, pulling together as a collective to support one another. Notable performances against Charterhouse came from Ben Frampton (Hl) in winning the Junior Boys High Jump, Marcus Nye (Bl) winning the 800m and 1500m in the Intermediate Boys, and Joe Baker (Pn) who valiantly contested the 100m, 200m, and 400m, as well as the High Jump for the Senior Boys. The girls’ team travelled to Hurstpierpoint, with the Third Form girls making an impressive debut. Special mention must go to Georgiana Nason (O) placing 2nd in the 3000m. A noteworthy feature of the 2019 season was the supportive, committed team, as demonstrated by the enthusiastic cheering and encouragement at these events.

Another highlight was at Cranleigh, where Wellington came overall in a strong field. Louisa von Werner (Ap), fresh from being crowned county champion, participated in five events, coming second in each. Elodie Sinclair (Hn) showed her athletic ability competing in the 800m (3rd), Shot Put, Long Jump, and Triple Jump (all 2nd). Another notable performance was that of Maisie Westbrook (Hn) winning the High Jump with a staggering 1.55m jump. Maisie won every high jump event she competed in last season, an incredible record.

The passion, determination, teamwork, and commitment shown by each athlete characterised the 2019 season. The eagerness with which the team cheered each other on and the willingness to support each other demonstrated superb team effort upon which to build next season.

Finally, congratulations must go to Kaia Kaemmerlen (A), who represented Gibraltar in the Island Games during summer 2019. Kaia was asked to do Long Jump; she performed incredibly and broke the national Long Jump record. Kaia is now the national record holder for Gibraltar. Barring the Commonwealth Games and World/European Championships, it is the biggest event on Gibraltarian athletes’ calendars. A fantastic achievement to conclude an outstanding season.

Badminton

Among the many joys to be had at Wellington is witnessing the improvement of players on our badminton courts throughout the year. This goes not just for our team players, but for all participants, including the absolute beginners who progress from a (usually unsuccessful) first hit of a shuttlecock to playing hard-fought doubles and singles in a matter of weeks.

As usual, the interhouse competitions provided two of the highlights of the year, featuring a mix of regular badminton players, and the usual tennis, squash and rackets players attempting to adapt their games to the different skills required. In the boys’ competition, experience showed with the Raglan seeing off the Benson in the final, while in the girls’ competition, various tennis and rackets players starred, with the Anglesey seeing off the Hopetoun in the final. The badminton team have been excellently led by Daniel Zhang (Hg), and had an increasingly successful season, winning nine out of sixteen matches, and improving in form and confidence with every match. For this reason, it was a shame the season was cut short, with real momentum building towards our (sadly cancelled) home quadrangular. Owing to various injuries and player form, the pairings changed frequently, to which all players responded with great adaptability and perseverance. Most frequently playing with Daniel Zhang, Alan Xu (Bn) continues to cement his reputation as a reliable performer, while Jie Wei (R) and Richard Lu (L) had their best seasons, broadening their shot range and increasing their consistency. Dominic Kinsler-Lubienski (R), Harry Chen (M) and Alex Crosby (R) all went from strength to strength as they nailed down places in the team, and Akhila Siththaranjan (M) and Kasper Mansfeldt (L) proved excellent new additions.

It is always sad at this time of year to say goodbye to leavers, and we will certainly miss team players Daniel Zhang, Kasper Mansfeldt and Travis Du (Hg). Perhaps the largest gap in the beating heart of Wellington badminton will be left with the departures of stalwarts Will Sheng (T) and Lucian Bennett (M). Nevertheless, we maintain the core of the team heading into next year and face an easier transition than in the last three years. When the smashes, drops and net tumbles return in Michaelmas, it’s sure to be a blast as always.

Basketball

In October, the core of the boys’ basketball teams headed off to Valencia for a week’s training camp. As well as pitting their skills against some of Valencia’s youth teams, they managed to watch a Spanish national league match and enjoy some masterclass training sessions with the Spanish national women’s coach.

The first-class training facilities, modern fitness centre, and recovery rooms gave everyone a real sense of the professional attitude towards basketball in Spain. With junior and senior games on three separate evenings, everyone had a real chance to shine and show their skills. The matches were often close affairs, with Wellington winning as many games as they lost; the highlight being the senior team game on the second evening, which we eventually won in overtime.

The training sessions that took place in the Michaelmas Term and the pre-season tour were all geared for the Interschool Tournament on the first Saturday of the Lent Term. With Charterhouse and Pangbourne not fielding any teams for the 2019/20 season, and the strength in depth at Wellington so strong, we decided to enter two teams.

The Wellington B team acquitted themselves fantastically well playing against the first teams of other schools. Narrow losses to Eton (19-16) and Stowe A (17-16) show the strength in depth of the basketball at Wellington College. Fine performances from Christian Bird (T), Hugo Timmis (Hl), Stan Munro (Bl) and Oscar Heal (M) meant the games were always going to be close.

