The Ellesmerian 2019

www.ellesmere.com
 THE ELLESMERIAN
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We are excited to introduce to you ‘Life Ready’ – our new message Our ethos – that every student is, and should be treated as an
and logo that brings together the ethos of Ellesmere, its five key individual - runs through everything we do and is the focus of our
pillars of strength and how they work together to support the Five Key Principles that work in synergy and which we base our
journey of our students through their education in more than one educational philosophy on in the areas of:
way – to prepare them to be ‘Life Ready’. Academic | Sport | The Arts | Leadership | Global

What defines a successful school? Is it the academic results that These principles drive our learning, co-curricular and pastoral
students have achieved when they leave? Is it the sporting cups, programmes to enable each student to flourish, grow and be
House Points or Colours that they accrue? It is indeed all of these successful on both their academic and personal platforms as they
but also a lot more besides. What defines and differentiates take their journey through the College, and beyond. We challenge
Ellesmere College is the success of our students at all levels and how them at all levels to be the best they can be, successfully developing
we prepare them for life after College – to be truly ‘Life:Ready’. the individual, supporting their skills development for life and allowing
them to learn through the broad range of opportunities we offer.

We are Ellesmere: We are Life:Ready.

Academic Sport The Arts

•Student Centred Learning •World Academy of Sport (WAoS) •Artsmark Platinum Award
•A Level, BTEC & International •Athlete Friendly Education Centre •International Choir Success
Baccalaureate (IB) (AFEC) •Community Theatre Provision
•WAoS Flexible Study Programmes •World Class Facilities •5 Choirs and Community Sinfonia
•Support for Learning (SfL) Provision •7 Sporting Academies •Conservatoire and University
•National & International University •Professional Pathways to Success Destinations
Destinations

Leadership Global
•Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) •Model United Nations (MUN)
•Combined Cadet Force (CCF) & •Monduli Green Charity – Tanzania
Expeditions •SAT USA University Preparation
•Institute of Leadership & •International Baccalaureate
Management Qualification
•Enrichment Programme – EPQ, ESB •University Destinations Worldwide
•Careers Partnership Programme
 THE ELLESMERIAN
The Ellesmerian 2019 : Contents Volume CXXIX
2019
Headmaster’s Speech ..........................................................................05

3
Prize Winners for 2019 ......................................................................17 Captains of School
The Common Room
Head Boy: B.E.F. Hill
President’s Report ....................................................................20 Head Girl: Z.L. Ong
Arrivals ............................................................................................21
Departures....................................................................................25 College Prefects
Chapel Notes ..........................................................................................28
S. Allen
Competitive Houses
T.R. Bellis
Meynell ............................................................................................30 V.A. Buglass
Talbot................................................................................................34 J. Corbett
Wakeman-Lambart ..................................................................38 A.I. Dubbins
Woodard........................................................................................42 I.O. Hibbott
B. Huxtable
The Schools
J.E.A. Knowles
Lower School ..............................................................................46 M.L. Manton
Middle School..............................................................................52 E.N.R. Martin
Sixth Form ....................................................................................56 G.E. Mytton
University Destinations ......................................................................60 A. Naumova
A.I.M. Newton
The Combined Cadet Force ..........................................................62
S. Nieto
The Arts S.R. Phillips
Artsmark ........................................................................................77 J.W. Pochin
Drama..............................................................................................78 M.D. Sinta
Music ................................................................................................84 T.J. Slack
L.F.A. Smith
Art ....................................................................................................91
J. Xia
Design and Technology ..........................................................98
Ellesmere in the News ....................................................................100
Monduli Green......................................................................................108 The editor wishes to thank all contributors, with particular
gratitude to those who supplied the many photographs
Sport
– too many to acknowledge individually.
Rugby ............................................................................................110
Girls’ Hockey ............................................................................122
Netball ..........................................................................................133
Football ........................................................................................142
Boys’ Hockey ............................................................................153
Cricket ..........................................................................................155
Equestrian ..................................................................................167
Shooting ......................................................................................168
Tennis ............................................................................................170
Rounders ....................................................................................174
Badminton ..................................................................................176
Sport – House Comps ....................................................................178
Sport – The Academies
Cricket ..........................................................................................184
Rugby ............................................................................................186
Golf ................................................................................................187
Football ........................................................................................188 Ellesmere | Shropshire | SY12 9AB | United Kingdom
Shooting ......................................................................................190 Tel: +44 (0)1691 622321 | Fax: +44 (0)1691 623286
Swimming – Titans ................................................................192 Email: [email protected]
Tennis ............................................................................................196 www.ellesmere.com
Ellesmere College Parents’ Society............................................198
Old Ellesmerians ..................................................................................200
THE ELLESMERIAN 4
 THE ELLESMERIAN
The Headmaster’s Speech

5
Speech Day 2019

Ladies and gentlemen and

members of the College, it is a
real pleasure and a great privilege
to be here once again to report on
the collective successes of the
Ellesmere community.

We have had a good year, as you will hear - I am afraid at some

length - but I have done my best to go only for the highlights in
reporting on our successes. Unfortunately for the length of the
speech, but fortunately in every other respect, there are a lot of
highlights.

It may have been a good year at the College but in the outside
world, certainly in the UK, it has been a frustrating one. I am by
temperament somebody who is always interested in the news and
politics and tries to read as widely beyond those areas as possible. I Mr Brendan Wignall, Headmaster
have been able to keep up my wide reading, but the news and
politics bit of my interests, I have to admit, has been sorely tested
Something else that comes up in the news regularly - and it is an
this year. There have been times when I have just switched off from
annual event – is that there is no problem in society that cannot be
the news as I have found it too depressing, and that is saying a lot
solved by asking schools to deal with it. The campaign group,
coming from an optimist such as me.
Parents and Teachers for Excellence, did a count and this year 213
new subjects were proposed for schools to teach to address
I am sufficiently diplomatic, however, not to say why precisely I have
various supposed problems. This year the list included architecture,
found the news so depressing.
how to get pregnant, sarcasm, live streaming, trampolining, and
sadomasochism.
On the wider reading front, one of the most interesting things I
read was from Dr Julia Shaw, from University College London, and
I can see that architecture may have some merit although it is
her work on evolutionary psychology. According to Dr Shaw
rather a niche subject for schools. I have to say I am not particular
fantasising about murdering your boss is quite normal and suggests
convinced of the merits of introducing sadomasochism to the
that you are more evolutionarily advanced.
curriculum. Maybe I have misunderstood the list and it was
“trampolining and sadomasochism” together: nothing would
Up until reading that paper I had always assumed that employees at
surprise me in this area.
Ellesmere were amongst the most evolutionarily advanced, but you
can understand that I am less keen to think that now, as I would
The anti-family line that schools – rather than families – should be
prefer not to walk the halls of the College stimulating murderous
at the forefront of dealing with problems is almost as common as
thoughts.
the argument that while schools may be the solution, independent
schools are the problem. The stereotype is that they serve the
According to Dr Shaw, around 50% of people have at one time or
super-rich (so well done to everyone here for being a member of a
another imagined in detail killing a person they know, particularly
super-rich elite), have no interest in wider society, and little
their employer or spouse.
connection with their local community.

The claim that to have these thoughts makes you more

I will address these issues so far as they relate specifically to
evolutionarily advanced is based on the idea that people think
Ellesmere later, but it is worth noting that independent schools exist
about these things but do not do them and that represents a form
because parents rightly want to do the best for their children. It
of evolutionary advancement, so I suppose I should be reassured
seems perverse in the extreme to think that people who have
that no-one has acted on their impulse to murder me.
worked hard to generate income should not be allowed to spend it
on what should be the most important thing in their lives – their
families.
THE ELLESMERIAN
Therefore, as well as my ironic suggestion of congratulations at Looking back over the year it has been a relatively quiet one in
being super-rich there is a more sincere one: if you are a UK terms of projects and major changes to the College after many
parent you are already paying an extreme level of tax and years of obvious things like building developments and less obvious
contributing to the state education system through that, and things such as approaching £1 million spent on replacing the roof of
6

have chosen to pay all over again because that is the best thing the main building.
you can do for your family.
In many ways, the theme this year has been one of accreditations
and inspections or – to be strictly accurate – re-accreditations and
re-inspections.

The most significant (because if it goes badly it really matters) was

our Independent Schools’ Inspectorate visit in September.

The way such a visit works is that we are given extremely short
notice (which is not a bad thing, as there is not too much time to
worry); unfortunately, the independent schools’ inspectorate was a
little too casual and in their first contact with the school I refused to
take the call because I did not regard it as serious. To be fair to me,
one would expect a formal inspectorate to introduce themselves
properly rather than just leaving a first name and a number for the
Headmaster to call back.

A number of our students achieved 'Best Delegate' awards at the Having overcome that hurdle we went through the full regulatory
Model United Nations in Lieden
and compliance inspection which takes three days and involves
several inspectors. The lead inspector is always from an
I quite recognise that the majority of parents cannot make the independent school background, but is usually somebody who is no
necessary sacrifices to send their children to a school like Ellesmere longer teaching.
and I know that from my work with North West Academies Trust,
of which I am Chair. However at the heart of a decision to send a Our particular lead inspector was a lady who was quite tough and I
child to Ellesmere is a recognition that the most important thing think upset quite a number of people with her approach. She was
families can do is to look after themselves. This does not exclude fine with me, but – to be fair – people tend to be. From my point
caring about other people, but I cannot imagine a healthy society of view the worst part of the inspection is having to get up early (I
where people do not begin their moral concerns as close to home am not a morning person) to be in the office for early meetings at
as the family level. the start of the day.

As parents, you may be accused of buying an advantage. Well I

hope so: there is not much point in spending the money otherwise.
What decent parent would not try to do that for their children?
Society is a better place for strong family commitment: it is where
family structures have broken down that things have gone wrong,
and that leads us back to the idea that school can be the solution
to all ills.

Ellesmere and schools like it exist because parental choice – limited

only by not harming their child – should be accorded a priority and
not interfered with by the state. School such as ours also provide
competition, and it is a pretty basic concept of economics – it
would be covered in a course called ‘Economics for Toddlers’ – that
competition and choice raise standards.
CCF Awards Presentation
On the subject of economics, it is worth noting that the Oxford
Economics Group has estimated that independent schools in the
UK contribute just under £14 billion a year of GDP and support On the final morning I felt that I was getting somewhere with this
over 300,000 jobs, and generate over £4 billion in tax revenues. We tough lead inspector: we had managed to bond to a degree over
also save over £3 ½ billion in education costs for the state because the fact that we both had daughters in the United States, mine in
of the children we educate. Those schools that are boarding schools Los Angeles, hers in New York. I think she had softened generally
are also amongst Britain’s greatest assets internationally, as a means because of the very open approach that everybody at Ellesmere
of ‘soft power’, as it is called. In reality, most sensible countries would had taken to the inspection team. In what was virtually the final part
be thrilled to have a ‘problem’ such as a British independent school of our conversation I asked her if she would not mind telling me
system. where she used to teach before she became an inspector.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
She mentioned an independent school. At this I thought I had Award. Ellesmere College is a national – or possibly an
achieved a major breakthrough: I was able to respond ‘Oh, Mr X is international – centre of excellence when it comes to providing
the Headmaster there: he is one of my closest Headmaster friends dyslexia within a mainstream school environment, so I am
(yes, even Headmasters have friends): he is a great chap’. Having delighted to see this recognised.

7
been pleased to establish this personal connection, as I thought it,
we both went about our business. At this point I will make my customary reminder that by what has
become a tradition, when I am reporting on the achievements of
The inspection results were all fine, of course. As it happened I saw the College and current members of the College this is a no name
my friend the following week at a conference: I mentioned to him speech, with one exception on this occasion. If it were not, the
that I had met the lady who used to work for him. As I told him, I length of time you are sitting here would probably be almost
just had a sense that something might be not quite right, and that doubled, and I would be faced with multiple challenges of deciding
was confirmed with his response which was ‘oh yes, her: I sacked which achievements merited specific naming, and worrying if I had
her seven years ago’. missed a name: it is hard enough to pick out highlights as it is,
without adding to that difficulty.

On the academic front I have to say – as I usually do – that there is

little that can be discerned from raw score statistics when it comes
to looking back to the examination results of last summer and
more recently for some qualifications. Ellesmere has always been a
school that focuses on individuals, so general statistical measures are
quite pointless.

I think it is fair to say nationally – in most types of school – that the

problem we face is that what gets measured gets manipulated and
what does not get measured is simply ignored. As I have
commented in the past, I am confident in saying that schools that
focus on statistical measures as their principal form of achievement
will also bring with that focus a higher incidence of mental illness
At Easter we had the pleasure of a residential OE reunion within their pupil body and produce unhappier and less flexible
adults. That such schools also regularly remove students during their
time who may not achieve the grades that make the school look
After a moment of being taken aback, I thought the conversation good makes them particularly unattractive to someone with my
was hilarious, and to the credit of the lead inspector I do not think educational philosophy.
my close friendship with the person who had sacked her made any
difference to the inspection report. Having said this, I need to ‘do some statistics’. You will have to trust
me that they are good; but primarily they are for the record: it is
One of the more amusing stories from the inspection was when individuals that matter.
one of our 8 year old pupils was asked as part of a group
discussion by one of the inspectors whether he felt he had enough
opportunities for discussion. He paused for a moment and gave the
question serious thought, before responding: ‘Well I am not that
well informed on the Syria crisis but, generally, yes’.

We were also inspected by the Independent Schools Teacher

Induction Panel, which ensures that teachers new to the profession
are well supported, and – again – passed with flying colours.

Additionally we had our re-accreditation visit from CReSTeD, the

national body that accredits excellence in dyslexia provision in
schools. That went very well – although it would have been rather
awkward if it had not, as I am the national Chair of CReSTeD.
Ellesmerians compete at the Windsor Horse Show
However, it was nice to hear the CReSTeD consultant who carried
out the re-accreditation visit, saying that she would like to come out
of retirement to work at Ellesmere.
Of course, there are quite a lot of statistics to report upon, because
Staying with dyslexia, at the Shropshire Dyslexia Awards Shannon Ellesmere is an exceptional school in the number of routes to
Davies, who left last year and is now at York University, was the university that it offers. Most schools just offer A Levels. In contrast,
winner of the Shining Star Student of the Year Award; Ms Jo Manion at Sixth Form level we offer A Level, the International Baccalaureate
was a finalist for Special Educational Needs Coordinator of the Year, Diploma, BTEC, and preparation for entry to US universities: we
and our Learning Support Assistant, Ms Amy Hughes, took the are most definitely not a one size fits all school.
honours in winning the Learning Support Assistant of the Year
THE ELLESMERIAN
There was a wide range of academic and educational trips this year
(I will cover sporting and arts trips later) including the annual
history battlefields trip and our continued very positive
participation in Model United Nations activities in European cities
8

and further afield. A number of Ellesmere students achieved Best

Delegate awards for their participation in these events.
Staying with the historical and political theme, I am glad that the
College continues to support the excellent work that is done by
the Holocaust Education Trust. Two of our Lower Sixth students
attended the Lessons from Auschwitz project trip to Auschwitz, and
have subsequently returned to act as ambassadors in the
understanding of the horrors of antisemitism, communicating this
not just within Ellesmere, but also to schools in the local area.

College musicians achieved a record 24 first places in the Oswestry I began this section of the speech by reporting on results. Of
Youth Music Festival course we will soon have this year’s examination results in (BTEC
have already been published) and we look forward to wishing our
A Level examinations this year saw a 93% pass rate with 54% of all leavers great success as they move on to the next stage. This year
the grades awarded in the top A* to B range. 40% of our IB there have been offers from Cambridge, Imperial, King’s and UCL in
Diploma candidates sailed past the gold standard of 30 points easily London; Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester.
with our top IB candidate achieving the equivalent of almost five One of our IB candidates has been adventurous enough to accept a
A*s at A Level. BTEC sport saw a pass rate of 100%, with the place at New York University – in Abu Dhabi.
majority of BTEC students taking the extended diploma, which is
equivalent to three A levels: 70% of those students achieved a Not everyone rushes to university immediately, and I am delighted
starred distinction which is equal to three A*s at A level. that one of the members of the Upper Sixth has been awarded a
prestigious Bulkeley-Evans HMC scholarship to provide financial
We also offer the Extended Project Qualification to supplement A support for her gap year project in Ghana. I look forward to
levels, and over 50% of the students in the Lower Sixth achieved hearing more about that at the end of next year.
grades A or B.

Put all this together and the average equivalent of UCAS points
converts to an average A Level score of AAB.

At GCSE and IGCSE over a quarter of all grades were in the top
9/8 category (A* in old money), with a third being in the 9 to 6
range, which would have been A* to B in the old days. When it is
worthwhile we start qualifications early. Year 9 students follow the
London Institute of Banking and Financial Education qualification.
The vast majority passed all three units on personal finances, money
management and financial futures and careers and only those that
joined the College late failed to receive the full accreditation Lower School House Play
through lack of time.
Moving on to the arts, the year got off to an excellent start when
All students at Ellesmere take qualifications in Spoken English we heard that we had been awarded Best School for Music at the
through the English Speaking Board: a vital skill that is an essential Education Business Awards in London in July. Music continues to be
preparation for adult life. We have not yet had the Lower School absurdly strong. College musicians achieved a record 24 first places
results in, but in the Lower Sixth everyone passed, with just under in the Oswestry Music Festival. They followed this up with
20% achieving a distinction and 60% achieving a merit or merit plus. considerable success in the Chester Music Festival, taking a number
In Year 10, similarly, everyone passed, with 10% achieving a of first places in the Under 21 and Adult categories before seeing
distinction and just under 70% achieving a merit or merit plus. the Chamber Choir being awarded the Top Youth Choir at the
competition.
In the UK Mathematics Challenge we had a very good year with
four gold, nine silver and 28 bronze awards. In the District Final our Incidentally, an original piece composed by Mr Tony Coupe, our
Sixth Form team finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a place in Director of Music, won the Open Composition class at the Chester
the National Semi-Final, and also having the distinction of being the Festival.
only all-female team at the event.
One of our Year 11 pupils qualified for the regional finals of the
Science and Technology had its moment in the sun with our Year 8 Rotary Young Musician of the Year competition, which is perhaps
winning the regional heat of the National Faraday Challenge. not too surprising as is she is already a member of the Junior
Department at The Royal Northern College of Music.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
The College Carol Services continue to be a major feature of the show their skills across a range of disciplines. The Senior House
artistic year and were – across four nights in the Chapel – as well Play Competition in October was as entertaining and as high
attended as ever. quality as ever, as the Houses took on plays written by Sir Alan
Ayckbourn. The Middle School play of ‘Our Day Out’ marked

9
The College Choral Society and Sinfonia (both combined school the last performance of the Senior School before Christmas
and community musician activities) continue to go from strength to but the very last performances were the excellent Lower School
strength and performed in a number of excellent concerts House plays that took place just before the end of term.
throughout the year.
Since Christmas there has been the Senior School production and
the Lower School production and various arts award events. The
Senior School production also travelled to Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, and New York at Easter to perform ‘Murdered to Death’.

I was fortunate enough to accompany them for part of that tour

and I was extremely proud of the way they represented Ellesmere
and the quality of performance. There have, of course, been a
variety of theatre trips throughout the year to help widen the
artistic experience of Ellesmerians.

We seek to validate our pupils’ arts achievements by offering

students the possibility to pursue the National Arts Award. One the
key elements of the Arts Award is the focus of encouraging
engagement with professional artists, but also with volunteering and
Ellesmere is an Athlete Friendly Education Centre, a prestigious gaining work experience in the arts. This year we saw 43 bronze,
accreditation given by The World Academy of Sport (WAoS) four silver, and two gold medals awarded, with others well on the
way to completing the higher levels – which obviously take more
The year’s choir tour saw the College Chapel Choir performing time.
Evensong at Queen’s College Oxford, a concert at Farm Street
Church in Mayfair, and a performance at St George’s Chapel in Sport continues to be almost embarrassingly strong at Ellesmere. It
Windsor, the most recent venue for a Royal wedding. has not been immune from the rash of external accreditations and
inspection that other aspects of school life have had and has come
Continuing with the theme of public performances, the Schulze out very well in that respect.
organ, here in Big School, continues to feature as part of our recital
programme and this year for the first time we were able to In September we received our validation report for achieving Gold
showcase the third organ that has come into the College’s standard in the Schools Games Mark quality accreditation scheme.
ownership, a fantastic chamber organ donated by Dr Malcolm This was followed up quickly by the even more prestigious re-
Clark.

Of course, music is just one of the arts at Ellesmere and visual,

media, and performing arts all play an equal part in contributing to
the exceptional standards that mean that Ellesmere is one of only
two independent schools in the country that is in receipt of the
Arts Council’s prestigious Artsmark Platinum award for the quality
of its arts.

The quality of the visual arts is plain for all to see as you walk
around College and we are very proud to display such high quality
work around the building. The summer half term break saw the
College fully occupied by our National Art Exhibition, which
continues to showcase the best professional national and local
artists, and it attracted a huge number of visitors to the College and The annual Art Exhibition was a huge success
is a really enjoyable – if demanding – four days, for the staff
involved. accreditation by the World Academy of Sport as an Athlete
Friendly Education Centre. The World Academy of Sport
In media arts, we have had students involved professionally in film accreditation system is backed by the International Olympic
directing, in film and television production, editing, screenwriting, Movement and the International Baccalaureate. It recognises
graphic design, photography, and journalism. The quality of work on excellence in provision at an individual level in catering for the
show at the College film evenings continues to be outstanding. needs of pupils. A measure of its exclusivity is that there are only 22
schools in the world that have reached this standard. There is one
In the theatre we have had a variety of events. We kicked off the other independent school in the UK that currently makes the
year with the Arts Showcase, giving students the opportunity to grade.
THE ELLESMERIAN
At a school level, we have participated in over 500 fixtures with • We had one World Championships qualifier.
over 80 teams taking part in various matches against other • One World Junior Championships qualifier.
schools. We offer over 20 sports to our pupils and have played • Five European Junior Championships qualifiers.
almost 20 inter-house sports competitions during the year. • Two European Junior Open Water qualifiers.
10

• Two Ontario Junior International swimmers.

There were many great team performances in Rugby this year and I • One British age record was achieved.
think the second XV (often overlooked as a second team) should • Titans’ coaches have been invited to the World Championships
be commended on their tremendous season, losing only one game and the European Junior Open Water Championships.
of all the matches played. • In the Regional Championships we sent a team that did not
include our top swimmers and still topped the regional medal
Fourteen Ellesmere players represented the traditional county table, taking three times more golds than the second place team
teams of Shropshire and Cheshire; of those fourteen, four went on and winning over a third of all the gold medals available in that
to represent the North Midlands and one went on to play for competition.
Midlands, which is the final stage of England U18 selection. Rugby is
a changing landscape and county honours are only one measure of
success. Six of our pupils continue to play at professional academy
level, connecting with Wasps, Worcester and Leicester Tigers for
their out of school Rugby. In addition, several pupils have also
proudly represented the Welsh and Irish Exiles during the season.
At a level below the seniors, the U14s won the North Shropshire
Schools Tournament scoring 95 points and conceding only 10.

Girls’ hockey has had a splendid season. The first team won the
Wrekin Sevens tournament; the U16s progressed to the final 12 of
the national competition, being knocked out only by the eventual
champions. The U14s were North Shropshire Champions,
Shropshire County Champions, and Shropshire School Games
champions.
Our Sixth Form team came fourth in the District final of the UK
Mathematics Challenge

I will break my rule of not mentioning names because it would be

quite bizarre not to in this context, but it is also worth mentioning
that Freya Anderson is now number three in the world for the
100m freestyle. Freya made it to the final three for BBC Young
Sports Personality of the Year Award.

Netball has gone from strength to strength this year and I have
every confidence that it will build on what has been established as
we move into the next academic year. Our U16s won the North
Shropshire competition and our U13 side lost only two of their 17
games. One of our Year 11 pupils was selected to join the Welsh
Performance Pathway and has been training with the North East
Miss Jo Manion, Shannon Davies, Fred Wild and Miss Amy Hughes at U17 talent squad and has hopes of further progression.
the Shropshire Dyslexia Awards

Tennis is at its peak in the history of the College. This year we

hosted 24 LTA and UTR tournaments on our indoor courts, which
Fifteen girls were selected for Shropshire at various levels, with gave opportunities for our students to compete on site against high
three being invited to work with the Midlands Performance Centre. quality competitors from around the UK.
One of our Year 11 pupils was called up for the Wales U18 side; a
real achievement. It is also worth mentioning that recent leaver Eight teams reached the Regional Finals in the LTA Schools’
Caro Hulme has made it to the GB Women’s Hockey Elite competition at various age groups, with two teams progressing to
Development programme, which is designed to target potential the National Finals. The boys’ senior team finished 4th in the UK and
future Olympians. the girls’ Lower School team finished 3rd. One of our students won
the Regional Tournament for Road to Wimbledon and had the
Swimming, in the form of the College Titans swimming team, has opportunity to play there. Two of our girls played at national level in
had another exceptional year – their best yet. To briefly skate across international events and nine players represented their county. One
the highest highlights: of our Year 9 girls is the first in the College to have achieved a
• 39 swimmers raced at the National Championships, which is a Tennis Europe ranking.
record for the Titans.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
Boys’ hockey was particularly strong at first team level, with one of Six Ellesmerians qualified for the British Schools Pistol
the highlights being The First XI beating local adult side, Deeside Championships, with one of our current senior pupils firmly
Ramblers, for the first time in over a decade. They also qualified as established as a national A class shot. One of our Year 8 girls
Shropshire representatives for the regional competition. recently took bronze in the Ladies Senior British Sporting Pistol

11
Championships – a major achievement. At a team level, in the
Football, historically the original sport played at Ellesmere, has had a British Schools Pistol Championships our intermediate and senior
good season. The First XI won six of their eight matches, with a teams both took gold.
severely depleted side beating traditional rivals Denstone 4-0 at
Denstone. One of our Year 9 girls shot in the Junior International at Bisley and
followed that up in an open competition at Bisley by winning the
Fred Morse Memorial Trophy for the best U16 shooter at the
meet, and two pupils were selected to shoot for England in a postal
match against New Zealand.

While that may conclude the list of what might be regarded as the
College’s major sports – and I am not aware of any other school
that has quite so many major sports as Ellesmere – the list goes on
with more minor sports, although some are on the verge of
becoming major.

In golf, an Ellesmerian qualified for the Sky Sport sponsored 26th

Junior European Open in Cadiz.
The Senior School Production, Murdered to Death, travelled to the
Tabor Academy in Massachusettes, USA
One of our Year 11 boys represented Shropshire at the English
Schools Cross Country Championships.
The Football Academy welcomed David Raven as Head Coach:
David is a UEFA qualified coach and has played over 500
professional games during his playing career. Over 30 pupils have
been part of the academy, receiving top class coaching from David
and other UEFA licensed coaches. Academy players have played
against local professional academies and acquitted themselves
extremely well. One of our students has been awarded a Soccer
Scholarship to New York University, and I am sure he will be the
first of a number who follow that route.

Despite a horrible season so far as the weather has been

concerned, cricket has continued to build on recent successes.
Once again Ellesmere has been named as one of the top 100
schools for cricket in the country by the world’s leading cricket
magazine, The Cricketer. Despite limited match opportunities we
finished ranked 22 out of the 183 schools covered in Wisden Kizzy Lumley-Edwards, Year 11, qualified for the regional finals of the
Rotary Young Musician of the Year
Cricketers Almanac, and two of our boys were picked out by
Wisden for a mention for their bowling and batting.
Although we do not offer riding as a sport we have Ellesmerians
Girls’ cricket continues to develop and this year we have made who ride under the College banner and they have had a very
major steps forward with masterclasses, hosting an ECB talent successful year. Three teams qualified in jumping events for the
identification day and as a result have been approached to host a NSEA National Championships with further qualifications for
national county cricket festival. We also hosted the Shropshire national events at Windsor and Hickstead.
Cricket World Women’s Festival and the North Shropshire U15
Festival. The Girls’ U13s won the North Shropshire Championship – The development of pentathlon continues to strengthen and the
very comfortably – and a Year 10 pupil has been selected for the pentathlon club includes students from other schools. Partly as a
U15 Welsh side. result of the pentathlon development, fencing is becoming popular
and three Ellesmerians qualified for the British Youth Championships
Moving on to shooting, the main event is yet to come as our team in Sheffield.
travels down to Bisley for the Ashburton Shield very soon. Last year
Ellesmere finished sixth in the prestigious competition, having won it And finally, in this list of sports, tennis is not our only racquet sport
in recent memory. Many of our senior shooters left following the where people would prefer to avoid playing us. Table tennis is
Ashburton, but the young team that we have has done very well coming on well and we took six players to the Shropshire U16
during the year. Championships this year, with one finishing in second place and one
in fourth.
THE ELLESMERIAN
Staying with racquets, both the boys’ and the girls’ doubles All Year 9 pupils participated for the bronze award and 59 pupils
badminton teams won the U16 North Shropshire Schools enrolled this year with 31 achieving the award last year. Twelve
Championships winning 11 out of the 12 games that they completed their silver awards. Gold is the most popular with
played. current and new students and a record number for the College of
12

46 enrolled this year. Six former students and one current Sixth
Moving on to what are often referred to as Thursday afternoon Former attended Buckingham Palace in May to receive their gold
activities at Ellesmere (although they spread much wider), the CCF awards, and in total 24 Ellesmerians received the gold DofE award
had another good year. (with a number deferring the opportunity to go to Buckingham
Palace to focus on their exams, and so will make the trip later in the
They took full part in the Remembrance Sunday Parade in year).
Ellesmere providing a tremendous turnout on the very special
occasion to mark the 100th anniversary of the guns falling silent.
The Remembrance Parade was also the first opportunity to parade
the new Standards gifted to us by the Ellesmerian Club that now
stand outside the Chapel by the College war memorial.

There was a tremendously successful Easter camp at the

Norwegian Lodge in Aviemore, and I know that this week’s
expeditions have been very successful.

On an individual level within the CFF, one of our students attended

a prestigious week-long air cadet leadership course at RAF
Cranwell and he is qualified to deliver leadership courses to
younger cadets as a consequence of this. Members of the RAF
section have had the opportunity to gain air experience flying this
term. Students visited Monduli

During last summer’s expedition, a number of members of the CCF Connected to this area, this year we have piloted the opportunity
attempted to complete the Welsh 3000 challenge. To succeed in for our students to take place in the Institute of Leadership and
this challenge a climber needs to have reached the summit of all 15 Management Level 3 course. It is open to our Sixth Formers and all
of the mountains over 3000 feet in Wales within the space of 24 who have submitted work for it so far have passed, so will move
hours without using any form of transport. The length is about 24 into the Upper Sixth already holding a formal qualification in
miles, but the walk to the start point and down to the finish point Leadership and Management.
can take it to over 30 miles. The walk is also known as the 14 peaks
(although, apparently, there might be more than that). It is rocky, Ellesmere is an outward facing community with a concern for
tough, and navigation is challenging. It is rare that anyone at any age others less fortunate than ourselves. Many charities have benefitted
manages to do it, but this year one of the cadets, who was only in this year from charitable collections in Chapel through to a range of
Year 11 at the time, completed the challenge in 17 hours and 56 other activities.
minutes. Chapel continues to play a central role in the life of the school and
we were pleased to welcome the Bishop of Lincoln to baptise,
confirm, and admit candidates to communion in the Michaelmas
Term.

The annual Snowdon Run for charity, which consists of two teams
of 21 runners – sixteen of whom were students and five members
of staff – took place a couple of weeks ago. Both teams ran in relay
from Ellesmere to the summit of Snowdon in a very respectable
time of 12 hours and 17 minutes, despite some awful weather. It
was a great effort from all concerned and everyone arrived back at
the College safe and sound ready for Chapel the following morning,
raising over £1,000 for CRY and Cancer Research.

Monduli continues to be a very important charity for Ellesmere.

Originally a project based on reforestation in the village of Monduli
Students receive their Gold D of E awards at Buckingham Palace in Tanzania, our involvement has now spread and we also support
education initiatives in the area.

The Duke of Edinburgh scheme continues to be extremely strong Last summer a group of Ellesmerians flew to Monduli to help make
at the College and we have the largest award enrolment in schools a difference; teaching English, planting trees, painting classrooms, and
across the whole of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin. generally doing whatever they could to help the students there.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
Subsequent fundraising activities have enabled us to buy two water At Easter we had the pleasure of a residential reunion for Old
tanks so that students do not need to use what has been their only Ellesmerians from my time at the College, and it was good to
water source, which is a 10-minute walk from the school to a dirty see the successes of so many of them. It is slightly alarming to
cattle pond. think that some of the pupils from my time are now well

13
established as parents themselves.
The wider Ellesmere community now sponsors the education of 55
students at the school and the agricultural nurseries continues to Mentioning the breadth of the Ellesmere community almost circles
develop trees and vegetable gardens. me back round to where we started. Ellesmere plays a major part
in the local and the national community and offers considerable
At the time of delivering this speech, two members of Ellesmere’s public benefit, to use the fashionable term. The following list is just a
Lower Sixth are in Northern India working with our partner small selection of the highlights:
independent school in India, The Scindia School, to help build new • As already mentioned, I am Chair of the national dyslexia
classrooms at a school in the foothills of the Himalayas. accreditation charity, CReSTeD, and Ellesmere is an international
centre of excellence and helps raise the standards of dyslexia
Other activities have included an extended project qualification education throughout the UK and beyond.
exercise, which involved organising for TV personality Christina • On behalf of the College I am Chair of North West Academies
Travanion to come to the College to value antiques, raising almost Trust, a Government multi-academy trust. Based principally in
£500 for Down Syndrome charities. Cheshire – but also taking in Ellesmere Primary – we have, in a
short space of time, transformed the lives of children: one of the
primary schools, when we took it over, was the second worse
performing primary school, statistically speaking (and I mention
this despite my disdain for statistics); without any change in
admissions policies it is now in the top 25%, despite serving a
very poor area.
• Ellesmere town would not have a swimming pool were it not for
Ellesmere College’s financial support to keep it open.
• Our facilities are used extensively by other schools and
community groups including the use of Big School for rehearsals
and Christmas play preparation for feeder primary schools. A
local amateur dramatic society uses our theatre. We also host
many charitable events over the year, including – last weekend –
a major charitable afternoon tea event to mark the 100th
anniversary of the birth of Eglantine Jebb, the founder of Save the
Winners of the regional heat of the National Faraday Challenge
Children, which raised £3500.
• Local schools have benefitted from the professional coaching
The Classics at the College, a vintage car event that takes place offered by our academy coaches.
alongside the summer national Art Exhibition, raised just under • Ellesmere College Arts Award students at silver and gold level go
£2000 for Hope House Hospice. to local primary schools where they have been working with 230
young people from four different schools to give them an
Non-uniform days have raised money for Monduli, Macmillan experience of high quality arts.
Nurses, and Age UK; the poppy appeal was generously supported,
and the Christmas jumper fundraising for Shelter also raised
substantial funds.

It is fair to say that the Ellesmere community goes well beyond

Ellesmere itself, both in time and space. This year there have been a
number of very enjoyable social events organised by the Parents’
Society and the Old Ellesmerian Parents’ Society. Most recently
there was a very successful Ladies’ Lunch in the marquee that we
will be using for the Ball this evening, which also doubled as a
fundraising event for Save the Children.

Old Ellesmerians themselves continue to be hugely supportive and

involved, many being prepared to offer careers advice and coming
back to share their experiences of the world of work, and to
sponsor scholarships. Old Ellesmerian events this year have taken
place in a variety of locations including Jersey, Manchester, and
London.
The College's Chapel Choir performed at St George's Chapel in
Windsor
THE ELLESMERIAN
• We have an arts outreach programme to local schools area normally regarded as ‘development’ in independent schools,
which includes an artist in residence model, where Ellesmere and a reorganisation led to him being responsible for Admissions
staff give up time to go into primary schools and work with and Marketing, and Public Relations also.
the pupils to produce art that they would not otherwise
14

have the opportunity to make. He has shaped and led the External Relations Department with
• As part of the Birmingham City University hub, our great skill and been central to the professionalization of our
Computer Science Department has been involved in the operation in this area.
training of Computer Science teachers in the maintained
sector in all aspects of theory and programming. In recent years he has done excellent work for us internationally
and has been central to our attempts to develop our business into
I think, were we ever to have a Government elected in this country China.
that was serious about removing independent schools from the
scene, then we would definitely be missed. I hope it won’t come to He has been an outstanding colleague and I regard him as a very
that, however! good friend.

I said that Nick was giving up his role as Director of Development,

but he is not quite leaving the College, as I am delighted to have
secured his services on a part time consultancy basis for the
foreseeable future.

Mrs Mai Thomas joined us 14 years ago, initially as an artist in

residence in the Art Department. She must have enjoyed this
experience of coming into schools because that led her to train as
a teacher here, and I was delighted that we were then able to offer
her a part-time position.

Her contribution to the arts has gone well beyond the part-time
CReSTeD commended our incredible Support for Learning team and I know that the Lower Schools Arts Club in particular has been
one of her many significant successes.

While the end of year is time for celebration for what has been Mai has also managed to find time to complete her PhD while
achieved this year, it is also a time for saying farewell to colleagues. I here. She has been a crucial member of staff in our arts outreach
am pleased to say that it has been a very quiet year with regard to work and although she is leaving us now to concentrate fully on her
staff departures. own artistic endeavours I know that we will keep in touch with her.

Ms Kerry Marshall joined us three years ago. She came to take up Mr Philip Wood joined the College in 1979, 40 years and 1 term
the role of Head of Girls’ Games and in the three years that she ago, as an Assistant History Master – a very formal term that gives a
has been with us she has made a considerable impact. Building on feel for how Ellesmere was at that time. I am the fourth
good foundations, she has developed netball, hockey, and girls’ Headmaster that he has worked with, but the first to outlast him.
cricket to very high standards and leaves us with even more solid
foundations in place that we can continue to build on. Philip enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks and was appointed
Head of History and Housemaster of Wakeman. When falling
She has been an excellent BTEC Sport teacher, an outstanding numbers affected the College, Philip was seen as the man to
member of the Duke of Edinburgh team, and a major contributor manage the merged House of Wakeman-Lambart, and it was just as
to the life of the Common Room. Her legacy will live on in the he had begun to manage Wakeman-Lambart that I met him for the
number of members of staff who have taken up running as a result
of her ‘Couch to 5k’ programme to encourage and support staff to
take up running as a means of fitness.

Kerry will be greatly missed as she moves on to a well-deserved

promotion from Head of Girls’ Games here to Director of Sport at
Rougemont School in South Wales.

Mr Nick Pettingale is not a teacher, but he is a member of the

Senior Management Team and finishes his time with us in the role
of Director of External Relations over the summer.

Nick joined us 10 years ago, from Stamford School where he had

been Development Director. That was his initial title here, but it
quickly became apparent to me that his talents ran well beyond the
Students celebrate their A Level results
 THE ELLESMERIAN
first time. On giving up his House role I appointed him to a post To quote Mr Coupe, ‘Pat is brilliant and irreplaceable and the
that no longer exists called Senior Tutor, but that role transformed department will miss her very much’.
itself over time into the more modern concept of Head of Sixth
Form and Philip established the new position with his customary I know that a number of us have plenty of plans afoot to make

15
skill and diplomacy. sure that Pat and Philip stay in touch in a variety of ways, but
we wish both of them every happiness in retirement from
Philip is not just a History teacher but an historian. I have learned Ellesmere as they move to Chester – which is not too far away to
from him just through the many conversations that I have enjoyed keep in touch.
with him over the years. Both my children greatly enjoyed the
experience of being taught by him, as I know have many other OEs. I hope you will join me in thanking my departing colleagues for all
The establishment of the annual Battlefield trips has proved hugely that they have done for the College in the customary way.
successful, so much so that it has been copied by the Old
Ellemerians in recent years; Philip is an expert on European cities (I ‘Part of the journey is the end’, to quote from my favourite film of
have had good advice on where to stay and where to eat in various the year. But this is not the end.
locations over the years).
For all our leaving staff and pupils and their parents, I think it is also
important that I quote from the song ‘Hotel California’ by the
Eagles: ‘You can check out any time you like, but you can never
leave’. I very much hope this is true: we want to retain contact with
everybody who has been part of the Ellesmere community and
hope that they will carry Ellesmere with them in some sense.

On a practical level, leaving Ellesmerians are joining a global

network of OEs scattered all over the world. Leavers, do remember
to collect your OE tie or scarf on the terraces this afternoon and
the contact card that enables you to stay in touch. If you need
advice whilst at university or in your future career, the OE network
is there to support and assist you.
The Classics at the College has become a popular event in the
College's calendar
I began my speech - admittedly quite a long time ago – by
expressing the view that much of the news this year, so far as the
It has been entertaining to have international reunions in European UK has been concerned, had been pretty grim. Having said that I
cities only to find that a feature of them has been Philip’s guided remain a determined optimist and I would like to finish by quoting
tours around those cities, and Old Ellesmerians who live there an American President. Not the current one, as there are children
making a point of turning up early so that they could learn more present.
about their own city.
President Obama was far from perfect – who is? – but I thought he
He is, of course, an expert on wine and the wine tasting society will put things very well when he said:
miss him greatly, I am sure. “The truth of the matter is, for all of the problems we face, if you had to
choose any moment to be born in human history, not knowing who you
Throughout the time that I have known him he has been were going to be you would choose this time. The world is more tolerant
progressive, open-minded, and supportive of change. All who know than it has ever been, more educated than it has ever been, the only
him rightly hold him in high regard, and I know of no one with thing that stops that is people thinking that they can’t make any
whom OEs keep in touch more than him, which is a real change.”
compliment.
The truth of the matter is that it is a wonderful world, although it
Mrs Pat Wood (and for those who do not know, yes, the helps if you are prepared for it, as Ellesmerians usually are. I am
coincidence of surnames is not a coincidence as they are married) convinced that things will get better. I recognise that I speak from a
joined the College in 1974 and has taught piano here, therefore, for position of privilege: I have one of the best jobs in the world. I am
45 years. She has been a Tutor in St Oswald’s and a vital very grateful for that, but just because I am lucky does not mean
component of the Choral Society as a hugely talented accompanist. that I am not right. I am definitely lucky, and, on this occasion, I am
She has also found time to be involved with the church in right: we should embrace the world as we find it as it is a wonderful
Ellesmere, singing in the choir and occasionally helping out when place, for all its ups and downs.
they were short of an organist.
My good fortune in being Head of Ellesmere is something that I
Pat, I think it is fair to say, is much loved by all who know her. She fully recognise: it is wonderful to work with such fantastic students,
has a fantastic relationship with students, parents, and other talented staff, caring parents, and very supportive Governors.
teachers because of her obvious caring nature and she takes an
approach based on the individual needs of the person that she is Thank you to everyone for their contribution to the life of
dealing with, so in that sense she is the perfect Ellesmere teacher. Ellesmere this year.
THE ELLESMERIAN 16
 THE ELLESMERIAN
Prize Winners for 2019
Special Prizes

17
Charlie Nelson James Merrick Cup for Academic Achievement: Donated by the Merrick family
Eduard Imamverdiev The Evans Cup for ICT – donated by Mr Nicholson in 2006, grandfather of OE’s Rachel and Daniel Evans
Anastasia Newton The Richardson Cup for Services to Drama: Donated by Richardson Family in 2013
Elizabeth Martin Award for Drama
Anastasia Newton Services to the Choir
Elizabeth Martin The Marilyn Amako cup for Vocal Excellence:
Donated by family of Marilyn Amako, teacher of EAL and Japanese at Ellesmere 2001 to 2010

Ollie Williams Marsh Cup for Musician of the Year

Scott Phillips Baulcott Organ Prize
Jakob Fradley Instrumental Music
Kizzy Lumley-Edwards Garnett Prize for Creative Music
Lydia Smith Lovel Prize for English Literature
Lydia Smith Jebson Shield for History
Hector Pardoe Keith Smith Historical Essay
Beam Kittiratanaviwat Excellence in Visual Arts
Matthew Manton The Hollway Technology Award
James Knowles Excellence in Media Production
Meredith Sinta GCSE Media Production
Verity Buglass The Sandra Lloyd Cup for Chemistry:
Donated in memory of Mrs Lloyd, chemistry technician, awarded to a Sixth Form student for enthusiasm and dedication

Natan Marczak and Jack Pochin Physics Endeavour Prize

Alistair O'Brien The Woodard Midland Division Talbot Prize for Mathematics:
Donated by the Woodard Board for work of outstanding merit in Mathematics

Dan Samarji Colin Russell Prize for Endeavour in Biology

Toby Slack Mark Willis Science Prize: Awarded to the highest average mark across two sciences at advanced level
Paul Kontrus The Ollier Prize for Modern Language: Donated by Maureen Ollier – retired teacher
Angel Xia Contribution to the International Life of the College
Alan Bain The Endeavour and Achievement Award
Thomas Ward The Old Ellesmerian President’s Cup:
Donated by the Old Ellesmerian Club, awarded in recognition of an individual pupil for service to College life

Isabelle Hibbott The Woodard Board Prize:

Donated by Woodard Corporation and awarded for notable contribution to the Christian Ethos of the College

Kimberly Ong Gledhill OE Prize for Leadership, Initiative and Excellence

Freya Anderson Excellence in a single Sport: Elite Sportsperson of the Year
European Championships 2x Gold / 2x Bronze
World Championships Qualifier, South Korea, July 2019
Double British Champion 100 & 200 Free

Isabelle Hibbott Sportswoman of the Year: Best contribution across a range of sports
Connor Davies Sportsman of the Year: Best contribution across a range of sports
Barney Hill Headmaster’s Prize (Head Boy)
Kimberly Ong Headmaster’s Prize (Head Girl)
 THE ELLESMERIAN
18
Prize Winners for 2019

Year 7 Francesca Appleby Art

Amelia Robinson Computer Science, Geography, Modern Foreign Languages
Georgie Prescott Design & Technology
Isobel Gray English
Archie-George Coe History
Harry Hepburn Latin
Alex Sharpe Mathematics
Joshua Norris Music, Science
Archie Floate Religious Studies

Year 8 Brooke Illingworth Art, Mathematics, History

Ellie Edwards Computer Science, Religious Studies
India Freer-Carmichael Design & Technology
Poppy Mainwaring English, Geography, Latin
Joshua Mellitzer Modern Foreign Languages
Jack Arrowsmith Music
Oliver Covill Science

Year 9 Evie Floate Art

Alexander Norris Biology, Chemistry
Jack Tomlinson Business Studies, Physics, French
James Caldwell Computer Science
Cal Adlard Design & Technology
Aditi Chezhian English
Tessa O'Brien Geography
Carmen Kilgannon History, Latin, Religious Studies
Gavin Yang Mathematics
Hettie D’Ammassa Media Studies
Lili Harvey Hemming PE
Darcy Ward Performing Arts (Drama)
Huw Lloyd Performing Arts (Drama), Music,
Guy Welti Spanish

Year 10 Harriet Otter Art

Connie Trollope Art
Danylo Zagorii Biology, Performing Arts (Drama)
Lily Wetherell Business Studies
Ben Zakers Chemistry, Geography
George Joynson Computer Science
Bruno Kington-Brady Computer Science
William Selby Design & Technology
Robyn Welti English, Music, PE
Hugo Wu EAL, Mathematics
Alixandra Heasmer Jones French, Spanish
Paul Chlebec German
Pablo Ayo de Diego History
Leo Kaufmann Latin
Aiham Nadeem Media Studies, Physics
James Prescott Religious Studies
 THE ELLESMERIAN
Year 11 Aaron Davies Art, Media Studies
Emily Ashley Art, Performing Arts (Drama)
Kezia Hutchings Biology, Chemistry, Design & Technology
Rory Smith Business Studies, History

19
Eduard Imamverdiev Computer Science
Severin Pfarl Economics, German
Joe Patmore English
Robert Ho EAL
Kizzy Lumley-Edwards French
Dorian Puzovic Geography, PE
Alanah O'Brien Latin
Emilis Jukna Mathematics
Sophie Ward Music
Jojo Kang Physics
Maddie Freer-Carmichael Spanish

Year 12 Harriet Allday Biology

Daniel Harris Business Studies
Molly Tumelty Chemistry
Sarala Chatterjee Design & Technology
Flora Cui Economics
Emily-Rose Coupe English, Psychology
Mako Sasaki EAL
Douglas Harper Geography
Iwo Hachulski German, Theory of Knowledge
Amber Coxill History, Music
Mimi Quinton Latin
Rain Liu Mathematics
Irene Hong Further Mathematics, Physics
Lavinia Mottershead Media Studies
Jacob Elliott PE
Gracie Shallcross Performing Arts (Drama)
Filip Radu Politics
Harry Hudson Sociology

Year 13 Alice Smail Art

Cynthia Qiu Biology
Freddie Furnival Business Studies
Angel Xia Chemistry, Mathematics
Jed Corbett Design & Technology
Natan Marczak Economics, International Baccalaureate Diploma
Bethan Huxtable English, Geography, Theory of Knowledge
Melissa Fu EAL
Mariagiulia Angioni French
Tillman Bergmeyer German
Lydia Smith History
Christopher Hooper BTEC Diploma: Sport
Alistair O’Brien Further Mathematics, Physics
Ellie Southward Media Studies
Chelsea Chao Music
Archie Dubbins PE
Thomas Ward Performing Arts (Drama)
Sean Allen Politics
Kate Haworth Psychology
Hector Pardoe Sociology
Kimberly Ong Spanish
 THE ELLESMERIAN
The Common Room
President’s Report
20

In September we welcomed a number of new colleagues to Ellesmere. At the end of the year, we as usual sadly said goodbye to a number of
Andrew Quentin, an Old Ellesmerian and former Head Boy, returned to our colleagues as they moved on to new pastures. Philip and Pat Wood
the school to teach Biology. We welcomed two new colleagues in have retired, after more than 40 years in the school. We also said
Mathematics, Gareth Phillips and Dr Jennifer Marsh. Matthew Horton goodbye to Kerry Marshall, the Head of Girls’ Games, who has moved
joined us as Head of Design and Technology, and Matthew Spencer as to a more senior post at a school in South East Wales; to Dr Mai
teacher of Physics. Marcus Atherton took up the post of teacher of Thomas, teacher of Visual Art, who is retiring from teaching to pursue
French, while Lucy Ding now teaches Chinese. other artistic interests; and to Scott Formstone, the Arts Centre
Manager, who has taken up a post at a school in Manchester. We send
Several members of the Common Room and their partners saw new Philip and Pat our very best wishes in their well-deserved retirement.
family members during the course of the year: Colette McClelland and We also send our very best wishes to our other colleagues as they
her husband Mick welcomed a baby daughter Caia; Jonathon Haycock move on to new opportunities, both inside and outside the world of
and his wife Abi a baby daughter Dolcie; Matthew Spencer and his wife education, and hope for every good fortune for them.
Laura a baby son Logan; Matthew Horton and his wife Carrie a baby
daughter Nola Connie, and Marcus Atherton and his wife Marina a Dr Ian Tompkins
baby daughter Elena Jane. Marcus and Marina were also married during Common Room President
the course of the year, so an eventful year for both! We wish every
future happiness to all these colleagues and their families.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
The Common Room
Arrivals

21
Matthew Spencer – Teacher of Physics and Maths
Matthew joined Ellesmere College in September 2018. Born and bred in Wolverhampton, he
developed a love of Physics from his time as an Air Cadet and a passion for football from playing
for his local football team.

