THE ELLESMERIAN
2007
THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Contents
Prefects ...... 2 VOLUME CXVII
School Notes ...... 3 2007 Captains of School Head Boy: C. M. Cooper Speech Day ...... 9 Head Girl: A. J. Merrill School Prefects Prize List ...... 17 C. J. Bevan C. E. Bushnell House Notes ...... 18 P. M. Daborn A. L. Dapling H. E. Devonald Saints Houses ...... 26 I. R. Disspain S-J. Edwards Pupil Notes...... 29 A. L. Ellis S. L. Haynes
In and Around ...... 33 J. S. Jarvis W. T. Norris R. A. Simms Out and About ...... 35 J. Y. Zhang
CCF ...... 42
Duke of Edinburgh ...... 46
The Chapel of Saint Oswald ...... 50
Art ...... 51 www.ellesmere.com The College Website is updated Debating ...... 53 regularly with information on sports fixtures, what’s on and Drama ...... 57 news items.
Music ...... 61
Middle School ...... 62 The Editor wishes to thank all contributors, and in particular Sport ...... 63 Suzanne Bellis, Kate Sampson and Suzanne Hutchinson for their considerable support. Shooting ...... 109
Cover Picture: Art work by House Sport...... 110 Tristam Thomas (GCSE) Sarah-Jane Beswick (A-Level) Luke Taylor (Year 7) Lower School ...... 114
Inside Cover Picture: Year 11 Careers’ Conference, November 2006 Old Ellesmerian Festival ...... 132 in Big School THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
HEAD BOY & HEAD GIRL AND PREFECTS
Chris Bevan Head Boy Charles Cooper Charles Bushnell & Head Girl Abigail Merrill*, (Talbot)
Pete Daborn Alice Dapling* Harriet Devonald Ian Disspain (Wakeman-Lambart)
Sarah-Jane Edwards* Aled Ellis* Sarah Haynes James Jarvis (Meynell) (Woodard & St Bede’s)
* Captain of House William Norris Robert Simms Carrie Zhang 2
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School Notes September 2006 saw the arrival of a much higher number of new members to the Common Room than DEPARTURES had departed two months before in July. The cause of this was the growth of the pupil body from both domestic and overseas sources, the latter mainly resulting from the introduction of IB courses in the Sixth Form. Sue Abbots joined the English department, Louise Gunter Languages, Bill Hutchings became the new Head of Lower School, Ian Roberts joined PE, Suzanne Ryan History and Geography, Paul Swainson Chemistry, and Gareth Owen PE. Gareth also took on the role of Housemaster to St Patrick’s. Robin Townsend also became a permanent member of staff in Lower School. Three Gap Students came at the same time; Dinesh Makhija as the IT technician’s assistant, Maura Van Voris from Tabor Academy to help with Performing Arts, and Tao Hong, who has helped in the EAL department, kept the Library open in the evenings Claire Clewlow and taught some Chinese in Lower School. All three Claire Crampton (later Clewlow) joined the English completed their year in August 2007 and we wish them department at Ellesmere in September 2002. She quickly well for their continuing careers in education. In proved herself to be an assured and lively presence in the December 2006 our three Gap Students from the classroom, with a special aptitude for pastoral care in the Antipodes, Caitriona Cotter, Laura Morton and Sam Junior section of the College, where she was promoted to a McKelvey all departed to enter Higher Education back in senior post. the Southern Hemisphere. The following Lent term saw Her interest in students’ lives and achievements outside the the arrival of their replacements in the form of Pippa classroom was fully expressed in her commitment to Junior Kranz, Justine McCullagh and Phil Hook. Chistina Drama – especially the annual Shakespeare festival – and Westwood also entered the Common Room in January in her development of debating and public speaking where 2007, joining the Languages department to teach teams under her management achieved both regional and German. national honours. Claire decided to seek new challenges in Spring 2007 and we wish her every success for the future. At the end of the Lent term Claire Clewlow departed to She remains on site with her husband Martin and whenever take a short career break after five years here. In she is spotted around the grounds she appears to have her addition to her excellent work in the English department, hands full with the management of her two dogs. and as a Lower School tutor, Claire has made a massive SFWP contribution to the cultural life of the College as a director of plays and as the instigator and organiser of the hugely successful House Debating Competition. The high achievements of College debating teams in recent years are a fitting tribute to her efforts in this area. Claire has also helped with Lower School shooting and is renowned as an excellent shot herself. We wish her well as she takes up a new teaching post in September 2007. The Summer term was unusual in that no long-term members of staff were departing, but the end-of-year cocktail party went ahead as planned, almost. The poor weather had prevented the playing of any croquet matches and forced us inside to say cheerio to the leaving Gap Students. Even so the evening went well and we are very grateful to the Headmaster and Mrs
Wignall for hosting us in their house at extremely short Olwen Oldham notice. The Summer term was also noteworthy for a After being a legal secretary for many years Olwen came to the College in November 2003. Olwen job-shared with Lydia new arrival in the Stanway household, with similar in Reception and at the end of 2005 she was also a events in the Fisher and Baggaley households just peripatetic secretary around the College in the afternoon. before and after the start of the new academic year. Keen for a challenge, Olwen took on the new role of During the summer vacation Emma Williams became Admissions Secretary. In her spare time Olwen frequently Mrs. John. We congratulate all concerned on these visited her daughter in Stoke and was a keen gardener. happy events. Olwen left the College in March 2007 to pursue a new venture in property development and to spend time travelling GH around this country and abroad.
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ARRIVALS
Sighile Abbot Lyn Gunter After graduating with an MA in French from Warwick Before joining Ellesmere Lyn had taught long-term in the University, Sighile worked in France for a number of years, Maintained sector and spent many years in one school, teaching English and translating. On her return to England in teaching Modern Foreign Languages. After a career break in 1992 she worked in Suffolk College, where she taught 2004 Lyn rejoined the teaching profession, working in a English on the degree programme, alongside French and variety of schools, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Spanish. She then moved to Lincoln University, teaching Holidays are spent visiting Tunisia, Egypt and the Balearics, French and Spanish. After being made redundant in 2002 and various parts of the UK. Sighile went to Abbotsholme School and – after a long, circuitous route – finally made it to Ellesmere. As well as her great love of drama, Sighile enjoys walking, singing and dancing – and reading, when she has time.
Nikki Hoy
Having started playing tennis competitively at age 4, Nikki has played Regional and County tennis throughout her life
and still competes for the Shropshire team. Her coaching career has seen Nikki working in some of the biggest clubs in the country. She has also been a regular at the coaching clinics provided at the major tournaments Heather Battisson countrywide. Nikki had the honour of coaching the Great When Heather left school in 1992 she studied for a degree in Britain U12 team in Spain recently. Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University. After graduating she Throughout her coaching career Nikki has been involved in moved to London to study Architecture at Westminster establishing club programmes for clubs and tennis centres of University. Since returning home to Cheshire, she has all sizes. She believes in being actively involved in her decided to combine her love for design and gardening and is coaching programmes and coaches all levels from Mini Red currently studying for an HNC in Landscape and Garden beginners through to National Juniors and beyond. Her Design at The Welsh College of Horticulture. coaching also encompasses extensive work within the Heather enjoys spending time outdoors and this is reflected special needs field, an area that she finds particularly not only in her job but also in her hobbies. She is a keen rewarding. climber and surfer and has been snowboarding for about 15 When not involved with tennis Nikki enjoys looking after her years. garden, two young boys, three dogs and husband.
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Nikki Martin-Jones
Nikki joined Ellesmere College at the beginning of October Michelle Hughes 2006, having previously held the position of School Secretary at Cockshutt Primary School, where she is a Michelle has spent many years working in various libraries. Governor. Nikki’s two girls attend Lower School and are She worked at Newi/Yale College for 12 years and has spent thoroughly enjoying themselves! the last 5 years at Wrexham Public Library. She still remains In her spare time Nikki and her family love sailing and intrigued by the concept of helping people find information. canoeing as well as camping and hiking, relishing every She lives with her husband, daughter and dog. Outside work opportunity to get into Wales – especially to Bala Lake. Nikki they are all devoted armchair supporters of Liverpool FC. enjoys travelling further afield, having spent 2 months in Michelle is also fond of gardening, foreign travel, food, wine Alaska on a British Schools Exploring Society expedition. and, when forced, the great outdoors. Nikki also enjoys the Arts whenever possible, especially the ballet or musical productions.
Gareth Owen Gareth has returned to Ellesmere College after a break of almost 30 years. As a former pupil, he feels he owes a great deal to the College for providing him with an excellent basis for his academic, social and sporting development in his career as a Physical Education teacher. Whilst at Ellesmere he was a Bill Hutchings school prefect, a proud member of the first unbeaten 1st XV st Bill was born and brought up in Surrey where he attended rugby team (only recently equalled!), Vice-Captain of the 1 XI cricket team, and he also managed to achieve a number of A Epsom College, starting the term after Mr. Sampson left! levels. Following time as a Gap Student and a degree in PE and After obtaining his degree Gareth worked in both schools and Education from ‘Marjons’, his first post was as Head of PE in Further Education establishments as a teacher and a manager. a boys’ prep’ school in Buckinghamshire. After 11 years down After 15 years in Yorkshire he returned to his home area of south he succumbed to the pull of Shropshire, moving to Shropshire with a young family. Both his wife, Sharon (as a Packwood Haugh to teach Maths and Games and then on to teacher and Head of Middle School), and his two boys Alex and Ellesmere as Head of Lower School in September 2007. Sam (pupils) are members of the College and are enjoying the busy school environment. Thus, when he was offered the His main interests are music, travel, spending time with his chance to undertake some sports coaching and more recently family, and most sports. In particular he enjoys athletics, to become a Housemaster, he did not hesitate to accept the supporting Liverpool FC, golf and rugby. He used to referee opportunity to join the teaching staff at the College. After spending 15 years in Physical Education Gareth finds it so to quite a high standard and officiated in his early days at at rewarding to undertake real coaching with committed pupils. least two British Lions matches and at a Rosslyn Park final. While actively involved in sport Gareth also has other interests, including breeding thoroughbred racehorses and property development.
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Ian Roberts Debbie Smith Ian took the post of Teacher of Boys PE/Games in September 2006, having previously worked for a year in Debbie joined the College in June and hit the ground Gwynedd, North Wales as a supply teacher in several running! This is the first time Debbie has worked in a Maintained schools. He did his degree at Staffordshire school. However, her previous roles working for British University from 1999 to 2002, gaining a BA Hons Degree Airways, BUPA and in particular 8 years as a Police in Sport, Recreation and Tourism and then a PGCE at Officer in the Metropolitan Police Service, means she is the University of Wales, Bangor from 2004 to 2005. Ian well-suited to the various challenges presented by life in has enjoyed playing sports since school, rugby being his the College. She is married to Conrad, a serving Police main sport, which he has played for 16 years. In that Officer, and has three wonderful children. They live in time he has played for Gwynedd and North Wales. He the village of Kinnerley, having moved up from London 4 also enjoys other sports, such as football, squash, years ago. swimming and golf. He looks forward to being the Debbie’s hobbies include walking, reading, gardening Assistant Housemaster in St Patrick’s next year, as well and DIY management! as the Head of Meynell House.
Paul Swainson Suzanne Ryan Paul completed a Chemistry degree at Sheffield After studying a Joint Honours degree in History and University in 1992. He then spent a couple of years Geography at University College Dublin, Suzanne working in the light engineering industry before Teacher decided she would like the experience of working and Training at Lancaster. After teaching around the North studying abroad. She completed her PGCE in History Wales area for a few years, Paul spent a year setting and Special Educational Needs at the University of up a new chemical processing plant before returning to Wales, Aberystwyth. Suzanne teaches both History teaching for a term prior to moving to Botswana. He was and Geography at Ellesmere College. On the sporting the acting Head of Science at a small secondary school side she has become involved in swimming, teaching in the Kalahari desert for 3 years before moving on to a Years 4, 5 and 6. From the age of 9 to 18 Suzanne larger school for 17 – 22 year olds near the capital city. swam at competitive level, training before and after When Paul came back to the UK in 2002, he returned to school. Her involvement in this sport has enabled her to teach at the school in Llangollen that he started from travel to many foreign countries and she has also trained before securing the post as a Maths Teacher at with the Blue Wave swim team in Florida. Ellesmere.
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GAP STUDENTS
Christina Westwood Phil Hook Having been born in the Netherlands, brought up in Germany Phil comes from Bombay, a small rural community on the and resident in the heart of England since the age of 20, outskirts of Auckland. Phil’s interests are mostly sports which Christina’s life has always had an international twist. include hockey, golf, cricket and rugby, as long as they are Languages are her biggest interest in life, and a degree in followed by a few pints! Phil decided to take a Gap Year to Business Enterprise from Wolverhampton University was explore the world outside NZ. Phil is enjoying Ellesmere followed by a first enjoyable career as an Export Sales because it very much reminds him of home. When he returns Manager, selling first DIY products and then soft toys from to NZ he will go on to study for a degree in Viticulture and Spain to Sarawak. Christina completed a PGCE in Modern Oenology (grape growing, wine making and beer brewing). Foreign Languages at Keele University and spent some years teaching in the State Sector. She decided that an offer to teach the IB German and French courses at Ellesmere College was an excellent opportunity and joined the school in January 2007. Christina looks forward to helping our Sixth Formers appreciate some of the major works in German literature, ranging from romantic poets to post-war novels, and to teaching French to Lower School. She is also working on some projects to share her love of languages and other cultures with younger pupils throughout Ellesmere College. When not teaching or preparing lessons, Christina likes to spend all her time with her husband, Jonathan, and three young children, Charlotte-Grace, Caroline-Alice and Sebastian. Hobbies the family enjoys are various sports, collecting books, hill walking, travelling in Europe and North America, playing the piano, cooking for friends and family and Pippa Kranz acting as a host family for a local School of English in Pippa Kranz came to Ellesmere from Canberra, Austrialia. Shrewsbury. After completing Year 12 at Canberra Girls Grammar School she took a Gap Year in order to experience some independence and take the opportunity to travel Europe. In 2008 Pippa plans to return to Canberra and study for a Bachelor of Arts/Law degree at the Australian National University.
Christianne Williams
Christianne joined Ellesmere College in January 2007 as the Head of Reprographics. She was not new to College, as she arrived in Ellesmere in September 2002 with her Justine McCullagh family when her husband Ian started as Director of Sport. Justine has come from Pymble Ladies College in Sydney, Christianne used to run her own business after graduating Australia to take advantage of the many opportunities that with a BSc Hons degree from Cheltenham. She gave this being a Gap Student in England brings. Her enjoyment of up to become a full-time mum. Christianne enjoys keeping travelling was a main reason that she chose to take a Gap fit and has run in several half-marathons. Christianne is Year and she has since travelled to a variety of places in the well-travelled and was brought up in Zambia, only returning UK and Europe. This year has allowed her a welcome break to the UK in her early teens. Tianna, her eldest daughter, from study after school and before she commences a will join the College in September 2007. Commerce/Arts degree at Sydney University in 2008. 7
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Introducing the Laundry Staff Introducing the Cleaning Staff
Sally, Sue, Gail, Jean & Samantha Mandy, Ellie, Sue, Angela. Marleen, Rose, Ann, Jacky, Janet & Joyce
The Laundry is a busy and lively but happy place to work. Joyce Lindsey has been with the College for 13 years and
Each Boarding House has an appointed wash day where all is the Cleaners’ Supervisor. In her spare time Joyce supplies their clothes, bedding and sports kits are washed. The day buffets and makes Birthday, Wedding and Christmas Cakes. starts at 8.30 am and finishes at 3.30 pm during which time Before coming to the College Joyce worked in a bakery and the laundry is washed, dried, ironed and then sorted into in the catering trade in Oswestry. each individual pupil’s bundle. Sue Cooper has been at the College for three and a half Along with the pupils’ washing the Laundry also wash for years and is responsible for cleaning the Art Centre, Library Sick Bay, kitchen, Masters and Gap Students. and Sick Bay. Prior to joining the College Sue worked in a factory assembling clocks. Outside work Sue’s hobbies are There are five members of staff: knitting and gardening. Sally Wilkie, the Laundry Supervisor, started in the Laundry Ellie Ellis started at the College three and a half years ago in the ironing room in January 1999. She took over as and is responsible for cleaning St Luke’s Boarding House. Supervisor in September 2004 and now works in the wash Ellie has had a change of direction in coming to Ellesmere, house. In her spare time Sally enjoys reading, and runs an as she previously worked in an office. In her spare time Ellie U16 Girls’ football team who play in the Shropshire Girls participates in charity walks and gymnastics. League. Angela Pearson has recently joined the College and with Samantha Northwood started in the laundry in August Ellie has responsibility for cleaning St Luke’s Boarding 2004. She works in the wash house, operating the washing House. Prior to coming to Ellesmere Angela worked at a machines and folding the washing to take through to the school as a Kitchen Assistant. Angela’s hobbies are Belly ladies in the ironing room. Sam also uses the machine that Dancing and Keep Fit. presses the tablecloths and tea towels. Outside work Mandy Williams started at the College in 2007 and has Samantha likes reading and watching sport. responsibility for cleaning St Aidan’s Boarding House. Sue Dowdy started working at the College in October 2005 Coming to Ellesmere was a total career change for Mandy as for 6 weeks as sick cover, and has stayed on. Sue irons the her previous role was as a spot welder. Mandy’s hobbies shirts and sorts out the clothes to be returned to the Houses include walking, shopping and bingo. at the end of the day. Outside work Sue’s four Rose Dean has recently started at the College and has grandchildren keep her busy. responsibility for cleaning St Cuthbert’s Boarding House and Gail Shore started in the Laundry in August 2004 and helps the Chapel. Rose previously worked as a Care Assistant sort out the washing in the morning, scrubbing dirty shirt locally. In her spare time Rose enjoys cycling, walking and collars, and then irons the shirts when they go through to the gardening. ironing room. To finish the process Gail sorts the washing Jacky Vagg has been at the College for 4 years and works into bundles at the end of the day. Gail's hobbies are in several of the outer areas of the College. Previously Jacky running, walking, acquafit and reading. worked as a production worker. Jacky is a Shrewsbury Town Jean Biggs has worked in the Laundry since October 2004. Football Club supporter and enjoys tennis and gardening. Jean sorts the clean clothes into each pupil’s bundles, and Ann Jeffels has been with the College since March 2006 also helps out with the ironing. Outside work Jean’s hobbies and is responsible for cleaning St Bede’s Boarding House. are reading, walking, watching TV and socialising. Ann previously worked as a Housekeeper in a local public house. In her spare time Ann enjoys gardening, reading and sewing. Marleen Williams has worked at the College for 3 years and is responsible for cleaning St Patrick’s Boarding House. Marleen had a career change when coming to the College, having previously worked as a machinist in a factory. In her spare time Marleen enjoys reading.
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Speech Day 2007 The Headmaster’s Speech Custos, Ladies and In the absence of the necessary documentation the Senior Gentlemen, once again it Management Team was forced to rely on common sense falls to me to be the warm- and good judgement, which may not be the way the up act for the main business government would prefer things to be done, but it usually of the presentation of prizes, works pretty well. and to report on what I am On the subject of the government I thought I might talk about pleased to say has been the latest initiative announced yesterday – funded to the tune another successful and of £13.7m – to offer classes in social and emotional skills exceptionally busy year in and good manners. As usual the intention is good but the the life of the College. idea is fundamentally silly (and expensive): social and emotional skills and good manners are not produced through We started the year with a lessons in classrooms but through developing the right new Learning Support culture. department and new study facilities for Middle School However, there is only so much time one can spend on boys. New kitchens talking about government initiatives without losing the will to followed at Christmas and live, so you will be spared my thoughts on the government’s we survived storms strong plans. enough to rip roofs off in The obvious theme for this speech, because it has become a Brendan Wignall the New Year. More theme for the school, is the idea of change. Ellesmere has recently we have developed a look which – in architectural changed a great deal in my eleven years here. What has not terms – might be called building-site chic. It has certainly changed, however, are our fundamental values of focusing been a year of change. on developing the potential of all our pupils whatever that potential might be, and being committed to a vision of It has also been one of good fortune. The storms that hit the education that is vastly wider than that prevalent in most College in January were remarkable and devastating in their schools. It is because we have clear values that we can ferocity. Venerable trees uprooted, slate shrapnel falling from change, for we know what is important to preserve and what the sky and the copper roof ripped off New Block in a way is amenable to change. which would have led to certain deaths had anyone been in Schools, particularly independent schools, are often the classroom affected. The behaviour of the pupils during profoundly conservative institutions that see change as a the storm was exemplary, and as a result of following sign of weakness. Frankly, so far as I’m concerned that is instructions and behaving sensibly no-one at all was hurt. fine and is to Ellesmere’s advantage. As the American The day before the storm the College had been inspected as statistician and management theorist, W Edwards Deming part of the Commission for Social Care Inspection cycle and once remarked, “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory”. If we look around the independent sector we see Heads unable to introduce the International Baccalaureate – despite its obvious benefits – because of staff resistance. Boys’ schools go co-educational, admittedly often for the ethically dubious reason that such a move will prop up examination results, and face rebellion amongst staff and governors. A recent suggestion by the Institute of Public Policy Research that pupils in Maintained schools would benefit enormously if such schools were to develop programmes of compulsory extra-curricular activities as part of a longer school day (which is essentially the Ellesmere model) were immediately dismissed by the General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers. He remarked: We need to get away from these threats. Putting children in a kind of prison once a week will not go down well with my colleagues. Who is going to take these Storm Damage to New Block sessions? Why would anyone want to? I’m not aware that Ellesmere pupils regard our extra- we were pleased to show off our recently-updated curricular programme as a kind of prison, and I suspect the “Emergencies in College” documentation. The Inspectors real objection is the one based on the fact that additional were appropriately impressed by its weight, thoroughness work for teachers might be a consequence of trying to and practicality and asked if they could take a copy as it provide a genuinely broad education. And, of course, the was such an excellent model of its kind. The copy was duly truth of the matter is that a proper education does involve a handed over. As it was a sizeable document we had only serious commitment to an extra-curricular life and that entails printed off the single copy for the Inspection, but handing it more work for teachers. Why would anyone want to do it? over was no problem as it “lived” on the College network. Well, it’s enjoyable, life-enhancing and provides considerable job satisfaction – but only if you’re the right sort of person. I’m sure that the “Emergencies in College” guidance would And, of course, that is the crux of the matter. Ellesmere is have been very useful during the storm, but as the power about producing the right sort of person, and that is achieved supply went down and closed down the network at an early in part by my appointing the right sort of person to the stage, we’ll never know. teaching staff. 9
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Ellesmere College is part of a larger charity, the Woodard September will see the completion of a classroom extension Corporation. A recent Finance Committee meeting of the to the Biology Department; the completion of the sports national charity took place at the College. From our point of complex with the enclosing of the pool and the refitting of the view we wanted to show them that we were spending money weights and fitness room; an extension to St Oswald’s sensibly, albeit very rapidly given our building programme House; and the conversion and extension of the Nankivell this year. From their perspective they were interested to find Block to make a new Sixth Form Boys’ House to be called St out what was the “secret” of Ellesmere’s success, because Luke’s. These are busy times, and all the better for it. by the standards of independent schools in general we are – for the moment – undoubtedly successful. I was pushed to name one thing that had really mattered in getting us to the position that we are in today. My answer after some thought (because I don’t like being pinned down to short answers) was that we had developed a capacity and willingness to change that I had not encountered anywhere else. As I have already remarked, this willingness to change is based on the clear understanding that there are core features that we will not compromise, but we are quite clear that change is otherwise inevitable, healthy – and quite interesting. Of course, this answer begs the question “how do you get into a position where change is natural”, and the answer to that takes us back to the importance of people. To which subject, I will return towards the end of this speech.
Conversion of Nankivell to St. Luke’s House
As ever at this time of year the thought of academic results sees us looking forward rather than back. However, it is worth remembering last summer’s results. At A level the pass rate was 98.6% with 19 of the 21 subjects examined achieving 100% pass rates; 40% of the grades were at the top A and B level. As ever, however, the most important thing is that the students concerned achieved their academic potential, whatever that might be. I am pleased to report that the overwhelming majority of university candidates achieved their first, or sometimes their second, choice of university, which is a tribute to their hard work and to the care taken by them and their tutors at the university application stage. There was the usual diversity of course and destination Sixth Form Conservatory evident. All our candidates for Medicine achieved their places as did our candidates for Law, to name two particular It has certainly been a lively year so far as developments are courses with demanding entry requirements. Geographically concerned. In addition to the new kitchens already the destinations of last year’s Ellesmerians range from mentioned we have benefited from the extension to the Sixth Princeton, New Jersey to St Andrews to Loughborough, and Form Social Centre, the refurbishment of the tennis courts courses covered a wide range including Hebrew and Jewish and the complete refit of the Arts Centre lighting system. Studies, Politics, Civil Engineering and Motorsport These changes are based on healthy pupil numbers: against Technology. the national and local trends pupil numbers at the College Of the A level candidates, special mention should go to rose from 490 to 550 last year. As a result of this, further Matthew White, who showed outstanding academic ability investment has been possible – as can be seen from the throughout his Ellesmere career. He successfully completed various building sites around the College. 6 A Level courses, and amongst his 4 A grades the marks he
received for Electronics were a remarkable 600 out of 600, which – unsurprisingly – made him the top performer in the country for that subject. At GCSE not far off 10% of our students achieved a full set of A* and A grades, and the majority of our GCSE candidates are now successfully embarked upon Sixth Form courses here at Ellesmere. It is worth noting that over the last few years what is called the “retention rate” at GCSE level – the number of students staying on from GCSE to the Sixth Form – has been exceptionally high here. In most independent schools retention can be a real struggle, but Ellesmere is unusual in having very few leavers following GCSE and a large number of new pupils joining, which leads to a very healthy Sixth Form. This year even fewer students are set to leave following their GCSEs than last year, with even more planning to join us – hence the building Part of the new roof being put in place programme. 10
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Beyond the GCSE and A level results there have been particular successes in such activities as the UK Mathematical Challenge – with Golds achieved at Senior and Junior level; the Physics Olympiad and the Biology Olympiad. Credit goes to Jake Asplin who was Best in School for the Maths Challenge and the Biology Olympiad. The Salters Festival oft Chemistry at Liverpool University saw a team of Year 8 pupils finish second out of 30 teams competing in tasks which included tests of their forensic chemistry and problem-solving skills. The English Speaking Board examinations – in which the College has a long and distinguished record – saw a bumper crop of excellent Sixth Form results, with over 70% of the candidates achieving either Distinction or top Merit grades. Especially noteworthy is the fact that for the first time the School 2006 Intake of IB Students has entered their International Baccalaureate overseas students for the English first language version of the Whereas A levels involve the study of three or four subjects, the examination and many of those students managed to achieve IB requires six subjects to be studied, supplemented by a the highest grades. course in the Theory of Knowledge – which benefited recently (if that is the right description) from my thoughts on Plato’s Not exactly an academic activity in terms of exams passed or Philosophy of Art – and the requirement to produce a long grades achieved, Public Speaking at the College has been a essay. The long essay is a particularly interesting feature of the real strength this year. Hadleigh Roberts, Chris Bevan and course, with the best of them equivalent to something David Anders-Richards travelled to Blackburn to take part in the resembling first year university standard. Business and Professional Women’s Public Speaking The subjects chosen for this year’s long essays range from the Competition Northwest Region Final. The boys were the Trial of Saddam Hussein, through Scientology and Migration winners of the first County round, held in Oswestry in into Hong Kong, to the Viscosity of Engine Oil: so most of the November 2006. There they beat off Oswestry School, Moreton titles are interesting. One striking by-product of the introduction of the IB is the range Hall and Thomas Telford School. of venues in which the training of College teachers is held. Prior In Blackburn they took on the might of students from other to the IB, a good training venue might be regarded as Northwest schools, Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe Royal somewhere in London, with the majority of courses in Grammar and Kirkham Grammar School. I understand that the Birmingham, Manchester or Cardiff. In contrast Ellesmere standards set in the competition were extremely high with all teachers have undertaken IB training in the last year or so in pupils from all four schools performing outstandingly. However, Doha, Bahrain, Shanghai, Athens, Lyon and Oxford. I am the Ellesmere College trio came out on top. Chris Bevan’s assured that the training is very intensive and there is little time for relaxation. speech, “Does Violent Entertainment Make For A Violent The Arts programme continues to strengthen from an already Society?” won him the accolade of Best Speaker and Hadleigh strong position and the Arena Arts programme, emphasising Roberts succeeded as Best Chair and overall they won Best excellence in the visual, media and Performing Arts is beginning Team. David Anders-Richards won the Best Expresser of to provide a further coherence and drive that can only bode well Thanks in the previous round. for the future in this area. As ever the annual House Play Academic activities have as ever been supplemented by a Festival provides the launch of the Senior Drama programme range of academic trips. Year 9 and 10 Historians undertook and – as ever – it proved to be hugely entertaining. the customary biennial expedition to the site of the D-Day The long-standing tradition of the GCSE Drama group producing a Christmas Pantomime for the staff children’s landings in Normandy, with the Sixth Form Historians benefiting Christmas Party has developed into something more ambitious from a visit to Venice earlier in the year. The GCSE Media and accomplished, and this year’s pantomime, Peter Pan, also Studies trip to Euro-Disney (I’m assured this is a study trip) was played to appreciative audiences from Lower School and local as popular as last year and there were a range of trips and primary schools. The run-up to Christmas also saw a very expeditions within the UK, including Geography fieldwork at the accomplished Lower School Christmas Show from the younger Stiperstones and Classical Studies to Cirencester, Bath and years in Lower School. The main Lower School production, Wroxeter. James and the Giant Peach, proved an accomplished adornment to the Spring Arts programme. Of course, what might be regarded as “the big news” on the The BBC Shakespeare Festival production of Much Ado About academic front this year would be the introduction of the Nothing played to appreciative audiences at the College, but the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme, usually Festival itself was cancelled as a result of the extreme bad referred to as the IB. The recently revised UCAS tariff for weather prevalent at the time. Staying with festivals and university entrance purposes sets the top grade achievable at competitions, we were pleased that Ruckus in the Garden, the the IB as being equivalent to six and a half grade As at A level. College’s entry to the National Theatre’s Connections The IB is undoubtedly a demanding course – but also an programme, was – for the third year in succession – chosen for interesting and stimulating one – but its introduction fits in performance at the Lowry Theatre in Salford. At an individual level congratulations go to Year 11 students Harry Craig and perfectly with the College philosophy of offering each student David Anders-Richards, who have been selected to develop the best opportunity to achieve his or her full potential. their skills with the National Youth Theatre this summer. 11
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Of course, acting is no longer the preserve solely of the Two years ago I was able to report – with some justified stage. Film-making has flourished this year and the output pride, I feel – that 60 teams had represented the College in has been various and of high-quality, ranging from clay 30 sports. It is a measure of continued progress that this animation to surrealist comedy and realist drama. Arising out year over 80 teams have represented the College in over 30 of the film-making programme has been the epic action sports. Volleyball and golf have been added to the House thriller, CJ Simmons: Elite Mercenary, a one hour 20 minute competitions list, and will be followed next year by swimming blockbuster edited down from 15 hours of filming. Chris and water polo. Archery was introduced into the Lower Bevan, Hadleigh Roberts and Alex Burley masterminded this School programme for the first time this year. real achievement, ably assisted by a cast of 35 pupils. We’re Rugby continues to go from strength to strength. The 1st XV hopeful that there will be a public screening at the Old enjoyed their second undefeated season in a row, despite Market Hall in Shrewsbury over the summer. the further strengthening of the fixture list. The Senior Sevens side had an outstanding season without actually winning a trophy. They entered four major competitions, losing to the winners in three of the tournaments and to the defeated finalists at Rosslyn Park. During the Sevens season they beat significant teams from Millfield, Cheltenham, Christ’s Brecon, Marlborough, Ampleforth, Warwick, Bromsgrove and Colston’s.
C J Simmons: Elite Mercenary
On a musical front we have had our best crop of Associated Board examination results for several years. Luke Taylor in Year 7 and Lower Sixth Former Michael Langton won their solo violin classes at this year’s Oswestry Music Festival, with the Lower School and Chapel Choirs finishing as Stephen Bannister runners up in their respective categories. Luke featured 14 College rugby players were selected for the level above again at the Chester Festival when he and Paddy Fuller won County standard: with Sam Lewis, James Lloyd, Nat the violin duet class, and were awarded the Brown’s of Thomas, Adam Churton, Ben Morris, Rhys Hayes, Chris Chester Plate – the first time the judges have felt a pair Morgan, Alex Dunn, Danny Matthews, James Farrell, Steven worthy of receiving the award in the last three years. Bannister and Mark Pearson selected for the North Midlands and Aled Ellis and Joel Galley selected for North Wales. Of those selections this year’s 1st XV Captain, Stephen Bannister, is already playing professional Rugby League for Warrington Wolves Under 21 side. Sam Lewis last year was chosen to play for the England U16B Team and more recently has been chosen to join the Worcester Academy Elite Player Development Group.
Luke Taylor Michael Langton
The College Choral Society performed Masses and music from Mozart and Haydn in conjunction with members of Ludlow Choral Society in one of the most successful events for the Choral Society for many years. The House Singing Festival produced a lively evening of Disney-themed music, notable for considerable effort and energy – and occasional accuracy. The same can be said for the two “Battle of the Bands” evenings, with June featuring a record 12 bands taking part from across the full age range of the school. Sam Lewis
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Danny Matthews achieved the distinction of captaining the The Summer, such as it has been, has seen cricket fixtures Senior Whitchurch Rugby Club Men’s team to victory in the more notable for their cancellations than anything else. Shropshire Cup. In addition to the selections at North There were several County selections for Cheshire and Midlands and North Wales there were numerous County Shropshire, although the most notable cricketing selections; on that front a special mention must go to the achievement at an individual level was that of the Head of U14 side, which produced eleven players for their County Girls’ Games, Miss Helen Goss, who was selected to play for age group side. Wales in a Four Nations Womens’ Indoor Cricket The high quality of rugby coaching has long been recognized Tournament held in Johannesburg. at Ellesmere, and the support College staff give to rugby beyond the College is significant, both at club and County and Regional selector level over the years. Particular congratulations should go to Mr Ian Williams, who has been selected to become the lead coach for the Midlands U16 team for next season; this is a great accolade as there are only four lead coaches at this level in England, and this level is the one immediately below the National side coaching positions.
Successful Tennis Players
Tennis is no longer just a summer sport and it has been an exceptional year for the sport at the College. The North Shropshire U13 Boys’ and Girls’ singles, U13 Boys’ and Girls’ doubles, U15 Girls’ doubles and U19 Boys’ doubles
titles were all won for the College. The runners-up place Emma Johnson was achieved in the U15 Girls’ singles competition. Particular mention should go to Year 8 pupil, Christian The Girls’ hockey teams produced six County players, and Cieslik, who played – and played a significant part – in the sixteen-year-old Emma Johnson had trials for the Wales U18 side. A very young 1st XI won over half their games successful U19 team. The Girls’ Senior team were finalists and will stay together and get stronger next year. The in the Aberdare Cup, and at time of speaking the U13 team Junior A team (Years 9 & 10) won every match, scoring 45 have yet to play the County final. At a normal fixture level goals and conceding only one. The U14 side won the North the 1st team was undefeated, as were the U13 team, while Shropshire Tournament, with the U16s and U13s finishing the U15/U14 team lost only one match. as runners up. Beyond the team events there were also considerable The Lent term sport programme saw the girls win the U14 successes. Rhodri Fieldhouse was selected to play golf for North Shropshire Netball Tournament, and there were good the Boys’ U16 Welsh side. Fifteen-year-old George Tatchell seasons for both the U14 and U15 sides, who lost only one has been with the England canoeing team for 3 years. This game each. Football continues to progress with the greatest year he was selected for the First U17 Single Canadian number of teams fielded since the sport was reintroduced. category and was selected to represent Great Britain as “top boat” at the Pre- Worlds event – a warm-up for the Junior World Championships next year – in the Czech Republic this Summer. Travel has been a feature of George’s life this year as he has already trained or raced in Athens and Slovenia, and later in the Summer will race at Bratislava in the Danube Cup.
U14 Netball Team Rhodri Fieldhouse
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Last month he won the Single Canadian category in the U16 Group Captain Cunningham goes on rightly to praise Mr British Championships, which means he has been British Hutchinson’s leadership of the CCF and comment on how he Champion in his age group for the last three years. is fortunate to lead such a strong team of officers. Strictly Range refurbishment has somewhat limited shooting this speaking, I would have to disagree with this judgement: the year, but it continues to be an exceptionally strong activity at success of the CCF and the strength of the team running it is the College. The refurbishment enforced a greater use of air not a matter of good fortune but rather one of hard work, rifles and this has given us the opportunity to unearth a rich intelligence and attention to detail. It is not Mr Hutchinson vein of talent that bodes very well for the future. In Lower that is fortunate, but the members of the College who benefit from the three branches of the CCF. School ten-year-old Jacob Roberts was accepted into the Welsh Air Rifle squad within two months of starting shooting. Guy Cooper and Ryan Williams have been training with the Welsh Air Rifle Squad, and Andrew Main and Richard Belcher are in the Great Britain Junior Squad and are competing in their first international match this summer. In the Senior School Matthew Steggles has been training with the Welsh shooting squad. The range refurbishment will be completed over the summer, and things look very bright for the future. The Adventurous Training side of the College continues to flourish, and the three-day expedition programme earlier this week was, I understand, successful and enjoyable despite the grim weather. This year has seen a new Adventurous Training programme introduced for Year 9 students, which I know has prepared them well for the wider range of choice they face in Year 10. Helicopter landing on Parry’s Field
Of course, the Adventurous Training element is not confined to the CCF. The Duke of Edinburgh Bronze, Silver and Gold groups continue to thrive. This year saw 13 Ellesmerians receive their Gold Awards, something of a bumper crop. Last year’s Gold Award expedition, canoeing in France, was a great success despite pretty foul weather and constant rain. I am sure that Mrs McCarthy and her team are hoping for something better this year, although the auguries are not good. Last Summer’s World Challenge expedition to Borneo saw three College pupils take part in a jungle survival course, climb the second highest mountain in South East Asia, spend ten days on a community project clearing a lake and making footpaths and bridges and visit an Orang Utang sanctuary. They also managed to fit in three days’ very well- earned rest and relaxation on a desert island. Five College pupils took part in the Nordic Challenge during the Lent Half Term. The trip included a visit to Lillehammer and The Olympic Stadium where the Ellesmere team participated in a biathlon challenge which included skiing and rifle shooting. In the evening the group had the opportunity to toboggan down floodlit tracks. Following much practice, the team all achieved their Bronze Nordic Skiing Certificate and one pupil, Harriet Devonald, won the prize for the fastest George Tatchell female novice skier around a 5 kilometre course. The College’s Green Team continues to develop and The most significant event for the CCF this year was the strengthen. This year it has been busy compost-building, Biennial Inspection, conducted by Group Captain Paul hedge-planting and tree-planting (with 70 trees planted this Cunningham, current Station Commander at RAF Shawbury. year). The Team has established a wildlife area and installed Good use was made of the Group Captain’s mode of a sizeable number of bird and bat boxes. To supplement the transport: the helicopter he arrived in was pressed into practical environmental action of the Green Team, service and over 30 cadets took the opportunity to take Air approximately £2000 was raised by members of Lower Experience Flights during the period of the Inspection. School towards various environmental good causes.
I am pleased to say that Group Captain Cunningham’s report It has indeed been a very busy year for College pupils – it on the CCF was extremely positive. He was particularly always is. However, Ellesmere College is a wider community impressed by the way in which the senior pupils offered than simply the pupil body. The Old Ellesmerians have had a positive guidance and role models to the younger members similarly very busy year. It kicked off with a Festival which of the contingent: attracted well over 500 people to a series of sports matches, . . . the high priority given to the development of including a quite brutal OE Under 30s v OE Over 30s rugby leadership skills is particularly admirable. The match. Netball, hockey and five-a-side football fortunately confidence promoted through the medium of senior didn’t add to the injury tally, and the Choral Workshop was cadets teaching their juniors . . . reflect great credit similarly free from injury. A Chapel Service, champagne on the quality of the instructors at all levels. reception and supper rounded off the event. There will be a lower key – but I am sure enjoyable – OE sporting event in 14
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early September next term. The Under 30s v Over 30s fixture outlined. The sheer scale of activity and the quality of that will be repeated, so we can look forward to more bloodshed. activity is the best possible tribute to the industriousness and As ever, there have been the usual well-supported dinners dedication of the College staff. this year, with events in Jersey, Manchester, Liverpool, Our facilities are great; we are spending significantly to make Ludlow, Oswestry Golf Club, Pembrokeshire and Paris. The them even better; and in the future we will improve them Paris OE Dinner took place in the Inter-Allies Club, a further still. But, in the end, it is not the facilities that matter: it splendid venue that was once part of the British Embassy. is the people. As I remarked some time ago – at the Old Ellesmerians were also strongly in evidence at the beginning of this report on the year – Ellesmere’s current College’s Remembrance Service in November, and many success is based on the rich resource provided by its stayed on for lunch afterwards. teaching staff, who do a fantastic job and to whom I am very It is undoubtedly true that former College pupils stay in touch grateful indeed. with each other and with the College much more than is the I am pleased to report that one aspect of change which does case in most schools. Indeed if formal activity is anything to not apply to a great degree this year is teaching staff go by, the Old Ellesmerian community must be one of the turnover. Although we will welcome seven new members of most vigorous in the country. The typical Headmaster speaks staff in September, no full-time member of staff leaves us at at one or two Dinners a year; in contrast the OEs are the end of this term. This is the first time in 11 years that I undoubtedly fortunate to have the chance to hear me speak have seen this circumstance: I must be getting easier to work half a dozen times, and the unfortunate President of the Club for. has the dubious pleasure of hearing what has to be essentially the same speech – as it is primarily a news Although this is not a goodbye, I must not let Mrs Fox’s update – six times. This year the Old Ellesmerians celebrate departure from the role of Housemistress of St Oswald’s go a welcome “first” with the election of Miss Annie Grainger to unremarked. Mrs Fox has cared for the girls of St Oswald’s the role of OE President. Miss Grainger left Ellesmere in for the last three years – and “cared for” is definitely the right 1988, when it was very much a boys’ school with a few girls; phrase. She hands over a very happy House to Mrs Purcell, things have changed considerably since then, of course. and I am sure that the members of St John’s House will benefit enormously from her commitment as she joins that The continued links with former Ellesmerians is one of the pastoral team. many pleasures of my job; I am pleased, but not particularly surprised, that OEs keep in touch. If we are successful in Although no full-time staff members are leaving, we do say preparing people for adult life as one of our clear aims (and goodbye to three people appointed just for the year and one an aim that is much stronger and more genuine at Ellesmere part-time teaching colleague, all of whom have enriched the than most schools) it is hardly a surprise if the College life of the College in a variety of ways. continues to be relevant once Ellesmerians move into adult life. The College community does not just include pupils and former pupils, however. Parents – both past and present – are very much a part of the Ellesmere family and are valued as such. In many schools parents are tolerated as a financial and biological necessity, but otherwise seen as a bit of a nuisance. I hope it is fair to say that we have a much more positive approach. The College Parents’ Society is a particularly valued group. This year’s Parents’ Society picnic was – like so many things in the Summer Term – cancelled because of the weather. However, the excellent Christmas Ball – the best yet – saw the organisational skills of members of the Society at their best. Beside these headline events, members of the Parents’ Society provide strong support at various events such as the tennis tournaments, Sports Day, Open Day, and the splendid floral displays in ante-Chapel, Reception and – I am pleased to say – my office are all a consequence of the hard work of members of the Parents’ Society. Maura Van Voris I have spoken of pupils, former pupils and parents, but at the heart of any school is the teaching staff and – to extend the In September Maura Van Voris comes to the end of her year metaphor – Ellesmere is blessed with a very strong heart. as a Gap Student at the College. Maura joined us from Tabor It is perhaps worth pausing and reflecting on the length of Academy, Massachussetts, with which the College has long- this speech. I don’t believe that its length is a consequence standing drama exchange links. Maura has contributed to of long-windedness on my part (although that may well be a many aspects of school life, but most notably to the Choir fault); it is clearly a consequence of the fact that Ellesmere is and to the Drama programme, both as an extremely useful an incredibly busy school (and it is difficult to over- supporter and as a performer. Her one woman show, Girl emphasise just how busy it is). The very wide range of extra- Interrupted, was a great success and I am sure that the next curricular activities and the excellent academic results for all stage of Maura’s career will be similarly successful. our pupils, not just our academic high-flyers, are managed and achieved by what is, for a school of our sort, an entirely normal number of teaching staff. The vast majority of the extremely high-quality activities – of which I have charted only the highlights here – are delivered not by specialists in those activities, but by classroom teachers with enthusiasm who have taken the trouble to get themselves appropriately qualified and experienced so that they can deliver the programmes that I have already
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Fiona Turner Dinesh Makhija Mrs Fiona Turner first came to Ellesmere to work as a Dinesh Makhija has spent his year in industry at member of the Learning Support department in April Ellesmere within the ICT Department as part of his 2001 and stayed with us until 2005, when she joined her studies for an MSc in Computer Science. Dinesh is husband on his sabbatical, which took her from Rome to highly regarded by the Common Room as he is often Keele University. Fiona rejoined us in April 2006. Her the solution to their problems – at least so far as knowledge, humour and wisdom have been much computers are concerned. I am sure that he is leaving appreciated by students and staff alike and she leaves the College a better-trained troubleshooter than when us with all our best wishes for the future. he arrived, as most of the things that can go wrong with I hope you will join me in applauding our leaving staff for an IT infrastructure appear to have done just that at all they have done for the College. Ellesmere this year. His enthusiastic contribution to Ellesmere is seen by some of my fellow Heads as a staff sports will also be missed. Dinesh does not lucky school. We are lucky because we manage to actually leave us until September, so he should be a attract staff to support the full range of activities at a time real expert in idiosyncratic networks by then. when other independent schools are cancelling fixtures with us because they cannot get teachers to take the
teams. We are lucky because the International Baccalaureate
has been such a success in its first year of introduction. We are lucky because – in truth – we do not really have any competitors: true, there are many other schools in the marketplace, but there is no-one in our area truly attempting to deliver an education based on a vision
similar to ours. And the truth of the matter is that we are lucky. However, there is a Spanish phrase which sums up things rather well: “Luck is in love with hard work”; and if we are lucky then the hard work of the teachers and pupils is the foundation for that luck, and we deserve our
good fortune. I am certainly lucky to be working in this wonderful environment with the pupils, staff, parents, governors Tao Hong and Old Ellesmerians. I am confident that – in terms of Headmastering – there is no-one luckier, and I thank Tao Hong joined us from Jiang-su Province in mainland everyone for the support they give to me: you are all a China where she teaches English in a boarding school. pleasure to work with. At Ellesmere she has been an excellent academic and pastoral support to our Chinese students, and has taught Mandarin in Lower School, where her work has proved so popular there has been an enthusiasm for study continuing beyond her departure. She has worked closely with Mrs Morgan to support her class in Lower School, and I know that the pupils with whom she has worked will miss her greatly. Tao Hong has also been an essential part of the Library team, an integral part of the College’s Green Team, and the qualities of conscientiousness and a caring attitude have typified her approach to life at Ellesmere.