The Wellington A team performed well, with victories over Bradfield and Stowe seeing them progress into the semifinals. A hard- fought victory over Harrow meant they had a chance of retaining the trophy they won last year. In the final, fine performances from Mattias Seuren (S) and captain Nick Calvey (M) meant that Wellington controlled the rebounds at both ends of the court. Great individual skill from Edson Loh (Bn) and tenacious defensive work from Augie Wittig (M) meant Wellington were always in control. The final score was 39-9, making this the first ever Wellington team to retain the Interschool Basketball trophy.

Climbing

Indoor climbing is one of the world’s fastest growing sports and was due to be showcased as the new sport for the Tokyo Olympics. So too, climbing is on the up(!) at Wellington with a committed group of students training twice a week at the school wall, and bouldering at a commercial wall on Saturdays. We say goodbye to a strong Upper Sixth cohort, who led by example. Will Barker (Hg), a Sixth Form recruit having come from a youth development squad at Alton, was our #1, and helped to raise the ideas of this club in terms of what is possible with strong fingers, delicate footwork (with feet squeezed into tiny shoes), and flexibility. Ale Garavoglia (Hg) and Aaron Jiminez (Hg) brought European style and passion to the gloom of the school wall, throwing themselves into their projects.

Oli Strode (T), our #2, was our most committed climber, and definitely the fastest improving. He had so much strength, and a giant standing jump, and he loved climbing. He was at the heart of the club over the last few years, and we were deeply saddened to hear of his passing.

In our virtual Summer Term, we enjoyed some ‘grip’ and ‘lock-off’ competitions via video, but indoor competitions and sunny rocktrips to Dorset were inevitably cancelled. We hope to be back together at the wall in September.

Cricket

Given that at the time of writing there has been no competitive cricket played for the 2020 summer, you might have thought there would be little, if anything, to report on. However, in true Wellington style, the Cricket Club had managed a strong start to the year, albeit indoors.

The Cricket Club was full of enthusiasm for the 2020 season following its first full winter in the new purpose-built training facility within the ‘Robin Dyer Centre’ (RDC). The centre has allowed every pupil wanting to train for cricket during the winter, whether girl or boy, junior or senior, see the opportunity to do so double in terms of time available.

The RDC also saw a first for the 2019/20 winter; as the Cricket Club continues to see Girls Cricket grow, and with a future fixture scheduled against the MCC Women, which will be rescheduled once possible, there was a winter Interhouse Girls League (boys to follow). The League did not produce a winner in the end, due to some logistical issues, but it most certainly did see a growth in the number of girls enjoying their cricket — something which we hope there will be more of in future years.

Congratulations must also be offered to the senior pupils, who trained with an incredible sense of purpose and courage ahead of the 2020 season. When possible, the Cricket Club will celebrate their efforts, hopefully with some final fixtures on Turf in the Wellington colours, whether it be at a future BOWS Festival, or appearanceson the field in September or beyond — they have been, and will continue to be, as integral to the WCCC community as all others before and after them.

Well done also to Michael O’Donoghue (Bd), who was named WCCC Boys Captain for 2020. Further congratulations are also offered, looking back to the end of 2019, to Harry Petrie (T), on

his selection for the South & West Regional U17 Squad for the 2019 ECB Super 4s Competition; we look forward to Harry, and all others, returning to Turf in due course.

Finally, 2020 also saw the first ever WCCC and OWCC dinner to celebrate all that is Wellington Cricket. Hosted in the Long Room at Lord’s, one of the most iconic sporting locations of them all, and in aid of ‘The Ruth Strauss Foundation’, the evening raised over £40,000. In a year without too many on-field cricketing highlights, this shines as a real beacon of hope to the future strength of the club!

Equestrian

Despite the added obstacles of 2020, the Wellington Equestrian team has had another successful year!

Last August, Allegra Celesia (Ap), Imogen Reed (A), and Tash Turner (W) competed at the Hickstead Show jumping Championships, one of the biggest competitions in the equestrian calendar. They finished 3rd in the NSEA Hickstead Elite Championship, and 2nd in the Hurst Schools National Championship, with Allegra and Imogen coming 3rd and 6th as individuals as well! Moving on to October half term, Allegra, Imogen, Tash, and Gus Crewdson (Pn) competed at the NSEA National Championships at Addington Manor. Tash, Allegra, and Imogen finished in the 1.10m team, Allegra came 8th in the Individual 1.10m championship, and Tash, Allegra, Imogen, and Gus came 8th in the 1.05m championship. The team had excellent camaraderie throughout both competitions and did the College proud, coming home with plenty of rosettes. This strong start left us with high hopes for the year, but of course that was not to be.

Our training programme has been busy, with weekly training for seven elite and thirteen recreational riders. We have also seen Billy Judge (S) compete for the school as an individual, and we look forward to next year, where we will strengthen our collaboration with Wellington Riding School. We plan to include an inter-school jumping competition for the recreational riders and more dressage competitions, as well as continuing to train with our expert coaches for NSEA competitions and championships.

