Over the summer, five pupils from Oundle scaled the heights of Africa’s highest peak in aid of Niamh’s Next Step. Peter Christianakis (F), Frankie Hunt (Sc), Alex Verge (G), Jamie Sherlock and Joe Waind raised an impressive £5500 for the charity.

Niamh’s Next Step was established in December 2012 after the Currys lost their five-year-old daughter Niamh to the childhood cancer, neuroblastoma, in May 2012. Founder Chris Curry spoke at a Community Action Field Weekend about his work to raise funds for research, and his talk inspired the boys to nominate the charity for their Kilimanjaro climb.

The climb was characterised by many challenges. The most difficult section was the bitterly cold final assent, when they woke up at 1am and climbed all night in the dark in an effort to arrive at the top for sunrise. They could only walk 100m at a time, and then had to rest for ten minutes to acclimatise to the thin air. With temperatures at minus 10 degrees, there were hours of complete silence as everyone in the group concentrated on pushing through fatigue and altitude sickness.

Their exultation at mounting the summit to look out over the other peaks above the clouds, was matched by the relief of finally reaching the bottom after a gruelling descent, where they could appreciate what they had achieved.

Neuroblastoma is an aggressive cancer that mainly affects children. Around 100 children in the UK are diagnosed with neuroblastoma each year, of which only around 30% will survive. Niamh’s Next Step aims to raise funds and awareness of neuroblastoma, whilst offering help, support and advice to children and families affected by childhood cancer.

Design and Technology pupils, Oliver Starling (Ldr), Jack Townend (Sc), Thomas Kirkup (Sc), Lucas Podmore (Ldr) and Henry Orlebar (L) have each been awarded a much sought-after Arkwright Engineering Scholarship, which identifies them as some of the country’s future leaders in engineering and related areas of design. 

Scholars are selected for their potential as future engineering leaders by assessment of their academic, practical and leadership skills in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) through a rigorous process comprising: an application form and a teacher’s supporting reference; a two-hour aptitude exam; a university-based interview. The scholarships support pupils through their Sixth Form studies and encourage them into top universities or higher apprenticeships.

Ollie, whose scholarship is sponsored by Sir William Lyon’s Charitable Trust, is working on ideas for a project using renewable energy.

Jack’s scholarship is sponsored by The Emmott Foundation. His recent DT project was a longboard with a specialised braking system, while during a work experience opportunity over the summer Jack researched and designed a component for a particle accelerator. He hopes to study either mechanical engineering or aerospace engineering.

Tom has plans for a 1970s speedboat restoration project and would like to restore the engine for his EPQ project. His scholarship is sponsored by The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board.

Lucas hopes to pursue a career in energy engineering and is currently working on a parabolic trough. His scholarship is sponsored by The National Grid.

Henry’s scholarship is sponsored by The Nuclear Institute. In his spare time, he is currently restoring a Citroen 2CV6 1989, and hopes to study engineering at university.

The scholarships consist of an annual financial award to each Scholar and their school, and a range of enrichment activities, such as mentoring and industry visits. Arkwright Engineering Scholarships are highly regarded by universities and industry and are one of the most prestigious accolades that a talented Sixth Form pupil can achieve.

The awards will be formally presented to the pupils at a ceremony supported by The Institution of Engineering and Technology later in the year.

On Saturday the Rugby Club played a full fixture away at Harrow, and returned with six wins and eight losses. At the top end, nerves were on edge from the onset and ill-disciplined and scrappy rugby was played by both 1st XV sides at the start of the first half. Oundle found their rhythm and began to apply pressure at the end of the first half, but efforts were thwarted by a strong Harrow defence. During the second half, Harrow’s attack proved its worth, and a few well-constructed tries saw a lead in Harrow’s favour. A tough final loss at 15-7, but the team was said to have learned a lot from it.

On Saturday the girls 1st XI hockey played Trent. Expecting a strong turnout from Trent, the Oundle girls took the initiative and opened with aggressive style. Trent soon fought back, relentlessly attacking the Oundle defence. Minna Coke (D) had to make some vital saves and Esme Wishart (W) sent some crucial outlets to our midfield where Grace Easterbrook (Sn) and Lily Craven (Sn) tried to send the ball in our attacking direction towards Hebe Hughes (K) on the right wing. Unfortunately three minutes before half time, Trent scored in a short corner. A deflated Oundle leaked another goal after half time. Oundle showed some determination when Frannie Aldridge (K) scored Oundle’s first goal. Unfortunately it was too little, too late. Oundle’s attack was no match for the Trent defence in the last ten minutes; the final score was 2-1 to Trent.