Matthew went to Loughborough University to achieve a BSc Honours in Physics, followed by a

PGCE awarded by Wolverhampton University.

After completing his NQT year in a college in Birmingham, Matthew then accepted a job to
teach Physics in Cairo, Egypt. In the three years there, Matthew became a Head of Year and was
involved in many accreditations that the school was awarded by educational bodies from all
around the world including the COBIS (Council of British International Schools).

Matthew then moved to work in a school in Jakarta, Indonesia for 3 years, in which he rose to
the position of Grade Level Coordinator. He also married his wife who had been a fellow
teacher with him both in Egypt and Indonesia.

Feeling it was time to move back home, Matthew accepted a job at Ellesmere College. With a
new house, new town, new school, and also a newborn son, it was not an easy transition!
However, as things have settled down into a routine Matthew is fully back into the swing of
things in the UK and is looking forward to his new life at Ellesmere College.

Gareth Phillips – Teacher of Mathematics

Gareth joined Ellesmere College as a Mathematics teacher in September 2018. His was
educated through the medium of Welsh in Mold and completed his A Levels in Ruthin, North
Wales. He particularly enjoyed playing the French Horn at school and was a member of the
North Wales Youth Orchestra.

After achieving a BSc Honours degree in Mathematics with Statistics at The University of
Nottingham he was a highly successful retail manager with Tesco, working mainly at Broughton
Shopping Park. On completing his teacher training in 2005 he worked in a Welsh medium
secondary school before being tempted back to Tesco to open a new store in Ruthin.

Gareth was married in 2009 and embarked on a 5 month honeymoon travelling South East
Asia, Australia and New Zealand. He returned to teaching Mathematics in 2011 and later
became a proud father of his two children. He is an experienced A Level examiner and Gareth
has taken on the responsibility for UKMT Mathematics challenge, both individual and team
entries, at Ellesmere College.

Gareth also enjoys cycling, rugby and days out with his family.
THE ELLESMERIAN
The Common Room
Arrivals
22

Dr Jen Marsh – Teacher of Mathematics

Dr Marsh joined Ellesmere College as a teacher of Maths in September 2018. She hails from the
sunny North West of England and read Statistics at the University College of Wales,
Aberystwyth, before moving to complete her PhD in Statistics and Epidemiology at the
University of Newcastle upon Tyne. She then moved into an academic career in medical
research and started teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the Universities of
Warwick and Birmingham. She specialised in the use of statistics on applied problems in
medicine and contributed to expert witness work in the UK courts with her PhD supervisor,
Professor Jane Hutton.

She recently moved into school teaching, training with Edge Hill University to complete her
PGCE in mathematics. She has worked in various schools in Shropshire and now teaches GCSE
and Sixth Form classes in mathematics, with a statistics specialism.

Outside of teaching, Dr Marsh is a keen fan of the great outdoors and enjoys spending time
mountain biking, fell-walking, canoeing and running with her family.

Marcus Atherton- Teacher of French and Spanish

Marcus joined Ellesmere College in September 2018. During his childhood, Marcus represented
England in Chess before moving to Haute-Savoie in the French Alps, where he was educated
under the French education system.

Marcus gained a BA Honours in Modern Language Studies at The University of Leicester and as
part of the course he participated in the Erasmus program, leading him to move to Barcelona
for 6 months and a further 6 months in Italy.

Following on from his degree, he decided to complete a TEFL course before deciding to travel
the world, with his now wife, while volunteering in countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia
along the way. Upon his return, he completed a PGCE at The University of Leicester working in
a challenging Leicestershire school and Loughborough Grammar School.

As well as his enthusiasm for the outdoors, languages are a real passion of his, and he is currently
learning his wife’s family’s mother tongue, and fifth language, Bulgarian.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
23
Matthew Horton – Head of Design and Technology
Matthew joined Ellesmere College as Head of Design and Technology in September 2018. His
early education was at Leeds Grammar School where he represented the 1st XV Rugby team.

Matthew gained a BSc Hons in Industrial Design at De Montfort University where he was able
to gain experience in industry, on a sandwich year. He soon moved onto teaching where he
completed a graduate teacher-training programme in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Before coming to Ellesmere, Matthew worked in a range of comprehensive schools in

Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire where he has now settled with
his family.

Rugby is a big passion of Matthew’s and he has been involved with coaching Shropshire and
North Midlands teams.

Chris Garratt - Head of History, Classics and Politics

Chris joined the College as Head of History, Classics and Politics in September 2017. Chris spent
his formative years in and around the Ellesmere area before moving away to Aberystwyth for his
university studies where, after completing an undergraduate degree in History, he studied for a
Masters in Modern European Political Culture. Chris also completed his PGCE in History with
English at Aberystwyth but was delighted when work brought him back to Shropshire where he
has worked in two previous schools as both Head of Year and Head of Department/Faculty.

Chris has an avid interest in both football and cricket, and spends any spare time he has studying
Christian theology and reading modern history. Holidays are spent travelling around France with
his family with the discovery of new wines and cheeses being the priority.
THE ELLESMERIAN
The Common Room
Arrivals
24

Sarah Hutchon – Teacher of Psychology

Sarah joined the school to teach part-time Psychology in January 2017. Sarah’s early years of
schooling were in Staffordshire and she studied A Levels at Stafford College.

Sarah gained a BSc Hons degree in Psychology at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
After graduating she moved to Oxford where she completed a Cambridge English Language
Teaching qualification which led to teaching in Junior High Schools and Corporate Organisations
in Tokyo, Japan for three years. She enjoyed teaching young people and went on to do her Post
Graduate Certificate in Education at Westminster Institute of Education in Oxford.

Sarah’s first teaching position was at Chipping Norton School in Oxfordshire where she taught
English and Psychology. She then became Head of Psychology at Waddesdon School in
Aylesbury.

After having her first child, Sarah and her husband moved to Shropshire to enjoy a more rural
setting. Before gaining her position at Ellesmere College she taught A Level and Access
Psychology at North Shropshire College.

Her time outside of school is mainly taken up by looking after her two lively young daughters. If
she gets chance, Sarah relaxes by taking part in local Park Runs, swimming and yoga.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
The Common Room
Departures

25
Philip Wood – Head of Sixth Form
Philip came to Ellesmere for the Summer term 1979, appointed by the then Headmaster, David
Skipper, and within a few years was asked to be Head of History, before being appointed as
Housemaster of Wakeman, which then merged to become Wakeman-Lambart. He completed
17 years as a Housemaster before moving on to be Head of Sixth Form.

We asked Philip to reflect on his many years at Ellesmere:

I had originally planned to spend three or four years at Ellesmere, but accepting the role of Head
of History, then Housemaster of Wakeman (at that time still a boys’ boarding house) has kept
me here for almost an entire career. When the decision was made to close Lambart House it
seemed sensible to suggest a merger with Wakeman - hence the creation of Wakeman-Lambart.
I am frequently asked about change and it is certainly true that the facilities have improved: the
dormitories have gone and there is even heating (sometimes) in the Houses. I am not
convinced, however, that the quality of Ellesmerians has fundamentally changed. We continue to
accept students from a variety of backgrounds and with wide-ranging academic ability. This
makes for a healthy environment where individuals can each fulfil their own potential. We have
lost Saturday morning school and Sunday Chapel. Many Sixth Formers now drive themselves to
College. The responsibility of being Head of Sixth Form is demanding, but encouraging students
to be intellectually challenged and practise their critical thinking skills continues to be rewarding.
One of the advantages of career longevity is that it has also been possible to keep up to date
with news of OEs and it is genuinely remarkable what they can get up to later in life. Overseas
trips have been one highlight of my time at College. I am not sure I would have visited Australia,
Canada, Hong Kong, North Africa and many parts of Europe if it had not been for Ellesmere. I
even learnt to ski with a College party – dislocating my thumb in the Italian Dolomites! I still find
a relevance in taking parties to the battlefield sites of the two World Wars. Without history
there would be no present. Pat and I have made our home at Ellesmere as well as it being our
place of work. We will miss many aspects of College, but fully intend to keep in future contact.

PAW

Philip has not just been a highly valued colleague but also a wise and entertaining friend. As I
commented in my end of year speech about him, he is not just a History teacher but an
historian and his interest and knowledge in his subject has inspired many more people than just
the pupils that he has taught: conversation with Philip has always been an enjoyable experience.
He has always been supportive of the need for the College to change and adapt and I know
that he is held in extremely high regard by many Old Ellesmerians. I was fortunate enough to be
invited to a lunch in honour of Philip and Pat in London over the summer holidays and it was
evident at that event the deep and genuine affection in which he is held by many of his former
charges.

I am really glad that we will be keeping in touch.

BJW
THE ELLESMERIAN
The Common Room
Departures
26

Kerry Marshall – Head of Girls’ Games

Kerry Marshall joined the PE and Games department three years ago. In that short space of
time, she made a significant contribution to the running of girls games and to the wider
community of the College. Her enthusiasm for sport was infectious and she worked tirelessly to
encourage more girls to engage in sport. She started evening mixed hockey, which was a huge
success, and the couch to 5k running club, which many members of staff enjoyed.

Kerry pushed forward with Girls’ Cricket establishing it as the major sport in the summer and
encouraged the development of Hockey, setting up additional training and masterclasses
throughout the week.

Kerry had many hobbies; paddle boarding, surfing and an incredible drive to repair and salvage.
She even built a fully working sauna for a friend constructed entirely from discarded materials.
She was a great social addition to the Common Room and thrived in an active environment. She
loved DofE and could be seen running her beloved VW van out into obscure parts of North
Wales, or paddling her way down rivers in pursuit of the gold expedition.

We will all miss Kerry but wish her the very best of luck in her promotion to Director of Sport.

ILW

Pat Wood
Pat Wood came to Ellesmere in 1974 as a piano teacher, joining the instrumental team. She has
accompanied the College Choral Society and been involved in the pastoral life of the College as a
tutor in St Oswald’s. Pat is a gifted musician, brilliant pianist, outstanding sight-reader and inspiring
teacher. She has made an impact on the lives of thousands of members of the Ellesmere
community and shown great dedication throughout her time at the College.

Pat really believes that every child can succeed and has demonstrated the truth of this over and
over again as a piano teacher in the music department. It just takes the right mix of care, challenge
and belief in the individuals you work with. It is no surprise that she is an active supporter of Save
the Children, founded by Eglantyne Jebb, a local to Ellesmere.

In her role of accompanist, Pat has been superb, rising to the challenge of reproducing the effect of
an orchestra with huge skill every week and then joining the choir to boost the alto section on the
day of a concert. She has offered first class support to the countless Directors of Music over the
years.

Pat is the proud mum of three wonderful children and is now herself a grandmother, who finds
time to support the family whatever their needs.

Ellesmere is very fortunate that Pat chose to come and be part of College life for so many years.
Her sense of humour, energy, expertise and kindness are irreplaceable - we will miss seeing Pat
each day but wish her and Philip the very best as they start a new chapter of their life in Chester.

APC
 THE ELLESMERIAN
27
Mai Thomas – Teacher of Art
When Mai Thomas arrived at Ellesmere she brought boundless energy, enthusiasm and professional
dedication to The Art department.

In her time at Ellesmere, she shared her passion and love her subject area. She initially joined the
department as an Artist in Residence and it quickly became apparent that her expertise would
enrich the students of Ellesmere. Once Mai was qualified as a teacher, we were able to offer her
part time work and so her journey at Ellesmere began. Her depth and wealth of knowledge was
evident throughout everything she did within the department and in the amazing work she
produced with the students here.Those students always managed to produce work that not only
challenged them but, in most cases, was of a quality beyond their years.The fabulous displays around
Lower School are testament to that.

Mai also took the Lower School lunchtime Art Club.This was always a sight to behold, where the
younger years could come down to the department and unleash their creativity, and it was always a
pleasure to go into this activity and see the wonderful objects of curiosity the students were
extremely proud of, but the sheer joy that was also reflected in those young people’s faces. Mai
always pushed the students to do their very best at all times and to do so without any restrictions
of what was possible.

As an Arts Mark Platinum school, Mai worked with a range of the local primary schools to deliver
outreach work and once again the work produced was of a very high standard and was put on
show at the National Art Exhibition that is held at the College each year.The teachers of those
primary schools could not have given enough praise to the work that was produced.

Mai has now decided to take time out of teaching to get back in to making her own artwork. She
has some exciting projects in the pipeline working with MIND and the National Trust. I would like to
wish Mai every happiness for her future and I am sure we will see her back at Ellesmere in the
future.

SP
 THE ELLESMERIAN
28

would be more successful, if we listen to any advice, properly

listen, we can store it and choose to use it possibly in the near
future… if we use advice half-heartedly, we will get somewhere,
but imagine how far we could get if we take it to its fullest
potential, we would have satchels filled with diamonds.

[At first Charlie used a traditional story about collecting rocks

to explore her theme. She then moved on to reflect on the
parable of the sower.]

In the bible reading from the parable, we learn what it means to

have different hearts, and therefore why this can affect us as to
taking advice. The parable represents the seeds thrown by Jesus
as the advice so freely given to us. The ground it lands on has
Chapel Notes many deeper meanings and messages, which we can use to look
at ourselves, and discover as to why we do not help the seed
grow. Jesus tells us about a path, how this can represent hard
hearts, which do not welcome in any advice. This ground would
Amongst the yearly round of showcase services at the College –
not allow a seed to be planted, instead eaten away by birds, like
such as Remembrance, Carol Services, Confirmations & First
the advice given, forgotten about forever. The reading also
Communions – there is the week to week rhythm of Senior Chapel,
speaks of shallow soil, how the plants start to grow but wither
Lower School Chapel and the voluntary Eucharist’s offered for
and die. This shows hearts that will take advice, but do not have
various intentions on most days of the week. It is enough to keep me
busy! However, on eight occasions through the year I find myself at
the west end of chapel sat next to the Deputy Heads while students
lead services themselves – each Competitive House puts together
two services per year. In recent years the standard of these services
has improved dramatically; to mark this, and before we push on to
develop these more next year, I would like to use this space to
document some of the homilies that were written and delivered by
students this year.

Charlie Williams,Year 12, Meynell House lead a service

reflecting on why we don’t take advice:

Why don’t we take advice? We’re handed advice constantly, and

it can be hard to tell what is useful or relevant at that moment.
The only answer to this is time, therefore, it is necessary to take
any advice, good or bad, for you will not know its potential until
the time comes that you can put it into practise. Advice can be
given; however, the receiver of this plays an important role. Their
a motivational driving force from the receiver’s minds, to allow
willingness to take advice, their readiness, the timing of the
the advice to blossom. The people we surround ourselves with
message and the person who is telling you about this advice…
are important for us to take advice. The wrong people can be
We sometimes do not take advice because we don’t respect
like poison to us, like the weeds that grew up around the
the person who is giving it, or we don’t believe that the wisdom
blooming plant. It tells us that the giver of the message can
they’re sharing is valid. This creates a mental block, and we can
supply us with all the right nutrients and minerals for us to grow
either ignore all advice given, or listen but not follow. Surely, we
 THE ELLESMERIAN
with the advice, however we must be careful with the people this is that to lead someone else to sin is worse than
we surround ourselves with, for they can stop us from using that doing the sin yourself, you are better to drown than pull
advice to its fullest potential. Then we hear about the good soil, somebody else down. However, “If another believer sins,
which allows a crop to be yielded and reused many times rebuke that person”, help them and forgive them.
more. Jesus tells us that if we take the advice, give it all the Sinning is not the end of the world and we must forgive

29
elements it needs to grow; we can use it, and share it with other those that sway off the path and help to guide them in
people…..Why don’t we take advice … at the end of this the right direction.
service try and think if there has ever been a time that you have
rejected advice only to find that in the future it would be been The last lines of the bible reading “Even if that person wrongs
useful for you to have listened, kept it, and used it. you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks
forgiveness, you must forgive.” This doesn’t mean that if they
wrong you and the eighth time you don’t forgive, it means no
matter how many times a day people wrong you that you must
forgive. The number seven is used to resemble a never-ending
continuum such as the seven days of the week or seven days
that God took to create the world. We are forgiven for our sins
and must forgive others for theirs as well.

These examples – chosen at random – show how we hope our

students will begin to engage the Christian faith. We want our
students to be thoughtful and critical observers of the world. We
want them to ask questions and to take the time to seek answers to
those questions. We want them to have the chance to interrogate
The Faith for answers to these questions. And we pray that they will
discover that those answers are rich, and deep, and life sustaining -
both during their school career, and beyond.

Fr Phillip Gration - Chaplain

Jed Corbett,Year 12, Captain of Woodard House reflected on

news coverage surrounding Justin Gatlin’s drug infractions:

The article that was just read to you all about Justin Gatlin got
me to think and ask myself “when does something become too
much?” This question is the one that I chose for the theme of
today’s service. It made me think: should people be given
second chances, and if so, should they then be given a third or
fourth chance too? How many chances should we give
someone before it becomes too much and we should stop
forgiving them or should we stop paying them attention and
distance ourselves from them. In Gatlin’s case, many say that he
has had too many chances and that he needs to be banned
from athletics forever, others argue that this is too harsh and
that he should be forgiven and accepted as a world champion.
People will have different opinions on this matter and believe he
should or shouldn’t be forgiven but what is the right and what is
the wrong answer? Or isn’t there one?

With a case like this you need to look at what the point of a
ban would be. Is the ban put in place to punish him for his
mistakes or is it a way of protecting the sport? If he wasn’t
banned from athletics for drug use then perhaps others would
do the same and expect nothing to happen which would then
taint the name of athletics and devalue the entirety of the sport.
There is an important difference between forgiving someone
and disciplining them for their actions and I believe that is why
Gatlin had to be banned from the sport.
[Jed goes on to reflect on the way that letting Gatlin continue
would be damaging to his own well-being.]

… Jesus goes on to say that “It would be better to be thrown

into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to
cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.” The meaning of
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30

Competitive Houses
MEYNELL

Housemaster: Mr D. Bottom At the start of the year, I was told repeatedly that Meynell are really
good at sport and that Meynell can’t sing. More on those assertions
House Tutors: Miss A.C. Darrant, Mrs L.L. Edwards, Mr J.K. Evans, later. At our first House meeting in the Michaelmas Term, one glance at
Mr P.J. Hayes, Mr T.D. Hurst, Miss J.M. Manion, Miss K. Marshall, the hundred plus faces of students and tutors was all it took to know
Mrs S. Phillips, Dr H.S. Shakibi, Dr I.G. Tompkins, Mr I.L. Williams this was a fantastic group. I knew this because they laughed when they
were told that being a competitive House is all about winning and that
Captains of House: E.N.R. Martin and J.W. Pochin when someone fails to win, they say it was just about the taking part.
Well, over the course of this year, we won a lot, though on occasion, it
was sometimes all about the taking part!

What follows is an account of a year in the life of Meynell House. It was When the assertion that Meynell are really good at sport was put to
my first year as Housemaster and there were many highs, too many in the test, it turned out to be pretty valid. On the rugby pitch, the
some ways to mention them all in the space afforded here and certainly Intermediate Boys excelled, storming to overall victory with something
too many to list all the names of every student who has played a part in to spare. The Senior Boys played with, and were praised for, their
making the year so successful. For these reasons, I will endeavour to resilience and good humour; sometimes playing in the right spirit
avoid naming students as I am bound to forget someone deserving. That delivers the wrong results. Moving to hockey, Senior Boys played fluently
said, there are two names which must be included: Lizzie Martin and Jack to win the overall competition in some style. The Senior Girls battled
Pochin, House Captains par excellence. Back in September, Lizzie and hard and fell just short of overall victory. What was most pleasing from
Jack took control with efficiency, eloquence and enthusiasm. It was these team events was not the number of victories but the spirit and
obvious from the start that they would be well supported by the humour that was evident. This continued into the summer when Junior
Meynell Leadership Team, a team of nine Year 13 students focusing on cricket saw Meynell take to the pitch with a mixed team who took the
their specialist areas in order to share some of the administrative and eventual winners to the last over before skittling Woodard for a small
motivational burden. As the weeks turned into months and winter total which was easily surpassed with overs to spare. To see the girls
became spring and then the rain came as summer arrived, the and boys excelling and enjoying themselves on the cricket pitch was
Leadership Team organised, cajoled, encouraged and occasionally striking, especially as only one other girl played for all the other Houses.
compelled; they were a credit to the House and will all be missed. Special mention also needs to be made of the Meynell girls when it
came to indoor cricket and netball. In both events the girls won and on
the netball court they didn’t only win the overall competition, but both
of our teams won every game, convincingly. Sporting success also
followed on the golf course and in the shooting range.

Nowhere was the real spirit of the House more evident than in cross-
country, or more precisely, it was in the pre-race warmup in the Sports
Hall that our team spirit shone brightly. A couple of hakas, some nordic
thunder-clapping and an unusual stretching routine proved to be ideal
preparation for the starting pistol. Apart from winning the overall
competition and having the winners of the Senior Girls’, Intermediate
Boys’ and Junior Boys’ events, it was evident that the pre-race orders
were followed: “You are to run. If you can’t run, then you jog. If you can’t
jog, you must walk. If you can’t walk, you can crawl and if you can’t
crawl, then get someone to drag you around.” Thankfully no one
needed to be dragged. One or two did crawl.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
Throughout the year, artistically and sportingly, Meynell clearly
flourished. Moving next to the idea that we always come last in
House Singing, this year somewhat disproved the rule (which
was quite an achievement given the ominous noises emanating

31
from the first rehearsal). There seemed to be at best, a desire to
turn singing into something akin to shouting, mistaking volume for
melody with a number of students also mistakenly thinking that silence
was an option. Lizzie soon challenged such notions and was ably
supported by the Leadership Team who prowled the margins. In
subsequent rehearsals, Lizzie conducted proceedings with an iron
discipline and steely resolve and said that on her watch Meynell would
learn to sing whether they wanted to or not! By the morning of the
It was Jose Mourinho who said that coming second meant you were competition it was clear that the lyrics from ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Thine be
really just the ‘first loser.’ Well, Meynell seemed to also excel in being the the Glory’ were learnt, the accompanying actions too. Now smiles
‘first loser’, coming second in Junior Girls’ indoor hockey, Middle School replaced frowns and there was surfacing, dare it be said, a certain pride
Boys’ indoor football, Senior Boys’ indoor football, Junior Girls’ basketball being taken in actually singing. Come the event itself in Big School,
and Senior Boys’ football and cricket. We also came second in the Meynell didn’t come last; in fact we came nowhere near last and were
Academic Cup, just running out of time to catch the leaders. Going within a whisker of winning the whole competition.
into a category that will be known henceforth as ‘we-simply-enjoyed-
taking-part’ were badminton, Intermediate Boys’ football and Senior
Boys’ basketball, though it should be noted that never before in the field
of sporting endeavour have so many shots been taken by so many
players with so little success.

On a more artistic note, Meynell proved to be increasingly successful. A

hilarious production of ‘Season’s Greetings’ by Alan Ayckbourn had the
audience in stitches from the start with arguing in-laws, a dire puppet
show and an unfortunate incident in the nighttime providing fantastic
entertainment. Awards were secured for Best Male Lead, Best Script
Adaptation and, in a new and fiercely contested category, Best Beard.
Behind the scenes, the costumes, lighting and set showcased the
creativity and dedication of the large production team. House
Photography saw an arresting array of images submitted by Meynell
students of all ages: a close up of a cow’s nose, a snowdrop, a beautiful
dawn landscape, a wave crashing against rocks, all testament to the Though Meynell is one of four competitive Houses, not everything is
artistic abilities within the House. Essay writing also secured a lot of about competition. In the Lent Term we enjoyed a delightful House
success with second and third places gained in the Middle School Dinner that was full of laughter, good humour and exemplary manners.
competition, while Meynell won and came third in the Senior School A large number of parents and siblings attended which was very pleasing
competition, with the winning essay being, “a well expressed and and led to a wonderful atmosphere of celebration and enjoyment. Lizzie
sensitive argument for more funding to aid sufferers of mental health and Jack delivered their speeches with their usual eloquence, verve and
conditions in the UK.” The Mini Saga competition also saw Meynell wit and the slide show allowed everyone to see just how much fun we
sweep to victory in both the Middle and Senior School categories with had during the preceding months. A rather comical incident which
proved that candles and paper napkins should be kept some distance
apart almost saw the evening finish with fireworks and served to bring
proceedings to a timely yet amusing conclusion. In Chapel, Jack
coordinated a thought-provoking, powerful service on the fragility of our
environment and the readers all conveyed their messages fluently and
confidently. The Meynell Carol Service was very well attended and
meant an impressive end to the Michaelmas Term.

Looking forward, Jack and Lizzie are followed by Amber Coxill and Harry
Hudson who will also excel. A new Leadership Team is in place and
together we will win again. In previous years, Meynell used to be
renowned for two things: sporting prowess and coming last in House
Singing. This year, members of both genders and all ages have secured
successes not only on the playing field, but in a wide array of other
the winners creating compelling stories in only 50 words. Debating was, arenas, some cerebral, some dramatic and others more artistic. And we
on the face of it, less successful. Our trio of natural-born-arguers didn’t come last in House Singing.
definitely enjoyed taking part. The shocked silence when it was
announced that they hadn’t won was perhaps testament to how, DB
sometimes, it is possible to be the best and for the judges to think
differently.
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34

Competitive Houses
TALBOT

Housemistress: Mrs. A.S. Done Davies and Phoebe Griffiths, together with prefects Isabelle Hibbott,
Mathew Manton, James Knowles, and U6th students Ollie Williams and
House Tutors: Ms C. Allen, Dr R.J. Hansford, Mr G. Hutchison, Eden Cobb, ably supported our House Captains throughout.
Miss L. Killen, Mr R.J. Macintosh, Mr D.J. Morgan, Mr H.B. Orr,
Mr G. Owen, Mr S.J. Prescott, Mrs R.E. Waddams, Mrs N.J. Welti, Our first major event of the year was, as usual, the House Plays. This
Mrs C. Westwood year’s theme was “A celebration of the work of Alan Ayckbourn” and
our play was “Improbable Fiction”, in which a group of failed amateur
Captains of House: V.A. Buglass and S.R. Phillips writers meet and the consequences of their collaboration unfold. A big
thank you has to go to the cast and tech team who spent their
evenings and weekends rehearsing and learning the lines of the
complex script. Verity Buglass directed the production with Ollie
This year has been another successful one for our House, with many Williams, Gaia Togni, Scott Phillips, Robyn Welti, Natasha Dalziel, Eden
great achievements to be proud of. As usual Talbot House was fully Cobb, and Isabelle Hibbott taking the leading roles. In the award
involved in every activity, be it sporting, cultural, or academic. Talbot’s ceremony Scott won the Best Supporting Male Actor, Ollie was
motto ‘Prest d`accomplir’ (Ready to accomplish) continues to be the Runner-up as Best Male Lead, Gaia Togni was Runner-up as Best
most important value of the House. Supporting Female, and also won an award for the most striking
moment: ‘Isla`s door entry.’ Talbot had the Best Set Design, and Verity
Both House Captains, Verity Buglass and Scott Phillips, have been was crowned Best Director as well as Runner-up for Best Script
outstanding role models to all the other members of the House and Adaptation.
inspired Talbot pupils to do their very best. Both have continued in the
rich vein that Talbot produces by leading by example and taking the Talbot representatives performed again very well in the annual Essay
opportunities on offer, encouraging others to take part with a sense of Competition. Robyn Welti won the Junior Section with a detailed and
humour and perspective! Together they have organised a variety of insightful approach to the need for more honesty in human interaction,
events to a high standard; teams turning up on time and in a positive and Sophie Negrine came second for the seniors – both excellent
frame of mind to all House events. The Sports Vice-Captains, Connor results.

Turning to sport, the Michaelmas term offered Houses opportunities

to compete in indoor football, cricket (boys and girls), rugby, and
hockey. We began slowly with indoor football, where the juniors came
4th and seniors 3rd. But the rugby brought a different set of results:
2nd for both inters and seniors – a very respectable result and a
valiant effort put in by both teams.

The boys’ indoor cricket team played extremely well and came a well-
deserved 2nd place again. The girls’ first match against Woodard was
very successful; the next match, however, was not quite as good as we
lost to Meynell, coming second overall. Staying with girls’ sports, seniors
came third in the indoor House hockey competition and the juniors an
impressive first.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
Indoor hockey was a good practice for the annual hockey festival at the The other big sporting event of the Lent term is the cross-
end of the Michaelmas term. Both teams performed very well in this country. Overall, we came third this year, but there were some
event, where the juniors came second and the seniors came notable results, with our inters coming second in their
in their favoured third place. The end of Michaelmas term then saw the category and good performances from Imogen Rhodes and
launch of the House Photography competition. We had a good Elliot Das Gupta.

35
representation as usual, with Beam Kittiratanaviwat winning the senior
category and Robyn Welti coming second for the juniors.

The Lent term saw Talbot performing very well in the House Debating
competition. The juniors beat Meynell to the final where, unfortunately,
they lost to Wakeman-Lambart. Although Talbot was defeated in the
final, Robyn Welti won ‘Best Speaker,’ so Talbot`s reputation as the
House who usually dominates academic competitions has been carried
through. The seniors performed outstandingly and won overall. A big
thank you has to go to Isabelle Hibbott and Eden Cobb for their hard
work towards this success. Special congratulations should go to Isabelle
Hibbott, who was nominated ‘Best Speaker’ in both the semi-final and
final.

At the House dinner at the end of Lent the depth and strength of
Talbot was evident once again by the large number of pupils gaining
their colours. Senior colours were awarded to Etienne Ullrich, Branden
Turner, Tillman Bergmeyer, Mat Manton, Pete Li, Beam Kittiratanaviwat,
Tom Keay, Phoebe Griffiths, Lynx Ananfack Noumey, Louis Deeks, Rosie
Holland, and Ruby Marsh. Juniors’ colours were awarded to Simeon
Wainwright, Sophie Negrine, Hugh Marsh, James Manton, Jac Jones,
Elliot Das-Gupta, Enki Tse, Russo Wai, Will Selby, James Prescott, Beaut
Kittiratanaviwat, Natasha Dalziel, Georgia Munro, and Honor Graham.

During the Summer term the House golf, cricket, badminton, and
volleyball took place. Usually summer sports are not Talbot’s strength.
This year, I am pleased to report that we performed the best we have
Staying with the academic, I am pleased to say that we also performed ever done. Our golfers finished in a respectable second place and our
well in the House Quiz competition. We started very promisingly and badminton team dominated the event and won this competition for
outperformed Woodard, but in the final, against Wakeman-Lambart, Talbot for the first time in a while. We came third in volleyball but
odds were against us and we came second overall. Talbot House had the best representation across all the years. The
term finished with junior House cricket where, again, we performed
Again, the pinnacle of the academic competitions was the House well and finished as runners-up.
Singing festival. The theme this year was ‘Disney Movies.’ For our unison
song, we sang ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ and our hymn this year On the academic front, Verity Buglass came second in the senior
was ‘At the name of Jesus’. Despite being hit by difficult times, with section of the House mini saga competition.
Scott being out of the picture at the very last minute, Talbot put a lot
of effort and enthusiasm into rehearsals and a full range of talents were Throughout the year, Talbot continued to be a very strong contender
on show. The House spirit really came through again and a great for the Academic Cup. We were leading for the majority of the year
degree of credit goes to Ollie Williams, who stepped up and but unfortunately Wakeman-Lambart overtook us during the Summer
supported Verity in leading the House to success. Winning this event term.
means more than other competitions, as the whole House is involved.
The senior members of the House threw themselves into our As the year ends we say goodbye to those leaving us, either to move
performances with enthusiasm and this encouraged the others to give on to university, Sixth Form College, or the world of work. We hope
it their best shot. The atmosphere on the night was unforgettable; the the College has allowed them to flourish as individuals and that the
House spirit really shone through and we all came together ethos of Talbot House has seen them gain in self-confidence, work as a
magnificently once again, making this moment the greatest of the many team, enjoy success, and learn from failure. We cannot win everything
highlights that made me very proud to be Talbot’s Head of House. in life but we can be ready to achieve in all areas of life. We sincerely
wish all our leavers good luck in all they do and hope the spirit of
In the Lent term, the main sports are netball and football. Again, we Talbot will remain with them long after they leave Ellesmere College.
experienced a good level of success with our girls coming in second Remember to always be “Prest d`accomplir!”
place in netball. However, the football brought less fruitful results with a
3rd for the juniors and inters, and last for the seniors. Of course, it is ASD
impossible for Talbot to win every competition and I have to accept
that sadly this will always be the case!
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Competitive Houses
WAKEMAN-LAMBART

Housemaster: Mr. D. W. Crawford intimidate their opponents and run out on top, while the Juniors also
finished as winners in their division thanks to their experienced
House Tutors: Mr. P. A. Wood, Dr. M. T. Gareh, Mr. M. P. Clewlow, players and their irrepressible approach.
Mr. J. H. Cowley, Mrs. M. E. Hutchings, Mrs. H. L. Davenport,
Mr. P. E. Swainson, Mrs. J. A. Kirk, Mrs. K. Curzon, Mrs. C. A. McClelland, The rugby tournament was a set of mixed fortunes: the Juniors
Mr. G. W. Phillips, Dr. J. L. Marsh, Mr. M. Needham prevailed thanks to a strong victory over Woodard in the decisive
match, while the much-fancied Intermediate team had their chances
Captains of House: Joe Nieto and Bethan Huxtable slip away following a moment of rash indiscipline, and finished a
disappointing third. On the other hand, the Senior side outdid
themselves: seriously unfancied on paper, and with many people
Another year and new opportunities, not least for new House making their first trip onto a rugby field in years – or indeed ever –
Captains Bethan Huxtable and Joe Nieto, and new members of the they performed nobly against teams from Talbot and Woodard that
Wakeman Army hoping to punch above their weight and have some were significantly more experienced. The boys in yellow were
fun in the process. The year got off to the best possible start, when committed to their final match against Meynell with heart and soul, in
the Junior Boys’ Football team ran out winners of the indoor conditions that would not have disgraced the Western Front a
competition. Sadly, it proved to be the only win of the early sporting century ago. The sense of mission was noticeable as the Wakeman-
skirmishes, as the senior team football and the indoor hockey titles Lambart team stood firm, and the pride and emotion displayed in a
went elsewhere. well-worked victory was a great thing to see. Well done lads – that
will stay with you long after your time here.
Toby Slack took charge of the House Play: Neighbourhood Watch by
Alan Ayckbourn. It allowed newbies Josie Evans, Gracie Shallcross,
and Georgie Hebson to make their mark on the Wakeman-Lambart
drama scene, but the star performances of the night came from
House Captain Joe Nieto as Monty the garden gnome, thrown onto
the stage and skidding to a halt (which must have been in the small
print of the House Captain application process), and from Toby Bellis
as vampish neighbour Magda, complete with mini-skirt and refined
Edinburgh accent. Melissa Sinta managed the technical challenges of
the play with skill and the audience appreciated the whole event.

The House Essay was a chance for a more academic challenge and
Wakeman-Lambart produced a solid set of entries: a good sign of
things to come, showing that people were willing to go outside their
comfort zone. This positive approach would go on to be a feature of
the year, as people stepped up to take photographs and pen short
stories, clocking up House Points along the way.

The end of the Christmas term saw the outdoor Hockey matches
and the House Rugby. Towards the end of November, the Hockey
proved to be a tough competition, but the Senior Girls gave a whole
new meaning to the phrase ‘yellow streak’, as they managed to
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The Lent term began on a positive note as the Junior debating went
our way, with Bruno Kington-Brady, Ben Zakers, and Sam Patmore
bringing home the W, and the Senior team put up a gallant
performance, but sadly without the same success. Academic matters
continued to show Wakeman-Lambart at its finest: a win in the

39
House Quiz this time, with the team displaying their knowledge of
Spiders, Colditz, and the Invictus Games amongst other things. Not
for the first time, Charlie Nelson proved to be the star performer –
though he needs to work a little on his football knowledge!

The House Singing is always a challenge and this year we returned to

the music of Disney movies, taking on the difficult choice of Prince Ali
from Aladdin. The tricky syncopated rhythms and key changes were a
tough ask and under the circumstances, the House performed very
well, though sadly the judges did not favour us this time. Principle at will, the team was up against it. After scrambling to a
respectable total, the onus was on the Wakeman-Lambart bowlers
to shoot out the opponents and, with Archie Jones taking the lead,
miraculously they did. And so to the final, where our rivals found it
hard even to bowl straight and the score climbed – though special
commiserations must go to Wakeman stalwart Ioan Craven-Jones
who managed to bag a ‘king pair’ on the day. The total was easily
enough to defeat the Talbot challenge and the Juniors brought home
their third major title for the year. Well done!

The year had one last triumph: after finishing as runners-up in the
Academic Cup with a level of regularity that was beginning to be
irritating, it was very nice finally to go one better. So for all those who
did a good job in your prep, or took photos, or learned your
spellings, or all the other good stuff: this was your success and well
earned. As always, the end of the year means that people move on
to new adventures: it never gets easy to say goodbye, but I hope that
you had a good time in the Wakeman-Lambart Army. You join those
great people who have gone before, and those lucky people yet to
The House Cross-Country brought out a large crowd all in yellow, come – who might just get the surprise of their lives!
and I decided to give in to the face paint and sport some myself –
purely in the name of solidarity, you understand. For a number of My thanks to the House Tutors for their help and support over the
years this has not been an event where great results have been year, keeping things organised and backing up the pupils; particular
forthcoming and this year was no exception, but the weather stayed best wishes to Mr. Philip Wood and his wife Pat, who have been
kind and Mrs. Curzon managed to uphold the House’s honour, Wakeman-Lambart legends for many years, and who are now
finishing far ahead of about half the field. retiring. A final word of thanks must go to Joe and to Bethan for their
great enthusiasm and willingness to embrace everything that being a
The indoor basketball was much more to Wakeman-Lambart’s liking, Captain of House has to offer. I hope that their successors, Molly
with the girls finishing close runners-up and the boys dominating Curzon and Jake Redshaw, have as much fun – and as much success.
their competition, conceding no points at all in their victory! Senior
boy Will Davies was very complimentary about the whole team, in Live victoriously – stay yellow!
particular Immanuel Shute for his tireless work on the court. Hoop
dreams were also on the cards as the House Netball teams squared DWC
up to each other at the end of term, with – pleasingly – the largest
squad in the tournament all sporting yellow. Although the games
were contested enthusiastically, the results sadly did not go our way
and we had to settle for third place. The boys’ football competition at
the end of Lent Term saw Wakeman-Lambart head to the holidays in
fine style, as Junior, Inter and Senior teams all finished at the top of
their groups, undefeated in nine games and winning six. There are
few better ways to have the last word.

Summer term turned quickly to exam season, and the whole school
found time hard to come by, but still we managed to put out teams
for the volleyball – in the end, we had more fun than success, but
nobody was disgraced. The Junior House cricket threw up the
interesting challenge of an artificial pitch and boundary fences to
clear, but when Wakeman-Lambart lost three wickets in the first over
to a bowler who seemed to be invoking Heisenberg’s Uncertainty
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Competitive Houses
WOODARD

Housemaster: Dr R.J. Hansford result she was the Runner-up as the Best Director and we won the Best
Barrel Laugh. The acting was great, with Anouska Newton winning Best
House Tutors: Mr J.J. Baggaley, Mr A.P. Coupe, Mr C. Davies, Female and Jed Corbett and Ollie Trollope winning the Most
Mr C. Garratt, Mr J.N. Haycock, Mr A.J. Murphy, Mr J.W. Nicholson, Entertaining Ensemble for their portrayal of Kevin Tait and Tiffany.
Mrs R. Paul, Mr A.D. Quentin, Mrs M. Reynolds, Mr E.J. Richards,
Mrs R.L. Schubert, Mrs J.M. Underhill, Mr J.S. Underhill. Our academic achievements continued with the House Photography
competition. The competition was well represented by the Woodard
Captains of House: A.I.M. Newton, J. Corbett pupils and the entries from all the Houses were of a high calibre. We
luckily had Tessa O’Brien, who managed to win the Junior Photography
with her entry in the Reflections category.
The start of the year saw the sad departure of Mr C Davies as
Housemaster of Woodard after 14 years to take up the role of
Director of Activities. Luckily we have not lost him altogether as he is
still an active and important member of Woodard, however, it has left
me with some large shoes to fill. We also saw the promotion of some
of last year’s Lower Sixth to prominent positions within the House.
Anastasia Newton became the Captain for the Girls and Jed Corbett
the Captain for the Boys. Both were supported by Holly King as our
Vice Captain. Anastasia, Jed, and Holly have made the first year as
Housemistress of Woodard run smoothly, as well as being a thoroughly
enjoyable experience. We have also gained Mr A Quentin as a new
member of staff to the tutor team. An ex-pupil and Woodard boy, it
was only fitting that he re-joined us as part of the tutor team. In
addition to Mr C Davies stepping down as Housemaster we also lost
the much loved Mrs S Bogue who has gone on to enjoy her well-
deserved retirement. I am hoping that now she is back home from her
globetrotting that she will come along and support us in all we do.
The first sporting event saw the Woodard senior boys play indoor
Before the start of the summer holidays, Anastasia was given her first football. It was also our first victory and trophy of the year. What was
role as House Captain (nothing like throwing someone in at the deep also impressive was the fact that Ollie Trollope played part of the match
end): to produce an abridged version of an Alan Ayckbourn play. Our with only one shoe, having lost it in a tackle. There is nothing like
play, ‘My Wonderful Day’, saw Winnie, played by Anouska Newton, giving commitment to one’s sport and House. The end of term saw the rugby
us an account through her homework essay about her day. The events and hockey festival. The senior team won convincingly against all the
are fairly standard for an Ayckbourn domestic farce – inflated egos, other House teams. Even though the word on the day was that Talbot
outraged spouses, some well-choreographed comic business – but it would win, the strategic plans and excellent coaching of Jed saw the
comes filtered through the cool perception of a child witnessing the boys go to victory. The juniors also gave us a good innings, coming in
irredeemable childishness of adult behaviour. Jed did a worryingly good second overall. At the same time the girls also put on a valiant effort in
impersonation of the mistress, Tiffany, and seemed at as much ease in a the House Hockey. It was pleasing to see a large number of new faces
pair of stilettos as he does normally in a pair of football boots. Anastasia come along and support the House and, despite not winning, it was the
did a fabulous job in producing an exceptionally funny play and as a support that in the end should have won them a trophy.
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Then onto the Lent term, which was the busiest term for House events. The annual Woodard House Formal dinner also took place in
We started off with the senior boys’ House indoor cricket, which we the Lent term. I was delighted to see the support of so many
won convincingly. This was followed by successes in the senior girls’ guests. It was a successful evening due to the support of not
basketball and an excellent performance in the senior boys’ Hockey. On only our guests but the pupils and House staff, as well as the
the academic side we had House debating; although we did not get stars of the evening, Jed and Anastasia, both delivering great

43
through the final we saw a number of novices to debating take up the speeches. During their speeches, they reminded everyone of
challenge, and so this hopefully will build success for the future. the best moments from the year and Jed joked about the fact that he
became House Captain due to the fact he was the only boy to apply!
As we all know, although he may have been the only boy to apply, his
promotion to House Captain was more that he scared off the
competition, as all could see he was the best candidate for the job. It
was also nice to see a number of pupils receiving their colours, and this
included a couple of Year 9s, Iona Taylor and Tessa O’Brien, which is an
impressive feat for both girls. Huge thanks must be given to all who
attended and I hope to see you next year.

The summer term saw Woodard win the Senior House Volleyball. The
ever strong senior team that included Jed Corbett, Dan Samarjii, Chris
Hooper, Ollie Trollope, Stanley Admiraal, James McCarthy, Nat
McAllister, Jack Moore, Freddie Furnival, Dan Parry, Viktorija Molokovika,
Holly King, Kate Haworth, and Paula Lotze to name just a few. We also
saw some solid results in the golf and shooting competitions.