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Prize List 2007 Year 7 Georgina Ottaway Art Lower Sixth Sophie Mullock Art Joachim Pescod English Johannes Beil Biology, Geography, History, Mark McBrien French International Baccalaureate Joseph Haigh Geography Bryan Tang Business Studies John Paul History, Latin, Mathematics, Science James McBrien Chemistry, Physics Adam Churton Design & Technology Year 8 Jennifer Griffiths Art Albrecht Zu- Economics, Spanish Freya West English, Mathematics, Science Knyphausen Michael Kelly French William Bartlett English William Jackson Geography Zehra Aydin English as an Additional Language, James Brockless History French Victoria von Hoven Latin Hal Collison General Studies
Kim Saltzgeber German Viola Grosvenor Art Year 9 Nathaniel Thomas James Leahy Biology, Classical Civilisation, Information Technology English, History, Latin, Religious Cedric Carl Mathematics Studies Rachel Harrison Music Dominick Chemistry, Drama James King PE Coppinger Joseph Denham Politics George Baxter Design & Technology, Mathematics Katie Brereton Sociology Oliver Thomas French Douglas Allsop Geography Upper Sixth Sarah-Jane Beswick Art Megan Bray Design Graphic Communicatons Jake Asplin Biology Joseph Cauchi Information Technology, Physics Sarah-Jane Edwards Business Studies, Sociology Paddy Fuller Music William Norris Chemistry, Physics Year 10 Charlotte Keeble Art Laura Bernhofer Design & Technology Joshua Boswell Biology, Chemistry, English, Drama Sarah Monro English, Latin Christopher von Business Studies Pittawas English as an Additional Language Hoven Tulathummatorn Freddie Herzog French Hadleigh Roberts French, Performing Arts Rebecca Britton Geography Christopher Bevan General Studies, Media Studies Christopher Design Graphic Communications Sarah Haynes Geography, History Johnson Henry Fletcher- Information Technology Zoe Haynes History Brewer Martin Jones Information Technology, PE Candy Yang Mathematics Rowan Dell Latin, Spanish Toby Dell Joseph Dapling Mathematics, Physics Music Sam Clewlow Media Studies, Music Richard Oliver PE James Jarvis Government and Politics Year 11 Stephanie Platt Art John Brodie Spanish David Anders- Biology, English, Physics Iain Disspain James Merrick Cup, The Woodard Richards Board Prize Colin Fergusson Business Studies, Chemistry Special Prizes Sarah-Jane Beswick Art Amber Lewis- Classical Civilisation Chloe Perkins Drama Bolton Harry Craig Marco Li English as an Additional Language Services to Drama David Morris French, Spanish Rhys Hayes Keith Smith Historical Essay James Norman Geography, Mathematics Sarah Haynes Jebson Shield Todd Evans Design Graphic Communications Freddie Herzog Lovel Prize for English Literature Grace Kendall History, Drama Michael Langton Instrumental Music Cristian Lewis Information Technology Hal Collison Garnett Prize for Creative Music Catherine Wignall Media Studies Pittawas Services to the Choir, Contribution to Benny Lau Music Tulathummatorn the International Life of the College Aidan Porter PE Toby Dell Marsh Cup for Musician of the Year Tessa Fawcett Religious Studies James Norman GCSE Science Courework Prize Cedric Carl Talbot/Woodard Science Prize Steven Quinlan Talbot/Woodard Science Prize Oliver Suckley Colin Russell Prize for Endeavour in Biology Jake Asplin Mark Willis Science Prize Christopher Bevan Gedhill O.E. Prize for Leadership, Initiative and Excellence Sarah-Jane Edwards The Old Ellesmerian President's Cup Martin Jones The Evans Cup for ICT Abigail Merrill Sportswoman of the Year, Headmaster's Prize: Head Girl
Stephen Bannister Sportsman of the Year
Charles Cooper Headmaster's Prize: Head Boy
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House Notes - Meynell Well done girls and I know Talbot were very fed up. In Housemaster: spite of playing fantastically and with true spirit, the Dr. J. K. Ripley Seniors did not win but their points were enough for us to finish second overall. Special thanks to Carys Fieldhouse House Tutors: who was goalkeeper for both teams. Mr. R. P. Boswell, Mr. P. J. Hayes, Mr. S. B. Mullock, The Boys’ rugby was certainly the highlight of the Mrs. S. Owen, Mrs. E. Phillips, Mrs. S. Phillips, competitive year for me and Sarah Jane. The Juniors D.. I. G. Tompkins, Mr. I. L. Williams performed very well and were too strong for the other teams, so provided the first victory of the afternoon. After Captains of House: much controversy about the eligibility of players in the Stephen Bannister & Sarah Jane Edwards Intermediates we were unlucky not to repeat the victory of the Juniors. The climax of the afternoon was the final match of the Senior Boys which we simply had to win. It The year began with the appointment of Sarah Jane Edwards was so important to all of the Year 13 boys, especially the and Stephen Bannister as House Captains. Throughout the House Captain Stephen Bannister and Vice Captain busy year they worked tirelessly and were invaluable to me. Charles Bushnell. The first half was very evenly matched From the first assembly we were picking teams for the Inter- and by then we on the sidelines were already speechless, House 6-a-side soccer. There were Boys’ and Girls’ teams but it took a turn for the worst in the second half as we fell and Seniors and Juniors, and Meynell competed tremendously behind. It was a huge achievement to come back in the in ALL matches. The Senior Boys won their competition but I last few minutes and clinch the victory. There were tears think all who watched the Junior Girls recognised the new and hugs all round. The quality of the play seen was sparkling talent in the house! Zoë, Mel, Carys and Vick all put discussed in the Common Room bar for a while in some fantastic performances. The Junior Boys played well afterwards. It is fitting that some of the team had never and the Senior Girls after much reluctance actually enjoyed been defeated in rugby whilst wearing a Meynell shirt! A themselves too! fantastic achievement. As a new way to welcome pupils entering the House in Year 9 The Carol Service was well attended by Meynell House the House Captains and I took the pupils for a night of tenpin parents which was very good to see. Thank you for your bowling in Shrewsbury. A very enjoyable evening was had by support. We also ended the term in the lead in the all. Special mention goes to George Cave who was the Academic Cup. champion bowler, Dominick Coppinger who managed to come The Lent term continued to prove both busy and back still in bowling shoes and Dr Tompkins for driving the successful for the House. We had some great second minibus. performances in the Boys’ Basketball Competition. A big House Drama was produced by Hadleigh Roberts who worked thank you to Bryn Tang for his captaincy and for leading incredibly hard to get the cast for Ben Elton's Gasping to learn his team by example. We were victorious in the Senior their lines in time. He certainly has more patience and talent Competition but also competed very well in the Juniors. than I do. With just days to go it was looking likely to be a House Singing really is a big part of the Lent term and disaster but with Hadleigh’s dedication it all came together on many hours of practice were put in. This year’s theme the night. Well done to Sarah Lowe, Mike Langton, Steph was Disney classics and we scheduled I just can’t wait to Perrin and Charlie Butt who performed well. In light of all of be King for our House Unison. Sarah Jane was also the his hard work Hadleigh Roberts was awarded his Senior driving force behind all of the rehearsals and without her House Colours. In recognition for many contributions to House we would have been awful. As usual every single events Charles Bushnell and Rob Simms were also awarded member of the House got fully involved and contributed to Senior House Colours. a great performance. Rhian Davies deserves a special Michaelmas Term saw the mention for the sheer gusto she performed with. The less introduction of a stars system to I say about the judging recognise academic the better. The Part achievement. A board to display Song was a polished the House tallies was placed performance but again above the door to Big School. failed to find favour with the judge. I think all The academic members of the members of the House House excelled themselves and performed fantastically. by the end of the first half of Well done. term we were leading the way House Cross Country with 594 points, comfortably was popular as ever! ahead of our nearest rivals The Junior Girls were Talbot. their ever-willing selves Of course the focus of all and ran well. Well done attention in the run-up to the as well to James Haigh end of term was the Girls’ who stepped into the hockey and the Boys’ rugby. Inters team and With weigh-ins and a massive represented the House hype the matches loomed. well. Others were Our new super Juniors slightly less played their socks off and enthusiastic but your won as a result of more goals participation was scored. Sarah Jayne Edwards & Stephen Bannister holding the Academic Cup hugely appreciated.
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The House Dinner was well_supported by parents and Summer term without stress is something which never proved to be a very enjoyable evening. I’m sure a lot of seems to exist. Years 11 and 13 had a lot to contend with, pupils enjoyed the sight of 3 people getting very nervous and with exams and supporting the House. House Debating was stressed over their speeches! Thank you to those parents a very notable occasion at both Junior and Senior level. The who were able to support the evening and I hope you can Juniors did well but failed to convince the judges of their come again next year. argument but the Seniors did and progressed to the final. Captained by Hadleigh Roberts, who was thorough in his research, the Seniors put up a thorough performance with brilliant backing from Richard Oliver and Andrew Walker. It is so much to his credit that Andrew was competing in his second language! We ended up coming second to Talbot which was questionable as their science was factually incorrect at times! Andrew Walker was awarded his Half Colours for his excellent effort. Sports Day is undoubtedly the highlight of the Summer term and this year it was un-blighted by rain. The conventional format was a blessing for some and one who deserved his success was our House Captain Stephen Bannister. Stephen competed against all of the advice of his professional rugby physios and went on to be crowned Victor Ludorum. A fitting end to the year. I conclude with my humble thanks to Sarah Jane Edwards and Stephen Bannister who were unforgettable Captains and without whom I could Meynell House Dinner not have got through the year. I wish every Rhodri Fieldhouse deserves special mention not only for success to Ian Roberts who takes over as Head of House and captaining his Meynell team to victory in the House Golf but the new House Captains Pippa Ricketts and Rob Coates. also for his selection for the Welsh U16 team. A great Long may the “Cheese” roll on! achievement. Well done Rhodri. KJR
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House Notes - Talbot In the rugby, the Juniors made a slow start, but kept on Housemaster: working at it until the end. The Inters had a great team Dr. R. Chatterjee on paper and the pressure was once again on them to House Tutors: perform. Strong tackling from Joe Liptrot and Alex Mr. M. Coats, Mrs. Z. J. Fisher, Mrs. S. A. Hooper, Wantling kept the opposition at bay. Superb running form Mrs. V. Howle, Mr. G. Hutchinson, Mr. R. J. Macintosh, Martin Jones and Ewan Crispin kept the tries coming. Mr. H. B. Orr, Mr. G. Owen, Mrs. J. E. Purcell, Once again the Inters were able to take first place. The Mr. P. Richards, Mr. P. Swainson Senior team worked hard in the early rounds and through great determination and team effort made it through to Captains of House: the final. A number of quick tries from Meynell appeared Jamie Tyrer & Abigail Merrill to put paid to the Talbot charge and it looked like being a white-wash. This was the last year of the ‘Old Guard’. After 7 years of hard labour, the final group of pupils that joined Talbot whilst still in Lower School said their goodbyes. They have helped to shape the House in recent years and made the new pupils welcome, at the same time instilling in them the Talbot House spirit. This year saw both boys and girls playing indoor 6-a-side football. The Junior Boys’ team did the best of the bunch with a creditable second place. The girls put up a great fight, but in what was a close contest just kept on missing out.
Intermediate Rugby
However, Talbot never gave up and with the strength of Sam Lewis and Jamie Tyrer a platform was built for a number of Talbot tries. Jake Asplin made a superb run from deep in his own half to score a try. Charles Intermediate Football Chambers was outstanding and helped to secure a narrow lead with only minutes to go. Niall Crispin gave it The Talbot House play was a great comedy directed by his all, along with the rest of the team. However, a late Christopher Bevan. Will Bartlett played the inept Inspector penalty lost us the match by the narrowest of margins. It Hound with great comic timing. Beth Clewlow and Kim was one of the best-ever House matches, and worthy of a Salzgeber were superb as was Niall Crispin, who once final. again appeared in drag. He of course got an ‘Ellie’ award for this. A mention must go to Peter Heath who played a dead body, from start to finish!
This year was our best chance in a while to win the Girls’ field hockey. We had strong teams in both the Senior and Junior sections. Abigail Merrill captained the Senior team to victory, with some great runs from Beth Clewlow and superb defence from Mary Pescod in goal. In the Juniors, Charlotte Shearer and Emily Lewis stood out amongst their peers and helped secure second place. This meant that the girls won the competition overall. An outstanding and well-deserved victory. This meant the boys had to follow suit in the rugby. Girls Hockey Team 20
THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
The Christmas Carol Service was a great way to end the The athletics event was once again upon us and it was time year. Many parents were there and it was great to speak to for the whole House to perform. Everyone had a go with everyone afterwards over a glass of mulled wine. some outstanding performances. Beth Clewlow came first in After Christmas, House Debating once again took centre both the 100m and 200m Senior Girls’ races and Katie stage. The Senior team consisting of William Bartlett, Brereton came second in the triple jump. The Senior Boys Johannes Beil and Christopher Bevan were under pressure also won the 4 x 400 relay, with a superb final leg being run to perform as Talbot has won the shield over the last few by Jamie Tyrer. In the Inters Emma Johnson won the 200m years. They were not to disappoint and produced a superb race and also helped the Girls’ 4 x 100 relay team to victory. team effort to once again come out on top. The Junior The Boys’ 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relay teams both came team were again up against it and were narrowly beaten by second. Ewan Crispin performed superbly in all his events a more polished team. and went onto win the Victor Ludorum. House Singing was helped along by Toby Dell, our resident The Juniors were not to be outdone and there were victories musician. The theme this year was Disney and our choice for Martin Jones in the 200m, and James Walker and Holly for the main song turned out to be inspired. Under the Sea Liversage in the triple jumps. from ‘The Little Mermaid’ was a great success, especially In the Senior Cricket the run rate was just too slow to put the as the judge thought it was the best on the night. However, opposition under pressure. Good work from our talented when the Part Song was taken into account we were youngsters, Oliver Brereton and Joseph Davies, kept us in placed second overall. the hunt, but with a final total of 74 all out it was just not Was this to be the girls’ year? After their success in the enough. Due to the weather, the Juniors’ match was played hockey, the girls rated their chances in the netball. This year in the Sports Hall. This did not suit our big hitters, who were there was an A and a B team made up from all the age not used to the subtlety needed to score runs indoors. groups. With so many great netball players it was difficult to The reintroduction of House Golf led to an excellent win for choose between the teams. Megan Bray and Kirstie Foster the Junior side. Conditions were blustery, but James Cole were our youngest players and made a superb contribution managed a respectable 45 to help the Talbot team to victory. to our victory in the B team. The Seniors managed second place, with Abigail Merrill Our A team was equally successful, making it a clean sweep leading the way with a great score of 39. for Talbot girls. The Boys’ football and Boys’ hockey were Another new sport in the Summer calendar was volleyball. All unable to follow suit and narrow defeats in the early rounds of Talbot were keen to play and were vying for places. Jake saw us relegated to third and fourth places. Asplin and Kim Salzgeber dominated the court and with a whole team effort were able to beat all comers. On the academic front, Jake Asplin gained perfect As at A level, enabling him to study Medicine. Peter Heath and Christopher Bevan also gained top grades. At GCSE, Amber Louis-Boulton was the cream of Talbot with a superb set of A grades. The Sir Noel Davies Trophy for the best annual average period grades in Year 9 was won by Megan Bray. Special prizes went to Harry Craig for Services to Drama, Toby Dell won the Marsh Cup for Musician of the Year, Oliver Suckley won the Colin Russell Prize for Endeavour in Biology, Jake Asplin was presented with the Mark Willis Science Prize, Christopher Bevan won the Gedhill OE Prize for Leadership, Initiative and Excellence, Martin Jones won The Evans Cup for ICT and Abigail Merrill won both Sportswoman of the Year and the Headmaster’s prize: Head Girl. Netball Team The success that Talbot have once again The Summer term got off to a great start with the tennis. had this year was not down to any single individual, or even The Senior Boys powered through the other Houses, year group. Rather it was down to team-work and the drive especially in terms of James King’s serve. The girls and determination to win as a collective body. The competed equally well, and with a second place in the indomitable team spirit shown by all members of the House mixed competition, the overall Tennis Cup was ours. will carry on, even after the ‘Old Guard’ have left. Finally I would once again like to thank the House Captains for their The start of May saw the Annual House Dinner come to support this year and wish them and all the rest of our life. Over the years it has been well-attended by parents leavers well. and this year was no exception. The Captains of House Leavers: were extremely relaxed and looked as if making Joseph Chu, Harry Craig, Joseph Liptrot, Tom Newman, Deri Russell, Theodore Teal, Richard Tyrer, Jacob Asplin, speeches was an everyday event for them. Jamie and Christopher Bevan, Thomas Bohn, Charles Chambers, Abigail were great ambassadors for Talbot and showed Niall Crispin, Toby Dell, Alex Dunn, Gemma Evans, why they were chosen to lead the House. The dinner Maxine Fennell, Henry Fletcher-Brewer, Peter Heath, also saw the presentation of a large number of House James Jarvis, Stephen Johnson, Abigail Merrill, colours, as has now become the custom. Jamie Tyrer & Annabel Yin.
21
THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 House Notes - Wakeman-Lambart
Housemaster: Dr. M.T.Gareh House Tutors: Mr. M. Clewlow, Mr. J. Cowley, Mr. P. Wood, Mr. D. Crawford, Mrs. D.J. Brook, Mrs. E. Lewis, Mr. S.Purcell, Mrs. J. Cowan, Miss E. Williams, Miss H. Goss Captains of House: James Farrell & Alice Dapling
So much has taken place this year that what follows is a summary of the main events. The House Indoor Football Competition takes place on the Wednesday afternoons of the Michaelmas term and it began with our Junior Boys. In their first match, after they surged to a Non-Uniform Day! 2-1 lead against Woodard, they gave away two soft goals and ended a scrappy game with a defeat. This was not the best The House Rugby was again a very hard-fought and way to start the competition and a far cry from the 9-0 defeat enjoyable competition with all teams giving of their best and inflicted on the Woodard team last year. Unfortunately, this was some strong individual performances, particularly from Faz our best result and we ended this competition without a victory. who played through injuries sustained during the match. Some early confusion and the loss of two easy goals put the Junior Girls under pressure at the start, but the rules were A fantastic afternoon of competition of the highest order swiftly learnt and the team went on to dominate the play. The was enjoyed for the House Hockey Competition. Both the two goals were duly recovered and, apart from some poor Senior and Junior Girls’ teams gave their all in every match defending of a late free kick which resulted in a near miss and the standard of hockey played was the highest I have against us, a well-deserved 2-2 draw was earned against seen in a House competition. The Senior Girls drew each Talbot. This gave us confidence for the other two matches of their matches and were extremely unlucky not to win, and resulted in a good win against Woodard in an excellent having had the majority of the play and chances, against a match. Meynell proved just a little too strong for us and a very strong Talbot side. The Junior Girls battled equally defeat against them placed the team in an extremely well- hard and played some very good hockey with only six deserved second place overall in the standings. players available. The Senior Boys’ team got off to a fine start against Talbot and Last year was very good for us in the Cross-Country eased into a 4-0 lead. We relaxed a little and let them score Competition and this year we again fielded a very strong two goals before the final whistle blew, giving us our first team in all age groups. victory in the defence of the title. Unfortunately, the match against Meynell, despite a late surge, ended in defeat. The Junior team of O.Dodds, J.Leahy, A.Hicklin, J.Dapling, Second place in the competition was finally secured by a S.Halstead, L.Forgrave, F.Killick, S.Collison, A.Sesay and victory against the other challengers for that spot, Woodard F.Anderson were second in the main race and would have House, in a close-fought match. been first in the relay had we not accidentally fielded an The Senior Girls’ competition was played in one afternoon, overage Year 10 pupil. This placed us third overall for the and despite some magnificent performances and some very Junior competition. close games indeed, we finished the day occupying the very The Intermediate team of J.Norman, B.Patterson, much undeserved last spot. C.Fergusson, G.Forgrave, A.Cooper, C.Rodda, A.Clewlow, Report on the House Play: Frankenstein’s Guest B.Mitchell, J.Gould and A.Cooksey dominated this section, For my directing debut this proved both challenging and nerve- winning the main race and coming second in the relay. wracking, but the help and unconditional support of all age They were comfortably-placed in first place overall. groups in the House made this an unforgettable time for me. I The Senior team of C.Morgan, A.Burley, M.Burrows, would like to thank all the hardworking cast, especially Jed C.Carl, L.Brereton, N.Forgrave, S.Onel, J.Galley, Denham for his good looks and excellent make-up, Freddie H.Collison, C.Irby were equally strong, repeating the Herzog for his Freddie Mercury outfit, Katie Irby for her success of the Intermediate team. This meant that amazing Transylvanian accent, Ollie Thomas for his American Wakeman-Lambart were the winners in the overall accent, Joe Dapling for his stage presence and Sam competition by a significant margin. Fairbank for his memorable debut in the leading role. This would have been daunting to most performers but with his huge confidence and enthusiasm he made this a truly brilliant achievement. As Sam’s wife (in the play of course), Leonie Brereton was able to show off her acting skills. Nin Cooper should also be commended for her humour in rehearsals, which cheered us all up. Garnet Fischer kindly ‘volunteered’ to play a mad German maid (which she did very well). Also thanks to everyone for the strobe chase scene which was unforgettable for the audience. Alice Dapling and Paula Van Niekerk did an extremely good job supporting me as they were the backbone of the play. Of course, one cannot make a great play without a great cast and I am proud of everyone in our production. Iain Disspain Focusing on the races to come 22 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
The Senior Debating team of Iain Disspain, Nin Cooper and Jed Due to the number of players available for the Girls’ Netball Denham were somewhat unprepared for their tussle with Competition, this event was contested by an ‘A’ and ‘B’ team. Meynell House and came off second best. However, in a very The ‘A’ team beat Meynell, drew against Woodard and lost professional and close fought contest, the Junior team of James against Talbot. This placed us third in the competition as Leahy, Freddie Herzog and Luke Ottaway were able to Woodard had a better goal difference. despatch their Meynell team in opposition. The Senior Boys’ Tennis Competition took place on the first Friday back after Easter and, with limited preparation time available, we put in a very strong performance. The team J.Farrell, C.Cooper, J.Turville, S.Onel, J.Norman and C.Von Hoven were beaten into second place by a strong Talbot side. The result was confirmed in the third round by beating Meynell and consigning them into third place overall. The Senior Girls and the mixed team, although competing well, could not improve on this result. The least said the better about our effort in the Senior Cricket, but well done to those boys who battled against a very strong Woodard side, which went on to win the competition. However, the Junior Cricket Competition was a very enjoyable event. In a thrilling semi-final in the Sports Hall (due to wet Our Honourable Team: weather) on the last Saturday of term, the team of F.Anderson, Luke Ottaway, Freddie Herzog & James Leahy C.Bielby, D.Main, A.Sesay and O.Thomas were fielding and They were proposing that the Honours system was outdated and defending 89 runs all out against Woodard. With one ball their arguments and teamwork were enough to sway the panel of remaining and two runs to win, B.Lingard-Lane swung the bat for judges. They faced a very competent Woodard team in the final (a Woodard only to be caught by the Captain F.Anderson, to seal a repeat of last year’s line-up, in which we were triumphant) and win for our House. despite an even better performance than the first round, were The new event for the Summer term, volleyball, was a welcome narrowly beaten. This was a superb effort and they certainly upheld addition to the calendar. We got off to an excellent start to this the honour of Wakeman-Lambart House. competition with a comprehensive win against Meynell. This year’s House Singing Competition was entered with a great Unfortunately, the following week we were on the receiving end deal of enthusiasm and proved very enjoyable on the night. Under against a very good Talbot team. This signalled the start of our the guidance and accompaniment on the piano by Mr.Crawford, the decline as immediately after half term we were also beaten by Part Song – Breaking Free (High School Musical) – was placed Woodard. second by the judge. This was a very good result for the group In the House Sailing Competition, unlike last year, when despite made up of C.Irby, P.Van Niekerk, J.Denham, N.Forgrave, J.Galley winning all the races we were placed second on a technicality, (suffering from a throat infection), R.Harrison, C.Morgan and F.Herzog. Perhaps next year we can go one better. Jed Denham this year we were first overall. We again won all the races, some then stepped up to conduct the whole House in the Unison Song by several laps. Congratulations to C.Cooper, J.Denham and You’ve Got A Friend (Toy Story). This was sung very well and we C.Pickering. missed out on second place by only 1 mark, placing us third overall With several golfers missing due to other House and school by the narrowest of margins. Well done to everyone. events, our team of four Senior golfers were under a good deal of The semi-final of the Boys’ Hockey took place on a sunny afternoon pressure. G.Forgrave and J.McBrien got off to a good start and spirits were high. The Junior team was drawn against Meynell posting rounds of 42 and 41 respectively. F.Hertzog and House and after playing some good quality hockey, were able to B.Patterson, who had only come to caddy, found themselves leave the pitch with a 4-0 victory. The Senior team battled hard teeing off as the other two members of the team, due to last against a very strong Woodard House team, but eventually lost 0-2 minute changes. Rounds of 60 and 85 meant that we were not in to a penalty in the first half and then a goal in open play in the a position to challenge the other Houses but a big thank you to all second. four members for ensuring that we fielded a team. The following week, the final of the Junior Competition was against A very windy and wet Wednesday afternoon witnessed a brave Woodard House. This was something of an anti-climax as we team of Junior golfers (J.Dapling, F.Herzog, F.Anderson and romped home winners, scoring 5 goals without reply; a very J.Gould) competing for the House. What was an enjoyable satisfying result. afternoon sadly ended in the team being placed in fourth position, The Senior team were playing Talbot House for third place in the 1 stroke behind Woodard. competition and after a close-fought match a late penalty flick, In a fine team display the House successfully defended its title from extremely well taken by C.Pickering, gave us a 1-0 victory and third last year as overall House Athletics Champions. There were many place. fine performances and this year the girls The House Football Competition is always closely contested and led the way with Lucy Forgrave gaining this year was no exception. The Junior Boys battled hard and the Victrix Ludorum for the Juniors and managed a very creditable third place. Amy Cooper the Victrix Ludorum for the Intermediate girls. This contributed to wins for both the Junior and Intermediate teams overall. Particular mention should go to newcomer Ella Walker (Year 9) in her first appearance for the House. She not only won the 1500m for the Junior Girls but she also beat, in the same race, all the Intermediate and Senior runners as well. One to watch for the future! Congratulations to all the pupils that Ella running Strong in the air took part in making the 2006-7 year such an enjoyable and successful one and good luck to those that The Intermediate team went two better and won their competition have left us to join the world outside Ellesmere. Hopefully you will in very convincing style and the Senior team, by drawing with take with you fond memories of your Wakeman-Lambart family. Meynell in a fantastic final match, also hung on to first place. This gave Wakeman-Lambart the overall team victory. MTG
23 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 House Notes - Woodard The House Drama was by far the largest event of the Housemaster: Michaelmas term with regard to time consumption. The cast Mr. C. R. Davies are again to be congratulated on pulling together another House Tutors: astonishing performance which revealed the talents of Chloe Mr. T. C. Howitt-Dring, Mrs. J. Evans, Mrs. P. M. Fox, Perkins (a veteran of House Plays), Sarah–Jane Beswick, Liz Boffey, Patrick Gorman, Aled Elis, Jamie Cartwright, Mrs. R. McCarthy, Mrs. J. R. Nicholson, Mr. R. C. Paul, Gace Kendall, Harry McElwee, William Norris, and special Mr. I. L. Roberts, Mrs. H. T. Scarisbrick, recognition goes to our very stressed, but always organised Mr. P. M. Stanway, Mr. F. S. Williams director – Alex Deller. It is safe to say, I think, that Woodard has now gained a formidable reputation in this field and this Captains of House: was reflected on the night of the show when finding a seat in Aled Ellis & Sarah-Jane Beswick the packed auditorium almost qualified as a competitive event in itself ! Another exciting and very full year has passed and the members of Woodard Competitive House have once again The approach towards Christmas saw much festivity taken full advantage of the events, competitions, and amongst the staff and the pupils. The flaming of the activities open to them. The start of the year saw the Christmas pudding met with delight and rapturous applause promotion of some of last year’s Lower Sixth Formers to from House members during the end-of-term meal and prominent positions within the pupil body of the House. Aled another superb Carol Service provided the backdrop for Ellis became Captain for the boys, ably supported in his extended Christmas cheer as the cast of the House duties by Vice Captain Peter Daborn, and Sarah-Jane Performance celebrated their success with a delicious meal Beswick took up the position of Captain for the girls, once in the Black Lion Hotel. Our thanks go out to all friends and again supported by Vice Captain Sarah Haynes. Together relatives who were able to share the mulled wine and mince these four individuals have proved to be an astonishingly pies with us after the Carol Service. well-organised and much-loved team. Through them Into the Lent term and we started well with a win against Woodard clothing gained a new and altogether more modern Wakeman-Lambart in the Junior Basketball competition. identity in the form of the updated and very trendy Woodard Andy Coughborough, Martin Tatchell and James Webb polo shirt – an excellent visual advert for the competitive scored some excellent baskets. As the competition ‘attitude’ of the House teams. progressed there was no let-up in the standard of play. Earlier in the year the Inter House indoor soccer matches Against Talbot House the Woodard Juniors again pulled off a were played. It was good to witness the new Year 9 recruits fantastic victory with a basket being scored in the first minute showing off their skills and giving us all a glimpse of the of the match by James Webb. Andy Coughborough left the potential talents that continued to show themselves during opposition in turmoil for the second time this term as he the course of the year. The soccer skills of Andy dribbled the ball neatly along the full length of the court with Coughborough (who received House Colours for his efforts pace and apparent ease, eventually setting up many of the on the field) and James Webb proved to be more than a match for Meynell in one game and the Senior Boys lived up Woodard baskets that followed, including the sensational to their reputation as a team to be reckoned with, a quality one-handed crack shot produced by Harry McElwee in the that was greatly admired and enjoyed deafening Woodard last eight seconds of the game, which found its target having support from the Sports Hall balcony. The Girls’ teams also been launched all the way from the centre line. At this point played their games to heavy support from other House one spectator standing at my side (and supporting the members and anyone who had the opportunity to enjoy opposition) commented “Unbelievable, I’m not likely to see these matches will testify to the levels of sporting aggression anything better than that this evening”, and promptly left the and competitive spirit that were regularly on display. Sports Hall without staying to see the remaining games! Excitement levels reached a peak amongst the supporting Well done team! crowds when a sensational hand-ball incident from Talbot The Inter House Cross Country presented the runners with resulted in a nail-biting goal-scoring opportunity for Woodard. the traditionally punishing combination of distance, stiff We eventually won that particular match by two goals to one competition, and terribly cold February weather. All – hooray ! I was impressed to see members of the soccer Woodard runners turned out in good spirits for this teams employing psychology tactics prior to the matches by exhausting afternoon event in which all sections of the showing off their ball control skills in the entrance hall – it House (Juniors, Inters, Seniors) ran. I am sure that the certainly had the desired effect on the opposition who Woodard Year 11 and Sixth Formers welcomed this chance crumbled early on in several of the matches. to shake off examination cobwebs and revitalise body and mind to see them through until half term. All runners put in an excellent effort and in particular the talents of Molly Dingwall astounded the spectators as she outstripped the rest of her age group, including the boys! Once again this year the House Singing created a stir long before the event was scheduled to take place. Our competent House Captains targeted two well-known songs from Disney movies early on in the proceedings. Woodard needed to regain its former reputation as a formidable singing power (with serious X-Factor potential) after technical problems spelled doom for us during last year’s event. We had everything Junior football squad in action to work for and success to look forward to. 24 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Rehearsals began in earnest with I Wanna Be Like You I know that we all owe a great deal to our House Captains from The Jungle Book, as the House Unison song, and Aled and Sarah-Jane, and their Vice Captains Peter and Aint No Mountain High Enough as the Part Song. Jamie Sarah for carrying the House through to 2007. I find it hard Cartwright was given the responsibility of conducting the to believe that I can ever find such a successful and well- organised managerial team to improve upon their Unison singers on the evening of the performance. achievements this year. They all have my most heart-felt The annual Woodard House formal dinner took place thanks in appreciation for all that they have done so well amidst the preparations for the House Singing and I was together. Finally, and to an extent regrettably, I must delighted with the support shown by so many guests apologise if I have omitted to mention any member of the again this year. The evening was a great success, for House in this report. If I did this report would amount to which most of the thanks, as always, rest with the pupils, nothing more than a very extensive list and would make for and of course the House Captains who put forward an boring reading. I suppose it is a sign of just how full and excellent speech, reminding us all of many of the best busy the Competitive House calendar is that I cannot remember every single achievement, no matter how hard I moments from the Woodard competitive calendar to date. try. In a rather sweeping gesture I extend my most sincere The atmosphere reached a crescendo when an thanks and appreciation to all House members, their families unexpected (but well-rehearsed) rendition of the House and friends, who continue to support us and be a part of this Part Song was performed after the main meal. Abdul flourishing and rewarding team that is Woodard House. Kareen Ndanusa of the Lower Sixth revealed his CRD astonishingly good singing voice supported by the harmonious sounds of the rest of the group, including Mr Roger Paul on keyboards. The spirit of the occasion was such that many staff, guests, and pupils continued the ‘party’ atmosphere well into the late evening. The late spring weather provided a very pleasant backdrop for a number of competitive House events, most notably, the Inter House Cricket and the Senior School Sports Day. Unfortunately I could not be present to witness the astounding Woodard victory over all comers. The cricket team, captained on the day by Vice House Captain Peter Daborn, proved to be solid and well- disciplined, and from start to finish the Woodard team led the field in terms of performance. Some extremely high numbers of runs were achieved by the players and House Captain Aled Ellis in the Woodard’s run-away win was the talk of Ellesmere in the Senior Rugby Event week that followed. Well done team! The Sports Day was highly competitive as always, but all teams, Juniors, Inters and Seniors, maintained their usual high standards of dress and conduct on the field, and the team captains are to be thanked for their efficient organising of teams in a very short space of time. There were some excellent performances including those by Aidan Porter in the discus, Thomas Davies in the javelin, Molly Dingwall in the 800m and the 1500m events, Stephanie Newport-Both in the 100m and the 1500m, Nathan Thomas in the 400m and Toby Blake in the 800m. Abdul Kareen Ndanusa made the high jump seem effortless to the delight of many spectators.. Some House team members displayed great spirit by covering an event for other House members who could not Senior Hockey team in action compete on the day. The debating teams did the House proud again. The Junior team comprising Niko Wojtynia, Josh Boswell, and Zoe Haynes were first to face the opposition. Woodard proposed that ‘football is no longer a beautiful game’ – a highly contentious subject for a debate under any circumstances! The Junior team put forward a forceful argument that had obviously been well-researched and was delivered with confidence and panache. Although the opposing House bombarded the Woodard team with difficult questions Woodard defended with a passion. Such was the feeling and emotional response to this discussion topic that several of the competitive Housemasters continued the heated debate amongst themselves during the half time coffee break – all trying their best to defend and support the opinions of their own The unfortunate result of a hard Woodard attack! House teams. (No injuries this time though)
25 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Saints Houses St. Aidan’s
St. Bede’s
26 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Saints Houses St. Cuthbert’s
St. John’s
27 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Saints Houses St. Oswald’s
St. Patrick’s
28 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Pupil Notes Ellesmere College Pupil Receives Award It is always good to see our pupils performing well in the Mathematics Challenge. There is no special preparation for for National Top Marks in Electronics it and so it is a real test of their mathematical ability. JC Excellent ESB Results There was a bumper crop of Sixth Form results in the English Speaking Board exams with 28 (over 70%) of candidates achieving either Distinction or top Merits. Especially newsworthy was the fact that for the first time the School had entered their International Baccalaureate overseas students for the English first language version of the examination and many of them managed to achieve
the highest grades. We were very proud of our Senior students’ performance in their ESB exams. Excellent examination results, success in public speaking competitions and the dynamic Headmaster Brendan Wignall and Matthew White performance programme in Arena Arts provide the perfect Following much hard work, Matthew White was the top context for ambitious achievements in oral communication. performing 2006 A Level Electronics candidate in the country. The former pupil revisited the School during the Michaelmas Term to be presented with an award from the National Examining Board for his exceptional achievement. Matthew White was presented with an iPod by the Headmaster, on behalf of the National Assessment and Qualification Alliance, who were delighted to reward him for his excellent performance in Electronics. Matthew White had showed outstanding academic ability throughout his Ellesmere career. He successfully completed 6 A Level courses, and amongst his 4 A Grades the marks he received for Electronics were a remarkable 600 out of 600. Matthew is now studying Cybernetics at the University of Reading. HJW
Sixth Form Students Excel in The Successful Sixth Form Group National Senior Mathematics Challenge
Bearing in mind the significant oral elements in the IB examinations, we were delighted that amongst these high performers there were students who had come from abroad and been able to develop their second-language skills to this
impressive degree. Five students who participated in the external examination received the top grade of Distinction. They were: William Barlett, Cedric Carl, Sam Lewis, Ben Morris and Freddy Nevel. Another 22 students all achieved a Merit Plus grade: Adam Beech, Katie Brereton, Leonie Brereton, Rebecca Chmiel, Adam Churton, Hal Collision, Alex Deller, Jed Denham, Molly Dingwall, Garnet Fischer, Rhys Hayes, Alina Heidenreich, Arthur Higgins, James King, Annalena Kohler, Max Mathey, Jamie McBrien, Chris Morgan, Sophie Mullock, Caroline James McBrien, Cedric Carl, Max Spigiel, David Nip Selker, Nathaniel Thomas and Alex Whittle. Annabelle Yin, JC & Annie Zhang The students went through an extremely rigorous Following their participation in the National Senior procedure, working in a group for an entire day under the Mathematics Challenge, a group of top-performing Sixth scrutiny of an examiner. They were tested in just about Form students received their results. every conceivable aspect of oral communication from Jake Asplin was one of 7 students who gained a Silver individual presentations to group discussions. These exams Award and also received the ‘Best in School’ award. are a wonderful foundation for the skills demanded by The other Silver Award recipients were: Cedric Carl, Jamie Higher Education and life beyond, and the students showed McBrien, David Nip, Max Spigiel, Annabelle Yin and Annie their very special abilities as communicators. Zhang. Bronze awards were also awarded to James Jarvis, William Norris, Candy Yang, John Zhang and Andy Zeng. SFWP
29 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS NAME UNIVERSITY COURSE Jake Asplin Nottingham Medicine Stephen Bannister Leeds Trinity and All Saints Sport, Health, Exercise & Nutrition Sarah-Jane Beswick Nottingham Trent Fashion, Marketing & Communication Chris Bevan Birmingham English Jonathan Bevan Manchester Medicine Tom Bohn University of Wales Institute, Cardiff Educational Studies & Sport & Physical Activity John Brodie Birmingham Modern Languages Alex Burley Lancaster History and Politics Tom Burrows Leeds Met. Business & Management Charles Bushnell Liverpool John Moores Construction Management Charles Chambers Oxford Brookes International Relations/Sociology Charles Cooper Newcastle Chemistry with Management Niall Crispin Canterbury Christ Church Applied Criminology and Forensics Peter Daborn Harper Adams Rural Enterprise & Land Management Alice Dapling University of Wales Institute, Cardiff Interior Architecture Toby Dell Manchester Chemistry Harriet Devonald Oxford Brookes Fine Art Will Doran Central Lancashire Sociology & Criminology Alex Dunn Leeds Met. Retail Marketing Management Sarah-Jane Edwards Manchester Management Alex Ellis University of Wales Institute, Cardiff Sport and Physical Education Gemma Evans Chester General Primary Education Nick Evans Manchester Met. Sociology James Farrell University of Wales Institute, Cardiff Business & Management Studies with Marketing Maxime Fennell West of England, Bristol Marketing Henry Fletcher-Brewer Leeds Met. Photography & Digital Imaging Sarah Haynes Exeter History Peter Heath Southampton Oceanography James Jarvis Manchester Law with Politics Stephen Johnson Manchester Met. Geography Daniel Matthews Leeds Met. Sport with Business Management Abigail Merrill Manchester Met. Events Management Chloe Mitchell Sheffield Hallam Business & Marketing Sarah Monro Leeds English Will Norris Durham Physics Richard Oliver Reading Real Estate Chloe Perkins Gloucestershire Creative Writing Robert Peters Manchester Met. Human Geography Hadleigh Roberts Bath Modern Languages & European Studies Alex Robinson Aberystwyth Marketing with Law Ben Russell York Mathematics/Computer Science Arabella Scott Reading Building Surveying Robert Simms Manchester Chemistry Jamie Tyrer Manchester Materials Science & Engineering Sarah Wolfson Northampton Interior Design William Wright Gloucestershire Business Management & Leisure & Sports Management ShengiyaYang Bristol Civil Engineering Hanqing Yin Leeds Mathematics with Finance Jie Zhang Leeds Accounting & Finance
CAPTAINS OF HOUSE
Stephen Bannister Laura Bernhoffer Sarah-Jane Beswick James Farrell Jamie Tyrer Meynell St. Oswald’s Woodard Wakeman-Lambart Talbot 30 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Sixth Form Fundraising
During the year, Sixth Form fundraising activities were focused on raising funds for their Leavers’ Ball at the end of the Summer term. During the Michaelmas term, as part of their fund-raising efforts, a group of Upper Sixth Form students designed and were responsible for the creation of a 2007 calendar which went on sale to parents, pupils,
staff and OEs during the various end-of- term activities. Abigail Merrill, Head Girl, was one of the team instrumental in the creation of this year’s calendar. There were a number of creative pupils in the Sixth Form who took great care to produce a fun calendar which tried to capture the variety of opportunity that exists at the school. Staff and pupils alike were happy to pose in the photos and we are very pleased with the finished article. Over 400 calendars were sold and the money raised went towards the fireworks display at the Leavers’ Ball. Paul Goodwin with Charles Cooper & Abigail Merrill
July Abigail Merrill, Maxine Fennell Stephanie Perrin, & Gemma Evans
Sale of Valentine Flowers
To further supplement funds for the Leavers’ Ball, during the first part of the Lent term orders for Valentine flowers were taken, and a team of Sixth Form girls busily organised the preparation of over 100 red roses and carnations which were distributed to pupils and staff alike on the last Friday before half term. HJW
October 31 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Summer Ball
Staff & Pupils enjoy the evening
Gemma Evans, Stephen Bannister & Sarah Jane Edwards
Jamie Cartwright, Will Bartlett, Garnet Fisher, Cloe Mitchell, Jamie Tyrer, Steph Perrin, Sarah Jane Beswick Alex Deller & Pippa Rickett
James Bond Theme
32 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 In and Around Art Exhibition A2, AS & GCSE All of these moves took place in only one year. For a young child such as Rudi or Paul this would have been a horrifying experience. Despite staying in Bergen Belsen for a period they survived to tell the tale. Paul did this through his book, From Belsen to Buckingham Palace, which was on sale at the talk, and Rudi through talks such as the one he gave to the group of keen Ellesmere historians who attended. The talk was not just about life in a concentration camp but also about the build-up to it for Jews in Germany. His talk was very interesting and a real insight into the conditions for children in a concentration camp and what it was like under Hitler’s dictatorship. Many thanks go to Mr Oppenheimer for coming in to talk about his experiences. The Art Centre Foyer Freddie Herzog
The Senior School Art Exhibitions, highlighted the work produced by students for their GCSE, AS and A2 Art. The work reflected the wide range of subject matter and the high level of skill The Art Centre Foyer and quality that the Senior pupils had achieved throughout their time at the school. SP The cramped and squalid conditions of one of the huts at Bergen Belson Careers Conference 2006 The Annual Careers Conference had an exceptional buzz in New Catering Services Big School this year. The vast numbers of exhibitors were At the end of 2006 a kept busy by our Year 11 pupils and parents, with their £100,000 refurbishment pertinent questions about entrance levels and the trade to the kitchens was secrets of each facet of the professional bodies represented. completed and in The aim of the conference is to focus each individual student January the Dining Hall on the need for good grades in GCSE and A Level opened with a new examinations which will allow entry to Universities and servery. Colleges to pursue higher level qualifications so that they Following much hard may aspire to their dream career. work during the My sincere thanks must go to the exhibitors who gave up Christmas holidays by their time to facilitate our students’ needs and to the students Ellesmere College’s and their parents, who I hope gained valuable information Operations Team, which will be put to use when choosing A Level options and pupils now enjoy a new counter service at meal looking at post-18 choices. - times. Whilst retaining DJB the traditional atmosphere of the Rudi Oppenheimer Talk school’s Dining Hall, there is now a blend of In the middle of the Michaelmas Term 2006, Rudi modernity with the Oppeheimer came to talk to Years 10 and 11 about his At the Salad Bar, installation of ceramic experiences from 1936 to 1946. During this period Hitler Emily Wicks & Sophie Greensmith counter tops and and the Third Reich exterminated a total of over 6 million vibrant colours. Jews. Rudi and his brother Paul could have been two of Whilst Ellesmere has always offered substantial and those. However they managed to escape the “Final nutritious meals, everyone is delighted that the modernisation of the kitchens has allowed the catering staff Solution” because their sister was born in Britain, meaning both to enhance the choices available and to make that they were Exchange Jews. The family spent time in increased use of fresh ingredients to the benefit of pupils and Westerbork transit camp in Holland, then in Bergen Belsen the staff of the College alike. concentration camp. They were then moved from Berlin to With the serving of homemade soups, wraps and a variety of Tröbitz (East Germany), to Leipzig (East Germany), to salads, the food is attractively displayed and much is Maastricht (Holland), to Laren (Holland) and finally to available on a self-service basis. London and from there to Birmingham. HJW 33 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Lent Term Snow The Year 11 Spring Prom Friday 18th May was the date set for the Year 11 Spring Prom. This is the second year that the event has taken place to mark the culmination of the teaching phase leading to GCSE examinations. Expectations were high due to the success of last year’s event.