Field Gun

Covid-19 left its mark on the activities of Wellington College’s field gunners as it has on the activities of so many others; this year saw no field gun crews run on Speech Day, and no crew completing public runs at the Royal Military Academy Heritage Day. Captain of Field Gun, Joe Baker (Pn) worked hard with his potential crew members over the winter in preparation for a record-breaking season, but sadly ‘twas not to be. Many will get a chance to run again next year and beyond. Disappointingly, last year’s run was the last for some, and the record books for 2020 will remain blank; the 2019 Trophy winners retain their honours for another year. In 2021, Armoury Field will echo to the ‘sound of the guns’ once more.

Football

Wellington College Football Club continues to grow in strength and in number. Season 2019/20 saw four teams play a full fixture card in the Michaelmas Term, with over 60 boys representing the College in that term, and ten teams in the Lent Term, offering nearly 150 boys a chance to play regular, competitive football. Alongside this, the girls’ football programme continues to emerge, and a small, committed number of girls formed the backbone of this squad over the course of two terms.

Back in August, the 1st XI season started in the sweltering heat of Seville. The touring party were put through their paces by coaches affiliated to Real Betis CF and learned much from both the professional coaching on offer and by playing against high quality opposition. The Michaelmas season started in promising fashion, but earlier than expected elimination from the ISFA U18 Cup proved to be a real disappointment. Led by co-captains, Joe Willcock (Bl) and Artem Naydenov (Bl), the squad played with determination and skill. The highlight of Michaelmas came at home against Eton College, offering encouragement to the boys, as they faced a packed Lent Term schedule. Results continued to show that this young side were maturing fast, and another exciting Cup run, this time in the London Schools U18 Cup, seemed to support this view. Alas, this too was cut short by the closing of all schools in March, an event which marked a sad and rather untimely end to the season.

A final word must go to our senior pros, Lixy Andrews (Bl), Max Watson (L), Freddie Bristowe (Bd), and Will Mayer (T), as well as Joe and Artem. They deserve our thanks and recognition, having given generously to the club in their time at Wellington. We wish them every success with their football careers at university and beyond.

Further down the age groups, things are looking rosy, with a crop of exciting young players coming through at U14 and U15 level. Mr Jennings’ U16 squad developed significantly over the course of two terms, and several of those boys will be looking to make selection for the 1st XI squad this coming September.

Across all age groups, over the course of both terms, a grand total of 95 fixtures went ahead, with WCFC winning 38, drawing 12 and losing 45. This does not include those fixtures for which we were primed, and which were cancelled due to inclement weather.

Final word goes to our co-captains, Joe and Artem: “To summarise this year’s campaign we would need to go all the way back to August, when the team went on a pre-season tour to sunny Seville. Playing against the likes of the Real Betis Academy and other stand out local clubs was a tough but much-needed challenge. Although we weren’t quite successful in getting a win, the trip was a quality experience. Highlights included Joe Willcock’s penalty, his ability to chat back to the Spaniards in their own language, the bus ride back to the airport with PJ, and the Manhattan FC experience: ‘Two tauchez’!

The season itself peaked in the London Schools Cup, beating Mill Hill and Latymer Upper, 2-1 and 3-1 respectively, to get to the quarter finals against Royal Russell. From Danny Wessely’s (Bl) tactical cramps and Max Watson’s two-foot challenges on opponents five feet tall, to Alex Nash’s (L) dribbling down the wing and Archie Renwick’s (Bd) chip over the keeper on the mighty Turf, the season was full of memorable highlights. Due to circumstances, we could not continue with the Cup; however, being favourites to lift the trophy, we can claim the silverware with no hesitation.

All the best to the boys next year, hopefully they can finish off what we have started.”

Girls Rugby

2019/20 was extremely challenging for Girls Rugby at Wellington, with the squad heavily depleted by the bittersweet departure of last year’s Upper Sixth, who had represented the College across several seasons previously. The focus this season was thus to rebuild, based on the pioneering spirit that has been a trademark of the sport here at Wellington. Under the guidance and enthusiasm of remaining ‘old hands’ Ella Lord (Hn) and Livi McCausland (C), a small but committed group of young women from Fourth Form through Upper Sixth tackled that challenge with grit and grace.

While developing key skills, tactical nous, and fitness, other lessons learned included never get tackled by Tasha Murrin (A); that nobody can effect a slip quite as spectacularly as Mia Wu (C); and screaming ‘eeeeeeeeeee!’ while on the run does make Ros Trainor (W) equal parts faster and more confusing for opponents. While the rebirth of Girls’ Rugby this year should have culminated in participation at the Reigate and Rosslyn Park tournaments, near-biblical downpours and then a global pandemic nixed those opportunities for the team to test its mettle. Nevertheless, the spirit of Girls Rugby lives on to fight another, as-yet indeterminate, day.

Golf

Golf at Wellington is thriving, with more than a dozen committed golfers playing with handicaps below 6 across all year groups, a fun and competitive improvers section, and a busy and committed group of novices! The number of Wellingtonians playing the game, either as a main sport, as an enrichment activity, or indeed just for fun, is growing rapidly, and the future is exciting for Wellington Golf. Golf is a sport to be enjoyed at all levels, by both boys and girls, and it has been especially pleasing to see such an influx of beginner and improver girl golfers this year. Wellington has long been blessed with wonderful female golfers, led this year by Lauren Gooding (C), Ella Hammond-Baveystock (W), and the Lombardo sisters, Ottavia (O) and Giulia (Hn), and it has been wonderful to see so many up-and-coming girls take to the links. This year has also seen the introduction of new inter-school competitions, focussed on giving opportunities for beginner golfers of both sexes to represent the school in a relaxed and friendly environment.