Outside the sporting events, we had the Mini Saga Competition, which
allowed pupils to produce a piece of creative writing in 50 words.
Reuban Roberts from Year 9 came second in the junior category and
Jennifer Hooper (Year 9) and Molly Tumelty (Year 12) both obtained a
highly commended.
The House Quiz also took place in the Lent term. Our team comprised
of Malte Ludwig and Emily-Rose Coupe from Year 12, and two Year 11s, At the final meeting of the year we welcomed the new House Captains
Dan Edwards and Dylan Jones. Like last year, we took on Talbot in the for 2019-2020, Paula Lotze and Zac Mabaquiao-Lennox. They have
semi-final and were bombarded with questions from the ultimate already shown that they are able to step up and meet the challenge,
quizmaster, Mr Crawford. Dylan was disappointed as he saw his with both of them already achieving senior House colours by the end
favourite subject of Golf go to the opposition and Mr Coupe willed on of their Year 12. A number of seniors also gained their senior colours.
his daughter when answering the music questions. After nearly forty James McCarthy, Stanley Admiraal, Dan Parry, Freddie Furnival, Harry
minutes of intense questioning, including a nerve racking ‘in the spotlight’ Newton, Harry Hayes, Alistair O’Brien (all in Year 13) and Charlotte
round, Talbot finally won and went through to the final against Moore and Money Nopsuwanwong (Year 12) all received their senior
Wakeman-Lambart. However, it was impressive to see how well the colours. They joined Oliver Trollope and Dan Samarjii, who received
Woodard pupils answered the questions and, just like last year, it was theirs earlier in the year. Junior colours were also received by Ben
amazing how the pupils knew answers to questions that many adults in Rowley, Will Oldroyd, and Dan Fauter in Year 11; Benjamin Edwards,
the audience would have struggled with. Hugo Wu, and Harvey Winstanley in Year 10, and Jennifer Hooper in
Year 9.
The House Cross Country was well represented by pupils; even those
who could not run came and helped. The day had a festival feel and I have been immensely proud of the pupils in Woodard this year, as my
pupils put on their Woodard tribal stripes to complete the race. motto has been for pupils to take the opportunity to have a go at
Greeting them at the line were a number of Woodard staff who things that they have never done before. This saw rugby players writing
cheered them on as they finished. We had some outstanding mini sagas and the incredibly busy Titans playing Hockey and Volleyball
achievements, with Evie Floate winning the junior Girls’ race and Hector amongst other things. I hope we can build on this sense of a family and
Pardoe winning the senior Boys’. Overall we came second, narrowly the resilience to take on anything over the coming years. Finally, many
missing out to Meynell by a few points. thanks to the Year 13s and 11s that are leaving us at the end of this
year; the support and effort that you have put into House activities this
The ever enjoyable, if not a little stressful, House Singing yet again was year have made it a truly enjoyable and memorable year. I hope that
an opportunity for Jed and Anastasia to make the House shine. This year you come back and visit and support the House whenever you have a
the theme was Disney and Woodard secured the Little Mermaid as our free moment. And now to the final battle cry that has become
film. On the night Jed once again took the opportunity to dress up; this synonymous with the house thanks to James McCarthy, as we move on
time as Neptune, the God of the Sea. The House put in a sterling effort to a new year – WOODAAAARD!
with our unison song, Under the Sea, and the hymn, On the Wondrous
Cross. Our special effects and dancing were second to none. The final RJH
results saw the part song choir win with ‘Part of your World’, which
according to the judging notes, made the chief adjudicator stand up and
listen. It was so impressive the choir performed the song at the five
choirs’ concert held later in the year.
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Lower School
46

Good education is not simply

teaching steps of work – it
encompasses the teaching of
flexible and adaptable skills for life.

Another academic year is complete. The focus in Lower School is to The following pupils were nominated by their subject teachers for
continue to develop Lower School learners, no matter how young, to Progress Prizes across the KS2 age ranges:
be resilient and robust to face the challenges of a changing world. We
encourage the pupils to take initiative and in all aspects of the Year 3
curriculum and we aim to work towards independence in learning. English Reading Tabitha Gallagher
Speech Day was a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon all that has English Writing Anna Underhill
been achieved. Mathematics Elysia Done
Science Esther Gration

Year 4
English Reading Imogen Spencer-Blow
English Writing Megan Pritchard
Mathematics Isobel Philbin
Science Daniel Baggaley

Year 5
English Reading Lucy Chadwick and Meg Griffiths
English Writing Samarth Kumar
Mathematics Ewan Nicholson
Science Jamie Stevens

Year 6
English Reading Poppy Coe and Thomas Jacques
On Speech Day, Mrs Phillips held Last Assembly in the Arts Centre for English Writing Rex Harris and Cameron Parry
KS2 pupils and their families. Freddie Heasmer-Jones wonderfully played Mathematics Ernie Gregory
Stadchen on the cello to welcome everyone to the presentations. Mrs Science Kyle Murdoch
Phillips reflected upon a successful year for the KS2 pupils. She
recognised that it is wonderful to celebrate the large achievements, but Effort Prizes were also awarded in History to Nathaniel Clewlow and
it is also important to spend a moment thinking about the small, Joe D’Ammassa; in Mathematics to William Moran and Austin James; in
personal achievements that each child makes. These too are important Reading to Alex Dilks and William Ward; and in Geography to Nina
to recognise but unfortunately the list would be too long to mention in Fisher. The Design Technology award was presented to Guy Davies.
an event like Speech Day; however, she reassured that they are certainly
not over-looked. The following pupils were noted for their high
achievement in the individual academic areas:

English Hugh Cornwell

Mathematics Christopher Astbury
Science Bella Spencer-Blow
History Adam Jacques
Geography Finlay Baggaley
R.S. Luca Gallagher
French Jonathan Evans
Music Freddie Heasmer-Jones
Art Faith Harris
Design and Technology Harry Underhill
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Great emphasis is placed upon developing reading skills in Lower
School. It is a basic skill, which helps all aspects of the curriculum. The
Accelerated Reader Programme is the core of the reading curriculum
and the following pupils have made over 2 years’ reading age progress
this academic year:

47
Tabitha Gallagher Alex Dilks
Nathaniel Clewlow Lucy Chadwick
Adam Jacques Christopher Astbury

The Year 6 pupils have recently had a taste of sitting an external

examination when they entered the ESB Junior Medallion examination
this term. We had a 100% pass rate, which was hardly surprising given
the amount of preparation the pupils put in.

One pupil was overheard saying that they could not wait until Year 8 so There have been exceptional performances in both school and
they could do it again! This is a fantastic attitude! Well done to all our academy tennis this year in KS2.
Year 6 pupils on their achievements and Christopher Astbury, Ernie
Gregory, and Harry Underhill deserve a special mention for achieving The following pupils have shown great enthusiasm whilst making great
Distinction grades. improvements to their game. They will now all be eligible to complete in
the next Road to Wimbledon event:

Faith Harris Ernie Gregory

Guy Davies Jonathan Evans
Cameron Parry Adam Jacques
Thomas Jacques Bella Spencer-Blow

For contribution to school tennis, certificates and the Improvement

Award for Girls’ tennis this year goes to Bella Spencer-Blow. The
Improvement Award for Boys’ tennis KS2 was awarded to Cameron
Parry. For the second year running, Thomas and Adam Jacques won the
boys’ Year 6 regional Prep Schools Tournament.

KS2 Girls’ sport this term has been split between Rounders and Tennis,
and staff have noted valuable contributions to each sport during the
A large proportion of KS2 pupils form the Lower School choir, where season.
they are kept very busy by Mrs Paul. The following pupils were
presented KS2 awards for services to the choir: For rounders contribution:

Finlay Baggaley Poppy Coe Meg Griffiths Lucy Chadwick

Faith Harris Freddie Heasmer-Jones Nina Fisher Faith Harris
Bella Spencer-Blow Bella Spencer- Blow Poppy Coe

Mrs Paul presented badges for excellence in Music Theatre to: And the following girls for contribution to Girls’ tennis:

Elysia Done Tabitha Gallagher Faith Harris Bella Spencer-Blow

Esther Gration Isobel Philbin
Megan Pritchard Imogen Spencer-Blow Unfortunately, our School cricket season was decimated by rain this
Finlay Baggaley Lucy Chadwick year, with very few KS2 matches played. It was good to see that the
Nathaniel Clewlow Nina Fisher dedication to the sport has been paramount this term, with regular
Meg Griffiths Samarth Kumar lunchtime net sessions in order to practise cricket skills. In recognition of
this, Mr Owen would like to present mini bats to the following boys for
KS2 boasts some very able artists. The following pupils are recognised their dedication to cricket:
for their particular developing talents by the Art Department:
Cristopher Astbury Hugh Cornwell
Megan Pritchard Nina Fisher Jonathan Evans Thomas Jacques
Bella Spencer-Blow Imogen Spencer-Blow Adam Jacques Harry Underhill
George Gration Joe D’Ammassa
Shooting is popular in KS2.The shooting coaches awarded two
Special recognition also goes to the Lower School horse riders who certificates for excellence in shooting to:
form part of the Lower School team. Bella Spencer-Blow, Imogen
Spencer-Blow, Meg Griffiths, and Emily Curzon progressed to the later Lucy Chadwick Christopher Astbury.
rounds of the NSEA show jumping competition.
 THE ELLESMERIAN KS2 pupils adore sports day and they compete with energy and delivered speeches on Speech Day. I think they amazed themselves with
unfailing enthusiasm. The overall winners were Heyward. There what they have achieved. I am very proud of them!
are two awards to mention for outstanding athletic
performance in KS2 athletics: We presented both Isabella and William with silver plates to act as
mementoes of their time in Lower School.
48

The Victor Ludorum for KS2 - Thomas Jacques

The Victrix Ludorum for KS2 - Bella Spencer-Blow

This was a lovely event to celebrate a happy and productive academic

year for KS2.

In the KS3 Last Assembly on Speech Day, to get things off on a high
note, I had the pleasure to ask Olivia Philbin to sing for us. Olivia has
really helped the music along in Lower School this year. She has been a
regular contributor in our Chapel services, often leading the choral
parts for the Reverend. She opened the occasion by singing her
rendition of ‘If I Loved You’ from Carousel. We will watch Olivia’s
progress with fondness as she moves forward into Middle School.

Anais Goodchild has been the House Captain of St John’s Boarding

House and she, too, gave a lovely overview of special moments and
events in House for the boarders during the year. Mrs Fisher thanked
everyone for their dedication to St John’s and she looks forward to a
new phase as it changes its focus to a Sixth Form House for the next
academic year. Ellesmere pastoral care continues to move forward and
respond to the demands of an ever changing modern world.

From an academic standpoint, there were some excellent results in the

KS3 ‘end of year’ examinations. The achievements of individuals were
celebrated in the Headmasters’ Speech Day address. The following were
awarded prizes for their performance in subject areas:

Subject Year 7 Year 8

It is not possible to consider music in Lower School without thoughts of Art Francesca Appleby Brooke Illingworth
Mrs Paul and all of the music teachers. It is a good opportunity to thank Computer Science Amelia Robinson Ellie Edwards
them for their hard work and expertise this year. There have been Geography Amelia Robinson Poppy Mainwaring
superb performances. The Lower School choir once again is vibrant and French and Spanish Amelia Robinson Joshua Mellitzer
wonderfully inclusive. A new Musical Theatre group has been established Design & Technology Georgie Prescott India Freer-Carmichae
this year, and the group were successful in competitions and delighted English Isobel Gray Poppy Mainwaring
audiences on a number of occasions throughout the year. We look History Archie George-Coe Brooke Illingworth
forward to the next Charity Music Concert in October, with our pupils Latin Harry Hepburn Poppy Mainwaring
working with Prestfelde School pupils in the performance of music from Mathematics Alex Sharpe Brooke Illingworth
‘Joseph’. Music Joshua Norris Jack Arrowsmith
Science Joshua Norris Oliver Covil
Speech Day was a special day where we took a moment or two to Religious Studies Archie Floate Ellie Edwards
celebrate all that pupils have achieved through the academic year, in
more detail. There was certainly a lot to fit in. Lower School pupils are We achieved success again in the National Engineering Challenge with
kept extremely busy and challenged. Throughout the academic year we two teams of Year 8 pupils. The Regional challenge this year was to
continue to celebrate our pupils’ achievements in assembly and House design and build a model to simulate part of a theme park attraction.
Meetings and we try to share as much of this with home through the I am pleased to report that both Ellesmere teams put together
weekly communications as well. outstanding submissions and were placed in First and Second place.

This year we have continued with our focus on kindness and respect of It is superb to see that we have a good number of blossoming
others. We have also placed focus on developing broad interests in our engineers for the future! It was good to see a number of the Sixth
young pupils. We have the belief that with hard work and effort, plus a Formers moving into Engineering at University last year. The interest in
degree of perseverance, a pupil can achieve amazing personal levels. this area has certainly worked its way through College. I would like to
think that engineering seeds were planted in Lower School.
Isabella Beetham and William Keay have been the Head Boy and Girl of
Lower School this year and I would like to personally say ‘well done and The Year 8 pupils have performed exceptionally well this year in the
thank you’ for the work that they have done in Lower School. It was English Speaking Board Examinations. All pupils passed the examination
wonderful to see that both of them had grown in confidence and this year. The Pass and Merit grade certificates were awarded in the
 THE ELLESMERIAN
Friday Last Assembly. The following pupils were awarded Distinctions audience. The end of year Musical Evening was a showcase for
and they received their awards on Speech Day: everyone’s hard work and improvement through the year.
Before Easter, Full music colours were awarded to Jack
Emily Curzon Cameron Davies Arrowsmith, Ellie Edwards, and Olivia Philbin.
Ellie Edwards India Freer Carmichael

49
Reuben Gallagher Francine Gilmore
Jonty Lewers

Excellent academic standards are continually recognized throughout the

year by the Commendations system in College. Academic
commendations are awarded by teachers in recognition of outstanding
academic work. The pupils who have achieved the highest number of
Commendations for their work this year were:

Year 8 Isabella Beetham and Henry Hearn

Year 7 Tom Swinnerton and Amelia Robinson

In College, we focus on effort as well as attainment and the following

pupils achieved the highest effort scores in 2018/19:

Year 7 Georgie Prescott and Oscar Crossen With a focus on the academic side of music, I had the pleasure to
Year 8 India Freer Carmichael and Josh Mellitzer award Music Research Prizes to Ben Oliver and James Li Campbell. The
Music Captains for this year are Josh Norris and Charlotte Goss and
The Expressive Arts continue to develop in School. We hold the Arts the Vice Captains of Music are Noah Fisher and Stephanie Edwards.
Mark Platinum status for the delivery of opportunity in the creative arts I also has the pleasure of presenting a number of Gold Awards and
for our pupils. This is a nationally recognized benchmark. Music and Platinum Awards for exceptional standards achieved on the keyboard:
drama often combine to produce excellent opportunities for all the
pupils. Gold Awards
Alex Sharpe Adam Karlakki
This year, Year 7 and Year 8 pupils demonstrated their talent in the stage Ethan Oliver Tom Swinnerton
production of ‘The Boy who Fell into a Book’ which was a huge success. Joshua Norris Myles Webster
In addition to this, the English Speaking Board awards were exceptional. Sepp Karnik-Lovatt Noah Fisher
Such skills are indeed skills required for life in a world requiring Elexi Povey-Abbott
confident communication and excellence in expression when
communicating ideas. Platinum awards go to
Thomas Dyson Oscar Crossen
Earlier this year, the LAMDA-London School of Music and Dramatic Charlotte Goss Harry Hepburn
arts examinations went very well, with a high number of candidates Cora Qian Amelia Robinson
gaining a distinction grade and the remaining pupils gaining a merit. All
pupils achieved success. There are exceptional examples of art work around the Lower School
building that reflect the hard work that goes on all year round and
many pupils make an exceptional contribution.

KS3 Awards for Development in Art were awarded to Year 7- Ethan

Oliver and Year 8- Henry Hearn this year.

In drama, pupils are continually encouraged to be involved in a full

repertoire of theatre skills from script writing, directing, costume design,
dance choreography, operating sound and lighting technology, and of
course… acting. The House Plays in the Michaelmas term incorporate
all of these skills and are always exciting to watch. We have just enjoyed
the Years 7 and 8 production of the ‘Boy Who Fell into a Book’. It was a
very challenging piece and it was performed exceptionally well.

Certificates for Excellence in Drama Performance are awarded to Emily

Curzon and India Freer-Carmichael. We will watch their thespian
We have had a superb year where musicians and the choir have development with great interest as they progress through the Middle
performed to a wonderful standard. Many of our pupils play music or School years.
sing and receive music tuition. In January of this year, nearly 50 Lower
School pupils took part in the ‘Young Voices’ concert, which was a huge Full colours this year have been awarded to India Freer Carmichael,
event. The music theatre group won the Fixuato Trophy at the Francine Gilmore, Emily Curzon, Ellie Edwards, Olivia Philbin, Anais
Oswestry Festival. The termly Music Teas have continued to provide Goodchild, Julia Smith, Jonty Lewers and Katie Hale.
pupils with even more opportunities to perform in front of an
 THE ELLESMERIAN We observe Chapel Service on two occasions each week and all players with details in the football sections of the Ellesmerian. James
regularly have Eucharist Service. Li Campbell and Sean Zou were awarded full colours.

Father Philip would like to acknowledge the chapel prefects’ The girls had similarly successful seasons and these are outlined in those
valued service this year. They really performed a wonderful job. sections of the Ellesmerian report too. The following girls were awarded
50

Jonty Lewers and Anais Goodchild were presented with their full colours for their performances in the respective sports: Ellie
Chapel Service Awards. The Reverend has carefully considered the early Huntbach, Olivia Philbin, Isabella Beetham, Zara Brookshaw, Ellie
appointment of a Chapel Prefect for next year and I was delighted to Edwards, Katie Evans, Katie Hale, and India Freer Carmichael.
present Amelia Robinson with her prefect badge.
The Golf Academy has been developing this year and some of our
golfers have had excellent performances. Charlie Boys in Year 7 won the
North Shropshire Open and placed 3rd in the older Under 14 age
group Shropshire Championship. Zara Brookshaw won the girls North
Shropshire Open Championship too.

Shooting is enjoyed by over 80 pupils in Lower School. Francine

Gilmore performed exceptionally well to qualify for the British Shooting
School Pistol championship finals in January. Recently Francine took
Bronze medal position in the Ladies Sport Air Pistol discipline at the
British National Championships.

This year the Corish Cups were awarded to Ben Warrington and
Charlotte Goss.

The Robert Snowey Cup is awarded to the Junior Champion shooter,

Lower School had another successful year of sport. There have been who this year was Henry Hearn. The Rose Bowl was awarded to the
over 250 fixtures with 36 teams in 14 competitive sports and 18 shooter with the highest average score over the entire year and this
different House competitions. Many pupils take part in extra sports award went to Francine Gilmore. The Hamilton Bennett cup for hardest
outside of the normal school day too. working shooter was awarded to James Hughes. The award for the
most improved shooter was presented to Julia Smith. Excellence awards
Swimming provision continues to be inclusive for all. There is a focus on were also awarded to Daniel Scott and full colours were awarded to
developing swimming skills for every pupil as well as striving to achieve Francine Gilmore.
the excellent standards in the Titans swimming club.
We say well done to the retiring Captain of Shooting Francine Gilmore
Four competitions define the season for our academy swimmers: the and Vice-Captain Henry Hearn; the forthcoming captains of Shooting
Inter-County Team Championships, the County Championships, the are Ben Warrington and Charlotte Goss.
Regional Championships, and the National Championships at the end of
July. There have been exceptional performances in tennis this year. Teams
have represented Ellesmere College from Years 4 to 8. There are a large
The Lower School swimmers have performed exceptionally well. Katie number of talented players with success seen at both School and club
Hale won two Bronze medals in the 2018 nationals last Summer. level. Tennis features as one of the main sports for girls this term and
Eleanor Broughton, Katie Hale, Jake Hutchinson, Brooke Illingworth, regular school fixtures have taken place.
James Raw, and Jake Lee became County Champions in multiple events.
They also added multiple Regional titles at the West Midlands
Championships.

James, Katie, Oliver, Brooke, and Eleanor have qualified for this Years’
Nationals. This is a large number to qualify from one School. James Raw
and Jake Hutchinson are top boy swimmers in their age groups and
Katie Hale was selected to represent the Region in France.

Both Eleanor and Jake Hutchinson are training in the talent

development programme.

Full colours through the season were awarded to: Brooke Illingworth,
Oliver Covill, Katie Hale, Eleanor Broughton, Jake Hutchinson and Jake
Lee.

There were fiercely contested rugby matches during the rugby season.
The details are covered in the rugby section of the Ellesmerian. Daffyd Ellie Edwards and Georgie Prescott won the prep schools U13 event
Craven Jones, Elliott Catt, Henry Hearn, Edward Bell, Sam Linington, held at Moreton Hall, beating Birchfield, Prestfeld, Packwood, and Kings
Marcus Davies, and Alexander Phillips were awarded full colours. Chester amongst others. We are also North Shropshire County
We have talented footballers and there were competitive matches for champions at U13 level.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
Through their hard work, the following pupils were all eligible to There are special awards to pupils who have contributed a
compete in the next ‘Road to Wimbledon’ event: great deal to Ellesmere College Sport. Freddie Brumpton, Ben
Oliver, Francine Gilmore, Susan Edwards, and Anais Goodchild
Freddie Brumpton, Alex Phillips, Marcus Davies, Edward Bell, Georgie were honored this year.
Prescott, Isobel Gray, Stephanie Edwards, Joshua Norris, Jack Bell, Emily

51
Curzon, Oscar Crossen, Noah Fisher, Katie Evans, and India Freer- Sports Day was a super event. We award the Victor Ludorum
Carmichael. and Victrix Ludorum to the pupils who achieved outstanding personal
success on the day. This year these accolades go to James Li-Campbell
The Tennis Academy coaches’ award for most improved boy and girl and Olivia Philbin.
went to Freddie Brumpton and Georgie Prescott.
The culmination of the award ceremony results in two special awards
The Tennis Academy coaches’ award for achievement was presented to presented by former teachers. Mrs Scarisbrick donated an award to the
Ellie Edwards. Year 8 pupil who shows the most flair and enthusiasm for Geography.
This years’ winner of the Scarisbrick Shield is Luke Evans. Mrs Newbold
donated an award to be presented to the Year 8 pupil who has
demonstrated true Ellesmerian spirit: they are above all kind,
hardworking, dedicated, have a breadth of interest, and have taken
responsibility. This Years’ CSN Award was presented to two people:
Emily Curzon and Jonty Lewers shared the accolade.

We could not let the opportunity pass without saying farewell to our
Year 8 and we wish them well as they move on to Middle School.

JN Harris once said ‘There comes a time in life when you have to move
on and leave things behind to start something new, but never forget the
ones who stood by your side as you made your mistakes, who
celebrated your success and guided you to who you are now’.

We look forward to new challenges next year. In preparation for a good

start in September, I was pleased to award the title of new Head Girl
and Head Boy to Isobel Gray and Oscar Crossen.
The PE Department Tennis award was awarded to Katie Evans and the
PE Department award for most improved player goes to Emily Curzon.
An increasing number of boys and girls play cricket at Ellesmere and
news of their success at regional and national level is reported regularly
in the weekly newsletters and the press.

The following girls have been nominated for awards for their hard work
on the cricket pitch: the coaches’ Player of the Year award plus a trophy
for Excellence in Batting was awarded to Zara Brookshaw; the Most
Improved player award for cricket went to Sophie Greenwood; the Mini
Ball award for excellence in bowling was awarded to Katie Evans, Olivia
Philbin, India Freer-Carmichael, and Susan Edwards; full colours were
awarded to Katie Evans.

When considering the boys’ summer cricket performances, the Batting

Trophy for this season was awarded to Elliott Catt. The Bowling Trophy
was awarded to Marcus Davies. The Fielding Trophy was awarded to
George Owen, who also received a mini bat for impressive batting
scores. In addition, mini bats for impressive batting scores were also In addition, this year a Deputy Head girl and Boy have been elected:
awarded to Elliott Catt and Dafydd Craven-Jones. Georgie Prescott and Myles Webster.

Mini ball trophies are awarded for multiple wickets taken in a single Noah Fisher finished the celebrations on a high note and sang for us. It
match. This year these were presented to Marcus Davies, Harry Pyke, was a fitting way to conclude another very good academic year!
and Archie-George Coe. Full colours were awarded to Dafydd Craven-
Jones, Edward Bell, and Elliott Catt. The overview of the cricket season is SO
covered in the cricket section of the Ellesmerian.

Fencing has been both popular and successful this year. The Fencing
Club with Francine Gilmore and Emily Curzon have qualified for the
National Epee Championships. I had the pleasure to award Oscar
Crossen and Myles Webster with their Grade 3 Epee awards.
 “
THE ELLESMERIAN

Middle School

”
52

A bird does not

sing because it
has an answer. It
sings because it
has a song
Chinese Proverb

This year saw a very full first Middle School assembly with lots of new
and continuing pupils looking forward to a busy year. Thursday mornings
now have an extended tutor time to deliver a new PSHE programme in
addition to the usual discussions and review of Period Grades and
progress. The first few weeks were given over to completing the Online
Safety Certificate, which covers many of the challenging topics
surrounding online safety. Despite initial problems with the IT system
(irony of ironies!) it has proved to be a valuable tool to educate all
(parents included, as they had their own short version to look at) in the
ever-changing world of social media and the different pressures that it
brings. None of which applied to me when I was in school, as all we had
were telephones with rotating dials and public phone boxes that took
real money. Happy Days!

The Middle School Play this year was ‘Our Day Out’ by Willy Russell,
evoking happy memories of my childhood in North Wales.
The Year 9 Ethics Convention was held again this term in the top floor
of Lower School and was once more extremely well received. A
wonderful opportunity for all of Year 9 to show they have a view on
some of the challenging topics of our time.

Other notable achievements so far:

U16 Hockey – Match report: The U16 Hockey Team took on Trent
College in the third round (final 24) of the National Hockey Cup.
Ellesmere scored first through Camilla Broster just 50 seconds into the
first half. Once ahead, Ellesmere kept the pressure on for much of the
first half, but a lapse of concentration in the 33rd minute allowed Trent
to equalise from a well worked long corner set piece. 1-1 at half time. In
the second half , Trent came out firing and had a number of chances, all
swatted away by goal keeper Alanah O’Brien. In the middle of the
second half Trent were awarded a penalty flick after some brave
The careers afternoon was again very well attended and provided lots defending by Kezzie Hutchings, who prevented a clear goal being scored
of opportunity to discuss future plans. It was also very pleasing to see a when the ball hit her in the body on the line. Alanah, who was playing
number of OEs returning to share their experiences and give advice on out of her skin, saved the penalty flick and the score remained 1-1 at full
how to succeed in a chosen career. time. Five penalty flicks were used to decide the outcome of the game.
George Dawson, Alice Parton, Ellen Dawson, Millie Forster, and Kezzie
Assemblies this term featured World Mental Health Day (10th Hutchings all stepped up. Flicks ended 4-4, and so sudden death penalty
October), discussions about careers and sixth form choices, publicity for flicks ensued. Trent took the first flick and Alanah saved it! George
Monduli Green, and various awards and College colours were Dawson steps up and buries the ball into the back of the net. Ellesmere
recognised. win 6-5.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
huge fan of Ramin, impressed the audience with her
exceptional piano playing and vocals singing ‘On My Own’ from
Les Misérables, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ from The
Wizard of Oz, ‘I’d Give My Life for You’ from Miss Saigon and
finally ‘Wishing You Were Here Again’ from Phantom of The

53
Opera. Critics described Kizzy as being 'extremely talented'.

Kizzy is a classically trained singer and pianist, having studied for five
years with Sue Turner in Oswestry, and more recently at Ellesmere
College and the Royal Northern College of Music's Junior
Conservatoire. In the last six months she has achieved Distinctions in
her Grade 7 Classical Singing, Grade 7 Piano, and Grade 8 Musical
Theatre.

This is a dream come true for Kizzy, whose ambition is to be a

classical/musical theatre singer. This is certainly a step in the right
direction!

Middle School pupils were also heavily involved in organising this year’s
Cre8 – see the programme notes:

They progressed through to the final 12 of the cup (last 4 in the North
Welcome to Cre8
Organising this year’s Cre8 has been my leadership project for my Silver
of England) and played Repton and, despite a strong performance, they Arts Award. A lot of panicked emails and late-night planning has gone
lost to the competition favourites. into this event and I couldn’t have done it without the help of Kizzy
Lumley-Edwards and Marija Barysaite, who have both put in a lot of
With the regular PSHE slots on a Thursday morning now in full swing, work in support of this event. A special and deserving shout-out to
the first assembly of the term saw two representatives from the Scott Formstone and his multitudinous connections, as well as his tech
National Citizen Service present to Middle School, and this was team, and Mrs Schubert, my Arts Award advisor. I would also like to
followed up on Thursday with a workshop with Year 11s, as we are congratulate all of the performers tonight because without them,
hoping to keep the interest in this excellent opportunity going. Four there’d be no talent for me to organize. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed
Middle School pupils benefited from it last year. the evening and donated eagerly to this event’s cause.

Other assemblies this term included a Holocaust Memorial Day - Gaia Togni
presentation given by two Sixth Form pupils, Issy Tanner and Lydia
Smith; a conservation trip information and awareness assembly from
Flooglebinder, a company that looks at promoting sustainability and who
Our Charity - Hector’s Greyhound Rescue
“Hector’s Greyhound Rescue specialises in the re-homing of ex-racing
offered a trip to Sri Lanka to work with the villagers there in their Greyhound and Sighthounds including Lurchers. Our aim is to promote
efforts to work to protect both elephants and crops when the two humane behaviour towards rescue dogs – in particular ex-racing
worlds overlap. We also had a scholars’ assembly on leadership from Greyhounds or Sighthounds that are no longer wanted by their owners,
Year 11 pupils; Sophie Negrine and Elliot Das-Gupta both talked or who have been abandoned.
extremely well about their experience of the Y10/11 Leadership
programme. Hector’s provides appropriate health care, security, socialisation, and
love to all dogs that come into our care. Our aim is to find a forever
On a cold January evening, Year 11 Music Scholar Kizzy Lumley-Edwards, home for each rescue dog to live out the rest of their lives cared for
travelled to the Lowri in Manchester to perform with one of the and happy.
world's most accomplished stars of the West End and Broadway, Ramin
Karimloo.
Program
Ellesmere College Tech - Lighting Display, Rhian Jones - Anfonaf Angel,
As part of his UK tour, Ramin added a
Abigail Manford and Anna Maughan - All Stops Out, Carol Shi - Until
slightly different dimension to his show
the Day, Georgina Hebson – Sister,Poppy Prescott - I’m Not That Girl,
by inviting local artists to join him in
Nina Fisher and Lucy Chadwick - You Can’t Do That!, Kizzy Lumley-
various locations. Kizzy sent him a link
Edwards – Burn, Huw Lloyd and Kevin Whitley - Piano Improvisation,
to her YouTube channel to show
Abigail Manford - A Million Dreams, Arts Award Dance – Slips, Amy
recent performances at the Llangollen
Storey-Gibbons - On My Own, Noah Fisher – Meditation, Lower
International Eisteddfod and the
School Dance Club - Shooting Stars, Olivia Philbin - I Dreamed A
RNCM. Ramin's reply was that he
Dream, Toby Slack - Valse Printemps
thought it would be "pretty darn
Megan Griffiths and Isobel Philbin - Ugly Step Sisters, Constantine Ritter
special" for her to sing and play at The
Andreas Volter- Prelude, Op. No. 2, Zoe Lennox – Prayer, Amy Evans -
Lowry.
All About That Bass, Anaïs Goodchild and Emily Curzon -
Communicating Doors, Alvaro Salvatella - Un Dia de Noviembre,
Kizzy, a self-confessed theatre nerd and
Sophie Ward - Bach Sonata in E Major (2), Huw Lloyd –Electricity, Mako
 THE ELLESMERIAN Sasaki – Rondeau, Anouska Newton and Robyn Welti -
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Congratulations to everyone!

The House Singing competition theme this year was ‘Disney’,

54

with victory overall going to Talbot House.

Over Easter, Middle School pupils Sam Appleby, Christopher Davies,

Drew Murdoch, Maxwell Blakesley, Connie Trollope, and Robyn Welti
were part of a nine-pupil team that attended the CCF Easter Camp in
Norwegian Lodge, Aviemore, Scotland. The weather was sunny and the
snow was just about good enough for them to be able to experience
the full impact of surviving in the Cairngorms and bagging some
Munros.

Congratulations also go to Alanah O’Brien for her U18 cap as Many pupils achieved a high number of top grades and are now looking
goalkeeper for the U18 Welsh Hockey team – she is now training with forward to joining Ellesmere College Sixth Form in September, where
the U21 squad. Watch this space! they will embark on either A Levels, the International Baccalaureate
Diploma, or the BTEC Diploma in Sport. Pupils in Year 9 and 10 have
In a short but busy term, the usual MUN PSHE session took place for also completed some early GCSEs and First Certificates in Languages
the Year 9 pupils and hopefully this will strengthen further the number and Finance with excellent results.
of delegates that are involved in the opportunity to take part in this
event outside the College. This is my last year as Head of Middle School, as I am moving up the
age range to become the Head of Sixth Form and stepping into the
Pupil achievement in the GCSE examinations was excellent this year; role that Mr Philip Wood has so effectively occupied for the last 19
almost half of the GCSE grades were in the A* to B (9-6) range, and a years. I would like to wish him and Mrs Pat Wood a long and happy
third were A* to A (9-7), which is very pleasing when compared to the retirement and to thank him for his friendship and guidance over the
national picture, which stands at 21.9% (9-7). last 19 years that I have known him. Mrs Phillips will be taking my place
and I hope she enjoys the role as much as I have done. I wish her every
success.

MTG

Middle School History Battlefields Trip

Second World War, June 6th, 1944, D-Day

It was an honour to visit Normandy on the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

One of my first thoughts when visiting the beaches, particularly Omaha
where 4,000 Americans fell, was what it must have been like to be
facing the heavily defended Atlantic Wall in 1944. Today we see beauty
and tranquillity rather than scenes of awe and horror. Walking on the
beaches it was almost incomprehensible to imagine what it must have
been like 75 years ago for men not much older than me.
Students came to collect their results from the College and to share
their delight with fellow students and staff members who are delighted
with the high standards achieved this year, with some stand-out
performances at level 9-7 (A*/A):
• Kezia Hutchings, from Kinnerley, achieved ten 9/8 grades (A*/A).
• Emily Ashley, from Wem, and Alanah O'Brien, from Llangollen, were
awarded nine 9/8 grades and a 7 (A*/A).
• Dorian Puzovic, from Shrewsbury, gained eight 9/8 grades plus a 7
(A*/A).
• Rory Smith, from Oswestry, achieved seven 9/8 grades and two 7s
(A*/A).
• Kizzy Lumley-Edwards, from Whittington, gained six 9/8 grades and
three 7s (A*/A).
• Maddie Free-Carmichael, from Worthenbury, was awarded five 9/8
grades and four 7s (A*/A).
• Carol Shi, from Shenyang in China, only joined Ellesmere College in
September 2018 to pursue the one year pre-6th International The American Cemetery, Stars and Stripes flying, contains 9,000 graves.
course and managed to achieve six 9/8 grades (A*/A). The Americans take great care in looking after their dead but so too do
 THE ELLESMERIAN
the British as was shown by the attention to detail at the Bayeux Strategy and Logistics were the emphasis on the British and
military cemetery. The dark and slightly unwelcoming German cemetery Canadian beaches. In the early hours of the morning of June
at La Cambe contains over 21,000 graves. 6th, thousands of British troops of the 6th airborne division
parachuted or glided into Normandy with two crucial
The American landings on Operation Overlord were the costliest, with objectives: Pegasus Bridge and the Merville battery. Visiting the

55
around 6,600 lives lost. It was the German defenders who had the initial Bridge you can really appreciate the skill of the glider pilots.
advantage on Omaha, with relatively few defenders causing heavy They crash landed a mere 50 yards from their target in aircraft made of
casualties. German machine guns could fire 1200 bullets a second, timber and canvas. Travelling along Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches we
leading to a wall of lead from positions that had not been destroyed by reached Arromanches and Port-en-Bessin. The artificial (Mulberry)
the naval barrage. Visiting Point du Hoc showed the difficulties facing the harbour at Arromanches provided the facilities required to supply the
American Rangers. Mounted machine guns, impenetrable pill boxes, and troops in the weeks to come. Port-en-Bessin was the town that
sheer cliff sides. Visiting the site, you could see the evidence of their raid, provided the allies with P.L.U.T.O, an oil pipe that went along the seabed
guns destroyed, pill boxes turned to rubble and cliffs scaled. from England directly to the allied fighting forces in France. The trip
really made me realise the significance of both Mulberry Harbour B and
P.L.U.T.O: without them the war would have definitely been more
difficult to win. The British beaches of Operation Overlord are possibly
the most important beaches of the allied war effort and also some of
the most important beaches in world history.

Our thanks go to Mr Wood for organising the trip and for taking us to
so many interesting sites and museums.

Will Davies
 “
”
THE ELLESMERIAN

Sixth Form
56

Education is the
passport to the
future, for tomorrow
belongs to those who
prepare for it today
Malcolm X

A Level: • Lydia Smith, from Oswestry, achieved an A* in Psychology, and A

With an overall pass rate of 96% - a record breaking year for the grades in History and English Literature. She will read History at the
College - the results featured some highly impressive individual University of Nottingham.
performances and more than 50% of all grades awarded were in the • Jack Pochin, from Nantwich, secured an A* in Geography, and A
top A*-B grades, the threshold required for many Russell Group grades in Mathematics and Physics. He now moves on to the
University places. University of Birmingham to read Civil Engineering.
Whilst heartfelt congratulations go to all our students, there were • Angel Xia, from Shanghai, and Cynthia Qiu, from Hangzhou City,
several particularly notable performances: both achieved AAA in Mathematics, Biology, and Chemistry. Angel
will pursue Biotechnology whilst Cynthia will pursue Medical
• Alistair O'Brien, from Llangollen, swept the board with four A* Biosciences, both at Imperial College, London.
grades in Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Further
Maths. He will now take up his place to study Computer Science at Toby said of his results, "I am delighted with my results and looking
Queen's College, Cambridge. forward to reading Medicine at the University of Liverpool." Verity
• Toby Slack, from Ellesmere, who secured two A* grades in Buglass was also very pleased with her results: "I'm really happy with my
Geography and Biology and an A in Chemistry, will now read results. I'm going to the University of Manchester to read Medicine - I'm
Medicine at the University of Liverpool. really excited!"
• Verity Buglass, from Shrewsbury, achieved an A* in Mathematics and
As in Biology and Chemistry securing her place at the University of IB:
Manchester to read Medicine. The first results of the summer were the International Baccalaureate
• Alice Smail, from Church Stretton, achieved an A* in Fine Art and Diploma results. A high number of students achieved outstanding IB
three A grades in Mathematics, Biology, and Chemistry and will results.
attend Lancaster University.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
• Natan Marczak, from Poland, was the headline performer who up in my Biology A-level exam, I think wine appreciation should
achieved an outstanding 44 points with 45 being the maximum be classed as a necessary endeavour to enrich the curriculum
available. Natan will now read Economics at the New York of every Sixth Former.
University in Abu Dhabi.
• Head Girl Kimberley Ong from Malaysia was next with 41 points, In week four it was revealed that there was to be a test at the

57
equivalent to A* A A grades at A Level. Kim will now go on to end – Mr Wood and Dr Chatterjee helpfully suggested
Edinburgh University to read Economics with Environmental practising the art of wine tasting at the weekend! Some preps are easier
Studies. to commit to than others. Although many of the class scored highly on
• Bethan Huxtable from Shrewsbury achieved 38 points and will now the test I am sad to report that I did not win the very apt bag of wine
read Politics and International Relations at Bristol. gums for the highest scorer. Overall, wine appreciation was enjoyable,
• Paul Kontrus from Austria scored 36 points and will now read informative, and an excellent way to unwind away from the stresses of
Geography at Kings College London. Sixth Form. Thanks to Mr Wood for organising the experience and to
Jonathan for delivering.
BTEC:
Students recorded a 100% pass rate in their BTEC Sport Diploma Verity Buglass – Year 13
results. Six students secured Extended Diplomas with one student
attaining the highest mark possible with three Distinction Stars; four
attained core Diplomas while two collected Subsidiary Diplomas.
• BTEC Extended Diploma: Christopher Hooper - D* D* D*;
Lessons From Auschwitz – Reflection
I recently took park in the ‘Lessons From Auschwitz’ project (run by the
Billy Pettit - D* D D; Tom Jones - D D D; Elliot Mitchell - D D M; Holocaust Educational Trust), which aims to educate students on the
Joel Thompson - M M P; Branden Turner - M P P. importance of the Holocaust and its relevance to society today, so that
• BTEC Diploma: Mahrus Ahmed - D* D*; Connor Davies - P P; we can then go on to speak out against things like discrimination, and
Dan Parry - P P; Charlie Williams - P P. spread awareness of what we had learnt thanks to the project.
• BTEC Subsidiary Diploma: Caleb Douglas - P; Jack Moore - P.
The first step of the project was our initial seminar, where we heard the
testimony of Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich, whose courage
Sixth Form Wine Appreciation Society throughout her presentation struck all of us as inspiring. We also then
Wine appreciation this year was once again led by the wonderful learnt about what life was like for the Jewish community before the war,
Jonathan Hislop. Throughout the course of six weeks in the Lent Term and discussed the ways in which various communities had been
he guided us through different methods of wine making, wine regions affected.
around the world and, of course, tastings.
On the 13th March we visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, and although we
had all heard various details of what it was like through our historic
studies, it was a shock to everyone taking part on the trip. We were
faced with displays showing things like the suitcases, glasses, clothes,
crockery, and hair of the victims, with the clothes of young children and
babies being especially hard to take in. The sheer size of Auschwitz II
emphasised to us the horror of what had happened exactly where we
were stood, and highlighted the reality we had from walking through an
actual gas chamber at Auschwitz I. At the end of the day we attended a
ceremony led by a rabbi, with prayers, poems, and songs sung in
Hebrew giving us the chance to reflect on what we had just witnessed.

Surprisingly, once announced in Assembly, the wine appreciation course

was quickly filled with Sixth Formers wishing to expand their knowledge
and understanding of wine. We learnt there are three main aspects to
wine appreciation: the sight, smell, and taste. As a self-confessed wine
novice, it was interesting to learn more about how wines are made and
the differences between the many grape varieties. At the start of the
course, I, like many others, could be heard saying ‘but it just tastes the
same!’ However, this soon changed as our palettes grew more
sophisticated. We starting debating whether we liked certain wines,
attempting to taste earthy, oaky or fruity flavours - this was then During the reflective seminar, it was clear that we all now saw the
confirmed by the nod of approval from Mr Wood. As someone who Holocaust in a different way, as the trip had been a vital experience for
attends this course every year we expected him to be an expert! us. Visiting Auschwitz is something that I am very grateful to have had
the opportunity to do, and will certainly not be forgotten.
A highlight of wine appreciation was the question: ‘How can a wine be
dry if it’s a liquid?’ We learnt it is all to do with tannins and, as this came Mimi Quinton – Year 12
THE ELLESMERIAN
Himalayan Adventure: Charity School Project
Two Ellesmere College students spent their summer supporting a
charity project in India building classrooms as part of a team of
international volunteers.
58

Alex Selby and Sarala Chatterjee, Year 12 students, travelled to the

Lamdon Model School in Ladakh, Kashmir, Northern India, where they
volunteered for a service project as well as completing a five-day
trekking expedition across the Ladakh Himalayas where they twice
reached the dizzying heights of 5000m - higher than Mont Blanc!

Hosted by The Scindia School, a progressive boarding school for boys in

Gwalior, India, for the fourth year running the project invites volunteers
from other prominent schools across India and some international
schools - to support the Lamdon Model School with the building of
additional facilities to expand the school's infrastructure. Each year,
approximately 35 students and adults volunteer to help the project; two
dormitories have already been built as a result of Scindia's dedicated
efforts.

After arriving in Delhi at 4am, Alex and Sarala met up with the rest of
the project group to catch a flight to Leh (the capital of Ladakh), during
which they had unrivalled views over the Himalayan mountain range.
The volunteers then spent a couple of days in Leh acclimatising to the
high altitude, where both Alex and Sarala found the conditions
challenging to start with - finding it harder to breathe and feeling tired
very quickly.

They then set off to the small town of Thiksay in order to participate in
the first part of the trip - the service project. The group assisted in the
construction of three classrooms where they built walls and fetched
bamboo (culturally known as 'taalu') from a nearby farm, and even
mixed mud with water in order to create Ladakhi cement! Sarala said, "It
was really hard work but very rewarding as we could see the difference
we were making to the lives of both the school pupils and teachers
here."

Following the completion of the project at the school, the team then
embarked on their challenging five-day trek through the Himalayas,
accompanied by team members from The Scindia School, where they
encountered stunning scenery and wildlife - including some curious
mountain goats!