Pupils building a giant snowman on 7th February 2007
Guide Dogs Visit College
Max Wojtiynion, Timothy Courage, Laurence Wiggington, Tom Dance, Daniel Anders-Richards & James Norman
A committee of Year 11 pupils, with representatives from each Middle School House, met on a regular basis to discuss the details for the evening. The group were given support from the Year 11 tutor team. The evening is a formal event with formal dress code. However, the committee added a 70’s twist if individuals desired to take a theme to their formal dress wear. The theme carried on to Guide Dogs for the Blind Talk for PHSE Day the decorations in the Arts Centre venue. Helium balloons and streamers were in abundance. Owen Paterson MP Visits Year 10
Izzy Evans, Matthew Steggles, Owen Patterson MP Lotti Keeble & Steven Quinlan Nin Cooper, Elizabeth Boffey, Harriet Tomlinson, Stephanie Platt, Grace Kendall, Charlotte Leins, Rhian Davies, Tess Fawcett During the Lent term, Owen Patterson, Member of Parliament for North Shropshire, visited the College to talk about the nature The evening began with pre-dinner cocktails. A hot and cold of democracy and the importance of taking part in Politics. buffet was served throughout the evening and music was The visit by the local MP was arranged to help prepare a group provided by a Sixth Form Band. Fantastic music carried on of Year 10 pupils for their participation in the National Youth throughout the night with special effects. Mr Crawford Parliament Competition, organised by the Citizenship provided a cabaret slot with his terrific rendition of Born to be Foundation. The competition itself involved the School Chapel Wild that packed the dance floor and had everyone ‘rocking being converted into a debating forum for a mock parliamentary in their boots’. session, with a further group of Year 10 pupils studying Media The society magazines busied themselves with shots of Studies filming the proceedings. The pupils benefited from the groups of Year 11 pupils looking fabulous for the occasion. It MP’s expertise and experience in The House of Commons was quite a revelation to see the year group transformed into before they had the opportunity to hold a parliament the beautiful young women and very handsome young men themselves. All Year 10 Pupils had roles to perform. There was a Speaker of The House and Leader of The Opposition as well that they are. Quite a different sight to the daily school as backbenchers. A Prime Minister’s Question Time session uniform! was held with other pupils performing the roles of the press. It was a lovely evening and a big thank you must go to all The whole event was then recorded onto video and entered into those who made it so successful. One hopes that the hard The National Youth Parliament Competition 2007. work during revision pays off with GCSE success. HJW SO 34 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Out & About After more courageous running from the team we eventually
Snowdon Run reached the bottom of Snowdon and set off with a dedicated The Snowdon Run is in aid of raising money for the charity Chernobyl Continuity. This is a great charity that helps children team who would have to race to the top to ensure we beat from Belarus, who are still affected by the Chernobyl nuclear our target. Will Norris, David Anders-Richards and I led the power station disaster of 1986. way, starting with a impressive pace, in shorts and a t-shirt — BIG mistake! We realised this when nearing the top, as it To make the run competitive, the aim is to reach the summit of got a bit unpleasant! But no matter how cold and tired we Snowdon in less than 12 hours. The run is done as a relay were, we knew we weren’t far off, so we stuck at it, and with two runners completing each leg. Each pair completes 5 to 6 legs of approximately 3 miles each. The total distance is finally we made it. There standing proud was the monument about 75 miles, with each runner doing about 16 miles, we had all been wishing to see. Only then did we realise we excluding the almighty climb up Snowdon at the end. had a 2-hour hike back down, not to put a dampener on anything! Well done guys, great effort! And this year history was made! Yes, for the first time ever, the 2007 team heroically completed the run in under the target Adam Churton time, reaching the summit in just 11 hours 30 minutes. Although this did nothing for the amount raised, it was Jamie’s Tale everything to the team. Well done guys! The 1st of July started bright and early at 4 am, the sun just RC breaking through the clouds that dominated the sky, creating a grey/blue atmosphere that made the morale slightly Adam’s Tale dimmed. The bus was waiting for us at Reception, with most Now I must warn you that I'm not a morning person in the of us still looking tired; the likes of Norris and Hawkins were slightest, getting up at 8 am is hard enough, but 4 am! Never all giddy and wide awake. a good start in my books, but as a surprise to me, when I stepped onto the bus I was raring to go, gently psyched, and We left Ellesmere College at 4:30 am with Greeny and under attack from one too many butterflies. Steggles starting the 75-mile run which would be the most memorable out of all that have been run in the past. Greeny After three very impressive legs, my first challenge of the day and Steggles started the run with quite good timing, probably came, the first hill! I’d like to take this point in my tale to give my thanks to Dr Chatterjee for so generously handing me this to do with their very long legs. From then on the legs that responsibility! Anyhow, my partner Rory McCarthy and I tore each of us did were ALMOST consistent. For example Phil up the hill in no time, only then realising that that was only a seemed to be the ugly duckling of the crew, as he was third of our leg, depressing at the least. almost always knackered after each leg and was taking all We all know New Zealanders aren’t born athletes in any our Lucozade and Mars Bars. respect (looking back on the World Cup!), so Gappy Phil didn’t There were a lot of memorable moments throughout the 12- really have a chance from the start. But, for my second hour period. We had (as close to in order as possible) pleasant surprise of the day, he brought out the English in him, Hawkins’ frequent loo-stops, which actually leads to the next got his head down, and made an impressive contribution to memorable moment where the Marine Commando-in-training our efforts. gets beaten by Adam Churton on one of the hardest up-hill By the time of my second leg we were right on track with our legs on the entire route. Next was probably my own leg target time, but all was not happy for me. Yep, another hill, but which was 2.5 miles in 13 minutes which shocked a lot of this one was a beast! 3 miles of continuous ‘upness’. So myself and Marine man Mr Hawkins downed a Nutrigrain and set on our way. This leg however was home to a much-needed pit stop for Mr Hawkins, ‘de-fuelling’ in the shrubs and ferns of the roadside. Now Mr Hawkins doesn’t like to mention this, but I think he just got a little scared of the big hill! I on the other hand don’t like to mention the fact he still caught me up despite his little stoppage! As our venture continued, great efforts from Richard Greensmith, John Steggles, Robert Coates and Jamie Cartright (who all will admit the fresh mountain air did them the world of good) moved us forward to our target, encouraging everyone to keep going no matter how hard and painful it was. A big hand must go to Dr Chatterjee who took it on himself to challenge the cross country legs, though he will admit he is much more at home in the wilderness, and serious wilderness it was! You can’t simply call it the Snowdon Stunning view at the top Run, but also the Snowdon Swim! David Anders-Richards, Will Norris & Adam Churton Meanwhile, while Dr Chatterjee was practising his aquatic skills, an unusual event occurred. Whilst people considering my lung habits, but I’m sure that wasn’t driving the minibus to the next pick-up spot, a rock moved the only reason. Then Dr Chatterjee and I had the longest from the road-side bank into the middle of the road, and leg of the entire run which was cross country (about 4 miles). despite Mr Hawkins’ (apparent) Marine-level driving skills, he The run was up a mountain track, across a small plain, could not quite avoid it, creating a nice additional locking across a massive river through a valley, then over a corrie lip system on the passenger door; however it was a one-way down to the main road, all of which was incredibly slippery, lock! mainly due to the torrential rain. 35 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
There were only 2 more legs of jogging up a road to the On Monday morning, after a light continental breakfast, we bottom of the Snowdon mountain where visitors and set off again, this time to Omaha beach, one of the two photographers park. Since we had an hour to get up to the American landing sites. I think I speak for all of the group top of the mountain before the 12 hours was up, we sorted when I say that the enormous cemetery there was the most out who could and couldn’t run. We were met by Mr Steggles touching experience of the trip. Row after row after row of at the base of Snowdon and he provided extra support to the white marble graves stood, like the regiments of the team, as he set off up the mountain. Myself and Coates hundreds of men that lay beneath them, forever resting in couldn’t run up because of injuries that were sustained on peace. A total of 9000 soldiers were buried there, only the latest legs, Dr Chatterjee was just tired so he doesn’t get yards away from the beach that we walked down to, where a cool excuse! We loaded our rucksacks with all the spare they fell. food, water and warm clothing and set off. I switched on my iPod and walked up at my own pace, and eventually after After the American cemetery we visited the German one, what seemed years we ran into the lead runners coming presenting a stark contrast. There was only a small back down. Here we off-loaded all the water, food and collection of headstones per section, with several men jumpers, giving them the deserved refreshments and buried in one grave, marked only by a small stone square. lightening our rucksacks. They had done it, having reached After the cemeteries we visited the small town of St Mere the summit in a record time. Eventually Coates, Dr Eglises, and learned a strange story about a paratrooper Chatterjee and I reached the summit and chilled for 10 whose parachute got snagged on the church tower and left minutes or so, and then… we walked back down. him hanging, helpless. Turning to the church tower we were Driving back was pretty tiresome; we were all knackered and surprised to see a figure hanging from a white parachute on pretty much all of us snoozed on each other for warmth and the side of the spire. It turned out it was a dummy, put there comfort. With no Lucozade or Mars Bars left there was no to commemorate the mishap. point in staying awake. When I woke up we were back in Quad and I’ve never felt more pain in my legs than I did that Our last day was spent in Honfleur, window-shopping and day, can’t wait till next year!! occasionally venturing inside to test our pitiful grasp of the French language. After this the fun was over, and the Jamie Cartwright journey back began, consisting of only 10 hours this time. I think the trip was an experience not to be forgotten, Battlefields Trip Report invaluable to all concerned for understanding the trials the Our journey began when, stumbling from the early soldiers had to go through in the battle to free France. I breakfast, the bleary-eyed students slung their bags, would also like to thank Mr Wood, Mrs Paton, Mrs closely followed by themselves, onto the coach bound for McCarthy and Mr Cowley for taking us on this very Normandy, France. enjoyable trip. The journey was a long one, taking a bottom-numbing 5 hours to the Euro Tunnel. At this point we all had a chance to stretch our legs and eat some lunch. Certain groups who shall remain unnamed set off on a search for the Classics Trip Report ‘observation deck’ of the train, much to the amusement of In September, a group of Year 11 Classical Civilisation the others. Soon enough though, it was back on the coach students visited some Roman sites in South West England. for us for another journey, this one turning out to be 6 Our trip began at Roman Bath, where we went round the hours! ruins of the bath complex in the heart of the modern city. On the second day we visited the Roman museum at In keeping with the topic of the journey we were shown the Cirencester, which is home to several large mosaics; the Spielberg classic, Saving Private Ryan. It was very much enjoyed by all but it showed many of us the horrors of war, amphitheatre at Cirencester; and finally the villa complex at and set in context the thousands of deaths of the American, Chedworth. On the final day, we went on to Caerleon in British and German soldiers. Eventually we arrived at the South Wales, to see the extensive remains of the Roman hotel and spent our first night unpacking and exploring the legionary fort, including the baths, amphitheatre and town, which was very beautiful but seemingly uninhabited. barracks. This was a very enjoyable and successful trip, which gave the class the opportunity to learn about many The next day began with a trip to the Pegasus Bridge and aspects of life in Roman Britain. its museum. The museum was probably the best on the trip as it had the perfect balance of information and objects, IT personal stories and national history. At mid-morning we visited the café next to the bridge, which was the first place to be liberated from German occupation by the British paratroopers. Next we travelled to Arromanches and the museum there which commemorates the building of the Mulberry harbour amongst other things. After a crepe or two we hitched a lift on the tourist train, which only just managed to bring us up the steep hill from the town with its lawnmower engine screaming all the way. At the top we entered a cinema, but a very special one as it was 360 degrees. The film was a dizzying but amazing experience with sweeping views of the cemeteries and chilling scenes of the battles fought between the Allied and Axis powers on the north coast. Joshua Boswell 36 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Sixth Form Biology and Geography Environmental Field Trips
This year saw the first group of IB students through the Early the next morning Dr Chatterjee, Richard Greensmith Lower Sixth. They were treated a trip to Present Montford and Jonathan Steggles went for an early morning run in to carry out some field work. This included pond dipping, preparation for what was to be a very successful Snowdon flow rate measurements and many other techniques. For run. After breakfast we set of for Harlech and looked at some it was their first experience of field work and very diversity on a sand dune system. We also looked at what different to what they have had before. caused this diversity. After writing this up, the Biologists RC evening was spent preparing for their A2 coursework. The last day was upon us and after a hearty breakfast we were ready for the wind down. Little did we know that this was going to be the hardest days work in the history of Biology! It was really the technical aspect, it was that beautiful summer weather, which was in fact typically British – torrential rain. After collecting our data and drying out we set out for home, finishing the trip off with a well earned meal out. A2 Biologists (a team effort!)
A Level students looking at the dune system at Harlech This year’s trip for the coursework aspect of A Level Biology and Geography was to Betws-y-Coed. On the first day the weather was pleasant, as was to be expected for this summer. We learnt how to analyse streams and looked at the influence of abiotic factors on the abundance and diversity of life. As night fell and after evening lectures we ambled down to town over a very rickety suspension bridge and across some fields, where Richard Greensmith pretended to be a farmer and chased us on our way! It was quite amusing at the time as in the twilight it was difficult to see who was shouting at us.
IB student, Annabelle Peschke pond dipping
IB students looking at invertebrate life
Leonie Brereton and Molly Dingwell collecting data in a light summer shower!
37 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 NORDIC CHALLENGE th Day 1 - Sunday 11 5am departure! Three (Aiden, J.D. and Tom) team members and JKR in sickbay but a 4.35 am wake-up is inhumane. Sarah arrived early and was waiting with our driver Al in Reception. Speedy uneventful trip to Manchester Airport and a waiting Harriet. Wow! Those searches! Not too bad at Manchester but on changing flights at Amsterdam poor Sarah got a complete mauling – most undignified. Arrived Oslo (-15ºC ), met by OE Pat Parsons and driven to Sjusjen to collect kit and supper. We were exhausted and now greeted with -21ºC. After a good night’s sleep we got ready for our first Nordic ski lessons in a tropical -12ºC. Nordic skiing is an art all to itself, and an exhausting but a fun day was had by all – bruises to More Snow and Rock prove it. Leadership lecture in groups – supper – bed. The conclusion to our day out was floodlit tobogganing on a Day 2 truly fantastic track. The lift to the top was intimidating Refining our techniques this morning and clocking up some enough, but brakes were allowed on the first run down. kms too. Nick picked up the pace to the top of the hill, and Everyone had a fantastic time. Supper and bed! having dropped our packs we soon dropped our sticks to make life harder but learning the technique easier! Some Day 5 more kms at speed then thankfully back for lunch. The A change to our schedule as the Rally drivers are afternoon involved working on our downhill technique and a encroaching on our skiing territory for the next few days. So team challenge slalom race. – today NORDIC CHALLENGE! Teams assembled and frantically waxed skis ready for the rally-style challenge to After supper we had a very good presentation from Pat Lillehammer. Along the way were various special stages Parsons, beginning with a homage to another, now involving all the team ( memory game, slalom, double pole deceased, OE Dave Nicholls. Pat is now leading the British sprint). It was a punishing day and involved skiing straight Schools Exploration Society Expeditions to The Falklands, through the Berkabeiner Stadium, across the bottom of the South Georgia and Antarctica for the next 5 years. A fine Olympic ski jumps and right down a final, very tricky descent lecture and, as Pat put it, ironic that Ellesmere should be into the Olympic Museum car park to a well-earned rest and participating in Nordic Challenge. coach lift back. The weather was awful – near white-out all day so with fading light we were given the rest of the afternoon off! Shower, sauna, supermarket etc. At supper the results were announced and we had a HUGE birthday cake for HM St Johns and Vicky Turnbull. Bursting point! Day 6 Wow, almost made it! 9.30 am waxed and ready to go. Groups 2 & 3 swapped instructions for a morning of assessment to see if we had reached the standard for Bronze Nordic Skiing Certificate. During this assessment we covered the 5km race course for the afternoon. The weather was quite awful, next to no visibility and driving snow! The assessment round the 5km went well and then both groups combined for the downhill skills test. A sigh of relief and back for lunch. 2.30 pm was race start time and competitors were set off at 30 second intervals. A lot of energy expenditure later and we Snow and Rock were back to hand in all our equipment and begin packing. Day 3 We met at 6 pm for a prize-giving ceremony before supper. After breakfast we left on the trek over the hills to Nordseter Bronze Certificates were awarded to all from Ellesmere and which was about 6km away. It was a hard climb and then a Harriet Devonald proudly received the prize for the fastest long and at times hairy descent with a nasty 0.5km uphill novice around the 5km course. A great ending, and supper sting in the tail. A quick coffee-break was followed by a team and chat capped the evening off nicely. orienteering challenge with a 2-hour cut-off point. Lunch at 2 pm was heaven and so were the waffles and chocolate in the café. The journey back took a different route and involved a very severe climb to the highest point, a long traverse and then the well-earned descent back to Sjusjoen. The evening consisted of Leadership Lecture 2 and a video with an introduction to biathlon after supper. This was a challenging day! Day 4 An easier day!! Travelled by coach to Lillehammer and the Olympic stadium. A quick practice with the Anshultz. Rifle and then the team biathlon challenge, involving a hard ski followed by 5 shots at 5 targets with 150m penalty laps for Even More Snow and Rock every target missed. JD proved to be the Ellesmere champion. After the biathlon we visited the Olympic ski Day 7 jumps and walked down them. Breakfast at 7.30 am seemed quite civilised given our departure time to get here! We had a good run to the airport Those guys are nuts. At the bottom of the slopes was the where we said “Goodbye” to Nick. The rest of our journey gymnasium where future Olympic champs are schooled in home was uneventful but long, reaching our waiting relatives both academic studies and Winter sports. A quick coach ride at 6 pm. All in all this was a true Nordic Challenge and an to the Olympic Museum, where we saw a video and toured the museum. Then we were delivered into “town” for some experience of a lifetime. retail therapy - not at those prices! JKR
38 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Year 9 Thursday Afternoon Activities
The Thursday afternoon activity programme was changed For the three-day this year in order to provide the pupils in Year 9 with an expedition just before increased number of opportunities to experience the October half term we activities that the school can offer. It was designed to help all went to Betws-y- them make a more informed decision regarding the path to Coed. All the pupils follow later on in the year. had the opportunity In the first term and a half, the activities on offer were: first to camp outdoors for aid, navigation, climbing, mountain biking, shooting, both nights and they leadership tasks, camping/camp craft and kayaking, signals, had a go at cooking rifle familiarisation, theory of flight. for themselves. On the first and third days (half days), they chose one activity (a different one each half day) from a choice of climbing, kayaking, or mountain biking. Climbing and abseiling in the rocks above the town
First Aid
Navigation
Kayaking on another lake in the area
Climbing
Shooting Mountain biking around a lake in the hills around Betws. 39 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
The weather was kind on both half days for these activities, and all involved enjoyed and rose to the challenges involved. The middle day was set aside for the ascent of Snowdon by a variety of routes according to ability. The weather was not so kind for this challenge and the morning started out very wet indeed. However, the forecast was good and the expedition went ahead.
Unfortunately, soon after this picture was taken the weather changed dramatically, and winds of 60mph sprang up. This gave the rain, which also became much heavier, the ability to find its way through the waterproof layers of everyone in the group and also through walking boots. The decision was sensibly taken to return to Pen-y-pass and the safety of the minibuses. Upon returning to the campsite, the sun promptly came out and allowed everyone to attempt to dry out their soaking clothing over the course of the afternoon. A trip into the town and various team-building activities made up the remainder of the time that day. The 3 days were certainly an adventure for everyone and well worth the effort. The pupils Snowdon returned to school ready for the welcome rest of a week’s holiday over half term, but also with some good memories of their experiences. In the week before Lent half term, there were a number of presentations from the Army, Navy, RAF, Green Team and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which enabled pupils to choose their course for the next two years. Some pupils chose the Duke of Edinburgh or the Green Team route, with the majority choosing the Combined Cadet Force.
The pupils following the CCF route then brushed up on their weapon- handling before they looked at other aspects of military training during the Lent Expedition day. They were taught by Senior NCOs who were using the leadership skills they had learnt in the CCF to good effect. After Easter, the pupils chose to continue in either the Army, Navy or RAF sections. Overall this was a very successful exercise which will be repeated and improved upon next year. My thanks go to the staff and the Sixth Form students who helped make it such an enjoyable experience for all involved.
NCOs teaching MTG
40 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Green Team
The team has finished the frame for a huge new composter. Working with Shropshire Countryside Services to plant 70 trees. IM, Steven Quinlan, Katrina Westwood, James Haigh, Katrina Westwood, Georgina Adams, Chris Chun, Amber Lewis-Bolton, AD, Amy Cooper & Georgina Adams Amber Lewis-Bolton, Amy Cooper, Steven Quinlan & Tom Prime
So, what has Green Team been up to this year? Well, Then we planted a wildflower meadow on some waste land, we raised just over £2,000 in June 2006, so first of all and helped finance a Green Audit of the College by we had some money to spend!! Half of the money we Shropshire Wildlife Trust. sent off to Madagascar to help a new school project Our biggest project was, however, completely free! Shropshire Countryside Services provided us with 70 free there – the idea is to provide education for the local trees of our choice and even advised us on the planting and children so that their future and the future of the fragile joined in with our planting team. ecosystem in which they live can be improved. In June we will have the Green Team Walk again – The other half of the money we spent on projects at the hopefully we will raise as much money as last year. This year we will share our funds with WWF and the Gorilla College. First of all we built a huge composter for the Foundation. The team will go off to Conwy to work on an school, ready for when they buy an industrial shredder. RSPB project for a few days before going off to Anglesey to Then we planted a hedge all along the edge of the golf see the puffins. course. The money also funded a Lower School bird- Next year we will use the Green Audit to advise us on how feeding station and willow dome and bought homes for to spend our funds. Look out for some environmentally- hedgehogs, bees and insects, and materials to make interesting projects coming near you soon! bat boxes. CA
The Green Team Walk raised £1,000 for endangered species Our new bird feeders have attracted many birds and £1,000 for environmental action at Ellesmere College. Including goldfinches and woodpeckers Megan Westwood, Freya West, Jennifer Griffiths & Katherine Neary 41 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Combined Cadet Force Report 2006-07 CO: Lt.Col.G Hutchinson The Summer term brought the Biennial Review, which was 2IC: Maj.M P Clewlow conducted by Group Captain P Cunningham BSc RAF, SSI: WOII B G Jones Commander of RAF Shawbury. As a part of the Review Group Captain Cunningham Navy Section visited training on a Thursday Lt. F R Brooke, Sub Lt. R J Macintosh in May, when he inspected all Army Section sections. Additionally he Maj. M P Clewlow brought with him a helicopter and a spare pilot in the form of Capt M T Gareh, Lt K B Hilton, 2Lt R Chatterjee Fl Lt Mike Cauchi (parent), 2Lt K M Brockless, Lt Col (Rev’d) R E Williams, Sgt C Collins who gave a large number of RAF Section cadets heli-familiarisation Fl Lt F S Williams, Fl Lt D Joynson-Brooke, Fl Lt R K Ripley training and flight experience. The Contingent was in fine fettle and during the Final Adult strength has been healthy in all three sections this Parade the Group Captain year, with the addition of 2Lt Brockless to the Army Section made some well-judged from January 2007 to compensate for the loss of Lt Digby comments and observations, in July 2006. 2Lt Brockless has extensive experience from after awarding trophies to a the RAF that includes a lot of survival skills, as well as number of the cadets. Best helicopter work. Sgt Collins also took on the important task Cadet Trophies went to Jed Stella Cheng enjoying the flight of training the large number of new Sixth Formers that Denham (Navy), William joined the Army Section in September 2006, a factor that Norris (Army) and Harriet Devonald (RAF). Iain Disspain was placed an additional strain on Army resources. Cadet awarded the R. Blake Hartley Memorial Trophy. strengths have been at or close to establishment in all GH sections and the year has been very successful, as will be seen from the separate reports. Almost all training objectives have been fulfilled, although the refurbishment Light Infantry School Support Team necessary for the indoor range limited the amount of shooting that was completed. Work on the range was The College were privileged to have the Light Infantry School scheduled for the Summer vacation. Support Team spending the afternoon with the CCF cadets from all three service sections. During the Lent half term a small party of cadets spent the They negotiated a Scimitar tank through the narrow streets week Nordic skiing in Norway with Fl Lt Ripley, an of Ellesmere and onto Nanki lawn, where our cadets were experience that they described as both exhausting and given the opportunity to get a close-up view of how it exhilarating. The annual Adventurous Training camp during operates, and even some of the staff got quite excited, the Easter vacation was based at Morvich in the Kintail including Mr T Howitt-Dring. area of the Highlands of Scotland. Snow was on the The presentation team gave an informal lecture on the ground for the start of the week, although it retreated current use of the Challenger Tank which was well-received upwards as the days passed. Every day was magnificent by many of the more senior cadets from the Army section. for mountaineering and the group completed spectacular walks on Beinn Fhada, Forcan Ridge, and the Five Sisters, The cadets had the chance to use communication techniques which the Army use in their many peace and war as well as more time activities, together with trying to win the coveted prize of remote peaks a t-shirt for the worst score on the Gunnery field battle during a 48- simulator. This honour went to Harriet Devonald who is just hour exercise in learning the skills of a true marksman. Glen Affric. Although the afternoon was not soaked in sunshine, all Some cadets participants were most grateful for the Support Team’s m a n a g e d 9 efforts and willingness to answer the many questions that peaks in the were fired at them. week.
Beth Clewlow on Forcan Ridge, Kintail, Scotland Easter Camp 2007
Colin Fergusson, William Norris Beth Clewlow & Freddie Nevel 42 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 NAVY 2006-2007 It has been an eventful year, with many cadets attending courses which the Navy provided, including Cedric Carl, Oliver Dodds, Jed Denham, Ashley Hicklin, and Andreas Wacker, who has attended the most courses of any cadet since I have been at Ellesmere; he went on 4 including a Channel crossing in the Fastnet race, and gained his rescue boat qualification. All the cadets have experienced life on board ship and returned to the College unit with skills that they can pass onto their peers. In October the Naval section went to Portsmouth and stayed aboard HMS Bristol where we experienced life on a moored vessel. The cadets had the opportunity to visit HMS Victory and saw what life was like especially as many of the cadets could not stand upright in the cramped conditions. Nelson's cabin was interesting, including his bed which doubled as his coffin in case of his demise, but as everyone knew he came back pickled in rum; a fitting end to a sea- faring Naval officer. The cadets also saw life on board a submarine and took time out to go to Cadets by HMS Victory the newest exhibit at Portsmouth which is called Action Stations; a truly interactive During our camping expedition, sailing and tenting skills were experience. put to the test during some very windy days. During the Our field day was a very enjoyable fun day at our local evening we went bowling and had a thoroughly pleasant time sailing centre of Whitemere. The cadets had an opportunity recovering from a hectic day on the water. to have a leisurely sail as well as demonstrate their skills at Throughout the academic year we have had the Naval racing and barbecuing their lunch. The weather was very Career Officer guiding our cadets who are thinking of joining kind; we had favourable winds. the Service, and she is an inspiration to all our In July we spent a very wet and tiring 3 days at Southport youngsters. We have also had a Scimitar tank and a Scout Water Sports Centre, where we sailed a variety of communications stand visit the CCF to enlighten our cadets boats including Picos, Bosuns, Toppers and wind on the latest equipment which our Armed Forces have at surfers. We were joined by Capt David Hawkins who has their disposal, both in peace-keeping and military actions. taken over as 2 I/C from Mr Macintosh. DJB Army 2006-2007 The Year 9 Training programme had an even greater Adventurous Training content this year, and their Autumn Expeditions included hill walking, climbing, kayaking and mountain-biking in Snowdonia. The excellent weather enabled the youngsters to enjoy a splendid first exercise. Year 10, 11 and the new Lower Sixth group all exercised on Nesscliffe Training Area. A strong clique of serving OEs returned to help put on some excellent operations for the large numbers involved. Major General, His Grace, the Duke of Westminster visited on the first day, and he was able to witness sub-units at a variety of stages in their training carry out a variety of operations. These included observation, stalking, close target reconnaissance, communications and sniper training. Subsequent exercises included night ambushes and The High Sheriff, Merrill Afia with D of E CCF cadets exercises designed to improve the cadets’ skills at For the Biennial Review in May the West Midlands Reserve Command and Control. In March Year 10 completed their Forces Support Team deployed an inflatable assault course Self Reliance training by carrying out a Duke of Edinburgh and a paintball target range for Year 9, whilst Years 10 and Bronze exercise in North Wales, whilst elements of Year 9 11 carried out manoeuvres in local woods. The July Training had their first military exercises at Nesscliffe. Expeditions proved to be the wettest experience on After Search and Find operations overnight, Year 11 Swynnerton Training Area for two decades, but all were completed a very demanding Advance to Contact exercise equal to the challenge, enabling the annual training that involved quick appreciations, decision-making, programme to be completed on schedule for the Summer planning, and the issuing of orders, followed by rapid Camp party that departed the following Saturday for Wathgill movement and pursuit. in North Yorkshire.
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The Wathgill programme has been extensively revised and During the year a number of the first cohort of Army cadets the cadets enjoyed some excellent packages that included to pursue the BTEC First Diploma in Public Services com- a day at a local Adventurous Training park, a range day pleted their courses. These included Distinctions for Stephen and a half day each on signals and command tasks, with Bannister, Peter Heath and Will Norris, with Merits for Will the latter being impressively supervised by Sheffield UOTC Blackwell and Henry Fletcher-Brewer. In July 2007 officers. Tactics days included patrolling, ambushes and C/ Sgt Beth Clewlow gained an excellent grading in every section attacks. One of the best features of Wathgill category of her week-long Leadership course at the Frimley Training Area is its variety of ground, and this enabled us to Park Cadet Centre, an achievement matched by only one complete a splendid own exercise during the final 24 hours other of the 120 cadets drawn from around the country who in a relatively small plot. During the Final Parade prizes completed such courses that Summer. were awarded to Cadet Jake Taylor for Best Shot, Cadet Nico Wojtynia for his efforts as Unit Liaison Officer and for GH Best Newcomer to Camp, and to L/Cpl Harry McElwee for Best Junior NCO. L/Cpl Tom Carr became the first recipient of the Tom Wootton Memorial Trophy, which goes to the Best Cadet on Summer Camp.
Taking a break, Summer Camp 2007 Tom Carr and George Tatchell winning the dinghy race Wathgill, Summer Camp 2007
Observing from cover
James Davies and Tomos Roberts Wathgill, Summer Camp 2007
Lt Col.Hutchinson and Maj Clewlow observing the assault course and thinking that they could have done Sam Clewlow about to set off Wathgill, Summer Camp 2007 better in their day!
44 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 RAF 2006-2007 Our year began with the now annual visit to Swynnerton Training Area with Newcastle-under-Lyme School. However this occasion was to be different. The weather was particularly awful, and whilst the cadets made effective bashas to protect themselves from the rain during the night, they were no defence from the mud slides. The full-bore shooting and the night exercise were of the usual high standard and cadets were treated to a guided tour of the
Staffordshire Police helicopter which happened to ‘drop in’. Continuing the green theme, the cadets enjoyed the portable climbing wall brought in by the Light Infantry, and at a later date the tank brought over by the local recruiters. Full-bore shooting on the College outdoor range has been particularly successful with many more cadets passing the weapon- handling test. Cadets learning to ‘raft’ on Llyn Geirionydd near Bettws Twelve cadets have taken to the air at Cosford, several of Our field day in March was held at DCAE Cosford, where them for the first time, whilst 6 went gliding at Tern Hill. each cadet flew in the Grob Tutor and practised their flying For our expedition we went Adventure Training in North skills. We were also able to visit the superb newly-opened Wales and enjoyed the modest luxury of a youth hostel just Cold War Museum. outside Bettws y Coed . This time the weather was very The Summer term was concluded with a camp at DCAE kind to us and we were able to undertake all the activities Cosford. This included navigation exercises, plenty of fly- we had planned. Flt Lt Kim Ripley was able to make good ing, and a night escape and evasion exercise with the use of her hard-won canoeing qualification, spending a full chance to wear plenty of ‘cam cream’. Sadly, at the end of term we said goodbye to Sgt Graeme day training our novice cadets. Flt Sgt Graeme Bell from Bell, our RAF liaison NCO. He has been most supportive of Shawbury and Mrs Suzanne Hutchinson, one of our regular our activities over the last few years, and he has always helpers, also gave sterling service. managed to keep us supplied with kit. A highlight of our time away was the traditional meal FSW prepared and served by our Chinese cadets. It really was excellent, with nice big portions for those healthy appetites. We were only too happy to do all the washing up for our cooks. During the winter months our classroom training has consisted of such subjects as theory of flight, airfield layout and aircraft recognition. Weapon training has been completed with all cadets passing their safety handling test. We have spent a little more time on our drill this term in readiness for our biennial review in May.
Another successful loop the loop by Harriet Devonald
John Brien, Laurence Wiggington & Harriet Devonald
45 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award
The Team
Duke of Edinburgh Expedition July 2007 The Duke of Edinburgh France expedition was everything I expected it to be and more, with two legendary instructors The two weeks in France were demanding, mentally and and Mrs Cowan and Mrs McCarthy, the organisers of the trip. physically, but the experiences and memories we picked up The trip was successful in that everyone passed, everyone on the way made it all worth it. We have all these survived and everyone had extremely good fun along the wonderful memories and experiences because as a group we supported each other so well, therefore making the way. Coming home was the worst, leaving the gorgeous atmosphere positive and enjoyable even at the most weather. difficult times. Group dynamics I therefore view as the I just like to thank Mrs Cowan and Mrs McCarthy for all most important factor to getting the most out of this trip, their efforts in organising and running the trip and I hope because as long as you work together and give your best Mrs Cowan and Mrs McCarthy took out good travel everyone benefits. But as soon as the group breaks down insurance to replace the canoes because two out of the five people become miserable and you just don’t get the same were only fit for scrapping after the trip down the out of it. Therefore I owe all my great memories I have Allier. The Duke of Edinburgh Expedition to France was an taken away with me to all the other members in my group for making it such an enjoyable experience. amazing experience and was a well worth trip and I wouldn’t think twice about going again. Pippa Rickett Oliver Suckley This paragraph is about one of the loves of my life; no, not France and no, not canoeing and unfortunately not women either, it’s all about food. All I can honestly say is that nobody in my group ever went hungry, we ate like kings, from the spaghetti bolognese and beef stroganoff in the evening to French toast and bacon butties for breakfast. We When you are on the practise expedition the tension were always out on the river in the morning with full between the group can get really high and the arguments stomachs and in our tents at the end of the day belching with can occur. This is the biggest thing to deal with and it will satisfaction. always take the bigger people to learn to deal with this and The one thing that pleased me the most was the progression also help the other members of the group. One of the main of our group in the kitchen. I have always been able to cook reasons for the Duke of Edinburgh is working within a team for myself and have an array of recipes, but I was really and looking after the other weaker members. When we pleased with the way the rest of the group participated. were on our last expedition before France we had a really There was a great deal of camaraderie during meal times long day and when we all had eventually got to the right and everyone chopped, sliced ‘n diced their way through the campsite/field we had to put the tents up and make a long Summer evenings. Every member of the group went substantial meal in the darkness, this meant that we were away from the trip with some new-found culinary skills and I am very proud to say I was part of that group. And when you all really agitated with each other and the situation. This all wrap a canoe around a rock and turn it into a tin mess then could be prevented through simply just preparing yourself there’s nothing better than having a group that you know will and the equipment which we managed more in France, be there for you, but its also nice to know that there’s going which in turn made a considerable difference to the to be a feast in your mess tin at the end of it all. Bon appetit! atmosphere with the group. Joel Galley Michael Langton 46 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
The English language is one of the most widely spoken When I leave Ellesmere College I will most definitely look languages in the world, almost every country in Europe is back and remember the laughs and adventure of the Duke of either competent or grasps the basics of our tongue, Edinburgh expeditions. It’s my most treasured and best however, we British are a lazy nation, we rely upon other memory. The two-week trip to the South of France was a foreign peoples to speak our own language, but when they once-in-a-lifetime experience that was unforgettable, which don’t, confusion! The expedition to France is a prime gave me team-work skills, confidence and determination and example where knowledge of a language foreign to our mainly a lot of fun. Completing the award was an amazing own was in some cases vital! achievement for the whole group. I like many others in our group had a minima grasp on the Sophie Mullock French language, this minimal grasp was very helpful, but in may cases we resorted to hand gestures, and thus got As we loaded the canoes to travel to France, one of the main many strange and bemused looks. I would hugely talking points was if we would be back in time two weeks recommend reading up on basic French or any native later to make it to the last night of Wakestock! language before going on an expedition. When me and Returning to Ellesmere after a fortnight of awesome two other people were milling about a French town, looking, canoeing on the swollen rivers of the Allier and Dordogne, somewhat in vain, for a shop with food and drinks (non Wakestock seemed not at all important! We had a fantastic alcoholic of course…) It was after half an hour of milling time with friends, savouring Joel’s cooking, listening to that we decided to resort to our poor French language, in Burrow’s constant chat and although we were tired everyone doing so creating a language of our own, franglai, “oue e le was on a high. shop our errrr…Drink (hand gesture)” luckily the person we Thanks very much to Mrs McCarthy, Rory McCarthy and Mrs asked spoke English, but in many cases they don’t, so to Cowan for making it happen. make the most of your trip, LEARN FRENCH! Sam Corran Which leads nicely on to the aptly named ‘French invasion’. One night in a campsite just on the river, me and the other guys in the tent heard reselling, propping our Didn’t they do well! After a fairly shaky start to the year this heads against the tent wall we heard more and more group ended up as solid as a rock. In several cases as solid getting closer and closer, then suddenly, BANG, out tent as the rocks they wrecked their boats on. I don’t think that was bombarded by stones and twigs, rushing outside we Mrs Cowan and I will ever forget the sound of an aluminium obviously scared off the ‘French’ assailants, so comforted canoe having its back broken just a few yards behind us. by our apparent frightening demeanour we settled down for Great ingenuity was also observed, however, in the way they some well earned rest, but then again, stones fell like stuffed the holes with leaf -filled plastic bags to get the boat bombs on the tent, we had had enough, running outside at to the end of the day’s paddle (16 rapids further on) and the full pelt, expecting to find a group of French lads, (or B****y way in which the whole group kept their spirits high as we paddled into the rock-strewn twilight. frogs as we were then calling them). We found them hiding behind a bush all we could hear as we were chasing them They were possibly the best chefs we have had with us, too, as “no, no, measurem, me excuse excuse” but upon and sampling their meals was a necessity for us. Someone hearing “wow general” we stopped, still half asleep and had to do it. really brain dead, we found it was not the French but the Ben - our incredibly positive river Assessor - who was English, and the English in our group at that. We had a unfailingly encouraging and helpful, and Ruari - master great laugh about it and stumbled back in to our tents, in a canoe repairer - whowas great to have around. Thank you manner that really represented dawn of the dead. If only so much to both of them, and to Mike Jarvis, who came to we knew that the “French” we heard from the assailants make up numbers originally, and spent a great deal of his was not French but a weird “special brew’ of French Italian time up to his oxters in cold water helping boats down rapids! and English then maybe the ‘French invasion’ would never R McC have happened. Of course that was a blatant lie and it would have happened anyway, as D of E, is not only proving yourself, showing discipline and leadership, Presentation of Duke of Edinburgh organisation and mental and physical drive, it’s also about Silver Awards fun, and in France cheap drink! Hal Collison
R. McCarthy, Lewis Wantling, Mrs Merrill Afia, High Sherriff, Rough ride Oliver Suckley, Matt Burrows & Debbie Felstead, DoE Officer
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Bronze Award The Duke of Edinburgh Award programmes for Bronze and They were put through an intensive three-day course of Silver had a complete overhaul this year. The year was navigation and expedition skills in the harsh surroundings divided into sections to include preparation and training for of the Moelwyn Mountains. Expeditionss and also time spent on the Service element of Day 1 included an orienteering course against the clock in the scheme. which all impressed with their all-round map skills. In the From September through to October, time was spent evening there was a round of seminars on the intricacies of covering the basics of navigation, camp craft, cooking, micro-navigation – skills they would need for the second rucksack packing and emergency procedures. Then at half day. term came the practice expeditions. On Day 2, the weather turned and rain came down in golf- The Bronze group set off for their practice expedition in the ball-sized drops. During the three-hour walk into the hills Berwyn mountains. The group was led by Mrs Paton and everyone became soaked to the skin and refuge was assisted by Dr Tompkins, Mr Swainson and, as a late eventually found in the abandoned quarry buildings at entrant, Mrs Fisher. The purpose of the expedition was to Cwmorthin. Despite this spirits were high, and the group prepare the group for their final expedition in the Summer set off to find a suitable place to use as a wild campsite for term. This involved the use of map-reading skills and the the night. This was to prove difficult as visibility was poor use of the compass as well as general camp craft. and the ground was covered in knee-deep water. Day 1 saw the group set off at Glyndyfrdwy and make their Eventually some higher ground was found, and as the way through to their first camp site, which was at Glyn tents were pitched the rain began to ease off. After a Ceiriog. Much of the day was spent navigating their way quick bite to eat the group was separated, and under the along various footpaths and using the map as the main point guidance of Mr Pugh and Mr Stanway completed an of reference. arduous point-to-point navigation exercise. They then returned to the campsite to prepare for a long cold night in the mountains as the staff walked back out to the campsite in the valley.