The U15s had better luck with only one loss out of five games in fixtures against Kimbolton and Trent. The U15A team enjoyed a decisive win, 7-1, while the U16s won two games and drew one.

The boys 1st V squash team played against Rugby School at home. Oundle’s first encounter of the new season was a very convincing win, 5-0 to Oundle. The squash team sent the message out that they mean business this season, and they are confident they will only get stronger with tougher matches to come.

The boys U16 squash team were thrown in at the deep end against Rugby School. Despite the team’s inexperience, they showed immense potential with a 3-1 win. Hugh Stanton's (F) match was the most captivating victory, after he battled it out for five games.

Dylan Martens (L)

The annual Charity Fair was held on Sunday afternoon, with Lower Sixth Form pupils from each House devising a variety of games and stalls to raise funds for their designated charities.

Pupils chose a wide range of charities to support, including the Adam Rogers Trust, Bloodwise, Wateraid and the British Heart Foundation. Wood Green animal shelter and the local Air Ambulance were also represented, and a total of just under £1000 was raised in just a few hours.

The event provides an opportunity for fundraising and also helps pupils get a taste for philanthropic activities. Some stalls were just for fun, such as throwing sponges at teachers, and an egg roulette game, whilst others raised awareness of issues, such as a memory testing game for Alzheimer’s UK.

Last year, pupil initiatives and giving, including the Fourth Form’s involvement in the Big Give Philanthropy in schools programme, raised more than £114,000 for local, national and international charities.
 

The fixture against midland rivals Bromsgrove has history; the national semi-final was lucky enough to witness a masterpiece of school rugby at Allianz Park last season, so there were some wagers placed in anticipation of the 1st XV match.

Oundle conceded early, with Bromsgrove exploiting an overlap out wide and an aerial mismatch. They kicked the ball cross-field to their winger who scored in the corner. Oundle defended an astute Bromsgrove maul and soaked up a lot of pressure after this score. Angus McRae (StA) got Oundle on the scoreboard via the boot. From here on, Oundle hammered the Bromsgrove line, although lacking any venom near the try line. They eventually took the lead as Ben Curry (S), returning from injury, crashed over. McRae converted and added another penalty to take Oundle into a 13-5 lead.

Despite leading, Oundle made simple errors under pressure. Bromsgrove didn't produce anything special nor tear open holes in Oundle's defence, yet the white wall continued to concede needless penalties and executed decisions badly. Oundle gave away one penalty too many, resulting in ten minutes in the bin. Bromsgrove went over despite a relentless defence. With five minutes to go, Oundle lead 13-10. The error count didn't change and Bromsgrove converted a penalty to take it to 13-13. They didn't give in, changing direction of play several times, only for the Oundle organisation to finally give and for the maroon side to score.

Hosting Stowe on Two Acre awaits.

Returning to Oundle from the summer holiday, the badminton 1st and 2nd mixed teams had an away match against Oakham. The 1st team drew while the 2nd lost with a tight score, 10 - 8.

Oundle teams performed very well in the single games, winning three of the four games in total. From the 1st team, Teck Cheah (Ldr) exhibited astonishing skills in his single game, using a mixture of strong smashes and trick shots to control the pace of the game, beating his opponent with an impressive score, 6 - 21. Christopher Bird (L) in the 2nd team, notwithstanding his little experience in badminton matches, showed an outstanding performance in his games. Through communication and different strategies, Christopher and his partners won most of their doubles and mixed games. The girls also gave a satisfactory performance in their games, taking 8 of their mixed games. Matilda Cooper (D) showed a high level of consistency in her games, giving the opposite team an intensive game.

The masterclass with Sam Ward last Sunday proved to be extremely beneficial to the team, enhancing their basic skills to be applied to games in the future.
On Tuesday the Squash Club hosted Uppingham at home. The 1st V won 3 matches and lost 2. There were some notable performances from Dylan Martens (L) whose individual match score was 3-0, as well as from Alex Swanston (G) and Jack Murphy (B) who both won 3-1.

The 2nd V also won 3 and lost 2. Charles Oppenheim (F), Harry Daniels (G) and Alec Bruce-Gardyne (Ldr) produced memorable performances.

The U16 V lost 3 and won 2. There were some spirited efforts from Tom Farmer (S) and Hugo Maynell (Ldr) who won their matches.

Oundle were delighted to pull off an overall victory against traditional rivals with 8 wins and 7 losses across the fixture.

On Thursday the 1st V played away against Bromsgrove. Despite the wearisome bus journey, the Oundle players arrived on court fresh and full of confidence and the fixture was won convincingly, 4-1. Sam Boscawen (B), Kieran Marray (L) and Dylan Martens (L) all managed to win their games 3-0.