After successfully completing the challenge, Alex said, "I felt a huge sense
of satisfaction having completed both the service project and the trek,
and it has been a really enjoyable and memorable experience." Sarala
added, "I really appreciated the opportunity to be able to meet people
from many different countries and the wonderful people of Ladakh."
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THE ELLESMERIAN
University Destinations
University Applicant Results (Places Offered) 2019
60

Name University Course

Stanley Admiraal Leeds Beckett University Marketing with Advertising Management
Mahrus Ahmed University of Bath Sport Management and Coaching
Sean Allen Queen Mary University of London Politics and International Relations
Joshua Andrady University of Brighton Pharmacy with Integrated Foundation Year
Mariagiulia Angioni Bath Spa University Business and Management (Fashion)
Alan Bain Oxford Brookes Business and Marketing Management
Toby Bellis Oxford Brookes Engineering Foundation
Llewellyn Bevan Loughborough University Sport and Exercise Science
James Bilbao Manchester Metropolitan University Design Engineering
Rufus Bland Oxford Brookes Real estate
Verity Buglass University of Manchester Medicine
Chelsea Chao Cardiff University Music
Eden Cobb Manchester Metropolitan University History/International Relations
Kathryn Cooksley University of Surrey Veterinary Medicine and Science
Connor Davies Liverpool John Moores University Real Estate
Archie Dubbins Edge Hill University Sports Therapy
Yi Xin Fu Lancaster University Economics
Freddie Furnival University of Nottingham Agricultural Business Management
Arthur Goethals University in Belgium Marketing and Business
Robert Hadden University of Manchester Chemical Engineering
Kate Haworth University of Leeds Human Physiology
Harry Hayes Cardiff University Civil Engineering
Isabelle Hibbott University of Nottingham Liberal Arts
James Hiley Leeds Beckett University Digital Journalism
Barney Hill Aberystwyth University Psychology
Alice Ho University of Liverpool Biological Sciences
Louis Hogarth Oxford Brookes Business
Christopher Hooper University of Bath Sport (Sports Performance)
Bethan Huxtable University of Bristol Politics and International Relations
Tom Keay Lancaster University Finance and Economics
Holly King Bristol, University of the West of England Education
Spencer King Leeds Beckett University Sport & Exercise Science
Beam Kittiratanaviwat University of the Arts London Graphic and Media Design
James Knowles Bournemouth University Television Production
Paul Kontrus King's College London, University of London Geography
Inna Kornatska Coventry University International Business Management
 THE ELLESMERIAN
61
Maximilian Kuntze Hult International Business School (London) Business Administration
Matthew Manton University of Central Lancashire Architecture
Natan Marczak New York Uni (Abu Dhabi) Economics
Lizzie Martin University of Edinburgh History of Art and English Literature
James McCarthy Cardiff Metropolitan University Psychology
Elliot Mitchell Oxford Brookes Real estate
Viktorija Molokovica UCL (University College London) Pharmacy
Ross Murdoch King's College London, University of London History
Georgia Mytton Liverpool John Moores University Business Management
Anna Naumova Waterloo University (Ontario) Recreation and Sports Business
Anastasia Newton Oxford School of Drama Foundation in Acting
Sam Nieto Harper Adams University Mechanical Engineering
Joe Nieto University of Gloucestershire Television Production
Alistair O'Brien University of Cambridge Computer Science
Kimberly Ong University of Edinburgh Economics with Environmental Studies
Sarangapany Pagadala Monroe College (New York) Business
Daniel Parry Liverpool John Moores University Sport Business
William Pettit Manchester Metropolitan University Sports Management
Scott Phillips University of York Music
Jack Pochin University of Birmingham Civil Engineering
Cynthia Qiu Imperial College London Medical Biosciences
William Roberts Heriot-Watt University Mechanical Engineering
Dan Samarji Bangor University Geological Oceanography
Melissa Dorothy Sinta Bath Spa University Business and Management (Entrepreneurship)
Toby Slack University of Liverpool Medicine
Alice Smail Lancaster University Natural Sciences
Lydia Smith University of Nottingham History
Ellie Southward University of Missouri Film, Television and Literature
Isabel Tanner University of Exeter Deferred entry - Law
Oliver Trollope Nottingham Trent University International Business
Brandon Turner University of South Wales Rugby Coaching and Performance
Thomas Ward Oxford Brookes Film
Charlie Webster Edge Hill University Marketing with Advertising
Eilish Whitmarsh Oxford Brookes Events Management
Daniel Wu Brunel University London Civil Engineering
Angel Xia Imperial College London Biotechnology
Egbert Yung Lancaster University Economics
Zigi Zhang University of York Psychology in Education
 THE ELLESMERIAN
62

The Combined
Cadet Force
Overall Review

11 o’clock on November 11th of last year, The CCF offers a young person a wealth of
2018, marked the 100th Anniversary of the experiences and opportunities that are too
end of World War I, the so-called Great War. far and few between nowadays. For the Year
Two of our senior cadets, Cdt RSM Matthew 9 cadets from all three Sections it
Manton and Cadet Warrant Officer Sean represented an early exposure to what being
Allen paraded the Contingent Colours, newly a cadet means.
presented to the Contingent by the
Association, at the Service of Remembrance At our annual farewell to our leavers I listed
in College. Only a few hours before I was the huge variety of achievements that our
privileged to be at the Royal Albert Hall, Senior Cadets had managed. It was a
representing the Contingent, at the annual prodigious list indeed. They are missed but
Service of Remembrance in the presence of already another generation of Ellesmerians
Her Majesty the Queen. Matthew and Sean have stepped forward to take their place. I
performed their role with a sense of style and am sure that they too will make a huge
occasion that would not have been out of contribution to and gain an enormous
place at that other service at which I was amount from being a member of the
present. They were absolutely outstanding in Contingent.
every respect. Meanwhile 30 of our younger
cadets volunteered to represent the College My thanks again to all my fellow Officers and
and the Contingent in town, marching other colleagues who make it all possible.
through Ellesmere with Cdt Flt Sgt Ross
Murdoch carrying the Contingent Standard. Lt Col MP Clewlow
They too performed remarkably well. In their
different ways both of these experiences
provided unforgettable moments for those
Many of the activities of the three

young people. Sean and Matthew would go

sections of the Contingent are

on to share the Blake Hartley Trophy for Best

reported elsewhere and so I will not

Cadet at the end of the year, it being an

repeat them. I would rather take the

invidious task to try and separate them or to

opportunity to reflect upon the

value one’s contribution above the others. It

journey that an Ellesmerian who

would of course, be possible to draw up a list

joins the Contingent can make over

of all the Camps, courses and expeditions

his or her time with us.

that each attended but that would be to miss

the point entirely.
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64

The Combined
Cadet Force
ARMY Section

The October expeditions saw the new Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Expedition by
cadets tackle the hills and tracks of North foot or in a canoe.
Wales as they completed their training and
practise walk for their Duke of Edinburgh 36 cadets attended another fantastic Central
Bronze Award expedition. This is not an Camp at Wathgill in July. Over half of the cadets
insignificant challenge for pupils new to Middle attending were new to Camp and the entire
School, or indeed Ellesmere, to undertake but group set an extraordinarily high standard, not
they proved more than capable and performed only for their enthusiasm and commitment, but
very well indeed. They completed the Assessed for their general behaviour and attitude to the
Expedition in the Summer and once again put week. It was possibly the best group of young
all their training into practise and performed people that we have taken away to Cadet
superbly. The attached photo shows the group Camp for many years.
at the end of the expedition at the newly- Cdt CSgt Will Davies was deservedly awarded
chosen final checkpoint at the Sun Inn, Trevor. the Wootton Cup for Best Cadet on Camp.
The enthusiasm and excellence of the Year 9 Cadet RSM and Captain of Shooting, Matthew
cadets was to prove an enduring theme “Daddy” Manton was awarded the cup for Best
throughout the year. Army Cadet. Several of the boys and girls,
including Matthew, then went on to shoot in
The rest of the Army Section spent a the Imperial Meeting at Bisley for the
challenging, but exciting, three days on Ashburton Trophy.
Nesscliffe Training Area taking part in a range of
fieldcraft and tactical exercises including The brief summary above cannot do justice to
patrolling, section tactics and platoon ambushes. the wealth of opportunities and experience
The Army Section has continued to that many of our cadets have enjoyed over the
thrive with its revised training As ever, members of the Army Section were last twelve months. What is so pleasing is the
programme providing a host of keen to develop their skills in the mountains of number of young people who will put
exciting opportunities for both junior North West Scotland and attended an themselves forward to grasp those
and senior cadets alike. excellent camp at Norwegian Lodge, which is opportunities and to make the most of them.
reported elsewhere. What they can gain as individuals from these
moments is immense.
The Army cadets developed their “green skills”
over the year and the entire section completed As usual I would like to thank my fellow officers
a 48 hour exercise on Nesscliffe in June. The for all their help in making it possible.
Year 10s embarked upon the now obligatory
Survival Course in Cumbria. Many of our Lt Col M P Clewlow
Lower Sixth NCOs completed either their
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66

The Combined
Cadet Force
NAVY Section

The section also offers an environment that

promotes responsibility, self-reliance,
resourcefulness, endurance, and perseverance.
These qualities help make it possible for all
cadets in the Royal Navy section to gain various
qualifications, ranging from RYA Sailing and
Power Boating to the Duke of Edinburgh
awards.

The early part of the year saw the Section

welcome a number of new cadets who
brought a range of sailing expertise and
knowledge. As the days shortened so cadets’ skills and confidence grew. Skills were also
developed at Southport Sailing Club where
Royal Navy instructors put the cadets through
their paces.

In the Lent term, the Section moved over to

shore-based leadership activities such as
unarmed combat, weapon handling, navigation,
and proper communication practices. All cadets
The Navy Section of the CCF provides a

developed confidence through delivering a

great environment where students can

series of lessons to the whole Section about

develop leadership skills through their

the traditions of the Royal Navy and its role in

training.

today’s world, as well as some of the

technicalities of weapon systems, boat
maintenance, and safety on a warship.

In the summer, the Section returned to the

water. Each week, cadets applied their learning
as they sailed the College’s range of dinghies on
Whitemere.
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67

The year ended with the whole Section spending an action-packed week
on Whitemere with RYA and Royal Navy instructors, as the cadets and
staff undertook various sailing courses. Everyone passed the assessments
and there was even time on the final day for the Section to raise money
for charity as a fiercely contested race took place both on and off the
water.

This year the Section welcomes Dr Tompkins to the fold as well as new
cadets – including a Team GB sailor!

DB
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68

The Combined
Cadet Force
RAF Section

We hosted Chirk Air Squadron led by OE Ryan October expeditions was spent at the Inskip
Cawsey and Newcastle Under Lyme RAF CCF Cadet Centre in Lancashire where we
for a fantastic day of shooting. For most of the completed numerous adventure training
cadets this provided a first taster of clay pigeon activities including a trip to Clip ‘n’ Climb. This
shooting and some picked it up like complete was a great bonding experience for the section
naturals. and everyone participated with enthusiasm.

Junior Corporal Kit Lewers Cadet Warrant Officer Sean Allen

This day was a great way of working together Cadets have been busy working through the
The RAF section have enjoyed a very with a local Air Squadron and helping an OE RAF cadets’ new progressive syllabus, where
successful year and have undertaken a provide new experiences to his cadets that they passed their weapons handling test, basic
wide variety of activities. otherwise would not have been possible. leadership, first aid, and communications
badges. These skills will be further developed in
We were visited by our “boss” from Scotland, the younger cadets next year as they assume
who acted as judge for our Masterchef in the more responsibility.
field competition. Cadets used their initiative to
cook imaginative dishes using a combination of We have been flying at RAF Cosford where we
ingredients from ration packs, and the winners are hosted by 8AEF. This is a fabulous
came up with a remarkably edible pasta dish – opportunity to experience the thrills of
livened up with the ever-present mini bottle of aerobatics or simply to learn to fly the plane
hot pepper sauce! more sedately!
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69
We completed the year by attending Summer camp at Inskip. This was
an action packed week of Climbing, Go Ape, and Leadership tasks. The
overnight exercise where cadets stalked and attempted to gain access
to a ‘safe’ house guarded by staff armed with paintball guns and water
pistols was epic and will live long in the memories of the cadets and
staff.

Camp culminated with a visit to the National Arboretum. At the

arboretum we placed a cross at the foot of the Ellesmere College
Memorial tree to those OE-s who lost their lives in past conflicts.

I have really enjoyed my first year as OC RAF section. I would like to

We must say a big thank you to Mr John Sweeney (parent) for making it thank all of the cadets for their enthusiasm and wish all of our Year 13
possible for us not only to visit the helicopter training school at RAF cadets all the best for the future.
Shawbury but also for arranging for every cadet and member of staff to
experience a flight in a helicopter. This was an exceptional afternoon. JKC
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70

The Combined
Cadet Force
Adventure Training
Camp

Our annual Easter Camp to Scotland My thanks to all who made the camp
returned to Norwegian Lodge outside possible. It is a remarkable testament to the
Aviemore. The group of a dozen cadets skill and expertise of my fellow Officers and
included several new faces alongside some those friends of the Contingent who give of
regulars, as well as Cdt Sgt Angel Xia, a their time in order to make it happen, that
veteran of five Easter camps. we are able to run such a unique camp. I
would like to pay particular tribute to Capt
The team began with a winter skills day in Martin Digby OE who has been for many
Coire an-t Sneacha in order to get everyone years the inspiration and driving force behind
acclimatised to the kit, the snow, and the our Easter Camps.
terrain. Day two saw the cadets go up and
over Cnap Coire na Spreidhe, digging Lt Col Martin Clewlow
emergency shelters and then bagging
Cairngorm itself. The next day they ascended
Cairn Lochan and Sgor Gaoith.

Wednesday marked the start of the three-

day expedition and the party walked into the
Lairig Ghru valley to their base camp at
Corrour Bothy. The second day was epic, with
the groups knocking off The Devil’s Point and
Cairn Toul, with some then going on to
ascend Angel’s Peak and Braeriach. A small,
strong group even managed Carn a Mhaim as
well. The next day the cadets walked out
through the Rothiemurcus Forest and on to
Loch Morlich. One group took in an ascent of
the classic Ben Macdui. Back at the Lodge
they enjoyed a well-deserved home-made
afternoon tea thanks to Dave, our chef.
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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

72

With 114 students having taken part in the

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme this
academic year we are delighted to report on
the many successes.
September began with preparations for the October 2018 Practice
Expeditions. Familiar skills were revisited including map reading, menu
planning, and equipment checks. Kit lists were distributed and, on the
week of our departure, all felt ready for the challenge ahead.
The students took to the hills and the waterways to put in to
practice all they had learned and performed admirably in tough
weather conditions. This was followed by a much brighter June
Expedition where participants completed their Assessed Expedition
and demonstrated an independence and resilience that we at
Ellesmere College are proud of.
Bronze Award
This Summer our Year 9 group completed their assessed Bronze
Duke of Edinburgh expedition. This involved two days of demanding
The Future:
New initiatives this year in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme at
Ellesmere included developing the skills and volunteering opportunities walking in the countryside around Llangollen. On the final day of the
available to our students. We now offer Young Enterprise, chess, cookery, expedition, pupils were rewarded with a morning spent white-water
archery, shooting, dance, sailing and also reading groups, visits to the rafting on the River Dee. The perfect weather meant that the rafting
elderly, gardening to support the local community and litter picking to was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone, with many taking the
improve our environment. opportunity to have a dip in the River Dee.

As this was the pupils’ assessed expedition, it therefore required two

days of complete self-sufficiency. The groups were unaccompanied
and had to navigate their way successfully through remote
countryside. The first day was spent completing a 14km walk through
the Llantisilo hills. We then camped in the Valle Crucis campsite just
outside Llangollen. In the evening, all students prepared a nutritious
meal and set up camp for the night.

The groups were very efficient in packing up camp the following day
and set off on their second day walking in excellent time. The walk
 THE ELLESMERIAN
73
on day two started with a particularly steep climb but all involved
did well to motivate their team and make it to the top. All of the
groups finished the walks in excellent time and made very few
navigational errors.

The attitude and skill shown by all pupils on this expedition was very
impressive and consequently all who attended the expedition passed
their assessed walk with ease.

Silver Award
The students have to complete a three day two-night expedition as
part of their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award and this year we decided
to go to some of the most beautiful parts of Wales. For the practice
expedition we walked in and around the Betws-y-Coed area. The
The white-water rafting on the final day was enjoyed by everyone. students started outside Betws-y-Coed train station and walked
The activity started by carrying the boats down a steep bank to the towards Llanwrst following the River Conway through a beautiful valley
start point of the Horseshoe Falls. The paddle downstream began by as well as the tree lined hills. They discovered some interesting
going over the Horseshoe Falls in the rafts. We then navigated a landscapes dominated by old stone and slate quarries and some old
series of rapids and pupils enjoyed swimming and jumping off the mines. Through careful and accurate navigation all managed to find their
rafts on the calmer sections of the river. way to the first of the campsites at Cwmlanerch just north of Betws-y-
Coed where we could hear and see Zipworld across the valley.
When we returned to College on the afternoon of the final day the
groups spent time completing presentations on the aim of their walk. The second day headed west towards the splendor of Swallow Falls
Aims ranged from examining the impact of man on the environment through the trees and past many lakes, streams, and rivers. Sites
to studying the local wildlife. included The Fairy Glen, The Ugly House (Ty Hyll) and then back in a
loop to the Swallow Falls Hotel, Youth Hostel, and Campsite where a
JKE chilly night was spent under canvas. Students had another
 THE ELLESMERIAN opportunity to cook their own evening meal and to further
develop their camp craft and organizational skills.

The third and final day saw the groups head off towards the
rugged and wild country of Capel Curig; this has a very
74

different feel to other parts of the Snowdonia National Park.

Once again, the students coped well, adapting to their surroundings,
honing their teamwork and navigation skills, as well as enjoying a very
different experience from the comforts of Ellesmere.

Between expeditions the students developed the other parts of the

award, such as the skills section, which included activities like cooking,
learning to play chess, dance, and enterprise, as well as the activity
and volunteering sections.

Gold Award
Late June 2019 two groups of 36 Year 12s took on the challenge to
complete their Gold DofE Expedition by canoe. Having been
introduced to the Gold Award throughout intensive canoe training in
the October expeditions, they had prepared for the experience with
a Practice Expedition in May and also a further experience of Stand
Up Paddling Boarding (“SUP”) in Ellesmere. Their experience during
the award also included the groups volunteering in Lower School
supporting readers, helping coach youngsters on a Thursday
afternoon, and being supported by our in-House Nursing Team with
First Aid Sessions. With such varied experiences and the need to
The assessed expedition took place during the Summer Expos and is devote up to four hours each week, the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s
somewhere completely different from the practice. We went further Award remains a challenge, but one perfectly suited to a true
west, starting near Fairbourne in West Wales, following the Cross Ellesmerian.
Britain Way along the Afon Mawddach towards Dolgellau where we
camped the first night. This was a fairly straight forward part of the
expedition and it wasn’t until the second and third day that the
students came across some more challenging situations, with farmers
planting across footpaths that consequently disappeared, navigation
challenges, and some rather lovely and warm but energy sapping
weather. The second night was spent camping on the riverbank down
in the valley below Brithdir. The third day saw the route head
towards Bala and the comforts of home. With approximately 60
kilometers covered over the three days, all the students were
relieved and excited to reach the finish with a job well done.

JWN

During the October expeditions, the groups learnt crucial skills and
techniques for competency and survival on the water. Throughout
this introduction to canoeing, they soon learnt the dangers and the
‘no nonsense’ policy so cherished by our fearless instructors – aka
‘The Drummonds’ and Sue Tuerena. It also seemed that all the
Geographers knew all the correct terms for the rivers, therefore
immediately giving them more brownie points. A particular highlight
of the October training sessions is always “Capsize Day” on
Whitemere, where our intrepid canoeists have to jump into cold,
late-October lake water and learn how to manage sinking craft,
panicked group members, and then how to right a canoe properly.
 THE ELLESMERIAN
Our next training weekends were the two after the Easter holidays
when the groups journeyed down the River Severn from Welshpool
to Atcham. This was the first time they travelled within their groups
and carrying not only day bags, but rucksacks and barrels. This really
was the weekend to find out how much kit you could roll up and

75
squeeze into the bags that would be placed in the canoe. Not only
that, it was also the weekend they discovered the need for a lot
more food than simply Pot Noodle and Mars Bars.

This being the closest experience to the real expedition, the groups
needed to gel as a team, acknowledging how short everyone’s
temper could be – and who had the most sweets. More importantly,
they had to travel unaccompanied for the first time – a true test of
responsibility and leadership. The Summer Expeditions involved a five-day trip, with four
monumental days canoeing down the River Wye from Glasbury to
Monmouth for the one group and a new trail-blazing descent of the
River Trent for the second. Both groups soon realised that five days is
much longer than the weekend they managed during training, and
their bags were stocked up with food as if about to go into
hibernation.

Having to canoe for 7-10 hours a day was not only physically
demanding but mentally exhausting and both groups managed well
to cope with the heat, that at times was excessive.

With the Expedition complete and tan lines ready for the Summer
Ball, all that was left was to thank Mr Underhill for organising the trip
and putting up with the huge amount of Year 12s. Also, thanks go to
Miss Killen, Mr Baggaley, and Mr Morgan for joining us on the
expedition – and of course Sue Tuerena and Roger, Jamie, and
Alastair Drummond for teaching us the art of canoeing.

JMU
 The Arts
THE ELLESMERIAN 76
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Artsmark

77
Standards across the range of Arts are of the highest level and
continue to go from strength to strength. Professional
practitioners and experts in the Arts Industry are a regular
feature of both curricular and enrichment opportunities for staff,
students, and the wider community, with Arts career
opportunities embedded as desirable and worthwhile.

National competitions, community performances, exhibitions and

Theatre visits are characteristic of the annual Arts calendar. Our
intention is to develop our position as the local hub for cultural
provision as we aim to expand our core network of local schools
and professional organisations to develop our networks and
outreach work, allowing other school communities to benefit
from our high level of in-house expertise. This was particularly
evident when the College hosted a large scale Young Artists
exhibition in May involving students from across four different
primary schools in Art workshops, culminating in all schools
exhibiting their work at our annual Art Exhibition. A project such
as this enabled Ellesmere College students to work alongside

Cre8 Arts Evening

professional artists to deliver workshops, and offered the schools
involved specific help with an area of visual arts they wished to
focus on, as well an opportunity to exhibit their work in a well- Early in the Lent Term saw Cre8 in the Arts Centre Theatre, a
established Art Exhibition. It is hoped this venture will become a student-led event which this year was planned and organised
regular feature in our calendar. by Gaia Togni in Year 11, together with Marija Barysaite of Year
12, who were both working on the ‘Arts Leadership’ section of
their Gold Arts Award Project. Students from all age groups in
school were well represented, offering song, dance, drama, and
photography. It was particularly pleasing to see so many dance
pieces ranging from classical ballet to contemporary and tap, as
this is a relatively new area of arts at Ellesmere that is really
developing well.

During the evening, the audience were delighted by a guest

appearance from a representative of the charity Hector’s
Greyhound Rescue, who had been chosen to receive the
money raised by the evening, though it was perhaps their furry
friends who really stole the show!
Through celebrating our success as a Platinum Artsmark school,
uptake in Arts related subjects has increased dramatically and
extra staff brought in to grow the departments’ range of
expertise yet further. Academic success in these areas has also
increased, demonstrating the focus on widening our student’s
experiences as having impact upon their wider knowledge,
understanding, and engagement. We are able to offer the Arts
Award programme as a vehicle for developing leadership and
initiative, with students achieving their awards in Bronze, Silver,
and Gold. There has been a steady increase in students pursuing
arts related courses at Key Stage 4 and 5 and an increase in the
number of students moving on to university pursuing creative
degree courses. The Arts at Ellesmere are very much looking
forward to another successful year of creativity and celebration of
our students’ talents.

RLS
THE ELLESMERIAN

LAMDA Tabor Academy

This year has seen LAMDA students from across all year
groups excel, with more students than ever being entered
78

American Drama Exchange 2019

for Speech and Drama Examinations. Examinations in
November and January have resulted in all students gaining Cold but bright early Spring weather welcomed a party of our
either a Merit or Distinction in their graded examinations. The friends from the USA, when this year’s drama exchange began
confidence and self-esteem that students are able to build with the arrival of our long-standing partners Tabor Academy in
through LAMDA has encouraged many of our students to take Massachusetts.
part in this year’s Chester and Shropshire Festivals of Speech
and Drama. The group of young people and their teachers were assimilated
into experiencing life in an English boarding school, and a packed
audience in the Arts Centre Theatre were able to enjoy their
student-devised play ‘Lucky Me’, which explored the concept of
luck through a range of scenes and monologues, some moving
and others comic.

The exchange with Tabor Academy has been a long-established

event every two years and both schools have benefitted hugely
from the relationship. After flying over and performing in Dublin,
the Tabor students came to Ellesmere via the Irish ferry and spent
several days visiting the local area, getting to know staff and
students here, and performing their production locally. After a
brief visit to London, they returned home to prepare for the
Ellesmere cast to arrive two weeks later.

Dance
The College has been delighted to see the development of
Dance through extra-curricular opportunities. A thriving Junior
Dance Club have presented their work throughout the year
alongside those students who have one to one Ballet and
Contemporary Dance Lessons. Notably, performances at this
year’s CRE8 event saw a magical piece of Ballet by Toby Slack
from Year 13 and a beautifully choreographed piece of
contemporary dance by Georgie Hebson in Year 12.

Drama
KS2 Nativity
The cast and crew of our touring production of Peter Gordon’s
play ‘Murdered to Death’ performed at Tabor Academy and
Portsmouth Abbey School. The play was very well received
during all the performances and was an ideal opportunity for
KS2 children produced a wonderful play at Christmas. It was full
Ellesmere students to understand what goes into touring a
of the usual excitement and sparkle that young children can bring
production abroad!
to this time of year. It certainly enchanted and delighted their
families. There were challenging lines, songs to learn, and an
After four days of set building and performing, the group went on
opportunity to develop young developing thespian skills on a real
to visit the sights of Boston, The Boston Tea Party Museum, and
stage! Hopefully it will sow seeds for future work in the dramatic
the Whaling Museum in New Bedford. The group then took the
arts as they progress through the school.
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Arts Showcase
Right at the start of the academic year, over 25 students
from across all year groups took part in the Arts Showcase.

79
This event gave those students who receive LAMDA,
Dance, and peripatetic Music lessons to present their work in a
public forum whilst building their confidence and self-esteem
through performing in front of others.

train down to New York City where we had a whistle stop tour
of Times Square, Ellis and Liberty Islands, the 9/11 Memorial,
Central Park, and the American Museum of Natural History, as
well as taking in the award-winning show ‘Mean Girls’ on
Broadway.

The Drama tour to Tabor Academy and New York was a fantastic
experience for all involved. Not only did the trip strengthen the
existing ties between Ellesmere College and Tabor Academy, but
it also created lasting relationships between students and staff at
both schools we visited; we look forward to our next Drama
tour to Tabor Academy in 2021!
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House Plays Talbot House

The Senior Competitive House Plays for 2018 were taken
from a collection of plays by esteemed British playwright,
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Improbable Fiction
Sir Alan Ayckbourn. The quick wit, dark humour, and
complex characters in Ayckbourn’s work allowed students It was an honour to be given the responsibility of directing Talbot’s
from each competitive House to shine and entertain in a House play this year, although slightly stressful! This year’s theme
fashion that was highly entertaining. was a celebration of the prolific scriptwriter Alan Ayckbourn. Our
play was ‘Improbable Fiction’; it is the story of a writers’ group
containing six very different struggling amateur writers. During the
second half of the play we see the confused host, Arnold (played
by the brilliant Ollie Williams – awarded Runner-up Best Male
Lead) try to make sense of the three interweaving stories written
by the amateur writers. I was very impressed by the cast for
managing to understand the complex script (for which we were
awarded Runner-up Script Adaptation) and for the very fast
costume changes that occurred between scenes.

Scott Philips was a highly entertaining grumpy, slightly foul-

mouthed music teacher and he deservedly won the Ellie Award
for Best Supporting Male. Gaia Togni worryingly acted a young
distressed girl exceptionally well, winning Runner-up for Best
Supporting Female! A thank you also has to go to the other
members of the cast. Isabelle Hibbott who played Jess, a man-
hating farmer from Somerset. Eden Cobb played the geeky Clem
(with an exceptional accent, I might add), Tash Dalziel played Vivvi,
and finally Robyn Welti played Grace. Through the Cast and Crew’s
hard work Talbot also won Best Set and Best Director.
It was great to see the true spirit of Talbot coming together this
year from people helping with painting the set (and cast)! Well
done must also go to Connor Davies for stepping out of his
comfort zone and into a tight sparkly dress, bright red high heels,
and a blonde wig. Also to James Knowles who turned into an alien
through green paint!

Meynell House
Seasons Greetings
Being a part of this year’s Meynell House play competition is
when I saw how hard the directors and cast worked on a
production and how competitive it really was! The cast had
chemistry and commitment and excellent supervision from
our directors Lizzie Martin and Tom Ward, which all combined
to make a play we were proud of. We naturally had moments
Although many things during the show did not go to plan – from
when we felt incredibly challenged but we were able to work
mistimed pyrotechnics, to dodgy door-handles (saved by Gaia
hard and use our ability to keep it together, despite the
kicking the door down and winning the Ellie award for Most
pressures that we all faced. We received the following awards
Striking Moment!) and doorbells – it’s safe to say that we pulled it
this year: Best Male Lead (Ronan Phillips – Me!), Best
off despite some improvisation being needed! In the end, through
Supporting Male (Tom Ward), Best Dressed Character (Will
the hard work of the cast and crew, Talbot came away with seven
Roberts), Script Adaptation (Lizzie Martin), Rockin’ a Beard
Ellie awards.
(Charlie-Ann Williams), and Striking Moment (The Puppet
Theatre). I am looking forward to directing next year’s House
Directing House plays was an amazing experience and one that I
Play!
will cherish forever. I could not have wished for a better cast, crew
and support from the House this year! Thanks to all.
Ronan Phillips

Verity Buglass
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Woodard House laugh’, which I think is one of the most important prizes to
be won because all we want to do is make the audience
laugh and beg for more.

81
My Wonderful Day
The arts that are available to students at the College are
In Year 13, I was given the amazing opportunity to represent
amazing and makes me thrilled to say that I was a part of this
Woodard House as ‘House Captain’. This role included many
growing and happy atmosphere.
responsibilities, with one of them being to direct the House
Play. Each House was given a play by Alan Ayckbourn. Each
Thank you to Ellesmere College and Woodard House.
Director had to cut the play down to make it fit around the
time limit, which was only 40 minutes, as well as include all the
Anastasia Newton
best and most important scenes.

Woodard were given ‘My Wonderful Day’, which is about a

Wakeman-Lambart House
nine-year-old girl named Winnie who has an essay to write
about her day and records the shenanigans of grown-ups
around her. I worked with an incredible cast who were
extremely dedicated to do well, which made the rehearsal Neighbourhood Watch
process so much easier for myself. The whole experience was
overwhelming with positive energy from Woodard’s cast and At the end of Year 12 (my first year at Ellesmere College), I
crew, and despite the difficult times where I had to sort out was offered the position of being the director of our
props, costumes, makeup, set, etc. in a matter of just a few days, competitive House play by my Housemaster, which would be
it was the most enjoyable event of the year. taking place in October 2018. At the beginning of that
academic year, I had taken part in the previous House play –
‘Five Go on a Strategy Away Day’ – a spoof version of Enid
Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ books. Now, it was my turn to take the
responsibility to direct and produce a play to compete against
the other competitive Houses.

House plays are a competitive House event that takes place

early in each academic year. Each director is given a play from a
certain theme (this year it was Alan Ayckbourn plays) and have
to organise other members of their House to be actors, do
lighting and sound, design and create the set, and be in charge
of costumes and makeup. This year, we had to cut down a two
hour play to around forty minutes, which was very challenging.

The play I was given was ‘Neighbourhood Watch’, which is

about a small community that is concerned about crime in the
area so they form the neighbourhood watch committee, which
oversees the protection of the neighbourhood. The scheme
starts off with relatively good intentions but quickly escalates
out of control and causes some unforeseen problems later
down the line.
I have had directing experience before as I directed ‘DNA’ at
Ellesmere College in 2017 for part of my Gold Arts Award Since I had never directed anything before, I found this task
project but, due to the competitive environment, directing particularly difficult but, thankfully, I managed to organise
House Plays felt tenser. everyone and get everything sorted before show night. The

The fellow House Captains from the other Houses were super
supportive and – despite wanting to beat each other – there
was a lot of teamwork involved.

House Plays is an incredible and fun adventure to get stuck

into. Even if you do not particularly like the sound of acting on
the stage, there are other things you can try such as tech,
backstage, designing the set and costumes, and so much more.
The experience creates everlasting memories and new friends.

Woodard won many prizes during award night, which made

me feel beyond proud of everyone. We won the ‘Best Belly-
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hardest part for me was telling people what to do, but I die laughing first? The cast were ably assisted by technical
knew this was a crucial aspect of directing so I had to assistants Kit Lewers & Danylo Zagorii. The cast performed this
quickly get a grip! Despite all the stress that was caused, I hilarious piece across two evenings before packing the
was very proud of all the cast and crew and couldn’t have collapsible set (including a full-size chandelier, axe and
82

done any of it without their help. decanter!) into flight cases to take away to complete our
return visit to Tabor Academy.
The shows cover two nights and after the second night there
is an awards ceremony where prizes are given for different

Lower School Play

aspects, such as Best Set and Best Director. The prize I
remember most clearly is the one for Best Supporting Female
role, which was won by my male drag actor – a little
contradictory but it did make me chuckle.
For me, House plays is about the experience of developing
The Boy Who Fell into a Book by Alan
skills involved in teamwork and leadership, because there is
Ayckbourn
very little staff involvement in the process. It offers a chance for
If you walked into the Arts Centre Theatre during the closing
students such as myself, who don’t take any arts subjects, to
weeks of the Summer Term 2019, you may have felt quite
become immersed in the arts offered here at the College and
disorientated!
take part in a rewarding experience whilst having lots of fun
along the way.
This was a deliberate ploy by Director Mrs Zoe Fisher: the
staging for the Year 7 & 8 play was set “in traverse”. The
Toby Slack
audience were seated on the stage in raked rows, as well as in
the usual auditorium. The action took place in the centre.

Middle School Play

Alan Ayckbourn’s children’s comedy was a riot of fun to cast,
rehearse and perform. To summarise, Ten year-old Kevin (India
Freer-Carmichael) wakes with a jolt to find himself inside the
Our Day Out by Willy Russell world of the book he has just been reading. Joined by
Detective Rockfist (Emily Curzon), Kevin travels through six
A cast of 30 Middle School students took us on a Journey to book-lands as they try to solve “The Case of the Green Shark”
the North Wales coast in their production of Willy Russell’s and save the world from disaster!
hilarious comedy ‘Our Day Out’. Students from Years 9
through to 11 worked diligently on perfecting their scouse As the audience entered the theatre, they entered Kevin’s
accents, learning their lines, and presenting the 41 scenes that world and anything could have happened. Rumours of a jelly
Russell originally wrote as a television drama. In writing his play, fight in Act 2 proved well founded with the marvellous
Russell does not simply tell the story of a school day out, but Wooblies (think Teletubbies crossed with Tombliboos)
the characters and situation that his audience can recognise. convincingly acted by Elliott Catt, Georgie Prescott and Isobel
Russell is able to create an archetypal situation representative Grey.
of school trips of this nature, which he uses as a springboard
for the serious questions he asks his audience. The set, built by Rob Harm, Scott Formstone and Danylo
Zagori astounded the audience as cast members climbed,
jumped and disappeared down wells!

Senior School Play Unlike other years, where the cast sit backstage awaiting their
cue, in this production they sat at the end of the audience’s
rows, as ‘bookends’ until it was their turn to perform.
Murdered to Death by Peter Gordon
Well done to all involved.
A murder mystery spoof was the theme for this year’s Senior
School Production in the form of ‘Murdered to Death’ by Peter
Gordon. This hilarious spoof had the best of Agatha Christie
traditions, with an assembled cast of characters guaranteed to
delight: Bunting the butler (Danylo Zagorii), an English Colonel
and his wife (Thomas Ward & Gaia Togni) with the prerequisite
stiff upper lip and an oversized handbag, a shady French art
dealer (James Hiley) and his moll (Grace Warren), bumbling
local inspectors (Gracie Shallcross and Ronan Phillips) and a
well-meaning local sleuth (Charlie Nelson) who seems to
attract murder – they’re all here, and all caught up in the side-
splitting antics that follow the mysterious death of the owner
of a country manor house. But will the murderer be unmasked
before everyone else has met their doom, or will audiences
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84

Music
Chester Music Festival Such a Love as None Can Part – The
This year, Ellesmere entered two choirs into the Chester Music
Recording of the Ellesmere Choirs’
Festival – the Chamber Choir and Coro Lux. It was a clean sweep, CD
winning every class and performing a variety of pieces, from
Bruckner’s Christus Factus Est (Chamber Choir) and Stanford’s Beati
Corum Via (Coro Lux), to more contemporary pieces like Let the
River Run and For Now from the musical Avenue Q.

Judges were very impressed at the high standard the two choirs
showed, and we received pleasing comments. Not only were the
students of the choir praised, but Mr Coupe (Director of Music) was
recognised for his outstanding work, as was our accompanist Mr
Whitley.

The audience seemed to enjoy listening too, as the round of

applause at the end of songs was loud and sustained. Overall, it was a
very enjoyable morning for both performers and listeners, and big
thanks go to Mr Coupe and Mr Whitley for all the hard work and
support they’ve given to the choirs this year.
Initially, when I was told that Ellesmere would be recording a CD, I
Robyn Welti,Year 10 had images of a small voice recorder being placed in the centre of the
Chapel and Mr Coupe telling us to act as if it a was normal rehearsal.
Foolishly, I assumed these recordings would not take longer than an
hour to produce and we would not have to spare any time for out of
school rehearsals. Being a newcomer to the choir and the College, I
envisioned this to be a fairly amateur process. However, my
assumptions could simply not have been further from the truth.

As we entered the Chapel on a Wednesday afternoon, we were

greeted by a plethora of wires and cables, all attached to various
microphones and sound equipment (these were precisely assembled
by our sound technician, Jason). Mr Coupe set us in specific positions
at the end of the Chapel, according to voice types. We were
instructed not to advance from these positions - as such a shift could
cause a change in balance, throwing the entire sound off. I suddenly
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began to realise the professionalism behind this process; instantly a Shortly before the trip I received a note from Professor
sense of pressure and importance descends on your shoulders - a Owen Rees explaining that he was currently on sabbatical
feeling I can only imagine is similar to when professional voice artists and the Evensong in Oxford would be conducted by the
step into a recording studio. We spent a short amount of time legendary choral conductor, Edward Higginbottom. Our
rehearsing: once confident, the recording began. preparations for this service involved familiarising the Chapel

85
Choir with a range of different conducting styles, ensuring
There were a few false starts, usually due to a car driving over the they would be resilient in the face of frank feedback and conduct
drain cover or a few drops of rain. Once ready, silence fell over the themselves professionally throughout. For this service I sang with the
room, Mr Coupe would count us in, and, whether we were singing a basses, deferring to Edward Higginbottom as our maestro for the
song as delicate as Cantique De Jean Racine, Op 11 (Faure), or as day. His approach was methodical with a real attention to detail. He
powerful as the Stanford Magnificat, immense amounts of remarked that as a choir we had in every way risen to the standard
concentration and precision had to be applied. As soon as a full of Queen’s College, meaning that he could proceed as normal. This
recording was completed with zero errors, a simultaneous sigh of was a huge compliment from someone who directed the music at
relief could be heard throughout the room. I doubt I speak only for New College, Oxford to the very highest standard for over 35 years.
myself when I say my heart was beating as if I had just run a mile.

The experience of this recording was extremely enriching for the

members of the choir, and a sense of accomplishment ensued after
we had completed our final song. It's comforting to know we will
have this CD as a memento of the amazing talent of the Ellesmere
choirs, a lasting memory that will stay with us long after we have left
Ellesmere College.

Gracie Shallcross – Year 12

Choir Tour
Lent 2019 was always going to be a busy start. After securing
performances at Queen’s College, Oxford, Farm Street Church,
Mayfair and the prestigious St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, I The service featured Stanford in C, Byrd’s Ave Verum, and the Coupe
knew that this would be a short but unforgettable experience for responses performed beautifully by a combined choir of over 80
the Chapel Choir, who in recent years have gone from strength to singers. Edward Higginbottom subsequently wrote to say, ‘You clearly
strength. have a great choral ensemble, no doubt the result of much hard
work and application. The Queen’s singers were very impressed.’
On Saturday we moved on to Windsor, complete with the banner of
St Oswald, courtesy of Paul Russell. Arriving for the changing of the
guard we were escorted to the horseshoe cloister and deposited in
‘The Dungeon’. This acted as a rehearsal room, a beautiful
symmetrical space complete with six individual cells and a small area
for prayer active in the time of Henry VIII. St George’s Chapel
(originally St George’s College) was founded by Edward III who was
obsessed with Arthurian legend. He founded the Order of the
Garter as a reflection of the Knights of the Round Table as well as to
support his claim to the French throne. Today, the Order of the
Garter continues with the Queen and sovereign as its head and
flying twenty six flags through the Quire in the Chapel.

Our performance focused on a capella music, with two items

accompanied on the organ by Kevin Whitley and one organ solo by
Scott Phillips. David Manners, Senior Lay Clerk, joined us, speaking to
the choir about his role in the daily worship and joining the tenor
line in our rehearsal of Bruckner’s ‘Christus Factus Est’. It is difficult to
Each of our performances required a different programme. In describe what a rare privilege it was to perform in this space, the
Oxford we would sing Evensong alongside the choir of Queen’s resting place of Edward IV, Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Charles I,
College, who have a very strong choral tradition. For St George’s George V, George VI, and the Queen Mother. A special and
Chapel, our programme consisted principally of capella sacred vocal unforgettable experience for all those involved.
music – demanding, but very much in the choir’s blood following our
tour to Italy last year. For Farm Street Church, we came up with a We moved into London for our final performance at Farm Street
third programme consisting of a contemporary and classic sacred Church, Mayfair. This was a beautiful church in which we were able to
vocal repertoire, and Mr Blue Sky as an encore. perform more accompanied music including movements from
Haydn’s Little Organ Mass. Martin Owen, OE, congratulated the
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86

choir after the concert, likening their quality to smaller cathedral and I still play for them today. At the age of 10 I was asked to play for
choirs. I would echo his sentiment, a cornerstone of my vision for the Championship Section band, Northop, to compete in the Grand
music here at Ellesmere College, but go a little further. I am SO Shield, a National Contest in Blackpool, which was a massive
proud of this choir. The Chapel Choir are some of the best young achievement for me. It was then that I began to be recognised in the
people you will ever meet. They are kind, supportive, good natured, music world, appearing in the newspapers multiple times and being
hard-working, tenacious, talented, fearless, enjoy a challenge, and asked to play for many more bands. At the age of 11, I was fortunate
most of all bring delight to all those that they meet. Long may this to be offered a music scholarship here at Ellesmere College and I
continue! have been going to school here since Year 7. In early 2019 I once
again was asked to help out Northop in a concert and was asked to
Additional performances included flash mobs at the Pitt Rivers play for them full-time. I accepted the offer.
Museum, Oxford, The Raphael Room at the V&A, and Covent
Garden.

Tony Coupe
Director of Music

Star Drummer – Jack Arrowsmith

At the age of three I was first introduced to Porthywaen Silver Band.
A place where people of all ages can come, be supplied with and
learn a musical instrument of their choice, starting in the Starter
Group and progressing to the Beginners Band, Youth and Training
Band through to the Senior Band. I remember seeing my previous
drum teacher Adrian Jones play the drums (Timpani) and I said to
my mum “When I get older I want to play the big acorns”.

At the age of five I made it into the Youth and Training band and at
only seven years old I was invited to play at the Menin Gate in Ypres,
Belgium (a breathtaking war memorial). It was then that I was asked
to join the Senior Band, playing my first Senior Band concert at the
age of eight. I have played in the Senior Band for a number of years
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In March, we competed in the Welsh Area Championship Section UK and, if we win, we would be the number one band in the
Regional Contest. The Band came second, beating the current UK. At the age of 13 I will also be the joint youngest person
number one band in the world, Cory. Then, in May, we competed in to ever perform with a Championship Section Brass Band at
the Senior Cup in Blackpool, a National Contest. We were placed 1st the Royal Albert Hall!
making us one of the highest ranked bands in the UK. In October we

87
are competing at the Royal Albert Hall in the National Finals of the Jack Arrowsmith – Year 8

Ellesmere Sinfonia Concert

The Sinfonia concert saw a wonderful accumulation of dedication, hard work, and love for music from a relatively new orchestra. Despite there
being a limited number of weeks available to practise as a group for the concert, the rehearsals were focused, organised, and really displayed
how committed the Sinfonia members were, and continue to be.

This was evident in the quality of the evening, as the audience heard three pieces from the Sinfonia: Coriolan Overture by Beethoven,
conducted by Scott Phillips, Ellesmere’s organ scholar; Symphony no.8 in B minor (unfinished) by Schubert; and a wind sectional perfuming
Zapfenstreich no.2 in C, the latter two both conducted by Ed Wadon.

Although each of the pieces were challenging in their own right, the results were magnificent, and any faults had been thoroughly worked
through during the Monday evening rehearsals. The evening also saw solos from Sophie Ward and Amber Coxill, as well as pieces from
Ellesmere College String Quartet – all of which were to a high standard and, along with the performances from the orchestra, displayed the high
calibre of music at Ellesmere College. All in all, it was a lovely night and was thoroughly enjoyed by all of the audience, of which the turnout was
positive. I would definitely recommend watching the next available Sinfonia concert, as they are going from strength to strength.

Bethan Huxtable – Year 13

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88

Messiah Concert
On Saturday 23rd March, Ellesmere College Choral Society and Conducting is a peculiar thing. In itself it is nothing at all, entirely
Sinfonia presented their performance of Handel’s Messiah. The silent, requiring the skill and contribution of players and singers. The
genesis of this piece, widely regarded as the number one large scale conductor has a unique overview, able to pinpoint specific lines or
choral work of all time, is particularly interesting. Charles Jennens listen to the overall balance, and is ultimately completely responsible
carefully assembled the biblical text for Messiah, from the King James for the performance. You have the best seat (though there is not
Bible, to prove that Jesus’ life had been prophesied in the Old much sitting involved) in the house and when everyone is watching,
Testament. This piece of religious propaganda was designed to the conductor has the power to influence and shape the sound in
support the view of predestination, that Christianity is an eternal beautiful ways. You must also be authoritative and able to solve a
truth. He delivered the text to Handel on 10th July 1741. On August variety of technical issues quickly. If you thrive on challenge and
22nd, Handel began to compose music to the text, completing the communication, conducting may be the career for you!
three parts in just 24 days. This extraordinary achievement and the
incredible speed at which he composed can be seen in the 259 page This concert was an absolute joy to present. All performers met the
hand written score in the blots, scratchings-out and unfilled bars. At technical challenges, understood the different styles and moods
the end of the score Handel wrote the letters ‘SDG’ which stands for required and committed fully to the moment. We were joined by
‘Soli Deo Gloria’ meaning ‘To God Alone the Glory’. soloists from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and as
always, the audience were warm, friendly and receptive to the
I approached the concert day with great excitement having occasion. I look forward to presenting the remarkable Fauré and
performed this piece countless times with Christopher Robinson and Duruflé Requiems on March 14th 2020 in the Chapel.
the CBSO Orchestra at Symphony Hall, Birmingham – it is fantastic
and is in my blood! APC
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Oswestry Music Festival
Ellesmere College were on top form at this year’s Oswestry
Music Festival (Wednesday 27th February – Sunday 3rd March

89
2019) securing a total of 24 1st places. Over the last five years,
the quality of music making has consistently developed at the College
which has a first class reputation for music.

The Oswestry Music Festival is a major competition (lasting for 5 days)

giving young people the opportunity to compete and listen to one
another, and receive valuable feedback designed to support musical
development. It is also a great affirmation that things are moving in the
right direction at a time when the arts are struggling in many schools.
Notable musicians for Ellesmere this year were Huw Lloyd and Kizzy
Lumley-Edwards. Kizzy now attends the RNCM Junior Conservatoire at
the weekend which also feeds into her development. It is great to see
students doing well as soloists but brilliant that they are also able to
adapt and perform successfully within ensembles.

APC

Exam Success in Music

Candidate Name Instrument Grade Result
Practical - Michaelmas 2018
Hugh Cornwell Piano 2 Pass
Kizzy Lumley-Edwards Piano 7 Distinction
Sophie Ward Piano 8 Pass
Kit Lewers Horn 4 Pass
Lucy Conway Singing 3 Merit
Millie Fradley Singing 4 Pass
Huw Lloyd Singing 5 Merit
Rosie Wood Singing 5 Merit

Theory – Michaelmas 2018

Oliver Williams Music Theory 5 Distinction

Practical - Lent 2019

Reuben Gallagher Piano 2 Pass
Ellie Edwards Piano 4 Pass
Oliver Williams Piano 5 Pass
Lydia Smith B Flat Cornet 5 Pass
Noah Fisher Singing 3 Pass
Poppy Prescott Singing 5 Merit
Rhian Carys Jones Singing 5 Distinction
Oliver Williams Singing 8 Distinction

Theory - Lent 2019

Mako Sasaki Music Theory 5 Pass
Elizabeth Martin Music Theory 5 Pass

Practical - Summer 2019

Emily Curzon Singing 3 Merit
Ellie Edwards Singing 3 Pass
Alex Herbert-Adams Singing 5 Merit
Elizabeth Martin Singing 8 Merit
Anouska Newton Singing 5 Merit
Olivia Philbin Piano 1 Merit
Robyn Welti Singing 4 Merit
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Art
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A Level Art
92

Alice Smail Egbert Yung

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Beam Kittrattanaviwat

93
Freya Anderson
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GCSE Art
94

Jojo Kang

Luca Walter
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Anna White Alex Hearn

95
Alice Parton Angel Sze

Aaron Davies Beltran Vega de Seoane

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Carita Wang Ellen Dawson

96

Emily Ashley Emily Furnival

Marianne Sinta Meredith Sinta

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Georgina Dawson Max Molter

97
Rebecca Zhu Rosie Wood

Russo Wai Tamzin McBennett

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Design and Technology

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Ellesmere in the News

Finally, at IPUMUN 18, I acted as Vice President and Co-Chair of the

Human Rights Council.

At all of these events, I attained certificates and scrolls for my

participation and work. These were, however, not the main incentive for
me to take part: rather, I enjoy the intensive research into other
countries' foreign policies and stances; meeting fellow Sixth Formers
from all over the world; debating issues of global importance; forming
strategic alliances and reaching workable conclusions in a simulation of
the MUN proceedings in New York. Model United Nations participation
encourages and develops many skills that are valuable for my Sixth
Form years, university and beyond. I would strongly encourage my
fellow Sixth Formers to consider taking part in future Model United
Nations events."

Pratham Manchanda: My Model United Nations Exploring Frida Kahlo at the V&A Exhibition in
Journey
Ellesmere College has a long and successful record of participating in
London
As part of Ellesmere College's cross-curricular opportunities, Sixth
international Model United Nations (MUN) conferences, which simulate
Form students of Art and Spanish spent a day in London visiting the
the actual United Nations proceedings in New York.
Frida Kahlo exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Pratham Manchanda, a Lower Sixth student of Politics, Economics and
Chemistry, is a particularly enthusiastic and experienced delegate. Here,
he reflects on his most recent achievements and outlines some of the
many benefits of taking part in this popular extracurricular activity.