When they arrived at the meeting point in the valley at 9 am the next morning, cold, damp but still in good spirits, they were met with a nasty surprise. After being taken in the minibus into a nearby forest, they walked through to reach a rocky outcrop overlooking a waterfall. The challenge – to jump from the rocks into the freezing stream some 30 feet below. To the credit of the whole group, they all immediately rose to the challenge and took the plunge! After Expeditions, the students started on the Service sections of the award. On Thursday afternoons, some students have been doing conservation work at Erddig, Hawkstone Folly or with Point to point navigation near Llyn Coch Ellesmere’s Countryside Service The morning of Day 2 saw the group up bright and early and Rangers. Others have been supporting primary school raring to go for the final leg of their expedition. During the teachers in local schools, helping younger children with day they were to walk from Glyn Ceiriog to the picturesque reading and games activities. All had a new and rewarding area of Pistyll Rhaedr where, after a day of compass work experience. Another group elected to participate in the and pacing, they set up for their final camp. Level 1 Sports Leaders Award. This is an award scheme Day 3 was a rest day and the students had certainly earned for young people which acts as the first rung on the ladder it. They set off back to school, cold and wet through but still to getting involved in coaching sporting activities. It in good spirits. They were certainly cheered by the involved learning how to organise groups, give clear unscheduled stop-over to Macdonalds! instructions, organise equipment and give coaching tips in The two-day walk was valuable training for the group and a wide range of sports. This may sound quite simple, but this certainly stood them in good stead for their final is a real challenge and all the students worked hard to expedition in the Summer. develop the range of skills and personal qualities required. The Silver group went to Snowdonia with Mr Stanway, Ms This culminated in their final assessment, where they took Abbots and Mike ‘The Beast’ Pugh, an Outdoor Activities over and ran Lower School Games for a two-hour session instructor. coaching cricket and rounders. In September 19 students were presented by Mr Wignall with their award.
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Junior Sports Leader Awards As part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award programmes, the students must complete a period of service. In previous years we have had pupils supporting Lower School games lessons on Thursdays, but this year I wanted something a bit more formal. The Level 1 Junior Sports Leaders Award is accredited by an organisation called Sports Leaders UK. It is an award for 14- 16 year-olds who have an interest in becoming involved in sports coaching. It is essentially the first step on the ladder toward becoming a coach. The idea is to introduce young people to the basics of organising equipment, planning activities, controlling a group, health and safety issues and encouraging fair play. It is not specific to any one sport. The group worked really hard, and over the course of the year showed a huge improvement in their personal skills and really enjoyed the opportunities and challenges it presented. For some it was a real eye-opener to be in the role of teacher and experience what is like to have to motivate, organise and encourage groups of young children. George Forgrave contemplates the route down PMS After Easter, it was back to preparation for the final expeditions. The Bronze group this time turned their attention to the Clwydian mountain range. The group had become a little smaller in number by this time but the die-hards were still up for the challenge. They were a fantastic group who really got stuck in, despite the appalling weather and poor visibility for much of the walks. Days 1 and 2 saw the group complete the final expedition and they were all given glowing reports by the assessor, Mr Cowley, who complimented them on their mature approach to the event. As a reward for their efforts the group were treated to the cinema and popcorn, which they all duly enjoyed. The expedition was rounded off by a trip on Day 3 to Waterworld in Wrexham, where aching bones were soothed in the jacuzzi, before the group headed back to school. For their final expedition, the Silver group returned to Snowdonia, this time in the Rhinog mountain range. Some awful weather conditions on the first day meant a James Cole, George Brereton, Thomas Davies, Charlie Clutton, forced change to the route plan, but by Day 2 the Cameron Milne, Euan Crispin, Henry Walton & Henry Hackett weather had cleared slightly and an enjoyable day was had walking over mountains to Trawsfynydd reservoir. The highlight of the day was James Norman’s plunge into a seemingly unpassable stream – until a bridge was discovered 50m upstream. Again, poor weather hindered the groups on the third day, but all arrived safe and sound in Talsarnau village, wet but proud of their achievements. As a group they impressed over the course of the two expeditions with their preparation, maturity and ability to cope with some shocking weather conditions. A huge well done goes to all involved – this is an award that has been well-earned! The group stop for a well earned rest, Theo Teal, George Forgave, James Norman, PMS Lizzy Boffey, Grace Kendall, Tim Courage & Rhodri Fieldhous 49 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Chapel of Saint Oswald, King & Martyr
Harvest Festival
Christmas Carols
Display cases donated by the Old Ellesmerian Club 50 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Art
Laura Griffiths, GCSE Alice Denham, GCSE
Amy Cooper, GCSE Deri Russell GCSE
Ewan Crispin, GCSE Stephanie Platt, GCSE
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Harriet Devonald, A Level Matthew Burrows, AS Level
Robert Coates, AS Level
Sarah-Jane Beswick, A Level
Patrick Gorman, AS Level
Sophie Mullock, AS Level
Alice Dapling, A Level
Paula Van-Niekerk, AS Level Adam Churton, AS Level 52 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Debating BPWO Public Speaking Competition Once again Hadleigh’s penchant for comic timing paid off, and Chris was more comfortable with his speech, and T h e B u s i n e s s & both were rewarded with prizes for their efforts; Chris won Professional Women’s “Best Speaker” while Hadleigh won “Best Chairman”. The Organisation is a national group of ladies who give team’s efforts were further rewarded when it was of their time to help others announced that they had won “Best Team” too, beating and to allow others to superb teams from Stoneyhurst College amongst others. show their potential. Their This meant that the National Final was our next goal! annual Public Speaking The Final took place at Moreton Hall, Oswestry and Competition is one such way in which they do the once again the standard had been knocked up a latter. gear! Schools from England’s South West, North The first round of the West and South as well as from Scotland and competition took place at Northern Ireland were there and the quality of the The Wynnstay Hotel in teams was once again dazzling. Our three boys did Oswesty in October 2006. very well but in the end lost out to Queen Elizabeth’s Chris Bevan, Hadleigh Hospital School, Bristol. However, despite not Roberts and David Anders coming out on top in the final round the boys, myself -Richards formed Team One while William Hadleigh Roberts, Chris Bevan and the College should be very proud that we made Bartlett, Grace Kendall & David Anders-Richards it to the National Final of such a difficult competition. and Lizzie Boffey formed Team Two. Both teams went to Well done! Oswestry and took on teams from Moreton Hall, Oswestry CLC School and Thomas Telford School. The quality of the speeches prepared was staggering and all of the students from all of the schools performed incredibly well. However, it was the team consisting of Bevan, Roberts and Anders-Richards which was to come out on top. Hadleigh’s use of wit, Christopher’s composure when delivering his speech and David’s all-round nice-guy approach saw the boys go through to the Regional Final in Clitheroe in January 2007. David even managed to win the “Best Expresser of Thanks” Cup. Next came Clitheroe and a very early start! 6 am on a Saturday morning seems very unjust. But there was a gentle train ride up to the North of the country and a lovely hotel waiting for us so it was quite an easy morning. However, the hard work came when the competition began at 11 am. The standard had been lifted even higher – the speeches were phenomenal and our boys had quite The Boys on the day of the National Final a task ahead of them. They all rose to the occasion.
Mace Competition 2006 Way back in the dreary depths of November, Chris Bevan and Hadleigh Roberts took part in the Schools Mace Competition at Bishop Heber School. There they took on a team from Shrewsbury School, debating whether England should once again become separate from the rest of Britain and governed by itself. Right from the offset Shrewsbury played dirty tactics and stole the show with their ability to overwhelm the floor quite literally
with words. A valiant fight ensued and a few illegal punches were thrown but despite the best efforts of the two boys Shrewsbury went on to win and The Boys with The BPWO North West President go through to the next round. 53 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Awards for Public Speaking & Debating In order to recognise the plethora of talent we have here at Ellesmere for speaking in a debating situation I have 2006-2007 presented to the College The Bevan Cup for Best Junior Speaker in a Debate. The obvious talent we currently have Christopher Bevan Services to Debating & Public at the lower end of the school needed some recognition Speaking tie and the commitment from the four-times Inter House Debating Colours for out-standing Debate winner Chris Bevan to Debating and Public contributions in Mace Competition, Speaking also needed to be recognised so I came up with BPWO Competition the idea for his Cup. Inter-House Debating Member of Debating Society The Bevan Cup was awarded for 2007 to Nicholas West (Meynell) for the excellent speech he made during the Junior first round of the Inter-House competitions. He had Hadleigh Roberts Services to Debating & Public all of the right ingredients in his speech that should allow Speaking tie. him to be a superb talent in this field. Congratulations to Debating Colours for his part in Nicholas and also to Chris (and his brother Jonathan) for Mace Competition his continuing commitment to this arena. Long may it BPWO Competition continue. Inter-House Debating CLC Member of Debating Society Debating Society David Anders- Services to Debating & Public The Debating Society was established at the start of the Richards Speaking tie Lent term 2007 and proved to be a success. Some 15 Debating Colours for his part in pupils from Year 9 up to Year 13 attend once a fortnight to BPWO Competition learn how to debate, how to research, how to deliver and how to think on your feet. Essentially proceedings are Inter-House Debating. conducted by those who are ‘experts’ in the field and they Honourary Member of Debating Society impart their knowledge to the younger novices. Mini debates take place and there’s plenty of fun as well as discussion. Johannes Beil Member of Debating Society Debating Half Colours for contributions I hope that the Society goes on to do well and produce more excellent debaters. to Society and Inter-House competition CLC Andreas Wacker Member of Debating Society Debating Half Colours for contributions Junior Inter House Competition to Society and Inter-House competition First Round – February 2007
Final Round – March 12th 2007 Joshua Boswell Member of Debating Society Half Colours for contribution to Wakeman-Lambart v Meynell Inter-House Debating J. Leahy D. Coppinger F. Herzog N. West
L. Ottaway A. Wynne-Jones Niko Wojtynia Member of Debating Society Half Colours for contribution to Woodard v Talbot Inter-House Debating J. Boswell S. Clewlow Z. Haynes J. Pescod Zoe Haynes Honourary Member of Debating Society N. Wojtynia W. Bevan
Freddie Herzog Member of Debating Society Wakeman-Lambart (Proposition) v Meynell (Opposition) Half Colours for contribution to This House believes that the Honours List Inter-House Debating is an outdated concept. Woodard (Proposition) v Talbot (Opposition) This House believes that football is James Leahy Honourary Member of Debating Society no longer a beautiful game.
This year the standard of the Junior Competition was Luke Ottaway Honourary Member of Debating Society exceptionally high. The first round saw all four teams taking part and I was so glad that I was not on the judging panel that evening. Every one involved, some of whom had never taken part before, had prepared themselves and were incredibly well organised. The main speakers on all four teams knew their topics well, and had researched and prepared an effective speech. All speakers were strongly supported by their team mates with a few very impressive opening speeches being delivered. Following the speeches there were some imposing questions flying around and despite the pressure of the moment all of those involved dealt with them superbly.
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Senior Inter House Debating
First Round – March 5th 2007 Final Round – March 12th 2007
Meynell (Proposition) v Wakeman-Lambart (Opposition) This House believes that religion is a private not a public matter.
Talbot (Proposition) v Woodard (Opposition) This House believes that one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist.
Meynell Team: R. Oliver, H. Roberts & A. Wacker Talbot Team: W. Bartlett, C. Bevan & J. Beil Woodard Team: D. Anders-Richards, C. Perkins & E. Boffey Woodard & Talbot Junior Team Wakeman-Lambart Team: I. Disspain, V. Cooper & J. Denham
This event promised to be an excellent occasion. The competition started 4 years ago and from Day One Chris Bevan has been a member of the winning Talbot team. Being in the Upper Sixth now the event was to be his final opportunity to put his name on the winning shield and go
down in history. The topics chosen for the evening were in themselves challenging, and proved to be quite difficult for some to get their teeth into. Nevertheless, all of those who took part gave the debates their best shot. The evening began with Meynell taking on Wakeman-Lambart and the topic proved to be the downfall of the latter team. As Mr. Purcell pointed out in his commentary after the event, being prepared is essential in this sort of event and Wakeman-Lambart Wakeman-Lambart & Meynell Junior Team weren’t as prepared as they could have been. They Particular mention should go to Nicholas West whose shrivelled under Meynell’s ability to think on their feet and speech for Meynell was phenomenal. It was like listening to a gave up towards the end of the proceedings. The mighty professional speaker – the research was there combined Meynell went through to the final round with ease. with just the right amount of personal opinion and delivered The second debate of the evening saw Talbot take on in an enthralling manner with great tone, pace and volume. Nicholas was admirably supported by Dominick Coppinger Woodard and this proved to be a very different affair. The whose opening speech and ability to think on his feet Talbot team tried to knock their team down with vocabulary revealed a totally new side to this particular young man. The and flair but Woodard rose to the challenge and although it award for the most comic team of the evening had to go to took them a while to get started they were able to respond Talbot who provided some very entertaining one-liners, most to Talbot’s challenges. However, Bevan’s experience in the notably Sam Clewlow and Johnny Pescod’s attempts to fighting arena proved just a little too overwhelming and justify football hooliganism and physical violence. Talbot went through to the next round. An excellent event – well done. The evening revealed some The final took place the following week: true talent for debating and public speaking at a Junior level. I wish all those who took part the very best for the future and Talbot (Proposition) v Meynell (Opposition) hope that they all continue to get involved in Debating at This House believes that Stem Cell Research is wrong. Ellesmere in the future. A big thank you to the judges’ panel (Mrs Fox, Dr. Tompkins, Maura Van Voris & Mr. Crawford) This was an excellent debate and followed on from the very too who gave of their time to support the occasion. strong Junior Final. I did not think that the standard of the Winning teams – Wakeman-Lambart & Woodard evening could get any higher after the stunning Junior event but I was wrong; the Senior event proved to be outstanding Final Round and will go down as having been one of the best final rounds Woodard (Proposition) v Wakeman-Lambart (Opposition) on record. This House believes that the noble art of boxing Both teams had done their research and were quoting all should be reintroduced into schools. sorts of people in their speeches, both teams had firm and The Junior Final took place on the same evening as the Senior vehement opinions and conveyed them convincingly to the Final event and once again lived up to expectations. Joshua audience, and both teams were able to respond to questions Boswell literally put on his gloves for Woodard’s part in the from the audience and each other quickly and cleverly. The debate and took Freddie Herzog on the chin with a firm right atmosphere was one of friendly but fierce competition and, hook. Despite a fierce discussion, some intense questioning although a little heated at times with some quite convoluted and some excellent background knowledge, Wakeman- scientific comments being discussed, it was incredibly Lambart lost out to Woodard by a very narrow margin. impressive to listen to both teams. In the end it came down Well done to Woodard Team – Joshua Boswell, Zoe Haynes to just 2 marks difference and Talbot won – for the fourth
& Niko Wojtynia. time in a row!
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Special comment should be made about both Andreas Wacker and Johannes Beil – both of these young men were debating intensely difficult subjects in a foreign language and both held their own exceptionally well. Well done too to Richard Rimmer who was a “Debating Virgin” but with his cool delivery and style helped to take Meynell through to the Final. A special thank you again to the judges on the panel who gave up their time to make a very difficult decision – Mr. Purcell, Mrs. Fox, Mr. Clewlow, Dr. Tompkins and Mr.
Boswell. A superb ending to my time as “Madam Chair” at Ellesmere and a very BIG THANK YOU to Chris and Hadleigh for the gavel they presented to me. CLC
Meynell Senior Team Talbot Senior Debating Team
Wakeman Lambart Senior Debating Team Woodard Senior Debating Team
56 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Drama A Level Performance Studies Group The 5th Annual Ellesmere College A Community Performance Project at Chirk Castle House Play Festival - October 2006
Talbot House The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard Directed by Chris Bevan Chris Bevan directed this clever spoof of a country house murder mystery with discipline and intelligence. The cast gave some very funny performances, particularly the eponymous Inspector played with great sparkle by Will Bartlett and the absurd Magnus wonderfully overacted by Charles Chambers.
Woodard House The Virtuous Burglar by Dario Fo Directed by Alex Deller Dario Fo’s manic farce of adultery and corruption was Chloe Perkins, Katie Irby, Hadleigh Roberts & Chris Bevan brought vividly to life by a talented cast. Woodard seem to Chris Bevan, Hadleigh Roberts, Chloe Perkins and Katie Irby specialise in the genre of farce and the comic timing of this were the enterprising and creative producers, writers and year’s cast was a joy to behold! Joshua Boswell and Chloe performers of a half hour comedy performed in the long gallery Perkins worked together very well, while the burglar, played and the Chapel of Chirk Castle. by David Anders-Richards, was a lovely comic creation. The group found inspiration after a visit to the castle and decided to create a piece of drama based on the theme of Meynell House “boundaries”. This reflected the Welsh/English border castles Gasping by Ben Elton as well as defining lines drawn between master and servant and man and woman. They chose to perform the piece in the Directed by Hadleigh Roberts masked style of Commedia dell’Arte, originally a seventeenth The premise of this comedy is only too plausible as society century Italian dramatic tradition. discovers that air has been privatised and is now being The visitors to Chirk Castle in October 2006 were delighted packaged, marketed and sold at a premium! The cast took and surprised by these colourful and exuberant characters on this tricky play with bravery and gusto and barring some who mixed with the audience and led them through the castle lost lines and prompting they managed to take us inside on a comic journey of improbable relationships and Ben Elton’s dystopian vision. pantomime situations. Wakeman-Lambart Frankenstein’s Guests by Martin Downing Directed by Iain Disspain A pantomime of a play, this rollicking spoof of every Transylvanian horror film you have ever seen was a great hit with the audience. Sam Fairbank was the dynamo at the heart of the comedy and was ably assisted by the gloriously preposterous Egor, played to the hilt by Jed Denham. We welcomed Kevin Tomlinson back as our commentator this year, fresh from his successes on the Edinburgh Fringe and on tour in Australia. Kevin gave each play a full critique and gave the performers the benefit of his knowledge, Masked revellers Chirk Castle! expertise and humour. The Festival was concluded with our prestigious Ellies Awards ceremony. RPB
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Ruckus in the Garden by David Farr
Ruckus in the Garden Sarah-Jane Edwards, Katie Irby, Chris Bevan & Ian Disspain Cast List Riverdale Comprehensive School St Nectan’s Grant Maintained School Stanley Niall Crispin Tamsen Katie Irby Frazer Joel Galley Maisie Sarah-Jane Edwards Hugh Chris Bevan Rock Hadleigh Roberts Clive Iain Disspain Cath Chloe Perkins Cupids Jamie Cartwright, Alex Deller Jed Denham, Billie Beth Clewlow Teng Tulathummatorn, Hal Collison Gardeners Sarah-Jane Beswick, Molly Dingwall Leonie Brereton, Harriet Devonald Teachers William Bartlett, Sarah Lowe
Senior School Play March 2007 Entry in the Royal National Theatre Connections Festival Selected for performance at The Lowry, Salford Quays April 2007 The Sixth Form cast of Ruckus gave some memorable performances of this frantic farce both at College and at The Lowry. The two fictional schools in the play, one selective, one truly comprehensive, battled it out in a seventeenth century garden. Niall Crispin as the idealistic Stanley gave a passionate performance which was matched by his on-stage girlfriend, the under- confident but clever Cath, very well portrayed by Chloe Perkins. Another pair of star-crossed lovers were the smart and handsome Hugh and the bitchy and vituperative Tamsen, both played to great comic effect by Katie Irby and Chris Bevan. Supporting these two pairs were the dim-witted Clive and the “mouthy” Billie, neither of them type-cast in the shapes of Iain Disspain and Beth Clewlow. Joel Galley’s Frazer was always looking for a fight and Hadleigh Roberts and Sarah-Jane Edwards as Rock and Maisie just wanted to hide in the bushes…and read Jane Austen! There was a great supporting cast of musicians, Cupids and gardeners and the whole performance was a great success. Will Bartlett was a hard-working and inspired assistant director who came up with set designs and many clever staging ideas. The production received a glowing report from the Royal National Theatre Visiting Assessor, the actress Sirine Saba. RPB The cast warm up in the Lowry rehearsal room
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“Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare February 2007
Cast List Director: C. Clewlow, Assistant Director: M. Van Voris Don Pedro – Joshua Boswell Margaret – Nin Cooper / Elizabeth Boffey Benedick – David Anders-Richards Dogberry – Zoe Haynes Beatrice – Nin Cooper / Elizabeth Boffey Watchmen – Johnny Pescod, Samantha Wolfson Hero – Rebecca Britton Verges – Tessa Fawcett Claudio – Sam Clewlow Don John – Harry McElwee Leonato – Freddie Herzog Borachio – Niko Wojtynia Antonio – William Bevan Conrad – Dominick Coppinger Friar Francis – Maxwell Scully Sexton – Charlotte Boffey Ursula – Harriet Tomlinson Messenger – Luke Ottaway
Extras – Natasha Evans, Rhian Davies, Grace Kendall Stage Tech. – Tristam Thomas, Hannah Edge, Rachel Harrison
Ellesmere’s Drama department decided that we would take P o o r o l d part in the Shakespeare Schools Festival and that we would Joshua Boswell perform a comedy – Much Ado About Nothing. This particular had to endure Shakespearian comedy has many twists and turns including wearing a very quite a complex sub-plot. However, this did not put us off, and garish costume just before Christmas everyone who was interested had w h i l e Da v i d auditioned and parts were allocated. Strict instructions were Anders-Richards issued to learn lines over the Christmas break. struggled with his voice after Upon returning after the break hardly anyone had learned suffering from a their lines! Surprise, surprise! But this did not discourage bout of laryngitis. Maura Van Voris, the Assistant Director, from her task. She Finally, after four delivered severe instructions to the cast that lines absolutely and a half weeks had to be learned otherwise they would have to take her on... Sam Clewlow Freddie Herzog of rehearsal … naturally everyone learned their lines very quickly! as Claudio & Max Scully time, the show With only 4 weeks until the performance we had an awful lot was ready, costumes were organised and the National Youth of work to do so we got right on it. Everyone gave up their Theatre workshop, which comes as part of the Festival Monday nights to rehearse as well as package, had been attended. We were set to go. several afternoons. Slowly but surely the Two performances of the final show were staged in College show began to come together. As ever with the final show due to take place at Telford’s Oakengates there were some performances that really Theatre. We arrived on February 9th hyped up, excited and began to shine. Harry McElwee was raring to go but the weather was against us. As it turned out revealing a real talent for performing; his snow stopped the performance. We were stuck in Telford Don John was dark, surly and enigmatic. eating 26 bags of chips and 26 bottles of Fanta. Sam Clewlow literally threw himself into his role as Claudio and spent a lot of time The snow meant that we did not get to perform on a real on his knees. Nin Cooper and Lizzie stage in front of a paying audience but I think I speak for the Boffey were sharing the role of Beatrice entire cast when I say it was a real adventure! To say thank because as Year 11s they would not you for their efforts and to celebrate the fact that we had put have the chance to take on a main role on a good show in a very short space of time we all visited again, so they agreed to share. Both girls the Black Lion Hotel in Ellesmere for a slap-up meal. brought something different to the role Thank you to the entire cast for making my final Director’s with Nin being the slightly nonchalant role at Ellesmere such a joy! Good luck to you all for the Beatrice while Lizzie was the sensible but Harry McElwee future dramatic roles I hope you will take on. self-assured one. as Don John CLC
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James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl Years 7 & 8 Play, February 2007
Oliver Jones, Lewis Allsop, Luke Taylor, Joe Pescod, Bethany Lyttle & Iona Jackland Cast List Mother Heidi Caldecott Spider Bethany Lyttle Father Harry McClements Ladybird Iona Jackland Narrators Jenny Griffiths, Sarah Carr, Earth Worm Lewis Allsop Kate Parry, Vicky von Hoven, Natalie Pickford, Alex Fearn Glow Worm Joe Pescod Aunt Sponge Paige Rudd Captain Alex Fogg Aunt Spiker Grace Tomlinson First Officer Jacob Edge James Trotter Luke Taylor Second Officer Will Mapstone Little Old Man Georgie Ottoway Cloud Men Kate Neary, Lucia Jones, Eleanor Biggs, Crowd Member Sarah Richardson Onlookers Alice Greville, Georgie Sutcliffe, Old Green Grasshopper Freya West & Passengers Charles Coppinger, Lucy McClements, Centipede Oliver Jones Joanna Scull, Georgie Cowell
Mrs Zoe Fisher produced another wonderful production for the Lower School following on from the success of last year’s “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”. The cast were all full of energy and enthusiasm and their performances showed Sarah Carr, great confidence and Kate Parry, maturity. Luke Taylor as Collette Riggs, James performed with a Jenny Griffiths, wide-eyed innocence and Vicky von Hoven a great deal of charm as & Alex Fearn he was horribly abused by the wicked Aunts Spiker and Sponge, played with delicious malevolence by Grace Tomlinson and Paige Rudd. All of the supporting cast, from Lewis Allsop’s world- weary Earthworm to Alex Fogg’s drunken sea c a p t a i n , g a v e t h e audience a performance to remember. Heidi Caldecott, Luke Taylor RPB & Harry McClements Alex Fogg, Jacob Edge & Will Mapstone 60 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Music Academic successes this year included Merits in the ABRSM Mar 07 – The House Singing theme this year was Disney, examinations for: Rowan Dell (clarinet); Zoe Evans (flute); which generated performances of the more recent James Gould, Sarah Monro (both saxophone); Georgina generation of songs from Toy Story, Lion King and High Ottaway (clarinet); Kate Parry (cello); Luke Taylor (violin); School Musical to name a few. It was adjudicated by Jeremy and Katy Leicester (piano). This is a much higher number Lund Esq., Director of Music at Prestfelde, whose comments than in recent years. Also there were two Distinctions; Toby and feedback were both entertaining and informative. Dell for Grade 5 Organ and John Paul for Grade 5 Singing. All the Houses put in a tremendous effort and performed with Particular congratulations go to Rachel Harrison for energy (and some accuracy as well). It was also pleasing to achieving Grade 7 on alto saxophone. At AS level, Jamie hear more parts in the Part Songs! Woodard won the Part Cartwright was one of the few students in last year’s UK Song and the Overall title, and Talbot won the Unison Song entry to score full marks (60/60) for his composition for the first time in about 20 years, a victory that clearly coursework. meant a lot to them, judging by the way they celebrated. Nov 06 – Patrick Larley, a former Director of Music at the Mar 07 – The Ellesmere College Choral Society performed College, held a Singing Masterclass in the Arts Centre. the Little Organ Mass by Haydn and the Coronation Mass by Twelve students took part, each bringing along a solo song Mozart. They were accompanied by an orchestra drawn from to sing. Patrick gave each performer some very useful advice across the Midlands and North West. The Choral Society was also joined by members of Ludlow Choral Society, who had heard about the programme and wanted to be involved. Both choirs sang with power and sensitivity and an impressive sense of ensemble. This was one of the Society’s most successful events in recent years. The Society also sang a service of Epiphany Carols in January at Llandrillio Church and held its annual end-of-season dinner at Sweeney Hall, near Oswestry. The Choral Society is open to singers of all ages and ability. If you are interested in finding out more, contact Roger Paul in the Music Department at Ellesmere College. Sept 06 and June 07 - The Battle of the Bands took place; an initiative to give a platform to all those who learn guitar, bass and drums at the College. There were two Battle of the Bands events this academic year. September’s event had to be moved to Big School because of the large audience Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound of Silence’ numbers, and June’s event was back in the Arts Centre – on musical details and how to present a song to an nothing to do with a smaller audience; better acoustics. June featured a record 12 bands taking part from across the audience. The event finished with a recital of the solo songs and a group performance of the Masterclass singers performing The Sound of Silence. Dec 06 – In the Carol Services the Chapel Choir built on the success of last year, performing a more varied and challenging programme this time around. Amongst these was one of BJW’s favourites, John Rutter’s Nativity Carol. There was also an arrangement by RCP of the popular negro spiritual carol The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy. The Once in Royal solo was performed by Katy Irby and In the Bleak Midwinter was sung by Catherine Wignall and David Anders-Richards. Michael Langton played the Pastoral Symphony from Handel’s Messiah on the violin. Many of last year’s sopranos are now tenors and basses and the College currently boasts one of the largest tenor sections you will find in any choir! I would like to place on record my thanks for all that the Chapel and Lower School Choirs do for the school throughout the whole year. Battle of the Bands Feb 07 - Festival Success – Will Goodwin, Sam Clewlow, Joshua Boswell & Jonny Pescod Luke Taylor and Michael Langton won their solo School’s age range, although I would like to see more girls violin classes at this year’s involved next year. The Rhythm & Blues band kicked off the Oswestry Festival. Lower evening with their Blues Brothers tribute. They were followed School and Chapel Choirs by two Lower School bands, a Year 6 group, and both came second in their Violator (Year 7) doing a set of mostly original songs. Lust competitions. At the for Lunch were great fun with their humorous self-penned Chester Festival, Luke song Fat people are harder to kidnap. The staff band played Taylor and Paddy Fuller a set of covers including Ruby and Ian Dury’s Hit Me With won the violin duet class Your Rhythm Stick. Rounding the evening off was left to The and were awarded the FungShwings, who produced a powerful set featuring a fine Browns of Chester Plate rendition of Killing in the Name Of. It is also pleasing to note that is only given out if the the higher standard of playing and sense of performance winning score is high over the past year. enough. Luke Taylor & Paddy Fuller RCP 61 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Middle School Many pupils join Middle School as a transfer from Ellesmere During the half-term break, whilst others were relaxing or College Lower School. Others join the College at the Middle staying warm at home, they went to Norway to take part in School stage, usually from Preparatory Schools, but not the Nordic Challenge. They were ably accompanied by Dr exclusively so. Ripley. The focus was to learn the techniques involved in Pupils joining Middle School will enjoy a stimulating Classic Nordic Skiing over hilly terrain. The week involved environment with an even wider range of curricular and extra races, team challenges and biathlon and all students passed their Bronze Nordic Proficiency Certificate. curricular opportunities. The emphasis upon developing personal responsibility and an appropriate self-esteem It was pleasing to see a large number of the Middle School continues. boys and girls gain National and County Honours in a variety of sporting events. Throughout the week and each week-end Ellesmere’s aspirations for its pupils are higher than simply Ellesmere has an extremely busy atmosphere when passing examinations however, vital examination success is Ellesmere sports teams compete in Inter-School but the value of developing the whole person is fundamental competitions. The standard of play is excellent and many in the School’s philosophy. The Middle School years pays pupils represent School. testimony to that philosophy. Inter-House competitions are well supported and the The Middle School at Ellesmere is a very busy place to be. competitive element for House Obviously, Years 9 to 11 are supremacy rages on with each academically vital study years. event. The Competitive Year 9 pupils build throughout Houses are led by passionate the year to take SAT and dedicated teaching staff. examinations. Year 10 pupils Dr Gareh, Dr Chaterjee, Mr have refined their study Davies and Miss Ripley take programme and have made their responsibilities very important choices regarding seriously. I even heard one of GCSE options. The Year 10 them comment that their group also have a heavy House was singing the best in workload with important early Chapel last Monday! coursework preparation in Thursday afternoon activities many subject areas. Year 11 are wide and varied. The Year continue to build on the 9 programme allows a taste of foundations laid in Years 9 the adventurous activities on and 10 and focus is placed offer in the CCF and D of E upon public GCSE sections. Before the half-term break the School had its examinations. GCSE Results Day biennial CCF review. Group A wealth of extra-curricular Todd Evans, Grace Kendall, David Anders-Richards, activity is available to all. All Captain Paul A Cunningham, Colin Fergusson & Catherine Wignall Station Commander at RAF pupils are encouraged to Shawbury, flew himself into explore the opportunities and develop interests in as many School and then his co-pilot Flight Lieutennant Mike Cauchi areas as they can possibly pack into the busy week. provided helicopter familiarization training for Army and RAF A newly-created ARENA Arts programme offers experiences cadets from the Middle School. Many of the cadets reported from drama to stage tech. Each year Middle School pupils that it was a fantastic experience with some cadets getting delight audiences in stage productions. This year, for the ’hands on’ the controls as they manoeuvred over the school! third year running, Ellesmere College Middle School pupils Year 9 pupils have also been put to the test to show their took part in the Shakespeare Schools Festival. Much Ado weapon-handling skills. Tests were taken throughout May to about Nothing was chosen for its wealth of the usual demonstrate competence. Shakespearian twists and turns. The Middle School Preparations continued for the three-day expeditions which produced a neat production after only four weeks of took place for all in the last week of the Summer term. preparation. Music performances continued to impress throughout the The year was certainly busy and amongst all of the activity on offer, pupils worked hard to secure some fine GCSE year and many Middle School pupils have pressed on with performances. The end of the GCSE study phase was practice and performance. Since September pupils have marked by the Annual Year 11 Prom. The evening was a been successful in the nationally-graded examinations. Hard great success and credit should go to the Year 11 pupils, work and effort has allowed the choir to add a special touch David Anders-Richards, Tristram Thomas, Harry Craig, to many school performances and Chapel services James Norman, Mark Pearson, Nin Cooper, Tash Evans and throughout the year. Ellesmere Carol Services are beautiful Stephanie Edwards - the Prom Committee. This committee and atmospheric and are enjoyed by pupils, parents and the represented the three Middle School Houses and met on a local community. They certainly produce evocative memories regular basis to decide on details. It was wonderful to see the for Old Ellesmerians and their families. transformation of pupils from school uniform to formal dress There have been many school trips throughout the year. attire. The Shropshire Magazine photographer was present Historians enjoyed and benefited from History Study Trips and Middle School was depicted in the July pages. led by Mrs Paton and Mr Wood. Geographers braved the It is difficult to put everything into a few paragraphs. However, elements at the Stiperstones and skiers plan to travel to from a Head of Middle School perspective, even though an Switzerland with Dr Gareh and Mrs Owen. academic year poses challenges for all as it progresses, one In 2007/8 planning is underway to enable a joint Rugby and can honestly say that there are many fine young men and Hockey party to tour South Africa. women at Ellesmere. Hopefully, when Middle School pupils progress on to Sixth Form they will look back fondly and be A group who certainly sought extreme challenges were 3 proud of what they have experienced and achieved. Middle School boys, Aidan Porter, James Davies and Tom Davies (Yr 11). SO
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Sport Michaelmas Term
2006 RUGBY RESULTS
Team Opponents Result For Against Team Opponents Result For Against 1st XV Sandbach Won 36 22 U15A Sandbach Won 36 31 1st XV King William Won 46 3 U15A Malvern Won 42 5 1st XV Rydal Won 45 6 U15A Rydal Lost 10 36 1st XV Bishop Vesey’s Drew 21 21 U15A Bishop Vesey’s Won 34 12 1st XV Newcastle Won 29 10 U15A Denstone Lost 10 37 1st XV Denstone Won 43 8 U15A Hereford Cathedral Won 39 5 1st XV Hereford Cathedral Won 37 0 U15A Birkenhead Drew 24 24 1st XV Birkenhead Won 44 10 1st XV Old Ellesmerians Won 42 0 U15B Stafford (A) Lost 5 27 U15B Bedstone (A) Lost 7 36 2nd XV Denstone Won 38 3 U15B Bishop Vesey’s Lost 17 34 2nd XV Newcastle Won 49 0 2nd XV Bishop Vesey’s Lost 10 33 U14A Sandbach Lost 0 14 2nd XV Sandbach Won 44 12 U14A Malvern Won 29 0 2nd XV Bedstone (1st XV) Won 44 5 U14A Rydal Won 52 12 U14A Newcastle Won 34 12 U16 XV Bromsgove Lost 0 12 U14A Bishop Vesey’s Won 29 14 U16 XV Wrekin (2nd XV) Lost 0 12 U14A Denstone Won 15 12 U16 XV Malvern Won 41 0 U14A Birkenhead Lost 10 14 U16 XV Rydal (2nd XV) Lost 10 29 U16 XV Wrekin Won 52 12 U14B Stafford (A) Lost 0 36 U16 XV Bishop Vesey’s (3rd XV) Lost 17 31 U14B Malvern Won 18 0 U16 XV Denstone Lost 0 20 U14B Wrekin (U14A) Lost 5 52 U16 XV Hereford Cathedral Won 43 3 U14B Bishop Vesey’s Lost 10 27 U16 XV Stoneyhurst Lost 0 27 U14B Birkenhead Lost 0 29
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2006 SEASON Representative Hours 2006-2007 The 1st XV’s unbeaten run continues. Having gone last season undefeated, the 1st XV has reached a second North Mids U18 season with its playing record intact. Over the last 3 seasons Adam Churton, Alex Dunn, Rhys Heyes, Rob Kellett, they have lost only one match. Sam Lewis, James Lloyd , Chris Morgan, Ben Morris, In the Senior Squad an incredible 13 players were called up James Purdey, Nathaniel Thomas and Alex Whittle for Regional representation. North Midlands is the combination of Worcester, Hereford, Greater Birmingham North Mids U19 and Shropshire. Ellesmere College provided 11 players, 3 at Steve Bannister, James Farrell and Danny Matthews U19 and 8 at U18. Two other players represented North Wales. Further individual success was achieved in the Junior teams North Wales U18 at U16. We had 4 Shropshire players and 1 Cheshire player Aled Ellis, Joel Galley with 1 player going through to the North Midlands. At U14 an amazing 11 players were selected at the recent North Mids U16 Shropshire trials, ensuring that the future looks very strong. Mark Pearson We now have a system that develops players from an early age, and so have young players with very advanced skills. Although at Junior levels we sometimes come unstuck Shropshire U14 George Baxter, Tom Broadhead, Ben Brooks, against a side with very big players, the technical skills we are developing come through in the end as seen with the Michael Brown, Ollie Brereton, William Goodwin, Senior sides. For a school we have a model that is very Bryn Phillips, Iwan Phillips, Jake Taylor, advanced, with outside professionals coming in to cover Hugh Wignall and James Whittle. aspects of fitness, nutrition, physiotherapy and rehabilitation. PAG
Representative Honours 64 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
1st XV Reports
Ellesmere 36 Sandbach 22 then rounded off the scoring by dribbling through to touch We made a poor start to this game with a series of errors, down. leading to a charge-down try, and from the restart more Generally a good performance, although there were some penalties and a further 3 points again. 10-0 down after 5 quiet periods when our error-count due both to the conditions minutes meant we were playing a team with their tails up. and the penalty count against us, slowed everything down. We responded well and for the rest of the first half played our best rugby. Good ball from the forwards and strong Tries: Asplin 2, Farrell 2, Bannister 2, Morgan 2 straight running from centre and full back led to tries and a Conversions: Heyes 2, Farrell 1 half time score of 22-10 to us. In the second half, we stretched the lead with good tries from set piece moves – Ellesmere 45 Rydal 6 scrum blind and a tap penalty through the middle. We We started well and kept play in the opposition’s half. A were then forced to swap a front row player and the quick tap from a free kick and feed saw James Farrell score disruption seemed to affect play, with us allowing them a in the corner. Our handling was unsure at the start and this late rally and two tries. A good start to the season, but a led to a kick up-field, a penalty and 3 points for Rydal. We great deal to work on. came straight back, and good linking work from the back row saw Chris Morgan touch down in the corner for Rhys Heyes Tries: Farrell 2, Matthews 2, Bannister, Kellett to convert from the touch line. Good straight running through Conversions: Heyes 3 the centre from Rob Kellett and feed-back through the middle saw James Farrell go over for his second try. Ellesmere 46 King William 3 A powerful performance resulted in some excellent There were some bizarre refereeing decisions affecting both scores. The rain started just before kick-off, but this sides and the flow of the game. In the second half we failed to dampen some excellent handling that took the adapted well, rolling the ball out of the tackle and keeping ball out wide for us to score at a point a minute for the play loose. There were some excellent passages of play, the first 20 minutes. Steve Bannister got things moving by handling got sharper and we played a relaxed and fluid rounding his man, followed by Jake Asplin through the game. We managed to take the ball to the wing more often, middle from full back. James Farrell got the first of his 2 where Aled Ellis started to crop up, and at the same time the tries in the first half. front row took the Rydal scrum to pieces. Good running from Our pace proved too much and we continued to score Rhys Heyes, Danny Matthews, and Nat Thomas led to again through Steve Bannister and Jake Asplin. Chris further tries. Morgan, who showed some neat touches throughout, got It was a match played hard and fair by both teams. While the first of his 2 tries picking a great line off a break there was a steady points count it was never easy, and through the middle to cling on and score. James Farrell Rydal kept up the intensity of their play throughout.