Oundle's XI faced The Perse at the weekend. A fired-up Oundle side pressed hard, forcing early Perse errors. In any sport, possession is key and having a lot so early on benefited Oundle hugely, resulting in many shots on target. After a series of short corners and free hits, Oundle still couldn't score. Yet, after a stern effort from Perse, Oundle managed to nick a goal before half time via Anna Hodgkinson (N). With the 1 goal cushion sealed, Oundle oozed confidence. Hodgkinson continued to pester, stealing the ball out of the keeper's legs, slamming it into the back board. Hodgkinson later secured her hat trick from the penalty spot. Izzy Myers (Sn) scored the 4th goal through a deflection off Frannie Aldridge's (K) sharp cross into the D. Lily Craven (Sn) who has displayed some encouraging early season form was rewarded with a wonder goal, slapping the ball on her reverse stick into the top right corner. Credit must be given to Annabelle Barker (N) and Flo Garnett (D), who maintained yet another clean sheet. 5-0 against a very capable Perse side was a dream result for Oundle.

On Thursday, the Swimming Club competed in their first competition of the year. In a multi-school gala, Oundle managed to secure its place as a leading school for swimming, making 5 out of the 8 finals. The intermediate girls performed well with enthusiastic swimming and great support from the team. Imo Caudwell (Sn) gave a particularly strong performance. The intermediate boys achieved great results with personal bests from many.

Finn Clarkson (Sc) competed for the senior team, winning a bronze medal, somewhat against the odds. The senior girls were impressive, with vice-captain Eliza Dundas (D) leading from the fore, and setting example with her attitude. The senior boys won multiple medals in medley and freestyle races, with Ryan Ho (C) impressing all the teams with his speed.

Finn Clarkson gave the swim of the gala, and gained back 15 metres to secure 3rd place, despite being in Fourth Form. Although Bromsgrove were strong, our conduct and support for all teams was exemplary and tone-setting, particularly during the medals ceremony.
Eleven personal bests were gained in this gala and two records were broken: Ryan Ho broke the 50m breaststroke record, which had been held by Sam Woodfield since 2008. Sam’s record was 35.16 seconds and Ryan’s time was a close 35.15 seconds. The other record was achieved by James Alley (G) broke Bruno Ngou’s time of 25.74 with 25.14 seconds. This is a stunning reflection of the quality of the team; overall this was a very successful gala, both in terms of silverware and atmosphere.

Doug Russell (Ldr)

To celebrate European Day of Languages this year, the Modern Languages department invited the best kind of role model they could think up to come and speak to pupils. Hyperpolyglot Richard Simcott, often referred to as the ‘Ambassador for Multilingualism’ was flown over from Macedonia to spend a couple of days in the department. Richard, who is originally from Chester, and who previously worked for the Foreign Office, has studied 40 languages and uses over 20 of them on a weekly basis in his personal life, as well as his work.

Richard began with a debate with the language teachers about his ideas of how to motivate language learners. On Friday evening he gave a Society talk to Sixth Formers and then on Saturday led a series of polyglot workshops and talks. Around 700 pupils came into contact with him. The crowd that gathered around him a break  quizzing him about the languages he could speak was proof of the impact he had and his almost ‘celebrity’ status.

My favourite moment was when the Third Form asked him questions in Dutch, Russian, Mandarin, Thai, French, Spanish, Italian and sign language, and then requested that he spoke French in a scouse accent. None of this fazed him!

So what is his secret? Richard says the key is finding your motivation for learning the language of your choice. Once you have done this, it is all about making your language learning part of your every day life and daily routine. If you have another hobby that you can further in that language, all the better.

‘Over-learn it’, he said. ‘Expose yourself to that language in both an active and passive way as you did as a child when you were learning your first language.’

However my favourite quote of the weekend was, ‘If you are blind, you don’t know what it’s like to see. If you’re deaf, you don’t know what it’s like to hear. If you are a monoglot, you see the world in black and white and you don’t know what it’s like to see the colour of the world.’

S Davidson

When Waiting for Godot first opened at the Arts Theatre Club on January 5^th 1953, it was not met with universal acclaim. Some were bored, some confused, some left at the interval, some before. However, Irish Times critic Vivian Mercier described it as a play where nothing happens twice and yet it keeps the audience glued to its seats. 

Charlie Rogers’ (S) production not only battled the bewildering vagaries of Beckett’s most significant work, but also the challenges of outdoor performance.  Staged in the round with the lonely tree of the School Cloister’s as its centre point, a remarkable version of the play was produced by a tremendously able cast. Nothing did happen, twice, and yet despite the autumn chill in the air and the chiming bells of St Peter’s, the audience remained glued to their seats whilst two Charlie Chaplin like tramps waited….and waited.