"Model United Nations has always appealed to me because of its

opportunities to discuss varied topics of global concern and to practise
my conflict resolution skills. I was thirteen when I attended my first
MUN event, INMUN in Delhi, India. Winning the 'Best Candidate
Award' at this event in my home country has spurred me on to
participate in UK and overseas events whenever I can combine it with
my studies."

I tremendously enjoyed the College trip to Leiden, the Netherlands, in

November 2017, and it was nice to see my peers win several awards.
Throughout the summer holidays, I signed up independently for three
further Model United Nations events:

At VIVMUN 18 in Delhi, I assumed the role of the Executive

Moderator/ Head Chair of United Nations Economic and Social
Council of Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP).

At Meridian MUN, in Hyderabad, I was appointed Vice President and

Co-Chair of the Arab League, demanding from me a completely
different set of skills and knowledge.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 101
After a nourishing lunch of Spanish tapas, which involved students Natan, who hopes to follow his IB studies at Ellesmere College
practicing their Spanish skills to select and order the food, it was time to with undergraduate studies at an American university, hails from
explore the Victoria & Albert Museum. The exhibition, entitled 'Inside a multi-lingual background himself, which includes Polish as his
the Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up', consisted of more than 200 native language and English, French, Spanish and German, which
artefacts discovered in 2004 in the Casa Azul (Blue House), the artist's he studies at Ellesmere College.
lifelong home. These artefacts have been left undisturbed for the past
50 years since Kahlo's death in 1954, and it's the first time this
collection has gone on show outside Mexico.

During a dedicated tour of the galleries, students were able to see how
real life can influence art and how treasured possessions shape artistic
concepts. Students also increased their awareness of Mexican culture.

Mrs Reynolds, Teacher of Spanish and French at Ellesmere College who

organised this hugely popular trip, said: “Frida Kahlo was an astounding
and unique artist whose many portraits and self-portraits were often
inspired by Mexican folklore and landscapes. In her work, Kahlo
explored themes that remain relevant today, such as identity, gender,
class, and multiculturalism. Visiting this exhibition sparked much lively
debate among our students and the unique, deeply personal artefacts
on show will no doubt influence future artwork produced here at the
College."

Ellesmere College Celebrates Wins at

Shropshire Dyslexia Awards
Students and staff at Ellesmere College celebrated after being
recognised for the support offered to dyslexic students at the 2018
Shropshire Dyslexia Awards.

The awards, in their third year, were presented to Shannon Davies,

former Ellesmere College student, now studying physiotherapy at York
University, who won the Shining Star Student of the Year Award. Her
classmate Fred Wild, now studying at the Royal Agricultural College, was
also a finalist.

Meanwhile Learning Support Assistant, Amy Hughes, took the honours

winning the Learning Support of the Year Award, and Head of Support
for Learning, Jo Manion, was a finalist for Special Educational Needs Co-
ordinator of the Year.

Nominating them, parents said the Support for Learning team had
'changed the life chances' of their children with their 'forward thinking,
supportive and open approach' and that they go 'way over and above
IB Student Leads Spanish Grammar Workshops anything that would be expected' to understand their children's
As part of the focus on academic enrichment for pupils of all linguistic individual and specific needs.
backgrounds, Year 13 International Baccalaureate (IB) student Natan
Marczak, has recently started running intensive grammar workshops for They particularly noted Miss Manion's 'kindness, understanding, patience
Year 11 pupils of Spanish. and complete dedication' to her role.

This mentoring role has provided him with plenty of insights into the Speaking after the awards, Headmaster Brendan Wignall said the
planning, preparation, teaching, marking and motivating that feeds into landscape for dyslexic students is changing all the time. "As Headmaster
successful language teaching. of Ellesmere College I want to ensure there is the correct and sufficient
provision for dyslexic pupils here, and with the help of an excellent
"I was positively surprised by our Year 11 pupils", Natan said. "I decided team we are doing just that. Dyslexia is not a 'one size fits all' issue -
to start with basic grammar points such as regular and irregular verb there are different needs for different individuals and schools and
conjugations, adjectival endings and high frequency vocabulary in colleges need to be able to offer a wide range of support so the
Spanish. Pupils took to the activities I had planned straight away and students are getting the guidance that works for them. Each child should
wanted to learn more and more." be given the individual support and care they need to ensure they
reach their very best potential, and it is something we are very proud of
"Seeing which tasks are particularly challenging in Spanish will prompt here at Ellesmere College. We are constantly reviewing our support on
me to devise further resources for them. Pupils really pushed offer and treating each student as an individual, I am delighted that our
themselves and were reluctant to stop work at the end of the session. hard work has been recognised with the awards our dedicated staff and
Impressive! They deserve a lot of credit for their effort." former students have received."
 THE ELLESMERIAN 102
International Careers Boost for Sixth Form
Students
Eleven Sixth Form linguists, with ambitions to work for global
businesses, recently attended an International Careers Fair organised
and hosted by the London School of Economics and Political Science
(LSE), the German-British Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and
the German Embassy.

Students had the chance to meet representatives from British and

German companies to discuss the importance of linguistic skills in global
job opportunities. The group of Sixth Formers had prepared rigorously,
drafting their own CVs and thinking about their own employability skills.

Year 13 student, Sean Allen, who studied Politics, Economics and

Business Studies at A Level, said, 'I hope to study Politics and
International Relations at university, as well as picking up a new language
such as German, and chatting to representatives from the LSE student
societies solidified my ambition. The event highlighted to me how
valuable language skills are in politics and how much student societies
can contribute to an undergraduate degree.'

Ellesmere College recognised in ISP top awards

Ellesmere College has been recognised amongst almost 250 entrants
for a series of top awards, receiving highly commended in both the
performing arts and sporting achievement categories of the inaugural
Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2018.

Brendan Wignall, Headmaster, said it was a privilege to be highly

commended, commenting, "We are delighted to have been highly
commended in two categories for these awards at the first time of
asking. Both our sporting and performing arts provision is something we Fellow participant Iwo Hachulski, a Year 12 International Baccalaureate
are very proud of and this recognition is a reflection on both the (IB) student, fluent in four languages, added, 'I had the opportunity to
facilities and talents of our students here, and also the hard work and ask representatives from the largest European industrial manufacturing
dedication that our teaching staff put in year after year. company what employability skills are most important to them, and to
find out about global job prospects. I plan to follow this up with further
To come just a couple of months after we were named one of only 22 research online.'
Athlete Friendly Education Centre's by the World Academy of Sport,
and as one of the Top 100 Cricket Schools in the country, it is a great In addition to attending the event, students enjoyed a tour around the
honour. Of course, we will not sit back though, we will continue to London School of Economics, a multilingual lunch, a walk through
strive to improve and give our students the best opportunities and the historic Bloomsbury and some free time on festively decorated Oxford
best educational experience that suits each individual. Next year, we aim Street.
to win the awards!"

The ISP judges said: "We were delighted by the breadth, depth and Debating Delegates Success at Model United
diversity of the entries submitted and hugely impressed by the evidence Nations
of the work being undertaken by the independent education sector Six students from Ellesmere College have been praised for their
across the UK. The stories told by the schools in their individual entries contribution to The Model United Nations Conference in Leiden,
were truly inspiring and often humbling. We believe that the Holland.
contribution that independent schools make to the life of the country
as a whole is often undervalued and that the benefits of an Whilst at the conference they debated global issues with fellow Sixth
independent education should be better recognised and Formers from the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, Egypt,
acknowledged." Greece, Israel and Nepal.

First-time participants Emily-Rose Coupe and Patrick Crowe were

commended for their work as Croatian and Venezuelan delegates in the
Human Rights Council.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 103
immediate help, including sleeping bags, outdoor clothing and
personal grooming products - all of which have already been
distributed to homeless citizens in Manchester.

At St Anselm, the students were able to tour the facilities and

joined in a short service in St Anselm Hall's Chapel attended
by the Rt. Reverend David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, and Councillor
June Hitchen, Lord Mayor of Manchester. There was also the
opportunity to chat with the Bishop, Lord Mayor, St Anselm Warden Dr
Ben Walker, and with undergraduates from many different disciplines.

Meanwhile, Filip Radu, Angel Xia, Ross Murdoch and Pratham

Manchanda were all judged to be 'best delegate' in their committees
which included the General Assemblies, the ECOSOC and the Group
of Twenty.

Pratham said, "Good preparation for this event is key. We were amazed
with the awards we got, especially as every one of the group from
Ellesmere College was recognised for their contribution. I was
particularly impressed with how fast our new delegates assumed
important roles in their committees." Pratham added that the range of
issues discussed in committees was 'extraordinary', ranging from global
armament to issues of inheritance tax, migration and terrorism threats.
At the three-day event, delegates also discussed the prevention of an St Anselm Hall was founded in 1907 and offers an almost unique
arms race in outer space, 'brain drain' in conflict areas, and the human "collegiate-style" university experience with a set of values which are
rights of terrorism suspects. very much in tune with our own at Ellesmere. Tom Keay, a Year 13
student, said, "Homelessness is a serious issue that also affects many
Emily-Rose said, "I thoroughly enjoyed this event and the different stages young people. I really value my comfortable home, so I was keen to be
of debate, from lobbying to the drafting and amending of resolutions. able to give something back to people in need. I was amazed by the
Debating global issues with other delegates interested in worldwide huge response to our appeal for donations that can help restore the
politics, and generating solutions to pertinent problems and injustices, dignity of vulnerable people. Our charity initiative highlights the
gave me an excellent insight into how the United Nations in New York enormous practical impact that many small donations can make when
works." they are combined."

Patrick added, "I am fascinated by the United Nations, its decision- Fellow member of St Luke's House, Sean Allen, added, "The Lord
making processes and the impact these decisions have globally, so this Mayor's reminder that the average citizen is only ever 1 ½ pay cheques
MUN conference was an activity I definitely wanted to be involved away from homelessness really resonated with me. I plan to study in the
with." capital city, where homelessness is an urgent problem, and I see
supporting homeless and vulnerable people as a collective responsibility.
Thanks to the generosity of our peers and our teachers, we were able
to make a substantial difference on this occasion and even though many
of us are in our final year of College, our charitable work will be
Sixth Formers Volunteer to Help Homeless
ongoing."
Charity
Six dedicated Sixth Form students travelled from Shropshire to St
Anselm Hall, at the University of Manchester, to deliver vital supplies in
support of the Hall's fundraising link with the Barnabus Homeless It is hoped that the College, particularly the Sixth Form, and St Anselm
Charity in Manchester. Hall will continue to forge links, both in supporting charitable work and
also in helping to advise Ellesmerians in their applications to university.
Barnabus offers a lifeline to 600 visiting homeless and vulnerable people
in the Manchester area each week, many of whom have severe
addictions or mental health issues. This particular charity initiative was Antiques Evaluation Raises Funds for Down’s
jointly organised by Mr Clewlow, Teacher of Chemistry, Assistant Syndrome Association
Housemaster and CCF Commander at Ellesmere College, and the Two stars from the world of TV antiques hosted an antiques evaluation
Hall's Chaplain, the Rev Hugh Bearn, who have been friends since their evening at Ellesmere College to help raise funds for the Down's
undergraduate days at St Anselm's. Syndrome Association.

Informal appeals through the College's assemblies and tutor groups Celebrity antiques experts, Christina Trevanion and Aaron Dean, came
triggered a phenomenal response! Students, parents and colleagues into College for an event organised by Sixth Form student Eillish
donated over a thousand items to the appeal that will provide Whitmarsh, who chose to arrange an event for her Extended Project
Qualification (EPQ), a project based qualification taken in Year 12 as
 THE ELLESMERIAN 104 Ellesmere College is the largest single contributor in Shropshire to the
DofE scheme as every student has the opportunity to go through it as
part of their co-curricular activities - directly or via the CCF (Combined
Cadet Force) - to encourage the development of key life skills,
leadership, team building, confidence and independence.

Jim Underhill, Gold Duke of Edinburgh Leader at Ellesmere College

commented on the awards, "This was a wonderful day for all our
students who took part in the scheme and obtained the Gold Award, it
was an experience to enjoy and will live with those who took part for
the rest of their lives. We are immensely proud of the achievements of
all our gold award winners. They work hard to ensure they complete
their academic studies but the DofE Award adds another set of life skills
to help them in their future careers."

Since it was launched, over six million people have taken part in the
Duke of Edinburgh scheme and nearly three million awards have been
presented. The scheme was launched by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956
part of the A Level curriculum. Eillish got in touch with Christina and has grown to the point today where it is taken up by more than
Trevanion who was delighted to support the event in aid of the Down's 10,000 institutions nationally each year, including schools, prisons and
Syndrome Association, along with her colleagues Aaron Dean and youth clubs. It enjoys the support of more than 3,000 partner
Rebecca Gilmore. organisations and some 40,000 adult volunteers.

Christina was inspired by antiques from an early age, attending plenty of

auctions as a child and searching bags and boxes for treasures. Being a
valuer and auctioneer has always been the job for her, and led her to
study the trade at university with a keen interest in Jewellery, gold and
silver, 20th Century decorative arts, costume and textiles.

After graduation, she joined the team at the prestigious London auction
house Christie's, and then came back home to Shropshire where she
heads up the jewellery department in a long-established local auction
house. An admirer of famous names like Cartier and Faberge, she also
appreciates British Victorian and Arts and Crafts designers, 1970's
bubble base & bud vases, and 18th century teapots.

The event, which raised an impressive £445.35, welcomed over 50

guests who enjoyed meeting the valuation team and were delighted
with their comments on their most prized possessions, including
jewellery, original artwork, books and other curios.

Eillish said "I'm so happy that the event was so well supported, and that
we've raised so much money for The Down's Syndrome Association."
Visitors Drawn to Ellesmere’s National Art
Exhibition
Ellesmere College played host once again to the National Art
Exhibition, featuring over 300 works of art from 70 local and national
Students Celebrate Gold Duke of Edinburgh artists and sculptors. Now in its eighth year, the Exhibition celebrated
Awards at Buckingham Palace record attendances and sales throughout its four-day opening.
A group of current and former students from Ellesmere College
attended Buckingham Palace to receive their gold Duke of Edinburgh The VIP Preview evening welcomed over 300 local dignitaries and art
(DofE) awards. lovers, allowing them to preview all the pieces on display and chat to
the artists about their work over champagne and canapés. This year saw
Our students were among 3,000 people from across the country who a record number of sales on the Preview Evening from popular artists
received their awards during a day that will be treasured by all those such as Maximillion Baccanello, Graham Cox RCA and local artist, Mark
who attended for many years to come. In total, Ellesmere College had Warner.
24 recipients of the Gold DofE award this year including a number of
current students who have deferred receiving their awards as they The Exhibition was officially opened by feature artist, Rae Smith, patron
focus on their exams and will receive them later in the year. Carolyn Trevor-Jones, Chair of NADFAS, and Brendan Wignall,
Headmaster of Ellesmere College, who gave a warm welcome to the
The awards were presented to the group by Sean Rose, a skiing guests.
Paralympic World Champion after giving an inspirational speech to the
group. Following this, students had the opportunity for a brief five The feature artist at this year's exhibition was the set designer for the
minute Q&A with the Duke of Gloucester about their experiences in stage show of Michael Morpurgo's War Horse, Rae Smith. The National
the DofE. Theatre's production has been seen by over 11 million people
 THE ELLESMERIAN 105
worldwide and is one of the most successful theatre productions of all Inspectors said: "Ellesmere College has created a caring,
time. The backdrop to the remarkable puppet horses are said to be supportive environment in which students can develop
drawings from Captain Nicholls' sketchbook in the story. However, they academically and personally. It has a strong ethos of enabling
are in fact sketches of parts of Ellesmere, captured by talented artist, the individual to reach their full potential in all areas."
Rae, who was raised in the area. The exhibition included a selection of
Rae's sketches that were used in the production. The inspectors' report praises how the work of the Support
for Learning Department ensures teachers are well-informed about
individuals with learning needs and that this information is used
effectively to create a network of support, including individually-
tailored teaching and a wide variety of academic support available
outside of lesson time.

The report adds: "The College provides students with a wide variety
of opportunities to try new things and perhaps discover strengths
they didn't know they had - something which the parents and
students appreciate...Progress is good and pupils achieve well.
Students and parents like the school, students are happy here."
The CReSTeD report also referred to the ISI (Independent Schools
Inspectorate) Educational Quality Inspection Report of September
2018 which said: "Whether as individuals or as part of a team, most
(pupils) want to give their best and not let others down. This is due
to the ongoing support pupils receive from individual boarding and
teaching staff to help them achieve their goals. It is also because
In addition to the exhibited artwork were a selection of sculptures governors and senior leaders have successfully embedded the
generously provided by the British Ironwork Centre by artists including school's ethos and supported staff to be able to provide a nurturing
Luke Kite. environment."

The exhibition was also the perfect showcase for work by local primary
school children involved in the 'Young Artist Project' art outreach
scheme from Ellesmere College. Four local primary schools took part -
Whittington, Criftins, Gobowen and Cockshutt Primary Schools - along
with Year 5 pupils from Ellesmere College and built their designs and
sculptures around the theme of 'Learning, Imagination and their Future
Self'!

Nick Pettingale, Director of External Relations at Ellesmere College,

said, "The Art Exhibition is now a well established event in the art
calendar and we are very excited about next year's event being bigger
and better than ever before.” With over 1000 visitors across the five
days, Nick commented, "We are delighted with the visitor numbers this
year as we aim to provide a showcase to profile both local and national
artistic talent in the region and there was something for every taste and
budget."

CReSTeD awards dyslexia support provided to Tatler Magazine Featured: "Best School for
students Future Olympians"
Inspectors have recognised Ellesmere College for the support it We were delighted to be featured in the Tatler Magazine recently as
provides to students with dyslexia highlighting how it helps them to one of the Top 5 Schools in the Country for Future Olympians!
"discover strengths they didn't know they had".
Ellesmere College has a long and established pedigree when it comes
The Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils to sportsmen and women, and are proud of the philosophy that
(CReSTeD) has re-registered the College as a Category DU students here can have both a successful academic career and achieve
(Dyslexia Unit), applauding the way the school is "very dedicated to sporting excellence without compromise. Our accreditation by the
getting the best out of individuals" and remarking how "parents all World Academy of Sport (WAoS) as an Athlete Friendly Education
commented about the improvements in their children's confidence Centre (AFEC) is testament to the opportunities that Ellesmere
and happiness". College provides to students at all ages to begin, or continue, their
journeys to success and that at Sixth Form we can offer the BTEC
The College welcomed CReSTeD inspectors in early May who spent Sports Diploma as a 3 year course to allow for demanding training and
time in specialist support lessons and interviewed pupils, staff and competing schedules as well as academic commitments.
parents. A Category DU identifies the school as having a designated
Learning Support Unit or Centre providing specialist tuition on a
small group or individual basis, according to need.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 106 Here is an extract from the article in Tatler Magazine:

"When the Team GB junior swimming selectors are seeking

new stars they know that Ellesmere's Titans have a proven
record of success. This year five Ellesmere College students
represented the British Swimming Team at the European Junior
Championships in Russia - the largest cohort from any one club in the
UK, and 13 students have made qualifying times for Tokyo 2020. They
follow in the footsteps of Old Ellesmerian Freya Anderson who took
Gold in the Women's 100m freestyle in 2017 and double gold in
Helsinki in 2018. But it's not just swimming that the selectors are
looking at - overall 13 Ellesmere pupils qualified for the Rio Olympics in
various sports and with a sparkling new indoor tennis centre and a
recently launched Professional Football Academy, it looks like Ellesmere
pupils are set to shine in Tokyo.
coast. Only one other school in the world has visited. 16 students took
on the adventure and were immersed in marine science on this remote
destination. Daily tasks included learning to identify various fish species,
sizing techniques, transect work and then undertaking underwater
surveys. The survey data helped the marine scientist to gather long term
data on the fluctuation of coral, fish and larger marine species. We also
studied the bird life of the mangroves and tried to spot the elusive
manatee. The culmination of the two weeks was a lionfish cull. Lionfish
are an invasive fish species and pose a significant threat to local fish
stocks. They are voracious feeders with no natural predators and their
populations are expanding out of control, which is threatening the
marine ecosystems of the Caribbean.

We saw many large marine species including dolphins, manatee,

barracuda, lobsters, rays and sharks plus numerous corals and fish
species.

We're big fans of their approach: rather than getting hot and bothered We were also witness to the quiet shocking effects of plastic pollution
about league tables, they're more concerned with nurturing struggling on a ‘real’ stretch of Caribbean coastline. Most tourist beaches are
pupils (they have one of the best learning-support teams in the cleaned daily, however, where we stayed is a natural coastline. I cannot
country) and stretching the talented through the endless opportunities express how bad the plastic pollution was. Awareness and impact of
of their academic enrichment programme." plastics was also taught. Being part of the conversation about the effects
of the pollution and looking at minimising future use was an important
part of the trip.
Living on the beach in cabanas appears idyllic but the students had to
Marine Biology Visit to Belize keep on top of daily tasks including cleaning, raking the beach to kill
Over the summer break, a group of 16 students from Years 11-13 sand flies, cooking and ablution cleaning. Keeping the various airborne
visited Belize, accompanied by Director of Sport, Mr Williams. Here is insects at bay was also challenging.
Mr Williams' report from the trip…
Everyone enjoyed the games of cricket and volleyball, which would
Visiting the Belize barrier reef and working alongside marine biologists spontaneously kick into action. It was liberating to have no network
in a real marine reserve is a unique experience. Ellesmere is the only coverage and everyone would use their free time to relax, play cards or
British school to visit the remote marine base on an island off the Belize sit around and chat.

It was a fantastic trip and I feel very privileged to have taken this group
of students there. They were great ambassadors for the school and I
hope the real world problems that they encountered will encourage
them all to share their experiences and consider ways in which we can
minimise our impact on the environment.

ILW
THE ELLESMERIAN 107
 THE ELLESMERIAN 108

Monduli Green
Monduli Green would like to shout out a huge thank you to all our front line in climate change. Their seasons are now completely
supporters near and far. unpredictable. Thus, the first rainy season did not arrive this year and the
second was a mere trickle compared to the rains their agriculture relies
on. It has recently rained during a non-rainy season time so hopefully the
local people will have been able to capitalise on this. However,
unprepared for this rain, our nurseries are unlikely to have been ready.
Thus, last year, our total tree cover increase was a mere 200.

Your contributions have made a big difference. Your help has been felt in
so many different ways: there are the students who run a stall at the
bazaar and the hundreds of you who come to support this event; there
are the many parents sponsoring their wonderful children on the walk
and the super families who sponsor students through six years of
secondary school. There are companies too who give larger donations We have made the decision rather than give up, to put ALL OUR
and make a huge difference. EFFORTS into tree cover. We are funding training in permaculture and
also funding for people who nurture 200 trees. Our aim is to reforest
Our biggest project this year was the building of a water tank at Nanja the hillsides of Monduli, stop the erosion and preserve the land for
school. This is the school where students walk down the road for 10 future generations. Hopefully, Monduli’s experience will form a model for
minutes to get water from a cattle pond. Of course, they still have to do other similar groups to copy.
this, but at least some clean rain-harvested water is now available
We look forward to working with you all for another year, and please
If possible, we would like to fund another three tanks at this school. look out for pictures of thousands and thousands of little saplings
Despite our continued investment in tree nurseries, this year was a sad growing on the hillsides of Monduli next year.
one in that respect. The Maasai people in Monduli live on the brink of
poverty and are also, in a screamingly unjust miscarriage of fate, on the CA
THE ELLESMERIAN 109
 Sport - Rugby
THE ELLESMERIAN 110
 THE ELLESMERIAN 111
Rugby - 1st XV

Summary of results in the right direction, but what followed soon threw the rest of the
Old Swinford Hospital (friendly) season into utter disarray. The game itself was evenly matched but
Old Ellesmerians - Won 33 – 15 very physical. Soon enough Ellesmere had their first injury of the
Christ College Brecon - Lost 36 – 5 season, which can be expected at this standard. However, this injury
Wrekin College (cup) - Won 27 – 19 was followed by six others over the course of the game. The body
count quickly stacked up and consisted of three concussions, an
Wilmslow - Lost 28 – 0
injured hand, a damaged shoulder, and a broken jaw, which required
Shrewsbury School (cup) - Lost 31 – 5
wiring. All in all, a very costly game.
King Henry VIII School - Won 51 – 0
Adams Grammar - Won 32 – 5 The following matches were spent trying to regain some consistency,
Castle Rushen High - Won 47 – 10 which was made even more difficult by another broken collarbone
Denstone College - Lost 45 – 7 sustained in a North Midlands training session, two more concussions
Calday Grange Grammar - Lost 12 – 20 during the Wilmslow game, and even a broken foot during a House
Rydal Penrhos school - Won 36 – 5 outing! Despite a win in the first round of the Natwest Cup, results did
St Anselms College - Won 17 – 5 not go Ellesmere’s way for the rest of September, which was to be

Not even Nostrodamus could have predicted the series of

unfortunate events that were to befall the Ellesmere 1st XV this
season. The squad prepared with their annual pre-season training
camp in Cardiff. The players enjoyed full use of the state-of-the-art
facilities that the University of South Wales has to offer, while also
testing their character in the gruelling fitness regime at the Merthyr
Mawr sand dunes. The preseason preparations finished with a
comfortable win against the Old Ellesmerians and a trip to Old
Swinford Hospital School, where players were able to stake their claim
for a place in the side.

The first competitive game of the season saw the players head back
to South Wales with a fixture against Christ College Brecon School.
Up until this point the squad looked to be in good form and heading
 THE ELLESMERIAN 112 expected. The ‘Black and Whites’ had to wait until they played There is no doubting that the misfortunes of this season were a freak
King Henry VIII School for their next win, but they made their occurrence. However, rugby is known for its unique ability for
comeback in style, winning 51-0. character development and this season was no exception. This group
of players were taught the importance of resilience in overcoming
A series of other positive results followed with good wins adversity from both a team and individual’s perspective. I was
against local rivals, Adams Grammar, and visitors, Castle particularly proud of the way in which injured players worked hard to
Rushen School (IOM). However, terrible conditions and further injury remain part of the group and the way in which others stepped up to
made the Denstone game a step too far and Ellesmere were lucky to uphold the proud traditions of this rugby school.
leave Staffordshire without conceding 50 points. Ellesmere bounced
back well but were still unlucky when losing to Caldy Grange AJM
Grammar school. As players who had previously been off on long
term injury began to return, the side regained their confidence and
finished their season in style by collecting good wins against Rydal
Penrhos School and Saint Anselms School.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 113
Rugby - 2nd XV

Summary of results Our next game was a tough test against local rivals, Adams Grammar
Christ College - Won 36 – 7 School. The Newport outfit were a strong team that matched us in
Wilmslow High School - Won 39 – 0 nearly all aspects of the game. We managed to get our noses in front
King Henry VIII - Won 46 – 0 and showed the determination and mental strength to hold out for
Adams Grammar - Won 17 – 10 the win. We finished off the first half of term with a strong
Castle Rushen High School - Won 44 – 5 performance against a touring team from the Isle of Man.
Denstone College - Lost 7 – 36
The second half could have been disappointing were it not for the fact
St Anselm’s College - Won 30 – 15
that we were good enough to compete against the 1st XV during
training. We began the half term with a defeat away to Denstone.
We started the season in positive fashion with a convincing win away They were physically much larger than we were and had more speed.
to Christ College Brecon. This was an early indicator of the strength of However, we matched them and looked the better team for the first
the squad as we lost the Captain, Archie Dubbins, to an early injury twenty-five minutes. The referee wanted a slow game, which did not
but were able to dominate still. Unusually for a 2nd XV, the squad help us, as we needed to play at a high tempo and move their giants
contained a large number of Upper Sixth players, who had experience around. When the heavens opened and the rain lashed down, our
of playing for the Black and Gold. game plan was redundant. The opposition finally ground us down and
were clinical; emptying a bench of physical finishers once their starting
We followed up our opening victory with another win on the road. pack had tired, to deservedly take the win.
Wilmslow threw everything at us for the first twenty minutes. We
stayed calm, matched their intensity and began to read their plays. To Disappointingly, we were unable to bounce back as our next three
gain a total shutout away from home is extremely difficult but our opponents all cancelled. This is where our work alongside the 1st XV
performance deserved it. We followed this with a very strong display was invaluable. We finished the season away on the Wirral. It proved
at home to King Henry VIII School, Coventry. We were developing a to be a very entertaining game, where we were solid in defence
style that suited our team. We were not the largest set of players but before taking our chances in attack. St Anselm’s College, to their
we worked on being quick thinking and moved our point of attack credit, stuck at it until the end and scored two late tries.
rapidly. In defence, we were brave and composed. I would like to thank all those that represented the Black and Gold
this season. Your effort, commitment, and personalities made the job
an enjoyable one.

DJM
 THE ELLESMERIAN 114

Rugby - 3rd XV

Summary of results The remaining games were played in a more competitive spirit but still
The Corbet School Development game 0–0 with an eye of developing players for the future. Thomas Adams
Thomas Adams School - Won 38 – 15 School, Wem, had a few boys who played at a high standard so the
Bedstone College 1st XV - Won 35 – 32 team were looking forward to a stern challenge; they were not
Marches School - Won 22 – 19 disappointed. Ellesmere rushed to a deserved lead early on with some
good interplay between forwards and backs. Elliot Das Gupta, playing
out of position at fly half, began to probe good field position which
Over the years, as the College has experienced changes in the
gave our forwards plenty of opportunities to dominate on the front
quantity and variety of sports on offer, the 3rds / U16s have become
foot. Thomas Adams had a purple patch in the game, capitalising on
more of an opportunity to develop players. It has a clear ethos of
some lapses in concentration by the Ellesmere boys but, eventually,
‘enjoy the game’ and this was indeed evident in both training and
College ran out victors. A really good game for the neutral, and plenty
playing throughout the year. The aim of 3rds / U16s is threefold; to
to work on over the next few weeks before the next game.
develop players who wish to further their playing careers, taking pride
in sending players up to the wear the black and gold of the 2nd XV; to
The next game, still in Shropshire, was a trip to friendly rivals,
accommodate players who are happy to play in their own age group;
Bedstone. Due to the size of the school and the injury toll, the U16s
and to introduce and nurture new talent in the College. We are
played a senior side from Bedstone. With the physicality ratchetted up
fortunate enough to have many likeminded schools in the area and
a notch, Ellesmere responded in kind. Bedstone got first blood and
we took full advantage of these developmental opportunities.
looked as though they had too much fire power for us to handle, but
some strong words and even stronger deeds, saw Ellesmere claw
Our first game was very early into the season and was against local
themselves back into the game. With some excellent kicking from Joe
opposition, The Corbet School. Billed as very much a development
Wild and strong defence from Hugh Marsh, Ellesmere fought their
game, Ellesmere took the opportunity to ensure that as many players
way back only to nick the spoils with one of the last plays of the
as possible sampled some of the game. As is inevitable in a game such
game. A very enjoyable game and nice to be on the right side of the
as this, players were playing out of position and some were playing
result.
their first game of the season, so the game began very slowly, with
opportunities for points spurned in the opening quarter. Tries were
Our final game was against the Marches School. This was a really close
traded between the teams and over the four quarters played, there
game and looked like it could either way until Ellesmere emerged
seemed to be a number of boys keen to ensure this was going to be a
victorious. An unbeaten season had been achieved.
winning season.
JJB
 THE ELLESMERIAN 115
Rugby - U15A

Entering the year, the U15s had new opportunities as a team score of 34-15. This win gave a much needed boost to the team
through entry in the Natwest Cup. The first match of the season part way through the season. Our next two matches came against
gave hope, despite being scrappy, with a win against Christ College. Calday Grammar School and St Anslems College, who both
This momentum was unfortunately short lived, with a tight loss showed a crisp attack and resolute defence putting us to the sword
against Wilmslow, despite tries coming from Ben Zakers and 49-0 and 32-0 respectively.
Harvey Cuckson, and the side went down 15-12. Next up was
Sanbach School away in the first round of the cup. We went Our final match of the season came against Princethorpe College,
expecting a tough match and so it turned out. We were able to which was in the next round of the Plate. We knew very little
keep pace with them for the first 10-15 minutes but their pace out about them but knew it would be a hard contest. The score ebbed
wide proved too much and they executed their chances effectively, and flowed throughout the contest but when playing up hill we
leading to a final score of 50-14. We then moved on to matches were unable to clear our own lines, which meant continued
against King Henry VIII School, Coventry, which, despite having pressure from Princethorpe. We unfortunately went down 29-12
injuries to the team, gave a good account of themselves but but can hold our heads high as Princethorpe themselves
ultimately lost 23-10. progressed to the final 8 of the competition.

Next up was a local derby against Adams Grammar and seemed to It was a hard season where the teams resolve was tested. Despite
be a match where nothing really went to plan. There was a the losses there were some moments of great play and individual
blustering gale that we did not use to good effect and injuries to brilliance. Mention has to go to Co-Captains Harvey Cuckson and
players during the match meant we had to fill holes during the Ben Zakers who lead from the front at all times along with Sam
game; it was not our best showing of the season and we were on Warrington and Will Selby. I wish them all luck for the future and
the wrong end of a 36-5 loss. Confidence was low with successive look forward to seeing them pull on a 1st XV shirt in the not too
losses but we had another chance in the National Competition, this distant future.
time in the Plate where we were drawn against Wrekin College:
another derby! This was a must win game. We played down hill in MTH
the first half and built a comfortable lead knowing that we would
have pressure coming at us in the second half; however Wrekin
didn’t utilise the slope to their advantage and our continued
pressure produced a brace of tries from Tom Griffin with a final
 THE ELLESMERIAN 116

Rugby - U14A

Summary of results We started the match against King Henry VIII school well but little
Christ College Brecon - Lost 36 – 12 mistakes cost us and we ended the half 10-5 down. Just after the re-
Wilmslow - Won 29 – 10 start though we equalised and then took the lead. Then the
Sir John Talbot - Won 43 – 10 opposition scored again, a soft try on our part, to make it 17-12. There
King Henry VIII - Lost 22 – 12 was still time for us to get back into the match but unfortunate luck
on our part meant the opposition scored again and this sealed the
Adam’s Grammar - Won 10 – 17
win for them. We bounced back from this defeat though with a
Oswestry - Won 0 – 45
convincing win against Adam’s Grammar school. After 15 minutes we
The Marches - Won 5 – 50 were 12-0 up and looking good, therefore it was a bit unfortunate
Calday Grange Grammar - Lost 45 – 15 when we conceded a try just before half time. Things did not improve
The Marches - Won 51 – 22 at the start of the second half when we conceded again, the
St. Anselm’s - Won 25 – 24 opposition were now only two points behind. However, some solid
defending and a break away try sealed the win. Following on from this
We began the season with a match against Christ College Brecon. We we played Oswestry and the Marches in a North Shropshire Schools
played well in patches but were guilty of too many mistakes that cost tournament, which we won comfortably. However, we did not have as
us. We were 12-7 down at half time and still in the match, however, much luck against Calday Grange Grammar School, who are always a
after seven minutes of the re-start we were suddenly down 24-7 and strong team and we ended up losing 45-15. The final two matches
never looked like recovering. Our next match was against Wilmslow were both at home. The first, against the Marches School, we won
and we played better in this match. We edged a competitive first half convincingly 51-22 and the last match saw a tight 25-24 win. A great
and then had the upper hand in the second half, scoring a further two way to finish the term off and well done to all the players that played
un-answered tries to finish 29-10 winners. The third match was against this term!!
Sir John Talbot’ school. This was a good win but also allowed players
who had not played in the first two matches a chance to prove their ILR and MA
worth. We dominated the first third 26-0. However, we took our foot
off the gas in the second third and the opposition edged this 0-5. The
last third was more competitive and we scored a further three tries to
seal the win.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 117
Rugby - U13A

Summary of results The next match against Bedstone proved to be a very different affair.
Christ College - Won 45 – 0 Although the sun was shining, the sloping pitch was far from ideal.
Wilmslow High School - Won 25 – 5 Despite another long coach journey, Ellesmere’s forward pack began
King Henry VIII School - Lost 10 – 30 much brighter than the home team and dominated territory for the
Bedstone College - Won 30 – 20 opening period with Elliott Catt smashing his way over the line from
Calday Grange Grammar School - Lost 15 – 30 20 metres. There were also two Year 7 players, Ben Warrington and
St Anselm’s College - Lost 5 – 50 Jack Bell, making their debut for the U13 team who had a significant
contribution to make. This was the first time Jack had the opportunity
to play with his elder brother Ed Bell, which was a milestone for them.
The much anticipated rugby season was a very positive experience for
Bedstone came back in the second half but the team were able to
everyone involved. Ellesmere’s U13 warriors endured the long coach
hold on and grind out a very pleasing win in the end. It was nice to
ride down to Lucton School to face Christ College Brecon with their
get back to winning ways and this actually turned out to be a high
usual dogged determination. Their steely performance was rewarded
point of the season.
with a convincing win with tries coming from Marcus Davies, George
Owen, and Henry Hearn. This was the perfect start to what would
The next fixture against Caldy Grange Grammar School was played in
turn out to be a very successful season for this age group.
appallingly bad weather after another long coach journey. The team
put up a brave defence against a much bigger and more numerous
This winning start was maintained in the next fixture against Wilmslow
team who were able to bring on multiple substitutes at a time to
where a stalwart defence and physical rucking from the forwards
allow their players to rest. The whole team fought well at every ruck
created the solid platform that allowed scrum half George Owen to
and Henry Hearn’s score was a well-deserved team try but was not
snipe over at close range. Further tries from Marcus Davies running in
enough to turn the tide. Ellesmere eventually went down 30 points to
through the backs ensured a comfortable win in the end.
15.
Spirits were high going into the third fixture against King Henry VIII
Despite the poor end to the season, overall it was a very exciting and
School. However, this is where the team finally came unstuck and
fulfilling experience for everyone involved. Fun was had by all, the
despite some spirited attacks from forwards Elliott Catt, Henry Hearn,
players had grown a lot as a team, and they were very proud of all of
and Oliver Draco, Ellesmere’s defences were breached on several
their achievements.
occasions to ultimately go down 30 points to 10.
JED
 THE ELLESMERIAN 118

Rugby - U12

Summary of results Calday Grange was a frustrating game as we were by far the better
Christ’s College Brecon - Lost 10 – 20 side but struggled to impose ourselves in the first half, perhaps being
King Henry VIII School - Lost 15 – 20 slightly guilty of over-complicating things, including a nearly perfectly
Adams’ Grammar School - Won 25 – 5 executed cross-field kick and catch! A simpler, more direct second half
Calday Grange Grammar - Won 30 – 10 performance saw us score four tries without return and we eased
St Anselm’s College - Lost 15 – 45 out comfortable winners. Clearly a win in our final game would have
given us a ‘positive’ record for the season but, in truth, St Anselm’s
You’re never quite sure at the start of a season if a relatively small were the best side we met all season and were that bit big bigger,
number of matches will turn out to be a good or a bad thing, stronger and faster than us and gave us a lesson in the need to keep
especially in an age group where a lot of the players, quite naturally, the ball and support the ball-carrier. To the boys’ credit, however, they
are new to the game or yet to play with a reasonable degree of kept fighting until the end and actually grabbed the last two scores.
confidence. We were not blessed with a large pool to select from
and we subsequently looked to Year 6 to boost our ranks. My huge thanks to Mr Luckas and especially Mr Richards, for coaching
and inspiring a promising group of young players, who I hope will
Our first couple of games were somewhat frustrating as we weren’t build on the considerable progress that they have made this year and
really sure of our best combinations and we were too slow to press go from strength-to-strength. Also to the parents for providing fine
in defence or go to ground and recycle quickly in attack. However, we support throughout the season; just a pity that we didn’t have a
did show that we could move the ball quickly and efficiently, and that couple more games to enjoy – maybe next year!
we possessed some exciting runners. After the opportunity to train
as a whole squad and tweak some positions, our next match took WJH
place in filthy, wet and windy conditions, but any fears that this might
cause the team to retreat ‘into their shells’ proved entirely groundless
as they relished the occasion and played better and better as the
game progressed. We scored five great tries – two from short sharp
attacks and others from excellent handling and running; indeed, the
score we conceded was as a result of a dropped pass being picked
up and run in.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 119
Rugby - U11/10

The Lent rugby season is always an interesting time for those in While the under 11s enjoyed an unbeaten season, the under tens
Lower School. The challenge lies in preparing a group of boys of made enormous strides during their time on the training field. The
differing age and experience for competitive rugby. This season pupils were exceptionally quick to learn and worked hard at
there were boys of all levels of ability. Some players were Lower developing their ball handling capabilities. However, the biggest
School rugby veterans, having played for the school last year, while gains were made in their contact skills, such as tackling and rucking.
others had never played the game before. This age group would normally stick to tag rugby but such was the
level of development that special arrangements were made against
This season the under 11s were particularly blessed with an the other schools where training games were organised. The
abundance of talent and experience. These players did not fail to players were able to put these new skills to the test and did
deliver. Their approach to training was exemplary to the younger remarkably well. Closely fought games were played against
cohort, while their playing ability was well beyond their years. Led Moreton Hall, Shrewsbury High Prep, Birchfield, and Abbey Gate
by Harry Underhill and the Jaques twins, this team were able to school.
produce some of the best rugby that the school has seen at this
particular age grade. These excellent performances were more The future certainly looks bright for Ellesmere College rugby.
than enough to result in an unbeaten mini-season.
AJM
 THE ELLESMERIAN 120

Rugby - 1st VII

After the injury disrupted season of the Michaelmas term, Ellesmere The chance to learn from their mistakes was lost when poor weather
were looking forward to getting their rugby sevens season underway. resulted in the North of England Sevens tournament being cancelled
As usual, the squad put the hard work in throughout the cold dark for the second year in a row.
January and February nights, working on their patterns of play and
developing a level of fitness required to cope with the demands of Ellesmere have a very good track record in the Kings Worcester
the sport. Training this year had prepared the squad well, as they tournament with winning the tournament in two previous occasions
were always shadowed by a talented group of younger players. and coming runners up several times. The fields at Droitwich RFC are
well suited to Ellesmere’s possession based game and make for
The first tournament saw the players revisit the school that had excellent sevens. Unfortunately, none of this had an effect on this
caused so many injuries in the Michaelmas season – Christ College particular day which saw a poor showing from the boys in black and
Brecon. However, the ghosts were soon laid to rest as the white. The tournament got off to a poor start with the boys losing to
Ellesmerians got their campaign underway with a win against local rivals Adams Grammar. The next two games did not fair much
Eastbourne. Despite playing some excellent sevens rugby, Ellesmere better but the Ellesmerians were spared the embarrassment of a
lost to rugby giants Llandovery school and Hartpury college, which whitewash by beating the Coventry/Bablake Barbarians side.
placed them into the plate competition. One of the highlights of the
tournament was knocking out the hosts in the Plate semi-final beating Rosslyn Park is always a great experience for the pupils to be part of,
Christ Brecon 24-12. Unfortunately, Ellesmere failed to take home the in one of the biggest school boy Sevens tournaments in the world.
silverware, as they lost to a side that they had previously beaten: They get the chance to go toe-to-toe with some famous rugby
Eastbourne. schools and it’s a reward for their hard work throughout the season.
Unfortunately, the results did not go as planned, although the
Several changes were made for the Solihull tournament in order to Ellesmerians gave an excellent account of themselves during their
rest some tired bodies. Ellesmere failed to build on the progress that stay.
had been made on the previous weekend and resulted in mixed
fortunes. The squad won three matches and lost three matches in AJM
some closely fought games.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 121
Rugby - U16 VII

In contrast to most years, the early season weather was quite Beechen Cliff School 24-10 Ellesmere.
favourable and we managed to make good progress. All the boys We began with a narrow defeat against a strong side. This
were keen to get better at this version of the game and game really could have gone either way and our lack of
committed themselves fully. The effort in training meant that skills earlier tournaments came home to roost. Defeat meant that it
were honed and endurance was developed. It was also good to was highly unlikely that we would make it out from the pool.
see a high percentage of forwards playing, proving that players are
adapting to the demands of the modern game. Ellesmere 29-0 Weston College.
The boys bounced back incredibly well and showed what they
With the hard work from the first half of term stored within us, were capable of.
we looked forward to our first tournament. Unfortunately, for the
second year running, the weather intervened. Storm conditions Ellesmere 45-26 Simon Langton GS for Boys.
and heavy rainfall made pitches unplayable and both of our warm Some excellent sevens played in an entertaining game.
up tournaments were cancelled. To make matters worse, our
inclusion in the National Tournament was in doubt due to an Ellesmere 7-43 Whitgift School.
administrative error. With this all out of our hands, the only thing We had early chances against the top team in the pool but
we could do, as a team, was to continue to train and hope that all Whitgift held firm and showed their quality. However, the score of
would work out. The excitement shown by the boys, when we had the game came from us as we ended our day in style.
confirmation that we were included in the competition reminded
me of why we are involved in coaching. Squad:
J. Jones (C), J.J. Wild, B. Rowley, M. Thatcher, J.J. Patmore, E. Das-
The National Colts Tournament at Rosalyn is always a special Gupta, J. Scott, H. Marsh, S. Wainwright, W. Oldroyd, B. Hill, I. Shute
occasion and a tough competition. Only one team could progress
from the pool of five and we faced very tough competition: I would like to thank all the players, who were a great group to
coach. I would also like to thank their parents for the support
Beechen Cliff School (a feeder school for Bath RFC); Simon shown.
Langton Grammar School for Boys (a much larger school with
about four boys for every one of ours); Weston College (much DJM
larger); and Whitgift School (no introduction needed).