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Ellesmere College 21 Bishop Vesey’s 21 My masterful team talk at half time stating the obvious had With several players missing from both the 1st and 2nd team no effect as we offloaded the ball in a central position and squads, selection proved to be difficult in the week leading then conceded another triple penalty to give them field up to this game. Despite this I was pleased to see that the position and ultimately another try. (17-10). 1st team really fronted up to some of the best opposition we We then managed to string together some passes and rugby have faced in the last 2 years. Bishop’s had a basic game broke out. A period of pressure led to a dreadful mistake by plan but executed it well. They had a strong lineout and their 10 and we flopped on the ball for a score (Tom B I kicked effectively into position and forced us to give away think?) and Faz converted (24-10). Game rescued. Jake penalties. They defended to a man, which kept them in the scored again later in the game to flatter us (29-10). game at times when we were dominant. Lots of negatives and not many positives. However our They opened the scoring with a penalty after we missed response afterwards was correct. We were disappointed in touch from a defensive lineout and ran back to give field our performance and relieved to win. We must get back to position. We got offside from the resulting lineout and were basics done well; passing, running, lineout synergy, ball down 3-0. We then had a passage of play where we retention. When we run the ball simply we look dangerous. dominated possession and field position, resulting in a That’s all we need to do. Scrum was great! penalty (Rhys) and converted try (J. Lloyd) (Rhys). Let’s have a break, reflect on the first half term and resolve We then failed to gather the kick-off and ultimately gave up that we will come back fresh and ready to play some position on the field. Bishop’s took a good lineout ball and outstanding rugby, which we are capable of, in the next half drove over the line to even the score at half time. term. At this point we felt confident going into the second half and Well done for this half term. Overall very positive and still it was pleasing to see the new players coming into form. We building. Our best performance is still out there to be played! had dominated the opposition physically but they had capitalised on the mistakes we made. The team traded Ellesmere 43 Denstone 8 penalties at the start of the second half for a score of 13-13 Despite having good preparation for the match we started (Rhys) and then we gave away a pointless penalty for offside the game by making error upon error. We failed to gather at a scrum, which gave Bishop’s a lineout close to our line. the initial kick-off and grounded the ball 3m from our line. We gave another penalty away at the lineout and they We cleared and defended the ensuing lineout well, but we managed to force the ball over to take the lead 18-13. We missed tackles in midfield and Denstone opened the scoring then finished a brilliant piece of play, moving the ball right after 3 minutes of play (0-5). We kept making errors, either then left with Adam going over in the corner for 18-18. trough passing, poor kicking or penalties (the first half Bishop’s rallied again and we got offside at a ruck late in the penalty count was 7-1 in Denstone’s favour). However, game to allow another 3 points for 21-18. At this point things Patrick Gorman managed to steal the ball at a maul and looked desperate, but we showed great character to take the showed a good turn of speed to run 30m to score close to ball up field again and claim a penalty. Rhys had to convert the posts. Rhys converted (7-5). We then conceded a to draw the game with the very last kick of play. He penalty close to our posts for going in at the side (7-8). We composed himself and slotted the goal to the sound of the created a few chances in the half, one very clear one which final whistle. an unnamed forward decided not to pass. However a good passage of play released Adam Churton to score in the The team felt disappointed with the draw as we hammered corner (12-8). To reach half time with this score line was away at Bishop’s for much of the game. A lack of composure flattering to us. We really had not played well and the close to the line and forcing passes cost us a few chances, Denstone 10 had kicked very well to keep us pinned in our and our penalty count was high again. Despite this I was own half. What was pleasing is that everyone recognised very pleased with the performance. We had shown greater what was going wrong and we did not panic or lose our discipline than in previous matches and we had moved the composure. ball extremely well from deep positions. The lineout had The contrast in the second half was remarkable. We played worked better and our contact skills had improved. Having probably the best rugby of the year. I have rarely seen one not played for 3 weeks this was a good display, particularly player have such an influence on the outcome of a match, with the lack of any real preparation. Roll on Denstone. but the substitution at half time to place Faz at 13 proved to be the turning-point in the game. Everyone rallied and we
Ellesmere 29 Newcastle 10 began to play to our potential. Faz scored 3 tries in a row, 2 At the time I thought we were bad, but on reflection we really from great team play and one piece of individual brilliance to were very bad! We looked tired and made error upon error chip and catch (according to their coaches he didn’t need to which ultimately denied us any momentum. Beginning the make a chip and could have just run it in – but it certainly game by kicking the ball dead really set the tone for the first looked better). Rhys converted 2 to take the score-line to 29 half. We gave possession up easily and our penalty count -8. The game was won. We continued to apply pressure, again punished us. When will we learn? and quick thinking by Danny and Aled down the blindside resulted in a great try, with no player attempting to stop Aled My notes from the beginning of the match read:- at full pace. Rhys converted (36-8) and from the kick-off Kick dead, knock on from slice move, 2 penalties, offside, Danny and Aled combined again for Aled to outpace their another penalty in at the side, loads of unforced errors. winger and create a chance for Banny who just kept up with him. Rhys converted (43-8). The match was poor, but after 23 minutes a glimpse of hope emerged when for the first time we did something simple. The second half will go down as one of the finest periods of We ran with the ball, we passed the ball without error, and continuous rugby from this team, absolutely outstanding. We varied what we did, the support and rucking were excellent funnily enough we scored. (Jake 5-0) Rob and Nat scored and we applied pressure in every area of play. The lineout in quick succession and Faz converted (17-0). I felt that the functioned well, with James Purdey making some excellent game was won then as I didn’t believe they had enough to one-handed reaches and Tom Bohn was superb at come back from that type of margin but…… disrupting their throw. The defence was solid with some big We conceded another two penalties which gave them field tackles being put in. Denstone failed to enter our 22 in the position, won the ball back then immediately gave it back to entire second half. If we could just play for the entire 70 them. An inside pass from their 10 fooled everyone and they minutes! We have 2 games to go. We must remain fit, ran in a poorly defended try (17-5). Half time. focused and hungry for performance.
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Ellesmere 37 Hereford 0 After missing the chance to score out wide in the early stages, Playing with the slope but against the wind, we put Hereford just before half time the ball was fed to Jake Asplin to score in under pressure from the start. We ran their missed touch the corner (19-0 at half time). Steve Bannister moved into try- kicks back strongly, putting the ball through the hands well scoring over-drive and claimed 2 more. Danny Matthews given the conditions. For the first 20 minutes penalties became involved in some martial arts practice before adding a against us disrupted the flow, and we were made to work try, and then a superb turn of pace from Aled Ellis resulted in hard against some very fierce tackling. Eventually, after a him outstretching the defence and scoring in the corner. Jake period involving a number of phases, we moved the ball wide Asplin, stung by criticism of his attempted drop goal against for Adam Churton to cross the line. With the forwards Hereford, answered by ignoring a 4-man overlap to spoon one becoming more dominant we started to power our way over from 30m. through the opposition, and after several drives James A great end to a fantastic season – well done to the whole Purdey drove over from a short way out. squad. From the Hereford kick-off we secured the ball as we had PAG done all through the match, usually releasing Aled for a trundle, but this time a pin-point up-and-under from Faz found Banny under the ball along with their winger and full back. Miraculously Danny gathered the ball to set up a ruck. The ball was then spun quickly to the other wing for Adam to dive over for his second try. Accurate kicking continued to pay dividends, and a tremendous crossfield drop-kick from Jake didn’t go anywhere near the posts but led to a 5-yard scrum and the first of 2 tries for James Farrell. Danny Mathews made a break from fly half to claim another. We were starting to find space as their team began to tire. They had spent the match under pressure especially from our forwards, of whom James Purdy was outstanding. We could have thrown the ball wide, but the forwards had an attack of white line fever towards the end which, along with our match-saving kicker Rhys’ attempts to convert, kept the overall score down. Stephen Bannister An outstanding performance and our best sustained period of play so far this season. Tremendous – well done. Stats: Bannister 5, Churton 5, Purdy 5 HT Churton 5, Farrell 5, Farrell 2, Bannister 5, Matthews 5
Ellesmere 44 Birkenhead 10 This was a bit of a disjointed game, without the need to sustain great pressure to score. A number of our tries were opportunistic through individual breaks. James Farrell always threatened around the fringes, and early breaks from him eventually led to the first score from Steve Bannister. When we moved the ball away we were dangerous whether forwards or backs, and a strong run from Aled Ellis fed to Steve Bannister, who then put James Purdey in under the posts.
Aled Ellis
Adam Churton
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2nd XV Rugby Report
After making an exceptionally good start beating After coaxing Greensmith and Wantling out of retirement, Bromsgrove’s Seconds, the boys settled down into playing the team started to galvanise and went from strength to some outstanding rugby. Although hampered by the lack of strength. Sadly, with quite a few injuries to 1st XV players, a No. 10, the team rallied well to record some pleasing many of the better 2nd XV found themselves playing top- victories. The pack was particularly strong with Doran, line rugby. With the gaps vacant, Wacker and Zabel filled Disspain, Oliver, Corran and Morris all making telling the spaces and started to make an impact. The team’s contributions. Out wide it was Stephen Johnson who most powerful tackler soon emerged; Zabel’s tackling shone, eclipsing his opposition winger many a time to became legendary. become the team’s highest try-scorer. KB
Harry Ellis, Leicester and England Scrum Half, coaching pupils during Rugbyclass
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Under 16 Rugby
For the first time in 12 years Ellesmere College was fielding our scrum was dominant thanks to excellent work from our a sole team at U16 level, with just U16 players in it. An front row of Tom Newman, Alex Wantling and Theo Teal. interesting and exciting term of rugby lay ahead. We scored our first try from some excellent rucking work and quick passing down our back line to Mark Pearson, who Ellesmere 0 Bromsgrove 12 powered over for the score. Not long after this we scored our Our first match was against Bromsgrove. We started very second try, Ben Patterson scoring in the corner for the first of well and were very competitive in all areas. The first 20 his 3 tries. The game continued to go well and Alex Clewlow minutes were very even and either side could have scored. scored our third from quick turnover ball and excellent Unfortunately Bromsgrove were the first to score, using their passing down the back line. Just before half-time George strong running centres to break our defensive line. The last Brereton showed excellent strength and determination to 10 minutes saw us lose our way a bit, with too many over- power over for the fourth try. Half time score was 24-0; 4 committing to the rucks and mauls and not enough defence tries, and 2 conversions from Ewan Crispin. The second half on the fringes. Half time score was 7-0 to Bromsgrove. We saw us continue to dominate the game, and excellent work started the second half in much the same fashion as we from our back row of James Norman, Tomos Roberts and ended the first and we conceded another try, making it 12-0. Jamie Thomas saw us gain quick ball in the centre of the After this we started to play better and could have scored on park, which debutant scrum half Henry Walton duly picked more than one occasion save for some good defensive work up and ran in an excellent individual try to score our fifth try from Bromsgrove. of the game. We scored a further 2 tries, both from Ben Patterson, which completed his hat-trick, and went on to win Ellesmere 0 Wrekin (2nd XV) 12 Next game was away against Wrekin. We ended up playing our first victory of the season. their 2nd XV, which included many U18 players. Again we started well and were the more competitive of the 2 teams. Ellesmere 10 Rydal (2nd XV) 29 Unfortunately some weak defending enabled Wrekin to drive The next game of the season was away at Rydal. The over from a ruck on our 5m line and the half time score was previous year the team had won comfortably and confidence 5-0 to Wrekin. The second half saw very few scoring was high. When we arrived we discovered that we were opportunities, with good defensive work from both teams. We playing their 2nd XV. This was going to be a tough game! defended very well, but we couldn’t create any scoring The first 20 minutes were very competitive, with both sides chances, which in the end cost us as Wrekin scored another tackling hard and rucking well. We were holding our own try late on to make the final score 12-0 to Wrekin. against older opposition. However, things then changed. Some quick clean-up work from their forwards on our 10m Ellesmere 41 Malvern 0 line saw them pass the ball down the line to their winger, Our third game was away at Malvern. A long coach journey who ran in from 30m to score a good try and make it 5-0 to lay ahead. However, we were not affected by this. We began Rydal. Two minutes later Rydal doubled the score to 10-0, very well and dominated the first half. Our lineout was the same winger receiving the ball in his own half this time working well, with Jamie Thomas winning every throw-in, and and running all the way to the try line. 69 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
The try was also converted to make it 12-0 Rydal. We then We had another mid-week fixture following on from the lost our way a bit, tackling too high and beginning to panic, defeat at Bishop Vesey’s, a North Midlands Second Round consequently Rydal ran in 2 more tries and converted one game. We played very well in this fixture and ran out to make it 24-0. comfortable winners at 48-0, thus setting up a quarter-final encounter with Old Swinford Hospital. However, just before the half time whistle we scored an Tries in this game came from: Jamie Thomas (2), Ben excellently well-worked try through our forwards, driving the Patterson (2), George Brereton (2), Mark Pearson and Alex ball a good 10m before releasing Alex Wantling to cross for Clewlow. This match also saw David Anders-Richards return the try and make the half time score 24-5 to Rydal. The to the starting line after injury, and with an excellent second half saw a much tighter game. We regained our performance it looked as if he had never been away. composure, began to tackle harder and reached the Ellesmere 0 Denstone 20 breakdowns quicker. Our backs were more than matching Our next game was a home fixture against Denstone, who theirs, and through some hard work we scored a second try fielded an older age team. This was another tough (Ben Patterson) to make the score 24-10. Unfortunately we encounter, where we competed fairly well, despite having then conceded another try late on, making the final score some key players missing from the team. Denstone scored 29-10 to Rydal. Despite the score we played well against all of the points in this encounter, running in 4 unanswered older opposition. tries to make the final score 20-0 to Denstone. We lost this game at our set pieces, where we didn’t really compete enough to secure possession from which to score. Ellesmere 52 Wrekin (U16) 12 Following on from the Rydal game we had a mid-week fixture Ellesmere 43 Hereford Cathedral 3 against Wrekin, this time playing their U16 team rather than The ninth game of the season was a home game against their 2nd XV. The first half saw some dreadful handling from Hereford Cathedral. From the outset we were the stronger us and Wrekin were quick to put pressure on us. We were team. We played very well and this was definitely the best able to soak up this pressure and somehow managed to performance of the term. We hit the breakdowns quickly, score 3 tries in the first half. The first try was scored by Ewan cleared the rucks efficiently, our set pieces worked, we ran with ball in hand and passed at the correct times. Because Crispin, with an excellent run from their 10m line to score. of this we ran in 7 unanswered tries, scored by Ben Mark Pearson scored our second, another well-worked try Patterson (2), David Anders-Richards, Aiden Porter, Hugh which saw our backs throwing the ball around well which Grosvenor, Mark Pearson and Tom Davies. We also kicked released Pearson to score. The third try was scored by Alex 4 conversions, one from Ewan Crispin and 3 from Hugh Clewlow with an excellent switch move which saw Clewlow Grosvenor. score under the posts. All 3 tries were converted by Crispin Ellesmere 0 Stoneyhurst 27 making the half time score 21-0. The second half saw us Our final fixture before Christmas was away at Stoneyhurst, concede a soft try in the first 5 minutes, making the score 21- a 2-hour coach journey away. The conditions were not the 7. After this we finally started playing some good rugby. We best, with strong winds sometimes hampering play. From the were securing quick turnover ball and using the pace of our outset we didn’t look as if we wanted to win this game. They backs to stretch the opposition. This resulted in us scoring 2 had a well-drilled team who performed well throughout. We more tries, both scored by Ben Patterson, with Crispin were below par throughout most of the game. Our lineout let converting one to make the score 33-7. However, we us down, and our scrummaging, which meant we didn’t get conceded another try against the run of play, making the enough possession to threaten to score, a bit of a disappointing end to the term. score 33-12. After this we upped our game further and Wrekin began to tire. This allowed us to run in 3 unanswered After Christmas we still had our Quarter Final of the North tries; Aiden Porter with a strong run from 5m out, a second Midlands Cup to play. This was an away fixture at Old for Pearson, and the final try coming from Alex Wantling, Swinford Hospital. Here we faced a very strong and well- organised team who ran out eventual winners. who ran in from the 22m line. Overall this was an encouraging season, which should be Ellesmere 17 Bishop Vesey 31 seen by the players as a learning and development season The sixth game of the season was a tough encounter at for them as players. Many of our fixtures were against older Bishop Vesey’s, again against older opposition. They opposition and the team played well against these older scored first from a shortened line-out, which caught us ball- players. They will have learnt a lot to take in to their game next year, when they will be playing at U18 age. I look watching and made the score 7-0. We responded well to forward to seeing the players continue their rugby and this and we scored through a Tom Davies try. The score competing for places in the senior squads next year. was now 7-5. However, shortly after this Davies had to leave the game through injury, and this affected our pattern of play in the forwards. Some weak tackling on our part saw Statistics Bishop Vesey’s run in 2 tries to make the score 21-5 but we responded to this and ran in another try from Ben Patterson Played 11, Won 4, Lost 7, Drawn 0 to make the half time score 21-10. The second half was a Points For 163, Points Against 146 scrappy affair, with both teams making handling errors and Squad from: neither looking as if they would score. The deadlock was D.G. Anders-Richards, G.D.Brereton, A.M.Clewlow, eventually broken by Bishops Vesey’s who scored to make E.W.Crispin, J.A.Davies, T.R.Davies, T.O.M.Evans, it 28-10. Again we responded to this by scoring a try of our C.A.Fergusson, G.Forgrave, H.R.L.Grosvenor, H.J.Hackett, own, an excellent solo effort by George Brereton, which J.A.Hart, A.I.Hough, T.Newman, J.P.Norman, B.K.Patterson, Ewan Crispin converted to make the score 28-17. We M.A.Pearson, A.L.Porter, T.A.Roberts, N.R.Sorfleet, pressed hard in the last 10 minutes, hoping to score again, T.W.F.Teal, J.P.Thomas, H.Walton, A.J.Wantling, but it was a case of too little too late. To add insult to injury L.R.Wiggington, M.Wojtynia. they scored a late penalty to make the final score 31-17 to Bishop Vesey’s. ILR 70 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Under 15A Rugby The new season started with the team shorn of its Captain With the slope in our favour we seemed to have the and leading player, but with the addition of two new three- opportunity to kick ourselves into a good field position but our quarters bringing the promise of greater pace and tactical naivety was exposed as we frittered away several penetration out wide. Squad practice at Bromsgrove gave us chances to do just that. In fact at no time in the second half a good deal of tackling practice, but demonstrated that we did we make use of the slope at all. Whilst the score was needed to raise our game in the loose and when it came to only 0-3 until very near the end we did not threaten their line ball-winning. Despite the shortness of coaching time at any stage and they were deserved winners on the day. available to us we managed to pull things together for our This game provided the opportunity to see the strengths of first match. Sandbach were a large and physical side, and our runners and the positional changes made as a result, despite our superiority in the tight and the successful allied to the introduction of some simple but effective moves, operation of the short lineout we could not guarantee our meant that we were far more threatening in the threes. loose possession, although the Captain led by example. In Against Malvern we scored some super tries, taking the ball an exciting but error-strewn game both teams seized upon at speed and choosing some good running lines. Whilst the the other’s mistakes and the scoring see-sawed throughout. lineout was again disappointing both the scrum and, Sandbach no doubt thought that they had secured victory particularly, the loose provided a plentiful supply of good when they went 9 points ahead with only 2 minutes possession for the backs to run. All in all the game was remaining. However, good support play and interpassing enjoyable to watch and a 42-5 victory ensued. brought us back into the game with only a minute on the At home against Rydal, already hit by illness and injury, we clock. Their deep kick-off and our inability to deal with it put were further depleted by 2 absentees on the morning of the them on our line. From the ensuing lineout they ran the ball match. The last-minute replacements did their best but it and one of their backs doubled back. He was met in a meant that we started the match without the confidence in crunching tackle and we secured possession. Someone had the backs that the win over Malvern had promoted. We the presence of mind to remove the ball from one of our immediately found ourselves under pressure, and although forwards and it was worked to our centre wide on the left. A the forwards worked heroically – as they were to do all match turn of pace, a controlled chip over the defence gathered on – we simply could not get the ball away. This was partly due the run, and then acceleration away saw us home by 36-31. to our own poor alignment with a disjointed back line, but Breathtaking! also to the unnatural speed with which the opposition were Next up were Adams in the Daily Mail Cup. Playing up a allowed to get up on us. The forwards dominated the rucks – considerable slope we did well to defend our line for the first the most outstanding aspect of our play – but too often the period. backs were getting ball and man. 71 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
We made several forays up-field but were heavily penalised At half time the game was there to be won, just like the and found it difficult to maintain the momentum of an previous week. However, on this occasion it was the attack. Down by 19-0 at half time we started the second opposition who raised their game. half with renewed vigour but the loss of some key Against Church Stretton in the ‘Vase’ we played all the possession allowed the opposition to score again. We then rugby but also made all the mistakes. The opposition scored the try of the game with a dummy scissors and a defence held us out and a disappointing 0-7 score-line saw miss-pass that showed what could have been had we been us go out. allowed to play. However, we had the last word when we poured through on a mistake and took an excellent pick-up We played some of our best rugby of the season in the first on the run to touch down. Overall we gained much from the 20 minutes of the match against Hereford Cathedral game. We reacted well to adversity (we repeatedly seemed School. Into the wind and on a wet and slippery pitch we to get the rough end of the stick), our loose play was played some very direct rugby. From the hanging kick-off outstanding and we never gave up despite losing 10-36. gathered in by our forwards on the chase we drove well and produced a good supply of loose ball. The backs ran Against Ludlow in the Daily Mail Vase we made heavy well although did tend to delay the pass. However, support weather of the game. We started well and but for some was usually on hand and with some good handling, awful handling errors could, perhaps, have run away with considering the conditions, we were able to run in 5 tries the match in the first 15 minutes. As it was, all we had to without reply to lead 27-0 at half time. A fine victory by 39-5 show for our efforts was a try down the narrow side resulted. following a couple of drives and rucks from the forwards. In the second half the supply of ball dried up as we lost our With a couple of key backs missing through injury it was shape in the loose – body positions were poor and there necessary to reorganise the three-quarter line immediately was next to no binding and pumping of legs. One well- before the game against Birkenhead. Despite this we worked backs’ move seemed to have made us safe but the played some good rugby to recover from a 9-point deficit opposition camped in our 22 for much of the half. Effective mid-match and gain the lead with 10 minutes or so scrambled defence kept them at bay for a while but, having remaining. However, whilst the match served to scored under the posts and converted their try, they demonstrate us at our best, with some productive rucking redoubled their efforts. It was touch and go whether we and driving from the forwards and direct running from the could hold on and only some last- ditch tackles and driving backs, our propensity to make mistakes was also revealed. in the loose saw us through by 12-7. Too often kicks were misplaced, the ball lost in contact and planned moves not executed in a simple and A new fixture at Bishop Vesey’s promised to be a tough straightforward way. Once we had achieved the lead we game. The first half was a see-saw affair where, having could and should have closed the opposition out. However, fallen behind, we recovered to finish the period all square. a series of errors allowed Birkenhead to camp in our 22 It was apparent to the coach that the final result would and eventually to find a way over the line. Fortunately the depend upon the approach that Ellesmere took to the conversion from wide out missed and the game was drawn game, since it did not appear that the opposition possessed at 24-24. A fair result and end to the season. the ability outside the scrum to cause us too much trouble unless our own errors achieved it for them. Once the MTDS forwards had grasped the need for better body positions and drive from the legs in the loose, a plentiful supply of ball was assured. The three-quarters ran with purpose and our defence became a little more aggressive. These improved aspects of our game ensured that the opposition found themselves on the back foot for most of the half, and our line was hardly threatened as we ran out worthy winners 34-12. Unfortunately we did not do ourselves justice at Denstone, going down by 37-10. Having failed to convert several scoring opportunities early on, we were made to pay for our sloppiness. It was a damp and windy day and the conditions called for accurate passing and the minimising of errors. Unfortunately we were unable to rise to the occasion and consistently got ourselves into trouble by passing on poor ball and giving away possession. One sublime try – it just showed what we could have done had we played to our strengths – and one well-taken opportunist score kept us in the game until the break. MTDS debating the finer points with Sam Lewis
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Under 14A Rugby Report Looking back at last year’s excellent results and with the We did manage to score some good tries, but could have addition of a few new faces, this was always going to be an won the game far more comfortable. Final score 34-12. exciting season. This was demonstrated throughout the Bishop Vesey’s followed where we won 29-14. The forwards season with some extremely hard and very physical games. were awesome in the first half playing against a bigger pack. We opened the season away against Sandbach, who were Our defence in the second half let us down somewhat, letting the biggest U14 team I have seen for many years. It was them cross our line twice. Nevertheless, a good performance soon evident that this team was not just big and physical but and a good win. also very quick and skilful. Having given away 2 soft tries, we The second-last game was against Denstone where we were 0-14 down at half time. I was rather apprehensive for managed to hold on to a narrow lead, running out 15-12 the second half. Our defence was fantastic and we really put winners. Final game of the season, Birkenhead. This was our bodies on the line. We started putting Sandbach under always going to be one of the most difficult games of the pressure and came very close to scoring a few tries season. As with Sandbach, they had some skilful and quick ourselves. Our commitment was tremendous and the team players, who we allowed to run at us. This resulted in them showed just what they can do if they want to. scoring a few soft tries that ultimately lead to us losing 10-14. Final score 0-14 Not the ideal end to a good season, but hopefully we will The second game saw us playing at home against Malvern. learn from our mistakes. This proved to be a disappointing fixture as we had to play The Team: Front row, Tom Broadhead, Hugh Wignall and against their U15B team in the second half, as we had Douglas Allsop. Seldom was this front row pushed back in the outplayed their U14A team in all aspects. We won scrum. Tom and Hugh’s support play was invaluable, while comfortably against their U15B team 29-0 and were hoping Douglas’ scrumming improved with every game and he that we would soon be able to demonstrate our skills against became an integral part of the engine room. Second row, Dan a good team and show people what we could do with the ball Thomas and James Leahy. Dan, being big and strong, was in hand. We did not have to wait long as the next game able to carry the ball well. James, although playing lock, was produced the best rugby of the season against Rydal. often the first player at the breakdown, making his support Ellesmere played some quite awesome rugby and were able play outstanding. Back row, Anthony Wyn-Jones, Jake Taylor to offload the ball in the tackle situation and not allow Rydal and Sam Phillips. Although Ant had a reasonably quiet time to regroup. The support play was tremendous and the season, he did show great improvement throughout the forwards could do little wrong. This game produced some season. Jake had a great season, playing the ideal open side magnificent tries, resulting in us winning 52–12. flanker role, putting in some big hits during the season. Sam We hosted Newcastle the following weekend, which unfortunately seemed to pick up a new injury every game. produced very scrappy rugby and poor ball handling and This was to hamper his progress, but he was still able to put in resulted in us giving away far too much possession. a big effort through most of the season.
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Scrum half, Bryn Phillips. He played some great rugby. For Playing fullback for the first time was somewhat daunting for someone so small, Bryn was never scared to take on him initially, but with his pace and the way he reads the someone twice his size. It is important, though, that he learns game, I think Ben could be an awesome fullback. Other not to over-do the physical part of his rugby, and rather players to have played for the team this year include concentrate on his distribution and putting players away. Will Michael Brown at prop and lock, Dominic Ellis at loose Goodwin proved to be a good fly half, being able to spot a forward, and Ollie Brereton at flank and centre. gap very quickly. His distribution both off his left and right To use only 18 players during the season shows how hand is very good – his main downside being his size and speed. Centres, George Baxter, (Captain) and Iwan Phillips fortunate we were with injuries and this also helped with formed a good pairing. George enjoyed running with the ball continuity. in hand, and was never one to shy away from running into Overall, we had a very successful season, but I don’t space, while his defence was always rock solid. Iwan, believe we quite played to our full potential. If we can although not the biggest, also put in some big hits, although, produce the attacking rugby that they played against Rydal, like his brother, too often took the ball into contact. This is an and the determination shown against the big side from aspect that they must both focus on next year. Wings, Sandbach, I am sure we can have a fantastic season next George Cave and Jamie Whittles. George has a tremendous year. Well done and good luck for the future. amount of speed and was able to use it to score many fine tries during the season. Jamie was moved to wing mid-way Regular players: through the season and showed glimpses of what he is B Brooks, J Whittles, I Phillips, G Baxter (captain), G Cave, capable of doing. With a little more confidence, Jamie could W Goodwin, B, Phillips, S Phillips, A Wyn-Jones, J Taylor, really show his true potential. D Thomas, J Leahy, D Allsop, H Wignall, T Broadhead, Fullback, Ben Brooks. Unfortunately missed the first few M Brown, D Ellis, O Brereton games due to injury. CCC
U14B Rugby Report A season with more fixtures than in previous years provided determined and never gave up even in difficult situations. a comprehensive fixture list. The challenge was to play During the season there was a definite improvement in all against a number of A teams, including Wrekin College, aspects of the game, particularly organisation at the Malvern, Stafford and Rossall. While we maintained a breakdown, tackling and passing under pressure. I am sure creditable degree of resistance against these sides it was much of this was due to the fact that the A team and B team difficult to gain enough ball to develop penetrative passages squads trained together. There was always a good squad of play, particularly as A teams always have a number of spirit and an excellent attendance at training. The team was large and fast players. However, when we did play B teams, never short of players for matches, often the issue being to the games were close with a good win against Malvern’s B get a game for all who wished to play. A real credit to both side. To the credit of the team, while it was not easy playing the U14 rugby squads. Well done. against other schools’ A teams, the squad were always GO
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Girls’ Hockey
Girls’ Hockey Report Girls’ hockey has enjoyed another successful season. This County Achievements term saw the introduction of using Wednesday/Thursday This term we have 6 girls representing the County at Hockey. Games Afternoons to train on Astroturf surfaces at Lilleshall Emma Johnson (U17) National Sports Centre and RAF Shawbury. Both venues Emily Lewis, Charlotte Shearer and Zoe Evans (U15) have been excellent for developing the girls’ stick skills and Sarah Wicks and Alex Fearns (U13) game play in order for us to compete against schools with Astros. All girls from the U11 Team to 1st Team have had HLG the chance to play on Astroturf. st There have been some creditable performances throughout 1 X1 Girls Hockey Season Review the season: The following is a quick guide to the 1st Team played 9, won 5, drew 1 and lost 3. There were 2006/ 07 seasons fixtures. creditable wins over King’s Chester, Abbots Bromley, Sept 16th Kings won 6-0 Oswestry School, Bedstone College and Stafford Grammar Sept 20th Stafford G won 3-1 School. This is a young team (many Year 11s) who have enjoyed success this year which makes the outlook for Girls’ Sept 27th 7’s T’ment 6th place Hockey promising for next year! A special mention should go Oct 4th Welshpool lost 5-0 to Abigail Merrill, who has been an excellent Captain and has Oct 11th U19 T’ment 4th place led by example on and off the pitch. Oct 14th Rydal Lost 7-0 The most successful team were the Junior A’s, who are a Nov 1st A. Bromley won 1-0 team made up of Year 9’s and 10’s. They won all their Nov 4th Oswestry won 1-0 matches. During the season they scored an incredible 45 goals and only let 1 goal past them. There are many talented Nov 8th Wrekin lost 9-0 girls in this team and a special mention must go to Emily Nov 11th Bedstone won 2-0 st Lewis who played two games for the 1 XI. Nov 15th Moreton drew 0-0 In Lower School the hockey is thriving. The U13s came Runners up in the U13 North Shropshire Hockey and the A very hectic and busy schedule has seen the 1st X1 make U12’s came 3rd in the same competition. Both teams have excellent progress this season. enjoyed success and have only lost 1 game this season. The team said goodbye to 8 members of the squad from last U11/U10’s enjoyed many friendly matches. The highlight of season and so only 3 players remained from the previous their term was beating Moreton Hall twice on their Astroturf. season’s expolits.
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Abi Merrill, last year’s vice captain was given the leadership 7’s County Tournament and Beth Clewlow was chosen as her understudy in this very The 7’s tournament saw Ellesmere put through their paces young team. Out of the squad of 14, 7 were from year 11 and by stronger more proficient teams and although the team so the balance and tactics of the team changed in accordance managed to win one of their matches they did not get to the new structure and formation of the team. through to the next phase. The fixture list was planned meticulously to ensure each game Welshpool 5 v Ellesmere 0 was pushing the ability of the team constantly and this has A new fixture for the season’s calander saw Ellesmere visit resulted in some excellent team performances. The squad Welshpool, last year’s Welsh under 18 champions. was also able to benefit this year by using the facilities at lillieshaw as part of the team’s Wednesday schedule which The two teams competed well in the middle of the park but helped push on the astro skills to compete this season. ther experiece of the Welshpool team told in the the D as two well worked goals saw Ellesmere down at hlaf time. The Ellesmere 6 v Kings Chester 0 second half saw Ellesmere run out of steam and the Sarah Haynes 4 Welshpool team becam camped in the Ellesmere half. A Abi Merrill spell of 5 minutes saw 3 more goals fly in as the 1st X1 Emma Johnson struggled against the stronger competitor but to theor credit The opening match of the season’s calendar saw the they kept going and this was testament to their attitude appearance of King’s to Ellesmere in what is always a very throughout the season. competitive match. The team was very nervous before the Under 19 County Tournament first game of the season and for many it was their first The following week saw the Under 19 County tournament. st chance of representing Ellesmere at 1 team level. The team played well in all 3 games and there was very little The nerves quickly disappeared as the team took early between the teasmsThe final match against Shrewsbury saw control of the game and were ahead within the first few Ellesmere control the game in parts but a 2-0 scoreline minutes thanks to a great sweeping goal from Sarah Haynes resulted in Shrewsbury going through as area winners. after some great link up play with Emma Johnson. Rydal Penrhos 7 v Ellesmere 0 The rest of the game continued in much the same fashion as This was indeed the preverbial game of 2 halves. The team Ellesmere did not allow the Kings team to get settled and the st went out to start the match having been told to keep the ball 1 X1 took there chances as and when they came. 3 more and play the game our way. Within 3 minutes of the start this goals came from Sarah Haynes with Emma Johnson and Abi had been forgotten and we chased the ball for 30 minutes. Merrill adding to the tally. A great team performance and an Rydal dominated posession but Ellesmere helped them with outstanding start to the season. Special mention must go to Georgie Adams who, playing out of her normal position was this by giving the ball away far too easily as and when we instrumental in the team keeping a clean sheet with some happened to have it. At half time the team were very great defensive work. disappointed by their own performance and with a few choice words from the coach they went into the second half with a clear plan and focus for the half. The second half was very encouraging, Ellesmere broke down the variety of attacks that Rydal tried and on several occasion greater composure in the opponents D would have resulted in at least 2 goals for Ellesmere. The defence stood strong and coped with everything and only an unfortunate touch of the ball by the foot as it went past the keeper saw a penalty flick awarded to Rydal and one which they managed to despatch against Mary Pescod. Overall a disappointing result but much should be taken from the second half display. Abbots Bromley 0 v Ellesmere 1 Sarah Haynes The traditionally long trip to Abbots Bromley did not disappoint as the weather was bitterly cold and yet it brought about another victory for the 1st X1. The team were missing Goal machine Sarah Haynes chasing the ball against Kings their Captain due to illness and the team welcomed Emily Chester, a game in which she scored 4!!!. Lewis who was in the team as cover for the missing midfielder. A tough match commenced with both sides Stafford Grammar 1 v Ellesmere 3 having opportunities but the Bromley keeper made a string of Sarah Haynes fine saves to keep the score all level. Finally Ellesmere Abi Merrill played some strong hockey and from some well worked Beth Clewlow passing from the midfield, Sarah Haynes was able to ghost A buoyant Ellesmere took their confidence from the Kings in and place the ball passed the unguarded keeper. game into this fixture and soon found themselves 1-0 up Ellesmere continued to push second half but some smart from another Sarah Haynes goal. The game then became a keeping from Mary Pescod denied Bromley their equaliser. little static as both teams cancelled each other out. The Overall a fair result and one which showed how well the second half saw Ellesmere trying to spread the play and defence can operate when they work as a unit. break down the stubborn Stafford defence and this was finally undone by a great solo goal from Beth Clewlow. At Ellesmere 1 v Oswestry 0 this point Ellesmere took their foot of the pedal and soon Sarah Haynes found themselves chasing the ball rather than controlling it. The usual (local Derby) came around by welcoming the Stafford scored after some defensive mix ups and it looked arrival of Oswestry to the grass fortress that is Ellesmere. A as if the final 10 minutes would see Stafford equalize. quick tempo to the game emerged and several early chances However, the team , pushed on by Abi Merrill, went straight were not put away by Ellesmere. up the other end, were awarded a short corner and one Oswesty scored froma set piece but the second official over- which Abi dispatched with aplomb, right in the bottom corner ruled it due to the hit being outside of the D. not giving the keeper a chance. That killed the game off and The first half pettered out and the team were told that they the result was confirmed. had to make the most of their chances. 76 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Better team play in the second half saw players like Sarah Steph Perrin found herself clean through with only the haynes and Emily lewis having more time with the ball in Goalkeeper to beat but was called back by the umpire for an dangerous positions and it was from one of these attacjs that earlier offence. The final whistle went and the result and the Emily beat 2 players, got the ball to the top of the D and performance was level and a great way to end the season. placed it in the coprner away from the advancing keeper. The goal released the tension in the game and the crowd went wild with delight. Other chances came the Ellesmere way but the final ball always lacked that right pace or touch to ensure we could pit the result out of sight. The final whistle went and the team were much relived by the result. Wrekin 9 v Ellesmere 0 A fixture mix up saw Ellesmere play the Wrekin 1st X1 whose players are county and midlands regulars. The difference in class was evident as the Wrekin team used the ball to much greater advantage than Ellesmere did. In all fairness the score line did not do justice to the team performance and the Wrekin coach was very complimentary as to the attitude and approach to the game that the girls showed. Although this was a slight miss-match it gave the girls the chance to see the level they need to reach to be able to compete against the bets teams in and around the county. Bedstone 0 v Ellesmere 2 Captain Abi Merrilll going thorugh some drills at the Steph Perrin Lilleshall Centre of Excellence, a facility that has really Beth Clewlow developed the stick skills of all during the season An away journey saw the 1st X1 visit a windy and rain swept Bedstone. The grass pitch evened the game up and at half Special mentions must go to the captain Abigail Merrill; who time both teams had had clear chances to break the has led by example this year and has has done much for deadlock. A strategic change second half saw Steph Perrin hockey at Ellesmere during her time here. Abi has always pushed upfront and this paid dividends when the ball broke done everything for the team and has helped to push the free and Steph turned the keeper and placed the ball into the standard of Hockey and indeed level of enthusdaism that is bottom corner and walked away with the most uninspired now being diplsyed amongst all the team within the school. celebration witnesses during the season. Beth Clewlow after Every member of the team has played to the best of their a good solo run put the game beyond doubt and the 2-0 ability and has done anything that was asked of them. Player victory made the trip home much easier. of the year was Emma Johnsona and players player was Moreton Hall 0 v Ellesmere 0 Grace Kendall. This was a spectacular game from start to finish and all Firstly I would like to say a hugh thank you to my co-coach involved in it, players, umpires and spectators all agreed. and right arm in hockey Ms Goss. Ms Goss works very hard The evening push off under the floodlights always adds a behind the scenes in planning the fixtures etc and without this touch of atmosphere to the game. Ellesmere started of the effort the season would not have been anywhere as good as it strongest and some great wing play saw Steph Perrin and has been. The season from start to finish has been great fun Beth Clewlow both go close in the first half. and her ambition to see the team perform has been However, some stout defending by Grace Kendall and inspriational for all involved in hockey at Ellesmere. I would Ashley Whittle kept the strong Moreton attack at bay. like to express my sincere thanks to all involved in girls hockey The second half continued in much the same way as the first for all their help and support this term, especially the ground finished with the game being a continuous end to end staff and all those who have supported the girls in their games. encounter. S Mullock. 1st X1 Coach
2nd XI Girls’ Hockey
A number of last year’s team members were selected for the 1sts, showing how much they had improved. The new 2nd team were therefore a mixture of old and new. Despite this they quickly bonded creating a fun and enthusiastic atmosphere. Training got off to a good start, with sessions being both at home on grass and at Lilleshall centre of excellence on astro turf. This enabled the girls to develop their skills on both playing surfaces. However, the girls only had a few matches this year, to test out their new skills. Unfortunately, the matches did not go our way, although the girls always had fun and gave it their all. Sarah-Jane Beswick & RC
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Junior A Side, 2006 “Ten years ago, a crack commando unit was sent to Sweeper Charlotte Shearer showed great poise on the prison by a military court for a crime they didn't ball and rarely let anything or anyone past her. Centre- commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum back Melissa Evans, so often plagued by injuries in the security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. past, played the full season ignoring numerous injuries and Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as even a bout of tonsillitis. soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one The two full – backs, Rebecca Britton and Alice Simpson, else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can developed into elegant defenders, equally adept coming hire... The A-Team.” forward. Viola Grosvenor, the midfield stopper, covered So ran the opening credits to the cult American TV series of every blade of grass, happily running herself into the the early eighties. Perhaps ten years from now, future ground week in, week out. Emily Wicks and Sophie students may well be asking, “Who exactly were the Halstead shared the right – wing duties, the former gliding legendary Ellesmere Junior A Side?” past opponents with ease and delivering fine crosses, the Long before the 2006 season began, a plan had been latter showing lightning pace and the ability to score goals. hatched by the inner sanctum of Girls’ Hockey to challenge Steph Newport – Booth charged down the left-wing, a the talented crop of players emerging from Lower School by truly unstoppable force and a defender’s nightmare. Lucy merging them with the best of the Year 10 squad and moving Forgrave’s predatory instincts in front of goal saw her them straight up to Under 15 hockey. Some were nervous become the team’s top scorer. A number of other girls also as to this step up, others worried about fusing players from played their part in ensuring the team’s 100 % record, the two year groups. What resulted was by any standards a notably Chloe Minshaw, Lydia Lam, Holly Liversage, truly remarkable season of school sport for a golden crop of Lucy Harrington and Charlotte Boffey. talented girls. The playing record speaks for itself; played 8, It is not usually fair to single out players from such a dream won 8, scored 45, conceded 1. Some of the score-lines do team, but in this instance I will make an exception. Captain not tell the full story of the matches behind them – the Zoe Evans and forward Emily Lewis do deserve domination of possession and relentless attacks that were something of a special mention not just for their sheer features of the earlier games in particular. I have certainly talent, mobility and vision. Possibly the most remarkable never before witnessed such commitment and will to win that thing about both players is their commendable modesty; spread from the nucleus of the side to the entire squad. both are utterly self – effacing, keen to learn and improve Despite only conceding one goal between them, our two goal and, first and foremost, team players. They, along with -keepers Amy Fokinther and Carys Fieldhouse had plenty many others from this golden squad, will surely go on to of work to do and distinguished themselves on numerous have a starring role in senior hockey for a number of years occasions. to come.
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Match Reports Sat Nov 4th v Oswestry th Sat 16 Sept v King’s, Chester Won 8-0 (Forgrave 3, Z Evans 3, M Evans 2) Steph N-B unavailable, Emily Lewis starring for the Firsts, Won 5-0 (Lewis 2, Forgrave 2, Evans Z 1) A remarkable performance by the whole squad, the clean and a warm-up that suggested the squad was still half- sheet being as impressive as the five goals at the other asleep did not bode well. It got worse. In the first play of end. A tight first – half was shaded by Ellesmere when the game, Charlotte Shearer tried to clear the ball whilst Emily Lewis ran unchecked into the “D” and slotted past the simultaneously removing her tracksuit bottoms. Comical. It King’s keeper. In the second-half, consistent pressure took a good fifteen minutes before the team found its brought four more goals; Lucy Forgrave swept home two rhythm; Oswestry tested our goal more than any other fine efforts, Zoe Evans touched in a short-corner at the opposition this season – Carys Fieldhouse made four good near post and Emily bagged her second. Amy Fokinther saves. Gradually, however, the juggernaut started rolling. and the defence still had some work to do to keep out the A 3-0 half-time lead was secured, with Lucy Forgrave and King’s attack, and so all 13 players played their part in a Zoe Evans claiming 1 ½ goals each. The same pair added magnificent victory. to the tally, scoring a hat-trick each and Melissa Evans, pushed forward for a fairytale goal, cheekily scored twice in Sat 23rd Sept v Wolverhampton G S the closing minutes.
Won 9-0 (Forgrave 2, Lewis 2, ZEvans 2, Halstead 2, th Newport – Booth 1) Wed Nov 8 v Wrekin Won 4-1 (Forgrave 3, Wicks 1) The most remarkable thing about this result was that the opposition were not a bad side. In fact, they were quite At last, a stern test. Wrekin were tough in the tackle and good; they won three short – corners before we really quite adept in front of goal. Indeed, they became the first threatened their goal, and for the first ten minutes they team to score against us – a fierce short-corner strike, and were camped in the Ellesmere half. Thereafter they were might have had two more but for a fine save by Carys and pounded into submission by a fearsome onslaught by our a great stick-stop by MEvans. To be fair, by the time they forwards. Three goals up at half-time, another six in the did score, Ellesmere had already notched four; Lucy second-half, Emily Lewis having had a hand in most of Forgrave bagged her second hat-trick in five days and them and being robbed of a hat-trick for the second week Emily Wicks found the scoresheet for the first time with a running by a cunning poacher who shall remain nameless. shot-cum-cross. A rather disjointed display on a tight, narrow pitch, but another win nonetheless. Wed Oct 4th v Welshpool Sat Nov 11th v Moreton Hall Won 5-0 (Lewis 2, Newport-Booth 2, Grosvenor 1) Won 2-0 (Forgrave 2) Welshpool were expected to provide a stiffer test – their Another tight game to finish the season – in fact, it could firsts certainly looked a handy side. The first goal went in easily have ended 0-0 but for Lucy Forgrave’s predatory after two minutes – Steph Newport - Booth sweeping home instincts. Twice she followed up other people’s shots, and after a fine move down the right-wing. Thereafter in doing so ensured that she ended up top scorer for the Welshpool barely made it into the Ellesmere half. Emily Junior As. Moreton never looked liked posing a real threat Lewis helped herself to another two goals, one a lethal to our goal, although Alice Simpson and keeper Fieldhouse finish after a quick counter-attack. Viola also notched her both made timely interventions to keep the sheet clean. A first of the season from a short-corner, and Steph finished hard-fought victory on a leafy pitch that was shrowded in the scoring in the final minute. darkness by 3pm. Sat Oct 7th v Oswestry HC Top Goal Scorers Won 7-0 (Lewis 4, Forgrave 1, Lam 1, Shearer 1) L Forgrave 15, E Lewis 13, Z Evans 6, S Newport-Booth 3 This was a useful training exercise on The Marches S Halstead 2, M Evans 2, V Grosvenor 1, C Shearer 1 Astroturf. Having bagged a brace in each of the three L Lam 1, S Wicks 1 previous games, Emily Lewis was not to be denied a hat- trick and scored the first three in addition to having a goal Clean Sheets disallowed. She even managed to sweep home a fourth A Fokinther 5 C Fieldhouse 2 from a short-corner having been switched to sweeper. Lucy grabbed a trademark poacher’s goal and was then also switched to the back where she looked equally at home. There was also a debut goal for left-wing Lydia Lam but the game’s champagne moment came when Charlotte Shearer swept home a short-corner and did not seem to understand that her shot hitting the backboard could possibly constitute a goal. Priceless.