The elite team has enjoyed a particularly strong year, capped off with a fine and thrilling victory in the Micklem Trophy. The camaraderie and togetherness were gratifying to witness, with all players demonstrating the best of the Wellington attributes. With so many fine performances over the three days of intense competition, I would like to single out Henry Woolhouse (R), long a stalwart of Wellington Golf, who delivered his point in the crunch tie in the first round versus Bradfield. His 5 wood into the 13th at Woking will go down in folklore and was surely the catalyst for a fine all-round team performance throughout the rest of the tournament.

Elsewhere, the team was going strong in the National KO competitions, narrowly losing the Regional Final in the ISGA, and heading towards the National Finals in the HMC. Unfortunately, the team were deprived of their opportunity to build upon their impressive first half of the year due to Covid-19, but with such strength and depth, the team will be very competitive at the national level next year.

We are sad to say goodbye to three special Upper Sixth golfers: Oscar Fuentes (Bn) led the team with his customary class and maturity; Justin Chan (R) was exceptional throughout the year, and it has been a privilege to see his development, and we all look forward to watching his progress as he leaves the junior ranks; Lauren Gooding endured an extremely frustrating season due to injury; however, she has plenty to look forward to as she embarks on a scholarship to Colorado State next year.

Hockey

What a tremendous hockeying year has the last twelve months been at Wellington. From those who have picked up a stick for the first time, to those pulling on their first international shirts, there can be little doubting the pride and passion that has been on display, or that this game of ours has truly encapsulated sporting life at Wellington.

2019/20 pushed back in late August in the scorching plains of the Netherlands. Two boys’ and two girls’ squads took the plunge across the Channel for a series of four fixtures in a week; a gruelling start to the year but a welcome return to hockey for many who had laid down their shin pads in March. With no tour in 2020, Wellington’s hockey players have their sights trained on Cape Town in 2021.

With the boys’ season coming to a premature end this year and our Yearlings 1st XI left on the brink of qualifying for the T2 national finals, it was left to the girls to decorate the trophy cabinet. Brilliantly led by captain Bea Varley (O), the U14s duly obliged: Champions of Berkshire, keeping the Wellington name on the cup for the ninth year out of ten, as well as finishing 3rd in the Regional Finals, were outstanding accomplishments. The U16 girls progressed through the National Cup to the last 16; a thrilling 4-3 victory over St George’s on penalty strokes a particular highlight. The girls’ 1st VI stormed through the rounds of the National Indoor Competition, eventually finishing 3rd. The 1st XI saw the bitter side of the luck coin, finishing in a three-way tie at the top of the South League with St George’s and Surbiton High and level on goal difference, knocked out by a single goal scored.

Closer to home, the Combermere took a clean sweep of the girls’ House laurels, whilst the Beresford juniors romped home, and the Talbot edged out the Stanley on penalty strokes in the senior final. A number of individual Wellingtonians have also had a year to remember. In particular, tips of the international cap must be made in the directions of Emily Guckian (Hn, England U18) and Darcy Bourne (C, England U18 Captain); both have also gained places on the England Development Programme. Raph Robeson (W) was also selected in the England U18 squad who faced Ireland in February, invited to join the EDP training camp in March, and took home the Hockey Writers’ Club Girls’ U18 Award.

Finally, it would be remiss in such a report to fail to turn an appreciative nod in the direction of the innumerable members of staff at Wellington, who deliver the programme across 24 weeks of gruelling winter battery. Beg the hockey question of any pupil at the College, and their coach will be getting an honourable mention. If you find yourself reading this by a roaring fire in early January, thank you. And sorry about the rain.

The netball season is often a short, fast-paced, whirlwind of a season that flies along with fixtures and training throughout. This year was a little different, with the season being chopped even shorter with Covid-19 restricting the season end and the last couple of block fixtures. That didn’t stop us from cramming in 115 fixtures against schools such as Brighton, Canford, Marlborough, Teddies, and Bradfield and putting out 18 teams on a regular weekly basis to produce an exciting year of netball at Wellington.

It was brilliant to have the top-class facility of the Robin Dyer Centre in full use, especially for those wet and cold afternoons. It showcased the first Christmas Mums vs Daughters netball match, as well as hosting a large crowd for the greatly anticipated Sixth Form Boys vs Girls netball game, where the girls were victorious. The 1st VII started with pre-season matches in blazing sunshine at Surbiton in September and finished with the annual invitational tournament at Bradfield in February. The team showed how strong and versatile they were with some impressive tournament performances, pushing a one goal win vs Seaford at their tournament, which saw the team produce hunger for turnover after turnover. Sade Wallace (Hg) developed throughout the season to become one of the strongest players on the team in defence; her quick eye and fast feet meant she stole intercepts consistently. Ella Redfern (C) and Poppy Dutton (W) led by example with their captains’ hats on, pushing to keep the shooting averages high throughout.