Rugby - U15 VII

This season the U15s unfortunately just had the one VII’s St John Baptist High were a different proposition as they were
tournament to attend, as the one at Kings School Worcester was undefeated in the group; a well taken try by Harrison Vernon gave
cancelled. This lead to the sole focus being on preparation for the us a glimmer of hope but St John came back and maintained their
Solihull school VIIs. group dominance and won 24-5. By the time our last match came
around, muscles were starting to cramp and jerseys were heavily
We knew it was going to be tough being drawn in a group with sodden, but it was our last time to play together as a group and
RGS Worcester, Sandbach, Bromsgrove, Aberdar Community we wanted to end on a high. Despite conceding the first try, we
School, St John Baptist High School, and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg quickly hit back to make it 7-5. We continued to press and press
Llangnwyd. We took a strong squad and combined it with some for the winning try but it was not meant to be and a breakaway
Year 9s who shone in the Cup competitions earlier in the year. try meant that we went down 14-5. It was a tough day at the
When we arrived, we knew it wasn’t going to be the best day for office at Solihull but the boys persevered and would not give in. It
7s and free flowing rugby as it was pouring down with rain and was a shame that Kings Worcester was cancelled, as I am sure we
results were going to depend on who could adapt the best. Our would have been able to correct a few wrongs and come away
first three matches against RGS Worcester, Sandbach and with a few more wins.
Bromsgrove were all tough and some of the scores did not reflect
how close the matches actually were; unfortunately for us we MTH
were on the receiving end and lost all three with 26-7, 45-7 and
26-0. Our next match against Aberdare we knew we had a
chance, as they had lost their previous matches as well; despite the
continuing conditions, we were able to take our chances and come
out on top 29-10.
THE ELLESMERIAN 122

Sport - Girls’ Hockey

 THE ELLESMERIAN 123
Review of Girls’ Hockey

Hockey Player Honours 2018-19

Shropshire U17 Shropshire U13

Sophie Ward, Ellen Dawson, Maddie Freer-Carmichael, Kezzie Ellie Huntbach, Georgie Prescott
Hutchings, Georgina Dawson, Alice Parton, and Millie Forster
Midlands Performance Centre
Shropshire U15 Ellen Dawson, Georgina Dawson, Millie Forster
Georgia Munro, Natasha Dalziel, Robyn Welti
International Honours
Shropshire U14 Wales U18 Alanah O’Brian
Lucy Conway, India Freer-Carmichael, Honour Graham
 THE ELLESMERIAN 124

Girls’ Hockey – 1st XI

Summary of Results having very little experience playing together, passed and linked
King’s, Chester - Cancelled together superbly throughout the second half. There was a great
Wolverhampton Grammar School - Won 6–0 save from goalkeeper Verity early in the 1st half and this set the
Wrekin 7's Tournament - Winners tone for the rest of the game. A great start to the season.
U18 Shropshire Hockey Tournament - 3rd
Shrewsbury School - Lost 0–1 The players took the confidence from this victory into the Wrekin
U18 v Kings, Macclesfield - Lost 0–7 7s Tournament and did not disappoint. For the first time in
Rydal Penrhos - Won 4–1 numerous years Ellesmere College were crowned champions.
U18 v Shrewsbury School - Lost 0 – 10 Ellesmere began the tournament nervously, and a little naivety in
Shrewsbury Ladies HC 2nd XI - Won 4–0 defence resulted in a loss in their opening game versus Denstone
Moreton Hall - Won 2–0 College, despite dominating for much of the game. A team talk,
Ellesmere Boys 1st XI - Lost 1–5 some small changes to tactics, and players focusing and correcting
mistakes made all the difference in their next two games. They
It was an interesting season for the 1st XI hockey team. They were beat Shrewsbury School 2-0 and Rydal Penrhos 4-0. Ellesmere had
a very young side with the majority of players coming from Year qualified for the semi-final as runners up, and were improving all
11. Some matches were played as an out and out 1st XI and the time.
others as an U18 side (a mixture of 1st and 2nd team players), so
that the U16 side could prepare for and perform in their National In the semi-final, the passion and effort levels from every player
Schools Cup competition. was increased; they took on board and played to every change in
tactic and followed all advice given. They beat Newcastle under
After a stuttered start, due to King’s Chester cancelling the Lyme 1-0 and passed through into the final. In the other semi-final,
opening game, the 1st XI totally out classed Wolverhampton a last-minute goal by Stafford Grammar knocked out the reigning
Grammar School with an impressive 6-0 win. They converted champions Denstone College.
brilliantly from set piece, scoring four well-rehearsed penalty
corner goals (Lavinia 1, Paula 1 and Sophie 2). Two further goals In the final, and against the run of play, Ellesmere fell behind when
were scored by Lavinia who had a hat-trick on her debut as 1st XI the talented Stafford centre-forward pounced on a loose ball and
Captain. It was a real team effort from a new team who, despite placed it out of reach of the Ellesmere goalkeeper. Ellesmere kept
 THE ELLESMERIAN 125
calm, dug deep and got themselves back into the game. their way up the pitch and create opportunities. However,
Dominating possession, it was just a matter of time before Ellen Shrewsbury were fierce on the attack and the counter was a
Dawson smashed the ball into the goal at the back post. At 1-1 constant threat. Ellesmere’s best twenty minutes was at the
Ellesmere were on the up, Stafford desperately tried to muster a start of the second half, where there were a few scoring
counter but fatigue had set in. The game ended 1-1, therefore the opportunities and two penalty corners. Unfortunately, they
winner would be decided by penalty strokes. A recent training did not score but it did spur them on. As Ellesmere began to
session on this was to come in handy. Ellesmere won 4-3; Verity tire later in the second half, Shrewsbury scored a few more goals
Buglass saved two and Sophie Ward, Alice Parton, Kezzie and won the game.
Hutchings, and Ellen Dawson each scored their penalty stroke.
Nerves of steel! In the following game the 1st XI were back together again and
travelling the long distance to Rydal Penrhos School. After a busy
In the U18 County Hockey Tournament Ellesmere finished in third few weeks of hockey the players were slightly fatigued, but by the
position. No Year 11 players were selected due to being cup tied end of the warm up they were keen to put the recent defeats
for the U16 team. Being a mixture of 1st and 2nd XI players they behind them. Ellesmere were soon off to a flying start, throwing
had never performed as a team before. Despite this lack of team everything at Rydal. Ellesmere scored within the first five minutes
experience they won their opening game against Shrewsbury and produced a further three goals in the first half. The game was
School B team 1-0. They dominated throughout and probably very much under control. However, shortly before half time, an
should have scored more goals. In the second half Ellesmere were error in midfield allowed Rydal to break one on one with the
awarded a penalty stroke as a certain goal was stopped near the keeper, and after some skilful dribbling she nudged the ball over
line by a Shrewsbury foot; however, this was not converted and it the line.
led to a tense final few minutes to the game.
In the second half Rydal condensed and disrupted the Ellesmere
In their second game versus Wrekin College, Ellesmere were put play, defending with all eleven players behind the ball, thus making
under significant pressure from the start. Ellesmere defended well shooting difficult. This frustrated the Ellesmere team and despite
and prevented Wrekin from scoring. That was until an unfortunate twenty plus attempts at goal the Rydal defence and goalkeeper
error by the umpire, who did not spot that a ball crossed from held firm. Rydal never exited their half and instead focused on
outside the ‘D’ was in fact deflected off an Ellesmere stick, and did keeping the score down. Despite the win and amazing team
not touch a Wrekin stick inside the ‘D’. The umpire awarded the performance there were a frustrating lack of goals.
goal and Ellesmere lost 1-0. Despite this, Ellesmere qualified for the The penultimate game of the season was a new annual friendly
semi-final and faced Shrewsbury School A Team. fixture versus Shrewsbury Ladies Hockey Club. Played in the
evening under lights, it was excellent preparation for an U16 cup
In the semi-final Shrewsbury School were the more dominant side game later that week. The Ellesmere 1st XI dominated throughout
and they kept Ellesmere pinned in their own half for much of the and won the game comfortably 4-0.
game. When Ellesmere broke out they looked dangerous, but no
goals were scored. An exhausted Ellesmere defence eventually The final game of the season was the annual derby versus
conceded a goal, a split second before the half-time whistle. After Moreton Hall, which was played away from home in some
the Ellesmere goalkeeper made two superb saves a dribbling, extremely windy weather conditions that changed the style of
spinning, miss hit ball trickled over the line. Some changes were hockey that was played. The loud wind prevented verbal
made at half time to allow the defenders some rest, but despite communication between the players, so passing play was difficult.
some heroic attacking play, throwing everyone forward, Ellesmere This hindered Ellesmere, the superior passing side, and allowed
were unable to equalise. Moreton to stay in the game longer. When Ellesmere were able to
move the ball smoothly they opened up space and were able to
Never have I seen more fight and effort from a group of Ellesmere create numerous goal scoring opportunities. Ellesmere opened the
hockey players. They were dead on their feet at the end of the score in the first half, when an unconventional short corner
tournament. routine gave Ellen Dawson the chance to shoot and score.

Due to a clash with an U16 fixture, the U18 team faced the King’s In the second half, with the wind in their faces, the Ellesmere team
Macclesfield 1st XI. It was a tough match and an abnormally hot battled hard and showed great resilience. Goal keeper Alanah
day for October, in excess of 20 degrees. The superior passing O’Brian made a number of excellent saves and George Dawson
game of the King’s players soon took its toll on the gradually made a superb goal line clearance on the only occasion that
fatiguing Ellesmere team and mistakes began to creep in. A well- Alanah was beaten. As the game progressed and counter attack
rehearsed short corner goal was the opener for Kings’ and, once hockey prevailed, there were a number of breaks through the
this went in, the flood gates opened. Ellesmere rarely got out of centre of the pitch. This pressure eventually resulted in Ellen
their own half all game and this put enormous pressure on their Dawson scoring her second of the game and sealing the victory
defence. The more they tired the more the goals went it. Final with just three minutes to play.
score 0-7.
KM
The following game was not much easier when Ellesmere faced
Shrewsbury School in the National Plate round one. Effort was
never lacking, but the U18 team again faced a 1st XI side. A slow
start from the Ellesmere players, who struggled to believe that
they could win, allowed Shrewsbury to capitalise early on.
Ellesmere did eventually settle into the game and began to work
 THE ELLESMERIAN 126

Girls’ Hockey – 2nd XI

The 2nd XI team is always a joy to coach as every season they began to put together some useful attacks. Verity Buglass made
bring with them a determination to develop and improve but also some fine saves in goal and some stout defending from the short-
a wonderful sense of humour and fun. This season was no corner team enabled Ellesmere to keep the scores level going into
exception. Ably lead by their Captain, Lydia Smith, the team half-time. Throughout the first half Melissa Sinta had been taking up
worked hard in training to improve ball handling skills, to hone good positions on the left-hand side of the attack which was duly
their tackling skills, and to compete more tactically in fixtures. noted by Ruby Marsh; at the first opportunity in the second half
Ruby found Melissa with an excellent pass and Melissa duly
Early in the season we faced Moreton Hall. Excellent defending in converted her chance to score. Ellesmere continued to work hard
the first half against a strong wind enabled the squad to reach half throughout the half, looking to find space on the left as well as
time with a clean sheet. The second half started with a flurry of tackling back to repel Bedstone College advances. More pressure
short corners for Moreton Hall, which were expertly defended in the last quarter of the match saw Ellesmere dig deep and
and served to galvanise our team. This strong defence opened up support each other to keep a clean sheet and to register their first
the field to some Ellesmere attacks through Issy Hibbott, Ruby win of the season. An excellent performance from the whole
Marsh, and Rosie Holland. However, it was a well worked move team, both individually and as a collective unit, saw Ellesmere
with quick, accurate passing that opened up the Ellesmere defence winning the fixture 1-0.
with just 10 minutes to go and led to an unlucky defeat. That said,
this is a squad who thrive on learning and developing and the We look forward to next season where we hope to build on the
following training sessions saw them working with a steely improvements seen this year. We will be saying good bye to a
determination to improve. number of the team who will leave for University and look
forward to welcoming new students into this ever evolving and
Later in the season we faced Bedstone College 1st XI and the developing squad.
lessons learnt from previous fixtures came into play. Ellesmere
started the match strongly as they were fully warmed up and keen JWN
to make an impact. Bedstone College were put under pressure but
managed to weather the storm and mid-way through the first half
 THE ELLESMERIAN 127
Girls’ Hockey – U16

Summary of Results In the start of the second half Newcastle took the early lead when a
Shropshire Hockey Tournament - Third lapse in concentration allowed their centre forward behind the
Newcastle under Lyme - Draw 3–3 defence and put the ball into the goal at the bottom left corner.
Shrewsbury High - Won 10 – 0 Ellesmere, behind for the first time, sparked to life and began playing
Cheadle Hulme - Won 2–1 their superior passing game. An outstanding reverse strike from Ellen
Trent College Won 1 – 1 (5-4 on Penalties) Dawson equalised the score. The game ended 3-3.
Repton School - Lost 0–6
The Ellesmere U16 team won in fantastic style against Shrewsbury
It was a disappointing start to the season for the U16 team, but a High School, 10-0 in the opening round of the National Schools
superb finish! Hockey Cup. Ellesmere made light work of the Shrewsbury defence,
dismantling them in the opening minutes of the game. George
Ellesmere finished just 3rd in the County Tournament after being Dawson scored first with a reverse stick strike, and opened the flood
drawn in a tough pool with Shrewsbury School, Wrekin, and William gates to five further goals during the first half.
Brookes. The opening game versus Shrewsbury School ended 0-0.
Versus Wrekin School Ellesmere lost 0-1 and in their final game versus In the second half Ellesmere kept up the pressure and exhibited some
William Brookes they won 3-0. outstanding team play. Robyn Welti swept behind the goal keeper,
saving the ball off the Ellesmere line and keeping a clean sheet. Five
In their first full match of the season Ellesmere faced Newcastle under further goals were racked up by the Ellesmere side, including an
Lyme. The forecast bad weather held off and the match went ahead as outstanding penalty corner drag flick by Ellen Dawson.
scheduled. Ellesmere got off to a flying start, scoring their first goal
after just four minutes. Ellen Dawson striking from the top of the D In the next round of the National Schools Cup a well prepared and
across the face of goal and into the far corner. Moments later well drilled Cheadle Hulme side arrived at Ellesmere confident from
Ellesmere struck again after defender Sophie Ward made a storming the off. This showed in an early penalty corner goal and led to
run up the right wing. Newcastle slowly worked their way back into Ellesmere playing their own system and style of play. The connection
the game. A lapse in concentration by Ellesmere and the Newcastle between players working the ball up the pitch improved as the game
centre-forward got in behind the defence and scored. Shortly before progressed, which led to many more circle entries. Eventually Cheadle
halftime Newcastle equalised after three back to back penalty corners. could not withstand the pressure and Ellesmere equalised shortly
before half time with a calm and accurate drive at goal and with a
push past the keeper by Alice Parton.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 128
Ellesmere came out fighting in the second half and looked like George Dawson stepped up and buried the ball into the back of the
the stronger team throughout. As Cheadle tired, Ellesmere net. Ellesmere won 6-5 and progressed through to the final 12 of the
kept up the relentless pace. Counter attack after counter cup (last 4 in the North of England).
attack exhausted the Cheadle midfield and defence and a
well-executed set piece off a side line ball allowed Captain In the 4th Round of the cup, and the final twelve nationally, the U16
Sophie Ward time and space in the D to wrong foot the hockey team faced Repton School, who have played in the final for the
goalkeeper and nutmeg her for the winner. past two years and are considered to be the best hockey school in
the country.
In the last 24 of the National Schools Cup, Ellesmere faced Trent
College at home. Ellesmere scored first through Camilla Broster just Ellesmere started strongly and had the first opportunity at goal. A
50 seconds into the first half. Once ahead Ellesmere kept the pressure penalty corner five minutes in was well worked but saved by the
on for much of the first half, but a lapse of concentration in the 33rd Repton goalkeeper. Repton had the next two chances and two well
minute allowed Trent to equalise from a well worked long corner set drilled penalty corners resulted in two goals. Determined Ellesmere
piece. 1-1 at half time. defence prevented numerous Repton attacks, which began to frustrate
and worry the Repton front line. Ellesmere remained in the game for
the remainder of the half, having a number of opportunities to score,
including a superb drag flick executed by Ellen Dawson, but the
Repton keeper kept them out.

Ellesmere started slowly in the first five minutes of the second half and
the Repton centre forward capitalised with a darting run and a crisp
reverse stick strike that ended up in the far corner of the goal. This
shocked Ellesmere back into action and they again began to take
control of play and create scorning opportunities. Camilla Broster had
two great opportunities one on one with the keeper, but the elusive
goal could not be found. All Ellesmere penalty corner attempts were
also thwarted. The further forward Ellesmere pushed the more
exposed they became at the back and the Repton centre forward
took advantage and scored again. Some brave defending by George
Dawson on the line, clearing the ball at chest height off the pitch, was
unfortunately deemed a penalty flick, which again Repton scored.

In the second half, Trent came out firing and had a number of chances, Ellesmere were unlucky not to score despite some outstanding play
all swatted away by goal keeper Alanah O’Brien. In the middle of the against the best side in the country. At no point did Ellesmere look
second half Trent were awarded a penalty flick after some brave outclassed and for large parts of the game they put Repton under
defending by Kezzie Hutchings, who prevented a clear goal being immense pressure. This is a superbly talented side who are good
scored when the ball hit her in the body on the line. Alanah, who was enough to play in the final eight, but they were unfortunate to have to
playing out of her skin, saved the penalty flick and the score remained face the potential winners of the competition so early on in the draw.
1-1 at full time.
KM
Five penalty flicks were used to decide the outcome of the game.
George Dawson, Alice Parton, Ellen Dawson, Mille Forster, and Kezzie
Hutchings all stepped up. Flicks ended 4-4, and so sudden death
penalty flicks ensued. Trent took the first flick and Alanah saved it!
 THE ELLESMERIAN 129
Girls’ Hockey – U15

Summary of Results The latter part of the term was a successful one and probably where
King’s Chester - Won 5–3 I felt the team really started to progress and reach their potential. We
Moreton Hall - Drew 0–0 won 5 out of the 5 games. The game against Shrewsbury School was
Wrekin College - Lost 1-4 our most difficult but, again, we showed great determination and even
Newcastle Under Lyme - Won 7–2 though it was an even game we kept going to secure a 3-2 win.
Bedstone College - Won 6–1
Shrewsbury School - Won 3–2 All in all, a great term of Hockey. All girls contributed to the team and
Rydal Penrhos - Won 4–0 many of the U15 girls were called upon by the 1st XI to strengthen
Adcote School - Won 6–3 their team. Well done to all girls and good luck as you progress up
into senior hockey.
The season began with high hopes for a group of talented and
enthusiastic Year 10 girls. They turned up to squad and games HLD
practices with great determination to improve themselves as players
and develop as team players. It was also great to see new faces to the
College, and a few of them had played a high standard of hockey
before joining us. Many of the girls wanted to be considered for the
Squad and thankfully I am able to say that most girls played at some
point during the term.

The first match of the season was away to Kings Chester; this match
was organised even before the term had begun, and, knowing that we
were going to be faced with a challenge, the squad secured a
promising 5-3 win. The next two matches were the most challenging
of the term and were against Moreton and Wrekin College. The team
played well in both games and secured a draw against Moreton in a
hard-fought competitive game, but Wrekin proved to be slightly too
strong for us.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 130

Girls’ Hockey – U14

Summary of Results following our previously closely fought fixtures, this was another evenly
Moreton Hall - Drew 1–1 matched game. Unfortunately, Moreton just edged it to win 1-0.
Abbotsholme School - Lost 5–1
County Tournament - Runners Up Our match against Bedstone saw a return to winning ways with a
Newcastle-Under-Lyme School - Cancelled comfortable victory. The match against Shrewsbury School was a
Bedstone College - Won 4–1 much closer affair and the team showed real character to hold on for
Shrewsbury School - Won 2–1 a narrow victory. Our match against Rydal Penrhos was a joy to watch
Rydal Penrhos - Won 9–1 - we dominated possession, controlled the game, and scored some
Midlands Zonal - Lost excellent team goals.
Adcote - Cancelled
The Midlands Zonal round took place at Repton School and we faced
King’s, Chester - Lost 6–0
Repton and Loughborough. Although we suffered defeats in both
North Shropshire Tournament - Winners
games, it was a great achievement for the team to reach this stage and
Shropshire School Games - Runners Up
a great opportunity to play against some of the teams widely
regarded as some of the best in the country.
The season began with a close fixture against Moreton Hall. We
played some good expansive hockey and a draw was a fair result on We seemed a little jaded in our match against King’s on the final
the balance of play. Having not played Abbotsholme in recent seasons, Wednesday of the Michaelmas term. King’s were dominant in attack
we did not quite know what to expect from them. They were a very and, when we did manage to break them down, our efforts were
fit and well-organised team and the relentless pressure they put us thwarted by the opposition’s excellent defensive unit.
under was too much to absorb. This was a chastening experience and
made the team determined to be more robust in forthcoming Victory in the North Shropshire tournament in February was secured
fixtures. following a 3-1 win over Adcote, a 5-1 win against Sir John Talbot, and
a 1-0 win over Moreton Hall. At the annual School Games County
We faced Moreton Hall and Meole Brace in the County tournament Hockey Finals in March, we finished in second position by the closest
group stages, beating Meole Brace and drawing 1-1 against Moreton. of margins. After all the games were played, three schools were all
Our semi-final against Shrewsbury High ended in a draw and even drawn on 19 points. After goal difference was calculated, Wrekin and
after extra time the teams could not be separated. This meant we Ellesmere were still drawn, but because Wrekin had scored five goals
went to ‘shuffles’ – exciting for spectators, but a lot of pressure on and Ellesmere four, Wrekin College took the title.
players. Thankfully, we were able to handle the pressure and that
meant that we faced Moreton again in the Final. Unsurprisingly, LK
 THE ELLESMERIAN 131
Girls’ Hockey – U13

Summary of Results The U13s had an enjoyable season. It was set off to a flying start
Adcote - Won 8–1 scoring eight goals in their first match. With great attendance to
Prestfelde - Won 1–0 squads and practices the side progressed well as they ventured into
King’s, Chester - Draw 2-2 the season ahead. The girls were unlucky in games to come, with
Moreton Hall - Loss 0-5 many narrow defeats and last-minute equalisers by the opposition to
Newcastle Under Lyme - Won 4–2 make what would have been a win into a draw. The side were often
Packwood - Loss 0-4 slow to start at tournaments and this saw them miss out narrowly on
Rydal Penhros - Loss 7–1 semi-finals and finals.

Tournament Scores As the team began to click it was clear to see that they were capable
Terra Nova - Loss 0–2 of playing some fantastic hockey. Later in the season they began to
Foremarke - Loss 0–4 link their passes and control on the ball with more accuracy.
Lichfield - Won 1–0
Yarlet - Loss 0–1 The seasons highlights include beating Wrekin 1-0 with a well taken
Rydal Penhros - Won 1–0 goal in a local prep schools tournament; and, when playing Rydal
Moreton Hall - Loss 0–4 Penhros, clutching another 1-0 victory late in the game. The U13 side
Abberley Hall - Loss 0–2 have a great deal of potential. I am excited to see where the team
Packwood - Loss 0–1 can go in the future seasons ahead.
Prestfelde - Draw 0–0
Sedbergh - Loss 0–2 ST
Wrekin College - Won 1–0
 THE ELLESMERIAN 132

Girls’ Hockey – U12

Summary of Results Prescott in the first half put Ellesmere ahead, striking the ball at the
Adcote School - Lost 1–2 top of the D. Newcastle equalised with a dribbler, which was an
King’s, Chester - Won 3–2 accidental own goal. The first half ended 1-1. In the second half the
Newcastle under Lyme - Lost 1–2 Ellesmere players battled hard but it was Newcastle who scored
Bedstone College - Lost 1–2 the winning goal in the final moments of the game. Ellesmere
Packwood Haugh - Won 4–1 pushed forward in an attempt to win the game and unfortunately
Moreton Hall - Lost 0–2 left themselves exposed at the back. Final score 1-2.

The majority of the Year 7 hockey team were new to hockey this Further improvements were made over the next few weeks and in
year and made excellent team progress over the course of the their annual fixture versus Packwood they had their best
term. In their opening fixture of the season they lost 2-1 against performance of the season. They played as a team, spread out
Adcote School. Ellesmere acquitted themselves well, but more, and passed the ball with greater accuracy than ever before.
unfortunately their lack of match experience showed. They dribbled Some nice team hockey was starting to be played. Excellent play by
strongly but were unable to link up as well as their opposition. midfield player Georgie, who had recently been selected for the
U13 county team, and Amelia, who between them dominated the
In their following fixture versus The Kings School, Chester, Ellesmere middle of the pitch, linking the team together superbly to score four
won 3-2 after being behind 0-2 at half time. Despite dominating the excellent goals. In the final moments of the game Freya also had an
first half and some excellent passing play between Fran, Georgie excellent shot that was unfortunately saved by the Packwood
and Amelia, the Chester keeper - who played exceptionally well - keeper. Ellesmere won 4-1.
kept the ball out. In the second half Amelia scored a hat trick (and
was awarded player of the match) by sensibly shooting for the In their final game of the season against Moreton Hall, away from
corners of the goal, after getting in behind the Chester defence. A home, they put into practice everything that they had learnt during
superb come back! the term. Despite huge efforts from everyone on the team, they
were not able to get the better of the opposition, who played a
A few more weeks of training and the players were beginning to more direct version of the game. Ellesmere passed the ball, dribbled
gel. They made big improvements in their next game against into space, and had some good opportunities to score but were
Newcastle under Lyme. Two Year 6 players, Bella and Faith, were unable to convert. They lost the game 0-2, but they should not be
called up to give them an opportunity to play at a higher standard disappointed because they all made superb progress this season.
and they coped excellently. A superb goal by Captain Georgie
KM
THE ELLESMERIAN 133
Sport - Netball
 THE ELLESMERIAN 134

Netball – 1st VII

Summary of Results We started our campaign very well with good strong wins over
Thomas Adams - Won 22 – 2 Thomas Adams, Bedstone, and a nice win in a hotly contested
Bedstone College - Won 41 – 4 match with Oswestry. This was followed by some tough matches
Oswestry - Won 33 – 27 against strong well-established netball schools and we were always
Shrewsbury School - Lost 15 – 34 going to have our work cut out against them as they have a high
Newcastle Under Lyme - Lost 8 – 24 percentage of club players.
King’s, Chester - Won 13 – 10
Wolverhampton Grammar - Draw 26 – 26 We struggled against Shrewsbury, where their attacking circle was
Thomas Telford - Lost 17 – 25 too much too handle. Newcastle Under Lyme operated a very
Bishops Heber - Draw 9–9 disciplined defence which we had no answers for and then the
formidable Wrekin were unstoppable. However, we actually played
Moreton - Won 25 – 22
some of our best netball against Wrekin and the team worked
Rydal - Won 29 – 16
tirelessly throughout.

This was a brand-new look to our 1st team this year with so many We regrouped, trained harder, and started to bond better as a
girls having left last year. So it was an exciting start to a new team team. Georgia and Izzy tried to encourage more participation in
for some of our younger players and they fitted in well straight extra training sessions and the weather changed to more suitable
away. netball conditions.

We started quite brightly at a fun tournament in Oswestry where Onto King’s and a quad series which involved ourselves, King’s,
we played some nice netball but didn’t progress beyond the group Rydal, and The Grange. We started with a small loss to a very
stages. We didn’t attend County this year due to a pre-arranged strong Grange team and then beat Rydal with a good margin. It
fixture but did participate in N Shropshire. Sadly our 6-year grip was all on the last match and it was very even between us and
on the title was wrestled from us by Oswestry. However, a few of King’s; eventually our outstanding defence work from Sophie Ward,
the squad were playing in the U16 section & were successful. Georgia Mytton, and Ruby Marsh started to gain us turnovers,
which we quickly converted into goals, with Emily Martin and Alice
Parton working well in the goal circle. Our win was well deserved
& put us back on track.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 135
Our next game was a thriller with Wolverhampton and very much Summing up, it was a largely successful season with a new
a match that we could have won with a little more concentration. group and with some strong players waiting. This is very
Effort and skill levels were good but we must start better and stop exciting times for senior netball at Ellesmere.
leaving ourselves too much to do.
TC
We finished the season strong: a small loss to Thomas Telford but
again another outstanding performance; a very hard well fought
win over Moreton on an exceptionally small court which made
our midcourters have to work hard (Kezzie Hutchings, Josie Evans,
Lavinia Mottershead & Charlie Williams had to have excellent
footwork to make use of what space there was to create the
attacking moves); then our final game up on the coast was a
delight to watch, with all players combining to give a great display
of netball and team work to finish on a victory.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 136

Netball – 2nd VII

Summary of Results continued working until the final whistle. Although we lost against
Thomas Adams - Cancelled NULS, we were able to keep pace with them in the early stages of
Bedstone College - Won 18 – 12 the game. Playing against Wrekin is always a tough proposition; their
Bishop Heber - Drew 12 – 12 almost flawless ball handling and speed of transfer mean that it is hard
Shrewsbury School - Lost 13 – 37 to create many shooting opportunities. Despite this, we did manage
Newcastle-Under-Lyme - Lost 11 – 22 to slow them down at times.
Shrewsbury High School - Cancelled
Following these heavy defeats, we travelled to King’s, Chester for an
Wrekin College - Lost 7 – 30
afternoon of fixtures that involved playing our 3rd VII, Rydal Penrhos,
King’s, Chester - Drew 17 – 17
and King’s themselves. The 3rds had us on the ropes in the opening
Rydal Penrhos - Won 11 – 7
minutes and this seemed to spur the team into action. Thankfully, we
Ellesmere 3rd VII - Won 24 – 12
reduced the number of handling errors that we suffered from initially
Wolverhampton Grammar School - Lost 10 – 24 and pulled away to a convincing victory. Early dominance in the first
Thomas Telford - Cancelled half against Rydal meant that despite an even second half we secured
Moreton Hall - Won 37 – 19 a narrow victory. Matches against King’s have traditionally been really
Rydal Penrhos - Won 24 – 12 close and this was once again the case. The lead changed hands with
alarming regularity and a draw was very much a fair result.
Our opening fixture against Bedstone College was a great way to
begin the season. Playing inside, we were able to enjoy watching the Wolverhampton Grammar School proved as tough a challenge as
1st VII complete an overwhelming victory in their match and were ever. We were still very much in the game at half time but in the third
eager to do the same. We started well but Bedstone kept pace with and fourth quarters WGS dominated the scoring and we were
our attack for much of the game. Towards the closing stages, we unable to claw back the score. The final games of the season were
made the most of our sustained possession and were able to pull much more positive from an attacking point of view. Tight defending
away for a comfortable win. Our next game against Bishop Heber and almost faultless shooting against Moreton Hall led to our most
was a much tighter affair and could have gone either way; both teams convincing victory of the season. We concluded with a trip to Rydal
were evenly matched and was a fair result. Penrhos. We started strongly, gaining a six goal advantage in the
opening quarter. and prevented Rydal from converting any of their
Our next three matches were against some of our toughest attacking play into goals.
opponents. Against Shrewsbury School, we were on the back foot
from the outset. Nevertheless, the team showed character and LK
 THE ELLESMERIAN 137
Netball – U15

Summary of Results The under 15 team had a successful and sometimes challenging
Thomas Adams - Won 16 – 0 term of Netball, winning the majority of their matches and only
Bedstone College - Won 29 – 11 losing to Shrewsbury High by 2 goals. They obtained an easy
Adcote School - Won 19 – 4 victory over Thomas Adams which proved to be a good starter to
Oswestry School - Won 33 – 8 the term with all of the players showing their potential for the
Rydal Penrhos - Won 10 – 1 matches ahead. Other good wins were achieved against Oswestry
Shrewsbury School - Draw 10 – 10 School, Wrekin College, Moreton Hall and Rydal Penrhos. All
Shrewsbury High - Lost 24 – 26 players had input into the success of the season but a special
Wrekin College - Won 22 – 8 mention should go to Connie Trollope who played an excellent
Wolverhampton GS - Draw 16 – 16 role as Captain.
Thomas Telford - Won 35 – 5
The team had a disappointing result against Shrewsbury High, this
Moreton Hall - Won 34 – 14
is a game where we were in the lead for the majority of the match
Rydal Penrhos - Won 47 – 7
but lost our concentration in the last quarter for Shrewsbury to
take the victory. The U15’s developed as a team as the term
Squad: Natasha Dalziel, Amy Evans, Beaut Kittirattanaviwat, progressed and I feel they will go onto Senior Netball next year
Anouska Newton, Harriet Otter, Connie Trollope, Robyn Welti, and many will be fighting for 1st team positions.
Millie Mangham, Amy Storey Gibbons, Alixandra Heasmer Jones,
Millie Forster, Eleanor Smith, Lucy Stevens, Imogen Wright A great term of Netball and thank you, girls, for working so hard.
Mountford
HLD
 THE ELLESMERIAN 138

Netball – U14

Summary of Results In their next game verses King’s Chester, the windy conditions made it
Bedstone College - Won 20 – 0 a low scoring match but we were again strong in defence and
Adcote School - Won 15 – 12 managed to score despite the wind making it difficult.
Abbey Gate College - Won 13 – 2 It was a very competitive fixture verses Shrewsbury School, and a well
Rydal Penrhos School - Won 10 – 1 fought draw.
King’s Chester - Won 8–3
Next up were our two toughest fixtures, Shrewsbury High and
Shrewsbury School - Draw 8–8
Wrekin. In the Shrewsbury match our girls were excellent and pushed
Shrewsbury High School - Lost 13 – 16 them all the way until they just pulled ahead in the final quarter.
Wrekin College - Lost 9 – 22 Unfortunately Wrekin made it a difficult afternoon for us and despite
Wolverhampton Grammar School - Won 25 – 8 a gutsy performance we could not match their expertise.
Thomas Telford School - Won 19 – 10 Next up we were at Wolverhampton, Ellesmere were dominant
Moreton Hall - Won 13 – 11 throughout. They led from the opening quarter and deserved their
Rydal Penrhos - Won 25 – 7 high scoring victory.

A new fixture at home to Thomas Telford saw us being able to use the
It was a successful season for the U14 squad with lots of competition
for places - they started strong with a very dominant win at Bedstone full squad and rotate positions in a game that we were controlling.
College. It was a tougher game against Adcote. It was very tight Another well deserved victory.
throughout, but a strong finish saw Ellesmere the winners.
Onto our close rivals, Moreton Hall. Always a tough game but the
It was a very blustery game against Abby Gate College, which made resilience and focus from the Ellesmere side in the second half
shooting difficult for both teams. However, the more experienced showed true Ellesmere spirt. Behind 4-8 at half time, Ellesmere won
Ellesmere side dominated from the start and Abbeygate had very few the game 13-11.
opportunities against a strong defence.
The final game of the season was away to Rydal & the girls put on a
Against Rydal Penrhos, Ellesmere controlled the game from the fantastic display to end their successful season with a comprehensive
opening. Again our defence was spectacular, not allowing Rydal into win 25-7.
the shooting circle. Rydal only managed one goal before half time.
Ellesmere made five changes going into the second half, remained KM
dominant, and won the game.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 139
Netball – U13

Summary of Results Same can be said for our experience at county when once again
Thomas Adams - Won 40 – 4 we met with Wrekin and lost quite heavily to them; we rallied and
Wrekin College - Lost 10 – 30 beat Moreton but losing our final game meant we didn’t progress.
Oswestry - Won 16 – 13 More tournament work is required so that the girls don’t become
Shrewsbury High - Won 31 – 7 despondent early on.
Adcote - Won 19 – 3
Moreton - Won 19 – 8 We then came back to have two very satisfying victories, one
Rydal - Won 15 – 1 against local rivals Moreton and a very decisive performance
Wolverhampton Grammar - Lost 8 – 24 against normally a strong netballing school, Shrewsbury High.
King’s, Chester - Won 19 – 6 It was a bad day at Wolverhampton Grammar, where we were
desperately short of our best and some key players. This was
Thomas Telford - Won 23 – 13
definitely a lesson in strong tactical netball.
Packwood - Won 16 – 7
Rydal - Won 39 – 6
Fortunately, such are the competitiveness and good spirit in the
team that we finished on a high with resounding victories over
A very successful season from an extremely talented group of Thomas Telford & Rydal.
sports ladies who are keen to work hard to achieve results. They
attended extra lunchtime sessions and a few of them also made All in all, a very good campaign and I was very proud of the girls’
the trip to have extra club coaching at Wrexham. They are efforts, work rate, and improvement on their standard of play from
enjoying their netball and want to succeed. last year.

An excellent start against a fairly weak team at Thomas Adams set I am very much looking forward to 2020.
the standard and the girls went on a very impressive winning
streak, not losing a match until the formidable rearranged Wrekin TC
fixture. It was always going to be tough but we were also down a
couple of players and the Wrekin girls were very well organised
and exceptionally tough. We played well but our inexperience at
this level showed a little.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 140

Netball – U12

Summary of Results The Ellesmere players had started to settle into their positions, but
Bedstone College - Lost 5 – 22 much was still to be learned.
Thomas Adams School - Won 10 – 9
Adcote School - Lost 1–6 In a triangular tournament hosted by King’s Chester, Ellesmere won
Abbey Gate College - Won 7–3 their opening game against Abbey Gate 7-3. Unfortunately, they lost
Rydal Penrhos - Lost 2 – 10 their next two games against Rydal 3-10 and King’s 2-29. Against
King’s Chester - Lost 2 – 29 Packwood Haugh, Ellesmere started strongly and the game was just 0-
Packwood Haugh - Lost 2 – 10 1 after the first quarter. Despite many opportunities Ellesmere
Wrekin College - Lost 0 – 29 struggled to put the ball through the net and as the game developed,
Shrewsbury High School - Lost 2 – 13 Packwood, slowly pulled away and won the game.
Oswestry School - Lost 2–5
Moreton Hall - Lost 2 – 14 In their next fixture, they were totally outplayed by a strong Wrekin
Wolverhampton Grammar School - Lost 2 – 28 College. The Ellesmere players worked hard and tried to learn from
Thomas Telford School - Lost 3 – 17 the brilliant display of netball going on around them.
Rydal Penrhos School - Lost 3 – 10
Similarly, against Shrewsbury High School and Moreton Hall, Ellesmere
struggled to stay in contention, but the opposition coaches very kindly
It was a tough season for the U12 netballers, with little experience moved their team around to make more of a game of it. The Ellesmere
within the group and, with just nine players to select from. However, players responded to this and they were able to move the ball more
they made up for this in spirit, effort, and improvement; these are some successfully through the court and practice some of their set plays.
of the most determined and resilient young ladies I have had the
pleasure to coach. It was a narrow loss against Oswestry School. This was a turning point
for the team and their set plays, passing game, and general game
In their first game, the first quarter ended 1-6. Ellesmere rallied in the understanding took a big leap forward. The work in training was
second quarter, scoring three goals to Bedstone’s seven. Ellesmere beginning to show in the matches. The final three games of the season
remained behind for the rest of the game, but this was the first ever were losses.
netball match for all but three of our players, so a positive start for
them. KM

The second game was a much closer affair. Ellesmere went behind 1-3
in the first quarter but by the third quarter we were ahead and, despite
a late surge from Thomas Adams, Ellesmere finished champions, 10-9.
The next fixture was against Adcote School and Ellesmere lost 1-6.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 141
Netball – U11

The Under 11 Netball Team had a fantastic season. With many of

the girls new to competitive netball, it was a great learning
experience for everyone involved.

The team focused on their positional play and their ability to

coordinate with each other as they moved up and down the
netball court. This concept was difficult to grasp at first but with
continued and determined practice, the side began to take shape.

As the weeks progressed, the girls became increasingly confident

with their throwing and catching abilities. This definitely helped
them when facing tough opposition.

The U11 Team recorded their first win against Adcote, with a 1-0
score line. This was a tense game that was full of action and
excitement.

I have been impressed with the team and their progression

through the season; we saw them gracious in victory and humble
in defeat. I look forward to all that next season has in store.

ST
 Sport - Football
THE ELLESMERIAN 142
 THE ELLESMERIAN 143
Football – 1st XI

Summary of Results part to the efforts of our goalkeeper, Archie Dubbins and the
Abbeygate - Won 0–6 combined efforts of our back four of Lloyd Edwards, Toby Bellis,
Liverpool College - Won 3–2 Connor Davies, James Carter, Tom Jones, and Sarangapany
Oldham Hulme - Lost 2–1 Pagadala. However, a sending off for us just before half time did
Old Swinford - Won 1–0 not help matters. The second half we continued to keep hold of
Old Ellesmerians - Won 7–1 our lead despite being reduced to ten players, Mullock and Harry
Denstone - Won 0–4 Hudson working well together in the midfield to protect our back
Codsall - Lost 2–3 four. However, the extra player came into effect and we conceded,
Abbeygate - Cancelled suddenly, with 15 minutes to go we were not looking as
Wolverhampton - Won 2–1 comfortable. A Will Mullock penalty was a relief and we restored
the two-goal cushion. However, the opposition scored again with
We began the season with a very convincing win away at five minutes to go. This set up a tense last five minutes, but praise
Abbeygate College. We always looked in control of this match. should go to the 10 players who finished the match and kept the
Playing the right passes at the right time, bossing the wide spaces opposition out and secured us our first win against Liverpool
and competing well in the midfield. We were 4-0 up at half time, College as 1st XI coaches.
with the match all but secured. Some good goals from Harry
Newton, Rufus Bland, Jinwoo Pyo and a penalty from Will Mullock The third match was a new fixture, against Oldham Hulme
set us up well for the second half. The opposition gave us a bit Grammar School. This was our third match in eight days and it
more of a contest in the second half but we never really looked showed in the first half, where we were second to the ball and
like conceding. Two late goals from Mullock and Newton sealed looked a bit fatigued. We went in 2-0 down at half time. However,
the win. we came back into it during the second half and with 15 minutes
to go pulled one back. The opposition were rattled and were there
The next match was at home against Liverpool College, a team for the taking, unfortunately, we could not find the equaliser and
who we had never beaten in our five years as 1st XI coaches. We time was eventually against us, however, a valiant effort none the
had the perfect start, 1-0 up after five minutes, a well-taken goal less. This was to be our last match for about a month due to poor
from Dan Parry. We then doubled the lead with another goal from weather forcing us to re-arrange fixtures.
Newton and went in 2-0 up at half time. This was due in no small
 THE ELLESMERIAN 144
When we eventually played our next match it was at
home against Old Swinford Hospital School. We looked
rusty again and you could see that we had not played for
over a month. However, a well taken header off a corner
from Jack Tabberner gave us the lead after 15 minutes. The
match was very evenly contested and we had to work
hard at times; Dubbins in goal pulled off a couple of important
saves to keep us in the match. We held on and won 1-0, our
second clean sheet of the term and a good defensive display of
football.

The next match was against the Old Boys. This match had to be
cancelled last year and so we faced a combined team of last year’s
and the previous year’s old players. They were a decent team and
this showed when we went 0-1 down in the first third of the
match. However, we never panicked and during the second third
we scored two goals through Mullock and Pyo to make it 2-1 at
the end of the second third. By now the Old Boys were tiring and
during the final 20 minutes we were ruthless, scoring five times,
through Bland, Parry, Pagadala (2), and Jones. Final score, a very
convincing 7-1 win.

Following on from our exploits at Denstone we faced our

toughest opponents of the term, Codsall Community College. We
could not replicate our performance against Denstone and halfway
through the second half we were 0-3 down and Dubbins in goal
had to come off due to a nasty collision with an opposition player.
Jones deputised in goal and did an excellent job as a replacement.
The injury to Dubbins suddenly gave us some new energy and we
scored twice in five minutes to make it 2-3 with 10 minutes to go.
We should have had a penalty after this and the opposition were
rattled and were also resorting to slowing down play, complaining
to the referee and late challenges. We could not quite find the
third goal to draw the match but again credit to the team for
playing as well as they could in a difficult match.
We were now entering March and the final month of the term.
The next match was an away game at Denstone College, our main
The next match was supposed to be against Abbeygate, however
rivals and the team who we always want to beat above all others.
they could not get a team together to play us. Therefore, our final
Preparation was not ideal when one of our players did not turn up
match was against Wolverhampton Grammar School. They are a
on the day, meaning we had just 11 players. However, we ended
good team and our matches have always been close against them
up putting on one of our best performances of the term. From the
in the past. This was no exception. All the goals came in the second
off-set we controlled the game much better than the opposition
half and we scored first through Glenn Sebuabeh, before the
and we were 0-1 up after seven minutes, a wonderful solo goal
opposition equalised with just over 10 minutes to go. This set-up a
from Newton. We held on to this lead for the rest of the half. The
tense end to the match but with just over five minutes to go we
second half was probably the best football we played this term.
managed to score the eventual winning goal. It was a goal mouth
Our passing was good, we kept possession well, the defence was
scramble, eventually scored by Tabberner. We held on for the win.
solid and we looked threatening when we were attacking. Our
pressure eventually paid off, Newton scored his second, one of the
This was a great term of football. The team were a pleasure to
best goals of the season, from outside of the area, bottom corner.
coach and improved throughout the term. We wish the players
Five minutes later, Carter extended our lead with a goal mouth
who are leaving us all the best for the future and look forward to
scramble off of a corner before Newton sealed the match and his
seeing them back for the Old Boys match next year. Well done to
hat-trick with a wonderful strike with the last kick of the match. A
you all for an excellent term of football!!
well-deserved victory, made even better by the fact we beat
Denstone at home, without conceding a goal ourselves and with
ILR and SJP
only 11 players.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 145
Football – 2nd XI

Summary of Results There is no doubt that this team had some really good players and
Liverpool College - Lost 3–6 the overall results ledger did not reflect the footballing ability of this
Oldham Hulme Grammar School - Won 3–1 team. Playing against other schools’ senior teams and trying to play
Old Swinford Hospital - Won 2–0 football from the back cost this team games. However, their football
Denstone College - Lost 2–3 development was for the better.
Codsall Community High School - Lost 1–8
Concord College - Lost 1–4 Throughout the season Captain Rob Hadden was a very good leader,
Rydal Penrhos School - Won 6–3 leading by example with his determined attitude on the pitch. Seb
Wrekin College - Won 5–1 Courdy and Matthew Manton were two excellent goalkeepers (Seb
being only Year 10!). Nataniel McAllister, Louis Hogarth, Dan Samarji,
It was not easy to gain any momentum, initially losing to Liverpool Mahrus Ahmed, Max Moulter, Consti Roeder, and Vincent Cheung
College in the first fixture of the season against a quality side. were excellent at the back – sometimes keeping us in games longer
However, a comfortable victory against Oldham Hulme got the than we deserved at times. All of the players improved, enabling the
season under way. This was quickly followed with a victory against team to have a back four that was not easy to penetrate.
Old Swinford Hospital and should have been another victory against
Denstone but, somehow, we managed to lose a game where we In the more difficult games, the transition from defense to attack
played most of the football. This was quickly followed by a heavy loss proved to be difficult to execute. However, when the boys did get it
against Codsall Community High school and another against Concord right it was very good with Charlie Munro and Julian Jensen providing
College. However, the ‘status quo’ was resumed with another valuable service from out wide.
convincing win; this time beating Rydal Penrhos six goals to three,
followed by a convincing win against Wrekin College. The midfield was creative throughout the season. Malte Ludwig soon
grasped his role of play maker with a growing maturity as the season
The tactic of playing from the back cost the team quite a few early developed. Oscar Desimpel, Zac Mabaquiao Lennox, Jack Tabberner,
season goals. However, as the season progressed the team became to and Glenn Sebuabeh displayed the same level of application as
trust each other more and as result the team played some great strikers, between them scoring twenty-three goals.
football at times.
GO
 THE ELLESMERIAN 146

Football – U15

Summary of Results I wish all the boys well in future and hope they continue to play the
Abbey Gate College - Won 4–3 game.
Oldham Hulme Grammar Schools - Won 3–1
Denstone College - Draw 1–1 MDS
Liverpool College - Lost 0–4
Abbey Gate College - Lost 1–3
Wolverhampton Grammar School - Won 3–0

The U15 Boys Football team had a very positive and productive
season this year. Having chosen a big squad initially, there was plenty of
competition for places.