Sat Oct 14th v Rydal Won 5-0 (Lewis 3, Forgrave 2) Another opposition well and truly steam-rollered on a fine morning on the first – team pitch. Emily once again opened the scoring with a fierce slap into the top right-hand corner – a truly spectacular effort. She doubled the lead soon after, and Lucy Forgrave, lurking as instructed on the penalty spot, swept home a third. The same two players extended the lead in the second – half, Lucy touching home Emily’s short-corner, and Emily bagging her hat-trick from another set-piece.
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Junior B Side, 2006
The Junior B hockey squad worked extremely hard On a number of occasions players were called to play throughout the playing season. Playing formations for the Junior A squad. This is a testimony to the had to be carefully considered depending upon the playing ability of this group. strength and skills of the girls in the group. Many of the players had not played as a unit together before Abbots Bromley lost 1-0 so much of the early season was spent on this. Stafford Grammar drew 0-0 Throughout the season many players really improved Wolverhampton lost 1-0 their playing skills on both astroturf and grass Rydal Penrhos lost 1-0 surfaces. It was pleasing to see the progress and Wrekin lost 1-0 unity that the squad developed as the games Moreton drew 0-0 progressed. They certainly pushed the Junior A squad at times during squad training sessions. The Squad players: strength of the Under 14 year group as a whole L Lam, C Boffey, S Collison, E Evans, M Evans, depended upon the depth of commitment that these K Foster, L Harrington, H. Liversage, R Rickett, girls showed in their training. It demonstrated the T Renner, P Russell, A Sloan, S Wolfson strength of the under 14 year group as a whole. SO
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Lent Term
SEVENS SEASON SUMMARY We moved through the group scoring freely, with Steve Once Rosslyn fades from memory we can look back at a Bannister running in 10 tries in the 4 group matches. fantastic season. We have reached as far as we did in the Marlborough proved quite tricky after the group stages, various tournaments before, but have never done so with playing in a physical, hard-tackling style. such confidence and authority. To be able to say during We began well against Kirkham, scoring the opener, but then the course of 4 tournaments that we won games against gave away a couple of bits of possession to allow them to Millfield, Bromsgrove, Colston’s and Warwick is a huge score, although we made it hard with some tremendous achievement. Not only that, but we did it in real style, tackling. Although 3 tries to 1 at half time, we dominated the scoring freely and showing a high level of skill. Well done second half and got back into our stride. Kirkham stopped to all involved, especially those now moving on: S play 4 or 5 times with ‘injuries’ but we continued to move the Bannister, J Farrell, J Asplin, A Ellis and D Matthews. ball and probe for openings. We eventually finished level 3 They will be a very hard act to follow. tries apiece, but failed to convert the crucial kick. SEVENS SEASON 2007 Not to worry – we looked one of the best teams in the tournament. It was wet and muddy throughout the day and CHRIST’S COLLEGE BRECON SEVENS the pitches were small; something that did not suit us particularly. Good signs for future tournaments. GROUP MATCHES By a strange quirk of organisation, two of the teams we ELLESMERE 24 MILLFIELD 0 thrashed in the group appeared in the semi-finals with ELLESMERE 33 CHELTENHAM 0 Kirkham eventually beating Millfield by 2 points to win ELLESMERE 36 HEREFORD C 7 the final. ELLESMERE 24 CHRIST BRECON 7 LAST 16 CHRIST HOSPITAL SEVENS ELLESMERE 17 MARLBOROUGH 7 A never-to-be-repeated trip saw us looking for a Sevens QUARTER FINAL Tournament in Sussex. After opening our account with a decent score and win against Brighton College, the rain ELLESMERE 17 KIRKHAM 19 continued to fall and, without a word to participating teams, An excellent start to the Sevens season saw Ellesmere everyone walked off. This signalled the end of a weird dispose of some famous names in this tournament, with an experience. excellent opener against Millfield in which we knocked them off their stride and shut them out. ELLESMERE 28 BRIGHTON COLLEGE 0 81 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
NORTH OF ENGLAND SEVENS - BIRKENHEAD ROSSLYN PARK SEVENS GROUP MATCHES ELLESMERE 28 ABINGDON 12 ELLESMERE 31 LYMM 0 ELLESMERE 26 FETTES 22 ELLESMERE 38 MERCHANT TAYLORS 0 ELLESMERE 33 AMPLEFORTH 19 ELLESMERE 22 HURSTPIERPOINT 17 ELLESMERE 36 SEDBERGH B 5 ELLESMERE 12 ROYAL HOSPITAL 5 QUARTER FINAL QUALIFYING ROUND ELLESMERE 45 KINGS WORCESTER 5 ELLESMERE 10 WELLINGTON 33 SEMI FINAL ELLESMERE 12 SEDBERGH 22 This was a hugely disappointing end to an excellent Sevens FINAL season. In all other tournaments we were always one of the SEDBERGH 42 BARNARD CASTLE 5 top 2 sides on show, playing with confidence and bounce; we found that as a team we picked this tournament to have an off- Ellesmere repeated their performance of 2 years ago, day. In the group matches against average sides we seemed finishing semi-finalists in this prestigious tournament. From 40 schools competing, Ellesmere finished in the top 4 after to struggle from the start, finding the matches hard work, working their way through a punishing schedule. In the compared with other tournaments where we stormed through group stages the most difficult game was against Ampleforth, the group matches against top sides such as Millfield, who pulled back to 19-19 before 2 further tries finished off Warwick, Bromsgrove etc., barely conceding any tries. the match with a win for Ellesmere. Having watched our opponents play in the first round we had The quarter-final was straightforward enough, but then there picked Abingdon as the team to beat, and duly did this; not was a long wait before the semi against Sedbergh. Good without one or two scares, particularly in the second half play in the first 2 minutes saw us fashion an opening, only to when the referee gave 4 successive penalties against us and see a tap tackle prevent Steve Bannister opening the helped them back into the game. We did not expect too scoring. Two tries down at half time, we fought back well and much from Fettes and our lack of focus showed. They had had our moments, eventually going down 4 tries to 2. one outstanding player who caused a lot of damage, and 2 Throughout the tournament we were very strong in defence minutes into the second half we found ourselves 22-7 down. and exciting in attack. Our playmaker James Farrell and At this point we played with the style, enthusiasm and vigour finisher Steve Bannister were always a threat. Elsewhere, we had shown before and scored 3 tries in quick succession experience from Danny Matthews, Aled Ellis, and Jake to win the game. Asplin ensured we kept our shape and handled well. New Similarly against Hurstpierpoint we found ourselves 17-15 boys Nat Thomas and Adam Churton, both players with down with minutes to go. A late rally saw us score under the pace, came on well during the matches. posts to secure victory. In our last game we played Royal Hospital. We needed to win as it looked likely that Abingdon KING’S WORCESTER SEVENS would win all of their other matches, and the team with most GROUP MATCHES wins would go through followed by the team with most ELLESMERE 47 LOUGHBOROUGH 7 scores. We ground out a victory, having gone a try down, ELLESMERE 43 WARWICK 12 and squeezed through the group stages. ELLESMERE 29 BROMSGROVE 7 In years gone by winning the group was always something QUARTER FINAL difficult, and this was no exception, although we had expected ELLESMERE 26 CHELTENHAM 14 to do it in style. It was still pleasing to win through the group 2 SEMI FINAL years in succession. We knew beforehand that we stood a fair ELLESMERE 19 COLSTON’S 7 chance of facing Wellington at the end of the day, which would always be a tricky encounter. Unfortunately our poor showing FINAL during the day seemed to have drained our confidence and ELLESMERE 19 BROMSGROVE 19 although we scored first we were never in the game. We failed BROMSGROVE WON IN EXTRA TIME to re-gather the next start, when they lined up with 6 players to WITH FIRST SCORE WINS RULE the right of the kicker and we remained in our usual formation! The ball went with the wind downfield and we gave away a 5m Another excellent outing saw Ellesmere in fine form in the scrum from which they scored. Later, when we scored again, group stages. Notable victories against Loughbrough, we failed to catch their kick-off and instantly gave them a try. Warwick and Bromsgrove set us up as favourites, having Without us troubling them too much they were able to bring on topped the toughest group. The quarter-final against the subs with the game won, and we trudged off at the end a Cheltenham was one of the more difficult games against a very disappointed side. very tight defence, but once through that we were up against What happened to a really efficient, effective side? In the end Colston’s, a forward-orientated team and, although we had we went out to a good side, but they were some way short of little ball, what we did get we used well and scored out wide. Sedburgh whom we played in the North of England semi-final, We waited until 7 pm for the Final under lights. We had lost and our form was a long way short of previous tournaments. James Farrell, while Bromsgrove had gained a star player We looked tired as though we were drained of energy. This unavailable earlier on. In a tremendous game that swung showed in the tries conceded in the group games. We fell off one way and then the other we came back from 19-12 down tackles, missing many. We failed to cover each other properly to level the scores. Into sudden death and we had to kick off. in the middle and tries began in this area. By playing a We tackled and eventually won the ball back only to knock- sweeper rather than opposite wing covering back, we asked on. “Scrum Bromsgrove” and several phases of play later, a more work of everyone covering across, but as our group try in the corner and victory to Bromsgrove. game pitch was a postage stamp this seemed reasonable – During this tournament we played some of our best Sevens and anyway all the top teams played a sweeper. so far. It began against Warwick (Daily Mail Cup Finalists) with all their players available. We handled the ball with James Farrell and Danny Matthews were as effective as ever confidence, retained possession and scored out wide. We and James King showed good form in the group games. were well-organised and ensured that we lined up with pace Unfortunately, on a bleak freezing cold day with a biting wind, men on both wings. we lost our previous bounce and swagger and never quite Another confident outing in which we saw further performed. improvements. Now for the big test: Rosslyn Park. PAG 82 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
U16 Sevens Report This was a very frustrating season of Rugby Our next opponents were Warwick, a very good rugby 7’s for the U16 age group. We were down to school, who had won all of their group games and play in three different tournaments, but done so in some style and were also one of the eventually only played in one, due to bad favourites to win the tournament overall. We did not weather and rearranged fixtures. The let this get to us though and begun the match very tournament we did enter was a big event down well, competing in the face of the stronger opposition, at London Irish RUFC, with many top schools we more than held our ground against them and were from around the country competing. unfortunate to concede two tries in the first half, We were in a group of three in the qualifying which made the score 12-0 at half time. The second stages and had to ensure we won at least one half was very close, we could have scored on a of our two games to progress to the next couple of occasions and were in the opponents faces round. We unfortunately lost our first game 12- throughout, which they did not like and which 5, in a very close game that saw a try to win subsequently led to them getting frustrated, we were the game awarded to the opposition, which the better team in the second half and although we was dubious at best. We did not let this defeat lost the match 12-0, could hold our heads up high get us down and prepared for our next match, after a good performance. To reach the last 16 of a against King Edward VI school, we played some good attacking rugby and defended our tournament that had all of the top schools in the lines well, we ran in three tries and converted country attending was a good achievement. Well one of these to make the final score 17-0 to us done to all of the boys who competed, they know who and therefore book our passage into the last they are and good luck for the future. 16 of the tournament. ILR
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U15 Rugby Sevens Report 2007 The Sevens programme began in the customary way with a However their better handling allowed them to score a visit to the Adams’ Newport Sevens. couple of tries in the second period and our challenge died As usual the Ellesmere team entered the competition in the away. true Corinthian spirit, having spent next to no time practising Moving into the Plate Competition we found ourselves up Sevens! In the first game against the host school our against St David’s. In a game that form would have inexperience was clear for all to see as we went down by 5 suggested that we should win at a canter we allowed tries to 1. However, the game did give the chance for ourselves to be hustled out of it, keeping possession of the everyone to play a half and so begin to learn the game. In ball for only a few moments at a time before an unforced the brief gap between matches, some basic coaching error or poor judgement led us to take the ball into contact produced a more organised display, and in our second and lose it to physically bigger boys. Despite the match against Birkenhead School we were much the better exhortations of the coach we were unable to adapt our play outfit and won by 22-7. The third group match was against Prince Henry’s from Evesham, a school with a strong rugby and went down 0–7. Due to inclement weather no further reputation. We played some of our best Sevens and won by tournaments were played. 17-12, which was a little more comfortable than it sounds, Team from: since they only scored their second try with the last move of J Maddock-James, O Dodds, G Bilbrough, M Bielby, the match. The final game of the group stage was against A Coubrough, A Sesay, M Jones, J Cole, F Anderson, the eventual group winners, Rydal. We competed well for the J Webb first half and at half time it was anyone’s game. MDTS
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Unfortunately Ellesmere only took part in one Sevens the Plate semi-final, we finally won a very close game 19-14. tournament, hosted by Adams Grammar in Newport. The This meant that we were to play a strong team from St. results were not very good; however, the boys certainly David’s. Having only 7 fit players meant that we had no made a huge improvement and need to make sure that this reserves and 7 very tired players who played their hearts continues next year. Taking the ball into contact seemed to out. At the end of full time the scores were 26-26. Sudden be our main problem, and also missing first-time tackles. death and we were attacking and getting closer to the try Our first game on a freezing cold afternoon was against line, but unfortunately lost the ball in contact and they were Adams’ where we lost 14-19. Picking up a few injuries, and able to pick the ball up and score after a 60m run. Final also losing Will Goodwin to ill health, before the first game score 26-31. did not help matters and we were taught a lesson against Team: Leicester losing 7- 24. There were yet more injuries when S. Phillips, H. Wignall, D. Thomas, J. Taylor, B. Phillips, we were to face a good side from Bishop Vesey’s, where W. Goodwin, Phillips, G. Baxter (captain), G. Cave, we went down 12-28. B. Brooks, J.Whittles Having to beat Rydal in the last of the pool games to make CC
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1ST XI Boys’ Hockey Season Review 2007
Fixtures & Results The pre-season was well disciplined and the use of the astro at RAF Shawbury enabled many sessions to be played on Wrekin College Lost 4-1 the astro and this really improved the touch of the team and Deeside Ramblers Drew 2-2 their ability to work set plays. The season kicked-off against Shrewsbury School Lost 6-1 Wrekin who are usually the end of season opposition. The Denstone cancelled team in hindsight was probably not ready for such a challenge and although a Wrekin second team should have Squad: turned out, changes meant that the fixture was against a st nd P Daborn (Captain), A Wacker, J Beil, B Butler, T Davies, mixture of their 1 and 2 players and this was the I Disspain, A Deller, N Thomas, S Lewis, S Corran. difference in the game. The game started with early Wrekin pressure but the Ellesmere defence held strong with Nat J Denham, C Pickering, A Whittle, A Burley, P Gorman, Thomas and Peter Daborn working really hard to take the A Higgins, J Barlett. ball out of the Ellesmere half. At times the team was naïve and several quick plays by Wrekin saw the team split by The remains of the previous season’s group welcomed some excellent passing and at half time Ellesmere found some new blood into the squad this season. The themselves 3-0 down. appearance of Jack Bartlett and Nat Thomas along with The second half started in much the same way with Alex Deller and others enhanced the team and much can continued pressure on the back four. However the team be said for their ability and dedication to the cause. worked more cohesively to deny Wrekin the room they With Peter Daborn captaining the team the formation was had been given in the first half. A great bit of individual made up of Jack Barlett in goal, ably protected by a solid skill saw Nat Thomas pick the ball up from the Wrekin 16 hit and dribble round three players before placing a back of Lewis, Pickering, Disspain, Burley and Davies. perfectly weighted shot into the far corner of the goal The 5-man midfield was well marshalled by Daborn and away from the advancing keeper. Wrekin scored again at Thomas assisted by Beil, Whittle and Butler. The front two the end of the game and the result was never really in Andreas Wacker and Patrick Gorman gave many attacking doubt. Throughout the game Jack Bartlett made a string options with the remaining squad members playing in a of incredible saves and was the main reason why the variety of roles as and when the team needed them. result was kept to what it was. 86 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
A special mention must go to Sam Corran who was playing his first match in goal and was awarded the man of the match award by the Shrewsbury coach as Sam made several high class saves to keep the score down to a minimum. It is appropriate that I make special mention of the team captain Peter Daborn. Peter has played for the 1st XI since Year 9 and has been an integral part in the growth and popularity of boy’s hockey within the School. Peter has always approached the game with the right attitude and has been a great asset to have in the team over the past five years. I would like to wish him and all the upper sixth pupils within the team the best for the future and hope that they will come back and play in the OE’s games as the years go by. Captain Peter Daborn attempted another spectacular It has been an enjoyable season shot against the Ramblers. which is all down to the effort and commitment that the squad has The second fixture against Denstone was somewhat shown towards every training session and every match. I disappointing. A communication error from Denstone would like to thank the ground staff for their hard work and resulted in them changing the proposed date for the fixture efforts through the season and a big thank you to Dr but they failed to inform Ellesmere. On arrival we realized Chatterjee for all his hard work, dedication and support for they were not expecting us but we made use of their men’s hockey at Ellesmere. facilities and had a practice game against some of the SBM boarders – which was very sporting on their behalf. The traditional game against the Deeside Ramblers provided Ellesmere with a stiff test and a very competitive and highly enjoyable game resulted in Ellesmere drawing 2-2 with the goals coming from Patrick Gorman and Peter Daborn. This was the 20 something year of this ever popular fixture and one which both teams look forward to. My thanks to John Heath and all at the Ramblers for their continuous support and great enthusiasm in these fixtures – may there be many more and maybe one day it will be on our own astro pitch!! A game against Shrewsbury Sixth form was a very significant test with Shrewsbury having some very talented County players and having been national champions the previous year. The game started slowly but the threats came from Shrewsbury. Several key runs saw Ellesmere panic in defence and gave Shrewsbury the chance to get ahead. The score soon went to 2-0 with a well- rehearsed short corner routine. However just before the end of the first half some excellent one -touch passing saw a great move finished with a calmly taken goal by Patrick Gorman and this really surprised Shrewsbury who assumed the game was already over. The Ellesmere team failed to match this type of play throughout the second half and the quality and calibre of the opposition came to the fore. Four more goals were added in a one -sided second half with Ellesmere unable to put together Charlie “the terrier” Pickering showing determined any real threat. defending against 2 Deeside Ramblers attackers 87 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
2nd XI Boys’ Hockey Results The first match showed a team under development and Shrewsbury v Ellesmere 5-1 simple errors being made. The second match saw better Wrekin v Ellesmere 4-0 positional awareness and confidence. The score could Denstone Cancelled have been in our favour if we had taken the chances North Shropshire Tournament (7 a-side) 3rd Place offered. Goal shooting is definitely the main focus of practice for next season! Frances Killick played well in Wrekin v Ellesmere 4-3 midfield, distributing the ball well. Chris von Hoven and Deeside Ramblers v Ellesmere 5-1 Giles Bilbrough played solid games and were well The 2nd XIs were a development squad, with many players supported by a rampaging Harry Hughes. Always the making their hockey debut this year. The core of the team highlight of the season is our game against the old boys of consisted of year 10’s with a few experienced year 11’s to Deeside Ramblers. Sam Eaton scored early in the game to lead them. With limited access to astro turf, the team were level the score at 1-1. James Walker played a strong always going to struggle, as all games are now played on midfield game, defending well and then being in on the this surface. The season started off at Shrewsbury, where attack. Sean Johnson, Martin Tatchell and Tom Newman creditable performances were put in by the captain Charlie finished their season with their best performances. Jack Butt who scored with a strong hit at the keeper which left Hart showed his versatility by being able to cover 3 him floundering. Goalkeeper David Anders-Richards played different positions as players were subbed. Although the well against some fast and hard hitting opponents, but even 2nds were not victorious, they learnt a lot and were always with the help of new players George Brown and Oliver enthusiastic. Thanks for a great season lads. Dodds in defence, it was not enough. The two Wrekin Well done. matches could not have been more different Charlie Butt & Dr R Chatterjee
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1st XI Football This has been another positive year for Ellesmere Football. Apart from one match we competed well and lost matches We have fielded eleven teams during the term and over one by the odd goal or drew, winning only three of our twelve hundred boys have represented the school. fixtures. However we now have a good structure in place Although the 1st X1 had a difficult season in terms of results, and the standard of football continues to improve. their attitude towards training and representing the school was excellent. We were strong at 2nd eleven, U15, and U13, winning 75% of our fixtures. Our U12s showed good st progress and our U11 team reached the semi final of the 1 Eleven Awards Ellesmere Tournament going out on sudden death penalties Players Player: Bradley Claxton to the eventual winners. Golden Boot (Top Scorer): Mark Pearson The highlight of the 1st X1 season came against Shrewsbury Sixth Form 2nds. They of course are one of the strongest Full Colours: teams in our area and have in recent years increased the Charles Chambers (re-awarded), Bradley Claxton, quality of the team which visits us. They showed their Alex Dunne (re-awarded), Nick Evans, Tom Burrows, standard and Adam Beech, our goalkeeper, pulled of a string of saves to keep us in the match. After absorbing the early John Steggles pressure, we broke out from defence. Good work by Captain, Alex Dunne, set Stephen Johnson away on the right. He Half Colours: squared to Mark Pearson who laid the ball on for Dunne. He Stephen Johnson, James Jarvis, Tom Bohn, Adam Beech, rounded the last defender who pulled him down, conceding Lewis Wantling, Matthew Burrows, Mark Pearson, the penalty. Pearson stepped forward and made no mistake. Sound defensive work meant that we retained our lead for an Sam McElwee, Freddie Nevel impressive win. DJM
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U15 Football
Strength and Depth in Outstanding Squad Denstone (away) The A team 2-1 loss The B team 4-2 victory The Under 15s provided further evidence of the continuing The A team played 95% of the game in the opposition half, improvement in the strength of Ellesmere College’s football. on a waterlogged pitch. Denstone scored on the break Next season, senior team selection will be made even harder beating a sound offside trap, their second coming from a by the addition of this crop of talented players. In training the squad had a faultless attitude, putting in full effort on their goalmouth scramble following a rebound off a freekick shot. skills and fitness. During matches, all players showed a high A goal from Dapling midway through the second half made work rate, good pressure on the ball to win possession, for a tense and ultimately frustrating end to the game. strong aerial ability and a calm temperament under pressure The B team adopted a route one, “we’ll score more than you” born of sound technical ability. Our defenders dispossessed plan, as the ground was too muddy for a passing game and attackers freely, wide players showed lots of pace and the ability to take the ball past the opposition, our midfield so easy to slip on that defending could not be relied upon. commanded and our strikers finished efficiently. A player of Ali made a valiant appearance, especially as he had to play the season would be impossible to pick from Cole, much of the game one handed due to having to hold up his Coubrough, and McElwee, as they all played with such shorts when the elastic on them snapped! The difference consistency and influence. between the teams eventually proved to be in the form of Bedstone (away) 3-2 victory Jones, who won every free ball going in midfield and who On a dreadful pitch every player worked hard to secure a 3-2 then consistently released McElwee, who impressively victory, with outstanding defending from Clutton and goals scored 4 goals on the break with the ball sticking underfoot. from Jones and Dapling (2). Concorde (home) 4-0 victory Wolverhampton (home) 4-2 loss In our final game we played Concorde at home. The game Against a strong Wolverhampton team at home, Sesay and had the air of an exhibition match as the players put the Coubrough caused lots of problems with their speed, with talents they had shown throughout the season to effective Anderson, Maddocks and Cole also impressing. McElwee headed in a Coubrough cross, and Cole scored from the use. Rowland, Davies (2) and McElwee scored. penalty when Coubrough was fouled. PIR
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U14 Football For his first term in charge the coach had inherited the U14 The third game of the season saw us away at Kingsmead. team. From the outset this was to be a challenging term. We had 14 players for this game. We began well. We were attacking at every opportunity down the flanks with some Our first game was at home against Sandbach. For this excellent work from George Cave and Sam Phillips. Our game we were able to field a full 11 players with substitutes midfield, Callum Booth and Alex Owen were competing well as well, a luxury we would not always have for the whole and linking well with Sean Lomax up front. We always looked term. We began well and competed across all areas of the like scoring and did so through Booth and this made the half field. Our defence held off some good Sandbach attacks, time score 1-0 to us. The second half saw us continuing to with Hugh Wignall and Will Goodwin keeping the Sandbach play attacking football and we scored a second through Cave forwards at bay. In the midfield Alex Owen and Dom Ellis to make it 2-0. Then the game changed, a dubious penalty were linking well with Ben Brookes, who was playing in a decision against Hugh Wignall brought the score to 2-1. Our free role just off Dan Thomas. We had some decent half concentration went after this and Kingsmead got back into chances in the first half and with a bit more luck we could the game and equalised. There were now 10 minutes of the have scored. Unfortunately Sandbach scored just before half game left and both sides were tiring, which lead to gaps time and so we went in at half time 1-0 down. The second appearing. Kingsmead took advantage of this and beat the half saw George Cave come on. Again we started well, with offside trap to score a third goal two minutes from the end. some good attacking play from Cave down the right flank. This was how the game finished, a disappointing game to However, we couldn’t score and this proved to be our lose, however definitely the best we had played so far this downfall, as the half progressed we began to tire and this term. Final score 3-2 Kingsmead. allowed Sandbach to score two late goals, to make the final Our next game was another away game, this time at score 3-0, a disappointing end to the game. Denstone. Due to players pulling out at the last minute we had just 11 players. The game was played in awful The next game was an away fixture at Wolverhampton conditions, wind and rain at times and a pitch so muddy the Grammar School. This was a tough encounter. We had 12 players were sinking into it! We played fairly well in the first players in all, including some new players. From the outset half and attempted to play some passing football in awful Wolverhampton were the better team and promptly scored conditions. Either team could have scored but it was five goals in the first half; we didn’t play well and gifted them Denstone who eventually scored the opener to make the half some of these goals. Half time score 5-0 to Wolverhampton. time score 1-0 to them. For the second half we were a man The second half saw us compete a bit more and attempt to down due to injury and had to play with only 10 men. This play some football. However, Wolverhampton were too actually made us play better and we were the better team in strong and scored three more goals. Well done to Ben this half, playing some entertaining attacking football at Brookes in this game, who didn’t stop running in the first half times. We scored an equaliser through George Cave and we when we were up against it. Final score 8-0 Wolverhampton. then should have gone on to win.
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Cave had another chance to make it 2-1, he had beaten the Old Ellesmerians Match keeper, shot for goal and the ball would have gone in had it not stuck in the mud. A frustrating afternoon and a game we Ellesmere College 3 OEs 2 should have won. Final score 1-1 draw. In a match played in near arctic conditions and with The fifth game of the season was at home to Abbeygate. We hailstones blinding the referee, J.Morgan Esq, it was good were again short of players due to last minute cry-offs and to hear the final whistle. However, despite the atrocious subsequently had to borrow a couple of U15B players to weather it was an entertaining and at times comic match. make up a team. We played poorly in the first half and were Charles Coates assembled a line-up of ageing, bulging and 4-0 down at half time. The second half actually saw us start (apparently) not quite sober players. Charles, who to play a bit more and we were the better team in the second captained the 1st Team, led his team well and kept up a half, however we couldn’t score and this allowed Abbeygate barrage of abuse (most of it deserved) for the referee. All to score a fifth goal with the last kick of the game. A the OEs played a role of sorts. Hugh Adams, former Captain disappointing game. Final score 5-0. of School and rugby dynamo, played an outstanding game The last game of the season was at home to Stafford in defence and was probably the most reliable player on the Grammar school. Again we were short of players. We began pitch. John Upton played well in midfield and up front well and played some good football as did Stafford and good Jordan Halstead looked fit. The OEs actually took the lead work from our defensive unit of Hugh Wignall, Jamie when Coates’ free kick was spilled by our keeper and Whittles, Ben Seeney and James Sambrook-Jones kept Jordan was on hand to force in the rebound. Meanwhile them at bay for long periods of the first half. In midfield Alex somewhere out on the right wing Ollie Munday (or some Owen ran all day and harassed the opposition at every other ageing star, we can’t believe Ollie could have become opportunity. We didn’t look like conceding any goals, that slow in less than a year of leaving school) begged in however in the last 10 minutes of the half a couple of lapses in concentration allowed Stafford to score two quick goals. vain for any passes, although when they did come his way Half time score 2-0 Stafford. In the second half we were he could usually be found to be running in the opposite disallowed a goal, their linesmen had not been watching to direction. The Barker brothers were living proof that there is see if the ball had crossed the line in a goal-mouth scramble, life after leaving school but just not life as we recognize it. Stafford players later said it had. This was a huge Ollie spent most of the time fetching the ball when it had disappointment for us as it could have seen us get back into mysteriously passed him and gone out for another throw. In the game. Two minutes after this they scored their third goal goal Patrick made a few good saves before letting in the to make it 3-0. Our concentration went after this and we winner, a header from Sam McElwee that slipped through never really got back into the game, subsequently Stafford Patrick’s legs, although TV replays showed that the referee scored three more goals making the final score 6-0. A was actually not watching the game at all but altering his disappointing end to the season. watch so there would be less time to play. James Edwards Overall the team have developed well as the season and Cole Marley kept going for the OEs and Will Hockenhull progressed and should have gained a lot of experience from was involved in a lot of their attacks. Ollie Nevel showed the games that they played. I wish them all the best for the why his footballing career has never really flourished future and also wish to thank the players who regularly outside Ellesmere. The second OE goal and equalizer came played throughout the term, they know who they are. Also a from Ollie Barker who was unlucky later with another special thank you to Mr Tim Bongers for helping in the chance. For the College, Freddie Nevel scored twice and coaching sessions and refereeing all the home games. Rob Coates fitted in well in his first match for the 1sts. Most Squad from: of the players spent their time begging Mr.Morgan to end O.D.Brereton, B.Y.Brooks, R.C.W. Fletcher, W.J.Goodwin, the game which he finally did. He would have blown up B.Lingard-Lane, S.G.Lomax, A.J.Owen, S.A.Phillips, earlier but his lips had frozen solid. We all thank the OEs for B.H.Seeney, H.E.Wignall, C.J.Booth, G.T.Cave, J.H.Cox, traveling and giving us a good game. We hope for better D.C.Ellis, M.I.Hobbs, L.J.Ottaway, J.R.Sambrook-Jones, weather next year. D.D.R.Thomas, J.E.K.Whittles HBO ILR Senior Football House Matches, March 2007
Lewis Wantling (Talbot) beats Nick Evans ( Woodard) Meynell hit Talbot on the break with Sam Phillips, Josh Maddock-James and Josh Ford racing clear of Talbot’s Will Bevan
Mark Pearson (Meynell) shapes to bend it past keeper Adam Beech (Wakeman-Lambart
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Girls’ Netball
This years’ netball term proved to be a challenging time for 1st Senior Netball the girls at Ellesmere College. Due to the state of the courts, all teams had to use the one court in the Sports Hall for most Results of the term. A great facility to have, but having around 80 – Opposition Result Score Player of Match 100 girls training in their squads at any one time was not the Telford College Lost 18 - 10 Katie Brereton ideal situation. However, the girls remained highly motivated Oswestry School Lost 13 - 8 Tash Evans and still wanted to get the most out of their teams. Telford College Lost 28 - 24 Chloe Mitchell th Despite all the setbacks of this term, there were lots of Shrewsbury 6 Form Lost 10 - 5 Sedge Beswick positives to be taken from it. The College fielded 12 teams Rydal Lost 20 - 17 Abigail Merrill altogether: 1sts, 2nds and 3rds at Senior level and A and B Shrewsbury High Drew 17 - 17 Beth Clewlow teams at U14, U12 and U11. This meant 100-plus girls Squad: represented Ellesmere at some point over the term. Sedge Beswick (Capt) Beth Clewlow (Vice Capt), North Shropshire Tournaments were the highlight of the term Abigail Merrill, Sarah Haynes, Katie Brereton, Tash Evans, for many of our teams. They are always hotly contested with Molly Dingwall, Natalie Forgrave, Emma Johnson, around 10 schools around the County entering. Our U14s Gemma Evans performed the best and beat The Corbet School in the Final to become Champions. Our U12s, the most improved team, Even though the stats suggest we didn’t have a great this term became runners-up and lost narrowly to Moreton season, this is untrue! The 1sts this year were a young team Hall. Our 1st Team finished third in the U19 tournament and with only Abigail and Beth having played last year for the U16s were fifth. 1sts. Many of the girls had to quickly get used to the faster game at Senior level. This they did and many of the matches The 1st Team were a new and young side, a group of were even throughout and could have gone either way. In talented girls who will use this year as a basis of many we were unlucky and I believe we should have beaten development for success next year. The team was captained Rydal and Shrewsbury High. However, hopefully this was a by Sedge Beswick. She led the way both in training and on development year for many, and we will have a similar team court in the matches. Her organisational skills should be next year. commended and she proved popular with the other girls. This year our fixture list changed slightly and we decided to I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the play more traditional netball-playing schools. We enjoyed a netball this term. It wasn’t the easiest of terms but we got home and away fixture with Telford College. This match was through it with success. They all put a considerable amount evenly-matched and with some of our 2nd Team players of hard work into their teams. Thank you! Hopefully next playing for us on the away fixture we nearly beat them. I year will be easier and now that the courts have been would like to thank several of the 2nd Team players who resurfaced we will be able to enjoy another competitive played during the term – Chloe Mitchell, Steph Perrin and season of netball. Grace Kendall. Thank you very much! HLG HLG 93 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
The highlight of the term for the girls is probably the Abigail Merrill received Player of the Season triangular tournament – 1sts Netball v 1sts Rugby v Staff. Gemma Evans received both Most Improved Player and In a very competitive tournament the 1sts Netball won, Players’ Player beating the boys (who believe they lost on harsh umpiring) Full Colours were awarded to: and the staff. Playing against the girls on this occasion I Gemma Evans, Sedge Beswick, Abigail Merrill was pleased to see they played very well, and lots of the and Beth Clewlow strategies that had been drilled into them were finally been Half Colours were awarded to: used effectively! Well done! Katie Brereton, Sarah Haynes, Emma Johnson, The end-of-season meal was held at the Boat Inn and an Molly Dingwall, Natalie Forgrave and Tash Evans. enjoyable night was had by all! HLG
2nd Netball
As ever, the 2nd Seniors took their netball seriously and were in preparing for match play - the loss of court space, worked very hard in training. The usual complication existed cancelled fixtures due to weather, plus schools pulling out where U16 fixtures were to be honoured, with members of at the last minute, made it very difficult to keep the playing this squad making the team. Led superbly by Sarah-Jayne momentum, and the performances were sporadic as a Edwards as Captain and backed up by Chloe Mitchell, this result. squad of very able players snapped at the heels of the 1st Nevertheless, this group of athletes were a pleasure to Team all through the season. work with and many will be missed when they leave, as The group gelled as a unit, and everyone communicated well they led by example. Good luck to those girls in the Upper both on and off the court. On many occasions the 1st Team Sixth who move on and I look forward to next season with were pressed very hard to play their best in training those of the squad who move up the school. I am confident sessions. The team were keen to add extra training into the that those girls moving up to play next year will take up the week to improve and this again is very much to their credit. standards set by the girls in the Upper Sixth this year. Laura Bernhofer and Chloe Mitchel improved in their play so Squad: much throughout the season and should be given credit for Sarah-Jane Edwards ( Captain ), Chloe Mitchell, Sarah Lowe, their performances in the Oswestry and Rydal Penrhos Nin Cooper, Tess Fawcett, Sophie Thomas, Grace Kendall, matches. Laura Bernhofer, Steph Perrin, Steph Platt, Ashley Whittle However, no matter how committed the team and coach SO 94 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
3rd Netball This season the girls demonstrated a massive amount of Ably led by Pippa Ricket, the team had several debutants commitment and came on in leaps and bounds during the for the team, namely Zehra, Caroline and Garnet. Our term. There were several girls who had never even played European contingent performed well and between them, netball before making a really positive contribution. In the Zehra and Caroline scored all our goals. Worthy of one fixture we had against Old Swinford Hospital, although particularly mention too was Leonie, who, even though the girls were not victorious on this occasion, they certainly wearing trainers two sizes too small, played as if her life did themselves proud. At no stage did they give up against depended on it and really made a big difference to our a stronger team and, at times, actually took the game to the overall performance. opposition. RJM
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Under 15 Netball
Results The team had a disappointing result against Dinas Bran v Stafford Grammar School won 12-6 (16-22), with the score not reflecting their efforts and v Dinas Bran lost 16-22 performance. Within the final quarter the girls lost their composure, leading to basic errors and a loss. However, the v Oswestry School won 20-6 loss against Shrewsbury High School was very close and v Rydal Penrhos won 35-5 exciting, as Ellesmere took the lead early but allowed the v Shrewsbury High School lost 14-16 opposition to equalise each time. Basic passing errors within Ellesmere’s game in the final quarter allowed Shrewsbury to gain the upper hand in the final minutes. The U15 team had a good season, winning the majority of their matches. They obtained an easy victory over Stafford Nevertheless the girls achieved good results, and were very Grammar School (12-6), with Emily Wicks playing a unlucky not to accomplish an unbeaten season. Captain’s match. Other good wins were achieved against Emily Wicks (Captain), Charlotte Lewis, Oswestry School (20-6) and Rydal Penrhos (35-5). Ailsa Sophie Greensmith, Holly Liversage, Tania Renner, Jackland’s shooting and Holly Liversage’s defending were Chloe Minshaw, Zoe Haynes, Ailsa Jackland, Becky Britton key components in these victories. HLG
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The U14s had an excellent season, winning all matches but one, and becoming North Shropshire Champions. Throughout the season the team dominated their matches, with dangerous advance in attack and quick interceptions in defence. The season started with Stafford Grammar School. Having several skills needing development, the team still obtained a comfortable victory winning 13-8. Excellent defending by Lucy Harrington and Viola Grosvenor, and superb shooting by Lucy Forgrave and Zoe Evans, ensured the sizeable victory in the next two matches. The team beat Dinas Bran 16-3 and Oswestry School 16-5; however, with closer marking, the lead could have been extended further in both matches. Ellesmere started slowly against a very able Shrewsbury High School team and missed several scoring opportunities. Towards the closing minutes, they managed to reduce the U14 Season Summary score deficit, but were unlucky to equalise within the remaining time, Results and lost 10-15. v Stafford Grammar School won 13-8 Ellesmere started slowly against a v Dinas Bran won 16-3 very able Shrewsbury High School v Oswestry School won 16-5 team and missed several scoring v Shrewsbury High School lost 10-15 opportunities. Towards the closing v Rydal Penrhos won 19-15 minutes, they managed to reduce the score deficit, but were unlucky to North Shropshire Tournament – winners equalise within the remaining time, and lost 10-15. Regardless of the loss it was still a very good score, and the girls went into their last game of the season optimistically. Although it appeared a close victory beating Rydal Penrhos 19-15, the team were not playing to their full potential. They allowed the opposition to catch up every time they took the lead; however, as the final minutes approached, Captain Emily Lewis made sure that they maintained their strong unity. The team finished their season by winning the North Shropshire Tournament. The matches were very exciting to watch and performed at a very high standard. Opponents included Sir John Talbot (won 5-0), Marches (won 7-2), Moreton Hall (semi-final won 4-2) and Corbet (final won 5-3). Emily Lewis (Captain), Lucy Harrington, Viola Grosvenor, Stephanie Newport-Booth, Lydia Lam, Sophie Halstead, Zoe Evans, Lucy Forgrave, Mel Evans, Carys Fieldhouse AP 97 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Double Champions North Shropshire Rounders Tournaments The U14s had an outstanding season, winning both the The U14 team reached the semi-final, beating teams such North Shropshire Netball and Hockey Tournaments. as Marches, Oswestry School and Grove. Zoe Evans Following an excellent netball season came an exciting and worked consistently throughout, asserting her dominance nail-biting tournament. Ellesmere warmed up nicely in their as a key player in the field. The Final against Moreton Hall first 2 games, defeating Sir John Talbot 5-0 and Marches 7- was exhilarating as Ellesmere raised their game to lay to 2. However, they started slowly against Corbet, resulting in a professional standard. Tactical bowling led to excellent a tighter match. Ellesmere acquired a goal deficit, but catches in the deep, and exceptional diving catches at slip picked up their game to dominate the second half. The from Carys Fieldhouse. The team were unlucky not to win team nearly equalised, but were unlucky not to do so and but gave their opponents the most demanding match of lost marginally (5-6). the day. During the semi-final round they met Moreton Hall, who Unfortunately, both U12 and U13 tournaments were scored the first 2 goals in the opening minutes. postponed due to bad weather. The U13s defeated strong However, Captain Emily Lewis motivated her team to turn opponents such as Moreton Hall, Sir John Talbot and the game around. Marches, with Joanne Bowen claiming top batsman and They worked cohesively as a unit and applied pressure Sarah Wicks best fielder. The team played exceptionally throughout, forcing Moreton to make mistakes. Important well throughout and although they had only played 3 games defensive interceptions by Viola Grosvenor and Lucy they had already obtained enough points to win their group Harrington initiated the attacking play, and first-class and reach the Final. shooting by Zoe Evans and Lucy Forgrave resulted in a 4-2 Similarly the U12s team easily won all 3 of their matches victory. against Lakelands, Thomas Adams and Corbet. They won In the final, Ellesmere faced Corbet for the second time, but their group table with a game in hand and thus would have this time the girls were keen to take the lead. Every time proceeded to the Final. Harriet and Olivia Jones batted and the team scored a goal, they were rallied to score another. fielded extremely well throughout, and Captain Katy They were assertive in regaining possession, and Leicester motivated her team to victory. exceptional defending linked with precise shooting resulted AP in an exciting Final and a great win for Ellesmere. AP