The U14Bs deserve a special mention with their unbeaten season throughout the Lent Term. The closest they let a team get was within 5, but they also had a massive winning score line of 44! An impressive season, and Wellington netball are excited to see all the U14 teams doing so well. The U14As went to the Regional Finals in January, only narrowly missing out on playing in a semi-final by coming 3rd in their group. A brilliant achievement in their first couple of months as a team. Individual mentions should go to Scarlett Creasey (A), Katy Head (Hn), and Elodie Sinclair (Hn) for their club and pathway achievements. Scarlett has been playing and training in the Surrey Storm U19 squad; a brilliant achievement three years young. Katy and Elodie have been playing for the U17 teams for Wasps and Surrey Storm, respectively. All three have been adding extra training and miles to their netball world and it is showing on the court. Scarlett and Katy are also part of their club teams that will be heading to the U16 National Club Finals having won the South League. India Underwood (W) and Annabel Tanner (C) have also been training and playing in the U15 Berkshire Academy.

The Polo team continues to grow from strength to strength. This year, we secured our winter training ground at Emsworth Polo Club in Windsor. The newly enlarged arena and enclosed viewing platform have provided us with an effective and reliable training facility for the season, as well as an impressive venue for hosting. Ryan Pemble and Andrew Murray continue to provide tuition on a weekly basis, and on Saturdays our young players have continued to play in competitive local chukkas at Royal Berkshire, Emsworth, and Fifield. Our season kicked off in November with an A Team match against Millfield. This team provided the inaugural experience for our new Third Form player William Grayken (Bl), who played fantastically alongside seasoned Lower Sixth players Lottie Harper (C) and Jakob Simonig (L). Our team fought hard but lost by just one goal in this thrilling game against wellmatched opponents.

We met Harrow in late January at Emsworth, fielding both an A and a B team. This provided another inaugural opportunity for our other new Third Form team member, Louis Hine (S). Our A Team won their match, and our B Team lost by just one goal; a fantastic result as it was the first match for our B Team players. They were able to keep their cool and defensive strength throughout the match, holding their own.

At the SUPA Senior Schools National Polo Championships on Sunday 1st March at Rugby Polo Club, both the Intermediate and Open Team finished 2nd overall, with Louis Hine being awarded Most Promising Player of 2020. Louis is incredibly deserving of this award. His play is independently and tactically strong, whilst simultaneously maintaining a great awareness and consideration for space and for his fellow team members. On Sunday, 8th March, the SUPA held the annual Girls Senior School Polo Tournament at Black Bears Polo Club. Our young girls’ team came 2nd overall within the Intermediate Division, which is an outstanding and thoroughly pleasing result.

Lottie Harper, our Girls’ Team captain, was also awarded Most Promising Player. This perfectly sums up her fantastic play. She showed a measured approach from the offset, was a force to be reckoned with when riding off other opponents, yet also allowed room for her young team to play forward.

It’s sad that our season was cut short before fixtures in the arena and on grass against Eton, as well as the Copenhagen Cup at Guards in May. With a strong team behind us, and luckily with no Upper Sixth leavers from the team this year, we look forward to starting the new academic and sporting year with a bang!

Rackets

Close of play on the 2019/20 season came at an extremely frustrating time for WCRC. After a very successful Lent Term, with particularly impressive victories over main rivals Eton and Tonbridge, the 1st Pair of Freddie Bristowe (Bd) and Ethan Distelbrink (M) were approaching the Boys’ Doubles Championships at Queen’s Club as top seeds. This seemed to offer the best chance of Wellington’s first win in this elite event since 2011, and only the ninth since the inaugural championships of 1868. After five years dominating, to some extent pioneering the girls’ game, Issie Thorneycroft and Lauren Gooding (both C) were at the same time preparing for the Girls’ Singles Championships, in which an all-Wellington final seemed a strong likelihood, and thus a wonderful way for their school rackets careers to end. The three seniors did, however, have a day in December at Queen’s on which they can look back fondly in the years to come, as Lauren and Issie successfully defended their Senior Girls’ Doubles title on the same day that Freddie won the Foster Cup; the Senior Boys’ Singles Championship and one of the oldest titles in the sport. Earlier the same day, the Junior Girls’ Pair of Cesca Sweet (W) and Sophia Grillo (C) won the Junior Girls’ Doubles Trophy; three trophies in one day was an unprecedented and well celebrated achievement for Wellington.

Other highlights of the season included a very enjoyable trip to the Manchester Tennis & Rackets Club, and hosting a leg of the Knott Stephens Tour, a squad representing all of the clubs in North America. In November Lauren and Issie reached the final of the British Ladies Open, losing by the narrowest of margins after having the first match point. In March, Wellington hosted the biggest event in ladies’ rackets, the inaugural World Doubles. In another successful (if exhausting) season, professional Ryan Tulley again deserves particular praise for running this prestigious and high-profile event, while working tirelessly with all of Wellington’s players.