Director Charlie Rogers and Assistant Director Tom Younger (G) took the two central roles of Valdimer and Estragon. Together they made a compelling tragic-comic duo. Their onstage relationship, with all its twists and turns gave real heart to this elusive piece and their Laurel and Hardy-esq physical comedy showed great skill and precision. 

Coco Brown (W) was a strangely beguiling, but nonetheless brutal slave-master Pozzo, alongside Axi Hobil’s (Ldr) much maligned Lucky.  His tender portrayal of the character engendered genuine sympathy from the audience whilst Ed Hodgson (Sc) as the boy, communicated an innocence and fragility which gave the play depth and variety.

N M Jones

Community Action pupils enjoyed a busy itinerary over the Michaelmas Field Weekend.

On Saturday 26 September, 112 pupils and seven members of staff headed to Birmingham to experience a night under cardboard in a car park at St Basils, one of the largest and most successful agencies in the United Kingdom working with young homeless people.

For one night, pupils had a taste of the reality experienced by the thousands of young people who sleep rough. It is hoped that as well as raising awareness of the plight of homeless people, the Sleep Out will raise in excess of £8000 for this very worthy charity. Various talks on the work of St Basils were given throughout the evening by organisers and residents.

The next day on Sunday, over 200 visitors to the School, hosted by over 150 pupils, took part in Have a Go Day, participating in various activities from swimming and badminton to crazy golf and face painting and even traction engine rides around the School’s grounds.

Have a Go Day provides an encouraging environment in which visitors with special needs can try their hand at new sports and activities in a safe and familiar environment. Some visitors make a bee-line for their favourite activity as soon as they arrive; the archery is always extremely popular and well supported. Others like to try their hand at rounders or cricket, and football is always popular.

Finally, on Monday, pupils attended a series of talks beginning with volunteers from the new youth café at Fletton House, a local Oxfam volunteer who has recently returned from Rwanda, and a fundraising team from Lepra.

The weekend finished with talks about ‘Modern Slavery’ by International Needs executive directors from the UK, Ghana and Canada.
 

The 1st XV rugby team hosted Stowe on Saturday, and our home team showed much improvement against a strong opposition. Inspired by vocal home support, Oundle attacked with fluency and intent, epitomised by the industrious Ben (S) and Tom (G) Curry twins, and an exceptional performance from fly half Freddie Johnsrud (Ldr). Our defence proved impregnable, with Stowe unable to score a try. The final score was 20-9 to Oundle. After a tough start to the season, Oundle have the ball rolling. An Oakham fixture awaits this week. 

The 1st XI girls hockey team played Oakham away. In light of their notorious rivalry, both teams started aggressively. Oundle’s defence strategically targeted their key player. Esme Wishart (W) and Annabel Barker (N) double-teamed to prevent her from using her pace and skill to get past the deeper defence. Anna Hodgkinson (N) scored the first goal. After Oakham equalized, Oundle fought hard, however the standard of play declined as the team tired in the second half. Oakham’s star player took advantage of this and scored two more points despite tremendous effort from Minna Coke (D) in goal. The final score was 3-1 to Oakham.

The Squash Club played away against Stamford. The 1st V won 4 and lost 1 in a solid performance with some convincing wins. In particular, Alex Swanston (G) showed his grit against an irate opponent, maintaining focus and snatching victory in the final stage of the final game, 3-2.

In the second Squash Club fixture of the week, Oakham visited Oundle. The 1st V continued their winning run and won 4 and lost 1 due to injury. Alex Swanston and Kieran Marray (L) put on an excellent exhibition of their talent, both winning 3-0.

The 2nd V fixture was a nail-biter which was won in the end 3-2 to Oundle. Tom Farmer (S) had to step up to the mark to replace an injured player and pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory. With the fixture at 2-2 all the pressure was then on Ryan Cheng (Ldr) in the deciding match. He played brilliantly and won 3-2, clinching an overall Oundle win.

The Swimming Club travelled to Bramcote to compete in the annual ESSA regional qualifiers, where they were met by some of the toughest competition from a variety of schools across the Midlands. The teams were age categorised, with swimmers from 11+ to 18 years. The Club was strong in both medley and front crawl relays against challenging opposition, and all competed with spirit.

The badminton teams had a tight match against Rugby away. The boys drew while the girls lost by just one game. Ben Bird (L) and Marcus Lo (C) played as the fourth pair of the boys team and performed extremely well. James Clayton (L) and Francis Yiu (Sc) showed excellent teamwork even though it was their first time playing doubles together. They used varying formations and strategies to gain the control of the pace of their games, giving their opponents some exciting games.