The team managed to remain the only unbeaten team up until the
third from last game, which was an incredible achievement. However, it
was the very last game which was the highlight of the season. The
squad had shrunk in size due to many reasons beyond our control
which meant we only had 10 players to take away to Wolverhampton
Grammar School, including players who were making their debuts. Mr
Richards and I were preparing for a siege and we adopted a modern
three CB with wing backs formation to cope with the loss of the extra
man. It worked a treat! Not only did we match them, but we were
more clinical in attack and more solid in defence. We managed to
come away with a 3-0 victory, which was all down to the heroics of
the lads on the pitch. It was one of my proudest moments as a coach
to witness that performance, which illustrated everything it means to
be an Ellesmerian.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 147
Football – U14

Summary of Results Oswestry School, we made some significant improvements that

Abbey Gate College - Lost 0–8 were not reflected in the final score. We made the decision to play
Oldham Hulme Grammar School - Won 5–4 to our strengths as a team, committing to a high work rate, using
Liverpool College - Lost 0 – 10 our size and our physicality to gain parity in possession and
Oswestry School - Lost 1–5 territory. Unfortunately, we were unable to turn this pressure into
Thomas Adams School - Lost 0–4 goals consistently and struggled to maintain our high work rate.
Abbey Gate College - Lost 1 – 11
Wolverhampton Grammar School - Lost 1–6 This theme continued into the next fixture against Thomas Adams
School where we were able to use some of our physicality to
maintain possession however, our passing accuracy and movement
We started the season with a challenging fixture against Abbey off the ball restricted our chances.
Gate College. Throughout the game, we were able to create
attacking opportunities but were unable to translate these The next fixture saw us return to play Abbey Gate College away
opportunities into goals. The team worked hard defensively to in what was one of the most challenging fixtures of the season.
pressure the opposition when playing out from the back however, Abbey Gate fielded a strong team in preparation for their
the quality of the Abbey Gate team proved too much for us at this upcoming cup game and Ellesmere playing down one player with
early stage of the season. no reserves tested the fortitude of the team. This resulted in
numerous scoring opportunities that we were unable to convert
The following game against Oldham Hulme Grammar School was into goals. Unfortunately, we were unable to finish the season with
the most competitive of the season and gave all of the team the a victory against Wolverhampton Grammar School, in a tight game
opportunity to put into practice the developments we had made where the opposition pulled away in the second half. Overall, the
from the Abbey Gate fixture. We struggled to transfer this form to season enabled us to develop as a team and give a few boys who
our next fixture against Liverpool College who were able to field had never played competitive football before the chance to
one of the strongest teams we were to face this season. Due to a represent the College. The whole squad showed a good attitude
number of our players being unavailable, we selected a number of throughout the season and should make good progress in the
U13 in the squad. Although we worked hard as a team to stay coming years.
connected in defense, the possession and territory that we
conceded to Liverpool College resulted in a score that we could HL
not come back from. Moving on to our next fixture, away at
 THE ELLESMERIAN 148

Football – U13

Summary of Results However, the Abbeygate match proved to be a high point for the
Abbeygate College - Won 3–1 season as a string of difficult matches began with a 9-0 defeat when
Oldham Hulme Grammar School - Lost 0–9 facing Oldham Hulme Grammar School. Further defeats at the hands
Thomas Adams School - Lost 0–4 of Thomas Adams, Liverpool College, and Shrewsbury High certainly
Liverpool College - Lost 1–8 gave the boys plenty of defensive practice but too few opportunities
of their own in front of goal.
Shrewsbury High School - Lost 1 – 10
Abbeygate College - Cancelled
Against Thomas Adams, Ellesmere had plenty of chances with centre
Wolverhampton Grammar School - Cancelled back Dafydd Craven-Jones coming closest with a speculative long
range shot. Rueben Gallagher worked hard out on the wing to run in
The January weather at the beginning of the Lent term can always be behind and chase lost causes and James Li-Campbell also tried to
relied upon to provide a fresh and invigorating environment to create chances for his team mates. However, defensive frailties meant
commence the football season. that Thomas Adams were able to hit on the break and score.
Overall, the U13 team showed great Ellesmerian spirit throughout the
The season started well for the U13 football team with a solid win season and never gave up. There was something to celebrate and
over Abbeygate. Elliott Catt’s inspirational performance as goal keeper, something to learn from every encounter.
even surviving a penalty kick, helped the team to have the confidence
to continue attacking the Abbeygate goal. One particular highlight JED
from this match was a goal by Alex Phillips, scoring with a spectacular
long-range effort that clipped the underside of the cross bar. This
encouraging opening match led to high hopes among the coaches and
players for a successful season ahead.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 149
Football – U12

Summary of Results Liverpool College - A challenging match, we never lost our

Abbeygate - Lost 3–5 composure despite some questionable tackling and we battled to the
Oldham Hulme - Lost 0–5 end which showed great character.
Adams Wem - Draw 3–3
Liverpool College - Lost 0–5 Oswestry - We played our best football of the year away at
Oswestry - Lost 2–3 Oswestry. It was a very competitive game and very challenging given
Shrewsbury High - Won 3–1 the age groups but we were unlucky not to claim at least a draw with
a goal disallowed. We showed outstanding effort and a much better
Abbeygate - Won 8–1
pattern of play.
Wolverhampton - Lost 2–5
Shrewsbury High - A great way to bounce back and a real sign of
Abbeygate - The first half we played some good football. Passing well resilience. We played some excellent football and dominated the
and our movement off the ball was causing problems for the game, creating several goal scoring opportunities. Two brilliant goals –
opposition. We arrived at half time 2-2. Several changes at half time one from Charlie Boys and a scorcher from Myles Webster.
and we were caught cold as players got into the game. We battled
hard and have a great effort right up to the last minute but just ran Abbeygate - A very pleasing performance from the team. We played
out of luck going down 3-5. some brilliant football and created a lot of chances.

Oldham Hulme - We struggled in the first half and were unfortunate Wolverhampton - We weathered a very difficult start, conceding two
to go two goals down through an own goal and an error clearing the goals in quick succession - some brilliant keeping from Ben
ball, but Oldhams third goal was well taken. The second half we played Warrington. We battled back to bring the game to 2-3 with 5 minutes
far better, passing well and creating good attacking opportunities. to go. We tried to press but conceded two late goals. The effort and
However, another own goal and a penalty handed another two goals resilience was peerless and I was very proud of our players.
too easily.
It has been a great season. The players have been a joy to work with.
Adams Wem - A good result away from home on a very challenging They have bounced back from some tough games and shown
pitch. We played much better football and showed significant incredible improvement.
improvement.
ILW
 THE ELLESMERIAN 150

Football – U11A

Summary of Results During October we hosted our annual 6-a-side tournament. We kept a
Woodside Primary - Won 3–6 clean sheet during the group stages, finishing second in our group. The
Packwood - Won 4–6 semi-final against the Ryley’s saw us keep another clean sheet, but we
Ellesmere Tournament - 2nd Place could not score. The match went to penalties. Chris Astbury in goal
Penley Madras - Won 3–0 was our hero, saving one of the penalties which allowed us to win 3-2
Terra Nova - Lost 1–5 on penalties. The final was a tough match against Shrewsbury High
Shrewsbury High - Lost 1–3 which we narrowly lost 1-0. The next match was the day after the
The Firs Tournament - 4th Place tournament. We hosted Penley Madras School and beat them 3-0.
Oswestry - Won 0–8
Birchfield - Won 3–7 The next two matches were against Terra Nova School and
Shrewsbury High again. We lost 1-5 to Terra Nova and again lost to
Shrewsbury High, this time 1-3.
The first match of the term was an away fixture at Woodside Primary
School in Oswestry. This has traditionally been a tough fixture for us After the Half Term we played Oswestry away, a tough fixture in the
and we had not beaten them in the three years we have played them. past. However, this time we were the stronger team, eventually finishing
The first half was a tense affair and we feared the worse as we were 2- 0-8 winners. The final match was away at Birchfield Prep School, which
0 down after only five minutes of play. However, we bounced back with we won 3-7.
two quick goals of our own and suddenly it was all level again. Both
teams scored a further goal apiece and at half time it was tightly poised Overall, this has been a good term of football and well done to all the
at 3-3. During the second half we upped our game, scoring two quick boys who represented the College.
goals in the first five minutes to give us a two-goal cushion. After this
the opposition were unable to break us down and we scored a further ILR
goal to finish worthy winners. Our next match was against Packwood,
another fixture we have struggled with in the past, not this time! We
played some good football, scored six goals and finished 4-6 winners.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 151
Football – U11B

Summary of Results After half term we had two more matches. The first was against
Packwood - Lost 6–0 Oswestry at home. This was the team that our A team had beaten
Moreton Hall - Won 4–1 0-8 before half term. This was a tough challenge but the B team
Terra Nova - Won 1–0 were more than up for this challenge and produced another
Shrewsbury High - Won 4–0 excellent display to eventually win 1-0. The last match of the term
Oswestry - Won 1–0 was against Moreton Hall. This was a close game, with both teams
Moreton Hall - Won 2–3 taking the lead at various points in the match. The opposition
scored first, after two minutes, before we then equalised five
minutes before half time. After the break the opposition scored
The first match of the term was a difficult away match at
first, with just over five minutes remaining. We did not panic and
Packwood. Despite a spirited performance, our lack of match
with just over three minutes to go we equalised. Then, with barely
practice and a young team were not able to match the opposition
a minute left of the match, we scored a third goal to win the
and we eventually lost 6-0. However, there was much to take from
match.
the performance. The next match was at home against Moreton
Hall. We produced a much better display, passed the ball well, and
After a difficult first match the U11B team went on to have an
scored some good goals, eventually winning the match 4-1.
excellent term of football. Well done to all the players who played
this term!!
The winning streak continued against Terra Nova School. This was
a tough match, against a very good footballing school. We
ILR
defended well and kept the opposition from threatening our goal.
This patient play on our part eventually paid off and we scored a
good goal. The opposition tried to score an equaliser but we held
on for a very good victory. The final match before half term was
against Shrewsbury High. Again, we produced an excellent display
against a good team. Our passing was good and our finishing was
even better, scoring four unanswered goals to achieve a very
convincing 4-0 win!
 THE ELLESMERIAN 152

Football – U10

Summary of Results The third match against Shrewsbury High was one-way traffic.
Moreton Hall - Won 3–1 They were a strong team and although we tried our best we just
Penley Madras - Lost 0–4 had no answer to the oppositions play and eventually lost 1-8.
Shrewsbury High - Lost 1–8 Despite the loss, the team learnt a lot and used this experience to
Moreton Hall - Won 1–5 help them in their final match of the term.

The final match was another match against Moreton Hall. This time
The first match of the term was against Moreton Hall at home.
we were playing away. The match was once again very even,
This has always been a good contest, with both schools
however with the experience of playing some tough fixtures this
traditionally being even. We played some good football at times,
term we were able to produce a very good display and score
passed it well, and scored some good goals to eventually run-out
several goals, eventually winning 1-5.
3-1 winners.
This has been a hard term of football but the players have all
The next match proved to be a tougher test. Penley Madras had
developed their skills and should be pleased with their efforts. Well
several players who were also playing for their local club. They
done to everybody that represented the team!!
were a stronger team and played some good football. However,
during the first half we gave them a good game and kept the score
ILR
down to zero. The second half saw us start to tire and mistakes
crept into our game, which allowed the opposition to score four
unanswered goals.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 153
Sport - Boys’ Hockey
 THE ELLESMERIAN 154

Boys’ Hockey – 1st XI

Summary of Results This year has seen Boys’ Hockey at Ellesmere break on to the
Girls First X1 - Won 5–1 Midlands scene. With an increased number of fixtures the Ellesmere
William Brooks - Draw 2–2 side have played in seventeen matches, including competing in three
Rydal Penrhos - Loss 5–6 tournaments. The Boys First X1 can be proud to claim 10 wins and
Abbotsholme School - Won 4–0 two draws over the season’s campaign. The Ellesmere side qualified
Addams Grammar - Draw 3–3 out of the Shropshire rounds of the schools’ competition, and can
be delighted with their performances at the regional level. This was a
Wrekin College - Won 5–1
real experience for the side.
William Brooks - Loss 1–3
Nottingham High School - Won 2–0 As well as posting great results against local sides, Ellesmere up help
Newcastle-Under-Lyme - Won 6–1 tradition by playing local club side Deeside Ramblers as the last
Uppingham - Loss 1–8 game of the season. This year saw Ellesmere beat the visiting select
Abbotsholme School - Won 3–0 XI side in the first time in over a decade.
Thomas Telford - Loss 2–5
Wrekin College - Won 5–0 The side were fiercely competitive when it came to goal scoring.
Old Swinford Hosptial - Won 5–0 Many players fighting for the top spot but equally matched with the
Trinity School (SA) - Loss 0–1 team’s ability to work as one.
Rydal Penrhros - Won 5–1
Deeside Ramblers (Select X1) - Won 5–1 I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with many of the
Year 13 leavers and wish them all the best with their hockey as they
move in to adult life. I would also like to thank them and the
younger members of the team for paving the way for the next
generation coming through the school. It has truly been an amazing
season for Boys Hockey.

ST
 THE ELLESMERIAN 155
Sport - Boys’ Cricket
 THE ELLESMERIAN 156

Cricket – 1st XI

Ellesmere College 1st XI Played 9 Won 6 Lost 3 Match 3: 1st XI v Merchant Taylors (Friendly)
Merchant Taylors 122 for 7 off 30 overs
Match 1: 1st XI v Newcastle-Under-Lyme School (HMC National Ellesmere 62 for 2 with Connor Davies on 50 not out when
T20 – conditions good) Game abandoned.
Newcastle 45 all out
Ellesmere 46 for 2 – won by 8 wickets Match 4: 1st XI v Birkenhead (Friendly – conditions: overcast and
Newcastle batted first. Connor Davies created pressure by slow outfield)
bowling his first 4 overs for only 7 runs. Arran Brearey and Harry Ellesmere 167 for 5 off 40 overs – Connor Davies 75, Arran
Newton continued with the pressure and wickets started to fall. Brearey 28 not out, Harry Newton 22.
Batsmen played with enough caution to achieve the low total in 7 Birkenhead 68 all out.
overs. Very difficult pitch to play cricket on – movement in the air and off
the pitch with a very slow outfield. A total of 167 was more in
Match 2: 1st XI v Shrewsbury School (HMC National T20 – tune with 200 in good conditions. Batsman played it sensibly,
conditions good) looking to keep risk to a minimum. Connor Davies played with
Lost by 109 runs good decision making, playing with caution while, at the same time,
Unfortunately, the bowling response against Shrewsbury School looking to set a challenging total – his total of 70 was key. All other
was not so accurate. One batsman was particularly aggressive and batsman supported him sensibly to keep the scoreboard ticking
capitalised upon this. A lack of group cohesion in looking to deal over. The pressure was created with Toby Bellis opening the
with such a positive approach failed to materialise in relation to bowling only conceding 9 runs off 6 overs (bowling just back of a
bowling plans and specific field settings. Also, catches were not length) and Arran Brearley making life uncomfortable bowling
taken at key times. As a result, Shrewsbury set a very competitive from the other end. The spinners did not disappoint, particularly
167 runs at a loss of only 5 wickets. A poor batting response Connor Davies and Harry Newton. Birkenhead were always
meant that Ellesmere were never in the game and were all out for struggling to achieve the run rate as the wickets fell.
only 58 runs. Such a sharp contrast to the previous game.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 157
Match 5: 1st XI v Wrekin College Match 9: 1st XI/OE’s v Free Forresters
Wrekin 140 for 7 off 30 overs – Alex Selby, Harry Newton and The Free Foresters batted first and only reached a modest
Ben Wright shared the wickets keeping Wrekin to a modest total of 88 all out, with Agrim Kapoor taking half of the
total. wickets with bowling figures of 5 for 14 runs. A 33 not out
The senior players of Connor Davies (32) and Harry Newton (20) by Ben Gibbon (OE) and 26 by Harry Newton secured the
made sure there was a basis to the innings with James Carter (16 victory for only 3 wickets down.
not out) and Freddie Furnival (15 not out) securing the victory in
20 overs. Match: 10 1st XI v Shropshire Gentlemen
The Shropshire Gentlemen batted first and scored a modest 117
Match 6: 1st XI v Newcastle Under Lyme runs on a decent wicket with Harry Newton taking 6 wickets for
Ellesmere were 276 off 40 overs with Connor Davies scoring a 49 runs. However, Ellesmere’s batting performance was
superb 152 not out. disappointing, managing only 109 runs, with Josh Andrady scoring a
An excellent innings throughout displaying a variety of shots and responsible 29 runs and Harry Newton scoring a respectable 29
pace to the innings. James Carter (34) and Harry Newton (32) runs. It was a game that should have been won!
ably supported Connor throughout the innings. In their 40 overs
Newcastle were not able to respond scoring 133 for 4 off their 40 In summary, while there were many positives to the season it was
overs. Ellesmere won by 147 runs. also frustrating that we never once were in a position to play our
best side. The seniors led the side very well, particularly Captain
Match 7: 1st Xii v Rydal School Harry Newton. Many convincing victories against some good sides
Rydal were all out for 57 runs with Harry Newton taking 4 were impressive. However, in the cup games against top sides the
wickets for 3 runs to take the heart out of the Rydal batting order. team were not quite able to rise to the occasion. Against the adult
Lloyd Edwards scored 40 quick runs in 5 overs to reach the Rydal sides the bowling and fielding was more than a match for the
total. oppositions but the batting was not always convincing, particularly
when we were void of enough senior players for a number of
Match 8: 1st XI v MCC reasons. However, it is absolutely certain that the younger players
The MCC batted first and worked their way to 166 runs all out in will have benefited from the opportunity of playing for the 1st XI
45 overs. Toby Bellis took 3 wickets for 32 runs and Abhyuday and will have gained valuable experience for the future.
Chauhan the other 3 wickets for 34 runs. Unfortunately, Ellesmere
responded poorly and thus were always struggling to get close to Overall a very enjoyable season working both with a group of
the target, only reaching 99 runs. senior players while, at the same time, giving a large number of
young players exposure to senior cricket.

Notable Wisden Statistics

Batting (Over 150 runs)
Name Innings Not Outs Runs Highest Score 100’s
C.A. Davies 6 2 318 152 1
J.W. Carter 9 2 162 34

Bowling (Over 10 wickets)

Name Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Best Bowling
H. Newton 51 6runs 187 18 6-49
 THE ELLESMERIAN 158

Boys’ Cricket – 2nd XI

Summary of Results bat. The run chase was conducted in customary joviality with the win
Merchant Taylor’s School Won never in much doubt.
Shrewsbury School 3rds Won
Shrewsbury School 2nds Lost by 6 runs After this game, the weather put pay to our games against Wrekin
Abbotsholme School Lost by 9 wickets College and Newcastle-under-Lyme school so our next game was,
once again against Shrewsbury School; this time against their 2nd XI.
This was much more of a formal affair with both teams evenly
The season started with a game in the first week back. Ellesmere matched and evenly motivated for the win. Shrewsbury opened the
always prides itself on being able to raise a 2nd XI side, despite the batting and amassed an impressive 169 -1 off their 20 overs, with
numbers of pupils who have inevitable academic commitments. The Lloyd Edwards taking the only wicket in the innings. In reply Ellesmere
first game was against Merchant Taylor’s School in Crosby, usually a got off to an equally good start with both openers putting on a good
good close game against like-minded opposition. It was clear from the score before the first wicket. A 59 for Josh Wharton and a 61 off 46
first few overs that there was a slight mismatch as Ellesmere 2nds balls for Lloyd Edwards set the tone. Unfortunately Ellesmere were
Bowled Merchant Taylor’s out relatively cheaply. Ellesmere went out to unable to match the tempo of the openers and we soon ran out of
bat and knocked the runs off in fairly brisk fashion. At this point it was overs, falling 6 runs shy of victory. An excellent game of cricket.
decided that we could carry on and get to the end of our allotted
overs and then invite Merchant Taylor’s back in to bat to see if they Our final game of the season was against Abbotsholme School. They
could get to the new target, set by Ellesmere. The end of Ellesmere’s have been working really hard on their cricket of late and have put
innings brought the welcome sight of cricket teas but also the less together very good batting and bowling units. Ellesmere lost the toss
welcoming sight of looming, dark rain clouds. Sometime between the and were put into bat. Wharton and Bradshaw fell in quick succession
sandwiches and the cakes, the match was abandoned. I suppose this to even quicker bowling and when Edwards fell for 17, things were
would be described as a win to Ellesmere. looking bleak for the home side. Had it not been for Toby Freer-
Carmichael’s 34, the Ellesmere total of 83 would have looked
Our second game was equally as much a mismatch. Ellesmere fielded decidedly less healthy. Abbotsholme’s reply was impressive and they
a strong 2nd XI, expecting that even a Shrewsbury 3rds / 4ths would deserved their inevitable victory.
provide a stern test. However injuries and exam commitments meant
that Shrewsbury were dragging in players from all areas of their Overall an enjoyable season of cricket. We can certainly hold our
campus and as such it was not long before Ellesmere were in the heads up high that we can continue to put out two senior teams in
ascendency. A solid opening partnership from Ellesmere put Ellesmere what is a stressful term for 6th form boys.
out of sight, and with both retiring on 50 more of the same followed.
Ellesmere posted a huge total and soon it was time for Shrewsbury to JJB
 THE ELLESMERIAN 159
Boys’ Cricket – U15
Summary of Results needed just 2 runs to win and from the third ball of the over they
Birkenhead School Lost by 9 wickets were struck with a deft clip over mid-wicket.
Thomas Adams School Won by 78 runs
Newcastle-Under-Lyme School Won by 2 wickets Two of the next three matches were County Cup events. Victory
William Brookes School Won by 9 wickets over William Brookes School saw Ellesmere drawn against their old
Shrewsbury School Won by 8 wickets rivals Wrekin College. Wrekin batted first setting a decent target of
Wrekin College Won by 5 wickets 117 to win; Ellesmere stuttered initially with both openers out having
barely made double figures. However, a third wicket stand of 59
Shrewsbury School Lost by 8 wickets
helped form the recovery and set up a platform to go on and win the
The King's School, Chester Won by 5 wickets
match with 3½ overs remaining.
Rydal Penrhos School Won by 48 runs
Wrekin College Won by 17 runs In the Shropshire County Cup Final against Shrewsbury School.
Ellesmere batted first and put on 22 for the first wicket but a flurry of
We started the season a few members short of our full squad for our wickets saw us reduced to 24 for 4 after 6 overs. A late middle order
first match against Birkenhead. However, we acquitted ourselves well fightback with some clean striking and quick running between the
and on paper what looked like a heavy loss was much closer as wickets enabled a target of 60 to be posted on a bowler’s wicket.
Birkenhead only reached our total of 94 with 16 balls to spare. Our Shrewsbury started well but it was the Ellesmere spinners who came
second match was the first round of the County Cup. Some fantastic into their own taking 2 quick wickets and dramatically reducing the
ball striking enabled Ellesmere to post a whopping 190 for 4 from our run-rate. Eight runs were still needed at the beginning of the last over,
20 overs. However, Thomas Adams fought back valiantly with their the opposition were decidedly nervous and with three balls left were
opening batsman scoring a fine 69 but unfortunately for them nobody still a couple of runs short. Shrewsbury won the cup in the dying
else in the team was able to stay with him. Ellesmere ran out moments.
comfortable winners in the end.
In the match against King’s Chester, they blasted 125 from their 20
Newcastle was a much tighter affair as the home team posted a good overs with their opening batsman scoring 72. Ellesmere responded
score of 120 with the second wicket pair putting on a fine stand of 86. well though and a good team effort saw with the runs being spread
Ellesmere started hesitantly but a third wicket stand of 36 settled the around, resulting in a 5 wicket victory in another match that went
team down a little. However, Ellesmere kept losing wickets as they down to the last over.
steadily worked their way towards the target and with two wickets
lost in the penultimate over the nerves were really jangling. Ellesmere JWN
 THE ELLESMERIAN 160

Boys’ Cricket – U14

A late Easter meant that the cricket season was a short one this year, enough here: this was a good position squandered through lack of
and it was not until the first week of May that the Ellesmere team belief and determination.
took on their first opponents from Birkenhead School. Fielding first,
bowlers Will Owen and Sam Appleby kept pressure on the opening With only pride to play for now and their top players in a district
batsmen and runs were hard to come by, but the visitors closed their game, a depleted Ellesmere side hosted a team from North East
innings on 110-4. The Ellesmere reply hit trouble in the second over as Wales. The lack of experience in the team was evident early as the
Ben Wright chipped a straightforward catch, but Oliver Moore and visitors rattled up a total of 212 from thirty overs, easily more than
Sam Appleby steadied the ship and the total seemed achievable. the home side could produce. Credit is due, however, to Laurence
However, a clatter of cheap wickets slowed the run rate and the final Jones who batted sensibly for 38, supported by Gavin Yang in the last-
total ended up six runs short of the target. wicket stand, frustrating the opponents mightily.

A week later, Ellesmere hosted a team from Oldbury Wells in a Cup A trip to King’s Chester with a full team returned Ellesmere to
match: bowling first, the Ellesmere side exerted good pressure on the winning ways: they kept the opponents to 105 in twenty overs, with
visitors, restricting them to only 68 runs off sixteen overs. Openers four wickets for Oliver Moore, who then fell to a spectacular catch
Ben Wright and Tom Griffin surpassed the target comfortably in the when it was his turn to bat. Tom Griffin, on the other hand, found the
tenth over. The feelgood factor was ended abruptly in the following bowling much to his liking, smashing 62 before succumbing to a
game, however, as a team from Newcastle-under-Lyme found the superb piece of fielding – run out by yards, leaving Will Owen and
batting conditions much to their liking, putting a mammoth 218 runs Laurence Jones to bring the game home.
past the home side and then bowling them out within an hour, the
only resistance coming from Georgia Munro with 39 not out. The final game of the season was a rematch with Wrekin on a
scorching day, and Ellesmere made a good start with Oliver Moore
The second round of the County Cup took the team to Wrekin and Ben Wright posting 74 for the first wicket. The score progressed
College, where a solid bowling performance and a good outfield catch steadily and a few smashes from Jack Tomlinson set the home side 119
from Reuben Roberts restricted our opponents to only 109 from to win. With the temperature climbing, fielding was hard work but Will
their twenty overs. With nine overs to go, the match seemed to be Owen was the pick of the bowlers for his tidy work. In the end,
heading towards a satisfactory conclusion, but two quick wickets however, it took a singular innings to win the game, and the target was
brought in fresh batsmen and nervousness returned. Some tentative reached with two overs to go.
prodding at the ball encouraged the fielders ever closer, until a rash
attempt to break the deadlock led to a run out, and from there the DWC
innings subsided to 86 all out. Mere disappointment did not feel
 THE ELLESMERIAN 161
Boys’ Cricket – U13A

Summary of Results Unfortunately it was not to be and we ended up 16 runs off the
Birkenhead Lost winning total. However, this was a pleasing performance and gave us
Wrekin Lost renewed confidence going into the second half of term.
Newcastle – Under - Lyme Lost
Wrekin (Cup) Lost The second half of term saw several matches and a tournament
Shrewsbury High Won cancelled. Eventually, our next competitive match was against Wrekin,
Rydal Won in the County Cup. We gave a good account of ourselves but the
Wrekin Lost opposition proved too strong and despite scoring more runs this
time around we still lost by five wickets. The next match was against
Shrewsbury High. The opposition batted first and posted a decent
We began the season with an away match at Birkenhead. Due to a score of 94 runs. We batted well though and achieved our target
lack of player availability we fielded a combined Year 7 and Year 8 with just under four overs to spare. Following on from the match
team. The younger players gave a good account of themselves and against Shrewsbury we played against Rydal. We played well and
played well against older opposition. Although we could not quite scored over a 100 runs in our innings. Rydal made a gallant effort to
get the result there were several positives from the match and the match this total but our bowling and fielding proved too strong and
Year 8 players looked comfortable and controlled. The next match we won by 35 runs. The final match of the term was once again
was an away game at Wrekin. We went in to bat first but struggled against Wrekin. We did not play well in this match and were all out
to get runs. Several players were out too early and the opposition for 35 runs, which the opposition easily scored.
managed to keep us at 50 runs off 20 overs. We started the next
innings confidently but could not get the opening batsman out and Overall, it has been a tough term. Thank you to everyone who
they eventually reached their target of 51 runs to win with nine played and good luck next year!
overs to spare. Our last match before half term was another away
fixture, this time against Newcastle-Under-Lyme school. The ILR
opposition batted first and with such a short boundary they were
hitting fours and sixes quite comfortably. However, we dug in and did
the best we could and managed to keep the score from getting too
high. When it came to batting we matched the opposition and as the
innings wore on it looked like we would hit their target.
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Boys’ Cricket – U12

The U12 Boys’ Cricket team were a powerful squad full of The Captain of the team, George Owen, led by example and
excitement and were a delight to lead through the Cricket season. orchestrated the proceedings from behind the stumps. Taking some
Even with the weather against us for most of the term, the boys were fantastic catches as wicket keeper. The pace of the bowlers Tom
focused on the task in hand, with many of them useful in both Dyson, Archie-George Coe and Ben Warrington taking wickets.
disciplines of the game. Balanced beautifully with the spin and medium pace blowers Harry
Pyke, Charlie Boys and Jack Bell also claiming victims with good
Highlights of the season included beating Wrekin in the second round bowling.
of the County Cup. This game went to the wire and was won on the
last ball of the game by Oliver Draco. The Ellesmere side showed A special mention needs to be made to the U11 players who
unity and determination to take the win from the local competitors. contributed in key fixtures throughout the season. Jonathan Evans,
Hugh Cornwell, Harry Underhill, Thomas Jacques, Adam Jacques and
The team found their groove whilst playing away at the seaside Chris Astbury.
school of Rydal Penhros. With many players reaching a retiring score
when batting. The game saw the ball leave the ground on occasion A fantastic term of cricket played by a fantastic group of players.
with some very impressive batting.
ST
The team did learn a great deal from the season, how to win and
how to handle defeat. These lessons are all part of the season and
the team visibly grew stronger as their time together progressed.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 163
Boys’ Cricket – U11A

An unfortunate wet Summer Term put paid to what would have What is also pleasing is that throughout the summer months the
been an eagerly awaited run out of our next up and coming players. boys have trained on most lunchtime sessions and it's great to see
With only two matches being completed it was difficult to report on them improving every week. Many have also gone on to play at local
one of the fixtures as a comprehensive win against neighbours clubs and are doing well.
Oswestry which gave everyone the chance to bat and bowl.
The future bodes well and let's hope for a better summer so that we
The only other game was a better test against Shrewsbury High Prep. can play and see how they develop.
Shrewsbury batted first totalling 112 in 20 overs, a very competitive
score. All bowled well and what was pleasing was the boys tactical RJ
sense of an 'in /out field' placing that made Shrewsbury work hard
for their runs. In reply, players reaching 20 runs had to retire and
come back in if wickets were lost. Jonny Evans hit a rapid 20, followed
by Captain, Hugh Cornwell, who also retired. This was followed by
the Jaques brothers and Harry Underhill as they continued to run
smartly between the wickets to keep up with the run rate. The boys
reached the target in the 18th over, without losing a wicket. A cracking
game played by two very competitive teams.
THE ELLESMERIAN 164

Sport - Girls’ Cricket

 THE ELLESMERIAN 165
Review of Girls’ Cricket
Upon returning back from the summer break, the girls’ cricket
programme started with a series of indoor House matches, where
the theme was getting involved and having fun – the standard
wasn't too bad either!

With the junior matches, we had to mix the ability levels to get the
right balance of competition. The winners of which were Team
Brookshaw.

The eventual winners of the seniors were Meynell. This gave the
girls a foundation to work from as we entered the County Indoor
tournaments, during the winter.

The first tournament was against Moreton Hall and Thomas

Adams U15s. In the first match we won against Adams as did
Moreton Hall, which meant whoever won the last game would go
through to the next round.
Ellesmere U13A Cricket team won the annual North Shropshire
Championships, after a comfortable run throughout the afternoon,
beating Marches B, followed by Ellesmere C and Thomas Adams A
meaning they won their pool. In the semi Final they faced Marches
A and won 233 for 4-205 for 3. In the final they again faced
Thomas Adams A, and won again 251 for 1-206 for 3.

Ellesmere B team beat Thomas Adams 246 for 0 – 222 for 1 but
lost to Adcote A 212 for 5 – 226 for 3 and very narrowly to
Marches A 244 – 2 – 244 -1, finishing 3rd in their pool. Ellesmere
C (U12s) also won one of their three matches, narrowly beating
Marches B 209 for 3 – 208 for 3, but losing to Ellesmere A (207
for 3 - 251 for 2) and Thomas Adams A (230 for 2 – 242 for 2).

A great achievement for Ellesmere College to be able to field

Moreton batted first and totalled 73 and in reply we came up three junior cricket teams at one tournament. The last game for
short by three runs. An exciting game, where we needed three the U/13's was a comfortable win against Rydal by six wickets.
runs off the last two balls, which we couldn't find. We did go
through eventually as best runners up. In the next round the girls The season was a little disappointing due to the disruption from
put up a creditable show in both games with both games going the atrocious weather, scuppering all the hard work put in over the
down to the last over. The rest of the U15 games were disrupted winter months and the organising from Miss Marshall and her staff.
by the weather, we only managed to complete two outdoor But overall an encouraging platform for the girls to progress on to!
matches, a nine wicket win over Rydal Penrhos and an exciting tie Well done to everyone involved.
against Abbotshome.
RJ
The U13 campaign started with a North Shropshire indoor
qualifier at Oswestry School, playing four matches, winning two
and losing two and finishing third in the group, just missing out on
going through to the next round. The season then went outdoors
and a number of games had to be cancelled early on, due to the
bad weather. The College then hosted the North Shropshire eight
a side festival.
THE ELLESMERIAN 166
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Sport - Equestrian
The Equestrian Team has performed well this year with some
excellent performances at National competitions. We now have a
strong squad of riders taking part in regional NSEA team jumping
and dressage events. It was fantastic to see Ellesmere College
represented at the NSEA National Championships, Windsor Horse
Show and the Hickstead Schools Show Jumping Championships this
year. Well done to all our riders and grateful thanks to our committed
parents for their endless support.

KC
 Sport - Shooting
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The College competes in several open competitions during the
year and this culminates in the National Championships at
Bisley in August. This year a very strong Ellesmere contingent,
along with one or two Old Ellesmerians, produced some
superb performances.

James Caldwell won the Under 16 Championship; Anna Maughan the

Under 18 Championship and Alan Bain finished 2nd in B class. Alan
also made the 2nd stage of the Earl Roberts trophy.

Alumni Richard Lay and Shannon Davies also excelled, with Richard
winning A class and Shannon making it through to the Earl Roberts
Shooting continues to be popular across all ages at the College and Final.
this year has seen another set of impressive results from both the
beginners and our more senior members.

Six teams competed in the British Schools leagues over the

Michaelmas and Lent terms and 2 teams in the Under Fourteen
Leagues. For the very first time, Ellesmere won the Division 1 cup and
then in the Lent term retained it – a fantastic achievement. Coupled
with that, an Ellesmere B team competed in the Lent term and won
Division 3 at its first attempt. Consistent performances, particularly
from James Caldwell and Francine Gilmore, ensured success with a
team average of over 98 ex 100 throughout the competition.

In the Michaelmas senior leagues, Ellesmere A fought a tough battle

against Wellington and Gresham’s, finishing 2nd (only 8 points ahead
of Gresham’s and 16 behind Wellington). When one considers that
the maximum point score available is 2500 per team, these margins
are very fine! Kezzie Hutchings topped the averages with 97.5 on the
very difficult 10 bull target. 4 Ellesmerians represented GB Juniors in the annual match against
Denmark.
Ellesmere D team finished 2nd in their division, splitting 2 very strong
Charterhouse teams. James Caldwell topped the averages and scored Lower School recognised the excellent achievements at their last
a fine maximum 100 in one of the rounds. assembly of the Summer Term and Ben Warrington and Charlotte
Goss are to be commended on their appointments as Captain and
Vice-Captain for the forthcoming year.

In November, Ellesmere played host again to a regional heat of the

British Schools Pistol Championships – a hugely successful event
attracting the biggest entry across the country. Ellesmere was again
commended for an extremely well-run occasion, assisted by adult
volunteers from all over the Midlands.

Francine Gilmore made the individual final for her age group and
qualified for the National final, along with the senior team of Molly
Curzon, Alan Bain, and Harry Evans.

In the Lent term Leagues, Ellesmere teams posted a 2nd and 3rd
place and Alan Bain in Division 1 posted an average of 98.4, finishing
2nd overall by .2 of a point!
 Sport - Tennis
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It has been a very successful year for tennis!
The teams have held matches against Moreton Hall, Rydal, Oswestry, King’s Chester, Adcote and
Queen’s Chester.

Tennis – U11 and KS2

U11 and KS2 only had two matches with games against Oswestry
School and Adcote. Everybody had a turn to play, they were very
close and competitive fixtures, but Ellesmerian girls were more skilful
and won both games.

Tennis – U12

The U12s were supposed to have three more matches than the
U11s but, unfortunately, we had to cancel fixtures against King’s
school due to heavy rain. Their first game was against Rydal at home
in lovely weather, Ellesmere won on games 13:11. The girls were very
tough and stuck out for the impressive win, thanks to Isobel Gray
and Georgie Prescott. The second match was against Moreton Hall
where our girls won in straight sets dropping only three games.
Finally, yet importantly, the game against Adcote; it was very exciting
fixture that ended up level on sets, but Ellesmere just won by one
game 11:10. Stephanie Edwards and Alix Nicholas did their best
despite having never played in a competitive fixture before.

Tennis – U13

This year our girls put up a great fight against very strong players.
Their first game was against Rydal, unfortunately we lost 19:45 on
games, mainly because of less experienced girls in our squad. After
Rydal we had an away game against Oswestry. The girls did their best
and tried their hardest, Ellie Edwards and Georgie Prescott played
very well, but lost due to higher rating of oppositions. The last fixture
was against Moreton Hall. Third time lucky was true for Ellesmerian
girls and they triumphed 3-1, thanks to Ellie Edwards, Katie Evans,
India Freer-Carmichael and Emily Curzon.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 172

Tennis – U14 Tennis – U15

This year group were supposed to have three fixtures against The U15 team faced many challenging opponents throughout the
Moreton Hall, King’s Chester and Rydal, but two of them were season. Their first match was also against Moreton Hall. It was a close
cancelled due to weather conditions. Their first and last match were affair but ended against our favour; Ellesmerian girls produced some
against Moreton Hall at home. It was not a success for Ellesmerian excellent shots and consistency but lost 2:4. Amy Evans and Robin
girls, with a 2:6 loss. Honor Graham, Iona Taylor, Isobel Wright Welti played very well and won a very hard match. Beaut
Mountford and Gorge Munro did their best, but they played against Kittirattanaviwat and Millie Mangham, Natasha Dalziel and Connie
much more experienced girls. Trollope played their socks off but lost the game. Second match
against Oswestry School was a very close one 3:1 to Ellesmerian
girls. The U15 team had the task of tackling Rydal School in their last
match, it was a very level game but, unfortunately, Ellesmerian girls
lost 22:46

EG
 THE ELLESMERIAN 173
favourites, smiling their way to certain defeat. We look forward
to next year’s pairing. The young Lili Harvey Heming, certainly a
future winner, also smiled her way to the knockout stages. She
is developing a good partnership with Ian Roberts which also
looks likely to run and run over the years.

Sharon Owen, a two-time champion, played with three men! First the
Headboy who probably would have used his time more wisely
brushing up his speech rather than attempting to play tennis.
However, with his father umpiring his every shot, Barney can count
himself lucky that he will never be invited back again! Sharon then
briefly paired up with her husband before finding herself in the Plate
final with yet another man, Dr. Chatterjee. Despite some quite
aggressive abuse of the umpire and on court misbehaviour,
Chatterjee and Owen beat Jack and Sarah Pochin to win the Plate
trophy.
The Reffell Open
The Reffell Open combines tradition and modernity. Traditionally the
same things happen every year. As Gary Lineker once said about
football, ‘Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end,
the Germans always win’, so the Reffell Open might well be summed
up as ‘24 people chase a ball for three hours, at the end John Cowley
and Chelsea Watson never win’.

We like tradition though. The Pimms has to flow, Marie Watson has
to make the mix a little bit stronger every year, the chips arrive on
time, and there always has to be too many and the organiser spends
the hours before the event chasing up replacement players and
others drop out at an alarming rate, often with contradictory
excuses. We also embrace modernity. So this year the Cowley
racquet, condemned in 1980 as a health risk due to its high levels of
uranium, stayed safely in its lead-lined headcase and was replaced by
something that looked suspiciously like a late 20th century model,
sort of the end of the Rod Laver era but not quite Bjorn Borg. We There were a lot of serious tennis players out there. The pairings
also moved indoors. committee had done a good job. Hardly any 4-0 scores were
recorded and no one pair dominated the league stages. Indeed, at the
Despite dire warnings from the Russian entry of the health risks of end of the league, quite a few teams were level on points. Four
not playing in the blazing hot sun, playing inside allowed the play to strong pairs were beginning to emerge. Archie Dubbins and Kerry
proceed at pace, there was no advantage to playing at either end or Marshall, Gareth Owen and Ananya Chezchian, Robert von der Luhe
lengthy change overs, or indeed as far to walk at the end of a match. and Paula Lotze, and John Cowley and Chelsea Watson. Watching
The indoor courts are also a perfect surface and soon disadvantaged some of these games, one would have thought one was in a singles
that old Reffell stalwart Jon Morgan. Mr Morgan’s serve, which was tournament, as long rallies seemed to by-pass the older player.
officially recorded at 12 mph, was designed for the outdoor courts.
The ball would float harmlessly over the net but so practised was the The final match then of this year’s Reffell involved Archie and Kerry,
server, that the ball would then pitch in a hole, turn 90 degrees and both leavers, against Gareth Owen and Ananya. Ananya, who never
hit the side wall. A perfect ace! Inside, this tactic was never going to stopped smiling, matched Archie’s returns point for point. The crowd
work. The Morgan serve was quickly ramped up to 20 mph and all were behind the two leavers, Archie and Kerry. Gareth Owen though,
was well. is a strong tactical player. He sliced and sliced his way across the court
whilst the opposite player, Kerry, sat out most points, leaving it to
This year also saw a lot of younger players perform. The Welti dynasty Archie to play almost every shot. Archie and Kerry took a 2-0 lead in
that now owns more College property than anyone else, rightly the first to three games. The crowd sensed an upset but Gareth and
claims the indoor centre as a sort of extension to their living room. It Ananya dug deep and won the next three games convincingly, making
doubles as a dog kennel for long parts of the year and as a manshed them deserved champions.
for Stephen Welti. His wife, Nicky, last year’s champion, daughter
Robyn and son Guy all played and all made it through to the On their last full night, Philip and Pat Wood presented the prizes, the
knockout stages. Robyn enjoyed the first all-female doubles last chips were unwrapped, the last glasses of Pimms downed, and
partnership – again, the Reffell embracing modern society. Partnered Chelsea departed. ‘See you next year’ is her mantra, and long may it
with Elena Griffiths, a victor, the female only team were unlucky not continue!
to get a better knockout match. Nicky kindly allowed some other
team to win this year. Of course, some things can’t change. Chelsea HBO
Watson has now been partnering John Cowley in the Reffell Open
for more years than anyone can remember. They are the everyone’s
 Sport - Rounders
THE ELLESMERIAN 174
 THE ELLESMERIAN 175
Rounders – U18

Despite the busy exam season, the U18 girls showed true Impressively, Ellesmere College was able to turn out two teams for
Ellesmerian commitment to training each week in the summer the tournament, which unfortunately consisted of only four teams
term, with the large number of participants enabling us to train due to other schools having insufficient numbers to field teams.
consistently with two full teams. The girls honed their fielding skills We were placed second and fourth in closely-contested matches,
and practiced game tactics in preparation for our main with the girls displaying strong team work, determination and good
competition: the tournament at Oswestry School. humour. It was a pleasure to work with girls whose main focus was
to have fun, but who also strove towards individual and team
mastery of skills.

MJA / NJW
 Sport - Badminton
THE ELLESMERIAN 176
 THE ELLESMERIAN 177
Badminton

This year our badminton team was ably led by Captain Pete Li and
Vice-Captain Egbert Yung.

Throughout the year team spirit and support was outstanding, and
new players were able to develop through the team. The teams
played eight fixtures with local teams at Concorde, Wrekin, Bedstone,
Shrewsbury, and Moreton. The number of inexperienced players in
our team meant that we won few individual matches; however, our
key games with top players were always closely fought, and generally
won, and our development squad members moved from tentative
play at the beginning of the year to outright wins by the end.

First team players in mixed matches:

Pete Li, Egbert Yung, Enki Tse, Maxy Lai, Russo Wai,
Angel Xia, Elise Veitch, Christine You, Carita Wang, Angel Sze

Other players:
Huang Huang, Scott Faulkner, Gary Zhang

Overall, it has been a good year for badminton at Ellesmere College.

Pete, Egbert and Angel Xia – our Year 13 experts and leaders – will
be much missed next year, but our younger players are ready to take
up the challenge thanks to their leadership. Thanks to our coach Des
Machin.
Our U14 players took part in the North Shropshire tournament in
November and won comfortably. The players in this team were Enki CA
Tse, Robert Ho, Russo Wai, Scott Faulkner, Ben Metcalf, Carita Wang,
Angel Sze, Carol Shi, and Jessica Lin.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 178

Sport - House Comps

Rugby

House Rugby Results

Seniors Inters Juniors Overall winner
1st Woodard 1st Meynell 1st Wakeman-Lambart Woodard
2nd Talbot 2nd Talbot 2nd Woodard
3rd Wakeman-Lambart 3rd Wakeman-Lambart
4th Meynell 4th Woodard

Players Player of the season James McCarthy

Lower School Rugby – Year 7 and 8

One of the most contested Lower School House Rugby tournaments seen in years. Skills on display were top level and heaps of passion and
enthusiasm. Brownlow were the overall winners of the tournament winning both of their games.

1st Brownlow 2nd Phillips 3rd Heywood

Football
Lower School Football
1st Phillips 2nd Heywood 3rd Brownlow

Senior and Middle School Indoor Football 6-a-side

Junior Boys Wakeman-Lambart v Wooodard 1st Wakeman
Meynell v Woodard 2nd Meynell
Talbot v Wakeman-Lambart 3rd Talbot
Meynell v Wakeman-Lambart 4th Woodard
Talbot v Wooodard
Meynell v Talbot

Senior Boys Wakeman-Lambart v Wooodard 1st Woodard

Meynell v Woodard 2nd Meynell
Talbot v Wakeman-Lambart 3rd Wakeman
Meynell v Wakeman-Lambart 4th Talbot
Talbot v Wooodard
Meynell v Talbot
 THE ELLESMERIAN 179
Football
Seniors Inters Juniors
1st Wakeman-Lambart 1st Wakeman-Lambart 1st Wakeman-Lambart
2nd Meynell 2nd Woodard 2nd Meynell
3rd Woodard 3rd Talbot 3rd Talbot
4th Talbot 4th Meynell 4th Woodard

Cross Country

Lower School Cross Country

Year Group Brownlow Heywood Phillips
4/5 2 1 3
6 2 3 1
KS2 Placings 1 1 1
7 1 2 3
8 1 2 3
KS3 Placings 1 2 3
OVERALL TOTAL 6 8 10
POSITION 1 2 3

Age group 1st 2nd 3rd

Year 4/5
Boys Gabriel McKay (B) Reuben Ashton (P) Nathaniel Clewlow (B)
Girls Nina Fisher (H) Imogen Spencer Blow (B) Megan Pritchard (P)

Year 6
Boys Adam Jacques (P) Thomas Jacques (P) Harry Underhill (H)
Girls Bella Spencer Blow (B) Faith Harris (B) Poppy Coe (H)

Year 7
Boys Myles Webster (H) James Hughes (B) Sepp Karnik-Lovatt (B)
Girls Elexi Povey-Abbott (P) Alix Nicholas (B) Georgie Prescott (B)

Year 8
Boys James Li Campbell (H) Reuben Gallagher (H) Oliver Covill (B)
Girls Emily Curzon (P) Ellie Huntbach (B) Ellie Edwards (H)
 THE ELLESMERIAN 180

Senior and Middle School Cross Country

Junior first 5 boys 3 girls | Senior and Inter first 10 boys and first 5 girls to count

Meynell Talbot Woodard Wakeman-Lambart

Junior Boys 41 86 61 79
Girls 98 97 36 107
Total 139 183 97 186
Position 2 3 1 4 Junior cup

Inter Boys 174 209 283 258

Girls 202 270 425 285
Total 376 479 708 543
Position 1 2 4 3 Inter cup

Senior Boys 189 301 149 419

Girls 241 206 326 273
Total 430 507 475 692
position 1 3 2 4 Senior cup

Overall Total 4 8 7 11
Position 1 3 2 4 Athletics standard cup

Overall Total 4 8 7 11
Position 1 3 2 4

Merit cup (largest representation from a House)

Meynell Talbot Woodard Wakeman-Lambart
Junior 15 13 15 14
Inter 35 38 35 37
Senior 44 40 42 39
Total 94 91 92 90
Position 1 3 2 4 Merit Cup

Junior Inter Senior

Boys winner - Jacob Popplewell (Meynell) Boys winner - Harri Evans (Meynell) Boys Winner - Hector Pardoe (Woodard)
Girls winner - Eve Floate (Woodard) Girls winner - Johanna Futter (Wakeman-Lambart) Girls Winner - Anna Smail (Meynell)
 THE ELLESMERIAN 181
Hockey
Seniors Juniors
1st Wakeman-Lambart 1st Wakeman-Lambart
2nd Meynell 2nd Talbot
3rd Talbot 3rd Woodard
4th Woodard 4th Meynell

Senior and Middle School Indoor Hockey - 6-a-side

Senior Girls This year we were unable to play the girls matches due to other school fixtures
Junior Girls Wakeman-Lambart v Wooodard 1st Talbot
Meynell v Woodard 2nd Meynell
Talbot v Wakeman-Lambart 3rd Woodard
Meynell v Wakeman-Lambart 4th Wakeman-Lambart
Talbot v Wooodard
Meynell v Talbot

Lower School House Hockey 2018

Brownlow Phillips Heywood Score Result
Brownlow 3 5 8 1st
0-0 4-1
Phillips 3 3 6 2nd
0-0 1-1
Heywood 0 3 3 3rd
1-4 1-1

Order of Play Scoring

B vs. P Win = 5
P vs. H Draw = 3
H vs B Loss (halving) = 1
Loss = 0

Golf

Senior Golf
On a beautiful warm May afternoon, the four senior competitive houses took to the golf course to battle for the senior House event. There was a
variety of golf played with some excellent rounds posted by Etienne Ullrich (Talbot), Max Balmforth (Wakeman-Lambart), Paul Chlebec (Meynaell)
and Leon Dupre (Meynell)

The best three scores were to count.