Hockey Champions Following the girl’s undefeated Hockey season, they entered the North Shropshire Hockey Tournament with high expectations of winning. The team worked hard in the first three games; ensuring plentiful goals, beating Marches 3-0, Grove 2-0, and Lakelands 4-0. Captain Zoe Evans, Emily Lewis and Viola Grosvenor were key players in ensuring a high work -rate throughout all matches. They allowed Ellesmere to break down any opposing advancement and dominate the play throughout the centre of the pitch. The next match, against Oswestry School, resulted in a 1-0 victory. Regardless of maintaining possession in the Oswestry half throughout the game, and countless penalty corners, Ellesmere were unlucky not to score several more goals. However, the girls were saving themselves for the next match against their toughest opponents, Moreton Hall. Again Ellesmere dominated with most of the possession, with Stephanie Newport-Booth and Sophie Halstead making rapidly direct advancements at the Moreton goal. Moreton also had opportunities to score, but the Ellesmere defence intercepted well, keeping the score 1-0. Yr 7 and 8 girls enjoying themselves at the With their Double Champions title emerging, the girls went North Shropshire Rounders Tournament despite the rain into their last game confidently, and a comfortable 3-0 win against SJT ensured that they won the tournament 7 points clear. Ellesmere were the only team to win all their matches in the tournament, which resulted in a perfect ending to their undefeated season. AP
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Summer Term Cricket
1st XI Cricket Report 2007
Team (from): A.H. Whittle* (Captain), P.M. Daborn*, June 29th MCC – no play rain M.J. Burrows+, G. Forgrave+, K. Nagpal+, L.S. Wantling+, J. Bartlett, T.J. Courage, H. McElwee, T.R. Davies, A. Khan, July 2nd Bloxham – played as 20-over match J.M. Maddock-James, A.J.Wantling. See limited overs results * 1st XI Colours + Half Colours rd Results: July 3 Worksop 119 – 1 (A Wantling 1-49) Played 6 Won 3 Lost 2 Drawn 1 Abandoned 5 Ellesmere th Rain - match abandoned as a draw May 5 Liverpool – no play th May 12 Birkenhead 266 - 8 (M Burrows 2-41) July 4th Hurtspierpoint – no play rain Ellesmere 64 all out (M Burrows 18) Lost by 202 runs July 6th Gents of Shropshire 102 all out May 19th Ellesmere 49 all out (M Burrows 11) (Forgrave 6-21) Wrekin 51 - 3 (Forgrave 2-8) Ellesmere 103 -3 (M Burrows 60*) Lost by 7 wkts Won by 7 wkts th May 20 Old Ellesmerians 231 - 8 dec (Daborn 2-51) Senior Batting Cup: Ellesmere 232 - 4 (Whittle 65, L Wantling 65, M J Burrows 166 runs Daborn 44*) Senior Bowling Cup: Won by 6 wkts G Forgrave 10 wickets th June 9 Ellesmere 209 - 6 dec (M Burrows 77, Senior House match: L Wantling 42) Woodard Rydal 150 all out (M Burrows 5-25) Won by 59 runs Junior House match: Meynell June 16th Newcastle-under-Lyme – no play rain
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The best performance of the season was in the final match against the Gentlemen of Shropshire. It took place on the last Friday of term, shortly after the team had returned early from a rain-ruined festival at Bloxham. The pitch was green and still quite damp, and favoured the seam bowlers. With the Gents of Shropshire batting first Jack Bartlett and George Forgrave used the early conditions expertly, swinging the ball to good effect, and after 9 overs the Gents were 17-3 having lost their top 3 Shropshire League players, including the Oswestry professional Warwick Fynn. After the opening bowlers were replaced the bowling, especially from Peter Daborn, remained tight but the Gents were able to progress to 83-4 by lunch. Bartlett and Forgrave were not brought back into the attack until immediately after lunch, when Bartlett dismissed top-scorer Gough for 41 and then Forgrave mopped up the tail, finishing with 6-21 to bowl the Gents out for just 102. Saturday June 16th - another wet Saturday! Warwick Fynn then proceeded to bowl unchanged at one end for the Gents, while Ellesmere chased down The weather made the season very difficult, but the senior the target. The new ball again swung prodigiously and Alex batsmen generally failed to match pre-season expectations. Whittle, the Captain, was caught behind without scoring. The only 2 batsmen to make progress during the season Lewis Wantling followed but had stayed long enough to see were Matthew Burrows and Lewis Wantling, otherwise a the shine off the new ball, although Peter Daborn was lack of concentration at crucial times often led to dismissed for 0 to leave Ellesmere on 30-3. Earlier in the unnecessary dismissals. The 2 Indians Khasagra Nagpal season at critical moments in the game the middle-order and Adnan Khan worked hard to cope with especially batting had collapsed, but this time Matthew Burrows was difficult English conditions, but never found batting easy, joined by Joshua Maddock-James, still an U15 player. although Nagpal was able to demonstrate his ability as There was plenty of time to score the runs and both players wicketkeeper to good effect and Adnan scored a fine half- made sure that they first played themselves in, especially century for the 2nd XI. ensuring that Fynn did not make any further breakthroughs, before eventually taking control and winning the game The seam bowling might have been expected to prosper in without further loss. a season dominated by wet wickets, and indeed George Forgrave did take 10 wickets at only 13 apiece. Peter The rest of the season will largely be remembered for the Daborn bowled steadily without penetration, Jack Bartlett rain that seemed to fall every day with 5 matches st also bowled well showing the merits of good line and abandoned. Between May 21 and the match against the length, but elsewhere the bowlers who were all capable of Gents on July 6th only one all-day match was played! At producing good spells often relaxed the pressure by the Bloxham festival the match on the first day was reduced bowling too many wides and no-balls. One of the problems to a 20-over match late in the afternoon and the following seems to be that, as players progress through the school, day only 23 overs were bowled in the match against matches are rarely longer than 30 overs and often shorter. Worksop before torrential rain ended play. The teams Bowlers bowl short spells and often arrive at the 1st XI departed early on the third day as there was no prospect of without having developed their action into a steady groove any play. through the regular habit of bowling in matches. It is The XI won 2 other matches during the season. They had therefore becoming increasingly important that players a comfortable victory over Rydal Penrhos, when Matthew expecting to bowl in Senior cricket spend time developing Burrows had an outstanding game by first scoring 77 and their action in the nets during the winter, so that they can then bowling a fine spell to finish off the Rydal innings with bowl more than one spell in the longer matches that are 5-25. An excellent run chase against the Old Ellesmerians, played at this level. who had scored 231-8, was set up by a fine opening partnership of 154 by Alex Whittle and Lewis Wantling who The 2007 team was a young side, and although they were each scored 65. Peter Daborn then added 44 not out to see restricted by the weather to a limited number of matches, Ellesmere to a convincing 6-wicket victory. all played in difficult conditions. Nine of the team who played against the Gentlemen of Shropshire return next However, there were also two very heavy defeats, one year. They have seen what is required to be successful, but against Birkenhead and the other against Wrekin. In each bowlers will be punished if they bowl short and wide, while case the batsmen were unable to deal with one bowler on cameo innings of 20 or 30 from the batsmen are not the day. Against Wrekin the South African Snyman came sufficient to build match- winning totals. on to bowl with the score at 23-1 and took 5 wickets for just 5 runs in 7 overs, 4 of which were bowled with yorkers. My thanks go to Chris Morrison for umpiring all our Against Birkenhead the week before Ellesmere seemed to matches during the term, to Ian Morris and his ground staff be comfortably placed at 44-2, with rain forcing an early tea for their work preparing grounds both for practice and and seemingly an early end to the match. However, the rain matches often to see them then unused, and of course to stopped, play resumed, and Hurst took 4 wickets for 3 runs Colin Cawcutt for all his hard work with the team. in just 4 overs as the side collapsed to 64 all out. PJH 100 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
1st XI Cricket Averages 2007 1st XI Cricket Averages 2007 All day matches Limited overs matches Batting Batting Name Inns n.o. Runs h.s. 50 Average Name Inns n.o. Runs h.s. Average Burrows M 4 1 166 77 2 55.33 Burrows M 5 2 81 25 27.00 Wantling L 4 0 125 65 1 31.25 Wantling L 5 1 87 31 21.75 Courage 4 2 46 17* 23.00 Whittle 4 0 77 39 19.25 Whittle 5 0 102 65 1 20.40 Wantling A 2 1 14 7* 14.00 Daborn 5 1 56 44* 14.00 Courage 2 0 21 19 10.50 Nagpal 3 1 16 13* 8.00 Maddock-James 2 0 18 18 9.00 Forgrave 4 1 16 15* 5.33 Nagpal 3 0 23 18 7.67 Davies T 3 0 14 9 4.67 Davies T 3 0 14 14 7.00 Daborn 4 0 14 12 3.50 Also batted: Maddock-James 2, 24* Brereton 3 Forgrave 4 1 8 6* 2.67 Wantling A 0, 0, Crispin 0 Also batted: Khan 10, Brereton 14, Bartlett 8, Burrows T 2, Fieldhouse 0, Khan 0, Matthews 0* Fieldhouse 6*, Crispin 0*, McElwee 0*, Anders-Richards 0* Bowling Bowling O M R W BB Average O M R W BB Av Runs/Over Forgrave 39.1 7 134 10 6-21 13.40 Burrows M 6 0 32 3 2-13 10.66 5.33 Burrows M 30 4 106 7 5-25 15.14 Brereton 5.4 0 46 3 2-33 15.33 8.11 Bartlett 25 6 72 3 2-20 24.00 Daborn 22 0 124 7 2-18 17.71 5.63 Daborn 43 4 179 5 2-20 35.80 Wantling A. 12 0 110 5 4-28 22.00 9.16 Courage 6 0 79 3 3-37 26.33 13.16 Also bowled: Wantling A 27-1-138-2, Courage 11-0-72-2 Bartlett 14 1 57 2 2-25 28.50 4.07 Brereton 4-0-27-2, Whittle 12-0-81-1 Forgrave 21 1 131 4 1-25 32.75 6.23 Fieldhouse 5-0-41-0, Khan 3-0-25-0 Also bowled: Wantling L 2.2-0-29-0, Crispin 6-1-32-1, Fielding - catches Maddock-James 3-0-34-0, Whittle 9-0-89-1 Nagpal 3 + 2st Fielding - catches Daborn, Davies T, Forgrave 3, Courage, Maddock-James, Nagpal 3 + 3st, Wantling A 4, Courage, Forgrave, Whittle 2 Wantling A, Wantling L, Whittle A 1 Bartlett, Maddock-James, McElwee, Wantling L 1
Harry McElwee looking to attack
‘Studied Defence’
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Limited-Over Report 2007 National Twenty/20 Tournament 2007
Ellesmere were drawn in the first round of this competition Whittle was soon dismissed and Lewis Wantling and with Merchant Taylors’ Crosby, Cockermouth and Matthew Burrows could only take the score to 30 by the end Huddersfield New College. This “local” area group caused a of the 5th over. fixture headache with travel times to Huddersfield of 2 hours and to Cockermouth of at least 3 hours. Fortunately Cockermouth 148 - 7 (Courage 3-37) Cockermouth kindly agreed to travel down overnight to play Ellesmere 30 - 1 (5 overs) (L. Wantling 15*) on Friday May 11th at Ellesmere. Ellesmere travelled to Lost on run rate Merchant Taylors’ Crosby to play one match on Tuesday (Ellesmere innings reduced to 5 overs – target 38) evening as Ellesmere unlike the other 3 schools, could not Evening match v Huddersfield New College play all their matches in one day. In order to complete the matches on the day a bowl-out was th Tuesday May 8 v Merchant Taylors’ Crosby held in the Sports Hall to determine the winner between Merchant Taylors’ started at a brisk rate which was Ellesmere and Huddersfield. The first Huddersfield bowler hit maintained throughout their innings, but were helped by a the stumps and then Alex Whittle immediately hit back to generous supply of 21 wides and 8 no-balls. Alex Wantling level the score at 1-1. Huddersfield then missed with their bowled well in his first appearance, bowling their top scorer next 5 bowlers; frustratingly Ellesmere also missed the next for 42 with his second ball. In reply Alex Whittle (39) and 5 in a tense atmosphere, although 2 of the attempts were Lewis Wantling (16) made a good start scoring 31 off the first very close, before Huddersfield eventually won 2-1. 5 overs, but the middle order collapsed with only Khasagra (Huddersfield won 2-1 on bowl out) Nagpal (18) and Matthew Burrows (21) making significant contributions. The match finished in near darkness, but with Other limited-overs matches played: th the white ball it was possible to complete the overs. Wed April 25 (30 over match) Adam’s Newport 234 - 3 (Forgrave 1-38) Merchant Taylors’ Crosby 173 all out (19.4 overs) Ellesmere 106 - 7 (Whittle 25) (A. Wantling 4-28) Lost by 128 runs Ellesmere 143 all out (20 overs) (Whittle 39) Lost by 30 runs Fri Jun 15th (20 over match) th Ellesmere 91 - 9 (M Burrows 25) Friday May 11 v Cockermouth , Afternoon match: Peter Daborn and Ewan Crispin bowled well at the start of Ravens 95 - 4 (M Burrows 2-13, Daborn 2-25) the innings to restrict Cockermouth to 36-2 off 8 overs. Lost by 6 wkts However, as against Merchant Taylors’ too many wides (20) nd Mon July 2 (20 over match) were bowled, allowing Cockermouth to recover and post a This match was played on the first afternoon of the festival after challenging total. After one over of the Ellesmere innings, the full day match was abandoned in the morning due to rain. with the score 2-0, rain forced the players off the field. It was Bloxham 130 - 9 (Daborn 2-18, Bartlett 2-25) eventually decided that it would not be possible for Cockermouth to bowl the remaining overs, and in order to Ellesmere 94 - 5 (L. Wantling 31) complete the match 4 overs were bowled in heavy rain with Lost by 36 runs Ellesmere requiring 38 to win. PJH 102 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
2nd XI Cricket Report 2007
Played Won Lost Additionally, anyone who played well could expect to win 5 3 2 promotion to the 1st XI. The term started with a loss on the first Wednesday after one practice, when the batting order
Opponents: was not yet sorted out. After that the team generally batted Adams Grammar: Ellesmere 85 Adams 83-3 well in the conditions prevailing on the day of each match, Lost by 7 wickets until the final game, when the Year 11 Prom affected most Brereton 22 players for the worse. Pitches were hardest in the early weeks and scores became progressively lower in later Wrekin 3rds: Ellesmere 170-8 Wrekin 152 Won by 18 runs matches. All fixtures were played in the overs format of the Brereton 104 Khan 5-16 game to ensure a positive result. Fergusson 26 Of the main batsmen, G Brereton and T Davies won promotion to the 1st XI, with the former averaging 63 for the King’s Chester: Ellesmere 184-9 King’s 176-9 2nd XI with his elegant stroke play, and the latter 16 with his Won by 8 runs powerful hitting. Bowlers E Crispin and A Khan, who also Davies T. 53 Khan 4-24 went to the 1st XI, were useful with the bat and Khan was Khan 50* Gorman 4-32 never dismissed whilst playing in the 2nd Team. His 50 not Fergusson 30 out at Chester contained some finely-judged shots behind Birkenhead: Ellesmere 95 Birkenhead 92-8 the wicket and some powerful drives in its latter stages. C Won by 3 runs Fergusson was the only batsman to turn out in all 5matches. A watchful and cautious player in the early part of an innings, Bartlett J 23 Beech 4- 30 he averaged 11 over the season. Wrekin: Ellesmere 42 Wrekin 44-1 Of the bowlers Khan was the most consistent wicket taker Lost by 9 wickets and he was relatively economical at 4 an over. In his 2 matches J Bartlett was very hostile and economical without Those that played: Anders-Richards D, Bartlett J, Beech A, Brereton G, capturing a wicket. His 5 overs against Birkenhead cost only Butt C, Claxton, Corran S, Crispin E, Davies T, 6 runs. All of the other bowlers were capable of doing enough with the ball to foment uncertainty in the minds of Evans N, Fergusson C, Gorman P, Grosvenor H, Hart J, opposition batsmen, and therefore few found it easy to score Khan A, Liptrot J, Lomax S, Walton H, Wright W. runs. Our excellent fielding was also instrumental in this, It is not easy to identify the main strengths and weaknesses typified by the tidy work of H Grosvenor behind the stumps. of the 2nd XI this year, as at times teams were picked to suit D Anders-Richards was a good deputy with the gloves when the expected strength of the opposition, and with the purpose called upon. W Wright captained the team with a mature of giving as many from the squad as possible some cricket. blend of encouragement and good humour that produced an Inevitably some plans went awry, and the weather prevented enjoyable season for the coach. a number of fixtures being played. GH 103 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Under 15A Cricket 2007
Fixtures and results With Wrekin chasing 177 to win, the Ellesmere bowling needed to be a good line and length and fielding needed to Ellesmere v Wrekin Ellesmere won by 2 runs be well-planned and flexible to both conditions and balance Liverpool v Ellesmere Opposition cancelled of the match. Some heroic fielding at times really kept the pressure on the Wrekin batsmen and they struggled to cope Birkenhead v Ellesmere Rained off with the difficult task of scoring against such a strong outfield Ellesmere v Kings Chester Lost by 52 runs of players. The balance of the game was on a knife-edge all Rydal v Ellesmere Lost by 22 runs the way through the last 10 overs and with 1 over left, Wrekin Ellesmere v Newcastle Rained off needed 7 runs to win but with only 1 wicket in hand. James Cole was given the responsibility with the ball, and with 2 Ellesmere v Shrewsbury Rained off balls left the opposition needed 3 to win. James Cole then This season has been a learning curve for the team but one produced 2 fabulous well-pitched deliveries; the first one which has seen some real development, not only individually going through to keeper Harry McElwee and the last ball but also collectively as the team has grown together. The moving away from the batsmen, they decided to go for a run team has some obvious individual talent but this has often but Harry stayed calm and knocked the bails off to run, the player out and give victory to Ellesmere by 2 runs. been sporadic and thus the team performance has not been as consistent as it should. The weather has played a huge part in the season, and the loss of several key games Highlights of the bowling: resulted in the team not being able to build a solid Anderson 1—25 off 6 Courbourgh 0 - 13 off 6 momentum as the season progressed. Some highlight were Cole 3 - 22 off 6 Killick 2 - 23 off 4 as follows: A great first game and one which promised much for the Ellesmere 15A v Wrekin upcoming season. Ellesmere 176 – 9 off 30 overs Wrekin 174 all out Ellesmere won by 2 runs The next 2 fixtures in the calendar were lost for 2 very differ- ent reasons. The Liverpool College fixture was called off as The first game of the season saw a keen Ellesmere team Liverpool could not get the staff to run the teams on this take on an already well-practiced and match-fit Wrekin team. Bank Holiday weekend; clearly the commitment of staff does Freddie Anderson, captaining the team this season, lost his not match that of Ellesmere. The following week the fixture first toss and Ellesmere were put into bat. against Birkenhead was touch and go for most of the week and the call came through just before the team were due to After the loss of an early wicket, Harry McElwee being arrive. No game for 2 weeks made the team anxious for the brilliantly caught one-handed, the team settled down and next game and it was even more eagerly anticipated as it worked on creating a score to test the opposition. was our rivals down the A483, King’s Chester. Highlights of the batting were: Ellesmere v King’s Chester (20 overs) Sam Davies 39, J Maddock James 34, King’s 142 - 3 Ellesmere 90 - 7 A Courbrough 15, M Bielby 14 n.o., A Sesay 14 Ellesmere lost by 52 runs.
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Finally a cricket match was on but within a minute of the Highlights of the batting: King’s batsmen making their way to the square the heavens H McElwee 33 opened and the covers were quickly put back on. After a S Lomax 21 downpour for 20 minutes the skies cleared and play could D Anders-Richards 23 not out finally get under way. The irony in this game was that at the end of 25 overs both The outfield was wet and this affected the early pace of Rydal and Ellesmere had scored 112 off the bat. The Freddie Anderson but some amazing fielding by James Cole difference was the extras and this is an awful way to lose a saw King’s lose their first wicket within the first over and the game. However if a team bowls 53 extras it should not really opposition were 8-1. It is at this stage I was hoping that the expect to win matches. team would keep the pressure on the batsmen and force The team and each player need to take a close look at more errors, but sadly Ellesmere gave the game back to themselves and ask if they gave their best this season; and I King’s. The opposition lost only 2 more wickets, one when hope they would be honest in their assessment. This is the the score was on 64 and the next on 112. This was down to first year I have run the 15A squad that for every game there some loose bowling, a trend which seemed to stick with the has been a struggle to get players, and this is down to a lack U15s this season. of commitment on the part of several players in the squad. Highlights of the bowling: The other factor this season has been the lack of effort by Bielby 20-1 off 3, Cole 31-1 off 4 certain players during net sessions. It is here that players hone their skills, both batting and bowling, and the effort put With a score of 143 to win, the Ellesmere team knew that into practice has a clear impact on the performance on there were plenty of runs in the wicket if they were patient match days. I hope some of the bowling team take this but punished the bad balls. The key was the running advice on board and work harder than they have this year if between the wickets and the pressure the batsmen could put they are to improve. on the bowling side, especially the fielders. However, within A huge thank you to Sean Lomax of Year 9, who although he the first over, Harry McElwee, a player capable of wining the was playing a year ahead of himself made a valuable match for us single-handedly, hit a strong drive but decided addition to the team. It has been a season of highs and lows to jog to the other end rather than sprint. This cost him but has ultimately been a season of discovery for much of dearly and he was run out by a great throw by the opposition the team. Freddie Anderson and Harry McElwee , both fielder. In came Andy Coubrough but within 6 balls he was selected to take part in the Cricket Festival this Summer, making his way back after being bowled by playing all round have been stalwarts of the team and should be looking to a straight delivery. Francis Killick went out next and did a push themselves further next season if they wish to sterling job of securing the batting. He was at the crease for challenge for a 1st XI place. Andy Coubrough and James over 9 overs and he scored 23 not out. Unfortunately Sam Cole show much potential but must learn to be more Davies went for 7, James Cole & Ahmad Sesay for 0. disciplined when they are up against a strong bowling team. Captain Freddie Anderson came in to score quickly and hit If they learn to play more defensively when required then 18 in 9 balls but was stumped. The real highlight was Joe there is no reason why each cannot hit 50s in every innings Dapling who came into bat with 10 ball left and scored an they play. The rest of the team needs to continue to work off- unbeaten 24. The game was lost, and the team realized that season and must develop a more mature approach to the they had lost the game due to their own errors and game, both in the preparation and delivery of the batting and performance rather than that of the opposition. bowling. There is potential but it has yet to be fully harnessed. Highlights of the batting: SBM J Dapling 24 not out, F Killick 23 not out Ellesmere v Rydal U15B Cricket – Summer 2007 Ellesmere 143-7 Poor weather and match cancellations meant that the Under 15 B team had a very short season this year, but there was Rydal 165-7 still time to introduce new talent to the team; George Brown Ellesmere lost by 22 runs proved to be a bludgeoning batsman and Martin Jones was a The next game saw Ellesmere make the trip up the A55 to speedy and accurate fielder. visit Rydal. A glorious Summer morning, which is something I Captain James Walker led the team into battle against have not been able to say more than once in this report, Birkenhead School at the end of May. Good batting welcomed us as Wrekin won the toss and elected to field. performances from Walker and fellow opener Sean Johnson This was probably the best we bowled this season, when, led Ellesmere to a score which Birkenhead were unable to however, the ball was landing on the strip!! With the match; they fell fifty runs short as their innings imploded. exception of the Rydal Captain who scored a solid 69 runs, 6 A match against Corbet School was thrown away in of the Rydal batsmen were out for less than 12 runs. undisciplined play, and the management was left deeply However the bowling of several players was very loose and unimpressed! The following day, a game against Thomas this resulted in giving Rydal 53 extras during the 25-over Adams School brought the team up against a very fast game. A huge amount of extras, which would ultimately cost opening bowler; despite his best – and excellent – efforts, us any match. Ellesmere managed to post an opening stand of forty-seven, thanks to debutants Ben Brooks and Joe Davies. Sadly, the Highlights of the bowling: Ellesmere total proved inadequate and the match was lost by Bielby 24-3 off 3, Cole 34-4 off 5, McElwee 17-1 off 5 six wickets. With a total of 166 to win Ellesmere set about the task in The final match was a local derby against Lakelands School; hand. Harry McElwee dealt well with the openers and went a must-win game for Ellesmere. Things were going very well on to score a decent 33, but again the wicket was lost due to for Ellesmere at first, with a fifty-five run opening stand. From his own impatience for runs rather than playing each ball at a there, a clatter of wickets took the score to 65-6 and things time. looked alarming. Steady batting took the Ellesmere total to Ellesmere then had a England-style mid-order collapse as 120-8 and this proved enough to win. the next 5 wickets fell for only 23 runs. Sean Lomax, a Year It is hoped that some of the new players will still feel they 9 player, stepped into the lower order and knocked a very want to turn out when the summer comes along next year; good 21 in 13 balls, but the finish line was just too far off. there will be places for them in House Cricket and the David Anders-Richards also scored a good knock but sadly occasional seconds and thirds games. Ellesmere ran out of overs. DWC
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Under 14A Cricket 2007 Ben Brooks captained the team, opened the bowling with his fast in-swingers, grew more adept at field placings as Playing record (all limited-overs matches) the season progressed and began to get into his stride with the bat. Joseph Davies worried incessantly about all Ellesmere 143 for 8 Wrekin 141 for 3 aspects of his game, but opened the batting and learned to Won by 2 runs bowl a wicket-taking length. Ollie Brereton at times batted Birkenhead 134 for 6 Ellesmere 104 all out with effortless timing and frequently got off to a good start Lost by 30 runs without ever going on to the big innings he was clearly capable of building. He could also be relied upon to bowl King’s Chester 154 for 2 Ellesmere 34 all out at the drop of a hat. Alex Owen took nets seriously, Lost by 129 runs struggled for runs, but bowled consistently good leg- Rydal 146 all out Ellesmere 147 for 5 spinners. Callum Booth grew into an opening batsman Won by 5 wickets adept at occupying the crease. Sam Phillips weighed in with two big innings but will have been disappointed that The U14A side had a somewhat weather-curtailed season his fast left-armers did not reap the wickets he might have and yet deserve much credit for squaring up their record expected. Iwan Phillips was a tidy wicket-keeper; he and against other schools – 2 wins and 2 defeats was a decent brother Bryn looked good in the nets but struggled for runs effort from a squad with plenty of bowling options but limited out on the square. Jake Taylor was the only middle-order batting resources. batsman who stayed around for any length of time on a The season opened with a match of impeccable drama. regular basis. Antony Wyn-Jones came into the side, Opener Joseph Davies carried his bat, holding the innings essentially as a cheery old-fashioned slogger, adopting a together with an unbeaten 62. The next top scorer was similar attitude with the bat to Sean Lomax. Ben Lingard- extras (40) and after that Ollie Brereton with 12. The extras Lane bowled with a remarkable action and all of his huge proved crucial as Wrekin chased 143 off 25 overs; they frame, frightening batsmen, wicket-keeper and occasionally required 16 from the final over and ended up needing 3 from slip fielders alike. George Cave was a dependable, the last ball but made only a single. A last-ball victory to economical bowler and Hugh Wignall was an essential part begin the season was thus achieved. of the A Team as well as a successful B Team Captain. Against Birkenhead, in a game reduced to 20 overs, it was TFB Ellesmere that handed victory to the opposition by giving away innumerable wides and no-balls – 32 extras in a total of U14B Cricket Report 2007 132. This left us a mountain to climb and wickets were It was good to see that the U14B squad of players were thrown away in the pursuit – only Sam Phillips with 47 enthusiastic about their cricket. There were many disciplined maintained any resistance. Eight men were caught out, coaching sessions with players arriving early and staying late which tells its own story. The following week was worse still if time allowed. Players worked hard to improve their – the first 9 Ellesmere wickets at King’s Chester were all technique, both in the nets and on the square. bowled, albeit on a wicket of very low bounce, but one on As a result, the couple of games played all resulted in which King’s men had looked in little trouble. Ellesmere comfortable victories with a number of players making good were rolled over for 35 – the highest scorer making 4 runs. It contributions to the side’s success. Also, a number of players was much to the team’s credit, then, that they bounced back progressed into the A side during the season, which was to beat Rydal playing good all-round cricket. On the all- pleasing to see. round theme, credit to Ollie Brereton who started as wicket- I would like to take this opportunity to say that the squad was keeper, whipped off his pads to bowl and then opened the a pleasure to coach which resulted in an enjoyable season batting, scoring 24 to set us on the path to victory. Sam for all. Phillips blasted his way to 73 not out. Job done. GO 106 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Tennis
2007 was a great year for Ellesmere tennis teams who won U13 Boys’ and Girls’ singles, U13 Boys’ and Girls’ doubles, U15 Girls’ doubles, U19 Boys’ doubles as well as runners-up in U15 Girls’ singles competitions. Keep up the good work. Aberdare Cup This year the Girls’ Aberdare Cup teams were mainly comprised of our new Tennis Academy scholars. The team was ably led by Girls’ Tennis Captain Steff Perrin. The 2nd Team lost to Moreton Hall in the second round in a well- fought match. The 1st Team won their way through to the Area finals, losing only to Shrewsbury High on the last and very long match. It was a rare hot Summer’s day and our team were up against older players but fought to the end. The final score of 3-3 shows how determined our young girls were, but sadly we had lost more games overall. Well done to all our girls. U13 Girls Our teams were unbeaten, barely losing a set in any school tie. The U13 British Schools team won the County division losing only 7 games out of 79 played in total. The girls are looking forward to winning one more match to gain a place in the Regionals at Corby in November. The squad comprised: Joanne Bowen, Hannah Clarke, Olivia Jones, Harriet Jones, Emily Sutcliffe, Kate Norman, Kate Parry, Chloe Prydden, Grace Tomlinson and Francine McSalley-Parsons. U13 Boys In the U13 British Schools Tournament our team played very well. Led by Academy scholar Christian Cieslik, we won all matches except a very hard match against Thomas Telford, who proved to be a little too strong on the day. A great team spirit was created with these boys, who enjoyed both home and away fixtures. Joining our 4 Year 8 pupils we welcomed 2 Year 7 boys, Mark McBrien and Xavier Dodds, who are both promising young players in the squad. Well done. Squad: Christian Cieslik, Harrison Gwilt, Jack Brewitt, Adam Brahim, Mark McBrien and Xavier Dodds.
U13 Boys & Girls Squad
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th The 6 Reffell Open Tennis Academy As usual the Reffell Open took place on the last night of the The seed of the idea for a Tennis Academy at Ellesmere Summer term. Remarkably the weather was good and the was sown by Barbara Goolden some years ago. This year tennis even better. This year we were graced by the sees that seed bursting into life. With re-surfaced courts, presence of David Reffell himself, partnering Abi Merrill. dedicated coaches and keen players the Academy is set to The format involves a pupil being paired up with an adult. produce a crop of outstanding young players. This year we had a record 14 pairs and therefore the The Academy draws its raw material from scholars locally, league which sees all the North pairs play all the South nationally and overseas as well as nurturing talent from pairs involved 7 rounds, and each player was guaranteed within the existing school intake. Scholarships for aspiring 28 games. young players are available and are awarded on an As organiser each year I am bribed, blackmailed and individual basis. threatened before the tournament to provide strong The tennis programme is designed to encompass all partnerships. Sly females offer to make me cups of coffee, aspects of the players’ game and includes specialist input angry French teachers threaten to kick me next time we for nutritional, physical and psychological development as play football. Fortunately a random computer picks the well as development of on-court skills through individual pairings. and team coaching. We also enhance our programme with This year saw some great partnerships. Phil Hook and regular visits to the nearby Wrexham Tennis Centre which Katie Brereton made unlikely quarter-finalists, as did Tom is one of only 11 high performance centres for tennis Bohn and Laura Mansfield. Other past winners were under nationwide. early pressure. Sharon Owen, Defending Champion, went Competition on a school and individual basis is strongly out in the first round as did Helen Goss and Alex Dunn. promoted for all pupils in the Academy. To this end we Wiz Wright was also a first-round loser! Meanwhile the enter the Aberdare Cup, British Schools Leagues and U19 serious pairings were beginning to warm up. James King school leagues. Entry to Individual competitions are and Jennifer Sampson powered their way past opponents likewise encouraged and many of our Academy pupils as did Charles Cooper, although understandably he felt let represent their Counties at tennis. down ultimately by his partner Nikki Hoy! Beth Clewlow, who obviously must have done something dreadful in a To further encourage variety in the tennis programme we former life, was paired with the ever-rusty Chatterjee. go on expeditions each term to challenge teams from Chatterjee has yet to get past the first round. So be good further afield. This encourages self-reliance and team spirit, girls or you might just get him as your partner next year! and gives a chance to play different players and to experience a little of life on tour! This term our expedition Eventually we came to the semi-finals where Boys’ Tennis takes us to Torquay and Taunton, where we will play two Captain Rob Simms and OE Steph Oekin outplayed their opponents, whilst in the other Steph Perrin and Jonny separate tennis academies. Morgan played James King and Jenny Sampson. At 2 In summary the Academy is aiming to be instrumental in games all and deuce, James’ huge serve was just too fast creating future tennis champions at all levels and offering to be called in or out, and the deciding point was replayed the resources to achieve this. with Perrin and Morgan coming out on top. NH The Final, played in the twilight, saw Perrin and Morgan triumph. Later Morgan admitted he had been in secret training for this event on a special diet of Welsh lamb, pina coladas and popodoms. However, he skillfully managed the brilliant but occasionally temperamental Perrin. As usual fish and chips, Pimms and beer finished off a great night.
Tennis Scholars Girls’ Tennis Results
Wed 2nd May 1sts v King’s, Chester in the Aberdare Cup Won 4 - 0 We now qualify to the Regional Finals.
Sat 5th May 1sts/2nds/3rds v Moreton Hall Very close matches. 1sts won 5 games to 4 2nds lost 4 games to 5 3rds lost 4 games to 5.
Mon 7th May U13 British Schools v Moreton Hall Won 4 - 0
Back Row: Harrison Gwilt, Christian Cieslik, Jo Bowen & Hannah Clarke Front Row: Olivia Jones, Emily Sutcliffe, Harriet Jones
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Shooting Target Shooting 2006/7
We suffered a roller-coaster year, beginning with record The range deep clean was completed by the start of the numbers of shooters, and within 1 month of term starting Lent Term and at last we could use it for Air Rifle shooting. we had consumed 10,000 rounds of .22 ammunition. A It is said that dark clouds can have silver linings and this 350% increase. However our success was to be our was certainly the case. From out of the College woodwork undoing. A routine inspection of the range by the Army came a pool of talent for standing 10m Air Rifle. It is a Medical Division revealed lead in air levels which were difficult Olympic discipline requiring much practice, but the borderline, especially for the staff who were on the range talent uncovered was remarkable. Notable names were for many hours. The inspection outcome further illustrated Jacob Roberts, then in Y5, who started so well that within 6 that our facility had fallen behind the latest range weeks he had joined the Welsh Air Rifle Squad. Ryan specification and needed an upgrade. Accordingly the Williams, Sarah Richardson and Vicky Von Hoven (all Y8) indoor range was closed pending a deep clean and a much showed great promise. Of course our established National needed upgrade. This was a huge blow to College shooters Squad Shooters Richard Belcher Andrew Main, Matthew and we had to withdraw from all our competitions. Winter is Steggles and Guy Cooper were already familiar with 10m not the time to use our outdoor range though we did try to Air Rifle. Nevertheless it was encouraging to see that keep up interest with the occasional shoot in better another shooting discipline has huge potential at the weather, but as our rugby colleagues will know Parry’s College. The question is how do we take it forward? The Field can be very cold!! range closure really affected our very successful Y9 Delays frustrated us and with our Lower School shooters shooters who virtually lost a whole year; we must try our we started a Virtual League on the Eurosimulator website best to get them back on track. Our Two GB Squad which offers target shooting simulations. It is a very good Shooters Richard Belcher and Andrew Main, continued trainer for Juniors and a lot of fun even if it is almost good progress with the squad attending most of the impossible to score 100 x 100. I had offered a prize air rifle sessions, and were due to shoot in the Bisley Junior to anyone who could achieve a maximum and Freya West International in the Summer. Wales Squad members Ryan gave me palpitations when from nowhere she came in and Williams, Jacob Roberts and Matt Steggles had a more shot a 98 followed by two 99s the last one being 9 straight patchy programme but we hope they will do well next 10s followed by a last shot 9. The league itself was won by season. Ryan Williams for Years 7/8 and by Carmen Edwards for At the end of the year Colours were awarded for Air Rifle to Years 5/6. Ryan Williams and Jacob Roberts. Matthew Steggles was appointed Captain of Shooting for the College and Richard Belcher was appointed Captain of Junior Shooting. The sad news was that Mrs Claire Clewlow who had been assisting with the shooting announced that she was leaving College for pastures new at the end of the year. However, in contrast, the really good news is that our range will be back in operation by the start of the new College year and with Mrs Anne Hendricksen and Mrs Julie Chattergee keen to assist our shooters, I anticipate a very successful year Matthew Steggles and Guy Cooper shooting starting with the NSRA Championships in August. at Wales and GB Squad training session, JQ, Shooting Coach Henley-in-Arden
Matthew Steggles and Henry Cureton shooting at NSRA Championships, Bisley
109 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 HOUSE SPORT House Rugby Junior House Hockey As with the Seniors, there were some very competitive Senior Winners matches. The girls had to work very hard as it was a six-a- Meynell side on a full pitch. The girls never gave up all afternoon. The attitude and skill on the day was extremely pleasing and it Inter Winners was a very enjoyable afternoon of hockey. Talbot Results: Junior Winners Meynell 0-0 Talbot Meynell Woodard 0-0 Wakeman-Lambart Overall Winners Meynell 3-1 Wakeman-Lambart Meynell Woodard 1-2 Talbot Meynell 2-0 Woodard Talbot 1-0 Wakeman-Lambart This year’s tournament provided an outstanding display of 1st – Meynell 12pts (on more goals scored) Rugby. The standard of play was exceptionally high, 2nd – Talbot 12pts testament to the current strength of rugby throughout the 3rd = Wakeman-Lambert 2pts (Same goal difference) school. 3rd = Woodard 2pts In the Juniors Meynell were very strong and after beating Talbot they overcame a spirited Woodard team in the final. Overall Positions st The Inter Competition was a very tight affair, and the final 1 Talbot 21pts nd went to the wire. In the end Talbot proved too strong and 2 Meynell 16pts rd ran out 10 - 5 winners. 3 = Wakeman-Lambart 8pts rd In the Senior Competition the final was one of the best 3 = Woodard 8pts House matches for many a year. Meynell looked to be HLG cruising to a comfortable win 19 - 0 up at half time. Talbot then staged a dramatic comeback; scoring three tries to House Football bring the match level at 19 - 19. The tackling was ferocious The House football competition again reflected the rising and no quarter given, but Talbot with their tails up surged standards in this sport with all four houses producing well into the lead with a try under the posts. Unfortunately the organised teams. This resulted in a close competition and a conversion was missed and so with a couple of minutes left pleasing spectacle. there was still a chance for Meynell. Winning the ball they Senior winners were Meynell drove down the field to recycle and spin the ball out wide to Man of the tournament went to Matthew Burrows of go over in the corner. With a minute left Danny Matthews Wakeman-Lambart. put the drop kick conversion over from the touch line to secure the match. From the final kick off Meynell moved the Other performances of note came from: ball sweetly to secure another try on the final whistle. Final Alex Dunn, James Farrell and Mark Pearson. score Meynell 31 Talbot 24. The Junior tournament was also won by Meynell. PAG Performances of note came from: Charlie Clutton and Josh Maddock-James. The Lower School winners were Brownlow, with Phillips a close second. This was an excellent competition. Players to
Girls’ House Hockey watch for in Senior School next year are: The House Hockey Competition reflected the success of Christian Cieslik, Hugh Clutton andJack Brewitt. this year’s hockey season and many commented on the Finally I would like to thank all the staff involved in coaching good standard of hockey that was being played. The Senior football and refereeing and all those who have supported our competition was very close. Despite the lack of goals there teams this year. were some highly competitive matches. Well done to all DJM teams!
Senior House Hockey Senior House Netball The House Netball Competitions are always played in Results: Meynell 0 - 0 Wakeman-Lambart excellent spirit and this year was no different. The weather was perfect with playing conditions being the best they had Talbot 1 - 0 Meynell been all term. Woodard 0 - 0 Talbot This year, the senior competition was fierce and the closest Wakeman-Lambart 0 - 0 Meynell ever with 3 teams all ending on 2 wins and 1 loss. So the Talbot 0 - 0 Wakeman-Lambert final result went on goals for, and the eventual winners were Meynell 0 - 0 Woodard Woodard who scored 3 more goals than second place Meynell. 1st - Talbot 9 pts An excellent afternoon of netball from all four House teams. 2nd = Wakeman 6pts, Woodard 6pts Well done! 4th - Meynell 4pts HLG
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Senior House Golf Senior School House Volleyball Sixteen players, and a number of caddies, took part in the This year saw the reintroduction of the House Volleyball th Senior House Golf Championship on Wednesday 9 May. competition. The event was played in the Summer term Despite the drizzly weather the play was of a good standard and produced some very exciting matches. The format and highly competitive. of the competition required Houses to produce a mixed The lowest round for the day was scored by Rhodri gender team to do battle in a round robin competition. Fieldhouse, 35 for Meynell, with Abigail Merrill (Talbot) and Talbot and Wakeman-Lambart showed form early in the Mark Pearson (Meynell) both scoring 39. completion, but Woodard rallied and produced two good Scores results against Meynell and Wakeman, however in the end Talbots 3-0 win over Wakeman proved the decisive Group Talbot Woodard Meynell Wakeman victory.