The girls team made great improvements from their previous match. Sophie Crowe (K) and Tilly Cooper (D) both showed great determination and attacking skills by using many strong smashes and high shots to interrupt the formations of the opposing pairs. However, up against some well-experienced teams, their weaknesses were spotted, and their opponents limited opportunities for the Oundle side to progress.

Dylan Martens (L)

Six Oundle hockey scholars attended the sixth MT13 Annual Conference at Repton School, with one of the best line-ups for a number of years. Among the coaches attending the conference were Florian Fuchs (International Hockey Federation Young Player of the Year 2012), Christopher Ruhr, a fellow German international, and Toon Siepman, a leading expert in drag flicking who has worked with the top drag flickers, such as Anna Flanagan.

During the conference Georgie Pringle (W) was lucky enough to have a one-on-one session with Toon. As well as leading international stars, top players from local clubs were also involving in coaching the players.

The morning sessions comprised a series of drills that incorporated game-like scenarios, as well as more technical skills such as drag flicking and 3D skills. The second half of the day involved indoor hockey (the modern game) and breaking the defensive line, which will be helpful for the coming fixtures.

The participating coaches attended lectures by Adam Commens, who is currently the Australian women's senior hockey coach, and by Toon Siepman, who talked about the technical side of the drag flick, demonstrating examples to the staff.

All in all, the day was very beneficial to all the Oundle pupils and coaches.

K Hoskins

On the evening of Tuesday 6th October, the Spanish Society welcomed Dr Paul O’Neill for a much anticipated talk entitled, ‘Linguistics, Language and Identity’. He began by speaking about his experiences abroad on a farm in Spain where he discovered the importance and variation of pronunciation after mispronouncing a word. This was because he found it difficult to differentiate between two phonetic sounds due to his own Geordie accent. This sparked his interest in the subject of linguistics and phonetics, and he now finds himself writing a book composed of the specifics of various sounds.

Dr O’Neill gave an introduction to the science of linguistics which emphasised the importance of linguistics in all walks of life. We learnt about different types of phonemes, how these are produced and how these affect the manner in which one pronounces a word. We were all intrigued by the subtle differences that we usually take for granted, and yet heavily impact our speech. The talk was made even more effective, as it focused on how linguistics applies to the study of the Spanish language.

Dr O’Neill studied Classics and Spanish at Brasenose College, Oxford before moving to Madrid to complete the equivalent of a MPhil, writing his thesis on the phonetics of Andalusian Spanish. He then returned to Britain and studied once again at Oxford. Dr O’Neill then worked at Liverpool University teaching Hispanic linguistics and currently lectures at Sheffield for the department of Hispanic Studies.

Lara Haughney (L)

The 1st XV had a tough week with Oakham away and NSB in the space of five days, both were gritty affairs with Oundle really showing how to win.

Below is an excerpt from the Fifteen Rugby’s report of Oundle vs Oakham. Photos from the match are available on their website: Fifteen Rugby Photos

"The 24-10 scoreline in Oundle’s favour masks what was actually an incredibly tight game, with it really looking like it could go right to the wire. Only in the final few minutes did Oundle turn a 14-10 lead into that more commanding looking 24-10 final score.

If there were two players who defined this game though, it was Oundle’s twins, the Curry brothers. Tom (G) at number 8 and Ben (S) and openside. They were simply immense. Watching them is like looking at a throwback to the international back rows of the early nineties, or to any South African back row. It is abrasive and all action back row play. Neither is afraid to let a fly half know they are there, and they are always there, every breakdown, every play, every chargedown, they are always there.

It is to Oakham’s credit then, that in the face of that they could remain so much in the game.

Oundle opened up an 8-0 lead in the opening quarter of an hour after a Ben Curry (S) try at the tail of an Oundle maul and a penalty from wing Angus McRae (StA).

McRae pegged back a penalty though to give Oundle an 11-7 half time lead. Both sides had reason to be positive, Oundle had looked the better side on balance but Oakham had ridden the storm and seemed to be in the hunt again.

A huge second half seemed on the cards, and so it was. What followed was a brilliant, intense, rugged half of rugby from both sides. It probably was not the prettiest, but that really was not the point. This was school rugby doing what school rugby does, producing intensity that you can feel as a spectator.

Oundle gained the first points of the half, another McRae penalty, to go 14-7 ahead. Bagshaw was then sin binned for Oakham after over enthusiastically moving a player away at the maul, and there was a sense that with a man advantage and a seven point lead, this was Oundle’s moment.