A significant part in WCRC’s hugely successful season was played by Ben Cawston, completing his training as a rackets professional at Wellington over the academic year. The hours which Ben spent on court doubtlessly contributed to the success of the senior players, but also enabled large numbers of Yearlings and Junior Colts, both boys and girls, to spend more time on court and thus accelerate their progress. In the same season, Ben won the British Invitational Singles, British Professional Singles, and US Open Singles, and reached the final of the British Open Singles, to be beaten by the World Champion. By the end of the season Ben was ranked No. 2 in the world, and clearly has a very exciting career ahead of him. To achieve this and at the same time to spend hours on court with novices to the game is evidence of Ben’s ability, dedication, enthusiasm, and simple decency. We are proud of Ben’s achievements

Rugby

The 2019/20 rugby season will be one that lives long in the memory at Wellington College. The 2nd XV were exceptional all year under the guidance of Mr Oakman and Mr Mancuso, completing a remarkable unbeaten season. The victories over The Oratory 1st XV, Clifton College, and the draw at Sedbergh particularly stand out. Throughout the rest of the senior squads, there was more success with the 3rd XV having an excellent season, defeating both a 2nd XV (Eton) & 1st XV (London Oratory). The 4th XV continued to thrive, and only missed out on an unbeaten year with a last day defeat to a strong Tonbridge side.

The XV began the season fantastically, with strong wins over Whitgift, Dulwich, and Millfield, and were able to carry this momentum throughout the year, with famous victories over Clifton, Epsom, Harrow, and Tonbridge, to make the 2019 XV one that can rightly be considered one of the great Wellington sides. Victory over Rugby in The Champions Trophy final at Allianz Park, making Wellington the first school to defend what is now the highest prize in English schoolboy rugby, followed an incredible victory at the prestigious St Joseph’s Festival, taking the title for the first time in the school’s history. The final word on this team though must be of their incredible team spirit and the superb ambassadors they have been for the College, truly embracing the values in all they do.

Throughout the rest of the club there was a great showing from the U15As in the Schools Cup, where they narrowly lost in the quarter-finals. The U16s had a successful year, with highlights including the Bs’ win over Tonbridge and the As’ great results vs NSB and Harrow. The U14s had a very successful first year of rugby at College, with the As taking a well-earned win against Sedbergh and the C and D teams proving we have great strength in depth.

There were many individual accolades too, with XV captain, Fin Baxter (Hl) gaining international honours for England at U18 alongside teammates Cassius Cleaves (Hl) and Marcus Rhodes (Bd), with Alessandro Heaney (T) also gaining an Irish cap at U18. There was further international success with Monty Bradbury (Hl) attending an England U17 camp. We had eleven boys represent their academy in the U18 Premiership, and this has led to four boys gaining professional contracts. These are: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Lucas Brooke (Hl) (London Irish), Marcus Rhodes (London Irish), and Alessandro Heaney (Munster). We wish these boys all the very best and are also excited to see other leavers develop as they continue playing at university, or in clubs in places such as New Zealand and Italy. We are so proud of you all. Alongside this senior success, we are so proud of all our players who have been involved in various representative and academy rugby this year; with over 50 boys currently involved in various performance programmes, the future of rugby at Wellington College looks bright.

Rugby Sevens

Whilst the Sevens season was one that was massively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the showpiece National Schools Sevens at Rosslyn Park being unable to take place due to the virus, there was still plenty of action to celebrate during the Lent Term.

The 1st VII began their campaign with a perfect start at the Shiplake Sevens, taking home the Cup for the first time since 2014, after a fine day of Sevens. The boys played superbly throughout the day, beating strong sides from Hurstpierpoint, Tonbridge, and Cheltenham College before a brilliant performance vs Clifton College in the final saw them bring home the main trophy. The only other tournament the squad were able to compete in was the Surrey Sevens; we entered with a young side due to a clash with Upper Sixth mocks. The squad played some excellent Sevens, only losing one game all day, and gaining vital experience for their development.

The tale of a disrupted season, due to both poor weather and the pandemic, was also true in the rest of the age groups. The U16s faced a number of cancellations but were able to compete at the Stowe School Sevens, where they battled back from a slow start to win the group. This saw the boys face Sedbergh in a semi-final which proved to be an epic battle. In a game that saw huge swings in momentum, Wellington were able to come out on top and claim a place in the final vs Millfield. The final was another tense encounter. Having fought back to level the scores, Millfield were able to break free and claim the winning try. Everyone who witnessed the game agreed it was one of the highest quality and hoped to see the teams play again at RPNS7. As well as this, the U16s took part in a festival at Trinity where they went unbeaten, taking the notable scalp of Whitgift along the way.

Across the rest of the programme, the U14s began their Sevens season well, with a strong showing at the Warwick Festival, only losing once all day before their season was also cut short. The girls were even more unfortunate, unable to compete in any tournament (due to cancellations) despite putting in many hard hours on the training field, as all sides did. We hope conditions in 2021 will allow a better year for school Sevens.