1 H. Hackett 50 A. Ellis 51 H. Walton 46 G. Forgrave 42 Overall results 1st Talbot 8pts 2 A. Merrill 39 J. Webb 49 M. Pearson 39 J. McBrien 41 2nd Woodard 7pts rd 3 S. Davies 49 M. Tatchell 48 J. Thomas 48 F. Herzog 60 3 Meynell 5pts 4th Wakeman-Lambart 4pts 4 J. Cole 43 S. McElwee 59 R. Fieldhouse 35 B. Patterson 85
Total 181 207 168 228
Overall Result 1st Meynell 2nd Talbot Senior School House Athletics 3rd Woodard This year’s event took place in glorious sunny conditions. 4th Wakeman-Lambart The competition was exciting yet the sportsmanship which was shown by all involved was extremely commendable. In Junior House Golf Year 9 & 10 the Junior event Wakeman-Lambart took the honours with On a blustery afternoon in mid-June 16 intrepid golfers with some fine performances from Sophie Halstead and Oliver caddies in tow braved the conditions to contest the Junior Dodds. The Victrix Ludorum was won by Lucy Forgrave House Golf Challenge. The format was a scratch score another Wakeman-Lambart team member. Martin Jones of contest with the highest round of the team of four being Talbot won the Victor Ludorum in the Boys’ event. discounted. The lowest round of the day was posted by Anthony Wyn-Jones (Meynell) a respectable 44 in the In the Intermediate competition Wakeman-Lambart also conditions. James Cole (Talbot) scored 45. took the honours. With Amy Cooper (W/L) winning the The final scores Victrix Ludorum and Euan Crispin (Talbot) winning the Positions Victor Ludorum. st 1 Talbot In the Senior event Woodard claimed 1st Place with Molly nd 2 Meynell Dingwall (Woodard) winning the Victrix Ludorum and rd 3 Woodard Stephen Bannister (Meynell) winning the Victor Ludorum. th 4 Wakeman-Lambart The Senior positions hung in the balance leading into the last event the Senior 4 x 400m. In the last change over Wakeman/ Meynell Talbot Woodard Jamie Tyrer (Talbot) took the baton in the lead with Meynell Lambart in 2nd place. An error in the Meynell change-over afforded 44 46 56 54 Talbot a considerable lead. If Meynell could finish first they 46 49 56 50 would win the Senior event. Stephen Bannister chased down Jamie and closed the gap but Talbot crossed the line 53 45 48 55 first with only meters to spare, which concluded the 2007 Total 143 140 160 159 athletics. Overall winners were Wakeman-Lambart who have managed to break the hold that Meynell House had on the Trophy over the last few years. Many thanks must be given to all who took part, the support of the Operations’ Team and all the teachers who adjudicated on the day. ILW
Freddie Anderson, Freddie Herzog & James Gould
111 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Sports Day
BOYS RESULTS TIME/ TIME/ TIME/ EVENT SENIOR INTER JUNIOR DISTANCE DISTANCE DISTANCE 100m S. Bannister 11.54 B. Patterson 12.03 M. Jones 12.50
200m S. Bannister 24.06 B. Patterson 25.69 M. Jones 27.30
400m N. Thomas 58.70 B. Mitchell 1.02.84 G. Tachell 1.03.65
800m J. Bartlett 2.18.57 C. Ferguson 2.28.50 T. Blake 2.15.78
1500m M. Burrows 5.07.22 R. Dell 5.13 J. Leahy 5.32
HIGH JUMP Ndunussa 1.62 E. Crispin 1.56 J. Walker 1.40
LONG JUMP J. Bartlett 5.29 J. Norman 4.55 M. Bielby 4.35
TRIPLE JUMP J. Steggles 10.92 E. Crispin 10.19 F. Anderson 10.06
SHOT J. King 12.38 J. Thomas 10.74 O. Dodds 9.92
DISCUS B. Morris 25.26 A. Porter 25.70 G. Billborough 20.53
JAVELIN T. Bohn 35.09 T. Davies 37.4 O. Dodds 24.92 Wakeman- 4 X 400M Talbot 4.04.59 4.24 - Lambart Wakeman- 4 X 100M Meynell 49.18 51.25 Meynell 52.72 Lambart
Victor Winner S. Bannister Meynell E. Crispin Talbot M. Jones Talbot
GIRLS RESULTS S. Newport- 100m E. Clewlow 14.47 G. Kendall 14.03 14.94 Booth 200m E. Clewlow 30.90 E. Johnson 34.21 S. Halstead 30.04
800m M. Dingwall 2.59 C. Minshaw n/r C. Fieldhouse 3.07
1500m M. Dingwall 6.22.19 L.Lam n/r E. Walker 6.52.18
HIGH JUMP L. Brereton 1.27 A. Cooper 1.22 H. Liversage 1.25
LONG JUMP L. Bernhoffer 3.56 T. Evans 3.24 L. Foregrave 3.36
TRIPLE JUMP S. Haynes 7.75 A. Cooper 6.81 L. Foregrave 7.76
SHOT K. Salzberger 7.62 G. Kendall 7.02 Z. Evans 6.48
DISCUS K. Salzberger 17.52 E. Boffey 12.43 V. Leadbetter 15.65
JAVELIN S. Thom 15.85 A. Whittle 14.26 C. Shearer 11.05
Wakeman- Wakeman- 4 X 100M 1.03.59 Talbot 1.04.12 1.02.40 Lambart Lambart
Victrix Winner M. Dingwall Woodard A. Cooper Wakeman L. Foregrave Wakeman
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Senior School House Athletics Results
Meynell Wakeman-Lambart Talbot Woodard
Total Junior Score 185 218 181 159
Total Junior Position 2 1 3 4
Total Inter Score 165 241 210 162
Total Inter Position 3 1 2 4
Total Senior Score 211 169 187 216
Total Senior Position 2 4 3 1
Meynell Wakeman-Lambart Talbot Woodard
Overall Score 561 628 578 537
Final Position 3 1 2 4
House Cross Country Inter House Sailing Regatta On a beautiful crisp winter afternoon 120 students took part Bosun Topper in the Annual House Cross Country event. This year’s relay HOUSE race was made all that more exciting by the entry of a strong (team of two) (single hander) staff team. Meynell Seniors won the race after it was noted Wakeman Helm Charles Cooper * Jed Denham that the staff team did not include a lady runner! In the main -Lambart Crew Charles Pickering races Ashley Hicklin and Zoe Haynes won the Junior Event, Toby Blake and Georgie Adams won the Inter Event and Helm Richard Greensmith * Jamie Woodard Matthew Burrows and Molly Dingwall won the Senior Event. Crew Alex Deller Cartwright The spirit and enthusiasm that was shown by all competitors was excellent and the event was finally won overall by Helm Toby Dell * Talbot Peter Heath Wakeman-Lambart House. Crew Henry Fletcher-Brewer ILW Helm Andreas Wacker * Meynell James Haigh Results 2007 Crew Jonathon Steggles M Wo W-L T Junior Race *Captains of each crew Points 4 2 6 8 The weather once again was not favourable as it rained, but Replay pts 4 2 1 3 there was a good wind and the teams did extremely well, negotiating 3 times around a triangular course. Total 8 4 7 11 The honours this year go to: Position 2 4 3 1 Wakeman-Lambart, Woodard, Meynell and finally Talbot. DJB Inter Race Points 2 6 8 4 Replay pts 4 1 3 2 Total 6 7 11 6 Position 2= 4 1 2=
Senior Race points 6 4 8 2 replay pts 4 1 2 3 Total 10 5 10 5 Charles Cooper & Charles Pickering Position 1= 4= 1= 4=
Overall
Points 24 16 28 22 Racing for the Finish; Alex Deller, Richard Greensmith, Positions 2 4 1 3 Jamie Cartwright & James Haigh
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Lower School
Speech Day 2007 The brain is a wonderful thing - it never stops functioning from the time you’re born until the moment you stand up to make a speech! The US President Theodore Roosevelt was once asked how long it took him to prepare one of his speeches. His reply was that it depended on the length of speech required; for a half-hour speech, two to three days, for five minutes, a week and if he had to speak for two hours he could begin immediately! You will be pleased to hear that it took me most of half term to prepare this speech! Salters Festival Runners-up A year ago I sat here as Mr. Price welcomed me to the Huw Lilliard-Williams, Freya West, Ryan Morley College. During the course of proceedings I wondered & William Mapstone what I had let myself in for. After the past year I feel that I am a little wiser. There are many different activities that Nor would we have had the team of William Mapstone, Huw make a school such as this successful. First and Liddiard-Williams, Freya West and Ryan Morley coming foremost, and I make no apology for this, is hard work - second, out of some thirty schools, in the Salters Chemistry we have just seen evidence of that in the prizes that have Festival at Liverpool University.; or Sarah Wicks, Alex Fearn, been awarded. But hard work is not just confined to the Sam Owen and Joel Maddock-James representing Counties at hockey and cricket; or, out of 92 English Speaking Board classroom. Without hard work, dedication, preparation exam candidates this term, 75% passing with either and enthusiasm we would not have had: a fantastic Distinction or Merit Plus. And these are only some of the production of James and the Giant Peach; Jo Bowen, things that have been crammed into the past three terms. Hannah Clarke, Harriet Jones, Olivia Jones, Emily Sutcliffe None would be possible, however, without the hard work and dedication of all the College staff who give so much to make the pupils’ lives richer. I would like to join you in thanking all of them, but in particular Mrs Hendriksen, Mrs Allen, Miss Gunther and Miss Williams (soon to be Mrs John), who are moving to tutor in other parts of the College, and Mrs Evans for filling in this term.
James & The Giant Peach Grace Tomlinson, Luke Taylor & Paige Rudd and Christian Cieslik all representing the College 1st Team (yes, the first team with the Year 13s) at tennis; just over 80% of the boys here representing the school at English Speaking Board Exam Pupils rugby (though it must be said one or two weren’t that keen with their “talk topics” on the idea at the time!); 80% of the children entered into Tom Price, Declan Roberts, Emma Greville, the Primary Maths Challenge achieving Bronze, Silver or & Annabelle Martin-Jones Gold certificates; Richard Belcher and Andrew Main They say that behind every man is a great woman and a training with the Great Britain squad for shooting and surprised mother-in-law. In my case it’s about nine women! Jacob Roberts, Ryan Williams and Guy Cooper training My wife; my secretary Mrs. Hitchen, who has been a with the Welsh squad, despite all the difficulties that we fountain of knowledge and wisdom this year; and my have had with the range this year; the superb musical deputy Mrs. Morgan. An article in The Daily Telegraph performances at the Carol Service, various concerts and rather unfortunately quoted a Headteacher from his festivals, Luke Taylor’s first place at the Chester Festival school’s Parent Teacher Association’s Annual General and the magnificent Choir. I am sure Andrew Lloyd Meeting as saying: ‘As Head of the School, I am of course Webber knows his stuff and got the right Joseph, but I the shepherd of the flock; I see our Deputy Head as the think he got the wrong choir! little crook on the staff.’
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Mrs. Morgan is no crook - more like a crutch at times! The remaining females are the group of Year 8 girls, led by Jenny Griffiths, who have been unstinting in their efforts to raise Out & About money for charities this year. Through their hard work and ideas, Children in Need benefited to the tune of some £400 Science Museum and both Macmillan Nurses and Comic Relief were also This year we went to the Museum of Science and Industry supported. I have told Mrs Cowan that she will not want for in Manchester. We first went to see the Doctor Who enthusiasm and help in St Aidan’s over the next 3 years. section which was filled with the new series’ costumes, set I would like to conclude with a true story, but will have to designs and layouts. We even heard the cry of the deadly apologise to the children as they will have heard it before in Daleks, “Exterminate”. We looked around and saw all the an assembly. However, they will have forgotten it as the terrifying monsters looking back at us. We then carried on majority were distracted by a dendrocopos major. Which is, and went to the steam section in the other building, where of course, a woodpecker, which was busy feeding on one of we saw all sorts of different engines; big, small and huge. the perches outside Lower School, for which I must thank This was followed by a visit to the exhibition hall on flight. Mrs. Allen and her Green Team, who help us all to There were plenty of airplanes to look at, but it was not appreciate our wonderful surroundings. Anyway, the story: very interactive. We then visited the train section which Around the inside of the great dome in St. Paul’s Cathedral showed long-ago trains and tracks. We then had a half an in London is a balcony called The Whispering Gallery - so hour break for lunch, outdoors, with all the pigeons. This called because the sound of someone’s whisper bounces was followed by an interactive lecture on science, with back from the smooth walls of the dome. Just over a hundred plenty of exploding gases and other exciting experiments. years ago, in this dome, a poor shoemaker whispered to his After that we went to the Victorian section, which was full girlfriend that he didn’t have enough money to buy leather to of tunnels and included displays on water purification and make shoes and so didn’t have enough money for them to the Victorians’ greatest achievement – the sewers! Inside get married. On the other side of the gallery someone heard was a life-like tunnel, we went past graveyards (not real) their whispers and decided to help. He followed the and were told about the unfortunate events which can shoemaker from a distance to find out where he lived and happen if you are trapped or die in a tunnel. We then went then he paid for some leather and arranged for it to be sent into the bubbly gases section where we saw the different anonymously to the shoemaker’s shop. Everything went well uses gases can be put to. Later on we went into the silk because the shoemaker was then able to marry. room. In there we saw an unbelievable jacket which was made out of dandelion hairs. Our final part of the day was It was a few years later that they found out who it was who reserved for an interactive exhibition at the top of the had helped them. It was the then Prime Minister, William museum. There were loads of experiments to have a go Gladstone. at, but the highlight for some was the view onto the As everyone enjoys the long break that lies ahead of us, I Coronation Street set at Granada Studios where filming hope that you all, but especially those moving on from The was taking place. The journey ended with us going to the Lower School, bear in mind that most of us won’t become buses. Thank you to the teachers for organising last year’s well-known or be written about because of great things that Year 7 trip. we have done or through so-called reality television Georgina Ottaway programmes, but we will be known for our attitude and the smaller, ordinary things that we do, that make our part of the world a better place.
Lower School Prize Winners 2007 4M M. Perkins P. Liley
5J G. Bruce G. Stackhouse
5P W. Doerr S. Jackson M. Macliam-Roberts
6P J. Pegg P. Nelhans
6T J. Bellamy S. Sheldon
7N M. McBrien F. Liley
7E J. Paul L. Bostock-Williams
7S B. Lyttle K. Parry
7W S. Carr L. Allsop
8N J. Griffiths J. Brockless
8E C. Riggs M. Kelly
8S F. West R. Morley
8W V. von Hoven W. Jackson
Most Commendations: V. von Hoven
Captains of Lower School: R. Morley J. Griffiths
WJH Heidi Caldecott & Georgina Ottaway 115 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 In and Around Primary Maths Challenge
The Successful Mathematicians Following their participation in the the Primary Maths Challenge Year 6 pupils, Peter Nelhans and Ioan Parry-Jones, Production of Nesting Boxes were both successful in achieving Gold Certificates. Silver Simon Swannell, Ben Britton & Charles Coppinger Certificates were achieved by Hannah Rogers, Declan Roberts, Craig Tattersall, Cameron Beswick, Sam Fearn, Tom Price, Emma Greville, all in Year 6, as well as Georgia Bruce and William Doerr in Year 5. There were also a number of Bronze Certificates awarded and in Year 6 they were achieved by: Hayden Edge- Roberts, Amber Cauchi, Amelia Morris and Harvey Rickett, as well as Milli Macliam-Roberts, Patrick O’Brien, Sara Jackson, Guy Hunter and Jacob Roberts in Year 5. HJW
Green Team Sponsored Silence raised money for albatrosses Mark McBrien & Kate Norman
Collette Riggs
Archery This activity has just started at Ellesmere College with Mr Brooke and Mr Davies instructing our youngsters in the ways of Sherwood Forest and Robin Hood. Presently we have some natural firers even though they have only been using the bows for a couple of weeks. They are hoping to extend Archery in the Senior School next term. Open Morning, October 2006 DJB Mrs Clewlow, Akela demonstrating how to make a reef knot 116 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Coin Art Project in aid of Children in Need
Visit from a Roman Soldier Huw Roberts, Georgina Stackhouse & Georgina Edwards
Head Girl & Boy, Jenny Griffiths and Ryan Morley presenting a cheque from the proceeds of the Lent Term Non-Uniform Day to Elodie Homes, Fundraising Manager, Macmillan Cancer Support
Geography prize winners Izaak Nyss, Sarah Carr & Bethany Lyttle
117 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Lower School Music Age Concern Christmas Concert Refreshed after the Christmas break, pupils returned to the new school year with the Oswestry Music Festival as their Festive music rang out from Ellesmere Town Hall when the first goal to prepare music for. After previous success, Lower School Choir, Orchestra and String Group stakes were high and it was crucial for our Choir and String entertained the Day Centre regulars and residents of local Group to put together polished performances. Musical sheltered housing schemes. Over 40 musicians from Lower competitions are an emotional experience. The School performed a lively programme of modern and apprehension, excitement and determination before and traditional Christmas music. This ranged from instrumental during a performance can result in either elation or renditions of Rudolff and The Snowman Suite to disappointment – a decision left in one or more judges’ wholehearted singing of O Little Town of Bethlehem and hands. Although the Choir did not retain their winning Once in Royal David’s City. crown this year, they came a close second out of 10 choirs, The choir songs which particularly captured the audience’s one point behind the winners. We were delighted with the imagination were Johnson’s Midnight and Wilson’s Shake, encouraging comments from the judges and particularly Rattle and Roll. The former tells the point of view of the pleased that the Choir had been graded ‘outstanding’ for three wise men – a unique and refreshing perspective! the second year running. The String Group (Luke Taylor, Many pupils performed individually: John Paul (cello), Kate Collette Riggs, Bethan Porter, Kate Parry and Ben Britton, Parry and Georgina Ottaway (piano), Sarah Richardson an honorary member on the bongo drums) were awarded and Jenny Griffiths (vocal), Luke Taylor, Collette Riggs and ‘Commended’ for their performance. We were also proud
Bethan Porter (violin) and Lauren Gough (flute). Even of our individual soloists from Lower School; John Paul, Father Christmas took time from his busy schedule to make Emma Greville, Lauren Gough, Bryony Webster, and Luke a surprise appearance and conduct the raffle. The Day Taylor, who achieved 1st place in the string solo. Well Centre organiser Joan Tudor and other committed done to all. hardworking volunteers were delighted with the turnout and In the Lent Lower School Music Concert, pupils took their success of the event which raised almost £300. audience on a musical journey. The Choir encouraged A big WELL DONE to all involved. listeners to jump on the train as they sang and imitated train movements to McNally’s Engine. The theme of transport continued with the AA’s famous TV advertisement You’ve got a friend. The String Group, Orchestra and soloists then continued the musical journey to various parts of the world playing music from Africa, America, France and Russia. Prokofiev’s fairytale story of Peter and the Wolf told by the orchestra certainly captured the audience’s imagination. The Choir finally transported the audience back home with one of their favourite pieces, Chattanooga Choo Choo. The Summer term saw the launch of the BBC’s ‘Any Dream will Do Search for a Choir Competition’. This entailed putting together a performance of a medley of songs from the musical Joseph in 10 days which could be viewed on the Internet for voting. The pupils involved showed great determination and enthusiasm. If you saw the clip you will understand why we were Age Concern Concert, December 2006 very proud of their commitment to this project.
The Lower School musicians, having already sung at the Parents’ Society Christmas Tree lighting, went on to perform in our prestigious Lower School Carol Service, our final Chapel service and The Salvation Army’s Annual Christmas Carol Service, and entertained residents of Dolywern Cheshire Homes. It’s surprising that pupils had any energy left at the end of the Michaelmas term – I suspect the extra- large tin of chocolates, kindly given by one of their appreciative audiences, helped!
Lower School Choir at the Christmas Tree Lighting Marcus Bruce, Kate Parry, Sarah Richardson & Ben Kelly
118 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Lower School Choir - Joseph Competition
The Joseph Choir Megan Perkins, Ellie Halstead Jenny Pegg, Amber Cauchi Jessica Martin-Jones Sophie Sheldon Hannah Rogers Olivia Jones, Marcus Bruce Harriet Jones Elliot Wray Annabelle Martin-Jones Georgia Bruce Craig Tattersall Jessica Bellamy Emma Greville Milli Macliam Roberts Amelia Morris
We inserted this piece of prose alongside our video clip on A big thank you to all who have supported the pupils in the Internet: their music making. Special thanks to Mrs Blake and Mrs Hello, we are Ellesmere College Junior Choir Forester in their work with the String Group and Orchestra Our rendition of Joseph we hope you’ll admire and to our Director of Music, Mr Paul, for his all-round We’re passionate and enthusiastic about our song energy and encouragement. (Please bear in mind we’ve not had long) Our Year 8 musicians - Jenny Griffiths, Ben Kelly, Please vote for us our best we’ll guarantee. Katherine Neary, Sarah Richardson, Freya West, Collette For you we’ll sing whole-heartedly on national TV! Riggs, Vicky von Hoven and Huw Liddiard Williams – have What enthusiasm this competition generated. We had great made a most valuable contribution to the music of the support throughout the whole school – thank you to all who school, leading by example in their enthusiasm and took the time to listen and vote. commitment. As they move on to Middle School we wish Other notable events of the year included: them future success. th 17 March National Festival of Music for Youth BJ 24th May Upper and Lower School joined forces in the final Summer Concert 25th May Mass choir performance of ‘Panis Angelians’ in the School Commeration Service.
119 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Lower School Art
Year 7 Group Work
Jenny Pegg, Year 6
James Fisher, Year 8
William Mapstone, Year 8
Year 5 Group Work
William Jackson, Year 8
120 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Lower School Sport
We then visited old rivals Denstone, and although we played Michaelmas Term the better rugby lost to the size and pace of one of their Boys’ Rugby players who was unstoppable from broken play. We kept the game tight but the opposition killed a lot of good ball and Under 13 were rarely penalised for it. This season was always going to be difficult. The majority of our fixtures were away and we opened with the only team we had lost to last year, Sandbach. The game was by no way a classic and very little rugby was played. In the end their size and speed made the difference. A week of hard training saw a more structured team travel to Bedstone. Captain Jack Baxter lead by example and vocally kept his team focussed for the whole game.
Rhys Williams a good prospect for next year.
Our game with local rivals was a great game to watch unless you happened to be me. Packwood played their usual flowing rugby and we were still on the bus for the first half. At half time we trailed 15-5. The second half was all ours and Baxter scored once again. Clutton converted to make the score 15-12 Rugby Results 2006 but time was running out. The home team was now looking ragged and it looked like we had earned a kickable penalty but the Packwood forwards were given the benefit of the doubt. Birkenhead are a decent side but the game was a dour affair. We were well-beaten and rarely strung anything together without the whistle been blown. Results A trip away to Prestfelde provided a real nail-biter with Played Won Drawn Lost For Against some excellent flowing rugby being played by both sides. 11 6 0 5 229 203 The home side led twice and looked as if they were going Sandbach Lost 0 34 to earn a win thanks to some heroic tackling by their full back. In the final minute some good hands finally opened Bedstone College Won 48 10 up their defence and we went over in the corner. This Rydal Penrhos Won 68 0 levelled the scores. Up stepped fly half Clutton to convert Newcastle Won 10 5 from the touchline to win the game 12-10. Bishop Vesey’s Lost 5 49 Denstone College Lost 14 34 Packwood Lost 12 15 Birkenhead Lost 0 34 Prestfelde Won 12 10
We came away with a good win. New boy Rhys Williams scored four tries in this game to cement his place at outside centre. We went on to beat Rydal Penrhos convincingly before just edging victory in a tense game against a strong Newcastle side. Unfortunately our progress was interrupted by half term and when we returned we lost a couple of players to injury. We were then beaten by a better team in Bishop Vesey’s. They were bigger, faster and stronger and although we Jack Baxter Captain Hugh Clutton kicking off at the fought hard we were always struggling at the breakdown. & Scrum Half Ellesmere Sevens Tournament
121 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
We went on to beat two touring sides and finished the season strongly. I am sure that the core of the team will make a good basis for the U14 team next year. Mr Cawcutt should be pleased. O u r S e v e n s ’ season showed us to be a side with good skills but a lack of pace. Despite this we reached the final of the Plate competition at the P a c k w o o d Sevens only to lose on the golden try rule after extra time. My thanks go to the boys for their Under 14s coach hard work and also Mr. C. Cawcutt to all those parents who supported the team. DJM
The bare results suggest a disappointing season with the boys continually struggling against the odds, when in fact the whole group stuck to their guns manfully throughout the season when faced with long journeys, huge opponents and, on occasion, A team opposition. An opening win against Sandbach boosted confidence, but Stafford’s A team deflated us somewhat, not the last time that the opposition would beat us for size and pace. Newcastle proved too strong and Bishop Vesey’s were just a very good side, however the score-line does not reflect the hammering we gave their line for 10 minutes in the second half. Confidence was now rather low and in many ways this cost us in the next few games, as on each occasion we started poorly and only got into the game when it was too late. Thus we lost to Denstone, Packwood and Birkenhead in matches we could have won. Instead of a more straightforward trip to play Hereford’s B team we were despatched to Rossall to Results play their As, an afternoon that the team and their coach Played Won Drawn Lost For Against will happily forget. However even there our front row of Williams, Dapling and Dewhirst proved immovable, indeed 10 2 0 8 140 228 no one shifted them all season! A morale-boosting win over Sandbach Won 45 0 a weak Prestfelde side helped our points difference before Stafford A Lost 0 15 Kingsland Grange’s A team again showed up our Newcastle Lost 5 25 deficiencies in size and speed. Bishop Vesey’s Lost 5 52 My thanks to the boys for their efforts and enthusiasm (half Denstone U12A Lost 0 15 the side will still be in the Lower School next year), to Packwood Lost 12 15 Messers Morgan, Williams and Goodwin for their Rossall A Lost 0 52 assistance, Jack Brewitt for leading the side so well and Birkenhead Lost 12 17 finally to those parents who braved long journeys and cold Prestfelde Won 61 0 touchlines to provide much appreciated support. Kingsland Grange A Lost 0 37 WJH 122 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
The tackling was much better in the second game against Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School; despite the opposition’s considerable physical advantage, the Ellesmere players stuck to the task. It was only when the defence was drawn into the middle of the field that the Bishop Vesey’s team were able to outflank them and score down the wing. Three more tries were scored in the first half as the visitors’ extra strength showed itself. In the second half the Ellesmere defence held up far better, and we were able to launch strong runs through Jake Corrie and Tom Hunter-Johnston. More support would have allowed them to create pressure on the opposition. Final score: Ellesmere 0 Bishop Vesey ‘s 25 The sole away game was at Denstone, against their 13B team. By this time the team was playing more cohesively and we recycled the ball much better. A tackling error allowed a home try, but Ellesmere struck back shortly after with a Corrie try. Ellesmere were then guilty of relaxing too much after getting onto equal terms, as the opposition ran in 13 points in the next 10 minutes; 3 from a very good drop goal but the other 10 from tries which could have been avoided with better tackling. In the second half Ellesmere It is always a good sign that lots of boys want to turn out and denied Denstone any further points, and this despite our play rugby, and good that they have a chance to test being a man short when Stuart McIlraith was taken off to themselves against others. Ellesmere was able to field four Sick Bay. Ellesmere ran in a second try through Tom teams at U13 level; the U13C team allowed lots of students to Hunter-Johnston’s 60m run, and were denied a good experience rugby, some for the first time! scoring chance late in the game when they were not Their first match was against Stafford Grammar School in early allowed to play an advantage from a Denstone knock-on. October. Ellesmere made a terrible start as tackles went astray Final score: Ellesmere 10 Denstone 18 and the opposition ran in four tries in the first half, the first The final game of the season was a total mismatch courtesy of a suspiciously forward pass. As Ellesmere against Rossall, where a considerably stronger and rediscovered their defensive skills, the Stafford charge was uglier team put Ellesmere to the sword. To their credit, slowed somewhat; indeed, the Ellesmere team were able to the Ellesmere players were still running hard at the end retain the ball more and were rewarded with a try from Conor of the game and nobody’s head was allowed to drop for Carrington-Sykes, converted by Captain Jack Brewitt. The final long. They would have deserved some points for their action of the game saw Ellesmere defending deep in their own efforts, but sadly life isn’t always like that. 22 for 10 minutes until finally overcome for a final try. Final score: Ellesmere 7 Stafford Grammar 45 Despite the results, lots of boys were playing rugby for the first time and generally a good time was had by all. Most of these players should expect to play rugby next year. Under 13C squad: Sesay, Eaton, Müller, Brotherton, McIlraith, Corrie, Main, Jackson, Cole, Nyss, Sambrook-Jones, Hunter-Johnston, Hedges, Belcher, Parry-Jones, Lewis, Morris, Davies, Butt, Carrington-Sykes, Brewitt, Langton, Millan Acosta. DWC
Results of the House Rugby ‘A’ Team
BONU TOTA P W L D PTS F PTS A S L Brownlow 2 2 0 0 41 5 1 7
Phillips 2 1 1 0 15 17 1 4
Heywood 2 0 2 0 0 34 1 1
‘B’ Team
BO- TO- P W L D PTS F PTS A NUS TAL Brownlo w 2 2 0 0 36 12 0 6 Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Hey- 2 1 1 0 12 26 0 3 1 1 0 0 39 0 wood Packwood Won 39-0 Phillips 2 0 2 0 7 29 2 2
It was great that the Packwood fixture provided the opportunity for so many of the boys who wanted to represent the school, Thank you to all who were involved. It was an excellent but hadn’t had the chance, to go and play. Ultimately all those competition at both standards, with some great play and afternoon games sessions proved worthwhile as we ran out incidents. The Sixth Form boys were superb in helping as comfortable winners - an unbeaten season! Well played. team managers for the day. PAG ILW
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Girls’ Hockey
Results The most satisfying aspect of the season was seeing the girls enjoying the training and achieving significant progress Abbots Bromley (away) Drew 0 0 in their core skills. Wolverhampton Grammar (away) Drew 2 2 In the final two practice sessions they produced some very Oswestry School (home) Won 4 0 impressive hockey, thereby demonstrating considerable Rydal Penrhos (home) Won 2 1 potential for the future provided they can learn to play Packwood Haugh (away) Lost 0 2 consistently well throughout each match and stay calm when Moreton Hall (home) Won 2 0 under pressure. North Shropshire Tournament: Won 3, Drew 1, Lost 1 On an individual note, Paige Rudd was voted Player of the nd Season and Grace Tomlinson won the Most Improved Player (Finished 2 ) Award. Congratulations to Sarah Wicks and Alex Fearn for Packwood Tournament: Won 1, Lost 2 being selected for the Shropshire U13 Squad. (Eliminated in group stage) On balance the U13s enjoyed a relatively successful season, especially in our 11-a-side matches. The campaign House Hockey began with a tense match at Abbots Bromley in which both Years 7 and 8 sides failed to capitalise on their chances. At Results: Wolverhampton we secured a 2-goal lead and looked to be Brownlow 0-0 Phillips coasting to victory before a late rally by our opponents Brownlow 0-0 Heywood turned the match on its head and left us hanging on for the draw. Our first home game resulted in a very easy win over Heywood 0-1 Phillips a disappointing Oswestry side. We enjoyed a good first half Standings against Rydal, but never managed to cross the halfway line 1st – Phillips 7pts 2nd – Brownlow 4pts in the second half until the final minute, when we scored to 3rd – Heywood 2pts secure a fortunate victory! Our most disappointing match was against Packwood - we seemed rather overawed by Years 4, 5 and 6 the reputation of our opponents and did not play with Results: confidence until the last 10 minutes. However, in the Brownlow 1-3 Phillips following game against Moreton Hall, a combination of solid Brownlow 1-5 Heywood teamwork and tactical discipline resulted in the most Heywood 2-0 Phillips assured performance of the season. The 7-a-side squad entered the North Shropshire Standings st nd rd Tournament hopeful of retaining the shield won by the 1 - Heywood 10pts, 2 - Phillips 5 pts, 3 - Brownlow 0 pts College in the two previous seasons, but had to be content Overall Position with the runner-up spot after being outplayed by a very st talented team from The Grove. 1 Heywood 12pts (on goals scored) 2nd Phillips 12pts In the highly competitive Packwood Tournament the side rd defended well, but failed to create sufficient goal-scoring 3 Brownlow 4pts opportunities to secure a place in the knock-out phase. HLG 124 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Boys’ Football
The squad consisted of pupils from Years 4, 5 and 6. The A team progressed through the group stages into the Having worked hard at developing basic passing semi-final where the young team finally ran out of steam, techniques and keeping in allocated positions, there were losing on penalties in a very exciting game. Particular credit some pleasing performances from both A and B teams. The must go to Sam Fearn, who, due to family relocation, is squad entered the College tournament in good shape, leaving the school. He controlled the centre of midfield with entering both an A team and a B team. The B team, while a great deal of determination. There were other notable not winning any games, played with much credit and contributions, including Carmen Edwards, Ioan Parry-Jones endeavour against other schools’ A teams making it very and William Doerr. difficult for the opposition to score. GO
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Lent Term Boys’ Football The aim of this season was to be competitive in all matches and to play controlled football. Through a great deal of work the squad achieved many creditable performances producing many notable passages of play and being ruthless in front of goal. Even against the larger schools the games were close and the team certainly surprised the opposition. The team won their fair share of games, winning a number very easily. The games that were lost tended to be closely fought contests. Throughout the season nearly twenty players represented the team showing great depth of the squad. The squad improved a great deal throughout the season becoming well organised in defence, creative in midfield and penetrative up front. The squad had good players in all positions who never became complacent working hard on their fitness and their individual technical skills throughout the season. As a result, the squad were a pleasure to coach. The following players reeived their full colours: Hugh Clutton, Harrison Gwilt, Kallum Johnson, Jack Brewitt, Mike Kelly & Yyanis Johnson-Llambias The season began with a crushing defeat to a Sandbach side fielding several academy players. To their credit, our team showed great character by bouncing back from this sobering experience with a very creditable draw against Wolverhampton Grammar. Successive defeats to Kingsmead, King’s Chester and Abbeygate were particularly frustrating as we competed well, but lapses of concentration in the closing minutes of each game proved to be very costly. Two superb goals and a more resiliant performance in defence enabled us to achieve victory in the return fixture against King’s. In the final match, we were simply unable to compete against a Stafford Grammar side possessing greater pace and physical strength. As expected, this proved to be a difficult and challenging season. However, the entire squad remained positive throughout the campaign and their hard work in training resulted in measurable progress in terms of their individual skills and tactical awareness. RJP
Results Lower School House Football A Team Competition The Year 7 and 8 boys put on a great display of football at 1 Heywood v Brownlow 2 2 Heywood v Phillips 2 both A and B team level. The weather was kind this year 1 Phillips v Brownlow 2 and the football was fast and exciting. Every boy in Year 7 Points and 8 had the opportunity to represent his House and the Brownlow 6, Phillips 3, Heywood 0 spirit and enthusiasm of the players showed throughout the afternoon. B Team Competition In the A team Competiiton the placings were decided on 2 Phillips v Brownlow 1 2 Brownlow v Heywood 0 the final match between Phillips and Brownlow. Brownlow 0 Heywood v Phillips 0 just clinched the victory 2-1 in the last few minutes of the Points second half. In the B Team Competition the final game Phillips 4, Brownlow 3, Heywood 1 also proved decisive, with Phillips and Heywood contesting Overall Points Position a draw which ultimately gave Phillips the 1 point needed to Brownlow 9 1 win the B Team event. Overall, with points added together Phillips 7 2 Brownlow won. Heywood 1 3
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Girls’ Netball
Due to a need to develop height in the attacking circle Natalie Pickford and Alex Fearn were drilled into new positions of shooter and goal attack. Unfortunately, due to restricted court space and poor weather, the girls did not get the chance to really prove what they could achieve. Had the squad played a full, uninterrupted season I am convinced the new playing combinations would have produced sound results in match play. Full credit should be given to the whole squad who persevered with tightly constructed practice sessions throughout this extremely disrupted season. Squad Members Grace Tomlinson, Paige Rudd, Natalie Pickford, Alex Fearn, Freya West, Sarah Wicks, Chloe Prydden, Francine McSalley-Parsons, Jenny Griffiths
SO
Results The Under 13 squad is selected from a small year group of Sandbach Home Lost 0 - 10 girls. Nevertheless, there is much talent and Grace Wolverhampton Grammar Away Drew 1 - 1 Tomlinson adds speed and agility to centre court play. Kingsmead Home Lost 1 - 2 Paige Rudd improved her defending and concentration skills King’s Chester Away Lost 0 - 4 enormously as the season progressed and Sarah Wicks was Abbeygate Home Lost 1 - 2 versatile and adapted to play in key positions to the benefit of King’s Chester Home Won 2 - 1 the team. Stafford Grammar Home Lost 0 - 5
Although the match was close throughout, the girls maintained their composure in the final minutes to score the last goal, resulting in a 6-5 win. Another good result arose against Rydal Penrhos, winning 10-8. The team played cohesively, with Captain Katy Leicester giving a high work-rate throughout. Finally the girls had an excellent result in the North Shropshire Tournament. Opponents included Sir John Talbot (won 7-0), Marches (won 4-3), Moreton Hall (lost 1-10), Adcote (won 5-0) and The Grove (4-2). Ellesmere snatched the victory against Oswestry School in the semi-final (winning 1-0). The final was a close match throughout, however Ellesmere were unable to get the upper hand over Moreton Hall in the closing minutes, resulting in a 2-6 loss. Squad: Katy Leicester (Captain), Georgina Ottaway, Eleanor Biggs. Kate Parry, Eve Davies, Bethany Lyttle, Kate Norman, Sarah Carr, Lucie McClements, Lucia Jones, Iona Jackland The U12 season started against two very strong and HG experienced opponents. With many basic skills needing work, Ellesmere lost to Stafford Grammar School 4-37 and Shrewsbury High School 1-22. Results v Stafford Grammar School lost 4-37 After working on the team’s development they gained confidence in their ability, resulting in a much-improved v Shrewsbury High School lost 1-22 performance against Oswestry School. Ellesmere took the v Oswestry School won 6-5 lead early in the match with Lucie McClements and Sarah v Rydal Penrhos won 10-8 Carr making the most of their scoring opportunities. North Shropshire Tournament – runners-up
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Under 11A Results Both the U11 A and B teams improved over the term and all Opposition Result Score Player of Match girls in Years 4, 5 and 6 represented the school at some stage in the term. The highlight of the term was the win over v The Firs Lost 4 0 Ellie Halstead Moreton Hall 11 - 2 when we had lost to them at the start of v Moreton Lost 4 2 the term 4 - 2. Well done Girls! v The Firs Won 2 1 Jenny Pegg HLG v Moreton Won 11 2 Emma Greville Prestfelde Tournament Finished 3rd in Group, 5th Overall Ellesmere Tournament Finished 3rd in Group Under 11B Results The U11 Team enjoyed a lot more matches this term and it Opposition Result Score Player of Match certainly paid off at the end of the term. Again, they enjoyed v The Firs Lost 2 3 Sara Jackson the experience of the Prestfelde and Ellesmere Tournaments v Moreton Lost 4 3 as these tournaments are traditionally played at a high standard. In the Prestfelde Tournament we finished 5th out of v The Firs Won 2 1 Megan Perkins 13 prep schools. v Moreton Lost 5 3
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Summer Term Boys’ Cricket It was evident that the U13 squad of players were very enthusiastic about their cricket. They always arrived at coaching sessions early and would stay late if time allowed. Also, the majority of the squad attended extra coaching sessions and played for local clubs. The basics of technique and game tactics were reinforced very quickly in the early part of the season when the weather was particularly kind. The team quickly improved in all aspects of the game, and developed from being initially naïve in the game situation to become very competitive in all matches, no matter what the standard of the opposition. As a result, the team was unbeaten in the Shropshire League and achieved some good results against schools from further afield. The team was led by the more experienced Year 8 players including Matthew Macintosh as Captain, Joel Maddock-James, Benedict Oakley, Frazer Diamond and Jack Baxter as wicket keeper. All of these players produced some fine performances throughout the season. The squad included a mix of both Year 8 and Year 7 players, and over 20 players played for the team. All of the Year 7 players matured considerably, particularly Sam Owen and Alex Eaton, who both produced some fine bowling spells. This can only be promising for next year. I would like to take this opportunity to say that the squad was a delight to coach and I thoroughly enjoyed the season.
This was a mixed term of cricket, with poor weather leading to many fixtures being cancelled. However, in the middle of all this there were some good and entertaining cricket matches. Our first game was a tough fixture away at Packwood. The weather was beautiful, a good afternoon of cricket was expected, and the game did not disappoint. We lost the toss and Packwood elected to bat first. We began well, Adam Brahim and Hugh Clutton taking good early wickets. However we could not get their opening batsman out, and he built up a good personal innings. We were also guilty of dropped catches and silly fielding mistakes at times and this was obviously an area we needed to work on in training. Packwood eventually finished on 109 for 7 off 20 overs. We took some good wickets, with Brahim taking two more, Clutton one and one apiece for Luke Taylor and John Paul. We then went into bat, but did not start well, with Brahim being bowled out in the first over. Clutton played a good innings to keep the score ticking along, with some good support from Sam Dapling and Luke Taylor. However, the score was beyond our reach and we eventually finished on 50 all out. A tough game, but very entertaining and not a bad showing for our first game of the term. The second game was another tough fixture, away at King’s Chester. This turned out to be our poorest game of the term. We arrived very confident of giving King’s a good game of cricket. We elected to bat first. From the outset though, it never looked like being our day. Sam Kendall opened the batting with Kallum Johnson, but he was caught out on the third ball and Kallum soon followed in the second over. By the fourth over we were 4 for 4, averaging a run an over. Our best batsman on the day was Jamie Stokes. We finished on only 22 all out and King’s replied to this total with their two opening batsmen scoring 12 and 13 respectively to finish the game. The third and ultimately final game of the term was a home fixture against Rydal. We had a good team out on the field and we elected to bat first. We scored a total of 54 all out, not the best score, with some good batting from Jamie Stokes, Rhys Williams and Luke Taylor. We then went in to field and began very well with wickets from Hugh Clutton, Adam Brahim, Kallum Johnson and Williams leading to the opposition being on 25 for 8. We felt at this stage of the game we could wrap it up after 13 overs, but Rydal then put on a good partnership and held on to earn a well-fought win, scoring the decisive winning run in the final over of the game. Overall it was a tough term, but rewarding to the players in the experience they have gained. Well done everybody who played and thank you. ILR 129 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007
Tennis My Wimbledon Experience
This was the second time at Wimbledon, although this time was to play, not watch. 1500 children entered the road to Wimbledon, only 64 got through and I was one of them. I was very excited about the occasion. My dad and I arrived on the Sunday to be met with a very nice welcome pack. The competition was very strong. I was the lowest rated player in my box. All 3 matches were very close and went to match tie-breaks. I was playing well but luck wasn’t on my side. The week was going well, apart from the rain, which gave me the chance to play at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) at Roehampton. I saw Andy Murray practising, preparing for the US open. I joined together with Katherine from H + W in the doubles knockout. This was where we beat the number 8 seeds but lost against the number 4 seeds, which was also very close. I got the opportunity to go on a boat trip down the Thames and the London Eye which was a great social night. As well as this we went around the museum and had a guided tour of the grounds, where I went through the player’s passage onto court 1, the Broadcasting Centre and the players interviewing room. One day I hope to play in the Championships and I want to spin the marble ball which only the players are allowed to spin. Hopefully I will be back next year! This was the best experience of my tennis career in 10 years! It was awesome! Jo Bowen
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Open Golf Championship Overall results 1st James Fisher 40 2nd Harrison Gwilt 44 3rd Jamie Stokes 45 4th John Paul 48 5th Ryan Morley 50 6th Dominic Kowalewski 51 7th Andrew Main 55 8th Felix Muller 64 9th Ryan Williams 78
House Golf Competition
Nine golfers participated in the first ever Lower School
Match Play House Tournament. Three members of Heywood, Brownlow and Phillips battled it out on a blustery day.
House Golf In the first 3 Heywood scored 5½, Brownlow 3 and Phillip ½. On Thursday 14th June 2007 the first ever Lower School In the second 3 Phillips scored 4½, Heywood 3½, Brownlow 1.
Open Golf Championship was held on the College course. In the last 3 Brownlow scored 4, Heywood 2½, Phillips 3 Nine players, with their caddies, battled with the difficult wet and windy conditions for the honour of becoming the first The overall result read: ever Lower School Champion Golfer. The first 3 places were 1st Heywood 11½ hotly contested. Despite the poor weather some excellent 2nd = Phillips & Brownlow on 8 golf shots between the players at the end of the match. In third place was Jamie Stokes who shot 45, second place The best round of the day was by Harrison Gwilt who shot 40 was Harrison Gwilt who scored 44 but the winner, in a followed by Jamie Stokes who scored 42. commendable round of 40, was James Fisher. Mention must also be given to John Paul who shot the best score for the ILW Year 7 Boys.
Sports Day
Whilst dodging the June downpours the College managed to run the Lower School Sports Day. This year the event was supported extremely well by parents who braved the chilly conditions to enjoy a great day of sport. The event is significant in that every child is able to take part in at least one event and therefore contribute to the House score. Over the last few years the events have grown as the Lower School numbers have swollen.
Pulling Hard
The eagerly awaited start Callum Trent
This year it proved very competitive between the three Houses. In the field events Brownlow scored 137 points, Heywood scored 120 points and Phillips scored 100 points. On the track Brownlow scored 241, Heywood 210 and Phillips 231. Adding these scores together the positions were:- 1st Brownlow 378 2nd Phillips 331 rd 3 Heywood 330 Many thanks must be given to all the staff who contributed to the day, the Parents’ Society, and all the parents who cheered on throughout the afternoon. Fun Race ILW
131 THE ELLESMERIAN 2007 Old Ellesmerian Festival The day proved a great success for all the OEs who returned to their old school. It was particularly good to see such a cross-section of different ages back at the School. This was the first time the Old Ellesmerian Club has organised such a large event, but I can assure you it will not be the last. People have already been asking if they can be involved with next year’s event! Richard Morris OE Club President
In April 2007, I took over the Chairmanship of the OE Club from Mr David Leftwich, who had run a very successful Club for many years. As an OE, but also as a current parent of two children at Ellesmere, I was honoured to take on this important role and look forward to meeting OEs - young and Old Ellesmerian Club Chairman & President old - at the various events we will be organising. The Club is Richard Morris & Annie Granger run by a dedicated team of OEs and we are actively looking to recruit new and younger members to the Executive team. Hugely Successful Old Ellesmerian Festival If you feel you could spare some time to take an active role within the Club, I would be delighted to hear from you. During a warm and sunny Saturday in September Some of the areas include: Ellesmere played host to over 500 former pupils aged 1. Running the OE Sports teams between 18 and 80. 2. Organising (or assisting) with regional Dinners The activities during an action-packed afternoon included 3. Social events team games and a Choral Workshop. After a Chapel 4. Web site development Service there was a champagne reception followed by a 5. Business to Business – OE Club networking hog roast supper with music provided by a jazz band in Big Richard Morris, OE Club Chairman School. The day was designed to encourage many of the younger OEs to return with their families, some more mature OEs returning with their families as well. The Festival was the largest-ever OE Club event with the most diverse range of ages. The sports events started the afternoon with the School’s 1st XV rugby team playing against the previous leavers. This was followed by the Over 30s vs. the Under 30s rugby match. Other sports included Boys’ hockey – Over 30s vs. Under 30s, plus an OE Tennis Tournament. There were also 6 Girls’ netball teams and a Girls’ hockey game and finally, four 5-a-side football teams. A tug-of-war ended the afternoon activities.
Rob Slater Dean Jervis & Max Stringer
Chris Allinson & Beaumont Hildick Friends Reunited 132 OLD ELLESMERIAN CLUB
As a former pupil of the College the Old Ellesmerian Club is for you
Do keep in touch with us as we have regional dinners throughout the year, sporting events, regular newsletters, an active website and we are able to sponsor worthwhile causes.
Those who are responsible for the day-to-day running of the club always appreciate news of your progress through life. Wherever you are in the world, you can email our secretary, John Harvey on [email protected] or Keith Shuttleworth on [email protected].
Visit our website www.oeclub.co.uk or www.oeclub.com
Club Chairman: Richard Morris (Woodard 82-88) Willington Lodge, Horseman’s Green Nr. Whitchurch SY13 3BZ Home Tel: 01948 830275 Mobile: 07801 592120 email: [email protected]
So - don’t forget - keep in touch!
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