Certainly they tried, Curry was right up in Riddington’s face as he started to use his boot more, while the breakdown was becoming like trench warfare, yet Oakham would not yield.

That tenaciousness paid off and, with just over ten minutes left and back up to fifteen men, Lewis landed a penalty to close it to 14-10. All of a sudden the game was anyone’s to win, and with the players from the earlier kick offs now surrounding the pitch, raising the atmosphere, the intensity seemed to lift another notch, impossibly.

Oundle had the running of it and began to really bang at the Oakham door. Captain George Chatterton (F) at scrum half was showing good composure to keep his side playing the way they wanted, but still Oakham would not let them through.

Broken field seemed the best bet, kick returns and grubbers through seemed to be looking promising for Oundle, as did turnover ball, and it was through one such broken field set of play that they eventually got the breakthrough with barely over a minute left to play as they swept over to the right hand side of the field to score a dramatic late try. It was heart breaking for Oakham, and a further blow to the chest, as McRae landed a brilliant touchline conversion to make it 21-10 with a minute left.

Straight from the kick off Oundle were back on Oakham’s 22, and when the home side conceded a penalty, Tom Curry’s natural instinct to get the game done and dusted kicked in. Straight away he put the ball down, forcing the referee to give the penalty and then pointing straight at the posts before Chatterton could raise an objection. As competitive a beast as there is.

McRae of course obliged, giving Oundle the 24-10 victory. It was a brilliant game, for which both sides deserve immense credit. Robbie Hayes (StA) looked promising on debut, controlling the lineout well. Curry (S), Keane (L) and Tusa (S) all scored from close range.

The second half was a brutal and intense affair that neither side’s bodies will forget in a hurry. Oundle deserved their win, and look set to cause real problems to teams all year.”

During the day, a total of 10 rugby matches were played between the Oakham and Oundle, who showed their class, winning 8 of the 10 matches.

Earlier in the season, there were 14 hockey matches against Oakham, in which Oundle won 12 and only lost 2. They scored an amazing 49 goals, conceding only 12.

For a match against another mighty opponent, Oundle’s 1st XI hockey travelled to Repton to play what would be their toughest match of the season. In the opening phases of the match Oundle managed to slow their players down allowing them to have more composed possession. Repton had a special midfield player who stuck the ball on our foot in the D all game long. They went through their slick short-corner routine in the early in the match and scored.

At times, Oundle were guilty of giving Repton too much respect yet the second half saw a far more aggressive performance. Often in sport, when you attack more you tend to be more vulnerable on the counter, and unfortunately for Oundle, this was the case. Two more short corners for Repton, lead to two more goals. The strength of the side was displayed in how clinical their set-piece was. Nonetheless, Oundle continued to be gallant despite conceding yet another. The final score finishing 4-0. The end result did not do justice to a strong Oundle performance.

In netball the U16 competed for the County Cup of the National Schools Netball Competition, and finished as runners-up, making it to the Regionals.

The first match was against Brooke Western and after a slow first two minutes they started to kick into gear, and won 6-1. The second match started straight after the first and was against Northampton High School which was won 5-0. Thirdly they played Wellingborough which was also won 7-0. Next they played the Weavers winning a strong 7-0.

They knew that the next match was going to be tough against Quinton House. They got quite flustered in the moment and unfortunately lost 1-4. After a much needed break, they played Pitsford and won 9-0.

Having made it to the semi-final, they were against Pitsford again. The previous win put their mind-set a mile ahead of their team and they won 9-1.

This meant that they qualified for the next round in the competition on the road to the Regionals, and just needed to fight it out for positions in the final.

They knew the final was going to be a very tough match, having previously lost to Quinton House. They fought especially hard and when the final whistle went, it was 4-4. The game went into extra time, and the team fought on and turned over many balls, but unfortunately Quinton House pipped them by one goal, making the final score 6-5.

Player of the Tournament was awarded to Lily Craven (Sn).

Doug Russell (Ldr)

In what proved to be a challenging talk that breached both chemical and biological topics, Dr Jess Healy, Excellence Fellow in Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry at UCL, kept everyone riveted as she explained what her team was doing in the search for new antibiotics.

Having demonstrated the need for new antibiotics, and explained the current situation and theory, we learnt of her team’s usage of ‘fragment-based’ drug discovery, and the goals for the future. This seems promising and innovative. The biochemistry of drug delivery was discussed in a manner which stretched our minds; concepts such as folate biosynthesis were introduced, and Dr Healy exuded enthusiasm for research and science that was motivational. Her emphasis of the 3D nature of chemistry, and visuals of macromolecules helped give perspective to a subject that can appear daunting.

Overall, this talk served to increase our knowledge and standpoint on the relevance of antibiotic research, and the fascinated science involved.