Running

“Running is the greatest metaphor in life, because you get out of it what you put into it.”

Little did we know at the beginning of the year that the most iconic running events across the world would be postponed and cancelled in the unprecedented times we found ourselves in during the Covid-19 lockdown. And so it was within Wellington too. However, the ingenuity and commitment of the community to fitness and running meant that it only required some imagination and some technology to ensure that events such as the Kingsley’s and the Pink Pavilion Dash were keenly contested in ‘virtual’ mode.

The Michaelmas Term club event — the Maverick Inov-8 off road race in Oxfordshire — saw what has now become the traditional ‘club christening’ of torrential rain and ferocious 22% gradient climbs and descents in the Chilterns. The team ran superbly: in the 11km race Marcus Nye (Bl) was the overall winner, with Aidan Dias (R) coming 3rd. Ophelia Vesely (C) came 8th in the women’s race. The Wellington team won the men’s and mixed team events. In the 6km race, Bella Grayken (Ap) stormed home to come first, Elodie Sinclair (Hn) was 3rd, and Georgiana Nason (O). This made the girls the very clear winners in the women’s team event.

The usual set of traditional fixtures were enjoyed early in the Lent Term, starting with the Berkshire Championships where every member of the club ran. This time in glorious sunshine, the running club enjoyed their most successful performance in recent years. Aidan Dias ran a superbly timed race to be crowned overall county champion in the U15 boys’ race, and some top 20 placings from his fellow teammates secured a 3rd place team result. The U15 girls also ran with great commitment to gain 3rd place in the team event. In the inter-age group events, Guy Stevens (L) and Elodie Sinclair topped the Wellington finishers, with Elodie securing a place in the county team after finishing in the top 16 and Guy finishing in the top 20. Georgiana Nason finished 17th and Amelia Hutton (W) 20th. Finishing first out of the Wellington U19 team were James Brown (Hg) (26th)and Raph Robeson (W) (21st). An impressive team effort from the seniors, meant that the boys gained a 3rd place and the girls 2nd place overall. At the inter-counties race held in Kent, Marcus Nye and Elodie Sinclair ran strongly against tough opposition for the Berkshire U17 team, and Aidan Dias finished 6th in the U15 race. Aidan then went on to race at the national cross-country championships at Sefton Park in Liverpool; he finished 19th in the country — a tremendous achievement.

The 25th annual Wellington Relays event attracted 16 different schools from across the South East. The College Running Club entered two teams and placed 3rd in the senior girls’ event and 4th in the senior boys. Just before the season was cut short, our boys’ team competed in the South Harriers School Races on Farthing Downs. The senior boys took part in the Densham Cup race. Freddie Gillmore (Hg) led the Wellington boys home in 15th place, and with close placings for Baxter Westby (S) (20th), Hugo Williamson (R) (23rd), and Sven Bruening (Hg) (24th), this enabled the team to finish in 4th position overall. The inter-boys team took part in the highly competitive Lemon Norris Cup. Marcus Nye ran very strongly to finish 3rd, Aidan Dias finished in 5th, and Oslo Adamson (L) and Freddie Higgins (Hl) in 10th and 30th place, respectively. The inter-boys team secured the bronze medal. This is the best result from a Wellington College team in recent years. The Running Club was awarded Team of the Week three times over the course of two terms; this was a terrific reflection of the time that the runners put into their training, coupled with their determination, courage, and general attitude. The club undoubtedly breeds camaraderie, and the positive attitude which the pupils demonstrated throughout the year was often inspirational.

Interhouse competitions were, as always, fiercely contested. In the Junior J’s Aidan Dias and Bella Grayken finished 1st in the 10km race, and Guy Stevens (L) and Katherine Smith (A) were victorious in the 5km race. The Hill and the Apsley were the winning Houses. The interhouse relay events were won by the Hopetoun and the Raglan, with two new course records being set by Aidan Dias and Freddie Gilmore. The two fastest laps were recorded by Marcus Nye and Georgiana Nason.

A large number of students took up the ‘Kingsley’s versus Corona’ challenge; they were dared to set themselves a 5km run, and then plunge into a cold bath to emulate Swan Lake. Well done to Baxter Westby and Ophelia Vesely, who were the deserved victors in the rather unique event! During the Summer Term, the runners braved several different remote running challenges, and also helped the OW Running Club to rack up very competitive times and distances in the online inter-school’s challenge. Aidan Dias ran a highly impressive 5km time (16:30), which stood as the second fastest time in the whole competition.

Over this year, the club has taken out up to six different ability groups, due to a very dedicated and committed group of staff. The club has thrived, and the popularity of running continues to grow. There is a leadership student team for the 2020/21 season: Baxter Westby and Hugo Williamson will captain the boys, and Amelia Hutton, Ophelia Vesley, and Raph Robeson (vice captain) will captain the girls. I am sure that they will continue to inspire all those who don their trainers each week to get fitter, faster, and have a lot of fun.

Shooting

The yearly cycle of target shooting begins again in September with the hunt for new recruits, back in the saddle training for the established shots and a new pupil hierarchy to take the club forward for the season.