Meynell Wakeman-Lambart Talbot Woodard

Etienne Ullrich 28
Paul Chlebec 23 Max Balmforth 22 Stephen Taylor 16 Chris Hooper 19
James Hiley 13 Jake Redshaw 20 Sanja Koch 11 Zac Mabem 16
Leon Dupre 22 Will Davies 10 Louis Deakes 12 Oscar Desimpel19
Scores 58 52 56 54
Result 1st 4th 2nd 3rd
 THE ELLESMERIAN 182
Senior Golf Open
On Wednesday 1st May the annual senior open golf
championship was contested. We had ten entries this year
and played a modified stableford system.

Results
1st Etienne Ullrich 30
2nd = Dylan Jones 29
2nd = Archie Dubbins 29
4th = Emlys Junker 27
4th = Chris Hooper 27
6th = James Hiley 24
7th Leon Depre 23
8th Stephen Talyor 21
9th Max Balmforth 10
10th Paul Chlebek 8

Badminton
House Badminton
A really great event. The top seeds matches we very high quality.

Results
1st Talbot
2nd Wakeman-Lambart
3rd Woodard
4th Meynell

Basketball
Boys’ Competition
Junior Boys Woodard v Wakeman-Lambart 1st Wakeman Lambart
Talbot v Wakeman-Lambart 2nd Woodard
Woodard v Talbot 3rd Talbot
Meynell v Wakeman-Lambart 4th Meynell
Senior Boys 1st Woodard

Girls’ Competition
Junior Girls Wakeman-Lambart v Wooodard 1st Talbot
Meynell v Woodard 2nd Meynell
Talbot v Wakeman-Lambart 3rd Wakeman-Lambart
Meynell v Wakeman-Lambart 4th Woodard
Talbot v Wooodard
Meynell v Talbot
Senior Girls Wakeman-Lambart v Wooodard 1st Woodard
Meynell v Woodard 2nd Wakeman-Lambart
Talbot v Wakeman-Lambart 3rd Meynell
Meynell v Wakeman-Lambart 4th Talbot
Talbot v Wooodard
Meynell v Talbot
 THE ELLESMERIAN 183
Swimming
KS2 Swimming Gala summer 2019
We enjoyed a very competitive swimming gala with a slight change to
the format which allowed more students to compete in a wider
range of events. The lead changed several times throughout the
afternoon but Heywood finally edged ahead after the relays with
Browlow and Phillips tied for second.

Lower School Sports Day

We enjoyed some beautiful weather for this years sportday having
endured rain for nearly four weeks before. There were some
excellent individual performances and some wonderful support from
both parents and students. Heywood ran away with the win with
some very strong displays on the track. Brownlow were second and
Phillips third.

Volleyball
Senior Volleyball

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3

Mey v WL Mey v Tal Tal v WL
4-15 5-15 11 v 15
13-15 15-11 13 v 15
11-12 6-15 15 v 7

Tal v Wo Wo v WL Wo v Mey
11-15 15-9 15 v 5
6-15 15-8 18 v 16
8-12 15-11 15 v 5

Final result
1st Woodard 2nd Wakeman-Lambart 3rd Talbot 4th Meynell
 THE ELLESMERIAN 184

Sport - The Academies

Cricket

Winter Phase
Review of all the factors that affect performance including technique,
fitness and psychological aspects from the previous season, and target
setting for the coming summer fixtures.

Top 100 School over last three years – providing high standard of
opportunities for both boys and girls, whatever their ability, to
develop their cricket.

Ellesmere College has once again been named as one of the top 100
schools for cricket in the country by the world’s leading cricket
magazine - The Cricketer. Ellesmere College was selected from
hundreds of applicants to make the final list against an extensive list of
criteria that each school had to meet. A spokesman for The Cricketer
said: "The competition this year was fierce with over 350 applications.
All entries were forensically examined against an exhaustive set of
internal and external criteria and we were delighted to include
Ellesmere College in the list to feature in the world's leading cricket
The Ellesmere College Cricket Development Programme with magazine. Ellesmere has a strong cricketing tradition with several
Academy Pathway is very much about providing playing and practice players going on to represent Lancashire, Warwickshire and
opportunities and exposure to a cricket pathway for both boys and Glamorgan Academies.” Sixth Form students have also achieved
girls from total beginners into school teams and clubs, to county and places at MCCs six university cricket academies in England and
beyond to professional level. Wales, which aims to provide talented young cricketers the chance to
receive top-level coaching and playing opportunities whilst furthering
- Past players have played at professional level, the U15 England their education. Again, there were a large number of players
selection event ‘The Bunbury Festival’, represented the representing Shropshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, and North East
professional club academies and MCC University academies. Wales, with players attending trials at Worcestershire and
- Named in the Top 100 Schools in the UK for Cricket by the Professional Elite Player Programmes. The all year round programme
Cricketer Magazine for the last three years. has a substantial challenging fixtures programme for all levels of ability
- The College annually has players (boys and girls) representing and needs, including cup competitions. Any boy or girl wishing to play
Wales, Shropshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, N.E. Wales, and Eryi. cricket has the opportunity to do so, and any boy or girl aspiring to
- National team achievements have included being Regional become a county and/or professional cricketer has the opportunity
Champions (Midlands) and Semi Finalists of the National U14 to do so.
ESCA/ECB National Competition, U15 Lady Taverner’s National
Indoor Finals, and the later stages of the HMC National T20
competition.

Cricket is an integral and inclusive part of the provision at Ellesmere

College and provides a supportive environment where players,
irrespective of their ability, strive to achieve their full potential. The
Cricket Development Programme with Academy Pathway
encourages our players to be leaders and independent thinkers in an
aspirational team environment and a ‘Team Ellesmere Culture’ of self-
improvement where enjoyment is an absolute priority. Where players
display a positive attitude to cricket our coaches facilitate a growth
mind-set, including looking to provide exposure to challenging cricket
experiences that allow for accelerated learning to take place through
continuous meaningful practice and match situations.

The Cricket Development Programme with Academy Pathway

includes a Winter Training Phase and a Summer Fixtures Programme
which involves the following:

Summer Fixtures Programme

Focuses on game management (tactics and psychological aspects).
 THE ELLESMERIAN 185
Super Hub for North West - Cricket for girls Partnership with
Lydia Greenway
Ellesmere has now been selected as a regional development hub for
the Cricket for Girls Lydia Greenway Cricket Initiative. It is a great
honour for Ellesmere, recognising the hard work of coaches and
pupils to develop the sport in school and to provide a pathway into
the professional game.

Batting in the middle order, Lydia scored 4,108 runs in international

cricket, appearing in 14 tests for England, and is regarded as one of
the best fielders in the game, taking 121 catches. She continues to
play for Southern Vipers and her home county of Kent.

The former England Cricketer visited Ellesmere College to deliver her

'Cricket for Girls' Masterclass to a broad group of invited players
aged 9 to 16 from within school and beyond. Some who are already
playing at County level and other younger attendees were invited to Player Pathway (Overseas experiences)
encourage them to take up the sport during the summer.
Shropshire school pupil bats his way to tour of India
As part of her national initiative, Lydia took the girls through a A Shropshire pupil is continuing to bowl over cricketing experts with
focused two-hour session alongside Evelyn Jones, who captains his talents and was selected to tour India as part of an academy
Lancashire Cricket Club. She was pleased to see such a good level of programme. Josh Andrady, 17, from Mold in North Wales, is a Year 13
interest from the girls in attendance. "I think it's really important to student at Ellesmere College and was named Welsh U17 Cricket
inspire younger girls in sports like cricket," she said. "Today we had a Player of the Year. He was selected for Glamorgan and joined other
good mixture of girls - some of them had played county cricket talented future cricket stars on the pre-season trip to Mumbai.
before whereas some girls were fairly new to the sport. I think it's Gareth Owen, Cricket Academy Director at Ellesmere College, said:
important that whatever ability you're at, you still get the opportunity “Josh is an extremely talented cricketer and we’re delighted he got
to play the game." the opportunity to go on this tour abroad.”

Ellesmere Cricket welcomes players from Scindia School near New

Delhi.
Adhyuday Chauhan and Agrim Kapoor joined the Summer Cricket
Fixtures Programme to develop their skills and generally enjoy a
different culture here at Ellesmere. Both players have played for their
senior school even though they are only U15, and Abhyuday has
played for his state team. Both said that they are benefitting from the
continual practice to develop their skills and coaching and enjoying
other aspects of the school.

OE’s Sam Ellis and Ben Gibbon play winter cricket in Melbourne,
Australia.
An important aspect of the Ellesmere College Pathway Programme is
to encourage players to explore a number of routes to develop their
cricket. As a result of the school’s contacts, both Sam Ellis and Ben
Gibbon have taken up the opportunity to play winter cricket in
Australia. They played high grade cricket, culminating in their team
winning the cup final and both of them being televised live on
national television. Sam opened the batting and Ben the bowling.
Both have also represented their region. Sam said it was a fantastic
experience and allowed him to develop both as a person and
improve their cricket skills. Ben is presently playing 2XI cricket for
Lancashire and Sam is due to undertake trials with Warwickshire
U19.

GO
 THE ELLESMERIAN 186

Sport - The Academies

Rugby

levels, there were fourteen Ellesmere players representing the

traditional County teams such as Shropshire and Cheshire between
Under 16 and Under 18. From this cohort, four went on to represent
the North Midlands with one (Branden Turner) going on to play for
the Midlands in the final stages of the England Under 18s selection
process. Home nations exile teams have also been bolstered by
Ellesmere players such as the Irish Exiles U18s and the Welsh Exiles
Under 16s.

Ellesmere has also continued to make its presence felt in the ever-
changing landscape of Representative Rugby. Six of our pupils
continue to represent the College at Professional Academy level:
Elliot Das Gupta has been involved in the Wasps Under 16s academy,
James Scott, Jac Jones and Ben Rowley have played for Worcester
Under 16s against the likes of Exeter Chiefs and London Saracens,
while Will Davies has also represented Worcester but at Under 18
There is no doubting that school boy rugby is a changing landscape. A level. Finally, Lynx Noumey also represented Leicester Tigers at the
game that has been played in independent schools for over 100 years Under 18 level in several matches.
is clearly under threat from a range of factors such as pupils wanting
to give up the game, specialised staff shortages, and intrusive
academies demanding player priority. At the heart of these threats is
the parental and player concern over injury. This is not without
justification, as my previous report on the 1st XV Michaelmas season
highlights this. These concerns have been given weight by the likes of
Professor Allyson Pollock, who raised public awareness of rugby and
its injury risk. As a result of this negative publicity the numbers of
rugby playing school children across the country is in decline. The
glory days of schools fielding four teams in every age grade seem to
be a thing of the past. However, this perception has recently been
challenged by the RFU whose detailed research has found that the
perception of the likelihood of injury is unfounded. This is particularly
the case up to and including the age of 13, where the risk profile
appears little different from any other game.

Despite this changing climate, Ellesmere College’s rugby continues to

prevail. Each age grade continues to be able to field a squad of 15-18 As previously mentioned, the negative perceptions have been widely
players, it still enjoys a full Saturday fixture list, and senior players still publicised. Fortunately, Ellesmere continues to be blessed by
opt for the sport when given the choice. Ellesmere College has also enthusiastic pupils and supportive parents who understand the
proudly been represented in the usual rugby honours. At senior benefits of the game. These benefits include the instilling of personal
qualities such as teamwork, leadership, and work ethic. Other benefits
include making lifelong friends and lasting memories. It is my hope
that Ellesmere continues to promote these benefits and continues
with its long-standing tradition of rugby union.

AJM
 THE ELLESMERIAN 187
Sport - The Academies
Golf

We have enjoyed another excellent year with the school’s Golf

Academy. Mile End Golf Club continues to be our base and we have
also added to our super golf facilities onsite through the addition of
the skytrak indoor analysis suite.

The year started with our entry into a number of independent

schools and British golf events. We travelled to Scotland for the open
and Kingsacre and down to Collingtree Golf club. During expos week
we enjoyed playing at St Pierre Golf Club and also receiving coaching
at Mile End. We played in the Northern Open at Fleetwood Golf
Club. The juniors enjoyed playing in the Shropshire open. Max
Balmforth won his event with Charlie Boys placing 3rd. This qualified
them both for the Shropshire team. Charlie Boys also enjoyed
considerable success in the Welsh U14 championships. Additionally,
we qualified through to the Independent Schools Golf Association
Plate Matchplay Final and the juniors enjoyed a good run in the Junior
league. The academy has grown, with eight students now enjoying
tuition and developing their game.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 188

Sport - The Academies

Football

Summary of Results
Lakelands Academy U16 Won 5–0
Sir John Talbot’s Won 4–2
Dragon Academy Won 14 – 2
Gobowen FC Won 4–0
Wrekin College Won 5–2
Wrexham AFC U14 Lost 1–2
TRFC ISA Lost 0–3

The Football Academy is now in its second year of existence at

Ellesmere College. The players receive top class, all-year round
training from UEFA Licensed coaches in partnership with EduKick.
Moving on from the initial success of the academy being set-up last
year, this year has seen the academy grow again. The new Head
Coach, Chris Morrell, brought a new dynamic and structure to the
Academy in September and this yielded some good results during
the Michaelmas and Lent terms. It was therefore sad to see Chris
depart the role after only two terms; however, under the coaching of
former Professional player David Raven, the academy has continued
to grow and looks forward to an even busier year next year.

Looking at the results from this year, the first match that the
Academy played was against Lakelands Schools U16 team. This was a
close fought match, despite the score line, and as the match
progressed the players and the team just grew in confidence and
ended up 5-0 winners. This was an excellent first game and from
here the results continued to go our way during the first term and a
half. The next match against Sir John Talbot’s School was also a tough
match and, again, the team, which consisted of a variety of age
groups, played well together and scored some good goals to finish
eventual 4-2 winners. The third match was a bit of a mis-match (we
were much stronger and had to adapt play to make it more evenly
contested); however, scoring 14 goals is no mean feat and well done
to the team.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 189
After Christmas there were not as many matches as several players
were integrated into the school teams and represented the College
at either 1st, 2nd, 3rd, U15, U14, U13 and U12 age groups. However,
towards the end of term the Academy managed to play a couple of
games as an Academy team again. The match against Gobowen FC
was hard-fought, despite the score line, and we had to fight hard for
the 4-0 win. The match against Wrekin College was also a tough
match. They had some good players and we had to work hard in the
first half before our fitness and skill levels eventually showed and we
won 5-2.

Overall, it has been a positive year and looking towards the future it
looks like the academy is going to continue to grow and that even
more fixtures will be played next year. Well done to all that have
been a part of the academy and good luck to those leaving the
academy.

ILR

After Easter the opportunity for matches was reduced due to

examinations taking several players out of the equation during the
daytime. The matches against Wrexham and TRFC ISA (Tranmere
Rovers International Academy) were played after school at 5:00pm.
Both were tough matches against quality opposition. However, we gave
a good account of ourselves and, despite the score lines, played well.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 190

Sport - The Academies

Shooting

This year has seen a strong academy, with our largest ever number rather hasty preparation period before the matches, there were
attending regular training and competing in several events some good results. Carmen Kilgannon stood out by winning her
throughout the year. age category in the English Juniors and finishing 2nd in the British
Championship. The Ellesmere VIII finished 5th overall in strong
Our touring calendar was unfortunately disrupted by the competition from Wellington, Gresham’s, Charterhouse, and
uncertainty over travelling with firearms in the EU, which resulted Sevenoaks.
in our annual trip to Dortmund being cancelled – hopefully we will
be in a position to compete there in 2020. Alongside the British Schools Postal leagues, a team is selected
from the top 20 individuals to represent GB in a postal match
Alongside the termly British Schools Leagues, we travelled to Bisley against New Zealand Schools. Kezzie Hutchings was selected from
in November to compete in the English and British Junior long- Ellesmere and scored an excellent 196 ex 200 in the match which
range championships. Despite a lengthy journey, which meant a was won by GB.

The Lent term heralds our annual match against Sedbergh and
Shrewsbury – this year hosted by Sedbergh. What a close match!
The result was in the balance right up to the last shooters, with
the lead exchanging hands several times between Ellesmere and
Sedbergh. The final result was a win by Sedbergh by a single point,
with Shrewsbury School in 3rd place.

Selection for National teams is also up for grabs in this term and
Ellesmere had 2 nominations: Kezzie Hutchings represented
England B and Will Williamson, Wales B – an exceptional
performance from Will after only having shot once in senior
competition.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 191
We frequently enter events at Appleton, which offers the
opportunity for shoulder to shoulder competition, providing
valuable match experience. This enables our shooters to learn to
cope with the demands of open competition, match pressure, and
to improve their mental approach and preparation. A strong squad
attended the Easter Meeting, with Alan Bain finishing 6th in A Class
at 100 yards in his first event at this level. In C class, Harry Evans
finished 3rd at 50 metres and James Caldwell 4th at 100 yards.

Undoubtedly the main event of the year is the Ashburton Trophy

at Bisley in July. Ellesmere have featured strongly in this event since
2012, winning the trophy for the very first time in 2015 and
placing in the top ten on four other occasions. This year’s team was
relatively inexperienced due to a core of our team leaving last year
As has been mentioned elsewhere, the Academy members feature
– only 3 had shot this match before.
strongly in open competition and it is worth mentioning this is at
senior level, not junior. This young squad will be looking to build on
Three days of individual shooting brought everyone up to speed
their experiences in the coming year.
and there were some very impressive results. Melissa Sinta was
outstanding all week, winning the Schools Hundred, the top
TR
individual competition, from over 500 cadets. She also went on to
win 2 other competitions outright, one with an incredible score of
104 ex 105 in extremely difficult conditions at ranges up to 600
yards. To put this in perspective, the qualifying score for the first
stage of the Queen’s Prize, the premier competition in full-bore
shooting, held the following week, was 99.

On to the Ashburton itself and unfortunately this was not to be

Ellesmere’s year. A target malfunction lost the team time and one
of Melissa’s shots was never found! – in the middle of a string of
Bullseyes. These things do occasionally happen, and it was
heartening to see the team rally round and to support each other
in difficult circumstances. All was not lost however, and Ellesmere
retained the Marches Trophy and the Major Elers Cup and so
didn’t return empty handed.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 192

Sport - The Academies

Titans Swimming Academy

Ellesmere College Swimming Academy Championships

The Class of 2018/19 exceeded the form and performance levels of • 2 Swimmers selected for Team GB at this year’s European Junior
the previous year to make waves wherever they swam in the world Open Water Championships
this season. • 5th place for the squad in this year’s British Summer
Championships Medal Table
• 172 new squad records, 22 new regional records, and 1 new
British Age Group Record

Additionally, all of the coaches were recognised for their skills and
experience through their selection to variously lead the World Open
Water Team GB squad, lead the European Open Water Team GB
squad, and lead sessions on this year’s National Talent Development
program.

It is an intoxicating mix of talent, skill and hard work, and one that
delivers exceptional performance at the highest level of the sport
year on year.

It’s been a terrific journey for the swimmers and one that has seen
the Titans competing around the globe in North America, Western
Europe, Eastern Europe, and South East Asia.

Headline achievements include:

• 2 British Open Titles – Freya Anderson
• 1 Swimmer selected for Team GB at this year’s World
Championships
• 5 Swimmers selected for Team GB at this year’s European Junior
Championships
• 1 Swimmer selected for Team GB at this year’s World Junior
 THE ELLESMERIAN 193
National Team County Championships (October) Swimmers gaining recognition at this year’s event by winning
The traditional curtain raiser to the National event calendar, and this gold in either the Transition or Junior categories were:
year 14 Ellesmere College Titans won their Shropshire county ‘caps’.
Swimming with distinction, Shropshire won promotion into the top • Transition: Charlie Hutchison and Pia Murray
tier of the competition for the very first time after 44 years of trying. • Junior: Maia Hall and George Smith
An amazing achievement given that Shropshire is the smallest
independent county that competes in the competition. Overall, this year’s British Championships saw Titans exceed their
Swimmers capped this year were: 2017/18 performances by:
• Boys: Charlie Hutchison, George Smith, Adam Metcalf, Joel
Thompson, Oliver Covill, Alex Rosser-Barnett, Chris Hooper • Contesting over 128 events
(Captain), and Jake Hutchinson • Qualifying for 37 finals
• Girls: Katie Hale, Pia Murray, Gerda Vasiliauskeite, Ellie Southward • Breaking 21 Titans Club records, 3 Regional records, and 1
(Captain), Hettie D’Ammassa, and Anna Smail British Age Record
• Winning 3 senior medals out of a total medal haul of 21
West Midlands Regional Team (January)
Four Titans were selected into the West Midlands Regional This year’s medallists were Freya Anderson (3), Charlie Hutchison
International Development Team to compete at Amiens in France. (3), Angharad Evans (2), Adam Metcalf (2), Maia Hall (2), Lauren
Earning their Regional selections this year were: Alex Rosser-Barnet, Wetherell (2), Amelia Rodd, George Smith, James Bilbao, Joel
George Smith, Hettie D’Ammassa, and Katie Hale. Thompson, Pia Murray, Jono Adam, and Hector Pardoe.

Shropshire County Championships (February) West Midland Regional Championships (May) / Regional Open
The County Championships provide an opportunity for the younger Water (July)
members of the squad to test their progress and to begin the Titans excelled in this year’s championships, which took place for the
journey of developing race craft. Accompanied by a handful of older last time at the Coventry International pool. Far exceeding last year’s
swimmers who were focused on specific races, 22 Titans took to the medal haul, 49 qualifying Titans collectively won more medals than
pool at Wolverhampton and between them won 152 medals, the next four club programs combined and delivered a fantastic set
including 71 gold medals. of statistics:

This year’s county Champions, all from Lower School, were: Eleanor • 132 - Medals won
Broughton, Katie Hale, Jake Hutchinson, Brook Illingworth, Jake Lee, • 42 - Swimmers who won medals
and James Raw. • 64 - Gold medals / regional titles
• 42 - Silver and 30 Bronze medals
British Swimming Championships (April)
The British Swimming Championships is the most prestigious event
on the domestic swimming calendar and saw defending British
Champion Freya Anderson in action in the Open Category.

A key milestone in her quest for glory at Tokyo 2020, Anderson was
in fine form. She retained her 100m freestyle title before adding both
the 200m freestyle title and a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle
event.

This year’s Regional Champions were: Katie Hale (7), Amelia Rodd
(7), Jake Hutchinson (6), Charlie Hutchison (4), Adam Metcalf (4),
Brooke Illingworth (4), James Raw (4), Jono Adam (4), Evie Floate (3),
Pia Murray (3), Emily Farr (3), Angharad Evans (3), Eleanor Broughton
(3), Hettie D’Ammassa (2), George Smith (2), Gerda Vasiliauskeite
(2), Lauren Wetherell (2), Imogen Rhodes, Ellie Southward, Joel
Thompson, Shannon Dalligan, Phoebe Griffiths, Maia Hall, James
Bilbao, and James Raw.

The relay teams were also in ‘fine fettle’ and qualified for the British
Summer Championships in all but one of the possible events.

European Junior Championships (July)

This year’s European Junior Open Water Championships took place
in Kazan, Russia and saw 5 Titans selected for the 30 strong Great
Britain team. This was more than twice the number selected from
any other program.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 194
Winning medals at this year’s national events were:

British Age Group Championships

• Gold – Charlie Hutchison (3), George Smith (3), Angharad
Evans (2), Hector Pardoe, and Hettie D’Ammassa
• Silver - Charlie Hutchison, Hector Pardoe, and Jono Adam
• Bronze - Joel Thompson (2), Adam Metcalf (2), Jono Adam,
Hettie D’Ammassa
• Relays - The Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team took bronze
(Lauren Wetherell, Phoebe Griffiths, Shannon Dalligan, Amelia
Rodd) as did the Men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team (Hector
Pardoe, Charlie Hutchison, Billy Pettit, Joel Thompson)
English Age Group Championships
• Silver - Gerda Vasiliauskeite, Ayotobi Laguda, Oliver Covill, Emily
Selected for this year’s team were: Farr
• Bronze – Katie Hale (2), Ayotobi Laguda
• Adam Metcalf – 50, 100 Freestyle and 50, 100 Breaststroke
• Charlie Hutchison – 100, 200 Backstroke, 200, 400 IM As a result of their outstanding performances, Henrietta D’Ammassa,
• Joel Thompson – 200, 400 Freestyle and 400 IM Katie Hale, and Oliver Covill have been invited into Stage 1 of the
• Lauren Wetherell – 200, 400 and 800 Freestyle 2019/20 National Talent Development Programme and are joined
• Pia Murray – 50, 100, 200 Butterfly and 50, 100 and 200 there by Olivia Hidayat and Jake Hutchinson.
Backstroke
The national medals earned by Lower School’s Katie Hale (2) and
All five Titans performed well and three of them brought home Oliver Covill show the strength and depth of talent throughout the
European Championship medals; Lauren Wetherell (4x200 Free - entire programme.
Bronze), Pia Murray (4x100 Medley – Bronze), and Adam Metcalf
(4x100 Free – Bronze). World Championships (July)
Freya Anderson was in the form of her life at this year’s
British and English Nationals (July / August) championships, which were held in Gwangju, South Korea. Winning a
The British Age Group and English Age Group national bronze medal in the 4x100m medley relay, Anderson swam lifetime
championships are the primary focus of the academy and are the bests to take 8th place in the WORLD in the 100m freestyle and
yardstick by which the performance of the overall program is judged. also 12th place in the WORLD in the 200m freestyle.
2018/19 saw another exceptional performance by the program.
43 Titans qualified for 203 events across the two championships and
delivered a number of fantastic performances with qualifiers coming
from every squad. Together they achieved:

• 10 national titles
• 19 individual medallists with 8 gaining multiple medals
• 28 medals – 10 gold, 7 silver and 11 bronze (2 by relay team)
• 26 new programme records

Despite missing some key swimmers (Anderson), the College

continued its success in the Top Club Rankings to climb three places
to 5th place in the British Top Club Rankings this year.

With the Olympics only 12 months away, Anderson is looking in

good shape to compete for an Olympic medal or two.

World Junior Championships (July)

Pia Murray added to her success this year with selection for Team GB
at this year’s world Junior Championships, which took place at
Budapest in Hungary.

Pia joined nine other British athletes to compete in this year’s

championships and swam to her personal best times in all of her
events.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 195
Open Water (Various)
2018/19 saw the Titans standing out from the crowd with
international recognition in both the water and on the pier.

Amelia Rodd and Hector Pardoe were both invited to

represent Great Britain at this year’s European Junior Open
Water Championships, which were held in the Czech Republic at Racice.
Racing in the 7.5K event and the 10K event respectively, the program
was also represented on the pier, with Age Performance Coach Marc
Foster selected as the Head Coach of this year’s GB Team.
Pardoe is an established international Open Water swimmer, but this
year Rodd has really made an impact on the scene by coming up
through the National Open Water talent program to win gold for Team
GB in the Elite 7.5K event at the BEST Festival in Mallorca.

Shannon Dalligan, Katie Hale, and Oliver Covill all earned podium places in the Non-Elite categories, with Dalligan beating all of the Elite Team
GB girls to win the opening 5K event of the festival as well as the closing 10K Non-Elite event. Hale also won the Non-Elite Junior 4.5K race.

At a Junior Level, Lower School’s James Raw capped a fine season as well as a committed effort to achieve national success by winning his Swim
England Age Group National 2K race at Sheffield this year to become the 2018/9 British Open Water Champion for his age group (13 Years).
Also from Lower School and qualifying for this year’s Open Water Championships were Katie Hale, Eleanor Broughton, and Jake Hutchinson.

At a senior level, the Titans Head Coach, Alan Bircher, was selected as the Head Coach of Team GB’s Senior Open Water Team, which competed
at this year’s World Championships, held in Gwangju.

A Record-breaking Year (2018/19)

The 2018/19 season saw 24 Titans surpassing the impressive achievements of the 2017/18 season, which had seen 33 Titans set new records
168 times. Always ‘up for a challenge’, the coaches and squad worked tirelessly together to set new standards an astonishing 172 times.

Like last year, 6 swimmers were at the heart of ‘shifting the needle’, together setting new standards 94 times for their respective ages: Freya
Anderson (22), Charlie Hutchison (21), Adam Metcalf (18), George Smith (11), Katie Hale (11), and Maia Hall (11).

Titans also broke ‘senior’ records wherever they went too:

• 23 Regional records – Freya Anderson (16), Adam Metcalf (1), Charlie Hutchison (6)
• 1 British Age Group record – George Smith
 THE ELLESMERIAN 196

Sport - The Academies

Tennis

More National Finals International Success

Ellesmere College Tennis Academy is developing a reputation for In addition to the National successes, Ellesmere can celebrate
producing teams in various age groups who qualify for National Finals developing another International player with Lili Harvey Hemming
of major LTA competitions. This year, for the first time, Ellesmere representing Wales against Scotland in the 14 and under age group.
College Girls Year 8 team qualified for the final stages of the LTA
National Schools Competition placing them in the top 4 in the UK. She follows Aditi Chezhian who played in the Welsh side that beat
England and Scotland last year. Aditi had another successful year,
The finals were held at the Bolton Arena in December and were the becoming Welsh under 16 Champion, under 18 Doubles Champion
climax of a highly competitive event run through the Summer and and Ladies Finalist: not bad for a 14-year-old. She also became the first
Michaelmas terms of 2018. Ellesmere won the Shropshire County player in the Academy to gain a Tennis Europe ranking whilst still at the
section and then successfully overcame challenges from other county College.
champions in the Midlands regional competition.
Thanks to the efforts of players like Lili and Aditi, the reputation of the
In the National Finals our Girls played well, beating Yarm to finish a very Ellesmere College Tennis Academy is spreading around the UK and we
respectable third in the UK. Aditi Chezhian, Lili Harvey Hemming, and can expect more high-level players to show an interest in coming to
Ellie Edwards move on to the Year 9/10 event and I am sure we can Ellesmere to study and improve their tennis.
expect more great results over the coming years.
Llewelyn Bevan completed his A levels last year but has continued to
In the LTA Senior Students competition, all our teams competed well. play tennis competitively around Europe. We are very proud of his
The Girls and the Mixed teams won their respective county and sub- achievements and delighted that he has gained a World ITF ranking.
regional sections, reaching the regional finals. The Boys team went one
stage further and battled their way through to the National Finals No fewer than 12 players represented their County teams at both
played at Bolton Arena in March. Once again, Ellesmere finished in the Junior and Senior level. This number is set to rise as the Academy
top four in the UK, narrowly losing to the eventual winners in a closely develops.
fought match. Congratulations go to Emilis Jukna, Archie Dubbins,
Robert von der Luhe, Konstantin Wiesflecker, Dorian Puzovic, Tillman
Bergmeyer, and Alvaro Salvatella.

Members of the Ellesmere College Tennis Academy

 THE ELLESMERIAN 197
LTA National Age Group Competitions
Our Boys Year 9/10 team won their county section in the LTA
National Schools competition and will play in the regional event
during the coming term. The College philosophy is to grow our
own talent and no team illustrates that better than our Year 9/10
boys’ team. All the players have come through the Academy structure
and are at the head of a new wave of young players who have risen
from the Lower School to compete for the College at a high level.

Team: Matthew Harris, Guy Welti, Peter Swinnerton, Harry Fenton,

Jacob Popplewell.

National finalists, finishing 3rd in the UK

Ellesmere College Winter tournament

programme hailed as a success.
In addition to the extensive coaching programme, the new centre has
already become a popular venue for LTA tournaments and
competitions, many of which our own students can enter. This means
that students can improve their rating and ranking without having to
travel. The competitions also give visiting players a chance to see the
College and all we have to offer to an aspiring young tennis player.

The College has just completed its first season of tournaments, which
Winner of the Prep School Tournament
has seen players travel to Ellesmere from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and
England, from Belfast to Brighton, Eastbourne to Edinburgh and Cardiff
to Carlisle. Prep Schools Tournament
The future of tennis at Ellesmere is bright, as demonstrated at the
Annual Prep Schools Tournament held at Moreton Hall. Adam and
Thomas Jacques won the Under 11 event for the second year and in
the girls Under 13 event we were again victorious, with the title going
to Ellie Edwards and Georgie Prescott. Both pairs beat off competition
from Moreton Hall, Birchfield, Prestfelde, Packwood, and Kings amongst
others.

Thank you to our Captains, Ananya Chezhian and Tillman Bergmeyer,

and our fantastic coaching team, Jaro Novak, Jamie Donaghy, and Matt
Lee, not forgetting our Strength and Conditioning coach, Darren Ruff.
To all the caterers and staff who support the teams behind the scene,
and, of course, to all the players who have raised the bar this year in
terms of work ethic, enthusiasm, and performances.

Primary schools’ coaching programme

SW

Over the year, Ellesmere has hosted nine Grade 4 and 5 events on the
LTA County Tour, three Grade 3 events on the LTA Regional Tour, one
UTR event on the Progress tour, and several local competitions
including the Primary Schools Mini Red finals for North Shropshire and
several grade 6 match play competitions.
Visiting players and referees have reacted very positively to the new
Indoor Courts at the College and the LTA are looking forward to a
long relationship with Ellesmere as a competition venue. Simon
Haddleton, Shropshire County Tournament referee, is enthusiastic
about our facility. “Ellesmere College is a great venue for competition
and has proved itself to be a positive and welcoming venue for players
Aditi Chezhian with the Welsh National Team
from around the region and the UK.”
 THE ELLESMERIAN 198

Ellesmere College
Parents’ Society

This year we have had some great events throughout and have also
sponsored 2 students in the Monduli Green Project, providing them
with a basic allowance and the means to start in Senior School:

• September 2018. A coffee morning took place to welcome new

parents and to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Lower
School pupils also helped us raise some extra funds for this cause as
they brought in lots of delicious cakes that sold really well in the
Bake Sale. Total raised £342.05

The Ellesmere College Parents Society (ECPS) exists to connect

parents (present and past) through fun and exciting events, whilst
raising money for both the College and charities.

At the 2018 AGM the following Committee was confirmed for

2018/2019:

Member Role College Students

Jo Astbury Chair Sons:
• Chris in Year 6; and
• Edward in Year 9
Pauline Hale Chair Daughter Katie in Year 8
Janet Kelly Vice Chair Son James in Year 10
Sue Coll Secretary Daughters:
• Susie in Year 8; and
• Stephie in Year 7
Rebecca Broughton Treasurer Daughter Eleanor in Year 8

• November 2018. We held our annual Christmas Creativity Day for

our craft-loving mums, making fabulous Christmas plaques and
learning how to make sweet gifts that looked (and tasted!) great.
There were even more Christmas jumpers and flashing lights worn
than last year!

• January 2019. A traditional Burns Night celebration to toast the

Haggis and to consume our delicious 7-course Scottish meal. After all
that food, we even managed to dance the night away as everyone
indulged in a little Ceilidh dancing. Washed down by a few drams of
whisky, our Burns Night raised £569.03 for Tear Fund.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 199
• March 2019. We had 2 events this month. One of our members,
Julie Rhodes, invited us along to take a tour round Blush Aesthetics in
Ellesmere and to hear all about the treatments she offers. We
finished off with coffee and cake too. Our second event was a Curry
& Quiz Night where all of our teams exercised their ‘grey matter’
with several rounds of tricky questions set by our resident Quiz
Master. To top off the night we were fuelled by a super curry, some
delicious desserts and, of course, a bar! The raffle proceeds of
£285.20 were donated to Severn Hospice.

• June 2019. Ladies Lunch this year took on the theme of ‘Save the
Children’. Our guest speaker was Richard Jebb, the great, great
nephew of Eglantyne Jebb from Ellesmere who founded Save the
Children 100 years ago. The weather was glorious again and the stalls
made for a good shopping spree during the afternoon. The raffle
raised over £900 which was split between two charities: Save the
Children and the Monduli Green Project.

• May 2019. After the Easter break we held a Coffee Morning so In addition to meeting and events dates in the ‘White Diary’, on our
that we could all get together and catch up over a cuppa and a Facebook page and on the notice boards at school we are also
pastry. It was great to see so many mums there and our raffle raised contactable at [email protected]
£111.45 For the Monduli Green Project.
 THE ELLESMERIAN 200

Old Ellesmerians
The London dinner started the festive season, with over 20 OEs
The Ellesmerian Club
congregating at The Oxford and Cambridge Club for an enjoyable three-
course meal and drinks. The Club thanked the 2017-19 President,
Brigadier Peter Gilbert, and presented him with a Vice Presidency Award.
The season continued with the College’s Candlelit Carol Service in late
November. As always, this was a very popular event and it was great to
see so many OEs back at the College.

The New Year saw our next CITY Drinks event, back at the Antelope,
Belgravia. We were joined by Physics Master, Mr Dale Crawford, who
proved to be very popular and attracted a crowd of OEs of varying
ages.

During the Easter holidays, a group of international and UK OEs

returned to College for an International Reunion. Guests started to
arrive on Friday afternoon ahead of an ‘old school’ dinner in the Dining
Hall, followed by a ‘University Challenge’ style quiz, hosted by Mr
Crawford. Former students roamed the grounds and the surrounding
It has been a busy year for The Ellesmerian Club with many events,
area at their leisure during the day on Saturday before dressing up for a
reunions and get togethers. The Club is working hard to engage with
gala dinner, casino, gin tasting and disco in the evening. OEs then retired
OEs of all ages and we are pleased to see that more OEs are interacting
for a good night’s sleep in their old dorms!
with the College than ever before.

The year started with the annual Northern Dinner, which returned to
the recently renovated Stanneylands, there was a great turnout and an
enjoyable evening was had by all. Thank you to Head Boy, Barney Hill, and
Head Girl, Kim Ong, for joining us. This was closely followed by the first
of three CITY Drinks events of the year at the Antelope, Belgravia with
our special guest, Mr Martin Clewlow. It was great to see so many of our
younger OEs who are now embarking on their studies and careers in
the city.

Remembrance saw a full Chapel of OEs and their families, staff and
students join us for a beautiful and poignant service where we
remembered the 218 Old Ellesmerians who lost their lives in the First
and Second World Wars. Many of the OEs stayed for lunch and a tour of
the College, with Old Ellesmerian and College Archivist, Paul Russell.
Visitors could see how and where the school has changed since their
time here and enjoyed a beautiful autumnal afternoon walking across the
In June, a group of OEs visited the College for the annual OE lunch
terraces, admiring the Shropshire landscape.
where we remembered two stalwarts of the OE Club, Barrie Keenan
and David Leftwich, who we sadly lost at the end of 2018. Trees were
planted in their memory and a short service of dedication was held by
the College’s Chaplain, Fr Phillip Gration. Guests then visited the Hope
House Car Rally and the College’s National Art Exhibition - a regular
event in the OE calendar.

The year concluded with the College’s Speech Day where the school’s
leavers received a warm welcome to the Ellesmerian Club. We also said
goodbye to honorary OE, Phillip Wood, who retires from the College
after 40 years’ and 1 term’s service. We wish Phillip and his wife, Pat, well
and hope they enjoy their retirement.

We would like to thank our President, Brigadier Peter Gilbert, for his
help and support over the last two years. Peter has been present at
many of the above events and continues to be a key member
 THE ELLESMERIAN 201
of the Executive Committee. The Club appreciates the time
and effort he has devoted to them during his time as
President. We now welcome Dr Robert Russel, president of
the Club for 2019-21.

We would also like to thank John Harvey, who has been a

very active member of the OE Club for 50 years. John
retired from the executive committee earlier this year but
we hope to see him at future events at the College.

2019-20 promises to be just as busy and exciting as the last

year has been. Look out for our International Reunion in
Hamburg, sports events at College and OE Golf Day, which
are sure to be great fun and an exciting opportunity to
meet up with Ellesmerian friends, old and new.

Meet the new Ellesmerian Club President!

Ahead of the annual Ellesmerian Club Luncheon, the Club welcomed its new
President for 2019-2021, Dr Robert Russell [Talbot 1974].

Robert was born in Malaysia where he lived until the age of eight years when
he left for boarding school in England. At 13 years he joined Ellesmere
College as a Talbot boy. Robert really enjoyed his time at school, making new
friends and learning and absorbing the new culture in which he found himself.
He finished his secondary schooling at 19 years, having taken and passed his A
Levels.

After leaving school Robert wanted to travel the world, and did so for several
years, going to Europe, USA, Asia and Australia, taking up numerous part-time
jobs along the way. At 23 years he finally embarked on tertiary education
undertaking a three year course in Rural Estate Management at the Royal
Agricultural College, Cirencester, with a view to joining the family tea growing
business in Malaysia.

Upon graduating Robert decided to work in Singapore instead, where he

stayed until he married in 1984 and returned to the UK in 1985. Robert
started a family and continued in property until the 1989 crash, when he decided that he would pursue a career as a Personal
Development Consultant. After much formal training, he commenced working full-time as a professionally qualified personal
development consultant in 1991, initially under his own trading name of Robert Russell, offering Hypnotherapy, NLP, CBT, Stress
Management and EMDR. He quickly threw himself into his new passion and started taking further relevant courses, particularly certified
courses in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), in order to advance his knowledge and ability to help clients. By
1995 Robert was lecturing students in Hypnotherapy, NLP, CBT, Stress Management and EMDR.

After taking on numerous celebrity clients, Robert managed to showcase and discuss his work in the media through TV, newspapers and
magazines. He then expanded his business further and in doing so set up Mindset Synergy to promote Hypnotherapy, NLP, CBT, Stress
Management and EMDR, along with Business Motivation and Development, Goal Setting, Team Building and Sport Psychology. He
progressed his career through contracts with several companies. He still sees individual clients and supports them on personal issues and
continues to undertake student lecturing.

As Robert's work has progressed, he has set up Training Alliance Group (TAG) along with two other experienced personal development
trainers. Through his various personal development ventures, Robert is enthusiastic about his work and his future in the years ahead.

Robert has been an avid supporter of the OE Club for many years and is a regular attendee of our London based events.
THE ELLESMERIAN 202
Old Ellesmerian Obituaries
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of two stalwarts of the Ellesmerian Club.

Barrie Hurrell Keenan

Barrie was born in Heswall, Cheshire on 25th March 1935, the only son of Leslie and
Mabel. After being educated at Ellesmere College, he carried out two years’ National
Service in the Royal Navy. He served most of his time on the battleship HMS Vanguard, a
period he thoroughly enjoyed.

He then joined a firm of Liverpool cotton merchants, of which his father was a partner,
where he spent the rest of his working life. He was in due course elected President of
The Cotton Association during which year he visited most, if not all, of the cotton
producing countries of the world. He was accompanied on his travels by Avril whom he
had married in 1963.

Barrie joined Heswall Golf Club as a young man and developed a lifelong enthusiasm for
golf and became Captain at Heswall in 1977. He was a life member of the Old
Ellesmerian Club maintaining friendships formed at school, attending dinners and the
annual OE golf day at Oswestry. He organised the golf meeting for many years, was
Chairman of the Liverpool Region, served on the Club Committee and was President in
1989.

Barrie and Avril had two children, Ross and Holly, both of whom were educated at
Ellesmere.

Born: 25th March 1935. Died: 21st November 2018.

David Russell Leftwich

David was born in Liverpool Maternity Hospital on 24th March 1943, the only son of
Russell and Dorothy who were living in Greasby, Wirral, Cheshire.

After being educated at Ellesmere College, David tried his hand at farming. It did not take
him long to realise that farming was not for him.

David then joined Jones and Chapman, a firm of estate agents on the Wirral. Within that
firm he trained with Eric Murch eventually forming a partnership with Eric to carry on
the business of estate agents, which they did for many years.

David was a life member of the Old Ellesmerian Club of which he became an active
member and enthusiastic supporter. He was Chairman of the Club, an organiser of
dinners and other events and served as President in 1993.

David married Wendy with whom he had a son, Nick, who was also educated at
Ellesmere, and daughter, Sally.

Born 24th March 1943. Died 4th January 2019.

 THE ELLESMERIAN 203
years ago. Not only were there former students attending, but
also some of the Masters from their time at the College. There
were comments of how the Masters had shaped them into
the people they are today and there was a noticeable respect
between the old boys and their teachers.

After having some lunch and taking some group photographs, the
chaps got changed and headed out to the First XI pitch for some
rugby drills. A brief memorial took place in honour of Maurice Gray,
former Chaplain at the College, before the rugby fun began. In four
groups they practiced their kicking, throwing and passing skills before
calling it a day and making their way down to the Boathouse for a well
deserved dinner.
OE Reunion ’75-‘78
On a beautiful, crisp, autumnal morning in November, a group of 28
Old Ellesmerians gathered at the College for a spot of lunch and to
play some Rugby together.

The event, which was organised by Gareth Owen and Guy Chambers,
included OEs who were friends at the College between 1975 and
1978. They all had a common love of rugger and decided to arrange a
reunion around this.

They arrived mid-morning for some nibbles and fizz in the Dining Hall,
it was spectacular to watch the gentlemen greeting each other after
not seeing one another, for some, since they left the school over 40

In 2012, Nick became Director of External Relations, managing the

Admissions, Development and Marketing departments. He has raised in
excess of one million pounds through a comprehensive fundraising
portfolio, which has included an annual fund, legacy campaigns,
scholarship and bursary appeals and some major capital projects. He
has created a culture of engagement with the schools’ alumni, which has
led to old boys and girls sponsoring students through Sixth Form,
mentoring students and providing regular career talks at the school.

Nick is a Fellow of IDPE, having also served as a Trustee and Chairman.

Through IDPE he has mentored many development professionals and
assisted with setting up new Development offices in schools
nationwide, passing on his knowledge and expertise to help them to
generate new income streams. He is a regular speaker at the IDPE
Toolkit and Annual Conference.
Nick Pettingale receives IDPE’s Lifetime
Headmaster, Brendan Wignall, said ‘Nick has been a fantastic member of
Achievement Award as he retires as Director of
the Ellesmere Senior Management Team and someone in whom I place
External Relations at the College
absolute trust. In his time at Ellesmere his role has expanded
As the Office of External Relations bid goodbye to its Director, Nick
considerably and he is respected throughout the College, by pupils, staff,
Pettingale, he celebrated receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award
governors and alumni.’
from IDPE, an organisation he has worked closely with for 15 years.

The judging panel of the IDPE 2019 Development Awards commented,

The award recognises an individual’s longstanding service and sustained
’Nick has had a strong impact within the two schools where he has
dedication to the schools’ development profession and is awarded to a
worked and has been a generous mentor to a number of professionals
development professional, head, bursar or governor who has an
in the sector. He has demonstrated a sustained commitment and
outstanding record of achievement, engaging with and promoting
dedication to the sector.’
schools’ development at a very senior level.

Although Nick hasn’t retired from the College entirely, as he will still be
Nick joined Ellesmere College in 2009 as Director of Development
looking after our International Development, he will be sorely missed in
following five years setting up a charitable foundation at Stamford
the office day to day. We wish him and his wife a long and happy
Endowed Schools. Before this, he spent over thirty years working in
retirement.
development, fundraising and pioneering charity work.
Ellesmere | Shropshire | SY12 9AB | United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1691 622321 | Fax: +44 (0)1691 623286 | E-mail: [email protected]