Magnus Jeffery (StA)

Very early on the Tuesday morning in the first week of the Long Exeat, 24 pupils from the Fourth to the Upper Six Forms travelled to Athens on the Classics trip to Greece for an action-packed six days, travelling around mainland Greece.

To read about the history of Athens, or Greece in general, is incredible. To experience it at first-hand is a life-changing experience.

The mere description or image of the Parthenon is deeply interesting, but to stand before it, looking over the rooftops of Athens bathed in a golden sunset, is to realise why the ancients believed in gods. Seeing such splendour on only the first day, I did wonder if the trip might have peaked early, however this could not have been further from the truth: each new site sparked a different thrill, be it the awe-inspiring acoustics of the ancient theatre at Epidauros, the water in Corinthian bath-houses still running after millennia, or being able to run in the same stadium as did the athletes of antiquity (though in this case, clothed, not naked).

Our packed itinerary included several locations from Parthenon to Pnyx, and despite the forecasts, Ms McDonnell, we joked, had arranged with Zeus that the rains should fall only whilst we were inside the museums.

The local gyros went down well, with some people suggesting that our very own dining rooms might like to include this on their menu. It was very powerful to stand near the Stoa where Socrates had discussed philosophy. Who knows, perhaps his “corruption” has rubbed off on us.

Henry Sleight (L)

This week’s Senior History Society talk was delivered by Professor Yang Wen Zheng from the University of Manchester, on 'Chairman Mao and his Cultural Revolution'.

Professor Zheng eloquently outlined the causes of the revolution with regards to the political tensions between Mao and his minsters Deng Xiao Peng and Liu Shao Qi, while also clearly explaining why certain groups, such the youth and women, were targeted as principle orchestrators of the violence.

Thoughtful insights into the future of China's government concerning the 'Lost Generation' created much food for thought, given that this is the generation that was brought up during the revolution. Personal anecdotes about her family's experiences added a unique perspective to what was an impressive lecture.

Annabelle Barker (N)

When someone mentions China, inevitably, dragons, lanterns and chopsticks come to mind. Or if you’re one of the few who are attracted to many bright signs and shining lights, there are images of skyscrapers, smart phones and an everlasting rush hour.

The MFL trip to Sichuan in October 2015 provided the pupils with the opportunity to observe and experience both the traditional culture and the modern life of China.

During the first week, the pupils stayed with host families. Apart from offering their host buddies private English tuition in the evenings, they also attended some workshops of traditional Chinese calligraphy and paper cutting. In addition, they had a few late afternoons off to explore the city and its cultural places with their host families.

The pupils spent the first five days of the trip in a primary school in Meishan, mainly teaching English to pupils from Grade 1 to Grade 5. The most interesting finding, according to all the participants, was that all the Chinese pupils were especially attentive and had an unbelievable memory.

After the emotional farewell with the host families, they headed for the skyscrapers and bright lights of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, for an exciting itinerary of travel and sightseeing.

The first day was spent going around gardens and visiting the Temple for Zhuge Liang, a strategist of Three Kingdom, and the Cottage of Du Fu, a Tang Dynasty poet. The evening ended with souvenir shopping at a traditional style street market, and watching Sichuan Opera.

On the second day pupils had private tours of two Chinese companies, and on the last full day in Chengdu they started off at a giant panda breeding base, and finished the day shopping at the world’s biggest shopping mall, which also had two 5 star hotels and its own beach.

Alongside the cultural highlights, pupils had the opportunity to develop their language skills, in an immersive experience.

H Yan

At a recent presentation ceremony in Belfast, Henry Worsley (Ldr) was awarded first prize in the Cinemagic Young Filmmaker (under 15s) Competition.

Submissions could be fact or fiction, comedy or drama, news programme or documentary. Henry wrote, shot and edited a ten minute short film entitled ‘Prevailing Lies’, a psychological thriller about loneliness and fear. The cast included family and friends, and was shot with a secondhand Canon 700d, mainly with a 50mm f1.8 lens, on a tight budget of only £200.

Liam Neeson and Piers Brosnan are both patrons of Cinemagic and sat on the judging panel. At the festival in Belfast, participants enjoyed workshops and masterclasses with other renowned members of the film and TV industry. Henry received a glass trophy and £100 prize money, and his film will now be shown at next year’s Cinemagic International Film Festival.

To view Henry’s film on Youtube visit: Prevailing Lies

During the first week of the October Half term, thirteen Sixth Form Spanish students travelled to Salamanca for a week of Spanish lessons and cultural visits. We stayed in the university residence, where we had our breakfast and lunches, and were able to meet university students and practise our Spanish. In the evenings we ate out in Salamanca, sampling lots of tapas and regional food.