Small-bore indoor shooting at the College range is the usual menu until March, with one last full-bore event at Bisley, the quadrangular match. Wellington won handsomely, beating teams from Bradfield, Marlborough, and the OWs. The usual rounds of competition cards followed, with College pupils sweeping all before them. First was the British Schools Team of VIII, then Division 1 of the British Schools League, and to round off the run up to Christmas, lots of medal placings in the English Schools Long Range Challenge and the British Schools Winter Open; a satisfying Winter term. The return from Christmas break signals the start of the British Schools Senior and Junior Individual Championships, the Schools International Match, and several British Open events. The club’s top small-bore shooter, Sophie Hodge (W) was on fire; perfect scores in the British Schools Junior Championship won her that title easily and, against some of Great Britain’s best, she made the finals of the British Open and the British Ladies championships, securing the

British Junior titles on the way. Not to be outdone, Oscar Farrell (R), the club captain, won the Welsh Junior Championship, beating the previous champion of the last two years Shaun Rees (Bd). Team shooting at this time was concentrated on the Berkshire League for the Strauss Shield. With eight rounds shot, it was neck and neck between Wellington and Windsor Rifle Club. The pupils rallied for the last two rounds, securing the trophy for the second time in the last three years.

National recognition in the Schools International is highly sought after, and Wellington shooters gained six places for England and one each for Wales and Scotland; England ran out the winners with Wellington shooters leading the way.

With March dawning, it was time to switch to outdoor full-bore shooting at Bisley and a full programme was planned, including further promotion of the Cadet GP Rifle Team that was so successful last year. Unfortunately, Covid-19 put a stop to the season.

Squash

Wellington Squash keeps on improving in all areas. For a long time now, my focus was on numbers, and on getting pupils playing. It was for students to learn and enjoy themselves at the same time, and also for our teams to do well in competitive matches. I now feel the squash programme caters for everyone. We now have 6070 students playing across the school — boys and girls, juniors, and seniors. With everyone playing at least three times a week, we have seen an improvement in the students quite quickly.

The boys’ teams continue to play at the top level. Last season we had our strongest team for a while. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, the season came to a very abrupt end, with the Roehampton Tournament not being played.

For the first time I entered the 1st team into a tournament at Surrey Sports Park, just before Christmas. This tournament takes the same format as Roehampton. With Freddie Bristowe (Bd), my No. 2, not available due to a tennis tournament, the boys finished a very creditable 5th. Jin Tse (Hg), my No. 1, was a fantastic captain again. Not only was he unbeaten, but he spent a lot of his own time trying to develop others. We say goodbye to Jin Tse, Freddie Bristowe, and Raghuv Kanwar (M) this year, and we must thank them for putting in many hours down at the courts.

We now have over sixteen boys’ and ten girls’ fixtures, and what a joy to see them competing.

•1st Team Boys — Jin Tse / Freddie Bristowe / James Dundas (Pn) / Hugo Pennant (Bd) / Ethan Distelbrink (M), and Raghuv Kanwar.

•1st Team Girls — Daisy Bristowe (Ap) / Katherine Morgan (Ap) / Cesca Sweet (W) /Arabella Spraggs (Ap), and Honor Woollett (Hn) will all be available next season.

The Apsley were girls’ House Champions. Unfortunately, the boys’ event was cancelled due to Covid-19.

The social and beginners’ side of the programme continues to grow. Every year, we introduce more and more pupils to squash, and this an area which is important to develop.

Thank you to everyone at squash, for all your efforts.

Swimming

Over 50 swimmers participated with the team in some capacity this year, whether dedicated swimmers on the performance squad, multisport or cross-training pupils, or an ever-growing number of people training and competing with the team on top of another College sport. Swimming at Wellington continues to grow from strength to strength. With heavy losses to graduation last year, this season saw the largest group of Third Form swimmers in recent years joining up, so the future of Wellington Swimming looks even brighter!

The competitive year kicked off with the characteristic screams of the Interhouse Swimming heats, with victories this year going to the Hopetoun and the Talbot. The competitive season continued with more large galas hosted at home, as well as our first ever combined gala with Eagle House. Senior boys put a strong showing together at the Tonbridge Trophy Gala, repeating our 4th place finish, Wellington’s highest ever, of last year. A full two thirds of the team recorded personal bests to make that achievement happen.

Sadly, Covid-19 prevented the girls’ squad from getting their chance to duplicate the boys’ great result at the annual Downe House Relay Championships, but all signs in training and other competitions were predicting a strong finish there too. Four new Wellington records went to Caitlin Loo (Hn) (50m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle, 100m Breaststroke, and 100m Individual Medley), while the fastest ever Wellington time in the 200m Medley Relay was awarded to Maggie Tam (Hg) (Backstroke), Jemima Bland (Ap) (Breaststroke), Jess Harrison (Hn) (Butterfly), and Anna Wayman (A) (Freestyle).

Many thanks to the entire coaching staff, our dedicated captain Toby Redshaw (T), and his deputies, Cedric Bellens (Hg) and Jemima Bland.