Each morning we had four hours of lessons at Salminter Language School, and in the afternoons we visited cultural highlights, including tours of the historic buildings of Zamora, the Garden of Calixto and Melibea, which inspired Fernando de Rojas’s La Celestina, a literary tour on the origin of the picaresque novel El Lazarillo de Tormes, Salamanca’s cathedrals and museums, and the famous university buildings.

Along with a trip to the cinema, we had cooking lessons in a local bar where we learnt how to make paella, tapas and sangria, and had salsa lessons. This was hilariously fun, and everyone enjoyed it so much that a Salsa Vol at School was proposed.

After a very busy week, on the last day some of us still had energy to join a public debate in the famous La Casa de las Conchas.

Frankie Hooper (L)

A group of Oundle School A level artists and art historians travelled to Madrid over the October Half Term to visit galleries and art exhibitions.

The first gallery the pupils visited was La Reina Sofia, with its huge red terrace looking out over the city and stone corridors that looked into the lush garden.

The group’s favourite work at La Reina Sofia was Picasso’s ‘Guernica’, a masterpiece that one needs to see first-hand to fully appreciate its scale and impact.

On the second day the group visited Real Academia de Bellas Artes and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, where they enjoyed the sheer variety of work on display, which dated from the 13th to the 19th centuries.

Also on the itinerary were visits to see the amazing art at the Prado, and a return visit to Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to go see the fascinating Edvard Munch exhibition.

The hotel’s central location meant they were able to enjoy sampling a European lifestyle with nearby restaurants offering irresistible dishes of paella and churros.
 

On Saturday 7th Oundle played against Uppingham at home. It was not a vintage display of schoolboy rugby, but this is often the case in a local derby, and there will be no complaints given the impressive 38-3 score line. First half was a tight and cagey affair with a number of Oundle mistakes preventing any sustained pressure, allowing Uppingham to stay in the game. The second half proved to be much more fruitful for the home side and an early score seemed to kill off Uppingham. With a feeling that the win was now assured Oundle kept the pressure on and despite the conditions, tried to play a slightly more expansive game which gave James Keane (L) a brace of tries and resulted in an imposing score line. Perhaps not the thriller the crowd deserved, nevertheless the Millington Boot remains in Oundle after a satisfying victory over our traditional rivals.

On Saturday the 7th November the school celebrated twenty-five years of girls hockey at Oundle by playing the 25th 1st XI team game against Rugby School. In the first twenty minutes Oundle had the majority of possession, but unfortunately Rugby had an early break and managed to score early in the first half. Shortly after, they managed to win a short corner and after many breakdowns they were yet again awarded with one more goal. Their centre player scored from a deflection on the penalty spot, and the team was then 2-0 down. Anna Hodgkinson (N) took the push back quickly and threw an aerial into the attacking half. Hebe Hughes (K) picked up the ball, dribbling it down the line and sent it to Dora Nicolle (W) who managed to score between the goalie’s feet. After half time Rugby were able to penetrate the press and score. With the score 3-1 at this point, Oundle was fighting for outcomes in our D, and finally after some amazing skill from Sacha Wight (K), she managed to win a short corner. Here, Frannie Aldridge (K) scored from a drag flick to bring the score to 3-2. There was every chance to win, and after 12 consecutive years of Oundle 1st XI team being the winners of this rivalry match, the team was not ready to give the game to Rugby. Oundle fought right until the end, but unfortunately Rugby put two more goals past our defence, and the final whistle blew with the score 5-2.

On Tuesday, the squash 1st team played against Rugby School away. Despite fielding a weakened team, Oundle still beat them convincingly, continuing our run of positive results. Jack Murphy (B) and Kieran Marray (L) performed particularly well, stepping up to the number 1 and 2 positions respectively. They both won their matches 3-1, leading to a 3-1 result to Oundle.

On Thursday Oundle hosted Gresham’s and Oakham for what proved to be a very closely fought swimming gala with Gresham’s narrowly winning, and with Oundle coming a very close second. The U18 boys and girls both won their respective age groups, with the U18 boys setting two new School records in the freestyle and medley relays.

Oundle badminton competed against Bedford, coming away with a 10-8 victory, 5-4 for each team. Bedford is renowned as one of the stronger badminton sides, and so to defeat them is a well-deserved achievement. Excellent performances were provided by Winnie Liu (W) and Teck Chow (Ldr), despite perhaps a slightly unbalanced performance against the 2nd pair. The 1st pair of the 2nd team did exceptionally well to play the second game against their opposite pair to such a close margin.

Dylan Martens (L)